Monday, October 31, 2022

Cloud Monday - Lost Planet - Part 2 - An Improved Streaming Experience

In today's Cloud Monday, I'm back playing the PS3 version of Lost Planet. In last week's video, we saw how the gaming experience was affected by poor internet. So the reason for giving the game a part 2 was to see if it really was poor internet or was it just how the game streamed.

As for the streaming experience, well the title says it all. it was a night and day difference between part 1 and part 2. i recommend you watch part 1 to see how rough it got in places. But for today, it was very playable. the only issues were with the game itself, rather than anything caused by streaming it. 

So, after trying it, i'd recommend this game for people with good solid internet. if your internet is a little rough, then the low definition of the game and long periods of white and particle effects can make it a bit of a mess. if your fine, it's a fun game. i've played 2 hours of it and it felt nostalgic to go back after all these years. I'd really like Capcom to go back and remaster it, bringing in more modern ideas from Titanfall, Monster Hunter, and Killzone.

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Switch Funday - Splatoon 3 - Tableturf Battle

Welcome to Switch Funday.
This video focuses on the final part of Splatoon 3 that i had yet to play, Tableturf Battle.

Simply put, Tableturf Battle is a card game that's in Splatoon 3 that has the same goal as Turf War, ink the most. This is done very differently from Turf War as this card game has some unique rules. I'm not a card gamer so i don't know how good a card game it is, but for me personally it's not one i'd go into the game to play. If it was a part of Splatnet 3, then i might play on the go on my phone. but if i'm playing the game, i'm playing one of the other game modes.

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Online Saturday - Splatoon 3 - Getting October's Salmon Run Item and Levelling Up

Welcome to Online Saturday. This Saturday I'm back playing Splatoon 3. The focus of this video is to get October's exclusive item. as i got it very early in the video, my next goal was to level up. Iin the end, i managed to get this month's exclusive item twice, with the second one being better than the first.

As ever with Salmon Run, i tried out a few different weapons for the first time as well as a stage i hadn't played on before. There were some real close runs, and i even lost a couple. It's an intense and yet enjoyable hour of Splatoon 3.

Friday, October 28, 2022

Mobile Friday - Marvel Snap - The First Hour

Today is Mobile Friday and i'm playing Marvel Snap.
The game is out on iOS, Android, and Steam. 
But i'll be playing the iOS version.
I am playing on an iPhone 14 Pro that has iOS 16.1 installed.

This is a new game that has gained instant popularity. I've even seen ads for it here in Japan. This is the first Mobile Friday with my new iPhone 14 Pro, so as well as talking about how hot the phone gets i also talk about how the Island gets in the way of things...how the game hasn't been designed around the Island.

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Rain - The Fourth and Final Part

I Accidently used my laptop's mic to record this video, so it sounds different to any of my recent videos.

This is the fourth and final video in my playthrough of Rain on PS3. In this video i play through the final couple of chapters of the game. i don't go on to play through the memory collecting mode.

The game continues to play well. the main issue with controls is my own controller which is suffering with stick drift. The graphics continue to impress. there were moments which had an almost cinematic feel to them. the contrast of the city in the previous video compared to this was stark and it looked great when it came back.

This will be the final video in this series. If i plan on getting extra trophies, there is no platinum, i won't be recording it.

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Rain - The Third Part

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.
This is the third video for Rain. Like Part 2, this video is less than an hour and sees me playing from Chapter 4 to the start of Chapter 6.

The game continues to play well. the main issue with controls is my own controller which is suffering with stick drift. The graphics continue to impress. there were moments which had an almost cinematic feel to them. a memorable highlight was walking along the side of a bride.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday - Puzzle and Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition - Halloween Cup 1 - Achievement Run

Welcome to Puzzle & Dragons Tuesday! Sit back and either watch me play through, with no commentary, the cup or leave it running in the background as BGM!

I play and earn all the achievements from the Halloween Cup 1! (10/23 5PM - 10/30 4:59PM (PDT)) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and my Nintendo Switch is Docked.

This is maybe my shortest video yet in this series. There wasn't really a specific gimmick this time, but i think a match 6 gave a bonus. This video starts with a win and there's another win, too. like the previous videos, there weren't many other players when i did the achievement run.

Monday, October 24, 2022

Cloud Monday - Lost Planet - Part 1 - A Rough Streaming Experience

In today's Cloud Monday, I'm playing the PS3 version of Lost Planet. I play through to the start of the second mission, so for about an hour. I had previously played a lot of the multiplayer on Xbox 360, so some parts of the experience were familiar. But it was soo long ago that for the most part i was relearning about it.

As for the streaming experience, well the title says it all. this was the most demanding game for a streaming service i've played so far. this includes for me personally when it was PlayStation Now. Throughout the video you'll see macro blocking and other similar errors. for the most part it's annoying at worst. but there are times when it impacts the gameplay. But, that could just be due to internet conditions today. so, to give it a fair go, i'll do another mission or two next week and talk about if there are any differences between the two experiences with the game.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Switch Funday - Disney Classic Games - The Lion King - A Not So Funday

Welcome to Switch Funday. Today, i played The Lion King from Disney Classic Games. I went in so happy and excited. you can hear it in my voice from the start. This was a game i never finished but one i played a lot on the Sega Mega Drive. I thought that i would spend a couple of weekends playing through the game, something i never managed as a child. 

But, as you can see from the title, it wasn't as fun of a experience as i had hoped. If you hear my voice at the start and compare it to the end, you can hear how deflated i was from this hour of gameplay. at this point, i don't know if i'll come back to the game on Switch Funday or if i'll move it to my Backlog Conquering series.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Online Saturday - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass - Battle Mode

Today's Online Saturday is on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass's Battle Mode. It's a mode that i haven't really played online. 

The videos i've posted here have always been on online racing. As i haven't played Battle Mode much, i didn't know what to expect. so, you'll hear that i was surprised for most of the video as i was playing game modes i didn't know know were in it. i was expecting just the game mode where you have balloons and attack other drivers. the biggest surprise was that i won a game!

Friday, October 21, 2022

Mobile Friday - Alchemists’ Garden - The First Hour

Today is Mobile Friday and i'm playing Alchemists’ Garden. This is a game that i had been seeing ads for and they got me curious. it showed the game has a battle mechanic similar to Puzzle Quest. Other than that, i didn't know what to expect as each ad seemed to show different aspects of the game. So it was unknown what i would see and when.

This video shows the first hour of the game. it shows there is a small additional data download, a small un-skippable tutorial, and how the game opens up and encourages the player to explore it.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Rain - The Second Part

This is the second video for Rain. This part isn't quite an hour, but starts immediately at the start of Chapter 3. There is no Part 1 as, for some reason, that video didn't record video. it did record audio from the game and i also was commentating. so there's a chance it'll be an unlisted video in the near future.

As for Rain, this PS3 game played really well. apart from the initial load screen, there was no obvious loading whilst playing. Gameplay tho is less positive as sometimes it's very clear where you're to go. then there are other times when it's not clear what you should be doing next. to help overcome the latter, i do die in this video many times.


Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday - Puzzle and Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition - Artemis Cup - Achievement Run

Welcome to Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday. This week it is the Artemis Cup. Like other recent videos, this took me less than an hour to complete. Whilst i felt like this wasn't my best performance, i did manage to get a couple of wins this week. However, like last week, there was a lack of other human opponents. i think at best i had a game or two with 3 or 4 other players. The Gimmick this week was also fairly easy, i did find it sometimes took a little more time to set up than i would like. But i never defeated the final boss. most of the enemies felt stronger this week.


Monday, October 17, 2022

Cloud Monday - Key of Heaven - The First Hour

In today's Cloud Monday, I'm playing Key of Heaven (Also known as Kingdom of Paradise). this was originally released on PlayStation Portable, PSP, and is now available on PS4 and PS5. I'm playing the game on my PS4 via the PlayStation Plus Premium Cloud Streaming service.

In today's video, i play the first hour of the game. Whilst i knew of the game, i didn't really know what to expect. so, i was a little surprised that in the first hour of the game there isn't too much to do. There's a lot of story and exposition. There are some battles and for the most part they are easy. but the final battle in the video was truly difficult.

As for the streaming quality, i don't have anything major to report. i found that the game played quite well. there was a little artifacting/macro blocking in the pause menu, but whilst i was playing the game i had no trouble. i'd go so far as to say that the game itself got in the way more than any cloud streaming stuff.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Switch Funday - Splatoon 3 - Splatnet 3 and Anarchy Online Games

Welcome to Switch Funday.
This video is a little different as i start on my phone with the Nintendo Switch Online app!
The app is an interesting part of the Splatoon 3 experience. I go through each part of it, showing how it works, and i make some changes to my character in the app.

I then go into the game and show that those changes have been made already. I then show were you go to get stuff you ordered via the app, stuff that is often somewhat unique and cheaper than usual.
I finish the video by playing the Anarchy game modes. i don't get to play all playable game types though, the video was already getting pretty long. But i do show off the two Anarchy Game Modes. 

This video does feature more disconnects that normal. i speculated that maybe it was some players getting salty and quitting the game. but i honestly don't know. i've played the game for hours and whilst there is usually one disconnect, there's never been this many. Getting into games was a little longer than usual, too. my guess is that the Anarchy game modes aren't as popular as Turf War.


Saturday, October 15, 2022

Online Saturday - Starlit K.A.R.T. - Is it Online???

Today's Online Saturday video is a little different. The game is Starlite K.A.R.T. (Kart) and i'm playing it on PS4. It's a free to play kart racing game that i assumed had online multiplayer. But, after playing it i'm not so sure. As a kart racer it's good. The tracks are fun, the music is nice, and there are plenty of powerups. i feel that it needs an extra kart to choose from, and putting the fastest speed behind a paywall, and not say game progression or in-game currency from playing it, sucks. But there is still plenty there to play.

But is it online? I don't know. a quick google search doesn't come up with answers either. there are 4 game modes, Cups, Versus, Bosses, and Challenges. Versus is couch gaming and cups is versus the Ai. Bosses is you playing against...well...bosses! Challenges tho, it's unclear who you're racing against as it's never said if it's other players, Ai, or a mix of both. If you know, please let me know in the comments. But, as a game mode itself it was fun and i didn't win everything, there was some challenge to it.


Friday, October 14, 2022

Mobile Friday - Candies 'N Curses - The First 50 Minutes

For today's Mobile Friday i'm playing an older iOS game called Candies 'N Curses. This video shows the first 50 minutes, but if you're interested in the game, you can play it in short bursts rather than in one long session like i did.

It's a game that hasn't been updated for a bit and it works mostly fine. i had a couple of issues where swiping down sometimes brought the whole screen down. it would obscure the bottom part of the game which does affect gameplay. there was also a slight issue where a notification seemed to be cut off a bit by the FaceID notch.


Thursday, October 13, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Deliver us the Moon - The Seventh and Final Hour

This is the seventh and final video in the Backlog Conquering series featuring the game Deliver us the Moon being played on PS4. After getting stuck in yesterday's video, i looked up what i was doing wrong and was shocked that i had missed that one of the fuel cells was empty! Once i knew what to look for getting to the end of the game was fairly straightforward. There was a welcomed plot twist right near the end as well as another surprise after the initial credit sequence.

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Deliver us the Moon - The Sixth Hour, or so

This is the sixth video in the Backlog Conquering series featuring the game Deliver us the Moon being played on PS4. I think we are near the end as in this video we got a lot of story. many questions were answered, and we explored a lot of the station. The video ends with me being somewhat stuck with a puzzle. i know what the pieces are, i know how it should work, but by the end i hadn't worked out one part.


Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday - Puzzle and Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition - Pixel Fenrir Cup - Achievement Run

Welcome to Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday. This week it is the Pixel Fenrir Cup. Like other recent videos, this took me less than an hour to complete. this video starts and ends with me winning and there's a third one around the middle. But i think the reason why i did well this week wasn't because i understood the gimmick of this cup. actually, i think it was because i was facing fewer opponents. I think there were a couple of times when i was just playing against bots. I was playing it later at night than i usually do, so maybe that's a reason why. either way, a win is a win and i'm happy with my victory over this week's cup.


Monday, October 10, 2022

Cloud Monday - White Knight Chronicles 2: White Knight Chronicles 1 Remastered Part 3

This is the third and final video of my look at the White Knight Chronicles 1 Remaster that you can play in White Knight Chronicles 2. Like before, i'm streaming the game via the PlayStation Plus Premium streaming tier. The videos in this series aren't designed to show the game being played from start to finish. Instead, my aim is to show how playable the game is via the streaming service. 

In this video i spend over an hour unable to progress from one side of a map to another. As i mention in the video, if i was playing this in my own time i may've given up on the right side and tried the left side. But as i was recording this and it was already a long video, i decided to end it. At the very least, we all now know what awaits us on the left side.

As for the streaming experience, we did get a grey streak across the screen. I don't know for sure but it felt like a missing frame, and it was only there for a second at most. we did get artifacting at various points and only a couple of times did it get noticeable and possibly get in the way of gameplay. And there were instances where it felt like the streaming resolution went down a notch or two. Again, nothing really that got in the way of gamplay. Tho, the game itself kinda got in the way now and then with screen tearing, slowdown, and a boss character i couldn't get past but also wasn't sure if i should be fighting or not.

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Switch Funday - Overwatch 2 - Over an Hour of More Frustration

Yep, i'm back playing Overwatch 2. In yesterday's Online Saturday video, you would've seen that i became ever increasingly frustrated with Overwatch 2 on the PS4. And i didn't expect that i would try the game again. But i realized that the game came out on Nintendo Switch, too. I was genuinely curious as to the quality of the Switch port so i gave it ago.

What i don't show in the video was the process of getting my Battle Pass, which was already linked to my PS4, onto my Switch. it wasn't too complicated, but it did take a little time. But once it was linked, i started recording and you see me play for over an hour in an unedited video.

I went into this video knowing more than i did yesterday. I tried to practice more, for example. But as you'll see in the video, i found more things to be frustrated with. However, the experience of playing the game on Nintendo Switch was a pleasant one and one that i would recommend. the biggest difference for me was how much shorter the time was getting into games!

Saturday, October 8, 2022

Online Saturday - Overwatch 2 - My First Hour: A Frustrating Experience

Today's Online Saturday is NOT Splatoon 3! This weekend i'm playing Overwatch 2 as it is now a free to play game. I went into this game not knowing much about it. I had played a few free weekends on PS4, but never bought Overwatch. So, this was my first hour playing the game and ultimately it didn't make a good impression, especially when we compare it's first hour to the first hour or so i played of Splatoon 3 before the game came out. I try to articulate my feelings as to why in the video, but i feel its fairly obvious as you watch.

Friday, October 7, 2022

Mobile Friday - Cats & Soup Part 2 - After a Week of Playing

For today's Mobile Friday i'm back with part 2 of Cats & Soup on iPhone. In last week's video, we learned that the game was an idle game. So, we weren't able to properly judge what the game was. In the video i talked about making a part 2 showing what happened during the week. And that's what i did.

I used my phone's screen recording feature to take videos of significant events that happened during the week following the first video. for the first two, i forgot to turn the sound on but for the rest of the video there is sound.

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Deliver us the Moon - The Fifth Hour, or so

This is the fifth video in the Backlog Conquering series featuring the game Deliver us the Moon being played on PS4. this video may seem a little slower than some of the more recent videos, but that's because there was a lot of story, puzzles, and action all centred in on place. So please sit back, relax, and watch how the story continues to unfold.

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Backlog Conquering - Deliver us the Moon - The Fourth Hour, or so

This is the fourth video in the Backlog Conquering series featuring the game Deliver us the Moon being played on PS4. We spent some more time on the moon and in this video, there were a few tense moments. Watch as this amazing story continues to unfolds!

Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday - Puzzle and Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition - Athena Helios Cup - Achievement Run

Welcome to Puzzle and Dragons Tuesday. This week it is the Athena Helios Cup. This was one of my more successful achievement runs and it's one of my shorter videos. Once i worked out the gimmick for this one, and once i worked out how to implement it, it went pretty smoothly. i was worried that i wouldn't get the win but watch the final game and see that i did it!


Monday, October 3, 2022

Cloud Monday - White Knight Chronicles 2: White Knight Chronicles 1 Remastered Part 2

This is the second video of my look at the White Knight Chronicles 1 Remaster that you can play in White Knight Chronicles 2. Like before, i'm streaming the game via the PlayStation Plus Premium streaming tier. The videos in this series aren't designed to show the game being played from start to finish. Instead, my aim is to show how playable the game is via the streaming service. 

This game played great via cloud streaming. However, there is a situation where it becomes unplayable due to the PS3. the game used to have a big online component, but that's no longer online. But the PS3 gets stuck looking for a firmware update. head to the end of the video to see this in action.


Sunday, October 2, 2022

Switch Funday - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass - An Hour of Not Finishing Last

Today, for Nintendo Switch Funday i take a break from Splatoon 3 and "relax" with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. As ever, my goal is to not finish last and over the course of the hour i succeed...just...to achieve it. But what is even more impressive is that i get closer to first than i ever have been. Whilst i don't succeed in finishing first, watch and find out where i do finish!

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Online Saturday - Splatoon 3 - 1.1.2 Update and Trying Out 5 Weapons

Today's Online Saturday game is Splatoon 3. Originally, i was going to do this video to show off some weapons i've not used as yet. But update 1.1.2 also just came out so the video shows, if any, changes made to the game. From what i've read, the only changes i might've noticed would be improved online stability. And when compared to the Splatfest and Splatfest Tricolor videos from last week, i would say the online experience was better in that getting into a game was faster, more consistent, and i didn't have any disconnection issues.
As for the weapons i tried out, I've mostly been using the Splat Brella recently so in this video i tried out 5 other weapons. They were the Sploosh-o-matic, N-ZAP '85, REEF-LUX 450, Splattershot Pro, and Dualie Squelchers. Each weapon will get two rounds of Turf War! Watch and find out which ones i liked and which one i decided to switch to.