I think it's TPC mandate as I previously said. Something to accomodate as many language possible.
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(Little) Things that annoy you in Pokémon
- Thread starter BriarRose
- Start date
Because they were always separate? They're not the same internally either, the text entry screen is different between them and various characters such as the accented letters other than é don't exist in all versions.
The data structures are massively different between the Japanese version and others, especially in gen 2.
It would require massive rewrites of the games to add a language select to RBY and GSC.
Fair enough. I'm just not sure why other Game Boy games didn't do that; there was a GBA Fire Emblem game with its languages spread across two cartridges, but I don't know if it was put on VC.
Talking about language things, and knowing I'm beating a dead horse, I just noticed a certain inconsistency in the Spanish localization that leaves me baffled.
The game uses the word "Audaz", meaning "Bold", for two things that have a completely different meaning: the Brave nature and the Reckless ability.
A generation after getting "Brave Nature" localized as "Naturaleza Audaz", we get a move called Brave Bird. Does the Spanish localization show some consistency between two consecutive generations and call it "Pájaro Audaz"? Nope, they call it "Pájaro Osado", with "Osada" being the name used for the Bold nature.
The game uses the word "Audaz", meaning "Bold", for two things that have a completely different meaning: the Brave nature and the Reckless ability.
A generation after getting "Brave Nature" localized as "Naturaleza Audaz", we get a move called Brave Bird. Does the Spanish localization show some consistency between two consecutive generations and call it "Pájaro Audaz"? Nope, they call it "Pájaro Osado", with "Osada" being the name used for the Bold nature.
To be fair Brave Bird is kind of a weird move cause its name doesn't really make much sense in first place.
Es the Italian for it is "balde ali" which would translate to Proud Wings.
I have no clue what the other languages refer for but I think there's just some weird naming shenenigans with the actual original names also being strange and alternating between "brave bird onslaught" and "divine bird"
The French translation has never been as infamous as the Spanish and Italian ones, but both the Dark type and the move Night Shade were both known as "Ténèbres".
The move has been renamed "Ombre Nocturne" in XY, but I will never forget this "Psychic is a Psychic-type move" silliness.
Speaking of move names, does anyone else dislike the name of Return? In Japanese, this translates to "Return Favor", and that fits into the 12-character limit of the earliest games. And yet, to this day, it's still just Return.
Other European languages aren't better. Spanish did change to "Retribution" in XY, but French, Italian, and German? Nah, it's still "Return".
The move has been renamed "Ombre Nocturne" in XY, but I will never forget this "Psychic is a Psychic-type move" silliness.
Speaking of move names, does anyone else dislike the name of Return? In Japanese, this translates to "Return Favor", and that fits into the 12-character limit of the earliest games. And yet, to this day, it's still just Return.
Other European languages aren't better. Spanish did change to "Retribution" in XY, but French, Italian, and German? Nah, it's still "Return".
Can't remember if I've posted this here or not but its a little thing in Pokémon that bugs me so here goes.
As established in Gen 5, the "standard" for a "strong" draining attack with no inherent restrictions (hi Dream Eater) is 75 BP, 100% accuracy, and 10 PP. Giga Drain, Horn Leech, and Drain Punch all have these stats.
In Gen 7, they decided to buff Leech Life to be another "strong" draining attack. I'm fine with that. It kept its 100% accuracy and got its PP reduced to 10 to match the three aforementioned attacks. What did they buff its power to?
80.
The same as the same-typed, no effect, also-a-TM X-Scissor.
As established in Gen 5, the "standard" for a "strong" draining attack with no inherent restrictions (hi Dream Eater) is 75 BP, 100% accuracy, and 10 PP. Giga Drain, Horn Leech, and Drain Punch all have these stats.
In Gen 7, they decided to buff Leech Life to be another "strong" draining attack. I'm fine with that. It kept its 100% accuracy and got its PP reduced to 10 to match the three aforementioned attacks. What did they buff its power to?
80.
The same as the same-typed, no effect, also-a-TM X-Scissor.
X-Scissor has a boosted crit rate. Generally not as useful as HP draining but it does have something.
EDIT: Apparently it only got the boosted crit rate in PLA, which is genuinely news to me (I thought it always had it, but then again I basically never ran anything with X-Scissor). I guess we'll see if it keeps it in SV.
That's only in Legends; in vanilla it has no effect.
Okay, but X-Scissor has 15 PP instead of 10. Therefore, X-Scissor isn't 100% overshadowed by Leech Life.
Lunge, on the other hand, was 80 BP, 100% accuracy, 15 PP... and an additional effect of lowering the target's Attack stat by one stage 100% of the time.
EDIT: oh wait i forgot Lunge isn't a TM.
Water Pulse got altered to never miss in Legends as well; there may be other moves that got changed like this to better fit in with thar game's battle system. I agree that it would make sense for X-Scissor to have a high critical hit rate but a change made in Legends doesn't really mean anything for the main series (though I would love for Close Combat to remain 100 BP...).
Lunge deliberately has limited distribution as far as I can tell, but that's a fair comparison.Okay, but X-Scissor has 15 PP instead of 10. Therefore, X-Scissor isn't 100% overshadowed by Leech Life.
Lunge, on the other hand, was 80 BP, 100% accuracy, 15 PP... and an additional effect of lowering the target's Attack stat by one stage 100% of the time.
EDIT: oh wait i forgot Lunge isn't a TM.
X-Scissor and Leech Life do generally have different learners, so it's not often that you will have to choose healing over slightly increased PP. I'm more annoyed that Leech Life doesn't match the other draining moves than that it's mostly superior to X-Scissor, but the latter does still bother me.
Because none of the Shadow Pokemon in the gamecube games are popular enough to have a 100% chance of appearing in every future title(Even then, popularity doesn't make it a shoe-in either looking at stuff like Greninja), the list of what I called "True" ribbon masters(Can obtain every non-event exclusive Ribbon) is getting thinner and thinner. Currently, here are all of the Shadow Pokemon(National Ribbon) that appear in all thee currently released switch titles with ribbons in them(Sw/Sh for Master Rank, Tower Master, and Galar Champion Ribbons, BDSP for the Brilliant Star Ribbon and also Tower Master again, and Legends for the Pioneer Ribbon). The ones marked with an "O" are ones that are confirmed to be in SV:
Colosseum(Can Be Shiny):
-Remoraid/Octillery
-Mantine
O-Sudowoodo
O-Sneasel/Weavile
-Piloswine/Mamoswine
-Heracross
-Togepi*/Togetic/Togekiss
O-Scizor*
*Japanese version of the game only
XD(Cannot be Shiny):
-Spheal/Sealeo/Walrein
-Vulpix/Ninetales
O-Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir/Gallade
O-Snorunt/Glalie/Frosslass
-Roselia/Roserade
-Swinub/Piloswine/Mamoswine
-Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss
-Tangela/Tangrowth
O-Magneton/Magnezone
O-Golduck
-Magmar/Magmortar
-Rapidash
-Lickitung/Lickilicky
O-Scyther/Scizor/Kleavor
O-Chansey/Blissey
-Electabuzz/Electavire
-Snorlax
-Mr. Mime
-Rhydon/Rhyperior
I can imagine there will be a day where it is impossible to have any one Pokemon to have all of the in-game ribbons at this rate.
Colosseum(Can Be Shiny):
-Remoraid/Octillery
-Mantine
O-Sudowoodo
O-Sneasel/Weavile
-Piloswine/Mamoswine
-Heracross
-Togepi*/Togetic/Togekiss
O-Scizor*
*Japanese version of the game only
XD(Cannot be Shiny):
-Spheal/Sealeo/Walrein
-Vulpix/Ninetales
O-Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir/Gallade
O-Snorunt/Glalie/Frosslass
-Roselia/Roserade
-Swinub/Piloswine/Mamoswine
-Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss
-Tangela/Tangrowth
O-Magneton/Magnezone
O-Golduck
-Magmar/Magmortar
-Rapidash
-Lickitung/Lickilicky
O-Scyther/Scizor/Kleavor
O-Chansey/Blissey
-Electabuzz/Electavire
-Snorlax
-Mr. Mime
-Rhydon/Rhyperior
I can imagine there will be a day where it is impossible to have any one Pokemon to have all of the in-game ribbons at this rate.
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Reading this my initial thought was that it's yet another thing in Pokemon where something basically is a rule until it isn't.
Stat-changing moves are another example of this. Prior to Gen V, no move raised or lowered stats by more than a factor 2 in total without some sort of penalty. Moves would either raise or lower a stat by 1, like Growl or Meditate, or 2, like Screech or Swords Dance.*
But then in Gen V, suddenly there were a bunch of moves which raised stats by a factor of 3 with no drawback, like Cotton Guard and Quiver Dance. So this apparent rule was thrown out with no real reason.
*Obviously, there were a couple of exceptions to this, but the overall rule was maintained:
-Curse lowers Speed by 1 while raising Attack and Defence by 1 each, but the overall net change is still 1
-Belly Drum maximises Attack (so 6) but costs 50% of the user's total HP and cannot be used if the Pokemon is below 50%.
-Memento lowers the target's Attack and Special Attack by 2 each, but the user faints.
I think what makes it frustrating isn't that it breaks a supposed rule, but that it's just barely off. It's five base power. Would Leech Life really have been that much worse a move if it were only five points weaker?
Just one thing for in game stuff. I wish we had all access to shiny legendaries and I wish pokemon made an show/short series from the manga
Yeah Game Freak is liable to change any "rules" at any time, and I get that, but DrPumpkinz honed in on part of my annoyance in that it's just barely off.
I really wouldn't be surprised if they decided to make it just that little bit stronger just because of Buzzwole.
Yeah, that is kinda weird. It makes sense for Knock Off since that effect is very unique and it'd be weird for two moves to do that, but I can't think of a good reason why they turned Leech Life into Giga Drain as opposed to keeping Leech Life as Absorb and making a new Bug Giga Drain. Them replacing Leech Life with Absorb in early-game level-up movepool also feels stilted. Like, if old Leech Life and Absorb are interchangeable, what gives new Leech Life a reason to exist apart from Giga Drain?
Especially since Bug...doesn't really have a lot of gaps in it's movepools. It's definitely lacking in to 100BP+ department, but when they made the change, Bug had Leech Life, Pin Missile, and Infestation for the early game. Bug Bite/Silver Wind/Signal Beam for the mid-game. And Bug Buzz/U-Turn/X-Scissor for the lategame. Not everything gets all of them, for sure, and there's other moves that don't really fit clear categories(Fury Cutter post-buff, which is hilarious in-game), but if they were making a new bug-type, it would be really easy to give it an early-game, mid-game, and late-game move from it's preferred attacking category without feeling like it's a stretch in any way. Swapping Leech Life to 80 BP honestly makes that harder, even if it's a buff for everything that gets it, just because the early-game options otherwise are fairly dire.
Power creep, my dear.
And then Sword and Shield has the genius idea of not allowing Pokémon to use Silver Wind and Signal Beam. Also, Bug Bite fails on Dynamaxed targets.
I have brought up about Leech Life from another thread so I reposted it.