I have a couple of articles that ended with “to be continued”. While I, myself, hate the traditional cliffhanger, in this case it was unavoidable. “Okay, Buddy, that’s the argument that every hack writer makes.” You’re probably thinking at this point. “I really hate this hacky writing device, but I had no choice.” First, I won’t argue that I’m a hack. Second, you must understand. It is the end of the semester and things are insane right now. I am actually impressed that I’ve more or less kept up with my schedule as I can’t do that even during the best of weeks. So, while it was avoidable, I did not exert the extra effort to avoid it. Therefore, without further ado, I present the thrilling conclusion to 2 Generations Gaming Star Wars week.

Lego The Force Awakens

I have no update on this game because I haven’t been able to play it. Both our Wii U is not fond of the television in the playroom (it is an old tube TV, so doesn’t play well with the new fangled HD gaming systems) and the disc is behaving funny. I did watch some gameplay videos on YouTube to be able to discuss it shortly on the podcast, but I can’t report on my own experience right now.

Star Wars Battlefront

I’ve only loaded this one up once or twice since the original article, but I’m here to report that I still enjoy the game very much. I’ve gotten over my initial skepticism about the tutorial level that was only an FPS and the seemingly overly long X-Wing level to settle on a mostly positive impression of the game.

I played through some of the speeder level and it is even cooler than the Lego level. You don’t have the secrets (at least I didn’t find any secrets during my run) that you do in the Lego level, but the graphics are top notch and it really feels like you are in the movie. I want to play some more to try to finish the level as I was terrible at controlling the speeder and kept running into trees. So, I suppose, it was more or less canon.

I also did a bit of the escort mission to take the AT-AT to take over the rebel base in order to wait for Darth Vader. So, I guess I played those levels out of order. Oops. Well, really, who among us wouldn’t have done the same. You get to play as Vader or you get to escort an AT-AT? Really, that’s a no brainer. Regardless, I didn’t get very far in this level because the computer couldn’t handle the graphics. Wait, let me see if I can tune down the settings. Why didn’t I think of that earlier? And, nope, at the lowest level and only pulling 10 FPS. Well, this computer was never meant for gaming. Just a happy accident that some games are not as graphic intensive. Well, maybe if I get a full time job, I can pick up yet another gaming PC for myself. In the meantime, I’ll stick to what works on this computer.

X-Wing Miniatures

Of the games that I promised an update, I have played this one the most. First, I played against Liam to prepare for the podcast. Then, Chris and I played a game last Friday during our latest abbreviated nerd night. Even so, I might yet have to do another quick update on the game in the near future. You see, both games were played without the advanced rules because both times I was introducing the game to them. We may have been able to use the advanced rules in the game against Chris, but more on that in a minute.

When playing against Liam, the first thing he asked was how long a game might take. I found this a bit odd, as it’s not like he would have a hot date that night. He clarified by saying, “It’s just some games take a long time to play like Monopoly.” This time, I found his choice of simile odd. We almost never play Monopoly in this house. Perhaps he was trying to Muhammad Ali me with a bit of rope a dope.

If that was in intention, it worked. He beat me pretty handily. Maybe I just stink at the game and I’m making excuses. Granted, there is precedent for me being terrible at games. However, and this is the important part, I’m not one to make excuses. If i stink, I will fully admit that I stink. Besides, I beat Chris the next day, so if I stink, he’s even worse.

Speaking of Chris, I mentioned earlier that we probably could have played with the advanced rules. That’s because during our game, I found myself referring to the rulebook often to look up what a particular symbol meant. More often than not, my response was, “Oh, that makes sense” or “Yeah, I can see how that fits into the flow of the game.” So, while the basic game is fun, I think we’re ready to move on to the next level.