Monday Memories: Red, Blue, and Yellow

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Double Jump Kris MiiHappy Monday everyone!

Today brings us back with another Monday Memories, this one dedicated to the Gameboy Color Pokemon games: Red, Blue, and Yellow. These games were introduced to me by a couple of close friends of mine from a couple of decades ago…

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Way back in elementary school, I was friends with a pair of twins.

Hanging out at their house, they had a Nintendo 64 hooked up to a little television in their parents’ bedroom. Thinking back on it now, I wonder if the parents had the console there due to being sure the kids wouldn’t spend too much time playing, but I also don’t remember them having any other television. That could also be due to our days — when not playing video games — being spent playing school, pool days in the summer, walking their dog, but I digress.

It was due to these friends that I was introduced to games such as Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and Pokemon Snap, along with Pokemon Red and Blue for the Gameboy Color. I was just beginning to get interested in Pokemon, not really understanding the games themselves, but knowing that there was a cartoon and fun little cards that apparently had more of a purpose than just being pretty. I got suckered into the casual fun of taking pictures of Pokemon in Pokemon Snap and started asking for a Gameboy Color from the Easter Bunny with the Pokemon games.

The next time I had a play date with the twins, I just remember excitedly showing up at their house with my own copy of the games and Prima’s Official Strategy Guide for Pokemon Yellow. My friends were impressed, claiming that the Pokemon Yellow version was the “rarer” game (which, years later, doesn’t make sense but, hey, we were in elementary school). We spent much of that day with each of us on our respective Gameboy Colors, with each twin playing either Red or Blue and me playing Yellow.

While I unfortunately haven’t been in touch with these old friends in years — since they moved away before we even reached middle school — I do credit them as part of the reason why I enjoyed the Let’s Go titles when they came out for the Nintendo Switch. The nostalgia alone of seeing and hearing Pikachu by my character’s side throws me back to those times when I was sandwiched between my friends on the floor of their living room as we cheered each other on in battles.

I do wonder occasionally how they are doing. I hope they are doing well and, maybe, if they also have the Let’s Go Pokemon titles that they’re marveling at the evolution (pun intended) of the games as well as share this bittersweet feeling about a dissipating friendship as I do.

Do you have any old friends that you connected with over video games that you may not see as much now? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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D&D Adventures: Castle Infiltration

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D&D Adventures Castle Infiltration | Dungeons and Dragons | Tabletop Role-Playing | RPG | Gaming | Tabletop Games | DoublexJump.com

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We’re back with another D&D tale! We got together with our group again for another one-shot, using our pre-made characters from the first session to get a better feel for how the game works. We spent a little time at first discussing some of the nuances of creating our own characters, since we’re planning on using our own characters for a longer campaign starting in a month or two, before having dinner and digging into our new one-shot.

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We haven’t quite finished our own characters yet, but we’re not able to meet again until May so we have plenty of time to work on them. In the meantime, I remained as Vistra, a dwarf cleric who was extra snarky this time around.

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I think one of my favorite parts of last night’s session was “Vistra” suddenly looking at her character sheet in the middle of the one-shot and realizing that her personality traits included being really respectful and polite. She stole my halfling rogue’s food, for one thing! My character, Kithri, was supposedly a criminal, but I failed 2 out of 3 lockpicking rolls during the night. I made it up for doing some fantastic attack rolls, especially during the final boss. Vistra probably got the most natural 20 rolls of the night, I believe.

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I got a lot of nat-20s last night! It’s definitely the new dice I bought. I hope they keep their luck when I play as my own character next time. But yeah, last time I tried to stick with the pre-made personality that was given to my character. Last night, I threw that out the window  – as well as my character when I rolled a one.

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At least you weren’t alone out the window. One of our friends also did that while our other friend’s character was trying to stay steady on her feet. At that point, I think my little halfling was the only one who looked competent in front of the boss, but even she slipped a little bit during that fight before dealing the final blow. The story for the one-shot consisted of our little group — for some reason — being hired by a mayor to investigate some oddities happening at the lord of the land’s manor. Disappearances and random job firings were happening, so we went up to the castle keep to see what was going on.

Rachel Mii Double Jump
Sacrifices. Sacrifices were going on. Of course, it took us a long time to get to the top of the tower and to meet with the boss because we were too busy getting distracted (we found horses!) and exploring the place… you know, fighting chests and accidentally getting ambushed, stuff like that.

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We realized that there was kind of a cult thing going on and, after defeating all but one of the cultists in the church on the keep, we learned that the lord of the place was sacrificing people to a god whose name we couldn’t properly pronounce, so we just called him God Bozo. Our group’s cover story was that we were a traveling minstrel group, with one friend’s character being an actual bard, so the guards were pretty cool with us. It was mainly the cultists and clergy people of God Bozo that continuously tried to kill us for ruining their plans. It was a shame you couldn’t convert them to Vistra’s god, right Rachel?

Rachel Mii Double Jump
I tried, but alas, no one wanted to listen to me when I told them about God Marth (whose name we also couldn’t pronounce so we nicknamed him as well). Overall, this one-shot took us about four hours to play. We have a ridiculous group but it’s always filled with laughter and good food. We’re looking forward to starting a longer campaign with our own characters next time.

If you ever played Dungeons and Dragons, share your stories! Let us know about them in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.

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Pokemon: Kalos Seasons [Anime Review]

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TV Show Review: Pokemon Kalos Region | Pokemon XY | Pokemon XYZ | Pokemon | Nintendo | Anime | DoublexJump.com

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Okay, so we’ve been talking a lot about Pokemon lately, but can you blame us? Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield were announced, and we’re absolutely stoked! Lately, Rachel’s been watching Pokemon the anime series on Netflix, and one of the few (out of 21) seasons that is available is the XYZ season, the end of the characters’ adventures in the Kalos region. I started watching it around the end of the season with the Pokemon League, and found myself really enjoying it.

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I stopped watching the anime a while ago. It was something that was hard for me to keep up with but I always wanted to catch up with it. Netflix has the two XY seasons and the one XYZ seasons. So, I binged all three seasons (roughly 45 episodes each) in a little over a week… yeah. But let me tell you, the Kalos region in the anime is an amazing thing. They did a fabulous job with this particular series.

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Honestly, I remember much of the Indigo League, the Orange Islands, and some of Johto. I watched a few episodes of Hoenn and Sinnoh here and there, but when Brock left, I lost interest in the anime, haha. However, seeing how fluid the animation of the battles in the Kalos League and the involved plot for the last dozen or so episodes were, I was impressed. I’ll have to catch up with the rest of the Kalos region when I find the time.

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Brock, Misty, and Ash were definitely an awesome combination. However, I fell in love with all the characters in XY and XYZ. Professor Sycamore is probably my favorite Pokemon Professor now. He was hardy, good looking, and definitely knew what’s up. Ash no longer felt like a ten-year-old stupidhead. He was actually fairly mature. Clemont and Bonnie had the most adorable brother-sister relationship and both pulled their own weight in the series. It took me a few episodes to get used to Serena, but she was an awesome female lead as well. I honestly have to say, aside from Brock and Misty, I think this is my favorite group.

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I think I was a little salty that Misty left the core group for the Hoenn and Sinnoh seasons of the anime. I didn’t really have much against the other female leads, it was just a younger me being annoyed that a character I liked had left. Of course, being a little older, I can appreciate that the characters nowadays each have their own dreams and goals rather than just following Ash around. It’s an important realization of growing up and it’s a bittersweet touch to the end of the seasons. I did enjoy the Kalos group, seeing that the episodes gave them equal time while still pitting Ash as the main character. Having Ash be more of a teen rather than a kid — letting him age up a little with the majority of the folks who first started watching the anime — was a good move as well.

Rachel Mii Double Jump
The series as a whole went at a good pace as well. There was Ash’s adventure but there was also something else lurking around. Once the Kalos League was over, that’s when everything went to hell and the plot really happened. From then on, there were about ten or so episodes of non-stop intense action. We were trying to play our Pokemon games for our Three-Type Challenge while watching the show and we ending up putting the games away and just got sucked into the ending.

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Honestly, the last few episodes of the Kalos seasons made me wish even more that we got a Pokemon Z game. The anime really expanded on the plot that was shown in the X and Y games — actually, Rachel, did the XY series of the show do the games’ plot line? — and I would have loved being part of a save the world story like Ash was in the anime. The last few episodes were bittersweet as well, showing the characters figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives and telling each other, “See you later!” rather than “Goodbye.”

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The plot was more so in XYZ rather than XY. But it was all awesome all the same. The series as a whole had great characters, an awesome adventure, epic Pokemon battles, and Team Rocket… love Team Rocket. If you don’t watch Pokemon that much but wouldn’t mind giving it a try, Kalos is great a series to do so.

Do you still watch the Pokemon anime? Let us know in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.

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Civilization VI [Video Game Review]

Kris P. Game Reviews, Home, Kristen, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch , , , ,

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Title: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform: PC, iOS, Nintendo Switch
Category: Turn-based strategy
Release Date: October 2016 (PC), December 2017 (iOS), November 2018 (Nintendo Switch) 
How we got the game: Bought it for the Nintendo Switch

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I’ll be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this game. I heard it was a simulation game, perhaps something similar to SimCity and the like but with an empire angle instead, which is what caused me to pick it up. I’m brand new to the Civilization series and, so far, it’s been an interesting ride.

gameplayBeing a turn-based strategy game, Civilization VI gives the player the task of dominating the planet through military, technology, or culture might.

Each turn allows players to found cities under their chosen world leader. The player then cultivates and grows their empire with their citizens, making them into settlers to found new cites, scouts to explore the world, builders to craft different districts for the cities, warriors to defend the empire, and plenty more. Technology and culture trees allow your citizens to advance further in the periods of development as the world evolves around them.

The buttons aren’t too difficult to learn, but I did find myself accidentally ending my turn once in a while when I was first learning to play. During your turn, you choose everything, from what your city is currently developing to how far any citizens outside of the city are moving, from scouts to warriors. You can also communicate with the other world leaders and, depending on your friendship level, may be able to make deals or trades with them.

Or go to war. That’s a thing.

Mainly the buttons are the main A button or using the analog stick to move your citizens to where they need to go along the world map. Decisions on what your cities should develop tech- and culture-wise, as well as the number of turns they take, all need to be considered when plotting your path to world domination. It’s a lot of strategy and gives a great challenge.

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I was impressed with the graphics of this game, both with the scenery and the models of the character avatars. It was a clean, crisp looking game, especially when one considers all of the different eras that a game goes through. The world map was beautiful, making it enjoyable for me to send out scouts — with their adorable dogs — to all corners of the world to see what they had in store.

The music itself wasn’t as memorable, however. Rather, it was soft, no doubt allowing players to concentrate on making the best decisions they could for their citizens during their turn. The music and sound effects were subtle, which was appreciated. The voice acting for the avatars weren’t too bad at all, though. I was impressed at the voice acting for the most part.

storyThere does not seem to be one specific story line that this game follows. Rather, there are over a dozen historical world leaders that you can use as your avatar for your play through. With your leader, your task is to dominate the world throughout several eras of development while competing against other human or computer controlled leaders.

The story goes depending on how well you play. Want to go through the story and win with the mightiest army? You can do that. How about being the pinnacle of technology or culture? Sure. Navigating through the world and determining how you want to win depends on your actions as well as your reactions to the other players. Rival leaders may have special conditions and their A.I. may reflect some behavior that their real counterparts may have exhibited while ruling.

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Replayability is this game’s middle name. With several leaders to choose from as well as multiple ways to run your empire and interesting AI players, no two playthroughs will ever be virtually alike. One playthrough can be a bit long, however, considering how many turns are in a game, so be mindful of the clock when playing. Time can pass by very quickly with this game!

Civilization VI gets…
4-lives
4 out of 5 lives.

Have you played this game? What did you think? Let us know in the comments! If you like this post, please share it around!

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Tetris 99 [Video Game Review]

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Video Game Review: Tetris 99 | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo | Video Games | Gaming | Game Review | Tetris | DoublexJump.com

Title: Tetris 99
Developer: ARIKA
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Category: Multiplayer, Puzzle
Release Date: February 13, 2019
How we got the game: I downloaded it from the Nintendo Switch eShop

 

 

 

Tetris has always been the kind of game that I barely played. I enjoy it, but I never owned the various games of it myself. I’ve played mobile versions and tried my hand at the older games once in a while. So, when they announced Tetris 99, I thought it was cool and I was excited. The best part of all, it’s free.

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Tetris is one of the simplest games to play despite it being a puzzle game. Blocks in various shapes and sizes fall from the top of the screen at a fairly slow pace. Before they reach the bottom, you can move the pieces from side to side as well as turn them depending on how you want them to fit on the ground. The point is to lay them in the straight line to make said line disappear. If your stack gets too high and reaches the top, then it’s game over.

Tetris 99 is no different – other than the fact you’re playing against 98 other people who are able to target you and sabotage your game so they can be number one. You can sabotage people by clearing lines on your own board. Lines with one or two spots missing will force their stack higher adding pressure for them to clear their own lines before their pieces get too high. Using the analog stick on the Joy-Con, you can choose any player you want to aim for and this can be changed throughout the game. So, if you notice someone is in the red and is close to getting out, then aim for that dude.

I personally don’t really aim for anyone. I’m not very good at checking the other boards to see where people are in their games and try to make them lose faster. I just focus on my own game and play by the rules. For some reason, I get targeted by multiple people at once and get screwed over. I’m not the best at Tetris, to begin with. My OCD enjoys fitting the pieces together just so but the pressure gets to me. With that said, as of writing this review, my best place was 31 and that was the third game I had played. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

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Tetris 99 looks and feels like a high-tech arcade game. There’s not much to the main menu other than the game itself, your stats, and options/settings. But the colors are bright and the game itself is vivid and flashy. It’s really well done and the first game I played, I got distracted from the Tetris pieces flying around from everyone’s games.

The music is awesome too. It’s the original tune but seems remixed or remastered for this particular game. It’s definitely one that gets stuck in my head and one I don’t mind looping as I play the game for a while.

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The replay value is endless. No two games are ever the same and it’s easy to get addicted to the gameplay. Some games can be short depending on when you get KOed. It’s far too easy to get sucked in and keep saying, “just one more match.”

Tetris 99 gets…
5 out of 5 lives.

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Our Favorite Links

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One of my favorite aspects of the Legend of Zelda series is the lore. At the core of the games, the story is a basic formula of a trio of ones chosen by the world’s goddesses to embody the spirits of Wisdom, Courage, and Power, being reincarnated time and again so the holders of Wisdom and Courage can protect the world against the corrupted Power. While Link is the default name of the Triforce of Courage, nearly every game has a different incarnation of Link and, despite him mainly being a silent protagonist, each is able to show off his own personality through gestures and their friends and allies.

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The Legend of Zelda is a classic when it comes to lore and storytelling. It’s definitely one of my favorite games, easily. All the Links are similar to each other but each one is vastly different. It’s hard to pin-point one of them and pick a favorite.

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While I don’t have a negative thing to say about any of the reincarnations, there are a few that are at the top of my list, like Twilight Princess Link. I enjoyed his design as well as the impact he had on the children of his village. I thought it was adorable how they idolized him. You could also pet cats and other animals in his game unlike in Breath of the Wild (c’mon, Nintendo, let me pet the dogs). Seeing the animals following him around was one of my favorite details!

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I agree with you on that one. Twilight Princess Link looks the most “adult” to me. He has such a soft, yet tough, personality. I really enjoyed Skyward Sword Link. Since it’s the “first” game in the timeline I also felt like Link was younger and inexperienced, even though all Links kind of are in a way. For some reason, it just seemed to fit better in Skyward Sword.

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Skyward Link is adorable. His progression from student who slept in too much to hero trying to rescue his best friend — with some sassy “dialogue” choices — throughout the game was wonderfully done. We totally both cried during the cut scene that had Link trying to reach Zelda before she went to sleep in that crystal! Speaking of sassy, I enjoyed Breath of the Wild Link’s personality as well. While he seemed stoic the majority of the time, his interactions with the world around him felt natural. And I completely enjoyed the fact that he made seal puns with the Gerudo.

Rachel Mii Double Jump
All true. Any Link, Breath of the Wild included, who makes faces to express himself is a great Link. That being said, I love Wind Waker Link. His cartoonish look is cute and his faces – especially when he’s tired or hurt – are hilarious.

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Wind Waker Link does have great expressions, but I think the Toon Link style may be my least favorite. That’s not to say I dislike the art style, as I do enjoy it and find it unique, but I’m more inclined to play games with the more “realistic” looking Links, such as Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild.

Rachel Mii Double Jump
Toon Link is special in that sense. I think I prefer that “realistic” ones as well, but I love the risk Toon Link made. Overall, all the Links are fabulous in their own way. I can’t wait to see more in future games.

Which Link is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.

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Top Tuesday: Favorite Nintendo Switch Games We Own (So Far)

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Tuesday!

The Nintendo Switch has been out and about for a little over two years now! We’ve played a lot of games – old, new, indie, and more. All have been great, but here are a few that stick out in my mind. Of course, the games listed below are games I’ve played the most of.

Top Tuesday: Favorite Nintendo Switch Games We Own | Nintendo Switch | Video Games | Gaming | Nintendo | Nintendo Games | DoublexJump.com

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This game was breathtaking (no pun intended). While I’ll admit it’s not my favorite Zelda game, it’s definitely high on the list between the music (which could be soothing or intense), the graphics and open world, and the game play itself. Kris and I put a lot of hours into this game and tried to squeeze out all we could from this game before beating the main story. This is the kind of game where I wish I could turn it on for the first time again and be totally amazed and not being able to wait to see what happens next.

Octopath Traveler

This is another amazing game. The graphics and music are top notch – higher than top notch. The characters are all loveable and while, I would like more character banter and development, Kris and I have a wonderful time filling in the blanks and imagining what they would all do and say on their journey together. Still, we’ve been playing this game since it came out in July 2018 and still haven’t beaten it. We’ve been taking our time and enjoying every moment of it.

Super Mario Party

I wouldn’t say this is my favorite Mario Party game, but it’s a good Mario Party game. Would I like more boards? Yes. Would I like them to be bigger and longer? Yes. Is it like Star Rush or Top 100? Yes and no. They added elements from those games and mixed them with old elements we love and it worked beautifully. Are there any vehicles? No cars, no moving together, but there is a raft… but that’s mode’s actually fun, so I can’t complain. Overall, Super Mario Party is a game we’ve played over and over again. It was definitely refreshing to get this game.

Super Smash Brothers Ultimate

While I haven’t played this one as much as I would have liked, I’ve been enjoying what I have been playing of it. Smash is a good that’s fun alone or with friends, even though it’s better with friends. World of Light is an amazing story mode and the roster is overflowing. This game was certainly made with love and I’m so happy to have the chance to own and play it.

Pokemon Quest

I had to put this game on the list. Even though you don’t do much, I’ve played this game quite often and have put a lot of hours into it. It’s a mindless, relaxing game. It’s good to put on, especially if you don’t know what to play. Someday I will actually beat the game… Pokemon Quest is grinding at its finest.

What are some of your favorite Nintendo Switch Games? Let us know in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.

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