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!

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Pokémon That STILL Do Not Evolve

Y’know, we’re nearing the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon, and in that time, there’s been over 700 different kinds of Pokémon that have appeared in these games. And, of them, I think it was stated once that 90% of all Pokémon evolve in some way, shape, or form, although I think that number is in major dispute and may have been ignoring Legendaries. However, for some reason, there are still some that have been around even as early as Generation 1, the original games, that do not evolve, nor do they have access to Mega Evolution. Now, in some cases, these Pokémon are just badass enough that they don’t need them. Others, and I think you know exactly who I’m talking about, could SERIOUSLY use an Evolution to make themselves relevant, and aren’t getting them. So, in no particular order, let’s look at 5 Pokémon that I cannot believe, after all these years, STILL do not evolve for one reason or another. Just for the record, these are Pokémon from absolutely no later than Gold and Silver, so nothing from Hoenn and beyond. And, I guess we might as well get this outta the way right now…

#1 – Farfetch’d

What did this poor Normal/Flying-type do to someone that caused it to gain such repeated disgrace? Every generation, it has had to sit and watch as nearly every other Pokémon from the original games get new evolutions, pre-evolutions, types, or just anything new and exclusive to themselves that makes them unique and able to do things no one else can. Farfetch’d, however, while it obtained a hold item usable only by itself and is able to use a lot of attacks that most Pokémon of its type combination can’t, I really and truly feel doesn’t have enough to make itself competent. One cool thing they did with it was make it a Pokémon you can get in a trade early in X & Y, and thus would give you a big advantage over the first Gym Leader, who uses Bug-types. But honestly, even if you did that, can you really say that you kept it on the team for an extended amount of time past that? It just feels like the poor thing has gone long enough without an evolution of some kind… …With that said, it’s not like it’s the ONLY Pokémon from Red and Blue that hasn’t evolved…

#2 – Tauros

Yup, turns out that, when a lot of older Pokémon that had been passed over for years in terms of getting new stuff were let into the Mega Evolution scene, Farfetch’d wasn’t the only one that got left out. Now, I wouldn’t say that Tauros is in the same league of being pitiable as Farfetch’d, but at the same time, the Wild Bull has not exactly had a lot new going for him. He has Sheer Force, which is pretty awesome, but at the same time, plenty of others have that ability and superior stats, albeit not quite as superior as you might think. So yeah, I guess it’s not really a matter of thinking Tauros NEEDS to evolve to be usable. Rather…just think of what a Mega Tauros would be like. Admit it, you’d want that badass bull on your team. XD Also, I really want them to do a pre-evolution that can evolve into Tauros or Miltank, just to finally put that theory to rest. lol

#3 – Delibird

To loosely quote an internet reviewer who, last I heard, is actually retiring from the biz, Confused Matthew, “Will someone please explain to me what is the quantifiable difference between Vital Spirit and Insomnia“?! Whose bright idea was it to give it a Hidden Ability that does the exact same thing as one of its primary Abilities? Now, to be fair to this Pokémon, it DID come out as part of doubling the number of Ice-types from 5 to 10 in Gold and Silver, and was seen as the non-legendary Ice/Flying-type for those that couldn’t get or use Articuno, kinda like how Emolga is now the non-legendary counterpart to Zapdos. The problem is, it still sucks. It knows ONE attack, the results of which are completely random, without the use of any kind of TMs, breeding, or Move Tutors to teach it anything else. It’s a gimmick Pokémon, end of story, and I really think that of all gimmick Pokémon, it’s the single most lame, and I don’t really think that’s fair. Especially when you consider that its gimmick is being Santa, and I just feel like Santa should be more awesome than that.

#4 – Dunsparce

Again, this is a Pokémon that a LOT of people want to see rise to bigger and better things, to the point where Mega Dunsparce was created for fan games. And you would think with some of its moves that have special effects attached to them, and an Ability like Serene Grace that doubles the odds of those effects happening, that Dunsparce would be a Pokémon who would have an expanded evolutionary line. Nope! Once again, a Pokémon with tons of potential gets no love from the developers, and I really don’t understand why that is. But hey, as it is, Dunsparce does work great as the team annoyer, meaning that it’ll drive your opponent nuts with some of its attacks.

#5 – Skarmory

…Okay, like Tauros, Skarmory is a Pokémon that doesn’t NEED an evolution, but my God, just imagine what Mega Skarmory would be like, and the terror that would overcome opponents when they see it on the field blocking against them. For those unaware, Skarmory is a freaking MONSTER of a physical blocker. Granted, some of that got taken down a peg or two this newest generation, since it’s no longer resistant to Ghosts or Dark-types, but it IS resistant and does super-effective damage to the new type on the block: Fairies. Still, what I think would actually be a bit more reasonable a request would be a pre-evolved form. A mini-Skarmory that can be used in competitions for smaller and weaker Pokémon, and can learn new attacks. It’d be like the cutest little nightmare EVER. lol

Anyway, those are five Pokémon from the first couple of generations that have never evolved, have pre-evolutions, or Mega Evolutions. Got any that I missed, or perhaps ones from later generations? Lemme know, and we’ll see what happens when the inevitable Generation VII games come out. Ja né!

A New Pokémon with a Familiar Look! Mewtwo Alternate Form or Brand New Pokémon?

So on Pokémon Smash today, they revealed a brand new Pokémon as promised…or did they? Well, lemme just show the video first…

Word has spread for a few days now that Mewtwo was going to be getting some kind of alternate form, but it hadn’t been confirmed. This video clearly shows the image of the Pokémon shown along with those rumours, but what I can’t seem to determine is if this is truly an alternate form for Mewtwo, an evolution, or just a brand new Pokémon that’s related to the original badass of the Pokémon universe. So far, all we have is the following statement…

And I quote…

“This new Pokémon shares many traits with Mewtwo and it’s suspected that the newly discovered Pokémon has a connection with Mewtwo—a powerful Pokémon that debuted in Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. What is this new Pokémon? How will you encounter it in Pokémon X and Pokémon Y? When will you know more? One thing is clear, your readers will certainly want to debate the meaning of this new Pokémon!”

I do find it amazing that this looks even more like Frieza and Majin Buu had a baby than Mewtwo did. lol

So, are they trolling us? Is it Mewtwo? Is it a brand new Pokémon? I don’t know. I do know this much: People are complaining on Twitter that, if this is in fact a new form for Mewtwo, it has ruined him forever and their childhoods along with him. That is so stupid an opinion to take that I almost feel like listing that as a Tale of Dumbassery, and if it continues to build like that, I will. All we’ve seen is how it looks, and that it kicked the shit out of some of the older Pokémon. GET A GRIP, people.

Anyway, feel free to discuss below, and I will follow this story as it unfolds. Ja né!

Related articles

• New Mewtwo Form Revealed (ninnewsbymii.com)
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• Pokemon X and Y Godspeed Mewtwo image and info (product-reviews.net)