My Pokémon Team In Pokémon Sun Upon First Completion + What Took Me So Long To Beat It

Well, I finally beat Pokémon Sun today. Yes, I know, I keep taking forever with these, but I kinda have a reason for that this time, and I’ll get to that at the end. For now, let’s go over my Hall Of Fame team upon beating the game the first time, starting with, of course, my starter.

Doctor Hoot the Decidueye

Yeah, you’re probably gonna notice one or two similarities to my X team, and one is that I chose the Grass-type Starter Pokémon. Doctor Hoot was Level 56 upon first completion of the game, carrying no items, and having the moves Leaf Blade, Spirit Shackle, Sucker Punch, and Acrobatics (hence the lack of items). He has a Relaxed nature, and characteristic is that he…likes to relax. lol While he didn’t use them in the League, he frequently used the Z-Moves Bloom Doom, Breakneck Blitz, Never-Ending Nightmare, and Sinister Arrow Raid. The Arrow Quill Pokémon was instrumental to my victories over the Kahunas Hala, Olivia, Hapu, and the Totem Pokémon Wishiwashi, as well as being the first Pokémon out for the championship match.

Lycanroc (Midday Form)

Not necessarily a Pokémon I was expecting to use on my team going in, but one I’m glad I decided on. Lycanroc was Level 54 upon initial completion of the game, carrying the Rockium Z, and knowing the moves Stone Edge, Crunch, Brick Break, and Stealth Rock. She has a Rash nature, and her characteristic is that she has good perseverance. Thanks to her Rockium Z, she can use the Z-Move Continental Crush on the really tough foes, though she’s also used All-Out Pummeling. The Wolf Pokémon mostly played support and backup in battles, but was a huge asset in battles against Guzma and Team Skull, once defeated a Lycanroc Midnight Form in one-on-one combat where both were at the same level, and was the one to score the final victory of the Alola League Championship match.

Raichu

Yup, once again, went with Raichu for my team. But, this time, with the reveal of the Alolan Raichu, more than a bit different from my X team’s Raichu. Raichu was Level 56 when I first beat the game, carried the Aloraichium Z, and knew the moves Thunderbolt, Psychic, Brick Break, and Nasty Plot. He has a Brave nature, and his characteristic is that he loves to eat. Through the power of the Aloraichium Z, he can use Stoked Sparksurfer, though he’s also used Z-Moves such as All-Out Pummeling, Gigavolt Havoc, Breakneck Blitz, and Catastropika during his time as a Pichu and then a Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon was a major player on my team for battles against the likes of Olivia, Team Skull, Kahili, Hau, and Hala.

Greninja

And, once again, I had a Water-type Starter Pokémon from a previous game who could perform a new, powerful transformation. lol Greninja was Level 57 upon the first completion of the game, carried the Waterium Z, and had access to the moves Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Aerial Ace, and Extrasensory. He is Naughty by nature, and has the characteristic of being alert to sounds. The Waterium Z allows him to use the Z-Move Hydro Vortex, and he’s also used Black Hole Eclipse on multiple occasions. Furthermore, Greninja has the Ability known as Battle Bond, allowing him to transform into Ash-Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon was a late addition to my team, but was instrumental in defeating many powerful foes, such as Nanu, Hapu, Acerola, and Olivia.

Mimikyu

Now HERE’S someone I knew I was going to add to my team from the first time I laid eyes on it. Mimikyu was Level 55 when I first became champion, was carrying the Fairium Z, and knew the moves Play Rough, Shadow Claw, X-Scissor, and Hone Claws. His nature is Sassy, and his characteristic is that he’s capable of taking hits…no doubt due to his Disguise Ability. lol Thanks to Fairium Z, he can use the Z-Move Twinkle Tackle, but has also used Never-Ending Nightmare in the past. The Disguise Pokémon’s unique typing made it one of my more useful team-mates, and he was a big help against all four members of the Elite Four and in the championship match.

Salazzle

Ah, the Pokémon who can only be female and runs its own reverse harem of male Salandit… … …I’m not even kidding. Look it up in the Sun version Pokédex. lol Salazzle was Level 53 when I first beat the game, carried the Firium Z, and knew the moves Flamethrower, Sludge Wave, Dragon Pulse, and Toxic, the last of which I made full use of due to her Corrosion Ability allowing her to inflict Poison status on ANY Pokémon, except those with Immunity. Her nature is Quirky, and her characteristic is that she has good perseverance. And, because she was carrying the Firium Z, she could use the Z-Move Inferno Overdrive, though I did occasionally have her use Acid Downpour. Despite being the lowest leveled Pokémon on my team most of the time, she was a big help against many foes thanks to her ability to poison almost any enemy, and was a major tide-turner against the Totem Pokémon Lurantis and in the final battle for the championship.

…So, let’s get to what I’ve been putting off saying for a while now. As I’ve alluded to a numbers of times, I’m a very old-school player of these games. My first Pokémon game was Pokémon Red, which I didn’t even own a Gameboy to play on, so I got a Super Gameboy to play it on my Super Nintendo. I had no one to trade or battle with, meaning I had to miss out on a big part of what made the game so special. When I finally got to enjoy that part later on, upon getting the Gameboy Color so I could play Pokémon Silver, I realized what an amazing game-changer this series was, and I’ve enjoyed damned near every step of my near two decade long journey…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… … …but this is my last stop. As I’ve revealed a while back on this blog, I’m currently on welfare and am unemployed. I can’t afford a new system, and it’s clear from playing this game that the Nintendo 3DS has been pushed to its fullest potential, meaning future Pokémon games in the main series won’t be released on it. If that changes someday down the road, and I am hoping it does pretty soon, great. But for now, I’m looking at this as my last journey, at least when it comes to the new games. And I have to say, while there are things I would change, and things I hope are added with the rumoured Pokémon Stars port for the Nintendo Switch, I really enjoyed Pokémon Sun. I don’t wanna spoil too much of the story, but I will say that a really gratifying part of it is watching the characters, one in particular, grow and change over the course of the game. And, you know, we’ve all grown and changed as we played along with these games, so it was a nice thing to see. And I hope that those who haven’t played through the game yet enjoy that aspect as well. If nothing else, though, I feel at least like, if this is the end of my journey, then at least it was here, in the game that celebrated 20 years of Pokémon. And so, with that said, I wanna take this time to thank one person in particular for changing my life, as well as the lives of many others: Satoshi Tajiri, creator of the initial concepts that led to the creation of Pokémon, and the current CEO of Game Freak. I don’t know how long you’ll continue to do this, but I hope it remains a hell of a ride, and I hope that you continue to inspire people and shape the world. In the end, Pokémon is all about friendships. It’s about people coming together and becoming something more by the experience, and I hope that never, ever changes.

… … … … … …Shut up, I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying. lol Anyway, feel free to leave your own memories of this and other Pokémon games, as well as your own Hall of Fame teams for Sun and Moon in the comments. Ja né, and train on.

N. Harmonik’s Blind Reaction To Alola Forms and Z-Moves Revealed for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon! (And I’m There Too, lol)

Decided to do a blind reaction to this trailer, since Aibo hadn’t seen it yet. As always, here’s the trailer for those who haven’t watched it…

…and here’s our reaction vid…and a funny story. lol

… … …If I ever see that Tauros, I’m gonna turn it into cheeseburgers. -_-

N. Harmonik’s Blind Reaction To Game Theory: Solving Raticate’s “DEATH” (And I’m There Too, lol)

…Had to. lol First, in case you haven’t seen it, here’s the original video…

And now, Aibo’s reaction to it.

 

Pokémon Sun and Moon E3 Trailer + It’s Evaluating Time!

Well, it’s that time again! Pokémon Sun and Moon were shown off at E3, so we got plenty to look over, meaning…

It’s Over-The-Top-Excited-While-Your-Friends-Watch-Awkwardly Evaluating Time!!!

So, let’s start with the trailer!

In addition to that, we’ve also got this trailer that was revealed a couple of days before E3 got started.

So, as usual, let’s go over the Pokémon covered in these videos. I should also note that there were two other Pokémon revealed in a CoroCoro leak, but we’re not gonna go over them just yet, since a few details (like their English names) have yet to be revealed. Until then, let’s start a little different and go over a Pokémon we already knew of.

Zygarde, the Order Pokémon

 

We’ve actually known for some time that Zygarde had different forms, due to their presence in the anime. That, combined with the title of the current arc of the anime, XY&Z, led people to believe there would be a Pokémon Z released, and that these forms would be released in said game. Instead, it looks as though the writers of the anime opted to use this arc to advertise these new forms early. Right off the bat, I can’t help but notice that Zygarde seemingly can only access its Complete Forme (or Perfect Zygarde, as people are calling it because, let’s be honest, the similarity to Cell is staggering) by first going 10% Forme (the dog). So what does this mean for Zygarde’s standard form we’ve already gotten to know? How do Zygarde Cell and Zygarde Core fit into all this? And does this mean Ash-Greninja will also be a thing in the games? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I WILL say that its Core Enforcer attack is AWESOME. It’s like Zorro with a freaking laser beam. I love it. XD

Pikipek, the Woodpecker Pokémon…Try saying that five times fast. lol

Pikipek is apparently #10 in the Alola Regional Dex, and has two evolutions, so I’m pretty sure we’re looking at our early region bird. One thing that separates it from the others, though, is one of the two Abilities it can have: Skill Link. That means moves that hit 2-5 times (like Fury Attack, Bone Rush, or Rock Blast) will now ALWAYS hit 5 times. Combined with its Pokédex page saying it can strike targets with its beak 16 times per second, and I’m pretty sure it will learn Fury Attack, and perhaps some sort of new Flying-type equivalent to it. Its other Ability is Keen Eye, which you should know all about, especially with birds. The only move that I know for sure that it learns is Peck. And yes, it’s been brought to my attention that Pikipek looks like Pearl from Steven Universe…which is funny, because it’s weak against Rock-types. lol

Yungoos, the Loitering Pokémon

Yungoos is a mongoose. I’m not sure why the ‘e’ was taken off at the end of its name for English, but whatever. Point is, it’s a Normal-type, and has two different Abilities it can know: Strong Jaw, which increases the power of biting moves (like Bite, Crunch, Fire Fang, etc.), and Stakeout, which does more damage to Pokémon who are just switching in when it attacks, so you’ll wanna be careful about whether you want to switch Pokémon or not while battling it. The only move it was shown using was Tackle, but with Strong Jaw, I think it’s pretty clear that it will learn biting moves as it levels up and/or as Egg Moves. Originally, I didn’t think this was gonna be our new Rattata for this region, considering that a mongoose isn’t considered vermin. However, it’s been brought to my attention that, as mongooses are an invasive species in Hawaii, technically speaking, it IS considered vermin there, so here we are. The more you know, I guess.

Grubbin, the Larva Pokémon

I fully expect Grubbin to evolve, since early revealed Bug-types usually do, and based on its appearance, I would imagine its evolved form will be some kind of beetle. In fact, since there already are beetle-like Pokémon in existence, I wonder if this is the pre-evolution that will link the two? Probably not, but hey, it’s a theory we can speculate about. Its only Ability (that we know of, anyway) is Swarm, which increases the damage done by Bug-type moves when its health gets low. The only attack we know of that it can learn so far is String Shot, though since it apparently seems to love electricity, I’d imagine a likely move for it to learn is Electro Web.

We also learned about a new way to battle: Battle Royal. Four Trainers send out one Pokémon each. Anyone can attack anyone. When one of your Pokémon are knocked out, you send out a new one. The battle continues until one Trainer has had all of their Pokémon knocked out, at which point, the other Trainers will have the number of Pokémon they’ve knocked out added to the number they still have conscious to determine who did the best. Not sure what happens if there’s a tie, like maybe it then goes into overtime or something. Personally, I would’ve just had all four Trainers battle til the last one standing, but whatever. I will say that, given the rules presented, you probably wanna try to make alliances early so that you don’t get singled out by all three opponents.  Also, the image for Battle Royals confirms something else: There IS Trainer customization of some kind in this game. So, for those wondering, this seems to solidify that it IS back.

There was also a demonstration of the game streamed on Treehouse. If you wanna watch it, it’s right here…

I will say that this both answers a few questions about the early game while also opening the floor to several new questions. Apparently, each of the four islands has a guardian deity, and the deity for the island you start off on, supposedly called Melemele, is referred to as Tapu Koko. These deities are highly implied to be Pokémon, so does this mean there’s a Pokémon named Tapu Koko, or is that a title of some sort? Is this a Legendary Pokémon, or could Tapu Koko be an individual of a species of regular Pokémon found on the island? We also know that Hau is referred to as the “grandson of the kahuna”. Kahuna is apparently a Hawaiian term for…

“And I quote…”

…”a priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, or expert in any profession”. I’m still convinced that Hala is Hau’s grandfather, so that tells me that he is the kahuna. It’s also been suggested that Hala is a great Trainer of some sort, so perhaps kahuna is also a Trainer class in this game. Something else we learned from this video is that, after encountering a Pokémon in battle once, the battle menu will show which of the moves your Pokémon can use will be effective, super-effective, or not very effective against that Pokémon when you battle it again. There’s also the option to check on each Pokémon in battle to see how much their status has been changed by the effects of different moves and Abilities. Both of these things are great for beginners, and unlike stuff like giving away items like Lucky Eggs and Exp. Shares, I don’t really mind this too much. Heck, it makes things easier for me, too, since there’ve been some changes to the type chart as of late. And lastly, we learned that Popplio can learn Disarming Voice, furthering the fan theory that it will evolve into a Water/Fairy-type, which I would actually be okay with, especially since it would make it vastly different from other seal-like Pokémon we’ve seen in the past.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Be sure to check back here when we next learn anything about the new games, and to get the games when they come out in November. Ja né!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Trailer + Story Speculation

…Well, it’s been a while since we’ve talked about Zelda on this blog, hasn’t it? 😛 And what better time to make up for that than right here. Now, keep in mind, as I’m typing this, I haven’t been watching Nintendo Treehouse for more info, as it’s one of those things where, if you didn’t watch from the beginning, you’re pretty much screwed, so I’m basing this article solely on the trailer. When the whole thing is posted as a single, viewable video, I’ll check it out and see what I got right. For now, though, here’s the trailer…

… … … …HOLY HYLIA. O_O So, let’s go ahead and get the obvious thing to do with this trailer out of the way: Figuring out where this takes place in the timeline. Well, we can very clearly spot the Bridge of Eldin in one scene, so as it pertains to the fork in the timeline, that tells me that this takes place in the same line as where Link went back in time, warned of Ganondorf’s plans, and thus Ganondorf was tried and executed for his crimes against Hyrule…well, or so people were led to believe, anyway. Granted, Hyrule has obviously gone through some changes since then, but then again, Hyrule in Twilight Princess looks different from how it did in Ocarina of Time, so it’s not too big a leap to suggest that this is the same Hyrule, only that things have changed in the time between the games. We see the Master Sword in the woods, which admittedly could be either the Lost Woods from A Link To The Past or the Sacred Grove from Twilight Princess, but regardless of which one it is, the place has clearly been overgrown by grass quite a bit.

Speaking of, the next thing I’m left to guess at is that a LONG time has passed between Twilight Princess (assuming I’m right about the timeline placement) and Breath of the Wild. What makes me say that? Well, a few things. Specifically, Hyrule seems a lot more lush when it comes to plant and wildlife than it did previously, and we don’t see ANYONE else in the trailer other than Link. That tells me one of two things happened: Either the Hylians all eventually moved on to new lands, leaving Hyrule to the other creatures that inhabit it, or there was some sort of disaster that occurred and that there are very few Hylians left. Naturally, I could be wrong in either case, and that Nintendo simply hasn’t shown off the Hylian settlements in the game yet, but I don’t think I am. Why? The title of the game is Breath of the Wild. Between the title and the gameplay, this game clearly has an emphasis on Link having to survive in the wilds with few to no one around to help him. We hear a voice in the trailer, but it doesn’t sound like she’s anyone who is talking directly with Link, instead being telepathy, or simply some other kind of voice in his head.

On the subject of Link, something odd I noticed during this trailer is that, at no point in it, do we see Link in his trademark green tunic. Instead, we see him in a lot of other kinds of clothes and even armour at one point. This seems to suggest that either Link will find different full outfits to wear along the journey, or that attire customization is going to be a thing in this game. Personally, I’m kind of hoping for the latter, but again, why the lack of the green tunic? Well, the tunic seems to be connected to the Hero of Hyrule, the one who saved it from evil, and thus is why Link wears it in his every incarnation, as he is destined to become the hero. So, why doesn’t he wear it here? One possibility is that he isn’t the hero in this game, or perhaps that he simply hasn’t earned the right yet. But there is one other thing to point out, as it pertains to the Hero of Hyrule: His weapon of choice, the Master Sword.

As we see in the trailer, the Master Sword is rusted and cracked all over. Now, why would this be? It’s been thousands, if not MILLIONS, of years since Skyward Sword, when the Goddess Sword was transformed into the Master Sword, and not once has it ever been shown to have this type of damage done to it. So why now? This would SEEM to suggest something very wrong has happened to it and/or to Hyrule. We know that monsters are not only roaming the land, but now have encampments and are much more organized, that there are massive Guardians around Hyrule, and that Ganon apparently plays a role in this game, but what does that indicate? Has Ganondorf finally taken over and gotten revenge? Has the Master Sword simply become too damaged because of the growing evil in the lands? Could something have happened to the link (pun intended) between it and the line of the hero? And where does that leave Link? Is he a survivor of a group that were hiding out in Hyrule and is now on his own, or some kind of explorer that’s returned to Hyrule to determine what’s happened after so long?

Well, right now, we have no answers. All we can do now is speculate as we wait for more details to arise between now and its release next year on the Wii U and NX. Still, lemme know what you all think of the trailer, as well as my ramblings, and we’ll see what comes up between now and the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Ja né!

Pokémon Sun And Moon’s Pokédex Is HAUNTED?! – It’s Evaluating Time!

Well, more info is out, so let’s start going through it! And you know what that means…

It’s Evaluating Time!!!

So, first off, let’s take a look at the new trailer.

And, just because it’s my blog and I can do whatever the hell I want, here are some additional clips in Japanese, compliments of GameXplain!

So, let’s go over what we know, shall we? Let’s start with…well, where the trailer started: The new Legendary Pokémon.

Solgaleo, the Sunne Pokémon. Known as “the beast that devours the sun”, Solgaleo is a Psychic/Steel-type, and its Ability is Full Metal Body, which prevents its stats from being lowered by enemy Abilities or moves. It also knows the attack Sunsteel Strike, which ignores the effects of the target’s Ability, kind of like if Solgaleo had Mold Breaker. Given its overall theme and presentation, I wouldn’t be surprised if it can learn Fire-type attacks and moves like Solar Beam as well. Everything about this new Legend screams that it’ll likely be the more offensively oriented of the two mascots, but what of its counterpart?

Lunala, the Moone Pokémon. Referred to as “the beast who calls the moon”, Lunala is a Psychic/Ghost-type, and its Ability is Shadow Shield, which lessens the amount of damage it takes when it’s at full HP. Like Solgaleo’s Sunsteel Strike, Lunala’s signature attack, Moongeist Beam, ignores the Ability of whoever it attacks. As Lunala is a moon-themed Pokémon, clearly it’s more than a bit nocturnally-based, so I fully expect it to have access to Dark-type attacks as well, and will likely know a few Flying-type moves as it’s a winged creature. I also figure this will be the more defensively oriented of the version mascots for Sun and Moon, though somehow, I kinda figured that going in. Just a hunch.

I suppose I should look at the main protagonists of the game next, since we’re getting better looks at them. They both look fine, but my God, I hope we can change clothes in this game, especially in the case of the girl’s hat. I have no idea what that is on her head, but it just looks weird, and considering we just had remakes of Ruby and Sapphire, which had arguably the oddest of headwear, that’s saying something. lol But otherwise, they look fine. I also can’t help but notice the devices on their wrists. New Mega Rings, perhaps? We’ll see.

These two are Lillie and Hau. Hau appears to be a rival of sorts, though video footage of him so far has him using the Pokémon weak to whatever you start off with instead of having the type advantage. He also bears a resemblance to Hala, the man who shows off the starter Pokémon in the initial trailer. Perhaps a relative of some sort? As for Lillie, she’s apparently an assistant to Professor Kukui, dislikes Pokémon battles, but loves to read, and is central to the plot of the new games somehow, so keeping an eye on her is likely a must.

The Alola Region itself seems a LOT bigger than was first shown off, as I suspected it would be (initially, only one island was shown). After all, Alola is based off of Hawaii, which itself is made up of multiple islands. For reference, btw, all we saw initially was the island shown in the top left of this map, and if the dimensions of this map are to be believed, it’s not even close to being the biggest island in the region. Either way, expect to either do a lot of Surfing or sailing between islands.

And lastly, the thing that most caught my eye: The new Pokédex, which is apparently freaking HAUNTED! lol Apparently, Professor Kukui created the new Pokédex and had a Rotom inhabit it in order to provide new means of connecting with Pokémon, as well as to grant the ‘dex with new modes. Rotom will be able to communicate with you directly while inhabiting the Pokédex, and will provide you with a map of the surrounding area, as well as tips and information on where you should venture next. There’s also something called the QR Scanner function, which I’m not sure if it’s part of the Pokédex or something separate altogether, but it allows the player to scan QR Code patterns to register Pokémon in Alola in the Pokédex. Once that’s done, you can view their habitats. What’s more, if you’ve caught a Pokémon, you can display its QR Code in your Pokédex and share it with other players, so filling pages in the Pokédex is that much easier.

Anyway, that’s all there is to cover for now, but apparently, more info will be made available during Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3 on June 14th 2016, so come on back then to see me go through whatever they reveal. Ja né!

Pokémon Questionnaire – What Are Your Favourite 6 Pokémon From Each Generation?

So, I’ve been playing Pokkén Tournament with N. Harmonik over at her place, which you can see here…

…and honest to God, Pokémon have never looked this good EVER in any other game. Maybe Smash Bros, but that’s it. But as I watch not only the Pokémon fighting, but the ones in the backgrounds of the arenas, I can’t help but notice how some have left so many great memories and positive thoughts for me. I think what really hit me was just how many from Pokémon Black and White are among some of my all-time favourites. Mind you, that could be because it had the most new Pokémon of any game since the original Red and Blue versions, since they’d decided to only have brand new ones in the main game. Still, it left me wondering, what would I consider to be some of my favourites from every generation?

So, I decided to make this questionnaire, so that everyone can list their six favourite Pokémon from every generation. I went with six because, that way, people can’t simply choose all the starters or all the members of a single family, and so that they can use their old teams to help decide, since some people, like N. Harmonik, choose to only use Pokémon that debuted within said generations for their teams (with the exception of old ones with new evolutions). Also, I’m listing these by Generation instead of Region because otherwise, most people’s Johto lists would be inhabited by evolutions that didn’t come until Generation IV. Lastly, I’m gonna be excluding Mega Evolutions, since they’d probably take up the majority of spots from lists for Kalos, but I will likely bring them up when talking about individuals from past Generations. With that said, let’s start with the original Generation, and my favourite Pokémon among the original 150.

Generation I

My Favourites: Bulbasaur, Charizard, Pikachu, Poliwhirl, Snorlax, Zapdos

Yeah, I know, not exactly blowing anyone’s minds that Poliwhirl’s on here. In fact, likely none of these are big surprises, and I probably don’t have to explain a single one. But looking back, I can’t help but think of how these six, in a lot of ways, helped shape how the Pokémon world would grow from then on. Every new entry in the main series would have an Electric-type rodent of some kind, a trio of Starters to choose from that were Grass, Fire, and Water-types, and at least one trio of Legendary Pokémon (with the exception of Generation VI, which seems to reuse Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres). There would also be mass numbers of Water-type Pokémon with varying shapes, sizes, abilities, secondary types, and even branching evolutions through the generations, many of whom took varying cues from Poliwhirl and its family. And…yeah, I’ve lost count of how many times in the history of these games that we’ve seen Snorlax sleeping around and blocking our path. lol My point is, in many ways, these six are the originators of trends we’ve seen in these games for 20 years now, and in many ways are still able to hang with those that have come since, either through new evolutions, Mega Evolutions, attacks, abilities, stat changes, or just their natural badassery. Oh, and don’t think that just because it isn’t on here that I hate or dislike Squirtle and its family. I love it too, but there just wasn’t room on this list. Call it the unofficial #7 here.

Generation II

My Favourites: Typhlosion, Crobat, Espeon, Umbreon, Heracross, Donphan

Despite the fact that a lot of Pokémon from Johto wouldn’t become truly great until Generation IV, where they got new evolutions, there are still plenty from those games that I have fond memories of. Typhlosion’s pretty easy to justify: Take Charizard, remove its secondary type, and give it a few tricks the former couldn’t do. The result is Typhlosion, and I think it’s a really solid choice from Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Crobat is basically the secret weapon that isn’t quite so secret, as most in the know are well aware of its incredible Speed, but just how many have overlooked it because of how common its initial form, Zubat, is? The answer is A LOT. Umbreon was always one of my favourite Eeveelutions, although it hasn’t aged well, but it’s hard not to put Espeon right up there with it. Heracross is a beast, always has been, always will be. And then there’s Donphan. I loved Donphan before I even knew its name. Just that first appearance in Pokémon The First Movie had me going “What is THAT?! That’s so awesome! It’s like an elephant that turns into a mad wheel or something!” And I don’t think I saw Pikachu’s Summer Vacation when I first I saw the movie, so that was the first time it really hit me that there was gonna be another Pokémon game. I mean, yeah, we had Togepi show up, but I thought that was just gonna be a special event Pokémon like Mew. Speaking of Mew, though, if I remember Generation II for one thing in particular, it would be how this was the point where the previously untouchable Psychic-types were becoming a little more touchable, and they only became more-so as time went on.

Generation III

My Favourites: Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Breloom, Mawile, Lairon

Yeah, surprisingly, not as many big favourites from this Generation as most others. I say ‘surprisingly’, despite this being the Generation that lost a fair share of long-time players, because I actually was not one of those people. I stuck around, and I really liked Generation III. If I can think of one word to best describe it, it’d be, for a lack of a better term, advancement. We had the introduction of Abilities, Pokémon Contests, the Battle Frontier, and a bunch of other stuff. But anyway, the favourites I have from this Generation list still stand out to me. All three starters were pretty solid in their own ways, and I’d like to point out that I liked Swampert and its family before it was cool. Mind you, poor Sceptile was one of the few Pokémon that would be victimized by the physical/special split next Generation, and Blaziken, while cool, started a trend where, for three Generations, we had Fire/Fighting-type starters, and we got sick of it pretty hard. Mawile and Lairon were pretty much immediate favourites from the moment I saw them, just for how cool they looked, but it admittedly took a bit to realize how awesome Breloom was. When I figured it out, though, I felt like smacking myself. Breloom and Blaziken were also the start of what I consider the second Genesis of Fighting-types, though it wouldn’t be complete until what came next…

Generation IV

My Favourites: Infernape, Roserade, Ambipom, Lucario, Togekiss, Glaceon

If Generation III is the start of the major advancement of Pokémon, then Generation IV was when said advancement was perfected. Lots of older Pokémon got brand new and much needed Evolutions. Stuff like the Contests were expanded upon. WiFi was utilized for trading and battling. But to me, the two biggest advancements can be seen in the favourites I chose here. The first is the physical and special split, where instead of being determined by type, whether an attack was physical or special was determined by the move itself and whether there was physical contact with the opponent. This was something that was needed from the START, from the very first games, and we finally had it here. The other major change was that, partially due to the split, and because of a few new attacks and abilities, and new Pokémon like Infernape and Lucario, Fighting-type Pokémon and attacks suddenly became a LOT more usable. In Gen 1, Fighting-types were not all that useful, especially since Psychic-types were so powerful. Generation II introduced Dark and Steel-types, which were weak to Fighting, and Gen 3 brought Pokémon like Blaziken and Breloom to shake up the Fighting-type. This, however, was the major turning point. And I know I’ve told this story before, but one of my favourite Pokémon from all of my playthroughs of the games is a female Lucario I named Tex, after the character from Red vs Blue, because of just how badass she is. Oh yeah, and Roserade is one of my favourite Grass/Poison-types of all time, and I think it’s only topped by Bulbasaur and its family in my eyes. And when you consider how many of those there are, that says a lot.

Generation V

My Favourites: Samurott, Excadrill, Sawk, Cottonee, Emolga, Chandelure

Again, like I said before, I was surprised to find just how many Pokémon from this Generation have left such great impressions on me. When I see Generation V Pokémon in Pokkén Tournament, I smile. A lot. Hell, the six Pokémon on this list are the members of my original team in Pokémon Black, and I still have plenty of other favourites beyond them, including Braviary, Haxorus, Volcarona, Pansage, and more. And it didn’t really hit me until Team Four Star mentioned it during their Nuzlocke Playthrough of LeafGreen just how ballsy a move Black and White, and Generation V in general, were. Black and White had all brand new Pokémon for the main story, and you couldn’t get anything else until after beating it for the first time. There was no third version, but two direct sequels, the first since Gold, Silver, and Crystal. And the games weren’t made for a brand new system, as you could get them for the Nintendo DS, but did have advantages presented for those that played them on the DSi. But yeah, Samurott is a great mixed attacker, Excadrill is insanely broken as shit, Sawk is a pretty good physical attacker and inheritor to Hitmonlee’s legacy, Cottonee is stupid good despite the fact that Prankster’s less favourable among Trainers nowadays, Emolga is adorable as shit and the first Electric/Flying-type since Zapdos, and Chandelure? Well, Chandelure has the highest Special Attack of all non-Legendary and non-Mega Evolved Fire-type Pokémon, and is a pretty handy Ghost-type, too. Mine had a Nature that was beneficial to Special Attack. Can you see where this is going? So yeah, having it be playable in Pokkén is kind of a treat for me, even if it is bizarre as shit to see in a major fighting game. ^_^

Generation VI

My Favourites: Chespin, Greninja, Talonflame, Vivillon, Tyrantrum, Sylveon

Despite the fact that X & Y feature the least amount of new Pokémon for any new Generation, there’re still plenty of good ones. And, of course, the thing that most people will ultimately remember Generation VI for is Mega Evolution, but like I said, I’m not including Mega Evolutions in this list, so brand new Pokémon for Generation VI only. That said, plenty here that I like a lot. Chespin is just too fucking adorable, not to mention tough enough to beat the Bug-type Gym Leader 2-on-1 with ease. Greninja seems to be a favourite among many, managing to make it as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. Talonflame breaks the tradition of the Pidgeot in that it is the first time we saw the super-common Flying-type evolve into something other than a Normal/Flying-type, and is pretty sweet. Vivillon doesn’t really do much that Butterfree couldn’t, but I like the different designs for it, and it’s still pretty solid despite having a type combination that we’ve seen a lot. Tyrantrum is badass and the first instance of a Fossil Pokémon based on a T-Rex, and I don’t know why it took so long to get it. And Sylveon is, in a lot of ways, outright broken due to the effects Pokémon get for the high levels of Affection that are required to get it, and is a brand new type that massively changes up the competitive battle scene.

So, those are my favourite Pokémon from each Generation. What are yours, though? Feel free to let me know (although you don’t have to go quite as in-depth as I did, lol) in the comments below. Also, lemme know which Pokémon you’d like to see either as DLC for Pokkén Tournament or in a sequel to the game. Ja né!

20th Anniversary Pokémon Projects Questionnaire (FEEDBACK HEAVILY REQUESTED)

So, there’re a couple of projects I’m considering doing for the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon this year. One of them is a Let’s Play (no commentary included, sorry), which unfortunately can’t go on YouTube due to Nintendo’s issues with their content on there, but I will be posting to Facebook instead. With that said, I WAS decided on which one I’d play, but now I’m a little indecisive, so I’d like it if you could give me some feedback. The only thing I know for sure is that I want it to be a game that takes place in the Kanto Region, so either Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, or LeafGreen. So, I’d like for you guys reading to let me know in the comments which you’d prefer to see me play. Conversely, however, if there is an existing rom hack of a Pokémon game that takes place in Kanto and utilizes the physical/special split introduced in Generation IV, please let me know, because I’ve long since contended that that’s the way the game should’ve been meant to play from the beginning.

The other thing I’m considering doing is a fanfic. And yeah, I know my track record with fanfiction and leaving stuff unfinished, but I would really like to at least give it a shot. However, with this one, I’d like to instead have it set in my own region, with my own protagonists, and my own Regional Pokédex. Now, for the most part, I think I’d like the Pokémon present to reflect the original games’ roster, but I’m gonna want to toss in some more, take a few away, and ultimately leave myself with about 200. As such, I’d like to know if there are any Pokémon you’d want to see in this story, which ones from the Kanto Dex are worth keeping, and which ones aren’t. With that said, here’s a list of Pokémon that, should I end up doing this project, would NEED to be in.

• Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Mega Venusaur, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Mega Charizard (both versions), Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise, Mega Blastoise, Cleffa, Clefairy, Clefable, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Eevee and all of its evolutions, Wooper, Quagsire, Sneasel, Weavile, Emolga, Sawk, Tyrunt, Tyrantrum

Anyway, PLEASE give me your thoughts on these projects, give your responses to my questions, and also lemme know which one you might prefer to see over the other in case I only have time to do one this year. Ja né!

Are The Women In Pokémon Getting Too Attractive? (WARNING – Not 100% Safe For Work) (PLEASE GIVE FEEDBACK)

…Yeah, I know I’m asking for it with this one, but I don’t care. lol Seriously, is it just me? Am I the only one bothered by this, or even noticing of this? It just feels like the women in Pokémon are continuously growing more and more blatantly meant to attract teenage boys (and some girls) as time goes by. As you all know, I first really took notice of this with Elesa, but it feels like it only continues to grow in terms of being a thing. Now, of course, I don’t wanna pin ALL the blame on the creators. I mean, some of this is due to certain artwork on the internet being made into memes…

And the anime providing certain gif-worthy moments…

Actually, the anime in general has always been known for some risqué moments…

And then there’s certain animations in the games…

And a few of the newer designs…

Not to say that some of the older ones weren’t…well…

… … … …Yeah, I can’t even remember what my train of thought was anymore. YOU SEE MY PROBLEM?!?! lol Anyway, I guess I’m just looking for your thoughts on the matter. Do you think this is something that has become progressively more apparent over time, or has it always been like this and I’m just noticing? Is it inherently bad, or is it ultimately harmless? Lemme know in the comments section, and…I guess we’ll just see what everyone thinks. Ja né!

And The Winner Of The Smash Ballot Is…! + Even More Smash Bros. Info!

Well, the end of the Super Smash Bros. 4 content is finally upon us, so let’s not waste any time. First off, the winner of the Smash Ballot, where the fans voted for the final entrant in Smash Bros., is… … …BAYONETTA!

A little disappointed it wasn’t Commander Shepherd, but hey, better luck next game, I guess. And I’m very happy for all the Bayonetta fans, too (a few in particular come to mind, lol). I should also note that, being from a PlatinumGames title, her biggest attribute is her ability to chain combo attacks, so anyone who faces her in battle had better make sure not to get caught. But, lest you think that was all, don’t, because there was one other new entrant announced: Corrin, of the Fire Emblem Fates games, which will be coming to North America at around the same time as he (or she, depending on your choice) will be available for download.

In addition to covering the two newest fighters announced, Sakurai also talked a bit about how Cloud will work in the game. Also, much to my delight, it was revealed that, thanks to the deal with Square-Enix, one of the new Mii Fighter costumes that’ll be coming out is based on Geno from Super Mario RPG. There were a lot of other costumes presented, too, as well as discussions on the new stages, and an overall tallying of the playable characters, stages, tracks, costumes, and so on for Super Smash Bros. 4, so by all means, check out the full video.

And, with that, the final form for Super Smash Bros. 4 has been revealed. I hope everyone is satisfied with what we’ve gotten (which was a LOT, let’s be honest), and hey, here’s to Super Smash Bros. 5 in the future. Ja né!