I remember WH Smiths were doing a bundle of something like £120 for an SP, plus Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire. I paid with £110 worth of vouchers, half of which were basically torn in half and they let me off the extra tenner — I think my gran sweet talked them a bit!
It was Onix on Silver just inside the Union Cave exit before Azalea Town. I think I remember confusing it with the PokeRus, which I still have never encountered naturally. I seem to remember Onix being pretty uncommon in there, and I definitely had the means to catch it. Someone reliably informed me what that weird sparkle was the next day at school.
I believe my first catch was a Swablu, in Sapphire I think. My much younger brother was playing it and he encountered it on Route 114 whilst he was playing, but he was meant to be asleep. We shared a room growing up, obviously I went to bed hours and hours later, and found him asleep but with the GBA SP and the shiny battle screen on next to him. So I took it and did the rest. The first thing he asked the next morning was 'Did you get him?!' My heart!
The last noteworthy encounter represented probably one of the severest cold sweats I had ever experienced playing games... Years later I encountered a blue Voltorb in New Mauville and I genuinely was floored with what to do next. I either weaken it and run the risk of either defeating it, or causing it to self-destruct. Or I throw the best ball I had at the time whilst doing no damage. I had Pokemon in my party that knew sleep inducing moves but that risked self-destruction again through switching. I sat at the table with my SP in front of me and I just felt frozen, staring at the screen for what felt like hours. Eventually I plucked up the courage to just throw the best catch rate ball I had first time, and thankfully it stayed inside. It's safe and sound on my Colosseum save file on my Cube, as I had recently found out about the fragility of the save batteries in GBA cartridges... Can't remember if I transferred Swablu too, I hope so..
I think I've had about 5 shiny encounters spanning all the games (not including red Gyarados). The other two that I know of were Ditto on Route 34 in Crystal and Skarmory in Seavault Canyon on Fire Red. I caught those two as well thankfully.
1. Pokemon was the first series I ever got fully into from age 8, and for years Pokemon Silver has sat on the top of the pile. So in respect of the warmness it instills in me still to this day, along with the memories, it stays put.
2. Metroid Prime stressed me out unlike any other, but the overriding theme in that game (and others in the series I suppose) brought immersion to a whole new level for me. And it also taught me that it's fine to put something down if I'm struggling with it. After a break from it, I came back fresh and finally beating the game changed my outlook on gaming as a whole and for the better.
3. From here on in the list will alter in order and definitely mixes with the honorable mentions, but as it's fresh in the memory I'm going to go with Octopath Traveler. Such an engaging cast, unique visuals and a score to rival any game.
4. Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia. Again, the cast and music is top notch, and despite no Japanese option (I couldn't find it anyway), the voice acting isn't cringey! I'm yet to really play Three Houses properly so it might take its place over time.
5. TLOZ - Breath of the Wild is probably the finest video game playground I've experienced and also the first Zelda I finished. I don't care much for the story but it's the first open-world game that I sunk all my free time into at one point. I revisit this destitute Hyrule every couple of months so it's still sucking me in 4 years later.
Honorable mentions.. South Park: Stick of Truth The Simpsons Hit and Run LOTR - Return of the King Super Monkey Ball Kid Icarus: Uprising Ori and the Blind Forest Doom 2016 Cuphead Animal Crossing
I'm very much in camp docked, considering the relatively uncomfortable handheld mode, and tabletop mode. My eyes can't deal with smaller scale screens, hence why I gave up mobile/tablet gaming altogether months ago.
Comments 6
Re: Random: The Super Mario RPG Switch Remake Clarifies A Couple Of Cameos
I hope that Samus is resting for Metroid Prime 4 this time around
Re: Talking Point: 20 Years Of The Best Game Boy Ever - How Did You Get Your GBA SP?
I remember WH Smiths were doing a bundle of something like £120 for an SP, plus Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire. I paid with £110 worth of vouchers, half of which were basically torn in half and they let me off the extra tenner — I think my gran sweet talked them a bit!
Re: Memory Pak: My Very First Shiny Pokémon
I defeated my first ever shiny encounter...
It was Onix on Silver just inside the Union Cave exit before Azalea Town. I think I remember confusing it with the PokeRus, which I still have never encountered naturally. I seem to remember Onix being pretty uncommon in there, and I definitely had the means to catch it. Someone reliably informed me what that weird sparkle was the next day at school.
I believe my first catch was a Swablu, in Sapphire I think. My much younger brother was playing it and he encountered it on Route 114 whilst he was playing, but he was meant to be asleep.
We shared a room growing up, obviously I went to bed hours and hours later, and found him asleep but with the GBA SP and the shiny battle screen on next to him. So I took it and did the rest. The first thing he asked the next morning was 'Did you get him?!'
My heart!
The last noteworthy encounter represented probably one of the severest cold sweats I had ever experienced playing games...
Years later I encountered a blue Voltorb in New Mauville and I genuinely was floored with what to do next. I either weaken it and run the risk of either defeating it, or causing it to self-destruct. Or I throw the best ball I had at the time whilst doing no damage. I had Pokemon in my party that knew sleep inducing moves but that risked self-destruction again through switching.
I sat at the table with my SP in front of me and I just felt frozen, staring at the screen for what felt like hours. Eventually I plucked up the courage to just throw the best catch rate ball I had first time, and thankfully it stayed inside. It's safe and sound on my Colosseum save file on my Cube, as I had recently found out about the fragility of the save batteries in GBA cartridges... Can't remember if I transferred Swablu too, I hope so..
I think I've had about 5 shiny encounters spanning all the games (not including red Gyarados). The other two that I know of were Ditto on Route 34 in Crystal and Skarmory in Seavault Canyon on Fire Red. I caught those two as well thankfully.
Re: Talking Point: When Was The Last Time A Game Cracked Your Top Five?
1. Pokemon was the first series I ever got fully into from age 8, and for years Pokemon Silver has sat on the top of the pile. So in respect of the warmness it instills in me still to this day, along with the memories, it stays put.
2. Metroid Prime stressed me out unlike any other, but the overriding theme in that game (and others in the series I suppose) brought immersion to a whole new level for me. And it also taught me that it's fine to put something down if I'm struggling with it. After a break from it, I came back fresh and finally beating the game changed my outlook on gaming as a whole and for the better.
3. From here on in the list will alter in order and definitely mixes with the honorable mentions, but as it's fresh in the memory I'm going to go with Octopath Traveler. Such an engaging cast, unique visuals and a score to rival any game.
4. Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia. Again, the cast and music is top notch, and despite no Japanese option (I couldn't find it anyway), the voice acting isn't cringey! I'm yet to really play Three Houses properly so it might take its place over time.
5. TLOZ - Breath of the Wild is probably the finest video game playground I've experienced and also the first Zelda I finished. I don't care much for the story but it's the first open-world game that I sunk all my free time into at one point. I revisit this destitute Hyrule every couple of months so it's still sucking me in 4 years later.
Honorable mentions..
South Park: Stick of Truth
The Simpsons Hit and Run
LOTR - Return of the King
Super Monkey Ball
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Ori and the Blind Forest
Doom 2016
Cuphead
Animal Crossing
Re: Europe Gets Eight New Wii U and 3DS My Nintendo Discount Rewards
Christ, these make those 'bottom-of-the-barrel' rewards from Club Nintendo like the 8bit wrapping paper and gym bags actually worth a damn!
Re: Nintendo Gamers Prefer Using Switch As A Handheld Rather Than Docked
I'm very much in camp docked, considering the relatively uncomfortable handheld mode, and tabletop mode. My eyes can't deal with smaller scale screens, hence why I gave up mobile/tablet gaming altogether months ago.