Reconnect: The folzyfantasy15 Experience

 I have been to Daytona. I have been to Indianapolis three times. I have been to so many Bucks and Brewers games. I have been to Lambeau when the Packers were undefeated in December. I have even been to a concert before. I can say up until last week, I had never really been to a convention.  That was until I got the chance to go to Reconnect.

 For those that wonder.. what is Reconnect? Well the best way that I have a definition for it is: It's a convention for people who love Kingdom Hearts but who also like being a part of amazing communities in video game streaming. We descended upon Dallas, TX the weekend of September 15th (Spoiler: My birthday was the 13th so to say this added a bit of extra meaning was cool.) I drove the distance there, and I would have regretted not flying if I didn't save money. I got there on the 14th which leads to my story really starting.

 When I got to the hotel, I got everything situated. Then I got to the convention hotel.  My first person to see? None other than the guy who makes his own guides for Kingdom Hearts, has a great merchandise line and the creator of Reconnect, KHGuides. After a massive hug and a much nicer hug to his spouse, I got to meet Lanz and Fae, as well as Wally and Churro right after. I think I have mentioned on social medias enough about what I think about all of these amazing people but it goes again, all of these people I met were absolutely fabulous and so beyond terrific and I still might be understating it.  I also met right away my good friend Espy, who got a copy of FF3 on the DS, and I ran (for me, that is full on sprinting, and an athletic persons slow walk) to meet my friend Shawn and give him a massive hug.  In the midst of all of this, Lanz gave me a Jordy Nelson jersey just out of the kindness of his heart.  That guy is absolutely goated and deserves the best ever stuff in the world.  A bunch of us watch the PS State of Play which was honestly cool because it's people I have seen behind a screen finally meeting up in real life and having fun. I guess another good thing that could happen is that we could have a dinner before the event gets real.

 Preconnect was a dinner that we had that had about two dozen people at it, all of whom had a great vibe.  This is where we probably got that selfie game going. Getting pictures with a lot of people there was amazing. Meeting amazing friends like Bambina, Volt, Nick and Snoko just.. made all of the things better. Without these friends, it wouldn't have been as amazing and I can guarantee that. The food was absolutely great as well and just the whole vibe of the event was terrific.  With that, we can transition right?

 Or I can see more people back at the convention hotel, which was led by the SuperSpikeGhettiBros. To say these two are absolute gems to life may honestly be an understatement. They are extremely awesome but also have hearts of gold.  Meeting everyone there that night was absolutely fabulous, and if I put everyone in this blog, it would take you about an hour to read and I want you to have time to do other stuff but the entire time was awesome there. That included me giving JIP my copy of Re:Coded on the DS. Everyone there was having a great time, just being a whole vibe and just supporting each other.  This is also where I met friends RoyalAqua and Xekbar, the latter who I met for the first time ever and we instantly clicked.  With that.. we transition to Friday.

 After the mandatory waking up, seeing a work conference thing, I got to the hotel late in the morning Friday. One of the best highlights was meeting my bestie on Twitch, PreferredWhale. For the context of why besties, So in the SpikeGhettiBros stream, they were playing Cult of the Lamb.  The community got to play this game with the bros, and Whale's character and my character in there gelled right away and one of us said we were best friends, so we just became besties! However, I introduced her in such a monotone way that when I met her partner, Water, I had to laugh at myself due to this because he mentioned who Whale was. After absolutely redeeming for a better introduction, it was a cool rest of the afternoon before the registration. Needless to say, both are incredibly special people and those two, along with Rybs, we went from a bestie duo to a bestie quartet. As the afternoon wore on, we got to registration and I registered and then I made a mistake only I could make but one that I think can live in lore. After registration I went to Raising Cane's.. because there isn't one within 500 miles of where I live. Therefore, I was like "Oh good, time before Chad's concert, we got this." Only.. after dinner at Raising Cane's did I forget that they made dinner at the convention. Listen, I still win because that chicken is freaking fabulous. Chad absolutely killed it at the concert. He is also such a nice guy and a new friend who I hit it off with right away. Same with Garnet, who is beyond a sweetheart and so kind. After Chad's concert, the Women of KH panel took over and all five of them did a terrific job.  Women gaming has been on the rise and I am so so proud of the women creators that find success and those who just try to make a name for themselves.  After that, it was time for hanging out, karaoke and much more.  I got to drive two groups of people, including Damo and Elise in one of those groups.  To say they are just incredibly nice and special is also being an understatement. They are both exceptional people and Damo also became a quick friend.  After karaoke, it was time for some sleep and Saturday.

 To say the mood was tired but energetic was absolutely on par. Seeing Saturday's opening was great.  My friend Landi got his podcast roaring and going and it was a great time. His guests of Bio, Damo, Fae and Aqua were absolutely phenomenal. After that, the Ansem Report Podcast (Featuring the bros I mentioned earlier) got the house rocking as well. Damo rocked that podcast, as did Fabio and Kim.  Fabio's music is goated and I highly recommend seeing his YouTube for this.  When the Million Dreams Awards came around, there was a lot of energy.  When PrincessKaiora won her award for art and illustration, the crowd was absolutely stoked.  When Fae won for Cosplay, it was just as electric. When Damo won for Content Creator of the Year, it was absolutely ballistic.  However, when Lanz won for Gameplay Challenges, that was the absolute loudest of any crowd I have ever been around (remember what I said at the top? Yeah louder than any of those.) Everyone's speeches were absolutely phenomenal. After that, it was chill time.  I don't know if it was Thursday or Saturday but Bambina, Mochocolate and a bunch of others started singing Simple and Clean and I joined in the party and it was just an incredible vibe.  Such a vibe that led into the last day.

 Sunday at Reconnect featured the opening ceremonies, then giveaways with Data Battles and a last day for everyone to meet up again or some for the first time.  One of the coolest things was getting everyone to sign my book.  In total, 57 people signed mine. I never imagined this happening but it did and I was exceptionally happy to get this.  Last selfies were made, talks were done.  However, there was a new twist. A wedding. And before we get to that, I want to shoutout Water for this.  Some people wanted to meet him and he so graciously said yes.  Guides gave him some little papers.  One dropped and Water gave it to me. I was the first person to receive this paper.  After the Data Battles, the surprise finale happened.  The wedding.  To say I was already exceptionally proud of Water and Whale is probably understating this. They are literally two of the most amazing people ever. When Water came to the stage, I smiled widely. When Whale came in, I sobbed a lot.  Credit to Mrs. Guides to come up clutch when I was in my feelings with a big hug and letting me say how my best friend is getting married and I am so proud of her.  I said words failed me then, but I think words were here now.  I am so exceptionally proud of both of them and I wish them nothing but the absolute best. With that, Reconnect ended, but we still had fun for the next several hours.  We had sea salt ice cream, which I got to win.  My prize? Being able to griddy, then griddy with the master Espy, then get a trash can due to the wrappers (Mrs. Guides, you are always amazing.) Then after lunch and dinner, it was a very emotional goodbye.  Fighting back the tears, saying bye to the SpikeGhettiBros group was tough. Seeing my bro Treehouse and Fae and having to say bye to those absolute gems was just as tough, and saying bye to the Guides', Aqua, Wally, and Key (a new friend as well) was just as tough as well.  I never wanted to leave, but unfortunately a vacation is just that, and it ends eventually.

 To say Monday and Tuesday were tough on my emotions was polite.  I was a mess.  I never thought a convention would be this tough to go away from.  I think I know the reason.  My mental health was garbage in July and August, and if ANYONE had told me that this would be the best weekend in my life I would have said you were lying to me.  At one point in August I said "It has to be better than this" and I actually said September can't be any worse.  At the time I was looking for ANY positive.  Well September got better for me. I started believing that this weekend would have been great. I didn't in my wildest dreams though think it would be the best weekend of my life, which it was. This was more than just friends getting together.

 You all that I met at Reconnect are more than friends.  You are family. All of you. Sid, you are family who I enjoyed every single minute of being around. Taking you to Starbucks was amazing, I wear your friendship bracelet all the time minus at work because I don't need that getting work on it. Lanz, for the jersey which I never expected, you are a God my friend. Kokiri, you got 358/2 Days and I couldn't think of a person who deserved it more. Tara, Frank, Corn, Tyler, Espygal, Swarlz, Nesquick, Boomer, Ed, Danghus, Keric, Agro, Panda, Mango, Angel and everyone else who hung out with the SpikeGhettiBros group, you all know already how much like family you became to me. KT, Rich, Kay, Jash, Landi, KTab, Violet and so many more, all of you became family to me that weekend in Dallas. And that just is scraping the surface of those.  I have way too many people to say so if I forgot you I totally apologize. You are literally all family now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. This was my story, and I thank you for reading it.

Switch Game Review: Chicory, A Colorful Tale

 Chicory, A Colorful Tale is a very, very deep game.  It's also a highly successful game, winning two awards in 2022 while being nominated for a boatload more of awards in 2021 and 2022.  A game that is available on pretty much every platform, Chicory sold well for an indie game. However, it's impact is far more huge than copies sold.  The depth of what this game is about is what will be it's lasting impact going forward. What is the main thing this game does well? Let's find out below!

Positives:

1. It's Impact on Mental Health: This game is deep on mental health. From anxiety, depression, needing to be perfect and live up to expectations set upon by others not named you, and just overworking overall. Everything is enveloped here but it is done so magnificently for every part of it. It's a game that will resonate for its impact on mental health and it forces a need to talk about it.  This was a major plus.

2. The Ability to be Your Own World: You can paint the world the way you want, you have the ability to play the game the way you want to in terms of how you paint it and you go from there. It's pretty neat to do and I thought this was a major plus overall.

3. Chicory: A perfect protagonist overall. Chicory is written well for everyone to understand, whether you are an adult, or a kid to play to play this game, or a teenager it just is brilliant how they wrote Chicory.  This is a good game written for a protagonist having the carefree attitude to save everyone and knows why.

4. Length of Game: I was actually going to showcase this as a negative but then I thought about this for a while and actually it is a positive.  Yes it's short, however it's a good thing. The fact this game can be beat in a short length is a good thing because it means it has a lot to it but also it is a game that features a lot of depth.

5. Depth of Game: A lot of this game deals with depth and it has a significant amount of it at every level.  That's one thing this game does exceptionally well. Every level does so well with what you have to do. Overall this is a great positive.

Negative:

1. Ease of game: Honestly this might be the only negative of this game. I feel this game was pretty easy overall which makes it a negative.  There wasn't too much dealing with a difficulty throughout.  However it isn't obviously a dealbreaker.

As an aside, I figured out you can get soft locked on the opening boss fight, which is interesting.  But nonetheless, it was neat to find that trick/tip I guess.

Reaction/Rating:

Chicory is a fantastic game that tells a tale that is significant in real life overall. It's depth into the mental health spectrum and the impact on that is something that cannot ever be ignored. The scope of the game is deep, it's ability to have a lot packed into a short game is something big.  I appreciate how big this game can be on the aspects of mental health but also the depth of the game and of Chicory as a protagonist.  Overall rating of this game is a 9.5 out of 10.

Switch Game Review: Pokemon: Legends Arceus

 Pokemon: Legends Arceus is one heck of an ambitious effort by Game Freak to make this series go open world rather than the top down approach of exploration for the first time (that this writer can recall at least) in its history.  It Came out to mass hype amid release and solid over 13 million copies all told.  A massive success noted afterward, and this game through and through did get a lot right. What did they get right? What was lacking? All that and more below!

Positives:

1. Pokemon Goes Open World: It was ambitious like I said, and it ended up being a good type of ambitious. Open world with Pokemon works. I actually enjoyed the open world ability to Legends Arceus and what you can do with it.  Howevet there is one caveat that I will explain below.

2. The Story: The Story I also liked quite a lot overall.  I felt it was a great adventure, took you to a lot of places that presented challenges and the ability to see a lot of the world you are in.  That next part leads me to..

3. Progression: There's a lot to use here with progression.  You're own progression is a good start.  The story allows for that, and the way you can build a team is entirely up to you, and you can progress your team how you feel.  You can progress a lot of your Pokemon how you feel and I feel there's a lot to your own ability to shape how you do this story mode.

4. Alpha Pokemon: I could have said challenge but this works too because this is a major focus on your team and in some of the quests you do. I enjoyed the challenge of keeping my party alive while also figuring out the right HP to get to catch them (if you can even catch them to be fair.) 

Negatives:

1. Limits to Open World: Ah yes, the dreaded "there is too much of not enough happening" with open world.  I'll give Pokemon this, it's designed to catch Pokemon but again there is a lot of space but not a lot that is being utilized with that space in this game.  There are a lot of games that have this issue with open world before Legends Arceus and after.  This is something that if Game Freak went with in the future it would need to be fixed in time.

2. Bugs: Game Freak struggled with this early.  When I got the game it didn't have bugs or any issues but that's because I bought it so much later so they had all the updates done with it.  Again, this has been an issue Game Freak that predates Legends Arceus and after.  Hopefully they will get these products finished.

Reaction/Rating:

Pokemon: Legends Arceus won a couple of awards in its time and was able to do be nominated for a few more.  However, it's a perfectly good game with some flaws initially and throughout. It's a fine game and honestly has a lot of great qualities.  If Game Freak goes with open world going forward, they could use this as a springboard.  Overall, a 8.5 out of 10 feels like a good grade here.

Switch Game Review: Splatoon 3

 Splatoon 3 is the.. well third game of the Splatoon series of games that has apparently gotten Square Enix to bring a competitor to the fray (Seriously.. Foamstars?!) but the best way to call Splatoon is an action shooting game best served for some online, but some story aspect. It's a game that won 2022's Best Multiplayer Award at The Game Awards. So what does this game do well? What needs to be improved on for Splatoon 4? All that and more below.

Positives:

1. Events- This is directly related to online but they do a great job promoting their events online all the time. This game is made for these types of things, and the multiplayer aspect makes it one of the best around.

2. Multiplayer- Yeah when they awarded this game with the Best Multiplayer Award at the 2022 Game Awards that wasn't a bit. This game is insanely good at the multiplayer aspect and the online aspect of gaming (whenever Nintendo's servers don't crash, which is about every other day.) This is a critical part to the success of this game.

3. Camera- You never really have a problem with this at least from my perspective. I never had an issue with camera angles or having a bad third person angle of it like a Mario 64 would or other games like Crash 4 or Crash 1 or really any of the Spyro series. Something that is big for the game I feel.

4. Story Mode- I actually enjoyed it, albeit it is a short thing and something I will bring up later.  I like more or less all the challenges that story mode brings to you and the way you can use everything that you would use in multiplayer later on. I enjoyed the story but...

Negatives:

1. Story is too short- Yep the story is too short.  That's why it's a negative.  This is also why this game..

2. Is Limited in Scope- If their multiplayer was not so insanely good, this would be a very average game. Their limited story length makes this game limited to having to being so good at multiplayer and its add-ons/DLC content to make it a lot, lot better over time.  They need to find something to enhance their game otherwise it is a release that is good for a slice of time but after a few months it just fades.

Reaction/Rating:

Overall, I would recommend Splatoon 3 but I caution it. It's a series that seems to be very limited to scope. Its' a terrific multiplayer game, and the online features of the game will keep it viable for months at a time until it gets DLC packages. It has a good story, but it needs more in future editions to be more than just an online/multiplayer game. Overall rating for me on Splatoon 3 would be 8 out of 10 

Switch Game Review: Super Mario Odyssey

 For all the issues 3D Mario games have dealt with in their history (Super Mario 64's camera that never got fixed even in the 3D All-Stars version, and especially Super Mario Sunshine as a whole) Super Mario Odyssey is a 3D Mario game done very, very well. A game that was nominated for a ton of awards among game award shows, winning eight of them in 2017 and 2018, focuses on our favorite plumber in red overalls who has to save Princess Peach. You may be thinking "Okay but that's Mario's seeming whole story" but this game is a great twist of a lot of things.  What do I think this game does well? Let's find out what the hype surrounds this award winning game.

Positives:

1. Graphics- I don't really need to go on with this do I? It's a Nintendo based game, they were bound to have amazing graphics.

2. Music- Okay I wasn't expecting to have song lyrics in a Mario game, but then when you have two in a game, that's incredible. The fact they are absolute bangers is the cherry on top of the whip cream. The two songs I am referring to can be looked up on YouTube, as I am going to not spoil them.

3. Cappy- He is absolutely splendid in the game. I felt the way Nintendo did his character to help Mario was nothing short of brilliant because Cappy fills so many roles and all of them are expertly done. The way Cappy helps Mario through the game is something you want out of an extra character or one that is to play a pivotal role. 

4. World layouts- All of them are brilliantly executed and done. From a city, to a desert, forest and even the end level, there is just something to the layouts of these worlds but also the execution you need to make them work overall.  Some are easy, some are challenging but that is all part of what makes this game truly, truly great. 

5. Game mechanics- Everything serves a role here. You can't just rely on Cappy for everything. You have to do things yourself. If you can execute what you are supposed to do, then the game will reward you.  If you do not do something right, the game will punish you.  It's a fair difficulty and that's what you want out of your video games.

Negatives:

1. Difficulty of the last boss- I actually felt the last boss was far easier than the bosses before this and that's kind of a let down. It won't be hard to figure out who the last boss is but it's one that I felt a bit of it being lackluster.  It's probably the only major flaw to this game because a lot of the other boss fights are brilliantly done and executed so well.

Reaction/Rating:

Super Mario Odyssey is a 3D Mario game that is done insanely well. I applaud the job Nintendo did to get this game done with how detailed the graphics are, how great the mechanics are, how well the worlds are laid out for the player. Almost everything is terrific, and while the last boss is almost child's play, that doesn't mean you should scoff at the rest of the game.  The game is brilliant overall and deserving of the massive praise it gets to this day. Overall rating: 9.5 out of 10.

Switch Game Review: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

 Oh boy, I'm going to be controversial about Zelda here aren't I? Yes, probably I will since I know this game has a good fanbase.  It's not going to be all hate I swear. Was this a game I liked? No. However I felt that this game had a lot of good qualities. We'll see below by what I mean with all of this here. However, on the Wii, it won a ton of awards.  You can just Wikipedia that to be honest.  What does the Switch version of this game get right and what does it get wrong? Let's find out below.

Positives:

1. Story: Skyward Sword's story is very, very well written and very well done.  The game throughout provides this with a new mission for Link but also it's important to the timeline of the story of Zelda itself.  The story itself throughout is terrifically balanced and well done but provides a ton of structure and development throughout the game.

2. Music: Terrific soundtrack throughout the game and one of the best soundtracks probably in the Zelda series. They did a terrific job with this and it deserves a lot of merit. 

3. Graphics: I would expect Skyward Sword's original Wii graphics to be good because HD's was phenomenal overall. I enjoyed the way the game looked throughout on both the sky areas but also the ground level areas looked very, very good overall.

4. Ghirahim: He honestly should have been the true final boss because his boss fights are tough but fun.  They are honestly a lot better done than the true final boss of the game.  I honestly enjoyed the Ghirahim fights and liked the challenge overall with this.

Negatives:

1. Controls: I have not played the Wii version of this game, however the Switch version of this game with the controls is absolutely diabolically bad. Like bad, bad and it is not something you can sit here and exclaim is okay. These are just bad controls that make the game almost feel broken.

2. Control Speed: This goes with controls.  The speed of what you input feels slow.  This is evident in the last boss so much so.  It also just feels awkward when you input the controls and just they feel slow throughout.  I could be wrong on this but to someone like myself it felt slow on the Switch, but they might have been better on the Wii.

3. Why is the last boss this boss?: I won't spoil who it is but I just sit here and wonder why it couldn't be Ghirahim instead of the last boss? It would be a great final boss, with a tough battle rather than what you actually get which while tough to an extent seems a lot easier.

4. The second part of the area around Faron Woods: Just makes no sense.  It is seemingly there for filler and something to do just because. I don't need to learn a song for this game to be better. Just make the world better and provide a better challenge to the gamer themselves.

Reaction/Rating:

This game is one of the more frustrating to rank and rate. Is it better than Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Tears of the Kingdom? Absolutely not. Is it better than Zelda 1, Zelda 2, Zelda CDi? Absolutely. It's one of those more middle of the road games in my opinion of the Zelda series.  It has a brilliant story, terrific music but some of the things there for filler will knock it down. However, you can bypass that as that is part of almost every game.  However, the one main thing that is not forgivable is just how bad the controls are in this game, at least on the Switch side.  If they ever had these fixed, it would be a much better game on the Switch but it didn't happen.  For me, it would be a 7 out of 10 on the Switch, and I would be intrigued to see if it is better on the Wii.

Switch Game Review: Kirby and the Forgotten Land

 Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a new take on the typical Kirby adventure.  First off, have you ever thought, "Man Kirby would be super cool looking as a car, or a cone, no wait A VENDING MACHINE! YES THAT IS WHAT WE NEED!" Well, with Kirby and the Forgotten Land, that is EXACTLY what happens (among other things of course.) If you are wondering what in the actual world I am talking about or if I am legit high on something, then I suggest you YouTube this games trailers and find out. Because yes, that and more happens in this edition of Kirby.  This game has sold nearly 6.5 million copies worldwide, making it the highest selling Kirby game ever, and won the Best Family Game award at the 2022 Game Awards.  What do I like about this game? What do I think needs to be improved on future Kirby games? All that and more below.

Positives:

1. Different molds of Kirby: It's essentially what I said above, as Kirby takes form into a car, a cone, a flight of stairs, a vending machine and others as well.  The fact that they were ambitious enough to go with this many forms of Kirby speaks to the work the development team did to make a great game.  That in itself warrants a lot of praise but the main sticking point here is that all of these forms or molds of Kirby play a specific and important role in the levels you go through.

2. Graphics/Music: Let's be fair, this was always going to be two things that were great about this game. They manage very well on the Switch, which also lets be fair has been not the most powerful system in the history of the world.  Kirby does get the most of everything though and while ambitious on the graphics, doesn't really have much in the way of flaws.

3. Level design: It's short, but there's a lot to them.  This works.  The worst is a game like Crash 4 where there is a lot to do but its a lot of the same monotony to it (Yes I will get to a Crash 4 review some day.) However with Kirby, there's a lot packed into a lot of these levels.  The ones where there isn't much are pretty much just starter levels anyway before you dive deep into a place.  

4. Action: There's a lot to the levels but the main thing that keeps them going is the action in every level.  Most everything has something that you need to do to progress through the story, and it's important for that cause. I appreciated everything Kirby brought to this game.

Negatives:

1. Difficulty: I am aware that this is a major kids game for the most part. However I feel even as a kid this would be too easy.  I liked the last boss but even then I thought a lot of this game was just far too easy to deal with which while made it a short game, one that I felt not much of a challenge.  I suspect that is due to the kid factor and family factor to make a game fun for kids rather than a casual person.

Reaction/Rating:

To be honest those are the main positive and only major negative of this game. It's a terrific game overall and well deserving of the Best Family Game in 2022 and it has a terrific record of selling well and playing well as well.  I think you can overlook the games easy difficulty and focus on how good it is overall in many other facets.  It's outstanding graphics, level design and action play a big role here.  However the ability to have Kirby put on many roles that are so important overall is a terrific thing for this game.  Overall I would rate Kirby and the Forgotten Land a 8.8 out of 10.