Super Smash Bros. should be right up my alley. I love fighting games. I love Nintendo. I even loved playing Smash Bros. during the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube days. So why do I have such a hang-up with enjoying the franchise now?
video games
Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee and the Thrill of the Fight
My experience with the Pokemon franchise has been one largely devoid of PvP. I never touched it in Pokemon X or Pokemon Ultra Moon, the two mainline games I played prior to Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee. Pokemon Go will be getting a form of PvP soon, but it’s been absent from that game for over two years. The only times I’ve engaged with it were during random instances where I’ve fooled around in Pokemon Stadium on the Nintendo 64 with the default Pokemon.
Taking on Kris from Double Jump the other night in a few Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee battles was an eye-opening experience. Even with just the handful of matches we played that night, it gave me a greater appreciation for the franchise’s battle system and how exciting it can be to go head-to-head with another human.
Debating the Merits of Buying an Arcade 1UP Street Fighter II Arcade Machine
There are no shortage of reasons for not owning an arcade machine. They’re expensive. They take up a lot of space. Unless you’re hacking it to run MAME and taking away the “purity” of the original game, their functions are pretty limited. They’re a pain to maintain. The list goes on.
But if I were to ever own an arcade machine…just one…it would be a Street Fighter II cabinet. One of the most symbolic machines in all of arcade culture, I have vivid memories of that game blowing my mind when I first saw it and spent too many quarters playing it over the years. Best of all, it’s still a great game worth playing today.
Arcade 1Up caught my eye when they announced a few months back that they were releasing new Street Fighter II machines. Having now stumbled across them at my local Walmart, my mind is in a tizzy trying to figure out if this is the time to finally make a lifelong dream of mine come true. In order to sort my feelings out, I’m going to write out both sides of the argument and see where I land at the end.
Double Jump vs. In Third Person in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee!
In case you missed it last night, I had the honour of making an in-game cameo on Double Jump‘s live stream as Kris and I battled in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee! It’s always fun to play and collaborate with them, even though I was fighting with everything I had. Kris’ Pikachu named Piper is no joke!
Watch us battle on twitch.tv/xdoublejump!
Thank you to both Kris and Rachel for allowing me to play with you on your stream. It’s all love at the end of the day, but with the Pokemon wars having officially begun, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate out tomorrow, I foresee a lot of confrontation between us!
If you haven’t already, give Double Jump a shot! They make awesome gaming content for their site that’s released daily and they stream multiple times a week. I read it every day and their stream is appointment viewing for me.
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Buy Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee Now From Amazon.com
Elgato Stream Deck Review
Before I began streaming, I dismissed the Elgato Stream Deck as an expensive gimmick. At its regular price of $150 US/$220 CAD, you are paying a lot for what simply appears to be nothing more than 15 buttons. Once I started getting into streaming, I felt that I could manage my stream just fine with a keyboard and mouse.
With many hours of streaming under my belt now, I’ve begun to understand where a device like the Stream Deck could come in handy. I use my keyboard for hot keys, but I can’t unbind them from their default functions. For example, I want to type in a new numerical value to adjust the volume of the game. All of a sudden, my scene quickly flashes and ends on the wrong view because those same numbers are mapped to my different scenes. I’ve streamed for far too long with a muted mic because I didn’t realize it was muted. For a production-heavy show like Boss Rush, where I’m the host and the producer, I spend too much time not engaging with the crew or the audience because I’m too busy looking at the screen trying to cue up the next video or manage all of the visual elements that go into our game shows.
At this point in my streaming career, I knew that I needed more buttons. There are alternatives to the pricey Stream Deck, such as phone apps that offer similar functionality, or DIY solutions that can be done for much cheaper. You can even buy a cheaper Stream Deck featuring only six buttons. But when the original 15-button model went on sale as part of Black Friday, I scooped one up immediately.
Transferring Pokemon Between Pokemon Go and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee
I am a mainline Pokemon scrub. Having only previously played Pokemon X and Pokemon Ultra Moon, I stumbled through both of those games with the handful of Pokemon I caught along the way. I was nowhere near close to finishing up my Pokedex in either.
In the world of Pokemon Go, it’s a different story. Having played religiously every day since launch, I’m a max level trainer with over 1,100 high-level-high-IV Pokemon in storage. With PvP just around the corner, I’m ready to scrap with anyone!
These two worlds collide in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee. Once you hit Fuchsia City, you unlock the ability to transfer your Pokemon Go buddies into Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee. I just got there and I’m standing outside the building where the transfer takes place. I can send over a complete Pokedex full of high-IV Pokemon right now. But do I want to?
Ashe Impressions in Overwatch
Leader of the Deadlock Gang, Ashe enters the world of Overwatch as the latest playable character. Packing an assortment of guns, explosives, and a large weaponized robot on speed dial, she’s looking to get her hands dirty on the battlefield. The initial trailer piqued my interest in her, but having played her for the past few weeks has been really eye-opening.
Games I Was Late to the Party For
Keeping up with the latest and greatest in games is an unrealistic task for most. With so many new games hitting every week and prices that make it difficult to obtain everything you want, certain games will slip through the cracks. There are also games that weren’t on your radar at the time of release that make their way to the top of your priority list later on. Whatever the case may be, we all inevitably get to some games after the zeitgeist has moved on.
Here’s a list of games that originally slipped by that I finally got around to.
Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu: Bailed Out By Zippy Zap in Saffron City!
I stumble into Saffron City and repeatedly enter fights with Team Rocket without healing my Pokemon. Whoops! More Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee action!
Buy Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee Now From Amazon.com
One Meaningful Change to Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee That I Love
From taking players all the way back to Kanto region, to completely reworking the catching mechanics, Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee goes a long way towards streamlining the Pokemon experience. Generally speaking, I like the direction the game went with this particular title, though I dearly miss seeing which moves will be super effective/not effective on the menu. However, I’m overjoyed for one particular thing from Sun and Moon that was dramatically changed in Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee. Continue reading
In Third Person 