The BEST Pokemon of all time

After nearly thirty years, the Pokemon franchise has created the single greatest Pokemon to ever exist. This is a Pokemon that has never seen defeat, that can only be wielded by the most dedicated trainers in existence. To even obtain this Pokemon requires a level of commitment that is completely alien to all but the most passionate, dedicated, and obsessed players in the world. I speak, of course, of the legendary Hatedisc.

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Ranking the Tiny Bird Pokemon

 Every Pokemon Generation has its Tiny Bird Pokemon: little birds that you can get before the first gym battle that stay on your team for a while, and then they evolve into bigger birds. These Tiny Birds are staples of the franchise, just like Starters are. But which one's the best, and which one's the worst? That's the question I'm answering today!

The rules are extremely simple: they must be Flying type Pokemon that look like birds, and they HAVE to be capturable BEFORE the first gym or game equivalent. Let's begin!

Ranking the Normal Type Common Pokemon

 Normal Type Common Pokemon: they're all Normal type, they're pretty common, and you'll be sick of seeing them by the time you hit the second Gym in whatever game you're playing. But how do they rank? Which one's the worst, which one's the best? THAT is what we're here for today! And remember: this is an OPINION piece!

To qualify for this list, we establish three rules: First, the Pokemon must be Normal type. Second, it must have an encounter rate over 35%. Thirdly, they must ALL be capable of being encountered BEFORE the first gym (or in Alola's case, the first Trial). Sorry, Audino!

Side note: the Common Flying Type rankings will be saved for a future entry.

My take on Pokemon Legends: Arceus

I've been obsessed with Pokemon Legends: Arceus for the past two days, playing it every chance I get, to the point that I have to force myself to put it down! I'm not gonna waste any words here; this may well be the BEST Pokemon game I've played since frickin' Pokemon Gold!!!

6 More ancient animals that could make great Pokemon

You know what this is. Let's get to it.

My Bottom Eleven Pokemon Gym Leaders

These are the eleven Pokemon Gym Leaders whom I hate the most. Not because they're cheap, not because I have trouble beating them, but because they disappoint me. Some have embarassing rosters, while others offer no challenge whatsoever. In Ascending order...

Why Didn't Pokemon Die Off?

In the year 1999, Pokemon was literally EVERYWHERE. Toys, card games, TV shows, a movie in theatres, TIME magazine's cover, the works. Exasperated parents kept telling themselves "this will fade away with time" and prepared their boxes to store away all the Pokemon memorabilia they spent ungodly amounts of hard earned money on for their kids. Nineteen years later, while not to the same extent as it was in the 90's, Pokemon is STILL huge. What happened?

Toys R Us- A Memory

So with Toys R Us, a store that specialized in toys (and which formed an integral part of millions of people's childhoods) closing yesterday, I've decided to share a memory from that store.

It was around the year 2000, during the second year of Pokemania. Toys R Us was the place to be if you were a Pokemon fanatic thanks to the Pokemon League, a special activity hosted every Saturday where kids could join up and play the Pokemon Trading Card Game. My little brother and I were obsessed with Pokemon, and we both played the TCG. We weren't good at it, though. We were also from a family with a tight budget, so our funds to buy the cards were limited. But we were happy.

One particular Saturday we were playing Pokemon TCG in Toys R Us. The place was PACKED! Every hallway there were kids playing Pokemon TCG, trading cards, battling it out with Pokemon cards. And from the speakers one could listen to the Pokemon anime soundtrack 2 B A Master. It was great.

One November evening of that same year, as we were out shopping at Toys R Us for my little brother's birthday gift, I caught sight of a game. Not just any game, but one I wanted for a while now: Pokemon Gold. I was SHOCKED! I begged my mom to buy it for me, and she obliged. We brought that game home, and I played the SHIT out of it! I remember my first Starter: Totodile. I've played and re-played Pokemon Gold hundreds of times, to the point it's become the second Pokemon game I've replayed the most. For the record, the Pokemon game I've replayed most is Pokemon Red.

And that's my memory.

The Top 5 Most Annoying Wild Pokemon to Catch

You read the title, you know what this is. We'll be going in ascending order, counting down to the most annoying wild Pokemon to catch, EVER!

7 Ancient Animals that Would Make Great Pokemon

You've read the title, so you know what this is. I'll introduce the animal first and then explain just what type of Pokemon it could be. Most, but not ALL of these entries, could be Fossil Pokemon. Let's begin!

Can any Pokemon Generation be considered the best?

Ask an old-school Pokemon fan which Genration was the best, and they'll say "the first." And of course they have every reason to think so, as the First Generation was the most culturally visible and relevant of ALL Pokemon generations, to the point they're the only Pokemon commonly known. But if we were to take a step back from the Nostalgia and the personal bias, could we honestly answer the question of which Generation was objectively the BEST?

My Top 11 Pokemon Gym Leaders

You've read the title, so you know what you're reading. These are my favorite Gym Leaders in the entire Pokemon Franchise. But since Sun and Moon doesn't include traditional Gyms, I have counted the Trial Captains and Kahunas as Gym Leaders. Let's get started...

My Personal Rankings of Pokemon Types: From Favorite to Least

OK, you've read the title, so you know what you're getting into. I'll rank my favorite Pokemon typings from the one I like most to the one I like least, and I'll of course explain why. Also, I'll add at least ONE Pokemon from each typing that I like, as well as a favorite move of this typing.

My Favorite Pokemon per Generation

Whereas last time I made a list of my LEAST favorite Pokemon, today I'm sharing something more positive: a list of the Pokemon I love most. Like last time, it's one per Generation. Of course I'll be explaining why I love each of these Pokemon, and unlike last time, I'll add at least three "Runner ups."

My Least Favorite Pokemon per Generation

Everyone has a Pokemon they love; likewise, everyone has a Pokemon they absolutely loathe. This is a list of the Pokemon I dislike most, per Generation.

How Pokemon Gold and Silver Improved the Franchise

The Pokemon fandom is plagued by "Gen Oners" or those who believe the First Generation (Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow) were the best games in the series and everything that came after was crap. Personally, I would be inclined to agree with them, if I were as blinded by nostalgia as they were. It is no secret that I adore the First Generation of Pokemon. But, I believe it is the Second Generation (Gold, Silver, Crystal) that really brought the franchise to new heights. Allow me to explain how.

Is Pokemania Back?

Some of my readers might be too young to remember Pokemania, when Pokemon was dominating pop culture and was literally everywhere. Pokemon toys in Burger King, Pokemon trading cards, Pokemon events in Toys-R-Us, the Pokemon movie opening to PACKED theaters, list goes on. Pokemania came in 1999, died out sometime around 2001. But now, thanks to Pokemon Go, the franchise is back again in the Mainstream Media. Question: is Pokemania back?

A Quick Reminder for Pokemon Go Players

It seems to me like Pokemon Go has become the smash hit of 2016! Half my Twitter feed has been nothing but people commenting on the game. "Oh, I found a Geodude on the plane!" "I found a Magikarp in my backyard!" And honestly, this is good! I'm glad people are out there having fun! This year has been especially hard, and it seems like every other week we're getting nothing but bad news. If it's not a beloved celebrity dying, it's a mass shooting, or a terrorist attack, or a murder. Maybe that's why we distract ourselves with video games.

But remember, people: real life is still going on out there. As you play Pokemon Go, the world still spins around, and life still goes on. The world doesn't stop for you to catch that Vulpix in the church yard, or that Mewtwo in Vatican City, or that Pidgey in your toilet. Life still goes on.

Here's a sobering fact: children are still dying in Syria, Daesh is still killing people, there are still thousands of killings a day all around the world, and you're out there playing Pokemon Go. And why not play? Why not cover our ears and eyes to that which we can do nothing about? We each struggle in our lives; why add the miseries of others to our own?

I am reminded of something I once heard. When God confronted Cain over Abel's death, Cain asked "Am I my brother's keeper?" A wise man once told me that the rest of the Bible answers that question: yes, you are. We all are our brother's keepers. In all of us lays a responsibility to make the world just a bit better than how we found it.

And how can we make the world a bit better? Simply put, we can't; not in a grand scale, anyway. We can't end the war in Syria and the Levant just like that, we can't end world hunger from one night to the next, and racism in the US, Europe, and all around the world will NOT be going away any time soon. But what we CAN do is practice kindness.

A kind word here, a helping hand there, it can make the difference in someone else's day. In a world where cruelty is law, kindness is rebellion. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

Just for Fun- A Few Pokemon Ideas

Man, with GamerGate, #NotYourShield, Quinnspiracy, and all this controversy surrounding gamers, it feels like we're living in a crossroads of destiny, where what we do today will decide the fate of our subculture. So today, here's something just for fun: a small list of animals that NEED to have Pokemon designed off of them.

Pokemon versus Nostalgia

The year was 1998, when I first  heard of Pokemon, and needless to say, I caught the bug. Back then, there were two Pokemon games: Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue. I asked for the Red version because it impressed me more. The generation that was first introduced to Pokemon is all grown up now, facing the world, building the future, so many of us feel nostalgic for old Pokemania. Even today, the first generation is still held up in high regard, still talked about. It is the first generation that has the most famous Pokemon creepypastas (creepy stories that are spread through the Internet), including the story Jessica (about a Pikachu from Pokemon Yellow that becomes sapient), the Lavender Town Syndrome (about how the background theme to a town in Pokemon caused dozens of children to commit suicide) and even the original Pokemon Black (about a haunted game cartridge where the Pokemon were murdered by a mysterious entity known as Ghost, that the player controlled). Yet, why? Why all this nostalgia?

No feels, please