What We Played – F1 25, Hypercharge: Unboxed and Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
This is it. The last week without a Switch 2. I am actually incredibly hyped – way more than I have been for the past couple of console launches – and I think it’s because of one thing: Mario Kart World. We’ve basically been playing the same Mario Kart game for 11 years. Yes… 11! Don’t get me wrong, those have been some great years, and Mario Kart 8 has been tweaked, updated and added to across that time, so it’s not the same game. But… it is the same game. Mario Kart World is a totally new take on Mario’s kart racing franchise, and I can’t wait to check it out.
The other nice thing is that there are fewer launch games for me to pick up here. I’m always an idiot and buy too many things at launch, and then none of them get played properly, but there’s a small batch that I’m interested in, having played other games elsewhere. I do wonder how that will play out for third parties, and whether they’ll see the return they’re hoping for with legacy titles, but here’s hoping it doesn’t put them off from bringing more Switch 2 games to the table.
This week, I’ve been playing a few things, going from Doom: The Dark Ages to a bunch of different sized wheels in Warhammer 40,000 Speedfreeks, Roadcraft and F1 25.
Gamoc has spent this week playing Chains of Freedom for review, Baldur’s Gate 3, Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, and Oblivion.
Tuffcub has been probably been playing Destiny 2 this week, but he’s also been writing about a batch of other things that he’s going to tell you about, including Hell is Us, which he seems rather taken with. You can read his preview right here.
After jetting off to Madeira for most of the week, Aran’s gaming was limited to starting Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon for review. He says, “So far I have escaped a dungeon and killed a miniboss found in a hidden dungeon in a blood-filled lake.” Sounds delightful!
Jim has been playing Hypercharge: Unboxed but says it is “more fun in concept than it is in execution”, calling it, “A pretty by-the-numbers arcade shooter that’s fun for a short while”.
That’s not all he’s had on the go though, as he tell us, “After chipping away at it for a couple of weeks, I also crossed Resident Evil 8 off my backlog. I really enjoyed the setting and many of the smart refinements Capcom has made to the series’ new formula. Presenting players with a cast of twisted villains, then tasking us with taking them down works great just as it did in Resi 7. However, much like its predecessor, there’s a jarring theme shift between atmospheric horror and sci-fi that I wasn’t a huge fan of.”
Ade has been carrying on this week. Specifically with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is “a great RPG with memorable characters, an engaging story, and superb combat but irritating platforming sections” and continued to enjoy Revenge of the Savage Planet in co-op with his partner.
Steve has also been Revenging that Savage Planet, saying, “It works really well in the transition to third person”. He’s also rinsed Doom the Dark Ages, telling us, “It was a fun campaign but the pacing felt off in places. I’ve had the chance to try out a few demos early with previews on the way and really enjoyed Near Mage – review up soon. Finally as a result of the early demos I’ve been trying to beat the NES Ninja Gaiden games and my God they’re tough. Resisted save state scumming so far but don’t think that’ll last much longer.”
And Tef has been doing some prep work for the impending arrival of the Switch 2 next week. That’s meant going all the way back to the PS4 to capture some Yakuza 0, Cyberpunk 2077, Kunitsu-Gami and more for comparisons – Cyberpunk on PS4 is such a rough time… He’s also dipped into the Splitgate 2 open beta, which is a pretty good time while everyone’s still figuring out how to best use portals, jet packs and everything else.
What about you? What have you played?
