Aaa Spring is in the air, birds are in the air, bugs are buzzing and trees are (oh dear god) pollinating ugh. (I hate allergy season.) Anyways, speaking of getting in the mood of spring, it brings me to a brand new spotlight! I think given the blooming of flowers it’s only appropriate to cover Pokemon’s Grass starters.
There are over 95 different grass type Pokemon in the games, and a majority of them share dual typing. While it’s not as big of a category as some of the other types there is something that grass has consistently brought to the table – a starter. While a water type is more useful, and a fire type is almost always more powerful, the grass type to me has always represented balance. Often not as strong as a Charizard nor as swift as a Greninja, but tough enough to take a hit from the former and survive to do its own damage.
So as I did in Starting birds, let me break down each type then rank them.
Bulbasaur Family: one of the original three of Gen 1 and often times one of the most overlooked of the three starters, it doesn’t grow cannons on the back like Blastoise, nor does it turn into a “dragon” like Charizard. However it is one of the most consistent; balance is the name of the game when it comes to this starters. As I have mentioned before, it was Ash’s Bulbasaur I really fell in love with, along with the fact it helped stick up for weaker Pokemon and refused to change when others did. For me however its poison typing was a bit of a setback for the Pokemon, due to its weakness to the highly over-powered psychic type. The years however have been very kind to this Pokemon – with the introduction of fairy typing in gen 6 plus a new mega evolution this little one’s future is looking very bright.
Chikorita Family: I have a confession to make. While technically Bulbasaur was my first grass starter, since I chose Yellow as my first Pokemon game I didn’t really choose to play him (I collected him, not played him). So it wouldn’t be until Gen 2 that I would make my very first starter choice, and again influenced by the show I picked Chikorita which even I admit is one of the hardest starters to run in Gen 2. While I will admit right now I don’t believe I ever completed Gen 2 with Chikorita, I did run her for more than half of Johto. When you struggle so much in the early gyms, you grow fond of your starter. However despite all of this…I do admit Chikorita is one of the more forgettable starters. Like I said before, the gyms in this game actually work against this Pokemon. Bird, bug, normal, ghost, fighting, steel, ice and dragon….none of these gyms would this starter or its moveset have an advantage in. Sorry Chikorita…
Treecko Family: I honestly do not have too much experience with this particular family. Gen 3 was the generation I went with fire…but I will get to that maybe one day. This is not a bad family though, and the generation has more balanced gyms so there are opportunities to really shine. Like Chikorita, Treecko is a solid grass type, with solid grass moves. There just isn’t much that makes this starter stand out in my opinion. I had really stopped watching the show by this point so it is all personal experience and I am afraid I just don’t have it with Treecko. Hey at least he has a mega form.
Turtwig family: I have a special fondness for this family. I love turtles and this one was the very first that was a totally uninfluenced decision. Turtwig is the first dual type since Kanto, picking up the the ground typing in its final evolution Torterra. Having the ground typing can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is it makes getting through Gen 4 easy; I love multiple typing and Pokemon that can learn a variety of moves. However, it now becomes four times weak to ice types, making it not as successful in the competitive world. Still Turtwig is adorable and one of my favorite designs and I played him though not only Pearl but Platinum as well, bonding me pretty tightly to this little guy. I wait long for the day that Torterra can mega evolve!
Snivy Family: Poor Snivy, it’s not its fault that Gen 5 was the generation I drifted away from Nintendo and Pokemon. I did eventually return, and when I did Snivy was my choice. Snivy is another grass starter that I think is destined to be forgotten. Like Chikorita and Treecko it is another solid grass type. I always love Snivy’s final snake-like design; there are really not enough snake Pokemon in the game. The sad fact of the matter is that Snivy’s move pool is limited, and with pure typing there is just not much other than design going for it. I fear as we move further and further into Pokemon this family will grow to be forgotten like the other solid grass types.
Chespin family: Chespin is what happens to chipmunks when they eat too many acorns and they become one. That being said, I think poor Chespin like the rest of Gen 6 starters did not have the chance to shine in game. The reason I say this is before we even get to gym two we get to pick another starter, this time from Gen 1. On top of that, these Gen 1 starters have mega evolutions. Gen 6 starters were overshadowed in their own game, with so many old school Pokemon that I didn’t really give this one a chance. Also I want to note with Chespin that this is the fourth generation to include fighting as part of the dual typing.
Ok so that is the 6 starters, so where would I rank them from worst to best….
Snivy: I love Snivy’s design, but this starter has little going in its favor; it’s not as fast as Treecko’s family nor as defensive as Chikorita’s family. Its move pool is fairly shallow as well leaving little chance to really let this well-designed Pokemon shine.
Chikorita: another pure-blooded grass type, at least unlike Snivy its move pool is slightly deeper, and it’s the more defensive then Snivy. Still I find this starter just as forgettable as Snivy and nothing really makes her stand out to me. Its own generation fights against her as there are no gyms that really allow her to shine until the second half of Gen 2.
Chespin: Poor adorable Chespin, it could not even shine in its own game because a second starter was added. While I am generally in favor of dual typing, Chespin’s dual typing just makes it so weak to flying and psychic. While I am sure it has its pluses since almost every starter that got fighting typing did well, I just never really got to use it…sorry Chespin one day maybe.
Turtwig: I love this cute adorable starter, you guys know I love this little guy. While it rocks through Gen 4, I cannot and should not ignore the fact it’s four times weak to ice. While its move set should make up for this fact, the sad fact is that a good chunk of ice users will likely out-speed Turtwig’s final evolution before it could do any damage. However Turtwig does have access to a wide range of moves making it a diverse fighter, and unlike the later three Pokemon at least its own game Turtwig can shine in.
Treecko: While a pure-blooded grass type, Treecko has one thing the last four do not have – mega evolution. while I can honestly say I have never played this grass Pokemon, I do however acknowledge that this grass type may be the best of the three pure grass Pokemon. Like Turtwig, it does have access to a diverse move pool, however unlike Turtwig it can mega evolve, although for the life of me I cannot explain why it becomes part dragon….really now it is also 4 times weak to ice. Still the mega evolution adds a nice boost in stats.
Bulbasaur: Before mega evolution and fairy typing Bulbasaur might have been lower on the list, however now I say it’s the number one of all the grass starters. Now it has the stats, the moves and the mega evolution to take this grass starter all the way, of course game freak has also had 20 years to perfect Bulbasaur.
Well what’s your opinion? who is your favorite grass starter?
Pidgey’s family: Pidgey is probably the most famous out of all the birds on the list, well known to fans of the anime and gamers alike. Pidgey is the only bird in this group of starter birds that not only gets two evolutions (pidgeotto at 18 and pidgot at 36) but it also gets a mega evolution. That is high praise in deed, from both fans and the pokemon company to give one of the first bird types that most players run into a mega. The train doesn’t stop there either for pidgey, no this birds fan base grew even more when earlier this year Twitch played pokemon. A whole lore built around the game and Pidgey became so much more to people. it became bird jesus…the protector of the helix. I tell you out of all the starter birds here…pidgey’s fame beats all of them.
Spearow: poor forgotten and neglected Spearow. This bird was released the same generation in the same areas as Pidgey, but this guy is often neglected and forgotten for one of two reasons. One likly reason, gen one is oozing with birds and it just gets worse after. two Pidgey has two evolutions Spearow just has the one fearow. dispite all this, fearow is a really decent flyer who learns one of my favorite flying moves drill peck. This is a ferce bird type that deserves just as much love as pidgey. Sadly though…i think pidgey got a better agent.
Hoothoot: I honestly don’t have much to say about this guy, all my playthoughs in gen 2 i rocked spearow all the way though. I really can’t think of single time i really played with this guy. i will say this though, i really like owls so i have always been a big fan of the design. Its kind of sad though that this is the only instance of owls in the game. I have used this bird to breed with snorlax though, Noctowl learns zen headbutt, one of my favorite psychic moves, breeding it with a snorlax (holding a full incense) you will get a little munchlax born that knows this move. It is a difficult process but to me makes this starter bird worth having around.
Wingull: Oh wingull so cute…so damn annoying. Its only when playing oras did i remeber how annoying this bird is, and how much fun it is to electrocute the crap out of it when i run into it. Most starting birds have it rough with electric, ice and rock out to get them, but add water to the mix, wingull can’t even look at an electric pokemon with out fainting. Do not even get me started on Pelipper, I just have never been a big fan of its evolution. Sure its nice the game gives you a water type, especially since the first gym you come across is a rock type, but no.
Taillow: this is another generation 3 starting bird and honestly the better of the two. Taillow has a little more durbility then wingull ever had, but i am afraid unlike wingull if it wasn’t for ruby and sapphire rerelease this might fall into to the forgotten bird catigory. like wingull and hoothoot this little one only has a single evolution. I honestly forgot this pokemon existed until i was trying to complete my dex in Y, that is really sad, because taillow was also featured in the anime as on of ash’s pokemon. the problem here i think is its move pool is very shallow and the first three gyms where starting birds can really shine. Hoenn is just not a good place for starter birds with shallow move pools and gyms that don’t really take advantage of thes starting critters, gen 3’s starter birds just get obscured. so while design wise taillow is one of my favorites, it never really makes into a party.
Starly: in gen 2 and gen 2 the starting bird types have ranged from not choosen because there were better and more familer options there, to competly useless and forgetable. When Pearl and diamond rolled around i think many pokemon fans were looking for a change in this trend, and what we got was starly. For me at least this little bird impressed the heck out of me, staying on my team though the elite four (five). This was the first starter bird in a long while that had pretty unexpected natually learned moves. I mean it learns close combat, then it has a pretty nice arrary of teachable moves as well. Plus this little guy is tough, i played though gen 4 twice, and both times i had a starly at my side. This one is one of the few starter birds you can take to the elite four and know they will be right there till the end. This is the only one on this list, i want to have a mega evolution to.
Pidove: this derpy thing, I can’t blame its design, honestly unova is more of a city scape, and supposdily designed around good old NYC. You can’t go a block in nyc without running into a pigion, so to have one in the game espeically in gen 5 must have been a no brainer to the designers or unova. My complaint with this isn’t pidoves design even though i really hate the male design, but thats ok i primarily go female anyways. My complaint with this guy, is more to the fact given how awesome starly was in gen 4 pidove is kind of a let down. no where near as strong as its predecessors i think pidove is doomed that as the years drag on to be forgotten like little taillow and hoothoot. Unlike hoenn though, unova has a few more bird types later game, so if you havn’t ditched by then you likely will by the end of game. its design is great its just if your a player like me who has been there for every generation, to see how stater birds can excel then the following generation we return to mediocrity. poor little pidove.
Fletchling: Well we have seen it all with starting birds, from gods, to forgetable and everything in between, but until gen 6 we hadn’t seen a starting bird quite like this one. Until fletchling all starting birds were normal flying with wingull being the only exception, now we have this one that as it evolves gains fire typing. None of these birds had been featured in a story. this all changed with the latest entry into the pokemon universe. the game starts off with as i would call it a smart ass little fletchling waking up out character, and when the game closes out we see probably the same smart ass fletchling flying away, talk about a good agent, (must be using pidgys). For a starting bird fletchling is probably the most useful bird on this list, not only does it gain a fire typing, it gets flame body, making talonflame the perfect pokemon mother(or father) to what ever pokemon you might be trying to hatch. Example pick up five eggs from the breeder, fly to Luminous city to bike around in a circle, until the five hatch, (hatching faster due to flame body) then taking flying to the next city to check on your new babies potential, just to start the process over again.
Durant: This isn’t a bad Pokèmon, its on the list mainly because i am absolutely terrified of ants. When i was a little girl visiting my great aunt and uncle in texas. Me and my brother were playing with an ant hill, that ant hill turned out out to be fire ants. To this day i remember its pain they inflected. Since then i have been scared of ants, and Durant is an ant, so its on the list.
Pidove Family: This isn’t necessarily a bad bird, its just a huge let down after the predecessor Starly. Starly’s family in generation IV was just so good for a starting bird, and as it grew it got better. This guy in comparison is just not all that good.
Patrat: Another victim of two many better pokèmon out there. This one also freaks me out a bit. Those Eyes..i am just not a fan of it. At least Rattata was cute, and sort of stayed cute when it evolved. those crazy eyes….i just can’t deal with them.
Sigilyph: Ok this one just pissed me off. I battled it many times, and it always gave me a hard time. There in every generation that one Pokèmon that is over used by npc, that piss the crap out of you. For me its Sigilyph.
Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus: I wouldn’t mind these three if they were not so difficult to get them. In a single black game you can only get two out of the three. In black 2 i could catch them using Dream radar, they were a pain to catch there, but at least they got me moving i guess. Still i am not a fan of these three.
The Pan family: I really don’t like the monkey pokèmon, and these three are annoying. I just don’t like these guys, and there evolutions don’t help. I really don’t like these guys.
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Golurk: This huge golem of a pokèmon, showed up for me in black and White, but i never played him until Y. He is very impresive for a ghost pokèmon. he actually scared me a bit when i first met him due to his huge side, but Golurk can be a gentle giant who can put a sever smack down on your opponents. I was very pleased to have him on my side on Y.
Chandelure: This is the perfect example to me of the game having way to many good pokèmon, and some just get ignored. This one came to my attention recently as well, trying to learn ghost pokèmon better for another top 6, i started training a litwick, boy did this little guy impress me. Enough to become a competitive member of a team for myself. A the fact it automatically learns a grass move, and a good one at that makes it a powerful little ally. Don’t believe me check him out for yourself. i promise it won’t steal you soul…
Haxorus: This seems to be a running theme for these first three. pokèmon whose power i would have never known if it wasn’t for Y. while i wrote up my reviews for X i also played Y shortly after i finished X. In Y Haxorus and Golurk became strong members to my final team, Neither one disappointed me, when i needed them the most. Something she reminded again recently when i did an online battle with a friend, and with half my team down she came though and protected me again.
Stoutland: Pokèmon is just full of normal type pokèmon, In every generation you get a couple of them, most are decent to useless with very few stand outs. This is a stand out of the normal family. This is just a power house, and if breed correctly you can have an elemental powerhouse that can leave your opponent crying. On top of it, this one really doesn’t have an awkward middle phase which makes this guy even better.
Joltik: By now i am sure you guys think i am crazy, I am terrified of ants but don’t have a single issue with spiders. I think by now you guys know i love this family and i have one currently on my Y cartage that i am working with. While its not the strongest of the bugs, its one of the cutest and one of my favorites to come out of this generation.
Hydreigon: I have said it before and i will say it again, you don’t spend 64 levels with anything and not grow a little attached to it. I first met Hydreigon fighting the final boss in Black Ghetsis, That sucker was tough and had a counter for half my team. This is a powerful Pokèmon, but a high level evolve. I knowing i was bouncing to black 2 quickly bred and sent over a baby Deino over to my black 2 game. Smart move on my part and it became a powerful ally, and honestly out of everyone on this list, he needs a mega.
Glaceon: This one almost got bumped from a list, but a friend argued with me and won. Glaceon is another eeveelition, its defiantly one of the prettier ones. Now we are getting into the more interesting way to evolve an Eevee, you have to be around a cold stone to get your new frozen friend. This is not one of my top eevee’s for one reason only, its sibling vaporeon can do most of what glaceon does. It is a beautiful pokèmon no doubt about it.
Mamoswine Family: This Ice ground type started off life in pokèmon with just two evolutions, then they added mamoswine, this ice tank is a pretty solid critter. While he isn’t as much fun to ride on on x as rhyhorn still a solid pokèmon and with a move pool to back it up this is a good one to have on your side.
Avalugg: Avalugg and Bergmite are new to the world of pokèmon. He impressed me while i was working on raising Bergmite up. he proved to have a solid defense and could take a blast from a flame thrower and stand for one more round, not many pure ice times can say that. He looks a little strange at first with his flat back, but you know by now you think strange would be nothing new in my world.
Walrein Family: speaking tanks, Walrein at first glance when introduced in Gen III reminded me of another water ice Seel from generation one Seel and dougong, and i promptly named it seel once i caught it. However it turned out to be much more impressive then Dougong ever was. This one has solid stats and the defense to back it up its a solid family who would make any trainer lucky to have it on their side.
Aurorus: Making her second appearance on the 
Lapras: No one who has been reading my posts should be surprised to see my old friend. I don’t know if you have noticed by now, i tend to not have a lot of single evolution pokèmon on my lists. I like Pokèmon who evolve because it it gives me a sense of accomplishment, i guess that is what makes Lapras so unusual for me. Lapras has never had an evolution, never has and given we are now in our 6th game and still no evolutions probably will never have one. So why do I love them so much, Good question. Lapras as seen me though five generations, and no matter how tough the situation has gotten in game, this little one always sees me though. Recently coming though the new elite four in X, i was counting on my other pokèmon to help me though the five elite members. Three out of four elite four members had to be handled by my Lapras, when i tried to give her a break to let my fairy handle the dragons…but nope my fairy went down leaving Lapras to sweep the dragons, the fire and help out with the water. This is just one of many stories i can share with you, And its one of the many reasons Lapras has time, after time, after time, proven why it is an invaluable member of my team. Lapras will always be my number one Pokèmon, and my favorite ice pokèmon.
Onix: this Rock snake first came to my attention with the anime, first time i encountered in battle against Brock. Its been years since then but i still remember how powerful he became. like many early rock types this one shares the type with ground which is a nice mixing. Onix is an old early fav, and would not deny his spot on this list…(really i wasn’t going to put him on this list, but he insisted)
Tyrantrum: Most Anicent pokèmon are rock types, as a result there are a lot of really good ancients as a result, i picked two to be on this list. There was a lot of excitment when tyrunt was announced finally a ancient that was a t-rex, on top of that it got dragon attached to it. I must admit i was very impressed by this guy it has a nice move pool and yes having a t-rex on you team is king of cool…but it was not my favorite of the two that came out.
gigalith: I became friends Roggenrola, early in the Pokèmon Black game, he was at my side though the elite four. Thanks to a friend i was able to swap my boldore all the way up to Gigalith. For me if a pokèmon earns its place on my team it gets to go though the elite four with me. This one helped me though two gyms and countless battles, holding steady for me allowing one more move in sometimes a rough situation. He earned his place in my team and my heart.
Tyranitar: This guy has been on my lists before on the top 6 
Geodude Family: around since the first generation this family some how always finds its way into my team. However it really wasn’t until Gold and silver, did it really shine for me. I have been over this story, before. with my frist game silver the pick of my starter Chikorita the grass pokèmon. However this would prove to be a bad choice, however there was a little notch on the beginning route, i found my little geodude, a female named dudette. Dudette rolled over the flying gym, the bug gym and the normal gym. Surprisingly it even hanged tough in the fighting and steel gym. It has over the years continued to prove itself. i got mad at x-y for putting onix in so early in the game and only showing me graveler towards the end of the game because i am such a fan of these little guys. Geodude, Graveler and Golum have earned there place as number one on this list.
Pidgy family: this one almost didn’t make the list, but for a lot of players including myself this is one of your first wild catches. Honestly as much slack as this family gets, its not a terrible first family. Considering over the years i have seen a lot worse starting flyers. *Cough Cough pidove*. Excuse me. Pokèmon x has given me a chance to once again look at this first family of bird pokèmon on the skills it now learns are impressive. While still not my first pick for a flyer there is still no denying that that family is still a contender in the flying arena.
Togekiss family: this Family first introduced to players before Gold and silver had even hit our shores, it was a normal type with one one evolution. In gen IV (Pearl and Diamond, heart gold Soul Silver) this Family gained a third more powerful evolution making it a real contender in competitive battle. Now with this current gen this family is once again undergoing a change, this time its type. That’s right this family is now a fairy type, while i current don’t have at a Togepi in the current game, i look forward to seeing what this little guy can do now.
Aerodactyl: Let me start by saying, i hate his mega form, it just doesn’t do it for me. that being said i have always really liked Aerodactyl. For a flyer with a rock typing with it, this guy has always been really fast. Its a powerful ancient flyer that if raised right could put a serious cramp in everyone style. its one Ancient fossil that deserves its resurrection.
Fearow Family: I really didn’t pay much attention to this bird in the first gen. However the second gen i managed to pick up this guy pretty early in the game. Spearow stayed at my side all the way until the end of the game. i never realized how tough and powerful this guy was until that gen. With a powerful learned move drill peck, which at the time i only though zapdos knew. While not as pretty as some of the other birds on my list, it should not be ignored.
Staraptor family: Hands Down the best of the starting bird pokèmon you get, Gen Four has some great pokèmon in it, from previous entry Luxray to Staraptor a lot of truly greats were added too our dexs. Not only does this one has the standard moves most normal birds learn, what it learns naturally like close combat and Brave bird this is one tough bird and a dare say one of the greats. I have become a huge fan of this guy and its family and its hands down the top bird of flying types.
Zebstrika: after 6 generations of pokèmon there are still only three families of horse Pokèmon, Ponyta, Keldeo (this is a special event guy who i have never caught myself) and blitzle. This makes Horse’s one of the rarer animal types in the game. One thing you can always depend on with the horses is that they are fast, which is usually a standby thing for electric anyways. You Pick up this family pretty early in gen five and they do a decent job. I love the looks of this guy and would haven’t kept it all game long but sadly as the case with ponyta, their are just better faster stronger guys out there. Sorry buddy.
Jolteon: This one should not be a surprise to anyone at this point concidering how big of an eevee fan I am. Jolteon is one of the three original Evolutions. Before Bite became darkm Jolteon was the only eevee to learn any moves that could challenge mewtwo. It learn the fairly weak now pin missile a bug move. It also naturally learns Double kick, giving this Eevee a leg up on ground types that are looking to wreck its world. I would say honestly jolteon maybe my 3rd favorite eevee member behind umbreon and Espeon, This classic is still hard to ignore in the field of combat.
Ampharos Family: To explain this one i have to take you back to Gen II. Just starting out on my second game Journey all i had in my team was Chikorita, Sentret geodude and spearow, with a whole lot of game ahead of me. If i wanted to beat this game…heck even the first gym i needed an electric pokèmon and i needed one quick. Then a met mareep, this electric cotton ball sheep. between it and Geodude most of gym leaders fell to out combo. Type for handling this pokèmon, never stop it from evolving to ampharos, it learns thunder punch right off the bat. I have never forgotten the help this guy gave me that game, and was quite pleased to get a chance to raise a new one in black 2. This is a one of the good electrics and is well deserving of its mega evolution…even if it looks goofy.
Luxray: Gen Four was full of great pokèmon, especially early game Pokèmon. This family is no exception, especially if you spend some time with this guy at the breeders. You can have a great Shinx that knows right from the egg, Ice, Fire and thunder fang as well as crunch, now you have a little electric bad ass on your team that will not take nothing from anyone. On top of that if you get one with intimidate you drop your opponent defense as well. This guy is a dream for any electric lovers out their, easy to raise tough as nails, get it early, cute as a button and its pretty much a lion! So why isn’t this guy my number one?
Pikachu: Because with out pikachu there would be no other lists, i would have never played the game. i probably never known what Pokèmon was. This little electric mouse has changed my world and for the better part of 16 years for me. As most of you know Pokèmon Yellow was my very first game, making Pikachu my very first pokèmon. though the years have gone by i was surprised when making this list on how quick it was for me to put him on it. On top of that how much i missed him. To confess though I did not really realize how much i missed him until i started playing x and when i entered the not viridian “but it sure looks and feels like it” forest. The Npc hinted at a Pikachu so i hunted for one, i must have spent a half hour in there just looking for one, and then i found him. Now i only name Pokèmon in the game i intend to use, so i named him Bolt and i had him with me for quite a while. I am impressed now about his new moves and the new ones he can now learn. I guess you never forget your first one, and for me Its pikachu.
Pokèmon: I was absolutely over joyed about the number of older pokèmon available in this game. I still remember how happy i was to step in that grass patch for the first time and see pidgy of all creatures. After playing for as long as i have, and as old as i have gotten its nice to see some faces i know what to do with. That being said this did come with a trade off. There are not as many New Pokèmon to be seen, i think at last check only about 70. For someone who has taken to some pokèmon in every generation it makes it hard for me to use new ones when there are more old school options then new ones. Also with the inclusion of Mega Evolution, it to me even seems like the game is also favoring the older gens too. Still the New pokèmon they added were not useless, and each one added their own little twitch. From Inkay to Fletchling and everything in between i think for the most part the new critters were interesting, and enjoyable to use, and now that the story part is over for me i plan on taking more of these new guys out for a spin to see what they are capable of.
Mega Evolution: I have used it, and i have seen what others have said about mega evolution, but i want to weigh in on this. Honestly i feel mega evolution is a bit of a cop out. yes its cool to see charizard and mewtwo take on new forms, but to give pokèmon like poor pinsar who for years needed another evolution a mega…a temp evolution is sort of taking the easy way out. Creating an evolution for him that has no real permanent effects on the creature. To me this seems like a guy thing…you know growing up that guys always needed a little boost to their toys because normal versions were not good enough. What is the word i am looking for mega…gimmick. Mega evolution feels very gimmicky to me, yes it changes the looks and increases the pokèmon’s strength and attack but in the end it is all very temporary. I think my biggest disappointment is this, if your going to have a mega Evolution that give a mega attack to go with it, but to have the same four moves as always to me was the nail in this gimmicks coffin.
Villains: I have gone over team flare in extent in previous posts, so i will not waste to much more time here. To me i was disappointed by Flare, compared to Plasma the gen before these guys were quite lame. beautification is not a valid reason to want to destroy the world, sorry. For once could the police actually help? really i haven’t seen any real active police officers in the game since team rocket, what did they all retire too?
Getting around: I must say i love the new addition of Roller blades, they are so much fun to play with, and the ability to do tricks on them just so much fun. I think i roller bladed the whole game i only used the bike a few times. This is a fun updated new feature to the game. There is also the addition of riding Pokèmon, which i must admit was a little deceptive when it was initially introduced though clips. I thought initially you could ride one of your own critters, but it turns out this is not the case at all. To be honest riding around on the Pokèmon the game provided was not all that much fun, and kind of slow.
New Type: I honestly don’t mind the fact they added Fairy to the game, or changed the typing of so many other Pokèmon out their. Lets face facts there are still way to many normal types out their, and anything that takes a few normals out is great news. Fairy also shakes things up a bit from the now stale type matching. It brings two ignored types and make them finally useful and its really nice to be able to go back and look at both Poison and Steel types and see them in a new light.
Customzation: I liked the fact we can finally alter are avatar, but like most things there is need for growth here. for instance i wear glasses in real life, my little avatar has perfect 20/20 (Damn it). I also want to see more area appropriate outfits available for your character. Like if you are in an area covered and snow and ice, the outfit shop should not be carrying tank tops! I was cold just looking at my poor avatar. All and all this feature isn’t perfect but its nice to finally have and look forward to seeing it grow.
Gen III: Ok Lets now address something else this game brought up , There are a Lot of hints in this game about a Hoenn, quite a few NPC talked about it, either pokèmon, or game play aspects from gen III. Ok Gen Three was not perfect, not my a long shot but it was still and enjoyable series and introduce one of my favorite HM moves Dive. I absolutely flipped when i saw dive return in black i was so happy. It has been Nintendo’s pattern the last few years which each new generation of handhelds they re release an older generation. With the gba, Fire Red and Leaf Green Was released, the updated versions of Red and blue, with some features from yellow. (Still waiting for a re-release of yellow!) With the DS game Soul Silver and Heart Gold. So to me it will be natural with the 3ds the newest handheld that Gen three gets and update and maybe they will fix some of those issues. i would love to see to See Sapphire and Ruby come back, and you better believe i will be one of the first in line to buy Sapphire. Some of my favorite dragons game out of this gen, and berries.
Giragarig: This odd little Pokèmon introduced in the second generation is part normal part Psychic and learns dark’s best move naturally, its Normal typing also gives this little guy access to a wide verity of moves like most of the normals have. Its a nice design and its ability to learn dark moves could make it a strong member of the team. I think what works Against this little guy its the fact its stats are about average, and it really doesn’t evolve. Which i think is too bad, if the game gave it an evolution maybe fully to Psychic/dark and capitalize more on its duel personality, I mean look it has two faces, the light and the dark, It is almost there, it just needs one evolution to fully capitalize on what could be potentially one of the great ones.
Abra Family: As much of pain in the butt it is to catch Abra, it and its family make pretty good Pokèmon, and a great start as an intro into the type. Those of you who had one traded to you or won one, never knew the pain of trying to catch one of these suckers. When you first meet this family in the first gen Abra only really knows Teleport, and that is what it does. It see’s you and runs, so you only hope is to be fast enough to put it to sleep, and throw a pokèball at it, or just though the ball at it and hope for the best. However once you catch him make room for him in your team, because its a good a fast Psychic. Two things work against it now a days for me. One its kind of annoying to evolve, you need it to be kadabra and you need to trade it to a friend, (although modern technology such as wi-fi makes this far less of a hassle) Two it is sort of out classed now by some of the newer Psychic’s out there. Still it has to be acknowledged as being one of the first.
Ralt’s Family: This is a very nice looking family, but its also a very strong entry into the Psychic world. When Gen three first game out it was just Ralts, Kirlia and Gardevoir, with the forth gen they added a male version Gallade, who is psychic fighting. (Way to turn a fighting weakness into a strength game) In Terms of Stats and what not its about on par with Abra’s family, good solid Psychic pokèmon, they could be better for what the game provides you in that gen its a nice start. Still i would have been happier to have Gallade in the third gen as well, because now i have a male Gardevoir still running around. (i have taken great care to insure that all pokèmon that have been in one of my teams continue to stay with me. i know its just a game but i feel like i owe it to them to keep them around.) Still this is a good family to have on your side, and i enjoyed having them in my team, and look forward to the day that ruby and sapphire are re-released (Like it deserves!) To play with this family again.
Metagross family: I think this family took its cues from Abra’s, It fools you at first thinking its not going to be much of a Pokèmon, then it evolves, then it Evolves again until it is Metagross. Now he has been featured as one of my Top Pokèmon before, but he deserves a place on this list as well. Its Steel nature helps him take some hits, but sadly his world can be ruined by a good ground move. That is why giving him Magnate rise is so vitally important. This is also another good Gen Three Pokèmon and the reason my Gardevoir finally got boxed in the game. The only sad thing is you cannot pick him up until after you defeat the elite four the first time, which is too bad because he is a high level evolver you want on your team!
Bronzor and Bronzong: When i first met this pokèmon in the forth gen my first thoughts was huh, a floating tambourine (Which is why mine is name Tamber), and once i discovered it was Steel/psychic like my beloved Metagross i though great now they are just ripping him off. Well I was wrong, it took the concept of Steel/Psychic and approved upon it in my opinion. If you can get one that knows levitate then your already a step ahead of poor Metagross. your taking a move that Metagross has to learn in order to protect it, and making it an ability with Bronzor. Plus you get this guy a lot sooner in Gen 4 so you have some time to develop a real relationship with this type. Bronzong game right with me though the elite four and even several end game events. That makes it a little closer to the heart then Metagross. It is really hard not to compare the two, just because they are similar but both unique. I guess if i have to pick them in a one one one duel like i just have, Bronzong comes out victorious (Sorry Metagross, i still love you.)
Espeon: It should be pretty Obvious by now, that i love Eevee’s Family, So it should come as no suprise that another member of said family is here on this list. However this one is probably my favorite member of the family (wIth umbreon at a close number two). In gen two there was no Mewtwo, Abra and Hypno made appearances but it was espeon that was top dog (Cat?) in the Psychic world. Unlike the others it learned as Eevee bite, making it quite the threat to the other psychic Pokèmon. Espeon to me over the years has continued to hold up, while it doesn’t have the defense of Metagross or Bronzong it has the speed, and the move set to still make it a pretty decent choice. This one also learns morning sun, a pretty decent healing move that can keep her healthy in a tough battle. This one will probably always be pretty close to my heart, which is why Espeon will always be my top choice in the world of Psychic’s.
Gamerwoman 