Pokemon Generations Episode 1 and 2, “The Adventure” and “The Chase”

Pokemon Generations is finally upon us and it really is something to behold. Fans have been clamoring for an anime of any size really based on the games. This is the Pokemon Company’s answer to this plea.

The first episode is really wonderful. First it opens up like the original Pokemon Red Version. Everything iconic about that opening is present. The a cursor moves down to continue his game. It starts out with Red and his Bulbasaur taking on a Pikachu. Red immediately throws a Pokeball and catches Pikachu immediately. He then sends it out and it begins to run.

Pikachu runs into a Caterpie and a heated battle starts up. Pikachu soundly defeats it and continues his charge. Then scenes from every region occur one after the other ending with a legendary appearance. This is just really something to be seen. Nostalgia rushed through me as I watched it. I was literally beaming just watching this because clearly Pokemon is something I really enjoy.

This episode does end somewhat abruptly but that is okay. It is definitely worth the watch because of the animation quality and this wonderful journey of Red and Pikachu.

The second episode is quite different and involves the detective Looker looking for Giovanni the leader of Team Rocket. He has been trying to find this mastermind for the longest time but to no avail.

The cool thing is this takes place right after Red and Blue have defeated him. In the games after Red defeats Giovanni, Giovanni does vanish. There is no way a leader of a notorious crime corporation would stay around.

Looker and his police have already cleared up the Celadon Game Corner which is notorious for selling Pokemon for chips. They find out that Giovanni may be holed up in Virdian Gym. They bust in with their Pokemon but find the Gym to be empty. There are burn marks which are clearly from Red and Giovanni’s battle.

The end of the episode shows Giovanni wearing his Heart Gold and Soul Silver outfit. He remarks that Pokemon were created for the sole use of Team Rocket. Then he puts on his hat and walks off. Team Rocket might be done for now, but is it done forever?

I really enjoyed both of these shorts and can’t wait for the other 16 shorts which will be coming up until December 23rd. The Pokemon company is pulling out all the stops for the 20th Anniversary. With all this hard work I am even more excited for Sun and Moon on November 18th!

 

GAMER TAG!

I decided for this tag to bring my gamer husband into the mix! We answer 21 questions related to all things gaming.

Check it out below & even answer the questions in the comments with us!

Happy Gaming,

Aly

LEGO Dimensions Releases Ghostbusters 2016 Story Pack Trailer, But There’s No Sign Of Mike Hat

LEGO and Traveller’s Tales are set to add a whole bunch of new franchises to LEGO Dimensions this year, including Harry Potter, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Knight Rider but to me there’s none more exciting in year two of the toys-to-life game than Ghostbusters (2016).

The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot is to feature in the form of a Story Pack – a new type of add-on extension for the game that adds six new levels and comes with a minifigure, a vehicle/gadget and a fancy new facade for the portal. The Ghostbusters (2016) pack includes Abby Yates, the new Ecto-1 and Zhu’s Chinese Restaurant. Yesterday LEGO released a trailer on Facebook showing off the Ghostbusters (2016) content:

One interesting thing to note is that it looks like you can visit Zhu’s Chinese Restaurant (which acted as their first headquarters) in the Adventure World. LEGO have said that you will be able to enter more interiors in year two’s hub worlds so it is possible that you will be able to explore the headquarters and perhaps even say hello to their receptionist Kevin.  The trailer also shows one of the builds for the Ecto-1, which looks rather…unusual:

Something that isn’t featured in the trailer that I would like to see is what happens if you place Peter Venkman and Abby Yates on the portal at the same time. It would be fun if they had some form of interaction – for example, if Abby Yates mistook Peter for Bill Murray’s skeptic Martin Heiss – but it all depends on whether they have managed to get Melissa McCarthy onboard to record new lines. Hopefully she has agreed to reprise her role as Abby for the game, although archive audio is always a welcome alternative (something that Twentieth Century Fox oddly wouldn’t allow Traveller’s Tales access to for any Simpsons character who isn’t voiced by Dan Castellaneta).

The Ghostbusters (2016) Story Pack will be released on Friday 30th September priced £31.99.

 

Shovel Knight Gets New DLC In 2017. Specter Knight Joins The Game Play Fray!

Shovel Knight is the game that just keeps on giving. This game while it may be hard for me as a non platformer type deserves all the praise it gets. I mean to keep cranking out these new games is insane.

Yacht Club Games is definitely building quite the fan base by offering all of this DLC at no cost. People are certainly doing the selling for them by just talking about this game.

I really do think Indie games can be amazing, especially with how technology is moving ahead. You never know what these indie developers will come up with and that is why it is good to support indie game development.

Shovel Knight has already had Free DLC in the form of Plague of Shadows where you play as Plague Knight. Now, it seems like just about all of these villains could get their own game which would really make Shovel Knight a legendary game.

The next one to get his due is Specter Knight who can climb up walls with his Scythe. Now, that really is an inventive way to use a scythe and I think that is awesome.

Yacht Games I salute you, and hope Shovel Knight keeps being the success it is! I am excited to try out Specter Knight’s abilities and can’t wait to see more of what these Indie developers can come up with.

Gamer Flashback: Ocarina of Time

As a young boy who grew up in a house in the woods, Ocarina of Time fit into a special place in my heart. Though I knew I’d never go on a quest like Link, it felt nice seeing that he lived in the woods.

I would roam the woods at least when I was younger and swing sticks around pretending to be Link. In fact this game was and definitely still is one of my favorite games of all time which is why I do have it on basically all the systems I own.

This game is definitely a masterpiece and should be treated with respect. The sheer size of Hyrule field and the dungeons held within really were so well crafted for their time. The infamous water temple still holds onto people even though years have passed. Exploring this world was just too much fun. Honestly if I ever have kids this will be one of the first games they play as really it is the perfect gateway to loving video games.

The humorous thing is that during my first play through I had this really intense Ocarina of Time based dream. I will always remember it because this game was just so spectacular. I remember looking out my window and seeing a ring of fire. Within the circle of flame was the wicked Gannondorf on his black steed. Link cowered before him and vanished after Gannondorf’s horse slammed his hooves into the ground after rearing his legs. In that moment I was stunned and he looked up at me with a smirk.

It was at that moment that I think I developed a true love of Zelda. It was like I had found a series that I did truly need to play. Like this evil needed to be stopped by me and that is why he smirked at me.

I played that game many times, just running around at points. It was such a large game especially for that time period and being cooped up in the woods wasn’t making me feel all that good. So exploring such a vast world really took the edge off.

I will always think highly of this game and will probably continue buying copies as they remake it. I am curious if they will remake it again as Grezzo’s 3ds remake was superb. But if they do I’m sure I will buy a copy and head back to Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule. Gannondorf knows I’m coming and I don’t want to disappoint the dark lord, do I?

Ultra Beasts Appear In Pokemon Sun And Moon!

The Ultra Beasts are coming and they were finally seen in a new trailer. These Ultra Beasts are special in that they are version exclusive. Pokemon games are definitely known for making sure their games have exclusives.

Two of the Ultra Beasts were shown off yet they are honestly both the second to be found in the games. It just goes to show that old habits die hard and I do find that refreshing as even small changes can really change the game.

First of all here is UB-O2 Absorption who is exclusive to Pokemon Sun. In Japan his name is UB-02 Expansion. I’m unsure why the names are so different because while they may sort of mean similar things they aren’t synonyms. This muscular looking fellow is thought by some to be similar  to Gladios the Enforcer of Team Skull. Some people are also really finding this Pokemon to interesting in unconventional ways to do its muscular form.

Second of all is UB-02 Beauty who is exclusive to Pokemon Moon. Clearly this Ultra Beast is beautiful but you can tell that she is not to be trifled with. Many are thinking she bares a striking resemblance to Lusamine the head of the Aether Foundation.

In the trailer that was released it shows off the appearance of these two beasts as well as them fighting Tapu Koko the legendary guardian of the First Island in Sun and Moon. So clearly these Beasts are antagonistic, if they weren’t Tapu Koko wouldn’t appear to protect.

I am curious how many more Ultra Beasts we will see in this new game. I am also curious how these Pokemon will play into the story. As usual I will keep you informed of Pokemon Sun and Moon news as we head closer to the November 18th release date!

The Journey On Playstation 4: The Review

Here it is as promised.

The Journey review on Playstation 4,  is a game made by ThatGameCompany  and published by Sony  in 2012 first on Playstation 3 then on Playstation 4 in July 2015.

The game have been made with the PhryEngine which accentue more on the colors and luminosity as well.

This game is a bomb graphically and visually, you will be completely amazed by the colors. The environment is pretty simple as it’s only sands really around you at first though as more things start to add up to it but for obvious reason, I will certainly no spoil it. Even though the magic of the graphics of this game will enchant you straight away, you will have to start moving the character at certain point.  The character in him/herself is mysterious as you do not see his/her face, as he/she wear a piece of clothes but the face is dark with bright eyes…

The only movement you will be able to do is basically running, walking and emit a musical note… yes you read it right, you play music in this game, not talking or typing text as it’s too overrated now… but as you advance in the game, you will gain some powers through little brights orbs that will give you the skill to float in the air for a certain period. The more you collect them, the longer you can float but every time you get one of these, you will see a scarf bulging up around his neck and will get longer as well which show how long you can be up in the air. To charge up the scarf (obviously it ain’t unlimited) there will be various little shred clothes or various looking like animal clothes that you can actually ride as well to progress in the adventure.

But do not despair as you can play online with different people as well and help each other to go through the long deserts and pass every challenges will come upon you.

In general, The Journey is a poetic and adventurous game that you will never see anywhere else, the music, visual and gameplay will transport you into another dimension and make you feel uneasy sometimes but that’s why the game has been made for, to reach your feelings to enjoy the experience but it’s a shame that it is really short in term of content as I’ve finished it in a hour and not one second less.

Is it worth it to get the game? Definitely yes as it is free on the Psn for the month of septembre as well. So get home and download this awesome and awfully short game but I can promise you, you won’t regret it at all.

What are you playing? The Journey (Playstation 4)

Ah The Journey! Played for for the first time on Playstation 3 but never finished it… I don’t know how or why I haven’t?! But as it’s been remastered on Playstation 4, I had the the duty to finally play it and complete a beautiful amazing and poetic game. Even though I’m still lost about the story or what kind of living being I’m controlling, I can promise you that the review will be adventurous and amazing journey. Stay tune for it readers.

Gamer Flashback – Mario Party DS

In my view the Mario Party series gets a lot of unfair hate. Yeah, recent entries in the series haven’t been quite up to its usual standard but it’s always a good way to pass the time on long journeys – particularly if the ‘long journey’ is a five hour bus trip to London.

Which brings me onto one of my most fond gaming memories. I was sixteen. It was an early Monday morning, I had signed up for my Secondary school’s annual three day trip to London and I was feeling a little anxious. This was the longest trip I had ever gone on without family and I have a mental condition known as autism, which means I can struggle with changes to everyday routine. As I nervously sat on the coach, my friend in the seat next to me took out a game that helped me feel much more relaxed: that game was Mario Party DS.

The friend in question has a more extreme case of autism to me, the result of which meant I was one of his only friends. Many of us with autism struggle with communication skills and therefore find it hard to make new friends, which can be made hard by a lack of understanding from many in why we react differently to them in certain situations. Mario Party DS was like our comfort if you will, away from the social activity occurring on the bus of students as it made its journey towards the capital.

The great thing that sets Mario Party DS apart from its successors is its sheer simplicity. There’s no vehicle or Bowser Party. Just you, a dice and a game board – with a few minigames thrown in. As with a standard board game, you take it in turns with the other players to journey across the board however many spaces rolled on the dice. The game ends when a certain objective is complete. In Mario Party DS, the objective is to collect the most stars after a decided number of turns: you can choose between 10, 15, 20, 25 or 3o rolls of the dice. Mario Party DS is therefore a game that is accessible on a trip of any length: just want to play on your standard ten minute car journey? No problem: opt for a ten turn game. On a long train journey to a holiday destination? 30 turns should satisfy your gaming needs.

And if you’re worried that a 30 turn game will result in encountering the same minigames: fear not, this edition of Mario Party boasts an overwhelming collection of 73 minigames. This meant me and my fellow autistic friend had plenty to play through on our five hour bus journey to London. Such a variety of minigames on offer too: from a game where you speed down a handrail on a leaf (Rail Riders) to surfing on bars of soap in a bathroom sink (Soap Surfers). My favourite minigame was Camera Shy: a game where you run around a maze trying to take pictures of your opponents. The first player to capture photographs of the opposition wins. The controls of the minigames are extremely simple, ranging from sweeps of the stylus across the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen to speaking into the handheld’s built-in microphone – or in the case of Camera Shy, simply pressing the ‘A’ button to take a picture. If you want, you can use the Minigame Mode to play six minigames on their own without a board – but that’s not nearly as much fun.

Then there’s the Puzzle Mode (with six puzzle-action games including classic Mario Party games such as Mario’s Puzzle Party from Mario Party 3 and Bob-omb Breakers from Mario Party 4) and Extras Mode ( a two-player exclusive where you play minigames designed for two people). We didn’t play these modes on our bus journey as they didn’t appeal to us as much as progressing through a board but it’s nice when a game offers such a variety of features.

Mario Party DS doesn’t really need them though. Its main mode is addictive enough. You see, you don’t need pointless gimmicks (Mario Party 9) or endless minigames (Mario Party Island Tour) to provide an enticing party game. What you really need at its core is simplicity: just the player, a dice and a board. That’s my kind of party.

Oh, and if you want to know which Super Mario character I opted for, I decided to play as Yoshi. My friend was more traditional in his choice: he played as Mario, which admittedly makes more sense given that the game is called Mario Party and not ‘Yoshi Party’.

Gamer Flashback-Pokemon Red

Picture if you will a small boy, wanting nothing more then to explore the world. Suddenly he is gifted a red cartridge with a Dragon of orange on the cover.

He knew of the Pokemon and had enjoyed the show. Now it was his turn to dive in.

He named his character after himself and set off on a journey. With Squirtle as his first ever Pokemon, he forges a pact with himself. From this moment on he will always start out with the water type.

He has no idea what awaits him but he is thrilled nonetheless. He battles countless foes and makes his team. They may not be level 100 like his cousin but they are his friends.

He does beat everyone in his way and is happy with himself. He cares not for level 100 as long as he has his trusty crew of Pokemon behind him.

Now it’s years later and he is ready for Sun and Moon. The young man is now grown but his childlike wonder for the world of Pokemon will never cease.