The Video Games You Should Play This Weekend – October 17, 2025

I am not the biggest fighting game fan, but the unexpected one that happened to break through for me was Dead or Alive 4 on Xbox 360. It was an early title for the new console, it inexplicably featured a Halo Spartan as an optional fighter at the height of my Halo fandom, and – arguably most importantly – I was living in a college dorm when it released and it was the easiest multiplayer game to pick up and play with others. Both myself, my roommate, my neighbor, and a few other folks on the same floor, all really got into it. I got skilled at pulling off Ryu Hayabusa’s most complicated moves, and have always loved its satisfying counter system that could get you out of your opponents’ combos and specific moves as long as you knew the right input. 

To this day, it is still my favorite traditional fighting game, and it was also the last series entry Tomonobu Itagaki directed. I was saddened to hear of his passing and had missed his bombastic quotes over the last few years. I wish his family and friends well and am redownloading Dead or Alive 4 on my Xbox right now in remembrance of his work.

With this week’s passing of Tomonobu Itagaki, the former head of Team Ninja and mastermind of the modern 3D Ninja Gaiden series, there’s no better time to check out Ninja Gaiden II Black. The original iteration of the 2008 sequel was the last Ninja Gaiden title Itagaki directed, and this 2025 remaster is the definitive version of the game. 

It boasts improved graphics and performance, plus it restores the gore and upgrade system from the original release (which was heavily altered in the 2009 Sigma version). Itagaki once called Ninja Gaiden II “the world’s best action game,” and while I don't believe that claim holds water today, it’s still a very fun time and a nice warm-up ahead of Ninja Gaiden 4’s launch next week.

The first Pokémon Legends reignited my monster-catching fire, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is clicking with me. I really like the battle city vibes of Z-A; though some may not be keen on a single-city adventure, I've found it to be an interesting new vantage point on the usual Pokémon excursion.

Truthfully, my favorite part so far might not even be the new, real-time battle system or the actual monster catching and training itself, but the generally good vibes of Lumiose. The fashion is fantastic, the soundtrack is packed with earworms, and your hotel room in Hotel Z is the most delightfully lived-in living space from an RPG this side of Persona. Any excuse to  escape to a new Pokémon frontier is a welcome one, but I appreciate how Pokémon has managed to find an avenue for innovation and a little refresh every so often with its Legends games.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a little disappointing, to be honest, but it's not so bad that it isn't worth checking out. The story is more linear than I expected and the open world is sparse, making the two main selling points of an open world RPG tough to swallow. That said, combat and stealth are great, and while the story isn't as malleable as it first appears, the neo noir mystery and a cast of strong performances made it worth seeing through. If you're a huge fan of Vampire: The Masquerade or want a game that's seasonally appropriate, Bloodlines 2 is worth a try.

Double Fine's latest is an artistic tour de force, blending surreal visuals with the mechanics of an environmental puzzle adventure game. The game is best experienced firsthand, rather than having it described. But it's enough to say that you control a walking lighthouse, befriend a giant bird, and that you must journey through a psychedelic alien world of strange creatures. Even if the gameplay doesn't wow you, the gorgeous art and some of the surprises along the way make it a memorable play. Our full review has more. 

If you're ready for the next game that will inexplicably hook you for dozens of hours of simple arcade play, Ball x Pit is the obvious choice. Mixing town simulation, Arkanoid-esque brick-breaking, and roguelite runs and progression, the easy-to-pick up gameplay is extremely hard to put down. Each run challenges players to select and upgrade different balls that will bounce around the playfield, poisoning, burning, exploding, or otherwise eliminating the bad guys as they slowly inch down the vertically scrolling screen. Eventually, the onscreen gets incredibly chaotic. Read our full review.