What I've Been Playing: Nov/Dec 2018
Phew, 2019 has been off to quite a hectic start! I can’t believe we’re already halfway through January. I think we’re still relatively close enough for me to post a gameplay recap, though… Before work got really busy, I was able to clock lots of time gaming and did receive some new games for Christmas as well! ✨
New Games
Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! - Switch
Super Mario Party - Switch
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Switch
Progress Notes
Started Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
Started Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! - Switch
Progressed in Horizon Zero Dawn - PS4 (New Game+)
Started Super Mario Party - Switch
Started Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Switch
Progressed in Octopath Traveler - Switch
Comments
Well. Definitely didn’t make much progress on my backlog… but it’s so difficult with so many amazing games coming out now!
It’s obvious that my system of choice right now is the Switch. While I always loved the DS/3DS family, the Switch is just my dream platform because of the portability combined with the ability to play on the TV at home. As an adult gamer who travels extensively for work, this is so clutch. Now I just wish they’d make a smaller, more portable “dock” so I could play at hotels while traveling…
So many of my new games have been just a blast to play. Everything about Super Mario Odyssey is an absolute delight - the music, sound effects, world design, mechanics… it’s one of my favorite games I’ve played recently. I’ve been having so much fun collecting all the different outfits available, too! This is definitely a long-term game for me, as I’m only at 200+ Power Moons out of over 800! I do want to wrap up the main storyline in the next couple of months, though, so I can just pop in and out to work on collections.
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! felt like a risky purchase at first. I am a HUGE Pokémon fan, having played/owned every single gen of the handheld games, and I was quite wary of this title based on some of the changes that were included. But I gave it a shot (of course I ordered the Pokéball Plus too, because special controllers are my weakness) and was SO pleasantly surprised! This game is just a joy to play - such a nostalgic experience. It basically is what I had dreamed of as a kid. I do miss some of the more advanced mechanics, especially breeding and abilities, and I wish trainer battles gave more EXP. But I LOVE the wild Pokémon battles! Seeing the different species running around in the grass just gave the game so much life. Definitely a laid-back experience for me, not difficult in the slightest, but very fun.
Finally received my new gold PS4 controller and got back into my New Game+ run on Horizon Zero Dawn. I particularly focused on this before the holidays as I knew I’d be limited to the Switch while traveling. I finished the Into the Frozen Wilds DLC storyline and am back into the main storyline. This game is just beautiful and even though this is my second playthrough, it still feels as fresh and fun as the first. My goal is to eventually get back to 100% completion; I did platinum this game prior to the DLC release.
Super Mario Party and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate were on my Christmas list and I was really excited to receive both of them! These were so much fun to play with my siblings over the holidays. I haven’t played a Smash title since N64 (soooo long ago!) so there’s definitely a little bit of a learning curve for me on that one. I am excited to spend more time with these titles the next couple of months.
I did also chip away at Octopath Traveler a little bit as well. This game definitely is one to play a little at a time - it gets kind of tedious when working on it exclusively, but after a break it’s super fun to get back into. I’m still working my way through Chapter 2 sections for each character.
Some other exciting additions to my gaming collection: a full set of Amiibo cards (since I have neither the money nor space to collect the actual figures)… and my NES-style JoyCons finally arrived! I was a little disappointed to realize that the NES JoyCons don’t work with anything but the NES titles, but they are really fun to use for those games. I spent a little time playing Super Mario 3 with my siblings over break as well, and that was a real nostalgia trip also. Can’t even imagine how many hours we put into that game on our SNES when we were younger!
By my next recap I hope to have at least one of the main storylines for these games wrapped up, or at least to knock something else off my list. My backlog is starting to look a little crazy! Happy gaming!
