So, on the 25th of July, the collective internet exploded thanks to the leakage of three separate beta versions of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, dating from 3/17/06, 5/30/06, and 6/30/06, the first one being very early in development as many maps and assets were not even in the game yet, whereas the last two were basically complete, just needing the placeholders to be replaced with final sprites. Several of these though were complete versions of Pokemon that we never got, beta versions of things like Grotle, Torterra, Prinplup, Yanmega, Togekiss, and one of the most finished ones, the Gible line. It was completely different, kind of crazy that this little thing turned into what it is today

I'd love to hear about what you guys saw and what you thought were some of the best/worst/craziest beta designs that you saw. Even some of the maps and trainer Pokemon were different, it was quite nice to see.

I've probably captured 20ish shiny Pokemon. I've only hunted for them once, and that was in Let's Go, where I chained nearly 300 Caterpie before finding a shiny Weedle, breaking the chain, and finding a shiny Caterpie literally 5 minutes later. Probably one of my favorite events to ever happen to me in a Pokemon game.

Wait a second, if I recall correctly, GameStop can't accept numerous copies of the same game. I remember years ago I had 3 copies of Sonic Rush and they wouldn't take them. Did they just not care?

So, I made a video on a somewhat unknown challenge called the Professor Oak's Challenge. It's fairly simple: Catch as many Pokemon as possible before challenging each gym. They get somewhat repetitive but they're also quite rewarding. I've got a video guide explaining how to do so for Pokemon FireRed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7EtKuMdz58

Ahh yes I did forget to mention those. Well, I guess I also didn't mention the Japanese-Only enhanced versions of all 6 NES classic series games, the Rockman Complete Works series, complete with Pocketstation support and revised soundtracks, borrowing heavily from the arcade games that were later ported to the Anniversary Collection: Mega Man: The Power Battle & Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters. They may not be mainline games but because the music was placed in a mainline game, it makes them even better. Not to mention that all of these versions had a difficulty select and the PocketStation could be used to change Mega Man's stats in a way to make the game easier or harder on yourself, which was insanely cool for the time, and a damn shame we didn't get those over here in America. Instead, we got watered-down versions of Complete Works through the Anniversary Collection, but that collection has input lag and a few other things that make it unappealing.

Mario - 16
Zelda - 20
Kirby - 17
Final Fantasy - 21
Grand Theft Auto - 18
Super Smash Bros. - 15
Metroid - 13
Street Fighter - 14
Crash Bandicoot - 10
Mega Man - 11 (+1)
Metal Gear - 18
Elder Scrolls - 17
Assassin's Creed - 8 (-3)
Castlevania - 20

You will never be able to convince me that Mega Man isn't the best franchise.

There is a lot that goes into a decision like this. I enjoy the X games with the different collectables like armor, heart tanks, and sub-tanks, but unfortunately, X only has 11 games in his series, X1-X8, Xtreme 1 and 2, and Command Mission. Commmand Mission is the only one I deem as non-mainline since it takes place in an alternate timeline, so make that 10 games. Classic Mega Man on the other hand, is has quite a few more than that. He's got Mega Man 1-11, which already is a additional game than the X series, but he's also got the Game Boy handheld titles Mega Man: Dr Wily's Revenge, all the way to Mega Man V (these are canon and therefore mainline, taking place between the NES games). He's also got Mega Man & Bass on SFC and GBA, which is also a mainline title despite the fact that it didn't have a number. So in total, classic Mega Man has 17 games as opposed to X's measly 10. I don't think that the number is as important as the quality though, and unfortunately, around a quarter of the X series isn't worth your time. Mega Man X6 and X7 have their problems that have been voiced by thousands of people around the internet, but Mega Man Xtreme 1 and 2 are basically rendered useless due to having the same stages as the SNES ones, just in 8 bit. Yeah, I guess you can play as Zero in Xtreme 2, and Xtreme 2 also has some unique stage elements, but not enough to keep it fresh and interesting. And yes, you could make that argument for Mega Man I-IV on Game Boy, but at least you have completely new bosses in the form of the Mega Man Killers, and you have the ability to go through all 8 robot masters as once, rather than having to go through castle stages halfway through since you only kill 4 Mavericks in the Xtreme games before heading to the castle. SO, overall, I've gotta choose classic Mega Man here. It's got a relatively great standard of quality, and are endlessly replayable for great times and score in the case of Mega Man 1, but no one actually likes the score counter...

I've got to admit that I'd like to see 2B and Sora as my two top contenders, though anything of the likes of Dante, Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro, Crash, Rayman, Shantae, or Zero would certainly make me happy. However I get the feeling we won't get more than one of these characters I listed, maybe 2, but I'll be appreciative either way that they're adding more content to a game that I both love and eternally frustrate myself with while playing online.

I actually learned about these games because of Scott the Woz, and I recently got a PS4, so I'm going to be looking to pick these up, since they seem like really fun games. I don't have much experience in PlayStation though so I'll have to get used to the controller along with the crazy mechanics of Gravity Rush, though I look forward to playing it.

zanderlex : Yeah, I've seen that happen before. I once got a beta version of Chaos Black on a cartridge and couldn't get through Mt. Moon since it was blocked off. I luckily got through it by using a Gameshark but you shouldn't need that to get through the game. That's the only instance I've ever seen that happen though, every other game I've purchased has been pretty good, those being Perla, Flora Sky, and Blue Sea. I love these hacks and getting to play them on actual hardware is the best.

I don't nickname Pokemon in my first playthroughs of games, it never felt right to me since I'd like to experience what the actual name of a Pokemon is when I first see it, rather than nicknaming a pre-evolution and basically only seeing the name once when it evolves, when it says " Your (insert nickname) has evolved into Simisear! or something like that. Though when it comes to challenge runs like nuzlockes and such, I definitely like doing that since it feels more personal when you lose the Pokemon during the challenge.

Gotta admit, I'm liking Sword and Shield from what I'm seeing. I love the starter designs, especially Scorbunny, that's my pick for the starter this generation on my first playthrough in Sword, chances are I'll go for Grookey in my playthrough of Shield. I like the logos, and I really hope the third version is Pokemon Gun, just for the meme, though I feel like the idea of third versions is dead due to the fact that we haven't gotten an exclusive third version of a game since Gen 4, and we're in Gen 8 now so it's a little hard to say. I just hope this is the generation where we get remakes of Diamond and Pearl, hopefully with a Delta Episode type-thing, like a Distortion Episode that'll allow us to get Origin Form Giratina and maybe even another legendary like we did Deoxys. Hell, I think it would be cool if Arceus would come after Giratina since it would be pissed that you captured all three of his creations, as shown in HeartGold and SoulSilver's event with the Sinjoh ruins.

Johto - 9
Hoenn - 5 (+1)
Sinnoh - 11
Unova - 12
Alola - 5 (-3)

The last movie I've seen was District 9. It was made in 2009, showing an alien race landing on Earth and having to co-exist, which led them to poverty and racism against them, though all they were trying to do was plot to get back up to their mothership and go home. I don't know why they left in the first place if they wanted to be home, but whatever, plot contrivances. It was enjoyable in the fact that it explored the idea of how the human race could be even more hateful against those who aren't even of our own race, and treat them as they would any other animal, even if they were capable of thought and speech.

The last movie I saw in theaters was the Power Rangers 2017 movie, it's been quite a while since I've been to a theater. It was pretty good, I hated how edgy it was since Mighty Morphin' was all about the altruistic teens, and while I understand that they were very stereotypical teens in their roles on the show, these teens had a bit more personality. However, it really bothered me with how the new "Jason" had "milked" a male cow and how "Trini" had to pee in a cup after her parents thought she was on drugs due to her trying to tell them her experience in becoming the Yellow Ranger. The new Billy was the only one I found endearing since he wasn't as extremely nerdy as the original, no techno-babble that had to be explained by Trini, rather he showed off his smarts and just was fun, so no complaints there. Lastly, I didn't like how there was barely any of the theme song used in the movie. There should've been a new version used for the fight scene, heck, they should've used the 2012 Redux album that Ron Wasserman, the original music writer for Mighty Morphin', and license that to be used since there were some great updated tracks of Season 2 fight themes, which would've fit in perfectly. Anyway, I'm getting on a rant, but it was an overall enjoyable experience.

I've probably seen at least half of them, the three Iron Man movies, the three Captain America movies, the three Thor movies, the three Avengers movie out so far, along with Ant Man, Spider-Man Homecoming, the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and that's about it. I guess the only ones I haven't seen have been Black Panther, Ant Man & The Wasp, Doctor Strange, and the newly released Captain Marvel. Of course, outside of MCU Marvel movies that I've watched, I did watch the two Deadpool movies, and they really made me wish he was in the MCU, he deserves to be able to make some situations a little more light-hearted since I'm sure we'll need a little bit of that in the Endgame film.

Well, this is definitely weird, reviewing a toys to life figure such as an Amiibo. Now, I know what you're thinking: "How do you review a figure?" Well, I'll show you how it's done.

Now, the only rating that really matters is Graphics, while not like a game in which I can review how the game looks, I can review how this figure looks. The details of Mega Man's amiibo is amazing, seeing how his pose is perfectly crafted with his arm cannon posing upward, just like the trophy that appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The shiny dark blue paint is of very high quality for a $13 figure, especially when it's paired with the cyan paint that is used for basically the rest of his body. The rest of the details, such as the red in the sides of his helmet and Mega Man's face look pristine, and something that would look great on a shelf in a collection, whether it be in the box or loose and usable with the games he is compatible with. I especially enjoy the grooves that the figure has, showing great detail. Now, I only have one problem with this amiibo, and that there's no way you can move the arm cannon or his head. And yes, I get that this problem is persistent among all amiibo, especially the Super Smash line since they are supposed to replicate the trophies available in the game, but sometimes I would love to see Mega Man with his Mega Buster outstretched, ready for battle, though I guess if there were movable joints in this figure, it would probably cost a bit more than $13. Overall, I give this figure an 8.5 out of 10, a very solid figure with only a select problem that isn't even exclusive to itself.

Ahh, the New Super Mario Bros. franchise, I really tried to enjoy this series but it just feels the same over every game. This was really shown here with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, as it just ports over the entirety of the two Wii U titles, New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, which aren't bad platformers at all, in fact, they're some of the best 2D Mario games out there, they just leave a lot to be desired.

Graphics - 9:
I think the graphics look as crisp as ever, both in TV mode and in Handheld mode, the game runs smoothly and looks beautiful. The only point taken off here is because it's been the same art style since the DS NSMB that came out years ago, just with an HD coat of paint to add to it. The vibrant colors and enemies are still there, along with lush environments that Mario and Luigi can travel through. I love the look of it, but that's basically the only great thing about this game.

Sound - 5:
New Super Mario Bros. games don't ever really have that iconic of music, the only ones that I can come up with off the top of my head is the Main Theme of New Super Luigi U, but that's mainly because it was involved in FamilyJules's Super Mario Medley which included songs from every Mario game, so it's not even from the original game that I can remember it from. However, the songs are not irritated and ear-degrading as some other games can be. Overall, I'm indifferent to the music, hence the straight down the middle score of 5.

Addictiveness - 3:
This game is not addictive. I can run through the game once in a few hours, put it down, and sell it because I don't want to play it again. This is my second playthrough already, as I had already played these games on Wii U so this already felt redundant, as there really wasn't anything that was added that substantial increased replayability for me. However, it's 2D Mario, it's not bad, so it's solid to play through and enjoy for the first time, but I really don't think I would enjoy playing these games for a third time.

Story - 1:
What, it's a Mario game! It's just Princess Peach getting kidnapped by Bowser and the Koopalings. I can't really say more because you don't expect more from a Mario game unless it's something from either the Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi series, since those are actually meant to have a story, unlike a side-scroller Mario.

Depth - 4:
I only give this high of a score of depth because there are two games on it. After all, you see all you can really expect from a 2D New Super Mario game, star coins, Yoshis, the works. It's just not too in-depth, nothing I can really sink my teeth into for long enough to feel invested, like I can with Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi, and while I get that those games are Turn-Based RPGs, I can't help but see that they're the same franchise with much more to do.

Difficulty - 3:
I have never found 2D Mario games to be hard, aside from World 8 of Mario 1 and 3, and even those aren't that hard when you know what's coming and have played them countless times. Even on my first playthrough on the Wii U, I didn't game over once due to how easily you can obtain lives in this game. It's very accessible for younger audiences and is a fun casual playthrough if you're looking for something to unwind with, rather than spending multiple frustrating lives on some other side-scroller like Castlevania or Mega Man.

Overall - 6.5/10:
I give New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe a 6.5 out of 10, mostly because it's a solid but extremely safe game, since this only is a port of two, albeit beautiful, really safe games. There's nothing that really strays away from the Mario formula, other than a few new power-ups that are exclusive to this game, like the Acorn suit, which is fun to use, but again, exclusive and you'll never see it again. Hopefully if Nintendo decides to do another 2D Mario game, that they look for a new art direction and try to stray the formula a little more, maybe like a Metroid-vania style game that you look for Power Stars in a 2D environment, I think it would work wonders. But that's getting off topic, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a fun time but lacks the depth that makes me want to play it again and again like I do with Super Mario Bros. 1 or 3.

I can definitely identify with that song, same thing happened to my mother with a bunch of drugs, she isn't dead but I haven't seen her in years, so it still feel like I lost her. I'm not upset about it, so I don't really feel the emotion that NF put into that song, but I can understand why someone would be that upset. Purely musically, I enjoy the piano with the strong reverb on it, it's definitely a good way to show some negative emotion, and it was amazing. There's also subtle sounds of crying in the background of the chorus, which really nails that atmosphere home, then it goes into it at the end, NF just goes into a short monologue of emotion, and it feels so real. I give that song a 9/10, since I'm not a fan of the genre but damn did he do a good job showing his emotion through his style of music.

Here's a little more positive song for the next person, and it's way longer. It's a medley, but take your time and listen to the whole thing, it's so satisfying (plus I helped work on it, under my new username, ChaoticMeatball) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YHvoY73Xvk&t

I agree the fact that the current style of music being given to those over the radio is mostly the same, and arguably trash when it comes to actual music theory, as they are very, very simple ideas that are made to feel familiar to people, hence the reason why it sounds the same to those who don't favor this style of familiarity. However, the fact that the internet exists makes it so much easier to find new music and listen to people who are barely known, making it easy to invest yourself in a genre or two that you prefer, so I don't see too much of a problem with those songs being similar, because I can easily find music that suits me.