The Weekend Playlist: Agents of Rainbow Cuphead: Siege World Edition

Things have gotten kind of slow now that we're cooling our heels between last month's big releases and the releases of next month. Still, that doesn't stop us from gaming, for there will never be enough time in the world to accommodate all the video games we'd love to play, cause there's no such thing as too much gaming. See what I did there?

Drop us a line or two in the comments and let us know what you're playing!

Carlos Hernandez, Creative Director

I’ve been playing Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet for our upcoming review. I’m almost done with the game’s main story but reaching the finish line gets progressively more difficult. I was liking the game initially, but my fear it would get stale has been confirmed. I’m literally falling asleep here as combat has devolved into waiting for the enemy’s life to hit zero. For now, I’m just plowing through the main story in the hopes of seeing how it all ends.

What gets me through though, is the prospect of squeezing in some Rainbow Six Siege time. I’ll be putting in matches with friends in preparation for Operation Chimera – which adds two new operators and a limited co-op mode called Outbreak.

I can’t wait, really. I went back to Rainbow Six Siege last December and I’m probably going to stick with it for a while. Ubisoft’s tactical shooter is one of the best online shooters out there today.

Miguel Mendoza, Video Producer

I’m happy to report that my purchases for January brought me out of my rut. With fast-paced action and stunning visuals, Dragon Ball FighterZ does not disappoint. The story mode is entertaining and presentation is top notch. The game’s roster felt a tad small but as I learn more and more about certain characters’ moves and properties, my interest in each gets piqued. The 3v3 team composition also plays a huge role in one’s gameplan, so that’s been exciting.

But what has eaten most of my gaming time over the past month has been Monster Hunter: World. I’ve over 82 hours of playtime in, so that’s saying something for a guy like me who struggles to hit twenty hours in anything. Last year’s ESGS definitely sold me, but I didn’t expect my personal excitement to get this far. While I’ve yet to complete the main story (and am in no rush to do so) the desire to unlock the game’s remaining features is there.

Between Monster Hunter: World and Dragon Ball FighterZ, I dare say we’ve got two contenders already for my Game of the Year.

Matthew Arcilla, Consulting Editor

As always, my game choice are pretty random. I picked up Watch_Dogs 2 and Agents of Mayhem on sale within weeks of each other, and I definitely feel both were underappreciated in their time.

The first Watch_Dogs was such a let down that a “sales correction” was guaranteed. That’s too bad because Watch_Dogs 2 is a wonderful redressing of all the problems of the first Watch_Dogs: a much more likable protagonist, a believable city and a more grounded take on hacker culture. It’s sendup of Silicon Valley tech culture isn’t just timely, it’s cathartic: pranking arrogant tech bros is satisfying at time when Google and Facebook are getting the side eye.

No one should mistake Agents of Mayhem for an overlooked gem: the city design lacks any depth, and the combat can get fiddly. After a weak opening act where not every joke lands, the game improves significantly. There are interesting ideas in matters of level up progression, but time with Agents of Mayhem is akin to a lazy Saturday morning with a sugary bowl of cereal.

Joseph Choi, Reviews Editor

I took a trip to visit my girlfriend last week, and one of the highlights was playing co-op Cuphead. The challenging boss battles really shine in the co-op mode, since one player can parry to save another, and, if you’re good enough, you can keep each other alive way past your expiration dates. She’d been practicing on her own, and although I had to finish King Dice, Rumor Honeybottoms, and Dr. Kahl’s Robot solo, we were able to take down most of the bosses in Inkwell Isle Three together. She’s not as experienced as I am with platformers and shooters, but she was able to hold her own, and we did make it all the way to the Devil before I had to leave. Taking him down will have to wait just a bit longer!

I’m snowed in at home, so I’ve set some time aside for revisiting the PS2 classic space-western-themed JRPG, Rogue Galaxy. My PS2’s disc reader and the game’s disc were apparently incompatible, but an old friend lent me their PS2, and so I’m looking forward to wrapping up Jaster and Kisala’s quests after a very long hiatus.

---