Welcome to September! It could not formally be fall but, however temperatures are lastly getting tolerable and shortly sufficient there’ll be pumpkin spice all the pieces (which I unironically love).
I additionally love video video games (opposite to standard perception), and so my comrades and I right here at Kotaku are as soon as once more poised to supply up some nice options in case you’re looking out for one thing to play this weekend. Naturally, we’re gonna speak about Silksong, however there’s additionally some killer science fiction on this version of the Weekend Information. Let’s get to it.
Star Wars Outlaws
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, Swap 2, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Unsupported”)Present aim: Get Kay Vess to say “Dank farrik!” about 17 extra instances
I performed Outlaws when it first launched just a little over a yr in the past, and I favored it nicely sufficient even then. Certain, I generally received pissed off with its insta-fail stealth missions, however I additionally liked the possibility to only absorb the vibes in a backwater cantina, or crush my opponents in a recreation of sabacc. Within the time since, the gameplay has seen many refinements and the story has been expanded with just a few new chapters, and I’ve been curious to see simply how a lot of an influence these modifications would have on my expertise. However to get the complete impact of those revisions, I made a decision it might be greatest to start out the sport over from the start, and if I used to be going to do this anyway, I figured I’d as nicely await the Swap 2 model for max consolation and comfort.
You will have seen the studies that emerged final week from PAX West indicating that Outlaws on Swap 2 may be very compromised, however now it’s right here and I’m glad to echo many others in saying that it really runs completely superb and is, if something, a technical marvel of a port! With this, Cyberpunk 2077, and Road Fighter 6 all wowing me on Nintendo’s handheld, I’m beginning to surprise why we’re not seeing far more ports of massive video games from current years make the leap. However I’m getting forward of myself, since I nonetheless have loads of Outlaws left to play earlier than I’ve to fret about what to play subsequent. I’m too early but to actually say simply how a lot the modifications to fight and different facets of gameplay might have impacted the sport total, however I’m already having fun with nonchalantly leaning on partitions in cantinas once more and taking in all that dirty Star Wars environment. – Carolyn Petit
Hole Knight: Silksong
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Sequence X/S, Xbox One, Swap 2, Swap, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)Present aim: Beat Fourth Refrain
Cease me in case you’ve already heard about this recreation earlier than. It’s a Metroidvania Soulslike about continually backtracking such as you forgot to show the range off or lock the door, solely the second you allow the home once more you get killed and have to return and accumulate all of your shit a second time. Rinse and repeat for 30-40 hours, overcome some cool boss fights, get introspective about some random except for a mysterious NPC, and you’ve got the Hole Knight expertise in a nutshell. Primarily based on my first few hours with Silksong, I count on it to be extra of the identical, however such as you’re doing all of it for the primary time once more.
And what may very well be higher than that? What number of wonderful video games are on the market that we at all times wished might have gotten sequels that had been the identical however totally different? Chrono Set off? Earthbound? Bloodborne? There’s one thing so satisfyingly simple about Silksong: right here’s extra of that factor you liked, with out the tedium of replaying what you already know. How becoming for a Metroidvania. The very act of enjoying Silksong within the first place seems like backtracking! The most important distinction by far is that Hornet can solely assault downwards whereas within the air at a forty five diploma angle. I sort of hate it however that’s most likely the purpose. The very best video games get us out of our consolation zones, even when an enormous a part of their enchantment is in returning to the acquainted. – Ethan Gach
No Man’s Sky
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, Swap 2, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)Present aim: Get me a type of Corvettes
There’s an alternate actuality the place the one recreation I play is No Man’s Sky. However this realm of existence, sadly, saddles me with too many competing pursuits to dedicate all of my time to this glorious house sim Good day Video games has continued to develop through the years. Nonetheless, this weekend I’ll but once more reality-shift to that state of bliss NMS takes me too, as I’m actually wanting to see how a lot the current Voyagers replace modifications the sport.
Learn Extra: No Man’s Sky Followers Are Doing Wild Stuff As The Sport Hits A New Peak On Steam
Earlier updates have actually expanded NMS, however having your personal ship from which you’ll be able to skydive or teleport right down to the floor modifications a core mechanic that’s been on the coronary heart of the sport since 2016: managing gas to your launch thrusters. Having the ability to simply soar right down to a planet to assemble assets not solely modifications the way you work together with these voxel-based worlds, however little doubt actually impacts your complete useful resource economic system in methods I’m keen to find as nicely. And naturally, I’m very into the flexibility to construct some spectacular and artistic ships too, like this neat-looking factor that caught my eye on Reddit lately. The VR mode for the sport has been tweaked a bit for the higher it appears, too, and it’s been a bit too lengthy since I’ve gamed with a headset on, so I’m seemingly to offer {that a} spin as nicely. – Claire Jackson
Steel Eden
Play it on: PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, Home windows PCs (Steam Deck: Unsupported)Present aim: Escape the Sand Entice
You would possibly keep in mind Ruiner because the gory top-down cyberpunk shooter about blasting individuals within the head to deliver down a corrupt system. Effectively, eight years later(!) Reikon Video games is again with a first-person cyberpunk shooter about blasting individuals within the head to deliver down a corrupt system. Steel Eden is Ghostrunner meets Doom; a fast-paced, style-over-substance FPS about utilizing spatial reasoning to decode probably the most environment friendly option to traverse a stage, kill all the pieces in it, and survive a wave-based showdown in a locked enviornment on the finish.
I performed and loved the demo earlier this yr and lately dipped into the completed recreation. It’s gotten surprisingly first rate evaluations that left me excited to see what the again half of the exceedingly temporary marketing campaign has to supply. The primary couple of chapters really feel like waking up right into a hyper-violent dream on the finish of the universe, mild on particulars however heavy on vibes, extra Equilibrium than The Matrix. I hope it will possibly stick the touchdown, although even when it doesn’t it’s one in every of 2025’s prettier and extra tightly calibrated Doom clones. – Ethan Gach
And that wraps our picks for the weekend! What are you enjoying?
