To be fair, I've spent more time playing Pokemon Black than any other game since the baby arrived. Portable gaming + pause button + quick access to save = parent-friendly.
Aside from being parent-friendly, Pokemon is what I've come to call "comfort gaming"--you know what to expect, you don't have to be concerned about objectionable material, and you know you're playing a well-designed game (yes, Game Freak is an awesome company).
It seems that majority opinion regarding Pokemon goes in phases:
- Young child: Pokemon is awesome. I play it, my friends play it, and I'm gonna be the best there ever was.
- Adolescents: Pokemon is dumb. It's for little kids. Pokemon is so two years ago. I'm gonna go pout, listen to and derive my identity from counter-cultural music generated and marketed by a multibillion dollar industry, and pirate Grand Theft Auto IV because it has swear words and hookers and guns and my stupid parents don't want me to play it.
- Young adult: Pokemon is fine for children, but I'm more interested in playing Counter-Strike, Halo, or some other generic, done-to-death space marine deathmatch game.
- New parent: Oh, Pokemon! I loved it when I was a kid and I bet my kids will love it, too.
- 30-year old married new parent: I'm married, I have a child, and I could not care less what other people think. Pokemon is fun, I'm going to play it, and I'm going to enjoy it. And I hope my child likes it too so we can play together when they get older.
Yes, I'm in that last group and
I'm loving it.
Elesa's stupid Electic/Flying Pokemon crush me. My Ground Pokemon can't hit 'em... and my only Rock attack is chillin' with my Fire/Fighting Pokemon... which gets owned by Aerial Ace.
Elesa's Emolgas (what IS the plural of Emolga?) were tough, but my Pignite was already past level 30 by that point, so I was able to narrowly take them down even while weak to Aerial Ace. I...may have used other Pokemon, too, I don't recall. I earned that Gym Badge at about 3 a.m. yesterday.
So, I'm grinding while hunting down a Rock or Ice TM to take them scrubs out.
So electric Pokemon are weak to Rock or Ice.
/me takes notes
General tips? Don't fear grinding.
I don't feel like I've had to grind yet, but I've also had Tepig/Pignite as my opening Pokemon for nearly my entire run so far. I also gave him Charcoal and have taken my time to capture one of each wild Pokemon (that I know of) and explore all available areas, including the first floor of Relic Castle.
I went beasting on Victini time and time again to easymode level up my party to 20s across the board in a short time.
I captured Victini in my first fight against him. Was that...unwise?
Then again, I know you don't fear leveling...
...for great justice.
If it is indeed for great justice (and, perhaps even more importantly, if the battle system is fun and complex enough), then no, I don't mind leveling.
...wait it just occurred to me they could sell plastic hamster balls that were transparently colored like Pokeballs... wait they probably don't that could end badly the first time a kid throws one XD ....
) and Pokemon Silver with it.
