Brain Full of Games

Apologies for my absence; work has been difficult and I’m currently partaking in the Global Game Jam (my first!). It was not easy breaking myself out of my little Animal Crossing update binge, but I finally got back to my Crystal version play through. Where we left off, I was kicking Rocket Grunts out of a basement in Mahogany. This, of course, leads us back to Goldenrod City and the source of the Rocket broadcast: the Radio Tower.

Mirroring the Silph Co. quest of the first gen games, the Radio Tower is a pit of Rattata battles. I don’t remember the Gen 1 version of this having so many stages (the hideout, then the tower, then the warehouse basement, then back to the Radio Tower…), but maybe that means I need to return to Gen 1 after this. Also, the 7th gym was stuck in the middle there (very easy compared to the last two… and now I’m wondering if I did them in the ‘wrong’ order? I guess this is like Gen 1 in that there not really a definitive order? But this game seemed like it was almost ‘forcing’ an order because the gym was blocked until I cleared the hideout).

The going is slow. But there is only one gym left before the Elite Four, so I guess I am getting close. Oh! And I saw Raikou in the wild! As soon as I get another 10 levels and teach everyone scary face, I’ll start hunting that bad boy.

The first time I played Gen 2, I did not know that I would really be able to see Kanto after defeating the Pokémon League; this was a whisper, a playground rumor, and something it did not occur to me to look up on the internet (I did not really understand the uses of the internet until I was 9 or 10, and then made great use of IGN, GameFAQs, and various fan sites for tips and tricks). But arriving in Kanto and realizing that I still had a long way to go after defeating the Elite Four was one of the most exciting moments of my young life.

Well, now I know. Which is why I’m having trouble committing to a party- there is just so much of the game left for me to play through with only 7 badges. But I know I have to make a decision, so here is my first planned party, which I will take through at least to the Elite Four:

Cyndaquil – my starter – Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Iron Tail, Swift? or Hyper Beam?
Cubone – Whack – my talisman Pokemon; I feel a real kinship with this little guy. Bonemerang, Dynamic Punch, Thrash, and Headbutt
Butterfree – another favorite I love to bring to the end because it’s just kinda funny. Big bug. Confusion, Psybeam, Sleep powder, Nightmare.
Umbreon – probably my favorite Eeveelution. Nick-named after my husband (: Bite, Feint attack, Toxic, Shadowball
Gengar – Haunter is my favorite but for completion I always evolve him. Hypnosis, Dream eater, Nightshade, Destiny bond.
Vileplume – love onions. I was an onion in a past life. Sleep powder, solarbeam, Acid, moonlight.

Big on status afflictions like poison, but as is probably clear I love putting bitches to SLEEP. I hate when my Pokémon get hit!

Between a funeral, a visit to see some family, a cosplay I need to finish this week, my birthday!!, and the drop of the Outward 2 play test into my Steam library, I think I am going to be taking a long hiatus at least from Pokémon Crystal and maybe also from blog posts, at least until mid-February. See you on the other side!