YouTube of the Whenever: Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all, and what better way to celebrate with a funny video about Christmas in Merrie Olde England! Enjoy.

Ash's Pikachu download at Toys 'R' Us

And the downloads just keep on coming! From January 30-February 5. 2011, Pokemon trainers in the US who visit Toys 'R' Us will be able to download Ash's Pikachu into their 4th generation Pokemon games. It will be at Level 50, hold a Light Ball, and know Volt Tackle, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, and Thunderbolt. It doesn't unlock anything special in the games, but it's still pretty cool.

Gamestop Shiny Legendary Beast giveaway coming soon!

Sorry for the lack of updates - a busy work week combined wit a nasty cold does not a happy Lucario make. :(

Anyway, Gamestop has recently announced that it will make the Shiny Legendary Beasts available for download at its US stores in the upcoming weeks. Unlike in Japan, US Pokemon players will be given the opportunity to collect all three.

The Shiny Beasts will be downloadable on the following weeks:

Raikou: Jan. 3-Jan. 11, 2011
Entei: Jan. 17-Jan. 23, 2011
Suicune: Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2011

Not only will you be able to fill up spots in your Pokedex (as well as not have to have to chase them all over creation anymore in HeartGold/SoulSilver), you will be able to catch Zoroark in the Illusion Forest once you transfer them over to your Pokemon Black and White cartridges.

Serebii.net's Advent Calendar

This year's edition of Serebii.net's Advent calendar is better than ever! Not only are there wallpapers, avatars, and acitivitis to download each day, there are also online jigsaw and slide puzzles to while away those spare moments. Here it is:

Serebii.net's Advent Calendar

Reshiram and Zekrom to join Pikachu at the Macy's Thanksgiving parade

Set two extra places at the table, Pokefans - two very special guests are coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, folks, Reshiram and Zekrom, Pokemon Black and White's mascots, will join Pikachu in his holiday romp around Manhattan. The legendary Dragon-type Pokemon will stand larger than life (fourteen feet tall!) on their own float. In addition, the Pikachu balloon holders will be dressed in black and white instead of the traditional yellow.

The parade will be televised on NBC at 9 am in all time zones. Don't miss it!

English names of Pokemon Black and White's starters revealed!

Well, the wait is finally over! On Monday, the English names of Pokemon Black & White's starter Pokemon have finally been revealed:

Tsutarja (the grass snake, left) is called Snivy.

Pokabu (the pig, center) is called Tepig.

Last but not least, Mijumaru (the sea otter, right) is called Oshawott. (Osha-what?)

The Isshu region will be called Unova (I like it!), marking the first time a Pokemon region's name has been changed significantly from the Japanese version.

We will definitely post more English-language info as soon as it becomes available!

2010-2011 City Championships are coming soon!

The holiday season is well upon us, and for Pokemon fans, that can mean only one thing: the City Championships are coming soon. Throughout the last week of November, all of December, and the first week of January, Pokemon trainers throughout North America will be duking it out to see who's the greatest in their city.

All participants will get a special foil version of Poliwag from Unleashed, and the winner will get a medal and 18 booster packs. 2nd-4th place finishers will receive booster packs as well.

In addition to all those packs and promos, many cool door prizes are to be had: baseball caps with the Play! Pokemon logo, a very cool playmat featuring Ho-oh and Lugia, and inflatable Pokeballs (yes!), as well as pencils and stickers for the kids. Pictures of all this cool schwag may be found at Pokebeach.

As usual, check Pokemon.com for times and locations.

Why the folks at PETA annoy me.

Before I get into this, I have to speak my mind about a few things. I'm all for animal welfare. I am also opposed to real animal abuse (dogfighting, poaching, pet neglect, etc.) and support efforts to expose and eliminate such abuses. However, I am against the use of extreme measures to achieve such ends. Case in point: PETA.

Now I could go on and on about PETA's connections to eco-terrorist groups like the ALF and ELF, the fact that they put down most of the animals they take in (97% in 2009!), and their desire to eliminate all human usage of animals, from meat to seeing-eye dogs, but I'll let their stunts speak for themselves. Some of these are so over the top, they have to be seen to be believed:

7 Controversial PETA stunts (warning: nudity is mentioned, but not shown).
5 More Crazy PETA Stunts.
Even More Crazy PETA Stunts.

These articles didn't even mention PETA's claim that beer was better for kids than milk, or (the argument that really turned me off animal-rights groups) the "Holocaust on your Plate" campaign, which equated poultry raising to Hitler's slaughter of Jews. And when you invoke
Godwin's Law in such a patently ridiculous way, you deserve to be vilified or, at the least, ignored.

And it turns out that PETA's animal-rights agenda might not be so green after all. For example, a Finnish study has shown that if everyone in the world were to become a vegan overnight, it would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7%. A full 7%! I'd stick to supporting nuclear power and the Toyota Prius myself.

And what to do with all those "liberated" animals? We can't just send them into the wild; those that weren't eaten by predators would multiply and wreak havoc with the local ecosystem. We'd either have to euthanize them all (which would be expensive), or have one last big barbecue before going vegan (which the folks at PETA would object to).

Speaking of ecosystems, PETA's not much into hunting, either. This is unfortunate, since carefully controlled hunting helps keep the populations of deer, rabbits, geese, and the like down - animals that would overpopulate and devastate wild areas were they not hunted. Since we've greatly reduced the numbers of many large predators, we must carry the torch for them.

If you really want to help animals, I suggest you donate some time or money to your local animal shelter, SPCA, or Humane Society. (Note: Do NOT support the Humane Society of the United States; they are an animal rights group misusing the Humane Society's good name. Less than one-half of 1% of their funds actually go to help actual animal shelters.) Who knows, you just might end up adopting a cute little bundle of fluffy happiness yourself!

A few notes on recent and upcoming Pokemon TCG products

There's been a lot going around in the Pokemon TCG world. Several products of note to collectors and players have come out recently:

• Two "Pokemon Evolution Packs" have come out recently, with a third coming out in December. The first features a complete Metagross SV line and an Arceus or Rising Rivals pack; the second has a complete Charizard AR line and a Supreme Victors pack. Each Stage 2 card has an attractive "stained-glass" foil pattern. Each Evolution Pack goes for roughly $5. The Charizard is quite a viable card, so expect him to sell like, well, hotcakes.
• A "HeartGold and SoulSilver Series Collection Box" is now available in Target and Wal-Mart for about $20. This box is packed with good stuff: 5 booster packs (2 Triumphant and 1 each of Undaunted, Unleashed, and HeartGold/SoulSilver), 3 cards with the same foil treatment as the Evolution Packs' Stage 2's (Feraligatr, Meganium, and Typhlosion from HGSS), and a nicely detailed Entei figure. Not to be missed!

Two more interesting items will be released in the near-future:

• Two "Clash of Legends" boxes will be released later this month, one featuring Dialga and Palkia and the other Darkrai and Cresselia. Each box has 4 booster packs, 2 Pokemon Lvl.X (wow!), and a jumbo Legend card. The Dialga/Palkia box is sure to be a hot seller, since it includes Dialga G Lvl. X and Palkia G Lvl. X, both highly playable cards. The boxes will go for $15 each.
• The HS: Triumphant 3-pack will feature not one, but two promos per pack: Porygon and Porygon2. Otherwise, they have the same features as previous 3-packs.

Perfect additions to any Pokemon trainer's holiday shopping list!

"Call of Legends" to be the Pokemon TCG's February set

We at The Warp Point have recieved word from several reputable sources that the next Pokemon TCG set is to be named "Call of Legends". This is likely to be a filler/core set in the Power Keepers mold. As such, it will include the 20 or so cards from the Japanese Lost Link mini-set that were left out of HS: Triumphant (including Lost World), as well as many Japanese promos previously unreleased in America. It is also possible that the set will include new cards (including new Pokemon Prime and Legends!) and/or reprints of classic cards.

The set comes out on February 2, 2011, with Prereleases on the last two weeks of January. More information will be posted on this blog as soon as it becomes available.

Excellent introduction to the Pokemon TCG on SixPrizes.com

Michael Weldon of SixPrizes.com has published an excellent article on the Pokemon TCG aimed at beginners. Not ony does he talk at length about the history of the game, he offers valuable advice on deckbuilding that even experienced players can use. He goes into great detail into both the cards that are popular in today's (and yesterday's) decks and why they are popular (deployment aids, "surprise" cards, late-game recovery). If you want to improve your game, I suggest you check out the article.

YouTube of the Whenever: The Last Days of Soviet Russia: The Reckoning (Part 3)

A great escape, an epic swordfight, and a funny (if thought-provoking) conclusion.

The fall of the Soviet Union can best be explained in two words: human nature. Humans are generally good-natured, but tend to be greedy, lazy slobs. In a perfect world, communism (and other utopian ideals) would work - but ours isn't a perfect world. Democracy and capitalism (with a reasonable degree or regulation) are the governmental and economic systems that best suit a species that values free will. Anything else falls short in some way or another.

Tons of HS: Triumphant scans on Pokebeach!

The HS: Triumphant Prereleases are here at last! It looks like an OK set, in spite of it not having Lost World like everyone expected; no biggie to me, since a) Gengar Prime is still pretty dangerous without it (especially with Gengar Lv. X), and b) it just gives us something to look forward to in the next set!

The HS: Triumphant Prerelease promo is apparently Electivire, and the sleeves feature Celebi.

If you don't mind spoilers, most of the card scans can be found on Pokebeach.

YouTube of the Whenever: The Last Days of the Soviet Union: The Reckoning (Part Deux)

As promised, here is Part 2 of of The Last Days of the Soviet Union: The Reckoning. When we last left our hero, he was traveling throughout the Soviet Union, making a documentary. In Part 2, he continues his quest, traveling from Moscow to East Germany (where he barely escapes with his camera), taking a side trek to the Kazakh SSR before finally ending up in Vladivostok. Unfortunately, the KGB have set a trap for him.

Will our hero escape? Stay tuned for Part 3 to find out!

10th Anniversary Mew Wireless Download

It's cute, it's pink, it's furry, and it literally knows every trick in the book. And on October 15-30, 2010, it can be yours!

Yes, Pokefans, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Pokemon Gold and Silver's debut in North America and Europe, owners of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver (not so sure about D/P/P) can download Mew onto their cartridges. It comes in a Cherish Ball and carries a Premier Ribbon (not a Classic Ribbon like most downloaded Pokemon). Best of all, it's at Level 5 and only knows Pound, so you can customize Mew to your heart's content. Happy training!

Pokemon Black and White US release date

According to people who preordered Pokemon Black and White at Gamestop, the much-anticipated 5th Generation Pokemon games will come out on April 22, 2011. Those who preorder them (as I hope to in the near-future) will be given the opportunity to download Zoroark into their games. It is unknown whether this will be a direct download or via a shiny Legendary Beast like in Japan.

Also, I picked up a copy of Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs yesterday after work, and I can't seem to put it down! It's every bit as good (or even better) than the previous games. The Sign mechanic adds new dimensions to play, the Pokemon Assists have greatly improved, and the mere idea of riding on a Legendary Beast is thrilling. Pick it up if you haven't already.

YouTube of the Whenever: The Last Days of Soviet Russia: The Reckoning (Part 1)

Here's a little-known gem from YouTube: a college Economics student's project about the fall of the Soviet Union. In this 3-part movie, a disgruntled nail factory worker (who looks an awful lot like my friend Danny from Pokemon League) obtains a video camera and sets out to make a documentary film exposing the Soviet Union's glaring economic problems. Along the way, he talks to peasants in Ukraine and city-folk in Moscow, who express their complaints candidly. All the while, the KGB is hot on his tail - sorta.

Will our hero succeed in his task, or will the KGB catch him in the act? Stay tuned for Part 2 in a few days!

"This is a news website article about a scientific finding..."

...and this is the Guardian, pulling our collective legs.

Insert funny comment here.

Read an RPG Book in Public Week is here!

The Escapist's thrice-annual Read an RPG Book in Public Week is on again! Time to dig up one of your favorite RPG's from the closet, take it to a restaurant, the park, or wherever, and spread the word about just how fun and exciting role-playing can be. Just make sure it's a more family-friendly RPG; we don't want anyone to get the wrong idea.

Read an RPG Book in Public Week haapens on the weeks of March 4, July 27, and October 1. Its purpose is to raise awareness of role-playing games and their benfits as well as show the world they are in no way "Satanic" or evil. Heck, it might be a good excuse to take a couple of friends and actually play one!

More info on Read an RPG Book in Public Week can be found here.

More info on the Pokeathlon League mini-season

The official Pokemon website amd the PokeGym have released more info about the new Pokemon League season! Or shall I say mini-season?

As I have previously mentioned, the upcoming League cycle will revolve around the Pokeathlon. The five Pokeathlon events and their corresponding promos are as follows:

Ring Drop: Donphan HGSS and Spiritomb AR (just in time for Halloween!)

Hurdle Dash: Crobat UL and Expert Belt (cool enough)

Snow Throw: Delibird HGSS and Azelf LA (finally!)

Block Smash: Steelix UL and Special Metal Energy (OK if you need them)

Disc Catch: Houndoom UD and Special Dark Energy (possibly the best "nice-to-have" League promo so far)

Each League season will last 5 weeks, which means this cycle will end somewhere around March, which is probably when Pokemon Black and White are coming out in the US.

The upcoming crop of League promos looks pretty hot, so why not stop by your local Pokemon League and grab yourself some?

Neo Fights: Deck Building for Absol-ute Beginners

Neo Fights is a new article series on The Warp Point that aims to show players new to the Pokemon TCG what they need to know.

New to the game? Returning to the game after a long absence? You're definitely going to need a new deck! But what to do? Follow these simple steps and you'll be well on your way to becoming a Pokemon TCG master!

Step 1: Buy Theme Decks. 3-4 theme decks will give you a good assortment of Pokemon, Trainer cards, and Energy to start with. Try to get decks with several different Energy types - e. g. both theme decks from HS: Unleashed (Grass/Fighting/Steel and Darkness/Fighting/Psychic respectively), the Stormshaper theme deck from Arceus (Psychic/Electric), and the Ember Spark deck from HeartGold/SoulSilver (Fire/Electric). The HS: Undaunted decks (and, presumably, any future sets' theme decks) contain an extra booster pack, making them a hot commodity for beginners and masters alike.

Step 2: Buy Tins. Aim for tins that have Pokemon Lv. X (Regigigas, Heatran, Giratina, Shaymin, Arceus) or Pokemon Prime (Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Meganium) that have counterparts in theme decks. This will make your theme deck-inspired decks that much stronger. The booster packs are an added bonus.

Step 3: Buy Booster Packs. The more, the merrier (within reason). If your budget allows, buy an entire booster box. Don't buy packs that aren't Modified-legal.

Step 4: Organize Your Stuff. Get yourself a binder or two and put your rares and foils in them. A 4-pocket binder is perfect for this purpose. Your commons, uncommons, and Energy cards should go into a separate box.

Step 5: Trade. Write down a list of cards you need for your deck and put it in your trade binder. Trade only for those cards.

Step 6: Go To Leagues. A lot. You can earn promo cards simply by playing the game, including staple Trainer cards. Leagues also give you a chance to look at the season's hot decks, seek out new and interesting combos, and generally have a good time. Check pokemon.com for a League (or Leagues) near you.

Step 7: ???

Step 8: Profit!

Thanks to Rogue Archetype for coming up with the original list of suggestions on the PokeGym!

New League Season Info and Promos!

The theme for the 2010-2011 Pokemon League will be Johto-related, but won't feature the Gym Leaders. Instead, each League season will be based around a Pokeathlon event. The League promos will follow the same pattern as last year - one nice-to-have promo featuring a Pokemon who does well at the Pokeathlon event in question, and one gotta-have promo featuring a card that's in high demand by beginners and Pokemon TCG masters alike. Each League promo will have the same funky foil treatment as last year's promos, with the new Play! Pokemon logo watermarked in the text box.

The first League season will feature the "Ring Drop" (a sumo wrestling-like event) and the promos will be the non-Prime Donphan from HGSS and Spiritomb from Arceus (oh yeah!).

More info on the rest of next year's League promos as it comes out.

Scientists create "quantum dice"

A group of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Light in Erlangen, Germany, have created one of the first true random-number generators. By splitting a laser beam and measuring the vacuum fluctuations that occur, these scientists have managed to create what is in essence a "quantum die". This promises to be of great value in the online privacy industry (not to mention cryptography and, we hope, gaming).

More information can be found in this ScienceDaily link.

Now if they could only make one small enough to fit in a Royal Crown bag....

Go forth and be Triumphant, Trainers!

The next Pokemon TCG set will be called HS: Triumphant. This will be the last of the HG/SS sets, and it promises to be exciting! Eight new Pokemon Prime (including Machamp and the much-anticipated Gengar), two new Legend duos (Dialga/Palkia and Cresselia/Darkrai), and a plethora of new Trainer, Supporter, and Stadium cards (including some real game-changers) await collectors and players alike. The Lost Zone will feature prominently in this set.

Prereleases will be held on the weekends of October 23rd-24th and 30th-31st, with the set coming out November 2nd. The Prerelease sleeves will be green with a silhouette of Celebi in white.

This set is going to shake things up come Cities, so be sure to get your hands on some as soon as it comes out!

Just a friendly reminder...

...that as of yesterday, the new Pokemon TCG Modified format is now Majestic Dawn-on. Also, all POP packs and DP Promos 1-21 are now Modified-illegal. Please adjust your decks accordingly.

Congrats to all Worlds champions!

Well, Worlds has come and gone, and we have a new set of champions!

In the TCG:

Juniors: Yuka Furusawa, Japan w/Jumpluff (Miami's own Juan Pablo Arenas, a good friend of mine, was the runner-up) - the first female Pokemon World Champion
Seniors: Jacob Lesage, Canada w/Luxchomp
Masters: Yuta Komatsuda, Japan w/Luxchomp

In the Video Game:

Juniors: Shota Yamamoto, Japan
Seniors: Ray Rizzo, USA

Congratulations to one and all! Let's hope the 2011 Worlds in San Diego turns out to be an even bigger success!

Worlds article on CNN.

Link here.

The article gives a pretty good overview of the Pokemon franchise. Anyone who's curious about Pokemon should give it a read.

On a related note, I was informed during the Undaunted prerelease that Florida's own Heidi Craig (PTO of the Orlando area, mother of three outstanding Pokemon TCG players, and all-around nice lady) has been chosen to help judge the Seniors' division at Worlds! Congratulations, Heidi!

I wish good luck to all participants! May the best deck win.

YouTube Video of the Whenever: Going to the bathroom in space.

Rumor has it that the most commonly asked question at the Kennedy Space Center is: "How do you go to the bathroom in space?" In this YouTube video, Col. Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency explains how. To sum it up: it's all about suction.

Thanks for watching, and be careful the next time you wish upon a shooting star!

Some notes from around the Pokeverse...

First up, the Enigma Stone is availlable through Nintendo Wi-Fi from now until August 27th. this myserious item will enable HeartGold ans SoulSilver players to catch the Lati that is normally unavailable in their version (Latios in HeartGold, Latias in SoulSilver). Take it to the fossil-reviving guy in Pewter City Museum, and he will turn it into the Soul Dew. Steven Stone will then arrive and tell you about the Soul Dew's connection to Latios and Latias. Leave the Museum and Latias or Latios will be waiting for you. He/she will be at Level 40.

In the TCG front, the HeartGold/SoulSilver: Undaunted set Prereleases will occur on the weekends of August 7-8, 14-15, and 21-22. This set features some of the best Pokemon Prime and Pokemon Legends yet, as well as cool new Eeveelutions, Supporters, and Stadium cards. As always, check www.pokemon.com for times and locations!

Also, Worlds is coming up in mid-August. The top players from around the world will gather in Hawaii to show the world what they've got! Best of luck to all participants!

After Worlds, the Modified TCG format will shift to Majestic Dawn-on. This means no more Claydol (sniff)! Adjust your decks accordingly, Trainers!

YouTube of the Whenever: Dungeons and Dragons, Satan's Game.

Now here's a classic that never gets old: 8-Bit Theater's take on the Dead Alewives' "D&D" skit. It's funny becuse it's sooooo true. Any D&D player's who's anyone has been in a session like this, and anyone who claims otherwise is probably lying through their teeth. The addition of Fighter, Black Mage, and company only makes it funnier.

HGSS: Undaunted scans and Prerelease info

The first few English-language scans from the HGSS: Undaunted set have been leaked recently, including a Forretress (which might combo well with Manectric from Platinum), a Honchkrow (meh), and the Legend Box Trainer card (which might come in handy for those few decks that use Pokemon LEGEND):



Not pictured are a slow-but-powerful Kyogre and Groudon LEGEND, an Espeon Prime (1-2 of which should be required in every Eeveelution deck!), and the Prerelease Promo Leafeon.

Speaking of Prereleases, the ones for this set will be on August 7-8 and 15-16. (Check Pokemon.com for the ones near you.) Besides the aforementioned Leafeon promo, each participant will recieve a set of card sleeves with Espeon and Umbreon in yellow on a purple background. These are probably the best-looking set of Prerelease sleeves I've seen so far. Let's hope they're sturdy.

A few musings on violence in entertainment...

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvnnnnnnnnnnnk!

(puts down the vuvuzela)

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to share a few (possibly enlightening) comments on violence - specifically, the public's perception of violence in the entertainment industry. As I am typing this, the finals of the World Cup have just begun (go Netherlands!), and it's certain that there's a lot of security on hand to deal with the inevitable post-game brouhaha.

Major gaming events like E3 and GenCon, on the other hand, don't require near as much security.

And they say video games and D&D promote violence?

Something just isn't right here.

Jirachi/Night Sky's Edge Wi-Fi Download Redux

From now until July 16, the Jirachi that unlocks the Night Sky's Edge Pokewalker route will once again be available to North American, European, and Australasian owners of Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold and Soul Silver. This enchanting path enables you to catch cute Pokemon like Clefairy and Jigglypuff, as well as find rare items like Moonstones. As always, don't miss it!

On a short hiatus...

I'm taking a short break from blogging. You see, on Monday I got attacked by some random vagrant at work who tried to gag and kill me. I have a black eye and some cuts on my hand (from trying to break his knife!), and I won't be able to type much until the latter heals.

The police and my fellow co-workers say I'm a pretty brave lady. Wonder if I'm gonna get a medal?

Anyway, I'm avoiding the scene of the assault for awhile unless I'm with another person. I sure hope they get the perpetrator and give him a long jail sentence.

Winners Path Pokewalker route now available for download!

From now until June 25, 2010, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver players can download the Winner's Path Pokewalker route to their games via Nintendo WiFi! This route contains very strong Pokemon that know moves they normally wouldn't know - a Beldum with Zen Headbutt, a Bronzor with Trick Room (very important combo with Gyro Ball!), even a Magikarp with Bounce. You can also find items like Choice Band and Focus Sash that will prove quite useful in those WiFi battles! A Disc One Nuke for sure!

Download the Winner's Path today, and get walking!

Yellow Forest Pokewalker route available via Nintendo WiFi now!

This is old news, but from now until April 30, the Yellow Forest Pokewalker route is available via Nintendo WiFi. This route will enable HeartGold and SoulSilver player to catch several special Pikachus, including Surfing and Flying varieties that are hard to find anywhere else.

If you really love Pikachu (or even if you can't stand the little yellow rodent!), download the Yellow Forest while it's available!

OMG Canada!

Sorry for the long hiatus. I've been very busy with work and preparing for States. Now if only I could find a ride....

Anyway, another great Winter Olympics has come and gone, and with it its triumphs, trials and tragedies. In the two previous Olympic Games Canada hosted (Montreal 1976, Calgary 1988), Canada failed to win a single gold medal. At Vancouver, she more than made up for it by winning an incredible 14 golds, tying an Olympic record.

And not once did I ever hear a Canadian athlete say "eh". In fact, most English-speaking Canadians have a typical Midwestern-style accent, while the Francophones tend to have a definite French accent.

I (and just about everbody else) was surprised at how poorly the Russians fared. I hope they can get their act together by the time the Olympics come to their country in 2014. Ahh, Motherland....

O Canada, we stood on guard for thee - and it showed! Thanks and merci beaucoup, Vancouver!

YouTube of the Week - Pokemon is Satanic. Riiight.

Well, since this particular YouTube video is spreading like wildfire among the geek community, and since this is a Pokemon blog, I simply had to post and comment on it.

It's a short screed (circa 1999-2000) by a televangelist on the evils of Pokemon. Yes, Pokemon. My comments are below the video.



Anyway, the preacher says that Pokemon teaches children how to use magic powers in real life. I wish it did; it would sure make my life a whole lot easier. Trouble is, the powers Pokemon use aren't even magic; they're fully "natural", just like claws, fangs, and venom in the real world. Also, anything in any imaginary world has absolutely no bearing on the real world; anybody who thinks so is either delusional, lying, or possibly both.

Sure, there may be a Devil, and he wants to mess us up real good, but aren't there better (or worse) things out there the Devil can use for his own ends than Pokemon? Gangs, drugs, war...all those cause far more suffering than a video game.

As for children fighting and killing each other over Pokemon cards, it wasn't the cards that made them do it; those children were probably maladjusted to begain with. If it wasn't for Pokemon cards, those exact same children might have fought each other over basketball shoes or leather jackets.

Russian roulette isn't a game, it's just stupid. Gaaaaahhh. X(

The preacher then goes into the same hackneyed tripe about D&D and rock 'n' roll that was old back in the 90's. It wasn't true then; it isn't true now.

Saying some people can't be saved or can't go to Heaven because of the games they play is un-Biblical. Methinks our preacher would do well to re-read the Good Book a few more times, starting with the fourteenth chapter of Romans.

Well, I've said enough. If there's anything I missed ranting about, please make a comment!

Pokemon.com's New Look + Gamestop Shiny Pichu Giveaway

Go-Pokemon.com and Pokemon-games.com have merged with the main Pokemon.com site! Poemon.com has a shiny new look, and tons of new features. Don't take my word for it, check it out yourself!

Also, from January 30th to February 14th, Gamestop stores throughout the US will have a special Shiny Pichu available for download that will trigger the Spiky-eared Pichu event if traded to HeartGold or SoulSilver (available this March). Don't miss it!

RPG Disclaimer Collection at The Escapist

Those of you who are children of the 80s like me may remember the anti-D&D crusades some Religious Right types pursued. People were claming that RPGs were somehow connected with the occult, violence, suicide, you name it. In response to this, some RPG manufacturers put disclaimers in their products. Bill Walton of The Escapist has taken the time to compile some of the more interesting of these and is currently posting them on his blog. Most of them are something on the lines of "This is just a game, we do not in any way condone the occult, etc,", but a few are more noteworthy. For instance, Over the Edge First Edition required its GM to repeat its disclaimer before and after every gaming session (which must've gotten tedious after awhile). My personal favorite would have to be from Mage: the Sorceror's Crusade - it's quick and to the point:

"Yes, it's a game.
No, it's not Satanic.
Don't kill anyone.
Get a life.
Thank you."

You can see the complete collection at The Escapist Blog.

Happy New Year!

Here's hoping 2010 is a lot better than 2009 for many of my readers, especially when it comes to Pokemon!