It's the second weekend of November, which may in future years become known as 'Ragnarok Weekend' should Kratos' latest outing keep up its impressive early momentum. Even though our newly anointed Dad of War Jeff Brooks loved the game, we're a subversive bunch here at DualShockers, and most of us actually won't be playing the thing that everyone else is playing.
So, assuming we're not traversing the nine realms of Ragnarok, what are we up to?
Damien Lykins - Managing Editor
343 Industries has seen fit to toss us starving Halo fans a morsel of goodness with the proper launch of Halo Infinite's campaign co-op this week, so that's likely to dominate my weekend gaming plans. It's difficult to forgive them for nixing the split-screen iteration of it after marketing Halo Infinite as the franchise's much-needed "return to form."
But it's a good excuse to appreciate the many, many things they've done right with Halo Infinite — fantastic story, just enough open world short of going full Ubisoft, great weapon sandbox, excellent characterization and voice acting, and so on. For that, they have my thanks. It's an early Thanksgiving of sorts. Just with a little more shooting and goopy alien blood than is usual around turkey time. A little, that's the operative phrasing.
Robert Zak - Lead Features Editor
Wordless mood-piece are a bit of a theme for me lately. I suffered through Scorn a while back (and quite enjoyed it, sicko that I am) and this weekend I'll continue working my through Somerville. It's from the new studio by the founder of Playdead, which made Limbo and Inside, and it'll be interesting to see how that style translates to what looks like a 3Dish setting (but with Silent Hill-style non-player-controlled camera angles).
Beyond that, I'm entertaining guests, so the ol' party game playlist will come out. Towerfall's longevity headlining that playlist really speaks to what a tight and wonderful experience that is. The limited arrows, the dodge mechanics, the scrolling screen - where you can go off each side of the screen and return on the opposite side - all make for a game that's yet to be surpassed in its field after nine years (even though many have tried).
CJ Kuzdal - Evergreen Editor
For the second weekend in a row, Marvel Snap will take up a majority of my free time. The game really has a stranglehold on me, and with a new Black Panther-themed Season Pass dropping earlier this week, I’m going to put in some heavy hours over the next few days.
The game does a great job of incentivizing players to return day after day, which I have happily done since its full release. The Seasons are short enough that I don’t lose interest and feel excited when a new one rolls around, but long enough that they feel worth the price.
Chris Harding - Multimedia Editor
For the last few weeks, I've been catching up on The Walking Dead - no spoilers, please - so I'm going all-in with a fresh playthrough of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners on Quest 2. I've had the game for yonks but I've never really put it through its paces on Quest 2, where it is supposedly a far superior experience.
For something a little different, I've got Die Hard Vendetta to finish off. Don't know what Die Hard Vendetta is? It's an ancient relic and it must be preserved, so I'm working my way through it and you'll be able to read and watch the retro review in the not-so-distant future.
Jeff Brooks - Evergreen Editor
Despite just coming off a caffeine-fueled bender of beating God of War Ragnarok for review and also taking care of a newborn, I'm gleefully hopping back into the game for a second playthrough. I've already talked at great length regarding the many spectacular qualities of this game, but I'm nowhere near sick of singing its praises. It simply blew me away. I would already rank God of War (2018) as a top 2 favorite game of all time for me, and Ragnarok surpassed it in nearly every metric. Do the maths.
The narrative is much more involved than the last outing, but it managed to balance that complexity with stellar writing and genuinely moving performances from the cast. The combat was also improved across the board from the previous game, providing more maneuverability and tools to make the moment-to-moment gameplay even more thrilling. I'll be thinking about this game for a long time to come, so the idea of jumping right back in was a no-brainer for me.
Shivam Gulati - Evergreen Editor
God of War Ragnarok is here, and I can't think of a better way of spending my weekend than playing the biggest title of 2022. I completed 2018's God of War last year, and it instantly became one of my favorite games of all time. I was awe-struck by its visuals, story, and, last but not least, the spectacular soundtrack. So, I'll be diving in with huge expectations, and if Jeff Brooks' review is anything to go by, the game won't disappoint.
As someone who mostly plays competitive FPS shooters like Valorant or CS:GO, I rarely get excited about a story-driven game. However, God of War Ragnarok is an exception. As of now, I've played the game for about an hour, and its massive world has already pulled me out of the competitive madness.
Matthew Schomer - News Editor
I have a confession to make: I was one of the people who preordered Saints Row. Yes, yes, I'm sure I have your sympathy, but the bug fixes are on their way, and for all its faults I've actually been enjoying painting Santo Ileso as purple as Stillwater, even if I can't listen to '80s pop while doing it. That is, until I unlocked the Mayhem activity. It was more than a week ago, and I'm still on the first mission.
The completionist in me can't move on until I've run the gauntlet and claimed the County Fairgrounds.The perfectionist in me, meanwhile, won't allow me to turn down the difficulty to give me extra time. And the rest of me is going to cause mayhem in real life if I have to hear the Boss say "What's the deal with those buyers?" one more time.
So what will I be playing this weekend? Hmmm, probably Stardew Valley, because I need to find my peace.
Jack Coleman - Lead News Editor
I'll be continuing my laid-back playthrough of Harvestella this weekend. The game is as I expected, an interesting life sim/RPG blend that leans into JRPG tropes. The combat, map layout, dialogue, plot, premise, you name it - it's all very Square Enix. It's been playing out like a "rancher JRPG" where I go on my little adventures, but I always return to my homestead at day's end.
Excitingly, I'll also be getting my hands on Obsidian's upcoming narrative game Pentiment ahead of its release on Tuesday. I played Pentiment a little at Gamescom and got the opportunity to ask Josh Sawyer and Hannah Kennedy a few questions shortly after. A narrative-meets-RPG-meets-historical-adventure game is right up my alley. Can't wait!