Friday, June 30, 2023

DC League of Super Pets Is Charming

Hi Everyone,

Tonight's stream ended at 2 AM, as we featured DC League of Super Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace (and  yes that's the full title). I didn't know what to expect but I wasn't expecting a rail shooter involving flying dogs shooting lasers at robots while putting together pet adoptions. This was a real charming game, while real repetitive, it does provide a fair challenge for younger gamers, but for those who can pick up on patterns or have just average reflexes.

Visually, DC League of Super Pets is clearly a budget title, and the music is rather mundane, but where this game shines in its presentation is with the voice acting, as everyone who provides the voices for the six main characters (Ace, Krypto, PB, Chip, Merton and Lex Luthor) all sound invested. During the levels, Ace and Kryptro's dialog does get repetitive, but it is what it is)

There are only 15 levels with several side levels that unlock, and this game does have replay value, as the Pet Adoption gimmick is quite cute in trying to get perfect matches every single time, not to mention there is one achievement that involves getting through a level without destroying anything... (I didn't get that achievement for the record, but got every other one). I would say if you have a younger gamer in the family, DC League of Super Pets is perfect for them.

Now we also did some Street Fighter 6 things, mostly in the Battle Hub, playing as Cammy... and we lost more than we won, but I think I figured out some basic things as Cammy that I can do.

DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace Achievements

  • Safe and Sound: Finish a level with at least 85 percent health
  • Happy Home: Complete your First Adoption
  • Slithery Situation: Defeat the SnakeBot
  • Guardian I: Fill Chips Safety Meter
  • Max Health: Fully Upgrade your Health Meter
  • Lanterns Light: Fully Upgrade Energy Twin
  • Super Duper Dog: Achieve a Doggo Rating
  • Max Stamina: Fully Upgrade your Stamina Meter
  • Tangled Trouble: Defeat the OctoBot
  • Guardian II: Fill Mertons Safety Meter
  • Canine Conduit: Fully Upgrade Dodge Force
  • Goddess of Olympus: Fully Upgrade Amazon Resistance
  • Luthor Lock Up: Defeat Lex Luthor
  • Guardian III: Fill PBs Safety Meter

For the raid we dropped in on LadyTwoSocks who was playing PUBG: Battlegrounds over on twitch.tv/ladytwosocks, we used to do duets with them back in the Twitch Sings era! 

Grinded out a few ranked matches in Overwatch on the PC version, telling folks that I don't care if I win or lose, then going all out.

Big news, my cousin Frances will be joining us on an upcoming Saturday stream! We're looking at July 8th, and more than likely we're going to mess around with stuff on the Nintendo Switch.

We had solid night of work, getting two interviews, but they were unbelievably long. But I got word that because of the July 4th holiday we'll be off Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

Our next stream on Friday night will feature Beyond Two Souls, as we'll look to finish it, and since we're going to finish it, we might pair it with something else depending on how long it takes. The stream will also have an early start time as well. Not sure exactly when yet.

So on that note we'll see you over on twitch.tv/fredcasden


Thursday, June 29, 2023

Chris's Campaign In RE6 is Very Action Heavy!

Hi Everyone,

Tonight's stream ended at around 1:45 AM, and we opened with Resident Evil 6, playing with Iceman we finally started Chris's campaign, knocking out the first two chapters with various shenanigans along the way. Chris's campaign is certainly a lot closer to being a Gears of War game with how action heavy it is, but the lack of a cover system certainly makes it interesting, and it wastes no time in being very over the top. From a story narrative, Chris' campaign is fully focused on him having some PTSD, with the second chapter being a flash back to him losing most of his squad. Speaking of that, so far we've had squad mates for the majority of the first two chapters, really giving the Gears of War vibe.

It will be interesting if we can knock out chapters three and four next week, because we really flew through the first two chapters.. .granted we had some deaths and had to figure out how to get through some action set pieces. Oddly enough there aren't any puzzles, which certainly helps in getting through things!

After Iceman had to go, we loaded up Forza Horizon 5 to knock out a few things, I've been playing it casually off stream the past few days, so it's basically it is a throw too game. And considering the late night streams because of work, it's easier to play it than Fall Guys! 

 Resident Evil 6 Achievements

  • Rescue the Hostages: Complete Chapter 1 in Chris' campaign.
  • Finish What You Start: Perform a coup de grĂ¢ce on ten enemies.
  • Tragedy in Europe: Complete Chapter 2 in Chris' campaign.


Forza Horizon 5 Achievements

  • AWDyssey: Build the Horizon Wilds outpost
  • There’s Always Money in the Baja Stand: Build the Horizon Baja outpost

For the raid we dropped in on maximilian_dood who was playing Sonic Origins over on twitch.tv/maximilian_dood

 Work was aright getting one complete interview, which made me feel productive.

Got a new office chair, as I want to have the recliner for guests when they are hanging out with my on stream. I have to hook up the backrest to the arms because the chair has some weird instructions.

Did a bunch o yard work yesterday morning, and I really need to look into a permanent solution to dealing with grass and other plant life. My Uncle Freddy says get a bunch of weed killer.

Our next stream for Thursday night will begin at 9:30 PM and we'll lead off with DC League of Super Pets: The Adventures of Krypto and Ace. From what I understand it will be a short, so we can pair it with Street Fighter 6 and do some head to head matches.

So we'll see you next time over on twitch.tv/fredcasden!

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Ok... Terminator Resistance actually gets good in its second half

Hi everyone, 

Tonight's stream ended at about 1:30 AM, and I actually could have gone longer, but I want to make sure I have a lot to do in-game next time I feature Terminator: Resistance. As you can tell by the title of this blog, I have a lot more of a positive outlook on Terminator: Resistance. While stealth is certainly encouraged, the face the game has a lot more action set pieces and different approaches on how to handle various circumstances starting with everything after the return to Pasadena makes me think that this game had a lot of potential.

I still stand by what I say that Terminator: Resistance is a mediocre game, but seeing all the ideas that it has combined with my haphazard play style makes me realize that if the developers were either given more time gave more room for players to maneuver then this could've been a huge game on par with the best modern first-person shooters. 

Oddly enough, this is going to be a game we'll be able to get all the achievements all, because after tonight's stream, there are only two left and they are both story related. And we should be able to finish the game next time we play it, which is slated for Monday, as we're in the middle of Chapter 20, and there are only 28 Chapters left. If I focus on just the main story and ignore any side quests, it'll be a breeze, but I am trying to get all the skills unlocked.

Terminator Resistance Achievements

  • Still Counts as One: Destroy the T-47 that occupies Pasadena.
  • No Hope: Open the unlockable door in Pasadena.
  • The Tide Is Turning: Escape Downtown with Alvin.
  • Fool Me Once...: Destroy the Infiltrator.
  • Turn Up the Radio: Use Ryan’s boombox to annoy Alvin.

For the raid we dropped in on misscammi316 who was playing Smite over on twitch.tv/misscammi316

Oh and speaking of Monday, because of the July 4th Holiday, my job has us off on Monday and Tuesday, so I take a hit in the wallet because of the lack of work, but we'll be able to start both streams early on those days.

And speaking of work, today it was rather blah, as the thunderstorms knocked out my power for a few minutes... so I lost some time there. Doesn't help the current assignment has a mandatory intro that needs to be read, which with my approach doesn't do me any favors... not to mention, we're told it's a 20-25 minute interview, but apparently it's actually 60 minutes for a completion. Ugh.

Got the outline for the next short story planned out, it is a modern WWE one which I'm not looking forward to writing but I'll soldier through it.

Our next scheduled stream is for Wednesday night at 9:30 PM Eastern, with the plan once again to start the Chris campaign in Resident Evil 6 with Iceman. Lets see if that happens this week!

So we'll see you then, over on twitch.tv/fredcasden


Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Terminator Resistance Is Perfectly Mediocre

Hi Everyone,

Tonight's stream certainly ran long ending at 2 AM, which was longer than I expected but Terminator Resistance proved to be a mediocre game that was just interesting enough to see if I could get further than I did, as I knocked out about 10 and a half chapters, and there are 28 chapters in the game (from near as I can tell). The game does look good, but it's fairly straight forward. There is a nice progression to the story, but all the sneaking around goes against everything I normally do when playing most FPS.

Now of course we're playing it on the lowest possible difficulty to give ourselves the best chance of actually making it through the game while doing as many of the side quests as possible, and let me  tell ya, I would not stand a chance playing on Normal, there are too many variables and  keeping an eye out for the enemies is rather  tough since it impedes how quickly you can move.

I do like the few references there are to the Terminator films, such as being able to name a dog Max or Wolfie, and the entire story being based around the early infiltrator units is interesting.  I could do without the lock picking gimmick, as it reminds me too much of Fallout 76!

Terminator Resistance Achievements

  • Close Call: Escape from Pasadena with other survivors.
  • Journalist: Find a note.
  • Handyman: Successfully craft 5 items.
  • Not a Mission Priority: Complete a side objective.
  • Easy Money: Successfully open 10 locks.
  • Helping Hand: Successfully hack a Turret.
  • Taste of Your Own Medicine: Get an enemy killed by a hacked Turret.
  • Contact: Make contact with the imprisoned Resistance Soldiers.
  • Hasta la vista, baby: Destroy your first T-800.
  • Coming Home: Find the South Division’s Resistance Shelter.
  • Tinker: Upgrade your weapon.
  • Researcher: Take at least a ‘good’ photo of an enemy.
  • Hacker: Successfully hack 10 devices.
  • Blackout: Destroy a Skynet Outpost.
  • Priority to Me!: Complete 5 side objectives.
  • Efficient Killer: Kill a Terminator using a Termination Knife.
  • It’s a bird...: Destroy T-800 Flamethrower by shooting its fuel tank.
  • Historian: Find 10 notes.

For the raid we dropped in on SweetLindir who was playing Paladins over at twitch.tv/sweetlindir

I accidentally deleted all of the Plays of the Game for Overwatch this month... now you might think they go to my PC's recycling bin, but I do the Crtl-Del.. DAMN! 

Finished the Mass Effect short story commission finally... it was really a disjointed mess by the time I finished.

Out next stream on Tuesday night will be at at 9:30 PM Eastern and we'll continue Terminator: Resistance, with my first goal being to take down a massive enemy so I don't have to worry about behind stepped on

So we'll see you then over on twitch.tv/fredcasden!


Monday, June 26, 2023

In Overwatch 2: I Will Not Heal Teammates Who Play Stupidly

 Hi everyone,

Tonight's stream ended at about 11:45 PM, and it was wall to wall Overwatch 2... and let me address the title of this blog, because as someone who has spent probably 50% of my time in Overwatch playing the Support role I know my job is to supply heals to the team, but I will not heal teammates if I see them doing some incredibly stupid things,  like diving as Genji into a Reinhardt who is being pocketed by a Mercy. This also applies to teammates who go chasing eliminations when the payload needs to be moved.

Still we had a fun night, we did more than Quick Play, diving into the arcade mode and Mystery Heroes at times. We got 8 out of 11 of the Weekly challenges done. Big thanks to PandaSweet for joining in several matches! I picked up three Plays of the Game this week as Dva, Torbjourn and Reinhardt, while also playing matches as Moira, Ana, Tracer, Widowmaker, Bastion, Orissa, Zarya and others. In fact we managed to pick up an achievement during the stream as well for Zarya!

Overwatch 2 Achievements

  • Power Overwhelming: Keep Zarya's particle cannon above 70 power for 60 seconds in Quick or Competitive Play.

For the raid we dropped in on tracydoll who was playing Friday The 13th The Game over on twitch.tv/tracydoll, I really should stream that just to get some footage of it before it shuts down and do a casual review.

Nearly finished the Mass Effect short story commission, really wish I didn't have writer's block combined with the rough adjusting to a different sleep schedule.

Needed to get some weed trimmer wire... not that I was able to do any lawn work because of the rain the past few days. Also needed some contractor bags.

Our next stream is schedule for Monday at 9:30 PM Eastern as we'll be playing Terminator: Resistance. I understand it got mediocre reviews when it came out, so we'll see if its a game I can finish or not. Of course we'll play it on the lowest possible difficulty to give myself a chance.

So on that note we'll see you next time over on twitch.tv/fredcasden!

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Back in Court With Phoenix Wright

Hi everyone,

We finished tonight's stream a little after midnight, finishing episode 3 and 4 of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (which is game one in the trilogy), and by the standards of the original release of the game we finished it... but considering Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has been re-released numerous times over the years, a fifth episode was added, so we're not listing it as a finish game on this year's tour just yet.

Now the fourth case, which is focused on the backstory of Phoenix, Larry and Edgeworth certainly explains a lot of why Edgeworth and Phoenix are the way they are, while also giving an over the top final 'boss' to defeat in Von Karma, which I know leads to the debut of another character (I forget her name, but I remember they have green hair and a whip).

Now with all the dialog, we're certainly keeping the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy on Saturday nights, because each episodes get more elaborate and detailed. In fact if memory serves me right the fifth episode that was added to PW:AA might take two full streams itself to complete!

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Achievements

  • Turnabout Samurai: Clear Ep. 3 of PW: AA.
  • Secret Weapons Three: Borrow all of Gumshoe's secret weapons. (PW: AA, Ep. 4)
  • Turnabout Goodbyes: Clear Ep. 4 of PW: AA.

For the raid we dropped in on Kalenal during their stream of Final Fantasy XIV over at twitch.tv/kalenal, it's always good to drop in on folks I know!

Spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about mom... really really missed her. Had this sinking feeling in my gut all day.

Got some writing done on the Mass Effect short story commission, I hope to have it finish before work on Monday, unfortunately, someone wants a WWE based on current stuff, which I'm clearly not paying attention too. 

Our next stream will begin around 7 PM on Sunday night, with Overwatch 2 being our focuse. I already completed the Season 5 battle pass, so now we're looking to grind towards the various titles.

So on that note we'll see you next time over on twitch.tv/fredcasden!

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Beyond Two Souls is Really Good

Hi everyone,

We wrapped up the stream about 1:30 AM, and I'm really enjoying Beyond Two Souls. Way I figure we reached the half way point of the game, and despite the wonky controls as it relates to having the use the motion axis of the PS4 controller, I'm glad there is a setting for things to be forgiving regarding the quick time events.

I have to say, Elliot Page does a fantastic job portraying the character of Jodie, really making me feel invested in the seemingly random order of the game's chapters. While there is an option to play the game in chronological order, the original intent was to have things jump around, to really show just how wild Jodie's life is, which actually work for this game's benefit. 

Now, Beyond Two Souls was released in 2013... and I wonder how much of an influence it was on Stranger Things, because there are some major parallels and tone that makes me think the creators of Stranger Things was adapted from the game, particular in regards Jodie and Eleven's powers.

I'm really looking forward to finishing our first play through next Friday (June 30th)!

 Beyond: Two Souls Trophies

  • Somebody Else?: Played as Aiden for the first time.
  • Obedience: Stopped the experiment voluntarily.
  • Clean Job: Shut down the monitor and finished the mission using only Aiden.
  • Perfect Soldier: Completed most of the physical training successfully.
  • Fight Apprentice: Won every fight whilst taking less than 5 hits.
  • Stealth Apprentice: Completed all stealth training without being spotted
  • Catch Me if You Can: Escaped the train without being arrested.
  • Portal Shutdown: Successfully shut down the condenser portal.
  • Money to Eat: Earned enough money to have some chocolate during dinner.
  • Miracles: Looked after Tuesday's baby, healed Jimmy and channeled Stan.
  • Smart Thief: Deactivated the supermarket's camera.
  • Entities Master: Was victorious in every battle with the evil entities.
  • Entities Apprentice: Vanquished the entities with Aiden.

For the raid we dropped in randomly on xlunagoddess who was also playing Beyond Two Souls over on twitch.tv/xlunagoddess

Work yesterday was really good, and hopefully the assignment was closed out. Speaking of work, Monday to Friday's streams will all start at 9:30 PM Eastern because I'm picking up extra hours on Monday.

Our next stream later today is scheduled to begin at 7 PM and we got Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy on the docket. We might start early depending on when I have dinner and how much writing I get done.

So on that note we'll see you next time over on twitch.tv/fredcasden

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