Sunday, December 23, 2018
Merry Christmas 2018!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!! May the end of your year be happy and bright!!
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Detective Pikachu Movie CONFIRMED!!!
I want to apologize for taking so long between posts. I have been very busy and I intended to post but by the time I would remember - it would be waaay too late. I apologize once again and will try to do better for the rest of this year and the year to come. Okay.... let's get into the good stuff!
You know that rumored Detective Pikachu movie everyone was talking about? The one where Ryan Reynolds was going to voice Detective Pikachu?? Well, that is not a rumor anymore!! Warner Bros. has put out a trailer for this movie on their YouTube channel (here). Yes, I am aware that I am almost a month late on this but let's focus on the trailer. What do I think?? At first, I was shocked to see that the movie will be live-action. I fully expected this movie to be animated like all of the other Pokémon movies.
Visually, it looks amazing. I love pausing the trailer to see how many Pokémon (or references) I can see in each scene. But I do have to say that some of the Pokémon do look like nightmare fuel (that Psyduck... so creepy) in their more realistic appearance. It's still cool, though and I see great potential for this movie. However, there is also the possibility that it could be a flop... but I will remain hopeful at this point. The movie appears to be following the Detective Pikachu game plot (mostly) and that is a great sign. I can't get over how amazing it looks and I really hope that I am not disappointed.
As a fan of Pokémon, I am super excited about this movie and hope to more trailers so we can see even more Pokémon. So far, I like what I see and I only hope future trailers will keep up my optimism (unlike a certain new Avengers movie trailer). I hope you all enjoyed this post. Follow me to keep up with my posts (which will hopefully be more timely from now on) and leave a comment telling me your thoughts on this new movie trailer. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
You know that rumored Detective Pikachu movie everyone was talking about? The one where Ryan Reynolds was going to voice Detective Pikachu?? Well, that is not a rumor anymore!! Warner Bros. has put out a trailer for this movie on their YouTube channel (here). Yes, I am aware that I am almost a month late on this but let's focus on the trailer. What do I think?? At first, I was shocked to see that the movie will be live-action. I fully expected this movie to be animated like all of the other Pokémon movies.
Visually, it looks amazing. I love pausing the trailer to see how many Pokémon (or references) I can see in each scene. But I do have to say that some of the Pokémon do look like nightmare fuel (that Psyduck... so creepy) in their more realistic appearance. It's still cool, though and I see great potential for this movie. However, there is also the possibility that it could be a flop... but I will remain hopeful at this point. The movie appears to be following the Detective Pikachu game plot (mostly) and that is a great sign. I can't get over how amazing it looks and I really hope that I am not disappointed.
As a fan of Pokémon, I am super excited about this movie and hope to more trailers so we can see even more Pokémon. So far, I like what I see and I only hope future trailers will keep up my optimism (unlike a certain new Avengers movie trailer). I hope you all enjoyed this post. Follow me to keep up with my posts (which will hopefully be more timely from now on) and leave a comment telling me your thoughts on this new movie trailer. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links - Duel Quest Begins!!
It's great to be back at it again! I apologize for skipping a week - I was busy and by the time I remembered to post... it was too late. Anyway, I am back and this week we are looking at the current Duel Links Event: Duel Quest!! For simplicity, I will break it down into 2 categories for discussion. Let's get to it!
What I Like:
The main premise of this event is that after you duel and see your assessment score, you will be treated to same 8-bit animation of Yugi walking down some stairs into deeper basements. It's basically a dungeon crawler where you pick up treasures the further down you go. I love the aesthetic and how you can randomly send and receive heart treasures to/from other players (even ones that aren't on your friend list). It's relatively easy to accrue points and the more points, the further down you go. You don't need to go to a new area (like Duel Carnival) so you can work on this event any way you like: NPCs or Ranked PVP.
What I don't Like:
The prizes or treasures that you acquire are random from a certain amount of objects for silver chests and as listed for gold chests. Gold chest prizes are mostly the boosting crystals with some gems thrown in. The number of gems is 40 or 50 for the upper floors (0-500) and 5, 10, or 20 for the lower floors (500-900) with a few exceptions. This seems backwards to me. Shouldn't the progression be in reverse to provide incentive to go further down??? Also, there are roughly 8 cards you can pick up as well. All but 2 of them have been available as either character level up or drop rewards: Magna Drago and Sand Moth. Both of these cards have drawbacks... Magna Drago's boosting effect is only really useful if you keep it on the field for many turns which will require a lot of back row protection since its ATK points start out as 1400. The worst of the 2 is Sand Moth. Its ability to be revived with ATK and DEF switched is nice but only if it is destroyed while in face-down defense position and not by battle. Let me repeat that: destroyed while in face-down defense position and NOT by battle. This is doable but tedious. You have to hope your opponent is using a monster that destroys face-downs with its effect since most of the good monster destruction cards require the monsters to be face-up. I feel like they could have done a bit better in card choice... but maybe the upcoming box will have something to make these cards a bit more useful. The last thing I don't like is that you can only traverse a hundred floors a day. I am currently on floor 330 and once I hit 400 I have to wait until tomorrow to get the next 100 floors unlocked. This event would be much easier if I could traverse as many floors as I wanted but I guess Konami is trying to stretch the event out so it overlaps with the KC Cup Tournament. This is fair but I still feel like I should be able to complete one event before another one is launched.
Overall, I like this event and its 8-bit design. I like how it works within normal play without needing to switch to a special area. For all its issues, it is a good event and I even prefer to a normal duel-a-thon. Like I said above, it does have its drawbacks and room for improvement. Still, this gives me hope for future events. The next box is coming out tomorrow and I am super excited to see how the meta will change. Now I have to go grind some more gems... again... oh well. Until next time, I urge you to follow me if you enjoyed this post and leave a comment with your thoughts on this Duel Quest event. It is worth it? Do you like the rewards? I can't wait to see what you think. Have a great weekend and keep on gaming!!
What I Like:
The main premise of this event is that after you duel and see your assessment score, you will be treated to same 8-bit animation of Yugi walking down some stairs into deeper basements. It's basically a dungeon crawler where you pick up treasures the further down you go. I love the aesthetic and how you can randomly send and receive heart treasures to/from other players (even ones that aren't on your friend list). It's relatively easy to accrue points and the more points, the further down you go. You don't need to go to a new area (like Duel Carnival) so you can work on this event any way you like: NPCs or Ranked PVP.
What I don't Like:
The prizes or treasures that you acquire are random from a certain amount of objects for silver chests and as listed for gold chests. Gold chest prizes are mostly the boosting crystals with some gems thrown in. The number of gems is 40 or 50 for the upper floors (0-500) and 5, 10, or 20 for the lower floors (500-900) with a few exceptions. This seems backwards to me. Shouldn't the progression be in reverse to provide incentive to go further down??? Also, there are roughly 8 cards you can pick up as well. All but 2 of them have been available as either character level up or drop rewards: Magna Drago and Sand Moth. Both of these cards have drawbacks... Magna Drago's boosting effect is only really useful if you keep it on the field for many turns which will require a lot of back row protection since its ATK points start out as 1400. The worst of the 2 is Sand Moth. Its ability to be revived with ATK and DEF switched is nice but only if it is destroyed while in face-down defense position and not by battle. Let me repeat that: destroyed while in face-down defense position and NOT by battle. This is doable but tedious. You have to hope your opponent is using a monster that destroys face-downs with its effect since most of the good monster destruction cards require the monsters to be face-up. I feel like they could have done a bit better in card choice... but maybe the upcoming box will have something to make these cards a bit more useful. The last thing I don't like is that you can only traverse a hundred floors a day. I am currently on floor 330 and once I hit 400 I have to wait until tomorrow to get the next 100 floors unlocked. This event would be much easier if I could traverse as many floors as I wanted but I guess Konami is trying to stretch the event out so it overlaps with the KC Cup Tournament. This is fair but I still feel like I should be able to complete one event before another one is launched.
Overall, I like this event and its 8-bit design. I like how it works within normal play without needing to switch to a special area. For all its issues, it is a good event and I even prefer to a normal duel-a-thon. Like I said above, it does have its drawbacks and room for improvement. Still, this gives me hope for future events. The next box is coming out tomorrow and I am super excited to see how the meta will change. Now I have to go grind some more gems... again... oh well. Until next time, I urge you to follow me if you enjoyed this post and leave a comment with your thoughts on this Duel Quest event. It is worth it? Do you like the rewards? I can't wait to see what you think. Have a great weekend and keep on gaming!!
Saturday, October 27, 2018
More Pokemon News - Say Hello to Melmetal!
Finally, we have new information about Meltan's mysterious evolution and it's name is Melmetal! If you want to see the official video, the link is here (English) or here (Japanese). The official website link is here as well. Well, let's get into it!
First of all, I have to say this design is a big step up from Meltan. I like that some of Melmetal's hex nuts rotate on their own at certain times in the animation. It's not a bad evolution and proves that this mythical Pokémon line holds great potential for great power. Speaking of evolution, the video makes it seem like it's just Meltan merging like Wishiwashi merge to create their school form. If you look at the official page, however, it is just through 400 Meltan candies... in Pokémon GO. This bothers me because if you're like me and don't play Pokémon GO, you will apparently not be able to evolve your Meltan at all. It does not say if Meltan is exclusive to Pokémon GO so that gives me hope that it will be available in future generation games. However, you will still have to evolve it in Pokémon GO which is almost as annoying as trade evolutions. Still, maybe better ways will come available in the future. We can only hope and wait to see what the new generation holds.
Well, that's it for this week's post. If you enjoyed it - as short as it was - then I urge you to follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. What are your thoughts on Meltan and Melmetal? Please leave a comment below telling me your opinion. I look forward to reading it. Until next time, have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
First of all, I have to say this design is a big step up from Meltan. I like that some of Melmetal's hex nuts rotate on their own at certain times in the animation. It's not a bad evolution and proves that this mythical Pokémon line holds great potential for great power. Speaking of evolution, the video makes it seem like it's just Meltan merging like Wishiwashi merge to create their school form. If you look at the official page, however, it is just through 400 Meltan candies... in Pokémon GO. This bothers me because if you're like me and don't play Pokémon GO, you will apparently not be able to evolve your Meltan at all. It does not say if Meltan is exclusive to Pokémon GO so that gives me hope that it will be available in future generation games. However, you will still have to evolve it in Pokémon GO which is almost as annoying as trade evolutions. Still, maybe better ways will come available in the future. We can only hope and wait to see what the new generation holds.
Well, that's it for this week's post. If you enjoyed it - as short as it was - then I urge you to follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. What are your thoughts on Meltan and Melmetal? Please leave a comment below telling me your opinion. I look forward to reading it. Until next time, have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Meltan Has Another Form/Evolution?!
More info on Meltan has been released! This time it is in two videos - one is another Prof. Willow and Oak research update (watch here) and the other is a fun little animation clip of Meltan in the 'wild' (watch here). What have we learned? Let's get into it!
In the first video, we learn that a special box will lure wild Meltan when it is opened. It then will close and will only open after some time has passed. I want to assume this is referring to a future Pokémon GO event where players will get the box and be able to use it to catch Meltan. It makes sense but I do hope there will be non-Pokémon GO events for Meltan so that those who don't play Pokémon GO.
The second video, as I stated previously, is a cute little clip of Meltan interacting in the wild, or more specifically, a person's house. This is very adorable and endears Meltan to me even more. I still think the design is lazy, but the Pokémon is so cute that I will overlook it. The most interesting part of the clip is in the end where a new form for Meltan is hinted at. I had a feeling Meltan would have another form or an evolution. I can't wait to see what it looks like and what it can do. The possibilities are endless for this Pokémon!
Well, that does it for this week. I know it's not much but the videos were fairly short (less than 5 minutes long) so we'll work with what we've got for now. If you enjoyed this post, do consider following me so you won't miss out on future posts. And maybe leave a comment with your thoughts about this new information concerning Meltan. I look forward to seeing what others think of these latest developments. Well, until next time, have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
In the first video, we learn that a special box will lure wild Meltan when it is opened. It then will close and will only open after some time has passed. I want to assume this is referring to a future Pokémon GO event where players will get the box and be able to use it to catch Meltan. It makes sense but I do hope there will be non-Pokémon GO events for Meltan so that those who don't play Pokémon GO.
The second video, as I stated previously, is a cute little clip of Meltan interacting in the wild, or more specifically, a person's house. This is very adorable and endears Meltan to me even more. I still think the design is lazy, but the Pokémon is so cute that I will overlook it. The most interesting part of the clip is in the end where a new form for Meltan is hinted at. I had a feeling Meltan would have another form or an evolution. I can't wait to see what it looks like and what it can do. The possibilities are endless for this Pokémon!
Well, that does it for this week. I know it's not much but the videos were fairly short (less than 5 minutes long) so we'll work with what we've got for now. If you enjoyed this post, do consider following me so you won't miss out on future posts. And maybe leave a comment with your thoughts about this new information concerning Meltan. I look forward to seeing what others think of these latest developments. Well, until next time, have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, October 6, 2018
A New Pokemon Appears - Meltan!
A new Pokémon has appeared in Pokémon GO or rather, Ditto has taken it's appearance. This new Pokémon is a new mythical named Meltan. Before I discuss it further, you can watch the intro video for this Pokémon in English, here or Japanese, here, if you haven't already. Okay, let's get started!
The only known information for this Pokémon can be found here, on the Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee and Pikachu website. The Hex Nut Pokémon is as strange as it sounds: a silver Ditto body with a large golden hex nut for a head (with the hole as it's eye) and a piece of broken red cable as it's tail. It's also a Steel type Pokémon. That being said, while you can use it in the upcoming games (which take place in Kanto), I highly doubt this is a Pokémon from Kanto. I suspect that this is a teaser for the next generation games which will come out next year.
What do I think of this newest Pokémon? This... this is the laziest Pokémon design that I have ever seen. A Hex Nut Pokémon and the best idea is to put a hex nut on a ditto's body and change the color?? I know I seem overly harsh but considering the over 700 unique and interesting Pokémon available... I don't see why they couldn't have come up with something a little more interesting. I mean, do a Google search of Steel type fakemon (fan-made Pokémon, if you didn't already know) and you will find tons of unique and interesting ideas.
However, I don't hate Meltan at all. I like it. It's cute and has the potential to be something greater... like Cosmog. Maybe I will learn to love it like Luvdisc or the Cyndaquil line. I guess what I am saying is that it all takes time. I can't wait to learn of more new Pokémon and see what generation 8 has to offer us. The upcoming year promises great potential and I couldn't be more excited. Until then, we will have to be patient and enjoy the upcoming games even though they aren't the core games we were hoping for. Until next time, then, and please, consider following me so you don't miss out on future posts or leaving a comment with your opinion of Meltan. I look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
The only known information for this Pokémon can be found here, on the Pokémon Let's Go, Eevee and Pikachu website. The Hex Nut Pokémon is as strange as it sounds: a silver Ditto body with a large golden hex nut for a head (with the hole as it's eye) and a piece of broken red cable as it's tail. It's also a Steel type Pokémon. That being said, while you can use it in the upcoming games (which take place in Kanto), I highly doubt this is a Pokémon from Kanto. I suspect that this is a teaser for the next generation games which will come out next year.
What do I think of this newest Pokémon? This... this is the laziest Pokémon design that I have ever seen. A Hex Nut Pokémon and the best idea is to put a hex nut on a ditto's body and change the color?? I know I seem overly harsh but considering the over 700 unique and interesting Pokémon available... I don't see why they couldn't have come up with something a little more interesting. I mean, do a Google search of Steel type fakemon (fan-made Pokémon, if you didn't already know) and you will find tons of unique and interesting ideas.
However, I don't hate Meltan at all. I like it. It's cute and has the potential to be something greater... like Cosmog. Maybe I will learn to love it like Luvdisc or the Cyndaquil line. I guess what I am saying is that it all takes time. I can't wait to learn of more new Pokémon and see what generation 8 has to offer us. The upcoming year promises great potential and I couldn't be more excited. Until then, we will have to be patient and enjoy the upcoming games even though they aren't the core games we were hoping for. Until next time, then, and please, consider following me so you don't miss out on future posts or leaving a comment with your opinion of Meltan. I look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Duel Links: 5Ds World Review
It's finally here! The world of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's has been added to Duel Links! I, for one, have been waiting for this with great excitement and anticipation. Did the newest area hold up to my expectations? I will review the new world in 2 areas: design and characters.
Design
I love the look of the 5D's world. I think this area is the best-looking of all 3 areas of Duel Links. I do have a few concerns. In every area, there are certain spots you can click to try to earn gyms. These clickable areas are as follows: arena light posts, the card shop roof, a trashcan in front of the card studio building, and the fountain next to the legendary duelist gate. For 5D's, the trashcan and lights are the same but the other two have been changed. While the fountain is now just a circular area on the ground that lights up, the trashcan is 2 areas. Let me explain. You can click on a toolbox in the center of the area or a tent flap on the right. No matter which you choose, both of those areas will pop open. I do not understand this choice at all. Why didn't they just put the toolbox where the trashcan usually is or just use another trash can? I was very confused and just clicked randomly until I found the clickable areas. Either way, I am still pleased with the look and feel of this new Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's world. Well done, Konami.
Characters
You start in the world with Yusei but later you can unlock Akiza, Crow, and Leo. I think you can unlock Luna but I haven't confirmed this yet. Akiza and Leo unlock missions appear when you reach Stages 7 and 11, respectively, but Crow is a bit more difficult. You have to beat the Sector Security NPC with a duel assessment score of 5000 or more. Then, at the next stage, Crow's unlock missions will appear. I am not a fan of these hidden character unlock conditions. I feel for something so specific, it should be visible to the players from the beginning. If I hadn't gone online to look it up, I never would have known about it. Aside from that, the unlocking missions aren't that difficult.
I guess it goes without saying that all character starter decks are garbage. A deck of all low-level, low ATK and DEF, normal monsters is not going to cut it. Plus, the ace monster Synchros are only in the decks via their skills... actual copies of the cards and certain tuners are not available yet (Stardust Dragon is the only exception in the latest box). This is even more annoying now that NPCs have way better decks: Sylvans, Gem-Knights, UAs, Batterymen, Vampires, and Gladiator Beasts, to name a few. It makes leveling up a bit difficult. The character level-up rewards are not that stellar either. Plus, most of the best cards are legendary duelist drop rewards. I don't like grinding, but I am definitely going to have to for the Blackwing cards that I want. The characters are still fun to use and I am enjoying the new accessories that using them can unlock.
Overall, I have been enjoying the 5D's world. There are new characters, new cards, even new accessories to enjoy. There are some questionable things but I love it nonetheless. I hope certain missing cards will be in the next box/deck like Sonic Chick and Quillbolt Hedgehog (both of which Yusei uses in his decks at the gate but aren't listed in his rewards). Nitpicks aside, I think Konami did a great job with this world and I look forward to seeing which Synchro monsters will be added to Duel Links in future boxes/decks. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can Follow me so you won't miss out on future posts by clicking the blue 'Follow' button on the top right of the page. You can also leave a comment telling me your thoughts on the new world, characters, cards, and summoning mechanic. I hope you have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Design
I love the look of the 5D's world. I think this area is the best-looking of all 3 areas of Duel Links. I do have a few concerns. In every area, there are certain spots you can click to try to earn gyms. These clickable areas are as follows: arena light posts, the card shop roof, a trashcan in front of the card studio building, and the fountain next to the legendary duelist gate. For 5D's, the trashcan and lights are the same but the other two have been changed. While the fountain is now just a circular area on the ground that lights up, the trashcan is 2 areas. Let me explain. You can click on a toolbox in the center of the area or a tent flap on the right. No matter which you choose, both of those areas will pop open. I do not understand this choice at all. Why didn't they just put the toolbox where the trashcan usually is or just use another trash can? I was very confused and just clicked randomly until I found the clickable areas. Either way, I am still pleased with the look and feel of this new Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's world. Well done, Konami.
Characters
You start in the world with Yusei but later you can unlock Akiza, Crow, and Leo. I think you can unlock Luna but I haven't confirmed this yet. Akiza and Leo unlock missions appear when you reach Stages 7 and 11, respectively, but Crow is a bit more difficult. You have to beat the Sector Security NPC with a duel assessment score of 5000 or more. Then, at the next stage, Crow's unlock missions will appear. I am not a fan of these hidden character unlock conditions. I feel for something so specific, it should be visible to the players from the beginning. If I hadn't gone online to look it up, I never would have known about it. Aside from that, the unlocking missions aren't that difficult.
I guess it goes without saying that all character starter decks are garbage. A deck of all low-level, low ATK and DEF, normal monsters is not going to cut it. Plus, the ace monster Synchros are only in the decks via their skills... actual copies of the cards and certain tuners are not available yet (Stardust Dragon is the only exception in the latest box). This is even more annoying now that NPCs have way better decks: Sylvans, Gem-Knights, UAs, Batterymen, Vampires, and Gladiator Beasts, to name a few. It makes leveling up a bit difficult. The character level-up rewards are not that stellar either. Plus, most of the best cards are legendary duelist drop rewards. I don't like grinding, but I am definitely going to have to for the Blackwing cards that I want. The characters are still fun to use and I am enjoying the new accessories that using them can unlock.
Overall, I have been enjoying the 5D's world. There are new characters, new cards, even new accessories to enjoy. There are some questionable things but I love it nonetheless. I hope certain missing cards will be in the next box/deck like Sonic Chick and Quillbolt Hedgehog (both of which Yusei uses in his decks at the gate but aren't listed in his rewards). Nitpicks aside, I think Konami did a great job with this world and I look forward to seeing which Synchro monsters will be added to Duel Links in future boxes/decks. I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can Follow me so you won't miss out on future posts by clicking the blue 'Follow' button on the top right of the page. You can also leave a comment telling me your thoughts on the new world, characters, cards, and summoning mechanic. I hope you have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Duel Links: Rise of Yubel Event Review
Ah, the first day of fall... so full of promise!! That is also true for the Ultimate Nightmare: Rise of Yubel event and new character Yubel. My review will cover 3 basic parts of the event: event flow, rewards, and Yubel's level up rewards (since you do unlock her in this event). I will try to keep things as positive as possible but there are a few issues I do have which I will bring up as I get to them. Okay, without further ado, let's get into it!
Event Flow
The flow of the event is very much like the Yami Marik events: you duel against the NPCs for the event's currency (Shattered Hearts), then you duel against minions once you acquire a certain amount of Shattered Hearts (the Duel Ghouls), and then, once you've beaten the minions enough, the main villain appears (Yubel). Her decks aren't that difficult to beat for the first few levels. I admit to searching online for help with the last one since I am not the familiar with her card's mechanics. That's right, Yubel is also a card: 3, to be more specific. The cards are Yubel, Yubel - Terror Incarnate, and Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare. They are all dark attribute Fiends with 0 ATK and DEF. Her main combos include destroying the first card in order to special summon the second then destroying the second to special summon the third. The Ultimate Nightmare is especially powerful with it's ability to destroy monsters that it battles and inflict damage to her opponent equal to the opposing monster's ATK. Plus, it can't be destroyed by battle and she takes no battle damage when she uses it in battle. So... yeah, pretty powerful.... but if you use the right stall deck, victory is not that difficult. Overall, I rate the flow of this event about: 8/10. I took off two points for the fact that you can only get event points from dueling Yubel and when you basically need almost 4 million points to complete an event... that takes a while (even with a farm deck). Also, the limiting of certain parts of the event to only be playable after certain dates was also annoying. I get that Konami wants players to spend the whole week on the event but this is ridiculous. Anyway, on to the rewards!!
Rewards
Let me address the elephant in the room: yes, gems were nerfed. While we can still earn gems, the amounts are 10, 20, and 30 which is way less than they used to be. The amount of gold seems to be higher and they put special booster items in there as well along with the usual R, S, and UR jewels. As far as level up rewards go, it's fine. The cards you can get are also pretty good. Grave Squirmer is my favorite - I love cards that destroy other cards for little or no cost. I also like that Regenerating Rose gives you two tokens when it's destroyed... but it requires 2 tributes to summon and has 0 ATK so that card is a mixed bag. Des Dendle and Vampiric Orchis are two cards that have been around for a long time in the TCG and I was surprised to see them as rewards. I can understand their usefulness since Vampiric Orchis lets you special summon Des Dendle from your hand when Orchis has been normal summoned. Des Dendle is a union monster and let's you summon tokens if the monster it's equipped to destroys an opponent's monster along with the usual 'destroy this instead' union monster protection for the monster which it is equipped. Samsara Lotus is a card that can special summon itself from the graveyard (if you have no spell/trap cards) but it has its drawbacks: no ATK and DEF along with 1000 points of damage to its user every turn that is on the field. Still, the cards are pretty good but... I must wonder why you can get every card in this list from the EX Trader except Samsara Lotus. If you want a play set, you have to hope that Yubel drops some while you're grinding in this event. I give the rewards a rating of 8/10.
Yubel Level Up Rewards
I want to discuss this since you unlock her with this event. The gems and skills are about the same with any other duelist with one exception: at level 30 you get a new skill called 'My Name Is Yubel' instead of gems. This is just like our last unlocked character Zane where we get Cyber End Dragon at level 30 instead of gems as well. I am not a fan of this since gems are becoming more and more scarce. I hope Duel Links does not become pay to play because I will never pay actual money to play this game. Anyway, the cards are as follows: Dark Energy x 1, Memory Crusher x 3, Vampiric Orchis x 1, Coffin Seller x 2, Dark Cure x 3, Spell Chronicle x 3, Des Dendle x 1, and Yubel x 1. I have already talked about Vampiric Orchis, Des Dendle, and Yubel so I will go over my thoughts on the others. Dark Energy is an equip spell card that boosts Fiends by 300 in both ATK and DEF. It is a 'reprint' and is a very good one. Memory Crusher is a dark attribute, 3 star Fiend with 1000 ATK and 600 DEF. If it attacks, you opponent takes extra damage of 100 points times the number of cards in their extra deck. Eh, this card has potential but it also requires some protection and boosting to be effective plus your opponent won't always have cards in their extra deck.
Coffin Seller is a continuous trap that inflicts 300 damage to your opponent every time a card is sent to their graveyard. It is a reprint as well and a very good one. Dark Cure is a continuous trap that increases your opponent's life points when they summon a monster by half of that's monster's ATK. It is a strange idea to boost your opponent's life points but I am sure there are cards that can turn that benefit into a detriment quite easily. Spell Chronicle is a continuous spell card that causes you to send your hand to the graveyard. Then, you remove from play 5 (yes, that's 5) of your spell/trap cards from your deck (not graveyard). When your opponent uses a spell, a counter is added to your card. Still with me? Okay, take off 2 counters so your opponent can add one of the banished cards mentioned earlier to your hand. Finally, when this card is destroyed, you take damage for each card that is still banished x 500. That is a very convoluted way of getting cards into your hand from the deck that could backfire into major damage. I don't understand a) why this card is in the game and b) why you get 3 when you level up Yubel. I feel that there are much better cards they could have used. For instance, how about Mystic Tomato which is a card that Yubel uses in the event but we can't acquire as of yet. I give her level up rewards a rating of 6/10.
Overall, the event and the level up rewards are okay with pluses and minuses for both. I hope Konami will continue to improve on these so players will get a more enjoyable experience in the future. I enjoyed this event and look forward to the release of 5Ds on the 25th. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and will follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me how you felt about this event and Yubel's level up rewards. I would love to know what you think. Have a great weekend and as always: keep on gaming!!!
Event Flow
The flow of the event is very much like the Yami Marik events: you duel against the NPCs for the event's currency (Shattered Hearts), then you duel against minions once you acquire a certain amount of Shattered Hearts (the Duel Ghouls), and then, once you've beaten the minions enough, the main villain appears (Yubel). Her decks aren't that difficult to beat for the first few levels. I admit to searching online for help with the last one since I am not the familiar with her card's mechanics. That's right, Yubel is also a card: 3, to be more specific. The cards are Yubel, Yubel - Terror Incarnate, and Yubel - The Ultimate Nightmare. They are all dark attribute Fiends with 0 ATK and DEF. Her main combos include destroying the first card in order to special summon the second then destroying the second to special summon the third. The Ultimate Nightmare is especially powerful with it's ability to destroy monsters that it battles and inflict damage to her opponent equal to the opposing monster's ATK. Plus, it can't be destroyed by battle and she takes no battle damage when she uses it in battle. So... yeah, pretty powerful.... but if you use the right stall deck, victory is not that difficult. Overall, I rate the flow of this event about: 8/10. I took off two points for the fact that you can only get event points from dueling Yubel and when you basically need almost 4 million points to complete an event... that takes a while (even with a farm deck). Also, the limiting of certain parts of the event to only be playable after certain dates was also annoying. I get that Konami wants players to spend the whole week on the event but this is ridiculous. Anyway, on to the rewards!!
Rewards
Let me address the elephant in the room: yes, gems were nerfed. While we can still earn gems, the amounts are 10, 20, and 30 which is way less than they used to be. The amount of gold seems to be higher and they put special booster items in there as well along with the usual R, S, and UR jewels. As far as level up rewards go, it's fine. The cards you can get are also pretty good. Grave Squirmer is my favorite - I love cards that destroy other cards for little or no cost. I also like that Regenerating Rose gives you two tokens when it's destroyed... but it requires 2 tributes to summon and has 0 ATK so that card is a mixed bag. Des Dendle and Vampiric Orchis are two cards that have been around for a long time in the TCG and I was surprised to see them as rewards. I can understand their usefulness since Vampiric Orchis lets you special summon Des Dendle from your hand when Orchis has been normal summoned. Des Dendle is a union monster and let's you summon tokens if the monster it's equipped to destroys an opponent's monster along with the usual 'destroy this instead' union monster protection for the monster which it is equipped. Samsara Lotus is a card that can special summon itself from the graveyard (if you have no spell/trap cards) but it has its drawbacks: no ATK and DEF along with 1000 points of damage to its user every turn that is on the field. Still, the cards are pretty good but... I must wonder why you can get every card in this list from the EX Trader except Samsara Lotus. If you want a play set, you have to hope that Yubel drops some while you're grinding in this event. I give the rewards a rating of 8/10.
Yubel Level Up Rewards
I want to discuss this since you unlock her with this event. The gems and skills are about the same with any other duelist with one exception: at level 30 you get a new skill called 'My Name Is Yubel' instead of gems. This is just like our last unlocked character Zane where we get Cyber End Dragon at level 30 instead of gems as well. I am not a fan of this since gems are becoming more and more scarce. I hope Duel Links does not become pay to play because I will never pay actual money to play this game. Anyway, the cards are as follows: Dark Energy x 1, Memory Crusher x 3, Vampiric Orchis x 1, Coffin Seller x 2, Dark Cure x 3, Spell Chronicle x 3, Des Dendle x 1, and Yubel x 1. I have already talked about Vampiric Orchis, Des Dendle, and Yubel so I will go over my thoughts on the others. Dark Energy is an equip spell card that boosts Fiends by 300 in both ATK and DEF. It is a 'reprint' and is a very good one. Memory Crusher is a dark attribute, 3 star Fiend with 1000 ATK and 600 DEF. If it attacks, you opponent takes extra damage of 100 points times the number of cards in their extra deck. Eh, this card has potential but it also requires some protection and boosting to be effective plus your opponent won't always have cards in their extra deck.
Coffin Seller is a continuous trap that inflicts 300 damage to your opponent every time a card is sent to their graveyard. It is a reprint as well and a very good one. Dark Cure is a continuous trap that increases your opponent's life points when they summon a monster by half of that's monster's ATK. It is a strange idea to boost your opponent's life points but I am sure there are cards that can turn that benefit into a detriment quite easily. Spell Chronicle is a continuous spell card that causes you to send your hand to the graveyard. Then, you remove from play 5 (yes, that's 5) of your spell/trap cards from your deck (not graveyard). When your opponent uses a spell, a counter is added to your card. Still with me? Okay, take off 2 counters so your opponent can add one of the banished cards mentioned earlier to your hand. Finally, when this card is destroyed, you take damage for each card that is still banished x 500. That is a very convoluted way of getting cards into your hand from the deck that could backfire into major damage. I don't understand a) why this card is in the game and b) why you get 3 when you level up Yubel. I feel that there are much better cards they could have used. For instance, how about Mystic Tomato which is a card that Yubel uses in the event but we can't acquire as of yet. I give her level up rewards a rating of 6/10.
Overall, the event and the level up rewards are okay with pluses and minuses for both. I hope Konami will continue to improve on these so players will get a more enjoyable experience in the future. I enjoyed this event and look forward to the release of 5Ds on the 25th. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and will follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me how you felt about this event and Yubel's level up rewards. I would love to know what you think. Have a great weekend and as always: keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Nintendo Direct Showcases New Pokemon Game Footage!!
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the Nintendo direct finally aired on 9/13/18. It was an exciting time as game news was announced for almost 40 minutes. In that time, some interesting Pokémon news did come out and I want to discuss it. If you haven't seen the direct, you can watch it here (skip to 17:32 for the Pokémon part if that's all you want to see).
The quick trailer shows off more Pokémon walk/ride animations such as Dodrio. It also showcases more game area footage like Celadon City, the interior of the S.S. Anne, and Erica's gym. It also mentions something else - no HMs! Let me explain, HMs like Cut, Surf, etc. are now considered secret techniques that can be used exclusively by your partner Pokémon (Pikachu or Eevee). This is good - it keeps you from bogging down your move sets with unnecessary moves (who needs Cut in Victory Road?!) I like this a lot and hope this is a sign that this will be the trend (no HMs not secret techniques) for future core games. If you watch carefully, you can see that Cut is now called Chop Down... this seems superfluous to me... the names mean the same thing so why change them?? Also, the Fly technique is just a bike frame attached to balloons. How are you supposed to control where you float?? Is there a motor/rudder on it somewhere that I am just not seeing? Oh well, let's move on!
Partner Pokémon have more perks including special moves for battle that only they can use. Pikachu's move is definitely electric type while Eevee's move is fire type. This makes me wonder if Eevee will learn a move for each type in can evolve into (3, if we're sticking to Kanto-only Pokémon). This is an interesting idea. I see a lot of potential in this. Lastly, if you pet your partner Pokémon while in 'handheld' mode, you can style their hair differently. This is cute... meh, but cute. Also, there will be a special Switch bundle for the games including a special system and controllers but I would only get that if I didn't already have a Switch or you really like collecting Pokémon memorabilia.
I am aware there was also a new trailer put out this same week but I chose to focus on the Direct this time around. I hope you enjoyed this post and will Follow Me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts on the Nintendo Direct. Are you excited or disappointed? Which bit of news was your favorite?? Anyway, have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
The quick trailer shows off more Pokémon walk/ride animations such as Dodrio. It also showcases more game area footage like Celadon City, the interior of the S.S. Anne, and Erica's gym. It also mentions something else - no HMs! Let me explain, HMs like Cut, Surf, etc. are now considered secret techniques that can be used exclusively by your partner Pokémon (Pikachu or Eevee). This is good - it keeps you from bogging down your move sets with unnecessary moves (who needs Cut in Victory Road?!) I like this a lot and hope this is a sign that this will be the trend (no HMs not secret techniques) for future core games. If you watch carefully, you can see that Cut is now called Chop Down... this seems superfluous to me... the names mean the same thing so why change them?? Also, the Fly technique is just a bike frame attached to balloons. How are you supposed to control where you float?? Is there a motor/rudder on it somewhere that I am just not seeing? Oh well, let's move on!
Partner Pokémon have more perks including special moves for battle that only they can use. Pikachu's move is definitely electric type while Eevee's move is fire type. This makes me wonder if Eevee will learn a move for each type in can evolve into (3, if we're sticking to Kanto-only Pokémon). This is an interesting idea. I see a lot of potential in this. Lastly, if you pet your partner Pokémon while in 'handheld' mode, you can style their hair differently. This is cute... meh, but cute. Also, there will be a special Switch bundle for the games including a special system and controllers but I would only get that if I didn't already have a Switch or you really like collecting Pokémon memorabilia.
I am aware there was also a new trailer put out this same week but I chose to focus on the Direct this time around. I hope you enjoyed this post and will Follow Me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts on the Nintendo Direct. Are you excited or disappointed? Which bit of news was your favorite?? Anyway, have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Friday, September 7, 2018
Duels Links Gaia Genesis Box - 5 Cards That Make No Sense
Hello, we are back to once again look at Duel Links and ponder Konami's choices. Up for debate this time are 5 cards from the latest box: Gaia Genesis. This new box contains new Archetypes: Aquaactress, Mermail, U.A., and Koa'ki Meiru. All of these new Archetypes show great promise and some great new cards. There are also some more support cards for various Archetypes and general types: Frogs, Elemental Heroes, Gemini, Fiends, Fire Fist, Atlantean, Ice Barrier, Cloudians, Fish, Rock, and Aqua types. There are also some generic cards sprinkled throughout this box that can be used in any deck like Snowman Eater (a slower Man-Eater Bug). Most of this box is pretty good and gets me excited about new deck possibilities. However, there are a few cards that I just do not understand why Konami felt they needed to be added to this box. Let's take a look at these cards so I can explain why I am so perplexed.
5) Burst Return
This is a normal spell card with the following effect: if you have E.H. Burstinatrix on your field, return all of your face-up Elemental Heroes to your hand except for your Burstinatrix. I will be frank here: why is this in Duel Links?! I can't think of any cards that this could combo with (that are in Duel Links right now) and it seems very situational. Aside from being used the anime, why was this put in the latest box? The other Elemental Hero support cards at least had some potential but this one is a mystery. Still, there could be some way to use this card so that 's why it gets the #5 spot.
4) Wodan the Resident of the Forest
This is a level 3, Earth attribute Warrior monster with 900 ATK and 1200 DEF. It's effect is that it gains 100 ATK for every face-up Plant monster on the field. Where do I begin with this one?? First of all, at best this is a gain of 500 ATK if A) your opponent is using a Plant deck and B) both players have a full field. Second, that only means 1400 ATK and in today's meta, that isn't much. Maybe you can bulk it with some equip/field spells and protect it with some back row but aside from that, the card doesn't offer much. This card has a glimmer of potential but I still don't see why it was added to the box.
3) Little Swordsman of Aile
This is a level 3, Water attribute Warrior monster with 800 ATK and 1300 DEF. It's effect is: tribute 1 monster on your field to increase this card's ATK by 700. This only lasts for one turn. Wow... you lose a monster so this card can have 1500 ATK... for 1 turn then it returns to 800 and gets obliterated. I don't know who thought this was a good idea. Decks these days are all about swarming but I would not get rid of one of my monsters for some temporary, weak ATK boosting. It is not worth it. This card was useful early on in the TCG but now... I think I'll give this one a pass.
2) Yado Karu
This is a level 4, Water attribute Aqua monster with 900 ATK and 1700 DEF. If this card is changed from attack to defense position, you can put any amount of cards from your hand to the bottom of your deck in whatever order you want. Um.... first of all, this card has to survive a turn in attack position which isn't that hard with the right back row. The issue is... what good is it to put cards from my hand to the bottom of my deck??? That's giving up part of your hand for no reason. Why is this in Duel Links???
1) Zone Eater
This is a level 1, Water attribute Aqua monster with 250 ATK and 200 DEF. What does it do? If it attacks a monster, that monster will be destroyed during the End Phase of the 5th turn that follows said attack. Let that sink in for a bit.... First, you have to attack something which means you will have to bulk this card up somehow or lose serious life points. Then, you have to wait 5 turns- that's 5 turns - for the monster to be destroyed. You will lose the duel before that happens. This card has no point to it - especially in Duel Links. I can't think of a single situation where this would be useful. In short, this is the worst card in this box (and maybe the entire game). So... why was this in Gaia Genesis again???
Well, that does it for this week. I know I'm early but I'm not sure what tomorrow holds so I figured it better to get it done early than possibly not at all. I hope you enjoyed this post. Follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling what you think of the newest box in Duel Links. Is it great? Is it bad? Are there cards you think are worse than this list? I'd love to know what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
5) Burst Return
This is a normal spell card with the following effect: if you have E.H. Burstinatrix on your field, return all of your face-up Elemental Heroes to your hand except for your Burstinatrix. I will be frank here: why is this in Duel Links?! I can't think of any cards that this could combo with (that are in Duel Links right now) and it seems very situational. Aside from being used the anime, why was this put in the latest box? The other Elemental Hero support cards at least had some potential but this one is a mystery. Still, there could be some way to use this card so that 's why it gets the #5 spot.
4) Wodan the Resident of the Forest
This is a level 3, Earth attribute Warrior monster with 900 ATK and 1200 DEF. It's effect is that it gains 100 ATK for every face-up Plant monster on the field. Where do I begin with this one?? First of all, at best this is a gain of 500 ATK if A) your opponent is using a Plant deck and B) both players have a full field. Second, that only means 1400 ATK and in today's meta, that isn't much. Maybe you can bulk it with some equip/field spells and protect it with some back row but aside from that, the card doesn't offer much. This card has a glimmer of potential but I still don't see why it was added to the box.
3) Little Swordsman of Aile
This is a level 3, Water attribute Warrior monster with 800 ATK and 1300 DEF. It's effect is: tribute 1 monster on your field to increase this card's ATK by 700. This only lasts for one turn. Wow... you lose a monster so this card can have 1500 ATK... for 1 turn then it returns to 800 and gets obliterated. I don't know who thought this was a good idea. Decks these days are all about swarming but I would not get rid of one of my monsters for some temporary, weak ATK boosting. It is not worth it. This card was useful early on in the TCG but now... I think I'll give this one a pass.
2) Yado Karu
This is a level 4, Water attribute Aqua monster with 900 ATK and 1700 DEF. If this card is changed from attack to defense position, you can put any amount of cards from your hand to the bottom of your deck in whatever order you want. Um.... first of all, this card has to survive a turn in attack position which isn't that hard with the right back row. The issue is... what good is it to put cards from my hand to the bottom of my deck??? That's giving up part of your hand for no reason. Why is this in Duel Links???
1) Zone Eater
This is a level 1, Water attribute Aqua monster with 250 ATK and 200 DEF. What does it do? If it attacks a monster, that monster will be destroyed during the End Phase of the 5th turn that follows said attack. Let that sink in for a bit.... First, you have to attack something which means you will have to bulk this card up somehow or lose serious life points. Then, you have to wait 5 turns- that's 5 turns - for the monster to be destroyed. You will lose the duel before that happens. This card has no point to it - especially in Duel Links. I can't think of a single situation where this would be useful. In short, this is the worst card in this box (and maybe the entire game). So... why was this in Gaia Genesis again???
Well, that does it for this week. I know I'm early but I'm not sure what tomorrow holds so I figured it better to get it done early than possibly not at all. I hope you enjoyed this post. Follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling what you think of the newest box in Duel Links. Is it great? Is it bad? Are there cards you think are worse than this list? I'd love to know what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Duel Links: Monster World Event Review
Another event has been launched this week in Duel Links and as usual, the results are hit and miss. I'm not saying I hate this event - I do enjoy it quite a bit. I just feel that there are a few things that can be improved upon. Let's get into it!
1) Not Enough Stamina
The event is basically traversing a game board area. You collect chest rewards, do dice battles, and duel boss monsters. To traverse each area, you need stamina. You get a set amount and after its used up it replenishes at a rate of 1 stamina every 4 minutes. That is fine in the beginning but it slowly gets tedious once you hit the higher areas with bigger boards. For instance, I am at Area 27 as of writing this post and have 70 Stamina (my max). This amount of stamina seems like a lot but I feel it won't get me past halfway through this board if I am lucky. Dice battles and duel boss battles cost an increasing amount of stamina (along with the -1 for moving to plain new spaces) so you'll use up your stamina quite quickly - especially since the number of dice duels and battles also increases as you go up to higher levels. What about potions? That is fine but only small ones are given for a long time - I've only recently received my 2nd large potion thus far. The point is, the amount of boosting stamina items should be proportional to the amount needed to get back through the board.
2) Disappointing Chest Rewards
Ooh, a treasure chest! What's in it?! Oh, a small amount of gold or a small amount of coins for the lottery. These values appear to have been the same since the beginning of the event and they are quite disappointing. Sometimes, I get a few gems but mostly gold and lottery coins. It doesn't feel very rewarding.at all.
3) Terrible Lottery Pull Rates
Okay, consider that you get a free pull each day (worth 300 coins) plus you can earn 300 coins in PVP battles. If you earn enough each day for at least one pull that would be 900 coins a day for 30 items. I have spent about 600 (I think) a day for the first 4 days or so which equals about 2400 coins or 80 items. In that time, I have pulled 2 UR cards (Zorc and Skilled Blue Magician), 5 SR cards (1 Skilled White Magician, 2 Earthbound Spirits, and 1 Berserk Gorilla). My point is, that I feel like I had a very low pull rate for good cards. I don't know if I have bad luck or if this is the same for all duelists.
4) Disappointing Map Completion Rewards
This is like the treasure chest rewards above. I don't like to nitpick but the increasing time needed to complete each board does not seem to be worth it for the rewards given. Granted, the rewards for Areas 26+ are better than the first 25 but only 1 SR jewel when we get 50 and 100 R jewels for other levels?! We can get 10000 gold but only 60 and 75 gems?! I feel like gems are more desirable than gold so you would think that gems would be the more common reward.
Anyway, the point is that if you are going to sink time (and possibly money) into this event, the rewards should serve as an incentive to keep playing. Right now... I'm not sure if I want to spend so much time on meager rewards. I'll keep playing but probably not as much as I originally intended. Konami, please, fix the rewards to keep duelists engaged or they will stop playing.
Well, that's it for this week. It was quite a rant but I felt it was justified. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts on the current event and suggestions for improving it. Have a great weekend and as always: keep on gaming!!!
1) Not Enough Stamina
The event is basically traversing a game board area. You collect chest rewards, do dice battles, and duel boss monsters. To traverse each area, you need stamina. You get a set amount and after its used up it replenishes at a rate of 1 stamina every 4 minutes. That is fine in the beginning but it slowly gets tedious once you hit the higher areas with bigger boards. For instance, I am at Area 27 as of writing this post and have 70 Stamina (my max). This amount of stamina seems like a lot but I feel it won't get me past halfway through this board if I am lucky. Dice battles and duel boss battles cost an increasing amount of stamina (along with the -1 for moving to plain new spaces) so you'll use up your stamina quite quickly - especially since the number of dice duels and battles also increases as you go up to higher levels. What about potions? That is fine but only small ones are given for a long time - I've only recently received my 2nd large potion thus far. The point is, the amount of boosting stamina items should be proportional to the amount needed to get back through the board.
2) Disappointing Chest Rewards
Ooh, a treasure chest! What's in it?! Oh, a small amount of gold or a small amount of coins for the lottery. These values appear to have been the same since the beginning of the event and they are quite disappointing. Sometimes, I get a few gems but mostly gold and lottery coins. It doesn't feel very rewarding.at all.
3) Terrible Lottery Pull Rates
Okay, consider that you get a free pull each day (worth 300 coins) plus you can earn 300 coins in PVP battles. If you earn enough each day for at least one pull that would be 900 coins a day for 30 items. I have spent about 600 (I think) a day for the first 4 days or so which equals about 2400 coins or 80 items. In that time, I have pulled 2 UR cards (Zorc and Skilled Blue Magician), 5 SR cards (1 Skilled White Magician, 2 Earthbound Spirits, and 1 Berserk Gorilla). My point is, that I feel like I had a very low pull rate for good cards. I don't know if I have bad luck or if this is the same for all duelists.
4) Disappointing Map Completion Rewards
This is like the treasure chest rewards above. I don't like to nitpick but the increasing time needed to complete each board does not seem to be worth it for the rewards given. Granted, the rewards for Areas 26+ are better than the first 25 but only 1 SR jewel when we get 50 and 100 R jewels for other levels?! We can get 10000 gold but only 60 and 75 gems?! I feel like gems are more desirable than gold so you would think that gems would be the more common reward.
Anyway, the point is that if you are going to sink time (and possibly money) into this event, the rewards should serve as an incentive to keep playing. Right now... I'm not sure if I want to spend so much time on meager rewards. I'll keep playing but probably not as much as I originally intended. Konami, please, fix the rewards to keep duelists engaged or they will stop playing.
Well, that's it for this week. It was quite a rant but I felt it was justified. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts on the current event and suggestions for improving it. Have a great weekend and as always: keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Newest Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee Trailers Showcase Mega-Evolution!!!
I'm back and we have new trailers for the upcoming Pokémon games! If you wish to see the trailers yourself, you can see the English trailer here and the Japanese trailer here. Ready? Okay, let's jump right into it!!!
The English trailer shows us more gameplay, specifically: Vermilion City, the S.S. Anne, and Lt. Surge's Gym. All of the footage looks wonderful and the S.S. Anne is especially impressive compared to its previous 2D incarnations. The gym footage seems to suggest that the gym puzzles will remain the same. That's fine for most gyms but it raises concerns for Koga's gym. If you didn't know (or need a refresher), Koga utilizes invisible walls to create a maze. This is fine in 2D when you can see the entire gym from above but I wonder what it will look like in 3D. Would it even work? If invisible walls were used in reality, they would be glass. You could see them by either smacking into them or noticing all the smudges from previous trainers' encounters with the walls. It just doesn't seem that practical, to be honest. We'll just have to see what Game Freak comes up with for this game.
Next, is the reveal of our favorite Team Rocket trio: Jessie, James, and Meowth - that's right! I am glad they were included in this game since the Team Rocket is a big part of the story. I even like how James is holding a rose like in the anime. Anyway, the last part is the most surprising: mega-evolution! I was certain that since Sun/Moon and US/UM, mega-evolution would never be mentioned again except as a post-game extra. While it's not quite clear if this is the case or not, it is still nice to see mega-evolution will be in the game. It also gives me hope for new mega-evolutions like maybe Butterfree, Lapras, Farfetch'd, or even Nidoqueen! Again, Sun/Moon and US/UM seemed to give the impression that all focus was going to be on Z-Moves and newer mechanics so any hope is great!
If you look at the Japanese trailer, you will see something else. When Charizard is evolved, the button has both an X and a Y on it. Charizard is the only Pokémon with 2 evolutions: Charizard-X and Charizard-Y. My points is: why are both forms shown on the same button? Does that mean there will be a generic Charizardite and you can choose which form you want to evolve into or did the game developers just make a fancy button to show both options despite which mega stone you are holding??? I don't know. It's again not clear but it is something else to look forward to in the new games.
Well, that's it for this week - wait, there is one last thing. I managed to pick up an extra legendary Pokémon code at GameStop last week and decided that I would share it with my readers. Please remember this is a first come, first serve deal. Whoever gets it, please leave a comment below telling us - and maybe tell me about the Pokémon you got: Groudon or Kyogre? Okay, here's the code: A8522PF8M247A8WE . This code is for either a Kyogre (Sun/US) or a Groudon (Moon/UM). The code expires on Nov 28, 2018. Remember, to get it you have to go to your game menu and select Mystery Gift then Receive Gift then Get with Code/Password. I wish you all the best of luck and if I get any more extras this year, I will post them (if I am lucky). Have fun!!
Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts on the latest trailers. Don't forget to follow me if you enjoyed this post so you won't miss out on future posts. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!! Next week's topic will be about Duel Links. See you then!
The English trailer shows us more gameplay, specifically: Vermilion City, the S.S. Anne, and Lt. Surge's Gym. All of the footage looks wonderful and the S.S. Anne is especially impressive compared to its previous 2D incarnations. The gym footage seems to suggest that the gym puzzles will remain the same. That's fine for most gyms but it raises concerns for Koga's gym. If you didn't know (or need a refresher), Koga utilizes invisible walls to create a maze. This is fine in 2D when you can see the entire gym from above but I wonder what it will look like in 3D. Would it even work? If invisible walls were used in reality, they would be glass. You could see them by either smacking into them or noticing all the smudges from previous trainers' encounters with the walls. It just doesn't seem that practical, to be honest. We'll just have to see what Game Freak comes up with for this game.
Next, is the reveal of our favorite Team Rocket trio: Jessie, James, and Meowth - that's right! I am glad they were included in this game since the Team Rocket is a big part of the story. I even like how James is holding a rose like in the anime. Anyway, the last part is the most surprising: mega-evolution! I was certain that since Sun/Moon and US/UM, mega-evolution would never be mentioned again except as a post-game extra. While it's not quite clear if this is the case or not, it is still nice to see mega-evolution will be in the game. It also gives me hope for new mega-evolutions like maybe Butterfree, Lapras, Farfetch'd, or even Nidoqueen! Again, Sun/Moon and US/UM seemed to give the impression that all focus was going to be on Z-Moves and newer mechanics so any hope is great!
If you look at the Japanese trailer, you will see something else. When Charizard is evolved, the button has both an X and a Y on it. Charizard is the only Pokémon with 2 evolutions: Charizard-X and Charizard-Y. My points is: why are both forms shown on the same button? Does that mean there will be a generic Charizardite and you can choose which form you want to evolve into or did the game developers just make a fancy button to show both options despite which mega stone you are holding??? I don't know. It's again not clear but it is something else to look forward to in the new games.
Well, that's it for this week - wait, there is one last thing. I managed to pick up an extra legendary Pokémon code at GameStop last week and decided that I would share it with my readers. Please remember this is a first come, first serve deal. Whoever gets it, please leave a comment below telling us - and maybe tell me about the Pokémon you got: Groudon or Kyogre? Okay, here's the code: A8522PF8M247A8WE . This code is for either a Kyogre (Sun/US) or a Groudon (Moon/UM). The code expires on Nov 28, 2018. Remember, to get it you have to go to your game menu and select Mystery Gift then Receive Gift then Get with Code/Password. I wish you all the best of luck and if I get any more extras this year, I will post them (if I am lucky). Have fun!!
Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts on the latest trailers. Don't forget to follow me if you enjoyed this post so you won't miss out on future posts. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!! Next week's topic will be about Duel Links. See you then!
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Duel Links: Train Your Kuriboh Event Review
Oh Duel Links, why must your events be so hit or miss?? The event in question this time is the currently ongoing 'Train Your Kuriboh' event. You'd think this would be an easy event to pull off but as usual, it's not what it's hyped up to be. Let's get into it!
First of all, you are 'training' a Kuriboh that lives on the right side of your app screen. Training means you duel every day and can add a maximum of 300 points to the Kuriboh's life bar. Here is where things get annoying. You can only add 300 points which are really easy to get and then you have to wait a day to add more points. When the Kuriboh levels up to a new form, a new prize is available. To get said prize, you must release your Kuriboh. You will not get another one. That's right - only 1 Kuriboh per campaign and which means one prize for the event. Yeah.... not exactly as great as it first seemed, huh??? To make matters worse, the point levels aren't for one continuous bar like usual. Once you evolve your Kuriboh to a Kuribandit with 700 points, for example, the bar resets to 0 (plus any extra points from the previous bar) and you have to start all over again. If you are working towards the highest form, like me, you will have to amass roughly 6000 points in total to fill the last bar up to 2500 and at only 300 points a day, that will take weeks to accomplish. I think I will get my Kuribohrn by next Saturday or July 28 which means it will take me 2 and a half weeks to earn one prismatic ticket. If the bar had been continuous, I'd have reached it half that time with the 300 point restriction.
My main point is that you are doing a lot of work for not so much. Other events of this nature (going on at the same time) give a lot more incentive. Even worse, someone could not read the instructions clearly and release their Kuriboh early with the idea that they will get another. But... they won't. Thankfully, Duel Links has fixed that with a shortened iteration of this event campaign and the addition of a second one right after. Still, if they had been more clear and had it been done better, this wouldn't have been necessary. Oh well, back to grinding so I can get that sweet prismatic ticket. I just wish the Kuriboh could have some other function like a digital pet or something. Either way, this event needs work and hopefully by next iteration it will be much better.
That's it for this week and I want to apologize in advance for next week. There will be no post due to my need of a break from the blog. I will return to the blog either Aug 4 or the week thereafter. Thanks again for reading and leave me a comment below telling me what you think of this latest Duel Links event. I can't wait to see what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!! :D
First of all, you are 'training' a Kuriboh that lives on the right side of your app screen. Training means you duel every day and can add a maximum of 300 points to the Kuriboh's life bar. Here is where things get annoying. You can only add 300 points which are really easy to get and then you have to wait a day to add more points. When the Kuriboh levels up to a new form, a new prize is available. To get said prize, you must release your Kuriboh. You will not get another one. That's right - only 1 Kuriboh per campaign and which means one prize for the event. Yeah.... not exactly as great as it first seemed, huh??? To make matters worse, the point levels aren't for one continuous bar like usual. Once you evolve your Kuriboh to a Kuribandit with 700 points, for example, the bar resets to 0 (plus any extra points from the previous bar) and you have to start all over again. If you are working towards the highest form, like me, you will have to amass roughly 6000 points in total to fill the last bar up to 2500 and at only 300 points a day, that will take weeks to accomplish. I think I will get my Kuribohrn by next Saturday or July 28 which means it will take me 2 and a half weeks to earn one prismatic ticket. If the bar had been continuous, I'd have reached it half that time with the 300 point restriction.
My main point is that you are doing a lot of work for not so much. Other events of this nature (going on at the same time) give a lot more incentive. Even worse, someone could not read the instructions clearly and release their Kuriboh early with the idea that they will get another. But... they won't. Thankfully, Duel Links has fixed that with a shortened iteration of this event campaign and the addition of a second one right after. Still, if they had been more clear and had it been done better, this wouldn't have been necessary. Oh well, back to grinding so I can get that sweet prismatic ticket. I just wish the Kuriboh could have some other function like a digital pet or something. Either way, this event needs work and hopefully by next iteration it will be much better.
That's it for this week and I want to apologize in advance for next week. There will be no post due to my need of a break from the blog. I will return to the blog either Aug 4 or the week thereafter. Thanks again for reading and leave me a comment below telling me what you think of this latest Duel Links event. I can't wait to see what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!! :D
Saturday, July 14, 2018
New Pokemon Let's Go, Eevee/Pikachu Game Trailers!!
First of all, I meant to do a post last week but the Duel Links' newest box came out a bit later than I expected. Oh well, RIP last week's post... anyway, this week some new trailers showed up for the next Pokémon games: Let's Go, Eevee and Let's Go, Pikachu. If you want to see the trailers yourself, here is the US trailer and here is the Japanese trailer. Anyway, let's get into it!!
First of all, they show more footage of Kanto (up to Cerulean City, as far as I can tell). The art style is still not my favorite, but I do think it suits this game very well. I especially like the look of the gyms - even though all we get to see is Brock's and Misty's gyms. Misty's gym in particular looks really interesting. The gym leader designs are nice, too. In the Japanese trailer, they even show the region map. I have to admit it looks gorgeous in this style. Of course, they next show Prof. Oak and our 'friendly' rival. To be honest, I prefer rivals like Gary and Silver. Those kind of rivals give you incentive to train and grow while the friendly ones just... get annoying after a while. That's just me, though, I'm sure there are some who love friendly rivals.
Anyway, there is also a big emphasis on interacting with your partner Pokémon (Eevee or Pikachu) including petting, grooming, and even dressing up in little outfits. I like the outfits but I am not so sure about the hair cuts. They are... fine just a little... goofy, I guess? They don't really seem to suit the Pokémon and I hope there are more options than just the two shown. Speaking of customizing, you can also customize your trainer's clothes. It doesn't look like you can customize the trainer appearance (eyes, skin, and hair) but maybe they'll show that later on.
That reminds me, Eevee now has a gender difference. Like Pikachu, the difference is in the tails. The beige patch on the tip of the tail has smooth swoops for edges on a female (I assume) and normal ragged edges on a male (again, assuming even though the differences were shown but not which gender is which... I am just going off of the Pikachu difference to guess which gender is which right now).
They showed Pokémon following you (yay) and even some more riding (Charizard, Lapras, Onix, Arcanine) animation. I like this and hope it carries over to the gen 8 games. Also, your following Pokémon can find hidden items for you. That's nice - I never enjoyed using the hidden item finder (for LG/FR, I mean... I love the one for BW/B2W2 though).
After the clips of co-op play (which is nice, but 2 player would be better), they confirmed that the games will have WIFI capability. This includes WIFI battles and trading. I had hoped this would be the case. I like the animation for trading in particular... again, I hope this is carried over to gen 8. Finally, the last thing shown is the release date: Nov 16, 2018.
I still don't think I will get this one since I don't have a Switch. If I ever do break down and purchase a Switch, I might pick it up... maybe. I think I will wait to see what gen 8 has for us instead. But, that's just me. What do you think? Leave me a comment below telling me your thoughts on the new trailers. I look forward to reading your thoughts. Follow me if you enjoyed this post and share it with others. Have a great weekend, and as always: keep on gaming!!!
First of all, they show more footage of Kanto (up to Cerulean City, as far as I can tell). The art style is still not my favorite, but I do think it suits this game very well. I especially like the look of the gyms - even though all we get to see is Brock's and Misty's gyms. Misty's gym in particular looks really interesting. The gym leader designs are nice, too. In the Japanese trailer, they even show the region map. I have to admit it looks gorgeous in this style. Of course, they next show Prof. Oak and our 'friendly' rival. To be honest, I prefer rivals like Gary and Silver. Those kind of rivals give you incentive to train and grow while the friendly ones just... get annoying after a while. That's just me, though, I'm sure there are some who love friendly rivals.
Anyway, there is also a big emphasis on interacting with your partner Pokémon (Eevee or Pikachu) including petting, grooming, and even dressing up in little outfits. I like the outfits but I am not so sure about the hair cuts. They are... fine just a little... goofy, I guess? They don't really seem to suit the Pokémon and I hope there are more options than just the two shown. Speaking of customizing, you can also customize your trainer's clothes. It doesn't look like you can customize the trainer appearance (eyes, skin, and hair) but maybe they'll show that later on.
That reminds me, Eevee now has a gender difference. Like Pikachu, the difference is in the tails. The beige patch on the tip of the tail has smooth swoops for edges on a female (I assume) and normal ragged edges on a male (again, assuming even though the differences were shown but not which gender is which... I am just going off of the Pikachu difference to guess which gender is which right now).
They showed Pokémon following you (yay) and even some more riding (Charizard, Lapras, Onix, Arcanine) animation. I like this and hope it carries over to the gen 8 games. Also, your following Pokémon can find hidden items for you. That's nice - I never enjoyed using the hidden item finder (for LG/FR, I mean... I love the one for BW/B2W2 though).
After the clips of co-op play (which is nice, but 2 player would be better), they confirmed that the games will have WIFI capability. This includes WIFI battles and trading. I had hoped this would be the case. I like the animation for trading in particular... again, I hope this is carried over to gen 8. Finally, the last thing shown is the release date: Nov 16, 2018.
I still don't think I will get this one since I don't have a Switch. If I ever do break down and purchase a Switch, I might pick it up... maybe. I think I will wait to see what gen 8 has for us instead. But, that's just me. What do you think? Leave me a comment below telling me your thoughts on the new trailers. I look forward to reading your thoughts. Follow me if you enjoyed this post and share it with others. Have a great weekend, and as always: keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Espa Roba's Duel Links Carnival Review
The newest event has been in full swing on Duel Links. The event in question is a 'Duel Carnival' in honor of Espa Roba. I have played through 2 rounds of it and have just started on the third. What do I think? Is this a good idea or not? Let's have a look at the pros and cons of this event to find out.
Pro: You can unlock Espa Roba.
Finally, Espa is unlockable and he brings his Jinzo with him. I look forward to creating a Psychic deck for this character. This is a good start for the Duel Carnival.
Con: Duels sometimes end with duelists drawing more cards then getting a 'disconnect' message.
I won't rag on this too much since the day after I noticed this, Duel Links had fixed it. I haven't seen this glitch since and I am glad they fixed it so quickly. Well done, Duel Links, but it was still annoying.
Pro: The points are easy to acquire.
I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I amassed the points to not only unlock Espa but also to acquire the newest cards. Usually, it takes much longer to get the right of amount of points. I hope all future events are like this.
Con: The card reward selection is not the best.
Okay, I admit that most of the cumulative reward cards were pretty good: either new or extra copies of good cards. However, I do not understand the addition of Pulse Mines. I already had a play set of these since they were rewards in the previous Espa Roba event. The Treasure Box reward cards are the same as the cumulative reward cards plus a few others. I do not understand why Cyber Esper was part of this set. I guess the point is being able to 'see' what your opponent draws is like Espa Roba's trick of knowing what cards his opponent used but I feel like that card would have been more suitable in the Zane event. Anyway, it could definitely be worse - the cards could all be weak normal types that most people don't even use - oh wait... that's what four of the cards in the Silver reward box list are! I understand that 2 of them are fusion materials for the also available Metal Dragon, but the others make no sense. The worse part is I have at least 10 copies of each (some of which I have 20 copies) since the better rewards are of the higher rarity. Next time, Duel Links, at least choose cards we want to use for the Normal Rank rewards.
Pro: This counts toward your Ranked Duels cumulative rewards.
I do like this idea very much. I was able to earn several tickets for cards during this event. I hope this is carried over for future events.
Con: Espa Roba shows up in duel world - after 1 pm on Jun 30, 2018.
This event is all about PVP dueling. It makes very little sense to suddenly also throw Espa Roba into the duel world. It's not too bad it does seem extraneous.
Well, how does it stand up? Overall, not bad. Again, my only real issue was actually resolved within a day so Duel Links did a great job. Still, there is room for improvement. It does give me hope for future events though. I highly recommend that you participate in this event if you play Duel Links. Anyway, leave me a comment telling me what you thought of this event. Which teams did you pick for the 3 rounds (thus far)? I chose Spellcaster, Beast-Warrior, and Dinosaur.
I hope you enjoyed this post and will continue to enjoy future posts. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Pro: You can unlock Espa Roba.
Finally, Espa is unlockable and he brings his Jinzo with him. I look forward to creating a Psychic deck for this character. This is a good start for the Duel Carnival.
Con: Duels sometimes end with duelists drawing more cards then getting a 'disconnect' message.
I won't rag on this too much since the day after I noticed this, Duel Links had fixed it. I haven't seen this glitch since and I am glad they fixed it so quickly. Well done, Duel Links, but it was still annoying.
Pro: The points are easy to acquire.
I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I amassed the points to not only unlock Espa but also to acquire the newest cards. Usually, it takes much longer to get the right of amount of points. I hope all future events are like this.
Con: The card reward selection is not the best.
Okay, I admit that most of the cumulative reward cards were pretty good: either new or extra copies of good cards. However, I do not understand the addition of Pulse Mines. I already had a play set of these since they were rewards in the previous Espa Roba event. The Treasure Box reward cards are the same as the cumulative reward cards plus a few others. I do not understand why Cyber Esper was part of this set. I guess the point is being able to 'see' what your opponent draws is like Espa Roba's trick of knowing what cards his opponent used but I feel like that card would have been more suitable in the Zane event. Anyway, it could definitely be worse - the cards could all be weak normal types that most people don't even use - oh wait... that's what four of the cards in the Silver reward box list are! I understand that 2 of them are fusion materials for the also available Metal Dragon, but the others make no sense. The worse part is I have at least 10 copies of each (some of which I have 20 copies) since the better rewards are of the higher rarity. Next time, Duel Links, at least choose cards we want to use for the Normal Rank rewards.
Pro: This counts toward your Ranked Duels cumulative rewards.
I do like this idea very much. I was able to earn several tickets for cards during this event. I hope this is carried over for future events.
Con: Espa Roba shows up in duel world - after 1 pm on Jun 30, 2018.
This event is all about PVP dueling. It makes very little sense to suddenly also throw Espa Roba into the duel world. It's not too bad it does seem extraneous.
Well, how does it stand up? Overall, not bad. Again, my only real issue was actually resolved within a day so Duel Links did a great job. Still, there is room for improvement. It does give me hope for future events though. I highly recommend that you participate in this event if you play Duel Links. Anyway, leave me a comment telling me what you thought of this event. Which teams did you pick for the 3 rounds (thus far)? I chose Spellcaster, Beast-Warrior, and Dinosaur.
I hope you enjoyed this post and will continue to enjoy future posts. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Sherlock Gnomes: A DVD Review
When I first heard of the sequel to Gnomeo and Juliet, I was both excited and dubious. How could you make a sequel to a movie of Romeo and Juliet as gnomes? Could it work? Would it be as good as the first one or be a major letdown? One thing was for sure - I would have to see it when it came out on DVD.
I don't want to have any spoilers so I'll keep the plot summary brief. Gnomeo and Juliet's friends and family have gone missing. Who can solve this mystery? Why, the brilliant detective, Sherlock Gnomes and his trusty assistant, Dr. Watson, that's who! The adventure that follows is a mystery that stays true to Sherlock Holmes while at the same time keeping the fun of the original film - along with plenty of Elton John music. The villain of this movie is a perfect balance of comic and diabolical which really suits a children's film yet also is enough to keep adults entertained. I love the animation and the numerous Easter eggs hidden throughout the movie (just like in the original). While some parts of the story are a bit predictable, that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. I urge any fans of Gnomeo and Juliet (or Sherlock Holmes) to pick this movie up. You won't be disappointed.
Well, that does it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post as much I enjoyed writing it. If you've seen the movie, leave a comment telling me your thoughts on it. Was it great or just okay? Please try to keep the spoilers at a minimum for those who haven't seen it yet. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
I don't want to have any spoilers so I'll keep the plot summary brief. Gnomeo and Juliet's friends and family have gone missing. Who can solve this mystery? Why, the brilliant detective, Sherlock Gnomes and his trusty assistant, Dr. Watson, that's who! The adventure that follows is a mystery that stays true to Sherlock Holmes while at the same time keeping the fun of the original film - along with plenty of Elton John music. The villain of this movie is a perfect balance of comic and diabolical which really suits a children's film yet also is enough to keep adults entertained. I love the animation and the numerous Easter eggs hidden throughout the movie (just like in the original). While some parts of the story are a bit predictable, that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. I urge any fans of Gnomeo and Juliet (or Sherlock Holmes) to pick this movie up. You won't be disappointed.
Well, that does it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post as much I enjoyed writing it. If you've seen the movie, leave a comment telling me your thoughts on it. Was it great or just okay? Please try to keep the spoilers at a minimum for those who haven't seen it yet. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, June 16, 2018
New Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links Structure Deck EX Spellbound Silence - Is It Worth It??
A new structure deck has arrived! This one promises to be the first of many of a new kind of structure deck called 'Structure Deck EX'. What does the EX stand for? It's not clear. It is not explained in Duel Links or on the official web site here. Clearly, this is supposed to be better than the previous structure decks released thus far. Is it? Let's take a look.
First of all, the facts are as follows. This is the first structure deck to contain ultra rare cards. This deck has 21 cards in total (including duplicates). All of the cards are reprints except for 2: Gold Sarcophagus and Silent Magician. Both of these cards are ultra rare and have no duplicates. The deck cannot be purchased with gems. The deck costs $6.99 regularly but you can purchase it at a discounted price of $3.99. However, that price is only limited for 1 purchase. Subsequent copies will have to be purchased at the regular price.
How does this compare to the other decks? The other decks all had an average of 11 new cards (without duplicates). You could also purchase each deck once for the price of 500 gems before you had to spend $3.99 for any extra copies. Clearly, this new deck poses some troubling thoughts towards future deck releases. Will all EX structure decks be this way? Will there be any other way to get the cards for those of us (like myself) who prefer to not spend actual money on this game???
Again, it's not clear. For now, I will say that Spellbound Silence does not seem worth purchasing more than once unless you really want 3 copies of Silent Magician or Gold Sarcophagus. Seven dollars for 2 cards is far too expensive for my taste. I would recommend not purchasing this deck and waiting to see if the cards will be made available some other way. However, the choice is still yours, readers, so do as you see fit. I just know that I will not be purchasing this structure deck anytime soon.
Well, that does it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. What do you think of the new structure deck in Duel Links? Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts. I look forward to seeing what you think - is it worth it or not? Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
First of all, the facts are as follows. This is the first structure deck to contain ultra rare cards. This deck has 21 cards in total (including duplicates). All of the cards are reprints except for 2: Gold Sarcophagus and Silent Magician. Both of these cards are ultra rare and have no duplicates. The deck cannot be purchased with gems. The deck costs $6.99 regularly but you can purchase it at a discounted price of $3.99. However, that price is only limited for 1 purchase. Subsequent copies will have to be purchased at the regular price.
How does this compare to the other decks? The other decks all had an average of 11 new cards (without duplicates). You could also purchase each deck once for the price of 500 gems before you had to spend $3.99 for any extra copies. Clearly, this new deck poses some troubling thoughts towards future deck releases. Will all EX structure decks be this way? Will there be any other way to get the cards for those of us (like myself) who prefer to not spend actual money on this game???
Again, it's not clear. For now, I will say that Spellbound Silence does not seem worth purchasing more than once unless you really want 3 copies of Silent Magician or Gold Sarcophagus. Seven dollars for 2 cards is far too expensive for my taste. I would recommend not purchasing this deck and waiting to see if the cards will be made available some other way. However, the choice is still yours, readers, so do as you see fit. I just know that I will not be purchasing this structure deck anytime soon.
Well, that does it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. What do you think of the new structure deck in Duel Links? Leave a comment below telling me your thoughts. I look forward to seeing what you think - is it worth it or not? Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Solo: A Star Wars Movie Review
There are few greater summer pleasures than going to the movies. This past week, I indulged in that pleasure once again. My father asked if I wanted to go see the movie Solo with him so of course, I said yes. I know the full title is 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' but I will shorten it to Solo for brevity's sake. I didn't expect Solo to be much - especially after the not so great Rogue One. Still, I was curious so I went to go see it. So, was I right on the money or did Solo surprise me?
First of all, in case you don't know, this is the origin story of Han Solo. The movie basically explains how Solo became the smuggler and rogue that we all know and love. I don't want to give anything away but I must say the story is way better than Rogue One. Young Han Solo isn't perfect but he definitely captures the charm and arrogance of a young, inexperienced kid learning to be a smuggler. Chewbacca is awesome and provides a few laughs along the way. A few new characters are introduced but it is hard to get invested in them when you expect only 3 of the characters to actually make it through this film: Han, Chewie, and Lando. Speaking of Lando Calrissian, I have to say the he was absolutely perfect. The actor did a great job of looking, acting, and even sounding like the original Lando. I also like how he pronounced Han more like can than like con which is what the original Lando also had a habit of doing. It was a nice touch.
Overall, Solo was way better than I expected. It had its problems, of course, but was an enjoyable experience nonetheless. If you are a Star Wars fan, you won't be disappointed. Go see Solo and enjoy a new adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
Well, that's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Have you seen the new movie? Did you enjoy it? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. I look forward to seeing what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
First of all, in case you don't know, this is the origin story of Han Solo. The movie basically explains how Solo became the smuggler and rogue that we all know and love. I don't want to give anything away but I must say the story is way better than Rogue One. Young Han Solo isn't perfect but he definitely captures the charm and arrogance of a young, inexperienced kid learning to be a smuggler. Chewbacca is awesome and provides a few laughs along the way. A few new characters are introduced but it is hard to get invested in them when you expect only 3 of the characters to actually make it through this film: Han, Chewie, and Lando. Speaking of Lando Calrissian, I have to say the he was absolutely perfect. The actor did a great job of looking, acting, and even sounding like the original Lando. I also like how he pronounced Han more like can than like con which is what the original Lando also had a habit of doing. It was a nice touch.
Overall, Solo was way better than I expected. It had its problems, of course, but was an enjoyable experience nonetheless. If you are a Star Wars fan, you won't be disappointed. Go see Solo and enjoy a new adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
Well, that's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Have you seen the new movie? Did you enjoy it? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. I look forward to seeing what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, June 2, 2018
New Pokemon Game Coming to the Switch in November!!!
Our first trailers for the next Pokémon game have arrived - sort of. This game isn't another core game like many were expecting. It's called "Let's Go, Pikachu" or "Let's Go, Eevee". I will go over my general thoughts on the new games based on the trailers that have been released. You can view the English trailer here and the Japanese trailer here. I will probably do a more specific list of my likes/dislikes later once more information is available. Well, let's jump into it!!
First of all, the game is clearly a sequel or tie-in to the Pokémon Go app. In fact, it reminds me of the older console games like Pokémon Coliseum or XD Gale of Darkness but with Pokémon Go mechanics. This is fine and is clearly meant to hold us over until the next core game is released next year. The next thing you notice is the graphic style which is... not the best. After playing Pokémon Ultra Moon, these graphics seem a step down from what we've come to expect. I don't mind the cartoony look but it does remind me of Pokémon ORAS. That is not a good thing since the biggest letdown of the remake was the horrible pop-up book style of the graphics. I mean, Pokémon X and Y were beautiful even if the characters looked a bit cartoony. However, ORAS just looked even more cartoony.... if not worse. The characters were fine but the over world was just... not, but I digress.
The main protagonists look good and I love the female's appearance. The starter choice of Pikachu and Eevee is great since both are adorable. This leads me to my next point: this is clearly a Pokémon Yellow remake. For those that don't know, after Red and Blue, Pokémon Yellow came out with a major difference: Pikachu was your starter and he could follow you around. It was still Kanto and the journey was the same, but having Pikachu follow you around was an amazing idea. I think the idea of remaking Pokémon Yellow is pretty brilliant. The nostalgia will get the attention of the older Pokémon players and the new players will get to experience Kanto.
The other big changes seen are the return of Pokémon riding (without the awkward looking riding gear) and the return of Pokémon following you. I have to admit, both of these look really cool. I wonder if you can ride any big Pokémon or just specific ones. Pikachu and Eevee seem to ride on the trainer's shoulder or head through most of the journey instead of following. This is fine and kind of adorable. Speaking of adorable, nothing is cuter than a Pokémon in a costume which is another new feature for this game. I wonder how many choices the players will have for costume options.
Anyway, like I said earlier, there are some clear tie-ins to Pokémon Go with the ability to connect between the app and the Switch game. However, my favorite part is the new Pokéball Plus controller. Not only can you use it to control your character in-game, but you can also transfer any of your caught Pokémon into it. Of course, this only means that if you interact with the device, it lights up and you hear the Pokémon's cry but still that is an amazing idea. I just hope it comes with a mute button or one bump of your pocket and you'll startle people with Pikachu's cries. Speaking of surprises, there was also a new Pokémon teased at the end of the trailers. I don't know what it could be, but I'll work on a theory for a later post.
Overall, I am not sure how to feel about this game. I am disappointed that the next core game won't be until next year but at the same time, I don't mind. USUM were rushed and felt incomplete so taking extra time gives me hope that the games will be much better. Some things about the newly revealed games looks pretty cool and almost makes me want to buy it - then I realized that would include buying a Switch and I think I'll just hold off on that for now. Other than that, the hype is back and I can't wait to see what all this game has in store. What do you think of these new games? Leave a comment below telling me what you think. Would you pick Pikachu or Eevee? Which Pokémon would you like to see following you? I look forward to reading your comments. That's all for this week and I hope you enjoyed the post. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
First of all, the game is clearly a sequel or tie-in to the Pokémon Go app. In fact, it reminds me of the older console games like Pokémon Coliseum or XD Gale of Darkness but with Pokémon Go mechanics. This is fine and is clearly meant to hold us over until the next core game is released next year. The next thing you notice is the graphic style which is... not the best. After playing Pokémon Ultra Moon, these graphics seem a step down from what we've come to expect. I don't mind the cartoony look but it does remind me of Pokémon ORAS. That is not a good thing since the biggest letdown of the remake was the horrible pop-up book style of the graphics. I mean, Pokémon X and Y were beautiful even if the characters looked a bit cartoony. However, ORAS just looked even more cartoony.... if not worse. The characters were fine but the over world was just... not, but I digress.
The main protagonists look good and I love the female's appearance. The starter choice of Pikachu and Eevee is great since both are adorable. This leads me to my next point: this is clearly a Pokémon Yellow remake. For those that don't know, after Red and Blue, Pokémon Yellow came out with a major difference: Pikachu was your starter and he could follow you around. It was still Kanto and the journey was the same, but having Pikachu follow you around was an amazing idea. I think the idea of remaking Pokémon Yellow is pretty brilliant. The nostalgia will get the attention of the older Pokémon players and the new players will get to experience Kanto.
The other big changes seen are the return of Pokémon riding (without the awkward looking riding gear) and the return of Pokémon following you. I have to admit, both of these look really cool. I wonder if you can ride any big Pokémon or just specific ones. Pikachu and Eevee seem to ride on the trainer's shoulder or head through most of the journey instead of following. This is fine and kind of adorable. Speaking of adorable, nothing is cuter than a Pokémon in a costume which is another new feature for this game. I wonder how many choices the players will have for costume options.
Anyway, like I said earlier, there are some clear tie-ins to Pokémon Go with the ability to connect between the app and the Switch game. However, my favorite part is the new Pokéball Plus controller. Not only can you use it to control your character in-game, but you can also transfer any of your caught Pokémon into it. Of course, this only means that if you interact with the device, it lights up and you hear the Pokémon's cry but still that is an amazing idea. I just hope it comes with a mute button or one bump of your pocket and you'll startle people with Pikachu's cries. Speaking of surprises, there was also a new Pokémon teased at the end of the trailers. I don't know what it could be, but I'll work on a theory for a later post.
Overall, I am not sure how to feel about this game. I am disappointed that the next core game won't be until next year but at the same time, I don't mind. USUM were rushed and felt incomplete so taking extra time gives me hope that the games will be much better. Some things about the newly revealed games looks pretty cool and almost makes me want to buy it - then I realized that would include buying a Switch and I think I'll just hold off on that for now. Other than that, the hype is back and I can't wait to see what all this game has in store. What do you think of these new games? Leave a comment below telling me what you think. Would you pick Pikachu or Eevee? Which Pokémon would you like to see following you? I look forward to reading your comments. That's all for this week and I hope you enjoyed the post. Have a good weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, May 26, 2018
May 2018 Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden List Review
A new forbidden list has been released and as usual, there are a few surprises. We'll work our way through the list by limit as we did before. You can see this list for yourself here. Let's begin with the forbidden cards.
The following cards are now forbidden: Astrograph Sorcerer,
Master Peace the True Dracoslaying King,
Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis,
Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom,
Ancient Fairy Dragon,
Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force,
and That Grass Looks Greener.
I understand all of these since they can all be abused in one way or another. However, Phoenixian Cluster and Ancient Fairy Dragon are rather old cards, as Yu-Gi-Oh! cards go, so I don't see why they would be suddenly more dangerous than before. Either way, not a bad a start for this list.
The following cards are now limited: Dinomight Knight the True Dracofighter,
Gem-Knight Master Diamond,
and Chain Strike.
I can see why these are all limited. They can be abused, but they're not as good as any of the cards on the forbidden list. It seems a fair and understandable choice. Let's move on to semi-limited cards.
The following cards are now semi-limited: Apoqliphort Towers and Ring of Destruction.
Each of these has perks and drawbacks. I don't see how either of these would be worth limiting since it is only practical to use 1 of each, if at all, in a deck.
Now the cards no longer limited in any way: Atlantean Dragoons,
Grandsoil the Elemental Lord,
Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior,
Mathematician,
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole,
and Compulsory Evacuation Device.
First of all, I don't know why Grandsoil was limited to begin with since it has such specific summoning requirements. Ignis Heat seems no less dangerous than the rest of the True Dracos that were hit this time around. Mathematician is a decent card and should be used if you need cards in your graveyard. The ones that I find most exciting are the last two. Both of these cards are pretty good despite some drawbacks. I would definitely use some of each of the two cards if I could. Being able to return a card to the hand would be very useful in a tight spot. Either way, this month's forbidden list has been interesting and fair. I hope all future choices follow this pattern.
That's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. What did you think of the May 2018 Yu-Gi-Oh! forbidden list? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. I look forward to reading them. As always, have a good weekend and keep on gaming!!! :)
The following cards are now forbidden: Astrograph Sorcerer,
Master Peace the True Dracoslaying King,
Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis,
Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom,
Ancient Fairy Dragon,
Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force,
and That Grass Looks Greener.
I understand all of these since they can all be abused in one way or another. However, Phoenixian Cluster and Ancient Fairy Dragon are rather old cards, as Yu-Gi-Oh! cards go, so I don't see why they would be suddenly more dangerous than before. Either way, not a bad a start for this list.
The following cards are now limited: Dinomight Knight the True Dracofighter,
Gem-Knight Master Diamond,
and Chain Strike.
I can see why these are all limited. They can be abused, but they're not as good as any of the cards on the forbidden list. It seems a fair and understandable choice. Let's move on to semi-limited cards.
The following cards are now semi-limited: Apoqliphort Towers and Ring of Destruction.
Each of these has perks and drawbacks. I don't see how either of these would be worth limiting since it is only practical to use 1 of each, if at all, in a deck.
Now the cards no longer limited in any way: Atlantean Dragoons,
Grandsoil the Elemental Lord,
Ignis Heat, the True Dracowarrior,
Mathematician,
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole,
and Compulsory Evacuation Device.
First of all, I don't know why Grandsoil was limited to begin with since it has such specific summoning requirements. Ignis Heat seems no less dangerous than the rest of the True Dracos that were hit this time around. Mathematician is a decent card and should be used if you need cards in your graveyard. The ones that I find most exciting are the last two. Both of these cards are pretty good despite some drawbacks. I would definitely use some of each of the two cards if I could. Being able to return a card to the hand would be very useful in a tight spot. Either way, this month's forbidden list has been interesting and fair. I hope all future choices follow this pattern.
That's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. What did you think of the May 2018 Yu-Gi-Oh! forbidden list? Leave a comment below with your thoughts. I look forward to reading them. As always, have a good weekend and keep on gaming!!! :)
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Top 3 New Evolutions for Eevee
I would like to preface this post with an apology for my extended hiatus from the blog. I was working on a project that took up all of my free time. Now that's over and hopefully this will never happen again. I thank you all for your patience and continued support. Okay, let's get started!!
Oh tis the season of leaks for the new Pokémon games. Everyone has been eagerly awaiting for any news of the upcoming Pokémon games for the Switch. The latest leaks seem to suggest that Pikachu and Eevee will be the focus of the next games. Either way, it does give me hope that Eevee will get a new evolution. I have created sprites for 3 options that I think would be awesome new additions to the Eevee line. Let's take a look at my Top 3 New Evolutions for Eevee!
3) Insecteon
Oh tis the season of leaks for the new Pokémon games. Everyone has been eagerly awaiting for any news of the upcoming Pokémon games for the Switch. The latest leaks seem to suggest that Pikachu and Eevee will be the focus of the next games. Either way, it does give me hope that Eevee will get a new evolution. I have created sprites for 3 options that I think would be awesome new additions to the Eevee line. Let's take a look at my Top 3 New Evolutions for Eevee!
3) Insecteon
For this sprite, I started with an Umbreon sprite as my base. I took parts of other existing Pokémon (Beedrill and Butterfree) and created what I think a bug-type evolution would look like. My favorite parts of this are the butterfly wings and the eyes. I apologize for the roughness of the antennae but they were challenging due to their size. Anyway, I think Insecteon would be the perfect foil to Espeon and Sylveon since it would know some bug and poison moves like Silver Wind and Sludge Bomb. I would also give it the ability Swarm or Compound Eyes.
2) Glideon
This is probably my best work out of all 3 of these. I took an Espeon and modified to a sleek and beautiful flying-type evolution using the wings of a Pidgeotto. I cannot believe how good this one came out and I really do hope we get a flying-type evolution like this. It could have access to Steel Wing so it could take on Sylveon. I think it would also have the ability Gale Wings or Keen Eye. I'm not sure if it would be plausible for it to be able to learn Fly but seeing the new trend for riding Pokémon, I don't see that being a problem.
1) Wispeon
This is another favorite. I wanted to create a ghost-type evolution but I didn't want to go purple or black. I was inspired by the Will-o-wisps from Brave and I really loved the appearance of shiny Gastly and Spiritomb. I used Flareon for my base and I used some new techniques to achieve that ghostly, wispy look. The only issue was the tail. Flareon's tail was too big but I could not get the tail exactly how I wanted it. Still, Wispeon would be an awesome Pokémon to have. I would give this Pokémon the ability Cursed Body or Levitate. And of course, it would be able to use the move Will-O-Wisp. I love this design and hope that if we do ever get a ghost-type evolution to Eevee, that it will be this awesome.
Well, that does it for this week. What's do you think the next evolution will be? Leave a comment below telling me your hopes and ideas. I look forward to seeing what you think. Next week, I will discuss the latest changes to the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG banlist. Until then, have a good week and enjoy the posts!!
Sunday, February 4, 2018
New Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden/Limited List Has Big Changes
It's that time of the week again and this time, we're discussing Yu-Gi-Oh! The newest Forbidden/Limited list is out and boy, is it interesting. Let's start with the newest additions to the Forbidden list:
Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow
Dandylion
Double Iris Magician
Level Eater
Maxx "C"
Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
I feel like many of these cards don't need to be forbidden. Most of them have low ATK and DEF plus some cost to offset their abilities. At any rate, any duelists using these cards will have to edit their decks pronto.
Now for the limited list:
Apoqliphort Towers
Grinder Golem
Performage Damage Juggler
Firewall Dragon
Monster Reborn
Spyral Resort
Solemn Judgment
First of all, I am glad Monster Reborn is no longer forbidden. Solemn Judgment is a surprise but I never understood why it was forbidden since it cost half of your LP just to stop the summon or activation of 1 card. That always felt far too risky to be of any use to me. Anyway, the other cards all make sense on this list with the exception of 1: Grinder Golem. I don't understand why this monster was ever limited. You summon it to your opponent's side of the field which means you give your opponent a 3000 ATK, LV 8 beater in exchange for 2 0 ATK and DEF tokens in attack position that you cannot tribute until your next turn. You can Xyz summon something but I cannot think of any LV 1 Xyz monsters that could take down the Grinder Golem. It doesn't really seem like it should be on any limited list due to its summoning requirements and the fact that it ends up on your opponent's side of the field. I really don't get it but that's okay.
The semi-limited list doesn't change so we won't go into that. All that remains is the cards that are no longer limited in any way:
Artifact Moralltach
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
Card Trooper
Thunder King Rai-Oh
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Brain Control
El Shaddoll Fusion
Future Fusion
Mind Control
Preparation of Rites
Saqlifice
Bottomless Trap Hole
Ceasefire
Ojama Trio
Torrential Tribute
The biggest surprises here are Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and Torrential Tribute. I remember a time when BLS was always on the forbidden list. It's dragon counterpart, Chaos Emperor Dragon, Envoy of the End is STILL forbidden. So why is it now unlimited?? At any rate, it is nice to see it unlimited now along with Torrential Tribute, Brain Control, Ceasefire, and Bottomless Trap Hole. Decks are going to be a lot more interesting this year.
Well, that's it for this Forbidden/Limited list review. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment down below telling me your thoughts on this new list. Do you agree/disagree with the changes? Are there cards that should have been limited or not limited at all?? I'd love to know what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow
Dandylion
Double Iris Magician
Level Eater
Maxx "C"
Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
I feel like many of these cards don't need to be forbidden. Most of them have low ATK and DEF plus some cost to offset their abilities. At any rate, any duelists using these cards will have to edit their decks pronto.
Now for the limited list:
Apoqliphort Towers
Grinder Golem
Performage Damage Juggler
Firewall Dragon
Monster Reborn
Spyral Resort
Solemn Judgment
First of all, I am glad Monster Reborn is no longer forbidden. Solemn Judgment is a surprise but I never understood why it was forbidden since it cost half of your LP just to stop the summon or activation of 1 card. That always felt far too risky to be of any use to me. Anyway, the other cards all make sense on this list with the exception of 1: Grinder Golem. I don't understand why this monster was ever limited. You summon it to your opponent's side of the field which means you give your opponent a 3000 ATK, LV 8 beater in exchange for 2 0 ATK and DEF tokens in attack position that you cannot tribute until your next turn. You can Xyz summon something but I cannot think of any LV 1 Xyz monsters that could take down the Grinder Golem. It doesn't really seem like it should be on any limited list due to its summoning requirements and the fact that it ends up on your opponent's side of the field. I really don't get it but that's okay.
The semi-limited list doesn't change so we won't go into that. All that remains is the cards that are no longer limited in any way:
Artifact Moralltach
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning
Card Trooper
Thunder King Rai-Oh
Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
Brain Control
El Shaddoll Fusion
Future Fusion
Mind Control
Preparation of Rites
Saqlifice
Bottomless Trap Hole
Ceasefire
Ojama Trio
Torrential Tribute
The biggest surprises here are Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and Torrential Tribute. I remember a time when BLS was always on the forbidden list. It's dragon counterpart, Chaos Emperor Dragon, Envoy of the End is STILL forbidden. So why is it now unlimited?? At any rate, it is nice to see it unlimited now along with Torrential Tribute, Brain Control, Ceasefire, and Bottomless Trap Hole. Decks are going to be a lot more interesting this year.
Well, that's it for this Forbidden/Limited list review. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment down below telling me your thoughts on this new list. Do you agree/disagree with the changes? Are there cards that should have been limited or not limited at all?? I'd love to know what you think. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Top 5 Pokemon Types I Would Like to See in Gen 8
I'm back! I am sorry this is so late but I was working on an assignment all day. Anyway, keeping in the theme of Gen 8 speculation, I have decided this week to talk about the top 5 Pokémon types that I would like to see in Gen 8. Here we go!
5. Ghost/Dragon
Can you just imagine what this would look like? I imagine a cross between a Druddigon and a Boo from Super Mario. It could also be a dragon utilizing the Ghost type color palette of blues and purples. Either way, I hope this typing makes it into Gen 8. It would be scary cool!
4. Ice/Bug
I admit it, I just want a white butterfly or moth Pokémon. Pokémon Uranium has a gorgeous ice moth that is just phenomenal. I would be so happy if this came true. I'd even take a white beetle Pokémon. This typing is just too (pardon the pun) cool to pass up!
3. Electric/Poison
I think this typing is one that we need to see. I can imagine an electric anemone or perhaps a creature that resulted from the disposal of waste near an electric plant. There is potential here and I would really like to see what Game Freak can come up with.
2. Dark/Fairy
I like it when types that are considered opposites are put together. Volcanion's Fire/Water typing is a good example of this and the design is great. I would love to see a Dark/Fairy in the future and hope that it does happen.
1. Fire/Ice
I just think that this would be the ultimate opposite combo. Heat and cold together would be very interesting to see. I can't think of a situation or habitat where this would work but I still think it would be a cool idea.
Well, that's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me which types you want to see in Gen 8. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
5. Ghost/Dragon
Can you just imagine what this would look like? I imagine a cross between a Druddigon and a Boo from Super Mario. It could also be a dragon utilizing the Ghost type color palette of blues and purples. Either way, I hope this typing makes it into Gen 8. It would be scary cool!
4. Ice/Bug
I admit it, I just want a white butterfly or moth Pokémon. Pokémon Uranium has a gorgeous ice moth that is just phenomenal. I would be so happy if this came true. I'd even take a white beetle Pokémon. This typing is just too (pardon the pun) cool to pass up!
3. Electric/Poison
I think this typing is one that we need to see. I can imagine an electric anemone or perhaps a creature that resulted from the disposal of waste near an electric plant. There is potential here and I would really like to see what Game Freak can come up with.
2. Dark/Fairy
I like it when types that are considered opposites are put together. Volcanion's Fire/Water typing is a good example of this and the design is great. I would love to see a Dark/Fairy in the future and hope that it does happen.
1. Fire/Ice
I just think that this would be the ultimate opposite combo. Heat and cold together would be very interesting to see. I can't think of a situation or habitat where this would work but I still think it would be a cool idea.
Well, that's it for this week. I hope you enjoyed this post and will follow me so you don't miss out on future posts. Leave a comment below telling me which types you want to see in Gen 8. Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Top 5 Features for Pokemon Gen 8
I'm back, everyone! I again apologize because I didn't post last week. We lost our phone line again around Wed afternoon and didn't get it back until almost the next evening. I was hesitant to post since it felt like our phone (and Internet) could go at any time. It's been a week without incident so I return to the blog! This week we will continue our discussion about Gen 8. This time, I want to go over the top 5 features that I want to see in the Gen 8 Pokémon Game!! Let's go!
5. Rival Naming
There's something about being able to name your rival - it just feels so right! I have missed that feature since Gen 6 and 7 didn't use it. I want to be able to name my rival again.
4. Gyms
I'm sorry but I am not a fan of trials. I prefer gyms and hope they make a return in Gen 8.
3. Mega Evolution
Mega Evolution showed a lot of potential to help average Pokémon become great. So, my question is, why drop that so suddenly for Z-moves? Z-moves are okay but I prefer Mega Evolution since we actually see our Pokémon change form (albeit briefly). I just want to see it come back so some other Pokémon could get a Mega Evolution (cough) Butterfree (cough)!
2. Protagonist Choices Varying in More Than Gender
This is an idea that I have had for a while. Pokémon Crystal (Gen 2) gave us the ability to play as either gender. Since then, the choice hasn't really changed - especially in age. Not all Pokémon players are children so why have all protagonists be children? It would be so cool if you could choose between not only different genders but also different ages. There are already many trainer types varying in gender and age why not protagonists? The story itself could even be different based on the age you select. This would be amazing!!
1. Self Trading
I admit, I loathe the inclusion of Pokémon that only evolve through trading. If you don't have friends with the games, then you will never be able to complete the Pokédex. While wonder trading sometimes helps (if you're lucky) and maybe you can find what you need in the GTS (unless they ask for a legendary or a genderless Pokémon of a certain gender - yes, that can happen), it still is so frustrating!! Just make a way - an NPC, a special kiosk in the Pokémon center, whichever way you want so that you can trade for a Pokémon with yourself. That would be such a great feature to have! Fan games already use an item to represent trading to make evolution easier so why can't the official games do the same?
Well, there you have it. Hopefully, I will be able to keep to my schedule from now on and I thank you in advance for your patience. Leave a comment below telling me what features you want to see in Gen 8! Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
5. Rival Naming
There's something about being able to name your rival - it just feels so right! I have missed that feature since Gen 6 and 7 didn't use it. I want to be able to name my rival again.
4. Gyms
I'm sorry but I am not a fan of trials. I prefer gyms and hope they make a return in Gen 8.
3. Mega Evolution
Mega Evolution showed a lot of potential to help average Pokémon become great. So, my question is, why drop that so suddenly for Z-moves? Z-moves are okay but I prefer Mega Evolution since we actually see our Pokémon change form (albeit briefly). I just want to see it come back so some other Pokémon could get a Mega Evolution (cough) Butterfree (cough)!
2. Protagonist Choices Varying in More Than Gender
This is an idea that I have had for a while. Pokémon Crystal (Gen 2) gave us the ability to play as either gender. Since then, the choice hasn't really changed - especially in age. Not all Pokémon players are children so why have all protagonists be children? It would be so cool if you could choose between not only different genders but also different ages. There are already many trainer types varying in gender and age why not protagonists? The story itself could even be different based on the age you select. This would be amazing!!
1. Self Trading
I admit, I loathe the inclusion of Pokémon that only evolve through trading. If you don't have friends with the games, then you will never be able to complete the Pokédex. While wonder trading sometimes helps (if you're lucky) and maybe you can find what you need in the GTS (unless they ask for a legendary or a genderless Pokémon of a certain gender - yes, that can happen), it still is so frustrating!! Just make a way - an NPC, a special kiosk in the Pokémon center, whichever way you want so that you can trade for a Pokémon with yourself. That would be such a great feature to have! Fan games already use an item to represent trading to make evolution easier so why can't the official games do the same?
Well, there you have it. Hopefully, I will be able to keep to my schedule from now on and I thank you in advance for your patience. Leave a comment below telling me what features you want to see in Gen 8! Have a great weekend and as always, keep on gaming!!!
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Top 10 Locations for Pokemon Gen 8
I just want to say something first: I am so sorry for not posting for 2 weeks. First of all, our phone line (and internet) went out just before Christmas and didn't come back until after Christmas due to repairs to a phone line taking so long. Second of all, it went out again before that week was over! I guess the repair job wasn't good enough? Anyway, while it did return before last Saturday, I was afraid to start writing this post since I had no guarantees that the internet wouldn't suddenly go out again. That being said, I have returned and for my first post of this year, I will tackle something that I have been pondering ever since the last games were announced: where will the Gen 8 Pokémon region be?? I thought about this for a long time and now I think I have a list of places that I would like to see the next generation games take place in. So, without further ado, here are my top 10 locations for Pokémon Gen 8.
10. Sinnoh
Since the next remakes are clearly Diamond and Pearl, it is a safe bet that the next games could take place in Sinnoh. While that excites me, my disappointment in the Hoenn remakes makes me apprehensive about how the final product will look. That's why this option is so low on the list.
9. Kanto
The Kanto region is the region that started it all so it makes sense to have the first game on the Switch be set in the first region. There were even numerous Kanto references in the Sun and Moon games. This has potential but I feel the game could go for something a bit more exciting.
8. Unova
It's no secret that there were also some interesting Unova references in Sun and Moon. I would love to see an updated B/W game. However, like the other options I've already mentioned it wouldn't be very exciting or have new Pokémon. Still, it would be cool to find out why Grimsley left Unova.
7. Mexico
I think the colorful culture of Mexico would provide a great backdrop to the next Pokémon games. I can imagine some very interesting Pokémon being created for this region. Just don't have an unbearably cheerful character obsessing over tacos...please? One Hau is enough.
6. Amazon Rainforest
This location was purely for Pokémon. The rainforest is one of the most diverse ecosystems with an abundance of creatures. This location would probably boast the largest Pokédex of all the regions. This could include more variations of older regional favorites. Vileplume, Vivillon, and Butterfree in particular could have some awesome Rainforest forms.
5. Russia
Another colorful culture that would make a great backdrop to the next generation of games would be Russia. I would love to see a Pokémon center with an onion-shaped dome like those seen in Russian Architecture.
4. Greece
A Mediterranean themed region would be an amazing idea. I also love Ancient Greek architecture and mythology. We could see some very interesting Pokémon based on the mythical creatures of Ancient Greece like Centaurs and Satyrs.
3. Australia
If you're a fan of Pokémon fan games then you have probably heard of Pokémon Spectrum. This fan game's region is based on Australia and I love that idea. Mostly, I just want a koala Pokémon. I mean other than Komala which was very disappointing. Also, a platypus Pokémon would be adorable.
2. Scandinavia
I admit it, I just want a region entirely in the snow. The fan game known as Pokémon Sage starts out this way but after a few towns the climate gets warmer. This is why I want to see an entire region in snow. Between caves, frozen lakes, and of course, snow, it would be a much different journey than we're used to. Also, I love the look of a snow-covered village. Imagine how beautiful that would look in the updated graphics.
1. Egypt
I love all things Ancient Egypt and I would love a region entirely in a desert. Perhaps Maractus could finally get that evolution? Anyway, imagine trekking through sandstorms to investigate ruins. I actually liked this in Hoenn and Unova so I would like to see what it would be like in the updated graphics. The potential here is huge.
And that's all for this week. Once again I apologize for not posting due to things that were really out of my control. This new year offers new hope and potential and I really want to try more posting ideas like my own Fakemon, or more regional variants if we get a new region announced?? I don't know, but I will figure it out. Perhaps I can start reviewing fan games that I have played before?? At any rate, I hope you liked this post. Follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Also, leave a comment below telling me where you would like to see the next games take place. Is it based on a country or just an environment that you would like to see?? I can't wait to find out. Until next time, stay warm, have a great new year, and as always, keep on gaming!!
10. Sinnoh
Since the next remakes are clearly Diamond and Pearl, it is a safe bet that the next games could take place in Sinnoh. While that excites me, my disappointment in the Hoenn remakes makes me apprehensive about how the final product will look. That's why this option is so low on the list.
9. Kanto
The Kanto region is the region that started it all so it makes sense to have the first game on the Switch be set in the first region. There were even numerous Kanto references in the Sun and Moon games. This has potential but I feel the game could go for something a bit more exciting.
8. Unova
It's no secret that there were also some interesting Unova references in Sun and Moon. I would love to see an updated B/W game. However, like the other options I've already mentioned it wouldn't be very exciting or have new Pokémon. Still, it would be cool to find out why Grimsley left Unova.
7. Mexico
I think the colorful culture of Mexico would provide a great backdrop to the next Pokémon games. I can imagine some very interesting Pokémon being created for this region. Just don't have an unbearably cheerful character obsessing over tacos...please? One Hau is enough.
6. Amazon Rainforest
This location was purely for Pokémon. The rainforest is one of the most diverse ecosystems with an abundance of creatures. This location would probably boast the largest Pokédex of all the regions. This could include more variations of older regional favorites. Vileplume, Vivillon, and Butterfree in particular could have some awesome Rainforest forms.
5. Russia
Another colorful culture that would make a great backdrop to the next generation of games would be Russia. I would love to see a Pokémon center with an onion-shaped dome like those seen in Russian Architecture.
4. Greece
A Mediterranean themed region would be an amazing idea. I also love Ancient Greek architecture and mythology. We could see some very interesting Pokémon based on the mythical creatures of Ancient Greece like Centaurs and Satyrs.
3. Australia
If you're a fan of Pokémon fan games then you have probably heard of Pokémon Spectrum. This fan game's region is based on Australia and I love that idea. Mostly, I just want a koala Pokémon. I mean other than Komala which was very disappointing. Also, a platypus Pokémon would be adorable.
2. Scandinavia
I admit it, I just want a region entirely in the snow. The fan game known as Pokémon Sage starts out this way but after a few towns the climate gets warmer. This is why I want to see an entire region in snow. Between caves, frozen lakes, and of course, snow, it would be a much different journey than we're used to. Also, I love the look of a snow-covered village. Imagine how beautiful that would look in the updated graphics.
1. Egypt
I love all things Ancient Egypt and I would love a region entirely in a desert. Perhaps Maractus could finally get that evolution? Anyway, imagine trekking through sandstorms to investigate ruins. I actually liked this in Hoenn and Unova so I would like to see what it would be like in the updated graphics. The potential here is huge.
And that's all for this week. Once again I apologize for not posting due to things that were really out of my control. This new year offers new hope and potential and I really want to try more posting ideas like my own Fakemon, or more regional variants if we get a new region announced?? I don't know, but I will figure it out. Perhaps I can start reviewing fan games that I have played before?? At any rate, I hope you liked this post. Follow me so you won't miss out on future posts. Also, leave a comment below telling me where you would like to see the next games take place. Is it based on a country or just an environment that you would like to see?? I can't wait to find out. Until next time, stay warm, have a great new year, and as always, keep on gaming!!
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