#wfc ds game

[tiny-tf-faces]

Especially low quality and very crunchy ds specimens

Thank you for these rare specimens! So crunchy I had to consult tfwiki for identification

[messyzoranablog]

Zorana's Guide To The Poke Classic Network!

Do you want to connect your DS Pokemon games to the internet long after Nintendo shut down their servers? Do you wish to trade and battle with your internet friends who play the gen 4 and 5 Pokemon games? Do you have a desire to watch and upload battle videos like you used to years ago?

If you said yes to any of these questions then I have the thing for you!

The Poke Classic Network!

This is a fan server for Pokemon DPPT, HGSS, BW, and BW2 that's running with the help of the Kaeru WFC! Not only does it let you connect your games to the internet again, the site will let you see what Pokemon are up on the GTS for both the gen 4 and gen 5 servers!

Below is my guide on how to get this working for you so you can bring a new life to these wonderful Pokemon games. Also I thought this would be shorter but it's rather long, so under the cut it goes! Please let me know if I missed anything in here! I'll try my best to fix it if I can.

Getting Started:

Before you get connected, make sure you are using the device you plan on doing all of your online connections with! For some reason you are locked to one device for this stuff and using another one will wipe your PalPad, and assign you a new friend code. Since what's available in the GTS search function is based on SEEN Pokemon the most reliable way to get particular pokemon (without marking everything as seen via cheating) would be trading them from people you've registered in the PalPad.

If you only plan on using the GTS then you don't need to worry as much about this.

The Poke Classic Network works on ALL DS/3Ds systems!

I will note that the Gen 5 games are easier to set up if you're using a 3Ds since they can see and read the Wifi settings of the 3Ds and can just have the DNS swapped without additional set up.

Connecting DPPT/HGSS on all systems and BW/BW2 on the DS/DSi:

I will go over connecting via Emulator in another section, this section and the next one is for if you're PHYSICAL HARDWARE.

What you'll need:

The console of choice

The game of choice, preferably played to the point where you can access the GTS for testing purposes. --- In DPPT you can find the GTS building in Jubilife City. --- In HGSS you can find the WFC building in Goldenrod City. --- In BW/BW2 you can access the GTS in the top part of every Pokecenter. --- I don't remember when exactly the GTS is unlocked for the games unfortunately.

Some way to create a Wifi network point with a compatible WEP (password type) or just no password. --- The easiest way I've found is just using a hotspot without a password. --- I know some modern routers will let you create an extra network like this if you know how. I do not and it'd likely be different for each router anyways. --- There are also some programs that can make one using your computer. I've used one for a bit before it locked what I needed behind a paywall.

What to do:

The first step is setting up the connection!

Start up the Wifi network point so it'll show up on your system.

I recommend using a hotspot that doesn't have a password on it. Make sure you change the bandwidth to 2.4 GHz, since 5 5 GHz doesn't seem to work. DO NOT PUBLICLY OPEN YOUR HOTSPOT IN A PUBLIC PLACE! You do not want someone deciding to eat up your data while you're trading pokemon, so only do this in a place you know is safe to do so, like at home or at a friend's place.

Once you've done that you'll want to open your game and go to the Nintendo WFC Settings. The button will look like one of these depending on the game you're playing:

This will take you to the DS wifi settings that are saved to the cart!

Next you'll want to tap on the big blue button which will take you to this screen.

You may or may not have connections here already if you've played before Nintendo's servers shut down. Erase them now if you do as they will no longer work. Then you'll want to tap the None button for Connection 1.

I'll be demonstrating using Connection 2 myself, but stick to the first connection.

Tap on the Search for access point button. This will bring up a list of nearby connections that your system can see. You'll want to tap on the one you started earlier. It will test the connection and the boot you back to the screen with the big blue button. Tap the big blue button and then the Ready button that's now showing up for the first connection.

Now scroll down to the very bottom and turn off Auto-obtain DNS and change the primary DNS to 178.62.43.212. You can also change the secondary DNS to the same one as well or keep it all 0s.

Once you're done it should look something like this:

Save the settings, close out of the Wifi connections menu, start your save, and try connecting to the GTS!

If you connect to the GTS then congrats, you are now able to use the Poke Classic Network! If it doesn't work the first try don't worry and try again. You can also swap the secondary DNS to the other one you weren't using and try again that way.

Connecting BW/BW2 on the 3Ds/2Ds:

This one is super simple and doesn't require any additional set up! Sorry I don't have any pictures for this one atm. I may edit this to add a couple later.

What you'll need:

Game of choice

Console of choice

What to do:

Open the internet settings on your 3Ds and tap on Connection settings.

Tap on a connection you know is working, tap Change Settings, then go to the next page.

Tap on DNS and tap No, then tap Detailed Setup. Change the primary DNS to 178.62.43.212 and either keep the secondary one as all 0s or use the same DNS address you put in the primary DNS slot.

Save your settings and go start your game, then try connecting to the GTS.

If you connect to the GTS then congrats, you are now able to use the Poke Classic Network! If it doesn't work the first try don't worry and try again. You can also swap the secondary DNS to the other one you weren't using and try again that way.

Connecting any DS Pokemon game using MelonDS (emulator):

This method will let you connect to the Poke Classic Network if you don't have the physical hardware or can't connect your system to the internet for any reason and know how to back up your save to your computer.

What you'll need:

The MelonDS emulator [Link] --- Desume doesn't have Wifi functionality so you'll need to move your saves over if that is your primary DS emulator. --- If the latest version doesn't work for some reason try again with the second newest one.

Game of choice

What to do:

The steps are nearly identical to the first section once you have the emulator running! Instead of using your own connection though you'll be using the one MelonDS makes for you, so there's no need to worry about finding a way to make one yourself.

The access point will look like this when searching for an access point:

[strwbmei]

Nintendo has discontinued the online stuff, but you can restore Nintendo WFC events and trading by changing the DNS in your internet settings in your ds internet settings (in case you want to do the victini/meloetta/genesect events in B/W). Works for GenIV/V.

Don't worry about it btw, this is entirely useless, I just want to use shiny whimsicott in my Pokemon White playthrough. I'm just gonna look for wild encounters. It's original Gen V so its full odds (1/8192) and I have a 1/4 chance to get cottonee, but the dark grass increases it by about 1.5x. I looked into RNG manipulation, but I don't have the chatots. The orange candyfloss will be mine

I think the previous owner of my DS already got that set up, (I bought it second-hand,) but the weird thing is that it doesn't work for Pokemon games specifically. Multiplayer/online stuff works perfectly fine with other games. I wish you luck, though!! Hunting for shiny pokemon sounds like a pain...

[missionel]

last night i spent 3 hours getting nintendo wfc to work on my 3ds and ds emulator so i could send my beloved quilava from my emulated copy of pokemon heartgold to my legit copy of pokemon pearl. i previously thought he would be stuck in emulation hell forever, but yesterday i proved myself wrong. was it worth it?

absolutely.

welcome to the real world, citrus! now i'll be able to send him forward to other games :] i'm thinking of ribbon mastering him

[kaoarika]

Related to previous reblog about Milotic:

10 years ago (lmao? has it been 10 years already?) around the time Nintendo shut down the DS WFC, I used the Pokémon world trading feature, like... a LOT, lol. I pretty much took advantage of having both Pearl and SoulSilver to make an attempt to complete pokédex here and there... although I honestly feel I was always lacking Gligar and its evolution because it was a Diamond/HeartGold exclusive, and since I didn't have it recorded in my game's pokédex (or the other, in that case?) I never went to look for the pokémon. With others? It was perfect.

So... I don't remember WHEN exactly Feebas appears in the game, or if it was around the early post-game feature from Pearl, but I managed (by pure luck) to get in in one of the caves where it appears exclusively in Sinnoh? Which, okay. What was left was evolving it, I guess, but with the nature thing and the whole compatibility with the buns/moffins? thing was similar to gacha, I swear.

So instead of going and catch more Feebas, I did my best and was actually looking for Feebas in the worldwide trading scene :))) to save me a few headaches. After that, I think I got like... 7, even after the one I eventually evolved into Milotic. I know it is cheating, but... hey, I feel like I also helped out some people in the way (not as much as... say... trading a Dragonair or Dragonite? for Dialga, lmao, that I dunno why their og trainer was wanting to trade for a Dragonite -although, it's a pain to evolve any gen's representative dragon pokémon to their latest, I would give you that). I think I still have a Feebas, EVEN under Pokérus still in my PC boxes from Pearl.

During the pandemic (and definitely during the time my 3DS was down due to the battery), I felt an itch to replay any early pokémon game (could have gone to buy any of the 6th or 7th gen... but again, 3DS was down) and while I was more into an itch for 4th or 5th gen pkmn, it was when the retro game bubble was a huge mess, so. I had a Sapphire copy that was actually pre-owned so I started a new game (the only issue is that the clock battery has been dead over 15 years).

I think I'm still pre Elite Four in there, but the exact point I left in was when I was making an attempt to get a Feebas and... MAN. I felt I was more lucky in getting a shiny Oddish (or Gloom) (even if I messed up my chance in catching it) than... whatever this was. WOW. Annoying. On one hand, grinding main team... on the other :))))

However, I arrived to the conclusion of "what is the point of having a Feebas in Sapphire if I cannot grow berries to make pokéblocks to make it evolve...?" (and, that is also setting aside that "you could transfer them to 4th Gen through the original DS/DS Lite GBA compatibility"... when I already have them in-game for both PEarl and SoulSilver, afaik)

I'm thankful that post 4th gen games looked other ways to not only catch Feebas easier... but making its evolution so much easier too. (cannot say anything else since I don't own any other main-pkmn games after Pearl, though).

[zaptap]

biggest impact nintendo wfc shutting down had on me was i couldnt do the dns cheat in pokemon anymore (if you changed the dns settings you could connect to an alternate server that would give you a pokemon whenever you connected to the gts. people would set up servers with all sorts of event pokemon, and there was even a site where you could have it gen something for you)

i remember making a list of all the legendary pokemon from gens 4-5 (1-3 i could just clone in emerald) and making sure i set aside enough to cover both the upcoming hoenn remake (i forget if those had been announced by the time i was doing this, but i knew they had to be coming) and pokemon z (ok these ones are actually still in pokemon bank. whenever we get z, like in gen 10 or in 3000 years or whatever, they're ready to go in)

and other than that, i tried out an online battle in smash bros brawl for the first time just a bit before wfc died (after getting it the previous summer) and that was it. i used to play online in mario kart ds, but i lost that game in 2010 so i didnt have it at that point

......but 3ds and wii u online is another story. i don't even know if i've worked out exactly what all of my unfinished online business is. i had so many more 3ds and wii u games than ds and wii, and i feel like in general those had more online functionality too

this time at least, pokemon isn't immediately affected--i'm still trying to focus more on that living dex project again, but at least the potential bank closure time is at least later than april. i guess i should go into the gts in pokemon x and see if someone traded me that sandstorm vivillon i asked for (or at least get whatever other form it is)

so i should probably focus on like... going back and finishing miitopia (or at least getting far enough to not need to search for new miis? but at that point i might as well finish probably). and uh... damn do i have to make a list of every single game i have and cross out all the ones that dont have something online that i want to do?

i guess maybe i should go into acnl and visit a ton of dream towns. i didnt do that too much and itd be nice to get those badges (and pretendo would only be capable of adding new dream town uploads, not using existing ones, so all of the cool dream towns that are there will be lost forever)

[negativepostgenerator]

I refuse to queue shit posts because that is too much work but I will continue to post oddly prescient Nintendo predictions.

On today's episode, I will predict the Switch's successor.

As with my previous prediction regarding Paper Mario, it is valuable to examine the past to predict the future.

What most people don't tell you about Nintendo consoles is that most of them are boring and only the last few have been interesting. The Color TV Game, NES, SNES, 64, and GameCube are fundamentally boring devices when compared to their contemporaries. They are notable mainly for the quality of software and evolution of their controller from an Arcade plat to a versatile hand-shaped interface with four face buttons, two sticks, some number of triggers, and a d-pad. (And three pause buttons, as God intended.) It is worth mentioning that Nintendo home consoles follow a strict pattern of a popular console followed by an unpopular one. NES followed by SNES, 64 followed by GC, Wii followed by Wii U. It is highly likely the Switch's successor will fail to exceed its parent, considering the Switch is making DS numbers.

The real history, as true connoisseurs will tell you, is in the handheld division and in peripherals. The Zapper, the Keyboard, the Mouse, the GB Camera&Printer, ROB. Nintendo supplemented their consoles with secondary hardware to facilitate unconventional play approaches. When the GameCube struck, though, Nintendo began using interplay as a feature. GC games with GBA compatible features, the Link cable, that sort of thing. Nintendo WFC in the Wii/DS era made this process wireless, but it fell out of favor simultaneously.

An evolutionary lineage can be drawn through each Nintendo console since the GameCube. The GC had a handle to make it easier to carry, which was a stray bit of DNA from the hybrid-intended Virtual Boy. The two-screen TV-handheld play style of games like Four Swords encouraged the development of a two-screen device that was lightweight enough to stand on its own. Hence, the DS. The DS had a touch screen, which is apparently a nonrestrictive piece of technology considering every handheld since has had one. More importantly, though, a quirk of a handheld console is that you hold the screen in your hands. In Mario Kart, play testers would lean into the turns with their hands. Brain Age had you hold the device like a Book. Bowser's Inside Story made the screens into a diorama for giant battles. The hardware could become a part of the play experience rather than a passive window into it.

That the Wii came next is a no brainer. Its unconventional controller design still retains untapped potential to this very day. For as shallow and weak some of the casual output in the Wii era was, the innovation on display from most developers during this period was outstanding. Mario Kart Wii is played *by* leaning into the turns. The Wii remote and Nunchuk added several new features to the Nintendo hardware ecosystem: motion, IR pointer, a controller split between both hands, an asymmetric controller interface, and the concept of the "room" becoming part of the play space.

Early games for 3DS attempted to continue these concepts. The 3DS is packed full of garbage: multiple cameras, a gyroscope, 3D (hi again Virtual Boy, so weird to see more of you again), a mic, touch screen, an increased focus on Wi-Fi & Street pass. The longer the 3DS lived, the more obvious it became that users wanted more of the DS, and not a Square Whatsit for looking around their room holding in front of their face, though.

This is a lesson the Wii U failed completely to learn, thoroughly regressing to the GameCube era of putting the TV and handheld device at odds with each other. The good part of the DS was a touch screen that didn't get in the way of the display, not Having to look in two places at once. What's more, the Square Whatsit is even heavier and more cumbersome. The only key feature of the Wii U not present in a more appealing form is the ability to zoop the TV screen down onto the game pad and walk around your house with it. Not any further though.

So anyway, they made it so that you could go further with the Switch. This fucking thing is firing on all cylinders: symmetrical motion controllers that are also their own tiny full controllers for two players, an IR pointer, a touch screen, a gyroscope, fully hybrid! The fat has been trimmed: no cameras, no mic, no dedicated 3D display. And best of all: a dock for turning your beefcake handheld into a quaint, sleek, lower-end homeboy.

Get it? Get what I'm saying? Every successive console has been taking underappreciated aspects of the previous console and expanding them to create a new device with that as the focus.

So what IS that feature for the Switch? I think it's the Toy-con. A clever way to create lightweight, disposable, inexpensive peripherals? Maybe. But then what's with the Toy-con VR goggles? First of all, Hi again Virtual Boy, we keep meeting. Why do we keep meeting. But second of all, why go to the trouble of creating a faux-headset for a console whose display is too low resolution to properly support VR?

Probably as a proof of concept, I'm guessing.

I've been looking at old Switch patents - One that grabs my attention is one where the controller is bezzled into the screen, in an oval shape, and the screen is the entire front of the device. Weird, right? Especially since the Switch looks nothing like that. What value is there in having the entire device be the screen? Perhaps it's to minimize the weight of the device when it's strapped to your face?

I've had a conspiracy since the Wii U came out that Nintendo has been itching to give the Virtual Boy a second chance. What I believe is that this "third branch" talk surrounding the DS, the 3DS, then the Switch, is a front to test concepts relating to VR in the newer, market-untested hardware. The original plan was to have three branches: a home console division, a handheld division, and a VR console division. However, the first two have met in happy unity, so the slot of a heavyweight, difficult-to-move setup console is open, now that the Switch has proven the value in trimming the fat on a home console until it is truly portable, not just a box with a handle. In the future, perhaps two generations from now, we'll see Nintendo split their handheld and console divisions again, with the Switch-style hybrid models acting as the handhelds.

The Switch 2, for lack of a better term, will be announced Q3 2024. It will be a device that at once trims the fat on the Switch further, being rid of the IR sensor and co-op baby-controllers in favor of an even more elegant, efficient, powerful, and ergonomic device that is even easier to accept the idea of strapping to your face. The Toy Con will be expanded - the new device will feature some new way to easily access a suite of on-demand cheap (or better yet, immaterial) peripherals, and more games will support VR/3D.

It will make early adopters and journalists invited to try it motion sick, and will sell modestly, propelled mainly by a hardcore audience that has basically only been itching for a beefier Switch for three years and counting.

[ariel-s-awesome]

The original Diamond and Pearl won't change because DS games ran on the WFC server instead of the 3DS one. Even if it was run on the 3DS hardware.

That got shut down... wow, almost 10 years before the 3DS/ Wii U one will be.

The underground is a local multiplayer feature anyways.

hell on earth

[dragon-snoots-a-boopin]

I don’t normally like to talk about rumors but there’s this rumor among the TF YouTubers that Hasbro MAY be bringing back the War For Cybertron/Fall Of Cybertron designs as apart of the Studio Series line. What’s RUMORED is a voyager Optimus Prime and Megatron and a deluxe Bumblebee and Cliffjumper and deluxe Barricade.

I don’t really want Hasbro to revisit every single design from these games so here’s my wishlist of what I’d like to see.

Leader Class WFC Ultra Magnus

Voyager Class WFC/FOC Optimus Prime

Voyager Class WFC Silverbolt

Voyager Class WFC Air Raid

Voyager Class WFC/FOC Megatron

Voyager Class WFC/FOC Seekers

Voyager Class WFC Coneheads

Voyager Class WFC/FOC Soundwave

Deluxe Class FOC Jazz

Deluxe Class WFC Hot Shot

Deluxe Class WFC Dragstrip

FOC Combaticons (Voyager Onslaught, rest are deluxe class)

A lot of the characters from my list are actually from the Nintendo DS versions of the game because that version has characters that no other version has I feel like I am the only one that doesn’t want the Dinobots because Planet X does excellent versions and because We’ve gotten Dinobots pretty recently in Studio Series and I could use a break from them. Anyway, I hope the rumor is true because this would be awesome!

[toonformers]

Is it weird that whenever I read transformers comics I imagine IDW characters with the voices of characters from other continuities? Like, IDW Megatron? He has the tfa voice. Prowl? Also the TFA voice. Ultra Magnus? Tfa. Bumblebee, I give him the WFC voice, since I played the ds version of that game and apart from tf animated Bumblebee, was the only voice I new.

Does anyone else do this?

[flowertab]

It’s funny you brought this up, because I was actually wondering about the likelihood of this lately!

In my opinion, it just makes sense to have ports or rereleases of the prequels, for multiple reasons. There are probably players who don’t own a DS or 3DS and have only gotten to play the ones that have ports. It would also spread more awareness and interest in the series, helping to keep it relevant until NWoS comes out. But with a few additions, it could be well worth the time for returning fans as well.

For instance, Last Specter’s Nintendo WFC features, like the weekly puzzles, and some instances in London Life. These are inaccessible for many (myself included) due to the service being discontinued years ago. A rerelease could have these automatically available. And speaking of London Life, it’s in dire need of a rerelease, whether included with one of LS or even released separately as its own game! In addition to the WFC issues, LL was not included in some regions, and everyone should get a chance to play it. Adding a few more save slots would be great as well (speaking as someone with siblings). If it were released on its own, I think London Life would hit it off with cozy gamers and draw more awareness to the series.

Miracle Mask could be rereleased to include the Japan-exclusive features (bonus cutscenes, events, etc) from MM Plus. I can’t be the only one dying to know what the events are…

For Azran Legacy, include Emmy’s letter from the Japanese AL guidebook as an unlockable bonus feature! The letter adds important info and closure about Emmy’s arc, and should be more accessible than having to either tear up your book or find the scans/fan translations online.

These are just a few thoughts I have as to why this would be a worthwhile move for Level-5 and players alike.

If Level5 releases hd ports of the prequel trilogy would you guys be interested if that happened?

It's hard to tell if Level5 will ever release hd ports of the prequel trilogy as it's been awhile since they released the last hd port which was Unwound Future/Lost Future. The prequels aren't as popular as the original trilogy entries but they're still beloved among the fandom.

[vg-sanctuary]

Picross 3D and Round 2

HAL Laboratory - DS, 3DS - 2010-2016

[images from nintendolife and worldofgames]

nonograms, Japanese crossword, "picross," Pic-a-Pix, the only number puzzle I actually like. I couldn't get my head around kakuro and sudoku felt like a waste of time. picross, though, makes a nice picture at the end and it's easier to tell when you've made a mistake, especially on digital picross that usually tells you outright. I think I prefer picross because you feel like you've made actually completed something once you complete the puzzle instead of just putting some numbers on a page in an array that's "correct" according to an arbitrary set of rules.

Picross 3D is one of the small handful of games I remember trying a demo of from the Nintendo Channel on the Wii when I was little. the Nintendo Channel was a wonderful thing and I'd never played any puzzle like the ones in Picross 3D, so I was hooked, but I'd never played the full game until more recently. honestly, I still don't think there are any puzzle games that offer puzzles that have to be handmade like picross, 3D or otherwise. a computer can't make a picross puzzle on its own because of the picture part. Picross 3D, adapts these age-old deduction-based color-by-number puzzles into glorious 3D on the DS of all things. it was appropriate because of the touch screen, it's just that the DS wasn't exactly known for its 3D capabilities. not that it's especially visually complex anyway. it's also a late DS game that's quite good and not really talked about. seems like those things go together.

the main ideas and strategies of plain 2D picross adapt to 3D beautifully despite the extra dimension. both kinds of puzzle ask the player to use limited information to figure which cells are and aren't filled in. you don't need to know 2D picross to play Picross 3D, but it helps a little. in Picross 3D, each puzzle is a grid of cubes where any side of a cube can have a number on it, and that number shows how many cubes on that line of cubes are painted instead of broken. sometimes there will be a circle or a square around the number. a circle means the painted cubes are in two groups separated by at least one broken cube, and a square means it's three or more groups each separated by at least one broken cube. some lines of cubes don't have a number, which just means you don't know how many cubes in that line are painted or broken, and you have to use the available numbers to figure that line out.

somehow Picross 3D got a 3DS sequel, simply called Picross 3D: Round 2, that improves on the original in practically every way. the biggest difference is that there are two colors of paint instead of just one, which adds an extra layer of depth to the puzzles. (for those curious, there are multicolored 2D picross puzzles too.) in the original Picross 3D, you linearly progress through puzzles that ramp up in difficulty, but in Round 2, the puzzles are sorted into books with themes like birds, sports, or trucks, and each book has different unlock conditions. every puzzle can be played on easy, normal, or hard, unlike the first game's strict difficulty curve. Round 2 is really nonlinear and you don't need to do every puzzle to progress, so if you don't want to do the time limit or one strike puzzles, you don't have to. it also allows as many hints as you want with no penalty. the less punishing rules and library theming make Round 2 feel really cozy and sort of zen, while the original has the distinct feeling of a late DS game. I personally love both. the only thing the original has over its sequel is the ability to create, upload, and download user made puzzles over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but Nintendo WFC is dead now anyway so that doesn't matter.

usually I feel like I need something important to say about all the games I write about. I don't have anything like that for this one, I just really like this pair of games and think the puzzle systems are really interesting and fun, and of course, most people don't know about them. you do now, though, and I hope you'll enjoy these games if you're into puzzles.

[gogogobarry]

[originally from here] Anonymous asked: To the Mun, what do you think about the Sinnoh remakes/prequels?

Thanks for the question, anon!! Before offering my two Pokedollars, I’ll offer this disclaimer: Pokemon’s fourth generation is my favorite in the series. And yes, there’s nostalgia tied in with that–I’ll never forget using Nintendo WFC (no more cables!) to battle with my friends, raid the GTS, and fool around in the Underground. Diamond and Pearl introduced me to EV training, shiny hunting, and Shoddy Battle (now Showdown.) It turned my enjoyment of Pokemon into a near-obsession, and I still haven’t looked back!

So, I’m naturally excited for the remakes and the Legends prequel. I’m not the biggest fan of the graphics for either game, but I’m also determined to keep an open mind as we learn more about their development. Heck, my favorite region is coming to Switch, and who can say no to open world Pokemon? I’m so in for both games.

While I do love DPPt, I know that the games aren’t perfect–it can be a slow, sometimes frustrating journey through Sinnoh (snow/mud patches, the fog mechanic, saving a lot of data, Blissey’s health bar, etc.). I hope the remakes plan to streamline some of that slog. And for both games, I really, really hope that we will have access to a complete Pokedex again. Having unavailable slots in SwSh was…weird.

Also, I’m (somewhat) naively looking forward to these new games because I’m hoping to recapture even some of those wonderful memories growing up…and, if I’m being honest, I know these games won’t bring my childhood roaring back. Pokemon feels like it’s being powered exclusively by nostalgia lately–just look at any of their trailers, videos, or intros to every Pokemon Presents. There’s a reason why Charizard is in every game. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went hard on those Black/White memories next…it’s coming.

I think people–and even the Pokemon Company, until recently–forget that Pokemon is one of the most valuable media franchises in the world. It makes sense that TPC is finally getting their bag and cashing in with the waves of content lately. It almost feels like the end of an era. I already feel kind of overwhelmed just thinking about going abruptly from New Snap, to Brilliant Diamond, to Legends…

Sometimes, on lazy afternoons, I just want to flip open my cracked DS, pop in Diamond, and get lost in Sinnoh all over again. I can’t wait to experience even a moment of that feeling later this year. :)    

[draconscious]

To the Mun, what do you think about the Sinnoh remakes/prequels?

Thanks for the question, anon!! Before offering my two Pokedollars, I’ll offer this disclaimer: Pokemon’s fourth generation is my favorite in the series. And yes, there’s nostalgia tied in with that--I’ll never forget using Nintendo WFC (no more cables!) to battle with my friends, raid the GTS, and fool around in the Underground. Diamond and Pearl introduced me to EV training, shiny hunting, and Shoddy Battle (now Showdown.) It turned my enjoyment of Pokemon into a near-obsession, and I still haven’t looked back!

So, I’m naturally excited for the remakes and the Legends prequel. I’m not the biggest fan of the graphics for either game, but I’m also determined to keep an open mind as we learn more about their development. Heck, my favorite region is coming to Switch, and who can say no to open world Pokemon? I’m so in for both games.

While I do love DPPt, I know that the games aren’t perfect--it can be a slow, sometimes frustrating journey through Sinnoh (snow/mud patches, the fog mechanic, saving a lot of data, Blissey’s health bar, etc.). I hope the remakes plan to streamline some of that slog. And for both games, I really, really hope that we will have access to a complete Pokedex again. Having unavailable slots in SwSh was...weird.

Also, I’m naively looking forward to these new games because I’m hoping to recapture even some of those wonderful memories growing up...and, if I’m being honest, I know these games won’t bring my childhood roaring back. Pokemon feels like it’s being powered exclusively by nostalgia lately--just look at any of their trailers, videos, or intros to every Pokemon Presents. There’s a reason why Charizard is in every game. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went hard on those Black/White memories next...it’s coming.

I think people--and even the Pokemon Company, until recently--forget that Pokemon is one of the most valuable media franchises in the world. It makes sense that TPC is finally getting their bag and cashing in with the waves of content lately. It almost feels like the end of an era. I already feel kind of overwhelmed just thinking about going abruptly from New Snap, to Brilliant Diamond, to Legends...

Sometimes, on lazy afternoons, I just want to flip open my cracked DS, pop in Diamond, and get lost in Sinnoh all over again. I can’t wait to experience even a moment of that feeling later this year. :)    

[ianmrid]

...Diamond and Pearl...

Finally, I’m down to the last two pokémon I need to capture in Pokémon Platinum. These are the Sea Guardians, a pair of Mythical pokémon called Manaphy and Phione.

There is a bit of debate around the classification of these guys, as they break some of the generally accepted rules about Mythicals/Legendaries. Manaphy is definitely classed as a Mythical, but unlike all those that came before it, it is able to breed. Rather than being in the undiscovered Egg Group, it is in one of the Water Egg groups, which means when you leave it at day-care with a Ditto (it is still genderless, so it can only breed with a Ditto), an egg will actually be produced. However, this is where the controversy comes in. Hatching the egg will reveal a Phione, rather than another Manaphy, leading to the fan debate of whether or not Phione itself should be classed as a Mythical. Personally, I don’t care - just get in my ‘Dex!

On to obtaining Manaphy. This can be either very easy, or pretty hard...

The easy route: Since this is a Mythical, there were various distributions of Manaphy via the Mystery Gift system so, using the aforementioned exploit, I easily obtained multiple Manaphys in short order. Except, to me, this feels a bit like cheating. I’m happy to use the Mystery Gift exploit for those Mythicals for which there is no other, more legitimate way to get them, but that just isn’t true for Manaphy. So this brings us to...

The hard route: There are a series of spin-off games know as the Pokémon Ranger series which are also on the DS and, although they are technically classed as Gen3 games, they were known as ‘The Road to Diamond and Pearl’. To this end, they allow you obtain a Manaphy Egg via a special, post-game mission. All of the games in the series - Pokémon Ranger, Shadows of Almia, and Guardian Signs - have the ability to access this mission, but in the latter two, it requires access to the Nintendo WFC to download them, something that is no longer available. I think you can use the same exploit from the easy route to download the missions, but if I do that then the Manaphy isn’t really any more legit than just getting it from Mystery Gift directly! This leaves us with the original Pokémon Ranger.

In the original game, the post-game Manaphy Egg mission is on the cartridge already and doesn’t require downloading. The drawback is that this is available only once per game, and by this I don’t mean once per save file, I mean once per physical cartridge! This means if you buy a cartridge that has already been used for this mission, you won’t be able to use it yourself. Great! To give myself the best chance of this working, I purchased an expensive sealed copy of the game from eBay and fortunately it was indeed brand new, not just something that had been resealed Phew. Now to complete the game.

Pokémon Ranger is a fun enough little game based in the new region of Fiore where, unlike in previous regions, pokémon aren’t captured permanently in Poké Balls, but instead captured temporarily using something called a Capture Styler. This whole capture mechanic is based around the DS’s new touch screen functionality as you use the DS stylus to draw a number of uninterrupted circles around wild pokémon in order to capture them. Once you have captured them, they will follow you until you either use their powers to help capture other, stronger pokémon, clear obstacles, or heal your damaged Capture Stylus. The only exception to this is your partner pokémon, Minun, who remains with you the whole time.

You start off as a rookie Pokémon Ranger - a sort of seemingly self-appointed police force who investigate crimes, help out citizens in need, and generally deal with whatever nonsense is going down in Fiore. You work your way through the 10 missions and as you progress you get stronger and are able to have more pokémon in your team at one time. The plot involves stopping the schemes of Team Go-Rock, a music-themed evil team wo want to use the regional professor’s cutting edge Capture Styler technology to capture and control the three Legendary Beasts of Johto; Raikou, Suicune, and Entei.

The game is pretty easy with just a few challenging captures along the way, and soon all is right in Fiore again, thanks to me. In the post-game, the Ranger Net menu can be accessed in order to complete the ‘Recover the Precious Egg!’ additional mission, whereby a the remnants of Team Go-Rock steal a strange egg from the Rangers and you have to get it back. Once you recover said egg, the professor realises it is a rare Manaphy egg and suggests you send it to Sinnoh via Mystery Gift to hatch it since ‘pokémon eggs don’t hatch in Fiore’. Weird, but fine. That is my queue to send it over to my Platinum game!

Pokémon Ranger: Completed!

Back in Platinum, a short amount of cycling later, the egg hatches and Manaphy is all mine! Now this should be it - aside from a quick trip to the day-care to breed a Phione - but for a couple of reasons, the completionist in me wants to try out one more spin-off game. Firstly, there is in fact another way to get a Phione, rather than just by breeding the Manaphy that I just obtained. On top of this, this same method also allows me to get a hold of a Mew - one of the most difficult pokémon to track down legitimate versions of. Both my previous attempts needed some workarounds - a glitch in Gen1 and a distribution ROM in Gen3 - so this was too tempting to pass up. Time to play Pokémon Ranch.

Pokémon Ranch is a WiiWare title, which sadly became unavailable for purchase when Nintendo closed down the WiiShop in 2019, although if you happen to have a copy, it will still continue to be fully functional. With no Wii, or way to get hold of the game, this initially seemed like a dead-end until I mentioned this problem to my good friend, Barry (@cakeinmilk). Barry had a plan.

I will hand over to him to tell you all about it next time, in my first-ever guest article! Take it away, Baz!

[gaydinobots]

2020 is going to be my year because wfc is the same game (at least for ds version) where grimlock n swoop lived together.........gay dinobots for 2020