What’s in Your Box: Kate, We Need to Go Back
Kalvin Martinez / Nov 12th, 2016 No Comments
Each week, we here at Gaming Illustrated are always playing a number of different video games. However, we may not be talking about them in reviews or editorials. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth talking about, but for any number of reasons an avenue to speak on them doesn’t come up. To remedy the issue, we’re going to ask our staff (and you, honestly) what’s in your box?
What’s in Greg’s Box
Boxers near and far, lend me your ears!
This week I’ve been getting back into Pokémon GO. It was partly to try and enjoy the outside while I can, but also due to some of their new updates.
The game has been updated with better spawn rates, less pidgeys, daily sign-in bonuses and more. All of these changes have reinvigorated my desire to play Pokémon GO. Nothing will ever bring it back to the initial crazy surge, but the smell of trading/battling and new Pokémon on the horizon has me coming back routinely.
The Nova bonus missions in Starcraft II act as an epilogue.
When not outside I’m taking my sweet time with Nova’s Covert Ops bonus missions in Starcraft II, while enjoying Blade Ballet with friends.
The Covert Ops pack is a nice pseudo-epilogue to Starcraft II. Blade Ballet is just good clean mindless killing between friends, and of them.
Find friends, drink, and have fun in Blade Ballet.
If you haven’t taken the time to try Blade Ballet, pick it up on your console of choice or PC, and get a few friends together. Drinking is always encouraged, as is my M.O.
What’s in Kalvin’s Box
This has been a rough week. It goes without saying a lot of self-care was needed these last few days. Luckily video games always offer a respite from the harshness of reality. Between different video games, garbage food and bad TV, I’ve been able to keep it together. My box this week has been mainly review games, but I did find some time to check out the Pokémon Sun and Moon Special Demo.
Here Comes the Sun and Moon
Sure, playing a demo for a game coming out next week might seem silly, but what better time than now? The Special Demo for Pokémon Sun and Moon has a very specific agenda. It is designed to highlight several of the changes coming to the latest games in the series.
It starts with Sun (your avatar) and his Mom getting acquainted with their new home: Alola. There is some paper work your Mom needs to take care of, so you head off with a new friend to look over Alola. Almost immediately, you run into some trouble with Team Skull, the gross hip-hop caricature badniks in the game. After trouncing them in battle with your trusty Greninja, you get introduced to Professor Kakui and undergo your first trial.
The trial is the main purpose of the demo. The island challenge is the core of what you’ll do in Moon and Sun, and trials comprise the different island challenges. In the demo, your trial is to take photos of four Pokémon for the professor. The only problem is once you take a photo of one, they’ll attack you.
The Poke center gets a fancy new upgrade in Pokemon Sun and Moon.
After getting three of the photos, you hear a loud roar. The final photo you take is of a powerful Totem Pokémon, which resides at the end of trials. Totem Pokémon are powered up with a special aura. Besides being tougher, they can call for help making battles even more challenging. Battling the Totem Pokémon helps highlight one of the new features to battling: when you use a move against a specific Pokémon, the game will remember the effectiveness of the move for future battles.
After you beat the Totem Pokémon, the Professor gives you a Z-Ring, which allows you to perform Z-Moves. Before you can relish the new gift, Team Skull returns ready for revenge. This time Team Skull Admin Plumeria battles you, and she is no slouch. Luckily this is a good time to show off the new Z-Moves. Z-Moves are powerful moves that can be used once in battles. Every type in the game has their own specific Z-Move, and some Pokémon like Pikachu have unique Z-Moves of their own.
Once you trounce Team Skull and complete the trial, the demo is over. You get treated to a trailer, and now you can transfer Greninja and other items you collect in the demo back to the main game when it launches.
You’ll enjoy battling plenty of Pokemon in the Special Demo, just not with the starters.
When you fire the demo back up, there is some content still to be enjoyed. Talking to the Professor outside the Poke Center gives you the ability to use Poke Ride. This is an expanded version of riding Pokémon previously featured in the game. Now you can call Pokémon to ride on demand. For the demo, you get to ride a Tauros who can bash through rocks when moving fast enough.
If you head back into the Ten Carat Hill area, you can use Tauros to open up a new area. This area allows you to take on the Pokémon Catching Challenge. When competing in the challenge, you are tasked with catching as many Pokémon as you can before running out of Pokeballs. Depending on how many Pokémon you catch, you can earn special rewards. These items can be transferred back to the main game later.
The demo feels truncated, but does highlight the new features well. Alola seems like a truly exciting new location to explore and feels wildly different than previous Pokémon games.
Kalvin Martinez
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tags: Blade Ballet , opinion , Pokémon Go , Pokémon Sun and Moon Special Demo , Starcraft II , What's in Your Box
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