From BioShock to Bond: Our Editors Share Their Gaming Plans Before AC Black Flag Returns
Key takeaways
- Editors are juggling BioShock 2, Empulse, 007 First Light, Clair Obscur, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle this weekend
- The approaching Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake is prompting a revisit of the underrated Freedom Cry expansion
- Forza Horizon 5 earns cautious early praise but has yet to fully hook at least one first-time player
It has been a hectic week across the gaming landscape, and the team here is ready to decompress the best way we know how — by losing ourselves in some great games. The weekend lineup among staff is impressively varied, spanning decades of gaming history and multiple genres, which is a reminder of just how deep the medium's well of experiences truly runs. Whether you're in the mood for something atmospheric, action-packed, or historically flavored, there's something on this list worth talking about.
BioShock 2 remains a slow but rewarding burn for at least one of our editors, who is steadily working through Rapture's haunting underwater corridors. Alongside that, the freshly released Empulse has caught some attention as a potential palette cleanser. Meanwhile, the bigger question mark of the weekend involves three heavy-hitter titles sitting in their cases, waiting to be cracked open: 007 First Light, Clair Obscur, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Having physical disc copies of all three is a small but satisfying win, and it speaks to the ongoing value of owning games in a tangible format.
The timing of Assassin's Creed Black Flag's remake announcement has naturally sent some of us back to the golden age of Ubisoft's nautical era. Rather than replaying Black Flag itself ahead of next Thursday's launch window chatter, one editor opted for the underappreciated standalone expansion Freedom Cry, following Adéwalé's story across a desynced Caribbean. It's a shorter but emotionally weightier experience that deserves more recognition than it typically receives.
Forza Horizon 5 also entered the rotation this week for the first time for one staffer. The open-world racer's sprawling Mexican landscape is undeniably beautiful, and the moment-to-moment driving is polished as ever, but the initial impression has been one of mild plateau rather than explosive excitement. That's not necessarily a condemnation — sometimes a game needs a few hours to find its groove and reveal its hooks.
All told, it is shaping up to be a genuinely rich weekend for gaming across the board. From legacy titles being revisited with fresh eyes to brand-new releases demanding attention, the range reflects the beautiful chaos of being a gamer in 2024. We want to hear what is filling your queue this weekend, so drop your plans in the comments below.
The bigger picture
The casual mention of owning physical disc copies of three major releases might read as a throwaway detail, but it quietly underscores a conversation the industry keeps dancing around. As digital storefronts consolidate power, subscription services reshape ownership norms, and publishers experiment with aggressive live-service models, there is something quietly radical about holding a game in your hands and knowing it does not disappear when a license expires. Sony has faced criticism for its digital-first push in recent hardware generations, and the hope that they continue supporting physical media reflects a consumer desire that is far from niche.
The Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake is generating genuine anticipation, and the impulse to revisit Freedom Cry ahead of its arrival says something interesting about how gaming communities process nostalgia. Rather than simply replaying the main game, choosing the narrative detour — one centered on a formerly enslaved man fighting for liberation — suggests a more thoughtful kind of fan engagement. It will be worth watching how Ubisoft handles the remake's narrative framing given how much cultural conversation has evolved since the original 2013 release.
Forza Horizon 5 being described as fun but not yet jaw-dropping is a useful reality check for games that arrive laden with critical praise. Open-world racers, like many sandbox experiences, often front-load spectacle while hiding their best content deeper in progression loops. Whether the game earns its reputation over time or simply coasts on production value is a question that speaks to a broader tension in AAA game design right now.
We cover these weekend gaming roundups at LagPing because we believe the most honest conversations about games happen outside of review scores and embargo cycles. What people actually choose to play on a Saturday afternoon, when there is no obligation, tells us something real about what the medium is delivering right now. This particular installment caught our eye because of how naturally it weaves together legacy gaming, fresh releases, and the looming presence of a major remake — all in one weekend's worth of plans. The physical media comment also resonated with us editorially, because we think that debate deserves to stay alive in the discourse rather than being quietly resolved by corporate momentum. We also love that Freedom Cry gets a moment in the spotlight here — it remains one of the most overlooked pieces of storytelling in the entire Assassin's Creed franchise. Expect us to keep tracking these community-facing moments as a barometer for what players genuinely care about.
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