The Minor Praise Thread!

[Ivysaur]

So we can show that we're not all just a bunch of negative Nancies, here you can share all the things you do like about ORAS and what they bring to the table. From the small touches to the major change-ups, what did you enjoy about the remakes?

• The entire opening was great, but not gonna lie, the GBA-style Prof. Birch introduction was just amazing. Had a big ol' damn smile on my face. Right in the feels.
• It's not new, but deserves repeating: asking if you'd like to use another repel when you reach the end of your current one is so great. It's especially welcome here, with all the water routes to explore. Toned-down encounter rates also help.
• Episode Delta had a lot of nice moments, from the visuals (space!) to what it brought to the table in terms of story and characters. I like Wally, Steven and Cozmo and it was great to see and hear more from them. I'd really like to see a Pokemon game with a similar structure in the future.

 

[TerraTF]

Not minor praise but DexNav is the greatest feature in the world. Too bad it will likely be the Pokemon Following of this gen.

Also removing the step limit in the Safari. Praise Masuda.

 

[DasManiac]

The Sea Mauville is brilliant. I love how there's such a deep backstory to it all. It's really amazing what's been done with Professor Cozmo. He was once a minor character but now has an actual backstory.

 

[Kallyle]

Although I don't yet have the Hoenn remakes, I like the fact that Reshiram and Zekrom are no longer shiny-locked. No shiny-locked legendaries regarding previous game mascots confirmed!

 

[Sakuraa]

After beating the game, here are the changes I currently love the most about them.

Moveset changes-The moveset changes for a lot of Pokemon were really great, but I'm especially glad that they made it so you only have to wait until level 21 for Treecko to learn Giga Drain. It was quite pleasing to be Giga Draining opponents in OR that I probably would have been Absorbing in Emerald.

Difficulty-I found this game much more challenging than XY. I especially loved how they increased the levels of the later gym leaders and E4's Pokemon. I actually needed the EXP Share for training at some points.

Contest Spectaculars-I love almost everything about these things. I have to say my favorite parts are the special appeals upon exciting the audience for the 5th time. I love how there are different elements to the appeals based on the category, like glowing blue spheres for beauty, hearts for cute, and my favorite, numbers and math equations for clever.

Evil teams-Unlike many, I never really had a problem with the original RSE plots and, in fact, they were of my favorites. However, I love the extra details and increased characterization they gave to the main members of each team along with the plot as a whole.

Rivals-Again, I liked the original rivals in RSE, but I especially love them now. I felt much closer to Brendan than I ever did in Emerald and I'm so glad that not only did he fully evolve his starter, but he also gets the Mega Stone for it. And Wally is much more important and developed than he ever was in the originals imo.

Finally, the ending. I love how it reminisced on the most important parts of your journey, showing the Pokemon you actually used to defeat most of the opponents in the game. And of course the Brendan/May battle at the end.

 

[Almonds]

There are just so many things I want to praise in ORAS


1. Wally's battle theme at Victory Road. BEST. THEME. EVER. He's also got the best character development throughout the game imo.
2. Steven featured in 3D for battles. Heck, Diantha was the champion of XY where 3D battle intros were first introduced and she didn't have one.
3. Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and NPCs being more expressive. I became quite fond of Tabitha :3
4. The early Beldum gift. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait till post game to raise one. AND IT'S A SHINY.
5. Steven's increased involvement with the player character's adventures. I also love how they gave him the short cut scene on him flying during the weather crisis.
6. The Dex Navi allowing easier search for pokemon with Egg Moves and easier chaining.
7. Those quotes on Steven being the pretty guy. They really make my day.
8. Wallace's poses. I love them.
9. NPCs crushing on you for life. Your neighbor, Wally, Steven, Lisia... I love those ambiguous, vague expressions which leave room for the player's imagination. ORAS is a dating sim game and nobody can convince me otherwise
10. Being able to choose Maxie/Archie and Steven at the Battle Maison for Multi-battles. I'm having fun alternating between Maxie and Steven in my Omega Ruby game. Tagging along the villain boss is super awesome. I want a tag battle with Giovanni or N/Ghetsis in the future
11. FINALLY BEING ABLE TO CATCH DEOXYS WITHOUT AN EVENT ITEM.
12. Mauville having a backstory regarding New Mauville and Sea Mauville

I have more and I'll come back when I remember them. Most of them will be Steven related though

 

[lovandra]

Not just minor praise to DexNav..

And also I love Mega Rayquaza..

I also love new DIVE and SOAR feature.. the undersea in the day is beautiful and SOAR-ing in the night make me speachless..

I love lots of fan services between May and Steven...

I have major crush to the Bird Keepers, yes, even more than ro Steven.

I love my Shiny Pochyenna and Shiny Skitty. This is the first game that ever give me 2 shinies, and I not even try to get them, just too have fun with DexNav and breeding at the same time.

This is also first game that give me female Feebas, finally with my name as a trainer, thanks to the awesomeness of DexNav.

This also game where I can hunt for items, again thanks to DexNav. I get 3 Live Orb by thieving Absols and 3 Lucky Eggs by thieving Happiny.


Did I forget to mention it? I love DexNav..

 

[The Outrage]

Oh thank god this was made.

Something I really like about this game: Team Aqua and Magma's divergent goals, and how they were represented in the games.

Team Aqua retains the original RS goals of wanting to expand the sea for the benefit of Pokemon, while Team Magma wants to expand the land for the (exclusive) benefit of humans. To do this, Archie wants Kyogre to bring the world back to its beginnings and Maxie wanted to have Groudon bring the world to the next level by giving humans more land to develop. Of course, neither one of them predicted that going back to the beginning or going to the next level results in the extinction of our species. For some reason, I find the way their motivations are handled here much better than the original ORAS. It wasn't just "more sea/land = good"--they had a reason to think it was good. Archie sought to wash away human development, Maxie sought to provide more land for humans to expand. Granted, Maxie's goal was a bit more clear in how it benefits all humans, while Archie's seems to disregard land Pokemon.

Now one thing that I loved in these games above others is how this humanity vs Pokemon fight was handled with the NPC's (usually we only see the teams espousing their values). There were clear historical influences for Archie and Maxie's actions. Sea Mauville and New Mauville were being developed for the benefit of humanity, to the detriment of Pokemon. Now, while this does fall in line with Maxie's ideology, we are shown the human costs of this development as well. The employees at Sea Mauville were working in deplorable conditions, and were given "energy drinks" to ensure they wouldn't need to take a break. The most prominent example of the toll this human development took is seen in Prof Cozmo's writing to his father. Sea Mauville ruined their family, and I doubt it was the only one. Of course, we learn that things got better, Sea Mauville and New Mauville are shut down, the former becoming a nature preserve. So naturally, Archie was right, correct? But then we also learn of all anxiety and unemployment shutting down these facilities have cost. By concerning themselves solely with Pokemon, humans are also caught in the crossfire.

This leads to the conclusion with Archie and Maxie to be one of my favourite in the games. While neither one concedes their goal, they ultimately agree that pursuing the benefits of Pokemon/humans without the consideration of the other will ultimately lead to losses on both sides. In Alpha Sapphire, Maxie also gives a speech about how he's an adult, and has to think about what kind of world he wants to leave for the next generation. There's a lot of dialogue in this game that touches on real world problems, but that line there--that's one sentiment that I wish more adults would have right now.

Do I still think their plans were dumb? About as dumb as Team Flare's--but at least the conflict between them was handled better than Lysandre's tirade about consumerism and resource scarcity, which was never shown as an issue aside from the richest man in Kalos yelling about how there's not enough to go around. Also, at least now they were fully aware of what would happen--they just miscalculated the legendary's power.

 

[DasManiac]

I have more and I'll come back when I remember them. Most of them will be Steven related though

How about Steven's relationship with Wallace? I though it was interesting that Steven considers Wallace a friend but Wallace doesn't really like Steven. Wallace views Steven as a rich pretty boy who never had to work for anything.

 

[lugia61617]

When it works well, Dexnav is a nice feature.

The ability to have "Organise boxes" placed at the top of the PC menu is fantastic!

Some cutscenes are quite well-done and nicely timed.

A few characters have gained additional characterisation, which is nice.

 

[Mitchman]

The soundtrack. Having not played the game yet, I have no idea how well it works in game, buts its outright amazing. Nowhere near the disappointing remaster that HGSS, even with the few missteps here and there. The new tracks especially.

 

[Team Gaara]

Finally, I needed this thread!!

First things first, I'm the realest

All of the references to the original games. The opening and intro were amazing and had me all in the feels. I also really like the few references to Emerald in the Battle Resort, too. The DexNav showing the original Hoenn maps was very cool. Speaking of, the DexNav is an amazing feature and I really appreciate them going BW2 style and letting me know all the Pokemon in the are to catch.

All of the small changes to detail. They bend down to talk to little kids rather than squatting. Sitting down on their knees when talking to someone on the Japanese floor pillows. They have two idle animations instead of one normal one, and one done when sitting. Characters show so much more emotion and expressions and I really love it. It just makes everything feel more real. The graphics were a big improvement to XYs. They just felt so much richer and vibrant and really keep me wanting to explore even after beating the game.

The changes to the plot were great, too. I feel they fixed whatever people complained about originally about them making no sense and it was really nice to see what the did with the Primal Plot. I also just loved the intensity of it. How Maxie blatantly told Archie that returning the earth to the beginnings would involve driving everything to death first. That really just made everything much more of a crisis. It was just great. But I don't think I want to see anymore rain for a good 12 years...

The Delta Episode was also great, and I only wish it could have been a little longer. Maybe have more of Brendan and Wally than just getting robbed. Zinnia was a really cool character. I don't really understand her (nor did I like her basically being a smarter version of Luffy, essentially just busting in and out of wherever she wants, whenever she wants) and it makes me want to know more. Why does she call Aster her daughter, mainly? But Wallace was in it, so I'm good. Speaking of, also loved the fact that Steven told Wallace he wants Wallace to take over for him. Now if we could just get some DLC...

Brendan and Wally were handled much, MUCH better. While I am disappointed that Brendan was made nicer and less of a subtle jerk, his character was changed for the better. He got involved in the Aqua/Magma conflict, rather than it going right over his head, we had more romantic interaction, and, the only thing I really wanted: he fully evolved his starter! It was just much better handling of him overall. Wally is without a doubt the best improvement, though. He got so much more character here. You really see him grow on his journey. I especially loved his name on all of the Gym Statues after Wattson's Gym before you got there. That little thing let you know that he wasn't just off screwing around like Shauna, but that he was actually training and getting stronger, and that was all he really wanted to do. It touched my heart seeing his dad being proud of his growth. To top it all off, his theme is probably my second favorite piece of music in a Pokemon game, period. The final battle with him and the flowers and the theme was probably my favorite battle in the game. And I'm hella glad I can hear it eternally at the Battle Resort.

The difficulty was a huge step up from X and Y. The Leaders had more than three Pokemon by Winona (sans the twins) and the Elite Four remained the same as RSE: order based and increased in difficulty. It was the most challenging run through the Elite Four I've had since White (which was only hard because I had nothing for some of them) and took me back to my multiple attempts at Sinnoh's Elite Four, Heart Gold's, and even the originals in Emerald. Especially post-game; I only just managed to barely beat them again.

Wallace. He may not have been Champion, but he did the damn thing in the Gym Battle with those frickin poses. That ass shot, doe? And it felt good to see him get involvement in Episode Delta to show his importance as a character.

Secret Bases are really fun. I actually struggle against some of these "Leaders" and it really does feel like a Gym Battle!

Finally, I'll just say I love the new Megas. They're all so good and I'm loving Mega Lopunny and Mega Diancie. I'm looking forward to trying out the others. I really do have more I'd like to say, but I feel like I'm going past the "Minor" Praise.

 

[EvilChameleon]

It's not the game itself, but the official strategy guide is really well done. Colorful, actually tells you how to get through the gyms and puzzles instead of leaving it up to the imagination, etc.

 

[The Outrage]

I also liked the HNN Buzznav reports whilst exploring cave of origin. We learn that Steven rallied the gym leaders (and that the HNN reporter also has a thing for Steven....) and that both Aqua and Magma grunts helped to ensure everyone's safety.

Perhaps that's why Archie and Maxie are free to join you in the Battle Resort despite their crimes? Their heroic actions during the disaster led them to be pardoned for grand-theft submarine.

 

[lugia61617]

One more praise - a major one, actually - is the Safari Zone. No more fee, no more safari balls, and no more bait/rocks. Just good old fashioned battle to capture. Finally!
It's like they realised how many people walk through walls in the old games just so they have a fair chance at catching safari pokemon

 

[Osprey]

Hmm... well, I like the fact that we have multiple Daycares now. Also, the fact that National Pokedex Pokemon are unlocked and now live in Hoenn, not just secluded to some postgame area. OH... I really, really love that there's a function in the Pokedex that allows you to view a model's animations and even lets you pause them! Buzznav is also pretty entertaining thanks to Streetpass's auto-mixing of records. It's nice to hear about other players for once.

The excellent graphics have also given me a very different view of Hoenn; while I played on the GBA, I never noticed how Japanese-looking Hoenn was. With the improved visuals, I now can see the small details: the very oriental floor cushions, the raised floors, the architecture. It's all very neat, and somehow, the more Western-looking buildings (like your house in Littleroot) somehow don't feel out of place.

 

[Ivysaur]

(I would mention other praises, but they're all pretty major and this is for minor ones, right?)

Don't worry too much about the wording, just think of this as a general "things you like about ORAS" thread.

 

[Fairy Type Arceus]

The Sea Mauville is brilliant. I love how there's such a deep backstory to it all. It's really amazing what's been done with Professor Cozmo. He was once a minor character but now has an actual backstory.

I did read all the documents but the faded words made it hard for me to make out everything, can you tell me when the back story is?

Giving May her final evolved starter (plus a mega)
The facial expressions made the characters feel more alive then ever before
Archie, He's now my favorite Boss villain this guy was so cool
Steven feels like a champion to me now (because I played emerald first as a kid and never saw him as the champ)
Giving the gym leaders and elite four (except glacia) some out of gym appearances it was nice
The music (glad they atleast included the battle brain theme)
Going to space
being able to catch deoxys

 

[CynthiaLover]

Oh, sweet lordie, where do I begin? And why didn't I think about making a thread like this in the first place!? Oh, well, at least it was made.

Anyway, I have plenty of praise for these games, so let's see what I have to say.

1: Character Development: I swear, the characters of these games were done so well and developed so smoothly I was almost stunned. May/Brendan were much more animated and supportive, they actually played more of a role in the games than their original counterparts (even stating that they wanted to tackle the Gyms, too, now that's a big deal), and they actually felt like rivals. They really did a good job in expanding them in ORAS vs RSE. Archie and Maxie, along with their Admins, were also very well done. Steven being more involved in the plot, along with a more distinct character was a huge perk, especially after the virtual worthlessness character of Diantha in XY. Even usually minor characters like Professor Cosmo and even some NPCs felt like they had really important roles in the games. But the crown of all development goes to Wally. I swear, GF did a stellar job with him. You could actually see him grow and develop as a Trainer and a person. Sure, you only got to battle him twice main game, just like last time, but even so, he grew leaps and bounds throughout the game. Going from a timid, frail boy to a strong, determined, yet supportive character made me smile. Granted, I haven't reached Victory Road yet, but what I've observed so far (along with checking out spoilers), Wally has really become something spectacular. He even had the guts (well, sorta) to ask if you could be his rival back in Mauville, that alone was a huge burst of strength compared to his original self. And when his father mentioned how proud he was of Wally, that really touched my heart. GF really did a great job with the characters and their personalities, and that alone makes these games so great.

2: DexNav: Simply put, this was the best idea GF has ever had with a regional gizmo. The ability to hunt down any Pokemon, including usually impossibly rare ones, with tremendous ease, oftentimes with a set of added bonuses like three perfect IVs and Egg Moves was sheer brilliance. It gave the phrase "Gotta Catch 'em All" a meaning again. I have had just too much fun with the DexNav (although I have had hit some sour moments with it, but they were far and few between), as it makes catching Pokemon even more engaging and exciting. I hope it gets included in other games later down the road. That would be stellar.

3: Story-driven plot: Let's face it, XY had virtually no plot. ORAS, however, really did a grand job. The story was engaging, you actually felt like you were part of a large-scale situation, and the characters you encountered helped push the plot along. That's something I haven't seen in a Pokemon game in a long while (probably since BW or even Platinum). When there's a good plot in a game, then it makes it all the more enjoyable.

4: More challenging: XY was almost total cakewalk. By the time I reached Grant in Y, I already had a Delphox and Greninja. But here, even with the EXP Share on and considerable exploring, I was barely scratching Lv 20 by the time I battled Brawly. The AI is also smarter that before, actually using type advantages, correct moves, and even SWITCHING their Pokemon from time to time was a huge breath of fresh air. The levels of the Gym Leaders and such were also much more accurate and provided a good fight. I haven't reached the E4 yet, but the fact that they are back to the original formula (set path + increasing levels), along with both Gym Leaders and E4 having more than just 3-4 Pokemon (except the twins, but that was to-be-expected) is very refreshing. That's the way a Pokemon game should be, and ORAS struck a good balance with that.

5: Deeper villainous motives: Let's face it, Team Flare was a bad joke worthy of a comedy night club. But Team Aqua/Magma were far better. Their goals were more defined, the consequences were far larger, their leaders were more distinctive, their Admins had great personalities, and even the grunts seemed more alive. While I wasn't initially fond of some of the changes (I liked Shelly's red hair and that Tabitha didn't look like a smaller version of a Snorlax in the originals), I got over it quickly once I saw their personalities clearly and their roles expanding (and I find Cortney to be far more appealing and attractive than Shelly is, just something about quiet, mysterious girls I find appealing). In terms of preferred team, I find Team Magma to be the better team. Sure, both had short-sighted plans that could have catastrophic results, but at least Team Magma (or at least Maxie) had some form of intellect, and knew when things went too far, unlike Team Aqua. Both plans were also far more developed than before, seeming to have actual meaning, and both leaders realizing that their ambitions could lead to the world's destruction was quite well done. So, overall, Magma/Aqua were far better villainous teams than Flare could ever be.

6: Minor stuff: Things from as simple as good BGM to more realistic interactions/movements/cutscenes was a huge bonus. XY was far too bland and almost robotic with some situations, while ORAS was far more vibrant, colorful, and natural in how things looked and acted. The region itself is designed to be beautiful and distinctive, so the 3D aspect of these games really made it stand out even more. Hoenn is, by far, my favorite region of them all, and ORAS has further cemented that feeling. Everything just looks and feels so natural and realistic, not so colorless and stiff that XY was. That was a huge step up from GF's first attempt for a 3D Pokemon game, and it shows.

7: Re Battling: Let face it, the ability to rebattle almost any Trainer outside of E4 and Champions is wonderful. And the fact that the teams can progressively get stronger and more diverse is a huge bonus. The Trainer's Eye, while not as awesome as the Vs Seeker, still proved to be extremely valuable and useful. I've had a lot of fun re-battling various Trainers to better develop my team, as well as watch their teams get progressively better with each Gym Badge I obtain. That's something I can truly appreciate, as it makes the games all the more fun and engaging.

That probably sums up what I have to say (at least atm, I'll probably think of more later), but I have to say that ORAS are probably the best games of the Pokemon franchise to date.

 

[DasManiac]

The Sea Mauville is brilliant. I love how there's such a deep backstory to it all. It's really amazing what's been done with Professor Cozmo. He was once a minor character but now has an actual backstory.

I did read all the documents but the faded words made it hard for me to make out everything, can you tell me when the back story is?

Giving May her final evolved starter (plus a mega)
The facial expressions made the characters feel more alive then ever before
Archie, He's now my favorite Boss villain this guy was so cool
Steven feels like a champion to me now (because I played emerald first as a kid and never saw him as the champ)
Giving the gym leaders and elite four (except glacia) some out of gym appearances it was nice
The music (glad they atleast included the battle brain theme)
Going to space
being able to catch deoxys

From what I can understand, the Sea Mauville was not what it seemed. It was some sort of research project that ended in disaster. Prior to shuw down it was falling apart, the employees were overworked, the working conditions were horrible, and nobody seemed to be able to go home to their families. Wattson started the project but didn't seem so involved as it went on. Eventually it was shut down for unexplained reasons. Professor Cozmo never saw his father again. Also where does Phoebe appear?