Hello Reborn!

[Monochrome_Complex]

I'm not so good at these kinds of things, so bear with me Anyway I'm Monochome_Complex but M_C or MC for short is good. I just downloaded Reborn last week after hearing about it ever for the first time and can I say that it's been one of the most impressive fangames I've ever played? In fact alongside Streets of Rage Remake(which for fans of the original trilogy is a must-play) it probably is the best. But before I gush on about it, I'll start by sharing my history with the pokemon franchise itself. Feel free to skip to the last 2 paragraphs if I ramble too much.

I was around since pokemon had first hit, back when it was only 150, not even Mew was well known and Mewtwo was only in the game(which i thought was a girl at first). I recall being intimidated by it at first because the News was going off how bad it was with its Porygon seizures and dogfighting violence and pokesatans whatnot. In fact I saw it on TV one saturday morning and started watching it(the doctor episode) and thought Arbok was like the coolest thing ever, like holy crap a giant purple cobra? Then this pikachu just wrecked this guy with lightning, so he's awesome too apparently? Yeah from then one I was hooked, but the bad publicity made me afraid of being caught watching it by my parents. Of course they found out eventually I liked it but it was no big deal since my cousins watched it too. In fact they used to get me a lot of pokemon stuff I liked, I even had poliwhirl socks lol. Gen 1-folk can testify with the insanity pokemon had at its peak of popularity, like you'd have pokemon cards banned, tears over stolen games, kids getting into fights or expelled because they unplugged the link cable when the trade didn't finish lol. Then the rumors with Charcoal/pokegods/Mewthree/Venustoise/Pikablu. The world is something else without the internet.

I played red version over my friends house a bit but silver was the first game I actually owned(totodile FTW). Played that thing to death, and later on Crystal. I ended up giving silver away(1 elemental stone for each type was such a bad design decision). Gen 3 I reached middle school and honestly missed out the entire gen, although my friend still had it so I kept up to date with it. Gen 4 I got back into the series and found it better than ever with Dialga and Garchomp blowing my mind when I first saw them. Even if it seems kind of beta-ish now Diamond remains one of my favorite mainline games. Soulsilver I skipped until much later and while it's not my favorite, it's still solid.

Now once the unova hype hit and unova games were on their way, I went back on Emulator to play gen 3, mainly Leafgreen and Emerald. Now leafgreen honestly was disappointing and is probably my least favorite post Johto mainline game. Emerald on the other hand was AWESOME. Battle frontier was sick, the single player was probably the hardest up till that point(started with Blaziken), and the soundtrack was great. Of course going back to the old attack split sucked a bit(how is ghost not special? how is biting not physical?) but I still loved it and it remains one of my favorites.

5th Gen is the high point of the franchise for me, I just loved every bit of it. The soundtrack and way the channels were implemented were incredible, animated sprites added some much needed flair to battles, the world feeling more fleshed out, a neat region, and a plethora of cool if somewhat quirky new pokemon, and the best villain/rival(if you consider N a rival) to date. BW2 I intially wasn't as fond of until postgame where it just turns up the awesome with the ball-crushingly difficult yet addictive PWT. I also liked the new battle styles and how BW2 implemented them better.

X/Y ahhh well it's one of my favorite 3DS games, but admittedly kind of disappointing in a lot of ways while also very impressive in others. To keep it short it didn't quite wow me as much as previous gens but definitely has some merit and made some changes to the series for the better, though I'm not crazy about megas. I actually like the lack of megas in Reborn so far but I understand their implementation when it happens. ORAS I had more fun with, but the lack of challenge hampers it. It's probably the easiest single player in pokemon yet. That said it's actually my favorite remake.

That ended up a lot longer than expected but Reborn sucked me in right from the start even if the "SHIT HAPPENS, WHATCHA GONNA DO?" line threw me off a bit and had me laughing though. That right there told me this wasn't any ordinary pokemon fangame. It's a great line since it sort of embodies the game in a way. "Whatcha gonna do" is GET GOOD and if that doesn't work then GET GOODER. Actually for all the frustration this game gives me, it gives me a lot of laughs as well and feels rewarding to play through Reborn itself is a fantastic darker take on pokemon's world with its oppressive atmosphere, dystopian aesthetic and lovely cast of characters who are probably my favorite part of the game. The cast oozes personality and coolness, or in Fern's case, pure douchebaggery of the highest level. Oh yes and the field system which adds an entirely new level of strategy to battling. Initially it comes off as frustrating since you don't understand it and are getting whomped because now your attack that should be SE just got nullified or weakened, but by understanding it it's like you're unlocking this new level of depth and tools at YOUR disposal to the game, I love it.

So far I'm 9 badges in so I feel kind of sad knowing I'm kind of getting towards the current end but that's what the episode format is for after all. Looking at older vids though it seems like the game has changed somewhat over time huh? The graphics seemed different. Is there a place to see like how each episode changed the game? Kind of interested in that. You guys put a lot of work into this thing and it shows greatly, really appreciating it and thanks!

[Lostelle]

Holy crap, you don't always see detailed introduction threads.

Hello there Monochrome_Complex & welcome to the Reborn Forums!

If you have any questions, be sure to ask myself, an Ace Member, or a moderator. If you are interested in competitive battling, or just wanting a place to chat, check out the Showdown Server. There's also a FAQ page, which is pretty self explanatory, so be sure to read that if you have any simple questions. Finally, be sure to read the rules as well.

[WrathOfTheLamb]

hello MC!

[Aurorix]

Ahem,

[Monochrome_Complex]

Ah thanks everybody, glad to be here!!

[NickCrash]

Too long, didn't read.

No, I actually did. To be honest I didn't play any of the games after gen3. I'm now trying to find gen5 in emulator, but still now the game has changed a lot, so I don't know if I'm going to enjoy it. Reborn is surely darker than you'd expect from canon games. Worry not, because if you are worthy, you might stand a chance. 9 gym is the middle, so don't worry about reaching the end. Some things happen faster than others, but still, the game has so much to offer to you, that you can stop the gym quest for sidequests, event pokemon, grand hall farming money, discovering several secrets (like Toxic Orb), and much more.

We are happy to have you join our crew. You can go to the secretary to pay us with your soul and the contract will be complete.

[Arkhi]

That is QUITE the intro thread. So, to accompany me, I listened to this. It's best I share it. Welcome! Enjoy your time here!

[Yash]

Hey MC,welcome!! I too started with Gen 1 and totally get what you talked about.. I played up till gen 3 and then stopped.. Started with gen 4 and 5 much later, though still haven't finished them.. .. It's reborn that taught me everything that I missed out on.. Anyways.. Please donate your sanity to the box at the door.. I is hungry, must eat sanity soon..

Cheers!

PS: Holy mother of Ash that was one long ass intro.. ;P