The Ongoing Problem With Pokemon

Post-Game Spoilers for Pokemon X/Y.

When you play a Pokemon game, you’re in for a grand adventure. But after my last adventure with Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, I feel that the series is not learning from its past like traditional video games. A game like Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, it had recently been announced that the player can tackle the dungeons in any order, similar to the original game. But when I play Pokemon, the only thing that seems to transition over to the new games is the 700-something Pokemon. So, I’m writing this to re-explore the series, and be hopeful that one day the next Pokemon will add these features.

Pokemon Red/Blue/Green:

The start of the trademark franchise, I can’t really think of any features left behind. Some people prefer the designs of this generation and value them above the others, but I have found that most my party is not of the 1^st generation. Note, before you even go "WHERE'S YELLOW!!??", don't worry, it is mentioned later in another feature.

Pokemon Silver/Gold/Crystal:

This trio of Pokemon games had something incredibly special, in addition to its own region to explore. The post-game challenged the adventurer to go explore the previous region as well. Instead of raising your Pokemon to level 50-60, when you were done with the Kanto region, your team was at level 80-90.

This is the most remarkable feature any Pokemon game can have. From every Pokemon game onward, you’re post-game is half-a**ed. For Pokemon X/Y, we get a short detective story and the 4^th iteration of the Battle Tower.

The post-game challenged the adventurer to go explore the previous region as well. Instead of raising your Pokemon to level 50-60, when you were done with the Kanto region, your team was at level 80-90.

Pokemon Ruby/Saphire/Emerald:

You know the feeling of owning your own home? Yes, you should already know where I’m going with this. The feature of having secret bases was continued through the next Pokemon game, but was abandoned after that. Finding your favorite route and setting up a base was one of my favorite features of this Pokemon game. I would pick the bush in the rainy route of 119 before Fortree City as my secret base.

I could see many ideas how this could be implemented with Spotpass and Streetpass. For example: The player’s friends would upload their secret base to the cloud, or wherever, and when the player walks up to the respectful secret base, the game would ask whether or not to upload a base by connecting to the internet, or using streetpass data. Then once the base is loaded, the player can explore it to his leisure.

Pokemon LeafGreen/FireRed

Known for having the best key item to be released in the Pokemon realm, the VS. SEEKER. This device allowed you to face the trainers you defeated, adding much replayability to the game and making your Pokemon training much easier.

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

There were three features that did not make a return to Black/White. One of them was the Underground, where nearby players could venture together in a mass underground. They could mine ores together, explore each others’ secret bases, and become mischievous and set traps for one another.

The second feature was Contests. This was actually presented in previous generation; the player had their pokemon use their moves to impress judges. You could do it at any time, so it added to the small list of things to do post game.

And the last feature removed from the handy Poketch, a watch with a mass variety of features to aid you along your adventure. This device showed you from the time, to when eggs were ready in the Day-Care, dowsing machine, map, berry finder, a type match-up calculator (very, very useful), and more. Once you collected all the apps for this machine, it became your best friend.

Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver

Pokemon following you around like Pokemon Yellow was notably the best feature to add to the best game. Shame it didn’t return.

I don’t think it is technically a “feature” but I do note that you can catch over 300 Pokemon in this game alone. And you can find over NINE legendary pokemon, compared to X/Y, where you can only get a cheap three. (You can’t even find all three of the legendary birds. Incredibly dumb)

...you can catch over 300 Pokemon in this game alone. And you can find over NINE legendary pokemon, compared to X/Y, where you can only get a cheap three.

Pokemon Black/White/Black2/White2

If there was one thing that stood out about Pokemon Black/White was its story. The story of N and Team Plazma was actually done very well, and its conclusion made you feel like how you would when you beat Ganon in Zelda. I won’t spoil anything more, so I’ll end there.

Seasons, well, it is very arguable that having a multi-seasonal region is great. But I’ll admit seeing the environments change was very interesting.

Changing soundtrack, in addition to the every changing region of Unova, even its soundtrack changed during events and motions. Notably, my favorite part of this feature is when it changed to the Pokemon theme when you got the Pokemon Gym Leader to its last Pokemon, or when your Pokemon reached Pokemon. It made you feel the heat of the battle even more. And it’s another liked feature removed…

Pokemon X/Y

What will be removed from the next game? Mega Evolution? Pokemon Aimie? Wonder Trade?

Do you feel the same frustrations I do, Pokemon players? With a goal of making the best possible game for the public to enjoy, it seems that GameFreak is handicapping themselves. Post-game Pokemon is a drag, and the tradition of it being so definitely continues in Pokemon X and Y. Until the Pokemon Bank comes out, no one wants to restart their game to regain the replayability. To amend this issue for Z (not confirmed/announced yet), I recommend GameFreak look to their roots and find the things that would allow us to continue our adventure after we complete the game.

Yeah I love Pokemon a lot (have one of each major version from every "set" since Ruby/ Sapphire/ Emerald) but sometimes the fact that they take features out baffles me. For instance, in the jump from gen IV to Gen V, the UI took a hit. Every major icon on the touch screen in Heartgold/ Soulsilver was amazing. It sped the game up in a small but significant way. With Black and White, the UI went back to the "press X to pause" mentality. I really enjoyed Y, but I will admit that the lack of developer created content for the player to do is disappointing. Overall, the biggest flaw was how it relied on the past, rather than making its own ground.

I still love it. As you said, each game really feels like a grand adventure, and each new region is always exciting. but the dogged insistence on the part of the developers not to include some awesome features from the past is rather disappointing.

Excellent read all around.

@turtlethetaffer: Yes, using the bottom touch screen as the menu made it really accessible. A very missed feature. I'm mad that GameFreak still hasn't made a game to top its remake of Silver and Gold. Sequels are supposed to take it a step further, not a step back, and that's where I think this franchise is headed.

Caught an error in my blog: It says there are nine legendaries to catch. I looked on Serebii, without any wifi events, you can catch over FOURTEEN legendary pokemon. And you can catch FOUR legendary pokemon in X/Y.

As much as I love X & Y, the lacking post-game content is something I didn't sugarcoat in my review. Especially after Black 2 and White 2 spoiled us with the Pokemon World Tournament and 17 catchable legendaries (6 of them being version exclusives).

Pokemon X & Y are the best pokemon games, but they're not perfect because we know they could have been better. We know the next one will offer more features that should have been in X & Y from the start. We know Game Freak leaves room for improvement. Just look how inferior Diamond and Pearl are compared to Black (2) and White (2) even though they're on the same hardware. The same will happen with X & Y.

I personally see them as specific features that make those games and regions unique.

Gold/Silver's Kanto post game was only because Johto is right next to Kanto. Its not something they can easily do anymore.

They dont need to bring every single feature back for ones akin and you cant just ignore all the hard work they put into X and Y, especially since were looking at 700+ Monster models

I respect your concern but i find it fine, and there is quite some neat stuff to do in X and Y post game and you cant ignore the features stacked on already, we have the Chateau, the Battle Tower, the friend Safari, being able to explore more, Looker, all the online stuff like Wonder trade, Super Training, Amie and such. There are areas that have no purpose but thats Gamefreak style for events, that arent DLC, and are locked. and personally Gen 4 and Gen 5 stacked TOO MUCH legendaries, there are word to be more event legendaries but having it not so camped is fine by me.

"What will be removed from the next game? Mega Evolution? Pokemon Aimie? Wonder Trade?"

Neither really, they all have to do with gameplay aspects, which are never removed, otherwise we still have Triple and Rotation battles and the online from Black and White.

Actually, it's completely possible for Pokemon Aime to be a Kalos exclusive. I was also questioning Mega Evolutions but they hyped it waaay too much to just abandon it after Gen VI, and it does have a huge impact in competitive battles. Pokemon's online features get better and better so I doubt they'll remove Wonder Trade.

Pokemon Aime is just as optional as Pokemon Contests. Both only affect your single player gameplay. Max Affection does have its benefits while going through the story, but you can completely ignore Aime just like how you can ignore Contests in Hoenn and SInnoh. Sure, you need Aime to evolve Eevee into Sylveon, but you also needed maxed beauty to evolve Feebas into Milotic and Game Freak had to create a new method of evolution for it when they removed Contests and Poffins. I won't be surprised if they'll do the same for Sylveon.

@ANIMEguy10034:

True on Amie

@hotdiddykong: @bbkkristian: I still enjoyed the games overall. It's disheartening, though, that yeah they didn't put too much to do once you beat the game like in other games.

And with the two regions, they can still pull it off. Even though the regions aren't "near" each other geographically, what's stopping them from making it so you can take a boat to another region?