Switch Funday - Super Fantasy Zone - My First Time

Welcome to Switch Funday!

This week i decided to try out the Mega Drive App that's part of the Nintendo Switch Online. i had a Mega Drive growing up so i have played many of the games on the app. one game i hadn't played was Super Fantasy Zone. but i had played the Master System original on, i think it was, the Wii.

So going in i knew it was going to be a side scrolling shooter, i thought that it might be similar to Gleylancer that i played as part of my Backlog Conquering series. because i had that expectation, when i saw i could change the amount of lives i had i did. i also made sure i remembered how to rewind the game when i died as i was sure i was going to die a lot.

And i wasn't wrong. the first couple of levels do go by quickly but i did die a lot. this kept happening up until i decided to stop playing. you can hear in my voice how frustrated i was getting. so i stopped before i got too angry.

the game does look great, everything is clear and distinct. the soundtrack is amazing, too. but there were some choices made that negatively affected it's gameplay. the level before i stopped playing, my biggest complaint was that enemies kept on respawning. the boss enemies were also becoming bullet sponges in a way that felt like they had leveled up faster than my own character.

So i'm glad i tried it but i doubt i'll go back and play it again. i did save it just in case i do.

Online Saturday - Gundam Evolution - 3 Games, 3 Losses!

In the previous Gundam Evolution video, https://youtu.be/wNde7QzflVw, i changed my region and i got to play games more regularly than before. So today's video is simply me playing games.

But the title does hint that whilst i got 3 games in under an hour, i didn't manage to win any of them. a couple of times they were heavy losses, but in the second game my team did manage to win a match and it felt a little closer.

Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade - LEGO Builder's Journey - A Beautifully Frustrating Time

This fifteenth video in the new Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series is on LEGO Builder's Journey I Played this as part of my Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series, but the game is out across many other platforms. 

I had known of this game for a while and went in knowing how it plays. but there were many other aspects of the game i didn't know about. for example, i had no idea it would take 15 minutes to get to the title screen. the game's tutorial levels are very good and show off a lot of the concepts and play styles in a way that leads the player to discover them organically rather than being told how to do it. But the game also knows when to offer some advice to the player.

The story being told in each level wasn't a big surprise as it had been revealed by many websites and YouTube channels i watch. but it was still nice to see it unfold. the problem i had, and what lead to the frustration in the video title, was controlling the game. whether it was my fingers or with a controller, it never felt precise enough or natural enough.

i would like to be clear that i'm not saying the controls were horrible and that the game is unplayable. i'm not saying that. but i am saying that little issues made it a frustrating experience, especially in comparison to everything else about the game. it is a beautiful game full of style and uniqueness. many of the UI stuff is great, too. but at the end of the video i didn't like that i couldn't work out how to get to the "home screen." it felt like there wasn't one.

Unfortunately, i won't be playing the game again as i have already deleted it from my phone. i found the controls to be too frustrating. there's a chance i might try this on a console, but i doubt it. i feel like i got a lot from this time with the game. the negatives from my experience outweigh the positives, to the point where even the story isn't enough to get me back playing it.

Backlog Conquering - Papo & Yo - Part 2 - The Next 45 Minutes

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.

Today's video is part 2 of playing Papo & Yo on PlayStation 3.

It was much of the same in this video. this one again features many simple little puzzles and like the first part, https://youtu.be/lHHf-56b7Xs, there was one puzzle that caused me more trouble than the others.

This is also the first time we get to interact with the monster. with it being a monster, i didn't think that should get close to it. But it was the thing to do. for most of the video, we're able to have some basic interactions with it. but near the end it's mood changes drastically and we're given a simple puzzle on how to deal with it.

There will be a part 3 to this. so far the game is effectively telling a story and i'm interested to see how it does tell it. i would say the game is easy. Not too easy as some puzzles require a little thinking, but for the most part the games difficulty doesn't get in the way of it trying to tell a story.

Backlog Conquering - Papo & Yo - Part 1 - The First 45 Minutes

Welcome to Backlog Conquering.

Today's video is part 1 of playing Papo & Yo on PlayStation 3.

It's time to start a new game and this time i've chosen a game i knew a little about. when QTE Gamers focused solely on news, i had reported on this game. i knew going in that it was from a small team and that it told a personal story, a story of how the monster was their father.

But i didn't know how they would go about telling this story. so far, it's been interesting how similar it feels to Rain, a game i played earlier in this series at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyEBkNKW1vypLU9YXtiL19MfwB3TR-Or-, but because of the setting and music and characters it's also quite different.

It's a little rough in places but i wouldn't say it was ever too distracting. the game uses the environment to help guide you. it's clear that the goal from this game wasn't to let you work it out for yourself, it's designed to gently guide you through the story being told. the puzzles are mostly obvious and even when i got stuck common sense sorted it out. the game isn't designed to let you explore a wide area, the playing spaces are fairly small with some element of hight and platforming about them. there are some nooks and crannies you can explore, but there doesn't seem to be anything to find. again, the goal is to guide you rather than you making your own way. 

i wouldn't say this means the game holds your hand all the way, but it does signpost things very well as many of the "puzzle" elements are highlighted. if you do get stuck, the game has a cool box mechanic. sprinkled around each area are boxes that you can put over your head. they offer hints, tips, and guides. so if you do want some more handholding, it's your choice. i've mostly been checking them out because i find it cool how you can look in and see drawings and then put it over your head and see it clearer. the pictures are fun, too.

I'm enjoying myself so far, it's been a pleasant experience and i'm still interested in seeing where it goes. so there will be a part 2.

Puzzle & Dragons Tuesday - Nintendo Switch Edition - Keiji Maeda 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 Keiji Maeda Cup! (2023/3/13 9:00～2023/20 8:59 JST) in Puzzle & Dragons: Nintendo Switch Edition whilst using a GamePad and a docked Nintendo Switch.

First, YES this is the first one of these videos where i've edited it. i hadn't planned on it but there were soo many disconnection issues this week, the original file is much longer due to all the waiting. At one point i had to close the program as the game got stuck looking for matches. If there are no complaints, i'll keep on editing the video in the future. it was nice to find a way to trim out some of the fluff, waiting, and errors.

This week's cup went really well. i got a couple of wins but more importantly it was fun. the gimmicks were easy to achieve and it wasn't too hard to get to the boss. the other players also seemed to do well so it felt competitive and exciting.

Cloud Monday - Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - A Rougher Second 50 Minutes

Today's Cloud Monday is part 2 of playing Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 on the PlayStation Plus Streaming Service.

In the first video last week, https://youtu.be/Sjp-f2uR8r8, there were no issues with streaming the game. any graphical issues i saw were from the game itself. but in this series we now play each game twice to get a better idea of what streaming it is like and today's experience was different. 

For the first 30 minutes or so it actually goes really well. once again the issues i have with playing the game are issues with the game itself. But near the end as i explore around the hub world we come across issues. they appear mostly as stream tearing, where a frame fails to fill the screen but as it's being streamed instead of a small line appearing we get bigger squares. at one point the stream resolution dropped and the possible disconnection warning appeared.

These are big and very noticeable events that detract from the game. if this had happened in a fight, i wonder if it would've had a big impact because i'm new at the game. if i was experienced then maybe it wouldn't be that much of an issue. once again, controlling the game felt great and i didn't notice any lag between pressing a button and an action taking place on the screen.

So overall, it's a great streaming experience. i'd say one of if not the best experience with PlayStation Plus Premium i've had so far. But it's not perfect. One extra thing worth mentioning is that this was the first time since the service switched from PlayStation Now to PlayStation Plus Premium that i didn't have to go into the account settings on PS4 and restore licences!