The Let's Play Archive

Pokemon Ranger

by 1234567890num

Part 51: Cheating Arena



Alright, let's see how many attempts it takes to get through this arena.

Music: Capture Arena


My first tactic is to capture two Pokemon at a time. It goes marginally better than before, but waiting for more Pokemon to fall wastes too much time.



This attempt has Zigzagoon running into the line too many times. There's no way to meet the high score in this situation, so I ragequit.

We can quit anytime by pressing the Start button. MC Arena has some special dialogue if we do this.

OK, that's it! Our challenger chose to retire! What's wrong? Feeling under the weather? Whoa, no need to answer! There's one look on your face, and it's anger! Cheer up, Ranger! Let's see how you scored!

Anger is the right emotion to express this



I didn't mention this before, but early Pokemon also has special reactions on a failed capture. For example, Mudkip and Taillow will become terrified. Some Pokemon also become terrified if they spot our Styler, but it's pretty minor.

I mention this now because Mudkip and Taillow's terrified "counterattack" wastes so much time. In this attempt I wasted 20 second because of it. That's why I didn't bother completing this attempt.



Again, Machoke wastes too much of our time here



You guys remember how this game operate in 2D, with how every attack that comes from above will hit our line if it's north from the Pokemon? Like with Raikou's Thunder or Registtel's balls?

Well, that also happens here. I used the word "fall" literally, so it will break our line if it's somewhere on the upper part of the screen. It's what cost me this run.

Video: Capture Arena (Successful Attempt)


Anyway, time for the successful attempt. By this time I changed strategy. For the first rank, we should aim to extend our time as much as possible, not caring about the points.

This means capturing Pokemon as soon as they appear and try to get maximum time bonus (it's probably too risky for Zigzagoon or Taillow). This way, we have more than 1.5 minutes going into rank 2.



Do the same thing with the second rank. Try to make at least one loop between Combusken's kicks.

Try getting as many loops as possible, but don't get cocky . Just let it go if another Pokemon falls while you're still trying to get the first one. Dealing with two Pokemon at once is too risky with this method.



Since no Pokemon will fall during the boss, we can keep our Styler on the top part safely against Machoke. Make sure to loop it quickly and leave enough space above it in case it jumps. Don't try to loop it when it's near the top of the screen.

Ideally, we should have more than 1 minute left going into the third rank.



Third rank is where the score starts being high enough to make us care about it. Try catching two Pokemon at once during this period. Three if you're feeling risky.

Try getting some extra time while you're at it, but don't bother if there's a Skitty or Meowth in the mix.



The boss is just Muk, which is like a huge non-issue after Machoke. We can get full extra time bonus with it.

More importantly, we're on the home stretch!



You won't notice it when playing normally, but some Pokemon with similar attacks have different ranges. For example, Treecko's range is much longer than Paras'.

Anyway, this group is filled Olive Jungle Pokemon.



These later ranks can get very hectic.



Music: Capture Arena Intro


How'd it go, challenger? Not bad, or at least not BAD bad? So, here we go, Ranger! Let's see how you scored! The total number of Pokemon captured is... 46 Pokemon! And the total score is... 66000 points!





Spenser's record's been surpassed, now it's something of the past! Yo, what do you say, Ranger?



I don't have to, but...

That's the spirit, Ranger! You're so brilliant it's burning up my eyes! All right, yo, here we go again! Cap! Ture! Go!

Video: Capture Arena (Cheating Attempt)
Music: Capture Arena


Capture Arena Rank 1 (Pokemon limit: 2):
I normally run this game at 0.75x speed so I can play it with a mouse, but for this round I'm running it at 0.25x speed.

For extra challenge, I'm adding a new rule where I'm not allowed to capture more than 1 simultaneously.



Capture Arena Rank 2 (Pokemon limit: 2):
I'm doing this to show off the later ranks of this arena, since there's 0 chance of us getting it.



Capture Arena Rank 3 (Pokemon limit: 3):
Since the game thinks I'm moving very quickly, we can extend our time until I have a whopping 5 minutes available.



Capture Arena Rank 4 (Pokemon limit: 3):
Ludicolo is kind of significantly harder than the rest of the other Pokemon here. Good thing it's also the rarest one.



Capture Arena Rank 5 (Pokemon limit: 3):
This arena is a chance to rematch some bosses. Assuming you can get to them, at least.



Capture Arena Rank 6 (Pokemon limit: 3):
Eventually, the Pokemon get so hard our only way to get to the next rank is to hope the game keeps giving us the easiest Pokemons.



Capture Arena Rank 7 (Pokemon limit: 4):
Good fucking luck getting Salamence within like 2 minutes while playing normally.



Capture Arena Rank 8 (Pokemon limit: 4):
Honestly I'm not even sure how they expected you to get to this point.



Capture Arena Rank 9 (Pokemon limit: 4):
I'm just banking on Shiftry's appearances at this point.



Rank 10 is the maximum rank, and it'll last until we run out of time or energy.



Capture Arena Rank 10 (Pokemon limit: 5):
Yeah... This is too much even for my cheating to handle.



We don't get a Game Over, but the game has a special dialogue for ending the challenge this way.

Whoops! Looks like an accident! It's a Styler-breaking incident! That's all the capturing you can do! Too bad, but this challenge is over! Cheer up, Ranger! Let's see how you scored!

How we scored here isn't important, really. The more important thing is what we're going to do next instead.