What I've Been Playing: Vol. 2

The Cafe Archive
There haven't been many new games to play lately, but that hasn't stopped me.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Fun fact: near as I can tell, Greez (the little alien dude) never uses the pistol in the entire game.
I wanted so badly for this game to be good. Luckily, it is! I am not that into Star Wars and frankly I like the tv shows more than the books – thankfully, Fallen Order lands closer to the latter than the former. Its plot isn't mind-blowing by any means, and the lack of fast-travel options is frustrating later on, but it's a solid game that apes on lots of other games and mixes them together into a familiar and enjoyable blend. Taking the posture-based combat of Sekiro and combining it with the exploration of a Metroid game and the platforming of a Tomb Raider game is not something I would have expected from a Star Wars game, of which what we've gotten since the Disney acquisition has been bland and boring. But surprisingly it all works. It's a game that doesn't outstay is welcome and never stops being boring, all the way up to the end. Even Blando Calrissian grew on me by the time I was finished. I recommend it!

#PS4sharehttps://t.co/jxDahTLWyBpic.twitter.com/G5AXz7kSik
— mintplaysthings (@mintplaysthings) November 18, 2019

Final Fantasy XIV

I'll never stop singing this game's praises, and the introduction of the Nier Raid is no exception. Lately though, I've given myself the goal of getting one Physical DPS, one Ranged DPS and one Magical DPS leveled up so I can run all three kinds whenever I want. I have Dancer up to 80, and am in the process of leveling Ninja. Right now I'm deciding between Black Mage and Summoner for my Magical DPS. Leveling hasn't been so bad. I'm not in any rush to get any of the classes leveled up quickly, so I log on, say hi to my Free Company, and hit the roulettes. So far I'm quite liking Ninja at level 46ish, though I'll need to check a guide for the rotation. I like classes that can do lots of support and utility, which it fits into nicely.

After I'm done with all that, I might get into healing again. Who knows!

Pokemon Sword

I almost didn't want to put this on the list because of how it's been an instant drama lightning rod lately, but this is my blog and I do what I want so whatever!!!

Speaking honestly: Pokemon Sword is a good Pokemon game. It's the furthest I've gotten into a Pokemon game since Ruby and Emerald. That being said: there's a lack of polish that I really wasn't expecting, on pretty much every level, from the weird pop-up to the awkward slow-downs to the fact that - and this is not a joke - you can see a mouse cursor flying by in the game's credits sequence. It's a great, functional game, but it's definitely no "Pokemon of the Wild," so to speak. I think the people who were hoping for something more have valid complaints, but I don't fault people for enjoying it, either. Will I buy the next one any time soon? Not until they shake up the formula, I don't think. I have the benefit of not having played much Pokemon in a very long time, which helps in that regard, but once I finish Sword, I think I'll have had my fill for another long while.

Smash Bros Ultimate

Terry is out, and he owns. He feels like a natural evolution of a character like Ryu, a fully integrated traditional fighting game character in a Smash Bros game. He hits hard, has lots of options, some extremely sick cancel combos, and just is a blast to play in general.

In terms of who I want next: 2B, as usual. Sora would also be cool, but feels unlikely. Shante? ...I don't know who else I'd want, to be honest. It feels like this game has everyone, but I'm sure Sakurai has more surprises in store.

pic.twitter.com/dXlxiHtHVz
— mintplaysthings (@mintplaysthings) November 18, 2019

What about you? Tell me what you've been playing, either here or on Mastodon at @eightbitsamurai! And if you like any of the stuff I write, please consider hitting up my Patreon or Ko-Fi! :)