Pokemon Ranger series

[Lumari]

In this thread I wish to take a look into a series of three spin-off games: the Pokemon Ranger series. This series is probably best known for being the games where Manaphy eggs could be obtained; after beating a downloadable/unlockable mission, one could send a Manaphy egg to a Generation IV game.

Anybody who has actually played these games, however, knows that they are vastly different from the canon games. They resemble each other in being RPGs and featuring Pokemon and a villainous team; the similarities end there. Whereas the main series feature two Pokemon fighting each other in turn-based battles, the Ranger series require the main character himself to capture the Pokemon by drawing loops around it with his Styler. A captured Pokemon can help the Ranger out once, be it by assisting in a capture or by clearing targets in the overworld, and is released afterwards - the exception being the Ranger's partner Pokemon, who can't clear targets in the overworld, but stays with him throughout the game. Naturally, these game mechanics can come off as slightly... unusual (some of my friends, who are also into Pokemon, never understood how I could possibly want to play this series), but that doesn't have to stop the games from being enjoyable or good :)

I'm mainly interested to know if there are more people around here who have played these games, how they liked them, and, especially, why they did or did not consider them to be good games. Any memories and anecdotes are always appreciated of course. (Also, if you have a favorite within these games, please mention/explain which one, I'm very interested in hearing it)

Just some stuff to consider, I don't care if you follow these points, but in any case this should provide sufficient inspiration:
1) Game mechanics. The most obvious example is the capture styler, which is a rather controversial mechanic in my experience. Other examples include field moves, the rides on the beasts and the underwater chases from Guardian Signs, etc.
2) Level of difficulty. Most people, including me, appreciate video games being somewhat challenging. This doesn't necessarily have to be Valley of Death (Zelda II) calibre challenging, but naturally beating a game is much more rewarding if it actually required some effort. As for the Ranger series, I reckon it's pretty debatable whether the series is actually all that challenging. Also, the different capture mechanics between the games naturally involve a different level of difficulty within the series; a system of consecutive loops plays very different from an HP system.
3) Storyline. This is a highly prominent feature in these games, much moreso than in the main series, especially the older gens. This can be taken two ways. On the one hand, a good story obviously contributes to a good game; on the other hand, a prominent storyline naturally involves much more hand-holding, simply because there are more events the player must be guided past. In any case, if a series is highly reliant on the storyline, they'd better make sure it's a good one.
4) Atmosphere. This affects a game's experience to a great extent. Using an example from the Legend of Zelda series, the adult part from Ocarina of Time has a much darker atmosphere than the goofy Link's Awakening. However, in both cases the atmosphere adds a lot to the respective games, giving it distinctive colours, and in both cases it works. As for the Pokemon Ranger series, I found these games to be very lighthearted for Pokemon standards. Anybody who considers the Lift Key grunt from Pokemon Red to be a buffoon has never run into any Go-Rock Squad member.
5) Non-essential content. By this, I mean any content that is not required to beat the main storyline. The first game is quite barebones and essentially devoid of this content, only requiring a few post-game missions and the completion of the browser. The second and third game, however, also feature various sidequests where the player can earn power-ups; they are not required for beating the main storyline, only for completing the browser. Some people can consider this to be a valuable addition to the series; other people can consider this to be tedious and give up on completing the browser because of it.

Finally, please do not judge these games relative to the canon games, I know those are better. It's perfectly fine, however, to compare some game mechanics/story arcs etc. to the main series (guilty as charged; you can also compare them to Zelda or Worms or whatever for all I care), but try evaluating them as games in their own right, rather than as spin-offs.

 

[Hulavuta]

Nobody replied so I guess that means nobody likes these games! Haha.

I've only played the first one but I thought it was really fun. The capture styler mechanic was controversial, as you said. People say stuff like "destroy your touch screen by smashing the stylus on it and scraping it in a circle, great mechanic!" but I thought it was very fun. I like that it was one of the few Pokemon games to be in real-time and not turn-based as well, upping the pace.

The Pokemon sprites were cool and I believe this is the only case where we actually get fully animated Pokemon sprites in a game (Mystery Dungeon does NOT count...). The characters and character designs were really cool too, Solana was really hawt. I think it's hilarious how the player character you do not choose just becomes the silly sidekick that does all the talking (since the protagonist is silent in true Pokemon fashion) and is paired with you on every mission yet does absolutely nothing because the game design does not quite lend itself to cooperative play.

The only characters I didn't really like were the Go-Rock squad members...they just made no sense to me. They're up there with Team Flare on the absolute goofiness scale. Using music as their gimmick just seemed really off to me...at least the other teams used vaguely dangerous things like rockets or space travel. I know it's weird to say that I couldn't take Pokemon villains seriously, but unlike the other teams they didn't even seem very malicious to me. I think the Quads didn't even want to be villains but their father forced them to? My memory is kinda hazy about this, I last played it when I was around 12 or 13.

 

[Celever]

Pokémon Ranger is a very interesting series. I definitely prefered Guardian Signs over the other games since I feel it has the most replayability, and it is enjoyable overall. My one problem with it, though, is that it is probably the most boring sub-franchise Pokémon has. I mean, I very much enjoyed the games the first couple times through, but after that it became very old very fast. I think that the issue is the lack of randomness. All of the Pokémon are in fixated positions and capturing is fairly easy and simplistic. There's a very linear path for you to take through the game and the most variety you get is by skipping quests, one of the most important aspects of the game. It just gets stale after a couple of playthroughs...

That said, as an experience the first time through, these games do not disappoint at all, and it could be worth the money just for that. The story is often quite long, and the characters are always very... Charismatic. Individual. I would say this moreso for Guardian Signs than the other games, too. This is why I am being careful not to spoil anything! I have one huge complaint about the games, and the only way to make it better is through wild encounters, which is something I'm not sure would fit the gameplay well... So who knows, honestly. It is what it is, and that is a very enjoyable experience.

 

[Kurona]

Honestly the best Pokémon Spin-Off I've played. Then again, I've only played Ranger, PMD and Dream Radar so...

I never got why this series got so much slack and PMD didn't. PMD was the most monotonous, boring, repetitive thing gameplay wise even if it did have neat concepts, plot and character - so many floors, all of which were pretty much the same thing disguised as different with random layouts and I generally never felt I was getting anywhere.
Not Ranger. Now I haven't played Guardian Signs - I never got enough money to invest in it, I still favour the main series - but I got the other two and they were just bloody fantastic. Ignoring the couple of difficulty spikes in Ranger 1 - Charizard, getting to Fearow - they were almost perfect. You got a completely new take on the Pokémon Series that utilized it's world without resorting to any main series mechanics, a very interesting new style of capture, a lot of variety and fun in locations, Pokémon and obstacles you encounter etc., a lot of optional sidequests, side areas and aftergame that just enhanced replayability and honestly just made the games so fun to play. Shadows of Almia also fixed a lot of the first games' problems and added a lot of new features like multiple characters, fly, surf and quests that made it an overall better game. I'd love to see one now with the 3DS graphics, and what they could do with all the new Pokémon and maybe even Mega Evolution - not sure how that would work in these games but it'd be interesting to see.
As someone said above, the villains for the first game were... eh... kinda naff, Almia's main antagonist was by far much better. That said, I always did enjoy seeing the go-rock quads play. There's something so enticing about that theme...

 

[lucariomaster2]

Anyone who's ever played Guardian Signs will probably agree with me when I say that the temple missions are pure evil. For those who don't know, there's essentially a whole other optional storyline that involves you going back in time to complete missions in the Forest, Fire, Ice, Thunder, Dark, and Light Temples. In addition, each mission has a time limit, and if you run out of time, it's instant game over. So why do I say they're so evil? Read on.

First of all, they're balanced around the gimmick of multiplayer missions. This is all well and good, except that I don't know anyone else who has Guardian Signs. The side-effects of balancing missions around multiplayer are that there are bosses that are almost impossible to capture on your own, and the treasure chests that give you Styler NRG and time extensions are way too generous with recharges and way too skimpy with extra time.

Getting through the temples themselves isn't too hard, but at the end of each mission is a boss, some of which are practically impossible to capture solo. Feraligatr in the Ice Temple comes to mind; when you're about halfway to capturing it, it starts making puddles that are conveniently just barely big enough that you can't draw a loop around it. And then it stands right in the middle of the puddles and spams other attacks. And its capture bar goes down really fast.

Oh, and getting the slates for bosses is a nightmare. If you get S-rank on a mission, you can get the boss slate, which means it becomes your partner... if you get really lucky. I have gotten S-rank on the Sceptile mission about 20 times, and I still have not gotten the Sceptile slate.

 

[Kurona]

pokemon ranger shadows of almia and guardian signs are released on wii u europe eshop this thursday yay

 

[Yoshi]

Hello, this is a Pokemon Ranger discussion thread. If you don't know what Pokemon Ranger is, it is a set of spin-off Pokemon games where you, the trainer, befriend Pokemon using a new form of "capturing" using your special device that is called a Stylus. These games have deeper stories, a new and exciting different way to play, and whole new regions to explore.

The main idea of this thread is to spark discussion about the series, bringing new light into it that the community didn't have before. You can discuss anything about the games, from the main mechanics, all the way to the lore of the regions and characters.

Also, please remember that just because someone doesn't have your opinion, it doesn't make them stupid. Enjoy :).

 

[Yoshi]

To kick off conversation, why don't we talk about the mechanics of the Stylus? For me, it was very gimmicky at first, but I ended up enjoying it heavily. And having it be your Pokedex as well made it a lot cooler. Honestly, I only played Guardian Signs so I'm not quite sure how it works in the other two games.

 

[Codraroll]

Merged with the extant Pokémon Ranger thread. When making new threads, PLEASE search the forum and see if threads covering the same subject already exist.

 

[Yoshi]

Merged with the extant Pokémon Ranger thread. When making new threads, PLEASE search the forum and see if threads covering the same subject already exist.

Ah sorry, I did do a quick search but there was only anything from 5-6 years ago...

 

[deetah]

I've only ever played one of the series, it being Shadows of Almia. I must say, I absolutely loved it. I used to play the entire game on long car trips and then proceed to play it all over again. However, it did get a bit stale just playing the same storyline over and over again. At first the stylus seemed a bit weird, but as I got used to it it became more enjoyable. I would often press the stylus so hard it would leave marks on the touch screen.

I really liked the animations of the Pokémon and characters as well as the game mechanics in general. Seeing your captured Pokémon running alongside you was a major plus for me. Another thing I also enjoyed were the optional quests. As a fun addition to the main storyline, they keep you busy and are really entertaining. However, the storyline itself was not very challenging at all, most Pokémon were relatively easy to capture as most stayed in the same position only using attacks. Also, the idea does get stale after awhile, as you're continuously just using the stylus, there's not much else.

Overall, I love the Ranger series and I would honestly be tempted to purchase an updated one with even better graphics and including more generations if it ever became a thing.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I really liked the Pokemon Ranger series, I played all of them, got all the special event missions, and got (most of) the Pokemon you can transfer over to your main game. Just in general I like how it's more of an action game then the turn-based main games, of course its not exactly the action your expecting from a Pokemon game: instead of controlling a Pokemon you're controlling a spinning top that creates rings of befriending energy. It provides a different way to experience the Pokemon world as the Ranger games are "canon" with the main series so it further builds the world of Pokemon. I have a lot to say so I'll tackle each category one at a time:

Game Mechanics: The Stylus is a fun mechanic, especially when later games give you the ability to charge it up. You wouldn't think drawing circles around Pokemon would be fun, but with the Pokemon fighting back and each game changing how you wear down a Pokemon there's layers of challenge which involves strategy to beat. First game you had to draw a number of circles around a Pokemon IN ONE TRY; you can just imagine how frustrating some of the bosses were. The sequels would later add a bar you just had to fill, though the bar starts to deplete in a few seconds if no circles are drawn so this of course means some Pokemon were given longer lasting attacks or attacked more frequently. Still, I liked filling the bar then doing it in one try. :P The third game, Guardian Signs, had bosses able to enter into a "rage mode" which you needed to knock them out of (by filling another bar) to progress filling their normal friendship bar, which was a nice addition to give some challenge. Curious how they would expand upon this in a fourth game.

But let's not forget the Pokemon. Starting with Partner Pokemon, first game you only had a Plusle or Minun that gave out an electric shock which paralyzed the opponent (other Electric-types only recharged your Styler if I remember correctly). That was alright, makes sense they'd want to have Pikaclones starring in the game and Plusle and Minun were prime choices (not only to provide a different one depending on the player's gender, but also because in side games they could actually do something special with them). Shadows of Almia actually let you acquire 17 Partner Pokemon, one for each type though you could only have one with you as the others stayed at your family farm. This was due to how they changed Assists, all giving your stylus an attacking technique and your partner provided a guaranteed use of its Type assist instead of looking for a Pokemon with that assist in the area (if there was one). This was my favorite of the Partner Pokemon even if the Partner didn't have a special assist as it adds a layer of strategy. Guardian Signs went back to one partner but did something really unique: Ukulele Pichu, a Pichu who played a ukulele that channels its electricity. You had to wait until Ukulele Pichu popped up to use its assist which starts our as it creating damaging music notes but as you progressed more is added to the assist like more music notes and electrical shocks. It sounds strange but felt really gratifying as you watch Pichu rock out and rapidly filling even the toughest of bosses bars.

Then there's all the other non-boss Pokemon who have Assists and Field Moves. Whenver you "captured" a Pokemon, it would follow you around until you either used it to Assist you in battle (except in Guardian Signs) or uses a Field Move.
In the first game and Shadows of Almia the Assist added an effect to your Styler, either powering up the styler in some way of able to create hazard/attack with the element which causes certain status effects to make the Pokemon easier to loop around. In Shadows of Almia they changed it so that you placed the Pokemon on the field and it'll do its type's Assist but can be hit by an attack, a bit of a downgrade but the Pokemon now stays around and you can even reuse their Assist after a small recharge (though if hit by an attack either they run away completely or you can't use them for the rest of the battle, I can't remember). I prefer the Assists affecting the Styler though I get also wanting the Pokemon itself being in the battle instead of its type being the only factor.
Field Moves are sort of like HMs though a bit more versatile. Also usually the solution to a puzzle or problem is finding a Pokemon with a certain Field Move which feels less intrusive then HMs just being needed to get around a hazard only blocking the player from getting to a new area.
Both Assists and Field Moves show other ways Pokemon can provide their assistance then how the main games usually does, making the Pokemon species more dimensions then just being monsters you use to battle each other.

And that's really it for mechanics all the games share. There's a few other mechanics I'd like to talk about:

Special/Extra Missions: In Shadows of Almia and Guardian Signs you were able to use Ranger Net to download post game missions that added to the game's storyline and sometimes gave you a Pokemon to transfer to your main game! This was a great idea and something I think the main games could use.

Ranger Signs: The main gimmick of Guardian Signs, you used your Styler to draw a symbol which summoned a Pokemon. There were three kinds: ones which you needed to do only for plot but had no use outside it, ones which were progress important by summoning a Legendary Pokemon to ride, and finally signs you can summon a normal Pokemon to join your party which had a weak Field Move but stronger Assist effect. This was a really interesting mechanic and, at least for the plot and progress ones, gave the game its own identity from the others by making the Styler then more a device used to capture Pokemon. It was really fun to ride on the Legendaries, though I felt the ones that added a Pokemon to your party were a bit lacking.

Wireless Multiplayer: But sadly not all mechanics can be good. The biggest stumble of the Pokemon Ranger series, in Guardian Signs you can play with another player with local Wifi through a temple. Now you can do some of these challenges alone, but they have their own experience and upgrade system so it's a grind to do it alone. However, you can only do some alone as some missions has switches you need players to step on to continue. And this is where they stumble: one of the special missions which rewards a Deoxys to the main game is locked behind one of these missions! Worst, only the hosting player of the mission gets the Deoxys, AND that Deoxys can have different moves depending on what Forme it is with some moves being ones it doesn't normally learn! It's the only Pokemon from the Rangers game I hadn't gotten as I don't have anyone else to play with me, though I could only imagine how annoying if would be to get as, to be fair, you'd need to play that mission as many times as there are people helping you so each can be the host and if you want the Attack Deoxys with Meteor Mash you'd need to be lucky as I don't think anyone would want to play that mission more time then they have to!