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Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire pt.2

I talked about Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire in my introduction post, but I wanted to talk more about it in a separate post as there's still I want to talk about it, and I've barely even made a dent. So here is part 2 of why the third generation of Pokemon games are my favorite.

We talked about the fact that I like the overall designs of the Pokemon in this generation along with the legendary's as well as just enjoying the game altogether, but more specifically, I think the elite four in this generation along with the champion is one of the best examples of what an elite four should be in a Pokemon game. I talked a little bit about the game being it's own form of toughness without being too easy and too hard. It hits a balance quite nicely that gives you a challenge but nothing you can't overcome. That's especially true for this elite four, and I have lost count of how many times I have challenged the elite four in this generation. Because not only is it a good collection of battles to test you, it's a lot of fun to fight through it. And Steven is just one of the best champions ever. Definitely gives Lance something to gawk at despite Lance also being a fantastic champion. I think Steven just adds just a touch more to make him better.

Let's not forget how good the elite four music is:



I also wanted to touch more on why I think the designs of this generation are some of my favorites, and it's quite simple - they're just cool. You've got Pokemon like Ralts, Gardevoir, Sceptile, Wailord, the list just goes on and on. If I were to choose one out of the bunch as my favorite, well, I mentioned it briefly before, but it would definitely go to Blaziken. I think as far as overall design, it's a great Pokemon. But then you get to its moves. Blaze Kick alone is worthy enough of being one of my favorites moves, but I also think the Blaziken line is especially cool. Torchic is very cute and Combusken is cool enough once it learned Double Kick. Again, it is a fire Pokemon so it's certainly weaker than a lot of others, but it's got such a cool design that it's hard to pass it up when the opportunity to use it presents itself.

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Pokemon Games I Have Played vs Pokemon Games I Have Not Played

Honestly, the "vs" part doesn't really mean anything as I'm not putting these games head to head for any reason. I'm just posting about which Pokemon games I have played, and which ones I haven't, and maybe discuss a little bit about each. So:

Have Played (in no order)
Pokemon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald (obviously)
Pokemon Fire Red / Leaf Green
Pokemon Diamond / Pearl
Pokemon Heart Gold / Soul Silver
Pokemon Red / Blue / Yellow
Pokemon Green (way way back in the day)
Pokemon Black / White, Pokemon Black 2 / White 2
Pokemon X / Y
Pokemon Go
Pokemon TCG Online

Have Not Played (in no order)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team / Red Rescue Team
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness / Time
Pokemon Platinum
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire
Pokemon Sun / Moon
Pokemon Legends Arceus
Pokemon Scarlet / Violet
Pokemon Colosseum

I certainly may have missed a few here for both categories but I'm not really a big fan of the Pokemon games that aren't part of the mainline series of games. Games like Mystery Dungeon I may not even bother playing as the time has passed for me to really have any interest. Of all the games that are listen in my not played list, the one that I would probably be the most interested in is Pokemon Legends Arceus. I've seen a lot of gameplay of Scarlet and Violet and while it looks like a lot of fun, it doesn't seem like one that I'd enjoy very much. Pokemon Legends Arceus honestly looks like a fun time and one I would probably spent countless hours in. Everything from the gameplay to how the catching of Pokemon works just seems right up my alley. Of course, out of the ones that I have played, you already know which ones I would consider favorites, but if you are still curious, I've gone ahead and bolded the ones that I would most likely go back to.

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My First Experience: Pokemon Yellow

I still remember this day as if it was yesterday. It was my older brothers birthday, and my parents had gotten him the purple see through Game Boy Color with Pokemon Red. My younger brother and my birthday are in May, and as you can guess, my younger brother got a yellow Game Boy Color with Pokemon Blue, and I got a teal colored Game Boy Color with Pokemon Yellow. the minute we had all gotten our games, it was time to see who can get the better Pokemon party, and off we went. As much fun as I had playing Pokemon Yellow, I don't think either of my brothers got as attached to it as I did. To the point that I still like to play the games as they come out, whereas they pretty much have nothing to do with the game series at this point. Of course, that's how gaming goes. It's not for everybody, and not everyone is going to have the same experience. Mine however was a pretty good experience, and I always enjoyed playing Pokemon Yellow, especially since you could have a cute little Pikachu following you around everywhere which to me is amazing. There's simply nothing better than being able to take on a Pokemon world with your Pokemon right by your side.

I definitely do credit my love of these games to how my experience was with Pokemon Yellow since it was the very first hands on experience I had with the games. And then of course I went onto playing the others as they came out. Next was Pokemon Gold naturally, but we'll wait to go more into depth on that since I kind of want to talk about both Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Heart Gold at the same time. Since I love both dearly.

Pokemon Yellow will always be one of those games where even if it's ten or twenty years down the line, I will always find a way to play through it. That goes for any older generations of Pokemon because despite the games getting more fun and interesting, there's still a love to be had for the games released now over 20 years ago at this point. I certainly think the game were at their peak in the third generation as I said, and after that point I sort of just fell off, but my love of the originals and the second generation will always be there.

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Pokemon Music: My Favorite Tracks - Generation 1

I'm sort of going to combine my video game music thread idea with the Pokemon month theme to create a sub topic of Pokemon Music from every generation that I have played. There's a lot of good tracks throughout the games and I want to touch on them individually instead of collectively so that I can focus on a certain generation instead of trying to talk about too much all at once. So, obviously we are starting with the first generation. Below you will see videos with music from the games that I consider my favorites:

Trainer Battle


Champion Battle


Surfing Theme


And of course, the classic...

Pallet Town

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Pokemon Music: My Favorite Tracks - Generation 2

And now we are moving onto generation 2 music. While similar to the first generation, this generation has some standout tracks that really push the envelope as far as video game music is concerned. I'll let your ears do the talking this time:

Champion Theme


Route 29 Theme


Johto Gym Leader


While still sounding the same as the previous generation, I think this generations version of the track is so much better. Much more oomph.

Trainer Battle (Gold / Silver)


Next up is Hoenn. There'll be a lot to talk about with that one as that one has most of my favorite Pokemon tracks ever.

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Pokemon Music: My Favorite Tracks - Generation 3

We are now going to talk about my favorite tracks from my favorite generation of Pokemon: Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. Aaaaaand here we go!

Trainer Battle


Elite Four


Gym Leader


There are honestly so many that I love that this is just the start. Here's some more:

Bicycle Theme


Slateport City


Verdandurf Town


What, you want more? Sure let's keep going! This is bringing me a lot of nostalgia so I am here for it:

Surfing Theme


I just love all the music from this generation so, well...I don't need to explain myself.



I honestly still don't think I've posted enough but we'll end it on this one. I could easily post more but I think this is plenty for now.

Team Magma / Team Aqua Battle Theme

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Pokemon Music: My Favorite Tracks - Generation 3 [pt.2]

Guess what? I wasn't done talking about generation 3 music. So, let's continue:

Petalburg City


Dewford Town


Dewford Town


Mt. Pyre


Fortree City

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My Top 5 Favorite Pokemon From Generation 1

I will be doing this for the first three generation of Pokemon as I feel like I have the most knowledge of those games as far as favorite Pokemon is concerned. As the series went on, I found myself choosing favorites less and less, though that doesn't mean there aren't any that I like. I just know that most of the Pokemon that I consider favorites are definitely in the first three generations. And honestly, these lists aren't even exactly final verdicts, moreso I'm just going based on what I feel right now are my favorites from these generations. I'm sure the list would change if I were to approach the same question later on. But for now, these are the top 5 that I consider my favorites in the first generation of Pokemon games i.e. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow:

(in no particular order, other than #1)

#1: Vaporeon
If you've been reading so far, this one shouldn't be a surprise as I've mentioned several times that Vaporeon is my numero uno. For many reasons, though the main one being that I carried a Vaporeon through more games than I have with any other Pokemon. It was like having a pet of sorts, and it coming from Eevee, who resembles a cat, which is my favorite animal. It just all falls together nicely. I love the Eevee line but I love Eevee to Vaporeon the most.

#2: Pikachu
The first Pokemon game I ever played was Pokemon Yellow, so naturally Pikachu has to fall on this list. And it makes sense for it to come after my absolute favorite because well...I would definitely consider it my second favorite. Pokemon Yellow was a good time and a good way to introduce myself to the series as a whole. It was just so cool to have a Pikachu following you around. Really made the adventure feel unique and also personal. I'd play through the game again in a heartbeat.

#3: Clefable
If my memory serves me correctly, Clefable was the second Pokemon I ever trained all the way to level 100. And this was done on Pokemon Yellow, I believe. I must have caught a Clefairy in Mt. Moon and for some reason felt the need to level it all the way up. Thankfully I did because I remember Clefable being an absolute powerhouse once you leveled it all the way up. I just remember the HP and just having an overall good time using it as a main Pokemon.

#4: Snorlax
A lot of people would put Snorlax as their favorite, I'm sure. So I'm just adding to an already existing group of people. Snorlax is amazing. And the Pokemon only got better as time went on. With the introduction of leftovers as an item, it made Snorlax an absolute powerhouse to deal with. If you had one on your team though, you were wreaking havoc left and right.

#5: Mew
Mew is great. Need I say more?

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My Top 5 Favorite Pokemon From Generation 2

Moving onto the second generation:

(in no particular order)

#1: Cyndaquil
When Gold / Silver came out, I already knew that Cyndaquil was going to be my main team member, but I had not prepared myself for how cool the evolution line would be. Typhlosion on its own is a cool as design for a Pokemon, but Cyndaquil is also very very cool and very cute. I've always enjoyed going through this generation with Cyndaquil because I knew that once it evolved to Typhlosion, it'd be a good time.

#2: Pichu
The introduction of baby Pokemon changed the game forever, and man, Pichu is awesome. I already mentioned that I love Pikachu and it is a favorite of mine, but Pichu is a close second in regards to its evolution line. Which obviously that would mean Raichu is third, which is fine. Pikachu was already cute as **** but man...Pichu is greatness.

#3: Ampharos
Any time I have ever gone through any version of Pokemon Gold / Silver, I always make sure to have an Ampharos on my team. I remember looking through the strategy guide as a kid, and the screenshots always had an Ampharos on the team, along with a Mantine, which is another Pokemon I've never really used enough. So, I started using Ampharos all the time, and man, what a kickass electric type Pokemon. Along with just having an overall cool design, the moveset that comes with it is amazing. Full on electric type moves and a powerful Pokemon at that. Good times using it in both Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Heart Gold.

#4: Ho-Oh
It's definitely hard to choose a favorite out of the two legendary birds in this generation, but I'm going to go with Ho-Oh since I played the game with his likeness on it. I'm sure the opposite would also be true had I played Silver originally instead of Gold. But as it stands, I think Ho-Oh takes it but by just a little bit. Lugia is in its own league but unfortunately does not make my top 5. Top 10 maybe.

#5: Shuckle
Shuckle is an interesting one because it wasn't originally one of my favorites. For a long time, actually. It wasn't until somebody broke it down and basically described why Shuckle is a powerhouse. And man, Shuckle really is a powerhouse. You wouldn't think it by looking at it but having a Shuckle on your team was definitely a good idea given that its defense stat is defaulted to 230. Which basically means its nearly unkillable. Put it on your team and watch it just sweep other teams.

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My Top 5 Favorite Pokemon From Generation 3

You already saw this coming. Let's dive in!

(in no particular order)

#1: Torchic
Much like Vaporeon, this one shouldn't really be a surprise. I tried to see which out of Torchic and Blaziken I wanted to put on this list, and putting Torchic on the list just made more sense. Blaziken is a great Pokemon be it rather weak in the late game. But Torchic as a Pokemon with a cute design and everything else, it has to definitely be my favorite from the generation. But again, it's hard to say what I would answer with some time passing. As it currently stands, Torchic takes this spot.

#2: Furret
Going solely based on cuteness, both Zigzagoon and Furret take this, but I like Furret just a little bit more. It's a simple design but it works. It's a Pokemon you can get relatively early in a playthrough and it's honestly a lot of fun to have on the team. Once it gets higher level, it becomes a lot more useful, but definitely don't put a blind eye on Furret just because it's an early achievable Pokemon. Definitely an asset to any team.

#3: Ralts
Again, it really wouldn't surprise me to find out that a lot of people favorites is Ralts. As it is a pretty unique Pokemon that you find out about early on. And you can actually catch it in the same place as you find it for the first time. It's evolution line is great and it got better as time went on. Gardevoir is just a beast on its own but as a whole, it's a really cool and fun evolution line to use throughout your playthrough.

#4: Seedot
Just a very small and cute Pokemon. Pretty weak, but fun to use.

#5: Swampert
As much as I like Mudkip, I think Swampert takes this one. Specifically because I remember really liking muddy water as a move, and when Swampert has that move, hes nearly unstoppable. I carried Swampert through the elite four many times on one of my Pokemon Ruby playthroughs. Nearly unstoppable and super powerful.