X and Y: Meet the Starters

As I mentioned before, one of the main factors that motivated me to dust off this old Pokéblog was the not-too-distant arrival of Pokémons X and Y. New main Pokémon entries have always been a Big Deal for me, and this time is no exception. In fact, this is probably the most excited I've been for a new Pokémon since the original Gold and Silver, since I've been itching to play Pokémon on my precious 3DS. Capturing new Pokémon and exploring new regions, all in glorious stereoscopic 3D?

Yes please.

After a new Pokémon game is announced, I generally try to go media-dark when it comes to the new Pokémon themselves. I ignore the incoming scans and teases that pop up on forums and gaming sites, showing glimpses of the new creatures we'll be meeting on our quest. Personally, I'd rather save the surprise for the game. There's nothing quite like the anticipation of the first time you see a new Pokémon evolve. I fondly remember leaning over my friend's shoulders in grade seven, watching in wonder, not knowing what to expect, as his Wartortle evolved into... into...

...holy shit, that's awesome!

Of course, the opposite can happen, such as when I played Pearl for the first time. I had taken my adorable Buneary with me everywhere I went, not knowing what magnificent creature it would evolve into, or even if it would evolve at all. After a few hours, I was told that Buneary was evolving! I excitedly sat up and watched as he evolved into... into...

What. The hell. Is that.

But yeah, I generally try to avoid peeking ahead and seeing what Pokémon I'm destined to meet. The one exception to this rule, however, is the basic forms of the new starting Pokémon.

The announcement of a new Pokémon game traditionally means we get a first peek at the new starters. Since they're usually the first new Pokémon introduced, it's pretty much impossible not to look at them, and judge the quality of the upcoming generation on those (usually) adorable little guys.

With the announcement of X and Y earlier this month, were were introduced to our new 6th generation starters: the fire-fox Fennekin, the bearded frog Froakie, and the chipmunk-with-a-hat Chespin.

Let's get a closer look, shall we?

First up is Fennekin, the requisite fire starter. As you can see, it has a simple, straightforward design, reminiscent of the Pokémon from the first generation. I have a feeling that this Pokémon will be the most popular of the three, but to be honest it kind of bores me personally. If I had to guess, I'd assume that its evolutions all look like this, but a bit more streamlined and proportioned. Think Ponyta evolving into Rapidash, or Trecko evolving into Sceptile.

Essentially, Fennekin to me represents the safe, albeit boring choice. I imagine trainers who go for Fennekin are all destined to be accountants or office workers, people who never really took a risk in life, but don't regret their decisions for a moment. Either that, or people might be picking Fennekin because they're drawn to its elegant nature, in which case they're probably furries (not that I'm judging). If you think I'm joking or being unfair with my furry comment, type Fennekin into Google Images with the safe search filter turned off. But don't do it while at work.

Next up is Froakie, who appears to be a bearded frog. Yikes.

To be honest, this guy can go either way, depending on how the "beard" is incorporated into future evolutions. If it's more of a wispy cloud that surrounds him, then great. This guy could actually become awesome, like some ghostly alligator or something. If it really is just a beard, though, then it will probably end up being terrible. I'm no expert on designing Pokémon, but I'm pretty sure that putting beards on amphibians is always a bad idea.

Okay, with this one exception.

I know I criticized Fennekin as being a bit too safe, but at the same time I'm not sure if I have the stones to take a risk with Froakie. I had speculated before that Oshawott, the ugliest of the Black and White starters, could end up being a sound investment if it grew into some bad-ass polar bear. I was so wrong. So I'll probably give Froakie a pass too, unless I'm feeling particularly daring in October.

Finally, we have Chespin. If we're strictly looking at the starters (and ignoring for the moment what they could possibly evolve into), then this little guy is by far my favourite. I mean, look at him! He's got a little hat on or something, and a big smile and beady eyes, and just.... awww...

I'm a bit more in the dark when I look at him, in terms of what he could evolve into. Chipmunk becomes squirrel becomes... marmot? Grass cap becomes tree tophat? Like Froakie, this guy can go either way, but I'm slightly more comfortable taking a risk with him, giving his solid design. The odds are high that I'll be KO'ing wild Pokémon with Chespin come October.

This is weird, guys. In my entire history as a Pokétrainer, I've never started with green.

When Nintendo revealed the Black and White starters in 2010, I wrote that there seemed to be a general decline in the quality of starters from generation to generation. I don't think that the generation 6 starters follow this trend (I'd put them up with Generation 3, maybe), although a lot depends on what they become. We'll see in a few months.

Source: http://turtle-arts.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d5qvnhn

In terms of my progress catching the Pokémon that are currently available, I'm making very good progress. I've been steadily fighting Gym Leaders to level up and evolve many of my Pokémon. Since my last entry I've managed to evolve:

Murmel into an Exploud
E Honda into Hariyama
Dhalsim into Medicham
Meg into Sharpedo
Mer-Max into Wailord
Fergie into Camerupt
Hamton into Grumpig
Kavin into Alteria
Bidoof into Bibarel
Dafuq into Kricketune
and Sharuum into a Luxio and then a Luxry

In addition to that, I've been occasionally participating in the Pokéathelon, earning me several evolutionary stones. With these stones, I've evolved Bland into a Victreebel, Megavolt into a Raichu, and Snorunt into a Frosslass.

Finally, I've hatched several eggs. Some of these are multiple copies of various starters (Charmander and Mudkip). My intention is to trade them on the Global Trading Network for their equivalent starters once I collect a fair amount of them. Other eggs I've hatched, however, are the baby Pokémon, in particular:

A female Pichu named Machu
A female Igglybuff named Puff
and a male Cleffa named Affleck

This puts me well over halfway towards my goal. I'm starting to run out of Pokémon to level up, so it won't be long now before I move to Ruby!

Pokémon Count at 126:44 hours of gameplay: Seen 375, caught 275
Professor Oak says: If you Headbutt a tree, sometimes a Pokémon might fall out!

We All Have to Start Somewhere

So, a few days ago the world got its first glimpse at the new starting Pokémon in the upcoming 6th Generation titles, Pokémon Black and White.

Now, starting Pokémon are not something I take lightly. In any game, your starting Pokémon is your first friend – your guide into the strange journey on which you are about to embark. Removing your starter from your permanent lineup is always a rite of passage (something I haven't been able to do yet, by the way). Since starters are so important, it's equally important that you have a well of interesting options to choose from.

Which is a shame, because as more games have come out, the quality of the starters has been, well...

I'll let this comic I found sum it up (click to enlarge):



With Generation 1, we had three pretty rad Pokémon to choose from. Choosing your starting Pokémon wasn't easy, because no matter which one you chose, there would be two other awesome Pokémon you'd never be able to own. While I think I've come to the conclusion that Charmander is my personal favourite, even that's by a small margin (again, going for Charmander meant missing out on a turtle with cannons strapped to his shell, and a dinosaur with a tree growing out of its back). Of the few times I've played Generation 1, my starter choice breakdown probably goes something like 50% Charmander, 35% Squirtle, and 15% Bulbasaur.



With Generation 2, the second starter lineup offered an equally impressive lineup.



For this one my breakdown might be something like 60% Cyndaquil and 40% Totodile. While I personally would never go for a Chikorita, I don't begrudge its existence. It's a little girly, sure, but I can at least appreciate that there are people who like it.

Now, with Generation 3, we start to see a bit of a decline. Suddenly, my choice of starting Pokémon is much easier: Mudkip. Even though he gets kind of stupid when he becomes a Swampert (or as my sister Rachel says, a dirty Hobo Pokémon), he's still by far the best option available. I mean, what's with that look on Sceptile's face?



And ugh, don't even get me started on Blaziken.



He doesn't even look like he's in the right game. Seriously, I'm not too sure what the designers were thinking when they came up with the look for this guy. I mean, what would have possibly inspired them to... to...

Wait...



Oh, I get it. Digimon strikes again.

Generation 4 starters are something of a Morton's Fork, in which no matter which you pick, you're kinda in the same crappy situation. Do you choose the goofy Chimchar, resulting in a pretty goofy Infernape? A slightly cooler Piplup, resulting in a crappy Empoleon? Or the bland Turtwig, resulting in the equally bland Torterra?



Whoever wins, you lose.

But let's look at Generation 5. At least, the basic evolutions.

First up, in the Grass-Type corner, we have Tsutaja.



Now, I don't hate his design, but I do have two problems, the first being that he kinda looks exactly like a green Cyndaquil. The second problem is that he has Sceptile's creepy Come Hither eyes.

Um, PASS.

Second, we have Pokablu, a Fire-Type pig.



This is a bit more like it. A simple, archetypal design with a bit of uniqueness thrown in. I'm definitely a fan.

Finally, we have the Water-Type Mijumaru.



Now this guy is a bit problematic. He seems to hover between adorable and grotesque. I really don't know what to make of him, but I have a feeling he'll either have the coolest evolution, or the lamest. I mean, look at him. It's quite possible that, even though he's apparently a Sea Otter Pokémon, he could become quite bad-ass, something akin to Iorek Byrnison. On the other hand, he could end up being a Care Bear in Whiteface.

So, at this stage I think the starters aren't bad, certainly not as bad as others seem to be saying on the internet (I've seen them referred to as “Retardachu, Queermander, & Shittle”). As for which I'll choose when I get Black or White (though probably Black, cause that's how I roll), I'm undecided. I'm going to try to avoid having the final evolutions ruined for me before playing the game, even though I know that's probably impossible. Assuming I don't know more then than I do now, I'm probably going to go Fire, although I have a feeling I might throw caution to the wind and pick Water, even if that does mean I wind up with a Retardachu.

I think I've rambled on long enough, so I'll update on my progress later. In the meantime, what do you guys think of the new starters?