Pokemon Detective Pikachu Review

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, how is it going? So I’m back again to share my thoughts on the latest video game film adaptation in the form of Pokemon: Detective Pikachu via my podcast Film Focus. Now, this film went from being something I wasn’t overly interested in watching to being something I had to watch. With pretty compelling marketing and an interesting story based on the Nintendo 3DS spin-off game, does this film end up being the film to break the video game adaptation curse? Well, check out this spoiler-free review below to find out!

P.S. Some small things to note:

1. I accidentally bumped the mic while recording because I got a little too hyped talking about the film.
2. Between 18:41 to 19:06 I discuss a minor Pokemon-related spoiler for the film.

Anyway here’s the review:

If you haven’t checked out my podcast before you can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

So have you seen Detective Pikachu and if so what did you think of it? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, until next time, laters! 😀

 

REVIEW: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, after some time away I’m back with another review and today I get to share my thoughts on Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse via my podcast, Film Focus.

Since the first trailer, I was very hyped to see this Into The Spider-Verse and the recent early positive word of mouth only made me more excited. So in this episode, I will not only be talking about this new Spidey film, but I will also be sharing my brief thoughts on Creed II and Wreck-It Ralph 2 too, you will find timecodes below. So how did these films fare? Well, listen to this episode for some fun spoiler-free thoughts on both films! 😀

Timecodes:

02:36 Creed II Review
06:19 Wreck-It Ralph 2 Review
11:13 Into The Spider-Verse Review

Check out my review below:

So have you seen Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and if so what did you think of it? Also, how do you think it compares to the other Spider-Man films? I really want to hear your thoughts on this film so drop your thoughts in the comments below and if you have some spare time subscribe to my podcast, Film Focus on Soundcloud and iTunes. Until next time, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, its review time once again and today I watched Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us and I just had to share my thoughts on it so that’s why I’m giving you my review for this film via my podcast, Film Focus.

Now, this the newest Pokémon film in the series which has 21 films so far! It’s crazy that there’s been that many since 2000. Now I wasn’t planning on recording this episode next due to other things being prepped already, however, I found out about its existence within the last week and jumped at the chance to see another new Pokémon film in the cinema, and after watching, I decided an impromptu podcast review was in order. So I hope you enjoy this brief yet fun and unscripted discussion! 😀

Check out my thoughts on the film below:

So have you seen Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us and if so what did you think of it? Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comments below and if you have some spare time check out my podcast, Film Focus on Soundcloud and iTunes. Until next time, laters! 😀

 

QUICK THOUGHTS: Detective Pikachu Trailer

Good day to you ladies and gents, I’m back to give you some thoughts on a recent trailer in the form of the Detective Pikachu film that will be out next summer. Now I have been following this film on and off for a while now just because I thought that it was a little weird to have the first major live-action film based on the Pokemon franchise be adapted from the Nintendo 3DS game that only a handful of people would have played and probably would confuse those who have a casual knowledge of who Pikachu is. However, the first trailer has come out and wow, just wow. I was a little taken back by it yesterday, though, having had to time to watch it again and process it, I think I’m warming up to it.

Check it out the trailer below:

To put it simply, I find this fascinating.

The main that stands out beyond the fact that we have a Pikachu that’s voiced by Ryan Reynolds, is the fact that we have these super realistic Pokemon and it was freaking weird! Now I think any long-term Pokemon can understand where I’m coming from when I say that I know what Pokemon look like, even in the 3D, but to see so many of these classic Pokemon put into live-action with all this extra fur, detail and facial expressions that look better/normal in cartoon form to be given a realistic makeover is a little shocking. If taken out of context and just shown to you, you’d think these were creepy nightmare versions of those of these characters used for a Creepypasta or something. Pikachu’s dark eyes look a little freaky in some of the darker scenes, but alongside Justice Smith, he actually looks not too bad. Now this isn’t the first time Pokemon have had their designs changed up for a more realistic look, just look back to Pokken Tournament, though that game kept the characters looks a little more link their original designs, Bandai Namco did change things up where I’d say it was sort of halfway between this film and the original designs.

But this film does take it to another level, but at the same time it intrigues me, plus I love looking out for all the Pokemon I know. From Charmander and Dodrio to Bulbasaur and Jigglypuff to Psyduck and my boy Greninja, and of course, my favourite Charizard who looks so intense with the new scaly design. And I can not go on without mentioning Mr. Mine, I think that guy has been a bit of a joke character for a while, but here he’s this cross between creepy and funny, his design is probably the most accurate to the original, just with stranger/more realistic facial expressions. I just want to see more Pokemon and what their redesigns will be like.

What stands out to me is the tone of this film, it feels like what Pokemon would be like if westerners implemented their style of visuals, humour and action in only a way a Hollywood film can. I also like the inclusion of Ken Watanabe and Justice Smith, though he pissed me off SO much in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom with all that yelling, I do like him as an actor so I’ll be curious to see how his character’s story pans out. And finally there’s Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, he wasn’t my first choice, but he’s growing on me. Though, when he speaks all I can hear is Ryan Reynolds or to a more notable degree, DEADPOOL! If Reynolds wasn’t already so well-known for playing Deadpool, then his voice wouldn’t feel so distracting here, but it does and I’m sure I’ll eventually get over it when the film comes out but for the time being, I can’t unhear it.

So to conclude, while I was initially sceptical about this film, I am getting more and more intrigued and dare I say excited just to see how it’ll pan out. As long as it is fun and not too creepy-looking with those Pokemon then I’ll totally down to watch this. Just no creepy Mimikyu, please. 😦

So what did you think of the first trailer for Detective Pikachu? Did like it, hate it or were you confused by it? Also, what do you think of the super realistic-looking Pokemon? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments section below and I’ll see ya on the next video, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!

Howdy ladies and gents, time a film review from the cinema and this is a review I didn’t expect to be writing as I’m gonna be giving you my thoughts on the latest Pokémon film, Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! Now I heard from a friend that this film would get a UK release but thought it’d be exclusive to London where I could see it, but after a friend mentioned on Twitter that she was gonna see it in Sheffield, I looked at my local cinema and to my surprise, they had two screenings! So I watched the earlier screening and I’m ready to share my thoughts.

Now before I go on with the review I’m going to say this up front, I have a MASSIVE nostalgic love for Pokemon when it comes to the original games and first anime series, so this review will be a little on the subjective side. With all that being said let’s begin.

Firstly there’s the story which focuses on the journey of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu along with two new companions who join him on his quest to find the legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh. So the interesting thing about the story is how its a loose retelling of the original 1997 anime with focus on Ash and Pikachu and how their journey began, there’s a lot of fun, smart and delightful callbacks and direct references for those who watched that show and I was smiling so much. 😀 I enjoyed the plot borrowed the anime and referenced the video games, but was largely its own original tale. It was full of adventure, fun, hardship, danger and more, the film’s core themes about friendship, learning from your mistakes, good triumphing over evil and being good to Pokemon should come as no surprise to veterans of the show, but they are handled very well and have more dramatic and emotional weight than a good few of the original films. There was one part where I rolled my eyes because it felt like a direct reference to The First Movie and one line of dialogue which was just cheesy as hell, that being said the film’s made with children in my mind so I got over it.

As for the characters, I thought they were solid for the most part. Ash Ketchum was the same character I knew from the show, a young, strong-willed and passionate trainer who is inexperienced and has a lot to learn. I was surprised how much of douche Ash was in this film, but it certainly worked in the context of the story, I still was annoyed with him at times, but he wasn’t as much of a bonehead as he was in the old anime, and Sarah Natochenny did a decent job as Ash considering her deeper voice. I liked Pikachu too, he was a sassy little prick at first but that was a good point in my mind, afterwards, I really grew to like him a lot more and his bond with Ash was cute to watch. The new characters Sorrel and Verity were interesting new companions, some will complain they aren’t the original characters, but I thought they added something new with their backstories and personality traits. Cross was the new rival/bad trainer who was the definition of an asshole, but he was great and had a solid arc in the film, I liked the quirky old man Bonzi and Marshadow, I liked at first but it really became a little pest later on. And finally Professor Oak and Ash’s mother return and feel just like the original selves, and Even Team Rocket return and they have some fun moments, but I swear they were even more useless than before and really added nothing to the film which was a shame after their initial introduction.

When it comes to the presentation I really liked it. Visually the film was solid. The way the camera work added a cinematic approach to that the anime lacked, certain shots are framed and tracked in cool and dynamic ways. Also, the art and animation were very nice, all of the characters and Pokemon had a loose yet fluid style to their movements and the colour scheme was good. I will admit the detail in the art was lacking occasionally and some of the 3D CGI didn’t always blend well with the 2D material, both those are minor nitpicks. The film score was fairly good, it had the right sound for each moment and worked effectively in the emotional moments, though sometimes the music didn’t match the action on-screen. And while the music is primarily original compositions, there are some cool references to the original soundtrack and theme song which was much appreciated.

In conclusion Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! was really fun, intriguing and much better than I expected, it captured the spirit of the original show but also did a lot of new things to keep things interesting. If you’re a fan of the show you may be disappointed with some changes, however, if you’re willing to accept a few changes you’ll have a lot of fun. And stay for the credits, its hella fun and nostalgic! 🙂

So have you seen this film and if so what did you think of it? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya on the next review! 😀

 

First Impressions on Pokémon Sun

Howdy ladies and gents, I’m back from the underground to give you my initial impressions on Pokémon Sun, one of the two new Pokémon games recently released for the Nintendo 3DS. Now the game’s been out in the US since last week whereas us here in the UK only got it a few days ago and I wanted to bring myself away from the game just long enough to share with you readers how I feel about the 7th generation of the main series Pokémon games.

So how’s the game? Well it’s pretty darn good. Here’s the thing, I’m not gonna act like I’m blown away by this game, however there’s a lot of interesting updates and surprises here and there that make this game worth picking up especially for veteran players like myself. I consider Pokémon Sun like a new season in a long-running TV show with this new entry bringing the nostalgia and freshness at the same time.

My Main Thoughts

Pokémon Sun does a lot of cool things, with the new Alola region (influenced by Hawaiian islands) it presents you with a brand new opportunities for a different landscape an interesting sense of style, culture and atmosphere. And of course it changes a few things up with the story, game structure and most importantly the Pokémon themselves.

What I’ve really liked so far is how the core game mechanics are still the same; you run around battling and collecting Pokémon, fight Pokémon in the wild or in battles with trainers and you can assemble a unique crew of Pokémon and level them up. All that stuff I love and enjoy. But there are some newer elements that been brought to the table like:

• The Interactivity: This game must have the most interactive NPCs in the series so far, most people have something important, funny and informative to say and story-wise I feel like the two previous generations beforehand, this game has characters that accompany you on your quest that feel like they have personality and tell you interesting things mainly relating to the connection between humans and Pokémon and the Alolan culture.
• Change in Structure: So far I haven’t seen any gyms, instead you have island trials which are a welcomed change and while simple, its different and entertaining. Plus the way you advance from point A to B feels slightly different with the way you gain items and come across trainers, but maybe that’s just me.
• Exploring: While the game prevents you from going off the main path if key story and character material is going on, you are allowed to look around and you are rewarded for exploring with items on the ground with some that are easy to find and some that are hidden. Also with the Alola region there’s some differences with the route structure, design of the towns and activities to pass time with whether you’re using taking pictures with the Pokémon Finder or messing around with the Festival Plaza, both of which I’ve gotten lost in for a while in the first 4-7 hours.
• Pokémon Refresh: Basically this was Pokémon Amie from X & Y except expanded, I haven’t played X since 2013 or 2014 so I couldn’t tell you what’s different, but so far I really like Refresh. While its annoying when you accidentally hit your Pokémon instead of petting them, I do enjoy feeding, cleaning and petting my Pokémon. Your connection to them feels more intimate and some of the Pokémon animations are so cute and fun, plus the effects of your close connections really helps in battle when it comes to landing critical hits, evasion and avoiding status ailments.
• Visual & Audio Presentation: The game looks great, the art and animation are the best the series has seen so far, and because of the varied/dynamic camera angles, you travel through this world seeing all of the beautiful detail from different angles, it feels cinematic and larger in scope than previous games. There’s also minor yet notable updates to Pokémon battle animations, attacks and environments too. Also the music is really good, while not as immediately impressive as X & Y, Sun’s soundtrack is probably the most culturally diverse in the series so far along with familiar-sounding songs too in the vein of generation 6 too, I’m really starting to enjoy some specific songs especially the Evolution music (that sound is beast!).

Up to this point I’m enjoying myself, this game feels a little more personal, versatile and different, while being more of the same that I’ve come to expect from the series. While Sun doesn’t haven’t that wow factor that X did when I started playing that in 2013, this game has easily stolen many hours away from me to the point where I feel bad for not playing it. I’ve literally just started to get lost in this game with all of the new features, level grinding and catching different Pokémon and trust that I spent around 8 hours just doing as little of the story as possible, I didn’t even pass the first trial around 11 and a half hours in! If I have some nitpicks about the game is that it is a little easy in terms of the difficulty, some Pokémon take a little longer than I expected to evolve and with the new Pokédex you’re told exactly where to go whereas in the old games you just found your own way forward, but that’s just the traditionalist in me haha. Honestly I can’t wait to see where this game goes and hopefully I’ll be playing it at least beyond Christmas.

So are you playing Pokémon Sun and Moon and if so 1) Which version do you have? And 2) Are you enjoying it? Be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀

 

Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions Review

Howdy people of the internet, today I am here to give you my review of Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, the orchestrated concert based on music in the Pokémon video game series. Last night, along with my sister, I went to London and witnessed this amazing musical sound and I just have to talk about it.

As soon as I got into Hammersmith Apollo, I noticed hundreds of people around all buzzing about the show, some in cosplay and others in general Nintendo-based attire, and use I sat down, I turned opened my 3DS and checked my StreetPass and after that it just didn’t end. I was constantly getting StreetPass hits and I loved it haha. Also during the waiting period there was a huge screen below the seating area of the orchestra which had the whole “Who’s That Pokémon?” thing going on with various Pokémon throughout all six generations showing up in silhouette and then being revealed, I did alright, but some of them I could guess for the life of me.

Sorry about the picture quality, but this was the view from my seat before the concert took place.

Oh but when the concert started, man, the mood in the room was elevated and the feeling amongst all the fans was electric. And once everything started, the feeling overwhelming happiness never left my heart.

This was the setlist:

1. Overture
2. Pallet Town (from Red, Blue, and Yellow)
3. Prepare for Trouble (from Red, Blue, and Yellow)
4. Born to be a Champion (from Red, Blue, and Yellow)
5. Ecruteak City (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal)
6. Songs of the Towers (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal)
7. … (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal)
8. Ancients of Hoenn (from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald)
9. Falling Ashes (from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald)
10. End of the Road (from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald)
11. Dreams and Adventures (from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)
12. Routes of Sinnoh (from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)
13. The Lake Guardians (from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum)

Intermission

1. Pokémon Center
2. The Day I Became King (from Black and White)
3. N-Counter (from Black and White)
4. Farewell (from Black and White)
5. An Eternal Prison (from X and Y)
6. Welcome to Kalos (from X and Y)
7. Professor Sycamore (from X and Y)
8. Friends, Fights & Finales (from X and Y)

Encore

1. Gotta Catch ’em All (Pokémon Theme)
2. KISEKI

What made the concert so great was musical was a combination of nostalgia, interesting musical arrangements and the sense of unity amongst the crowd.

So let me start with the nostalgia factor. For me, I’m not a hardcore Pokémon fan these days, however, back in the 90’s to early 00’s this franchise meant so much to me and even these days I still show love to Pokémon when appropriate. But seriously, hearing the “Overture” and seeing the title screens of all the Pokémon games from beginning to end was special and I could feel the emotion right in the center of my soul being lit up. After that hearing a lot of the music from Generation 1, 2 and 3 was kind of magical, like there was that feeling of being a kid/young teenager stepping into these games again for the first time when entering new places, going into battles or going to the Pokémon League.

As for the music, oh dear god. The music was gorgeous. Just like Symphony of the Goddesses, this concert really opened my eyes to how creative and surprising orchestrated versions of video game music can be when handled well. I mean to be honest there’s at least two or three well-known versions of the main Pokémon theme thanks to the 90’s anime show, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, but when the “Overture” came along, I was like “Damn, this is even more incredible than I imagined.” It was like if the main theme of Pokémon descended from heaven. Yeah it was that good and it set the tone so well. But what was cool about the concert was that not every arrangement was so powerful, intense or large in scale, some were quiet, intimate and had certain genre differences especially when it came to some of my favourites like “Ecruteak City“, “Songs of the Towers” (from Gold, Silver, and Crystal) and “Professor Sycamore“.

There were some beautiful moments in “Falling Ashes” (based on the music from Route 113 which was one of my favourite pieces from Ruby & Sapphire), while “Born to be a Champion” was delightful and “…” featured some of my favourite pieces from Gold, Silver, and Crystal especially the battle with Red which was AMAZING! But my favourite arrangement by far was “Prepare for Trouble” which was the music from the Silph Co building in Red, Blue, and Yellow, that’s always been one of my favourite songs in the series and to hear this dark, super dramatic, overwhleming beast of a song come and just rock my eardrums was fabulous. It sounded like something out of a film, maybe a thriller or a sci-fi adventure, either way, you could feel the impact of the song and it was just intense and badass. I WAS IN LOVE!

And then finally there was the sense of community. This crowd was very vocal, whether they were reacting to some of the funny dialogue on-screen from the NPC’s or just reacting to conductor Susie Seiter or the MC (who’s name I can’t reemember at the moment), everyone had moments to scream and shout in happiness. Oh but my favourite moment was when we all got to sing the main theme from the Pokémon anime, any fan knows the song, we’ve all sang it and to sing it there was frigging awesome!

In conclusion Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions was a fantastic experience, it was nostalgic, powerful and interactive. Like when I went to the last two Zelda concerts, these concerts have presented very different and impressive orchestrated versions of classic video game music, and while I wasn’t completely familiar with all of the music, it was gorgeous and I would highly recommend it.

So if you’re a Pokémon fan have you experienced this concert before and if so how was your experience? Leave them below in the comments section and I’ll catch ya on the next review yo.

 

The Importance of the Solo Gaming Experience

Howdy ladies and gents and welcome to another blog post from your online friend, the Hypersonic55! Today I wish to talk about something that’s been on my mind for a few days now and that is the importance of the solo video game experience.

Now in recent times my sister has started playing Kingdom Hearts again (Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix to be exact) and it’s fun to watch her play and I would like to join in but I know I can’t because it is her game. KH is her game series and while I’ve helped on occasions, this has been HER thing and I know if I jumped in to progress the game she’d be pissed. Much like I would be if she impeded on my Zelda gaming. The thing about us is that since video games were introduced into our household my sister and I shared our games. Sure there were certain games that were exclusive to each of us, but a lot of games we shared like Streets of Rage, Super Mario Sunshine, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and the Super Smash Bros. series among others. But what has become apparent is when I went to university, people asked me about the games I’ve played and I told which ones I’d played, but when we talked about certain games and specific things like completion, I realised that I hadn’t finished these games or experienced them for myself properly because I’d only played part of the adventure and my sister or friend had done the rest.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I LOVE playing video games with not only my sister, but my friends and people I don’t know in general. These days there’s barely any games that exist without a multiplayer component, especially when it comes to online gaming. That being said, there are those who still appreciate a solid solo gaming experience with a good main campaign, and I am one of those people.

The reason I like playing games on my own is because you get to experience the game in its fullest capacity. You get to take in the story, check out every inch of the gameplay, find out the secrets and see if what the replay value is like. With platforming games like the Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario or Mega Man series, it is fine to play the whole way through or just come back to in short bursts. The rules apply to racing and fighting games. But when it comes to game genres like adventure and RPG with story elements, that’s when it becomes a different kind of experience to other genres. The Legend of Zelda series is one that really requires just one gamer because most games don’t have multiplayer elements incorporated. Sharing my early years of Wind Waker with my sister was fun for sure, but these days I feel like I missed out on so much by taking it in turns to play the game. That’s why I had so much fun playing games like The Minish Cap, A Link Between Worlds and more recently Skyward Sword. RPGs especially are all about story and solo gaming and none of those games would be a complete experience if you switched between you and another player. RPGs require strategy, concentration and determination to solve puzzles, fight bosses, use items effectively and find secrets, etc. Playing games like Final Fantasy IV, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem: Awakening or the various generations of Pokemon would not be the same if I gave the games to someone else to play with me. Even some of the 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games would not have the same level of satisfaction if I had shared it with other people, playing through Sonic 4: Episode 1, Adventure 2: Battle, Colours and Generations on my own was great experiences.

When you share a solo-based game with someone else, some of the game’s experiences aren’t your own and while it may not matter to some; playing games to completion on your own is a big deal and some consider your game experiences hampered by playing it with other people. There is just something super satisfying with playing games on your own and experiencing everything that game has to offer for yourself without the aid or the distraction of others. These days I take my solo gaming quite seriously and try to take on most games when I can.

So going back to the Kingdom Hearts series, seeing my sister go through Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix has been fun, but at the same time has been very saddening as I would love to have played it all myself, but I can’t, because this is her game series, it is her experience and all I can do is occasionally level grind, and that sucks. I adore this game series, I love the gameplay, characters, replay value and story (though it is complicated and messy as hell), however, I’ve barely played any of the games myself. I’ve played good portions of KH1 & 2, but I still have tried the Birth By Sleep, Chain of Memories, Coded or Dream Drop Distance. The only game in the series I’ve played is 358/2 Days, the game that’s regarded as the worst in the series and I only got to play this because it was exclusive to the Nintendo DS. Most people despise that DS entry, but I quite liked it, 358/2 Days felt like a simplified version of the first game with a different kind of progression and levelling up system. Some of the portable games I should be able to play for myself, however I fear that when Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out I’ll probably not get to play that to the degree that I want unless I get a copy for myself or create a separate save file.

Anyway to conclude I just wanted to point out that gaming, as fun as it is to play with others, I still value the solo gaming experience and would like to make sure that I get around to playing as many solo games as possible without having to share some of these experience with my sister.

So what do you think of this post? Do you agree that solo games should just be experienced by one person or could those games be shared with other people and still be a rewarding experience? I would love to read your thoughts below. Until next time, laters! 🙂

 

How I Feel In Pictures #8

Good day to you ladies and gents and welcome to the 8th edition of How I Feel In Pictures. In these posts I’ll upload a piece of art that I’ve drawn that basically represents how I feel at that current point in time. So this is the first post of 2015 for this series, and since I’ve drawn some new stuff I thought I’d post on this blog.

Check out my set of pictures below:

Gotta love the PPG.

My all-time favourite Pokemon here looking all badass.

So as you can see above these pictures are fan art based on the cartoon show, The Powerpuff Girls and video game series, Pokemon. I drew the picture of Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup based on an old sketch I did from I think around 11 years ago, and since I was feeling a bit fancy I wanted to update it on Photoshop and this was the end result. As for Charizard, I drew a little picture of him in my mini sketchbook and thought that it would look good in colour with a background, and well, what you see above is the end result.

Both pictures represent a piece of me nostalgically. PPG was one of my all-time favourite cartoons from Cartoon Network, while Pokemon was pretty much the phenomenon that took over my world with the video games and TV show. Both pictures also represent, decent, if somewhat lacking pieces of work. I look at them and think, “Yeah they’re good, but I know I could do better. I expect better.” They feel incomplete and maybe that’s me expecting more from myself then I technically can deliver at the moment, but hey what would life be like without a little challenge. I think the way I feel in through these pictures can be summarized as proud and yet disappointed at the same time.

Well that’s it for this blog post, hopefully you liked what you saw and if you’d like to see more check me out at http://thehypersonic55.deviantart.com. Peace out!

 

Pokemon Meets Tekken in Pokken, The Unexpected Crossover Fighting Game!

Howdy ladies and gents, time for me just to blog about a tiny bit of video game news that dropped yesterday that shocked me so much that I just had to talk about it. The following information comes from IGN:

The Pokemon Company has just revealed Pokken Tournament, a new fighting game starring its infamous ‘mon and being developed by Bandai Namco’s Tekken team.

The announcement of the unlikely bedfellows has been teased for some time, with Nintendo promising a “shocking” announcement for today. It’s safe to say this fits the bill. The lead producers of Tekken and SoulCalibur, Katsuhiro Harada and Masaaki Hoshino respectively are both working on the project.

At the moment, there’s no news of a Western release or even if the brawler is set to arrive on consoles in Japan. It’s currently planned for arcade machines, with the initial information being pretty sparse. From what we’ve been able to gather, however, it’s aimed at a wide and casual audience, though aspects will make sure those looking for something hardcore should have something to look forward to.

Pokken Tournament isn’t arriving in Japan arcades until next year. We’ll be chasing up as much info as we can get on it in the meantime, so watch this space. Additionally, that 3D fighting game that was spotted at the end of a trailer last year? Looks like we know what it is!

Well this was definitely surprise, I did not expect to hear or see this, ever in my life. Now he have had 3D Pokemon fighting games before in the form of Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2 on the N64 or Pokemon Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness on the GameCube and often forgotten Pokemon Battle Revolution. But unlike those games which was just a 3D version of the handheld game turned-based battle system, this game seems to be a one-on-one fighter just like Tekken or Dead or Alive. As for what we can see in the trailer, it looks interesting. I mean sure the graphics look okay with decent character models and animation, however there are games these days that do look better. Seeing Lucario and Machamp go up against each, seeing their varying attacks and move sets based on their Pokemon types is interesting, and if done correctly with a multitude of other characters this game could be cool. However with like 700+ Pokemon at their disposal I’m curious to see how they’ll incorporate each one in there and which ones they’ll leave out, whether they’ll infuse their various types and use type advantages and if there will be other things like flashy special moves or destructive environments.

While this is slated as an arcade-only game only set for release in Japan, if it is good one can hope it does get a western release on consoles. So what do you think of this announcement, are you down with a one-on-one fighting game involving Pokemon or does this disgust you? Be sure to comment below. 🙂