17 07 2022

PokeWalker: Been walking around enough to use it. It certainly was supplanted by the 3DS’s pedometer/coins system. The battle mechanics are perhaps a little too simple and too dice-roll, but it is a fun gimmick. I am trying to get a few specific pokewalker pokemon to bring forward. I think at one of the transfer points, the Pokemon loses the data that says it’s from the pokewalker. I think it’s neat but it is one of the more odd accessories. A part of me wishes they did a new.. Pokemon Mini console or something? Probably wouldn’t have been as cheap to make though.

Pokemon Crystal: Finally beat Red. I got Ice beam on Suicune and Thunderbolt on Raikou. I got the levels up a few more times, most pokemon were Mid-50s with Ho-oh at 60 and Lugia at 63. Snorlax was lowest at 53. I forgot to maybe swap Ho-oh for a ghost to cheeze Red’s Snorlax, so I just chipped away with Lugia. Despite the level deficit, Red’s AI and movesets aren’t that optimized. Pikachu also doesn’t have much in stats. Snorlax is the harder fight normally, If I brought my Haunter this would’ve been easy. With that done, I deleted Dizzy Punch from the Cleffa I got from the egg and transferred everything. If I forgot to do some side event, I don’t have the energy to do it. I also restarted the game and chose Cyndaquil, going to play for a bit to get a few more pokemon and will transfer that one over. This time if I play further in, I would probably have an easier time for focusing directly on Typhlosion.

Black: From Mistralon I have to go meet Skyla up a tower. Caught a Deerling on the way. In the tower got Elgyem and Litwick. At the top of the tower, Skyla had healed a pokemon and asks me to ring a bell. Apparently the bell shows a person’s true nature? I think this is a hint for a legend event but it’s been so long. The route and the tower itself are a little rougher than I’d like, but there’s many opportunities to heal. It felt like chargestone cave and this tower stretch are the closest GenV has gotten to feeling like the more annoying parts of the games. However, they’re still easier. Sometimes feels a little weird to get hit as hard as I do, lots more healing then expected. I also think the random healing NPCs exist because I’ve actually gotten rather nice moves with 10pp on a few pokemon and I’m actually running out on a few of them. Skyla’s gym is rude. A canon shoots you into a wall. Gothorita isn’t holding up as well as I hoped, may be on the slate for being moved out but I kinda want to keep it. The Porygon Z I brought over to make the game easier is still doing just that in some spots, but I think could get swapped out before Elite Four, especially if I get a Ghost or something.

Now that Skyla’s done.. Oh hey it’s N. Trainer battles hurt pokemon. For competition. Poke Universe doesn’t have Boxing or MMA… wait it does have those karate people. They do understand martial arts competition. Wonder if the sheltered kid vibe comes off better in a different script. Or even if that context works in a game for its main audience? He’s gonna talk with my pokemon. “Because Pokemon never tell lies.” Uh. Sure… He’s still amazed my pokes trust me. He also leaks that Ghestis is searching for a light stone and a dark stone. Those stones might be dormant pokemon. And are totally just the box legends. I kinda get where a “People are not just tools for people to use!” comes from. I think this is still the most… story a pokemon game has had that maybe thought about it’s world but it still feels not enough. N still has a theme of wanting to rule the world and wants to separate pokemon from people. He also thinks this would be sad. Even in the pace I’m playing this game for the journal with notes, I’m still losing a bit of the details. Two more badges. Still going to play this at my pace, but the super fast menus and more energetic soundtrack are helping.

Oh Mom called on the next route. I forgot about the xtranceiver gimmick in this game. Get nice Sugimori portraits of people you’re talking to. She just was checking in pretty much. Seems like maybe she was a trainer before… Actually kinda like that angle. Cheren… shut up. We run into the champ again after our battle. He s till being whiney about strength. Yay Alder gives us surf. I went through Twist Mountain quickly. I just got Surf and I know from checking the guide before that there’s side stuff I can do right now. I just don’t feel like it immediately. I wasn’t thorough on my journey through, but I did accidentally find the ice I could use to get Glaceon. Got to Icirrus City and caught a Shelmet. Now taking a break to get a little further in White to get a Karrablast.