I sadly can’t read Japanese and I also sadly haven’t read PokeSpe in years (maybe I should start up again since I loved SV), but I’ll tell ya, the first 3 Gens were pretty great.
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I actually liked this because it not only made sense with Calyrex being a Psychic-type and all, but because before it regained its power it wasn't fully using telepathy but rather it was using and possessing Peony as a device to speak to us with. It was really funny seeing the fun and energetic Peony constantly be used by Calyrex and the realization that the poor dude was basically being carried around unconscious so that Calyrex could talk through him.
I felt kinda bad for Peony as it went on, the dude had to get possessed constantly and almost every time just when he was able to go back to his own life Calyrex would come back and possess him again. The idea that Calyrex's first impression of Peony was "ah yes, this man is a perfect vessel to serve as my means of talking to humans" and Peony would have to get possessed again and again as though Calyrex constantly needed his assistance was oddly hilarious.
The game has some really bad gameplay decisions.
For one, welcome to the PMD dex cut. The game has around 190 Pokemon, which is only around half the amount that the original PMDs did. This has some big ramifications. The smallest roster of starter Pokemon means that there are very few actual combinations that will be used, and there is not really much difference between rarer and less rare Pokemon, because they don't have the pool of Pokemon to have more creativity in which Pokemon will be in each dungeon.
The quest system is by far worse, and the dungeon gameplay itself is far worse. Questing itself leads to a slower feel, no longer do I get to build up 5+ quests for one dungeon and clear them out and get that feeling of doing a lot in each in-game day. The floor generation is really bad with only a few very large, sprawling but extremely linear patterns throughout most of the game, and this is accounted for by removing Hunger, which IMO makes the game feel less interesting or unique. Also, it makes running around long lines to recover health even better than usual.
This is compounded on this being the first PMD to really buff the economy and item gain, it is extremely easy to heal all the time, and it does not have the difficulty of Super Mystery Dungeon to make this work. You mention the story, and the story has never really been up for debate, people acknowledge it is adequate at minimum.
But the text speed is also extremely slow, with no option to speed it up. This leads to most people feeling that the game is very slow.
Super Mystery Dungeon walked back essentially everything I mentioned, while having IMO a better story and the best combat in the series. I still respect GTI as ultimately an original game, but please understand where people are coming from.
Yung Dramps
awesome gaming
wait a fucking minute im an idiot i meant to post this in unpopular opinions hang on im sorry
tbh probably just keep it here (I say this because I'm lazy and I'd want to post this again if you posted it elsewhere and and and)
Yung Dramps
awesome gaming
We finally got artwork of Kieran in his Indigo Disk look. I have no idea why he didn't get a proper render but I like he's here now.
Yung Dramps
awesome gaming
Incidentally, it is only now that I am realizing that the main colors of Cyrano's outfit are Black and White (also red and blue like Reshiram and Zekrom's secondary elements)
wait a second. did. did they seriously make cyrano's non-starter mons zebstrika, mandibuzz and gothitelle because they are all black and white as well
Yung Dramps
awesome gaming
It's peak... Love this art
I like how Cynthia and Diantha's teams contrast each other in a few ways. Both of them use fairly varied teams with no real specialty but I find the contrast cool nonetheless.
- They both lead with a single stage Pokemon, but Cynthia leads with Spiritomb, a slow and bulky Ghost-type, while Diantha leads with Hawlucha, a fast and frail Fighting-type.
- Cynthia's ace is a Dragon-type, Diantha's is a Fairy-type
- Garchomp is fierce looking and more beastly, Mega Gardevoir is more elegant and graceful
- Contrarily, Diantha's second strongest is the Dragon-type Goodra (also a pseudo-legendary), and Cynthia's second strongest is Togekiss who would eventually become a Fairy-type.
It's basically three contrasts but it's neat how the two are somewhat foils to one another in those fronts.
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
Mentioned this before on here but there's a theory floating round the internet that Diantha's team is designed to represent various genres of film and TV, which I quite like.
I like how Cynthia and Diantha's teams contrast each other in a few ways. Both of them use fairly varied teams with no real specialty but I find the contrast cool nonetheless.
- They both lead with a single stage Pokemon, but Cynthia leads with Spiritomb, a slow and bulky Ghost-type, while Diantha leads with Hawlucha, a fast and frail Fighting-type.
- Cynthia's ace is a Dragon-type, Diantha's is a Fairy-type
- Garchomp is fierce looking and more beastly, Mega Gardevoir is more elegant and graceful
- Contrarily, Diantha's second strongest is the Dragon-type Goodra (also a pseudo-legendary), and Cynthia's second strongest is Togekiss who would eventually become a Fairy-type.
It's basically three contrasts but it's neat how the two are somewhat foils to one another in those fronts.
- Hawlucha is martial arts/action
- Tyrantrum is disaster/monster
- Aurorus is fantasy
- Goodra is children's/family/comedy
- Gourgeist is holiday/horror
- Gardevoir is romance
Cynthia's Platinum team is really cool and she's actually the first Champion in the games (apart from Red in GSC) to use a team of six Pokemon with no type overlaps. I think her team is a little less well-suited, though. Spiritomb definitely fits as a Pokemon an archaeologist might have, and Milotic certainly suits her aesthetic - Togekiss also makes sense since she gives you a Togepi egg. However I always felt like Lucario and Roserade were kind of "chuck it in" picks, and are there more for the fact that they're strong than because they have much relevance to her. Especially since Lucario is already the signature mon of two other NPCs in Sinnoh.
While a bit overdone I still think Lucario fits. It was very much made out to be this special Mon that only experienced and worthy trainers can keep/befriend. (although I don't remember where this was said...)
If anything I think its an unfitting signature for Maylene, who is a gym leader with no bearing on the plot (granted Riley doesn't do much either but he is in some movie that I have not seen and is closely tied to Lucario, even design-wise. they probably gave Maylene Lucario since Toxicroak was already used for Saturn, Flint has Infernape, and Gallade wasn't an option because of the bad DP dex and they didn't change it for Platinum)
The one part of Cynthia's team I never understood was Gastrodon, but that was D/P only. Felt neither fitting nor strong enough for her team.
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
I recall Maylene+her Lucario being a story that was done quite well in the anime, but yeah for the games it's a weird fit.
I think in large part it's down to how crappy DP's original dex was; Gastrodon's a bit random but at least is fairly bulky and has few weaknesses. There's so few options for each type: Toxicroak is too evil for Cynthia and Cherrim/Carnivine are too weak, but I think Empoleon might have worked for her in place of Gastrodon (recall that every Pokemon in the Sinnoh Dex had to be used by an NPC somewhere; I think Empoleon and Torterra are just used by Ace Trainers in Victory Road). Cynthia was given a Porygon-Z in BDSP which while still not wholly fitting for her at least is a more distinctive pick.
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I don't really think of Cynthia as having a theme you could base her team around besides pure strength and rarity. Character-wise, she seems to focus more on piecing together existing research and accounts rather than finding new artifacts, so I'd say she's less an archaeologist than an anthropologist with a focus on mythology. This doesn't lend itself super well to thematic teambuilding, because a lot of Sinnoh's myths are about maintaining balance by not interfering with certain Pokemon or how if you disturb a certain Pokemon's rest then bad things will happen.
The player gets to ignore these warnings, of course, but Cynthia is characterised as reverent towards these legends, which arguably makes Spiritomb a strange pick if you're looking for team choices that fit her character/interests. It fits perfectly, however, if you're looking for team choices that just seem rare and intimidating, as do most of her team members.
I do agree that dex limitations played a big role and that Gastrodon in particular never quite felt right, especially since its inclusion in Cynthia's DP team indirectly made Bertha's team worse.
The player gets to ignore these warnings, of course, but Cynthia is characterised as reverent towards these legends, which arguably makes Spiritomb a strange pick if you're looking for team choices that fit her character/interests. It fits perfectly, however, if you're looking for team choices that just seem rare and intimidating, as do most of her team members.
I do agree that dex limitations played a big role and that Gastrodon in particular never quite felt right, especially since its inclusion in Cynthia's DP team indirectly made Bertha's team worse.
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QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
Well I mean yeah look at that impeccably neat coat and heels, Cynthia clearly doesn't spend much of her time at dig sites getting grubby and unearthing ancient treasures
I'd actually forgotten she's meant to have been on her own Pokedex quest, though (unlike, say, Steven and Lance). I guess that explains her having such a diverse team and having found strong/rare Pokemon. Presumably Gible was her starter? In the manga there's a flashback to when it's a Gabite...
If we lived in a universe that made any sense anyone who seriously proposed the idea "one of the Elite Four should have both Beautifly and Dustox on their team" would be quite rightly laughed out of the room but every so often I remember that the mad lads at Game Freak actually went and did it (also, hello, Wormadam and Mothim were right there???)
Yung Dramps
awesome gaming
If we're bringing in tie-in material, the anime has directly shown a young Cynthia raising Gible from an egg:
Quentin brings this up, but Lucario is presented more as a complement to Maylene than a "reflection" of her as most Signature mons tend to be. The consistent trait across her depictions is that while pretty respected and strong among Veilstone's population, Maylene is inexperienced and easily distracted/worried in her relatively recent position as a Gym Leader, with the anime adding a period of serious self-doubt after losing and being verbally beaten down by Paul. The consistent trait across Lucario's Dex entries is that it can sense and become very in-tune with others thanks to its Aura affinity, so it sees through any effort Maylene makes to hide her concerns or stresses. Lucario is shown pushing Maylene rigorously in training during that slump, and despite its attitude battles in earnest for her match with Dawn after seeing her get her groove back.
The prevailing sense I get is that Lucario is made Maylene's primary mon because it both "gets" her a lot better and represents a sort of discipline she's aspiring to as a Gym Leader.
Encountering legendaries in the overworld is something I am very glad they brought back in the Indigo Disk DLC. I (mostly) have been trying to find the legendaries based on the hints Snacksworth gives and it feels very rewarding to find them in some obscure corner of the overworld. Some, like Kyurem, Zapdos, and Kubfu feel like they are placed in especially fitting locations. Feels exactly how it does in the grid-based games / ROM Hacks. I much prefer this to the portal nonsense or Dynamax Adventures, even if those methods were more convenient.
I do wish they included a few more legendaries though. In particular, Diancie seems like the perfect Pokemon to find in the Area Zero underdepths
I do wish they included a few more legendaries though. In particular, Diancie seems like the perfect Pokemon to find in the Area Zero underdepths
I played Pokémon Crystal for the first time recently! It was my first time going through Johto (and Kanto, but I haven’t actually gotten to doing it yet). I was able to observe a few things I liked and disliked about the region, so I’ll probably make a few posts in the next two weeks talking about them. It was actually a really fun experience overall though. It made me realize that no matter how far back you go in this franchise, you can still have a ton of fun.
For now though I’ll start with something (very) small that I like about Crystal:
(Picture taken directly from my phone of my 3DS, please excuse the poor quality)
I like the different phrases they used to used for certain things happening. There’s something charming about 'SPCL.DEF went way up!' as opposed to 'Special Defense rose sharply!'. Another one is when a Pokémon is revived:
(As opposed to '(X) recovered from fainting' of Scarlet and Violet).
There was also one more, when a Pokémon breaks out of confusion the message used is '(X) is confused no more!' which, I don’t know why but it sounds really cool to me (I didn’t manage to get a picture of that one though).
Expect a few more infrequent posts about Crystal/Johto cause it really is interesting how much I enjoyed it but also how much room for improvement there was. Thanks for reading!
For now though I’ll start with something (very) small that I like about Crystal:
(Picture taken directly from my phone of my 3DS, please excuse the poor quality)
I like the different phrases they used to used for certain things happening. There’s something charming about 'SPCL.DEF went way up!' as opposed to 'Special Defense rose sharply!'. Another one is when a Pokémon is revived:
(As opposed to '(X) recovered from fainting' of Scarlet and Violet).
There was also one more, when a Pokémon breaks out of confusion the message used is '(X) is confused no more!' which, I don’t know why but it sounds really cool to me (I didn’t manage to get a picture of that one though).
Expect a few more infrequent posts about Crystal/Johto cause it really is interesting how much I enjoyed it but also how much room for improvement there was. Thanks for reading!
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
I am also currently playing through VC Crystal on 3DS, so let's say more nice things about the game! I'm planning to write a full review once I am done with the game as there's a lot I want to talk about, both things I like and things I dislike. But for now, let's focus on the positives.
I really like how Crystal changed the Pokémon distribution and availability from G/S. Not only did it make some Johto Pokémon more common and easier to find, but some of the Kanto Pokémon can be found in different areas as well. Notably highlights I have encountered include the following:
- Hoppip can be found as early as Route 29
- Zubat, Poliwag and Gastly can be found during Night on Route 31
- Snubbull is a common encounter on Routes 34 & 35, it can also be found in some areas in Kanto
- Jigglypuff can also be found on Routes 34 & 35 (although it is rare)
- Marill is a common encounter inside of Mt. Mortar
- Sneasel can be found at Ice Path
- Farfetch'd is found at Route 43 as opposed to Routes 38 & 39
And more. Crystal made some really cool changes, it is a shame HG/SS didn't keep them.
Playing Crystal again made me realize one thing about the bag and items. In Gen 1-3, you have limited space in the bag, but you can deposit any unneeded items in your PC, freeing up bag space and making it less bloated. This is honestly something I miss in Gen 4 and on. While unlimited bag space is great, it would also be nice to have a secondary place where you can store any items you don't need at the moment.
I know I have said this in the past, but I'll say it again: I really like the sound effect when a super effective move hits in Gen 2. I think it is better than the ones used in both Gen 1 and Gen 3-9.
A while ago, I posted about TM47 (Steel Wing) and how it is a two-off TM in G/S/C. But it turns out it isn't the only one! I looked through all the TMs in my bag and saw that I had two off TM13 (Snore). How did I get them? One in Dark Cave, the other from the farmer's wife at Moomoo farm after curing Moomoo. So that's cool. I wonder if there are even more two-off TMs in the games? Makes me want to go through all the TM lists from the early generations just to see, but I don't have the time for that.
I really like how you can catch Celebi in the VC version of Crystal. I recently caught it, and while the event leading up to it is very short, one thing I really like is that it actually shows Celebi flying down towards you right before the battle. Really cool, and I think it is impressive that they pulled it off on the GBC. Unless it was something that was added in the VC version specifically. But it is cool either way.
The way they set up exploration in Kanto is interesting. Snorlax blocking the road to Diglett's Cave is a surprisingly creative way to change the way you explore Kanto since the Snorlax blocks you from exploring western Kanto, along with stones preventing you from accessing the sea on Route 19. I also like how they made the Power Plant a vital and necessary part of the game in order to progress through Kanto, as opposed to in Gen 1 where it was completely optional.
I really like how Crystal changed the Pokémon distribution and availability from G/S. Not only did it make some Johto Pokémon more common and easier to find, but some of the Kanto Pokémon can be found in different areas as well. Notably highlights I have encountered include the following:
- Hoppip can be found as early as Route 29
- Zubat, Poliwag and Gastly can be found during Night on Route 31
- Snubbull is a common encounter on Routes 34 & 35, it can also be found in some areas in Kanto
- Jigglypuff can also be found on Routes 34 & 35 (although it is rare)
- Marill is a common encounter inside of Mt. Mortar
- Sneasel can be found at Ice Path
- Farfetch'd is found at Route 43 as opposed to Routes 38 & 39
And more. Crystal made some really cool changes, it is a shame HG/SS didn't keep them.
Playing Crystal again made me realize one thing about the bag and items. In Gen 1-3, you have limited space in the bag, but you can deposit any unneeded items in your PC, freeing up bag space and making it less bloated. This is honestly something I miss in Gen 4 and on. While unlimited bag space is great, it would also be nice to have a secondary place where you can store any items you don't need at the moment.
I know I have said this in the past, but I'll say it again: I really like the sound effect when a super effective move hits in Gen 2. I think it is better than the ones used in both Gen 1 and Gen 3-9.
A while ago, I posted about TM47 (Steel Wing) and how it is a two-off TM in G/S/C. But it turns out it isn't the only one! I looked through all the TMs in my bag and saw that I had two off TM13 (Snore). How did I get them? One in Dark Cave, the other from the farmer's wife at Moomoo farm after curing Moomoo. So that's cool. I wonder if there are even more two-off TMs in the games? Makes me want to go through all the TM lists from the early generations just to see, but I don't have the time for that.
I really like how you can catch Celebi in the VC version of Crystal. I recently caught it, and while the event leading up to it is very short, one thing I really like is that it actually shows Celebi flying down towards you right before the battle. Really cool, and I think it is impressive that they pulled it off on the GBC. Unless it was something that was added in the VC version specifically. But it is cool either way.
The way they set up exploration in Kanto is interesting. Snorlax blocking the road to Diglett's Cave is a surprisingly creative way to change the way you explore Kanto since the Snorlax blocks you from exploring western Kanto, along with stones preventing you from accessing the sea on Route 19. I also like how they made the Power Plant a vital and necessary part of the game in order to progress through Kanto, as opposed to in Gen 1 where it was completely optional.
QuentinQuonce
formerly green_typhlosion
Big agree. Other good shakeups: Growlithe was made available way earlier, and Headbutt trees were given a slight revamp to make finding the rarer spawns slightly easier.
Also: never knew this was a thing! Weird to think that Abra and Magnemite of all things could have been Headbutt encounters.
I also much appreciate the way that some Pokemon were made wholly diurnal or nocturnal in Crystal. I know some people disagree on this, but for a lot of Pokemon it can make finding them way easier. Delibird is twice as common in Crystal than in Silver, for instance.
Crystal did make a few questionable changes though. All the Rock Smash boulders in Burned Tower no longer contain wild Pokemon, making Shuckle unavailable until Cianwood; Magmar was also removed from Burned Tower. I guess this was done to make the Odd Egg more valuable. And Phanpy and Teddiursa being available before the first badge is... cool, but in practice they are nightmarishly difficult to catch unless you catch a Gastly in Sprout Tower and raise it until it learns Mean Look.
I did a playthrough once where I was trying to use only the rarest wild Pokemon possible and caught them by simply buying as many Great Balls as I could and praying like hell. It was not easy. Or quick.
Don't think there's any more double TMs in GSC, but there's an odd case of this in HGSS - Charge Beam is given out by the Power Plant owner and is also findable on the ground in Olivine. And it's also in the Goldenrod Lottery! I guess they just... really wanted you to use Charge Beam in HGSS.
This is one of the things that makes me think they should have had NPC move tutors in HGSS like was the case in FRLG and Emerald. It felt a bit like they didn't have enough Electric moves to go round and just gave the Power Plant guy Charge Beam for the sake of it but think how cool it'd have been if he offered to tutor you.
On that note, where could you fit move tutors in HGSS...? I don't think it would have been that hard. I'm thinking mainly of GSC TMs which didn't come back (and perhaps some of that generation's more obscure moves in general) and largely following FRLG's precedent in mostly repurposing characters who gave a TM in the older games:
- The Sailor in the Olivine Cafe could have tutored a move, since he doesn't give you HM04 in these games - perhaps Rollout
- I was always intrigued by the fact that the Charcoal man in Azalea says "stay and train with us!" but you can't actually do anything with him. Maybe his apprentice could tell you that he's starting to get stronger and that Bugsy showed him how to use a cool new move, which he'll teach to you in turn - Fury Cutter
- Idk where you'd put a Mud-Slap tutor - maybe the Bird Keeper from Violet's gym on Route 32 offers to teach you it after you defeat him
- Blackthorn's already got the Draco Meteor tutor, but why not add some random NPC in Dragon's Den after you pass the test who'll teach you Dragonbreath
- Pretty sure the guy in Celadon City just gives you an item or something in HGSS, so just have him tutor Curse, why not
- The Psych Up TM was only available by trading Abra from Gen I, so as a fun shoutout to that you could have an NPC in one of the houses in Saffron City teach it - perhaps he wants to become one of Sabrina's gym trainers but isn't quite confident enough yet
- The lady in the Ilex Forest gatehouse giving you Taunt is really incongruous. Just put TM12 somewhere else and have her teach you Sweet Scent! She's got a Butterfree fgs, it fits way better
- A Detect tutor could be fun in the Safari Zone gate area, it's full of random NPCs after all
- Icy Wind, Spite, Outrage, and Snore are all Battle Frontier tutor moves, but I think it could be fun to add a couple of other slightly quirky Gen II moves for the hell of it. Put a Charm tutor in the Daycare or a Vital Throw tutor in Mt Mortar or a Future Sight tutor in Mahogany Town, why not?
- Even I am not so hopelessly nostalgic to want Swift and Defence Curl back that badly, but they're fine as Battle Frontier tutor moves, who cares
- Oh yeah, Nightmare. Just put Rest somewhere else and have the letter guy tutor you, simples.
Edit: and, of course, if you wanted another case of a double TM in GSC there's also Dragonbreath! Courtesy of a glitch discovered by none other than me.
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