That really annoyed me too. If it's not an automatic fix that's gonna be built into the console and hence I have to fix it myself, fine; but I don't like any game punishing me for that. I can see why they didn't think of it and why it'd be an oversight, but... argh.
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(Little) Things that annoy you in Pokémon
- Thread starter BriarRose
- Start date
Why does the game give you:
Brick Break right before Raticate/Gumshoos (4x/2x weak to Fighting)
Fairinium Z right before the trial that is also 4x weak to Fairy.
The first one I can get being used to help new players but did they really need to give us Fairinium Z right before the Dragon trial? As if Fairies didn't screw it over enough already? The way it's given to you is annoying as well, by a random person who's only really fleshed out post-game.
Brick Break right before Raticate/Gumshoos (4x/2x weak to Fighting)
Fairinium Z right before the trial that is also 4x weak to Fairy.
The first one I can get being used to help new players but did they really need to give us Fairinium Z right before the Dragon trial? As if Fairies didn't screw it over enough already? The way it's given to you is annoying as well, by a random person who's only really fleshed out post-game.
I'm guessing it has been mentioned in various posts here before, but I want to say something about it as well. The biggest annoyance for me in S/M is this: The lack of good training spots.
What is the main reason as for why HG/SS are my least favorite games in the series? Their lack of training spots.
On the other hand, why is Gen 5 my favorite and Gen 6 my second favorite (right now)? One big reason is the fact that they have EPIC training spots. With things like the Nimbasa Stadiums, Black Tower and White Treehollow, the Battle Chateau, the Restaurants (which I honestly never used much, but I know others have praised them), the PokeNav and Secret Bases, as well as several strong trainers that could be rebattled at various times, training Pokemon to level 100 (or any other level) was never difficult in these generations. In fact, it was always lots of fun, and I see it as something very positive if the actual level grinding in an RPG is fun. Plus a free Lucky Egg (or multiple), Pass/O-Powers, the changed Exp. system in Gen 5 and the buffed Exp. Share in Gen 6. Those things were amazing.
S/M took a big step backwards in this regard. There's daily battles with Morimoto, the Battle Buffet once a day, E4 rematches and wild Pokemon on Poni Island... then nothing more, at least I don't know of anything else. Which is a shame, as better training spots could have made the games quite a bit better. These are also the games that introduced Hyper Training, which requires training to level 100 before it can be used... Game Freak, sometimes I don't get you at all. I never even considered that the series would take such a huge step backwards in this aspect, which at least to me, is extremely important. Things like the Lucky Egg, the 6th Gen Exp. Share and the 5th Gen Exp. system (at least for lower levels) helps, but it could have been so much better.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't dislike S/M for this, I actually like them very much. But this does unfortunately drag them down quite a bit. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to fix, which I hope a sequel/third version/other follow-up will do... if there is one this generation.
I don't like to create negativity so I don't post in this thread very often... but now that it has expanded to all generations, there is one other post I want to make about various things I disliked in a previous game pair... but I'll wait with that for a while.
What is the main reason as for why HG/SS are my least favorite games in the series? Their lack of training spots.
On the other hand, why is Gen 5 my favorite and Gen 6 my second favorite (right now)? One big reason is the fact that they have EPIC training spots. With things like the Nimbasa Stadiums, Black Tower and White Treehollow, the Battle Chateau, the Restaurants (which I honestly never used much, but I know others have praised them), the PokeNav and Secret Bases, as well as several strong trainers that could be rebattled at various times, training Pokemon to level 100 (or any other level) was never difficult in these generations. In fact, it was always lots of fun, and I see it as something very positive if the actual level grinding in an RPG is fun. Plus a free Lucky Egg (or multiple), Pass/O-Powers, the changed Exp. system in Gen 5 and the buffed Exp. Share in Gen 6. Those things were amazing.
S/M took a big step backwards in this regard. There's daily battles with Morimoto, the Battle Buffet once a day, E4 rematches and wild Pokemon on Poni Island... then nothing more, at least I don't know of anything else. Which is a shame, as better training spots could have made the games quite a bit better. These are also the games that introduced Hyper Training, which requires training to level 100 before it can be used... Game Freak, sometimes I don't get you at all. I never even considered that the series would take such a huge step backwards in this aspect, which at least to me, is extremely important. Things like the Lucky Egg, the 6th Gen Exp. Share and the 5th Gen Exp. system (at least for lower levels) helps, but it could have been so much better.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't dislike S/M for this, I actually like them very much. But this does unfortunately drag them down quite a bit. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to fix, which I hope a sequel/third version/other follow-up will do... if there is one this generation.
I don't like to create negativity so I don't post in this thread very often... but now that it has expanded to all generations, there is one other post I want to make about various things I disliked in a previous game pair... but I'll wait with that for a while.
It's a valid point IMO.
I mean, even something as simple as bringing a Pokemon to Level 50, the bare competitive minimum level, is no fast task.
Some kind of fix that could be done can be changing the way Isle Evelup's Experience sessions work. Perhaps, instead of a fixed value, it could be percentile, so that no matter the level, experience grows the same way. Perhaps 10% per Session at level 3?
New/young players is pretty much the answer: to assure they can get through the Trial. It's also why your offered to trade for a Steenee before Lana's trial and a Poliwhirl before facing Hapu. Heck, the order of the Akala trials after Lana would mean you'd have a place to get a Pokemon with a type advantage over the next trial (and as I mentioned above, before Lana's you can get a Steenee).
However I do agree that just being given the Fairinium Z out of the blue felt out of left field. Like you can have the player encounter her but then she goes back to Seafolk Village to give you the option of just continuing forward or going back, probably battling her, and then giving you the Fairinium Z to make the Dragon Trial easier.
However having a TM, wild Pokemon, or trade which gives you a Pokemon with an advantage over the next boss (be it a Gym or Trial) is a common thing in all Pokemon games. I would say the most popular example of this is in Gen V against the Striaton Gym, you'll face the triplet with the type advantage over your starter (and they made sure no wild battles before that point can get you a Pokemon that gets you an advantage over Grass, Fire, or Water-types) but if you go into the Dreamyard there will be someone who will give you the elemental monkey that'll have the advantage over the triplet you're facing. Gen V does it again with the Nacrene Gym where you're told it uses Normal-types but it just so happens outside of town there's a spot you can catch Fighting-types and even includes a rock you can get I think Stardusts from if you have a Fighting-type for some easy money (thus encouraging you to get a Fighting-type).
Yeah but isn't it just overkill? The only way your going to be using Fairinium-Z is to have a Fairy Type or a Pokemon with fairy coverage which already deals 4x damage to Kommo-o. At least you have to go kind of out of your way to get those trades (never noticed Steenee) whereas Fairinium-Z is forced on you.
I swear the Elemental Monkeys were weak enough to make this gym kinda challenging but mabye that's because I almost never grind. I don't have an issue with this though because you have to put in effort to get said Pokemon/Trade/TM, atleast minimal, whereas Fairinium-Z is just forced on you.
Maybe the idea was, since you didn't know about the Dragon Trial until you were about to do it, you may not have trained your Fairy-type or Pokemon with a Fairy move for it. The other Trials you knew what you were getting into, but the Dragon Trial just popped out of nowhere.
Or they want to avoid 6 year old kids throwing their 3 DS out of the window because "it's too hard so it sucks". Remember, the game is designed for kids who might find it difficult and might get frustrated (I know I was frustrated because I didn't know how to beat Lance in RBY until I Ice Beamed it by accident)
All these issues could be easily solved by a simple difficulty function. It's actually outrageous that they look at a fanbase with such a wide age range and continue not to include one permanently. The option in BW2 was a good start, but an actual difficulty system should entail many more changes (and obviously be available immediately).
Hypno28 answered this pretty well but the game is a lot harder in other places so if this was the case kids would've already thrown their 3DS out of the window.
This. BW2's strange decision to leave the difficulty system until after you beat the game never made sense. So many other franchises have a difficulty system, why not this one?
Not just beat the game. If you wanted more/less of a challenge, you had to have someone who already beat the respective game send the key to unlock it for you. So if you wanted your play through to have more of a challenge but didn't own another DS and an already beaten Black 2, or someone around who did, you were out of luck. (and it used the IR port to send and receive the keys, so you couldn't do it over Nintendo Wi-fi even when that was running)
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I still think the difficulty levels of BW2 was badly executed not just because you need to beat the game (even if it's to get the easier difficulty), but also because difficulty wasn't really higher.
At hardest, you had to grind a level or two more than in regular difficulty. The jump is not high enough.
If anything, that Challenge Mode could be normal difficulty and make Challenge Mode harder.
(While it was meant to be a very hard ROM Hack to begin with, Blaze Black 2 and Volt White 2 are what I find should be the appropriate differences between difficulty levels)
At hardest, you had to grind a level or two more than in regular difficulty. The jump is not high enough.
If anything, that Challenge Mode could be normal difficulty and make Challenge Mode harder.
(While it was meant to be a very hard ROM Hack to begin with, Blaze Black 2 and Volt White 2 are what I find should be the appropriate differences between difficulty levels)
Challenge Mode trainers (especially major ones) had better movesets and more items in addition to the higher level.
Yeah, but I did not really notice it being harder, though my memory could be a little off given I played vanilla BW2 a loooong time ago.
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I agree. I was disappointed with it, but it's at least a starting point. I think a real "hard mode" should make much more significant changes. To use examples discussed in the thread, it might have the Brick Break TM not appear in that spot until later (or somewhere else, but that seems more problematic), the Water-Fire-Grass trials go in the opposite order (by changing how the character progresses, but not the layout of the island), etc.
There was a step in difficulty in the Totem Pokemon, though, I have to admit it.
The bosses need clever strategies and useful characteristics, more on the line of the Totem Lurantis, summoning a Pokemon that makes its Synthesis better and its Solar Blade single-turn, as well as having doubled Speed so that it can heal before getting hit. (The Totem Pokemon that follow it simply smash things with the brute force of +1 in everything)
Also, Tate and Liza in Emerald were great difficult bosses, with things like Claydol spamming Earthquake while all the other Pokemon were not grounded, Sunny Day to weaken Water-types... there have been good examples of cleverly difficult battles (and not just sending something too strong for early-game like Whitney's Miltank or Morty's Gengar)... why not more?
Totem Lurantis can die I lost to that thing twice on a Mono Bug run of the game. Only beat it on the third try with Intimidate / Scary Face Masquerain spam (where funnily enough I found Totem Salazzle + Olivia to be a cakewalk). Both its summons basically murder bug types. That said Totem Lurantis feels like the only time where all summons where meaningful in Totem battles. First Totem and Totem Mimikyu mabye, but the others just seemed disappointing (eg Totem Wishiwashi calling another Wishiwashi not Alomomola). Seriously why does Kommo-o summon Pokemon which have about 10 levels below itself?
That one was really weird. At such a low level, not even a Technician-boosted Metal Claw from the SOS Scizor is going to scratch Fairies.
Why, GF, WHY? What's the point?! Had to beat the game and version exclusive. Most players probably never will use it even if they wanted to! It's like they're so afraid a little kid would accidentally set it on a mode they'd consider too difficult/easy and lose interest in Pokemon. GF, I got new for you, if that scenario happens, the kid just wasn't that into you in the first place; they'd probably drop the game later anyway. Also, you could switch between the difficulties at any time (the difficulty change only affected battles by mainly increasing an opponent's Pokemon levels, maybe giving an important NPC an additional Pokemon) so yet another reason the worry is not needed.
Also think of this: maybe they dumbed down the Normal Mode so they could make Challenge Mode more "challenging" in comparison. I don't see why they shouldn't had a good moveset from the start, Challenge Mode would I'd imagine switch the battle to something more competitive like the opponent using entry hazards, weather conditions, and more situational items. Also in Challenge Mode only their ace is holding an item and it's usually a healing or stat reduction berry, rarely they use anything else. I could go spend a lot of times detailing what I think would be appropriate for each mode but the point is Challenge Mode wasn't any more challenging, at least nothing that some grinding and strategy wouldn't fix.
Seriously? I OHKO'd it with an Inferno Overdrive from Incineroar... Oh wait you said Mono Bug nvm.
And Incineroar is a little overleveled for that battle.
Yeah, I accidentally overleveled while training up my weaker mons lol, now I have a Tsareena at level 44 before I've even faced Totem Mimikyu. #OPShare
Bravely Default does this well. Allowing you to change encounter rates, difficulty, exp gain / gold gain / JP gain literally on the fly allow you to customize this game's difficulty basically how you want. Game Freak, take note.
In comparison to other Pokemon games BW2 actually did quite well with normal mode and movesets, a lot of Pokemon (I think) had at least 3/4 moves whereas in the most recent installment there were a few two move Pokemon even in mid/late game (Guzma's Masquerain and Hapu's Flygon to name two, only having their dual STABs).
Yeah I'd like to see this to. Challenge Mode may be harder but it should just be called Hard not Challenging. I associate Hard as things that can be beaten with grinding, while Challenging doesn't have to mean grinding, but beatable if you use your head.
I hate grinding but if you have to grind to beat the game that's proof of a (kinda cheap) difficulty. Also, I'm perfectly fine with the Hard Mode of a game not being that hard if it forces me to use strategy.
I had EXP Share on and all Pokemon at maximum affection and I was still either underlevelled or on par with the main story levels. Granted that may be due to me almost never grinding, but still with the new Gen 5 style XP it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
Tauros Charge is basically a better Bike. Why ride on a Puny Bike when you can charge around on a Tauros?