Saturday, December 24, 2022

Online Saturday - Pac-Man 99 - 45 Minutes of Gameplay

For this weeks Online Saturday, i wanted to give Pac-Man 99 another try. I saw i had it on my switch, when i was getting Tetris 99 ready https://youtu.be/Fy7VXszf8TY, and i had genuinely forgotten i had it. i hadn't played it since it came out.

So for this video, i just wanted to try it out. i had some vague memories about it, memories like it being complicated or confusing. But they were vague so i mostly went in not knowing what to expect.

after 45 minutes i decided to call it a day and i had a good time with the game. i'd go so far as to say that the worst experience i had with it was actually the controller! the game uses the D-pad for directions and in each battle i did, i had an issue with it. the game does have 8 different options to choose from, 4 on each the left analogue stick and right buttons, and i did find them confusing and just stuck with a combination that seem to work well with my play style. it's possible that there were better combinations out there for me, but seeing as none of them were explained in game i didn't experiment too much.

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Switch Funday - Pokémon Violet - 20 Online Random Tera Raid Battles 3

Today's Switch Funday is a return to Online Radom Tera Raid battles in Pokémon Violet. I enjoy these raid battles, i never know what i'll battle against or what Pokémon i'll fight alongside. 

In today's video, there was a weird connection issue. you'll see an issue with the 15th battle where we wait several minutes before we can start fighting. Then with the 16th battle, it's a repeat of the 15th. that has to be an error as the chances of it happening must surely be astronomically low.

There's no real standout catch, but at the end of the video i do decide to swap out my Arctibax for the newly caught Frigibax as it has a much better hidden move and Tera Type.

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Online Saturday - Tetris 99 - Getting The Tetris Maximus Cup Kirby’s Dream Buffet Theme

Welcome to Online Saturday!

Today i'm playing Tetris 99 on Nintendo Switch. it's been a while since i last played this game, but the goal today is to get Kirby’s Dream Buffet Theme from this weekends Tetris Maximus Cup.

I'm not the best player and in all the time i've put into this game i've not won it either. But i do get the theme, and even accidently have an extra battle! an added bonus is that i don't commentate throughout, so you can sit back and enjoy Tetris and the cool music for this cup.

Let me know how the cup went for you. did you get a win?

Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade - Warped Kart Racers - The First Hour

This third video in the new Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series is on Warped Kart Racers. This is an exclusive game on Apple Arcade from 
Electric Square.

In the last video in this series, https://youtu.be/J_oywbo5WmI, i mentioned that i'd like to try out a racing game from Apple Arcade. I had a look and there were some familiar names and sequels on there. But Warped Kart Racers caught my attention because of the characters. i've watched most of the shows the characters are from, but it's not just characters as there are race tracks and collectables from these shows too.

When you star the game you're straight into a race. the Prologue section of the game acts like a tutorial with each race, or part of a race, being used to teach the controls of the game. it's very short, maybe 10 minutes or so, and simple to understand. Tho, it was a little difficult to master. I've played a lot of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Sonic All Stars racers and it's difficult not to compare this game to those top Kart Racers. in terms of controls, there are some differences but in the end they're slight and easy to adjust to. i felt like whether i used the touch screen or controller i was mostly in control.

This was the second time i've tried out using a controller and it was a welcoming experience. i went to the main menu, thinking a controller symbol was a button to press, and when i turned on the controller and it paired automatically the game added button prompts to the screen making it clear what button did what. This continued into the game as on screen prompts got controller buttons, too. i felt that i was able to be accurate with a controller, but the main benefit was that it was easier to fire off weapons. when using the screen, the fire button is above the drift, and it was difficult to reach with another finger so often i'd have to fire after a drift.

Ultimately, i had a nice time and i do feel that whilst it can be compared to other Kart Racers, it does have some of it's own unique charm. most of that comes from the shows that characters and tracks come from. so the more you like them, the more you'll get from this game. the thing that i think will be the most hit or miss with players is the character art. there's a slight cell shading on all the characters and they're also somewhat stylized in a way that makes all the characters from the different shows feel like they're from the same place. the tracks and their backgrounds were fantastic and mostly full of life, but i did find the characters themselves a little distracting. And, as it wasn't a problem, i should say the Dynamic Island never got in the way of the game.

Warped Kart Racers is well worth playing. there's something to enjoy if you like the shows, something to enjoy if you like Kart Racers, and something to enjoy if you like racing games. at the very least, the quick introduction to the game, via the tutorial and first set of races, makes this an easy game to try out, like a demo, whether you're out and about or at home.


Saturday, December 17, 2022

Pokémon Violet - The Nineteenth Part – Defeating The Lurking Steel Titan

I’m the previous video, I followed the path and ended up in #Zapapico Town. In today’s video, I go from there across the desert to where the Lurking Steel Titan is. 

As usual, I meander along the way. So if you want to see the titan fight, head to the end of the video. Along the way I level up several Pokémon and catch some familiar fire types. I show that I only have 3 different fire type Pokémon and I was concerned that I would struggle against the titan. 

But as I made my way through the desert, it became clear that my team was most likely fine, if not over leveled for the task. Still, it was a shock to see what the Titan ended up being!

Pokémon Violet - The Eighteenth Part – The Journey to Zapapico Town

I didn't have a goal for this video. as you'll see in the beginning, there were many options open to me. In the end, i ended up following a path to the mountains near Medali City in West Province.

I then needed to find a Pokémon Centre, so that then became my target. i left and continued to follow a path and before i really knew it, i had ended up in Zapapico Town. I saw some raids in the distance so i went to have a look, but i came right back to Zapapico Town. 

as per usual, for me, there's lots of meandering on the journey, and even a really big fall. i evolved a Pokémon and caught a new one. Overall, it was a nice relaxing time and i hope you'll enjoy it as much as i did.

Pokémon Violet - The Seventeenth Part – Exploring Medali City and Defeating Larry

The goal for this video was to explore Medali City and to do it’s gym. Of course, with a little bit of meandering along the way. 

I did it, but it wasn’t easy. The gym challenge was unique and kinda interesting. It certainly got me thinking and took a little time. But the gym battle was hard. Larry’s team is tough with some good coverage moves. I made some mistakes and more than once I thought it would’ve been a loss.

Then my rival challenged me to a battle right afterwards. There was no time to change my team to my regular team. So they also had a hard battle and once again I thought I was going to lose. But, somehow, I won. 

I don’t really have a plan as to where I’m going to go next!