What could be done to improve the Pokemon games?

[AOPSUser]

I have played red, ruby, platinum and black they have all been fun and i have liked them all

Red, you could say it was easy getting your starter to a high level and catching zapdos and a dugtrio then sweep the e4, but that isnt fun. Fun is how you make the game, if you go competitive and care about evs, then that isnt fun. If you soft reset or keep capturing pokemon for natures, that isnt fun. If you look up the new game mons, before you play, it isnt fun. Fun is how you make the game.

The only game i found a bit easy was black, the e4 wasnt challenging 4 pokes all at 48, a bit easy. Ghetsis's infamous hydreigon wasnt a problem as i had a samarott with megahorn and i was lucky to get a jolly scolipede, also with megahorn. That game, i didnt know about physical or special, and it was a bit hard. I didnt know what to do after, so i never bothered.

I have liked all the plots, red didnt include the legandaries, but that was arguably the best game, imo. I remember hearing the rumour about mew and then doing it and it was so cool. Also with the regi's, i randomly went to the cave, complete coincidence, and i had to try to find a way to crack the code. I eventually found out it was braile. That was very fun and one of my favourite parts.

I dont think there is a problem, im starting an y playthrough, and im loving the graphics.

Black was not easy. If you ever tried to Nuzlocke Black (or maybe even not that), you will find it quite impossible. Gym 1 is impossible without a bit of grinding your monkey, and even then they have Work Up so you are not guaranteed to win. Next, if you don't have a Roggenrola or Sawk, Watchog is killing at least one of your mons. Ghestis's Hydreigon is also a gigantic pain in the ass because it will likely outspeed you unless you overlevel him with a fast mon, and it hits hard. Elesa is also hard if you don't have a high-level Sandile, Dwebble, or Boldore.

I finished my Black Nuzlocke a while ago with only one mon left. I pulled out of Lenora with 2 living mons and I beat Cress only with a lucky crit.

 

[Wobblebuns]

Increased AI difficulty, innovative storyline, and a more diverse exploration experience. Maybe the player can enter major cult groups or clubs in the game where it'll play a big role in the plot of the game. In it you can perform tasks to progress through the story, get rare items, etc. By accomplishing a certain amount of quests you'll get a title and earn a perk; getting into exclusive establishments (kind of like how you can get to Boutique Couture if you have enough stylish points), and such. Another thing that might be interesting is making more mysteries for every, or if not, most cities you enter. It'd be better if it relates to the main storyline wherein you can piece together bits of information you acquire to arrive to a certain solution to progress.

 

[AOPSUser]

Increased AI difficulty, innovative storyline, and a more diverse exploration experience. Maybe the player can enter major cult groups or clubs in the game where it'll play a big role in the plot of the game. In it you can perform tasks to progress through the story, get rare items, etc. By accomplishing a certain amount of quests you'll get a title and earn a perk; getting into exclusive establishments (kind of like how you can get to Boutique Couture if you have enough stylish points), and such. Another thing that might be interesting is making more mysteries for every, or if not, most cities you enter. It'd be better if it relates to the main storyline wherein you can piece together bits of information you acquire to arrive to a certain solution to progress.

Yes. When I got into Glittering Cave and met Team Flare the first time I figured out Lysandre was their boss. Maybe if GameFreak could make it less obvious. Colress and N were more subtle about it, so we know it can be done.

 

[Thirdbird]

What if there were a spin-off/main series game where you create your own starter?

 

[MetalKing1417]

A bit of fodder- for those who think that Pokemon games are too linear, I happen to agree, I think it would be cool if pokemon games took a page from the Elder Scrolls series and became true wide open sandboxes.

As For my big problem- Game freak has a habit of forgetting what they did right in previous gens- lets start with the bag shall we?
From the second gen onward, Game Freak began separating the bag into various compartments such as key items, poke balls, ect. However, for gen 5 they decided to merge the Poke ball pocket (battle items, but no one uses those) with the one for normal items, which combined with the massive number of items, made it a chore to find the one you were looking for. Thankfully there was a free space pocket of the bag for commonly used items and an indicator for items of various functions. In the sixth gen, both the indicators and the free item pocket have been done away with, further exacerbating the problem.

Then there is the post game content whose quality varies from game to game. RBY get a pass since they were the earliest in the series, but RS (Emerald was a slight improvement) and XY could have gone a quite bit better. The GSC and their remakes are the best with all of kanto to explore, though Firered and Leafgreen and DPP are still pretty good. Also, I want a new battle frontier on a similar scale to emerald.

Also, Pokemon contests and musicals while not endearing to some players certainly entertained others, And I felt the Pokemon Olympics (er... pokathlon) and secret Bases were a blast.

There are probably countless others I could add on this subject alone, but I'll leave those for some one else.

Also, more pokeballs :)

 

[Anty]

Black was not easy. If you ever tried to Nuzlocke Black (or maybe even not that), you will find it quite impossible. Gym 1 is impossible without a bit of grinding your monkey, and even then they have Work Up so you are not guaranteed to win. Next, if you don't have a Roggenrola or Sawk, Watchog is killing at least one of your mons. Ghestis's Hydreigon is also a gigantic pain in the ass because it will likely outspeed you unless you overlevel him with a fast mon, and it hits hard. Elesa is also hard if you don't have a high-level Sandile, Dwebble, or Boldore.

I finished my Black Nuzlocke a while ago with only one mon left. I pulled out of Lenora with 2 living mons and I beat Cress only with a lucky crit.

TBH i havent nuzlocked a real game and also tbh, against the first gym, i beat his lillipup with oshawatt and i didnt even train my pansear, it beat cilans pansage in its first and only battle. I did have a roggenrola for the second gym, i was also lucky as when her herdier fainted, her watchog didnt use retaliate and i beat it with dewott. I have heard of people finding ghestis hard, but i had 2 megahorners, one outsped (scolipede), the other was very bulky (samurott). I also had an haxorus making the game easier.

What i didnt like about white, was that it didnt have a battle tower. I spent so much time in the battle factory on platinum, and it was amazing (exept the leaders double teaming cress ;-;) but i was disapointed there wasnt any on white.

 

[Codraroll]

Then there is the post game content whose quality varies from game to game. RBY get a pass since they were the earliest in the series, but RS (Emerald was a slight improvement)...

I'm afraid this is intentional, as part of GameFreak's business strategy.

New Pokémon games come out every year or so. The experience they offer is almost identical from game to game. Then, how can they convince players to invest in the new games if the old ones do just the same? This is particularly an issue in the so-called "third versions". If the Pokémon are the same, the map is the same and the characters are the same, how can they make the new game so appealing that players who have bought one or both of the "base games" also want to buy the third one?

The answer is: Add features to the third game which the base games lack. Most notably, post-game content. I guess the idea is that the base games should have some post-game content, but not enough to satisfy players in the long run. A single battle facility which can be entertaining for some months, but ultimately leaves players wishing for more. Cue the third game, with enough post-game content to satisfy everybody all the way into the next generation.

Note that this involves holding back features for the base games. I'm sure they could have added a vast Battle Frontier to XY if they had wished to, but then they'd miss out on a major selling point for "Z". They intentionally leave some gaps for the third game to fill.


Likewise, some features are left out between generations, so they can have a long-antcipated return in another game. I also think leaving those features out saves some development time and resources (and often, cartridge space), and gives the designers more freedom to focus on other things and/or innovate. Features aren't dropped to make the next game look better every time, I guess it's mostly to make room for something new in the next game series. I won't be surprised if Gen. VII lacks Roller Skates, for instance.

 

[Wobblebuns]

Oh, oh, oh, I think a Pokemon Psychologist would be cool. What it does is that it simply allows you to change a Pokemon's nature. That or an abilty or a special item that could identify a wild Pokemon's nature upon encounter. If you are psycho like me who designates specific natures for my planned team purely for story flavor, this is a big help. :DDD

 

[noobcubed]

Cobraroll, you have hit the nail on the head there. As Farranpoison, myself and others have suggested, the repetition from one game to the next is really suffocating the franchise. To intentionally leave out certain features in order to release them in a separate game is really disrespectful to the fanbase (or customers, as they see us). Why not release these features as downloadable content on eShop for an extra tenner or something? I feel this would be a good compromise between generating more funds and treating the fans fairly.

 

[lucariomaster2]

Cobraroll, you have hit the nail on the head there. As Farranpoison, myself and others have suggested, the repetition from one game to the next is really suffocating the franchise. To intentionally leave out certain features in order to release them in a separate game is really disrespectful to the fanbase (or customers, as they see us). Why not release these features as downloadable content on eShop for an extra tenner or something? I feel this would be a good compromise between generating more funds and treating the fans fairly.

I'd definitely buy XY DLC that adds some fun post-game content.

 

[colours]

For me, I think extra content really determines whether or not I remain hooked onto a Pokemon Game. It's in cases like these that I feel that HG/SS really shines, because the Battle Frontier was just so amazing, and you also had the Pokeathlon, which was quite enjoyable! Pokemon Emerald also shines in this department for the aforementioned Battle Frontier reasons, but X/Y I feel really lacked in this. Battle Maison was okay for a good while, but it didn't really offer much more other than that and Battle Institute, I guess. @_@;

Storylines were fine, Pokemon designs I can look over, but when it comes to beating the game, the extra content afterwards is what matters to me the most. ._.

 

[AOPSUser]

TBH i havent nuzlocked a real game and also tbh, against the first gym, i beat his lillipup with oshawatt and i didnt even train my pansear, it beat cilans pansage in its first and only battle. I did have a roggenrola for the second gym, i was also lucky as when her herdier fainted, her watchog didnt use retaliate and i beat it with dewott. I have heard of people finding ghestis hard, but i had 2 megahorners, one outsped (scolipede), the other was very bulky (samurott). I also had an haxorus making the game easier.

What i didnt like about white, was that it didnt have a battle tower. I spent so much time in the battle factory on platinum, and it was amazing (exept the leaders double teaming cress ;-;) but i was disapointed there wasnt any on white.

There's a Battle Subway.

Also you are very, very lucky. Whenever I tried to play, I either killed the trio's monkey with a crit, or I was 3-4HKOing it, and it would take two hits, Work Up twice, Potion, and kill me quickly.

I soloed Chili with a Snivy once but that was because I got super super lucky with the Work Ups--it didn't start Working Up until after the Potion and after that it kept spamming Work Up without attacking.

The Subway is really easy in BW2 though. Stupid Durant...

 

[Codraroll]

Cobraroll Why not release these features as downloadable content on eShop for an extra tenner or something?

Because why do that, when fans have proven time and time again they are willing to pay $40 for a new game with those features instead? Yes, development and distribution costs are higher, but so is the expected return of investment, by a way greater margin.

 

[xtracross]

I would have to say the game is way too easy. The new EXP Share granting the whole party half of your pokemon xp is just unfair. Yes, it's great for leveling up your pokemon to 100, but it's not fair in the story. I think it just makes the whole game easier

 

[noobcubed]

Man until xtracross's comment I'd forgotten about this thread (which, because I am the OP and I am a bit self-centred, I like to think of as "mine", as though I am a tutor marking everyone else's homework).

xtracross: I think the EXP share was a crippling flaw of X & Y. I think from the perspective of the game's progression it would have worked much better as a post-game item, since the post-game, at least for me, is "now go and do your own shit" and faster levelling-up helps that. But to receive it after the first gym? Really?

It seems to me that, with X & Y, GameFreak is encouraging players to play competitively, with easier breeding for flawless IVs and the like, and the new EXP share mechanics are part of that. That said, why introduce an item that makes it such a breeze to reach level 100 and then continue to hold Wi-Fi battles at level 50?

Cobraroll: Why do you have to have such a cynical outlook on everything? I agree with you that GameFreak's marketing strategy is ingenious, and, as I have pointed out many times, at times it feels like this is the state of the video game industry, that it thrives on franchises which churn out th same game ad nauseam only with just enough new features and tech improvements to keep the same fools buying over and over.

This brings me to the point I made to xtracross, actually, as to why GameFreak should be encouraging casual players into Wi-Fi - because that is how the makers of the likes of FIFA, Call of Duty etc keep their customers buying game after carbon-copy game. As soon as a new one comes out, everyone else has it, and if you want to continue playing online, you'd better follow suit, even if you wouldn't otherwise consider it a prudent investment to blow £50 on something very similar to something you already own.

 

[DarkyPwnz]

I don't get why people would blame Exp.Share when it is there to make it so that pokemon you capture mid-game are actually useful. It's not like power leveling the same pokemon instead of raising a balanced team isn't already the best way to beat the game, and Exp. Share is there to alleviate that to a point. Because let's face it, pokemon besides the 5 you've captured in the beginning of the game and the starter are almost never worth using except maybe as HM slaves simply because your team is already outleveling wild pokemon and is already "EV trained" by that point.

I think Exp. Share is very healthy of the game, as it doesn't make an easy game easier, it just makes more features (the variety of pokemon you don't get early on) more conveniently accessible.

 

[Thirdbird]

1) Buff the accuracy of Focus Blast
2) Buff the accuracy of Hydro Pump
3) Give Typhlosion a mega evolution

Then I will be happy.

 

[VaporeonIce]

I think a huge flaw in the games is the restriction of access to moves and abilities to limit the pool of viable in-game Pokemon. I really, really wanted to use Diggersby in game, because I caught it early on and it's a bunny. Too bad it's totally useless without its hidden ability, Huge Power! In third gen, the prospect of using Breloom seemed really cool...until I learned that you have to level Shroomish to FIFTY-FOUR to get Spore and Breloom just generally had a bad movepool. Serperior? Yeah, it STILL hasn't gotten the ability that makes it most powerful, but even if it did, you sure wouldn't be able to use it in-game. Sure, you could grind these mons until they're good enough to keep up in-game despite their flaws, but that's tedious and frustrating, especially when you can just use something like Aegislash with its natural movepool (and a relearner move or two) and smash face.

Look, I'm all for getting better moves as you go through the game; that's how RPGs work in general. But there have definitely been cases where I've felt my Pokemon's movepools were pretty lame compared to the AI's, or compared to their own potential, because of limited access to moves. This was most egregious in the age of single-use TMs, but it can still be pretty bad at times. It's usually worst with stat-boosting moves, where mons that are otherwise lackluster only get cool stuff like Shell Smash or Dragon Dance through breeding. A good example is Corphish; I would have loved to use it in-game, but its low speed would have made it a real hassle. Too bad Dragon Dance is an egg move.

 

[the_dinks]

Yeah, it feels like GF is more and more focused on the post game metagame... which sucks at the moment. After you beat the main game, you should be able to change a pokemon's nature at will, and level super fast. IMHO.

 

[Mulan15262]

Yeah, it feels like GF is more and more focused on the post game metagame... which sucks at the moment. After you beat the main game, you should be able to change a pokemon's nature at will, and level super fast. IMHO.

Changing the nature at will seems a bit too easy, but at least being able to change it (like a guy offering to change your pokemon's nature for a Heart Scale, or maybe 1 of every berry you have, just something to make it no long free).

As far as leveling up super-fast, maybe there should be a fisherman that has a team of 6 level 100 Magikarp that will only use Splash. And they should all be holding Leppa Berries. And he should Max Elixer his Magikarp when their Splash has 0 PP left, and he should have an unlimited supply of them. And you should be able to battle him once per day.


I think that all IVs should be temporarily set to 31 for a competitive battle, and there should be an all-level 100 mode. Also, post-game content is good (which is my only disappointment with XY, they need post-game content like BW2).

 

[noobcubed]

VaporeonIce: You are missing a point. You don't have to use competitive movesets to play through the main story of any of the Pokemon games, because the games are not that hard. In fact I would say that a MUCH greater proportion of Pokemon are usable in each Pokemon game than in the corresponding OU metagame. So in this regard, I think that complaining about not being able to get competitive movesets on in-game mons is irrelevant. In any case, sometimes the Smogon-approved moveset may not even be useful in the game's main story, even disregarding how difficult it might be to obtain, because of how different competitive battling and the in-game story mode are.

Mulan15262: I think you are forgetting that Pokemon is a game series in its own right and does not exist solely, or even chiefly, to enable a competitive metagame. Maybe as someone who has never raised a cartridge competitive team, I do not really value these features. (What's the point when you could do the same thing in two minutes on a simulator? And what's the point going to all that trouble to raise a team only to discover that it isn't very good and you want to scrap half of the team and put egg moves on the other half of the Pokemon?)

 

[Tortured_Soul]

After reading only the first page, I think some people are missing the point. We're talking about how the game is targeted towards children and the difficulty shows that. However, the whole idea of the game as hinted by others is progression - in the beginning you're meant to be a 'greenhorn' trainer simply learning the ropes, so they provide similarly skilled trainers. As you progress and become better at the game yourself, you start to find Ace Trainers who essentially match your skill level at that point. Once you've defeated the E4, you have the Battle Maison - where teams are actually somewhat thought out and do require tactics in order to defeat.

While I agree to a point that the pre-E4 difficulty can be bumpd up a notch, these games are designed for people playing pokemon for the first time. A person who has never played the game before is going to be learning at a different pace than the majority of us, who have likely played since RBY. I watch my little cousin play his first pokemon game (X) and he asked me or help because he was struggling to pass one of the gyms. He has now progressed to where he's beaten the E4 - but he still cannot progress through the Battle Maison because his understanding of IV's and EV's is non-existent (and I'm hesitant to tell him).

We're asking the question 'what will make this game better?' from the viewpoint of competitive players who have since come to understand the intricacies of the game that 90% of other players have no clue about. Obviously for the most part the in-game is not much of a challenge to us; that's what the Maison and online is for.

Of note however - I don't play Pokemon solely to be challenged. I play it purely for the enjoyment - in following the storyline, progressing through beautifully crafted map designs, and using different pokemon each time. When I've completed everything the game has to offer in that regard, I begin to challenge myself. I start breeding and creating teams to use online, against those that share similar interests. I essentially play as a different person pre and post game; I'll use a Greninja with Strength / Waterfall / Surf in my pre-game, and a LO Protean set post game. But we're all different. Personally, I didn't like Contests / Pokeathlon / Movie making and whatever else they add as side-games. However others call for more of those options. It's all relative to personal preference.

So I think what would essentially make those of all walks happy, is by (as a few have mentioned) included a difficulty setting chosen at the beginning of the game. AI level, awareness, item use etc. are all increased incrementally according to the difficulty setting. For instance, on the hardest difficulty facing the first gym leader of XY, the Surskit will lead with Sticky Web and Water Sport support to nullify the fire weakness. Then another bug mon is added that can use status and is somewhat bulkyy (read: Cascoon / Silcoon / Kakuna), before bringing Vivillon in to try a Quiver Dance sweep.

 

[Mieel]

I don't get why people would blame Exp.Share when it is there to make it so that pokemon you capture mid-game are actually useful. It's not like power leveling the same pokemon instead of raising a balanced team isn't already the best way to beat the game, and Exp. Share is there to alleviate that to a point. Because let's face it, pokemon besides the 5 you've captured in the beginning of the game and the starter are almost never worth using except maybe as HM slaves simply because your team is already outleveling wild pokemon and is already "EV trained" by that point.

I think Exp. Share is very healthy of the game, as it doesn't make an easy game easier, it just makes more features (the variety of pokemon you don't get early on) more conveniently accessible.

Yes, if there is one thing I must give applaude to in this Gen, it would be the new Exp. Share mechanism. Sure, it made the game so much easier because your mons would be 5 levels higher than the gym leader's. But no one is forcing you to actually use it.

I loved Exp. Share for the fact that I can actually use different pokemons throughout the whole playthrough without the pain of endless grinding. For once I would have my team fully rotated after every two gym's (without the help of trading).

 

[noobcubed]

I loved Exp. Share for the fact that I can actually use different pokemons throughout the whole playthrough without the pain of endless grinding. For once I would have my team fully rotated after every two gym's (without the help of trading).

Y'know, I never actually thought of doing that until the aftergame, even though it's a really good idea. I blame just being too used to previous games, meaning I automatically approached this one in the same way.

 

[Mulan15262]

Mulan15262: I think you are forgetting that Pokemon is a game series in its own right and does not exist solely, or even chiefly, to enable a competitive metagame. Maybe as someone who has never raised a cartridge competitive team, I do not really value these features. (What's the point when you could do the same thing in two minutes on a simulator? And what's the point going to all that trouble to raise a team only to discover that it isn't very good and you want to scrap half of the team and put egg moves on the other half of the Pokemon?)

Yes, I know that Pokemon is a game series and not just there so we have more things to compete with. Also, my ideas have no effect on the storyline (they would all be after), would be easy to implement, and wouldn't really make much of a difference. It would be a big help towards raising a competitive team on a cartridge, and make everything easier. Also, with all IVs set to 31 (but Hidden Power keeping its type, of course) and ability to change nature, putting egg moves on a pokemon requires breeding a female of that species with a male that knows the egg move, then correcting the nature. Adding a new teammate would be as simple as catching one in the wild (or breeding if you want an egg move) and giving it the right nature, and leveling it up to get desired level-up moves.

Inability to have 0 IVs in a certain stat wouldn't be that big of a deal, it would just make Trick Room sweepers have 31 more speed (15 if done at level 50), special attackers take slightly more damage from Foul Play and confusion damage, and pokemon reliant on counter-coat or metal burst take a slight bit less damage, and dish out a slight bit less damage in return. It could also be made so that an IV of 0 is kept, and otherwise made 30 (if the pokemon's hidden power type needs it) or 31 (otherwise).