Throwback Thursday: (7/3/14)

Pokemon

I had to make this one pretty quickly since I'm working all day today, so I decided to go with one that I know like the back of my hand. I have grown up with the Pokemon series, playing every single generation out there and even the remakes as well. Although some people say that these games are repetitive, these games have been the most addicting games I have ever played and they are still one of my all time game choices. With the release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire coming out this fall, let's take a look into the past games and generations

The main games in this series have always been for the Nintendo handheld systems, from the GameBoy Color to the Nintendo 3DS, but there have been numerous spinoffs to the original games, such as Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Ranger. As well as these spinoffs, tech-savvy gamers have also made ROM Hacks for these games as well, where they will either change up the story a little bit, like in Pokemon: Dark Diamond, or they will make a completely new game based off of the series, like my all time favorite Pokemon: Zeta and Omicron.

The gist of the games go like this, you pick a starter from the region of the game you're playing from a Professor. You train and capture your Pokemon and try to beat the 8 gym leaders in the region to have a chance to go through Victory Road to reach the Elite 4 and finally the Pokemon Champion. In each region, there is a gang of evil doers that try to either capture the Legendary Pokemon in the region or just to cause a nuisance. Throughout the game, you will fight your rival multiple times and it can become a pain but it moves the game along.

Gen 1: Red, Blue, and Yellow

This generation has the games that rocketed this franchise to one of the most well liked games of all time. These games were for the GameBoy Color and were all essentially the same, with the exception of Pokemon: Yellow having Pikachu as the starter and adding more Team Rocket fights. In Gen 1, the starters were Charmander the Fire Lizard, Squirtle the Tiny Turtle, and Bulbasaur the Seed Pokemon and in Yellow, a Pikachu the Electric Mouse was the players and your rival took an Eevee. The region of Kanto is the one that we all know well, with Pallet Town, Cerulean City and so on and is the home to the original 151 Pokemon. When remake for the GameBoy Advance with Fire Red and Leaf Green, they added Gen 2 and Gen 3 to the Pokedex to obtain, and added the Sevii Islands for some extra gameplay towards the end of the storyline.

If you're like me, these are the first Pokemon games that you ever played. The low-level graphics were all that we could ask for in the earlier time of gaming and when it came to gameplay, this game had it all. Looking at the picture below, you can see how much the game improved in just a few years and how the Pokemon franchise knows how to hit our nostalgia.

Gen 2: Gold, Silver, and Crystal

These games, just like the first gen, were made for the Gameboy Color. However, these games utilized the color aspect a lot better than the first gen, with having everything in color. The story for these 3 games takes place in the Johto Region, to the left of the original Kanto Region, and after the Elite 4 is beaten, you can actually travel to Kanto and fight those Gyms. These games are all similar to each other, except Crystal added an extra mini quest to capture the Legendary Pokemon, Suicune, and was the first game of the series to implement gender picking when it came to the avatar. These games also added 100 more Pokemon, including the starters, Cyndaquil for Fire, Chikorita for Grass, and Totodile for water and also 2 new types, Dark and Steel. These games were my favorite of all of them, since they added 2 regions to the game, and they also had my favorite Pokemon of all time in there, Espeon the psychic version of Eevee. This is also the first game for the infamous Youngster Joey. This gen also added the first use of time, using day and night to be able to catch different Pokemon.

The remakes of this game came a few years ago for the Nintendo DS called Heart Gold and Soul Silver. These remakes added my favorite feature of letting your Pokemon follow your avatar during gameplay. Unfortunately, this feature didn't move to the 3DS console, which is why this remake is still one of the better games out there. Like the other remakes, this one added a side feature of the Safari Zone, which was unavailable in the original gen 2 games, and Pokemon all the way up to the 4th Gen.

Gen 3: Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald

These games were the first ones to come out for the Gameboy Advance and added even more Pokemon to the mix, adding 135 new ones, making the grand total 386. In the region of Hoenn, you can pick from these three Pokemon, Torchic for Fire, Mudkip for Water, and Treeko for Grass. The main thing that this gen added was double battles, where the player can use 2 of their Pokemon at the same time in a battle to add to the strategies in the game. They also began to add natures and abilities into this game to have added effects on stats and other random tid-bits. The remakes for this game will be talked about at the end of the article, just because most of the new added features are explained in future generations.

Another great addition in this game was the secret bases. They had nothing to do with the story and you can easily complete the game without doing them, but they were a fun little addition added. They were areas scattered around Hoenn where the player could decorate their base with various furniture to get their own unique look.

Gen 4: Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum

This generation was the first one to be put on the Nintendo DS console and like the generations before, added a whole new set of Pokemon to choose from. This generation added 107 new Pokemon to the ever expanding Pokedex, making a total so far of 493 playable little creatures. Located in the Sinnoh Region, the starters here were Chimchar for Fire, Turtwig for Grass, and Piplup for Water. This is the first generation to have all 3 starters with dual typings for their final evolutions, which helps with matching against opponents. 

This gen added onto the time feature from gen 2 and added more time periods. Instead of just Day and Night, they had Morning, Day, Afternoon, Evening, and Night. Each of these periods had different Pokemon available in them and you have to plan accordingly to catch them all. This gen also added an online feature where you can battle and trade with people wirelessly all over the world. This new aspect brought the battling masters out of the woodwork and were able to test their skills with other great battlers around the globe

Gen 5: Black, White, Black 2, and White 2

Out of all of the generations in the series, this is probably my least favorite. I don't have a specific reason why, this gen just didn't cut it for me. And the addition of Black 2 and White 2 made no sense to me, just another reason for them to get money I guess. Bitching aside, this gen added a whopping 156 new Pokemon, including the starters Oshawatt for Water, Tepig for Fire, and Snivy for Grass. In the Unova Region, the graphics and battle style changed dramatically since the last gen, and definitely for the better. The fighting now makes it look more like the Pokemon are in combat, like flinching when they get hit and making movements when attacking.

A few new things were added to this gen, like instead of just time, now the season change, changing the Pokemon available. One of the better things added was the introduction of Triple Battles (3vs3) and Rotational Battles (3vs3 rotating). These battle are always fun to do and add more fun game play. Another thing added was the rustling patches in grass. These patches can either have an item in them or a rare Pokemon, so it is important not to miss any of them. Comparing between the first and second version of this game, not much has changed except where you start and a few added extras like the cinemas, but overall I would give this gen a 6/10.

Gen 6: Pokemon X and Y

As the newest release, these games had the most hype of them all and with good reason; they were the first to be put on the Nintendo 3DS. The graphics on this console alone opened up a whole new world for the players and the addition of the 3D fighting made the game even more fun than before. Not only that, but another whole bunch of Pokemon were added to this game as well, 70 new Pokemon as well as the new Fairy Type making the final grand total of 718 (719 if you count Diance which is currently unavailable). This new type made it so Dragon Pokemon weren't unbeatable juggernauts like they were in the previous games by being super effective against and couldn't be damaged by them.

In the Kalos region, the player starts off with one of 3 Pokemon; Froakie for Water, Chespin for Grass, and Fennekin for Fire. Not only these starters, but the players can also a little later on obtain a starter Pokemon from the Kanto region as well. From here, the player was also able to customize their look from various shops around the region, making no two characters look alike.

Many new features were added to this game. To start it off, they added in Horde Battles, which was a random battle event in the wild against 5 somewhat weaker Pokemon. These Horde Battles could also be activated by the move 'Sweet Scent' and definitely helped with the training. The online play for this game was improved as well. Not only did it have the GTS, or the Global Trading System, but it also included Wonder Trading. This is where the player picks one of their Pokemon to be traded with a random Pokemon from a random trainer, which became a huge hit. Lastly, the addition of 'Mega Stones' changed the game for ever. This is when certain Pokemon holding their specific mega stone 'Mega Evolve' into a much stronger Pokemon for the fight. Although it seems to take a page from Digimon's playbook, it was still a great addition to the series and it made some Pokemon that weren't used as much, like Mawile and Banette, useful again.

Future Release: Pokemon ORAS

Last but not least, the soon to be additions to our favorite series, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. This game is going to be a remake of the Gen 3 games, Ruby and Sapphire, and should be adding a whole new element to that generation. From what I can tell from the E3 trailer, the Mega Stones are going to have their own part of the story added on to the original story line. There is also going to be a different type of Mega Evolution so far called 'Primal State'. Only so far being for the Legendaries, Kyorge and Groudon, this new evolution should make them more powerful than ever before.

 

That is it for Throwback Thursday, if you have any suggestions of a game series you want me to cover, either tweet at us or comment on this thread and have a great 4th of July weekend.

Arkham Knight E3 Overview

Arkham Knight E3 Overview
Before I start getting into the coverage from the E3 gameplay trailer, I would like to start off with a little background information about the series and the game for the people that don't know too much of this game series. Arkham Knight is the fourth installment of the latest batman franchise, which also includes Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Origins. These types of games have a sort of Assassin's Creed like game play and combat system going over a wide, explorable map that is riddled with enemies and secrets. The newest installment, Arkham Knight, is the sequel to the Arkham City game and takes place in Gotham City and is voiced by the almighty Kevin Conroy. The original trailer for this game was released in early March and since then, there have been many speculations on the gameplay and the landscape. The best part from that original trailer was the Batmobile and the fact that the player can now officially drive it around Gotham City. Although the game has been pushed back to 2015, it is still one of the most highly anticipated games for the next gen consoles and with the game play footage being released at E3 this year, everyone can now see it in its glory.

With the game play trailer above, lets begin to pick it apart and see what makes this game one of the best games to come out for the next gen consoles.

The Overview
This game takes place one year after the Arkham City game in the City of Gotham. He is helped by James and his daughter Barbara Gordon, as the Oracle, to help rid the city of the criminals that escaped from Arkham Asylum. The main villain, introduced briefly in the first trailer but more so in this one, Scarecrow, enlists the help of many other super-villains to help take out the Batman once and for all. This game also introduces a new villain to the playing field, The Arkham Knight. This villain is like a militarized version of the Batman that wears a coveted 'A' on his chest to symbolize Arkham. The player will have to take down all the super-villains in Gotham to save its citizens and himself from the Scarecrow.

The Suit

One of the first things that is seen in this trailer is Bruce putting on the bat suit. The detail the game designers went into the suit alone makes this game worth while. It's more robotic than the normal cape and cowl, but it makes it more realistic as an armor to protect his body during fights. And the fact that you can see the suit fitting perfectly to his body adds to the game experience to the new and the old fans. If they can get this type of suit into any of the upcoming Batman movies, I think we would all be very happy.

The Landscape

Starting with the Wayne Tower, you can see the amount of details put into the surrounding area. In a small area like the starting place, seeing that much detail can only speculate what Gotham City is going to look like. At first, I thought that if they put that much detail in a small area, the overall map may not be as well done and thank God (or whatever religious deity you thank, if any) I was wrong. The map of Gotham City spans over 5 times the area of Arkham City and every area has so much detail put into it, it probably wouldn't be physically possible for it to work for the previous console systems, such as the 360 and PS3. When Batman first steps out onto the ledge at 0:42, you can see what I mean by a huge landscape. From what is know, everything that is seen from the view is traversable, giving Arkham Knight one of the biggest maps in video game history.

Not to mention how far he drops as well. The closer he gets to the bottom, the more the map expands and you can see the detail put into every little window and door and light etc. Although I still want to keep my old 360, I am glad that this game is a next gen exclusive, just because of the sheer detail put into the design of the game.

The Batmobile

The most anticipated part of this new game, the fully rideable Batmobile. For it being one of the coolest features in the new game, it comes at a cost. The amount of work and detail put into the batmobile made it use up so much data that it would take up an entire 360. How it looks however, it makes a lot of sense in its memory usage. From shown on the game play trailer, the player can summon the batmobile when Batman is nearing the ground and the fabled batmobile appears. The actual driving of the batmobile looks like any other game with cars in it and looks pretty unwieldy. But unlike other games, the batmobile doesn't crash when it hits a lamp post or a blockade, it completely decimates them, not even slowing down. Now the best part of the batmobile starts at 1:52 of the game play trailer; when it gets ready for combat. My jaw hit the floor when I saw the batmobile getting combat ready and I have to say, it is probably the best feature of this game by far. The wheels widening and being put on a pivot point instead of the axle makes the batmobile more mobile and agile, being able to move side-to-side, diagonally, and front-to-back as easy as it is to drive normally. And when the turrets came out of the top, I was ecstatic. The detail put into these guns are just astounding. From the fighting in the batmobile, it looks like you have a rocket, a lock-on missile, and a gatling gun, which I feel is just enough to have, you definitely don't want to go overboard with the amount of weapons, then it would make the game too easy. The last feature that is shown of the batmobile is the ability to rocket yourself out of the batmobile and be able to glide away easily. This, I feel, will be one of the more useful tricks the batmobile can pull off. It makes it easier to dodge enemies while in the batmobile and it makes it so the player can easily start exploring the skies again.

The Combat and Stealth

The combat in this game is just like the other games in the series, where you can gang up on multiple enemies and start combo-ing the crap out of them. One of the newest features added to the combat is called the "Fear Takedown", which is shown at around 2:55 where in the top left corner of the screen, you can see a "Fear Takedown Meter". From what I can understand, the diamonds underneath the Fear Takedown label are the amount of targets acquired. This move can select up to three targets when undetected and slows down the time to be able to take the enemies out quickly and quietly, and all it takes is to look at the target and press one button, easy enough right? This makes the stealth game and combat game a whole lot easier for the player while still making the combat interesting. Like in all the other games, the stealth makes the player essentially invisible to the enemies in the area. We get a good look at the stealth towards the end at around 3:36. I think its cool having the player be able to traverse underneath the enemy in the vent system and then pop out when close enough to the enemy.

The Ending

When I saw the first game play trailer while watching E3, I thought to myself, 'why would they bring in a broken trailer, I feel like they should have checked it out before launching it'. But when Scarecrow was revealed, it took away my sense of shame for the broken trailer and turned it into acting like a giddy little school girl. His reveal as the main enemy for batman, though known from the first trailer, adds a whole new set of questions, like how will his poison be used? or how will he use the Arkham Knight to beat the Batman? All we know for sure is that Scarecrow is enlisting the help of the Penguin, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, and the Riddler to take down the Batman. All in all, I can see this game being one of the best games for the next gen consoles and has a good chance of being "Game of the Year" with all of these added features and superb graphics and game play. All I can say is, I can't wait for this game to come out and be able to see its glory in person.