Topics

So, since today is apparently the release date for Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver in the US, I figured I'd make a thread celebrating it, and Gen 2 in general! What better way than to share some memories of our experiences with it? I guess we can include Crystal, too, even if it came out later.

What I remember the most is catching my first non-Gyarados shiny-- a purple Drowzee, on Route 35! I evolved it into a Hypno, obviously. They were both my favorite Psychic-types at the time, so it was that much more special to me. Then I goofed up the save file

I also think it was neat you could catch one of the Electrodes during that one part where you're supposed to make them faint to turn off some power generator. I always make sure to nickname that one "ROCKET", because, well, it was being used by Team Rocket. Other than the basic beats of the plot, I don't recall much, but it HAS been years since I played (Not counting their remakes, which as far as I'm concerned were "Most Improved", despite some weird character design choices...) so I may be forgetting some ancient memories I used to hold dear...

Anyway, who else is big on Gen 2 and remembers their Gold and Silver playthrough(s)?

In all fairness, I don't need it to be October for me to draw Shauntal, but anyway, here you go:

Also in all fairness, I've only drawn her a few times before. I wanted to work in her book and pen, but I wasn't up to it, so I hid her hands 
 
At any rate, I threw this together kinda quickly, so pardon if anything's wonky. Otherwise, lemme know what you think!

To whom it matters, it's the first console release of the series in Western territories which actually allows for the use of giant robot shows like Gundam, Getter Robo, and whoever else they shove into any given entry! (wasn't 30 for Steam? I don't count Steam as a "console", per se)

Anyone try the demo? I had a positive-enough impression to get the full game, but then I'm somewhat of a SRW fan myself, lol. I'm somewhere in Chapter 3, enjoying mostly side missions! Not in a hurry to advance the plot, when most of the main plot points don't involve series I like or am able to tolerate... At least, thus far. I wonder how much of what I do actually impacts anything, but I'd like to find out for myself...

More generally speaking, are there any giant robot shows you'd want to see in Super Robot Wars who haven't made it in? Or maybe you want them to handle your favorite(s) better in the next entry? I don't wanna go on another silly list of who I'd want in, but it's a shame Gurren Lagann has only appeared in the Z series and... X, I think? Might be fun to toss in Tank Police, especially after we got Cowboy Bebop, of all things. Other than that, just gimme a main-series debut for Sgt. Frog. I mean, if there's any DLC waves after the first two announced for Y, who knows what we'll get down the line. Personally, I'm wondering why Braiger and The Big O couldn't be in the same package as Jeeg...

[Normal: Stoutland]

Been a while(?) since we had this topic, but it's a go-to topic for a reason, eh? Curious to see what others' tastes are, and if possible, talk about why you like each one! I mean, if you want to.

I'll start by saying, some of my favorites fluctuate for varying reasons, while others will stay the same no matter what. That said:

Normal: Stoutland
I went into Pokemon White relatively blind, and I don't regret it. I had all but boxed my Herdier after a bit, because I didn't realize it evolved into BEST DOG until I saw an Ace Trainer use one in... was it that bell tower? Then I apologized profusely to him and told him he was the Goodest Boy.

Fire: Oricorio
I was waiting a long time for a Fire/Flying that wasn't Moltres or Ho-Oh, and honestly, its gimmick was pretty fun in Gen 7. Surprised I haven't trained one proper in Scarlet yet.

Water: Phione
There are a lot of contenders for "Favorite Pokemon of my Favorite Type", but my go-to is this one because it's cute, and it's easier than going "uh, um, I like too many of them".

Grass: Weepinbell
Not gonna lie, I think it was the old episode "The School of Hard Knocks" where Joe's Weepinbell used Razor Leaf, spinning around and everything, that convinced me it was cool. I don't dislike Victreebel, but I'm pretty indifferent to Bellsprout at this point. Weepinbell's the happy medium, I think. In terms of equal parts cute and cool, Cacnea's a close second.

Electric: Iron Hands
I probably shouldn't like it, but I do. I got the event one as soon as I could. I also lucked out with a holographic Iron Hands card, which I think warmed me up to it even more. I mean, it's robot Hariyama! Plus, its typing is cool.

Ice: Snorunt
Another "cute pick". Between its lore and the sad fate of either evolution, I'd rather keep my adorable visitor ALIVE, thank you very much!

Fighting: Hariyama
Before Gen 3, my fave was Hitmonchan, but since then, well, the rest is history. I can't put into words why I like Hariyama. I'm not exactly a sumo enthusiast (per se, maybe some day that'll change?) so it really just boils down to its design for me.

Poison: Trubbish
I remember cracking up the first time I saw one in-game because a Janitor tossed one out. I KNEW I had to get one after that... Kinda sad it evolved into Garbodor...

Ground: Sandslash
It and Sandshrew were my faves since Gen 1. Currently have a sort of Sandstorm team on Scarlet, and Sand Rush is too cool to NOT make use of (also another reason why Stoutland is cool, haha), so I had a newfound rekindling of it being my favorite. Sandslash in particular has that nice balance between cute and cool. Mostly cool, though.

Flying: Gligar
Such a cool design, though I do miss when it was more purple. I'm... not a big fan of Gliscor's design, nor do I appreciate the Toxic Orb shenanigans. Good thing I can slap Eviolite on Gligar and call it... okay? Been meaning to try it out at some point, but haven't properly since Gen V...

Psychic: Hypno
This is one of those "I dunno, I just like it" picks. Some cool Psychic-types since, don't get me wrong, but I think the shiny Drowzee I raised into a Hypno wayyy back in Pokemon Silver helped push me into liking it more. I usually don't care about optimal stats or whatever, but power creep has not been kind to this 'mon, to the point where I feel it even in-game... I hope it gets a bone tossed its way at some point!

Bug: Durant
For YEARS people were saying "Trapinch is kind of an ant?" and I was like, "No, that's an antLION. WHERE ARE THE ANT POKEMON???" Pokemon White did NOT disappoint. I had fun using the one I had in Triple Battles. I don't think most people anticipated Aerial Ace with a Flying Gem boost. It came in more handy than you'd think!

Rock: Kleavor
I should probably state that, in real life, I fear bugs more than I ought to-- some more than others. If I met this thing in person, I'd probably scream. However, it's an AXE BUG with AXE ARMS and (in my humble opinion) SO MUCH COOLER THAN SCIZOR. I hope future generations are kinder to it.

Ghost: Lampent
Cute and cool. Mostly cute. Its Pokedex entries make me a little sad, though. Nothing against Chandelure, I just don't like it as much. Ghost/Fire is a cool typing, besides.

Dragon: Drampa
Most Dragon-types have a history of being taken too seriously, beasts in competitive, etc., but I don't care about any of that. If it tells you anything, my favorite Dragon was Shelgon for the longest time, because I just don't care for Dragons as a type. Drampa doesn't make it any less my least-favorite type, but it's at least one I like in terms of design, and 135 Sp.ATK is still pretty impressive, even if its other stats aren't. But then, it's so old, it earned a Normal typing by being so frail. That's the only way I can explain it, lol

Dark: Krookodile
This one was fun to use in Gen 7. Makes me wonder why I never used one sooner. Or since. I guess not many of my favorites are Dark-types...

Steel: Skarmory
Dear GAME FREAK, please let me own a Steven Stone Skarmory before I die. Thanks.

Fairy: Florges
Specifically the blue-color one. I like all three of its line, but if we don't count Pokemon which were retconned to be Fairy (in which case I'd say either Jigglypuff or Togekiss), then this one is kind of neat, if a bit less cute than Floette. I liked using Wish in Rotation Battles when I could pull it off.

Okay, text wall over. Thanks for reading me gushing about (some of) my favorite Pokermints. I'm going to rest now. Please discuss your favorites too.

[Poliwrath]

Lucky or not, let's talk shinies! Those you own, those you really want, it's all good!

Had that Korean event Gastrodon lying around and decided to try the Masuda Method to hatch a shiny Poliwag. Lucky me, it worked just the day before St. Patrick's Day! That's right, I'm raising it to be a Poliwrath.

Mind you, this is only the second time I've hatched a shiny Pokemon in my life (Pansear on Pokemon White was the first, also with the Masuda Method), and honestly, I was getting fed up trying to find a shiny Poliwag during the Mass Outbreak event. It didn't help I was looking for a green Poliwag, since all I knew was Poliwrath's shiny was green and didn't realize its prevos were pale blue until I looked them up (which makes Politoed's shiny weird, too). Pokemon hatch at Lv. 1, anyway, and it's more fun for me to raise them from the ground up. Plus, it's in a Heavy Ball. You can't tell me that's not a cool Pokeball.

Anyway, never got the hate for green shinies-- offhand, the only one I recall being even remotely ugly is Dragonite's-- but then green's my favorite color, so I COULD be biased here. I'd share other shiny Pokemon I've gotten in the past, but I feel like I've somehow mentioned shinies I've caught in other topics-- just from Scarlet alone, haha. Don't let that stop you from sharing your own stories here, though!

Anyone else feeling a bit of "Internet fatigue"? I think in my case, it's because my usual Internet-browsing routine has become quite monotonous, and apparently I've lost the ability to think of how to switch things up. Granted, I don't feel it EVERY day, but today it's like, "What am I doing with my (Internet) life?"

Don't get me wrong, I have IRL priorities, but browsing the Web during my downtime shouldn't be a chore. Maybe it's just not as interesting as it used to be? I could go into why that might be, but that might be opening a can of worms. Pardon my nostalgia, but it really does feel like things were better when it was new and we had more to discover. Again, it's probably my fault for not thinking outside the box...

As for "Why I'm Still Here", I wonder that sometimes myself. Not so much "me posting on this forum" as much as the broader sense of still browsing online in general. I guess old habits die hard? I dunno. Probably as simple as "people still make things I like on here, regardless of how often they actually upload".

Anyway, what keeps YOU invested in the Internet?

Now that the dust is so settled it's difficult to get rid of, what did we think of Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna? Oh, and the protagonist you didn't pick, if that person counts.

Personally, I liked what they were trying to do with them. Tierno's my favorite, because he does what I've always wanted to try-- a theme team! I think most people can't get over his design, but he's actually a pretty cool dude. Trevor's okay, but completing my Pokedex was never my primary goal (GASP!), though I respect those who strive for it.

Since Player-Character-Without-Hat is the obvious Battle Rival, that leaves Shauna. I'm not gonna lie, I simply don't like her. Her constant "I WANNA LEARN ABOUT MEGA EVOLUTION!!" in the early game didn't help matters. It was nice of her to give me a free extra Kalos starter in the postgame, but that's about it.

I think about this crew on and off, so I'm curious what others have to say about 'em, if anything.

[expect]

Despite everything, I can't help but be curious. What are your hopes/expectations/etc.? As for me, I expect them to spend some time detailing the new Legends game, and I hope they announce Gen 10, which I expect will be for the Switch 2. I hope either of these games end up being better-than-okay, but that's not what I'm going in expecting. Then again, I liked Scarlet despite everything, so maybe I'm not one to talk... Anything else will probably not interest me a whole lot, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.

If I had to make a wild guess for fun, I'd say we'll get MEGA IMAKUNI?... which lasts all of three minutes before he remembers he isn't a Pokemon and therefore can't Mega Evolve. However, I am not seriously expecting this.

[this is where I'd add a poll but no one's been voting on my own polls besides me, so place your bets the old-fashioned way]

EDIT: I know it's only one day until it drops by now, but I forgot they called it "Pokemon Presents". Edited the title of this topic accordingly, whoops

EDIT2: Honestly kind of underwhelmed by the Presents, now that I've seen it. I guess they're saving Gen 10 for the 30th anniversary, lol.

I mean, if I had to give one positive about Z-A, the new combat system seems sort of interesting, but then I don't see the point in having you dodge attacks in, say, a Trainer Battle. Feels sort of slapped on at that point. The starters are Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile, apparently. Took me a minute to realize it was two Johto starters, but I guess they already put Cyndaquil in the first one, so... eh. No complaints about who they picked besides, but I'd take Totodile between the three. I guess I'll just wait and see how I feel when more info drops, because right now, I can live without this game.

EDIT3: Had some time to think about it and, after browsing the official site a little... I'm still on the fence, to be honest. Not in a rush to get it on launch day, but after getting two new games and having other priorities come up, let's just say my wallet's not in a hurry, either.

Also, I should probably clarify: having your Pokemon dodge moves isn't the problem depending on how it's implemented, it's having your player character still have to dodge that seems pretty weird, unless that's not the case anymore. I don't want to get my hopes too high for this game, but considering I haven't been up to much video-game-wise except messing around in Scarlet, maybe Z-A is just what I need... I should still try to 100% Legends: Arceus at some point, but I don't even remember the last thing I did there...

Everything from the trivial to the taxing, let's talk about 'em!

Here's the one on my mind at the moment: Kris and Lyra are treated as separate characters because Kris fans will RIOT if they aren't*. Meanwhile, everyone's just cool with Gold being retconed into "Ethan", and... Silver is still Silver.

*To be fair, they ARE drastically different designs, but I thought that was the point, since there was no girl in the original Gold and Silver. To me, that just makes Gold's name being retconned all the stranger.

I realize this is a relatively minor one, but dang if it doesn't bother me something fierce. I guess it all comes down to merchandising at the end of the day, since for ANY game (not just Pokemon), it's easier to have an "official" name for a character-- even a blank-slate self-insert-- than something more generic. (Apologies in advance to anyone actually named Ethan)

Oh, and for something more lore-related: didn't X and Y play up Mega Evolutions as something which required the Trainer and Pokemon to have a strong bond for it to work, only for every game afterward to retcon it all as putting a strain on the Pokemon? I guess there's no reason it can't be both, but it feels like they backpedaled a bit and, well, demonized it a bit more. Unless they were emphasizing it in a "DBZ Powerup" sort of way? But then, that whole thing with the ancient war and such... I guess I'll reserve my full judgement for when Z-A comes out.

Anyway, which retcons actually work/make sense, and which ones don't work as well, or are just plain silly? I'd like to hear your thoughts!

[Rule of Thumb]

You know, those tunes you just KNOW will make you feel peppy/productive/etc.; when you hear them, you just can't stay bitter for long! Rule of Thumb: if you're chasing a wacky cartoon animal, and said animal plays this theme on a nearby radio, and it causes you to dance/smile/whatever long enough for the animal to escape, it belongs here. (because I have no better way to explain it)

This doubles as both my Vidya Pick and Obnoxiously Weeb Pick, but uh, the opening theme from Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 (whatever it's technically called...) has that effect on me. It has a unique energy even among DBZ-related songs...

...I'lll get back to you about more "normal" tunes which do the same. I wanna say some power metal track or something, but none of the tunes I recall affect me like the above one... yet.

Anyone else feel that musical magic, or am I mildly mad?

Hoping to get some input on this here:



I threw this together rather quickly, when I probably should have been asleep. Still surprised myself at how well it came out, even considering it was meant as a mockup. I'll admit to recycling/resizing some older drawings of mine to get it to work, but again, this is a mockup; I intend to redo this properly.

Other than the scale/anatomy being off at parts (Yellow Jammer shouldn't be THAT short, for example), I know my clothes need work. First order of business when I try again: actually add Green Leader's camouflage. I'm running on horridly wonky sleep, or I'd have done so sooner.

Anything else look off? What's spot-on? Who ARE these characters, anyway?! ...Well, I know the answer to the last one, but those first two, uh... Speak up if you wanna help me out.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Yes, I'm referencing Captain Commando, but I really did try making an original "successful team attack" pose for these five characters of mine. Any advice with that would also be greatly appreciated.

Snorunt's probably my favorite Ice-type Pokemon, and while I don't hate its evolutions, they're all pretty sad fates for it, wouldn't you say? One's frozen solid for the rest of its life (and if you Mega Evolve it, its jaw unhinges. Talk about miserable!) and the other freezes so hard it becomes a ghost.

Anyone else think there should be a warmer outcome for Snorunt? Or maybe I'm missing the point here? At any rate, I only have a few ideas at the moment:

*I was thinking Ice/Fire. I'd say Water/Fire, but I feel as though it needs to keep the Ice-type in some capacity. Maybe its coat gets thicker and it holds a torch or something? Hmm...
*480 would have to be its BST. Glalie already has 80 in each base stat, while Froslass has weaker defenses to prioritize Speed. Maybe something like this?

HP: 80
Attack: 105
Defense: 70
Sp.ATK: 105
Sp.Def: 70
Speed: 50
BST: 480

I would have made either offensive stat a bit higher, but it seemed to be an unspoken rule that Snorunt's evos' offensive stats can't not be even, so I compromised. I guess I still sort of min-max'd a little; poor thing still has Snorunt's speed, whoops! But yeah, I don't see this being top-tier in competitive (but then that was never my goal, lol) Maybe Fur Coat and Slush Rush as its abilities, with Flash Fire as the Hidden one?

*As for its actual design, I'd have to think about that a bit. Wonder how it could look primarily cool while retaining some of Snorunt's cuteness? I'm picturing "Elder of a Snowy Village", myself...

Not sure what to do for its moves. Maybe someone can suggest an optimal moveset and we can branch from there? I'll make up a move or two, if I must! Maybe it evolves knowing a specific move it couldn't learn in previous generations? Those are always fun!

If anyone has any input or suggestions, let me know!

Felt oddly nostalgic for them, mere moments before life priorities, so I'll ask real quick: Who did you pick between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, back in the day? Who would you pick now? Do you like all the stages of these starters, or is there room for improvement? Mind you, I'm not too picky about which game was "back in the day" for you, so long as the choice is there. For example, Red/Blue, FireRed/LeafGreen, and X/Y are permissible, but Yellow and Scarlet/Violet are not.

I tend to go for the Water-type starter in most games, because my fondness for Water as an element predates the Pokemon series, so naturally I went with Squirtle in my Blue version! The exception would have been when I played Y; because I had already picked Froakie, I thought picking Squirtle would have been redundant, so I went with Bulbasaur. No regrets, though-- Mega Venusaur was pretty fun, from what I remember! But yeah, in case it wasn't obvious: under normal circumstances, I would pick Squirtle out of the three, even now.

Also:

Squirtle = Wartortle = Blastoise. I like them all! Mega Blastoise is cool, too.
Indifferent to Charmander, but Charmeleon is neat. Never cared for Charizard much; I guess I like Mega Charizard X over Y, but not so much for either of their designs as much as the novelty of it being part Dragon and also a physical attacker.
I don't dislike any of the Bulbasaur line, but Venusaur has my favorite Mega of the three. I miss when Ivysaur was allowed hind-leg-walking action, though...

Anyway, this took longer to type than I thought. Discuss your Kanto opinions below, if you want! Might add a poll later.

EDIT: Poll added. I voted Squirtle, of course!

In terms of official information, there hasn't been a whole lot to go off of yet, has there? I won't say I've been under a rock on the issue, but I don't have my pulse on it, either.

At any rate, Legends Z-A isn't a priority purchase for me (I'm in the "wait and see" stage at the moment), but I am curious about which new Mega Evolutions will happen. Honestly, though, I've gotten burned out on playing Pokemon Scarlet, so I'd have to be in the right mood for a Pokemon game in general (and, at time of posting, I am not in said mood)

To anyone who's played the first Legends game: What did you like and/or dislike about it? What should be kept for Z-A, and what should be left in the first? And, for those interested, which Mega Evolutions do you most want?

Me? I'd have to dust off my copy of Legends because I never 100%'d it (even though that was the entire point of the game, lol) so I'm not really qualified on what mechanics to keep, ditch, improve, etc. As for Megas, I feel as though Mega Hariyama isn't happening since Iron Hands is a thing, but never say never, I suppose! Otherwise, I just want there to be an alternative to Mega Pinsir, a Bug/Ground-type with Arena Trap. Chances of that happening are low, but I do not like the one we have now. It'd be nice if they brought back Mega Swampert, too. I'm indifferent to Flygon, but the lack of a Mega for it is strange even to me. I've heard rumors as to why that is, but eh.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

[under which circumstances the pirates could claim victory]

Been thinking about this a bit more than I probably should, but it IS October, so no harm in asking, right?

I understand in a straight-forward fight that Team Dracula would most probably win, but it makes me wonder under which circumstances the pirates could claim victory. Keep in mind, the pirates in this scenario aren't magic/cursed/undead or whatever, but they ARE pirates, and there's a billion of 'em. All I've got at the moment is "Load the cannons with garlic!!"

(You can assess this seriously, or you can have fun with it. Mostly asking for research purposes.)

Between "Yawning Arcanine" and "Ear-Scratching Pikachu", I can't take the Grand Prize-winning entries of these TCG art contests seriously. Imagine Game Freak getting so much cool art, limiting it to just two or three of the pics actually making it onto cards while they get to own your efforts even if they never use those pictures ever again, and then the winners are the Pokemon being LAZY and/or TIRED*.

...Oh, right, there's a cash prize, too, isn't there? All the more reason to get judges with better taste than "I love it when Pokemon act like pets (and the background is cool, too)". Or at least give more than one theme to choose from?

*To be fair, wasn't the previous contest "Pokemon in their natural habitat"? I can't remember what the 2024 "theme" was...

Sorry if I'm worked up about it. It's just... as a fan, I'll never understand how these decisions are made, and as someone who draws casually, I'd be hard-pressed to think my own work would be able to hold a candle to the sky-high standards Game Freak don't even hold themselves to. More disappointed in myself for caring so much, honestly.

How about the rest of you? Did any of you try to enter? Do you think the winners earned their victories, or would you have rather seen someone else take home the prize(s)?

I'm skipping the fancy intro, 'cause I've got a headache:



Here are some Earthbound-style sprites of my character, The Cobalt Macaw. I know they need work, so I'm asking what could be fixed.

I have other sprites I'd like to share, but they'll have to wait until I'm feeling better. Keep in mind I'm not very good at pixel-ing from scratch with anything past low-end SNES graphics, and even then there's room for improvement. The dream is to be able to make detailed NES/GBC/SNES-style pixels, but I've a ways to go before I can comfortably say I'm there.

(If you count what I call "Frankenspriting", I haven't done that in years, mainly because I'm trying to improve drawing in general, and stitching together other people's stuff isn't conductive to making it from the ground up. Well, it helped my color sense, somewhat, but observation is the more vital skill there. And, well, actually drawing things!)

EDIT: I've had a breakthrough!!



I was going for something like Chrono Trigger for these two, and borrowed some colors from actual Chrono Trigger sprites to that effect. All said, Hilda (the maid) came out rather nice, but I feel like Dustin (the butler) needs a bit of work. Anyone wanna lend an eye?

[Blanka, Guile, Rose, Twelve]

The recently-announced "Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection" has got me thinking about fighting game rosters in general, so I figured I'd make a (hopefully fun!) thread to that effect. The crossover (if any) doesn't have to be massive, nor does the roster itself, but if you like that sort of variety, more power to you!

As for me, I personally have a lot of favorites from across different properties, so I'd probably end up stuffing the roster with them, without regard to balance, variety, or other fans' preferences. If that sounds even remotely interesting to you, well, uh, here's the bare minimum of what I'd want, in no particular order:

1. Blanka, Guile, Rose, Twelve, and Rufus from the Street Fighter series
2. Duck King from Fatal Fury, Tizoc and maybe B. Jenet from Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Defintely King Lion, specifically his appearance in the first Savage Reign. I also wouldn't mind seeing Jubei from Fatal Fury 2 again, but, uh, I think that bridge has since been demolished... Ooh! Maybe Galford and Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown?
3. Bang Shishigami and Valkenhayn from Blazblue
4. Wallachia from Melty Blood
5. Hector from Fire Emblem. I don't care if he's a Nintendo-exclusive character, put him in a fighting game already!!
6. Either Propeller Knight, Mole Knight, or Polar Knight, because they're among my favorite characters from Shovel Knight. I wouldn't have a problem with King Knight, but he had his own campaign as it is, so...
7. Spider-Man from the Marvel vs. series, if only so I can indulge in having him on the same team as either Blanka or Guile (assuming it's a tag-team fighter)
8. THE STEEL SAMURAI. Not Will Powers in a suit, I mean the REAL one from the SHOW. I mean, if he's never going to appear in Samurai Shodown as a guest character, I might as well pretend he has a shot in... anything else!

I say "Bare Minimum", but I think I got a little greedy. On the other hand, I'm probably forgetting some characters I'd like to see. It'd be a much longer list if I could remember them all, lol!

Anyway, I'd prefer 2D sprites if possible, but... Actually, I think the last time I tolerated a 3D-graphics, 2D fighter was probably Super Street Fighter 4, aaaaages ago! Unless Dragon Ball FighterZ counts? Man, I forgot I even bought that one... I guess I'm not picky as long as the game looks good/plays well!

Of course, the REAL dream would be to get some of my OWN characters into a fighting game some time before I die, but I know how much work it takes to get just ONE (1) character made, from design to development to balancing to hitboxes, etc. It's more work than I'D be able to handle, at any rate. You can't buy love, either. It's all about establishing your characters to make people WANT them in a fighting game! ...but more realistically, you're probably looking at thousands of dollars down on crowdfunding. *shudder*

Anyone else have a dream roster, or maybe just a character or two you want to see make a return/debut?

[line by line, spell out the plot/premise for the next Ace Attorney game! Make it as cheesy as possible!]

A forum game? In 2024??? Let's see how far this goes!

Anyway, it's simple: line by line, spell out the plot/premise for the next Ace Attorney game! Make it as cheesy as possible! If you can, though, try to make it a plausible thing by recent games' standards. That way, when AA7/Investigations 3/Ema Skye's Scientific Table Tennis FINALLY releases, we can see how terribly accurate we are! Or aren't! It's all in good fun!

Anyway, I'll start:

They call themselves... the Disciples of Godot.

Let's put aside whether it's good for you or not. Fact is, my coffee addiction is a relatively recent phenomenon, and I'm curious who else is on the inside, for how long, etc.

Taking coffee straight-up black never ends well for me, so I need a bit of cream, bare minimum, to cut the acidity. Not really big on adding sugar, although I've recently started using this "Irish Creme" flavored creamer (Not sure what the UK equivalent is, but whatever it is, there's a hint of chocolate), which has sugar in it anyway... but the point is, spooning sugar directly into it makes it too sweet.

Anyway, I used to drink it a lot less frequently until about... last month, haha. I think it's only now starting to stabilize in my system, for better or worse. Though, some days...

Not necessarily that they "grew on you", more like you don't have as much disdain for them as you once did.

I used to pretty much dislike the entire Solosis line because I was trying to raise something in Pokemon White and wild Duosion kept making that difficult, and while I'm still not fond of Duosion or Reuniclus, I don't think I was being fair to Solosis. I like it, it's a cute lil' brain marble! Even the idea behind the line appeals to me, just not its execution. Caught a Solosis in Scarlet not long ago, and wanted to see how far I could get raising it without evolving it at all... before getting distracted by something else in-game. Probably just doing more Blueberry Quests, haha.

I also remember not liking Unown all that much, until I caught a J-shaped one and put it in my PokeWalker so I could "J-walk". It was so perfect for my Pokewalker, besides. I mean, it's still not winning any battles, but HG/SS gave it its true calling, as far as I'm concerned!

For a more recent example, Tadbulb is pretty cute, but I'm not a big fan of Bellibolt. I guess I don't loathe Bellibolt as much as I could, but I'd be hard-pressed to actually use one, and it's definitely up there on the list of my "Least Favorite Pokemon", in terms of design. Maybe in gen 10, we'll get a cooler evo with Electric Surge, like the Politoed to Bellibolt's Poliwrath. We'll see. In the meantime, like I said, Tadbulb is cute and I like it.

Anyone else have any mercy to show for your not-so-favorites?

[If this topic goes elsewhere, please move it accordingly]

Might be a weird question, but I can't help but ask: what are the best sites these days for hosting comics? Are some of the old ones still good to use? Would some of the new ones be better?

Mind you, I'm waiting on a new computer, which should (hopefully) open my options a bit. I currently browse the Internet on a zombie-potato device, so some of the fancier sites don't seem to want to so much as load (I mean, I get it, but it's annoying for a caveman like me.) Also, if you've seen my stuff, it ain't exactly high-tier art. I figured I'd mention that because I'm not sure how many sites have high standards, and I'd like to respect those standards instead of watering down the pool.

It doesn't have to be a "webcomic-hosting site" either, but then I've never used that format before. It's not like I'd be updating frequently, anyway (I'd rather upload on a chapter-by chapter basis); it's really more for posterity's sake and/or ease of sharing. All I know is, I'd rather avoid using Webtoons. There are a few other sites I wouldn't use, too, but less "out of principle" and more because they'd be a last resort.

Thanks in advance!

[TIME PARADOX]

Anyone end up watching them Japanese cartoons at all? Maybe you grew up with some, or watched them after the fact? Discuss which older anime are on your mind!

Currently thinking about that one time I watched Yatterman. My favorite part is when Boyakky (Boyacky? However it's spelled...) screams his name in the villains' theme song. It's beyond comical.

Speaking of scoundrels, everyone loves a good Lupin III, right? I've only seen Part 2's infamous English dub ages ago, but I still think about "I hope this isn't one of those three-hour tours you hear about on Nick At Nite!" a lot more than I should. (wait, does that dub break the 80s-or-older rule??? TIME PARADOX) Oh, and uh, I feel like Speed Racer has had more adaptations than anime at this point. I'm still mad he wasn't even considered for Tatsunoko vs Capcom... which I've never played, so like, whatever. ;_;

I'd have mentioned more 80s anime, but, uh, slipped my mind. I still need to watch the English dub of Tank Police, out of principle. (I had to look it up to make sure, but it just barely clears being an 80s anime.)

Anyone else a weeb enough dude to post about ancient anime?

"But why not anything AFTER the 80s???"

It's not a hard rule or anything (and I updated the title to reflect that). I might accept a few "honorary" titles, but deep down, I feel there was a quality and/or style shift around the turn of the decade into the 90s. We got some good stuff even then, don't get me wrong. I just think older anime is underrated or even shunned these days.

(There are some stinkers even among "The Classics", though. Pretty much anything Devilman-related is 2edgy4me, except maybe the Toei one...  I guess the title should have tipped me off!)

Side note: When ARE we going to get a straight-up, beat-for-beat anime adaptation of the Getter Robo manga, no strings attached? Usually I don't mind spin-offs etc., because that's how a lot of adaptations did it back then, but it's kind of weird Getter seems to dance around the source material. Am I missing something? Funny because most Getter anime aren't even 80s or older, but I guess that's my point...

[Hopes:]

Anyone else looking forward to it? I am. If nothing else, now I have something to watch for twenty minutes that day, lol

Seriously, though, what are your hopes, expectations, etc.? It's celebrating ten years of Shovel Knight, so I assume that's going to be a bulk of the focus. For me, it's:

Hopes: Shovel Solstice, Shovel Kart, More Dirt (er, snow?) on Polar Knight and/or the Concept of Shovelry, and a PUBLIC APOLOGY from PERCY HIMSELF for that hay minigame* from Shovel Knight Showdown, a game I otherwise wanted to enjoy What Even IS Mole Knight's Deal, Anyway??? ...give or take a few, just to temper my hopes a smidge.
Expectations: More DLC for Shovel Knight Dig (Pretty much confirmed, anyway) and maybe something to do with Mina the Hollower. Probably a plushie or two. Speaking of 2... Nah. Unless...?

Side note: I still think the first four games (or "Treasure Trove", if you count it as just one) are great, flaws and all, but I have mixed feelings about every game after invoking a "Nintendo Hard" arcade feel. It's not that I think they shouldn't make games like that for people who want them, it's just that (for the MOST part) Treasure Trove seemed to strike a balance between tough and fair. Also, I'm stubborn and feel like they SHOULD be played at those difficulties even though I typically suck.

*You might be able to disable that minigame, but there's no disabling my SCARS. I get PTSD watching Percy prance about in Dig like nothing happened. He KNOWS.

What about the rest of you?

...

Okay, just got done watching it. Honestly not sure how to feel about most of it, but it's good to know Shovel Knight's getting a sequel of sorts! Dig's DLC might be cool, too...

That said, I think I'll wait until we have more info on Shovel of Hope DX. If they're boasting 20+ playable characters, but it's primarily following the Shovel of Hope timeline, I wonder how the dialogue changes accordingly, if at all? And uh, if anything else changes, for that matter (besides gameplay, I'd assume). I mean, wouldn't playing as Plague Knight effectively make it Plague of Shadows, seeing as how that was the whole point? Don't get me wrong, I'll go in mostly surprised if I have to, but boy does it feel weird considering I bought the original for the 3DS.... Heck, that might be enough incentive to buy the new one. my 3DS ain't what it used to be...

So yeah, I give this Yacht Club Presents a Some Interesting Stuff out of 5 Yachts.

[LET HIM!!]

You HAVE been warned:

[spoiler]


[/spoiler]

If anyone has any questions, I'm going to sleep. See you soon.

EDIT: Okay, I'm back. To address the main concern you all might have, don't worry! This game has a HAPPY ending:

[spoiler]
[/spoiler]

As for The Teal Mask, WELL...

[spoiler]
[/spoiler]

The only thing you need to know about The Indigo Disc is Crispin is a huge dork, but in like, the coolest way ever. Mere images cannot illustrate what was previously perceived to be the physically impossible.

And perhaps the BIGGEST spoiler of ALL...

[spoiler]Blatant jokes aside, while I do feel many parts of the game, especially its plot, were rushed and/or cut* (including the DLC, which I pretty much only got because I had spare eShop money), I enjoyed Scarlet a lot more than I thought I would. Some time around Gen 6, I was getting burnt out on the series, and I actually skipped on getting Shield (for better or worse). I tried Legends Arceus off a whim and enjoyed it for what it was, so I gave Scarlet a try, too.

*I mean, this isn't anything new. Why is a "DNA Splicer" a family heirloom, for example? There's no other reason I can think of.

Is it the perfect Pokemon game? Absolutely not, but then what is? Will I get the new Legends game? The first one was enough for me, but I'm interested to see the inevitable new Mega Evolutions (if we get a Bug/Ground Mega Pinsir Z with Arena Trap, I will forgive Game Freak for the abomination we actually got) more than I am playing it.

Here are a few more opinions I have:
1. Arven > Nemona > Fossilized Pokemon Manure >>> Mega Pinsir > most Gen 9 Pokemon >>>>>>> Penny.

If you think that's harsh, it probably is, but I can't stand Penny's attitude, particularly her bizarre trust issues towards her friends (which, by the way, all of them except Ortega are awesome) Her only redeeming quality is having a Palafin poster in her room. I guess you could argue her whole "DAAAAAAD!!" issue is funny if you get who's being referenced in that one DLC arc, but I didn't when I first played it. Turns out it's a Sword/Shield reference.

Arven strikes me as the Gen 5-appeal character, and Nemona the Gen 1-appeal character (or Gen 3, I guess, since she's a "friendly" rival). I have no major issues with either of them.

2. I didn't care for the whole school setting, especially in the base game. The school trip and Blueberry Academy weren't terrible overall (though regarding Kieran, it felt like they were clearly leading up to something between him and Pecharunt, but I guess that was dropped because brainwashed children/possessed antagonists was overdone at this point? That, uh, didn't stop Pecharunt from trying, I suppose...) but that was in spite of the school context. Probably silly to complain about for a children's monster-collecting game, but I would assume there was a reason it was never done before. Director Clavell and Cyrano are both super cool, though.

3. Dendra is Best Girl with Best Taste in Second-Best Type. Her only flaw is substituting her Falinks for Hitmontop (but then I just don't like Hitmontop)

[Points 4 and 5 redacted because I was complaining about pokemon designs and we don't need two paragraphs dedicated to THAT, even if the criticisms were legit. It's been said everywhere else!]

6. As stated above, Crispin is the best dork. He's gonna be a great chef some day, and when he gets older he'll be as cool as Steven Stone. Just you wait!

The young man just wants to fly on his Magmortar. LET HIM!![/spoiler]

(Spoilered the "actual" review after the fact of posting it. It's gotten a bit long, lol)

I don't suppose anyone else has any hands-on experience/opinions to share regarding Scarlet/Violet?

And yeah, I should probably address the Koraidon in the room-- the game is buggy and slows down at parts, but I think I got off relatively easy there. Other than when my LIZARD STEED decides to take a nosedive into some polygons, get stuck, and teleport me somewhere else, I haven't had too many major problems (except early on in the game's life, like a Pokeball inexplicably being in almost all the Arven cutscenes, or this one time when I couldn't pick up two items relatively close to each other in a cave. Oh, and the Elite Four music glitch, which was apparently so bad they didn't bother reusing it for the DLC...I don't think that constitutes a major spoiler at this point?).

Some of the bugs were pretty cool, though-- I'll never forget the time I saw a sleeping Makuhita by a tree, and right next to it, a SHINY one emerged from the ground. Long before that, I got lost in one area when a Yungoos encounter got me to somewhere I don't think I should have been yet, which helped me progress elsewhere, haha.

I assume it's worse when you play with friends online? Or is it even terrible connecting in person? Or is it really down to a coin toss?