Hey, Gamers! So, most of you have probably picked up on the fact that I’ve been pretty into Pokémon recently. I’m still struggling to put into words how much it means to me, but when I eventually do, that’ll be its own post. It’s something incredibly special to me. And those of you who have been around for a while might know that Josh is actually into the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG. He got me into it too (it’s actually how we started hanging out), but it’s always been his thing. Sure, I have cards that I’ve bought for myself and I’ve even attended a tournament (one of the worst experiences I’ve had with people, but that’s another story), but it was always Josh’s special interest. It was never something that I was interested in because I wanted to be, it was more because I wanted to share something with him and spend time with him. Josh likes Pokémon, he’s even the reason I even started watching Pokémon in the first place… but this is different. Pokémon is one of those things that I sit back and wonder how the hell I went my whole life without being completely immersed in it. Like, it’s a honest wonder how I went so long not being interested in it. I even had friends who loved Pokémon. Since Josh collects Yu-Gi-Oh cards and I wanted to immerse myself more into the world of Pokémon, I thought about it for about a week before deciding that I wanted to get into the Pokémon TCG. Maybe not so much the meta, I know a lot of TCGs are very much “I have money so I have the best cards”, and I’m not so much in it for that. I just want to collect something that I love and maybe play a few casual games with people if they’re interested. It was never going to be – and likely never will be – a serious collection. Like everything else on my blog, I just want to keep it casual.
So with that, after about a month on trying to look at what the best thing for me would be (and learning the game via Pokémon TCG Online), Josh and I allotted some money to it and took the plunge. I got a box, a binder and I think 2 booster packs because Josh picked up some Yu-Gi-Oh booster packs so I got some too.
The box I picked had Arceus on (I think I had just finished Shining Pearl and I believe we had watched all of the Sinnoh movies), as well as Charizard, Shaymin and Whimsicott. It was the Brilliant Stars ‘Build and Battle Stadium’, which came with two decks so Josh and I could battle right away. It came with a bunch of booster packs (I think it was 8), and I believe it was 40 energy cards.
I just wanted to do a little review for anyone who’s interested in the game the same way I am. I was really impressed by it and think it’s a great start to my collection. It was a great first purchase; I was lucky that I chose this as it meant that we could battle right away and I could also enjoy organising my cards into a really complicated system that fell apart the moment I got a new card. It was perfect for what I wanted, which was just a good starting point. I know my collection will likely never be as big as Josh’s Yu-Gi-Oh collection, or as impressive as the collections I’ve seen on Reddit… but it’s mine and it makes me happy. I’m excited at the prospect of advancing my collection now that I have started it.
I have since bought more Pokémon cards. I bought the Battle Academy that had the Pikachu, Cinderace and Eevee decks (although I’d just call it a dark deck that was missing an Umbreon) and the Astral Radiance Elite Trainer box (the one with Darkrai). I got my first V Star card from the Elite Trainer box, which was Husuian Typhlosion. The feeling that I have when I get new Pokémon cards is something I hadn’t previously experienced. I even get excited when I get a duplicate. It makes me so happy and excited.
I wanted to add a personal note to this post, for those who want to know. Josh and I have been together for nearly 5 years now, but I feel like I’ve began to understand him better. His love for Yu-Gi-Oh is always something I’ve… accepted and I thought I understood it, but since I’ve started playing Pokémon TCG, it’s like I understand him on a whole new level. I feel like it’s made us closer and it’s… nice. I like it a lot.
But that’s it for this post, Gamers! The next post should be the June update, and it’s a big one because we played a whole lot in June. Remember to like this post if you liked it, follow this blog for more gaming content, check out my socials to be social and come chat with Josh and I on Twitch when we stream @2nerds_1game (everything should be linked somewhere). See you next post, Gamers!
Hey, Gamers! Welcome back to my series where I defend things that most people feel like they didn’t need defending but I’ve heard bad stuff about, so I go on the defensive. I’ll link my other two posts at the end of this one, just in case anyone reading this is interested in the defence of Jaehee’s route from Mystic Messenger or Haru Okumura from Persona 5. Doubtful, but I’ll still do it. This post will cover Yakuza 3. Yes, instead of defending branches of games or a character from a game, I am jumping straight into defending a full game from a pretty well-known franchise. I thought this was a good idea until I started writing, but now I’m realising the issues. We’re still doing this because of course we are. Let’s go!
For reference, I’m a new Yakuza player. I started with 0 back in 2021, then Kiwami took me a super long time to complete, then I feel like Kiwami 2 took me longer but then I walked into Yakuza 3 fully expecting my journey with this series to end. I can tell you right now that this did not happen. I’m currently playing Yakuza 4. My partner has played all of the Yakuza games apart from the ones that were not brought out in the West (so including Judgment, but not Ishin). He’s going to check over this post before I post it… just because I know if I say something wrong, I’ll get attacked and quite frankly, I’d rather Josh make fun of me for the rest of my life than some random people on the internet in one comment. Regardless, my start to the Yakuza series was clearly modernised. That’s why I was so worried about 3. When I finished Kiwami 2, I went on the subreddits and all I saw was about blocking. The blocking is so bad, the normal enemies’ blocking is ridiculous, Majima is the most difficult boss fight… that’s all I can remember.
There are far worse things in Yakuza 3 than the blocking- like the chase sequences!
Okay, okay. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: blocking. Yeah, it’s annoying. But it’s not like in the Dragon engine where Kiryu spends like 5 seconds recovering from the shock that someone dared block him. To be completely honest with you, I barely noticed the difference in terms of gameplay. Even when it comes to Majima’s boss fight… it’s not as bad as it’s made out in the community. Yakuza 3 is not the worst Yakuza, and the ones who believe it is are clearly getting more frustrated about the gameplay and are ignoring the story.
Because you know what? Yakuza 3’s story is probably my second favourite so far, just behind Yakuza 0 (because Majima is my favourite character and therefore 0 will probably always be my favourite). It’s beautifully written, complimented by the side stories that the Yakuza games are known for and some that carry over from previous games. It’s a wonderfully crafted masterpiece that deserves some respect for what it is.
The Yakuza series is an old one. Whatever game they didn’t remake would automatically be seen as the ‘worst’ just because it’s the oldest and in this case, it’s not really fair. I know there’s always some people who will comment that they always thought Yakuza 3 was great, but from my experience in the community, they’re usually the quieter ones (or just drowned out by the love for Yakuza 0 and other, newer games). Just because there are newer, cleaner, better-looking games, that doesn’t mean the game is bad. It just means it’s old. Bad is not old, it’s just bad.
Of course there are bad parts of every game… like the chase sequences. But in Yakuza 3, the bad parts aren’t prevalent enough to overshadow the good parts. Yes, the combat is blocky but it’s a Yakuza game. The combat is such a prevalent part of the game that you get used to it… as long as you are willing to adapt. I know that might sound weird, saying the bad parts aren’t prevalent enough to be a big thing and then saying that the combat is a vital part of the game. It’s almost like the combat isn’t a bad part of this game… because it’s not. It’s just something you have to adapt to. I know that adapting to new things can be tiresome and frustrating (as an autistic person, I get very easily frustrated when I have to change my playstyle for the game I’m playing, so I get it) but when the game is as good as Yakuza 3 is, it’s worth it. It’s completely worth at least trying to adapt. The story is phenomenal.
I think that’s really my main point. If a game’s story is good enough, trying to adapt to the older gameplay is 100% worth it. In the case of Yakuza 3, the story is worth it. The characters are great, the story is well-paced and the side stories are as hilarious as always.
The Majima boss fight happens pretty early in the game. If you’re used to Yakuza games, even newer games, you’ll be fine. Yes, it’s hard but it’s a boss fight- it’s not meant to be easy. It might be annoying, and it might take you a couple of times. I’m not particularly good at these games; my biggest problem was that I didn’t think about getting healing items before it. So, get some good healing items and you’ll be golden. It’s not the hardest or most annoying boss fight in the series (in my opinion), there are at the very least equally difficult and annoying bosses than Majima in Yakuza 3.
But the fact that the Majima boss fight is so early in Yakuza 3 kinda helps you to adapt to the game. It helps you “get ready” for the blocky regular enemies. They’re not half as bad as the Majima boss fight that wasn’t as bad as everyone says it is, so it’s fine, right? There are so many enemies in Yakuza games that randomly make you fight them; you get used to it. It’s such a big part of the Yakuza games that when you really get into it, it’s fine. Especially after the Majima boss fight. I fully believe that the Majima boss fight was strategically placed to help people get used to the combat of the game. By the time his second boss fight comes around – still early on in the game – you’re used to the combat. He goes crazy defensive, yeah, but it’s not like there are little to no openings there. I repeat, there are much more annoying things in the Yakuza series than either of Majima’s boss fights in Yakuza 3. Majima everywhere, for one (that being said, I enjoyed Majima everywhere sooo).
I feel like this post has gone from “defending Yakuza 3” to “it’s fine, just play it, trust me, ok?” and while that wasn’t the intention, it’s hard to defend a full game to people that might not have played it. This game is so special and the idea of people being put off it because it’s the oldest without a remake makes me sad.
Lastly, let’s just take a second to appreciate this game for what it is. Yakuza 3 came out in 2009, on the PS3. That’s 13 years ago, and two console generations ago. It was the first Yakuza game to have Karaoke – a mini game that has become an iconic part of the series, to the point where people who haven’t played a Yakuza game still know Yakuza karaoke songs – , it brought so much of what we love about Yakuza games to the Yakuza series. I repeat and will continue to repeat: old does not mean bad. Talking about what it is now, though, is just as important in this conversation. Yakuza 3 is the bridge between Kiwami 2 and Yakuza 4. Kiwami 2 was made in the Dragon engine (maybe not the best use of the Dragon engine, but it’s still a huge difference) and Yakuza 4 came out in 2010, again on the PS3. The jump between PS3 and PS4 games are massive and should never be overlooked. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone complain about the combat in Yakuza 4 because it’s such an improvement on the combat in Yakuza 3; I’ve not long started playing it and I already see so many quality of life improvements. But we see those improvements because we have Yakuza 3 and not Kiwami 3. They were never going to remake up to Yakuza 5, because each game has so many quality of life improvements that there is no point. Yakuza 3 is just the game that drew the short end of the stick. It’s a bridge game, but it’s still such a great game in itself and that should be talked about more.
That’s it for this post, Gamers! If you liked this post, give it a like. Follow this blog for more gaming content. Check out my socials if you want to be social. Remember that Josh and I stream over on Twitch @2nerds_1game (linked on my homepage) if you want to watch something chaotic. See you next post, gamers!
Hey, Gamers! This post is a very personal one, but I wanted to write it anyway. If you’ve been following this blog for just over a year, you might remember that around last May… I was going through some rough stuff. My own mental health has never been great, my dad’s health decreased and I had so many deadlines as well as huge changes coming up. Everything seemed unmanageable. After I got through it all, I wrote a post about the game that helped me. That post will be linked at the end of this one, but that game was Stardew Valley. It’s such a simple game; usually, I would hate it. I like being told what to do in games. I like story, I like just knowing what’s going on. After getting over 180 hours in the space of a month, I quickly got burnt out after finishing the community centre. This post is about going back to Pelican Town after that burn out.
But Josh (of course, all of my stories start with Josh) started watching a bunch of Stardew Valley stuff on YouTube. He started playing it again (not much, but enough to get me thinking about it). One day, I decided “you know what? I am relatively stable right now. I might as well check on the chickens,” and with that, I got on my Switch and opened Stardew Valley for the first time in months.
I will mention that I did very briefly go on SV a few months after the aforementioned burn out… but just looking at all my crops gave me anxiety. I assumed that this was why I stopped playing and moved on with my life, assuming that while Stardew Valley got me through a tough time, it wasn’t for me during my ‘normal’ life. Jokes on me, nothing about my life has ever been normal, and I was very mentally ill at the time so spilling some milk would have made me cry, never mind over 100 crops.
What an experience it was.
Just before giving up Stardew Valley (unofficially, of course), I had decided to get the all bachelor/ bachelorette 10 heart event thing. Despite getting down with all of the candidates, I had decided that 1) I will never marry Shane again and 2) I will go for Penny. Penny was so sweet and I wanted to get her far away from Pam. I didn’t feel this way going back to it, though. Instead, it was Elliot who caught my eye. I know Shane, Harvey and Sebastian are the usual candidates for most people, but I think this time around, I appreciated Elliot more. I’ve recently started writing fiction again, taking it seriously for the first time in a very long time and I aspire to be able to just go to a small, peaceful place and just write. It’s a luxury very few authors are able to afford, and the fact that Elliot has this is appealing to me. Not only that, but Elliot is so chill. Since we’re both writers, I can’t help but think of the wonderful conversations we could have, fuelled by our passions and our own worlds that we created. It just seemed so much more idealist to me than any of the other romance options. I first married Shane because he reminded me of Josh when we first got together. I now realise that… we’ve been together for nearly 5 years. I’m not looking back at the early days when I was the only person that he would talk to with awe. What I am happily looking back at is the 2am talks about video games and how he questions my ideas instead of letting me just ramble without listening. The validating moments when I’m talking about a character that I created and he stops me to make sure he’s thinking of the right one. The times when we have in detail discussions about pokemon and the eco-system in the pokemon world. The times when he rambles on and on about a game that I haven’t played but I know the plot of because he’s rambled about it so much that it’s stuck in my forgetful brain. The times when I’m talking about my favourite thing in the world and he corrects me. There’s a lot to look back on when it comes to Josh, but a lot of it is not when he was an arrogant idiot who thought it was cool to not have friends. It’s all about how he’s been since that façade dropped, and I think that’s where I went wrong in Stardew Valley. This whole time I thought Josh was like Shane. No, my Josh is like Elliot. Not everyone’s cup of tea; he can be stand-offish but he’s an absolute genius and he challenges me and encourages me and I really think Elliot would do the same. I mean, as much as I can think about a simple character from a farming game doing. I was so wrong at first, and now that I’ve realised that, I’m thinking of starting the game all over again so I can do it right. Elliot was so hard to find, so I left him until last and glossed over him. But Josh was also hard to find, and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time for him. I think Elliot is worth it.
Okay, romance and rambles about Josh over, time to talk about the real emotions. The first thing I did when I loaded my game is look over my farm (naturally). Something I didn’t notice in that very brief time that I went on Stardew Valley before this is that… all of my crops were watered. Every single outside crop was covered by a sprinkler. I cannot explain the relief and joy that I felt when I realised that. During my lowest point, I went out of my way to make things more manageable for myself. I’m the type of person that usually makes things harder for themselves, so this was a shock. I felt so… peaceful. I went around to pet all of my farm animals (and laugh because I had named all of the barn animals after UK politicians), I checked in the greenhouse and sold a bunch of stuff. I quickly picked up where I left off, which is something I never imagined myself doing.
I think that since I stopped playing, Stardew Valley has been a game that I always said that I’ll go back to it to 100% it, but I never had any real intentions of doing so. Finding the golden walnuts were what put me off doing that. But now, I find peace in the everyday activities that I would sometimes call boring. The only other example that I can think of that makes me feel the same way is Pokemon (because of course it’s Pokemon). When you’ve unlocked the national dex in the game and you have so many Pokemon to catch that you just… relax. You’ve beaten the game, it’s time to chill and catch what you catch. That’s exactly the same feeling I had with Stardew Valley. Obviously Pokemon is a new interest of mine, and it’s a special one (and I will be doing a post soon on why it’s so special), so I’m wondering if… if I hadn’t gotten into Pokemon, would I still be able to feel this peace? I guess we’ll never know the answer to that.
Walking into Pelican Town for the first time being back made me feel… nostalgic? I think that’s the right word. I remember how many hours I had spent, how many requests I had taken. I felt… I guess it kind of felt that I was home again. It was overwhelmingly emotional (especially considering we’re about to move in real life) and it just felt right. I think at first, I wasn’t planning on playing the game properly again. I was just going to go on it and then go straight back to Pokemon. But the second I walked into the town square, I knew I couldn’t leave.
I think the most important thing about Stardew Valley, for me, is that it made me feel needed. I’ve always had a problem dealing with my emotions when I felt like I wasn’t needed anymore. I’m the youngest of 3 girls so I wasn’t really needed growing up, but my parents did a great job when they were together at making me feel like I was needed and important. During the early years, I was the baby of the family and that was my role and I knew it well. I had to just sit there, be cute and get attention. I think as I grew older and my role became less clear, my emotions began to be unstable and as an undiagnosed autistic kid, I was a mess. Everyone assumed I was jealous, attention-seeking, everything. But really this whole time, I just wanted to feel important and to know what my role was. I think that’s a compartment of my relationship with Josh that’s pretty important and we don’t really talk about it. We are both super co-dependent on each other in different ways, and it works for us because we both need to feel needed and having each other is enough. But coming back to Pelican Town reminded me of that time last year when I felt utterly useless and like all I did was make things worse and how these NPCs literally kept me going. They always made me feel so needed and wanted and loved, and that was what I needed at the time. I thought I was fine without it after I stopped playing, but when I went back to it… I felt more needed than I have in months. I felt helpful. I felt wanted. These feelings are incredibly difficult for someone with mental illness.
On reflection of this post, I do know that I need to go to therapy instead of using gaming to cope with absolutely everything in life… and I am moving to get that therapy. I don’t usually like to state what’s going on in my life as it’s happening but I’ve decided that I need more mental health support than can be provided in my county, so I’m moving back to where we used to live because the support is significantly better there. I wanted to include this in this post because it’s insanely obvious that I need actual therapy here and I didn’t want all the comments to be about that.
But that’s it for this post, Gamers! Do you have any experiences like this? Let me know in the comments! Follow this blog for more gaming content (I’ve just planned the next month and I’m super excited for you guys to read them!), follow my socials to be social and follow us on Twitch to check our streams. See you next post, Gamers!
EDITING NOTE: Today we hit 50K views! I just wanted to add a quick note to this post to thank each one of you that visits my blog, likes my posts and even comments. You all make my day. Thank you so much for your continued support, and I forever hope to become a better blog person for you guys. -Love, El.
Hey, Gamers! I did this post about a year ago, and it quickly became my most popular post. It’s what made me start to include Josh more in my blog posts. For any new people, Josh is my fiancé and he’s hilarious (in my opinion). He’s my favourite person in the world and I am so happy that you guys enjoyed the last post so much. I think I’m going to do these posts annually because he says some crackers. Without further ado, here is the list:
10) ‘Breaking News: Detective cannot work out how to open a door”- Judgment
9) ‘Why is Diego listed as a stand user? He’s not, he’s a dinosaur!”- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven
8) “You know what would be hilarious? If you go to fight the hydra after the second time, and as it does the slamming head attack you need it to do to attack it, it just whispered ‘you thought I was a hydra, but it was me, Dio!’” – Dark Souls
7) “Oh man, that guy’s still angry about yesterday… I don’t know what happened yesterday”- No Man’s Sky
6) “Just a few minutes, I’m doing a puzzle to prove to a talking statue that I’m worthy of becoming ding of za warudo”- Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
5) “The game doesn’t tell me who my target is… OH I KILLED HIM… oh… oh no… I’m dead” – Hitman 3
4) “I don’t want an authentic claw machine experience, I just want to win!” – Lost Judgment
3) “God isn’t meant to cheat!” Pokemon Legends Arceus
2) “I can’t believe it, I’ve been playing Elden Ring all day and I don’t even have the Platinum yet”- Elden Ring, at 19:37 on release day.
Okay so this one was unbelievable but trust me, it happened and I am still in shock.
1) “My turn… and I’m gonna play MAGICAL DIMENSION *pulls a Yugioh card out of absolutely no where*”- Pokemon TCG
And now for some ‘honourable mentions’.
“If I close my eyes and Imagine a shiny then it looks shiny” – Pokemon Brilliant Diamond
“Come at me Broseph… ow I got hit”- Pokemon Legends Arceus
“Let me check my hand… yeah, still pants… about as pants as Leon’s direction skills” – Pokemon TCG
“It’s not a Joshua Higgins Gen 4 run without an Unown box”- Pokemon Legends Arceus (I realise now that I could’ve pointed out that Legends is not Gen 4, but oh well).
“You are legally not allowed to attack me without my consent… now I consent to it”- Demon Souls
“Pro gamer tip- don’t be an idiot” – Bloodborne
“All it took was 86 life gems” – Dark Souls II, after beating Fume Knight
“I’m just a torso from a tor family” – No Man’s Sky (yes, it was sung) “What the hell is this, Sean?” No Man’s Sky (yeah, it was a glitch and he was yelling at the creator of the game who was not in the room) “No one wants help from their all powerful overlord”- No Man’s Sky
“Wait guys pots can’t move very fast!!!” – Dark Souls III (this is my personal favourite; it was said over voice chat with me and his brothers)
“Oh my god stop going into cream!”- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven
“As it turns out, drones can’t trigger the automatic doors to open… good to know” – Judgement
“Oh no! I’m being sucked!” – 10 second Ninja X
“Oh no, the panties are giving him power!” – Judgment (this was yelled when the window was open so this was the worst for me)
“Ah shit, that’s a bomb!” – Judgment (9/10, most quotable in our everyday life. Sometimes I just remember about it randomly and quote it 5 times a day for the next week because it’s funny and random)
So, that’s it for this post, Gamers! While it’s a short one, I hope that it made you laugh. I’ve been keeping these notes for the past year, and I did not want to get rid of my without posting about them because to me, this man is a comical genius when he doesn’t put any thought into it. Remember that Josh and I stream on Twitch (the link is on my homepage but it’s 2nerds_1game), so you can check out more of his one liners there. Check out my socials to stay updated (and follow me on my fiction writing journey). See you next post, Gamers!
Hey, Gamers! So I thought, since so many people are disappointed with how the 25th anniversary of Persona is being handled, that I would share my thoughts on what I would like from Atlus, if they were to pull things around and make fans happy. I know these things are probably unrealistic, and not everyone is going to agree but since this is my blog I thought I should share my thoughts somewhere.
For reference, Persona 5 was my main special interest for about 3 years. I’ve written a lot about it on my blog and I felt like it was ‘my thing’ for the longest time. I’ve tried playing older games (specifically Persona 3 FES) and spin offs (my copy of Q2 was Japanese so I can’t play it due to the region lock). I don’t have a lot of experience, and that is the main focus of most of this post because a lot of the games are inaccessible for a lot of people and I want to change that.
The main thing I want is a Persona 3 FES Remake. I’ve played bits of FES and Portable and I was enjoying FES until the controls became so annoying that I haven’t gone back to it (I was having a bad day and recognise it would probably be alright now but it’s an old game, guys). I’m fine with old games, but since they’ve made dancing games for 3 and 4 that are accessible on newer consoles, I don’t see why they can’t just remake Persona 3. That being said, I would honestly be okay with just a port. I only have access to Persona 3 FES because we have a PS3, which a lot of people don’t have so the only way they can really experience it is illegally. Fans do not want to do that, but if there’s no legal option for them, they’re going to look elsewhere. They clearly have the models for it, because Makoto and a bunch of personas from 3 are in Persona 5 Royal. But at the very least, a port would be nice.
Speaking of ports, let’s talk Persona 4 Golden. This game- the lack of a port for this game genuinely makes me angry. There’s now a fighting game and a dancing game on the PS4… spin-offs of a game that isn’t on that console. You see why it makes me mad, right? I don’t think I’m being irrational about this. They’ve shown that they have the ability to port it because it’s on PC. Why not just port it to PS4? Just a port, no changes. It just doesn’t make sense that they’re making new games based on a game that the majority of people who like the series cannot play it (this is based on the assumption that those who like the series have PlayStation 4, because the latest additions to the series have been on said console). It just doesn’t make sense that this isn’t already a thing.
Another thing I would like (and I know people are tired of Persona 5 but I’m not and it’s okay if you disagree) is Persona 5 being converted to other medias. For example, a novel. I really think that would be super cool. Maybe even a movie, since they have made movies of Persona games previously and Persona 5 was successful enough but most people don’t like the anime. I don’t think I want another Persona 5 game. I wouldn’t object to it, but I don’t feel like it’s necessary. Maybe a DLC would be nice, but that’s pushing it. Even if there was a huge DLC to add characters from Royal into Strikers, I just… feel like that’s unlikely considering the game is over a year old at this point. But yeah, I would totally love a movie or a book or something (I know there’s manga, but novels are paced differently and I prefer that).
Again, most of this stuff is unlikely to happen and I know that.
Lastly, let’s talk about Persona 6. I think we all expect it to be announced by the end of the year. I’m not convinced anymore. Every surprise announcement so far has been a let-down, and I doubt that they’re going to whip out Persona 6 at the end of it. I do feel bad at this point, because if they do announce Persona 6, there’s always going to be people who aren’t happy. I feel like whatever Atlus does right now, there’s always going to be someone with something negative to say. I hate contributing to that, and for the most part I don’t. I think the only thing I’ve previously been vocal about is the Persona 4 Golden situation because it makes me frustrated. But Persona 6 is going to be no different, I think. People aren’t going to want a new Persona game, they want new versions of old Persona games. And then when those old games don’t have the same values and morals that today’s society has, people are going to be mad about that. Personally, I would like Persona 6. I’d probably play it; I don’t think I’ll be attached to it the same way I’m attached to Persona 5 but that remains to be seen. I think it would be cool if they did something new.
So, that’s it for this post, Gamers! Do you have something you want from Atlus? Do you agree or disagree with what I want? Let me know in the comments below. Check out my socials to keep updated, and check out 2nerds_1game on Twitch to see Josh and I stream. See you next post!
EDIT UPDATE: Uh, I feel a little stupid posting this post now. For those who don’t know, we’re getting a PS5 port of Persona 5 Royal (unsure if this means an upgrade or just a port) as well as a port to PC and Xbox. Eventually, Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden will also be ported to these consoles, but we don’t have a release date yet. The fact that it’s Persona 3 Portable and not Persona 3 FES being ported is making me hopeful for a remake. I still wanted to post this post because there’s still things that Atlus haven’t revealed that I still want.
Hey, Gamers! Long time, no… write? University engulfed me in a massive research bubble so I didn’t really have time to do anything other than reading and writing my assignments. So, I didn’t do April but so little happened in April and May (because of the research bubble) that I think it would be okay to fit it in one post. I did not keep track, nor did I keep up with my bullet journal so this post is the most I’ve had to rely on my memory since January. And Josh’s memory, obviously (so there’s some hope for us, at least).
Elden Ring! Josh finished Elden Ring in April, and by finish I mean he got the Platinum trophy. He used his trial for PlayStation plus to upload his save file (he does have PS+ on his other account, but he plays on a different account). He says 10/10 wouldn’t do it again because it was ‘way too stressful’ but honestly, he probably would do it again. He has since mainly been doing PVP with his brothers. I believe they enjoy ‘ganking’ people. As for me, I decided to start Elden Ring again. I’m going to do a separate post about it but basically, I’ve replaced Yen with Ciri because Ciri has a sword. I haven’t played much because I haven’t had time, but I remember having a significant amount of issues in comparison to my original character. But hopefully, over the next month or so, I’ll be able to focus more on it.
The special game for April was Beyond Two Souls and I actually completed it. I really enjoyed it. It’s not too surprising considering how much I enjoyed Detroit: Become Human but I’m glad I got to play it because I don’t think I would’ve played it if it wasn’t my randomly picked special game. In the end, I chose life and I went to live with the group that Jodie was with when she was homeless. I do plan on playing it more and maybe even getting the Platinum trophy, but I’m satisfied with my one playthrough for now and the Platinum for Detroit: Become Human is something I’m already after but the games are similar enough that I wouldn’t want to try for both of the trophies at the same time.
Since we’re on the topic of special games, I might as well talk about May. It was, unfortunately, Spider-Man (PS4). I say unfortunately because I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to enjoy this game. But at the very end of the month, I did. I spent some time getting used to the controls, understanding the map and I am really enjoying it. This is one that I didn’t finish because I didn’t have the full month on, but I 100% plan on continuing to play. I’m not sure I’ll do the DLC’s but I want to at least finish the game. It might take me a couple of months, but I am enjoying it which is a different story from when I first tried playing this game.
Speaking of finishing games: I finally finished Yakuza 3. In the space between the last update post and this update post, I finished it and I cannot give you a more precise time. I’m going to do a post on it because I adored the story and I think it’s one of the best that I have played so far. One thing, though, is oh my gosh I wish Kiryu would let Haruka have a childhood instead of giving her all these responsibilities and dragging her to Tokyo because he thinks he’s going to die. Like, let the girl live. I know she’s responsible and mature for her age but she’s still a child. That is all, thank you for coming to my TED talk. Please let children have their childhoods. (Editing note: I will write a post about the big death in this game… I need some more time to process it first, though).
Since we’re on the Yakuza front, Josh finished the Kaito files in April. This was one of the things I did actually write down so what I write next will be directly from the interview I did when he finished the DLC: “it was fun. A bit short which y’know Kaito is one of the better characters in the Yakuza/Judgement franchise, so it’s sad that there isn’t more of him… #kaitofornextprotag. I think the story was pretty straightforward which I felt was a breath of fresh air because the stories in these games try to one up themselves in terms of twists but this one felt more down to earth. I think the story was quite compelling, like, it was good at making you feel a reason for actually carrying on which for how much these games drag on it can be hard to find the will to carry on sometimes. Kaito’s fighting styles were okay but they weren’t as fun as I thought they could’ve been because it’s only a DLC he only had two whereas Yagami had 2 with a 4th one added as DLC. His fighting styles were very clearly reused Kiryu Yakuza 0 fighting styles but they were different enough to be their own distinct thing. Kaito’s tank style had a unique thing that if you did a guard at the right time it would completely negate the damage and his brawler style would knock people back at the right time which was good but they were tricky to trigger. It didn’t have enough Hagashi in my opinion. All the characters you want to survive in the end survive, which is a nice change.” And then two days later, he talked about the difficulty being too easy and that he made the last boss more difficult by not using healing items. He said some stuff about colouring books, but I’m a bit confused about that so I won’t write it.
Another game that took up a lot of Joshua’s time was Cyberpunk 2077. Remember when he played Persona 5 and I hated it but he told me I would like it and then it became my favourite thing? Well, uh, we basically did a UNO reverse of that. We got Cyberpunk because I wanted it, I played it and all I could think of was ‘Josh is going to love this’ but then… he tried it and didn’t like it. He then tried it again and absolutely loved it. I think he has 85 hours, and that was (I think) just April because he did get burnt out because of it. He seemed to have a lot of fun. He loved Johnny. He got the ending where they joined the nomads and Judy went with them because Judy was his girlfriend (technically her girlfriend because he used female V for once) and Mitch survived but Saul died. I think it’s going to be a game he goes back to quite frequently, but he needs some time away from it to get over the burnout.
Josh also started Slay the Spire in April. He played it for a bit but got bored. It’s a fun game but not something he’s willing to dedicate a bunch of hours to. I am yet to play it but it’s definitely on my list. Josh also played Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom but got bored pretty quickly. He also tried Table Top Racing: World Tour, but he didn’t like it. Josh started Mafia 2 on the last day of May (he has rage quit that game more times than I’ve rage quit Dark Souls sooo).
Something else that Josh has been playing a lot is the Uncharted series. He finished the first and second ones, and he started the third but I think he’s a bit burnt out from it. Something else he finished (finally) is Dishonoured. He did the DLCs and started Dishonoured 2 but picked Corvo over Emily and then stopped playing it because it wasn’t what he imagined (even though this whole time, he said he was going to pick Emily but changed last second, so really what did he expect?).
Pokémon time? Pokémon time.
I feel like Pokémon will forever be this thing that’s just a big chunk of each post. I have so much love for this series, and I can feel it growing each month.
First, let’s talk about Pokémon Emerald. I got to the second gym. I beat it… and then forgot to save and my laptop ran out. I have since tried this gym three times and none of the times were successful. I went back to the mainland to grind, then tried the gym one more time before rage quitting and uh, I’ve not been on it since. To be completely honest, I was not enjoying it as much as I enjoyed the newer Pokémon games. However, since playing another older game quite a lot, I think I’m going to restart Emerald in June/July (probably July, I have like 4 Pokémon games going right now). I just want to give myself the best experience.
Speaking of the best experience, I finished Pokémon Sword! I loved this game so much. Like, oh my gosh my heart. We also got the DLCs for it; I’ve only started the Isle of Armour. I beat Leon, obviously, because I’ve finished the game. I am going to go into more detail about my team in another post (comparing all of my league teams), but I do remember finding Raihan’s gym harder than the league match. I found Pierce’s gym to be the hardest; I won with a fraction of health on my last Pokémon. I really, really enjoyed Pokémon Sword and I’m looking forward to Gen 9 even more now!
In BDSP, I finally, finally, finally caught Heatran. I also caught Darkrai, which made me happy because we had just watched the Darkrai movie a couple of weeks before the event. Josh has been doing a lot of shiny hunting. The release of Pokémon Home compatibility really got him back into it and he’s been playing it a ton more recently, which is nice. We’re both still yet to find any shiny Pokémon, though.
Lastly, Pokémon White! Yes, this is the old game I was talking about. Josh and I have been playing Pokémon Black/White together. We battle after each gym and it’s really fun (even though I lose a lot). It’s like playing Pokémon with my own real-life rival! I struggled with levelling up my Pokémon at first, but I think I’ve got hang of it now… sometimes it’s still a drag, but I finally have the EXP share item so it’s so much easier. I have to say that while I get that some people liked the difficulty aspect of it, I like that I don’t have to spend 10 hours grinding my Pokémon in between each gym.
I think that that’s all I have to say about Pokémon right now. I’ve still not started Legends Arceus but I am hoping that I will in the next month. I do regret saying that I want Violet over Scarlet… because the professor in Scarlet is cuter than the one in Violet. I do prefer the box art legendary of Violet, though. I also kind of regret it because Scarlet is going to be more past based and I studied history but at the end of the day, I am constantly trying to heal from my past and I’m constantly hoping for a better future so maybe Violet is the right one for me. Yes, I am overthinking which Pokémon version I get because, if you haven’t noticed by now, I overthink everything.
Lastly, we both started playing Stardew Valley again. I’m going to put my thoughts on that in a separate post because it was really emotional for me. If you want to know why then check out the post linked at the end. Josh has been watching a lot of Stardew Valley content on YouTube, so he got super invested… and then didn’t really play it much. He didn’t even make it out of Spring.
So, that’s all for this post, Gamers! I know this post is super late but I hope you guys enjoyed it. I have changed several things around my blog. I will now be posting every Monday and Thursday, and I have a cool new logo! If you want to check out our Twitch, it’s linked on my homepage (it’s 2nerds_1game). Check out my socials to stay updated (I am trying my best). I am actually going to be starting something new on my Instagram this week called ‘Fiction Fridays’ where I update you all on all the fiction writing I’ve been doing. Just thought it might be nice since my account there is more focused on writing rather than just gaming content. See you next post, Gamers!
Hey, Gamers! March went by so quickly! Before I write this report, if I hadn’t made a list of stuff throughout the month, I usually try to at least think about the ‘main’ gaming moments, and I was drawing a blank. March went by so fast, it’s been such a blur. Luckily, I do keep a log of every game I’ve played in my bullet journal, so with that, let’s get into it!
What are you saying about my mum?
I’m throwing Elden Ring out there first because some people messaged me to ask if I’m playing it or if it’s just Josh. I am playing it. The reason I didn’t talk about my playthrough much last month was because I had so little time on it (because Josh was playing it so much) that I felt like I couldn’t write much about it. So, first off, the game is bloody beautiful. I’m taking a different route this time- I’m a magic person! I feel like I tend to just do what Josh does a lot when it comes to games that he’s played before me, but this time (because I was actually looking forward to Elden Ring too), I decided to be different. I actually based my character on Yennefer from the Witcher series because I’ve just finished the books and apparently I’m basing my entire life on her now so why not just go for it? For real though, Yen is strong, powerful and so resilient. I thought that putting her in a SoulsBorne game would be fitting. Josh tried to help me (he made a character based on Geralt, very cute) fight Margit but he died at least twice. I decided that I wanted to do it on my own (as in, without Josh), so I tried to use the NPC summon. That didn’t work. I tried a few times more, and as each time failed, I wondered if all the bosses I had killed prior were just beginner’s luck. I wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew, so to speak. Then, I remembered about a different kind of summon – one that I much prefer and had used often against the not-boss enemies. The wolves. Suddenly, Margit’s health bar became slower and slower, and I still had heals. After a few attempts, we were barely a hit away and – he struck me. He killed me. And then my wolves killed him. The whole thing happened within maybe 3 seconds, and I was so confused and happy and – I was very confused. I posted the video of it on my Twitter if you want to check it out! I really struggle with open worlds. They easily overwhelm me, especially with the lack of direction that comes with Elden Ring. But I really have been trying to step out of my comfort zone with Elden Ring. I’ve been trying to explore more and more. Josh explained to me how he finds interesting places on the map to explore, and I’ve based my exploration on that. I’m finding that I still get a lot of anxiety if Josh isn’t sitting with me. I feel like it’s because I know if he sees me in an area that is too high for me, he’ll tell me; when he’s not there, I feel like every level is too high for me. I think it’s something I might try to slowly work on. I’m not going to make it a goal for April because I do have a ton of uni to do, but it’s definitely a goal I’m going to try to keep in mind over the next few months. Speaking of Josh, I believe at the end of March, he was just at the point where he had to choose an ending. He was trying to get the plat so he had to work out a way of backing up his save data. His words are “Elden Ring is a very good game that had very hard bosses but also some bosses that are a bit rubbish. It has quite a few repeats of bosses but all in all, most boss encounters feel new in some way. Having to fight Godskin Apostle like three times is not fun” he then said a bunch of spoilers that I will not put (at his request, after I started typing). He said (and I agree) that the build variety in Elden Ring is a whole lot bigger than a bunch of other games, especially if you’re thinking about its predecessors.
Speaking of Elden Ring, my greatest achievement of March happened spontaneously in Bloodborne. I had just finished streaming Persona 5 Royal, gone to the shop, and Josh and I were talking about streaming. He said he thinks that I should stream Elden Ring and make the title “person who hasn’t beat Father Gascoigne tries to become Elden Lord”, and I lost it. Within… 5 minutes, we were streaming Bloodborne and don’t think I’ve ever been so determined to beat a boss there and then before. The whole thing lasted 30 minutes, I believe there are some clips of our stream still up (like the exact moment I beat him, and like Josh laughing at me for running into a crowd of enemies and getting stuck on them). I did it. I beat him. It took… four attempts, I think. It was… magical. Honestly, the thrill of adrenaline lasted for a really long time. My brain didn’t fully process what happened until the next day, and I’m still riding on that high.
My ‘special’ game this month was Little Big Planet 3. For those who don’t know, I’m trying to expand my gaming experiences by picking a game that I’ve wanted/ intended to play out of a bag. The rule is that I have to play 5 hours each month to make sure I’m giving it a good chance. I hated it this month. I did not enjoy Little Big Planet 3 for a single second. I did not like it. I think it was too… childish for me. Which is obviously fine, I’m just not the intended audience. I just didn’t expect to not enjoy it as much as I did.
Throwing the Atlus games out there- I’m in the middle of Futaba’s palace in my AI Takeover. It’s going well, I think. I’m just getting into playing it again, and honestly, I am enjoying it. I think I’m going to start playing my playthrough off-stream, and hopefully, I just get less frustrated and enjoy it more. For Shin Megami Tensei V, I’ve just been grinding… but I realised I had been grinding in the wrong area and I was actually okay to grind in the higher-level area. I’m just trying things out still. I transferred my save data over to our little switch (which is what I play Pokemon on… it’s become my switch, really) so I can play it more now (the big switch has drift). Finally, with Catherine: Full Body, I’m still slowly tackling Babble. I got to 113, which took me 07:54. It’s really just something I work on whenever I have a spare 10 minutes or so.
Pokemon time? Pokemon time.
Like I said last month, Pokemon has literally taken over my life. I wasn’t sure whether I should talk about the TCG here or not, but since I still class it as gaming, I might as well. I got my first bunch of Pokemon cards this month. I’m actually planning on doing a review of the box I got because I felt like it was really great for new players, but yeah. I got a binder and it’s nearly full of Pokemon. I wanted a separate binder for energy but now I’m thinking of just keeping them in a box. Josh and I are both enjoying learning the TCG together, and it’s so fun. It’s weird because I’m usually a pretty bad loser, but with the Pokemon TCG, it’s fine because I’m just enjoying the game so much. As for BDSP, I caught 2 legendaries. I successfully caught Shaymin and Giratina, and then I attempted to catch Heatran and failed several times. Poor thing kept fainting to my Garchomp. I’ve just been working on filling out my Pokedex, just doing general post-game stuff and wonder trading!
Now, I said that I was going to restart Sword again and I did. I am absolutely loving it. Part of me is still wishing it was Shield, but I know I’ll just be able to transfer the Pokemon I’m attached to into Home and then onto Shield if we get it anytime soon. But as of the end of March, I had defeated 3 gyms (the grass, water and fire gyms), gotten x amount of Pokemon seen, x amount caught and I spend way too much money on clothes that I do not wear. I adore the customisation of this game! I like that the gym missions are a lot different to the puzzles that you had to get through to fight the gym leader. Like, I know it’s virtually the same thing but it feels a lot different to me and it’s a lot less frustrating. I’ve also been thinking a lot about random encounters vs overworld encounters, and I think I personally prefer random encounters but I don’t see much wrong with overworld encounters either.
Moving on a little- I started Pokemon Emerald. Josh installed an emulator for me and Pokemon Emerald (he’s since walked me through it so I can get games myself) because I really wanted to experience the older Pokemon games. My favourite Pokemon YouTuber started with Gen 3, so I was happy with Josh’s choice. After moving (who makes their child travel in the back of a van? Is that even legal?), meeting my dad’s friend and his son, I got my hands on my starter, Mudkip, who I called Kippy (My Piplup was called Pippy, my Sobble is called Sobby, so there seems to be a theme… that’s going to end when Gen 9 comes out because I’m calling my Quaxley Josuke). He’s level 20. I got a very small amount of Pokemon until I beat the first gym. Then I was like “oh I should actually be filling out my dex” and uh yeah. I went into the tunnel to get a pokemon back for the sailor guy and also to get the goods back for the company, had a run-in with team… something and then I got my phone. Then I got told to go somewhere, got overwhelmed, tried to find a pokemon that could learn cut and then I think that’s how far I got before March was over. I am really, really enjoying it. I thought the lack of exp share would bother me, but it’s not. It’s all going good!
Lastly, I wanted to do a final update on my reading. I have officially finished all of the Witcher books. This was a huge thing for me because the Witcher 3 was the first RPG that I tackled, and obviously Josh got the books for me just after I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I am planning on doing a whole post about the Witcher books because they’re so dear to my heart with some obvious… uh, issues? But I adored the story, and I fully intend on writing so much more about it. I’ve been trying to hold back until I was finished with the books, but now I can be let loose. For those wanting to know, I did enjoy it. These books have been such a big part of my life for so long, and I’ve developed a full habit because of them. I’ve discovered my love for reading again, so I will forever be thankful for that. The writing wasn’t always the best, and some character’s got way more attention than they deserved (looking at you, Jarre!), and oh my gosh I wished so much that all these women would stop falling at Geralt’s feet… but it’s made me have a much deeper appreciation for Yen and Ciri. Ciri’s character development was astonishing and I was so emotionally invested in her part of the story. There’s another character who I loved to bits called Milva, and I felt so happy that I was able to go on her story. She felt so different to all the other women who just wanted to have sex with Geralt, and I loved her for that. She commanded and earned the respect that she was given. But overall, I would recommend these books to anyone who wants more of the characters. Don’t expect the greatest writing, and some parts are overly cringe, but the characters truly are what makes these books so great.
So, that’s it for this post, Gamers! Things are slowing down gaming-wise because Uni is getting really intense, but I hope you still enjoyed this post! Hopefully, when Uni is over, I’ll have more time to write more posts, which is exciting because I have so many new ideas! How is your gaming progress coming along? Are there any games you’d like me to try? Let me know in the comments below! Follow this blog for more gaming content, and check out our Twitch to catch us streaming! See you next post, Gamers!
Hey, Gamers! This week, I want to talk about something pretty serious that happens to a lot of gamers: burnout. I’m sure some people suffer from this more than others, and there are a lot of contributing factors such as mental illness, neurotype and so on. I want to talk about why burnout in something like gaming hurts so much, what it might look like if you haven’t identified it and how you could help yourself or others. Before we get into it, I want to warn you that this post will likely talk about mental illness, which is obviously a very serious topic. I did a list of self-care tips that could be helpful to gamers with mental illness, as a gamer with mental illness myself. Here is the link:
So, I think we can all agree that burnout sucks. Like, really sucks. What it might look like in regards to gaming might be different compared to other aspects of life? Honestly, it can look and feel very similar to depression.
When you get burnt out in gaming, you can no longer enjoy the things you are so used to bringing you joy. The games that once brought back that spark in your eyes now make you feel nothing. And if you can’t enjoy the things that have been making you feel joy for months or years, what else could possibly bring you joy?
I’m not writing about this to upset anyone, or even to make a point. I’m writing this to bring awareness to it because I feel like no one talks about this. It’s such an isolating problem, especially if you typically game with other people because they’re all still enjoying the game that you used to be able to enjoy. This can lead to serious issues with isolation, lack of motivation and yes, it can lead to depression.
What can cause burnout? Well, a lot of things. Playing a game over and over again might not ‘be enough’ for some people, but it also might be enough to make someone burn out. I guess, from using my own experience, it depends on how much you care about the game, how much time and energy you’re putting into it, and how it’s making you feel when you play it.
I’m going to use my own example here because it’s something I’m still thinking about a lot and coming to terms with. My favourite thing in the entire universe used to be Persona 5. I played it so, so much. I loved it with every fibre of my being. Hell, I even wanted to get a Persona 5 tattoo sleeve. I was completely fine playing Persona 5 over and over again. It wasn’t until I was doing a challenge run that I started to get burnt out. The story no longer made me feel things, because I was so busy worrying about how I was going to do a particular fight. If you read my blog a lot, you know there’s been a few times in my monthly gaming progress reports that I’ve just glossed over my AI P5R run because I’ve “been sick” or Josh has been streaming a lot, or I’ve just not felt okay. All of those things are true, but I do think it’s been difficult for me and my mental illnesses to just do this run. I love this game, even now when I’ve found something I love more, I still adore this game. But if I have to sit silently through more dialogue because my brain is thinking about the boss fight three palaces ahead, I might have to uninstall it. For me, in this instance, burnout looked like not wanting to play the PlayStation. It looked like finding comfort in Nintendo games. It looked like losing track of time on days I’m meant to stream. It looked like not showering so I can’t stream. It looked like not wanting to talk about something I loved because thinking about it was too stressful for me.
Coming to terms with the fact that you’re burnt out is sometimes extremely difficult. I know it took me… a really, incredibly long time. During that time, you’re in denial. It’s awful. You try over and over again to make yourself feel how you usually feel, but the passion is gone.
So, what can you do if you are burnt out?
Rest. And I don’t just mean to sleep all day. Take a break from that game. If you can, take a break from the console. I know for me, my saving grace was my Switch. Make sure you’re looking after yourself (and you can use the link above for some suggestions on that). Just take some time to yourself to remember who you are and why the game meant so much to you. Work on yourself, work on other things. It’s nice having other people around you who have been through a similar thing, so maybe reach out to some gamer friends.
Most importantly, if you do feel like your burnout is turning into a depression of any kind, please reach out to your doctor. If you can’t do that, try to stay in contact with people you can trust. People you can be open and honest with, who won’t judge you and make you or your issues feel small. Remember that your feelings are worth feeling, even if they’re difficult.
So, that’s it for this post, Gamers. It’s a bit more emotional and less upbeat than my usual posts, but I feel like talking about this stuff really helps. I hope you are all having a wonderful day, and remember that you are worthy of happiness and love. See you next post, Gamers!
Hey, Gamers! Some big things happened this month, and I did not keep track so I am crossing my fingers hoping that I remember everything. This post will mainly focus on Pokemon because… my life has become nothing but Pokemon. But I did play other games too, so I’ll talk about them as well!
First off, Persona. I beat Floor 10 of Tartarus in Persona 3 FES, but the following days were filled with people being sick. As annoying as that mechanic is, I hope they bring it back in Persona 6 because I think it humanises the characters more. I think I’m just struggling because of the PS3 controls, but there’s not much we can do about that unless Atlus remakes the game (which I am doubting at this point). While everyone is sick or tired, I’ve been working on social stats and confidants. As for my AI-run of Persona 5 Royal, I’m at a standstill. I’m at the awkward part of being in-between palaces. I am trying my best to stock up on items ready for the Okumura boss fight because I genuinely have no idea how I’m going to do that. Usually, I have a good idea about how it’s going to go but I just don’t with Okumura. I know I have Futaba’s palace to get through first, but just the idea of Okumura being there is putting me off.
Now for a quick Witcher book update: I’ve finished Lady of the Lake. That’s the last one of the main series. My mum got me Season of Storms for my birthday, so I’ve been reading that and I’ve decided I’m going to wait until I’ve finished that before playing The Witcher 3 again because I’m going to make a video for our YouTube channel where I tell cool stories about the books when they’re referenced in the games. I don’t think it’ll work as good as a stream so yeah, it’ll be the first video I make as a video so I’m excited! As for Lady of the Lake… it was meh. As expected, it was much more conclusive than the previous books but riddled with inconsistencies and characters acting out of character. It does show some good characterisation and progress, particularly of Ciri.
I think I did a post pretty recently about how Stardew Valley helped me through a really rough patch. I haven’t played it in months because I was constantly on it, but after writing that post, I felt the urge to go on it again. I felt my blood pressure rise almost as soon as it loaded in. Oh my gosh, my farm was so stressful. I had so many animals and plants and a greenhouse and oh my goodness it was so much. So I quit that game, started a new one and it just didn’t feel the same to me. I guess it’s because my life isn’t completely falling apart anymore, but I liked that I was able to go on the game and realise and appreciate that it just isn’t for me right now. I still have so much love for that game, it’s just so much more stressful than I ever realised.
I played Yakuza 3. I’m not having much trouble with it. I did a couple of bosses, a couple of really long cutscenes and now I’m going back to Okinawa. I really do like the Okinawa map, so I’m excited for that (and to see the kids again because they’re super cute).
“He’s clearly guilty… because his name… is Akechi”
Another game that I briefly played was one that I was looking forward to playing and have been for a while: Planet Coaster (console edition). My family and I used to go to theme parks every year when I was growing up (my mum booked a coach and a bunch of people would go and I have the best memories from those times), and when I was a kid, I remember playing games on my mum’s computer where I could build my own park. This game, however, seemed unplayable. I was going through the tutorial to make sure I understood everything, and I couldn’t do something that I was instructed. I went on the sandbox mode and I couldn’t do it there, either. The thing I couldn’t do was building a roller-coaster. You know, the entire point of the game? So the game got swiftly deleted and I am left feeling disappointed.
Animal Crossing time! Again, we’re just trying to get our island to be okay. We are shifting a row of houses back a bit to have a 4 tile wide path to put a bridge in between Ione’s and Kody’s houses. I’ve also made a little plaza area that I can put stuff down on. It’s actually a really cute area and I’m hoping it sticks to the final island. I’ve also decided to get rid of our little flower garden area and spread out our farm area to the two tiers. I haven’t started working on this yet because I want it to be organised and I would really like to have carrots and tomatoes before we start moving everything (I think it’s just the two things that we’re missing). More importantly, though, is that I got Croque’s photo! Finally! It felt so good when he gave it to me, and I think it was after I gave him something not worth very much too, so I was really surprised. I want to work on getting Ione’s photo but I don’t want to give her too much because I love her house as it is! I think I might just have to give her some clothes.
So, for this month, the special game (I try a new game each month for at least 5 hours to try to expand my world) was Jedi: Fallen Order! This was a game Josh got for me either last year or the year before. I was super sick when we got it so I couldn’t play it at the time… and I just never really picked it up again. Until now, that is! I was able to parry more in this game than I ever could in Dark Souls or Bloodborne (or other games you’re meant to parry in). That made me feel… powerful. However, despite the story being good enough to draw me in, the maps, menus and objective layout were just… confusing to me. I get that if I really, really tried, I would probably like this game. But as for right now, I am not in a position where I can put time and effort into understanding the complicated maps and menus. The droid was cute though.
We also got Cyberpunk 2077. I like it. It’s a bit weird for me because I am so used to playing ‘good guys’ rather than… well, mercenaries. I like the familiarity in the HUD and the menu navigation. I didn’t get too far; it’s another game I am streaming and we got it just before Elden Ring and that’s been a priority. With Uni finally coming to a close soon, I’m actually hoping to put it on hold until after I’m done with all my assignments and we sort out a place to live because then I can just spend some time enjoying the game, getting used to the mechanics and everything like that.
Josh played a ton of Yugioh Master Duel in February. Josh has always been super into Yugioh, so it wasn’t surprising at all when he started putting a lot of time and energy into this game. I was actually super excited for him. We used to duel a lot early on in our relationship, and life just gets in the way sometimes and he doesn’t really have anyone else to duel with, so it was nice seeing him being able to duel his way up to Gold Rank 5 (I think… I mean, I do get him to fact check these posts so if it’s in, it’s right) (Josh’s edit: They got it wrong, I got to Gold Rank 3, what a hack). I did start Master Duel on the Switch but Yugioh has just always been Josh’s thing and I can never think about how to build a deck that would be anything close to meta. I don’t think I even got round to making an actual deck, to be honest. Sadly, Yugioh has become one of those things that I always intend on participating in… but life gets in the way. It’s hard to just have one duel with Josh when it’s his favourite thing, so it’s always three or four and he’s usually the one who builds all the decks so I have no chance and it’s demoralising. Maybe when university is over, we’ll have more time to spend dueling. I’d like that a lot.
Okay, so, uh, Pokemon now?
GEN 9 IS COMING!
Okay so before I get too hyped about Gen 9, I should probably explain why. Not only did I finish Pokemon Shining Pearl this month, but I also beat Cynthia first try and I caught Mewtwo in Let’s Go! These were huge accomplishments for me. I always thought ‘catching em all’ was something only die-hard fans did. Now I know it’s something I want to do. Even though saving the world from Team Badguy and defeating the Elite 4 and the campion are the goals of the game, I now think that loving your pokemon and creating a unique bond with them is. Especially when you’re hunting a specific pokemon for a specific role in your team. You have to work so hard for some pokemon that you can’t help but love them…
I wrote in my bullet journal for January that my gaming highlight was ‘falling in love with Pokemon’ and that is exactly what happened. In February, not only did I continue to love Pokemon but I felt worthy of loving Pokemon. I got into gaming pretty late, and because of that, I tend to stay away from older series because I don’t think I deserve them. It’s different with Pokemon. It’s so different. Like, so a lot of you guys know I love Persona 5, right? But I don’t watch other people’s videos on it, or even watch other people stream it because to me and my autistic brain, they’re doing it wrong. It makes me feel… for lack of a better word, icky. And it’s been like that my whole life with most of my special interests. Oh, you read The Hunger Games? Cool but my theories and opinions are the only ones allowed to exist in my brain so don’t talk to me about the thing, even though I really really like it and would love to talk to you about it. That’s how my brain has always worked. Even at the start with Pokemon, I was so mad at myself for falling in love with it because it’s not meant to be my thing, it’s meant to be Josh’s. But wow our conversations are great and MandJTV is now my favourite YouTube channel and I have a theory that all Squirtles are dyslexic (which technically cannot be disproven) and if someone says they’re not then I’d probably just laugh. It’s taking up so much of my thoughts and my time and my energy… but I’m not bitter or hateful or… protective. I think Josh and I have spoken about this. Like, a lot of my special interests have been there to help me through a lot of trauma (because I’ve been through so much trauma that it seemed neverending), but Pokemon is just there and I am safe and… is this what it feels like to love something so much just because it’s great? Not because you need to, not because it’s who you have to become, not because you need to survive but because it’s so cool and awesome and this is what my childhood should have been full of? I’ve never had this before. I am cherishing every single second of it.
And that’s why I was so excited about Pokemon Presents. It was my first one since getting into Pokemon and feeling so contented with something I love so much. And for the first time, Josh and I get to experience it together. I can’t ask him for tricks or hints or where to go because he’s not going to know either. It’s going to be so different and new but at the same time, it’s going to be the same and safe and I know that I am going to absolutely adore every single second of it. I am 95% sure it’s going to come out like a week or two before my birthday, so I’m hoping that I can use any birthday money I get to get one copy and hopefully we’ll have enough to get Josh the other one. I want Violet, by the way. While purple is Josh’s favourite colour, I think he wants Scarlet because it sounds cooler. I already know I’m picking Quaxly and calling him Josuke.
So on that same day, I started a game that Josh finished this month: Pokemon Sword. It feels a bit weird because my gut is telling me to wait to be able to afford Shield but at the same time, I just want to play more Pokemon. I didn’t get very far because it’s on our big switch and I’ve been using our small one mostly, and our curtains are broken in our room which means there’s a glare on the TV but we need to use the TV because we need to use the big controller because of joycon drift. I actually plan on taking Sword with me when I go on a trip next week, so I’ll be playing it on the small switch (instead of pearl). Josh did not catch a super cool Rattata in either Pokemon Sword or Legends Arceus, so if you’re as disappointed as I am, let me know in the comments. What he did do is complete Pokemon Sword, and he seemed to like it. I asked him if he liked it more than he liked X or Y because I know that is his least favourite, and he replied “I think I’d like passing a kidney stone more than X and Y” so take that for what you will. But then he said he did like it more than X and Y. He also liked it more than red and blue. He said it’s kinda in the middle. Like, it’s not the best but it’s not as bad as people feel it is. I think he’s just salty because he can’t get his best boi Gliscor.
So, from finishing 2 Pokemon games I can now update you on my favourite Pokemon. As usual, my favourites are in categories. So, my favourite starter is Squirtle, and I have an overall preference for water type starters. My favourite pokemon for symbolic reasons is Eevee because I highly value growth and becoming who you need/ want to be (also, I have DID sooo). My favourite pokemon overall, in terms of usability and you know, my actual likeliness to use it, is Luxray. I like its design and it’s currently the highest level pokemon in my party. In terms of design and like, what a pokemon is based on, I think it’s a tie between Arcanine and Girafarig. My favourite Eeveelution is Espeon, I like the friendship evolution method (controversial opinion, I know) and I think its typing is good. On the back end of that, my least favourite pokemon is Steelix. I would leave it at that, but there’s more so I specifically hate Steelix’s with sturdy. Similarly, I dislike Onix’s with sturdy. Another pokemon I very much dislike is Lickitung and Lickilicky. I just don’t like tongues. I don’t like Buizel or Floatzel. I don’t know why, I just have a grudge against them and I can’t remember the reason if I’m being completely honest.
I’ve also tried my hand in the Pokemon TCG. I am enjoying it so far. I’m still very new and don’t understand everything, but I’ll get there eventually. It kinda sucks because I downloaded PTCGO and that’s getting shut down soon in favour of PTCGL, which makes me feel like there’s no point trying to start out on the original platform in the first place. Between that and the game always crashing, I think I’m just going to wait a bit longer until the new one comes out everywhere and maybe in the meantime, I’ll just watch some YouTube videos to explain it better.
Josh also finished Legends Arceus this month. I have barely played it because I was meant to be streaming it and it’s a lot for a dyslexic person to read out loud so we’ve decided it’s going to be a video series instead. Josh, however, thinks this game is the best thing to ever happen to Pokemon (or to him, I’m sure), and he loves it so much. He actually caught all of the Pokemon, which is an achievement he has never completed before. He got a shiny Bidoof (funny story- I was actually at uni when this happened and Josh was streaming it. I had the stream on in an extra tab to support him – on silent – and it happened just as my break happened, so I clicked on the tab and saw his reaction and it was super cute). He got a few more shiny pokemon since then. There’s more than this, but the ones he remembers are Ursaring, Stantler, Sliggoo and Vulpix (which he evolved to have a shiny Ninetales). I think the only thing he loves more than Legends Arceus right now is Elden Ring.
Speaking of Elden Ring… it came out. Josh and I preordered it because he loves the previous games by FromSoftware and he was so excited for Elden Ring that he literally went to bed early, woke up at 11:30 pm just so he was ready when it was available at midnight. This game has taken up most of his time since then. He hated the first boss (all his homies hate Margit). He did manage to beat it, though. He also beat Godrick. He’s been streaming Elden Ring, but he’s mainly been playing it off-stream so he could really take in how great the game was. On a similar note, he played Sekiro in the lead up to Elden Ring. He beat the “punk-ass lil b*tch, Genichiro Ashina” (and he’s playing the game in Japanese purely because Genichiro is voiced by the same person who voiced Seto Kaiba). He’s doing a lot better in Sekiro than he did originally, a few months ago, so it’s nice to see his progress. All that progress has probably gone out of the window because of Elden Ring, though.
So, that’s it for this post, Gamers! I hope you enjoyed this post, it took me a while to write because I keep forgetting to keep track of things and had to rely on my memory and Josh hasn’t said much to me about his gaming opinions this month. Are you excited for Gen 9 and all the future pokemon posts? I am so hyped (for both of those things). Make sure to check out 2nerds_1game on Twitch, where you can find Josh and me streaming pretty often; hit the like button if you liked this post; give this blog a follow for more gaming content like this. See you next post, Gamers!
Hey, Gamers! So, for those who don’t know, I have recently become interested in Pokemon and Generation 9 has just been revealed. But after talking with some of my family members and remembering how stressful it was whenever Josh used to talk to me about Pokemon, I know the series itself can be a little overwhelming. If you want to get into Pokemon but don’t know where to start, this is the post for you! Let’s Go!
Haha, get it? Let’s Go? Like… like the games? … I thought it was funny.
Before I dig into this post, I want to state that this is going up before my February progress report, and it will have spoilers for that post if anyone wants to wait until Thursday before reading this post… although I guess me just putting this warning is already a spoiler in itself that this month has been Pokemon heavy. Let’s just get into it!
If you want to know my complete and honest opinion, I think the Let’s Go games are a great place to start. There are so many games and so many remakes. The Let’s Go series is basically a remake of Pokemon Yellow, which was a Generation 1 game that came out after the anime which let players have Pikachu as a starter and it included Jessie and James from Team Rocket. Personally, as someone who really got into Pokemon because of the anime, I think this was great at introducing the battle system, the gym system, how parties work, how type advantages work and just Pokemon in general. The first Pokemon game I ever played was Pokemon Go, and thinking about it now, that was really good at introducing me to Pokemon because I was able to recognise certain Pokemon and become familiar with them. Since the Let’s Go games are Generation 1 (I mean, technically they’re Generation 7 but the Pokemon in them are from Gen 1 sooo), it means that there are much fewer Pokemon (151 Pokemon- plus a few extras from Pokemon Go) than the other games and therefore it is much less overwhelming.
Next, I want to talk about Legends Arceus. Josh and I actually had a… heated discussion about where Pokemon was going next because of Legends Arceus, and with Generation 9 being open world, I think he might be right. Legends Arceus introduces so many new and wonderful things that will likely become the new norm for Pokemon. This game just feels completely different from the other Pokemon games, and so many people who had no interest in Pokemon are getting this game and loving it (including someone very special to me, which makes me so happy). This is the game to play if you like exploring, or games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The next option I want to talk about is Pokemon Sword and Shield. My knowledge of these games are very limited as I started playing it yesterday as it’s Josh’s game so it was respectful to wait until he was done with it, but I feel like I know enough to be able to explain why these games might be for you. So, Sword and Shield is the most recent Generation (8), but it does not have all of the Pokedex. It has a very limited Pokedex, which means less Pokemon, which means it might be less overwhelming for those who are worried about catching all 900+ Pokemon. However, from what I’ve played, I think Gen 9 will be a mix between Sword and Shield and Legends Arceus. It’s very similar to the other games in terms of gameplay, but they’ve changed the gym system and the Pokemon league so it’s pretty different.
Next is Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. These are remakes of Generation 4, which was my partner’s favourite so we were hyped (… he was hyped, I was annoyed he didn’t get to sleep the night before my birthday). I’m a little biased because I’ve just finished Pearl and I adored every second, but it’s a remake. It’s not too different from the original games, and they’re on the Switch so they’re easier in terms of accessibility. This is much more like the traditional Pokemon experience, but I don’t think that the series will stay here for much longer (unfortunately for me).
There are obviously the original games that you can access in various ways, but in terms of new players, I think I’ve listed the best games and why I think they’d work. Please remember that I’m still new to all this and I’m very excited to explore this series more.
So, that’s it for this post, Gamers! I have a question! If you already play Pokemon, do you pick starters based on their type or on the individual Pokemon? And if you don’t already play Pokemon, do you have a favourite already? Let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to check out 2nerds_1game on Twitch, where Josh and I stream a lot (Pokemon is my thing right now but Josh is playing a ton of Elden Ring!). See you next post, Gamers!
Eleanor Rees Gaming 