Posted on

The Older Pokemon Vs. The New Pokemon

By

Hello Pokemon Fans! Today I would like to discuss generation one vs. generation five. Now in my opinion I think all Pokemon games are amazing I will admit that, but all the Pokemon…not so much. First let me say this in generation one the designs of the Pokemon were outstanding! Along with the naming and battle moves. For example I will use the three starter Pokemon: Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander. Now I loved fire Pokemon (along with dragons) so I chose Charmander. Now Charmander to me was a pretty sweet Pokemon due to the fact that he was almost unstoppable unless against a water type. To me his best move as we progressed was flamethrower. Then he evolved into Charmeleon! Now I was not a fan of Charmeleon but I must say he was stronger and learned even better moves.

Anyways moving on, I thought that the detail was a little bit lazy since all they did was buff Charmander up, add a horn to his head, and rename him Charmeleon. In the end though I was happy for the last evolution was Charizard. Now I was very impressed for I thought he would look like a dinosaur (T-Rex), but no I was wrong he was transformed into an orange dragon with wings. Not only was he just a fire type now but a flying type now too! I must say he was very powerful to so I applaud Game Freak and Nintendo.
Continue reading “The Older Pokemon Vs. The New Pokemon”

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted on

Which Generation 5 Starter Did You Choose?

By Brandon Yeo

I think this would be an especially nostalgic topic for many of those who has bought the game and constantly pondering, who is the cutest? Who is the coolest? And who is the strongest? Well which of these matters and how did you choose your Gen V starter? I’m sure most of you would know the starters fairly well, but some quick introduction. First up is Snivy the grass snake Pokemon, seemingly sleek and elegant, his agility is especially evident in his high speed stats. Second is the water Otter, Oshawott, who seems to look sort comical, with a brown nose, blue ears and a seemingly blue (Jacket?). Most distinct is of course his removable scalchop on his stomach. Lastly, the fire pig Pokemon, Tepig. A typical pig, seeming like its other species counterparts with a curly tail but with a fiery taste attached.

Just so you know, my first unanimous pick was Oshawott. As the Best Wishes series started before the B&W game was released, I was already exposed to his comical appearance and charm that influenced me to choosing him as a starter. Being one of my main collections as well, it would be weird just not to pick him. Apart from my bias of course, his looks is one that is clearly unique, especially with his scalchop, something that most Pokemon can’t do apart from others like Dwebble with his removable shell. Well many while choosing their starters, might also consider their evolutions, I did too, but it wasn’t a very big deciding factor. Before I watched the Best Wishes series and before the game came out, I was debating whether to choose between Snivy or Oshawott as Snivy evolves into an awesome grass (snake dragon?), something that hasn’t been done in a long time apart from Charizard. Then comes Samurott, although the problem is I have no clear idea what he is or what animal or mythical creature he is based on since he doesn’t seem to look anywhere close to an Otter. But his two removable swords changed it all, with his trusty moustache, it made him look all the more deadly. I never really considered Tepig as firstly I usually chose the grass types, from Bulbasaur all the way to Turtwig and secondly, I don’t fancy oversized pigs very much. Lastly, he seems to pale in comparison to his water and grass counterparts.
Continue reading “Which Generation 5 Starter Did You Choose?”

Tags: , , , ,

Posted on

The Venipede Line

By Jo

I’ve never had a thing for bug-types. With every new generation, I tend to avoid them throughout the game, as they just remind me too much of actual bugs (maybe that’s why I like flying-types so much?). But the odd thing about the fifth generation Pokemon games was that I actually found some bug-types kind of cute. Ironically, despite what they’re based off from, I wasn’t really put off by the Venipede line.

Venipede is a centipede-like Pokemon. Its head, shoulders, and feet are a burgundy shade, while its waist is colored teal. Its yellow eyes normally appear tired, the lids drooping slightly. It has eight legs. According to its pokédex entries, Venipede’s bite injects a potent poison that is strong enough to paralyze the large birds that are known to prey on it. The feelers on its head help it know what’s going on around it. Venipede are apparently brutally aggressive. Venipede’s design is most-likely based off from a centipede. However, it shares its physical appearance more with a millipede. Venipede’s name is probably a combination of the words ‘venom’, ‘centipede’, and ‘millipede’.
Continue reading “The Venipede Line”

Tags: , , ,

Posted on

All About Pokemon: Tepig, Pignite, And Emboar

By Emily

Its cuteness is hard to deny, not to mention its impressive stats for being a base level Pokemon. But as Tepig evolves, its strength increases at the cost of its original cuteness. Such power and versatility makes Emboar a force to be recon with, and its pre-evolved form Tepig is conveniently enough one of the possible starter Pokemon you can choose.

Being both Fire and Fighting type, Emboar is weak to many different types of Pokemon. But all of its attacks, when used wisely, can defeat almost any Pokemon it comes up against. Hammer Arm and Gyro Ball make a perfect combo, with the Steel-type Gyro Ball increasing in strength every time Hammer Arm is used. Grass Knot and Scald may not seem like attacks a Fire type should be able to learn, but they come in very handy and can help to overcome some of this character’s weaknesses. For those who like daring attacks, Emboar can also learn Wild Charge and Stone Edge. These two moves deal a good amount of damage but are both a little risky to use. Stone Edge has reduced accuracy, which may be a liability for a Pokemon with such low defenses, but Flying types hardly stand a chance against it. Water types can easily be taken down by Wild Charge, but the recoil from a Super Effective attack may pose a risk to Emboar.

Tepig can learn a wide array of egg moves, some of which can be extremely useful. Curse may not appear useful as it takes away from the user’s Speed stat, but increasing an already high Attack stat may very well make the attack worthwhile. Thrash and Magnitude have some usefulness, though Thrash’s typing and Magnitude’s risk of dealing low damage may make these along the lines of novelty attacks.
Continue reading “All About Pokemon: Tepig, Pignite, And Emboar”

Tags: , , ,

Posted on

All About Pokemon Oshawott, Dewott, And Samurott

By Emily

The last of the three starter Pokemon of the fifth generation, Oshawott stands out as the oddest character of the three. Its body doesn’t flow like Snivy’s. It looks much more jumbled together compared to the Fire Pig Tepig. But Oshawott does have one major advantage, and that’s in its truly awesome stage 2 evolution, Samurott. Not only does Samurott look strong, its stat spread and fairly versatile move pool options allow this character to carve out a special niche in a team.

Like the other Unova starter Pokemon, Oshawott has a fairly decent stat spread, with Special Attack being by far its greatest asset. As it evolves into Samurott, Attack catches up and in the end both physical and special type moves are viable options for Samurott. Despite the great attack stats, Speed and Special Defense lack a bit of luster. Such a comparatively low Speed stat will require being able to hit hard and the unappealing Special Defense means that Samurott has to have a back-up plan in the event that the opponent uses a strong special attack against it.

Defense-wise, Encore can be used to get the opponent to use only one move for multiple turns, which may in the end prove to be very useful. This attack can possibly be used in junction with Revenge if the opponent’s last move did little damage to Samurott. A base power of 120 can be more than enough to make plenty of Pokemon faint. Other strong physical attacks such as the egg move Night Slash or HM move Waterfall can vie as possible alternatives for defeating more types of Pokemon, though the other TM options are too numerous to list.

Oshawott’s signature move Razor Shell has slightly lower accuracy than most other attacks, but with the added possibility of lowering the opponent’s Defense, considering this attack my be worth-while. With help from the Move Tutor, Samurott can also learn the very strong attack Megahorn. It sacrifices accuracy for power, but it can be used against a multitude of Pokemon and do quite a bit of damage.
Continue reading “All About Pokemon Oshawott, Dewott, And Samurott”

Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted on

The Pidove Line

By Jo

The Pokemon Black and White games came out with quite a few flying-type Pokemon who are designed based off from existing bird species. The Pidove line is based off from birds found in cities, which makes sense considering areas found in the newest region are based off from New York City.

Pidove is a small bird. Its eyes are a golden color and most of its body is made up of grey colored feathers. Its wings have black stripes and its chest appears to have a lighter portion of feathers in the shape of a heart. It has pink feet. Pidove was the first ‘Who’s That Pokemon?’ in the Best Wishes season of the anime. According to its pokedex entries, Pidove are frequently found in cities. Because of this, they are accustomed to people and often gather in parks and plazas in large numbered flocks. While each will follow its trainers commands as best as it can, they sometimes fail to understand complicated commands. Pidove is most-likely based off from pigeons and doves, as its habitat is similar to pigeons and its heart shaped patch of feathers is probably a reference to doves as they normally are used to symbolize love. Pidove’s name seems to a combination of the words ‘pigeon’ and ‘dove’.

Once Pidove reaches level 21 it evolves into Tranquill. Tranquill is a bit larger than Pidove and its legs much longer. Tranquill’s design is most-likely based off from the Greater Roadrunner, a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family. It has a long, trailing tail that has dark markings. Most of the feathers covering its body are a light grey, though its head is colored black and almost looks as if it is wearing an old fashioned wig. According to its pokedex entries, Tranquill can return to its trainer’s location regardless of the distance separating them. Many people believe that, deep in the forest where Tranquill live, there is a peaceful place where there is no war. Tranquill’s name most-likely comes from the word ‘tranquil’ (as in peaceful and unstressed) and ‘quill’, a feather from the tail of a bird. Tranquill’s name could reference the fact that Tranquill are peaceful Pokemon with long tail feathers.
Continue reading “The Pidove Line”

Tags: , , , ,

Posted on

Pokemon Generation V The Story Of A Skeptic

By Myntii

When I first heard about the release of Pokemon Black and White, I thought to myself Oh, another Pokemon game. While I had been an avid fan back in the days of Kanto and Johto, I found myself lost after the second generation. I had dabbled in Pearl for a while and contemplated Platinum, but other than that, I had lost interest in the fandom. It’s not that I’m one of those people who refuses to acknowledge the existence of Pokemon past generation one, but rather that I just couldn’t keep up anymore. There were too many Pokemon, too many regions, too many gym leaders. I just couldn’t keep track anymore. Not to mention, Pokemon is not exactly the cheapest of hobbies. As a first year college student, I don’t exactly have all the money in the world to blow away on video games and merchandise when I have overpriced textbooks and dining hall food I need to buy. So needless to say, I was not one of those that awaited generation five with bated breath.
Continue reading “Pokemon Generation V The Story Of A Skeptic”

Tags: , ,

Posted on

Pokemon Fifth Generation Tomy Plush

By Emily

One of the major producers of Pokemon collectables for Japan, Takara Tomy has created many unique items over the years, and continues to do so for the fifth generation. While they may not produce plush with as much variety as Banpresto, the quality of the plush is great enough to rival those from the official Pokemon Center line of plush. Takara Tomy also has an exclusive line of talking plush, which are very popular and sought-after.

The first plush for the fifth generation made by Takara Tomy were of Zorua and Zoroark because of the 13th Pokemon movie. Zoroark was a sizably large plush at nearly one foot tall, while Zorua was roughly seven inches tall. Two other Zorua plush were also released, and were the large and small talking plush. The large one was about the same size as the Zoroark plush, while the small one was about half the height and was made like a keychain with a small chain atop its head. In October, shortly after the release of Pokemon Black and White, Takara Tomy came out with another set of plush featuring three new Pokemon – Pidove, Axew, and Munna. The new plush were a little bigger than the Pokemon Center plush, and cost a small amount more.
Continue reading “Pokemon Fifth Generation Tomy Plush”

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted on

Fifth Generation Pokemon Center Plush

By Emily

Usually Pokemon Center plush are associated with the small chibi-fied Pokedolls. Regular plush were introduced bit by bit, but never in a high quantity. Not until the release of Black and White. Along with the classic Pokedoll plush, the Pokemon Center also started to release new plush toys that look more true-to-life, and they have been a huge hit ever since.

The first set of the new plush was on the day Pokemon Black and White were released, and featured two types of plush. There were two large plush of Reshiram and Zekrom, both of which are roughly twelve inches tall. Smaller plush were also released and featured the starters along with some of the heavily-advertised Pokemon like Minccino and Axew. In total one dozen new plush were available, with the large plush costing 3300 yen and the small plush being 1200 yen, more than the price of a regular Pokedoll. Three large, life-size plush were also released of the three starters. The life-size plush were nearly two feet tall, with Pokabu being about that long length-wise, and have been the most expensive plush to be sold in the stores. The large plush were extremely popular and other Pokemon have been made into this style of plush in recent times thanks to the original success of these three.
Continue reading “Fifth Generation Pokemon Center Plush”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted on

Pokemon Center Cinccino, Audino And Foongus Pokedolls

By Brian Grabow

Three more Japanese Pokemon Center plush pokedolls were just released. They are Cinccino, Audino and Foongus. They are from the generation V collection. Each of them is approximately 5-6″ tall (15cm).

Audino, Foongus & Cinccino Pokedolls
Audino, Foongus & Cinccino Pokedolls

They are made of nice soft material and have very nicely embroidered eyes. They are really nicely made and adorable. Very soft and squeezable.

They will only be available for a very short time at the Pokemon Centers in Japan. These are very popular and will sell out very fast. Get them while you still can.

You can buy these beautiful Pokemon pokedolls directly at HardrockPokemon. Each pokedoll comes with the official Pokemon Center pokedoll tag and is an officially licensed product.
Continue reading “Pokemon Center Cinccino, Audino And Foongus Pokedolls”

Tags: , , , , ,