Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion, The Crown Tundra: Trading one grind for another.

Though I wasn't expecting the Sword and Shield Expansion Passes to fix the main issues I had with Sword and Shield, it has become clear in hindsight they've chosen to double down problems that feel like they've been plaguing Pokemon since Generation 6. While Isle of Armor was ok for what it was, it didn't make me excited for the second half of the Expansion Pass, the Crown Tundra. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion, Isle of Armor: How is SwSh 6 months later?

What was intended to be a short, simple review of a pretty short expansion turned out to be something a lot longer then I thought. Maybe I have been playing the series for too long... Well, before Min Min joins Smash and gives me another excuse to dump even more time into Smash's Spirits Mode (not that it needed more reasons to be the game I've put the most amount of time into on my Switch)

Detective Pikachu (Movie): Gen 1 pandering done right?

Pokemon brought into live-action, brought into the real world in a way that made them look like they belonged, not just using their original designs for merchandise and parading armies. I won't lie, I was sceptical at the news. Ignoring the fact that video game movies have a reputation for being really bad, thanks to many, many examples from the past (take your pick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_video_games#Hollywood_(live-action) ), what really made me cautious was the fact that there has been concept art of real-life Pokemon put up in the past made by one of the people who helped work on the designs used in the movie, and others following the trend. Nothing against RJ Palmer, I won't deny his talent as an artist, but the more dinosaur esque approach to the designs did not look good, and with other pokemon like many of the bug type Pokemon, object pokemon like Jigglypuff, even some like the Eeveelutions, it wasn't hard to find versions of these live-action interpretations that looked like they were at the bottom of the Uncanny Valley. To me, the normal design but with more detail was what I could see as real-life Pokemon, it's why stuff like this (https://www.deviantart.com/badafra/art/real-live-pokemon-Blaziken-303463061) interested me more than Palmer's work (though that picture of Groudon is somewhat terrifying.

Mediaholics Review: Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

We were going to do Gates, but one of us hasn't got it, and the other can't get through it, so let's review the game that was the developers going "Ok, yeah we stuffed up with some of these changes" 

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7AOCOj1eJ0

Opinion Piece: Things I'd like to see in Pokemon Generation 8 (and beyond)

Ahh, the start of a new Pokemon generation. A new location, new characters, new Pokemon, new features, returning features, cut features, it is an exciting time to be a Pokemon fan. While many will speculate on what's going to come to Pokemon Sword and Shield, analyze the trailers to death, go to war to decide if Gyms were better or Island Trials were better, and cry for an Open World game once Generation 9 comes in a few years, I'd like to take a step back, to talk about things that I either hear some people talk about, or no one talks about at all. I wouldn't call many of these ideas small ideas, but certainly lesser appreciated ideas. Do I think all of these are ever going to be a real thing in the games? Probably not. Do I hope all of these become realised ideas? Absolutely! So come with me dear reader as we indulge the one part of my brain that many people think I should have chosen for a career path, and probably would have if I enjoyed, and didn't such at, coding. These are in no particular order, that's why this isn't a Top X List.

It should be noted that the images used in this post are themed to their points, as such some might seem weird at first.

Pokemon Stadium: Remember when people were excited to play Pokemon on a home console?

While a part of me relishes in that being a stab at the Let's Go games, it's somewhat rooted in fact. From what I've heard, people were excited for this game to come out, this was the first ever way to battle with your Pokemon on your TV after all. Whereas with Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, the reaction's been kinda mediocre, though I'll save that for another time. For now, though, the spotlight's on Pokemon Stadium, the second Pokemon Stadium game ever made, and allowing players to battle their Pokemon on the square screen, something that is even more fitting thanks to the Detective Pikachu trailer coming out yesterday (another time, though you can find my initial reaction on my twitter account). How well does it hold up though now? Welcome to a world of visible triangles.

The main focus on Pokemon Stadium is the Pokemon battles, with a large chunk of the modes in the game dedicated to it. There are tournament cups where opponents are randomized based on the rules and difficulty level set, Gym Leader Castle, where the battles are more predetermined as you battle trainers themed around, and eventually including, the Eight Kanto Gym Leaders, and a mode where you and some friends can battle each other. Battles can be done with either premade rental Pokemon, or if you have the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pack, the pokemon you capture in Pokemon Red, Green (if you have one), Blue or Yellow. It's rather simplistic at its core, though it's the biggest problem comes from its source, Pokemon Generation 1, a generation that had infamous glitches, and when the concept of balance in the battles is laughable. This was before Fairies, before the Dark and Steel types existed. Before the Special stat split, when Special Attack and Special Defence were the one thing. This was a time when moves like Wrap made it impossible to attack when glitches let Venusaur become the strongest of the three starters thanks to Toxic and Leech Seed stacking. This was the generation that cemented Mewtwo as the strongest Legendary, even though there was a point when it was dethroned thanks to a god-like horse and your worst nightmares personified kinda nerfed him just a little bit... and was later cancelled by the invention of Mega Evolutions and now we're back to square one. Point being, if you know how to break the battle mechanics of the Generation 1 games and have a transfer pack to nuke them even further, very little is actually going to stand in your way. There is a charm in that though because it's kinda fun to tower over your friends with that kind of knowledge, and if they have a similar kind of knowledge, then do what I did while testing it at the Tech Games Fest this year, embrace the anarchy and do a battle with nothing but Alakazam's Metronome.

The Transfer pack has one other function in Pokemon Stadium though, the ability to play the Generation 1 games on your TV. I can't, however, judge this aspect of the game as while I own the game, I don't own a Transfer Pack, not to mention the lack of a physical copy of a Generation 1 game. What I can however review are the mini-games, the final mode of the game that gives players a break from battles. Like many have said elsewhere online, these games are a lot of fun, and it's a shame that they haven't left the N64. It would honestly be cool to see them remastered and added to the core games as a side activity. Sadly though I don't think that'll happen, based on how the games are designed nowadays. Though as a tip, if anyone at Game Freak ends up reading this, they would be an easy way to bring the Game Corner back. What would you rather, Voltorb Flip or Magikarp Splash?

I wish I could make it look this good on my TV.

It's hard to judge the presentation of this game, because while it hasn't aged well at all visually, what makes it worse is a common problem for retro gamers. That problem is "what happens when you try to play a game not made for a widescreen TV, and play it on a widescreen TV because how many people still have CRT's? This game looks rough and ugly when played on modern screens, even more so than normal. The only problem is that the N64 is really the only option to play the game now. It's not available on the Wii U or 3DS eShop, never came to the Wii eshop to my knowledge, and many emulators struggle to run the game (trust me, I checked). I have to ask though, why? Why wasn't it brought over because while 3D battles aren't the thing it's needed, for now, there is still a charm to it thanks to the animations used in the game, and the audio presentation which features realistic versions of the Pokemon cries, solid remixes of the gen 1 games' soundtrack, and the best announcer I've ever heard, which makes the slow-paced battles feel far more energetic and lively than they really are.

Is Pokemon Stadium fun? Yes. Is it enough fun to find a working N64, game and hopefully score the Transfer Pack and a Gen 1 cartridge, knowing you'll probably have to replace the battery? No. Hopefully, the game can get new life again at some point, but seeing as they continue to not release Mario Party 3 again, I find that hard to believe. If you can find the stuff needed for a good price, then great, have fun as there is definitely fun to be had. For me at least it's more entertaining then Pokemon Snap but that's beside the point. Anyway, from Pokemon to another fad of my primary school, let's go back to Yu-Gi-Oh next week with looking at two movies. Pyramid of Light, and the Dark Side of Dimensions.

Addendum Review: Pokemon Go, Two years Later

At the time of Pokemon Go's launch, while I was interested leading up to the release, even talking with people who were participating in the Beta here, the early launch period soured my interest quite drastically. At the time, my phone couldn't handle the game, the Google Play store outright refused to let me download it. What also lowered my interest in the game was the limitation of just Kanto Pokemon, and not even all of them as, from what I've heard, more unique pokemon like Ditto were missing at launch. Even when I got a new phone, one that could play Go, I just wasn't motivated enough to start it, only officially starting it late last year while I was killing time waiting for an event that I was working at to end, and only catching my starter, Squirtle.

So what inspired me to actually give it a chance? A number of factors actually. The first being the upcoming Let's Go Games, and how they're trying to marry the Go catching mechanics to the core RPG world design. The other? My broken foot. Throughout all of the winter this year (remember Northern Hemisphere people, down below the equator, June, July and August are the winter months), I was housebound healing a broken foot. A friend of mine on Twitter recommended I use Pokemon Go as my rehab of sorts, to help build up my leg and foot strength again, and I'll admit that it has done that quite well, I'm now back to full mobility in my leg and foot with no pain. As a result of it though, it has meant that I've had a lot of time with the game, and I figured it might be time for an Addendum Review, covering some of the changes that have happened since then.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon; Gates to Infinity: Well this world's in trouble

WRITER'S NOTE: Most potential cold puns are unintentional

If there is one series that's easy to collaborate on for this site, its Pokemon, especially the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. Red and Blue Rescue Teams were the first ever video review in the site's history, followed by the three Explorers games, and we've had Super Mystery Dungeon waiting in the pipeline, clawing to get a review since it launched in the US (because they decided to delay the game here in Australia so I had to make Marissa bite her tongue every time she considered spoilers). However, neither of us were on board for reviewing Gates to Infinity, the third generation of the Mystery Dungeon series. Part of it could have been neither of us really jumped on the gen 5 bandwagon back when it was in its prime, part of it could have been we were more excited for Gen 6 and it flew under the radar. Part of it could have been (in my case at least) that I was in Year 12, and there were more important things for me to focus on then it. Regardless, it took a long time for me to get the game, and I'm pretty sure Marissa still doesn't have the game at all. Well, its time to give Gates to Infinity the chance it deserves. Now to see if there's more to why we were hesitant to get the game.

Emerald Test

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzgYqz0gXNs

We are looking into getting into LP's again, so don't expect this to be the last test.

Mediaholics Review: Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

This video was 25 Video and Audio channels, took 15 hours to render, and at least 10 hours to upload (if this was 720p, this would have been 24 hours to upload). I genuinely didn't have the time to fix the mistakes. Lesson learned though, DON'T MAKE SOMETHING THIS COMPLEX AGAIN, ON A LAPTOP!

Pokemon Adventures; Black and White: Not even going to touch the political joke

However its very easy to. I can almost hear it now, people being up in arms because the white dragon representing truth and the black dragon representing ideals. Why do I keep making jokes about racism when it comes to Unova? Because otherwise I'd have to try and think of original Trump jokes and that would imply I care about US politics. Welcome to Unova.

Pokemon Adventures - Heart Gold & Soul Silver: YOU WILL BOW TO YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR JOHTO!

This is an arc dedicated to Arceus, what part of "will take low hanging fruit when appropriate" wasn't clear from Moana?

"The original one breathed alone before there was a universe. And when the universe was created, its shards became these plates. The powers of these plates are shared between all Pokémon. And the rightful barer of a plate draws power from it. Two being of time and space... set free from the original one. Two make matter, and three make spirit. Thereby shaping the world."

Timeline: 3 years after Emerald, almost directly before Diamond, Pearl and Platinum.Ties up plot thread from Fire Red and Leaf Green Arc. Ready? Go!

Pokemon Adventures Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum arc: She is the 1%

Not to be confused with Diamond and Pearl Adventure. Not doing those yet, probably not for a while.

From here on out, the order of events gets confusing. Everything from the start of Red and Blue to the start of Emerald was a linear series of events, one arc followed the other. Here on out, not so much. According to Bulbapedia, the timeline of events post Emerald is Heart Gold/ Soul Silver and Omega Ruby/ Alpha Sapphire happen 3 years after Emerald, then Pokemon Ranger which didn't get localized or printed, it was online only, so I'm not reviewing its manga or its sequel based on Ranger: Shadows of Almia. Roughly 3 years after HGSS is when Diamond and Pearl takes place, with two weeks after that being Platinum which is why they are both being covered here, and then *cough* *cough* years later we get Black and white, then Black 2 and White 2, then X and Y. To my knowledge, Sun and Moon have only recently started being published. That's the stance on the timeline (according to Bulbapedia), lets take a look at the arc itself, shall we?

First, a lot of what happens in this arc can be blamed on accidents and misunderstandings, in terms of the main characters. Diamond and Pearl are aspiring comedians who, thanks to running into two hired body guards, causing the letters the two groups had on them getting mixed up, and wearing scarfs. I wish I was making that up, got a pokedex and starter pokemon each, and become the bodyguards for Lady Platinum Berlitz, who from this point forward I'll be calling Platinum.Platinum, in family tradition, is traveling across the Sinnoh region to collect a stone from the top of Mt Coronet, as she is the air to the Berlitz fame and fortune. That whole "She is the 1%" title joke applies directly to her, because Platinum is not only rich and intelligent, and apparently according to some people on the internet attractive (I don't see it honestly), but she also obtains all the gym badges of Sinnoh, participated in a contest, but also took on the frontier brains, and won if memory serves me correctly, as I actually read the books late February, early March, in less time then Sapphire and Emerald took. I don't count Ruby because she only participated in one whereas he cleared all the contests. Is she a "Mary Sue"? No, because she does have to learn all of that almost on her own. We see her train her team, she's not a god.

Of course, because this is based on the gen 4 games, they run into Team Galactic, and I'll be honest, I love the way they portrayed the four main members of the team. Mars is always really up beat to the point where its surprising someone like that is a villain, Saturn is actually so insecure and controlling that he acts tougher then he is, Jupiter is basically a bad-ass, kinda generic Bond like villain to the point that I can't help giving her a tough Russian/ German accent. You call it racist now but there's no denying its easy to make anyone sound like a bad-ass if you give them one of those accents... and the right voice. Cyrus is basically a psudo god, to the point where I'm surprised they made Magnezone and Probopass that powerful in the story. And of course, we have the best champion of all time, and she's basically ripped straight out of the games, and given a bad-ass boost. I love the way they portrayed Cynthia here, it works so well for her. No one has matched her as a champion for many, many reasons, here is just one of them.

The arc itself does closely follow the events of the games, at least Diamond and Pearl. It's not one for one, due to the fact that there needs to be a story there, but it is relatively close. Most changes coming around the seventh gym and the attack on the lakes, and the platinum part of the arc is its own unique story based on the post game content of Platinum. If you've come this far in the books, then you may as well go all the way. Next review is going to be an Opening Impressions of Ducktales, and of course there is the Playlist videos every weekday, and the Journals on the weekend. Enjoy.

Pokemon Adventures Emerald Arc: What is it with Hoenn and time limits?

When last we left off, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver were all turned to stone. With five of the Pokedex holders, including all of Kanto's Pokedex holders, now out of commission, something drastic needs to be done. A plan is formed, and now its time Pokedex holder number ten to take the stage, for they need the help of a Mythical Pokemon. It's time to concur the Battle Frontier.

Pokemon Adventures Fire Red & Leaf Green: Clash of the Psychic Titans

It's time to go back to the beginning region, why? Because we got remakes of them that had new content. And sorry for taking most of January, with some exceptions, off, been trying to find a replacement job to help support this site.

Pokemon Sun and Moon Video Review: Alola!

Link to the video to view on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y63LWx6eyY

Kanto, Jhoto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and now Alola. Sorry for the delay with this one, there were real life family issues that got in the way, and made arranging a recording session impossible. But it is now over, and we're both ready to hit the ground running this year, when possible.  Come sail with us as we travel to the Alola region to discuss Pokemon Sun and Moon.

Pokemon Adventures; Ruby and Sapphire: I'm out of time and all I got is 80 days

Yes I did try going for the Madonna song reference, I couldn't think of anything better.

Let us travel forward in time once again, because thankfully we still can for now. At least this timeline isn't as confusing as the main game's timeline, which even that pails in comparison to something like the Zelda timeline. This is now one year after the events of Gold, Silver and Crystal, and we travel to the pokemon region I know and love, the Hoenn region.

Opening Impressions: Pokemon Sun and Moon anime

I know you're probably sick of Pokemon stuff, but I want to cash in on the Sun and Moon hype. But I'm only on Ula Ula island, and there are plans for a video review of it in December. So what to do... First two english episodes of the new anime are out thanks to Europe you say? Sold. Forewarn, like with every anime I do, unless an english dub will never happen, a la 10+ years old, I review the english dubs, because it grounds the basis for how I can review them (or more bluntly, I can review English voice actors, not really Japanese ones as I'm not fluent in Japanese.

Mediaholics Cinema: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew

Time for the intro of the new Legendary Pokemon Lucari... oh, wait... Though alas, no video for tomorrow.

Link to video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C62KDeo9wLI

Mediaholics Review: Pokemon Generation 2

Five regions down, one more to go before Sun and Moon. Now lets travel back to Kanto, and go a little to the left of some really big mountains. Clearly someone in Oak's staff didn't do their job right.

Link to review (If player isn't working): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ5pCOkv7uU