Gaming

The Annoyer – Competitive Pokémon Guide

Published

9 years ago

May 26, 2015

The Annoyer is there to well… frustrate and annoy your opponent. The amount of pressure an annoyer puts on your opponent is actually pretty surprising and I’ve seen many people rage-quit because of them.

The Annoyer and a support Pokémon are often very similar and some people use the term interchangeably. Personally I think of the annoyer as a Pokémon that uses non-damaging moves in an offensive way to frustrate the opponent, and a support Pokémon as supporting your team and hurting your opponents in a more passive way.

My three best examples of annoyers are Whimsicott, Sableye and Crobat.

Whimsicott literally exists to ruin your day. With the frustrating ability in Prankster it’s able to always use it’s non damaging moves before you land yours, and with access to protect, leech seed, toxic, sleep powder, stun spore, substitute, encore and taunt, Whimsicott can have a great deal of control over your opponent. You want to feel your opponent out, use protect and then once you know what your opponent’s move is, find a way to shut it down, you can then use toxic to poison, leech seed to drain your opponent’s Pokémon’s health and give it to yours. Alternatively you can paralyse or put your opponent to sleep.

If you’re not too fond of protect then you can easily use substitute and hide behind a wall while continuing to frustrate your opponent who will always be hitting second. Whimsicott is an immensely frustrating Pokémon to go up against just because of the sheer versatility it brings.

Sableye works in much the same way, only rather than having a reliable sleep move (hypnosis is hardly worth mentioning), it has access to will-o-wisp. If Sableye is up against a physical sweeper, protect or burn to cut their attack. It functions in a similar way to Whimsicott except it only has one weakness, fairy, and if you play a game that’s pre-gen 6 it has no weaknesses at all. Sableye suffers in the stats department but with such a great ability it more than makes up for it, Sableye is more or less always viable. It also has one last trick up its sleeve in being able to mega evolve at the last minute and magic bounce back your opponent’s non-damaging moves.

Crobat is different in that it can function just as well as a speedy attacker, than as an annoyer. Its ability infiltrator allows it to bypass substitutes and dual screens commonly used to protect Pokémon from damage. With its access to confuse ray (which Smogon bans) and toxic it’s able to put on pressure, as well as deal a lot of damage with moves like Brave Bird and Cross Poison.

While the move is banned, if you play the Anything Goes tier all three of these Pokémon can learn double team and are able to raise their evasion, and with Whimsicott and Sableye’s prankster ability, and Crobat’s blinding speed, they’re virtually guaranteed to get the move off first. A tactic so very annoying that it’s banned from Smogon all together.

However your offence can only be effective if you have solid defensive Pokémon to support your team. Which we will cover next time!

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Gaming

Helldivers 2 has quickly become one of Sony’s top-selling games in the US

Published

7 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Zach Riley

Helldivers 2 proved to be a surprising success, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. As per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently ranks as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date, trailing behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima. It’s only been on the market for less than three months and is not even being sold at full price.

According to Piscatella, a significant factor contributing to the game’s success is its release on PC. He mentioned that, based on Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the game has consistently ranked first in terms of active users on Steam in the US since its launch, including April. The release of Helldivers 2 on both PlayStation and PC has been an extraordinary triumph.

He stated that Helldivers 2 has already become the seventh highest-grossing Sony-published game in history. Without a PC, it would not currently be considered one of the top 20 games. While I’m emphasizing the success of the PC SKU, it’s important to note that I’m not disregarding the success of the PlayStation SKU. I just wanted to clarify that. This launch has proven to be incredibly successful.

Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Sony made it clear that they would be launching their live service-style titles simultaneously on both the PS5 and PC. The success of this approach will undoubtedly strengthen their strategic vision. It will be intriguing to witness if the company reveals official sales figures in the near future, as the title appears to be one of the platform holder’s most successful sellers to date.

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Gaming

The developer of Stellar Blade for the PS5 Expressing gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support amidst a recent controversy surrounding censorship

Published

7 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Zach Riley

Shift Up, the Korean developer, seems to be reconsidering its contentious alterations to the Stellar Blade outfit. In a message to fans, they have urged everyone to stay tuned for updates and expressed gratitude for the passionate feedback from players. For those who may not be aware, a petition gained significant attention over the weekend when gamers discovered changes made to a few of the game’s costumes through a day-one patch.

The launch day update includes a fantastic New Game + mode, but some players were disappointed by the changes made to protagonist Eve’s outfit. These alterations sparked debates about censorship. Director Hyung-Tae Kim later clarified that this was the studio’s original vision, but he acknowledged that it may require further persuasion to win over users. Internal discussions were also underway to address any concerns.

Thanks to all our Stellar Blade fans for your passion & feedback. Stay tuned for updates🤍 pic.twitter.com/jCRzM4OQBS

— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) May 1, 2024

There is no definitive confirmation regarding the reversal of the outfits, but considering the language used in the statement and the widespread controversy surrounding the alterations, it is highly likely that a future patch will restore the original costumes. If you want to get a sneak peek at all of Eve’s different outfits and learn how to unlock them, be sure to take a look at our comprehensive guide, All Outfits and How to Get Them.

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Gaming

Will Stellar Blade be available for PC?

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

Zach Riley

It’s quite possible. Fans all over the world are interested in Shift Up’s highly anticipated action-adventure game, Stellar Blade. With its captivating post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Nier and a compelling protagonist named Eve, it’s no wonder the game has generated such widespread attention.

The game consistently impresses with its stunning visuals and high-octane action, leaving players in awe with each new trailer.

Yet, just like other noteworthy second-party and third-party game releases, fans are pondering: Will Stellar Blade be available on PC?

In this article, we delve into the details to determine the platform availability of the highly anticipated title.

Will Stellar Blade be available on PC? Allow me to provide you with the answer.

Unfortunately, Stellar Blade will not be available on PC, at least not initially. Currently, the game is only available on PlayStation 5 starting on April 26, 2024.

Regrettably, it appears that there is no indication of a potential PC release for Stellar Blade in the future. In most cases, trailers for PlayStation timed-exclusive titles conclude with a disclaimer that specifies the duration of their exclusivity.

In the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launch trailer, it is explicitly stated that the game will only be accessible on other platforms starting on May 29, 2024.

Regrettably, when it comes to the stellar blade, there is no indication of such.

It’s important to note that Sony Entertainment Interactive published Stellar Blade, unlike Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This means that the chances of it being released on PC or other platforms in the near future are even slimmer.

However, it is worth noting that there is a chance the game might be released on PC in the future, given PlayStation’s track record of bringing their exclusive titles to the platform. However, it could be a while before this comes to fruition.

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