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Pokemon Month - Covers of Pokemon Music
Covers of Pokemon Music
As far as music goes, I'm not one to hate on covers. Honestly, cover songs are often times of the same quality if not better, depending on the artist who's doing it etc etc. Most recent one I think of off the bat is Sounds of Silence by Disturbed. And I know, myself included, that blew people away and people still love it now. Both versions are honestly great. Now, what's the point of all this? Well, people do covers of Pokemon music as well and it's really fun to dive into this wormhole because you'll hear music that you're used to being played in a way you didn't think it needed to be played. And honestly as well, I listen to video game music pretty regularly anyway, but I certainly listen to a lot of cover artists who solely work on covering video game music. So, let's talk about a couple of them: The one that immediately comes to mind first over anybody is Toxicxeternity. I follow him on both Twitch and Youtube and he's not only a super chill dude, but an absolutely talented guitar player. He does covers of video game music either by request from chat or does them himself on his main channel. The ones that I heard first were his Goldeneye covers, but his Pokemon covers are amazing too. Next up, while I don't think he has any live action stuff, he does make some amazing music, and I've even talked about him before. The Greatest Bits. Some of his albums on Spotify are on my favorites and they are certainly regular listens. His Pokemon stuff is obviously great given that the dude is extremely talented. I'll always consider his Trainer Battle music his best stuff, especially from Gen 1: It's just a unique twist on a very familiar track. Another one I want to mention here is GlitchxCity. Truly a remarkable artist with a unique flair that really sets herself apart from the rest. Definitely some really cool covers on her Youtube channel. I highly recommend. |
Pokemon Month - More Pokemon Covers
More Pokemon Covers
Here, have some more! Spoiler for videos:
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Pokemon Month - Pokemon: The First Movie (1998)
Pokemon: The First Movie (1998)
It's pretty wild to think that this movie came out in 1998 because I still remember going to the movie theater super excited to see it. And yeah, it definitely was as good as I wanted it to be. Hell, it's still good now. There's a remastered of sorts version out there so I highly recommend watching it if you haven't yet. I have watched it and it is honestly a genuine retelling of the original movie, it just looks better. I wouldn't say this movie is one of my favorites of all time, or maybe I would. Honestly, it's a pretty damn good movie especially for a Pokemon movie. But I don't think that's an opinion that is too out there. In fact, I do know that a lot of people actually really enjoy the Pokemon movie not only for the fact that it focuses on Pokemon, but also the fact that they are just pretty good movies. I still remember sitting in the movie theater in anticipation with my brothers and cousin and was ready to watch what was about to unfold in front of me. Unfortunately, I don't think I gathered too much of the story upon first viewing, but I do know I enjoyed it. After this though, I remember they had released a special edition Pokemon: The First Movie Mewtwo card, and you could only get it if you bought the VHS. Well, I did end up being able to add that card and VHS tape to my collection....years and years ago. Man, do I wish I could find both of those again. Hell, I may even look online to see if I can find either or both. I imagine that Mewtwo card will be pretty difficult to find, but I'm willing to try. The movie also comes with a short little half hour film about the Pokemon specifically with no trainers in sight titled Pikachu's Vacation. Basically, the Pokemon are on vacation. I won't spoil much more than that because again...it's worth watching if you like Pokemon even a little bit. |
Pokemon Month - Pokemon: The First Movie (pt. 2)
Pokemon: The First Movie (pt. 2)
I had mentioned the special Mewtwo card that you would have gotten had you bought a VHS copy of Pokemon: The First Movie, and this is that card. Here it is for your viewing pleasure: https://product-images.tcgplayer.com...x437/87414.jpg |
Pokemon Month - Pokemon Colosseum
Pokemon Colosseum
Man, if there was ever a game that I would easily go back in time for, it would be Pokemon Colosseum. I remember just hearing about the game and wishing I could play it myself, but I never got to. Unfortunately time just went on and on and as time went on, the game just became one of those that I wish I had played, but don't really see a reason to play it now. Sure, I suppose I could find original hardware and software and experience this game in all its glory, and honestly I might do that. But I can't imagine it'll feel much the same as it did back when it originally released. Especially now that we have the games we have now, there's just not a lot of reason to go back and play it other than for either nostalgia sake or in my case, you've never played it. It's one of those weird cases where I would spend whatever I had to to play the game, but simultaneously not having very much drive or motivation to actually acquire it. It does look like a lot of fun and it apparently features both Espeon and Umbreon. If you've been reading so far, you'll know that the Eevee evolutions are some of my favorite Pokemon of all time. Espeon and Umbreon are certainly up there, but I don't really know where I'd put them on the list. The main character also looks really cool and the gameplay also looks really fun, albeit dated. It's definitely got that Pokemon Stadium vibe going for it with a bit of improvements to set it apart from those games. I do also believe that this game originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube, and using that controller again would be pretty sweet. So hell, maybe I will actually try to find a way to acquire this game. Perhaps. Based on what I've seen from the gameplay and how the battles work in this game, it would be no surprise if I did end up really enjoying this game if and when I decide to get everything I need to do so. However I do not know whether or not I would be motivated enough to complete it as I've always got other games going on simultaneously, and I wouldn't really wanna spend much time on an older game. At least not all at once. Surely over time I would eventually be inclined to finish it. Or maybe that doesn't happen and I fall in love with it immediately. Anything is possible. I do know that most importantly, I just regret not being able to play this when it first released because that would've been neat to be a part of that hype. Again, who knows. Perhaps I spend some time trying to get a Nintendo Gamecube and a copy of Pokemon Colosseum. Then subsequently it becomes my favorite game of all time. It's possible. We shall see. |
Pokemon Month - Gym Battles In Pokemon Games
Gym Battles In Pokemon Games
You know how Pokemon games go, you level up your Pokemon, take on gym leaders that are spread across the whole region, then finally meet your fate at the Pokemon League or Elite Four as they are otherwise called. Both gym leaders and elite four members are groups of trainers that are above average as far as Pokemon they use and how they use them in relation to the other trainers in the game. Often times, these are meant to be tests of your abilities and training and to see how you have progressed through the game. And believe me, in a lot of these games, these challenges can be both very fun and very challenging. Though again I will say that probably in the later games, these challenges got easier and easier. In the early games, this wasn't as much the case. Either way, these particular battles are a staple in the games because it gives the player an added challenge on top of tackling the world you see before you. And I'm going to talk about some of the battles that I both really enjoy and ones that gave me a really hard time upon first playthrough. A lot of these will probably be from earlier games so...here we go: First off, we have Tate & Liza from the third generation. This is one of those battles that I will probably always remember because if I remember correctly, double battles were not a regular thing amongst gym leaders so while that was unique on its own, they also came packing with two rather strong Pokemon that work well with each other; Solrock and Lunatone. Both very powerful Pokemon if you didn't bring Pokemon that can resist both ground and psychic attacks. This is one of those battles that will surely test you so make sure you come prepared. Next up, Whitney from Goldenrod City. Whitney is pretty well known for being a relatively difficult gym leader, especially with how early on you fight her. She comes equipped with several Pokemon but the one that has always given me trouble as well as other players is that dreaded Miltank. Rollout is an amazing move if you can use it right, and man...that Miltank used it right. I honestly think Whitney is the gym leader across all games that I've probably lost the most to. It's just that fighting a Pokemon this strong early on is pretty tough because at this point, there aren't a lot of good opportunities to train so it can feel like a slog. But, once you beat her it's worth it because again, that damn Miltank is tough. Norman from Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire is another gym leader that I would consider to be relatively tough compared to the others in the game. He comes equipped with some pretty strong Pokemon in both Vigoroth and Slaking. Honestly, him using both of these Pokemon made me want to get a Slaking of my own, until I realized that it has an effect that makes it so you don't attack as often as other Pokemon. So, usually I would just keep it at Vigoroth and reak havoc. And boy, this combination of Pokemon can be pretty tough because they also come equipped with a move called "Facade" which can be detrimental to your team if you're not prepared. Obviously, just come packing with some really strong Pokemon and you'll prevail. Slaking is a pretty tough Pokemon as well as Vigoroth so yeah, come prepared. The last one I want to talk about is Brock from the first generation of games, but more specifically, Pokemon Yellow. A lot of people already know what I'm going to talk about here but here's the basic gist of it: Rock Pokemon which is what Brock specializes in are immune to electric type Pokemon / moves, and given that the starter Pokemon in Pokemon Yellow is indeed an electric type Pokemon with electric type moves, it provides an additional challenge on the player. Do you over train your Pikachu and just use slam or something to take down the foe, or do you search the grass below Pewter City to acquire a different Pokemon that can take on Brock. While this gym battle is not necessarily too difficult in Pokemon Red / Blue, it's definitely a lot more challenging in Pokemon Yellow just simply for the fact that you kind of have to think outside the box and find some way to take down both Geodude and Onix this early in the game when all you have is a Pokemon that can't hurt it. But man, after this gym battle, you can continue on playing and the rest of the game certainly gets easier as the next gym battle is strictly water Pokemon, but yeah, this one is a doozy for Pokemon Yellow players, like myself. And as I said, there may even be more that I'm forgetting to talk about but unfortunately that's due to two things: not having played a lot of the later Pokemon games and simultaneously, the later games don't provide nearly as much of a challenge as you'd think they would. Comparatively, the earlier Pokemon games up until about generation 5 provided some sense of challenge when it came to both the gym battles and elite four. They're still fun to do in the later games, but I remember not even finishing Pokemon Sword / Shield because I was just bored by the time I got to the elite four. I just didn't even bother fighting them. |
Pokemon Month - Pokemon Music: Gym Battles / Pokemon League / Elite Four (pt. 1)
Pokemon Music: Gym Battles / Pokemon League / Elite Four (pt. 1)
I've touched on both of these topics before but seeing as I just talked about gym leaders throughout the games, I figured the next best thing would be to bring up the themes that I absolutely love. And, I have talked about a few of these before so just know that there may be repeats. I still to this day think the elite four theme for the third generation is still the best. some have gotten close but nothing has topped it. At least for me. Spoiler for video:
I know I've mentioned this one before because it's honestly so good that it's hard to not talk about it. This one is really cool because the crowd starts to chant with the music and makes the whole experience of fighting a gym leader that much cooler, despite the gym leaders being relatively easy. Spoiler for video:
Johto and Kanto both have great themes in Pokemon Gold / Silver so the next two will be those: Spoiler for video:
Spoiler for video:
And finally, we have X and Y. While it may not have been my favorite Pokemon game and on top of the fact that it was extremely easy, the music is still tops. Spoiler for video:
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I've been reading and enjoying this Pokémon month theme. I wanted to go through and list off which editions I picked and who was my MVP for each one. I have this habit of liking to take the first five Pokémon that I catch all the way to the end. They are my ride or dies usually. If I end up running into type troubles I just grind their levels higher so I can muscle my way through them while still keeping my rookie squad.
First Gen I picked Blue and went with Bulbasaur as my starter. This generation basically molded me to always lean a bit towards grass starters even though I have sometimes picked water starters but **** fire ones. For Second Gen I went with Silver Chikorita was my starter went with grass again. Ruby Sapphire I skipped. If I did play this one I would've went with mudkip Diamond I initially skipped it but later on got Brilliant Diamond Turtwig was my choice for this gen. With Fifth Generation I went with White and White 2 I went with Snivy but if I were to replay them I would definitely go with Oshawott. Six Gen was Y Went with my road dog Froakie! Seventh Gen I went with Moon Popplio was my go to for this gen. Eighth gen I went with Sword I went with Sobble and I love his final evolution. I haven't bought Scarlet or Violet yet but I'm going with Violet when I get it and the Elvis water ducky, (Quaxly). I did have more MVPs outside of the starters but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I'd have to go look through the pokedex for each game to see if I remember what my lineups were. |
People picked Bulbasaur just cause it was understood he was the easiest early game pick due to type compatibilities with the first few gyms and a generation later they've all forgotten their mercenary reason for picking Bulbasaur in the first place.
Charmander isn't just objectively better in battle but also the most adorable and he has a flame tail. A ****ing flame tail. And Charizard just rules. That being said 1st gen I generally ditch my starter cause Arcanine is GOAT and I love him, grass types are lame, and Lapras is too majestic to deny. |
I bought Pokemon Blue on week 1 or 2 back in 1998. I've been a hardcore fan at various points in my life, though these days I'm not keeping up with it as much. My favorite generation is 4, that was when I got really into competitive battling and throughout my first couple years of college I was glued to that game.
My tradition has always been to put my starter in the box early on. I like the freedom of being able to have more options for all my party slots. |
Damn it's cool to see what peoples favorites were and honestly, Id like to try that with the putting your starter in the PC early on. I always did what DJ did, ended up with the evolved forms of the Pokemon you find early on and just used them for my party. Usually worked out pretty well. Though Bat, Arcanine and Lapras are two solid choices. My younger brothers favorite is Arcanine and I definitely understand why. Lapras is also a very strong Pokemon. I just wished you got it earlier in a playthrough. I still think both Weezing and Muk could be a force to reckon with if you trained them with the right moves. Theres a lot of strong Pokemon in the first few generations. I also wish you could acquire fossil Pokemon earlier as well since I always really like Kabutops but never really got to use it to it's full potential. Charizard is also a bamf.
Synth, that's really cool you got into competitive battling. I've known people that got into that and sometimes it's super intense especially with pokemon abilities and everything. DJ, I'll try to compile a list like you did but I'll have to do some digging in my brain to remember which teams i used. Especially in the later games since I honestly just dont remember those. |
Pokemon Month - Fossil Pokemon In Pokemon Games
Fossil Pokemon In Pokemon Games
Especially in the earlier Pokemon games, fossil Pokemon were not really introduced in the game until it was already too far in to where any of them would be of any use. And I always thought that was such a shame because some of my favorite Pokemon designs are of the fossil family. Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Kabutops spring to mind right away. Though I can't really say as much for the later games since I don't really remember which fossil Pokemon I had access to, I do just remember that each time a fossil Pokemon would come around in the games, the momentum to even want to train them just wasn't there. Especially considering Kabuto, Omanyte, they both evolve into their respective evolutions at level 40. And the only was to train big xp in the earlier games was just to go through the elite four multiple times to get their levels. However if you're already at a point where you can take on the elite four multiple times, the only reason you'd evolve both Kabuto and Omanyte at this point would be to add it to your Pokedex, assuming you don't bring it with you in the later games, which I suppose you could now that I think about it. How far it will travel I don't know as I did most of my trading between gen 3 onwards, so I know not much about how the trading process works all the way back from generation 1. However, if for whatever reason I was able to acquire a fossil Pokemon early on in the game to the point that it was super useful throughout the game, I would definitely go with Kabuto over anything else. Not just because I think it's a cute as **** Pokemon and turns into a really cool Pokemon, but also, Kabutops is pretty strong. It may not seem like it at first but if you can equip it with the right moves, it can be a force to be reckoned with. However, it does have a lot of weaknesses so it is pretty easy to take down. But, design wise, I think Kabutops is one of the coolest looking Pokemon in the first generation. It's up there with the likes of Scyther and the ones that really look like they can pack a punch, only to find out that they are relatively weak. Also, praise Helix. As you know at this point, I love the third generation of Pokemon games, and that also goes with my thoughts on the fossil Pokemon in this gen. Lileep and Anorith are both pretty cool looking Pokemon on their own, but when they evolve, especially Anorith, they just look badass. Much like why I like Kabutops for how cool it looks, both Lileep and Anorith start off cute as well and turn into their respective power houses. Again though, unfortunately I have used both throughout playthroughs of Pokemon Ruby, and neither are necessarily all that strong all things considered. Generally, I'll evolve one of them and then just PC for the rest of the journey. I have used one of each throughout one playthrough and they were cool to have on the team, but just kind of died a lot. Could've been my ignorance of how to properly use them but I remember being somewhat underwhelmed. Look wise though, super cool looking. Just makes the third gen that much better for me. I think that's just how it is though for me anyway. The fossil Pokemon typically look really dope, but don't really provide too much as far as longevity on a team, since a lot of times it's just too far in the game for them to matter much. However, I do think Aerodactyl is probably a little stronger than the rest, but again...I haven't really had much chance to use it in a game so I wouldn't really know of its full potential. |
Pokemon Month - My Favorite Starter Pokemon (From Each Generation I Have Played)
My Favorite Starter Pokemon (From Each Generation I Have Played)
While I have not played all the Pokemon games, I have played my fair share of them, so I'm simply going to discuss which Pokemon starter I personally like the most and had the most fun using in its respective playthrough: Pokemon Red / Blue As much as I really like Charmander, I have to go with my boy Squirtle on this one. Bulbasaur is sort of just there and not really a Pokemon I used too much. Most of the playthroughs of Pokemon Red / Blue I have done have always either been Squirtle or Charmander. In fact, the playthrough I have going right now in Pokemon Red is using Squirtle. And Beedrill. Mostly Beedrill though. Pokemon Gold / Silver I've said this before but I'll say it again, this one goes to Cyndaquil. I actually really like all the starters in this generation, and yes, even Chikorita. I thought both Meganium and Feraligatr were both amazing fully evolved Pokemon, but Typhlosion is in a league of its own, and I really enjoyed the use of Flame Wheel and just reaking havoc on all Pokemon that didn't stand a chance against a fire type. Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire I think if I remember correctly, I used Mudkip on my very first playthrough, but on another playthrough, I used Torchik. I think I actually liked Mudkip a little bit more simply because Swampert is a force to be reckoned with while Blaziken is very weak in comparison. I dunno, maybe they're tied because again, I think all the starters in this generation are great for their own reasons. Even Sceptile is dope. Pokemon Black / White This one goes to Oshawott. Even when looking back on it today, I still think this is the case. I chose Oshawott on my first playthrough of Pokemon Black 2 and had an absolute blast using it once it fully evolved. Empoleon is not only a great name for a Pokemon, but it's also a great design. Again though, really cool starters in this generation. None of them lacked in style as far as I'm concerned. Pokemon X / Y I wish I could say this goes to Fennekin because as far as starter Pokemon for this generation, it would undoubtedly be my favorite. Unfortunately it has a far more disappointing final evolution which takes a lot of its cuteness away and subsequently puts it to #2 right under Froakie. I think Froakie is an amazing Pokemon through and through. Not just the fact that it's cute as ****, but Greninja is one of my favorite Pokemon, at least in my top 10-15 surely. Pokemon Sword / Shield I think this was the last Pokemon game I played and probably one of the few that I never actually finished all the way through. I dunno, I just wasn't as motivated to push through to finishing it. On top of that, I'm not really a big fan of the starters at all, and while I honestly don't even really remember using it to its fullest potential, I'll go with Scorbunny since it was the only one I used on the only playthrough I did on Pokemon Sword / Shield. |
Beedrill? Did you lose a bet?
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Pokemon Month - Pokemon Types (Also My Favorite)
Pokemon Types (Also My Favorite)
This is a topic as old as the franchise itself, but if you weren't aware for some unknown reason, Pokemon have types. And sometimes they have two types instead of one. And while that can sometimes lead to a lot more weaknesses, it can also be used to make ones Pokemon very strong. Like the fact that Groudon can have a moveset that consists of Thunderbolt, Eruption, Solar Beam, and Earthquake. It can really make for some intense battling. But all this aside, which one would I consider my favorite one to use? This is a question that's not all too easy to answer since there are a lot of things to consider about which type I choose. This would have to be a type that a lot of my favorite Pokemon consist of, and ones that I typically try to look for more of when playing Pokemon games. There are certainly no right or wrong answers, moreso it's all about what you prefer. Obviously some types are stronger than others depending on the Pokemon that you choose, which is why I'm basing my answer solely off of which type I use the most of. And, given that my favorite Pokemon is of this type, I'm going to have to go with - Water. Vaporeon, Blastoise, Greninja, Lapras, Wailord, Swampert, all of these Pokemon are both Pokemon that I would consider favorites of mine as well as being Pokemon that consist of Water typing. Sure, it may no the strongest type out there given that it is weak to both grass and electric, but honestly, there are some really strong water type moves. Moves like Muddy Water for Swampert, or simply Surf for countless Pokemon. I don't even know if it's possible to even get through a playthrough without using Surf in some capacity. It's incredible useful in the overworld but also very strong as a water attack. Especially if you're out of options as far as water type attacks go. On top of that, well...again, Vaporeon being my favorite Pokemon of all time, it should be no surprise that I favor water typing over any other. I have just always enjoyed having water Pokemon on my team, and I really do think it started back when I fought Misty as a gym leader for the first time. As much as I'd like to say Starmie can be a force to be reckoned with, it can be taken down pretty easily. But...simply for it's great design and the fact that it has Bubblebeam just makes this an overall cool water Pokemon. Not to forget both Suicune and Gyarados as great water Pokemon as well. Hell, you could probably bring up any water type Pokemon and I'm certain I'll say something good about it. I would honestly say that you should definitely try to have at least one water Pokemon on your team because especially if it can pair with ice moves as well like Articuno or Lapras, it can make for a really strong Pokemon in your party. Lapras would probably take my choice over Articuno honestly. Go with Lapras. Not to also forget that the move Surf basically allows you to progress in the games like I said so not only is it important as a Pokemon move, you need it to progress through a lot of the stories. Water Pokemon are dope, man. |
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Oh and since you dig Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin have you played the Pathfinder games? They're pretty great. CRPGs seem to be in a second golden age and I am absolutely here for it.
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I have not and I think theres one on game pass that I've been looking at. Its caught my eye a few times but havent played it yet. And hell yes to that, I'm all for more RPGs in this style. Divinity Original Sin II is still my fave but there are quite a number of good ones. I still need to get back into Pillars of Eternity II because that one is honestly fantastic.
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Pokemon Month - Pokemon Music Covers: Pokestir
Pokemon Music Covers: Pokestir
I think I have mentioned it a few times here that I love hearing covers of video game music. And I even posted a few Pokemon focused ones, and generally I am pretty pleased. However, I was surfing through Spotify one day and stumbled upon a cover of the Kanto Trainer Battle theme and I was instantly blown away. The artists name is Pokestir and I've been listening to his stuff for the past few days now. It's all quality, and definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Pokemon music and especially Pokemon music covers. Here's a few that I love: Kanto Trainer Battle Spoiler for video:
Hoenn Elite Four Spoiler for video:
Hoenn Gym Leader Spoiler for video:
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Pokemon Month - Pokemon Music Covers: Braxton Burks
Pokemon Music Covers: Braxton Burks
Bandcamp: https://braxtonburks.bandcamp.com/ I'm going to talk about another artist that does Pokemon music, and I think I have talked about it before, but it's Braxton Burks. Instead of me telling you what kind of versions he does, I'll just let you listen. Here's a few of the tracks that I really like but honestly any of them are good: Spoiler for more videos:
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Pokemon Month - Pokemon Music Covers: Pokemon Theme Song
Pokemon Music Covers: Pokemon Theme Song
I haven't had much of a chance this month to talk about the main theme song for the Pokemon anime, but god damn it is good. And yes, there have been many different kinds of covers made for it, however nothing will ever touch the original as far as I'm concerned. Covers aren't bad though. Give some a listen: Spoiler for video:
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Pokemon Month - Collecting Stuff: Pokemon
Collecting Stuff: Pokemon
I enjoy collecting things whether it be vinyl, VHS tapes, video games. Though I feel a little deja vu as I think I have mentioned this before in a previous theme month. Well, anyway, yeah I like collecting things. And one of those things is Pokemon items. Whether it be posters, cards, again video games, and whatever else. I try to collect many different kinds of things so that as a whole, I have mini collections of everything I like. However, I was not anticipating ever having this particular item in my collection again, and the way I acquired it is quite the neat story. We're here to talk about this bad boy: Spoiler for image:
If I remember correctly, I believe I had one of these as a kid, but at some point in time had lost it. And although I had never really planned on looking for another one, my brother had been at a flea market and noticed people were selling Pokemon items. He had picked up a copy of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Silver and some Pokemon cards. Keeping in mind I had no idea he was even looking for stuff for me. Though then he said he had one more item but he wanted it to be more of a surprise. During this same time, he showed me the Poke Ball box and although it was empty, he then showed me the actual item and I was stoked. Again, not even thinking for a second that he had gotten this for me in particular, but he did. And it has been a part of my collection for a while now. I think that's honestly one of the coolest aspects of Pokemon is that even if you aren't as interested in the games as you were as a kid, there are still tons of ways to show your love of Pokemon by collecting other things. And I understand the slight irony of collecting things of a topic that revolves around collecting Pokemon. I getcha. I think the little toys and figures like the one I posted above are still cool enough to this day to look out for. And I also know that there are two more of these, of which they are different Pokemon. But for the moment, I have the Pikachu one. And I love it. |
My Journey With Path of Exile [pt.1]
My Journey With Path of Exile [pt.1] I'll be the first to admit that it took me quite a while to really convince myself that Path of Exile was worth playing. I would always enjoy watching people stream it since it seemed really fun but then I always told myself that it wasn't worthwhile since I had games like Diablo III and Torchlight II to play. And, while both of those games respectively are great on their own, I am now sort of kicking myself because my god, Path of Exile is an amazing time, and I certainly wish I could go back and tell myself to pick it up a lot sooner. I'm not entirely sure what it is about it to be honest that I love so much, but with this genre in general, I feel like it took me a little while to warm up to it, but once I got the gist of it and started playing more games like Grim Dawn, Diablo II and even Pillars of Eternity to an extent. All these games did one important thing, and it taught me that there is a lot more underneath the surface of these kinds of games and it's worth trying your hand it at to see how deep it can get. Hell even Divinity Original Sin 2 did it well, but there's something else that grabs me about games like Diablo II, Grim Dawn, and Path of Exile. And I think it's partly due to the fact that I just love the endless grind. I come from Runescape times so I have always loved the grind. But on top of that, it's the feeling of taking down mobs of enemies in seconds with the abilities you can acquire in these games, again respectively. However, we're not here to talk about all those games collectively, I'm just here to talk about Path of Exile. So let's get into that shall we. Like I mentioned before, Path of Exile was certainly not my first choice of game, for quite a while. And while I did attempt several different characters across multiple platforms, once I got my Xbox, I finally decided that I wanted a dedicated account where I will always go back to it, and thus my three characters (currently) were born. Two rangers and a witch. And while I do enjoy both of my ranger characters, I want to focus on the witch. I've posted below a little preview of what my current witch looks like and what they're equipped with: Spoiler for image:
The reason behind why I enjoy playing as the witch more than the other two currently is simply because I think it's really gratifying to shoot multiple shots of electricity towards mobs of enemies and seeing them just fall before literally within seconds. Of course, that could simply be due to the fact that my character is pretty strong due to the combination of wands and armor that I have her equipped with. Which again, that aspect of it on top of the skill tree aspect took me a little while to understand, but once I got it, I really enjoyed going deeper into it and seeing what little more I could squeeze out of the percentages to give me just a little more of an edge. And currently, I am running around with a combination of several passive effects going on that gives me a couple different creatures that fight alongside me, but I also simply have a lot of electricity abilities which is really fun to use like I mentioned before. But where I think it really shines (no pun intended) is when you are in a dark dungeon and you can just see how much detail went into the coloring of the spells. Just makes the game that much more enjoyable. And honestly, I'll again be the first to say it; Path of Exile is certainly one of those games where I can sort of enjoy it more due to its ability to let me zone out. And I don't mean that in a mean way either. It's a reason why I have always loved grinding in games, and it's that feeling of being able to just submerse yourself into the gameplay to the point that you're sort of just chillin and having a good time. Not a whole lot of thinking going on. And while there are a lot of complexities with Path of Exile, with its economy and weapons and armor etc, it does also meet that aspect where once you get strong enough, you can definitely spend hours just sort of grinding away and not even realizing it. I think I've put about 60 hours into the characters that I have on Xbox right now, and that's a testament to how quickly you can get a pretty strong build. Games like this do a really good job at making you want to continuously play because the rewards from leveling up can be quite good. Whether it's trying to get a certain build on your skill tree in Path of Exile or it's trying to find the right set of skills to put into your slots in Diablo III. It all offers that feeling of completion on top of still managing to make the player wanting more. Hell, this genre in general does a really good job at keeping me entertained even after many hours of doing the same thing or the same spell over and over again. Because it's just a nice combination of complexity mixed with being able to just sit back and enjoy it. |
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (Some Thoughts Prior To Release)
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (Some Thoughts Prior To Release) Important note: There will be an updated post on Star Wars: Jedi Survivor once I have played it. These are my half baked initial thoughts before release We are about a week away from being able to play Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and lemme tell ya, I am excited. I have done my absolute best to stay away from any big spoilers or big reveals as far as gameplay etc are concerned, but god damn, I am really looking forward to this. I originally pre-ordered Jedi Fallen Order back when that one came out, and I have since beaten that game twice. Once on PS4, and once on Xbox. I will say that my experience the second time through was better not only because I knew what I was supposed to do, but also the game just runs better as a result of being on better hardware. Not as many framey issues etc. Which is nice. Jedi Fallen Order in my opinion is still a really good game and a great introduction to this series, and when they had announced that the sequel was coming out, I was stoked. It's crazy to think that again, we are literally a week away from being able to play it. The few things I've noticed so far that I am very excited for is the fact that not only does the combat look like it's improved, but literally every aspect of the game itself looks better than it's predecessor while also not doing too much to separate it from its predecessor. I don't necessarily think we're looking at anything mindblowing or groundbreaking, but simply the hype is real for single player Star Wars games, and Respawn is doing a damn fine job at it. I also did lie a little bit when I said that I have stayed away from anything that gives the game away because let's face it, I can't help myself. I did check out this trailer and if this doesn't get you excited about jumping into this game, I don't know what will. I will be sure to post my thoughts on this once the game actually comes out and I have had my time with it. But for now, just enjoy this trailer: |
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Some Thoughts Prior To Release)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Some Thoughts Prior To Release) On top of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor closely making it's debut, I am also really excited for the sequel to one of if not my favorite game of all time. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom looks seriously amazing, and I am really liking where Nintendo is taking The Legend of Zelda as a whole. Breath of the Wild was not just good, it was breathtakingly good. So many things you can do to make the game basically last forever, and I am excited for the fact that we basically get to run around in that same field, though things have certainly changed. I already like the fact that Tears of the Kingdom while still in the same field as Breath of the Wild, enough things seem to be different about it that will make this feel like its own experience as opposed to just a simple improvement. There's so much going on in the final trailer that they released that it's virtually impossible to not be excited. New powerups to learn, new areas to traverse, new possible dungeons that will certainly be an improvement from its predecessor. As much as I liked the shrines, I think we definitely are in need of some more Zelda like dungeons and temples that we saw in Ocarina of Time and even Wind Waker. We'll see if that actually comes to fruition, but who knows. Nobody does at the moment. Much like Jedi Survivor as well, I will be talking about this game more in depth once the game actually comes out, but I am also very excited for this as I have preordered both the game and the special edition Nintendo Switch. So I'm basically ready to go other than the fact that the game simply isn't out yet. Like the last post as well, here's the trailer to get you excited. I still think Breath of the Wild has one of the best video game trailers of all time, but this definitely takes 2nd place: |
Dead Island II - First Impressions
Dead Island II - First Impressions
I'll just cut to the chase. If you're not a big fan of zombie survival games or weren't really all that impressed with the previous Dead Island, this game may not be in your wheel house. However, if you're able to put that aside and realize that this game is just meant to be sort of a zombie killing grind fest, well this game will fit your splendidly. Now don't let that confuse you and make you think that I dislike the game, quite the contrary. I spent my entire weekend playing Dead Island II and whether I was just simply running around killing zombies, or doing the main quest, or doing the side quests, it was a good and satisfying time. The main thing that would be the deal breaker for this type of game would definitely be the combat, and lemme tell ya, being able to jump and drop kick the zombies in the head while dealing massive amounts of crit damage and killing them in one hit will never not be exciting. It's extremely satisfying and as you level up, you gain more skills to better take down your foes. However, even with the satisfying nature of the jump kicking, the weapons is really where the combat shines. Whether you're using a modded golf club, or a pipe that you found sitting on the ground, the impact that you feel when using said weapons to take down zombies is so incredibly satisfying that it's almost addicting. Almost. And whether you're using your kicks or your weapons, you're sure to have a good time with taking zombies out because there's certainly a lot of them to take down. As far as story goes, it seems to me so far that you're basically working to get enough people together to take on what seems to be a zombie apocalypse in los angeles, and you just have to do whatever you can to help as many people as you can while also making sure you survive. Which isn't always guaranteed. Though I do have to give credit to how forgiving the death is in this game, and as it should be since you can certainly die a lot in the early parts of the game as you sort of get your feel for it. You really don't lose much if any progress, and in fact, the zombies that you die from don't automatically heal themselves, so you can just run back in and finish the job. This proved to be especially useful when fighting elite enemies or bosses. Even when you die, it's only a relatively small amount of time before you can get back into the action and "finish the job" so to speak. Combat is definitely more enjoyable than the quest lines but they're also fun to do as they aren't all really the same. The characters have personality so it is certainly worth going around and doing the side quests in hopes that the people providing them will come back to your home base. Graphically this game is quite good. I'm playing on Xbox Series S and while there have been a few times in the early game where I noticed it being a little choppy, it seems to have smoothed out since then, and I am currently level 9. So, it looks like the game stutters a little bit but it smooths out. I honestly haven't had any issues since little bit that I mentioned before. And that could've also been simply that the game wasn't finished installing yet so that could have been causing it. I don't know other consoles and how they are performing but for Xbox Series S, the game runs really well. And as it should given that you're going to be doing many things at once sometimes. Dead Island II is a really good game to be playing while I'm waiting on other games to come out. Seeing as Star Wars: Jedi Survivor will be releasing at the end of this week, a grindy zombie killing RPG is exactly what I needed to kill the time until then. I don't know if I will finish the game in its entirety, and maybe I'll just finish the main quest and call it good. But I'm enjoying it a lot. And that's more than I could say out of the 2 hours I got in Dead Island before I put it down, uninstalled it and never touched it again. Dead Island II is everything it needs to be - an improvement of the first one. Again though, if you're not really looking for a zombie survival game or aren't really a fan of the genre in general, I wouldn't recommend. If you are willing to put that aside and just have a good time, I would recommend it. a 70$ price tag is a bit steep though and will probably turn people away. |
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - First Impressions
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - First Impressions
Just a few things to get out of the way before I dive in: There will be a full review of Jedi Survivor once I have finished the game, this post is just my first impressions of the few hours of gameplay that I have right now. Some of these thoughts could change, though I don't really see that happening. If anything, the points will just be made stronger as I go along. As well, this post will contain minor spoilers. So read on if you like but just know that you will be spoiled on the first part of the game. Other than that, let's get on with it: So, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, what is this game? Well, simple answer is that it's the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The more in depth answer would be that it's the exactly the kind of sequel it needs to be without losing what makes its predecessor great. In other words, this is a shining example of what makes a great sequel, and keep in mind I'm saying this solely based on the first few hours of the game. It starts you off further along in Cal's adventure, though this time you find yourself captured on Coruscant, or so you think you are captured. Until you are brought in front of a senator who then takes your lightsaber from the guard that transported you to him. However, you quickly then find out that this was all a ploy and even the guards that transported you to the senator were in on it. You then take possession of your lightsaber again and off you go. Right off the bat, you can already tell that both the movement of Cal and the combat have been massively improved from the first game. The entire starting area of Coruscant is basically built around giving you a quick overview of the skills you already acquired from the first game, and putting them to use to find other skills that make platforming around the game even more enjoyable. Quick shoutout to the grapple, which so far has proven to be a really cool ability to use for platforming. Makes the platforming element of the game even stronger than the first game. Which again, is what a sequel is intended to do. Not take away from what the predecessor did well, but instead making them stronger while making the game as a whole stronger. As far as graphics and performance go, keep in mind that I'm playing this on Xbox Series S, but you can immediately tell that this game was built to work well on next gen consoles. I've been hearing people talking about the performance issues they are having on the PC versions, and while that does suck to hear, you can tell that these games are meant to be played on hardware that can support next gen graphics. In my experience, the game looks and feels beautiful and there have been several screenshot moments and I've only just finished the starting planet of Coruscant. Coruscant by the way is incredible. You really feel like you're in the heart of a city with the landscapes of skyscrapers and speeders flying by constantly. It makes the entire environment feel alive and makes it even more enticing to traverse through. I hope this stays true for the planets ahead, but I have yet to see much after the starting point, so that remains to be seen. The combat like I mentioned before has been massively improved from the first game while still maintaining what made the combat great in the first game. This time you have access to different stances that give you different move sets depending on which stance you choose. At the current moment, I've only unlocked one extra stance on top of the two default ones that you start with, those being single and double bladed lightsabers. The new stance I got allows you to duel wield lightsabers which again, gives you a completely different move set that works with the duel wield respectively. The other stances have other move sets which keeps combat fresh and feeling tighter than ever. I always felt that the combat in Jedi: Fallen Order had more potential, and it's certainly met if not exceeded in this sequel. Again, keeping in mind that I have barely scratched the surface of the combat. But the starting area gives you many opportunities to get warmed up with it and I have already taken down two bosses early on, so you get warmed up pretty quick. As a side note, Cal Kestis truly shines in this game already, and I'm excited to see where this adventure takes him. I'd really like to see a TV show made for this character, though I think these games are doing a really good job of setting up his narrative and making him a truly memorable character in the Star Wars universe. I'm excited to continue my time with this game since I stopped playing once I got to the next planet, so there's still and entire game for me to experience and subsequently enjoy. So far though, all signs are pointing toward a positive experience overall. And on top of that, the reviews have been pretty good aside from the negative reviews stemming from poor performance on the PC version. Hopefully that gets fixed because this is a game people will certainly want to experience. Having played Jedi: Fallen Order twice, I would highly recommend playing both as this is just a really strong continuation of the first game, and the context will definitely help. |
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Screenshots) Pt. 1
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Screenshots) Pt. 1
On top of enjoying the hell out of the little time I've had with Jedi Survivor so far, I've managed to get a few screenshots that sort of blew me away the first time I saw them in game. Keep in mind I had to size these down, but the game looks absolutely beautiful both during gameplay and during cutscenes. It's sort of like watching a movie. I'm sure I'll have many screenshots to show over time but these are the two I have right now: https://i.imgur.com/vOzLGYO.png This comes from the cutscene between leaving hyperdrive and landing on the next planet. https://i.imgur.com/MRZir3s.png This image is the first taste of the second planet though I have not explored the planet much further than this point, so the rest is yet to be seen. |
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - First Impressions pt. II
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - First Impressions Pt. II
I didn't feel like I quite covered all of the things that I enjoyed about my first few hours into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, so I'm gonna try to collect those thoughts into here and perhaps I'll have said enough. Who knows? In Jedi: Fallen Order, I know some people, not including me, that seemed to have a bit of a problem with the way the map worked, though a lot of people were pretty forgiving onec they figured it out. In Jedi: Survivor, they use much the same kind of map but it does look a bit more refined and certainly seems to work better than its predecessor. Again, not something I really had an issue with, but I know it bugged some people. Does it job though. It's a map, what more do you want? I've only used this one time so far in my playthrough, but I think it's neat that you can use a sort of binocular style thing that allows you to pan around the area you are in and point out points of interest. Very reminiscent of games like Assassins Creed, etc. Doesn't overstay itself. Does it job nicely. I'm surprised this wasn't in Jedi: Fallen Order, but it's a nice addition to an already awesome droid, for sure. Not a whole lot to say about the customization aspects of the characters and lightsaber, yet. I haven't gotten far enough into the game to really dive into it, though I have heard that the customization options are much more improved in relation to the previous game. I have yet to see much of it so I look forward to seeing more. I know I've only spent but a few hours in this game, but I really like the way it feels all the way from how you run from platform to platform, to how you strategize about where you want to go and how you want to take down multiple enemies. Jedi: Fallen Order in my opinion is a fantastic game, and it's definitely one that you have to give some time for because even if it's not in your wheel house, it's just a great game in general. I think I'll end up dearly loving this sequel, but I just need much more time with it. There will be a full review once I finish the game. |
More Thoughts On Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
More Thoughts On Star Wars Jedi: Survivor There will be minor spoilers later on in this post. Man oh man oh man oh man oh man, this sequel ****ing rules. I'm not talking just a great game, I'm not talking just an improvement from the previous title, I'm talking great ****ing game. From my first impressions post, you already should know how the game kind of gets going and what sort of things you have available to you. And even at the time, I was like "yeah, this game is a great game." But, as I've spent more time with it, I have come to the conclusion that every single little part of this game whether it's the new skill tree, the way combat has been refined, the environments, hell just the graphics alone are breathtaking at times, and just everything in between has been reworked or improved to a perfected state. I think the last time I felt this strongly about a sequel was when I played Middle Earth: Shadow of War and subsequently finished it 100%. That is another fine example of what it means to take what worked about its predecessor, and simply improving it to the max and adding things that don't hurt its integrity, but instead gradually improves it without even realizing that the improvement needed to be made. I said this before as well, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a great game, but now that I have seen what improvements have been made for its sequel, it's hard to go back and play it now. Thankfully I did a full playthrough right before this one came out so I won't be needing to play it for a while if ever again. I am doing my best in this post to keep away from spoiling too much after giving a good look into the start of the game in my previous posts because it is simply not the same as coming face to face to it in the game. There have been several upon several moments in my time with this game where I simply either had to stop because I was so engaged with it, or got really really into it to the point that I nearly fell off my chair. It's been a very long time since I had this feeling for a game to the point that I really do want to try and complete it in its entirety. The only games that I can think of in recent times that had a same or similar effect would have to be both Elden Ring and Hogwarts Legacy, both of which I have talked to death about. I love both dearly. As far as Star Wars games are concerned, I think this could easily be the best Star Wars single play experience we've ever gotten. It succeeds even the likes of KOTOR and KOTOR II, and both of those games respectively are great games, and I have a deep love for them. But even I have to admit that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor hits too many good notes for me not to consider it better and even better than a lot of recent releases. That sounds crazy to say, and maybe I'm overselling it a little bit, but this is genuinely not just a great game, but a great sequel, and well worth your time if you just didn't get what you wanted out of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. My Xbox app tells me that I'm sitting right around the 9 hour mark as far as gameplay time goes, but I don't think that's very indicative of where I am in the game because I spent a lot of time on the first real open planet that it's simply impossible to gauge where I am story wise. Let's just say I'm early on. But that leads into my next point of "holy **** there is a lot of stuff to do". And I want to add to that by saying that this isn't like Assassins Creed or games like that where the collecting aspect gets stale or boring. In fact, each time I have gone off the beaten path, the reward has always been worth it. Whether it's a really cool cosmetic for Cal and BD, or a health upgrade. I'd say going everywhere you can on the maps is a good idea. The cosmetics are really nice too and adds a nice individuality to your character instead of looking like everybody else's version of Cal. You can have a beard and long hair if you want, or just short crew cut and a beard. The choice is yours once you find the cosmetics that you like. In those 9 hours of playtime, I have also taken a lot of screenshots. Simply because I want to be able to look back at this post once I finish the game and just be able to see visually what I saw and how the game progressed. Lemme tell ya though, these screenshots don't do the game justice. It is absolutely beautiful and really should be played on your own time. But these will just give you another good idea as to what the game looks like. Keep in mind I've had literally no performance or graphical issues aside from the occasional hiccup. The images below contain minor spoilers https://i.imgur.com/rojYiav.png https://i.imgur.com/Dy1hYue.png https://i.imgur.com/RZtPmrr.png https://i.imgur.com/92oMzJp.png https://i.imgur.com/gQuwPA3.png https://i.imgur.com/63oHhvX.png https://i.imgur.com/Y4Szje0.png As you can see, I'm having an absolute blast with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Had you told me that this game would be quickly one of my favorites a few years ago when they were slightly teasing bringing back the single player Star Wars experience, I probably would've laughed. But from the get go, even with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, I enjoyed the game despite it having some obvious flaws. I'm not too overly critical on games in general, but I can usually tell if a game wins or loses, and I would be surprised if this game in particular is not up for some kind of award. It would definitely take my choice for game of the year despite having said that about Hogwarts Legacy earlier this year. Hey, I didn't know this game would be this good. I haven't had this much fun with a game since Elden Ring, Hogwarts, and even Breath of the Wild to an extent. Which, speaking of which, I am all prepared for Tears of the Kingdom, I just need to wait for release day. Until then, I'm going to finish everything I can in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor before I truly let it go. Play this damn game, it's ****ing great. |
Hey Ki did your oled tears of a kingdom switch arrive yet?
I got mines in the mail on May 4th. |
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Full Review
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Full Review A word of caution: There will be massive spoilers in terms of gameplay and story so if you are not interested in having the game spoiled for you, I do not recommend reading on. However if you are curious of my overall thoughts of the game now that I have officially completed it, read onwards Well, I have done it. I have completed the main story of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and now it is time to finally give this game a full review and give my final thoughts on what I think of it as a whole. And what do I think? Well, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a ****ing amazing game and should be played by anybody who is either a fan of Star Wars, a fan of the Star Wars Jedi series, or just a fan of gaming in general. There are many reasons that attributed to me basically giving this game an 11/10 as my final score. I'll be going into those reasons here in this review, but yes, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gets an 11/10 score from me. Long story short, this game exceeded every expectation I had for it and threw in some more to make game even sweeter. We're talking amazing gameplay, platforming, landscapes, everything. If you look at the positive reviews for this game, you'll see that what I'm saying is not too farfetch'd. And as you've seen from the past few posts of Jedi Survivor that I put up during my time with it, you can already see the positive momentum of this game and how it was honestly really easy to want to keep playing it. When I looked at the stats of my gameplay, I came in at about 21 hours which is pretty standard based on what I've seen from other reviews. You'll see a lot of the end game screenshots at the end of this post, but let's get into the story for a little bit. First things first, I did really enjoy the story and the overall feel of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I felt that Cal Kestis had a really good introduction as a character in a new game series, but I didn't come out of the game thinking that the potential was fully met for the game. Not saying Fallen Order is any sign of negative in any way. In fact, it's quite a fantastic game in its own merits, but now that I have a game like Jedi Survivor to compare it to, it's hard to really recommend playing it again now that I have experienced Jedi Survivor in its entirety. We basically find Cal being captured early on, but soon realize that he can't be help captive for long, and we meet a new character in the form of Bode, who throughout 95% of the game, is leading us on to believe that he is one of the good guys. Though as we find out at the end of the game, Bode turns out to also be a dark Jedi capable of giving Cal a good whooping, which in turn leads to Bode being the final boss in the game. And perhaps it's my experience with Elden Ring and fighting those bosses and learning how to take them down, I didn't have too terrible of a time with Bode as a final boss or any of the bosses in the game for that matter. What we'll get to next is why that is, and it all boils down to gameplay. But basically, as you fly throughout the galaxy, you bring back together your team from the previous game minus Cere whom we later find out is also aiming for the same overall goal as we are, to find a safe haven in Tanaloor. At the same time, we are also met with an unexpected though very welcome romance between Merrin and Cal, and simultaneously seeing Cal struggle with his feelings for her and also his feeling towards attachments in general. Jedi are not allowed to form bonds. However, in this case, we are in a time where there is no more Jedi Order so there's even more disconnect between his connection to typical Jedi ways and going with his own feelings. Fortunately, we do later find out that he does give into his feelings for Merrin and we see more of a romantic connection between the two. And honestly, it doesn't feel too forced or anything of the sort. It feels natural as they are two lone survivors with a similar past, and they wrote Merrin in such a way that she feels strong connections towards those she connects with, so the connection between herself and Cal just feels more natural given that they are both very emotional characters. All the other characters like Dagan Gera, and the other bosses were also very well written, and much like the show Andor, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor truly made me feel for the characters throughout the entire game. Even if they offered little assistance to you, they still shined and the entire cast should be proud of how they created such a story that elicits such emotion through a game. The cutscenes also just add to this even further as you'll see in the screenshots later, but god damn there were moments where I was just sitting back in my seat sort of in awe of what I was watching. At times, it honestly felt like I was watching something that was meant for a TV show or even theaters. Hell, I'd love to see Cal Kestis as a character being written into a movie. I'm sure it would be fantastic. All in all, we do succeed in making it to Tanaloor accompanied by Kata, Bode's daughter, Merrin, and Greez. Cere unfortunately gets struck down by Darth Vader later on in the game. I enjoyed the story and thought it was very excellently written and again, all the characters that were in the game were very well thought out and had good scripts to accompany them. An overall great story that lends itself to a really great sequel. Seeing as they are expecting this to be a trilogy, I'm excited to see what they can come up with with another sequel. No doubt it'll be amazing. Enough about the story, let's talk about the gameplay. When I made previous posts about Jedi Survivor, I also talked endlessly about the gameplay, but the reason for that is simply because the gameplay is just so so so good. It took everything that made Jedi Fallen Order great and just boosted it by like 500% and consistently throughout the entire game, I felt satisfaction in how they managed the level designs with platforming sections and combat sections. The combat was simply the most satisfying it's ever been in a Star Wars game and it really makes me feel like I did when I figured out the combat for Marvel's Spider-Man for Playstation 4. From the boss fights down to just taking down swarms of stormtroopers, the combat mixed with the new stances and skill trees really allowed the gameplay to shine bright overall. There were very few moments where I couldn't figure out what to do or how to progress and that was simply because something was just out of frame or a command didn't show up properly. Otherwise, traversing the landscapes and levels and dungeons and figuring out the puzzles weren't terribly difficult, but I did have moments where I had to sit back and sort of look at the puzzle and figure it out, which I eventually did. Overall everything just feels massively improved from the predecessor which is obviously what you want out of a sequel. But Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is not just a sequel, it's a great sequel. And aside from it being that, it is also a great game that really warrants at least one playthrough if you're curious of it. If you're not interested in playing Fallen Order beforehand, they do give you a pretty nice recap as to what transpired during the time in that game, but experiencing it first hand is always better, obviously. To each their own. And while I know I'm writing this review having not had any performance issues whatsoever, it is still rather unfortunate that PC players are not able to get the same experience because honestly, it is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played on my Xbox and on top of that, just plays so smooth and really allows the game to feel alive throughout. Whether you're going through a small tunnel or riding on the backs of creatures to traverse the land before you, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor makes the game far larger than its predecessor, but the things that make the games interesting is not lost in this big space. In fact, I'm sure I'll be going back to the game at some point to finish exploring the maps and collecting everything. However, the new Zelda will be coming out in a couple days, so I won't have time. But, it is on my to do list, so Jedi Survivor is not entirely finished yet. I mentioned before writing this review that I'm giving the game an 11/10, and I want to explain further as to why. I usually don't rate games that low unless it's an overall poor experience. My average for rating games sits right around the 7/10 and 8/10 range. So, basically it doesn't take much to impress me with video games. However in this case, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was not only worth of a 10/10 but it exceeded all my expectations much in the same way that Middle Earth: Shadow of War did when it came out. It's just so good that it's hard to put simply how good I think this game is. And it's been pretty well received other than the obvious PC port issues. I hope I made it pretty obvious in this review that I think Star Wars Jedi: Survivor overall is a great game, but if it wasn't entirely obvious at this point, I'm probably going to conclude this with the added thought that this game will be in my top 5 favorite gaming experiences of all time now that I have finished it. I haven't been this excited to write a review for a game since I wrote my review for Breath of the Wild, and with Tears of the Kingdom soon coming, you'll probably see another full review in the same respect as this one and the one for Breath of the Wild. I'm happy with my experience with Jedi Survivor but I definitely will miss playing it. I really enjoyed the story and the gameplay and everything just allowed for a really nice feeling overall that it's the kind of game that just doesn't come by too often. And when it does, you want to enjoy it as much as you can. I will miss it, but I enjoy it as much as I feel I wanted to. Highest recommendation. |
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