POKEMON GEN 6 ANNOUNCED

[Koh]

Basically Team Magma/Aqua and Team Galactic. Leaders felt followers were throwaway to their ultimate goal. Plasma just happened to single out N instead of it being the whole team. Messages were the same messages given to us since the beginning of the series: "Pokemon are not tools of war, they're your friends" "There's a bond between you and your Pokemon", etc. Again it was just a reskin of everything we've already seen. Mechanical upgrades and graphical facelifts are done every generation, so that just falls under aesthetics. Just because it's categorized as aesthetics doesn't mean it's a USELESS update, but an update that doesn't change the way we actually play the game.

Here's a perfect comparison to what I wish the Pokemon Series would finally do: New Super Mario Bros was a thing, and then the next few releases were rehashes. Finally, 3D Land comes out and gives us something totally new, while still being the familar Mario game. Now, 3D World is aiming to do the same thing, yet still retain the feel of Mario. Why can't Pokemon do the same thing? Why does it need to continue being the same thing over and over again?

[TomGuycott]

Since you have such a tremendous grasp on the subject, I am genuinely curious how to turn Pokemon into a completely new experience while still catering to the target audience of kids 7-12.

Actual question, by the way.

[Koh]

Well I've a few ideas on how to go about it, but the major thought is to keep the turn-based battle system, and update it the way they do, but to make the game more Sandbox-y, ala Elder Scrolls. Instead of being forced to be a Gym-Romper all the time, why not let the player choose what they want to do? Maybe they want to be a Pokemon Breeder, or focus solely on Contests, or maybe study Pokemon in the field as a profession (Pokemon Professor), or whatever else. Maybe they actually want to join Team Rocket? There can still be stories, cutscenes and character development all based on your decisions, but it'd feel a lot more personal when you actually have control over what routes your character can take. Before anyone mentions it, the stories do not have to be complicated; they should be something revolving around things already defined in the universe, like tracking down a legendary Pokemon, or having a rivalry between characters you meet/childhood friends. It's not impossible to devise games this way, where the game plays out based on your choices, as already proven by games like Catherine, Elder Scrolls, etc. This combined with less linearity, the games would be perfect. Everyone could be satisfied.

[Gwen]

So you want a Pokemon MMO?
YOUR IDEAS ARE SO REVOLUTIONARY.

Yeah, I'm being rude, and hey an MMO would be cool, but that would be quite a nightmare to put on the 3ds, would take a long time to develop, and would probably require constant server maintenance and upkeep, which would probably result in monthly fees to play, so as to keep everything running, which just isn't feasible for parents who get Pokemon for their kids.

I've honestly never gotten why people are so hellbent on a pokemon MMO, to me it was mainly because of Customization which we get now. What would you even do as a Professor? sit and stare at wild pokemon? What would you do as a breeder? help people breed pokemon when there's already daycare centers? You may have to beat gyms to beat the game, but the contests are still a pretty big thing to do, and they're still an option for people who wanna take a break from gyms or want something to do after they're done with gyms, and provide endless(technically) contests if that's what you wanna do. Also, why would Nintendo let you be a character who steals people's pokemon, no way in hell they'd ever let that happen, if you wanna be some asshole stealing shit from people, go play GTA Online, if you wanna study shit out in the wild, go fucking outside and study the world around you. Pokemon's all about the sport, and the bond you get with your partners, I'll give you that it'd be cool to dick around and go places with your friends, but I can at least battle with them, and that's really enough.
As for the open world, it'd be lame to go take out the 8th gym leader first, and then keep the 1st for last for example, one of the problems with open worlds like Skyrim is that EVERYTHING is available immediately, and doesn't really lend to earning your way anywhere, as enemies are leveled according to you usually, or if not, can still be beaten pretty easily provided you have time on your hands and know how to press the block button. Games like Pokemon and Zelda really make you feel like you earned your way into a new area, and actually provide a sense of wonder and exploring.

My two cents.

[TomGuycott]

Interesting thing somebody showed me from a clip of the Pokemon Origin series worth mentioning: Gym Leaders apparently choose Pokemon for battle based on how many badges a trainer has, hence why the first is weakest and the last the strongest (theoretically).

However, having a more or less preset path allows basic RPG stat progression, making the standard setup superior in my opinion.

[Koh]

Who said it has to be an MMO? I never one mentioned it being an MMO, just more open. Openness =/= Online Multiplayer Server. Just because you personally like the same old stale ass formula, that doesn't mean everyone else does too. You should see how many people are tired of it. There are many people who only get the newest games to be able to use the Wifi for battling and what not (Metagame), not because they're interested in the actual game. That's because Game Freak has proven time and again that they refuse to actually have a new, unpredictable story to both new and old fans alike. Of course if someone has never played Pokemon before, they wouldn't see how repetitive the series has been. The Pokemon Company claims to target both younger kids and veteran players alike, but have shown little effort towards the latter. They expect most veterans to fall head over heels in love with this generation because of the usual new set of Pokemon, a form change, customization, or other aesthetics, but aren't really showing the actual content of the game. I'm only interested in it, not because of just having some Pokemon I like, but to check if the series is actually making progress to becoming something new. It seems to be getting prettier as any long-running series should, but there doesn't seem to be much new.

[Gwen]

Bull shit. They've reworked EV training to make it not only easier to do, but increase competition due to many people not wanting to grind for hours in hopes of increasing a stat. Not to mention they've introduced new forms of battle, a new type, the mega evolutions, which that very review from IGN had good things to say about, and although you seem to think the story's the exact same every time, it's really not and if you really think they're releasing the same game save updated looks and a few pokemon, it makes you look like a dolt for actually thinking that's all they're doing.

[Koh]

Or, you know, like someone who's been playing since the beginning and would like a fresh story free of, or relying on very little of the formula seen in every other story. That's always a possibility. Of course, that's probably crazy talk.

Let's review the formula....Noob Trainer, Starter and Pokedex, Forced Championship route (the player never has a say in becoming Champion, they just always tell the player "You should go do the Gyms," when they really mean "You SHOULD *shoves* go do the Gyms"), encounter with evil Team, meet/capture legendary, thwart evil team, Champion, Post game.

[Gwen]

Hey bub, I've been playing since the very beginning as well, so you can go ahead and stop acting like your opinion has more weight because you think you've been around "longer". Every story is unique, each team has completely different goals, and each game has a different message, that goes hand in hand with it's "Pokemon are Friend, not Food"(huehue Finding Nemo), they may have similar pace, but each one is it's own fully distinct story, and each team's leaders are different in their goals and how they act.

[Koh]

I can understand that; teams with different goals is fine. But the format is always the same. Why do they have to be an evil team anyway? Why can't they be a Team that you can actually help out for once? Even THAT would shake things up a bit.

[Gwen]

Because that doesn't create a conflict. And honestly, it's not like some groups still don't grab your sympathy. I thought R/S/E's teams, while a little extreme, had noble thoughts, N had some good in his heart, and it pulled your heartstrings to see an organization use his ideals and beliefs against himself like they did.

[Koh]

I will give Black/White and their sequels that they took it further, and made N an actual notable character. That was perfectly fine. But it was still the same format, which is why it felt the same. We got the "epic showdown" with N at the end, but it basically felt like fighting Giovanni, or the Aqua/Magma Leaders or Cyrus for the last time, with a legendary mixed in.

[Gwen]

Jesus, I'm done pointing out how wrong you are. I mean if you're going to spew out the same thing over and over, I guess I can't change anything.

[Koh]

Well then, let me ask you a question. Why CAN'T the series go in the direction Super Mario 3D Land went from New Super Mario Bros. Is there some elusive reason that justifies the whole thing, that we aren't understanding? I would gladly love to hear WHY you don't want change.

[Gwen]

They have been changing every generation, I drove that point over the last two pages again and again, but your skull's too fucking thick to see and actually read what I'm saying.