The Reviews Thread!

[Squirrel]

Pokemon Groups Reviews!​

Welcome the the Pokemon Groups Reviews thread! This thread is a place for members to write reviews of the clubs they're in. If there's a club you visit and have a particularly good time there, write a review! If there's a club that you think could do with some pointers, write a constructive review! The idea of writing these reviews is so that new and old members alike can read through and find out exactly what clubs are best for them to join. Some clubs may really focus on topics, some may focus on competitions and some may focus on story telling - make sure you include these sort of details in your reviews so that people know exactly what the club they're reading about contains. Write some good reviews and you may even get an emblem for it!

Note: Posts in this thread do not have to be within a month of each other. Posting a review after a period of inactivity is perfectly okay in this thread.

Rules
- Follow all of the community's rules and the Pokemon Club's rules.
- Please keep all posts constructive!
- Don't just post generic reviews which could apply to any club.
- If you disagree with someone's review of a club then rather than quoting their message or criticizing it, write your own review about why the club has the opposite qualities.
- Please don't review a club that you own!
- Make sure all reviews are in a separate post. If you have two reviews to post in a row; post them in separate posts. The double posting rule does not apply in this thread.

 

[miltankRancher]

i will do the first review:

Featured Club: ~Just the Classics~ Original 151 Fan Club

This club had been founded by deoxys121, a PC supporter and a common face around PG. The club has been founded on December 17, 2011. The first member, ShadowTheDarkrai, though inactive, joined on the same date. By the time of this review, the clubs statistics are: 31 members, and 5,001 page views, and 584 replies.

This club is pretty active for a new club. I mean, very much active. deoxys121 is a genius at designing and organizing different kinds of events (two had been concluded) These events are rather much awaited by all the members, since it does not require much. Yet. As of now, deoxys121 is designing yet another event which would be much bigger now, seeing as it requires Wi-fi connection. Quoting the founder...

As far as the next event, I think I'm gonna drop a little hint here. The next event, our first WiFi event, will be rather eggciting! That's your hint. :P

Topic-wise, since the club involves a rather large plethora of things (First generation/ Kanto generation or whatever you call it), topics never runs out. On average, a new topic is being made at least once a day, seeing as most members are active. Also, the topics requires much discussion (famous example would be the Gengar/Clefable line relationship, and the Baby Kanghaskan theory). If one likes a good debate, this club is certainly a place to go. Topics are not easily answerable by a yes/no. You must state an opinion on a matter, and defend it. Questions may arise, but hey. We keep it civil. Discussion is flowing, and it still has not reached a stagnant zone.

The points system is also a good system. It is updated at least once every two days because of the activity. There are many ways to amass points and, seeing the events happen at least once a month, it is easy to gather enough points for the item shop.

There is a unique system in this club that deoxys formulated: an inactivity system. Quoting once again...

When I update member points tomorrow, I will start a new policy. Every member whose last post in this thread was 2 weeks ago or more will be declared an inactive member. There will then be strikethrough put through their username in the member list. When the member posts next, the strikethrough is removed. While that strikethrough is present, the member will not receive recurring member points. If the strikethrough remains for 30 days, the member will then be removed from this club, and will have to re-sign up if they want to join again.

All in all, this club is one of the best clubs around. Even if you are not a fan of the original 151, this club is certainly a must-see.

Rating: ★★★★★ (Five Stars highest)

 

[curiousnathan]

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Johto Legends – The Second Generation Fan club!


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For quite awhile Pokémon Groups has been thriving with activity, clubs are spewing with discussions, members upon members are joining the wide variety of clubs this board has to offer; so I thought I'd review one of the more recent, yet quickly growing clubs and it also happens to be based around one of my favourite generations, Johto; Gen II. The second generation of Pokémon Gaming, often referred to as the Metal Generation, following the 'trend' of coloured games, is the sequel to the well-loved and extremely well-known first Generation situated in Kanto; the games of the original generation; Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow. Beginning with Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver soon accompanied by Pokémon Crystal began the first expansion on the world of Pokémon introducing 100 brand new Pokémon, which did not exist prior to the release of the new generation. Many of these new species expanded the evolutions of both sides of previously produced Pokémon (Baby and New Evolutions), while most were brand spankin' new evolutionary lines. The very first hint of the production of Generation 2 arrived in 1977 in the first released episode of the Pokémon Anime. Ash Ketchum an aspiring young trainer and his Pikachu encounter a shining, colourful bird Pokémon, flying gracefully in the sky which was unidentifiable by the Pokedex. We, now know this Pokémon has Ho-oh, the legendary bird Pokémon mascot of Pokémon Gold.

Club Information:

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Owner: ikarochase​

Date Founded: January 21st, 2012, 08:26 AM



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Appearance and Design:

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This club provides interest right from the get-go, when you first click the link and enter the depths of the club you can't help but be drawn in by the fascinating CSS. The aesthetic appeal of the opening post is smooth and doesn't conflict with the text, images or your vision. Clubs in the past, have produced CSS or have coloured text which isn't readable or makes your eyes bulge from their sockets due to the fluro greens, pulsing red or aqua blues; this club seems to use these colours in a scarce but effective manner. The attention to detail is also impeccable, the little moving over world sprites of Scizor, Ho-oh, Lugia and more, really add a little 'life' to the post, especially accompanied by their shiny alternations!


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It's really good.

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Activities and Rewards:

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Probably the most interesting aspect of Johto Legends is the fact that it has quite a few activities and systems that really encourage activity and really enables members to involve themselves further in the topic in a variety of different ways. One of the more common ways clubs involve members is giving members the ability to adopt a partner Pokémon; name it, in some cases give it moves, evolve etc. The issues sometimes however, is that clubs can go overboard to Partner Adopting, and it makes things messy, confusing and in the end a little boring. Sometimes simplicity is better. Less is more. Unfortunately here, The Johto Legend's adopting process is easy yes, but the capabilities to upgrade into shinnies, evolve your Pokémon etc make posting much more of a chore and it seems can have a negative effect on the quality posts, though positively affecting the quantity of them. In the end it's up to the individual if they like this variety of selections in which to improve your Pokémon, but for me, the abundance of options isn't for me.


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Another feature to the group is the addition of a Point System. I quite like this system and though it doesn't set the club apart from others completely it serves us with a little encouragement and incentive to post and discuss. In a brief description, the Point System is a system in which members can acquire points by performing/completing certain tasks, such as replying to a topic, answering trivia, welcoming a new member to the group etc and then have the ability to spend these points as if they were money to purchase little perks such as having the ability to choose another partner Pokémon, change your partner to a shiny form, change its sprite from a still sprite to a moving/travelling sprite and much more. While this is great and somewhat satisfying, I find that the quality of posts suffers along with the overall discussion. Gaining points is too easy, replying to a topic should merit points yes, but should I response of 1 line, or an off-topic comment earns a member points? I think with a little tweaking this feature would be perfect, but it is extremely easy to rack up the points for simply posting 1 liners, that don't contribute enough or generate enough discussion.


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Finally, we as members have the ability to participate in a little Pokemon Trivia, not only do I find this creative but it's a fantastic way to ensure members have fun, and things don't get stale. The trivia also a deeper insight into the topic and enables us to discuss a number of things and perhaps learn things we didn't know. A great bonus is that we earn points in the process!


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Topics, Activity & Member Base:

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Over the duration of the clubs existence there has been a wide range of topics to talk about ranging, from what is your favourite legendary, best shiny. Though simple, these topics are quite good, they do require one to explain and support their opinion, but the issue is that there is too many of the same type of topics: "What is your favourite legendary?" "Which baby Pokémon do you like the most?" "Which Pokémon do you dislike the most?" It's not a matter of there being a scarcity of topics but rather an issue with the diversity of the topics. If there to be a little more variety, I think the club would benefit as this enable members to criticise and talk about all certain aspects and angles of the Pokémon in the games, not just 'which Pokémon is better than the other?' There is hardly anything to fault about the Member base and the development of the club; the members are friendly and welcoming, always enjoying a new member to discuss with. However, I found and a few others have noticed, that the activity group and the progression of the group is mainly due to a few people, and its disappointing to see that slowly the discussion is turning into more chit-chat that that, discussion.


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And sometimes it turns into more chit-chat about the topic rather than actual discussion.

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I just think that it has gained too much activity from the same people.

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I think the club would benefit if more members were constantly posting, this would hopefully not only encourage discussion but perhaps spark a few debates.

Closing Statements:

Though this club has its faults, some more impactful that others, don't let this deter your decisions on joining. Though relatively new, this club is making a lot of progress, and spending your time posting and re-living those Gen II memories is all the worthwhile, especially when you can rack up those points, gain some luxuries, test your Gen II knowledge and have fun with the your PC peers. This club has a lot of potential and I can't wait to see it grow and prosper in the future.


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But apart from that it has a lot of potential...

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The bottom line to any club is to have fun, and this club sure nails it. So go on, what are you waiting for? Join, you'll regret it if you don't!

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Overall Experience:
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+ Beautiful presentation.​

+ Easy to read, non-conflicting colours.​

+ A good bunch of activities that spur ongoing interest.​

+ Great activity and growth.​

+ Friendly, jubilant members!

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-Some aspects are too complicated.​

-Post quality is affected through such systems.​

- Not enough diversity among the topics.

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4 / 5 Pokeballs. "Fantastic!"
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[Squirrel]

Club: ♠ RNG Abuse Club ♠
Owner: Mac of York
Co-Owner: Miakalina
Founded: March 4th, 2012

This is a simple activity-based club focused around the act of RNGing Pokemon; for those that haven't heard of this, it's simply a way of catching/breeding the perfect Pokemon without hacking the game. As a relatively new thread, having only just been around for a week, I find this to be a truly outstanding club; having generated over 4 pages of replies in just 7 days this club is expanding at a surprising pace! The owner, Mac of York, is constantly updating and willing to extend a warm welcome to his members and help them with anything they need, be it help RNGing or even just ideas on what to catch next. The club has a constant friendly atmosphere where the members seem completely at ease and are happy to post regularly and share their newly captured Pokemon. There are regular challenges to take part in which, in turn, can lead to gaining status as a "notable member" within the club therefore inspiring members to RNG even more and be as active as they can. The club also offers help for those that are stuck with the process and gives veterans a place to discuss all their tips and tricks; a perfect club for members of any skill level! The only fault I can find in this club is that it's sometimes difficult to tell who's actually around due to a lack of a members list, but this just goes to prove that the club is open to literally anyone that's interested in taking part.

In summary, if you want a welcoming club to meet new friends and try out a whole new way of catching the perfect Pokemon whilst competing in challenges and rising through the ranks, this is the club for you.

5/5

 

[Sector]

♥The Cute Pokémon Club!♥ Redux!

^Title is also the link to direct^

After the conclusion of the very popular and successful Cute Pokemon Club owned by none other than AlexOzzyCake himself, a brand new Cute Pokemon Club as emerged. It isn't quite common to see one club shut down and see another rebirth with such great creation not long after. All thanks to the founder of our newest club, respectively in good hands, ♪Twiggy♪.

By the time of this review, the club is only 3 weeks old (couldn't verify the exact official date) at 7:57AM Eastern Central. Upon approval by the moderators, it took no longer than 3 minutes for the club's first member to sign-up. As well as many others followed in such short time periods, within the first 40 minutes, the club has already landed 6 members, excluding the founder himself. Still, with only 65 posts and over 1,600 views, that's more than what most clubs were able to achieve. There are a total of 23 members. It may still be very early among its time, but nearly 50% of the members only posted once, during their sign-ups, leaving only 4 members to actually post more than 3 times by the likes of: Avishka, Meganium90, Cosmotone8 & ♪Twiggy♪. Very few active members, yet too many inactive members. So the activeness for this club may not be on its hottest tide and ready to be set on fire in motion, yet!

CUTENESS OVERLOAD!

It seems that Twiggy has put a lot of work and effort into creating this club. For starters, he has made it very simple for those to not make any complications whatsoever. It is very thorough and well-done. Especially with the background theme, in organizing it to be set perfectly. Unfortunately, for those who cannot afford the lately version and keep up with the technology, those who does not own Windows 7, will have difficulties (Although I never experienced it myself). Quoted from the very bottom of the main post:

Yet again, the style should work well in the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. Just don't be on Windows XP!

As for choosing cute Pokemon, it is pretty much a democracy within the club to allow members to decide for themselves which Pokemon are cute in their own eyes. There will be some that others will disagree, and others that will disagree to be actually cute rather than not. So for the fun topic/event that occurs each week appears to be decisions for Pokemon of the Week by the members. Remember when I mentioned democracy? It stands for the people to vote. That's what they do. They vote in and the winner will hold the most votes to be Pokemon of the Week!

Those who take interest in doing so, even not for just Pokemon of the Week, this club is nearly the best for are pictures! Pictures are expressed for how cute Pokemon are and can be and is the major part of this club. Discussions, as for creating newer topics, are at a below average pace.

I want to go ahead and maybe start a topic here, if that's alright? It kinda irks me to not see activity in this awesome club

Even one of our most respectful moderators seem to agree on this subject. There has not been nearly enough, or any for that matter, topics to keep interests for the members and in order to keep them entertained. The owner must have topics change on a certain daily basis, every so often, every 2-3 days or so forth. That seems to be the problem lacking this club, and the reason for such very few members posting multiple times. As well as a few chit chat here and there, there hasn't fully been a conversation on which Pokemon is actually cute and which isn't, and explanations aren't provided. Which is much needed along with showing photos. This is something necessary for a successful club.

Unlike the previous Pokemon Cute Club, some success came with trivia/quizzes/questionnaires and perhaps a points system. Challenging those who try to answer, think or guess and update their Partner Pokemon was a fun thing perhaps. Maybe this could be the reason for the lack of members or taking interest in posting. Future events may help this club rise to the top. Wither if it's a cute contest or a Pokemon Online tournament for using only the Cute Pokemon provided, this club needs some excitement to support it and start taking interests from other members. Again, it is very well organized and orientated. It just lacks thorough conversation and topic discussions.

Creativity, Updates

♥♥♥♥♥
5/5
(Fantastic!)

On-Going Topics Conversation & Discussion

♥
1/5
(Poor)

Overall Rating

♥♥♥
3/5
(Average)
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[Sector]

~>The Eevee and Eeveelutions Club<~

^Title is also the link to direct^
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Four weeks ago, a new Eeveelution Club has been created at approximately 10:49AM. With 149 posts and 2,752 views, the club has received a nice attention from the audience at Pokemon Clubs. ShinySearcher01 is the owner of the club and is very successful at keeping his club active. Props to the owner.

There are currently 25 members within the club, and the club holds dedicated and truthful members within it. Once a topic is created, there are quite a few members participating and answering the topic. They all enjoy discussion topics, bringing an interesting idea and creating the banners for this club. As active as the owner is at 27 posts by the time of this review, there are a quite of few others with at least 7 posts. In such a very short time span of 4 weeks, we can say this club's success is in the hands of its members and should be thankful for their dedication. Yes, it would be much more enjoyable to have more members involved in discussion and being highly active. If things keep going as is, the club will continue to have more members and have no problem with the absence of its members.

Next up, is the discussion conversation within the club. How are they handling it? Are they thorough with their answers? I will include a valid and good, promising answer to their most recent topic:

Do you think Eevee should be used more in the anime or given as a starter in future games?
Yep - totally! Though for main-stream games that hit a wider audience than those who know what they're doing, side-games especially benefit, I think, from Eevee as a starter. I'm please at the genius/madman behind all the recent changes to Pokémon hasn't abondoned Pikachu or Eevee as staples in the series. (I mean, think about it, Eevee's has a lot of coverage!) Nobunaga's Ambition + Pokémon is a title that has Eevee as a "starter" of sorts, I believe (?).

Which it is tough to bring an answer to most, answers like these attracts owners and will lead to many more promising answers in the future. With loads of knowledge and determination to answer just one simple discussion question, is a great thing to have, as well as having a member with those skills involved within your club. There are very few that could extend their answers rather than just a simple one line answer, but the club is in very good condition with a handful of members answering topic discussions interestingly thus far. The only thing that could be this club's downfall is the owner's loss of interest for the club and inactivity. Which I do not expect to happen anytime soon.

The Club has a point system. It seems that many members are enjoying these system to get their favorite Pokemon as their 'Partner Pokemon.' There are 9 of 25 members who had upgraded their Partner Pokemon.

I'd like to evolve Vappy into Vaporeon please :3

It seems the point system has interesting to many. Which can be a very positive thing for most clubs as it seems. The Eeveelution Club has it as simple as it can be. Like I've mentioned previously, it's the dedication by the members toward the Club and their Eeveelution family that keeps this club on its feet and running. Which can be a huge success in the long haul!

A recommendation for the club is giving some sort of event or possibly hosting questionnaires/quizzes/trivia questions. It can attract those individuals who can think hard and test their knowledge for their beloved Eeveelution family. Aside from that, ShinySearcher01 has done an excellent job on the main post of the club. The background surprisingly is a perfect fit, as well as organized as can be.

And finally, a congratulations. This review was created for the reason of this club winning the 3rd annual of Pokemon Club of the Month. There may had been no other clubs currently worthy of winning and achieving this achievement. The Club is nicely done, the activity is in excellent shape for the club, and the dedication by everyone involved is just sky high! Congratulations to April's Pokemon Club of the Month winner!

Overall, the club doesn't need any changes necessary, although changes can be a good thing. This club is on fire as of now, and need to keep at it. This club is worthy of a 5/5 rating!

5/5

TERRIFIC

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