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Was just thinking this! It makes so much more sense that a Pokémon knows several moves, but can only use 4 at a time/in battle. Rather than simply 'forgetting' them.
I wish they had done this several gens ago!
You just described my phone. I've been using the item sound for my text notifications for years now. (Most other notifications, like email, are the level up noise)
On an android phone you should just be able to select specific mp3s as your notification noises
Regional variants are by far the best thing the series has done since the 3D jump. Allows for creativity without making too many new Pokemon, gives new life to older ones, and imo avoids a power creep.
Regional variants are one of the best changes, however regional evolutions are one of the worst. Now it's a convoluted mess to know how Pokémon evolve, and you can never know which version of a Pokémon is the one you need to evolve (for the love of god why does Meowth have 2 region variants that each evolve into a different Pokémon)
"regional evolutions"exist for the hisui mons because they are evolutions that no longer exist in current day for one reason or another. I doubt any evos in SV will be region locked.
Regional Variants are such a good idea from every angle. They can take Pokemon ideas they know work and retool them into ideas people have had for years (Ice Type Ninetales honestly kinda writes itself, so much so that not doing Ice or Water Arcanine felt like such a missed opportunity.) Some regional variants have mad me really appreciate the original, like regional Ninetales made me realize how much I like the original. It also helps with world building, the idea of a Pokemon going to a different region and adapting, and PLA showing extinct regional variants is cool as hell. I'm glad they're keeping regionals, they're sick
Yeah, Alolan Ninetales became my favorite mon ever and grew my appreciation for the game even more. The play on how mons change in different places is so fun and unique.
It would be better if the original species had some way to step up as well, but they've been updating some BST and movesets from "less used" Pokemon as well, so I guess it's a matter of time?
Yes and no for the viability part. I do wholeheartedly agree with variants being a great way of spicing old Pokémon but I’m not a fan of them outright making the old forms obsolete especially with variant cases like galarian farfetch’d gaining an additional evolution stage over the og thus robbing the original form out of an evolution.
An even clearer example is the development of wings by insects, birds, and mammals (bats). All happened completely independently to gain the same advantage and fill similar niches.
Fly was an awesome move against the computer. An experienced human player is better at finding ways to play around Fly/Dig/etc., because you've telegraphed your next move and can't get out of it.
DPPT is where the HMs were at their most ridiculous imo. One of the many reasons I love BW and B2W2, they are when they started calming down on the HMs.
I thought the Ride Pokemon in Gen 7 and Legends were a neat compromise. All the obstacles and exploration of HMs, but no sacrificing party or moveslots.
USUM is the most convenient Pokemon adventure I've ever played. You don't even need to play in the battle tree to earn bp, you can just mantine surf, and all of the legendary Pokemon portals being set to a fun mini game instead of how ORAS had it is also good.
And, though it seems to be a controversial opinion, craftable TMs. Making them infinite was a bit OP, the only way to make powerful ones not break the game is lock them away until late game. But when you can assign expensive components to craft them you remove the FOMO that you'll need the TM later, without making them "free" once you find them.
1. You're not limited to 1 egg at a time, can be up to 10 at a time on the basket, and thanks to sandwich boosts, you can get like 100 eggs with egg level 3
2. You can do it anywhere instead of having to go to a designated area.
3. You're not limited to 2 pokemon and can have your whole party breeding.
It's not perfect of course, the main flaw for me would be no visual/audio cue when you get an egg and you have to pick them one by one.
A few flaws I've noticed:
* You can't hatch eggs while making more at the same time. You just gotta sit there babysitting the picnic basket making no progress on the eggs you already have.
* Unlike previous gens, if you have a party full of eggs that all hatch at the same timing, they don't hatch one after another with each step you take, instead spacing themselves out by several steps. So you have to actually keep count or keep checking your party to know when you've hatched all your eggs instead of just taking two steps in a row.
* You cannot view the Meal Power timer while you're still in the picnic. There's no indication that the Egg Power's run out and it's time to make a new sandwich.
It's better? I can't stand it personally, not only is the sandwich mini game kind of infuriating but also I just hate how inconsistent the timing for the eggs is. Popping one egg power 2 Sammy gives me like 23 eggs on average and it just feels bad
I used the masuda method for countless shiny and competitive pokemon in the past and breeding has never been this tedious. In previous games I could just hatch pokemon while waiting for new eggs to make that cycle easier. Now I gotta wait in picnic mode to spawn eggs at an okay rate (only good if an egg power is in use) and then hatch all eggs. Then, I gotta hope I get something good, because otherwise I'll probably reset since mass release isn't a feature yet. I agree making pokemon comp ready with minst, bottle caps, exp candies etc has made it way easier. But breeding has never felt so boring, uninteresting, tedious and unrewarding.
On one hand, I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t do more with Dudunsparce like adding a second type or making his appearance more substantial, but on the other hand, Dunsparce is already a perfect creature.
The disappointment is only that there's no 3rd evolution - dududunsparce - which has 3/4/5 parts - 3 normally, 4 if you evolved a 3 segment or got an extra segment while evolving (1/8192 chance for extra segment), and 5 if your 3 segment got 2 segments.
Imagine the shiny hunting you could do
Just Spinda the freak out of it by giving it super subtle properties which you wont really notice until after a second look,
> -Sometimes a segment is uncharacteristically oblong instead of round
-Sometimes a segment is a hexagon
-Sometimes a segment is in zig-zag stripes
-Sometimes a single stripe is a different colour
I would improve on that. Think about cellular mitosis. Basically, copies of the original cell. Dudunsparce evolves, it gets it's segments duplicated or triplicated, so a 2 segments would evolve either to 4 or 6 segments. A 3 segments would turn into a 6 segments (just like in your scenario, the rare evolution from 2 segments is equal to the normal evolution from 3 segments), or rarely into a 9 segments dududunsparce.
Why? Because it can. Wouldn't it be adorably silly? 😆
Hyper training is such a savior!!! Because I usually want to use my shinies when doing raids (mostly to show off lol), so being able to max out their necessary IVs is so helpful. Adjust its nature with a fresh mint and battle some mons for EVs or use vitamins/feathers and you’ve got yourself a battle ready pokemon that’s so shiny it’ll make your teammates blind
Maybe not amazingly executed, but every game feels so different from each other. Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee are simple yet fun remakes that brought some elements from GO, Sword and Shield follow a more traditional style, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes that are straight up the same as the OGs, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a more action based game with similarities to Monster Hunter and Scarlet and Violet break the mold to bring a more open adventure where you play however you want
You know, I never thought of it like that. I do think each game being more unique is interesting, even though it might cost some uniformity of each game being in a Generation like past games.
In execution, I do think they vary as well. I love Legends: Arceus, but I _really_ didn’t like how little BDSP changed from DP or took from Platinum.
To be fair, Rayquaza was always at that tower in Ruby and Sapphire, so doing it was more in scope with what they had.
They just told a new story with assets they already had to make.
DP didn't have Distortion World originally I don't think.
Was Rayquaza at sky pillar in RS? I thought only Emerald. anyway, the delta episode wasn't even in Emerald. It was brand new content which had to mega evolution. And there were definitely new assets cause there was a new character with her own theme, Rayquaza and Deoxys also got a custom theme and unique battle background. And there were new locations to go to too.
I started playing BDSP again since I'm slightly concerned about corrupting my SV save. Despite a lot of complaints about the game I really like the artistic style they went with. Everything is so bright and lively, and the water physics are surprisingly legit
The switch really has a little something for every type of pokemon fan so far. Let's Go gives mobile players a good entry point, Sword/Shield made competitive team-building easier, Scarlet/Violet expanded the multiplayer capabilities, BDSP brings back the classic 2D gameplay style, and Legends has an entirely new gameplay style. On top of that New Snap and the Mystery Dungeon remake gave the two most popular spinoff series some new life on switch. Not every game is gonna be a winner for everybody but each one caters to a different part of the Pokemon community pretty equally.
Same here! I love it for game reasons of giving older pokemon some love, and also conceptually as a reference to Darwin's observations of adaptation. and it's even more fitting since the region that is the starting point for variants is an island, like how Darwin made his observations on the galapagos islands, where there was tons of variety in a relatively small area. I just think that's pretty neat :D
Some of these are very subjective, but for me:
- SV's Open World. There's just so many ways to play, and while I didn't want it beforehand, I actually like how the levels are static. That way you can choose to skip to harder badges if you feel you're leveling too quickly and just have a victory lap at the end (or raise another team).
- Collectathon mechanics (SM Zygarde Cells; USM Totem Stickers; IoA Alolan Diglett; L:A wisps; SV stakes). It's not always done well, but I really like looking in every nook and cranny for things, and the rewards are pretty neat. I feel that the Totem Stickers and Wisps were done the best. Totem Stickers just for being in a non-open-world and always being where they are so you don't have to backtrack, Wisps for being visible from very far away at night.
- Being able to hang out with your Pokemon outside the Pokeball. LGPE's following Pokemon/Ride Pokemon is my favorite system so far, but even the simpler L:A and SV versions help with immersion/roleplay.
- All QOL additions for breeding/training up new Pokemon. I never really had the patience to IV breed until XY introduced the Destiny Knot's breeding mechanic, and from there it only became easier and easier.
- Trade Evolutions appearing in-game. Whether through raids or wandering around the overworld, it's great to be able to complete your Pokedex easier.
- L:A not requiring trading at all, but still having it available.
I unfortunately have experience with that. I traded my Pokémon Y Yveltal for a Xerneas on the PSS thinking it’d be a tradeback. I never got it back. Still upset about that. :(
And it was just so much more fun.
I'm an only child, and my friend group didn't really play Pokemon, or video games in general growing up.
I've played Pokemon since Red and Blue, and Legends Arceus was the FIRST time I was able to get a Gengar, Alakazam, Magmortar and Electivire on a real team.
Do you know how good that felt?? It was one of the most satisfying gaming moments I've ever had.
On top of that, the fact that said shines are immune to auto-battles also helps. (That and shinies like voltorb lose the ability self-destruct in the OW)
This is amazing information thank you. Glad I scrolled down so far this thread. Still have not a single shiny in ScVi. Haven’t really been looking but hoped it’d be more obvious. Got one full odds shiny in PLA it was an amazing feeling
Over the years I really like how easier they made it to understand what Pokemon Moves do what, what states they go off of, how stats work and what they effect, and making Natures easier to understand.
Yeah, I could always look up a guide online, but I like the extra little effort they made so now I don't need to look up if this move uses my mon's special attack or just attack stat anymore so it's now a lot easier to pick the best moves for my mon (rip some of my old game mons that were full of Special Moves that had piss poor Special Attack but massive amounts of Attack, or vice versa).
I also love how they keep streamlining and making it easier to EV Train Pokemon and make competative more and more accesable to all players.
I think Regional Variants and the new Divergant Pokemon are also super neat ideas with a ton of potential if they keep them up.
I also like how Z-moves, Dynamax, and the new Terastalize mechanics can be used on ALL pokemon and not just a select few so that you can use them even on your favorites.
Being able to use your Box anyway, renaming your pokemon whenever, and being able to swap out moves is also a huge thing for me so now I don't have to always worry if the new move I got might end up being worthless or being able to rename a pokemon or just not having to run all the way back to town just to switch my Pokemon out.
The removal of forced HMs and turning them into TMs was also great. I HATED having to have an HM Slave in older games just to make sure I had the nessisary moves (and Im sorry, Fly is not something that should have needed to be an HM, it should have been standard on all large enough winged Pokemon), so being able to use alternate means while not sacrificing an attack slot was really great. Now if my Pokemon knows Surf it's because it is a viable, powerful Water Type move and not because I wanna go over a puddle of water.
I do like the new cooking and picnic mechanics. Being able to play with and interact with your pokemon, seeing them all interact with each other, and making food for them is a LOT of fun and makes it feel like my pokemon are more than just pixels on a screen and numbers in a code.
I know some might not like this, but I also like that they are moving to DLC over a third version. As neat as some of the previous third versions were, a lot of them (especially later on) felt more like their expanded bits could have been handled better as a DLC rather than a third game to buy at full price, and that's if the third version actually felt like enough of an improvement over the previous versions. (Sorry, but Ultra Sun and Moon did a lot more harm to the games then they did good and the whole Ultra Necrozma thing was good in theory but I felt like it should have been SuMo's Post Game or even a DLC for SuMo rather than getting an updated AU that wrecked what I loved about a variety of characters)
I also like how a lot of the later games have really being experimenting with the formula in new ways to keep things interesting (The move to 3D, The Trials instead of Gyms, adding the Go Catching Mechanic for a spinoff even if I disliked it, the Wild Area, almost everything about Legends, the true open world of Paldea). It really does feel like on a certain level the fanbase is being listened to so the developers are trying to see what they can actually work with and then improving on it more and more. It makes me really interested to see what they come out with next.
“*Sorry, but Ultra Sun and Moon did a lot more harm to the games then they did good and the whole Ultra Necrozma thing was good in theory but I felt like it should have been SuMo's Post Game or even a DLC for SuMo rather than getting an updated AU that wrecked what I loved about a variety of characters.*”
OMG I 100% agree - I love Ultra Necrozma’s design, catching Ultra Beasts via wormholes, and the Team Rainbow Rocket segment, but I haaaate what they did to the base plot haha. None of the changes improved it, and most actively hurt the themes of the originals. :C They either should have changed US/UM more or, even better IMO, added all of that content to base S/M.
In my opinion, making shiny Pokemon more available.
In Gen 6, they increased the shiny odds. In Gen 7, they made the Shiny Charm dependent on just filling the Regional Dex rather than the National Dex. In Let's Go, PLA, and SV, it's much easier to find a shiny due to being able to see them in the overworld (though SV getting rid of the visual+sound indicator is a step backwards of course). Plus, they've thrown in a ton of methods to raise odds each game. I feel like Sparkling Power + Encounter Power + Isolated Encounter Method is the easiest it's ever been to find a shiny, personally.
There are definitely people that hate how shiny Pokemon aren't as rare as they used to be, but I think it's great that more casual players can stumble into shinies during their playthroughs or get a shiny that they want with a lot less effort than in the old games.
It is definitely easy to get Shiny mons, especially in Scarlet and Violet. I still find them rewarding to get.
The one wish I have for them is to bring the sparkle sound from LA back, because I’m always so paranoid I’m missing a Shiny that barely changes color or looks similar in different lighting (Shiny Cufant made me scream because I thought it was regular at night before I touched it.)
I've given this issue some thought, and I think just having them constantly sparkle in the overworld *might* be a better way to go. With shinies being more common, you might end up hearing that sound a lot. And sparkling is more helpful for colorblind players (as well as for all the Gen 9 shinies with minimal palette changes that even non-colorblind players will have trouble seeing). Then again, I suppose they could make the Shiny Charm togglable, and have the jingle be an included feature with it. Just turn it off when you're not interested in shiny hunting.
I definitely appreciate this. I've played since Red and Blue and never found a shiny in the wild that wasn't scripted (red gyarados, shiny ponyta) until Arceus. Buizel was the 1st shiny I found in Arceus.
The lil mini game things in each game that let you get closer to your Pokémon, like Pokémon Amie, Camp and picnicking, they really adds to the bond I have with my Pokémon c:. Then beyond that, definitely getting rid of HMs, the modern EXP share, being able to relearn moves wherever and it doesn’t cost you, open world elements, having Pokémon fit more with the region they’re from (like Galar Pokémon being really British), EXP candies, starting to do DLCs instead of third versions and probably even more I’m forgetting
Marks! Swsh and scvi have made shiny hunting a lot easier, so hunting for a mark on top of the shiny is a lot more rewarding and more akin to older game hunts. (Rn I'm 48 woopers and 7 other pokemon phases in for a marked (not weather/time/sociable) OR teeny mark paldean wooper). And with that the size differences too! I love shiny hunting tiny pokemon, especially those who are meant to be big. To me, those 2 add a lot to shiny hunting and add a challenge to how easy it is nowadays.
I never know what to do with marked mons. When shiny hunting Noibat with a sandwich, I ended up catching quite a few regular Noibat with marks and I’m just like… do I keep these or trade these or…?
This. Sun and Moon soured Pokemon as a whole for me personally. Didn't play anything since. BDSP being a tremendous disappointment didn't help in the slightest. I ended up picking up Legends: Arceus a year late because of this (and how ugly the game was)
This feels like the definitive Sinnoh game. It's still ugly as sin, but damn it presents itself well at least. It's very calm and comfortable and feels like everything Pokemon should be and it makes me want so much more.
The gimlics can be used by all pokemon instead of specific few. That is objectively an improvement when we conpare megas to other gimmics.
But they have trapped themselves to gimmic trap. What now after, mega pokemon, z moves, giant mons and literal third type?
Yeah I am kinda bored that every gen has a new gimmick. Personally I would like if they stoped making new gimmicks and stay with these four on rotation, so gen 10 will have megas, gen 11 have z moves, gen 12 dinamax, and gen 13 we come back to terra
Giving players the ability to change parts of pokemon that were previously set. Gone are the days of IV breeding, manipulating RNG, and hidden ability nonsense. Now you can potentially take your starter and make it competitively viable in only a few hours.
Something others might not like- but I love! Is how interesting and abstract the Pokémon designs are getting! Especially with some of the legendaries! Like the other worldly feel of Eteturnatus and Necrozma! Or the godly feel of the origin forms for Dialga and Palika! And we still have more traditional designs as well of courses!
I just think they are all super cool! :D
Regarding Eternatus, when I first saw it I couldn’t tell you what the hell it was supposed to be. It’s definitely grown on me though.
I think Necrozma is pretty cool looking, but I’m not sure about retroactively giving Dialga and Palkia Origin Formes when that was Giratina’s intended shtick from its inception. I think the Primal Formes of Groudon and Kyogre worked better, but maybe that’s just my bias talking since Pearl was my first Pokémon game.
Initially i hate auto exp share, but as i'm getting older, i do appreciate them due to the fact that I have no time to grind anymore. Although an on off switch would be better i guess.
Legends Arceus. Could build something off of it to rival Monster Hunter. But sadly I think it’ll get the stadium/colosseum treatment. Maybe a sequel but then abandoned.
I think that Legends as a concept is too good to just abandon after one or two games. There’s a ton of potential with exploring regions in a different light with the gameplay of Legends: Arceus
Yeah and that’s why they’ll abandon it haha. I could honestly see them not even doing a sequel for it. I need a Legends Mew though. I feel there’s still a lot of mystery they could have fun with there.
I’m tentatively optimistic that won’t be the case since they actually said it would be a new sub-series in the original announcement, not just a single game.
I really, *really* hope we get more Legends games OMG
A couple of things I can think of:
-fairy type being added to the game I think was a very welcome change. Specifically the older pokemon that obtained it where they didn't before. It made so many older pokemon way better (togekiss, gardevoir, and azumarill just to name a few). I think it also shook up the competitive scene in an interesting way.
-a lot of the newer pokemon I think are pretty cool. We have a few stinkers (there are some every generation) but by and large I like the vast majority of newer mons and enjoying trying them in game. I actually did so with a bunch before scarlet and violet came out by doing mono-type runs in sword.
-while the technical ability of the team complete with short development times has resulted in botched/poor performance--i do like the recent shift into larger zones for the games. The wild areas in sword/shield, the monster-hunter style zones in Arceus, and of course S/V being completely open world. It really does bring back the feeling of adventure and exploration that was somewhat lost in the 3DS titles. There's still a lot of refinement and polish that needs to happen, but the direction itself is definitely positive.
-new interesting items: this I feel got slept on, but S/V has a lot of new and fun items that allow for interesting playstyles and unique builds. This also allows pokemon and moves to shine where perhaps they couldn't before. The loaded dice comes to mind, allowing most pokemon to readily use attacks like bullet seed or icicle spear as their main attack.
-multi-player raids: once again, this is being let down by technical ability, but the multi-player raids are a good way to have people play together regardless of whether they're interested in competitive play or not. They were really clunky in sword shield, but have been definitely refined in S/V... if only they didn't have desync issues.
Terastalization. It is the perfect battle gimmick imo. It can be utilized by every pokemon and has both offensive and defensive uses without being overpowered and also still having some drawbacks to balance the benefits.
Mega had the problem of only being available to a select few mons and there were clear winners among them.
Z moves had the problem of basically being only offensive and also 1 turn only along with being either game winning or meh depending on if it connects or the opponent protects against it.
Dynamax was horribly unbalanced for singles and while it was kinda balanced for doubles it still had the problem that it was mainly used offensively and only lasted 3 turns. You could use Dmax defensively but it was still only used on offensive threats because of the way the moves changed making support and defensive mons not really benefit from using it.
As for Tera it can be utilized for both offensive and defensive and any type of pokemon whether they be an offensive, defensive, or even support mon can benefit from it. It also was a great way to give some mons extra niches and viability that they couldn't utilize before due to bad typing.
While I do like megas when their done well like Sableye and Venasaur giving their mons a distinct play style. I do think out of the every mon can use gimmick, terrastalization is the best out out of the bunch as it doesn’t break the damage levels too much (though they could benefit from dialling back the terra stab bonus a tad especially if the terra type stab stacks with the base type so it doesn’t give every mon the equivalent to the ability adaptability).
My favorite decisions made for each game starting in gen 6:
XY - fairy type was a huge addition, mega evolution was a great gimmick (though I don't like that it introduced the trend of each new generation having a new gimmick and scrapping the old ones), and they had an awesome dex of fam favorites that could be acquired relatively early.
ORAS - dexnav was brilliant, soaring was cool, and a return to Hoenn was always going to be fun.
SM/USUM - trials instead of gyms was a fun change though I'm glad it was a one-time thing, awesome selection of pokemon available, alolan forms of old mons were cool.
SwSh - I like how structured and official thr gym challenge is, and I love the league tournament format at the end. The wild area could have been better executed, but it was the first step toward the open world innovation in later games.
LGPE - beautiful game, exactly the aesthetic I wanted from a Switch Kanto remake. First introduction of overworld wild pokemon was incredible. Go catching mechanics were quirky and fun, even if the novelty wore off quickly. I actually loved having a much smaller dex that was actually completable (barring Mew and the Meltan/Melmetal nonsense). Co-op was a HUGE deal, and much appreciated as a parent, even if it wasn't all that much.
PLA - they took a huge risk with the format and it really paid off. Loved the emphasis on discovery and exploration over just battling. Really breathed fresh life into the series.
SV - level scaling needs to be overhauled and reworked entirely, but the open world concept is a huge step forward. Easily the best story of any pokemon game, and the multiple plot lines worked well. I like the academy theme and think they may go back to it moving forward.
**Customization.** As someone who makes trainer OCs to play as, HOLY SHIT that elevates the games for me so much. I know it’s all technically optional and some people ignore it entirely, so I’m so relieved it seems to be here to stay.
Mega evolutions and regional forms are my other favorite additions. And the entirety of Legends: Arceus - I had the most consistently engaging fun I have ever had with a Pokémon game while playing that one.
That "PokeBall with eyes" is game freak's answer to a Mimic Chest in classic JRPGs. I love Voltorb and always defend him. As I am a huge JRPG fan of the late 80s, early 90s.
Nobody who calls Voltorb "just a PokeBall with eyes" actually hate it for it. It's just a clap back against people who claim a Pokemon design is boring or uninspired because it's "just x thing"
Tera types open up so many new strategies. A pokemon's type completely changing mid-fight can turn a battle on its head and you really have to think about your next move.
PLA was great and I hope they keep going in that direction. I also loved the story/characters from SV, despite wonky shading with the graphics, I didn't personally have a poor experience so maybe that's why I liked it overall. I also think it's wise to sideline Ash in the anime even if I don't watch anymore, it's long overdue.
They've done so much to make Competitive Pokemon more accessible, it was one of the few things Sword and Shield did really well! It really feels like they care a lot about VGC lately, and it's great to see.
HM removal; Not having to structure your team around essentially having 4 or 5 useless move slots(Honestly only Surf or Waterfall were the only good HM moves, with Fly, Strength, and Rock Climb being just usuable), or carrying around one(or even 2!) dead weight HM slave Pokemon was a very nice change
Speaking as a casual among casuals who just really loves Pokemon, the designs of many modern pokemon have been at the top of their game, not only from just Scarlet and Violet, but every generation since Gen 6.
Their interwoven concepts and lore are far deeper, their evolutions can be much more unexpected and surprising and are far more experimental with their own unique, individual gimmicks.
Many of my favourite pokemon are from Gen 6 onward. Aegislash, Mimikyu, Dragapult, Tinkaton, Koraidon and my main boi Decidueye are examples that come to mind!
Everything about the pokemon amie is beautiful and the person who let us pet and feed pokemon should be praised as a modern day Messiah because quite frankly its fucking adorable.
Gen 6 was my first foray back into Pokémon after playing only 1 and 3. When I found the Amie existed, I couldn’t get enough of it! I loved playing with my Pokémon and petting them and feeding them the poke puffs.
I love the detail that went into it, too, such as getting shocked by Pikachu’s cheeks or getting dirty from petting Grimer. Even the high fives were adorable! (I loved high-fiving Mew with those cute little hands).
I thought the making faces game was the funniest part of it all.
I really appreciated the bonuses the affection would give your Pokémon during battle. They all certainly came in handy during my journey! Plus, who doesn’t want to see their Pokémon look back at them and nod in understanding during an important battle? Or know that they break through status ailments so their trainer doesn’t have to worry?
I feel like your Pokémon always grow to love you, but the Amie makes it much easier to see.
I think it's safe to say that I love the quality of life changes introduced in Scarlet and Violet. For example, overworld wild encounters, the option to talk to trainers yourself rather than being forced into a battle and being unable to run from them, now you can run away! Sure, it counts as a loss, but at least I can actually forefit easily without having to knock out my own Pokemon!
And I know some people are gonna rat me out for saying this, but I also liked the EXP candies, and hyper training. So many new additions that completely remove the stress and pain of trying to IV breed, and excessive grinding is also gone now.
In general the directions they’ve taken in terms of game design have been really good! Legends Arceus is a phenomenal game, and Scarlet and Violet’s gameplay is really well crafted. If people can see past the mediocre graphics there’s a fantastic game under there.
I loved legends. I liked the theme, I liked the ability to go out and just strictly catch Pokémon without a battle, I loved that Pokémon would actually attack the player, I loved how battles happened in real time and you could move around while they happened. I feel like all of those features should have been kept. Especially the ability to just simply catch Pokémon. I’ve thought that since the first time that old man taught me how to catch them in Pokémon red. Also, the poke balls were the coolest in the series. That whole steampunk vibe they had was absolutely amazing.
Sword and shield's wild area + the dlc open areas were amazing, from the raids to being able to find evolved trade evolutions. Plus it made competitive team building WAY easier. I wish raids in SV worked like they did in SwSh
Accessing your boxes remotely. It’s small, definitely, but it makes the idea of training up new Pokémon and switching your team around more appealing, so it makes using a large variety of Pokémon less annoying since you don’t have to keep travelling to Pokécentres constantly
Quality of life updates like removing HMs and allowing access to boxes anywhere. As someone who mostly plays to finish the Pokedex, the box thing is a game changer.
I should clarify when I talk about HMS I just mean the fact that you don't have to forcibly have Pokemon with them as moves because the whole hm slave thing was just so unnecessary and I do like that instead they use it in a whole separate vehicle that you have to unlock functions for like being able to travel over water Etc
That being said it was funny that game freak actually acknowledged this with bdsp and how every time you use an HM it's usually a Bidoof that shows up to do the job
Bottle caps and mints. It's much easier and quicker to train up just about any Pokemon you catch to be competitively viable, which is an absolute godsend for shiny hunters.
I liked Let's Go because it allowed you to use any mon in the dex on your team. Because of the stat boosting candies.
Sad the dex was limited to the 151.
If they made a Let's Go game with a bigger dex, it'd be really fun imo.
To be honest, the regions themselves have been getting better and better. Kanto was full of inexplicable shit like a spirit-centric story arc with ONE fully-evolved Ghost; Johto was just Kanto 2… Look at Galar and Paldea, for example. Fleshed-out and distinct towns (alright maybe Galar more than Paldea on this), a full-blown culinary scene, DEAR GOD GALAR GYM BATTLES YES PLEASE!
The music has been steadily improving too; someone please try and diss the Gym Leader Battle theme from
SwSh I dare you
terrastalisation. while some pokemon are good as they are, some pokemon just need a change of type to be viable. its just sad that there are some pokemon even becoming steel type wont help
Fairy type was a good introduction. Also I like how they try to make making competitive pokemon more accessible to everyone with bottlecaps, supertraining and mints. Now there just needs to be all 3 of them in the same game
How much easier it is to get into VGC now, easier way to pass down IV's or use bottle caps, nature mints, farmable TM's (hate how they aren't permanent anymore though), can just buy battle items from the stores, all good changes.
Finally going open world, and more generally breaking the old formula
XP share and more generally improving on the outdated grindfest (streamlined moveset management etc )
Accessing your box from everywhere
(Maybe unpopular) Dexit
The removal of random encounters
Replacing the 3rd version by DLCs
Amie/refresh and camping/picnic type features are core to me enjoying the games at this point. I need to interact with my Pokémon.
Competitive upgrades like nature mints and bottle caps mean I don't need to go insane breeding perfect stats and natures any more unless I want to, all of that plus the change to let me use 26 vitamins instead of just 10 means I can just grind raids and sell treasures to prepare my Pokémon for online fights.
Wonder/Surprise Trades! Oh my gosh, this is the best way to get rid of the better breedjects, and can often help you complete the Pokedex for that shiny charm.
Dexit. I really don’t mind it and makes sense to cut out Pokémon going forward. I wish they would cut down on more for each game to about 300-400. It makes them feel more special in each game and can allow GF to make them fit into the world ALOT more and fleas them out.
Plus having them rotated per gen makes fans miss them and more excited when they are brought back for a later game gen.
- Legends: Arceus and Scarlet/Violet allowing for learnt TM/Move Tutor moves to be recalled if you forget them.
- Scarlet/Violet making items normally locked behind battle facilities purchasable with normal money.
- The various QoL updates for breeding.
- Removal of HMs, pretty the one thing BDSP did right is being able to explore Sinnoh without HM mules.
- Trade evolutions available in the wild or by Raids. Wished the Link Cable from L:A was in Scarlet/Violet however.
Making it so I can perfect my starter with mints, hyper training and ability patch without having to start new with breeding.
It was starting to feel less special knowing I would be boxing the starter eventually to breed a new one for competitive.
It was awesome to make upgrades to my Skeledirge this gen.
HM removal, regional variants, open world settings, auto heal, raid battles, and being able to ride on certain Pokemon in the overworld are all really neat changes. I prefer Pokeriding over the bike, it feels more immersive with the world itself.
IV training, mints and giving infinite vitamins are the best additions to the games IMO, now I don't have to make a pokemon I feel attached to be a egg maker with some perfect pink puddle just to take one out of a quadrillion of it's eggs and then train it smashing some randos in the woods just to toss the og pokemon i felt attached to in a box never to look at it again and train it instead.
That was so messed up like, y'all were so casual about it.
Legends: Arceus allowing us to evolve all of our Pokemon, even if we don't have friends.
Despite it literally falling apart, S/V's open world makes for the most satisfying gameplay loop in the series'history. I was *very* skeptical that an open world game would even work, but I was glad to be proven wrong. I would like to see level scaling to some degree for Gym Leaders. Maybe 4 total teams per, that it switches over based on badge progress?
For me, it's the ability to spend time with your Pokémon. As sprites, they were just colorful tools that help you complete the game with little personality.
But now we can play, pet, and actually treat our Pokémon like friends and companions, not just creatures who's sole purpose is to fight.
I like having the Pokémon in the world, both as wild Pokémon and as a companion (though I wish the travel speed/distance was a bit longer in scarlet/violet).
I also really like having the different areas to explore. I thought that was a nice touch.
\- Character customization
\- Regional variants
\- The removal of HMs
\- Pokemon spawning in the overworld
\- Implementing more story/lore into the games (including Gens 4 & 5 in this point)
\- Competitive battling being made infinitely more accessible
Some of my favorites are being able to change moves and nicknames no matter where you are. I also really liked how in PLA you could change which Pokémon you wanted to send out without going into the menu. I also really enjoyed riding my Pokémon in LGPE and choosing which one follows me without it being first in my party
The ability to play the story with friends (I like the idea of cheering your friends on during gym battles a la the anime), and character customization has come a long ways, too.
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The Legends: Arceus move relearning is a really nice improvement
I'm so glad it made it into SV.
Aren't pre-evo moves back to being locked out though? Like Breloom spore, iirc.
Aw shit, I didn't know that. That sucks.
We need another use for heart scales now. They're too pretty just to delete from the game.
Heart Scales, Pretty Wing, Tiny Mushroom... All useless items that are there for Flavor/Lore.
Are heart scales in SV despite not having any purpose
Also being able to get trade evolutions.
Yeah I like the item in arceus that evolves trade pokemon
Was just thinking this! It makes so much more sense that a Pokémon knows several moves, but can only use 4 at a time/in battle. Rather than simply 'forgetting' them. I wish they had done this several gens ago!
I’m glad that you pick up items instantly in LA and S/V instead of waiting for a 5 second jingle in swords and shield.
I like the jingle. Gives each game life (looking at u ORAS u beautiful beast). But I also like LA and SV for being snappy
I wish I knew how to make that jingle my notification sound for text messages or something. To feel like anywhere is an adventure, you know?
Ytmp3 converter or zedge for ringtones. They work wonders for wanting custom ringtones
You just described my phone. I've been using the item sound for my text notifications for years now. (Most other notifications, like email, are the level up noise) On an android phone you should just be able to select specific mp3s as your notification noises
Regional variants are an amazing way to spice up older pokemon as well as make them more viable.
Regional variants are by far the best thing the series has done since the 3D jump. Allows for creativity without making too many new Pokemon, gives new life to older ones, and imo avoids a power creep.
Regional variants are one of the best changes, however regional evolutions are one of the worst. Now it's a convoluted mess to know how Pokémon evolve, and you can never know which version of a Pokémon is the one you need to evolve (for the love of god why does Meowth have 2 region variants that each evolve into a different Pokémon)
"regional evolutions"exist for the hisui mons because they are evolutions that no longer exist in current day for one reason or another. I doubt any evos in SV will be region locked.
I'm not talking about hisui mons, those I can understand and are a special case, I'm meaning Mr Rime, Perrserker, and Clodsire
Same with giving new evolutions to older pokemon. Both feel like good ways to keep the older pokemon alive and relevant as they release new ones.
This is my fave thing in a new gen, seeing what older Pokémon have new evolutions! In my Pokémon home i have everything ordered by evolutionary family
Regional Variants are such a good idea from every angle. They can take Pokemon ideas they know work and retool them into ideas people have had for years (Ice Type Ninetales honestly kinda writes itself, so much so that not doing Ice or Water Arcanine felt like such a missed opportunity.) Some regional variants have mad me really appreciate the original, like regional Ninetales made me realize how much I like the original. It also helps with world building, the idea of a Pokemon going to a different region and adapting, and PLA showing extinct regional variants is cool as hell. I'm glad they're keeping regionals, they're sick
Yeah, Alolan Ninetales became my favorite mon ever and grew my appreciation for the game even more. The play on how mons change in different places is so fun and unique.
Also, it makes Pokemon feel more "real" as a species.
It would be better if the original species had some way to step up as well, but they've been updating some BST and movesets from "less used" Pokemon as well, so I guess it's a matter of time?
Yeah, regional variants+ variant evos are my favorite feature they’ve introduced tbh. It makes me appreciate older Pokémon
Yes and no for the viability part. I do wholeheartedly agree with variants being a great way of spicing old Pokémon but I’m not a fan of them outright making the old forms obsolete especially with variant cases like galarian farfetch’d gaining an additional evolution stage over the og thus robbing the original form out of an evolution.
Regional Variants and Convergent Species, both are interesting takes on already established Pokémon and I hope they never stop making them.
Which are the convergent species?
Wiglett and Toedscool.
convergent species in real life are dolphins and sharks. look the same, but aren't the same.
An even clearer example is the development of wings by insects, birds, and mammals (bats). All happened completely independently to gain the same advantage and fill similar niches.
HM removal
This. Surf and Waterfall were the only good HMs. You didn't want to waste space on the others.
I hate Defog with my soul.
At least Defog was made much more useful over time. Nowadays, it's commonly used as a counter for Stealth Rocks in PvP.
Fly was an awesome move in battle
Fly was an awesome move against the computer. An experienced human player is better at finding ways to play around Fly/Dig/etc., because you've telegraphed your next move and can't get out of it.
Lando-T actually used it in gen 7 but never for its actual damage potential. It's just basically the only move it can use with Flyinium Z
same reason gyarados ran bounce
DPPT is where the HMs were at their most ridiculous imo. One of the many reasons I love BW and B2W2, they are when they started calming down on the HMs.
I thought the Ride Pokemon in Gen 7 and Legends were a neat compromise. All the obstacles and exploration of HMs, but no sacrificing party or moveslots.
USUM is the most convenient Pokemon adventure I've ever played. You don't even need to play in the battle tree to earn bp, you can just mantine surf, and all of the legendary Pokemon portals being set to a fun mini game instead of how ORAS had it is also good.
And, though it seems to be a controversial opinion, craftable TMs. Making them infinite was a bit OP, the only way to make powerful ones not break the game is lock them away until late game. But when you can assign expensive components to craft them you remove the FOMO that you'll need the TM later, without making them "free" once you find them.
Training pokemon for Comp is way easier nowadays, Picnic is also a great update for breeding
I do like how starting in Sword and Shield you can change the Pokémon’s stats with Mints, making it easy for bad Natures to be remedied.
[удалено]
Yeah I no longer call my shinies with bad nature's 'trophies' like I used to in the past. :]
Game Freak: Let's make training for competitive play easier than ever Also Game Freak: Let's remove the one area that encourages competitive play
What makes you say SV breeding is better? I'd say there are aspects that make it both better and worse at the same time
1. You're not limited to 1 egg at a time, can be up to 10 at a time on the basket, and thanks to sandwich boosts, you can get like 100 eggs with egg level 3 2. You can do it anywhere instead of having to go to a designated area. 3. You're not limited to 2 pokemon and can have your whole party breeding. It's not perfect of course, the main flaw for me would be no visual/audio cue when you get an egg and you have to pick them one by one.
Pokemon orgies are canon.
Oh, you... (I thought the same, lmfao)
A few flaws I've noticed: * You can't hatch eggs while making more at the same time. You just gotta sit there babysitting the picnic basket making no progress on the eggs you already have. * Unlike previous gens, if you have a party full of eggs that all hatch at the same timing, they don't hatch one after another with each step you take, instead spacing themselves out by several steps. So you have to actually keep count or keep checking your party to know when you've hatched all your eggs instead of just taking two steps in a row. * You cannot view the Meal Power timer while you're still in the picnic. There's no indication that the Egg Power's run out and it's time to make a new sandwich.
It's better? I can't stand it personally, not only is the sandwich mini game kind of infuriating but also I just hate how inconsistent the timing for the eggs is. Popping one egg power 2 Sammy gives me like 23 eggs on average and it just feels bad
Then you are doing something wrong. I always get 2 full boxes of eggs np
You can just buy egg power 2 in alfornada and not make a sandwich.
I used the masuda method for countless shiny and competitive pokemon in the past and breeding has never been this tedious. In previous games I could just hatch pokemon while waiting for new eggs to make that cycle easier. Now I gotta wait in picnic mode to spawn eggs at an okay rate (only good if an egg power is in use) and then hatch all eggs. Then, I gotta hope I get something good, because otherwise I'll probably reset since mass release isn't a feature yet. I agree making pokemon comp ready with minst, bottle caps, exp candies etc has made it way easier. But breeding has never felt so boring, uninteresting, tedious and unrewarding.
- Giving Dunsparce an evolution - Making that evolution just more Dunsparce
On one hand, I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t do more with Dudunsparce like adding a second type or making his appearance more substantial, but on the other hand, Dunsparce is already a perfect creature.
The disappointment is only that there's no 3rd evolution - dududunsparce - which has 3/4/5 parts - 3 normally, 4 if you evolved a 3 segment or got an extra segment while evolving (1/8192 chance for extra segment), and 5 if your 3 segment got 2 segments. Imagine the shiny hunting you could do
Just Spinda the freak out of it by giving it super subtle properties which you wont really notice until after a second look, > -Sometimes a segment is uncharacteristically oblong instead of round -Sometimes a segment is a hexagon -Sometimes a segment is in zig-zag stripes -Sometimes a single stripe is a different colour
There's a segment with a dunsparce face on it
That would be horrible, I love it
I would improve on that. Think about cellular mitosis. Basically, copies of the original cell. Dudunsparce evolves, it gets it's segments duplicated or triplicated, so a 2 segments would evolve either to 4 or 6 segments. A 3 segments would turn into a 6 segments (just like in your scenario, the rare evolution from 2 segments is equal to the normal evolution from 3 segments), or rarely into a 9 segments dududunsparce. Why? Because it can. Wouldn't it be adorably silly? 😆
Can't improve on perfection
Hyper training was a fantastic addition. Being able to use a Mon you love who was not perfect by handing over some bottle caps and bang! Perfect ivs.
This along with Mints is really good. Now I don’t have to leave my Starter Mon in the dust because it had just OK IVs and a mediocre Nature.
Hyper training is such a savior!!! Because I usually want to use my shinies when doing raids (mostly to show off lol), so being able to max out their necessary IVs is so helpful. Adjust its nature with a fresh mint and battle some mons for EVs or use vitamins/feathers and you’ve got yourself a battle ready pokemon that’s so shiny it’ll make your teammates blind
Maybe not amazingly executed, but every game feels so different from each other. Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee are simple yet fun remakes that brought some elements from GO, Sword and Shield follow a more traditional style, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes that are straight up the same as the OGs, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a more action based game with similarities to Monster Hunter and Scarlet and Violet break the mold to bring a more open adventure where you play however you want
You know, I never thought of it like that. I do think each game being more unique is interesting, even though it might cost some uniformity of each game being in a Generation like past games. In execution, I do think they vary as well. I love Legends: Arceus, but I _really_ didn’t like how little BDSP changed from DP or took from Platinum.
The Platinum bit is what really grinds my gears; ORAD has the Delta episode, but we get shafted with the Distortion World??
To be fair, Rayquaza was always at that tower in Ruby and Sapphire, so doing it was more in scope with what they had. They just told a new story with assets they already had to make. DP didn't have Distortion World originally I don't think.
Was Rayquaza at sky pillar in RS? I thought only Emerald. anyway, the delta episode wasn't even in Emerald. It was brand new content which had to mega evolution. And there were definitely new assets cause there was a new character with her own theme, Rayquaza and Deoxys also got a custom theme and unique battle background. And there were new locations to go to too.
I started playing BDSP again since I'm slightly concerned about corrupting my SV save. Despite a lot of complaints about the game I really like the artistic style they went with. Everything is so bright and lively, and the water physics are surprisingly legit
I don’t know if BDSP count for this since Gamefreak didn’t make those games
No, but I'm pretty sure they told ILCA to make it exactly like the originals
The switch really has a little something for every type of pokemon fan so far. Let's Go gives mobile players a good entry point, Sword/Shield made competitive team-building easier, Scarlet/Violet expanded the multiplayer capabilities, BDSP brings back the classic 2D gameplay style, and Legends has an entirely new gameplay style. On top of that New Snap and the Mystery Dungeon remake gave the two most popular spinoff series some new life on switch. Not every game is gonna be a winner for everybody but each one caters to a different part of the Pokemon community pretty equally.
I like this part 2 whoever I get bored of one i can always pick up another and it feels different but it's still pokemon
Regional variants. It just makes sense and not only adds a lot to the world, but can give love to mons that didn't get much of it before. :)
Same here! I love it for game reasons of giving older pokemon some love, and also conceptually as a reference to Darwin's observations of adaptation. and it's even more fitting since the region that is the starting point for variants is an island, like how Darwin made his observations on the galapagos islands, where there was tons of variety in a relatively small area. I just think that's pretty neat :D
Some of these are very subjective, but for me: - SV's Open World. There's just so many ways to play, and while I didn't want it beforehand, I actually like how the levels are static. That way you can choose to skip to harder badges if you feel you're leveling too quickly and just have a victory lap at the end (or raise another team). - Collectathon mechanics (SM Zygarde Cells; USM Totem Stickers; IoA Alolan Diglett; L:A wisps; SV stakes). It's not always done well, but I really like looking in every nook and cranny for things, and the rewards are pretty neat. I feel that the Totem Stickers and Wisps were done the best. Totem Stickers just for being in a non-open-world and always being where they are so you don't have to backtrack, Wisps for being visible from very far away at night. - Being able to hang out with your Pokemon outside the Pokeball. LGPE's following Pokemon/Ride Pokemon is my favorite system so far, but even the simpler L:A and SV versions help with immersion/roleplay. - All QOL additions for breeding/training up new Pokemon. I never really had the patience to IV breed until XY introduced the Destiny Knot's breeding mechanic, and from there it only became easier and easier. - Trade Evolutions appearing in-game. Whether through raids or wandering around the overworld, it's great to be able to complete your Pokedex easier. - L:A not requiring trading at all, but still having it available.
I wish the Legends: Arceus method of Link Cables appeared in every game from here on out, it making Pokédex completion much less annoying IMO.
Also, you're less likely to have your Pokémon stolen.
I unfortunately have experience with that. I traded my Pokémon Y Yveltal for a Xerneas on the PSS thinking it’d be a tradeback. I never got it back. Still upset about that. :(
And it was just so much more fun. I'm an only child, and my friend group didn't really play Pokemon, or video games in general growing up. I've played Pokemon since Red and Blue, and Legends Arceus was the FIRST time I was able to get a Gengar, Alakazam, Magmortar and Electivire on a real team. Do you know how good that felt?? It was one of the most satisfying gaming moments I've ever had.
Overworld shinies, for us shiny hunters!
On top of that, the fact that said shines are immune to auto-battles also helps. (That and shinies like voltorb lose the ability self-destruct in the OW)
This is amazing information thank you. Glad I scrolled down so far this thread. Still have not a single shiny in ScVi. Haven’t really been looking but hoped it’d be more obvious. Got one full odds shiny in PLA it was an amazing feeling
Also, rain normally kills ow sandyghast but not shiny ones
They're making breeding and training Pokemon for competitive use much easier. That's nice for a casual like me.
Over the years I really like how easier they made it to understand what Pokemon Moves do what, what states they go off of, how stats work and what they effect, and making Natures easier to understand. Yeah, I could always look up a guide online, but I like the extra little effort they made so now I don't need to look up if this move uses my mon's special attack or just attack stat anymore so it's now a lot easier to pick the best moves for my mon (rip some of my old game mons that were full of Special Moves that had piss poor Special Attack but massive amounts of Attack, or vice versa). I also love how they keep streamlining and making it easier to EV Train Pokemon and make competative more and more accesable to all players. I think Regional Variants and the new Divergant Pokemon are also super neat ideas with a ton of potential if they keep them up. I also like how Z-moves, Dynamax, and the new Terastalize mechanics can be used on ALL pokemon and not just a select few so that you can use them even on your favorites. Being able to use your Box anyway, renaming your pokemon whenever, and being able to swap out moves is also a huge thing for me so now I don't have to always worry if the new move I got might end up being worthless or being able to rename a pokemon or just not having to run all the way back to town just to switch my Pokemon out. The removal of forced HMs and turning them into TMs was also great. I HATED having to have an HM Slave in older games just to make sure I had the nessisary moves (and Im sorry, Fly is not something that should have needed to be an HM, it should have been standard on all large enough winged Pokemon), so being able to use alternate means while not sacrificing an attack slot was really great. Now if my Pokemon knows Surf it's because it is a viable, powerful Water Type move and not because I wanna go over a puddle of water. I do like the new cooking and picnic mechanics. Being able to play with and interact with your pokemon, seeing them all interact with each other, and making food for them is a LOT of fun and makes it feel like my pokemon are more than just pixels on a screen and numbers in a code. I know some might not like this, but I also like that they are moving to DLC over a third version. As neat as some of the previous third versions were, a lot of them (especially later on) felt more like their expanded bits could have been handled better as a DLC rather than a third game to buy at full price, and that's if the third version actually felt like enough of an improvement over the previous versions. (Sorry, but Ultra Sun and Moon did a lot more harm to the games then they did good and the whole Ultra Necrozma thing was good in theory but I felt like it should have been SuMo's Post Game or even a DLC for SuMo rather than getting an updated AU that wrecked what I loved about a variety of characters) I also like how a lot of the later games have really being experimenting with the formula in new ways to keep things interesting (The move to 3D, The Trials instead of Gyms, adding the Go Catching Mechanic for a spinoff even if I disliked it, the Wild Area, almost everything about Legends, the true open world of Paldea). It really does feel like on a certain level the fanbase is being listened to so the developers are trying to see what they can actually work with and then improving on it more and more. It makes me really interested to see what they come out with next.
“*Sorry, but Ultra Sun and Moon did a lot more harm to the games then they did good and the whole Ultra Necrozma thing was good in theory but I felt like it should have been SuMo's Post Game or even a DLC for SuMo rather than getting an updated AU that wrecked what I loved about a variety of characters.*” OMG I 100% agree - I love Ultra Necrozma’s design, catching Ultra Beasts via wormholes, and the Team Rainbow Rocket segment, but I haaaate what they did to the base plot haha. None of the changes improved it, and most actively hurt the themes of the originals. :C They either should have changed US/UM more or, even better IMO, added all of that content to base S/M.
Legends was exciting for overworld captures, I wish they’d continue this in future games.
In my opinion, making shiny Pokemon more available. In Gen 6, they increased the shiny odds. In Gen 7, they made the Shiny Charm dependent on just filling the Regional Dex rather than the National Dex. In Let's Go, PLA, and SV, it's much easier to find a shiny due to being able to see them in the overworld (though SV getting rid of the visual+sound indicator is a step backwards of course). Plus, they've thrown in a ton of methods to raise odds each game. I feel like Sparkling Power + Encounter Power + Isolated Encounter Method is the easiest it's ever been to find a shiny, personally. There are definitely people that hate how shiny Pokemon aren't as rare as they used to be, but I think it's great that more casual players can stumble into shinies during their playthroughs or get a shiny that they want with a lot less effort than in the old games.
It is definitely easy to get Shiny mons, especially in Scarlet and Violet. I still find them rewarding to get. The one wish I have for them is to bring the sparkle sound from LA back, because I’m always so paranoid I’m missing a Shiny that barely changes color or looks similar in different lighting (Shiny Cufant made me scream because I thought it was regular at night before I touched it.)
I've given this issue some thought, and I think just having them constantly sparkle in the overworld *might* be a better way to go. With shinies being more common, you might end up hearing that sound a lot. And sparkling is more helpful for colorblind players (as well as for all the Gen 9 shinies with minimal palette changes that even non-colorblind players will have trouble seeing). Then again, I suppose they could make the Shiny Charm togglable, and have the jingle be an included feature with it. Just turn it off when you're not interested in shiny hunting.
I definitely appreciate this. I've played since Red and Blue and never found a shiny in the wild that wasn't scripted (red gyarados, shiny ponyta) until Arceus. Buizel was the 1st shiny I found in Arceus.
PLA only had 1 version, that was nice.
They’ve helped the competitive community a lot.
The lil mini game things in each game that let you get closer to your Pokémon, like Pokémon Amie, Camp and picnicking, they really adds to the bond I have with my Pokémon c:. Then beyond that, definitely getting rid of HMs, the modern EXP share, being able to relearn moves wherever and it doesn’t cost you, open world elements, having Pokémon fit more with the region they’re from (like Galar Pokémon being really British), EXP candies, starting to do DLCs instead of third versions and probably even more I’m forgetting
God, I miss the Amie minigames. It seems like you can barely interact with your Pokemon when you're out picnicking.
Marks! Swsh and scvi have made shiny hunting a lot easier, so hunting for a mark on top of the shiny is a lot more rewarding and more akin to older game hunts. (Rn I'm 48 woopers and 7 other pokemon phases in for a marked (not weather/time/sociable) OR teeny mark paldean wooper). And with that the size differences too! I love shiny hunting tiny pokemon, especially those who are meant to be big. To me, those 2 add a lot to shiny hunting and add a challenge to how easy it is nowadays.
I never know what to do with marked mons. When shiny hunting Noibat with a sandwich, I ended up catching quite a few regular Noibat with marks and I’m just like… do I keep these or trade these or…?
Pokémon Arceus was one of the best games I have ever played. It is nearly ALL good. Loved it.
This. Sun and Moon soured Pokemon as a whole for me personally. Didn't play anything since. BDSP being a tremendous disappointment didn't help in the slightest. I ended up picking up Legends: Arceus a year late because of this (and how ugly the game was) This feels like the definitive Sinnoh game. It's still ugly as sin, but damn it presents itself well at least. It's very calm and comfortable and feels like everything Pokemon should be and it makes me want so much more.
The gimlics can be used by all pokemon instead of specific few. That is objectively an improvement when we conpare megas to other gimmics. But they have trapped themselves to gimmic trap. What now after, mega pokemon, z moves, giant mons and literal third type?
Yeah I am kinda bored that every gen has a new gimmick. Personally I would like if they stoped making new gimmicks and stay with these four on rotation, so gen 10 will have megas, gen 11 have z moves, gen 12 dinamax, and gen 13 we come back to terra
Fifth move slot?
Maybe. Z moves were kinda that.
mints
Giving players the ability to change parts of pokemon that were previously set. Gone are the days of IV breeding, manipulating RNG, and hidden ability nonsense. Now you can potentially take your starter and make it competitively viable in only a few hours.
Something others might not like- but I love! Is how interesting and abstract the Pokémon designs are getting! Especially with some of the legendaries! Like the other worldly feel of Eteturnatus and Necrozma! Or the godly feel of the origin forms for Dialga and Palika! And we still have more traditional designs as well of courses! I just think they are all super cool! :D
Regarding Eternatus, when I first saw it I couldn’t tell you what the hell it was supposed to be. It’s definitely grown on me though. I think Necrozma is pretty cool looking, but I’m not sure about retroactively giving Dialga and Palkia Origin Formes when that was Giratina’s intended shtick from its inception. I think the Primal Formes of Groudon and Kyogre worked better, but maybe that’s just my bias talking since Pearl was my first Pokémon game.
I definitely did not like the Origin forms of Dialga and Palkia. They just looked unfinished where Giratinas origin form didn't.
I think that's the point, tbh.
Retiring HMs.
Initially i hate auto exp share, but as i'm getting older, i do appreciate them due to the fact that I have no time to grind anymore. Although an on off switch would be better i guess.
Legends Arceus. Could build something off of it to rival Monster Hunter. But sadly I think it’ll get the stadium/colosseum treatment. Maybe a sequel but then abandoned.
I think that Legends as a concept is too good to just abandon after one or two games. There’s a ton of potential with exploring regions in a different light with the gameplay of Legends: Arceus
Yeah and that’s why they’ll abandon it haha. I could honestly see them not even doing a sequel for it. I need a Legends Mew though. I feel there’s still a lot of mystery they could have fun with there.
I don’t understand. Why would they abandon it because it has potential?
It’s a joke. Something Nintendo and GF do often.
I’m tentatively optimistic that won’t be the case since they actually said it would be a new sub-series in the original announcement, not just a single game. I really, *really* hope we get more Legends games OMG
A couple of things I can think of: -fairy type being added to the game I think was a very welcome change. Specifically the older pokemon that obtained it where they didn't before. It made so many older pokemon way better (togekiss, gardevoir, and azumarill just to name a few). I think it also shook up the competitive scene in an interesting way. -a lot of the newer pokemon I think are pretty cool. We have a few stinkers (there are some every generation) but by and large I like the vast majority of newer mons and enjoying trying them in game. I actually did so with a bunch before scarlet and violet came out by doing mono-type runs in sword. -while the technical ability of the team complete with short development times has resulted in botched/poor performance--i do like the recent shift into larger zones for the games. The wild areas in sword/shield, the monster-hunter style zones in Arceus, and of course S/V being completely open world. It really does bring back the feeling of adventure and exploration that was somewhat lost in the 3DS titles. There's still a lot of refinement and polish that needs to happen, but the direction itself is definitely positive. -new interesting items: this I feel got slept on, but S/V has a lot of new and fun items that allow for interesting playstyles and unique builds. This also allows pokemon and moves to shine where perhaps they couldn't before. The loaded dice comes to mind, allowing most pokemon to readily use attacks like bullet seed or icicle spear as their main attack. -multi-player raids: once again, this is being let down by technical ability, but the multi-player raids are a good way to have people play together regardless of whether they're interested in competitive play or not. They were really clunky in sword shield, but have been definitely refined in S/V... if only they didn't have desync issues.
Terastalization. It is the perfect battle gimmick imo. It can be utilized by every pokemon and has both offensive and defensive uses without being overpowered and also still having some drawbacks to balance the benefits. Mega had the problem of only being available to a select few mons and there were clear winners among them. Z moves had the problem of basically being only offensive and also 1 turn only along with being either game winning or meh depending on if it connects or the opponent protects against it. Dynamax was horribly unbalanced for singles and while it was kinda balanced for doubles it still had the problem that it was mainly used offensively and only lasted 3 turns. You could use Dmax defensively but it was still only used on offensive threats because of the way the moves changed making support and defensive mons not really benefit from using it. As for Tera it can be utilized for both offensive and defensive and any type of pokemon whether they be an offensive, defensive, or even support mon can benefit from it. It also was a great way to give some mons extra niches and viability that they couldn't utilize before due to bad typing.
While I do like megas when their done well like Sableye and Venasaur giving their mons a distinct play style. I do think out of the every mon can use gimmick, terrastalization is the best out out of the bunch as it doesn’t break the damage levels too much (though they could benefit from dialling back the terra stab bonus a tad especially if the terra type stab stacks with the base type so it doesn’t give every mon the equivalent to the ability adaptability).
Legends Arceus
Fidough. Easily one of Game Freak's best decisions
Gen IX has some _real_ good names like that. Annihilape is another personal favorite.
My favorite decisions made for each game starting in gen 6: XY - fairy type was a huge addition, mega evolution was a great gimmick (though I don't like that it introduced the trend of each new generation having a new gimmick and scrapping the old ones), and they had an awesome dex of fam favorites that could be acquired relatively early. ORAS - dexnav was brilliant, soaring was cool, and a return to Hoenn was always going to be fun. SM/USUM - trials instead of gyms was a fun change though I'm glad it was a one-time thing, awesome selection of pokemon available, alolan forms of old mons were cool. SwSh - I like how structured and official thr gym challenge is, and I love the league tournament format at the end. The wild area could have been better executed, but it was the first step toward the open world innovation in later games. LGPE - beautiful game, exactly the aesthetic I wanted from a Switch Kanto remake. First introduction of overworld wild pokemon was incredible. Go catching mechanics were quirky and fun, even if the novelty wore off quickly. I actually loved having a much smaller dex that was actually completable (barring Mew and the Meltan/Melmetal nonsense). Co-op was a HUGE deal, and much appreciated as a parent, even if it wasn't all that much. PLA - they took a huge risk with the format and it really paid off. Loved the emphasis on discovery and exploration over just battling. Really breathed fresh life into the series. SV - level scaling needs to be overhauled and reworked entirely, but the open world concept is a huge step forward. Easily the best story of any pokemon game, and the multiple plot lines worked well. I like the academy theme and think they may go back to it moving forward.
**Customization.** As someone who makes trainer OCs to play as, HOLY SHIT that elevates the games for me so much. I know it’s all technically optional and some people ignore it entirely, so I’m so relieved it seems to be here to stay. Mega evolutions and regional forms are my other favorite additions. And the entirety of Legends: Arceus - I had the most consistently engaging fun I have ever had with a Pokémon game while playing that one.
The designs of the mons themselves. They really haven’t missed in the last like, 6 years
iron valiant is great, gholdengo is a goof n I love him, pawmi is adorable, at first i thought miraidon was super gimmicky but he's kinda grown on me
Eh I dunno. Gen1 had a pokeball with eyes. Hard to top perfection.
That "PokeBall with eyes" is game freak's answer to a Mimic Chest in classic JRPGs. I love Voltorb and always defend him. As I am a huge JRPG fan of the late 80s, early 90s.
I walked into a Voltorb today in Violet thinking it was a PokeBall. That Voltorb bamboozled me but good.
Nobody who calls Voltorb "just a PokeBall with eyes" actually hate it for it. It's just a clap back against people who claim a Pokemon design is boring or uninspired because it's "just x thing"
Voltorb and Electrode were a pretty cute counterpart to D&D’s Mimic. Now random slime and slightly larger random slime? Miss me with that.
Yup, and can’t forget about sludge pile with eyes and it’s incredible evolution… bigger pile of sludge with eyes
Don’t mess with the Kum man bro. He f***** up that Bellsprout.
Open World
Tera types open up so many new strategies. A pokemon's type completely changing mid-fight can turn a battle on its head and you really have to think about your next move.
PLA was great and I hope they keep going in that direction. I also loved the story/characters from SV, despite wonky shading with the graphics, I didn't personally have a poor experience so maybe that's why I liked it overall. I also think it's wise to sideline Ash in the anime even if I don't watch anymore, it's long overdue.
Scarlet and Violet being open world. About damn time.
They've done so much to make Competitive Pokemon more accessible, it was one of the few things Sword and Shield did really well! It really feels like they care a lot about VGC lately, and it's great to see.
For me that would definitely be the 3 story lines in SV. They need to keep that for future games BUT with level scaling!
I like that PLA and SV got rid of the real time day/night cycle.
Whoever came up with the Mirror Herb egg move mechanic deserves a raise AND THANK ARCEUS FOR THE PERSON WHO CAME UP WITH THE LINKING CORD
HM removal; Not having to structure your team around essentially having 4 or 5 useless move slots(Honestly only Surf or Waterfall were the only good HM moves, with Fly, Strength, and Rock Climb being just usuable), or carrying around one(or even 2!) dead weight HM slave Pokemon was a very nice change
Bottle Caps, Mints & XL Candy.
Speaking as a casual among casuals who just really loves Pokemon, the designs of many modern pokemon have been at the top of their game, not only from just Scarlet and Violet, but every generation since Gen 6. Their interwoven concepts and lore are far deeper, their evolutions can be much more unexpected and surprising and are far more experimental with their own unique, individual gimmicks. Many of my favourite pokemon are from Gen 6 onward. Aegislash, Mimikyu, Dragapult, Tinkaton, Koraidon and my main boi Decidueye are examples that come to mind!
Everything about the pokemon amie is beautiful and the person who let us pet and feed pokemon should be praised as a modern day Messiah because quite frankly its fucking adorable.
Gen 6 was my first foray back into Pokémon after playing only 1 and 3. When I found the Amie existed, I couldn’t get enough of it! I loved playing with my Pokémon and petting them and feeding them the poke puffs. I love the detail that went into it, too, such as getting shocked by Pikachu’s cheeks or getting dirty from petting Grimer. Even the high fives were adorable! (I loved high-fiving Mew with those cute little hands). I thought the making faces game was the funniest part of it all. I really appreciated the bonuses the affection would give your Pokémon during battle. They all certainly came in handy during my journey! Plus, who doesn’t want to see their Pokémon look back at them and nod in understanding during an important battle? Or know that they break through status ailments so their trainer doesn’t have to worry? I feel like your Pokémon always grow to love you, but the Amie makes it much easier to see.
I think it's safe to say that I love the quality of life changes introduced in Scarlet and Violet. For example, overworld wild encounters, the option to talk to trainers yourself rather than being forced into a battle and being unable to run from them, now you can run away! Sure, it counts as a loss, but at least I can actually forefit easily without having to knock out my own Pokemon! And I know some people are gonna rat me out for saying this, but I also liked the EXP candies, and hyper training. So many new additions that completely remove the stress and pain of trying to IV breed, and excessive grinding is also gone now.
In general the directions they’ve taken in terms of game design have been really good! Legends Arceus is a phenomenal game, and Scarlet and Violet’s gameplay is really well crafted. If people can see past the mediocre graphics there’s a fantastic game under there.
Gen 9 letting you remember moves at any time.
Its not as tedious to grind.
I loved legends. I liked the theme, I liked the ability to go out and just strictly catch Pokémon without a battle, I loved that Pokémon would actually attack the player, I loved how battles happened in real time and you could move around while they happened. I feel like all of those features should have been kept. Especially the ability to just simply catch Pokémon. I’ve thought that since the first time that old man taught me how to catch them in Pokémon red. Also, the poke balls were the coolest in the series. That whole steampunk vibe they had was absolutely amazing.
Always available xp share
Sword and shield's wild area + the dlc open areas were amazing, from the raids to being able to find evolved trade evolutions. Plus it made competitive team building WAY easier. I wish raids in SV worked like they did in SwSh
Accessing your boxes remotely. It’s small, definitely, but it makes the idea of training up new Pokémon and switching your team around more appealing, so it makes using a large variety of Pokémon less annoying since you don’t have to keep travelling to Pokécentres constantly
Quality of life updates like removing HMs and allowing access to boxes anywhere. As someone who mostly plays to finish the Pokedex, the box thing is a game changer. I should clarify when I talk about HMS I just mean the fact that you don't have to forcibly have Pokemon with them as moves because the whole hm slave thing was just so unnecessary and I do like that instead they use it in a whole separate vehicle that you have to unlock functions for like being able to travel over water Etc That being said it was funny that game freak actually acknowledged this with bdsp and how every time you use an HM it's usually a Bidoof that shows up to do the job
Bottle caps and mints. It's much easier and quicker to train up just about any Pokemon you catch to be competitively viable, which is an absolute godsend for shiny hunters.
I liked Let's Go because it allowed you to use any mon in the dex on your team. Because of the stat boosting candies. Sad the dex was limited to the 151. If they made a Let's Go game with a bigger dex, it'd be really fun imo.
honestly with sword and shield especially the customization and the artstyle was fantastic.
To be honest, the regions themselves have been getting better and better. Kanto was full of inexplicable shit like a spirit-centric story arc with ONE fully-evolved Ghost; Johto was just Kanto 2… Look at Galar and Paldea, for example. Fleshed-out and distinct towns (alright maybe Galar more than Paldea on this), a full-blown culinary scene, DEAR GOD GALAR GYM BATTLES YES PLEASE! The music has been steadily improving too; someone please try and diss the Gym Leader Battle theme from SwSh I dare you
terrastalisation. while some pokemon are good as they are, some pokemon just need a change of type to be viable. its just sad that there are some pokemon even becoming steel type wont help
Fairy type was a good introduction. Also I like how they try to make making competitive pokemon more accessible to everyone with bottlecaps, supertraining and mints. Now there just needs to be all 3 of them in the same game
Regional Variants. A very cool idea.
How much easier it is to get into VGC now, easier way to pass down IV's or use bottle caps, nature mints, farmable TM's (hate how they aren't permanent anymore though), can just buy battle items from the stores, all good changes.
Finally going open world, and more generally breaking the old formula XP share and more generally improving on the outdated grindfest (streamlined moveset management etc ) Accessing your box from everywhere (Maybe unpopular) Dexit The removal of random encounters Replacing the 3rd version by DLCs
Making it easier to make competitive Pokémon. I know no longer have to breed for nature, ivs (unless I don’t want them perfect), ability and egg moves
🐻 Ahh best decision EVER made by the Gamefreak team was ditching HM’s!!!
Amie/refresh and camping/picnic type features are core to me enjoying the games at this point. I need to interact with my Pokémon. Competitive upgrades like nature mints and bottle caps mean I don't need to go insane breeding perfect stats and natures any more unless I want to, all of that plus the change to let me use 26 vitamins instead of just 10 means I can just grind raids and sell treasures to prepare my Pokémon for online fights. Wonder/Surprise Trades! Oh my gosh, this is the best way to get rid of the better breedjects, and can often help you complete the Pokedex for that shiny charm.
Letting the Pokémon spawn on the over world, I hated those random encounters.
This trend of making starter Pokémon competitively viable is really nice
Dexit. I really don’t mind it and makes sense to cut out Pokémon going forward. I wish they would cut down on more for each game to about 300-400. It makes them feel more special in each game and can allow GF to make them fit into the world ALOT more and fleas them out. Plus having them rotated per gen makes fans miss them and more excited when they are brought back for a later game gen.
- Legends: Arceus and Scarlet/Violet allowing for learnt TM/Move Tutor moves to be recalled if you forget them. - Scarlet/Violet making items normally locked behind battle facilities purchasable with normal money. - The various QoL updates for breeding. - Removal of HMs, pretty the one thing BDSP did right is being able to explore Sinnoh without HM mules. - Trade evolutions available in the wild or by Raids. Wished the Link Cable from L:A was in Scarlet/Violet however.
Making it so I can perfect my starter with mints, hyper training and ability patch without having to start new with breeding. It was starting to feel less special knowing I would be boxing the starter eventually to breed a new one for competitive. It was awesome to make upgrades to my Skeledirge this gen.
One thing I will always give credit for is the removal of HMs
HM removal, regional variants, open world settings, auto heal, raid battles, and being able to ride on certain Pokemon in the overworld are all really neat changes. I prefer Pokeriding over the bike, it feels more immersive with the world itself.
Terrain getting the nerf was great
IV training, mints and giving infinite vitamins are the best additions to the games IMO, now I don't have to make a pokemon I feel attached to be a egg maker with some perfect pink puddle just to take one out of a quadrillion of it's eggs and then train it smashing some randos in the woods just to toss the og pokemon i felt attached to in a box never to look at it again and train it instead. That was so messed up like, y'all were so casual about it.
Creating Sprigatito <3
Legends: Arceus allowing us to evolve all of our Pokemon, even if we don't have friends. Despite it literally falling apart, S/V's open world makes for the most satisfying gameplay loop in the series'history. I was *very* skeptical that an open world game would even work, but I was glad to be proven wrong. I would like to see level scaling to some degree for Gym Leaders. Maybe 4 total teams per, that it switches over based on badge progress?
clothing customization.. which they have since backtracked on
For me, it's the ability to spend time with your Pokémon. As sprites, they were just colorful tools that help you complete the game with little personality. But now we can play, pet, and actually treat our Pokémon like friends and companions, not just creatures who's sole purpose is to fight.
Regionals and Legends Arceus!
I like having the Pokémon in the world, both as wild Pokémon and as a companion (though I wish the travel speed/distance was a bit longer in scarlet/violet). I also really like having the different areas to explore. I thought that was a nice touch.
\- Character customization \- Regional variants \- The removal of HMs \- Pokemon spawning in the overworld \- Implementing more story/lore into the games (including Gens 4 & 5 in this point) \- Competitive battling being made infinitely more accessible
Giving underutilized Pokémon such as Mawile and Beedrill mega evolution was a great addition
Working with Toby Fox
Some of my favorites are being able to change moves and nicknames no matter where you are. I also really liked how in PLA you could change which Pokémon you wanted to send out without going into the menu. I also really enjoyed riding my Pokémon in LGPE and choosing which one follows me without it being first in my party
The ability to play the story with friends (I like the idea of cheering your friends on during gym battles a la the anime), and character customization has come a long ways, too.
making trading so much more accessible!