Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 27
We're back with another issue of Now Playing at SUPERJUMP. We've gone monthly with this format, giving our writers the time to truly sink into the games they're playing. True to form, they've been toiling away at a wildly eclectic and diverse set of games, and they're dying to tell you about them! Enjoy this week's entries and we'll see you back here soon with more recommendations and odes to the games we love!
James Burns (SUPERJUMP Editor-in-Chief)
I've been oscillating between Metaphor and, more recently, Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Why-oh-why did I decide to try to play two RPGs at the same time? Apparently, I'm a glutton for punishment.
Metaphor: Refantazio
So far, I'm enjoying Metaphor far more than Persona 5. The similarities between the two games are certainly more than skin-deep; Metaphor is, for all intents and purposes, Persona 5 with a different coat of paint. However, that's also a reductive description. While I feel that Persona 5 has the stylistic advantage, I find Metaphor's plot and characters far more interesting. This is perhaps for two reasons: a) the overarching political intrigue provides a more compelling context for Metaphor's characters and events (something I felt was missing in Persona 5), and b), there are a range of sensible quality-of-life changes that imbue Metaphor with a faster pace (for example, not requiring turn-based battles for enemies of lower levels than the player's party). I'm still on the first dungeon so I can't say how long the game will keep me interested. I do slightly fear that it'll become a grind at some point, which might turn me off. But we'll see.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard:
Then there's Dragon Age: The Veilguard. If you've read/watched the reviews around this one, you'll know it's sharply dividing opinion. I don't see that as a negative at all; if anything, it made me more interested to check out the game for myself.
I definitely suspect that your thoughts about the game will be influenced significantly by the history you bring to it. Are you a Dragon Age: Origins die-hard who bemoans any move away from classic turn-based tactical battles? Or did you prefer Dragon Age: Inquisition's more action-orientated battle system and arguably more 'streamlined' conversation system?
I'm definitely over-simplifying the situation, but this seems to be the Great Divide among Dragon Age fans. For what it's worth, I enjoyed Origins but I always felt it was somewhat overrated. For me, Origins is the game that has the least distinct identity in the series; it feels like the most artistically derivative work. I enjoyed it, but I also really enjoyed Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition. So far, I think Inquisition is my favourite; its apparent concessions to faster-paced action didn't seem to compromise narrative depth.
Like Metaphor, I'm still very early in Veilguard, so I can't really provide any final thoughts. At this stage, I think Veilguard seems to be getting many things right: stunning and distinctive art design, good pacing, and a combat system I'm quickly growing to enjoy more than any previous Dragon Age game. I've only tried one class (Rogue), but it feels great: snappy and fast, but not devoid of strategy. It feels like the love child of Mass Effect and Elden Ring, which isn't a bad thing.
But there are storm clouds on the horizon. The dialogue is occasionally superb, but often patchy, with unnecessary exposition and far too much "tell without showing" moments. Some specific characters - like Neve in particular - are voiced remarkably poorly (completely devoid of appropriate tone, pacing, and emotion), which makes me wonder what sort of direction the voice actors received.
If Veilguard manages to offer continued variety in quest design and plot moments, it could be a winner. My fear at the moment is that it'll quickly fall into a super repetitive cycle, which could lead to boredom (perhaps the worst thing a video game can do). But again, I'm playing it with an open mind - what I've experienced so far is promising. I certainly love exploring this particular version of Thedas, which is itself quite an achievement on BioWare's part.
C.S. Voll
Steins;Gate
Is Steins;Gate's status as a visual novel classic deserved? Yes, I would say so. Steins;Gate is among a handful of games that evoke powerful emotions during a playthrough. I don't think I will ever forget what I experienced in my time with the Future Gadget Lab. After I finished it, I just had to sit and process all its events and characters' words, because it had so much to say with its story. I will pull myself off the floor to play Steins;Gate Elite later this year.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
In a way, this game is the perfect thing to play after a complicated visual novel, when I just want to run around and collect monsters. Cyber Sleuth provides this in spades. Apparently, the grind can become quite ridiculous, but I've read some guides to find workarounds, like ways to maximize one's experience gains. Cyber Sleuth does throw a lot at you, but drawing on the knowledge of other players helped to alleviate some of my confusion. Digimon was one of my childhood obsessions, so I'm really looking forward to adding my favorite digital monsters to my team. My gaming journey has been quite eventful recently, that's for sure.
Nathaniel Kelly
Metaphor: ReFantazio
This month was a mixed bag. I took a day off to play Metaphor: ReFantazio which was a fantastic journey into a fantasy world in need of reform. I even surprised myself as I set the difficulty to about normal when I usually play Shin Megami Tensei games on their easiest offering as the story drives me the most. But here I was, dying at every major encounter in spectacular fashion as the game is unforgiving if you aren't prepared or exploit fights optimally. But due to the very generous checkpoint system and just the fact that the game is so satisfying to play, I found myself trying again and again, and not once did it feel like I was banging my head against a wall trying to brute force my way through boss fights. Metaphor, at about 16 hours, is a graceful strategy game with an intriguing story; it's exciting that I have 65 hours still to go.
Ignas Vieversys
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
Would you believe me if I told you that I've finally beaten Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? If you've read my previous entries in this series, I have the tendency to get distracted by new releases like moths are by Zippos and other pretty pretty lights (and yes, I'm sad to report that I'm still trying to finish Red Dead Redemption 2...my poor bronco must be in bronco heaven, for I haven't played the game for months now) - so even I don't believe myself when I say this... this month I've played and conquered Shadow Of The Erdtree.
I was in a love-hate relationship with The Land Of Shadows for months and months. This was mainly due to the final boss, the controversially difficult Promised Consort Radahn, who made an epic return from the original game. He made all previous bosses seem like training dummies (okay, maybe not Commander Gaius or Bayle The Dread, those tough SOBs), so I buckled up. The first phase of the fight was okay, but the second one... Oh boy. It made The Gamer's Executive Editor skip the boss and go for NG+ in Elden Ring instead.
This amped-up version of Radahn thrashed me like no boss did for God knows how long. It made me collect all the Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes. It made me try different weapons, which you need to retrieve from annoying platforming dungeons, and then level up, slaying an Ancient Dragon or two to get it to the max level. Whatever I was throwing at Radahn, it bounced right off him. Rest assured, the controller touched my forehead in rapid succession a couple of times.
Finally, I paid a couple of visits to Rennala, The Oracle of Elden Ring, to see if she could help me beef up and bring that overpowered mf-er down. And after another 10+ hours of experimentation, running around The Land Of Shadows for another set of talismans, a lot of cursing and sweating, and turning the game's music off - it was done. After spending half of October running at the same set of staircases over and over again, Promised Consort Radahn evaporated into stardust. To paraphrase Kendall Roy from HBO's Succession: "I was the eldest boy!" But did I feel like one? No, not really. A well-designed and - most importantly - fun boss fight shouldn't send anyone to the brink of madness and desperation for cheese guides - exactly what Shadow Of The Erdtree did to me. At least I finally could delete this God-forsaken game (which, until that last bit, proved to be one of the best gaming experiences for this FromSoftware virgin) and start playing Silent Hill 2, which I knew I wouldn't be finishing after just a couple of hours.
This month I've tried Sulfur, Silent Hill 2, continued playing Alan Wake 2, because everyone was talking about how great the new Lake House DLC is (and we know how FOMO gets to us), and started the Grand Theft Auto V campaign for the first time ever (!). But Shadow Of The Erdtree's Stockholm syndrome is real, so no matter what else I played in October, there's a hole the size of Radahn inside my lizard brain that no game can't seem to fill just yet...darn you, Miyazaki!
Jahanzeb Khan
It doesn't feel like I play video games, but apparently, I do. I have the pulse of what's coming out, I pick up games, but I don't get to them as swiftly as I once was able. My current pile has everything from Metaphor to Life is Strange, and even revisiting Sonic Generations again thanks to the new Sonic x Shadow Generations release. I pick up a lot of Atari 2600 games too, and was quite pleased to find Dragonfire, just a razor-tight action platformer where the first level almost feels like the first boss battle of NES's Super Mario Bros. Given that I have my fingers in so many honey pots, perhaps I can spotlight a game that wouldn't otherwise be on most video game publications and outlets.
Undisputed
I love the drama and pageantry of combat sports, and I love movies about them too. There was a time when we had more experimental fighting games, but now it feels like these games are few and far between. The thing is, unless your fighting game is EVO-ready with an active online community there's really no point putting it out there. Then there are wrestling video games which are a whole beast of their own, but what about something in between?
Undisputed had been in development for a long time before it dropped on PS5. We haven't seen a boxing video game in forever, so this release is welcome just for the novelty alone. It's more than that though; it combines exceptional presentation with a beautifully designed boxing system, one that is easy to get into but has a level of depth that feels logical and intuitive. It's a game that rewards skill and dedication, and the presentation creates an epic big-fight feel. At launch, the roster of boxers and essential modes of play are robust, including creating your own boxer. This is one that will likely become an undisputed champion of boxing games over time. I'm waiting for them to announce a Rocky/Creed collaboration DLC!
Jake Lang
Baseball season may be officially over, but as Bob Kendrick asks in the opening montage of MLB The Show 25, is baseball ever really over? Well, not in my house.
MLB The Show 25
It’s been a week since the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in a decisive 4-1 World Series win, but my Diamond Dynasty team keeps the season alive. Honestly, it's the only mode I play anymore. As a fan of both baseball history and the current game, Diamond Dynasty is pure magic. Where else can you set a line-up that includes Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Paul O’Neill, and Aaron Judge? It never gets old for me. Plus, racking up strikeouts in an online head-to-head match is always a blast—but hitting that replay button after blasting a moonshot? Now that’s the good stuff.
Out of The Park Baseball
Aside from The Show, I’ve recently picked up Out of The Park Baseball (OOTP) again. It’s an incredible series and game, but fair warning: it comes with a steep learning curve. If you’re like me and you loved the franchise modes in older sports games but feel unfulfilled by current console offerings, the PC-based OOTP will scratch that itch and then some. It’s a text-based simulator that gets pretty deep, with all sorts of mental math and strategizing. Knowing a bit about baseball definitely helps. But if you're up for a challenge, this game is a fantastic teacher. Don’t worry if you haven’t quite grasped why batting average is an outdated stat—OOTP will have you learning about metrics like Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) in no time. It’s complex, but rewarding for a real baseball nerd.
Backyard Baseball
I’ve also spent a few hours playing the revived Backyard Baseball, which is a whole different vibe. It’s a super chill game that’s perfect for multitasking. Need to listen to a podcast? Want to think through a completely unrelated problem? The point-and-click design makes it easy to jump in and out without losing your place. It’s also refreshing to play a sports game that brings me back to my childhood—and for the first time since then, play one without the constant pressure of microtransactions. There’s something wonderful about just enjoying a game for what it is, without all the extra baggage.
Baseball might not be on TV anymore,, but these games help keep the magic of the sport alive all year long. Whether it’s managing a virtual dynasty, mastering stats, or just relaxing with some nostalgic fun, the offseason never feels like a real break.
A big thank you to our writers for dropping by and to all our loyal fans for being here to check it out! Be sure to tell us what you're playing in the comments and check back next month for more of what our team is getting into.