Pokemon X and Y

(I started this post a few weeks ago-once again I got rather busy. I'm gonna post how it is for now and perhaps add to it later.)


                                                            Gotta catch 'em all

So, in between struggling to-make a living, finish my novels and plot to take over the world, (busy guy, I know!) I have found some time to play Pokemon X and Y. You know. That set of video games that broke records, as happens every generation. The ones where you triumph good by collecting Sayain warriors who turn into Super Sayains once you have collected enough Mega stones.

Wait?

Anyway. I have focused on Y, by coincidence, and have completed the main game, collected a few Mega stones, surfed around the world on the mighty back of a Lapras, caught a Pichu, seduced Mewtwo into joining my team of elite Saya Pokemon warriors, deposited Mewtwo and a Ditto at the day care center in a desperate attempt to stir up romance, Mega evolved Charizard, levelled my Venusaur beyond level 90 and gone on a date with a cute NPC (Non playable character.) girl. And, while all of those things are true save the LAST one (Come on GameFreak!) it has been just as fun had I been enjoying a romantic dinner with the cutest French girl the world has ever seen.

Did I say French? From the berets to the Eiffelt tower look alike, I am not sure if anyone could not see France in the first few seconds of playing this game. Although, there is a town that seems to be nodding towards Stonehenge, which, in case you did not know, is from our little island here. I felt the culture mimicks, look, feel etcetera worked well. No, not just because of the cute girls. I had always imagined France to be a nice place and this game helped to showcase some things that people love. The big tower that stands out, when you think of Lumiose city you automatically think of the town with the big Eiffel tower copyright infringement, Well, I did anyway, minus the copyright infringement joke. Fashion works well too. I wonder if France led to the fashion inclusion or vice versa. Perhaps, GameFreak had been wanting to give greater customisation for some time but France was a brilliant place to start. Yes, you can even buy a beret! How cute is that? It makes me awfully curious as to what kind of clothing will be present in the Ruby and Sapphire remakes that are due to be released shortly. I guess, seeing as Kalos is a super-fictional creation, in the sense that there was no public knowledge regarding it available before it was revealed, it was easy to pick a location to base certain aspects upon. Whereas, the remakes are of course tied to already established, lore, locations and so on, but I am sure there will be some interesting twists and innovations all the same. Seeing as I own both X and Y, I naturally used that freedom to experience life as both a boy and a girl (Something we all wish to come true in reality.). I have not got around to customising my boy/teen/man just yet as he is still singing the first chorus of his adventure on that save file, but once I have the money I shall see what kind of clothing the shops stock. As for our girl friend, (GIRL FRIEND. She's a girl and she is my friend. She is NOT my girlfriend. Pokemon reference #1.) she has a nice selection of outfits. Plus, you can buy buttons for hats and scarves to keep your neck warm for when you visit the snowy regions (Yes, I know that she is made up of computer graphics. She can still feel the cold!). Her cute blonde hair matches her clothing nicely. Something I told her on our firs-

Oh yeah. The Pokemon. Since Gold and Silver, all that time ago, Pokemon has continued to evolve. As in-the games. First, there were not even two hundred. Now, there will be one thousand, shortly. We have already exceeded the six hundred barrier. Of my personal noted interest-Some have commented on how there are less than 100 new Pokemon this time around. I mention purely for interesting trivia that this could be debated. For there are said to be 70 new Pokemon and 30 Mega evolved forms. Those round figures beg to be labelled as intended. Mega evolutions are kinda like new Pokemon and kinda not, I feel. Sort of like powering up as a Supe  Pokemon-ready to evolve but being stopped-resulting in a new level that is neither evolved nor their original form. They do often resemble their previous form, if you will, in terms of physicalities and abilities. But this does vary. One Mewtwo form looks like an Ascended Super Sayain even bulkier Mewtwo, while the other, looks to be a gender change for Mewtwo, even if Mewtwo has no gender as such (May there be a third Mewtwo evolution someday? It is Mewtwo after all. Surely, Mewtwo begs for one?). Charizard has a darker skin available, yet his other evolution may be lost on you if you look too quickly. I have not acquired Blaziken's yet, although, I do remember seeing a video of it. Goku's Lucario's is the first that you witness, without hacking anyway. Actually, -SPOILER- the kind dear gives you Lucario! And all we had to do was date her brother. I assume that was why I found this strange man in my bedroom the other day, anyway. In case you do forget where you began your journey, FLY is back, of course. As in-teach to Pidgey, or someone else if you are not as fond of Pidgey as I, and you can fly through towns at your leisure.

Aside from catching, battling and dating training your Pokemon, there are some unique features. Poffins do not seem to have returned unfortunately, which is sad seeing as The evil organisation known as Team R.O.C.K.E.T (Retro Organisation Commandeers Killer Electronic Technology Nintendo recently shut off DS and Wii severs, meaning a ton of features from Pokemon games alone, have been wiped off the face of this Earth. Plus, I am dissappointed that one has to purchase (And continually pay if memory serves; once a year.) something, in this example, an app known as Pokemon Bank, in order to transfer Pokemon from older games. Never, has this been done before. This really goes against the spirit of Pokemon. Apparently, it is to help pay for server costs. Which could well be plausible. Just hang on a second...My Black and White games have infra red built in. My 3DS has infra red built in. It was impossible to create a free method of transferring said Pokemon? Really, Nintendo. Slyly greedy, slyly devious. Of course, it may well be that GameFreak made some suggestions, whether to retain easier methods of transportation or not, but as it is Nintendo's console, and these games were clearly planned to save the dying 3DS (As mentioned before. The timing of Black 2 and White 2 is impeccable. Clearly, they were instructed to finish up on the old DS and create a new generation on the 3DS instead.) I think it may not be too prudent to assume that old Ninty were the ones pulling strings, even if gently.

So, aside from that technical limitation, these games are brilliant. I am not someone who ditches old games because of graphical flaws, or at all. If it was good today then it should be good tomorrow. Red and Blue are still brilliant games. Gold, Crystal, Ruby, Diamond, Black...and so on. But that does not mean that it is wrong to acknowledge changes. It need not mean that we are forsaking the older generations. What Pokemon X and Y brought to the table is immediately obvious and in such a way that hopefully everyone can witness it. For, if your eyesight is bad, take a listen to the new music instead. The 3DS plays it nicely. If you have a headache, turn down the volume and look at the buildings that have got even bigger since the days of Black and White-even more 3D like and getting closer and closer to resembling real buildings, while still retaining quirkiness when relevant. Who would want the Pokemon Gym's to look like The Houses Of Commons, after all?

As is expected and central to Pokemon, multiplayer returns. The same great recipe has returned with some differences, such as Wonder Trade. This curious feature allows you to select one Pokemon that will be destined to start a new friendship with someone they and YOU have never met before. This ties in with the friend system. Basically, there are Passersby, Acquaintences and Friends. When you conduct a Wonder Trade with someone their character image and player name will appear on the immediate left of your Acquaintance list (And naturally move along when the process happens again, so that the left-most character is your most recent Acquaintance.). If you decide to conduct some sort of activity with this person again, you will be offered an opportunity to befriend this person-but only if you both decide to add one another to each person's respective friend list. Thus, you will not actually know if they are adding you or not until the results are in. If you both say yes, the process will be complete. If just one person says no, then you will not be able to add them. With friends, you can apparently conduct some sort of game chat. My suspicion here is not validated-it is just a light reference to the fact that I have not been able to try this feature out yet so have not experienced it first hand. Hopefully I can do soon. Another feature that is relevant to this paragraph is the Safari Zone. Yes, time for a Safari people. But do not start noting Pokemon locations just yet... Why? The Safari Zone's mystique lies in it's randomness. Each friend can give you three different Pokemon. Upon entering the relevant house, a dear lady will ask you whose zone you wish to visit. For the first time, that friend will have nothing but blank spaces near them. Once you have been to that friend's zone and discovered at least one Pokemon, you will be reminded what Pokemon dwell in your friend's realm each time you talk to the girl in charge. However, there is one final, exciting feature. Only two Pokemon are automatically available. The third Pokemon is free to be battled and caught only when that particular friend is online. I like this idea-Pokemon is all about randomness. Whether the overwhelming mathematical calcuations that our beloved Pokemon and stats alike, actually refer to, or the random-rigged formula that determines what Pokemon you will encounter, Pokemon is about random, maths, exploring the unknown and doing things when you can as much as when you want. As in, being "limited" to only being able to capture certain Pokemon when your friend is online helps create exclusive moments. Rather than throw everything out in one. Go catch 'em all right now, etcetera. Instead, Pokemon are now encountered in all manner of ways. From short and tall grass and flowers to Friend Zones and Wonder Trades to trades with friends and in-game trainers. The ways of capturing Pokemon are becoming as diverse as the Pokemon themselves. But it does not stop there. Battling has also evolved. Multiplayer battle is brilliant. Smooth, even when playing with someone so far away.

But the battles themselves? You may know that fishing for Pokemon can have you battling a Tentacool or two. You may be aware that walking in grass attracts Pokemon. You may remember that Geodude's and Zubat's like to frequent caves. But did you know that trainers now demand Sky Battles? A new feature has Pokemon that are capable of some form of flight engaging their opponent in the sky!

Trivia-

Pokemon games that I own:

Pokemon Silver.
Pokemon Diamond.
Pokemon Black.
Pokemon White.
Pokemon X.
Pokemon Y.
Pokemon mystery dungeon: explorers of time.
Pokemon mystery dungeon: explorers of sky.
Pokemon link.
Pokemon ranger.
Pokemon trading card game.
Pokemon pinball: Red and Blue.
Pokemon pinball: Ruby and Sapphire.

Consoles that I own.

Gameboy Advance.
DS.
DS Lite.
3DS Yoshi limited edition.
Xbox.
Playstation 2.
PSP.

Some merchandise that I am aiming for:

-Complete my collection of Pokemon DS games, and then all the older games that I am missing. 3DS is new and so has a lot less Pokemon games, so that will be easier to do, anytime.
-3rd birthday limited edition.
-Finally track down a Gameboy colour. Plus a Gameboy.
-Finally track down Dragon ball Z budokai tenkaichi 3, with a listing that costs less than a billion pounds.
-Buy a Wii and collect all Pokemon Wii games. Yeah, the servers have shutdown but we can still play Battle revolution in some form, and a Wii costs hardly anything in this country. I have seen working ones selling for barely £30.

If you would like to help me out with any of this, please let me know! :)






I hope you enjoyed my blog. If not, then listen to this-I named my Ditto- Majinn Buu. Am I cool or what?

Do not answer.*


(That is a joke.* You can always comment on anything contained within my blog.)

(I have just been informed that a joke has to be funny and so it is improper for me to refer to the relevant passage as containing a joke. I would edit my blog but suddenly my keyboard has ceased to function.*)

(Yet, somehow I wrote that explanation and the one that I write right now. The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Cue Eastenders theme tune.*)

(Please do NOT.)

(Really, DON'T.)







Notes- Super Sayain and Mega stones are fictional inventions, therefore capitalised accordingly. I debated as to wether I could capitalise "stones" or not, and took my cue from Gamefreak, as I think stones is lower case in the game. However, these are fictional stones, but Sayain is capitalised because it is a noun, and Super is a part of a ficitonal transformation. As always, I mention because I like discussing English, different ideas, thoughts and so on. Not because I am some grammar officer who is trying to "clean" up the world wide web but, in actuality, scaring people into not talking. If you want to capitalise do, if not, do not. English has been through countless changes and should continue to. Language is student to us-not the other way around.

                                                                   The world at war


Why, I believe we must stop Vladimir Putin. NOW.

There appears to be almost nonstop talk concerning sanctions. This, "remedy," is the chosen force of the Western world, it may seem. At least-for now. Barack Obama wants to sanction this. Europe wants to sanction that. But will this actually rectify the current crisis in Ukraine? Whether they do or not, we SHOULD do something.

I am not well versed in Vladimir's speeches. Nor his ideaologies and ambitions. I have witnessed some individuals, on various websites and forums, refer to him as a "dictator," "tyrant," and even- a "hero." Regardless, if there is an inch of tyranny within him, disaster is creeping upon us all. People are not born as tyrants. Some become tyrannical without realising it. Some are so darn convinced that they are doing the right thing that that innocence compels them to continue ahead, even as people around them die due to their actions, they believe they are right and can not comprehend the suggestion nor seek to entertain such a one, that involves them taking blame for it. Some come to tyranny from other directions, no doubt, as I have never been inside the head of a tyrant so can only begin to comprehend their thinking. But as we say, tyrant is a label, they are humans with unique experiences, motives and so on, so to stop Vladimir I feel we need to understand him. I know my "typically psychological" solution annoys some, but would you really have us play around with the world with no understanding of what we are doing? Sure, we do everyday. We often talk to friends without analysing their current mood, and so on, sometimes we get it wrong, sometimes not. But generally, our friends are not attempting to take over the world. Maybe Russia is not either. But it is important that we find out just what they really do want.

We would like to stop Russia from causing any harm. Not because Russians are evil, because they are not, or certainly not most of the population, but because we do not want war coming from any direction. Heaven knows that our nations-The United Kingdom and The United States of America, are both corrupt. We have problems, we have issues. As I have said before, I can not understand how David Cameron has the temerity to gallop of with Barack Obama on his crusade to condemn Russia. But because we are imperfect, we should not lose our license to send nations to the "naughty step." I was making a point about the audacity of painting a delusional picture of Russia being full of corrupt murderers, while Great America and Great Britain have it all so much nicer. Despite the dissappointing truth, we still should act to contain tyrants. How we do it is the problem. War is a fools game, aside from being against morality, we would never accomplish anything. Sadly, some forget that, hence why wars spring up again and again. Will financial sanctions work?

There is an old reminder, that cornered animals bite. With nowhere to run, or even walk, what would a broken Russia do? Could we be in danger of pushing Great Russia into war? Surely, surely everyone knows that violence achieves nothing. Nothing but pain and suffering. The tormentation of people, the taking away of freedom and the demolition of morality. Not just as the "attackers" attack. But, as those wishing to defend become less restrained and start turning to extreme measures of so called resolution.

-Note: I have read that the rebels in Ukraine and that nations army have agreed to a ceasefire, since I started writing this post. I will post it how it is for now instead of continuing. This ceasefire may well not last but I hope that it does.

Bionicle returns!?!?!


Rumours have been circulating recently alluding to a return of our beloved franchise. It was discontinued by Lego Group years ago much to our shock.




I have watched a few Youtube videos, looked at images, listened to people's views and visited a lot of Bionicle related websites in the last few days. There have been claims that some individuals have spoken to staff working at Lego. There was a claim that Lego will make an announcement soon. There was even a rumour that a recent convention would unveil new figures (That turned out to be false.). So, all in all a lot has been happening. While it may be the whisperings and at times shouts of fans letting their enthusiasm get out of control and add their own rumours to the mix, that itself is reason to consider that there may be sone truth here. If one is to carefully pull back the cobwebs of trickery that are spun by the very people who wish that this return is true, we may see that the original rumours may have some truth to them. Which would be rather comprehensible given the reaction we have today. One Youtube video regarding the supposed leaks already has more than 10,000 views (Ok, 3000 of those views were mine. It is not my fault that my broadband is so slow that I have to reload a video so many times before it actually plays! -Hope you are reading this Orange.) People all over the world are reminiscing about the time they used to spend building Bionicle figures and watching the movies. One could be forgiven for believing that the community is actually rebuilding itself right before our eyes-but that is not true. The community never died-certainly that is what must be hoped for if this leak is to be true. Which was my point. If Bionicle is to return, the "big, bad bosses" must surely need to be convinced that there would be both demand and appreciation. Demand to have sales going from the get-go and appreciation in order to have a genuine love for the brand and to ensure the continuation of such previously mentioned, albeit, unfortunately, currently hypothetical sales.