Garden Warfare gives same PvZ personality with different packaging

The flowers and flesh eaters are at it again, but this time they're packing a bit more heat. PopCap Games' tower defense series, Plants vs. Zombies, is fairly well known among the gaming community with releases on PCs, phones and everything in between. The point of the game is to plant as many flowers as you can and strategically place them in positions advantageous to complete zombie annihilation. It's a fun little game that has you playing for hours with its upgrades and addictive zombie slaying antics(is it just me, or are most zombie killing games pretty sweet?).

The series received a sequel, "Plants Vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time," which offered much the same as the first but was still well received, scoring an 8.6 on Metacritic. A Plants vs. Zombies game was even released on Facebook and Apple chose "Plants vs. Zombies 2" as the runner-up 2013 iPhone game of the year. So what happens when you take a popular game combine it with and amazingly popular genre and put the result on next gen systems? Well, it goes a little something like this.

And if plants and zombies wasn't enough, they throw in a yeti for good measure.

"Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" combines the fun-loving, joke-filled personality of the PvZ series and throws in guns. It's pretty much as easy as that. Despite the overly simplified analysis, that's not to say this makes for a terrible experience. As a matter of fact, there's loads of fun to be had with friends as far as Garden Warfare goes, and I think that's what PopCap really strived for here. There are so many shooters out there that take themselves too seriously, and "PvZ: Garden Warfare" doesn't fall into that trend as a third-person shooter filled with smiley sunflowers and jackhammer-riding zombies.

The gameplay will instantly feel familiar to anybody who's played a shooter before and the hit detection is pretty accurate(something that developers who specialize in shooters can even mess up). Both the plants and zombies will have four base units they can deploy into battle and each of those units will have subclasses with unique attributes; so even if you're technically playing the same class as someone else, the way each subclass plays keeps the mayhem fresh. PvZ fans will have a permanent grin as they play the series'  most memorable characters that have made the transition from stationary guards to fully mobile soldiers.

Your starting lineup. At point guard, we have Sunflower!

However, it's not all run-and-gun as each unit has a set of three cooldown abilities to spice up their strategy. For example, the game's heavy hitter, the chomper, has the burrow, goop and snare ability. The goop slows enemies, the snare holds them in place and the burrow allows the chomper to move underground and possibly gobble up an unsuspecting enemy. These actions all compliment the Chomper's namesake attack, the chomp. Not only are the abilities fun and fluid for the most part, but they neatly fit the personalities of the characters PopCap has made popular in PvZ, a fact both players new and old to the PvZ series will love.

The multiplayer is where "Garden Warfare" shines its brightest as both local and online play will keep players entranced for hours. Two people can team up locally to defend their garden against zombies for as many waves possible. The longer you stay alive, the more coins you get and the more coins you get the more you can unlock in the game. On this premise, players will be at it for hours trying to unlock every last character, item, and skin mod. Stickers can also be used to purchase potted plants in the defend your garden mode. Potted plants help you mow down your zombie foes and make the overall experience more enjoyable as a nod to the original game.

Unfortunately, only one player can take part in the online play. It seems like a missed opportunity considering the local play is a blast, but the upside is that both plants and zombies are playable in this mode. This is the first time where players can use the zombies which adds a whole new lineup of characters to choose from. There are plenty of modes to choose from including a capture the flag style game, team deathmatch and classic deathmatch where only the base units in the game are playable, creating a level playing ground for first time players and seasoned veterans. Matches go by fairly quickly and the lobby system is both simple yet effective as players can view battle statistics, chat and buy stickers in between matches.

Casey Jones makes an appearance as a zombie!

Levels are randomly selected and range from a pirate ship to a mining town with a train running through the middle. Although the maps aren't anything to write home about and the selection could be better, they do exude the PvZ mood with vibrant colors, a playful and goofy messages that add personality to the play, and that's what "Garden Warfare" is all about.

At the end of the day, this smirk-inducing, third-person shooter is a hell of a lot of fun. Silly, laid back, more addictive than crack-fun. But that's about it. There's no story(which, I mean, what would you expect anyways?), local play desperately needs to be upgraded to four players and more maps would be nice, but for $40 ($30 on the PS3) there's not much to complain about. Despite it's February release on the Xbox consoles, there should be plenty of Sony fans happy to see "Garden Warfare" finally make it's transition to PlayStation. So, if you like fun, plants, zombies, guns or any combination of the bunch, pick this up. It'll be a nice little appetizer until titles like "Evolve," "Destiny" and "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" can subdue our hunger. Plus, when's the next time you'll be able to say you killed a member of the undead with a potato? Well... besides "Dead Rising."

"Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" gets an 8 out of 10 on the sweetness scale.

Sims 4 Create-a-Sims thoughts

Austin: You know, I haven't extensively played the Sims games, but I have dabbled so I was no stranger to making a new character. The first aspect about the Sims character creator or "Create-a-Sims" demo as developers, Electronic Arts, have so "creatively" named it is the amount of minor tweaks you can make to the characters. I tinkered with my avatar for a good 30 minutes and I still felt like I could do more to improve what I had. Not only does the program come with presets, but after a player chooses a face or body type he/she likes they can click on minor features like the cheeks or hips to enlarge or minimize the selected area. It was a nice little touch that seemed to give more control to gamer's who are all about making that picture perfect avatar(you know who you are!). Beyond that there is an option for facial hair, clothes, tattoos and much more. After my 30 minutes of work this is what I came up with.

Ignore the pink haired girl in the middle! 

My friend Josh, who has very limited play time with the Sims, also decided to try his hand at making a mini him. The experience was fairly entertaining and as you can probably tell *sigh* we didn't use source material for these characters. The demo also came with the option to personalize your Sims walk, hobbies, personalities and life goals. Even if I didn't care much for the creator itself, the character abilities dictated by a Sims' personality made me curious as to how they will translate to actual gameplay.

Although I'm not sure this was enough to ignite a burning passion inside me for "Sims 4," I absolutely didn't hate the experience. So to put it into perspective... I might not go out of my way to buy this game, but if a buddy asks me if I want to try out their copy, I wouldn't turn my nose up to it.

"Guardians" low profile paved way for positive reviews

By now, it's probably no big secret to anybody that the newest Marvel flick "Guardians of the Galaxy" has received a whole lot of praise from critics and fans alike. Metacritic scores it at 76 with a user score of 8.6 and box office figures report the fun filled space adventure complete with talking tree and wise-cracking raccoon generated more than $41 million. That's a nice little chunk of change for a franchise that most non-comic book readers have never even heard of. Heck, a lot of the comic nerds out there that I know don't have much to say about the Guardians, but somehow Marvel found a way to make us care, but how?

Sure, superhero movies tend to dominate the summer box offices. Just look up figures on the new TMNT movie and you'll see just how easy it is to rake in the cash, even with a film that didn't score half as well on Metacritic(34 out of 100 if you were wondering)! But the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a colossal fan base when compared to Starlord and friends. So what made this formula so successful? Well, in this case, the low profile of the Guardians may have done more to set reasonable expectations for moviegoers rather than alienating them from the experience all together. 

Think about it, if people weren't sure about the wacky cast of characters that make up the five-man space brigade, they expect less from it than say a movie like, oh, I don't know, "The Avengers." With a movie like that, comic book fans as well as fans of the previous films were practically trampling over each other to get their tickets. Why? Well, in the case of the Avengers, it's almost an impossible question to answer. Some people wanted to see Thor. Some came to see Captain America. Others just wanted to see Robert Downey Jr.  Either way, expectations were high and rightfully so. A lot of people's favorites were out there alongside other heroes of legendary status and fans wanted nothing less than perfection. This wasn't a hurdle the Guardians had to overcome. 

Green chick, check. Raccoon with attitude, check. Space ent, double check.

Instead, I think the biggest problem "Guardians" looked to solve was getting people to care. After all, not everyone wants to watch a two-hour movie about some rocket-wielding raccoon, even though deep down I kind of wish they did. What better way to make Marvel fans care that than throw in Thanos, one of the biggest bad guys from the respective universe. By doing this, people who saw the Thanos teaser at the end of the Avengers wanted in on the action. 

To top it off, this film just looked like it was going to be stupid, silly fun wrapped up in a neat little package of ass kickery and a bit of mystery. There's humor, everybody loves Chris Pratt, there's action, everybody loves Chris Pratt and the movie is set in space. Who the hell doesn't want to watch a superhero movie set in outer space... with Chris Pratt? Add in a few more aliens, one strong and stupid, one sexy and smart and you have yourself some interest to say the least- but only interest. Not the overwhelming urge to say "this is going to be the best thing ever." 

Why do they call him Rocket? Oh... right. 

The trailers got butts into seats and those butts turned into bucks quickly. But at the end of the day, the movie was actually good- really good. It wasn't perfect and I had a few small qualms with with pacing, but nothing big enough to take away from the overall experience. Everything the trailers promised, the movie delivered it but better, and the best part is nobody even expected it, and that's what made it so memorable. It took people by surprise. That and unlike "The Avengers" the majority of the film wasn't spent getting all of the guardians to "play nice" together. 

The moral of the story here is that sometimes less is more and in the case of Guradians and peoples' knowledge of the franchise, less expectations turned into more enjoyment. I just want to see how the next "Guardians" entry measures up in the eyes of audience now that there's an established fan base. 

I wrote this with the intent of reviewing "Guardians," but at this point there's just been so much positive feedback that you all know what you'd be getting into. But if you haven't seen it you should stop reading this and be on your way to the theater now. Unless, of course, you want to go check out Michael Bay's latest attempt at mass childhood ruination. I'll just be here writing about games and patiently waiting for Guardians 2.

Concursion meshes multiple genres, misses a beautiful whole

Indie developer, Puuba Games', may have created a title worlds apart from any other with it PC game Concursion. Five worlds apart to be exact, as this "multigenre" game does its best to keep players on their toes with five different heroes who will do their best to do what? That's right... save the princess.

Ryu Hayabusa, Mario, Fox McCloud and Pac-Man all rolled up into one! Sort of...

So the story line is one we've seen more times than there are Madden releases, but the point of Concursion isn't an engaging plot that will keep you guessing what's next, but the intertwining forms of gameplay that propels your curiosity to the game's finale. That is, if the art style and clunky controls don't chase you off first. We'll get back to that later though.

In Concursion, players will take control of a hero who assumes multiple identities in order to track down and save a princess from the lizard king "Biganbad." The different heroes include a boy with a horned helmet in a Mario-esque world, a masked ninja in a world the same vain as Ninja Gaiden, a space pilot in a Defender-like universe, a hero in a Pac-Man setting and a rocket pack hero whose only form of travel is performed in midair. These are all extremely familiar game styles to most people, but the magic of this title comes from the combination of these worlds, not the stand alone titles they represent.

For example, during one of the game's levels, a space rift will float in the air and lead to one of the Concursion's gem collectibles. In order to obtain the gem, the horned boy must do a dash jump into the rift, which turns him into the ninja. For this brief period of time, the boy will seamlessly transform into the ninja and be granted the ninja's abilities. Namely the midair jump which will give him enough height to grab the crystal. It's problem solving like this that will have players wanting to conquer puzzle after puzzle as it is both very engaging and equally as rewarding. This is nice as it will give the most avid gamers a title that will feel unlike anything they've played before, even though, at its core, the gameplay mechanics are created using familiar concepts.

Waka Waka Waka

Unfortunately, this is one of the few aspects Concursion does well. As you can tell from the screenshots, this title isn't the prettiest out there. Not even close as a matter of fact. The animation is akin to a flash game from the early 2000's and the colors don't help to create a specific feel for the environment. It was at least a change from the pixelated pieces we see from many indie developers, but it wasn't a successful change. From beginning to end, the visuals leave a bad taste in players' mouth and have them begging for characters and levels with more personality, something the game's dialogue does manage to achieve with its use of playful banter and tongue-in-cheek humor.

While Concursion does borrow elements from many well-known titles, it does innocently poke fun at some of video games' most recognizable franchises. One boss fight has the player battling a team of warriors consisting of a black mage, white mage and warrior. The three fight on a turn-based system while the hero is free to walk up and damage them whenever he's able to. This seems to be a smart jab at the impracticality of waiting one's turn to attack an enemy, a trait the beloved Final Fantasy series has become well known for. These little quirks keep the game laid back and fun, a nice way to take notice away from Concursion's lack luster art direction.

This has to be my favorite fight in the game.

Another plus for the game is the soundtrack. It might not be the biggest accomplishment, but it manages to add to the already fun feel of the dialogue while setting a distinct tone for each hero and the world they inhabit. One level might use a piano and high-pitched instruments to create a whimsical feel, but when the hero transforms the same tune might be played with a guitar and drums to convey a sense of urgency. It's a unique choice and lends itself well to the constant genre switching the game is built around.

However, although the change from each hero is a fluid process, the controls each genre are anything but. It seems that the visuals aren't the only aspect of the game that is taken directly from the long forgotten flash games of old. The way the game controls also leaves much to be desired as running, jumping, flying and more all feel just a little too sensitive. This presents an unnecessary challenge that many will write off as a programming problem rather than one of true difficulty. A small issue, but one that becomes more and more frustrating as the game progresses. The ability to use a third party controller is a nice option for those of us more used to console gaming(that's me!) and requires no set up on the part of the player.

As a whole, this game does a great job of combining genres and their different methods of play, which appears to be the main goal of this title. It's a great accomplishment and will hopefully inspire more developers to try their hand at something similar. But the problem doesn't come from the seemingly difficult task of uniting multiple games into one, but rather the small details that create Concursion. The bland story(with a somewhat interesting conclusion), the spotty controls and the uninspired art take too much away from the experience. There's a decent amount of content to obtain, an online mode that will have gamers racing for the best stage times and a fairly long story, but few people will want to invest that much time into a title that could have been so much better with a few minor improvements.

As per gaming tradition, spikes absolutely kill the hero in one hit.

It's a charming title that leaves me wanting more from Puuba Games only if they put more time into the aspects of Concursion that desperately needed improvement. I found myself intrigued with the gameplay enough to venture forward but bothered with the art style and controls to the point where I constantly questioned why.

This space/time bending title gets a 6 out of 10 and leaves me hopeful for the future of multigenre games.

The Last Guardian’s Last Chance

Be warned: this article may become very heavy-handed and whiny. I apologize for any use of foul language or backhanded comments.

This is a sore subject for me and one that has taken quite some time to come to terms with. However, I think “The Last Guardian” only has one more shot at giving me hope for a release and that’s the 2014 Tokyo Game Show. I know it sounds harsh to give up on a game, but it would be better for my outlook on games and mental health if I just learn to let go. After all, I have somewhat patiently waited for the titles release since 2009 when the game “began development.” Since then, I have attended a community college, moved on to a university, made the decision to pursue a career in journalism, closely followed all E3s and TGSs and constantly gotten my hopes up for any scrap of information Team Ico could muster up. The best I got was a teaser trailer only making me salivate in anticipation even more. Oh yeah, and the former director of Team Ico’s, Fumito Ueda, separation from Sony(although he is said to still be part of the game’s development). Rumor after rumor surfaced about the game and it’s progression, and keeping up with the title’s trip to completion has been a roller coaster ride of spotty information and endless delays. But I’m keeping my faith for the “The Last Guardian” for one last video game expo. If I don’t get some good news from Tokyo, I won’t expect it ever. But if I’m going to be honest with myself and you all, what are the chances some good news could be over the horizon Sep. 18-21? Will this year be the one we get some definitive, credible news about a release?

Sit. Stay. Finally get released... Good boy!

I think as a gamer whom fell in love with Team Ico and its two instant classics, “Shadow of the Colossus” and “Ico”, I want to say yes; but as journalist who tries his best to stay impartial no matter what the topic is, I want to firmly say maybe.

Yeah, I know, not the answer most of you wanted to hear, but what more can I really say? It isn’t a for sure and absolute no because Sony defended the title’s legitimacy when people questioned where “The Last Guardian” was at E3 2014. They said if the game had been cancelled and there was no chance for a release, the public would surely be informed. However, it wouldn’t be the first time a promise wasn’t kept in the gaming world. Release dates being moved back is a harsh norm in the industry and projects are tossed out regularly. Just look at Battlefront 3! Half-Life 3! Another Duke Nukem game! Okay, that one did have a release, but we don’t talk about that… The fact of the matter is that it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see “The Last Guardian” cancelled. Heck, people have speculated that for years now. I just get the feeling that Sony knows how foolish it would be to put the kibosh on such an anticipated piece of software.

Awww, he's taking baby steps! Just like development...

Like I said, both of the games Team Ico created were a huge success. So much so they were given a rerelease on the PS3(it was rumored at one point that a Last Guardian demo would be on the Team Ico collection). If “The Last Guardian” did make an appearance on the PS3 or PS4 or both, Sony would turn a huge profit. Especially at a time where there isn’t a huge PS4 library to boast about. I see no reason that the game should just be dropped. Why put so much time and effort into something you know will sell if you’re just going to give up on it years later? Granted, I’m not the most knowledgeable on video game development. But I think it’s a valid point. So, in the end, I guess this article turned out to be aimed more at Sony than anyone else.

Sony, if you’re reading this, hear me now and heed my advice. Have Team Ico release a trailer with more in-depth information about the game (gameplay and consoles the title will be released on), set a definite release date, DON’T CHANGE THAT DATE and, above all else, keep trucking along on this game and hold yourselves accountable. I hope that’s not too much to remember. You did say that we should expect the game to still be released unless you say otherwise, and as of yet you haven’t.

Now, getting back to addressing my usual readers, I truly expect to see something about “The Last Guardian” at Tokyo Game Show whether it be a new trailer or an announcement that will leave Team Ico fans rolling their eyes. There will be something- I just hope it’s the former and not the latter. In the case there is nothing, well… I think that’ll be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for me. It’ll be my chance to forget about a possible release entirely, and maybe that’s the kind of chance I need. After all, one can only take having their dreams crushed so much. Just ask the 30 people crying in the corner every E3 at the lack of a new F-Zero title. That’s why this year’s TGS will be the last chance for “The Last Guardian.” Hey, if Kingdom Hearts 3 can happen… why not this?

What games are you crossing your fingers for at this year’s TGS? Let me know in the comments below, and share this article so we can hear what other people have to say! :]3

No Man's Sky or Every Man's Hype?

For all of you out there who have seen gameplay, read articles or watched the 2014 E3 trailer for “No Man’s Sky,” you’re probably thinking the exact same thing everybody else is… “Oh my God! When does this game release? Ugh, how long do I have to wait for this? I want to discover planets and unknown life forms and shoot down space pirates RIGHT NOW! Shut up and take my money so I can zip around the universe at light speed!” For those of us who have seen any form of Star Trek (except Deep Space Nine *cringe*), we might be at an excitement level above that even. Needless to say, with all the craze over this space exploration title it seems “No Man’s Sky” is turning into every man’s hype at an alarming speed. But what do we really know about the game? Well, let’s break that down.

Jurassic Park status confirmed

First, we know that the game will allow us to travel through an ever-expanding galaxy thanks to a planet-generating algorithm created by developer Hello Games. Now I know what you’re thinking. “That’s good enough for me. Sign me up, I’m sold, end of article!” But just bear with me. We also know that when a player discovers something not seen by others (an animal, substance, plant, etc.) that player will have the opportunity to claim their finding as their own. Sidenote: I feel like there are going to be a lot of inappropriate/stupid sounding things in this galaxy. I know if I was the first to find a planet, I would be tempted to name it Planet Buttlicker IV or something ridiculous like that. On top of that, there is space combat, asteroids can be blown up with lasers (always a plus) and if you’re not careful a wild space rhino can kill you. We know there are multiple climates and players can swim underwater to expand their travels. So, okay, we know a decent amount… but what does it all add up to?

To me, it doesn’t really mean a whole heck of a lot.  With all of this information, there are so many more questions begging to be answered. Can new spaceships be built? Is there a job system and will people be able to specialize in certain professions? What will the currency system be like? What does discovering something really do besides make me feel like Christopher Columbus? With a game this encompassing, there is so much that sounds great on paper, but can be a challenge to implement successfully into actual gameplay, and I really don’t think “No Man’s Sky” is an exception to that. After all, this is the same crew who created “Joe Danger,” a game that was well received, but nowhere near as ambitious as a procedurally generated, open universe, space exploration title that is getting the hopes up of everyone who has ever been a child. I mean, the staff working on this game is less than 20! I feel like if I was going to create a universe I might want at least, oh, I don’t know, maybe 1,000 people helping me. But hey, I guess too many cooks can ruin the dish… or the procedurally generated galaxy in this case.

It's like angel dust for your eye holes!

Now, by no means am I saying I think this game will fail. I might cry if it does, but titles this open and imaginative promise a lot to their audience. I just hope that when the game nears release, many of those promises can be kept. At the very least, when the game comes out I want to be able to fly something that resembles a Millenium Falcon and be someone who seems like a smuggler with a buddy of mine who can be a race of alien that is tall and covered in shaggy hair. Oh, and he has to speak in this amazing dialect that consists mainly of obnoxious howling sounds. That’s not too much to ask for, is it?

Until then, I’ll just assume that NMS is going to be a perfect specimen and fulfill my every gaming wants and desires, getting me more and more hyped with each tidbit of information that surfaces in the months leading up to its debut. At least… that seems to be the popular way to look at games nowadays. 

The balance between work and play

It’s a funny give and take to be a so-called gaming journalist. On one hand, you need to play games to get a true understanding of the way certain titles control and how they mesh with the player. It allows writers to really experience the feel of a game and give a more in-depth insight to readers. On the other hand, if you get stuck playing too much, you fall behind on the actual writing aspect of the job. What good does it do to play games if you can’t reach out to people and give them the information they want? It kind of defeats the whole journalist side to it, you know? As someone who greatly appreciates both sides(as I’m sure most gaming journalists do) and is new to the whole experience, it’s been quite a challenge to balance work and play.

I will admit it’s at least ten times easier to get caught up in the hands-on side of things. What’s not to love about sitting down and getting lost in the experience of a good game? Although, I must say it’s pretty easy to get lost in a good article too! But the point still stands that, for a large majority of video game journalists, they must have started playing the games and then picked up writing along the way. If you love both enough, eventually it becomes a no-brainer what to do with the rest of your life. But, as someone who has just started the transition to serious gaming journalism and video production, non-stop binge gaming is a hard habit to leave behind.

RIIIIIIGHT!?!?!

For instance, I only have about five hours of free time each day. By the time I get home from work at around 10:45 P.M., I’m so beat that playing is always the first option that comes to mind. It’s the easier route that offers instant stress relief. Now that I’m trying to make something of myself though, I almost always choose the route of writing and editing. It leaves me with a sense of pride at the end of the night that a game can’t provide. Now don’t get me wrong, there is a certain sense of satisfaction from beating a hardcore level on “Towerfall: Ascension” or finally making that awesome set in “Monster Hunter” that I spent hours farming for, but it’s a different feeling of accomplishment. It’s almost as if posting that new video makes me feel like I’m one step closer to getting a job at an awesome website, magazine or newspaper(yes, those still exist). It’s something that makes me sleep easy and keeps me excited to do it all over again the next day. But overall, I like to write and edit because of my love of the content: video games. After all, they’re a huge part of what got me here. If it wasn’t writing, it would have been drawing concept art, developing or testing games. Heck, I would even find a job in PR if it meant I could promote games. So, that leaves me with the big question: What is the right amount of playing?

Well, I’m now figuring out that there isn’t really a definite answer for me right now. Lately, I’ve been getting in about five to seven hours weekly. That’s not enough, in my eyes, because it doesn’t lend itself well to keeping up with the way games feel, a facet that changes quite a lot. Playing only this much allows me to put out four to six articles a week and possibly one video, but I don’t feel like I’m experiencing anything. It feels more like I’m on the outside looking in. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I believe there needs to be some sort of divide between work and play, but it seems like the same concept as a sportscaster who never played the sport they report on. I understand that this isn’t a foreign concept in the case of many sportscasters, but I’m more inclined to listen to someone who understands what they’re talking about from multiple points of view.

So I have no boss at home... but this one was too good to pass up!

So, in the end, too much playing equals not enough writing, which means nobody wins, and too much writing gets content out and keeps people interested, but it creates a disconnect between myself and the spark that ignited my passion. I’m between a rock and a hard place, but eventually I think I’ll be able to get it right. It’s just funny that the aspect that makes games so appealing(The physical act of playing) is my biggest obstacle to overcome right now. If worse comes to worse I could always quit my day job, I suppose. Right!? Who needs an income?! But what fun would that be? All great journeys have their difficult parts, and if it wasn’t for games that truth wouldn’t be so apparent! Link doesn’t just save Zelda. Portals don’t just automatically solve puzzles. Foxes don’t just naturally do barrel rolls. There has to be a struggle, and in my case it’ll be the one where I make sure to always- Oops! Time’s up. Sorry, got to go check on my town in Animal Crossing. K.K. Slider’s going to be here soon!

Take care, guys. If you have any tips or suggestions on how you balance your time, I would love to hear them. See you all next time!