Only via netplay, where you're theoretically connecting to something that can interpret two sets of commands. They don't work together for local play.And besides, it's been shown that a Switch can access a 3Ds via the new Monster hunter game XX in Japan.
Well, yes Z-Moves accomplish what Game Freak set out to with them (other than trying to develop another cash-cow mechanic), which was to give less used Pokemon a possible use. However, the unintended side effects of going with the Z system are pretty severe.
The biggest difference between Z-Moves and Megas (other than one is a temporary evolution, and one is a single use move), is the complexity. Megas are not very hard to use, you slap on the matching crystal, hit evolve button, and out pops an epic-er looking Pokemon. Z-Moves, on the other hand, take a lot more skill to master unless you're just using them as nukes (as I'm sure 99% of casual players use them), because there's a whole list of effects that can take place depending on which move you use with the Z-Crystal.
Here in lies the problem. Casual players don't know/want to know the in-depth effects of what they use to battle, they're playing the game for the catharsis of completing the game/post-game, not the meta battling. So while it takes a long time to learn what each and every Z-Move does (something I'm pretty sure most people don't even know completely), megas just require you to know cool Pokemon -> Mega cool Pokemon with more stats/different ability. Megas have a much clearer effect for the average player than Z-Moves.
Moreover, Megas are just not as boring as Z-Moves. You can go into your Mega fast, and while its the same process every time, you aren't stuck watching a long cutscene. Z-Moves however, have a fairly lengthy cutscene, that looks cool, but after getting watching it for the 30th time, it feels more like a chore than a fun battle mechanic.
As a result, we've been seeing a large decrease in active players within the Pokemon community. Of course, this is compounded with all the problems of the Alola region (most notably the change from the PSS to the Festival Plaza, gtfo the moron who thought that was a good idea), but it's still a significant problem beacuse it's such a hyped mechanic. Casual players simply do not want to play through Sun and Moon or continue playing it, because while it's fun initially, it gets boring fast. I have a handful of friends, of whom all have played from Gen 3 and up, and literally I am the only one playing at this point only beacuse I'm in the competitive scene. Most of them didn't even get off the first island before they stopped playing.
Z-Moves aren't bad, but they're geared towards competitive play, not casual play. As a result, they only hurt the franchise by turning off new and casual players. Pokemon isn't defined by the meta, and how 'different' and 'variable' the meta is, it's ultimately defined by all the people who play it. If most of the people who play it aren't returning/continuing to play your game, you've done something wrong.
Of course, Game Freak has made some bad choices with the Megas that hurt the meta. Mega Metagross is pretty hard to counter in the meta, and Mega Garchomp is completely redundant. But, Megas have had some success stories to. Beedrill went from being a pretty mediocre Pokemon, to an OU Behemoth. Banette turned into a decent mon with a massive Attack and access to Prankster, one of the best abilities in the game. Glaile took the spotlight with Refrigerate, and became one of the most fun grenades I used in ORAS, even when I lost. As long as Game Freak chooses the right Pokemon to Mega, then they'll work fine. They don't need to redefine the Meta, they just need to be fun to use.
And yeah, Mega had essentially become mandatory (but then again the meta game had always been a bit centralized around certain Pokemon (Sun & Moon being no exception, hi Celesteela). Mega just gives some Pokemon a chance to be added to this centralization), but I do feel the same can be said for Z-Moves. Sure, you could probably make a team without Z-Move and do perfectly fine, but then again having a potential 1HKO nuke move is very tempting and can easily change a tide of a battle.
You can pass on oras unless you loved rse, but definitely pick up sm, it's been the best pokemon game in a loooong timei haven't played oras or sm... do you guys think it's finally time to dust off my ds and pop them in to play before these new games?
ORAS is pretty fun with a large post-game and plenty of the past Legendaries for your to capture. If you played RSE, it might be a bit too familiar, but with fantastic use of the game engine for the cutscenes, it really brings a lot of the epic moments to life. Furthermore, the PSS helps to bring a sense of community to the game, which makes it a lot more enjoyable to play through. The use of the Latio/as method to fly also helps display the size and grandiose scale of Hoenn better than any other game in the series, and DexNav makes it a lot easier to find your favorite Pokemon for use/breeding, and for chaining shines.i haven't played oras or sm... do you guys think it's finally time to dust off my ds and pop them in to play before these new games?
Yeah, I meant "ditch" as in gave up on working on the concept, the phrasing was bad.But they didn't ditch it, the Mega that exist still are still here. If anything, if they felt Mega are a problem then abandoning it is the worst thing they can do as that means whatever problems the existing Mega Pokemon caused to make them feel this way now won't be fixed. Pokemon traits aren't set in stone, if they feel they made certain Mega Pokemon too powerful they could edit their stats, typing, and Ability to iron out the problem they have with it.
Also they didn't want to do any more Mega Pokemon yet perfectly happy to add in Battle Bond Greninja.
But they didn't ditch it, the Mega that exist still are still here. If anything, if they felt Mega are a problem then abandoning it is the worst thing they can do as that means whatever problems the existing Mega Pokemon caused to make them feel this way now won't be fixed. Pokemon traits aren't set in stone, if they feel they made certain Mega Pokemon too powerful they could edit their stats, typing, and Ability to iron out the problem they have with it.
Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Celebi will get an exclusive Z-Move like Mew did. Transfer your GS Pokemon to USUM and then you get it. Maybe it sets like Grassy Terrain or something.
I'm just glad there's a place in the Pokemon community safe from "WTF NO SINNOH REMAKES/SWITCH GAME SCREW YOU GF". I mean, sure I was looking forward to that, but sequels (and GS VC) will do nicely. Besides, they'll complain complain complain and buy the games anyway.
Well, yes Z-Moves accomplish what Game Freak set out to with them (other than trying to develop another cash-cow mechanic), which was to give less used Pokemon a possible use. However, the unintended side effects of going with the Z system are pretty severe.
The biggest difference between Z-Moves and Megas (other than one is a temporary evolution, and one is a single use move), is the complexity. Megas are not very hard to use, you slap on the matching crystal, hit evolve button, and out pops an epic-er looking Pokemon. Z-Moves, on the other hand, take a lot more skill to master unless you're just using them as nukes (as I'm sure 99% of casual players use them), because there's a whole list of effects that can take place depending on which move you use with the Z-Crystal.
Here in lies the problem. Casual players don't know/want to know the in-depth effects of what they use to battle, they're playing the game for the catharsis of completing the game/post-game, not the meta battling. So while it takes a long time to learn what each and every Z-Move does (something I'm pretty sure most people don't even know completely), megas just require you to know cool Pokemon -> Mega cool Pokemon with more stats/different ability. Megas have a much clearer effect for the average player than Z-Moves.
Moreover, Megas are just not as boring as Z-Moves. You can go into your Mega fast, and while its the same process every time, you aren't stuck watching a long cutscene. Z-Moves however, have a fairly lengthy cutscene, that looks cool, but after getting watching it for the 30th time, it feels more like a chore than a fun battle mechanic.
As a result, we've been seeing a large decrease in active players within the Pokemon community. Of course, this is compounded with all the problems of the Alola region (most notably the change from the PSS to the Festival Plaza, gtfo the moron who thought that was a good idea), but it's still a significant problem beacuse it's such a hyped mechanic. Casual players simply do not want to play through Sun and Moon or continue playing it, because while it's fun initially, it gets boring fast. I have a handful of friends, of whom all have played from Gen 3 and up, and literally I am the only one playing at this point only beacuse I'm in the competitive scene. Most of them didn't even get off the first island before they stopped playing.
Z-Moves aren't bad, but they're geared towards competitive play, not casual play. As a result, they only hurt the franchise by turning off new and casual players. Pokemon isn't defined by the meta, and how 'different' and 'variable' the meta is, it's ultimately defined by all the people who play it. If most of the people who play it aren't returning/continuing to play your game, you've done something wrong.
Of course, Game Freak has made some bad choices with the Megas that hurt the meta. Mega Metagross is pretty hard to counter in the meta, and Mega Garchomp is completely redundant. But, Megas have had some success stories to. Beedrill went from being a pretty mediocre Pokemon, to an OU Behemoth. Banette turned into a decent mon with a massive Attack and access to Prankster, one of the best abilities in the game. Glaile took the spotlight with Refrigerate, and became one of the most fun grenades I used in ORAS, even when I lost. As long as Game Freak chooses the right Pokemon to Mega, then they'll work fine. They don't need to redefine the Meta, they just need to be fun to use.
i haven't played oras or sm... do you guys think it's finally time to dust off my ds and pop them in to play before these new games?
Well, like every issue, a large amount of variables go into compounding a problem. For example, you could argue that the entire issue in regards to the U.S. prison epidemic is a result of the under funding of police. While you aren't wrong, there are plenty of other issues that compound the problem, such as mandatory sentencing, racial discrimination, socio-economic differences, for-profit prisons, etc.I think you're wrong about why people stopped playing Sun and Moon
every person I've ever seen talking about how they dropped them always say the same; they got tired of all the hand holding, it killed the exploration for them (a large part of why casual players like pokemon), it killed replayability, in short it killed the games for them
but if you know the history of Diamond & Pearl you know why Gamefreak will continue to hold our hands tightly (very tightly)
I mean, HGSS...The GS VC release means you can now play every single main-series region on a single device. Don't know if that means anything, but I think it's pretty cool, and a testament to the strength of the 3DS as a console.
The GS VC release means you can now play every single main-series region on a single device. Don't know if that means anything, but I think it's pretty cool, and a testament to the strength of the 3DS as a console.
I can see next year's pre E3 Pokemon Direct now. "Introducing Pokemon 'Ultra Super Sun Third Strike DX Tournament Edition & Knuckles' version and Pokemon 'Ultra Super Moon Third Strike DX Tournament Edition & Knuckles' version! Also Gen 3 remakes with Bank Support."We could already as you can play HGSS on the 3DS.
Now, if we got Ruby and Sapphire on Virtual Console then we could play every generation on the 3DS. Not seeing that happening, though. Maybe on the Switch...
I don't disagree with either of you on this. Sun and Moon had a lot of initial appeal leading up to its release and playing through the story was enjoyable in many ways. But, for maybe the second generation (5th gen), I really wasn't engaged at all to play beyond the Elite 4. If USUM is comparable to BW2 however (I did not play any 5th gen much but playing through BW2 much later after its release, I slightly regretted not experiencing it more), then it might be a more worth while game. No disappointment on my end about the announcement though not much excitement either - I think it's good that they're finishing what they started (unlike poor XY, the only generational anomaly to not have any sequel/third game).I think you're wrong about why people stopped playing Sun and Moon
every person I've ever seen talking about how they dropped them always say the same; they got tired of all the hand holding, it killed the exploration for them (a large part of why casual players like pokemon), it killed replayability, in short it killed the games for them
but if you know the history of Diamond & Pearl you know why Gamefreak will continue to hold our hands tightly (very tightly)
To be quite honest, you're doing it wrong. Poni Gauntlet is faster than E4 to level up because you don't have the cutscenes. And when your Pokémon hits level 66, you only need two Rare Kitchen 5* and 2 Rare Candies to take it to level 100. It takes me around half an hour, without the need to grind for FCs, since I have over 8000 with all the events.Hopefully this time around the make the elite four less tedious too battle. Everytime I wqnt to raise a competetive pokemon it takes forever even with after being fed 3 rainbow beans and holding a lucky egg. And why even in the rematches they are only lv.63 at the most and even then most of the Champion Defense matches are only lv.61. Not too mention how Festival Plaza is basically a neutered Join Avenue. i remember in the days of Black/White 2 I could get a Pokemon up to Level 60-ish(Except Zweilous) by fighting a proper post-game elite four that was lv.77-83 In Challenge mode. Then having the gyms in Join Avenue maxed out I could get that Pokemon past Lv.80 even though it would cost me alot. But considering how they put in Hyper Training and no easy way to get your Pokemon to a high level is just ridiculous. And the elite four should only be types that can be taken out with Grass/Fire and Water. There levels should be at least 75. And there should be enough post-game battle wise to ensure your team that is lv.53 ish will be able to face them competently. And stop giving all the ghost type members Frosslass. And quit giving there pokemon sturdy. I shouldnt have to waste a turn setting up stealth rock so my Lv.95 Machamp(Was hatched and raised in BW2) Can take out a Golem with Close Combat. And can't there be some postgame area ala Black Tower/White Treehollow that could be scaled based on your team's levels that exists only so your Pokemon can gain experience. Im not so sure this belongs here but Just hopefully UltraSUMO(I love saying that) Irons out most of the kinks so I don't have to pay $40 and spend another 30ish hours to play through Moon so I can have Pokemon that are a competent level.
think we'll see any new USUM developments in corocoro this month?