"I want to be the very best, like no one ever was..."

Back when we first started writing for Nintendo I would write a lot of my posts from the car as I spent a lot of time waiting around for Mrs M and Seth, picking them up from places, so my 3ds went everywhere with me. It's not been that way for a while but yesterday, Because we couldn't get an extra ticket for Seth's nativity, I found myself in that perfect gaming situation again. It couldn't have come at a better time really, because at Seth's request I've embarked on a new Pokémon adventure with the latest installment Sun and Moon and I was itching to pick up where I'd left off.

There have been some amazing games released this year from Nintendo but for Seth, Pokémon Sun and Moon has been the most anticipated! He was a huge fan of Omega Ruby and Since he found out about Sun and Moon he has been counting down the days to its release. Despite my ongoing love affair with Nintendo which started around 30 years ago, I have somehow never played a Pokémon role-playing game. Seth was adamant though that I needed to join him so that we could both play together. His excitement was infectious so I jumped on board and we've both been playing for the last week.

When it comes to gaming I like the classic Mario way of doing things. 8 worlds, various levels that aren't too long etc, as I find it easier to fit that kind of gaming between other things that I'm doing. I'd love to get lost in a game but I find it difficult to make the time so it doesn't happen often. Sun and Moon surprisingly has been the sort of game that made that time as I was fully engrossed in the game within the first 10 minutes and I've literally been squeezing in bursts of gameplay every spare chance I've had. Seth has been loving it, as even though it is not a multiplayer game we've been sitting and playing together while checking out each other's Pokémon.

We had downloaded the demo a few weeks back so were both excited that we could take Greninja over to the full game. it was a great addition to the team (despite not being able to control him at the moment). We also added Munchlax to the team from getting the game around the release date. The early bird catches the.... Munchlax apparently! As I said I've not played a Pokémon game before, but Sun and Moon appears to be mapped out like the previous Role playing installments from what I have read. The story draws you in early on and being able to roam around battling and catching wild Pokémon in all the grassed areas scattered about is great. Because Seth knows so much about Pokémon I thought I was going to be terrible at playing but the story explains everything clearly and you feel like a Pokémon master in no time, knowing when to use a grass or water type Pokémon etc. 

The story so far has been really well written as you battle your way through the islands. Despite being extremely annoying, I kind of love how the bad guys (team skull) irritate me so much. When you bump into them while moving around the Alola region and they start talking that cringe worthy 'Gangster wannabe slang' while wearing those skull scarfs around their faces I instantly want to destroy them. Always a great feeling when you are playing a game as the hero.

The aim of the game is to move around the islands to advance and grow as a new trainer. With strong adversaries to defeat, including kahunas and Trial captains on each island. The battles get increasingly more difficult as you progress. It's not all battling though, there's a lot of focus on how you treat the Pokémon you catch too and your little army can get a lot stronger through affection and taking good care of your team mates, which is a great lesson to add into a game for younger players.

I've played Sun and Moon a lot over the last week, which for me has been really surprising. The game is amazing but what adds to that is how happy it makes Seth that I'm playing something that he loves. It's been great bonding time for both of us.

If you are looking for 3ds gift ideas this Christmas then Sun and Moon is a must and with Mario Maker coming out this week too, this years festive period seems like it's going to be dominated by that Gaming giant that has grown with me for many years.

And now I am off to bed to squeeze in another hour of play. Ive 'gotta catch em all' after all.

Writing from the drivers seat - killing time with a sleepy child in the backseat

It's been a while since writing one of my life from the drivers seat posts, Opeie hasn't done much napping in the car recently and with Seth being off school we couldn't really be sitting around for hours anyhow, it wouldn't be fair on him. Today though after dropping Mrs M off at work, the plan was to pop over to nanny and grandads so they could see the boys. Opeie was exhausted and soon dropped off so when we got there Seth went in to entertain the excited grandparents and auntie Lotty, and me? well I have this quiet half an hour to blog away.

I cant believe that there's only a week or so of the summer holiday left, i don't know where the time has gone. Seth has Informed me that he doesn't feel ready to go back to school yet and also that he would prefer it if he had the weekdays off and the weekends for school. I'm not sure the government and education board would go for that but you never know it may be worth putting in writing. 

The school years go by so much quicker as a parent than I remember them going as a child. I don't remember all that much of infant and junior school, i have really hazy memory around that time apart from dressing up like a tea pot, Morris dancing in the playground, and marrying my girlfriend from age 8-11 in front of the school for our leavers assembly while parents sobbed. (it was a bizarre way to leave school at 11), that pretty much sums up my school life ages 5-11. It's no secret that I hated secondary school, I did the work but I never felt comfortable apart from when I was in my art class, it wasn't a great time for me. That being said I did have some fun friends and time outside of school was always filled with adventure.

It would be amazing being a child again and I always say how i'd love to see things through the boys eyes for just one day. I don't envy them having to go through school though and as a parent that has been through a crappy time at school i do worry that they will have a rough time too. If our situation had been different we would be home schooling the boys but sadly that's not an option.

It will be interesting to see how the boys turn out, they are having a great start and are kind well rounded children with parents that will back them up with anything they decide to do so i think they will be just fine.