video games

Is the Nintendo Switch a Secretly Decent Console for Fighting Games?

JettLeave a comment

Save for the Smash Bros. series, Nintendo hasn’t been much of a player in the fighting game scene since the SNES days. Once Nintendo alienated fighting game makers with cartridge-based systems and controller designs that didn’t lend themselves well towards the genre, they left for greener pastures.

To this day, if you want to keep up with any of the juggernauts in fighting games, the Nintendo Switch still isn’t the console for you. However, if you’re looking for some under-the-radar hits, retro titles and the inevitable release of Smash Bros., the Switch might be worth a look.

Continue reading →

Lessons I’ve Learned While Climbing the Ranks in ARMS

Jett1 Comment

During the beta for ARMS, I was crushing my opposition with an iron fist. It got me thinking that I was going to waltz to the top of the leaderboard. Within hours of first playing the final game, it was me that was repeatedly falling to the canvas. There were nights where I would go on massive losing streaks that would cause me to lose ranks that usually ended with me throwing my controller. Forget about reaching the top of the world, I had to look in the mirror and ask myself if I was actually trash at this game.

Refusing to give up, I kept practicing. Kept making mental notes of all of the different ways I could improve. Having wallowed in the middle ranks for weeks, I’ve turned a corner and am making a strong push to reach rank 20, the highest rank in the game. Here are some things I’ve observed along the way!

Continue reading →

Mewtwo is the Next Legendary Pokemon Coming to Pokemon Go!

JettLeave a comment

First spotted as a level five raid boss as part of the Pokemon Go Stadium event in Japan, Mewtwo will be coming soon to raids worldwide! Despite receiving a nerf before its release, Mewtwo still appears to be a force to be reckoned with. However, it won’t come easy, as it’s being introduced as part of a new exclusive raid mechanic.

Continue reading →

Splatoon 2 Review

JettLeave a comment

The original Splatoon was a bold new step for shooters. Nintendo found an innovative way to make a compelling shooter where precision accuracy wasn’t a requirement. As such, it was a fresh experience that a wide variety of players could enjoy.

By virtue of Splatoon 2 being a direct sequel, it was never going to shock the world in the same way its predecessor did. On top of that, Nintendo hasn’t done too much to shake up the core formula. What it may lack in surprise it compensates for with refinement.

Continue reading →

Playing Video Games for Fun vs. Playing Video Games for Sport

JettLeave a comment

I am a lifelong video game fan. I’m also a fan of playing fighting games at a competitive level. While both paths allow me to enjoy video games, they diverge in very different ways. Playing video games for fun usually means playing lots of different types of video games. Playing games for sport generally requires you to focus on playing one game until you have hit a certain level of mastery. It’s very hard to do both.

Continue reading →

My Hardware Roadmap For Better Video and Streaming

JettLeave a comment

When it comes to producing video content, I’ve come a long way from pointing a webcam at my TV. I can output video in 720p HD, live stream, and produce video segments for shows like Board Game Talk. Hope you have enjoyed at least some of my output thus far.

While there’s still much for me to learn in terms of the things I can do to produce a better product that go beyond hardware, I can’t ignore my hardware deficiencies. As I’ve become slightly more proficient at this, I continue to run into the same or new challenges that either slow down my workflow or prevent me from executing on my ideas as originally intended.

Below is a list of things I would like to add to my repertoire someday. It won’t be cheap, and I certainly don’t have the money to add most of these items to my collection any time soon, but if I want to push this video thing as far as I can go, I should have the right tools for the job.

Continue reading →

Overcooked: Special Edition Impressions

JettLeave a comment

The act of cooking is an integral part of our everyday lives and one that many enjoy partaking in. So why don’t we have any good cooking-based video games? Sure, cooking on the surface isn’t as exciting as shooting zombies, racing go-karts, or swinging a sword, but someone has to eventually find a way to make a compelling cooking game, right?

No disrespect intended towards BurgerTime or Cooking Mama, but Overcooked might be the riveting cooking game that we never knew we wanted. A hit indie title last year on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, the game finally makes its way to the Nintendo Switch in a special edition. Is this port a worthwhile addition to your Nintendo Switch library?

Continue reading →

A Look Back at WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

JettLeave a comment

From R.O.B. the Robot, to Wii Music, to ARMS, Nintendo is no stranger to all things weird. Back in 2003, their most unusual contribution to gaming was WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! In a time when mini games were still hot, Wario and his new friends starred in a Gameboy Advance game would push the genre to ridiculously short lengths.

Continue reading →

Our First Legendary Pokemon Go Run

Jett2 Comments

Not long after the disaster that was Pokemon Go Fest concluded, Niantic unleashed the legendary birds Lugia and Articuno on gyms all over the world. While it sucks that those in Chicago got burned by cellphone carrier overloads and server errors, the Toronto experience seemed to be unaffected. The following morning, my wife, mother-in-law and I head out on a quest to catch these new Pokemon.

Continue reading →

Nintendo 64 Classic Mini on the Way?

JettLeave a comment

Nintendo has recently filed trademark applications in Europe for a number of different things, including the Nintendo 64 controller. Odd choice, as the system has been long dead. Unless…it’s set for a resurrection. Business Insider, among others, are speculating that this move coincides with Nintendo’s plans for a Nintendo 64 Classic. While I’ll be first in line if such a device were to exist, but there seems to be a number of logistical issues that Nintendo would need to work through to make this happen.

Continue reading →