23rd August

Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing. This week, our away team returns from Gamescom and our home team recovers from Gamescom. What a week! Have you had your head turned by anything?

More importantly, what have you been playing?

Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, PC

I've been waiting for this for years and now that I've finally played it - a few hours of it in a preview - I'm disappointed. It's not so much that the concept has been narrowed to fit an action game template, because that can work really well - though it's a shame not to use the outrageous wealth of RPG depth in the existing tabletop RPG game - but being narrower means there's more pressure on the content that remains. Having less to do means the things you actually do need to stand out more.

The characters need to really impress, the combat needs to really impress, the corridored sequences need to really impress; and they don't - or at least they didn't in what I played. The preview build fell a bit flat. With the notable exception that it did make me feel like a very powerful vampire. The action felt great, which does count (Dracula) for a lot.

I still hold out hope for the game; there's every chance it might broaden into a more fulfilling experience as the campaign goes on. But my confidence has been knocked.

-Bertie

Mina the Hollower, Switch 2

I've been looking forward to Mina the Hollower ever since Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games announced its oh-so-adorable looking release all the way back in 2022. Cute? Yes! Nostalgic? Yes! Pretty darn Gothic? Yes! This game had Victoria written all over it. Now after more than three years, the studio has released a demo, offering a bitesized piece of what players can expect. And I am pleased to say that so far, things are looking good.

Story wise, it turns out titular mouse Mina previously created devices known as Spark Generators, but they are now failing. Not only that, it seems more is afoot than just some technical issues. So, Mina sets off to look into the situation, but before she can arrive at the city of Ossex, her ship is attacked by a sea beast off the coast of Tenebrous Isle. Picking a weapon (I went for Nightstar, which is a mace on a whip-like chain), Mina soon let that Kraken creature know she meant business, but alas, the ship still made a less than graceful arrival to the shore. However, Mina and I remained undeterred, so we made our way through the Blighted Docks…

While only a snippet, I loved my time with Mina the Hollower's Switch 2 demo. I collected Bonestone, I popped off various goblins and bats, I burrowed my way underneath enemies to spring up excitingly from behind and I negotiated perilous pits, all while bopping along to a gloriously retro-infused soundtrack. It reminded me of a classic Zelda game, but with an extra touch of Castlevania deliciously laced through it all. Oh yes, I am certainly looking forward to Mina the Hollower's full release this October.

-Victoria

Hollow Knight, Switch 2

After getting wrapped up in the Silksong hype, among other things, I went back to Hollow Knight. And honestly? I get it. I get the excitement, I get the celebrations around Silksong finally receiving a release date this week.

I stopped playing years ago so it all feels new again now. So far, I'm finding the most joy in going down holes I probably shouldn't go down yet, because I'm not experienced enough to handle what's there. But I do it anyway because I want to. My number of deaths so far? I'm not saying.

Somehow 10 minutes turned into an hour and I'm itching to get back to it. It's a feeling few games have given me recently.

-Marie

Rocket League, Xbox Series X

I think I now see myself how my son must see me: old and out of touch. I've been playing more Rocket League with him, and I hadn't realised just how far from the original idea of the game the whole thing had gone. That core car football experience is still the main bit, I guess, but we were playing a mode the other night where the ball was being pulled around in a circular arc, presumably by magnets or something, and the cars could leap into the air and hover there to intercept and push the ball back to the other team. My poor brain can't take it. What will these people think of next?!

-Tom O

Until Dawn, PS4

Somehow, Supermassive's cinematic horror game Until Dawn is ten years old next week, and to mark the occasion (as well as for other reasons), I've been working my way back through the PS4 original. I always liked Until Dawn (and I absolutely adored creator Will Byles' summer camp follow-up The Quarry), but I've been completely blindsided by just how well the whole thing still holds up today. The 60fps PS5 patch helps a bit, of course, but even without that, Until Dawn is an impressive piece of work. It absolutely nails the distinctive high-gloss slasher vibe that felt particularly prevalent in the 90s/early noughties, for starters, Supermassive making the most of its stylish camera angles and wintery ambience. But more than that, it's just a fun ride, and - as it slowly starts to subvert expectations, taking its slasher tropes and character archetypes to unexpected places - far smarter than I originally gave it credit for. It's brilliant stuff, even ten years on, and I'm hoping this'll finally be the run-through where nobody dies.

-Matt

World of Warcraft, PC

I recently learned that World of Warcraft has added a one-button spell rotation to the game, allowing players to put out pretty decent damage without having to memorise anything or take time to learn their class. This I'm sure will have long-lasting impacts on the skill of the average WoW player, but for me it's wonderful news. Not only as an accessibility feature for those who struggle to play WoW, but also for incredibly tired WoW refugees like me who have been burnt out the game several times now.

Years ago I made a Warlock called Goondan, but having reached level 10, I didn't have the heart to play on, so I banished the Orc to a lonesome digital hell. Now that I don't actually have to learn the class, I've been blasting through the leveling process, and Goondan may actually hit max level. He may even see the light of day in the upcoming Midnight expansion. Who knows!

-Connor

Balatro, Ballz, and NFL Fantasy Football

Being out in the field at Gamescom, I've obviously been playing a slew of things - but half of them I'm not yet allowed to talk about, and untangling the safe from the NDA-breakers is far too much for my con-frazzled Friday brain to handle. But me being away can only mean one thing: being back on my Balatro BS. It's still as good as ever, and whenever I'm forced to spend time idling on board or waiting for planes, trains, and automobiles, it's my go-to. It feels like it'll stay that way forever, as I chip away at that 100 percent completion that still feels a million miles away. I also played a bit of a dumb ad-filled mobile game called Ballz, which is a bit like Breakout. Finally, I'm spending any last spare moment each day doing mock drafts as my NFL Fantasy Football draft is next weekend. For me, that's one of the most important 'gaming' moments of the year. There is pride on the line, after all!

-Alex

Donkey Kong Bananza, Switch 2

I feel like this year I've spent a lot of time on very serious games. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and its themes of death. Death Stranding 2 and its themes of death. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and its frequent deaths. So this week I decided to change things up and finally start Donkey Kong Bananza after my partner won't stop going on about it. And what a contrast! I love its musical themes and catchy tunes, and those brightly coloured worlds are a joy to just smash through - I've barely progressed at all as instead I just lay waste to entire levels hunting out those bananas. I hate bananas - they taste and smell repulsive to me - but I can't stop going "ooh banana!" at every opportunity.

-Ed