Now and Then. -Volume A-

*09/20/10*

Hello guys! My name is Mudkip, and I do most of the news posting around here. During the summer, I also did a recurring column entitled New Pokemon Spotlight. But that was more of a factual column. This column is the first time you will see my opinions, and in this column, all things unless directly stated are fact or opinion. No speculation. Facts will be in bold. Speculation will be in italics. Opinions and the rest will be in normal font.

Also, unlike other columns, there is no volume number on each Now and Then. There will be a corresponding letter. Also, the date will always be in *marks*. So, without further ado, lets get started!

Today's Generational Comparison: Gen 3 vs. Gen 5

Today's topic of comparison: Double Battles/Triple Battles

Opening Statement:

Generation 5 will be introducing a new battle style: Triple Battles. Generation 3 introduced double battles, a regular feature in pokemon games. How do these compare?

Back when double battles were announced, Game Freak thought up a simple gimmick to help get this a staple in pokemon games. The gimmick was simple: make 2 pokemon that look alike, but not exactly. The result of this was, you guessed it, Plusle and Minun. Plus and Minus. Electric Pokemon. hey also introduced helping hand, an attack that they would use to make it look cuter. Now did they introduce a gimmick for Generation 5?

Simple answer: Yes.

But it wasn't revealed until about a week ago. This time the gimmick was: make 3 pokemon that look alike, but not exactly. Ring a bell? The gimmick this time comes in the form of 3 Monkeys. And guess what they can do? Water Oath, Fire Oath, Grass Oath. Gimmick away!

What's different this time around?

While Generation 3 was a severely underrated generation, Generation 5 has received a 10/10 from Famitsu in every single category, so we believe this generation will be properly respected.

Back in Generation 2, double battles were introduces as, well, Double Battles. This generation they are introducing tons of new modes, rotation battle, etc. This will be interesting to see if this will catch on, rather than being a passing gimmick.

On that note, I would like to thank you for reading this, and I can't wait for next week's issue:

Volume B- Route One.

-Mudkip!