Online Saturday - Splatoon 3 - Trying Out Patch 2.0.0 - Improved Online Stability?

Welcome to Online Saturday!

Patch 2.0.0 was released a day or twp ago for Splatoon 3 on Switch. This patch introduced the new Chill Season. Some of the headline additions to the game were a new game mode for high level players, X Battles, a twist on Salmon Run, Big Run, some new weapons, and the return of the Brinewater Springs and Flounder Heights stages.

Big Run hasn't started yet and X Battles is something i can't join because my level is too low. i was also aware of some bugs that this patch had introduced, specifically for the paint brush and roller weapons. So, going into this my goal was simple, can i notice any changes for me. and Yeah, i think i could.

In the hour or so of playing, one thing really stood out to me, and i'm sure i mentioned it a few times during the video too. the waiting times for online Turf War games were much shorter. typically, they were around 30 seconds to a minute. but, after this patch i felt that the waiting times were 10 seconds to maybe 40 seconds. i also noticed that i had no connection issues during the hour. again, typically, i've found that there's at least 1 connection issue during an hour's play time. sometimes more in a Splatfest. but here, i found it to be rock solid. i also noticed that the players i was playing with also managed to stay together longer than normal.

Of course, this could be for a number of reasons like my internet or a general increase of players playing the game here in my region. but there's always been a lot, so more could actually be bad. that's why i'm strongly suggesting that i think online connectivity has been improved in this patch. But feel free to talk in the comments about your own experiences of this patch.

I'm hoping to try out Big Run when it starts later this month, as well as getting this month's Salmon Run item. so that'll be another video.

Pokémon Violet - The Eleventh Part - Exploring Porto Marinda and Catching My First Shiny!

This eleventh part of the Pokémon Violet Game Play Series focused on Exploring Porto Marinda and finding Cascarrafa's Gym Leader Kofu.

Of course, i wandered about and explored the light house outside the town. once the town was finished, i also explored a nearby beach and found my first shiny Pokémon! in part 10, https://youtu.be/uKN1o3XA5bA, i found a Grass Tera Type Sandygast and in this video i found a shiny one. it's shiny form is also cool, it's black.

Other than that, i didn't do too much more. i tried again to find a Tinkatink but couldn't find one. i did speak to someone in Cascarrafa City and got a Wooper via trade for a Paldean Wooper.

Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade - Star Trek: Legends - A Lacklustre First Hour

For the next few videos, Mobile Friday will become Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade. I forgot that with my phone upgrade i also got some months free with Apple Arcade. So i'll use them to explore what the service offers on my phone, as i don't have an Apple TV or Mac.

The first game i chose to play was a selfish choice, much like my Star Trek: Lower Decks video https://youtu.be/5rA9Fb4SVhI, because i really enjoy watching Star Trek and i'm on the lookout for a game to equally enjoy.

This however isn't it. It's possible my expectations going in were too high, because it's something i enjoy, but you'll hear me compare it to other mobile games i've played in this series throughout and constantly find issues or areas where it's lacking features, clarity, or just "common sense."

There is a lot to this game and i wouldn't dismiss it immediately. if the game's story isn't captivating you then there's always the online features. admittedly i didn't try them out in this video. The game's tutorial isn't too long and there's no extra download when you start it for the first time, or if there is it wasn't revealed to the player that it's happening.

Have a watch of this video and judge it for yourself.

Pokémon Violet - The Tenth Part - Crossing Asado Desert, Seeing and Catching Many New Pokémon

This tenth part had one goal, cross the Asado Desert. And i did it!

And what a journey it was!

If you're unfamiliar with this play through, i've gone into this game knowing very little. mostly just rumours from a couple of months ago and what i've seen in the trailers. So, this video is full of surprises for me.

It was soo much fun coming across Pokémon i've seen in raid battles, https://youtu.be/8awMWkwVu7I, as well as spotting random Pokémon out in the world. i tried to catch as many as i could, i've even added one to my team.

It's a longer video as the Asado Desert is very large, but as usual i meander my way across as well as trying out a path i don't think i've tried before.

Puzzle & Dragons Tuesday - Nintendo Switch Edition - Mille Cup! - 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 Mille Cup! (11/27 4PM - 12/4 3:59PM (PST)) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and my Nintendo Switch is Docked.

This was a much better Cup for me than the last one. The previous Cup, https://youtu.be/TGWaHPERguM, took over an hour and a half to complete and i got only one 2nd place finish, you can see that as a short here https://youtube.com/shorts/4Prtorvj8l4. This Cup took more than an hour less to complete! That's mostly down to the score gimmicks being easier.

There were some high-level competition, i did win a couple of times! i had one dud game, all the rest were fairly high scoring, and it was genuinely tense at the final score screen to see where we came and who got a bonus. throughout nearly all the games, the bonuses were switching from player to player and when one of them is down to chance, that being the combo bonus, who knows who'll get it. i did get to the boss a couple of times, but i never beat them.

Cloud Monday - Assassin’s Creed: Origins - Part 1 - An Hour with Numerous Streaming Issues

Cloud Monday is back and this week i'm trying out a somewhat bigger release than anything i've played so far. I really enjoy history, so this was more of a personal choice than playing it for any specific reason.

But the video title says "Part 1" for a reason and that is because the hour i played was full of streaming issues. more than once the connection warning appeared in the top right. So, like the Lost Planet video, i'll do a second video on a different day and time to see if the problems persist. for Lost Planet, the second video was much better than the first.

And it wasn't just the connection warning. there were instances of grey screen, faded low resolution colours, and some big quality drops. in other games in this series, when the quality has dropped it's often felt like 1080p drops down to 720p and whilst noticeable it was rarely a big deal. in this game, there were many instances where the drop was big, harsh, and ultimately, they broke the immersion of the game and world.

Pokémon Violet - The Ninth Part - My First Victory Against Team Star and Exploring Cascarrafa City

This ninth part is a more focused and shorter video than some recent ones. My main goal was to defeat my first Team Star Base. Everything else would be a bonus.

I had tried to do Team Star before in my sixth video, https://youtu.be/BeMvjwAMzjg, but found i was under levelled for the grunt outside it so i didn't try doing it. So, going into this one i wasn't exactly sure how it would work. It didn't go too smoothly, i felt like the "lock on" aspect of telling your Pokemon to attack didn't work that well. but i was impressed by the huge space inside. it's just, it seemed like a waste. when it was over and i could explore, it was mostly empty inside with little to find and nothing to catch. i won't pass judgement on it yet until i've done another one or two, but whilst it's a nice part of the story in terms of gameplay it kinda felt somewhat hollow.

The next city up the road is Cascarrafa City and no one made any mention to the Team Star shenanigans that were happening or that they were even defeated. i did get to see some new Pokémon and when i made a quick dash into the desert i was surprised to see a Larvesta and quickly caught it. As for the city, it's certainly big and looks great but like the others there's little to do inside. At least the gym leader running away as i approached was a fun little twist to the story. at least i know what i'll be doing in Part 10!