What’s on Your Gaming List This Christmas Weekend 2024?

Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer

While I have immense respect for the impressive work CD Projekt Red and Saber Interactive did to bring The Witcher III to the Nintendo Switch, revisiting it for a new playthrough was a bit of a graphical struggle. In 2019, it felt like a pretty big deal, but now, the visuals just don’t hold up for me. So, I’ve switched over to playing it on my Xbox Series X, and oh, what a difference it makes!

At the same time, I’m diving into The Thing: Remastered on the PS5. It’s a charming, though slightly imperfect, adaptation of John Carpenter’s classic. Nightdive has really outdone themselves in enhancing both the performance and visuals here.

And what about the Switch, you ask? Well, I’m actually working on something to review, but you’ll just have to wait to hear more about that!

Jim Norman, Staff Writer

Ah, the weekend! I’m hopeful that it’ll be filled with more hours poured into Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, catching up with friends over games of Marvel Rivals, and ticking off a few more islands in Mario & Luigi: Brothership. However, holiday plans take me back to my parents’ house, which means all my plans will get swapped for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo Switch Sports, and, yet again, explaining Mario Party rules for the umpteenth time.

The holidays are creeping up on us. Enjoy yours, everyone!

Gavin Lane, Editor

I’m buzzing with excitement for the slew of games I plan to dive into soon. Unicorn Overlord tops the list, but I’m also eager to get into Nine Sols, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, and Loco Motive. I picked up Braid: Anniversary Edition on sale a couple of weeks ago, and Railbound, a cute puzzler, for just 99 cents.

I’ve also been wanting to explore more of Yakuza and dip my toes into Arco. Sure, I’ve heard it has some issues on the Switch, but that 30% discount was just too tempting to resist. Wishing everyone an amazing week!

Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor

After finishing Nine Sols, I’ve hit a bit of a gaming rut! I know I should really dive back into Trails through Daybreak or finally start 1000xRESIST. But instead, I’ve been bouncing between Balatro, Tetris DX on NSO, and Bust A Move 4 on the PlayStation.

I’ve just seen that Arco is on sale too, and now I’m considering adding to my backlog — a little Christmas gift to myself, it seems.

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Kate Gray, Contributor

This weekend finds me flying again, and I’ve got my Switch, Steam Deck, and iPad packed for the journey. With such a variety of options at my fingertips, I’m telling myself it’s time to finally tackle Brothership — I pre-ordered it ages ago and still haven’t played.

In reality, I’ll probably spend the majority of my time with Hello Kitty Island Adventure and maybe dive into some of the Steam sale picks (Fields of Mistria, Void Stranger, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes). Or perhaps my neglected backlog… although, spoiler alert, it rarely gets any attention.

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

On the eve of Christmas, the house is quiet with not a creature stirring, except for me, of course! I’m busy setting up my mini retro consoles and arcades under the big LCD in the living room. This is truly the season for some nostalgic gaming, and I’m ready to entertain guests, young and old. Revisiting SNES, Mega Drive, and PC Engine classics has never been more enjoyable. The latest addition, the Spectrum, is bound to intrigue some of my unsuspecting guests, particularly those nostalgic souls who happen upon it right next to the A500 Mini.

My game of the week remains New Star GP, and I’m currently navigating the 1990s season. I managed to get my dad to grab the PS4 version for his PS5, and I must say, it’s a real pleasure to play this arcade racing gem with analog triggers. I do hope someone at Nintendo is taking inspiration for the next Switch Pro Ultra 2. Seriously, it’s about time we had proper analog acceleration and braking in ‘Mario Kart 9.’

Enjoy your holidays, everyone! I’ll catch you later, perhaps after another full playthrough of Secret of Mana on the SNES (yes, Santa makes an appearance if your memory’s a bit rusty).

P.S.: The developers got in touch and confirmed world ten is indeed the ultimate challenge for Abathor. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

So, that’s our gaming lineup for the weekend. How about you? We’d love to hear what games you’re planning to dive into over the next few days!