25 Days of Pokémon: Top 5 Endgame Events

Capping off my month’s worth of ‘top five’ lists focusing on the Pokémon series, this list covers five of my very favorite moments or chain of events from late in their respective games. Some are only accessible after completing the main game, while others are incorporated as part of the plot late in the core experience. Honorable mentions go to the Unova Battle Subway and the Delta Episode from the recently released Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. This has been a fun and very different approach to my ’25 Days of Christmas’ special, and I’d certainly consider doing something similar in future years with some of my other favorite video game franchises, like Metal Gear, Metroid, or even some more Legend of Zelda (even though it is one of the most frequently represented series on this blog).

#5) Revisiting the Kanto gyms in Gold and Silver / Heart Gold and Soul Silver – The generation II titles and their DS remakes will always hold a special place for me, as the first proper Pokémon games that I played on the Gameboy Color, as well as the games that got me back into Pokémon just a few short years ago. While the Elite Four and battle against Lance was a properly climactic conclusion to the Johto storyline, discovering how much more lay beyond the borders in Kanto blew my mind as a kid. In reality, this retread of the Kanto region is a trimmed down, fast-paced romp compared to both its original Red/Blue incarnation, as well as the entirety of the Gold/Silver storyline, but it was still tons of fun to go up against the likes of Brock, Lt. Surge, Erica, Misty, and all the other classic gym leaders.

#4) The Distortion World in Platinum – As Cyrus sees his plan to summon the legendary Giratina revealed, the game transports you both to an alien realm, one that appropriately reflects Giratina’s representation of anti-matter. Waterfalls flow from one impossible floating cliff to another, stalks of unnatural plants appear and disappear, and the game requires you to adopt a mindset more common to a series like The Legend of Zelda to solve a few puzzles in order to progress to the final showdown with Giratina. This drastic jolt from intense end-of-the-world scenario to mystical realm of impossibility was one of the moments in Platinum that really made me appreciate the game’s bold and stranger direction than most of its predecessors, even if this approach had not panned out quite as effectively in earlier legs of my adventures through the Sinnoh region.

#3) The Pokémon World Tournament in Black 2 and White 2 – This tournament effectively served as a love letter to Pokémon fans. It allowed players to hone their skills and perfect their strategies while taking on gym leaders and league champions from all the previous regions in a bracket tournament, and even offered up the more highly-specialized tournaments demanding players only use Pokémon that fit a specific typing. Of the plethora of post-game offerings in the generation V sequels, the Pokémon World Tournament was the most intense, the most robust, and constantly offered plenty of opportunities for fun and learning with each successive battle.

#2) The League Champion Battle against Iris in Black 2 and White 2 – While Black and White’s league champion battle was interrupted due to the arrival of Team Plasma, the sequel games do it up properly as one of the most fitting endgame challenges, but also one of the most enjoyable battles in any Pokémon game to date. Iris is so bubbly and excited to see what you’ve made of yourself as a trainer after the remnants of Team Plasma disbanded, and it’s both a breath of fresh air following the darker implications of the main story, and a perfect endpoint for that same journey. This battle against Iris and her team of Pokémon had me on the edge of my seat for all of the right reasons.

#1) The Elite Four in Black and White – This team technically also accounts for the Elite Four present in Black 2 and White 2, but my first time challenging them was truly something special. The Elite Four have always served as the endgame gauntlet-style challenge in the Pokémon titles, forcing players to bring their very best team members and strategies, and carefully planning each move as they attempt to forge a path toward the league champion. And yet, some of these have proved too easy a feat, as was the case in X and Y as well as the recent Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Others still have had such a sudden leap in the scaling of the opponents Pokémon, as was the case in Platinum. The Elite Four of the Unova region present Pokémon that are at a level that is simply perfect for that endgame climax, offering up a high degree of challenge, but one that is certainly possible to overcome, given proper planning and flexibility in the heat of battle. The typings of the Pokémon in the possession of each member of the Elite Four still stands as my favorite combination, with Dark, Ghost, Psychic and Fighting taking the stage in wonderfully-rendered arenas that provide each of the four characters with their own unique arenas that reflect their personalities and provide players a brief look into who they are as individuals. Grimsley’s candleit lounge, Shauntal’s gloomy study, Marshall’s chain-link-surrounded fighting ring, and Caitlin’s lavish bedroom – Black and White breaks from the tradition of trekking down a single linear hallway, allowing you to tackle these in whichever order

25 Days of Pokémon - Top 5 Steel Pokémon

In keeping with the previous list, I thought it appropriate that I cover my five favorite Pokémon from my second-favorite typing, Steel. As with nearly every Pokémon detailed as part of this twenty-five days of Christmas special, these Pokémon are simply ones that I enjoyed using during my previous playthroughs, and ones that have served me well in both main storyline and postgame content. Their ordering is not necessarily a reflection of how well I think they would serve me in the competitive scene, as that’s not really my forte. Honorable mentions go to Lucario and Metagross, two Pokémon that - while both awesome in their own right - I prefer for their Fighting and Psychic moves, respectively.

#5) Scizor – Scyther seemed to be a fan-favorite when I was growing up and the Pokémon franchise was brand-spankin’-new. Imagine, then, just how excited young players became when they learned of Scizor, the Bug/Steel evolution of Scyther. Scizor’s dual-typing offers what is a decently useful buff, though it has a glaring weakness to Fire-type Pokémon, and doesn’t fare too well against Fighting-types either. However, the real appeal for my using Scizor during one of my Soul Silver replays lay in his widely varied moveset, which was key in taking down Grass, Psychic, Ghost, and fellow Bug Pokémon. He even fared quite well in the post-game tournaments of Black 2 once I transferred him over to the fifth generation games, and still proves quite useful for friendly competitive bouts in the sixth generation scene.

#4) Steelix – Another generation II evolution of a gen I Pokémon, Steelix is the bigger, badder, and generally cooler-looking evolution of Onix. It does what all good Steel Pokémon do in playing a defensive role, and then ups the ante with its secondary Ground typing. I relied quite heavily on Steelix during one of my replays of Soul Silver, and while Steelix performed wonderfully against the likes of Blaine and Lt. Surge, his crowning achievement was laying the smack-down on Red’s prized Pikachu while a snowstorm swelled atop Mt. Silver.

#3) Mawile – One of the more bizarre humanoid Pokémon designs, Mawile has two mouths - one on its proper, smaller face, and another gaping venus-flytrap mandible attached to the back of its skull. Depending on who you ask, people may describe Mawile as a cute and cuddly Pokémon, or one of the most lethal-looking things to come from the generation III titles. Either way, Mawile is a beast, both offensively and defensively. It can takes hits like a champ, and can learn Flamethrower, Brick Break, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Flash Cannon, Solar Beam, and more versatile moves to make it a wonderful jack-of-all-trades.

#2) Genesect – Once upon a time, Team Plasma decided to resurrect an ancient Bug Pokémon. They then decided that, in all his splendor, his physical form was not good enough, and so they decided to strap a giant cannon to his back. Genesect’s origin is probably the most perfect example of a terrible idea birthing something so awesomely dangerous since Team Rocket concocted Mewtwo in their own laboratories. The ability to give Genesect different drives that allow him to attack with Fire, Electric, Ice, and Water blasts respectively only adds to his diverse moveset, and his Bug/Steel dual-typing is certainly a welcome addition to the generally Psychic-heavy representation in the pantheon of legendary Pokémon.

#1) Aegislash – Perhaps some of you were curious as to how Aegislash, one of my all-time favorite Pokémon, was omitted from the top five Ghost-type Pokémon listing – after all, I only made mention of it and its pre-evolved forms in nearly every journal entry that accompanied my playthrough of Pokémon Y. The simple fact is that I was reserving it for this list, as trying to choose between Aegislash and Chandelure as my all-time favorite Ghost Pokémon would have been too close to call. From the moment I learned of Honedge’s dual Steel and Ghost typing, I knew I had to try my best to make it an integral part of my team, and boy did that decision pay off in spades. Aegislash’s moveset is incredibly versatile, his stats thoroughly impressive for both offensive and defensive, and his typing grants him unique additional defensive properties. Plus, his design – and those of his pre-evolutions – are so ridiculous, yet somehow intimidating, that it is awesomely perfect.

25 Days of Pokémon - Top 5 Ghost Pokémon

I’ve made mention in many of my previous Pokémon-related postings (especially my playthrough journals) that Ghost is my favorite Pokémon typing. It only makes sense, then, in my writing about some of my favorite elements of the franchise, that my five favorite Ghost Pokémon should be a topic of one of this month’s lists. While I do love a great number of Ghost Pokémon, I will adhere to my rule of five and five only, but will accordingly give honorable mention to the company of Golurk and Rotom.

#5) Sableye – While technically Ghost is its secondary typing and Dark its primary, I consider any Pokémon with a Ghost typing eligible for this list (and hey, it’s my list, so I can make the rules). Sableye was, surprisingly enough, one of my favorite Pokémon from my Sapphire playthrough. Its dual-typing gives it extra defense against both Dark and Ghost-type attacks, giving it no natural weaknesses save for the generation VI addition of Fairy-type attacks. Sableye can takes hits like a champ and dish out some decent attacks in return, despite what its tiny frame might let on.

#4) Drifblim – I didn’t think much of Drifblim prior to my catching one during my post-game adventures in the generation V titles, but what ultimately piqued my curiosity in this balloon Pokémon were the sinister implications described in the Pokedex entries for both it and its pre-evolved form, Drifloon. Drifloon’s Pokedex entry states that children who grab hold of them sometimes go missing, with other interpretations going so far as to say Drifloon takes children away to a land of the dead. Drifblim’s Ghost/Flying dual-typing and its ability to learn Thunderbolt led it to be a solid competitor in Unova’s Pokémon World Tournament matchups.

#3) Mismagius – Generation II introduced but one new Ghost Pokémon in the form of Misdreavus. While it was nice to see Game Freak add to the company of Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar, Misdreavus was not the most practical team member in those days, and did not receive a proper evolution until generation IV came around. Mismagius’s design is simple, yet effective, with its magician’s hat-shaped head and flowing robe-like body distinguishing it from other phantom Pokémon. Mismagius has a wide variety of typing pools it can draw its moves from, including the new Fairy moves in generation VI, making it a wonderfully useful Pokémon for taking down many a foe.

#2) Gourgeist – An unsung hero of the Ghost Pokémon, Gourgeist was my oddball pick in my playthrough of Y. I came across its pre-evolved form of Pumpkaboo late in the story, but when I learned of this Ghost/Grass Pokémon’s ability to learn Flame Charge, that secured its spot in my party. My Gourgeist was a Large size, and thus was able to both deal and take greater amounts of damage than his smaller kin, but was not nearly as slow as the Super Size variant. Taking to Super Training, I boosted Gourgeist’s speed, attack, and special attack, which – coupled with the speed increase earned from successive uses of Flame Charge – meant it could easily sweep many opposing Pokémon in a blitzkrieg offense.

#1) Chandelure – One of the first generation V designs I came across when I was getting back into the Pokémon franchise, Chandelure stood out to me as a wonderfully bizarre design – so much so, that I made it my mission to incorporate this Pokémon into my team as soon as I came across its pre-evolved form of Litwick. Chandelure is a perfect representation of what the Ghost Pokémon aesthetic is all about, as far as I’m concerned – the Victorian-style chandelier body combined with the purple flames and empty yellow eyes offers a creepy, yet somehow refined creature that fits right in with the limited company of its Ghost Pokémon kin. This lone Fire/Ghost dual typing offers many strong offensive options, and the abilities of Flame Body and Flash Fire can provide a unique edge over the competition in battle.

25 Days of Pokémon - Top 5 Pokémon Games

For this year’s twenty-five days of Christmas special, I’ll be focusing on the Pokémon series, albeit in a different manner than in years past. Instead of making one giant list of my favorite Pokémon or what have you, I’ve opted to make five separate ‘top five’ lists, each highlighting a different aspect of the series. Each will be posted roughly a week apart from one another, between now and December 24th. Today marks the second list, which details my five very favorite titles in the Pokémon series.

#5) Platinum – Generation IV is heralded as many as one of the weaker offerings of the main series of Pokémon games, due to its lack of new Pokémon, few of which are generally considered worthwhile team members, while others are obtainable only through a convoluted process. Still, I certainly found Team Galactic’s intent to tamper with time and space to serve their own needs entertaining, trumped only by Cyrus’ detached and selfish vision for the world. Platinum offers a completed package, with a bit of extra content not included in the original release of Diamond and Pearl, and between its Distortion World puzzle segment and expansive gyms, is still a fun Pokémon title, even if its reliance on event-distributed items and battery-sapping online components means it does not live up to the quality of some of its brethren.

#4) X and Y – The sixth generation games offered up plenty of new and different features that made the connection between player and Pokémon more immersive. These titles also fell victim to considerably easier playthroughs, thanks to the new experience share system that distributed exp. to all team members, even when wild Pokémon were caught. Even if large portions of routes were bypassed here and there, it was not uncommon to find the endgame Elite Four and Champion battles to be a cakewalk. Mega Evolutions proved a tad underwhelming, save for their use in the competitive scene, though the new Pokémon native to the Kalos region offered wonderful typings and movesets, by and large. X and Y did a great deal to advance the Pokémon formula players had become so familiar with, while being perhaps lighter on post-game content than what series veterans were accustomed to.

#3) Black 2 and White 2 – Two years after Ghetsis’ defeat, Team Plasma is back at it in the Unova region, and the influx of Pokémon from other regions during wild encounters makes for a vastly different play experience, despite running on the same setup as its Black and White predecessors. While it would have been easy for Black 2 and White 2 to simply ride on the coattails of the previous monochromatic titles, the team behind these two sequels decided to up the ante, offering brand new areas to explore, even greater ease of access to newcomers and veterans alike with regards to acquiring TMs and training Pokémon for specialized roles, and did away with the need for HMs in the main storyline almost entirely. There’s a lot to do and see in B2 and W2, from NPC trades, to post-game quests, to the test-your-might tournament that allowed trainers to challenge gym leaders and champions from all five major regions of the Pokémon world.

#2) Heart Gold and Soul Silver – The games that properly reintroduced me to Pokémon, these remakes of the generation II titles carry all the sense of fun and adventure in the Johto region over to a significantly easier-to-navigate menu and faster-paced battles. What Red and Blue laid out in ground work, Gold and Silver nigh on perfected for their heyday, and HG and SS do a masterful job of paying tribute to the Gameboy classics, making routes more distinctly identifiable, updating the soundtrack and splashing plenty of color on the screen, and implementing the generation IV online and wireless trade and battle components in a manner even more so seamless than Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum did beforehand. Few regions will ever stand up to the intelligent layout of Johto, or the solid offering of Pokémon encountered therein, and there’s no more enjoyable way to embark on this journey again than through these DS remakes.

#1) Black and White – One of the few Pokémon games to actually present a decently compelling set of ideals for its villainous team to rally behind, the ‘free-Pokémon-from-their-masters’ cries of Team Plasma put you, the player, in a role that will be continuously questioned over the course of this bold new set of Pokémon titles. Generation V effectively barred players from using any non-Unova Pokémon until the postgame content, forcing creative team building strategies not unlike the days of Red and Blue on the Gameboy, but with overall better-balanced Pokémon to choose from, and highly creative and practical typing and moveset combinations to boot. What I found in Black and White was the most engrossing plot of the series, coupled with the most intelligent, creative, and strategic gameplay of any of the generations, bar none. Black 2 and White 2 did exceptionally well at building off of Black and White’s duality of getting back to the basics while simultaneously breaking into bold new territory, but at the end of the day, Black and White did it first, and did it best.

25 Days of Pokémon - Top 5 Starter Pokémon

For this year’s twenty-five days of Christmas special, I’ll be focusing on the Pokémon series, albeit in a different manner than in years past. Instead of making one giant list of my favorite Pokémon or what have you, I’ve opted to make five separate ‘top five’ lists, each highlighting a different aspect of the series. I will be posting these roughly a week apart from one another, between now and the end of December. So today marks the first list, which details my top five starter Pokémon!

Picking your starter in each Pokémon game is the first major decision toward the long journey ahead. The five listed below are my personal favorites for a variety of reasons, partially because I like their typings and movesets, partially because they simply look cool. But the biggest factor that played into their inclusion on this list was how well they worked for me as team members during my various playthroughs of Pokémon games – and not just for the main storyline, but the post-game content as well.

#4) Typhlosion – The fully-evolved form of Cyndaquil, Typhlosion was the first starter I ever picked in a Pokémon game, back in the days of Gold on the Gameboy Color. It was the first Pokémon I identified as one of my favorites, because despite being into the anime and trading cards during the generation I craze, I didn’t play any of the core video game entries until generation II. When I dove back into Pokémon a few years ago with Soul Silver, Cyndaquil was my obvious choice, and though I’ve since gone back and replayed that DS remake with Totodile and Chikorita, Typhlosion will always hold a special place for me.

#5, #3, and #2) Blaziken, Sceptile, and Swampert (respectively) – While my journal entries on the generation III games and their remakes have indicated my being overall less favorable toward them than practically every other release in the series, I will admit that if there is one thing I felt Ruby and Sapphire excelled at, it was the Pokémon they added to the mix. These three starters are considered by many to be some of the best out there, and for good reason – they changed up battle tactics considerably with Swampert’s dual-typing of Water/Ground, and Blaziken being the first in a line of Fire/Fighting combos. And while Sceptile remained a pure Grass type, its stats and moveset proved that it could certainly hold its own in the company of the other two. The generation III starter Pokémon are among the rare few starters that have seen consistent use between the main single player game and the competitive multiplayer scene.

#1) Greninja – The ninja frog that debuted in generation VI, Greninja is, surprisingly enough, my all-time favorite starter Pokémon. His Water/Dark dual-typing is oddball enough that it offers up moveset options that are both varied and practical, while his stats make him ideal for landing hits fast and hard. He’s become something of a fan-favorite since the release of X and Y, as well as the recent Super Smash Bros. Really though, when compared to his fellow Kalos starters, the only other one that stands up as somewhat practical beyond the main game is Chestnaught. Plus, Greninja's aesthetic is absolutely radical, tongue scarf, water shurikens and all.

Top 5 Ugliest Pokémon

Everyone has their favorite Pokémon. For some, it is the starter they've been training since they began their journey on Red or Blue version. Others prefer the Legendaries, with a sense of accomplishment in having caught them. And it's not always the move set or attributes that draws players to a specific Pokémon. Sometimes it's as simple as the way a Pokémon looks. Pikachu, Chikorita, and Totodile are just plain cute. Entei, Mewtwo, and Zekrom come across as intimidating due to their awesome designs. But there are some Pokémon, however few and far between, that are downright ugly.

#5 - Pinsir: I always viewed Pinsir as something of an alternative to Scizor. Whereas Scizor was sleek, shiny green, and had his blades attached to his arms, Pinsir was stout, a solid brown, and had pincers sprouting from the top of his skull. Pinsir looks like an insect version of Mr. Potato Head, and apparently somebody decided to put his body parts in the wrong spots. His mouth is also rather eerie - no living thing should have teeth that grow horizontal like a rib cage.

#4 - Lickilicky: There are a few Pokémon over the years that have been treated to an unnecessary next stage of evolution. Lickitung is one such Pokémon. He was certainly odd when compared to the rest of Gen I, but I always felt he stood fine on his own. It was a bit challenging to ascribe a particular theme to him, and apparently Nintendo felt the same way. So what did they decide to do? Inflate him until he was barely recognizable. Lickilicky might want to give Wilford Brimley a call.

#3 - Loudred: Loudred is part of an evolutionary line whose theme is sound. So the fact that his mouth makes up the majority of his face, and subsequently the majority of his body, is kind of a fun play on that concept. But he's certainly not the prettiest Pokémon in the tall grass. His teeth appear infantile, his ears like speakers, and as a whole he looks like an ugly alien toddler.

#2 - Jynx: I've never really been sure of what to make of Jynx. She kind of creeped me when I was a kid, the only Pokémon I thought I was scary-looking without really needing to be. Yes, Gengar is certainly a creepy looking Gen I Pokémon, but that's deliberate - he's a ghost. I think Jynx was supposed to resemble an opera singer (a bit odd, since Jigglypuff was the one frequently singing in the anime). But the small eyes and the giant lips lead her to resemble some sort of bizarre mock-up of a human - like a caricature. A really creepy caricature. Or a demonic transvestite. Take your pick.

#1 - Garbodor: I know some people rip on the Gen IV and V designs because the physical appearances of many of those Pokémon look very far-removed from the original one-hundred and fifty. To be honest, I like the way most of the newcomers to Black and White look. But dang, Garbodor is hideous. I mean, he is meant to look like a bunch of garbage, and to that end I feel the artists did a wonderful job in maintaining a consistent evolutionary theme. This pile of trash evolves from the weird sort-cute, sorta-awkward-to-look-at Trubbish. But I can't imagine there are many people who look at Garbodor without thinking he's ugly in just about every sense of the word.

Pokemon Gold Version dream team

I was recently talking with my brother about Pokemon Gold version and our most frequently-used Pokemon therein. I collected plenty of the cards in elementary school, and played Red, Blue, and Yellow versions through copies my friends owned. But I never got into the Gameboy games until the second generation games rolled around. My brother and I opted for Gold version due to the fact that most everyone else we knew had Silver, and simply put, we wanted to be different.

Our team started out simple, as is the case with pretty much any starter party in Pokemon. Cyndaquil was the clear choice for us as our first Pokemon. We caught ourselves a Pidgey, a Sentret, gradually working our way up to slightly larger catches like Ampharos, Miltank, and Butterfree. Cyndaquil levelled up and evolved into Quilava; Sentret followed suit into Furret. We managed to get our hands on an Evee, which we deliberately directed towards Espeon (again, to break the mold of eveyone else opting for Umbreon). Espeon quickly became my favorite, with Furret and Quilava not trailing far behind. Butterfree proved useful on a number of ocassions, while Ampharos was ultimately traded out for a Raichu that was received through a game-link trade.

Ho-oh was the most difficult catch. He followed shortly after our catching of Sudowoodo (the latter of whom turned out to carry a much different skill set than expected and was quickly shipped off to Bill's Pokemon storage). Despite a few failures, we managed to stagger Ho-oh's health enough to capture him, due in no small part to Espeon and our now-Typhlosion.

There were a number of alterations the party lineup during the years my brother and I played Gold version. Pidgeotto was a prominent member until the addittion of Ho-oh nullified his usefulness. Seel saw a brief inclusion, as did Golduck and Snorlax. Muk and Gyrados made the cut the first few times we took on the Elite Four. But the team pictured above is the lineup we used most often, and identified as our favorites.

25 Days of Christmas - #5: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

When Nintendo takes to creating a sequel in one of their flagship franchises, they – as well as Microsoft and Sony - generally concern themselves first and foremost with the platform systems over the handheld systems. After the release of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask on the N64, there was a rather lengthy hiatus until The Wind Waker came out for the Gamecube. To help bridge this three-year gap, as well as try and keep fans who were turned-off by Majora’s Mask interested, Nintendo partnered with Capcom to create three intertwining games for the Gameboy Color. When three games working in conjunction with one another proved to be too great a challenge, the companies decided to scale down the ambitious project to two titles. Their stories still interwoven, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were both released on May 14, 2001.

As far as I’m concerned, the two titles are two chapters to one gigantic story. However, they were released as separate games, and as such only one of the two titles will be making my top 25 list. While Oracle of Seasons arguably had more variation in the overworld design and was more visually captivating with its lush colors, I personally found Oracle of Ages to be more enjoyable overall.


The story begins with Link travelling to Labrynna to meet with the Oracle of Ages, Nayru. He encounters Impa, Zelda’s aide along the way. As soon as the two meet Nayru, things go awry as it is revealed that Impa’s body was host to the evil sorceress Veran. Veran then uses Nayru’s body as a medium to travel through time and create her own twisted version of Labrynna.

Link is forced to travel to the past in order to track down the now-possessed Nayru. After meeting with Queen Ambi in the past, Link learns that she has been fooled into Veran’s plot to build a massive tower reaching to the heavens, which she will use to complete her transformation of the world. Link, devoid of much assistance from anyone but Impa and Nayru’s friend Ralph, begins his trek through each dungeon to retrieve items necessary to enter the Black Tower.

Oracle of Ages requires players to use the Harp of Ages to travel back and forth between the present and the past in order to access dungeons, complete quests, and travel around the world of Labrynna. The world is fairly sizeable, though players will only be able to access certain areas early on, with more of the world to be explored as they progress through the game. There is a great deal of variety in the environment types (though this doesn’t particularly affect gameplay), from the underwater kingdom of the Zoras, to the high cliffs where the Gorons live, to the volcanic area upon which Symmetry Village is founded.


Each weapons/tool in the game has multiple uses. Roc’s Feather can be used to avoid projectiles as well as traverse gaps. The Switch-hook allows players to bypass enemies or travel across large gaps within a dungeon. The Seed Shooter is applicable as both a ranged weapon as well as a solution to some switch-based puzzles. In contrast to some titles in the Zelda series, no single weapon in Oracle of Ages is outdated or rendered useless after its initial use. The Many weapons/tools, including the Harp of Ages, can be upgraded as the game progresses. Those weapons that are not upgraded will have consistent practical throughout the game.

As an added inclusion, players can collect rings and have them appraised by Vasu. Some rings affect the player’s offensive and defensive capabilities. Others make Link immune to certain attacks. There are also incredibly rare rings in the game that allow Link to transform in Like-Likes, Moblins, and other creatures.

The side quests in the Oracle titles are unusual when compared to other titles in the Zelda series. There are some side quests that take place only within the confines of the separate games. These are generally meant to reward the player with rings, Gashu seeds, potions, or any other nonessential items applicable for later use. The most important side quests, however, stem from the games’ interconnectivity. When interacting with characters in one game, you will occasionally receive a code from them or instructions to meet someone accessible only in the other game. Players must then complete that side quest as they journey through the second game. Both games are filled with these lengthy side quests, and the titles can be played in either order to acquire the items and upgrades from them.


Most Zelda titles have their small snags that they hit here and there; little issues that could have been avoided in an otherwise fantastic game. But with the Oracle titles, I am unable to find any flaws. The story is by far the most creative of any Zelda title. The soundtrack – though comprised entirely of MIDI files – is classic Zelda with a slightly new spin. The graphics are 2-D, but the colors of each area are bright and lively. The enemy AI is fantastic, with grunt soldiers putting up a decent challenge and bosses dealing out some major pain. The final battle against Veran is much more difficult than the battle against General Onox in Oracle of Seasons, and twice as long. The story is very involved and is fairly moody for a Zelda title (though nowhere near as dark as Majora’s Mask). It’s rare that a handheld game would surpass many of its console counterparts, but The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages goes the extra mile and is one of Nintendo’s best handheld titles ever released.

25 Days of Christmas - #13: Tetris

Honestly, Tetris doesn’t need an introduction. It’s a gaming legend. This is the game that shaped the puzzle genre of today. No matter how you look at it, any puzzle game involving multi-colored shapes that are lined up in some sort of sequence, can be traced back to Tetris.

Tetris used the incredibly simple mechanic of rotating pieces with a single button, and controlling where they fall with the D-pad. This control scheme was fluid and intuitive. Tetris was not, however, an easy game by any means. As players were required to reach a set number of combos before reaching the next round, they had to keep a close eye on how their current pieces were aligned and the blocks that were queued to drop next. This combined with the fact that the gameplay sped up with each new round challenged players to try and stay two steps ahead of the game.


With every new gaming system released, a new variant of Tetris is born. Tetris Worlds saw release on both the Gamecube and GBA, and included a variety of modes including Sticky Tetris, Cascade Tetris, and Hot-Line Tetris. Tetris DS payed homage to the old NES games of Zelda, Metroid, and Mario, and included online multiplayer modes. There has even been a Tetris variant released for the Apple iPod.

From Russia with love, Tetris saw a jump in popularity that was unheard of during the years of its heyday. Which is not to say that it is at all unpopular today, as each new game in the series performs admirably in both sales and critical reception. But the original Gameboy cartridge is the most successful game for the handheld system to date. Hexic, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Dr. Mario – all of these have Tetris to thank for their design and success.

25 Days of Christmas - #15: WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$

WarioWare Inc.: Mega Micro Game$ is a fast-paced, crazy game that asks players to play out each minigame with spur-of-the-moment reflexes. I like to think of the basic design as if someone took Mario Party, removed the board game aspect, took whatever was left and introduced it to crack cocaine. A zany experimental game that surprisingly works, WarioWare was Nintendo’s way to reinvent Mario’s rival.

Almost every character in the game is new, and each hosts a different kind of minigame collection. 9-Volt, a hardcore Nintendo fanboy, pays homage to old NES titles with minigames based on Mario, Metroid, and Punch-Out. Afro-sporting Jimmy challenges players to various sports games, including curling, hammer toss, and swimming. Each game increases speed three times per round with each character in the main story mode and includes a time limit-free ‘boss’ minigame. There are nine main story levels in total, with various side levels that offer greater challenge by restraining the player to a single life or playing through each boss fight in sequence.


The characters in the game help Wario in his dream to create his own video game company. The story is told through the various cutscenes played before and after each level. As each character has a different theme for their minigames, the levels tend to follow a similar pattern. Kat and Ana’s dojo parodies old Japanese action movies and anime. Orbulon’s story focuses on his rescue by alien rabbit-people, and is set onboard a spaceship. Each segment of the game is quirky, creative, and a little random. The game isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but I still commend it for being one of the most creative titles released for the GBA.

Going back and playing through each level a second time can unlock games that are free of time constraints. Pyoro puts players in control of a bird, catching bugs with their tongue to gain points. There is even a mock-up of Dr. Mario titled Dr. Wario. Cutscenes are also viewable after completing each level – not the most exciting inclusion, but good for a few laughs.

Wario Ware Inc.: Mega Microgame$ has spawned various sequels across each of Nintendo’s recent systems since its initial release on the GBA. While the Gamecube Wario Ware was simply a multiplayer port of the original, Wario Ware: Touched and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves offered some intriguing gameplay concepts for their respective systems. Still, the original was arguably the best of the series. Its cartoon art style, catchy soundtrack, and colorful host of characters rounded out the incredibly addictive handheld title, and gave Wario a successful game of his own.