Vegieza’s Virtual Vices: Poke’mon HeartGold and SoulSilver

20 04 2010
After a week more I can now bring you a nice weigh in of Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver.  This review covers both, even though I only have SoulSilver.  HeartGold has the same content albeit a few of the Pokémon that aren’t in SoulSilver, just like all of the other games.  I should give you my stats so far (oh no, I’m not through with this game, yet):
  • Badges:  16
  • Pokédex:  198
  • Play Time:  104 hours and 11 minutes

Whew, I’m beat.  Keep in mind that the entirety of this content was local to the game cartridge.  There was no outside trading from a different game (yet), and I didn’t catch anything on the Pokéwalker (yet).  That’s enough for now, as I’ll explain more in the review itself.

PROS:

It’s a remake of Gold/Silver/Crystal (a.k.a. Generation II… G/S/C from now on). The best Generation is better than ever in this remake.  The developers overhauled the graphics in the style of Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (a.k.a. Generation IV), the only other Nintendo DS Pokémon game.  The original was the best because it offered so much content, especially because, in one of the best plot twists ever, there were 16 badges to get instead of 8.  Hallelujah!

There’s so much to do! I said G/S/C had tons of content, but this has even more content, more than even Platinum (the strategy guide for that game is over 600 pages long).  Along with the 16 badges there are stylus-based minigames, two different game corners, a new safari zone, a pal park (like in Diamond/Pearl/Platinum… D/P/Pl from now on), added areas not in the original, added trainers, longer gyms, a trainer house, gym leader rematches, online trading/battle, a battle tower, a Pokéwalker so as you walk around in real live action life your Pokémon gain XP, Nintendo-sponsored Wi-Fi events so you don’t have to make the trip to Gamestop anymore, the Suicune event from Crystal, more legendaries, and more Pokémon overall.

As I said, there as so many ways to get Pokémon! Apart from getting them normally (tall grass, surfing, water, and caves), you can get Pokémon from the safari zone, pal park, game corner prizes, head butting trees, bug-catching contests, breeding, in-game trading, online trading, gifts, catching them on the Pokéwalker, swarms, radio music, and more.  Also, since this is based on G/S/C, time is a crucial part in the game, and some Pokémon only come out at certain times of the day.  Plus, three different times you get to choose a starter!  At the beginning there are the Generation II starters, of course, but after the game you are able to choose from one of the Generation I starters and in a different place one of the Generation III starters!  Yay!  There are perhaps the most available locally in this one than any other.

There are more legendaries than ever! Game Freak wanted to have 99% of all 493 Pokémon available on the DS series alone, so they crammed as many Legendary Pokémon as they possibly could into it.  Along with the obvious Generation II legendaries (Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Ho-Oh, Lugia), there are Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo, Latias or Latios, Groudon or Kyogre, Rayquaza (if you have both Groudon and Kyogre), and more will be opened eventually through events (like Mew and Celebi).

The Safari Zone is ridiculously improved! They completely remade the idea of the Safari Zone into a completely customizable experience.  Most of the Pokémon in the game can be caught in the Safari Zone if you know what you are doing, and the new idea is to create your very own Safari Zone for your very own little old self.  There are six sections to it, and there are 12 areas to choose from.  You put which areas you want where you want them, and violà.  Then you are eventually given different types of objects to place in the different areas and can put up to 30 objects in each area.  Depending on what objects are put in what areas, rarer and rarer Pokémon come out.  You leave the objects in the area over a period of time and they upgrade into more powerful ones.  From then on those types of objects in that area are forever upgraded even if you remove them and then put them back in later.  It’s hard to explain, and you’ll have to look up the minor details to get the full experience.

CONS:

There are some minor issues, like how some Pokémon need the correct objects laid out in the right area for an upwards of 110 days to get some Pokémon to come out.  A lot of those I have bypassed by simply getting them a different way, however.  Also, the Pokéradar from D/P/Pl was awesome and isn’t in this one.  There are still different swarms, but these seem to repeat Pokémon a lot more than in D/P/Pl.

The Pokéwalker’s like 10 year old technology. It’s cool to get a pedometer that also lets you get experience for your Pokémon while you walk, but the thing itself is kind of old.  However, it does have some sort of nostalgic feeling when using it.  Plus, the little monster inside of it can only go up one level until you reset it by putting it back in the DS.  It’s like after that point your Pokémon isn’t actually getting anything useful out of being in there.

This is still like a 10 year old story. As always, for an RPG Pokémon never seems to have much story.  This one’s twice as long, but the little story events are few and far between in the second half.  Plus, the first 3 or so gyms after getting to the second half are over almost before you know it.

It’s still the same old Pokémon. It’s still the same 2-D battlefield with 2-D sprites and little MIDI sound effects.  This will apparently be finally changed somewhat with the release of Pokémon Black/White (Generation V) later this year… in four months, rather.  I have a huge list in my head of all of the improvements they could do… stuff that would make this game series even better.  I believe the Safari Zone was the first step in doing something right for once.

The “final boss” has Pokémon like 25 levels higher than the previous fight. I thought I was going to beat the final and most powerful trainer before I wrote this review, but no.  It will take many more hours of training to beat him.  Let me structure it for ya:  the 16th Gym Leader’s Pokémon are about level 60, maybe slightly more.  Immediately, it’s like, “Hey, go fight the final dude!”  I go there and his Pokémon are around LEVEL 85.  OMGWTFBBQ.

If you like Pokémon, get this.  If you never have played one, this is a good place to start.  If you hate the game series, this is more of the same.  Anyway, after 104 hours I still have much to do in this game, so it’s definitely worth the money.  As a parting gift, here’s a nice little fact the game gave me:

Mr. Mime, the Barrier Pokémon:  Its fingertips emit a peculiar force field that hardens air to create an actual wall.  O.O



Tunes of Tuesday: Alex Day

13 04 2010

Hey all, here you go, a GREAT trio of songs about video games, called ‘Poke’mon, What Happened to You?’ ‘I Hate Mario Kart Wii’ and ‘Sonic Doesn’t Need a Story.’

Enjoy, ingrates. :)

He’s got the songs for sale on itunes, go forth and give him the credit he’s earned.



Thur- I mean Saturday Top 5: Current Cartoons That Rip Off FAR Better Cartoons

27 06 2009

I know it’s more than late. Rough week. It’s here, at least, so just enjoy it, kay?

Remember, when you were a kid and you’d wake up at 5:30 in the morning to watch cartoons on Saturday?

Well, I don’t know if kids still do it, when they can just download it and watch it at their leisure, but if they DO, these kids’ shows are a disappointment, I hope.

Why do I hope such a terrible thing? Because they stole their plots and characters from far better shows.

What shows would commit such blasphemy? I’ll tell you!

5. Chaotic < Yugioh!

Pictured: See the similarities? Its all in the marketing.

Pictured: See the similarities? It's all in the marketing.

Ah, capitalizing on a children’s card game byfirst addicting them to a catchy animated series! This simple ploy sold Poke’mon, Yugioh, Duel Masters, and now Chaotic.

Now, many will argue that Chaotic was just a simple Danish card game that was turned into an American cash cow, but the series was undoubtedly made to copy the effects of the ravenous success seen by other card-game-based-anime and anime-based-card-games.

So why specifically Yugioh? Because like Yugioh, the characters of Chaotic retain a “deep” relationship with their cards, meeting some of them face to face in their own world. Eventually, they are even swept up into their war, which still somehow ends up as a card game most of the time, even if it DOES do it less than Yu-Gi-Oh.

That being said, even though Chaotic’s battles take place in a far off world, I’d STILL rather see Yami throw down trap cards than watch Peyton make another fat joke.

4. Robotboy < Astroboy

Pictured: A robot and a boy... can you tell the difference?

Pictured: A robot and a boy... can you tell the difference?

Pick one of the following: (Robot / Little Boy). So, this show is about a (the one you chose), changed to be a (the one you DIDN’T choose) and given to a foster family who tries to teach him to become a more adequate (the one you DIDN’T choose) while avoiding some man who wants to capture him and possibly use him to destory mankind.

Yeah… it’s kind of pallete swap, in my opinion. Only real difference is while Astroboy has great robot fighting action, Robotboy has racism, like the Engrish speaking Dr. Kamikaze, who is a tiny Asian man bent on ending America. Woops.

3. Bakugan < Digimon

Pictured: Confusing, poorly working kids toys that drag you into THEIR war! Woohoo!

Pictured: Confusing, poorly working kids' toys that drag you into THEIR war! Woohoo!

Ok, here we go. This show is about a newly made kids’ toy that somehow revolves around a game that makes very little sense to the generation the toys are marketed to.

The toys let the kids fight their creatures in an anticlimactic way while spurring them to keep pouring their cash into their toys.

In the show, kids are pulled into the world of the monsters and used as master tacticians in their war on evil, and eventually, with the power of friendship, giant dragons that spawn from a two-inch plastic toy, and the brilliant tactical minds of a bunch of elementary school kids, both worlds are saved.

Any questions?

2. Dinosaur King < Poke’mon

Pictured: Nah. Too easy. Read on.

Pictured: Nah. Too easy. Read on.

Alright! So here, our main character is a boy who is teamed up with a spikey looking creature and sent to collect some stuff to be the best there ever was.

He travels with a dude who was originally better than the main character and some girl, both of which are instantly inferior to the main guy.

The monsters are miniturized for easy storage and retain both super cute and viciously feral properties, and constantly defend themselves against a trio of miscreants with random, cookey machinery.

The spikey creature turns out to be an electrical powerhouse, and then Video Games and TCG’s are forced down the throats of American kids.

Oh, both main characters are voiced by the same woman, both the evil girls are voiced by the same girl, who has also played Misty, btw.

1. Johnny Test < Dexter’s Laboratory

Pictured: My rage, incarnate.

Pictured: My rage, incarnate.

Well, goblinites, here we are. Number One. If you’re a drinking man, I’d ready my glass, if I were you.

Pick one: (blonde-haired idiot / red-haired genius)

This show is about a boy who is a short (the one you chose). He is constantly forced to deal with his sibling(s) who can only be described as tall (the one you DIDN’T choose).

The (genius is / geniuses are) constantly working in a laboratory and making inventions that outrank all mainstream science that the dim-witted sibling and talking animal companion (koosalagoopagoop or Dukey) use to get into trouble.

If a character is a genius, they are constantly wearing a white lab coat, black boots, and thick, black-rimmed glasses and have blue (eyes/lenses) to go with the red hair. After the idiot gets into trouble, it’s up to the Laboratory’s genius(es) to fix the problem and save the day.

In addition, the kids also have a blonde-haired father and a short haired mother who are blind to the destruction caused by the lab’s experiments. Also, one of their parents is a clean freak, and the other is usually at work or fighting to relax and spends their dialogue praising the cleaning and cooking of their partner in marriage.

The boy also has a rival, who has better funding but is annoying and socially awkward, despite his infatuation with the main character’s sister.

In the end, despite being a little off-kilter, the main character manages to pull through, at least partially, and usually learns a valuable lesson. Also, no matter what happens, the genius(es) know the lab will soon be invaded once more by the blonde-haired menace sibling, and nothing can stop that.

Well, I’m off to find a spike pit to fall in. See you all later. -GG



Pic of the (Yester)day: Poke'mon Newbie Pack!

25 06 2009

Hey guys, 4 am. Ug.

been trying to type up tomorrow’s top five, only to realize I forgot the Pic of the Day!

It’s tomorrow, I know… but still!

Pictured: Adventure in a spherical package.

Pictured: Adventure in a spherical package.

If you just thought ‘I wonder what monster/item is inside,’ congrats. You’re a nerd. post it in the comments. ^^ It’s the law.

Pictured: In a few levels, hell be useless. A few more levels, unforgetable. Then, five more, useless again.

Pictured: In a few levels, he'll be useless. A few more levels, unforgetable. Then, five more, useless again.

Well, trainers, there ya go. See ya when I wake up. -GG



Thursday Top 5: Top 5 Most Delicious Poke'mon!

18 06 2009

I’m hungry, goblinites. It’s late and I’m hungry. You know what that means, this Thursday’s Top 5 will be about food, delicious food! Bot not just any food, why, that would be BORING! Today, I bring, to your wandering eyes…

Top 5 Most Delicious Poke’mon!

I know what you’re thinking: delicious. I agree. …what? You, in the back? You think eating poke’mon is weird for their world…?

Let me get this straight. In a world where every ten year old is set loose to wander the country and never come home, traveling with wild animals and no other form of self defense, and 18 year old boys sleep ten feet away from 10 year old girls they met yesterday, you think the normal consumption of animal meat is WEIRD?! Get out. Leave, right now. Don’t let me see your IP again, you idiot.

And if you’re all ‘Well, I’m a vegetarian’ half of them are talking plants. Where is your logic now, sir?

Now that those morons have left, let’s move on to the deliciousness.

Runner Up Meals – Cherubi and Spoink

Pictured: The cutest fruit I think Ive ever seen.

Pictured: The cutest fruit I think I've ever seen.

Ahh, Cherubi. The monster is a delicious little hopping cherry, full of blood/juice (I don’t care either way) that’s gotta be sweet as sugar.

On the downside, when it evolves, it’s a flower, so you gotta eat it quick.

Plus, as an added (creepy) bonus, when you eat the first one, the other one feels it and begins to scream and cry as you chew. I dunno. It could be cool, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Pictured: Super lean mind-powers-having bacon.

Pictured: Super lean mind-powers-having bacon.

Spoink may look delicious, but he’s a psychic. So watch out.

If you want to eat one, sneak up on it and swat that jewel off its head. Without it, it loses its powers. After that, you just catch it! If it doesn’t bounce, its heart doesn’t beat, so after a minute, you have a tiny meat sack, ripe for the skillet.

Plus, if it bounces every minute of its life, you know that tail is a lean cut of meat. Albeit gray and unappetizing.

5. Farfetch’d

Pictured: A fowl who carries its own flavorings!

Pictured: A fowl who carries its own flavorings!

Farfetch’d looks tasty, doesn’t he? It’s simple. Blast the sucker, then use that leek as a seasoning. You can easily make Farfetch’d soup or grilled Farfetch’d. Maybe even some light stuffing.

No recipe is that far fetched for Farfetch’d.

4. Ditto

Pictured: Pudding or Pot Pie? You decide! ...no, really, you DO decide.

Pictured: Pudding or Pot Pie? You decide! ...no, really, you DO decide.

Everyone says ditto is the hear-all end-all for poke’mon eatery, but I can’t agree. ‘Why not, GG? It can turn into anything! It’s like that gum from Willy Wonka!’

It’s true. You trick Ditto into turning into a snosberry pie, and just start eating, preferably after you put it out of its misery. However, when ditto transforms, its face still looks like ditto… likewise, I believe it would still TASTE like ditto. Yeah, you’ve got your Tilapia, but it still tastes like plain yogurt.

How much would THAT suck? You see hot wings, you smell hot wings, you feel hot wings, but you taste cardboard. I’d want to jump off a cliff.

3. Slowking

Pictured: Random evolution or recipe genius?

Pictured: Random evolution or recipe genius?

The poke’mon media doesn’t talk too much about eating actual poke’mon. However, one of the most documented cases is grilled slowpoke tails. They’re supposed to be a delicacy! This guy has one, and all that other tasty slowpoke meat, plus a bonus!

Rip that thing off its head, crack that shellfish open and grill it too. Use that neck frill (assuming it isn’t just more delicious meat) as a serving dish or fashion accessory. Sweet. That gem too. Good money in these eats.

2. Bulbasaur

Pictured: A four-legged balanced meal.

Pictured: A four-legged balanced meal.

Ah, the first poke’mon in out poke’dex. Bulbasaur has been a favorite of trainers since the very first games, Red and Blue (Green too, in Japan).

Now consider its taste! Kill the thing, pull out some razor leaves, use those to cut open the bulb to make the salad, along with the vines for variation in the salad. Even sprinkle the salad with some seeds in lieu of bacon bits of other toppings.

Cut the torso, head, and legs into vegetarian friendly cuts of meat, and use seeds for seasoning. A tasty meal, for Vegan and Carnivore alike.

1. Delibird

Pictured: A perfect holiday meal for the whole family.

Pictured: A perfect holiday meal for the whole family.

My FAVORITE, Delibird! Yum, Yum!

This guy has EVERYTHING you need for a great dinner. His tail-sack thing? Inside are bombs and ice. Use the bombs to build your fire, and melt the ice for chilled water.

Use the fire to cook Delibird himself, and you’ve got wonderful white meat. Tasty as can be, right? We’re not done yet.

Delibird only learns one attack naturally: Present. The attack can either throw a random bomb or… wait for it… cake.

The bird has CAKE IN ITS TAIL!

Dinner done? Rip open that tail and WHAM. Dessert.

Post which Pocket Monster YOU want to eat and how you’d cook it in the comments!

Bon appetite, Goblinites. I hope you enjoyed this (wo)buffet. -GG



Pic of the Day! Twilight Edition!

9 06 2009

So, I reviewed Twilight today, just scroll down if you don’t beleive me. No seriously, read it… please? it makes me feel all important and such. Any how, Today’s pics are in “honor” (or horror) of Twilight.

Pictured: An actual (half) vampire, with vampiric weaknesses, who fights real vampires, with real vampiric strengths and weaknesses.

Pictured: An actual (half) vampire, with vampiric weaknesses, who fights real vampires, with real vampiric strengths and weaknesses.

Yeah, I went there. Eat some poop, Meyer. Next?

Pictured: Much closer to Meyers vampire. He just needs to be pretty and bam. Twilight Vampire. Oh, except, unfortunately, not even a Thunder Stone can make Edward interesting.

Pictured: Much closer to Meyer's vampire. He just needs to be pretty and bam. Twilight "Vampire." Oh, except, not even a Thunder Stone can make Edward interesting.

As always, right click to view the full sized image. Also, if you send me an image and I use it, you get the credit! Get on it, lazy hacks.