Final Fantasy VII Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1997, the video game company Square (now known as Square Enix), released the seventh game in their Final Fantasy series: Final Fantasy VII. Originally, it was intended to be developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment system, like the three previous games in the series before it: IV, V, and VI. However, the technical advantages of CD-ROM technology intrigued the developers, so it went to the Sony PlayStation.

This game does have some major firsts. It was the first game in the Final Fantasy series to be released in PAL regions like Europe. It was the first game in the series to not be released on a Nintendo console at launch. It was the first game in the series to use 3D computer graphics. It also is credited as the game that managed to make RPGs popular in the West.

The game is very-highly acclaimed for its gameplay, graphics, music, and its cyberpunk story which dealt with themes of life (Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi chose this theme after his mother died during development of FFVI). It's regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time. And naturally, this game would be released on various other platforms over the years, like on various PlayStation consoles thanks to the PlayStation Network, and on PC. There's even a remake coming for the PS4.

The main character of the game, one Cloud Strife, would become one of video games' most recognizable characters, right up there with Mario and Sonic. He's even appeared in the Kingdom Hearts and Super Smash Bros. series. I enjoyed playing as him in the 3DS Smash game.

The original version has added two new consoles to its travelogue: The Xbox One...and the Nintendo Switch. Let's take a look at the Switch launch trailer!

I wonder if the remake will come to Switch as well?

The Lifestream looks really neat.

Yeah, you can tell this game is over twenty years old. I'm not knocking it, I'm just pointing it out.

For God's sake Cloud, ask Tifa out!

See, everyone else wants you to do it already!

Uh, Cloud? You may want to wake up, buddy.

That monster is big, ugly, and we're going to have to fight that thing, aren't we?

Aerith, I don't get what you're praying for. I think it will be a given that Avengers: Endgame will break some box office records.

And there's Sephiroth standing in a fire. This is proof he's a crazy man, as noncrazy men would not stand around in a fire like that.

Is it weird I want to see Sephiroth fight Terminators?

Cloud saw an action movie, and it gave him ideas.

BOOM.

Well, I have to make a confession here. I never played this game before. I never even owned the original PlayStation. I am well aware of this game's legacy, though. As such, I am happy that this game is able to reach a new audience thanks to the Switch and Xbox One. Heck, I may give this game a try myself. And I'm honestly more of a Dragon Quest guy over a Final Fantasy guy.

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Toy Story 4 Trailer

The Toy Story franchise is arguably one of Disney-Pixar's most successful, with it covering everything from movies to video games, to cartoons, and even shorts. The original film trilogy is regarded as the most highly-acclaimed trilogies of all time...according to Rotten Tomatoes. Back in November of last year, I looked at the teaser for the upcoming fourth Toy Story movie.

Well, now a full trailer is out, so let's take a look!

Hey, it's the origin of Forky! You remember Forky, right? The spork that freaked out in the teaser? That was funny.

Forky needs to switch to decaf. And to take some Prozac.

The losing his eyes is going to be a running gag, isn't it?

To be fair, a imaginative little kid can make just about anything into a toy.

Yeah, that's going to be Forky's arc in this movie. Accepting that he's a toy now, not a food delivery system.

Poor Woody. I bet he's getting flashbacks of having to show Buzz Lightyear he was a toy in the first movie.

Those dolls are totally not creepy. Totally not creepy at all...*shudders*

Hey, Bo Peep is back! Where's she been?

Whoa...what is that? A hidden room? Another dimension? Whatever it is, it's impressive. It's like an idyllic Wild West town meeting a county fair. All the cotton candy and hot dogs you can eat!

Is Woody...having a mid-life crisis in this movie?

There's something rather...heartwarming and hilarious about the crazy Forky telling Woody everything will be alright.

Well, this sounds like it will be a fun movie. I have seen the first two Toy Story movies, heard the third was really good, so I got to catch up on that. I can't wait to see what new adventures Woody and the gang have! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some extra support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time!

Wonder Woman #20 (September 1988)

The tribute to George Perez continues! I figured the last comic we should do for this should be a more human tale, one from his classic Wonder Woman run. We've visited his run several times on this blog in the past. We've looked at issues #15, #58, and #62, all from George Perez's run on the character, so I figured, why not go there again? Pretty much any time I cover Wonder Woman in the comics on my blog, I keep coming back to Perez's run. Weird.

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths hit, Wonder Woman was one of the characters whose history got restarted over again. With that, she was recast as a new arrival to the world, an innocent babe in the woods. With a new history came a new supporting cast. One such member of it was one Myndi Mayer. A publicist from Diana's new stomping grounds of Boston, Massachusetts, Mayer was a vivacious woman with a keen business sense, and set out to make Wonder Woman an international sensation.

The comic we're going to look at here is the tale of how this pugnacious publicist...met her end. This is Wonder Woman #20.

The cover is really awesome, because it's so unique. A Perez piece, it basically resembles that of a newspaper front page, announcing the death of Myndi Mayer. You got Wonder Woman and her friend Julia Kapatelis with police officers Indelicato and Shands on it, like they had just emerged from a police station to a crowd of reporters. The bottom shows the suspects in the crime. Miss Mayer made her fair share of enemies in her time, and any one of them had to motive to take her out.

"Who Killed Myndi Mayer?"
Writer: George Perez
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Bob McLeod
Colorist: Carl Gafford
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Karen Berger
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with a trio of Chinese men running for their lives in the streets of Boston. Someone, or something is in hot pursuit of these men. They run into the someone chasing them. They fire at their pursuer, but the bullets bounce off silver shining bracelets. The figure's hands crush their guns like they're tissue paper. And the men themselves get tossed into garbage cans.

One of the men comes at the figure with a pair of sai. But this man is no Raphael. Another one of the men tries to flee, but gets caught by a golden lasso. The man begs the figure not to hurt him, he'll squeal. An angry Wonder Woman demands answers from him.

Officers Ed Indelicato and Mike Shands are in an office, which has become a crime scene. The two men look over a corpse. Who was that corpse? One Myndi Mayer, publicist to the stars. She was also Wonder Woman's publicist. Now, she's missing her face, splattered all over by someone's gun.

Indelicato is snapped out of his reverie. Mayer didn't go without a fight. Her letter opener had blood in it, and her purse was empty. Robbery gone wrong? Maybe not. There's traces of cocaine on her desk. It was called in by a cleaning lady. She saw a bearded white guy wearing a jacket with the words "Common Sense" written on it enter the building after hours. He seemed really upset about something.

Indelicato and Shands visit Mayer's secretary, Christine Fenton. The blonde isn't surprised Meyer's dead. She figured it was only a matter of time before Mayer got herself killed. Shands produces a police sketch.

Fenton recognizes the sketch: One Steve London, former art director. He had been fired a week earlier. They found the man at St. Eligius Hospital, as he was being treated for a knife wound. Naturally, they take him in for questioning. He also appeared to be a bit hungover. London admits he was there, but he just wanted to talk to her. He didn't even own a gun. Besides, killing her wouldn't have gotten him his job back.

He then tells the cops about a board meeting that Mayer had called. The cops had the official minutes, but London was able to flesh things out. Mayer looked burned out. Her coffee was clearly liquored up, and her nose was red. He brings up Skeeter La Rue, a man who many at Mayer's firm hated.

Look at that face. That's a face you just want to punch. Mayer's publicist firm was going through some troubles. They lost a bunch of accounts and they were the target of 153 lawsuits. Just about everything, from embezzlement to reckless endangerment. Heck, I would not be surprised if indecent exposure was among the lawsuits, too. Also, I can imagine the disaster that was the Wonder Woman fair in Wonder Woman #15 (April 1988) did not help things very much. Anyway, Myndi is not the forgiving type. She wanted heads. And Steve London was one of those heads she collected. Since then, he'd just been reeling from the shock of it. He does point out another victim of Mayer's head-collecting: Deni Hayes, London's assistant. She wasn't a member of the Myndi Mayer fan club, either. She also shared London's hatred of Skeeter.

Last night, the two of them decided to do something about their troubles: Get good and drunk. And get drunk they did. They got so drunk they blacked out. All London remembers is hearing Deni say something about Mayer and Skeeter that enraged him. London then breaks down and starts sobbing, saying he couldn't have killed Mayer.

In Chinatown, Diana pays a visit to To-Choi Industries. She asks Mr. Choi about the whereabouts of Skeeter La Rue, as he works for him. However, Choi denies that La Rue is in his employ. Diana presses, but Choi just tells her to leave, or he'll have her arrested for trespassing. Choi's bodyguard, a big hulk of a man, tries to escort Diana out. It goes as well as you think.

Choi moves to call the cops, but Wonder Woman catches the man with her lasso. Since Choi won't give her the truth voluntarily, she'll use the lasso to cajole it out of him. He tells her he's in a small warehouse in Bedford and gives her the address. She then uses an Amazon nerve technique to send the crime boss to Dreamland. With that, she flies off.

Ed Indelicato is typing into a typewriter. Yeah, the narration of this story is done in the vein of a book that the inspector is writing. London's goose is seemingly cooked. The murder weapon was found, and London's fingerprints were on it. It seems like an open-and-shut case. But Indelicato's instincts say otherwise. Nothing's ever that neat. There's something more to this...

However, Deni Hayes's testimony is not helping much. Hayes found something out about La Rue. She had broken into his office, and gone through his files. There were some oddities in the records, and she discovered that La Rue has been using Mayer's firm to peddle cocaine. Mayer herself is one of the customers. In fact, ol' Skeet has been using his cocaine connections to take over Mayer's firm. Some of the clients found out, and that's when everything went nuts.

London insists that it's the cocaine messing with Mayer's head, but it's more than that. It was the disaster that was the Wonder Woman fair in Wonder Woman #15-16 (April-May 1988). During that mess, the police managed to capture some masked crooks, but they were simply a distraction so that the Silver Swan could make off with the real target: A sack of computer chips. Prototype custom chips worth a fortune. It was a part of a big smuggling scheme to raise money for a new cocaine shipment. Deni told Meyer about it, but Mayer saw it as an attempt at blackmail.

Deni told London that Myndi was laughing about it. This sets the man off, so he stormed out of the bar. However, Deni just said that in a drunken stupor, and wasn't able to stop him. She was left at the bar to puke on the bartender.

And with that, it seems they found their man. Steve London killed Myndi Mayer in a drunken rage. But there still was some pieces missing to this puzzle, so Indelicato and Shands decide to do a check on Skeeter La Rue. Turns out the Southerner was really a New Jersey man named Michael Boyd, lifelong criminal. Indelicato then gets a visitor.

The inspector is spellbound at the sight of the beautiful Amazon, accompanied by her friend Julia Kapatelis and Christine Fenton. She had just come back from an adventure in Greece when she got the news. But this is no waking dream. Diana wants some answers about Myndi's death. We then switch scenes to Bedford at night, focusing in on the warehouse. Skeeter La Rue, or should I say Michael Boyd, is feeling a bit paranoid. He's convinced someone's in the warehouse. His guards think he's crazy as they checked around and found no one. He orders them to check around again, so they follow orders...and run into an ambush from Diana. Boyd tries to flee, but Wonder Woman is able to catch up to him.

Earlier, Diana wants to know who killed Myndi. Indelicato tells her about the case, feeling that he couldn't say "no" to her. He notes that Diana was the only one who showed any sort of actual sadness about it. Christine Fenton finds it hard to believe Mayer was a drug smuggler, as well as London being a killer. However, Captain Ablamsky and the DA believe it. Fenton and Kapatelis suggest another way to get the truth: Diana's magic lasso.

Captain Ablamsky is understandably disbelieving about it. A magic lasso that can make people tell the truth? Come on! I mean, Ablamsky can believe a speedster, a flying super-strong man, a space cop with a powerful ring, but a magic lasso that can make people tell the truth?! That's for fairy tales!

There's also another problem: A legal problem. You see, a DA could argue that London is trying to save his own skin by using the lasso as a ruse to suddenly "remember the truth". Not to mention...no defense attorney with an ounce of competence would allow someone to just wrap a rope around someone because they claim it can magically reveal the truth. Diana implores Ablamsky to let London make the choice for justice. However, Ablamsky is not talking about justice, he's talking about the law.

Ultimately, Ablamsky does relent. However, the public attorney talks London out of it, just like Ablamsky predicted. Deni Hayes goes to speak to the Amazing Amazon. However, Indelicato still has one lead left: Mr. Michael Boyd. But Boyd up and fled the coop. He also got a visit from a rep for the coroner. They found something in Myndi's autopsy...

Indelicato is typing about this case (He's working on a book) on his typewriter when he gets a call from Shands. They found Boyd. And he's dead.

Wonder Woman is in the warehouse with Shands, where she explains how she got here. Deni Hayes had given her some names from Skeeter/Michael's files. She tracked them down and her search led to Boyd. Using the lasso, she found the truth: Boyd killed Mayer. He said that he had to, because she would ruin his drug-pushing operation.

Mayer had confronted the man in her office, furious her agency was being used as a smuggling front. Boyd asks her if she's been drinking again. She is heartbroken about this, as she loved him. Boyd pulls a small bag of cocaine out of his pocket and remarks that she loved his product, not him. He tosses it on her desk, taunting her. Her cocaine habit is the reason she won't turn him in.

She screams she is done with the junk, and demands he get out. If he returns, she'll raise all kinds of Cain on him. Boyd wasn't worried. She needed him, and he knew it. Choi, thought, was not so confident. He thought Mayer was out of control, and Boyd was tasked to, as the old Mob saying goes, rub her out.

That night, Boyd went to Mayer's office after hours, armed with a shotgun. Mayer was sitting at her desk, just staring at nothing. Her eyes were red and glassy. It was like she was catatonic. Boyd shot her in the face with his gun. He then ransacked the office to make it look like a robbery. It was at that time an angry and drunk Steve London stormed in.

Boyd grabbed Mayer's letter opener and stabbed London after the two struggled. This explains London's injury. Indelicato can guess the rest. London made the perfect patsy. Boyd wiped his fingerprints from the letter opener and put it in Mayer's hand. He did the same thing with the gun so London's prints would be on it, then tossed the gun in a dumpster. Nice and neat. Mayer's dead, London gets pinned, and Boyd would be brought somewhere safe. Or maybe taken to be eliminated himself.

But there's still one question. How did Boyd end up dead on an electric fence. After all, it's not Wonder Woman's style to throw people into electric fences. Diana admitted she let her guard down over her being upset about Myndi. Two guards rushed in as she was untying Skeeter. While she was occupied, Boyd tried to flee. He ended up running into the fence before Diana could catch up to him.

Wonder Woman laments about Myndi's death, how she believed the publicist could have beaten her demons, but Boyd stopped that from happening. However, there's one last sad twist. Shands and Indelicato got the coroner's report, and...

Boyd's gun didn't kill Myndi Mayer. She actually died from a cerebral hemorrhage...caused by the alcohol and cocaine in her system. Yeah. Evidently, the bag of coke was too much temptation for her, and she was already dead before Boyd shot her. Diana is understandably shocked, and wonders why this happened. Sadly, no easy answers could be given. Keep in mind, Diana at this point was still relatively new to Man's World, and something like suicide (well, accidental in Myndi's case) could have never occurred to her. She still was rather innocent, after all. All Ed Indelicato can do is stare at a picture of Meyer, comparing her to, as he writes himself, "...a beautiful bird that just wanted to keep flying higher. Until she ran out of sky."

This comic is really good. The mystery seems open-and-shut, but it does provide some good twists. It's a tragic tale of a woman who is brought down by her own fallibility. I liked that the narration was done in the style of Ed Indelicato's writing a book. It helped give an almost noir feel to the story. Bittersweet ending, Indelicato's descriptions of Wonder Woman, it does all contribute to the noir-esque feel of it all. Myndi Meyer had her fair share of enemies, but she was the ultimate instrument of her destruction. The irony of it all. I love that. This was a tale that showed that even in a world of heroes, tragedies like this can still happen.

I think it may have been the inking, but I admit, when I read this book for this review...I thought another artist did it for a while there. It did feel a bit...off. It still was good, it just felt a bit...off. That's the best way I can think of to describe it.

This issue would not be the end of Myndi's story, though. Wonder Woman Annual #1 (1988) would give us more details about Myndi's life in the form of her recounting her life in a video will, showing there was a lot more to the flamboyant businesswoman than many realized. This tale was Perez's favorite work on Wonder Woman.

This story is really great. If you want to read it, I recommend hunting down the trade paperback Wonder Woman by George Perez Vol. 2. Thanks for reading this review! If you liked it, please spread it around! And if you want to give some additional support to this blog, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! Any amount is appreciated! Next time, I'm still in a bit of a DC mood, so we will take a look at a tale focusing on a pair of Brave and Bold Silver Age superheroes. See you next time!

Cuphead Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2017, StudioMDHR developed and released a run-and-gun game called Cuphead. Inspired by 1930s cartoons like the ones produced by Fleischer Studios and Walt Disney Animation, the game told the tale of two brothers named Cuphead and Mugman as they fought to collect on the debts of those who sold their souls to the Devil in an attempt to keep theirs.

Originally released for the PC and Xbox One, the game would then go on to be released on Mac computers as well. The game was highly praised for its art style, gameplay, and music, but its difficulty did get mixed reviews. The game would go on to be nominated and won various awards.

In recent years, Microsoft and Nintendo have been getting rather buddy-buddy as of late. They have allowed cross-play support for Minecraft, for example. And in another showing, Cuphead is coming to the Nintendo Switch! Let's take a look a the announcement trailer!

Well, I have to admit, this is a refreshing take on a video game trailer.

Good Morning!

Ministry of Drink and Health Regulation. Studio M-D-H-R. Get it?

I keep getting the feeling I saw this dude in something before, but I can't put my finger on it.

I like to start my day with some tea myself. I'm not a coffee drinker.

Not really. Just clean up the milk. Its not hard. And be careful when pouring it.

Heh heh, that clear mask makes him look like False Face from the 60s Batman show.

Dancing Cupheads!

The music is really good!

I have wanted to play this game, but I heard it was really difficult.

The bosses look really cool. They remind me of old Looney Tunes cartoons in a way.

That guy dances like a robot. I could have sworn I have seen him somewhere.

Cuphead coming to Switch is really cool! If you love the game, you can now play it on the go! I just may give it a try myself. Hope they release a demo! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, please spread it around! And if you want to give my blog some extra support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time!

Blaster Master Zero II Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in 2017, Inti Creates developed and released a game called Blaster Master Zero for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was a remake of the 1988 NES Sunsoft game Blaster Master. Like the original version, Zero was highly praised, but it did get criticism for its seemingly low difficulty and lack of improvements over the NES version. The game also sold well, and got ported to the Nintendo Switch. It would also get DLC that allowed the game to be played as various other characters, like Shovel Knight, Shantae, and even Gunvolt and Ekoro from two other Inti Creates games: Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal*Gun.

I have the 3DS version of the game, and I quite enjoy it. I never did get the criticism about the low difficulty. Yeah, it was challenging, but the bosses are hard to me. I suck at the bosses. Inti Creates made a very fun game, and here's some great news! There's a sequel out! Yes! Let's take a look at the Launch Trailer for Blaster Master Zero 2!

I have to admit, I was surprised to see this drop. As I said, I loved the original Blaster Master Zero, and I do recommend it if you like retro games.

Game looks really good. Maintains the 8-bit vibe, and the music is pretty cool, too.

Jason's got a new tank! And it's got some nice new features!

Interesting feature, building up SP power from hits or falls from high places. I wonder what it's used for.

Is it for building the sub-weapons' power? That would be a good way to ensure they're always energized.

And since Jason's got a new tank, Jason himself has got some new tricks!

The Blast Counter would have been real handy in the last game.

MAN, I wish I had this attack in the last game!

Taaaanks in Spaaaaaace!

Oh, traveling to other worlds. A nice way to show a variety of levels for Jason and the Sophia to fight monsters in. Can also show a variety of monsters.

I like the idea of getting power-ups that make SOPHIA and Jason stronger. Makes all the exploring worth it.

Hey, that's neat! Meeting other SOPHIA tank drivers! A great way to expand the game's universe. If each of the tanks have unique abilities, that could be a fun way to change up gameplay...if they can be played, after all.

I want to play this game! I loved the original Blaster Master Zero, and this sequel looks like a ton of fun! I do hope we also get the DLC playable characters from the last game. I just want to have Shovel Knight travel through space...

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Text Play: Pokemon Mega Adventure #20

Hello, everybody! Welcome back to the Akiba Region! This is a special occasion, as it's the 20th entry in my Text Play of Pokémon Mega Adventure!

Yeah. 20 entries. I can't believe it. This is the furthest I have ever gone in a Pokémon fan game. And it's all thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed this Text Play journey. Your support helps keep me going. Thank you all so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy my journey through this game. And I want to do more Text Plays like this in the future. I have my next two Pokémon fan games already in mind for the future. But for now, let's continue on with our travels through the Akiba Region, shall we?

With the sixth badge collected, it's time for me to move on. Got a Pokémon League to get to, after all. Not to mention Team Prime is still out there, and I'll have to help take care of them, too. So, time to hit Route 13! I may come back here to try out the Safari Zone a third time.

There, I found an Ultra Ball, as well as some berries in that berry patch. Cheri Berries on the left, and Chesto Berries on the right. Cheri Berries can heal paralysis, and Chesto Berries can wake up Pokémon that have been put to sleep in battle. I have been wanting to grow more berries, as they're just as good as using the various cures you can get in the Poké Marts. Cheaper, too. Thing is, I don't have anything like Berry Pots from HeartGold/SoulSilver. If I grow Berries in a patch like this one in the screenshot, I'll end up forgetting about them. Having the Pots allowed me to keep an eye on my planted Berries. Also, see that rock next to the water in the screenshot? There's a Big Nugget hidden there. You can sell that for big money.

Anyway, I moved on ahead, and I found this girl here, with her Braixen.

It's our old friend Serena. I wonder what she's been up to? Anyway, she's pretty impressed with our badge count, and cannot wait to battle us. Hey, I'll take her on, if she wants to give her Pokémon a workout. However, she can't right now. Her Braixen is not doing so hot, and it needs some rest. This is unusual. Generally, in Pokémon games, if trainers challenge you, you cannot refuse. It's generally considered rude in-universe. However, I think it would be fair to say there can be exceptions in the case of emergencies, like if a Pokémon is injured and needs medical help badly. So, it's fine.

I want to face Serena at her best. As such, she offers to meet me in front of the Gym at Synchrone City. She gives me HM02: Fly. Hey, that will be pretty handy. As shown in the screenshot, I could go straight ahead, or to the left. Being a bit of an explorer at heart, I went to the left. I encountered a wild Floette and Flabebe. I also found another Mega Stone.

It's a Lucarionite. The path led to this little grotto here.

At least, I think it's a grotto. I'm going to need a Pokémon that knows Surf to cross. This is why I like the Ride Pokémon in Sun and Moon. I have really grown to dislike the HMs, so I was so happy that they were finally ditched in that game. Anyway, I went back to the Pokémon Center, got my Poliwag (which knows Surf), and surfed to the center and found this.

Yeah. There's nothing here. No fishing, no nothing. I get the feeling there was originally something intended to be here, but the developers changed their minds. It's really odd. It kind of discourages exploration a bit as what's the point? If there's no reward, there's no reason to explore.

With that a bust, I went upwards. Fought a trainer, and found a Rare Candy near an entranceway. Upon entering the entranceway, a police officer wished me a nice day! That's nice! And he encouraged me to visit Synchrone Cave. And with that, I arrive at Synchrone City. The first thing I see when I'm there?

A frickin' Team Prime grunt. And he has a Goodra. He's feeling a bit down because someone kicked his butt. I'm guessing Ash, Looker, or someone else whupped him. I'm not going to be lifting this grunt's mood. He brought out an Aerodactyl, but Thundra the Luxray was able to handle it. Got wrecked by Goodra, though. However, Butterfree and Venusaur were able to take it down. The grunt taunts me childishly (He literally says he'll tell his boss on me), and he...walks away. He doesn't run, he walks. He's in no rush to tell his boss on me. After this, I ventured into the city. After all, it seems like there's plenty to do here. Maybe there's more minigames. But it looks like the search for minigames will have to go on the back burner for a while, as this town has some unwanted guests.

Yeah, this place is evidently crawling with Team Prime. Didn't that guard at the entranceway notice this?! I'm guessing that he's on the take, if you know what I mean. I highly doubt a world-conquering organization would be above bribing people. With another grunt defeated, I was able to explore further into the city. Right here, I found the Move Deleter's house.

Got a move you regret teaching your Pokémon? This guy will fix that for you! I also found the Synchrone Cave the guard told me about.

Evidently, that's also the Gym. And that is not Serena. So...where did she go? Also, I have to say, it's so weird going back to having separate buildings for the Pokémon Centers and shops. I'm just really used to having them in the same building. Much more convenient. One of the people in the Mart is just hanging out and enjoying the cool breeze of the air conditioner. I'm guessing this place has a hot and humid climate. So, it's like Upstate New York in the summer.

At the Pokémon Center here, I learned the Gym Leader was named Irina, and she is gone at the moment. So, based on last time, I think we can assume that Irina was actually a guy named Ted.

The Grunt guarding the cave entrance had a Dragonite. The combo of Luxray and Primarina took it down. Her Kokomo-o was a nightmare, though. Its Dragon Claw attack gave my team quite the beating. Thanks to Primarina's Moonblast, I finally beat it. Once inside, I noticed I'm going to need a Pokémon that knew Rock Smash.

Time to bring Moguera back on the team! He also knows Strength, so I'm not worried about boulders. And just my luck, there are boulders in this cave. There's one near the entrance. You have to move it carefully, as it's easy to end up blocking the path. But it is worth it, when you do.

Another Mega Stone for the collection. This one is an Alakazite. I now have seven Mega Stones in my little collection. Now if only I had an Alakazam... Anyway, the cave is crawling with Team Prime grunts. What're they doing here? It does seem that they're not too worried at the moment, as they have problems of their own.

I have to give this game credit for something. I like that it shows other Trainers fighting Team Prime. Especially when they take over somewhere. It gives the idea that you're not alone in dealing with these guys. It also makes sense that when Team Prime take over something, trainers there would rise up and try to drive them out. It does make me think that there should be cops dealing with this. After all, Team Prime are criminals. By the way, that item up there? That's a Max Potion. Get it. It can come in handy.

Funny enough, there's a Grunt guarding a ladder nearby. Before we battle, she screams at me to stop following her. She can't be the same Grunt that I encountered when I entered the town. That Grunt was male, and had different Pokémon. She was armed with a pair of Dragonite, but my Primarina easily took care of them. With that, the ladder was usable. But before I went down, I wanted to explore this floor some more. I found another item here.

It's a Revive. That'll come in handy. I am curious as to what is at the other end of that ladder in the screenshot, but there's a battle blocking it, so I'm a bit stuck here. I'll have to wait to check out that ladder for now. Time to go down! Once I did, I encountered Looker. He's explaining that the Boss of Team Prime is battling Sabrina. Yes, Sabrina from Pokémon Red and Blue. You'd think the Gym Leader of this town would be helping out, too. Where is Irina, taking a coffee break?! Looker is trying to help her, but Team Prime has a bunch of Aces, and they're pretty powerful. He's hoping I'll help him. Since they need a whuppin', I agree to help...but then the screen shook, like someone set off an explosion.

Looker believes it's Mewtwo and Rayquaza. Wait, Mewtwo is here, too?! Yup! Turns out Sabrina has Mewtwonite, and they want it from her. They also want to capture Mewtwo. Makes sense. They are interested in powerful Pokémon. And Mewtwo is a powerful Pokémon. Anyone who's seen Pokémon: The First Movie would know this.

I just had a realization. I'm going to have to fight the Boss and Rayquaza again, aren't it? His Mega Rayquaza was no joke. It wrecked one third of my team last time I fought it! I should know. But I'm not as worried as I was before. I still have a Primarina that still knows Moonblast. Bring it on, Boss. The floor has a couple of Noivern flying around here. They take a bit of skill to avoid.

On this floor I found a Burn Heal and a Hyper Potion. Those could come in handy. I'm thinking maybe I should do a bit of grinding before I go ahead. Just in case. This game can be a bit grindy. Makes me think of Dragon Quest IX. Fun game, but insanely grindy. I know I've complained about this before, but I'll do it again: I wish the EXP Share item in this game was like the one in Sun and Moon. It was something I loved about Sun and Moon. It made building new teams to take on the trials that much easier as it cut down the grinding time significantly.

And it's time to take on the Aces! The Aces are named Henri and Amanda, and they are recolored Team Rocket sprites. It's a double battle, and each of the Aces has a Mega Pokémon. Henri has a Mega Sceptile, the Amanda has a Mega Ampharos. Lovely. Thankfully, my Garchomp and Venusaur were able to take care of them. Venusaur wore them down with Poison Powder and Leech Seed, and Garchomp wrecks them with Dig. I have really grown to love Garchomp. And it's funny hearing the two "Aces" whine about how they still lost despite Mega Evolution. It's not the Evolution, it's the Trainer. And you two were found wanting.

Going further ahead, I found our old friend from Descent Tower, the Team Prime Boss with his Mega Rayquaza. He's trying to recruit Sabrina...who has Mewtwo on her team. Wait...how did this woman get that Pokémon on her team? Yeah, Mewtwo is a Psychic-type Pokémon, and that is Sabrina's specialty and all (not to mention she does have psychic powers), but...Mewtwo is not a normal Pokémon. Anyone who has watched the first Pokémon movie would know what kind of character Mewtwo is. I cannot see him letting himself be part of anyone's Pokémon team.

Yeah, their dialogue could have used some proofreading. That's a regular problem with this game. The two battle, but the artificial Pokémon is having some troubles against the big green dragon. Red shows up and brings out his Charizard for backup. Evidently, the Boss doesn't like the idea of two-on-one battles, so he retreats. Coward.

Also, Sabrina is the Gym Leader here? I thought it was someone named Irina! Was that an alias? And isn't this some kind of conflict of interest? I mean, Sabrina is already a Kanto gym leader, and she's also one here in Akiba? Must be one heck of a commute. You know, this reminds me of something. I have said in the past that I think this game was originally intended to be a remake or maybe a sequel to Red and Blue, and Sabrina's presence here really helps contribute to the theory.

She tells me that she'll be waiting for me in her Gym. I head out, and I notice that the wild Noivern that flew around here are gone. I think I caught one of them, so I'm not too worried. Team Prime cleared out after the Boss fled, so the path through town is cleared. At the end is Looker.

How ya doing, pal? He wants me to stay and challenge Sabrina. He also hints that that he wants to battle me himself. Don't you have something better to do, like I don't know, go after Team Prime?! The Boss is still out there! Did you just let him run by you or something?!

You may be wondering, if the Synchrone Gym is in the Cave, how do we get there? Well, remember that ladder that was blocked off by the Team Prime trainer's battle? With them gone, the way is clear. That is our way in.

Kudos to Sabrina for uniqueness. Thing is, you may need the HM Flash to get through the Gym. The cave being dark also makes a bizarre form of sense. Sabrina is a Gym Leader who specializes in Psychic-type Pokémon. Why need eyes when you got the power of the mind at your command?

Awww, to heck with Flash. Flash is stupid. It's a useless waste of an HM. The Gym is a maze where you have to find your way through, while fighting her mini-boss Trainers. Your standard stuff in a Pokémon gym.

As usual, it's time for me to reevaluate my Pokémon team for taking on the Gym. It was tough to do here. My Butterfree knows Poison Powder and Bug Buzz. Bug Buzz is a great move to hurt Psychic-type Pokémon. Butterfree is also a Bug-type Pokémon, the attack will have a little extra kick. This is known among Pokémon fans as STAB (Special Type Attack Bonus). That'll be helpful. My Incineroar also knows a couple Dark-type attacks (including its signature move: Darkest Lariat). It also is a Dark-type, so it has STAB. My Luxray knows a Dark-type attack, but it tends to get its butt whipped a lot. Maybe some grinding will help?

Maybe I can bring my Deino out again. It's a Dark/Dragon, It does know a couple Dark-type attacks, and Dark is good against Psychic...but I would have to grind to build it up. God, I wish the EXP share in this game was like Sun and Moon's. Would really cut down on the grinding. Luckily, it's surprisingly not so bad here. Battling the Trainers at the Gym helped out majorly. My Garchomp is only a couple levels below the others, so I can grind him regularly, and give Deino the EXP share.

Sabrina has her own room in the Gym, and unlike the previous level of the cave, it's brightly lit, despite there being no visible light sources.

As shown in the screenshot, there's an Abra in the room, and another ladder. The Abra is there to teleport you out of the cave if you feel that you're not ready to face Sabrina yet. The ladder leads into another room. This room is one that you can use Flash, but you don't really need it. I found my way around it fine without it. You can find a Twisted Spoon and PP Max in there. And with that, time to face Sabrina! I hope that she's not as OP as she was in Red and Blue. She was a monster in those games. Blasted balance issues that made Psychic overpowered.

She claims that she was watching me when I battled the other trainers in her Gym. I can presume she uses her psychic powers to do it. Interestingly, she describes Mewtwo as her partner. Ah, I think that explains how she got Mewtwo on her team.

She starts with a shiny Gardevoir. Wow. I think in all my years of playing Pokémon, this is the first time I ever encountered a Gym Leader who had a shiny Pokémon. Butterfree and Incineroar took it down with a mix of Sleep Powder and Darkest Lariat. She next brought out Mewtwo, who had Mewtonite Y. It wrecked Incineroar, but it was able to weaken it enough for Primarina to finish it off. Sabrina brought out Gothitelle next. It beat Primarina, but she was able to bring down its energy bar about half down. Butterfree was able to finish her off with a Sleep Powder/Bug Buzz combo.

Then my game froze, and I had to start again...with the damage my team already took. Luckily, I was able to Revive Incineroar, and it dominated. Arceus was smiling at me this day. And it turns out I didn't really need my Deino after all. Sorry, pal.

And with that, I win. Sabrina was impressed, saying Mewtwo enjoyed the battle. With that, I got the Calm Badge and TM03 (Psyshock). Sabrina says she cannot wait to meet me at the Pokémon League. Seven badges down, one to go.

Looker is outside of town, and as he foreshadowed earlier, he and I have battle. He brings out his only Pokémon, a level 65 Croagunk. You'd think he'd have more Pokémon than that. I think Arcanine and Machamp would be good Pokémon for Looker. Arcanine tracks suspects, and Machamp restrains them. Despite it being stronger than my Butterfree by nine levels, Butterfree is able to take it down with a Sleep Powder/Psybeam combo. He gives me a gift: TM06 (Toxic).

And with that, I'll end this entry here. Again, I want to thank everyone who has enjoyed this Text Play journey. It has been a ton of fun to do, and I can't wait to put up the next one! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, please spread it around! And if you want to give this blog some additional support, please drop a tip in my Digital Tip Jar! See you next time!

Pokémon Obtained:
Route 13
- Floette
- Gothorita
- Duosion
- Espurr
- Garchomp (evolved from Gabite)
- Spiritomb
Synchrone Cave
- Noivern

Movie Review: Captain Marvel (2019)

The Mighty Marvel Cinematic Universe marches on, true believers! Their 21st offering has arrived: Captain Marvel! That's right, Carol Danvers has made her mark! Did her cinematic debut fly high, or did it crash and burn? Let's find out as we take a look at the MCU's first female-led film: Captain Marvel!

Carol Danvers is an amnesiac member of a Kree strike team known as the Starforce. They're some of the Kree's most elite soldiers, fighting on the front lines against the menace of the shapeshifting aliens known as the Skrulls. However, a routing mission turns into an ambush, which causes Carol to discover that not everything is as it seems.

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the film is a science fiction adventure mixed with human drama. Carol's journey to discover her past and the true nature of the war she has spent years fighting is rather well-done, with a nice human touch. The interplay between Brie Larson's Carol Danvers and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury was so much fun to watch. The scene where she learned the truth about the Kree-Skrull War was a powerful one.

The big thing I really liked about the film was the twists regarding Jude Law's character and the nature of the Kree-Skrull War itself. I expected Law to be playing another character. Also, the de-aging tech used on Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg to have them play younger versions of Nick Fury and Phil Coulson was incredible. The CGI used looked so realistic. It was like they literally managed to find a fountain of youth. Ben Mendelson's Talos is a fun character.

There was one minor bit of CGI during the final battle I did find a bit wonky, but it was far from an experience-ruiner for me. Also, I did feel Fury and Monica kind of accepted Carol's situation rather quickly, but considering the runtime, it was not a bother. Also, Coulson didn't really do much.

The post-credits scene was utterly hilarious.

All in all, I highly recommend this movie. It's funny, action-packed, and got some wonderful human moments, all with the message that just because someone seems good, doesn't mean they are. And also, the reverse is true. It's well-paced, and the Marvel Studios intro they did with this movie is really heartwarming. Go see this movie. It's awesome!