2020 Nintendo Switch Year in Review – Pope
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Animal Crossing: Day 5
StandardThat Racoons are at it again. Little Timmy and Tommy are hard pressed for cash. You see, in order to grow their business, they need some of your bells. Or more specifically, they need resources to help grow their empire. Resources such as:
- 30 Wood
- 30 Softwood
- 30 Hardwood
- 30 Iron Nuggets
The wood we can get, no problem. It’s just a matter of shaking some trees over a day or two. The Iron Nuggets though, we’ll be hitting the rocks for a few days or more!
Nothing like rock hitting… hitting the rocks… and all that jazz.
Animal Crossing: Day 4
StandardWith winter around the corner, I’m starting to stock up. I’ve been purchasing things such as:
- A snuggly blanket
- A mug, for all my coffee needs.
- A bottom warmer. No need to freeze when your ruling the kingdom.
And best of all:
- An axe
Now hear me out. I am a pretty hairy dude. The axe is perfect for some late night trimming, if you know what I mean. I can trim with the axe… and I can even cut down some trees if I want to.
Whack a tree three times, you’ll find your pockets full of useful stuff like:
- Wood
- Softwood
- Hardwood
Whack a tree four times, and your tears will start to flow. Goodbye tree.
Animal Crossing – Day 3
StandardA day in the life of an Animal Crossing Star is something like this:
- Running Around
- Hitting Trees 3 Times, Collecting Whatever Falls
- Gathering Fruit
- Running Around
- Finding Fossils
- Fishing On The Beach
- And Might I Add, Running Around
While it may not be easy, living the life of a superstar, I do it. I do it because I spent $55 on this game.
Animal Crossing – Day 2
StandardI didn’t sleep much last night. Hard to sleep on an island full of strangers.
Tom Nook says that today is the day. Today is the day that we are now on synced time. This means that everything that we do is done in real time. Real time? Of course everything is done in real time! I am not sure Nook is up to task on running the island. All in good time though.
Also, I met Bozo (a sports loving nut) and Ms. Put-in-Pockets (a grifter). I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of them, so I’ll put on my best game face.
Animal Crossing – Day 1
StandardI’m here, on the island. Running around, gathering sticks, pulling weeds, living like a partially deranged madman. Sure, I guess I could go home. But home would entail mucking it up with a raccoon in order to get my money back and procure transport. Having now seen the bill just to get here, I can’t imagine the small fortune required to get home. Guess I’ll just stick out… for now.
July 2020 in Review
StandardI feel like I’ve been all over the map this month. July 2020 has been all about:
- Turning 39 year old / celebrating my birthday
- Playing all the games
- Continuing to read Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer (70%)
- As part of my reading through the Bible in a year plan, I read/finished: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Ecclesiastes, Titus, Philemon, and Jude
- And a sinus infection that won’t go away
Tabitha and Wyatt bought me Paper Mario: The Origami King for my birthday. So most of my gaming time has been spent working my way through an origami world with Mario. I’m loving the tight writing and unexpected moments of pure Nintendo delight.
Wyatt and I have been playing Injustice: Gods Among Us a bunch. Nothing like Superman kicking the snot out of Superman.
With some of my birthday money, I picked up:
- Battlefield 1
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- Doom (2016)
I should note that Paper Mario has been consuming my gaming time, so I haven’t given much time to the above games. Soon though.
As a family, we have played a bunch of Throw Throw Burrito (think of the classic game Spoons but with a burrito war/fighting element where you chuck a burrito at fellow players. This game is super fun!
We also had a chance to sit down and play Disney Villainous, which I also got for my birthday. I like how you have your own character board/objective to complete while you also get to mess with fellow villains. Tab beat Wyatt and I with the Queen of Hearts (Wyatt played Captain Hook; I played Prince John). I can’t wait to play again.
My biggest project of all, this month, has been replacing all of the interior doors in the house. After this past weekend, I’m down to 4 doors needing to be replaced.
What have you been playing lately?
Let me know in the comments below.
Press Start – Paper Mario: The Origami King
StandardTab and Wyatt bought me Paper Mario: The Origami King for my birthday. I have enjoyed what I have played so far.
Press Start – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All
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This week, I picked up the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy on the Nintendo Switch. Tab and I love this courtroom drama series filled with over the top characters and entertaining word play. We decided to start with the second game in the trilogy, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All, as Tabitha had already completed the first game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS), long ago.
Last night, we completed Episode 1: The Lost Turnabout.
Note how the witness reacts when accused. Nothing abnormal to report here.
This first episode turned out to be a sad story of someone being killed just because of their uniform. Spoilers. 🙂
On My Radar – Paper Mario: The Origami King
StandardI think I found my birthday present.
On My Radar – Yoku’s Island Express
StandardPicked up Yoku’s Island Express, for $6.50, via the Nintendo eShop. I’m looking forward to some pinball platforming and postal delivery.
Review: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends
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Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, developed by Taito, is a game all about dragons! Bubble blowing dragons, that is. Whether playing in single player mode or couch co-op (up to 4 players), players navigate their cute dragons through a series of stages that feature:
- Bubble Combat – As a bubble spewing dragon, you can trap your enemies in bubbles. Said bubbles can then be popped in an effort to gain combos, which increase your score.
- Bubble Platforming – Why use bubbles just to trap enemies when you can use them to reach new heights? Bubble Bobble 4 Friends allows you to create your own bubble platforms, which your dragon can use to float upon.
- E-X-T-E-N-D Bubbles – While traversing stages, you can collect lettered E-X-T-E-N-D bubbles individually. Acquired letters grant your dragon upgraded bubble powers such as lightning and bomb bubbles.
The Good
- Controls are simple and easy to use.
- Being able to create a bubble to ride on, bubble platforming, is a neat gameplay mechanic.
The Bad
The decision to create a couch co-op game, where players share a single life pool. As a father who plays games with his son, I can say that life sharing is a massive no-no in a multiplayer game. Thankfully, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends overcomes this bit of ugly design with unlimited continues. The catch though is that if you decide to continue, you will lose all points earned up until that point in the game. This is not a game killer, for me, but could be for the casual audience this game seems to be aiming for.
Note: Wyatt reminds me that invincibility also becomes an option when you’ve died too many times against enemies/bosses.
The Ugly
- Anytime a player gets hit, they are put into a bubble and their dragon starts crying out for help, “Help me!” This cry drove Wyatt and I nuts! I am thankful that the developers thought to include a way to turn down the voices in the options menu.
- Length of game versus game’s cost seem at odds with each other. However, a downloadable content expansion will be released later this year that could help with game length.
Once upon a time…
…there were dragons. Cute, cuddly, dragons who threw up bubbles from their mouths. They didn’t lick things like a Yoshi. Instead, they captured/tortured their enemies with clean, clear, bubbles. The End.
Wait, I mean, this is not the end. But in the end, Wyatt and I played quite a bit of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends. The entire time we were playing, we kept thinking the game reminded us of a Kirby game. Maybe it has something to do with the overall design aesthetic? I am not sure. But for us, we couldn’t get past comparing Bubble Bobble 4 Friends to Kirby Star Allies (see our review here). You see, we’d much rather be playing Kirby Star Allies.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends isn’t necessarily a bad game but an okay game. One we both agree we won’t be playing any further. Good night and goodbye sweet dragons.
3/5 – While we love the unique bubble platforming mechanic, we believe there are better co-op games to play than Bubble Bobble 4 Friends.
THE END FOR REAL!!
Title: Bubble Bobble 4 Friends*
Developer: Taito
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch
MSRP: $39.99
Review by Bryan and Wyatt Hall
*Bubble Bobble 4 Friends was reviewed using a code provided by PR Hound.
On My Radar – Good Job!
StandardThis looks like a fantastic distraction! You can read more about Good Job! here.
On My Radar – Hidden Through Time
StandardPress Continue – Ori and the Blind Forest
Standard10 minutes here… 15 minutes there.
I have been slowing working my way through Ori and the Blind Forest on the Nintendo Switch. What I’m loving is how I can make a small amount of progress, save my game, and then come back to it later.
As of this week, I have made it to the Forlorn Ruins. The game is now throwing upside down/gravity platforming mechanics into the mix. I can’t wait to play more.
What have you been playing?
On My Radar – The Red Lantern
StandardThis looks fantastic! An adventure with Aloy (Ashly Burch), some doggos, and the wilds of Alaska. Check out the trailer below.
All I can say is if a bear does indeed try and touch one of my dogs, my fury will come forth as a raging volcano. A fury that will not just end with one bear’s death, but all the bears deaths… for all time.
From Across the Net – “Ori and the Blind Forest – Walkthrough Part #4”
StandardI’ve been stuck in Ori and the Blind Forest for awhile now. Videos like this one from GamersPrey make me thankful for the modern era we live in.
Turns out I mis-read the level design and was supposed to progress where I thought I was being blocked. Silly me.
In the Shadows of Fortnite
StandardLast November, Tabitha and I were struggling through the Fortnite craze with Wyatt. At the time, I penned a blog post that opened with this:
“I feel caught between being a parent and a gamer. Caught between my son loving Fortnite and me seeing the game for what it is, exploitative. I find myself fighting the urge to erase the game from my house. To pretend that Fortnite does not exist and funnel Wyatt towards games that are not built upon:
- The addictive free-to-play foundations of games such as Candy Crush and Clash of Clans. Games that are built to encourage consumers to spend real life money to advance/keep playing. Pay-to-win, children!
- Female characters designed to be objectified/sexual eye candy.
- A non-stop gameplay loop.
- An in-game store that creates an artificial need to buy skins (think: clothing/costumes) and items that will expire within an arbitrary time limit.
I can feel my parents surging within me, screaming, “JUST PULL THE PLUG!” But I’m trying to push through that deep rooted feeling. I’m trying to like Fortnite for my son; I’m trying to parent through it.”
I wrote much more than what I’m sharing above. The Fortnite post was up, on this site, for a couple of hours until I removed it. Not that I disagreed with anything that I had written, but I realized that the game had changed.
There comes a point, in parenting, where you need to work through things on your own. I realized that I was painting myself, as a parent, into a corner. Failing to realize:
- That my attitude towards Fornite might change in the future.
- That one day Wyatt might discover my blog and read what I have written about him.
- That I want to be careful with how I represent my son online.
- That some things are best worked out as a family. Privately.
Yes, we struggled as a family through Fortnite. I know many of you did. But me writing that unpublished blog post made me re-think how I blog about myself and my family. Not everything that happens in our homes, with our kids, needs to end up online.
Distracted Gaming
StandardI don’t know about you, but I have been all over the place with video games as of late. Bouncing between:
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- SteamWorld Heist
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
- Wolfenstein II – The New Colossus
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
I’ll race through a cup in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and then play a level or two in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Following that up with a couple hours of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and then a level of SteamWorld Heist. I feel like a kid at a buffet who keeps dashing between food items… and deep down I know that I just want to get a single plate of corn fritters (deep-fried cream-corn goodness).
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Wolfenstein II – The New Colossus, and Horizon Zero Dawn all equal games that require time to get into the games head-space; time to feel out the game’s rhythms and core gameplay loop. I have found myself attracted lately to games that can be played in quick bursts. Racing a cup (4 races) in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes 10-15 minutes, count me in! Destroying Wyatt in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (more likely the other way around), I’m there!
Gets me thinking about the larger list of games I have laying around, waiting to be continued. Games such as:
- God of War – I played for a few hours and liked what I played.
- Anthem – Picked up for $5. Played the first mission. It’s okay.
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Have sunk at least 10 hours into.
- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Have sunk 15-20 hours into the game only to realize I need to stop and level up a bunch to progress.
- Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition – Wyatt and I have played towards the end of the second act and then quit. This game is dark, ya’ll! Even worse, boring?
- Hollow Knight – Have put in some time on this game… I keep getting lost… but I love the atmosphere.
- Ori and the Blind Forest – Same as Hollow Knight, I get lost which equals frustration.
So many games… so many worlds… so many play styles… so many experiences waiting to be had. But, right now, I keep gravitating towards the games that allow me the maximum amount of gameplay for my time. I’m not looking for deep video game experiences. But I would love to settle down with a plate of corn fritters soon.. and maybe Ni No Kuni II… and Destiny 2: Forsaken… does it end?
How about you, do you ever feel like you are bouncing from one game experience to the next?
