What We Played – Date Everything, Pragmata & Death Stranding 2

I can happily say that a further week with the Switch 2 is cementing it as my current console of choice. I’ve been playing a lot of Splatoon 3, which I think I’m doing alright at, or just being very lucky with my teammates. It remains a great game, and having cooled on my Overwatch obsession, it’s filling the competitive shooter void in my life. Besides that, I’ve been playing Ruffy and the Riverside, which is a delightful throwback to the days of the N64, as well as Lost In Random: The Eternal Die, more family Mario Kart World, and more Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma.

Ade has had a frustrating week, but one with some romance in it, telling us, “After a particularly gruelling boss fight in Clair Obscur which I found intensely irritating – so much so my controller almost got lobbed, something I’ve not done in decades – so I took a break from all that stress by reviewing the sand-box dating sim Date Everything and succeeded in seducing my lamp. So that’s nice.”

Gamoc had a busy one this week, saying, “In addition to Atomfall, Maestro, Zombie Army VR, and Chains of Freedom for review, I also started Death Stranding. I also did a sci-fi DND one-shot that I based on a book over the weekend, which was cool.”

Tuffcub was on BIG REVIEW DUTY this week with Death Stranding 2. He says it’s got it all wrong though, “Death Stranding 2: Not On The Beach At All The Title Is Very Misleading. I have also played Sand Land, which I later found out is based on a manga, it’s rather fun.” See, at least that one sounds like it is on a beach.

Spending a good chunk of time playing Split/Second from the PlayStation Plus classics streaming library, Jim says, “It’s still a sublime arcade racer that doesn’t pull its punches with cheap rubber banding – then, of course, there’s the massively destructible tracks. I’m having great fun and will definitely complete a playthrough of the campaign before not doubt going back and grabbing 1st place in tougher races using the game’s best motors.” He continues, “After dipping in and out of the game for what feels like multiple years, I also wrapped Valiant Hearts. It transported me back in time, not just to The Great War, but a time when Ubisoft were taking more risks and banging out some stellar, smaller-scale titles.”

Aran played some Rematch, saying, “It is fine but needs a community where players know how to pass. I also played a Contra inspired run and gun game called Wild Dogs which let’s you use pilot a mech suit with a dog. I’ve also started Strangers of Paradise Final Fantasy Origins, and the combat is good in that. I’ve also started I Am Your Beast for review.”

Going for something gaming adjacent, Nic B tells us, “I have finally had a chance to catch up on Final Fantasy in Magic the Gathering. It is very, very good.” Meanwhile, Miguel has played lots of Elden Ring: Nightrein, a bit of Peak, and the global release of Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

Steve tried out The Alters, but says, “I found it got too stressful as I kept on running out of food so will return to that when I’m feeling up to it.’ He then joined me by starting Lost In Random: The Eternal Die which he thinks is, “A really fun Hades clone that’s well worth playing on Game Pass”. He’s been carrying on though with his path to Metroid Prime 4, telling us, “I’m deep into the incredible fanmade AMR2. I played Samus Returns back on the 3DS and that was mostly a matter of parrying so playing an alternative take on Metroid 2 that doesn’t have this mechanic feels very different. It is still a bit too easy to get lost as many essential areas are hidden in secret rooms.” Finally, he started exploring the Switch 2 Welcome Tour and played a few rounds of Mario Kart World.

And finally, Tef has played a bunch of upcoming games. He went hands on with Pragmata just hours before the gameplay reveal in last night’s Capcom Spotlight stream, and really enjoyed the unusual hacking minigame being thrown into the shooting. He also visited Raw Fury to check out a bunch of their upcoming games, already sharing impressions of Monsters Are Coming!, and with Esoteric Ebb and more to come soon. He was then complimented on some a Mario Kart World win by an onlooking stranger on the flight back home.

Now then, what about you? Played anything good?