Pokémon Ranger Discussion

[Raseri]

***Pokemon Ranger Discussion***

​

Come one, Come all to the Pokemon Ranger discussion thread! Where you can take a journey to the land of Fiore and travel all the way from Ring Town to Win Town! The Pokemon Ranger series has been one of the more enjoyable yet the most frustrating and painful spin-offs I have played. It was an exhilarating game like no other but the pain my wrist would feel after a level was ridiculous.

To go a long with the other threads I made some guiding questions; but feel free to discuss anything related to the game series.


What is your favourite memory from Pokemon Ranger? Why did you buy it? Did you get all of them?

What did you like about the series? Were you drawn to Plusle and Minun like me? Ukulele Pichu to cute to pass up?

Would you play more Pokemon Ranger games in the future? Seeing as Nintendo has already made a few I'd bet that more games are going to come, would you play more?

This is just meant to start a discussion, feel free to discuss what you like, dislike etc.

So far I've only completed the first one, i have played part of Shadows of Almia but have not comlpeted it yet. Guardian Signs I haven't even touched yet since I want to play them in order.

I also found the dragon-portion of the first game really difficult. Am I the only one? When I first did it it took me over 2 hours to get through the area.

 

[Honus]

I got the 1st Pokemon Ranger and the 3rd one, haven't played the 2nd, but I might buy it if I'm bored. I really didn't like the first Pokemon Ranger, since the plot was sort of dull and some Pokemon were extremely annoying to capture, given how primitive the capture method was compared to later games. I definitely agree about the Dragon part, Charizard and Salamence took me forever to capture.

I got Guardian Signs last summer, though, and it was amazing, easily one of my favorite Pokemon games. The environment was really neat, and I loved the plot, I don't think the mainstream games have twists and turns like Guardian Signs had in its plot. I also liked how they cleaned up the capture method, so each loop was chipping away at the Pokemon, rather than having to capture it in one go. If you haven't already played Guardian Signs, I highly reccomend it!

 

[General Spoon]

I absolutely love the "primitive" capture system from the first Pokemon Ranger. It was a wonderful way of keeping things difficult. In the later games, it is no big deal if you lift the line, making it far, far easier (which I suppose the intent was). There are also umpteen billion methods to have captured Pokemon straight up increase the capture gauge.

When talking about the more difficult captures of the first game, one should not forget Steelix, who is notable for being so damn big.

 

[zdrup15]

I've played the first two games of the series and I have mixed feelings about them.

The first game was by far one of the toughest Pokemon games ever and it actually required both skill and persistency. Steelix and Charizard were extremely difficult for me, with Salamence close behind. I took hours to beat these 4 Dragons and over a week to beat the game. A very good game.

The second game was a disappointment. It was very different and way easier to capture Pokemonin it, and even though I still liked the plot, the game was only relatively tough at the end. Overall, a decent game.

After this, I never got to play the third but I might do it if I see enough positive feedback here.

 

[Raseri]

@Karpman

What you say about Guardian signs really makes me want to play it. I might have to rush through the second one in order to get to it.

And I did not mind the primitive catch mechanics; in fact I think they fit more with the theme of the game. If I can't capture them in one go I shouldn't get them at all.

I also found Charizard kind of easy, Salamence was the difficult one for me. It is where I wasted most of my time figuring out how to capture it. Steelix was definitely a difficult capture

 

[Dark Arceus]

Charizard in the first drove. Me. Up. A. Freaking. Wall.

First time I played I tried like 20 times and got close but always just missed him. Then I got bored, played last weekend for the 1st time in a few years, miss 1 or 2 attempts. And catch him perfectly next try.

 

[Sherkel]

These were amazing. Probably the best spinoff series Pokemon ever got. I played through the first and second (completed both browsers too) and started the third but kinda forgot about it.
The first was great overall but wasn't that deep in terms of gameplay. Still, the difficulty and good old middle school spirit kept me going. Steelix and Charizard I thought were absolutely nothing. Now, Tyranitar and the second Entei...those were where the real toughness was at.
I had mixed feelings about the second. Stuff I did like would be the partner system and added replay value. Stuff I didn't like would be how easy it was, and the evil team. Oh, my god, Team Dim Sun...Their name reminds me of Chinese food, and they were just SO STUPID. It was amusing for a bit, but after a certain point, it just wasn't funny anymore. Take Jessie and James from the anime, clone them, give them black wet suits, and you come close.
The third I can't say much about, though from what I spoiled myself on, the story looks more developed, and there seems to be loads more replay value than the previous two.

 

[Steiner]

I scratched up my touch screen and couldn't catch Charizard.

 

[TalkingLion]

My favorite of the Ranger games was definitely Shadows of Almia. The story was great, and they really made the "capture" mechanic a lot less frustrating, but didn't make it too easy. Another thing I liked about was being able to switch partner Pokemon, each of which had a different type and capture ability, which I found useful to change them depending on what mission I was going on.

 

[AOPSUser]

I played the second and the third. To me, they appealed better than the first because I could take my time to capture stuff. Still, Togekiss is pretty annoying in Guardian Signs, still haven't gotten it yet.

Also lol@Ditto. It couldn't at least transform into Arceus?

 

[Jellicent]

I played the original game solely to get Manaphy...

What I discovered, however, was an amazing game that was great as a stand-alone. After beating it, I was a bit bummed, however. The game that I was playing was my roomie's, and she had already gotten Manaphy from it. Turns out, even after starting a new file on it, you can't get a Manaphy if the original owner got it. Laaaaame.

That said, I still found this to be an incredibly fun, challenging, and solid game in itself.

Out of curiosity, how did you guys take down the tougher foes (like Charizard, Salamence, Entei, etc.)?

 

[Pippy]

I loved the Ranger games ever since I started playing them. I got to say, SOA was defiantly the best. The storyline was great, the graphics were fine, the game itself was a little challenging but not frustrating like the 1st, and it was probably the longest. The 1st one was the second best. It was a great challenge, and the storyline wasn't shabby either. However, GS was a big disappointment. It was way to easy, to the point that it was boring. It was also too short. And at least in Anime, Ben is a loser

 

[JockeMS]

I bought the first Ranger game because of two things: it looked fun and I wanted to try something new while having a Pokémon game for my DS and to get Manaphy for the upcoming Diamond and Pearl.

And then it just continued from there. I loved the game and bought the other two. Out of the three I like Shadows of Almia best. I like the areas, having 17 partners, etc. The other two are great as well, but the second one was the one who got to me.

And if I have found all Pokémon? Yes I have. In all games. And I would probably buy and play any future game too.

 

[Maxim]

My history with Pokemon Ranger is kind of interesting. I got the first game because it had a neat looking gimmick, and I wanted that Manaphy. However, the plot was forgettable, the difficulty was just plain insane, and I ended giving up when I got to Salamence. Half the time I didn't know what the bad guys were plotting, even today I'm not sure what their final goal was. About the only thing good in that game was the scenery in my opinion.

I wouldn't have touched the rest of the series, except for the fact that I learned that several events in Guardian Signs, Heatran, Shaymin, and Manaphy, were soon to end, and that the gameplay had improved significantly. The story started out a bit lighthearted, but the gameplay was definitely much better, and the story had enough moments to keep me entertained.

Then I met the [Societea (I don't think the name itself is a spoiler, but I've put it in white anyway.)

Then the plot really started getting good, the villains actually had a motive and were competent, and they had a great theme song. I really remember how well the endgame was thought out, and loved every minute of it. Alas, after I did the event missions, I had a giant catastrophe and lost the cartridge, then the events ended. But the plot was still good enough that I bought a replacement cartridge.

As for the multiplayer, I never really got that far, since the game apparently doesn't have any scaling for the bosses, so they got rather...difficult. Still, it seemed like if I had gotten to the end it would've also been good. A shame I never got that Deoxys.

Overall, good series, and I'd look forward to any sequels.

 

[DTC]

Circling Pokemon was an interesting concept. I didn't like it all that much, but it was pretty fun at times.

I didn't really like how the first game worked. It was very annoying trying to catch Pokemon with a ton of lines and multiple Pokemon at a time. I wasn't a fan of the Poke Assist's either.

Something really stood out to me in the 3rd game: Multiplayer. You and your friend would basically run around trying to complete a goal (such as catch 4 piplup) and then you'd have to go to a red warp zone and fight a boss. It was very fun, especially catching the harder-to-catch Pokemon. This mode is also playable with just one person, but it's a lot less fun and some levels are nearly impossible without multiple people. Has anyone else played Multiplayer on Guradian Signs?

 

[gamer40000]

I have, and the multiplayer is amazing. The best part about it was the fact that your friend could go one route, and you could go the other, and do things in half the time. Also, you could preform a unique capture by having one person circle clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. The line would shine white and you would do more damage and attack in the same speed as two people circling normally. I haven't (and probably will never) try with 4 people, so I can't speak for that.

 

[Raseri]

Circling Pokemon was an interesting concept. I didn't like it all that much, but it was pretty fun at times.

I didn't really like how the first game worked. It was very annoying trying to catch Pokemon with a ton of lines and multiple Pokemon at a time. I wasn't a fan of the Poke Assist's either.

Something really stood out to me in the 3rd game: Multiplayer. You and your friend would basically run around trying to complete a goal (such as catch 4 piplup) and then you'd have to go to a red warp zone and fight a boss. It was very fun, especially catching the harder-to-catch Pokemon. This mode is also playable with just one person, but it's a lot less fun and some levels are nearly impossible without multiple people. Has anyone else played Multiplayer on Guradian Signs?

I didn't even know there was multiplayer on guardian signs(shows how much I know), but the more you guys talk about this game the more I want it.

I think having to circle the pokemon all at once was a good thing as it added to the challenge. I really enjoy hard pokemon games and I'm still hoping that one day there will be difficulty settings on the games

 

[Misdreavus]

Pokémon Ranger - length and difficulty of playthrough

How long does it take to play through the original Pokémon Ranger? How difficult is the game to beat? I've never played any of the Ranger games, but from what I understand, the controls are very stylus-oriented, so it sounds like it may take some getting used to.

I'm thinking of getting it so I can RNG a shiny flawless Manaphy.

 

[Jellicent]

The game itself is fairly quick to beat (10 to 12 hours iirc, but I might be off there; it's been a while >.>)

As far as difficulty goes, I would say it's higher than most Pokemon spin-offs. The controls can be downright obnoxious on some of the tougher bosses, but it's nothing impossible, especially if you level up steadily. Definitely a fun game, and the challenge of it makes it all the more rewarding to get that Manaphy ^.^

 

[Perfect Cell]

From what I remember, I bought the second one (Shadows of Almia) for the Darkrai event. It wasn't a hard game at all, but it was pretty long for a spin-off.

Still very fun though.

 

[King Serperior]

I played a Pokemon Ranger game before and all I can say is this:

Defeating that Steelix was &^$^%#%Y%$ hard!!! I eventually had to get my little brother to defeat it because he's a genius >_>

 

[Tyranitarphantom]

All 3 of the games were great fun, and I loved them, but the latter two were really easy (though the past thing that could be multiplayer in Guardian Signs could get pretty tough).

I still remember struggling so much in the first one. Charizard, Flygon, Kingdra, Salamence, Steelix, Metagross, all of them were such a pain. Comparatively, Raikou and Suicune were very easy, though the final fight against Entei took me a while to beat.

And I definitely played the first game just so I could have a Manaphy for my DP cart on day 1 (which I did).

As far as story, the plot of the second game really drew me in. It's the main reason why I've played the game around 5 times. The first game didn't do much for me as far as plot, and Guardian Sign's plot felt lacking compared to Shadows of Almia.

Reading this thread makes me want to play the original again

 

[Aeromence]

played all three, guardian signs is the best and still fun after the main storyline is beaten. The past is annoying as fuck, cos however many times I do the last temple, i cant get mew. ive got about 20 arceuses though, thats a pretty good effort

 

[Arcanite]

Best Memory: When, after getting it on release date, Me and a friend finally catch arceus after many attempts, (spread quite thinly cause the mission takes so long) in the multiplayer of guardian signs two months ago. The multiplayer was difficult on that one!

(Both of us ~Lv 45-50)

 

[CooltrainerAlan]

I played the second one but no other ones. I had trouble with Rampardos in that game. I couldn't beat it until I grinded to get more HP in my styler. It was a pretty good game and I actually still had a Darkrai on it when I checked last year, pretty cool.