Sega Astro City Mini Part 6

Welcome to the final installment of Sega Astro City Mini! This will also be a bit longer as I'm going to include my overall impressions of the Mini at the end. 

32. Tant-R - Tant-R can best be described as a party game of mini games. The only problem is, it's the Japanese version, so all the instructions before each game are in Japanese. It's pretty easy to understand what to do, though. You select from a scrolling wheel of four games and play games such as picking a flower underneath shuffling hats, solving a maze, picking a matching line up of slot machine symbols, and hitting hiding ninjas with shurikens. There's also cutscenes with what looks like characters from the Bonanza Bros. The game's fun, and I'd like to come back to see more mini games, but I just wish Sega would have translated most of these games in the Mini. It's getting irritating. 

33. Virtua Fighter - I can't really fault this game for anything, aside from me thinking it ran smoother. It feels slower from what I remember. Anyway, Virtua Fighter is what started the entire 3D fighting genre. Of course, since I haven't played it in over like 25 years, I couldn't remember any of the moves. I played as my favorite Kage, so I kinda defaulted on his leg sweep to get me through a few rounds. When I had to fight myself, though, that's when I started losing. I got frustrated and turned it off for now, but I definitely plan on coming back to play more. It's so freaking cool to finally own the arcade version of such a classic!

34. Stack Columns - Wow... Sega really loves columns, the third columns game in this collection. Stack Columns is a bit more combative than the other two. Not only do you have trash dumped on you, you can also have your base level raised. Of course, you can do that to the other player as well. There's also an attack function, but I couldn't figure out how to use it because, guess what? It's another Japanese version. There was some kind of setting before I started the game, but because of the text, I didn't understand what I was doing. I beat the first two rounds out of sheer luck, but I actually did enjoy this entry of Columns the most. Maybe if I have a major hankering for Columns, I'll come back and play more. 

35. Ichidant-R - Was Tant-R really that popular in Japan that Sega felt the need to put the sequel on this compilation? I didn't have nearly as much patience for this one as I did for the first. Again, it's in Japanese so I can't read any of the instructions. I was really stuck on a frog leap game and couldn't figure out what I was doing. Finally, I got it and was able to move to another mini game where a bunch of batters were hitting balls, and after the round, you had to pick which one hit the most. I could never do it. Imagine paying money for guessing wrong every time! The first mini game that I played was fun, though. You had to shoot down three UFOs before time was up. As the music played, I recognized what the melody was. It was Daytona! The fact that Daytona's not on here has now really pissed me off... 

36. Puyo Puyo 2 - As far as I can tell, the sequel plays exactly like the first. There's supposed to be some new feature called Offset, but I can't tell where it is or what it does, thanks to this being yet another Japanese version. There are new characters to battle, but again, all the story text is in Japanese! Anyway, I only played one round and felt that was enough. It was a total waste to include this one in my opinion, so it's safe to say I won't be coming back to this. 

37. Dottori Kun - This one is weird. It shows no genre or release date and all the synapsis says is, "The one that's already in there." It's a very simple game where you move a < shaped piece around a Pac-Man like maze clearing dots and avoiding a wandering X. The graphics are very basic and there's no sound or music. I'm really clueless as to why this is on here. So, I looked it up. It actually has an interesting history where you can read about here.  Anyway, it's not really a game per se, and didn't hold my interest at all. 

So, there we have it. After I finished playing with Dottori Kun, I went ahead and hooked it up to my TV and used my wireless adapter on it to play with my Switch Pro Controller. For starters, it's very cumbersome to hook up. Because the USB ports are on the back, they're also right next to the HDMI port and the adapter's bulk won't allow me to plug in my HDMI cable. I used the dongle included with the adapter to make space for the HDMI cable. When I finally got it up and running, the first game I played again was Virtua Fighter. Almost immediately, I felt the input lag, just like when I was revisiting my old mini consoles with the adapter. Even if I was really good at Virtua Fighter, I would not want to play it in this shape. I also played Sonic Boom, that fighter where I said it was really hard to see the projectiles. Well, it was still a bit hard to see them on the big screen too. I guess they just made them really hard to notice on purpose. The last game I played before I turned it for a while was Rad Mobile and got a couple more rounds finished. To my surprise, I got arrested by a cop who ended up smashing the hood of my car with his fist! How rude!

So, was the Sega Astro City Mini worth the 130 I paid? I'm hard-pressed to say yes. I mean, I love having the arcade version of Virtua Fighter, but thanks to the input lag from the wireless adapter, I'm pretty much stuck playing it on the Mini's screen until I can find an official controller for it. It's nice to have arcade versions of Shinobi, Altered Beast and Golden Axe, but how many times have I already played them? Plus, Sega just loves Columns and three titles is way too many. The sequel to Puyo Puyo adds nothing of value, and I really could have done without the Tant-R and Ichidant-R games. Without having to go back and read through all my blogs, it feels like at least half the games are Japanese versions, which is a shame, because I really like reading the text to know what's going on. 

It would have been really nice if Sega would have localized them or better yet replaced them with other games. There's so many other awesome Sega arcade games that should have been in here like Afterburner. Since we have Virtua Fighter, why not Virtua Racing? Or Virtua Cop? And when I heard the melody for Daytona in Ichidant-R, where the hell is Daytona USA? Hell, Sega Rally or Sega GT would have been really awesome Sega arcade racers as well. It's a shame we only got one racer in the form of Rad Mobile, but at least we have that. Also, when I played it a second time, I just realized there was a Sonic ornament hanging from the rearview mirror. That was a nice touch. 

I don't regret buying it, though. There are a handful of cool games that I've never played before. It was nice to be able to go through some of Sega's arcade legacy and see how certain franchises evolved. I never knew Wonder Boy had such an identity crisis. But yeah, unless you're a hardcore collector and just really have to own the arcade version of Virtua Fighter, I would recommend you pass on this. You're really not missing too much. 

Sega Astro City Mini Part 5

 Welcome to Sega Astro City Mini Part 5!

26. Rad Mobile - This is one of the games I was really waiting to play when I first ordered my Mini. I have a special attachment to this game. I can't quite remember playing it in the arcades, but I do remember it being featured in Encino Man. Anyway, Rad Mobile's like Outrun in the fact that it's a point to point racer and you can keep racing provided you make it to the next checkpoint in time. Unlike Outrun, though, you are racing against other people, and some turns are actually banked, so it gives the game a pseudo-3D effect. There are also sections that require you to turn on your headlights or use your wipers. I played the first three levels and had fun. It's a bit on the hard side and continuing puts you back at the current checkpoint, so you can't just drop coins and push through it. When I come back to it, I may have to save state a bit to get to the next round. 

27. Cotton - I've never heard of this game, most likely because it's a Japanese shooter. There's text before each level, and unfortunately, it's in Japanese so I've no idea what is being said. It doesn't affect the gameplay, though. Instead of being a space ship, you're actually a witch on a broomstick, and you have a little fairy that follows you around fighting with you. Having a drone all the time is a +1 for me, but the one thing that I don't like is that for some reason, when I continue, I get put back at the start of the stage. Sometimes, I don't. I like the game for the most part, but if I return to this, I'm probably going to end up save stating because I don't want to be returned to the level at random times. It's just weird. 

28. Arabian Fight - I've never heard of this one, again, most likely because it's a Japanese game. As such, the text is in Japanese, so I'm in the same situation as Cotton. I love it when a beat 'em up does something different to make it self stand out in the genre. This is an Arabian-themed brawler, so all the levels are desert and pyramid based. You fight standard enemies, skeletons, lizardmen, snake women and the like. You also have magical special attacks where your character jumps to the front of the screen and does a little animation before they cast it. The game's sprites are also pretty large, and they scale down the further you go into the background. I just wish it was animated a bit better, as it's pretty jerky. I do like this game, though, so I'll come back at some point to beat it. 

29. Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death of Adder - I think I may have played this game in some form. Unfortunately, this is also the Japanese version, so the text is useless to me. Anyway, this plays better and faster than the first Golden Axe, and the magic system has been changed up. Now you can stock up on as many bottles of magic as you want instead of having to collect them in order to fill up a staged meter. This definitely comes in handy. I picked a female centaur, and I really enjoy playing as her. I also like the new ridable animals. This is going to be one of those games that I'm really going to look forward to coming back to when I bring out the Sega Astro City Mini again. 

30. Puyo Puyo - My first exposure to Puyo Puyo was with Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on the Sega Genesis. I just recently got Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 on the Nintendo Switch after loving the hell out of the first one. So, it's nice to actually play the original arcade game that started the franchise. Once again, this is the Japanese version, and there's story between your character and the character you're battling, so it's disappointing that I can't read the text exchange. Anyway, if you never played Puyo Puyo, it's a simple puzzle game where you move a group of two blobs around and match them up by color. It's a Vs puzzle game, so you're always going against someone else, and it's very easy to get buried under someone else's trash very quickly. Man, though, I used to be so good at this game, but I'm really rusty. Since I have Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 on the Switch now, I doubt I'll ever go back to this version, especially since I can't read the story. 

31. Dark Edge - Before I eventually get to Sega's first 3D fighter, I played some of this psuedo-3D fighter. It's all sprite-based, but the gameplay involves moving up and down the arena with the sprites rotating as you move to simulate a 3D effect. It's a bit off-putting if I'm being honest, very hard to line up any attacks. Plus, it only has six fighters to play with, a low number for fighters back then. I played a few of them, and didn't really enjoy what I played. Also, I fought someone who I swore kept telling me to "Fuck off!" when she threw her projectiles at me. Ahh well. Virtua Fighter's just around the corner. 

So that wraps up the fifth installment. The sixth and final is almost here! Thanks for reading!

Sega Astro City Mini Part 4

 Welcome to Sega Astro City Mini Part 4!

20. Shadow Dancer - Shadow Dancer is Shinboi II, or as it's known on the Genesis, Secret of Shinobi. Now, I'm not sure if I've ever played the arcade version, although I probably have. I think I may have played it on the Genesis as well. With that said, I'm almost certain I never beat it. Shadow Dancer plays pretty much exactly the same as Shinboi with the addition of having a dog by your side. The dog can run up on enemies and attack them making them vulnerable for your attacks. The only thing I don't like about that is the constant yiping when the dog gets hurt. Also, you have time bombs that you're supposed to find in order to clear the level. I missed one in 2-1 which was highly annoying as I made it to the end of the stage without getting hit, but died going back to find it. I'll definitely return to finish this one later, though.

21. Alien Storm - One thing I love about these mini consoles is seeing how the games evolve over the years. Alien Storm is an arcade beat 'em up that released when the genre was entering its golden era. Like many, it has different characters with unique move sets and special attacks, and HP bars instead of losings lives from one hit. What makes Alien Storm stand out from others is its design. Alien Storm takes place in an alien infested city and as you progress through the levels, you'll see humans turn into and be attacked by aliens, and you'll also see objects like thrash cans and phone booths reveal hidden aliens. I played the first two missions, and it looks like each mission ends in a shooting gallery style section where not only do you kill every invading alien left, you also pretty much destroy every last standing thing in these stores. Great fun! I look forward to coming back to this one to finish it and try using other characters. 

22. Columns - Like Golden Axe and Altered Beast, Columns is another Sega staple. I've played this game many times on Genesis and Game Gear. I spent a few minutes on this one, since this is an arcade version, but as to be expected, there's no real difference. I don't even really think the graphics are any better than the Genesis version. I played as much as I could before I ended up getting a game over and I'm certainly rusty. However, Columns has never really been a puzzler that I crave to go back to, so I doubt I'll play anymore. 

23. Bonanza Bros. - Hey, I remember playing this game with a friend back on the Genesis! Now I have the arcade version! As far as I remember, I don't think there's any difference with this one and the Genesis version. Probably better graphics. Anyway, if you've never played this one, it's basically a cops and robbers game where you play a burglar who goes into buildings to get loot and shoot guards and avoid traps. You can also lure them into traps such as getting them on the other side of the door slamming into them with it. I played a few levels and I really do enjoy this sort of game. I can't remember if I ever beat it with my friend, but I would like to go back to this game in the future and finish it on the Astro City Mini. 

24. Columns II - I never played Columns II, arcade wise or console wise. Columns II changes things up a bit by splitting single player and versus modes apart from each other. The single player mode is also called Flash Columns, and you start each level with several rows of gems already on the screen. Within the gems is a flashing gem, and your goal is to clear a path to the gem and then clear the gem itself. After a little while, a gem with a skull on it will appear and if you happen to clear that gem, trash gets added to the level. I was never good enough in Columns to clear away trash gems quickly, so unfortunately, I don't really find the sequel that much fun. I do like that the graphics of the gems change every level, though. It adds some variety, but the game overall just isn't fun enough for me to want to come back to. 

25. Thunder Force AC - This game's a side scrolling shooter similar to Gradius. You can also change your speed and weapon types at will. This game's freaking hard, though. Probably one of the hardest shooters I've ever played. It's definitely a coin cruncher for sure, but hey, infinite coin drops! I like the graphics and how fast it moves. I played a couple of levels, and thought the bosses were pretty standard fare, but even though there's a ton of cheap shots, I still found myself having fun with this. I might come back to it some time to finish it off. 

That wraps up the fourth installment in this series. Thanks for reading, and watch out for part 5!

Sega Astro City Mini Part 3

 Welcome to Sega Astro City Mini Part 3!

14. Scramble Spirits - Like Sonic Boom, this one suffers from the same problem of being really hard to see the projectiles while playing on the small screen. Unlike Sonic Boom, I actually had fun with this one. It has power ups that give you drones to fight with, and if you've followed my mini console blogs, you'll know I'm a big fan of shoot 'em ups that give you these kinds of power ups. Also, there's a section in the first level where you go to ground and the camera zooms in adding more detail to the graphics. I played the first couple of levels, and I'd like to go back to this game at some point to see if it does that again. So far, the bosses haven't been very interesting, but maybe they'll be later on in the game. 

15. Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair - It seems this franchise does not know what kind of genre it wants to be. The first was a platformer. The second was an action RPG. The third is shooter. WBIII's levels are split into two stages. The first is a run and gun where they bring the stamina meter back from the first game that you fill back up by collecting fruit. The second stage is a flying shooter were the stamina meter turns into an HP meter and it leads to the level boss. I played the first couple of levels, and it's fun, but the second boss was far more annoying than anything. It was obviously designed to be super cheap to keep the player dropping coins, but thanks to my magic drop coin button, I don't have to worry about it. I may come back to this game to finish it up, but it probably won't be anytime soon. 

16. Gain Ground - This is a top down combat style shooter, but it's not a very fun one. It plays way too slow for me, and another thing I hate is that the bullets are extremely short range. This makes you get into dangerously close range in order to kill the enemies. I guess the design choice was to make the game harder in order to kill you more so you'll drop another coin. Well, that's horrible game design that doesn't translate well in this day and age, especially with an infinite drop coin feature. So, it's pretty safe to say I won't be coming back to this one at all. 

17. Crack Down - No, this isn't the lackluster Microsoft open world franchise. This is a top down shooter that involves you planting time bombs and then escaping the level. I actually like this game a bit. You can get different kinds of weapons, and you have to pay attention to enemy positions and areas such as narrow hallways. A cool little feature the game has lets you press yourself against the wall in order to dodge enemy fire. Each level is broken into acts, and I played the first three acts of the first level. The level design seems varied enough that it should keep me interested when I decide to go back. I really would like to play more. 

18. Golden Axe - Just like Altered Beast, what can I really say about Golden Axe that Sega fans don't already know? Even though I own a couple Genesis versions, it's nice to own the actual arcade version. Of course, it looks and runs a little better, and now thanks to infinite coin drops, I can actually beat this game without having to abuse the hell out of save states. Also, I did happen to beat this game years ago in the arcades, but I'm sure it took me over 20 dollars in quarters. Anyway, this is one of the definitive Sega arcade classics and I'm glad Sega included this in the Astro City Mini. 

19. Cyber Police Eswat - Oh wow, imagine this game in the hypersensitive anti-police social climate of today. You play as a cop shooting and killing criminals. Because, you know, criminals trying to kill you don't deserve to be killed. Anyway, at least you arrest most of the big boss criminals. I played through the first six levels, and after the first two or three, you take on a suit of armor and have suped up weapons. I really enjoyed what I played, very similar in how Shinobi plays by jumping up to higher levels and into the background. Now that I think of it, I may have actually played this back in the day when arcades were still a thing. I'm definitely returning to this one. 

As usual, thanks for reading, and look out for Part 4!

Sega Astro City Mini Part 2

 Welcome to Sega Astro City Mini Part 2!

8. Alex Kidd with Stella: The Lost Stars - I think I have an Alex Kidd game on the Sega Genesis Mini. It's a pretty basic left to right platformer with some tricky enemy dodging and platforming. I played it for a couple of levels. There's really nothing special about it, but I do like that at the end of every level, you reach the Fantasy Zone spaceship. I like it when games have Easter eggs from other games. It's fun enough that I may come back at some point to play some more, because I want to see what the other levels offer in terms of challenge. 

9. Alien Syndrome - This is my kind of game! It's a top down shooter that has Contra-style power ups. The game's goal is to rescue all of your comrades in every level before the time bomb goes off. I tried a few times to clear the first level, but I kept dying, and there's no continue so I have to clear the level in three lives or start over from the beginning. What I do like is that when you die, your power-ups don't go away. I'll have to come back later and use save states in order to finish the game. Too bad I can't find someone to play this with for co-op!

10. Wonder Boy in Monster Land - The sequel for Wonder Boy has gone Action RPG. Sadly, this version is in Japanese, so I can't read any of the text. I played it for a little bit, though. One thing that I noted is that the game loves to throw all sorts of shops at you selling things you'll never get enough gold to buy unless you go back and forth for an hour or more. Not sure how to use any items or change gear, either. I did beat a couple of bosses, but one kept throwing so many minions at me and jumping around so much that I just gave up. Not sure if I'll return to this one. 

11. Shinobi - Now we're getting into the era that I'm familiar with. I dumped so many quarters into this game at Village Inns and IHOPs, but I never did finish it. Now with unlimited coin drops and save states, I finally can. I played a few levels for now, but I'll definitely come back later to beat it. What I really love about Shinobi is how well it plays and how great the music is. I even remember a few tracks being redone in Shinobi III. The only real disappointment is that unfortunately, this version does not have the Spider-Man cameo in it. I guess they couldn't get the license for it. 

12. Sonic Boom - No, this isn't a move shouted by Guile, nor is it that horrible Sonic game from 2014. This is a top down shooter where you play as a jet fighter shooting at enemies. I didn't really enjoy this one, though. It's really hard, most likely because I'm playing it on the unit's small screen, and the projectiles are pretty tiny. Maybe it would be more fun on a TV screen. But regardless, I've got SO many shoot 'em ups on my other mini consoles, I doubt I'll ever go back to this one. 

13. Altered Beast - "WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE!" Do I really need to tell anyone how iconic that line is? Anyone who's grown up on Sega knows Altered Beast. It was the original launch game for the Sega Genesis after all. Even though I have a few versions of this game, this is the first time I've owned the arcade version. It's nice to have this one, and since I have unlimited coin drops, I don't have to worry about messing with save states. It's also nice that you don't lose your power ups when you die. Now that I think of it, I STILL haven't beaten this game, so if I ever want to get around to it, I'll definitely return to this one. 

Thanks for reading! Look forward to Part 3 tomorrow!

Sega Astro City Mini Part 1

 

I finally got my Sega Astro City Mini from Limited Run Games early last week. It took its sweet ever loving time to get here, but it's here! As with all my mini console blogs, I'll be doing them in sections. There's 37 games in this collection, so I'll break it up into six parts. This first will have seven quick game impressions, and then it will be six consecutively. 

Now, onto the console itself. It's a cute little system. It's very awkward to play on your lap as it's clearly designed to play on a flat surface. The speakers put out a good amount of volume. The screen is nice and sharp, but it is pretty small so text can be hard to read. There's a cool green bar that lights up over the screen when it's turned on. The buttons feel very clicky and the stick feels about what you'd expect from an arcade. There's also a button that lets you "drop coins", which is increase the number of credits you need in order to play. EDIT: I also found out quickly that you can't start a game until you "drop a coin." I wish the buttons were labeled, though, because it makes it look a bit cheap. 

A questionable design choice, though, is putting the USB ports in the back of the console as well as the On/Off switch. Also, the biggest flaw with the unit is no built in battery. You'll have to hook it up to something, such as a power bank, if you want to play it on the go. Right now, I have it plugged into my laptop, and I decided I'm not going to bother playing it on my TV, just on the console's screen itself. There's also no volume slider, so you have to go into the system menu to change the volume. As with any mini console, there's save states, but beyond that, the frills of this system is very minimal. You also only get two wallpapers to work from and they aren't that great. 

Now, on to the games. I usually like to do this blogs in alphabetical order, but there doesn't seem to be a way to sort them. They're just listed from 1 to 37 in chronological order of their release, so I'll break from tradition for this series as I don't want to keep scrolling up and down to select the next one alphabetically. Also, I found it somewhat entertaining that the game automatically assumes the first game you'll play is Virtua Fighter. It's the main reason why I bought it, but I'll just play it when I get to it. So here we go.

1. Flicky - Flicky's a game I know nothing off. The game synopsis mentions something about Flicky being in the Sonic roster, and I can't remember seeming him anywhere. Anyway, it's a simple little platformer that scrolls left to right and right to left where you have to save all the birds in every level. There are enemies that try to snatch the birds away from you, so you have to avoid them as best as you can. You also get weapons to throw, but since the game only uses one button, every time you jump, you also throw your weapon, and this can throw your strategy off. It plays well, though, and is somewhat addicting, so I'd like to return to it at some point to see how far along I can go. 

2. Sega Ninja - Sega Ninja (or possibly Ninja Princess in Japan) is a top down shooter where you play as Princess Kurumi, princess by day, ninja by night... although you don't really play at night. You can throw an infinite number of shurikens while dodging the ones thrown at you by enemies. You can attack either by throwing them straight forward or use another button in conjunction with the stick to throw them in eight different directions. You also have a very handy ninjitsu ability that lets you disappear to move out of harms way before you reappear and as far as I can tell, you can use it as many times as you want. It took me several tries to beat the first level, but I'm not sure I really had much fun with this one. It just seems loaded with cheap deaths, but maybe I just suck and have to keep trying. 

3. My Hero - This is a pretty unremarkable game. I guess with the generic name, that shouldn't be very surprising. My Hero puts you in the role of Takeshi as he has to punch a relentless mob of enemies and dodge all sorts of obstacles. The music's very irritating, though, so it makes it hard to want to keep coming back. It got a bit crazy with the obstacles a little further on in the level, so it makes me wonder what future levels will look like. Not sure if I enjoyed what I played enough to come back, though. 

4. Space Harrier - So I own Space Harrier yet again... At least this one's the arcade perfect version and since I traded Shenmue away years ago, this is the only way to play it for now. The Sega Genesis version played very well, but this version obviously looks better. I played through the first six levels and felt that's all I wanted to play. Also, it seems like you can "drop coins" as many times as you want to load yourself up with hundreds of lives before you go in, so there should be no reason why you can't beat the game in one sitting. 

5. Fantasy Zone - Just like Space Harrier, I now own this a few times. Again, now it's the arcade perfect version, so it plays and looks better. The only real difference I noted, and I could be wrong, is a time limit when you visit the item shop. That would be make sense, as since this is an arcade game, they want to keep the player moving and spending coins. Anyway, I didn't spend much time playing this game as I played so much of it on other versions. 

6. Wonder Boy - I'm pretty sure this is on the Sega Genesis Mini, but just like the previous two games, it's nice to have the arcade perfect version. It reminds me very much of Super Adventure Island with throwing axes at enemies and even riding along the level on a skateboard. I would like to come back to this version in particular to see it all the way through some day, as I really enjoy this kind of game.

7. Quartet 2 - I actually really like this one! I've never heard of Quartet before, but Quartet 2 is a platform shooter where you have to maneuver through the levels shooting all sorts of enemies that never stop spawning while surviving long enough to beat the level boss to get the key to move to the next level. It's designed to play with up to four players, hence the title quartet. There's also a jetpack power up that lets you move around the level a bit easier, but I think it makes dodging enemies trickier. Anyway, I wouldn't mind coming back to this game to play more. 

So there you have it, the first batch of games! Thanks for reading and look forward to the next one!

A Life of Adventure IV: All FFXIV Jobs to 80

A Life of Adventure IV is the current achievement unlocked for leveling all Disciple of War and Magic jobs to 80. As you can see, my crafters and gatherers are at level 80 as well, but those achievements are just Master of the Land and Hand respectfully. Obviously, the achievement A Life of Adventure makes for a better blog title. 

Anywho, I did it. It's been a massive grind since I returned to Eorzea back at the beginning of March. Back then, most of those jobs were around 65-67 with crafters and gatherers in the low 70s. This was on top of trying to get caught back up with the story content (the latest patch was over in a couple of hours.) This involved a LOT of dungeon runs and a LOT of FATE grinding. For the most part, all the runs went well, but there were a few headaches, including a shitty healer who tried to show off their Best In Slot Gunbreaker gear to somehow excuse them being shitty at healing. 

With all the leveling done, all I have left to do is finish each job's final story quest and maybe kit them out a bit to get them around Item Level 490 in order to access the new content that'll be coming with Endwalker. I've already done a few quests, but the thing that really bothers me with these Shadowbringer questlines is how basic they've been. Each job only has specific quests at 70 and 80 and then everything in  between were shared among similar job types. Even the 80 job quests don't involve any kind of special instance to make it really stand out. This was just a very lazy thing to do from a developer's standpoint. 

Anyway, I thought I'd quickly talk about how I feel with each job now that have all their abilities. I won't make it as long as the last blog I did about this. 

Tank

Paladin - PLD got a lot more fun to play, although it's still my least favorite tank. It got a few more damage dealing moves, one such called Sword Oath that lets you attack with Atonement up to three times to restore more MP, and an AoE called Confiteor. 

Warrior - Still my favorite of the tank classes, WAR unfortunately got a little stale at the end. Instead of new moves outside of a couple buffs, some of its existing moves were just upgraded with more powerful versions. 

Dark Knight - DRK I feel is still my second favorite. Like WAR, and well all tanks really, it didn't really evolve much up to 80, just with more buffs and stronger versions of existing movies, BUT, it did learn a really cool move at 80 called Living Shadow which summons a simulacrum to fight by your side. I just wished it lasted longer. 

Gunbreaker - I've always enjoyed Gunbreaker, and I still do. I got a move that granted me two more rounds of ammunition and a new AoE attack, which meant I used my gunblade a lot more, which was nice. The level 80 move Blasting Zone was just an upgraded version of Danger Zone, but it caused a cool little shaking effect on the screen. 

Healer

White Mage - Still my favorite healer of the three just by the fact that it's so damn easy to heal with, WHM got a few new AoEs and healing buffs. At 80, they learned Temperance, which gives you these cool little flash wings that make you look like a fairy. 

Scholar - Nothing new, as I already gotthis one at 80.

Astrologist - I still haven't really mastered this one. Although it doesn't have the raw healing potency of WHM, it does have a lot more moves in its skillset, and sometimes I forgot about them at the most critical of times. Its 80 ability Neutral Sect is a god send, though, as it grants AoE healing spells with both shields and regen effects. 

Ranged Physical DPS

Bard - Bard was one of the least improved jobs on the road to 80 in my opinion. Two moves were just upgraded versions, and the 80 move Apex Arrow requires a newly unlocked gauge to fill up, but the caveat is that in order to really do damage, you need to fill it up as much as possible before executing the move, which takes time. It doesn't feel as effective as it should be for the final move learned. 

Machinist - Now this one was a fun one. It's just as busy as BRD, but a bit more so, and the special effects were a lot flashier. It learned an AoE DoT, which BRD does not have at all, and a cool move called Air Anchor that throws chains all over the enemy. But best of all, at level 80, the rook drone that's been with you the past 40 levels is upgraded to Automaton Queen, a robot that rockets into the fray and punches enemies. I love it!

Dancer - Dancer was a fun one to level to 80 as well. A new gauge was unlocked that filled up with esprit and used to execute an AoE attack, and at level 80, you learned Improvisation, a 15 second long dance that filled up your Esprit gauge and increased healing potency. The only thing is, the move would be canceled if you moved or did another action. Moves like these are usually only executed when you're waiting for a boss phase to finish. Also, I still wish SE would increase the success rates for DNC's procs so my fan combos can happen more frequently. It was always a bit frustrating to see myself continuously outpaced by other DPSes because they had more reliable combos. 

Ranged Magic DPS

Summoner - Nothing has changed, as I already had this at 80.

Black Mage - Although I've gotten better with it, I still consider this my weakest job. It's still really hard for me to keep up a good rotation when I get interrupted. BLM only got two new single target attacks, but it got an ability that I would have loved to have a long time ago, and that's Umbral Soul. Umbral Soul refreshes the countdown timer on your Umbral Ice meter allowing you to keep your meter going without having to hit Transpose all the time. One of the frustrating things about BLM was having to constantly swap it back and forth in between pulls and having to build its effectiveness back up.

Red Mage - Sadly, I don't think feel like RDM evolved very much on its way to 80. Engagement was a a melee attack that shared the same cooldown timer as the much-needed Displacement that made you leap back out of the way of an AoE, so I rarely used it. Then there was Reprise, which was a melee attack that used both Black and White mana, but I couldn't convince myself that it was beneficial to use when my more powerful rotation required a full gauge. RDM's final move was also a more powerful version of a basic spell, but you could only use it after casting Verholy or Verflare, which took a while to build up. 

Blue Mage - It was already capped at 70, and that's not changed. I will add that I haven't bothered spending any time doing the BLU quests past 60. I got stuck on the one I'm currently on and just haven't been bothered to work on it. 

Melee DPS

Dragoon - DRG got a little more fun to play when it learned its third AoE move you could string into a combo, so you were able to do a lot more AoE damage to groups of mobs. A normal move was upgraded as a more powerful combo opener, and a new AoE move Stardiver let you do more damage while under the effect of Life of the Dragon. A new trait was learned that extened the length of Blood of the Dragon, which is what DRGs need to be in in order to do some of their most powerful attacks. This was very handy to have in between pulls, but like BLM losing their Astral Fire or Umbral Ice, it was very annoying to have to start everything back up again. 

Monk - MNK is still my least favorite DPS. They learned a new AoE, a single target attack and a move called Anatman which I never bothered using as it shared a recast timer with all the other moves. I'm sure highly skilled MNKs find a way to use it, but I just couldn't be bothered. 

Ninja - Always the busiest of the melee jobs, NIN only got busier thanks to Meisui, which let you get in another powerful attack if you put up a specific ninjitsu. A couple of ninja spells got upgraded, but only under the effect of Kassatsu, which is disappointing, because it would have been nice to use them on their own. I get why, though, because the ninja's hot bars are already quite packed with skills. Its level 80 move Bunshin is pretty cool, because it grants you five shadows that will attack when you do, but it's hard to see them in the thick of things. 

Samurai - I still very much enjoy SAM just because of all the cool sound effects their moves make. Unfortunately, I felt the evolution of the job to 80 was a bit lazy basically just letting you cast the same iajutsu over again with the addiction of a couple new single-target attacks. 

So yeah, all jobs are now level 80 (with the exception of Blue Mage being a limited job, which is 70). I have a few months free now to enjoy other games. It's going to be interesting to see what changes to these jobs Endwalker brings, and I'm only hoping they focus on job questlines again. Anyway, thanks for reading!