Entry tags:
Yet More Pokemon Chatter
So.
This break, instead of being productive, I decided to try out the newer-gen Pokemon games. The last Pokemon games I played were Emerald and LeafGreen, which was quite some time ago. For some reason, Gen IV doesn't interest me, so I skipped Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and went to Black/White and Black 2/White 2.
I got farther in White 2 than White 1. For one, I'm really not a fan of the Gen V Pokemon either, so in White 2 I at least had the option of catching and using previous-gen Pokemon. For another, the excruciatingly long tutorial section in W1 got on my nerves--yes, GameFreak, I understand you're trying to make it accessible to new players, but is it so hard to at least make the NPCs ask the player whether they know how to catch Pokemon/use the Pokemon Center?
And then there's the story.
I think it's fair to say that B/W has the most involved story of all the Pokemon games so far. The thing is, though, I play Pokemon because I want to explore and catch critters and beat people up. I don't want to have a rival battle/cutscene every time I enter a new city or route.
Funnily enough, I like Emerald the best of all the Pokemon games in part because of its story. But wait! you might be thinking. Didn't you just say you didn't like extensive stories?? Well, yeah. But Team Aqua/Team Magma weren't in your face from the very beginning of the game, like Team Plasma is in Gen V. Also, I admittedly like world destruction plots and the way Groudon/Kyogre messed with the weather.
And the whole rival thing in B/W...I'm not very picky when it comes to rivals. It's nice to have a jerk rival like in Gen I to give you incentive to beat him up, but decent-people rivals like in Gen III are fine. But I really hate ditzy female characters, and so far I don't like how the rivals are extremely involved in the plot. To me, it feels like unnecessary deadweight.
Of course, the whole thing is probably just me having less patience than I did years ago when I was playing Pokemon at a younger age.
I got farther in W2 because the story was less intrusive, and while the rival still has a subplot, he's also not quite as in your face. But 5/8 badges in, and I'm starting to lose my interest. Gen II and Gen III added significant new mechanics to the previous games and thus had the "ooh, shiny" factor going for them. Sure, Gen V has seasons, but you have to wait till the next month to experience those. The 2.5-D graphics are stunning at first, but almost feel criminally underused. The view at the top of the hill in Aspertia City is breathtaking, and I really wish they had more of those around; it'd provide for a great incentive to explore.
Pokemon HeartGold is next on my to-try list, and maybe with the blast of nostalgia and awesome Gen II Pokemon, it'll last longer, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about the female trainers in Pokemon for a second.
Female player characters, Crystal to Black/White: http://teamr.deviantart.com/art/Female-Trainers-of-Pokemon-v2-164200264
Female player character, Black 2/White 2 http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-23/pbwv2-trainer-female.html
So you know, I was pretty happy with the female trainer designs in R/S/E and FR/LG. (Especially FR/LG's hat. I want that hat.) The female trainer in D/P/P also looks pretty cool, and B/W's isn't bad. B/W2 from the waist down is kinda what the heck is she wearing? But then, the sprites practically only have the head visible, so it's not a huge deal.
But HG/SS?
GAH.
Can anything scream dated?
This break, instead of being productive, I decided to try out the newer-gen Pokemon games. The last Pokemon games I played were Emerald and LeafGreen, which was quite some time ago. For some reason, Gen IV doesn't interest me, so I skipped Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and went to Black/White and Black 2/White 2.
I got farther in White 2 than White 1. For one, I'm really not a fan of the Gen V Pokemon either, so in White 2 I at least had the option of catching and using previous-gen Pokemon. For another, the excruciatingly long tutorial section in W1 got on my nerves--yes, GameFreak, I understand you're trying to make it accessible to new players, but is it so hard to at least make the NPCs ask the player whether they know how to catch Pokemon/use the Pokemon Center?
And then there's the story.
I think it's fair to say that B/W has the most involved story of all the Pokemon games so far. The thing is, though, I play Pokemon because I want to explore and catch critters and beat people up. I don't want to have a rival battle/cutscene every time I enter a new city or route.
Funnily enough, I like Emerald the best of all the Pokemon games in part because of its story. But wait! you might be thinking. Didn't you just say you didn't like extensive stories?? Well, yeah. But Team Aqua/Team Magma weren't in your face from the very beginning of the game, like Team Plasma is in Gen V. Also, I admittedly like world destruction plots and the way Groudon/Kyogre messed with the weather.
And the whole rival thing in B/W...I'm not very picky when it comes to rivals. It's nice to have a jerk rival like in Gen I to give you incentive to beat him up, but decent-people rivals like in Gen III are fine. But I really hate ditzy female characters, and so far I don't like how the rivals are extremely involved in the plot. To me, it feels like unnecessary deadweight.
Of course, the whole thing is probably just me having less patience than I did years ago when I was playing Pokemon at a younger age.
I got farther in W2 because the story was less intrusive, and while the rival still has a subplot, he's also not quite as in your face. But 5/8 badges in, and I'm starting to lose my interest. Gen II and Gen III added significant new mechanics to the previous games and thus had the "ooh, shiny" factor going for them. Sure, Gen V has seasons, but you have to wait till the next month to experience those. The 2.5-D graphics are stunning at first, but almost feel criminally underused. The view at the top of the hill in Aspertia City is breathtaking, and I really wish they had more of those around; it'd provide for a great incentive to explore.
Pokemon HeartGold is next on my to-try list, and maybe with the blast of nostalgia and awesome Gen II Pokemon, it'll last longer, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about the female trainers in Pokemon for a second.
Female player characters, Crystal to Black/White: http://teamr.deviantart.com/art/Female-Trainers-of-Pokemon-v2-164200264
Female player character, Black 2/White 2 http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-23/pbwv2-trainer-female.html
So you know, I was pretty happy with the female trainer designs in R/S/E and FR/LG. (Especially FR/LG's hat. I want that hat.) The female trainer in D/P/P also looks pretty cool, and B/W's isn't bad. B/W2 from the waist down is kinda what the heck is she wearing? But then, the sprites practically only have the head visible, so it's not a huge deal.
But HG/SS?
GAH.
Can anything scream dated?