Jigglypuff vs Mega Satan - Who Would Win

Jigglypuff vs Mega Satan - Who Would Win

Ever since I started doing these who would win in a fight posts there’s one combatant I’ve wanted to use more than any other. However this combatant was so strong, so powerful I didn’t think I could ever find a suitably matched opponent. Today however everything changed. I bring you this battle today.

 

We have Jigglypuff, the world’s most powerful Pokémon vs Mega Satan, a more powerful version of the embodiment of evil and sin and perhaps the best named video game boss of all time. Today’s battle will perhaps be the most intense in the history of everything that ever has or will exist. I’ll start with Jigglypuff.

 

Standing at a menacing 0.5 metres tall Jigglypuff is the balloon Pokémon originally found in the Kanto region. It possess both the normal and the fairy typing’s giving it numerous useful resistances to types such as dark and fighting and total immunity to ghost and dragon. It has a decent number of hit points and while its other stats don’t look like much using base stats to judge Pokémon against things that aren’t Pokémon is very sketchy. For example its base speed would indicate it could move at hundreds of miles per hour if compared to the base speed of Dragonite, a Pokémon that can orbit the earth in 16 hours despite being about average in terms of a Pokémon speed stat.

 

Jigglypuff being a Pokémon is an extremely experienced fighter having experiences thousands of battles against hundreds of foes. it also has a unique advantage of being part of all four super smash bros games, meaning it has fought far more different types of powerful enemies, including gaming’s biggest mascot Mario, a multitude of master swordsmen, a legendary bounty hunter, a psychic and what you could easily argue to be the most powerful video game character of all in Kirby. Not only has Jigglypuff fought these might enemies but it has also defeated them all, even to a point of becoming one of the most powerful of all in melee, the one all the pros play.

 

However you could ignore smash bros and Jigglypuff is still a powerhouse. Jigglypuff’s most defining ability is its ability to put things to sleep when it sings. When it decides to use this ability it will first mesmerize it’s foe with its eyes. It will inflate its lungs with air and then let all the air out as a soothing lullaby. It will continue to sing its lullaby until its lungs run out of air and everything around it will be put to sleep. In fact the pokédex repeatedly mentions that it can adjust the wavelength of its voice to put anything to sleep and in Pokémon emerald the pokédex states that NOTHING can avoid this. However not only does its lullaby put enemies to sleep but it makes them feel drowsy and thus slower and more vulnerable when they eventually wake up.

 

The puff does have other moves outside of sing. The most notable are disable, a move that prevents an opponent using the move it last used for an extended period of time. It can hyper voice, a move that emits sound wave to damage an enemy, rollout where it rolls into a ball and slams the foe, increasing in power with each hit and double edge where Jigglypuff tackles an opponent causing immense damage to both the enemy and itself. It has wake up slap which does double damage to a sleeping enemy and then wakes them up. If we’re taking smash bros into account then it can use rest, which makes Jigglypuff fall asleep and somehow do a collosal amount of damage to anything that was too close. Finally we have mimic in which Jigglypuff can mimic any attack used against it.

 

On top of all this Jigglypuff only weighs 5.5 kg. It is also filled with air as being the balloon Pokémon would suggest and while it is a lot denser than air due to its rubbery, it can inflate itself futher to control how slowly it falls through the air. Also having only a diameter of 0.f meteres makes it a small target and difficult to hit with any kind of attack.

 

This is where I’d normally discuss any weaknesses. Moving on.

 

In all seriousness in a Pokémon battle in a game Jigglypuff is pretty weak. The key thing is it’s a Pokémon battle which is turn based. Outside of turn based combat where Jigglypuff. If it can sing straight away there is no reason why it couldn’t defeat every Pokémon in existence by putting them straight to sleep. Sure it’s not very agile but it doesn’t need to be if it can sing its lullaby. You can pretend Jigglypuff is just a weak Pokémon but you’re only kidding yourself.

 

Let’s move on to the opposition. Mega Satan is the final boss fight in The Binding of Isaac Rebirth. It is the hardest boss in the game and the most difficult to reach. Defeating Mega Satan unlocks the 16^th and final ending of the game and is Isaac’s final obstacle in his imaginary world.

 

Inducing the size of Mega Satan is difficult and my calculations are vague at best. However I do have a rough idea which I can use. Isaac is probably around 5 years old and the average height of a 5 year old is 40 inches which is 1.016 meters. Mega Satan’s head is roughly three times taller than Isaac so he is about 3 metres tall, give or take a few metres probably. This would make his head about 5 metres wide, from the tip of one horn to the other. While these calculations are vague what they show is Mega Satan is far bigger than Jigglypuff.

 

What makes Mega Satan so difficult is his barrage of powerful attacks and high base hit points. His 1^st phase has 3000 hit points while his 2^nd has 2000 and his hands 600. In his first phase he will attack with a variety of attacks. He will multiple barrages of directional blood shots or smash his head into the ground to scatter more blood shots. He can fire a downwards beam as well as use his hands to smash the ground to send waves of rocks at you.

 

After reaching enough damage he will summon the four horsemen of the apocalypse, starting with Famine and Pestilence and then followed by Death and War. After they are defeated and reaching a threshold of damage he will summon the seven super versions of the deadly sins. Super Envy is first, followed by Super Lust and Super Wrath and finally Super Gluttony, Super Sloth, Super Greed and Super Pride.

 

Then after another threshold of damage is reached he will summon Dark Uriel and then Dark Gabriel. It should also be noted that if you take too long then Mega Satan will summon the normal deadly sins. If that wasn’t enough after this he will sink into the darkness and emerge as his final form, a skull.

 

Mega Satan’s final form is even more dangerous. It will He will fire many different coloured shots in very difficult to dodge patterns as well and multi coloured fire. The skull will continue to crack as you damage it and eventually if you can reduce his heath to zero he will be defeated. So what are Mega Satan’s weaknesses? Again there aren’t really any. It’s powerful, can summon hosts of other powerful things to fight for him and he has a tonne of health. If nothing else, he’s a mega version of Satan. It’s clearly not to be messed with.

 

Now I know what you’re thinking (I can read your thoughts). Firstly you’re thinking that whoever writes this blog must be incredibly interesting and you’d love to meet them. Secondly you’re thinking that I’ll come up with some contrived reason to make Jigglypuff win for a not particularly funny joke. This is not true at all as you’re about to see.

 

I think it’s obvious that Jigglypuff can quickly put Mega Satan to sleep, the question is does the pink balloon have the means to put down Mega Satan before it can wake up. The answer? No. Jigglypuff does not have the attacks to kill Mega Satan. It can repeatedly put it to sleep but it would only be a matter of time before the mega anti-Christ could land a killing blow.

 

So is that it? Has Jigglypuff been defeated? Well while Jigglypuff’s attacks may not be powerful enough to kill Mega Satan quickly enough, it doesn’t need them to win. In fact, Mega Satan’s attacks are strong enough to kill Mega Satan. Jigglypuff as I discussed earlier can use the move mimic and mirror any attack used against it. This means anything from firing blood shots to summoning the four horsemen of the apocalypse is possible for Jigglypuff in this battle. Mega Satan may be able to take on Jigglypuff’s solo abilities (An impressive feat) but there’s no way it can also survive on onslaught of its own powers used against it. Yes even the anti-Christ cannot survive an encounter with the puff. The victory goes to Jigglypuff.

Top 5 Favourite Animated Films

Top 5 Favourite Animated Films

Animated films are a splendid form of entertainment. While often branded as children’s films, the more sophisticated can appreciate them as good film. A large number of animated films are targeted at those horrible childlike creatures known as children but there are plenty out there aimed at all ages or even solely adults. Of course some animated films use being animated as an excuse for a lack of creativity but some films are full to the brim with interesting characters and creative influence. These are my personal top 5 animated films.

 

Number 5. The Jungle Book

Whenever I make a top 5 or 10 list I always myself putting something on there that is really nostalgic. Here is no exception. My young self watched a video of The Jungle Book to a point where it stopped working. However despite the fact that it delights my inner child there are good reasons to enjoy The Jungle Books.

 

The thing that stands out most in the film is the villain, Sheere Khan. Like a majority of Disney villains his motivations weren’t exactly complex. Kill the man cub … that’s basically it. What stands out is his sophistication and presence. I love how he walks around with such a swagger. He is kind of like Scar from the Lion King except he doesn’t go all whiney. Instead he is always sophisticated and always intimidating. The snake Kaa is also an interesting villain, instead being slightly more comedic in his attempts to eat Mowglli.

 

I also thought Baloo the bear was an enjoyable character. He wasn’t as developed as he could be but he was a lot of fun to be around and I enjoyed how loyal and caring he was. On top of this the songs are catchy, it has some funny moments and the ending is quite fitting and heart-warming.

 

Okay this probably isn’t Disneys strongest film but I certainly enjoy it. It hasn’t aged as well as the other films on this list but if you’re just looking for a colourful and pleasant adventure with a really cool villain then this film is definitely worth a watch.

 

Number 4. Up

I didn’t cry when I watched Up. I thought I should put that out there. I didn’t cry at the start when the wife dies but I can still acknowledge how powerful the opening is. Through very little dialogue but instead gestures and actions we see a couples life, both the highs and the lows and it’s wonderful to see.

 

I expected it all to go downhill from there but the rest of the film was still very entertaining. I enjoyed the friendship between Mr. Fredrickson and Russel, I thought the dog was really funny and even the side villains in the other dogs were funny in just how absurd they were. But what really hits home with this film is the drama and emotional moments. The main protagonists were relatable and enjoyable and I really felt for them through their endeavours. This made it extremely satisfying seeing their progression and when they do the right thing at the end. Equally it made it satisfying to see them happy and enjoying life as well as Mr. Fredrickson moving on from his wife’s death.

 

The only issue I have with the film really is that the archaeologist guy is a bit bland. He’s just a typical greedy man who wants to complete his life’s work and while the dogs were just his minions seeing them flying planes or the sped up voice box was actually funny. But to be honest if the only negative I can find is one character who isn’t really the focus of the movie then it must have done something right. The important areas of the film as in the two main protagonists are interesting and identifiable and the film all around is just a heart-warming and joyous experience. That’s good enough for me.

 

Number 3. Toy Story 3

It was tough choosing which Toy story film should go on this list because I really enjoy them all. I almost feel like this is the wring pick too for the simple reason that I find the ending where Andy gives away his toys to be as cheesy as a huge block of mature Cheddar. I know we got nostalgic but to a point to be going to College and talking about these toys like they’re individual people? Come on movie, that’s stupid.

 

I can’t ignore the rest of the film however. What I love most about Toy Story is each film has an interesting dilemma where there isn’t really any right or wrong, or at least you can understand the characters actions. Toy Story 3 is no exception, I can understand perfectly why each toy does what it does. However it never takes its self too seriously all the time. The light hearted moments are light hearted and funny but what stands out in this film is the darker places it goes.

 

The films pushed more what it could get away with and I though for the most part it succeeded. It has the most intense moments of any of the trilogy and them breaking out of the day care centre was action packed and quite suspenseful. But you don’t lose out on the interesting and relatable characters from the older films. They’re just in a new situation and honestly it’s where I wanted them to go with how they react to Andy going to college.

 

So the ending sucks. It cheesy and corny and so overdone, I was sniggering throughout at it. The rest of the film however stands up really well. It looks great, the characters are memorable and overall it’s a great watch.

 

Number 2. Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda is the most ridiculous name for a film and I thought it would be terrible. To my surprise the first film was a highly enjoyable full of character and fun humour. But surely the sequel would be bad? AS it turns out, it was even better.

 

 

Kung Fu Panda is the ultimate don’t judge a book by its cover story. Kung Fu Panda 2 steps everything up to the next level. Let’s start with our main character Po. He thankfully is a badass at the start of the film in Kung Fu but most importantly we learn more about him and he faces new challenges but still retains his fun and enjoyable aspects of his personality. He can be childish, but he’s endearing for it as he’s always trying to do the right thing and protect those closest to him.

 

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Po and Tigress in this film. It was refreshing that it wasn’t an unnecessary romantic relationship, rather we got to see their friendship strengthen. They are very different and watching them bounce off each other was very enjoyable as well as the powerful scenes when they want what’s best for each other.

 

All the characters are strong, even the ones that aren’t in the film much are very distinct and memorable. Po’s relationship with his adoptive Father is good to see as there’s clearly a respect and huge amount of care there. Po is such a developed character, especially in this film. His backstory is tragic but hopeful, he is such an enjoyable character to watch but he can also kick ass when things go down. The dramatic moments in this film I thought were highly effective, Po’s struggle was interesting but also emotional to watch. What’s so great about Po is that he’s like having us in this intense world of Kung Fu.

 

The villain was far better in this film than the first one. The Peacock has his comedic moments and intense moments but I found watching him go crazy was more enjoyable than Tai Lung from the first film who was a basic revenge hunting villain. The Peacock pushed Po to his limits and posed new challenges he’d never seen before.

 

Finally I want to mention that Kung Fu Panda films look superb. The animation style is beautiful, it really gets across the Chinese feel they are looking for. China looks great and unique and the characters themselves are all animated fantastically well.

 

I could say so much more but I’ll finish by saying this is a brilliant film and without doubt worth watching if you haven’t already. If I’d written this list a few months ago it’d be top but I re watched a film that just surpasses it.

 

Number 1. Shrek 2

In my opinion not just one of the best animated films ever but one of the best films period. I’m not really a fan of flat out comedy films but this one changes my mind completely. Shrek 2 is a masterpiece and I will now explain why.

 

Let’s get this out of the way, the film is hilarious. I laughed out loud multiple times during the films but what was best about the comedy was it does have its simple humour but it also has some really intelligent comedy.  So many times though out the film they have a simple scene that not really much needs to happen for the film to progress but they do something really funny with it. A great example is when the Kings men come to the swamp to invite Shrek and Fiona to Far Far Away. That guy goes off on a trumpet solo and it’s really funny.

 

I love the satire of fairy tales going on here, especially the villains of the film who do a great job of having distinguishable personalities and being funny as well as also being diabolical and scheming. I’m not one for soppy romance but Shrek and Fiona’s relationship is so well done in this film I can’t help but mention it. It’s great because while slightly strange, it’s believable and actually enjoyable to watch. They genuinely Love each other and want the other to be happy, so they makes sacrifices to make it work. I actually want them to stay together unlike most boring romance films where I just don’t care.

 

The other characters are also memorable, in particular Donkey who is a lot funnier in this film and Puss in Boots was a great addition to the cast as a satire of Zoro. The story is not overly complex but is enjoyable and interesting. My favourite part about it is seeing the characters grow and seeing what they will do for their loved ones, both from the heroes and even villains. Seeing character relationships grow and evolve is great because the characters are so well written and despite being in a fairy tale, human. They have their flaws but this makes them more human and relatable. Sure they can act greedy or selfish but this is never because they are bad people with our heroes and thus they are never unlikable. This means the dramatic moments are intensified and the happy moments more touching as a result.

 

The set ups were clever, the characters memorable with Puss in Boots being perhaps the best thing that could’ve happened for the franchise. The jokes consistently made me laugh and the story is unique and heart-warming with a touching and fitting ending. Shrek 2 is without doubt my favourite animated film.

Batman vs Po - Who Would Win

Batman vs Po - Who Would Win

There have been some intense battles throughout history. However none will compare to this. Today an answer asked by people for thousands of years. Who would win in a fight between Po from Kung Fu Panda and Batman from … Batman.

 

These are two very similar characters making this a very even battle. Both lost their parents at an early age. Both are awesome. They are overflowing with similarities but we will start with The Batman.

 

We all know Batman. Perhaps the world’s most popular superhero, Batman is the persona taken on by Bruce Wayne is Gotham City. After seeing his parents murdered at an early age, Bruce trained himself for years into the peak of Human condition. He donned the costume of a bat to project his own fear of the small mammals onto his enemies. Batman has accomplished some incredible feats, far beyond that of a human being and was described by Superman as the most dangerous man on earth.

 

Batman’s is a highly skilled fighter. He has a training regime to keep himself at peak physical condition and has the physique and ability of an Olympic athlete. On top of this he is a highly skilled fighter. He has somehow mastered 127 different styles of martial arts and is also a master of pressure point combat. As well as being an expert in martial arts Batman is a master in stealth escapology. It is said in fact that given enough time he can escape any trap and he is so gifted in the arts of stealth thanks to his mastery of ninjitsu he can easily sneak around super powered foes. Despite possessing no superpowers, his abilities are about as close to superhuman as a normal man can get.

 

Batman’s biggest strength however is his mind. Batman, despite wearing a costume shaped like a bat is a genius.  Hi IQ is likely to be in the region of 190 - 200 but more importantly he is a master strategist. Given preparation time Batman is capable of defeating any opponent, enemies far more powerful than any human being could possibly hope to be. Batman’s other greatest weapon is fear. The idea behind his costume is to project fear onto his enemies and the sight of that pointy eared cowl can send criminals cowering into the night. He is also brutal in his actions. Because of a morale code he refuses to take a life but he is perfectly fine with inflicting intense pain on his enemies. He is highly skilled in ‘interrogation’ and can quite easily get information out of others. The Batman is determined and has a far stronger will than most and will always refuse to be beaten.

 

Batman would be incredibly threatening if he ran around lycra but he has a high tech suit and a wide array of advanced gadgets. The Batsuit is made of a Kevlar thread with carbon nano fibres, making it light but also very tough. This makes it bulletproof and resistant to knife attacks, as well as shielding Batman from heat and electric shocks. Naturally it also shields Batman from physical blows but is still light enough for him to perform his array of martial arts techniques without and difficulty. His cowl contains night, infrared and ultra violet vision as well as technology in one of the ears to keep him in contact with his allies. His cape can be expanded and be used to glide through the air and finally he has his famous utility belt that holds everything Batman could ever need, except for the keys to his mansion.

 

Batman has a very versatile set of gadgets. Perhaps most iconic are his batarngs, a bat shaped shuriken. He has more than just standard metal ones however though, he has ones that inflict electric shocks, some can completely immobilise people and some are even remote controlled. For easy travel he has his grapple gun which allows him to grapple onto a large variety of surfaces. He can grapple enemies and pull them towards him with the bat claw, put enemies to sleep with bat darts, remotely blow stuff up with explosive gel, and a variety of tools for breaking into secure places. He carries smoke pellets for a quick getaway and also possesses shock gloves that can administrate an electric shock to anything he punches. These shocks are so powerful they even stopped the heart of one of his most powerful enemies, Bane.

 

Batman is sounding pretty invincible but he does have his fair share of weaknesses. He is still a normal man and therefore has the same weaknesses. Without the suit he can be vulnerable to attack. He also isn’t exactly mentally stable. I realise this isn’t particularly obvious for a man who dresses like a bat, witnessed the murder of his parents and has 12 year old sidekicks dressed in bright green and red but he is actually quite messed up in the head. However this rarely affects him and Batman is without doubt a match for almost anyone.

 

It was prophesised that the Dragon Warrior would obtain the power of the Dragon Scroll and become a master in Kung Fu. In China the true Dragon Warrior was revealed, a panda named Po.

 

Po is a good natured and kind individual. He is easy going, selfless and actually a lot of fun to be around. He also makes a killer bowel of noodle soup. These are excellent qualities to have nut they do not lend themselves to being a great warrior. Fortunately for Po he is in his own words “Totally Awesome!” and he is probably the greatest Kung Fu master in all of China.

 

Po is highly advanced in Kung FU, despite his young age. He has mastered advanced techniques few other have and can quickly and easily learn these techniques. He uses Kung Fu Panda Style and uses it to great effect. Despite his size and weight, Po is incredibly agile. He moves incredibly quickly and is excellent at dodging and blocking his enemies blows. Despite his agility however Po does possess immense bulk. Being so generously proportioned means he can easily take many blows without issue. He took a multitude of hits from Tai Lung who is practically super human and he even survived a direct hit from a cannon ball shot from close distance.

 

Po’s greatest strength though arguably is how easily he can improvise. It may not sound as impressive as some of his other skills but Po can easily adapt to whoever he is fighting against. He is also great at using the environment to his advantage, as proven while keeping the dragon scroll away from Tai Lung. He excels in using his opponents strength against them. Po has also conquered his inner demons and achieved inner piece at a young age. Po is highly skilled and can take on anyone in a one on one fight.

 

What weaknesses does Po have? He can be rather childlike and immature at times. He can also be stubborn to the point of endangering himself. His other big weakness is he’s not exactly subtle. Being a panda makes him not great in the stealth department, so he’s better off not battling Batman in the shadows. Despite this however, Po will be one of Batman’s greatest ever opponents as he is truly awesome!

 

Who are you expecting to win here? AI bet about 98.6% of you think Batman will walk this. Don’t be so sure. In a straight up fist fight, Batman would be completely annihilated.  While Batman has mastered 127 martial arts, including Kung Fu, not only has Po gone beyond mastering this fighting style, but his way of fighting is unique and I’ve already discussed how well he can adapt to his opponent. Not only this, Po is far more agile than any human being and being a panda makes him stronger. Yes in a simple fight Po would beat Batman … but this isn’t simple.

 

Batman is smart, very smart.  Far smarter than Po, he would not risk this in a simple brawl. With smoke pellets, a grapple gun and bat darts Batman could easily escape Po. The dragon warrior is very in tune with his surrounding, having master Kung Fu and inner piece but Batman has used stealth to sneak around super beings with super hearing. Batman doesn’t need long, his knowledge of pressure points would immobilise Po and even his bulk is unlikely to protect him from shock gloves. Po isn’t the smartest thing in the world and could be confused and tricked by Batman’s use of stealth and fear. Batman would bring the dragon warrior down before Po could even retaliate. Po is powerful, but he’s not diverse enough to fight Batman outside a simple brawl and Batman would never resort to this against a superior fighting foe. Po is awesome, but he’s not Batman which is why the victory goes to The Batman.

Top 10 favourite Pokémon

Top 10 favourite Pokémon

This is a list that all people who write blogs like mine must do. I’m writing this and it feels like the next step towards greatness. It’s my top 10 favourite Pokémon.

 

 

It should be noted there are now over 700 Pokémon so picking 10 proved to be quite difficult. I went through the pokédex and had it narrowed down to 46 for 10 places. So it still wasn’t going well so I thought I’d give some honourable mentions. These are Venasaur for being my favourite of the original starters, Victreebell for being incredibly violent and also a plant (Plus it evolves from Bellsprout), Espeon for being my favourite evolution of Eevee, Floatzel for being my favourite shiny Pokémon I found, Hippowdon because I have one called Big Mama and Excadrill because it amuses me to call it the epic mole in a silly voice. Onto the list:

 

10. Heatran

Legendary Pokémon are epic monsters of destruction. I like many of them but my personal favourite is the rather obscure Heatran. I like that you travel through a dangerous volcano to reach Heatran. Compared to other legendry’s it seems rather underwhelming but look a little closer and you’ll see this thing can easily hold its own.

 

Most of my affection from Heatran comes from my super cool times of competitive Pokémon battling. It was perhaps the most reliable Pokémon I used. It could handle a multitude of situations and take on multiple roles in a team. It never let me down and more importantly it helped me win even though I wasn’t very good. In fact it was so dependable I nicknamed my Heatran after my cat Izzy.

 

9. Scrafty

A gangster Pokémon. With a Mohawk. How cool is that? A lot of people dislike generation five but for me Scrafty carries it all on its own. It had also had a unique fighting/dark type combination and was a staple for me in the games in generation five.

 

Another benefit of Scrafty is when it evolves it finally learns how to wear its trousers. A real moment of pride. Scrafty reminded me of why I even play Pokémon games. I found a strange little creature, trained it and travelled with it and watched it grow, in this case into a full on gangster. It doesn’t get much better than that. Naturally after all this I named mine BITCH!!!!!! to mirror what I imagined it said to the opponents it defeated. Unfortunately this name was censored by the Pokémon games so now it’s just called Scrafty.

 

8. Greninja

Frogs are cool. Ninjas are cool. So what happens when you combine the two? You get Greninja. I wasn’t keen at first on X and Y’s starters but that changed when I saw this awesome thing. This was the only time I ever took the water starter but it was well worth the wait.

 

We’d had Pokémon sort of like ninjas bust nothing this authentic. Added to my love for the video game Frogger, this Pokémon was a perfect fit. Then we got to play it in smash brothers and a throw water shrunken at Mario’s head and everything I could want from a Pokémon was complete. Mine was called FreakinNinja because what else would it be?

 

7. Munchlax

This guy is here not because of standard Pokémon games but rather the mystery dungeon series. It was a tough game, Mystery dungeon explorers of darkness full of powerful enemies but they were no match for the mighty Munchlax.

 

I already liked Snorlax but when you’re playing as Munchlax and you punch Darkrai ((Practically a vessel of pure evil) in the face then it has to be on the list. In fact I couldn’t even bring myself to evolve Munchlax. We all like an underdog story and this was the best I had in a Pokémon game.

 

6. Sceptile

We all remember our first starter Pokémon. Being a massive childhood noob I didn’t get a Pokémon game until Ruby where I was immediately drawn to Treecko. Then it evolved into this strange lizard thing called Sceptile and my young mind was amazed.

 

Nostaligia plays a role in these lists and this one is perhaps the biggest example of that. Sceptile was with me for my first Pokemon league triump, my first capture of a legendary pokemon and it was my first level 100. My young child mind was forever linked with Sceptile and the nostalgia lives on. Now it can mega evolve and without it there’s no way I could win against my friend in the latest games. So thank you Sceptile for showing me that Pokémon are just as important as friends. I gave my Sceptile a name I only bestow on true greats … Geoff.

 

5. Pelliper

What else does nostalgia remind you of? The first Pokémon you caught. For me that was Wingull and before long it was Pelliper. For some reason I was the only person I knew to use Pelliper so I travelled on my epic journey with my pelican Pokémon by my side.

 

My real reason for having Pelliper is for how when I first played Ruby it killed Groudon in one hit before blitzing the elite four and champion. I never expected Pelliper to be such a powerhouse but it proved me and the whole world wrong. Sceptile was my first level 100 but Pelliper was the Pokémon I had that as a young child I used all the time and neglected most my team for it. Sceptile caught up but Pelliper was first. In Omega Ruby therefore I named my Pelliper Arceus after the God of Pokémon.

 

4. Mawile

I always wanted Mawile to be good. It looked amazing with its second Jaw but unfortunately it was terrible. It was too weak for my in game team so it sat in my PC hoping it would one day be powerful enough it fight.

 

Favourites often involve a fond memory and the first time I trashed my friend’s team with Mega Mawille was is a very fond memory indeed. He saw Mawile and laughed but he wasn’t laughing after it mega evolved and used the swords dance plus sucker punch combo. Mega Mawile is the highest attack Pokémon currently in the whole of Pokémon and I if nothing else find that very appealing. Mawile is like a great coming of age story. I liked it when it was bad, so now it’s firmly placed on this list. My Mawile was also named Geoff.

 

3. Jigglypuff

This is not here from the main series of games, rather super smash bros. This is my character, I played Jigglypuff when it was good in Melee and I played it in Brawl when I probably shouldn’t have. The Puff is a super fun character with his ability to float and the amazing rest attack, which still confuses me to this day.

 

I think of all the battles I’ve had with Jigglypuff and I could not possibly keep it off this list. So many memories of death, destruction, KO’s and all of them involving a small pink blob thing. If I use Jigglypuff in a game I think I’ll name it after the Godzilla monster; Destroyah.

 

2. Garchomp

Some of these picks I think were quite original. This one isn’t but who can blame me. We all play Pokémon to unleash our inner child and what does that better than a land shark that’s also a dragon. What makes Garchomp so high up on this list is because you can combine most of what I’ve written above and that sums up Garchomp.

 

The nostalgia factor is there, it was very reliable and fun to use in game, I trained it from a tiny Gible, it was so reliable and dependable in competitive battling and my friends to this day complain about my overpowered Garchomps that I always use. I’ve used this guy in every game he’s available and traded a Gible onto games he’s not. Garchomp is just a boss. A legend in my eyes it all started when my team needed upgrading to battle my friends and their scary Dragonites and Salamences. Enter Garchomp and victory was mine. I still don’t have a good nickname for it though, I normally again just go for Geoff. Geoff is a name that signifies power and Garchomp has it in abundance.

 

1. Shuckle

 

That’s all that needs to be said.

 

Shadow of the Colossus - The Epitome of Epic

Shadow of the Colossus - The Epitome of Epic

There are a lot of games in the world. Some and good, some are bad, but a small number will really stick with you. Leave a lasting impact. This is one of them. Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece, one I would tell anyone to experience for themselves.

 

It seems strange at first how many sing the praises of this games story since at first glance it barley even has one. But the more you play the more begins to unravel. You start by taking a dead girl to a big tower where a voice in the sky called Dormin tells you he will bring the girl back to life if you take down the 16 colossi across the land. It seems pretty superficial, the typical save the damsel plot. Sure about three quarters of the way through you get a cut scene of some cloaked people on horseback riding towards the tower but so what?  But then you realise how much you don’t know that you’re left to piece together. Who is your character and how does he have this magic sword that can point you in the direction of Colossi. Where do you come from, how did you find this place?

 

Then you start wondering about the land you find yourself in. It is simply called the forbidden land and while it is vast, covered in different environments and contains what looks like the ruins of a great civilisation, the land is barren. All that resides here are a few lizards, birds, fish and the 16 colossus. The forbidden land is a beautiful setting, but simultaneously sad. You can feel it has a sad History but you’ll never know what it was. The eerie silence as you travel across the empty world, with only your horse by your side is a compelling experience by itself, not in many games can you say the traveling with no combat is a compelling event.

 

The details and secrets this place holds are astonishing. Every time you defeat a colossus you gain more grip for your grip meter. The more grip, the longer you can climb and hold onto things for. If you climb the starting tower you find a garden. Eat the apple and your grip will be reduced to the starting level. Why is this here only the creators know. It makes me thing about how they know things the players never will. The other way to increase your grip is to eat the tails of lizards but only the ones with white tails. Not that the game ever tells you this or even that lizards can lose their tails in the first place. Details like this that the game creators wanted you to figure out are what puts this game up another level.

 

Speaking of Sad this brings us to the Colossi themselves. They remain completely still until you show up. Even then a lot of them won’t attack you, some don’t even attack you at all. You first encounter these mighty beasts and you think to yourself about how on earth you can defeat them. Even the smaller ones who you would think aren’t as intimidating will attack far more aggressively and strike fear into you. You may see a flying colossus and wonder how you can possibly ground that thing. The final one takes things to a whole other level where you can choose to go left or right. Go left and it will kill you without giving you the chance to do anything.

 

The atmosphere of that final fight is magnificent. You have a tragic event beforehand. You have to climb upwards and you reach the top to be greeted by a heavy thunder storm. Then you see it, a giant creature in front of you. It confronts you with attacks far more powerful than anything you’ve witnessed before. Then you have to climb it, it goes on and on, you think you’ll never reach its head. You have to figure out how to get past the barriers on its arms. It feels like the end of a journey against a God like creature, far more powerful than you could ever hope to be.

 

This is just one Colossi. Each one is unique and awe inspiring. My personal favourite is the thirteenth, play the game and you’ll see why. The game even changes the music to mirror the emotions you feel as you take on a Colossus. These battles are truly epic … until you take them down. You then realise you’ve just killed this … thing, a peaceful creature that wasn’t causing harm to anything. You find them motionless, it’s like they’ve been asleep for hundreds if not thousands of years. They have become part of the landscape and you killed them for a girl whose identity you don’t even know. You then get to watch these magnificent creatures fall to the earth. Black tentacles then reach out of them and penetrate you, knocking you out. You wake up back in the starting tower.

 

As you progress through the Colossi, you character starts looking more and more damaged by whatever the back tentacles are. His skin starts to change to a more greyish colour, he looks weaker and weaker but will not give up on this girl.  I will not spoil the ending but after you kill the final colossus, the protagonist is barely recognisable. The ending, while very confusing kept me thinking for days afterwards.

 

Let’s talk gameplay. Tense, thrilling and exciting are the three words that come to mind. The Colossi are like giant, deadly puzzles. Overpowering these creatures with fighting skills is impossible, not just because they are so gigantic but because your character is clearly unskilled with a sword. When he swings the sword or even just carries it around it looks too heavy for him. He’s good with a bow but that’s not going to take down a Colossus. Even his horse seems too powerful for him. You don’t control the horse, you still control the character on the horse. You can command him but he won’t always respond. The grip meter adds an extra layer of tension as you try to stand on the beast to replenish your grip. It is truly compelling gameplay.

 

People have compared Shadow of the Colossus to art. Apparently art is something with no purpose. Shadow of the Colossus had a purpose. It is an incredible experience that will really stick with you. Maybe it’s not art, but it’s still fantastic and the best game I have ever played, one I’d recommend to all.