games

My Favourite Free-to-Play Games

JettLeave a comment

My crippling addiction to Dr. Mario World has reignited my internal debate about the merits of free-to-play games. While I grew up in a world where you either dropped quarters into an arcade machine or bought a cartridge to play the full game, I understand now that games have always been driven by the business models behind them. Free-to-play is just another permutation of that, and it’s up to me how much I want to engage with that. With Google Stadia and 5G looming, streaming may add yet another approach to monetizing games.

Though I generally prefer to buy my games outright, there have been a few free-to-play games that really sunk their teeth into me. Here are a few of my free-to-play faves!

Continue reading →

Super Mario Maker 2 Review

Jett1 Comment

Super Mario Maker proved to be a revelation. Providing players with intuitive tools to create their own levels in the Mushroom Kingdom, they broke the boundaries of Nintendo’s own level design ethos while pushing the limits – and oftentimes breaking the limits – of what was possible within the game’s toolset. Long after the Wii U died, the Super Mario Maker community seemingly held onto Nintendo’s ill-fated console longer than anyone else.

As mind-expanding as that first game proved to be, it wasn’t without fault. Limitations within the tools made it impossible to recreate every facet of the 2D Super Mario experience, such as sloped hills among others. Finding good levels proved to be a chore due to the game’s poor filtering options. For players who simply wanted more Nintendo-created levels, they were gated behind a clunky 10 Mario Challenge mode that essentially made it impossible to experience them all without having to play repeats. Super Mario Maker 2 aims to not only address the issues of the first, but expand the scope of what players can create within the Mushroom Kingdom.

Continue reading →

Tetris 99 – Maximus Cup featuring the Splatoon 2 Theme

Video JettLeave a comment

Don’t get cooked…stay off the hook! Tetris 99 just added the Splatoon 2 theme and we’re all for it! Besides stacking a few wins, we talk a lot about camping, the Nintendo Switch Lite, my sentimental reason for loving Taco Bell, and more! Stick around till the end for the Splatoon show and tell!

Highlights

Splatoon Show-and-Tell

Some of my favourite Nintendo 3DS Games

RANT: Cherish the Time You Have with Friends

STORY TIME: My sentimental reasons for loving Taco Bell

What an escape!

STORY TIME: Getting pizza delivered to our camp site

RANT: Why Splatoon’s soundtrack is awesome

Shout-outs!

Make sure to never miss a stream by following my channel and turning your notifications on! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for stream updates and other cool stuff posted daily!

D-Pad Left Joycon

Buy The Hori D-Pad Controller (L) (Zelda) Now From Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Contra Anniversary Collection Live Stream

Video JettLeave a comment

Up, up, down, down…you know the rest! Konami Code in full effect as we run our way through the games in the Contra Anniversary Collection!

Shout-outs!

Never miss a stream by following my channel and turning your notifications on! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for stream updates and other cool stuff posted daily!

Buy the Nintendo Switch from Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Super Mario Maker 2 – Not All Levels Are Created Equal

Video JettLeave a comment

Technical difficulties cropped up yet again while streaming Super Mario Maker 2, but thankfully we were able to do a full stream this time. Just in two parts! In part 1, I play some awesome levels from Randy and Adam. In part 2, we venture off into the world of online, dipping our toes in the laggy online co-op pool before attempting a few endless challenge runs. I’m not enough of a masochist for the super expert levels, but we tried them anyway!

Highlights

Setting a world record!

Are you serious?!

Fart noises

Shout-outs!

Never miss a stream by following my channel and turning your notifications on! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for stream updates and other cool stuff posted daily!

Buy Super Mario Maker 2 Now From Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Tetris 99’s 5th Maximus Cup Gives You The Opportunity to Earn a Splatoon 2 Skin!

JettLeave a comment

While I knew that new skins were on the way for Tetris 99, I wasn’t expecting this!

Starting on Friday, July 12th at 12:00am PT to Monday, July 15th at 11:59pm PT, you can unlock a Splatoon 2 skin in Tetris 99! All you have to do is partake in the game’s online battle mode and earn 100 event points. Unless you finish 99th place every time, you should be able to unlock the skin without much trouble.

From what I’ve seen, the theme looks and sounds great! Love the visual cues it takes from Splatoon, while also incorporating the game’s different themes in smart ways. Once I unlock it, I plan on using this theme for quite some time!

As a heads-up, I have preliminary plans of streaming Tetris 99 this weekend with this theme! Not sure if it’s going to be on Friday or Saturday morning, but I’m looking forward to us enjoying this Maximus Cup together! You can follow me at twitch.tv/inthirdperson and turn your notifications on so that you don’t miss it! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram where I always make an announcement before I go live!

Now that Nintendo has opened the doors for skins to go beyond past classic Tetris themes, where would you like to see Tetris 99 draw inspiration from?

Buy Tetris Effect Now From Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Super Mario Maker 2 and its Surprisingly Compelling Story Mode

Jett2 Comments

Playing the first Super Mario Maker made me realize that I took Nintendo’s approach to 2D Super Mario level design for granted. Contrasted against most of the user-generated levels I played, Nintendo’s approach across multiple Super Mario games showcases a high level of creativity, polish, accessibility, and restraint. It’s great that players are given the tools to create whatever they want, but it turns out that I mainly want more of Nintendo’s secret sauce.

Unfortunately, the Nintendo-made levels were poorly packaged as part of the 10 Mario Challenge. In it, you’re tasked with beating as many levels as you can with only 10 lives. However, unless you beat the entire challenge in one sitting, you’re likely to have to repeat levels before experiencing all of Nintendo’s content. Furthermore, the lack of connective tissue between levels made it difficult to get invested in Mario’s travels. At the very least, prior games sort of gave you the sense of working towards saving Princess Peach. With Super Mario Maker, you were just served levels at random that you’re running through for the sake of it.

Seemingly aware of the first game’s issues with regards to the presentation of Nintendo-made content, Super Mario Maker 2 takes a very different approach. Thus far, it’s made a huge difference in the way I consume and enjoy the game.

Continue reading →

Let’s Play Paper Mario – Part 18 (FINALE)

Video JettLeave a comment

This is it! With all the stars collected, we make a final push to Bowser’s castle! What an epic end to this 18-episode Paper Mario saga! Thank you all for joining me on this ride!

Highlights

Shocking ending!

Shout-outs!

Never miss a stream by following my channel and turning your notifications on! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for stream updates and other cool stuff posted daily!

Buy the Nintendo Switch from Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Return to Tetris 99

Video JettLeave a comment

We’re back from London and Paris! It’s time for more Tetris 99! We got a few wins that bookend the stream, but we also talk a lot about E3 2019, what game’s we’re currently playing, our experience with theatrical arts, and more!

Shout-outs!

    • Thank you Double Jump and Later Levels for hosting!
    • Thank you to everyone that tuned in! I appreciate your company!

Make sure to never miss a stream by following my channel and turning your notifications on! You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram for stream updates and other cool stuff posted daily!

D-Pad Left Joycon

Buy The Hori D-Pad Controller (L) (Zelda) Now From Amazon.com

[Purchasing through this Amazon affiliate link gives me a small commission without adding any extra cost or effort to you. Thanks for your support!]

Streaming Pet Peeves

JettLeave a comment

As a viewer or as a streamer, what rubs you the wrong way? Twitch streamer Gullible Gambit posed the question on Twitter and got a lot of great responses. I know this thread is a few weeks old now, but I wasn’t able to squeeze this in before my trip. The subject is still worth covering though! Thanks for the question Gullible Gambit!

Let’s do this!

https://twitter.com/GullibleGambit/status/1136608979788812289

Continue reading →