Weekly Gaming Blog · 4:22pm Sep 23rd, 2016
Welcome to my Weekly Gaming Blog!
This week's coverage: Stella Glow and Pokemon Shuffle.
Newly acquired games this week:
Yo-Kai Watch 2 Fleshy Souls (3DS) (Pre-load digital version, so can't actually play it until street date... 
)
Stella Glow
Chapter Ten, continued
Our first stop in the quest to collect the Celestia Score is Mithra Village, where it all began. There's a village legend which provides a clue to the location of the Water Score: the Forest Lake where Alto first met Hilda. Hilda speculates that the Water Witch of a thousand years ago hid the Water Score in this lake, and has Lisette Sing. Lisette's Song resonates with the spirit of the previous Witch, revealing the location of the Score. However, a squadron of Angels arrives to stop the Tuning Knights, led by the powerful Water Calamity. Angered by the violation of Mithra's sacred place, Lisette slays the Water Calamity and retrieves the Water Score passed down by her predecessor Francisca.
The next stop for the Tuning Knights is Port Noir, Popo's hometown. Since Mayor Bonanza was arrested, the town's economy has collapsed and the entire place has fallen on hard times. Predictably, the townspeople are quick to blame Popo for all their misfortunes, and when she returns to Port Noir, they think she's come to bring even more misery into their lives. The Angels that attack immediately after the Knights arrive don't help matters. However, Popo steadfastly defends the ungrateful and hateful townspeople from the Angels, which confuses them--isn't the Wind Witch evil? (Because the drug kingpin who's responsible for their town's economy turning to shit is CLEARLY truthful and honest!) Popo slays the Wind Calamity to protect Port Noir.
The people of Port Noir finally realize that the one they blamed for all their suffering was actually the one working hardest for the good of the town, and accept Popo. The cheerful whistling of the village boy, Marco, leads Popo to the spirit of the former Wind Witch Millicent...and the Wind Score!
The next stop is Amatsu, which has seen better days. The once-lively town is in ruins, the people dispirited. The thousand-year fire of Amatsu's renowned forge was extinguished in the Angel attack, breaking the spirits of the hardworking smiths of Amatsu and destroying the pride of the town. Sakuya sends Nonoka into the deepest part of the Fire Shrine to search for the Fire Score while she puts on an impromptu concert to lift the spirits of her people. As she's taking the stage, the Angels attack again, led by the Fire Calamity. Sakuya sings while the Tuning Knights battle to protect her and the people of Amatsu.
Despite the Angels' rude interruption, Sakuya's performance continues, enhanced by the exciting battle between the Tuning Knights and the Fire Calamity. The people of Amatsu are uplifted and energized by their Priestess and the Knights. After the battle, Nonoka presents the pile of scrolls she retrieved from the Fire God Shrine, one of which is the Fire Score passed down by the previous Fire Witch Kaede.
(During this whole event, poor Nonoka continues to be the butt of breast jokes: Sakuya calls her "tits-for-brains", and Veronica calls her "Miss Titty". 
)
Only the Earth Score, passed down by Ukuna, remains. When the Tuning Knights return to the desert, they encounter Mordi's Shadow roaming the sands like a ghost. Alto and Mordi both realize something isn't right, so Alto Tunes Mordi.
The Knights find themselves inside Mordi's memories of the burning of Kashmistan. It's a memory Mordi wants nothing more to do with, but her Shadow tells her she must remember, that she mustn't simply shut this part of herself out and leave it buried in the sands. The memory of Hrodulf appears, less than a ghost but given substance in this place, and explains that in order for Mordimort to have closure and accept her past so she can live with it, she and Rusty must fight together to defeat him once and for all, even though he gave his life to save them.
After defeating her Shadow, Mordimort reconciles with the memories she left buried in the sand, and is finally able to properly grieve for her mother and sister. She finally moves on and forgives Hilda and Hrodulf for their part in the Kashmistan disaster...Mordimort can finally move on with her life and grow as a person.
Having reconciled her grief and allowed herself to feel, the Earth Qualia releases the trapped spirit of Ukuna, who gives Mordimort the Earth Score.
The Scores assembled, the Tuning Knights can now prepare the Celestial Hymn project--the battle to destroy Mother Qualia approaches.
As the Knights rest up to prepare for the coming battle, Alto finds Giselle at the Observatory. Giselle seems to be conflicted, doubting the necessity of the coming battle. She seems to have developed a fondness for the way of life of her enemy, and no longer has the will to serve her master, even though she must.
(To be continued...)
My thoughts:
- I love how the dub director didn't even bother trying to find English voice actresses who sound like the Japanese idols who sing the game's magic songs. XD (Yeah, I should've mentioned this weeks ago, but whatevs.)
- Lisette's final tuning is BULLSHIT. The map is crowded with Aqua Elements (enemies with a ranged area-effect attack), and one of the conditions for the battle is you cannot defeat any enemy except Lisette. Meaning you have to just let these fuckers pound away at you and block your path while you try to haul ass to Lisette. You cannot do this battle without Popo AND Hilda in your party (glad I put them in right off the bat before I even knew about the bullshit conditions), and making judicious use of Hilda's swap spell to get units like Alto past the Elements. (But if you can get Alto and Popo in place quickly, it's much easier than Popo's Final Tuning.)
- I didn't bother with the "Mordi defeats Shadow Mordi" special condition for the Kashmistan memory battle because it would honestly have been way too tedious with Shadow Mordi constantly summoning extra monsters. Soon as I maxed the song gauge, I used Popo's Volt Shower and that killed everything including the boss in one hit. FUCK TEDIUM! 
Pokemon Shuffle
Won an Alakazamite in the latest challenge! The next challenge gives away a Beedrillite and begins next week.
New main stages were added this week, as well as a new Safari with seven new Pokemon. Perversely, I caught the super-rare this time around on the first encounter (and even more perversely, ran into it again an obscene number of times while trying to catch Swadloon).
For a change, the main stages have added a truly broken Pokemon! 
If you've been stocking up on Skill Boosters, NOW IS THE TIME TO USE THEM, because this round of main stages gives us Shedinja, whose attack power frankly sucks but who is presently the only Pokemon to possess the most broken of all skills, Stabilize++.
Pokemon caught: 627
Pokemon at level 10 or higher: 112
* Main stage Pokemon caught: 442/?
* EX Stage Pokemon caught: 43/43
* Special Stage Pokemon caught:
=All Special Stage Pokemon released through 9/20/16=
* Safari: All Pokemon caught through 9/20/16
Main stages cleared: 1-460
Main stage S-ranks: 454
EX stages cleared: 1-43
EX stage S-ranks: 20
Survival Mode best record: SM16
Max combo: 166
Escalation Battle #1 highest level reached: 200
Giratina caught at: level 12 (12% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #2 highest level reached: 96
Cresselia caught at: level 4 (4% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #3 highest level reached: 101
Darkrai caught at: level 13 (13% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #4 highest level reached: 71
Latias caught at: level 16 (16% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #5 highest level reached: 101
Latios caught at: level 42 (42% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #6 highest level reached: 92
Keldeo (Resolute Form) caught at: level 11 (11% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #7 highest level reached: 101
Kyurem caught at: level 8 (8% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #8 highest level reached: 151
Diancie caught at: N/A (Diancie obtained prior to this event)
Escalation Battle #9 highest level reached: 247
Zygarde (50% Forme) caught at: level 9 (9% catch rate)
Escalation Battle #10 highest level reached: 246
Giratina (Origin Forme) caught at: level 14 (14% catch rate)
Best Competition Ranking Score:
Mega Sceptile Challenge
Score: 52266
Final rank: #10609
Best Competition Ranking Placement:
Mega Absol Challenge
Score: 49386
Final rank: #1539
Ranking Event awards won:
Abomasite, Absolite, Alakazamite, Banetteite, Blastoisinite, Blazikenite, Charizardite X, Charizardite Y, Garchompite, Gardevoirite, Lucarionite, Manectite, Sceptilite, Sharpedonite, Steelixite, Swampertite, Venusaurite
I hope you enjoy it, Mythril.
Unfortunately for me, YW2 doesn't release in England until 2017...
So...what does 'Stabilize++' do?
4223067 When it trips, it removes 5 enemy disruptions (Stabilize can remove rocks, blocks, AND barriers, and I think it also removes non-support Pokemon. Basically, it's EVERY anti-disruption skill rolled into one.)
4223095
I see what you mean about it being amazing.