The Worst of... Mega Evolutions

Before we can mention the best of the best, we have to talk about the worst of the best. That's right. It's the appetizer before the main course. We'll just cover the least useful and design lacking Mega Evolutions here before we do the best Megas. 

For this list, we choose Mega Evolutions with the least usefulness compared to all Megas, how they differ from their base forms and a dash of design choice as well. Note: Stat counts are displayed like the following below each entry- HP/Attack/Defense/Special Attack/Special Defense/Speed.

And even though we call this the 'Worst" List, these are all still great Pokemon to use in battle. These just happen to be the Megas that got the short end of the stick.

Mega Beedrill

Pokédex  #015 

Type: Bug/Poison

Ability: Adaptability

Original Stats: 65/90/40/45/80/75

Mega Stats:65/150/40/15/80/145

Mega Beedrill was a welcome surprise to the Mega table. Unfortunately it gets all its stat boosts devoted to Attack and Speed.... Nothing else. It's understandable however. All Mega Evolutions have only a 100 base stat increase from their original forms and HP is always kept untouched. I just think only buffing Beedrill's Attack and Speed was a mistake.

Decreasing Special Attack makes sense as Beedrill knows mainly Physical moves and doesn't use that stat much. I feel that should've been devoted to increasing Defense, as it still stands at an abysmal 40. Mega Beedrill's Adaptability Ability isn't totally suited for it as well. It does give a nice boost to its Bug and Poison-Type attacks, which is great because they usually lack in power. The downside is you have to bank on Mega Beedrill's Attack stat because Bug and Poison aren't effective against mainly types and aren't great against many others actually. Mega Beedrill is a glass cannon, and there are much better glass cannons out there to use that don't require the use of Mega Evolution. That being said, I do enjoy its design a good amount.

Usefulness: C
Improvement: C+
Design: B

Mega Pidgeot

Pokédex  #018

Type: Normal/Flying

Ability: No Guard

Original Stats: 83/80/75/70/70/101

Mega Stats: 83/80/80/135/80/121

Another surprise Mega from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is Mega Pidgeot, a Mega Evolution to one of the first Pokémon you may have caught. I want to like Mega Pidgeot a lot, but I can only like it so much. You may or may not have heard me mention that Pidgeot, Noctowl and Talonflame are the only regional birds (the ones you can catch in the first routes of a game) that have usable Special Attack. Pidgeot is the one of the trio without a definite reason for Special Attack. Noctowl has it because it uses many Psychic-Type moves and Talonflame because it has access to many Fire-Type attacks. It just so happens that Mega Pidgeot's main boost is to its Special Attack stat... for some odd reason.

This doesn't work super well on this Mega. The increase in Speed is nice though. Just like Mega Beedrill however, I felt the stats could've been distributed better. Why the increase to only Special Attack when its standard Attack is better and it has access to better physical moves? That alongside the combination of the No Guard ability make it very meh. No Guard is an ability that ensures that moves used by the user and the opponent will always hit when a Pokémon that knows No Guard is in battle. This is used in tandem with low accuracy moves like Dynamic Punch and One Hit KO moves. The only move with less than perfect accuracy this guy has access to is Hurricane, which is nice because it's so strong but its the only real use No Guard has on Mega Pidgeot. Check yourself before you wreck yourself...

Usefulness: C
Improvements: C-

Design: C+

Mega Heracross

Pokédex  #214

Type: Bug/Fighting

Ability: Skill Link

Original Stats: 80/125/75/40/95/85

Mega Stats: 80/185/115/40/105/75

Mega Heracross is such an odd Mega Evolution. What I love about Mega Heracross is its philosophy per se, giving a Pokémon without any evolutionary line a Mega Evolution to give it some usability again. Unfortunately though, Mega Heracross didn't get the best design and Ability if I must say. It looks super goofy in my opinion and Skill Link doesn't benefit it too much. It does have it uses however though. Skill Link makes it so that moves that hit 2 - 5 times will always hit for 5 times.  Heracross can learn Fury Attack, Rock Blast, Arm Blast, Bullet Seed and Pin Missile so one can choose from up to 4 of those moves to get max efficiency out of Skill Link. The problem is that Mega Heracross benefits and suffers from Skill Link. These moves do great damage if you can properly exploit a Pokémon's weakness, but usually only if you can. The 5 hit moves do get a great buff because of Skill Link and Heracross's great attack but they won't tear down many Walls, which is what Heracross it meant for. They can easily shut down Sweepers, but that's about it at this point.

Usefulness: C+
Improvements: C+
Design: C-

Mega Houndoom

 

 

Pokédex  #229

Type: Dark/Fire

 Ability: Solar Power

Original Stats: 75/90/50/110/80/95

Mega Stats: 75/90/90/140/90/115

Oh Houndoom... So much potential in a mediocre shell. Mega Houndoom is a decent Mega Evolution, but unfortunately still ends up on this list however... Mega Houndoom's design is great though. As much as fan art over the internet pushes this thing as a Cerberus-like beast, its design is great when considering that Pokémon is rated E for Everyone. It's other things... lack. The 140 Special Attack stat is great but it's Attack is still average and Houndoom works best as a mixed attacker. It's Ability is also Solar Power, which increases damage dealt in Sunny weather at the cost of HP. This means that Mega Houndoom pretty much HAS to run Sunny Day, which can be a bummer. Mega Houndoom is not the worst, he just has a lot of catch up to do...

Usefulness: C
Improvements: C
Design: B

Mega Sharpedo

 

 

Pokédex  #319

Type: Water/Dark

Ability: Strong Jaw

Original Stats:70/120/40/95/40/95

Mega Stats: 70/140/70/110/65/105

Could there be any more teeth on Mega Sharpedo?! This monster of a 'Mon was a foreseeable Mega for the remake of Ruby and Sapphire. Sharpedo was one of the mixed Megas that just happened to be outclass by the others. Strong Jaw as an Ability makes design sense, but there's only so many moves Sharpedo can make use of it. The only real benefit is increasing the attack of Crunch, which gets a boost from Strong Jaw and Same Type Attack Bonus. Its stat distribution is even and good, there's just so many other Megas that work better than this one. Points for effort.

Usefulness: C+
Improvements: C+
Design: B-

Mega Banette

 

 

Pokédex  #354

Type: Ghost

Ability: Prankster

Original Stats: 64/115/65/83/63/65

Mega Stats: 64/165/75/93/83/75

Oh Mega Banette... It tries to be great in so many departments and doesn't quite make the mark. The stat distribution is all-around, which I adore. Every possible stat is upped to create a virtually better Pokémon. I can appreciate that, it's just that Mega Banette doesn't benefit much from its new form. It's Attack gets a massive boost, which is good but I think Banette could use a lot more defenses. It tends to use a mix of physical and support moves to hurt. It also gains Prankster as an Ability... Which would've been cool if Banette had a better support movepool... You can't win 'em all.

Usefulness: C
Improvements: C+
Design: C+

Mega Glalie

 

 

Pokédex  #362

Type: Ice

Ability: Refrigerate

Original Stats: 80/80/80/80/80/80

Mega Stats: 80/120/80/120/80/100

For a base stat perspective, I loved Glalie. So I adore the fact that it's Mega Evolution retains most of the even stat distributions. It allows Glalie to very rounded out, but it's just dominated by some of the other Megas too much not to be on this list. The Refrigerate Ability is somewhat useful for converting Normal Type moves into super-powered Ice ones. It's super unfortunate that Glalie's main job is to suicide with Explosion and Mega Glalie is more than guaranteed a KO with it Ice Type Explosion at about 330 base power. You really don't want to use your one Mega Evolution per battle for a suicider, which really nerfs Mega Glalie.

Usefulness: C+
Improvements: B-
Design: B

Mega Abomasnow

 

 

Pokédex  #460

Type: Grass/Ice

Ability: Snow Warning

Original Stats: 90/92/75/92/85/60

Mega Stats: 90/132/105/132/105/30

As if Abomasnow couldn't get any more fierce.. It definitely gets some style points, but that's about it. Abomasnow retains its same Ability in Snow Warning, which causes Hail when it enters battle. This could be better if this wasn't the ONLY Ability standard Abomasnow could know. If either form had a different Ability, it would make this Pokémon so much more useful. It's stat distribution makes it more of a tank, which it does need to fend of common Fire Types.

Usefulness: D+
Improvements: C-
Design: C-

Mega Gallade

 

Pokédex  #475

Type: Psychic/Fighting

Ability: Inner Focus

Original Stats: 68/125/65/65/115/80

Mega Stats: 68/165/95/65/115/110

Oh does it hurt my heart to do this to Gallade. In case you didn't know, Gallade is in my list of Top 10 Favorite Pokémon. Sadly, Mega Gallade doesn't bring ANYTHING new to the table. It gets a decent stat boost which I do enjoy though. It buffs its great Attack stat, while also giving its lacking Defense and Speed a boost too to make it much more rounded out. But that's where the usefulness of Mega Gallade ends. There's nothing new to Gallade, which is kind of the point of a Mega Evolution. It keeps its original Ability of Inner Focus (prevents flinching) and typing, so Mega Gallade just becomes a stat boost. It wish I could like its design more. I like it, I just want to like it a lot more. It does compliment Mega Gardevoir however, which is an appeal.

Usefulness: C+
Improvements: C
Design: C+

Mega Audino

 

Pokédex  #531

Type: Normal/Fairy

Ability: Healer

Original Stats: 103/60/86/60/86/50

Mega Stats: 103/60/126/80/126/50

Before anything else... Mega Audino is adorable above all else. It's stat buffs into its Defense and Special Defense allow it to last much longer now in battle. It's actually beneficial that it retains Healer as an Ability, that gives it 1/3 of a chance to heal from a status condition at the end of a turn. This coupled with self healing moves allow Mega Audino to be a pesky Pokémon. The downside is that so many other Pokémon can do this just as well without Mega Evolving. Mega Audino is one of those Pokémon that just barely made it onto this list. It's still adorable though...

Usefulness: B-
Improvements: B-
Design: B

Top 5 Game Mechanics of 2014

Hey all. Now that 2014 is closed and we're taking part in our reflections of the year, instead of thinking about games that blew me away I thought about what made these games awesome. I didn't get to play all the great games of last year like Shovel Knight and Bayonetta, but I know everything about these games outside of the story. How they feel, the motion and mechanics that go into the gameplay. That's what this list is all about, showcasing what we think are the best gameplay elements of the past year.

HM: The Loot System in Destiny

This is going to be a very controversial pick... but that's why it's only an honorable mention. Destiny's loot system is mainly a random number generator, with varying degrees of loot also based upon certain performances as well. This works well and horribly all at the same time, which is why it's shy of this list. It tries to gift compensation for low performance players and ends up giving them loot too good for their shame, whilst high performance finishers get loot of a high caliber but not a caliber even close to the losing players. Here's where Destiny's loot system could use a swift kick in the bungalows. 

Also the fact that only the highest caliber gear will get you the max level you need and they only differ between classes, so most maxed out characters run around looking the same. Where this excels is in the weapons themselves, two weapons of the same name will have the same damage output but totally different perks. This makes hoarding weapons all the more fun to find one that can outshine your current favorite.

HM: New 2 Player Modes and Amiibo in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the first in the series to not feature an adventure type exploration mode since Melee, the second iteration. The 3DS version featured a stagnant adventure arena called Smash Run, which was replaced with the board game like Smash Tour for the Wii U version. To make up for this, they've now made most of the game modes that were originally 1 Player Modes available for 2 Players now. This includes Classic Mode, All-Star mode where you fight all the other characters in the game and Stadium events like Home Run Contests and the Multi-Man Melees. There's also a 2 Player Event mode separate from the regular Events list, meaning you'll have to grab a friend to play throughout this series of events.

We've already talked too much about my obsession with amiibo figurines enough... I do like their inclusion into Smash Bros, even if it was tacked on in the final stages of development. I don't think the amiibo would be as popular as they are if they did not launch alongside this version of Super Smash Bros. They still would be popular nonetheless with collectors and their surprising low stock to create hype, but I really think their Smash Bros. feature is the driving force that initially got amiibos of the shelves and into the fray.

5. The Humor in South Park: The Stick of Truth

A very interesting gameplay mechanic because it doesn't affect how you actually play the game... The humor in The Stick of Truth is directly related to the TV show, probably because the show creators (Trey Park and Matt Stone) wrote most, if not all, of the game's dialogue and script. It feels like your watching a season of South Park.

The atmosphere this game creates with its humor is unreal. Stick of Truth was criticized for it's somewhat easily difficulty, but it's definitely the world it is set in that makes all the difference.

4. Rebuilding Norende in Bravely Default

This is probably the most satisfying and well placed meta game of 2014. Bravely Default is fantastic step back towards what made JRPGs great and this meta game of rebuilding the village of Norende is genius. In the intro of the game, we see tragedy settle in as the four crystals of the land are swallowed by darkness. This results in eruptions, earthquakes and the rotting of the sea. The most vital aspect is what spirals protagonist Tiz on this journey. A massive sinkhole swallows up his quaint hometown of Norende, along with every villager and Tiz's younger brother Til. While out on his new journey, Tiz decides he also has to rebuild his home as its sole survivor.


With people you Streetpass and Spotpass with, they'll help you rebuild the village. You give them a task to do: whether it be building/renovating a shop to opening up a new area for expansion. The tasks are a set time and the more villagers to apply to it, the faster it'll complete. This also works while your 3DS sleeps, which mines mainly does. This does mean that you'll complete the village way before you finish the game (if you're like me). But it also means that you'll get amazing gear and access to great items if you put the effort into it.

3. Anti-Gravity in Mario Kart 8

For such a simple addition into Mario Kart, the Anti-Grav feature in Mario Kart 8 has turned the game around. Unlike the underwater and gliding features introduced in MK 7, this one changes the entire complexity when in anti-gravity mode.

First off, the mode shines so brilliantly that you'll never notice it. In its early stages shown at E3 2013, the anti-gravity feature was slightly disorienting and was meet with mixed opinions. The final version had the camera track the racers normally at all times. This made the anti-grav feature fluid, as you'll play through most tracks without truly realizing where you've switched modes. This changes the mechanics significantly though. Usually you want to avoid other racers at all times, especially the lightweight characters since they can be jostled by mostly everyone else. In Anti-Gravity, obstacles and other racers give you a speed boost when you bump into them. This immediately makes you switch up your racing mentality to take advantage of the situation. You'll want to hit all other racers to string together all the boosts you can muster up. It's so subtle, but changes up a race completely. It's real good like...

2. Dex Nav in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon: Alpha Sapphire

The Dex Nav has to be one of the best additions to any Pokémon game I've seen in a while. This was a huge innovation, especially since its inclusion was in a remake of one of the older generations. The Dex Nav is a feature in your Poké Nav Plus that allows you to track certain monsters in the wild. Every so often, an indicator will pop up to tell you a visible Pokémon has appeared instead of a random encounter. You'll have to slowly approach the Pokémon to engage it in a wild Pokémon battle.

The great thing about Dex Nav is that you'll get to see what Pokémon you are going to encounter before you fight it. The Dex Nav will level up the more you encounter that Pokémon species too. As the Dex Nav level of a Pokémon increases, you'll see more of its stats, abilities and moves when the Dex Nav locates one. This allows you to fight Pokémon that are at a much higher level than others in the same area sometimes too. This also greatly increases the chance of finding Pokémon with a certain Ability and will allow you to catch ones with Hidden Abilities in the wild. This is essential to collectors and competitive battlers. The Dex Nav's greatest asset is the chance to find Pokémon in the wild that have Egg Moves on them, moves these Pokémon could usually only learn through breeding with other Pokémon to create an egg. This is a revolutionary update to the Pokémon catching mechanic and it's sad that it might just be a one-off mechanic for Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire.

1. The Nemesis System in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

This is the definition of next-gen to me. If you showed me the Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System on a seventh generation console, I doubt it'd be the powerhouse it is now. True, this game was ported to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but it was built from the ground up for next generation.

The Nemesis System is a family tree of all your worst enemies in Shadow of Mordor. It showcases the Orc hierarchy in Sauron's Black Army. Every single enemy within this system is different from the rest, meaning no two players will ever have the same play through. Heck, even one player will have a different experience every time they play this game. It IS the gift that keeps on giving. Every character will act in a different way based on the attributes they generate with, their experiences and how you've interacted with them in past. Some characters might kill you and be promoted or escape mid-fight too. With Talion's new Wraith powers, he can also bend Orcs to his will. You can have a lower level minion kill his master to ascend the ranks or even spread the word of Talion to manipulate massive amounts of enemies too. There's so much to do in so little a time.