Hi, I'm Dranzerstorm
Welcome to the Video Game & Music Lounge
This world is dedicated to Video Games and Music as I'll be showcasing the following.
Video Game Reviews set to the same tones as Retro Retrospective's Anime Reviews
Music reviews of Anime Openings & Closings
Western Cartoon music
Vocaloid Classics.
We may even have some Top Tens
I hope this World entertains you.
Today we look at handheld titles.
The Rub Rabbits
Sega were pretty experimental during the DS era, more so when Sonic Team were involved, so during the time where Sonic was finding it's late 00s audience following the Sonic 06 fallout, Sonic Team made a bizarre dating game for DS called Rub Rabbits, unlike most dating games, in Rub Rabbits you have to constantly flirt and save the girl you are dating by using your stylus in mini games, rubbing if you will, the actual Rub Rabbits are your wingmen, it's a bizarre game but unintentionally hilarious.
B-Tier Game
Bubble Ghost
The Gameboy was a surprisingly versatile console even during it's early brick shape era but very few games could be considered that hard, even Megaman feels easier, enter Bubble Ghost, a puzzle game where you blow a bubble through increasingly difficult mazes, it's legacy as a speedrun classic has kept it alive, long after the Gameboy and DS family had been retired.
B-Tier Game
Pokemon Red and Blue
You'd think this game would be an easy S-Tier but rose tinted lenses are pretty common among my age group but having stuck with Pokemon up until today, going back to play the original is really rough as red and blue is a glitch filled mess, stuff like the Missingno trick, the Mew trick, catching safari pokemon outside the park and positioning yourself in certain pixels to trigger completion without even leaving Pallet Town are just a few of the glitches you can trigger in the average playthrough, even the mechanics allow you to cheese the game with just one Pokemon.
Back then it was revolutionary but now it's unplayable.
D-Tier Game
When you make a legendary IP like Pokemon or Mario, it's hard to break free of that legacy to create something new without being reminded of what they made before, so I've assembled five different industry legends and one legendary company to see if leaving their legacy really was the right decision.
Keiji Inafune
The man behind the Blue Bomber Megaman ended up leaving Capcom having started from illustrator moving up the hierarchy to some top positions, his two most notable titles since leaving have been Azure Striker Gunvolt and Mighty No.9.
Verdict
While Azure Striker Gunvolt is pretty well received if very niche, Mighty No 9 was an infamous failure that even destroyed consoles, meanwhile legacy collections of Megaman continue to sell well with pretty much every title coming back in some form.
Yuji Naka
The man behind the Blue Blur Sonic the Hedgehog was a prominent Sega figure throughout Sega's tenure as a console maker up until 2006, his only notable game since was Balan Wonderworld for Square Enix.
Verdict
Balan Wonderworld was a doomed project from the start and Naka would fall out with Square Enix and leave all while Sonic began a new renaissance guided by new talent, Naka's career would come to a halt as he was arrested for Insider Trading Fraud last year.
Hideo Kojima
The man behind Metal Gear Solid turning a stealth top down shooter into a cinematic gaming juggernaut would later divorce from Konami following some messy disputes, creating Death Stranding with his own studio.
Verdict
The eccentric personality behind Hideo Kojima really shows when even four years after release, no one knows what Death Stranding is supposed to be, meanwhile it's clear that Metal Gear Solid can't survive without Kojima.
Yu Suzuki
The man, the myth, the legend and now the new breakfast cereal, Yu Suzuki is Sega royalty behind their best arcade titles creating a metric ton of hits including Space Harrier, Outrun, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA and Shenmue. He would establish his own company to finish the ill fated Shenmue saga but also reminded the industry what he's capable of with Air Twister, a Space Harrier/Panzer Dragoon legacy game.
Verdict
It's clear that Shenmue is never going to leave his shadow while Air Twister is a reminder of what he can really do, it's clear that he maybe should've stopped on Shenmue as we could've continued to have some really stellar titles. It's worth noting that much of what made Shenmue work is now in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise that other than Sonic is Sega's money maker.
Game Freak
The developers behind Pokemon being the main driving force of it's video game success although the franchise is facing rougher waters with how messy Scarlet and Violet are, it's not showing signs of waning in popularity. Game Freak have shown willingness to make their own games with the most notable being Tembo the Badass Elephant.
Verdict
I doubt they'll ever escape Pokemon and I can foresee a future that Pokemon will switch from Game Freak to a different developer. Tembo isn't a bad title but it's certainly not bringing in Nintendo money.
Christian Whitehead
Credited with saving the Sonic franchise, known as Taxman, Whitehead provided all the support for Sonic's current gen classic re-releases with polished versions of the classics as well as the legendary Sonic Mania.
Verdict
He's burned a few bridges with Sega following Origins so whether we'll see him contribute to Sonic in future instalments remains to be seen, his team are working on Penny's Big Breakaway, an attempt at a 3D platformer, remains to be seen if he can breakaway from Sonic.
This will surprise you.
Released in 2022, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet brings the franchise into a full immersive world.
Pros
The mechanics work as well as ever.
Decent starter line up.
Fantastic characters.
Dragons you ride are full of character.
Fantastic story.
No trouble finding Pokemon.
Evil team is actually challenging.
Most inclusive the franchise has ever been.
Cons
Slowdown is a major problem.
Graphics struggle with framerate.
Unintentionally hilarious and not so hilarious glitches.
Practically no Customization.
Claims to be non-linear but there is a logical order to things.
Trainer battles are a little difficult to find.
Money isn't as generous as other generations.
New terra mechanic makes the game too easy.
Multiplayer is broken.
Overall
I didn't get half the problems others had but they are still there, otherwise the game is the strongest it has been.
This idea came up when I read a report on which Pokemon starter was the ideal choice who suggested that Squirtle was the best choice in the original games, I don't agree with this and a lot of people don't agree either, so this is my opinion on what's the best starter in each Generation including the current Gen 8 starters. All entries are based around their actual Generation so no remakes.
Updated and reuploaded to include Galar Starters.
Kanto
Bulbasaur may be a good choice for beginners but can easily lead to complacency; ultimately you're left with a team where Venusaur is 10 levels ahead of the rest of its teammates.
Charmander on the other hand is a difficult learning curve but is actually better in the long run. Because you have to work harder you'll ultimately have a better team later in the game.
Squirtle is a decent balance, it's fairly simple to grow a team around a Squirtle but towards the end of the game it's easy to get lazy.
Best Choice: Charmander. Remember there are six slots on that Pokebelt and there's no I in team and Charmander can create good teams.
Johto
Chikorita has a steep curve to climb that never improves throughout the game and you can't build a team around a Pokemon with barely any strengths.
Cyndaquil fairs better all round by being the only starter to actually be strong against any Gyms, it's the only choice that gives new players a chance but it doesn't come very often and will be smashed to pieces by the dreaded Miltank in the Goldenrod Gym.
Totodile while having no major strengths has no major weaknesses either allowing you to build a team without distraction.
Best Choice: Totodile. It's hard going in Johto, so team building is crucial and getting your Surfer ready early will make team building easier.
Hoenn
Treecko is good at the start and the end so everything in the middle will be the making of your team.
Torchic needs a small boost to get going and can be difficult to handle if not used correctly but can still make decent teams especially in the final stages of the game.
Mudkip is the beginners choice this time and good training early on can pay off well.
Best Choice: Treecko. It's much closer between these three but from personal experience Treecko gave me my best ever Pokemon team.
Sinnoh
Turtwig can provide a decent run but is heavily reliant on strategy based teams to work effectively late on.
Chimchar is the beginners choice and slightly too powerful for it's own good and doesn't seem to flinch at the idea of the first gym being Rock type.
Piplup is difficult to work with all round and needs some care to work properly, having a Steel type as an extra won't be enough.
Best Choice: Chimchar. As much as I hate the easy way out, the lack of Fire types in this Generation was worrying and the only good one you can get was the starter and you need a Fire Type for a good run.
Unova
Snivy is difficult to train and needs a solid team, this gets harder in the B&W sequels with gyms switching around.
Tepig is the worst of the Fire Fighting Starters despite being beginners choice, as it has too many inconvenient weaknesses throughout its run and there are better fire types available.
Oshawott is the easiest to train all round and like Totodile allows for peaceful team building.
Best Choice: Oshawott. The worst you have to deal with is Elesa and she can wipe you out regardless of what Pokemon you have.
Kalos
The New Generation's Exp All actively encourages you to have a full team by the second gym so Starter Choice isn't much of an issue this time but as to who's the best team to build around.
Chespin has a bad start which struggles to improve as the game goes on as most situations don't ask for Grass types.
Fennekin can almost finish the game on it's own, as beginners choice it's the most overpowered starter of the whole franchise, even more so than Bulbasaur was.
Froakie has it even tougher than Chespin and needs some serious training to remain on a team as it's job can easily be done by others.
Best Choice: Fennekin. Team building is easy in this Generation and Fennekin gives you the least trouble.
Alola
This Generation uses a different system to Gyms so team building needs a different approach so lets see what we have.
Rowlet has a great move set and can really be an asset to a team, I'd say this is beginners choice as building a team around this Pokemon can be relatively straight forward and having an easy Water Trial can make your game simpler.
Litten is not a good choice for team building as you'll find yourself using Litten less and less before the second island and by the time it's reached an opponent it could defeat you've already found a better Fire Type in Salandit.
Popplio is surprisingly capable considering it's the least popular of the three, the Fairy typing on it's final evolution is essential late in the game and combined well with Salandit.
Best Choice: Popplio. You can build a reasonable team round Rowlet but Popplio can give you the best combination late in the game where having a Fairy and Dragon Killer in the same team can really make a difference.
Galar
The region offers plenty of opportunities to create a strong team early on with the wild area so again this is very much who is the best to build around but also whether they are still useful come 4th Gym which is the 2nd part of the game.
Grookey is incredibly versatile being a grass type with a strong emphasis on sound based attacks, some are very powerful to use, so Grookey can easily slot into a team.
Scorbunny isn't too bad, early advantages will swiftly help it keep it's team position but you do need to be on your game fairly quick for consistency.
Sobble will struggle to stay on your team come the 2nd stage of Gyms, even when faced with the Fire Gym, Drednaw is a better water type due to the Rock typing
Best Choice: Grookey because he is more likely to stay on your team than the others.
Paldea
The newest region is open world and offers players the chance to create their own path but we still need to know what starter is the best.
Sprigatito has a great move pool for versatility and it's dark typing later on can help it over come some tough opponents especially it's fondness for critical hits.
Fuecoco is a powerhouse and really gives you an edge early on, this is beginners choice, it's ghost typing later on can also overcome some major threats late in the game.
Quaxly struggles majorly early on and has strong competition from other water types, it's place in any team is always challenged, it's fighting typing doesn't save it either.
Best Choice: Fuecoco, while the easy way isn't always the best choice, but in an open world of free choice, it's better to have a strong starter.
That's all of them. Remember this is just an opinion and should not be used to influence the decision of anyone playing the games.
I've said alot on what makes a bad Pokemon game so lets see what makes a good Pokemon game.
Game Mechanics
Gen 7, the peak of good Pokemon mechanics, as it should be.
New Pokemon
Gen 3, all round they had it best.
Legendary Pokemon
Gen 3, They felt positively epic to watch.
Anime
Gen 4, Sinnoh was the anime at it's best.
Gym Leaders
Gen 1, The original 8 was just something special.
Elite Four
Gen 6 certainly gave them a unique personality.
Champion
Gen 4, not only best champion but best trainer in the franchise.
Rival
Gen 1, Gary Oak is just timeless.
Starters
Gen 3 is the only Generation where you can consistently build balanced teams across all starters.
Evil Team
Gen 9 had the most sympathetic evil team.
Evil Plot
Gen 6 wins it for sheer crazy.
World
Gen 8, Galar looks amazing but I am British.
Player Character
Gen 3, the only Generation where both are equally well designed.
Post Game
Gen 2, After the Elite Four, hey it's Kanto!
Navigation
Gen 4, Felt like a real journey with Mt Coronet.
Best Value
Gen 1, Pokemon Yellow as a companion to the 1st Gen.
Pokemon Professor
Gen 1, Professor Oak is timeless.
Best Plot Point
Gen 4, the Darkrai backstory.
Difficulty
Gen 2 has the most consistent difficulty curve.
Overall Best Game
Pokemon Gold and Silver
No contest, no other Generation has ever offered so much.
