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What is so special about customizing characters anyway. Plenty of other JRPGs don't let the PC be customized. Just seems like a pointless side quest to be added
Most characters in JRPGs also have an ounce of personality too, unlike every cheerful go-getter we get as a new player character in this series. Really, I can hardly contain my excitement wondering what kind of peppy, unthreatening pose the new avatars will be in and what kind of Poke balls they'll be holding in their respective pieces of artwork; think the boy'll have his hands on his hips with a regular Poke ball? Oh, or maybe he'll have his left arm thrust out holding an Ultra ball. Also, do you think he'll have a closed or open-mouth smile?
Seriously though, the kind of customization already available in the core mechanic of the game, i.e. deciding what creatures to catch and use on your team, is already unprecedented and is about to expand, this time onto a 3D plane, again. I'm as much for character customizationas the next guy, if only for the sake of self-expression, but it's probably good to keep things in perspective at this point. That said, I'm really hoping those sunglasses can be swapped out.
I'm just saying if Millions of people can play through every Zelda game without an ounce of customization, you can make it through another Pokemon game without. If you want customization so badly play the contests or musicals
The difference is Pokemon is meant to be played with friends and strangers all over. Zelda has always been a single player experience. Though it started more in the sense that you the player are suppose to pretend you're a hero, that's just not the case these days. Even my mom knows when you play Zelda you're playing Link's story.
Pokemon is different, from its first game release multiplayer was a major part of the game. Since then its only evolved, now we can play against and trade with players half a world away. On top of multiplayer, customization as well has been a critical part of the game. The ability to customize a party of six from 680+ critters, customize their moves, their stats, even their breed. Pokemon has been hinting at trainer custimization since the moment you could change your characters name(granted this is true of almost all jrpgs but just go with me for a moment). And it's been begging for it since diamond and pearl when we could battle online with anyone. Pokemon has always been your story, its a very personal story. There's a reason why the cartridges only have one save file. It's yours. So why not allow players to make their avatar more personal as well?
This.
Also, the Zelda Universe has a stablished and deep continuity, and Link's appearance is most of the time relevant to the story (it is the tunic wore by the race he was raised in, it is given to him as a sign of his destiny, etc.), that's why you can't customize Link- because he is Link, a set character whose actions influence not only the particular game you're playing, but also the games that follow, whereas in Pokémon, not only the protagonists aren't ever mentioned in further games, we actually don't know who the canon protagonist is, so in terms of series' overall continuity, it doesn't matter what the hero looks like.
Pokèmon Trainer Red says hi.
As long as they don't overdo it so it's like the Sims, there shouldn't be much of a problem. Just a minimum amount of customizing should be fine.