Current Events > There are no bad mainline Pokemon games

(+) Yeah! (+)

You're wrong. They're all great

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Sword and Shield seems like quite the step down. Though I'll admit to having not played it.

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Which one should I play for DS? I've only played blue and gold.

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Ultra sun is cool.

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BobanMarjanovic posted...

Which one should I play for DS? I've only played blue and gold.

Platinum, Black/White, Black/White 2

Can't go wrong with any of those.

Edit: Forgot HeartGold/SoulSilver!

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X & Y
Sword & Shield
Diamond & Pearl (though Platinum was better)

all disagree


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They're not bad per se. Just a constant example of what it looks like when a developer aims for "good enough" and nothing more.

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I didn't even get halfway through Sun before I stopped

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There aren't any bad ones, but there are some that are noticeably "less good" than others.
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The latest games in the series are examples to the contrary lol

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I thought Sw/Sh were really bad games and I played them long after their release as not much of a fan.

Totally removed the magic, imo. If they weren't Pokemon titles they'd be considered 4/10 shovel ware

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AvantgardeAClue posted...

The latest games in the series are examples to the contrary lol

I had a blast with em

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The ones after gen 4 tend towards mediocrity imo shiftry

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Blue_Inigo posted...

I had a blast with em

Anecdotal evidence isn't exactly something you use when making a hot take like the OP

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AvantgardeAClue posted...

Anecdotal evidence isn't exactly something you use when making a hot take like the OP

I had a blast with em and they're also the best selling Pokemon games in history. Is that better?

But what's most important is that I like them

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I agree

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Legit though. How is Sword and Shield? It's the only mainline I haven't played.

Blue_Inigo posted...

I had a blast with em

And there's nothing wrong with that. But your subjective enjoyment of the games does not take away from the fact that GameFreak has been pumping out mediocre games that only sell as well as they do, because of the brand recognition.

Smaller developers that are starting to take cracks at the genre though, so maybe GameFreak will be forced to adapt to some competition.

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False

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Pokemon games selling well doesn't mean much. It was the first mainline(No one is counting Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee) game on the Switch, it would have sold well regardless.

Black and White 1 and 2 didn't sell nearly as well despite being amazing games (and probably the last really good ones)

(But also I think Sword/Shield didn't quite outsell Gold/Silver or Red/Blue)

Though ultimately if you enjoyed the game, that's all that matters.

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Pokemon is to RPG's as Madden is to sports games. Minimal effort, barely change anything, update graphics slightly, sell millions.

I mean, hey, people still buy both, but I think I was done after HG/SS. I tried to make it through B/W, but B2/W2 came out before I even finished. I liked X&Y for the most part, but also never finished it. No desire to play any of the games that came after X&Y.

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NoxObscuras posted...

And there's nothing wrong with that. But your subjective enjoyment of the games does not take away from the fact that GameFreak has been pumping out mediocre games that only sell as well as they do, because of the brand recognition.

Smaller developers that are starting to take cracks at the genre though, so maybe GameFreak will be forced to adapt to some competition.

My enjoyment does mean that that is in fact untrue. Been playing these games since day 1. I know what I like and dislike about Pokemon games. I know what I care about in Pokemon games. Sword and Shield is a very safe game but to call it mediocre is ridiculous. Calling this a fact is also silly

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thronedfire2 posted...

I didn't even get halfway through Sun before I stopped

That's weird considering it's possibly their best game. They actually shook up the formula, piled on more crazy mechanics, streamlined HMs in a fun way, and actually had a fucking story with stakes and tension

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if there's a shitty nickname censor then it's a shit game

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I agree for the most part. Granted, that's what happens when every game is 90% the same tried-and-true formula.

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Blue_Inigo posted...

Sword and Shield is a very safe game but to call it mediocre is ridiculous.

Honestly any Pokemon game lacking a real postgame is mediocre in my book, unless the game prior to that is absolutely fucking amazing.

Red/Blue/Yellow is excused since it was the first one, but Gold/Silver/Crystal as well as Emerald permanently set the bar for my expectations.

They also had a bullshit reason for excluding so many Pokemon (So they could charge us even more), not to mention the whole animation issue.

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Sun and Moon were the only ones I actively disliked and never finished.

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Red and Blue are pretty bad from an objective standpoint, since a lot of the mechanics either straight up dont work or have unintended effects

Like the badge boost glitch, 1 in 256 misses, super effective spam from AI, focus energy and dire hit quartering your crit rate instead of quadrupling it, dual type damage display

They're still enjoyable though, in spite of their jank

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Gold & Silver were a mistake

There are also no good mainline Pokemon games

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Damn_Underscore posted...

There are also no good mainline Pokemon games

Firered/Leafgreen were peak pokemon games nidoking

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Xethuminra posted...

Gold & Silver were a mistake

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Goatsensation posted...

Firered/Leafgreen were peak pokemon games nidoking

But they're still Pokemon games.

Pokemon games are like the Detroit Lions of gaming franchises.

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NoxObscuras posted...

Smaller developers that are starting to take cracks at the genre though, so maybe GameFreak will be forced to adapt to some competition.

They'll just ignore the competition because so many Nintendo shills think Pokemon owns an entire genre (that they didn't even create) and can just shut down any project that enters it.
Like you don't get this reaction every time a new Metroidvania releases, or when another Earthbound inspired JRPG pops up. But when a new creature collector drops, no matter how unique? "WOW ANOTHER POKEMON CLONE, SHUT IT DOWN!!!"

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gen 7 is total trash

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Blue_Inigo posted...

I had a blast with em and they're also the best selling Pokemon games in history. Is that better?

No, because Gold and Silver are still the best sellers

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They're all bad for locking pokemon out of one version or another.

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Goatsensation posted...

Firered/Leafgreen were peak pokemon games nidoking

Fire red is the best for hacked games

I don't think I could ever play vanilla fire red again with all that people have done with that game

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just finished pokemon shield. Man that story was bad and lazy, and the game is just way to easy. Like i get it's a children's game but surely they can add a hard mode where you have to use actual tactics and things right?

I actually started playing Pokemon Reborn after learning about it
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Gonna start Platinum tonight.

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Umbreon posted...

They were.....

a mistake!!!

Alexanaxela posted...

Man that story was bad and lazy, and the game is just way to easy. Like i get it's a children's game but surely they can add a hard mode where you have to use actual tactics and things right?

You just described every pokemon game

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I remember everyone hating Black and White on launch crying about it being an inferior version of gen 1 with bitching about ice cream and garbage pokemon and now gen 5 is arguably considered the best in the series. Weird how the tables have turned

People can complain about lack of ambition or innovation all they want. But if the core game is fun people will buy it. So yeah overall I agree with the topic title.

BLAKUboy posted...

They'll just ignore the competition because so many Nintendo shills think Pokemon owns an entire genre (that they didn't even create) and can just shut down any project that enters it.
Like you don't get this reaction every time a new Metroidvania releases, or when another Earthbound inspired JRPG pops up. But when a new creature collector drops, no matter how unique? "WOW ANOTHER POKEMON CLONE, SHUT IT DOWN!!!"

People hyped up TemTem so much and nobody cared. Competition needs to do more than be a clone.

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Alexanaxela posted...

Like i get it's a children's game but surely they can add a hard mode where you have to use actual tactics and things right?

refmon posted...

You just described every pokemon game

It's not mainline, but Pokemon Colosseum and XD offered a nice challenge. Bosses had actual strategies, and even Cipher peons could be scary at times. A shame the games only sold about a million copies.

Slayerblade11 posted...

I remember everyone hating Black and White on launch crying about it being an inferior version of gen 1 with bitching about ice cream and garbage pokemon and now gen 5 is arguably considered the best in the series. Weird how the tables have turned

Lol yep. X/Y isn't getting that level of nostalgia (and it hardcore shilled Kanto), and I doubt Sun and Moon will either.

Black and White made the right decision having exclusively all new Pokemon until postgame. Even with the occasional expy in there. Black and White 2 topped off the series with the PWT, perhaps the best fanservice the games have ever given us.

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Alright so I just got my first badge in Platinum (coal badge). I have Abra, Shinx,Starly, and Monferno.
A couple questions, should I teach Rock Smash to one of these pokemon or catch another to teach? Also, Should I get any TMs for Abra or just level him up until he evolves and learns confusion?

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Catch a Bidoof and teach it Rock Smash.

I forget if Hidden Power is available (and purchasable) at this point. Teach it to Abra if so, otherwise just wait until it evolves.

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Thanks @Umbreon . Also, turns out I can't get Alakazam with an emu so I'll probably drop Abra.

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