cavalcade

We prefer to be known as feltacade or cavalmonkey

Play
Bit of an odd month as the focus became trying to actually get a single game in Apex Legends where I dealt enough damage to write it into my permanent stats on the game, win certain character badges and for me to be happy. As a bit of background, in every game of Apex you get given your kills, revives and the damage you've done. I've always, perpetually, been pretty poor at dealing damage in the game.

I'm sure it's partially because of my aging reflexes, but also I think my positioning and on the fly decision making is often bad (also a factor in having a slower, older brain + a literal stroke). I'd been playing Apex since 2020 (where I was already in my mid 40s) and I'd put maybe 500 hours into it across EA/Steam/consoles. For the last 3 or 4 weeks I simply mainly played it, over and over, focusing on taking fights and getting all up in people's business. And finally managed to get a few games where my damage output almost doubled on my previous best. It feels, weirdly, like a weight off my back. Like I've actually "completed" an aspect of a live service game, and as a result I've been a lot more relaxed playing it and having a lot more fun. I also took the confidence into Valorant (which I am pretty good at) and after weeks of not playing it I slapped it on for a few games and absolutely monstered the opponents. So, yes, sports psychology month here at cavalcade HQ.

I've also been (as seen in other thread) playing a lot of 3DS in calmer moments. I'm really all in on Mario Kart 7 at the moment. Just a lovely little pick up and play experience. And Super Mario Land 3D and the original Gameboy Tetris. But, I really do enjoy all of it. I was thinking about getting a 3DS XL/LL but I'm now pondering an Ayn Thor - as having a larger screen but the grunt to apply upscaling and mods might be quite interesting.

Oh, and I sort of rediscovered Ridge Racer Unbounded on the ROG Ally. It comes from the era where everything sort of looked like Ridge Racer Unbounded, but it's is a shame to see a lot of the creative stuff that was around back in that era (e.g. remember how Burnout, Splinter Cell, this game and others used the environment to overlay game information/text? Really cool, but nobody would bother these days). The game is really good - though a bit of a shameless Burnout 4 ripoff. Cars are weighty, courses are fine (if a little brutal and dark, with unclear lines at times) and the AI of the opponents is punishing. Like in the first couple of races until I'd tuned into the handling, I came last. I was shocked. Like the game gave not too fucks about onboarding me. It was like - "retry this event until you get better you dipshit". And that was actually fun, because it made me annoyed and I retried and then won the events out of spite.

Want
No idea, I guess the James Bond thing - though it looks dull AF

Bin
Slay 2. No, sorry. I just don't think Slay is that good. It's fiiiine, I guess. But so slow to get going. Boring fights, boring cards, boring game loop. Not a fan.

I'd be all in on State of Decay 2, but for the terrible 2 player implementation (it does the thing, or at least it did, where the other player is a visitor in your world and doesn't advance anything in theirs).

The battery still seems OK in mine, how hard was it to swap?

Oh, not at all. It's just a fairly standard rechargeable mobile battery, sits under one of the faceplates. I was surprised how easy it was, to the point where I was almost more surprised I'd never knocked it out before by mistake whilst changing the 'plates. Of which I have several, naturally. because I'm an idiot.

(It may be more difficult on other models of DS/3DS, but I have no experience with that, and I suppose it's not relevant to you anyway.)

I have a black 3DS, and at the moment have the Xenoblade faceplate on there, which feels slightly fraudulent, as I've still never got around to playing it (or indeed them, though I hope to rectify that soon, most likely on the Switch 2), but it is gorgeous.

You have the Xenoblade cover plates?!? You know you could sell those and retire to Epstein Island.

Still the natural home for stuff like The World Ends With You, Ghost Trick, the Ace Attorney series, the Zero Escape games, and so many others, too.

I have a new3DS too, and adore the thing, even if I do frequently go ages without getting it out lately. I'm on about the fourth case of the Phoenix Wright, and should really make sure I play all the SMTs before it has a chance to die properly - I already replaced the battery - and I have to either lose it all or bankrupt myself trying to get a decently-priced replacement.

The battery still seems OK in mine, how hard was it to swap?