I'm going to assume that you're certainly not onboard with asking Game Freak to do this again in a future game then. ;)
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Unpopular opinions
- Thread starter antemortem
- Start date
With over 600 mons and 2.5D features? No God please no.
I mean the 3d models in Pokémon Ami where reused for at least 5 functions dex, battling, ami, Stat screen, PR videos so they didn't eat much space in customization.
However designing overworld sprites for each will use space we could get to for other actually useful stuff.
...I actually love the Pokemon Contests. And I enjoyed the PR Studio, Ami... I like little things like that.
I've played Pokemon Contests so much in Emerald, glad I'm not the online one who likes them :)
I really like this opinion, since it's something totally reasonable that I completely disagree with :D Not in a negative way or anything, just because I like the benefits cloning provides. Plus there's a sort of legitimacy in clones from save states, since both Pokemon are kind of legit, it's just the circumstances that are hacked. Like divergent timeline kinda business.
Question: How do you feel about RNGing? I find that's often pretty divisive.
OH Or breeding from hacked Dittos!
As someone who RNGs quite a bit, I'm personally glad that breeding/SR is realistically doable in Gen VI without RNG manipulation (which from what I understand will probably never happen with the 3DS)
Most people complain about its legitimacy, which isn't the problem with it imo; it's a helluva lot more legitimate than using things such as Powersaves or Pokegen to edit Pokemon. The main problem with it stems from the fact that in the previous generations, you either had to RNG abuse, or deal with subpar Pokemon. That caused a big competitive gap in the games between those who could RNG, and those who couldn't. In its own way, RNG did promote hacking back in the day since the majority of the old games take time and/or hardware to RNG, and most people found it easier to just hack. With the Gen VI changes to breeding mechanics, and stationary legends having at least 3 perfect IVs, people can get perfect Pokemon with much more ease, and RNG really isn't necessary anymore with the exception of some certain Pokemon that like tutors from the previous gens (Seismic Toss Kangaskhan, Soft-Boiled Clefairy, etc.)
I guess I'm sort of being a hypocrite here since, as I mentioned, I do RNG abuse. I'll admit it is kinda fun to learn the inner workings of the game, and having things such as Soft-Boiled Clefairy with good IVs that you know isn't edited (because you acquired it yourself) is always a good feeling. But at the same time, I don't miss those days where RNGing was the only method to play competitively on cart, unless you hacked Pokemon. The new breeding/SRing mechanics is much healthier for the physical cart competitive scene than RNG ever was, and ever will be; anyone can acquire perfect Pokemon with just a few minutes of breeding, not just the few who know how to manipulate the game in their favor. And editing Pokemon is pretty much a liability now, and more often than not, consumes more time than breeding.
tl;dr Game Freak really should've granted us the current breeding mechanics sooner.
I absolutely love the DPP "extra-evolutions", both from an aesthetics and a competitive point of view. Some of them might be a little over-designed but I think the extra complexity really makes them feel like fully evolved Pokemon, as opposed to something like Magmar or Sneasel.
Cresselia~~
Junichi Masuda likes this!!
The Japanese one for Gen 1 was even worse.
It's horrid because Imakuni sings/ raps it. And it doesn't even sound like a rap. It ended up sounding like some incantation.
First I'll answer your RNG question, because it's very relevant to me.
Like Xen, I manipulate the RNG and consider it legitimate. What I've noticed in the time playing Pokemon is that legitimacy means something different to everyone. It's like your moral code in regards to gaming, and very personal. I started playing Pokemon with 4th Generation, and shortly afterwards picked up BW. Because I was already an adult when I started, I got into the competitive aspect and hidden mechanics (EVs and IVs) fairly soon in my first game (in fact, this painfully caused me to box my starter Quilava at Goldenrod in SoulSilver because it had an Impish nature, but that's for another story). What I soon found out, and what has already been touched upon by Xen, is that breeding mechanics were horrible back then. That's not an exaggeration. I don't know if any of you remember this 4th Generation Smogon Breeding Guide, but as you can see there, breeding with 2 hexflawless parents, only had a chance of 1:59916 to produce a hexflawless offspring. Oh, and then there was the Everstone, which only had a 50% chance to pass down the correct nature, and no method whatsoever so control the ability that it would have.
I got a little desperate, and put down the game for a while when I learned about these simple facts. I refused to hack or clone, it was unethical in my eyes. But I'm a major perfectionist (exemplified by my OCD), and I just couldn't cope with this anymore. That was when I learned about RNG. At first I didn't want to believe, it sounded too good to be true. But as time went by, I picked up my Pokemon SoulSilver game again, and realized how much I loved it and wanted my favourite Pokemon to have flawless IVs. So I pulled myself together and gave RNG a chance. Now, I don't have any background with programming or the like, so it took a lot of dedication, trial and error in order to finally learn and master it. But in the end, it was most definitely worth it.
In addition, I really feel that RNG manipulation is legitimate, and I have always felt like that ever since learning it and understanding what it does. When you hack a game, you modify it from the outside. Basically, you hack something 'foreign' into it, and trick the game into thinking it's natural for the 'foreign' thing to be there. When you RNG however, you only draw out the random potential that was already hidden inside the game. RNG manipulation has given me the tools to consciously draw out this potential, but everything obtained through this method is naturally available, and could just as well have been obtained through sheer luck.
I'm very glad about the introduction of the new breeding mechanics though. I'm happy that legitimate flawless Pokemon are now available to everyone, and that they don't have to wrestle through the concept and details of RNG manipulation anymore. I also love the addition of inheritable Pokéballs, which allows me to focus on aesthetics better and leave the quest for hexflawless Pokemon behind me in general.
However, cloning is still a thing happening all over the place, which brings me to the following reasons for disliking it:
1. External Devices
You cannot clone without either using Powersaves or abusing a trading glitch. When using Powersaves, this means that you have to sort of 'modify' the game through external means, which I feel is unnatural, and destroys the 'spotlessness' of the game as a stand-alone thing. When using the trading glitch, you don't destroy any 'spotlessness', and in essence the 'glitch' could even be perceived as natural, but I still personally dislike using the game in this way. A glitch is a 'mistake' inside the game, unconsciously present but not meant to be there. The RNG is consciously put into the games, and provides every 'random' Pokemon available (though one might argue we weren't meant to find out how to manipulate it, there wasn't anything they could do about it with the RNG itself was being the very cause of our ability to manipulate it).
2. Inflation / Originality
When thinking about cloning in abstract ways and comparing it to how money and the prices of goods work in the economy, one of the most basic things you learn is that the less there is of a certain product, the more 'valuable' this product becomes. What I am trying to say is that, if there are a lot of people who clone their competitive Pokemon (→ these Pokemon become easy to obtain and plentiful are offered), the value of a legitimately bred variant of the same kind of competitive Pokemon lowers as a result to that. The lines of legitimacy are blurred now. This could have a negative impact on the trading businesses of those who value to do it the natural way.
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So that's it. I don't hack, and I don't clone, but I do RNG. Even in these days with drastically improved breeding mechanics, I still manipulate the RNG. Mostly to provide people with uncloned and as legitimate as possible Hexflawless/Trick Room/Hidden Power Ditto. I trade these for legitimate and uncloned event exclusives that I haven't been able to obtain myself (I never insert Wondercards, and am opposed to it), without setting requirements to IVs or Nature (so the average John Doe that just doesn't value Pokemon if they aren't competitive can trade it for a Ditto or more they can use), but I also trade them for a certain amount of Bankball females. The kind of Ditto I trade are unfortunately still difficult to obtain in 6th Generation games, so this is sort of my 'niche' in the online trading world for the time being. I have done bulk trades with people requesting like 6 to 10 of those Ditto for a box full of rare Bankballs females, but I also provide these on much smaller scales. If someone really wants to get started with competitive breeding and needs just one hexflawless Ditto for it, I'm not going to be a bitch about it, and will usually be able to think of something I'm randomly looking for (Destiny Knot, BP items, or even just some Pokédex fodder will usually do just fine).
I like trubbish and garbodor, but hate sigilyph
When it comes to legality, I've personally divided up into a few categories (in order of relative morality):
Legal: These Pokémon were produced by 100% natural means and no glitches. RNG is included here.
Semi-Legal: These Pokémon were produced by glitches, but are otherwise legal (no impossible moves, etc.). Cloned Pokémon are here.
Quasi-Legal: These Pokémon are the creation of an external, non-official source, but have legal movesets, etc.
Semi-Illegal: These Pokémon are the creation of glitches, but have moves, etc. that cannot be obtained legitimately.
Illegal: These Pokémon are the creation of an external, non-official source and have been modified to have illegal movesets, altered stats, etc.
Personally, I only really use Legal Pokémon that I've bred myself, though I'm sure I have a few clones that I have as trophies, but not serious competitive 'mons. When it comes to others, I am saddened when people use Semi- and Quasi-Legal 'mons, but as they are Pokémon that could exist, it doesn't bother me as much (but seriously, anything you can get in Generation VI with Perfect IVs, correct movesets, etc. and you don't try doing it the correct way?).
Long story short: I prefer to do things the hard way (I've never used RNG, but that's more of laziness on my part than thinking it's cheating) and I don't like people exploiting glitches or hacking, but if the result is something that can exist, I can deal with it.
There is a sixth category I have that is exclusive to earlier gens between Semi-Legal and Legal. It's only inhabitants are certain Ditto that were produced by a wild Mew using the move Transform before being caught. Due to how the game is programmed, it considers any wild Transformed Pokémon captured as Ditto since Mew wasn't even meant to be wild. They are identical to any Ditto encountered in the game, but their origins are odd and can only be the result of the Mew Glitch or wild Mew being hacked into the game.
Here's something I don't think many people have a strong feeling about either:
I love Poison-types. While they are only my second favorite (Ghosts will always reign supreme in my heart), I think they are an incredibly cool type with a lot of strong Pokémon. My mono-Poison team has shown great strength and tends to win far more than lose, mostly since no one is prepared for them. I think that's partially why I like Trubbish and Garbodor.
Legal: These Pokémon were produced by 100% natural means and no glitches. RNG is included here.
Semi-Legal: These Pokémon were produced by glitches, but are otherwise legal (no impossible moves, etc.). Cloned Pokémon are here.
Quasi-Legal: These Pokémon are the creation of an external, non-official source, but have legal movesets, etc.
Semi-Illegal: These Pokémon are the creation of glitches, but have moves, etc. that cannot be obtained legitimately.
Illegal: These Pokémon are the creation of an external, non-official source and have been modified to have illegal movesets, altered stats, etc.
Personally, I only really use Legal Pokémon that I've bred myself, though I'm sure I have a few clones that I have as trophies, but not serious competitive 'mons. When it comes to others, I am saddened when people use Semi- and Quasi-Legal 'mons, but as they are Pokémon that could exist, it doesn't bother me as much (but seriously, anything you can get in Generation VI with Perfect IVs, correct movesets, etc. and you don't try doing it the correct way?).
Long story short: I prefer to do things the hard way (I've never used RNG, but that's more of laziness on my part than thinking it's cheating) and I don't like people exploiting glitches or hacking, but if the result is something that can exist, I can deal with it.
There is a sixth category I have that is exclusive to earlier gens between Semi-Legal and Legal. It's only inhabitants are certain Ditto that were produced by a wild Mew using the move Transform before being caught. Due to how the game is programmed, it considers any wild Transformed Pokémon captured as Ditto since Mew wasn't even meant to be wild. They are identical to any Ditto encountered in the game, but their origins are odd and can only be the result of the Mew Glitch or wild Mew being hacked into the game.
While Trubbish and Garbodor like is rare (I am one of the few), Sigilyph is a 'mon without any strong, overall opinions in the fandom. Hell, that exactly how I feel about it: not strongly.
Here's something I don't think many people have a strong feeling about either:
I love Poison-types. While they are only my second favorite (Ghosts will always reign supreme in my heart), I think they are an incredibly cool type with a lot of strong Pokémon. My mono-Poison team has shown great strength and tends to win far more than lose, mostly since no one is prepared for them. I think that's partially why I like Trubbish and Garbodor.
Tbh, cloning doesn't really bother me that much, depending on the method used to clone. It's definitely more in the "gray" area than RNG is, but most methods, even if they require some sort of hardware/software to clone, usually just copies the Pokemon data instead of actually editing it. Plus with clones, you can train and use various sets for a single Pokemon, and if you're generous, can always trade off some clones for other to use.
That being said, I prefer to keep cloning as "pure" as possible, which for me involves using the old battle tower glitch in Emerald (For Gen III Pokes), or the save backup/restore feature of Powersaves in combination with Pokemon Bank over the cloning codes. But like Raravian pointed out, the legitimacy of Cloning/RNG varies to each individual player.
That being said, I prefer to keep cloning as "pure" as possible, which for me involves using the old battle tower glitch in Emerald (For Gen III Pokes), or the save backup/restore feature of Powersaves in combination with Pokemon Bank over the cloning codes. But like Raravian pointed out, the legitimacy of Cloning/RNG varies to each individual player.
I've always been curious about how many people truly hate Trubbish/Garbodor compared to those who despise it because "It's unoriginal and not like Grimer." I always thought Trubbish was kinda cute, and Garbodor is still pretty cool too, moreso than Muk (and this is coming from a guy who started with Gen I).
^
As someone with mysophobia, I can confirm that it is possible to loathe the aforementioned Pokemon without being a genwunner.
I'm even going as far as to admit that I'm worried about my Pokédex completion, because that means I will have to catch these two, and I really don't wanna have them on my game :/
(so far I've decided to put my Pokédex collection on Pokébank, and that I will use a Blissey base to level it as a means to make this pain a short one, once I've got the guts to actually catch it on Omega Ruby)
As someone with mysophobia, I can confirm that it is possible to loathe the aforementioned Pokemon without being a genwunner.
I'm even going as far as to admit that I'm worried about my Pokédex completion, because that means I will have to catch these two, and I really don't wanna have them on my game :/
(so far I've decided to put my Pokédex collection on Pokébank, and that I will use a Blissey base to level it as a means to make this pain a short one, once I've got the guts to actually catch it on Omega Ruby)
I must admit that I have a lot more favourites originating from Kanto or Johto than from other Regions.
However, I have personally found that a lot of Pokemon from Generations afterwards were able to capture my heart as well, even if the amount of favourites per Region is lower. In that sense it just saddens me when I notice if people just aren't open to new Pokemon or new designs and concepts.
I understand why nostalgia can make your heart flutter (even if love is blind, I don't consider this a bad thing), and that Kanto and Johto or anyone's first game's Pokemon will probably always have that special feeling attached to them. It's just unfortunate if that means they automatically dismiss anything that's new or unfamiliar to them.
Don't assume that counts for everyone tho - it can be as simple as just not being able to connect with them as easily due to not growing up with them. Everyone's different and it's not as if everyone who favours Gen 1 and doesn't like the new ones are like "oh these are shit and have no good ideas". It's just preference - hell, every generation of Pokémon has their own particular style to them and that might appeal to some people more than others.
I mean, if someone prefers the older Pokemon and they truly don't like any of the newer Pokemon, then that's perfectly fine; What gets me is when people are quick to hop on the "genwunner" bandwagon because it's cool. I'll admit that I do find myself preferring Kanto/Johto mons over the newer species, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any Pokemon from Gen IV onward that I like.
I think this "nostalgia bias" really started to take root because of the Unova Pokemon. I mean, there were people who still preferred the older Pokemon back during Gen III and IV, but the Unova species really caused a noticeable divide because the whole theme of the Gen V Pokemon was based on the concept of them being "reboots". Hating the majority of Unova Pokemon because they tried to be reboots of Gen I Pokemon is a perfectly acceptable reason, but it seems like a number of people claim to hate them so they could jump on the "genwunner" bandwagon because it's cool, even though the only Pokemon they ever seem to know is Charizard and Pikachu.
What I'm trying to say is, I can understand why people dislike the newer Pokemon, and nostalgia is a valid reason to dislike the newer Pokemon (regardless what people say). I'm just wondering how much of the hate against stuff like Trubbish is legitimate and how much of it is inflated by the internet from those who really don't know much about Pokemon.
I guess, in a nutshell, I either think Pokemon shouldn't have lasted as long as it has, or the release of new generations should've been slower.
Edit: Grammar fixes
Edit 2: On second thought, saying the franchise should've ended sooner may be a little too extreme. But it definitely would've been better if each generation would've followed X/Y's method of bringing in new Pokemon to the series; just a small handful each generation, but most, if not all of them serve their own unique niches to both the in-game and competitive aspects of the game.
Seriously, I need to stop writing essays in the middle of the night.
I think this "nostalgia bias" really started to take root because of the Unova Pokemon. I mean, there were people who still preferred the older Pokemon back during Gen III and IV, but the Unova species really caused a noticeable divide because the whole theme of the Gen V Pokemon was based on the concept of them being "reboots". Hating the majority of Unova Pokemon because they tried to be reboots of Gen I Pokemon is a perfectly acceptable reason, but it seems like a number of people claim to hate them so they could jump on the "genwunner" bandwagon because it's cool, even though the only Pokemon they ever seem to know is Charizard and Pikachu.
What I'm trying to say is, I can understand why people dislike the newer Pokemon, and nostalgia is a valid reason to dislike the newer Pokemon (regardless what people say). I'm just wondering how much of the hate against stuff like Trubbish is legitimate and how much of it is inflated by the internet from those who really don't know much about Pokemon.
This does bring up something that actually worries me quite a bit (and probably would classify as an unpopular opinion): the increasing number of Pokemon. Back when we only had 151 Pokemon, it was pretty easy to catch all Pokemon and complete the Pokedex (one of the main objectives of the franchise), and every one of those Pokemon felt unique in their own ways. Now that we have well over 700 Pokemon, completing the Pokedex is nearly impossible except to those who have a lot of spare time on their hands, and there are quite a few Pokemon that seem to serve no real purpose outside of serving as clones to older Pokemon to fill in the regional quota of certain stereotypes, such as the early game bug, bird, etc.
Edit: Grammar fixes
Edit 2: On second thought, saying the franchise should've ended sooner may be a little too extreme. But it definitely would've been better if each generation would've followed X/Y's method of bringing in new Pokemon to the series; just a small handful each generation, but most, if not all of them serve their own unique niches to both the in-game and competitive aspects of the game.
Seriously, I need to stop writing essays in the middle of the night.
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Please forgive me if what I said wasn't clear enough. I didn't mean that people who prefer the first Generation for nostalgia and dislike newer Generations because of that same reason were 'wrong' or anything. Quite the contrary, I can completely understand where they are coming from and even agree in a way. It's just that I personally think it's unfortunate if they refuse to even play newer Generation Pokemon games or give newer Pokemon a chance (i.e. getting to know them by playing the game). If they have given it a chance and still don't like it, even if the reason is nostalgia, I think that's perfectly okay. Even if they don't give it a chance it's still their own business anyway, I don't mind. Obviously people that haven't played Pokemon in years wouldn't be much inclined to try any of the newer games, so that's just fine either way. But I think that when and if a person hasn't played the newer Generation Pokemon games, then they should not expect their opinions about these newer games (and the Pokemon introduced with them) to be taken seriously by the actual Pokemon community that has played these games. They can think whatever they want, have their own opinion, but they should not expect their opinions to have much 'value' to the average Pokemon fan. That's all.
My first reaction when I saw XY only introduced 71 new Pokemon was that I kind of felt... insulted, if I can call it that. But now that I think about it, and reading your post, I actually think it's a pretty good and smart move. Not only did they have more time to think about designs (and introduce Mega Evolutions!), they also made it less of a 'mission impossible' to actually catch 'em all.
Also, the Blissey bases are a blessing, I probably never would have even tried to complete the Pokédex if I had to train all the dex fodder up to evolution levels the hard way.
(also yes, it's almost 6:30 am over here so... I reeeeeeaaaallly should go to bed as well)
Clone Saga: Just throwing my two cents in. While I personally don't use clone Pokemon, as long as the clone Pokemon can be naturally trained in the game I have no problem with people using them. Now I do raise an eyebrow if the cloned Pokemon has an Event Move (kind of stretching my disbelief there, and also has risk of illegality if it also has an Egg Move the original Event Pokemon didn't come with) or is Shiny (because, unless you like the way the Pokemon looks in their Shiny color, what's the point?), but I can understand someone not wanting to go through the hassle of IV breeding and EV training just so their Pokemon is competitively sound.
Oners Vs Wunners: You can only like Gen One and not like the others just fine as long as its reasonable. I don't have a problem with "Gen Oners" like that as long as they also realize there are people who do like those games and its just their personal tastes.
The "Gen Wunners" are just trolls who are either making fun of Gen Oners are taking a crack at the Pokemon franchise because they just want to annoy people. They won't have any constructed criticism for most things they're hating one, and worst of all they'll insult people who says they prefer the newer generations.
How Many Is Too Much: When I say them only having around 70 Pokemon I actually felt kind of relieved. Now while you can get a majority of the Pokemon in one day if you know what you're doing, still it is a bit of a collect-a-thon. Then you combine that you only have room in your party for 6 so metaphorically every Pokemon is battling for a spot on your team. Think about this, Gen VI is the last Gen where you can have one Pokemon from each gen on your party. Now of course that's a bit of an exaggeration, you use the Pokemon you like/is competitive sans generation, still every new Pokemon brings something new to the table and only a few are going to rise to the occasion. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad they're decreasing the amount of Pokemon and focusing on the few that they are releasing so it doesn't feel like some of these new Pokemon are dex fodder and they all bring a new/alternative strategy (or at least try to).
New Unpopular Opinion: I don't think Johto was all that great, at least the original Gen II versions.
Yes, I know, bold claim. Look, I'm not saying they're not good games, I have fond memories of my playthrough of Silver, its just that I don't really see the "greatness" other's see in it. You know how people say every Pokemon game is the same? Well to me that's sort of how Johto felt, it just was just an extension of Kanto. Nowadays I can sort of me appreciate that, especially with the remakes fleshing it out more, but at the time it felt like I was playing the same game as Gen I but with a new coat of paint. I think one reason for this is that Johto is maybe TOO influenced by Kanto. Like one thing that stands out to me is some Johto Gym Leaders mains are Gen I Pokemon are some leaders don't even use a Gen II Pokemon! Why? Don't you want to show off the new Pokemon? What better way to do that the with the Gym Leaders who are type specialists so its easily justifiable. Give Falkner a Hoothoot instead of a Spearow, Morty could replace one of his Haunter with a Misdreavus, don't see why Chuck couldn't have Hitmontop of Heracross as his main, and I don't think anyone would say anything if Lance had a Kingdra or even Tyranitar on his team. Heck one of the main reasons people say they like Gen II is because they can visit Kanto which kind of further overshadows Johto ("best part of the new region is you can go back to the older better region!").
As I said, Gen IIaren't bad are good games, and certainly build on the Pokemon mythos (infact probably way more than Kanto did). However at the time I didn't feel they did anything that groundbreaking and it had identity issues in the Pokemon department. I was kind of more impressed with Gen III with Hoenn's visual update, introduction of Abilities (new types are also major but EVERY Pokemon got an Ability), and more focused on their new Pokemon giving some more of an individual identity not solely reliant of the past two gens.
Oners Vs Wunners: You can only like Gen One and not like the others just fine as long as its reasonable. I don't have a problem with "Gen Oners" like that as long as they also realize there are people who do like those games and its just their personal tastes.
The "Gen Wunners" are just trolls who are either making fun of Gen Oners are taking a crack at the Pokemon franchise because they just want to annoy people. They won't have any constructed criticism for most things they're hating one, and worst of all they'll insult people who says they prefer the newer generations.
How Many Is Too Much: When I say them only having around 70 Pokemon I actually felt kind of relieved. Now while you can get a majority of the Pokemon in one day if you know what you're doing, still it is a bit of a collect-a-thon. Then you combine that you only have room in your party for 6 so metaphorically every Pokemon is battling for a spot on your team. Think about this, Gen VI is the last Gen where you can have one Pokemon from each gen on your party. Now of course that's a bit of an exaggeration, you use the Pokemon you like/is competitive sans generation, still every new Pokemon brings something new to the table and only a few are going to rise to the occasion. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad they're decreasing the amount of Pokemon and focusing on the few that they are releasing so it doesn't feel like some of these new Pokemon are dex fodder and they all bring a new/alternative strategy (or at least try to).
New Unpopular Opinion: I don't think Johto was all that great, at least the original Gen II versions.
Yes, I know, bold claim. Look, I'm not saying they're not good games, I have fond memories of my playthrough of Silver, its just that I don't really see the "greatness" other's see in it. You know how people say every Pokemon game is the same? Well to me that's sort of how Johto felt, it just was just an extension of Kanto. Nowadays I can sort of me appreciate that, especially with the remakes fleshing it out more, but at the time it felt like I was playing the same game as Gen I but with a new coat of paint. I think one reason for this is that Johto is maybe TOO influenced by Kanto. Like one thing that stands out to me is some Johto Gym Leaders mains are Gen I Pokemon are some leaders don't even use a Gen II Pokemon! Why? Don't you want to show off the new Pokemon? What better way to do that the with the Gym Leaders who are type specialists so its easily justifiable. Give Falkner a Hoothoot instead of a Spearow, Morty could replace one of his Haunter with a Misdreavus, don't see why Chuck couldn't have Hitmontop of Heracross as his main, and I don't think anyone would say anything if Lance had a Kingdra or even Tyranitar on his team. Heck one of the main reasons people say they like Gen II is because they can visit Kanto which kind of further overshadows Johto ("best part of the new region is you can go back to the older better region!").
As I said, Gen II
I'm rarely the kind of person who let's nostalgia blind me. If I dislike something newer, it's simply because I dislike it (for example, the Star Wars prequels are bad movies not just because they are prequels to the original trilogy). And while I still enjoy many nostalgic things, I'll be the first to admit when I've stopped loving something. Recently, I saw an episode of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, a show I loved when I was little. My reaction as a 22-year-old?: I hated it. I hated the animation style, I hated the characters, there was just nothing I really liked. My older sister (who also grew up with it and loved it at the time) felt the same.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: even when it was revealed there was only 71 new Pokémon, I was fine with it. I just wish that the next time they do a Pikachu clone, they A) don't make it Electric-type (seriously, Marill was Water, try that again!) and B) give it a better STAB!
Pikaclones: All Pikaclones are Electric-types, that's one of their defining traits since Pikachu is an Electric-type. What I want from a Pikaclone is one that has good/usable stats and/or maybe is an evolutionary family. Also an interesting type combination though we've had Pikaclones with that so it's not something unseen from them.