Pokémon Violet - The Sixteenth Part – The Journey From Porto Marinada to Medali City

I didn't expect so much of what happened on the way from Porto Marinada to Medali City.

The first big highlight was walking into a lvl 50 area with my lvl 35 Pokémon. I was soo excited in seeing a Tropius but as soon as i caught it, i knew i had to get out of there. But even then i was surprised when i came across a new fish Pokémon, Tatsugiri. i tried to catch it but it used Memento every time i tried.

Another highlight has to be catching a Frigibax via a Online Raid Battle. i had never seen one before, but i really liked it's design. being a Dragon Ice dual type is interesting and it soon became a part of my team and evolving into Arctibax, a Pokémon with an even cooler design.

All along the way i was on the look out for shiny Pokémon and new Pokémon. But i also had to level up some of my Pokémon, too. i haven't used fighting types, and with Medali City home to the Normal Type Gym, i really had to put in some effort.

Switch Funday - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass - 5 Tracks from DLC Wave 3

On December 7th, Wave 3 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pack was released. This included 8 courses. My goal was to play as many of them as i could in an hour. Ultimately, i was only able to play 5 of the 8 in not too much longer than an hour.

London Loop was fun, the map looks intense and the level changes each lap so it's very interesting. Berlin Byways, like London Loop, has many famous places from the city as well as a course that also changes as you play. Peach Gardens is also interesting as on the last lap the direction of the race changes. I thought Merry Mountain was a little simple, but there are hazards on the track to watch out for. the same can be said, to a lesser degree, about Rock Rock Mountain as i found it to be more interesting with its flying sections and hazards.

Overall, i enjoyed the courses i played. i didn't pay for the DLC as it comes with my Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass. 

Online Saturday - Splatoon 3 - Big Run December Event

I'm back with Splatoon 3 to try out the Big Run. It was added to the game in the Chill Season update, game update 2.0.0, but didn't start until this weekend, December 10-12. 

In today's video, i play about an hour of this new game mode. Splatoon 3 is up to update 2.0.1, i think it fixes the brush and roller issues introduced in 2.0.0. I've played a few Salmon Runs so far so i kinda knew what could happen. But this Big Run takes place on a new map, Wahoo World. So i was a little unfamiliar with the layout of the map. there were also a few waves where i hadn't played their rules before so i was caught off guard a few times.

Despite all that, i had a fun time and actually won a few games. I was able to get the December Salmon Run item twice, an Astro Helm, too! If you've played Salmon Run, you basically know what to expect. if this is your first time, well each game of Big Run is split into 3 waves. you play all three on the same map, but possibly at different areas of it. Water levels could also change between waves meaning the areas of the map you can access also change. As with any Splatoon 3 video i do, i fell into the water a couple of times. i thought the range of weapons you could be assigned at the start of each wave was greater than any Salmon Run i've played before. the positive there being i got to try a weapon i haven't used at yet in all my hours of playing Splatoon 3 and i got to use a trusty 'brella!

Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade - Zookeeper World - The First 45 Minutes

This second video in the new Mobile Friday: Apple Arcade series is on Zookeeper World. This is an exclusive game on Apple Arcade from Kiteretsu.

I haven't played any other games in the series, nor did i know what it was about. and after 45 minutes, i had a great time. This video is also interesting because for the first 20 minutes or so i played using my phone's screen. then for the next 20 or so, i switched to an Xbox Controller.

I found using the touch screen controls was OK, but the camera was a pain to use. When playing the match sections, it was also easy to catch the top and bottom of the screen. so in the video you'll see me drag the notification screen down once or twice.

Using a controller was an interesting experience as i hadn't used one before with my phone. When i record these Mobile Friday videos, and i mention this in the video once or twice, i use Apple's HDMI out cable and have it going to my TV. so when i switched, i put the phone down and focused solely on the TV. I felt that the camera became easier to manage, but i think that's more because it moves slower with a controller compared to what it did with my thumb. moving tiles was also slower, but for most of the video it wouldn't be an issue as there wasn't a time limit … until there was a time limit at the end of the video.

Ultimately, i had a nice time. the graphics aren't mind blowing but they are great to look at and certainly give the game a unique look and character. the game combines a match game with a zoo management sim and pulled it off very well in the 45 minutes i played. the music is subtle but fun and the sound effects aren't obnoxious nor saccharine sweet. i had a good time and it is a game i would recommend. after 45 minutes, you might have played all you need to, but they're a good 45 minutes.

Pokémon Violet - The Fifteenth Part – Defeating Iron Treads the Quaking Earth Titan

This proved to be a little more difficult than I expected. But it was nice seeing this strange donphan. It defeated my team. 

I had set up my team in a way to cover what ever type it would be, as it’s a Pokémon I hadn’t seen before I didn’t know what type(s) it had. The battle started with it k.o.ing my Jumpluff in one hit, as well with most other Pokémon. 

I tweaked my team and set out to level up a couple of times, and that was all I needed to do. Going back in for my second attempt, things went much better. I don’t think it was luck, either. It hits very hard, but most things hung on. But the biggest difference had to be my Crocalor evolving. It could go bad as it’s new ghost type isn’t great against Knock-Off. but it held on and Arven and I finished it off.

Pokémon Violet - The Fourteenth Part – Exploring Levincia and Defeating The Electric Gym Leader Iono

In part 13, https://youtu.be/VhVN03tH5YI, I reached the Pokémon level limit with several of my regulars and even had one over the level 34 limit that had started to ignore my commands. So the goal of this video is simple, get my fourth badge and in doing so raise the max level Pokémon would obey me. 

As usual I did some wandering outside Levincia City before heading in, or in my case swimming in! I think I explored all around the city and talked to everyone I could, just in case there was a trade to be done but I didn’t find one. But with the cities being as big as they are, it’s possible I missed a part of it. 

Battling the gym was easier than expected. Iono’s Pokémon weren’t much higher than the last gym I did. Getting the badge only raised the minimum level to 40, too!

Pokémon Violet - The Thirteenth Part – Finally Defeating Team Star’s Mela and Wandering Around

I did it, i finally beat Mela. 

it kinda took 3 videos, the first time i realised i wasn't strong enough for the grunts, the second time i actually lost in combat, and this video where even after learning from my mistakes it was still a difficult fight. you can hear my emotions when i finally won.

It's a long video because i wandered around, levelling up, checking Tera Raid Battles, and catching new Pokémon. i ventured a bit further away than i had before and caught a handful of new Pokémon i had never seen before. i also spent a little time sorting out the moves of my Pokémon. But we saw that i had reached a level cap, i need the next badge to increase the level of Pokémon who will obey me. I had at least one battle where i used a Pokémon too high a level and they ignored me a bit.