[#14] Electric Shock Showdown (2/2)

It's been over a week since the last Poké-post. I don't want another sudden break from the blogging so let's soldier-on with the second half of Electric Shock Showdown.

Oh, by the way. it's Raichu. Which is to be expected, I'm sure.

[#14] Electric Shock Showdown (1/2)

The face of sheer happiness. Do you know what this means, people?

"After two weeks of being lost..."

"...our heroes reach Vermillion City!"

Thank mercy for that.

"Congratulations! You finally made it!"

The gang are far too hungry to get a bath / hit the laundromat / challenge the gym so that needs taking care of. Cue title-card, monsieur!

Pizazz, motherfrogger, do you speak it?

[#13] Mystery At The Lighthouse

This episode starts with, you guessed it, the gang being lost. Well isn't that a doddle. We've come to expect as much. This episode also covers some more game mechanics - carrying six Pokémon and Pokémon computer storage. It also introduces an important character in the games (though of much lesser importance in the show). So let's get on with it.

"Well here's a familiar scene!"

Yeah, we know that Narrator. Care to provide anything useful?

"Wandering in a forest? It appears our friends have once again lost their way."

That's right.

"It's been quite a while now since Ash left his home in the town of Pallet, and a lot has happened since he began his Pokémon journey. He's already earned two of the qualifying badges--"

Are we really doing this!? ARE WE? ARE WE REALLY DOING THIS NOW, IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE!? I THOUGHT WE WERE HAPPY TOGETHER, I REALLY DID, BUT NOW I CAN SEE YOU'RE JUST A HARLOT.

"--for participation in the Pokémon League."

This is why his wife left him, he's married to the job.

"A Boulder Badge and a Cascade Badge."

The characters continue the exposition, as they discuss the badges Ash has, how he obtained them and what that means in the grand scheme of things. Rather than give you the inane fluffing drivel the Narrator goes on to say, let's just say, CUTTING TO SAVE TIME.

It's going to be a bumper post, both parts together. So let's cut out the twaddle.

[#12] Here Comes The Squirtle Squad (2/2)

It's Pikachu! Squirtle. Obviously. The episode is called "Here Comes The SQUIRTLE Squad". If you couldn't get that, then what the crap is wrong with you? SQUIRTLE SQUAD. It's not going to be a Pupitar, now is it? Get with the program, Pokéman masters.

[#12] Here Comes The Squirtle Squad (1/2)

"You'll remember in an earlier Pokémon adventure our hero Ash achieved his dream of catching a Bulbasaur. It was a shocking victory."

They show Pikachu winning with Thundershock here, hence the terrible pun.

"And so Bulbasaur joined the ranks."

Uh-huh. Any reason for the recap?

"Soon Misty, Brock and Ash lost their way... but found a Charmander! Braving a fierce storm, Ash and his friends came to its rescue. Abandoned by its trainer, the fire Pokémon recovered its strength and gained some new friends."

C'mon, hurry up for the love of all that is--

"Charmander became Ash's newest Pokémon... and that's how Ash caught Charmander and Bulbasaur."

And that's how I met your mother.

"He's pretty pleased with himself, as he skips down the road, singing our favourite theme."

Uh-huh, our favourite theme...

"Becoming a Pokémon Trainer looks like it'll be a snap! Or will it? Can things continue to go so smoothly? Maybe Ash is too confident--"

Whoa, hold on. First, who gave you permission to be so judgemental, especially after you fell asleep a few episodes back you bloody idiot. And why have we spent so long reminding everyone about how Ash caught Bulbasaur and Charmander, it's like, we already know! WE ALREADY KNOW. But don't let me stop you.

"He'd better keep his eyes glued to the road ahead! Who knows what pitfalls are waiting to swallow up our young hero?

"What did I tell ya?~ A pitfall."

Oh shut up.

Here they come to wash away this crappy cartoon.

[#11] Charmander - The Stray Pokémon (2/2)

It's Agumon! NEXT.

[#11] Charmander - The Stray Pokémon (1/2)

"With Bulbasaur as his newest Pokémon, Ash and friends are making their way triumphantly to Viridian City... Aren't they?"

We're still lost folks, and from the name of this episode, it's pretty obvs what Ash's newest Pokémon will be. It starts with C and ends with Harmander.

"Our friends have gotten off track... just a bit."

Yeah, I gathered. Thanks for telling us what we already know, Narrator guy. Jokes about Misty hating bugs and some slapstick presides until Misty comes face to face with a large, silhouetted object.

Looks kind of like a sock puppet on top of a dustbin.

Ash, Brock and Misty approach the object, which on closer inspection appears to be a Charmander resting upon a rock.

Cue slide!

[#10] Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village (2/2)

It's Bulbasaur! Like, from the episode title? Well I never.

[#10] Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village (1/2)

"Our young hero Ash, leads his friends deep into the forest. Since he doesn't have a compass, Ash must rely purely on his instincts, and that means trouble!"

After a head splitting, headache inducing and thoroughly annoying excerpt from the world famous "We're Lost" opera, we're finally presented with the episode title card. Now could we please stop making jokes about not knowing where you are?

Oh goody, they've already run out of ideas. This is the start of the short three episode arc that explains how Ash, the fraud Pokémon trainer steals legitimately obtains the three starter Pokémon.

[#9] The Path To The Pokémon League (2/2)

It's VLC having problems! Also, it's Sandshrew.

[#9] The Path To The Pokémon League (1/2)

Oh, I got Episode 8 and 9's order mixed up. That's OK, it's not like they're important. Oh yes, it's another filler episode. So I'm not going to spend too much time on this episode... said the guy who started the first draft of this article in November 2013. Ha! The irony.

It's an already familiar scene. Ash and his friends are lost. So lost, in fact, that they've lost the plot. Literally. They've lost the video game plot. Never you mind, at least they're on the way to Vermillion City after all. A sigh of relief, Gentlemen and Ladies.

Only a sigh though. Not a gasp, or a yawn, merely a sigh.

Soundtrackin'

Two more soundtracks have entered my possession - Pokemon Gotta Catch 'em All (also known as the 2 B A Master soundtrack) and Pokemon The First Movie soundtrack. 

I bought a CD... and got stickers!

I bought Pokémon 3: The Ultimate Soundtrack and inside was a packet of stickers! I almost don't want to open them. Pokémon Stickers 2001, published by Merlin. I can't find any decent information online about this run of stickers, or even the book that they would have been stuck into. It's just another oddity to add to my collection, I guess. You never know, I might come across more stickers, or the sticker book, at a boot fair.

[#8] The School of Hard Knocks (2/2)

He was born to be bone... it's Pikachu Cubone!

[#8] The School of Hard Knocks (1/2)

"As our story continues, we once again find our friends travelling together on their Pokémon journey in perfect harmony..."

Yeah, right. They're bickering as usual, and then Brock makes a fourth wall breaking reference to the fact they've got to start the show. It's filler time, people.

[#7] The Water Flowers Of Cerulean City (2/2)

Oh good, you got it. We're still friends.

[#7] The Water Flowers Of Cerulean City (1/2)

The episode begins with a flashback discussing how Ash Ketchum, the determined young fraud trainer from Pallet, is on a journey to become the world's greatest Pokémon fraud Master. The flashback focuses on his 'fierce' battle with Gym Leader Brock. Let me assure you, there was nothing fierce about that battle!

Hold it! Is that sign in Japanese? You missed one, 4Kids. Anyway, with the flashback safely over, we can begin the episode. Title card, please.

Pokémon Y : First Thoughts

It's finally here.

As of the 16th October this year, I've been glued to my Nintendo 3DS. Over the past week, I've piled in over 35 hours of Pokémon Y. I have 7 of 8 badges. I've caught the legendary Yveltal, exclusive to version Y. And here are my thoughts.

Tweaks.

With a formula as strict as that of Pokémon, it's the little tweaks that are in keeping of the series style (but improve the game) that are the most welcomed changes. Catching Pokémon awards you with experience points. Speciality Pokéballs are available earlier in the game. The EXP Boost, earned after the first Gym, allows each Pokémon in your party to earn half the experience points earned in battle, each. New features, such as the Pokémon Amie, actually provide tangible stat and experience boosts, as well as improved Pokémon catching rates, Pokémon that (over time) can heal themselves of status ailments, dodge attacks and even tough it out to 1HP instead of being killed off in a one-shot attack.

Presentation.

With a character finally able to move in eight directions, the environments in Pokémon Y  are no longer made up of blocks. There are sprawling streets, sweeping camera angles and seen-to-be-believed special effects in some of the Pokémon Gyms. All of the Pokémon are modelled in 3D, animated authentically and look like they were plucked straight out of the animated series. Soundtrack is, in an odd way, quite unusual for the Pokémon series, yet also eerily familiar. 

Gameplay.

I do feel that at times Pokémon Y has been too easy. Some of the gameplay tweaks have made the game less challenging, especially when it comes to the experience boosts that allow Pokémon to level up very quickly. For a feature the game is advertised on, Mega Evolution feels almost tacked on and pointless. Even when using it, I really don't see that much of an improvement in the abilities of my Pokémon. Dungeons are definitely shorter compared to those in Pokémon Fire Red which was recently the last Pokémon game I had played. The layout of dungeons seems easier, and there are NPCs that are more than happy to regularly heal your Pokémon, making carrying items unnecessary. Also, wild Pokémon, trainers and gym leaders don't appear to employ any strategy.

What I Like: Over 400 Pokémon are in the game, available to see or capture. Pokémon Amie allows you to get closer to your Pokémon and really bond with them. From what I've heard, there is a post-game scenario at least as long as the main scenario. TMs are reusable. Traded Pokémon get double XP.

What I Dislike: Team Flare, the antagonists of the game, are not very intimidating. Trainer variations tend to reuse the same Pokémon, for instance, Team Flare use a lot of Mightyena and Houndoom. Rebalanced battle rules mean I have to relearn the type advantages from scratch. You can't move three feet in the desert without encountering a Trapinch.

On a related note to Pokémon Y, I'm returning to PokéBlogging. I'll might move the blog, and its posts, manually to my own website, or I might not. But I'm definitely bringing this blog back, as I feel my love for Pokémon has returned with a significant push.

[#6] Clefairy and the Moon Stone (2/2)

Yeah, it's Clefairy. Obviously.

[#6] Clefairy and the Moon Stone (1/2)

Wow, did I say I'd post more often? I've done completely the opposite. It's time for another episode review - Clefairy And The Moon Stone!