Key

My Journey With Runescape: 99 Agility Achieved!!

In case you didn't know, in Runescape, level 99 is technically the level cap when it comes to raising your levels for your skills. However, you do also have the option to go for level 120 and 200 million experience respectively. Level 120 sits right around 102 million experience if I remember correctly.

If you had asked me years ago if I had been planning on getting my Agility level to 99, I'd have thought you were crazy. Agility tends to be one of the more grindy skills to take on when it comes to training in general. And simultaneously can be the most click intensive. However, back in 2014, silverhawk boots were released, turning Agility into a skill you can passively gain experience on, while also training other skills in the process. At my current level, I gain roughly 900xp every 5 minutes. And again, this is while doing other skills which definitely makes it feel like less of a grind. So, I bought the silverhawk feathers that allow the boots to give experience, and finally, with training it passively and with more attention, I got Agility to level 99.

Now, with each level 99 you get, you get a cape that goes along with, with each one having its own perks. While I have always like the Agility aesthetically, the bonus it gets allows you to do any Agility shortcut or Agility training course without failing. Meaning, no falling, or missing a jump, etc. Which is honestly pretty nice.

Now...what's my next skill? Well, I'm still working on getting all my skill to level 80+, but the next closest one to 99 would have to be divination, with a current level of 90. Which...yes, I have plans to get that skill to 99, however the grind to get there is truly insane, and it'll just be something I do passively when I don't feel like doing anything else.

Key

I've done video game months in the past, and I've always enjoyed the work and dedication it takes to keep up on it. Most times, I would try to write something every day to fill in each day with something to write about, however, the last time I did a theme month, I believe I just wrote during the month when it felt right, and I had a lot more fun doing it that way. So I'm going to that again this time.

During the month of October, I'll be writing about various things that pertain to video games whether it's something I'm currently playing, something I've thought about playing, or something I've played and really didn't like it or absolutely fell in love with it. There's been a lot of things on my list as far as games I've wanted to play, so I figure it's as good a time as ever to do so. I usually go about these things without really any specific idea in mind, more-so I just let my mind do the walking and talking and see where it leads to. Of course, the main reason behind doing this type of stuff is that it gets the creative juices flowing, and, while my hands allow me to do so, I'm going to write.

Please keep in mind that while this is taking place in 2022, some games I talk about here may not have been released this year, though I felt I wanted to take the time to write about it.

Once October rolls around, there'll be a lot of neat things to read about in here.

Until then, stay tuned!

The Batlord

Play Mechwarriorr 5, loser.

__________________

Key

Index:
Introduction to Video Game Month 2022

September 2022
Steel Rising - Sept 30th 2022
Pokemon Red - Sept 30th 2022

October 2022
Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout - Oct 2nd 2022
Path of Exile - Oct 2nd 2022
Shovel Knight - Oct 3rd 2022
Divinity Original Sin Enhanced Edition - Oct 6th 2022
Grounded - Oct 6th 2022
Chivalry II - Oct 6th 2022
My Favorite Game of 2022 - Oct 6th 2022
My Favorite Game of 2022 pt. II - Oct 6th 2022
Fallout 76 - Oct 12th 2022
I'm excited for...The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Oct 12th 2022
Games I'm Excited For [pt.1] - Oct 14th 2022
Scorn - My First Impressions - Oct 19th 2022
Fallout 76 pt.2 - Oct 19th 2022
Despot's Game: Dystopian Battle Simulator - Oct 20th 2022
Video Game Trailers: Breath of the Wild - Oct 20th 2022
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon - Oct 21st 2022
I'm excited for...Gotham Knights - Oct 21st 2022
Games I'm Excited For [pt.2] - Oct 21st 2022
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands - My First Impressions - Oct 23rd 2022
2021 Games I Played / Didn't Play - Oct 24th 2022
My Top 3 of 2022 - Oct 26th 2022
Gunfire Reborn - Oct 27th 2022

Key

Steel Rising
Developed by: Spiders
Published by: Nacon, Bigben Interactive

Take everything you've learned about Bloodborne and Dark Souls, and imagine what would happen if both of those came together to create a child, that child would be named Steel Rising. Yes, we are looking at another souls-like, but because I had more fun with Elden Ring than I was expecting, my excitement for souls-likes in general has certainly risen over the past few months with the ones we've been seeing, Steel Rising being one of those.

You play as an automaton in a fictional historic Paris and you go around in typical souls-like fashion taking on enemies of different styles ranging from a tall fast robot figure that swings a huge metal ball around, to simple a pack of dogs coming out from the alley ready to wreak havoc on your poor soul. But, that doesn't necessarily mean you're put into this game empty handed. Quite the opposite. Following the ways of Bloodborne, you can be equipped with an impressive amount of different weapons types that are designed to not only look cool, but to also give you some ranges in combat styles that you can choose from. I've only played a few hours of the game, and I've already seen weapons that I will want to use if I choose to do another playthrough after my current playthrough. This type of variance helps in these sorts of games, as it can get quite stale going through hours of content with the same kind of build. It also opens up different ways and tactics on how to tackle the bosses that you'll find throughout your playthrough.

Usually in souls-likes, the boss fights are some of the toughest you'll find in gaming as a whole, however I would say the boss difficulty is certainly less than other souls likes, though I have died numerous times to certain bosses, and simultaneously have managed to kill other bosses in one go. Like other souls-likes as well, it's all about figuring out the boss's movesets, and timing when you strike. Some fights can take a long time, and others allow you to full on tank it. I think playing through Elden Ring multiple times has allowed me to sort of get used to figuring out how to tackle boss fights in these games, subsequently allowing me to enjoy them a lot more. It used to be that I could never feel confident enough to take on bosses, but it's all about patience and diligence.

The game looks and feels fantastic both from a performance stand point and a graphical stand point. I've been playing on the Xbox Series S so my opinion could be somewhat biased. But, you'll certainly get a lot more out of Steel Rising if you are playing on next gen consoles, or a really good gaming PC. I'm not saying you won't get the same enjoyment out of the game, but just let it be known that there are moments where I'll be playing, and be sort of blown away with how smooth everything looks and feels. Certainly makes combat in this type of game much easier as I can time things a little better as I know there will be little to no stuttering on a performance standpoint. So, all that aside, the game looks and feels great. Some have been reporting performance issues, but I've seen little if any issues as far as that goes. But, I could be biased, again.

All in all, I would say if you're a fan of the theme this game is going for and also are not afraid to tackle a souls-like, I'd highly recommend playing this. I reiterate that it is certainly not as difficult as a lot of the other souls-likes that we have right now, but it can rank up in difficult as you go along and level up. But you get upgrades just like any other souls-like so you'll be able to tackle anything as long as you want to. I'd also say if you enjoyed Elden Ring for it's accessibility when it comes to these types of games, I'd put Steel Rising in that ballpark as well, however don't let that mislead you. Elden Ring is far more open-world than Steel Rising. Which is not a fault on either side. In fact, both games are very strong in what they are wanting to accomplish.

Enjoyability: 9.5
Graphics/Performance: 10
Difficulty: 7.5
Recommended?: Yes, very much so.

Key

Pokemon Red
Developed by: Game Freak
Published by: Nintendo

I know what you're thinking, why the hell is Key talking about Pokemon Red? It's 2022. Well, funny you should ask: I've actually been playing a whole brand new file on Pokemon Red and have slowly been making progress on it over the past few months.

A little bit of context: For Christmas last year, I got a custom white castlevania themed Game Boy Advance, and shortly after that, my brother had gifted me both Pokemon Red and Pokemon Silver. Unfortunately, if you know about the 2nd gen games, I cannot play Pokemon Silver as a result of it not saving my file and completely deleting it each time I turn the game off. Oh well, at least I still own a cartridge of Pokemon Silver. Now, fortunately, Pokemon Red did not meet the same fate. In fact, it's probably the first time I've ever played Pokemon Red not only on a Game Boy Advance, but on a Game Boy Advance that has a custom backlight installed. Allowing me to pretty much play whenever I feel like it.

I know most if not all of you know about these games so there really isn't anything new that I could write about that would be too surprising. However, I am having a blast going back to the originals, for better or for worse. And having a backlight is really helpful, of course. However, it also has the unfortunate added benefit of really showing the graphical flaws of the first gen Pokemon games. But, there's really nobody to blame for that. That's just what the devs had in their arsenal. Of course as time went on, the game looked and played better and better, give or take a few.

There's certainly something to be said about nostalgia, and Pokemon Red is full of it. At least for me, given that these games came out when I was at an age where I could dive into them and enjoy them. Though, I distinctly remember my younger brother having Pokemon Blue, I had Pokemon Yellow, and my older brother had Pokemon Red. It was so much fun trading and battling with each other and honestly, a link cable setup would be a lot of fun nowadays, even. Definitely a really nice thing to be able to do with other people playing the same games.

Really, all I'm trying to say with this post is that not all old things are bad. In fact, most older games are still fun as heck to play. Pokemon Red, despite it's flaws, still has a lot to offer that makes it still hold up to today's standards. I bet if you found yourself a copy and played through it, you'd have the same if not more fun playing through it now, given that despite its shortcomings, still comes out to be a truly remarkable experience. And...nothing beats that final battle with Blue at the end of the Elite Four.

Key

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout
Developed by: Mediatonic
Published by: Epic Games, Devolver Digital

Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout is fantastic, simply put. If you're looking for something to spend your day playing without even the teeniest tiniest bit of stress coming your way, play a few rounds of Fall Guys. I **** you not, it's definitely been quite a long time where a game brought this amount of joy, even consistently I may add.

Basically, you play as a ragdoll type character, with unlockable collectibles, and you play minigames. With a lot of other people. Basically like Mario Party without the added benefit of getting pissed off at everyone else. Did I say benefit? Anyway, it's a lot of fun. Not only for the fact that the minigames are really well designed and they all come with a different style that typically will keep you on your feet. If anything, regardless of if you win or lose, it's still fun. But what does Fall Guys do differently to make it sort of standout from other games like it? Well, for me...it's the fact that not only are you going to suck at the game. But everyone else is going to suck at it too. Whether it's attempting to jump from a ledge only to be tossed around by a propeller that sends you halfway backwards or forwards through the stage. Or, you fell off the stage and can't seem to keep yourself from doing it. Whatever it is, thanks to the ragdoll mechanics of your character, you will almost always look hilarious in whatever situation you find yourself in. And...maybe you'll win a round or two. Obviously winning does feel nice, but in Fall Guys it definitely is not its main source of entertainment. I'd go as far to say that playing it with other people just makes for some hilarious antics that would otherwise never happen if you were playing this alone. Get some friends together and start a party and do it Mario Party style and try to sabotage each other. Really easy to do as the maps are meant to screw you up at every turn.

The main thing though is fun. It's just fun. It's not terribly difficult. Maybe you'll find yourself in some confusing and irritating situations with your character and how it's not working right, or maybe the game is glitching from time to time. I've had some of those things happen maybe once or twice, and it honestly did not keep me from continuing on with whatever round I was on, because I was simply having a blast doing whatever I was doing. And sometimes, the glitchiness makes it even more hilarious.

Not much more to say really. If you're looking for just an easy going fun time that'll make you laugh here and there, pick up Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout. I'm sure even if you've never seen the game or even heard of it, your first few matches will be some of the most fun you've had in a while. I only know this because that's how I was when I first started playing the game. Granted, I had heard a little bit about it, but I wasn't exactly sold on multiplayer games. But, with the way Fall Guys handles it, it feels less competitive and more meant to be just a fun day at the theme park with friends.

Key

Path of Exile
Developed by: Grinding Gear Games

I think I've talked about PoE a few times in this journal, but honestly I don't really mind talking about it again, especially since it's one of those games that I put off for quite a while before really diving into it and realizing that there was so much more to it than I had initially believed there to be.

Much like games like Diablo III and Torchlight II and even having more similarities to the likenesses of Diablo II now that I have played Diablo II, Path of Exile follows a lot of the same structure when it comes to going from map to map, and killing waves upon waves of enemies in your path while leveling up your skills and all else. Where PoE differs from those other games however is just how much PoE has in it that can literally keep you playing for hours upon hours upon hours upon hours. I've lost days to just sitting in my office playing PoE and I don't regret any of it. In fact, I have 3 characters currently, 2 of whom have finished the game in its entirety at least once. I say at least because I really don't know how far the game goes after you "beat it" once. But so far, even with how high leveled my characters have gotten on those runs, I'm still finding tons of things to do and nothing ever feels monotonous and boring. Which, is difficult to do with games of this genre. Hell, even Diablo III can start to feel a little stale once you get around the end game. But, still a good game in its own right. Nowhere near the level of content that PoE currently has and continues to have. New **** coming all the time.

Certainly one of the most notable things to mention about PoE is indeed how much stuff there is to do in the game itself, but to then also add on that the devs don't seem to be slowing down any time soon when it comes to new content. I'm sure I could leave the game for a month or so and come back to find a books worth of new things to find and learn about. A bit of an exaggeration, but it's more so meant to give a scope as to how much this game actually has to offer. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.

But of course, at the same time, I know these types of games aren't for everybody because although for my taste, it never gest old or tiring to jump in for a few hours, I can certainly understand how it could come off as grindy or boring to feel like you're doing the same thing over and over. But I personally love a game with grinding and continuous growth. It's how I've managed to keep myself excited about playing games like Runescape for 15+ years. Path of Exile has cemented its place in my game library and it'll be something I continue to make new characters on, and simultaneously take on the seasonal challenges that come out from time to time. Plus, you know a game is good when you can seamlessly play it over and over again with other character types simply because you just want to see where the grind will take you with that particular character. Will you get overpowered? You don't know. The mystery makes it fun.

Key

Shovel Knight
Developed by: Yacht Club Games

You know those games that you put on your "to do list" and you never seem to be able to find the time to put into said games on said list? Well, Shovel Knight is that game for me. Or at least it would have been had I not recently picked it up on Xbox. And lemme tell ya, it's good.

It's basically a genuine throwback to the games of old pixelated goodness while also acting as a stellar platformer. You play as what you'd expect...a knight, with a shovel as a weapon. May not seem super stellar right off the bat, but by not only being a weapon you can use on enemies and also allowing for some creative maneuvering when the platforming elements come into play, the game feels very natural as a game going for the retro feel. Plus, you're killing enemies with a shovel. Just that notion alone is enough to pick this game up.

Whether I played it back when it was released, or whether I played it somewhat recently, the game does what it needs to do right and allows you to simply enjoy a, as mentioned prior, a genuine pixelated throwback. The boss fights? Same thing. Think Mega Man style but again with its own twist and turns that makes it feel its own. And as far as difficulty goes, I wouldn't be too surprised if you ended up having some trouble getting through the game as the difficulty can certainly ramp up, but as you learn to go through the game and get upgrades for your health etc, it doesn't feel too punishing. I honestly wouldn't even say the game is really all that hard, just things to get used to as is the case with most platformers.

Key

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
Developed by: Larian Studios

I've talked quite a bit, almost to death, about Divinity Original Sin II and how it brings RPG gameplay to a whole different realm while still managing to feel like its own. Divinity Original Sin is evidently the game that came before it and even if I hadn't known that there was a sequel to this game, I would honestly think this is one of the best RPG's I've ever played. However, I have definitely gotten more enjoyment out of Divinity Original Sin II for a variety of reasons, one of course being that I just feel the gameplay is a little bit more fleshed out than its predecessor, but I think that's to be expected. Typically you'd always want the sequel to outweigh its predecessor, and in this case it does. But not by much. If you were to put both games side by side, it'd take me some time to find any significant differences between the two that would alter how I feel about each one individually. Both phenomenal games with minor faults to each.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and just list out fault after fault because honestly, even for a game like this, there are very few things to say negatively about it, if at all. If anything, I definitely have not spent nearly as much time on this one as I have on its sequel. But, given that I have done close to 4 playthroughs on Divinity Original Sin II, I think it's time I revisit Divinity Original Sin, as iirc, I have only done one successful playthrough, and I don't even think I finished the final quest to finish the game. In fact, I know I haven't.

A few hours into my 2nd playthrough, and I'm actually finding more to like about this one than I had previously, which is really nice. Either I was just not focused or coming down from playing Divinity Original Sin II for many many hours, I don't think I gave Divinity Original Sin the time it needed to breath and really show its colors. For example, when I had played the first time, I had apparently skipped an entire dungeon section right at the beginning of the game that you'd only know about by choosing a specific set of dialogue choices. And I just so happened to choose it. Which in itself shows the depth of what conversation choices can do for your gameplay. Something I think Larian Studios is really good at. And of course, you have voice acting, which is top notch as well, to be honest. And that's not always the case. However, the lack of a narrator in this one as opposed to the second one is certainly missed. Though I can't be too hard on that given that the devs may have thought of its inclusion when making the second game.

With similar games like Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland and all those, it is nice when a game can still stick out due to not only its own individuality and creativity, but also brings longevity to both games given that one playthrough can and will be drastically different than the previous. And though it can take several upon several hours to beat even the first game, I'd say it's still worth sitting there and doing as much as you can. There is just content upon content upon content. And doing said content in a graphical setting such as this where everything feels its own and alive, makes the world even more rewarding to explore. And I have always loved games that take the exploration element and really fly with it to see what can be done.

And of course, you've got a lot of interesting characters and creatures that you will bump into and have conversations with. Which...again could really go any sort of way with the vast number of possibilities pertaining to the choices you make and the results of said choice. Maybe you'll piss someone off, maybe you'll just go with the flow. You have the choices.

Divinity Original Sin while not holding up as well as its sequel, is still a game that I believe should be played at least 2 to 3 times. Going through it once only gives you the surface of what the game has to offer. But it's your own want of exploration that will open the game up even more