Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Pokémon Violet - The Twelfth Part – Defeating The Water Gym and Losing to Team Star’s Mela

This twelfth part of playing through Pokémon Violet started with one simple goal, defeat Cascarrafa Gym Leader Kofu and get the Water Badge. And that was simple enough to do.

After that though i decided to head across the map to the Fire Team Star Base. i had tried to beat them once before, but the grunt outside was several levels higher than my Pokémon so i never went in a gave it a go. This time, i had stronger Pokémon and quickly dealt with the grunts inside. But i didn't manage to beat Mela. Her Torkoal bested a couple of my Pokémon and her Revavroom finished off my team.

I think i can beat her, i just need to choose a better team. i kinda forgot how these worked so only had Pokémon to deal with the grunts. i didn't have much else to deal with her two. I'm not angry or sad about it, going in with as little knowledge as possible, i knew situations like this would happen. it's not the first time i've lost all 6 Pokémon to an enemy.

Monday, December 5, 2022

Cloud Monday - Assassin’s Creed: Origins - Part 2 - A Second Hour of Streaming Issues

Cloud Monday sees a return to Assassin's Creed: Origins this week. last week's video, https://youtu.be/X5e1b-JPh70, was full of streaming issues. so i said i'd give it another go on another day and at a different time. unfortunately, things haven't improved much.

We didn't get as many "Grey Outs" this week, and in some respects i might even say it was a better streaming experience this week. But there were issues. the most common one seemed to be a drop is resolution, to the point in some places that it was difficult to read the on screen text.

So, can i recommend this game be played via PlayStation Plus Premium? No, i can't. it has worked as an excellent demo. but other than that, the experience of playing the game was marred by the streaming issues.


Sunday, December 4, 2022

Switch Funday: Pokémon Violet - 20 Online Random Tera Raid Battles!

I did it again!
i enjoyed doing random online Tera Raid Battles last time, you can watch that video here https://youtu.be/8awMWkwVu7I, so i did it again. i don't know if this'll be a weekly thing or if it'll take the play of a Game Play video, but for now here's a second video.

This is also my first video with the most recent patch, 1.1, and maybe it helped improve online stability. what happened in the first video, but was edited out, was that there were 4 or 5 times where the game said there were no random online Tera Raid Battles. and that could be true, maybe there weren't enough players online when i was. But there were also disconnection issues. whether that was me being unable to join a game it found or all four of us in a group unable to go to a Raid Battle. In This video you won't see it, but there was just 1 disconnection and no issues finding a game.

As for what i caught, well you'll have to watch the video and find out!

Saturday, December 3, 2022

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.

Friday, December 2, 2022

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.