In general, I don't really play much games these days because frankly, a lot of the newer ones are boring. The only game that I still play these days is BW, and I'm quite casual at that. However, I still have a soft spot for old RPGs that I played when I was younger, and for older games in general. I've always been a fan of old graphics as well, compared to this new trend of trying to go heavy on the gfx, and fail on the story or gameplay.
Anyways, I decided to revisit an old classic, Pokemon Red from back in 1996 since I still have the cartridge though I also decided to take a different approach. When I played this game when I was younger, I used to try and collect everything, and fill a whole party as well. In this case, I decided to go with the weakest starter pokemon, Bulbasaur. I also decided that my main goal is to just beat the game with the least amount of pokemon possible.Sorry in advance for the small pics!
So, let's get started!
Facing off against my rival, I ended up getting pounded in the first battle lol. Bulbasaur's stats are quite bad for a starter, and I had no potion either to use. I don't really remember much about Gen 1 either aside from the fact that psychic pokemon reign supreme since there were no dark pokemon like in Gen 2. Suffice to say, with a weak starter, I decided to switch my old way of playing the game, and focused on affecting stats such as accuracy, attack or defense.
Passing through Viridian Forest, I ended up catching a Weedle, Pikachu (it just popped up), and a Pidgey and started training them. I can't remember it being this tedious, though to be fair, it's all weedle's fault! lol. The thing is even worse than Bulbasaur. Soon enough, I decided that it's not worth the hassle, and decided that I'll stick to using Bulbasaur, Pikachu, and Pidgey for the rest of the game. Thus, my journey finally begin.
Though I ended up losing the second rival fight on victory road quite badly, was severely under-leveled when I vaguely remembered that the rival is around there somewhere. I should've been more cautious haha. Still, a good lesson indeed. From there, it was time to hit the first gym!!!!!
My first gym was Brock, all those rock pokemon. By this point, I leveled up my pokemon to around L10 while my Bulbasaur went up to probably around L12 or so. The dang thing never even learnt a single leaf move either. From memory, this was what my pokemon had: Pidgey - Tackle, Sand attack, Gust Bulbasaur - Tackle, Growl, Leech Seed Pikachu - Tail Whip, Thundershock, Growl
As you can see, for Brock's gym, this is terrible lol. All of these moves are normal, or electric-based which is bad news when facing rock-type pokemon. Alas, I didn't realize that my Bulbasaur was so close to learning vine whip, and instead I decided to open with a pidgey. My main thought was to lower the accuracy using Sand attack, then gust his first pokemon, Geodude to unconscious. Well, it worked and all I had to use was a single potion!
Onix was less of a headache. I ended up using sand-attack on him, before I brought in Bulbasaur and used a combo of leech seed into growl into tackle him. Even his bind became worthless, as my hp kept regenerating from leech seed with each turn, and his hp was going down from that+tackle. I ended up taking the first fight, and aside from Pidgey, everyone else stayed conscious!
The rest of the story since has been about leveling up all three of these pokemon. I have destroyed my rival in every single battle since, with my Ivysaur even beating his Charmander despite it using Ember. I posted some shots below to show what I mean:
It's quite amazing just how fast you can level up your pokemon if you only have 3 of them haha. In some battles, I was over-leveled to the point where a single pokemon could wipe out his whole group. Infact, my rival isn't even so much of a rival as just another trainer that I use to level up my pokemon haha. My Raichu is good enough to beat his Pidgeot, Charizard, and Gyarados on its own. Add in my Venusaur, and Pidgeot, and it's honestly a bit too easy:
Other than that, I've ended up beating Team Rocket 3 times already, got the helix fossil, took out 3 more gyms, revealed the ghosts in Lavendar town, and I've evolved all my pokemon to their utmost level with the best moveset possible from my limited knowledge. Gym fights and the like have been fairly straightforward, and I've been using some TMs/HMs to continue progressing such as teaching Cut while trying my best to avoid using a fourth pokemon, though I may have to just for HMs since I can't keep teaching my main ones such bad ones:
Pidgeot's moves are ok in general. I'm a big fan of swift due to its high accuracy, and use it a lot. I really hate razor wind due to its high miss chance, and you need 2 turns as well. I had wing attack, and would've left that had I known about this. Either way, I can at least teach Fly when I get it, so I'll get a nice flying move. Gust, and quick attack are decent enough as is, and especially quick attack.
It was a bit rough to nail things down for Venusaur, and I don't like having cut on him, but tackle is a good enough normal move. Razor leaf seems to have a high critic ratio, and mega drain has been great. I was a bit hesitant to remove leech seed, despite it being a bad move, but I think it was a good idea to teach mega drain. It's helped a lot to replenish health, and worse case, I can use an ether for its low PP.
Raichu probably has the most interesting set of moves. I ended up having to teach flash, so there's a worthless move but, thunder is amazing when it hits. Still has a low PP, but ether again. Quick attack is great for those times when I need that last hit, and Raichu has some of the best speeds I've seen atm. Seismic Toss is a bit of an odd one, but between these 3 main pokemon that I chose, Raichu was the only one that could learn a fighting move. I ended up not learning swift (thought it was a bad move with no research), but I've managed so far.
As it stands, I still need 4 gym badges, need several more HMs, and likely several rival fights before I walk victory road again. It'll be fun to see what else pops up, but I have a feeling that the rest of the game will be a walk in the park...
If I remember correctly I just used my Masterball (or whatever it was called back in the day) to catch Mewto, level him up a bit and teach him some stuff and own everything to the point where a one year old could have played the game.
On November 14 2018 18:02 Harris1st wrote: If I remember correctly I just used my Masterball (or whatever it was called back in the day) to catch Mewto, level him up a bit and teach him some stuff and own everything to the point where a one year old could have played the game.
Ohh the memories. Good times <3
Only shame is that once you're at the point where you can catch Mewtwo there's nothing to do in the game anymore outside of beating the elite 4 over and over again.
On November 14 2018 15:34 Taelshin wrote: This makes me want to fire up the emulator, God damn I love generation 1 Pokemon.
Gen 1 and 2 are the best. I personally never played further than that, felt the game got too bloated for its own good.
On November 14 2018 17:56 BLinD-RawR wrote: Can you really trust a guy who doesn't nickname his pokemon?
yes, yes you can!
On November 14 2018 18:02 Harris1st wrote: If I remember correctly I just used my Masterball (or whatever it was called back in the day) to catch Mewto, level him up a bit and teach him some stuff and own everything to the point where a one year old could have played the game.
Ohh the memories. Good times <3
unless I'm mistaken, you get access to that cave after you beat the elite 4 so while it's great to catch Mewto, he won't be vital to me finishing the game.
On November 14 2018 18:28 NoS-Craig wrote: Seismic toss is based on the users level, isn't it? So Seismic toss being a fighting type move in mostly useless I think.
is it? good point. My pikachu was ahead of the curve level wise, so it's been working wonderfully. It still seems to be working great now as well.
On November 15 2018 00:38 Aveng3r wrote: My only question is, whats the plan for surfing??
good question. I ended up getting a lapras from some trainer, and seeing as I have no pokemon other than lapras that can learn surf (I only caught like 6-7 max or something and rather not waste money to evolve an eevee), it'll have to do. I'll probably just keep it as the fourth pokemon, and if it dies, well, I can still use surf regardless.
On November 14 2018 18:28 NoS-Craig wrote: Seismic toss is based on the users level, isn't it? So Seismic toss being a fighting type move in mostly useless I think.
is it? good point. My pikachu was ahead of the curve level wise, so it's been working wonderfully. It still seems to be working great now as well.
On November 15 2018 00:38 Aveng3r wrote: My only question is, whats the plan for surfing??
good question. I ended up getting a lapras from some trainer, and seeing as I have no pokemon other than lapras that can learn surf (I only caught like 6-7 max or something and rather not waste money to evolve an eevee), it'll have to do. I'll probably just keep it as the fourth pokemon, and if it dies, well, I can still use surf regardless.
On November 14 2018 15:31 BigFan wrote: I have a feeling that the rest of the game will be a walk in the park...
Sorta like ZvT vs BigFan amirite?
This is what happens when you are playing too much Pokemon instead of working on your game.
:D
haha well, if someone didn't keep doj, we wouldn't be here! :D
I was going to recommend lapras, strong as your lineup is I could see it running into trouble against Lance, Lapras will help big time there with his ability to learn the Ice type moves
You might run into issues with Sabrina as none of your Pokemon excel against Gen I Alazakam. He can be a real bitch to overcome unless you have a physical OHKO ability like Earthquake. Raichu has good enough Spc. to tank the initial Psybeam though and I'm guessing he might be able to OHKO with Thunder + STAB. Ditto for Blaine's Arcanine, Agatha, and Lance.
You forgot about the real MVP of Gen I: the Nidoran evo line! Nidoking/Nidoqueen is the jack of all trades in the first generation. It can learn Surf + Strength + Earthquake/Ice Beam/Thunder. You'll need both HMs to get through Victory Road. Lapras and one of the Fossil Pokemon IIRC can learn the same HMs too.
On November 14 2018 18:28 NoS-Craig wrote: Seismic toss is based on the users level, isn't it? So Seismic toss being a fighting type move in mostly useless I think.
Yes. In Gen I Seismic Toss functions like Night Shade: although it has a move type, the damage is based on level and no multipliers are enacted.
On November 15 2018 04:39 Tempest wrote: Plot twist, plantboi is actually the best gen 1 starter.
That was bad and you should feel bad, you bad person.
^ I'm actually not that worried about Sabrina. I realize how strong Alazakam is though seeing as it's one of the pokemon that I originally wanted to make one of my mains. I have a ton of money atm and some rare candies stocked too. The plan is to use those before I go to fight the elite four, and I'm thinking of going heavy on some of the items like carbos etc... Try and raise up specials or increase speeds as needed, after I've gotten all the items I need for the challenge. I don't think the elite four will be particularly hard, but yes, I'm hoping that I get hits with thunder, and land crits when needed.
Other thing I didn't mention was that I plan to catch all 3 legendary pokemon for the fun of it. I was originally thinking of adding them to my group to make up 6, but I like the challenge of going in with just 3 and some items, and trying to see what I can do. I think I can take care of Lance no problem, so long as I keep leveling up my pokemon. Infact, I might end up overleveling them seeing as I still have 4 gyms, and countless other battles left. Regardless, I think it'll be fun to see how things fare. I'll keep you guys updated on the elite four fight, and the rest.
As for MVP of Gen 1, that's a ridiculously OP set, makes the game too easy haha. My original main goal was just to gather some pokemon that I like, and see if I can make it through. I decided to change it to just have 3 once I realized that leveling up was annoying, and I didn't frankly want to spend time leveling up 6 pokemon. If I do find that 3 can't cut it, then I'll add the legendary birds and go from there. Afaik, they are level 50 or something when caught so they won't be hard to level up if needed.
On that note, this is not much of a crazy challenge, just a light one. That guy who played and beat gen 1 using just a ditto, now that was interesting. Too bad he never finished gen 2 due to the little surprise after the elite four
On November 15 2018 04:39 Tempest wrote: Plot twist, plantboi is actually the best gen 1 starter.
Other than that, fantastic post. The nostalgia hits...
Tbh, aside from the weak normal attacks like tackle due to weaker stats, I've been landing lots of crits with razor leaf. Giga drain has been fantastic too. It's not as bad as I thought, though let's face it, a flying pokemon or one that has pumps on it are cool in general. Guess once it learns solarbeam, it'll get that much cooler!
On November 14 2018 18:28 NoS-Craig wrote: Seismic toss is based on the users level, isn't it? So Seismic toss being a fighting type move in mostly useless I think.
is it? good point. My pikachu was ahead of the curve level wise, so it's been working wonderfully. It still seems to be working great now as well.
On November 15 2018 00:38 Aveng3r wrote: My only question is, whats the plan for surfing??
good question. I ended up getting a lapras from some trainer, and seeing as I have no pokemon other than lapras that can learn surf (I only caught like 6-7 max or something and rather not waste money to evolve an eevee), it'll have to do. I'll probably just keep it as the fourth pokemon, and if it dies, well, I can still use surf regardless.
On November 15 2018 02:44 JieXian wrote:
On November 14 2018 15:31 BigFan wrote: I have a feeling that the rest of the game will be a walk in the park...
Sorta like ZvT vs BigFan amirite?
This is what happens when you are playing too much Pokemon instead of working on your game.
:D
haha well, if someone didn't keep doj, we wouldn't be here! :D
I was going to recommend lapras, strong as your lineup is I could see it running into trouble against Lance, Lapras will help big time there with his ability to learn the Ice type moves
ya, glad that I got lapras. I actually loved this pokemon when I was younger, but I'm not interested in trying to train the thing to level 40+ when it's at level 25 or so (might be less, don't remember). As for Lance, see above.
Because I have kept in touch to some degree for a while with the changes, and such. I don't like the art style of any of the new games, and frankly feel that the series has gotten worse as it progressed. They may have added some new features here and there, but overall, it took a nosedive after gen 2 games.
I have to agree, post-Gen II games become progressively weaker even though several welcome mechanics have been introduced and system tweaks made types like Bug viable during the later stages. The secondary plotlines slowly become more and more outrageous with each new game, reinventing the wheel in terms of species leads to more misses than hits (many concepts after Gen 4 are outlandishly ridiculous even for Pokemon archetypes), and some mechanics manage to be both superfluous and disruptive to the experience.
I wish modders would create a hybrid that incorporated the good stuff into the older games as part of an integrated experience e.g. how A Tale of Two Wastelands combines FO3 and New Vegas.
Nidoking/Nidoqueen MVP 100%. Surf, Strength, Earthquake/Horn Drill (I used Fissure all the time on my very first playthrough), Pay Day/Seismic Toss/Body Slam/Ice Beam/Toxic/whatever. I made a "Nidoking Edition" cartridge after beating the game with him then started a new game right away with another Nidoran (female, of course) until I got Silver version — I was by far the nerdiest kid in school, making art and fan games and pixel art comics and all that.
I still remember the big wall was always Brock except for the one time I overleved Bulbasaur and had Vine Whip, ha. After that the only tough spots were the caves, and reaching Sabrina in Blue/Red and seeing something other than Abra Kadabra Alakazam from Yellow then getting repeatedly stomped by Confusion and Disable.
Great games. The only one I've enjoyed as much as Gen 1 and 2 was Heart Gold/Soul Silver. B/W and B2/W2 I beat and enjoyed, X/Y too, but nowhere near as close as Yellow/Blue and Silver. Eventually I'll finally (attempt to) speedrun one of them.
On November 15 2018 11:22 CosmicSpiral wrote: I have to agree, post-Gen II games become progressively weaker even though several welcome mechanics have been introduced and system tweaks made types like Bug viable during the later stages. The secondary plotlines slowly become more and more outrageous with each new game, reinventing the wheel in terms of species leads to more misses than hits (many concepts after Gen 4 are outlandishly ridiculous even for Pokemon archetypes), and some mechanics manage to be both superfluous and disruptive to the experience.
I wish modders would create a hybrid that incorporated the good stuff into the older games as part of an integrated experience e.g. how A Tale of Two Wastelands combines FO3 and New Vegas.
Sounds like you need to take a deep, DEEP dive into the crazy world of hacks and fan games. There are a few diamonds in the rough out there.
On November 15 2018 11:22 CosmicSpiral wrote: I have to agree, post-Gen II games become progressively weaker even though several welcome mechanics have been introduced and system tweaks made types like Bug viable during the later stages. The secondary plotlines slowly become more and more outrageous with each new game, reinventing the wheel in terms of species leads to more misses than hits (many concepts after Gen 4 are outlandishly ridiculous even for Pokemon archetypes), and some mechanics manage to be both superfluous and disruptive to the experience.
I wish modders would create a hybrid that incorporated the good stuff into the older games as part of an integrated experience e.g. how A Tale of Two Wastelands combines FO3 and New Vegas.
As mentioned above, they are worth a look. I think this is what you are looking for. I plan to eventually give it a try as well!
EPT
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