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Link to original post: [drupal=2580]Top 5: Best/Worst Additions in Pokémon Games[/drupal]
So I’ve recently been thinking about the most important upgrades to the monster-catching game format that most of us adore. After playing through the third game from each of the four distinct generations (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum), here are my picks for the top five improvements and questionable upgrades of the GENERATION I Pokémon format.
DISCLAIMERS: This is mostly intended for the casual Pokémon player, because not everybody is competitive and EV/IV-driven.
GENERATIONS involve:
I – Red/Blue/Yellow
II – Gold/Silver/Crystal
III – Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (Fire Red/Leaf Green)
IV – Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (Heart Gold/Soul Silver)
THE GREAT
5) PC Box System Rework (Generation II)
There was really no excuse for Generation I to even have this horrid box flaw, because a simple coding procedure solves the problem that was often encountered. If 20-Pokémon in BOX(x) = 0, then Pokémon goes into BOX(x+1). I’m sure it’s happened to you before – you’ve traveled through the Power Plant, Seafoam Islands, or Victory Road to encounter one of the legendary birds from Generation I…and you can’t even throw a Pokéball because your box is full! Thankfully this was amended in Generation II, and even further improvements were made in future games, making the PC Box system MUCH easier to withdraw, deposit, and move your little critters about.
4) Time and Day (Generation II, Generation IV)
This was absolutely a big deal for the time back in 2000. Using the battery inside the game cartridge, Pokémon Gold/Silver kept track of the time and day of the week IN REAL TIME, as inputted at the start of the game. The benefits to this feature were outstanding – a greater sense of immersion into the game space, a variety of creatures that could be encountered specifically during the day or night, and even events that were triggered on particular days of the week. It was a mind-boggling move why this feature was removed for Generation III, yet with the internal clock feature on the DS, it was a no-brainer for the clock to be reprised in the recent Generation IV of Pokémon. It was a subtle nuance to the game that made a big difference in how you went about training and it is one that hopefully won’t be removed again in future versions.
3) Held Items (Generation II)
OK, I’ll be the first to admit, it is a tremendous nuisance when you whittle down a gym leader’s beast’s HP, only to have 30 HP filled again by a Sitrus Berry, but the potential from the ability to hold items was simply incredible. You had items like Charcoal, NeverMeltIce (strangest item name), and the like which buffed up certain attack types. You had berries that healed certain status afflictions. You had Pokémon that even evolved under certain conditions when an item was held. The list goes on, but if Generation II didn’t add this now-basic element of gameplay, people would be strategizing far differently than they currently are.
2) Abilities/Natures (Generation III)
Without a DOUBT the best thing to come out of Ruby and Sapphire, the addition of abilities and natures gave even greater distinctions to the wild Pokémon encountered than just level and starting stats. Abilities completely changed certain elements of the game that could be previously abused in earlier generations, such as using a ground-type to knock out Gastly and other ghosts that shared a poison-type characteristic. While we may hate abilities like Cute Charm, which may cause attraction on contact, you feel so empowered when you cripple your opponent with Static, Poison Point, or any Effect Spore-like ability. And don’t even get me started on types of Pokémon that can have different abilities – BRILLIANT. Natures are a more subtle art and definitely relate to the EV/IV side of things, but when different Pokémon grow stats in accelerated/decreased rates? Money. But what could possibly top this revolutionary game mechanic?
1) Special Attack/Defense (Generation II)
It would take a very big argument to make believe that this wasn’t the biggest improvement in Pokémon, period. According to Bulbapedia, “The Special stat [from Generation I] determines how much damage a Pokémon both receives and deals in regards to special moves.” It doesn’t take much to see how this could be abused in Generation I. Why should a psychic type like Alakazam that has unquestionably high special attack stats be able to have a strong defense against special attacks as well? Not only did the additions of the Dark and Steel types in Generation II allow for better balancing, but the splitting of the Special stat into base Attack and Defense components helps figure out calculations in a far more reasonable way. Factor this in with the Generation IV addition of individual moves being either physical or special attacks, and you have the ideal set of battle system mechanics. After all, that’s what Pokémon is really all about – and it started with splitting the Special stat.
HONORABLE MENTION: Female Trainer (Generation II)
Audience demographic, ‘nuff said.
Now, there have also been questionable additions to Pokémon games of the past. These are more controversial and you may not agree with them, but here we go.
THE NOT-SO-MUCH
5) Double Battles (Generation III)
Remember how big of a deal this was? It was HUGE, even in the anime. While there are benefits in terms of experience sharing, why can’t you just use the Experience Share item for that? Double battling feels like more of a gimmick to me, with interesting moments that only rarely occur, and mind-numbing concepts like Surf changing to a hit-all spread attack in Generation IV. Having a Gym Leader battle with Tate and Liza as a double battle only further enhanced the fact that the game designers were trying to cram this down your throat. No thanks, I’ll stick to one-on-one matchups, which involve a greater sense of gamesmanship.
4) Weather (Generation III)
It was a nice addition in atmosphere only, but bringing weather into battles? Please. Things like Sunny Day allowing Solarbeam to skip the charge phase and Rain Dance allowing Thunder to have 100% accuracy are cute touches, but Hail and Sandstorm are simply aggravating attacks meant to specifically cater to solo-typing your party. Aren’t we recommended by the game itself to diversify our party in terms of types? I know that Hail and Sandstorm expire after several turns…until the next opponent uses it again one that expires. Plus, you have wild battles in these conditions. It’s just…frustrating, plain and simple.
3) Breeding (Generation II)
I don’t need to imagine Pokémon breeding. Or what their gender is. Or why some species are gender-neutral. The ideas of eggs and egg-based moves, granted, are pretty smart. However, this is another example of the game TRYING TOO HARD to make you use this feature. The Day-Care system was great for raising a Pokémon that really didn’t care for. And yes, in future games, breeding a starter that you could trade to your friend was amazing to help fill out his Pokédex. But aside from that, there was no need for the games to give you an egg to hatch on your own. And besides that, who knew Ditto was so horny? After this feature was introduced, Ditto lost all battle potential and was resigned to be the Pokémon mack-daddy. And that is a sad state of events.
2) Happiness (Generation II)
Okay, okay, if we’re splitting hairs, happiness started with Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow in Generation I. However, once evolutions became dependent on happiness, the whole idea lost its charm. I don’t want to continually use the creature in battle and make sure it doesn’t faint. I don’t want to give it a Soothe Bell. I don’t want to continually feed it items. And so HELP me if I put it temporarily in the box on PC. Plain and simple, Lucario is too awesome of a Pokémon in Generation IV to have me pamper Riolu like a spoiled brat. Same go with Espeon/Umbreon and Eevee. Knock it off, game.
1) Contests (Generation III)
I’m a Pokémon purist. Chances are, you probably are, too. People buy the games to have monsters clash in essentially blood-sport combat, not to have them look all pretty and gorgeous. If I were a girl, I would probably feel insulted that they added the Contest concept specifically to try to lure my gender demographic. I know that the first time I tried a contest, I said “EFF THIS” after a couple rounds. Here’s the killer though – if you’re going to make a big deal, then you might as well abandon the Gym Leader part of the quest. Have the trainer pick one and STICK WITH IT. And since you need to beat all the Gym Leaders to technically beat the game and move on to better in-game events, Contests become useless and frivolous.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Attraction and/or Catching Feebas (Generation III)
Pick your poison. Dammit, Generation III, seriously.
Agree/Disagree? Have your own? I’d love to hear from you – remember, these are my opinions.
Total writing time: 1 hour
So I’ve recently been thinking about the most important upgrades to the monster-catching game format that most of us adore. After playing through the third game from each of the four distinct generations (Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum), here are my picks for the top five improvements and questionable upgrades of the GENERATION I Pokémon format.
DISCLAIMERS: This is mostly intended for the casual Pokémon player, because not everybody is competitive and EV/IV-driven.
GENERATIONS involve:
I – Red/Blue/Yellow
II – Gold/Silver/Crystal
III – Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (Fire Red/Leaf Green)
IV – Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (Heart Gold/Soul Silver)
THE GREAT
5) PC Box System Rework (Generation II)
There was really no excuse for Generation I to even have this horrid box flaw, because a simple coding procedure solves the problem that was often encountered. If 20-Pokémon in BOX(x) = 0, then Pokémon goes into BOX(x+1). I’m sure it’s happened to you before – you’ve traveled through the Power Plant, Seafoam Islands, or Victory Road to encounter one of the legendary birds from Generation I…and you can’t even throw a Pokéball because your box is full! Thankfully this was amended in Generation II, and even further improvements were made in future games, making the PC Box system MUCH easier to withdraw, deposit, and move your little critters about.
4) Time and Day (Generation II, Generation IV)
This was absolutely a big deal for the time back in 2000. Using the battery inside the game cartridge, Pokémon Gold/Silver kept track of the time and day of the week IN REAL TIME, as inputted at the start of the game. The benefits to this feature were outstanding – a greater sense of immersion into the game space, a variety of creatures that could be encountered specifically during the day or night, and even events that were triggered on particular days of the week. It was a mind-boggling move why this feature was removed for Generation III, yet with the internal clock feature on the DS, it was a no-brainer for the clock to be reprised in the recent Generation IV of Pokémon. It was a subtle nuance to the game that made a big difference in how you went about training and it is one that hopefully won’t be removed again in future versions.
3) Held Items (Generation II)
OK, I’ll be the first to admit, it is a tremendous nuisance when you whittle down a gym leader’s beast’s HP, only to have 30 HP filled again by a Sitrus Berry, but the potential from the ability to hold items was simply incredible. You had items like Charcoal, NeverMeltIce (strangest item name), and the like which buffed up certain attack types. You had berries that healed certain status afflictions. You had Pokémon that even evolved under certain conditions when an item was held. The list goes on, but if Generation II didn’t add this now-basic element of gameplay, people would be strategizing far differently than they currently are.
2) Abilities/Natures (Generation III)
Without a DOUBT the best thing to come out of Ruby and Sapphire, the addition of abilities and natures gave even greater distinctions to the wild Pokémon encountered than just level and starting stats. Abilities completely changed certain elements of the game that could be previously abused in earlier generations, such as using a ground-type to knock out Gastly and other ghosts that shared a poison-type characteristic. While we may hate abilities like Cute Charm, which may cause attraction on contact, you feel so empowered when you cripple your opponent with Static, Poison Point, or any Effect Spore-like ability. And don’t even get me started on types of Pokémon that can have different abilities – BRILLIANT. Natures are a more subtle art and definitely relate to the EV/IV side of things, but when different Pokémon grow stats in accelerated/decreased rates? Money. But what could possibly top this revolutionary game mechanic?
1) Special Attack/Defense (Generation II)
It would take a very big argument to make believe that this wasn’t the biggest improvement in Pokémon, period. According to Bulbapedia, “The Special stat [from Generation I] determines how much damage a Pokémon both receives and deals in regards to special moves.” It doesn’t take much to see how this could be abused in Generation I. Why should a psychic type like Alakazam that has unquestionably high special attack stats be able to have a strong defense against special attacks as well? Not only did the additions of the Dark and Steel types in Generation II allow for better balancing, but the splitting of the Special stat into base Attack and Defense components helps figure out calculations in a far more reasonable way. Factor this in with the Generation IV addition of individual moves being either physical or special attacks, and you have the ideal set of battle system mechanics. After all, that’s what Pokémon is really all about – and it started with splitting the Special stat.
HONORABLE MENTION: Female Trainer (Generation II)
Audience demographic, ‘nuff said.
Now, there have also been questionable additions to Pokémon games of the past. These are more controversial and you may not agree with them, but here we go.
THE NOT-SO-MUCH
5) Double Battles (Generation III)
Remember how big of a deal this was? It was HUGE, even in the anime. While there are benefits in terms of experience sharing, why can’t you just use the Experience Share item for that? Double battling feels like more of a gimmick to me, with interesting moments that only rarely occur, and mind-numbing concepts like Surf changing to a hit-all spread attack in Generation IV. Having a Gym Leader battle with Tate and Liza as a double battle only further enhanced the fact that the game designers were trying to cram this down your throat. No thanks, I’ll stick to one-on-one matchups, which involve a greater sense of gamesmanship.
4) Weather (Generation III)
It was a nice addition in atmosphere only, but bringing weather into battles? Please. Things like Sunny Day allowing Solarbeam to skip the charge phase and Rain Dance allowing Thunder to have 100% accuracy are cute touches, but Hail and Sandstorm are simply aggravating attacks meant to specifically cater to solo-typing your party. Aren’t we recommended by the game itself to diversify our party in terms of types? I know that Hail and Sandstorm expire after several turns…until the next opponent uses it again one that expires. Plus, you have wild battles in these conditions. It’s just…frustrating, plain and simple.
3) Breeding (Generation II)
I don’t need to imagine Pokémon breeding. Or what their gender is. Or why some species are gender-neutral. The ideas of eggs and egg-based moves, granted, are pretty smart. However, this is another example of the game TRYING TOO HARD to make you use this feature. The Day-Care system was great for raising a Pokémon that really didn’t care for. And yes, in future games, breeding a starter that you could trade to your friend was amazing to help fill out his Pokédex. But aside from that, there was no need for the games to give you an egg to hatch on your own. And besides that, who knew Ditto was so horny? After this feature was introduced, Ditto lost all battle potential and was resigned to be the Pokémon mack-daddy. And that is a sad state of events.
2) Happiness (Generation II)
Okay, okay, if we’re splitting hairs, happiness started with Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow in Generation I. However, once evolutions became dependent on happiness, the whole idea lost its charm. I don’t want to continually use the creature in battle and make sure it doesn’t faint. I don’t want to give it a Soothe Bell. I don’t want to continually feed it items. And so HELP me if I put it temporarily in the box on PC. Plain and simple, Lucario is too awesome of a Pokémon in Generation IV to have me pamper Riolu like a spoiled brat. Same go with Espeon/Umbreon and Eevee. Knock it off, game.
1) Contests (Generation III)
I’m a Pokémon purist. Chances are, you probably are, too. People buy the games to have monsters clash in essentially blood-sport combat, not to have them look all pretty and gorgeous. If I were a girl, I would probably feel insulted that they added the Contest concept specifically to try to lure my gender demographic. I know that the first time I tried a contest, I said “EFF THIS” after a couple rounds. Here’s the killer though – if you’re going to make a big deal, then you might as well abandon the Gym Leader part of the quest. Have the trainer pick one and STICK WITH IT. And since you need to beat all the Gym Leaders to technically beat the game and move on to better in-game events, Contests become useless and frivolous.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Attraction and/or Catching Feebas (Generation III)
Pick your poison. Dammit, Generation III, seriously.
Agree/Disagree? Have your own? I’d love to hear from you – remember, these are my opinions.
Total writing time: 1 hour
