Well, yet another year is wrapping up. What a year it was, filled with surprises, deaths, and rebuilding.
Last year, I made a few resolutions for myself. Unfortunately, I was only able to make some progress on #2, but at this point, that's the most important one for me.
For 2010, I have some new ones that I want to try to keep.
1. Find a Job - Okay, I have been trying to do this all year, but with this stagnant economy (especially here in Michigan), I have to cross my fingers. At this point, I'd even settle for a minimum wage job. At least I'd have SOME sort of income coming in. Especially since there's some upcoming and long-since released games that I want to get. Not only games, but so that I can give my girlfriend the things that she wants. ...And yes, I have a [new] girlfriend now. :) Maybe I can get a cell phone, as well.
2. Learn How to Drive - Something that I've been putting off for years, and this was actually my third resolution for last year, but I didn't work on it all at this year, sadly. Next year, I will vow to get my license at least. Then I'll worry about the car (more money) later. Having a car would make my life a bi easier, what with not having to rely on the damn city buses all the time.
3. Draw More - Becoming a graphic novelist is one of my aspirations, especially to get my ideas out into the world. This was my first resolution from last year, but sadly, I didn't really act on it. This coming year, I want to get serious with this. So many ideas I have, it'd be a waste to leave them in my head. ...And written as files on my laptop. Not only that, but as one-off drawing about... Well, I'll just leave it at that. >_>
4. Develop My Story/ies - Well, this is a no-brainer, and it ties right into the above resolution. I'm actually doing this now (with my main story), but I want to go even further, and have most of the major events all planned out and/or written/typed down. That would make things a lot easier for me, so I'd know where to go and how to build up to the major parts of the story.
5. Make My Girlfriend Like Her Feet - Okay, this one is more of a joke one, but it's worth trying, right? She knows of my... well, interest, and she's fine with it. That said, she constantly tells me that she hates her feet and thinks that they're ugly (I have yet to see them). To the point that I half-jokingly said that I was going to change her opinion of them. She said that if I'm able to do that, she'll be very impressed. I can think of a few ways, but I may need money for this as well, which is where my first resolution comes in...
Five for the road. Let's see how well I do this time. C'mon, 2010...
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pokemon Toys Were Never This Hardcore When I Was Coming Up, Part 2
Well, in the time since I posted the last Pokemon Rumble entry here, I have been able to download the full version of the game. It's so great being able to play the game without it shutting off on me. And like the demo, it is very fun.
I can actually keep the Pokemon I get, and I can advance through the ranks, from Normal Mode (using only the first generation of Pokemon), Advanced Mode (which added the fourth gen Pokemon into the mix), and EX Mode (which includes all the Pokemon in the game, at super-high levels).
I was even able to get my favorite Pokemon, Dratini late in Normal Mode. :D
With this same Dratini, I was able to beat the Normal Mode S Rank Battle Royale. That's right, Dratini defeated Mewtwo, something that you will NEVER see in the main games.
Dratini stands above the rest.
I also give this game props for making Flareon very much usable (then again, nearly every Pokemon in the game is). There are only four stats: Attack, Defense, Speed, and HP. With no seperation of the Physical and Special sides in this game, Flareon can finally shine like a bright flame.
This is also the only game where you can get away with Hyper Beam on a Pokemon.
Like in the Mystery Dungeon games, in order to get a Pokemon, you have to beat it up. Occasionally, you'll get a critical hit (seen as a blue "explosion" around the victim), and it will either be knocked out but appear as a downed toy that you can pick up, or it will become "wobbly" if the hit wasn't strong enough to defeat it. While wobbly, you have a limited amount of time to defeated it before it recovers, and you lose your/a chance to "befriend" it.
Weaker Pokemon with an ability that gives them a high critical hit ratio (such as Scrappy or Gutsy) are ideal, especially if you come across a rare Pokemon. Spam your attack, and if its health gets too low with no wobbling, run away and wait for its health to regenerate a bit, and then try again. Works for me. :)
Though this Dratini got REALLY lucky. :D
I mean, why couldn't they just give a list of moves, each with their own price? That would have been much better.
Another gripe is the fact that in order to get certain Pokemon, you have to release certain combinations of other Pokemon. Here, when you release Pokemon, they leave money and possibly a ticket for another Pokemon. There are some Pokemon that you only see in the Battle Royale (and Pokemon are unrecruitable there), so you have to release different kinds of Pokemon in order to get them. There's a list for it somewhere. However, some of the Pokemon you have to let go are rare Pokemon that you don't often come across, so you have to ask yourself: Will the new Pokemon be worth it?
You can also shell out a certain amount of Pokemon to recruit a random Pokemon in that Rank. Like with the moves, you won't know which Pokemon you'll get until after you pay them, and you're very likely to get a Pokemon that you already have. Plus, the random recruiting is far more expensive than the move lottery is. Why couldn't they just give us a list of Pokemon, each with their own price? ...It could work with the moves, why not the Pokemon as well?
Flaws aside, this game is also multiplayer, so if you have friends or family, get them together and have some fun beating up hordes of Pokemon. Of course, you all share the same Wonder Keys, so make sure that your partners don't suck too bad.
This will be quite the team, eh?
But yeah. This game is very fun. The demo gave me a taste, and I was able to indulge in the main course. I'm sure that I'll be playing this for the rest of the year, and maybe for a good part of January (at least until Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars comes out).
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I can actually keep the Pokemon I get, and I can advance through the ranks, from Normal Mode (using only the first generation of Pokemon), Advanced Mode (which added the fourth gen Pokemon into the mix), and EX Mode (which includes all the Pokemon in the game, at super-high levels).
I was even able to get my favorite Pokemon, Dratini late in Normal Mode. :D
With this same Dratini, I was able to beat the Normal Mode S Rank Battle Royale. That's right, Dratini defeated Mewtwo, something that you will NEVER see in the main games.
Dratini stands above the rest.
I also give this game props for making Flareon very much usable (then again, nearly every Pokemon in the game is). There are only four stats: Attack, Defense, Speed, and HP. With no seperation of the Physical and Special sides in this game, Flareon can finally shine like a bright flame.
This is also the only game where you can get away with Hyper Beam on a Pokemon.
Like in the Mystery Dungeon games, in order to get a Pokemon, you have to beat it up. Occasionally, you'll get a critical hit (seen as a blue "explosion" around the victim), and it will either be knocked out but appear as a downed toy that you can pick up, or it will become "wobbly" if the hit wasn't strong enough to defeat it. While wobbly, you have a limited amount of time to defeated it before it recovers, and you lose your/a chance to "befriend" it.
Weaker Pokemon with an ability that gives them a high critical hit ratio (such as Scrappy or Gutsy) are ideal, especially if you come across a rare Pokemon. Spam your attack, and if its health gets too low with no wobbling, run away and wait for its health to regenerate a bit, and then try again. Works for me. :)
Infernape takes down some Pokemon on the Windy Prairie stage.
Of course, as fun as this game is, there are some flaws. The biggest of which is the just god-awful method of learning moves in this game.
This game uses a lottery of sorts, where you put money you get the move; you don't know which move you'll get until after you put the money in. As you advance through the ranks, the lottery adds more moves, but gets more expensive; in Normal Mode Rank C, it's only a mere 200 coins; by the time you reach EX Mode, you'll be shelling out a whoping 6000 coins for a move!
It's all about luck, too. You're as likely to get a useless attack like Leer or Protect as you are with getting a semi-useful attack like Strength or Secret/Hidden Power, and as you are with the really good attacks like Ice Beam, Thunder, and Flamethrower. You have to have patience, and a while a lot of money.
Though this Dratini got REALLY lucky. :D
I mean, why couldn't they just give a list of moves, each with their own price? That would have been much better.
Another gripe is the fact that in order to get certain Pokemon, you have to release certain combinations of other Pokemon. Here, when you release Pokemon, they leave money and possibly a ticket for another Pokemon. There are some Pokemon that you only see in the Battle Royale (and Pokemon are unrecruitable there), so you have to release different kinds of Pokemon in order to get them. There's a list for it somewhere. However, some of the Pokemon you have to let go are rare Pokemon that you don't often come across, so you have to ask yourself: Will the new Pokemon be worth it?
You can also shell out a certain amount of Pokemon to recruit a random Pokemon in that Rank. Like with the moves, you won't know which Pokemon you'll get until after you pay them, and you're very likely to get a Pokemon that you already have. Plus, the random recruiting is far more expensive than the move lottery is. Why couldn't they just give us a list of Pokemon, each with their own price? ...It could work with the moves, why not the Pokemon as well?
Flaws aside, this game is also multiplayer, so if you have friends or family, get them together and have some fun beating up hordes of Pokemon. Of course, you all share the same Wonder Keys, so make sure that your partners don't suck too bad.
This will be quite the team, eh?
But yeah. This game is very fun. The demo gave me a taste, and I was able to indulge in the main course. I'm sure that I'll be playing this for the rest of the year, and maybe for a good part of January (at least until Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars comes out).
Read more on this entry
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