Pokemon Retrospective: Gold and Silver

Pokemon Gold and Silver were initially showcased at the 1999 Nintendo Space World Expo in Japan. It was originally supposed to take off in 1998, but the relatively small production team already had their hands full with Pokemon Stadium, plus dealing with the changes for the American release, so instead we got Pokemon Yellow version.

Now, before we go on, I know what you're wondering: what did he think of Yellow version? Well...it was okay? I suppose? I'll admit, I was excited to play an adventure more like Ash's at first, but as its gotten older, I have to admit, it's grown kind of stale.

But back to Gold and Silver. One of the first things that kids knew about it was that there was going to be a TON of new pokemon, around 100. They were still based on childhood experiences of the creators like Japanese mythology and manga, much like bug collecting in the first one.

There were a bunch of new elements added in as well. Firstly, the dark and steel types were added, dark mainly to balance out the somewhat overpowered psychic types (alakazam). There was breeding (which we'll get in to more in a minute) and a larger variety of pokeballs, including custom made ones depending on what apricots you've collected. One aspect left over from yellow was the idea of the relationship you had with your pokemon. If your pokemon got hurt or lost battles a lot, he'd like you less and less, but if you gave him items, took care of him and were successful, he or she would like you more and more.

Pokemon Retrospective: Red and Blue

Geekasaurus Mike takes a look back at a staple of his childhood, and a major influence on the interests of a generation: Pokemon, in this, his 100th blog post.
If you'd like to see the other 99 posts, please visit geekasaurusmike.blogspot.com

The Fifth Doctor: Peter Davison

So yeah, it's been a LONG time since I did a Doctor Who article. But welcome back to the retrospective!
When we last left the Time Lord, he was the curly-haired Tom Baker, a relatively unknown actor until he got the role. After his ridiculously long run, the producers of the show decided to take the character in a different direction, selecting a far younger man, and one who could be recognized by the general public. Thus, Peter Davison was chosen, already well known for his part in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small.

Unlike the fourth doctor, who was massively bohemian, quirky and a combination of the Mad Hatter and Merlin, the fifth doctor was far more sensitive and reserved. He was not always the leader amongst his companions, and often liked to take the back seat and let someone else be in charge. Despite being one of the more courageous of the Doctors, the fifth was also the most hesitant when it came to violence.

Much of this was shaped by the death of the companion Adric, who mad the Doctor begin to question his own actions. Another companion, named Tegan, suffered a near-emotional breakdown as well.

Also differing from his previous incarnation, the fifth Doctor's costume was not all that striking, comparatively speaking. His dress was that of a cricket player and a panama hat. The only thing that was really odd about his appearance was his tendency to wear a stick of celery on his lapel.

Some of the notable achievements of this doctor were surviving the near-deadly regeneration that brought him about, dealing with being bonded to the time lord Omega (and subsequently avoiding execution at the hands of the times lords) and re-encountering the Silurians and the Sea Devils.

What most fans of the show today will recognize the fifth Doctor from is the short special "Time Crash" alongside the tenth Doctor, David Tennant, when their TARDIS's crash into each other, and threaten to create a black hole "the exact size of Belgium." The two have some pretty brilliant verbal sparring, and it really was great to watch.

On a side note, Tennant is now married to Davison's daughter, and if their child does not appear in Doctor Who in some way or anther, I will be very disappointed.

The fifth Doctor met his end when he and his companion Peri Brown were poisoned, and they had only one antidote. The Doctor sacrificed himself to let Peri live, and regenerated into...well...we'll talk about it next time.

"For some people, small, beautiful events are what life is all about!"