What Have I Been Up To? Oct 2022

     

    Well, another month has passed. And you know what that means? I am that much closer to feeding my computer to a gaggle of chipmunks. I swear to god, if someone else picks my character, I am going to cease to exist. Just poof; I'm gone. Right there in the queue.

    If that intro was not enough to clue you in, then yes, I can confirm that I have tried Overwatch 2. What did I think of it? Well, it's like Gundam Evolution but without movement options, varied and interesting maps, fun game modes, or long-term strategy. Oh, but it does feature the ability to not make whatever team comp you want. In all seriousness, though, the things that are actually fun about Overwatch are as follows: healing teammates keeps them alive. Yeah, that's all I got. When I play hero shooters, I usually like to play support because I have bad aim since I did not grow up playing shooters. Going back to the Gundam comparison, the only reason I would play Overwatch 2 is if I am in the mood to play a support character. Sorry Methuss, you just ain't as fun as you could be. Unfortunately, though, the only character I like in Overwatch is Kiriko, and apparently, so does everyone else because it's become increasingly difficult to queue up as that character before someone else takes her. If only there was some sort of system that let me favorite a character and auto queue as them. Oh wait, there is a game that does allow me to do just that.

    I have been playing Pokemon Unite on and off since the game came out a little over a year ago. Overall, I have a lot of fun with the game, but I have a few complaints. First, no role queue. I know that just flamed Overwatch for its role queue but hear me out. Unite does not restrict which characters can play a specific role. So yeah, already better. Besides, Unite only has like two roles, Jungler and Laner. I happen to main the former role, and let me tell you, it is infuriating to get into a game only for another player to decide they also want to play that role, and therefore they start stealing your camps. This usually results in an instant loss within the first minute of the game. If that center exp is split, that means neither player hits level 5 and is far less likely to succeed in their first gank. The reason this decides the game is because, especially on the new map, Unite is a very snowball-heavy game. That first gank not only sets up a level lead for your team but also allows characters to stack their stackable hold items. This further increases the snowball effect, ich is why if you ever see me stream this game, I declare a win or lose based on my first gank.

    Now I could go on and on about other topics, such as matchmaking being trash, but there are plenty of other content creators that have videos on this topic. My final complaint for the day is how Dragonite has essentially been deleted from the game. Dragonite has never been an exceptional fighter, but he always had a solid place in the meta due to his insane objective secure, and steal potential. If you don't know, Dragonite's ult is basically a teleport that can take him 25% across the map and land with an attack that has a light amount of CC (crowd control.) Pre-year two, he was able to watch an objective's health from afar, and if he timed an ult correctly, he could steal the objective from the enemy team. Unfortunately, one of the new changes, along with the map that does not complement his move-set at all, is that you cannot see the health of an objective you do not have vision of. Sure it was kind of cheesy how he could steal with little risk, but the timing took skill, and it was kind of the only reason to pick him. This Pokemon sucks in actual team fights, so unless they add wards to the game or something, he is just going to continue not to be picked. But as long as you do not solo queue or pick Dragonite, it's still an enjoyable game.

    The last thing on today's agenda is a quick review of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC. This particular pack included a new hero character, Ino, as well as challenge battles. Overall, despite how short the hero quests are for post-game players, the character herself is very fun to watch interact with the rest of the cast, and you even get some Xenoblade 2 fanservice as well. As for how good she is, she is a phenomenal party member. In my opinion, she is the new best hero in the game. Not only can she draw hella aggro, but her chain attacks are just as consistent and even more damaging than Ashera's chain attacks. Pay-to-win for the win!

    The challenge battles, on the other hand, left a little to be desired. By that, I mean I wish that you got more rewards for completing them. Not only was I able to clear them all without having to adapt my strategy, but the only notable rewards were the swimsuit outfits and the ability to purchase Nopon coins. This currency was previously limited, so having the ability to farm them is nice. However, I was hoping that S ranking all the hardest battles would get me something a little more exciting than more potential Nopon strap accessories. By the way, Nopon straps cost 80 silver Nopon coins, which each cost 500 Noponstone (the new currency from clearing the challenge battles.) 

    Regardless of that little gripe, this game is mad fun to play no matter the circumstances, and as long as the developer can just keep giving me excuses to play it, I am happy. I'm looking forward to DLC pack 3!

    So, yeah, that's been my month. What have you been dedicating your time to? I know that the new Dragon Ball game is mad fun, so I have got to play that at some point. But as for now, I am a little preoccupied with a certain ocean of games.