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Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 5 Great Games We’re Kicking Off The Summer With

Kotaku’s Weekend Guide: 5 Great Games We’re Kicking Off The Summer With

With brand new hardware in hand, we’re taking a look at a couple of exciting new games, as well as some recent hits

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A composite image shows a roaring T-Rex, Mario driving a go-kart on a rail, and a futuristic hover vehicle racing.
Image: Frontier Developments / Nintendo / Shin’en / Kotaku

Okay, technically it’s not summer for another few weeks, but it was 80 damn degrees in New York today so as far as I’m concerned, we’re in summer mode. Also, happy Switch 2 launch week to all those who celebrate! This week eager fans, us included, finally got their hands on the highly anticipated hybrid console from Nintendo. It’s been a busy 24-48 hours since the new machine arrived, but we already learned not to staple anything to the cover of the shipping box (oh, Staten Island) and how many strikes of a hammer it takes to destroy it, alongside spending enough time with it ourselves to settle on some things we love and hate about the new hardware.

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Maybe you, too, have found yourself a new owner of a Switch 2 and are looking for something to play? No worries, we have some recommendations for that fancy new console of yours, as well as a few recs for those of us still stuck on older gaming hardware.

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2 / 7

Fast Fusion

Fast Fusion

A screenshot shows four players playing a racing game wiht hovering vehicles.
Screenshot: Shin’en

Play it on: Switch 2
Current goal: Finish a race without crashing

Next-gen Wipeout is here and it’s a Switch 2 launch game. Fast Fusion is the latest futuristic racer from Shin’en Multimedia. Continuing the legacy of Fast Racing League on Wii, Fast Racing Neo on Wii U, and Fast RMX on Switch, the game is all about mastering turns and speed boosts while flying down industrial tracks at breakneck speed. It’s not worth buying a Switch 2 for, but it’s the perfect compliment to F-Zero GX which is also available on Switch 2 through Switch Online. Fast Fusion doesn’t quite have the style and visual flair of either of those other sci-fi racing franchises, but it nails the feeling and pacing.

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Some of the levels, like tracks snaking around in the air above the clouds, look stunning. Best of all, it’s only $15. — Ethan Gach

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3 / 7

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World

Mario and friends pose for a picture while sitting atop their vehicles in the middle of a field.
Image: Nintendo

Play it on: Switch 2
Current goal: Explore this so-called ‘world’ of Mario Kart 

My Switch 2 pre-order arrived today and I am planning to spend as many hours as I possibly can this weekend holding Nintendo’s latest console in my greedy little hands. In particular, I’m eager to see what kinds of surprises Mario Kart World might contain. Sure, yes, I’m stoked to do some races, win some cups and so on, but what I’m really looking forward to is just taking in all the fun world-building signage everywhere, maybe unlocking some nifty costumes, and just seeing what kinds of surprises I might discover when I go off the beaten path. In looking forward to the game, I’ve thought back to my enjoyment of the Forza Horizon games, in which I adored the races but nothing could top the pleasure of just cruising around, looking for some beat-up old car rusting in a garage somewhere or some other hidden treasure. Here’s hoping Mario Kart World delivers that kind of enjoyment as well as the thrill of leaving one’s opponents in the dust. — Carolyn Petit

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4 / 7

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

A Khajiit stares out at some ruins in the middle of the forest.
Screenshot: Bethesda / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck “Verified”)
Current goal: Find good aloe vera spots for harvesting

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Last week, I talked about building a new, non-violent Oblivion character to try my best to buck the game’s boring desire to have me just run out to the forests of Cyrodiil to kill things. I didn’t really expect this to work, and I surely didn’t expect it to work on the hardest difficulty of the game. I still expected to have some fun, even if it wasn’t fully realized.

But here I am, sitting at about a dozen hours or so, with only three dead creatures to my name; all rats in the opening sequence that, it turns out, I could have just run past, so maybe I’ll do another run in the future with zero kills. My time has otherwise been spent collecting plants for potions, BS-ing with almost every person in the Imperial City via the persuasion mini-game, enjoying the game’s gorgeous world, and trading stuff I find in my little adventures.

And by little adventures, I mean the short excursions I go on when I leave the safety of the Imperial City, as I can’t survive out there for long. It’s dangerous out there given that I’m playing on the hardest difficulty and that my custom-rolled “Alchemical Dropout” class essentially has no bonuses or strengths in combat-related skills. Suffice it to say, I go down fast.

This is where Oblivion’s world surprised me. Early on in my playthrough with this character, I heard an Imperial Guard advise an NPC to stick to the main roads because of how dangerous it is out there. Turns out this isn’t just ambient dialogue, but rather essential advice for tough difficulties and strange playthroughs, like my mostly passive one!

You will still get attacked even on the main roads, of course. But they often have patrolling guards who will come to your aid if you’re waylaid by monsters or ne’er-do-wells. My routine typically consists of venturing out into the wilderness, grabbing up some wildflowers, and hauling ass back to the road the first time I encounter trouble. In all but one case, the guards typically take out the threat, then I loot the dead body, take the goods back to town and sell them, getting cash and leveling up via mercantile skills and the persuasion mini-game. It’s definitely not the heroism I think many aspire to when they play Oblivion, but I am certainly immersed. And to be honest, I kind of find watching NPCs battle to be more entertaining than actually participating in combat and experiencing the physics and mechanics of battle in Oblivion myself. Plus, I really am getting to see and soak in the beauty of this world a lot more slowly since I’m not just fast-traveling around to find my next slaughter spot.

This weekend I’m doing more of the same, but I’m keeping an eye out for a great source of aloe vera for my potions. The surprising flexibility of how I can play Oblivion has me wondering what other alternative playstyles are possible. — Claire Jackson

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5 / 7

Jurassic World Evolution 2

Jurassic World Evolution 2

A veterinary ambulence is parked near some triceratops.
Screenshot: Frontier Developments

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Verified”)
Current goal: Chaos. 

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Jurassic World Evolution 2 isn’t new. It came out over four years ago. But with a new Jurassic movie hitting theaters in July, I’ve entered DINO FEVER mode, reinstalled the game, and have been finding time to play it. And I still really enjoy this game. It’s so much fun to build perfect parks filled with big dinos and then let them all out to kill everyone before you reload a save from before the chaos. Oh, and look at that! A new one is coming out this year. Perfect. — Zack Zwiezen

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6 / 7

Fallout 76

Fallout 76

Survivors look out at an abandoned space facility.
Image: Bethesda

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs (Steam Deck: “Playable”)
Current goal: Level up a few more times and catch some fish

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Fallout 76 got a new update that added fishing and improved the combat in the game. And so, I’m back. I really do love this weird MMORPGFPS thing Bethesda has made. It launched in a bad state, but over the years it’s quietly become one of the weirdest online games around. Plus, I have an awesome house in the game covered in Halloween decorations, and every time I return to the place with some blood-covered loot, I smile seeing it. — Zack Zwiezen


And that wraps our picks for the week. Happy gaming!

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