Lists
- Thread starter Caldwin
- Start date
I used to be way deep into The Legend of Zelda. I don't know what came out during the DS era but something just sucked all the joy out of it for me.
objective list of the best starter pokemon of each region:
Kanto: Bulbasaur
this little guy was the first pokemon i ever trained back when i played blue as a kid. the entire bulbasaur line still has a special place in my heart to this day; venusaur is cooler than charizard or blastoise.
like most of kanto, i still love this big lug, warts and all.
Johto: Totodile
it was hard for me to pick this gen; all three starter lines are pretty cool, but they feel kinda lacking (like most things about johto tbh), so i'll go with the gator.
crocs rule!
Hoenn: Torchic
it's a cute chicken that evolves into a badass karate chicken. the other two are also very good tho
badass motherclucker
Sinnoh: Turtwig
you know what's funny? in the generation i still consider the overall low point in the series, the only generation so far where i have more mean things to say about than good things, the starters were... actually pretty great for the most part. i'm kinda iffy on the chimchar line, but the piplup line is pretty great. the turtwig line, though, is the standout of the three, and actually was my favorite starter line period for a damn decade. seeing torterra get a scene in detective pikachu while i watched the movie with fellow torterra stans is a fond memory.
i like turtles
Unova: Snivy
in a cruel twist of irony, despite gen 5 being the point where pokemon really hit its stride after stumbling hard with gen 4, the starter i liked the most when BW was announced, oshawott, evolved into an utter disappointment (until 2022, but more on that later), and tepig was pretty mid to begin with. snivy is cool, though. i love snakes.
just wish it had been retconned to be grass/fairy after gen 6
Kalos: Chespin
after how underwhelming 2/3 of gen 5's starters were, XY thankfully delivered the first starter trio where all three options were pretty great since Hoenn! while at first my favorite was Froakie, over the years the Chespin line's overtaken it as my favorite. Chesnaught is so damn cool, you guys
the guy is built like a tank.
Alola: Rowlet
first off, hug the fans who believe that the DS Pokemon games are the best pokemon games and that the series started sucking with the 3DS titles. unova is admittedly GOATed, but sinnoh is a trash fire and HGSS is just pretty alright; meanwhile the 3DS entries were consistently great, continuing off of Gen 5's success; kalos is pretty damn good, ORAS are the best remakes of the first really good games in the series, and alola... alola is where pokemon peaked. the best starter in the entire series is this little guy; i knew he was gonna evolve into something badass, and unlike poor oshawott, rowlet's final evo did NOT disappoint me. the grass owls are the best starters this franchise has ever had, and that's despite both of the other starters this gen giving them some serious competition. alola is still the gold standard for pokemon in damn near every aspect, and the starters are no exception; all three of them have fantastic designs throughout their entire evolutionary lines.
starter pokemon really don't come any cooler than this guy, and as of 2023, pokemon games still don't come any better than alola.
Galar: Grookey
hot take: if it weren't for the dex cut, SwSh would be more recognized as actually being pretty decent pokemon games. while several of the other pokemon this gen were cool, though, the starters were honestly kinda underwhelming. they're not awful, but like most aspects of SwSh, they really are a letdown compared to their direct predecessors in gen 7. i've wanted an actual gorilla mon instead of a fugly mutant sloth for years, and rillaboom's pretty cool, so ig it wins by default
even then, there are ways to make him better; integrate the stump drum into his body as natural "armor" so he drums on his chest like an actual damn gorilla, and give him thumbs on his feet like a proper simian
Hisui: Oshawott
honestly, i'm as surprised as you guys are. when PLA came out, i found Hisuian Typhlosion and Devidueye infinitely cooler than Samurott, but while i still love Hisuian Typh and like Hisuian Decidueye, Hisuian Samurott's somehow overtaken both of them as my favorite. Overall, Hisui has one of the best starter trios in the series, and gave my homeboy Oshawott the redemption he's deserved for so long.
while he's not totally a giant river otter, the longer/skinnier body, the less paddle-like limbs and overall better anatomy make him feel a lot more like the giant amazonian death otter i wanted oshawott to evolve into rather than the badly-drawn sea lion unovan samurott ended up being. the edgier design just gives him even better murder otter vibes, too. this is a giant water weasel that kills crocs. the kicker is that they somehow redeemed both my least favorite region and my least favorite starter pokemon in the same friggin' game; PLA is my second-favorite entry in the series at this point.
Paldea: Fuecoco
SV is an ambitious game with a lot of really good aspects that was unfortunately kneecapped by TPC refusing to give Game Freak and Creatures the additional time and money needed to make these games really shine. however, i have almost nothing bad to say about the actual pokemon this generation (aside from that stupid ******* parrot squawkabilly). the starter trio is overall fantastic, and fuecoco is not just the best paldean starter, but hands down the best fire-type starter ever. like rowlet, this little guy not only had the best design of the three to begin with, but i just knew that he would evolve into something kickass, and like rowlet, fuecoco's final evo exceeded my expectations. skeledirge is objectively the best fire-type starter ever.
seriously, this guy freaking rules. not only is he the first quadrupedal fully-evolved fire starter, he's more importantly the first quadrupedal fully-evolved crocodilian in the series, meaning i get to make flat hug friday jokes about him. also his design is just so goddamn cool.
Kanto: Bulbasaur
this little guy was the first pokemon i ever trained back when i played blue as a kid. the entire bulbasaur line still has a special place in my heart to this day; venusaur is cooler than charizard or blastoise.
like most of kanto, i still love this big lug, warts and all.
Johto: Totodile
it was hard for me to pick this gen; all three starter lines are pretty cool, but they feel kinda lacking (like most things about johto tbh), so i'll go with the gator.
crocs rule!
Hoenn: Torchic
it's a cute chicken that evolves into a badass karate chicken. the other two are also very good tho
badass motherclucker
Sinnoh: Turtwig
you know what's funny? in the generation i still consider the overall low point in the series, the only generation so far where i have more mean things to say about than good things, the starters were... actually pretty great for the most part. i'm kinda iffy on the chimchar line, but the piplup line is pretty great. the turtwig line, though, is the standout of the three, and actually was my favorite starter line period for a damn decade. seeing torterra get a scene in detective pikachu while i watched the movie with fellow torterra stans is a fond memory.
i like turtles
Unova: Snivy
in a cruel twist of irony, despite gen 5 being the point where pokemon really hit its stride after stumbling hard with gen 4, the starter i liked the most when BW was announced, oshawott, evolved into an utter disappointment (until 2022, but more on that later), and tepig was pretty mid to begin with. snivy is cool, though. i love snakes.
just wish it had been retconned to be grass/fairy after gen 6
Kalos: Chespin
after how underwhelming 2/3 of gen 5's starters were, XY thankfully delivered the first starter trio where all three options were pretty great since Hoenn! while at first my favorite was Froakie, over the years the Chespin line's overtaken it as my favorite. Chesnaught is so damn cool, you guys
the guy is built like a tank.
Alola: Rowlet
first off, hug the fans who believe that the DS Pokemon games are the best pokemon games and that the series started sucking with the 3DS titles. unova is admittedly GOATed, but sinnoh is a trash fire and HGSS is just pretty alright; meanwhile the 3DS entries were consistently great, continuing off of Gen 5's success; kalos is pretty damn good, ORAS are the best remakes of the first really good games in the series, and alola... alola is where pokemon peaked. the best starter in the entire series is this little guy; i knew he was gonna evolve into something badass, and unlike poor oshawott, rowlet's final evo did NOT disappoint me. the grass owls are the best starters this franchise has ever had, and that's despite both of the other starters this gen giving them some serious competition. alola is still the gold standard for pokemon in damn near every aspect, and the starters are no exception; all three of them have fantastic designs throughout their entire evolutionary lines.
starter pokemon really don't come any cooler than this guy, and as of 2023, pokemon games still don't come any better than alola.
Galar: Grookey
hot take: if it weren't for the dex cut, SwSh would be more recognized as actually being pretty decent pokemon games. while several of the other pokemon this gen were cool, though, the starters were honestly kinda underwhelming. they're not awful, but like most aspects of SwSh, they really are a letdown compared to their direct predecessors in gen 7. i've wanted an actual gorilla mon instead of a fugly mutant sloth for years, and rillaboom's pretty cool, so ig it wins by default
even then, there are ways to make him better; integrate the stump drum into his body as natural "armor" so he drums on his chest like an actual damn gorilla, and give him thumbs on his feet like a proper simian
Hisui: Oshawott
honestly, i'm as surprised as you guys are. when PLA came out, i found Hisuian Typhlosion and Devidueye infinitely cooler than Samurott, but while i still love Hisuian Typh and like Hisuian Decidueye, Hisuian Samurott's somehow overtaken both of them as my favorite. Overall, Hisui has one of the best starter trios in the series, and gave my homeboy Oshawott the redemption he's deserved for so long.
while he's not totally a giant river otter, the longer/skinnier body, the less paddle-like limbs and overall better anatomy make him feel a lot more like the giant amazonian death otter i wanted oshawott to evolve into rather than the badly-drawn sea lion unovan samurott ended up being. the edgier design just gives him even better murder otter vibes, too. this is a giant water weasel that kills crocs. the kicker is that they somehow redeemed both my least favorite region and my least favorite starter pokemon in the same friggin' game; PLA is my second-favorite entry in the series at this point.
Paldea: Fuecoco
SV is an ambitious game with a lot of really good aspects that was unfortunately kneecapped by TPC refusing to give Game Freak and Creatures the additional time and money needed to make these games really shine. however, i have almost nothing bad to say about the actual pokemon this generation (aside from that stupid ******* parrot squawkabilly). the starter trio is overall fantastic, and fuecoco is not just the best paldean starter, but hands down the best fire-type starter ever. like rowlet, this little guy not only had the best design of the three to begin with, but i just knew that he would evolve into something kickass, and like rowlet, fuecoco's final evo exceeded my expectations. skeledirge is objectively the best fire-type starter ever.
seriously, this guy freaking rules. not only is he the first quadrupedal fully-evolved fire starter, he's more importantly the first quadrupedal fully-evolved crocodilian in the series, meaning i get to make flat hug friday jokes about him. also his design is just so goddamn cool.
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Couple notes: I'm sure there are more races you can play thanks to expansions. Heck! You could have a Balor as a PC if the DM allowed. But I'm going with player races given in the base Players Handbooks from 3E-5E.
Player races ranked
9. Gnome
I think gnome, I think those things with pointy hats that people put in their gardens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone play one of these, online, real life, books, I just don’t see them too often if at all. Drizzt met some dark-gnomes in the Underdark in Exile. But that’s about it.
8. Halfling
Like gnomes, I rarely see halflings in actual gameplay. But Regis from the Drizzt novels makes Halfling edge out Gnomes a bit.
7. Human
Basic! You’re playing a fantasy game where you can be an elf, dragon born, trifling…why would you play a human? So…so…BASIC!
6. Half Elf
This feels non-comittal. If you’re going to play an elf, play an elf. Going halfway...just…why?
5. Half Orc
I would say the same about these that I did Half Elves. But full orcs aren’t a player species. So I guess this is as close as you get. I guess if you want to be a barbarian, half-orc’s the way to go.
4. Dwarf
Surly, always drinking, frightening up close and personal…what’s not to like? Gimly and Bruenor are awesome!
3. Dragonborn
They can breath fire. Do I really need to say more?
2. Elf
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II, Oblivion, Skyrim, Kingdoms of Amateur, Baldur’s Gate III…all these things have one thing in common. My first characters were all dark elves (drow). Okay, so for Skyrim I moved on to the Khajiit. But Drow are often my go to in these games. Drow are awesome. And Drizzt also exist.
1. Tiefling
Drow used to be the number one species. But then Tieflings came along. At first I didn’t care too much. But then Prudence (Oxventure), Karlach (Baldur’s Gate III) and Doric (Honor Among Thieves) happened. I’m now playing a Tiefling in my second play through of Baldur’s Gate three. I have found my new all time favorite
Top monsters
8. Drider
Being the lover of Drow that I am, I have to include this monster so central to their lore. That’s all really. I only included Driders because I like Drow. My list, my rules.
7. Tarrasque
Not that I’ve ever seen a Tarrasque. Honestly, how many people play a campagn long enough to get to the level needed to encounter a Tarrasque? It was a Challenge Rating of 20 back in 3rd Edition. It seems to have been increased to a Challenge Rating of 30 come 5th Edition. But I do have memories of being a newbie level 1 elf in my first campaign looking at the monster manual thinking “I can’t wait until we can meet this thing.” Well…never happened, but still cool.
6. Mimic
I’ve seen videos of why no DM should ever use mimics unless you want to bring the campaign to a grinding, mistrustful halt every time the players find a chest. But it was awesome to see one in the movie and to see Minsc fight his way out of one in Baldur’s Gate 3. And now I have a dice storage thing in the shape of a Mimic. Plus they’ve been used in other games. So it’s hard to argue against it being iconic.
5. Beholder
First time going against one of these was in Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. I just really like the design. It’s so simple (a floating ball of a body with a central eye with a bunch of eyed stalks). I can’t really put my finger on why Iike these things so much. I just…do!
4. Displacer Beast
I like felines. Ergo, I like Displacer Beasts. I’m sorry, but some times it’s just that simple.
3. Mind Flayer
It feels like this one just comes straight from Cthulhu mythos. I saw this in several illustrations before finally seeing them in action in any media and they looked creepy as hell. Then I read about a confrontation with them in the Drizzt book Exile. Then they took center stage in Baldur’s Gate 3. I mean, you have fantasy story monsters that are a thrill to see, and then you have fantasy story monsters that are the stuff of nightmares. Mind Flayers are the stuff of nightmares. I love these things.
2. Owlbear
You have Doric’s druid transformation in Honor Among Thieves and then you have the cub that joins your camp in Baldur’s Gate 3. Do I need any more reason? These two are adorable!
1. Black Dragon
Dragons are half the name of the game. Of course one has to be at the top of the list. Why the black dragon? Really I just like how it can blend into the darkness. I like how the horns curve toward the front. I love everything about them. Whenever I see dragons on the screen, they usually seem to be red, or white in Icing Death’s case. I want to see some truly terrifying black dragons on screen. They just look cool.
Honerable mentions
Gelatinous Cube
Not one of my favorite monsters. I mean, it's just a cube of viscous slime. But thanks to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Honor Among Thieves, they are very much in my mind. So I'll give it an HM.
Vampires
They're absolutely everywhere in fantasy fiction. And while the same can be said for dragons, dragons are literally part of the name of the game. Meanwhile, I hardly connect Vampires to D&D at all.
Demogorgon
Going to be honest, I didn't even know about these until Stranger Things, and it's only because of Stranger Things that it gets a mention here.
Player races ranked
9. Gnome
I think gnome, I think those things with pointy hats that people put in their gardens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone play one of these, online, real life, books, I just don’t see them too often if at all. Drizzt met some dark-gnomes in the Underdark in Exile. But that’s about it.
8. Halfling
Like gnomes, I rarely see halflings in actual gameplay. But Regis from the Drizzt novels makes Halfling edge out Gnomes a bit.
7. Human
Basic! You’re playing a fantasy game where you can be an elf, dragon born, trifling…why would you play a human? So…so…BASIC!
6. Half Elf
This feels non-comittal. If you’re going to play an elf, play an elf. Going halfway...just…why?
5. Half Orc
I would say the same about these that I did Half Elves. But full orcs aren’t a player species. So I guess this is as close as you get. I guess if you want to be a barbarian, half-orc’s the way to go.
4. Dwarf
Surly, always drinking, frightening up close and personal…what’s not to like? Gimly and Bruenor are awesome!
3. Dragonborn
They can breath fire. Do I really need to say more?
2. Elf
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II, Oblivion, Skyrim, Kingdoms of Amateur, Baldur’s Gate III…all these things have one thing in common. My first characters were all dark elves (drow). Okay, so for Skyrim I moved on to the Khajiit. But Drow are often my go to in these games. Drow are awesome. And Drizzt also exist.
1. Tiefling
Drow used to be the number one species. But then Tieflings came along. At first I didn’t care too much. But then Prudence (Oxventure), Karlach (Baldur’s Gate III) and Doric (Honor Among Thieves) happened. I’m now playing a Tiefling in my second play through of Baldur’s Gate three. I have found my new all time favorite
Top monsters
8. Drider
Being the lover of Drow that I am, I have to include this monster so central to their lore. That’s all really. I only included Driders because I like Drow. My list, my rules.
7. Tarrasque
Not that I’ve ever seen a Tarrasque. Honestly, how many people play a campagn long enough to get to the level needed to encounter a Tarrasque? It was a Challenge Rating of 20 back in 3rd Edition. It seems to have been increased to a Challenge Rating of 30 come 5th Edition. But I do have memories of being a newbie level 1 elf in my first campaign looking at the monster manual thinking “I can’t wait until we can meet this thing.” Well…never happened, but still cool.
6. Mimic
I’ve seen videos of why no DM should ever use mimics unless you want to bring the campaign to a grinding, mistrustful halt every time the players find a chest. But it was awesome to see one in the movie and to see Minsc fight his way out of one in Baldur’s Gate 3. And now I have a dice storage thing in the shape of a Mimic. Plus they’ve been used in other games. So it’s hard to argue against it being iconic.
5. Beholder
First time going against one of these was in Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance. I just really like the design. It’s so simple (a floating ball of a body with a central eye with a bunch of eyed stalks). I can’t really put my finger on why Iike these things so much. I just…do!
4. Displacer Beast
I like felines. Ergo, I like Displacer Beasts. I’m sorry, but some times it’s just that simple.
3. Mind Flayer
It feels like this one just comes straight from Cthulhu mythos. I saw this in several illustrations before finally seeing them in action in any media and they looked creepy as hell. Then I read about a confrontation with them in the Drizzt book Exile. Then they took center stage in Baldur’s Gate 3. I mean, you have fantasy story monsters that are a thrill to see, and then you have fantasy story monsters that are the stuff of nightmares. Mind Flayers are the stuff of nightmares. I love these things.
2. Owlbear
You have Doric’s druid transformation in Honor Among Thieves and then you have the cub that joins your camp in Baldur’s Gate 3. Do I need any more reason? These two are adorable!
1. Black Dragon
Dragons are half the name of the game. Of course one has to be at the top of the list. Why the black dragon? Really I just like how it can blend into the darkness. I like how the horns curve toward the front. I love everything about them. Whenever I see dragons on the screen, they usually seem to be red, or white in Icing Death’s case. I want to see some truly terrifying black dragons on screen. They just look cool.
Honerable mentions
Gelatinous Cube
Not one of my favorite monsters. I mean, it's just a cube of viscous slime. But thanks to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Honor Among Thieves, they are very much in my mind. So I'll give it an HM.
Vampires
They're absolutely everywhere in fantasy fiction. And while the same can be said for dragons, dragons are literally part of the name of the game. Meanwhile, I hardly connect Vampires to D&D at all.
Demogorgon
Going to be honest, I didn't even know about these until Stranger Things, and it's only because of Stranger Things that it gets a mention here.
Top 5 Television Cars From When I Was a Kid
No Transformers allowed or else they'd be the entire list.
5. Herbie
Honestly don't remember much about the movies aside from sentient car wins a lot of races. I mostly just remember the fact that I did watch it. Still remember loving it as a kid.
4. General Lee
Same story here. I remember the fact that I used to watch Dukes of Hazard. But all I truly remember is the horn that played Dixie, a lot of chases and a lot of jumping. That's enough to make the list.
3. Batmobile
I grew up with Adam West as a kid, Tim Burton as a pre-teen and the animated series as a teen. All these Batmobiles were awesome in their own ways. But I'm going to have to go with the Tim Burton version with its armor mode, gatling guns and bombs that came out of the wheels. Where does he get those wonderful toys?
2. Ecto 1
I'm on a Ghostbusters kick lately which may be causing me to rate this unduly high. But wherever you may personally place it on this list, its iconic status can't be denied.
1. KITT
I watched a couple episodes recently and I was pretty aware that Knight Rider isn't really as good as I remember it being as a kid. Still, the 80's really seemed to have a thing for sentient machines. KITT was just too awesome though. Bullet proof, rampless jumping,, ejector seat, turbo mode in later seasons...everything a kid could want in a car.
Top 20 G1 Transformer Toys (not limited to those I own)
20. Weirdwolf
Mostly here because I liked the Headmaster line in general. I've owned more since, but my first Headmasters were Brainstorm and Weirdwolf. Close call, but I do love wolves...so...
19. Kup
I have the Targetmaster version. I lovd the whole Nebulon era in general. I've bought Targetmasters since, but Kup was my first and he's a movie character besides.
18. Hotrod
I never did get one of these originally. I got mine wen Toys R Us were doing their reissues in the early 2000's. It's not the Targetmaster version. But I got it when I was feeling kinda down and it really made my day.
17. Bumblebee
I never had one as a kid until he was re-released as a Pretender. The toy was rereleased later as a keychain. Close enough! I had to rate this one here simply for what I had to go through to get it.
16. Goldbug
I didn't really like Goldbug as a kid because he came at the cost of Bumblebee. But I warmed up to him when Transformers #40 became not only my first Transformers comic, but my first comic period. And while I neither particularly like nor dislike the Throttlebots in general, Goldbug became my first Bumblebee toy until I actually got a Bumblebee.
15. Perceptor
I used to be a science type when I was a kid. Alwas did the science fairs. Loved Mr. Wizards World. I grew out of it. But a Transformer that turned into a microscope? Awesome! It's just a shame I could never find one until recently buying one on Ebay.
14. Ratchet
Now I realize that this is my list and my list only. Objectively, the toy was never popular for obvious reasons. But this is the first Transformer toy I ever owned. I broke it the first time I transformed it. I'm missing pieces and the decals that even still exist are in terrible shape... and I absolutely adore it.
13. Blue Streak
Second Transformer I ever owned (lost track after this one), also broke the first time I transformed it. What can I say, it took me a couple times to learn. I also have a reissue, but I'll always love my original.
12. Devastator
I only ever owned Scrapper. But as a kid I had a friend that had the whole team and I was so jealous when I saw a complete Devestator. I mean, c'mon! This guy's a trailblazer being the first gestalt. I wish I could find a decently priced one on Ebay.
11. Six Shot
I never had Six Shot. But I did have Quickswitch (the Autobot six changer). I was impressed when triple changers were introduced. My mind was blown when they introduced six changers. While I may have owned the Autobot counterpart instead of this one, Six Shot is the first and most well known.
10. Optimus Prime
Woah! Just barely broke the top ten? Not number one? How very much dare you, Caldwin? Well, I mean, hear me out. When you see my number one, you may very well wonder why this is on the list at all (hint: it's a bit of a double dip). Well, being the original OP, he has to be on this list. And considering my number one spot, the fact that this breaks the top 10 on his own merits says something. Plus it includes Roller.
9. Blaster
If Soundwave didn't exist Blaster would rate so much higher. A transformer that stores other transformers in his chest? I mean, never mind you have to be Gen X or earlier to know what a boombox or cassette tapes are. Just the concept of transformers storing transformers is awesome.
8. Punch/Counterpunch
I played with this toy so much as a kid. The decepticons had a powermaster spy with Double Dealer. But Punch/Counterpunch was just so much more fun to fiddle around with flipping from Autobot to Deception and back. It was a crime he only had a cameo in a single episode of the last season and not a single appearance in the comics.
7. Star Scream
While any of the seekers are pretty much just recolors of the same mold, Star Scream is definitely the most recognizable. And in the decade of Top Gun and Iron Eagle, having a robot that turns into a sleek F-15 Eagle was pretty sweet.
6. Scorponok
But I asked Santa for a Fortress Maximus. Well so did a lot of kids and that thing was expensive. So getting Scorponok for Christmas, while mildly disappointing, was still hugging awesome. I think my parents might have liked me just a little. This thing, while not as nuts as Fort Max, was still a good sized toy, not to mention a triple changer and a head master. And considering the unwieldiness of the Fort Max I eventually got, I think this was as much as I could handle as a kid. It's not what I asked for, but it's what I needed and I love it dearly.
5. Grimlock
Dinosaurs are cool. Robots are cool. Robot dinosaurs? Yes please. I didn't have this as a kid, and I had several other Grimlocks before I recently got the original vintage from eBay. Talk about getting one of your holy grails!
4. Soundwave
Everything I said about Blaster you could say about Soundwave except that Soundwave was the OG (and more of a Walkman than a boombox). If you had this, you were the envy of the school yard.
3. Megatron
Don't want to get into the politics here, back back in the 80's, a robot toy that turned into a realistic looking Walther P38 with a bunch of attachments was the most awesome thing ever. I never had one as a kid and seeing one now is usually several hundred dollars even for an incomplete one. And given the safety standards now, we're not likely to ever get a gun Megatron again, certainly not a realistic looking one. *sigh* Missed opportunities!
2. Fortress Maximus
I never had the original. But I did splurge for the Titans Return. This thing is huge. Like I don't even try to take it down from where I have it displayed to transform it just because it's so unwieldy. But talk about your holy grail of holy grails! plus the head turn into a robot whose head also turn into not-Spike. Its the Inception of headmasters.
1. Power Master Optimus Prime
This is why the original Optimus Prime had to be pushed down the list. It just didn't feel right having basically the same character take up the first two slots. I never did get the original Optimus until I gotthe TRU reissue (yes the one with the short stacks).So when this came out, I begged and pleaded with my parents. The wait until Christmas was absolute torture that year. But they got it for me and to this day it has the highest spot in my Transformers display.
No Transformers allowed or else they'd be the entire list.
5. Herbie
Honestly don't remember much about the movies aside from sentient car wins a lot of races. I mostly just remember the fact that I did watch it. Still remember loving it as a kid.
4. General Lee
Same story here. I remember the fact that I used to watch Dukes of Hazard. But all I truly remember is the horn that played Dixie, a lot of chases and a lot of jumping. That's enough to make the list.
3. Batmobile
I grew up with Adam West as a kid, Tim Burton as a pre-teen and the animated series as a teen. All these Batmobiles were awesome in their own ways. But I'm going to have to go with the Tim Burton version with its armor mode, gatling guns and bombs that came out of the wheels. Where does he get those wonderful toys?
2. Ecto 1
I'm on a Ghostbusters kick lately which may be causing me to rate this unduly high. But wherever you may personally place it on this list, its iconic status can't be denied.
1. KITT
I watched a couple episodes recently and I was pretty aware that Knight Rider isn't really as good as I remember it being as a kid. Still, the 80's really seemed to have a thing for sentient machines. KITT was just too awesome though. Bullet proof, rampless jumping,, ejector seat, turbo mode in later seasons...everything a kid could want in a car.
Top 20 G1 Transformer Toys (not limited to those I own)
20. Weirdwolf
Mostly here because I liked the Headmaster line in general. I've owned more since, but my first Headmasters were Brainstorm and Weirdwolf. Close call, but I do love wolves...so...
19. Kup
I have the Targetmaster version. I lovd the whole Nebulon era in general. I've bought Targetmasters since, but Kup was my first and he's a movie character besides.
18. Hotrod
I never did get one of these originally. I got mine wen Toys R Us were doing their reissues in the early 2000's. It's not the Targetmaster version. But I got it when I was feeling kinda down and it really made my day.
17. Bumblebee
I never had one as a kid until he was re-released as a Pretender. The toy was rereleased later as a keychain. Close enough! I had to rate this one here simply for what I had to go through to get it.
16. Goldbug
I didn't really like Goldbug as a kid because he came at the cost of Bumblebee. But I warmed up to him when Transformers #40 became not only my first Transformers comic, but my first comic period. And while I neither particularly like nor dislike the Throttlebots in general, Goldbug became my first Bumblebee toy until I actually got a Bumblebee.
15. Perceptor
I used to be a science type when I was a kid. Alwas did the science fairs. Loved Mr. Wizards World. I grew out of it. But a Transformer that turned into a microscope? Awesome! It's just a shame I could never find one until recently buying one on Ebay.
14. Ratchet
Now I realize that this is my list and my list only. Objectively, the toy was never popular for obvious reasons. But this is the first Transformer toy I ever owned. I broke it the first time I transformed it. I'm missing pieces and the decals that even still exist are in terrible shape... and I absolutely adore it.
13. Blue Streak
Second Transformer I ever owned (lost track after this one), also broke the first time I transformed it. What can I say, it took me a couple times to learn. I also have a reissue, but I'll always love my original.
12. Devastator
I only ever owned Scrapper. But as a kid I had a friend that had the whole team and I was so jealous when I saw a complete Devestator. I mean, c'mon! This guy's a trailblazer being the first gestalt. I wish I could find a decently priced one on Ebay.
11. Six Shot
I never had Six Shot. But I did have Quickswitch (the Autobot six changer). I was impressed when triple changers were introduced. My mind was blown when they introduced six changers. While I may have owned the Autobot counterpart instead of this one, Six Shot is the first and most well known.
10. Optimus Prime
Woah! Just barely broke the top ten? Not number one? How very much dare you, Caldwin? Well, I mean, hear me out. When you see my number one, you may very well wonder why this is on the list at all (hint: it's a bit of a double dip). Well, being the original OP, he has to be on this list. And considering my number one spot, the fact that this breaks the top 10 on his own merits says something. Plus it includes Roller.
9. Blaster
If Soundwave didn't exist Blaster would rate so much higher. A transformer that stores other transformers in his chest? I mean, never mind you have to be Gen X or earlier to know what a boombox or cassette tapes are. Just the concept of transformers storing transformers is awesome.
8. Punch/Counterpunch
I played with this toy so much as a kid. The decepticons had a powermaster spy with Double Dealer. But Punch/Counterpunch was just so much more fun to fiddle around with flipping from Autobot to Deception and back. It was a crime he only had a cameo in a single episode of the last season and not a single appearance in the comics.
7. Star Scream
While any of the seekers are pretty much just recolors of the same mold, Star Scream is definitely the most recognizable. And in the decade of Top Gun and Iron Eagle, having a robot that turns into a sleek F-15 Eagle was pretty sweet.
6. Scorponok
But I asked Santa for a Fortress Maximus. Well so did a lot of kids and that thing was expensive. So getting Scorponok for Christmas, while mildly disappointing, was still hugging awesome. I think my parents might have liked me just a little. This thing, while not as nuts as Fort Max, was still a good sized toy, not to mention a triple changer and a head master. And considering the unwieldiness of the Fort Max I eventually got, I think this was as much as I could handle as a kid. It's not what I asked for, but it's what I needed and I love it dearly.
5. Grimlock
Dinosaurs are cool. Robots are cool. Robot dinosaurs? Yes please. I didn't have this as a kid, and I had several other Grimlocks before I recently got the original vintage from eBay. Talk about getting one of your holy grails!
4. Soundwave
Everything I said about Blaster you could say about Soundwave except that Soundwave was the OG (and more of a Walkman than a boombox). If you had this, you were the envy of the school yard.
3. Megatron
Don't want to get into the politics here, back back in the 80's, a robot toy that turned into a realistic looking Walther P38 with a bunch of attachments was the most awesome thing ever. I never had one as a kid and seeing one now is usually several hundred dollars even for an incomplete one. And given the safety standards now, we're not likely to ever get a gun Megatron again, certainly not a realistic looking one. *sigh* Missed opportunities!
2. Fortress Maximus
I never had the original. But I did splurge for the Titans Return. This thing is huge. Like I don't even try to take it down from where I have it displayed to transform it just because it's so unwieldy. But talk about your holy grail of holy grails! plus the head turn into a robot whose head also turn into not-Spike. Its the Inception of headmasters.
1. Power Master Optimus Prime
This is why the original Optimus Prime had to be pushed down the list. It just didn't feel right having basically the same character take up the first two slots. I never did get the original Optimus until I gotthe TRU reissue (yes the one with the short stacks).So when this came out, I begged and pleaded with my parents. The wait until Christmas was absolute torture that year. But they got it for me and to this day it has the highest spot in my Transformers display.
I look back on my list and I see I forgot to include the time traveling DeLorean. I have brought shame upon myself and my children down to the next ten generations. Thank goodness I don't have any kids!
Anyway, put this at #4. General Lee gets bumped to #5 and hug Herbie.
Anyway, put this at #4. General Lee gets bumped to #5 and hug Herbie.
Ranking All Alien Movies Worst to Best (because I'm not sure anyone would be interested in it having its own thread and it kinda feels like a Top ## list)
Prometheus
It doesn't even have "Alien(s)" in the name, which is fitting, I suppose, considering that it doesn't have any of the iconic aliens in the movie. But it's supposedly a prequel in supposedly the same universe, so I guess I have to count it.
F
Alien Covenant
This along with Prometheus absolutely does not fit into the timeline of the original movies. Given how long the space jockey was estimated to be on LV 426 before the Sulaco came around, what little we know of the Aliens life cycle, what kind of technology humans have...none of it jives with this or Prometheus.
It also doesn't help that these colonists are complete idiots. In all fairness, it's been a while since I watched it. So my memories may be hazy, but I struggle to remember any decisions made in this movie that felt in any way intelligent.
It also didn't help that every "twist" could be seen a mile away. Oh, that's David and not Walter? No jive, Sherlock! Oh, the alien's on board? So this is where everyone runs around and blows the alien into space.
No surprise = No suspense
F
Aliens Vs. Predator Requiem
I mean, after the backlash from the first AvP being PG-13, at least they listened and made this R. I'm also usually fine with bleak, moody settings as a general guideline. Still, when everything is so bleak as to border on nihilistic and absolutely everyone was an asshole, it's hard to care when people start dropping like flies. Not to mention the cinematography was so dark it was hard to see anything in those rare moments when you do care.
D-
Alien 3
I guess we're finally getting into the more watchable movies. At least I was able to get into the story enough to care when people started dying.
Still, the first 10 minutes of this movie made the last 10 minutes of the previous movie completely pointless and I don't think I've ever forgiven it for that. With all the comics out at this point and the fans love of the family aspect between Ripley, Hicks and Newt...this movie subverted audience expectations, but not in a good way.
I'm probably going to give it a lighter score than I would have before Prometheus/Covenant happened. But I do want it to sink in that it's only because those movies suck so bad that this one rates so high.
C
Alien Resurrection
Brad Dourif was over the top. Dan Hedaya was absolute cringe. Ron Perlman was...Ron Perlman. Out of all of the original films, I probably took this one the least seriously. That's probably what saves this one. If I tried to watch it as a serious horror/suspense film, it would fail. But as a cheesy popcorn flick!
C+
Aliens Vs. Predator
It should really say more about the other films than it does this film that this is so near the top. PG-13 for an Alien or a Predator movie is mind boggling. They mess with the Aliens biology, taking the process from face hugger attachment, face hugger dies, chest burster to full grown alien from a several hours process to just a few minutes. They also make it a point in the Predator movies that they're in a very warm climate, yet these guys seem to operate fine in the arctic.
Still, you have Aliens fighting Predators and you have a very fast moving queen. That at least gives it some kick ass moments.
B-
Alien
I may be in a minority here, but I actually appreciate a slow start. It allows you to get to know and care about the characters before they start dying. So many movies try to get right into the action before you know the characters and so you can't really care when things go south.
Aliens does a great job introducing you to the characters. You really know who these people are long before dropping down onto LV 426. So you really care when they start dying.
All the Giger designs actually help to. When it comes to truly iconic monster designs, they hit this one out of the park.
S
Aliens
It really depends on my mood whether this or the first movie takes the top spot. The first movie was true horror while this is more of an actionized suspense thriller.
In any case, when it comes to Aliens, Terminator, Abyss, True Lies...it's hard to knock anything James Cameron does (this being before Titanic and Avatar 2 of course).
I can't remember if I saw this or Terminator first when it comes to Michael Biehn. But this was definitely the first movie I ever watched...well, I guess Bill Paxton and Lance Henrickson were also in Terminator. But it was definitely my first movie with Paul Re...wait, he was in My Two Dads, wasn't he? And I saw Ghost Busters long before I was old enough to watch this.
Hug it! This is a great movie.
S
Prometheus
It doesn't even have "Alien(s)" in the name, which is fitting, I suppose, considering that it doesn't have any of the iconic aliens in the movie. But it's supposedly a prequel in supposedly the same universe, so I guess I have to count it.
F
Alien Covenant
This along with Prometheus absolutely does not fit into the timeline of the original movies. Given how long the space jockey was estimated to be on LV 426 before the Sulaco came around, what little we know of the Aliens life cycle, what kind of technology humans have...none of it jives with this or Prometheus.
It also doesn't help that these colonists are complete idiots. In all fairness, it's been a while since I watched it. So my memories may be hazy, but I struggle to remember any decisions made in this movie that felt in any way intelligent.
It also didn't help that every "twist" could be seen a mile away. Oh, that's David and not Walter? No jive, Sherlock! Oh, the alien's on board? So this is where everyone runs around and blows the alien into space.
No surprise = No suspense
F
Aliens Vs. Predator Requiem
I mean, after the backlash from the first AvP being PG-13, at least they listened and made this R. I'm also usually fine with bleak, moody settings as a general guideline. Still, when everything is so bleak as to border on nihilistic and absolutely everyone was an asshole, it's hard to care when people start dropping like flies. Not to mention the cinematography was so dark it was hard to see anything in those rare moments when you do care.
D-
Alien 3
I guess we're finally getting into the more watchable movies. At least I was able to get into the story enough to care when people started dying.
Still, the first 10 minutes of this movie made the last 10 minutes of the previous movie completely pointless and I don't think I've ever forgiven it for that. With all the comics out at this point and the fans love of the family aspect between Ripley, Hicks and Newt...this movie subverted audience expectations, but not in a good way.
I'm probably going to give it a lighter score than I would have before Prometheus/Covenant happened. But I do want it to sink in that it's only because those movies suck so bad that this one rates so high.
C
Alien Resurrection
Brad Dourif was over the top. Dan Hedaya was absolute cringe. Ron Perlman was...Ron Perlman. Out of all of the original films, I probably took this one the least seriously. That's probably what saves this one. If I tried to watch it as a serious horror/suspense film, it would fail. But as a cheesy popcorn flick!
C+
Aliens Vs. Predator
It should really say more about the other films than it does this film that this is so near the top. PG-13 for an Alien or a Predator movie is mind boggling. They mess with the Aliens biology, taking the process from face hugger attachment, face hugger dies, chest burster to full grown alien from a several hours process to just a few minutes. They also make it a point in the Predator movies that they're in a very warm climate, yet these guys seem to operate fine in the arctic.
Still, you have Aliens fighting Predators and you have a very fast moving queen. That at least gives it some kick ass moments.
B-
Alien
I may be in a minority here, but I actually appreciate a slow start. It allows you to get to know and care about the characters before they start dying. So many movies try to get right into the action before you know the characters and so you can't really care when things go south.
Aliens does a great job introducing you to the characters. You really know who these people are long before dropping down onto LV 426. So you really care when they start dying.
All the Giger designs actually help to. When it comes to truly iconic monster designs, they hit this one out of the park.
S
Aliens
It really depends on my mood whether this or the first movie takes the top spot. The first movie was true horror while this is more of an actionized suspense thriller.
In any case, when it comes to Aliens, Terminator, Abyss, True Lies...it's hard to knock anything James Cameron does (this being before Titanic and Avatar 2 of course).
I can't remember if I saw this or Terminator first when it comes to Michael Biehn. But this was definitely the first movie I ever watched...well, I guess Bill Paxton and Lance Henrickson were also in Terminator. But it was definitely my first movie with Paul Re...wait, he was in My Two Dads, wasn't he? And I saw Ghost Busters long before I was old enough to watch this.
Hug it! This is a great movie.
S
It's crazy how Aliens took something people already liked, totally changed the genre, and made it work. And took space marines shooting rubber puppet aliens, and got critics to call it high cinema. James Cameron is an absolute legend.
I'm sorry, most of the post looks blank to me because there were only two Alien movies.
I liked Avatar the first time when it had musical numbers and was called FernGully.
Clearly James Cameron did too. I guess he wanted it in higher resolution for his enormous TV.
I can't blame him for making movies primarily to entertain himself at this point. He already won the movies with Titanic. He can do whatever he wants now.
I can't blame him for making movies primarily to entertain himself at this point. He already won the movies with Titanic. He can do whatever he wants now.
Titanic was just three hours worth of boring. The actual Titanic was little more than an incidental background setpiece that only seemed important when they needed a sinking ship. Otherwise it played second fiddle to the historically made up snooze fest of Leonardo running around the boat effing some jerk face's fiancée.
Avatar may have been little more than a high budget version of Fern Gully, which I've never seen, but at least it was pretty and had enough Cameronesque action to keep me entertained.
Avatar 2 could have been interesting enough if it had been more timely. As it was, it was a sequel that was released long after people stopped caring about the franchise.
Meanwhile, where's my damn Alita sequel, Hollywood?
Avatar may have been little more than a high budget version of Fern Gully, which I've never seen, but at least it was pretty and had enough Cameronesque action to keep me entertained.
Avatar 2 could have been interesting enough if it had been more timely. As it was, it was a sequel that was released long after people stopped caring about the franchise.
Meanwhile, where's my damn Alita sequel, Hollywood?
This is from almost a year ago, but it's the most recent news afaik:
screenrant.com
Jon Landau Reveals How Avatar: The Way Of Water Will Impact Alita 2
Jon Landau teases Alita 2 talks.
screenrant.com
Top 5 Female Video Game Protagonists
5. EVE
Stellar Blade is still way too recent to put up higher. But she did make a great first impression. I've played through the story mode 3 times in the first month. While that may not be a good sign for game length, I think it definitely says something about just how fun the game itself is. She's pretty. She's powerful. She's kind. This is definitely one of my favorite games this year so far
4. 2B
What can I say? I like post-apocalyptic, sword-wielding ladies. I'm just sorry that when I tried to go back to NieR, I completely forgot how the controls worked.
3. Commander Shepard
Was there any doubt that she'd be on this list? Didn't think so. Moving on.
2. Lara Croft
She's my first 3D protagonist. I owned the first 4 Tomb Raider games on PC back in the day and what can I say? They made an impression. And just to be clear: Classic Lara > LAU Lara >>> Survivor Lara
1. Samus Aran
Zelda and Metroid are my two top favorite franchises with everything else being a distant third (yes that includes Mass Effect). There may always be a flavor of the week, but Samus will always come out on top.
Honorable Mention: Chun Li, Cammy, Jill Valentine, Aloy...I could be here all day.
Top 5 Male Video Game Protagonists
5. Mario
Because I don't want people with torches and pitchforks coming after me. But in all fairness, platformers may not be my usual cup of tea, but that doesn't stop me from having a pretty sizable Mario collection. The guy's an icon.
4. Simon Belmon
Going with my one entry per franchise rule, I was seriously considering Soma. But ultimately, Simon had to be to be Castlevania's representative. He's the OG Castlevania hero. He even made it into Captain N.
3. Zidane
Again, with my one entry per franchise rule, I nearly went with Cloud. And if I were to do this list in the future, it could very well be Cloud instead of Zidane. But honestly, Cloud gets enough love as it is lately. Zidane deserves some recognition this time around.
2. Commander Shepard
I actually prefer Fem-Shep. But if I'm going to go for a Talimance, it pretty much has to be Male-Shep. And who doesn't enjoy the occasional Talimance?
1. Link
Zelda is #1 franchise ever. If Zelda were the player-character, she would've been on the other list. But Link will always be best protagonist from best franchise. There's just no competition.
Honorable Mention:
Ryu (Ninja Gaiden), Nathen Drake, Ryu (Street Fighter)
5. EVE
Stellar Blade is still way too recent to put up higher. But she did make a great first impression. I've played through the story mode 3 times in the first month. While that may not be a good sign for game length, I think it definitely says something about just how fun the game itself is. She's pretty. She's powerful. She's kind. This is definitely one of my favorite games this year so far
4. 2B
What can I say? I like post-apocalyptic, sword-wielding ladies. I'm just sorry that when I tried to go back to NieR, I completely forgot how the controls worked.
3. Commander Shepard
Was there any doubt that she'd be on this list? Didn't think so. Moving on.
2. Lara Croft
She's my first 3D protagonist. I owned the first 4 Tomb Raider games on PC back in the day and what can I say? They made an impression. And just to be clear: Classic Lara > LAU Lara >>> Survivor Lara
1. Samus Aran
Zelda and Metroid are my two top favorite franchises with everything else being a distant third (yes that includes Mass Effect). There may always be a flavor of the week, but Samus will always come out on top.
Honorable Mention: Chun Li, Cammy, Jill Valentine, Aloy...I could be here all day.
Top 5 Male Video Game Protagonists
5. Mario
Because I don't want people with torches and pitchforks coming after me. But in all fairness, platformers may not be my usual cup of tea, but that doesn't stop me from having a pretty sizable Mario collection. The guy's an icon.
4. Simon Belmon
Going with my one entry per franchise rule, I was seriously considering Soma. But ultimately, Simon had to be to be Castlevania's representative. He's the OG Castlevania hero. He even made it into Captain N.
3. Zidane
Again, with my one entry per franchise rule, I nearly went with Cloud. And if I were to do this list in the future, it could very well be Cloud instead of Zidane. But honestly, Cloud gets enough love as it is lately. Zidane deserves some recognition this time around.
2. Commander Shepard
I actually prefer Fem-Shep. But if I'm going to go for a Talimance, it pretty much has to be Male-Shep. And who doesn't enjoy the occasional Talimance?
1. Link
Zelda is #1 franchise ever. If Zelda were the player-character, she would've been on the other list. But Link will always be best protagonist from best franchise. There's just no competition.
Honorable Mention:
Ryu (Ninja Gaiden), Nathen Drake, Ryu (Street Fighter)
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