Sunday, April 29, 2012

Poll change + glitchiness ahoy!

For some reason, about half of the poll's votes were somehow lost overnight. Fortunately I jotted down last night's results, so I might as well end the poll now. I'll be honest: the results were a bit of a shocker. Generation 3 dominated with 89 votes, and generations 1, 2, 4 and 5 were locked in a fierce battle, almost dead even the whole time. They ended up getting 66, 70, 61 and 63 votes respectively. The reason why I say I'm surprised is that even though, as a whole, we're more accepting of new Pokémon than other communities, I still expected the first two gens to take the cake easily. Instead, gen 3 pulls out a decent gap and wins. I wonder if there are two or three individual Pokémon that singlehandedly caused that? Oh, and gen 1 was dead last at some point as well, can't forget about that.

The next poll is also very straightforward: which home console is your all-time favorite? Of course we're not counting backwards compatibility in this, else there'd be no reason to vote for the Gamecube or PS2, for example. Vote away!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Quick question about replies to blog comments

I would just like to know, do you get notified when someone replies to your comments whenever you leave one on a Blogger blog? I have no idea, and so I'd like to know if people actually know whether I (or anyone else, for that matter) replied to their comments when they make one.

Edit: Apparently not. Thanks for the info!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Japanese event trolls the competitive community

According to Serebii, a new event in Japan will see four Pokémon (Ninetales, Chandelure, Whimsicott and Lucario) being distributed. The catch? Ninetales and Lucario will have their DW abilities, but Chandelure and Whimsicott won't. Way to taunt us, Gamefreak. They really, really don't want to distribute gen 5 Pokémon with DW abilities, huh?

Thursday, April 26, 2012

What if the OU banlist was based on performance in ubers?

How many times have we heard people who don't have the slightest clue how the tiering process works say, this or that Pokémon shouldn't be banned because it'd suck in ubers? Well, our friends at Smogon tried to figure out what things would be like if things DID work that way. And interestingly enough, very few Pokémon that are currently uber would be OU in that case... Deoxys-RS and all Arceus forms except Normal, Ghost and Grass. And... well, I've already expressed my disagreement at counting Arceus' types separately, not to mention, if tiering did work like that, I assume all of Arceus' types would be banned together, much like how some of Rotom's forms were tiered OU in gen 4 despite not getting nearly enough usage to deserve that status. So for all intents and purposes, only Deoxys-RS would be tiered lower than it currently is in such a scenario. Oh, and did I ever mention that I find the way Deoxys-RS was banned to begin with questionable?

On the other hand, several Pokémon that are currently tiered OU would be uber in that kind of system. These are Ferrothorn, Forretress, Tyranitar, Tentacruel, Skarmory, Terrakion, Chansey, Blissey, Scizor, Gliscor, Salamence, Metagross and Heatran. What would a metagame without these, but with Deoxys-RS, be like? Food for thought.

Wanna know what I really hate?

Products getting smaller just so the companies making them spend less for each item - and increase the price anyway. Frozen pizzas you buy at the supermarket for example, they're definitely an inch or two smaller than they were a few years ago, and we still keep paying the same price - if we're lucky. I ran into another case today, as I went to buy a new belt. It was the same size as the old one... except it really wasn't. Putting both side by side, the new one is at least a good two inches shorter. So I lost three belt holes not to my own gluttony, but to some company who wanted to cut down on the leather. If you're going to make the belt two inches shorter, how about changing the number on it to something more accurate?

And that's your pointless random rant for the day.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Mario numbering shenanigans + 3DS Pokémon software

After Super Mario 3D Land, another Mario platformer will grace the 3DS later this year... New Super Mario Bros. 2. Wait, what? I think I speak for everyone when I say the numbering here is weird. I mean, what about the Wii game? We all thought it was the second one, right? So why ignore it now? Not to mention, it's a really tough act to follow - IMO it's hands down the best Mario sidescroller around, even when playing solo. Why not New Super Mario Bros. 3DS instead? I don't get it. It'd be like calling Paper Mario on 3DS "Paper Mario 2", totally ignoring the Gamecube installment just because it wasn't named that, and had a subtitle instead. But hey, it could be worse, they could pull a Stallone and call it "Mario Mario" instead...

On another subject entirely, an upgrade to the 3DS Pokédex app has been announced, and it features all 646 currently available Pokémon - which is what they should've done in the first place! Unfortunately, it's Japan-only for now, AND it costs 1500 yen (about $18). In addition, there's Pokémon AR Searcher (Japan-only for the time being, costs 300 yen), which is... weird enough for me to defer to Bulbagarden for the explanation:

Pokémon AR Searcher is a shooting-style game that puts Pokémon in real-world environments through the use of the 3DS back cameras. The app allows Pokémon to be caught and transferred to copies of Pokémon Black and White 2. The official Japanese Pokémon site mentions that rare Pokémon may be found through this app.

So this is a way to catch Pokémon set aside from the games themselves, much like the Pokéwalker with HGSS. And rare Pokémon are said to be available in this... just how rare are we talking here? Legendaries? Will it introduce new moves? New DW abilities? It'll be interesting to follow how this turns out...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Poll change: BW2 can't get here fast enough

Of course, it might be because I'm preaching to the choir, but 175 out of 236 voters want BW2 to GET OUT FASTER. I can see why, because while not revealing too much, CoroCoro highlighted the potential the game has very well. 54 are reasonably pleased but think the game could be better based on what we know, six say they're not impressed, and a single voter thinks the game will crash and burn. Oddly enough, that one voter even left a comment saying he can't wait to buy BW2 to see it fail. Looks like SOMEONE bought Sonic 1 in that legendary Sonic 4 boycott.

Next question: which generation is your favorite Pokémon from? Note that I'm not talking about which gen you like the best, I'm talking about your single favorite Pokémon. For example, if your favorite is Torterra, you'd vote for gen 4, even if overall you like gen 3 the best. Anywhere else I'd expect gen 1 to dominate, but this community is far more open to newer Pokémon than most others, so once again, preaching to the choir?

Oh, here's an additional question you could answer in the comments. Have we gotten to the point where there are so many Pokémon that you couldn't tell in which generation some of them originated off the top of your head?

Monday, April 16, 2012

Math is for pussies, even in RPGs!

At least according to a few nincompoops here, at least. I'm not forcing you to read the technical talk on a game you're probably not going to play, but still, take a look at some of these replies. They make me cry inside.

Seriously, why play an RPG, even if a fast-paced action-based one, if you're not prepared to do some basic math? RPGs are all about the numbers, and if D3's endgame is as painstakingly difficult as promised, every bit of min-maxing will matter. For instance, this example here demonstrates the one flaw Crippling Wave has compared to other spirit generators, and reveals the entire reason why you'd ever want to use these other ones. But hey, if you want to suck at the game, be my guest.

By the way, sorry for not saying much in this blog these days, there's just not much to write about. I could make fun of the student strikers that keep digging their own graves, but the mainstream media already did it to death.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Spinoff poll results, new BW2 poll

The spinoff poll results surprised me a little bit, mostly because I expected a lot more people to not give a damn. Out of 228 voters, 105 said they wanted a console battling game, despite their general quality and reputation taking a downhill spiral as the "series" went on - even among non-Kanturds who can appreciate the more recent games for what they are, without the need for rose-tinted nostalgia goggles. I mean, everyone loved the Stadium games, right? And then came Colosseum and XD, which were truly a polarizing love-it-or-hate-it affair, and after that... NEON COLOSSEUM. That's all I'll say. And if you don't understand, consider yourself blessed.

90 voters went on the Mystery Dungeon side, which was also a bit of a surprise, considering that professional reviewers absolutely HATED the existing games. Then again, as I just said, I think we're in a much better position to judge the game, since it's not a game you can really get into by playing it for five minutes, or even an hour. The true form of the game doesn't start appearing until you're much deeper into it. Here's to hoping said reviewers and the pathetic WiiWare venture didn't kill the series, it still has so much to offer.

The other two options that weren't "I don't care" were a lot more marginal, with 11 votes for Ranger 4 and no more than four for a storage utility. Whatever happened to that "24 boxes aren't enough" we kept hearing when B/W first came out? Well... I guess they were after all, right?

Next poll is about the info we got out of CoroCoro. Are you psyched about BW2 now?

CoroCoro info now out: BW2 pulls no punches

Where to start, where to start? First, it's a full-fledged sequel instead of twin deluxe versions, but even for those who thought it'd be the case, they're likely to be blown away. The game introduces a variety of completely new areas, as well as extra gym leaders. We know of two of them so far (their types are Poison and Water), and it's unknown whether they're replacements for old gyms or not. The scans also show a large chunk of Unova being buried under ice... gee, I wonder who's responsible for this? I have no idea!

The best news, though, has to be the Unova Dex expansion. A whopping 300 Pokémon are now featured in it (Platinum, eat your heart out), and you meet some of the old ones very early on. The new additions include the Tyranitar, Metagross, Weavile, Eevee, Lucario, Lapras, Golduck, Ampharos and Lopunny lines.

Of course, we have new protagonists, a new rival, and everything else that's expected out of a new game... overall, I have to say I'm impressed at the effort that went into it all, as it alleviates several complaints commonly leveled at Unova.

This also means that I'm almost certain to LP the first White at some point in the future - most likely after my Diablo break. Well... that's something I had definitely ruled out even two months ago, but the Let's Play that was never supposed to happen will happen.

Edit: By the way, I guess I should mention 80% of Unova being frozen. Here's my theory on the matter: This is pure speculation, but I'm under the impression that so much of Unova freezing will only happen later in the game. You know, in the mandatory "oh ****" segment where the crap hits the fan and it looks like the villains are going to have their way? Because I can't imagine so much ice being there from the start. Let's take a look at what's NOT frozen: Castelia, Nimbasa, Driftveil, what appears to be the brand new areas just south of Driftveil, Opelucid, and routes 4, 5, 6 and 16. That's almost nothing!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

No new videos for the next few days + mock BW2 fake info

You know how usually, if you get a cold, you're in the clear for the rest of the winter? Well, that didn't happen here. And since it's hardly recommended to record videos with a sore throat and a stuffed nose, don't expect any more videos from me for at least the next few days.

On an unrelated topic, in the wake of the fake Pokémon information I reported on yesterday, our own NicoCW made a magnificent mock-up of said info, which you can read here and here.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The hoax season begins!

That's right, with any new Pokémon game come new hoaxes, fake scans, fake accounts from the friend of a cousin who works at Gamefreak, and more! If you see a cactus owl Pokémon (WTF?), it's already been confirmed as fake, as well as everything that comes along with it. Some A-grade D-bag also posted some bullshit on Serebii's forums about a new starter trio, a new region, and a new Striaton-like gym with female waitresses that use Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. And much, much more. You'd have to be a complete moron to buy into it... which many, many people did. Yeah, I'm badly ashamed of my species right now.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Trolled by Pokémon Smash

Wanna know what the big reveal was? THE BOX ART, which we'd already seen before! The actual info will wait until next week. And you know what? This worries me. We're about halfway between the game's announcement and its reveal, and we don't know a lick about it other than the title and the Kyurem forms. Why? Why do they keep teasing us with the prospect of new info, only to delay that time after time after time? Is it because they have so little new stuff to show us without going into spoilerland? Because the cynics are right and "brand new adventure" really means "twin deluxe versions", especially since that very label was on Platinum's box? When the game was first announced, that prospect was the most logical conclusion for a variety of reasons, but that "brand new adventure" promise turned things around. And I'm sort of worried, because from day one it didn't even cross the minds of many, many people that this might be twin deluxe versions, and they've been hyping themselves and each other up for sequels. And if they aren't, in fact, sequels, it will piss off SO MANY PEOPLE. While there was no uproar whatsoever in this little community over the fact that BW2 is on DS (mostly because we all know why it's on the DS to begin with), the casual masses with less of a grasp on how these games are made were mighty pissed. Should they be getting ready for the second part of a one-two punch of disappointment? At this point, who knows?

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Nobunaga to get international release

After much doubt over whether a game based on 16th century Japan would be worth an international release, it's finally been confirmed! June 18 is the date in North America (smack in the middle of the TSG Pokémon marathon at that), and the title is much less of a mouthful as well: Pokémon Conquest. Looking forward to it!

Oh, and the official site confirms that they're not touching warlord/warrior names, either. Good.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Nobunaga fan translation localizes bushou names

As of the latest version (1.4), bushou names have been "translated" into English. And as you might expect, the reaction is overwhelmingly negative, and I am in full agreement with the general feeling. When localizing games, there are two kinds of names you do NOT change: established characters, and historical figures. And it just so happens that all the characters in this game are both. From what I understand, only Nobunaga was lucky enough to escape with his name intact - even his wife (Nouhime), sister (Oichi) and eventual successor (Hideyoshi) were hit with the English-bat.

It's not to say changing names in fan translations is always bad: Mother 3 did it with characters such as Fassad, and it was okay because they were both fictional and new (to the exception of Porky, whose name was officially retconned by Nintendo anyway). This, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. But the good news is that even though there's no official word on the matter yet, the backlash may cause them to backpedal.

If you're interested in the project, you can keep up with it here.

Monday, April 2, 2012

New poll: most wanted Pokémon spinoff

But before we do that, the results of the last poll, with 230 votes! 127 Americans top the charts, no surprise there. 45 from the British Isles, no surprise there either. 23 from Canada... what? For some reason I expected more. Oh well, no one is a prophet in their own land, I guess. 19 voters are from continental Europe, and I'd wager most of them are from Germany. The rest of the world gets the remaining scraps: 7 from Latin America (good thing I edited the poll five minutes in!), 4 from Asia, 4 from Australia or New Zealand, and one from Africa.

Up next: which Pokémon spinoff would you most like to see before this generation ends? We're presumably halfway through gen 5 right now, and so far we've had Rumble 2, Poképark 2 and the Nobunaga crossover. This leaves a lot of room for others. We haven't had the mandatory console battling game yet... could this be our first generation without such a game? The Ranger and Mystery Dungeon series also lack a new entry, and we don't have a storage utility like Box and Ranch yet. So, which one of these would you most like to see?

The NHL's ranking system blows chunks!

Yep, let's shift gears for a bit, and talk about sports!

Here I'm referring to the stupid rule according to which division leaders are automatically ranked first, second and third within each conference. This rule makes it so that when a division is weaker than others, its winner will often move on to face a much weaker team than they normally would. So in the end, mediocrity is rewarded when paired up with purely geographical considerations (doesn't surprise me coming from the league that puts Winnipeg in the same division as Washington, Carolina and both Florida teams). While this system isn't so bad in years where divisions are balanced for the most part, or at least one top team is featured in each one, things quickly go out of whack otherwise.

It's especially bad this year, where the Atlantic and Central divisions outrageously dominated the rest of the field. As a result, we get some absurdly ridiculous garbage in the Eastern conference (the West is mostly spared, since the eventual winner of the Pacific division will face a team of appropriate quality despite the wonky rankings). The best example is the almost inevitable Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia clash in the first round. Here you have two teams that are both fully capable of winning the Stanley Cup, and yet because Boston and either Florida or Washington will be ranked much higher than they deserve to be, one of them will be going out in the first round. Meanwhile, Florida/Washington will get a much easier draw (presumably New Jersey) just because they won a crappy division.

If things were fair, based on the current standings we'd have the New York Rangers vs. Washington, Pittsburgh vs. Florida, Philadelphia vs. Ottawa and Boston vs. New Jersey. Now doesn't that sound a lot more fair for everyone?