Tag: Gen 1 Pokémon
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Pokémon Review: Ponyta and Rapidash
Next up we have another fairly plain design given a second chance through a regional form: the Rapidash family. Ponyta is competently designed, albeit just too plain and uninspired for my liking. The prompt of a flaming horse with fire for a mane isn’t a terrible one by any means, it’s just unfortunate that Ponyta…
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Pokémon Review: Geodude, Graveler, and Golem
I’m going to be completely honest, due to Geodude’s family being the only three stage evolution line with a full set of regional forms, there’s a whopping six designs to cover and they’re all pretty similar in tone, so some of these are going to be a bit shorter because there isn’t as much to…
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Pokémon Review: Tentacool and Tentacruel
Now, after far too long away from this, we move onto one of the Kanto Pokemon that, if not among the most iconic, is definitely among the most pervasive. Tentacool is a Pokemon that appears in almost every game in the series as a very common encounter in large bodies of water and catches a…
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Pokémon Review: Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and Victreebel
We now come to the last of the three Generation 1 Grass/Poison families, and one I’ve been excited to talk about for a while, as this is just one of those Pokemon where my attachment skews a lot more strongly towards the personal side. Bellsprout stands out to me among Grass Pokemon and Generation 1…
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Pokémon Review: Machop, Machoke, and Machamp
Shifting over from brains to brawn, we now take a look at another of the original four trade evolutions and arguably the standard bearer for what the idea of a Fighting type Pokemon was originally envisioned as: the Machamp family. Machop starts by giving me not too much to talk about with a pretty plain…
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Pokémon Review: Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam
Hey all, sorry for the long hiatus. Such is life with a busy summer. I’m hoping to get these back on track a bit, though they will be slower for at least the next few weeks in all likelihood. However, with that being said, let’s get back on track with some of the more eerie…
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Pokémon Review: Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, and Politoed
Another branch evolution family to look at, we get probably the other most iconic representation of metamorphosis in nature to put under the lens for easily communicating Pokemon evolution to new players. This one however subverts expectations a little before offering a more traditional route after the fact, which poses interesting questions about design philosophy.…
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Pokémon Review: Growlithe and Arcanine
Pokemon’s most classic guard dogs are next on the docket, with one of the most iconic Kanto fan favourites alongside the first of the hugely exciting Hisuian Pokemon to cover here. Growlithe is a pretty cute little puppy Pokemon that stands out for its inspiration lying with shisa and komainu statues, as well as similar…
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Pokémon Review: Psyduck and Golduck
Another of Generation 1’s early mascot Pokemon and something of a recurring presence in Kanto era promotional material, we now take a look at a Pokemon that, despite supposedly being Junichi Masuda’s favourite, has gone relatively underappreciated without any new forms or evolutions in the years since its introduction. Nice that this gives me a…
Floral Valiant's Poké-Pandemonium 