LogFAQs > #941773190

BetrayedTangy posted...

Yeah Pokemon games are pretty notorious for being insanely expensive. I saw SoulSilver at a local game store for 100.

I will say though Gamestop has really improved with used games recently, especially online. They have sales pretty frequently too. DS games usually don't come with an actual case though, if that's important.

Amazon's DS prices in general are a bit wonky these days. I bought Dragon Quest IV and V for a like $40 a couple years back but now they're in the over 150 range too.

ctesjbuvf posted...

Diamond felt like a low point of the series to me. Mostly because of how slow it moves technically, but also just because it could use some more touch though. Platinum, however, is a high point, which shows how similar the games are, but also how important quality of life changes are.

HGSS are really good imo. Starting from Platinum and until Black 2 and White 2 are Pokmon perfection to me, where they really nailed the formula.

Yeah, I remember not liking Diamond as much when I first played it as a kid myself. The addition of Rock Climb and Defog was one thing that bugged me, because they made it difficult to have all the necessary HM moves around without sacrificing a lot of combat power. I've actually never finished Black, but it does seem to have made some smart adjustments to the gameplay, and from what I've played of Heartgold the same is true of that game, though I prefer the Gen II graphics and the extra cutscenes are a bit of a sticking point for me.

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I was essentially right outside Cherrygrove when I started today, so my first task was to make my way to Violet City. This meant walking through some tall grass where I found a lot of caterpie, battling the two trainers whose battle was blocking the way earlier,and then taking a phone call from Dylan's mom, who was slightly disappointed that he hadn't come home to say bye to her. I stopped to poke around the Dark Cave for a while and caught a Geodude and Zubat, though I don't intend to use either. What I am using for a little while is a Bellsprout. The obvious name for that Pokemon is Venus, but since mine was male I decided to go with Cupid instead. I caught a second Bellsprout to trade for the NPC-given Onix named Rocky. If you like Onix or its evolved form, this is a good idea for the benefits of extra EXP that traded Pokemon receive.

My next task was the tower of level 3 Bellsprout. Romeo knew ember and could make short work of everything there, but I used it as an opportunity to train Cedric instead. Unfortunately, he didn't learn peck until nearly all the Bellsprout were dealt with. While here, I caught a Gastly, and though I haven't invested any training into it yet I'm considering using it. I don't think I've ever had the chance to use a Gengar before. The first name I thought of for it was Hamlet, for Hamlet the first, but I wanted to diversify my references a little and called him Sawyer instead, for the story where Tom Sawyer was active at his own funeral. Between the tower's EXP and the gym trainer battles, I managed to evolve my Cyndaquil before I battled Faulkner, which made his Pigeotto easy enough to deal with. I took out his Pigey using Hoothoot with Hypnosis tactics, though the Hypnosis missed thrice in a row, so it would've been better just to peck it to death. Faulkner's signature move used to be mud slap, but in Heartgold he has the much more threatening roost, a healing move that temporarily removes the user's flying type (meaning it can also be used to reduce the damage of a rock, ice, or electric move.) This makes him more challenging but the rest of the game easier, since he also gives a TM for Roost now, and healing moves are generally quite good in Pokemon. I decided to use it on Cedric right away.

I found the HM for Rock Smash, gifted by an NPC, whose location I had actually forgotten, since it's been a while since I last played Gold. I taught it to a Rattata that I'm using as an "HM slave" and trained Cupid on the high-level Geodude you can find by breaking rocks.

In general, the most important traits a Pokemon needs are decent stats and a reliable attack move of the same type as themselves. Bellsprout is nice in that it begins with Vine Whip, while a lot of otherwise-good Pokemon like Mareep and especially Sandshrew struggle with only normal moves for a good while. This allowed the Bellsprout to take out much higher level Geodude on its own, sometimes netting two level-ups in a single fight. I also visited the Ruins of Alph and caught Unknown A and I.

Continuing south of Violet, I stepped onto Route 32, and had the good fortune to quickly catch a Wooper. That's another Pokemon that starts with Water Gun instead of tackle, and I like its evolved form, though I don't think I'll actually use it this time around.

Current stats:

Pokedex: 20 seen/14 caught

Current team:
Egg
Cupid (Bellsprout) lv. 9
Romeo (Quilava) lv. 14
Cedric (Hoothoot) lv. 10
Sawyer (Gastly) lv. 3
Rattata lv. 4


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I'm playing every game from GotD 2020! Games Completed: 5/129
Currently Playing: Pokemon HeartGold Version