Little things you like about Pokémon

[Pikachu315111]

Shigeru Miyamoto just had his quick congratulations/insight video for the 20th Anniversary and revealed some fun trivia. Pokemon Red & Green was in development for 6 years with delays because Nintendo was busy helping to develop Earthbound. Once Earthbound was done Nintendo and Ape (later Creature's Inc) helped GameFreak with releasing Pokemon. Miyamoto mainly helped with using the Cable Link.

I guess this is another reason Pokemon has a strong connection with Earthbound.

 

[Siggu]

One of the small things I really like in Pokemon is noticing those changes in the interface that don't look like much at first, but they end up being really noticeable once you keep playing. For instance, HGSS coloring stats that are affected by nature, or displaying twice the information at the same time in the pokemon data screen (Unlike DPP which only used the top screen). Or BW2 asking you if you want to use another of a consumible item if you have more than one left.

Talking about HGSS, I really liked its Pokedex - the interface was excellent, and wouldn't really be out of place in a mobile device.

 

[Lady Vader]

I personally love watching Let's Plays and Nuzlockes. Currently, I'm watching a LeafGreen Nuzlocke on Team Four Star's gaming channel and it's been hilarious. Especially the video I'm watching with them trying to catch a Snorlax and it being scary as hell.

One of the small things I really like in Pokemon is noticing those changes in the interface that don't look like much at first, but they end up being really noticeable once you keep playing. For instance, HGSS coloring stats that are affected by nature, or displaying twice the information at the same time in the pokemon data screen (Unlike DPP which only used the top screen). Or BW2 asking you if you want to use another of a consumible item if you have more than one left.

Talking about HGSS, I really liked its Pokedex - the interface was excellent, and wouldn't really be out of place in a mobile device.

And it had a great aesthetic, better than any Dex before or since.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I personally love watching Let's Plays and Nuzlockes. Currently, I'm watching a LeafGreen Nuzlocke on Team Four Star's gaming channel and it's been hilarious. Especially the video I'm watching with them trying to catch a Snorlax and it being scary as hell.

I'm also watching them!

Death spoiler

(poor Alex TT_TT. Didn't even see it coming)

I don't usually watch Nuzlockes, though one group I watched also did one (BrainScratchComms was doing one of HGSS every Friday... until they lost to Wake. They're right now figuring out what to do next with fan input). I'll give them this, with death on the line the important battles are fun to watch... but the grinding gets a bit boring and them losing a Pokemon really hurts if they used it a lot. Like Chuggaaconroy is also playing through Platinum and though its entertaining it's mostly for his commentary, analysis, and additional trivia he included more than the gameplay (though he does cut out the grinding).

 

[Lady Vader]

I'm also watching them (poor Alex TT_TT. Didn't even see it coming)!...Like Chuggaaconroy is also playing through Platinum and though its entertaining it's mostly for his commentary, analysis, and additional trivia he included more than the gameplay (though he does cut out the grinding).

1) Those happen to be the two I'm watching at the current moment (I'm behind on both as we speak).
2)

Hide

Wait, Alex died? I haven't gotten there yet! I'm taking this one hard as seeing a Fearow used in LeafGreen brings back memories for me (I always use Fearow when I play LeafGreen).

Never spoil a Nuzlocke death.

EDIT: I just got there. And it's made even worse as one of my favorites and fellow veteran of my LeafGreen playthroughs, Primeape, was the one to kill Alex.
Here, I resolve to name all my future Fearow "Alex". Especially since I can have it be male or female and it saves me a lot of time.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Vader_the_White:
Oh, sorry. I fixed it.

 

[Siggu]

And it had a great aesthetic, better than any Dex before or since.

And yet, they returned to DPP-style Pokedexes afterwards :(

 

[Lady Vader]

I just learned about this:

This is a map showing all the hidden coin locations in Rocket Game Corner in FireRed and LeafGreen. I knew that there was one on one of the machines, but not scattered all over the place. Neat.

 

[Ames]

I personally love all of the quality of life changes the newer generations have brought. Playing feels smoother than ever. Not to mention breeding which got a much needed improvement (Destiny Knot).

I also love the addition of the Fairy type and Steel resistance changes funnily enough (steel being my favourite typing and also being someone who thought the idea of an entire typing for silly, cutesy Pokes was idiotic).

 

[Lady Vader]

I actually really like how the conclusion of the Team Plasma plot thread in Black 2 and White 2 is after the eighth badge, but before the Elite Four. It does bother me how weird it feels to save the world only for there to be one more gym. Especially as it kinda take the wind out of my sails, to be perfectly honest. I hope that Sun and Moon do it right.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I actually really like how the conclusion of the Team Plasma plot thread in Black 2 and White 2 is after the eighth badge, but before the Elite Four. It does bother me how weird it feels to save the world only for there to be one more gym. Especially as it kinda take the wind out of my sails, to be perfectly honest. I hope that Sun and Moon do it right.

I generally liked how Team Plasma weren't fully dealt with until around the time you're ready to take on the Pokemon League. It helps make them look like a threat only elite trainers can deal with which is why you have sometimes the Champion have to come in to stop them.

With other villain teams stopped just before facing the eight Gym sort of made it feel like the Gym Leaders could taken care of the problem as at that point of the game there's still one more to go thus are looked upon as the next goal/milestone and likewise the thing you measure other challenges too. But in BW they not only had Team Plasma happen after the Elite Four but you see N having just BEATEN THE CHAMPION and declaring himself the new Champion as Alder begged him to stop. That really raised the stakes as now you're the only one who seemed to being only capable of stopping them. In BW2 this is downplayed a bit, however we at least see that the situation is beyond the Gym Leaders at least (plus seeing our rival BSOD for a bit from Team Plasma made it a more personal threat, not to mention Ghetsis about ready to commit I would say the first on screen attempt to kill the player (yes, yes, his dialogue says he just wants to freeze you in place... with giant pointy icicles which flung toward directly as you)).

Just in general Team Plasma's plot has a personal feel to it. In BW you're set up to the N's opposite, chosen by N no less, so you get more involved with that they do and see the results from their action. In BW2 you get involved due to your rival who's your childhood friend so there's still some personal stakes in it which eventually leads you to having taken care of things (which is a bit of a snub to Hugh though I guess maybe the lesson is that sometimes even when you're the one more involved it doesn't make you the hero cause in another game I could see Hugh having been the protagonist).

 

[jordanthejq12]

The Mach Bike handles so much smoother in ORAS. I just love that so much.

 

[Pikachu315111]

The Mach Bike handles so much smoother in ORAS. I just love that so much.

That's not to forget all the fun you can have with the Acro Bike, seeing it do wheelie hops in 3D looks much more funnier (especially if you did it in the Lavaridge hot springs. Can't ride a bike inside, but the hot springs are outside so TAKE THAT PROFESSOR/PARENTS!). :P

 

[Lady Vader]

One small thing I really like about X and Y is that after 18 years, the player's mother FINALLY has a room of her own. Go Grace!

 

[Xen]

The Poketch in Platinum having so. Many. Apps. Sure, a lot of them were useless to you, but you tell me another device in any Pokemon game with two dozen separate functions.

That awkward moment when you realize the Poketch was basically the Apple Watch of 2006....and it didn't suck.

 

[jordanthejq12]

Norman's Gym trainers all use items corresponding to their rooms. It's a wonderful touch.

Unfortunately, when you have a Breloom that is seven levels higher than everything, it's kinda difficult to appreciate this for longer than two seconds at a time.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Norman's Gym trainers all use items corresponding to their rooms. It's a wonderful touch.

Unfortunately, when you have a Breloom that is seven levels higher than everything, it's kinda difficult to appreciate this for longer than two seconds at a time.

I was always torn on Norman's Gym "Puzzle". On one hand it exactly matches one of the theme of Normal-types, gimmicks. It's not an exact representation, instead using gimmicky strategies instead of Pokemon with a gimmicky gameplay, but I think it's still noteworthy. I also like the themes they chose, simple yet shows a nice range of what a Pokemon can do.

That all said, the Gym is still lackluster. It's just a trainer gauntlet, the trainers only have one Pokemon each, and many spend so much time setting up you usually have already knocked their Pokemon out. Also I like to think the Gym Trainers are suppose to get you ready to battle the Gym Leader, but Norman doesn't really use any gimmicks, if anything the gimmick of his Pokemon hinder him as its easy to work around (only in Emerald rematches does he use a gimmick).

 

[Lady Vader]

Since I beat the Team Rocket Challenge on X, I reset the game and I've started a new save file. Just to be different, I decided to play as a girl. And I noticed that when the female player character wakes up, she's holding the Pikachu 3DS XL:

(Poor quality picture from someone else's playthrough)

That's an adorable detail.

 

[HelenTheHero]

I always kind of liked how they insert whatever console is newest into the game too. When playing Pearl there was a Wii, and now there is a Wii U. I'm sure in older games it was a Gamecube.

 

[Kurona]

I always kind of liked how they insert whatever console is newest into the game too. When playing Pearl there was a Wii, and now there is a Wii U. I'm sure in older games it was a Gamecube.

In the original games it was a SNES. Funnily enough, FRLG was so ridiculously in favour of the source material that there was a SNES in Leaf/Red's room in FRLG. In 2003.

 

[Millky95]

In the original games it was a SNES. Funnily enough, FRLG was so ridiculously in favour of the source material that there was a SNES in Leaf/Red's room in FRLG. In 2003.

Which is something I personally liked about FRLG. I know the evolutions of some Pokemon pre-national dex annoyed a lot of people, but keeping to the originals as close as possible was awesome.

Also, they 4 most recent things you did as a flash back whenever you loaded up your save was awesome

 

[Lady Vader]

In the original games it was a SNES. Funnily enough, FRLG was so ridiculously in favour of the source material that there was a SNES in Leaf/Red's room in FRLG. In 2003.

Actually, they did change it...to an NES.

 

[jordanthejq12]

Which is something I personally liked about FRLG. I know the evolutions of some Pokemon pre-national dex annoyed a lot of people, but keeping to the originals as close as possible was awesome.

Also, they 4 most recent things you did as a flash back whenever you loaded up your save was awesome

Which reminds me. If you actually hit 220 Happiness with Golbat or Chansey, did anything happen or did the game just ignore it until post-National Dex?

 

[Lady Vader]

Which reminds me. If you actually hit 220 Happiness with Golbat or Chansey, did anything happen or did the game just ignore it until post-National Dex?

It simply would refuse to evolve until that point.
Similarly, you couldn't trade over eggs or Pokémon #152 onwards before then, and Umbreon and Espeon could not be obtained without trading as there isn't an in-game clock (similarly, HeartGold and SoulSilver couldn't get Leafeon or Glaceon* without trading since there was no Moss or Ice Rocks in those games).

*Nor could you get Magnezone or Probopass since there wasn't a place with intense electromagnetic fields...despite the fact that the Power Plant exists.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Also, they 4 most recent things you did as a flash back whenever you loaded up your save was awesome

Speaking of which, another little thing I like about FRLG & HGSS and wish they did in ORAS was iconic locations had a location preview. HGSS even had different versions depending on the time of day with each either featuring a different Pokemon or the same Pokemon in different spots & poses. I suppose with the area in 3D we didn't need it but at the same time they didn't replace it with anything. It would be neat if upon entering a new iconic location they did a pan and swoop around of it.

It simply would refuse to evolve until that point.
Similarly, you couldn't trade over eggs or Pokémon #152 onwards before then, and Umbreon and Espeon could not be obtained without trading as there isn't an in-game clock (similarly, HeartGold and SoulSilver couldn't get Leafeon or Glaceon* without trading since there was no Moss or Ice Rocks in those games).

*Nor could you get Magnezone or Probopass since there wasn't a place with intense electromagnetic fields...despite the fact that the Power Plant exists.

Which is odd in HGSS's case since they didn't prevent a Pokemon from evolving into a Gen III or IV Pokemon. And it's not like there isn't locations they couldn't put them. Put a Ice Rock is the Ice Caves (and if they wanted to make it a post game thing have Rock Climb needed to get to it), Moss Rock could go into Ilex or Viridian Forest, and as Vader_the_White said the Power Plant would be the perfect spot to have magnetic waves (or Lake of Rage where Team Rocket was using radio waves to evolve the Magikarp; they could say there's a small amount of electromagnetic radiation left which, while not harmful, will have Magneton and Probopass evolve).