New Pokémon Sheet: Darmanitan

Geez, this took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I guess doubling the frames does that to a Sheet...

Anyway, in case you couldn't tell, this time I made Darmanitan. I love Darmanitan! He's this awesome Ape Pokémon, what's not to love!? I don't know what I love more, his Popeye Forearms, or his Flaming Eyebrows...Either way, he's awesome!

Next up is one of the only Normal-Type Pokémon who is able to learn the move Twister through Level Up

VGM of the Week #26

If I could post like 5 VGMs today I totally would! But since I can't I'm gonna post something that's been waiting in the wings for a long time and isn't music from Silver Surfer for the NES or anything from the soundtrack of my life about 3 weeks ago!

I actually really like the SNES version of this song for Dracula X, but this is pretty much the definitive version of it. A really slick song that gets you into the mood of vampire killing in the first seconds of the level. Variations of this song is after the jump.

Opinions Wanted - Youtube Partnership

As the video title suggests, we want the opinions of our loyal fanbase. We've recently been considering Youtube Partnership and we want to know what you guys think about the idea. We list the pros and cons in the video and discuss other aspects of the opportunity.

Review - Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Yes, I finally reviewed the game I consider to be the absolute worst. ENJOY THAT!

The Top Ten Best Beat 'Em Ups

Despite being a dying genre, the Beat ‘Em Up is one of my all-time favorite genres of video games. Very few things come even close to being as satisfying as walking down the streets of some run down city and pounding criminal’s faces in with fists, kicks, pile drives and lead pipes. They’re such a product of the ‘90’s, it’s a shame they haven’t been as prominent ever since the arcade went out of style. Since most Beat ‘Em Ups were designed to be as hard as possible to rob kids of their quarters, they were everywhere in the heyday of the arcade and boy, do I miss those days.

The manliest of beat 'em ups.

So, combined with my love of Beat ‘Em Ups, including recently doing a Let’s Play of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and attempting to play through some Japanese Sailor Moon game, I’m doing a list of what I consider to be the ten best Beat ‘Em Ups. These are the games that are the most fun to play and simply bring the most joy when bashing somebody’s head in and eating floor chicken.

Now, since I’m not a professional game journalist and don’t get to just play whatever games I want for free, there are some pretty big games missing from this list (The most prominent being Castle Crashers and the fan-favorite, God Hand) simply because I haven’t played them. I’m sure if I had, I would have put them on this list but since I haven’t, unfortunately they aren’t here. So take it all with a grain of salt, is what I’m saying.

Let's Try That Again - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game

We do a love a good beat-em-up around here and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is one of the best. Based on the hit comic books and the cult classic movie, Matt and Carissa take on Ramona's 7 evil-exes in this 16-bit, old-school style beat-em-up. It's time to hit love where it hurts but remember, don't eat the bread. It makes you fat.




While we wait for Don to finish editing Mega Man X4, here's another Let's Try That Again we had waiting in the wings. We love beat-em-ups here at Adamant Ditto and we love Scott Pilgrim so why not play the game? Well, me and Carissa did just that. It's unfortunate this game doesn't have online, would have been great to play with four people. Oh well, there's fun times to be had regardless.

First video is below, it also links to the playlist, as does that thumbnail. Total runtime: 1:36:44.

VGM of the Week #25

Hey guys! Josh here again with another VGM of the Week. Now, if you know me you know that at least once a year I go back and play my favorite game of all time, Final Fantasy IX. Needless to say, it's about that time of year again.

This game has so much awesome music, but I can only pick one Track...Hmm...Which track will it be? Any of them would be a fine choice. Boss Battle Theme? Awesome. You're Not Alone? Awesome. The Final Battle? Kind of creepy, but Awesome. Ukulele de Chocobo? Awesome.

I would recommend any of these tracks but, none of them are as awesome as The Dark Messenger (Also known as the Final Battle with Trance Kuja). This theme is just awesome. It kind of gives off an Epic Battle Vibe. Not too Stressful, but not too calm. Maybe it's just me, but my heart's always pounding when I'm fighting this fight, and I think the music contributes a lot to it. I hope you guys enjoy my pick for this week!

New Pokémon Sheet: Swoobat

Man, I've been taking my sweet time with these new sheets...Anyway, Swoobat's a thing

I really like the Swoobat line...Woobat is a Psychic Puff...that is also cute, and Swoobat's really awkward-yet-cute-looking face has really grown on me, and I'm thinking about making one for my Team which will never be used (DAMN YOU WI-FI RULES!). There's not much else to say except for 'Swoobat's Awesome!' so, I'll just leave you with the next hint

Next up is a Fire-type Pokémon who can change into a different form, but it's pre-evolution can not

Brawl Bruisedays - 04/17/12 Highlights

Our very first Brawl Bruisedays was quite the success. Although we had a few technical problems and some problems with Nintendo's shoddy wi-fi, we managed to get four ours worth of Brawl time in with 8 different members of Adamant Ditto all duking it out. It was a blast! We'd like to thank everybody who showed up and we hope you had a good time and will join us next week.

As I mentioned above, we had four hours worth of Brawl matches, on two separate streams even, so narrowing down the best of the best was a bit of a tricky task. I still ended up with 45 minutes worth of footage. I meant to have the audience cast their votes for the best matches but I forgot and only managed to get a few suggestions on Twitter. Oh well, a lot of funny stuff happens.

The first part is below and the second is after the jump.

Five Games That Prove Video Gaming is Art That Nobody Ever Mentions

The argument on whether or not video games are a form of art is one of the most hotly debated topics in all of gaming, even going as far as to be constantly mentioned by people outside of the industry, like Roger Ebert. Everybody seems to have different opinions on the situation and it’s likely something that will always be there. Recently, the Smithsonian Art Museum designed a new exhibit all around the art of video gaming, so consider that one step closer to getting a true answer.

True art.

Now, in my opinion, gaming is a form of art. Much like film, television, cartoons and traditional art, there can be good and bad forms of it and some might not even be considered art at all. Still, the only thing I think is difference between video games and films and cartoons is that one of them is interactive, that’s it. Also, if something like this can be considered art, then video games sure as hell can be.

But the point of this particular list isn’t to change your opinion on whether you think gaming is art or not, or even to shove mine down your throat. Instead, I’m naming off five video games that I think showcase how artful video games can be that people seem to fail to mention. Usually, when an argument about video games as art comes up, people always throw out the same titles. When it comes to graphics, games like Okami, Uncharted, and Wind Waker get brought up. When it comes to story you get Heavy Rain and the Metal Gear Solid titles. But what about those unsung games that do just as much to prove their place as a piece of art? Well, here are the five (in no real order) that I think deserve more love than they get.

New Pokémon Sheet: Venomoth

Sorry for the wait! I've been sick & busy, but I finally made time to make Venomoth!

There's not too much to say about this guy (as always) I never really liked Venomoth, but he's a pretty cool guy! One that can be really dangerous if used right...Just ask Kyle!

Next up is the only Psychic/Flying type Pokémon to evolve using Happiness.

VGM of the Week #24

Missed it by that much!

Sorry I'm a bit late this week. I really have no excuse.

Anyway, here's one of my favorites from one of my favorite games, last year's fabulous Kirby's Return to Dreamland.



This isn't my favorite song from the game, but it is the first one I'd recommend to anybody who wasn't yet sold on the soundtrack. Undoubtedly, Return to Dreamland's soundtrack is something of a step down from Kirby Super Star or even Canvas Curse, which has a fantastic soundtrack despite a severely limited number of original tracks. Still, the Kirby series has such consistently fantastic music that even the worst composition from Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando is sure to put a smile on your face.

In fact, this boss theme is actually my favorite boss theme in the Kirby series, and I think that alone is proof that while Return to Dreamland might not have the best Kirby soundtrack, it still has a pretty fantastic one.

As a aside, make sure to join us for our first weekly session of Brawl Bruisedays this Tuesday night!

Introducing Brawl Bruisedays

Alright, so what are Brawl Bruisedays? Well, basically, we've been playing a lot more Super Smash Bros. Brawl lately around here as you've likely noticed based on the recently uploaded matches so we decided to just make it a weekly stream event. Every Tuesday at around 10 PM EST (Subject to change. We'll be sure to announce the actual time each day on Youtube and Twitter), we'll get together and play some Brawl for a couple hours. We normally play on time as random characters and stages with items on because who wants to play with tournament rules? When it's all said and done, we'll take what we consider the best matches and highlights and put them on the channel. We might even ask the audience to tell us their favorite matches and highlights and upload those as well so look out for that.

There will likely be some kind of preshow before each Bruiseday where you can listen to us yammer on about something while we wait for everybody to get situated and actually sign on because you all know how Nintendo's Wi-Fi can be.

We haven't quite decided if we're going to allow viewers to participate in the actual matches. Normally we have enough people for a match, sometimes even more than enough. So we're still in talks of how to work that in if at all. We'll be sure to keep you posted.

Other than that, be sure to add us on Twitch.tv where we will be streaming, you can also catch the stream on the blog here in the "Stream" section. And if you don't already, follow us on Twitter so you can get the latest info on when the streams will start and all that stuff. And if you absolutely need to get your Brawl fix before then or just want to see what you're in for, you can check out our recently put together playlist of all our Brawl matches on the channel.

So yeah, Brawl Bruisedays starts this coming Tuesday. We hope to see you there.

Let's Try That Again - Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety (Live)

Part of our April Fool's 2012 Live Stream, basically, we played two games that we think are not so good, the second of which being Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety for the SNES. Ricky and Matt plow through one of the most boring and monotonous beat-em-ups ever, all while showing off their amazing butts and dance moves.





Although there is an occasional slow moment or two in this one, I think it was ultimately a lot of fun. There were some good laughs, mostly at how ridiculous the game is. Overall, even though I was late a half hour, I think our first April Fool's Day live stream went really well and we got some pretty funny Let's Plays out of it. So thanks to everybody who showed up and making it possible.

As always, the first video is below and a link to the playlist is attached to the thumbnail. Total Runtime: 1:17:46.

Review - Sega Superstars Tennis

Originally, I couldn't decide if I wanted to actually review this game or not. But after trying to write a review about Sonic Rush Adventure and failing to really differentiate it from my Sonic Rush review, I decided to go ahead with it. I give my very brief opinions on Rush Adventure at the start of the video as well, so there's that.

First Pokémon Black/White 2 Details Revealed

We haven't posted much this week so I figure now is as good a time as any as some details about Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 have been released and that's kind of our thing.

Corocoro, the magazine responsible for many Pokémon related leaks of the past, as well as being responsible for hyping fans up just to shoot them down with lame announcements like Poképark 2, has revealed the first details and screenshots of the game. You can check out the first artwork of the two playable characters as well as the rival on the right there and I'll put the rest after the jump. Here's some bullet points on the actual details.

- set in Unova
- set 2 years later than Black/White
- Unova is partially frozen
- has 300 Pokémon within it
- various new areas in Unova
- this includes Hiougi City, where you begin your journey
- another area has a gym leader who focuses upon Poison; Homika and another gym leader is Shizui, the Water-type leader
- new researcher called Akuroma who researches Pokémon Strength
- Hiougi City has a Pokémon Centre and a Trainer School
- it also has areas where you can look upon the other areas
- Black Kyurem will know the move Freeze Shock
- White Kyurem knows the move Ice Burn
- the Unova Pokédex contains a combination of old and new Pokémon
- Psyduck is #026, Riolu is #033 and Metagross is #254
- June 24rd Japanese release date reconfirmed

The original Black and White games decided to try to "start fresh" by not including the ability to catch or battle any of the first four generations of Pokémon until after you finished the game. It's good to see they're going back to the ways of pretty much every Pokémon game since by allowing you to catch a mix of old and new from the get-go. Not to sound old fashion, but I prefer it that way. It's nice to get to know new Pokémon but it's also comforting to know there's old favorites you already know pretty well to fall back on if needed. But the real question is, who will annoy us in all the caves? Woobat or Zubat?

Let's Try That Again - Sonic R (Live)

Part of our April Fool's 2012 Live Stream, basically, we played two games that we think are not so good, the first of which being Sonic R. So come back to the city with us to feel the sunshine while we go back in time with this super sonic racing experience. If we can work it out, it's sure to be quite an experience.





On the off chance you missed our April Fool's Day Live Stream Event, don't worry, we've got your back. The first half of the stream involved us playing the ever exciting Sonic R for the Sega Saturn (though I played on the Sonic Gems Collection.) The music's a bit loud because I'm a moron and didn't realize just how loud the recording was picking it up but you can still hear us.

First video is below and the link to the playlist is attached to the thumbnail up there. Total runtime: 1:00:41.

VGM of the Week #23

So I typically don't post music from a recently released game, but damn if I don't lo-o-o-ove this game. A bit early but here ya go.

Let's Try That Again - Final Fight

Matt and Don are back with another Beat-em-up, this time it's the original Final Fight for the arcade. Now, this one was filmed pretty late at night, which is why there's only four of us. But hey, we can't deny you another beat-em-up Adamant Ditto style. So sit back and watch us take on Damnd, Poison, Abigail and the rest of Metro City's criminal element mayor style.




Beat-em-ups are almost always a fun way to kill some time with a buddy which is why we enjoy doing them here at Adamant Ditto. Good laughs are had when two or more of us take the streets and just start wailing on dudes. While they never seem to have great lasting appeal, which is why you don't see many these days, they're still fun while they last and some of the best multiplayer experiences around. I look forward to playing more for the channel and I especially look forward to that new Double Dragon game. Can't wait to resume the role of Bimmy Lee and kick some ass.

First video for Final Fight is below. Playlist is attached to the thumbnail. Total runtime: 47:41.

Square Enix punches your wallet in the uterus this July!

Square Enix has recently announced Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy will be available in North America  on July 3rd of this year while Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance will be on the 31st of the same month.

Here are Adamant Ditto, I think it's pretty safe to say that we all love Kingdom Hearts and most of us love Final Fantasy. Despite each series both having their respective bullshit, they're a blast to play. I'm incredibly excited for both of these titles with terrible names and am glad Theatrhythm will be out before my birthday!

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is a rhythm game where you tap the screen to the beats of various memorable tracks from Final Fantasies 1-13. The game developed by indieszero, the same company that developed Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS! This game will also feature DLC tracks that seem to actually be content that is downloadable and not just unlocks. Each song available as DLC was priced at ¥150 in Japan so chances are they're going to be relatively cheap for North America.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance will let you play as Sora and Riku who seem younger in their appearance but the time at which this game takes place is after Kingdom Hearts II. We all know how convoluted the story is in Kingdom Hearts games but director and crazy man, Tetsuya Nomura has stated that "the ending will reveal many secrets". Knowing the KH series, take it with a grain of salt and just expect that it'll make things even more ridiculous. 3D will feature combat similar to Birth By Sleep using the "Command Deck" system. Circle Pad Pro is supported and will allow you to control the camera better. That's pretty good news and I might have to pick up a Circle Pad Pro just for this game.

Let's Podcast - Super Smash Bros. Next

So recently, the six of us got together with David and Steven to discuss the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game. Obviously, literally nothing is known about the next Smash so all we did was speculate. Which is all we did before Brawl so it was a lot of fun to just all get together and discuss it again but this time, for you viewers at home. It's a long one so let it play in the background or something.

Also, sorry for the echo. My mic sucks.

First video is below, link the others can be found at the end.

New Pokémon Sheet: Darumaka

Darumaka's one of the cool new Pokémon from the fifth Generation...Of course, you all probably knew that by now...

Anyway, I really like Darumaka and Darmanitan, they're really cool, and I really want to make a Darmanitan on Black & White (I haven't had the time because...well, they screwed up the Wi-Fi, noone wants to raise their Pokémon to Level 100, and I don't feel like it because I wouldn't get to use it half as often as I would like to...maybe I'll make one in B&W2 later this year...)

Next up is a Pokémon who uses its wings to scatter poisonous powder around.

Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition Coming Stateside

In a quite bizarre move, Nintendo announced last year that Pokémon would be crossing paths with the Japanese strategy RPG series, Nobunaga's Ambition, last year. The game is all about Japanese warlords, some of which are based on real people, duking it out with a number of different Pokémon. It was released last month and due to the obscurity of the series Pokémon was crossing paths with, many people, myself included, doubted it would ever come stateside.

Well, I was wrong because Nintendo announced today that the game will be coming to the states on June 18th for the original Nintendo DS under the title Pokémon Conquest. Which makes sense, it's more likely to sell copies with a generic name rather than attached "Nobunaga's Ambition" on the end.

Still, it just goes to show where NoA's priorities are when it comes to localization. If this game involved, say, Fire Emblem, rather than Pokémon, it's likely it wouldn't have gotten localized. But since it's Pokémon, and will likely sell because of it, it's localized without question. We have to fight tooth and nail for games like Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story but if an obscure Pokémon game comes out in Japan that not nearly as many people care about, it's no big deal to localize it. Ah well. At least we are getting all three of these games. Hopefully Nintendo will announce a US release for Fire Emblem: Awakening next.

VGM of the Week #22

Hey folks, happy April Fool's Day! Be sure to stop by our stream at 8:30 EST to watch us play a game or two for you. It's sure to be a pretty eventful, groundbreaking event. And no, that is not a trick. We promise.

So anyway, it's my pick for VGM of the Week, eh? Well, I've got just the thing!



Nah, I'm just kidding. I haven't even played Kid Icarus: Uprising yet. Josh just suggested I do that for April Fool's and I obliged. But hey, if that quote is anything to go by, I'm going to love this game.

Anyway, click read more to see my real pick for VGM of the Week.