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Trailers and News Discussion

So you're telling me that if we only have three players for Battle Royal, the fourth will be an NPC? It's the only explanation. Masuda never says anything dumb D:

An NPC that is pretty much a clone of the player? I doubt it ;) And didn't Masuda also say customization was a Kalos only thing? if you were joking then just ignore me
I saw someone else translate the menu and it's apparently

Pokemon - Pokedex
Bag - Save
Trainer Card - Whatever the new Amie is called (The icon is a Pikachu symbol with a hairbrush)

Thank god for a menu button for Amie, instead of it being on your bottom screen all the time! The bottom screen in ORAS was way too cluttered imo.

Other thoughts on the trailer:
  • Still not really hyped about riding Pokémon, still seems reserved for only a few Pokémon and probably only a few routes, just like in X/Y. Though, if I can ride a Tauros everywhere then hell yeah count me in! Only showing overworld surf sprites for Lapras and Sharpedo makes me fear those are the only overworld surf sprites we'll get again... (please let me be wrong).
  • Those weird dancing poses gave me enough secondhand embarrassment for a lifetime, if the player does that everytime they use the bracelet, then I may just leave the thing at home. Don't really see the need for powered up moves anyway tbh. We just got mega evolutions and the luck based boosts from Amie last generation and now we get boosted moves too? Talk about overkill :/
  • To end this with a less negative note: I love how the environments look, the game really looks beautiful.
 
Also, I really despise how there is even MORE focus on the actual trainers during battle. I want Pokemon to be the CENTRAL FOCUS of the main games, I do not want trainers having an active role during battles and extra focus on them. This is not DIGIMON for fucks sake.

Ah, the classic "Pokémon innovates in some new way; is actually a rip-off of Digimon" declaration. Mega Evolution, you truly have been replaced.

Frankly, I think it makes sense to focus a bit more on the Trainers, but then, I hardly think that a single mechanic is going to be the complete undoing of Pokémon's central narrative and that we're going to move away from Pokémon being the fundamental building blocks of the series's structure anyway.

Now, when the day comes that they pull a complete Digimon Frontier move and replace "humans catching and training Pokémon" with "humans transforming into Pokémon," then I'll say that they've probably strayed a bit too far from the series's core spirit. This, though? Nah.
 
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Ah, the classic "Pokémon innovates in some new way; is actually a rip-off of Digimon" declaration. Mega Evolution, you truly have been replaced.

Frankly, I think it makes sense to focus a bit more on the Trainers, but then, I hardly think that a single mechanic is going to be the complete undoing of Pokémon's central narrative and that we're going to move away from Pokémon being the fundamental building blocks of the series's structure anyway.

Now, when the day comes that they pull a complete Digimon Frontier move and replace "humans catching and training Pokémon" with "humans transforming into Pokémon," then I'll say that they've probably strayed a bit too far from the series's core spirit. This, though? Nah.
What I have always liked about Pokemon, and the main reason it is my favourite franchise, is the gameplay. It has always been simple and brilliant in its simplicity. You see your own Pokemon on the screen, and those of your opponent. You select moves, pay attention to Abilities, and play. Simple and beautiful.

Mega Evolution was already overcomplicating the formula, but it's not something too complicated, and the designs are great, so I actually liked it as an addition to the classic formula.

But this thing... WHY do we need MORE overpowered moves? If the big deal was giving a one time boost to a move, we already had the ELEMENTAL GEMS in Gen V. So much more simple and viable. But of course, a lot less flashy...

And furthermore, does the Trainer (we) need to do a useless and embarassing dance pose to activate it? Why?

When I am in a Pokemon battle, I like to imagine that I (the person) am giving orders to my Pokemon, not the ingame representation of me (the PC). So seeing the PC during battles breaks my immersion, to an extent.

Also, from an in-universe view: does a Pokemon trainer need to do a ridiculous dance in order to bond with his trusty Pokemon partner? Really? I always liked to think that my bond with my Pokemon occurs through our mutual feelings. No need to dance to show them my trust and our bonds.

In short, you remember the hate Mega Evolution recieved and still recieves from a more "purist" portion of the fandom? Yeah, well, that's exactly how I feel towards the new Gen VII mechanics (synchro and the dancing).

They make me feel that Pokemon has evolved more than it should have evolved away from the classic formula (and additions like eggs, Abilities, Hidden Abilites, ME, etc never made me feel this way, I liked them all from the beginning).
 
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But this thing... WHY do we need MORE overpowered moves? If the big deal was giving a one time boost to a move, we already had the ELEMENTAL GEMS in Gen V. So much more simple and viable. But of course, a lot less flashy...
You can literally only use them once. What's so good about them? Not to mention Pokemon has to hold them which prevents them from holding some other, more useful items.

And we don't even know anything about the feature itself and what other additional advantages there may be other than just powered-up moves. So I wouldn't be hasty with reaching conclusions already.

When I am in a Pokemon battle, I like to agine that I (the person) am giving orders to my Pokemon, not the ingame representation of me (the PC). So seeing the PC during battles breaks my immersion, to an extent..
I'm not sure what you're getting at here. You are the character performing everything in the game, no idea why it would break your immersion. You even have customization to make the main character look like yourself. You literally don't have to imagine a thing because the game is going the extra mile to save you the trouble of doing that.
 
Eevee's back, WAHOO! Now hopefully the Ice Rock doesn't come in too late; Glaceon's the only one I haven't used to complete the game yet.
 
You can literally only use them once. What's so good about them? Not to mention Pokemon has to hold them which prevents them from holding some other, more useful items.

And we don't even know anything about the feature itself and what other additional advantages there may be other than just powered-up moves. So I wouldn't be hasty with reaching conclusions already.
The Gems wete simple and worked fine. Thisnew thing is unnecessarily flashy and useless, considering that everything else is already powered-up enough, due to powerup abilities (Huge Power, Blaze, Torrent, etc.), power up items, and more. It is a complete stupidity to power uo the battle mechanics even more.

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. You are the character performing everything in the game, no idea why it would break your immersion. You even have customization to make the main character look like yourself. You literally don't have to imagine a thing because the game is going the extra mile to save you the trouble of doing that.
Not during battles. During overworld exploration, yes. But while in a Pokemon battle, I want to be the one giving orders to my trusty Pokemon, not my ingame PC. Even with Trainer Customization he still doesn't look like me, so yeah. I think the PC should be just for the overworld. Because, in the overworld, you control HIM/HER, so it feels like "me". But during a battle, I control the Pokemon, and seeing the PC moving freely, kinda distracts me tbh. It feels like a third person.

Edit: maybe this doesn't make sense to you guys, but it makes sense to me. You can ignore it anyway xD
 
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It is a complete stupidity to power uo the battle mechanics even more.
Think about it the other way - if it's related to that secret that Rockruff and the Starters share, maybe it evens the playing field for those Pokémon against other, more powerful foes with access to Mega Evolution (should they even land the hit and retain the power on evolution, obviously). Maybe only one can be active on a single Pokémon at one time. We need to know the precise details before we can truly form an opinion on it...
But while in a Pokemon battle, I want to be the one giving orders to my trusty Pokemon, not the PC.
Where was this complaint during everything Genius Sonority did in Gen III and IV? All things considered, I don't think we've actually seen trainers doing the whole pointing thing to issue commands...
 
No, the poses that power up moves are different from this one.
View attachment 100428
This seems like it's either a new Mega evolution symbol (doubtful, I'm sure they'd keep the same symbol) or something else entirely. I think it's synchro evolution.
The wayI see it , the animation has you start off like ME's pose, but then you do the poses to activate the bond of that certain type. The symbol is basically the same one underneath the diamond in the bracelet. I dunno why people are overcomplicating things. Bracelet has diamond, diamond is central to activating a powerful move through a special pose, that logo is the Move equovalent of ME'S Logo. The only thing that likely changes with this new mechanic is how it might be used in tandem with Mega Evolution.
 
Think about it the other way - if it's related to that secret that Rockruff and the Starters share, maybe it evens the playing field for those Pokémon against other, more powerful foes with access to Mega Evolution (should they even land the hit and retain the power on evolution, obviously). Maybe only one can be active on a single Pokémon at one time. We need to know the precise details before we can truly form an opinion on it...
My question is, is the ridiculous dancing stuff and Synchro Evolution the same thing? Or two separate mechanics?

Ok, I will admit that I forgot this could be just for the starters and rockruff. If the mechanic is exclusive to those four only, I wouldn't mind it THAT much, but I would be against it, regardless.
 
My question is, is the dancing stuff amd Synchro Evolution the same thing? Or two separate mechanics?
I'm still annoyed that people are dead set on calling it Synchro, but on the topic itself, it's probably gonna be related somehow.
If the mechanic is exclusive to those four only, I wouldn't mind it THAT much, but I would be against it, regardless.
Well, here's the thing - they never said the secret was exclusive. It could be just their take on Mega Mewtwo Y and the long wait for the proper reveal, which will then be shown off with different Pokémon afterward...
 
What I have always liked about Pokemon, and the main reason it is my favourite franchise, is the gameplay. It has always been simple and brilliant in its simplicity. You see your own Pokemon on the screen, and those of your opponent. You select moves, pay attention to Abilities, and play. Simple and beautiful.

Mega Evolution was already overcomplicating the formula, but it's not something too complicated, and the designs are great, so I actually liked it as an addition to the classic formula.

But this thing... WHY do we need MORE overpowered moves? If the big deal was giving a one time boost to a move, we already had the ELEMENTAL GEMS in Gen V. So much more simple and viable. But of course, a lot less flashy...

Well firstly I think you're jumping to a lot of conclusions. We don't actually have the first idea as to how these moves will work, how pervasive they will be, what drawbacks there will be (like how Mega Evolution requires you to forfeit a held item), or if it will really be all that comparable to the elemental gems.

You're assuming that they're going to be some dizzyingly complex, byzantine mess that completely pollutes the existing structure, but... why assume that? Mega Evolution is as simple as pressing an extra button. I think one can expect this to be similarly streamlined.

On top of that, having special moves that work differently than other power-ups like Mega Evolution enriches the strategic aspect. You have to carefully consider what your opponent might do, and how you think it's best to prepare for/respond to that.

To be honest, I don't really see how one can look at the enormous tapestry of available moves and held items and other such variables and say that THIS is what's going to break it all. I mean, I could ask why we need moves like Fire Blast when we already have Flamethrower, but the answer is obvious. Fire Blast offers an alternative strategy. I can sacrifice reliability for power. Similarly, "Super Moves" need only to fill a specific niche that the other options don't in order to justify themselves.

And furthermore, does the Trainer (we) need to do a useless and embarassing dance pose to activate it? Why?

When I am in a Pokemon battle, I like to agine that I (the person) am giving orders to my Pokemon, not the ingame representation of me (the PC). So seeing the PC during battles breaks my immersion, to an extent.

Also, from an in-universe view: does a Pokemon trainer need to do a ridiculous dance in order to bond with his trusty Pokemon partner? Really? I always liked to think that my bond with my Pokemon occurs through oir mutual feelings. No need to dance to show them my trust and our bonds.

Well that's a good question. Does it? One of the things that I liked about ORAS was how it went an extra step past the "balance between people and Pokémon" theme of BW, and brought Nature into the fold. Because of course the world itself would have just as much of a role in that dynamic. Both people and Pokémon will prosper or suffer in different ways depending on the state of the environment.

I see this as potentially being a similar interrogation of what the role of people is. Surely we're not just Pokémon slavers who boss them around from the sidelines for our entertainment? If human involvement can have a tangible effect on the battle too, then that lends some justification to the entire process.

It's replete with a cheesy dance sequence, but it's not as if the animation for Mega Evolution wasn't cheesy either. Raise that arm up triumphantly, crush your hand into a fist, tap your Key Stone with your opposite hand, and then get ready for your CLOSE-UP! Fierce!

Go ahead. Do it irl. Tell me it doesn't feel silly.

In short, you remember the hate ME recieved and still recieves from a more "purist" portion of the fans? Yeah, well, that's exactly how I feel towards the new Gen VII mechanics (synchro and the dancing). They make me feel that Pokemon has evolved more than it should have evolved away from the classic formula (and additions like eggs, Abilities, Hidden Abilites, ME, etc never made me feel this way, I liked them from the beginning).

I do remember, and I also remember the series being basically fine after Mega Evolution was brought in, with it offering a generally fun new dimension to the gameplay.
 
Commence people whining when we barely know anything about the new mechanic(s). Lmao same old.

The trailer was nice, didn't give us anything substantial, just a few hints and clues of what we can expect. Looks like powered-up moves will indeed be a thing. I'll reserve judgement for when we get a proper reveal. Hopefully that will happen soon. As much as I like new Pokemon, I think we have enough for now.

Also no hats HOORAY!
 
I'm honestly curious of the poses and what they have to do with these 'power up' moves and such. It's interesting, strange but interesting, hopefully we'll get more info on the mechanic soon.

Actually, are we getting anything else this month?
 
I'm still annoyed that people are dead set on calling it Synchro, but on the topic itself, it's probably gonna be related somehow.

Well, here's the thing - they never said the secret was exclusive. It could be just their take on Mega Mewtwo Y and the long wait for the proper reveal, which will then be shown off with different Pokémon afterward...
If this mechanic is exclusive to NFE Pokemon, I will eat my words about balance. Only in that case, however.
......We've barely seen like 10 seconds of this new mechanic, and you're already calling it "useless".........?
Allow me to be sceptic, considering Game Freak's love for unnecessary power boosts.

Well firstly I think you're jumping to a lot of conclusions. We don't actually have the first idea as to how these moves will work, how pervasive they will be, what drawbacks there will be (like how Mega Evolution requires you to forfeit a held item), or if it will really be all that comparable to the elemental gems.

You're assuming that they're going to be some dizzyingly complex, byzantine mess that completely pollutes the existing structure, but... why assume that? Mega Evolution is as simple as pressing an extra button. I think one can expect this to be similarly streamlined.

On top of that, having special moves that work differently than other power-ups like Mega Evolution enriches the strategic aspect. You have to carefully consider what your opponent might do, and how you think it's best to prepare for/respond to that.

To be honest, I don't really see how one can look at the enormous tapestry of available moves and held items and other such variables and say that THIS is what's going to break it all. I mean, I could ask why we need moves like Fire Blast when we already have Flamethrower, but the answer is obvious. Fire Blast offers an alternative strategy. I can sacrifice reliability for power. Similarly, "Super Moves" need only to fill a specific niche that the other options don't in order to justify themselves.



Well that's a good question. Does it? One of the things that I liked about ORAS was how it went an extra step past the "balance between people and Pokémon" theme of BW, and brought Nature into the fold. Because of course the world itself would have just as much of a role in that dynamic. Both people and Pokémon will prosper or suffer in different ways depending on the state of the environment.

I see this as potentially being a similar interrogation of what the role of people is. Surely we're not just Pokémon slavers who boss them around from the sidelines for our entertainment? If human involvement can have a tangible effect on the battle too, then that lends some justification to the entire process.

It's replete with a cheesy dance sequence, but it's not as if the animation for Mega Evolution wasn't cheesy either. Raise that arm up triumphantly, crush your hand into a fist, tap your Key Stone with your opposite hand, and then get ready for your CLOSE-UP! Fierce!

Go ahead. Do it irl. Tell me it doesn't feel silly.



I do remember, and I also remember the series being basically fine after Mega Evolution was brought in, with it offering a generally fun new dimension to the gameplay.
- Basically, they are evolving the entire franchise to be less simple and fun, to more complicated.

- Well, what I am trying to say, is that you CAN'T continue to add new mechanics for ever. Generation after Generation. You need to know when to stop adding to an already-near-perfect formula, or you are going to eventually break it. Not saying that Synchro Evolution is going to be the one to break the game. Or Mega Evolution. Or this, or that. But ALL OF THEM, together, are starting to be a bit too much, imo.

- I never even implied that ME was bad. The opposite, I was pro Mega Evolution from the beginning.

I just said that I feel that way towards these Gen 7 mechanics, not towards ME.
 
- Basically, they are evolving the entire franchise to be less simple and fun, to more complicated.

- I never even implied that ME was bad. The opposite, I was pro Mega Evolution from the beginning.

I just said that I feel that way towards these Gen 7 mechanics, not towards ME.

I know what you said. I'm saying, the purists were (generally) wrong about Mega Evolution. For the most part, it was fine and good for the gameplay, and the purists were overreacting. And this will probably go down about the same way.

I think the franchise already manages a firm balance between "simple/fun" (battles themselves are an easy, streamlined process) and "really bloody complicated" (all those moves and items and abilities and forms, EVs, IVs, breeding, 18-layer rock-paper-scissors, blah blah blah). It's been a bit of both for a long time now.

- Well, what I am trying to say, is that you CAN'T continue to add new mechanics for ever. Generation after Generation. You need to know when to stop adding to an already-near-perfect formula, or you are going to eventually break it. Not saying that Synchro Evolution is going to be the one to break the game. Or Mega Evolution. Or this, or that. But ALL OF THEM, together, are starting to be a bit too much, imo.

Sure, I agree with that. But that's something that we can't really evaluate until future generations come along, and I don't think it's entirely fair to put the infinite weight of that prophecy on "Synchro" when it's not even out of the nursery. Certainly something to keep an eye on, but I'm not sweating it just yet.
 
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Commence people whining when we barely know anything about the new mechanic(s). Lmao same old.
I "dare" to criticize Gen VII's new mechanics (and the fact battles seem to be more Trainer- centric than Pokemon- centric) , and I become one of those whining people that ALWAYS criticize whatever addition they make?

Sigh...
 
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I really hope that we don't get this mechanic at the very start of the game. I'd rather we earn it first and foremost than receive this "power up".
 
I really hope that we don't get this mechanic at the very start of the game. I'd rather we earn it first and foremost than receive this "power up".
Chances are, it'll be earned partway through the story like Mega Evolution was.

If you want my honest thoughts on the whole thing, I say bring it on! We'll see if it makes things truly broken if Mega Kangaskhan can use the mechanic, whatever it turns out to be, with Parental Bond (mostly) intact on top.
 
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