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danni-dollarsign · 4 years ago

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A Critical Look at “Pokemon: Sword and Shield” From a Casual’s Perspective...

A/N: Hey! if you’re reading this, then thank you! I don’t know why, but I thought to myself, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool to write a pointless essay about a Pokemon game?” And then I realized today was the 1YR anniversary of SWSH, so I figured I might as well just do it! So even though I’m late and probably nobody will really care to read all this nonsense, I wrote it! If you’re interested in all the analyses of PKMN SWSH, but aren’t too invested in the technical mumbo-jumbo used by the more hardcore fans, then maybe you’ll enjoy this.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that I’m literally just some rando on the internet saying my opinion. None of this should really be taken SUPER seriously - it’s mainly designed to provoke thought rather than try to argue any specific idea. So if I say something that you don’t agree with, you got two options: 1) Draft a constructive comment or DM to me and we can discuss calmly like adults, 2) shake your idea and ignore this. There’s really no need to get heated up over a video game essay, of all things, so let’s not do that lol.

But other than that, yeah! If you’re interested in more stuff like this from me (in-depth analyses of Pokemon games from the perspective of a low-key casual), lemme know! I’d love to chat with anyone about this awesome series.

So, without any further ado, let’s get into the essay (warning: it’s like ~8k words).

Introduction...

Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokemon! Love it or hate it, Pokemon has had a huge impact on popular culture in countless countries in a number of different ways, sparking memes, dreams, and happiness everywhere! It holds a very special place in my heart - Pokemon was a game that I got to share with my two older siblings, was one of the first fandoms I got into, and was a big reason as to why I grew to love creative writing so much after writing a couple fanfictions for the games. I’ve been playing Pokemon ever since my brother gave me a copy of Pokemon: Ruby and have been a devoted fan ever since. While I may not be super into the strategy and damn near mathematical aspects of gameplay, I’d like to consider myself a relatively knowledgeable fan with enough extra knowledge to give a look at one of these games from a casual, yet analytical view. So what game other than the newest title, Pokemon: Sword and Shield, with its release anniversary being today? In this casual online essay, I hope to describe all my thoughts of Sword and Shield (which I’ll shorten down to just “SWSH”) from the perspective of the everyday Pokemon fan.

General Gameplay...

Many top-title games of Nintendo are best known for their simplicity: in Super Mario Bros, you’re a mustachioed red guy jumping on monsters to try and save some random princess (who may or may not be in this castle); in The Legend of Zelda, you’re a green elf-looking guy slashing wildly at monsters with a sword given to you by some old guy in hopes of defeating some ultimate bad guy; and in Pokemon, you’re a child wandering around the region catching monsters who also accidentally saves the world before becoming the very best (like no-one ever was). And while the games themselves have grown from that initial stylistic simplicity, some have lost that creative in-depthness in favor of being playable for children. This is probably the biggest issue with the newer Pokemon games as of late.

Regardless, let’s look into the playability of SWSH.

It’s played like your regular Pokemon game; you’re a kid who journeys to become the Champion of Pokemon Battling with your friend, catching monsters known as “Pokemon” with pocket-sized balls dubbed “Pokeballs.” But I’m sure you’re all aware of that information, and are instead asking “Well, what’s the deeper plot?” Yeah, no, that’s it. You’re a kid catching Pokemon to become champion - oh, and you also accidentally save the world from a power-hungry businessman - but that’s neither here nor there.

Plot aside, the game is a bit barebones. It’s pretty linear gameplay (literally linear - the map of the Galar region is almost exactly a straight-line waltz from Postwick to Wyndon, which is a bit weird after dealing with the giant, sprawling maps of earlier generations) where you travel from place to place, beating gyms and catching ‘mons, before getting into a couple scuffles and becoming champion. For an RPG-styled game, it comes off as much too simplistic for older fans (I’d even reason that it’s too simplistic for younger players, as well). While I will say, I don’t exactly miss the days of hopelessly wandering around a pixel city, trying desperately to figure out how to move on to the next town because the answer to the puzzle is hidden in this giant area that my little peanut-brain couldn’t figure out at the time. But it is a bit demeaning to get “Hey, do you know where to go?” and “Hey, follow me so you don’t get lost!” and “Oh, yeah, want another tutorial on how to easily catch Pokemon for the fourth time in a row?” every two seconds in a city where there’s only two places to check out.

But we can’t really discuss the gameplay of Pokemon without discussing the highlights of the region. Ever since the transition from 2D to 3D, Pokemon games have begun a trend of gimmicks - which I like to call “battle enhancers” - that they use to add uniqueness to their games. X&Y had Mega Evolution, Sun and Moon (and USUM) had Z-Moves, and now we have Dynamax! As we all know, battle enhancers are the strategy by which the player uses some extraterrestrial/magic stone to physically enhance one pokemon at a time for a certain period of time - in the case of Dynamax, the pokemon either grows in size or changes in form, gaining the ability to use special type-based attacks for a duration of three turns.

Honestly, I think it’s a pretty fun mechanic! Dynamax combines the good components of both Z-Moves and Mega Evolution - new forms, awesome moves, and a ticking clock. It adds a bit more strategy to the battle enhancer, where the player actually has to plan out who and when to Dynamax (though it’s really not that hard - most everyone will save it for their ace or the pokemon with the type advantage at the very end of the battle, because that’s what you do). But it’s fun and creative, making the battle a bit more exciting when you see your beloved ace become gargantuan on a field while the audience chants in excitement. Initially, I was skeptical of the battle enhancer, but once I threw myself into the game and really got into it, I felt it was fun and cool for the region. My feelings were further improved when I learned that Dynamax was inspired by the idea that the Nintendo Switch had the potential to be played on the TV as well as in a hand-held mode. The idea of turning pokemon “big” on a “big-screen” is really just so cute to me, really. Overall, it’s a fitting concept that is paired well to the game when everything is considered.

But when you look beyond the Dynamx experience to find more content in the game… there’s really not much else. Many people (including me) were ecstatic to hear about the free-roam areas in SWSH - the Wild Areas. Here, you can do all the fun grinding stuff that makes Pokemon games a bit more challenging and fun - hatching eggs, shiny-hunting, running around in circles, Dynamax dens, etc. But when looking at other Pokemon games, that’s really it. Let’s examine Pokemon: Sun and Moon, for example. This game really shines not just for its refreshing setting and compelling plot-line, but also for it’s amount of cute and quirky mini-games to be enjoyed for a good while outside of the main story. Pyukumuku Chucking, Mantine Surfing, the Alolan Photo Club, Ultra Warp Ride Travel - a good handful of mini-games that appeal to different kinds of people! All of these mini-games aren’t just tossed in there, either - they have a fitting place in the culture of the world and add to it, rather than just reiterating it. But when you look for mini-games in SWSH, you won’t really find anything aside from just battling. Sure, there’s the Battle Tower, as well, but I’ll personally say that I’ve never been a fan of the concept of post-game NPC battle buildings. For a hardcore player, they might be fun, but as a casual who can’t devote the time to really dig into understanding how IVs and competitive breeding works, they’re really no fun. Not to mention that nothing is really being added or developed with these battle buildings; they don’t add to lore, they don’t add to the culture of the region, you don’t even really gain anything from it - they’re pretty much just places to battle the occasional familiar face and that’s it. While I’m sure plenty of people adore these facilities in the games, I’ve never been too partial to them (I’d even prefer those god-forsaken casinos over another goddamn battle frontier).

But my biggest problem lies with the release of the DLC. While I’m not against the idea of DLC in general, both The Isle of Armour and The Crown Tundra left a bitter taste in my mouth when I started thinking about the issue of playability in SWSH.

I have always been more invested in the storyline of Pokemon games rather than the battling aspects. Usually I’ve always just gotten through the main story, then wandered around to find extra post-game content or mini-games, and then moved on to other games. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing - I just figure that the games have served their purpose for me upon completion, so rather than bore myself wandering around and doing things that don’t interest me, I go find another game that has more story-based content. That being said, I finished SWSH in less time than any other Pokemon game (I’d say somewhere around twenty hours, complete with me running around in circles like an idiot before rushing through content intermittently); as a result, I was no longer actively playing the game by the time the DLC was announced.

I’ll be honest and say that when I learned about all that was being offered in both sets of DLC, I felt a bit betrayed. I’m well-aware that Nintendo is a corporate business, and therefore will always prioritize financial gain over their fans’ lasting enjoyment of their titles - that’s just a fact of life. But I couldn’t help but feel like I paid a bunch of money for the bundled titles, only to play a game that hardly could be considered worthwhile or satisfying without added headcanons or fan-works, and then get told that extra content is available that may or may not add satisfaction to the experience that’s already long since ended for me. It was just a bit disappointing - and I’m not talking about the whole “Dexit” deal (I actually was on-board with the idea of having no real National Dex - I felt it added realism to the games and would force players to get to know the new Pokemon instead of just choosing the same team they always have since Gen 1 or whatever). My gripe is that I paid for a whole game, wasn’t satisfied with the result, only to hear later that the content that I might have been missing is available to pay for? That’s incredibly annoying. Not to mention that I was further disappointed after learning about the contents of the DLC, but we’ll get into that later.

Overall, the playability of SWSH is very basic, but can be enjoyable if you suspend belief and just enjoy it for what it is. When it comes to storyline, it’s not much of a game, and doesn’t sport much post-game content besides battling.

Immersion and Ambience...

Many of my friends can attest that I tend to like silly, fantastical concepts because I personally love to throw myself into the universe being offered to me. Pokemon is really no different - the games have always sported a very immersive experience for me thanks to the combination of interesting regions and evocative music (especially the music).

I think that most every Pokemon fan has a specific region, city, and music theme that sparks a plethora of nostalgic emotions to the point of near tears. For me, that’s always been Pokemon: Platinum, the Twinleaf Town theme - just staring into the rippling reflection of the pond by the player’s home, listening to that beautiful synth clarinet playing that nostalgic melody - it makes my heart beat with so much fervent passion that I hardly have the words to describe it! And I think that sense of nostalgia - regardless of whether or not those memories are old or new - has always been a strong-suit for Pokemon games. They always have the ability to inspire such deep emotions in me and other alike in a variety of ways, further adding to the ability to immerse us into the game’s world. And whether your favorite area is as simple as Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region, or as agonizing as Rock Tunnel in Kanto, it’s the spirit of certain cities/towns/routes that further add to the immersion of the world in question. But how well does SWSH hold those values? Spoiler Alert: Not very well.

SWSH, in the end, is still a Pokemon game - so the setting is very vibrant and colorful and everything that can hold my attention for long periods of time. But the problem arises when one begins to progress through the game and continuously forgets what’s where and where’s what. A lot of the map is painfully basic (again, due to the literal linear nature of the Galar region) and the cities themselves kind of lack their own real originality. There was an attempt at unique cities that’s become iconic of the Pokemon franchise, but it doesn’t really stick. I think most people would agree with me that the only real memorable areas in the main game were Slumbering Weald, Ballonlea, and Spikemuth, and each of these areas have their own set of problems that also make them a bit difficult to fully enjoy. At their core, most all Galarian cities have the same basic set-up: basic green plants (if plants are in that area at all), the same brick roads that lead either to the gym or to a route leading in/out of city to another city, and a giant gym/key building in the center of it all. And that’s really about it. No real interesting buildings except for gyms and Rose Tower (and I guess technically the hotels), no extraneous locations that aren’t directly related to the plot or to gimmicks - it’s very bare-bones and really can take you out of the experience.

In a hard contrast, I’ll give the example of Generation 1’s region set up - every city has its own personality that also matches the feel of the region as a whole. Every city is based on colors, and each city is themed after that, respectively (i.e. Vermillion City, the city of sunsets themed around the color orange, is home to the Pokemon Fan Club and the kick-ass electric-type gym that initiates feelings of excitement; Lavender Town, the noble town themed around the color purple, is home to the Pokemon Tower and spooky spirits that inspire feelings of somberness and reticence). Obviously, this isn’t very realistic, but the trick isn’t to replicate reality - it is to inspire reality. The Kanto region is incredibly creative, and therefore is easy to immerse oneself into the world because it’s become a world we are actively interested in. We know that it could never truly be real or plausible, but that hardly matters when we are so enthralled with the colors and set-up and feeling of the towns. We don’t really get much of that in Galar. It probably isn’t such a great idea for your final city - being Wyndon - to feel blank and lifeless when compared to minor cities in the region. And even when we find cities that hold that uniqueness we desire like in Spikemuth or Ballonlea, there’s really no other reason to be there longer than just beating the gym. It’s sad, really. Spikemuth is such a interesting, creative-looking town home to such cool characters, and yet there literally is only one path to get in and out of the town - the town isn’t even given small houses to investigate like literally every other city in the region. It’s a waste of potential! The fact that I can’t investigate such a promising setting that inspires me really takes me out of the world, reminding me that this is just a video game in which you move from Point A to Point B. It’s no longer a fantasy world for me to explore, but instead a line at the DMV to get my Drivers’ License. The only real good thing about this is that fanfiction writers get so much free-reign when it comes to writing about the city - the only thing we really learn about the city is that it’s underfunded and gloomy and that’s literally it. I would have really liked to see more inspired cities around the region where things outside of the main plot can be done, but hopefully this is just a problem we’ll see in this region.

Probably the most important aspect of immersion (in my opinion) is the music. With the potential to make or break a game for me, I hold a lot of expectations on the music found in video games (I’ve been classically trained in music since elementary school, and have always had a fondness for video game music). Pokemon music has always been some of the most inspiring pieces of art in my life - whether it be the kickass battle suite of Champion Cynthia, or the somber piano melody of Emma’s Theme, the music of Pokemon has always been the first thing I notice and analyze whenever playing the latest title. That all being said, I have quite a few notes to make in regards to the soundtrack of SWSH.

I’ll start with the pros, first. Generally, every main title has had its own feel when it comes to the soundtrack - DPP was jazzy and smooth, Sun and Moon was based on popular Hawaiian music meshed together with classic Pokemon synths, RSE was all about the horn section (trombones and french horns all the way!). SWSH, at the end of the day, isn’t much different. The region is inspired by the UK, so it’s no surprise to discover that the soundtrack was inspired by popular British Rock. As a result, a lot of themes went really hard, keeping a hint of individuality even when some battle themes hosted similar instruments. The biggest appeal of the soundtrack, I believe, was found in the little moments, namely the cheers of the gym battle themes. I think it’s safe to say that most people get super hyped when they hear those rhythmical chants coming to life whenever in the final leg of the battle, right when you begin to Dynamax. That’s amazingly exciting, never failing to suck me into that exact moment to gather the power of God and anime to defeat my opponent. While I wasn’t totally rocking out to every single song that came on, I was pretty satisfied with the music of SWSH, overall. It’s not too bad, and hosts a few bops that I still seek out to get my blood pumping.

But, as to be expected, there are plenty of cons when it comes to the soundtrack of SWSH. I could go over this for hours and hours, detailing complex definitions of music theory and basic song comprehension, but I’ll just make this nice and simple: it was really bland.

Note that I said “bland” and not “bad” - the music is fine in my opinion, I just wasn’t feeling the same feelings as I had in previous Pokemon titles. It all felt like Pokemon music, but not much else. It was like remembering hints of a memory long-lost, but you don’t really care about to dig deep into your mind for context. Towns had music, routes had music, pokemon and characters had battle themes, yada yada yada, nothing really to write home about. If I had to pick a song that honestly, truly invoked emotions beyond “Oh it’s battle time, now”, it would have to be the Battle Tower Theme, and that’s most likely because it was written by someone else entirely (Toby Fox, also known as the creator of Undertale and composer of super hard-hitting jams). And the worst part is that I never would have even been able to hear the Battle Tower theme because I hate battle buildings (which is more of a personal problem, I know, but still). Honestly, I would have preferred hearing that theme as compared to Champion Leon’s battle theme - I feel like his champion theme was very bland and lifeless, simply holding all the required elements of a Pokemon battle theme just because that’s what has to happen. It’s uninspired, faceless, and corporate, only to be completely foiled by the unique blast of energy found in the Battle Theme, which just screams “Prove that you’re the best!” over and over to me (also known as a big theme in the Pokemon games, especially in SWSH).

That’s not to say that every other theme in the game was terrible. I much enjoyed Marnie and Piers’ battle themes, but for a different reason. As we know, Piers and Marnie host a more “punk rock” style when compared to literally everyone else in-game, a trademark of Spikemuth citizens. With their occasionally cold and prickly (no pun intended) personalities, their themes go a bit harder into rock-land as compared to characters like Hop or Bede. There’s no conflict of style there - it’s “punk” with “rock”, loads of guitars and bass with a hint of synths to keep that Pokemon flare, and fits a bit better in the setting of the world. Mild conflict arises when we start looking at characters who aren’t rockstars or idols - let’s look at Bede’s theme, for example. While it really isn’t a bad theme (it’s actually, dare I say, a bop), I wouldn’t exactly say that the resulting pieces fit neatly together like they do for the Spikemuth duo. Bede’s theme requires a lot of synths to accentuate his more flamboyant and immature personality, but also holds ties with the rock guitars while also trying so desperately hard to sound like a Pokemon song. Now, I don’t think “Pop Synth Rock” is anything bad, per se; I just feel like the added rock elements didn’t do much to add to the musical representation of our cliche jerk-face “rival”. It feels like the rock elements were an after-thought rather than a planned layer of musicality. I could really say the same thing about Hop’s theme, but then I would have to re-listen to Hop’s theme because I always forget what it sounds like even after listening to it a second before.

A big problem is that not many of these themes hold lastingly memorable motifs/melodies, which is a personal pet-peeve of mine in games where the music is highly esteemed. In pretty much every battle theme (except the generic pokemon encounter theme, which is the same melody in every Pokemon game, only with variations added to fit the music theme of the region) is just an on-going strip of notes that sound nice when playing the game, but if you tried to pick out the specific melody-line of that character, it’s a bit of work to really find anything. Let’s look at a more concrete example: Lusamine’s battle theme from Pokemon: Sun and Moon is up on my list of most memorable battle themes, and will do well without the extra influence of young me’s nostalgia seeping in like it would with earlier generations’ battle themes. Lusamine, as we know, was the elite antagonist of the game, being the leader of this esteemed Pokemon protection group who later is revealed to be using Pokemon for her own demented goals of perfection. Almost immediately, the player hears the signature accents of the harpsichord playing the prime motif before the piece digs into a full orchestration. It doesn’t sacrifice anything for the sake of “sounding like a Pokemon song”, nor does it sacrifice anything for the sake of keeping with the musical inspiration. Instead, it focuses on being exactly what it needs to be - a musical representation of Lusamine, hosting orchestra-based instruments (piano, violas and cellos, horns, violins, light pad synths, etc…). Most anyone can pick out a handful of memorable motifs from her theme (the main horns melody line, the harpsichord melody line, the mid-section cello and piano melody line, etc…), and those remain in our unconscious. So, it’s no surprise that when she becomes the “Mother Beast” later on, when the player hears hints of those signature melody lines becoming distorted in the madness of the new battle theme, it invokes a particular emotion that fits elegantly with the subject matter of the plot right then. In short, it’s musical storytelling done right. In SWSH, we don’t have that extra omph of emotionally-nostalgic motifs; instead, we just get songs that play in the background of this video game, and that’s really it. If you don’t like the song, good news - you’ll probably only hear it once or twice, depending on who the NPC is. If you do, then you’re out of luck for the very same reasons. This game lacks a very basic hint of soul to its soundtrack, which is really such a jarring idea especially when you realize that they paired up with a composer who arguably has mastered the idea of musical motifs (Fox).

This really isn’t just SWSH’s problem, either. I also went through a similar heartbreak in S&M during the final stretch of the main game; after battling Lusamine and saving the region from the threat of Ultra Beasts (more or less, anyway), we the player go to challenge the champion, who is revealed to be Profession Kukui since there really is no true champion for the newly-made league. It’s hard to go from an exciting, powerful battle theme like Lusamine’s to some generic, cardboard-cut-out version of a champion battle theme for Kukui. It’s hard to invoke any sort of emotional appeal when there’s no real inspiration to be felt in the music; with no emotional connection, there is no emotion. It’s, once again, just music that plays in the background of a video game. A similar experience happens in SWSH with the player’s match against Champion Leon; though we have the potential to gain an emotional connection to a Leon Theme motif, we don’t get that. Instead, we just get music that is programmed to be exciting for our championship match that will undoubtedly change our lives forever. Bland, boring, anti-climatic - all for the sake of coloring in the lines. This has been an on-going problem in Pokemon games for years in which the Championship Battle Theme is less interesting than the Evil Team Battle Theme, which probably isn’t a good idea. It’s annoying when your villain has a better theme than the literal strongest trainer in the region - it ruins the chances of likability for the region’s “good guys” and overall is anti-climatic when it is finally time to become champion.

Overall, the ability to immerse someone like me in a game is very important when it comes to retaining players. While SWSH isn’t the worst Pokemon game when it comes to immersion (considering the fact that I actually beat the main game, which I can’t say for other main Pokemon titles…), Game Freak certainly could stand to learn from the game’s shortcomings.

Creature and Character Design...

The monster design is arguably one of the most controversial topics when it comes to any Pokemon game. Some people only care about the designs of Gen 1, others accept everything but Gen 5, and a select few could rant for hours on the stupidity of literally every Pokemon design in the franchise. Regardless, the design of the Pokemon native to the Galar region is an important topic of discussion when analysing the potential for enjoyment of the game. After all, I’m an artist who loves drawing all my favorite characters as well as my favorite Pokemon, so understanding the designs of these beloved figures is vital to understanding the game in general. For sanity’s sake, I’ll only be discussing new Pokemon introduced in this region, and will be ignoring all previous pokemon that aren’t regional variants.

Overall, the designs of the latest Pokemon are satisfactory. Because of my tendency to always suspend belief in fantasy works, I’ve very rarely had much to hate about Pokemon designs (not even in Gen 5, though I don’t particularly like any of them aside from the game cover legendaries). SWSH didn’t really bring much to the table when it comes to brand-new Pokemon, but the ones introduced are fitting and interesting: the Dragapult line, all three starters (even if I did laugh for literal hours at the discovery of Cinderace’s typing), Wooloo and Dubwool, Yamper and Boltund - just to name my top favorites. And I was totally invested in the designs of the game cover legendaries, Zamazenta and Zacian, since they held cultural relations with the region’s inspiration and therefore had actual meaning within the game besides just being cool mythical creatures. Nothing really outright bothered me with the designs or pokemon choices in this game; as I mentioned earlier, I was okay with the idea of no National Dex for this region, and that all the pokemon allowed in this game matched with the region well-enough.

But, of course, it’s not without faults. I found there to be a substantial lack of original legendaries in this game - we only have three real legendaries to catch in the main-game, four if you consider the DLC. We had a similar problem in Pokemon: Sun and Moon, but it was later amended with the introduction of Ultra Beasts (which can technically be regarded as legendary Pokemon, albeit from another dimension and not technically Pokemon). In SWSH, we are only given the option of catching more than two legendaries if we buy the DLC - this is remarkably disappointing for those who are interested in seeing new, unique Pokemon designs. I know many fans are constantly frustrated with Game Freak’s tendency to overuse Gen 1 Pokemon, but the fact that nobody is bothered by the running trend of being able to easily catch a bunch of previous games’ legendaries is beyond me. It’s essentially the same thing, overly relying on the fanbase’s sentimental nostalgia rather than moving forward to create new creature designs. I know for a fact that so many people would have been excited to catch Pokemon with cultural significance (maybe like elf Pokemon that resemble that of Seelie/Unseelie fairies, or more Pokemon that resemble chess pieces, or maybe more Pokemon that follow a theme of medieval artifacts - there are many possibilities), so the fact that they skimped out in favor of making people pay for nostalgia is ridiculous to me. This was a majority of the reason why I rejected buy any of the DLC content - why would I pay for Pokemon I’ve technically caught before? I mean, I guess it can be more for the kids who have never encountered the older legendaries, but then again, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for your game to have Pokemon that actually represent the new region? Instead of just stealing other games’ legendaries for the sake of saying that you have them, they could have just worked a little harder to design maybe three or six more cool legendary designs and centered those guys around the two DLC locations instead of just having Calyrex for The Crown Tundra. At the end of the day, it’s really just a cash-grab; the only reason I could ever see myself understandably buying the DLC for SWSH would be because I wanted to interact more with my favorite NPCs, but then again, I can just look at screenshots on Twitter and feel just as satisfied.

But not all is lost in terms of designs. Now let’s get into my favorite design portion of this segment and discuss the NPCs.

First, we’ll dig into the rivals. Personally, I really enjoyed the rivals of this game; while Pokemon is definitely running on a formula, I still was able to find enough about the three rival characters to genuinely enjoy their presence whenever they came on screen. I suppose we can expect to keep seeing this new Pokemon Trainer Rival Formula: Kind of Annoying but Too Sweet to Hate BFF Rival (Hop), 2 Edgy 5 U Rival (Bede), and Some Pedo’s Waifu Material Rival (Marnie).

Hop is arguably one of my favorite Pokemon rivals of all time (right up there with Gladion from S&M). He’s one of the only Pokemon characters to get a realistic character development over the course of the game’s playable story, which really humanizes him and makes up for his occasionally annoying personality. Over the course of the game, Hop goes from silently residing in his brother’s shadow to learning to stand on his own without needed any outside validation; much to my surprise, it’s not some half-hearted transition. Hop doubts himself during the challenge, as evidenced not just by his dialogue but in the way he actively changes his team to try and be more competitive like everybody else. I remember feeling so heartbroken in realization that Hop stopped using his beloved Wooloo, which is rightfully paired up with the excitable boy. The idea that Hop uses Wooloo, a normal-type cute Pokemon that generally wouldn’t be used in a competitive team, really adds more dimension to his character; when he learns to enjoy himself instead of letting his doubts overtake him, he returns to using Dubwool and his favorite team, demonstrating how he would prefer to have fun as himself than be someone he isn’t. I found that to be a really wholesome theme to his character, one that we haven’t really seen in a Pokemon game yet - it was a pleasant surprise! Hop is sweet and kind, always wanting to motivate the player even when he’s in his own internal turmoil. With all that added with his adorable babyface and goofy/awkward preteen disposition, he really makes for a likeable rival character.

The next rival to be introduced is none other than our classic Mean Boy rival, Bede. He’s a character the fanbase is a bit more accustomed to due to previous titles’ rivals (i.e. Green/Blue/Gary Oak from in R&G/B, Silver from SGC, technically also Gladion from S&M…), so are quite a few expectations placed on his character as a result. Also true to the typical Pokemon Jerk Rival, he has a complicated homelife (he comes from an orphanage, as we later learn) and has a similarly complicated parent-child relationship to the leading antagonist of the game (in this case, Chairman Rose). Bede constantly assumes himself to be better than he is and isn’t afraid to be a total prick about it, choosing to bully Hop upon winning battles against him to boost his own inflated ego (though there’s hints pointing to Bede actually having rather low self-esteem). All things considered, I liked Bede as a character about as much as one can like a mean rival archetype, but I was more than pleased to discover his transition to a more likably mean-spirited character when he later returns to the game to challenge the player after being disqualified from the challenge. While we’ve had a likeable mean rival before (namely Gladion), Bede is something of his own entity with how he actually has an attempt at character development that leads him to a mini-redemption near the end of the game. He’s really the first mean rival to have a transition from total jerk to slightly-peeved tsundere, which was probably a good idea on Game Freak’s part so that we wouldn’t be left with a character we downright hated after the way Bede quite literally destroys Hop’s confidence. It’s nowhere near as impressive as Hop’s character development (which isn’t super impressive to begin with, but let’s ignore that fact for a bit), but it’s still interesting to see in a monster-catching game about being the best you can be.

And then, of course, we get to the cute-girl rival, Marnie, also known as the place where I get a bit mad again. I’d like to say that I absolutely love Marnie; she has an adorable design and interesting personality that captures my attention whenever she has screen time. But she serves one purpose in this game, and one purpose alone - being the main cute girl rival of the game. Marnie has the potential to be a similarly interesting rival (cute design that meshes “punk” with “cute”, has a wholesome and fun dynamic with her gym leader older brother, uses a Pokemon that isn’t considered to be a “competitive” choice as her ace, has a cool/cute personality…), and yet we probably only talk to her about five times over the course of the main game. Little is done with her character - in fact, the only real thing she does in the game other than becoming the next dark-type gym leader is that she helps the player sneak into Spikemuth after the gates have been shut by the remarkably-harmless Team Yell. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that I would have loved to have seen more done with her character. With the boy rivals being more fleshed out than her, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth because the female rival is the one left with a blank personality (and I’m not just saying that because she hardly smiles - that’s really one of the only things we get about her that gives her an actual personality). My frustrations are further exacerbated because this has always been an issue in Pokemon games, in which the girl rivals are so barebones for seemingly the only purpose of serving as some neckbeard’s waifu that they can input a personality they desire despite the fact that she’s canonically a minor. Why put in the time to give dimension to Hop and Bede, but not Marnie? And we know for a fact that Game Freak has to recognize the lack of personality given to Marnie, especially since they had previously come out with Lillie’s wonderfully sweet character arch in S&M and USUM. Personally, I feel that it was because they didn’t feel like having a more punkish girl character who also had traditionally feminine-coded interests (she’s known to have been distracted during the gym challenge by the boutiques) and ultimately decided to just not give her any further personality other than that, perhaps fearing that it would dissuade the gross creeper fanbase from latching onto her. But that’s really just speculation, so don’t take any of my nonsense too seriously. Really, I’d just rather we had a girl rival with more personality to match the other two rivals so it wasn’t so annoyingly unbalanced.

Moving on from the rivals, we get into the designs of the League Staff of the game. In most other Pokemon games, I’d never really been too interested in the gym leaders; they had always been more of minor bosses, just faces that you saw for a couple of seconds before pummeling their ‘mons and moving to the next city. But in this game in particular, there was a sudden transition from simple puzzle master to a full-on celebrity figure. I really enjoyed this! It was so nice to actually have some information on the gym leaders other than what type they sported; suddenly, they have personalities and interests - they become real to the player. Not to mention that there really is a gym leader for everyone to enjoy, thanks to their unique personalities and styles.

I’ll be a bit honest and say that some of their clothing designs are remarkably stupid for even an anime-based RPG game (I mean, I know we joke about Leon’s terrible sense of fashion in the fanbase, but can we just pause and ponder what Piers’ wears? I mean, a leather jacket with spandex? Metal boots and a work-out tank??? What is he wearing?!), but it isn’t exactly distracting. In Western cultures in particular, we can see a trend towards the glamourization of the “athleisure” style, or athletic wear designed more for everyday use rather than just working out. It was kind of fitting to see this be the primary style for the gym leaders, who can basically be described as hierarchical sports stars. Weird? Sure. But in the context of the world, it all fits together, and once again adds to the immersion aspect of the game.

Looking at our main antagonists, they are designed quite well. Chairman Rose is designed to be quite easy and fun to hate (at least for me) - he’s an important-looking businessman who’s very impressed with himself, paired up with a beautiful yet terrifying subordinate woman who does most all the hardwork for him (...actually, they kind of remind me of an antagonistic Cl. Mustang and Lt. Hawkeye from Fullmetal Alchemist…). They also had noteworthy battle themes that popped a bit more than other battle themes in the game.

While they hardly count as antagonists, I’d like to also make a brief mention of Team Yell. They’re more annoying than anything, which is a trend that I’m not too sure how I feel about yet. It was definitely more likable coming from Team Skull, that’s for sure. I would have liked Team Yell doing a bit more damage, having them be a bit more unruly and controversial before evening them out with the whole emotional appeal of them cheering on for Marnie in hopes of saving their ruined town. But they weren’t too terrible in my opinion.

I could talk for hours on the champion of the region, too, Champion Leon. He’s a really fun and charming character overall, less of the supremely wise and powerful champion that we’ve seen in older gens and instead being a more quirky but worthwhile opponent on the path towards the crown. But I definitely preferred him more as a character than as a champion; even though his team changes depending on your starter, it’s not too challenging of a fight if you know what you’re doing, especially when you immediately know what his ace pokemon is (something we don’t really learn in other gens about the champions). While I’m sure the idea of a powerful but transparent champion can be done, Leon doesn’t really stand up as a powerful trainer when compared to other champions in the franchise. But he’s definitely still a fun, interesting character concept that I am grateful for in this particular game.

When it comes to the designs of the primary NPCs and Pokemon, SWSH continues to talk that line just above mediocrity. Not too bad, not all that great, but definitely not something to be forgotten. I’d reason that the primary strength of this generation lies within the characters that are introduced.

Uniqueness vs. Status as a Pokemon Game...

In regards to the uniqueness - how well this game stands on its own as an individual concept rather than just another Pokemon game - I’m a bit divided. On one hand, I’m a bit saddened by the watering down of content and constant reliance on concepts from older games. But I can also see that SWSH introduced a lot of interesting ideas that have inspired so many fans for this generation. And while yes, this gen didn’t have much to offer in terms of new Pokemon, new scenarios, or new lore, I do think that it does hold its own when compared to the other games in the main series. New characters are introduced to the player, all of which having good (and bad) traits that allow for lots of fan-created content with their essence; a new look into a brand-new battle enhancer that requires a different strategy than those of previous battle enhancers; a new culture found within the Galar region that can inspire many more thoughts and theories on the Pokemon world as a whole in a number of ways. We cannot pretend that SWSH isn’t an influential game just because it wasn’t ground-breaking; even with my extreme distaste for the Black and White games, I still admit that they led to important decisions and ideas that led to the creation of games I did enjoy. So, as its own entity, I think that Pokemon: Sword and Shield really has a lot of offer and would probably be an amazing game for a younger player who’s just getting into the Pokemon universe.

But I think that a lot of us long-time fans can agree that this game doesn’t quite match up with the others in terms of giving those real “Pokemon game” feelings. The problem with big-titles like this is that the company tends to lose sight of what really makes a franchise so influential isn’t the stuff found at face-value. It’s not the creatures or NPCs or game mechanics or design or any of that garbage - it’s the feelings we get when all of those things reach that perfect harmony. It’s the rumble in my chest whenever I listen to that famous intro-sequence of my old Pokemon: Ruby game; it’s the fire in my eyes when I went back to challenge Pokemon Trainer Red for the tenth time that night back in my old Pokemon: Heart Gold game; it’s the tears I cried when I watched the only interesting character, N, leave my playable character after his emotional spiel following the defeat of Ghetsis in my long-since abandoned copy of Pokemon: White. At the end of the day, Pokemon is more of an emotion I get rather than a game I play, and I think this is an idea that few people can recognize for themselves. And while I’m aware that I literally just spent several thousand words bagging and praising this game for all those face-value aspects, I also know that when you add that extra little bit of care to your work, go a little further with a character you know someone will adore, or try something new with that new battle theme, there comes a sensation that goes beyond that of love for a silly fantasy game. I’d like to think it’s something akin to inspiration.

Conclusion...

In conclusion, Pokemon: Sword and Shield is far from perfect. With a number of faults and disappointments, I can understand why a lot of fans were less than interested in giving this game the time of day. But I also want to say that this game deserves to be understood and appreciate for what it is, for what it’s done. Who knows what sort of new ideas this game has inspired? Whether it be in the name Pokemon game or someone else’s passion project, I am confident in the potential that this game has to bring someone’s dreams to fruition. It already has inspired so much amazing fan-content from the community; after so many years of being away from the fandom, SWSH was the game that drove me right back, giving me the drive to once again indulge in my middle-school days of sketching out my latest comfort character or writing out a million headcanons in a way-too plot-heavy story. Many fan-creators in this community feel the same as me, I’m sure, so it would be untrue of me to say that this game was anything less than what it was: a fun, simple game that prides itself in its characters and potential rather than complex combat mechanics or some corkboard-plot nightmare. It’s a game meant to be enjoyed, so we must remember to find our enjoyment wherever it can be found. For me, Pokemon can’t really do much wrong, but also is held up to a level of expectations that I can’t quite understand even for myself. This, at the end of the day, is a video game from my all-time favorite franchise; so long as I can find enjoyment there in it, then it’s worth it. In a world filled with nihilism and cynicism, it’s nice to visit a land where you’re wise to try and be the very best like no-one ever was, to be the next best Pokemon Master.

#pokemon #Pokemon Sword and shield #pokemon swsh #swsh #sword and shield #game review #game #analysis #review #post mortem #(does this count as post mortem???)#casual gamer #essay #video game #food for thought

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polkscastle · 5 years ago

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January Pokemon Direct Thoughts

Hey, Everyone. It's been a while since I last talked about new Pokemon Direct info, but, after watching the new Direct today, I have some thoughts I'd like to get out. So, if you're interested, thanks for sticking around. -----

- DLC Expansion Passes: I actually really like this idea. Mostly because I was recently thinking that this should have been a thing since Gen 6. Since X and Y, I've kind of felt that the Pokemon games have been a little lacking in post game content. At some point, you just end up doing all the game really has to offer. I also felt that new special Pokemon giveaways (Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, Magearna, Marshadow, and Zeraora) lack a lot of the flair that's supposed to make them memorable. From what I remember of Gen 4/5, these special giveaways always coincided with special in-game events: You get a special item, trigger a story event, unlock a new location, and then you battle and catch the new Pokemon. These newer giveaways just gave you the Pokemon out right which, while fine, is too simple and just lacks a bit of the old, fun theatrics. Not helping is that all of these "secret" Pokemon are quickly found out long before hand thanks to hackers.

When I was thinking about this, my thought was that having these special Pokemon being revealed and catchable as part of DLC updates would fix these issues. You can add new content post game, really show off the new Pokemon, and even keep them secret till the official release. And lo and behold, that's just what they're doing. Admittedly, the biggest problem with this model may be pricing (I don't want Pokemon to bleed its fans dry). The thirty dollar price kinda chilled me at first sight but, in the end, I don't think it's that bad of an investment for those who are truly interested for year long updates. (It's certainly better than needing to have to buy a new full price game just for new content).

So far, both "The Isle of Armor" and "The Crown Tundra" look incredibly interesting to me and, I can't wait to play them!

- Expanded National Dex: I never spoke my own opinion on the big National Dex issue that was (is) a real hot topic surrounding Sword and Shield. Honestly, I didn't feel it was too big an issue for me and my enjoyment of the games. Personally, I go into these new games with a personal rule of only using new Pokemon to get a feel for them instead of relying on old favorites. I will admit that GameFreak could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by just waiting another year or so to develop the games with a full Dex instead of insisting on a big release every single year. Fans can be "impatient" but, I could wait.

That said, I did predict that this might have been wait they were going to do a along; just release updates that would expand the Dex. It turned out to just be a matter of waiting. Also, I do appreciate that these updates are still free separate from the Expansion passes. Good show on that at least GameFreak.

- New Pokemon:

- Kubfu: Scrappy little teddy bear cub. I LOVE THEM!! =^w^= Headcanon: Will try to fight anyone and everyone he comes across but, their all too enthrall with their cuteness

- Urshifu: So Cool!! Really love the intro they gave em in the trailer. Wonder which form I'll end up with...

- Calyrex: I'm intrigued; mostly about how their plume-top resembles a big English crown and appears to act like a hot air balloon (Symbolism)

- New Regis(?): Fun! I want to know more about you guys! Like, if they're still based on different eras in time, what would they be?

- Galarian Legendary Birds(?): Oh cool! I guess we may Regional forms for Legendaries now

- No Gen 4 Remakes: Let me just get this out now. I am not happy that there was no news about any Gen 4 remakes. BUT, I am not upset over this fact. I love Diamond and Pearl but, if they're going to have remakes, I'm willing to wait and not pester the game developers about them. GameFreak is not obligated to make these remakes, and demanding them won't make them come any faster (not for any good results).

Apologies. I just keep seeing this Gen 4 Remakes posts/comments and they just keep getting pushier and pushier. I'm tired -_-

- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX: Now, this is interesting. I guess we're getting remakes of spin-off titles now. Funny enough, I've never gotten into the Mystery Dungeon games. I had Explorers of Time but, strangely I could never get into it. Maybe, if I get this, I can finally step into this series from where it all started. ^^

----- That's really all I have to say for the moment. TL;DR: I like what I saw from the Direct and have good hopes for the future.

Hope you're having a great day, Friends ^^

#pokemon #pokemon direct #pokemon sword #pokemon shield #kubfu #urshifu #calyrex

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askmerriauthor · 5 years ago

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Pokemon SwSh Thoughts - Post Game

So I’ve finished Pokemon Sword’s primary content. All that’s left is to finish up the PokeDex and drive myself insane trying to whip up all the variations of Alcremie. That, and delaying buying an online subscription for as long as possible before I bother with trading to get the other game’s exclusives. Here’s some thoughts on the game after the fact:

Pokemon SwSh really needed to come out in late 2020, period. I’ve enjoyed the game so far, but I’ve played it for about a week without putting in too much time/effort grinding and I’ve already done pretty much everything there is to do. I had my Starter leveled up to 100 before I even left the Wild Area for the very first time. The pacing and content depth of this game are pretty much non-existent, whereas the majority of the effort has clearly been put toward refining the competitive combat development. That’s great for those players who really like the battle system, but not so much for those of us who like story and broader gameplay elements.

Pro - Streamlined Gameplay One thing I’ve wanted in Pokemon for ages has been the ability to skip tutorials. I understand the necessity of having them, as every game that comes out is going to be some player’s first and their presence is for that player. But at least having the option to skip them for us old hats would be nice. SwSh does that! I was delighted to discover that the game allows you to bypass tutorials with a simple yes/no prompt when a new element is introduced. How to catch Pokemon, type match-ups, how to heal at Pokemon Centers, and so forth - all the stuff previous games led us through by the nose has been made optional this time around.

I’ve seen some people saying that this game holds the player’s hand too much as it leads us from one gameplay element to the next and doesn’t let us progress at our own leisure. To some degree this is true, but it’s far less egregious than in previous games, such as SuMo. There’s yet to be a good balance between giving the player free reign and giving them enough guidance to ensure we never feel lost, but this has been an inoffensive example as far as I’m concerned. The game does end up feeling rather railroaded, but I don’t necessarily consider that a fault of hand-holding. I’ll get to this matter later on.

Pro - The Style Galar is a very pretty region and the game makes good use of the Switch’s higher capacity to produce excellent backdrops for the player to explore. Many of the Pokemon have charming animations (Falinks is my favorite on this respect). The towns are all really well-designed in terms of visuals, especially compared to the bare-bones looks of older generations. I feel like there could have been more, but what we got is still great.

Pro - Implications in Lore Those of you who know me know how much I love lore and world building. Pokemon, as a franchise, is ripe with opportunity to examine its lore to the most tiny and obscure detail, so any new addition to the franchise is welcome on that front. Galar has some pretty fascinating nuggets to contribute.

I love that the League in Galar, as well as competitive Pokemon Training in general, is treated like a career sport. In specific, I love that this view and practice is exclusive to Galar - I wouldn’t like it at all if the entire franchise shifted to this angle, but it works great for a one-off region. I like that Kabu specifically relocated himself from Hoenn to join the sports league as it doesn’t exist in his home region. The Champion being a sort of major celebrity/superhero, the way Gym Leaders can recruit proteges or even inheritors of their rank from among contenders, the sort of clique all the Gym Leaders have with one another - it’s a really neat dynamic. I also like the notion that actually completing the Gym Challenge isn’t something common and most Trainers who try rarely make it even halfway through. That’s an interesting contrast to other regions where collecting Gym Badges seems almost as a given and the League itself is considered the real challenge, or where the whole endeavor is designed to be finished as a matter of course, like in Alola.

There’s also some really neat additions to the overall lore brought in from the Pokemon Masters mobile game. While its place in canon is questionable, it does specifically mention Galar in a few places. The idea that Pokemon who do not appear in the current Dex are banned from Galar by customs (perhaps identified as potentially dangerous/invasive species) is an interesting one. So is the claim that Iris - the Champion of Unova in BW2 - is a cousin of Leon and Hop. I love it when there are connections amid titles like that as it really helps build a more unified setting.

-Edit-: Darn, apparently those screenshots were fakes. Strike that positive from the list, I suppose.

Mixed Pro/Con - The Availability of Pokemon and the Wild Area I’m not talking about Dexit - I have my own thoughts on that explained elsewhere and frankly don’t think it’s going to end up as bad as everyone is fretting over in the long run. No, in this particular case I’m focused on the availability of Pokemon that are in the game itself.

To put it simply... it’s too easy. I know that filling out the PokeDex isn’t supposed to be a huge challenge, but I’ve gotten the majority of it done - evolved forms, item-reliant forms, gender/size/color variations included - with pretty much no effort whatsoever. I like the idea of the Wild Area in principle but what it ends up being in practice is lacking. It’s too easy to just hoover up Pokemon at a breakneck pace, which leads to other zones and the Wild Area itself becoming pretty much immediately obsolete. I have no need to return to them once I’ve gotten everything I need and there’s not enough general content to urge me to visit again.

The Wild Area itself is a big open sandbox that you can roam around in, which is nice compared to more linear zones in past games. Galar has its railroad routes, but they’re brief (aside from the obligatory overlong water route, which even then is still quite a lot smaller than other regions’ have been). However, it’s just that - a big open sandbox. You can wander through it very easily and even traipse into the “high level” zones without fear because you can see all the Pokemon coming and give them a wide berth to avoid them. There aren’t any obstacles or challenges within the Wild Area itself, and the game makes it supremely easy to find Pokemon even under specific weather/time conditions, which I feel is a missed opportunity. I would have rather the Wild Area been MUCH bigger and more involved, full of places to explore and puzzles to solve. Similarly, I would rather that Pokemon were more difficult to come by as well - that a greater deal of effort would have been put toward tracking and discovering certain harder-to-find Pokemon, with more in-game detective work to find your prize.

Mixed Pro/Con - The Characters The ensemble cast of new Gym Leaders are great - I enjoy the majority of them and frankly want more interactions, more encounters, just more in general. That’s sort of the problem though - I want more. The game itself criminally under-utilizes these characters, especially compared to how much more involved and explored Gym Leaders have been in recent games. There is precious little content using the Gym Leaders here in Galar as it stands and I constantly found myself wanting them to hang out longer and have the chance to learn more about them. Their League Cards are a neat little addition full of interesting tidbits about their histories, natures, and relationships with each other, but I would MUCH rather have gotten to see all that play out in the game itself rather than read it as a flavor blurb.

On the con side of this, however, is the fact that all of the characters are extremely one-dimensional. We’ve been seeing a steady increase in the depth and development of supporting characters in the games since BW onward, with SuMo arguably having the most to date. The overall characterization in SwSh is incredibly lacking by comparison as we don’t get nearly enough time to be with the cast, nor is the cast given the chance to present more than one note per. Nobody has any sort of emotional growth or development. The closest thing to a character arc in the game is Hop’s acceptance of the idea that he’s not going to be the Champion, but it doesn’t have anywhere near as much punch as it could and is over in the blink of an eye compared to how he spends THE ENTIRE GAME repeating the same “I’m gonna be the Champion/Hokage/Pirate King!” spiel every time he’s on screen.

Con - Dynamaxing and Max Raid Battles I’m not really on board with the whole “Mega-Evolution is best! No more gimmicks!” train because that’s just silly to me. Every game has its gimmick and the way Pokemon gradually picks up tricks and traits from its past versions to consolidate into newer titles is one of its strengths. That said, Dynamaxing is worthless and a pointless addition to the game, both in presentation and practice.

The visual of a Pokemon going kaiju is a neat concept and one I was initially intrigued by, but in practice it falls flat because it’s as thin as cardboard. It’s just Mega-Evolution and Z-Moves smooshed together with an additional 3 round time limit tacked on. All it functionally does is buff your Pokemon’s HP pool and add additional weather/status effects to certain attacks, but in some cases the Dynamax versions of attacks are actually weaker/less useful than their base form. In Gym Battles all the way through the final League fight with Leon, I didn’t bother with Dynamaxing because my Pokemon were strong enough to not need it. I could one-shot Dynamaxed Pokemon with ease using a non-Dynamaxed Pokemon and that really shows a flaw in the design if ever there was one. Dynamaxing doesn’t add or improve anything vital to gameplay - it’s just fluff.

Max Raid Battles as found in the Wild Area are even worse. For those of you who don’t know, these are instanced battles against a Dynamaxed/Gigantamaxed wild Pokemon where you team up with three other players/NPCs. If you win, you get a bunch of useful items and have the chance to catch the wild Pokemon as well, which is the only way you can get certain Gigantamax-capable Pokemon reliably.

The issue with these Max Raid Battles is that they’re an absolute slog. In the early stages of the game they’re all super easy to the point that I could solo them and thus gathered mountains of EXP-boosting candies, which let me overlevel my Pokemon beyond reason. Since the whole “your Pokemon is too high level and won’t listen to you” thing apparently doesn’t apply to Starters and special Event Pokemon, I was able to max-level and run rampant across all opposition with my Starter and my special “thanks for buying early” Meowth. HOWEVER. The difficulty scale of the Max Raid Battles increases with your game progress, so by the time I finished the game and went back into the Wild Area, the Max Raid Battles’ difficulty had ramped up. That’s an okay compromise on its face, but the manner in which the difficulty has increased is poor game design. The battles aren’t any harder, they just take longer - the wild Pokemon has more HP, tosses up a few rounds of shields to soak damage at the start and again halfway through the fight, and purges stat boosts from the player and party throughout the battle. It just makes the fights a pain in the ass to get through rather than making them more challenging or fun, and it’s gotten to the point that I don’t even bother with them anymore. They’re just not worth the trouble, not even for the sake of trying to farm EXP candies because, at this point in the game, all Pokemon in the Wild Area scale up to level 60+ and thus are perfectly serviceable as EXP farming fodder themselves.

On a lore side of things, Dynamaxing is really confusing. There’s the whole visual aspect of the Pokemon growing to giant sizes and sometimes changing their appearances, and there’s these massive arenas built to facilitate the whole thing. But the game itself goes out of its way to impress the fact that the Pokemon aren’t actually getting bigger. They just appear to grow in size and haven’t actually physically changed themselves so Dynamaxing is more like a giant hard light holographic projection than anything else? It’s just a really weird design choice to have made and I don’t understand why it was included.

Con - The Writing So, writing is very important to me. It’s literally been my job for the past decade with various game studios. I don’t consider myself any sort of literary snob as I feel there’s a place for schlock right alongside masterpieces - they all serve a specific purpose and fulfill a particular hunger the reader would like satisfied.

That said, SwSh’s writing is abysmal.

Right on the face, there’s not enough of it. The game is criminally short and light on content, which directly impacts its pacing. Remember earlier when I mentioned that things felt railroaded? That’s because there’s not enough story to rest on - it all flies by as fast as can be, forcing the player along a very narrow and brief chain of events that don’t feel consequential at all. Further, the player has no agency in events whatsoever. It’s not the player’s story - it’s Hop’s story. We’re the supporting role to his journey, shallow as that arc may be. Hop is the one who initiates the events of the game without our input as a character and then we spend the entire game following him around, or being pushed into the next event by other characters who are facilitating Hop. At no point is the player ever given the chance to express their own characterization, motivation, or even opinions. Nearly every two-choice dialogue option that appears boils down to “Yes” or “Slightly More/Less Enthusiastic Yes”, which is a huge downgrade from the genuine negative responses and NPC reactions that were present in SuMo.

In terms of overall plot, SwSh has pretty much the same level of depth and complexity as the original Red/Blue titles, and that is as scathing a criticism in this modern age as I can possibly imagine. The whole story is “run in a circle, collect badges, fight vaguely present villainous threat, fight league.” We are actively forced from one gym fight to the next with no time to breathe, no story-focused events in between, and not even any chance to appreciate the gym, its leader, or even the towns they take place in. It’s one and done - once you’ve got the badge there’s no reason to hang around and the story shuffles us along quickly as can be. I mean that literally in some cases - there are hints of a greater plot at hand with Sonia investigating the history of Galar’s legends and the potential machinations of mega-corporate mogul Chairman Rose. But each time those are broached in game play, the game pushes the player off-screen and says “Well, that’s not something you need to worry about. Go get another badge!” I mean, LITERALLY! There’s a point where The Plot begins to kick in where Pokemon begin to spontaneously Dynamax and cause havoc, which is the narrative queue for the player to become involved and for the story to reveal a new facet. But when that happens, Leon LITERALLY says “leave this to the adults, you just focus on your Gym Challenge” and runs off-screen to handle it himself. It would be a good narrative subversion if it led up to things eventually getting out of hand and the player getting roped into things, or the player having the ability to defy such warnings and interject themselves into danger. But that doesn’t happen - the game just forces us to focus on the Gym Challenge alone and keeps all the actual plot of the game off-screen away from us. This is very poor narrative design and game design alike, and it all comes to nothing because we’re forced to clean up everything in the end anyway by battling the villain and legendaries as per usual.

Though I should also point out that there’s no villain in this game.

But what about Team Yell and Chairman Rose, I hear you ask? They’re not villains, both literally and figuratively respectively. Team Yell never really does anything other than act as brief gate locking elements throughout the game until you finish the Gym you’re at, then they bounce off to the next part of the route they’re set to block. They don’t do anything bad and, as it’s later revealed, they’re actually just a bunch of Spikemuth Gym staffers who are posing as hooligans to support Marnie. They’re literally not villains and, once you beat the Spikemuth Gym, they actually become supporting characters who cheer for the player character and help out against the actual supposed villain of the game.

The actual “villain” of the game is Chairman Rose and his assistant Oleana. However, they’re only villains because the script says they are. They don’t actually do anything bad throughout the entire game nor is there any indication that they have some sort of grand master plan. The most we get is some unusual happenings like small quakes and explosions in the distance, but the game never allows us any chance to investigate - we’re just shoved off toward the next Gym each time. So when Chairman Rose is finally revealed to be the Big Bad, it comes completely out of left field and seems to happen for no reason whatsoever. Further, IT IS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER. Chairman Rose’s plan and goal is never explained in depth - all we get is the vague indication that he believes that Galar isn’t sustainable and there will be an inevitable energy crisis in about 1,000 years, and somehow his EVIL SCHEME will fix it. But, like, even Leon flat-out says “I understand your concern but you’re being hasty, this doesn’t need to be rushed, chill out for five seconds and let’s figure this out reasonably”. Instead Rose interrupts the Champion match and announces his EVIL SCHEME on global broadcast for literally no good reason. There was no dire immediacy that required him to do it right then and there, or in that manner, but the plot needed to move us along so that’s how it goes.

It really doesn’t help that, prior to all this, there’s absolutely no indication at all that Rose nor Oleana are bad guys. They’re just business folk who appear to have nothing but good intentions and support for Leon, with the other adults of the cast all happily trusting them. There is nothing to make them seem suspicious in practice and they offer no reason to doubt them at all, so them suddenly being the bad guys is just confusing. Further, how the player is first introduced to the concept of them being antagonists is easily the most ridiculous logic jump and overreaction I’ve seen since the old Adam West Batman television show. So get this: after a battle, Leon says he’ll meet Player and Hop for dinner to celebrate. Player and Hop wait for Leon, but he never shows up. Another NPC explains that Leon was called in for a last-minute meeting by Chairman Rose (who is his boss and has made such requests of Leon’s time throughout the game, as I feel is important to point out) and apologizes for having to miss the dinner plans. Simple enough sort of situation, right? The sort of thing that any reasonable person would shrug and say “Well, that sucks but okay, let’s go eat on our own then” to, right? So what happens here instead?

The Player, Hop, Marnie, and her Gym Leader brother GATHER A SMALL MOB AND STORM CHAIRMAN ROSE’S BUSINESS HQ, FIGHTING THEIR WAY THROUGH SECURITY.

I mean, escalation much? We all have smartphones - just send Leon a text, for goodness’ sake. I’m playing through these events constantly going “why the hell are we doing this and why is everyone acting like it’s some sort of dire emergency?”. And do you know what happens when we finally kick down the doors to Chairman Rose’s office? We find Chairman Rose and Leon quietly having a peaceful chat, after which Leon apologizes for having to cancel the dinner plans and we all walk out together like nothing happened. It was just this huge, needless overreaction that has no consequence and that neither Rose nor Leon even bat an eye at. We, as the players, learn absolutely nothing of importance and are back on the Gym Challenge immediately with no functional changes to the narrative.

Like... what was the point of that?! How was that the best option to try and put Chairman Rose and his underlings into the role of antagonists for us to oppose?

So what is Chairman Rose’s EVIL SCHEME anyway? Basically he wants to provide Galar with renewable clean energy which... uh... is bad? Somehow? Apparently he plans to use a Legendary Pokemon called Eternatus - apparently the source of Dynamaxing - which is literally never mentioned at any point in the game except precisely when it’s time to fight/capture it, nor does fighting/capturing it have any impact on the story or setting. You would think that the player being in control of a massive Eldritch horror that has UNLIMITED POWER at its disposal would be something of a sticking point somewhere in the story, but no. Eternatus and Rose’s plan are never mentioned until precisely the time you need to deal with them, and once that’s done they’re both never mentioned again. Done and done all in one. No gradual seeding of information, no hints and clues throughout the game, no development of lore - just wham, bam, thank you ma’am and off we go.

Y’know, call me silly but in a game that has undertones referencing climate change, extinction of animal species, and criticisms against capitalism run amok, is it really a good idea to depict the guy advocating for clean energy to be bad? That feels like a missed mark to me.

The post-game plot, should one bother to call it that, is just inane. It basically boils down to a pair of one-shot baddies who show up and say “Ha ha! We’re rich and that means we’re better than everyone! Watch as we cause trouble for vague reasons, get hoist by our own petard, and then fuck off forever! Byeeeee~!” The post-game is completely pointless and doesn’t add anything of value at all. Which, again, compare to older games like ORAS’ post-game expansion content and it’s nothing but a damn shame.

SwSh’s writing is shallow and limited at best, with one-dimensional characters, no genuine conflict or resolution, terrible pacing, and repetitive elements that boomerang around over and over and over again to the point of annoyance. Compared to what we’ve seen Pokemon achieve in earlier titles like BW, ORAS, and SuMo, it makes it all the more obvious that SwSh was not given ANYWHERE near the time and love it needed in development and is a massive downgrade in that respect.

Con - Lots of Style, No Substance To wrap all this up - I enjoyed playing SwSh as much as I did any other early Pokemon game. I think that, as a first installment on a new system, it’s fine. That’s all - it’s just fine. It’s serviceable as a means of establishing the franchise onto the Switch and completing its move off purely-mobile mediums like the Gameboy and 3DS. It’s pretty to look at and has a superficial level of engagement, but its prettiness and level of content very quickly reveal themselves to be only skin deep. Once you get past the initial gloss there’s really nothing to this game compared to the content, involvement, and writing quality displayed in past titles on lesser-powered systems. The towns are all pretty but there’s nothing to do in any of them aside from a Gym battle - there’s no additional fun to be had in each location, making them little more than set pieces. The characters have initial appeal and potential for more, but the game never explores them at all. There’s room for a bigger narrative and interesting story with the elements presented, but no opportunity to actually see them fleshed out. The Wild Area seems big and involved at first, but as soon as you’ve gone around its loop once or twice you suddenly realize how small and compartmentalized it really is, and it lacks any reason to revisit in the end game. The major game play function - Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing - is little more than a novelty that is basically irrelevant to gameplay itself and, in an absolutely baffling decision by the folk behind the official competitive scene, is actually somehow banned from being used in competitions? Like, not even “we’ve disabled the Dynamax button in online” but rather “if the competitive Pokemon you’ve spent so much time perfectly constructing has a Gigantamax form, it will not even be allowed access at all, so you better have an identical non-Gigantamax version on hand if you want to play”. So, what exactly is the point of even having Gigantamax Pokemon then?

Everything about SwSh seems half-baked. The ideas are there but they aren’t finished. It should have been given much more development time and, having been in the position of the creative/dev team under demands from the shareholders, I completely sympathize with Game Freak’s devs in all this. SwSh is ultimately a weak product but one with a lot of good ideas that weren’t given the chance to really shine. As such, I’ve got rather high hopes for the next installment to improve on the unfortunately thin foundation SwSh has set. Game Freak’s team has given us some amazing Pokemon games in the past and, assuming they’re given sufficient time and resources to make a title to their satisfaction, I have every confidence they’ll do so again.

#pokemon #pokemon swsh #game review #wall o'text #game freak #thank you game freak #hey nintendo - quit breathing down the dev team's neck and stand up to the shareholders for them #spoilers

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enchantedbride · 5 years ago

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The First Meeting, In a Cafe (Leon/Joey Shorts 1/???)

Tagging: @lovely-selfships, @foreveryours-mouse, @charliedoyleloves

(Let me know if you wish to be tagged in this series or any other self-ship writing of mine! I’m more than happy to do it so the people who want to see my stuff can find it more easily.)

Fandom: Pokemon SwSh

Rating: SFW

Warnings: None (But later stories will includes depictions of struggling with depression and mentions of past self-harm, suicidal ideation, and childhood emotional abuse and will be tagged when said topics come up)

There was an unsteady rhythm to the rapping of her fingers against the table as her eyes anxiously flitted back to her phone. The side patio of the Cafe had less of the chatter from other patrons as inside, but that was simply replaced by the patter of footsteps against the sidewalks and the occasional dull whir of an engine as a vehicle sped by. The smell of coffee drifted outside from the side door, causing a small sigh to escape her.

Lee was getting close to being half an hour late. She was already sweating bullets about this situation before, but the fact he was late made it worse.

Joey wasn’t sure to begin with that coming all the way to the Galar region to crash with a friend she only knew online was a good idea. Luckily he seemed more than happy to meet up with her in a public place so they could meet each other in person before she committed to this.

And should he turn out to be a creep, she had a friend of hers keeping a watchful eye. Not that she thought Lee was likely to be a creep, but on the off chance, it was better to be prepared.

That might not be necessary though if he didn’t even show up.

“Blas?” Claudia, her Blastoise, shifted impatiently in her spot next to her at the table. The two had been together practically since Joey’s infancy, so it took little effort for Joey to understand her partner Pokemon’s state.

“I know. It’s really getting to be late. He sent me a text saying he was running late, but still.”

“Blastoise...”

“I’m starting to wonder if this was worth it,” Joey thought aloud. “On the other hand, I guess I am glad for the change of scenery. Even if it winds up being for only a couple of days instead of a few weeks.”

Motostoke had a charm to it, with it’s steam-powered moving platforms and the the little shops that lined the streets. Some buildings were newer, styled much like the modern towering skyscrapers of Castelia City back in Unova from where she came. But many were older and not imposing in the same way, with brick and stone exteriors.

It would be dishonest of her if she didn’t admit she wanted to explore the place more.

I shouldn’t even really be on this trip, though, she scolded herself. If it weren’t for the fact I literally can’t go back to work for the next few weeks, that’s where I would be. Where I should be.

Joey turned her gaze back to her coffee, starting to get lost in her own thoughts again. She would wait a little while longer. But only a little while.

A few moments passed, and the relative quiet was interrupted by the sound of a stomach gurgling.

“Blas...Blastoise?” Joey looked up to see Claudia’s expression shift to something that appeared more pained as she briefly patted her belly.

“Oh dear,” Joey remarked, “Are you hungry, Claudia? It is past lunchtime now.”

The Blastoise nodded in agreement. “Blas.”

“I know Lemon treats are your favorite, there were some in the case back inside. I could get some if you like?”

Claudia nodded with more enthusiasm at the suggestion.

“Okay. I’ll be right back. Can you mind the table while I’m gone?”

“Blastoise!”

“Thanks, Claudia. I’m really sorry about all of this.” Joey got up from the table and pushed in her seat, taking her phone with her but leaving Claudia behind. She only planned to be gone for a few minutes. Unfortunately, the line inside told her that it might be longer then that.

Joey sighed, briefly looking back before she glanced down to her phone.

No new DMs, she observed. The last message displayed was from fifteen minutes ago.

Sorry Helix, I’m running late! I’m having trouble finding the Cafe. I promise I’ll try to be there as soon as possible.

Joey got in line and began a second waiting game in addition to the one she was already playing. If Lee does show up, it’s going to be a bit strange to start calling each other by our real names, she thought. Up until now, we’ve only known each other by our internet nicknames.

They also didn’t know what the other looked or sounded like. It might very well be quite the surprise for both of them. Although if Joey were being honest, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

Lee had been a kind, goofy and excitable sort in the several months the two corresponded. But what stood out with him was his ability to support and encourage others and to take difficult situations with grace. His friendship had been invaluable to her.

Perhaps this was a major part of what made her nervous. He’d come to be an important fixture in her life. If things didn’t turn out well or he wasn’t as he appeared, it would hurt.

Joey continued to wait as the line slowly dwindled and she moved closer to the counter little by little. Occasionally she would look at her phone for new messages, but there was nothing. Otherwise she kept her focus on the lemon treats as they sat at the front of the display case by the service counter.

They look delicious, she thought. Claudia’s going to love them!

She was nearing the service counter, and eventually it was her turn to order. She asked for a pair of lemon treats and paid for them before they were taken from the case and handed to her. Joey stepped to the side to let the next person approach, and turned to make her way back to the patio. But then, she heard a voice from near the front door of the cafe.

“Excuse me. I didn’t see you there, please forgive me.”

“Oh, Champion! Don’t worry about it. Please, go ahead. I was actually about to go sit down.”

Joey turned her head. Champion? Her eyes briefly went wide. Recognition flared up as she saw a tall man perhaps a little bit younger than her with long violet hair close the door behind him and make his way further in.

Oh! That’s the champion of the Galar Pokemon league, Leon! Joey found a big grin pulling at her face. Lee’s such a big fan of his and collects all sorts of merch. I bet he’d be so stoked if he knew Leon was here.

Joey observed him for a moment, noticing that he started to walk off to the side and pull out his phone. Catching herself a moment, she chided herself mentally a bit for being nosy and tried to redirect herself to go back to her table on the patio. She began her stride, but found herself stopped as she felt her phone begin to vibrate in the pocket of her sweatshirt.

Joey pulled out her phone to see a notification lighting up the screen.

It’s Lee! Talk about timing...

She opened up her phone too see the text in detail.

I’m finally here! Again, I’m so sorry for being late. Where are you sitting? I’ll come find you.

He’s here? She looked over but saw nobody had come in since Leon. Maybe he came in just before? There were a few other people who came in while I was waiting in line.

I’m actually just got a snack for Claudia and was about to head back to the table on the patio, she typed back in reply. Why don’t you wave and I’ll come find you? If you see a gremlin in an Umbreon hoodie coming towards you, that’s me.

Joey kept her phone in hand, while holding the bag of lemon treats in the other. She began to look around the cafe for someone waving there hand. It was a moment or two, but eventually her eyes caught sight of someone waving their hand, and a pair of amber eyes looking back at her.

A startled response briefly overtook her and she blurted out in response to seeing who was waving back at her.

“WHAT-” she stopped as she spotted multiple gazes now pointed in her direction, almost crumbling inward in embarrassment. She began to approach, clutching her phone and treats tightly as her feet briskly brought her forward.

The person waving at her was Leon. And she couldn’t brush it off as a coincidence when he was the only one waving and he was looking right at her. Joey excused herself as walked past someone in the line. This can’t be right, she argued with herself. Lee can’t be Leon. It doesn’t make sense!

She finally stopped in front of him, attempting to compose herself. Her reaction probably didn’t come as that much of a surprise. But he probably thought it was because she didn’t expect the friend she’d been corresponding with all these months was a celebrity. But it had more to do with the fact she didn’t expect someone to collect their own merchandise.

And perhaps the fact she had more assumptions about him than she thought.

“Are you Helix?” he asked. She wasn’t very good at reading people, but she could at least gather that he was anticipating her response.

“Yeah,” she replied, “In the flesh. Although I generally go by Joey in real life.” She began to put her phone back in her pocket as she tried to meet his eyes as closely as she could without causing herself discomfort. Eye contact was always hard for her, but she especially didn’t want to obviously be avoiding it for the moment. “Are you Lee?”

“Joey,” he repeated her name with noticeable enthusiasm and a smile before his expression shifted to a more apologetic one. “It’s nice to meet you in person. I want to apologize again for keeping you so long. If it weren’t for Charizard I probably wouldn’t have gotten here.” He blinked in realization before he cleared his throat, almost as if he was nervous. “I’m Lee. Or Leon, as you’ve probably figured out.”

“You know it fits in a lot of ways,” Joey admitted as the reality of the situation began to sink in, “But, certain things don’t add up. Namely, I wouldn’t have thought you would be an avid collector of your own merch!”

Leon chuckled.

“I wasn’t at first. I started getting it for my little brother, Hop in the beginning. But I was so impressed with all the things my fans created that I guess I started wanting some for myself as well.”

Joey nodded. “I see. So ChampionHour was a way for you to quietly look for things you thought Hop would like and then it became a way for you to quietly interact with your own fandom and various Pokemon centric groups online.”

“I guess it did. I mean, I have a more public account that I use in a more official capacity but... yes.” Leon answered as his eyes wandered towards the side door. “So you said your table was out on the patio?”

“Yeah. Guarded by my three thousand pound Blastoise. Can’t miss it.”

“I see,” he laughed. “You mentioned Claudia would be with you for security. I understand why. All the same, I’m glad to meet both you and your partner Pokemon. Did you bring any of your other Pokemon with you?”

“Corti’s in her Pokeball but everyone else is back at the hotel or in the box system,” Joey replied as she gestured to her pockets. Cortana, or Corti for short, was Joey’s Raichu, and her other closest partner besides Claudia. “And I’m glad to meet you too. Although to be honest I was worried you weren’t going to show up, and well... as is obvious, I didn’t put two and two together.”

“Honestly I’m not surprised and I don’t think you should fault yourself. I think a lot of people wouldn’t have thought to consider it,” he answered as he followed her outside. “Especially with a nickname as blatant as Lee. Actually I chose it because it’s the nickname Hop calls me.”

“I see. That makes sense considering you originally made your account to look for stuff for him,” Joey considered.

“And again, I really am sorry,” he repeated, “I’ve never been great at finding my way around, even in places I’ve been to a million times. But I shouldn’t have kept you waiting. I understand if you’re miffed.”

“I am a little, I won’t lie,” she confessed. “But you’re here now and I accept your apology. So don’t worry too much about it, alright?”

“I’ll try not to.” He smiled. “Also I’m glad you didn’t wait to get something for yourself.”

“Oh this?” Joey held up the bag. “Oh I mainly got this for Claudia. But... I should probably eat too.” At that moment Joey felt her stomach softly burbling.

“That sounds like a good idea,” he replied with a small chuckle. he looked up and his smile widened. “Ah! I see my partner has found yours just fine.”

“Hm?” Joey looked over to see that next to Claudia was another Pokemon. Specifically, a Charizard. “Oh! Right, you mentioned your Charizard helped you find your way here.”

My friend Lee is Leon, she processed. And that’s his Charizard talking to Claudia. Whatever I might have expected deep down, it wasn’t this.

Charizard and Claudia appeared to be having a lively conversation, although both quickly looked up when Joey and Leon came to the table. Claudia huffed at Leon before she tilted her head sighed softly towards Joey. Charizard snorted looking quite amused.

“I know Claudia. He did say he was sorry though,” Joey answered her Blastoise. “It looks like you and Charizard are both mutually annoyed from the looks of it. Can I take that as a sign the two of you are getting along?”

Charizard let out a low rumble of agreement.

“Thanks for getting us here, Charizard,” Leon said to his friend before addressing Claudia, “ I should say sorry to you too, though.”

“Blas.” Claudia nodded in acceptance before her eyes caught the paper bag with treats. “Blastoise! Blas?”

“Yeah! I got us both one. Here-” Joey pulled out a treat from the bag and handed it to Claudia. “Thanks for being so patient, friend. Hope it’s good!”

“I haven’t exactly made a good first impression, have I? I know you’re already nervous about the prospect of staying with my in my loft over your leave.”

Joey frown, finally visibly averting her gaze. “To be honest, I think I’d be nervous whether you were late or not.”

“Because we never met in real life until now. Although I imagine knowing who I am now probably doesn’t help things.”

“Well...” Joey began to rub the back of her neck. “Maybe a little.”

“You don’t need to downplay it,” he assured her, “But I know you well enough to know you won’t treat me differently because I’m a public figure and a celebrity, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I guess there’s no sweeping that under the rug, huh?” she sighed. “I guess there’s a bit more to talk about than where I’d be sleeping and what’s off limits in your fridge if I agree to this.”

At this Leon laughed. “You can take anything in my fridge you like,” he replied, “There are more things to talk about yes. But what I said before we agreed to meet here still holds true. You’re my friend and I want to help. But I also want you to be comfortable. If for any reason you decide your not comfortable, I want you to assert yourself, okay?” He was gentle but firm. “That includes asserting you’d rather return to Unova.”

A moment of clarity cut through the haze of unreality she was feeling at the situation. He was talking just like her did in their DMs with each other. Only the difference now was he was physically here and she could hear his voice.

That was perhaps unreal in its own way.

He really was her friend, Lee.

“I appreciate it,” she replied. “So, then, I guess we should figure out what to talk about first then.”

#tales of a magus (fanfiction)#verse (pokemon world)#a guiding lost star (champion leon)#the pokemon world isn't as rough as the real world #so i imagine certain concerns we have irl might still exist but be more manageable reduced or even nonexistent #also i'm sorry if i butchered his character

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doubleddenden · 7 years ago

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I've come to accept the idea of a Kanto reboot. I'm going to buy and play it anyway so when it inevitably releases I'll just be happy with another Pokemon game.

The reason why I've accepted it? Well on top of all the rumors and leaks with credible sources or information, I've also just accepted it as a business strategy. Maybe not my preferred strategy, but unfortunately it's a good one. Nintendo knows it's a system seller, they know older fans will return to buy it, they know current fans will buy it, they know new fans will buy it, ergo it's just a smart move on their part.

Here's some things I think about it:

Not a new gen, but rather sort of the step to it. If they introduce new Pokemon, it'll most likely be mythicals to sell a movie or something.

It's going to have new forms of some kind. It's honestly a bad idea at this point to not add anything new to it and just plop shiny paint on a trashcan.

The graphics will probably resemble higher res upscale graphics you see on pc emulation of Sun and Moon/Ultra. Don't expect unreal engine stuff until gen 8 Or later. This game is the system seller, thus it will be a testing ground for Game Freak to figure out what they can do. Don't believe me? Compare the graphics to Diamond and Pearl to Black and White 2, and X and Y to Ultra SM. This can even be applied to GRBY to Crystal to some extent.

The game is going to get mixed reviews from it's audience no matter what they do. Yes it will sell but if they only appeal to old fans and dont add anything to it, then current and newer fans will shit on it. Likewise, if they add new things like a story or forms, or even newer Pokemon from later gens to the region, the dumb genwunners will throw tantrums.

If we're being real, the games probably will have something for everyone. I think because we'll still he in gen 8 territory the whole Rocket Rainbow and ultra wormhole thing can still pay relevance, even if it reboots the franchise. Plus with Red and Blue in Alola as adults, we could see a new Kanto. The original 151 will obviously be more prevalent but I think it would be kind of dumb to do what FRLG did to restrict some evos until the national dex or just pretend like later gen Pokemon wouldn't arrive there at some point.

On the flip side they did say don't set your expectations too high. It could just be a straight up remake.

IGN will give it a 10/10 and people will start saying the last few games were awful in comparison (it's already happening to Sun and Moon tbh).

It will set market records and probably outsell Ultra SM.

As far as minor features, I'm sure riding Pokemon will make a return since it was so well praised and since the game will most likely use Sun and Moon assets.

This and Pokemon following you will most likely be a thing because the animations are there and the switch can handle it. I personally am the oddball out since I don't much care for it, but 99% of people I know do love it.

Probably going to have some "Delta Episode" involving Mew and or Mewtwo.

Probably going to get to fight Oak.

Probably lots of jokes at old playground legends including the Mew truck.

Honestly, it's probably going to be a bit more hand holdy than people want but not as much as XY or SM.

Something tells me there's going to be something special about the starters this time around. Idk what but probably exclusive Z moves or new forms. Just a gut feeling.

And I have more but overall this is just speculation.

#pokemon #Pokemon switch

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cosmosogler · 8 years ago

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hi i’m starting late again. it’s already 12. i’ll try to write fast.

after i do the pokemon stuff.

today i got up late because i had so much trouble falling asleep last night. i had to get up to go to the bathroom THREE TIMES. and then i could not get comfortable. my knees and back always feel real stiff when i curl up, but i can’t fall asleep on my back or stomach. and i feel off balance when i lay with my legs straight out on my side. and i don’t know what to do with my arms so i usually pin them under my pillow. then sometimes they get pins and needles and that keeps me up too.

my restless legs syndrome hasn’t been so bad any more. it’s weird how depression meds affect so many other things in your body. like prozac can make you lactose intolerant, and you can’t eat grapefruit when you’re taking ssri’s. i think it was ssri’s.

anyway i whined and got out of bed not too long after 10. then i wasted time on the computer. then i went downstairs just a little bit before lunch to start making something to eat. i made some buffalo “chicken” “wings.” i usually love them, but today i started feeling ill about halfway in. so i took the dogs outside for a bit, and when i came in they were kinda cold, so i just cleaned up.

after that i looked at the florida apartments web site and took a virtual tour of a one-person studio. it looks like a cozy hole to hide away in. and they take pets, so i can adopt an old cat when i get settled in. i do not have the energy for taking care of and raising a sick kitten again. ping is really cute and playful and i love him, but he is a handful. i need a pet that’s going to have about eve’s current energy level.

she really is sleeping a lot...

i coordinated with my mother to settle on one of the available layouts. we’re going to fill out the paperwork tomorrow. then i hung out with oz on discord for a while. we played battleship and tanx and talked about random stuff. it was relaxing.

at 4:45 dad and i took off for my brother’s track meet. he qualified for the regional competition, which is the level before statewide and then nationwide. he ran the relay race and a 200m dash. when he was done with the relay he came up to the bleachers where i was sitting with mom and dad. i made a joke, i don’t remember what it was, but i was pretty satisfied with my idea. he totally ignored me. like, didn’t even acknowledge i was talking by looking in my general direction.

oh! i commented on the face he made at mom when she insisted on taking a picture of him with his medal. i said it again and he ignored me again, so i gave up.

i had fun watching the kids run around the racetrack. there were two competitors in wheelchairs and they were ripped!!! the poor guy lost every kind of race to the girl though. she was just plain faster than him. and they were going at about the speed i run at. dad commented that they needed more racers so he didn’t have to lose to the same person every time. i actually agreed with him for once? it would be cool if more wheelchair-bound people were encouraged to participate in track. and accommodated for.

i had a good time, except for the shrieking soccer moms. jesus christ! jared can’t hear you from across the field!!! screaming louder won’t fix that!!!!! and you’re telling him to sprint at the worst possible time!!!!!!! SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh yeah. on the way to the track meet, dad turned on the radio, so i put in my headphones. then he started talking about stupid idiots who work minimum wage jobs and expect to be able to live off that. because you have such good prospects for the future when you have a dead end job?? we talked about some potential business models to cut off the gap between the ceos and the minimum wage employees. i thought it was interesting and possibly a good idea, but i was doing some research. then dad turned up the radio again, so i put back in my headphones. then dad started talking again, without turning down the radio, and i was just like... (knife emoji). i wanted to rip the radio out of the dashboard and throw it at him.

i don’t like loud noises!!! or piercing ones!!!!!!!!

then we came home and i fed the dogs and had a dumb conversation with mom about her opinion on my favorite apartment layout. then she asked me to do stuff while she peed and i was like... i have had to go so bad for the last 40 minutes and not had a single opportunity.

i also talked a little bit with asher. he is doing well, his stitches look healthy, not in too much pain. that was a relief. and i talked to one of my newer mutuals! that was nice. and one of my villanova classmates messaged me on facebook to catch up. and i talked to will about mailing his fire emblem game back... i still have a conversation i haven’t attended to with another tumblr person. i’ll try to follow up tomorrow.

tumblr’s messaging system is so wonky. it’s impossible to keep track of the conversation if you’re communicating through asks. so it’s always a big thing when i reply because i have to break out the word document of all the asks in the conversation so far, and add the message and my new reply to it. it’s not a big deal, but, it is noticeable.

now it is 12:20. not too late! good. i have one more post to make before i go to bed. it’s short though. just gotta get the image from my phone to my computer.

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sachinbahal · 8 years ago

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Today (January 5th), was the first official day of CES 2017 but there were announcements made before today. You can read more about them: CES Unveiled 2017, CES 2017 Day Zero (Press Day).

SanDisk

The first announcement that SanDisk made at CES 2017 was a new high-performance USB flash drive called the SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive which is capable of read speeds up to 420MB/s and write speeds up to 380MB/s.

With those fast speeds, you can transfer a full-length 4K video in less than 15 seconds. The new flash drive connects to computers using the standard USB-A connection and it will come in one storage capacity, 256GB. It will be available later this month for $179.99 USD.

The other announcement that SanDisk made was the SanDisk Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I card with the SD Association’s SD 5.1 specifications. In addition to fast transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s, the new microSD can help ensure that is can open and run apps smoothly while also providing fast access to media such as photos and videos that are also stored on the card.

The new SanDisk Ultra microSD card with A1 with retail for $199 USD and ship later this month.

Source: SanDisk, (2)

Xiaomi

Xiaomi has a new version of their Mi TV with the Mi TV 4. It is only 4.9mm thin and has a frameless metal body. The Mi TV 4 consists of two parts the 4K display and the Mi TV Bar which has a motherboard and has a sound system that supports Dolby Atmos sound.

The Mi TV 4 will available later this year in China and should be under $2000 USD. There will also be three screen sizes, 49-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches.

Source: Xiaomi (via PR Newswire)

Razer

Razer has been known to show off some wild computer concepts at CES and this year is no different. Razer has unveiled Project Valerie at CES 2017, which is the world’s first concept design to incorporate a portable multi-monitor gaming setup.

The gaming laptop has three built-in monitors that are 17.3-inches each and are 4K IGZO displays with NVIDIA G-SYNC, to help create the smoothest possible framerates and expansive 180-degree NVIDIA Surround View gaming. Gamers can expect 100% Adobe RGB colour accuracy.

Each of the displays slide out from the side of the main display and easily adjusts into place, so it’s quick and easy to set up. The whole laptop is made from a unibody CNC aluminum chassis and is only 1.5-inches thick and weighs less than 12 pounds.

Project Valerie is also equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, so it meets the requirements of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

“Multi-monitor desktop set-ups are becoming more necessary for professionals, creators, and gamers,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “For the first time, we’ve engineered a solution that users can take with them. Project Valerie promises all of the functionality of three screens and none of the hassle.”

As of right now, Project Valerie is just a concept and there’s no word on whether or not we’ll see this in an upcoming Razer laptop (but chances are we will). Razer has a habit of showing off these concepts and then eventually incorporating them into their machines.

Razer also announced Project Ariana which is meant to go alongside your existing setup of Razer products. The project uses the company’s Chroma platform to cover your whole room in your favourite games.

The project is meant to provide some ambience for your gaming experience. The project uses a projector with a 155-degree fisheye lens to help wrap your game around you.

In addition, Razer is opening up their Chroma platform to 3rd parties and has announced 9 new partners including Lenovo, NZXT, Antec, Lian Li, Wicked Lasers and Nanoleaf.

Razer is also looking into creating more immersive lighting experiences with a partnership with Philips Lighting.

Source: Razer

NVIDIA

NVIDIA had a few announcements, the first being a new version of their Android TV set top box, the Shield TV. The new model is 40% smaller than the original while the Pro model is the same size as the previous Shield TV but both still have the same Tegra X1 processor inside and 3GB of RAM and running Android 7.0.

Both have standard HDMI with 4K and HDR support, gigabit ethernet, two standard USB 3.0 ports and a microSD card slot.

There is also a newly redesigned controller that has a low polygon look and feel. It also was designed with hands-free voice control in mind. Google is bringing the Assistant to Android TV, so that means you’ll be able to use “Ok Google” to talk to your Shield TV. As of this writing, the Google Assistant for Android TV isn’t ready just yet, it will come later on in a software update later this month.

Both models of the new Shield TV will come with a remote which will work hands-free as well. The new Shield TV models are available for pre-order now and will ship in Canada, the US and select European regions later this month for $199 USD for the 16GB model and $299 USD for the 500GB Pro model.

The standard 16GB model will come with a controller and remote while the 5ooGB Pro will come with a controller, and a remote with headphone jack.

In addition to the new Shield TV, Nvidia also announced the Shield Spot which is a separate Wi-Fi controller that can talk to connected home stuff such as Nest Thermostat and has microphones so you can talk to the Google Assistant throughout your home. The Shield Spot will sell for $49.99 USD.

Nvidia will also being bringing their GeForce Now game streaming service to standard PCs running Windows and Macs as well. Nvidia is also partnering with Ubisoft to bring some of their titles to the service.

GeForce Now will also have a new pricing structure of $25 USD for 20 hours of play where as before you would have to pay $7.99 per month to access a whole catalog of older games and then pay separately for newer titles. The new system and expansion to more Windows machines and Macs will happen sometime in March.

Source: Nvidia

Ford & Amazon’s Alexa

Yes, you read that correctly, Ford is partnering with Amazon to bring Alexa to the car. For example, you can open smart garage doors, control the lights in your home, and so forth. General search functionality and navigation queries are also supported via Alexa.

You could ask Alexa to add milk or batteries to your shopping list without ever picking up a pen, all the driver has to do to access Alexa in their car is to press the voice button on the steering wheel.

For Ford plug-in electric vehicle owners, you’ll be able to remotely start/stop the engine, lock/unlock the doors, check fuel levels and more while using your Echo at home.

Ford Focus Electric, Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi owners will be first to access the new home-to-car capability using MyFord® Mobile technology. Ford is working on adding Alexa home-to-car integration to their other vehicles in the near future.

Source: Ford

Mighty Cast

Montreal-based wearable company, Mighty Cast has announced a second gen version of their modular smart band, the Nex Evolution. The new bands adds a number of new features include “When/Do” platform that is accessible via their Nex app, so a user can set different actions to control their other smart home devices or even just control music playback on their phone.

The Nex Evolution doesn’t have a traditional screen but instead it has things called Mods that have the ability to light up a different colour or indicate a certain notification. The colours of the Mods can be combined to form certain messages via Mighty Cast’s “When/Do” platform.

The new band also has a 3-axis accelerometer and can track things like steps, calories and distance. The battery should last about 3 days and the band is IPX7 water-resistant.

The company is also working with Niantic Labs on a Ingress Mod Band that has patterns that are specific to the game. Ingress players will be able to receive special in-game transmissions and unique perks while using the band.

For those unfamiliar with Ingress, it is similar to Pokemon Go (but has been around for much longer) and relies on players going into the real-world and finding specific locations to earn points.

The Nex Evolution will retail for $79 USD while the Ingress Mod Band’s pricing has yet to be announced but both will be released in February.

Source: Reuters

Nissan & Cortana

Alexa isn’t the only thing being put into cars, Microsoft is partnering with Nissan to bring their voice assistant, Cortana into select Nissan vehicles. Cortana will be built into the car’s software without requiring a mobile device to use it.

Cortana can be used to ask contextual questions like whether she should use the car’s auto-park system or what the traffic is like or even make notes. Cortana can talk to a driver using natural language.

Nissan hasn’t said which of their vehicles will be getting Cortana or even when, as of right now, it seems more as a proof of concept.

Source: Nissan

Huawei

Even though the Huawei Mate 9 was announced back in November for Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Huawei now has details on the Mate 9’s US availability.

The phone will be available on January 6th. The Mate 9 has a 5.9-inch 1080p IPS LCD display with a 4000mAh battery that should last about 2 days on a single charge and can charge fast with Huawei’s SuperCharge technology and you’ll get a full day’s charge within 20 minutes. Inside, you’ll also find Huawei’s Kirin 960 processor with the ARM Cortex-A73/A53 Octa-core CPU and Mali G71 GPU and 4GB of RAM and 64 of internal storage.

For the camera, you’ll find evidence of Huawei’s partnership with Leica which is made up of a 12-megapixel RGB sensor and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor.

The Mate 9 will be running Android 7.0 Nougat with Huawei’s EMUI 5.0 on top, the US version of the Mate 9 will also have Amazon Alexa integration via a pre-installed app. You’ll be able to ask questions, set alarms, manage to-do and shopping lists, check traffic, play music and control your smart home.

The Mate 9 is already available to purchase now from Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and B&H for $599 USD and comes in Space Gray and Moonlight Silver.

Source: Huawei (via PR Newswire)

CES 2017 Day One: Everything you need to know Today (January 5th), was the first official day of CES 2017 but there were announcements made before today.

#Amazon Alexa #Amazon Echo #CES #CES 2017 #Cortana #Ford #Ford & Alexa #Huawei #Mighty Cast #Nissan #Nvidia #Razer #Razer Chroma #SanDisk

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