What We're Playing: Xenoblade Defense Force
Arguably the ugliest VR headset of the bunch, the HTC Vive is pushed back to an April 2016 launch. Square Enix thinks releasing Final Fantasy VII Remake in episodes is a good idea. And No Man's Sky must be real if the President of Sony played it, right?
What are you playing this weekend?
Russell Archey, Staff Writer, @NeoScyther
I've been getting quite addicted to Pokemon Picross as I prepare for my upcoming review. Though the game is free to start, I keep reading on the official sites that you can use real money to buy Picrites in game (the game's currency), though it's not required. I'm putting that to the test to see how far I can get by only spending Picrites to unlock new areas, unless the game forces me to buy something else otherwise. I'm liking the different abilities you can use during a puzzle, but I'm still having issues making any use out of the water/ice ability—it turns the hint numbers blue in rows you can definitely mark. Outside of upcoming reviews, I've been diving back into Tales of Zestiria, which I'm really enjoying except for one small aspect: the game won't show you where your next objective is unless you're in the same area as it. This has led me to wandering around a few areas looking for my next objective only to find out it was actually back in the town I was in before I started wandering. Outside of that, I've really been getting into this one.
Sean Colleli, Staff Writer, @scolleli
I am currently drowning in lore and side quests in Xenoblade Chronicles X, possibly the biggest game I've ever played. This one has what I call "Skyrim Syndrome" pretty bad; I'll be lucky to ever wrench my attention back to the main story quest, much less the multi-part qualification test for a Skell mecha. Considering you could fit the 14-square-mile continent of Skyrim into Xenoblade's planet Mira several times over, with just as many diversions and all with no loading times, I think "Skyrim Syndrome" is rather apt. If you need to find me, I'll be dropping another data probe in the next sector over; send nonperishable foodstuffs and caffeinated beverages.
Chapel Collins, Staff Writer, @ChapelCollins
I recently got sucked in by Knights of the Old Republic II again, after about a year of trying to make it run on my computer. Something about that game has always managed to captivate me, with it's generally darker and more mystical tone than any other Star Wars-licensed game. With finals and research papers finally being graciously in the past, hopefully I'll have more time to argue with my companions.
Jeremy Duff, Senior Staff Writer, @Duff3c
It will be another weekend of game hopping for me, as I have a ton of games I want to at least touch on before the weekend is out. First off, there is EDF 2 on the Vita, which is really becoming a chore to continue playing. It’s not pretty. I would also like to get caught up on the Minecraft Story Mode episodes that have been sitting on my PS4, patiently waiting for my attention. I also need to chase down the last two unlockable characters in Marvel Puzzle Quest, as I can't stand having an incomplete character selection screen.
Randy Kalista, Staff Writer, rkalista@gamingnexus.com
I'm flying high in mass explosion simulator Just Cause 3. Attaching militia to oxygen cylinders (and blowing them up), hijacking attack choppers in midair (and blowing them up), and ramping Jeeps into watchtowers (and blowing them up) are three very important things at the top of my to-do list. I'd say the gameplay is getting a little bit lather, rinse, repeat, but Head & Shoulders was never able to turn me into such an unstoppable source of mayhem. Can explosions be art? I'm giving the question serious consideration.
Dan Keener, Sr. A/V Writer, dkeener@gamingnexus.com
In addition to the last-week-what-am-I-playing mentioned epic space game (well, not mentioned, more insinuated,) I will be playing some of the recent freebies from Xbox Games with Gold as well as heading back to the wasteland in Fallout 4. Oh, I also had a fresh delivery of some A/V hardware from Artison that will be making its way into the testing lab this weekend. And some dude [Editor-in-Chief Chuck Huseman - ed] is having a bro-fest I am going to, with gaming, Christmas trees, and...Santa Pimp hats. This should be fun.
Matt Mirkovich, Staff Writer, @Stillmywords
I've started playing the latest Need for Speed and I'm enjoying all of its campy story mode, and the racing feels great. I picked up Ori and the Blind Forest during a recent sale, and it has also captivated me. Then there is my ever-daunting backlog, which really grew thanks to a bunch of sales during Black Friday. So, once I've finished those two games, I have plenty to choose from—until I go pick up more from that latest Best Buy sale.
