In today's Cloud Monday, I'm playing the PS3 version of Dark Void. it's a game i've played before on Xbox 360, so it was a nice nostalgic return to the game.
As for the streaming experience, i felt that controlling the game was fine. i didn't notice any input lag. but i do recommend changing the analogue stick sensitivity in the menu. once i did, i found that moving the camera became much more pleasant.
The video being streamed tho had some occasional issues. the game itself has it's own issues, so screen tearing, pop-in, and weird shadows/lighting isn't what i'm talking about, but something you will see. the biggest issue with the video being streamed to my PS4 was macroblocking. this is where colors and shapes get blocky. this only got in the way of gameplay once, but a few occasions it was plenty noticeable but i could play with it happening.
Because of this, i'll try playing the game another day at a different time to see if we get a better streaming experience or if it's a regular thing.
Today's video is part 1, of playing Pyre on PlayStation 4
With Eat Them! finished, i wasn't sure what to play next. my backlog is huge so i could pick anything. but i wasn't feeling any of the games i was thinking about. then i came across Pyre and felt like it was what i wanted to play.
Going in i knew some things about the game. when it came out it was a huge release. many of the podcasts i was listening to had a lot to say about the game as, at the time, reviews and feelings for it where typically either hot or cold.
It was universally accepted that the music is amazing, and so far i would agree. the one thing that did surprise me were the interactions with your team. It felt somewhat like a Persona game, where interactions with other characters can have positive outcomes.
The story is also really quite interesting. i don't know what the over arching storyline of the game is, nor do i know how it ends ... assuming it does. I'm already curious where it will go so there will be a part 2. it's too early to say if it'll be a game i finish, but i feel like there'll be another 2 or 3 parts at least.
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 New Year Cup 2! (1/8 4PM - 1/15 4PM (PST)) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and a docked Nintendo Switch.
This event can be best described as a mixed bag for me. i got first, second, third, and fourth! i think i tried too hard. i knew what the rules were, but i think i used them too much on other colors, not just on the ones which gave you bonuses. this meant i was wasting time. i also felt like i didn't get a lot of combo luck sometimes.
As you'll see, i was up against some very high level players. typically, a high level player doesn't use a controller like i do. but in this video i actually go up against some high level controller players too. we kept exchanging positions throughout this video.
let me know in the comments how this week's Cup was for you.
This fifth video in the new Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series is on Fantasian. This is an exclusive game on Apple Arcade from Mistwalker and Arzest.
This game is perhaps one of the most famous games on Apple Arcade. it's an exclusive game from Mistwalker, a Japanese studio, and features staff who have worked on Final Fantasy games. It's also the game i've seen the most about so going in, i knew roughly what to expect.
It does make a great first impression, it looks impressive on my phone's screen and right from the start the game's user interface keeps the main character in clear sight and doesn't feel cluttered, even in the menus. there's a good use of art through to help make menus clear.
Controlling it though, it really is a tale of two halves. as usual, i started the game using touch screen controls. there is no onscreen analogue, you have to leave pins for the character to follow. there are on screen prompts and to the top and bottom are pictures showing who's in your party and the attacking order. at best, i'd say this works fine with touch controls. But, the biggest issue was with the Dynamic Island as it covers, probably, 95% of an arrow that's needed to open the menu. you can open the menu, but the Dynamic Island will react. thankfully, it just vibrates.
Switching to a controller was where this game came into it's own. controlling the character via the left analogue stick felt natural and at the bottom of the screen it said what other buttons do. i didn't feel any lag using the bluetooth Xbox One X Controller, if anything things felt faster as i was no longer having to drop a pin for the character to follow.
There was one major sticking point for me that bugged me throughout the game and that was the speech bubbles. they looked out of place. they didn't feel like they were from the same world. they often covered up parts of characters, too. This game uses the camera and UI to highlight the characters and make the world feel big an open. but when the speech bubbles appear that's largely ruined. thankfully it has a great story with multiple threads already mentioned. it is a little stereotypical in places, but this game does ride the line of being a stereotype of a PS1 era JRPG.
The most frustrating place this happens is the game's save system. you can only save the game at specific large crystals in the game. there does seem to be a auto save system but i've not tried that out. the save system as it is seems like an unnecessary relic of the past that doesn't help the game be a mobile game that's easy to pick up and play. Also at these crystals you can use a specific item to heal your whole party in one go, health and MP. you can use potions to heal during the game, but this feels a little dated.
I did have fun, but i'm also a little familiar with the JRPGs of it's heritage. i do wonder if these nods, or embraces, to the past do more harm than good. for now, for the first hour, it's an awkward first impression but good enough to keep going for a little longer. But it maybe one i only play on TV.
Today's video is part 4, of playing Eat Them! on PS3.
With part 3, https://youtu.be/2OtBPMfJk1c, ending on a low with me being stuck on a level and not making any progress, i was concerned that this video would be me still stuck on it. And for a little bit, i was still stuck. but i slowly started to make progress and eventually i succeeded.
It wasn't a big win, but it was enough to progress the story. the rest of the levels weren't too bad and before long i was on the final stage. the game throws all the enemies at you and i was stuck for a little bit. but i had a great idea, to try and avoid being hit by ... well ... everything, i would try to go behind buildings. it worked! they shielded me just enough to finish the final level and the game.
So this is the final video. i'm not worried about getting the PS3 trophies or the gold medals. i've done enough. ultimately, it was a fine videogame. it had a few difficulty spikes and it didn't always control great. but as it was a shorter video game, i felt like whilst they do exist they never really got too in the way. it's a great looking game and the story is easy to follow. i'm glad i played it.
Today's video is part 3, of playing Eat Them! on PS3.
Today's video went smoother than part 2, https://youtu.be/naNvLj4k9dQ, mostly because i died less. Tho, that isn't true for the whole video.
What was also surprising was that it wasn't until this video that i fully understood how the level system worked. Sure, i could visually see that there were comics. but what i had failed to grasp was that one comic would act as the story and the following comic acted as the playable stages. when i started today's video, i was somewhat confused as i was doing a comic ahead of where i remembered i was. It wasn't until i double checked that i realized how the comic books and stages system fully worked.
I finished two comic books, a comic with story and the following comic with stages, and went on to try the next story comic. But i couldn't do it. i tried a few times and even made a new character. but i found it really difficult. the video was going really smoothly until i hit this stumbling block and honestly, i'm not too sure if i'll be able to do it in a part 4.
There will be a part 4, but if i'm unable to get past this story segment, it may also be my last. if you've got this far, feel free to give me some tips on how to complete this stage.
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 New Year Cup 1! (1/1 4PM - 1/8 4PM (PST)) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and a docked Nintendo Switch.
This was a much better week than the last couple, especially last week. out of the 6 matches i played, i got 4 wins, a third, and i finished with a second place. That's also why the video is much shorter than in recent weeks. One reason why it was soo good was that the gimmick this week was to make an L shape. it's easy to do and often i tried to make more than one. combine this with the other gimmick of a combo greater than 4, i was often able to defeat a stage in one hit. the final two matches, tho, were tougher because a new player joined and, even tho i got good scores, out scored the rest of us human, and Ai, players.
let me know in the comments how this week's Cup was for you.
