POKE-FOCUS #20: HO-OH

Introduction

Welcome to a special edition of Poke-Focus, where we highlight a famous legendary bird Pokemon!

The Sacred Rainbow Bird

Ho-oh, the star of Gold (and HeartGold) Version. Unlike the games that came afterwards, it is possible to get it in Silver/SoulSilver as well, meaning neither bird gets left behind! Yay! In Ho-oh's case, as opposed to Lugia, who was simply designed to soak up as many hits as possible, Ho-oh is more of an offensive force, striking hard while still having some nice defensive stats that allow it to take some damage. Just watch out for Stealth Rocks.

Capture/Training

Unlike future games, where only one of the "star legendaries" can be caught, HeartGold and SoulSilver offer both up for capture, although the non-starring legendary will be found much later, at a much higher level. In this case, it will be at Level 70. Be prepared, especially if we want to catch it with a Friend Ball. Don't even bother with soft-resets.

Stats

106 HP, 130 Atk, 90 Def, 110 Sp. Atk, 154 Sp. Def, 90 Spd

Great stats. While Lugia is very much defensively oriented, Ho-oh is more oriented towards offense, though that ridiculously high 154 Special Defense is nothing to ignore. It can dish out hits, and it can certainly take them, too.

Abilities

Pressure appears again, and once again, it helps stall out opponents who strike at its high Special Defense.

Recommended Moves

Sacred Fire

 

Sacred Fire is Ho-oh's signature move, and doubles as its primary physical Fire attack. Yes, physical. For whatever reason, Sacred Fire does physical damage, likely to take advantage of its higher Attack stat. There's really no other reason for it. It does heavy damage, but more importantly, that 50% burn rate can really mess up an opponent. Brave Bird is its primary physical Flying attack, and also does massive damage. The recoil can hurt, though. Ho-oh does have special options on the Fire side in the form of Flamethrower, Heat Wave, Fire Blast, and Overheat (although the last one is a non-replenishable TM), and can use them fairly well thanks to a fairly high base Special Attack. There isn't really anything in the way of special Flying attacks, though.

With the ability to hit hard on both the physical and special side of the spectrum, it's a good thing Ho-oh has a healthy choice of secondary attacks to choose from. We can't mention the physical side without bringing up Earthquake. Punishment is an interesting attack, and can really hurt anyone who tries to stat-up against you. Zen Headbutt and Iron Head are additional options for those interested, as is Return. On the Special side, Thunderbolt and Thunder work well, depending on whether rain might be seen around or not. Other workable moves include Shadow Ball, Earth Power, Extrasensory/Psychic, and the weather-dependent Solarbeam and Weather Ball.

Sacred Nibble My Own Wing While Simultaneously Fiercely Posing for a Supposedly Candid Photo of Myself...Attack

Recover is the main way Ho-oh will be healing itself without resorting to using non-replenishable TMs. Whirlwind is best used with entry hazards on the field.

Reflect helps cover Ho-oh's weaker Defense stat, while Light Screen makes Ho-oh nearly impenetrable to special attacks. Safeguard protects Ho-oh from status. All three can also be used to support the team.

Toxic is an option to stall enemies out. Thunder Wave can also cripple opponents, and might be especially helpful due to Ho-oh's comparatively low Speed. Calm Mind is another way Ho-oh can boost its stats. Substitute is a great move, as always.

Generally speaking, Ho-oh functions best when strong sunlight is available. It can supply its own sunlight with Sunny Day, but overall, it's probably better to just let Groudon light up the arena.

Teammates

The day my ass does that is the day my life will be complete

Ho-oh loves sunlight, and as such, Groudon makes a great teammate. As a bonus, Ho-oh can soak up Grass-type attacks launched at Groudon (as well as special-type Ice attacks, with the bonus that if it were to get frozen, using Sacred Fire thaws it out). Meanwhile, Groudon takes the Electric and Rock attacks Ho-oh hates. Stealth Rock, if it were to appear, could be a real pain, and as such, a Rapid Spinner is also handy. In competitive battling, a Forretress is the most common teammate used for such.

Effective Movesets

1. Substitute/Recover
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Substitute
- Recover
Item: Life Orb/Leftovers
Comments: Use Life Orb for power, Leftovers to be a resilient attacker.

2. Three Attacks
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Recover
Item: Leftovers
Comments: To be used more as a defensive Pokemon, hence no Life Orb. Earthquake gives it some much-needed coverage.

3. Choice Band
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Punishment
Item: Choice Band/Choice Scarf
Comments: With two attacks, it is a powerful Substitute abuser. With three attacks, a near-unbreakable special-defensive tank with great coverage. With four attacks, a threatening Choice user.

I'm one of the best Smash Pokemon too so suck it

4. Choice Specs
- Fire Blast
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Earth Power
Item: Choice Specs
Comments: 110 base Sp. Atk makes Ho-oh quite a threat on the special side, too.

5. Mixed Choice Scarf
- Sacred Fire
- Thunder
- Earthquake
- Punishment/Brave Bird
Item: Choice Scarf

6. Calm Mind
- Calm Mind
- Flamethrower
- Thunder/Thunderbolt
- Recover

7. Toxic Staller
- Toxic
- Light Screen
- Sacred Fire
- Recover

8. Thunder Wave
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Thunder Wave
- Recover

Fire out the mouth, rainbows out the ass. Yep, you're fucked.

That's it for this time. In the next installment we will take a look at Ho-Oh's Silver and SoulSilver counterpart, Lugia!


WE ARE...CULLINATION!

THIS WEEK IN CULLINATION (8/30-9/08)

GREETINGS FROM CULLINATION!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week! Last week was a very slow week in Cullination with a very small amount of articles and videos being released. But, with the start of school again (and lots and lots of traveling for some of us unluckier people), time constraints have been a problem. Look for things to begin to pick up again starting soon. We have a few things going on this week so be prepared to be filled in!


Yesterday we finally released our review on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and highlighted the video game and comic book of the week. The Game of the Week is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and the Comic Book of the Week is Amazing Spider-Man #121. For your convenience and because we love you so much, just click here to check it out for yourself!




Coming up this week on Cullination Corner, we have a brand spanking new Poke-Focus of none other than the Rainbow-Winged Bird himself, Ho-Oh! Why a legendary Pokemon you ask? I would ask the same question. Legendaries are pretty cheap to use in most cases. But, this is a special edition of Poke-Focus to go along with our face-off against Ho-Oh in an early-week episode of HeartGold! Keep in mind that while we do take requests for Poke-Focus installments, we do NOT accept requests for legendaries. The legendaries that we cover will be special editions related to our walkthroughs or similar series.

Also on the horizon for C.C. this week is another game review! Check back later in the week for Cullination's take on Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. And hey, it's about time we review these two games, as we have a walkthrough in progress on Youtube for LeafGreen!

On a similar note, Part 10 of our LeafGreen walkthrough went up yesterday, with Noe returning to the mic during Cullination's Youtube small Q&A, in which we answer a few fan questions in each video. Whether you're looking for answers, missed Noe, or just love our LeafGreen series, make sure you check out the latest episode!

Lastly (!), our much anticipated showdown with Ho-Oh is coming up this week in our HeartGold series on Youtube, as well as the second installment of the Pokemon Colosseum Epilogue.

That's it guys, you are officially ALL caught up! Thrilled? Excited? So bored that the sadness of having read this entire article has brought you to tears? Somehow, we understand. Either way, that's it for this week. Come back next week for some more announcements and recaps, and make sure to keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook pages (you can click to be redirected to those pages) for any further updates. Enjoy the week!


WE ARE...CULLINATION!

METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES REVIEW

If Retro's excellent 2002 Metroid Prime annoyed, frustrated, or simply didn't appeal to you, then stop reading now. The sequel, featuring Nintendo's legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran, is more of the same -- a lot more. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes takes a nearly identical path as its predecessor and offers up a stellar 3D action adventure rooted firmly in the famous Metroid legacy.

While there's really not all that much new in terms of game mechanics, play style, and presentation, what you're ultimately left with is a rock-solid sequel that offers a bigger, harder, more rewarding challenge than the first game.

A quick recap  of the storyline sees her sucked into an inter-dimensional war between two alien races: the Luminoth (who are the Light beings), and the treacherous Ing (the Dark bad guys). A Light and Dark instance of the planet Aether coexists in a less-than-harmonious fashion. In fact, the poor old Luminoth are about to be driven to extinction as the evil Ing are apparently on the verge of destroying the all-important power source known as The Light of Aether.

Samus is called down to the planet on a routine investigation which involves a missing squadron of colonial space marines who were pursuing an unidentified pirate vessel. Contact was lost with the marines, so Samus gets dispatched to figure out what's up. She soon gets sucked into saving the Luminoth's butts, and ultimately the very planet that they live on.



Evil alter ego, thingy!

Echoes is one of the most challenging and rewarding games on the GameCube. From its amazing intricate level design, subtle learning curve, and ferocious progression, it is a game that'll test your mettle more than most games dare. As is often the way with the Metroid series, you'll start off with barebones equipment and weaponry, progressing through each environment unearthing the story and facing off against puzzle and enemy challenges.

Remaining true the whole "exploration" legacy of the series, Echoes manages to once more make the leap from 2D gameplay to 3D successfully. It's most definitely not a run-'n-gun first-person shooter (a common misconception), but instead it remains an intelligent 3D adventure-action game with superb puzzle-solving elements and graceful platform elements.

In the beginning, Samus is fairly weak. Her gun is feeble, her missile and energy reserves are low, and she only has the Scan Visor with which to search for clues. Slowly, but surely, as the game gets underway, you'll notice hard-to-reach areas that are inaccessible to you. These serve to offer much enjoyable backtracking later on in the game when you've acquired new ability-granting items and power-ups for your Varia Suit. The delicate balance achieved by the level design is truly a joy to behold. In fact, one of Echoes' strongest points is the sense of reward it grants when you finally figure out how to do something you previously couldn't.

Retro Studios has seen fit this time around to fix some of the quirkier aspects of the first game. Aside from the addition of the rather bland split-screen-only multiplayer mode, the scanning / story revealing mechanism has been made more effective by the simple act of letting you quickly observe what's already been scanned. Using the Scan Visor, you'll need to check out enemies, items, and environmental objects in order to unfold the game's plot and solve puzzles. Objects that are important are signified by a computerized voice announcement and are logged into Samus' database. After an object has been scanned it turns green in color, meaning that you'll easily be able to tell what's been looked at and what's not. Simple, but effective.

Point blank shots are always fun!

Next up are the different abilities and weapons in Echoes. Gone are the Wave Beam and Ice Beam along with a Visor or two; they are instead replaced with the new Dark, Light, and Annihilator Beam weapons -- all of which are keys to the operation of portals which allow safe passage between the Light and Dark versions of Aether.

Not ALL the cool visors are gone

New Seeker Missiles allow multiple targets to be struck at the same time (key to opening some locks) while the ultra-cool Echo Visor shows the world represented by sound waves and nothing else. Similarly, the new Dark Visor provides Samus with better visuals when traversing the poisoned-air Dark version of Aether. Of course, the classic equipment such as the Spider Ball, Power Bombs, Grapple Beam, and Gravity Boost all chime in too. But the coolest -- and most retro item of all -- is Samus' Screw Attack. Good for instilling multiple hits on enemies and gaining access to high-up areas by wall-jumping, the Screw Attack will really make any old-school Metroider feel right at home.

The most prominent gameplay feature of Echoes is the focus on the Light and Dark worlds. Samus will have to flip between the two an incredible number of times in order to free up the correct progression path, and while this can at first be a daunting task, players will soon learn the importance of being able to read the in-game map properly as this is really one important skill that can't be avoided.


SCORING

GRAPHICS: 10  The Light world is has a more organic, peaceful look and feel -- at least in the beginning -- and contains some beautiful environments rich with indigenous animal and plant life (not to mention a few nasty rogue enemies). The Dark world, however, has a distinctly primal, evil look and feel, and features all-manner of bastardized mirror images of the relevant Light world areas and environments. Overall, fantastic visual appearance. And let's not forget those boss battles!

 

AUDIO: 9.5 The music is just as good (perhaps even a little repetitive) as the original. Gotta love those death sound effects!

GAMEPLAY/PLOT: 10 It doesn't get any better. Just as amazing as its predecessor, the intertwining of the Space Pirate and Metroid plots with the Ing makes this one of the most jam-packed shoot 'em up, puzzle solving, adventure hybrid masterpiece we've seen to date.

CONTROLS: 9.5 The controls, HUD, and standard operation of the game remain nearly identical to those of Prime; Retro is really concentrating on the story and intricate passage of events, rather than new flashy tech and gadgets. Not too difficult to pick up on either way.

Looks cool right? Not even a little.

MULTIPLAYER/ONLINE PLAY: 6.0 One thing that does come across as forced is the subdued multiplayer mode, which only supports split-screen action on one GameCube. There's no hint of LAN connectivity, and let's not even bother mentioning the lack of online potential here. The four-player stuff is ok, but that's it. It's nothing memorable, and even with a couple of different modes thrown in there, Echoes is simply all about the single-player experience.


OVERALL: 9.6

 

While there a few other niggles to mention -- chiefly no widescreen support, and for some, the same slightly non-intuitive joypad setup, along with the somewhat drab musical scoring -- Echoes shrugs these issues off easily and remains a highly polished, highly challenging, and well-crafted video game. It'll break you apart at times, but you'll be eager to get right back on top and beat it down. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is a more than worthy sequel, and it stands alongside Gamecube's cream of the crop. Don't dare miss out.

Video Game & Comic Book of the Week

VIDEO GAME OF THE WEEK

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

 Skyward Sword is the latest game in The Legend of Zelda Series!  Many critics have said that they feel like this game is very ground breaking and is considered (if not the best) then one of the best!

Master, there is an 80% chance that I'm stupid
and a 20% chance that I'm also dumb.

They added a few new elements in this game that have never been seen before in a Zelda game.  For instance, you can now upgrade just about all of your items and you ride a giant bird!  But that's not all!  Link can now sprint and he can jump!  Never before has Link been able to jump onto small surfaces.  However, not everything has changed in this game.  Link still has to go get his sword from some master, Zelda flirts with Link like crazy, and Link has an annoying side kick that states the obvious.  I seriously think that Fi is a lot more annoying than Navi ever was!  That's saying something.

I love playing this game.  It is a ton of fun and more.  I just wish I could skip the Lanyru Mining Facility level...

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #121

For those of you who don't know, Amazing Spider-Man #121 and #122 was a huge part in not just Spider-Man's life but in the world of comic books as well.  Throughout Peter Parker's early career of being the web slinger, he fell in love with a beautiful girl named Gwen Stacy.  This girl came way before Mary Jane was Peter's love interest.  Comic book readers also fell in love with the character of Gwen Stacy as well.  She was just awesome.  But then tragedy struck.  In the story arc "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" (Amazing Spider-Man #121-122) Gwen Stacy dies, obviously.  Spider-Man tried to save her, but his web snapped causing her to drop to her death.

This was a very shocking and crucial point in comic book history.  What makes it even more powerful is that Gwen Stacy never comes back from the dead (unlike every other comic book character), that is unless you count the Clone Saga but that's not really her...it's a clone.  Even that clone doesn't last anyway.  There is a saying that goes "The only person that dies in comic books is Gwen Stacy."

HOW DO YOU LIKE THE VIDEO GAME AND COMIC BOOK OF THIS WEEK?  LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO LET US KNOW!!

THIS WEEK IN CULLINATION (8/22-8/26)

GREETINGS FROM CULLINATION!

Happy Hump Day! We are happy to come to you with an announcement that will turn into a weekly update, called "This Week in Cullination."

In each weekly installment, we will highlight the happenings for the week within all of Cullination's sites, from Youtube video updates to blog articles to website updates. Sunday and Monday will be our normal release for this installment, but for this week we'll start a little late. Check out each installment to be the first to know when all of your favorite series, videos, and articles will be released!

So let's get down to business!

This week...

Our very first installment of Video Game and Comic Book of the Week was released. Like Super Mario 64 and Batman: The Long Halloween? If you do, be sure to check out the first release!

This hurts me more than it hurts you...

Coming up throughout the rest of the week, we have a review of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes right here on Cullination Corner. On Youtube, we have LeafGreen Parts 9 and 10 coming your way through the weekend. Come back early next week for more announcements!

Killing yourself has never been so hard.

Video Game and Comic Book of the Week

VIDEO GAME OF THE WEEK

SUPER MARIO 64

Released in June 23, 1996, Super Mario 64 was a huge phenomena!  Nintendo decided to take a risk and put their famed mustache hero into their first ever 3-D (instead of being in their comfort zone in the 2-D platforming games).

In this game, you control Mario as you venture around Peach's castle.  You literally jump into paintings to access levels.  You do this "painting hoping" to find Princess Peach, who was captured by...(drum roll)...Bowser!  Who would have guessed?!?!  And how do you find Bowser?  By collecting Stars, of course.  One thing that you eventually learn about playing Mario games is that stars serve as either a map or a key to unlock new directions.  It's almost like when the Wise Men followed the stars to find what they were looking for...I get it!  It makes sense now!

Super Mario 64 started something new and exciting to Nintendo.  What followed it was other very popular games like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Donkey Kong 64, StarFox 64, and among many others.  I remember how much fun it was in Super Mario 64 running up that giant hill while trying to avoid giant balls of doom.  Then when you get to the top, you get to throw a giant Bob-omb with a crown on his head.  



COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman: The Long Halloween was a 13 issue series published by DC in 1996 and 1997.  It was written by (the legendary) Jeph Loeb and it was drawn by Tim Sale.

The story follows Batman as he tries to uncover a mystery killer.  The killer is cleverly named "Holiday" due to him killing people on various holidays.  The story spans over one year.  It begins on Halloween night and it ends on the next Halloween night a year later.  That means that for one year, Holiday has been running around and killing people.  While Holiday was having his fun, he left Batman and Commissioner Gordan baffled as to whom he may be.  Various popular villains make cameos throughout the series including The Joker, Poison Ivy, Scare Crow, and Cat Woman.  Also, of course the main suspect in the whole series is in it... Calendar Man.  The story also tells the origin tale of Two Face.

I personally love this story.  It is one of my all time favorite Batman stories.  Actually, it's one of my all time favorite comic book stories!  I love the darkness that this story leaves behind, just like any Batman story should.  If you haven't read Long Halloween...do it now!

DO YOU REMEMBER PLAYING THIS GAME OR READING THIS COMIC BOOK?  SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW TO TELL CULLINATION ABOUT YOUR FONDEST MEMORY ABOUT THESE THESE CLASSIC TITLES!

POKE-FOCUS #19: KINGDRA

Introduction
Kingdra. Its name implies it is the king of dragons... quite a lofty title to live up to. And unfortunately, for the first two generations for which it was out, it could not, what with Dragonbreath being the most powerful Dragon attack it had.

D/P changed this, giving Kingdra access to Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor as well as giving it a physical Waterfall to play around with if it wanted to Dragon Dance. Platinum sealed the deal by giving it Outrage on top of all that. The end result is that Kingdra is quite threatening; while its actual movepool isn't particularly huge, it is very focused and allows for quite a few combinations for the King of Dragons to run.

This is, of course, on top of what Kingdra was already famous for: having a typing that only had a weakness to Dragon (which most users of are going to be weak to Kingdra's own such moves anyways), as well as the fun fact that no Pokemon not named Empoleon or Shedinja will resist the Water+Dragon combo. All this makes Kingdra extremely difficult to counter. Not bad for the Pokemon who can create maelstroms by yawning, eh?

Capture/Training
Surf around Whirl Islands or Seafoam Islands for them.

Horsea evolves into Seadra at Level 32. Horsea learns Dragon Pulse at Level 42. Seadra learns it at Level 57. That is a 10-level delay to avoid having to learn a move 15 levels later, or, in other words, a good idea. No difference in Kingdra's learn levels, so once you're ready, just trade with the Dragon Scale and claim your Kingdra.

Stats  
75 HP, 95 Atk, 95 Def, 95 SpA, 95 SpD, 85 Spd
Very average stats across the board, but no particularly weak stat. That means there are numerous ways to make the most out of those stats, giving Kingdra a fair amount of versatility in what role it plays. It also makes it that much more difficult to attempt to prey on Kingdra's weaknesses (especially considering how few it has type-wise as it is).

Abilities
Swift Swim is the most notable ability here. In rain, the move grants an instant doubling of speed, making Kingdra extremely fast and thus extremely difficult to stop.

If Rain support is not expected, Sniper is an okay option. A 3x-powered critical, as any Fire Emblem player can attest to, is not something to laugh at. For best results, combine with Focus Energy.

Moves
Kingdra's moveset is small, but focused. It might not have a lot, but arguably it has everything it needs to do its job.

Offensively, it gets a lot of mileage out of its dual-STAB. Water and Dragon are a combination currently resisted only by Empoleon and Shedinja, meaning Kingdra can pretty much always get in a strong neutral hit on anyone. The first thing that the new generation did to Kingdra was open up its physical movepool a bit with Waterfall, a great consistent physical Water attack with an added flinch rate that works well in Rain with both the Water boost and Swift Swim's speed boost. This is all well and good, but then Platinum came along and gave it Outrage for a Dragon-type Physical complement. Despite the locking side-effect, it's extremely destructive, and after a Dragon Dance, it's nearly unstoppable.

On the special side, Kingdra has a few more options, reflecting the choice between power and reliability. For power, go with Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor. For reliability, go with Surf and Dragon Pulse. You can also mix and match, or even use both of one type on one set. Muddy Water is a novelty option.

Kingdra is extremely limited in its other attacking options, though arguably it doesn't need them, with Water and Dragon giving such good coverage as it is. Moves like Ice Beam, Signal Beam, and Hidden Power, nice as they are, are really more afterthoughts than anything.

Kingdra has a small but dedicated support moveset. The first move to mention right off the top is Rain Dance, which synergizes well with Swift Swim. In rain, Kingdra is a nearly unstoppable sweeper capable of destroying teams before they have a chance to even touch it. And while it can certainly rely on its teammates to set up rain, it is no slouch at setting it up itself.

Dragon Dance is Kingdra's other way of powering itself up. It can also raise its Speed to ridiculously high levels, and kick up its Attack power in the process. Dragon Dance + Outrage is a combo used often by many Dragons, and Kingdra is certainly no exception.

Yawn will cause whirlpools to form, trapping your opponent for 2-5 turns while inflicting 1/16th-HP damage for each of those turns... oh wait, never mind. It just makes the opponent fall asleep next turn, either incapacitating it or forcing a switch.

Kingdra is a great user of Substitute. It can also make use of Rest-Sleep Talk strategies. (Chain-breed Sleep Talk through a Ground+Water 1 Pokemon such as Psyduck or Wooper who learned it through Smeargle.) The nice thing about Sleep Talk is that if Outrage is chosen, Kingdra won't be locked into the move.

Focus Energy works on a novelty Sniper set, giving the dragon a 25% chance of a "Fire Emblem critical", much like giving a Swordmaster a Killing Edge in that game, and probably just as deadly.

And that's really it for Kingdra's movepool. Again, it really isn't much on its own, but it combines well, as you'll see...

Effective Movesets
Note: Except where noted, Surf can be interchanged with Hydro Pump (or Muddy Water), and Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor are interchangeable.

1. Mixed Rain Dancer
- Rain Dance
- Waterfall
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
Ability: Swift Swim
Notes: A potentially extremely destructive set. In addition to "traditional" items, Damp Rock is an option if the rest of the team is also based around Rain Dance.

2. Physical Dragon Dancer
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Substitute/Yawn
- Dragon Dance

3. Mixed Dragon Dancer
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Surf/Dragon Pulse
- Dragon Dance

4. Twin Dancer
- Dragon Dance
- Rain Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
Ability: Swift Swim

5. Special Rain Dancer
- Rain Dance
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam/Signal Beam/Yawn
Ability: Swift Swim

6. Rest-Talk Dragon Dancer
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Note: As a bonus, if selected during Sleep Talk, Outrage will not lock Kingdra into the move.

7. Physical Sniper
- Focus Energy
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Substitute/Yawn/Draco Meteor
Item: Scope Lens
Ability: SniperNote: Scope Lens + Focus Energy makes the critical hit rate 33%, which is quite good when going for those 3x hits.

8. Special Sniper
- Focus Energy
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse/Substitute/Yawn
Item: Scope Lens
Ability: Sniper

9. Mixed Sniper
- Focus Energy
- Surf
- Waterfall
- Draco Meteor
Item: Scope Lens
Ability: Sniper

Closing Remarks
Kingdra has really evolved, so to speak, throughout the last generation into a dangerous threat. As it is, it is a Pokemon who, despite having limited moves, can hit hard from either side of the physical/special spectrum, with a type coverage unresisted by most Pokemon, while at the same time being of a great defensive type that carries few weaknesses. In rain, it becomes a monstrous beast that hits hard and fast and is near impossible to counter.

Cullination Royalty: Andross Part 3

Part 3: A suggested game/story to make him more popular.

The Game

Andross doesn't get much love.  Why is this?  I have no clue!  Bowser and Ganondorf gets so much more attention.  They are mentioned more and are both featured more than Andross is.  What should we do about this?  How about we don't suggest another Starfox game.  Don't get me wrong, Starfox games are great and very entertaining but obviously it is not helping Andross' cause for more popularity.  So the only logical thing to do is to include him in more things.

Andross should be a character in Super Smash Bros.!  He should be Mario Kart!  He should be on the cover of lunch boxes!  Nintendo should just give Andross more coverage on anything.  

I mean, look how great Andross looks in that picture!  Fox and Andross fighting in Super Smash Bros.!  Nintendo, please include Andross! 

How did you like this edition of Royalty?  Sound off in the comment section below!

Want more Royalty?  Well we are sorry because Cullination Royalty is going to be taking a brief hiatus so that we can improve the series and make it better!  Stay tuned on Cullination for other great series and articles!

Pokemon Conquest Review

Pokémon spinoffs have been hit or miss throughout the history of the franchise. While Snap, Stadium, and Puzzle League remain popular to this day, games like Rumble Blast leave a lot to be desired. But Pokémon Conquest is no ordinary cash cow; it is actually a modified version of Tecmo Koei's famous Japanese strategy RPG series Nobunaga's Ambition. The release of Pokémon Conquest marks the first widespread release of this series outside of Japan, and although some elements have been simplified from the original series, Conquest still stakes a claim for the best Pokémon spinoff ever.

Upon starting the game, you meet your new Warlord friend Oichi and her Jigglypuff. You and your Eevee team up with her to conquer the 17 kingdoms of Ransei before the evil Nobunaga can do the same and summon the legendary creator of Ransei for nefarious purposes.

To capture an opponent's kingdom, you must defeat that Warlord's army in battle. Anyone who has played an SRPG will feel right at home on the battlefield. Each Pokémon can move a number of squares equal to its range stat. It can then use its attack, which varies in attack range depending on the attack. Among the many attacks, Eevee's Quick Attack hits the square directly in front of it, Chingling's confusion attacks three squares ahead, and Mareep's Thundershock hits both of the two squares in front.The Pokémon type chart applies here, so landing super effective hits on opponents while avoiding being hit yourself is key to survival.

It is also necessary to understand the terrain of the battlefield. Some levels will change terrain, adding features like hot springs and poison pools. Others have potentially damaging features, and some have high elevation, which can block attacks.

Innate abilities throw another wrench into the battle. Pokémon have abilities that are activated in certain situations (Tepig's Blaze raises its attack at low health, Scyther's Parry occasionally dodges any attack). These abilities can be used to lay waste to the enemy's army, or to make short work of you, so pay attention to them.

Each Pokémon in your army is under the command of a Warrior, who can use their Warrior Ability once per battle to tilt the tides in their favor. These abilities range from increased statistics to increased range and healing. Warriors can also equip an item for use on their Pokémon, such as a Potion or stat boosting item. Since both the ability and item are one use, care must be taken when deciding when to use them.

During some battles, Warriors can link with wild Pokémon to have them join their team. This is accomplished through a quick button press minigame and is usually completed in one or two turns. Once befriended, the Warrior can switch to that Pokémon or any other Pokémon they have befriended. Since each Warrior has different compatibility with different Pokémon try to mix and match to get as close to a 100% link as possible. You can link with about 200 different Pokémon - not all 649, but a large sample nonetheless.

Speaking of links, this replaces the experience system from traditional Pokémon titles. Battling with a Pokémon increases the link percentage between Warrior and Pokémon, which in turn improves its stats. Activities such as eating Ponigiri will improve the Pokémon's energy level, and a higher energy level boosts your stats further. As the link increases some Pokémon will evolve, improving their stats and changing their range and attack. Some Warlords, when linked with a compatible Pokémon, can also "transform" if the link is high, which improves their own stats and abilities.

The graphics in Pokémon Conquest look very nice. They are bright and vibrant, showing that the old Nintendo DS still has plenty of power left in it. The Pokémon look as they always have, and the Warriors are all styled up for the occasion. Combine that with the great backgrounds and old-era Japanese music and you have a great setting that makes the whole world feel believable (despite the craziness of a Pokémon/feudal Japan combo).

Conquering the 17 kingdoms in the main storyline takes about 20-30 hours. From there a myriad of new missions open up and the difficulty increases. You can expect more dangerous AI, and you'll find that your kingdoms will be under constant assault. It's conceivable that this scenario could more than double your original play time, making Pokémon Conquest a long and rewarding experience. That said: a note of warning to Strategy RPG fanatics - this game was created with a newcomer to the genre in mind, so it does not contain all of the complexities that a deeper series like Fire Emblem or Disgaea can provide. So the game may get repetitive over that many hours if the mechanics feel too shallow for you. Nevertheless, if you can get past that, Pokémon Conquest will have you hooked.

On paper the mash-up of Pokémon and Warriors is completely bizarre and does not sound feasible. In practice, it's an amazing combination and makes Pokémon Conquest one of the freshest new additions to the series in years. Conquest offers a brand new way to fight with Pokémon, and does so with aplomb. I never knew I wanted this combination before I'd played it, but now I want more.

Cullination Royalty: Andross Part 2

Part 2: Why you should love him

In part 1 I stated how Ganondorf and Bowser get more featured and talked about than Andross does.  Why is this?  Andross is better than both Bowser and Ganondorf and here is why:

Why is Andross better than Bowser?

1.  All Bowser has is his fire balls and strength to defend himself.  Andross on the other hand (no pun intended) has magic powers.  I mean, he is a giant floating head with two hands after all

2.  Bowser can't even take over a Kingdom successfully. While Andross is the ruler of his own planet, Venom!  Not only that but Andross ruled the Lylat System somewhere down the line.

3.  Bowser has a son that he every once in a while takes care of.  That means that while Bowser is doing some important bad guy stuff, Bowser Jr. gets in his horns!  For all of you fathers out there, do you remember a time when you were trying to watch the most important football game for your team.  Then your offspring comes in the room and starts screaming and throwing things all over the place!  You can't concentrate!  That is what it is like for Bowser when he tries to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and he has to bring Bowser Jr. along.

4.  Because Bowser has a son, that also means that he has a wife somewhere.  Which also means that she gets in his way too.  "Why are you always chasing after this Peach girl?!  Is she prettier than me?!"  "You're just jealous of Mario because he knows how to treat a lady right!"  All this bickering from Bowser's (unknown) wife gets him no where.

Why is Andross better than Ganondorf?

1.  Ganondorf has limbs.  That means that Link can slice off his arm or chop his neck.  Andross though, doesn't have arms, legs, or a neck.

2.  Andross' different forms are much more effective.  Both Andross and Ganondorf have different forms when they fight their respectable foes.  Ganondorf though you usually use the same  tactic to defeat him.  Also, all Ganondorf's forms just get more ugly as they go on.  Andross' forms are more complex.  In one StarFox game he is cube after all.

3.  Andross was the ruler of the Lylat System and of a planet.  Ganondorf (much like Bowser) doesn't take control of anything.  He tries to...but fails.  He usually tries to go after all the pieces of the triforce...how does that work out for you, Ganon?

So as you can see, Andross is better than Ganondorf and Bowser but yet is not mentioned as often.

Come back on Friday as Andross' Cullination Royalty continues!  What did you think about this edition of royalty?  Sound off in the comment section below to let us know!  That rhymed! 

5 Crossover Games We Are Dying to See!

In 2002 a game called Kingdom Hearts was released to the public. This game was a crossover game between two very unlikely bunch of characters. This game pitted Mikey Mouse and other Disney characters with Final Fantasy characters. People were skeptic if this crossover game woul be any good. To everyone's surprise, it was!  Kingdom Hearts is still going very strong and is extremely popular.  Another great unusual crossover game is the recently released Pokemon Conquest. this game was a crossover game between Pokemon and Nobunaga's Ambition. Pokemon Conquest received good reviews by critics.  So, Cullination thinks about what other unusual crossover games could become popular. In no particular order, here are five crossover games we are dying to see.

1. Little Big Mario

This game is a cross over between Little Big Planet and the popular Nintendo plumber, Mario.  Super Mario Bros. was first introduced in 1985.  This side-scrolling game was a huge break through in the video game world.  Players loved jumping on platforms and shooting fire balls at villainous turtles and diseased mushrooms, all while trying to save a princess.

In 2008 a game for Playstation 3 was released.  This game was called Little Big Planet.  The game featured Sackboy as you jumped onto platforms and successfully reached the end of each level.  In my opinion, these two games are very similar.  They both are great side scrolling games that involve platforms.  Make this crossover happen!

2. Halo featuring Samus Aran

Halo was first released on X-Box in 2001.  Since then Halo has become a multi billion dolloar series!  It is probably the most successful first player shooting game.  Although in my opinion, all first person shooter games are almost the same.  But for some reason, Halo is still going very strong today!

Samus was introduced into the world way before Halo.  It featured a space pirate that had a bunch of bombs with her along with a cannon as an arm!  Fans of Samus might have been a little skeptic at first about Samus entering the first person shooter world....that is until Metroid Prime was released for Gamecube.  The game was all about controlling this Female Fatal known as Samus Aran through her perspective (known as first person shooting).  So, why not have Samus be a playable character in the popular Halo series?

3.  Lego Legend Of Zelda

Why not have a little fun with this list?  Lets combine the (for some odd reason) popular Lego series with Legend of Zelda.  I mean if Lego can make a popular game for Star Wars, Batman, and Indiana Jones why won't Legend Of Zelda work?  The player controls Lego Link through various levels to defeat Lego Ganondorf.

4.  Ratchet and Clank...Kong!

Ratchet and Clank was first released in 2002 for Playstation 2.  The game features an animal-human thing that is a mechanic who is cleverly named Ratchet.  He is partnered with his robot named Clank.  These two travel different Universes trying to save it.

When Ratchet and Clank travel to Donkey Kong Country, they get greeted by a certain ape with a neck tie. Ratchet and Clank then work with the Kongs to save Kong Island from King K. Rool.  All while Ratchet works closely with Funky Kong inventing great machines!

5.  Fable Emblem

Fable is a role playing game where the player can interact and talk to various villagers living in the game.  The player can wield a sword as their weapon.  The games main objective is completing various quests to advance through the game.

Fire Emblem is a tactical role playing game, in which the player controls uses strategical moves to defeat their foe.  These two games sound a bit similar.  So why not combine them for an epic cross over game?

Have any more ideas for a cross over game?  Let us know in the comment section below!

WE ARE...
CULLINATION

By: Shawn

Cullination Royalty: Andross Part 1

ANDROSS!

I believe that Andross is a very underrated character.  Although he is the main antagonist of the StarFox series, I think he does not get as much love as he should!  This is because he is all powerful and controls the galaxy!  But yet, he is not more or even equal in popularity as Bowser and Ganondorf.  

Andross was a scientist working on the planet Corneria.  His intentions in the beginning was good.  He wanted to protect Corneria.  However, he felt like the only way to protect Corneria was for him to became it's sole ruler.  This eventually drove Andross mad and began working on experiments with genetics and using himself as the "guinea pig".  These experiments and him altering his genetics eventually led him to unleash a deadly weapon on Corneria!  This act caused him to get banished to the deadly planet known as Venom.  

While Andross inhabited Venom, he build an army in order to rule the entire Lylat System!  Because of this, the "original" StarFox team had to investigate.  The team consisted of James McCloud, Pigma Dengar, and Peppy Hare.   During their mission, Pigma betrays StarFox and joins Andross thus leading to the possible death of James McCloud.  After this event, a new StarFox team emerges under the leadership of James McCloud's son, Fox McCloud.

Fox has defeated Andross many times in his career as the leader of he StarFox team.  He also defeated Andross in his many different forms.  This includes his brain form, metal form, and monkey form.  Andross eventually dies but his spirit lives on!

By: Shawn

Cullination Royalty: Daredevil Part 3

Part 3: A suggested story to make him more popular.

The Story:

If great stories (that Daredevil clearly has) will not make him more popular then what's the point?  Marvel will keep dishing out great stories that features the Man Without Fear, but it won't make him more popular.  If it will then why hasn't it yet?  In 2011 what made me a little bit more interested in The Fantastic Four?  When Spider-Man joined the team, of course!  So why doesn't Marvel take almost the same approach with Daredevil?  Have Daredevil team up with a popular hero like Spider-Man!  But I don't mean a one issue team up or a mini series.  What I mean is actually have Spider-Man join Daredevil for a little bit.  

The series is called Daredevil's Web.  The series will not be super long, just about 50 issues.  What happens in the series?  Well...I'm not telling!  So na na na na boo boo!!!

...I'm just kidding.  What happens is Daredevil starts to hallucinate his father, Jack Murdoch.  It starts driving him crazy.  So crazy that he picks a small fight with his legal partner, Foggy, and even punches him in the face.  Because of all this craziness that he is feeling, Matt Murdoch decides to stop being Daredevil and throws his costume in the trash.  Luckily, a boy or spider thing (you decide) finds his costume.  Spider-Man then takes the costume back to Matt and tries to convince him to be Daredevil once again.  

After many failed attempts to get Daredevil back in action, Spider-Man discovers that an alien invasion is about to happen being led by the villainous, Mysterio.  Spider-Man convinces Daredevil to help him take Mysterio down.  Once they do, they learn that Mysterio was the one that put holograms around the city to try to drive Daredevil mad.  Mysterio also tells them that he was paid to do this task by Wilson Fisk.  

So, Spider-Man and Daredevil go to Wilson Fisk's hideout and try to take him down.  But, they get greeted by villains such as Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Shocker, and Bullseye.  Daredevil and Spidey try to defeat all of them, but fail.  However, the villains didn't necessarily succeed either.  You see, once Wilson Fisk found out that Daredevil and Spider-Man had the upper hand, Wilson Fisk hit the self destruct button on his hideout and tried to get away in his helicopter.  But as his helicopter is about to take off, Daredevil swings his billy club and attaches to the bottom of his helicopter and flies away with him (and pretty much forgetting that Spider-Man is still in the building when its about to explode).  While attached to the helicopter, Daredevil climbs in and causes the helicopter to crash on the top of a cliff.  They both do survive, but barely.  Daredevil nearly chokes Wilson Fisk out with his bare hands until Fisk tells him that it wasn't his idea.

Fisk was paid off to assassinate or capture as many heroes as possible by....Doctor Doom!  Though this is powerful information...it was a little too late.  Fisk has already captured most of the heroes including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and most of the X-Men.  Spider-Man then nearly escapes the blown up building and catches up with Daredevil.  Daredevil tells Spider-Man what Fisk told him.  Though Spider-Man is furious with Daredevil for leaving him with all those villains and with the building blowing up, Spider-Man decides to go with Daredevil because with great power comes... predictable quotes that you know the rest to. 

Daredevil and Spider-Man then tracks down Doctor Doom.  Spider-Man does end up getting captured by Doctor Doom, however.  But Daredevil defeats him before he ends up enslaving the Earth.  Which means that all of the heroes are saved thanks to Daredevil.

So what did you think about this week of royalty?  Sound off in the comment section below so your voice can be heard!  And remember, if you have a suggestion for royalty email me at shawn@cullination.net

Cullination Royalty: Daredevil Part 2

Part 2: Why you should love him.

If you read part 1 of Daredevil's royalty, you'll know that I love Daredevil.  I truly believe that this character is genius!  Stan Lee really did great with this one.  I mean, a blind super hero?  How does he come up with this stuff?!

Although Daredevil is Marvel's "whipping boy", it makes for interesting stories.  What I mean is that most Marvel characters deal with tons of tragedy because that's what makes things interesting.  Spider-Man is to blame for the death of his beloved Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy, Wolverine deals with the confusion of who he is.  Daredevil, on the other hand, deals with a lot more.  To start, Daredevil got "the batman treatment" and watched his father brutally get killed by mobsters.  If you ask me, that is a great way to start a super hero career.  Not to mention a starting tragedy for the man without fear.

It's obvious that Daredevil's life has been filled with tragedy but that doesn't mean we should love him any less.  Daredevil's epic graphic novels is exactly what the Marvel Universe needs (and deserves).  

Try to ignore the Daredevil film that was released in 2003.  That movie reminds us why most comic book fans hate Hollywood.  Now, there are a lot of good and some really good comic book movies, but sadly the majority is just awful *cough Batman & Robin cough*.  Unfortunately, the Daredevil film starring Ben Afflac was not one of those good comic book movies.  But there is still hope!  This is because they are rebooting the series soon and hopefully it doesn't completely suck like the first one.  Also hopefully, people will start to truly appreciate Daredevil the way he sees us....wait...

COME BACK ON FRIDAY AS DAREDEVIL'S CULLINATION ROYALTY CONTINUES!