21st March
Hi there, and welcome back to our usual spot where we talk through what we’ve been getting stuck into in the games world. This week, Bertie has clocked that his runs in Slay the Spire 2 aren’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped; Connor keeps falling deeper into the Dark Side and unleashing his inner troll; and Marie admits that older games really did demand a lot more.
So, what have you been playing this week?
One more thing—do you remember what you played last week? No need to worry. Our What We’ve Been Playing archive is here to help.
Slay the Spire 2, PC
Why not sample something different, Bertie? Go on—take a breath and hold on a second. It’s been a pretty mixed week for me, so I only managed a handful of Slay the Spire 2 runs between everything else. Still, those short sessions feel a lot like the Slay experience I already know: fast-paced, pressure-heavy, and frequently maddening.
I’ve been testing The Regent, the new character in the sequel, with results that range from promising to frustrating. The Regent uses an extra resource system called ‘stars’ and can summon—and strengthen—a cosmic sword that lingers during the fight, which adds some genuinely interesting ideas. But getting all of it to click smoothly? That part’s been rough. I’ll make good headway, then suddenly slam into a wall—Slay gives, and Slay takes away—sometimes even when I’m up against opponents that don’t seem that tough. It’s hard to explain how deflating that is.
I’d forgotten how infuriating Slay can be in this regard, and yes, I recognize it’s a skill issue, a deck-building issue, or just a user mistake. Still, knowing that doesn’t erase the lingering sense that there’s also an element of unpredictable, unfair RNG at work. To be clear: building a stronger deck with fewer cards and better card draw would likely prevent a lot of this—I know. But try telling Bertie after he’s just spent 45 minutes carefully grinding against some random nobody opponent.
I’ll say it again, just in case: Slay gives, and Slay takes away.
-Bertie
Marathon, PS5
I’ve been spending so much time in Marathon that while I’m waiting for the ranked queue to begin, I’ve basically been collecting treasures and building reputation. Right now, I’ve reached two of the six reputations at VIP, which is honestly pretty impressive.
Still, making that kind of progress in a live service game means you have to set your own goals. With no missions to chase and no pressure to farm loot, the fun shifts to discovering ways to create your own little adventure. So let me walk you through Outpost’s hidden Drone wing entrance—and what it’s been like to play around with it.
In plain terms, it’s tucked near the middle of Outpost, in an area called Pinwheel. It’s a large base that rises above the rest of the map and houses the best loot. At the time, there were three ways in: secured gates that require keycards, the sealed-off wing itself, and the container entrance for the Drone Wing. If you’re sneaky, you could also grapple up through a small opening—but Bungie removed that route. Sneaky players indeed. Real nightmares.
For now, the Destroyed Wing is locked down. People were getting in way too easily, which threw off the flow of the map. Why bother farming keycards to enter the normal way if it’s basically cleared out the moment you arrive? That leaves keycards and the Drone Wing. Keycards, it seems, aren’t all that exciting. So players chasing quick loot sprint around the marked spawns for a special item needed to access the Drone Wing. You still have to wait for the container to drop, then slowly ride it back up to get in—but if you can climb quickly, it really does feel like Supermarket Sweep.
Am I rushing up through it? Not exactly. What I’m doing instead is running solo matches of Outpost using a free kit—no risk—playing as Vandal. Vandal carries a heavy arm cannon, and importantly, its explosion knocks other players away from the blast. I hang around on a rooftop and wait for someone to call the container down, then when they start riding it toward the good loot, I blast them off course. I don’t even usually need to finish them off. I just make their day a bit worse. It’s a total blast. What comes next doesn’t really matter all that much—what this shows is how clever Outpost’s design is, and how it lets me play in a way like this. Big fan.
-Connor
Spyro Adventure (aka Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs), Game Boy Advance SP
I’ve been wanting to revisit Spyro: A Hero’s Tail lately, but since I can’t get my PS2 working right now, I’ve gone back to Spyro Adventure. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that it was incredibly tough when I was younger, and I’m genuinely happy to say it still offers a fair challenge today. I can’t just coast through it; I actually have to think about what I’m doing.
The levels include movement and traversal challenges like most Spyro games, but Adventure feels different because you run into progress barriers inside some of the stages themselves. You don’t only need to get far enough to unlock the level—you also have to find particular items, then come back to the same level later on to finish it. In other words, you can’t just do it once, clear the stage, and walk away.
I’m really enjoying this, even if I still can’t stop wishing I could play A Hero’s Tail again…
–Marie
Marathon, PC
I’ve tried Marathon, and I think it’s terrific—though I also worry I probably won’t stick with it for much longer. I’m echoing what a lot of other people seem to feel, with pretty grounded takes: the game’s atmosphere of catastrophic disaster-capitalism is outstanding; the art direction (including the fonts) is gorgeous; the gameplay feels unmatched; and the themes—an unchecked scramble for spare change dropped by the deities of future commerce—are woven neatly into what the game is all about. It’s a true gem. That said, I don’t have extra time in my hobby schedule to give it the attention it deserves. So, much like Destiny—where I did one raid, enjoyed myself, and then never went back—I’ll likely end up appreciating most of Marathon from a distance.
-Chris