This Old Neon Forum

I just finished my first Pokemon game; Pokemon X, it was a fun experience but I felt like it could have been so much more than it was. Here are a few things I think Pokemon needs to change in order to be a better, more accessible game.

Better Plot: Some may argue that "it's Pokemon" and it doesn't need a plot, but I think that's garbage. This is an RPG and I couldn't believe the lack of narritive I found in this game. I know it's supposed to be whimsicle and fun but half way through the game I couldn't help but wonder why I was playing. I was playing to have fun of course, and to catch Pokemon, but I couldn't see narritively why I was playing. You're just told to move from town to town to keep on progressing while bad guys kind of make some mischief on the side. The bad guys themselves just seemed like goons that were nothing more than another Pokemon battle, they could at least run away after being defeated instead of standing in the same spot shouting curses at me when I talk to them. The whole premise didn't make sense to me. I can understand being a kid set on an adventure to see the world but I didn't get that vibe from my character, I felt more like a kid who was going to the places people told him to go. I think the plot needs to be more cohesive as well as have more reason to it.

A living breathing world: The world felt very static to me, some Pokemon would be seen as pets, families would hang out at homes and trainers would wait in fields to battle you. It all felt like an RPG from the 90's and nothing more. For a game where the central pillar are these unique creatures you want to obtain I'm shocked how little I saw them outside of battles. They should be working alongside humans building houses in villages, roaming the fields, flying through the air, doing at least something. I think it would be much more interesting to actually see these Pokemon in the fields and a battle would initiate if you approached them, or if the more vicious ones chased you into battle. They could event add a stealth component to this; you see a rare Pokemon by a pond and you have to sneak up on it if you want to catch it, hide behind a bush or whatever and then get closer to initiate a battle before it runs away. Or the opposite; you see a big Pokemon you don't want to fight and you have to work your way around it.

I think this idea leads into having a bigger more open world to deal with where you're not set in a chosen path and you can explore how you want to. If they want to keep the "kid on an adventure story" chosing where you want to go makes much more sense.

Different Gameplay: My last point sort of leads into this as well, I'd like to have more to do in a Pokemon game than just battling Pokemon. There are over 700 Pokemon right now and it's fun to try and catch a bunch of them but after a while you realize that catching Pokemon seems more like a check list and less like finding a new companion. You can only battle with 6 Pokemon at once so there's no way you're going to use every single Pokemon you get, not to mention not every Pokemon is very good at battle either. I think there should be something else to do with the rest of your Pokemon; let them work on a farm, collect resources, create a petting zoo with them, just something more than a check list. I think this would help the world seem more real and Pokemon focused. At the very least let you do more than just battle.

I will also say that I think Pokemon XY did a good job at adding to this with Pokemon Amie and training, but again this could expand much further.

Presentation: This is another thing I think the games need to work on. If they're going to stick to just doing battles, they really have to make them faster. It shouldn't take so long to start a battle or to even pick your move. There are too many menu's in general that require too much input. I shouldn't have to select an item, select a pokemon, confirm to use that item on that Pokemon, press A to get through the text saying that Pokemon used the item, and then do that all over again if I want to use the item again (such as a health potion). It's all very cumbersome, too many menu's and too much loading.

There are other little things like not being able to change your moves until your more than half way through the game as well but I won't list them all.


Those are the main issues I saw in Pokemon X and the main things I'd like to see improved. Keep in mind that I'm only referring to this game for these improvements, maybe previous games did these things better but I would expect the latest game to have the best of everything. Anyways, if you put my points together I think it leads to Pokemon needing a game on a home console in an open world setting, I hope this is something GAME FREAK is thinking of. I don't see myself grabbing the next Pokemon game unless a lot of things have changed. Again with that said I did enjoy Pokemon X, I just think Pokemon could be so much more.

I generally get bored by pokemon these days as well it's kind of sad but the sad thing is it's still very popular and I don't think $$$ wise it would be smart to change it much as it's still selling like hotcakes.

Well you don't want the series to become stale, changing something could ignite excitement in more fans making the game more sucessful. Also, none of my ideas involve changing the actual battle mechanics of Pokemon, or the core idea, just finding ways to add more depth.

The Shoemaker wrote:Well you don't want the series to become stale, changing something could ignite excitement in more fans making the game more sucessful. Also, none of my ideas involve changing the actual battle mechanics of Pokemon, or the core idea, just finding ways to add more depth.

Indeed. Pokemon is dear to me because Blue was the first game I ever owned, to the best of my knowledge (any previous gaming experience was arcade/friends' houses only), and naturally, I played it extensively and developed lifelong nostalgia for the series. I've skipped only one entry since (the B/W sequels), and when Y came out, I put in the 60 some hours needed to beat it in just two weeks. Certainly I have encountered many other series and games since my youth that I consider far better and more enjoyable, but Pokemon will definitely always be important to me.

For that reason, I was at first ready to dismiss your post about how Pokemon could be better, but really, you're definitely not wrong. There's lots and lots of avenues for depth that Game Freak hasn't explored since the series began. Now, of course, there's something to be said for keeping close to the series's roots and not making radical changes, but that's no excuse not to implement some of the things you mentioned. Honestly, I don't really care about improving the plot. I really, really don't. But improving the number of things you can actually *do* with Pokemon and making the world less static are two things I absolutely agree with. I, too, would love to see this handled on Wii U in a massive world, but I highly doubt that will happen. I'm not entirely sure *why* Pokemon is doomed to stay on handhelds (well, there have been many console titles, but they are almost all spinoffs), but that seems to be the case.

Anyway, just saying you made a lot of good points! And who knows? Maybe OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire have some of these things in store (although, as they are remakes, I wouldn't get too excited).

Well thanks! I just think that if Pokemon are the key focus they should really be expanded on. Again I enjoyed my time with Pokemon X, I just really feel like the series could be so much more than it is and I hope the devs take the time to consider how they can expand the franchise.

Actually I'm a little more interested with the remakes coming up now because of the StreetPass feature. I didn't mention but I found StreetPass to be really underwhelming in X/Y, now it actually looks pretty cool in these next games and gives you something else to do within the game. Basically you create a "base" that you can decorate and it acts as your own gym where you battle other Pokemon trainers. It looks like Pokemon Amie got an upgrade as well. Hopefully the next full sequel kicks things up a notch and blows us away with fresh new features.

I like the series like they are.

The stories are basic and lets my mind degrade to that of a kids while playing it, enveloping me in a thick mist of nostalgia.
No other game series has ever made me sit alone in a room, yelling things like "GASTON WILL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL FOOLISH MORTAL!" (my starter in Black 2 was named Gaston) with a passion unheard to man.

As for features outside combat, each game has tried different things, like weird dress up things and marathon races etc, but I've never bothered with shit like that, I play pokemon to watch monsters crush eachothers skulls just like I play racing games to drive cars, don't need distractions.

As for the combat being clunky, I disagree once again, you just select whatever or not you wanna attack or change Poke, and then either select a move or a poke, easy and quick.

And the series getting stale? Each generation adds AT LEAST one thing to drop the entire competive meta on its head and change the game massively.

Gen 2- split special stat, 2 new types
Gen 3- Abilities
Gen 4- Special/Phys move split
Gen 5: Pre battle showcase of teams
Gen 6: New type, Mega Evolutions

Should also be noted that each gen adds new Pokemon (obviously), new moves, new abilities and each separate game duo changes up move pools.
This and how different mechanics change slightly each gen makes the metagame of every generation completely different.

In short, stale? Pokemon is anything but stale.

The only thing that could possibly make Pokémon(I like how the symbol above the "e" automatically appears) worse is more emphasis on story. Probably the most creditable thing about that series is that its story is bare bones and just focuses on the character designs. The worst thing about RPGs are the stories. All the embarrassing dialogue, plot twists for the sake of plot twists, detailed information about classes/races/monsters/whatever, and the history of the world, and other junk(or "canon") are just the worst. Stories in games are contemptible enough, stories in RPGs though are the absolute worst in gaming. If a game leaves you asking for story motivations for doing what you're doing, I don't know maybe it's just a boring game?

I think seeing monsters in the field and having different ways to approach them or have them approach you for battle in JRPGs would be cool though.

TheGreatNads wrote:The only thing that could possibly make Pokémon(I like how the symbol above the "e" automatically appears) worse is more emphasis on story. Probably the most creditable thing about that series is that its story is bare bones and just focuses on the character designs. The worst thing about RPGs are the stories. All the embarrassing dialogue, plot twists for the sake of plot twists, detailed information about classes/races/monsters/whatever, and the history of the world, and other junk(or "canon") are just the worst. Stories in games are contemptible enough, stories in RPGs though are the absolute worst in gaming. If a game leaves you asking for story motivations for doing what you're doing, I don't know maybe it's just a boring game?

I think seeing monsters in the field and having different ways to approach them or have them approach you for battle in JRPGs would be cool though.

Boy, Nads, the way you articulate your thoughts sure isn't very endearing.

Also, story, like just about anything you can put in a game, can be done right and wrong. It's narrow-minded to posit otherwise.

Nah, I think Pokemon's got a good thing going. I'd rather Nintendo made a new series (or even a spin-off) that's sort of like Pokemon, but much better. Though I guess Devil Summoner is everything I'd want out of a collect 'em all type game.

Turai wrote:I like the series like they are.

The stories are basic and lets my mind degrade to that of a kids while playing it, enveloping me in a thick mist of nostalgia.
No other game series has ever made me sit alone in a room, yelling things like "GASTON WILL FEAST ON YOUR SOUL FOOLISH MORTAL!" (my starter in Black 2 was named Gaston) with a passion unheard to man.

As for features outside combat, each game has tried different things, like weird dress up things and marathon races etc, but I've never bothered with shit like that, I play pokemon to watch monsters crush eachothers skulls just like I play racing games to drive cars, don't need distractions.

As for the combat being clunky, I disagree once again, you just select whatever or not you wanna attack or change Poke, and then either select a move or a poke, easy and quick.

And the series getting stale? Each generation adds AT LEAST one thing to drop the entire competive meta on its head and change the game massively.

Gen 2- split special stat, 2 new types
Gen 3- Abilities
Gen 4- Special/Phys move split
Gen 5: Pre battle showcase of teams
Gen 6: New type, Mega Evolutions

Should also be noted that each gen adds new Pokemon (obviously), new moves, new abilities and each separate game duo changes up move pools.
This and how different mechanics change slightly each gen makes the metagame of every generation completely different.

In short, stale? Pokemon is anything but stale.

I don't get any nostalgia from playing Pokemon because I never played them as a kid. It's just a game for me and that's how I view it, which is probably why I look at it more objectively.

I agree that the core gameplay of Pokemon is fine, that's solid and doesn't need to change, people like that gameplay. I just feel like that gameplay needs more to complement it. Me personally I do really like the cute things you can do with your Pokemon because not all of them are vicious fighters and I like to have experiences with them outside of battles. But honestly the main thing I want from Pokemon isn't these extra little features - I was just listing some I'd like to see before - it's having the world of Pokemon fully realized. Being able to see Pokemon walk around, being a part of the world and not just monsters like other RPG's. I just think if they fully realize this idea it will evolve into something with more depth and certain features, such as stealth, would come along with that. And again, I think the Pokemon remakes coming up look a lot more interesting now because of the StreetPass Bases they included. I think that's a good way to use Pokemon battles in a different way.

A few people have mentioned that they like the story how it is, and I said I'm fine with it just being a story where you're a kid exploring the world, but I don't think Pokemon X/Y showcased that properly. The villian story was thrown in very mismashy and often seemed irrelevant and awfully scripted. All I'm saying is if they're going to put in something like that they should put in the effort to make it a worth while experience. And if they want to have the kid on the adventure story they should fully realize that as well. If it's my adventure why am I set on a strict path? If my desire is to conquer Pokemon gyms why can't I choose which one I'd like to go to first? I think an adventure story could have a lot more to it than just walking from town to town, and by more I don't mean more text I mean more diversive content. Make each area unique with a uniquw thing to do there. And if you were able to choose your own path in the beginning I think this would complement having unique areas because the way a lot of people experience the world would be different.