Okay, stood in line with the rest to get my shiny new pokegame, yay! Also, Gamestop apparently didn’t keep track of who got a preorder poster and who didn’t, because they gave me another one, also yay! Actually this was a good move on their part, I actually really wanted two since they’re double-sided and the possibility they might accidentally double their bonus means I’ll probably preorder from them again.
Pokemon X requires my 3ds do a system update. Last time I did this, my PS3 stopped working. Also, this system update appears to just be to prevent me from doing “unauthorized” anything. Luckily, the 3ds seems to be more robust.
Now it’s not reading my game.
No, wait, apparently it wants an SD card in the separate slot I wasn’t aware existed, but it’s definitely reading the game enough to give me the manual to the game I can’t play. Nintendo you will rue the day you made me go out and buy a SD card to play the game I already bought from you, I will pirate so much shit with it. I bet the update was meant to prevent this, but first, not for long, and second, I still have a DS too.
Yes, I know the 3ds comes with it. Mine didn’t because it was secondhand and the original person presumably lost it. That happens. That’s why they should’ve just stuck in a cheap card or at least mentioned it so you had the option of getting one beforehand. I even preordered the game! I would’ve had plenty of time to make arrangements.
Also, maybe if they went back to proper cartridge size and not easily loseable metal flakes they’d have room for decent memory IN THE GAME ITSELF.
…anyway.
The game is presumably supposed to save to the SD card, so I’m thinking either if I lose the card I lose my game or maybe it’ll let me register a new card but it’ll alter some data saved on the game itself so that it’ll never load the other one again, because otherwise there could be more than one save spot.
The fact it warns me that picking my language will lock it in forever fits this attitude. Being able to switch languages would be so fun! I mean, sure, my years of Spanish were a complete waste, but I understand not everyone’s incompetent.
The language options form a really pretty rainbow. There’s seven of them and I wonder if some were left off the list just because they didn’t want to mess that up. Also, there’s a cute pikachu.
Opening: giant X…then press start while I admire the legendary (who, admittedly, does have really cool x eyes)? Where is my intro?!
Ah, waiting gets me cute snippets. Looks like girl character can wear pants, thank god.
And now professor! Who is a guy.
His professor mom had better show up later, completely unnecessarily, to exposit at us instead of him and otherwise marginalize him for no reason.
Welcome to the world of Pokemon! I am Augustine Sycamore, the Kalos region’s very own Pokemon Professor.
He releases probably grass type ram pokemon.
This world of ours is widely inhabited by creatures known as Pokemon!
Scroll over a painting of a bunch while there’s words I didn’t catch, because apparently there’s going to be a lot of text that doesn’t wait for me to say I’m done with it. (You know, it never occurred to me that there is a downside to finally getting the game at the same time – it’s hard to find images. Thankfully the yoke of having to write these will ensure everyone else finishes long before me, so there should be more as I go along.)
(And now let’s go back and restart repeatedly because now the game won’t even let me see the opening unless I’ve deleted my data, which incidentally is needlessly difficult. Because why would you ever want to give people the chance to show their friends the opening? Also, past me, you should’ve done it at the time. Your laziness only makes more work for future me.)
These mysterious creatures can be found at every corner of our world. Some run across the plains, others fly through the skies, and others yet swim deep in the oceans…
We live together with these Pokemon, lending our strength to one another to live and prosper.
Oh boy, we’re still on this plotline. Hopefully it’ll be marginalized and I won’t have to sit through a million iterations of PEOPLE AND POKEMON WORKED TOGETHER TO BUILD THIS VILLAGE (FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN) ALL IS THEREFORE PERFECT.
On to the select screen.
One of the few spoilers I heard is that you can customize the character. And that’s deeply, deeply appreciated, but I wouldn’t have to be so happy if it wasn’t for the fact the default is so terrible. I’m only now noticing that she’s got stupid movie-star sunglasses in addition, as Act enlightened us to earlier, to her outfit being terrible in all other ways. She has a somewhat better pose than the official art…except she’s doing the vulnerable knees-together thing. Nothing about this girl says POKEMON TRAINER OUT TO BE THE BEST. It says STYLISH BUT SHY CITY GIRL.
Ooh, I can pick skin and hair color. My options are near-albino, blonde, and actual darker skin and black hair.
I guess it was impossible to just give us a color slider. I think I’ll pick darkest – avoiding the sun has gotten me pretty light, but my self-image cares more about hair color. Also, near albino girl would probably die if she ever stood in direct sunlight. That might be an interesting take, though – it goes with her outfit that this is not a girl used to travel.
Incidentally…now that there’s a touch screen, why can’t the options be down there? Because then we wouldn’t have to deal with always seeing which choice the designer highlights thinking it’ll be your first pick – it’s always the same one when you’re picking your gender, and if we keep customization it’ll likely always be the same choice there too.
Oho, I see.
????????????
Would you tell me your name?
Can I just say his face really looks just a tad too close to sleezy?
But anyway, I’m Farla, of course! Ooh, and it auto-starts with capital letters then switches to lower-case. It’s the little user friendly things that show someone thought about things.
So it’s Farla, then? Did I get that right?
Yes unless the female avatar becomes intolerable and I restart to pretend the boy is a girl instead.
Farla…Tres bien! What a fantastic name!
Now let’s go visit the world of Pokemon!
And the game had better knock off the thing where it has the text scroll by without waiting for any input. It’s hard enough copying everything down as it is.
So, a little bird pokemon flies by and over my new avatar. She gets up…and the game immediately tells me that oh no, my wifi appears to be disabled. Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?
I spent most of last game with everything there disabled. What on earth is the point of always-on wifi? I’m not, generally, anywhere with other people who also have a DS, and if I wanted to, I would turn it on then. But not only is this a stupid nag, but in fact it apparently won’t even let me continue until I turn it on, because Nintendo hates battery life apparently. And turning it off just pops it up again.
Oh jesus apparently it’s meant to trade data with anyone where the game’s on. No. I can understand why they want to do this now, but no.
Looks like the rest of the menu works fine with it disabled, luckily, it’s only blocking the main body of the screen which is apparently supposed to be taken up by the people you’ve run across.
Anyway. The actual game. Her sprite is huge. Everything is huge. There’s a mirror to show off the graphics. Hey, she can sit down on her chair! I’m glad 3D no longer means unable to interact with stuff.
Farla checked the PC her dad gave her.
I will be watching you, game.
It’s about buttons. Gimmie my potion!
No potion. Exploring, I see that while she’s wearing normal pajamas at the moment, she’s still in her terrible outfit on the trainer card. So do we not get to customize the terrible outfit, just skin/hair/eyes?
She’s also got some very empty shelves. Maybe I can fill them up during the game?
Ah, there’s her mom! In a decent outfit that involves pants.
Morning, Farla! You sure slept well! All rested up from the move?
So again we’ve moved. At least this means the likelihood of an old childhood irritating asshole friend is low.
Farla! You look like you just rolled out of bed!
let me pick the outfit let me pick the outfit let me pick the outfit
Go have a look at yourself in the mirror, and change out of your pajamas.
I can pick my outfit?!
I can’t pick my outfit. Fucking game.
Arg when she walks it’s set so that you can see her bare thighs right at the edge of her skirt the last defense that it’s just because some girls like dressing like this is gone.
…
You know, I’m actually reconsidering the naming thing. Since I had to restart anyway, I think I’ll go by her official name, because she really doesn’t feel like me. That’s also anonymous enough that the wireless thing doesn’t bug me quite so much. Since I have to go to bed due to crippling tiredness (look, it was a busy day) chime in with any other name suggestions.
Hold off on the restart! She comes with a pants/tee outfit AND you can change hair color, style, and all accessories! I also appreciated the darker skintone. MY AVATAR LOOKS LIKE ME AND IS FUCKING ADORABLE I LOVE HER. I’m going to post screenshots as soon as I figure out how to take them because everyone must know.
Also, the 1st gym leader shelled me on my first attempt. I was surprised in like 325 different ways.
Also also, no long exposition! They give me a pokemon and I go kick ass!
Also also also, I’m having the glorious problems of too many of my favorite pokemon appearing early in the game. So many decisions will have to be made.
I am so, so happy with this game so far. I can pick out the things you’re going to dislike, but overall I have been very, very pleasantly surprised. The 30-minute wait at GameStop and $40 was way worth it.
SHARE MY EXCITEMENT INTERNET.
You don’t understand, I already did. Trying to get the extra dialogue meant I had to delete my data to access the new game option.
I got as far as the pokemon picking and I found myself surprisingly torn between fox and frog. Somehow seeing it in the game made it endearing. I mean, it’s a frog, they’re cute! I wanted to take care of it. But then its battle animation makes it aggressive looking. And the fox seems more fitting for the girl given her outfit, but then I want her in a new outfit as soon as possible, and that’d fit more with the frog. But then I feel like that should be a development and not a starting point… It’s ironic this game of all of them would make me want to roleplay rather than make her my perfect avatar.
I’ve never got into Pokemon, so I can’t really comment on it (though I like your reviews), but I do wish to comment on roleplaying.
It’s funny how it works for me. In games which try to allow you to define character’s personality through your replies and actions (mostly BioWare games nowdays), I usually don’t really immerse into the protagonists. Probably because the choices are normally rather bland (be a good guy, be a stupid evil jerk, be pure business) and supporting characters tend to be more interesting anyway. I tend to chose options which gives me most interesting results. Or most XP and rewards sometimes.
On the other hand, I still fondly remember Temple of the Elemental Evil (not a very good game, actually. Not a terrible one either). During the course of the game, I’ve managed to create complex backstories for all five party members, their relationships, how they joined the party, what do they do here, etc. It was surprisingly enjoyable. specially since my sorcerer somehow managed to go from evil scheming bastard to someone more moral due to combination of some weirdly phrased offered replies and because killing bad guys was more rewarding… and still managed to lead his last wife to her death. The meta reason for that was because some potential “external” party members (that is, people who can join the party but whom you didn’t create) have some neat loot, but won’t part with it unless they are dead.
Another example was Icewind Dale II where the most tall halfling was born. He was still a thief, but instead of being quiet shadow which you don’t notice until you are dead, he was loud and very much noticeable. The reason why he could still sneak around was because, well, nobody dared to point out that he really isn’t all that sneaky.
The reason for his existence is Russian translation. You see, ID offers a few generic voices and two voices for each class of each gender with appropriate battle shouts (so a wizard will rant about the arcane might on her fingertips, warrior will say something about the blade, etc.).
One of male thief voices was what you would expect – a sinister whisper. Another, well… It was a deep bass that I’m pretty sure you could hear across the whole battlefield. And it was funny hearing something like “THE SILENT BLADE CUTS DEEPAH!” while you guide him around the enemies.
Icewind Dale I was also cool with voices leading to cool character concepts. For example, there was this female cleric one. It sounded like a trembling voice of an old kind lady… And the phrases were about how she will burn her enemies alive and build a temple out of their charred bones. It was both hilarious and creepy.
“I’m having the glorious problems of too many of my favorite pokemon
appearing early in the game. So many decisions will have to be made.” I’ve been having the exact same problem and it isn’t going to get any better when I find my eevees.
Unless I missed something you don’t get to pick your outfit until the first Pokemon center. That will be soon enough but it can be a while if you obsessively catch and train stuff. Least it was a good hour or so in the original outfit for me.
“I will be watching you, game.” I noticed that too but so far your dad hasn’t been mentioned again. Meanwhile a bunch of random people have brought up how cool your mom is (was I guess – I’m unclear if she’s retired or not). This might change of course.
I wish there’d been more options at startup, but I got her all customized to my specifications pretty early on. There are various NPC trainer sprites with different skin tone too, which is nice.
Not to spoil, but the plot really isn’t heavy-handed. In that, at the point I’m at, barely anything of that sort has happened and almost no one has brought up “important moral lessons about friendship I should have learned”. It’s more like RB, in that I’m assuming there eventually will be a plot, eventually.
Do you have a modded 3DS that lets you screenshot? Jealous ;-;
No, like the noble magpie I glean pretty things from others.
Um, I like your review of Matched, but several things bother me about this:
A. You seem like an SJW. You’re kind of saying that “Oh, girls can’t wear skirts or dresses EVER, and boys need to wear those as punishment for being on top for so many years.”
B.I believe that Pokemon names need to be capitalized, because that’s what they do in canon, because they’re both a species AND a character!
C. What is it with you and not liking the later Pokemon games? I mean, yeah, I hate that from Gen 5 onwards, we didn’t have a battle frontier/game corner, but that’s not all the games are about…
Um, I like how you tried to compliment sandwich this, but maybe you could try just speaking honestly from the start rather than opening like this and then going nuts ten minutes later on Pokemon Omega Ruby.