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Little things you like about Pokémon
- Thread starter Kurona
- Start date
One thing I quite like about Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is that in spite of the perceived lighter tone the villains generally mean business, and you see this in Cipher from the very start of the game. You don’t fight incompetent Grunts much before they straight up succeed in capturing the region’s professorx not to mention your father.
This is a constant throughout the game. When the Data ROM is cracked (fitting given how expensive this game is nowadays), they invade a building and scrub it from their mainframe. Phenac City could maybe pose a threat against Cipher? Invade, kidnap the town, and replace them with duplicates. Oh, you just foiled their master plan at the end? No bother, we will blow up this island WITH OUR SUBORDINATES ON IT just to rid ourselves of you.
It’s a great way of show, don’t tell, and unlike Alola doesn’t leave really blatant foreshadowing smiles to do it. You don’t need to have admins saying “fear Cipher,” it’s almost like you fear them naturally, and it’s great.
Even Team Snagem shows shades of this with Wakin’s Gloom using Sleep Powder on you. It’s like the villains actually stopped to THINK for once. Sure it causes the plot to meander for a bit but I still love that arc and how you earn their respect by drawing them to your side to stop Cipher. Remember how Team Snagem was a footnote in Colosseum despite being in the opening cutscene? Such a great change.
It’s even better if you played Colosseum, because in that game the Shadow Pokémon Lab was the penultimate dungeon and very important. Here you visit it very early on, establishing that the threat is much more grim.
Also, the Cipher Key Lair is one of my favorite areas in any Pokémon game. The music is incredible, the water is murky as sin, and nothing says cool like a pyramid. Citadark Isle is also probably the coolest final location on the series in spite of how long it is.
Anyone saying XD lacks the atmosphere Colosseum had just because you play as a kid seriously needs to play the game again. It wears the light tone on its sleeve but is actually plenty serious when you stop and think about it (seriously the Phenac takeover is one of the creepiest moments in the series for me).
This is a constant throughout the game. When the Data ROM is cracked (fitting given how expensive this game is nowadays), they invade a building and scrub it from their mainframe. Phenac City could maybe pose a threat against Cipher? Invade, kidnap the town, and replace them with duplicates. Oh, you just foiled their master plan at the end? No bother, we will blow up this island WITH OUR SUBORDINATES ON IT just to rid ourselves of you.
It’s a great way of show, don’t tell, and unlike Alola doesn’t leave really blatant foreshadowing smiles to do it. You don’t need to have admins saying “fear Cipher,” it’s almost like you fear them naturally, and it’s great.
Even Team Snagem shows shades of this with Wakin’s Gloom using Sleep Powder on you. It’s like the villains actually stopped to THINK for once. Sure it causes the plot to meander for a bit but I still love that arc and how you earn their respect by drawing them to your side to stop Cipher. Remember how Team Snagem was a footnote in Colosseum despite being in the opening cutscene? Such a great change.
It’s even better if you played Colosseum, because in that game the Shadow Pokémon Lab was the penultimate dungeon and very important. Here you visit it very early on, establishing that the threat is much more grim.
Also, the Cipher Key Lair is one of my favorite areas in any Pokémon game. The music is incredible, the water is murky as sin, and nothing says cool like a pyramid. Citadark Isle is also probably the coolest final location on the series in spite of how long it is.
Anyone saying XD lacks the atmosphere Colosseum had just because you play as a kid seriously needs to play the game again. It wears the light tone on its sleeve but is actually plenty serious when you stop and think about it (seriously the Phenac takeover is one of the creepiest moments in the series for me).
Peony's meaning father also implies either Nia was already born or expected when Peony started his journey, or he changed it when Nia was born. There is also one big exception to the Goroawase numbers.
I shouldn't have to explain the meaning for why Leon is number 1, though I wonder if he chose 1 as his number when he started, or if he changed it upon becoming champion.
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Wait the unbeatable champion is number 1? I don’t think the game told me that enough times.Peony's meaning father also implies either Nia was either already born or expected when Peony started his journey, or he changed it when Nia was born. There is also one big exception to the Goroawase numbers.
I shouldn't have to explain the meaning for why Leon is number 1, though I wonder if he chose 1 as his number when he started, or if he changed it upon becoming champion.
You mean to tell me you don't know about Leon, the Unbeatable Champion with his trusty Unbeatable Charizard? I bet you don't even know he's pants with directions!
Probably changed itPeony's meaning father also implies either Nia was either already born or expected when Peony started his journey, or he changed it when Nia was born. There is also one big exception to the Goroawase numbers.
I shouldn't have to explain the meaning for why Leon is number 1, though I wonder if he chose 1 as his number when he started, or if he changed it upon becoming champion.
I also am guessing that in-universe the goroawase numbering is just coincidental. Like the leader name puns.
And the starters in RB were the last of Oak's collection.
Yeah, but I didn't mention them because they were planned to be their starters, not a heat of the moment decision.
Perhaps one might include the Johto starter, as it was technically just meant for an errand (for the player character's protection), not to become a trainer.
While there are a few Stadium/Battle Revolution hurt animations that have Pokemon recover from attacks smugly, I feel the justification for Sableye's reaction was it having no weakness at the time.
This is leans a bit into competitive but I think it's still okay to post here.
Bisharp is one of the premier screens abusers due to it being a scary Swords Dance user as well as its Defiant ability punishing the opponent from Defogging the screens away. However, while it exploits the most common method of removing screens, it's actually super weak to the original method: Brick Break. That weakness never really plays out in practice since Brick Break is a really rare move, but it's neat nonetheless.
Bisharp is one of the premier screens abusers due to it being a scary Swords Dance user as well as its Defiant ability punishing the opponent from Defogging the screens away. However, while it exploits the most common method of removing screens, it's actually super weak to the original method: Brick Break. That weakness never really plays out in practice since Brick Break is a really rare move, but it's neat nonetheless.
You’ve and I have been wondering why Brick Break is 75 BP in the first place while Psychic Fangs is not only boostable by Strong Jaw, but also already have 85 BP in Generation 7 when it was introduced.
To stay on-topic, here is one little detail I appreciate a lot. We all know how mediocre or outright disliked Volbeat and Illumise are, but there is something about the fact that there are a few traits that did reflected a greaser and a flapper respectively.
One of Volbeat’s Ability is Swarm, and it was referred in some PokéDex that multiple Volbeat fly together. It refers how greasers stick together as a group of rebellious people ready to cause trouble or doing their own business.
One of Illumise’s Ability is Oblivious, and the PokéDex sometimes mention that Illumise is unaware that their pleasant aroma can attract Volbeat. This may refer to the fact with how carefree the flappers are and who tend to be often independant.
Both also have Prankster as their Hidden Ability. Greasers are known to be troublemakers, while some flappers are known to cause cheeky mischief if not outright defying authorities, making the two being on the same side of the coin despite their physical differences.
Were they are an evolving line - even having a pre-evolution of the same name but effectively two separate species - it might help bring the differences and similarities between greasers and flappers - thus Volbeat and Illumise - much more to today viewers. Seriously, those two have no business being single-staged!
Because Psychic Fangs had a drastically more limited distribution, being a pseudo-signature move.
Why it wasn't nerfed (or Brick Break nerfed) once Psychic Fangs was turned into a TR, we don't know.
Also Fighting coverage is much more valuable than Psychic coverage. It's not as simple as "oh they have the same effect that means they should have the same power"
Pretty much. Fighting type is one of the best attacking types, and conversely, Psychic types are one of the weaker attacking types.
You can either hit Poison types or Fighting types. Fighting types are also weak to Fairy types and Flying types, so coverage moves from those types are much more useful since they also hit things that aren't Fighting type. Many Poison types also have a secondary type that you can use a better coverage move on besides a Psychic type move. I can only really think of Volcarona as an example of a good Pokemon that uses a Psychic moves, which it uses to bypass Toxapex.
Psychic Fangs is justified in having more power cause it works better as a STAB move, not a coverage move like Brick Break
Additionally, Poison is also weak to Ground, which is one of the most common and most effective physical coverage types available.
Also, because there's no real reason to nerf a move if it isn't problematic.
GameFreaks usually only nerfs features that have been excessively prevalent in VGC (see the soft-nerf to intimidate, the murdering of Brave Birb(tm), the nerf to Gengar and Aerilate, etc). "Equality" isnt exactly something they care for (and honestly as I said somewhere else, that's perfectly fine).
You don't exactly see every other team running Psychic Fangs do you... or Screens at all really. They're used yes, but not enough to even justify having screen-breaking abilities in first place.
If I had to guess, the only balance changes gen 9 will bring may be another soft nerf to Intimidate (probably more Defiant/Competitive pokemon or pseudo immunities) and (hopefully) murder the shit out of Ally Switch. Nothing else is likely to be touched.
GameFreaks usually only nerfs features that have been excessively prevalent in VGC (see the soft-nerf to intimidate, the murdering of Brave Birb(tm), the nerf to Gengar and Aerilate, etc). "Equality" isnt exactly something they care for (and honestly as I said somewhere else, that's perfectly fine).
You don't exactly see every other team running Psychic Fangs do you... or Screens at all really. They're used yes, but not enough to even justify having screen-breaking abilities in first place.
If I had to guess, the only balance changes gen 9 will bring may be another soft nerf to Intimidate (probably more Defiant/Competitive pokemon or pseudo immunities) and (hopefully) murder the shit out of Ally Switch. Nothing else is likely to be touched.
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i didn't know how much i needed breakdancing genesect in my life until now
thanks disembodied reggae space voice
seriously is it the same voice as
??????
The first time I played that game I assumed we were meant to think it was N saying that. Seems a bit out of character for him, but maybe he was just really excited...?
I remember hearing somewhere that it's meant to be the dragon roaring but it got horribly mistranslated. Not sure if there's any truth to that, but I like to imagine that there is because it's really funny.