Hello there, September gamers! Though autumn’s official arrival is still a breath away, the weather’s taking a turn for the better. Get ready for the inevitable wave of pumpkin spice everything – a guilty pleasure, I admit!
As a dedicated video game aficionado (contrary to certain assumptions), I and the team here are thrilled to bring you some fantastic gaming suggestions to fill your weekend. Of course, we can’t avoid mentioning Silksong, but we’ve also got some top-tier science fiction adventures lined up for your consideration. Let’s jump in!
Star Wars Outlaws
Available on:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: Listed as “Unsupported”)
Current Objective:
Waiting for Kay Vess to drop that “Dank farrik!” catchphrase a few more times
I had my initial encounter with Outlaws shortly after its debut over a year ago and found it reasonably enjoyable. While the stealth missions sometimes tested my patience with their instant-fail conditions, I genuinely appreciated the immersive atmosphere of the backwater cantinas and the thrill of outsmarting rivals in a game of sabacc. Since then, the gameplay has received notable improvements, and the narrative has been expanded with fresh chapters. Naturally, I’m curious how these alterations have changed the overall experience. For maximum effect, I opted to restart the game from scratch, and figured waiting for the Switch 2 version would maximize both comfort and convenience.
You might have caught wind of the reports from PAX West last week hinting at potential compromises in the Switch 2 version of Outlaws. Now that it’s arrived, I’m happy to join the chorus of voices confirming that it runs remarkably well and is, dare I say,
a technical triumph of a port
! With titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Street Fighter 6 already leaving me in awe on Nintendo’s handheld, I’m starting to question why we aren’t seeing more ports of recent big-budget games. But I’m getting ahead of myself, as I still have a significant amount of Outlaws to experience before I even consider the next game. While it’s still early to assess the full impact of the combat and gameplay changes, I’m already savoring the simple pleasure of leaning against cantina walls and soaking in the gritty Star Wars universe. – Carolyn Petit
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Available on:
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch 2, Switch, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Current Objective:
Conquer Fourth Chorus
If you’ve
heard about this game before
, feel free to jump ahead. It’s a Metroidvania Soulslike where you’re constantly retracing your steps, like you forgot to switch off the cooker or didn’t lock the door. The minute you step back outside, you are killed and forced to pick up your things again. Rinse and repeat for 30-40 hours, overcome some cool boss fights, get introspective about some random aside from a mysterious NPC, and you have the
Hollow Knight
experience in a nutshell. Based on my first few hours with
Silksong
, I expect it to be more of the same, but like you’re doing it all for the first time again.
And what could be better than that? How many amazing games are out there that we always wished could have gotten sequels that were the same but different?
Chrono Trigger
?
Earthbound
?
Bloodborne
? There’s something so satisfyingly straightforward about
Silksong
: here’s more of that thing you loved, without the tedium of replaying what you already know. How fitting for a Metroidvania. The very act of playing
Silksong
in the first place feels like backtracking! The biggest difference by far is that Hornet can only attack downwards while in the air at a 45 degree angle. I kind of hate it but that’s probably the point. The best games get us out of our comfort zones, even when a big part of their appeal is in returning to the familiar. – Ethan Gach
No Man’s Sky
Available on:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Current Objective:
Acquire a Corvette class starship
In another possible timeline,
No Man’s Sky
would be the only game I play. Alas, reality dictates that I juggle a multitude of interests, preventing me from dedicating all my time to the ever-expanding space simulation that Hello Games has crafted over the years. However, this weekend, I’ll be diving back into that blissful state that
NMS
provides, eager to explore the changes brought by the recent Voyagers update.
Read More:
No Man’s Sky
Fans Are Doing Wild Stuff As The Game Hits A New Peak On Steam
Previous updates have significantly enriched
NMS
, but the introduction of a personal ship, from which you can skydive or teleport to the surface, revolutionizes a fundamental mechanic since 2016: managing fuel for your launch thrusters. The ability to descend onto a planet to gather resources transforms how you interact with these voxel-based worlds, undoubtedly impacting the entire resource economy in ways I’m eager to uncover. Of course, the capacity to construct impressive and innovative ships also excites me – for example,
this eye-catching creation
on Reddit. The VR mode has also received improvements, and it’s been too long since I’ve experienced gaming with a headset, so I’ll be sure to give that a try as well. – Claire Jackson
Metal Eden
Available on:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: Unsupported)
Current Objective:
Escape the Sand Trap
You might know
Ruiner
as the gory top-down cyberpunk shooter where blasting people in the head brings down a corrupt system. Well, eight years later(!), Reikon Games is back with a first-person cyberpunk shooter where blasting people in the head brings down a corrupt system.
Metal Eden
is
Ghostrunner
meets
Doom
: a fast-paced, style-over-substance FPS about using spatial reasoning to decode the most efficient way to traverse a level, kill everything in it, and survive a wave-based showdown in a locked arena at the end.
I played and enjoyed
the demo
earlier this year and recently dipped into the finished game. It’s gotten surprisingly decent reviews that left me excited to see what the back half of the exceedingly brief campaign has to offer. The first couple of chapters feel like waking up into a hyper-violent dream at the end of the universe, light on details but heavy on vibes, more
Equilibrium
than
The Matrix
. I hope it can stick the landing, though even if it doesn’t it’s one of 2025’s prettier and more tightly calibrated
Doom
clones. – Ethan Gach
And that concludes our recommendations for the weekend! So, what games are you planning to play?