Posted on

Pokemon Hoenn, Second Gym

By Anonymous

You have just beat Roxanne, the first gym leader and have received your first gym badge. That’s great! Now we have to go to Dewford Town. You need to find Mr. Brinney first, so he can use his ship and take you there. Ddewford Town is an island. Once you arrive you will have to go into the cave and deliver Devon Goods to Steven. You will receive HM Flash, which will be needed later on. Once you get to the end of the cave and meet Steven you should get TM Steel Wing from him, if I remember right. Then you can go to the gym. This gym is hard, from personal experience I had to skip it and defeat the third gym before I was able to defeat the second. When you enter the gym you will not see anything. It is pitch black in there.

To make it get lighter you have to fight a trainer in the gym, when you beat the first one the light will get a bit brighter, and so on. Once you beat the last trainer the gym is completely lit up. And you should be able to go to the leader, Brawly. This is a fighting type gym, I believe it is the earliest fighting type gym ever throughout Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova. Anyway talk to Brawly, and you will get into the gym battle.

The first Pokemon Brawly will use against you is a Machop. It is at level sixteen, it should be fairly easy to take down, just be careful, if you got a Tailow on an early route it would be easier to defeat. Flying has an advantage over fighting types. And also I believe psychic types also have a type advantage over fighting types. So a Ralts would also help you out. The main worry is not to let the Machop use Bulk Up, if used too many times it will be terribly hard to take the Machop down. Once defeated he will send out a Meditite. The main worry here is not to let the Meditite use Focus Punch, it is a very powerful attack and if it hits you will be in a bad position. The Meditite is at level sixteen, same level as the Machop but is a touch more powerful, it is also part psychic type, to get a super effective hit you will need to use a flying type most likely.
Continue reading “Pokemon Hoenn, Second Gym”

Tags: , ,

Posted on

Pokemon Hoenn, First Gym

By Anonymous

A new adventure is about to begin, it will be pretty exciting, it is in the Hoenn region. Hoenn has some of the coolest environments, a lot of nature. A coincidence is that the professor of this region, Birch, studies the environments for Pokemon. New trainers also get their starter Pokemon from him. You can choose the grass type Pokemon, Treecko, the water type Pokemon, Mudkip, or the fire type Pokemon Torchic. If you choose the grass or water starter you will have a good advantage for the first gym. This gym is a rock type Pokemon gym and water and grass has an advantage over rock type Pokemon. You will have a bit of traveling to do on your way to city with the gym. You will have to pass through Oldale Town and head to Petalburg City. There is a gym here, but no need to worry about it until later. You need to go through Petalburg Woods. It is a fairly large forest, a few Pokemon inhabit it. Once you get to the end of the forest you’ll find yourself at the entrance to Rustboro City. Now let’s go check out that gym!
Continue reading “Pokemon Hoenn, First Gym”

Tags: , ,

Posted on

Unova – Nimbasa City

By Matt

Located near the center of Unova, Nimbasa City is a popular tourist attraction. Its size is comparable to that of Castelia, although the latter is much fuller, having tall buildings and skyscrapers. I usually Fly to there, since, according to my game schedule, it’s such a convenient place to be. The place where you land when Flying there is the Pokemon Center located near the bottom-left corner of Nimbasa City. To the left is the Battle Facility, which tests your skills based on 5 battles, each increasing in difficulty. After the series of battles, you will be ranked by the number of battles won or lost.

In the middle is Nimbasa City’s crowning achievement: Gear Station, which hosts the Battle Subway. There is a Subway for Single, Double, Multi, and Wi-Fi battles; Triple and Rotation trains are seen to be implemented in future games. Disguised as a Subway, one is a train to Anville Town, which gives you access to item traders on the weekend, and a Depot Agent who will give you items once every week.

To the right of that is Nimbasa’s amusement park, which features a Ferris Wheel and Elesa’s hidden gym. You can ride the Ferris Wheel everyday by battling a Trainer with a Pokemon around level 25; the Trainer switches by the seasons. North of that is the Musical Theater, where you can participate by dressing up your Pokemon. As you progress in the game, you notice that people give you props, especially on Route 5.
Continue reading “Unova – Nimbasa City”

Tags: ,

Posted on

Pokemon Global Link – C-Gear Skin Events

By Matt

Excluding Japan, the Pokemon Global Link has currently three C-Gear skins that can be received if the right password is put in. It doesn’t take too long to find out that there’s an event going on; all news shows up to the left when you access the Global Link. The first skin was released around May internationally. It is Munna, the Pokemon whose evolution started the Global Link trend. On a lesser note, its name is Munna’s Flower Garden. This can be downloaded from May 2011 to around October of 2012, giving a huge time window for all players to get a copy for themselves. The password is PGLDR34M, which stands for Pokemon Global Link Dream. Passwords for the Munna C-Gear were found in a special Unova Pokedex book on a certain page.

However, through the use of Google, the password was revealed, saving money for those who need it. The next C-Gear skin to be released was the Pikachu pattern, known as “Aim for the Top!”. As a matter of fact, it was released last week across the world. On July 7th, the Global Link announced they would release this exclusive skin’s password at Pokemon events, including the Pokemon National Championships, which is the trading card game tournament held annually. In all honesty, I think they should have provided a better password for this skin, since the design looks pretty cool. It’s a Pikachu pointing up towards the top of your touch screen, thus giving it its name. Anyway, don’t waste time looking up the password; it’s better if you just type in PikachuCGear.
Continue reading “Pokemon Global Link – C-Gear Skin Events”

Tags: ,

Posted on

Hunting For Shiny Pokemon, And How It Works

By Jill/Redterror117

With their release in Generation II, shiny Pokemon are always well sought after due to their rarity, and sometimes pleasing appearance. There are a number of people after all who prefer the colouring of a shiny Charizard over the normal colour. Despite the fact that encountering a shiny Pokemon is three times easier than encountering a Pokemon with Pokerus (shiny Pokemon in the wild having a 1/8192, versus the 3 in 65,536 chance that Pokerus holds), it is still a time consuming feat that most tend to give up on partway into the hunt. However a deeper analysis on how shininess is determined is key to improving a hunt.

Starting back in Generation II, the game’s data structure was more simplistic than its later generations. In order to obtain a shiny Pokemon in Gold, Silver, or Crystal, the Pokemon must have specific IVs; its Speed, Special, and Defense IVs must be all 10s, while its Attack IV has to be either 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14, or 15. With the shiny trait being tied to the IV stat, it allowed the Pokemon to be transferred between Generation 1 and 2 without losing the valuable trait. This also meant that the trait could be more easily bred for, as IV breeding is more ‘doable’, rather than breeding for a semi-random trait. It is interesting to note as well that in the Japanese Crystal version, the ‘Odd Egg’ obtained in Goldenrod City has a 50% chance of hatching a shiny Pokemon. If you plan on getting a shiny this way though, make sure to save your game before obtaining the egg, as the moment it is obtained, the future statistics will be determined (so saving before gaining the egg will allow the player to try again if it does not produce a shiny Pokemon).

With the introduction of Ruby and Sapphire and the third generation, the original data structures were redesigned. And as a result, the shiny trait was no longer tied to a Pokemon’s IV value, rather than two different pieces of data: a Pokemon’s Trainer ID (which identifies the number of the original trainer), its Secret ID (which is not viewable through the game normally, unless a cheating device is used), and its Personality Value. For those unfamiliar with the Personality Value, it is what determines a Pokemon’s gender, Ability, Nature, and species specific oddities (the letter of an encountered Unown, the location of Spinda’s spots, and the evolution of Wurmple). With this change, the ability to breed specifically for shininess is removed almost completely, and instead relies on a specific formula :
Continue reading “Hunting For Shiny Pokemon, And How It Works”

Tags: , , ,

Posted on

PokeHacks – Quartz

By Anonymous

Pokemon Hacks are, in this case, fan made games that may or may not have fan made Pokemon characters. The particular hack, Pokemon Quartz, is one of the most famous of these hacks, as it is one of the few to have been completed and contain an entirely original Pokedex. The game is a hack of Pokemon Ruby, meaning it visually resembles the game Ruby yet the similarities end there. The towns, buildings, story, and Pokemon are all original, though unofficial, being a fan made game.

I can’t say I’ve finished the game, but I’m already far enough along to say this: it’s fun and a whole new experience compared to a Pokemon game… and you should save often if you’re on a Mac, the emulators tend to crash. The game contains, as in the description, two hundred thirty-seven unique Pokemon to catch and another one hundred forty-nine to see. There is, also, a new home for the new Pokemon, the Corna region, which is essentially Hoenn, with some minor changes in each area. Furthermore, there’s a whole new set of baddies to handle in this version, whether it’s the nine, yes, nine, gym leaders or the Ambar Band, though referred to as the Band Ambar, as the creator’s native language is Spanish rather than English. The translation troubles appear a few times in the game, turned into a joke and noted a number of times. In fact, after saving the region’s professor, Baro, he begins speaking Spanish in frustration, saying not to mind what he says. Along with the technical changes, though, there are also the changes that truly set the game apart from its source.

From the script to the neighbor to Pokemon changes, it makes for an interesting time. Foremost, it should be noted the dialogue in the hack isn’t quite so rated E as the official counterpart. In fact, upon first meeting the neighbor boy, his womanizing nature is obvious, going so far as to call you “Babe” and daydream about officer “Jeni” not a few sentences later. I can’t say for sure on how a female counterpart will act, though from the game description (“…your new sexy neighbor Ran/J.Akira….”) I’ll assume it’s some flirty parallel to the boy’s dialogue. Much of the script follows that sort of pattern, the boy continuing to hit on the player and the Professor far from professional and even absent minded at times. In addition to all the curious interaction, there’s also, as mentioned before, a new selection of Pokemon. From the first encounter, it’s easy to see the spriter didn’t entirely agree with the looks of official Pokemon. In fact, all three starters, while still grass, fire, and water variations, are near identical eggs, cracked with eyes peeking out and colors corresponding to their type. Contrary to other eggs, fortunately, these eggs are capable of attacking and leveling. While strange, it is indeed convenient when one goes to save the professor. For those who are looking forward to spoilers, go ahead and Google, “Pokemon Quartz starters,” though I needn’t ruin it for the rest.
Continue reading “PokeHacks – Quartz”

Tags: ,

Posted on

The Best Starter – Black & White

By Anonymous

Many of us Pokemon fans have fond memories of picking our first starter in Pokemon Red and Blue, not to mention the debate when comparing with our friends. Who was your favorite? Squirtle? Charmander? Bulbasaur? Well, whichever your choice, now that you’ve grown, you’ve likely wondered yet again which is the “best” starter. Now that Pokemon Black and White have come along, it seems Nintendo was nice enough to make it clear which is best for the story.

Stat-wise at least, all three starters have kept fairly even since the beginning, though are best tailored for different battling styles. Depending on what type of trainer you are, your aesthetic preference may be your strategic downfall. In generation V, the starters were designed so that the water type, Oshawott/Mijumaru, would be the best for special attacks, such as surf and waterfall; the fire type, Tepig/Pokabu, would excel in attack, which benefits moves like flare blitz and heat crash, as well as HP, sacrificing its remaining stats to have two proficiencies; and the grass type, Snivy/Tsutarja, would specialize in speed, so that it might strike first in battle. What’s an instance of choosing the wrong starter? Myself. I fell for Snivy at first sight, and have paid a heavy price. As I prefer my Pokemon to have strong attacks, I often lost battles when I fell back on Snivy to be my secret weapon. I, now, hate to say I despise him, now rotting in my PC. Choose your starter carefully, in any Pokemon game, and be aware of what you’re getting into, take it from someone who wishes she didn’t know!
Continue reading “The Best Starter – Black & White”

Tags: ,

Posted on

Fourth Gen Battle Close Up: Scizor

By Jill/Redterror117

This is the second out of a series of articles I am currently writing, which takes a close look at a particular Pokemon I use competitively against friends. This time I will be analysing one of my favourites, the Pokemon that always makes its way onto my team: Scizor

Scizor in itself is a rather sleek-looking Pokemon, though unfortunately its base speed stat does not match its look. However being the ‘Scissor Pokemon’, Scizor has a very high base attack stat, something which is hard not to consider. Its steel typing also gives it a great natural boost against physical attacks, and that combined with its Bug type means that it is only weak against one Pokemon type: Fire. Though if you can avoid this, then Scizor is your best friend.

My Scizor’s move set is actually a set that appears on Smogon, a website dedicated to Pokemon battles in from the second to fourth generation. It is referred to as the ‘Uber Swords Dance’ build, as one of the key moves used is ‘Swords Dance’, which gives a larger boost to attack power. The main attack for this particular set is Bullet Punch, an increased priority move which deals Steel-type damage. It is not an overly powerful attack, but if Scizor has the Technician ability and wields a Life Orb, combined with the 1.5x STAB multiplier for using a Steel-typed attack, and Bullet Punch’s power goes up by 130%! And that’s all before Swords Dance is used to boost the attack further. Apart from these two attacks, there is also Roost, which will allow Scizor to recover from any possible damage received, and the life taken from an equipped Life Orb. Finally with U-Turn, Scizor can be used first in battle without having to worry about something potentially dangerous. So breaking down the move set for Scizor, we have the following:

Bullet Punch
Swords Dance
U-Turn
Roost
Continue reading “Fourth Gen Battle Close Up: Scizor”

Tags: ,

Posted on

Pokemon Weekly Events

By Matt

The amazing world of Pokemon holds not only events that can be repeated every day, but special events that occur once every week. The first event that happens is the Musharna occurrence in the Dreamyard on every Friday. By either avoiding or defeating all the Trainers in the room, you can proceed by going outside and finding another entrance to where Musharna is. It’s a free Pokemon with a Hidden Ability, saving you a visit to the Dream World. In this case, Musharna’s Ability is Telepathy, which proves very useful in Double Battles. It will prevent itself from being harmed by an ally’s attack, like Surf or Earthquake. Bring high-level Pokemon, since it is level 50.

The second event happens when you beat the game for the first time. If you go back to Professor Juniper’s Pokemon Lab, you can find Bianca, who has decided to be her assistant. Talk to her, and she will offer to battle you every Saturday evening. Her team is six Pokemon, which are around mid-60s level. Even if she won’t battle, she may offer you some pointers on how to catch or evolve Pokemon, or some other interesting fact about Pokemon.

The next weekly event happens in Castelia City. If you go to the street the right of the Pokemon Center, you can find the Casteliacone merchant with many customers. To get one, talk to the last person in line. You might be able to get a Casteliacone if you are lucky, but will have to wait again if they are sold out. One special note about this event is that Casteliacones are not available in the Winter.

Another weekly event happens in Anville Town. This isn’t accessible with Fly; you must go to Nimbasa City to get there. Go into the Gear Station and look for the train to Anville Town. After you cross the bridge, go to the bottom-right house. There will be a Depot Agent there who tells you that he finds occasional items lost in the Battle Subway. If you go every week, he has an item for you. This ranges from Vitamins to rare healing items, such as Max Revives and Full Restores, to Rare Candies. The amount he will give you is random, as well as what he gives you. But it will help with EV training, or save your Pokemon in a tight situation.
Continue reading “Pokemon Weekly Events”

Tags: ,

Posted on

Champion Alder (Pokemon Black And White Postgame)

By Matt

Alder is the Champion of Unova, and the last to beat before entering the Hall of Fame. He is waiting for you at the top of the stairs once you talk to the statue, which will take you downstairs. He says that he’s finally been waiting to determine the strongest Trainer of the Unova region, and the battle begins. This is your first battle with him, if you’ve just beaten the game. Because N interrupted with the Team Plasma affair, you didn’t have time to battle him and become the Champion. Now, you’ll see that his team is completely balanced with no specialty in any type whatsoever.

His first Pokemon is Accelgor, which is extremely fast. It can use Me First, so make sure you don’t use a move supereffective to your own type. Other than that, it utilizes Bug Buzz, Energy Ball, and Focus Blast, all of which are threats. I prefer to use Rock Slide, but if you can’t beat it in Speed, wait for an attack to miss. That’s when you can gain the upper hand.

Alder’s second Pokemon is Bouffalant, the Normal-type. Grass-types are a bad idea, since it has Sap Sipper and won’t take any damage from those kinds of attacks. It uses powerful moves, even though it’s slow; its defensive ability is above average and won’t be taken out easily. Most of the time, it will use the recoil move Head Charge, which could help by gradually chipping away at its HP.

Next is Druddigon, which is a pure Dragon-type, despite its wings. Its only strategy is to use Outrage; prepare yourself by using physical defenders. Then, try to use special moves, since it has Rough Skin, and damages physical attackers. It’s weak to Ice-based moves; I always use Ice Beam to take it out in one hit.

Alder’s fourth Pokemon is Escavalier, which is slow, but has tons of Defense. The good news is that it is weak to Fire-types, many of which are special. If you didn’t bring any, try using a Ground-type, since none of its moves are supereffective against them. Ground-type moves will do regular damage, but at least you can take it out in a few turns.
Continue reading “Champion Alder (Pokemon Black And White Postgame)”

Tags: , , , , , , ,