Legendary Pokemon

I don't really feel like writing about anything significant today, so I suppose I'll do another Pokemon Post. This one details all the "Legendary" Pokemon from Generation 1 through 4.

Generation 1

The Legendary Birds
Articuno - Articuno is the first Legendary that you're able to catch in Red/Blue/Yellow and Fire Red/Leaf Green. It's a dual type - Flying and Ice. You'll want to catch it if you want to have an easier time defeating the Elite Four, especially if you're like me and only level up a Kadabra the entire game up until the Elite Four and then find yourself royally screwed. Articuno is found on the bottom floor of the Seafoam Island caves and has no signature move. (However, as one of the only five Ice Pokemon in Generation 1, it could learn Blizzard, Ice Beam, and Sheer Cold naturally.)
Zapdos - Zapdos was the second of the Legendary Birds that you could catch. It was also a dual type - Flying and Electric. Zapdos was never my favorite Legendary, I thought Articuno and Moltres were better. It has no signature move, and can be caught at the end of the hidden Power Plant dungeon.
Moltres - Moltres was the fire type of the other two. Again, not much to say here. I preferred Articuno to Moltres and Zapdos. Moltres could be found on Victory Road in Red/Blue/Yellow, and on One Island in Fire Red/Leaf Green. It has no signature move.
Mewtwo - The only (and I do mean only) reason to get a Fire Red or Leaf Green cartridge if you own Diamond and Pearl, as all other legendaries can be gotten from events. Mewtwo was a psychic powerhouse, with amazing stats in both Special Attack and Speed, making it rival only one other Pokemon in the game - Alakazam. It could be caught at the end of Cerulean Cave, which would only open up in R/B/Y if you had defeated the Elite Four, and in FR/LG if you completed a really annoying sidequest after defeating the Elite Four. Mewtwo's signature move is Aura Sphere, but it can be learned by 5 other Pokemon which will all be covered.
Mew - The original unobtainable Pokemon. Mew could not be obtained anywhere other than a Nintendo event in R/B/Y, and would not appear naturally in any game until Emerald, and even then, you needed some kind of event triggered to give you the item to have a chance to go and catch Mew. Mew's claims to fame are base stats of 100 in every area, as well as the ability to learn any TM or HM. Like Mewtwo, it learns Aura Sphere at level 100. In Diamond/Pearl, Mew can only be obtained by transferring a Mew from R/S/E or FR/LG.

Generation 2
Raikou, Entei, and Suicine - These guys were exactly the same as Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, except they were legendary Beasts instead of Birds. None of them had any signature moves, and were really, really annoying to catch in G/S/C. Once you found them, they would run somewhere in the wild, and you would have to track them to specific area. The only way to get these annoyances on D/P is through having them from an event, or catching them in FR/LG. One was activated in the wild after you completed the National Pokedex. The one that was released depended upon the starter you chose at the beginning of the game. Oh, and they have no signature moves.
Ho-Oh - Ho-Oh was the Gold Uber Legendary. Ho-Oh was caught in a temple in Gold, and by an event in R/S/E that allowed you to go to Naval Island. You could also get one from an event or from beating Pokemon Colosseum. Like Moltres, it was a Fire/Flying type. The difference is that Ho-Oh has better base stats than Moltres, as well as a signature move - Sacred Fire at level 85.
Lugia - Lugia was the Silver Uber Legendary. Lugia was caught basically in the same place as Ho-Oh, but in a different game. It was a Psychic/Flying Pokemon, and could be gotten in the same way as Ho-Oh. It's signature move is Aeroblast.
Celebi - Woo! Widely regarded as the hardest Pokemon to legitimately obtain in all the Pokemon games. There has never been a way to naturally catch Celebi in the United States. Celebi could be caught in one of two ways: 1) Through the Japanese Pokemon Colosseum Bonus Disk, and 2) Through the Pokemon Journey Across America 10th Anniversary Tour, where you would have a chance of getting a 10 ANIV Celebi. Celebi is the Mew of Generation 2, and has the stats to reflect it. It's a Psychic/Grass type, who, oddly enough, does not have a signature move.

Generation 3
Regirock, Regice, Registeel - In an attempt to bring back the triad of legendaries, they chose the three Regis, all of whom are relatively useless. And by relatively, I mean completely. Whereas in Generation 1, you would use the legendary Birds in battle, by this point, there were so many much better Pokemon that it just didn't make sense to use the Regis. They had no signature moves and could be caught by doing a really annoying sidequest.
Groudon - Groudon was the Legendary unique to Ruby. It is a Fire/Ground type and could be caught towards the end of the game, before the Elite Four. It has no signature moves, but it can learn both Eruption and Fissure naturally.
Kyogre - Same as Groudon, but for Sapphire. It's a pure Water-type. Kyogre is one of two Pokemon to learn Water Spout (the other is Wailmer/Wailord).
Latios/Latias - The Latis were the Legendary Beasts of Gen 3. They were activated, and then you had to wander around a lot until you met one. They're Dragon/Psychic types, no real signature moves.
Deoxys - This dude was cool. Depending on which game you got him in, he would have a different form. Normal, Attack, Defense, and Speed. Each of these forms had a different level-up moveset. You could catch Deoxys by getting an event in Emerald or by going to events.
Jirachi - This little Pokemon has more events than any other Pokemon (besides possibly Pikachu). That's good, because it's the only way you can get him (the easiest way was probably through the bonus disc given with Pokemon Colosseum in the US.). It's signature move is Doom Desire!

Generation 4
Dialga/Palkia - The Diamond/Pearl signature monsters. You can get them on the top of a tower somewhere. Dialga's signature move is Roar of Time, while Palkia's is Spacial Rend. They are Dragon/Steel and Dragon/Water, respectively.
Cresselia - The Legendary Dog of Gen 4. Psychic type, no real signature move.
Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf - They chose a psychic trio for this game. It made no sense, they're even more useless than the Regis.
Heatran - Steel/Fire Type. Found after beating the game. It's signature move is Magma Storm.
Giratina - This thing actually looks pretty awesome. Found after beating the game. Signature move is Aura Sphere.
Regigigas - King of the Regis and almost as useless. You needed to have all three Regis in your party to even battle him. It learns Giga Impact at level 100.
Manaphy - Yay! The only way you could get this Water type was by beating Pokemon Ranger and transferring the egg over. It was pretty cool, actually. Its signature move is Heart Swap.
Darkrai - This guy is so awesome, but you can only obtain it through a Japanese event currently. Its signature move is Dark Void, and there is also an event Darkrai that has both Roar of Time and Spacial Rend.
Shaymin and Arcaeus - Not legitimately obtainable yet.

The New Year's Post of Random

2008 will be an awesome year. I can totally feel it.

That is, after I finally get a job in the Boston area. I've been working my butt off this winter break on two things: job hunting (in Hawaii, no less) and writing the Opera and Oratorio show. I have had little time for much else, though I still try to make some time to hang out with my MCAT studying sister.

As the old year closes and the new year begins, it's hard to dumb it down into lists and whatnot. I've made new friends, I've kept in touch with older ones. I've learned new things, and I've been disappointed by some of those things more than once. Furthermore, this time next year I want to be typing this while employed, and I'm unsure as to whether I will be able to do that. Finding a job in a specific location in a specific field is difficult at best.

That said, here are my top awesome things for the year lists:

TOP MOVIES
This year had more good movies than I could shake a stick at. However, the highlights were Stardust, Dan in Real Life, The Simpsons Movie (if only for Spider-Pig), Walk Hard, Knocked Up, and Juno. All of those were awesome films and totally worth the money to go see in theaters.

TOP GAMES
In terms of games that were actually released this year, there were a few that rose above all the rest:

Best Game that I Played this Year that was a disc-based RPG
Final Fantasy XII. No contest.

Best Survival Horror Game I played this year
Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. Awesome. I logged so many hours in that game it wasn't even funny - although there was one other game that I have logged more hours in...

Best FPS game that featured Samus Aran
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I mean, there was only one, right? Right?

Best Game That I Logged Too Many Hours In
Pokemon Diamond. So, amazingly, incredibly awesome.

GAME OF THE YEAR
Super Mario Galaxy. If you own a Wii and yet do not own this game, sell your Wii to a more deserving person...or go buy Super Mario Galaxy.

TOP TELEVISION
With the writer's strike going on in full force, this category is pretty limited. But everyone should check out Chuck and Pushing Daisies. Excellent shows with more to offer after the strike resolves.

GO WRITERS!


I would do more categories, but right now I have to run. So I'll go ahead and post this and hope I can finish it later.

It Doesn't Feel Like The Holidays

It doesn't feel like the holiday season to me.

I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. There are so many things that make this not-like the holiday season for me. I'm back in Hawaii, it's currently 76 degrees and sunny, and I'm about to go down to the pool for a swim.

This is all normal for the holiday season, but it doesn't feel like Christmas to me. It hasn't, ever since I managed to get back here. The Holidays are, supposedly, time you spend with friends and family. It's about togetherness. For some reason, though, I'm not feeling the togetherness like I used to.

I have work to do, more than I usually have during the break, and more pressing work than I normally have. I have to write a show without a piano, without any sort of musical instrument around. It's pretty nerve wracking, but I hope I'll be okay. I also have to finish editing my resume and CV and start sending them out to more jobs. It's difficult to be here with somebody breathing down my neck about it every minute of every hour of every day. It's okay, though. Only 4 more weeks until I get to go back...

Some Poker Hands

Last night, we played a short cash game of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Here was the layout:

Seat 1: Me
Seat 2
Seat 3: Two different players at different times
Seat 4: Someone there, then empty
Seat 5
Seat 6
Seat 7

So, for the most part it was a 6 handed game, since Seat 4 busted. The big winner was Seat 2, with Seat 6 managing to break even after a very large amount of bad beats that put him 3 buyins in the hole. Overall, very impressive. There are a few hands in particular that I'd like to discuss before going back to my last Sociology paper of the semester.

Hand #1 - The 7/2 Game
Me: 7/2 offsuit on the big blind

Action:
Calls around back to the big blind
Seat 1 raises to .45
Seat 2 calls
Seat 3 calls
Seat 4 calls
Folds around to Seat 1. Four handed to the flop.
Flop: Q, 10, 3
Seat 1 bets 70
Seat 2 folds
Seat 3 calls
Seat 4 calls
Turn: x
Checks around
River: x
Seat 1 all-in
Seat 3 folds
Seat 4 folds

Bluff with 7/2 offsuit earning me an extra 60 cents in that pot.

Hand #2: River Suck-Out
Seat 1 has A-Q spades
Seat 6 has the button
Calls around to Seat 5
Seat 5 raises to .35
Seat 6 calls
Seat 7 folds
Seat 1 re-raises to .70
Folds around to Seat 5
Seat 5 calls
Seat 6 calls
Flop: Ac-Qc-Jh
Seat 1 checks
Seat 5 bets .55
Seat 6 calls
Seat 1 raises to 1.20
Seat 5 calls
Seat 6 folds
Turn: 4d
Seat 1 bets 3.00
Seat 5 calls, all-in
Seat 5 reveals Ah-10d
River: Kd
Seat 5 wins the pot with a Straight to the Ace

I got beat on the river, but the funniest part was as soon as I saw his hand, I just said, "King'll save him" and then the dealer popped off the King of diamonds. I couldn't be upset about that hand, though. I knew that he had a bad Ace. I was kind of hoping I was wrong and he had A-J, but I guess you have to lose money to make money? I lost almost 4 dollars on that hand, taking me down to about 5.60 in chips. I got whittled away until the very last hand where I was under the small blind with a stack of 5.00 remaining after my blind was posted. This hand was played after seat 4 had left.

Seat 7 has the button
Seat 1: 5h-5d
Seat 3 calls
Seat 5 raises to 45
Seat 6 folds
Seat 7 calls
Seat 1 pushes all-in for a total of 5.05
Seat 5 calls
Seat 7 calls
Cards are flipped
Seat 5 has Kc-Qs
Seat 7 has Kh-Qd
Flop: 6-3-3
Turn: 2
River: A
Seat 1 wins

I tripled up on one very, very lucky all-in. I don't expect to be so lucky next time. I still couldn't believe I got called. Twice. I really thought I was dead.

After I knock out this paper, I think I'll post my impressions of some video games that I have played through the semester.

Television Status

Well, it looks as though some shows are going to be saved. Chuck just got picked up for a full season, so we'll see 22 glorious episodes provided that the writers and producers can come to an agreement at negotiations that just started today.

Super Mario Galaxy - First Impressions

This is the most amazing game I have played in a VERY long time.

Name of Game: Super Mario Galaxy
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Price: $49.99

My goodness. I'm 2 hours deep into this game, and I can't even begin to describe how much fun it is. Mario is cool enough, but Mario in space is possibly one of the coolest things ever. The best part is the fact that the Wii controls are utilized almost perfectly. You just swing the remote to make Mario spin, while the pointer is used for collecting star chips. It's all very Rainbow Brite. There's really no easy way to describe it, and I haven't really been able to utilize the 2 Player option. I'll write more when I get the chance, but now I have to get back to playing...erm...my work.

The Office Shut Down

It's official. NBC/Universal has officially shut down production of The Office until further notice. That means there will probably be a maximum of 2 more real episodes. This is too bad, since this season was shaping up to be amazing...