Side Quest: Pokemon Sun Part 1

Side Quest: Gotta Catch em All
Quest Level: 5
Given by: Professor Kukui
Quest Details:
Play Through Pokemon Sun

Current Level: 1

I got Pokemon Sun the very same day I got Final Fantasy XV, though I opted to go back to my apartment after getting XV to play it then return to the mall in the afternoon for Pokemon. Why? Because there's a freaking line out in our local Gaming store (Datablitz). I know, I know. Why didn't I just buy it the same time as I did XV? Well uh... I wasn't really planning on Pokemon Sun at all yet. I planned to get Pokemon Sun, but didn't have a date for when I buy it yet.
Then I just realized I might not be able to go to the mall in a while since I'll be going back to my hometown later and opted to return for it (And thank God, the line had died down.)
I'm one of those grouchy skeptical types whenever I see new Pokemon, mostly because I like to judge the starters (And I see some Pokemon that looked weird from the Black/White and X/Y era.)
I saw all the trailers in Sun/Moon and they seemed to be moving in a different direction from usual. From what I've seen, they've been making interesting moves and I thought I'd give it a try.
Also, I found the Starters very adorable. (I picked Litten.)



I'm not usually one for adorable when it came to choosing a starter, but this time was different. On every other Pokemon game, I would choose Water. I've been on team Squirtle/Totodile/Mudkip/Piplup from when I played the games (I opted not to play Black/White or X/Y but did pick up Alpha Sapphire to see what was new with the remake).
But this was an extremely different case.
I'm a cat person and I really really liked Litten, so that was a big factor (Don't know why people pick Rowlett tbh.) and I was torn between picking Litten or sucking it up and just going with Popplio since I did water types.
But... I'm sorry to fans of Popplio around the world but... He is just so ugly to me. No no, hear me out.
I wait until the final evolution comes out to fully judge. And... Primarina was just not doing it for me.
I expected some awesome Walrein action over here and instead... We get a mermaid seal thing.
And its typing. Fairy type.
I know how advantageous that type is ever since it was introduced but... I'm sorry but I HATE Fairy type pokemon. For one, I LOVE dragon types and by end game, I've had at least 2 in my party. And I really liked Gardevoir. A pure psychic type at the third stage that wasn't Alakazam? Sign me up!
But Goddammit, now she's weak to Poison. Yes whatever, they're strong against Dragon types. But why Gardevoir? Why?????
Maybe I'll learn to love them, but not right now.
Anyway, back to my point. Primarina isn't really doing it for me, she's a fairy type, and honestly the kitty looks cute and then cool when it evolves.
So, in a move I never thought I'd do again since the first time I opened Red, I picked the fire type Litten.
Pokemon Sun is a beautiful game, and I would have the time to just go around playing this game all day...
But yeah, Final Fantasy XV is first priority.
Fret not though, Pokemon Sun has the advantage of being portable.
I'm still in melemele island, trying to catch Pokemon. I haven't done the trials yet though.
The first thing I appreciate is that "Mom" finally has a room on her own. I was surprised since they're usually just recovery slaves around the living room. And not only that, she has a Meowth.
Away from home, the graphics are beautiful enough for a 3DS game, though it doesn't make heavy use of the 3D function.
The game is direct enough to get you to go where you need to and will activate a chain of events before reaching the point of choosing a Pokemon.
And so after Choosing Litten, I encounter Hau.
Hau.



He's our "Rival"
As a Pokemon Player from the era of Red, let me tell you what a Rival is.
A rival is this jerk who goes around pissing you off and being better than you and you just want to pound their face in. And let me tell you about the rivals I encountered in the games.
Blue/Gary was a good rival (Not the personality, he's a dick) and I was so happy to pulverize him into the ground just when he thought he was finally champion, but it took massive effort from my part when I was but a young kid. I especially loved it when they remade it into Fire Red.
Silver was technically my first Pokemon game before I played Red.
I hated Silver(Rival) immediately for kicking me when I tried to see what he was up to. And really, he's an asshole. So beating him down just to hear how he tries to say we just got lucky is music to my ears. I mean the way he treats his pokemon...
I wasn't particularly fond of Brendan (I picked May because I was trying to follow Anime canon at the time)  but I liked his battle music a lot and he does seem genuinely surprised you can beat him even though he got a head start. (I liked that they added a battle with him at the end of Alpha Sapphire for one last time)
Barry was... strange. That's all I have to say about him.

Now lets return to Hau.
This goofy Alolan kid who just ran up to you and initiated a battle because he was bored.
Okay?
What do you know, he picked the starter weak to mine.
Rowlett didn't last very long against my Litten.
The guy smiles at his defeat and genuinely makes friends with you. I'm starting to think I'm the bad guy around here.
I'm from Kanto, maybe I'm Blue's relative? Nah.
The single hour I had when I played the game and wanted to walk around the first city, you'd be amazed how quickly Hau began to annoy me.
I wanted to go to Route 2 to try and catch Chikorita through the island scan. But no. Lilie and Hau has to show you what's up with the city. Yes, that's fine okay.
But the thing about Hau is just he's way too hyper about everything and he just smiles like he's being forced to all the time.
I mean there's nothing wrong with being happy but this guy... He just gets on my nerves for some reason!
I haven't done the trials yet but I'll be sure to talk about it when I do.
I'll move away from the cinematics and story and just move on with the gameplay.
THe first thing I love about the gameplay is the improved Ui because it is just beautiful.
When I heard there weren't going to be HMs anymore I was puzzled by the mixed feelings I had. I know it's a chore to have them, but I usually found Surf and Fly useful to me so it was definitely off.
But I appreciate not having an HM slave around to do all this stuff for me.
Wondertrade and GTS is back and is now part of this Festival mode thingy.
Its easy access and very much the same.
I uh.. tried wondertrade for the sake of wondertrading and see if I can get something good.
Um, to the people I sent Yoongus and Wingulls and Meowths around, I'm so sorry.
But I appreciate the Rowlett, Litten, and other pokemon you gave me!
I immediately put Litten in GTS and got a Popplio by night time.
So now I'm running a team with complete starters, yay!
Speaking of good pokemon, I got the Greninja from the demo and let me tell you, its good to have a strong pokemon to grind for EXP Share. He wont always obey, but he sure can kill.
So far, the only thing that irks me about Pokemon Sun is how they separated the move pokemon from the pokemon menu and is now a separate button.
Its easy access but its muscle memory.
On the other hand, I've found myself enjoying the Pokemon Center just giving up on the whole Deposit and Withdraw thing and went with just Moving Pokemon around.
The Pokemon Amie... Er Pokemon Refresh is a nice way to care for you pokemon, but it becomes a chore if it means you're only doing it to get the bonus you get for having max hearts with your Pokemon.
But I'll always love you Litten/Torracat.
I'm really not quite happy about learning that I can't trade Pokemon from Alpha Sapphire to Sun. I want to put all my effective Pokemon into the current gen. That way, I can try to be competitive in playing online, though I don't exactly have the best record hehe. People are just way better Pokemon Trainers.
Maybe I will get a Pokemon Bank... But the 5 dollars is annoying. At least I can use the extra money to buy DLC for SMT IV Apocalypse or Cloud in Smash Bros.
I'll go on through this Side Quest as I move through this game and update as I make any good progress.

No EXP gained.
Exp to Next Level: 70

Save File: 1
>ThanosVenge
Level: 1
Class: Thief Mage
Equipment: Rune Switchblade
Armor: Thunder Hoodie
Accessory: Cross Ring
Accessory: Swiftness Brace
Quest Progress: 8%

Dungeon 1: Crystal Cave - Final Fantasy XV Part 1

First Dungeon: Crystal Cave
Dungeon Level: 4
Guest: Noctis (Level 7)
Current Level: 1

So its been 5 days since Final Fantasy XV has been released.
I saved up for this game for practically 2 years, 3 if I count the money I saved to buy a Playstation 4.
And let me tell you.
It. Was. Worth it.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not done with the game yet.
I'm at least 30 hours in but I haven't left Chapter 5 or 6 yet.
Before I get into my experience, I want to talk about the basics of this game first so its easier to take in gameplay from a written perspective as well instead of just watching a video and thinking about how this must be easy for players or not.
The first thing you'll find yourself immersed in this game is the combat. While it may look strange for those Final Fantasy fans who have been used to the standard Turn Based system they're used to, maybe even wrong, it's very fun.



The first thing that will come to mind is "This is so like Kingdom Hearts!" from a viewers perspective.
And maybe it is kind of like Kingdom Hearts, but its entirely different.
While Kingdom Hearts, an action based jrpg in itself, rely on defeating the foe by mashing the attack button, guarding, dodging, using magic or special attacks to defeat the enemy, Final Fantasy XV relies on a more tactical set than you'd expect.
You play as Noctis Lucis Caelum, Crown Prince of the Lucian Empire.
Like any main character in any game, Noctis has something special that makes him unique. Cloud had a gigantic sword and really spiky hair, Tidus had a water sword and that asymetrical pair of pants, Neku had pins, a funnel collar, and hates everyone, and Sora had a Keyblade.
Since this is a Final Fantasy, Noctis also has a sword. And a lance. And a greatsword. And a gun. And every freaking weapon with the power to warp around like crazy and make his weapons slash around everything like crazy.
This is found in trailers and directly in his gameplay.
While Kingdom Hearts has you just attacking, Noctis can switch weapons on the fly to perform various combos. But not all weapons are effective against all enemies. You find that there are some that are weak to swords but are totally okay with being shot. Then there's the warp function. Warp lets you zip around the field in an instant at the cost of mp. You can use this function to get away, get to a far enough distance and warp strike your enemies, or close in. Dodging and Guarding is far different as well. While the iconic Dodge roll is there, you can hold a button down to "Phase" through attacks. There is no permanent block function, but occasionally, a marker appears to tell you to hold the Phase button to guard and counter attack.



It may sound either simple or complex, but its very manageable once you get used to it. I find that its very fun switching weapons on the fly and thinking up a strategy on defeating enemies.
I forgot to mention, but there's magic in this game as well. Though not like most Final Fantasy. It's more reminiscent of Final Fantasy 8's Draw Function.
I know.
I groaned too.
So basically, you gather from these elemental spots around camps or dungeons and then craft your own spells. The basic spells craftable are limited to Fire, Thunder, and Blizzard. Frankly, thats kind of disappointing. Cure isn't even in this game. Makes one too reliant on Potions (I swear to you, you will be extremely reliant on potions and Elixirs.) You can craft the spells as well as add items to add in bonus effects.
And while the Magic is potent and powerful, it has its major drawbacks. For one, spell casts are limited to how much you can craft. At start, its mostly around 3 or 4. And second, while it's super strong... It will hit your allies too. Friendly fire is a bitch I tell you, and you'll be really annoyed to know that the AI in your allies force them to basically just run at the enemy like its Black Friday forever.
Allies in this game are generally okay.
As characters, I find they are pleasant and not the stereotypes I imagined. Prompto has especially grown on me even though I thought I wouldn't like him.
So you basically have 3 supporting allies through out the game.
Gladio, Noctis's personal bodyguard with the greatsword, Ignis, the tactical commander and the chef, and Prompto, Noctis' friend and the team's sharpshooter.
One of the best thing about this game is how these 4 characters are so memorable and well put together. Their friendship is strong and you can really see the strength in their relationships as friends throughout the game even in simple banter or conversations.
Each has their own special ability in and outside of combat.
Outside, Gladio is good at survival skills such as camping, Ignis can cook, and Prompto has photography. Oh, Noctis has Fishing.
Skills are learned in an ascension grid (Similar to the Sphere grid in FFX) where you expend AP acquired through various means on skills regarding combat, teamwork, exploration, skill, and other more.
In combat, you'll find yourself relying on team attacks and link strikes to deal damage. Team attacks are sort of like the character's limit breaks. They have differing skills that work best at different situations.
At battle, you'll find that they all serve a good enough purpose to know they all hold their spot very well in the team.



But there will be nitpicks.
For one, Prompto, while he is one of my favorite characters, JUST WONT STOP APPROACHING THE ENEMY. He's got a freaking gun! Why do that?!
And he's got the lowest hp in all the party. He's bound to fall in to danger state far faster than the rest of the party and you'll be spending half of your potion supplies on him.
Another is that you'll find that Ignis has weaker and fewer attack options early game. I haven't unlocked Sagefire to know how well it works against enemies yet, but Mark, on its own, is effective as an equalizer or multi warp strike shot, but not strong on normal impact. You will however be grateful for his Regroup skill. And once you get Overwhelm, he does get pretty strong at Power based Team attacks.
If you, the reader, have or is thinking of getting this game, I'll let you decide on your own nitpicks about the game's combat.
The game is so big and open world, I found myself running around the place looking for stuff to do. I've heard about the game's length regarding the story, so I thought it be best to appreciate everything the game has to offer, and boy did this game do really well in its open world content. While the side quests are nothing to write home about, they've taken quite my time. The hunts especially.
But be warned. By doing the side contents too much, you'll find that you'll be too overleveled by the time you start the story. I was Level 34 by the time I started the main quest in Chapter 3.
It was a bloodbath I tell you.
I spent 4 days clearing quests and racking up so much EXP and AP just so I can take on the tougher foes that come out at night. (Damn you Iron Giant)
But be warned... When you get to Chapter 3 and you start being too strong for the Imperial Army that pops out randomly anywhere you go (Grr) they suddenly get stronger as well. They're so annoying that they just pop in to your random fights and some fights become too hard to beat because of the overwhelming mobs trying to kill you.
There's another thing I want to praise to the high heavens and its the music.
Final Fantasy Music has never ever been bad in my case, but God Damn, Yoko Shimomora was heaven sent for this game.
There are so many battle themes in this game, but she manages to capture hearts with almost all of them.
I especially love the Hunt Themes, the Cleigne Battle Theme, and Veiled in Black.
I'll talk about the story in the next post for this when I've finished the game, but so far it's been simple enough to follow.
I recommend watching Kingsglaive and Brotherhood first to get a better idea of what's going on.
Until then, it's time to Save a file before moving on.
This was Dungeon Crawler, hope you liked my first post.
Hope you read again soon!

Exp gained:  130
Exp to Next Level: 70

Save File: 1
>ThanosVenge
Level: 1
Class: Thief Mage
Equipment: Rune Switchblade
Armor: Thunder Hoodie
Accessory: Cross Ring
Accessory: Swiftness Brace

(Note: All Pictures are taken from Prompto's Pictures in Direct Gameplay.)

Enter Your Name...

>ThanosVenge
Level: 1
Class: Thief Mage
Equipment: Rune Switchblade
Armor: Thunder Hoodie
Accessory: Cross Ring
Accessory: Swiftness Brace

Welcome to my new blog!
This was inspired by my recent post regarding Final Fantasy XV, which will be coming out in 2 days.
You can read the post here.
Anyway, since I'm too lame to start a Youtube Lets play like the rest of the world, I thought I'd start with a blog to put in my thoughts as I play through Final Fantasy XV and start up other games as well as put in my thoughts regarding games I have played once before.
I may start on a Lets Play one day, but not now.
Anyway, hope you stick around!

Exp Gained: 50
Exp to Next Level: 200