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Unpopular opinions
- Thread starter antemortem
- Start date
Pokémon XD did sent chills down my spine as a first 3d overworld experience, catching shadow Pokémon was also a nice gimmick.
Talking about freedom I did get some nice feeling the first time I went through pinwheel forest, the design of that area does give you a sense of accomplishment after going through the start of BW.
As for adventure or surprise I'd go with chargestone cave, it's small but it is ridiculously well done for a dungeon that has little importance, BW victory road was probably the first time I felt I enjoyed a victory road especially after the step down from RSE to DP.
I've done this conversation before, so I'll try to be brief (Ha! Yeah right...) but the simplest terms is if you're on Smogon, then you're already outside the target audience Gamefreak is designing the difficulty for.
Up until recently the difficulty in-game centers around one fact: control of information. The game bases all the difficulty on how fast you can analyze and counter an opponent, simple as that. You have to figure out what the weaknesses are and exploit them, and you have 6 chances (+ revives) to figure it out before they knock you out. They give you hints (like type themed gym leaders and NPC info), but for the most part in-game the only way you figure out what type a pokemon is and what counters it is either guess and check or catching the pokemon and learning about them. Thus, the mechanic of catching pokemon supplements the battling system: you catch to learn as well as create a team.
Most older players feel these games have gotten much easier from 1996, and there's a big explanation for that, one that torpedoes the whole difficulty curve:
Remember when I said that all the difficulty comes from controlling and limiting information? Well the internet just blows that to tiny pieces. Now you can look up any pokemon's type, moveset, and weaknesses on Serebii or Smogon or Bulbapedia or any other site to find the counters breeze through the game without even a hint of difficulty. With a proper team and knowledge, there's nothing standing in your way.
That's why the older games seem harder under nostalgia googles, or why Whitney is seen as this unstoppable goddess when really she just has slightly less counters for that point in the game than others. Without widespread internet spoilers, figuring those games out is pretty challenging.
If you want to see this in action, go on Youtube and watch any blind playthrough, especially with someone really new to pokemon games. I saw one girl get swept by a Magneton because she logically concluded that it was immune to ground because it was floating, so it had to have levitate as an ability. Thus it killed her Golem and swept through the rest of the team all because she thought earthquake wouldn't work. These games are tough and getting tougher for newbies, there's a lot of pokemon to go through and not all of their type combinations are obvious.
I mean sure, Rock and Ice will still work fine but how many lost their electric pokemon to Winona? Dragon dancing earthquake punk, no blind player will figure out this is half-dragon until the Elite Four, lest they raise their own Swablu.
Now, the counter argument is that Gamefreak should just start designing games like everyone has access to the internet (because generally, yes, yes they do) but that's still a hard sell. Should we really assume players have access to additional information, or keep designing like they know nothing? And since a series dies when new blood fails to come in, can you really blame Gamefreak for catering to casual players first, fanatics like us second?
Not that Gamefreak isn't trying. Totem Pokemon seem to be their answer to injecting some challenge for hardcore crowds, with the Totem pokemon gaining tons of advantages over you (stat auras, calling for backup, support partners or common counter-counters). Personally I find the Totem Pokemon a good enough try, they're still easy as most rely on a "snowball" effect to get difficult (like, if you hit hard and fast they're pushovers, but the longer the battle goes the harder it gets). Some later trainers even use competitive strategies, even if they're really infrequent about it. But you can't say Gamefreak isn't trying.
Up until recently the difficulty in-game centers around one fact: control of information. The game bases all the difficulty on how fast you can analyze and counter an opponent, simple as that. You have to figure out what the weaknesses are and exploit them, and you have 6 chances (+ revives) to figure it out before they knock you out. They give you hints (like type themed gym leaders and NPC info), but for the most part in-game the only way you figure out what type a pokemon is and what counters it is either guess and check or catching the pokemon and learning about them. Thus, the mechanic of catching pokemon supplements the battling system: you catch to learn as well as create a team.
Most older players feel these games have gotten much easier from 1996, and there's a big explanation for that, one that torpedoes the whole difficulty curve:
Remember when I said that all the difficulty comes from controlling and limiting information? Well the internet just blows that to tiny pieces. Now you can look up any pokemon's type, moveset, and weaknesses on Serebii or Smogon or Bulbapedia or any other site to find the counters breeze through the game without even a hint of difficulty. With a proper team and knowledge, there's nothing standing in your way.
That's why the older games seem harder under nostalgia googles, or why Whitney is seen as this unstoppable goddess when really she just has slightly less counters for that point in the game than others. Without widespread internet spoilers, figuring those games out is pretty challenging.
If you want to see this in action, go on Youtube and watch any blind playthrough, especially with someone really new to pokemon games. I saw one girl get swept by a Magneton because she logically concluded that it was immune to ground because it was floating, so it had to have levitate as an ability. Thus it killed her Golem and swept through the rest of the team all because she thought earthquake wouldn't work. These games are tough and getting tougher for newbies, there's a lot of pokemon to go through and not all of their type combinations are obvious.
I mean sure, Rock and Ice will still work fine but how many lost their electric pokemon to Winona? Dragon dancing earthquake punk, no blind player will figure out this is half-dragon until the Elite Four, lest they raise their own Swablu.
Now, the counter argument is that Gamefreak should just start designing games like everyone has access to the internet (because generally, yes, yes they do) but that's still a hard sell. Should we really assume players have access to additional information, or keep designing like they know nothing? And since a series dies when new blood fails to come in, can you really blame Gamefreak for catering to casual players first, fanatics like us second?
Not that Gamefreak isn't trying. Totem Pokemon seem to be their answer to injecting some challenge for hardcore crowds, with the Totem pokemon gaining tons of advantages over you (stat auras, calling for backup, support partners or common counter-counters). Personally I find the Totem Pokemon a good enough try, they're still easy as most rely on a "snowball" effect to get difficult (like, if you hit hard and fast they're pushovers, but the longer the battle goes the harder it gets). Some later trainers even use competitive strategies, even if they're really infrequent about it. But you can't say Gamefreak isn't trying.
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Altaria as an example? Oh, please, I'll take Drake's Flygon. I lost two battles trying to figure out it was actually Dragon/Ground with Levitate instead of Dragon/Flying.
At least Altaria is neutral to Electric. But Flygon... it was the first fully-evolved Dragon to not be neutral to Electric.
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It's worth knowing that as far as I've read, the bonus from happiness have actually got significantly less powerful / frequent, so petting stuff for max happiness doesn't really result in an autowin.
Sadly it still happens a lot.
This might just be me but the bonuses from refresh still happen really often (granted, I'm at 4/5 Hearts a lot which might increase the rate). They're pretty much as powerful as before. Living on 1 HP especially happens really frequently from my experience. It's a cool feature but one that can easily snowball into being broken.
I just got many of my Pokemon to 4-5 hearts and they're dodging attacks and scoring criticals a lot now.
And even without these battle boosts the fact you can heal status ailments for free after a battle still makes it OP enough.
The free status heal is pretty reasonable in my opinion, the Full Heal and such feel like more of an in-battle thing than anything else. Plus, stuff like Poison don't have an out of battle effect and you could technically just run back to a pokemon center every single time for a free heal.
I feel like a better solution would be rather than making your Pokémon directly more powerful through increased chances of critical hits and the like, the reaped rewards should instead be put towards removing some of the more annoying RNG elements. So maybe 3 hearts would increase your accuracy a little so Sand Attack wouldn't affect you as much and 90/95% accurate moves wouldn't be as frustrating to use; and maybe 4 hearts would make you recover from sleep faster or something of the like. That way it's still rewarding, but a lot less broken.
Hoenn legendaries are too much flippin work!!! Also I wish gf didnt make players pay for 2 games in order to complete one. Guess I will never get tornadus...
1) I will take Blastoise over Charizard. I am not saying Charizard is a bad starter, it is certainly one of my favourites but I don't think it should be hyped like that. Such as having two Mega Evolutions and being used to Fly around Alola as a PokeRide when Charizard is not even in Alolan Dex.
2) Johto Dex is trash, too many baby Pokemons and most of the starters are bad. I often forgot that Chikorita exists. Celebi is not a memorable legend. I like Tyranitar and Kingdra though.
3) Not a big fan of having too many legendaries (Sinnoh, Unova, Alola). Many legendaries mean more competitive but on the other hand, it makes some legendaries less memorable. I frequently forgot that Regis and Lake Guardians (and Zygarde in Gen 6) exist. I think an ideal region should only have 7-8. A trio of weaker legends like birds, beasts, another trio of cover legends, and one or two mythicals. I know both Sinnoh and Unova have 4 Mythicals.
4) I am neutral to Sinnoh, I don't like it as much as everyone. My biggest complaint with that region is too many HMs. I think there 8 or 9? Which means I need 3 HM Slaves. The good news is that there is PokeRide in Gen 7. Hopefully in the Sinnoh Remake, they also added in PokeRide and this solve that HM Slave problem.
5) My favourite Elite Four Member is Caitlyn in Black and White. It has to be the most unique Elite Four room I have ever seen. A bed. :p
6) I often use a Water-Starter for my playthrough because of Ice Beam. Well, Samurott is trash, should have taken Snivy in BW. :/
7) Not a big fan too many Dragons in Elite Four and Champion. Let's see, Lance in Kanto/Johto. Drake in Hoenn. Iris is Black and White 2. And that Drasna in Kalos. Game Freak should do something different, I like Aaron in Sinnoh, because we rarely see a decent Bug Trainer in the games. We need something like Normal-Type or Grass-Type Elite 4 Member or Champion, something different from the cliche Dragon, Ghost, Dark Types. And there are decent Normal-Type Pokemons such as Snorlax, Miltank, Slaking, Exploud, Staraptor, Ambipom, Loppuny, Lickilicky, Pyroar, Heliolisk.
8) I like Battle Chateau more than Battle Buffet.
These are just my personal opinions, I don't intend to bash anyone's opinion and everyone should be entitled an opinion. :)
2) Johto Dex is trash, too many baby Pokemons and most of the starters are bad. I often forgot that Chikorita exists. Celebi is not a memorable legend. I like Tyranitar and Kingdra though.
3) Not a big fan of having too many legendaries (Sinnoh, Unova, Alola). Many legendaries mean more competitive but on the other hand, it makes some legendaries less memorable. I frequently forgot that Regis and Lake Guardians (and Zygarde in Gen 6) exist. I think an ideal region should only have 7-8. A trio of weaker legends like birds, beasts, another trio of cover legends, and one or two mythicals. I know both Sinnoh and Unova have 4 Mythicals.
4) I am neutral to Sinnoh, I don't like it as much as everyone. My biggest complaint with that region is too many HMs. I think there 8 or 9? Which means I need 3 HM Slaves. The good news is that there is PokeRide in Gen 7. Hopefully in the Sinnoh Remake, they also added in PokeRide and this solve that HM Slave problem.
5) My favourite Elite Four Member is Caitlyn in Black and White. It has to be the most unique Elite Four room I have ever seen. A bed. :p
6) I often use a Water-Starter for my playthrough because of Ice Beam. Well, Samurott is trash, should have taken Snivy in BW. :/
7) Not a big fan too many Dragons in Elite Four and Champion. Let's see, Lance in Kanto/Johto. Drake in Hoenn. Iris is Black and White 2. And that Drasna in Kalos. Game Freak should do something different, I like Aaron in Sinnoh, because we rarely see a decent Bug Trainer in the games. We need something like Normal-Type or Grass-Type Elite 4 Member or Champion, something different from the cliche Dragon, Ghost, Dark Types. And there are decent Normal-Type Pokemons such as Snorlax, Miltank, Slaking, Exploud, Staraptor, Ambipom, Loppuny, Lickilicky, Pyroar, Heliolisk.
8) I like Battle Chateau more than Battle Buffet.
These are just my personal opinions, I don't intend to bash anyone's opinion and everyone should be entitled an opinion. :)
I believe Hoenn has the best designed legendaries.
Uhh... don't let that regret keep you up at night.
Samurott's only crime is becoming quadrapedal for no real reason, especially since official art shows that it can stand up on two legs perfectly fine.
Fire Punch is strong enough in-game to take out everything you need, so the extra power from Flare Blitz is seldom necessary. However that recoil sucks to deal with on a prolonged basis, as you can't clear a route full of trainers without guzzling Moomoo milk like you have a calcium deficiency.
As for being a quadruped, I don't think walking on four legs has to effect the movepool. Arcanine has more than enough toys to prove it.
As for being a quadruped, I don't think walking on four legs has to effect the movepool. Arcanine has more than enough toys to prove it.
It actually has 15.
Whoops, my mistake
I honestly find fire punch to be piss weak and merely a clutch to use an overleveled mon in campaign.
Flareblitz comes as early as if 34 in some Pokemon, at least I believe it does from the last time I checked wich gives a 180 Mike to abuse as you see fit vs a 107 spam move to clear routes on a 5-10 level advantage.
I'm just not keen on it at all.
Flareblitz comes as early as if 34 in some Pokemon, at least I believe it does from the last time I checked wich gives a 180 Mike to abuse as you see fit vs a 107 spam move to clear routes on a 5-10 level advantage.
I'm just not keen on it at all.
As of UltraSun/Ultramoon the earliest 'mon to learn it is Darumaka at 33. But he's the only exception, as the next earliest is 43 for just Litten and Tepig but not their evolutions, and absolutely nobody is putting off evolution for that. After that it's Growlithe and Flareon at 45 then Ponyta/Rapidash at 49. And before anyone get's any ideas, going back to earlier gens just makes things worse not better.
Otherwise it's pretty much either a level 1 relearner move or upper-40's to 50's level-up move, giving it more lategame/endgame usage for everyone except Darumaka.
Not that Fire Punch is that much direct competition with it, as very few 'mons actually learn it naturally (and of course one of them is Darumaka). It's only become a smart option in US/UM due to Mantine Surfing and the great availability of move tutors this time. Even in past gens with move tutors I'd typically suffer with Flame Wheel or Fire Fang or even special moves like Fire Blast than pony up my precious shards or whatever currency they take.
So I'm really curious as to where this opinion is coming from as this seems to be a debate that doesn't really exist unless you're using just Darumaka/Darmanitan. Neither Flare Blitz nor Fire Punch have that great of availability for in-game purposes except for in US/UM move tutors.
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