The Video Games You Should Play This Weekend – April 17

Capcom’s had a strong streak in recent months, and Pragmata continues the trend of quality releases. This new sci-fi franchise features some gorgeous sci-fi visuals and a heartwarming story that explores the dynamics of fatherhood. But for many players, the real draw is likely to be the slick dual-mechanic of combat, which mixes third-person shooting and a grid-based hacking system, both of which run simultaneously in real time as you battle squads of robotic foes. Pragmata hits a lot of marks well, and it’s great to see Capcom establish a new game concept in the sea of sequels we see from major publishers these days.

You can read Game Informer‘s Pragmata review by following the link.

Five years since its release, Returnal remains a haunting and intense third-person shooter, and one of the high water marks for shooter roguelites. Whether you played it at launch or never got around to it, this weekend would be an excellent time to pick the celebrated game back up, ahead of the much-anticipated release of Saros at the end of the month. While Housemarque’s new game isn’t a true sequel, the two share many of the same gameplay structures, as well as a thematic focus that is interested in exploring disquieting aspects of the human psyche. For what it’s worth, Returnal is also on an impressive sale on PSN right now if you plan to play on PS5.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a sequel years in the making. Its cult following of fans has been creating towns of wacky Miis for years, and since Living the Dream dropped this week, they’re finally able to take a new crack at it on the Switch. While it’s certainly wacky, our reviewer Brian Shea admits that there’s not much else to it, and while it’s fun to see what hijinks your townsfolk will get up to, the lack of social features really holds the game back. Here’s an excerpt from his review:

“Everyone will approach Tomodachi Life differently, and that is what makes it such a unique experiment. However, if you don’t have the time or creativity to imagine and engineer unique dynamics between tens of Miis, Living the Dream’s removal of the social features cannot serve as a safety net as it did with the 3DS release. And sadly, outside of the daily dose of comedy, there isn’t much more to buoy this release.”

You can read his full thoughts here.

After years of teasers and delays, Mouse: P.I. For Hire finally launched yesterday, and according to our freelance reviewer Billy Givens, it was worth the wait. Combining a noir story with classic rubber hose animation (think Steamboat Willie) and the mechanics of a boomer shooter (think Doom), Mouse’s unique style really stands out. But how does it play? Here’s an excerpt from Billy’s review:

“With its black-and-white rubber hose animation, lively jazz soundtrack, and gripping detective noir setting, Mouse: P.I. For Hire serves up a refreshing 1930s-inspired experience in the seedy city of Mouseburg – a name that makes perfect sense given its population of anthropomorphic mice. Here, players control a gumshoe named Jack Pepper (voiced by Troy Baker), as he unravels an increasingly complex missing persons case sporting all the usual suspects from crooked cops and slippery politicians to charming socialites and tenacious reporters. This tale’s smart, humorous writing and enigmatic characters play into hardboiled fiction cliches in amusing ways that kept me hooked throughout the dozen or so hours it took to reach its high-stakes finale.”

You can read his full thoughts here.

NetEase’s hero shooter remains a juggernaut, drawing in both multiplayer fans and dedicated Marvel enthusiasts. Part of the appeal is the consistent pace of new events, characters, and seasons. Case in point: Today sees the release of season 7.5, which notably introduces the new playable character of Black Cat. After just a few matches, it’s clear that learning her kit may be a significant challenge, as the character continues the trend we’ve seen recently of more mechanically complex setups. Stacked alongside new balance changes, a new event to earn rewards, and new costumes, there’s reason to set aside some weekend time to try out the fresh content.