Pokemon Games Thread

[Zeroº]

I used to see those every now and then in the comics sections at a local discount store, but I never actually read them. I've heard they were a bit grittier, but I've never been that interested in Pokemon to actually go out of my way to read them (and I used to watch the Americanized cartoon religiously). If I got into the manga first, I bet I would have hated the 'wussification' Pokemon games. It's happened to me before with a lot manga that got turned into animes or movies. They seem to be able to get away with so much more when it comes to manga.

Next bout of boredom, though, and that's gonna be the first thing on my list to read...

[Ech0ez]

The Manga got seriously dark at times. Shame we never got a game that followed it tbh, would have been quite interesting.



Just about all the Bugs this generation are awesome, and nearly all them are viable in competetive play. It's like GameFreak heard my long-winded rants on how they should be more respected and then took it to the logical extreme.

[Gamer-e]

I have the first few volumes of that manga sitting on my hard drive somewhere. Unlike the anime, it's actually pretty good from what I saw and heard about it. I plan to get to it, eventually.

I feel bad that I find myself saying that about, like, every anime/manga I promise myself I'll watch/read these days.

Just saw this somewhere else. You might never see Pokemon again after viewing this. Oh, and yeah, it's kinda gritty... You've been warned:

Somebody managed to make that crappy anime's incarnation of Red look badass?! Wow, even Jessie and James are even come off as threatening.

Sweet.

[Ech0ez]

Beat the game, caught almost all the legends (Fucking roaming genie is impossible if you used your Master Ball) and now I'm just messing around until one of the online battle simulators gets a B/W update so the Gen V metagame can start.

Have to say, the plot really goes completely crazy at the end. I was less confused by Evangelion, although perhaps the fact it's all in Japanese had some impact. Still completely crazy though. Can't say I'm all too impressed by post-game content either; there's some awesome things like the E4 rematch with Lv70+ stuff, Cynthia, the dude from GameFreak and so on, but it feels really lacking compared to Emerald/Platinum/HgSs. That being said the game itself is superb while it lasts. There might be more post-game stuff I'm missing though, so I'll probably mess around some more.

[MaiAriSquee]

And that, Ech0ez, is precisely why I plan to wait for the Grey version! ...or whatever they decide to call it. (If I can resist the temptation!)

They always have all kinds of goodies in the third version!

[sirboulevard]

And that, Ech0ez, is precisely why I plan to wait for the Grey version! ...or whatever they decide to call it. (If I can resist the temptation!)

They always have all kinds of goodies in the third version!

I just hope that Grey has both White Forest and Black City. Cause I really want to go to both, but can only afford one.

[-ChozoChild-]

And that, Ech0ez, is precisely why I plan to wait for the Grey version! ...or whatever they decide to call it. (If I can resist the temptation!)

They always have all kinds of goodies in the third version!

I just hope that Grey has both White Forest and Black City. Cause I really want to go to both, but can only afford one.

I might be willing to buy Grey Version... (if they make it) but honestly I'm not liking the direction that the pokemon series is going. It's just too different from what I grew up with. The main reason why I'd even consider getting this game is to learn about the plot-line-- but we'll see. So far I've done a good job convincing myself not to buy Black and White version. Even my sister and my best friends (who trade with me) are on the fence with this one.

[Gamer-e]

...too different? As somebody who has also grown up with Pokemon, I'm going to have to ask you to explain. Just what direction is the Pokemon franchise heading? The main Pokemon games are the same as they were back in Gen I, except they keep adding something new to the gameplay or story with each new game. You're still traveling across the land, searching far and wide (for badges), defeating an evil organization, and collecting Pokemon, just as you always have. The most common form of battling is done in the same way it has always been, except there are now more Pokemon, new moves, abilities as of Gen III, and a new distinction between physical attacks and special attacks as of Gen IV.

To be completely honest, it seems like anybody that dislikes the newer games are wearing nostalgia goggles that prevent them from accepting anything new or let petty details (such as the way the new Pokemon look) bug them. I've yet to hear a good reason as for why the newer games aren't as good as the older ones.

[Chipou]

it seems like anybody that dislikes the newer games are wearing nostalgia goggles that prevent them from accepting anything new or let petty details (such as the way the new Pokemon look) bug them.

i honestly hate the new pokemon, liking only about 17 or so of the 153 or whatever they added. granted ill be the first to admit there were some bad pokemon in every generation (cough magmar), but....honestly some of the new ones are just horrible....like a crab with a huge fucken sedimentary rock on its back, or a bag of garbage...hell theres even an ice cream pokemon...

although, the few that i like ill admit are pretty cool

[sirboulevard]

it seems like anybody that dislikes the newer games are wearing nostalgia goggles that prevent them from accepting anything new or let petty details (such as the way the new Pokemon look) bug them.

i honestly hate the new pokemon, liking only about 17 or so of the 153 or whatever they added. granted ill be the first to admit there were some bad pokemon in every generation (cough magmar), but....honestly some of the new ones are just horrible....like a crab with a huge fucken sedimentary rock on its back, or a bag of garbage...hell theres even an ice cream pokemon...

although, the few that i like ill admit are pretty cool

I definetly like the new regions and storylines (BW's actually seems to be interesting) but the new pokemon are definetly drifting away from the Narm Charm they once had. Although goddamn it if you didn't love Stephen Colbeagle Wargle when you first saw it.

I think the main problem is that Game Freak hired all the Digimon artists (for real, guys) and now they're starting to look like the pokemon-esque-not-pokemon knock offs we saw back in the late 90s. Tajiri isn't involved directly anymore, so it's lost sight of what it was originally (collecting, not a story) and most of the original staff is now in administrative positions that mean nothing because Nintendo doesn't want to lose a key franchise. I mean there's an Iwata asks from right after HGSS came out and they straight up said that the original GSC was supposed to be last pokemon generation and then they got overruled. The issue with the series now is it's been drained of what made it awesome and has been put under the thumb of "How much money can we squeeze out of it."

Black and White, however, seem like the first pokemon games since GSC that I'm actually looking forward to new content.

[Chipou]

speaking of which, what is the story? i heard it was pretty much about a peta (dont worry about spoiling it for me, im either waiting for grey or skipping this gen)

[Gamer-e]

Yep. That and it goes past the Elite Four rather than stopping right before you get your eighth badge.

[-ChozoChild-]

Decide for yourself whether or not to get Black and White, but these are my thoughts.

[start rant]

1) Nob will not be involved in making the English script (he worked RGB to Platinum, quit before HGSS)
Using HGSS as a basis for what BW could be like:
- Distinct grammar errors.*
- NPCs think you've been to somewhere else if you haven't. (ie. Olivine port = Kanto)
2) Shortened story element which means more filler events, more aesthetic changes
3) Pokemon Musicals = Pokemon contests without battles, reliance on touch screen.
4) More Wi-Fi elements, replacement of Global Trading Station
5) Team Plasma: think Amish group that wants Pokemon to have more freedom.
6) Blend of American, Chinese and Japanese elements in the physical appearance of the Pokemon and story.
7) It's like the old games were Stadium 1-2 and the newer one is Colosseum, it just gets more focused on battles and less on story.

* = (I dare you to talk to the people in the National Park that have script changes from GSC. See if you can make sense of what some of them are saying.)

Please note I have not played the game so I cannot fully judge this game in it's entirety, but this are my thoughts on the matter.

I think the main thing, through all this is personal preference, maturity and age.

When the creators go out to say that 'this is a new Pokemon'... I wonder what they mean.
Do they want the player to still be required to do what they've always done...?

1. Fill Pokedex
2. Own your Rival
3. Complete the Gymleader Challenge
3. Defeat the Eite four
4. Defeat the evil Organization

When GameFreak and Creatures have the potential to make an end-all-of-end-alls, or really change their structure, they should do it. They should go all-out and make the game so drastically different that the players feel that it is entirely new.
Make it violent, make it mature, do whatever they can. Or make it childish, change the setting, place it in the past or in the future. Do more with what a handheld offers, and what technology is available, without compromising those that can't use WiFi or play with others. It's not like they don't have the money or backings to do such a things.

As far as making an end-all, a small cameo of Cynthia doesn't seem to cut it when there are so many pre-existing characters that can be strengthened. If they're going that way, they should back up the 4-generation history of these games and capitalize on their hard work, not downplay it!

I think the company may be afraid of change or losing their appeal to older gamers (like myself), thus a game that is a half-half of old and new. I would hope that they'll really set us up for shock and not follow the formula, but maybe that's what the spin-off games are for...

The Pokemon themselves look interesting-- sirboulevard stated that Gamefreak hired the Digimon artists so that might have effected a small change. I just don't feel the whole thing is unified. It has potential though.

I do think they should evaluate how they are spending their time so Pokemon doesn't fade away like countless other series.
I am not looking forward to a future of same-elements-played-out-a-different-way-followed-by-special-version-and-then-remakes-of-past-versions. They really have no more excuses now that RSE is technically compatible with the newer games, save battling.

I would want to see the story and characters expanded upon, not simply the Pokemon you can catch or the graphics that increase with time. HGSS fared pretty well, granted I still haven't finished the game -- But I'm really enjoying what they have done.

Imagine for a moment if they'd followed a timeline and placed years after GSC! What would happen then?!
Play out Celebi and time warps and all the crazy other stuff that the creation of those Pokemon has provided.
....I was thinking they may have done that for Pokemon X D but I was mislead.

It's something they should really consider, and I'm not talking about some smack-down with all the characters like FF's Dissidea had done, a real story would be nice, thanks. -_-

[end rant]

[Ech0ez]

2) Shortened story element which means more filler events, more aesthetic changes
What?
3) Pokemon Musicals = Pokemon contests without battles, reliance on touch screen.
Contests didn't have battles either.
4) More Wi-Fi elements, replacement of Global Trading Station
And extra Wi-Fi elements is a bad thing how? And I'd suggest you get your facts straight before spouting rants, the GTS is still there but implemented differently.
5) Team Plasma: think Amish group that wants Pokemon to have more freedom.
Yeah, this is an insult to the paragon of creative storytelling Pokemon used to be.
6) Blend of American, Chinese and Japanese elements in the physical appearance of the Pokemon and story.
Now you're grasping at straws.
7) It's like the old games were Stadium 1-2 and the newer one is Colosseum, it just gets more focused on battles and less on story.
Wrong way around.

[Satch]

I know this isn't really games related but I didn't want to make a new thread for it.

Pokemon Writer, 61, Dies

I'm pretty sure the Baby Satch in me is in tears.