Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 5 Games We’ve Got A Hot Date With

Play it on: PC, Xbox Series X/S
Current goal: Explore the Living Lands

I’ve been excited about Avowed for quite some time. Before its release, I’d heard some folks compare it to Morrowind, in the sense that it’s a first-person role-playing game that’s “fantasy” but not, like, totally straightforward, Tolkien-esque fantasy—it’s fantasy with a vibe of its own. As a huge fan of Morrowind, this was music to my ears. It’s also by Obsidian and set in the world of the Pillars of Eternity games. What I’ve played of the first one (sadly I haven’t finished it yet!) knocked my socks off with its writing, which drew me in to the characters and their adventure while also exploring matters like faith, progress, conflict, and colonialism in ways that made the narrative sing with larger significance.

I played the first two hours of Avowed last night and found that the issue of colonialism emerges almost immediately, with my character in the ethically thorny place of representing a far-off government that claims dominion over the Living Lands, the geographically varied realm in which this game takes place. My own inclination is to do whatever I can to thwart my emperor’s efforts to exert his will on this place, and I’m eager to see just what kinds of options I’m presented with to do that as the story progresses. Also, so far the setting is gorgeous and the combat is hard-hitting. I can’t say yet if Avowed will reach the heights of Morrowind for me, but I intend to spend plenty of time this weekend finding out. — Carolyn Petit

Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Current goal: Hit platinum

I came back to Rocket League recently after a VERY long break and let me tell you, this game still rules. I think it’s still one of the all-time greats. At least top 25. The feel of the car, the thrill of the chase, and the satisfaction of doing bizarre aerial flips in the video game equivalent of a Hot Wheels just to smash a giant inflatable ball into a virtual net are all still top-notch. And unlike shooters, MOBAs, and fighting games, almost nothing actually ever changes.

There are always new things to buy. Right now the game has been taken over by Hatsune Miku, a virtual pop star I’ve never listened to in my life, but whose in-game music I’ve already spent $8 on. And while seasons come and go and the economy around skins might evolve, the actual mechanics and physics of the game feel virtually the same as they did when it launched almost a decade ago. Hundreds of hours later I’m still in the trash gold tier, but there is no game I’d rather be playing with the buds late at night, even if it’s 1:00 a.m. ET and we just went 0-4. — Ethan Gach

Play it on: PC, Switch PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Current goal: Get out of bed again

I’ve been chipping away at Afterlove EP, a rhythmic romance game by Pikselnesia. I’m not quite done with it yet, but it already has the potential to be the indie game I make my personality for the year. It follows a young man named Rama who has spent the past year grieving the loss of his partner and trying to figure out what to do with himself in the aftermath. He’s a songwriter, so you spend a lot of time in Afterlove EP playing his indie tunes while beefing with his bandmates, and all the while the disembodied voice of his long-lost lover is echoing in his head. Yeah, he still hears her even though she’s gone. Afterlove EP is about moving on, but it gives you some agency to decide what that looks like for Rama. I’ve already made a big decision on that front by expressing interest in the local record store shopkeep, and I’m curious to see where it leads as I keep playing. — Kenneth Shepard

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck OK)
Current goal: Harvest, harvest, harvest, harvest

Here I am, exploring the endless universe of Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky once again. It may have taken nine years and several updates, but this game has finally, truly clicked with me. It has become my daily game, one I often spend a couple of hours with every night.

The game really changed for me once I started playing on a higher difficulty in which the risk/reward dynamic of exploration and harvesting resources gets dramatically amplified. Lately I’ve been slowly building and expanding my base and resources but I recently hit a snag. Some asshole pirates absolutely wrecked my ship, and now I’ve got a ton of repairs to make on this thing.

Secretly, though, I’m so happy they did it, as I’m now living out this wonderful fantasy of being on this remote world, slowly piecing together my banged up little ship to hopefully find a better place in the future. Right now, I’m just focused on harvesting resources, stocking up as many as I can so that, should I die or should my ship get trashed again, I can quickly bounce back.

Survival games aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for a galactic challenge, I can heartily recommend jumping into NMS with some higher difficulty settings applied. Maybe you’ll even see me out there as I make my regular trips to trade terminals to buy some more Wire Looms (why the hell are these things so expensive!?) — Claire Jackson

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Current goal: Get better at playing more characters

After wrapping up Avowed for review, I’ve taken a break from it and returned to Marvel Rivals. Recently I stayed up ‘til nearly 2 in the morning playing the free-to-play hero shooter with some friends because it’s still a really good time. I’ve recently been playing more characters beyond my usual choices of Venom, Punisher, Namor, and Jeff the Land Shark. I’ve become a big fan of Storm and the Invisible Woman, but I really dream of a day when I’ll be able to play as either Magneto or Black Panther without getting my ass kicked. This weekend I’ll play a few solo matches of Rivals against bots while playing as those two characters. Maybe I’ll get better with them and play with friends one day. For now, I’ll keep terrorizing online players as Storm (from X-Men) and Storm (as in Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four).