Gaming in the New Year

Thank God it’s Friday here at The Magical Mystery Blog.

A new year is upon us to accomplish many things, do activities we always wanted to do, and make our lives as interesting as possible. Yesterday I managed to achieve something I've wanted to do since Christmas Day: defeat Pokemon Y. Pokemon Y is the latest game of the Pokemon franchise and hosts the sixth generation of Pokemon. This new generation includes Pokemon you grew up with as well as seventy new creatures which is a total of over 700 pocket monsters to capture, train, and play with.

I honestly wanted this game for nostalgia, the incredible graphics, the fantastic gameplay, and to see how my favorite childhood game has advanced over the years. This game did not disappoint me on any of those levels and I was satisfied through and through. Here are a few things I specifically love about Pokemon Y.

5) Music

At first, the music for this was all right. It was your typical battle jingle and victory music. But as you face the gym leaders, Team Flare, and the Elite Four, the themes transcend and evolve into excellent tunes. From what I’ve seen and heard, tons of fans seem to enjoy Lysandre’s battle theme the best. Frankly, I can see why: it’s a mix of wayward insanity, jarring evil, and badassery.  As for myself, I enjoy the Champion’s combat music because it pumps you up for the battle to end all battles, it beckons you to strive towards victory, and it fits the Champion’s character perfectly.

4) Mega Evolution

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Behold the ultimate power of Blastoise with three cannons!

One of the most anticipated features of this game prior to its release was mega evolution. This concept is given to only a few select Pokemon in which they hold a stone that temporarily enhances them. In this advancement, they have the power of a t-rex tearing through an enormous cube made of titanium bricks and bacon (which is epically powerful). They also get a new look so Blastoise becomes Mega Blastoise, Gardevoir becomes Mega Gardevoir, and so on.  As a long awaited feature of the game, it made me feel like I had the power of the Pokeworld in my hands and nothing could stop it.

3) Pokemon Amie

In the Pokemon movies and shows we see trainers interacting with their Pokemon outside combat. As a child, we probably wished for something like this to happen to us. To be able to play with a Vulpix or surf on the back of a Lapras, it would have been excellent. Some of us to this day still wish for that fantasy to become a reality. In Pokemon X and Y, we are presented with Pokemon Amie, a program that allows us to play with our Pokemon. The more you play with your Pokemon, the more they will interact with you in combat. This is the closest we have ever gotten to fulfilling our childhood wishes and it’s heartwarming. We get to pet our Pokemon, feed them, and even play mini games with them.  We are given the opportunity to see our Pokemon smile and feed them as they cry in content.  What’s even better is if you have Lapras use Surf, you will actually ride a Lapras on the water, and not some cluster of pixels.

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Surfing on Lapras before....(Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire)

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Surfing and fishing on Lapras after....(Pokemon X/Y)

2) The Graphics

These aren't your 1996 graphics where everything was one primary color in variant shades. Pokemon’s graphics changed with the years and for their new game, they took no chances. They spent hours creating 3D models for each Pokemon and making them move. On top of that, the settings they had to design for this game took days, hours, minutes, and nanoseconds. The results are utterly beautiful and by far, some of the best graphics I've seen. 

1) The Memories

As I've mentioned before, I bought this game for nostalgia. I’m a nostalgic and sentimental person even though I know it’s unhealthy to live in the past and that life only goes forward.  While I do move on with life, there are just some things that never leave me. One of those things happens to be Pokemon. The games always intrigued me because they drew me in, allowed me to combat without the sight of blood or be extremely violent, and gave me some wonderful memories. When I play Pokemon Y, I’m reminded of all the reasons why I fell in love with Pokemon.

How do you feel about the new Pokemon X/Y game? Love it? Hate it? Would never play it? Feel free to leave your thoughts below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Also if you like what you see here and want to get to know me better, check out my tumblr at #vannillafudge or this link: http://vannillafudge.tumblr.com/. 

Countdown to a New Year

Greetings everyone to a post Christmas version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

I hope all your Christmases were fantastic and that you received many gifts from Santa, Krampus, Cthulu, Sandy Claws, or someone you know and love. My Christmas was filled with food and presents, most of which were clothes, antiques, and a few games. But now a new year is just around the bend and with it comes hopes of a new life to be lived, new resolutions to follow through with, and changes to lifestyles, homes, and more. Below are my top three New Year’s resolutions.

3. Getting in the Field

This past year I graduated as a Communications major with a Writing minor from New Jersey’s distinctive college. Since then I have been doing casino marketing work and putting some of my degree to use. However, as much as I love my current job, I would like to get into writing, preferably for a newspaper. I've been taught to create excellent profile stories, press releases, and other forms of writing. I have the skills, it’s just a matter of finding a place that will give me a chance.

2. Live

If there’s one thing I believe in, it’s that we have one life to live. Given this one chance, we might as well use it to our full advantage, and live every day as though there’s no tomorrow.  Going through college I started to live the best I could – embracing the fun moments when they presented themselves, embarking on trips to places I've never been to before, and many other activities. I began to see the wonders of life, the elation of spontaneous moments, and the beauty of random adventures. With my college days over, I want to continue living, and experience everything life has to offer me. I've even created a bucket list to guide me on the life I want to live. So far, I've knocked a few things off the list and I don’t plan to stop.

1. Work

I’ll admit I’m a bit of a procrastinator which can be a cursing or a blessing for me. But what qualifies as ‘work’ for me might be considered as a hobby for others. My work entails crafting short stories, honing novels, and basically, writing. It’s my dream to become an author, not for the fame or money, but for the concepts of being remembered for fantastic writing, and bringing joy to people.

I grew up reading constantly, always hungry for more, and having a strong admiration for creating and writing.  My New Year’s resolution is to keep working and aiming to get a book out filled with a few short stories and some poems within the next year.

What are your New Year’s resolutions? Feel free to leave them below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed. 

Gonna Catch 'Em All

Along with Futurama ending this past week, we have received some other nerdy news. This tidbit of information has excited gamers everywhere, sparking nostalgia, and causing a tsunami of elation.

In approximately a month, the world will be obtaining the latest Pokemon game, Pokemon X or Y. This is the sixth generation of Pokemon, complete with creatures never seen before, and many others we've grown up with. This past summer, we've had great chunks of exciting news about this game including mega evolutions, Pokemon Amie, trainer customization, and the new fairy type.

However, on September 4^th, 2013 we have been greatly informed about something completely different in the new Pokemon world. We will receive our new starter (our choice of Chespin (Grass), Fennekin (Fire), and Froakie (Water)) along with a first gen starter. That’s right, you’ll be able to get your hands on Charmander (Fire), Bulbasaur (Grass), or Squirtle (Water). Not only that but if you purchase the game before January, you’ll receive a free Torchic with a mega evolution stone. So technically, you get three starters. 

But wait, there’s more.

Your first gen starter can now mega evolve. So Blastoise is now Mega Blastoise with three cannons, crafted for being invincibly epic. 

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Charizard is now Mega Charizard with dragonesque details, made for dominating the Pokemon world. 

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Venusaur is now Mega Venusaur with a flower for beauty, designed for ruling the battlefields.

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I feel as though this is the most prominent information because we not only receive a whole new world of Pokemon but we are joined with our old friends from the very first game. We can relive the adventure we had experienced when we first played this excellent game. Not only will we gain new memories of this brand new Pokemon experience but we will do it with nostalgia by our side, reminding us of what we grew up with, and how the past combines with the future.

As for myself, this new knowledge has made me even more excited to get my hands on Pokemon X. For me, Pokemon is a trip down memory lane and a treat for my inner gamer.  Over the years, I've watched this pixilated game premiere and evolve into tons of generations.  With every release, I've witnessed new creatures form and more features added to game play. Throughout my life, I've crafted a collection of Pokemon games that I’m glad to call my own. Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, and Fire Red.

In my twenties, I started to sample the adult life. Bills, jobs, and responsibilities tumbled onto my plate like a mountain of waffles throughout my college years. However, the memories of Pokemon lived on through conversations and friendship.Yet in the midst of laughter and Pokemon teams, a fire flared up. This flickering flame made me question if I was too old for Pokemon; if it was time to put away childish things and grow up. So I packed up my Nintendo DS, stowed away my games in the basement, and carried on as if Pokemon never existed.

When news of Pokemon X and Y came to light, my inner gamer bounced in delight. With every new morsel of information, my internal gamer was filled with more excitement. A new Pokemon game where you could interact with your Pokemon like it was your pet, an even further evolution, and more new beasts to capture and train. It was as though my childhood got an upgrade and my gamer wanted in. I dug out the old DS, brought out my old games, and picked up where I left off.

As I played through my games, I realized I couldn't abandon this series. It had been with me since childhood, adolescence, and now, adulthood. On Christmas Day, I’ll be picking up a Nintendo 2DS and Pokemon X. With a flick of the switch, a smile will appear on my face as the nostalgia will come crashing down. I’ll embrace every moment of it and do my best to catch ‘em all while preparing myself for a long life of work, happiness, and no regrets. I’m going to be the best that no one ever was and no challenge is too great to stop me from becoming just that.

Just a Mad Man With a Box

Greetings everyone and welcome to this week’s entry of The Magical Mystery Blog.

This weekend is a weekend that has geeks, nerds, sci fi lovers, and many others buzzing like wasps.  On Sunday August 4^th, 2013 we will find out who will play the twelfth Doctor in the Doctor Who series. For those of you who are unaware to this fantastic series – what is wrong with you? Seriously, go watch it you will not regret it.

It’s basically about an alien traveling in a time machine to various eras, worlds, and even alternate dimensions. This series originated in the United Kingdom but eventually gained more popularity with every episode. It was also aired in the Americas along with other nations. It is considered one of the longest running science fiction series and originally started in the 60s with William Hartnell as the first Doctor.

So far in the series there have been eleven Doctors with the new one regenerating onto our television screens on Christmas Day 2013. Below are the top twelve reasons why everyone should be excited for this new Doctor.

           1)      New Doctor – we have a new Doctor! New Doctors are always fun because it’s like meeting a new friend. They have their quirks, their easily identifiable appearance, and special qualities that make them who they are. Every Doctor has their unique look based on their clothes and overall facial and body features. For example, the tenth Doctor has a pompadour haircut while the fifth Doctor wears a celery stick on his jacket lapel. Sometimes a piece of clothing will become a constant joke or trademark of the character throughout the series. The tenth Doctor insisted his jacket was given to him by Janis Joplin while the eleventh Doctor has claimed that bow ties are cool.

The new Doctor will have a specific outfit he wears along with a distinctive look.

           2)      New sonic screwdriver – with almost every new Doctor there is a new sonic screwdriver. The sonic screwdriver is the Doctor’s tool he uses to analyze life forms, examine materials, repair things, and many other actions. However, it cannot interact with wood. Each sonic screwdriver is unique in appearance, just like the Doctor. The tenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver is silver, sleek, and has a blue tip. The eleventh Doctor’s sonic screwdriver is a copper shade with a green glow and is a bit bulky.  The new Doctor’s sonic screwdriver could be something we have not seen yet.

           3)      New food –as mentioned each Doctor is unique. This includes their appearance, voice, personality, and even food. Each Doctor has a certain food that they enjoy devouring. The fourth Doctor’s favorite food was Jelly Babies (think gummy bears), the tenth Doctor’s favorite food was cookies, and the eleventh Doctor’s favorite food is fish fingers and custard. Obviously the food can be something ordinary like cookies or something strange like fish fingers and custard. This new Doctor’s favorite food could be a common snack or a meal we’d never think of like bacon wrapped Twinkies. ….what? It could happen.

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Behold the artery clogging goodness....

The food also becomes a part of a running joke throughout the Doctor’s time in which, if the moment is right, they will bring up the food, or even be seen eating it at one time or another.

          4)      Possible gender change – the Doctor has many regenerations, all of which have been male thus far. However, it is possible for him to transform into a woman, but it has never happened. The closest thing we have seen to a female Doctor is the Doctor Donna from the tenth Doctor’s special End of the Universe. With every regeneration, the Doctor takes on new strands of DNA shaping the gender, hair, body, and even skin color. While we’re on skin color….

         5)      Possible skin color change – a while ago various web sites posted lists of actors they would like to see become the next Doctor. Among the selected performers were a few with different skin tones. Up until now all of the Doctors have been Caucasian males. It is extremely possible for the next Doctor to be tan, dark skinned, or another shade due to the regeneration process.

         6)      He could finally be ginger – there is an ongoing joke throughout the Doctor Who universe in which the Doctor has always wanted to be ginger. Ginger is another term for red head but so far, the Doctor has not achieved those glorious locks of crimson hair.  Maybe this new Doctor will finally be a red head. Again, the closest thing we have had to a ginger haired Doctor is Doctor Donna from the episode, End of the Universe.

         7)      New companion – every Doctor has one or more companions. At times throughout the series, the Doctor will even go on adventures by himself or be separated from his companion. The eleventh Doctor had Amy and Rory, a young couple before they met their tragic end. This Doctor also had River Song, a sexy professor who loved the Doctor dearly. Sometimes the companions turn into love interests, like Rose Tyler with the 10.5 Doctor (a clone of the original tenth Doctor who was part human/part alien). With the new Doctor, he (or she) could receive a new companion or stick with the current companion, Clara Oswald until her time runs up.

          8)      New villains – each episode of Doctor Who involves the Doctor running into some sort of villain. Some of the enemies are always returning like the Cybermen, Daleks, and Weeping Angels. Others are new to each Doctor like the Silence to the eleventh Doctor and the Vashta Nerada to the tenth Doctor. The ideas for foes are endless, especially when it comes to Doctor Who. It’s amazing to see what the creators invent for the Doctor to fight. Who knows what evil doers the new Doctor will encounter?

          9)      New Tardis interior – sometimes when a Doctor regenerates they also receive a new Tardis theme. The Tardis (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space (also known as Sexy)) is the time travelling machine that the Doctor roams around in. Over the years, it has been given tons of makeovers. The current look is lonely and cold with the Doctor's companions' names written in his native alien writing.

With the new Doctor inhabiting the Tardis, he (or she) may receive a new Tardis interior changing the somber tones of silver and grey into something brighter or darker.

          10)   The return of old friends – overtime the Doctor has made many friends like Captain Jack Harkness, the Brigadier, the Face of Boe, and many others. These friends would pop in for an episode or two, solve a problem with the Doctor (or were a victim of a crisis that only the Doctor could rescue them from), and leave just as they came.  Since the tenth Doctor, we have not seen Captain Jack Harkness or the Face of Boe appear in any of the episodes. Maybe with the new Doctor we would see some old friends come back for a few episodes with the Doctor.

           11)   New introduction – as a way of regenerating, the producers give the Doctor a new television introduction. The classic theme music is kept but the title sequence is different. The ninth and tenth Doctors' openings were kept the same but the eleventh Doctor’s sequence was changed at least once or twice throughout his time. When the new Doctor comes to life, he (or she) may receive a different opening.

           12)   The End of Doctor Who – the Doctor is only allowed twelve regenerations in which he starts off appearing elderly and slowly descends into youth. While he looks young, he is actually quite old; over 1000 years plus to be exact. However, I remember hearing that twelve is the base number of regenerations for the Doctor but he can keep regenerating many more times afterwards. However, it is a matter of what the writers will do. If they choose to stick to the original limit of twelve regenerations then the entire series will end. But if they decide to go beyond the twelve regenerations, they can continue the series, and the stories of the Doctor.  

      

       As mentioned before, on August 4th on BBC America at 2 pm (Eastern Time) fans across the nation will see the new actor who will play the twelfth Doctor. It will be a half hour to hour program featuring the performer along with some other surprises. For Britain, the reveal will be featured on BBC One at 7 pm (GMT). Until then, Geronimo.