Princess Peach Showtime Trailer, My Thoughts

While Princess Peach Toadstool was in quite a few Mario games, it was a rare thing back in the day that she wasn't in the role of the damsel in distress. Her first adventure as a playable character was in the American Super Mario Bros. 2. It would not be until 2005 that she would get her own solo console game in the form of Super Princess Peach on the Nintendo DS. As time has gone on, she has become more of a playable character in the Mario series, as well as in spinoff games like the various sports games and the Smash Bros. series. And next March, she's getting another solo game: Princess Peach Showtime! Let's look at the trailer!

Toad: "Yo, Princess Peach! This came in the mail for you!"
Peach: "I swear to Rosalina, if this is more junk mail, I will start some beheadings." 

The Sparkle Theater. I actually saw a performance there once. It was quite good.

A villain named Grape having a bunch of flunkies called the Sour Bunch. Oh, brother... 🙄 

Seriously, it is neat that Peach is getting a villain of her own. I mean, Mario has Wario, Luigi has Waluigi, why can't Peach have her own villain?

Nobody likes a diva, Grape. Well, working with a diva, anyway.

It makes a bizarre bit of sense to me that Peach would know how to use a sword. 

"COME HERE AND TASTE MY BLADE, FIEND!"

"Feed me, Peach! Feeeed meeeee!"

Man, this reboot of Night at the Museum is weeeeeird... 

I can imagine Detective Peach speaking in an English accent.

No, not the sweets! NOT THE SWEETS!

For those who are wondering, a Pâtissier is basically a fancy term for a pastry chef. 

This costume fits Peach really well. I mean, we know she can make a good cake. Mmm, cake...

Kung Fu Peach would be a fun fighter in Smash Bros. 

I think it's neat that each of the stages we see seem to touch on a different genre. The castle is Adventure/Fantasy, the museum one is a Mystery, the Kung Fu School stage is a Wuxia, and the chef-themed stage is...Comedy? I have no idea.

I see we have hints at other costumes as well. The object on the left is a kunai, which may indicate a ninja outift, and the right? Well, I think it's a hat with horns, so...a cowgirl? Either way, I get the feeling these won't be the only costumes we see Peach wear.

This looks like a cute little game. The costume mechanic reminds me of Super Mario Bros. 3. It would have been fun if there was an underwater level and the Frog Suit was brought back. But I can imagine that would be hard to pull off on a live stage. I want to give this game a try! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you like it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Minecraft TMNT DLC Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Let’s look at the trailer!

This cover of the 80s theme isn't half-bad.

You know, there's just...something about the 80s/90s aesthetic of the original cartoon that fits Minecraft very well. 

Wait, is that Tempestra?! I remember that episode! 

Actually, it is rather appropriate that she be here. She was a villainess from a video game after all. 

Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1 (January 1997)

In Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March, 1983), the rogues gallery of the Webhead gained a new, yet strangely familiar member. He flew on a glider, used weaponry themed on bats and pumpkins. But he did not wear the green and purple of the Green Goblin, he wore orange and blue. He was...the Hobgoblin. 

Co-created by Roger Stern and John Romita Jr, the Hobgoblin came about because of a compromise. Spider-Man's editorial wanted Stern to have Spider-Man face off against the Green Goblin again. Kind of shows that even then, the Green Goblin had essentially become the Spider-Man villain. Stern wasn't too keen on the idea. He didn't want to bring back the Green Goblin, so he and Romita Jr. instead came up with the Hobgoblin. 

Stern helped introduce the character without any real concrete idea who would be under the mask. But as he developed the character, he realized that Roderick Kingsley, a character he helped introduce in The Spectacular Spider-Man #43 (June 1980), would be a perfect fit as the man behind the mask. Some readers were able to deduce that Kingsley was the Hobgoblin, so Stern threw them off the scent by introducing his brother Daniel. 

The mystery of the Hobgoblin's true identity was a long-running mystery in the Spider-Man books, and Stern originally intended to reveal it in Amazing Spider-Man #264. However, Stern left the book after issue #251. His successor, Tom DeFalco, didn't like the Daniel Kingsley retcon, feeling it was a bit weak. Instead, he established that Richard Fisk (Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk's son, and the crime boss known as the Rose) was the Hobgoblin. 

And then James Owsley (who you may know better as Christopher Priest) came on board to edit the Spider-Books. DeFalco and Frenz didn't get along too well with Priest. When he asked them who the Hobgoblin was, DeFalco lied and claimed Ned Leeds was the Hobgoblin. This led Priest to write the one-shot story Spider-Man vs. Wolverine #1 (February 1987), which killed off Leeds. This was not popular with fans. Afterwards, mercenary Jason Macendale became the Hobgoblin. 

Roger Stern was not too fond of the idea of Ned Leeds being the Hobgoblin. As such, in 1997, the miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives was released. How did it start? Let's find out in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1!

The cover is a Ron Frenz and George Perez piece. It's a wraparound cover, depicting Spider-Man with a large Hobgoblin mask behind him. It's a bit of a basic cover, which is surprising considering the artists involved in making it. However, I think it works here because it helps tell the reader what the purpose of this miniseries: the mystery of the Hobgoblin...and who was really under that mask. 

"Victims"
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Ron Frenz
Inker: George Perez
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterer: Jim
Editors: Glenn Greenberg, Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story starts with Spider-Man swimming in the bottom of the Hudson River, searching for the supervillain known as the Hobgoblin. This seems to be a flashback to the events of Amazing Spider-Man #251 (April 1984). After that fight in that issue, all Peter was ever able to find of the then-mysterious new villain was his mask. Said mask is seemingly swept up by the currents, and he finds himself being grabbed by a giant Hobgoblin. He pulls off the masked man's, well...mask, revealing the crazed face of Edward "Ned" Leeds.

“WHERE’S MY MONEY, PETE?!”

To Peter's horror, Ned's face melts away. No, he is not becoming the new Ghost Rider, folks. As this happens, he pulls off Peter's mask, revealing his own face. The two sink into the muck at the bottom of the river...and then Peter Parker wakes up.  

Yeah, he just had a nightmare. It's perfectly understandable why. You see, at this point in the comics, Peter Parker has been through a lot. I mean, a lot. His Aunt May seemingly died in Amazing Spider-Man #400 (April 1995), he and MJ's baby was seemingly stillborn in Amazing Spider-Man #418 (December 1996), and he had also recently gone through the events of the second Clone Saga, but that's a whole other can of worms I have neither the time nor the desire to go through here.  

Despite all of that, it's Leeds and the Hobgoblin that has been bothering him the most lately. It's not hard to see why. Jason Macendale, aka the supposedly second Hobgoblin (third if you count Arnold "Lefty" Donovan), is on trial. He had been incarcerated since Spider-Man captured him in Spider-Man #69 (June 1996).

Thing is, Peter knows that Macendale paid to have Ned Leeds killed and then replaced him as the Hobgoblin. However, he has no evidence to back this up, as the only evidence that he saw of it was destroyed. It leads Peter to think about Betty Leeds (nee Brant), his former wife. Brant and Leeds got married in Amazing Spider-Man #156 (May 1976). She herself has been through a lot because of this (it's why Peter never told her about being the Hobgoblin), and like Peter Parker, she's dealing with a nightmare, too. And also like Peter, her nightmares are about Ned. 

Her nightmares touched on their marriage being very strained prior to Leeds's death. One of those reasons was an affair she had with Flash Thompson that began in Spectacular Spider-Man #109 (December 1985). But that’s not important here. She thought she had laid Ned to rest, but the trial of Jason Macendale brought up some memories. One of her memories is of her seeing Ned in the Hobgoblin costume in Amazing Spider-Man #288 (May 1987). We then switch scenes to a bar, where a Daily Bugle reporter named Jacob Conover is drowning his sorrows.

“Can’t even afford the good cheap beer anymore…”

Conover was one of the casualties of the Bugle's round of layoffs, and he's understandably bitter about it. After all, he worked for them for 30 years. Despite that, he was never seen as the "golden boy" of the Bugle. Instead, it was Ned Leeds. He has issues with Leeds as well. You see, at the time of Leeds's death, Conover was working on a massive story about corporate corruption. One that would have implicated a lot of people at companies like Osborn and Roxxon. Leeds borrowed his files on the story, then Conover discovered that the files vanished after Leeds's death. He leaves the bar, vowing to get even. And he especially is going after J. Jonah Jameson. Speaking of Jameson, he's sitting in his home, pondering a cigar. 

He laments that even if Macendale gets the maximum penalty for his crimes, it won't bring back the people he killed. It's a nice little peek into Jameson's character. It's easy to portray him as a heartless skinflint, but this scene does show he is capable of guilt and empathy. He understandably blames himself for Leeds's death. You see, after the Webhead stopped the Hobgoblin's attempt to blackmail him and other prominent business leaders at the Century Club in Amazing Spider-Man #249 (February 1984), he put Leeds on the case of unmasking the villain. However, he also let Leeds go off to Berlin, which led to his killing in the first place. 

The next day, Peter and Betty are at the courthouse trial's verdict. Conover is also there. Since he got laid off, he found work for a wire service. It's been announced Macendale has been found guilty on all charges. The police team known as Code: Blue escort him out of the building. Conover asks him if it was true that he was not the first Hobgoblin. Macendale happily confirms he wasn't. He then points out Betty, saying Ned was the first.

“SHE ALSO OWES ME TWENTY BUCKS!”

The reporters swarm Peter and Betty. Peter helps get her out of there.

Once Betty has a head start, Peter gets into his Spider-Man togs, and gets Betty to a rooftop. The media goes bananas over Macendale's statement. And it's seen by many other men. Two of them are fellow Century Club members: Senator Bob Martin and George Vandergill. They both agree that they can't stand Spider-Man. Another man watching this is Oscorp CEO Donald Menken. It leads to him wondering how this will affect the Daily Bugle's stock price, setting up Oscorp buying half the Bugle's stock in Spectacular Spider-Man #250. 

Macendale's revelation is also witnessed by the Kingsley brothers, the heads of Kingsley International. Daniel (actually making his first full appearance here) is especially worried about it. Roderick, not so much. 

Dr. Jonas Harrow sees it as well. He examines footage of Hobgoblin fighting Spider-Man both before and after Leeds's death, and the mad doctor notes that there is veracity to there being multiple Hobgoblins, as each of them fought differently and had different body language. His scene ends with him grumbling that Macendale is an amateur. 

Macendale’s revelation is also witnessed by Jameson and Robbie Robertson. Betty confesses that the mercenary is indeed telling the truth. Ned Leeds was the Hobgoblin...and he was set up to be killed by men working for a terrorist known as the Foreigner...and he was under contract from Macendale. She learned this in Web of Spider-Man #91-92 (August-November 1992). Robbie asks Jonah what they should do next. Jonah simply tells him to print it. It's the truth...as far as they know.  

Back at the Parker home, Peter and Mary Jane discuss the case. Mary Jane is shocked that Ned Leeds was the Hobgoblin...well, one of them. Mary Jane recalls that the Kingpin once showed Spider-Man a file containing copies of photos the Foreigner's men used to document the hit on Leeds in Amazing Spider-Man #289 (June 1987), and suggests the photos may have been faked.

Peter dismisses that, as Kingpin wanted revenge on the Foreigner and Macendale, and that was why he showed Spider-Man that file. Also, the beating Ned took in those photos match the wounds on his body. Mary Jane notes that it is very strange that if Ned was the Hobgoblin, those men shouldn't have been able to kill him easily. That's when it hits Peter. Ned being the Hobgoblin...ultimately makes no sense.

Allow me to explain. You see, the actual Hobgoblin had discovered Norman Osborn's journals...which included the formula for the serum that enhanced his strength and made him the original Green Goblin. Hobgoblin had modified the formula to grant him the enhanced strength...without the side effect of insanity. MJ suggests that the assassins sent to kill Ned were super-strong as well. However, Peter knows that's not true, as it was only until after Ned's death that the Foreigner started using super-powered operatives. If Ned was the Hobgoblin, then he should have utterly pulped the assassins sent to kill him. He was set up!

It also fits the Hobgoblin's MO. He's done this before. He once set up a man named Lefty Donovan to test out his modified Hobgoblin equipment. So, that leads to another question...who was the real Hobgoblin?

We then cut to the jail cell of Jason Macendale. The mercenary is himself having a nightmare, which is used as a recap for his origins. Man, characters are having a lot of nightmares in this issue. It's weird.

He was once a CIA agent, until the Company booted him for being too extreme and violent. Afterwards, became a mercenary, and then a costumed supervillain. His debut as a costumed supervillain was in Machine Man #19 (February 1981), as the Jack O'Lantern. Fun fact, he's one of Steve Ditko's co-joints. yeah, the character was co-created by him and Tom DeFalco. 

He would take up the mantle of the Hobgoblin in Amazing Spider-Man #289 (June 1987). Interestingly, this recap seems to skip over the events of Inferno, in which he got a demon fused to him. And another fun fact, that demon would go on to become the Demogoblin, one of the antagonists of Maximum Carnage. I guess it was ignored not because of lack of continuity knowledge, but because that has no bearing on the story here. 

Macendale wakes from his nightmare, and he finds himself being visited by a mysterious man. This man was able to sneak his way through the guards to Macendale's cell. He tells the mercenary that he was just as much as Ned Leeds and Lefty Donovan were. The man brags he was able to trick everyone: The Foreigner, the Kingpin. He says he allowed Macendale to continue as the Hobgoblin as he had other matters to tend to...and it amused him to see the ex-CIA man play Hobgoblin. But now he finds Jason embarrassing. And this man does not tolerate embarrassments for long. Which he shows by dealing with Jason Macendale...permanently.

“I NEVER GOT TO SEE PARIS!”

The man then leaves the prison and flies off...as the Hobgoblin. This new man in the suit has another stop to make: the home of Roderick Kingsley. Kingsley is having a nightmare himself, of his own history with the Hobgoblin and another crime boss: the Rose.  

He goes to wash his face, only to be visited by the Hobgoblin. The Hobgoblin is reviving their old arrangement...with a revision. Kingsley refuses, and Hobgoblin throws him into the couch. The Hobgoblin tells Kingsley if he plays his part, he'll be a lot richer. After all, the Hobgoblin has become Kingsley International's new partner in their upcoming takeover scheme. 

I love this story. I really do. One thing I love about this story is that it uses past continuity. Too many modern writers of Big Two books tend to ignore past continuity just because they care more about making "a mark" on the books they write. This comic shows you can tell an enjoyable story without tossing away continuity. Continuity is only a barrier if you treat it as such. You can tell that Stern is rathe fond of Spider-Man.

Ron Frenz does the actual pencil work, while the late great George Perez provides the inks. I have talked in the past about Frenz's art style homaging Jack Kirby in his Thor run, and I can't help but wonder if Perez inking influenced him to try and imitate Perez to some degree. I do recognize some of the Perez-isms in the art.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster!

Happy Labor Day!

 Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Labor Day is a day meant to celebrate laborers, the workers, the people who keep the country going. In the US, Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. The generally-accepted origin of Labor Day is that it was a day proposed by trade unionists to celebrate the growing labor movements in the 19th century. Oregon would be the first US state to celebrate Labor Day as a public holiday. It would become a federal holiday in 1894. It's also considered the end of the summer in a way.

Hope this was a good day for you!

New Defenders #126 (December 1983)

In Marvel Feature #1 (December 1971), a certain quartet of the "outsider" characters in the Marvel Universe were brought together to form a new team called the Defenders. Those four heroes were Doctor Strange, Namor the Savage Sub-Mariner, the Silver Surfer, and the Incredible Hulk. The next year, they would get their own book, naturally called The Defenders. The Defenders were more of a "non-team" than the likes of the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, a group of outsiders who just happened to hang out together. The series would go on for many years, and like with many team books, the roster would undergo changes. Characters like Valkyrie and Nighthawk would become prominent members of the group.

With issue number 125, the book would be renamed The New Defenders. After the original four Defenders are forced to leave thanks to an alien prophecy, former X-Man Hank "Beast" McCoy would try and reform the team as a more "official" one, similar in vein to the Avengers. J.M. DeMatteis was writing the book at the time (he had been doing so since issue #92) but left the book after six issues of the New Defenders era. Peter Gillis would take over penning duties after him. New Defenders would be a moderately successful book during this time, and I personally think it's an underrated era. Sadly, the book would be cancelled with issue #152 due to Marvel needing space for the New Universe line. 

Despite that, the Defenders would not stay gone, but that's a story for another time. For now, let's take a look at an adventure from the early New Defenders era. This is New Defenders #126!

The cover is a Mike Zeck and John Beatty piece. 

"State of the Union"
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Penciler: Alan Kupperberg
Inker: Alan Kupperberg
Colorist: Paul Becton
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Editors: Carl Potts, Ann Nocenti
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with our heroes at SHIELD headquarters, looking over a bunch of prisoners with Nick Fury.

This odd bunch of villains were working for a revived Secret Empire, after they were presumably smashed by Captain America in Captain America and the Falcon #175 (July 1974). One of the villains there, Buzz "Mad Dog" Baxter, had been employed by a company called the Brand Corporation. However, Brand's been shut down, so he went to the new Empire for work. Iceman points out that there were three other characters there: Harridan, Seraph...and Cloud. Remember that name. That name will be very important to the Defenders in the future.

Fury is unaware who those two are. That makes no sense to the Defenders as they turned the three over to a SHIELD squad after they fought at the home of the Vision two weeks earlier (as shown in Defenders #123). Fury realizes that the Empire has infiltrated SHIELD.

With the New Defenders leaving SHIELD HQ and heading home, we get some character moments here. Both Iceman (he would not be retconned to being a closeted gay man for a few decades) and Angel are shown to be, well...mooning over the arrogant bald telepath called Moondragon (heh heh heh)

Yeah, sorry. Couldn't resist. Angel is crushing a bit on Moondragon...even though he is currently dating Candy Southern. Beast is feeling some doubts about this new team. Bobby gets so lost in his thoughts that he hits a water tower and falls, needing to be saved by Valkyrie. 

Meanwhile, we look in on the Smoky Mountains of Virginia. In the mountains lie a castle. 

Huh. You'd expect this castle to have a thunderstorm brewing behind it.

But this isn't a transition into a medieval fantasy world, this castle contains a modern-day conspiracy. The Secret Empire are meeting there, and the leader orders them to get the captured Mad Dog and Mutant Force out from SHIELD custody. We don't see who this new Number One of the Empire is, but we do know that one of the books on his desk is The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Anyway, back to Manhattan! An incident is going down in level "L" of SHIELD headquarters. The electricity and elevators to there are dead, so Fury gathers a group of agents (and some flashlights) and goes down to take a look. This makes Fury a bit nervous. After all, Level "L" is where some...rough stuff is kept. The leftovers of a SHIELD operation in the Caribbean. The scientists there were working on something behind SHIELD's back. The operation was shut down, but not without claiming the lives of fifty agents. And the body count has grown.

The group hears a noise. Fury turns around and is horrified by what he sees.

But let us get away from this scene of death and horror, and come look in on something more wholesome: The New Defenders enjoying some dinner. It's a special occasion, as Hank McCoy, the Beast, has plans. He wants to draw up a charter for the new team and get to work establishing them as a proper superhero team, including a formal headquarters and even talk over who should lead. Valkyrie offers to lead the team. She believes she is perfect for the job as A) Odin chose her to lead the Valkyrior, and B) She had the most experience and time with the Defenders as a group, being associated with the original version of the group. Beast nominates himself to lead, which causes Val to burst into a laughing fit.

Meanwhile, Warren is, well...still mooning over Moondragon. he notes that even though she was forced on to the team by Odin, as well as being forced to wear a mystical headband that limits her psionic powers (as a way of forcing her to learn some humility), she still carries herself like she's in complete control over everything. 

Beast and Val's debate threatens to break out into a brawl. Val thinks Beast is too much of a clown to lead, Iceman stands up for Hank, etc. Gargoyle does try to play peacemaker, though. Warren is driven into a huff, and basically tells them "If this is what the New Defenders will be like, I'm out of here!" The angelic mutant flies off in a huff.

While he soars, he contemplates his life. He thinks about how the New Defenders are acting like a bunch of children, like they were still teenage X-Men...in Hank and Bobby's case, anyway. He also reflects on the time he spent in the Savage Land (as will be shown in the then-upcoming Marvel Fanfare), and how it allowed him to find a real sense of purpose with his life. He also thinks about how despite his love for Candy Southern, he can't help but find himself, well...mooning over Moondragon.

Yeah, sorry. Anyway, Warren nearly gets hit by a flying car.

“Man, the Cybertruck has more problems than I thought!”

He sees other cars are sent flying, too. Naturally, he goes to check it out. Meanwhile, the other New Defenders are going after Warren, realizing how childish they were acting. The group spots what looks like half the NYPD racing down the street. And they find out what all the commotion was all about.

Yup, a giant is on the loose! This giant was once a man. A man named Edward Cobert. He was once the head scientist of the Olympus Project, whose goal was to create superhumans that would loyally serve the United States in response to independent superhumans like members of the Avengers and X-Men. However, Cobert and his team wanted to go one step further. They didn't want to just respond to superheroes and supervillains, they wanted to eliminate them completely. Hmm, I wonder if this could be a precursor to Orchis from the Hickman's X-Men...

Nahhh, Hickman ain't that clever. Anyway, Cobert volunteered for an experiment to create a superhuman. It worked...kind of. He became a powerful giant, but his mind didn't quite survive the empowerment. Despite his being simple-minded, this Leviathan of a man is able to walk through our heroes. He's even able to knock the Asgardian Valkyrie for a loop. With one punch.

Everyone tries to stop him on their own, but that didn't work. Gargoyle yells that everyone needs to get their heads out of their butts and work together. They are a team, it's time to act like one! They can't stop Cobert on their own, but by working together, they can. After all, if the Lilliputians can work together to imprison Gulliver, a group of disparate superheroes can stop Cobert. And work together they do. Beast and Angel distract him. This allows Iceman, Gargoyle, and Moondragon to blast him with a mix of cold, bio-energy, and brainpower. And the Valkyrie finishes it with a Mighty Punch. Cobert goes down like a redwood. TIMBERRRRRRRRRRR!

As SHIELD comes to slap special manacles on the giant, Fury compliments the New Defenders. They did pretty good. The story ends with Fury getting an alert: Mad Dog and the Mutant Force have escaped. Fury finds that quite an interesting coincidence...

I enjoyed this issue, but then again, I think the 80s New Defenders stuff is underrated in general. I do find it interesting that DeMatteis would revive the Secret Empire from Steve Englehart's Captain America run, but I guess you can't keep an evil conspiracy down, especially if someone else decides to pick up the pieces. The real fun of the issue is in the character stuff, Beast trying to turn this bunch of New Defenders into an actual superteam. The conflicts between the characters, Angel's finding a dedication to the team, Valkyrie's desire to lead, Moondragon's arrogance, Gargoyle's being the wise old man, it's classic Marvel character conflict. it's fun stuff. 

One thing I liked about this era is the roster. It links much of the various "corners" of the Marvel Universe. Beast, Angel, and Iceman are veteran superheroes and represent the "mutant" corner, Valkyrie and Moondragon represent the "Asgardian/Cosmic" corner, and Gargoyle represents the "mystical/demonic" corner. I just think that it needed a street-level character to represent that corner. Too bad Hellcat left, she could have fit that. Or maybe Daredevil. 

If you wish to read this for yourself, I highly recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback The New Defenders Vol. 1 or the 2018 trade paperback Defenders Epic Collection Vol. 8: The New Defenders. Thanks for reading this blog entry! if you liked ti, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, 

September

 Hello, September!

Text Play: Pokémon Xenoverse #20

Hello, and welcome back to the Eldiw region! This is a special occasion! This is entry number twenty in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!

That's right! The big 2-0. I want to thank everyone who has read and enjoyed these Text Plays. I have had a ton of fun making these things over the last year. It's helped motivate me to keep going through this game. And as usual, I want to warn you, I will be spoiling this game.

I highly recommend you play the game for yourself before reading this Text Play. You can do so here. And now with that out of the way, let's do this!

Last time, we ended up facing an angry X Rapidash thanks to this Cruella DeVil-wannabe named Dahlia. I wonder if that name is a reference to the Black Dahlia. Ah, I can puzzle over that later. We engaged her...and got our butts handed to us. Yeah. Ouch.

If we get knocked out here, we wake up at the Porygon Center we passed by in the last entry. Yeah, I'm going to have to put in quite a bit of work if we're going to have to get past this big ol' obstacle. I had to do something I thought I'd never have to do in this game: consult its wiki. I did look through it in the past (purely out of curiosity), but it was pretty threadbare. Nowadays, it's really grown.

That threadbareness was why I avoided using it until now. I guess more people have been playing this game than I thought. The X Rapidash's wiki entry revealed that it was a Flying-type...well, at least, in its normal form. But in its "Thunderstorm" form, as I like to call it (the wiki calls it the "Storm" form), it also becomes Electric. Which means that we have a problem. 

You see, normally Electric is weak to Ground. But since X Rapidash is also part Flying, Ground-type attacks are useless against it. It never can be easy.

However, there is hope. The Flying-type is weak against Rock. And, it being part-Flying also means that it's potentially vulnerable to Electric-type attacks. A part-Electric Pokemon that is vulnerable to Electric-type attacks. That's irony for you.

It can also be hurt by Ice and Sound-type attacks. Which means, it's time to play every Pokémon trainer's favorite game show: Adjust! Your! Team! 

So, who from my current team stays, and who goes? 

Masgot

I'm going to have to put Masgot on the bench for now. Masgot is a Bug/Fighting-type Pokémon. And X Rapidash is resistant to Bug and Fighting-type attacks. It does know Dig, which is a Ground-type attack. However, since X Rapidash's Thunderstorm Form is part-Flying, it won't be any bit helpful against that angry unicorn.

Phantump

Like Masgot, I'll have to bench Phantump, too. X Rapidash is also resistant to Grass-type attacks. It's a shame. One strategy I like to use in this game is hitting an opposing Pokémon with Phantump's Leech Seed to help constantly wear it down. X Rapidash is fast, and I don't think Phantump will get the chance to give it the Leech Seed treatment before it gets taken to the cleaners. A shame, really.

I mean, thanks to this game, as well as Sun and Moon, I've have grown rather fond of this Pokémon. But sadly, it won't be any help here.  

Pelipper

Yeah, this guy is going to have to be benched, too. Pelipper is Water/Flying, which makes it especially vulnerable to X Rapidash's Electric-type attacks. 

Sandygast

Sandygast is going to have to go, too. It is partially Ground-type, which would allow it to easily handle Electric-type attacks. However, it doesn't know any Rock-type attacks. So, it has to be benched, too. It's a shame, as I've grown rather fond of this little grudge-animated pile of sand. 

I decided to keep Harrowk, as it's Electric/Flying. Might make it more able to withstand X Rapidash's attacks. I also decided to keep Trishout as it's been a real beast on this journey.

Looking through all the Pokémon I have captured over this adventure so far, I have found some options.

 Onix, Bergmite, and Cubchoo may be good choices to fight that X Rapidash. Onix is Rock/Ground, and it knows some Rock-type attacks. I might also bring back Bremand, too. It's Electric/Sound. I did consider bringing in the X Garvantula (It's part-Ice, and it knows Icy Wind), but it's also part-Bug. I also considered Aron. It's Steel/Rock, and it knows Rock Tomb. As well as Roggenrola. After all, it's Rock-type, and it knows Smack Down (a Rock-type move that knocks down Flying-type Pokémon, making them vulnerable to Ground). I would be a good set-up move.

I decided against Roggenrola because of how it reaches its full evolution to Boldore. Shuckle is Bug/Rock. Didn't want to take a chance because of its bug-type. It's also why I decided against using Vroombug. Its attack Rev Up sounds like a handy Sound-type move (60 Damage, 100% accuracy, and the speed increases), but I felt it wasn't worth the risk of bringing in a Bug-type.

Ultimately, I decided to bring in Bremand (the Electric/Sound variant) from Box 1, Bergmite and Onix from Box 2, and Aron from Box 4. And now comes the hard part: the grinding.

While grinding, I discovered something neat. If you battle and defeat Vroombugs, you may get some Spare Parts. What do Spare Parts do? Well...I have no idea. The game's description of them isn't exactly helpful. All the item screen says about them is what they are (a kit of spare parts for racing vehicles), and that a certain Pokémon loves them. Yeah, not really helpful there, guys.

Luckily, the game's wiki came to the rescue. The Spare Parts are basically an evolutionary item, much like the Elemental Stones or the various Upgrades. Man, I have one for Phantump, I've got to use it in the future. I also hope to find an Upgrade for Graveler so I can get a Golem. I like Golems, Golems rule. They're one of my favorite Pokémon. Anyway, Vroombug uses the Spare Parts to evolve into its next form: Skravroom.

Right, right, right. Anyway, I decided to run around the Sunflare Canyon, and battle some wild Pokémon to grind my team up. While there, I encountered this cowgirl named Jessie.

A cowgirl named Jessie. I wonder if this is a Toy Story reference.

1st Pokemon: Rapidash (Lv. 35) - Defeated by Trishout.

We go downwards from her, and there's another cowboy trainer we fight...named Woody.

Okay, this is a deliberate Toy Story reference! He even looks like Woody from the films!

1st Pokemon: Ekans (Lv. 33) - Defeated by Trishout.
2nd Pokemon: Elgyem (Lv. 34) - Defeated by Trishout.

Nearby Woody is an item box.

It contains a Star Piece. You can sell it at a shop if you need some extra cash quickly. Below that is a lake. As you can see, we'd have to cross the lake. However, we don't have the game's equivalent of Surf, so we can't cross the lake yet. But if you remember the last entry, there's a way around, so it's not a major inconvenience. 

And i think that's where we'll stop for this month. I am sorry that not much happened here, but I have a lot of grinding to do, and I did not get as much time to play this game as I had hoped. This was all I could do before reaching my monthly deadline. So, again, I apologize. Hopefully, next time, I'll have my new team up to fighting strength, and ready to whoop Dahlia! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time! 

Pokemon Obtained:
(Sunflare Canyon)
- Chikaboo
- Vullaby