Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 4 Cool Games We’re Declaring Independence With

Play it on: PS5
Current goal: Give out “Likes” until I develop a wrist injury from all the rapid tapping

At about 16 hours in, I’d describe Death Stranding 2 as a game of highs and lows, literally and figuratively. I have some pretty serious concerns about the story, and the gameplay feels—thus far at least—safer, easier, less willing to introduce real challenge, friction, and frustration into your experience than its predecessor was. But I still love that distinctly Death Stranding moment you experience every so often when you’ve just overcome some pretty tricky terrain or successfully made your way through an area infested with BTs and suddenly a song begins to play, the game’s way of saying “It’s all downhill from here as you trek toward your destination, so just relax and enjoy the stroll.”

And for all of its unevenness, there have been a few audacious moments in DS2—like one involving Dollman and a catchy Japanese pop song—that I find exhilarating for their enthusiasm and originality. So this weekend, I’ll venture deeper into the Australian outback, hoping the game gets tougher and doling out Likes by the truckload to my fellow porters who have left a handy bridge for me to cross or a rope for me to climb. Right now, for some reason, I just like the idea of encouraging people to help build a better world for each other. — Carolyn Petit

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2, Windows PC (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Current goal: Finish a run

Monster Train is a great 2020 deckbuilding roguelike inspired by Slay the Spire, and this sequel, which came out in May, is really good, too. In Monster Train 2, Titans have taken over heaven, so angels and demons team up and board a train to go there to take it back. Instead of turn-based battles, combat takes place in little top-down 2D arenas where tactics-fueled positioning of units and smart use of attacks determine the difference between victory and defeat

One of the big innovations over the original is the addition of room and equipment cards that give you more strategic options for buffing your units. You also have more control over how they’re positioned prior to battle. It makes it feel even a bit more like Magic: The Gathering, a similarity I dig even if some of the more complex synergies and enemy challenges make it a bit harder to experiment with different strategies and not get punished.

It’s more Monster Train, though, and I love it so far. It’s the only thing that’s been able to consistently interrupt my recent relapse back into Balatro. — Ethan Gach

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: Verified)
Current goal: Figure out if the assassin life is for me

Oh, Hitman. As much as I respect World of Assassination, there’s something about it that hasn’t totally worked for me. It’s a great game, but for me it often sinks behind other titles when they come up, which I don’t fully understand because when I do play it, I tend to have a very good time. I suspect it’s that I wish it was a bit more stealthy than it is in actuality. But when the mood to fully embrace this virtually endless assassination simulator fully hits me, I don’t really care about that.

That said, this weekend I want to dedicate some time to figuring out what exactly I love about this game, sharpen my understanding of its mechanics and maybe remind myself that I need to spend more time playing it because there’s little else out there like it. I definitely want to wrap up the tie-in 007 mission ahead of IOI’s upcoming Bond game, but that’s just one of the many things that have been added to World of Assassination since I last sat down with it for any meaningful amount of time. I’m long overdue to check back in and really embrace everything this seemingly endless simulation of cat and mouse can provide. — Claire Jackson

I didn’t love Anthem. I didn’t even like it. But no game deserves to be wiped off the face of the earth. That’s what’s happening to BioWare’s ill-fated loot shooter, as publisher EA has announced. After six years, I think I’m gonna boot it up again, for old time’s sake.

Read More: BioWare’s Maligned Loot Shooter Anthem Will Go Offline Forever Next Year

I have mostly memory-holed Anthem, but what I do remember had the bones of something that could have been cool if BioWare had been allowed to launch its planned reboot of the game. As an Iron Man simulator, Anthem has some really great flight mechanics. Zipping around in your mech suit felt really good. It was fluid and weighty, giving you a sense of free movement without feeling floaty and awkward. Can I tell you any of the characters’ names? Maybe one if you put a gun to my head. But if the game is about to disappear forever, I might as well give it one final shot. — Kenneth Shepard

And that wraps our picks. Stay safe and happy gaming!