Weekend Picks: Six Games We're Excited to Revisit
- Yakuza 0: Play on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Windows, Steam Deck.
- Cataclismo: Play on Windows, Steam Deck.
- Void Bastards: Play on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, Windows, Steam Deck.
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses: Play on Switch.
- No Man's Sky: Play on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, Windows, Steam Deck.
The Top 10 Most-Played Games On Steam Deck: June 2023 Edition
By Claire Jackson, Moises Taveras, Ethan Gach, John Walker, Willa Rowe, and Carolyn Petit
Published: Friday, 1:07 PM
July 2024 may be coming to a close, but it's still summer weather for many of us.
This means you still have a great excuse to stay indoors where it's cool and dark, and where electricity abundantly flows for us to power our gaming machines.
This weekend, we're taking a look at a few games that have come out in recent years, as well as a few more recent ones too.
Whether you're looking to jump into a colossal new galaxy, an epic Japanese gangster saga, or a DOS-game classic, we think these picks are well worth your time.
Yakuza 0
Kiryu punches a guy while money flies on screen.
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows, Steam Deck
Buy it from: Humble Bundle
Current goal: Not burning myself out on it
I've finally picked up Yakuza 0, and I don't want to put it down, but I've been forcing myself to.
As enthralling as it is and as much fun as I'm having in 1980s Japan, these games are far too easy to burn out on.
Despite it all, I love this series and I want to experience the rest of Kiryu's story from the beginning.
Given that it's the weekend, though, I'm planning on marathoning a few more installments than usual while trying to make sure it doesn't do too much psychic damage or deprive me of water, food, some sunlight, and time with friends.
Cataclismo
Soldiers stand at the ready on a castle.
Play it on: Windows, Steam Deck
Buy it from: Humble Bundle
Current goal: Complete the existing campaign
I've had a hard time putting Cataclismo down, and even when I do, I'm still thinking about it.
The real-time tower defense hybrid of They Are Billions and a Lego city builder scratches a very particular itch in my strategy brain.
If you like building thick stone walls and ridiculously precarious medieval shanty towns, this is the game for you.
Void Bastards
A character shoots aggressive enemies with a gun.
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows, Steam Deck
Buy it from: Humble Bundle
Current goal: Get past the fourth stage
When Void Bastards came out in 2019, I was super excited to play it, and then for reasons I'm not quite clear on, bounced off hard.
Replaying it this time, however, I'm totally in love. I accidentally stayed up playing until 1 am last night.
I'm planning to play it this weekend too. And maybe forever.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
A character looks out at a classroom with options for a lesson plan.
Play it on: Switch
Buy it from: Amazon, Best Buy, Humble Bundle
Current goal: Enjoy one of the best Switch games to date and have tea with Edelgard
Did you know that today, July 26, is the five-year anniversary of Fire Emblem: Three Houses releasing for Nintendo Switch?
Three Houses puts you in the shoes of a professor at the Garreg Mach Monastery officers' school and gives you the choice of which of the titular three houses to control.
As we near the end of the Switch's lifespan, Three Houses remains one of the best games the console has given us.
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
A character looks at a beholder in a dungeon.
Play it on: PC (Available on GOG)
Current goal: Finally beat it after over 30 years
Each summer, the big online PC storefronts offer colossal sales that have thousands of gamers flocking to buy titles for 75 or 90 percent off.
Right now, the game in my GOG library that's calling to me like no other is Ultima Underworld, the absolutely remarkable 1992 first-person role-playing game.
If you've never played it and you consider yourself someone with an interest in game history, I highly recommend delving into the Stygian Abyss one of these days.
No Man's Sky
A spaceship flies over an ocean with islands in the distance.
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows, Steam Deck
Buy it from: Amazon, Best Buy, Humble Bundle
Current goal: Vibe. Blissfully, galactically vibe.
I've been playing a ton of No Man's Sky since the new update arrived a short while ago, and it's managed to finally stick with me.
No Man's Sky is a massive make-your-own-fun kind of sandbox that I just can't resist.
This weekend will likely see me continue my efforts to keep building up my base and exploring the planets in the system I'm presently sticking to until it feels appropriate to move on.
And that wraps up our picks for this weekend. Happy gaming!
