How I Got Back to Pokémon This Summer

I am THE Pokémon generation. Born in 88, my imagination was ripe when Red and Blue launched in North America. I’ve played every main entry since and I don’t ever plan on stopping. I still remember Pokémon league at Toy Works (R.I.P.) and trading with a link cable. I’ve even won money playing Pokémon competitively. There was a time when I knew the exact stats of 150+ Pokémon. Yes, that’s a lot of Pokémon... and yes, I am bragging.

Then a game called Hearthstone came along. It’s also easy to learn, hard to master, and good for short bursts or long gaming sessions. Unfortunately for my Pokémon street cred, Hearthstone was just a little more shiny than Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

I also recently got an Xbox One with Destiny and Halo. In the words of the Legendary Saba, “Grind don’t stop…”

I’m aware that I can play multiple games, but I’m the type of person that gets quite focused on one thing when I have a goal in mind. I knew I would be back into Pokémon at some point. I just didn’t know when and I wasn’t going to force it. These relationships have to be more natural. So what did it take me to get back into Pokémon?

1. I went on a road trip! I traveled and got away from the PC and console space. Hearthstone plays well on my Macbook and iPhone, but it’s just not the same for me. While we were driving down bland roads or during the night when everything was dark, I’d pull out my 3DS and play Pokémon.
2. I was with my best friend, @DJMornin, who also loves Pokémon. He was about as far as I was so it created great conversations in the car. We laughed about the story and talked new strategies made possible with Pokémon ORAS. It was great!
3. We were in New York City for 3 days. It only makes sense that we visited the Nintendo World Store. There was Pokémon swag galore and I even got approached by a stranger for a battle. Just like the game, I walked in front of him and he challenged me to a duel. Unlike the game, I lost. He kept apologizing for the spanking he was giving me and my Pokémon. I wasn’t mad that he was beating me. I love a good challenge and there’s much to learn from someone who can dismantle your team. I did get pissed that he wouldn’t shut up. What did I do in response after the battle? Play more Pokémon.
4. The Pokémon National Championship took place over my vacation. I’ve been twice before and it’s an amazing experience. Watching the streams and seeing my friends in pictures from the event definitely rekindled fond memories. If I wasn’t on a road trip, I would have been in Indianapolis, Indiana cheering for the underdogs. If you consider yourself a Pokémon fan of any kind, I highly suggest going to Nationals next year!
5. I used Pokémon I’ve never used before. The hardest Pokémon I trained this time around was Grimer. Grimer’s base stats are poor and it doesn’t evolve until level 38, but I’m glad I now know what it’s like to have one on my team. My final team consisted of Sceptile, Latias, Kyogre, Gardevoir, Absol, and Luxray. I know it’s Uber heavy, but Kyogre was the only water Pokémon I caught that I haven’t trained yet besides Lombre and I wasn’t about to have two grass Pokémon. That’s just insane.

There you have it. I beat the game and I’m back on my grind. If you’re struggling to beat Pokémon ORAS or any Pokémon game for that matter, just go on a road trip with your best friend (or friends) during Nationals.

The original Dear Backlog crew at Nationals 2010.

Sincerely,

@drockalexander

The Unfinished Swan PS3 Demo Review 10/10

In The Unfinished Swan you play as Monroe, an orphaned boy whose mother left him with only her paintings, all of which were left incomplete. When Monroe goes to live in an orphanage he can only take one painting, the Unfinished Swan. One night he awakes to find the frame empty, the swan disappeared, leaving only a trail of orange, web-footed prints. Monroe grabs his mother’s paintbrush and follows the trail into a mysterious world of unfinished art.

    When the demo starts your screen is completely white with just a black circle in the center. It took me a second to realize that this was the game world and that circle was my center of view. You aren’t given any directions or tutorial explaining what to do so at first I was confused. Only after walking around a while, and hearing my footsteps, did I know that I was in a room. I tried some other buttons and then a ball of black paint was thrown forth and it beautifully splattered on what I then discovered to be a wall. This lack of direction would probably have annoyed me in any other game but it became clear that the designers wanted me to feel as lost, lonely, and confused as the boy was. This game’s fun is partly in the exploring and learning that you, the player, and the boy experience. This white screen was in fact an unpainted room which led to a whole world that I discovered as I painted my way into a magical storybook kingdom of unfinished paintings.

    The Unfinished Swan is an adventure game where you must explore the kingdom by painting your way through the three dimensional environment. The demo gives you the first three parts of the game. At first your world is completely white but by end of the demo the world is already shaded in a little so you don’t have to feel your way around blindly the whole time. This wondrous exploration is accompanied by a simple and beautiful score of music and ambient sounds that adds to the magic and mystery of the world you are in. As you explore, you find bright golden letters on some of the stark white walls that, once painted, reveal a page of the story written like a children's storybook. These excerpts are read to you by the excellent narrator of the tale. The demo concludes just when you catch your first glimpse of the painted kingdom from a high terrace. Then they show you a video montage of the chapters to come where you see that you will later get to paint in color and that the world is far more beautiful and colorful further down the road. After the video you can purchase the full game to continue your adventure from that point.

I rank this demo as a perfect 10/10. As a demo, this could not have been better. It offered a small portion of the game that is just enough to make you want more. I would, and probably will, gladly buy this game for $15. This game is also playable with Playstation Move which I imagine would pull you into the world even more. If you’re looking for a game that proves videogames are art, check out The Unfinished Swan.

- Skye