What are you playing this weekend?

It’s a long holiday weekend for many, and what better way to pass the time than by playing video games?

Many of you, including some of us, will be off on Friday and Monday to celebrate the Easter Holiday, and besides eating loads of Cadbury chocolates, Starburst Jelly Beans, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, we’ll be firing up a game or two.

Here’s what we’re getting into this Easter weekend.

Alex Donaldson, Assistant Editor – GTA 5, LEGO Star Wars, Chrono Trigger

It’s going to be a bit of a recent backlog adventure for me over this long Easter weekend. I’ve been chipping away at a new save file of the GTA 5 campaign, only my second since launch. This is inspired by the new-generation update, of course; I’m on Xbox Series X. Playing GTA Online with a bunch of hyped-up trolls with billions in GTA cash sounds rather stressful, so I’m just enjoying muddling through the campaign.

I’m actually surprised at how impressive and futuristic this game still feels – it’s aged very well indeed, character models aside. It’s making me really hyped for GTA 6, which feels like a fool’s errand given that it’s probably still quite a ways off.

I’ll also be chipping away at LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga when I want something lower-stress, and I’m also embarking on yet another replay of Chrono Trigger, as I do every few years here. This one, of course, is inspired by the Chrono Cross remaster’s release – even though the two games are barely related.

Connor Makar, Staff Writer – Sonic 2, Warzone

This weekend I’ll be going to see the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with some friends which is sure to be interesting. I’m not the biggest fan of kids movies to be honest, but nonetheless I’ll be going in with an open mind. Word is that it’s quite good, so I’m eager to see it regardless of my previous feelings towards it.

In terms of games, I’m honestly not too sure! Call of Duty: Warzone Season 3 is coming out soon, so I might jump in and wrap up some challenges I’ve still haven’t finishe. There’s more Genshin Impact content too. What I’ll likely do is write everything I should do down, before dropping several hours in League of Legends instead.

Dom Peppiatt, Features Editor – Nioh 2

I still need to get started on Elden Ring; I know, I know – I feel like the only person working in games that hasn’t tried it yet. Even my mates – the ones not really that into gaming – are starting to talk about it all the time. As of today, I am off for 12 whole days, though. So I may finally get time to venture into the Lands Between during my time off (I’m tempted to jump back into Final Fantasy 14 though, uh oh).

Before I commit to my entire life being eaten away by Tarnished turtles – or whatever the hell actually happens in Elden Ring – I am going to prime my fingers and my brain with a bit of Nioh 2. I finished the game back when it first launched, but during the Great First Lockdown the UK underwent in 2020, I went back to blitz through both Nioh games on my then-new PS5. I managed to get the Platinum in Nioh (for some reason) but got distracted before I could make it through the second game. Here’s hoping the next week and a bit will be a good time for me to – finally – finish everything there is to see in Team Ninja’s majestic second attempt at a Souls-like.

James Billcliffe, Gudies Editor – Chinatown Detective Agency

Hard-boiled detective work in a neon-lit, near-future cyberpunk world? There’s not much that could be any more my kinda bullshit, so I’m going to give Chinatown Detective Agency a shot, despite the mixed reception.

There are actually a ton of these kind of games, Gamedec and Foreclosed are just a couple I also have installed, unopened, on my HDD, and they usually deliver at least a bit of solid futuristic ambience and fun role play even if it’s not worth playing ’til completion.

The screens remind me of a few other games I like, 2064: Read Only Memories, Suda51’s OG point-and-click The Silver Case, and to an extent the more recent Shadowrun games. Hopefully I’ll get a good chunk of playtime over the holiday weekend.

Kelsey Raynor, Gudies Writer – Bloodborne, Kirby and the Forgotten Land

My friend is absolutely adamant that I play Bloodborne, except I don’t own a PlayStation. So, this weekend I’m off to catch up with family in Sheffield and pay a visit to my friend, where I’ll no doubt be roped into learning the ins and outs of Bloodborne for an evening.

>Whenever I do get some down time, I’ll be practicing self-care by playing Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and by engaging in retail therapy.

Sherif Saed, Staff Writer – Destiny 2

Although Destiny 2 is often thought of as the most visible example of a long-running live service game, I tend to think of it differently. I was onboard the Destiny train when the original game came out at the start of the last generation of consoles, but my relationship with it has been off again/on again since the release of the numbered sequel.

Destiny 2 had simply gotten too complicated and too demanding for me to play it casually, leading to my current relationship with the game; which I don’t doubt isn’t shared by others in the community.

These days, I get excited about new Destiny 2 content precisely for the amount of time it takes me to finish it. Once the predictable grind kicks in, and the game offers you fewer and fewer avenues to grow in power, I walk away and don’t come back for a year – which is when new content arrives. This approach has served me quite well so far.

I did miss the launch of the Witch Queen, however, thanks to Elden Ring. Now that I’m out of the Elden Ring hole, I’ve picked up Destiny 2 again. Though I don’t find this campaign particularly special, I am enjoying the same things I’ve always come to Bungie’s shooters for: satisfying mechanics, rewarding progression, and spectacular sights. I’m already done with the main quest, and this weekend, I’m going to turn my attention to other co-op activities added since I stopped playing. If it offers matchmaking and it’s not PvP, I’m probably going to like it.

Stephany Nunneley, News Editor – Pokemon Go, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

In between drinking some delicious strawberry wine, eating a large dinner consisting of ham, deviled eggs, potato salad, rolls, baked beans, and my famous strawberry cake, plus trying and continuing to fail at finding someone to style my hair and apply my makeup on my wedding day, I will be playing Pokemon Go.

The main boss of Team Go Rocket, Giovanni, is back, and he’s brought Shadow Latias along for the ride, and I am doing my best to try and beat the bird creature. She’s proving to be a bit hard, no matter which Pokemon I use, but I want her for my Pokedex. Plus, I am still trying to find and catch Buneary wearing a flower crown and Whismur for the Spring into Spring Collection Challenge. Whismur is usually everywhere this time of year, but not at this moment it’s not. Togetic with a flower crown is also floating around, and I really want that one. It’s just too damn precious.

While Pokemon Go is pretty much the only game I seem to have time for of late, I plan on picking up LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga because it looks rather fun.

Usually, I prefer fantasy games with wizards and orcs over science fiction, but this is a Star Wars game, and like many, I am a fan of the series. Well, some of the movies, not all of them. I won’t get into which ones I am not fond of, but I am sure the LEGO versions based on the films I don’t particularly care for will be rather fun.

What are your plans this weekend? Are you hunting colored eggs, or having a big family meal? Surely you will have time to play some games as well, so what do you plan on playing?