loveablelatias

[loveablelatias]

🎳 Wii Sports is back!! 🎾

Nintendo hosted a Nintendo Direct today that wrapped up just a few minutes ago. There were some cool announcements for games like No Man's Sky, Mario Strikers: Battle League, Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but the game that stood out the most to me was Nintendo Switch Sports, a casual sports compilation game with JoyCon motion controls. If you played the Wii growing up like I did, it should sound familiar to you.

As the name and logo implies, it's the next entry in the Wii Sports series, something I've been waiting ages for. After the mixed bag that was Wii Sports Club on the Wii U, I thought the odds of the series returning were very unlikely and I'm glad I was wrong. We don't know much about the game yet, but it appears to take place in an urban sports complex called Spocco Square. Wii Sports Resort took place on Wuhu Island, so this is an interesting change of scenery for the series that's similar to the sports complex environments we saw in the original game.

The game includes six different sports with an additional sport coming later via an update. I've never been a big fan of Nintendo's updates to games since it's usually very obvious that the updates comprise of cut content from the initial retail version of the game in question. This is done in order to create an artificial surge of returning players to the game later down the road to appease investors. Unfortunately, Nintendo Switch Sports seems to be the latest Nintendo title to dabble in this practice as Golf won't be included until the update for it releases this fall. I'm glad to see Golf return, but having to wait until the end of the year to play it is pretty disappointing, even with the update being free.

That being said though, the rest of the sports on offer included day one look solid. They all involve using classic Wii inspired gestures with the JoyCon to play, which the trailer showcases. Soccer looks really interesting, taking a bit of inspiration from Rocket League with giant goals and a giant ball to kick around. You can actually kick your real leg in the Shootout mode with the included JoyCon leg strap. It comes bundled with physical copies of the game and I like the idea a lot. Unfortunately though, leg controls for the full version of Soccer are coming post release via updates just like Golf. That being said, I'm interested about how the game will control with kicking when it releases and it looks like a good workout, even with just the Shootout mode.

A few classics from Wii Sports make their return to this game; Bowling and Tennis from the first game, and Chambara (formerly known as Swordplay) from Wii Sports Resort. They seem to control similar to how they used to, and look amazing with the new high resolution visuals. Just like Wii Sports Club, you can play any of the sports online with friends or random players through matchmaking. The game features skill-based matchmaking which will pair you with opponents similar to your skill level which sounds good, but I'm a bit worried. Games such as Call of Duty and Fortnite feature similar matchmaking systems, and Nintendo Switch Sports might make things too competitive for what's supposed to be a casual, laid-back sports experience. I hope that fun is still the focus while playing online with random players.

A few new sports are making their debut in the series as well. These are the aforementioned Soccer, Badminton and Volleyball. They seem to share a lot in common with Tennis in terms of control, and while I do miss Baseball and Boxing, these new sports look pretty fun. The retail price for this game was not revealed during the trailer unfortunately, but I've got a feeling it will go for $60. $10 per sport is a bit steep, so hopefully it will be lower than that, but only time will tell.

Luckily though, there is an online test event happening next weekend for Nintendo Switch Online members allowing us to try out a preview the game out for free. While it's limited to three sports and matchmaking only, I'm still eager to give the game a try. I'll make a follow-up post on my thoughts of the game if I get selected for it and if you're interested in trying the game yourself, visit the website here and mark that date on your calendar. I'm also glad to see Miis return to the game. They won't populate the world around you like the old games but they are selectable as your in-game avatar. Fingers crossed that they add the make-up features from Miitopia, those really deserve another chance to shine.

Overall, while there are some things about Nintendo Switch Sports that worry me a bit, I think the package overall looks pretty good. I've been dying for a casual sports game with motion controls to fill the void playing Wii Sports left me with all those years ago. It looks like that void will finally be filled once Nintendo Switch Sports releases. The game is coming out April 29, 2022. I hope I make the cut for the online test weekend as I'm very eager to try it and give my thoughts before it releases. If not, it's going to be a day one purchase for me regardless and I have plenty of things in store to post about so stay tuned for those. What was your favorite announcement from the Nintendo Direct? Feel free to leave a reply below if you're feeling sociable and thank you for visiting my blog. More posts are on the way, so follow me if you like what you see! Up, up and away! ✈

[loveablelatias]

📈 My Stats - Update #1 📉

I decided to begin documenting my progress as a Pokémon tonight. 🙂 Currently I'm level 40 and I have a ways to go before I reach level 41. I have a Mild nature as I'm a calm and laid-back Pokémon. My nature boosts my Sp. Attack but comes at the cost of my Defense being lowered. I also love Dry Pokéblocks, they're my favorite! 😁 That being said, I can't stand Sour ones. 😬

Ground-type attacks don't phase me as I have the ability to Levitate which makes me immune to them. I'm holding onto the Soul Dew as well, which boosts my Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense stats which I recieved from Latios. I don't have any ribbons yet, but I have thought about entering the Pokémon Contest scene someday! 😊 I also have a few moves, two of which are the same type as myself.

With Mist Ball, I kick up a flurry of down feathers with a mist-like appearance to lower the Sp. Attack of my foes. Psychic allows me to attack the mind and lower the enemy's Sp. Defense. I also have a Water-type move, Water Sport. Doing this makes me soaked in water and more resistant to Fire-type moves. Lastly, Refresh is a Normal-type move that lets me heal myself when I'm hurt and cures status effects like poisoning, paralysis and burns.

As you can see, I've got a lot of potential in my future as I work my way to level 100 and other accolades. I'll continue to document my progress as time goes on with new posts so stay tuned for those if you're interested. Thank you for checking out my blog! For now though, I've got some training to do. Here goes nothing! Look out world, here comes Latias! Up, up and away! ✈

[loveablelatias]

📦 Pokémon Purchases 📦

I recently picked up a few things online that I figured would make for a nice post by writing about them. I've kept my eye on eBay and the Pokémon Center website for a while, looking for good prices and stock to return. The packages arrived at my doorstep today. The first thing I picked up was this Latias and Latios Game Boy Advance. It was originally released in Japan through its chain of Pokémon Center stores in 2002 to coincide with the release of the movie Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias. A number of Pokémon Center Nintendo consoles have been made over the years and special edition Pokémon consoles continue to be made to this day.

It features a unique pink and blue color scheme complete with silhouettes of Latias and Latios on the screen border next to the Game Boy Advance logo. Mine came with this nice carrying case and a Japanese copy of Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire as well. The speaker doesn't work and the A button is a bit iffy with registering presses, but these small problems were what made it affordable to me and they're pretty minor. I've given some thought to getting it repaired someday, as repairing consoles myself is out of my league, but for now, it works well with Pokémon games which is what I use it for. Like other Pokémon Center Nintendo consoles, it is extremely expensive due to its value to collectors and the value of it has increased during the pandemic. If you'd like one yourself, prices will drop once the pandemic is behind us to something more reasonable.

The next thing I picked up was an Eon Ticket for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. I recently started a new playthrough of Pokémon Sapphire, and as a huge fan of Latios and Latias (as you could probably tell), being able to capture them both in one game was a must. This is only possible with an Eon Ticket e-Reader card. This card gives out Eon Tickets through a distribution event you can host by scanning it, similar to Pokémon distribution events in the past. You have to connect two GBAs together via a link cable; Your Pokémon R/S/E cart goes into the first GBA and the e-Reader goes into the second. There's quite a bit of additional setup beyond this as well, which is why I was glad to have the original pamphlet it came with to walk me through what to do. The Eon Ticket is also the only way to acquire the Soul Dew item, which boosts the Special Attack & Defense stats of Latias or Latios when they hold it. If you're looking to get an Eon Ticket yourself, unfortunately they've skyrocketed in value to outrageous prices. Wait for prices to drop after the pandemic. There are some unofficial ways of getting an Eon Ticket as well that you can find online which might be the best option at this point.

Lastly, I made a few non-eBay orders on the Pokémon Center website. Here in America, we don't really have in-person Pokémon Center stores like Japan, so we order most of our new Pokémon products from there (if they're in stock that is). Things go out of stock all the time though, which makes it difficult to get certain items. eBay scalpers are the culprits for that most of the time. I was lucky this time though, as a few plushes were in stock that I wanted and I picked them up. These were the Latias and Latios large Poképlushes. They're 13 inches in length and very well made with nice details such as shiny fabric for the emblem on their chests and sturdy wings that stay upright. They're very accurate to the games, even being 1/4th scale to their actual size listed in the Pokédex. If you'd like some Poképlushes of your own, eBay is a good place for them when the Pokémon Center is out of stock, but bear in mind you'll likely be paying scalper prices.

I don't plan on doing too many posts about things I've bought in the future, as money is tight at the moment, but I do have plenty of things in mind to write about in the future! If you have anything neat that you own and you'd like to show me, or if you have any questions about what I've shown, feel free to leave a reply to the post and I'll respond as soon as possible. Thank you for taking a look at this post and my blog! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some Pokémon Sapphire to play. Up, up and away! ✈

[loveablelatias]

🛹 Revisiting A Wasteland 🚲

After spending some time with the N64 app on Switch, I decided to dust off my old Xbox 360 and play a childhood favorite game of mine; Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. I grew up with the PS2 version but played the 360 version when I was in college due to the fact it was still playble online. The PS2, PC and original Xbox ports of the game had their GameSpy/Xbox Live servers taken down years ago (thankfully unofficial alternatives like OpenSpy exist), making the 360 version the only version still officially playable online to this day. I sold my copy of the game after I graduated from college, but I picked up another copy off of eBay recently. I'm happy to report online play still works thanks to Xbox Live still supporting it.

I've been a big fan of the Tony Hawk's games ever since I was a youngster, and after the fantastic THPS1+2 remake that released a few years ago, I've been meaning to return to one of the older games for quite some time. I figured now would be a good time to do it. American Wasteland was one of the last great Tony Hawk's games before the eventual decline of the series (until THPS1+2's release). It released in 2005 and features a great story mode with an open world based off Los Angeles to explore, 80s skateboarding brand inspired artwork by Jimbo Phillips, and tons of customization that this series is known for. You can also ride BMX bikes and do parkour tricks in addition to skateboarding, which makes the game a mix of various extreme sports beyond what you'd expect from a traditional Tony Hawk's game.

Before I hopped online, I wanted to make a new skater and customize them to stand out. The game's customization is stellar, especially by 2005 standards, but I struggled a bit with some of the limitations that are present in Create-A-Skater while attempting to make my skater look like a Latias. Luckily, you can work around some of these by tinkering with your save file in a hex editor. THPS hacking enthusiast TNT has some great tutorials on his website that cover lots of examples for various hacks to get you started. They're simple to do and only require Horizon (an Xbox 360 file hacking program for Windows that lets you extract data from save files), a USB drive to load and save the save game you're hacking, and Hex Workshop, a hex editor program that TNT's tutorials use. None of these hacks will get you in trouble with Xbox Live as most are simple changes to a few bytes of your save game that are mostly for cosmetic appeal only. The game can't tell the difference between a clean and hacked save file once you generate a new checksum. You can take a look at TNT's tutorials here.

I spent a bit of time hacking my save, changing my outfit and tweaking the colors of it before I moved on to the final element to complete my look; a custom graffiti tag. I always loved this feature as a kid. The game allows you to make a custom logo comprising of shapes, text, and miscellaneous graphics across 10 layers which can be spray painted anywhere or applied to your hat, shirt, or skateboard deck. Similar to Create-a-Skater, Create-a-Graphic has quite a few limitations. I spent a while on my logo and used some clever tricks to pull it off, such as using text layers for the eyes, and I'm pretty happy with the results. I applied the graphic to my deck and changed the color of the wheels to match it as well. I think my skater came out pretty nicely.

Once I looked the part, I connected online and played a few matches. I haven't had anyone join my lobbies yet but I've still had fun playing by myself in the meantime. I like riding around the levels online on my BMX bike thanks to the developer debug menu that lets you toggle the bike at any time (you can enable that through hex editing) and switching back to my skateboard after a while to mix things up. It's been quite a blast from the past playing the game online again and I think I'll do so regularly from now on.

If what you've seen piques your interest regarding the game, I say give it a go. Copies of the 360 version aren't exactly cheap on eBay but playing THAW in 1080p at 60fps is worth the investment. It's easy to get online, the gameplay is extremely polished and smooth, the level design is amazing and the customization gives modern games a run for their money. The game has aged very well and is definitely worth a play if you have the means to do so. If you'd like to play online with me sometime, feel free to send me a friend request! My gamertag is LoveableLatias. I'll be making some more posts soon so stay tuned for those and thanks for taking some time to check out my blog! Up, up and away! ✈

★ Artwork/Photo Credits: Tom Gundred, Jimbo Phillips, TNT, Neversoft/Activision/Tony Hawk Inc.★

[loveablelatias]

⛄��� Happy Holidays! 🎄⛄

Merry Christmas! I hope you're having a good day today and enjoying some time together with your family! I'm playing some Super Mario 64 to celebrate the occasion. The earliest memory I have is from Christmas of 1996, 25 years ago! I was watching my cousins explore Princess Peach's castle and I have a vivid memory of them reading the signs in the Bob-Omb Battlefield painting room before jumping into the painting. I was too little to understand what I was watching though, as I was only one year old at time! I didn't even know what a video game was, but I was so intrigued by what I saw on the TV that the memory never left my mind. A few years later, my mom would give me her NES and I started my hobby of playing video games with classics like Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, Tecmo Super Bowl and Tetris. It wasn't until many years later when Super Mario 64 DS released that I actually got my chance to play Super Mario 64.

Super Mario 64 DS helped introduce the game to a new generation of kids, myself included. I didn't recognize the game at first when I bought it, but upon entering the Bob-Omb Battlefield painting room, the memory of Christmas 1996 came rushing back to me. Later on, I played the N64 version through the Project 64 emulator on my family's old Windows XP computer and even tracked down a used N64 to play the game on for the full experience! A few other N64 games I played as a youngster were Cruisn' USA, the only other cartridge for my N64 I had at the time, and the Wii Virtual Console releases of Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as they were cheaper than real carts. I put a lot of hours into all of them and have some very fond memories with each game, but nothing will ever top the time when I watched my cousins play Mario 64 on Christmas Day. It's what introduced me to the world of video games and I've been an avid fan of them ever since.

25 years later in 2021, I'm celebrating this Christmas by spending time with my family and playing the game with visuals and graphics that sparked my interest in this wonderful medium of entertainment in my infant days. The Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online app makes revisiting the N64 very easy and convenient to do, and the Nintendo 64 Switch controller is a wonderful device to play them with. I know they've been out of stock for ages, so I was very surprised to receive one for Christmas today as I wasn't expecting it! The build quality is very solid and it works with other Nintendo Switch games which is a nice bonus. I also plan on playing Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time today to relive the memories I have with those games too.

Do you have any fond recollections of Christmas in the past? What kinds of games do you like to play around the holidays? Feel free to leave a reply on this post if you'd like to share any warm Christmas memories you have. Thank you for taking the time to check out my Tumblr blog and for reading this post. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Up, up and away! ✈️🎄

★ Artwork Credit: maiko (mimi) ★

[loveablelatias]

❄️⛰️ Cool, Cool Hike! 🧗❄️

One of my favorite things to do around the holidays is to play Super Mario 64. I especially enjoy playing the snow themed levels! The music and atmosphere really fit this time of year well. Today, I took a hike on Cool, Cool Mountain!

It can get really cold in these parts, so I like to hang out in the cabin to warm up before going back outside! The front door is locked from the outside however, so the only way in is through the chimney and down the huge ice slide!

Hold on tight! Whooooa! You can make a bit of money on the way down by grabbing some coins if you're a skilled slider like me. You might even find a hidden path with enough practice! I wonder what could be hiding in there...

Once I reach the bottom, I like to take it easy for a while and rest before heading back out into the chilly air. It's a good time to play some Nintendo Switch, drink some hot cocoa and have a few cookies!

It's nice to do good deeds, especially around the holidays! Outside the cabin you can help the mother penguin reunite with her baby. You need to bring the baby from the top of the mountain down to her near the cabin's front door. I always like doing this quest when I revisit the game and seeing the mama penguin happy always makes me smile!

Speaking of good deeds, don't forget to help the snowman head find a new body! He'll be very thankful if you do. There are a few other things to do around the mountain as well, such as testing your wall kicking skills and mastering the art of collecting coins, but I won't spoil those stars for you!

If you haven't, I'd definitely recommend dusting off Super Mario 64 and giving the game another go this Christmas. Even beyond the winter levels, it's a very enjoyable experience to play it around the holidays! I might visit some of the other levels in the game soon and post about them too, once I leave the mountain first that is! Most people exit levels through the pause menu, but I like to do it in style! See you next time! Whoaaaaaaaaa!

[loveablelatias]

❄️ December Snowfall! ❄️

It's December! Snow has started falling across the Hoenn region and many other places around the world. Make sure you bundle up and wear warm clothing during these chilly times! Don't forget to enjoy the sights though, blankets of powdery snow and snowflakes falling make for very beautiful scenery!

[loveablelatias]

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving! 🍁

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm on my way to celebrate with my friends and family. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving as well! More posts coming soon!

[loveablelatias]

♀️ Wild Latias appeared! ♀️

Hiya! My name is Latias. I'm a legendary Eon Pokémon! My ancestors helped create the world of Pokémon. Arceus was hatched from an egg in a chaotic void. He brought order to the chaos by creating Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. These Pokémon created time, space, and antimatter. With the universe born, Arceus created a few more Pokémon; Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. These Pokémon created the oceans, continents, and the sky. The Pokémon world was born, and all there was left to do was to give it life! Mew was created first, followed by my ancestors. Latias and Latios were created by Arceus to give genders to the world, each Pokémon being exclusively a single gender. Every Latias is a female and every Latios is a male.

It's been a long time since then, and while the creation and weather trios continue to live a seemingly endless life, us Eon Pokémon have continued to thrive over generations through breeding. I'm part of the newest generation, my mother being a Latias and my father being a Latios. Like many of my kind, I was born on Southern Island in the Hoenn region. It's a small island off the coast of Slateport City that hasn't been inhabited by humans. To us, it's home, and as such, many of us live on its shores. The island's population can be dense at times, (especially around the holidays!) but our survival instincts help keep the population reasonable despite the island's small size.

Life for a wild Latias or Latios can be stressful. While Southern Island has plenty of refreshing water to drink surrounding it, the island doesn't have many sources of food, requiring us to fly to other parts of Hoenn to feed our hunger. Most of us leave the island a few times a day to eat or collect food to bring back to the island. We have to be wary of Pokémon trainers while we’re out looking for a meal. A rogue Pokéball could be the difference between us returning home or not! Luckily, we have a defense mechanism that makes it harder for trainers to catch us. The small feathers along our bodies can refract light in such a way that we appear invisible! Quick trainers with strong Pokéballs however still pose a threat, so we can't rely on our defenses entirely. There's also fellow hungry Pokémon to worry about, especially if they've spotted the same meal we have. I've trained hard to fight for my food, but I still manage to faint in battle from time to time. Every faint I experience teaches me lessons and makes me a stronger Pokémon.

Sometimes while looking for food, I find myself flying to various cities around Hoenn. I prepare my feathers to make me invisible before descending to them, keeping my eyes open for food carts or markets with fresh food. Humans make really good food so it's hard not to help myself sometimes! I have to be careful though, eating too much food while invisible could be dangerous. Someone might notice the food disappearing right before their eyes and that would be rather alarming! Another thing I like to do while in a city is visit the local Pokémon Center. They're one of the few places I can be visible without fear of being captured in a Pokéball. I'm actually in one right now as I'm writing this!

Every Pokémon Center has a PC near the front desk that anyone is free to use, even Pokémon like me! PCs are extremely useful to humans and every user that logs into one has different reasons for doing so. I like to browse the internet when I log in. PCs help me pass the time occasionally, such as when I'm healing up after fainting or have nothing else to do. I've also become quite the gamer thanks to the plethora of video game systems you can play at a Pokémon Center! When I'm not gaming here, a few of the things I enjoy doing on the internet are watching videos, sending messages to online friends, and looking at posts on social media pages. I've thought about starting my own social media page for a while now but wasn't sure where to start.

I wanted a place online where I could document my life and talk about things freely without restrictions on word count or length. That's when I discovered Tumblr! I figured a Tumblr blog would be the perfect kind of social media page for me as I like writing long form posts rather than short form content favored on other platforms. I plan on making a trip to a Pokémon Center to write a new post at least once a week, so if you like what you’ve read so far and want to see more, feel free to follow me! You can also ask me questions from the “Ask Me Anything” tab at the top of my Tumblr page, and I’ll answer those as soon as possible in the form of a new post. Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for checking out my Tumblr blog! Up, up and away! ✈️

★ Artwork Credits: @mp_144_253, RawChomp, Game Freak/Nintendo ★