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Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (27th June)

Well done folks; you made it through another week. For those in Europe at the moment, that’s a mighty fine achievement considering how bloody hot it’s been the past few days. We hope you’ve been keeping cool and safe!

This week, Sonic celebrated his 35th anniversary with a few key announcements. First, a couple of “new” collections are coming to Switch, which basically bundle together Classic and Modern entries in two distinct packages. Elsewhere, overpriced Genesis cartridges for Sonic and Sonic 2 are being launched later this year from iam8bit, while Sega shadow-dropped a Switch 2 port of Sonic Frontiers (spoiler: if you own it on Switch, it ain’t worth the upgrade).

We also compiled a bunch of N64 features this week to celebrate the console’s 30th anniversary, so be sure to check these out when you have a moment:

Now, let’s see what we’re up to this weekend…

Jim Norman, Features Editor

After wrapping up the Star Fox review, I was hankering for something completely different, so I finally picked up Lorelei and the Laser Eyes on Switch 2 and have been working my way through its early puzzles over the last few days. It hasn’t properly got its claws into me just yet, but everything that I’ve heard about it sounds like it’s the most ‘Jim Game’ out there, so I’m staying strong and hoping that there are some surprises in store!

Stay hydrated, and have a good one!

Ollie Reynolds, Reviews Editor

I went a bit hard on Xenoblade Chronicles, so I’ve taken a bit of a break. Star Fox is proving to be the perfect antidote with its short runtime yet seemingly endless replayability.

I also downloaded Arcade Archives 2 TEKKEN, so I’ll hopefully have some full thoughts on that for you very soon. It’s pretty neat so far, though!

Gavin Lane, Editor

Having said I absolutely won’t be replaying Ocarina before the remake hits…I’m replaying Ocarina before the remake hits. Well, sort of.

It struck me that my young kids might appreciate being familiar with the story and the setting beforehand, and playing through the Young Link section would get them familiar with the Zelda way of doing things. It whets their appetites, but also gives them an appreciation for 64-bit Hyrule before the remake arrives and blasts their graphical expectations to the moon. We’ve already gone through Deku Tree, with me steering Link (they insisted on keeping the name) at their guidance as we search for clues, open chests, and bop Skulltulas. Hearing their ideas and seeing their faces light up when they’re right — lighting the torch does open the door! — is priceless.

Revisiting the 64-bit version worked very nicely with Star Fox (my son has been going around the house singing the march of his own accord for a fortnight), and having just said farewell to Saria and venturing into Hyrule Field, I’m so looking forward to the next few hours.

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

F-Zero. Metroid. Star Fox. Those three franchises are the ones I eagerly seek the internet looking for anything new or old. They’re niche. They’re sci-fi. They will never be “mainstream”. They’re my favourite video game franchises. As you can imagine, every time a new title is released, I secure my free time to savour them. Last December it was all about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but this weekend it’s G-Diffusers and barrel rolls!

I was very young when I saw the movie The Last Starfighter. It left quite the impact, even before Star Wars. I was several years older upon discovering Namco’s Star Blade (an Arcade Archives 2 release in the future, surely?). Then Argonaut Software “brought it home”: Star Fox on the SNES was all that I needed to become a hardcore fan of the series… but it just a tease for what was to come: Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars for us mercenary pilots in PAL lands), the strongest plot/gameplay game in the whole series.

So Nintendo made my long time dream come true. A 1:1 remake of that very same game where I spent hours chasing every possible route, the entry that introduced Star Wolf, the Land Master, the Blue Marine… space mercenary life was fun back then and remains so now, in glorious current age tech, it goes beyond anything I could have ever imagined when I was a kid. I’m going to pass on adulting and just become Andross’s worst nightmare. It’s a Star Fox weekend and merely the first of several. See you in the multiplayer mode!

Matthew Reynolds, Acting Deputy Editor

My Analogue 3D adventures continue. After trying something new (Star Fox 64, a technically impressive game I’d argue is worthy of the remake treatment) and something I was lukewarm on at the time (Super Mario 64, which plays brilliantly, but definitely drops off in quality once you best Bowser the first time), I turn to one of my Nintendo 64 favourites in the hope it holds up – Diddy Kong Racing.

I’m pleased to say it remains an absolute belter. It helps that the structure, which tucks tracks and bosses into a compact hub you can explore by land, sea and air has never been repeated (that I’m aware of) or bested (of that I’m sure) as far as single player kart modes go. But most importantly, it still looks and controls wonderfully. And the music! The package is peak Rare – incredibly playable and full of character – and it’s a crime it’s not graced Nintendo Switch Online yet.

Those are our plans, but what about yours? Let us know what you’ll be slapping in your Switch (2) in the poll below:

What are you playing this weekend (27th/28th June)?

Please select all that apply:

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