On Friday at the end of every work week, the Prima team puts together an End of the Week recap for you to sift through. If you’re unfamiliar with what the End of the Week recap features are or are for, they’re basically an “in case you missed it” resource where we curate the articles we found most interesting during the week.
The Prima team also offers up some thoughts on the biggest bits of gaming news of the week, and throws in some personal questions and commentary because, you know, it’s fun. Like we said last week, it’s like a podcast without having to sit through an actual podcast.
This week, we’ve been trying to keep our sanity while the US election rages on, and have been preparing for the release of next-gen consoles. Can you believe the Series X | S and PS5 come out next week? It’s wild.
Prima | End of the Week Recap #6
Features Helping Us Keep Our Sanity
- Prima Staff Recommendations | Happy Little Distraction Games
- Phasmophobia is a Murder Mystery Game Disguised as Horror
- Gamifying Hell: Your Guide to the Digital Afterlife
- Five Keys to Understanding Dark Souls Lore
- Worms Rumble Preview | From Strategic Chaos to Chaotic Strategy
News For Your Views
- Friday the 13th: The Game Says RIP To Dedicated Servers
- Dontnod Entertainment’s Twin Mirror is Now Available for Pre-Order
- NBA 2K21 Shows Off Next-Gen Exclusive Mode “The City”
- Among Us is Getting an Accounts System and a New Henry Stickmin Themed Map
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Reveals File Size & Pre-Load Times
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Features a Baseball Star Cameo
- Photo Mode & Character Creator Shown In New Demon’s Souls Screenshots
- Destruction All-Stars Receives New Gameplay Trailer & Game Modes
- Crash Bandicoot Cosmetics Coming to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2
- New Mortal Kombat 11 Trailer Shows Mileena’s Brutal Fatalities
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate via EA Play
- Control Ultimate Edition Delayed To 2021
- The Medium Delayed to January 2021
Reviews, Lots of Positivity
- Xbox Series X Review | A Serious Upgrade
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Review I With Great (PS5) Power…
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review | Working Class Hero
- Watch Dogs Legion Review: Blips on a Timeline
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope Review | Déjà Vu
- The Case Book of Arne Review | The Great Bat Detective
- Mad Father Remake Review | A Real Gem
Staff Chat
Lucas
What have you been doing to keep yourself sane this week?
Staying informed has helped, strangely enough. Just watching news streams, watching the numbers, and learning some of the methodology of tracking votes has been a good way to focus and not be too anxious.
Thoughts on the feedback coming out this week for the Series X | S and PS5?
Pretty much what I expected. Being an early adopter means you don’t have a ton of software to dig into, but if you like to dig into the OS on launch you’ll be impressed.
What game(s) are you going to play first on the Series X | S and PS5?
I have Miles Morales pre-ordred so that’s what’s going in the PS5. For the Series X I’ll probably check out what’s good with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, since it’s a Smart Delivery deal. But as we covered in our backwards compatibility piece, the true measure of the new Xbox will be Sonic Unleashed. This is a priority.
Thoughts on The Medium moving its release date to January because of COVID and, you know, Cyberpunk 2077?
I don’t want to talk about delays anymore. My fantasy critic draft is in shambles and I just need to put that behind me.
Favorite piece on the site this week, and why?
Morgan’s Xbox Series X review is great, and I’ve been staving off the jealousy since that thing showed up. As far as my output, I put a lot of work into the Like a Dragon review and think it really shows.
What games are you playing this weekend?
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla! I’m allowed to say I’m playing it now, and we’ll have a review next week!
Watching anything interesting (movies, TV) this weekend?
Nope! Crunching Valhalla…
Tips on how people can distract themselves from the news?
I have a journalism degree so I’m the wrong person to ask! I strongly prefer keeping up with what’s happening, It’s how I’m wired.
How do you typically relax when you’re feeling stressed?
Podcasts, yoga, breathing exercises, and JRPGs.
Last, but certainly not least, what’s your favorite starter Pokemon?
Gabumon. What?
Jesse
What have you been doing to keep yourself sane this week?
Playing a game for review, which I can’t talk specifics yet, but yes it’s Bugsnax. Mostly it’s just been listening to music or talking on the phone with friends and family to try and distract myself from everything.
Thoughts on the feedback coming out this week for the Series X | S and PS5?
I’m super excited to finally get my hands on the consoles next week! The feedback seems to be mostly positive and the only real criticisms I’ve seen are lack of games. That doesn’t bother me too much because I don’t mind playing my backlog on a new shiny box.
What game(s) are you going to play first on the Series X | S and PS5?
With the Series X, it’s going to be a Yakuza and Valhalla box for the foreseeable future and then with PS5, I’m going to play Demon’s Souls.
Thoughts on The Medium moving its release date to January because of COVID and, you know, Cyberpunk 2077?
It’s smart, I think it will do way better in January than December. I’m excited to play the game, but I can wait.
Favorite piece on the site this week, and why?
It was another big review week for us here. So naturally, I have to shoutout Lucas’ Yakuza review and Morgan’s Xbox Series X review. Seriously go read both of them!
What games are you playing this weekend?
I am actually going to play zero games this week in preparation for the craziness ahead.
Watching anything interesting (movies, TV) this weekend?
I’ll try to sneak in episode 2 of The Mandolorian late Sunday night or something.
Tips on how people can distract themselves from the news?
Take a walk, or sit outside. Getting away from the screens and devices in your home is the easiest way to simply forget.
How do you typically relax when you’re feeling stressed?
I try to read or listen to music, but mostly my body just wants to hibernate and I end up taking naps, which makes my sleep schedule even worse lol.
Last, but certainly not least, what’s your favorite starter Pokemon?
This is a tough question. Like, my boy Sobble is top tier but I also love Treecko. Let’s go with Sobble today, but the answer may change daily.
Morgan
What have you been doing to keep yourself sane this week?
Listening to a lot of music. Monsta X dropped a new album and it’s amazing, so I’ve been watching their live performances on YT and listening to the album on repeat as a distraction.
Thoughts on the feedback coming out this week for the Series X | S and PS5?
It all looks really positive, and the Series X and PS5 look a lot closer than expected in terms of speed and performance. Each one has the edge over the other in certain areas, but they’re looking like they’re both really amazing consoles. I think a lot of people are going to be happy when they receive theirs next week.
What game(s) are you going to play first on the Series X | S and PS5?
Well… I have an early Series X and I’ve been playing a number of games to test it out. I’m looking forward to being able to play Tetris Effect: Connected the most, but I’m very biased. For PS5, without a doubt Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The reviews have me hyped for that game.
Thoughts on The Medium moving its release date to January because of COVID and, you know, Cyberpunk 2077?
I thought this might happen when I heard Cyberpunk 2077 delayed to December 10. I was thinking, December 10? Isn’t The Medium releasing on December 10? Trying to compete with a game like Cyberpunk 2077 is not ideal, so moving The Medium to January was very smart. I’m sad that Bloober Team had to do that at all, though. I was really looking forward to the game in December.
Favorite piece on the site this week, and why?
I loved Lucas’s piece on Yakuza: Like a Dragon! Jesse’s coverage of the character creator in Demon’s Souls was super cool as well, and I’m overjoyed with the pieces sent in by freelancers this week including Adam’s Phasmophobia piece, Grace’s piece on hell in video games, Melissa’s piece on Dark Souls lore, and Matt’s review of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
What games are you playing this weekend?
A racing game that I can’t mention until next week, might play a round or two of Halo with friends if they’re up for it as well. And of course, Tetris 99. I can’t keep myself away from that game.
Watching anything interesting (movies, TV) this weekend?
Probably not, though I have been watching the reboot of The Weakest Link on Hulu while eating dinner and I’m enjoying it a lot. I’m a sucker for televised trivia games.
Tips on how people can distract themselves from the news?
Avoid social media as much as possible. You might think you’re going to just check on posts from your friends and you end up doomscrolling. It’s ok to take a break from social media if you need to, especially when you want to avoid the news.
How do you typically relax when you’re feeling stressed?
I am not afraid to come right out and say I like ASMR. It’s very relaxing to hear someone whispering reassuring words to you, or to hear someone talk about plants for an hour. I also like the ones that are just sounds like crinkling paper. It’s so satisfying, I don’t know why.
I also play games that relax me, like Tetris Effect, and sometimes I browse through online stores saving things and bookmarking things that I find cool. It’s like window shopping but… through the phone/computer.
Last, but certainly not least, what’s your favorite starter Pokemon?
Cyndaquil! It was my first starter in the first Pokemon game I got as a kid, Pokemon Silver. My favorite starters from other Pokemon games include: Charmander, Torchic, Piplup, Oshawott, Fennekin, Litten, and of course, Scorbunny.
