How Would I Do A Homebrewed Pokémon Game? (Or Just A New Pokémon Game In General) + What Am I Gonna Do For Blog Post #500?

So, I’ve been watching along with so many others as Linkara plays the homebrewed Pokémon game, Pokémon Omicron. It was made on an RPG Maker (and speaking as someone who used to have one, I can tell you that’s damned impressive), and while it’s still technically incomplete, it apparently has about 80 hours of playtime to it, and only requires some post main game content to be finished. As such, I decided to pick it up myself, and have been rather enjoying the game. It has the occasional visual bug, and the story suffers from some emotional whiplash at times since it tries to be like other Pokémon games while injecting darker content, but it’s good nonetheless. And, while I personally chose not to use this, the game also comes complete with special options for Nuzlocke Challenges. So, if you ever wanna pick it or its other version, Pokémon Zeta, up and play, by all means, click the image below and check it out.

As a result, I started thinking: How would I do a homebrewed Pokémon game? Now, keep in mind this is all hypothetical, I could NEVER do this game by myself. That said, if you like some of the ideas I post, feel free to use ’em, though try to at least give credit where it’s due, eh? lol Anyway, let’s start with…well, the start.

#1 – Different Starters

 

While I like the idea the creators of Zeta and Omicron had, having three different Pokémon from the norm be available as starters and changing the methods and levels required for evolution, I gotta say, I don’t see the point then to have them be the standard Grass/Fire/Water choices. Personally, I would go with one of two things: Either have the player choose between Magby or Elekid (and by the way, Magby already IS the Fire-type Starter in Zeta & Omicron), or have them start off with Eevee, and incorporate the shards from Pokémon XD (with a few others to account for the newer evolutions) to allow the player to have whatever type they want as their starter, and your rival just gets something strong against it as one of their strongest Pokémon.

#2 – The Rival

First off, I’d have the rival’s gender as something the player can choose. Second, I’d go back to basics and have the rival be your final opponent at the Pokémon League. And that’s not me saying I dislike what Zeta & Omicron went with, by having the player’s mom be the champion, since I LOVE it when the mom does awesome stuff. This is just what I personally would do. And finally, I’d have them be encounterable at least once per town. Maybe not in a battle, but that you at least bump into them in every town, and there’s always this feeling like they’re one step ahead of you.

#3 – The Gyms

I dunno if many people do this anyway, I know I do, but I’d make all Gym Leader Battles so that you HAVE to use a set number of Pokémon, namely the same number as the Gym Leader. It just makes things more challenging for the player, and let’s face it, a bit more fair. The Elite Four is fine, though, since part of the point is being able to survive all four without being able to go back to a Pokémon Centre. Also, I’d make a fugging DARK-TYPE GYM. I cannot stress this enough, people. In fact, I’d make it the first Gym, since only one of the Eeveelutions has a specific type advantage to Dark. Likewise, I think I’d make the last Gym Rock-type, and have the Gym Leader use fossil Pokémon.

#4 – NO FREEBIES

One thing that has driven me crazy as of late about the newer games is just how easy they are because of stuff that’s given away without having to be earned. I’m sorry, but back in the day, wasn’t like that. As such, while I’d be fine with including items like the Lucky Egg and Exp. Share, I’d make them items you need to earn, either via catching a certain number of Pokémon, gaining a certain number of badges, or just accomplishing side-missions.

#5 – The Evil Organization

As for the evil team, we’ve had the thieves, the eco-terrorists, the psychos out to destroy the world, a group of PETA wannabes, and a group wanting to forcefully remake the world. I think I’d want a team that’s focused on trying to make Pokémon feral, believing that humans tame them from being the wild creatures that they believe they’re meant to be. Rather than specialize in types, though, like many teams in the past (there HAS been an overuse of Normal, Dark, and Poison by evil teams), they’d focus primarily on Pokémon from the Monster and Dragon Egg Groups.

Anyway, that’s all I can think of at the moment. Thanks for checking this out, feel free to leave a comment, and let’s see what new kinds of homebrews are made in the future. Ja n-……………..Say, it seems this was the 499th blog entry, meaning the next one makes 500. Wow, time sure flies. So what can I possibly do for such a huge milestone in my blog’s history…?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…………….Okay, what the hell. Let’s review Bible Black.

I knew you’d eventually see things my way…

A Look At The New Mega Evolutions In Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – It’s Evaluating Time!

So, due to the hiatus I took this year, I haven’t really talked at all about the upcoming remakes of the 3rd Generation Pokémon games, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Naturally, because Mega Evolutions have been a big thing in this current generation’s Pokémon games, they are releasing a bunch more with these games, which is what I wanted…although, looking back on things, this makes the timeline of the Pokémon games kinda confusing. Think about it: With these remakes being made in Generation VI, and including the new game mechanics introduced in X & Y, that means that Fairy-type Pokémon and Mega Evolutions have been around since the time of Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, which is stated to take place at roughly the same time as Red/Blue/Yellow/FireRed/LeafGreen. But hey, I suppose it wouldn’t be the first major retcon to the timeline to include newer game mechanics. The Pokémon games have always been a little loose with their history…except that, with some of the more recent games, it felt like they were trying to tell better stories, and part of that means being mindful of the timeline, so-

Alright, alright! Jeez, call the blog ‘Jyger’s Rant’, and they still get pissed when you go off on a tangent. Point is, new Mega Evolutions in the Hoenn games. So, who are these Pokémon? You just sit right there, and I’ll show you, because…

It’s Embarrassingly-Too-Close-To-The-Camera-But-We’re-Just-Gonna-Go-With-It-Because-We’ve-Only-Got-This-One-Take EVALUATING TIME!!!

So, let’s start with…

Mega Sceptile

 

So, right off the bat, we got one of the Pokémon I specifically requested get a Mega Evolution. Why? Because if Blaziken were the only Hoenn Starter Pokémon to Mega Evolve, it would leave the three unbalanced, and too many people might wind up choosing Blaziken. Mega Sceptile is a Grass/Dragon Pokémon, meaning you wanna keep it the hell away from Ice and Fairy-type Pokémon, has changed its Ability to Lightning Rod, and can fire the tree-like tip of its tail as a projectile in battle…DAMN. I can’t wait to see this thing in combat, though I think I’ll be starting Omega Ruby with…

Mega Swampert

Hell yeah, now we’re talking! I was already planning to start the game with Mudkip, and now I KNOW that was a good choice. The already tank-like Swampert has gained extra bulk, which I would imagine probably drops its Speed a bit, but it also gains Swift Swim as its new Ability, meaning that drop in Speed won’t mean a thing in the rain. Of course, since it’s still a Water/Ground-type, that means it has a quadruple weakness to Grass-types, but honestly, you wouldn’t want to send it out to face them anyway, and given that that’s its single weakness, the opposition is gonna have to be super tough or have lightning-quick wits to stop this badass Mud Fish.

Mega Slowbro

…Oooooookayyyy…So, apparently, Mega Evolution causes the Shellder that latched onto Slowpoke’s tail to grow to such a size that it’s almost ready to consume the poor bastard. o.O Anyway, weirdness factor aside, Mega Slowbro naturally gains a boost to its Defense and Special Defense and the new Ability Shell Armour, what with the shell now engulfing most of its body. Sounds awesome, but I hope that this doesn’t mean Slowking is getting left in the dust. Also, tell me you don’t think Beyblade when you see that thing. lol

Mega Sableye

Another Pokémon I was hoping would receive a Mega Evolution, as not only does it manage to keep up with Mawile, but it also has something new to defend itself with: Magic Bounce. After all, part of the allure of Pokémon like Sableye was that they had no exploitable type weakness. With the Fairy-type now present, that advantage has been negated, as they are now vulnerable for the first time. Still, Mega Sableye looks to be a viable option for any team, though I should note that the new Ability and boosted defensive stats come at the cost of some of its Speed.

Mega Sharpedo

Evidently Team Aqua Leader Archie’s Mega Pokémon in Alpha Sapphire, Mega Sharpedo takes the killer shark motif and puts it on frigging steroids. Not much else is known about it, as it was just announced recently, but it IS known to have Strong Jaws as its Ability, and it gains increases to ALL of its stats. I feel bad for the poor bastard that gets Alpha Sapphire and has to tangle with this thing… … …Erm, sorry N. Harmonik.

Mega Camerupt

While it may not look to be on the same threat level as Mega Sharpedo, appearances can be deceiving, and Team Magma Leader Maxie wouldn’t choose a weaker Pokémon to be his Mega. Mega Camerupt comes complete with Sheer Force as its Ability, and an increase to all of its stats, save for a decrease in its Speed, which could prove to be its only real flaw. Still, as anyone who has played the Generation III games knows, Camerupt ain’t no pushover…though they CAN be kinda dumb.

…Anyway, continuing…

Mega Altaria

I didn’t think it was possible for Altaria to have its head any further up in the clouds, but here we are. lol Y’know, going back to Chuggaaconroy for a sec, he must find this hilarious, because now half of his team from his Emerald Let’s Play can Mega Evolve (Moegami the Blaziken, Pandora the Absol, and Altair the Altaria), and his Emerald team (poor Pandora in particular) got a lot of criticism as he was going through the LP, though I think most of them shut up when Pandora made quick work of two members of the Elite Four. But anyway, Mega Altaria is now a Dragon/Fairy-type, gets increased offensive stats, and to compliment this new typing, it gains the Ability Pixilate, which turns Normal-type moves into Fairy-type moves and gives them a 30% boost in power. And if you think a Dragon/Fairy-type spewing Hyper Beams that get same type attack bonus AND a 30% bonus on top of that isn’t frigging terrifying, you either haven’t been playing long or need therapy. STAT.

Mega Salamence

Because what’s better than one terrifyingly powerful Mega Evolved Dragon? TWO! Although at least with Salamence, you kinda expect that, whereas Altaria welcomes you to die while you’re laughing your uneducated ass off. Despite still being a Dragon/Flying-type, and thus vulnerable to Ice and Fairy-types, Mega Salamence gets a big boost to its Defense, and gains the Ability Aerilate, which is the Flying-type equivalent of Pixilate, so basically, Flying-type Hyper Beams and Giga Impacts with STAB and a 30% power increase. All in all, between this and Altaria, I’d say Garchomp’s days as being the #1 Dragon are highly numbered.

Mega Metagross

I don’t know why this thing has a Mega Evolution, other than just because it could, and just so Steven could be even more powerful (like he needed it, since he’s gotta rank in the Top 3 or 5 in terms of champs in the games). Well, that and Mega Metagross is fun to say. lol It has the Ability Tough Claws, gets a big increase to Speed, and the rest of its stats get an increase as well. If I survive the final battle with Steven without mass grinding (stop laughing, you know what I mean, though I would certainly tap Steven if he was real, XD), it’s only because they gave us an Exp. Share or a Lucky Egg or some other item meant to coddle us.

Mega Lopunny

This was one of the Mega Evolutions I was NOT expecting. Not to say I don’t welcome this one or anything, I think it’s cool, it just wasn’t one I was thinking would happen. Anyway, Mega Lopunny is a Normal/Fighting-type, which would normally mean it would suck against Ghost-types, right? WRONG! Mega Lopunny’s Ability is Scrappy, meaning it can hit Ghosts with Normal and Fighting-type attacks. Add in the increases to its Speed and Attack, and this is one funky fresh rabbit you don’t wanna mess with.

Mega Gallade

This is one I DID hope would happen. Really, it’s because Gardevoir got a Mega Evolution, so it felt like Gallade needed this to stay relevant. Don’t know much about Mega Gallade, though, since it was just revealed, but we know that its new Ability is Inner Focus, and it is apparently used by Wally, meaning that in the remakes, he no longer has a Gardevoir, but a Gallade. But that’s okay, because Gardevoir still remains a well-known Pokémon for being the ace on Diantha’s team.

Mega Audino

The first Pokémon native to the Unova Region to gain access to Mega Evolution, Audino keeps Healer as its Ability, and gains additional defensive strength. Not a heck of a lot else known about it, but it looks neat, and it’s nice to see Audino being used as something other than quick and easily earned Experience Points… … …Oh, don’t look at me like that! You know you exploited the hell outta the extra Exp. that Audino gave out when you encountered them in the wild in Black and White. lol

Mega Diancie

Lastly, we have Mega Diancie, who is a Legendary Pokémon from the Kalos Region that wasn’t even available normally in the game, and whose Mega Stone is in Hoenn. Confused? Join the club, we’ve got jackets. Anyway, if you aren’t all that familiar with Diancie, it’s a Rock/Fairy-type, and usually has the Ability Clear Body. When it Mega Evolves, it gains Magic Bounce as its Ability, and gains a big boost in Speed, while its defensive stats are lowered in favour of improving its offensive stats.

So, that’s all the Mega Evolutions confirmed for now…but it’s not all of the Pokémon in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire to change form. Presenting, PRIMAL REVERSION!

Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre

Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre are the new, more powerful forms for the Hoenn games’ version mascots. The method by which they transform to these states is unknown, but I have a theory: Look at the lines on Groudon and Kyogre in their normal states. Groudon’s are blue, and Kyogre’s are red. This is apparently because, when awakened by Maxie and Archie, the wrong orbs were used to awaken them. However, in these forms, they have yellow lines, not unlike Rayquaza. This seems to suggest that their Primal forms are their true forms, or perhaps advanced forms that make them even more powerful than Rayquaza. Whether or not Rayquaza gains a new form of its own is unknown, but it seems to be heavily implied that it does.

So far, all that’s known about these two are that Groudon becomes Ground/Fire-type, and they each gain a different stat boost, a new Attack, and Ability. Primal Groudon gets additional Attack, knows a new move called Precipice Blade, and gains the Ability Desolate Land, while Primal Kyogre gets a Special Attack boost, learns a new attack called Origin Pulse, and gains a new Ability called Primordial Sea. All I know about the new attacks are that they hit multiple targets. The Abilities, however, create harsh sunlight/rainfall, negate all other weather conditions from being triggered, and stop Water-type/Fire-type moves from working until the user of the Ability leaves the field. And no, I don’t know what happens if both Primal Pokémon are on the field at the same time, but if I had to guess, either the first to get out on the field has their Ability triggered only, or their Trainers inadvertently trigger the apocalypse. lol

So, that’s all of ’em, right? WRONG! Introducing, COSPLAY PIKACHU!

Cosplay Pikachu

…Okay, for those that don’t know, I’m gonna make this clear: I am not kidding. This is a thing now. LOL Cosplay Pikachu is a special Pikachu, apparently female, that can change form to gain different attacks and specialize in different Contest stats. Not sure how it does this, where you get it, or if it keeps these moves upon changing again, but whatev. Going from left to right, Pikachu Ph. D. specializes in Smart moves and learns Electric Terrain, Pikachu Belle specializes in Beautiful moves and learns Icicle Crash, Pikachu Rock Star specializes in Coolness moves and learns Meteor Mash, Pikachu Pop Star specializes in Cuteness moves and learns Draining Kiss, and my personal favourite, Pikachu Libre, specializes in Toughness moves and learns the 619. I-I mean, the Flying Press. lol

So, that’s all of ’em, FINALLY! Lemme know what you think of them, what your planned teams for Pokémon ORAS are, and I’ll see you back here when more news comes out. Ja né!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

………’ORAS’……..Hmmm…

THE GLITCH LIVES – The Original Pokémon Glitch Is Back, WITH A VENGEANCE

Beneath the seas, beside the flames
Off the coast, where the lost beast came
To bring the world misery and shame
A piece of the world is Missing.

The path you should have never crossed,
The Beast exacts a heavy cost,
The number of the Beast is lost,
You will know it by its hissing.

The bones from hell you cannot tame,
Devour your life and all your fame,
That is the price to play its game,
And all while you’re reminiscing.

The poem you have just read was created for the popular web series and comic book review show (that I could not shut up about to save my life), Atop The Fourth Wall. In the series, the main character, Linkara, learns of an Outer God called The Entity that has infected the world, even making people disappear as they are absorbed into its being. What he later discovers is that The Entity is actually MissingNo., a glitch in the original Pokémon games, that became an Outer God in an alternate universe. In reality, MissingNo., or Missing Number, is just a glitch in the old games that was rumoured to be something of a game-breaker if encountered and captured. There’s conflicting information on just what it can and can’t do, and just how it works, but I suggest you look it up on Bulbapedia. It explains a lot better than I can.

Well, recently, there was a bug discovered in the Pokémon X & Y games, located in Lumiose City, also believed to be a game-breaker. It was apparently dealt with…However, recent images have revealed THIS!

MissingNo. in Lumiose City

…So yeah, MissingNo. is back, apparently with a vengeance…I can’t wait for Lewis Lovhaug to hear about this on Twitter. I know I’ve already tweeted him, but I’d be willing to bet he’s gotten at least a couple dozen others. Knowing my luck, he’ll integrate it into the story on his show to bring The Entity back…and I still haven’t gotten the horrifying scream The Entity let loose when it died the first time outta my head!

…Anyway, discuss, feel free to share your own MissingNo. stories. For now, I’m just gonna go hide under blankets with a Poké Ball in one hand and a Lightsaber in the other…Ja né!

Related articles

• How to avoid Pokemon X / Y’s save glitch in Lumiose City (joystiq.com)
• Holy Crap. Has The Famous Glitch, Missingno, Returned In Pokémon X & Y? (kotaku.com)
• MissingNo: The Most Influential Video Game Glitch (knowledgepod.wordpress.com)
• Pokemon: 5 nostalgic memories from Pokemon Red and Blue (o.canada.com)
• Thoughts on Pokémon X (chrisgeorgegamedesign.com)
• Pokemon X short game review (hjwbarberablogs.wordpress.com)
• Pokémon X and Y Review – Among the Very Best (technobuffalo.com)
• Pokemon X & Y Review (goodkindofgeek.com)
• Pokémon X & Y bug breaks saves, is triggered in Lumiose City – report (vg247.com)
• The Pokemon X and Y Lumiose glitch, and a potential fix (destructoid.com)

Why I Am Officially Divorcing The Pokémon Anime (WARNING – ANGRY RANT AHEAD)

…So, you may have noticed that I haven’t done a review of the Pokémon anime in a long time. It’s taken a long time to admit to this, but after watching Best Wishes with my friend N. Harmonik, and she can attest to how many times I’ve brought up what’s wrong with the anime as of late, and clearly seeing that no, Ash has NOT grown up in the new series, and no, he probably never will, and seeing that every season from now until whenever the show ends will likely be ‘second verse, same as the first’…I hate this show. I hate this show so much. It is everything that an anime should NEVER be: Characters do not grow, there is little to no story, and there is very little resolution to the characters’ journeys because, at the beginning of every new series, they hit the reset button. It’s not even really an anime, it’s a half-hour advertisement for the games, and when the Pokémon games have had better stories than the anime has, that’s a BAD thing.

If yer wondering what exactly it is that has broken the camel’s back, allow to explain. There is a movie that has come out recently that involves Mewtwo going up against Genesect. This was the movie I was actually really looking forward to, because this was the battle that seemed practically gift-wrapped to the writers: A Pokémon with a very similar back-story to Mewtwo, but with a severe type advantage. And when I saw that there was more than one of them, and they’d be going up against a Mega Evolved Mewtwo, my jaw dropped and I said “That’s gonna be AWESOME!”

Now, as my excitement wore down a little and I learned more about Mega Evolution, the question then was, “Well, how does Mewtwo Mega Evolve? In the games, that requires a Pokémon to be holding a Mega Stone, and to have a close enough a connection to a Trainer with a Keystone that they achieve this new evolved form.” So then I thought, “Well, the connection between Ash and Mewtwo is pretty strong, after their meetings in the first movie and in Mewtwo Returns, so maybe they find the stones and Mewtwo evolves that way?”…And then the prequel special happened, where it was revealed that Mewtwo just had the ability on its own to do this. Also, since the release of the movie, it has been revealed this is NOT the same Mewtwo. As a matter of fact, Mewtwo is actually voiced by a woman in this movie.

… … …Writers, animators, editors, whoever works on the movies and/or the anime. You had this AMAZING story just BEGGING to be written, where Mewtwo reaches that point where it knows it can trust humans, and upon doing so, discovers this whole new power that it never knew existed. You had this story that would’ve connected all the way back to the first movie and actually helped to make that raped-me-in-the-ass reset button ending WORK. But you didn’t, when it was easy, because you don’t care enough to do so, and if you don’t care, why the hell should the audience care? Why should I ever give a flying fuck about a show that never changes, never shows the characters grow, and never lets them enjoy any kind of achievement? And before ANYONE says Orange Islands or Battle Frontier, those stories and how those accomplishments played out were clearly tailored to let Ash win without actually becoming ANYTHING more, and then IMMEDIATELY, on both occasions, saw him get smacked back down by a guy he, by all rights, surpassed LONG AGO. And if your concern is that letting Ash grow up and become a Master might alienate your primary demographic, that being kids, might I recommend you read the manga and see how they handle it there.

Lemme bring up an alternative to this: Pokémon Origins. Now, the English dub isn’t out yet, and despite some fears of what they do with the English dub, I still plan to see it, but just from watching the four episodes in their original format, I can tell you that those four episodes are better than what we’ve gotten out of the past four seasons of the main anime. Now, it has the same curse as the anime has, in that it’s pretty much an advertisement for the games. Pretty sure that’s the sole reason for including Mega Charizard X. Where it’s different…well, first off, it’s for fans of the original games, so it’s clearly tailored towards a slightly older audience, while still being just tame enough that kids can watch it. Second, you can tell that the people who worked on it actually…what’s the word…? Oh yeah, gave a shit. They WANTED this to be good. Third, Red actually BEATS the Elite Four, becomes champ, and completes the PokéDex…well, the Kanto Regional PokéDex, anyway. He’s gonna be PISSED when he finds out there’s another hundred Pokémon just a little bit west of him. lol Oh, and while the animation is still good and keeps up with stuff you see nowadays, it isn’t SO bright and flashy that it gives me a headache, unlike THAT OTHER SHOW.

So yeah, sorry to disappoint, but I’m officially DONE with the Pokémon anime, at least how it is now. It sucks beyond redemption. It sucks beyond the ability to be fixed with the current team working it. I’m just DONE with it, and until something is done to fix it, which will not happen without anything short of a fucking miracle, that is my final word on the subject. Bottom line, if you want a great story involving the characters from the Pokémon games, read the manga, watch Pokémon Origins, hell, even some fanfics out there handle the characters better than the show does nowadays. In fact, I think I WILL go re-watch Pokémon Origins now, just for fun, and just ‘cuz I’m sick of complaining about the anime. Ja né!

Related articles

• Why Is Ash from Pokémon Such a Loser? (kotaku.com)
• Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened English Trailer (bagogames.com)
• pokemon yayyyyyyyy. (dragonmastersblogofdragons.wordpress.com)
• Pokemon X Versus Pokemon Y: Which To Buy (kotaku.com)
• PETA can’t shake my Pokemon Pride (animeotakuculture.wordpress.com)
• Pokemon Origins 1-4 Mini Review (otakuorbit.wordpress.com)
• Favorite anime (hypershadic100.wordpress.com)
• Pokémon (Anime), Episode 1 (emptynostalgia.wordpress.com)
• Pokemon Origins – First Impressions (themorwik.wordpress.com)
• POKEMON ORIGINS Anime Is Now Online! (geektyrant.com)