Web-Hax

For my latest post, I want to review the latest game in the Pokemon franchise. I would definitely recommend it to those who haven’t played the original G/S/C; and even if you have, the only real difference is you already know where to go and who to do.

I settled into the game quite quickly; deciding to choose Totodile as my start Pokemon. I noticed the menu got moved down to the touch screen, but even though this was a big departure from the whole ‘Pressing Start to get to menu on main screen’ concept, it still felt very intuitive. I managed to reach the second city where I was given the ‘Running Shoes’, and God only knows what makes whatever I was wearing previously so unable to run in. What particularly impressed me was that, unlike in previous titles where you could only hold B to run, there is now a toggle button for it. Brilliant idea if I’ve ever seen one.

Anyway, I proceed along the usual path, training my Totodile along the way. I eventually encountered some red headed angsty teenager who challenged me to battle with his superior Chikorita…or at least it would have been superior if I wasn’t already 10 levels ahead of him for some reason. Funnily enough, when I was finally given Poke Balls, Totodile was already so immensly strong, which made it impossible for me to weaken any Pokemon that looked worthy enough to be on my dream team.

Speaking of my dream team, the team of Pokemon that I formed this time around were slightly different than what I might usually consider. Apart from my starter, my team consisted of Zubat, Mareep, Spinarak, Nidoran (Male), and Eevee. Firstly, Zubat and Nidoran have become staples in my Pokemon diet, and unless I’m playing on the original games such as Red and Blue, I would not dream of leaving home without them. Mareep found its way into my team because I have a reserved place for an Electric type in my team, and Mareep was the most easily accessible, and arguably the most powerful. Spinarak was very odd for me because I don’t usually incorporate Bug Pokemon into my team, but he had some very useful moves in his arsenal (kind of like a Special Ops). The reasons Eevee is in my team are mostly stupid reasons like ‘I couldn’t think of any other’ and ‘It was female and I needed to balance out my sausage-fest’. The most legitimate reason I chose Eevee is because it can evolve into Espeon, which is not only a psychic powerhouse, but can also be an object of sexual desire if I’ve been drinking enough.

As unusual as my dream team is, I managed to plow though any douchebag that wanted to slow my progress toward becoming a Pokemon Master (which is what everyone seemed to be doing). My team, at the time of challenging the Elite Four, consisted of the following:

• Feraligatr Lvl 46 (and Yes, this is spelt correctly)
• Crobat Lvl 45
• Ariados Lvl 46 (He knows Psychic, so don’t fuck with him)
• Ampharos Lvl 44
• Nidoking Lvl 45
• Espeon Lvl 45

With the aid of my dream team, I dominated the Elite Four only using 4 Revives, 3 Hyper Potions, and a couple of Full Heals. For those of you who played G/S/C, you’d know it’s not the end of the game yet. Currently I stand in Vermillion City, ready to conquer Kanto.

To be more critical, the graphics are still not very pleasing. Every structure in the game looks like crudely cut cardboard, and I swear the game is using some horrible Cel-shading technology that would embarrass even Zelda: The Wind Waker. Also, when the hell are we going to get a 3d World Pokemon game? (This is granted I’m not including Colosseum and XD for the Gamecube; as good as they are, the world isn’t really full and proper) Nintendo did a very good job of designing a beautiful world for Pokemon to inhabit, no doubt, but watching it from a birds eye view with garbled cardboard graphics really subtracts from its potential. The soundtrack got a very nice face lift, but for those that played G/S/C, the tracks that we had to listen to a million times, we get to listen to their remixes a million more times, and that is not a very pleasant idea.

Another thing I noticed is that any trace of slot machines in the game are completely absent, possibly because some kid got killed in a freak gambling accident and everyone started pointing fingers at Pokemon. The game now uses a game called ‘Voltorb Flip’, which may seem boring at first, but it is actually quite a good little logic game perhaps comparable to Sudoku. If you somehow manage to get bored in HG/SS, take some time to sit down and play it, because it is honestly a fun little game that will train your brain in the process.

As I finish off this review, I can’t help but think about the future of Pokemon games. It impresses me that Nintendo are still pumping out new species of Pokemon, but where will it end? And when it does end, what will they do next? I’d like to see my 3D world dream fulfilled, sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion they might release more somewhat useless games that are separate from the main series. Regardless, when the main series does end, I can be pleased to say a had a lot of good times playing the games and watching the anime, and whenever I feel nostalgic, I’ll just crack open a bottle of Bailey’s, find some streaming Pokemon episodes, and enjoy.

I’ve been playing this mod quite a bit recently, so I thought I’d share with you what it is all about.

Because I’m so god damn lazy, I’ll copy paste the about page from their website here (accessible here):

Empires is a revolutionary mod, currently in the BETA stages of development. It utilises Valve’s Source engine, which is also the basis for commercial titles such as Half-Life 2. The gameplay in Empires combines elements of both FPS and RTS gaming. One player from either team is elected to act as a Commander: playing the game from a top-down perspective, his role is to construct bases and co-ordinate his troops. The remainder of the team act as soldiers, playing the game from a first person perspective in the field. At their disposal is a wide variety of fully-customizable armoured vehicles and – in a future release – aircraft.

Ultimately it is up to the Commander to determine his team’s strategy, which will decide whether or not his team is victorious. As a soldier, it is up to you to follow your Commander’s orders and take part in direct combat against the enemy. If, however, the Commander is not acting in the team’s best interest, he can be voted out just as easily as he was voted in.

As the game progresses, upgrades become available in several forms. Firstly, the radar’s ability to communicate over long distances allows instructions for more advanced equipment to be sent to your vehicle factories. This includes better engines, weapons and armor – with which you can equip vehicles as you see fit. Soldiers are also promoted in rank, in recognition of the contributions they make to their team. This gives them the opportunity to learn powerful new skills, such as the Scout’s ability to hide from enemy sight, or the Engineer’s capacity to revive fallen comrades.

Battles take place in a wide variety of locations: from intense infantry combat in the alleyways and buildings of an urban district, to sprawling tank battles across open desert plains, this is very much a global war.

As you may have guessed, Empires is class-based, and allows a choice between four different infantry classes:

• The Engineer is probably the most used class in the game. They are armed with a standard pistol, an SMG (two variants), seismic grenades (which destroy enemy buildings), and an Engineer Tool used for building structures dropped by the commander, and personal engineer structures such as turrets, cameras and walls.
• The Rifleman is designed for taking out enemy foot soldiers. They are armed with a pistol (two variants), an assault rifle (three variants), explosive grenades (two variants), and increased armour.
• The Grenadier is capable of laying waste to enemy vehicles and small buildings. They are armed with a pistol (two variants), an RPG / Mortar, mines, and a mine detector.
• The Scout is a disruption class designed to annoy the enemy. They can be armed with an SMG (two variants) or a scoped rifle, a pistol, smoke / concussion / stun grenades, and a pair of binoculars. They can also sabotage enemy buildings.
• The Commander is a special role which only one person can play per round. They can drop buildings, conduct research for the team, and give orders. When the teams in a round are equally skilled, the commanders ability usually acts as the decider.

Why is this game so fun?

If you aren’t serious about playing the game (and believe me, there are a fair few who are), the game can be pretty funny. Vehicle maneuvering tends to be hilarious, as tanks roll on to the battlefield and are blown up by mines, missile turrets, RPG’s, and other tanks. Jeeps can also be seen flying around the place from time to time.

The command vehicle (the objective of most games) also gets owned a lot.

But I suppose its also fun always coming up with new ways to win a round. There are many kinds of technologies at your disposal, such as rail guns, plasma cannons, guided and homing missile launchers, biological weaponry, and nukes. I’ve been playing the game since last year, and I’m still seeing new ways in which a map can be won. It’s very interesting indeed.

If you want to join me in this game, you can download it from the official website for free. Most players can be found on the VIPER (US) server (75.102.12.98:27015), or the Main (Euro) server (81.19.209.199:27015).

See you on the battlefield.

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EDIT: I’ve done up a new Australian Empires server for the UDN clan, accessible at 202.60.89.64:27015

To all visitors, I send you my warmest greetings.

For those that don’t already know me, I am Magnus; co-admin and co-author of this site. I have been moderating the site for a few years now, though I feel my interest in the site waning. Admittedly, the site has undergone many changes recently, and it’s hard to keep following something when it’s always changing direction. Fortunately, I don’t let this dampen my persistence, and I look forward to the many years I will spend contributing to my beloved community.

If you wish to contact me, I can often be found on IRC, or you can email / MSN me at magnus@ckyclan.com. I look forward to answering any questions and queries you may have.

Thanks, and enjoy the site.