What’s New: July 2019

It’s been awhile since I wrote a what’s new post, so I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve been geeking out on lately. While my schedule has been so busy that I haven’t been able to play as many video games as usual, I’ve been wrapping up my co-op playthrough of Borderlands 2 and going to the movies as often as I can!

Borderlands 2

First off, let me recommend playing Borderlands 2 co-op if you can. Having a partner in crime on Pandora makes me feel so much more capable. Battles are still challenging — and since the game includes a bit of grinding here and there, you need to make sure you’re leveled for your missions. But overall, it’s a huge help having someone at your side, reviving each other and covering for each other as much as you can.

I’ve been playing as the siren Maya, while my husband plays as Axton. While Axton’s Sabre Turret is like a third friend on the field helping whittle down enemies’ health, I personally feel like my Maya build is the strongest for co-op play. I’ve been focusing on healing wherever I can, for myself and for the party.

You know how on planes, they tell you to strap on your own mask before helping someone else? That’s how I feel about making sure Maya regenerates her own health — because if she doesn’t, and I fall on the battlefield, it can be that much harder for my partner to survive when he’s worrying about running to save me. Sustenance is the big skill that lets me regen health, although it took about half the game to unlock it!

Meanwhile, the Res skill lets Maya resurrect allies when they’re down but not out using Phaselock. That means I can just point Maya towards Axton on the battlefield and bring him back with the tap of a controller button.

I’m also able to regenerate both my health and my partner’s whenever an enemy is Phaselocked, and I can shoot my partner to replenish his health. Sometimes it makes sense to use my bullets to heal up my husband’s character instead of shooting at enemies. Even better, Phaselocking a strong villain so he can’t shoot at us for a few seconds, while replenishing my partner’s health with a few shots, can be the best way to get out of a sticky situation — or at least take a breather for a few seconds!

I’ve loved playing Borderlands 2 co-op, and I’m in the final couple of missions now. I’ll be playing the DLC in preparation for Borderlands 3.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

My favorite movie this summer so far has been Spider-Man: Far From Home. The fun of it is that it took me back to my high school days — and with European travel, too.

I was fortunate enough to go on a school trip to New York when I was a sophomore, so I could relate to some of what Peter and his friends were going through as they traveled around Europe as a class. The long bus rides in particular.

But even sweeter is the focus on Peter’s crush on MJ. I’m sure we can all relate to having a teenage crush that feels all-consuming. On some level, Peter knows he should be saving the world with his Spidey skills — yet as a hormonal teen, there’s a much louder part of him that just wants to score some time with his crush. The movie handled that storyline in a realistic way, so I could feel what Peter was going through.

If you’ve watched the latest Marvel movies, Far From Home is a great continuation as well. The story revolves around Peter trying to find someone to talk to in, Tony Stark’s absence. This kicks off a lot of the things that go down. I won’t spoil anything here, but let’s just say the film ties Peter’s grief to the story and, in turn, to Peter’s character arc perfectly.

What have you guys been watching and playing lately? I’m also up for some recommendations too. =)

— Ashley