Official Nintendo DS and 3DS Thread (Including WiFi Codes)

[sterlingice]

The microphone gimmick just doesn't work for me. Never found a game where it was a good idea. I've talked from time to time on the Pokemon chat when in trades but that's the most I can say and I could have done without it.

SI

[MJ4H]

So far, I really like Phantom Hourglass. I'm not very far into it, but it is a very attractive game visually, the controls work very well, and it is nicely paced.

Most reviews have it 9/10 and higher, but Nintendo World Report gave it a 7.5/10 and I think the review is awful. I normally trust that site for reviews, but I will have to be more careful with them now.

There is some quality about this game that is really approachable, though. I can't really put my finger on it, but it is just comfortable to play it. Inviting. I don't know. I recommend it.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

So far, I really like Phantom Hourglass. I'm not very far into it, but it is a very attractive game visually, the controls work very well, and it is nicely paced.

Most reviews have it 9/10 and higher, but Nintendo World Report gave it a 7.5/10 and I think the review is awful. I normally trust that site for reviews, but I will have to be more careful with them now.

There is some quality about this game that is really approachable, though. I can't really put my finger on it, but it is just comfortable to play it. Inviting. I don't know. I recommend it.

Well, this is dangerous. You seem to love it, I'm a Zelda fan in general (excepting Minish Cap) and Wombat from CheapAssGamer has also given it a glowing review. I see a game buying spree in my future, including PH, Final Fantasy Tactics PSP, Jeanne D'Arc, and maybe one other...

/tk

[sterlingice]

So now that Zelda is out, what's left for the DS? And I mean this in all seriousness. There aren't exactly many bullets out there in the gun for the DS, near or far.

I can think of a few things: some Square sequels, Advance Wars 2, and then some series that are new to the DS but nothing really new like Mario Party, Geometry Wars, Contra, etc. But is there anything even in the Duke Nukem Forever sense of "eventually" that's on the radar for the DS that's big?

SI

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

So now that Zelda is out, what's left for the DS? And I mean this in all seriousness. There aren't exactly many bullets out there in the gun for the DS, near or far.

I can think of a few things: some Square sequels, Advance Wars 2, and then some series that are new to the DS but nothing really new like Mario Party, Geometry Wars, Contra, etc. But is there anything even in the Duke Nukem Forever sense of "eventually" that's on the radar for the DS that's big?

SI

I don't know that the DS "needs" any more unique bullets. As you pointed out, there are things coming out that will keep the interest piqued, both for us gamers and for the more "casual" type: Square titles (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts), Advance Wars 2, and undoubtedly more of the Brain Age/edu-tainement style games.

I also think that they can't go wrong with "more of the same." New Mario games will always be welcome (maybe they can even innovate a bit, with some stylus-based part of the game), more Pokemon, and some of the classic RPG's (see the previously mentioned Square titles), plus the DS has a good following in the Phoenix Wright and Touch Detective games..games which lend themselves quite handily to the DS.

There have been rumors of some adaption of Civ for the handheld, which is another game that would lend itself nicely to a stylus-input method (I could see myself playing Civ on a DS long before I'd play it on my PSP), and other "point-and-click" style games are forseeable. If they ever make a good rendition of Sim City for the DS (as opposed to what they've already released, which was crap), that would sell well, I'd imagine.

But, at the end of the day, what does the DS "need"? Nothing. The Gameboy had incredible longevity with more of the same (and beat out other attempts at handhelds, such as GameGear). Ditto for the GBA. I think the DS will continue to do well, even if there are no more "unique" games for it for a little while, and I think they'll actually do better when they release games that better use the stylus (and not games where they force you to use the stylus even when there may be a better control scheme, but games where a mouse or stylus would be the optimal control scheme).

/tk

[Big Fo]

New Super Mario Bros. 2 has to be in the pipeline, the first one sold millions. Personally I'd prefer a New Super Mario World but any new 2D Mario platformer is a good thing.

I would like to see some other sports games on the system other than the EA Sports games. Mario tennis and golf games appeared on the GBA, one of those could be nice. Baseball Stars 3 would be even better.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

New Super Mario Bros. 2 has to be in the pipeline, the first one sold millions. Personally I'd prefer a New Super Mario World but any new 2D Mario platformer is a good thing.

I would like to see some other sports games on the system other than the EA Sports games. Mario tennis and golf games appeared on the GBA, one of those could be nice. Baseball Stars 3 would be even better.

I'd be kind of "meh" on NSMB2 (though it would undoubutedly sell well), but I have to say, I'd REALLY like it if they released SMB: Lost Levels (or whatever they're calling the "real" SMB2) somewhere other than on a system I don't currently have (read: for the DS or GBA).

/tk

[Big Fo]

Don't have a Wii? Last week it was released as a Virtual Console game.

I had that one back in the day as part of that Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES, that game was freaking hard, I can see why they brought that other game out over here as SMB2. I'm tempted to give it another shot sometime though just to see if it's still that hard 10-12 years later.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Don't have a Wii? Last week it was released as a Virtual Console game.

I had that one back in the day as part of that Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES, that game was freaking hard, I can see why they brought that other game out over here as SMB2. I'm tempted to give it another shot sometime though just to see if it's still that hard 10-12 years later.

Nope, can't find one.
Every time I've gone into a BB or GameStop/EB since the Wii was released, I've said to myself that if they have a Wii in stock, I'll buy one. Hasn't been in stock yet.

/tk

[Big Fo]

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin will come out January 21, great news. I love the reduced time between announcements and releases on handhelds vs. consoles, you hear about an awesome game coming and it's out only a few months later.

[sterlingice]

Wow, that's quick

SI

[samifan24]

Hey everybody, I just got a white DS Lite and Mario Kart today. My friend code for Mario Kart is 253521-200087.

[sterlingice]

Added to the list

SI

[Bonegavel]

I am so hooked on Pokemon D&P. My daughter has the Diamond version so I got the Pearl. I got it on Thanksgiving day and have just captured Palkia (about 50 hours in it now) and I still have to take on the elite 4 in the Tourney's so I can start importing pokemon from Emerald (which I also picked up just for this).

There is just something about needing to collect them all that has me coming back. I'm only up to 112 (ish) and there are about 490 total. I bought my daughter the Ruby Red and myself the Emerald so we can find more.

Sure it's repetitious, but I've been having a blast leveling up my Piplup (now 50) and I have something like 2.5 boxes filled with others.

I even went so far as to buy another Diamond version for myself so I can trade back in forth in case my kid doesn't want to. I also picked myself up a Black DS Lite for early Christmas which now leaves the original DS as a spare.

Good stuff!

[samifan24]

Can anyone recommend either Rune Factory or Animal Crossing: Wild World? I know you guys have been talking about the latter a lot in this thread, but I haven't heard much about the former except that it's good. Both games seem to include farming and "life sim" aspects, which interest me a lot. How are they different?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Can anyone recommend either Rune Factory or Animal Crossing: Wild World? I know you guys have been talking about the latter a lot in this thread, but I haven't heard much about the former except that it's good. Both games seem to include farming and "life sim" aspects, which interest me a lot. How are they different?

I love the Animal Crossing series. It gets old eventually but it's addictive for quite a while. The DS version was better than the Gamecube version, on the whole, but there were some steps back I hope they change when it comes out for the Wii.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Bonegavel

I am so hooked on Pokemon D&P. My daughter has the Diamond version so I got the Pearl. I got it on Thanksgiving day and have just captured Palkia (about 50 hours in it now) and I still have to take on the elite 4 in the Tourney's so I can start importing pokemon from Emerald (which I also picked up just for this).

There is just something about needing to collect them all that has me coming back. I'm only up to 112 (ish) and there are about 490 total. I bought my daughter the Ruby Red and myself the Emerald so we can find more.

Sure it's repetitious, but I've been having a blast leveling up my Piplup (now 50) and I have something like 2.5 boxes filled with others.

I even went so far as to buy another Diamond version for myself so I can trade back in forth in case my kid doesn't want to. I also picked myself up a Black DS Lite for early Christmas which now leaves the original DS as a spare.

Good stuff!

Post your friend code- I know I have some spare Pokemon just sitting around that you may need Once you beat the E4, I could help out with the National 'dex a little, too

SI

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Post your friend code- I know I have some spare Pokemon just sitting around that you may need Once you beat the E4, I could help out with the National 'dex a little, too

SI

Don't you have a few you were going to share with me?

/tk

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Post your friend code- I know I have some spare Pokemon just sitting around that you may need Once you beat the E4, I could help out with the National 'dex a little, too

SI

Nice. I'm not hooked up to wifi with it (I can't seem to bring myself to WEP encrypt my router and open myself up - though I may).

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Don't you have a few you were going to share with me?

/tk

Sure- haven't seen you on much lately. But I'm game when you are

SI

[Bonegavel]

If get a wii and hook it up to my DSL (I hardwired cat5 to the t.v. area), can the DS use the wii to connect without using WEP on my router?

Also, I've reached the pokemon league (thank god the pokemon books and 9 year-old nephews), but I don't have what it takes to beat them yet.

I was able to take down the first of the elite 4 and then made it one or two fights into the second before blacking out.

At the time, my highest level was my empoleon @ 59ish, my next highest was Palkia @ 48, and then a Stararaptor 43, Gyarados 41 and a few others at various levels around low 40s.

I now have my Empoleon @ 61, Stararaptor @ 53, Palkia @ 52, Bronzong @ 45, Gyarados @ 45.

I've seen a list of what the Elite 4 have and I don't know if i'll be able to take them on for a while. Then, I see that Cynthia has all level 60s all very formidable.

BOSS BATTLE
Elite Four Aaron			$6840
	Dustox	BUG / PSN	Lv 53
	Drapion	PSN / DRK	Lv 57
	Vespiqueen	BUG / FLY	Lv 54
	Heracross	BUG / FTG	Lv 54
	Beautifly	BUG / FLY	Lv 53

BOSS BATTLE
Elite Four Bertha			$7080
	Quagsire	WTR / GRD	Lv 55
	Hippowdon	GRD	Lv 59
	Golem	RCK / GRD	Lv 56
	Whiscash	WTR / GRD	Lv 55
	Sudowoodo	RCK	Lv 56

BOSS BATTLE
Elite Four Flint			$7320
	Rapidash	FIR	Lv 58
	Infernape	FIR / FTG	Lv 61
	Steelix	STL / GRD	Lv 57
	Drifblim	GHO / FLY	Lv 58
	Lopunny	NRM	Lv 57

BOSS BATTLE
Elite Four Lucian			$7560
	Mr. Mime	PSY	Lv 59
	Medicham	FTG / PSY	Lv 60
	Alakazam	PSY	Lv 60
	Bronzong	STL / PSY	Lv 63
	Girafarig	NRM / PSY	Lv 59

FINAL BATTLE
Champion Cynthia			$13200
	Spiritomb	GHO / DRK	Lv 61
	Gastrodon	WTR / GRD	Lv 60
	Milotic	WTR	Lv 63
	Garchomp	DRG / GRD	Lv 66
	Lucario	FTG / STL	Lv 63
	Roserade	GRS / PSN	Lv 60

All I'm doing right now is leveling up in the caves of Victory Road. This is the first time in the game I've had to Grind out levels. I'm thinking of trading all my pokemon to another game and back so they gain xp faster.

Any ideas for making this go faster?

[sterlingice]

Facing the E4 is always a different kind of beast. You do have to grind a little and the biggest problem is that Victory Road always seems to only have a couple of types of Pokemon so it's quick leveling for a couple of Pokemon but slow going for the rest. Don't know what to tell you on that front. You can also keep battling as far as you can get on the E4 as that will get you some good experience before you die and you know what's coming but, again, you end up dying a lot. The other thing is to use the little challenge detector thing and have a Pokemon with an amulet coin to build up cash so you can buy lots of revives and medicine.

As for the battles with the E4 themselves. Treat it completely different than any other battle since you only have to do it once to open up the rest of the game (tho much later, you'll find it's one of the better ways to level up once you can beat them without much difficulty).

You need to line up with some attacks and Pokemon that can take out your opponent in one or two hits. Unless you have a really good tank Pokemon that can grind it out with the opposition (and only on one Pokemon per E4 member), you need to dispatch the enemy Pokemon as quick as possible since almost all of them can do major damage. Not only that but inbetween battles

If you can't beat the first couple E4 members with only losing one or two Pokemon, then you're not strong enough. If you can, then keep your Pokemon up to strength between battles, save each time, and go at it, losing at most 1 or 2. Make sure you have enough medicine before you even start and make sure you use it inbetween battles. If you're having to do it during battles (except maybe an antidote or paralyze heal), you're not strong enough because you're wasting turns with medicine while they're hitting you.

Lastly, you want to see what types work against everything, find a good FAQ and walkthrough over at Gamefaqs and they'll help you out.

SI

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Facing the E4 is always a different kind of beast. You do have to grind a little and the biggest problem is that Victory Road always seems to only have a couple of types of Pokemon so it's quick leveling for a couple of Pokemon but slow going for the rest. Don't know what to tell you on that front. You can also keep battling as far as you can get on the E4 as that will get you some good experience before you die and you know what's coming but, again, you end up dying a lot. The other thing is to use the little challenge detector thing and have a Pokemon with an amulet coin to build up cash so you can buy lots of revives and medicine.

As for the battles with the E4 themselves. Treat it completely different than any other battle since you only have to do it once to open up the rest of the game (tho much later, you'll find it's one of the better ways to level up once you can beat them without much difficulty).

You need to line up with some attacks and Pokemon that can take out your opponent in one or two hits. Unless you have a really good tank Pokemon that can grind it out with the opposition (and only on one Pokemon per E4 member), you need to dispatch the enemy Pokemon as quick as possible since almost all of them can do major damage. Not only that but inbetween battles

If you can't beat the first couple E4 members with only losing one or two Pokemon, then you're not strong enough. If you can, then keep your Pokemon up to strength between battles, save each time, and go at it, losing at most 1 or 2. Make sure you have enough medicine before you even start and make sure you use it inbetween battles. If you're having to do it during battles (except maybe an antidote or paralyze heal), you're not strong enough because you're wasting turns with medicine while they're hitting you.

Lastly, you want to see what types work against everything, find a good FAQ and walkthrough over at Gamefaqs and they'll help you out.

SI

Thanks, and I did find some gamefaq (the tables were from that) that helped me through the last 3 badges. The faq recommends having all your pokemon in the mid 50s. I have a bit to go before I get there.

I'm working with

Empoleon 61
Palkia 52
Starraptor 54
Bronzong 45
Gyarados 45
the next closest thing is mid 40s as well.

My 9 year old nephew made it to the last of the 4 with a 70's Empoleon but the others were maybe 2 50's and the rest 40/30s.

Does it hurt the pokemon to faint? I mean, does it harm their stats or make them sad or something? I don't mind working them to death if it doesn't do any permanent damage.

[sterlingice]

IIRC, the only thing it drops is their friendship level to you. Strangely, they don't like getting smacked around.

However, it doesn't influence stats. Heck, if I threw out some information about EVs and Pokemon stats and the level to which people are trying to raise Pokemon, most people who don't already know would be very suprised at the depth that's there.

SI

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

IIRC, the only thing it drops is their friendship level to you. Strangely, they don't like getting smacked around.

However, it doesn't influence stats. Heck, if I threw out some information about EVs and Pokemon stats and the level to which people are trying to raise Pokemon, most people who don't already know would be very suprised at the depth that's there.

SI

i've been reading about the EV stuff and I'm not worrying about that with my first go through but this game does amaze me with it's depth. There is so much to do in here it is incredible.

This morning, I took on the 4 and beat them all with only my Empoleon and my Starraptor. When i got to Cynthia, I killed her first creature and then she almost did a wipe before my DS died. I knew the battery was low and had saved before I approached Cindy so I wasn't too bothered. But I'm glad to know I'm ready.

If cindy kills me do I have to go through the 4 again? Hopefully not.

[Bonegavel]

As I had mentioned, I was about to face Cindy with a depleted team that had fairly easily (i.e., 1 fainted pokemon) decimated the final 4. I used the last of my potions to heal everyone up but didn't have any PP restores (refraining from giggling every time I mention PP) and I had 1 200 point potion remaining as I pressed 'A' on Cindy .

Without going into too much detail, She was on her last Pokemon with over half it's HP, I had 4 fainted Pokemon, my Empoleon was at 6 HP and my Starraptor was active and had around 100. I used Wing Attack and I saw her pokemon's HP bar slide, slide, slide, OMG, it was going to zero! Then, I see the HP bar (now red, obviously) stop at something like 2 or 3 pixels. ACK!

Then, her Pokemon whacks my Starraptor and takes him down to single digits. I'm at the end and all hope seems lost. Then I remember I have 1 remaining 200 pt potion. I give it to the raptor and he gets first crack and takes out Cindy's final pokemon.

Wow! What a feeling of relief.

I now have 146 in my pokedex and need to find Luxio, Drifloon, and one of the fish types. I just got the Luxio egg from Riley on Iron Island, Drifloons only come out on Fridays (I may fast forward my DS time just to get it over with) and the fish one is my only hangup. I think it's the Lumineon. That I'm going to have to research a bit. Finally, 150 is Dialga and since I have the pearl version, I only get that one by seeing some old dude in Celestion town. Which is painless.

I'm on my way to national pokedex and this is really just the beginning of the game. What a great game.

[Bonegavel]

on yahoo answers was this:

Well, it's not that hard to catch a Finneon and evolve it, that's what I did.

But anyways, between Sunyshore city and Victory Road, one of the female trainers in the water has a Lumineon.

[Bonegavel]

Acquired the National Pokedex last night and imported my first batch of Emerald pokemon this morning and caught them in Pal Park. Life is good.

[Bonegavel]

ok, I changed my wifi settings and am now online with my DS. Where do I find the friend codes?

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Bonegavel

ok, I changed my wifi settings and am now online with my DS. Where do I find the friend codes?

They are usually in the "settings" menu from the main screen of the game.

[Bonegavel]

I fired up Animal Crossings for the first time in a year and I found my friend code in there (i'll post it later). I'm guessing all the others will now have a place for a friend code now that my wifi is working. I'm pretty sure where to look in Diamond and Pearl.

OMG! In AC, the entire town I'm in is covered with weeds!

[Bonegavel]

My friend code for Animal Crossing

2964-7216-1361
Name: Matt
Town: Haleyton

[Bonegavel]

Pokemon Pearl
Name: Matt
Code: 4725 6590 3946

[sterlingice]

Ok, those two have been added to the list in post 1.

SI

[Godzilla Blitz]

I messed around with Pokemon Diamond in the spring for a while, then traded it away once I got busy with other stuff. Never grabbed me completely, and life was busy.

This fall I picked up FireRed on the GBA for my son, and he promptly got hooked. I bought a LeafGreen so that I could play ahead and help him out when he got stuck. In the process of doing that, I got hooked as well. What a great game.

Both my son and I finished our versions of the game a little while ago (we're still hacking away at the post-game portions however), and Santa is bringing us Pokemon Emeralds. I figure it makes sense to play through the games in order, so that we take in Diamond and Pearl last.

So add me to the Pokemon addicts club.

One thing that we've found helpful is getting a guide for the Pokemon games. There is so much information that is left out of the games regarding moves and such. If I'm playing with my son, we're constantly reaching for the guide to look something up.

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Ok, those two have been added to the list in post 1.

SI

Thanks!

I've added everyone to my Animal Crossings and Pokemon games.

[Bonegavel]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

I messed around with Pokemon Diamond in the spring for a while, then traded it away once I got busy with other stuff. Never grabbed me completely, and life was busy.

This fall I picked up FireRed on the GBA for my son, and he promptly got hooked. I bought a LeafGreen so that I could play ahead and help him out when he got stuck. In the process of doing that, I got hooked as well. What a great game.

Both my son and I finished our versions of the game a little while ago (we're still hacking away at the post-game portions however), and Santa is bringing us Pokemon Emeralds. I figure it makes sense to play through the games in order, so that we take in Diamond and Pearl last.

So add me to the Pokemon addicts club.

One thing that we've found helpful is getting a guide for the Pokemon games. There is so much information that is left out of the games regarding moves and such. If I'm playing with my son, we're constantly reaching for the guide to look something up.

My daughter collected the cards and because of that I bought her the Diamond version for the DS and she hardly played it. I knew the cards were actually a game and I convinced my daughter to actually learn/play the game which I found I enjoyed a lot. I think it's a great strategy starter for kids and you can find enough depth in it as an adult. I started buying my own cards.

Soon after, I revistited her DS Diamond version and she didn't play it much only because it was a bit too complicated for her (she's 7.5) and she wasn't able to do much. I found an online walkthrough and quickly found out that I really liked the game and so I bought the Pearl version. I showed her the basics of the game and she hasn't looked back since.

Then, I bought Saffire, then Ruby Red for my daughter, then Emerald for me (I gave the Saffire to my nephew), then I just picked up the FireRed and LeafGreen. I'm playing through Emerald at the same time I am the Pearl (and I just picked up a Diamond version for myself ) but you can also use the old games to make more Pokemon show up after you get the National Pokedex. I will now need to re-purchase Saffire.

They really did a bang-up job with this game and the whole franchise in general. Brilliant to make the old games still worthwhile.

I've purchased the 2 official D&P guides and have found numerous walkthroughs online for D&P and Emerald. They are great for those moments of "what do I do know?" which happens from time to time.

I got her a wii for Christmas and almost bought Pokemon Battle Revolution but it looks really limited. If it drops in price it might be nice just to see my beloved monsters in 3D, but not at $50.

[Big Fo]

Only one more month until the 2008 handheld game of the year comes out, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Who else will be getting this game so we can have some WiFi battles?

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally Posted by Bonegavel

My daughter collected the cards and because of that I bought her the Diamond version for the DS and she hardly played it. I knew the cards were actually a game and I convinced my daughter to actually learn/play the game which I found I enjoyed a lot. I think it's a great strategy starter for kids and you can find enough depth in it as an adult. I started buying my own cards.

Soon after, I revistited her DS Diamond version and she didn't play it much only because it was a bit too complicated for her (she's 7.5) and she wasn't able to do much. I found an online walkthrough and quickly found out that I really liked the game and so I bought the Pearl version. I showed her the basics of the game and she hasn't looked back since.

Then, I bought Saffire, then Ruby Red for my daughter, then Emerald for me (I gave the Saffire to my nephew), then I just picked up the FireRed and LeafGreen. I'm playing through Emerald at the same time I am the Pearl (and I just picked up a Diamond version for myself ) but you can also use the old games to make more Pokemon show up after you get the National Pokedex. I will now need to re-purchase Saffire.

They really did a bang-up job with this game and the whole franchise in general. Brilliant to make the old games still worthwhile.

I've purchased the 2 official D&P guides and have found numerous walkthroughs online for D&P and Emerald. They are great for those moments of "what do I do know?" which happens from time to time.

I got her a wii for Christmas and almost bought Pokemon Battle Revolution but it looks really limited. If it drops in price it might be nice just to see my beloved monsters in 3D, but not at $50.

+1. We're following a similar path. I've been picking up the various games via EBay, GameCrazy, and trades.

My son started with FireRed, and just finished beating the Elite 4. I gave him Colosseum for his birthday last week. It's a different take on the series, but we've enjoyed the little we've played of it. He likes seeing the Pokemon fight on the big screen, and the graphics are fairly impressive for a Gamecube game. The cable to hook up the GBA to the Wii came a couple of days ago, so we're going to try to import some of the GBA Pokemon into Colosseum over the holidays.

Our daughter, who is four, wants to be part of the action as well. I found a cheap copy of LeafGreen, and got that for her. She is having a blast as well, although all she does is start a new game, play for about fifteen minutes, then turn it off. She keeps starting new games over and over. I've taught her how to save, but she doesn't seem to want to be bothered with such details.

Waiting in the wings now are XD, Emerald, Diamond, and Pearl. I also got Ruby and Sapphire, but more for activating their Pokemon in Diamond/Pearl when we get that far. I'd like to get Wii Battle Revolution, but I also don't think it's worth anywhere close to $50. At $20-25, I'll bite.

I've also been impressed with how much reading my son has done in the games. He's learned to recognize/read a ton of words, and he'll sit there and look through the FireRed/LeafGreen strategy guide for an hour at a time.

Fun Stuff.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

I messed around with Pokemon Diamond in the spring for a while, then traded it away once I got busy with other stuff. Never grabbed me completely, and life was busy.

This fall I picked up FireRed on the GBA for my son, and he promptly got hooked. I bought a LeafGreen so that I could play ahead and help him out when he got stuck. In the process of doing that, I got hooked as well. What a great game.

Both my son and I finished our versions of the game a little while ago (we're still hacking away at the post-game portions however), and Santa is bringing us Pokemon Emeralds. I figure it makes sense to play through the games in order, so that we take in Diamond and Pearl last.

So add me to the Pokemon addicts club.

One thing that we've found helpful is getting a guide for the Pokemon games. There is so much information that is left out of the games regarding moves and such. If I'm playing with my son, we're constantly reaching for the guide to look something up.

Well I guess that explains what may or may not have happened with Final Fantasy: Lost in Japanese. We were wondering if you'd come back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original release of the game in Japan (it was 12/18/2007).

The FF series is still my first love, but Pokemon is right up there. I put over 150 hours into LeafGreen (the first iteration of it I played), probably about 80 so far in Diamond, and when my stack has cleared off a bit (or SI wants to pass me those Pokemon), I'll probably get sucked back into it.

/tk

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Well I guess that explains what may or may not have happened with Final Fantasy: Lost in Japanese. We were wondering if you'd come back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original release of the game in Japan (it was 12/18/2007).

The FF series is still my first love, but Pokemon is right up there. I put over 150 hours into LeafGreen (the first iteration of it I played), probably about 80 so far in Diamond, and when my stack has cleared off a bit (or SI wants to pass me those Pokemon), I'll probably get sucked back into it.

/tk

You want to be on AIM or Google chat from time to time and you might actually get some Pokemon

That said, I'll be out of town tomorrow night thru Tuesday so this isn't quite the best time. Then I'm on call for all but one of the next 7 days so things might be a bit crazy.

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

+1. We're following a similar path. I've been picking up the various games via EBay, GameCrazy, and trades.

My son started with FireRed, and just finished beating the Elite 4. I gave him Colosseum for his birthday last week. It's a different take on the series, but we've enjoyed the little we've played of it. He likes seeing the Pokemon fight on the big screen, and the graphics are fairly impressive for a Gamecube game. The cable to hook up the GBA to the Wii came a couple of days ago, so we're going to try to import some of the GBA Pokemon into Colosseum over the holidays.

Our daughter, who is four, wants to be part of the action as well. I found a cheap copy of LeafGreen, and got that for her. She is having a blast as well, although all she does is start a new game, play for about fifteen minutes, then turn it off. She keeps starting new games over and over. I've taught her how to save, but she doesn't seem to want to be bothered with such details.

Waiting in the wings now are XD, Emerald, Diamond, and Pearl. I also got Ruby and Sapphire, but more for activating their Pokemon in Diamond/Pearl when we get that far. I'd like to get Wii Battle Revolution, but I also don't think it's worth anywhere close to $50. At $20-25, I'll bite.

I've also been impressed with how much reading my son has done in the games. He's learned to recognize/read a ton of words, and he'll sit there and look through the FireRed/LeafGreen strategy guide for an hour at a time.

Fun Stuff.

I really liked Colosseum and XD. It felt like taking the playstation Final Fantasy engine and attaching a Pokemon game to the cover. I always thought they were badly underrated but they never received critical praise so it's probably more of a "fan" thing.

I know this may be a bit late, but if I were going to start a fan on a Pokemon game, it would definitely be the FR/LG (Fire Red/Leaf Green) generation. Back in the day, you couldn't beat going RBY (Red/Blue/Yellow) -> GSC (Gold/Silver/Crystal). However, since FR/LG are remakes of RBY, they're a great place to start. Then continue with RSE (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) which feel more like an expansion pack. Then go with DP (Diamond/Pearl) which just explodes the Pokemon universe from very small to gigantic with all the new stuff in them.

Lastly, rather than buying books upon books, check out stuff online. Back in the day, Azure Heights was one of my favorites but that was a lot of hard core number cruching on the battle engine and it's only for RBY. Nowadays, serebii.net is pretty much the place to go for Pokemon information. And you can't forget gamefaqs- there are 3 and 4 MB text files full of information on there.

SI

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

You want to be on AIM or Google chat from time to time and you might actually get some Pokemon

That said, I'll be out of town tomorrow night thru Tuesday so this isn't quite the best time. Then I'm on call for all but one of the next 7 days so things might be a bit crazy.

SI

Yeah, well, things have been a bit hectic here, too...
http://www.arianespace.com/site/news...ate_index.html

Sometime in the new year, we'll get it all straightened out, I'm sure. Safe travels!

/tk

[sterlingice]

It's always the same excuses with you. Spaceship this and rocket scientist that.

SI

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Well I guess that explains what may or may not have happened with Final Fantasy: Lost in Japanese. We were wondering if you'd come back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original release of the game in Japan (it was 12/18/2007).

The FF series is still my first love, but Pokemon is right up there. I put over 150 hours into LeafGreen (the first iteration of it I played), probably about 80 so far in Diamond, and when my stack has cleared off a bit (or SI wants to pass me those Pokemon), I'll probably get sucked back into it.

/tk

It hasn't been Pokemon's fault this time. Work has been overwhelming, which is kind of what I thought it would be (and will continue to be for the next five months).

Although I was playing Pokemon, much of it was together with my son, and except for a few random hours with other games, Pokemon was the only game I've played in the past three months. If I could get my son hooked on Final Fantasy IV, then I'd have a bit of a better chance of making more progress with my blog.

Don't give up on me yet, though. I'm hoping to come back to Final Fantasy: Lost in Japanese this weekend, for at least a short run. I've got some free time coming up over the holidays, and am looking forward to getting my head back in the game.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I really liked Colosseum and XD. It felt like taking the playstation Final Fantasy engine and attaching a Pokemon game to the cover. I always thought they were badly underrated but they never received critical praise so it's probably more of a "fan" thing.

I know this may be a bit late, but if I were going to start a fan on a Pokemon game, it would definitely be the FR/LG (Fire Red/Leaf Green) generation. Back in the day, you couldn't beat going RBY (Red/Blue/Yellow) -> GSC (Gold/Silver/Crystal). However, since FR/LG are remakes of RBY, they're a great place to start. Then continue with RSE (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) which feel more like an expansion pack. Then go with DP (Diamond/Pearl) which just explodes the Pokemon universe from very small to gigantic with all the new stuff in them.

Lastly, rather than buying books upon books, check out stuff online. Back in the day, Azure Heights was one of my favorites but that was a lot of hard core number cruching on the battle engine and it's only for RBY. Nowadays, serebii.net is pretty much the place to go for Pokemon information. And you can't forget gamefaqs- there are 3 and 4 MB text files full of information on there.

SI

Dola...

That's pretty much the route I figured we'd take, so it's good to hear some confirmation. I think, though, that we'll mess with Colosseum as we do Emerald, and XD as we do Pearl/Diamond. By then something else will probably be out, as we don't make the fastest time through the games.

Have you ever tried the Digimon games? I stumbled onto them a few days ago and have been thinking that they might be an interesting diversion as well.

[AnalBumCover]

Now that I have a DS (Actually my wife's pink one), I got Animal Crossing and have now begun my own little town.

Animal Crossing
Name: Roberto
Town: Stanton
Local fruit: Orange
Code: 4639-7967-4826 (Subject to change once I get my own DS)

[IMetTrentGreen]

I joined the DS owning clan. I got FF3 (which is so old school, it's difficult, you have to level grind . . . I love it) but nothing else.

Is there one Pokemon game better than the others to introduce me to the game? I've never played one. Also, any other RPGs for the system would be good.

[IMetTrentGreen]

If I could get my son hooked on Final Fantasy IV, then I'd have a bit of a better chance of making more progress with my blog.

Wait, is that out already? Or are you playing it on something else?

EDIT: nevermind, I'm an idiot. Didn't really notice the whole point of your blog.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally Posted by IMetTrentGreen

Wait, is that out already? Or are you playing it on something else?

EDIT: nevermind, I'm an idiot. Didn't really notice the whole point of your blog.

Final Fantasy IV was recently released for the DS in Japan, however. But I'm playing the GBA version.

Is it true, though, that they're not planning to make an English version of FFIV for the DS? Instead, they're only going to make an English version for cell phones? That can't be right.

And "Congrats!" on getting a DS! I'm still amazed at how much use mine gets. I use it all the time, and now my four-year-old daughter is constantly badgering me to let her use it so she can do Mario Kart DS.

On another note, at some point I'll have to give Animal Crossing another try. It never clicked for me, but I didn't get very far.