Reviews

Picks of the Week: A Jedi and His Pocket Monster!

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Happy Friday the 15th! What an exciting day it is. So exciting that prior to an all day meeting, a friend of mine and I grabbed breakfast then headed to Walmart at 7:45 this morning to indulge in one of our favorite vices, video games! It’s a big day in the gaming world especially if your fan of those cute little Pokémon, or a fan of one of the most exciting franchises of all time! So we’re back with not one, but two picks of the week!

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

First up we have one of my most anticipated games of the year! To say EA has dropped the ball when given the Star Wars franchise would be an understatement. While they nail the fast paced gameplay involved with the “Battlefront” series they seemed to be more interested with making a quick buck than providing actual content. The first entry barely justified a $60 price tag as it had very few standard maps and no single player campaign. If you wanted to play solo you were forced to complete boring, monotonous challenges. When EA announced a sequal fans rejoiced as an announcement of a full single player campaign came with it. Sadly, this release was riddled with its own set of problems. With microtransactions and loot boxes to boot, fans were about ready to completely turn their back on Star Wars as a gaming franchise and EA as a whole! I’m not sure fans haven’t already, but I’m here to tell you that the time to return is now!

When EA announced the cancelation of “Star Wars: 1313” fans were heartbroken. We weren’t sure if we’d ever see another single player Wars experience. Enter Respawn Entertainment, the makers of the amazing “Titanfall 2”. Tasked by EA to create a phenomenal single player experience, Respawn basically took the progress elements of a Metroidvania, the combat and strategy of the Souls/Sekiro/Bloodborne games, and the incredible atmosphere of the Star Wars franchise and mashed them all together. The result is the most fun I’ve had playing a Star Wars game in quite some time. Pick up Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order now!

Pokémon: Sword and Shield

I professed my early love for the Pokémon series when reviewing Detective Pikachu. I was a massive collector as a kid and loved the original incarnation of the games; particularly Red Version. After dedicating a lot of my childhood to the original RPG’s and the plethora of amazing N64 games I definitely stepped away from the franchise. When I got to high school I attempted to rekindle my love by playing one of the DS games (either Black or White). I played for a few hours and then just found myself pretty bored. While the look of the game was different, there was little to no change. So, about a decade later and I’m ready to give the franchise another shot.

Pokémon: Sword and Shield is the franchise’s first foray into home console gaming. Listen, I know the Switch is a hybrid but you can play it on your TV with everything that came in the original box, so it definitely counts! From the moment I booted this game up on my lunchbreak today I was absolutely hooked. It took me back to my elementary school days of exploring and battling with these adorable creatures that I couldn’t wait to take care of. I know a lot of the community is hating this game right now for a plethora of reasons that I can’t even begin to understand. Perhaps it’s because I don’t think of myself as a member of the Pokémon community, but I’m having a blast with it. Consider giving it a shot.

Honorable Mentions:

Disney +

Come on, you knew this had to be talked about. The content available from Disney+ is overwhelming to say the least. Honestly, I’m most excited to stream a show I haven’t been able to watch before, “Star Wars: Rebels”. I know, “Dylan, calm down with talking about the Wars”! Guys, it’s November, we’ve official hit Star Wars season! I could’ve gotten on here and gushed about “The Mandalorian”, but I’ll leave that to everyone else on the internet…by the way, it’s really good!

Watsky’s “Advanced Placement”

The last thing I want to talk about today is the new Watsky track, “Advanced Placement.” I’ve been listening to George Watsky for the past few years and if haven’t heard of him before please take a minute to check him out. The over annunciation in his flow is infectious and his word bank is overflowing. With “Advanced Placement” Watsky returns to our ears just 10 months since the release of his 5th album, “Complaint”. “Complaint” saw Watsky taking a step back. During the release of his 4th album he created an entire feature length experience to coincide with the record. I feel as though in recent years the rapper is taking a step back and focusing specifically on his wordplay which isn’t a bad thing. This is where he shines. Check the track out now anywhere music is streaming!

That about does it for this week. I feel like that’s definitely enough to keep you busy until the Christmas season is upon us. But don’t you worry, we’ll be back soon enough to chat about the things we love!