What are you playing this weekend?
After last week's reprieve, we're back on schedule.
June is here, and the weather is much warmer. Beat the heat and stay inside.
Along with rising temperatures, there are other reasons to stay inside this weekend besides playing games.
One of these is the Microsoft + Bethesda showcase tomorrow. Surely it'll be worth the time sitting glued to a screen, we hope at least. The other is the PC Gaming Show which kicks off almost immediately after the MicroBeth show.
During the PC Gaming Show, Klei Entertainment will reveal a brand-new project. Because we have yet to play a game from the studio we haven't liked, we're pretty excited to hear what they have in store for us.
Other than watching and covering the shows this weekend, the folks here at VG247 also plan to pop in a game or two over the next two days.
Here's what we're playing:
Connor Makar, Staff Writer - Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends
This weekend, I'll be taking many naps. But, between those naps I'll be clocking in some time into Call of Duty: Warzone which I've tragically left unplayed for the better part of a week now, and I plan on getting into Apex Legends for similar reasons.
Thanks to not-E3 week, there's a few games I want to go back and play as I've gotten all nostalgic due to certain reveals. That includes Dead Space of course, but I may also go back and play some Resident Evil 4 if I have the time.
I may also have to log into Diablo Immortal, but I really don't want to. That game is miserable.
James Billcliffe, Guides Editor - Diablo Immortal
Diablo Immortal is one of those free-to-play games you wish you could play without the bullshit.
The classic Blizzard formula at its core is as strong as ever: there's some really compelling dungeon-crawling and loot grinding action to be had here - along with one of the best story campaigns available on mobile. But just like with every free-to-play game, you get to the pay-to-win part eventually, and in Diablo Immortal that's the items which buff endgame equipment.
You're very heavily incentivised to pay to get them, lest you grind out a load of stuff you don't want to do, and that's a real drag. But the real kicker is in the upgrading, which is a genuinely massive money pit. It's a shame since the campaign is so good, and it's an interesting decision to so aggressively monetise the late game rather than implement an energy system all the way through like a lot of mobile games.
There are some great environments, effects, and set pieces on offer for free though, but while I'll definitely be rolling the credits on the moreish main story soon, I'm not sure how long I'll stick with it when I know just how much it would take to get anywhere near max.
Kelsey Raynor, Guides Writer - Valorant, Silent Hill 2
I've got a busy weekend coming up, so I doubt I'll get as much time to climb ranks in Valorant as I'd like, but that's the plan this weekend.
I also started replaying Silent Hill 2 last week during my time off, but didn't get around to finishing it, so if I fancy being spooked this weekend rather than tilted over Valorant, I might jump into that instead. Playing The Quarry this past week does have me in the mood for more horror, after all.
Tom Orry, Editor-in-Chief – Resident Evil Village Stadia in-browser demo
I know it’s cool to hate Stadia, and I’ll admit that the service has been lackluster from a content point of view, but for me it’s still the best when it comes to the gaming experience. A great example of this is the in-browser demo for Resident Evil Village. I clicked on this link, and the game loaded right there, and I was playing in a few moments (and it would have been even fewer moments had I not had to confirm some settings).
Stadia the tech is great. I hadn’t optimized my connection or environment (I have about 110 tabs open in Chrome), yet the game played great. This sadly is more than can be said for Xbox Cloud Gaming, which for me is noticeably laggy and has inferior image quality. Annoying as it’s a service I actually use now and again.
That's the plan for us this weekend. What about you? What are you playing? Do you plan on watching the showcases this weekend? If so, is there anything in particular you hope or expect Microsoft and Bethesda to announce? Let us know!