This is my life again. For now.
I knew, like with any addiction it wouldn't take much to get me using again, and the introduction of over 80 new Pokemon in Pokemon Go (iOs) made me feel dirty, used and not as satisfied as the first time I experienced the game. There was a initial hit when I woke up and saw shadows of four new creatures all within walking distance and my first encounter was with the utterly adorable Hoothoot (yep, pretty much just an Owl). What I soon found was that the most consistent thing about this update is how much nicer generation two of Pokemon look compared to the first batch. Some are lazy, the aforementioned Hoothoot or Ledyba (a ladybird) aren't he most original but they all look so much nicer. If I was being cynical I'd suggest that by the time this batch of creatures came out the Pokemon Company may have realised the millions to be made out of soft toys and keychains but for now its nice to have a variation on the Raata's and Pidgey's that still litter the world. My biggest regret beyond the fact i'm playing this game still, I never got the Hitmonlee or Tangela to complete my generation one and that looks less likely with all the new monsters popping up. There are things I really didn't miss about playing this game also, like looking like a moron standing outside Cannon Street Station at 6am trying to catch a Noctowl before I jump on the tube or the fact my battery is depleted after a 90 minute commute. Changes for the better have happened to the game, it now doesn't dim the audio of music or podcasts while playing, so the game can take its place as a secondary task once again, there are more ways to customise my avatars look and not all cost real world money which is nice. Also new items from Pokestops such as purple bananas and rarer items to evolve Pokemon have been added and refreshingly it continues to avoid the trappings of a free to play game and there is no option just to flat out buy these items.
This additional content is essential for this seven month old game to continue to be played and relevant, I'm not too sure how long I'll play it now I've returned, almost certainly it won't be as long as those balmy days of generation one. While I'm also a massive fan of this new batch of monsters, i'm not sure its going to be the sweeping success it was this time round, most people would be able to identify a Pikachu or Charizard and I can't see the Piloswines and Woopers of the world appealing to the masses, however cute they are. The sad truth is though I'm still an addict and once the shine of these 80 new creatures wears off all it will take for me to bounce back in is the offer of a couple of new monsters, which for the time being they have plenty of.
Continuing on the seedy theme I played a bit more of Yakuza 0 (PS4) as well. After finishing up on The Last Guardian last week I wasn't looking for too much story stuff so instead I wandered the streets for a good while, enjoying the random fights an tasks that pop up at a regular pace. The fighting continues to be great fun, balancing its ernest tone with stupidity, whacking people with Pachinko signs never grows old. I've gone down the path of upgrading and got a flying kick which fails to connect more often than not, but the animation of failing to hit the target is also really amusing. Side activities are really varied in both content and quality, I can't see myself returning to the toy car racing any time soon and the watch a girl in a bikini take a bath videos are a real low point of the game, it really doesn't need to lower itself to the BMXXX audience and even taking it for what it is, its not erotic. Other side activities are wonderful, I happened upon a nightclub in the middle of the day, and upon speaking to the DJ a dancing mini game starts, which is as much fun as the Karaoke game I played earlier, again this lack of seriousness is where the game shines. Along with this just the density of what to do in the streets is great, attempting to track down a students girlfriend (who he is accusing of prostitution with little evidence) I stumbled across baseball batting cages which again had a fun little mini game inside. I've yet to find the students girlfriend, i'm in no hurry as I don't think she's in any danger and he struck me as a bit of an idiot.
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