Pokémon D/P/Pt In-Game Discussion

[Solace]

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Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were the first main series Pokemon games to be released on the Nintendo DS! Pokemon Platinum came out about 2 years later, playing off the same story line with a few twists. Generation IV unveiled a totally new design for our favorite game series.

Taking place in the brand-new Sinnoh region, introducing over 100 new Pokemon, Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were unique games, and served as a big reboot for the series as it translated to the Nintendo DS.

Features introduced:

• Wi-Fi
• 5 Time Periods (morning, day, afternoon, evening, and night)
• Physical / Special Split no longer based upon type
• The Poketch
• Poffins and Contests

Some discussion questions!

What was your favorite D/P/Pt moment? There were lots of cool events in the games, which was your favorite?

What was your least favorite D/P/Pt moment? Some parts of the game just lacked luster. Which was your least favorite moment?

Did the game meet your expectations? When Gen IV was new, did you end up missing the old feel of the games, or did you like the new features introduced in D/P/Pt?

What was your in-game team? Which Pokemon did you love to use, which Pokemon did you avoid like the plague, and which Pokemon were the MVPs?

If there were a D/P/Pt remake, what things would you like them to keep? What would you like them to change? If the pattern of Pokemon games continues as it has, the far-off future of Generation VII will provide us with D/P/Pt remakes. What parts of the game do you think are worth keeping? Which parts would you remove?

These are just some suggestions to get the ball rolling! Feel free to bring up anything about in-game D/P/Pt that you think is worth discussing!

 

[RedMeowth]

I was wondering why this one wasn't up right away yesterday, mainly because unlike a lot of people I know, I actually really like these games. Honestly, Platinum is currently my favorite Pokemon game of the series (although the prospect of ruining Unova with a Lucario from the start is very promising).

I actually like a lot of the Gym Leaders in this region, honestly, and I actually liked a member of the Elite Four for once. The reason for this is that a lot of them actually seemed to do things outside of running their gyms. Gardenia was probably the most boring one, and even she displayed some character with a fear of ghosts. Roark would dig underground. Wake visits other Gyms and made up his own theme song. Maylene would hike through the snow to visit her friend Candice. Fantina even did Super Contests! Flint and Volkner make a great pair, too, pretty much swapping energy levels depending on whether it was before or after the battle when you beat them. Before: Flint ^o^ Volkner -_-;
After: Flint ._. Volkner @w@

The Poketch was a neat idea, too, giving you a bunch of little apps that might help you out. Whether it was by finding certain Pokemon or keeping track of your steps or something else, it was nice to have tools like that in front of you. I don't like the C-Gear for Black and White because unless you're at a convention (or in Japan, I'm guessing), you're not going to find lots of different people for whatever. And when I'm EV training in Black and White, I dislike the fact needing a pencil and paper (or Notepad on my computer open) to keep track of that. It was more convenient in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum with that app right in front of you.

That's not to say there weren't problems with Diamond and Pearl, because there definitely were. A big one I hear all the time is that the game was really badly balanced for Pokemon types you can find. And you know what? As much as I like Sinnoh, I agree with that. There were types really lacking in good choices (or ANY choices for that matter). Although there were a decent number of Grass-types, probably only two were worth using: Torterra and Roserade. Cherrim was weak, Carnivine was stronger but not worth using over Roserade, and Abomasnow would cause hail whenever you sent it out. Electric was another detrimented type. Shinx was available early on, and Pikachu was available at a decent point, but that was the best you got. And with the number of Flying-types and Water-types you fought later on, this was troubling. Even the lack of Electricity, though, couldn't compare to the depressing lack of Fire Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl. Only one was available in the wild: Ponyta (why couldn't it be Growlithe?), and it's not a very good Pokemon in most cases. And in a region where you'll encounter many iterations of a really beastly Steel-type defender (Bronzor), who under a Trainer's control will only be weak to Fire, that's a bad sign. It's one of the reasons why I think Chimchar is the best starter Pokemon ever. Love him or hate him, those Bronzor are obnoxious to fight, so having a Fire Pokemon from "Go" is a godsend.

Which brings me to why I love Platinum so much. Platinum did a far better job of balancing out lacking types in the most awesome way possible: by giving us a lot more Pokemon to find in the main story. Yeah, it was mostly the ones that had new evolutions (with some oddballs like Scyther and Altaria thrown in), but it still blew my mind that this was happening. We had other Electric Pokemon like Magnemite and Electabuzz to catch. There were more Fire-types with Houndour and Magmar. Eevee was available. Ralts was here with Duskull and Gligar and Tangela and Porygon... It was like runs where you traded crazy stuff over to plow through the game, except you didn't actually have to trade stuff over.

And Platinum also spoiled us rotten by allowing us to catch two of the best Pokemon in the game early on. Rotom was on the TV in the Old Chateau already, whereas we would've had to wait until after the game to find it. This made a lot more sense, though, since there was nothing stopping us from getting there except a tree and the will of the programmers. But what was even more diabolical was Wayward Cave. In Diamond and Pearl, there was a part that was closed off by a boulder you had to use Strength on. But said boulder was removed in Platinum. And what was so special about this part of Wayward Cave? Gible. Gible around Level 17 to 20. I think this is the earliest possible point in any Pokemon game where you can catch a Dragon Pokemon (I'm including the Game Corner in Johto that sells Dratini because you still have to rack up Coins for that; Gible you can catch normally!). Gible was probably frustrating to train in Diamond and Pearl because by the time you found it, your team was made of mainly Level 35-40 Pokemon and your next stop was the snowy route (I might get to that later). But in Platinum, it can be either about your level or just slightly lower by the time you can first find it. Not to mention that this same cave also contains the TM for Earthquake. All of this (including the part about Rotom) just after your second badge. That is insane. And I did that on a run with a rental copy. >:D

I might come back for more, but let's let other people talk about these games.

 

[Raseri]

What was your favorite D/P/Pt moment? hmm there were a lot of good moments in the game for me, if I had to pick a favourite it would be the final battle of Cyrus. He is the most twisted character in the franchise. It takes a messed up man to want to create a new universe. So when beating him in a pokemon battle was enough motivation to make him stop I felt very satisfied with my skills.

What was your least favorite D/P/Pt moment? Some parts of the game just lacked luster. Which was your least favorite moment? My rival, he wasn't nearly as interesting in this one as in past games. My competition for the best is some ADHD kid with the maturity of a six year old? It just didn't work for me. Also the post game in D/P disappointed me, Heatran was such a defining Pokemon and it was just in a cave somewhere? It could have been done way better. Platinum definitely improved with the Battle Frontier though, I enjoyed that.

Did the game meet your expectations? When Gen IV was new, did you end up missing the old feel of the games, or did you like the new features introduced in D/P/Pt? I actually really enjoyed it, without having to surf everywhere like R/S/E and it being a new experience unlike FR/LG

What was your in-game team? Which Pokemon did you love to use, which Pokemon did you avoid like the plague, and which Pokemon were the MVPs?

I think my first team was Infernape / Dialga / Staraptor / Bronzong / Floatzel / Roserade. It wasn't very unique at all but I didn't know that those were all overused(well most of them)

My last run through has Vespiquen / Bastiodon / Purugly / Chatot though and that was a lot more fun.

The only Pokemon I don't like in the game is the blissey line and the Snover line. Blissey for sucking ingame and Snover for slowing down all my matches by adding hail damage to the end of every turn


If there were a D/P/Pt remake, what things would you like them to keep? What would you like them to change? I would like most of the game to be kept similar, minor changes to the Pokedex to add some forgotten Pokemon in would be nice. And add the Pokemon following you like in HG / SS. I love that!

I really loved these games, they were well executed in my opinion except for a few small mistakes

 

[AJC]

What was your least favorite D/P/Pt moment?: Any time i had to surf..because surfing is so fucking slow in this game..at least it's not waterlogged like R/S/E thankfully.

 

[Aleva]

Ah, Dppt. Platinum currently stands out as my favourite game in the entire Pokemon series, mainly because of the large number of pokemon available, the excellent starters, and the Poketch. Whether it was catching legendaries with the Marking Map, or EV training using the Counter, the Day-Care app, or type matching, the Poketech had an app for almost everything, and it was something I really missed in HG/SS and B/W. I mean seriously, the C Gear does almost nothing if you're just playing at home.

Chimchar, Turtwig, and Piplup were all amazing starters; I loved their dual typings, Torterra and Infernape getting EQ and CC respectively, and Empoleon's Steel-Type that was so useful against so many trainers.

Starly is the most imba early game Pokemon anyone has ever seen. Level 5 Quick Attack, Level 9 Wing Attack, Level 14 Evolution, Intimidate! And CC upon evolving into Staraptor, with Brave Bird to follow. AND it was catchable in Route 1.

Oh and, Gible. Gible directly after the 2nd Gym is ridiculous, hands down.

Platinum also stands out as having the best post-game of all Pokemon games I've played; the Stark Mountain side quest, catching like 10 other legendaries, and the Fight Area far outranks the three towns and Kyurem in Black.

Platinum also had a very satisfying Level balance. The levels of the Pokemon around the 5-6-7th Gyms in HG/SS were just terrible to me; regular trainers would have level 15-20 pokemon, then the Gym Leaders had level 35s. Platinum was much better in the way the Levels grew up consistently.

 

[TrueSoprano]

What was your favorite D/P/Pt moment?
In all games, the final Cyrus battle. In Platinum, the Distortion World. Cyrus is one of the best Pokemon characters ever created, in my opinion. (although at the time I thought his name was hilarious because there was a really annoying kid in my orchestra named Cyrus that year)

What was your least favorite D/P/Pt moment?
I wasn't too fond of your rivals. I miss Blue/Silver. I also hated Route 217 (I think, whichever one was the really snowy one where you moved .0001MPH)

Did the game meet your expectations?
I guess so. I can't really remember what my expectations were.

What was your in-game team?
I used Luxray and Staraptor a lot. I thought Bronzong was really cool, too.

If there were a D/P/Pt remake, what things would you like them to keep? What would you like them to change?
It's way too early to start thinking about D/P/Pt remakes! Although I'll probably warm up to the idea when the time comes around. (case in point: I used to not see the point in R/S/E remakes, but now I really want them)

 

[Codraroll]

What was your least favorite D/P/Pt moment?

I guess finding yet another route with plan grass, trees, perhaps some rain, nothing that set it apart from any of the other routes in the game, is a contestant for the top spot. Or perhaps traversing yet another cave. I feel that Sinnoh really lacked creativity, it was awfully generic in my eyes. Perhaps I should whip out Pearl and walk through it once more, as my memories from D/P may be tainted by my love for R/S/E and FR/LG. As I've stated elsewhere in this forum, the majority of the D/P music SUCKS compared to the one of the previous generations.

Another strong contender: Playing the Super Contests for the first time. Gimmicky, over-complicated, and not half as fun as the original RSE contests. Never mind the fact that my touch screen was broken, so I couldn't make poffins or dress up the Pokémon efficiently.

Absolute least favourite D/P moment, though: Realizing the uselessness of Secret Bases in this game. The concept was butched, I mean, you had to stuff your base in the elaborate maze underground instead of somewhere in the wilderness above, and you couldn't even decorate it fully because you had to interact with this and that many friends before you could remove the stupid rocks.

 

[_roguemischief]

I loved Gen 4! Platinum is actually my favorite game in the series, due in part to the fact that this was the first Pokemon game I actually owned (Though not the first one I played).
I would have to agree with TrueSoprano; one of my favorite moments in the game was the Cyrus battle in the Distortion World (And the Distortion World in general). He was kinda difficult to face (I remember helping my brother beating him): There's a reason he's my avatar on PS. The Distortion World: The crazy gravity-defying mechanics of the Renegade Pokemon's homeworld were really weird and added a lot to the place. Also, figuring out how to get through it was insane, but so worth it once you'd done so. And Giratina is one of my favorite Pokemon, so encountering him at the end excited me.
My least favorite parts were as follows: Surfing and healing at Pokemon Centers. I guess those are problems with all games, though, so...probably the need for HM slaves. Unlike in BW, in Platinum I had to leave a slot open for my stupid HM slave Bidoof through the whole game in one playthrough, and the first time I played the game I had to go back to the Pokemon Center to get my HM slave. It really annoyed me.
I really liked it, as I said. It didn't leave me wishing for the old games (Nobody liked all the Surfing in RSE). So in my eyes, that's a good game. But one of my least favorite parts in the game was the lack of Pokemon of certain types (Fire- and Electric-types especially). If you could get more of those Pokemon, it'd be a lot easier in some scenarios.
If I remember correctly, my first team was Empoleon/Staraptor/Luxray/Machamp/Tangrowth/Giratina. My MVP was definitely Empoleon. I'd overleveled it way too much (But then, it is my favorite Pokemon), so maybe that's why, but I've used Empoleon in other runs and it still performed admirably. Really, all my Pokemon were great except Luxray was a bit disappointing.
I'd like to keep the games pretty similar if there was a remake, but one thing I would appreciate is a wider catch list (More Fire- and Electric-types, definitely) and harder gyms. I loved the challenge of fighting the RSE gyms, and I'd love some more difficult gyms in a remake.
All in all, I felt that these were great games and I'd definitely get a remake if the opportunity presented itself.

 

[dinosaurdan]

Sorry, but this Gen was nowhere near my favorite.
The best moment in my opinion is the final battle with Cyrus, although it was annoying you had to battle Palkia right afterwards.
The worst moment was going through the Lakefront by Pastoria and trying to go to Sunyshore. A power outage in a city with solar panels as walkways? That makes sense.
Honestly though, the game did meet expectations, the new pokemon really saved it for me though.
My in-game team is one Ill always remember... Torterra, Vespiquen, Tentacruel, Medicham, Gengar, and Chatot.
If there was a remake, I probably wouldn't buy it unless it had some new feature that surpassed all others.

 

[Limi]

i'm just gonna adhere to the questionnaire for now that solace surely put much work, sweat, and blood into. ;]

What was your favorite D/P/Pt moment? There were lots of cool events in the games, which was your favorite?

not a moment per se, but the best part of the game (i.e. platinum, the only one i played out of gen 4) was everything between canalave (well actually, the lake verity/valor quest) and sunyshore city. you start by heading towards the north, through mt. coronet, into route 216. i loved route 216 and 217, because i'm a real sucker for winter wonderlands in games in general. then you went to the galactic HQ in veilstone city, where the background themes of the town and the building blended together so wonderfully. that might have been my favourite team bad HQ in the series so far, if only for the amazing and tense atmosphere that is created. afterwards, you scaled the top of mt. coronet, where you are met with yet another incredible atmospheric theme that made me love that giant complex of a dungeon even more (with enough repels, that is. i am one of the few people who really appreciate mt. coronet, i assume, probably because i could avoid all those mindnumbing random encounters, lol).
then, at the summit, you enter the mysterious distortion world whose surreal landscapes can be a bit of an annoyance but moreso very interesting eyecatchers that add tons of flavour to everything. and when you finally emerge, you feel like the biggest boss ever because you just saved the world and only want to go home.
actually, in hindsight, exiting turnback cave after i caught giratina was the best moment of the game for that reason. it felt really special to me, and i still remember the first golduck i encountered on the sparkling red surface of the evening spring "back outside".

What was your least favorite D/P/Pt moment? Some parts of the game just lacked luster. Which was your least favorite moment?

i hate grinding for the e4 as always, but i wasn't exactly too fond of the things surrounding the 6th gym. it was just a piece of land tacked on the west of sinnoh (although i like canalave, and moreso the music, and iron island is pretty cool as well) that stretched things out a bit, especially with the lakes thing afterwards (although as mentioned, the path to lake acuity was epic). also the galactic building thing in eterna was a bit lame.

Did the game meet your expectations? When Gen IV was new, did you end up missing the old feel of the games, or did you like the new features introduced in D/P/Pt?

never played gen 4 until 2010, and i'd heard a lot of it by then, so i can't comment on this.

What was your in-game team? Which Pokemon did you love to use, which Pokemon did you avoid like the plague, and which Pokemon were the MVPs?

infernape, roserade, gyarados (i only trained magikarp because it was adamant, and i'm usually not a graphics whore!), staraptor, hippowdon, and garchomp on my first run. gyara was an absolute beast.
empoleon, houndoom, magnezone, crobat, gallade, and rhydon. crobat loses its worth towards the end of the game, and is a pain to train at the start. the rest are great, although i haven't attempted the e4 yet (fuck grinding seriously).

If there were a D/P/Pt remake, what things would you like them to keep? What would you like them to change? If the pattern of Pokemon games continues as it has, the far-off future of Generation VII will provide us with D/P/Pt remakes. What parts of the game do you think are worth keeping? Which parts would you remove?

i won't even begin to think about this, as the gen 3 remakes are not even confirmed yet, and i'm super excited for those.

 

[BackStreetTabby]

I'm not a "long-time pokemon fan". Indeed, I've only started playing since Generation 4. Pokemon Diamond was my first ever pokemon game. That was, in my fading memory, when I was about 8. Though it was very fun at the time as well, after experiencing competitive battling and getting to decent levels of competence within it, I came to find that DPPt represented much more than just a childhood game. After learning to only play the best pokemon and strategies in competitive Gen 4 - 6, I found extraordinarily nostalgic that the pokemon I loved (and still do love) back then still do excellently. Though this is a personal experience, I'm sure other Gen 4 players would still appreciate this as well.

Anyway, I'd just like to list some things that made DPPt one of the best games I had ever played in my lifetime. Of course, I've played HGSS, BW, BW2 and XY (and even tried my hand at GSC), but I simply found they don't hold the same meaning for me as Pokemon Diamond. I only viewed them as something to introduce me to a new generation so I could get into the new metagame quicker on the competitive scene. Even now, DPPt is the only generation I can play just for the sake of playing; nothing else.

Starters. I personally believe Gen 4 holds some of the best starters in the history of the game, both competitively and design-wise (and ingame performance, of course). I originally started with a Piplup when I first began playing, but as time (and the number of playthroughs) passed, I found myself trying out Chimchar for its sweeping capabilities, and finally Turtwig (which I found, though I had looked down on it at first as weak and slow, back then when I believed the only good pokemon were ones that could 1HKO most opponents), which makes a great tank with Synthesis. Especially Empoleon and Torterra had great designs, that while nothing awe-inspiring like some legendaries, still grow on you as time passes.

The Starly Line. God, I can't express how nostalgic this line of pokemon is; I can confidently say, that for me, it represents my Pokemon-related childhood. Starly was (and still is) a great representation of potential power and cuteness simultaneously. Of course, Staravia isn't that great (though he was called something else; I originally played the Japanese versions), and Staraptor's looks are just extremely cool. I still remember my first time fighting the Veilstone Gym with Staravia and almost getting 6-0'ed by her Lucario.

BGM Music. Whether it be the Eurostyle pop of the Game Center, the catchiness of Route 225, or the Champion Battle, DPPt's music had always had a special place in my heart. Of course, BW has some great music (especially the ending theme), but I guess that's what nostalgia does for you, I suppose. Especially the Cynthia battle BGM. How cooler can you get?

Dialga. Though not in the same sentimental class of the other elements, I still remember it as the first pokemon I ever saw - on the front cover. Combined with the epic map design of the battle location (I forgot its english name; I still remember it as the やりのはしら. Still incredibly Japanese, I know.

And the best for the last... Alakazam. I don't know where to start with this pokemon. I originally received it with the in-game trade (fondly named ケーケー, or "Kay-Kay" in direct translation), and it quickly grew to be my all-time favorite pokemon. Add that to the fact that the nickname was, in fact, the name of my best childhood friend who died of a car accident several months before I first bought the game, and you get one hell of a sentimental image. It was the first (and perhaps only) pokemon, ingame, that could 1HKO a pokemon only several levels below with a neutral attack. It was my first Level 100, when my other pokemon were just nearing 50. I used to solo most Gyms with it; with a moveset of Psychic, Energy Ball, and Shadow Ball, I even believed it was the only pokemon that ever saw stage-time in the E4 and the Champion Battle.

So there you go, a one man's relieving of DP nostalgia. Sure, I continue to look forward to new generations, but I find that Gen 4's the only game that I can return to my childhood days, for a while. Share some of your nostalgic memories here. Who knows; we may be able to relate.