As some of you may have heard, I began my first ever Pokemon nuzlocke challenge on my Soul Silver game recently. (For those unfamiliar with what a nuzlocke is,
check out this article for more info) As someone who has been playing these games since they first came out in '96, I can say that this is the most stressful play through of my life. LOL
Being a purist, I took Totodile as my first starter. After discussing with
billielightning about the general rules for nuzlockes, we decided it would be fair to wait for any route-based restrictions to go into effect until I have received pokeballs from May. I have mostly been playing in the evenings, so I had a feeling my first catch would be a Hoothoot, and I'm glad it was. Previous playthroughs have proven Noctowl to be a great presence on a team, and his ability to take a hit and put things to sleep will be invaluable.
I kept going (beat Joey and his top percentage Rattata) through that first route, and the next Pokemon I encountered officially was Pidgey. Welp, screw that, this route's a bust. However, I remembered that Dark Cave was on this route. There are only three Pokes in that cave: Geodude, Zubat, and Dunsparce. I figured I had a 2/3 chance for something I would actually use... and I got a Geodude! Thank goodness. Otherwise that first Flying-type gym was gonna be a pain in the ass.