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Little things you like about Pokémon
- Thread starter Kurona
- Start date
That's... not really the same thing, no. I'm not saying anything against the Battle Frontier as a thing, I'm saying it doesn't support an entire full price game on its own.
Well, I can tell you why I dislike PBR.
Unlike in Stadium and Stadium 2, your rental team is rather limited to 2 rental passes. So unless you have the DS games with trained Pokemon, the game will get state pretty fast. You may beat the first round of all matches, but post-game is almost unplayable without your own games.
Also Attack animations are slow... like really really slow.
Stadium 2 had:
- Pokemon Academy where you learn about the Pokemon moves and mechanics
- Gym Tower which include a large roster of rental Pokemon
- Mini Games
- Custom Battles which include a large roster of rental Pokemon
- Poke Cups also with Rental Pokemon (even giving you the abililty to rent Celebi at some point)
Stadium 1 has less content than Stadium 2 but still a larger amount of Rental Pokemon than PBR
But I do appreciate the quality of animation and the ability to customize your character.
Go tell that to 90% of the people who say ORAS is worse than Emerald.
I'm serious, please do.
I'm tired of only 10% of them making points unrelated to the Battle Frontier.
Actually 6 passes, you can unlock more, but compared to pretty much all mons minus mythicals and big dog legendaries... yeah, that's another point for Stadium.
I never thought that just mentioning PBR in this thread would create such as big discussion. I never owned any of the Stadium games and I only played (at least one of) them very little a few times while visiting a friend, so I can't speak for how PBR was compared to them. I always wanted these games as a kid, but I never even had a N64 and by the time I could get a console and the games, they were already a thing of the past. Which was why I got a Gamecube and Colosseum/XD instead.
Either way, I wanted to continue a bit with the discussion of PBR, so here are some specific things I liked about it (some have already been mentioned by others):
- All of the different colosseums with their different rules and restrictions, offering many sorts of challenges.
- The music. As said, I loved the Pokémon selection theme. I also liked the Minor boss battle theme, Sunny Park Colosseum, Sashay's theme, Magma Colosseum, Sunset Colosseum, Stargazer Colosseum, and probably others too. Here's a playlist with all the music from the game if anyone wants to listen.
- Character customization! PBR was way ahead of the main series games with this feature. Another interesting thing about it was how you could sort of choose the age for your character, IIRC they had three different "models" for both genders, with some being notably older. You could also decide on what your trainer should say before and after battle, which has never been possible in the main series games at all.
- Seeing all of my Pokémon from the Gen 4 games in full 3D on my TV, that was really cool. I also thought some of the graphics in PBR were impressive at the time, it looked better than Colosseum and XD in several aspects.
- Some of the challenges were really fun and hard too. I specifically remember the last rounds of Stargazer Colosseum being pretty tough, and winning 100 battles in a row at Courtyard Colosseum with semi-limited healing was very challenging too. Granted, most of the Pokémon I used did not have perfect IVs (this was long before I learned Gen 4 RNG) nor were my strategies always the best, so that might have made it a bit harder than it should have been otherwise.
- Being able to get various items from the game, notably some that couldn't be farmed in the main series games. I remember that Choice Specs could only be obtained once in each Gen 4 game, but you could get an infinite amount of them from PBR. Then there were TMs and a bunch of other useful items as well.
- Getting some exclusive Pokémon from the games as well. There was a Pikachu with Surf and Volt Tackle that you could get after beating Mysterial for the first time. It was also possible to get a Electivire/Magmortar if you inserted a specific code, which was cool (though I also remember that Europe had to wait longer than other regions as usual before we got our codes).
- While I never used PBR for this myself, it also had online functionality and random online battles which I believe wasn't available in the main series games from Gen 4? So that's good, but also bad in a way, I guess.
But PBR isn't perfect. It has some issues, others have stated several of them already. For me personally, I think the biggest issue was the lack of a "story mode" similar to what Colosseum/XD had, and the connectivity between PBR and the main series games for the DS was a bit wacky in some ways too. But even so, I really liked PBR for what it was and I had a ton of fun with it back during the early Gen 4 days.
Either way, I wanted to continue a bit with the discussion of PBR, so here are some specific things I liked about it (some have already been mentioned by others):
- All of the different colosseums with their different rules and restrictions, offering many sorts of challenges.
- The music. As said, I loved the Pokémon selection theme. I also liked the Minor boss battle theme, Sunny Park Colosseum, Sashay's theme, Magma Colosseum, Sunset Colosseum, Stargazer Colosseum, and probably others too. Here's a playlist with all the music from the game if anyone wants to listen.
- Character customization! PBR was way ahead of the main series games with this feature. Another interesting thing about it was how you could sort of choose the age for your character, IIRC they had three different "models" for both genders, with some being notably older. You could also decide on what your trainer should say before and after battle, which has never been possible in the main series games at all.
- Seeing all of my Pokémon from the Gen 4 games in full 3D on my TV, that was really cool. I also thought some of the graphics in PBR were impressive at the time, it looked better than Colosseum and XD in several aspects.
- Some of the challenges were really fun and hard too. I specifically remember the last rounds of Stargazer Colosseum being pretty tough, and winning 100 battles in a row at Courtyard Colosseum with semi-limited healing was very challenging too. Granted, most of the Pokémon I used did not have perfect IVs (this was long before I learned Gen 4 RNG) nor were my strategies always the best, so that might have made it a bit harder than it should have been otherwise.
- Being able to get various items from the game, notably some that couldn't be farmed in the main series games. I remember that Choice Specs could only be obtained once in each Gen 4 game, but you could get an infinite amount of them from PBR. Then there were TMs and a bunch of other useful items as well.
- Getting some exclusive Pokémon from the games as well. There was a Pikachu with Surf and Volt Tackle that you could get after beating Mysterial for the first time. It was also possible to get a Electivire/Magmortar if you inserted a specific code, which was cool (though I also remember that Europe had to wait longer than other regions as usual before we got our codes).
- While I never used PBR for this myself, it also had online functionality and random online battles which I believe wasn't available in the main series games from Gen 4? So that's good, but also bad in a way, I guess.
But PBR isn't perfect. It has some issues, others have stated several of them already. For me personally, I think the biggest issue was the lack of a "story mode" similar to what Colosseum/XD had, and the connectivity between PBR and the main series games for the DS was a bit wacky in some ways too. But even so, I really liked PBR for what it was and I had a ton of fun with it back during the early Gen 4 days.
Being able to play a Pokemon game without being a literal kid was so good...
Real talk tho, the customization system was really, really cool.
Let's not forget Pokemon Snap. That game was such a good way of taking what people like about Pokemon(the pokemon) and doing something different with them.
I know it's a strange small thing, but watching the experience bar fill up into a level up.
Yesss, you're so right! I particularly enjoy the ones from RSE and DPPt for some reason. RSE probably due to nostalgia talking but DPPt because ironically the agonising slowness of those games unintentionally contributed to the build up of anticipation before a level up as the bar took so darn long to move forward that it really highlighted the sweet release of progressing to the next level.
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Similarly, the HP bar going down slowly for those "Is it gonna kill!?" moments.
It's also fun to watch the Exp. Bar go crazy when you use a low level Pokemon against a higher level or a Exp. Candy L/XL.
That feeling when:
- Exp. Bar is about to hit the next level but stops a pixel short.
- Opponent's HP bar is about to empty but also stop a pixel short.
- Your Pokemon's HP bar is heading toward the end, you know normally the opponent's move wouldn't knock your Pokemon out, but then it suddenly does and the text "Critical Hit!" flashes up.
I like how, overall, the west got the better deal in terms of the Gen I and II Pokemon games
-In both gens the number of Pokemon you can have in the PC is increased(more boxes, though oddly fewer pokemon per individual box, 20 instead of 30 like the Japanese versions. Still is a net-gain in terms of PC space though)
-the process of localization in the Gen I games caused many game breaking bugs that are fun to use that were not available in the Japanese games(Like almost every glitch that is based around MissingNO., which is why the Japanese fanbase is mostly not even aware it ever existed), that allowed stuff like item duplication
-The big one mostly effects the virtual console version of Crystal, but can also apply to any Japanese save files made after the wireless service was discontinued, and that is the fact that outside of Japan, both the Odd Egg and Battle Tower are available freely, while in Japan it was required to connect to the wireless service to unlock both. This was not changed in the Virtual Console versions, so Japan got screwed in that respect.
The only real advantage the Japanese games have is the Japanese Blue version(which has an entirely different line up from Red and Green, and thus our Red and Blue, in terms of wild encounter tables and in-game trades) and that in the virtual console versions they can transfer 30 Pokemon at a time to Bank instead of 20.
-In both gens the number of Pokemon you can have in the PC is increased(more boxes, though oddly fewer pokemon per individual box, 20 instead of 30 like the Japanese versions. Still is a net-gain in terms of PC space though)
-the process of localization in the Gen I games caused many game breaking bugs that are fun to use that were not available in the Japanese games(Like almost every glitch that is based around MissingNO., which is why the Japanese fanbase is mostly not even aware it ever existed), that allowed stuff like item duplication
-The big one mostly effects the virtual console version of Crystal, but can also apply to any Japanese save files made after the wireless service was discontinued, and that is the fact that outside of Japan, both the Odd Egg and Battle Tower are available freely, while in Japan it was required to connect to the wireless service to unlock both. This was not changed in the Virtual Console versions, so Japan got screwed in that respect.
The only real advantage the Japanese games have is the Japanese Blue version(which has an entirely different line up from Red and Green, and thus our Red and Blue, in terms of wild encounter tables and in-game trades) and that in the virtual console versions they can transfer 30 Pokemon at a time to Bank instead of 20.
Pokemon 2021: A Space Odyssey
Witness (augmented reality) Pokemon... IN... SPAAAAACE!
Shoutouts to the minigames in the Stadium games, always were fun with friends.
iirc that minccino is in her lab in BW1 and in bW2 it's a cinccino, so it probably is hers
I really like the animations of the unique Z-Moves. They provide a unique scene that displays the personality of the Pokemon, for example, Kommo-o dances to pump itself up before executing a devastating sound wave, or how Mimikyu waits for the player to give a thumbs up before executing who-knows-what with Let's Snuggle Forever. Or how both Lunala and Solgaleo take their target into Ultra Space before unleashing a devastating blow. I like how these visually express the Pokemon's powers that you don't usually see with regular moves. My only criticism is that you cannot skip these animations, and after a while it becomes boring when you see the same animation over again.
While Gen 2 does a poor job showcasing the new Pokemon, it did have Colosseum that featured the majority of Johto Pokemon as the capturable Pokemon, with some Gen 3. Its the only game to date with 0 Gen 1 Pokemon, which is a nice break considering all the attention Gen 1 gets these days. My only minor criticism was that Misdreavus was your only option for a Ghost type for the entire game. Wanted a Ghost type but did not like Misdreavus? You are out of luck.
Speaking of Gen 2, I really like HGSS despite its flaws, specifically the level curve. I really liked how it improved on so much the original things like fleshing out Silver and Kimono girls more, the PokeGear, Type Distrubution, adjusting the levels of teams, and adding the missing Kanto Pokemon in the Post game. It even expanded on some new things like how the following feature was expanded from Diamond and Pearl to include all Pokemon, the Pokeathlon, and including the Battle Frontier to name a few. Despite its flaws, I really love HGSS and had a blast playing them as a kid.
While Gen 2 does a poor job showcasing the new Pokemon, it did have Colosseum that featured the majority of Johto Pokemon as the capturable Pokemon, with some Gen 3. Its the only game to date with 0 Gen 1 Pokemon, which is a nice break considering all the attention Gen 1 gets these days. My only minor criticism was that Misdreavus was your only option for a Ghost type for the entire game. Wanted a Ghost type but did not like Misdreavus? You are out of luck.
Speaking of Gen 2, I really like HGSS despite its flaws, specifically the level curve. I really liked how it improved on so much the original things like fleshing out Silver and Kimono girls more, the PokeGear, Type Distrubution, adjusting the levels of teams, and adding the missing Kanto Pokemon in the Post game. It even expanded on some new things like how the following feature was expanded from Diamond and Pearl to include all Pokemon, the Pokeathlon, and including the Battle Frontier to name a few. Despite its flaws, I really love HGSS and had a blast playing them as a kid.
I absolutely love that Guzma is a Bug-type trainer.
Guzma's whole deal is that he and his team are underdogs. They're the people who the Island Challenge left behind. The rejects. The "people who were told they had no future". Which type is widely considered to be the weakest type? Which type is so often associated with pathetic Pokemon that aren't expected to be used past the early game?
The Bug type.
Guzma's whole deal is that he and his team are underdogs. They're the people who the Island Challenge left behind. The rejects. The "people who were told they had no future". Which type is widely considered to be the weakest type? Which type is so often associated with pathetic Pokemon that aren't expected to be used past the early game?
The Bug type.
I agree
But also another part of me just goes "should have been the rock or ice type". I think the ice type is the only one in-universe to have a type specialist (Wulfric, iirc) go "yeah we have like a million weaknesses but!"
In that case shouldn't he have been Grass? 5 weaknesses (typing with Rock) & resisted by 7 Types (the most).
No, I feel Bug is a nice fit for Guzma as it's an overlooked Type. Rock and Ice are at least common elemental, er, elements. But Bug is one of those unique "elements" to Pokemon but unlike Ghost, Dragon, and Fairy which are also specific creatures but have folklore and mythology connected to them, bugs are those annoying pests you find outside you want to ignore or find in your house/kitchen you want to kill. And most of them are harmless, mostly just a nuisance at most... but then there are the bugs which are far more threatening. And that's Team Skull & Guzma in a nutshell (or should I say an exoskeleton), Team Skull are treated as annoying & mostly harmless pests... but then you have Guzma as an exception and he's quite violent and dangerous.
Speaking of, can we appreciate how antagonistic teams have evolved beyond "we're evil and we want to control the world because stuff" recently?
It started with Gen V. B/W introduced Team Plasma, a bunch of people who, for some, were really convinced they were trying to better the life of several Pokémon. Well, the figurehead still wants power and control, but the Sages' side story brings a bit of additional context to it.
BW2 brought the split between Plasma and Neo Team Plasma, with the former being reformed and truly trying their best, while the latter basically doubled down on their villainy. Seeing both points of view (rather similar!) clash makes for a refreshing story.
Sadly, XY's Team Flare went back to a rather classical plot, leading to a very mild reception, but we all know how botched those games' story was.
Sun and Moon brought us Team Skull, and we're back into fresh territory. As said above, they're not really a threat, more like a bunch of people in need of companionship playing vandals. They're almost endearing, really. Then the revelation about Aether comes in and now there's a duality at hand.
In Sword and Shield, we have another bundle of bumbling nuisances with Team Yell. Are they interested in world domination? Nope. Do they ever get their hands on a legendary Pokémon? Absolutely not. What do they want? To worship their idol Marnie (as any person of culture does btw). Is Marnie their leader? No! What a ridiculous notion! They don't even have a figurehead (Piers is the closest to that, and even he has a very loose control on them). In the end they're just vocal supporters, which fits nicely in a region where Pokémon is a sport played in a stadium.
So, yeah, props to GF to expand from the traditional villain plot. Nothing wrong with that, but eight generations of Team Rocket + reskins would have felt real stale.
It started with Gen V. B/W introduced Team Plasma, a bunch of people who, for some, were really convinced they were trying to better the life of several Pokémon. Well, the figurehead still wants power and control, but the Sages' side story brings a bit of additional context to it.
BW2 brought the split between Plasma and Neo Team Plasma, with the former being reformed and truly trying their best, while the latter basically doubled down on their villainy. Seeing both points of view (rather similar!) clash makes for a refreshing story.
Sadly, XY's Team Flare went back to a rather classical plot, leading to a very mild reception, but we all know how botched those games' story was.
Sun and Moon brought us Team Skull, and we're back into fresh territory. As said above, they're not really a threat, more like a bunch of people in need of companionship playing vandals. They're almost endearing, really. Then the revelation about Aether comes in and now there's a duality at hand.
In Sword and Shield, we have another bundle of bumbling nuisances with Team Yell. Are they interested in world domination? Nope. Do they ever get their hands on a legendary Pokémon? Absolutely not. What do they want? To worship their idol Marnie (as any person of culture does btw). Is Marnie their leader? No! What a ridiculous notion! They don't even have a figurehead (Piers is the closest to that, and even he has a very loose control on them). In the end they're just vocal supporters, which fits nicely in a region where Pokémon is a sport played in a stadium.
So, yeah, props to GF to expand from the traditional villain plot. Nothing wrong with that, but eight generations of Team Rocket + reskins would have felt real stale.