Why I love Pokemon?

 

With Pokemon Legends Arceus around the corner, I thought I’ll share the reasons why I enjoy playing Pokemon as one of my top video game series.

 So many Pokemon to raise, collect and like

Over the years, Game Freak have come up with many different Pokemon with so many to choose from and catch yet I happen to like a lot of Pokemon from each generation whenever it’s using them in battles, raising them or using them in many different game modes including Pikachu, The Eeveelutions, Greninja, The Hitmons, Psuedo Legendaries, Ultra Beasts, Rotom forms, Mega Evolutions and more. Even the ones I’m not a huge fan are still part of Pokemon. As a result, I have many fond memories with them over the years.

Here's to the memories with the Pikachus

It’s easy to get into

I’ve been playing fighting, racing and platforms and while I do find them fun, I’m personally not good at them. For Pokemon however, it’s a turn based RPG which I find more straight forward. I can just come up with strategies including type matchups, combinations (including using Weather based teams or Baton Pass) and other strategies on how to sweep with that Pokemon without having to control the Pokemon. It also helped me to get into other turn based RPG series including Fire Emblem, Persona and Earthbound/Mother 3.

There are some more complex mechanics including EV training, IVs and breeding although they’re worth getting into to come up with the best Pokemon possible, helps with those mechanics have become more easily accessible since the sixth Gen days.

As a result, I can be good with Pokemon, winning in some battles and even if I don’t, it’s still fun (although I’m not the kind who take parts in many tournaments). I still remember the time when I was in a Pokemon tag tournament (for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire) in Nintendo Liverpool, teaming up with my Brother with me using the Eeveelutions and both of us won.

It connects me with friends

Pokemon have helped me to socialise with other Pokemon, making friends with their multiplayer modes including battling, trading and for Pokemon Sword and Shield, Max Raid Battles and Adventure Raids (and other modes). It’s also one of the earliest games that I’ve played online starting with the 4^th Gen Pokemon games with my online friends, giving me the gateway to online gaming. Pokemon Go also earns a bonus mention as I sometimes go out with friends and family playing Pokemon Go including with Community Days and other events.

There are many Pokemon based on interesting origins and lores

There are many Pokemon that have many interesting origins, many of which are straight forward including Pikachu who is based on a mouse, others are based on mythology or lesser known animals along with objects and humans which are fascinating to learn and discover. Pokemon have become my top inspirational source whenever I come up with animals, mythical or cryptic creatures (along with elemental typing and powers) for my stories. I wouldn’t be aware of Tsuchinoko if it weren’t for Dunsparce for example. It helps that I like animals too.

Who would have thought that Dunsparce can fly like that?

Pokemon have a good soundtrack

Pokemon is among my gaming series that have a top tier sound track including for major battles, areas or events. Gen 4, 6 and 8 in particular has the best soundtrack for me.

There are some good side series too

I may not be into them as much as the main series but Pokemon do come up with some good spin off series that are just as enjoyable, showing that Pokemon can do just about any genres.

For the ones I have played, Detective Pikachu is a personal favourite with its story based mystery and having its own movie (playing Sam and Max beforehand have probably helped to make it enjoyable for me). Pokemon Go gives me motivation to go outdoors and as mentioned before, I have been using it with friends and family. Coliseum and XD are just like the main series but with a different take of rescuing and purifying Shadow Pokemon and Battle Revolution have a variety of battle modes that puts your team to the test.

Other side series and spin offs that I’ve played worth mentioning includes Pokemon Unite, New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Masters and Pokken.

 It have an enjoyable Anime

The Anime series was my first stepping stone to Pokemon and I still watch and enjoy the series to this day from the original Kanto series to Journeys and its movies, watching Ash Ketchem to become the very best like no one ever was while rooting for many other likable cast too including Team Rocket (particularly whenever they have a focus episode which makes them sympathetic), Goh, Clemont, Cilan, Serena, Lillie, Dawn and others.

The story can be good

For both games and anime alike, some of their stories are simple, others are deep and complex but either way, they are enjoyable to get into with its likeable cast, idealstic toning and its empahsis on bonding with Pokemon, working towards your dream, getting along with others, apperciating nature and so forth. 

It have some inspiring quotes and aesops 

From both games and anime alike that we can inspire to like here's a quote from the first movie as said by Mewtwo: “I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”

It have many fun features

Each of the series have fun features that widens your experience and each of them are memorable including Pokemon Amie and similar features starting from X and Y, Max Raid and Adventure Raids in Sword and Shield, Pokestar Studio in Black and White 2, Pokeathlon in Heart Gold and Soul Silver, Battle Royal in the Alola series, Sinnoh Underground in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Secret Base and Mirage Island in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Dream World in the Unova games and counting.

Have fun in Pokemon Camp (spritual sucessor to Pokemon Amie) with the Calyrex riders

Its something to focus on

Being autistic, I find that I can easily get hyper focus with Pokemon whenever it’s breeding, raising or using my Pokemon, spending a lot of my time on whichever Pokemon game I’m playing more than most other games, just like how Goh from Pokemon Journeys becomes hyper focus catching Pokemon (someone who I find that could be interpreted as autistic).

On that subject, Pokemon is a series that many people with autism can get into easily with its collecting aspect  as described with the video below:

It’s part of a Nintendo franchise

Pokemon is the first Nintendo franchise I’ve played and how I’ve got into them, getting to know many other awesome Nintendo franchises and consoles like how I’ve spotted Pikachu on the front cover of Super Smash Brothers. Without Pokemon, I probably wouldn’t be into Nintendo as much.

It have some cool merch

I still have a few toys that I have for my own to this day and have been reading some books too. 

It’s fun!

Whenever it’s catching, raising, battling, trading or just playing Pokemon along with watching the Anime, its fun, helping me to get into gaming, connecting with others and keeps me going with life. Pokemon doesn’t have to be perfect for me as I find them enjoyable and makes me happy. Whenever I’m journeying in Kanto, to Johto, to Hoenn, to Sinnoh, to Unova, to Kalos, to Alola, to Galar, to Hisui and beyond, I’m with Pokemon all the way.

 

 

My Top Boss Battles

 Top Boss Battles

Throughout the video games we play, we encounter boss battles. Some of which are easy, others are hard or are anti climatic. Then there are these ones that gives us an impression whenever the boss fight is epic, well written or brilliantly executed and these are the bosses that fits that bill for me. Note that they are in no particular order and I may list more than one boss from the same franchise. Be warned as they’ll contain major spoilers.

Wally – Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

Pokemon does have a lot of awesome battles including Gym Leaders, Enemy team Leaders, Elite Four and Champions including Steven, Cynthia, Diantha and Leon (the first three have among the best Champion themes). But here’s one of them who stood out for me; Wally in the Hoenn remakes who you this time encounter just outside Victory Road just before you reached to the Elite Four. When you do battle him, he has one of the best battle theme music and a Gallade that he Mega Evolves. This shows how far he has come from a sickly boy to a badass who have made it this far from his journey from Petalburg City, making him one of my top rivals.

Hop – Pokemon Sword and Shield

Hop is one of the many characters who have a divisive reception among fans but for me, he happens to be one of my top rivals. He started off as a dream to follow his brother Leon’s footsteps who then have to go through the frustration of constantly losing which makes him feel doubted for his dream and capabilities as a trainer, something that even I can relate to that times (least when playing solo for my Pokemon battles and Fire Emblem Heroes Aether Raid battles). But the way he tries his best to have the courage to move forward while trying to handle his frustrations makes me want to root for him, right all the way to the postgame when you last have a battle with him which helps him to re-evaluate his dreams to become a Pokemon Professor. His theme music when you battle him in the Champion Cup (one of my best Sword and Shield music) really highlights his character on how he’s able to push forwards regardless of his defeats. His Campion Cup challenger battle also have a strong team under his belt including his G-Max Corviknight and the legendary Pokemon (which can give you trouble if you’re not careful).

Pyoro – Wario Ware Get it Together!

Even Wario Ware have a boss battle and not including those boss micro games. It’s found at the end of the story after growing a beanstalk which leads to it. You get to use all the playable characters, to fight Pyoro each time which I find is an awesome concept, serving as a test to use everything you have learned about controlling all the characters to beat one giant boss which truly puts the Wario Ware crew together. It rewards you having Pyoro to join your team.

Galeen and Dharkon – Super Smash Bros Ultimate

The two fiends who try to recreate the universe with their own images at the expense of the fighters is the ultimate battle of light and dark. The build up with their epic theme music in the background as you work your way up to put an end to their treachery in the final world, taking out the puppet fighters and other bosses you fought really adds the thrill, striving you to balance out the light and dark while stopping their fight. Master Hand and Crazy Hand even gets to join you, controlling them for the first time. All leads up to the ultimate confrontation against the two deities with the twist that you have to defeat them both evenly as taking out one or the other will result the bad endings. It all makes it rewarding when you manage to take out both of them, getting everything back.

  Takuto Markui + Azathnoth – Persona 5 Royal

Dr Markui has definitely left an impression on me. If you managed to max out his confidant before November 18^th, you’ll get an all new bonus semester after you defeat the main villain Yaldabaoth where you clash in with Markui who uses his cognition to change the world where no one can life with their pain and sorrows making him the Palace Ruler for the new palace. What makes it tragic is that unlike most other Palace Rulers, Markui have some good intentions and only wishes for a better world, making it a clash between ideas rather than good vs evil along with the tragic back story that made Markui deluded with his ideas. I’m all for happiness but even I know that it won’t be the same without learning and growing from your past mishaps which would make you a better, stronger person along with removing all the good things that you would have gained from these tragedies. This makes it one of the most heart breaking confrontations as you fight someone who you have bonded with who is a nice guy and is not completely wrong but you have no other choice to fight him to take back your reality but still an awesome boss battle itself, helps with ‘Throw of your mask’ playing in the background which refers to Markui’s point of view and ‘I believe’ as the build up as you walk up the stairs to face him. His Persona Azathnoth can be a tough one with its strong attacks which I’ve struggled with at first until I’ve used my strongest Persona Horas to buff my team’s status and dodge attacks (something that I often do for boss battles). After defeating his evolved Persona Adam Kadmon, he is able to realise the the errors of his ways and learns to face life head on. Kudos to Atlus for coming up with one of the best well written Anti Villains. 

Shadow Selves – Persona 4 Golden

With Persona in mind, the Shadow Selves is an interesting yet well thought out case (with the exception of Mitsuo Kubo). The Shadow Selves represents darker sides of your friends (who have been kidnapped) who reveals sides of your friends that they’ve been hiding with their refusal to believe in it prompts their shadows to attack them. After the battle, it’s when the corresponding character gets to comes into terms with a part of themselves that they didn’t want to accept with the shadow becoming their Persona that they get to fight with including Kanji to accept his sexuality and Natoto to be accepted as a girl working with the police. I find it a good, inspiring way to help the characters to develop for the better as they learn to face their darker sides and embrace it. 

Junko Enoshima – Danganronpa/Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

The Ultimate Despair and the one who started the killing game and The Tragedy, you get to confront her during the final chapter, learning all the atrocities she have caused throughout that even her entertaining nature can’t hide. But it becomes satisfying as Makoto encourages his friends not to give into despair and vote for hope as you fire hope bullets all to stand up to Junko, giving her a taste of her own despair. This makes it the ultimate battle of hope and despair which Makoto earning his title of Ultimate Hope.

The Alter ego version of Junko in the sequel is also worth a mention with Hajime and the rest of her unwilling pawns were able to make their own choices for their future in order to rebel against her, stopping her plan to upload her Al version onto the comatose students that would have spread despair everywhere.

 Team Danganronpa and audience – Dangaronpa V3 Killing Harmony

A controversial choice but believe it or not, I’m one of the minorities who is fine on how the final chapter of Danganronpa V3 turned out (with Shuichi and the others are revealed to be fictional characters for a fictional Danganronpa show) with a clever deconstruction on toxic fandoms and I myself have zero tolerance on toxic fandoms, having more empathy on the characters who have to go through a brutal killing game, losing their friends just for the fandom’s own benefit. I find it catharsis on the way the characters stand up to Team Danganronpa and the Toxic fandom from Keebo revealing himself as The Ultimate Hope Robot (becoming the main character of that chapter by extension), Shuichi and the other survivors making their own choices, failing each minigames on purpose and Shuichi standing up to Keebo hijacked by the audience in one huge Argument Armament. This shows that fiction can help to inspire the world.

Marduk – God Eater 2 Rage Burst

In general, God Eater have a lot of awesome bosses including facing Dyaus Pita to advenge Lindow in the first God Eater game and Ra in God Eater 3 when you are able to take on Ash-born Argami with each of them having awesome soundtrack playing in the background including No Way Back and Nemesis respectively. But here’s one that stood out for me; Marduk in God Eater 2 Rage Burst, the Psion Argami. As you face it after going through a chain of missions, you finally get to face the Argami who took down your friend Romeo Leoni with it’s theme song Wings of Tomorrow adding the extra excitement of avenging your fellow God Eater. It wasn’t an easy ride but all of it certainly makes it rewarding.

Duma – Fire Emblem Echoes Shadows of Valentia

Fire Emblem is no shortage of excellent boss battles but I’ll pick Duma from the Fire Emblem Gaiden remake for one of the best final boss soundtrack Twilight of the Gods. Getting to Duma can be tough with a lot of enemies getting in the way but it makes it rewarding when you finally reach to him, using Alm to deliver the final blow with his Falchion. The characters saying their pre-liners, calling out Duma’s atrocities also helps to build up the hype too.

The Darker Lord – Miitopia

Even a comedic Mii RPG game have some awesome boss fights and that includes the mastermind who controls the Dark Lord (using him to steal Mii’s faces) and the Sage; The Darker Lord. This boss fight is divided into three phrases where you have to split your team to handle two of his hands. Afterwards, he steals your team’s faces which are used for his attacks, leaving the four remaining Miis including yourself to take on The Darker Lord himself while having an awesome boss battle music by the standards of a Mii game.  You are then given a choice to either break the cruise which will kill him or to save him which will restore his original self that he casted away after resenting himself for being ignored. I always go for the save him option each time (which is required to unlock the Tower of Dread and Tower of Despair) but either way, peace will be restored for all of Miitopia with all of the faces returning.

 Arkham (Mutated Form) – Devil May Cry 3

Devil May Cry 3 do have a couple of awesome boss battles but what makes Arkham on this list is that he’s the mastermind of the events of Devil May Cry 3 and you get to fight him in a mutated form with Dante’s brother Vergil on your side. The battle was tough but that didn’t stop it from being an awesome boss battle with its epic music and during the climax of the battle when the two Brothers giving him a stylish beat down with their combined shots from Ebony and Ivory. It also makes it satisfying to witness Arkham’s villainous breakdown and Lady, the daughter that he’s been using for his own benefit to deliver him the justice he deserves.

Matt Engarde - Ace Attorney Justice for All

Ace Attorney has a lot of excellent antagonists which makes it satisfying to bring them down, exposing their crimes including Dahlia Hawthorn as a manipulative monster in Trials and Tribution, Ga’ran as you prove that her rights for the royal throne is a fraud in Spirit of Justice and Mael Stronghart for that spectacular breakdown. But here’s one that had an impression on me from the second game; Matt Engarde. You find out that he is guilty of his crime hiring an assassin Shelly de Killer to murder his rival Juan Corrida yet he blackmails Phoenix Wright to defend him for his trial or else Maya will be killed by the said assassin, leaving Phoenix Wright a difficult choice to defend him to save Maya or to let him get scout free while getting Adrian Andrews, a poor innocent bystander convicted. But all is well when you find out that Matt was planning to blackmail Shelly by recording the murder, someone who doesn’t handle this reveal very well as he values trust. This makes it satisfying to watch the monstrous sociopath break down as Shelly breaks the contract and plans to kill him for breaking his trust. You are then given a choice of to declare him guilty or not guilty. Either way, he is screwed. That goes to show that not trusting others will come back to bite you hard.

Asriel Dreemurr – Undertale (True Pacifist Path)

As Flowely absorbs all the monsters including your friends and becomes his final form, you are seemingly all alone...yet you are filled with determination to save all of your friends, getting them all back by reminding them all the times you spend together with them. Even if you dealt a lot of damage along the way, you cannot die as your soul regenerates as said by the game’s message ‘But it refused’, even when Asriel fires his huge laser beam that actually hardly does a scratch which eventually leads you to save him. This boss battle is an ultimate combination of heart warming and awesome, filled with hope and determination, making the True Pacifist Path the equally ultimate path with its background music to emphasize. 

Masked Man/Claus – Mother 3

One of the most tragic boss battles listed. Throughout Mother 3, you have been clashing in with the Masked Man who is revealed to be Lucas’ twin brother who have been missing and became Porky’s servant. The last battle against the Masked Man is more like an endurance battle, handling his attacks and healing until Claus regain his memories with help from his Mother, leading to his sacrifice. Definitely one of the most heart wrenching boss battles but nevertheless makes it rememberable.

 Giygas – Earthbound

On the subject of the Mother series, Giygas is certainly infamous for being one of the most darkest and disturbing boss battles with Giygas becoming a mindless abomination along with many other dark concepts. Fighting him is seemingly impossible, if not terrifying until Paula reaches out to everyone in the game to pray including yourself which weakens him, showing that the power of love truly prevails but not before giving you some scares.

Faye – Finding Paradise 

A rather unconventional choice this one. As Dr Neil and Dr Eva explores Colin’s memories, you find out that Faye who is supposed to be Colin’s childhood friend is actually an imaginary friend who have helped him to get through life and fights to prevent Dr Neil from altering his memory. It’s more of a parody boss battle with various refers to retro games including Final Fantasy with a rather awesome boss music in the background and Dr Neil actually putting up a good fight yet it did lead to an emotional conclusion with Dr Neil learning that Colin have let go of Faye when he became an adult yet allowing her to live on through his terminal to reunite with Colin one last time while rewriting his memory where he never asked for Sigmund Corp’s services. All of this earns Faye’s spot on the list.

Giant Eggman Robo – Sonic 3 & Knuckles/Sonic and Knuckles

No boss list would be complete without a Sonic The Hedgehog boss and this one serve as the final boss of Death Egg Zone fits the bill as you reach near the end of the climax of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, fighting for the Master Emerald and settling the score with Dr Eggman. It starts off with three phasing with the first one starts off with the Giant Eggman Robo itself where you have to jump onto the fingers while avoiding getting hit by them. Then you move onto phase 2 where you have to run from the laser beam fired from the noise and hit the Master Emerald which is the source of the attack. Then the last phase involves chasing after Eggman while running away from the falling platforms behind you.  It’s far from an easy ride with you starting off with no rings (barring the ones carried on from Death Egg Zone Act 2), meaning that one mistake will cost you but it all makes a thrilling boss battle. It doesn’t end there as if you have managed to collect all the Chaos Emeralds or Hyper Emeralds, then you get to play as Super Sonic or Hyper Sonic, chasing Dr Eggman in The Doomsday Zone for a rewarding, climatic showdown.

Honourable Mentions

Tabuu – Super Smash Brother Brawl – The mastermind of Subspace Emissary, as epic as it was.

Porky – Mother 3 – You can’t help but to enjoy this love to hate boss battle

Sakaki - Dot Hack GU - It's satisfying to take him down with your friends by your side  

Bowser – Super Mario Odyssey – The boss fight was awesome itself but the most memberable part was when you actually get to control Bowser as you process him, making your way out!

So there are many boss battles that we find awesome in so many ways and I hope to play more video games where I find many more inspiring boss battles for years to come. 

 

My top hardest boss battles

For many video games, there are boss battles that we must fight in order to progress through the game. Some of which that we are able to beat with ease. Then there’s this particular boss which suddenly becomes a road block for our game. The boss fight that becomes so hard to defeat that well remembered for becoming source of our frustration, becoming the trope ‘That one boss’ .  We either rage quit, look up a guide, beat them by luck or trying over and over again until we finally defeat them.  Here’s my list on the boss battles from the video games I’ve been finding hard from mid game bosses, final bosses and optional bosses. Note that they are in no particular order. Be warned that they may contain some spoilers.

Zygarde Complete – Pokemon Sword and Shield Crown Tundra

Generally, I personally find Gym Leaders, Elite Four and Champions (and other mayor battles) not too difficult as I use walkthroughs or sources on the internet including Serebii Net to look up on their teams and plan ahead on the best teams to use including using type advantage or strategies to counter their teams.

Zygarde Complete which you can fight in Dynamax Adventures is however a monster. It starts as Zygarde 50% form who is not as hard but once it reach half of its HP, this is where it gets hard as it activates its ability Power Construct which becomes Zygarde Complete. In this form, it HP increases to an enormous amount, backed with a high Attack stat to hit hard with powerful moves and huge defensives to handle hits. Its moves that it have includes Max Wyrmwind which lowers’ your Pokemon’s attack stats, Land’s Wrath which bypasses Flying type and Pokemon with the ability Levitate’s immunity to Ground type moves and Thousand Arrows which can wipe out your entire team.

This makes it troublesome to deal with, especially if your team have become worn down by this point. Ice types are its mayor weakness but there’s only a few good ice types available in Dynamax Adventures, not helping that they don’t have the defensives  to resist any of its STAB moves and not even Fairy types are safe from its wrath. If you happen to plan to catch Zygarde Complete in Dynamax Adventures, be prepared to lose a couple of times.

Fallen Takumi – Fire Emblem Heroes

 A lot of bosses in Fire Emblem Heroes including Grand Hero battles, Legendary or Mythic heroes do tend to be hard, especially if they have reinforcements which make it difficult to keep up. It doesn’t help that you’ll automatically lose the battle if one of your units gets KOed. One of the Grand Hero Battle who I remembered that I find the hardest is Fallen Takumi.

What made this Grand Hero Battle so hard is the layout of the map which makes you surrounded by enemies that can chip away your unit’s heath, making them more exposed to a KO which as mentioned above, makes this map irksome to deal with the number of reinforcements that can wear you down. As for Fallen Takumi, he is a pain to deal who can also inflict some chip damage on the third turn along with the Panic status to units who are in the vertical range with his prf weapon Skadi. To make things worse, there are two of them (which mirrors his boss battle in his home game Fire Emblem Fates on the Conquest path).

Thankfully, I’ve been finding most Grand Hero Battles (and some other themed battles) easier with premium units including Reinhardt, Brave Ike, Brave Dmitri, Duo Lyn, Duo Hector, Duo Epharim, Reginn and Peony but I still remembered taking several days to beat Fallen Takumi.

Ganon – Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Out of the bosses in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, I find Ganon the trickiest. The reason being is because his only weak point is his tail which can be difficult to reach because you find yourself being in front of Ganon, forcing yourself to dodge him attacking in front of you until you get behind himself which is harder for characters with poor mobility. When you do enough damage to his tail however, he becomes stunned for a short of time for you to do more damage to him including his head although you might have taken a lot of damage from his strong attacks, if not lose a few stock while trying to aim for his tail.

Shadow Okumara – Persona 5 Royal

What makes this boss battle so tricky is that he uses his robots to do the fighting within a 30 minute time limit. You are required to defeat them in two turns or else he’ll rearrange them at full health which if you don’t expose their weakness, he’ll stall a lot of time. To make things more hectic, his robots have many ways to stall you including inflicting hunger status to weaken your team or Rakunda to boost their defence. I personally get panicky when dealing with the time limit and have to restart this boss battle a few times because of it.  Shadow Okumara himself however is a sad joke who only have one HP so he can fall to any hit.

There are a few other Persona 5 Royal boss battles that I find tricky including Wakaba Isshiki as the Sphinx and Maruki & Azathoth with their troublesome moves but the time limit and the stalling combined is what makes Shadow Okumara on this list. This Family Guy video below best describes his palace and boss battle below.

Balmung from Claire’s Memory Data – God Eater 3

A lot of God Eater bosses do tend to get rough, especially the large size ones (including the Vajra related ones) with their powerful, ruthless moves. But there is one that stands out is the Balmung that you face one on one with Claire in her last Memory Bank mission. Balmungs are always tough to fight against but what makes this one difficult is due to the mechanics involving going into the Traversing the Past based missions where you are limited to only use the corresponding character. I find that using a full team helps to increase my potential and only using one other character have definitely made the battle harder. Fighting the Balmung is a lot different too as normally, you can get to break an Aragami’s bonds to do more damage to them but it doesn’t seem to occur in this particular story mode, making it difficult to tell if you are doing a lot of damage to the Balmung or not. It caused a lot of defeats and a narrow victory for me to finally beat it with Claire on my side.

Nevan – Devil May Cry 3

A lot of Devil May Cry 3 bosses are thrilling in their own ways with Agni and Rudra and Cerberus are entertaining. Even if Arkham and Vergil are hard, the fact that these boss battles are awesome makes up for it. Nevan however is a complete misery even on the lowest difficulty. It’s because she fights defensively including using a bat shield which you have to take out first before dealing significant damage to her, draining your health, firing her electrical attacks from a far distance that deals a huge amount of damage and hiding into the shadows for her to ambush you. All of this combined makes it tedious to face her. You can imagine my horror when I get to face her again in Lost Soul Nirvana (which is thankfully optional).

Terrako – Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity

Terrako is your cute, Guardian full of personality but near the end of the chapter, he becomes corrupted so you have to face him which I’ve found a nightmare. He maybe small but his fast movements are difficult to avoid, quickly catching up to you and dealing a lot of damage. Much like the Balmung battle above, you are limited to only use Link which I find it more frustrating to fight against without having any team mates that could have an advantage against him. The Bright Ganons were wakeup call boss battles, causing me to have some change of strategy but I didn’t find them as fiendish as Terrako.

Traveller Hub bosses– Miitopia  

Even a fun, Mii RPG game have a couple of fiendish boss battles and no, I’m not talking about the Fiends that OHKOs your Mii (but they are just a pain to face with), I’m referring to some of the bosses that you randomly encounter for a Traveller Hub mission. While some are not too hard, there are others that are tough to face including Red Orochi, Red Dragon, Angry Queens, Cerberus and Generals. They have heavy hitting moves that deals a large amount of damage to your Miis, especially if they attack twice in a row which I find overpowered. You have to do huge amount to these bosses while hoping that your AI controlled teams will pick the right options to do a lot of damage or hinder them before they wipe out your whole team.

Trace – Metroid Prime Hunters

Most of the rival hunters are tough in their own ways. Trace stands out with his fast speed, disappearing and sucker punching you and fighting from a distance. While he doesn’t handle too many hits, he can deal a lot of damage before you have a chance to react. What doesn’t help that you first fight him just when you have to escape Arcterra before the time runs out after you fight the Slench v2 (which wasn’t as hard but was far from an easy ride itself) so he picks a really bad timing to fight him to add the extra frustration.

Barrier Trio – Mother 3

Don’t be fooled by their silly, campy appearance as they have powerful PK moves including every elemental attacks, have huge defensives and are immune to status aliments. They also have an immunity to all but for one PK element while they strike a Barrier Pose during the start of the battle which you have to scout which one with Boney’s Sniff ability and when their HP gets low, they’ll concentrate as their cue to use their PK Starstorm which can wipe out your team. Fighting the Barrier Trio will requires some strategy to beat them including regular healing or reviving, using defensive skills to sponge their hits including PSI Shield and PSI Counter and dishing out strong attacks of your own. There’s a reason why their battle theme is known as Strong One.

 Asgore Dreemurr – Undertale (Neutral – Pacifist Run)

I was happy to take the Pacifist path (starting with the Neutral – Pacifist run), sparring all monsters and lovable characters. The only catch is this battle with Asgore who destroys the Mercy button, giving you no choice but to fight him. Because you don’t level up defeating the monsters on the said path, you are weaker so you’ll take great damage from his attack pattern that is tricky to dodge and takes longer to weaken him. Even so, I still find it worth sparing Asgore once I’ve managed to overcome this boss battle, least before Flowey gets to kill him.

Major Burrows – Super Mario Galaxy

This huge scary looking boss is tough as he looks. The main problem is his speed when getting away from him, ground pounding next to him to unearth him, and attacking him when he’s dazed before he gets back into the ground which makes it rather painstaking.

Krampus – Trivia Tricks

Trivia Tricks is a fun quiz based game that I’ve helped my friends to develop last year by coming up with questions. That said, not even Trivia Trick is exempt from having difficult bosses as you have to team up with others to win against the boss. Krampus is one of the first one during the Christmas event as a seasonal update who deducts your points during Chance Rounds which are randomly set so there’s no way of telling if you’ll lose a lot of points or not which can be especially fatal if you have a bad round with questions that you find difficult. While never bosses were added including Negative functioning similarly to him, Krampus still gives a first impression on what Trivia Tricks bosses are like to this day.

Honourable mentions

Nemesis – Project X Zone 2 – In Chapter 16: Thicker than water, he constantly heals his HP which took me a while for him to go down.

Jedah – Fire Emblem Echoes Shadows of Valentia – He is technically unbeatable which stops me from putting on the list but was still a pain to fight (even for the second time fighting him who gets in the way of Duma).

Lock Keepers – Persona 5 Strikers – Most of these are a pain to fight.

So in almost any game we play, we are bond to have a frustrating time with that one boss but our determination and persistence (along with some help from walkthroughs and other sources) shall always overcome them or at least what makes them well remembered.  

 

 

 

 

Comparing to others on the internet and sharing highlights and problems on the internet - My honest thoughts

Sometimes on social media, I've been noticing people who find themselves comparing themselves to others whenever it comes to body images (especially for models, athletic and bodybuilders), relationships, getting a new job or house, going on holiday, finding a shiny Pikachu with perfect IVs or getting Legendary Sigurd with ideal IVs on Fire Emblem Heroes. 

I suppose I get that it's natural for others to get jealous at times but that's something that I've never find myself doing on the internet. Maybe it's because it's something that doesn't occur to me with my autism but I find that I am happy for their success, liking their posts and sometimes sending them my support. I am no expert but having to become more aware of people comparing themselves on social media, I admit that I find it rather sad and toxic just because of other people's success that they happen to share online (unless one happens to do it in a show off or bragging kind of way). My hottest take on this is that comparison on social media is self conflicted (especially if you take it on out them). 

In my opinion, I say that if people spend less time comparing themselves to others and focus on what's going on with the person's lives they are comparing to, the the world, let alone social media would be a better place. I've been seeing various quotes that says 'Don't compare yourselves to others, you never know what they're going through' and happen to stand by which makes it relevant for a reason so you may not know what that person have to go through to earn their success including working long and hard to earn their body with a specialise routine, go through a lot with their partner to make their relationship work, receive lots of help to get better in regards to their heath, their courage to come out and so fourth. Chances are that they may go through the same struggles as you. I am aware that people may only show their highlights by playing devil's advocate that makes them look perfect  like with Instagram by going through all the work and trouble to get the right shot to my understanding as I've seen on Sam Cushing's video (go and check him out, he have genuine content who happens to look hot) but I say it's up to them if they want to show their full story, showing how they earned their progress or deal with them privately. What they show may seem to be perfect but realistically, no one is perfect which makes them human so it's not worth getting down with seeing a post that makes them look, well perfect. 

Likewise, some may compare to the amount of likes or followers they have. I say that social media should be used for more fulfilling purposes including spreading inspiration, making connections and for my cases, follow celebrates and hobbies that I'm into rather than using it for the likes or followers. There are  bigger problems with social media than the amount of numbers you have including with drama and negativity. 

Sharing highlights is what we need more of comparing to sharing problems and weak moments which apparently makes you an inauthentic person. Don't get me wrong, I do get that some may find it easier to share and to be open with meaningful problems online which can be a way of getting help from others, resonate with others that might be going through the same thing  and for them to reach out to others as well as various causes to help to make the world a better place and some news that we should take some note of. I myself have been sending support to those who are having difficulties at times, helping them to get through it and it's beautiful to show that you're not alone with these problems. But we still need to share our happiness and highlights (as well as some laughs) on social media to inspire others, showing that the world is still beautiful even with its difficulties as sharing too many problems without getting any actual help or dealing with it (or take meaningful action for the cause) can weigh me down and find social media stressful and depressing. As I've said on my previous post, I've been focusing on what gives me good vibes on social media while avoiding anything that gives be bad vibes including meaningless drama and negativity for my mental health (while still open to other people's problems and some causes but not forgetting to look after myself too). The world needs more strong people to motivate and lift others up (and showing how they overcome their difficulties). Whilst it's ok to share some problems and causes, you are responsible for what you put out on your social media and would again only weigh down people overtime (as I've learned from Steven Universe episode 'What's your problem?'). Rather than constantly venting on the internet or bottling them up, it would be better to deal with them offline with practical solutions and if needed, inner circle including friends and family or counsellor in the long run (and only really share them online if you really need help).

Life is too short to compare to others so next time you find someone who you happen to compare to online, give them the benefit of the doubt and celebrate their success which is what true friends and supporters would do. Maybe you could even use their story to inspire you to become a better person. Having said all this, if you happen to feel inferior, you can instead focus on your own qualities on what you have (that they may not have), concentrate on your own story and remember that you are still loved and better than you think you are without the internet telling your self worth otherwise. 

Good vibes only or All vibes welcome? My personal take

Some say "Good vibes only", others say "All vibes welcome". Here's my take on them. Understandably, whilst it's good to have good vibes, it's just as important to allow all vibes, not just the good vibes as only allowing good vibes would invalidate people who are not feeling good if they're going through rough times as some would call it toxic positively so by allowing all vibes would again help their feelings to be accepted rather than 'cheer up' or 'snap out of it' (which I would say low effort positively).

However, I would like to propose something that may or may not be forgotten. Just because you allow all vibes, this should not mean that you should allow someone who takes advantage of you, treat you or others like garbage or bring you down with their toxic negative vibes. Whilst some may have a reason not to be positive, they are still responsible for their actions and their toxic negatively will have an effect on others especially if they make no effort to use practical solutions or get help to overcome their problem. So there are times when you have to draw a line and cut off from those bad vibes for your own self worth. Don't get me wrong, I get that some may go through a storm including myself but only we can make our own choices to resolve them for the better as we would weigh others down overtime.

 
I've become critical over the last few years on where to focus my vibes if it's worth my time and mental health. As I am aware of course, there are things that I can't take a blind eye to news and other content including on social media but only if they inspire me, make me happy and if I have anything that I can respond to a meaningful cause within my control whereas if I detect meaningless drama and negativity, I should consider if those vibes are worth investing in.

So I say it's good to allow all vibes but only if they're legitimate and not toxic where it's still good to have good vibes to not only make you feel good but others around you if they're feeling anything but good, giving them a reason to keep going (by reaching out and helping them along the way).

An update

 Hi, I am doing well in life. Here are a few updates I would like to mention:

Firstly, I've been updating some of my older posts, adding some new guys on my guys list including Sam Cushing, Sam Drew, Leo Berkshire, Donny Harrington, Julian Larach, Dominic Kalfos, Sam Wicks and others, Pokemon and TV Tropes that I like. You can check out the by the following links:

https://mcbustedeon.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-top-guys_5.html

https://mcbustedeon.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-top-male-adult-stars.html

https://mcbustedeon.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-top-male-models-and-bodybuilders.html

https://mcbustedeon.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-top-pokemon.html

https://mcbustedeon.blogspot.com/2019/12/favourite-gen-8-pokemon.html

https://mcbustedeon.blogspot.com/2019/01/tv-tropes-i-like-and-ones-i-avoid.html

Next, I've been playing some new games lately including Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal. I've enjoyed them both throughout with their likable characters, fun battle system, neat soundtrack, variety of free time activities and engaging story line that always want me to find out what happens next. This adds Persona to my favourite video game series list. 

Trivia Tricks is another game that I've been playing which is made by my close friends who have been working hard on it. It's a quiz game with a variety of questions based on different topics including video games, animal, movies and anime. I've been helping out by suggesting some questions. It have a lot of character with regular updates, chance round to turn the tide of the game and variety of bosses that gives you a challenge. You can check out the game on Steam here and its Discord community where you can submit questions here.

I've also been playing Planet Zoo where I've made my own Zoo with a variety of animals. As an animal lover and a fan of Zoos, I knew that it would be the kind of game for me. Here's an example of a South American themed exhibit with Anteaters and Tapirs:

Some of its game mechanics can take a while to get used to but it's rewarding to create the kind of Zoo of your dreams with updates that keeps you coming back to it. 

However, I have also experienced a great sadness as earlier this year, my pet Corn Snake Fangs who I had for 14 years have sadly passed away. He was a cute, friendly snake who always like to see what's going on as he seemingly watch out from his vivarium and comfortable being handled. I am publishing this blog post on the day when I first had him. I am missing him but I'm living my live to the fullest for him, thankful for him for being part of my life and to give him the best life I can possibly give him. 

I will always remember you Fangs. 

“Even if someone is missing, life must go on I believe that there is light somewhere in this world where nothing is certain. You gave me the courage to stay strong So that I won't lose So that I won't look down in shame. I really want you to stay by my side, but because you're here because your heart is here. Even when we're apart, I'll be able to walk on my path” - Hanareteite mo -  Digimon Last Evolution Kizuna 

The meaning of life

 

So what’s the meaning of life? Here are my answers below:

To be Happy

As quoted by Daniel Howell (aka Danisnotonfire) “The meaning of life is to be happy” and I certainly agree with him. Some may say that there is more to life than to be happy but I say that life is worthwhile being happy. Of course, we may not have it easy with difficulties and problems in life but we can overcome them by making the best of it (especially with things out of your control) or having the necessary help to help you to deal with it. As I may have said before, only we can make our own choices in life without anything to dictate our lives. Life is worth living to be those who are there for you to get through your hardships and to wake up early morning to spend time doing the things that you enjoy doing even the most simplest stuff to get you going, giving your life a meaning. Only you can decide what makes you happy with no one else deciding for you (unless they’re helping to guide you to the right direction for the better). This isn’t limited to yourself but to others, helping to give them a reason to keep going if they happen to go through anything; making the world a better place for them and to cheer them on for their own happiness and accomplishments. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Live your life to the fullest which you can look back to and smile. Don’t let anything get in the way of your own happiness no matter what including negative people, meaningless drama and stuff we hear on the news.

To be yourself

We may have heard this cliché here and there but with many issues involving LGBTQ equality (writing this on Pride month as an LGBTQ individual myself funnily enough), disability, ethnically, gender and so forth, it couldn’t be truer today. Individuality is what makes the world beautiful and diverse. It would be easier to put on a charade to hide your own unique trait but it’s better to be your true self in the long run (as long as it’s harmless). Some may judge you for being different but the right kind of people will accept you for who you are including with your flaws (since no one is perfect after all). Love yourself for being who you are and there is support that’ll help you to accept yourself. So if you happen to hear the praise “Just be yourself” yet again, just remember that there’s a reason for it. Equality is worth fighting for.

To make the world a better place

Which brings up my next point; life is full of issues including LGBTQ rights, animal conservation, the environment including plastics in oceans and global warming, Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, mental health and so on. They may not be easy with difficulties in the way but again, they are worth fighting for to make a world a better place for everyone concerned and future generations. No matter how hard it gets, always strive to fight for a better world by doing the right thing and stand up to others with resilience (as long as your activism isn’t extreme unless necessary as it would otherwise be a lost cause).

However, I also would like to point out a personal yet important tip regarding to this (something that I have been learning myself); don’t forget to look after yourself too. Whilst it’s good to get be opened minded with some issues and to fight for them, it’s just as important to take care of yourself for your mental health. Remember that you are only the one person and there’s only so much you can do and it’s not fair on you to get yourself down if things doesn’t goes your way in regards for the cause, especially if they’re out of your control. You don’t owe anyone anything and you won’t be able to help with the cause. It can get overwhelming on social media at times for your mental health at times so you should sometimes put your own well being first without being forced to engage in it.  The best way is to focus on what you can do with the biggest or smallest contribution, keep on fighting for the cause and if needed, take some time off on social media. That way, you won’t have unnecessary stress on yourself.

 Also, if you want others to follow your cause, be respectful (yet assertive if needed) and educate others. That way, you'll inspire them to guide them to the right path regarding to the cause as guilt shaming them or being forceful and controlsive is no better (unless the person is being close minded and difficult themselves).

To grow for the better

No one have it easy and we all have encountered some difficulties in life. We can either use them to harden our hearts, become cynical and expect pity. Or we can use them to become a stronger, better person as we learn from experience, make the best of the situation and get help if needed. As said by Rafiki from The Lion King ”Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it”. Like with many character development, only we can use our hardships for personal growth for the better and overcome it rather than hiding or running from it, facing our reality head on with our loved ones besides us to give us the strength along the way when needed.

To achieve your goal and try your best

I’ve read an article by Danny Jones from Mcfly, saying to musically gifted children that it’s ok to fail and be resilience to failure, emphasizing that in order to achieve your dreams, you must always try your best and don’t worry about failing which can be a good lesson to you. Whenever you want to achieve something in life including following your passion, getting a job or building your body (like with many bodybuilders or male models that I follow on social media though even they say that it takes hard work and motivation), you should always give it your all follow your dream and achieve your goal with passion, whatever it takes without obstacles or failures getting in the way. Even if it didn’t work out, it’ll be a good lesson and experience for you to move forward or a good opportunity to get you to the next best thing that is meant for you. And even if you don’t have a goal right now, then as you as you’re happy with where you are now, then that all it matters.