What we're playing this weekend: Dark Souls of the Singularity edition

The PlayStation 3.5 system software update lets you (among other things) appear offline—while also being notified when your friends show up online—if they're not appearing offline, too. EA shut down a fanmade video picturing Donald Trump as Mass Effect's Illusive Man. And there are HTC Vive reviews, HTC Vive reviews everywhere.

What are you playing this weekend?

Russell Archey, Staff Writer, @NeoScyther
I'll be wrapping up my preview of Portal Knights. It's not too bad, though I tend to find myself rushing to later areas only to be completely outmatched with the enemies I find. So, I end up traveling back to previous areas to level up. I also run out of space in my backpack rather quickly and, as with most RPGs, I'm afraid to throw anything out because I might need it eventually.

Sean Colleli, Staff Writer, @scolleli
I'm continuing my journey through the Mesolithic age in Far Cry Primal. I noticed a cool detail in the game. The rival tribe known as the Udam regularly practice cannibalism--they eat the people from the other tribes they subjugate. However, this has backfired on them; you start to hear several Udam complain about "skull fire." This illness is affecting so much of the Udam that the entire tribe is dying off. I realized that what they're talking about is spongiform encephalopathy, aka Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, aka Mad Cow. A freaking Far Cry game is accurately portraying what happens when you eat members of your own kind. It's this attention to detail that is keeping me hooked on a game other critics have written off as a copy-paste cash grab.

Chapel Collins, Staff Writer, @ChapelCollins
I can't seem to stop playing Dark Souls. Since it was made backwards compatible a week or two ago, I've already played through twice with different characters. I've probably played this game more than a dozen times now, but I'm so excited for Dark Souls III that I can't seem to make myself play anything else. I'll be chasing my Dark Souls high with the first entry until I can finally lose myself in the third in a few weeks.

Jeremy Duff, Senior Staff Writer, @Duff3c
I will be doing more barrel rolls this weekend as I polish off both Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard. As I mentioned in my preview earlier this week, this process is riding a fine line between being an enjoyable adventure and a chore, thanks to an extremely finicky control system. Plus, I shall continue on my quest to earn a gold medal in all 200 tracks in TrackMania Turbo on the PS4.

Charles Husemann, Editor-in-Chief, @chusemann
This weekend I'm continuing Ashes of the Singularity, the new RTS from the folks at Stardock. It's been a while since I've played a hardcore RTS, but this one is scratching all of the right itches for me, as they've taken everything that made SupCom great and built on it. I'm still getting a handle on some of the mechanics, but so far I'm really enjoying what I'm playing. I'll also be doing some MechWarrior Online grinding; I've gotten back into the game in a meaningful way. I'm about done with leveling up my trio of Hunchback mechs, so I'm trying to figure out which mech set I want to do next. It's down to the LRM-heavy Mad Dogs or the brawling Ebon Jaguars. I've got nearly 40 million in c-bills in my wallet, so I might end up with both!

Randy Kalista, Staff Writer, @randykalista
I'm trying a new game this weekend called Read a Book, Randy (TM). But the book is Empires of EVE: A History of the Great Wars of EVE Online which is a book about the history of great wars of EVE Online. Naturally. Then I'm going to resist creating a fake Gmail account so I can snag another free 30-day trial. Then it's off to the Glowing Sea in Fallout 4. I've only dipped my toes in it before, but I want to know where to snag the sickest Deathclaws when the Wasteland Workshop DLC drops next week.

Dan Keener, Senior A/V Writer, @zoboa
I will be gaming just a but this weekend with a busy schedule, but will be spending time with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, MLB The Show 16 and some new audio hardware on tap.

Rob Larkin, Staff Writer, @Rob_GN
I'm desperately trying to finish my Dark Souls III review, but the major factor standing in my way is my own incompetence. I'm just so bad at the game that I am finding it very difficult to progress far enough that I feel comfortable starting the write up. I'll be toiling away some more in Lothric this weekend, probably dying a dozen times to every new enemy I encounter, crawling my way forward on bloodied knees. I'll also be dipping into Soul Axiom for another upcoming review and will surely see myself in Destiny now and again.

Matt Mirkovich, Staff Writer, @Stillmywords
I've got two new games from Chuck to review: Bravely Second End Layer and Dark Souls III. Both are high on my priority list, but I've got to keep up with my Final Fantasy XIV iLevel, now that the Anima upgrades are available. Then there are two other reviews on the backburner for Nights of Azure and Croixleur Sigma, which hopefully I'll be wrapping up soon. There's simply not enough hours in the day.