USgamer Community Question: What Are You Currently Playing?

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Well, last week's Nintendo Switch reveal was a laugh and a half, wasn't it? We're all still a bit hungover from the festivities, not to mention the still-ongoing arguments about whether the console / handheld hybrid will be Nintendo's savior or ruin.

However you feel about the Switch, it won't be hitting store shelves until March. That means you need something to fill in all that dead space. Chances are, you already have something. So tell us: What game(s) are you currently playing?

Jeremy Parish, Lame Duck President

I'm trying to complete my Castlevania white whale before we record a Retronauts episode on portable Castlevania games this weekend. I don't think I'm going to make it happen, but I gotta give it the ol' college try.

Order of Ecclesia has always been this weird thing for me. I played every handheld Castlevania release between 1998 and 2008 to death the instant they came out, even importing most of them and completing both the Japanese and U.S. versions. Ecclesia, despite having the most beautiful hand-drawn graphics ever to appear on DS, an original and quite serious storyline, and intricate game mechanics, just never clicked with me. I gotta right that wrong… especially since the closest thing we'll ever see to another game like this is Bloodstained. (Which looks and plays great! But it's not Castlevania, and it's not handheld. Unless we can get it ported to Switch…)

Jaz Rignall, Editor-at-Large

When I reviewed Gravity Rush 2 last week, I tackled the game at a furious pace. I was on deadline, and couldn't spend anywhere near as much time as I wanted exploring its wonderful, extraordinary world. Instead, I stuck largely to the main missions and plowed along the game's golden path, ignoring most of the optional side quests and tasks.

I duly finished the game, but fortunately there's still plenty to do - and that's what's keeping me busy at the moment. I'm methodically going back and completing all the side missions and challenges that I missed the first time around. What I like is that many of them fill in character and story details, bringing the world and its people even more to life. A combination of that, and the fact that I'm having to travel to pretty much every part of the world - which I can now take in at my leisure - is a really enjoyable experience, and it's giving me an even deeper appreciation of the game.

Mike Williams, News Editor

I've been playing a game for review, which is embargoed until Monday, so you'll see more about that soon. That leaves me with other online titles that I'm playing right now. With patch 3.5, I've recently gotten back into Final Fantasy XIV, trying to clean up stuff I missed in previous patches. I've been mulling do some PVP, because the game currently features costumes from the adult-themed tokusatsu series Garo. Given I'm a Garo fan, I'd love to have Zero gear on my Paladin.

Otherwise, I've been jamming with Let It Die, which is this quirky online semi-Souls combat game from GungHo Online Entertainment and Grasshopper Manufacture. Let It Die hits the right tone, the combat is solid, and despite being free-to-play, the monetization hooks aren't that bad until you get later into the game. Wandering through a tower based on urban Japan, fighting crazy folk and the corpses of other players? Apparently, that's my jam.

But that's another review for another time. I may also boot up XCOM 2 soon to give The Long War 2 mod a try. Where does the time go?

Kat Bailey, Editor in Chief

I recently received a couple games in the mail: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (god I feel tired just writing that) and Tales of Berseria. I'm currently in the midst of Berseria, which is embargoed until next week. But by the guidelines set forth, let's call this a preview.

I'm not what you call a huge Tales fan, but I find them to be generally competent and entertaining RPGs. Their heavy reliance anime tropes will wear on a lot of people, but I find their animated text boxes and the like to be cute and appealing. Plus, most of them have top-notch cel-shading, making them a cut above a lot of other JRPGs.

Tales of Berseria appears to be cut from that same general cloth. It opens in a world where demons have burst forth from their particular hell dimension, and the bulk of the population are infected with a disease that turns them into monsters. You initially control a woman caring for a sick child with the help of a very capable exorcist. The initial hour or so takes its time introducing you to the battle system—a real-time system contained within an arena—and inventory system.

Its lush graphics certainly make for a nice upgrade from Tales of Xillia, which was the last Tales game I played, and the combat is accessible and appealing as ever. Will it be able to hold my attention for more than a few hours? I guess we'll have to see, but some of the little vignettes did get me smiling. If nothing else, Tales has a distinct personality, and it's completely unapologetic about that fact. More than ever, I appreciate that.

Nadia Oxford, Associate News Editor

Axe of the Blood God listeners will be shocked to learn I currently have three RPGs underway at once: Dragon Quest VIII for the 3DS, Persona 4 Golden for the Vita, and Stardew Valley for PS4. I'm also working on getting my Final Fantasy XIV character up and running. Dragon Quest VIII and Persona 4 Golden are being played for work-related purposes, not that it's any chore to put my feet up with either game. Stardew Valley is an interesting case, though: I've already played the game inside-out on PC, but I was recently seized by the urge to clean up Shane, marry him, and help him start up a chicken farm. So far he's doing well, though he's yet to change out of his tattered, vomit-stained JojaMart hoodie. Uh, well … marriage is all about compromise.