The Pokemon Company International has announced that a national mall tour will take place across the US in February and March to celebrate the release of Pokemon Black and White versions.

 

The tour will include demos of Pokemon Black and White, special free movie theatre screenings of Zoroark: Master of Illusions and a scavenger hunt to collect stamps and win prizes. It also confirms the distribution of Celebi at GameStop stores, which was rumoured earlier this month.

 

The dates and locations are as follows:

 

February 5th and 6th:
· Seattle, WA (Westfield Southcenter, Seattle, WA)
· Cleveland, OH (Westfield SouthPark, Strongsville, OH)

 

February 12th and 13th:
· San Jose, CA (Westfield Oakridge, San Jose, CA)
· Memphis, TN (Wolfchase Galleria, Memphis, TN)

 

February 19th and 20th:
· Los Angeles, CA (Westfield Santa Anita, Arcadia, CA)
· Indianapolis, IN (Castleton Square, Indianapolis, IN)

 

February 26th and 27th:
· Denver, CO (Town Center at Aurora, Aurora, CO)
· Philadelphia, PA (Franklin Mills, Philadelphia, PA)

 

March 5th and 6th:
· Minneapolis, MN (Mall of America®, Bloomington, MN)
· *New York, NY (Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, NJ)
*Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th

 

March 12th and 13th:
· Dallas, TX (Grapevine Mills, Grapevine, TX)
· Atlanta, GA (Discover Mills, Lawrenceville, GA)

 

March 19th and 20th:
· Phoenix, AZ (Arizona Mills, Tempe, AZ)
· Jacksonville, FL (Orange Park Mall, Orange Park, FL)

 

Source: Pokemon.com

 

Click to read the full press release

 

Pokedex Information

Name: Sceptile

Type: Grass

Abilities: Overgrow

Evolutionary Stage: 3 (Final)

~

ASB Information

Cost to Obtain: $40

Cost Effectiveness Ratio: 26.67

 

Stats

Attack Bracket: 2

Special Attack Bracket: 1

Defense Bracket: 3

Special Defense Bracket: 2

Average Stat Bracket: 2

 
Sceptile, the fastest Grass starter, joined the Pokemon scene in Generation III.

It is the fastest Grass type available in the ASB, and is the only grass type Pokemon capable of learning Dragon Claw, Dragonbreath and Dragon Pulse. While the speed certainly make it a good asset in fighting fast water types, the speed comes at the price of defense. The Defense Bracket is only average, which would make it difficult to use Sceptile in a highly competitive manner.

Sceptile can, however, dish out quite a bit of damage with its high offensive stats. Not only can Sceptile make decent use of its trademark move Leaf Blade, it can also use strong Special attacks to fit with the high Special Attack Bracket that it has been placed into.

For example, Magical Leaf, Leaf Storm, Giga Drain and Solar Beam would all do quite a bit of damage to opponents while still making good use of both the Special Attack Bracket and the STAB bonus that Sceptile gets from these moves. Grass type moves notwithstanding, Sceptiles high Special Attack can also be used for moves such as Razor Wind, and all the Dragon moves it can learn mentioned above.

Overall, Sceptile fits in among similar Pokemon such as Houndoom (which also has identical stats), Granbull, Wailmer, Torkoal and Cacturne to name a few. This certainly puts it above many pokemon stat wise. For the cost, the stats are certainly worth the payment.

While the defensive capabilities of Sceptile are limited, this is common to speedy pokemon, which balances the offset in stats nicely. Sceptile is a hit-and-run fighter, hoping not to catch too many damaging strikes in the process. As there are few Grass type pokemon which can claim the high stats that Sceptile has, it is a nice addition to any team which is looking for grass power.

 

The Official Nintendo Magazine UK has revealed the European release date for Pokemon Black and White as March 4th, two days before the US release on March 6th.

 

It has also been announced that Pokemon Black and White will be released in Australia and New Zealand on March 10th.

 

Such a close release across continents has not taken place since Gold and Silver versions and is great for fans outside of the US. For example, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were released over 2 months later in Australia and 3 months in Europe.

 

Sources: Official Nintendo Magazine UK, Official Australian BW Website

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone is dashing forward as we continue through the new year. Time for quick break with a few laughs!
 

Pokemon Comics

 
Just Gotta – Sometimes, it’s just hard to get past first impressions.

Pebble Version – Are we talking Fahrenheit or Celsius?

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Tales – Vine Gavel. I like it.

Pokemon-X – I don’t understand anything.

Pokemon Zirconia – If the Pokemon games taught me anything, it’s that you never run away from fighting Team Rocket, our age-old nemesis.

Pokeyman: Revolution – Rocket Politicians. Truly the lowest of creatures.

Shinka: The Last Eevee – I may be wrong, but I think we’re looking at a cute budding romance.

Stuff of Legend – Mightyena may be fast, but it can’t counter Hariyama’s might.
 

Contact

 
If you know of any Pokemon comics or other regularly-updated works, please let me know. You can contact me on the Forum.
 
Also, check out our list of actively updated Pokemon Comics!

I am sure we have all heard those idioms: “one decision you make can impact the rest of your life”. I always believed in such statements, but I never really realized what they meant until pretty recently when I began to look back.
 

Pokemon Journey

 
My Pokémon journey began in 1997, with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue in the United States. I quickly acquired a copy of Pokémon Red, and fell in love with the franchise. While I was never particularly good at Pokémon at that point in my life (took me two days to figure out how to go outside), I was in love with this new world. I stuck with it.

Fast forward a few years, and I’m in 4th grade. I was eagerly awaiting my copy of Pokémon Gold and Silver. To bide my time, I sat around, looking at screenshots from Pokémon.com.

I remember the moment perfectly. It was a screen shot of Ethan (then Gold) facing south. He was standing near the entrance of the Ilex Forest, in Johto. I gasped at the “vibrant” 16-bit shades of green, seeing a new hero in a brand new land. It inspired me.

“I want to make other kids feel like I just felt. I want to make these games too.”

And it was right there, that I wanted to become a video game designer. Of course, being in the fourth grade and being restricted to the dial-up connection in school, I had no means of realizing what went into video game design. I vowed that I would learn and one day work at Game Freak.

“Read More”

David Ewalt of Forbes managed to try out the Nintendo 3DS at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. According to him, the system is compelling, but has some downsides.
 

Announced last spring at the E3 expo, the 3DS capitalizes on one of the hottest trends in consumer electronics: 3-dimensional video. But unlike the 3D movies you might catch in a theater, or even the 3D televisions sold by companies like Panasonic or Philips, the 3DS doesn’t require a pair of dorky glasses. Instead, the device’s top screen produces an autostereoscopic three-dimensional image, displaying multiple views that your eyes perceive as having real depth.

Today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I got to play with a 3DS for the first time, trying different pieces of software, including an augmented reality card game. So far, I’m impressed and excited –though I do have a few reservations.

First and foremost, the 3D is extremely cool. Since you’re not wearing special glasses, it feels very natural and real, like the image on the screen has actual depth, and you could poke your finger into it. A small slider switch lets you adjust the false depth of the image, so you can turn the 3D off entirely, or tweak it to your particular eyesight.

In one game, Pilotwings Resort, I controlled a Mii wearing a rocket belt, and had to fly around a landscape, navigating obstacles and popping balloons by colliding with them. The gameplay was simple and intuitive, the rockets easily controlled by the device’s new analog input pad. And the 3D interface was simply perfect for flight simulation –I was actually flying around things, not just to the left or right of them.

That said, the augmented reality has some issues. The 3DS wants you to keep a distance of about 30 inches from the card, and every time I pulled too far away, it would pause the game. That happened a lot. Admittedly, this was my first time playing, but it’s clear the augmented reality feature will only work within a limited range of movement.

Limited movement is also an issue with the 3D screen overall. Thanks to the depth slider button, you can easily hold the device anywhere from a few inches from your eyes all the way to full arms-length, and still get the 3D effect. But tilt it to the left or right, or move it towards one side of your body or another, and the screen goes blurry. This device must be held pretty much straight in front of you, and I can see where that would be tiring.

And while I didn’t play with the 3DS for much more than twenty minutes, I do worry about how much eyestrain it will cause over extended use. Nintendo’s already warned that children under the age of six shouldn’t use the 3D feature, since it could cause vision problems. I wonder if a grownup wouldn’t develop at least temporary strains or pains, if they played for a couple hours or more.

Still, it’s hard to argue with how well the 3D works. I watched a short series of animated video clips on the device and they looked great. I can’t wait to see the original games developed for this format. Nintendo has also made deals with movie studios to put 3D movies on the device, and I think they’ll be popular.

 
Source: Forbes

As you may know, most fire type attacks are based on high temperature flames shooting towards the opponent. But how are these flames produced, and could science eventually produce these kinds of special animals? Are there even logical explanations for this type of moves?

First, let’s define flames, and the origin of the hot temperatures involved. Fire is nothing else than a visible effect of a chemical reaction of a fuel with oxygen. The heat coming from a fire is nothing more than the energy released when breaking down molecules, and forming new ones. Though, for something to ignite, a minimum temperature must be present.

As an example, let’s use the burning of methane (CH4) gas. When releasing about 1 liter of this gas in a room with about 2 liters of oxygen, nothing is going to happen. The mixture will only ignite, when there’s, let’s say, a burning match thrown in. The room will show some signs of a fire being lit, and once the fire has died out, the room will be filled with carbon dioxide and water. So basically, almost every fire involves a fuel, oxygen and a minimum temperature. If one of these isn’t present, nothing will happen.

Now, how about applying this theory on fire Pokemon? For this explanation, a Charmander shall be used. Charmander is, as you may know, a lizard with a burning flame on the tip of his tail. Now the question arises: Where does a small creature get the 3 factors needed to create a fire?

“Read More”

Mel Turnquist of Narragansett Patch wrote about how Pokemon Blue was one of the best Christmas presents she received and how Pokemon changed her life.
 

I’ve had the great fortune to have some awesome Christmas presents, ranging from video game systems, musical instruments, other toys and cute stuffed animals, and the occasional awesome bits of clothing.

However, when I think back to what may have been the best gift I’ve ever received, well, that’s a loaded question.

I’m not gonna lie. I think probably in terms of impact on who I was in high school and who I am today, the best gift I’ve received was actually a Game Boy Pocket and Pokemon Blue.

To go along with the story of how I got into the Pokemon trend, I must also tell the tale of how I came to the acceptance of my own loser status and inherent dorkiness and how everything changed once I realized that.

When the games first hit the USA in 1998, I was a lonely, shy and hypersensitive 13-year-old starting up eighth grade at the Pier School. I was picked on by my fellow classmates due to a poorly-advised haircut, giant glasses, unfortunate weight gain and a tendency to dress like a boy. (I liked comfort over style).

I didn’t have many friends because of this and I began my struggles with depression (something which I still deal with to this day). I was upset and frustrated because I wasn’t sure what I wanted.

So from this standpoint, my introduction to Pokemon couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Read More”

John Funk of The Escapist wrote an interesting article regarding his own Pokemon experiences including the difficulty of catching every single Pokemon and the problem of cheating to accomplish this feat.
 

Once upon a time, I caught ‘em all. I had every single PokĂ©mon – every starter, every evolution, every legendary – from every generation of the series. My collection was complete; I was a true PokĂ©mon master.

Once upon a time, I was a cheater.

At their core, the PokĂ©mon games are all about capturing wild monsters, training them and battling with them. Though the series initially sported the tagline “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” Nintendo never seemed inclined to let players do just that. With every successive “generation” of PokĂ©mon games, the roster swelled with the addition of new characters: Gold and Silver versions (Generation II) added a hundred more to bring the total number of monsters to 251, and Ruby and Sapphire versions (Generation III) took it even higher, to 386 potential characters to catch.

By the time I cheated my way through PokĂ©mon Pearl, the series was on its fourth generation, with a staggering 493 monsters in total to catch. If that were the only barrier, it would be a problem that could simply be solved with enough time and effort. Unfortunately, it was – and still is – quite literally impossible to catch every single one if a player is just playing through the game normally.

Mew, the secret 151st pocket monster – barely mentioned in the game – was the PokĂ©mon series’ first impossible hurdle. Every other challenge was surmountable if you put in enough time and knew the right people to trade with, but Mew, the tiny pink psychic cat-thing, was only given out to people who attended rare official Nintendo events and could not actually be caught in the game.

For a series that started its life under the catchphrase “Gotta catch ‘em all,” the PokĂ©mon franchise goes out of it way to make doing just that as complicated as possible.

Having these all-but-unobtainable PokĂ©mon makes it all the more rewarding when you finally catch one against all odds. I think back to the summer I worked at the PokĂ©mon Center store in New York City (now Nintendo World), where we had a special machine that would give out one of the rare legendaries – at the time, Jirachi or Deoxys. I remember watching kids from all over the country who rushed up to the machine with their parents in tow and hooked up their GBA, and I remember how overjoyed they looked to get their hands on this digital treat that they’d maybe heard about in school or online.

I cheated to get my Jirachi. I cheated to get my Deoxys. My friend let me borrow a hackable GBA cartridge that I used to whip up PokĂ©mon from the aether and transfer them into my DS game, tricking it into thinking they were real. When all was said and done, I wore no such overjoyed expression. I’d manipulated numbers, that was all – and numbers were all I had to show for it.

There was no effort in what I’d done, only time spent. A machine or a clever computer program could have done the same thing. There was none of the thrill of a desperate battle as the legendary PokĂ©mon resisted all of your attempts to capture it – and none of the elation when that PokĂ©ball finally clicked shut. With no challenge in the catching, there was no reward. In my quest to be a PokĂ©mon master, I’d ended up missing the point entirely, and done something I would have never considered doing in Super Mario or Banjo-Kazooie. I wanted to collect things – now, I merely had them.

Once upon a time, I caught ‘em all.

I really wish I hadn’t.

 
Source: The Escapist

Happy New Year! Let’s celebrate the beginning of 2011 with a few hearty laughs of merry cheer!
 

Pokemon Comics

 
Just Gotta – She must be pretty powerful to control a Legendary. Do Pokemon really have a chance?

Manly Guys Doing Manly Things – The true Spirit of Christmas, Scrooge, is flying on a Gyrados!

Pebble Version – Don’t worry, I think your spleen broke my fall.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Tales – Quick battle through Quick Attack! Get it? Anyone? Anyone? *Laughs at his own pun.*

Pokeyman: Revolution – Ah yes, gossip. The #1 Source for News.

Shinka: The Last Eevee – To be fair, would accidentally walking into the grass actually be bad? They are Pokemon after all.

Stuff of Legend – People say fight fire with fire. Pokemon trainers know better. Fight dark with fighting!

The Pointless Awesome – YEAAAAH!
 

Contact

 
If you know of any Pokemon comics or other regularly-updated works, please let me know. You can contact me on the Forum.
 
Also, check out our list of actively updated Pokemon Comics!