What's the "anarchy" and "democracy" all about on Twitch Plays Pokémon?

I can't make head nor tail of it.

Twitch Plays Pokémon is getting a good bit of attention

Some mainstream news sites are all abuzz about this thing, which they hail as some kind of social phenomenon. I suppose it is. I had a look at it and they spent ages trying to use CUT on a bush so I had to stop after a while. It's a cool thing that's happening certainly and it's getting loadsa views.

How Nintendo Fans Deal With Their Backlog

With COMICS!

http://superlark.tumblr.com/post/64847436695/like-a-lot-of-people-ive-sort-of-left-my-mayoral

Here we have a comic about someone putting Animal Crossing New Leaf aside for Pokémon X/Y. Just like many AC stories from players it's very touching and sweet. Have a read! (I especially like the Missile cameo)

I must also mention that this isn't even the first comic drawn about this very specific topic! It's been done at least twice already before this!

Many gamers use backloggery.com with its various filing and statistical tools for their backlogs, whereas these guys make something beautiful and amazing out of it.

This is another reason why Nintendo fans are the greatest! :)

Pokémon Direct: Bill's PC becomes Bill's Cloud with Pokémon Bank

Just watched today's special Pokémon Direct. Interesting to see there is a cloud solution for storing extra Pokémon!

Watching the Pokémon MD Gates to Infinity cartoon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ8h7nSNY1c

It must be nice for a franchise to be so popular! Here we have a nicely produced promotional short portraying the introduction to the game. I can hear some familiar voice actors like Lisa Ortiz in there.

It doesn't have any moments that take place in the dungeons, which is kind of a strange thing to do. Then again, I guess they can sell the game based on the characters themselves and the fact that they're speaking like normal people. (It's all text dialogue boxes in the game obviously)

Demo for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity out today

I gave this a go and it's alright, about as good as you'd expect a Rogue-like game to be. It has a nice plot about your buddy wanting to build a Pokémon paradise, though you can't skip any of the text or make it fill the box with a press of a button like you can in most games.

It's my first time trying a Pokémon themed Rogue-like. It seems like a nice sub-series and I wonder if it's easier to get into than other games of this kind? I have a feeling that it's much fairer on the player than some of the ones I've played.

I'm getting another free 3DS game with the "So Many Games!" promotion

So Nintendo of Europe has this new promo thing you can see here:

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-3DS-So-Many-Games-Promotion/Overview/Overview-750393.html

I already got games free in previous promotions and now here's another one!

It looks like I'm applicable for this one too. I just need to think about which one of these games I'll choose to download for free.

Nintendo Direct: Pokémon X/Y

This video came out today and fans have been looking forward to it so have a look here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUe45m9J_CM

Go watch it before some dickhead game journalist tells you lies about it being some kind of kiddie-casual alphabet counting minigame collection remake rehash!

No shops in Cork seem to sell Pokémon Typing...

It's a good thing I ordered it online!

Before the game came out I asked a couple of shops if I could preorder the game and they looked at me funny, thinking it was for the PC. Natural mistake I suppose, considering it's about typing. Anyway alarm bells went off in my head and I ordered it online instead.

I looked up a thread on boards.ie and it seems that other Irish Nintendo Fans are having no luck finding it in Dublin even. Yikes. Another thing, if you're ordering it online make sure to order the English version. Different countries have different versions of the keyboard and also have their own names for many of the Pokémon. This would affect the pacing and difficulty of many of the levels I'd imagine so localisation must've been a very big project for this game.

Pokémon Typing: All silver medals achieved!

It took ages but I finally got all the silver medals! The game gets unbelievably hard in some stages. Just remember when you're trying this out for yourself that accuracy begets speed!

One method I have though is to look at the following Pokémon while I'm typing the present one. That's what finally got me a silver medal in the Tab stage.

Pokémon Typing is getting really difficult

I've gotten all the bronze medals in the game and now I'm after the silver ones... Some are ok to get but some are really tough, especially the Tab endurance stage. I'm struggling so badly to get 50 Pokémon. The score table is all in the high 40s but I just can't push past the last couple!

The game has to be a git then and throw FARFETCH'D in my path near that milestone, apostrophe and all.

You know something else? It's getting much colder these days so my hands just turn numb with the cold during a session and it's annoying when I can barely move my fingers then.

Completed Pokémon Typing's story

The story is a small but nice part of the package and it's all presented in talking head dialogue between Paige Down and Professor Quentin Werty. Since it's small it doesn't feel intrusive but it adds something to the world and the levels you go through to the end. It's nice. It can be completed in 2 hours if you're good at typing.

Also when you've completed the final story level you get the credits where you can type the names of all the people that appear! Hurry before they scroll off the screen! Quite tough to do as well as there are a lot of Japanese names there.

Pokémon Typing is too good to be called edutainment

Because edutainment typically sucks. There are some notable exceptions but normally they just have bad cg, are just plain unimaginative and not fun at all. When they're good though they're Pokémon Typing.

Pokémon Typing works well as an arcade game. It's like a rail shooter, only with typing and it's got high scores and combos and boss battles. Typing of the Dead by SEGA had a release in Japanese arcades and the cabinet had two keyboards. Nintendo could very well do the same.

Pokémon Typing also works very well as a Pokémon game. Now, there's none of that turn based battling and levelling up, you're just simply there to catch them by typing their names, which is probably one of the purest instances of the tagline "Gotta Catch 'em All!". Also if you're a Pokémon fan you have an advantage because the Pokémon appear before their names do, giving you a chance to type their names in faster and achieve higher scores.

Another reason why this is one of the best typing games out there is because of the world it takes place in and they way you explore it. You see, the world map is shaped exactly like a keyboard and the places are named after the keys on which they're located like "Semi-colon Cavern" for example. On the map screen you type the key of the area you want to enter for the character to immediately go there. Very clever and imaginative.

Of course if you like the benefits of edutainment then this will not only help sharpen your skills, but it'll also make the practice really fun too.

Pokémon Typing is awesome!

I got this game today! I'm very fond of how that little keyboard looks and that stand for the DS is invaluable. Typing to the 3DS XL's huge screens doesn't feel weird at all. The little keyboard itself takes a little getting used to but the keys are well defined, even though my fingers just fit them. I would rank the keyboard as not being quite as comfortable as your normal keyboard but much better than a laptop's keyboard. You also have the option of using the touch screen.

To me typing is generally a fun thing to do. I enjoy typing games a lot and the world of Pokémon is well suited for this activity. In fact the game rewards you with having Pokémon knowledge because it shows you the creature before its name and typing it accurately straight away gives you more points. Typing a succession of prompted Pokémon correctly gives you combos. There are also some boss battles and rare Pokémon you have to quickly type because the chance to catch them is quite brief. Ho-Oh for example took me a few tries because you have to type the hyphen as well and quickly.

I say "catch" but you're really "studying" them, catching a record of them with a special study ball really. The world map is literally a keyboard with placenames like "Semi-colon Cavern" and the characters are puns on keys as well such as Paige Down and Quentin Werty. That is a very nice touch!

I'm really enjoying this! Maybe something like it should come to the Wii U as well. I'd like it.

Nintendo Gamer demonstrates Pokémon Typing and the keyboard!

Nintendo Gamer lives in video form! I should visit the website regularly as they have a good online presence. Anyway they have a good demonstration here in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kbT2Vr8AzQ

Chris Scullion is one of the newcomers. I never knew he was Scottish. Anyway he does a good job of showing Pokémon Typing here for anyone curious about the game or the keyboard. He also connects it to an iPad which is a good demonstration of its versatility. It's everything you wanted to know and more.

Pokemon Typing gets review scores in the 80s

The first couple of reviews for this game are out. Official Nintendo Magazine and Nintendo Gamer gave it scores in the 80s.

All part of the hype! We may not see many reviews for this game. We will definitely however see this game in future top 10 lists of games that are unusual in some way and blog commenters will go "whoa".

I'm really looking forward to this game and I hope I'll be able to get it if everything goes according to plan :)

Pokémon Typing Japanese unboxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Osxm86eDCw
On the run up to this game's Irish release in September I've been looking at some videos since I'm really interested in this game and here we have a great one with an unboxing of the Japanese version. I'm pleased to see that it comes with a stand and I'm curious about that key that shows a the house symbol. It's kind of like the one on Wii controllers so that's got me all interested.

I'm glad we're going to get an English keyboard and I wonder if it'll be bigger?

Nintendo Direct 22 June 2012: Bigger 3DS, Pokémon Typing etc

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/nintendo_direct_47764.html

I'm not gonna say much. The above link is news straight from the official horse's mouth and frankly it's the best place to find out about it.

As for the stuff you get from me, I am really looking forward to Pokémon Typing! I didn't think they'd ever bring that from Japan!

Also, I would've liked Rocket Slime 3D or Dragon Quest X or at the very least the Kirby Collection that's been announced overseas... bring those here please!

Poképark 2 is out today

I'm having another look at this and am thinking whether or not I'll buy these two games now that they're their own series. I do like adventure games but I haven't decided yet.

One thing I've noticed about the first game is that the price has never dropped on it. This happens with most Nintendo games but... is it very popular?

My top 10 games of 2010 (finally!)

Now then, after some careful consideration of all the games I played that were released last year I have come up with my top 10 favourites. Without any further delay let's start!

10. Donkey Kong Country Returns

It's a good challenging 2D platform game but it's so low in this list because it's nowhere near as excellent or as magical as the original SNES trilogy were for several different reasons. I probably shouldn't go into too much detail about them here but there is one I can't let pass and that is the blow move. What a stupid idea that was.

9. Ace Attorney Investigations

This is an interesting third person adventure spinoff of the brilliant Ace Attorney series. I often found my interest waning while playing but I can't think of any other reason why than it being so different to the original series. There's still a lot of great humour and characters, especially the charming and quixotic sidekick Kay.

8. The Crystal Bearers

I hate calling this game by its full title: "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers". It's just too damn long. Anyway this is a rather enjoyable sandbox style adventure game where you throw things at other things with your telekinetic powers. The game's plot is fun in an Indiana Jones kind of way and it isn't too long. It also has extremely quick load times!

7. Dragon Quest IX

This traditional RPG is advertised a lot for its networking features and it's many many extracurricular quests but I have to say I completed the main game without doing any of the extra stuff and found it to be a pretty solid RPG all on its own! I love the fact you can avoid enemies too. I was doing that most of the time and just had a really nice time adventuring in the world! Met some great characters too - my favourites being the kidnappers. It may not be as good as DQIV or V but it's a genuinely solid entry in the series.

6. Last Window

I've posted a lot about this enjoyable and easy going point n' click adventure game. The dialogue between the characters is what kept me playing the most and it hits that sweet spot of "cosiness" that makes you want to keep playing. Makes for a fantastic way to pass a boring commute.

5. Pokémon Ghost Black ReTold

Not actually a game but a "kinetic" style visual novel where you just press a button to advance to the next section. This game is FREE homebrew and a whole playthrough lasts 10-15 minutes. It's great because of its use of images and music to tell a wonderfully eerie story and it brought one of the most compelling experiences I've had this year on my DS. Please play it on your DS!

4. Sin & Punishment 2

Fantastic sequel to the N64 rail shooter that improves upon it in every conceivable way! It's very high on this list because it's incredibly stimulating and satisfying to play!

3. Sonic Colours (Wii version)

I've posted alot about this game already but here I'll say why Sonic Colours is higher than Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Generally it's a much purer, more addictive game than the other two and it is much more considerate to the player, therefore earning it all the praise it can get. Also, no load times!!!

2. Cave Story (WiiWare)

This is number 2 because it's already been topping lists for six years and it took an unbelievably long time to be available on WiiWare. Actually that's not the real reason. I'd nearly still put it at number 1 if it wasn't for the next and final entry on this list:

1. Watching "X's Adventures in Minecraft" on YouTube

I couldn't play Minecraft over the last year because my computer was extremely temperamental so I had to watch this video series recommended to me by everyone I expressed curiosity of this game to.

So wow, two things that I loved straight away about this. One was where X was spending his first night in a tiny cubby hole he dug out for himself while he could clearly hear the eerie moans of zombies outside. The second was where he was making his way into a deep dark unexplored cave. It was an amazing experience watching all this going on accompanied by his commentary.

This is my game of the year because it captured my imagination like no other. I still haven't actually played it but I will now that I have a newer, less temperamental computer! I won't actually build much I'd say. Just whatever I need to go adventuring and exploring!