Game Review XI: "Sonic Heroes"

Sonic Heroes was a completely new title, which decided to take a multi-platformer approach, and was released for Playstation 2, Xbox, PC, and Gamecube (shown at right). Despite some faults here and there, the game passed at least in that aspect alone. Like Sonic Adventure 2, the team is of 3 members, however players uses all 3 teammates in one stage, giving players different playing styles. Each member of the team represents a certain attribute, which the player can access by having that character as the leader.

The character in the blue, wind-like snapshot is the Speed Formation leader. With Speed Formation, players can access fast speed and abilities like the Homing Attack, and the debuting Rocket Accel. Selecting the character in the yellow, thunder-like snapshot puts you in Fly Formation. In this formation, all characters hang on to the leader, who is up top. Apart from flying, you can access the debuting move Thunder Shoot, which can take down airborne enemies. Choosing the red, flame-like snapshot puts you in Power Formation. Power Formation has the teammates on each side of the leader, as the Power leader brings a world of hurt to their foes. This formation is also capable of destroying steel containers and natural elements in the way. The teams are as follows (in Speed/Fly/Power format) as well as difficulty:

• Team Sonic: Sonic/Tails/Knuckles (Normal)
• Team Dark: Shadow/Rouge/E-123 Omega (Intermediate)
• Team Rose: Amy/Cream/Big (Easy)
• Team Chaotix: Espio/Charmy/Vector (Mission-Based)

Team Sonic in cutscene before
Grand Metropolis

For those who are unfamiliar with a few of the characters, here's a brief summary. Big returns from Sonic Adventure as the Power member for Team Rose. Shadow, from Sonic Adventure 2, barely remembers anything after finding himself in Eggman's Lab, only to be freed by Rouge. Around this time, newcomer and final entry of the E-100 series, E-123 Omega, emerges with ill intent of destroying his maker's robots, in which he initially attacks Shadow. Vector, Charmy and Espio are more so known in the Archie Comics-made Sonic the Hedgehog comic books. They did appear in the Sega 32X title Knuckles Chaotix. Espio is a chameleon with exceptional ninjutsu skills. Charmy is a small bee who can be a tad scatterbrained, but has a painful sting under that adorable nature of his. Vector is the leader of the Chaotix Detective Agency, always seen sporting headphones as an accessory. He and Knuckles go back, along with Espio and Charmy, as the original Chaotix, originally a 7-man team. Upon Vector starting his detective gig, only Espio and Charmy serve as the returning members. Cream the Rabbit is younger than Tails, debuting in Sonic Advance 2 as the first character Sonic rescues. Cute and polite as she is, she can be trouble to foes if she sends her mini Chao, Cheese, to attack them.

Team Rose grinding

Everyone plays the same stages, which is somewhat reminiscent to the Zone format seen in the classic games. To put it short, the original Sonic the Hedgehog consisted of zones with 3 Acts. Sonic Heroes sort of follows this by having a similar format: 2 stages that relate to one another, and a boss to accompany that. The total stage count is 14, and players must find the Chaos Emerald upon completing the second stage before each boss. Unlike the original, you must have a key to enter the special stages, but it can be easily lost should the leader suffer any damage or lose a life. Gimmicks like the rails and springs return, along with newer ones like the bobsleds. The abilities of each member can be boosted to a max of Level 3. If Speed is level 3, the Homing Attack gains a wind property. If Fly is level 3, the Thunder Shoot can damage, possibly destroy airborne enemies in a single hit. If Power is level 3, the final B button combo can explode and destroy surrounding enemies.

Team Chaotix gameplay

Some characters have virtually the same moveset, while the majority has variations that can be used the same way. There are a few that are character specific, such as Espio's invisibility and Amy's hovering after a jump. Every team has a desperate move known as a Team Blast. Once the Team Blast gauge is filled, players can activate it to take out numerous enemies and deal a good deal of damage to bosses. With the remaining energy, certain bonuses are gained, or factors are set in place until the remaining energy depletes itself. All 4 teams are after Eggman, running into each other along the way, while a mysterious, yet somewhat familiar figure works in the shadows to shake up the game's plot. Each team had a vocal theme, with Crush 40, the group that did the game themes for both Sonic Adventure games, cover the game's intro and insert boss themes.

Sonic Heroes wasn't the greatest by a long shot. The design and voice acting left a good area to improve from, but it was good in its own right. The game gets a 7 out of 10.

Game Review X: "Sonic Adventure 2"

Alright, this one is perhaps my favorite of all the 3D Sonic titles thus far, and it's quite old too: it was the final Sonic title to be released for the Dreamcast, and, ironically, the first to be picked up by Nintendo as Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, perhaps a popular name on Gamecube so far. Like Sonic Adventure and SADX, SA2 and SA2B had their differences in graphics and features. However, when it came to fan reception, both names were known as the greatest rendition to 3D. Some people still take pride in playing that today, and personally, I am lucky to have it again. SA2B was my premier game when I got the Gamecube, and man, did I love it!

Alright, let's talk about the game itself first. To the core, gameplay is left almost intact. The Gamecube's controller had a mild resemblance to Dreamcast's controls, so it's enough to say that any title Dreamcast had were right at home when it transferred to Gamecube, despite the difference in the controller shapes. The transition from SA to SA2 chaged quite a bit, even as far as the adversary's name. Note in the last review, I typed Ivo Robotnik/Eggman. while the name Robotnik still floats in SA2, the mad doctor purposely refers to himself (i guess officially at this point) as Dr. Eggman. The abilities undergone some changes, and there were even a change in Knuckles' punch combo. To add, Sonic was now able to somersault and grind (the grinding would later make itself staple in future titles), and Knuckles was now able to swim. The biggest change in terms of gameplay was Tails, who used the Tornado 3 for his shooting stages. FYI, the Tornado was a red plane seen in games even prior to Sonic Adventure, followed by a blue transformable successor, Tornado 2, in the same game. Tornado 3 was built to be like the second, though it bore a fighter mech transformation called the Cyclone, and a vehichle form for driving stages. These three would be the members of the Hero Story. Their foes, the members of the Dark Story, consisted of Eggman, who rivals Tails' gameplay with his Egg Walker, the so-called clone of Sonic, Shadow, and the treasure hunter Rouge the Bat. To mix things up, while elements in stages were similar, no character played the same stage like in SA. To add to Sonic's troubles, thanks to Shadow's deeds, as well as the resemblance between the two hedgehogs, G.U.N., who at the beginning managed to capture Sonic, is after him, not knowing that the person responsible was the jet black Shadow. The plot in the game overall goes beyond the misunderstanding if one was to play the Dark Story. The plot itself ultimately ties to Shadow, who harbors revenge for what took place 50 years prior to the game's events.

Now for the differences. Initially, the difference comes through the graphics. Nintendo ran an ATI graphics card in their consoles, with Dreamcast running an 100 MHz PowerVR2 CLX2 card. This technicality caused both games to look significantly different from one another. This is true for both SA and SA2. Chao Garden, returning from the first game, also faced some differences. To keep in theme with the game itself, 2 gardens were introduced as well as 2 types of Chao: the angelic Hero Chao, and the fiendish Dark Chao. While both SA and SA2 had Chao Race, SA2B introduced the comical Chao Katate, where various Chao (Hero, Neutral, Dark) face each other in a tournament of sorts. To add, there were also special Chao received when a circumstance is filled. Chao abilities are raised by Small Animals, Fruit, and Chaos Drives, dropped after beating a G.U.N. enemy. The biggest difference between DC and GC is the title sequence. Dreamcast lacked such for SA2's opening, only featuring an animation of the logo itself, following a background photo of Sonic and Shadow. Gamecube had a title sequence using the game's graphics, introducing briefly the playable characters, using a variant of the games theme, Live and Learn. The title and menu screen featured an endless rising photo involving all 6 characters and the 3 different Chao.

Each stage has five missions to do, with the first mission initially done during the story. The game is hinted into playing two sides, hinted earlier, as opposed to each character having their own story. The character vocal themes returns, though the majority is remixed from its SA counterparts. Adding to these is Eggman's theme, making his first vocal theme. To accompany this are Shadow's and Rouge's themes. Despite not being playable in the game's single player mode, Amy, as well as her theme, returns as well, though her theme is left generally intact. The 2P mode of both games has the 6 initial characters, as well as characters that play of the like. Every extra character played like their main counterpart in the DC Version, while the GC Version tweaked the extra characters. These tweaks affected movement as well as movesets. Mecha Sonic, used as the action racing extra alongside Amy, is the main example of those tweaks. As opposed to the other 3 having special movies, Mecha Sonic had a shield to repel those same moves, perhaps to compensate for not having any of his own. Omochao acts as the guide this time around, and is seen everywhere. One can even interact with him my picking him up, or damaging him.

Sonic Adventure 2 is a game to remember. I can't grade the DC version right now, but it's GC remake gets an 8.

Game Review IX: "Sonic Adventure"

Been a while since I covered something different. To me, these are oldies but goodies, and I'm doing this since Sonic the Hedgehog hits 20 years right about now. While Mortal Kombat II was the first game I legitimately played in my youth (yeah, a little boy playing a MK game), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was the first one actually had to myself, and is a rather key memory of my childhood. Obviously, I jumped for joy when I found out he was going 3D on Sega Dreamcast, but only got as far as to playing the demo to one of them. Over time, though, I did end up owning and playing both via Nintendo GameCube.

To start, I'll introduce the first game, Sonic Adventure. To my knowledge, this was technically the first true 3D action title, as the before released Sonic 3D Blast had an isometric view, and Sega Saturn's Sonic Jam, a compilation title, made subtle changes that would be staple to future titles. Sonic Adventure introduced many firsts into the franchise, as it was the first game where characters had eye color and voices. The Homing Attack, introduced in Sonic 3d Blast (or Flickies' Island), was available initially in the beginning of the game. As well, everyone else had new and old abilities as well. Upon getting power up items, the abilities of one character can be enhanced, or it can introduce a new move entirely, such as Sonic's Light Dash.

Gameplay was somewhat of a variety. While everyone plays the same stages, they don't all play the same way. For starters, Sonic and Tailshas for the most part the same stages, but differ in gameplay. Sonic's stule is reminiscent of Sonic 2, where one player can control briefly Tails, and Tails is usually racing either Sonic or Eggman. Knuckles, who can now punch enemies, has a 3D Treaure hunter-style gameplay to him, where he finds pieces of the Master Emerald he was destined to guard, which serves as part of the game's plot. Amy Rose, an originally non-playable character from Sonic CD, is perhaps one of the more drastic changes to a character, apart from Eggman himself. She can't Spin Attack/Jump like her crush Sonic, but has a bammer she can do damage to enemies with. Apart from this, she is generally slower, and most of her stages require her to find a balloon to escape Zero, all the while using any place to hide in to confuse him. The new playable character Big the Cat is self explanatory he's huge, as in his name, but within his immense strength, he's generally kind. His game centers around his hobby: fishing, which is more or less vital when trying to get hsi pollywog pal Froggy. E-102 Gamma is another new face, created by Eggman, but goes against his creator. Gamma's gameplay is a 3D Shooter stage, where he hunts down his brothers of the E-series. Tikal is a non-playable that acts like a guide to the characters, though she herself is another member of the story;s plot. Once more, like any Sonic game, Ivo Robotnik/Eggman is the recurring enemy, but is accompanied by his E-series robots, and a fluid being of the Master Emerald, named Chaos.

Cut-scenes are animated, and have voices. That aside, you can navigate through the city before each stage to talk to people. You can even pick up items, some of those you'll need to advance. The game also introduced the baby-like creatures named Chao, which you can take care of. It's staple features were its use of its many gardens, plus the fact that you can use the portable VMU to raise it. When Dreamcast folded, Nintendo took it up by releasing the graphic enhanced follow-up: Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut for the Gamecube. Like the original sequel's remake, the VMU's feature was remade to work with the Game Boy Advance (with assist of the GBA/GC Link) and, in this case, the GBA game Sonic Advance 2, which had a Chao Garden feature. It also bore a Mission mode, where the 6 characters complete missions. Doing so will earn them emblems, normally gotten during the action stages or found through the overworld. In addition, SADX also had games from the Game Gear that were unlockable, starting with the handheld Sonic the Hedgehog. Recently, both games were remade and packed as a downloadable title for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, with the graphics intact for each. A DX upgrade was later released, giving the game the feel of Gamecube's remake in terms of graphics and features. Another thing to note, and while it isn't the first game to do so in general, the game had a vocal theme in general, followed by vocal themes for most of the characters. The only one that lacked this, playable wise, was Gamma, who had more of an instrumental, slightly electronic feel to its theme.

Sonic Adventure gets an 8, granted I played the original's demo, and a 7.5 for Sonic Adventure DX. I cannot grade the one rehashed for the next gen consoles yet, but I'll update this upon doing so. Next time I'll cover what is right now it's only sequel: Sonic Adventure 2.

Game Review VIII: "Pokemon Pt. 6 - Side games Handheld"

As with most media, there's always a spinoff or to of something. Pokemon's no different, and there's a good few of them, too. For starters, let's go into the Pokemon Trading Card Game, a title for the Game Boy Color. The Pokemon TCG cards were in rival with Yu-Gi-Oh!, and that's still the case, with other names like Chaotic and others. The game was just a digitized port of the Pokemon TCG, and a rather successful one at that. I played it a few times, and it seemed to me an answer to those who weren't lucky to have the actual cards. The game itself came with a card from the actual TCG, originally made by Wizards of the Coast. They had a sequel to the game, but it was a Japan exclusice, not officially seeing US sales. Game Freak had the right idea upon this games conception. I give it a 7 of 10.

Next on my list is Pokemon Pinball, something I admit was my addiction next to the Johto games. You were back to catching Pokemon, but on a pinball table this time. It was quite a thrill for me when I fist played it, for it had a unique rumble pack cartridge, something not seen in much GB titles. You play on a pinball table, with an image that appears that signifies which town it represents, and pending on this, what Pokemon you were to catch. The game had its ways of catching Pokemon, as well as evolving them. They also featured a Pokedex to signify what you caught. The game was received quite well, and spawned a next gen sequel, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphiere for the GB Advance. Both games did quite well, and hold an 8 overall.

Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, also a GB title, was a handheld successor to Nintendo 64's Pokemon Puzzle League. Those familiar with titles like Tetris, Columns, and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine would notice the gameplay, and traits of this game being similar to the aforementioned titles. As with the main games, your goal is to conquer the Johto Leaders. Another well received title, strangely doing better than its home console predecessor. It's one I can't grade though, I never tried this one.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon was a game in which YOU were the Pokemon this time, and like the main games, various versions were made. It began with both a GBA and a Nintendo DS title as different games, though they interacted with one another. At first there were Red and Blue Explorers team, Red being for the GBA, while Blue being the first Mystery Dungeon DS game. Sequels afterwards were solely for the DS system, starting with Explorers of Time/Shadows when the Gen. IV Pokemon (Pearl/Diamond/Platinum) were introduced. Adding to this was the fifth game, which was more so like a remake, Explorers of the Sky. Sky was a sister game to explorers of Time/Shadows. There are 3 more titles in Japan, making a total of 8 titles. I personally didn't like the se4ries very much, but at the same time respected it as a nice change of pace. I give the series a respectable 7 of 10.

The Pokemon Ranger series was a DS-exclusice series of games. Ranger dealt in a entirely different region, much like Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness. Set in the region of Fiore, the player is one of the Pokemon Rangers, and has a different way of catching Pokemon, albeit temporarily. As it is for DS, a tool called the Capture Styler is applied. Capture is done by encasing the Pokemon with that tool, which you use with the touch screen and the DS stylus. This particular game is used in coherence with the Gen. IV games to capture and transfer Manaphy. The only Pokemon that sticks by you are Plusle/Minum, which is gender specific on the type of character you choose. This is succeeded by Shadows of Almia (a game set in the region of Almia) and Guardian Tracks (set in Oblivia). All get a fairly average rating, which is kinda how I see it: a 7 of 10 at the very least.

Pokemon Trozei is another puzzle title, much like Puzzle Challenge, for the DS. Tetris style gameplay is used here, so it can become quite addicting for Tetris fans, Pokemon fans, or a mix of the two. It has a plot, but the gameplay element is pretty straight forward. As it is for DS, the stylus is used at some point. I can't grade this one either, but I heard that reception was pretty high for this title.

Pokemon Dash is perhaps their shot at a racing game. Controlled by a stylus, players race as Pikachu to complete a course, running through checkpoints in the process. Despite preorder and goodies provided, this game has received a lot of backlash. Being nice, I'll say a 6 of 10, this being their first (and so far ONLY shot) at a Pokemon racing game.

The last one isn't really a game per say, but it's worth mentioning. Called Pokemon Pikachu, it was a Tamagotchi-like device that served like a virtual pet that didn't need to me cleaned up after or fed. As well, because of the "watts" it gives, it also served as a Pedometer to the user. A Pokemon Pikachu 2 GS version could be compatible with Gold and Silver, with assistance of the GBC/GBA/SP infared sensors, enabling it to interact with the game. This tool was later improvised to create the PokeWalker used with Gold and Silver's remakes (which had an exclusive infared DS card to interact with it.)

That covers the handheld side games. Next I'll cover the console side games.

Game Review VII: "Pokemon Pt. 5 - Console Games"

These were perhaps special titles to me. This part covers the main 3d games in the series: Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Stadium 2, Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and Pokemon Battle Revolution.

First on the list is the two Stadium games. Scrapping the navigation feature seen in the handheld titles, Pokemon Stadium just went straight to the battles. The gameplay utilized the many functions of the N64 controller, even as far as using the C buttons to pick the moves. Stadium also had their own collection of minigames, especially a Simon Says-like game featuring Clefairy. The battles themselves take aver their handheld relatives, but with visuals that shows when a Pokemon gets damage, even the actions they do when using a move. The game features a mode that heavily resembles the process of R/B/Y (Pt. 1), from the Gym Leaders, all the way to the region Champion. Players can use the 6 (max) Pokemon in accordance to how the player selects them before battle. While they provide Rental Pokemon, N64 players who were lucky enough to have a GB Slot Adapter can use their handheld roster to use in the game. Stadium hosted the Kanto Region pokemon, the first 151, with Mewtwo being a special battle. It's sequel, Pokemon Stadium 2, focuses on the G/S/C (Pt. 2) roster, the 251 Pokemon.

Each title hosted different features. Owners of the GB Transfer Pak can earn a Lv. 20 Pokemon that are normally chosen only once in the handheld title, but only after the player beats the rival in Gym Leader Castle. Stadium 2 had a 3D Pokedex, new minigames, and a player of sorts that can basically allow you to pay Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, and Silver titles on the big screen (the Japanese port included Crystal as compatible.)

Succeeding this, yet at the same time original was Pokemon Colosseum, the first 3D take in Generation III games. Debuting on the Gamecube (also playable on Wii at this point), players control boy named Wes, who was a former affiliate of Team Snagem. They were responsible for creating a Snag Machine. To elaborate, the Snag Machine was an illegal creation, as it was against the rules to catch a Pokemon already owned by a trainer. The Snag Machine was made just for that very purpose, as shown on Wes' arm. Team Cipher was a group responsible for sealing the hearts of a Pokemon, giving rise to 48 shadow Pokemon. Normally not different in appearance, the Shadow Pokemon's moves are initially super effective to ones that aren't Shadow. With the help of a mysterious girl, Rui, Wes' mission was to snag and purify all Shadow Pokemon handed to trainers, running into Team Cipher along the way. Also, during game play, there were numerous ways generation II and III Pokemon could be caught. Once that was done, players can trade the pokemon obtained, including Wes' starters: Espeon and Umbreon, to Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen. Once of the many rewards was the Gold Mascot, Ho-oh, who was obtainable upon completing Battle Zones 1-100, and all Shadow Pokemon were purified. One thinng about this title though: much like the handhelds, it was focused on a new region, but didn't have any region-specific pokemon of their own. This region was called Orre.

Players would find themselves back in Orre with the succeeding title, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Despite of similar gameplay, XD had features that were new, or expanded from Colosseum. The protagonist and cast were different this time around. Almost as tenacious as Team Rocket from Generations I and II, Team Cipher returned, this time with a seemingly immune Shadow Lugia, codenamed XD001. Shadow Lugia was the primary titular mascot of XD, with  a darker, more evil appearance then that of the basic Lugia. This was one Pokemon whose appearance changed significantly as a Shadow Pokemon. Michael, the hero of XD, starts off with an Eevee, though players can evolve it to either form from Gen. I and II. What starts off as research of a new Snag Machine, created by Michael's father, Orre Pokemon Prof. Krane, turns into a mission to somehow purify XD001, rescue his father, and shut down Cipher's plans for good.

Much like Colosseum, XD had aspects of a 3D aspects of battles, with moves being chosen like the handhelds, as opposed to being set to a button. The battles for both titles compromised of mainly Double Battles. People can still trade Pokemon from XD to Gen III games, though Shadow Pokemon were to remain until they were Purified. Much like how Rui was able to detect Shadow Pokemon, Michael had the exclusive item Pokemon P★DA, which included many apps, more importantly a Shadow Monitor. With this, he was able to identify Pokemon who needed to be snagged. There was also a Pokemon Sim, a system that used verious events with certain ways to battle, perhaps a useful feature in developing strategies. A minigame, Pokemon Bingo, was also included, with a special card given to you if you rescue a Bonsly in the game. Remnants of Team Snagem are also in the game, partly connected to the plot as well. As with the last game, certain rewards are given upon completion, and with Pokespots, a unique element, players can catch regular wild Pokemon as well, though a non-catchable Munchlax occasionally appears as well.


Lastly, we have the Generation IV game. Feeling like a mix of Stadium and Colosseum/XD, Pokemon Battle Revolution for the Wii made use of the DS and Wii's Nintendo Wi-Fi properties, even to use the DS as a controller (similar to Colosseum/XD and the GBA/SP.) Those familiar with Stadium can pick this up rather easily, and follows the double battle standard placed in Colosseum/XD. The RPG aspect is once again scrapped, in favor of just getting into the battle. There was a ban of sorts for legendary Pokemon, but from what I can gather, it's lifted, albeit a few changes. Any Pokemon that had a different form will refert back to their debuting forms in Battle Revolution, while Pokemon with exclusive moves can't be used (moves like Bug Bite, debuting in Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver.)


All have a fair spot in my book. Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2 gain a respectable 8, 8.5 goes to Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness, and 6.5 for Battle Revolution, which is good in is won right, but didn't have much uniqueness amonst the other 4. Next time, we get into the side games. Till next time!

Game Review VI: "Pokemon Pt. 4 - Sinnoh Games"

Generation IV marked the jump to the popular Nintendo DS system, with a total of 5 main series games and a few side games to accompany it. Three of the main games dealt with a new area, the region of Sinnoh. Diamond (D), Pearl (P), and Platinum (Pt) are the three games in question. As with most games, they were accompanied by not only a new story, but new features as well. As the DS was double screened (hence the name), certain aspects had to be made. Similar to the Pokegear (G/S/C) and the Pokenav (R/S/E), D/P/Pt featured a new tool called the Poketch, or Pokemon Watch. Also, as it was on the DS, the system time also affected the game, so when it was night, the game was to, and the same could be said about day. To add, though it appeared later in Platinum, certain areas of the game had a brief 3d view. The contests was still a feature in these games, but Pokemon can now be fed by Poffins, which basically scraps the Pokeblocks of the previous installment. Traainers could also battle underground, by getting a digging tool. People using this feature could set traps, steal flags, and gain items, though this required a Nintendo Wi-Fi connection to use. There were a new assortment of Pokemon to deal with, bringing the total this time to 493, with the inclusion of a handful of legendary Pokemon.

D/P/Pt features 2 new trainers to choose from, with the rival being a rather hasty battler, who is also your friend.The female character (Dawn) and the male character (Lucas) are chosen in all 3 games, with the rival (called Barry in the anime) serving as the friendly NPC. The attire for Dawn and Lucas changes in Platinum, much like how Brendan and May had slight changes in Emerald. Once more, people can choose 3 different types of Pokemon, sticking to the standard Fire, Water, and Grass formula. Pending on who you choose, Dawn would get the weaker type, and Barry would get the type that you're weak to. More new faces enter this game as well, the noteworthy characters beings being Pokemon Prof. Rowan, the Sinnoh Champion and occasional helper Cynthia, and Team Galactic with their leader Cyrus. The Mirage Pokemon (Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit), the Alpha Pokemon Arceus, the and the game mascots (Dialga {D}, Palkia {P}, and the dual Forme Giratina {Pt}) serves as most of the lengendary Pokemon in the games.

In addition 2 new forms of Eevee were introduced, though these forms had to be obtained by leveling up in a certain location. As it was on the DS and DS Lite, D/P/Pt, alongside the Johto Remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver, featured the exclusive Pal Park, which utilized the GBA slot for catching Pokemon from the previous Generation (R/S/E from Pt. 3, and FR/LG as mentioned in Pt. 1), though this feature couldn't be used for owners of the Nintendo DSi, who didn't have that slot. Along with this, the GTS was also introduced, as it uses the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Also, trainer battles, which used to be triggered with help of a link cable, were made entirely wireless now, and it was even possible to trade or battle other trainers with Nintendo Wi-Fi, as long as the user had the opponents friend code.

As with the previous generations, the third game, this generation's being Platinum, offered significant changes from the other 2. Minor, but initially noticeable were the outfits, the format of the Poketch, and a slight difference in the order of Gym leaders to face. The major changes were more so in the plot, as Giratina, a legendary who only had one form in the other two games, not only gained another form, but also a new area and a bigger part in the Sinnoh storyline. This area, called the Distortion World, is the Renegade Pokemon's home, and players of Platinum have to go through here at some point of the game to battle Giratina. This is where different viewing aspects are introduced, though the player can't control these views. Other changes, though this is triggered by events, are the inclusions of Shaymin (Oak's Letter) the forms of Rotom (Secret Key), and Darkrai (Membership card, though the player must meet the other legendary Cresselia, obtain its item, and use it on the sailor's son beforehand.) Like Emerald, the now staple Battle Frontier was also included.

I didn't think much of the Sinnoh series anime wise, but the game got my approval, as it gets a 7.75 from me, more so from Platinum. Next time, sice I've yet to play Generation V, I'll cover the 3d gmaes released by far.

Game Review V: "Pokemon Pt. 3 - Hoenn Games"

This one deals with the three games in the Hoenn region of Pokemon: Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Combined with anew roster of characters and monsters, and updated gaming graphics, R/S/E was the premier debut of Pokemon on the now standard Game Boy Advance systems. At this point, the total to grab was now 368, picking up a bit from the previous 251. This time, even ore unique types were added, among which a Pokemon that could change his form and attacks via weather. Pokemon Tower was brought back, followed by another debuting element: Pokemon Contests. While they are not battles, contests usually consist of flashing battle moves in the sequence of turns. This is partially due to the categorizing of attacks, among the following: Cool, Cute, Smart, Tough, and Beauty. These could be increased using the item Pokeblocks, for which they can create on their own.

As with the last installment for Johto, Hoeen is introduced as Pokemon Generation III. The protagonists change once more, with the rival being the trainer of the opposing gender. The players can choose either gender (later identified as Brendan {Male} and May {Female}, though these names never appear in the list of default names.) Professor Birch, a darker toned Professor that sports sandals, is the new Pokemon Prof. of this region. Even so, there's a rehash of trainers, Gym Leaders, and Elite Four Battlers waiting for you. This was also the first game not to feature Team Rocket as the antagonists. In fact, there were 2 groups to worry about, only to have them both as enemies in Emerald: Team Magma and Team Aqua, whose purposes were to awaken the respective legendaries. Following the remade Red and Green versions (see Pt.  1), Emerald was the last of the GBA games, adding features that wasn't there in the other two, in the similar fashion Crystal followed Ruby and Sapphire. A few of the changes were the intro sequence of the legendary Pokemon: the game mascots (Groudon {Ruby}, Kyogre {Sapphire}, and Rayquaza {Emerald}) and the Golem Trio (Regirock, Regice, Registeel), the change in champions (RS had Steven as the champ, while Emerald had as the champ the former Gym Leader, Wallace), higher levels to which the legends could be captured, and abilities having a bigger role in breeding Pokemon.

Another noticeable trait is that, much akin to the first 6 games and the PKMN Stadium Series (Pt. 5), R/S/E integrates with Gamecube as games Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, as people can trade pokemon from that game to the GBA titles, including FR/LG, with the use of a special cable linking the GBA to the Gamecube. In addition, though this should have been mentioned before hand, R/S/E introduces the double battles, as in 2 Pokemon can fight side by side, as opposed to just one. A trainer can either go it alone (resulting in using 2 Pokemon) or with a partner (each trainer uses 1 at a time). This mechanic was heavily utilized in the console game Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness.

R/S/E gets a 7.5. While it's not necessarily a fave of mine, it is worth playing to me. Get ready for part 4 when I move into Generation IV: The region of Sinnoh.

Game Review IV: "Pokemon Pt. 2 - Johto Games"

The second part will focus on Johto. This set, known as Generation II, most likely cover the most ground, as this game features travel between Johto and Kanto, the region of Generation I. The games for Generation II started with Pokemon Gold and Silver. The purpose, and battles didn't change too much, but there are some significant differences. For starters, you are Trainer Gold, resident of New Bark Town. Professor Elm is the researcher of the Johto region, though you indeed meet Prof. Oak during the game as well. Another rival, Silver, is also introduced, with a cast of new trainers, Leaders, and Elite Four trainers (one of which was a Kanto Gym Leader.) A new champion was introduced as well, but Team Rocket returned with a vengeance. In this game, as opposed to just 8, you can collect a total of 16 Badges, and then go on to the isolated Mt. Silver to face Generation 1's protagonist. Move Deleter, a certain stat change, and the probability to capture shiny Pokemon was also significant. The legendaries consisted of 3 dog Pokemon (Raikou, Entei, Suicune) and 2 Bird Pokemon (Ho-oh, and Lugia.) The Psychic-Grass type, Celebi, brings up the rear, much like Mew as the 151st.

Although the initial gender specific Pokemon were Nidoran, nearly every Pokemon in this title had a gender, which help set up the breeding process of getting the baby forms of certain Pokemon. Two new types, Steel and Dark, were introduced. With this, a few Pokemon, such as Magnemite, had an added weakness. Also, this was the first game where there were two different types of Pokedex: a regional-specific version, and a National version. Accompanying the new types were an addition of 100 Pokemon, so the amount to find became 251. For the first time, Gold and Silver went by real time, as in after inputting the time in the game, the time cycles like that of a normal day, though doesn't follow time exactly. The inclusion of this also brought about specific events, which are broadcasted inside the new item, the PokeGear. While it functioned as a Map, Radio, and Clock, the PokeGear also has its own phone service, calling trainers and important figures you have enountered throughout the course of your journey.

The way of evolution was changed a little as well, more so in the case of Eevee. By default, using either the Thunder Stone, Fire Stone, or Water Stone would trigger an evolution to either Jolteon, Flareon, or Vaporeon respectively. Training and caring for Eevee in either day or night can invoke another evolution, to either Espeon or Umbreon. As the games before them featured the evolved form of the starters, Gold and Silver featured (respectively) Ho-oh and Lugia as the version mascots. A third game, Pokemon Crystal, came afterwards as a title for the popular Game Boy Color. The interface didn't change too much from the other two, yet subplots, especially that of the alphabetical Unown, and the legendary Suicune (Crystal's mascot), was new to the game. Also, this marked the beginning of the gender option for the trainer, as they can now choose to be a female if they so desired. The biggest addition was the Battle Tower, a facility where trainers can battle in the fashion similar to the N64 game, Pokemon Stadium (Covered in Pt. 5.)

Like the Generation before it, Generation II's games were remade as that of Genration IV, with Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. The female character, Crystal, was replaced by Lyra, while Ethan took the role of Trainer Gold. The game received critical updates as well, yet retained gameplay similar to its original. Crystal's subplots were added, along with some new ones. A fresh take on the Safari Zone was also introduced, and, as with other Generation IV titles, the Mystery Gift (available at the start) and the Pal Park was added. HG/SS also had a coordinated PokeMeter that interacted with the infrared cartridge, getting some Pokemon that were hard to impossible to obtain in the main game. Alongside this, players can interact with leaders and trainers from the Sinnoh games (covered in Pt. 4), and can battle Leaders in the now empty Battle Dojo in Saffron City, should the player call for a rematch after defeating them the first time. GTS returns as well, located in Goldenrod Another element, Pokeathlon, was also introduced. Much like competitive sorts, like the Olympics, Pokeathlon uses a team of 3 pokemon to compete in various events. Stats pertaining to that can be boosted with a product known as Aprijuice, which can be purchased or made using an Apriblender.

As the Johto series is my fave, my opinion might be a little biased, but Gold, Silver and Crystal gets a 8, while the remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, gets a 9.

Game Review III: "Pokemon Pt. 1 - Kanto Games"

Ah yes. Pokemon has indeed graced us with its games, the cartoons, the trading cards, and any way possible of making themselves a name to be remembered. This multi-part review hones in the many faces and regions of Pokemon. To start, we journey through the Pokemon region Kanto, known as the Indigo League.

Kanto is the fictional location that sets up the first three games. The games differed slightly, but all was generally the same game, boasting a picture of the respective final evolution from one of the game's starters. Implied earlier, they can choose from 3 Pokemon to become partners with: the fire type Charmander, the grass type Bulbasaur, or the water type Squirtle. Each type had one or two weaknesses, but just as much strengths as well. Alongside those types, there were other monsters with various other types as well. Pending on how you battle, you'll face advantages as well as disadvantages, your partner will get stronger, and the Pokemon Encyclopedia, the Pokedex, will gain more entries. Treat your partner(s) well, and they'll undergo a process known as evolution, increasing size as well as their abilities. There are various ways to do this, but at the time, there were only 2 methods: by leveling up, or by an evolution stone of their respective type.

On the game's box art and cartridge, they had the final evolution of each starter on there to portray as perhaps the mascot of their respective versions, though this principal was soon changed with future titles.They went as shown:

• Red Version: Charizard > Charmander's Final Form
• Green Version (JP Only): Venusaur > Bulbasaur's Final Form
• Blue Version: Blastoise > Squirtle's Final Form

The premise behind the game were simple enough: you're a new trainer in the area of Pallet Town. Not too far off is your rival, Blue (you can name him anything upon your first encounter, much like your own. Your character's default name is Red) Your rival's grandfather is Professor Oak, a Pokemon expert and researcher. After almost running into a patch of grass, he stops you and demands that you visit his lab. Once there, after a brief shit with you, Oak, and his grandson, you are to choose the Pokemon amongst the aforementioned three. Blue will usually pick the stronger type, by way of Fire>Grass, Grass>Water, and Water>Fire. Along the way, you are asked to assist him in his research, upon then you're handed the Pokedex. As you look for 151 Pokemon, you find yourself locked in many battles, and take part in the Pokemon Indigo League challenge. This challenge is to battle 8 Gym leaders, each specifying in a certain type. Gather the badges after defeating the leaders, and if you have all 8, you can face the best of the best, known as the Elite Four, on Indigo Plateau. Beating all four of them pits you against the champion, and should you beat him, then you're considered the new champ. Beware, though, as the criminal group, Team Rocket, is also loose, and you must contend with them as well.

There are various items to help you throughout your quest: some disposable, some a key item, and some that can help breed your partner. With each successful capture of a Pokemon, done in battle with capsules known as Pokeballs, excluding your partner, you can carry up to 6, while any caught afterwards can be stored in a PC, until you're ready to use them. Some of the moves they can do (to a max of 4) can even be helpful outside of battle. HM moves are such abilities, though you need a certain badge for each ability to be used, and to use it in the field, conditions must be met (flow of water, tree in path, etc.) and you must have in your party a Pokemon that learned it.

While Blue was also released in Japan as the third game (a special edition), US and EU had one of their own: the Yellow, or Pikachu, version. Gameplay didn't change very much, but as the name implies, the signature Pokemon mascot and veteran, Pikachu, is available from the beginning of the game, while your rival controles an Eevee as opposed to the other 3 Pokemon. Pikachu has its own cries, as opposed to the defaults in the other versions. Another signature feature is that Pikachu refused to sit in a Pokeball, and would rather walk with you. Speaking to it pops up a window that shows the displayed emotions of Pikachu, who initially dislikes you from the start. To add to this, the anime characters Jessie and James of Team Rocket will battle you every now and then. All 3 versions could trade and battle with one another via a Game Boy Link Cable. Over time, these three would then be considered Generation I games, marking the first Pokemon generation of games.

In the 3rd Generation (see part 3), Kanto is revisited with the release of Game Boy Advance games Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. While it busted the 3-game format the others had before it, this was the first time Green came to the US as an actual release. Once more, the mascots are respective pokemon Charizard and Venusaur. FireRed and LeafGreen added new features to not only the Pokedex, but also added new areas to try and battle.

The Kanto games get a 7 from me, with a slightly higher 7.5 to FireRed and LeafGreen. Pokemon has a genuine RPG element about theme, and that helped the franchise become as infamous as they are today.

Game Review II: "Melty Blood" series

Melty Blood is a game not too many people may be familiar with. That's because it's seen in America so few times, as Japan exclusive company Type-Moon haven't released it under English distribution, at least not officially. The eroge visual novel, Tsukihime, serves as the base of the Melty Blood story. The story centers on the character Shiki Tohno, a boy who seems ordinary, but is anything but. Here's why: originally, his identity is Shiki Nanaya, born as the member of a demon-slaying clan of assassins. The Tohnos, on the other hand, are a family associated with demon blood. The Nanaya clan were soon destroyed by not only the Tohnos, but also the Kishimas, a branch of the Tohno family. The head of the Tohno family soon adopted Shiki, being the only survivor of the attack. Shik's name was identical to SHIKI, the son  of the Tohno elder.

For the now-adopted Shiki Tohno, his problems didn't end there. The Tohnos had this thing called the "inversion impulse", a trigger that causes those of the demon blood to lose rationality with only the mindset to kill. SHIKI inverted without caution, bearing his blade at his sister, Akiha. At the risk of his own life, Shiki shielded her, which led to him being stabbed. This caused a scar on his body, among other symptoms. SHIKI was also supposedly slain by the Tohno elder, yet they were both very much alive. Locking up SHIKI, the Tohnos sent Shiki to live with the distant relatives, the Arimas, for the 8 years prior to Tsukihime's events. During Tsukihime, the story takes off after Shiki's return to the Tohno family, in addition to accidentally slaying into pieces a girl, later revealed as the True Ancestor vampire: Arcueid Brunestud.


Melty Blood, the spinoff to the aforementioned Tsukihime, originally started off as a lighter, non-adult version of the novel. Taking place one year after Tsukihime, the fighting novel has a wide cast of characters in total: a mix of the people of the original story and sequel, as well as a few original faces, with Sion Eltnam Atlasia serving as a main heroine who, depending on the story route, fights alongside Shiki, or against him. After being released on the PC, Melty Blood gained a few expansions. Melty Blood: Re-ACT serves as the expansion that succeeds Melty Blood's main story, which includes the towering Giant Akiha as a non-playable character. Re-ACT drops the Story Mode seen in the original, while expanding the stories of individual characters in the Arcade Mode. While the original had doppleganger characters with the same movesets (Moveset of Shiki Tohno = Moveset of Shiki Nanaya), Re-ACT made tweaks, so despite how similar they are, there are noticeable differences in gameplay. Melty Blood: Re-Act Final Tuned is the final expansion of this specific title, bearing a control scheme similar to the succeeding Melty Blood: Act Cadenza, with the inclusion of 4 colors for each character.

Melty Blood: Act Cadenza is another expansion, and the first of the series to see a Playstation 2 port. Emphasized more on the fighting engine, the Story Mode aspect was eliminated. Aoko Aozaki was made playable through some revamping of her moveset, originally a boss character of the previous title. In addition to this, Kouma Kishima was also added, a character that was a member of Shiki's past as a Nanaya. This title saw 2 versions. Version A was an arcade port that first featured the two characters. The PS2 port, Version B, included the early form of Neco-Arc Chaos, a short character who resembled Neco-Arc, but fought in the mix of the movesets of Neco-Arc, Mech-Hisui and Nrvnqsr (Nero) Chaos. This character can only be selectable by pressing the (D) button on Nrvnqsr before selecting him. The Len doppleganger, White Len, was still made unavailable. With the fact that the Atlasia crest was still seen in the title (Version A had this) Version B is considered a variant of Ver. A. When Version B hit the PC, White Len was finally made available, albeit weaker. The logo saw a change as well, featuring silhouettes of both Len characters. The game included as well a giant boss, Neco-Arc Chaos Black G666.

Melty Blood: Actress Again is the third game, and perhaps the one with the biggest changes, with 2 new characters, an extra variant of Akiha, and the inclusion of Ryougi Shiki, a character from another Type-Moon work: Kara no Kyoukai, whose world is parallel to Tsukihime's. PS2 saw its official release. Unverified is the supposed arcade version, Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code. And it's highly uncertain if there is, or will be, an official PC/Games for Windows release of the game.

As of now, this is the final grade as to the Melty Blood series:

• Melty Blood: 6
• Melty Blood Re-ACT: 6.5
• Melty Blood Re-ACT Final Tuned: 6.5
• Melty Blood Act Cadenza: 7
• Melty Blood Actress Again: 8

While it's not as famous as the works of games made by Aksys Games, it plays something of the like. To get this game, you have to get it imported, because it's too soon to be playable on US game consoles.