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Unpopular opinions
- Thread starter antemortem
- Start date
Or this:
Guess I should also give my opinions on the BW "for fun" locations:
Pokemon Musicals: Fun distraction but that's it. I admit I do like collecting the accessories, seeing all they came up with and how they fit/looked on the Pokemon, and depending on the Pokemon it is funny to see them dance. But at the same time it felt kind of shallow. Infact I kind of wish they updated it in BW2 with the features they later had for the PokeStar Studios. However I did like the nod to the player in BW with the Memory Link and you being given your BW's decorations.
PokeStar Studios: Aside from the forced tutorial (which for story purposes I don't think we even needed to do as they could have Roxie's father realize he's a bad actor on his own), I took much more enjoyment finishing all the PokeStar Studios movies. The movies were all fun and neat (kind of makes me want to write an actual fanfic version of them) with both obvious an subtle nods to the movies they're based on (as well as other things). It was also a nice touch to have multiple endings (good, bad, and a strange) as well as letting you then use your own Pokemon which gets a special entry animation giving you reason to want to do the movies again with your own Pokemon. In addition the "growing" audience mechanic makes it feel rewarding to do a movie as your audience slowly grows and you become a big star (even having a few Plasma members become fans). The PokeStar Studios themselves is an interesting place to explore around and it felt rewarding when you finished all the movies and you become a big star. You got a tour around the studios with every NPC in the movies giving you congratulations (including Sabrina) and you're finally allowed in the VIP room where you get one more easter egg with the old movie title scripts.
You can see the influence of the the PokeStar Studios with ORAS's Pokemon Contest, mainly with the audience gimmick, so it did have somewhat lasting effects. As I said I wished they also extended that to the Pokemon Musicals but I think they wanted to leave it simple and with connections to the Pokemon Global Link... which you no longer have access to. *sigh*
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Okay, I'll admit that I enjoyed seeing my Jellicent wearing a top hat and holding a cane.
He was born to do so. Actually, he was born to take hits like a boss and to cover my Ferrothorn, but that's besides the point.
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With this post, my existence has been reduced to "Nobody".
My life is over...
I am going home...
Seriously though, I really liked the Musicals. Explained my thoughts on them in a previous post and I don't feel like repeating myself more than necessary, so... I thought they were a big step up compared to the 4th Gen contests which I found to be too complicated and they took too long to complete, then I also prefer the Musicals over the 3rd Gen contests as well. I think the Musicals are a perfect example of a minigame, they are simple and short but still fun. One of my three favorite minigames in the series.
On the topic on Pokestar Studios then. I liked them as well. Puzzle battles are always fun and they are something I would love to see more of in future games. I don't think liking them is that unpopular though since they seem to be generally well-liked around the community based on what I have seen. They are another of my favorite minigames. My third favorite is the Funfest Missions, if anyone cares.
But on the topic of Pokestar Studios, here is one unpopular opinion from me. I think people are greatly overexaggerating regarding the fact that you have to complete a movie in order to advance the story. Honestly, it isn't that bad. It takes like... ten minutes at most? And if you didn't like it, you never had to go back either.
Personally, I think there are worse features that you are forced to use. Such as that one completely useless, gimmicky and exteremely overrated feature in a certain game pair that you were forced to use throughout the entire game, with no option to turn it off. I did personally not like this feature and the rest of the games did nothing to make up for it, but I know I most people will disagree with me. It is unpopular, and I have gone over it before.
Couldn't find a GIF, it would otherwise had been perfect to show one of the biggest flaws with the feature (in my opinion, at least).
And of course, nobody is complaining about that since everybody thinks it is so "cute", and "amazing" and whatever... Nobody... except this nobody, and a very small amount of others.
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I mean... it didn't exactly get in the way of anything. The reason the Pokéstar Studios thing was annoying was generally the same reason we get tired of the tutorials after a while; we really don't care and it breaks up the gameplay when we just want to be catching our 'mon and beating those gym leaders. Whether you like Pokémon following you or not it never got in the way of anything.
Also lmao that screenshot what shitty player doesn't evolve their Totodile by that point
Also lmao that screenshot what shitty player doesn't evolve their Totodile by that point
Quick note about Pokémon Musicals:
My problem with it really comes down to the gameplay or lack thereof. To quote Bulbapedia:
My problem with it really comes down to the gameplay or lack thereof. To quote Bulbapedia:
I'm not asking for something as deep as Contests, just let me actually involve myself. Have it be a small, brief rhythm minigame using Pokémon music and that combined with the dressup section would have been fun. But I really just sat and did nothing while my Jellicent danced.
How on Earth can you hate Walking Pokémon? It makes it more immersive to have your lead following you around. It's a fun visual thing that allows the player to do something that we see throughout the games: have our Pokémon out without battling. Since the beginning of Generation I (as well as the anime), we often see NPCs interacting with their Pokémon in the overworld, whereas we have been forced to keep them in their Poké Balls until needed with the sole exceptions of Yellow, HeartGold, and SoulSilver. I know if I was a real trainer, I would keep some of my 'mons out of their Poké Balls (such as my Sylveon or my Excadrill) on a routine basis. Especially as an adventure is more fun with someone to share it with. And it makes your Pokémon feel less like weapons and more like partners. The only flaw with HGSS's version is the forced choice of the lead.Personally, I think there are worse features that you are forced to use. Such as that one completely useless, gimmicky and exteremely overrated feature in a certain game pair that you were forced to use throughout the entire game, with no option to turn it off. I did personally not like this feature and the rest of the games did nothing to make up for it, but I know I most people will disagree with me. It is unpopular, and I have gone over it before.
Couldn't find a GIF, it would otherwise had been perfect to show one of the biggest flaws with the feature (in my opinion, at least).
And of course, nobody is complaining about that since everybody thinks it is so "cute", and "amazing" and whatever... Nobody... except this nobody, and a very small amount of others.
Again, how? Seriously, how did it overstay it's welcome? I enjoyed every second of it when SoulSilver was my main game and I spent a lot of time on it between its release and the release of Black and White.
I kinda have to agree that Pokemon walking behind you in HGSS gets a little annoying after a while, mostly after the post-game. It's a neat idea, but there should've been an option to turn it on or off.
On the other hand, I do have to give Game Freak props for the dedication they had for making the overworld sprites; not only do we get to see all 493 Pokemon, but they'll even appear shiny in the overworld if they're shiny Pokemon.
On the other hand, I do have to give Game Freak props for the dedication they had for making the overworld sprites; not only do we get to see all 493 Pokemon, but they'll even appear shiny in the overworld if they're shiny Pokemon.
I agree completely. Got tired of it when I reached Azalea for the first time and just wished it could have been turned off from that point and forward.
It didn't get into the way of anything, but it was a significantly negative addition to the games and the gameplay. One of the problems I have with this feature is how it slows down momentum. Every time you go to heal your team at a Pokemon Center, it took a few extra seconds as the lead Pokemon had to get up on the desk. Every time you used the bike, it took a split second for the Pokemon to get into its ball. Every time the lead Pokemon used a HM while you weren't on your bike, it had to be a part of the animation, which took some more seconds. This slowed down momentum like crazy, and since the 4th Gen games were already slow to begin with, it didn't help at all. I am sure that when all these unnecessary extra seconds add up, the total time is longer than having to go through Pokestar Studios or a tutorial.
As for the picture, I don't know, just picked it at random (couldn't find a lot of good pictures while searching, strangely enough). I think it might have been a pre-release picture or something like that.
The tutorials and the like never really annoy me, they take a minute or so of my early time in the game and then I never have to see them again. Compare this to the following Pokemon, which I don't like, yet I am forced to use it throughout the entire game.
I'll willingly admit that I'm not really sure how the Musicals work exactly. I like to believe that when you use the two props you get to use to get attention to your Pokemon only, it affects the outcome but I am not sure. I also believe that what props you pick and what qualities they have affect the outcome in some way, but yeah, I don't know for certain.
I still like the musicals anyway, and I am sure that liking them is unpopular too.
I wouldn't say that I hate it. Maybe if I exaggerated a little. But no. I don't hate it, I just strongly dislike it, especially the way it was done in HG/SS.
Why I
- As I explained to Kurona above, it slows down momentum while playing the games. This is not good for games that are already slow to begin with.
- You are forced to use it. I could have lived with it if it was optional since I could then just have turned it off once I had gotten tired of it, but now that wasn't possible either.
- Like you said, you are forced to have the first Pokemon in your party following you, there is no way to properly choose which one (to me, this is hardly the only flaw). I switch my lead a lot so having the same Pokemon first in my party at all times was never an option. Not in HG/SS, not in any other games.
- Another big problem I had with it is the execution. Apart from the things I have already gone through, it felt like it was added in last minute without being properly done. The Pokemon never stood still even when the trainer did, they were stuck in a two-cycle animation all the time which felt weird and awkward, as if Game Freak didn't spend enough time on it. Pikachu stood still in Yellow and the Pokemon in Amity Square stood still while you weren't walking, why was it not the same this time around? I can't look past this and it seems to be laziness on Game Freak's part, nothing else.
- The Pokemon walking had no effect on the scenery, they literally just walked and nothing or nobody around them cared.
- Some of the following sprites looked awful, such as Swablu.
- Not something that bothered me personally but I have seen some other people complain about how the Pokemon sizes weren't realistic. For example, Wailord took up considerably less space than it should have done.
- The feature is useless. It does nothing and does not affect the gameplay in any (positive) way whatsoever.
Unlike you, it didn't make the games more immersive to me, only less, in fact. This was due to the bad execution and the fact that I was forced to use it. It also didn't make me feel closer to my Pokemon, they still felt like lifeless pixels on a screen, now more so then ever before. Which isn't that bad as I prefer to think of them as lifeless pixels and not living creatures, but still. I found it to be very limited and bland, the Pokemon could have said something cool or done something when you spoke to them but now they just said something generic based on which area you were in at the moment. I definitely prefer Pokemon-Amie when it comes to bonding with your Pokemon (not sure if that is unpopular though). It isn't perfect but I think it is a heck of a lot better than the following Pokemon.
Plus, the effect of the following Pokemon can easily be achieved with something every person has access to: imagination. The feature in itself is just useless since it accomplishes nothing that can't be done without it.
As for how it overstayed its welcome? Like Norne, I just simply got tired of it very quickly because of reasons I have already explained.
I should say this though. Before I played HG/SS, I had extremely high expectations on this feature. Based on what I had seen in images and videos, it looked amazing. But it didn't live up to my expectations, and the way it was executed in HG/SS made me dislike the feature in general. I liked it better in Yellow and D/P/P to be honest. The following Pokemon in HG/SS had so much potential to be amazing, but all of it was wasted.
This feature, along with many other things, are why HG/SS are among my least favorite games in the series and I didn't really play them much back when they were still relatively new, I played Platinum and B/W instead as I found them to be much better games in every possible way. Plus, they didn't have the following Pokemon (outside of Amity Square for Platinum) which is a very positive thing to me.
To end this, I should say that I am extremely happy that the following Pokemon was not featured in B/W as well as any other games released after HG/SS (so far). If it ever returns, it has to be optional (in fact, I'll happily take an even worse execution of it as long as it is optional) or I will not get the games it appears in.
Edit: Added one thing I had forgotten about.
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Pretty much what was posted already, it began to drag the game down and was detrimental for the replayability value of the game, as if jotho horrible level curve wasn't bad enough this feature exacerbated it.
Lack of ability to turn it off, little real interaction outside of the useless leaf crown wich was quite arbitrary on its own and in general poor execution killed it for me, it got old fast as hell and was annoying for speedruns to boot.
Also the feeling of wasted potential, reusing and putting mini sprites ate space that could have been used to improve Jotho level curve or Kanto overall emptiness. 2 regions so much postgame, my freaking magmar forehead, it was even dryer and more tedious than DP battlezone points of interest and it wasn't improved yet we had received used pokeathlon sprites overpromoted and somehow people still praise it for immersion sake...
Let's add a new salt dispenser to the discussion with how terrible the hgss safari zone was with its change items for availability mechanics often taking over a month of normal play for a Pokemon, for something people hyped a lot it execution was also mediocre. God the more I think about it the more I dislike jotho and the level of dryness the remakes added to gen 2.
Lack of ability to turn it off, little real interaction outside of the useless leaf crown wich was quite arbitrary on its own and in general poor execution killed it for me, it got old fast as hell and was annoying for speedruns to boot.
Also the feeling of wasted potential, reusing and putting mini sprites ate space that could have been used to improve Jotho level curve or Kanto overall emptiness. 2 regions so much postgame, my freaking magmar forehead, it was even dryer and more tedious than DP battlezone points of interest and it wasn't improved yet we had received used pokeathlon sprites overpromoted and somehow people still praise it for immersion sake...
Let's add a new salt dispenser to the discussion with how terrible the hgss safari zone was with its change items for availability mechanics often taking over a month of normal play for a Pokemon, for something people hyped a lot it execution was also mediocre. God the more I think about it the more I dislike jotho and the level of dryness the remakes added to gen 2.
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While they should have provided a way to turn it off (for the cutscenes that needed a Pokemon they could have just had the first Pokemon of your party pop out of its Pokeball. Thinking about it that was another problem, the first Pokemon in your party was the one that was always following; why couldn't you choose which one in your party followed you just incase you wanted it out but also wanted to send another Pokemon out first?), I think HGSS was pushing its limits (at least with sprite storage space) as this was the last time they'd be using the Gen IV engine. They wanted to include something a lot of players wanted and since it was for the remakes of Gold & Silver they decided to go all out since its the mass fanbase's favorite. Also I don't think the walking Pokemon really took time from balancing the level curve, they could have probably assigned a small team on fixing that but they didn't because I'm guessing nostalgia.
Also I think you may want to take your complaint of the HGSS Safari Zone to the "Annoyance" thread. I don't think anyone likes the HGSS Safari Zone (interesting idea, badly executed. No one wants to wait more thank a week, let alone over 100 days, to get a certain Pokemon GF).
Any specific Safari Zone or all of them?
I can take or leave Game Corner. Honestly I think they needed to add more games to it. Not that it matters anymore (and just when grinding for money became easier...).
Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I like the ORAS Safari Zone. No time limit/ball restriction/can't use your Pokemon, no needing to wait/a certain amount of objects, no getting stuck in mud; you just go in and there's a lot of grass to catch Pokemon you're not going to find in the Hoenn wild (and you can fly out whenever you please). Okay there's some annoyances like its a maze figuring out how to get somewhere and needing a certain kind of bike to do so, but I can deal with that as it gives me room to explore (especially post game which gives you both bikes) and I have a Pokemon that knows Fly usually so I can get out with ease.
Perhaps this counts as an unpopular opinion in itself, but I don't particularly care for any of the Safari Zones in general, and I don't miss their exclusion in any of the newer games. It was a interesting gimmick at first, but trying and failing to catch the rarer Pokemon such as Chansey and Tauros got old really fast; anyone who claims they didn't sprout any premature grey hairs over those Pokemon are liars. For all the things I thought ORAS got wrong, the Safari Zone was one thing the games did get right imo. You still had the nature preserve area with rare Pokemon, but you could battle and use your own Poke Balls instead of dealing with the bullshit no battling/fleeing mechanics.
And while we're harping on HGSS, I personally liked DPPt's honey trees more than headbutting trees. I can understand why some people dislike the honey trees, but I had a blast as a young teen with placing honey on a few trees before going to bed, wondering which Pokemon I'd get off them when I woke up the next morning. Finding a Munchlax off the trees is also a nice sense of accomplishment, considering they were extremely rare (6 hours for a 1% chance, if you placed honey on the right tree).
Edit: smh, I just realized Kurona said the same thing a few posts before. Note to self, don't try to read at 1 AM.
And while we're harping on HGSS, I personally liked DPPt's honey trees more than headbutting trees. I can understand why some people dislike the honey trees, but I had a blast as a young teen with placing honey on a few trees before going to bed, wondering which Pokemon I'd get off them when I woke up the next morning. Finding a Munchlax off the trees is also a nice sense of accomplishment, considering they were extremely rare (6 hours for a 1% chance, if you placed honey on the right tree).
Edit: smh, I just realized Kurona said the same thing a few posts before. Note to self, don't try to read at 1 AM.
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I hated that as I really wanted a Snorlax and I couldn't get a Munchlax to save my life. It made me so happy when I friend sold me a copy of LeafGreen, meaning I could just catch one and be done with it.
The saddest part of that is that Snorlax has never quite worked well for me until I tried an Assault Vest set recently.
I actually spent hours - no - days inside the Gamecorners. Sometimes I estimated the chances in Voltorb Flip by doing calculations on a piece of paper, and I was ecstatic whenever I reached Level 8, only for the Voltorb to explore next level (I never got past Level 9). It was necessary back then, if I wanted another TM Flamethrower / Thunderbolt / Ice Beam, so I put waaaaay too much time in it and it became a big challenge. But I must say...
NEVER AGAIN
Challenging as it may have been, it was horrible.
Probably once I reach Goldenrod in my restarted HG I will just avoid Gamecorner and Voltorb Flip altogether. Brr.
New unpopular opinion:
I love Pokéathlon. Genuinly.
But two little things still manage to frustrate the heck out of me:
1. When I talked to that person amongst the spectators that was saying something like: "I wonder what would happen if you completed all the courses with 3 Magikarp..."
I immediately started catching myself some Magikarp and pumping them full of Aprijuice. Then once I had finally won all the courses with them (surprisingly even managed to set a record for the Hurdle Dash course iirc), I talked to that person again, expecting a reward of some kind.
...
Nothing. They were still saying the same damn thing. FML.
2. Pennant Capture. 'Nuff said.
(the only record I wasn't able to break no matter how much I tried :'c ASDFHGJHL!@#$)
Pokeathlon was my favourite side quest other than RSE Contests. But Pennant Capture is complete bullshit. Almost ran a pure speed/mind(?) team just to break the record
darkrai is cuter than mesprit
I loved Voltorb Flip. I loved it more than the Game Corner because there was actually strategy to it. It felt like a little puzzle game add-on to the original game. It took me a while but at the end I was hooked, easily pulling in a ton of coins each time and actually maxed out my coin case. The only negative was that I couldn't buy coins and instead had to earn it.
Voltorb Flip is something I actually really liked the idea of: Legitimate Mini-games. Contests, Pokeathlon and Musicals are almost their own game modes with how much there is to them, and that amount of commitment isn't something I can give in a Pokemon game. Voltorb Flip is small and can be a fun little distraction that even rewards you a little if you get good at it.
My grievance is that it was barring things that were only reliably available through it at a glacial pace like TMs and certain Pokemon at a point they'd be useful. Make it something more like Berries, the Type Gems, an ADDITIONAL source for evolution items and such, hell maybe it could be a way to get duplicate Mega Stones. I didn't miss the Game Corner so much as the ability to effectively buy the Game Corner rewards, the latter of which is mitigated with the infinite TMs.
Add in Minigames and give them a constant currency (like the Orre Games' Pokecoupons) and I'd be fine with them.
My grievance is that it was barring things that were only reliably available through it at a glacial pace like TMs and certain Pokemon at a point they'd be useful. Make it something more like Berries, the Type Gems, an ADDITIONAL source for evolution items and such, hell maybe it could be a way to get duplicate Mega Stones. I didn't miss the Game Corner so much as the ability to effectively buy the Game Corner rewards, the latter of which is mitigated with the infinite TMs.
Add in Minigames and give them a constant currency (like the Orre Games' Pokecoupons) and I'd be fine with them.
Well, I feel that pain. I have several friends who play Pokemon, but not often enough for me to get anything I need to work on the Pokedex.
Cheryl.
Celesteela is Life
Ikr, GTS is horrible. And Wonder Trade RARELY helps, but it works out because I get Level 100 shinies for competitive play like 2% of the time.
Oh I really despise Wonder Trade actually. 90% of the time it's early game fodder (Bunnelby, Zigzagoon, ..., fuck off), the other 10% it's just too good to be true. Which means those will mostly be either hacks or clones or even both. For someone as paranoid about clones and hacks as I am, Wonder Trade is something to be avoided at all costs.
Which brings me to the following Unpopular Opinion:
I am having the feeling that I'm the only person on Smogon that dislikes clones and actually prefers the early route random Bunnelby over a competitively viable clone.
I understand what you mean, which is part of the reason I love breeding my own Pokémon. Plus, it is funny how I can breed a Pokémon, EV train it, and get it to level 100 with hours of starting. Hell, last night I bred a Rotom-Heat and a Scizor and they were Level 100 and fully EV trained shortly after midnight (and only because I used up all seven of my Blissey Bases getting them to level 92 and had to wait).