Can someone explain to me in one sentence what the fuzz about Pokemon really is?
I did not grow up with Pokemon maybe that's the reason but still...it seems Pokemon is relevant for all ages or i'm just missing something because this "thing" seems to be fukin everywhere these days. Don't take this as a negative tone from me because it's absolutly not, hey we all have a kid in us*! Please enlighten me what i'm missing?
*OK that may have sounded weird but you know what i mean.....
It's infinitely replayable; it invokes nostalgia and yet constantly renews itself; you get as much out of it as you put in, it can be as simple as rock paper scissors or as complicated as the world's most tangled chess game; its target age group is seven and up... and up, and up, and up; it's social and portable so you can take it on transport or play it with friends; a game of Pokémon never has to end, you can rack up hundreds of hours on a single playthrough and still not have all the Pokémon...
It's versatile, ever-expanding, with a concept that lends itself to a constant deluge of brand new content, and it's as simple or as complicated as the user wants it to be. It's basically the perfect portable game. There's a good reason it's been the killer app for every single console it's been released on. Expect 3DS sales to finally skyrocket this Autumn.
Cool theories. ;o
Random Gen ranking:
1. Gen 3
2. Gen 5
3. Gen 2
4. Gen 4
5. Gen 1
Not far off, here!
1. Black & White
2. Ruby & Sapphire
3. Gold & Silver / Heart Gold & Soul Silver
4. Red & Blue / Fire Red & Leaf Green
5. Diamond & Pearl
I think Generation V has felt like a renewal. Each of the previous generations took baby-steps forward, (except IV, which felt a little phoned in,) and while I have fond memories of every single generation, Generation V really examined everything that came before and trimmed all the fat until the games were as close to perfect as they've ever been. Great pokemon, no more laborious tutorials, no more frustratingly elusive TMs, no more fighting the Elite Four in sequence, no more waiting for slow text to roll out on-screen, rewards for completing the Pokédex - they put every inch of the game, no matter how minor, under a microscope and either kept it, or made it better. Nothing happened just because it happened in all the last games. Every choice was made for the benefit of the games, and that level of love, care and detail has paid off in spades.
I prefer Black and White to BW2 - only letting you catch new species was a masterstroke, gave it a completely unique vibe, nobody's looking forward to fighting hordes of Zubat for the fifth time - but the sequel thing, in itself, was innovative. BW2 feels like the Ultimate Edition. It's not quite as exciting or slick as BW was, but it's packed with loads of cool features. I hope medals come back. And Black Tower! The PWT alone has me replaying it loads - finally, all the gym leaders are powerful, scary and level-appropriate!
I did my ranking by how much I like the game, rather than by generation, because otherwise it'd just be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Each one's better than the last, because it's got everything the previous did, and more! Who'd vote for the first gen over the third? It's linked, though. Black and White are so good because they really pulled their fingers out for Generation V.
RS, I think, has the best story of any pre-BW game. The Team Magma / Team Aqua thing was very cool, and making the legendaries part of the story was a masterstroke. It felt properly exciting. Plus, I really like the map. Hoenn's lush, really like the tropical environment, and its native species are very cool, too. There's a great atmosphere to Ruby and Sapphire.
GS and RB are self-explanatory, but DP at the bottom? Just feels like a bloated RS. Legendary overkill, all of them boring bloody dragons, a lot of slightly dull new pokemon, (Mothim! Who likes Mothim!?) the mascots are ugly and overdesigned, all feels a bit... muddy! Who enjoyed the marshes? Some good bits, I liked that the Galactic administration had names and faces, and I'm a big fan of Skuntank, Bronzong, Staraptor, but there's no innovation, a lot of caves, a lot of boring land-routes - it's just not an interesting game. The generation itself's cracking. HGSS was superb, and the physical-special split's a gamechanger, but DP just doesn't quite hit the spot for me.