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Unpopular opinions

Here's a perspective I think gets lost in the "old games" topic: a lot of people trying these games out don't have experience or the full picture on what the criticism (founded or exaggerated) for many old titles are.

I have years of playing Johto to know I dislike its level curve and pacing. Someone picking up Crystal on the VC is not going to be privy or have that pre-conception internalized unless they're spending far too much time watching videos and forums for games they don't play (that Super Paper Mario joke is evergreen). A VC re-release is targetted at buyers who want more Pokemon, warts and all, or curious people who have not played them yet and this is their first time experiencing the "classic" games. I would not buy it but I also know I fall into neither of these categories since I already own Gen 2 games (meaning it is not "more" Pokemon for me nor is it new).
 
Just A Shroom God said:
it upsets me beyond measure that, considering their signature mons both have Levitate, they're not named Levi and Tate. Maybe they thought that would be too on-the-nose?
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Levi and Tate are traditionally both “male” names, and the localizers wouldn’t have been the ones who decided to make the twins consist of a brother and sister.

(As someone who identifies as male but goes by a traditionally “female” name irl, I obviously would have no issue with Liza being named Levi. I’m just thinking from the perspective of the localizers having to play the hand they were dealt.)

(I suppose they could have used “Liv,” though. “Liv and Tate,” close enough, right?)
 
Just A Shroom God said:
it upsets me beyond measure that, considering their signature mons both have Levitate, they're not named Levi and Tate. Maybe they thought that would be too on-the-nose?
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I never realized until reading this post that was the point of their names lol

from Bulbapedia (Italy didn't even try lol)

1768263266382.png
 
Gym Leaders having names related to their type specialties bothers me in general. It’s nothing more than a pet peeve, but think about it- imagine you’re a kid named Bugsy living in the Pokémon world and you want to specialize in a Type, like, I don’t know, Dragon? Like, come on, let the kid dream.

NPC 1: “Oh, I remember Bugsy, how’s he doing? I heard he became a new Gym Leader? He’s using Bug-Types, right?”

NPC 2: “No, he uses Dragon-Types.”

NPC 1: “…what”
 
bdt2002 said:
Gym Leaders having names related to their type specialties bothers me in general. It’s nothing more than a pet peeve, but think about it- imagine you’re a kid named Bugsy living in the Pokémon world and you want to specialize in a Type, like, I don’t know, Dragon? Like, come on, let the kid dream.

NPC 1: “Oh, I remember Bugsy, how’s he doing? I heard he became a new Gym Leader? He’s using Bug-Types, right?”

NPC 2: “No, he uses Dragon-Types.”

NPC 1: “…what”
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The whole "2D sprites were so much better than the 3D models" only survives in the year of our lord 2026 because people keep parroting YouTubers. It was sort of a valid complaint in SwSh but it is especially silly now that we're in a post-ZA world where the Pokémon are all moving and interacting in real time. Like yeah, a lot of the sprites (both official and fan-made) are really good! But you can't just put that next to a GIF of an unlit model and pretend it's a real argument!

...unless you're talking about the Swords of Justice. At this point they've got to be trolling us.
 
bdt2002 said:
Gym Leaders having names related to their type specialties bothers me in general. It’s nothing more than a pet peeve, but think about it- imagine you’re a kid named Bugsy living in the Pokémon world and you want to specialize in a Type, like, I don’t know, Dragon? Like, come on, let the kid dream.

NPC 1: “Oh, I remember Bugsy, how’s he doing? I heard he became a new Gym Leader? He’s using Bug-Types, right?”

NPC 2: “No, he uses Dragon-Types.”

NPC 1: “…what”
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You're assuming that the name came first and not, as would be more reasonable, that the character changed their name to match their type specialty. Maybe people change names often in the Pokemon world and it's expected. After all, one of the first things we learn about the universe is that Oak can't remember the name of you or his own grandson without prompting, exactly what I'd expect if both names were changed recently.
 
bdt2002 said:
Gym Leaders having names related to their type specialties bothers me in general. It’s nothing more than a pet peeve, but think about it- imagine you’re a kid named Bugsy living in the Pokémon world and you want to specialize in a Type, like, I don’t know, Dragon? Like, come on, let the kid dream.
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anyone else happen to have a first name that matches their favorite type? lol

guy who likes rock and ground types having a name that means mountain...

also its weird that Bugsy is their actual name and not a nickname as Bugsy is irl
 
Volkner actually comments on the nominative determinism of the Pokémon world in Platinum, lol:

“When I got my first Gym Badge, I used the move Thunderbolt. Ever since, I've stuck with the Electric type even as I got better. I do it because I don't want to ever forget how happy I was when I won. Incidentally, Flint's fascination with the Fire type is only from his name. Someone told him that a flint is what's used to spark a fire, and that was it.”

Hugin said:
You're assuming that the name came first and not, as would be more reasonable, that the character changed their name to match their type specialty. Maybe people change names often in the Pokemon world and it's expected. After all, one of the first things we learn about the universe is that Oak can't remember the name of you or his own grandson without prompting, exactly what I'd expect if both names were changed recently.
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If you wanted to elevate a localization goof into canon significance, you could even say that this is why Janine is called Charine in the English version of FRLG
 
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Misty
Mist = Ice-type Move

Some Stretches:
Blaine
Bane
Bone
Bone = Cubone
Cubone = Ground
Blaine = Ground (or cubone is Charmander or smth idk)

Giovanni
Gio
Dio
Dio = Time
Time = Dialga
Dialga = Steel/Dragon (although considering Palkia is water/dragon and represents space, ig time = steel.)
Giovanni = Steel

Falkner
Ner
Nerd
Nerd = Smart
Smart = Psychic
Falkner = Psychic

Whitney
Ney
Knee
Knee = Bone
Bone = Cubone
Cubone = Ground
Whitney = Ground (dk how I got 2 cubones but ok)

To summarize, gym leader's names lie to you. What if Bugsy...

Bugsy
Gsy
Gsy = Kazoo (cuz it reminds me of one)
Kazoo = Music
Music = Meloetta
Meloetta = Normal/Psychic (although considering melody and music are similar, and it's in the first half, we'll do normal.)
Bugsy = Normal
 
Lontra Assassina said:
The whole "2D sprites were so much better than the 3D models" only survives in the year of our lord 2026 because people keep parroting YouTubers. It was sort of a valid complaint in SwSh but it is especially silly now that we're in a post-ZA world where the Pokémon are all moving and interacting in real time. Like yeah, a lot of the sprites (both official and fan-made) are really good! But you can't just put that next to a GIF of an unlit model and pretend it's a real argument!

...unless you're talking about the Swords of Justice. At this point they've got to be trolling us.
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I've said it before that I prefer the 3D models because of the wider variety of animations and I still stand by it.

Nostalgia's a hell of a drug.
 
LPBvgc said:
I've said it before that I prefer the 3D models because of the wider variety of animations and I still stand by it.

Nostalgia's a hell of a drug.
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its really nostalgia + abstraction letting you imagine things better lol.
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there are many Pokemon who's models are unflattering to them like Excadrill though and that's not due to '3D bad' but due to poor idle posing/lack of proper animations to show off the Pokemon's full concept(Excadrill never went into its drill mode in the games when using Drill Run until Z-A, and that's only in is mega!)
 
Azery said:
its really nostalgia + abstraction letting you imagine things better lol.
View attachment 800782View attachment 800781

there are many Pokemon who's models are unflattering to them like Excadrill though and that's not due to '3D bad' but due to poor idle posing/lack of proper animations to show off the Pokemon's full concept(Excadrill never went into its drill mode in the games when using Drill Run until Z-A, and that's only in is mega!)
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That’s the biggest problem, you use 3D models and you have to make use of that model and not just stand there doing nothing. It’s why people hated Typhlosions 3D model vs its sprites. It’s way more boring without stuff like its fire
 
gotta admit some of them were good

look at this boy: :xy/mudkip:
not a thought behind those eyes, it works perfectly.

and now for my mascot (of my profile): :xy/whiscash: pretty derpy I like it this is peak

:xy/aromatisse: Despite being my least favorite Pokemon (alongside Dedenne.) they did what they could and I like that fact. It really does use the beauty of the evolution line.

:xy/slurpuff: I like the added detail of the whipped dream on its head moving differently, looks like it's shaking.
 
Azery said:
its really nostalgia + abstraction letting you imagine things better lol.
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Context is extremely important.

The first few gens were on relatively weak hardware that couldn't handle fully animated battle sprites, and those weren't super common in RPGs anyway. Gen 5 set an incredibly high standard and the transition to Gen 6 with its incredibly static models is absolutely a downgrade despite the leaps in hardware, especially compared to the Stadium models actually doing stuff. And don't get me started on the flying mons lol.

It's definitely gotten better, but trying to write off any criticism of the transition to 3D as being blinded by nostalgia is disingenuous.
 
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