September 8, 2014

everbloom:

Pokémon Art Accademy

This isn’t really a game, but it is a fun Pokémon themed drawing tutor. You’re gradually introduced to the various tools, along with more difficult Pokémon pictures. This is the first game in the series to feature one important tool: undo. I’d been interested in the previous Art Accademy instalments, but without undo a digital painting app is a no-go.

You get a lot of help in this app: reference pictures, traceable outlines, grids, construction shapes, pre-made backgrounds. There’s also a neat outline pen which draws on its own layer, and the colour of which can be changed in a single step.

The real draw card of this game, is of course, the Pokémon. To a large extent how much you like this game will depend on how much you like the Pokémon you get to draw in the main classes. I quite liked the early, cute Pokémon, but I didn’t much like the later ones, like Charizard (who is not a cool dragon, but an ugly fart). There are Pokémon from every generation, so there should be one everyone knows, even if it’s just Pikachu. If you don’t like Pikachu… you probably don’t want to play this.

In the primay lessons you’re in a class with your friend, who is really quite terrible at art. In the photo above I drew with my ‘other’ hand. I think maybe my friend drew his with his foot.

It’s a fun little game if you’re interested in Pokémon and want a gentle introduction to digital painting. I got the digital download, which is what I’d recommend unless you can find it for a really good discount.

Oh, and you don’t have to paint Pokémon, in free paint you can do anything you like. Just don’t expect print quality for export.

Here’s another guest review from my awesome wife. Personally, my favourite parts of Pokemon Art Academy were figuring out whether it, and by extension the other Art Academy games (the professor is the cousin of the AA tutor or something) are within the Pokemon universe itself, or simply a version of our world. Also looking at the derpy friend’s craptastic paintings; hilarious.

9:15pm  |   URL: https://tmblr.co/ZpvIwu1QJVxRh
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: guest review pokemon pokemon art academy 3ds headstrong games 
April 22, 2014

everbloom:

Pokémon (X &) Y

If you have been living in some kind of Faraday cage, then Pokémon Y is a game where you trap a variety of creatures and use them to fight other people, making them stronger so you can fight better trainers. That might sound kind of cruel, but Pokémon Y is rated PG for “mild themes and violence”. This is a lot cuter than Virtual Cock Fighting 3D.

I haven’t played every Pokémon game. I’ve played bits of the first and second generation (Red/Blue, Gold/Silver) and most of Pokémon HeartGold. I rage quit Pokémon Black 2 about half way through and never went back. I was sick of the grind, rubbish menus, and stupid story.

Thankfully, Pokémon Y is not Pokémon Black 2. Many of the criticisms of Generation V have been taken into account in this latest iteration of the franchise. Some of the most notable changes include:

  • Improved menus
  • Less grind
  • Diagonal movement
  • More ‘old’ Pokémon early on
  • Streamlined, always-available, online battle and trading features
  • Rejigging the Pokémon types and type effectiveness for better balance
  • Character customisation
  • XP Share doesn’t reduce active Pokémon XP and gives all other party Pokémon XP too
  • No Rattata

Of course, Pokémon Y also introduces, or attempts to introduce, some new features too. There are two mini-game collections that can live on the bottom screen, as an alternative to the online feature buttons. The first is a puzzle collection focused on raising Pokémon’s ‘friendliness’ (not to be confused with happiness), and a sports-game collection for sub-stat training.

There’s also a new Pokémon type, the Fairy type, which is super effective against Dragon. Another really welcome change, is that you now get XP when you catch a Pokémon, not just knock it out.

Having been burnt by Pokémon Black 2, I was very cautious of Pokémon Y. I loved Pokémon HeartGold, and I wanted so much to love another Pokémon game, but I did not want to shell out $60 for more poo. Thankfully Pokémon Y is not a pile of poo.

I’ll be honest: there’s still room for improvement. The central city, Lumiose, is impossible to navigate without a map (I recommend this map), and even with a map it’s confusing. You can’t post screenshots to Miiverse, and you can only take ‘camera’ shots at specific locations.

The story doesn’t make much sense. I think there was some guy who did something bad a long time ago, and now there is some other guy wanting to “cleanse the world” or something. Point is, it doesn’t matter, really, what the plot is, and the game kinda gets that. The minions are silly, and they know it.

The difficulty curve in this game is much better. Not once did I faint, and I never had to spend hours grinding against wild Pokémon either.

I’ve heard some complaints about how the stereoscopic 3D is only available in battle, and select 3D environments, and drops frames madly. My advice is turn off the 3D. There is no reason in any game I’ve played on the 3DS to have the 3D on. It drains battery, looks wonky, is lower resolution, is darker, gives you a headache, possibly makes you nauseous, and never adds to gameplay.

Perhaps the most telling thing about this game, is that I am still playing it. It’s got me, hook, line and sinker. I’ve long since beaten the Champion, and now I’m just cruising around town on my skates, looking for trouble. Unlike previous games, I’m actually interested in catching all the available wild Pokémon, and even breeding and evolving Pokémon I’m not going to use, just to fill the Pokédex.

Guest review time! I’m all too happy to repost this great review of Pokemon Y by my favourite person and wife, Everbloom! She wanted to have a go at what I do and tried to avoid the pitfalls I regularly fall into. Good job!

5:32pm  |   URL: https://tmblr.co/ZpvIwu1DmsR_D
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: guest review pokemon pokemon x&y game freak 3ds 
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