A few of the things that have us hooked this week.

Image credit: Adobe Stock / Mat Hayward

23rd May

Hello and welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little about the games we've been playing. This week, Bertie enjoys digital characters' musculature; Connor goes on a trip and discovers he's possibly the nosiest person around; and Kelsey goes diving.

What have you been playing this week?

Here's another question: do you remember what you were playing last week? You don't have to! The What We've Been Playing archive has you covered.

Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, PS5 Cor, Blizzard cinematics. Cor.Watch on YouTube

I've been holding off playing this because I wanted to make it a 'together thing' and play it with my partner - aren't I nice? - but since she never seems to be in the mood to play, I've apparently made a spiky bed for myself to sleep in. I can't play the game alone now because that would be extra mean of me. Oh dear me, what have I done?

Nevertheless, we did manage to start Diablo 4's new expansion the other day, and something that always strikes me about this game - something I always harp on about to my partner - is how visually impressive I find character creation to be. What I especially like is the character's musculature. I have a slight obsession where musculature is concerned; I was into bodybuilding once and I think it comes from that. And what I love about Diablo 4's depiction of bodies is how believable they are.

They alternate from character class to character class. The Barbarian, for instance, is large and bulky and hench, as you would expect them to be, given the raw-power style of fighting they epitomise, and the heavy weapons they wield. Whereas the Necromancer, on the other end of the scale, is borderline emaciated, almost skeletal, albeit still in a lithe, taught, wiry way. The body shape of every different character fits their class. They look like people who live those lives.

Someone at Blizzard - probably a few people at Blizzard - has clearly spent a great deal of effort researching and realising this, and I want to say to those people, on the off chance they're reading What We've Been Playing, because why wouldn't they be: your work is appreciated. Thank you!

-Bertie

Secret stuff and airport RuneScape, PC

I am in the USA this week, for a very secretive work trip. As such, I've left the comforts of my home office (bedroom) behind. This, as you may imagine, makes playing games very difficult. Not only because I have work to do and deadlines to meet, but also because all my save files are an ocean away.

It's not impossible though. I have, while waiting for a plane - delayed of course - done some light Old School RuneScape playing. I have trained my agility a bit, and bought a battlestaff at a steep discount. Not a lot to report here aside from my feelings that games with lax hardware requirements seem to be the way forward for the working age adult without access to a beefy PC and a life to live.

I'd also like to shout out a fun game you can only really do on the road: being nosy and looking at what games other people are playing! I've seen one very smartly dressed business man playing Balatro, another older lady booting up Monopoly Go. I've even seen one gentleman in LAX airport tinker away at a Warhammer 40,000 mobile game in baggage collection, a sign that British fiction and mobile dark patterns together have the power to infect the minds of international travellers, even now.

-Connor

Subnautica 2, PC Watch on YouTube

I've been moving house so I haven't had much opportunity for gaming outside of work as of late, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to squeeze in a Subnautica 2 session with friends where I can.

Despite being in Early Access and content being quite limited, I have been having lots of fun exploring the underwater world of Proteus with friends and getting to know all the strange creatures it's home to. Our first adventure in our Tadpole Divers might've ended in us all becoming Leviathan food, but we're well on our way with establishing an impressive base and finding ways to communicate with - and directly counter - fishy aliens.

With a long weekend ahead, we'll hopefully find some time to go on another Tadpole Diving expedition without being reprinted in the process. Fingers crossed.

-Kelsey