Pokemon: A Special Commercial and The First Movies

Super Bowl 50 was notable for the competitive battle between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. Two teams that were at the top of their respected divisions. Both teams couldn’t be more diverse. Peyton Manning, aged, injured, yet experienced, would let the Broncos incredible defence, do the heavy lifting. Cam Newton, young, healthy and a fantastic QB, would stand beside the Panthers solid offence and defence during a 90 minute extravaganza. Denver would win, surprising NFL fans alongside this one.

For Pokemon fans, The Pokemon Company would spend 5 million dollars to air a very special 30 minute commercial. This piece of marketing is one of the greatest Super Bowl spots in years. Exciting, encouraging and heartfelt, it was a delight for Pokemon fans young and old. The spot reminded me of the early days of the phenomenon, celebrating the franchise’s 20 years. At the end of the spot, a father and son are staring in awe at a Poke-Battle on television. The boy is amazed. The father whispers, to encourage his son, “you can do that”. The spot ends with the anniversary tag line “Train On”. As a father myself, I see a dad passing that joy of this game to a newer generation, to his family. I love that commercial.

Recently, the first three Pokemon movies were released on Blu-Ray in a special anniversary tin. It’s been a blast watching the movies once again.

Pokemon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back features the incredible story of the origin of Mewtwo, the world’s first man created Pokemon. Cloned and created from Mew, Mewtwo is a psychic Pokemon with devastating powers and abilities. The journey would take Ash and Pikachu alongside fan favourites Misty and Brock to a climactic battle that would leave the audience in tears. Literally. Yes, in tears. I still remember going to the flick opening night alongside my girlfriend. The lineup was huge, fans were excited. It was definitely notable for its box office performance, which would earn over $163 million worldwide and leave a very positive impression on fans.

Pokemon: The Movie 2000: The Power of One would release a year later. Focusing on a new villain named Lawrence III who travels the world collecting legendary Pokemon. The flick would sprinkle a little bit of a romantic plot between Ash and Misty which would eventually lead, of course, absolutely nowhere. My least favourite of the trilogy, does include a few great action sequences and a rousing finale. Plus, those Ash and Misty scenes are gold. It would do very well at the box office, making over $133 million worldwide.

My personal favourite Poke-Flick out of the trilogy, in fact out of all of the feature films(there are 18 in total with number 19 on the way) is Pokemon 3: The Movie: Entei - Spell of The Unown. Yes, that is how that word is spelled. The Unown are a mysterious, mythical Pokemon. They are uncovered by Professor Spencer in an archeological dig. Once discovered, they snatch Spencer away, sending him into an alternate dimension and never to be seen again. His little daughter Molly finds out about her father’s disappearance and is crushed and feels alone. I love this movie because it’s about family. Father’s and daughters. Mother’s and son’s. I don’t want to blow the plot away but all I’ll say, the flick is well paced, written and features some fantastic action sequences and imagination. It really is a treat, delivering plenty of genuine emotion. With such high praise, it did decent at the box office collecting over $68 million worldwide. Making a $100 million less than The First Movie. With dwindling box office performances, the next movie Pokemon 4Ever, would be the last the films to have a worldwide theatrical release.

That wraps up Pokemon’s first trilogy of films. They’re definitely worth the purchase and watched in chronological order. If you're only going to watch one, check out Pokemon 3, it’s seriously good stuff. Expect my next bunch of blog posts to talk about the anniversary, memories, recent merchandising and oh yes, those games of course.

So That Pokemon 20th Anniversary Is Going On

20 years. What?!?! It's been 20 years of Pokemon already?

Developer Game Freak, nearly bankrupt, would release the OG Pokemon 20 years on February 27th, 1996 in Japan. The aging Nintendo Game Boy hardware was on it’s last heels when this global phenomenon would help rejuvenate it once again.

Oh yes, I still remember like it was yesterday my first experience with Pokemon. It was an episode of the anime, way back in October 1998. A friend of mine recommended I check it out after I had mentioned my boredom of gaming at the time. After watching one episode, my girlfriend and I drove to Toys R Us where we picked up Pokemon Red and Blue alongside accompanying Nintendo Power guides.

We were in Poke-Heaven.

The simplicity of the gameplay was so addictive. The beauty of the game’s 8-bit graphics and chip music was mesmerizing. That brick Game Boy of mine got played and played and played some more.

So now The Pokemon Company has a year of celebration happening. From the original Blue, Red and Yellow releases on the Virtual Console, to monthly Legendary Pokemon giveaways, to new merchandise and games.

I’ll wrap this up this post quick.

Today, I’m married to the girl who I first played Pokemon with. We have children of our own and to introduce them to this colourful world is definitely a treat.

On February 27th, I will be picking up the 20th Anniversary New 3DS Pokemon bundle, which includes the OG Pokemon Red and Blue releases. So I’ll be replaying Blue once again, making new memories and remembering old ones.

This year, with Pokemon’s 20th, expect blog updates of my yearly rediscovery, catch up, celebrating and all that fun stuff of the world of Pokemon.

Cheers!

A Few of My Favourite Games of 2015

Another year and another bunch of games played.

So, what did I like? What stood out and captured my much desired attention?

Bloodbourne - I never expected this game to be so damn good. I played a bit of Demon Souls. I played me a bit of Dark Souls II. Didn’t care for either of them. However, Bloodbourne just got me. The hard as balls gameplay. The beautiful, dark crumbling victorian setting. The monsters. That damn Kirkhammer! It took a few hours to get the gameplay, combat and rhythm of the experience but when you do, it’s just so flipping amazing to play.

Until Dawn - Like Bloodbourne, Until Dawn is another new IP, 2nd studio party offering from Sony. The adventure game/movie experience has finally, finally been perfected! Dripping with 90’s teen slasher style, Until Dawn is a satisfying experience and definitely earns its “sleeper hit” status. Everything from the atmosphere, acting, mo-cap, story, musical score and gameplay is executed with perfection. Damn great looking game!

Pac-Man 256 - It wasn't that long ago that we’d have a separate category for “mobile games”. You know what? Fudge that. Great games be great games, no matter what you're playing them on. Pac-Man 256 is such an addictive and pleasant experience. Pac-Man’s 35th birthday couldn't be more festive with this release. Fun! Fun! More fun! The Pac is back!

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Mobile - Oh yeah! Take that perfect modern day Pac-Man classic on the go. DX plays surprisingly well with your mobile swipe controls and its plays even better with a bluetooth controller. It’s Pac DX on the go. I mean, how much better can gaming get?

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Hideo Kojima’s final chapter of his MGS saga ends with a bang! Controversy surrounding the game’s development and post release couldn't put a damper on it’s smooth, addictive gameplay. Kojima takes Peace Walker and blows it up with gorgeous graphics and a lotta mo game. When you feel you’ve hit the max out of gameplay, BAM! New objectives happen on Mother Base. So much fun things to do! The Phantom Pain never felt so good! I can't stop playing this game! Goodbye Kojima! Goodbye Big Boss! You've more than enough earned your rest.

There's a few of the greatest hits I've played during 2015. Looking ahead to 2016, we got PS VR coming. KABOOM! The dawn of a new gaming frontier. I can't wait!