Gen V Thread

[Grimbad]

Restarting white version now. Planning on just running through this then black 2 after.
What's your thoughts on this gen, ~7 years later? Any fond memories from your gameplay or stories you'd like to share?

 

[DoctorWhy]

ugh I looove Gen V. Gen III is closest to my heart and the one I feel the most nostalgia for, buuut Gen V is the one I recognize to be the best overall generation from front to back. Amazing and dynamic music, lot of good new Pokemon, best 2D Pokemon game art, best sprites since Crystal, best story and some of the best characters in the series, my second favorite (I think) elite 4, my favorite BIG city (Castelia), the first and currently only generation with proper sequels (unless you wanna count GSC), the best expansion in the followup game.... I could go on. Fantastic gen.

 

[Grimbad]

ugh I looove Gen V. Gen III is closest to my heart and the one I feel the most nostalgia for, buuut Gen V is the one I recognize to be the best overall generation from front to back. Amazing and dynamic music, lot of good new Pokemon, best 2D Pokemon game art, best sprites since Crystal, best story and some of the best characters in the series, my second favorite (I think) elite 4, my favorite BIG city (Castelia), the first and currently only generation with proper sequels (unless you wanna count GSC), the best expansion in the followup game.... I could go on. Fantastic gen.

I agree 100% with what you said. Id say my nostalgia gen is 2, but 5 is my favourite. Ibalso love the designs of the pokemon. A lot of my favourites come from there. Also, what other gen had such great version differences? Black and white had a totally different gym leader and town design for a whole city, plus they had black city and white forest as differences too.

 

[Guzma]

Gen 5 is my overall favorite gen. It introduced so many cool Pokemon; Out of a whopping 156 Pokemon, only eight of them are what I'd consider to be bad designs (Patrat/Watchog and the elemental monkeys). Everything else ranges from good to great. The story and characters are also some of the best in the series; the only generation that comes close is Gen 7.

Also, Gen 5 is almost certainly the reason Bug monotype teams are viable, largely because of Volcarona, Galvantula and Scolipede.

 

[Zeb]

My favourite generation. I think part of that is because it was my first time experiencing new Pokemon reveals/leak season, but at the same time B2W2 is my favourite game. I really do miss the 2D overworlds, and Gen V's was the height of Game Freak and their 2D art (battle sprites weren't good, but the overworld and character sprites were great). People complain about the region being linear after Sinnoh before it, but I quite like the region as a whole - especially the expanded version in B2W2 because there's just so many areas.

About half the Unova dex I don't really care for, but the other half easily has lots of my favourite Pokemon. Also similar to Guzma above, it was really cool to finally see Bug-types be given some heavy attention.

I started playing White again recently, and plan to move onto White 2 afterwards. I beat the Striaton gym a few days back.

 

[Grimbad]

Another thing gen v had that i thought was interesting was seasons. Visually it was amazing and the changes they brought beyond that were great to make even routes i had been on feel fresh

 

[Cainhxrst]

I disliked gen 5 when it first came out. Still can't tell if it was just because I was losing interest in the series at the time, didn't like how linear Unova felt, or what, but after giving B/W another chance a few years later, I ended up having a newfound appreciation of it.

There's just so many aspects to it I wish gamefreak would've continued with, and I hope elements of 5th gens design philosophy make it into future games. The massive new dex, slightly more mature tone, the really comfy urban setting. I actually started a playthrough of Black 2 a few days ago due to finally getting a copy, so I'm really excited to see the changes to Unova and what not.

 

[Zeb]

Another thing gen v had that i thought was interesting was seasons. Visually it was amazing and the changes they brought beyond that were great to make even routes i had been on feel fresh

Yeah, seasons were great, both for an "immersion" type of thing and also because it added some secrets to areas. If they ever return, I'd like to see them work weekly, rather than monthly, though.

 

[Guzma]

I think another reason I'm very fond of Black and White is because they were what really roped me back into the franchise; I had lost interest in the franchise halfway through Gen IV to the point I didn't pick up HGSS on its original release. Black and White just really grabbed me and made me love the franchise more than I ever had in my life. They're also the reason I started going to conventions, to cosplay as Hilbert.

 

[Almonds]

I loved a lot of things about Gen5. BW had an engaging story and I applauded when N said "Farewell!" with the credits rolling seconds after because it was such a nice conclusion to a story that gave me a lot to think about. It also twisted the usual formula and had the the villain crisis arc actually came at the very end, where the big boss Ghetsis was the final opponent, a fitting way to conclude a game. B2W2 had a moderately good story by pokemon standards and had TONS of stuff to do that kept me interested. The medals were fun to collect and Join Avenue was a great feature to use where we could get all sorts of items and services for our convenience.

 

[TeaWest]

Gen V was the last Gen that I played before I took a hiatus from the series, and didn't get back into it until Sun. I like that Gen V took a lot of risks that paid off, but there are things that I dislike too. Some of the stretching and warping on the DS is very apparent, especially in big cities, and some of the Pokemon added are just so forgettable. Still, I loved the story, and the soundtrack is top notch.

(Side not not related to video games, I also think Gen V of Pokemon in the TCG was fantastic.)

 

[BigBadButterfree]

Gen V was the generation that game out when my friends and I were all in the later years of high school, so it’s the generation I most associate playing with other people. Gen IV was kinda the same, only during middle school, so it was a different crowd of friends. Not as special for me.

Anyway, V also had some of my favorite Pokémon, like Serperior and Chandelure. I also loved the first pair’s lack of older Pokémon. I know this was a turn-off for many people, but I really liked that it forced me to use Pokémon I was unfamiliar with, and it just worked for me.

Lots of other things were good for me too, like the first gym leader being dependent on the starter, the gyms in BW2 having specific gym themes, and omg the PWT.

 

[IncineROAR]

I thoroughly enjoyed Gen V. I don't know if it was my favorite. Gen V's independence from the rest of the generations is probably what I enjoy most. References to the past are sparse, if at all, in the games. It's just about Unova.

 

[Pyrax]

Despite its flaws (linearity, gym leaders having 3 mons, E4 having 4 mons, etc) I really enjoyed Gen V. BW1 has my favourite climax in the series, and BW2 has the PWT. The large dex had its fair share of bad designs and blatant Kanto clones, but amidst all that were some of my favourites like Lilligant and Volcarona. This generation also has some of my favourite tracks of all time, like the final battle with N.

 

[Extroth]

I've been meaning to give gen 5 another visit but I've been playing though gen 2 VC at the moment.

Gen 5 as a whole is really, really good. It proves that the Pokemon formula can have good storytelling and characters without sacrificing that classic Pokemon feel. Not being able to play with your favorites really forced me to pick up a new team for the journey and helped the whole thing feel fresh. I know a lot of people think that the gen 5 designs are wanting but the mons that are gen 1 clones feel like they do the concepts better than the gen 1 mons did with a few exceptions.

A few points of critique:
1. The level curve in gen 5 is really off and makes you wait a long time for some evolutions.
2. This is where the really big city started and I really hate exploring those big cities.
3. The multiplayer aspects were poorly explained and dream world was poorly implemented.

 

[AnthonyS]

Generation V was my Pokémon debut, and I have to say, it was a great region to start in. The plot was incredible and it proposed questions that really had the player stop and think. The characters and villains were deep enough to really enjoy and I loved the variety of different environments presented throughout the world. Oceans, cities, deserts, and forests were all displayed and I think that it made for some really interesting gameplay. Additionally the inclusion of seasons was brilliant, adding that touch of realism that made all the difference.

I thought that some of the designs were a bit rushed and a stretch but the overall amount of fantastic pokémon more than made up for this. Vanillite and Vanillish come to mind, but to each his own, I guess. I also thought that the rarity of popular Pokémon such as Eevee and Trapinch were excellent ways to increase difficulty of the game.

And lastly, who could not fall in love with the music? The soundtrack was so inspirational, beautiful, and overall awesome, and it remains my favorite to this day.

 

[Cainhxrst]

lol I've been playing through bw2 and I keep finding myself underlevelled despite fighting every trainer on each route, not running away from every battle ,etc. I don't remember the games being this hard but its quite refreshing

Really cool seeing how areas have changed since BW as well. Always gets me grinning when an npc or gym leader will mention the player character from B/W or when Cheren/Bianca reference the previous game

 

[DarkMeow]

Gen. V is still my favorite generation, even after the 3D graphics of X/Y absolutely blew me away. It was an interesting generation for sure; they really tried something new with the storytelling and while I think it was weak in some aspects, I really did enjoy the storyline and I wish we'd get something of similar caliber again. Gen. V also kind of hinted of the move to full 3D, I think. There were far more 3D models in this generation than in any before it.

My fondest memory of the generation is when they were doing that convention thing in different areas of the U.S. They set up a big event at my local mall. They showed demos of the game, parts of the new Anime that was coming out, and they even set up giant blow-up statues of Zekrom and Reshiram. They also gave away an event Celebi, which was super cool. I remember walking around the whole mall excitedly.

My second starter Pokémon ever was a Tepig.

 

[Camille]

I liked Black 2/White 2 quite a lot, but Black/White were very disappointing for me. While the music and the storyline and characters were certainly memorable, the region was just linear and boring, you couldn't farm Berries in-game, the Trainers(even Gym Leaders and Elite Four) had too few Pokemon on their teams, Musicals were worse than even Super Contests, you couldn't rematch the Trainers on routes, and a number of Pokemon (Mienfoo, Pawniard, Rufflet) evolved too late to be useful during the main storyline. The fact that TMs became reusable was great, but a ton of new TM moves(especially Struggle Bug and Incinerate) were next to useless (they should have never replaced moves like Water Pulse, Shock Wave, and Dragon Pulse). The new experience system was actually really good since it encouraged raising a full team of Pokemon instead of relying on just a single overleveled one, but even with Lucky Egg, you had to grind a lot due to the aforementioned small rosters and lack of rematches outside of gimmicky facilities. Black City/White Forest relied way too much on multiplayer and punished you for taking your time to fully explore Unova. And why were the Trainers' Pokemon suddenly so high-leveled once you hit the eastern half of the region?
I liked the fact there were actual sequels and not just the third version. The expanded Unova is much better than the vanilla one, although still not as good as Hoenn and Sinnoh. I didn't mind the huge gap between the 6th and 7th gym nor the Breeders constantly challenging you(shame they teams remain the same every time). I loved Join Avenue, the fact move tutors were available before beating the game, and the PokeStar Studios were good, too. I wish they hadn't locked the breeeding and a number of Pokemon in the New Unova Dex until post-game, though.
Overall, Generation V may not be my favourite, but it is by no means bad.

 

[Cookies and Creme]

I have a good amount to say about Gen 5. While BW and B2W2 aren't my first Pokemon games, they definitely had a lasting impact on me.
Pros:
- A great storyline. In my opinion, both games were the first to have focus on storyline and character development. And, up until recently, it was my favorite storyline in a Pokemon game. The games, especially B2W2, got pretty mature for a Pokemon game, and I loved how the story of both games flowed together perfectly.
- This is a followup to a great storyline, which is great characters: N is tied as my favorite character in Pokemon. It's great seeing how he changed throughout BW, then, after 2 years, see how he has grown in the sequels. The gym leaders actually had a huge role in the story, too, and I believe this is the first generation where we met some of the E4 members before even challenging the E4, with Caitlin being a former Frontier Brain and Marshall appearing at Twist Mountain. Ghetsis's downfall into insanity not only made him stand out among the villains, but also helped make the storyline even darker. Finally, it was nice seeing the BW rivals in B2W2 in different roles, and while I'm not a fan on how Hugh constantly talked about finding his sister's Purrlion, it did fit well as a small sideplot for the story
- A great postgame: In both games, you can explore the rest of the region, including old Pokemon and even version-exclusive cities. In B2W2, there's the PWT, which is one of my favorite battle facilities and also holds a lot of cameos that I appreciate

Cons:
- Terrible Pokemon: On my first playthrough of both games, I chose Pokemon randomly so I had a team of 6. In future playthroughs, however, I found it hard to have a full team of 6. In fact, in my latest Blac run, I beat the elite four with only 5 Pokemon and a pick-up slave. I also dislike most of the Pokemon, including the Patrat line, the Purrlion line, the elemental monkeys, and especially the starters. I didn't care for Snivy's line, I despised the Tepig line as a worse rehash of Blaziken and Infernape, and I found Samurott to be good only as an HM slave. The only few that I liked weren't even that good in competitive play.
- Forcing a reboot: This leads from my previous point. Gen 5 is practically a soft reboot to the franchise, with only new Pokemon available in BW and many similarities between Gen 5 'mons and Gen 1 'mons. While I don't mind it that much, it bothers me that I couldn't use Pokemon from past generations that I preferred over Gen 5 'mons.
- A really unpopular opinion of me: I hated the soundtrack. I found most of Gen 5's soundtrack to be forgettable and terrible. Many "acclaimed" themes like Route 10's theme and Driftveil City were, in my opinion, terrible. I feel like it's the instruments involved, because I prefer Smash 4's versions of Gen 5 music over the original. Nevertheless, I did not like the soundtrack at all, seeing it as a major setback from Gen 4.

Verdict:
I did have a lot of negatives on Gen 5, however I still loved the Gen 5 games, particularly B2W2. I consider Gen 5 to be my second favorite generation, behind Gen 3.