With it being a bank holiday in the UK on Monday, many of you will be enjoying a long weekend. What better way to spend it than by playing games, amirite?
This weekend, the VG247 crew will be having a bit of a battle royle, playing sports, enjoying an anniversary, and going through an endless RPG.
Connor Makar, Staff Writer – Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodhunt
This weekend, I’ll be going all in on Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodhunt ahead of my review. I’m enjoying the game so far, but am really eager to get to grips with the current content to find out just how much is there for curious players to mess around with.
At the same time, Warzone Season 3 is also out, so I’ll obviously have my hands full searching through the new map and figuring out the new weapons they’ve added. Not to mention the new Gulag, which is proving to be a bit of a puzzle for me at the moment.
In short, it’s a battle royale weekend! Wish me luck.
Dom Peppiatt, Features Editor – Loop Hero
Having been away from work for a few weeks, I haven’t actually played that much stuff – I took my Nintendo Switch on holiday with me to Berlin (taking up precious space in the one backpack I was allowed to take) and didn’t even boot it up. Oops. But I suppose nobody wants to watch some loser crack his Switch out and start playing Final Fantasy X in the middle of a Bonobo concert, do they? …do they?
So I need to make up for lost time. I’ve had a copy of Loop Hero on both my PC and Switch for about six months now. I know everyone goes off on how good it is. I know it’s supposed to be one of the best indies of last year. I know there’s a reason I’ve purchased it on two different platforms without even playing it. But maybe – maybe! – this weekend is the time I finally get around to booting it up and actually seeing what all the fuss is about. I need something to do before the new season of Halo Infinite kicks off, after all.
Kelsey Raynor, Guides Writer – Nintendo Switch Sports, Valorant
A new act just started in Valorant, so I’ll be spending an unhealthy amount of time playing ranked this weekend.
And for when I get too tilted, Nintendo Switch Sports is out finally! So, I’ve planned to play that with some friends and see how it compared to Nintendo Wii Sports.
Stephany Nunneley, News Editor – The Lord of the Rings Online
15 years. That’s how old The Lord of the Rings Online is, and how long I have been playing the MMORPG. Time sure does fly.
To celebrate almost being old enough to drive, Standing Stone Games has kicked off the game’s yearly anniversary event. It’s been going on for about a week now, but I haven’t had the time of late to log in and enjoy the festivities. I plan to remedy that over the weekend.
There are lots of new presents and rewards being handed out this year too. There’s new cosmetic items, a steed, war-steed cosmetics, a new Golden Crystal Beetle cosmetic pet, new fireworks consumables, a new housing fire pit and fireplace, and the debut of a new pet: the Corgi! Everyone who logs into the game during the Anniversary Event will get a Corgi, but additional corgis can be bartered for Festivity Tokens, Anniversary Tokens, or Mithril Coins, so I plan on having a whole pack of them eventually.
Alongside the celebration, the debut of the new Yondershire region happened on April 24 and I have been wanting to give it a tour. The area is home to a different breed of hobbit, and it’s known as a sanctuary for recluses and troublemakers. Since the time of Bullroarer Took, it has squabbled with the rest of the Shire, and as of late, some ruffians and their upstart leader Lotho Sackville-Baggins have taken control over the region. Surely there will some scuffling between myself and these strange hobbits at some point.
For those who haven’t played the game in a while, are free-to-play players, or who are just generally interested in giving the game a try after all these years, Yondershire is free for VIP players or it can be purchased in the LOTRO Store. As for the rest of the game, not long ago, Standing Stone Games made some big changes to the way the game is monetized. Now, almost all content available – including expansions and some formerly paid-for races – are now free to all players from the Helm’s Deep expansion and earlier. And VIP members will now have access to the Minas Morgul, Mordor, and War of the Three Peaks for nada.
Long story short, there’s no better time to get back into the game or start playing it. And I intend to try and play it more often, as I have lapsed of late. I’m sure my Kinship and my in-game band misses its glorious leader. I hope so at least.
So, what are your plans this weekend? If you live in the UK, what will you be doing over the long weekend? Tell us! We’d love to know.