Must-Play Video Games This Weekend — October 17, 2025

I’m not a hardcore fighting-game aficionado, but Dead Or Alive 4 landed with me for all the right reasons. As an early Xbox 360 release it was accessible, perfect for dorm‑room multiplayer sessions, and even included the wild novelty of a Halo Spartan guest fighter back when Halo fever was at its peak. I mastered Ryu Hayabusa’s trickier combos and grew to love the counter system — it rewards timing and reads in a satisfying way.

It remains my top pick among traditional fighters. With Tomonobu Itagaki’s recent passing, I’ve been revisiting DOA4 on Xbox to appreciate the work he left behind.

In light of Tomonobu Itagaki’s death, Ninja Gaiden II Black is a timely revisit. The 2025 remaster polishes visuals, stabilizes performance, and restores elements from the original release that were later changed — making this the closest thing to the definitive experience.

Itagaki once touted the game as the “world’s best action game.” That’s arguable today, but the title still delivers intense combat and a satisfying rush, and it’s an excellent warm‑up before Ninja Gaiden 4 arrives.

The first Pokémon Legends rekindled my enthusiasm for monster-catching, and Z‑A continues that streak. Centering the adventure around a single city — Lumiose — gives the game an unexpectedly fresh focus. If you prefer scope over sprawl, this tighter setting offers a pleasing change of pace.

What’s stood out is the charm: excellent fashion choices, an infectiously catchy soundtrack, and a hotel suite that feels like a lived-in RPG home. The new real‑time combat and creature systems are fun, but it’s the atmosphere that keeps me coming back.

Bloodlines 2 is a mixed bag. The game can feel surprisingly linear for a title that markets itself as an open-world RPG, and some areas lack density. Still, its combat and stealth systems are well-executed, and a moody neo‑noir narrative combined with solid performances keeps the experience engaging.

If you love the Vampire franchise or want something with a seasonal, gothic vibe, Bloodlines 2 is worth exploring despite its flaws.

Double Fine’s Keeper is a wonderfully strange experience — part art piece, part environmental puzzle game. You inhabit a walking lighthouse, befriend an enormous bird, and travel through psychedelic, otherworldly landscapes populated by eccentric creatures.

Even if the mechanics never astonish, the game’s visual design and surprising moments make it a memorable journey. Our full review goes deeper into its creative merits.

If you’re seeking a pleasantly compulsive arcade experience, Ball x Pit is tailor-made. It blends town-building, Arkanoid‑style brick breaking, and roguelite progression into an addictive formula. Each run asks you to choose and upgrade balls with unique effects — poison, fire, explosions — as chaos builds on the vertically scrolling playfield.

Simple to pick up and impossibly hard to put down; expect dozens of satisfying runs. See the full review for more details.