Pokémon Games Discussion Thread (Gotta Discuss 'Em All!)

[Luminis]

Come back, Toby. Come back.

I think you just convinced me 👍

I might get a copy of B2/W2 down the line, maybe even X/Y (I really want a Tyrunt...), depending on how things go and how long ORAS keeps me busy. Might get the older versions after Sun/Moon, though.

Pokémon S&M does sound wrong to me, seriously.

 

[Luminis]

So, I went and got myself a metallic blue New 3DS XL and Omega Ruby. Got super hooked on the game! I'll be honest, I didn't expect it to be this good. I've played a considerable number of utterly magnificent games over the last few years, but few have delivered a similar experience. On the one hand, I'm kicking myself for not getting a 3DS and getting back into the Nintendo camp years ago, but on the other hand, I'm now experiencing an utterly wonderful feeling of fun and simplicity (sprinkled with a lot of nostalgia, I'll admit) that I wouldn't have valued as much otherwise. It's amazing to me to see how the Omega Ruby actually manages to catch the spirit of the old games while advancing the formula so much - I know this is old news to y'all, but damn, I'm mighty happy with how the online features are enhancing the experience. Trading whenever, wherever without having to convince your mates to come over? Oh boy And Wonder Trading is also scratching that same gamble-y itch I used to scratch with opening card packs in digital trading card games and stuff... Big plus!

Granted, OR isn't hugely impressive visually, it's not terribly innovative in terms of game design, it's not overly challenging - but so far, it's put together so amazingly well that I'm actually very much considering this to be one of the best gaming experiences I've had in years. I've been fawning over Dark Souls III and DOOM, I spent countless hours on Europa Universalis IV, came back to GTA V time and time and had my gander at the novelty that is Pokémon Go, but... As great as they are at what they're doing well respectively, none of the greats of these past few years offered that simple feeling of being a fun pastime as perfectly as this "kids game" on a "$200 toy". And the joy of actually owning physical copies of my games again - something I severely underestimated in the past.

I can't quite put my finger on the 'why' or 'how', but it all brings back the feeling of playing video games when I was a kid - as you might be able to tell, haven't been this giddy with excitement because of a video game in ages. As a result, I just send back a nice knife I ordered for myself on Amazon and spend the refunded money, about 85 bucks, on Pokémon Y (which is due for arrival later today) and on preordering Pokémon Sun's Steelbook edition

@Chameleon, @Danny, thank you for nudging me in the right direction on this one. Probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger on the 3DS if it was't for the two of you giving me some positive input 👍

 

[Com Fox]

Who else is leveling up all their Pokemon to Lv. 100 so they can prepare for Hyper Training?

 

[Luminis]

Who else is leveling up all their Pokemon to Lv. 100 so they can prepare for Hyper Training?

I probably will (eventually), if only because I don't understand half of the entire IV/breeding thing

 

[Com Fox]

I probably will (eventually), if only because I don't understand half of the entire IV/breeding thing

Well breeding isn't needed now, just get your Pokemon to Level 100 and you can increase your Pokemons IV.

 

[Aphelion]

So, I went and got myself a metallic blue New 3DS XL and Omega Ruby. Got super hooked on the game! I'll be honest, I didn't expect it to be this good. I've played a considerable number of utterly magnificent games over the last few years, but few have delivered a similar experience. On the one hand, I'm kicking myself for not getting a 3DS and getting back into the Nintendo camp years ago, but on the other hand, I'm now experiencing an utterly wonderful feeling of fun and simplicity (sprinkled with a lot of nostalgia, I'll admit) that I wouldn't have valued as much otherwise. It's amazing to me to see how the Omega Ruby actually manages to catch the spirit of the old games while advancing the formula so much - I know this is old news to y'all, but damn, I'm mighty happy with how the online features are enhancing the experience. Trading whenever, wherever without having to convince your mates to come over? Oh boy And Wonder Trading is also scratching that same gamble-y itch I used to scratch with opening card packs in digital trading card games and stuff... Big plus!

Granted, OR isn't hugely impressive visually, it's not terribly innovative in terms of game design, it's not overly challenging - but so far, it's put together so amazingly well that I'm actually very much considering this to be one of the best gaming experiences I've had in years. I've been fawning over Dark Souls III and DOOM, I spent countless hours on Europa Universalis IV, came back to GTA V time and time and had my gander at the novelty that is Pokémon Go, but... As great as they are at what they're doing well respectively, none of the greats of these past few years offered that simple feeling of being a fun pastime as perfectly as this "kids game" on a "$200 toy". And the joy of actually owning physical copies of my games again - something I severely underestimated in the past.

I can't quite put my finger on the 'why' or 'how', but it all brings back the feeling of playing video games when I was a kid - as you might be able to tell, haven't been this giddy with excitement because of a video game in ages. As a result, I just send back a nice knife I ordered for myself on Amazon and spend the refunded money, about 85 bucks, on Pokémon Y (which is due for arrival later today) and on preordering Pokémon Sun's Steelbook edition

@Chameleon, @Danny, thank you for nudging me in the right direction on this one. Probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger on the 3DS if it was't for the two of you giving me some positive input 👍

Wow, glad to see that turned out so well man!

 

[Luminis]

Well breeding isn't needed now, just get your Pokemon to Level 100 and you can increase your Pokemons IV.

Pretty good timing for someone to start from scratch, I guess. Probably why they're adding Hypertraining in the first place.

Wow, glad to see that turned out so well man!

 

[FoRiZon]

So this is the Sun and Moon discussion.... I thought this thread is nostalgic with X and Y. Wondered why the title hasnt changed....

Anyway, since most of guys here are Pokemon fans, whats your favourite overall? I'm with the following:

New Gen: Litten and Mimikyu
Prev Gen: Doduo and Dodrio, Slowpoke and bro, Lucario, sad Cubone, and Pinsir the terrible.

 

[Aphelion]

Mine would be Jolteon as my all time favourite, along with umbreon and just regular old eevee. I even spent hours looking for three shiny eevee's, which I eventually found, just so that I could have all three of them as shiny. One of them is even a female, which is only (for some strange reason) a 12.5% chance. I kept it as an eevee and named it after my real life small white fluffy dog.

Ok I'm weird.

 

[Luminis]

Tough question, actually.

Overall, I might just say Tyrantrum - y'all might have guessed as much, considering I'm using it as my avatar. Stands out to me as the single best design among all Pokémon - which is a bit of a first for me, considering I never had such a clear favorite previously. I'll be honest, though, that might change soon-ish again, anyway.

Picking just a single Pokémon isn't doing the games justice, I feel. Too many great designs for that, so I'll list my favourites my generation

Gen I: Dragonite. Closely followed by Blastoise - my first ever fully evolved starter.

Gen II: Scizor. Tyranitar gets pretty close to taking that spot, though.

Gen III: Probably my least favourite generation... Salamance, I guess.

Gen IV: Garchomp. Easily and uncontested.

Gen V: Carracosta.

Gen VI: As mentioned above, Tyrantrum.

Keep in mind, though, I'm just starting out again and my picks for Gen III onwards are purely based on design...

 

[Com Fox]

Eelektross takes the cake for me by a massive margin then behind it is an army of Water and Electric type Pokemon. As well as Scyther, Tyrantrum, Exploud, Noivern, Salamence, Scolipede, Venusaur, Thyplosion, Rhydon, the Elemental Monkey's, Haxorus, Krookodile, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem.

 

[Lain]

Gen1: A bit of a toss-up between Dragonite, Poliwag and Vileplume. Honorable mentions for Golbat and Seadra whom I also love for their evolutions added in subseuqent gens... and Venomoth & Seaking, who I'd love to see their evolutionary lines expanded upon in a similar fashion.

Gen2: Crowbat & Kingdra (as I previously alluded to), Sneasel, Misdreavous, all three fully-evolved starters, Mantine... Heck, almost every Gen2 Pokemon is fantastic (with the Unown almost single-handedly accounting for this gen's "bad" mons).

Gen3: Mudkip, Sableye, Gardevoir

Gen4: Empoleon, Mismagius...

Gen5: Chandelure, Serperior...

Gen6: Aegislash, Talonflame, Delphox

I'm bad at picking favorites.

 

[Brend]

Guys, this might be a little bit off Topic (considering the current discussion), but I need some advise from y'all.

I started playing Pokémon Go like everyone else but got bored quickly because, frankly, the combat is shyte and the game as a whole has less depth than your average Facebook game - but it still rekindled my Pokémon feever. As such, I'd rather sit in the park and play a proper Pokémon game.

Question is: To buy a 3DS(XL) for Pokémon (and maybe get Zelda for my Lady, as she enjoys that franchise) or not? Which, essentially, boils down to: How good is OR/AS? Sun and Moon being released in November is a plus, of course, but... I need someone to convince to take the plunge, basically

Is there a considerable online community? I'll be honest, I haven't properly played a Pokémon game since the Gold/Silver/Crystal era, so that might be a big plus.

Any input is appreciated 👍

I'd say ORAS is a solid 7/10. Tried to tell the plot too heavily at times and has literally zero post game outside of the recycled Battle Chateau from XY. For me personally, ORAS was a step backwards from XY - Emerald is still a vastly superior Hoenn region game.

That being said, I still plugged 129 hours into it and have recently started another playthrough, this time on AS as opposed to OR.

EDIT: Realised you pulled the trigger since this post. Congrats!

 

[Luminis]

For me personally, ORAS was a step backwards from XY

I've actually stopped my OR playthrough and started going through Y first. Granted, I never got very far in OR (just reached the Meteor Falls), but I can already tell the difference in approach both games take to telling their respective plot and setting the scene for the games.

Granted, my primary reason to play Y first is mostly the availability of Pokémon. So much neat stuff to catch in Y! That's a bigger factor for me than a lot of other things, to be perfectly honest. I'm looking forward to proceeding with OR once I'm done with Y, though, especially once I've transferred some of my favourites 👍

 

[Brend]

I've actually stopped my OR playthrough and started going through Y first. Granted, I never got very far in OR (just reached the Meteor Falls), but I can already tell the difference in approach both games take to telling their respective plot and setting the scene for the games.

Granted, my primary reason to play Y first is mostly the availability of Pokémon. So much neat stuff to catch in Y! That's a bigger factor for me than a lot of other things, to be perfectly honest. I'm looking forward to proceeding with OR once I'm done with Y, though, especially once I've transferred some of my favourites 👍

Yeah the story telling in ORAS almost seems experimental due to how different it is from XY. I suppose the argument made is that we've already seen the story in the original games so it makes sense to try and flesh it out to offer something new. Making a remake in a series that hasn't really evolved it's core formula in the actual iterations must be so difficult.

 

[Lain]

Personally, ORAS are my favorite games in the series since Crystal.

Sure, the postgame (outside of going around catching Legendaries, which is a blast) is pretty barebones... but I didn't exactly find XY's postgame to be anything too remarkable either. Besides, no postgame so far can hold a candle to Gen 2's.

Regarding the story, as somebody who thought it was pretty ridiculous in the originals, I found ORAS to be a significant improvement in that regard. Sure it's more "heavy" in the sense that it's more substantial and cinematic, but isn't that a good thing? It's certainly not heavy-handed... the cutscenes are handled pretty tastefully without being overbearing, and the villains are probably the most believable in the series thus far (which is nice since XY's villain team is arguably the worst).

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Well breeding isn't needed now, just get your Pokemon to Level 100 and you can increase your Pokemons IV.

The stupidest thing I ever heard. Remember my rant partly due to this https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/pokémon-x-y-discussion-thread-hoenn-remakes-confirmed.271985/page-31#post-11471489


Day 77 of chain fishing, got 3 shinies.

 

[Brend]

Personally, ORAS are my favorite games in the series since Crystal.

Sure, the postgame (outside of going around catching Legendaries, which is a blast) is pretty barebones... but I didn't exactly find XY's postgame to be anything too remarkable either. Besides, no postgame so far can hold a candle to Gen 2's.

Regarding the story, as somebody who thought it was pretty ridiculous in the originals, I found ORAS to be a significant improvement in that regard. Sure it's more "heavy" in the sense that it's more substantial and cinematic, but isn't that a good thing? It's certainly not heavy-handed... the cutscenes are handled pretty tastefully without being overbearing, and the villains are probably the most believable in the series thus far (which is nice since XY's villain team is arguably the worst).

I thought the whole secondary arc post-game(not spoiling for @Luminis) was a complete borefest.

I guess it depends what you want from your Pokemon game, different strokes and all that.

 

[Com Fox]

The stupidest thing I ever heard. Remember my rant partly due to this https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/pokémon-x-y-discussion-thread-hoenn-remakes-confirmed.271985/page-31#post-11471489


Day 77 of chain fishing, got 3 shinies.

K, Verlisify

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

K, Verlisify

Don't compare me with that guy.

 

[Aphelion]

Oh its not that bad. It was a silly process before, and for 99% of players it wasn't even close to worth doing, so Game Freak made it more accessible. Pokemon isn't just a competitive battling game, its also a single-player game, so I see it as if Game Freak is making all of their game mechanics available to all players.

 

[Com Fox]

Oh its not that bad. It was a silly process before, and for 99% of players it wasn't even close to worth doing, so Game Freak made it more accessible. Pokemon isn't just a competitive battling game, its also a single-player game, so I see it as if Game Freak is making all of their game mechanics available to all players.

He's just salty that he had to betray his Pokemon to breed strong ones only for us to be able to just make the Pokemon we raised for a long time stronger.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Oh its not that bad. It was a silly process before, and for 99% of players it wasn't even close to worth doing, so Game Freak made it more accessible. Pokemon isn't just a competitive battling game, its also a single-player game, so I see it as if Game Freak is making all of their game mechanics available to all players.

It is, because the gens prior VII made the game have more longevity after the story. You could search for Shiny pokemon, you could do breeding (also for shiny), you could search and then breed hidden abilities. The IV breeding is quite easy really so them doing a newer method is a bit silly. The part that wont be replaced and will still see plenty of breeding going on is for natures. I just feel there are many other areas they could improve on this wasn't one of them

@RESHIRAM5 Nah, I have plenty of original pokemon that are quite strong not made through breeding. Reason why I don't like it is above.

 

[Com Fox]

It is, because the gens prior VII made the game have more longevity after the story. You could search for Shiny pokemon, you could do breeding (also for shiny), you could search and then breed hidden abilities. The IV breeding is quite easy really so them doing a newer method is a bit silly. The part that wont be replaced and will still see plenty of breeding going on is for natures. I just feel there are many other areas they could improve on this wasn't one of them

The amount of people playing online now and having more confidence due to easier EV and IV training will answer that. Also, longevity is done through post-game content (which Gen VI had none), hardly anyone finishes the main story and go (oh boy time to breed strong pokemon and countlessly hunt for shinies). People need content to experience, Gen II had an entire region from Gen I to go through, Gen IV had an island as well as secret areas from the main region and Gen V was the same with Gen IV. If Gen VII has a lot of post-game content then I don't think cutting IV breeding is going to be an issue (Zygarde information makes me think we might be returning to Kalos in Post-Game)

 

[Aphelion]

It is, because the gens prior VII made the game have more longevity after the story. You could search for Shiny pokemon, you could do breeding (also for shiny), you could search and then breed hidden abilities. The IV breeding is quite easy really so them doing a newer method is a bit silly. The part that wont be replaced and will still see plenty of breeding going on is for natures. I just feel there are many other areas they could improve on this wasn't one of them

@RESHIRAM5 Nah, I have plenty of original pokemon that are quite strong not made through breeding. Reason why I don't like it is above.

I'm sorry mate, but holding the up arrow and occasionally talking to a guy does not count as content.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

The amount of people playing online now and having more confidence due to easier EV and IV training will answer that. Also, longevity is done through post-game content (which Gen VI had none), hardly anyone finishes the main story and go (oh boy time to breed strong pokemon and countlessly hunt for shinies). People need content to experience, Gen II had an entire region from Gen I to go through, Gen IV had an island as well as secret areas from the main region and Gen V was the same with Gen IV. If Gen VII has a lot of post-game content then I don't think cutting IV breeding is going to be an issue (Zygarde information makes me think we might be returning to Kalos in Post-Game)

Yeah it also had not nearly as big a story, retaining quite a bit of gen 1 stuff, and mainly (outside the new moves and pokemon) reworking in game features to be more utilitarian. However, while adding the 8 new gyms and region, it could be said that advances in gaming from 96' to 00' played a big role. With games after that being on new handheld formats and seemingly having less space as online started to be prioritized.

Also youtube, twitch and so on, along with the large community on reddits, IRC, smolgon, serebii and so on would dispute this claim of breeding and shiny hunting. Especially in the wake of easier methods given through Gen 5 and 6. Also VGC tournaments have had good turn outs and once again streams and general youtubers have all shown ways in which to play at this level. Part of doing so is breeding methods and so on. I mean the game is a few years old now and yet I still get many passerbys in the thousands on my day to day play, meaning these people still find some value to the game that few here probably don't see. It could be the way gaming is in other areas that make people want or feel obligated to see more content, put PC shouldn't have to do that, especially if they make a sizable main story to start with.

I'm sorry mate, but holding the up arrow and occasionally talking to a guy does not count as content.

Well it's a hand held game that has always been hit or miss with post game content, and even when it did have post game content the main story wasn't that massive. The entire series has always been about what you do on your own after said game is over, which could be assembling new teams, finding rare pokemon (shiny, HA), finding legendary pokemon and so on. If your goal going into these games especially now days is expecting some DLC or massive post story line then you're expecting something that really wasn't ever done. And in reality to give fans more ability many other side title pokemon games were created for those looking more to the adventure part as opposed to collecting.

 

[Com Fox]

Also youtube, twitch and so on, along with the large community on reddits, IRC, smolgon, serebii and so on would dispute this claim of breeding and shiny hunting. Especially in the wake of easier methods given through Gen 5 and 6. Also VGC tournaments have had good turn outs and once again streams and general youtubers have all shown ways in which to play at this level.

True but there is also a lot more people on the opposite end of the spectrum that hate the idea of IV Breeding or just don't care, I don't see the harm in building the bridge in an attempt to unite the players, especially with Battle Royals probably going to be popular towards casuals.

The entire series has always been about what you do on your own after said game is over, which could be assembling new teams, finding rare pokemon (shiny, HA), finding legendary pokemon and so on.

This is relatively subjective and it varies from game to game. IMO, Gen I was all about Mewtwo and completing the Pokedex, Gen II was about exploring Kanto again seeing what's change and fight Red in the end, Gen III fits your bill a little bit with the Battle Tower/Hill/Fronteir however FR/LG had Gen IIs spirit of exploring the island, Gen IV is very similar to Gen III however Gen V was about what is happening after the main story as you have side quests all about Team Plasma, exploring Eastern Unova and in B2/W2 going back to where B/W began and see what was changed. Gen VI would also fit your bill.

And in reality to give fans more ability many other side title pokemon games were created for those looking more to the adventure part as opposed to collecting.

Outside of Mystery Dungeon I can't think of a single one.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

True but there is also a lot more people on the opposite end of the spectrum that hate the idea of IV Breeding or just don't care, I don't see the harm in building the bridge in an attempt to unite the players, especially with Battle Royals probably going to be popular towards casuals.

Those people usually don't get the IV, EV concept to begin with from what I've learned.

This is relatively subjective and it varies from game to game. IMO, Gen I was all about Mewtwo and completing the Pokedex, Gen II was about exploring Kanto again seeing what's change and fight Red in the end, Gen III fits your bill a little bit with the Battle Tower/Hill/Fronteir however FR/LG had Gen IIs spirit of exploring the island, Gen IV is very similar to Gen III however Gen V was about what is happening after the main story as you have side quests all about Team Plasma, exploring Eastern Unova and in B2/W2 going back to where B/W began and see what was changed. Gen VI would also fit your bill.

Which would be classed as legendary hunting and dex completion, I highlighted that and also said it varies from person to person, but the list of things to do is quite finite. However, there are things placed in the game to do one of said finite things.

Outside of Mystery Dungeon I can't think of a single one.

Which is irrelevant to the general discourse of the conversation. If it was a wall post between you and I, I'd tell you I don't care for any of them other than pokemon pinball.

 

[Com Fox]

Those people usually don't get the IV, EV concept to begin with from what I've learned.

Super Training has helped people like me get into EV Training Pokemon. IV Training is going to do the same. Simplistic versions allow great entry points for new players, sure IV Breeding has been more simpler but it still isn't going to get people to try and understand IV Training, levelling up to Lv. 100 and incresing your stats through Hyper Training likely will like with Super Training.

 

[Luminis]

I guess it depends what you want from your Pokemon game, different strokes and all that.

Definetely. Granted, I'm not very far into either game, but so far, I, personally, like OR a little bit bettet. Mostly because running into my four "mates" time and time again feels pretty meh to me. We'll see how I feel about that as time goes on, though.

Either way, as I have alluded to before, story really isn't a primary consideration for me.

Super Training has helped people like me get into EV Training Pokemon. IV Training is going to do the same.

I can only agree with this.

As a newb, IV/EV/HA optimzation seems rather daunting. Now, I lack the experience to really comment on whether it actually is as daunting (and tedious) as it seems at first glance. However, I think I've read about Game Freak / The Pokémon Company focusing on competitive play. Lowering the barrier of entry seems like a logical step to take in order to get more people into it.

I just feel there are many other areas they could improve on this wasn't one of them

As someone who's not been around since before the whole EV/IV/HA thing became this big, I feel like they're trying to undo some of the bloat (for lack of a better word) that was indruced throughout earlier iterations.