One of the great things about doing this column is that everyone at TheGamer has different tastes. James is usually powering through a Yakuza game. I'm always playing 50 different things, and promising to get back to some long RPG I started months ago. Jade is usually reviewing a JRPG or three. But not this week. This week, it's all about Scorn.
The H.R. Giger-inspired horror puzzler is out now on PC and Xbox, and is included with both iterations of Game Pass. So, if you want to explore the dark, fleshy, world that Ebb Software has cooked up, there's a low barrier to entry. Elsewhere, The Last of Us Part II, No Man's Sky, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and more are getting some attention. Just not as much attention as Scorn.
Andrew King, Features Editor
I just witnessed Joel swear that everything he told Ellie about the Fireflies was true, which means I’m currently midway through Left Behind, and will be starting up on The Last of Us Part II this weekend. Once I get started with this series, I can’t stop. I also have Scorn, the H.R. Giger-influenced horror game, installed on my PC and am just waiting for nightfall to begin my journey past disturbingly anatomical alien architecture.
Amanda Hurych, Evergreen Content Lead
Like Andrew, I’m going to be playing Scorn this weekend. I’m pausing my foray into Slime Rancher 2’s joyful, colorful world to go into the dark, fleshy, monstrous delight that is Scorn. It looks so incredibly atmospheric; I can’t wait to play it at night, with all the lights off and just my headphones to keep me company. I’m a huge fan of H.R. Giger’s work on Alien’s creature design, so having an entire game take place with this in mind will feel like walking through a cathedral dedicated to his art style. I don’t know how scary the game will be, but I’m hoping it vibes with October spoopiness.
James Troughton, Cross Department Editor
I’m still on a Yakuza hiatus, but I’m done with Tales of Arise and onto the next JRPG - Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Confession time - I’ve never finished a Final Fantasy. I played (and modded) a boat load of 15 and loved it, but didn’t really have time to commit while I was juggling university, work, and the student paper. I dabbled in the older ones but never stuck around long enough, and 14’s UI gave me a headache so I went back to Elder Scrolls Online. So if there’s anything glowing I can say about 7 Remake, it’s that I’m confident I’ll finish it, because I’m adoring it so far.
Branden Lizardi, Evergreen Editor
Everyone has that one game they must keep at arm's length, lest its wiles tempt them back into another multi-hour, multi-day, multi-week session. For me, that's Klei Entertainment's Oxygen Not Included. I love how it combines a creative sci-fi direction with real-world physics and thermodynamics. It perfectly nails the right balance of mechanics and flavor to keep me sucked in forever. And with a new update having been released, I have an excuse to go back once again. Oxygen Not Included is my digital lotus fruit. But I am not Odysseus. I lack the willpower to resist. So once again, I return, a lack of oxygen forming the bars of a prison built for me. And what a joyous prison it is.
Justin Reeve, News Editor
Similar to so many other kids of my generation, I grew up watching The Magic School Bus. I’m not quite sure why, but one episode in particular has managed to worm its way into my memory, Inside Ralphie. When the titular character falls ill, the team shrinks the eponymous vehicle down in size, embarking on a journey through the various organs of his body. The same basic premise can be seen at work in Grounded. The player character is about equal in size to a small beetle, something which allows for a dramatically different perspective on the world. You quite literally see things from a new angle. I haven’t really gotten into the survival mechanics quite yet, but these vibes from The Magic School Bus have already won me over, at least for this weekend.
Joe Parlock, Tabletop Editor
I’ve been waiting for Scorn for so, so long, and it’s finally here. Ever since its failed Kickstarter in 2014, I’ve been interested in its body horror world full of slime, bones, and other general grossness. Now, years later, I’m counting down the hours before I get to stick a gun in the gaping wound on my arm and solve some incredibly icky puzzles.
Issy van der Velde, Cross Department Editor
I’ve finally finished reviewing [REDACTED] so now I’m free to play games I’ll hopefully enjoy. When my friends are busy I’ll be playing Scorn, the icky body-horror experience that looks like an Alien fever dream and fetishist utopia. When my friends are free, I’ll be diving into Overwatch 2 finally. Time to see what all the fuss is about.
Jade King, Lead Features Editor
The busy gamer season is almost upon us, but I’m also going on holiday next week and leaving my colleagues to fend for themselves. So, in my last weekend as a gamer on the homestead, I’ll be digging into a cute and fruity game about making potions that I can talk about soon, while starting a second playthrough of Scorn on Xbox Series X to scoop up all the achievements I missed during the review period. Of course, I’ll also fit in some Overwatch 2 for good measure.
David W. Duffy, Evergreen Editor
This weekend is all about No Man’s Sky for me. The new Waypoint update has revamped a lot of how we play the game, from expanding inventory (and therefore having to get to grips with new upgrade layouts) to a raft of amazing accessibility options that let us tailor gameplay to our own needs. Having the option to remove purchase and building costs in my existing save on the fly, and without having to farm tons of materials first, is truly life-altering, and I’m now inclined to go all-in on base design as a result. Maybe even one day Sean Murray himself will share one of my designs on Twitter, and then I can retire gracefully having truly made it. Oh, I picked NMS up on Switch too — a surprisingly fantastic port that runs really well, even on Switch Lite — so that’s three separate consoles I need to work on.