Number3son Reviews Lego Star Wars the Video Game

Hello everybody, it`s Number3son here. Today I would like to do a review of a Video game that's for the PlayStation2.

Now, what you should know is I do my Video game reviews after I beat the games. So this time around, I have decided to do a post of the prequel to Lego Star Wars II. This game I will talk about is named Lego Star Wars the Video Game.

If you should know, I got a different Star Wars game for Christmas, but I was kind of jealous because my 15-year old brother, Number2son, started a file on the game and there was nothing I could do about it, and do you know what? He beat the game's entire Story Mode in ONE DAY! I didn't care for the game, so I hid it in our van, and that`s where it is to this day.

Anyway, here's Lego Star Wars the Video Game. I watched someone play it on YouTube, and he is known as Acegamer. I do like this game, but my brothers liked Lego Star Wars the Clone Wars better, and they said my game uses "Stiff" combat. In this game you must tackle Episodes 1, 2 and 3. There's also a bonus level marked with a ? and it's a level where you play as Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper, but I never unlocked that level. The level where you do the Mos Espa podrace is annoying. How so? You get pod racer destruction cut scenes whenever:

1. You lose all your hearts, obviously;

2. You run out of time to get out of the Crystal Cave to the Tusken Raiders;

3. You run out of time to get to the final part of each lap;

4. You run out of time to hit the Finish Line or;

5. Sebulba gets to the finish line before you do in the 3rd lap.

The level where you retake Theed Palace isn't that bad, but it's kind of long. Then you have to fight Darth Maul. (Strangely enough, all the last levels of each Episode are named after the boss in that level.) In the 1st part, you must force objects at Darth Maul till all his 3 hearts go blank. He doesn't do it until you kill the battle droids. Then in the 2nd room, you must chase him as he jumps from platform to platform.

Then there's the third room. For some reason, I always end up dying at least once in that room. Here's what you have to do to survive. Darth Maul's going to force the platform to the 4th area down. Two battle droid commanders say "Roger roger" and four boxes of battle droids fall to the platform. To get these battle droids to stop summoning, kill their commanders. After the battle droids are dealt with, 2 Droidikas on platforms show up. The best strategy is to deflect there gunfire at them. Then touch the 2 switches. The platform appears-sally forth!

The gunship cavalry level (Episode 2 mission 4) is pretty hard. If you didn't know, prepare to deal with Death cut scenes! At the end, you must destroy the Tractor beams and their systems . . . . Within 45 seconds. Shoot the droids to get extra Health.

Darth Vader is the final level. You must have skills by now, because they're going to be tested. In this level you have to go through five rooms, counting the Grand Finale. The 1st room tests you on Jumping. Be careful. The 2nd room is a test on out-speeding the timer.

Room #3 is a test on Force usage. Anakin destroys the switch guards, then you step on the switches. A Minikit platform appears. Then you must get a wheel going to bring up this tower surface. Then you and Anakin go down to a Spider-shaped platform.

Room 4: Yet another test of jumping. Jump onto a tower. It sinks, so leap to the Rocky island, where your partner is about to turn its back on you.

The Grand Finale: Yes, Anakin (also known as Darth Vader) is the final boss. He's going to try to sink sections of the platform you fight on. This fight can really make you think of the Champion fight from Pokemon's remake of Red and Blue. Now, it's also the ONLY point in the game where you can have 10 hearts.

Well hope you enjoyed this. Please check the game out at your local game store.

Number 1 Son Reviews Batman: Arkham City

Here are Number 1 Son's thoughts on the new Batman game:

When I first saw The Dark Knight, I was amazed. It managed to accomplish the most difficult task of a sequel: surpassing the original. The movie managed to be so much better than Batman Begins in just about every single way that it was able to overcome the expectations that the audience already had. I had a similar experience this weekend with Batman: Arkham City.

A while ago I reviewed Batman: Arkham Asylum and said that it was a truly amazing game, and one of my all time favorites. Well, Arkham City is better in almost every single way. The story, the characters, the environment, and the gameplay (for the most part) are all vastly improved over its predecessor, and managed to blow me away even after I heard about the fantastic critical reception it received.

I'll start with the gameplay. It's very similar to the gameplay in the first game, with an emphasis on stealth and a free flow combat system, both complemented by a large array of gadgets. Batman still has the option to go into Detective Mode, which highlights anything important, although in this game it blurs almost everything else, making it harder to use it to just run around looking for secrets (and there are a ton, more on that later). Detective Mode is most useful during the Predator parts of the game, where you are in a room (or occasionally outside) in an area with a large number of armed enemies and must take them out without being seen (because guns drain your health faster than just about anything else). These parts were in the first game, though they are more fleshed out. For one thing, the enemies are smarter in this one, and several times noticed the perches in the room that I was using and destroying a few of them to make things harder. There are also a few times where a particular enemy that is messing up your Detective Vision. In a few of the last ones there are guys who lay mines around the room, although a certain gadget can help that.

Speaking of gadgets, this game has a lot of the ones from the first game, plus a few more. One of the new gadgets is a smoke bomb, which allows Batman to escape from gun-wielding enemies ninja style. Another option, though, is to use this confusion to simply beat up the goons using the excellent (though difficult to master) combat system. This, like the Predator missions, has also been fleshed out more, with new enemies that appear (with riot shields, for instance) more frequently than special enemies did in the first game.

There are some changes I don't like. In the first game several gadgets had a key that would just automatically target and launch them. This is true in Arkham City but this time quick firing is done by pressing the key used to equip the gadget twice, which takes longer and can be hard to do correctly under pressure, which is when you most want to use the feature. Also, Batman chooses targets for his grapnel gun automatically. This was true in the first game, but in this game you are in a city, which means that there are a lot more potential targets, and often when I was in a hurry I grappled to something I didn't want to.

Well, that done, let's talk about the story. It's one of the best Batman stories I've ever seen, but I'll need to start with some set up. The game takes place a year and a half after the events of the first game, and Quincy Sharpe (the warden of Arkham from the first game) has now become mayor. In an attempt to rid Gotham of crime, Sharpe has enacted a controversial (and by that I mean highly illegal and unconstitutional) project: the titular Arkham City. Sharpe has bought out a large waterfront portion of Gotham, walled it off, and dumped every inmate of Blackgate (the normal prison near Gotham) and Arkham inside, along with everyone with any sort of criminal record, whether or not they have served their sentence. The prisoners are basically allowed to do whatever they want so long as they don't try to leave, so Joker, Two Face, and Penguin have all formed gangs and are in a bloody gang war. They are kept in by a private security group known as TYGER, whose loyalties are in question, especially as the game goes on.

So, the game begins as Bruce Wayne (voiced by Kevin Conroy, who voiced the Dark Knight in Batman the Animated Series) surprises Gotham with a sudden interest in politics when he holds a press conference to announce that he is beginning a campaign to shut down Arkham City, on the grounds that it is unsafe for the people of Gotham. During the conference, however, TYGER members show up and arrest Wayne, bringing him to Arkham City, where he meets the Warden: Hugo Strange, who reveals that he knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman, and has big plans to eliminate both Batman, and the need for Batman. After he is released into Arkham proper Bruce Wayne is dragged off by the Penguin, who has some sort of vendetta against the Waynes, but Bruce breaks free, beats up Penguin's guards, and climbs a nearby building, where his gear is airlifted in. From there he goes to an old courthouse, where Two Face has captured Catwoman and plans to execute her. After Two Face is dealt with, Catwoman tells Batman what she knows, and says that Joker may have some sort of deal with Strange. Since this can't be good, Batman goes after the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill, also as in the animated series) but is captured.

When he comes to he sees Joker for the first time since the events of the first game, and he doesn't look good. It turns out that during the first game Joker's blood was poisoned, and he's about a day away from dying. Batman doesn't really have a problem with this, but Joker reveals that he has transfused some of his blood into Batman as well as sending samples of his blood to emergency rooms all over Gotham, meaning that Batman has just as much of an interest in finding a cure as Joker. Joker says that Mr. Freeze had been working on a cure, but he lost contact, so Batman goes off to find him.

From there the plot turns into a giant race for the cure, as Batman's physical exertion is causing the poison to work faster in him, and Joker (and the rest of Gotham) doesn't have much more time. Along the way, Batman struggles with Mr. Freeze, Penguin, R'as al Ghul and his daughter Talia, and some other villains who make up the side quests in this game. Over all of it looms Hugo Strange, who looks over Arkham City from a tower in the center (think Eiffel Tower combined with Space Needle) and his ominous plans for the mysterious "Protocol 10," which gradually comes closer to initiation.

In short, the plot is amazing. Every time I thought that the game was being really epic, it managed to raise the bar even more, right up until the end. There are surprising turns all the time, and you can never be quite sure what is going to happen. The game as a whole is awesome, one of the best games ever made, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I just hope my bar for Batman stuff hasn't been raised too high for the Nolans' film next summer.

Number 1 Son: Deadliest Video Game Character

I was just watching a show called Deadliest Warrior. It's a pretty interesting idea, basically some people decide that it would be awesome if ninjas fought Spartans, and proceed to consult experts to determine who would win such a matchup. While I felt that some of the matchups (like the aforementioned ninjas vs Spartans) were not so good, the idea intrigues me, and so I have decided to do a similar thing for video games. This is the Deadliest Video Game Character.

The first thing to do is to establish how this comparison will be taking place. I'm gonna talk about how the characters stack up in 4 categories, and I will assume that the one who wins the most categories would win were a fight to break out between the two. These categories are: 1) Allies (let's face it, very few characters avoid get helped in some way or another at some point, good or bad), 2) Offensive Capabilities (how well they can damage the other one), 3) Defensive Capabilities (how well they can take those hits), 4) Mental Capabilities (cleverness, wisdom, strategic ability, and general intelligence). Should this result in a tie, the tie will be broken by comparing some common factor of the two characters that could conceivably help in a fight. Now, I want to note that I will not ever compare characters who fought canonically, since we know who wins. Also note that if there is a fighting game with the two characters, very little of that game will be taken into account, since the characters are placed at around the same capabilities to level the playing field. With that said, let's move onto the matchup: the two greatest villains in gaming: Bowser, the villain of the Mario series, and Ganondorf, the villain of the Zelda series.

This should be good so let's get started.

1. Allies

Both characters have extensive resources to call on for help, since they both have vast armies at their disposal. Bowser's army is made up of Koopas, Goombas, Boos, and assorted other enemies. Ganondorf's army is made up of Moblins, Redeads, and even more assorted enemies. These two armies, of course, do not appear that impressive in the video games, but that is because they're fighting the heroes, who are very powerful. So let's look at these armies in detail. In terms of defensive abilities, I think Ganondorf''s army has to win because many of its ordinary members can take hits from the most powerful weapons in Hyrule. On the other hand, only a few of them are of any great threat to Link, who can mostly shrug off their blows. Bowser's minions, however, though they may die in one hit, can often do the same to Mario. In addition, Bowser's army is vastly super in numbers and mobility, as they often have dozens of troops in every corner of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, their tactics don't seem to be very good, as they mostly walk straight ahead, while Zelda enemies tend to fortify themselves and take defensive positions. But, Bowser's minions have been shown to be fiercely loyal to Bowser, and are willing to do just about anything for him, while Ganondorf's minions do not show nearly the same loyalty and in some cases actually leave his army for whatever reason. In all, I'm gonna have to call this category a tie, since they just about trade off everything I compare them in.

Bowser-0 Ganondorf-0

2. Offensive Capabilities

So, presumably their armies would just destroy each other, leaving their leaders in the wreckage to duke it out for supremacy. Who can hit harder? Well, Bowser has a number of weapons at his disposal. He's shown skill with throwing hammers, breathing fire, punching, and attacking with his shell in some way. He has incredible strength, and has been shown capable of stopping a train Superman-style. Plus, it has to be noted that Bowser is much larger than Ganondorf, being at least 12 feet tall (by my estimation). Ganondorf, however, has vast magical powers granted to him by the Triforce of Power, and can throw magical projectiles at will (though these have an unfortunate habit of being deflected back at him with ease). He is also skilled with a sword (or in some cases two) so he won't go down easily. But, Ganondorf has another trick up his sleeve. Using his piece of the Triforce, Ganondorf can transform into a gigantic boar known as Ganon, which is far more powerful. But, I'm gonna give this one to Bowser. I think in a fair fight he would simply pulverize Ganondorf, and even if he turned into Ganon, Bowser has shown over the years that he has a variety of ways to grow even larger himself, and oftentimes when he grows larger, it's to the size of an entire castle. Also, Bowser rarely initiates his attempts to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom before acquiring some sort of magical aid of his own.

Bowser-1 Ganondorf-0

3. Defensive Capabilities

Well, Bowser is more capable of dealing out the punishment, but maybe Ganondorf can take it long enough to get in enough hits on Bowser. Well, the Triforce of Power grants him immunity to normal harm. Usually he can only be harmed by certain enchanted weapons, and even those can usually do little more than stun him. Now, just for the sake of argument, I'm gonna say that Bowser is capable of the same power that these weapons are. Even so, Ganondorf will be able to take hits for a while. So what about Bowser? Well, he too is very resistant, likely because of his spiky shell, and Mario, who is capable of destroying castles with his bare hands (or by jumping on them), is rarely able to directly damage Bowser, instead resorting to dropping him into pits or throwing him into bombs (which, it should be noted, only harm him, but do not kill him). He has also defended himself from energy attacks by simply punching them. It's a close one, but I'm gonna give this one to Bowser. He's put up with a LOT of abuse over the years but it doesn't usually take too long for him to come back. Ganondorf, however, has actually been killed on a number of occasions (he keeps finding ways to cheat death) and when he does come back it takes hundreds of years.

Bowser-2 Ganondorf-0

4. Mental Capabilities

Well, it's kind of pointless to do this since Bowser has clinched the win, but why not. Neither Bowser nor Ganondorf are particularly known for their mental facilities (in fact, Ganondorf was specifically rejected by the Triforce of Wisdom). Both of their plans will eventually boil down to "kidnap the princess, kill the hero, take over the world." Not exactly chess master-like strategy. Now admittedly these plans do get more complicated and strategic on occasion. However, Bowser doesn't really tend to think things through, usually deciding to just smash anything that gets near him and hope for the best. Ganondorf, however does usually do some planning and strategy, for instance waiting around for Princess Zelda to reveal herself after disappearing for 7 years in Ocarina of Time or by manipulating Zant to take over the Twilight Realm and then Hyrule in Twilight Princess. So, even though it doesn't do him any good, Ganondorf wins this round.

Bowser-2 Ganondorf-1

So, were the two to get into a fight (which would probably happen if they actually met) Bowser would win. Their armies are too evenly matched to really make a difference, and I think Bowser could both take and dish out punishment enough to win the day (although Ganondorf might outsmart Bowser to even things up for a little while or at least escape). Anyway, that was my first comparison of two video game characters. I hope you guys liked it, despite my admittedly simple methodology. I might also have some reviews coming up soon. See ya.

Number3son Completes His List of Villains

Number3Son is back to complete his list of the 10 best villains. Previous installments can be found here and here.

Number3Son's Villain's List: Part III

We're going to finish the list, so don't worry. I hope there are three thumbs way up! So, to make my Uncle happy, let's finish!

3. The Riddler
The Riddler is obsessed with word games, puzzles, and, of course, riddles. He tried but fails to trick Batman into dying. He decides to use the games and riddles all the time. One time, in the Animated Series, he made a device called the "Hand of Fate" to fly around the amusement park, but when Batman uses it to reach the maze's center, the Riddler calls "Grand-scale cheating!" He is a good villain.

2. Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a Sith Lord and no laughing matter. He command his stormtroopers under the command of Darth Sideous, who has now become the evil lightning-faced Emperor. He commands their Lord Vader to fight all Jedi, even his son Luke Skywalker! He uses his stormtroopers to guard the Death Star, but when the X-Wing destroys each part of the Death Star, a computer says, "Death Star self-destruct: 3, 2, 1 . . ." BOOM!! The existence of Vader is ended after he kills the Emperor.

Now, who is . . . # 1? Here he is!

1. Black Knight
The Black Knight is one of the villains in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. He commands Begnion armies and uses them to try but fail to kill some heroes. He uses a bad voice in Path of Radiance, in which he kills Greil, but in Radiant Dawn, my brother Number1Son uses a Darth Vader voice to say his words. He is my favorite villain because in Radiant Dawn, he's kind of awesome without question.

AND THAT IS IT!

Number 1 Son Reports on the Electronic Entertainment Expo

Well, this week brought some very big news for hardcore Nintendo fans (like myself). Just to give some background, every year around the first or second week of June, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (better known as E3 to gamers) is held in Los Angeles. Basically, it's a large video game convention where major video game makers and press (well, mostly nerdy press, websites like IGN and other gaming websites) come together and the game makers reveal new games, systems, and generally discuss their plans for the rest of the year and into the next. Nintendo has a big press conference every year, and does a very good job of keeping everything secret until the news is said onstage. Last year's conference brought news of the Nintendo 3DS and Legend of Zelda: the Skyward Sword, a title for the Wii. And, believe it or not, this year was actually better. A LOT better. I obviously didn't go to E3, so most of my information is gained from other sources (i.e., articles written by people who actually went), but I'll report as best as I can the announcements that were biggest for me.

First up: the Wii U.
Well, this was by far the biggest revelation of the conference, probably the biggest in all of E3. The Wii U is Nintendo's successor to the Wii. We actually did know this was coming, as Nintendo told us ahead of time, but few people were actually prepared. The controller strongly resembles a cross between a Game Boy and an iPad. From what I've read, the screen is very good (one site said it was on par with the iPad2). Apparently this will allow games to be played on the controller, although not at a long distance and it's still preferable to play on the TV. There are few specifics known about the system, but here is what is known. It is in fact a new system, not just an upgrade to the Wii. The graphics and other hardware are definitely different (the one clip I saw of the graphics it was capable of producing was incredible; this system will definitely produce the graphics that many criticize the Wii for not having). The small screen on the controller will interact with the console and TV in a manner similar to the Wii remote, but also in many new ways (one example I saw was to aim a gun, somewhat like a scope). No games were announced (a couple of third-party games were mentioned in one video but I can't find them anywhere else so I'm assuming that they were hinted at) except for a new Super Smash Bros for both this system and the 3DS, with the potential to interact. This is news that will have Nintendo fans geeked out for months to come. No release date was given, although most sources indicate that the system is planned for sometime next year. Here's hoping.

Next up: a bunch of games announced for the 3DS. This was welcome news to me. The 3DS was released back in March, but I haven't gotten one yet since there were no good games out for it. Fortunately, Nintendo plans to remedy that. Here's a list of some of the big games announced for the handheld. (I'm assuming that all of these titles are tentative, but who knows):

Super Mario 3D
Yep, a Mario game for the 3DS. With graphics at least on par with the Gamecube, this game will certainly look good. It also features the Tanooki suit: the iconic racoon-esque outfit from Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES. Definitely looking forward to this one, which is apparently slated for release this year.

Mario Kart 3D
This great racing series will apparently get its introduction onto the 3DS sometime this year. Apparently this game will feature the ability to drive underwater, and put a hang glider on your car.

Luigi's Mansion 2
For those of you unfamiliar with the original game, it was a launch title for the Gamecube. It was sort of a cross between Mario and Ghost Busters. Luigi wandered around a haunted mansion fighting ghosts with a vacuum cleaner. It's been a while, but apparently the game will get a sequel sometime next year. Don't know much about it, but one article I read mentioned mansions (as in plural).

Other games mentioned were Kid Icarus a reboot of an NES series, and Star Fox 64 3D a remake of a really popular Nintendo 64 game (for anyone who has heard of the phrase "Do a barrel roll" in the context of video games, the original is where it came from). But these aren't games I'm particularly interested it.

There was also some news involving the Wii. Apparently we have a Kirby game to look forward to on the system this fall, which will be a bit more like a traditional Kirby games (unlike Kirby's Epic Yarn, which had an unconventional control and appearance). Also, the aforementioned Skyward Sword was confirmed for a Holiday release as a nod to nervous fans who were worried the game would not be released anytime soon.

Well, that's all of the news from E3 regarding Nintendo. Pretty big news for longtime fans, and I'm very very excited. They definitely topped last year's presentation, and I am eagerly looking forward to what was announced.

Number1Son's Top 10 Villains

Number1Son weighs in on Matthew's challenge:

Okay, it's a bit late, but here is my list of the top ten villains in all of fiction, with a short explanation.

1. Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Imposing and intimidating and definitely evil. He would legitimately scare me in real life even if I didn't know who he was. He also had a huge cultural impact. He also has great character development which brings the saga to an epic conclusion.

2. Joker (Batman)
Psychotic evil at its finest. The Joker started off as a psychopathic murderer and was always best like this. He's a serious threat and will do anything to do whatever he wants. He serves as a perfect foil to Batman and certainly deserves this spot.

3. Keyser Soze (The Usual Suspects)
An absolutely perfectly done villain. He's an absolute genius and is scary enough that all other criminals refer to him as "the Devil" and they use the term literally. He controls basically the entire underworld and any parts he doesn't control are scared stiff. As for the police, he managed to copy "the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled."

4. Goldfinger (Goldfinger)
The only competent Bond villain. He only makes one mistake the entire movie, sending a girl to be with James Bond (well, he also shoots inside a plane). He almost kills Bond, and is smart enough to realize that Bond is bluffing. It's only his incompetent partners that allow Bond to survive.

5. Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda) and Bowser (Mario)
These two really created the video game villain. They have legitimate power and are definitely a threat and definitely evil. Both are possessed of some sort of longevity, having battled their respective heroes in new stories for over 20 years apiece. Few villains are able to come back so often.

6. Jafar (Aladdin)
Looks and sounds evil and still manages to trick everybody (okay, a parrot could fool the sultan; wait...). He is also a legitimate threat and comes within inches of winning. Only Aladdin's quick thinking and Jafar's own pride defeat him.

7. Sheriff Cobb (Silverado)
This guy is simply fun to watch. He's also really nasty. And happy. I can't think of a single scene in which he is not smiling. He's also hopelessly corrupt. Finally, he does not panic when things start going wrong, and simply tries to think of a way out. He really makes the film fun to watch while still providing a good villainous presence.

8. Professor Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes)
Like Keyser Soze, except with seniority. However, he's not done quite as well. In the actual stories we learn little about him, although Holmes calls him the "Napoleon of Crime." We also know that he is behind a LOT of crimes, which is his main motive for taking down Holmes. He also is the opposite of Holmes, being a consulting criminal as opposed to a consulting detective. He is especially well done in the recent BBC TV series Sherlock which emphasizes everything that makes him a good villain.

9. Nergal (Fire Emblem 7)
Absolutely, totally evil. Has a pretty interesting fall to evil, attempting to gain power to see his children, who are in another dimension. Unfortunately, his method of gaining power involved sucking the life force out of other people and he lost his humanity and tried to destroy the world. We don't really learn much about his character though.

10. Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)
These movies had great villains. While on a whole I like Barbossa better (he would make a top 20 or maybe top 15 list), he spends a lot of the time as a "good" guy (think The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly good). Davy Jones is evil all the time. The writers did a very good job with him, making him a compelling character, turned evil by the betrayal of his beloved, but at the same time you really hate this guy and want people to take him down. For example, when seeing that his heart (he is literally heartless, his heart is outside his body and acts as his Achilles heel) is about to be stabbed, he makes sure to kill one of the main characters just so he can be cruel. He's simply at the bottom of this list because the others have him beat on some aspect or another. On the whole though, a good villain all around, and not afraid to mix it up with the "good" guys (again, this is a series where the main characters are pirates).

Number3Son's Top 10 Villains: Part II

(Number3Son, my eight-year-old, continues his list of villains.)

Hello, folks, I'm back. Sorry the list isn't done, but it's about to continue.

Enjoy. And with that said, let's continue.

7. Flusifer
The villain of Rocket Slime, this villain is trying to destroy Boingburg, the capital of Slimeia. He has been trying to eliminate a heroic slime as he proportions attacks and not only a group of monsters called the Plob is attacking Boingburg. But he {Flusifer} doesn't die.

6. Jafar and Iago
Jafar is Agrabah's true friend. Since he doesn't die in the first Aladdin, he does in the second. He clutches two scarab beetle parts, which causes the magical Cave of Wonders to rise, and one of Jafar's servants goes in. But the cave says only a "diamond in the rough" can enter. (Aladdin is my brother Number1Son's favorite Disney hero. He also likes "Beauty and the Beast," but enough with Number1Son.) It's time to talk about Jafar. If you want to learn about him, WATCH THE ALADDIN MOVIES!

5. Gaston
Gaston is the villain of "Beauty and the Beast." The dream of his life is that he marries Belle, but it will never come true. Later in the movie, this proves he's evil: he decides to kill the Beast! Number1 and 2 sons think he's a jerk, but he is not! He uses a tree to break down the castle gates and succeeds, but after that, few of his Frenchmen survive! In the door, he waits to fire. What I like is the real fight because it takes place in the rain. He dies.

4. Green Goblin
One of Spider-Man's villains, the Green Goblin is a good villain. He's probably better in the books than the movies because in the movies he's just Willem Defoe in a mecha-goblin suit (though Number1 son thinks he's beter in the movies!) He also has such a thing as stun-bombs, but what can stop ol' Spidey twice? Nothing! However, he uses other deadly tricks, even his flying broomstick! But, he is not one of the Sinister Six who appear in a Spider-Man comic book I read, needless to say.

Number3Son's Top 10 Villains: Part I

Number3Son responds to Matthew's request for a list of top villains (again, I'm just the typist -- although I have added some information in brackets). This entry covers numbers 10-8 on his list:

Hello, folks, this is Number3Son. Because my uncle wants me to do this, I will make a list of the top ten best villains. Hope you enjoy it, I'll just tell 3 rules:

1. It can be from anything, but, from Lord of the Rings, the Witch-King of Angmar does not count.

2. They have to be smart, so the Germans from The 39 Steps do not count.

3. They have to look serious, but even if he does, Clayface doesn't count either.

So, with that said, let's start the list.

10. Mr. Freeze

With his freeze ray, this scientist is deadly. He, of course, hates Batman and always tries but fails to kill him. Mr. Freeze is always working for one of the best of Batman's villains, the Riddler. Unfortunately, the Goofy Batman Movie lacks him, but that movie will make you laugh out loud!

9. Voldemort

This was one of SmartGirl's ideas. This is the most powerful of Harry Potter's villains. His name is Voldemort and although he is a powerhouse, Harry has learned a bunch of spells. No one alive can defeat the Evil Lord of Magic, like I think, but Harry is really powerful and he ends Voldemort's existence.

8. Krios

Villain in the Campaign of Age of Mythology: the Titans, Krios is one of the best villains, so you should be surprised to see him this high. He is Kronos's servant and most of his plans involve proving that he hates Kastor, Arkantos's son.

At the beginning, Kronos has a look at the Earth even from his prison of Tartarus. After Kastor proves that a mortal stands upon the peak of what the Greeks thought was the Home of the Gods, Krios says that Zeus's power was the only thing keeping the Titans in tartarus, but Kastor was told this: he {Krios} went around destroying Greece's temples and killing its people. After Kastor says, "Why would you do this," Krios reveals his true form: a Demonic Winged Fiend!

Krios says that Kastor did it {destroyed Greece's temples and killed its people} and flies off. When an Egyptian queen named Amanra says that most people in Egypt have joined Krios, a lesser Titan calls down a meteor storm and destroys the Osiris pyramid!

After both lesser Titans are dead, the Heroes return to Greece to heal it {Greece} and kill Prometheus (the Titan half). When Prometheus the Titan is dead, automatons attack Atlantis. But, of course, they are stopped. Then, the Atlanteans must destroy the Evil they have unleashed, so they go to Old Atlantis, which is now under the ocean.

When Krios says Kronos is the conqueror before all lesser Gods, Kronos busts open the doors, but Gaia was there. She busted out of her boulder prison and destroys the gates and comes in Kronos's stronghold for an epic showdown with her son {Kronos}. She knocks him back into Tartarus. Krios tries to escape during the epic music, but Kastor finally ends Krios's existence.

Video Game Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age

From Number1Son:

While I was on spring break, I spent a couple of days playing a game called Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. It . . . was a strange experience. I enjoyed playing the game immensely, but for the wrong reasons.

I'll be frank, this is a very bad game. It's got basically nothing going for it. Its unoriginal (being very loosely based on the events of the movies), and what is original is horribly done, but I'll get to that later. The gameplay is actually very good, and its battle system is one of the best role-playing game ("RPG") systems I have ever played. However, I read on Wikipedia that this gameplay is virtually identical to a much more popular RPG, which came out a couple years earlier, so . . . more points off for unoriginality! As for the animation . . . its one of the worst jobs of animation I have ever seen in my life. Seriously, I saw a YouTube video of a cartoon which used the uncolored rough sketches on the storyboards in place of actual animation from time to time, and it was still better than this game. I seem to remember fighting with Grima Wormtongue, whose face was so badly animated I began screaming in horror, and then laughing. Furthermore, during the fight there was a little icon of his face which looked like a badly drawn Emperor Palpatine. Basically, the only good thing about this game is that it is Lord of the Rings, which means that you get the awesome music out of the movie, and that Gandalf and Aragorn will show up at some point (they do, and manage to be better in both combat and in sheer awesomeness than all of the game's other characters combined).

The story is laughably bad. In addition to being unoriginal, it is badly done. You follow a group of characters which are some of the most two-dimensional characters I have ever seen form an adventuring party. Only three of the characters have any sort of development (and it's awkwardly done), and the remaining characters are mostly there to give you more diversity in combat. So, the main character is a Gondorian soldier named Berethor, who apparently deserted Osgiliath and began just wandering everywhere. He spends the entire game as a mental battlefield for more important characters like Gandalf and Saruman, who as far as I can tell are both trying to mind control him. As a result, he has absolutely no idea what is going on, (along with the player) and never gets an explanation. Then there is Idrial, an elf who has some plan, or orders, or something, but never tells anybody anything. This becomes especially annoying as she knows just about everything, but only tells me trivia (which I already know, but to be fair I am a LOTR geek) in cutscenes that randomly pop up while I am walking around. Her attitude is really random, and she spontaneously develops a romantic attraction to Berethor after about three or four hours of absolutely no indication that this was the case. Then there are other characters, Elegost, a ranger (who, like all video game rangers, is awesome), Hadhod, a dwarf, and Eaoden, a Rohan cavalry man who fights on foot (?). There is also Morwen, a Rohan/Gondor woman who I think was Berethor's fiancee before he deserted, and is just about the most useless party member when it comes to combat (her only potentially useful use is to steal items, which are not very good and are replaced by better items within about 30 seconds). The importance which I gave to the characters just now is just about the same importance the game gives to them, so use that as a guide.

The story itself is completely unoriginal. It would be one thing if you wandered around and only came across the Fellowship every now and then, but you basically follow the Fellowship (in fact, at one point that is what you are supposed to be doing), and deal with their leftovers. Sometimes you actually fight with the Fellowship. The first time is against the Balrog (hmm, I don't remember that from either the books or movies), and also at the Battle of Helm's Deep (where I attacked people by throwing a gigantic water horse at them, something I also don't remember from the books or movies). And for any fans who don't think that that is that bad, the final boss is the Eye of Sauron (which can apparently be defeated by hitting it with swords, something which I remember both the books and movies explicitly stating would not work).

The story is also horribly done. Part of this is that the story has no sense of timing or transition. You literally go from fighting the Balrog in Moria to the plains of Rohan with no cutscene or even a text box explaining how you got there. Things also come at you out of nowhere. I already mentioned Idrial's romance with Berethor, but there are other examples. I remember one point where I was walking along in Rohan when Gandalf randomly teleported (can he do that?) in front of me to tell me that I was about to get a random encounter (and didn't even stick around to chat afterwards). You are hit with romances, plot twists, cutscenes, and other random stuff like Charlie Brown by a line drive. You know how I mentioned that Berethor is getting mind controlled? This major plot twist is hinted at in a cutscene, then you fight some Uruk-hai and trolls, then there is another cutscene which sort of (not really) explains what happened, and then Gandalf telepathically tells you that Saruman is no longer mind controlling you. This major plot twist is introduced, resolved, and forgotten within about 15 minutes. Actually, the only things that don't hit you like a line drive are random encounters (a meter tells you when you will probably have one), the one thing you expect to come out of nowhere in an RPG.

I'm not going to talk too much about the gameplay, just some oddities. Unlike most RPGs, there is no "trick" to combat in this game. In most RPG's once you get all of your character's decently leveled there is a trick you can do to basically ensure that only bosses will ever do any damage to your people (for instance, in one game I gave one person an item that meant that she always went first, she boosted everyone's strength, and I ended the combat before anyone could do anything). In this game, however, while you can effectively disable all of the enemies, it takes a couple of turns, and doesn't always work. Damage is not all that threatening, however, because anytime you save or level up, you fully heal, so no one goes more than half an hour without fully healing at least once. So, the game is not too hard. That is, as long as you have Idrial. See, you can only use three party members at once, and Idrial will always be one of those three, since she is your only healer (while we are on the topic, Berethor will also be one of those three since he can make your party more powerful and then do more damage than the other two combined). There is a part in the game, however, where Idrial is taken away from you. She has to fight a couple of orcs, who pose no threat to her offensive magic. The rest of your party has to fight a Ringwraith. And about 30 seconds after you get through that fight, you have to fight another one.

So, the question still remains, why do I enjoy this game? I mean, this game is truly horrible. By all rights, this post should have been an angry rant about how much I hate this game. However, this game is one of those rare instances of something that is so bad that it's good. The game is horrible, but it is so completely and laughably horrible that I can't help but laugh at it.

If only Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II had been like that . . .

Video Game Review: Goldeneye

I've never been much of a fan of the games known as "first person shooters" like Call of Duty or Halo. I don't know, not only are most of these games rated M, but they seem so mindless to me. It just seems like you run around trying to find a good vantage point or hiding spot, and then just pull the trigger until everyone is dead. I still don't know if this is a valid generalization, nor do I have any intention of finding out any time soon, but it is certainly not true for a James Bond game I just finished called GoldenEye 007 on the Wii.

In my first review I mentioned that movie-based video games are famously mediocre. In 1997, a game was released based on the movie GoldenEye, and this game is regarded as one of the greatest games ever released on the Nintendo 64. This game is a modernization of that one, and it is amazing. As I never played the original, this will not be a comparison, and this is probably the last time that the original will ever be mentioned in this review.

Okay, getting to the actual review. Part of the reason that I think that this game is so good is that it is basically an interactive James Bond movie. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, who play Bond and M in the latest movies, play these roles in the game (Bond even looks like Craig). The game even has the MGM logo at the beginning. Like any good Bond movie, there is some action at the beginning before a song. Even the only American in the game, a CIA agent who appears at the beginning of one level, is exactly like the Americans in Bond movies: he has a Texan accent, thinks he has everything under control, and in fact doesn't (he gets shot about 30 seconds after you meet him).

Another major reason that this game is so great is that its gameplay is nearly flawless. Strangely, I'm reminded of Batman: Arkham Asylum due to its emphasis on stealth, but also because there are a number of interesting differences (for instance, enemies with guns will do far less damage than someone punching you, which brings you almost to death). Far from being mindless, this game is actually very strategic. You never want to charge into a room firing an AK-47 since if you do that the three guys in there will call about 20 other guys, some of whom will throw grenades, and good luck getting out of that one alive. What you want to do is sneak around the room taking out security cameras and guards, while never allowing the other people or cameras in the room to know you are there. This is not an easy task (in the first couple of levels I proved that I do not put the "secret" in "secret agent" and more often then not found myself in a firefight with half the Russian Army), and in some rooms takes some really good thinking. In one room I remember, it is virtually impossible to take someone out without any one noticing. The best way to proceed is to climb into an air duct and use your smart phone (yeah, like in the new movies, Bond makes extensive use of his phone) to hack into a turret and use that to kill everyone in the room. There are some things though, that I'm not sure why they count as stealth kills. In one room I killed two people by shooting an explosive barrel, and no reinforcements came (there wasn't anyone else in the room, but still, no one else in the area heard?)

You don't sneak around everywhere, however, since sometimes the bad guys already know that you're there. These levels are a bit more mindless, but you always have to pay attention because more people will show up, or a helicopter will show up, or someone will throw grenades at you, or something. In all though, the gameplay is fast and strategic, and very enjoyable.

To accomplish your missions, you are always provided with a handgun. This gun is probably the weapon you will use the most for a number of reasons. For one thing, this is the only weapon you can silence (even if you have other handguns) meaning that it is the only way to stealthily take out a guy with a gun (the only other way is to sneak up on them and punch them). You can find other silenced weapons (I even found a silenced machine gun once) but they are very rare. You also start with about 200 shots on the handgun, which is only fair because you will never find a reload. There is another flaw, however, which is power. It takes about three shots to kill someone unless you take time to carefully aim, which is not always possible. When you need more, you turn to other weapons. In addition to your handgun you can carry two other guns, which you can pick up from enemies or in boxes. You can find shotguns, which basically kill in one shot, but are ineffective at long range and carry very little ammo. There are also machine guns, which are more powerful than your handgun and carry more ammo, but you use about ten shots every time you pull the trigger. There are also sniper rifles, which carry very few shots but almost always kill, but these are basically provided to you when they will be most useful. The two gun limit means that you will have to make tactical decision, deciding whether you want two machine guns, or a machine gun or a shotgun, or whether or not the sniper rifle will be useful anywhere else.

The story is pretty good as well. It begins as James Bond and 006 investigate a Russian military base. The mission doesn't go well and 006 is shot. From then on, Bond is forced to deal with a rouge Russian general and his partner the Janus Group, an organization that sells weapons to terrorist groups and has mysterious plans regarding EMP weapons. A couple of plot twists later, Bond stops the Janus Group and saves London.

In all the game is very very good, and was well worth my time. It was well made, fun to play, and kept me interested all the way through, to the point that I quickly started replaying it.

Now, if only we could get another good Bond movie . . .

Number 1 Son's Video Game Review: Game Boy Advanced Tribute

Well, I'm back, and ready to do something that I intended to do two weeks ago, but due to insanity the past two weekends (and a fair amount of forgetfulness) I am just getting around to it. "It" is a tribute to the Game Boy Advanced. You see, on March 27, Nintendo released its newest hand held system, the Nintendo 3DS. Unlike its predecessor, the 3DS is not reverse compatible with Game Boy Advanced games, meaning that at long last, the Game Boy line of systems, a great line of systems that ushered in the age of hand held gaming (making long car trips far more tolerable), is dead, and has gone the way of the NES, now only to live on in the hands of collectors (and those of us who still have access to Game Boy-compatible systems).

The Game Boy Advanced was one of the greatest systems ever, and is largely responsible for getting me back into serious gaming, as well as introducing me to a number of new series and rekindling my interest in other series. So, in this tribute, I am going to talk about the games that made the Game Boy Advanced special for me. I will not be ranking them, or talking about how horrible certain games were. This is for the games that were good, and all of them are amazing. Now, this is by no means a complete list of games, and some might think that there were better games on the system, but this is really a personal list, about what the system meant for me. So, let's get talking about some games!

Super Mario Advanced
This series of games was my first introduction to the Game Boy Advanced. They were nothing new, simply ports of old Mario SNES games, largely the ones I grew up with and enjoyed playing. These included Super Mario World, by far my favorite 2D platformer (only rivaled by New Super Mario Bros Wii; I never have been able to decide which I like better, so I'm calling them both my favorite), Yoshi's Island, a game I played endlessly on the SNES (the only game I have spent more hours on is Super Mario 64, the greatest game of all time), and Super Mario Bros 3, considered by many one of the greatest games ever, and one that I never got to really play until this series. There were few changes from the original games (mostly they added the much-needed option to save). They were not perfect, of course, but they allowed me to play some classic and truly great games, and really started me back into gaming during a time when I didn't play as much.

Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Versions
While Super Mario Advanced started me back into games, these games really dragged me fully back into the realm of gaming. The only series of Pokemon games that I played all versions of, these games were the center of the Third Generation of Pokemon. They introduced a number of new Pokemon (some of which are among my favorites), and got me interested in Pokemon again after I lost interest in Gold/Silver. These games gave me hours of enjoyment (although I still think that the Safari Zone should be named after me for how much money I gave them over three months; not one of my finest hours, or several hours). These games also improved on the story. Now, instead of simply stopping a criminal organization, you fought a desperate battle to prevent an organization (or two in the case of Emerald) dedicated to awakening an ancient Pokemon to dominate the world. Naturally things got out of hand, and you are forced to save the world from destruction (you might remember this moment from my Pokemon countdown). Overall, great games, and I don't regret the time I spent playing them (although I could have lived with spending less time in the Safari Zone).

Kirby Nightmare in Dream Land/Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
The second of these games was my first experience with the Kirby series of games, a series that has since given me much pleasure (the latest game Kirby's Epic Yarn was very good, if easy). Nightmare in Dream Land gave me an experience with a more normal Kirby game, and cemented my love for the series. Admittedly, the series is a bit on the easy side (Nightmare in Dream Land was both so easy and so short that I beat the entire game three times in one day, and still had time for homework), but it's Kirby, and the music, gameplay, and charming art are enough to keep bringing me back (and without these games I never would have played Kirby Superstar Ultra for the DS).

Pokemon Fire Red
Another game out of Generation III, Fire Red was a remake of the original Pokemon game, Red Version. It was a very good remake, with a number of welcome advances (such as the ability to run), and a great design. Overall, this game was amazing, and especially welcome to me, since I never really played the original game seriously (I had a copy, but I was only 5 or 6 years old and not willing to put in the time necessary), and this game gave me the opportunity to play through a truly great game, and have some truly great battles (even though Misty proved to be the bane of my existence).

Fire Emblem
There aren't many people who know about the Fire Emblem series (and most who do know of it only because of Super Smash Bros), but it is a recent addition to my repertoire. Actually, my first game was for the DS, and the next one I beat was on the Wii, but this game (commonly known as FE7) is definitely the best in the series. Fire Emblem is a cross between an RPG (role-playing game) with an RTS (real-time strategy), with you conducting large scale battles using a handful of unique characters in turn-based combat (truly one of the strangest concepts in video games, "I will crush you with my overwhelming army of dragons, as soon as it is my turn!"). This game has near-perfect gameplay, with certain aspects, such as Support Conversations (which are unlocked when certain characters spend enough time near each other), which not only can provide combat bonuses but give insight into the characters. Speaking of which, these characters are great, and you really care about them, as well as the story they take part in. It is an epic game, and definitely one of my top 10.

Well, that's all of the games I could think of, although there were certainly many, many more (according to Wikipedia, there were 949), but I wanted to focus on the ones that I enjoyed the most. As I said before, the 3DS cannot play GBA games, and with no Nintendo system in production that is capable of playing these games, the system is once and for all dead.

May it rest in peace.

Video Game Reviews: Number 1 Son's Pokemon Dream Team

From Number 1 son:

493. As of Generation IV of Pokemon, there are 493 Pokemon (we've come a long way from the original 151, haven't we?). Of these, you must choose six. Six Pokemon with which you will battle the Elite Four and the Champion.

Now, you almost never have all 493 available, and typically you can only catch somewhere between 150-200 before you fight the Elite Four (afterwards you are able to get many more Pokemon). Even with this reduced number of prospects, it is not an easy choice. These Pokemon must have good stats, and the team as a whole must have a balanced combination of types, so that one type cannot wipe all of them out.

Even once you choose the six, however, there are more choices to make. Each Pokemon can use a total of four moves, out of hundreds, if not thousands. With these you have to balance power, accuracy, PP (stands for "power points"; indicates how often you can use the move), and type. Finally, there are a huge number of items that Pokemon can hold for benefits, but each Pokemon can only hold one.

Even with all of the planning, however, you have to then go out and catch and raise the Pokemon to good levels so that they can do well against your foes (theoretically, you could trade all of the Pokemon in fully trained from one of your friends, but that is just lame).

Now, as I mentioned before, most of the time you do not have access to all of the Pokemon. In fact, some of the Pokemon that are available can become unavailable (you get to choose one starter, the other two will become unavailable without trading). But, what if you had access to all Pokemon? All 493. Which would you choose to fight against any and all foes? It is a question I am sure that many Pokemon fans have turned over at least once. As my excitement and anticipation are not likely to subside until I have my hands on one of the new games coming out tomorrow, I have decided to share my choices, my Dream Team, if you will.

Here are some notes before I begin. For one thing, none of these Pokemon are legendary, because legendary Pokemon are obscenely powerful and I don't use them. Also, I feel like you should know a little bit about my playing style. I tend to play very fast, and so my Pokemon tend to emphasize speed and power, working on the theory that they will not have to take very much damage if I can prevent the other side's Pokemon from ever getting a turn. With regard to the information I will provide, I will tell you the number (I will give them in numerical order), their type, moves, held item, any other important information, and finally an explanation as to why they are on my team and ways that I am considering making changes. Also note that while I do know about many of the Generation V Pokemon and have started making plans, I know little about how they play compared to the other Pokemon (since the games have not come out yet), so this list has only Pokemon from Generations I-IV. (One final note, all images are from Bulbapedia, this is the link) So, with that said, let's get on with the show.

6. Charizard (Fire/Flying)

Moves: Heat Wave (Fire)

Air Slash (Flying)

Solarbeam (Grass)

Blast Burn (Fire)

Held Item: Charcoal (increases the power of fire moves by 1.5 times)

Any fan of the TV show knows Charizard, because next to Pikachu it was Ash's best Pokemon (both in terms of ability and in terms of awesomeness). It is just as good in the games (although the TV show's version's signature move, Seismic Toss, is not nearly as powerful in the games). Charizard is the fully evolved version of the very first Fire-type starter, Charmander. Charizard has very high Speed and Special Attack (the stat which governs the power of ranged attacks), making him perfect for burning the opponent off of the field before they can do anything. With Charcoal powering up his fire moves, Blast Burn (the most powerful Fire move, which is exclusive to Fire-type starters) becomes ridiculously strong, and can even do significant damage to Water types (unadvised unless you are desperate, it leaves Charizard vulnerable). Solarbeam is in there to cover Charizard's weaknesses. It is super-effective against both Water and Rock types, Charizard's two major downfalls (especially Rock, which does four-times damage). Unfortunately, it has to charge up for a turn, leaving Charizard open to attack. I would change this if I could, but Charizard can learn no other Grass moves.

25. Pikachu (Electric)

Moves: Thunderbolt (Electric)

Thunder (Electric)

Iron Tail (Steel)

Grass Knot (Grass)

Held Item: Light Ball (doubles Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack stats)

Even if you didn't know about Charizard, you should definitely know about Pikachu. By far the most famous Pokemon and the mascot of the franchise, Pikachu is somewhat unique in my team. For one thing, it is the only member that is not fully evolved (yes, fans of the TV show, I have followed Ash's example, and refuse to evolve Pikachu into its final form). For this reason, Pikachu's stats (apart from Speed) are not very good, although its offensive stats are decent. However, you can remedy this problem in a number of ways. One is to use a Light Ball, like I do. I highly recommend this, as you will be struggling to use Pikachu without one. As you can see, it doubles Pikachu's offensive stats, which often gives him the highest offensive stats on my team (Gyarados, beware, your doom is at hand). It can be hard to acquire a Light Ball, since wild Pikachu are the only source, and they only have a 5% chance of having one (the first time I went after one it took three months and untold amounts of money, to the point that I still think the Safari Zone in Pokemon Emerald should have been named after me; to compound my frustration, my brother Number2Son tried for about two hours and found TWO!). The other option is to use all of your vitamins (items which raise both a stat and the rate at which that stat increases) on Pikachu (hey, I may not want to use legends, but I have no problem with putting my Pokemon on steroids). The reason I have two similar moves (Thunderbolt and Thunder) is that Thunder, while powerful, hates me and is prone to missing (I could remedy this by teaching Pikachu Rain Dance, which makes Thunder always hit, but in my experience, Pikachu will not last long enough to waste a turn setting up an attack). As an Electric type, Pikachu is only weak to Ground types, on whom his Electric attacks have no effect. So, I added Grass Knot and Iron Tail. Grass Knot does damage based on how heavy the target Pokemon is, and Ground types tend to be very heavy. As for Iron Tail, Ground types also tend to be only part Ground, while also being another type, especially Rock, which Iron Tail is good against. This is subject to change, however, and oftentimes I consider replacing Iron Tail with the less powerful but more accurate Brick Break, which is Fighting type and would therefore have an advantage over other types.

131. Lapras (Water/Ice)

Moves: Ice Beam (Ice)

Psychic (Psychic)

Surf (Water)

Hyper Beam (Normal)

Held Item: Mystic Water (increases the power of Water moves by 1.5 times)

Lapras is the last of my Pokemon from the first generation of Pokemon, and somewhat different. Lapras is much more defensive than most of the other Pokemon on my team, with decent attack stats and is probably the slowest Pokemon on my team. However, it is a Special tank, able to withstand tons of punishment from ranged attacks, due to its high HP and Special Defense. As for its moves, Surf is the only one on my Dream Team that comes from an HM (a move that you can use outside of battle for special effects, such as crossing water; I made my Dream Team based on the assumption that HMs were unnecessary), because it is my favorite Water type move. Ditto (not the Pokemon) for Ice Beam, except with Ice. Psychic is on my list because it is powerful against Fighting types, who gain an advantage through Lapras's Ice type. As for Hyper Beam, which is a Normal type version of Blast Burn (or technically, the other way around, since Hyper Beam came first) it is just to give Lapras some added punch when needed. Strangely, however, Lapras is actually weak to Rock, a type whose primary weakness is Water (again due to the Ice type). Since Lapras is slower, there is a chance that a Rock move could get in and cause serious damage (and you would not believe how often that happens; why are there so many Rock-type Pokemon?). For this reason, I occasionally actually consider taking Lapras off of my team in favor of a different Water Pokemon, such as Blastoise or Swampert. However, these are nothing more than thoughts for now, as Lapras is still a very good Pokemon, and has saved my rear end countless times, mostly in those situations where I find it impossible to blitz the other guy.

254. Sceptile (Grass)

Moves: Leaf Blade (Grass)

Frenzy Plant (Grass)

Dragon Pulse (Dragon)

Rock Slide (Rock)

Held Item: Miracle Seed (increases the power of Grass types moves by 1.5 times)

Sceptile is the fully evolved form of the Generation III Grass type starter. It is one of my favorite Pokemon, probably due to its similarities to Charizard. Its main problem, however, stems from its moveset. You see, the Grass type, while one of the most useful, is very hard to get, becuase most of the Grass Pokemon are really bad, and those that aren't have bad moves. Take Sceptile: of the moves I list, only Leaf Blade is a move that Sceptile learns naturally. Two of the others are obtained by TMs (items that teach moves to a Pokemon that it could not ordinarily learn). Frenzy Plant is the fourth move and like Blast Burn (they are statistically identical except for type), can only be taught to a Grass starter by special NPCs. The other main problem with Sceptile is that most of its moves are physical, while its Special Attack is better. However, its Attack stat (which governs the power of physical attacks) is pretty good, and the two moves that use it (Leaf Blade and Rock Slide) make up for it (Leaf Blade has a good chance of doing double damage, and Rock Slide has a good chance of preventing the other Pokemon from moving). Rock Slide is used to counter all of Sceptile's weaknesses (Fire, Bug, Flying, Ice) with one fell swoop. Dragon Pulse is there to give Sceptile some variety. It uses special attack and makes Sceptile a good choice for a Dragon type killer (yeah, the Dragon type is so powerful that it had to be weak against itself).

376. Metagross (Steel/Psychic)

Moves: Meteor Mash (Steel)

Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

Earthquake (Ground)

Giga Impact (Normal)

Held Item: Metal Coat (increases the power of Steel moves by 1.5)

Yeah, it looks that awesome. Metagross is sort of the best of both worlds: both extremely powerful, physically (its Attack stat is through the roof), and a tank (its Defense is also great). Its other stats are also very good. So, with Metagross you have a slower Pokemon, which will get hit, but won't take that much damage, and will make the opponent wish that it was somewhere else. Meteor Mash is a powerful Steel type move, and Zen Headbutt is a physical Psychic move (yeah, try to make sense of that). Giga Impact is a a physical version of Hyper Beam, and is there so that Metagross can launch the opponent into next year (although it can only be learned with one of the most annoying TMs to try and get). Earthquake is there to eliminate the Fire types, one of Metagross's only weaknesses. Earthquake is one of the strongest moves in all of Pokemon, with great power, great accuracy, and no downsides whatsoever. Not really anything to change here, since Metagross is one of the most powerful Pokemon ever.

448. Lucario (Fighting/Steel)

Moves: Aura Sphere (Fighting)

Flash Cannon (Steel)

Water Pulse (Water)

Dark Pulse (Dark)

Held Item: Black Belt (increases the power of Fighting moves by 1.5 times)

The only member of my team from Generation IV, Lucario was the first Generation IV Pokemon we knew about, and I can see why they used it as the face of the new Generation. Lucario is awesome, and unique for a fighting type, because its Special Attack is slightly better than its Attack. Its moveset is also very good, and these are only a few of the possibilities, although many of its other moves would work. Aura Sphere is a ranged Fighting move, and one of my personal favorites, due to the fact that it never misses (ever) and is very powerful. Also, from what I read, Aura Sphere is an attack that consists of Lucario throwing its own life force at you (with no apparent ill effects). Flash Cannon is also decently powerful, and rounds Lucario out a bit. Water Pulse is very good because it takes out Ground and Fire, Lucario's main weaknesses. Dark Pulse is there to counter Ghost and Psychic types, since no one else on my team really gets an advantage over them. As I said earlier, any of these moves could easily be replaced (although I wouldn't replace Aura Sphere). One possibility is Return, a move that increases in power the more a Pokemon likes you (it can get REALLY powerful). This is good because Lucario can only be obtained by evolving a Pokemon that only evolves when you make it like you enough.

So, that's the six Pokemon I would choose to fight against any one and everyone. You may be asking, how good can these Pokemon be? Well, I would point out that only two of my Pokemon (Pikachu and Sceptile), are never used by a Pokemon League Champion (although Pikachu is used by Red, the greatest Pokemon trainer ever; by the way, he uses a Light Ball). Now, naturally, this team has its flaws, but Pokemon evolve, and so do teams of Pokemon. As Generation V increases the number of Pokemon to 649, we'll have all new choices, and will continue to get new choices as the franchise continues.

Who knows? Perhaps one day I'll do a post with some of those Pokemon on them.

Video Game Reviews: Pokemon

From Number 1 son:

Ah, Pokemon. A truly great video game series that has a special place in my heart. Why? Because I am a member of the Pokemon generation. Anyone who reads this that is older than a junior in High School might remember in the late 90s, when a bunch of kindergartners were manically obsessed with a new Nintendo video game called Pokemon. Those kindergartners were and are my classmates (actually, I got into Pokemon just as most of the non-nerds were getting out of it).

Now, naturally, as with all fads, Pokemon gradually faded. Somewhat. Actually, Pokemon is still extremely popular among nerds (you know, the people who always play video games, whether or not they are "cool"), and is the second-best-selling video game franchise of all time, ranking only behind Mario. Sales are about to shoot up again, as on March 6, 2011, Nintendo will unleash upon North America the first games out of the fifth generation: Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. Naturally, I am extremely excited.

And so, I have decided to deal with this excitement by taking a look back at the past four generations of Pokemon, and the greatest moments out of these games. This is my list of the Top 9 Greatest Moments in the Pokemon Franchise (I decided that all of my lists will be top 9 because I pride myself on being strange, and because my first list was a top 9).

Now, a few notes before I get on with this list. First, the rules. Any moment must have appeared in a game that I have played. Also, the TV show moments will not be considered (they would require their own list. Hmmmm . . . . .). Other than those, there are no other rules. In fact, I'm even going to allow moments that appear in multiple games (otherwise this list would be way too hard). So, without further ado, let's get on with the nostalgia!

9. Evolution (good luck thinking of a mainstream game without this)
Part of the greatness of Pokemon is that it is very easy to tell if you are raising your Pokemon right. A pretty good indicator that you are doing things right is if your Pokemon suddenly starts glowing and changes shape (typically becoming bigger and possibly gaining extra body parts that it did not have before). This is evolution, the ninth greatest moment in the Pokemon franchise. It is great, with music that fits very well, building up tension until your Pokemon reveals its new form, complemented with a triumphant fanfare from the music. It is a great moment as it is often the culmination of hours upon hours of work leveling up this Pokemon to the point that it will evolve. It is also great because you immediately begin thinking about all of the new trouble you can cause with your much more powerful Pokemon. So, why is this the bottom of the list? Well, all of the other moments are much better. Also, evolution is somewhat diluted, as you will see it quite often during your adventure (sometimes up to two times per Pokemon). However, this is still a great moment, and well worth the effort needed to reach it.

8. Beating a Gym Leader (any game that is named after something colorful)
Most of the bosses in Pokemon games are a type of trainer known as a Gym Leader. There are eight of these in every region (where they are present, or in all mainstream games). Each of the Leaders has a Badge, which makes your Pokemon more powerful, allows you to get to new places, and gets you one step closer to your ultimate goal: the Pokemon League. Once you have acquired all of the Badges, you can challenge the Pokemon League, a group of four trainers known as the Elite Four, and once you defeat them you can challenge the Pokemon League Champion. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the Gym Leaders. Beating a Leader is always satisfying. Some of them are actually pretty tough (someday, Misty, I will get you, and your stupid Starmie too!). Plus, like with evolution, you get the great satisfaction of hearing another triumphant fanfare (there are a lot of them in Pokemon, in case you hadn't guessed) while you get your Badge. Like evolution, however, this moment is somewhat diluted by the fact that you see it eight times in a game (16 times in the Johto games, but I'll get to those later). Even so, it is a great moment, and fully deserves its spot on the list.

7. Opening to Pokemon Colosseum (guess which game)
Pokemon Colosseum was the first Pokemon game to come out for the Nintendo Gamecube. This game was very different from any other prior game in the series (and only the sequel has been similar), and this fact was evident from the opening cutscene. We start off with the desert headquarters of the evil Team Snagem, a group that steals Pokemon (hey, go with what works). Suddenly an explosion rocks the base, sending the team into action. We then see the main character: a young man older than most Pokemon protagonists wearing sunglasses walks in, takes a machine, and runs. The Snagem goons chase him but he jumps onto his hover motorcycle and rides off, ending his work by completely destroying the headquarters with more bombs. Yeah, you just read all of that. When we saw this opening, we knew we were in for something unlike any other Pokemon game we had ever played. It involves three things rarely ever seen in a Pokemon game: motorcycles, protagonists wearing sunglasses, and high explosives! This is by far the greatest opening to a Pokemon game I have ever seen, and for that it holds the number seven spot on this list.

6. Catching a Pokemon (every single game except maybe one or two)
For many, this is the whole point of the series. After all, the original tagline of the franchise was "Gotta Catch 'em All!" At the beginning of the game, you are often given a Pokedex (a device that records information about Pokemon you've caught), and told to fill its pages. While this is never my primary goal (or any goal of mine at all, for that matter), I still catch some Pokemon to use on my team and just to say I did (these are mostly legendary Pokemon: Pokemon who are often central to the plot and obscenely powerful, I don't use them, but I will catch them). Naturally, however, some Pokemon just will not be caught (go figure, the one-ton legendary behemoth doesn't want to be crammed into an object the size of a baseball), particularly the legendary Pokemon. Sometimes, you will have to try more than once. But when you do finally succeed, you are rewarded with (guess what) another triumphant victory fanfare. This combined with the fanfare make it deserving of a place on the list. While it is diluted, I rank this moment higher than the other two diluted ones because failing to catch a Pokemon is truly frustrating, so I tend to enjoy it more.

5. Confrontation in the Future (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time)
The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, a spin-off of the franchise, has a very interesting formula: you are a human who has been turned into a Pokemon, with no knowledge of your original life other than the fact that you had one. You then join forces with other Pokemon to fight your way through dungeons and help others, and eventually save the world in some way. These games are much more focused on the story than other Pokemon games, and these stories are amazing. The first game was amazing, but the second (from which this moment comes from) was even better. Be aware before you read further that there are mild spoilers, but I will try to avoid spoiling the big stuff. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. About halfway through the game, a Pokemon named Grovyle starts steeling artifacts called Time Gears, which causes time to freeze in the areas. Then a Pokemon named Dusknoir arrives from the future, claiming that Grovyle is also from the future, and that his actions in the present have turned the future into a wasteland. You help him capture Grovyle, but then Dusknoir drags you into the future with him. Once there he immediately tries to kill you, forcing you to team up with Grovyle, who claims to have much more noble motives. In order to return to the present you travel with him and a time travel to a forest, where a special time warp is. Once you arrive, however, Dusknoir and his minions appear, cutting you off. More importantly, however, is this scene's introduction of Dusknoir's leader: Dialga. Dialga is one of the legendary Pokemon of Generation IV, and has power over time. The scene is very dramatic and has some pretty awesome lines and actions. I also found an awesome fanart on the internet of this confrontation (this is the link). The drama of this scene is unlike almost any other scene in the franchise, and that makes it deserve its place on this list.

4. The Hall of Fame (all mainstream games)
Like I said, for many players the real point of the game is to catch every single Pokemon, or at least as many as they can. For me, however, the real purpose of my adventure is to defeat the evil team (Team Rocket, and other evil organizations), and (more importantly), defeat the Pokemon League Champion and take his title. Once you do so, you and all of your Pokemon are immortalized in the Hall of Fame. This is the culmination of all of your hard work: catching and training Pokemon, defeating gym leaders, and fighting through the Elite Four and the Champion with only your healing items to sustain you (no Pokemon Centers to fully heal you). This is a truly satisfying moment, and makes you feel like you accomplished something. Which you have.

3. Battle of the Titans (Pokemon Emerald)
In Pokemon Ruby, Pokemon Sapphire, and Pokemon Emerald there are two powerful legendary Pokemon: Groudon (who rules the land) and Kyogre (who rules the sea). These two Pokemon do not get along, and after a huge battle thousands of years before the events of the game, went to sleep. This series's evil teams (yeah, there are two), Team Magma and Team Aqua, are obsessed with expanding the land or the sea, respectively, by using Groudon or Kyogre, respectively. Now, in the first two games, only one of the teams was evil, while the other tried to help you stop that team. In Pokemon Emerald, released later, both teams are evil and are both trying to fulfill their respective goal. They both unleash their desired Pokemon, but are unable to control them, and so the titanic Pokemon fight each other. Since they both have an effect on the weather (Groudon causes intense sunlight, while Kyogre causes heavy storms), both effects take place at the same time, and during the battle, the weather in the world alternates between intense sunlight and heavy rain. While the two battle, threatening to destroy the world in the process, you try to find the ruler of the sky, Rayquaza, who eventually comes to calm down the fighting and save the day. This was an awesome idea, and one that until now had not been seen in a game (it had, however, made it into the movies). While the graphical limitations mean that no details are shown, one can easily imagine the titanic battle going on. And that is why this is my third favorite moment in the Pokemon franchise.

2. Pokemon Trainer Red (Pokemon Gold and all alternate versions and remakes)
In the original Pokemon games (Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, and Pokemon Yellow), the main character's canonical name was Red (his rival's canonical name was Blue). Pokemon Gold and its alternate versions and remakes are unique because unlike the other new generations, the Generation II games were actually sequels, and happened three years after the original games. So, once you defeated Lance (the Champion), you were able to cross from Johto (the region you were in) into Kanto (the region from the first game), and see the changes over the past three years. You can also see all of the old characters (except for a select few), and even fight some of them, such as the Gym Leaders (Misty's Starmie is still the bane of my existence, three years later), and even Blue, the rival (he is now a Gym Leader). However, there is one character unaccounted for: Red. Well, after earning all of the original Gym Badges, Professor Oak gives you permission to go into the last area: Mt. Silver. Going into Mt. Silver, you explored into the deepest cave, or in the remakes to the top of the mountain (which I like better), where a young man stands alone. It is Red. True to the original games, he does not speak, only replying to your challenge with ". . ." He is the greatest Pokemon trainer in any game (in the remakes his Pikachu is level 88, the highest fixed level Pokemon owned by a trainer), and one of the few who I have never defeated. He is number two because Red is my favorite protagonist from the Pokemon games, and seeing him again is incredible. As is the boss music, which is truly epic. However, the very concept of fighting your old character is awesome, and it by itself would gain this spot. But what (or who) is number 1?

1. Red vs Blue (Pokemon Red, and all other versions and remakes)
Yep, Red still manages to be involved in the top spot, which is his final battle as a playable character. Here is the story behind it (SPOILERS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED). From the very beginning, you have been bitter rivals with Blue, the grandson of Professor Oak (who says that you have been rivals since the day you were born, which I have to wonder about, since it seems to be personal, and not a blood feud). He has been one step ahead of you at all times. He gets the badges before you, he knows more than you. However, the main thing that everyone remembers about him (and the defining quality of his TV show counterpart, Gary), is that he is a jerk. There is no way about it. He never compliments you and does everything in his power to verbally tear you down (to be fair, that is the only way he can tear me down since I will gladly wipe out his team), and constantly leaves you with the catchphrase, "Smell ya later." Yeah, pretty much everybody hates this guy, and with good reason. However, the most annoying thing about him? He becomes Champion five minutes before you do. I'm not joking. He beats you by the slightest bit (even though before your Elite Four challenge he walked away from the Pokemon League), and so when you walk into that room you are prepared to destroy this punk once and for all. The music is awesome, and fits the battle perfectly. One of my favorite parts of this battle was at the very beginning in the remake. Right before the battle began it showed the two sprites of the characters on screen, positioned so that they are pointing at each other dramatically. When you finally defeat Blue, you enjoy it. A LOT. For one thing, Blue does not brush aside this victory like he does for all of your other ones, and is genuinely struck by what just happened. What's even funnier is Professor Oak, who arrives shortly after the battle. He immediately scolds Blue, his own grandson, for failing to hold onto the title of Champion long enough for Oak to get over there and congratulate him, while he praises you, the kid next door, for bonding with your Pokemon. This is by far the best, and most satisfying moment in Pokemon history, which is why it is number one.

So, that's my list of the greatest moments in the history of the Pokemon franchise, from across four generations. I hope you enjoyed this list, even if you disagreed in some way. I, for one, am personally very excited about the coming fifth generation (which is largely based on the United States), and am very much looking forward to playing the new games.

Hopefully, they will provide me just as much enjoyment as these 9 moments have.