1. PIKACHU
Level: 88
Type: Electric
Items Held? Light Ball
Pokemon Ability: Static
Move Set: Volt Tackle, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt.

Pikachu is a straight up attacker. The first three attacks listed in his moveset are Physical attacks while Thunderbolt is a Special attack. You would think Thunderbolt would be the move you have the least to worry about since Pikachu’s Attack is a lot higher than its Special, but this Pikachu has a Light Ball, which means its Special Attack is doubled, putting this Pikachu into the Mewtwo level of power. Be wary.

Your best bet with Pikachu, who will always be Red’s lead-off Pokemon is to have a Ground type Pokemon which will prevent Volt Tackle or Thunderbolt, Pikachu’s two most dangerous moves, from hurting you. Make SURE it is not a Rock/Ground Pokemon, or Pikachu will take you down with Iron Tail. You might also want a speedy Ground type as Pikachu is lightning fast. Garchomp, Sandslash and Dugtrio are excellent examples of Pikachu stoppers in this regard, Remember though Pikachu has the Pokemon Ability of Static, which forces you to play defensive. Any physical contact with Pikachu has a 30% chance of giving YOUR Pokemon the Paralyze status. As nearly all Ground based moves are Physical attacks, a good strategy would be to find another way to attack Pikachu. For example, a Camerupt, which is a Ground/Fire Dual Type can learn Solarbeam, which is a Grass attack that uses the Special statistic. Here you have a Pokemon that is immune to 50% of Pikachu’s move, has an attack that is super-effective against Pikachu and doesn’t have to risk being Paralyzed. Flygon with Giga Drain can do the same thing.

2. VENUSAUR
Level: 84
Type: Grass/Poison
Items Held? None
Pokemon Ability: Overgrow
Move Set: Sludge Bomb, Giga Drain. Sleep Powder, Frenzy Plant

This is a pretty straight and easy battle. A good Fire or Psychic Pokemon should be able to take down Venusaur without any real challenge. The real trick is to get out of this battle without the Poison or Sleep status. As easy as Venusaur is to take down, you need to do it quickly or you will end up with a status effect. Poison is actually better since you can still attack while suffering from it. If your Pokemon falls asleep, any of Venusaur’s attacks can do some major damage. The worst is if you have Venusaur down to the final third of its Hit Points as this will trigger Overgrowth. Trust me when I saw Overgrowth plus Frenzy Plant equals a pretty strong chance of knockout. As always speed is key, so a fast hitting Psychic Pokemon like an Espeon or Alakazam can take out Venusaur in one to two moves.

3. CHARIZARD
Level: 84
Type: Fire/Flying
Items Held: None
Pokemon Ability: Blaze
Move Set: Flare Blitz, Blast Burn, Air Slash, Dragon Pulse

Charizard is the toughest of Red’s three Kanto starters. It has two Fire moves. Flare Blitz uses the Physical stat and Charizard will take recoil damage from it, so this move actually helps you a bit. Blast Burn uses Charizard’s Special and it’s a Fire-based Hyper Beam, so it will do a lot of damage to your Pokemon. Thankfully Charizard will have to recharge after using it. Now it’s the other two moves that should give you pause. Air Slash has a 30% chance of causing a flinch, so it’s imperative you have a Pokemon that is FASTER than Charizard. Once again, speed is the most important factor in beating Red. Nothing’s worse than having the right Pokemon with the right moves to take out Charizard only to watch it flinch three times in a row and eventual get KO’d because the faster Charizard keeps using Air Slash. Finally there’s Dragon Pulse which is thankfully just a high damage dealing Dragon type attack.

My advice is to get a fast Water, Rock or Electric type Pokemon. Rock moves do 4X damage against Charizard, but speed is hard to find in Rock Pokemon. Tyranitar and Relicanth are amongst the fastest and a Relicanth with Swift Swim is a Charizard’s worst nightmare are its Rock AND Water who actually can be faster than the big Fire Starter. Another great choice is Aerodactyl with Rock Slide or Ancientpower.

4. BLASTOISE
Level: 84
Type: Water
Items Held: None
Pokemon Ability: Torrent
Move Set: Focus Blast, Hydro Cannon, Blizzard, Flash Cannon

Blastoise looks like a tough opponent from its moveset. After all, it knows Water, Steel, Ice and Fighting attacks. Focus Blast and Hydro Cannon are based on lowering your Pokemon’s Special Defense and all four of Blastoise’s moves use the Special stat. The key however is a FAST (there’s that concept again.) Electric Pokemon. Something as simple as a Raichu with Thunderbolt should be able to send Blastoise down for the count in a single round. Although Water Types are also weak to Grass attacks, make sure you don’t actually pit a Grass Pokemon against Blastoise or it WILL use Blizzard against you and the results won’t be pretty. Just be fast and direct with your Electrical attacks and you’ll be fine.

5. SNORLAX
Level: 82
Type: Normal
Items Held: None
Pokemon Ability: Thick Fat
Move Set: Shadow Ball, Crunch, Blizzard, Giga Impact

Snorlax just might be Red’s toughest Pokemon. Not only is it immune to Ghost attacks, but its Thick Fat ability means it only takes half damage from Fire and Ice attacks. Offensively it has moves that are super effective against Ghost, Psychic, Dragon, Flying, Grass and Ground attacks. This means you want to make sure you don’t a Pokemon who has one of those six types facing Snorlax. Shadow Ball and Crunch lower Special Defense and Defense respectively, which is turning out to be a trend with Red’s Pokemon. Giga Impact is the Attack version of Hyper Beam. Your best bet here is a solid Fighting Pokemon or at least one with powerful Fighting Type attacks. Machamp is a great Pokemon to bit against Snorlax and I’m sure you can think of others as well.

6. LAPRAS
Level: 80
Type: Ice/Water
Items Held: none
Pokemon Ability: Shell Armour
Move Set: Blizzard, Brine, Psychic, Body Slam

Lapras is both the lowest level of Red’s Pokemon as well as the newest as it has replaced Umbreon from Gold and Silver. Shell Armour prevents critical hits so you’ll have to slowly whittle it down unless you are using Fighting, Rock, Grass or Electric attacks. This Lapras is also great at inflicting status effects. Body Slam can cause Paralyze and Blizzard can cause Freeze. You also have to deal with Brine which is insanely powerful once you knock Lapras below 50% health. As it knows Ice, Water, Psychic and Normal moves, you DON’T want to use Fighting, Rock or Grass type Pokemon as it has a move to counter each. Is your fast Electric type Pokemon that you used against Blastoise still healthy with lots of moves left? Then that’s the Pokemon you’re going to want to go with. An Electric Pokemon is your best overall bet here, so stick with it.

So there you go. We’ve covered all six of Red’s Pokemon and what moves they’ll be packing. Now it’s up to you to assemble your team and take him down.

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The Battle Arcade

In the Battle Arcade, you’ll have to deal with a variety of random status effects that will be inflicted on either you or your opponent. You never know what you’re going to get so expect anything from all of your team being paralyzed to all of your stats being raised. You might also get weather conditions like hail, Sunny Day, or Sandstorm, so make sure you have a pretty versatile team. Because of the random nature of these battles, winning or losing is as much luck as it is a solid team. Good luck!

Your Frontier Brain here is Arcade Star Dahlia. You’ll encounter Dahlia on your 21st and 49th battle, and you’ll receive the standard silver medal and coloured medal respectively after beating her.

Dahlia – First Battle!

1. Dusknoir
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Pressure
Held Item: Iron Ball
Moveset: Fling, Shadow Punch, Trick Room, Will O’ the Wisp

2. Medicham
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Pure Power
Held Item: Salac Berry
Moveset: Endure, Fake Out, Reversal, Zen Headbutt

3. Ludicolo
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Swift Swim
Held Item: Focus Band
Moveset: Drain Punch, Razor Leaf, Swords Dance, Waterfall

Dahlia –Second Battle!

1. Zapdos
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Pressure
Held Item: Brightpowder
Moveset: Air Cutter, Heat Wave, Signal beam, Thunderbolt

2. Blaziken
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Blaze
Held Item: White Herb
Moveset: Flare Blitz, Night Slash, Superpower, Thunder Punch

3. Togekiss
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Serene Grace
Held Item: Expert Belt
Moveset: Air Slash, Aura Sphere, Hyper Beam, Psychic

The Battle Castle

The Battle Castle features your standard three on three Singles or four on four Doubles options. The thing that makes this stand out is that your Pokemon are not healed between battles. Instead you’ll have to earn and then spend Castle Points to heal your Pokemon. Castle Points can also be used to earn new items or even your PP. You can even get powerful rare items like Marowak’s Thick Club or Pikachu’s Light Ball! How cool is that?

Your Frontier Brains are Darach and Caitlin. You’ll fight them on your 21st and 49th battle and beating them will earn you a silver and coloured medal respectively. What sets your battles against this Frontier Brain Tandem apart is that the Pokemon in each team might have one of two very different movesets. Let’s take a look.

Darach and Caitlin – First Battle

1. Staraptor
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: King’s Rock
Moveset A: Aerial Ace, Double Team, Return, Roost
Moveset B: Aerial Ace, Endure, Endeavor, Quick Attack

2. Empoleon
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Torrent
Held Item: Razor Claw
Moveset A: Brick Break, Knock off, Metal Claw, Waterfall
Moveset B: Aqua Jet, Drill Peck, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw

3. Houndoom
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Early Bird
Held Item: Focus Sash
Moveset A: Crunch, Counter, Fire Fang, Roar
Moveset B: Fire Fang, Endure, Reversal, Thunder Fang.

Darach and Caitlin – Second Battle!

1. Entei
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Pressure
Held Item: Shuca Berry
Moveset A: Fire Blast, Hyper Beam, Solarbeam, Sunny Day
Moveset B: Calm Mind, Extrasensory, Overheat, Shadow Ball

2. Empoleon
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Torrent
Held Item: Quick Claw
Moveset A: Blizzard, Earthquake, Signal Beam, Surf
Moveset B: Drill Peck, Earthquake, Flash Cannon, Hydro Cannon

3. Gallade
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Steadfast
Held Item: Scope Lens
Moveset A: Aerial Ace, Psycho Cut, Stone Edge, X-Scissor
Moveset B: Close Combat, Leaf Blade, Night Slash, Psycho Cut

The Battle Factory

The Battle Factory is the standard “Rent a Pokemon” challenge. You won’t be able to choose any of your own personal Pokemon. Instead you’ll be “renting” some before entering the Factory battles. After each battle you win, you’ll be able to exchange one of your Pokemon for one of theirs. So if an opponent has a superior Pokemon or one that was hard to take down, you should try and grab that. You’ll have to win seven battles in a row before getting a break. Rental Pokemon will be at either Level 50 or Level 100 and your opponents will have the same level Pokemon as yourself.

The key to winning is comes first your selection of Pokemon at the very beginning. You’ll have to choose three Pokemon from a set of six. Check the stats and movesets carefully as a Spiritomb with only Splash will not be as helpful as a Magikarp with four different high powered attacks.

Your Frontier Brain is Factory Head Thorton. You’ll first face him after achieving a streak of 20 wins. Because he is using rental Pokemon as well, it will be completely random in regards to what he’ll throw at you. Beat him and you’ll earn the Factory silver medal. If you can keep your streak going to 48-0, Thorton will return for your 49th and final battle. Beat him and you earn the coloured medal.

The Battle Hall

In the Battle Hall, you are allowed only a single Pokemon or two if you choose to do double battles. Once you enter the hall, you’ll be given a list Matron Argenta. Her Pokemon will be one of the following 18: Arceus, Celebi, Darkrai, Deoxys, Dialga, Giratina, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Jirachi, Kyroge, Lugia, Manaphy, Mew, Mewtwo, Palkia, Phione, Rayquaza or Shaymin. You also won’t be able to choose the type in these battles. You’ll face Argenta in your 50th and 170th battle. If you win you’ll get the silver and coloured medals respectively, but also know that this is the hardest series in the entire Battle Frontier and it will take a lot of skill and luck to win here.

The Battle Tower

The Battle Tower is the same as it has been since its first appearances in Pokemon Crystal and Pokemon Stadium. However this mode also offers WiFi Battles as a play option. WiFi Battles lets you download other people’s Pokemon teams and see how you can do against them. No matter what you choose though, you take your three best Pokemon (or four best if you choose Double Battles) and wail away on your opponents. You’ll have to complete a streak of seven wins before you are given the option to stop.

Your Frontier Brain is Tower Tycoon Palmer, who is also the father of Barry, your rival in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. You’ll face him in both your 21st and 49th battles. If you can win the first encounter, you’ll earn The Tower silver medal. If you can win the second, you’ll get a coloured medal. Here’s a look at both of Palmer’s lineups so you know what to expect.

Palmer – First Battle!

1. Milotic
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Marvel Scale
Held Item: Shell Bell
Moveset: Attract, Hypnosis, Ice Beam, Surf

2. Rhyperior
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Solid Rock
Held Item: Focus Band
Moveset: Crunch, Earthquake, Roar, Rock Wrecker

3. Dragonite
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Inner Focus
Held Item: Lum Berry
Moveset: Aerial Ace, Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Thunder Wave

Palmer – Second Battle!

1. Regigigas
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Slow Star
Held Item: Brightpowder
Moveset: Crush Grip, Drain Punch, Earthquake, Stone Edge

2. Heatran
Level: 50
Pokemon Ability: Flash Fire
Held Item: Focus Sash
Moveset: Earth Power, Explosion, Flash Cannon, Magna Storm

3. Cresselia
Level: 50
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: Leftovers
Moveset: Ice Beam, Moonlight, Psychic, Signal Beam

The Battle Shops

This is pretty cut and dry. This is where you purchase items with all the Battle Points you have earned. You can get items for your Pokemon to hold, moves for them to learn, and even buy scratch-off lottery tickets which can earn you even more Battle Points.

Closing

So there you have it – a complete guide to the Battle Frontier of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. These are arguably the hardest battles in the game, so make sure you have a well balanced and versatile team to take with you. Good luck!

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First of all, the basic premise has stayed the same – you are given thirty Safari Balls and you have a limited number of steps to catch Pokemon with. Your play ends when you run out of either steps or Safari Balls. This new Safari Zone is a lot more Trainer friendly however. Remember in the old games where you’d have to waste half your steps just to get to an area where you could hopefully find a Chansey? Well, now the Safari Zone is customizable. By using your DS stylus and the touch pad, you can move around the order of the six Safari Zones. This means if all you need to complete the Pokedex is say, a Smeargle, you can set it up so that the Field area of the Safari Zone is right at the entrance, giving you a better chance of catching it. Each of the six zones features distinctly different Pokemon, so you’ll have to visit them all eventually.

The Safari Zone Warden will also have tasks he will assign to you. The first is to get him a Geodude. In return, he’ll activate the customization ability mentioned in the previous paragraph. After that, he will ask you for a Sandshrew. Once you bring him one he’ll activate a new level of customization. This will involve special items that can attract Pokemon that would otherwise not appear in the Safari Zone. Each of these special Pokemon will require a set number of items to be laid down in the Safari Zone in the area they would show up in. Now you can only have 30 items out at a time, and some Pokemon like, say, Carnivine require 25 Grassland item to be laid out in the Desert area. That leaves you only five items to place elsewhere in the zone. The good thing is that the longer you leave these items out, the more experience those items will get, and they will level up like a Pokemon. These items will eventually be worth up to seven times their original value (based on how long you leave them out for), so things will get easier to catch all the Pokemon possible in the Safari Zone. Some rarely occurring Pokemon will not only requires items to be set out, but will also require those items to sit in the area for a length of time before they appear. Remember Carnivine in our item example? Well you’ll also have to leave those items in the Desert for ten straight days before he’ll begin to appear. Because of this, you might want to consider looking for Carnivine in the Marshlands where he requires only 18 points of items, but he will then take 20 days to appear. It’s up to you.

Here now is an easy to read table of each Pokemon and the requirements you’ll need to make them appear within the Safari Zone.

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The Legendary Trio

Although debate still rages as to whether they are cats or dogs, Suicune, Entei and Raikou are still a huge part of the game. In the original Gold and Silver games, all three were constantly running through Johto and it took heavy use of your maps and a decent amount of luck to catch them. This is still true for two of the Trio, but as the plot of Heart Gold and Soul Silver actually follows Pokemon Crystal, Suicune is a one-time occurring legend in a static location, making things easier for you to at least get one of the three.

When you first enter the basement of the Brass Tower, Suicune, Raikou and Entei will change from statues into real Pokemon and quickly flee the area. From that point on Raikou and Entei will roam all around Johto (and ONLY Johto). You’ll have to encounter them by sheer luck the first time, but once you have, you’ll be able to track them via the map in your PokeGear. Your best bet to make them appear is using a lot of Repel items (which prevents Pokemon of a lower level than your lead Pokemon from attacking you) combined with a level 39 Pokemon, as Raikou and Entei are Level 40. Raikou and Entei will always try to flee, so make sure you have a move or Pokemon Ability that prevents that from happening. Oddly enough I find a Parasect with a quick claw attached to be a sure fire way to catch Raikou (Not as good with Entei since Parsect is Bug/Fire and Entei is Fire). Parasect’s spore has a 100% chance of making an opponent fall asleep and then it can follow up with False Swipe, which can reduce a Pokemon down to 1 Hit Point and yet never KO it. Another good combination is Gengar and Marowak. Use Gengar’s lightning speed to get out Mean Look so your opponent can’t escape, hit them in the second round with Confuse Ray and then switch out to Marowak who not only has False Swipe, but as a Ground type Pokemon is immune to Raikou’s Electric attacks and can withstand a lot of Entei’s attacks.

Suicune will give you the illusion of roaming for a bit, but it’s all storyline based. First you’ll have to head north of Cianwood City for the first sighting. After that you’ll follow him to Route 42 outside of Mt. Mortar . After that it will greet you in Vermillion City in Kanto and then to Route 14 and finally you will do battle outside of Bill’s House (the inventor of the Pokemon Storage System) on Route 25. Suicune is level 40, so you should be able to take it down pretty easily at this point.

The Johto Legendary Birds

Ho-Oh and Lugia’s levels differ depending on what game you are playing, but the location will stay the same. In Heart Gold, you’ll find a level 45 Ho-Oh atop the Tin Tower in Ecruteak City as long as you have a Rainbow Wing in tow. In Soul Silver, it will be at Level 70.

Lugia will be at the final level of the Whirl Islands in both games. In Soul Silver, it will be level 45 and in Heart Gold, it will be at Level 70.

The Kanto Legendary Birds

For the first time, you’ll be able to catch Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres in a Johto based game. To get this trio to appear, you’ll have to have all sixteen badges between Johto and Kanto.

Articuno will be in the Seafoam Islands similar to where it was in Fire Red and Leaf Green. It’s level 50 so be prepared.

Zapdos is outside the Power Plant in Kanto’s Route 10 instead of inside it. It’s just sitting out there waiting for you, so go to it.

Moltres is the tricky one. In the Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow games, it could be found in Mt. Ember. Now this Legendary Pokemon resides in Silver Cave, right on the border of Johto and Kanto. Like the rest of the trio, it is at Level 50.

MEWTWO!

In the original Pokemon Gold and Silver, the Unknown Dungeon was sealed off and there was no way of entering it or getting to the Pokemon inside. This was a huge disappointment because in the lowest levels of that dungeon sat Mewtwo itself. Now in Heart Gold and Soul Silver, the Unknown Dungeon is reopened and you can journey to face the most infamous Pokemon of them all. In order to gain access to the dungeon, you’ll have to have all sixteen badges. Mewtwo will also be a whopping Level 70.

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Legends

You have a chance to get Kyroge or Groudon depending on which version of the game you picked up. In Soul Silver you can get Groudon and in Heart Gold, Kyroge is available. Once you have obtained the National Dex and a Kanto starter from Professor Oak, you’ll be able to go visit Mr. Pokemon from the very beginning of the game. He’ll give you a special orb based on the game you are playing (Red in Soul Silver and blue in Heart Gold.). Then it’s off to route 47 and the Embedded Tower where your specific Legendary Pokemon awaits. It’ll be Level 50, like most of the other Legends we’ve seen so far.

Rayquaza is another R/S/E Legend you can pick up in Heart Gold or Soul Silver. It’s a pretty tricky to get the Green Orb you need to summon it though. First you’ll have to catch either Groudon or Kyroge in your own game, and then you’ll have to trade for the other. Now, the traded Legend can only be from Heart Gold or Soul Silver. It cannot be from any other game. Once you have both, put them in your active party and go visit Professor Oak. He will give you the Green Orb and then it’s back to the Embedded Tower you go. Once there, Rayquaza will appear and it’s time to do battle.

Much like Kyroge and Groudon, Latios and Latias are version specific legends in this game. Once you have the National Dex and have traveled to Kanto for the first time, make your way to Vermillion City and visit the Pokemon Fan Club. After doing so, you’ll be told that one of the Legendary Dragons is traveling around Kanto. Latias is in Heart Gold and Latios is in Soul Silver. Both will be roaming Pokemon at Level 35, so remember to use the same strategies you had for catching Entei and Raikou.

You’ll be able to catch the other by downloading the Enigma Stone through a future Wi-Fi event that lets you download an Enigma Stone. Take it to Pewter City Museum where it will be revealed as Soul Dew. After that an angry Level 40 Legend (the opposite of what appeared originally in your game) will be rampaging in Pewter City and you’ll have to stop it.

PLATNIUM LEGENDS

If you managed to get a hold of a special Arceus that was given away with a pre-order of the 12th movie ticket in Japan or through Wi-Fi several months ago in North America, you’ll be able to get either a Dialga, Palkia or Giratina in your game. Take this special Arceus to the Sinjoh Ruins and the Pokemon Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia will tell you that Arceus can create one of the three Sinnoh Legends in this temple. You’ll be given a choice between the three and you’ll only be able to make one, so choose carefully!

There you go. A comprehensive list containing all the Legendary Pokemon you’ll be able to obtain within Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. With this guide in hand, you’ll be that match closer to finishing off your National Dex. Good luck!
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When you first arrive at the Pokeathlon Dome, you’ll begin to realize what an entirely new beast this is for Pokemon and how some Pokemon are far more useful here than they would have been in Battles or Contests. This is based heavily in part to new Pokemon stats that only come into playing during Pokeathlon events. They are Speed, Power, Skill, Stamina, and Jump. Each Pokemon with have a star rating in each ability ranging from one to five stars. The more stars a Pokemon has, the more likely it will succeed at the event in question. When you look at a Pokemon’s Pokeathlon stats, you will see that some stars are filled in while others are transparent. The filled in ones are your Pokemon’s current rating, while the transparent stars show their potential. You can fill these in by feeding your Pokemon Aprijuice. Let’s take a look at Butterfree, since he’s a fairly common Pokemon you can get early on in the game. It has two stars in Speed, two stars in Power, two stars in Skill, two stars in Stamina and a full five stars in Jump. Obviously, Butterfree then makes a great choice for jump based events. With the use of Acorn juice, you can boost Butterfree up to four stars in Speed, three in Power, three in Skill and three in stamina. Since Butterfree is already at a max score in Jump, you can’t raise it any higher. This means if you max out Butterfree, it will perform best at Speed and/or Jump based events.

When you enter a Pokeathlon event, you don’t actually get to choose which of the ten possible events you are in. Instead you pick a category based on one of the five statistics. The game then chooses three events for you based on that category. Using Butterfree as our example, you would most likely choose Jump as your category. However, you will have to have three Pokemon, so you’ll want to have two other Pokemon that are also maxed out with Jump but then also have strong secondary ability of four or five stars as well.

Each event has two statistics that help determine the outcome of the event. If you have maxed out your Butterfree, you would want it in an event where Speed and Jump are the two determining factors. This event would be Hurdles. So you would put Butterfree in this event and then use your two other Pokemon in the events that came up that their stats were best suited for.

After the events are done, you’ll be able to view records, see your high scores, spend points on nifty items like evolution stones or PP Ups, and eventually unlock the Pokeathlon Hall of Fame, Pokeathlon Crowns and even bonus Pokeathlon points to make your team even more dominant on the field.

Now don’t think stats are the only things that come into play in the events. You’ll still have to use all your gaming skills in conjunction with those stats in order to win events. Let’s take a quick look at all ten events. Remember that these names are basic translations from the Japanese version of Heart Gold and Soul Silver and may be slightly different in the English release.

Block Smash
Important Stats: Power, Stamina

This is similar to how martial arts experts break stacks of wood or bricks with their hands. You’ll use the touch screen to get enough power and rhythm behind your attacks to successfully break the blocks in front of you. The goal is not only to break the most bricks, but also to see who can break the most in the least amount of time.

Lamp Jump
Important Stats: Jump, Skill

In this event you will use the touch screen and stylus to “flick” a Pokemon up the screen in an attempt to knock out as many lights as possible in an allotted time. You’ll be able to use all three Pokemon at once in this event so try ricocheting them off each other to send them off in new directions and knock out more lights.

Relay Run
Important Stats: Speed, Stamina

This is simply a side-scrolling race where each member of your team will take a leg of the race. There are also occasionally obstacles that show up, so you’ll have to be able to avoid these as well.

Circle Push
Important Stats: Power, Speed

Circle Push is an event where each of your three Pokemon will be engaging in a shoving match against many opponents. Your goal is to stay in the circles for as long as possible while keeping opponents out. The longer you stay in, the more points you earn. You also have to control all three Pokemon at once, so time management and strategy are big parts of this event.

Pennant Capture
Important Stats: Speed, Skill

This event has each of your Pokemon running an obstacle course where you collect flags. The goal is to collect as many flags as possible but the secondary goal is to keep your opponents from collecting flags of their own. You can do this by knocking into them and causing them to drop their flags.

Goal Roll
Important Stats: Power, Skill

This is a nice little three on three Soccer (Football in Europe) match, with a twist. Each corner of the screen is a goal. Your job is to deflect balls headed for your team’s goal, and to then score goals. You get a point for scoring a goal and the team that failed to defend their goal loses one. If you’re a long-time gamer, you’ll find that Goal Roll is very similar to the old Atari 2600 game Warlords.

Hurdle Dash
Important Stats: Jump, Speed

In this event your Pokemon will be racing nine other Pokemon in a standard vertically scrolling hurdles race. You tap the DS’ touch screen in order to make them jump. For each hurdle you successfully jump over, you earn a speed boost. For each one you don’t…well you collide with the hurdle.

Ring Drop
Important Stats: Power, Stamina

This event is basically a combination of Pokemon Rumble battle royals and Sumo Wrestling. Here’s you’ll flick your Pokemon into the other ones in the ring in an attempt to knock them out of it. Last man standing wins, or if the time limit runs out, you will be judged by the amount of Pokemony you successfully knocked out and the amount remaining in the ring.

Disc Catch
Important Stats: Jump, Power

This is another game where you will have to control all three of your Pokemon at once. Your goal is to have them leap up and catch Frisbees as the pass over your Pokemon. Just tap the touch pad to make one jump. There are opposing Pokemon on the field as well, so you’ll have to knock them out or push them away to make sure they don’t intercept your catch.

Snow Throw
Important Stats: Power, Skill

This is a combination of dodgeball and a snowball fight. You’ll flick snowballs at your opponents to stun them and earn points while also dodging incoming fire.

Although some Pokemon fans will no doubt be disappointed in the loss of Pokemon Contests, it is plain to see that the Pokeathlon offers a larger variety of things to do and it requires both skill and wits in order to come up with a team that will net the gold. This is definitely going to be one of the most talked about aspects of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, as well as one of the most played, so start thinking about your teams!

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Pedometer Aspects

The core aspect of the Pokewalker is the same as the Pokemon Pikachu 2 GS. However, with the Pokewalker, you aren’t stuck with just Pikachu. At anytime you can transfer a single Pokemon into the Pokeball shaped disc. Then as you walk around, the pedometer aspect of the Pokewalker takes effect and it slowly raises your Pokemon’s happiness as well as your level. Let’s say you’re going on a ten mile hike. Transfer in say, a Scizor, and then strap the Pokewalker to your pants. By the time you get back you’ll happy a significantly more powerful Pokemon as well as one with a high happiness rating. This is an excellent way to evolve those Pokemon like Chansey into Blissey or Igglybuff into Jigglypuff.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All?

The biggest difference between the Pokewalker and the Pokemon Pikachu 2 GS is that not only will you be walking around while wearing the Pokewalker, but your Pokemon will be walking too! You’ll have over two dozen locations to eventually choose from, but you’ll have to unlock most of them by playing through Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver.

Once you have chosen your location you can use Watts to trigger Pokemon battles within the Pokewalker. If you don’t have enough Watts, you won’t get to battle. Once you initiate battle, you are given a choice of four pieces of grass. You must choose one and, if you choose correctly, a Pokemon will pop out and you’ll be able to battle. You’ll only have two battling options in this case: Attack and Dodge. Both are self-explanatory. Once you’ve weakened the opposing Pokemon, you can try to catch it. You can only store three Pokemon on your Pokewalker before having to send some back to your main game, so you might have to be choosy with what you keep.

One of the more interesting things about these battles are that some Pokemon can ONLY be caught through the Pokewalker while others might have different and/or unique moves only available on the Pokewalker. One example is the Yellow Forest Pokewalker area, which can only be obtained by downloading it through a Wi-Fi connection. This special location only contains Pikachu Pokemon, including rare Flying and Surfing Pikachu. Of course they’ll be a bit hard to catch, but how fun will it be to have one of those, right?

Exclusive Pokewalker Pokemon

These Pokemon can only be found and captured within the Pokewalker unless you transfer Pokemon over from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. Numbering is based on the National Dex.

#300 Skitty
#318 Carvanha
#320 Wailmer
#349 Feebas
#351 Castiform
#352 Kecleon
#357 Tropius
#361 Snorunt
#422 Shellos
#442 Spiritomb
#456 Finneon
#459 Snover

Itemfinder

Another neat option in the Pokewalker is the Itemfinder aspect. Each use of the Itemfinder costs three Watts. When you choose to activate the Itemfinder, you are then given a choice of six bushes. You have to pick one of those bushes, and hopefully an item will appear. Items have a common, uncommon and rare frequency but as some of the rare items are exceedingly valuable it’s definitely worth using three measly Watts to try and get one of them. For example, if we stay with the previous example of the Yellow Forest, a common item would be something mundane like a Big Mushroom. Rare items however run the gambit from a Thunderstone to the all-important (for Pikachu) Light Ball. You can store up to ten items of the Pokewalker so if you can’t get the item you are looking for right away, at least you have plenty of chances before you have to transfer items over.

Trading

One of the classic aspects of Pokemon is the ability to trade things with your friends, usually Pokemon. Trading can now be done through the Pokewalker as well. As long as you and a friend have one, you can swap items between the two of you. Unlike trading Pokemon where sometimes you have to unlock an in-game event in order to swap Pokemon from a previous title, The Pokewalker will let you trade even if you have a course your friend doesn’t and vice versa.

Diary

When you hook your Pokewalker back up to the DS and your cart of either Pokemon Heart Gold or Soul Silver, you’ll be given diary entries similar to what you had in Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green. These diary entries will tell you what Pokemon you captured, what items you found, who you traded with and more. These entries don’t add anything to the game per say, but is a cute little piece of fluff that help to further integrate the Pokewalker with the Heart Gold and Soul Silver experience.

It’s wonderful to see the Pokewalker as a free pack-in when you purchase Pokemon Heart Gold or Soul Silver. The original Pokemon Pikachu 2 GS was between ten and twenty dollars, so this is a great addition to the overall package. Much like with how Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green came with Wi-fi adapters if you purchased the games new, this is a wonderful way to reward gamers for purchasing these titles instead of doing something just for pre-orders. This was people who can’t buy a game on release day still get a little something extra besides the game itself. I love how the Pokewalker is more than just a pedometer and Mystery Gift addendum this time around. I think I’m most happy about how much easier it is to get a Spiritomb here than in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. I mean, if you didn’t have a Wi-Fi connection, you pretty much couldn’t get it. Now everyone has an opportunity and I think that’s awesome. Best of all the Pokewalker is something that rewards you for doing exercise. Whether you walk to a friend’s house, go on a bike ride, or get on a treadmill at the gym, you’ll not only be improving your Pokemon, but your own body as well. Very cool.

Pokewalker Courses

Below is a list of all the Pokewalker courses (albeit with Japanese course names) with a list of the Pokemon you can catch on them.

Refreshing Field:
DoDuo
Kangaskhan
Nidroan Male
Nidoran Female
Pidgey
Sentret

Noisey Forest
Bellsprout
Oddish
Paras
Spearow
Venonat
Wobbuffet

Rugged Road
Geodude
Hoothoot
Machop
Magby
Onix
Ponyta

Beautiful Beach
Poliwag
Psyduck
Slowpoke
Staryu
Sunkern
Wooper

Suburban Area
Elekid
Hoothoot
Magnemite
Murkrow
Ratatta

Dim Cave
Gastly
Machop
Onix
Smoochum
Zubat

Blue Lake
Dratini
Goldeen
Krabby
Poliwag
Shellder
Tentacool

Town Outskirts
Abra
Furret
Grimer
Koffing
Ratatta
Voltorb

Hoenn Field
Illumise
Linoone
Skitty
Volbeat
Wurmple
Zigzagoon

Warm Beach
Azurill
Carvanha
Goldeen
Horsea
Magikarp
Wailmer

Volcano Path
Geodude
Houndour
Meditite
Ponyta
Rhyhorn
Slugma

Tree House
Castiform
Girafarig
Gloom
Kecleon
Stantler
Weepinbell

Scary Cave
Ghastly
Machop
Marowak
Natu
Tauros
Zubat

Sinnoh Field
Bidoof
Budew
Combee
Kricketot
Mime Jr.
Shinx

Icy Mountain
Bronzor
Mareep
Sneasel
Snorunt
Snover
Swinub

Big Forest
Bibarel
Bonsly
Exeggcute
Mareep
Tangela
Tropius

White Lake
Buizel
Chinchou
Chingling
Haunter
Misdreavus
Remoraid

Stormy Beach
Finneon
Magicarp
Psyduck
Seel
Shellder
Shellos

Resort
Clefairy
Hoppip
Jigglypuff
Marill
Pachirisu
Pikachu

Quiet Cave
Chingling
Feebas
Golbat
Munchlax
Noctowl
Spiritomb

Beyond the Sea
Chinchou
Corsola
Horsea
Octillery
Remoraid
Starmie

Night’s Sky Edge
Clefairy
Geodude
Hoothoot
Jigglypuff
Onix
Zubat

Yellow Forest
Flying Pikachu
Pikachu
Surfing Pikachu

DLC Track
Buneary
Chatot
Croagunk
Pachirisu
Pikachu
Sableye

Shopping
Eevee
Meowth
Pelipper
Pikachu
Poliwhirl
Torchic

Champ Path
Beldum
Bronzor
Duskull
Horsea
Magikarp

Amity Field
Cleffa
Elekid
Happiny
Igglybuff
Magby
Munchlax
Smoochum

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The Starters:

Chikorita is the Grass Type starter you can pick. Grass Type Pokemon generally are at a disadvantage against Flying type Pokemon, but much of what you’ll be facing before Falkner are Normal, Rock, and Bug types, so it’ll actually be quite useful. Chikorita learns the awesome Razor Leaf at only level 6, which will be your main move until about level 20 when you learn Magical Leaf. Chikorita also learns two other really helpful moves against early Pokemon. The first is PoisonPowder at level 9. You can use this against Falkner in a suicide run. It might take out your Chikorita, but at least the poison will wear that Pokemon down while also taking damage from your next Pokemon. The second is Sythnesis. This is a healing move. In the original Pokemon Gold and Silver, the time of day determined the amount of healing. Now it’s the weather condition. Synthesis will be very helpful keeping your Chikorita alive against not only Falkner, but the Spearow, Hoot-Hoots and Pidgeys you will encounter in the wild.

The Fire starter Cyndaquil doesn’t have as good (or varied) a moveset as Chikorita has in these first few levels, but it also doesn’t have its weakness against Flying type moves. At level 4 it learns Smokescreen, which lowers your enemy’s accuracy, but it may come in handy against Falkner’s Pidgeotto. At level 10 Cyndaquil learns its first fire move in Ember. This should really help it against Falkner. However, it’s what Cyndaquil learns at Level 13 that may really be its best move in the early game. That’s Quick Attack. It won’t get the Same Type Attack Bonus that Ember gets, but it will always attack first and that advantage is almost priceless in the early game. He who attacks first may not have to attack twice.

Totodile is your Water starter. Where Chikorita and Cyndaquil only learn three new moves in the first fifteen levels, Totodile learns four. At Level 6, it gets Water Gun, which would be a great attack for most other Water Pokemon. Totodile however is a physical attacker, not a special attacker, so it’s a bit wasted on it. At level 8, Totodile learns Rage, which is great for it since it has such a high Attack. This move might just be its best against Falkner as Totodile attack will increase as it takes damage. However, there is actually a better move for it. At Level 13, Totodile learns Bite! Not only does this move use Totodile’s Attack instead of Special Attack, but it is also the most powerful move Totodile will learn naturally until Level 20. It’s also a Dark move, which will make Totodile very helpful against Ghost and Psychic Pokemon and the move has a 30% chance of making your opponent’s flinch! Nice! Finally, at Level 15, Totodile learns Scary Face, which prevents wild Pokemon from running away. This makes Totodile a great Pokemon for catch the Legendary Trio (or duo since Suicuine doesn’t roam in this game), Abras and the like. Overall, Totodile is probably the best of the starters in the early game, but all three have their uses.

On the way to Falkner you’ll be able to go through Routes 29, 30, 31 and 46. Along the way you’ll have a chance to pick up over half a dozen Pokemon to add to your team Let’s take a quick look at them and who is worth having on your team.

The Flyers

You’ll only be able get a Pidgey during the day. It’s definitely my favorite of the three Normal/Flying dual Type Pokemon you can get in the early game, if only because it has the most long term potential of the three. Pidgey learns the Flying move Gust at Level 9 and the all-important Quick Attack at Level 13. Piidget will obviously be at a disadvantage against its evolution Pidgeotto at the Violet City Gym though.

You’ll only be able to get Spearow on a side trip to route 46 in the early game, and it rarely shows up. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth pursuing. Not only does Spearow start with the Flying Move Peck, but many early wild Pokemon are bugs, which means you’ll get some easy XP. It also learns Fury Attack at Level 9. Fury Attack doesn’t have the best accuracy and it’s damage is too varied to truly be effective, but it can be amazingly powerful in the early game if you’re lucky. Spearow’s best early game move is the Dark move Pursuit. Spearow learns this at Level 13 and not only does it do a nice amount of damage, but it does extra damage if your opponent switches out a Pokemon. Spearow is a great choice to have on your team if you didn’t take Totodile, especially when you go into the Sprout Tower.

Hoothoot is your third flyer, but you’ll have to catch it at night. Hoothoot is definitely the worst of the flyers, especially here in the early game. It only has Tackle and Growl at the beginning. It learns the nearly worthless Foresight at level 5, and it doesn’t learn a second damage dealing move until Level 13, which is Peck. At least it’s a Flying type Move, but Pidget and Spearow have already learned their First Flying attack and then some by this point. The only real move of interest Hoothoot has in the early game is Hypnosis, but with only a 70% accuracy rate, it’s not enough to make Hoothoot one of your early six active Pokemon.

The Bugs

Caterpie is an old standby, but you’ll only be able to get it in Heart Gold at this point in the game. However neither Caterpie nor its evolution of Metapod are worth discussing here. You should get your Caterpie to level 10 ASAP so that you can have a Butterfree. At level 10 Butterfree gets the amazing early game move of Confusion and then at Level 12 it learns THREE moves: Poisonpowder, Stunpowder and Sleepowder. Although Butterfree is a Bug Pokemon and thus weak against Falkner’s birds, Any of Butterfree’s powders and Confusion allow it an actual chance to beat a Pokemon it should be weak against.

Weedle is your Soul Silver exclusive until you get to a bug catching content later in the game. The same strategy we used for Butterfree applies to it. Just get it to Beedrill quickly. It’s not as helpful as Butterfree in the early stages or the first gym, but Focus Energy and Fury Attack (learned at Level 13 and 10 respectively) can be a nice combo attack. Just don’t try it against Falkner or it’ll be knocked out.

Spinarak is another Heart Gold Exclusive Bug. It’s not as good as Butterfree, but it learns a few good early game moves such as Scary Face at Level 5, Leech Life at Level 12, and Night Shade at Level 15. Spinarak DOES get better later on, as does its evolution of Ariados. However if you need a Bug for Heart Gold in the early stages up to the first Gym, stick with Butterfree.

Ledyba is the Soul Silver exclusive and it’s a neat Bug/Flying dual Type. It learns Supersonic at Level 6, but that only has a 55% accuracy. It does learn Comet Punch at level 9, which is basically Fury Attack. Again, this is too unreliable to depend on, but it’s better than nothing. At level 14, Ledyba learns three defensive moves: Safeguard, Reflect and Light Screen. Unfortunately, all the defense moves in the world can’t help it against Pidgeotto in the first gym.

The Normals

Rattata is definitely a Pokemon you want in your early team. It hits hard and hits fast. It has three amazing moves before Level 15: Quick Attack (Level 4!), Bite (at Level 10) and Pursuit (at Level 13). All three of these moves are must haves for your Ratatta and you’ll see it quickly dominate against nearly everything else in the early game. GET ONE.

Sentret is a fun Pokemon. Like Bidoof, it can kearn a ton of HM’s but unlike Bidoof, it has decent stats and moves it can learn. Even better, since we’re only looking at the first 15 levels, you’ll be happy to know Sentret evolves into Furrett at Level 15. It doesn’t learn anything truly great aside from Quick Attack at Level 7 though, so Ratatta is the better choice if you have to go with one or the other.

Rock Types

If you sneak up to Route 46 or enter Dark Cave in Route 31, you’ll have a chance at catching what is easily the best Pokemon in the early game besides your starter: Geodude. As a Rock/Ground Pokemon, Geodude is strong against everything you will face besides Bellsprouts and can single handedly destroy the Violet City Gym. It has very high Attack and Defense stats for this stage of the game and although it’s only attack for the first ten levels of the game is Tackle, at Level 11 it learns Rock Throw and at Level 15 it learns Magnitude. Much like Ratatta, Geodude it a Pokemon you want to get as quickly as you can to make the early game a cakewalk.

In Violet City, you can get an Onix by trading someone where a Bellsprout. I’m not a fan of traded Pokemon due to the inability to control them unless you have a certain number of badges and the potential seems to go down when not with their original Trainer, but if you can’t get a Geodude, Onix is a decent replacement. It’s only decent attack is learned at Level 9, and that’s Rock Throw. Really, it’s only worth getting this particular Onix to fill your Pokedex or if someone has given you a steel coat this early in the game. Otherwise I’d suggest waiting until you catch a wild one.

The Rest

You can find two other Pokemon in the Dark Cave: Zubat and Dunsparce. Zubat is especially worth it for its eventually evolution of Crobat, which was amazing in the original Heart Gold and Soul Silver. Even here in the early stages, it’s an amazing Pokemon. It learns the Ghost move Astonish at Level 9, and the Dark move Bite at Level 13. Both will be very helpful and it can stand up to Pidgeotto pretty easily.

Dunsparce however, is awful and only worth getting for your Pokedex. It’s going to be exceedingly rare unless a swarm is occurring, so it may take hours to get one to show up. Even then it only has one damage dealing attack until Level 17, and that’s Rage. Just leave Dunsparce in the box.

Bellsprout is a Grass-Poison Pokemon you can find right before Violet City, although you may want to catch two to trade one for Onix. If you have Chikorita, you won’t need to bother with Bellsprout but otherwise it may be worth a go. Bellsprout starts with Vine Whip, which is a fine move but it’s the only direct damage dealing move it will learn until Level 23. It can learn Sleeppowder and Poisonpowder at Levels 13 and 15 respectively, but so can Butterfree and it learns better over all attacks.

Finally, if you go into Violet City’s Sprout Tower at night, you can find a Ghastly. Ghastly is an awesome Pokemon in any Pokemon game and to get one this early is a real treat. It starts off with Hypnosis and Lick which are helpful. It also doesn’t hurt that Falkner’s Pokemon use mostly Normal attacks, which Ghastly is immune to. It learns Mean Look at Level 8 which is nice for catch other Pokemon and Night Shade at Level 15. It won’t be a truly good attacker until Level 19 when it gets Confuse Ray and then Level 26 when it gets Shadow Ball, so you’ll probably want to give it a TM before then to supplement its damage. Still, it’s a great Pokemon and worth having on your main team.

Overall the best five Pokemon to compliment your starter on the road to your first badge are probably Geodude, Ratatta, Zubat, Ghastly and then either Pidgey or Spearow. You do have 15 choices, not counting evolutions, so you can really make whatever team you want in order to get that first badge. Now that you know what’s waiting for you on the way to Violet City, you can decide what Pokemon you want to be your early active team.

Now that you’ve seen your path to the first badge, feel free to look over our guides for all the Gym Leaders, both Kanto AND Johto, as well as our guide for the Elite Four and the Pokemon Champion. Just click on one of the links below.

Johto Gym Leader Lineups

Johto Elite Four and Pokemon Champion Lineups

Kanto Gym Leader Lineups
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Defensive Strengths

All three starters stick to a single type through all three of their evolutions meaning they will always have the same Types that they are strong against in terms of defense.

Chikorita is strong against Electric, Grass, Ground and Water Type moves.
Cyndaquil is strong against Bug, Fire, Grass, Ice and Steel Type moves.
Totodile is strong against Fire, Ice, Water and Steel moves.

Cyndaquil is stronger against more types than the other starters, which is a plus, but out of all the Types Fire is strong against, only Ice, Fire, and Grass really come up a lot. Chikorita is nice because Water and Electric moves are plentiful in both the game and in Player Vs. Player battles. At the same time Totodile is strong against three of the most commonly used move Types in the game. If you’re a defensive player, think about what Pokemon Types your friends use most and pick a starter that is protected against some, or all, of them.

Defensive Weaknesses

Chikorita is weak against Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice and Poison attacks.
Cyndaquil is weak against Ground, Rock, and Water attacks.
Tototdile is weak against Electric and Grass attacks.

In terms of weaknesses, Totodile is your best bet. Although Electric attacks are very common in Player Vs. Player battles, they don’t show up a lot in the Joho Overworld. The same is true for Grass attacks, meaning if you’re just playing to get through the game, Totodile is best if this is where you are most concerned. Cyndaquil has one more weakness than Totodile, but only one of them is common. Sadly, Water Pokemon are the most plentiful in the game, meaning that statistically this is the WORST type Weakness to have. Chikorita is weak to a whopping five types, all of which are attack Types that are extremely common in Player Vs. Player battles. This means if you fight against your friends a lot, Chikorita will have the biggest disadvantage in terms of being hit with “super-effective” moves out of the three starters.

Commonality

Something to think about is how common these Types are in the wild. Remember you want a solid and balanced team, so doubling or even tripling up on a time will often harm you more than it helps you. Water type Pokemon are the most common in the game, so if you’re interested in checking out Pokemon like the Red Gyarados, Lanturn, Corsola, or other Water Type Pokemon, you may want to forgo Totodile. Grass Pokemon are less common, but you can also get a Bellsprout right away in the game and a Hoppip soon after that. Fire Pokemon are exceptionally rare in Johto. You won’t find your first one in the wild until Routes 36 and 37 when you can pick up a Growlithe. That will be right before your fourth badge, so if you like Fire Pokemon, Cyndaquil will be your only chance for one for a large chunk of the game.

Gym Leaders

Like all Pokemon games, the realm of Johto has eight Gym Leaders that you’ll have to deal with.

Chikorita will be weak at the First Gym (Fawlkner-Flying), the second Gym (Bugsy-Bug), the fourth Gym (Morty-Ghost/Poison), the sixth Gym (Jasmine-Steel) and the seventh Gym (Pryce-Ice). That means Chikorita is in for an uphill battle for most of the game. There is not a SINGLE GYM in Johto that was Pokemon that are weak to Grass Type Moves, so choosing Chikorita is for the brave or those seeking a challenge at Gyms.

Conversely, Cyndaquil won’t be weak at a single gym but will be super-effective at the second Gym (Bugsy-Bug), sixth Gym (Jasmine-Steel) and the seventh Gym (Pryce-Ice). That’s three of the gyms Chikorita would be liability at. In terms of getting your badges, Cyndaquil is the best of the three.

Totodile is the middle ground here as he is neither strong not weak against any of the Gyms and their Pokemon. This makes him another solid and reliable Pokemon.

Stats

Chikorita and all its evolutions are the most balanced of all three Pokemon with nearly even scores in all stats. Its lowest stat is its speed, but even that is more than above average for a Pokemon. Its defensive stats are slightly higher than its offensive ones, but overall Chikorita is the Pokemon you would choose if you care mainly about your Pokemon’s stats. It has no weak areas and excels in both attacks, both defenses and speed. It’s a solid Pokemon through and through.

Typhlosion is similar in that all of its stats are above average for a Pokemon, but it is primarily an offensive Pokemon. Typhlosion has lower defensive stats than a Chikorita, but it has higher attack stats. Its speed is also higher. It has the highest Special Attack and Speed of the three Starter Pokemon in its final evolution, but also the lowest Defense and Special Defense.

Totodile’s final evolution of Feraligatr is a physical attacker. It has the highest Hit Points and Attack stats of all three Starters, but it also has the lowest Speed and Special Attack. This can be a major problem as nearly every powerful Water Type move uses the Special Attack stat. Surf, Hydro Pump, and Hydro Cannon are all moves that can’t reach their maximum potential with the Totodile family. Instead, you’ll have to settle for moves like Waterfall, Dive or Aqua Tail if you want a Water move that uses the Attack stat. You’ll have to do some creative moveset decisions to give Totodile a diverse set of moves o that he can actually make use of his stats.

Natural Moves

We’re not going to cover TM’s, HM’s, Move Tutors or Egg Moves, because there’s a good chance you might not get some of them. Instead we’re going to look at what each Pokemon learns naturally for control purposes.

The Chikorita family gets to have a STAB move right out of the gate at level 6 with the awesome Razor Leaf. This will be your primary attack for much of the game and as it is so powerful, it helps to make up for some of the Pokemon’s other weaknesses. The fact it learns the healing move Synthesis at level 11 helps even more and showcases the Chikorita family as strong defensive Pokemon. These two moves will keep Chikorita alive where its defenses might otherwise fail it. It also learns solid attack moves like Petal Dance, Magical Leaf, Body Slam and Solarbeam. It doesn’t naturally learn a wide array of Attack types naturally, but what it does learn are reliable and powerful Grass and Normal ones. The Chikorita family also learns a vast array of defensive moves like Reflect, Light Screen, Safeguard and Aromatherapy. This will allow you to take even more advantage of this Pokemon’s high defensive stats. Just remember you need to have SOME attacks in order to take out your opponent.

Cyndaquil learns its first Fire move at level 10 with Ember. It’s not as awesome as Razor Leaf, but Cyndaquil’s high special attack makes up for it. Its next Fire move is Flame Wheel, but you can pass on that as it uses Attack instead of Special Attack. Its best Fire moves are much later in the game. Lava Plume, Flamethrower and Eruption are all moves Typhlosion can take full advantage of and really lay some hurt down on its opponent. Cyndaquil’s evolutions don’t learn a lot of non-Fire Type attacks naturally. It can learn Swift, Quick Attack, and Double Edge in addition to the Tackle it starts with, but Swift will definitely be a nice move to have at times, especially in the midpoint of your Johto badge collection. It’s also worth noting it can naturally learn the Rock move Rollout, which can not only get quite powerful, but it can also throw your opponent for a loop as they probably won’t expect it.

As mentioned earlier, Totodile is a bit tricky as Water moves tend to use Special Attack scores and all three of its evolutions are actually low in that stat. It learns Water Gun at level 6, but it won’t really get a move it can truly use properly until it is Feraligatr at Level 50 with Aqua Tail. I should also point out that this evolutionary chain doesn’t learn another Water based attack between Water Gun and Aqua Tail, so expect long stretches where Totodile’s STAB moves are exceptionally weak unless you get a strong TM or HM. To make up for this huge deficiency, this evolutionary chain learns a lot of powerful moves outside its Type. This helps make your Totodile the most balanced in terms of natural learned moves, but you’ll still have that weakness with STAB moves for a whopping 44 levels. The best moves Totodile learns naturally are Bite (a Dark attack), Crunch (another Dark Move), Ice Fang (Ice, which will really help in the 8th Gym, which are all Dragons), Slash (Normal) and Superpower (Fighting). Just these moves alone gives Totodile a chance to do super-effective damage against a wide range of Pokemon. It’s Water moves may be pretty weak, but out of all three Starters, Totodile is the best in terms of being offensively effective with its natural moveset.

Closing

As we’ve seen, all three Starters have their own specific strengths and weaknesses. While going through this article did you see a particular category that struck you as extremely important? Then you should probably go for the Pokemon that excels there and shy away from the one that is weakest. However, it can come down to simple preference. As I said in the beginning of the article, I originally chose Totodile way back when simply because I liked the design of the character and that was all that matter to me. No matter what you base your starter selection on, just make sure to raise them the best you can as it’ll be your primary Pokemon for most of the game.

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Johto Gym Leader Lineups

Johto Elite Four and Pokemon Champion Lineups

Kanto Gym Leader Lineups

Feel free to leave comments here on on each individual guide.
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Rooms is presented in a style that at first attempts to look like a film noir style comic book, but then throws some eerily out of place talking treasure chests and other colorful set-pieces into the mix. It doesn’t matter though, because all you’re really here for is the puzzles, am I right? Thankfully, the demo has a surprising amount of them.

There are two facets to the gameplay of Rooms. First you have what is basically a point and click adventure style segment where you navigate a hotel and try to find objects that will allow you to progress through the building. It’s also a place where you have an opportunity to use the items that you may have picked up in the puzzle segments (more on those later). You can also get advice from the talking treasure chest I mentioned earlier about what to do next.

Any time you are outside the hotel, you have access to a map which lays out a series of puzzles that you are tasked with solving, as well as determining how far you need to go to unlock the next item. This is the core of the gameplay and where you’ll likely have the bulk of your experience. The object of each puzzle is to get your main character from a starting room to an exit door by shifting rooms around on a grid and making use of the items within them. Depending on the stage, you may have ladders to climb up and down, wardrobes that allow you to swap rooms, and telephones that will transform you into several lines of binary code and teleport you to another room like something out of The Matrix.

The Wii remote is used as a point and click device, so it’s very easy for anyone to pick up and play. The demo seemed to do a good job of explaining how the game is played as well as easing you into the puzzles by only introducing one new gimmick at a time. If the main game is paced like this, fans of the puzzle genre everywhere will be delighted.

One look at the main menu suggests that there will be several other modes aside from the main story. In fact, according to the description, not only will the final version include over 100 puzzles, but you will be given the opportunity to create your own. These puzzles can in turn be shared with your buddies online (though hopefully without necessitating the use of an arbitrary friend code).

While puzzle games are not necessarily my genre of choice, I’ve played enough of them to see that Rooms is at least trying to put a unique spin on the genre. As long as this title doesn’t degenerate into a glorified series of sliding block puzzles, it has all the potential to be a standout third party title on the Wii, something the console definitely needs. Look for it on March 23 of this year.
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How do you receive one of these valuable codes? All you have to do is become a fan of the official Diehard GameFAN Facebook page and post a comment to our City of Eternals discussion thread and we’ll send you a special link that will put you straight in the game. Act fast, though, as we will distribute our codes on a first-come, first-served basis until we are out.

Also be sure to check City of Eternals‘ official Facebook page for more information about the game.

Here’s a PR blurb from ohai for those of you unfamilar with the game:

“In City of Eternals, instead of watching vampires, players can become them, fighting undead monsters, going on creepy quests, and exploring New Valencia, a modern city secretly ruled by four Vampire houses. Players can create their own coven of Vampires (called an “entourage”), turn themselves into an ultimate Vampire warrior, even develop craft skills that enhance their undead lives. (For example, players can make themselves a “fashionista,” and customize their Vampire outfit to make it the talk of the town.) City of Eternals gamers can own and furnish their own home, befriend fellow Vampire players – or even romance them, by designating them your Blood Mate.

ohai is the developer of the first true massively multiplayer online (MMO) games for social networks, and offers MMOs for everyone. City of Eternals uses patented Flash technology that is installed standard on 99% of Net-connected computers, making it easy for casual gamers and more experienced MMO fans to jump right into the game, with no barrier to entry.”

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Anyway, J. Rose received an Editor’s CHoice print in Woot’s most recent Double-Take Derby with a collaborative effort he designed with fellow designer Travis Gentry. Their design, “Oh hai there, I can haz ur planet?”, can be seen below, and it really speaks for itself:

You can order it here, if you like HP Lovecraft and Ceiling Cat. So, really, all of you should own two.

You can also check out his prior printed shirts, most of which are no longer available, below:

A Clockwork Orange.
Dragon Slayer.
Mario fighting Bowser, done in the Baroque art style.
Nightmare Circus.
Robot Dinosaurs.
Steamworks Operatica.
Weird Fiction (an H.P. Lovecraft tribute).
Scareperson.
I Like Candy/Wise Old Master.
Almost Dawn.
The Valkyrie.
I MET SYSTEM I.

You can still acquire “Wise Old Master” from GoodJoe, and you can acquire “A Clockwork Orange” and “Weird Fiction” from J. Rose’s own shirt site, which also contains other designs and DHGF-themed apparel.

Enjoy!
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In the first of what is hoped to be a new regular series of audio podcasts, Diehard GameFAN’s Ian Gorrie and Jonathan Widro kick things off by talking about some of the biggest console and third party publishers taking the online component of their games offline.

Topics include Microsoft taking Xbox Live offline for the original Xbox, EA pulling the plug on some current generation games less than 2 years old, and Blizzard’s success in doing essentially the opposite.

Listen on the DHGF Podcast player or download the MP3 today!

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Diehard GameFAN: Ragnarok is a popular MMORPG that was started in Korea in 2001. It has spawned several sequels and spin-offs including the DS sequel you are bringing to the US. What made you decide to bring Ragnarok DS to the US?

Ken Berry: We knew how popular Ragnarok Online was as an MMO in the PC community, but we are always looking for solid games that provide a fun gameplay experience rather than licensed titles. Once we started playing Ragnarok DS, we were impressed with how deep the customization options were with a huge selection of unique job classes to master and we became hooked immediately. Any game that we can’t put down is one that definitely qualifies as a title worth pursuing, and having the Ragnarok name-value was just an added bonus to a great standalone DS game.

DHGF: How does this game differ from the MMORPG version?

KB: The biggest difference would of course be that the DS players are not part of the online persistent world, but fans of Ragnarok Online will instantly recognize the artwork, job classes, and many other elements since it takes place within the same Ragnarok Online universe. People that have grown accustomed to playing Ragnarok with others can even join up with two other friends locally or online to take on a special area called the Mirage Tower together.

DHGF: You can play with up to two of your friends via the wi-fi connection. That makes the DS game more Phantasy Star Portable than Phantasy Star Online. What was the decision behind that?

KB: I’ve never played the Phantasy Star series, but my thinking is that it was a natural choice to include online multiplayer for a game that’s renowned for cooperative play and teamwork. Not too many DS titles use the wi-fi connection feature to go online so it’s obvious to see it was very important to the development team if they went through that much trouble to implement it.

DHGF: Which classes have made it from the MMORPG to the DS version?

KB: Fans of the PC version will see a lot of familiar job classes such as the Swordsman and Knight, Magician and Wizard, Archer and Hunter, Acolyte and Priest, Thief and Assassin, Merchant and Blacksmith, and Taekwon Kid which grows into a Taekwon Master. Ragnarok DS will also have two job classes that are new to the Ragnarok world: Dark Knight and Shaman.

DHGF: One of the complaints about the MMORPG version of Ragnarok is that there is little no plot. However that hasn’t stopped millions of people from having fun with it. What’s the story/plot for the DS version?

KB: The plot centers around Ales, a young boy who lost both of his parents but aspires to become a great adventurer and start his own guild someday. Things take a turn for the uncertain when he comes across Sierra, a mysterious girl that doesn’t remember much of anything from her past, and they start going on quests together. Needless to say, Sierra’s past ends up catching up with her so it’s up to Ales and his growing party to try to set things right.

DHGF: There tends to be a bit of a difference between MMORPG fans, who are generally PC gamers, and console gamers. What about Ragnarok Online DS will draw them to the DS version and likewise, what is the hook for people that have no connection to the MMORPG, or perhaps have never even heard of it? Why would they enjoy the DS spin-off?

KB: PC players will find instant familiarity in the job classes and the rest of the world that’s consistent with the Ragnarok universe, but they would also have a lot of fun utilizing the touch screen as special abilities are unleashed by various methods such as slashing, circling, double-tapping, or even holding down to charge and then swiping in the direction you want to unleash the skill. For people unfamiliar with the PC version but enjoy Ragnarok DS, they may enjoy having a party consisting of more than three people which are all individually controlled by other players, and of course they would be familiar with most of the job classes already thanks to their Ragnarok DS playing experience.

DHGF: What can people expect from Ragnarok, gameplay-wise?

KB: Ragnarok DS is a dungeon-crawler’s dream with tons of loot to find, with over 100 quests to complete, and numerous unique jobs to master. The new jobs created for this version, Dark Knight and Shaman, are very rewarding as they require a lot of work to unlock.

DHGF: People that preordered Ragnarok, recieved a whopping SEVEN bonus items. What do these items do for your game?

KB: These are all meant to enhance the experience of playing Ragnarok Online on PC. Their benefits range from increasing experience points gained by defeating monsters, to increasing recovery rate of HP and SP. Hopefully people will put them to good use in their Ragnarok Online accounts, or be perhaps even enticed to start up a new account and give it a try for the first time.

DHGFL Ragnarok 2: Gate of the World is in the beta testing stages back in Asia. Since XSEED is working with GungHo to release the DS game, is there any chance XSEED will be involved with the MMORPG’s eventual release? As well, if this does well, will you be considering any of the other spin-offs like Ragnarok Offline Brawler?

KB: We have no plans to be involved in Rangarok Online 2 as GungHo’s subsidiary, Gravity Interactive, is based in the US and is already running the entire Ragnarok Online community. If they did decide to create any additional games for the Nintendo DS or other consoles, we would have to evaluate that on a case-by-case basis.

DHGF: Finally, will there ever be a chance to play with a member of the XSEED staff in those multi-player missions?

KB: Possibly, but since we’ve had a huge start on the rest of the population playing the game, maybe we’ll wait a week or two to give everyone a chance to level-up and catch up to us first. But knowing gamers, I have a feeling not only will they catch up to us within a week’s time, they will probably completely surpass us and leave us in the dust.

As you can see, XSEED is confident that Ragnarok DS is a game that will be enjoyed by gamers, whether or not they’ve experienced the PC MMORPG. It’s currently out now with a MSRP of $34.99 and I’ll have my review of the game up here at Diehard GameFAN early next week for my usual lengthy commentary. Until then, you can check out the official website for the game to learn more.

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After being able to see the original Zeno Clash packed with more content, it might be safe to say the title just may raise the bar on the Xbox LIVE Arcade experience. Slated for a release on March 31, Zeno Clash is a first-person title where the main focus is in-your-face first-person melee fighting. In order to set the stage for the game’s premise, here is Guy Desmarais’ synopsis of the story:

“The game takes place in a unique setting which the developers describe as ‘fantasy punk.’ You play as Ghat, a member of a tribe that consists of the children of a hermaphrodite figure called Father-Mother. The game starts as Ghat regains consciousness after killing Father-Mother, effectively making all of his siblings angry. As he goes on the run with the help of a female companion called Deadra, he must constantly fight for his life against his brothers and sisters, assassins hired by his siblings and many other hostile creatures that populate the world of Zenozoik.”

Both Jabbari and Bordeu confirmed that no story elements have changed in Zeno Clash in its port over to the Xbox 360; however, given the Ultimate Edition features new enemies and weapons, the game will play a bit differently thanks to these elements mixed with Ghat’s new attacks. According to Bordeu, the transition to the console was a natural fit, stating the switch from keyboard and mouse to Xbox 360 controller was hardly a challenge. Given the pedigree of many first-person shooters on the system, this doesn’t seem too farfetched to believe.

Jabbari covered a controller layout that seemed standard for any first-person title: the left trigger zooms when Ghat is holding a firearm, the right trigger fires or swings a weapon or fists, the X button reloads weapons, the B button throws skull bombs, Y picks up items off the ground, the left bumper sprints, and the A button discards weapons or blocks for example. There are more mechanics available to players such as being able to lock-on to select enemies to engage them in fisticuffs, and players can also grapple dazed enemies. This range of attacks of moves present different strategies necessary to survive in the game. Heavy tank enemies will need to be tackled in a hit-and-run manner, while out-of-reach opponents will need to be gunned down from cover, and some weapons will have secondary features that allow players to take down enemies much easier, so there is a lot to experiment with in the title.

In the demonstration, Jabbari showed off a level mid-way through the game, taking place after Ghat is in exile. On the run with Deadra, Ghat is stuck in a desolate environment ripe with detail including a wavering skyline and native creatures that resemble dinosaurs. In an example of keeping the gameplay fresh, Ghat is tasked with hunting down three rabbits so the pair can have some food. The quest showcased the contextual icons on the in-game HUD that displayed the player’s progress and allowed the player to explore the environment a little (if the player goes outside of a “boundary,” they are attacked by sand worms). After bagging three rabbits, Ghat returns to Deadra to see a bounty hunter aiming a gun at her and making demands. Ghat gives himself up in order to spare Deadra and finds himself in a boss battle that shows exactly how unique and deranged the world of Zenozoik can be. The bounty takes refuge on top of one of the towering, native beasts and beings parachuting squirrels with powder kegs strapped to their back down on top of Ghat. The player has to fend off the suicide squirrel squad while aiming a firearm up high in order to tackle the boss.

Another environment, taking place before the player’s exile, sees Ghat enter a bar to receive more information about Father-Mother. After negotiating a deal with one of the inhabitants, Ghat is led to Father-Mother’s location and is called out as a threat. In response, the player then has to fend off a towering enemy and waves of other fighters that close in on the position. During this time, Jabbari was able to show off the lock-on feature and the player’s defensive abilities – by holding block and moving the analog stick left or right, players can sway in that direction, and by timing a sway exactly with an attack, time will slow down shortly and allow for a brutal counterattack. Players can also press block at the exact moment of a strike to parry an attack and also deal out a nasty blow.

The last story environment showcased allowed us see some of the unique weaponry, notably, the “torch.” The torch is a staff that doubles as a firearm when ignited, which came in handy as Ghat had to navigate a marsh-like environment with enemies attacking from the ground and sky. The last bit of gameplay we saw featured the tower challenges, which are essentially tests of endurance that has players taking on a wave of enemies to move on to the next floor where more enemies await.

New to the Xbox 360 version of the title is the ability to call on a second player for backup on these challenges. The multiplayer allows one other person to join in on Xbox LIVE or even locally via split screen to provide backup. It even seems the companies aren’t finished adding additional mode content to the title, as we were alerted to future announcements of even more exclusives to the Ultimate Edition. This edition also features a few cosmetic changes, such as a new voice actor for Deadra, and the companies plan to have the title running at 720p in order to take advantage of the impressive visuals.

Right now the game will likely weigh in at more than 1 GB, giving players quite the experience compared to other games on the service. When you further consider the companies are keeping the game at 1,200 Microsoft Points (or possibly less), both Atlus and Ace Team are proposing quite a value, considering the single-player story alone ranks in at 19 chapters or roughly 6-8 hours of play. The original Zeno Clash was one of our nominees for 2009 Fighting Game of the Year, so we’re definitely keeping an eye on this one to see if it can capture the same magic twice. If so, players will have an experience that rivals some retail games, stored directly in their Xbox 360 hard drive.
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P.B. Winterbottom comes from the minds of graduates of the University of Southern California’s Interactive Media MFA program. In 2008, the Odd Gentlemen started off as an independent studio founded by Matt Korba and Paul Bellezza. Now in 2010, they are setting out to expand their mission of making experimental games. The first of these titles is a re-imagining of P.B. Winterbottom, set to be expanded and improved upon thanks to the Xbox 360 hardware and published courtesy of 2K Play. The publisher has taken a recent effort to expand on its portfolio with key downloadable titles on the Xbox LIVE Arcade format and so far, P.B. Winterbottom is looking like a perfect, and surely an original, addition to the service.

Hot off the heels of the development of The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, The Odd Gentlemen co-founder Paul Bellezza took some time out of his schedule to answer some questions in regard to the game and its development, The Odd Gentlemen, what it was like to develop games independently, what the future holds for the company and more. We figured someone whose initials were P.B. would give us the best insight on The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (although we had to lock up all of our pies), so please continue reading as we examine the past, present and future with Paul Bellezza:

DHGF: To set the stage for those not in the know, can you introduce The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom to our readers and describe what makes the title a unique experience?

Paul Bellezza: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a 2-D side scrolling puzzle platformer starting the nefarious P.B. Winterbottom – pie thief extraordinaire. The game takes place in a macabre silent film inspired universe and involves Winterbottom’s quest to chase the elusive Chronoberry Pie, which has caused P.B. to become unstuck in time. Because of this, Winterbottom receives the ability to record any of his actions and spawn time clones that repeat his previous actions. With the help of these time clones, Winterbottom can stand on his own head to get to higher places, smack himself or his clones with his umbrella, which is a launching mechanism, and can be in multiple places at once. All of these tricks are good for one thing: Nabbing delicious pie.

DHGF: P.B. Winterbottom’s noir motif definitely gives the title a unique identity. What are your concerns in regard to current gamers being “spoiled” on today’s visuals? What kind of challenges did producing the title in this art form produce?

P.B.: In this current generation of consoles, the march over the uncanny valley is expensive, draining and consists of mostly green and brown color palettes. We don’t care about creating visuals that are photo real. We feel we get enough of that in the real world. We’d much rather create stylized worlds that are bent, twisted and fantastical as these are the types of places we dreamed of as children. These are the worlds that suit the games we want to make.

Now that’s not to say we don’t appreciate the glitz and glamour of today’s modern games. Uncharted 2 is one of our favorites. We just don’t have an interest in making worlds that utilize that style.

DHGF: Can you expand on the game’s silent movie inspiration? Were there any silent films or actors from the time period that directly inspired P.B. Winterbottom?

P.B.: We’re fans of Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. There are several segments in the game that are heavily inspired by Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last and Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. A Trip to the Moon, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis inspired us as well.

DHGF: The original development page for the title shows a number of concepts for the P.B. Winterbottom character. Can you reflect on the evolution and creation of the character? How did you know when you finally had exactly what you wanted in the character?

Paul: Our creative director, Matt Korba, modeled and animated the first version of Winterbottom, which we used in the student version of the game. Even in the student project, Winterbottom went through a few transitions. We knew we wanted him to creep around in a gremlin-like manner while keeping an air of dignity around him. When we started the commercial version of Winterbottom, we set out to revamp the character for HD. With the help of our concept artist, Vincent Perea, we began rethinking him. We added more details to his face and attire and got him re-modeled and running in the game world. Several months later, Matt Clausen, along with Korba, decided we wanted to revamp him a third time. In this final pass, we gave him a new color treatment and added extra details like black shadows around his eyes, while reshaping his head to make for a better platform. We almost didn’t have enough time to get the final version in the game but once we got a set of test frames into the game itself, we knew he was where we wanted him to be.

DHGF: So far, the title seems like a pretty big victory for The Odd Gentlemen. What was your initial reaction to a publisher such as 2K Play being interested in your title? What kind of a process was involved in going from an independent effort to a spotlighted retail release?

P.B.: The whole journey has been an amazing but surreal journey for us. We never had any inclination that this would turn into a full-fledged downloadable console title. As students, we were only interested in making the best game that we could make. The real turning point for us was when the game earned entrance into the Independent Games Festival at GDC 2008. Demoing the game on the show floor at GDC opened up a ton of doors for us. We met every major publisher in the industry and garnered attention from the gaming press. 2K Play was one of the first publishers we spoke with and from the get-go they made it clear that they would support our creative vision for the game. After signing with 2K, they provided us with tools and resources to get our studio up and running. It has been very collaborative, as they’ve worked with us to develop a schedule that would best suit the development of the project. All in all, it’s been a smooth working relationship.

DHGF: Do you think P.B. Winterbottom would have had the same appeal if it would have been built in the suggested Ogre 3D, as a postmortem for the USC thesis build indicated? What is it about the differences between 2-D and 3-D that you feel defines a game and how it is approached and developed?

P.B.:To be frank, we couldn’t have pulled off the look we have achieved with The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom for XBLA if we used Ogre 3D. The type of shading and lighting used to make our models just wouldn’t have been possible to do “live.” Furthermore, we were interested in making a puzzle platformer and a 2-D plane was the way we envisioned the game happening. As a puzzle game, we wanted the player to be able to see the problem they were facing in one shot. Were it in 3-D, the puzzles would have required a different type of design that wouldn’t necessarily work the same way. So the decision to design the game for a 2-D perspective was a deliberate design choice.

DHGF: What aspects of the game were made possible through Xbox development as opposed to the Adobe Flash format utilized originally?

P.B.: Developing the game on the Xbox gave us more raw power than what was available to us in Flash. Therefore, we got more clones on the screen, higher-resolution assets and less slowdown.

DHGF: With the original product, were there any instances or comments that still stick out in your mind when the game was showcased at the Independent Games Festival 2008?

P.B.: The critical response was overwhelming. I don’t think anything else will compare … well, maybe upgrading my 1999 Chevy Prism to a non-broken, smelly car will … but nothing else.

DHGF: What does it mean to you as an independent developer to have the awards and press you’ve been receiving thus far?

Paul: I felt honored by the warm reception we received from the gaming press and industry. When we were at E3 2008 with Indiecade, we received several E3 award nominations. We were flabbergasted that our little student Flash game were uttered in the same sentence as titles such as Mirror’s Edge, Prince of Persia, and Spore. The awards and press help with morale, but we never lose sight of the fact that attention is only as good as the game you are making. We pour our energy into making the best games we can and everything else is just gravy.

DHGF: What is next for The Odd Gentlemen? Would the team rather move on to bigger, disc-based games? What is the ideal genre the team would like to work on and why? How is the company mission statement of being the buffest development team in the world working for you?

P.B.: We have another game baking in the oven right now and it’s just as crazy as Winterbottom is … and it’s in COLOR. As for disc-based games, it’s not out of the question for us in the future but we’re not in a rush to go big. The size of the game we make will be determined by the game design and direction we’re chasing, so if an idea warrants a large scope, then perhaps we’ll end up making a disc-title.

Well, we definitely have a lot of muscle under our post-crunch love handles. So in that regard, I’d say it’s going quite well. Making a game about delicious pie was not good for our goal.

DHGF: What are your thoughts on the overall landscape of the independent video game development scene? Is there any advice you would give to someone with aspirations for getting into independent video game development?

P.B.: The indie game scene has a lot of interesting games. Developers take big and very exciting risks. As long as people are passionate about making games their way, then the indie scene will continue to yield more great games. Every year the number of submissions to the IGF and Indiecade increases and this is testament to a new generation of self-guided game developers rising up. It’s awesome!

Advice for anyone passionate enough to going into independent game development, the best tenet we recommend is to make sure the game you’re making is personal to you. When a game is personal to the creator, it shows in the design and is more effective.

Diehard GameFAN would like to thank Paul Bellezza, 2K Play, The Odd Gentlemen and Jim Render of The Redner Group for their time and the interview.

Xbox 360 owners will be able to experience the hijinks of pie thief extraordinaire P.B. Winterbottom starting tomorrow for the price of 800 Microsoft Points. Stick with us through the week as we’ll be sure to have impressions and a review of the title as soon as we possibly can but, until that time, be sure to check out the Diehard GameFAN P.B. Winterbottom media gallery.
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A few years ago, I read a book called The Terror, by Dan Simmons. The book is a fictionalization of what happened to a pair of exploratory vessels that tried to force the Northwest Passage and sail through the Arctic Ocean in 1845. Bad things happened in no short supply, and the combined horrors of starvation, hypothermia, madness, and cannibalism are only made worse by a mythical being stalking the sailors. The book is excellent, and I highly recommend it. What put the experience past the realm of just reading a book though is the fact that I read it over several of the coldest and snowiest weeks of winter. When the characters were freezing, I was freezing. When the captains looked out over a sheet of ice, I looked over an ice-covered field. It was a strange duality and I feel that it really helped my enjoyment of the book and my identification with the characters.

What does all this have to do with video games? As I felt more and more in touch with the book, I realized that if reading a book about the arctic can be even more chilling in the winter, so too could playing a video game based in a cold setting. Sure, games have had freeze rays and ice levels since programmers realized how to do differential traction coding, but we want to show games that really embrace cold. As most of the Midwest is digging out from/bracing for more of big snowstorm, we’re going to help you get the most out of your gaming in the freezing, icy winter. Die Hard Game Fan has compiled this list of games that-when played when the wind is howling outside and the ice is coating the world in a transparent sheath-take on a whole new level of immersion.

Honorable Mentions

Before we take the icy plunge, I’d be remiss if we didn’t mention a few games that, while not being completely about cold, certainly have some key elements of cold.

Mortal Kombat Series
Why? Two words: Sub Zero. You can’t tell me you didn’t see that coming. Subby and his freezing attacks have been a trademark of the Mortal Kombat franchise since its inception. In fact, Sub Zero appears in every Mortal Kombat game except Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. He even became so popular that he appeared in his own game, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero. Of course, he alone can’t carry the franchise onto our list, but this ice man needs to be discussed in this list.

Halo 3
Bungie clearly has a love for the cold, because they showed off a snow level in every Halo game. Some of that was the desire to show the multiple environments within the Halo rings, sure, but some of the best multi-player levels have taken place in the cold. Avalanche and Snowbound are the first two that come to mind, and they are completely opposite in scope. Snowbound is a tiny, almost intimate map suited for small team battles and deathmatch. Avalanche is a sprawling, winding map that demands vehicles and caters to team playlists. The reason it isn’t on the list? Halo tosses players around so much that it isn’t likely you’d see the same level twice in a row.

The Top Ten

10. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
WoW had a few wintry zones in the first iteration. But it wasn’t until Wrath came out that a cold snap really hit Azeroth. The frozen wastes of Northrend took players across a massive continent that was covered in ice and snow. Fog-bound beaches and haunting music put you in a desolate place that seemed hopeless. The inclusion of several new NPC races, like the walrus-based Tuskar, perfectly suited the arctic feel. However, it isn’t until you learn cold weather flying and take off to the peaks of Icecrown that you can really feel the chill. WoW also gets points because, let’s face it, if you’re snowed in, you might as well be grinding rep as opposed to grinding with a snow shovel. My gaming pc is on the second floor, and has a window nearby. I’ve flown through the snowstorms of Northrend while a real life snowstorm raged outside. It was…epic.

9. Rune
Rune had a lot going for it, and a lot of issues as well. It was, if not the first, then at least one of the earliest games to use the Unreal engine for something other than a first person shooter. The graphics at the time were very good, and it had some really neat ideas on weapons. Instead of always grabbing the most powerful item and swinging wildly, Rune let you choose from any number of axes, maces, and swords, with different effects. You could also pick up a lot of environmental items, such as torches, and use those to warm the hearts and beards of villainous vikings. Rune told the story of a young Viking warrior named Ragnar who was betrayed, killed, and brought back to seek revenge. Despite the fact that the first third or so of the game had you fighting giant crustaceans and some questionable platforming, Rune managed to cram a lot of Norse mythology into the story. No less than Odin himself, with Hugin and Munin flying around his head, commands you to stop the forces that tried to kill you. The snowy fjords start out clean and white, and soon end up stained red with the blood of your enemies. It’s hard to argue with a game that lets you use severed limbs as weapons.

8. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Capcom has never been a stranger to ice, seeing as how almost every Mega Man game has some sort of cold based boss. However, Lost Planet might take the prize for most square feet of cold. Lost Planet is takes place on a world that is completely frozen, with horrible monsters and relentless pirates ready to kill you just to harvest your body heat as it fades. The good news is that you have a bunch of ways to fight back, including some heavy metal mech action. It is also a great time to play this game again, as there is a sequel on the way.

7. The Thing
John Carpenter and Kurt Russell have combined for some great movies, but the re-imagining of The Thing is the best as far as I am concerned. Paranoia that can only come from a parasitic alien that can copy, cell by cell, the appearance of anyone around you makes for a compelling film. To see that same fear brought over to the video game is amazing. The Thing takes place just a few hours after the movie ends, and asks you to track down any surviving alien with a team of soldiers as backup. Your teammates had some fairly advanced AI for the time, and could turn on you if you shot them too much or displayed strange behavior. On the other hand, sometimes they could be infected, and if you didn’t shoot them, they could turn on you in the worst possible moments. If the action got too much for you retreat was available-typically into the sub-zero temperatures of Antarctica. While there, you would gradually freeze to death if you couldn’t find shelter. While the game never quite matched the “testing a hot wire into the blood” scene of the film, it was an example of a great survival horror game where the environment was just as deadly as the alien threat.

6. Icewind Dale Series
Black Isle may have hit the very definition of “epic story” in the Baldur’s Gate saga, but the Icewind Dale games have always had a place in my heart. Leaving much of the open story behind, Icewind Dale played more as a hack and slash RPG than an open-ended quest for glory. Despite the cookie-cutter story, the defense of Targos, then Ten Towns, and ultimately the world itself is an awesomely fun journey. The fact that you can build all six members of your party at the start of the game allows for wonderful customization of your strategy. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve thrown together a party, often pulling inspiration from various tabletop gaming groups, and launched the first few levels of Icewind Dale II. Fighting off the goblin horde with the water lapping up against the frozen pier is one of my favorite gaming moments.

5. NHL 10
It’s not fun trying to walk on a sheet of ice. It is, somehow, considered fun to strap a pair of metal blades on your feet and slide all over that sheet of ice. I’m not the biggest hockey fan around, but I know enough not to get called for icing. Hockey is the true sport of winter. The NHL series from Electronic Arts has been around for quite a while now, and each game puts a few more options in place. This iteration allowed for more use of the boards, better pass control, and a first-person fighting system. There have been some other great games in the series, but it is a given that the most recent release will have the most up-to-date teams and players. If you’re into hockey more for the action and less for the pure realism, be sure to check out Mutant League Hockey. Provided you can find a Sega Genesis and a cartridge, this game offered some of the best bloody fun back in the day.

4. Stoked: Big Air Edition
There are a wide variety of snowboarding games out there, each of them giving you the chance to trick your way down the side of a slow-moving avalanche. Stoked: Big Air Edition featured an advanced control scheme that might put newcomers off their boards, but the amount of licensed locations, sponsors, and boarders helped put it over the top. If you are tired of looking out your windows at flat, featureless snowfields, you can put some mountains in your view with this game.

3. Motorstorm: Arctic Edge
While Stoked may offer all the joy of heading down the mountain on foot, sometimes you want a game that offers a little more power. Motorstorm: Arctic Edge provides that horsepower. For extra credit, this game is a PSP title, so you can take it with you over the river and through the woods. Taking place entirely in Alaska, Motorstorm is racing game featuring a good variety of vehicle classes, from superlight ATVs to giant semi-trucks, all racing for glory. Developer Bigbig pushes the envelope of what you can detail on a PSP game. Little touches like gradual snow build-up on tires add a great level of realism to what is, at heart, an arcade racer. Motorstorm: Arctic Edge is full of things to unlock, and the PSP just might put out enough heat to double as a hand-warmer.

2. D2
D2 is a survival-horror game that came out for the Dreamcast in the year 2000. The start of the game may be the most convoluted that I’ve heard about. Main character Laura falls asleep on a plane, which is then seized by terrorists, almost re-taken by a policeman, and just then a meteorite strikes the plane and forces it down. Laura wakes up two days later in a cabin somewhere in Canada. Just to add a welcome degree of “HUH?” some of the other crash survivors are going insane, and there’s a slight outbreak of mutated monsters to deal with. D2 is a game that celebrates the cold environs of Canada, and even has Laura hunting small game to regain health. Definitely worth tracking down if you still have a Dreamcast.

1. Pretty much every Star Wars Game Ever
Ever since that classic scene in The Empire Strikes Back where the Rebel Alliance fights off the Imperial Troops, Star Wars has had a close tie to the cold and snow. As far back as the Atari 2600 and The Empire Strikes Back, when gamers used Snow Speeders to topple AT-AT walkers, to today’s games like The Force Unleashed, Star Wars games have featured Hoth. Even when you don’t set foot on the planet you are Orbit around Hoth, as in the X-Wing expansion pack Imperial Pursuit. What about thousands of years before Luke and Leia? Well, the planet Telos in Knights of the Old Republic 2 was a frigid ball of ice. Rebel Assault, Shadows of the Empire, and Dark Forces all had levels where you were likely to freeze before your tauntaun reached the first marker. If I had a midichlorian for every Star Wars game featuring a Hoth level, I’d be the chosen one. In fact, if you made an effort to play every Star Wars game with a snow or ice planet, it would take you all winter long, and probably keep you warm from jumping up and down to swap discs, cartridges, CD’s, and memory units.

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Warm Up With One of These

If you are sick of the snow, tired of the ice, and ready to move on to warmer climes, video games give you the opportunity to get your feet in the sand, feel the surf, and ignore the cold outside for the warm inside. Here are a few games that you might want to consider if you’d rather go to the tropics than face the shame of buying a snuggie.

Wii Sports Resort
Not only does this collection of minigames take place in the sun and sand, but it has the added benefit of getting you off the couch and moving around. Maybe that will warm the blood and keep frostbite from setting in.

50 Cent: Blood in the Sand
Maybe you want some bullets and attitude with your heat? This title hit with pretty much no expectations…and turned out to be playable, and occasionally enjoyable. There are certainly other third person shooters out there that are better games, but very few of them that would work for this category. If you’re looking to just tune out the snow and wind and heat things up with a RPG, feel free to pop this in the drive.

Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball
Look, sometimes you just want to sit back, look at the sun, the surf, the sand, and the gravity-defying attributes of the Team Ninja ladies. Despite looking like a very, very cheap attempt to cash in on the hormones of the stereotypical gamer dwelling in his parents’ basement, Dead Or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball featured a fairly deep volleyball game and a very structured relationship management system. Give the wrong gift to the wrong girl, and suddenly you’re without a partner. Regardless of the cheesecake factor, this game features some of the best tropical scenery around.

That’s it from us. Do you have any games that remind you of winter? Hope you stay Warm!

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