Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Obscure & Obscure II ---- Worst game I have EVER played?


I put the question mark there for good reason, obviously i have not played enough of Obscure and the second one to really be able to judge whether or not it really IS the worst set of games I have ever played, but still the question lingers: "Why so negative?"
Well, Taz and I were in Family Video, looking fr a movie to watch. Well, I immediately wandered over to the game section, hoping to find something that my catch my interest (and Taz's too). It wasn't long before Taz had come looking for me, and she was looking over the small selection of PS2 games, and that's when we found the game Obscure. We did not pick it up...but instead, went to the OTHER Family Video in our city to see what their selection looked like. That's when we saw "Obscure 2: The Aftermath" and we decided to rent it for 5 days because it was a horror game...but it was co-op.
Taz is not a huge fan of horror games, and while she likes to play them, she usually ends up handing the controller to me...so while she may not want to play, this way (playing co-op), she would not be able to pass the controller to anyone else.

  • The Storyline of Obscure II~
[[retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ObsCure_II ]]

Two years after the events of ObsCure, the survivors have had to move on with their lives. Shannon and Kenny are now enrolled in the nearby Fallcreek University, while Stan is making ends meet as a pizza delivery boy. Stan and Kenny now have to take medication to prevent the effects of the plantation from infecting their bodies while Shannon has been able to adapt to the changes.
As the story begins, a new drug created from a strange flower is quickly spreading its influence over the University's populace. Soon enough, a small group of students along with the Leafmore High survivors have to face a horde of mutants and stop the spread of contagion before the situation becomes critical.
The students meet a scientist Richard James, who is immersed in the biology of the scientific black spores, and aids the player several times.
The flower spore spread through the campus and affects the nearby hospital. Mei, who gets a call from her twin sister Jun, goes with Sven to rescue her, but fails when she is killed by an unknown monster. The player eventually switches to Corey, and he finds Shannon and her brother Kenny, who is badly injured inside by the black spores and turns into a monster with huge arms.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And thus the list goes on-and-on about people dying and falling in love...totally clich'e.

  • My problem with the game:
the graphics are wonderful, the storyline is unique...but there were a ton of things that I just could not stand about the game play. First of all, there was hardly anything to tell you how to use a weapon, let alone pick anything up...but while I could around that, the one thing I could NOT get around was the co-op play.
In co-op play, you are walking around as the man named "Stan" (who would be first player), and then the girl named Mei (who would be second player).
I was the second player...so, as Mei...I had the option to look at things and investigate things, same as the first player did, but only first player could actually use the option. I would go to open a door, but only the first player could actually get the door open even though it told me to press X and open the door.  So basically, the second character cannot use weapons, cannot look at certain things, and the first player was either Taz or my BFF Kirsten who would not stop and look at anything I told them to look at...

So basically you are walking around as player 2 who is a worthless bimbo that cannot even protect herself. It really pissed me off! So I shut the game off as soon as I figured this out...I was so repulsed. So I cant actually say that it was the worst game ever...because it really had me interested, but they really need to fix their co-op...because that was awful!!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

SPORE Creatures---



So here is another old Blog that I pulled out of the older archives---and this one contains my story about my addiction to SPORE. Created by the people who brought us the Sims, SPORE has games on the Wii, the PC, and on the Nintendo DS.
            The basic storyline of the game is to start with a single-celled organism, and move your way up through evolution. Evolving your creatures with body parts found within the habitats and/or by fighting/befriending the other strange creatures on your home planet.
SPORE also has a few expansions out (mostly for PC, though Wii has a separate game version of the expansion---same for the DS) such as Creepy & Cute parts for your creations, and SPORE: Galactic Heroes.

In this blog, you can expect to see my past blog about my experience with playing SPORE, the aftermath, and then a look into Taz’s P.O.V (Point-of-View) when it comes to the DS Version. But for now…here is my old blog (originally written on: November 24th):

“So...I was really excited. My ex-girlfriend was looking at Christmas gift ideas last night at Walmart and I was with her...well, she was debating on what to get me. What it came down to was a tie between Roller coaster Tycoon 3 (platinum edition) or the PC version of SPORE.

Well...I wanted a game that both her and I could play together. You see, one of our main issues with being together as a couple is that we share some different hobbies. Now, I understand that there have to be differences when it comes to a relationship to keep things healthy...but I'm such a huge gamer and my ex is so...not. It makes things difficult sometimes (for the both of us) ^^;

Anyways...I was telling her about the different games and telling her to pick the one that she liked most. Well, when we got home that night, I remembered that SPORE sponsored a FREE Creature Creator Trial thingy...so I decided to download it. Anyways, I did that, and I was soon creating monsters out the wazzoo (meaning butt, arse, or whatever else you want to call it).
I had so much fun making those things. My first one was this dragon-looking thing called a Derf. Then I made this weird spider creature called an Exith and it was sooooooo neat~!!!!
I also tried to make a replication of a Domo-kun (like the Japanese median phenomenon...look it up). But my BFF Kirsten messed up the thing's spine, so it kept folding in on itself whenever it moved and was really weird~!!!
Then I fixed its spine, but erased its knees on accident, so when it moved, it scuttled like a wind-up toy, and I about peed because I was laughing so hard.

Well, then I made a duck-thingy but made it backwards....so it was retarded so-to-say, but cute nonetheless~!!! Well, Taz (my ex) saw how much fun I had playing that game, and she bought it for me today while we were getting groceries!!!! I was so excited! So the minute I get home, I open the disc package, pop the disc into my laptop and then...nothing happened. Seems there is an error with the SPORE game which is common to most PC users. The disc is not read by the

DVD Drive
and therefore does not start the install Wizard.

So I ended up deleting a ton of stuff off of my computer, then I had to call technical support and they ended up just sending me a direct download through my EA Download Manager...which then would allow me to install the game without the disc. Thank Goodness...I was getting really depressed and would have felt bad if Tasmara's gift went to waste.
Anyways...that's my story of the day! Now off to play SPORE~!!!”!

  • The Aftermath:

Well, things did not go as I had originally planned with my SPORE game. While I had input my Serial Number and everything else that was required, for some odd reason, the game would not allow me to have any online privileges...I could not share creatures or see anyone else's creations and it really got on my nerves.
Next thing I knew, I was back on the phone with EA Support which seemed just as confused as I was. Well to make a long story short, the guy figured that my serial number had been inputted wrong, and that if I was given another serial code then it would fix all of my problems. So, what EA did was they gave me the expansion for SPORE (which is called Galactic Heroes), and as an added bonus, they gave me the Creepy & Cute parts for my game.
Sadly though, even inputting all of those items into my game did not solve my problem, but it has been way too long since I last called EA, and I doubt they would do anything about it now. I hardly play the game anyways...so its not like it is such a big deal.

  • SPORE for the Nintendo DS~
When I got my new DSiXL (Nintendo DSi Extra Large) for my birthday, instead of selling my old Nintendo DS, I decided to give it to Taz. I also bought her, her first two games for the Nintendo DS which ended up being Scribblenauts and SPORE Creatures.
Taz had always liked SPORE, but after we had gotten into a fight over it, she had never touched it on the PC ever again, so I thought that the DS version would be something to rekindle that urge to mess around on the PC.
Well, Taz started playing the game, and while I may not have played it myself...what I do know is this: Obviously, the Nintendo DS does not support 3D graphics, and so all the SPORE Creatures look like they are made of paper. Also, there is a strict battle system on the DS game that made Taz look at me and say: "This game is really dumb. It's like Pokemon only you get to make your own creatures."
And she said that the building process was much too hard.  So while it may be something that i might like and/or play in the future...it did not really catch her fancy.
I don't think that the DS version was very popular anyways because I bought the game for 5.00 and maybe less. (I don't remember).

Thursday, March 24, 2011

W.o.W --- Going to the Darkside.



So I posted a blog awhile back (on December 14th of 2010 to be exact) in an older blog, and I thought it would be funny to put it up in my Gamer blog because it has to do with World of Warcraft---
I will be doing this with a few other blogs that I have scrounged up from older accounts…so bear with me here.
This is what I had to say back then:

“I know that I tend to make things sound a lot worse than they actually are, but you really have to know where I am coming from to understand. Gaming is a HUGE part of my life. It was because of games like Guild Wars, Bright shadow, and AION that I got through some of the toughest parts of my life.
Games inspire me to do any number of things from drawing, to writing massive novels and/or fan fictions (usually the latter)...
But out of all the games that I have played, I swore that I would NEVER in my life, EVER play
World of Warcraft
So basically, I have said many times that I would never do something, and sure enough I go and do it. I swore that I would never again play Runescape (after that terrible incident with me getting killed by an NPC---thinking that it was another player. For my defense I was only 12-13 at the time), but after they cancelled Bright Shadow and my Mabinogi refused to work, I decided to give the game another shot.
Incidentally, they had a tutorial now which helped a lot...but the game was still boring and so I had to let it go.

Well...as a major fan of Guild Wars, World of Warcraft was my sworn enemy. For the longest time, I just could not see myself paying every month to play a game, especially when I had just dished out 20 bucks for the game in the first place! You know what I mean?
Then I got AION and it turned out that the game  had additional fees. I did not play that game for almost 2 years...but finally I decided to try it, and was hooked. When I couldn’t pay for it any longer, I let it go and called it a day.

Well, when it came to WoW...my ex's family all plays the game. They are part of a Guild called "House of Dragons" and they fight for the Alliance. Well, my ex's mother wanted me to try the game so that I could start playing with the rest of the family, and it was just recently that I decided to do the 10-day-free-trial. I have been playing for 5 days now and have already gotten to lv.15....and while I'm not too fond of some of the graphics, and the controls still get on my nerves, I must say that I'm getting pretty hooked on this game as I get more used to it.
So for Christmas I’m getting the full game and the first expansion "The burning crusade". My BFF says that I'm betraying Guild Wars, but really, there is nothing else to do on that game. So many people have stopped playing it, and I really can't do the rest of the quests without help. The expansion is great, but I cannot do any of the special events because I missed the War in Kryta...so what's the point?

I can sit there and make as many new characters as I want, but really, nothing changes. At least on Warcraft I have different races I can choose from (and can follow different storylines)...and there are so many things to do, to see, and to learn! I'm not saying that WoW is my new Crack, because GW will always be my safe haven...but I’m enjoying the new experience.
Now I am finally no better than anyone else I know...yup...I've gone to the dark side.”

Obviously my views have changed somewhat since then. My game-time may have run out on Feb.25th of 2011, but I have been pleased with my W.o.W experience. As I said in an earlier blog, I play as both Horde and Alliance, but swing more for the Alliance
Instead of just getting the first expansion to the game, Taz’s family ended up putting their money together, and I got all 4 games for a total of 100 dollars! I have been a junkie since. After getting bored with my main quests, I ended traveling to Stormwind…
…and while I was still a newb on that game, I was ashamed to know that I had equipped my warrior with skinning and leatherworking instead of mining and blacksmithing. So I changed that. So obviously I have improved.

But yeah…just thought you guys might like the flash back into my past!!!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Gameboy Advance---Antique Item?


I was in Gamestop the other day with my roommate, and we were checking out the clearance section, trying to find her a game that might keep her entertained on those days where she is home alone...
Well, while we were looking through the selection, the TV in their building was discussing some new games and what-not, when they began discussing the new Nintendo 3DS.

The Nintendo 3DS is replacing all the Nintendo handheld systems such as the Gameboy Advance and the original DS, with a whole new line-up of games which are in complete 3D---its basically Nintendo's version of the PSP.But, because it is so advanced, Gamestop would only be accepting trade-ins with Gameboy Advance games until the beginning of April 2011, because once the Nintendo 3DS came out, then the Gameboy Advance would be nothing more than an antique item.

It's a sad thing really...because I remember the days when the Gameboy Advance was the cool & hip new thing that everyone had to have! And now, without an original DS or DS Lite, you cannot even play Gameboy Advance games.
On top of that, once the Nintendo 3DS comes out, you won't be able to play any of the new 3DS games without purchasing a brand-new 3DS which is going to be at least 200-300 dollars.

Technology is moving at such a rapid rate, it just blows me away...the things they keep coming out with. But sooner or later, people won't be able to afford all the new systems that are coming out, and will be forced to buy the older games (which is what I basically have to do now). Hell, I just got a PS3 not too long ago, and I'm only borrowing it for the time being!
Now all my favorite games for the DS will be coming out for the 3DS and I wont even be able to play them *pout*

But yeah...the whole 'antique'-thing with the Gameboy Advance just made me feel kinda old 'tis all.
Now I know how my parents feel when they are watching VHS and the commercials on TV are talking about all the new movies and gear for Blu-Ray players. Ungh...

Well, lets end this with a funny picture I found on the internet shall we?



Chao~***

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Yoshi's Story---

---Yoshi's Story---

So in honor of my birthday, I decided to write a video game blog on one of my all-time favorite games.
Yes, it may seem a bit childish...but I have been playing Yoshi's story since I was at least 11-12 years-old.

Yoshi's story was developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 (N64) gaming system. It told a side-story of one of the most loveable characters from the Mario games...his trusty side-kick named Yoshi (who is considered a Dinosaur...NOT a Dragon FYI)<3

  • Storyline:
The story begins, telling the story about an island of Yoshi's, where everything was always super happy and all-around perfect, all because of the Super Happy Tree (pictured above). Well, Baby Bowser hated the Puny Yoshi's and wanted the tree all for himself...so he stole the Super Happy Tree, and used an evil spell to turn the whole island into a storybook!
Obviously the yoshi's that were caught under the spell were full of despair, and they could not do anything about their stolen treasure.

Now as the story would have it...6 young Yoshi's that were just hatching had escaped the curse, and when they came into the world, they were very confused. The place that they had come into was not as happy as they thought it was supposed to be. That's when they discovered that the Super Happy Tree had been stolen, and they start thinking of ways to get it back.
Finally, they settle on the idea of: "if they become super happy, then that will lead them to the Super Happy Tree"!

  • Gameplay:
The gameplay for Yoshi's Story is actually quite simple...(which is why it is a childrens game).
Instead of having 'lives' you have 6 Yoshi's to play from...when a Yoshi dies (runs out of health and/or all the petals fall on the flower), it gets captured by Bowser's minions and is taken away to Bowser's Castle. That is equivalent to losing one life.
The only way to get an 'extra life' is to find the 'White Shy Guy(s)' which are hidden in different levels. He is usually hiding in a surprise switch or trapped in a rock somewhere...so you will usually have to 'sniff' him out (using the R button).  Once obtaining a White Shy Guy, you can then choose him before beginning a level and he will go and 'rescue' one of your lost Yoshi's. The White Shy guy can only be used once...so be careful!

The object of each level in the game is simple...the goal is to eat 30 fruits to become Super Happy and progress to the next 'area' and/or 'storybook page'. See? So you just lick up 30 fruits and you beat that level.
But it's not as easy as it sounds.
Some fruits are in bubbles that you must pop using Yoshi's eggs (that can only be obtained through egg blocks or by eating enemies---). But Yoshi cannot eat everything...in fact, spiked fruits, blue fairy's, black shy guys, hot peppers, and other things are considered 'yucky', and Yoshi will lose health (or in the case of the game---flower petals) if he/she eats those things. Also, there are enemies to watch out for:

---Shy Guys: these little fellows are in every level of the game (well mostly all). They come in the color of Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green...and their colors can be changed by pounding the ground ( a mixture of motions which involves using A to jump, then pressing down all while pressing the Z button on the back of your controller.).
They also come in a variety of styles ad can either be running, holding limbo sticks, jumping on srings, flying, or even walking on stilts (which make them immune to being eaten).
Depending on the color of Shy Guy...if you eat them, that same color egg will appear.
---Black Shy Guys are meanies that drop heavy-spiked weights on Yoshi if you are not careful. Eating him will do no good because it will only make your Yoshi sick and make you lose health.
---White Shy Guys are the good guys that help save lost yoshi's from Bowsers Castle, but you have to find them!
---Fairy's are creatures that switch from Pink to Blue. If you eat them while they are pink...they taste sweet, and Yoshi will gain health. Eat them while they are blue and your Yoshi will lose health.
---There are Bone Dragons
---Lava Monsters
---Lava Ghosts
---Boo's
---Water Droplets that fall on you and taste yucky.
---Giant Fish that want to eat you...
---Pirahnna Plants
---Saw Blades
---Giant Swords
---Random holes in the ground...
---and much, much, more!

There are 6-7 pages total (depending on if you count the final level as a page or not), and there are 4 different levels per page to choose from. You only have to beat one level on each page to advance to the next page...and there is no going back to previous pages.
All-in-all the game can be beaten in less than thirty minutes and moves rather fast...also, for extra competition among friends, scores are kept on the levels and added up for a final score to put on a Top 5 scoreboard. (my current top-score is over 15,000).

also in the game, to increase your points-per-level, they start you off by giving you a 'lucky fruit' which you ingest for extra points. Also there are heart tokens, coins, and melons, all which have a higher value than regular fruits...

There are mini-bosses throughout the game, some showing up AFTER levels, others you have to find through special events. It all just depends on how you play the game.Also, there are a number of mini games within each level to help your Yoshi win extra melons and etc. So make sure you look around!

So there you have it...a wonderful game for friends and family that all-ages can enjoy. (its one of my and Taz's favorites, so I give it 5 stars!)---






Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Pokemon Discussion Cont'd---The Missingo

So I found this interesting.
The other day, my best friend and I decided to pull out our old Pokemon games (blue version) and play them on my N64 (using pokmon stadium and the little game packs that you hook into the back of the controller). While doing that, I found that I was running low on something that I wanted, and that's when it hit me...

How many of you remember the Missingno?



Now before I go and start copying and pasting info from other websites to fill you in on this dandy little creature, I will give you a briefing on what the Missingno is...
The Missingno is a glitch that resides on the shoreline of Cinnabar Islands...and it only exists in the first generation games: Red and Blue Version(s) [and somehow appears in Yellow? I havent been able to figure that one out yet...].
It appears as 1 of 2 things (some people say that there are more versions but I have only ever seen 2 in my game...its all based on your characters name and the letters in them which determines which one appears), either as a block of scrambled code and numbers OR it appears as the Ghost from Lavender town (which is Mother Marowak and shown as just 'M' and NOT 'Missingo').

If you defeat the Missingno, then whatever you have in a certain slot will then multiply by a random number (usually in the hundreds) and will have a glitchy symbol next to it, also, the graphics in your game will be a little screwy for awhile, and your Hall of Fame will be permemnantly glitched.

If you decide to CATCH the Missingno then SHAME ON YOU! It IS something like a Pokemon but it will screw up your game graphics, and eventually, all of your memory will be erased because of it (even though some people say that the game cannot be erased by Missingo...and it might be true, but mine always did and I do not know why) >.>; 
But, the Missingo can fight and ranges from levels 0 to 100...if you get it to evolve (how you do that, I will never know), strangely enough, the Missingo will always evolve into a Khangeskan (sp?)

  • The Missingo Glitch...described by Wikipedia:
Wikipedia is always a good source for me when searching up info on games. I was curious to learn about the Missingo glitch as I pondered over my childhood days of cheating, and this was what I found via the website
 (find it here @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MissingNo.)
 
MissingNo. (けつばん Ketsuban?), or MissingNO,[1] is a Pokémon species found in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue. Standing for "Missing Number", MissingNo. Pokémon are used as error handlers by game developer Game Freak; they appear when the game attempts to access data for a nonexistent Pokémon species. Due to the programming of three in-game events, players can encounter MissingNo. via a glitch. The species was first documented by Nintendo in the May 1999 issue of Nintendo Power.
Encountering MissingNo. causes graphical errors and the mass replication of the sixth item in the player's item menu; the latter effect resulted in the glitch's coverage by strategy guides and game magazines. IGN has noted MissingNo.'s appearance in Pokémon Red and Blue as one of the most famous video game glitches. Fans of the series have attempted to rationalize MissingNo. as canon, which has sparked discussion in sociological studies about the impact of video games upon society.
Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996. The player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon;[2][3] certain abilities grant new ways to navigate the game's world, such as instantaneous travel between two areas.[4]
Nintendo first documented the events that cause MissingNo. to appear in the May 1999 issue of Nintendo Power, with a warning that "any contact with it [...] could easily erase your game file or corrupt your graphics".[5] The glitch is the result of a succession of events: first, players watch an old man demonstrate Pokémon capture. The player uses a Pokémon with the Fly ability to reach the game's Cinnabar Island location, and then a Pokémon with the Surf ability to travel alongside the eastern side of the island until a MissingNo. appears.[5][6]
While it appeared in only two games in the series, MissingNo. has had a significant impact. Calling it a "programming quirk", Nintendo warned against encountering it and removed it in Pokémon Yellow, an enhanced remake of Red and Blue.[1][5][7] Despite Nintendo's warning, information on how to encounter MissingNo. was printed in several magazines and player's guides due to its perceived positive effect.[7][10][11] Certain players attempted to sell "tips" on capturing MissingNo. for up to $200.[12] In 2009, IGN included MissingNo. in its list of the top video game Easter eggs, citing its usefulness in replicating the game's rarer items.[13] IGN stated in a related article, "It really says something about Pokémon fans that they took what is a potentially game ruining glitch and used it as a shortcut to level up their Pokémon,"[6] and later called it an "unforgettable" glitch that helped pushed the original games to "gaming super stardom".[14]
Players' reactions to MissingNo. have been the subject of sociological studies. Sociologist William Sims Bainbridge stated that Game Freak created "one of the most popular glitches ever in game history", and cited its creative usage by players.[15] In the book Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon, professor of Education Julian Sefton-Green noticed that in his study of his son's reaction to MissingNo.'s usage as a "cheat", the child's outlook towards the game was altered drastically, and added that the presence of such elements as a result broke the illusion of the game as an enclosed world and reminded them that "at heart, [it] is a computer program".[16] The book Playing with Videogames contains an in-depth study of MissingNo., which details players' curiosity when encountering the Pokémon. It describes their tendency to compare notes on its appearance, and to give assessment and critique to each others' findings.[17] The book states that, in their attempts to canonize MissingNo. through fan art and fiction, Pokémon communities celebrated the game's imperfections and tried to imprint themselves on series' canon.[18] The author described these circumstances as unique to MissingNo., and called its popularity an unusual case.[9]

  • So What is the Missingno really?
I find the Missingno really facinating, and it makes me uneasy to think that all of my major Pokemon Fan fictions used to revolve around the 'Curse of the Missingno', even though i did not fully understand what the Missingno was and/or how it was made.
So the other day I sat down at my computer and decided to find as much information as I could about the Missingno, when I came across a Demotivational Poster which looked like this:

Link: http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss146/MetroidBob/MissingnoSolved.jpg
I about died when I saw what the public and fans had found while investigating, and really, all the pieces fit together. In the pokemon anime it told the story about how if a baby Khangaskan lost its mother that it would wear the skull around...also, the body structure of a Cubone and of a baby Khangaskan are almost exactly alike! It's all in the feet...
Also...isnt it strange that the Missingo takes on the form of Mother Marowak's ghost from time-to-time? And when it does...it evolves into a Khangaskan? See?

Now obviously opinions differ when it comes to this theory...supposedly there is an interview with an employee from Nintendo which discussed the broken data and how in the original version of the game, Marowak was supposed to evolve into Khangeskan, but that interview has yet to be found...

Some people believe what they see, and others get annoyed because they do not believe anything other than the fact that Missingo represents a missing part of the game that was never fully programmed and thus became a glitch...its all up to you.
Personally, after 13 years of never knowing otherwise, I believe that the 'Cubone' theory for the Missingo is correct. You catch a Missingo (in the shape of Mother Marowaks ghost), give it a rare candy, and it will evolve into a Khangeskan....the babies look the same minus the skull, it all just makes sense.

Kinda wish Nintendo would have kept things the way they originally intended because a Marowak becoming a Khangeskan would have been totally Bad-ass! But now what about my fan-fictions?! T^T

Anyways, that's all for now.

LEAVE ME COMMENTS!!!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Pokemon---How old is too old?

Yesterday (March 6th 2011) marked the release of the newest Pokemon games for the Nintendo DS (Pokemon White/Black versions). So I thought I might take a little about these popular games:

The first generation of Pokemon games were Red and Blue versions --for the Gameboy-- which were released on September 30th of 1998 (for those of you who dont want to do the math, I was only seven years old at that time). Yellow came around some time later as a special Pikachu edition, going more off of the anime than the original RPG storyline...but we are not going into that.
The first generation of Pokemon introduced 151 monsters...staring with #001 Bulbasaur and Ending with Mew



The second generation of Pokemon was with the release of Pokemon Gold and Silver versions for the Gameboy color--- which introduced another 100 Pokemon, starting with Chikorita, and ending with Celebi. ---Crystal version was later dubbed the Suicune Edition of this Gen.




Third Generation started with the Ruby and Sapphire versions for the Gameboy Advance (later followed by Emerald). Again, they introduced another 135 Pokemon to the mix, starting with Treecko and ending with Deoxys.




They then started with the remakes of the first generation, going with Fire Red and Leaf Green editions for the Gameboy Advance. They were trying to mimick the original releases in Japan by leaving out the blue.



Fourth Generation erupted with the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS with another 107 NEW Pokemon---starting with Turtwig and ending with Arceus. ---Platinum was then released as the third edition to the fourth generation.




Then came the remakes of the second generation games as they released the brand-new HeartGold and SoulSilver versions for the Nintendo DS. This took a spin off of the original Gold and Silver versions with some bits and pieces from Crystal added into the mix.
But instead being limited to the original 250 Pokemon like the older games, this one allowed for a more expanded Pokedex, reaching all the way into Platinum versions.



Now we are on the fifth generation with the new Black/White versions, also for the Nintendo DS...with a wopping 156 NEW Pokemon to catch and train (starting with Snivey and ending with Victini).



  • My Problem with the New Games/Versions---
Truthfully, I had stopped playing Pokemon after Ruby version because money was tight, and I did not have the 40 dollars to go out and buy Platinum when it was released. Also, I had strayed away from my handheld consols at the time and the excuse list goes on-and-on.
What really got me back into Pokemon was when Nintendo re-created the second generation and released HeartGold. Gold Version had always been my favorite game (Typhlosion being my favorite Pokemon FYI), so this new version with new graphics was a must-have for my collection. Sadly, my Mother told me she would not get it for me when it was released around my birthday. But, lucky for me, I had an amazing friend who would do anything for me, and he went out of his way to buy the game for me ^.^ what a sweety.

*cough* Sorry...I am off track.

So, now that I am older and living out on my own, I treated myself to an early birthday present by reserving Pokemon White Version for the Nintendo DS. I was thrilled at first (when reserving the game), but once I got home and started researching it, and even now (after having played it for about 4-5 hours), I am having many mixed feelings about it.
Here is a list of things that I LIKE about the game:
  1. The 3D towns are amazing
  2. The Pokemon Cinimatics during battle offer deeper gameplay experience.
  3. More intense and fast-paced battle simulations.
  4. The Seasons change---
  5. Each Gym offers new puzzles in order to get to the Gym Leader.
  6. You cannot jump from town-to-town without getting the required badge.
But that's about it so far...
But there are many things that I do NOT like about the game:
  1. All the new Pokemon look pretty stupid.
  2. I hate the names.
  3. Leveling up is ten times harder than it used to be.
  4. The Pokemon no longer follow you around.
  5. The menu is no longer on the touch screen.
  6. You are only limited to the 156 NEW Pokemon in Unova Region until you beat the game.
  7. The Legendaries Suck...fat guys in clouds? Really?
  8. It takes so long in order to challenge a gym because of some mini-event. Can't it wait?
  9. You can only catch 1 Dragon Legendary in each version...my version gives me Zekrom the black dragon, so I will never be able to catch Reshiram...someone has to trade it to me.
  10. Too many cool things rely on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connections.
  11. No Headbutting the Trees anymore...
Alright...so maybe I am being a little bitter, but I must admit that I am picky when it comes to Pokemon. I myself am a Fire-Fiend Trainer...meaning I always choose Fire as my starter. The only exceptions I ever made was for Blue Version and that's only because I had a Charizard in my Red Version. Same when it came to my Silver Version (before it got stolen).
But I have always been for the Fire. I started with Charmander first gen, Cynaquil on the second gen, Torchic on the third gen, Chimchar on the fourth gen...
...but now on the fifth gen, the Fire starter Tepig comes off  as so pathetic and ugly to me, that I was somewhat forced to go with Oshawott the water-pokemon! Blasphemy!!!
Actually...its not too bad, I just wanted to be over-dramatic for a moment, but I was really repulsed by Tepig and its evolutions. So either way, it had me bummed to suddenly switch up my elements like that. So there is my rant for that...

  • So How old is too old?
I am going to be 20-years-old on March 19th 2011, and I have been playing Pokemon for over 13 years now. I watched the cartoons, collected the dolls and merchandise, and even have an original electronic Pokedex from Toys 'R Us.
But seriously people, how old is too old?
I know people that are older than I am...entering their thirties who are still interested in and are playing Pokemon. In fact, when picking up my game (while I was at work), my friend noticed a bunch of adults (that were not with children mind you) picking up the game with their DS' in hand. I find that, if you enjoy something, then there is no reason why you should not continue doing what you love...but that's just me.
So tell me your honest opinion. How do you feel on this matter?

  • My recomendations for a better Pokemon game:
It would take a lot of memory and a lot of work. It would also have to probably be on something a little more powerful than a handheld device...but here are just a few things that I would like to see a Pokemon game have:
  1. A national Pokedex of every Pokemon up to date!
  2. A way to travel to every region and catch the pokemon of that region so that you are not always needing to trade.
  3. Night and Day...Change of Seasons. Make it as realistic as you can!
  4. Multiple game files...at least give us 3. that way we can try all the starter Pokemon and choose which one we like to use best! (plus it helps fan fiction writers like me ^^).
  5. Bring back the Pokemon contests like Ruby! (I love those things).
  6. And keep the idea where your pokemon follow you around, that was great!
I will probably think of more later. But that's all for now...