Tag Archives: heart gold

Guys We’re Gonna Make America Skinny Again One Poke at a Time

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Hi, it’s Machamp with Cross Chop!

The Pokewalker is diabolical.

So the latest Pokemon game, Heart Gold/Soul Silver comes with a pedometer onto which you can transfer Pokemon and take them for walks. As you take steps, you get points in order to do things like get rare items and catch Pokemon. It’s partially designed to curb piracy, as not only is the Pokewalker something that you can’t really pirate, but the cartridge for the game itself has infrared sensors on it, so just having the rom isn’t enough.

But that’s not why it’s so fiendishly clever. The real and more sinister reason is that it’s going to get kids addicted to walking.

Consider the mentality that brought us “gotta catch ’em all,” the mentality that puts small children on the same wavelength as hardcore World of Warcraft players grinding up to max to open up the real game. Now apply it to light exercise. You could very well have kids just going out for long walks practically every day!

To some extent, it feels like saying, “Hey kids, if you get an A on your test, you can get a LEGENDARY POKEMON,” or, “Hey adults, the only way to defeat this super hidden boss is to FILE YOUR TAXES.”

Really, Wii Fit was a nice try, but it’s no Pokewalker.

Crayola Couldn’t Come Up With These: Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver Tomorrow

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So I don’t know about you, but I am pretty psyched about tomorrow’s release of Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver. A remake of the second generation of Pokemon games, playing through my copies of Gold and Silver in high school was a memorable experience which I’m eager to revisit all these years later.

You might be asking, “Why would you play a game that’s just a retread of a game you’ve played previously?” And the answer to that is: Pokemon.

I’m serious, there’s something about the games which has people coming back to it over and over, whether it’s the cute/awesome critters, the nice character designs, the fun of battling, or even peer pressure, there’s a ton of reasons Pokemon has endured, though probably the most prominent one is that it is easy for anyone to pick up and play, and yet also deep enough that those of us who want to get into it with a more competitive mindset can do so.

I do wonder what my team will be like this time around. I’ve always had a fondness for Furret, and it is Gold and Silver, so there’s a good chance I’ll be taking one on and then bringing it into battle against my peers.

I don’t know what big changes HGSS brings to the table in terms of changing the metagame of multiplayer Pokemon, and in fact I’m not even sure I’ll be jumping back into that world. Still, I get the feeling that I’ll start to gravitate towards it anyway. It’s practically in my bones which hit twice and are good for attacking through Substitutes.