Rachel

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The Unicorn Pokemon

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Thursday!

On Monday, Kris talked about the possibility of Galarian Ponyta being confirmed for Pokemon Sword & Shield. Well, Galarian Ponyta is officially here.

The Unicorn Pokemon | Pokemon | Galarian Ponyta | Pokemon Sword & Shield | Nintendo | Nintendo Switch | DoublexJump.com

I didn’t pay attention to that 24-hour live stream at all. Normally, I’d be all over that but, for some reason, it didn’t tickle my fancy. Also, having that on for 24 hours straight waiting for something to happen is a bit much for me. Normally, I’d have it on in the background as I worked, but I would have felt obligated to keep my eyes on that screen at all times.

Long story short, so many people were speculating Ponyta to have a Galar form and they were right. What they weren’t right about, however, is its type.

Galarian Ponyta | Pokemon Sword and Shield | Pokemon News | Gaming News | Nintendo Switch | DoublexJump.comGalarian Ponyta is a majestic Pokemon at its finest. Yes, it’s a baby and that’s why I can’t wait to see what Rapidash looks like. Kris hopes Rapidash will be Psychic-Flying and sprout wings to be a pegasus. It’s not far off base – I mean, Ponyta is a literal unicorn here. There’s the horn on its forehead and cotton candy colors. (However, it’s classified as the “Unique Horn Pokemon.”)

And yeah, you read that right. Galarian Ponyta is not Fairy, despite its looks, but is Psychic. It reminds me of Espeon color-wise, so if it wasn’t going to be Fairy, then I’ll take Psychic instead. Although, again, Rapidash could have an added type as some evolutions do. It could end up being Psychic-Fairy. You never know.

According to the Pokedex, there is only a handful of Psychic-Flying Pokemon (the includes evolutions) and there’s only one Psychic-Fairy type. Though, that doesn’t mean anything for Galarian Ponyta. If there’s anything to be said about Pokemon types, it’s that they are never even.

I appreciate Galarian Ponyta’s design though. It’s adorable and magical looking. To be honest, my first thought was that they took a character from My Little Pony and gave it an upgrade. Or, Galarian Ponyta would be the all-magical being in the next My Little Pony movie or something.

I don’t raise Psychic Pokemon often on my team, but I would love to have Galarian Ponyta travel with me. I want to see its movement on the battlefield and also play with it in the Pokemon Camp.

I believe Galarian Ponyta is exclusive to Pokemon Shield like how Sirfetch’d is exclusive to Pokemon Sword. I can’t find where I saw that information though, so don’t quote me. I’m getting both versions anyway, so it doesn’t matter to me.

With the game releasing in about a month, including Galarian forms and evolutions, about 25 Pokemon have been officially been revealed. 20 of those are new to the Galar region. There’s no national dex and, without counting any of the Galar region Pokemon, there is 809 Pokemon total. Will they make it to 1,000 in the Galar region?

I’m not sure, but I hope so. I think they will because they tend to release more legendary Pokemon here and there even after the games come out. If not, I’ll look forward to generation nine after completing Sword and Shield.

What do you think of Galarian Ponyta? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Top Tuesday: Favorite Puzzle Games

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Tuesday!

Even though I’m not very good at puzzles, I do enjoy them a lot. There are a few puzzle games I play here and there and have a good time with them. In no particular order, here are just a few.

Top Tuesday: Favorite Puzzle Games | Video Games | Gaming | DoublexJump.com

Professor Layton

I think this one is kind of a given. I enjoy games with rich storytelling and the added puzzles add more fun to the game. Professor Layton is a well-rounded great game with intriguing puzzles, good storytelling, and awesome characters. While there are similar puzzles here and there, they’re all unique from each other so that you never get the answer right away – unless you’re super smart. (Maybe I’m just bad at puzzles.) With many games in the series, you can’t go wrong with everyone’s favorite puzzle-solving professor.

Tetris

I’ll admit I didn’t really start to play Tetris until Tetris 99 came out. I had known of the game and wanted to play it, but the original game came out in 1984 and I wasn’t going to be born for quite sometime after that. Therefore, it was in the back of my mind for some time, but never really on my radar. When Tetris 99 came out, and it was free to play, I hopped on that train. I’m terrible at the game, of course, but it’s a lot of fun.

Brain Age

I haven’t thought about this game in a while, but since Japan is getting a new Brain Age game for the Switch, it reminded me the game exists. I had Brain Age and Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS and enjoyed them both. I have fun with the brain teasers and even the quick math facts even though I dislike math. What I really enjoyed most about the game though was that it had Sudoku. I beat those puzzles pretty quick.

Bejeweled

I haven’t played this one in such a long time, but Bejeweled was always a favorite of mine. It was simple three-in-a-row gameplay with pretty gems. You can’t go wrong with that. I think I played it mostly through Facebook and as mobile apps. I never had it for any consoles.

Picross

This is a game I got into fairly recently. By recently, I mean within the last year or so. It reminded me of Sudoku in some ways and even though you have to think, it’s kind of a mindless puzzle game… if that makes any sense at all. You make a picture in a grid coloring in certain squares and leaving others blank depending on how many the grid tells you are supposed to be colored in within that row and column. I have an app on my iPad that I’ve just about played every single puzzle. Now I need to pace myself before I run out of them.

What are some of your favorite puzzle games? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Pokemon Sword & Shield Updates

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Thursday!

Pokemon Sword & Shield are getting closer to being released. We have a little over two months left to go and they’re still talking about new mechanics and features of the game.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Updates | Pokemon News | Gaming News | Nintendo | Nintendo Switch | Video Games | DoublexJump.com

The Gyms

First off, these games are going to have 18 gyms. After Sun and Moon where there weren’t any gyms at all, I’m excited to get back into the gym battles. To make it even better, instead of having the eight gym badges and then moving onto the Elite Four and Champion, there will be 18 gyms to go through – one for every Pokemon type. Apparently, the gyms are split between the major leagues and the minor leagues and I don’t know if you need to go through them all in order to reach the Champion (assuming there is one) or if you can pick and choose. Me, personally, I’d love to battle them all and collect 18 badges (assuming there are badges).

I’m mainly excited about this because the types for the gyms and Elite Four have been so uneven over the years. I made a list of how many times each type is the main for a gym battle or Elite Four member or Champion and it’s crazy uneven. Champions and Elite Four members tend to favor Ice and Dragon types and, of course, even though Dark was introduced in Johto, it has never had itd own gym. Three different Elit Four members have mained in Dark, but there are no Dark gym badges. Fairy got its own gym when it was introduced in the Alola region, but that’s the only time it’s appeared.

I think it’ll be cool to have a gym battle for each type this time around.

Auto-Save

People have been talking about this one a decent amount. There will be an auto-save feature in the game. While I think this is a good idea, I’m happy there will be an option to turn it off. Supposedly, “it’ll constantly save the game” and I like to save before gym battles or if I’m searching for a certain Pokemon. If I try to catch a legendary and miss it, I just reset my game and try again. If it saves after a battle and I missed catching a Pokemon, I’m going to be pretty sad about that.

Still, I do think it’s a good idea to have the option to auto-save, just in case.

EXP Share

In Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee, there’s no EXP share. If you have Pokemon in your party, they automatically get EXP for every catch or battle. It seems as though that will be the case for Sword and Shield as well. I don’t really mind this, though I have turned the EXP share on and off in the past in case one or two of my Pokemon get a few levels ahead of everyone else. There’s no word on whether this will be able to get turned off or not but it’ll be there.

How much are you looking forward to Pokemon Sword and Shield? Are you excited to have 18 gyms? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Brain Age Is Getting An Upgrade

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Tuesday!

Brain Age was a game that came out for the Nintendo DS in the US in 2006. A sequel came out for the Nintendo DS just a year later in 2007. There were two other since then, but I only have the first two. They were simple games with logic puzzles, Sudoku, math, and more. I had fun with them though. A new Brain Age title was just announced for Japan and it looks pretty cool.

Brain Age Is Getting An Upgrade | New Games | Gaming News | Video Games | Video Game News | Nintendo | Nintendo Switch | DoublexJump.com

While the trailer is in Japanese and the release date is set for December 2019 in Japan, who knows if it’ll come to the other regions or not. Although, I hope it does. The game looks pretty cool.

Watching the trailer, you can see that there are some similar games from the other Brain Age titles included in this Switch version. Such as math facts, quick number games, and more. There are a few differences though.

One difference is that a math fact game is shown in the trailer. Instead of writing the answer down with the stylus like in the first couple of games, you use your fingers to show the answer. The Joy-Con can see your hand and show how many fingers you’re holding up. This is also used in what looks like a Rock-Paper-Scissors game that’s also shown in the trailer.

Now, I have no idea how annoying that will be or how well it’ll work, but it’s certainly a cool concept and I love the idea of playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with the AI on my Switch.

The trailer is quick and obviously not in English, but it’s easy to see that they’re giving Brain Age a nice little upgrade from the previous games – new puzzles, new games, new mechanics. Of course, the release date says December 2019 in Japan, so… will it come here? I don’t know, but I kind of hope so.

Also… stylus. I have had my Switch for long enough that I really miss having a stylus when I play in handheld mode. The lady has one in the trailer, so I’m hoping that’s a new accessory coming soon for the Switch.

Would you get this game if it releases outside of Japan? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Throwback Thursday: Donkey Konga

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Thursday!

I still have the bongos.

Throwback Thursday: Donkey Konga | Video Games | Gaming | Nintendo | Gamecube | DoublexJump.com

Donkey Konga is a rhythm game that came out for the Nintendo Gamecube in fall 2004 in North America. It starred Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, of course. The story behind this game is that the two Kongs found bongos, assuming they were barrels and some sort of evil from King K. Rool. Cranky Kong deems them idiots and explains to them it’s a musical instrument and that they should practice because they’re terrible. Once DK and Diddy realize they can become famous bongo players and buy a ton of bananas, they play as many songs as they can.

Thus, Just Dance in bongo form was born… of course, Just Dance didn’t come out until 2009. Still, I’m going to think this was the start of the idea.

Donkey Konga is probably the only rhythm game I’ve ever played, though I’ve wanted to try out some other games. I believe I got this game and the bongos that came with it for Christmas the year it came out. I’d sit in the basement, playing away on the bongos all the while dancing in my seat.

(I probably had way more fun with this game than it actually is. I’m sure if I played it again now it wouldn’t be as much fun.)

My cousins, who were super young at the time, even played it with me. This was one of those games where we gathered around and passed the bongos around doing different songs. We all had our favorite – mine was Whip It if I remember correctly. And We Will Rock You? Is that the title? Was that song even on there? It’s vaguely familiar to me but it’s been a while, so bear with me.

I just remember that I played the crap out of this game. Like how my cousins and I go to Overcooked and Mario Party and Super Smash Brothers, we used to go to Donkey Konga back in the day.

Donkey Konga 2 came out only eight months later for North America in May 2005. It… wasn’t that great compared to the first one. I played the first one a lot and barely the second one at all.

Still, I have a lot of great memories with Donkey Konga and still have the bongos. I will never get rid of those things.

Do you remember Donkey Konga? Did you play it a lot? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Character Spotlight: Professor Layton

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Tuesday!

Professor Layton is a stand-up guy and he’s a character I instantly fell in love with. I enjoy puzzle games (even if I’m not that great at them) but the Professor Layton games are ten-times better because the puzzles and the characters really make it what it is. 

Character Spotlight: Professor Layton | Nintendo | Nintendo DS | Video Games | Gaming | DoublexJump.com

Professor Hershel Layton, or just known as Professor Layton or simply Professor, is an archaeology professor known for his puzzle-solving skills. He’s a fine gentleman, keeps his cool at all costs, and is such a fun character to follow along and play as.

He first appeared in his own game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the Nintendo DS in 2007. Since then, he’s starred in his own series for a handful of games after that even having a cross-over game with the famous Phoenix Wright putting his court and investigative skills together with Layton’s investigative and puzzle-solving skills. It’s a great game, if you haven’t tried it.

In fact, that was the game that first introduced me to Professor Layton. Kris and I were curious about the Professor Layton games since we had such a love for Phoenix Wright. We were unsure if we’d enjoy it, so when the cross-over came out, we decided to start with that. We instantly fell in love with Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke. Thus, we bought a few Professor Layton games and really enjoy them.

Professor Layton even stars in his own anime movie, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, which came to North America in 2011. Kris and I watched the DVD a while ago and we really enjoyed the movie, hoping more movies (or a TV show) will come in the future.

Layton is a well-rounded character. He has a fun personality, the games are great, and he works well with the beloved Phoenix Wright. There’s nothing not to love about this guy.

Do you like Professor Layton? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Mobile Games Galore

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Thursday!

I was never one for mobile games too much. When iPods came out and I got one, I played a few games because that’s all I really could do (aside from listening to music, of course). I had the bright idea to do mobile reviews for the blog and… well, I’m having more fun with it than I thought I would.

Mobile Games Galore | Video Games | Gaming | DoublexJump.com

I don’t really know why, but mobile games were never something I was super interested in. When I had my iPod I played generic Facebook games like FarmVille, Words with Friends, and other puzzle-like games. I played Dragonvale a lot, but that was the only game I played for years. All the other games I’d play for a month or so, get bored with it, and then delete it. There was a pet game as well, now that I think about it. I played that for a long time too. I can’t remember the name of it. I’ll have to see if I can track it down somehow.

Anyway, I never liked putting games on my phone because I never wanted to drain the battery. I was too paranoid (and still am) that I’ll be at work or driving somewhere and get lost when my phone runs out of battery. Yes, I have a car charger and a regular charger that I can bring places with me, but… it’s still a thought in the back of my mind that I’ll suck the battery dry.

(Now I have a new phone and the battery is a tank, but I guess I’m getting off-topic at this point.)

I got an iPad in May 2015 as a college graduation gift. At that point in my life, I was a blogger and was happy to have an iPad as an “extra” or “mini” version of my laptop. I downloaded WordPress, social media apps, and other “work-related” apps that I could take with me on the go when I didn’t have access to a computer. It never crossed my mind to have games on my iPad.

Less than a year later, February 2016, Double Jump was born. Once we started doing game reviews, I thought of ways I could take it further. Mobile games was an idea, but I didn’t decide to put that into action until just this year.

I try to do one mobile mini-review each month and I have a list of games I want to try out. Of course, that list keeps growing.

At first, I just wanted to try certain mobile games that are currently popular or made by a big company. Nintendo, for example, coming out with Pokemon and Mario mobile games. This blog is, in fact, first and foremost Nintendo games.

I ended up going down a rabbit hole in the app store the other day and now I have so many ideas for these mobile game reviews and I now have “themes.” Yes, there are many Pokemon games I haven’t tried, there are a few Mario and Sonic games I want to try.

But do you know how many farming games there are? How about tycoon games, especially Game Dev Tycoon, which is a game Kris and I got back to through Steam quite often. There are four games similar to Game Dev Tycoon on the app store. And trust me, I already started playing a few of them.

Which brings me to another point… when I decided to do mobile game reviews, I only ever looked at free games. There are four video game tycoon games – two are free and two cost money.

Microtransactions are a big no-no for me, but… I may end up spending money on mobile games, which is something I never saw coming for myself.

With that said, I hope you enjoy the mobile game reviews… because more are coming. Many, many more.

Do you play mobile games? What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Top Tuesday: Favorite Bosses In Octopath Traveler

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Tuesday!

The boss battles in Octopath Traveler were amazing. Even while you get further into the game, they become somewhat repetitive, they were all still fun to battle and the strategy was strong. This post may contain spoilers for the game, so read at your own risk. Then again, the game has been out for a while, so… anyway.

Top Tuesday: Favorite Bosses In Octopath Traveler | Nintendo Switch | Boss Battles | Video Games | Gaming | DoublexJump.com

One thing I love about all the bosses in the entire game is the fact that they’re huge when you get into a battle with them. They’re prominent and made out to be such a big cool. I thought that the imagery was so cool. This is something all the bosses share, so I’m saying it now and getting it out of the way instead of repeating myself for each boss.

Helgenish

Helgenish is the sleaziest boss in the entire game, in my opinion. He is the chapter one final boss for Primrose’s story. I hated him as a character, but he was one who was supposed to be hated and I enjoyed hating him. I thought he was a great first boss for Primrose’s story as she broke free from her current life and headed for adventure. It was so fun to watch Kris play this boss battle and see Primrose get the final blow.

Vanessa

I loved Vanessa. Well, I mean, she was another one I loved to hate. I figured out her motive long before it was revealed and the battle began. She was a rival apothecary in chapter two from Alfyn’s story. She seemed better than him but it turned out she was making people sick and just happened to have the only cure. It was nice to have a female enemy since the majority of the bosses were male or monsters. Vanessa had a really cool design and, I’ll admit, I would have loved to play as her in the game. She was a cool character, despite her evil intentions.

Yvon

Ah, this creepy guy from chapter three in Cyrus’s story. This dude was doing some weird stuff with other people’s blood and vampire were involved or thought to be involved… honestly, my memory is a bit fuzzy because it’s been a while since we’re playing this chapter. Still, this guy used blood to make some sort of potion and turned himself into a monster. Thus, Cyrus battling him. The story behind this chapter and the actual boss battle was pretty cool. It was creepy and twisted and it was an interesting addition to the game considering the other stories. It was by far the weirdest out of them all.

Redeye

Redeye is a mysterious monster in chapter four from H’aanit’s story. Like all the chapter four bosses, Redeye was the driving force of H’aanit’s story, though we didn’t know exactly what it was until we saw it. I loved the idea of Redeye (a monster who turned people to stone and was just creating chaos) and the design of Redeye was totally creepy. It looked almost human that had gotten turned into a monster and was slowly turning more and more into the monster the longer they were stuck like that. Unfortunately, there was no cool story behind Redeye or how it came to be or where it came from, but the design was still pretty cool.

What are some of your favorite boss battles from Octopath Traveler? Let me know in the comments below! If you liked this post, please share it around.

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Birthday Haul

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Thursday!

My birthday was about a week and a half ago and even though I’m not level 26, most of my gifts are still toys. I wouldn’t have it any other way though.

Birthday Haul | Gaming | Video Games | DoublexJump.com

I’ll start with Kris. She gave me a Gengar plush from the Pokemon Center. I was certainly happy with that since I don’t have a Gengar plush yet, after all these years, and he’s one of my favorite Pokemon. She also pre-ordered Lindsey Stirling’s newest album as well as Luigi’s Mansion 3 for me. I also got the Piranha Plant Amiibo. I’m assuming because I occasionally derp around with Piranha Plant in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. I’m getting pretty good with him too, but I love to just goof off with that character.

I also got some Detective Pikachu stuff. I got Detective Pikachu Pokemon cards along with two Mega Construx boxes – Detective Pikachu and Detective Pikachu’s office. I’m looking forward to building those and putting them with our other Pokemon Mega Construx. I also got the Detective Pikachu DVD. My parents also pre-ordered Link’s Awakening for me for the Nintendo Switch.

There were a few other things I got such as books and other movies, but that was the main stuff I got that’s gaming related.

I’m eager to get the games that were pre-ordered and, as I just stated, I’m looking forward to building my Mega Construx. 26 years old and I can’t wait to build Legos! I think it was a good haul overall.

Have you pre-ordered Link’s Awakening and Luigi’s Mansion 3 yet? Let me know about them in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.

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Gaming Funk

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Rachel Mii | DoubleJump.comHappy Tuesday!

I know I keep repeating myself, but… it’s been such a long summer. I’m finally getting back into my normal routine and that includes getting excited about video games again.

Gaming Funk | Video Games | Blogging | Blog Post | Gaming Article | DoublexJump.com

I went into some sort of a “gaming funk,” if you will, over the past few months. I wasn’t into any games at all. I was looking forward to certain games – more on that in a minute – but I just felt like I had “no games to play.”

You know, despite the rows and rows of games I have on my shelves in addition to all the digital downloads I have on various home consoles and handhelds.

Anyway, I barely touched the Nintendo Switch, which was weird for me. Then Fire Emblem: Three Houses released and Kris was super excited for that. She was playing it all the time and I even let her take the Switch with her when she went dog-sitting for a week. Needless to say, even if I wanted to play a game, Kris had already booked the console for herself for the next few weeks.

I don’t say this as a complaint or saying that she “hogs” the Switch at all, but it didn’t help my gaming funk. In fact, it gave me all the morning reason not to play anything or start something new.

There are a lot of games coming to the Nintendo Switch within the next couple of months. I’ve been looking forward to Luigi’s Mansion 3, Pokemon Sword & Shield, and Animal Crossing New Horizons for quite some time.

My birthday came and went and my sister and parents pre-ordered Link’s Awakening and Luigi’s Mansion 3 for me. With my birthday money, I pre-ordered myself the Nintendo Switch Lite. I’m going to be getting birthday presents for months!

Now that I know I’m getting those two games but also getting my own Switch, I have been super excited and itching to play games. Now the problem is… I have to wait for these games (and the console) to release.

Have you ever stopped gaming for a long period of time? What games are you most looking forward to playing soon? Let me know about them in the comments below! If you like this post, please share it around.

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