Retro Gaming Log: Pokemon Yellow

I’ve yet to buy a Nintendo Switch because of finances, moving, baby, etc. It’s also hard to justify a new gaming system when I’m not using the ones I have. I had the idea of writing about my retro games (how old exactly is considered retro gaming?). So first up is Pokemon Yellow. 

I had a friend (who recently got into Pokemon) decide the team I’d work towards. Despite never having successfully done a nuzzlocke before, I took one principle from that method: only one Pokémon from each route (doesn’t have to be the first encounter). At least until my prescribed team was complete. Also tried to avoid running from any wild Pokemon and to hit every trainer battle along the way. And for fun I decided to use some of my geeky Pokemon nicknames (as if Pokemon isn’t geeky enough already).

Starter Pokémon: Pikachu (duh)

Pallet Town - Pewter City

• Pallet Town: Since you don’t get to pick your starter in Yellow, one of the first decisions to make is “Should I influence how my rival’s Eevee evolves?” Nah! I don’t want to lose any battles. I’ll win what I can and whatever happens will happen!
• Viridian City: After delivering Oak’s Parcel, I had to go slightly west of the city to catch a Mankey (I needed that or Nidoran to fight Brock) and to battle my rival again. 
• Viridian Forest: I had to keep Pikachu alive (because Bulbasaur) while grinding Mankey/Caterpie to stand up to Brock. 
• Pewter City Gym: The Jr Trainer wasn’t enough to level up Mankey/Metapod, so I had to grind against wild Pokemon outside Viridian Forest.
• Current Team: 

Pewter City - Cerulean City

• Mt. Moon: First encounter with Team Rocket in this game. I think I remember theories about them wanting the fossils for research about Mew. Regardless, I picked Helix Fossil and moved on past Jessie and James. 
• Bill’s Sea Cottage: I tried to grab Bulbasaur before the rival battle, but apparently my Pikachu wasn't happy enough. Still grabbed Charmander at the end of Nugget Bridge though. 
• Cerulean City Gym: I guess I had let Pikachu faint one too many times, because I couldn’t acquire Bulbasaur before the gym. Fainting against Misty won’t help. That meant that Bellsprout was this battle’s MVP. 
• Current Team:

Cerulean City - Vermillion City:

• SS Anne: It took me a few times leaving the boat to heal up before I made my way through (I felt the need to challenge all trainers). My rival wasn't much of a challenge (my Wigglytuff was a bit of a tank) so HM01 was relatively easy to obtain once I got to the rival battle.
• Vermillion City: I wanted to pick up Squirtle when I first arrived, but forgot that I needed the Thunder Badge first. So instead I grabbed the Old Rod and moved on with my life.
• Vermillion City Gym: It took me two tries to defeat Lt. Surge. Normally I get a Diglett or Dugtrio to take down the gym, but I was able to defeat Raichu almost exclusively with Wigglytuff and Body Slam. Like I said, it's a tank.
• Current Team:

Vermillion City - Celadon City

• Diglett’s Cave: First thing I did after leaving the gym was to get Squirtle. Since he starts at level 10, he had some catching up to do with my team. What better place for a water Pokemon to train than Diglett's Cave? Had to go that direction for HM05 anyway. And for good measure, I took Mt. Moon back to Cerulean City for training.
• Rock Tunnel: A lot of potions used here to make my way through without having to dig my way back out to the Pokemon Center. 
• Celadon City: I made my way straight through Lavender Town and under Saffron City. I made a bee line for Eevee and the coin case. Also I needed HM02 to give myself a flying move going into the Celadon Gym. 
• Celadon City Gym: I went to the gym so quickly that I forgot to evolve my Eevee. It didn’t matter though. Pidgeotto was able to dive bomb almost all of Erika and her lackeys’ Pokemon with Fly before Charmeleon took over. 
• Current Team:

Celadon City - Saffron City

• Rocket Hideout: Got kind of burned out at trying to outwit and outlast every trainer. Good for EXP but not conducive for this project. 
• Pokemon Tower: After dealing with the Game Corner, this is where I finally gave up challenging every trainer. Though at the same time the task here was trying to level everyone up to get the desired moves and evolutions. 
• Saffron City: The place isn't locked down anymore, so I retrieved the TM from Mr. Psychic (to give me some variety to my arsenal).
• Silph Co: As a kid, I knew exactly where to go here. Apparently that didn't survive in my long-term memory, so I ended up exploring basically every floor. But in the end I made it to Giovanni and got my Master Ball... I mean I saved Silph Co.
• Saffron City Gym: This is about the point that I got tired of fighting every trainer (it was slowing down my game) but I went back to the tedious battles after a couple losses at the hand of Sabrina. Even went to the Fighting Dojo for EXP--Was going to skip it since my team wouldn't include the Hitmons. The grinding was going well and after Body Slam paralyzed Alakazam, I was pretty confident… until I accidentally threw my Master Ball (I meant to click on a Revive). Restart the DS and time to grind again. Fortunately it didn’t take as much effort when I got to her again. 
• Current Team:

Saffron City - Fuschia City

• Cycling Road: It took a number of Pokémon Center trips to beat all the biker trainers. Fortunately, Wigglytuff’s Psychic attack made the poison-type enemies easier. 
• Fuschia City: Not much to do upon arrival, but restock items (selling all Super Potions and Great Balls in favor of Hyper Potions and Ultra Balls—Though I’m not sure why I cared about the Ultra Balls since I have my final team already).
• Safari Zone: Since I’m not concerned with catching more Pokemon, I sped through the Safari Zone, retrieving HM03 and Gold Teeth (to exchange for HM04). Only thing left is the gym. 
• Fuschia City Gym: Despite being a poison gym, there was a curious amount of Drowzee, Hypno, and Kadabra. You’d expect more Weezing, Muk, or Arbok. Either way, Wigglytuff’s Body Slam took care of most psychic-types and Vulpix’s Ember took care of all of Koga’s Venonat. I needed the rest to finish off Venomoth because of his Double Team. 
• Current Team:

Fuschia City - Cinnabar Island

• Cinnabar Island: Since my team was already complete, I didn't bother resurrecting my fossil. I got tired of Jolteon's limited moveset (it wouldn't learn Thunder until Level 54) so I took a field trip to the Power Planet to get the TM for it. Now Jolteon could be more useful in the Mansion. 
• Pokemon Mansion: As a kid, I had the trick with the statue switches down into long-term memory. Decades later, I had to Google a walkthrough to get it right.
• Cinnabar Island Gym: I intentionally got the quiz questions wrong to battle all the trainers for the EXP. Because of that, five of the six on my team were fully evolved. With Surf and Earthquake, Blastoise easily took down Blaine's Pokemon. 
• Current Team:

Cinnabar Island - Viridian City

• Viridian City: I stocked up on items before leaving Cinnabar Island. After that, nothing to do but head to the gym (sounds like everyday in real life for me).
• Viridian City Gym: I had to heal up after beating all the trainers, before I would face Giovanni. I thought I had it made with Blastoise's strength. But my tank was taken down early by Dugtrio's Fissure attack. Weepinbell picked up the slack with Solar Beam. After learning Razor Leaf and beating Giovanni, it was time to finally use the Leaf Stone that's been burning a hole in my bag. Next up is the Pokemon League.
• Current Team:

Viridian City - Indigo Plateau

• Victory Road: We're in the endgame now (completely forgot about the rival battle on the way to Victory Road, by the way). I went into the tunnel puzzle worried about my weaker Pokemon managing the trainers and wild Pokemon on the way to the Elite Four (but that's why I came stocked up on Escape Rope). Turns out I didn't need the Escape Rope. I needed some Potions, Revives, and an online walkthrough. I made it! Now for the final task.
• Elite Four: I got through the Elite Four without too much trouble... until Lance took me down. But with the help of some Hyper Potions and Revives (and the fact that Blastoise and Wigglytuff are tanks), I made it through the Four and the final rival battle. And that's it! Yes, I could hunt down the legendary Pokemon, but the story ends here basically. Next Pokemon game on my list: Silver.
• Final Team:

More Content You Might Like:

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• LDS Geeks Podcast #64: Pokemon Kanto Region
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here

Pink Video Game Characters for Breast Cancer Awareness

It's been a couple years now since my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a miracle they found it so early (especially since they were serving their mission in Northern Canada at the time). So now I make a pink-related blog post every year in October. My mom isn't the geeky type, but then again she's already aware of the risks of breast cancer anyway. This year with my kids loving the Super Mario Galaxy movie, I thought pink video game characters would be a good place to go this year.

Princess Peach

Naturally, I have to start with Princess Peach. The kidnapped princess of the Super Mario Bros games. She's the subject of the quote "Your princess is in another castle". In North America, she was originally known as Princess Toadstool to fit the mushroom theme. We finally got in line with Japan when Princess Peach returned in Super Mario 64. She's become more than a damsel in distress in the years that followed. In the Mario Kart games, she's a formidable racer. In Super Smash Bros, she became a melee fighter, armed with a frying pan, an umbrella, and a Toad. In the two animated Mario movies, she's a sassy and fearless heroine with a mysterious past, finally learning of her older sister Rosalina.

Pinky

I'd heard before that the Pac-Man ghosts have names, but I'd forgotten. In preparation for this post, I was reminded that the only pink enemy of the dot-muncher is literally named "Pinky". Obviously there isn't much backstory in the original Pac-Man arcade games, but spin-off games and material have built on Pinky's character. That's getting pretty deep into a two-dimensional character (literally) even for me. 

PS: This is one video game my mom has actually played, since it was available while she was a bartender as a single mom.

Kirby

The pink copycat alien was once my go-to on Super Smash Bros. The fact that he inhales his opponent to copy their powers is almost comical. He's a whimsical pink blob (not to be confused with Jigglypuff) who basically flies around space on a shooting star. In the cartoon series, his main foe is King Dedede in "monster of the week" episodes. Back to Super Smash Bros, one of my favorite Kirby forms (at least in the original) is probably Samus.

Birdo

First appearing in the late 80s, Birdo could be a pink Yoshi at a first glance. Unlike the lovable green dino, Birdo is not friendly to Mario and his friends. At least not usually. While Birdo is often an unique character, like Yoshi, the term can also be used to refer to the species. In addition to throwing eggs as projectile weapons, Birdo can sometimes suck an enemy towards her and steal their energy, kind of like a Yoshi/Kirby mashup. While not a playable character on Super Smash Bros (yet), the pink dinosaur has made plenty of cameos in the crossover franchise. However, she is a playable character on Mario Kart and other Mario spin-off games. Final note: Birdo made a cameo among the minor villains in the Mario Galaxy movie.

Amy Rose

Though only a brief cameo at the end of the third Sonic movie, Amy Rose is set to appear in the fourth movie (voice by Kristen Bell). The pink hedgehog has been part of Sonic's crew since the early 90s. In her first appearance, she was kidnapped (not unlike Princess Peach) by Metal Sonic. Since then, she's been a playable character in spin-off games and she's a major player in many of the Sonic cartoons. She's Sonic's self-appointed girlfriend and will hammer smash anyone who says otherwise. My first-grader already can't wait to see her in the next movie.

Jigglypuff

Any number of pink Pokemon could go on this post (see my previous post for more of those). However, Jigglypuff has become iconic enough to be mentioned again. As a recurring character in the Pokemon anime for a long time, she was a comical addition to the show. And as I said before, my respect to anyone who plays Jigglypuff in Super Smash Bros and extra respect for anyone who plays her well (except this one guy in my ward--he's evil when playing Jigglypuff).

I'm sure there are plenty of other video game characters that could be spotlighted. I'll leave the list there for now (maybe do more next year) but in the meantime encourage those you love to keep alert with their health. the American Cancer Society recommends women start screening for breast cancer in your early 40s. If your family has a history of breast cancer, you can often start earlier. And men, it's possible for us to get breast cancer too. Rarer, but possible. So hug your loved ones and all the prayers to any of you going through the cancer battle (personally or with a family member).

More Content You Might Like:

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• LDS Geeks Podcast #20: Super Smash Characters
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here
  YouTube: click here

Pokemon Nicknames: Disney (6)

Working my way through replaying Pokemon Yellow and catching more on Pokemon Go (thank you, Explorer Gadget), I have Pokemon on my mind (when don’t I?) so I have another round of fun Disney nicknames for your Pokemon (fun for me at least). Here we go with another handful:

Dedenne as Gus Gus

Nickit as Nick Wilde

Tepig as Pua

Purugly as Machiavelli

Tirtouga as Squirt

Quaxly as Donald

Diglett as Mole

Mantine as Tala

Raboot as Judy Hopps

Disney-Themed Pokemon Nicknames:

• Gen I: Part 1
• Gen II: Part 2
• Gen III-V: Part 3
• Gen VI-VII: Part 4
• Additional: Part 5
• Additional (2): Part 6

Pokémon Head-Canon: Typing

Remember how back in the day, the dragon master Lance had three dragon-type Pokemon and two non-dragons? You know how people have always wondered how people have questioned how Goomy is a dragon-type but Charizard still isn’t? There are many examples throughout the 1000+ Pokemon roster whose thing doesn’t seem to make sense. Memes about them consistently spread across social media. 

I don’t remember when this head-canon started but a lightbulb went off when one of those Pokemon type memes came across my feed: Typing as little to do with appearance; it’s about the Pokemon’s characteristics and interactions with the elements. 

If that doesn’t make sense, let me break down what I mean. In the world of Pokemon, it’s not like each creature comes with a label of their type. And as we know, obviously not every Pokemon type is determined by appearance and/or real world animal comparisons. However, what we know objectively is that there have been many Pokemon researchers across various regions and over the course of AT LEAST 10-15 years (that’s just the main series games). We also know that old man Oak has been studying Pokemon his whole life. That’s decades of research. 

I’m postulating that before the first Pokédex was invented to assess Pokemon, researchers used a Pokémon’s environmental adaptations and reactions to categorize their types. If they discovered that a Pokemon was resistant to electricity but susceptible to water, ice, and grass moves, the Pokemon would be categorized as a ground-type.

Example A: Researchers observed that Charizard was weak to water and super weak against rock, that would indicate that it wasn’t a dragon-type but flying-type instead. 

Example B: Lucario is weak to psychic types, indicating fighting type characteristics. That much was obvious to researchers. However, it was not immediately clear why it was weak to fire-type moves and other fighting types. The conclusion: Steel type, even though there’s no prominent steel features on Lucario. 

Example C: Noctowl is known to have some extra sensory abilities. However, it’s not greatly affected by dark-type moves and it’s completely unaffected by ghost-types. Conclusion? Normal and flying. 

As technology improved and the first Pokedex was invented, I expect it was able to analyze new Pokemon and determine their type electronically. What do you think? Is this a plausible head-canon or can you disprove it? I doubt we’ll ever know for sure (which is what makes it head-canon instead of fan theory I suppose).

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Pokemon Binge List: Orange Islands

While I work my way through the fourth, seventh, and eighth generations of Pokemon anime, I guess that wasn’t enough, so I decided to watch the Orange Island arc in preparation for this blog post. We left off these adventures at the end of the Kanto Pokemon League. Really there are only a handful of true filler episodes since it's such a short arc. As of the end of my last Binge List, here's where our main characters' team rosters stood. 

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle   

Misty’s Team: Staryu, Goldeen, Psyduck, Togepi

Brock’s Team: Onix, Geodude, Zubat, Vulpix

Jessie’s Team: Arbok, Lickitung

James’s Team: Weezing, Victreebel

Season 2, Episode 27: "Pallet Party Panic"
Click here to watch

On the heels of the Pokemon League, Ash and company are tasked with a trip to the Orange Islands. On the way out, Ash's Pidgeotto evolves into Pidgeot and gets left behind to protect the Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle

Season 2, Episode 28: "A Scare in the Air"
Click here to watch

After leaving behind Pidgeot, the crew leaves for an island vacation/mission. And what could go wrong with boarding an old blimp?

Season 2, Episode 29: "Pokeball Peril"
Click here to watch

Finally arriving at Valencia Island, Brock falls head over heels for the lady professor and feels compelled to stay behind to take care of her and her team... romantic?

Season 2, Episode 30: "The Lost Lapras"
Click here to watch

After leaving Brock and boarding another sketchy blimp, Ash catches a lost baby Lapras and he and Misty meet Tracey. As a Professor Oak superfan, Tracey has to join the crew.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Lapras 

Tracey’s Team: Marill, Venonat

Season 2, Episode 31: "Fit to be Tide"
Click here to watch

And here begins the Orange League. The gyms are a bit different than what we've experienced previously. This one involves water sports. Kind of fun.

Ash’s Badge Count: 1

Season 2, Episode 38: "Navel Maneuvers"
Click here to watch

Another gym challenge. Half the battle is getting up to the top of the mountain. The other half is making their way down the fastest. 

Ash’s Badge Count: 2

Season 2, Episode 39: "Snack Attack"
Click here to watch

In an attempt to liberate an island from the gluttonous Snorlax, the crew tries to utilize Jigglypuff. In the end, Ash just catches it.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Lapras, Snorlax

Season 2, Episode 42: "Tracey Gets Bugged"
Click here to watch

While Misty tries to face her fear of bug Pokemon, Ash tries to catch a Scyther... but Tracey catches it instead. Sorry, Ash.

Tracey’s Team: Marill, Venonat, Scyther

Season 2, Episode 47: "Misty Meets Her Match"
Click here to watch

Another gym challenge. Unlike the previous gyms, this one was more of a traditional gym battle. And Squirtle learned Hydro Pump!

Ash’s Badge Count: 3

Season 2, Episode 49: "Charizard Chills"

Click here to watch

After what has felt like forever, Ash finally gains the respect of Charizard and they work together for the first time since he was Charmander.

Season 2, Episode 52: "Pokemon Double Trouble"

Click here to watch

Ash's final Orange Island gym challenge is a double battle. Possibly the first legal double battle of the series. 

Ash’s Badge Count: 4

Season 2, Episode 54: "The Stun Spore Detour"
Click here to watch

It's been a while since Misty's roster changed, so while the others were incapacitated, she caught a Poliwag.

Misty’s Team: Staryu, Goldeen, Psyduck, Togepi, Poliwag

Pokémon The Movie 2000: The Power of One

A Pokemon collector comes after the three legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres in an attempt to lure out Lugia. It's a powerful piece illustrating the effects of "small and simple things" (because that's what Ash is). Unfortunately, I didn't find somewhere to stream it.

Season 2, Episode 55: "Hello Pummelo"
Click here to watch

The final challenge of the Orange League is a battle against the Supreme Gym Leader: Drake. To round off his team, Ash swaps Snorlax for his Tauros (one of thirty). Here we go!

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Lapras, Tauros

Season 2, Episode 56: "Enter the Dragonite"
Click here to watch

Ash vs. Dragonite. It all comes down to this. This is Ash's first league win and his last until the Alola Pokemon League.

Season 2, Episode 57: "Viva Las Lapras"
Click here to watch

With the Orange League over and this story arc wrapping up, Ash and friends find Lapras's lost family and leave it with them. Sad.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Tauros

Season 2, Episode 59: "A Tent Situation"
Click here to watch

Ash, Misty, and Tracey return to Pallet Town, only to find Brock back in Kanto and at Ash's house (I guess he got dumped). Ash reverts his team to the core four and the episode ends with a challenge to battle Gary. 

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle   
Brock’s Team: Onix, Geodude, Zubat, Vulpix

Season 2, Episode 60: "A Rivalry Revival"
Click here to watch

Following Gary's lead, Ash and his friends head to the Johto region for their next journey. Tracey opts to stay behind as Professor Oak's research assistant.

It's a whole new world next time with Johto. The Pokemon TV YouTube channel has nearly the third generation of the series (just missing the Battle Frontier). Gotta watch ‘em all!

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Pokemon Binge Lists:

• Indigo League: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

LDS Geeks Podcast #64: Pokemon Kanto Region

Michael and I decided to start another podcast series. This time it's about Pokemon and the various regions around the world. Naturally we chose to start with the Kanto region, where it all began. I hope you enjoy it!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 64 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out Michael's recent content: click here

Show notes:

00:12 - Introductions
01:21 - Spencer's Recommendation: The IT Crowd
        Available for streaming on Britbox
02:17 - Michael's Recommendation: Milo Murphy's Law
        Available for streaming on Disney Plus
03:51 - Kanto video games
04:29 - Professor Oak
06:43 - Starter Pokemn
        Michael's favorite: Charmander
        Spencer's favorite: Squirtle
11:21 - Kanto's geography
12:40 - Kanto's Pokemon League
        *Fuschia City's second gym leader is Janine*
18:20 - Kanto Legendary Pokemon
        Ditto theory: "Pokemon Theories" by Spencer
22:05 - Team Rocket
        Team Rocket theory: "Pokemon Theories" by Spencer
24:50 - Favorite Kanto Pokemon
        Michael: Growlithe, Mankey, Vulpix
        Spencer: Sandshrew, Growlithe, Nidoran (M)
27:54 - Game Freak trivia
29:15 - Conclusion

Pokemon Nicknames: Animorphs

Russell and I are about two-thirds of the way through the Animorphs series. It's been an exciting ride and I've been keeping notes on more than just our reading--I've been keeping notes on some ideas for more Pokemon nicknames. Technically speaking I suppose you could name any iconic morph based on the Animorphs (Jake for dog, Rachel for elephant, etc.) but I tried to make these nicknames go beyond morphs (for the most part).

Ursaring as Rachel

Arcanine as Homer

Purrloin as Fluffer

Skuntank as Cassie

Garchomp as Dak Hamee

Wailord as Aftran

Houndoom as Champ

Rapidash as Max

Arbok as Spawn

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• "Animorphs Teaches Me to Hold On" by Russell