Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (25th July)

Splatoon Raiders for the Switch 2 leads this week's gaming highlights, earning a 9/10 review score according to coverage from Nintendo Life. Recent reviews from the site also include 8/10 ratings for both The Mermaid Mask (the sequel to Tangle Tower) and Moss: The Forgotten Relic.

In broader industry developments, Hasbro announced a new line of Legend of Zelda toys, recent sales figures indicate a decline in physical media sales, and Nintendo petitioned a court to dismiss a lawsuit regarding tariff refunds.

Team Playlists and Early Impressions

Staff members and contributors shared their weekend gaming plans and initial thoughts on new releases:

• Ollie Reynolds (Reviews Editor): Reynolds is currently playing an unannounced title for review while also trying Splatoon Raiders. Reynolds stated: "I'm playing a game for review at the moment that I'm absolutely dying to talk about, but not yet. Hold tight. In the meantime, I did pick up Splatoon Raiders and... it's decent so far. I'm not very far at all, but my impression right now is that while the raids are great, the sampler dungeons are a little underwhelming." He added, "I do like how you can tackle raids that you're not even remotely ready for yet, though – that's fun."
• Mai Ladyman (Video Producer): Ladyman is focusing on classic RPGs and nostalgia titles, including FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster, Pokopia, and a potential return to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ladyman shared: "I've been hit with major nostalgia this week with FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster and our lovely Zelda chat with Zion. Let's just say my plans involve some FFX and potentially restarting Ocarina of Time this weekend. My backlog is once again huge (including a secret game) but this Sunday will be dedicated to my nostalgia games." She also noted, "I also have Pokopia still on the go so I'll be aiming to wrap up some of that slowly as I don't want to burn out too much!"
• Gonçalo Lopes (Contributor): Lopes imported Japanese physical editions of River City Saga: Journey to the West and Ganbare Goemon! Daishuugo. Lopes detailed: "Package from the far East arrived and that means I got two whole days to live up the (Nintendo) life! River City Saga: Journey to the West is the latest entry in the Kunio-kun series and brings the trademark fighting mechanics into the rogue-like mechanics mix. The other glorious physical edition on the package was none other than Ganbare Goemon! Daishuugo, the Japan exclusive compilation of all four amazing Super Famicom games with a few extra Famicom offerings along with it. Apart from the first game, the other superb entries stubbornly remain Japan exclusives to this very day and I hope Konami gives this a proper Western release in the future. I will be first in line to buy it again." Lopes is also diving into Splatoon Raiders, adding, "Game of the week is Splatoon Raiders! I got into the franchise from the start until I burned out of all the online modes. A generous single player story-driven campaign is just the proper excuse I needed to start splatting again."

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