Generation IV Remake Speculation

[SinnohEevee]

I don't like the idea of regional forms in Sinnoh. Ash never got to see regional forms when he was in Sinnoh, so why should they be suddenly introduced now? Pokémon can be Mega Evolved anywhere so the new Mega Evolutions in Hoenn were okay.

When he was doing the Kanto Battle Frontier, Ash saw Pokémon he hadn't previously seen in Kanto.

 

[SinnohEevee]

I'd also like to see Porygon-Z get a new form. It would make sense, because Porygon is a manmade Pokemon that can be continually upgraded. Perhaps Porygon2 could also one day get an alternative evolution called Porygon3, which doesn't have any programming errors. It's a fascinating evolution family with so much potential.

The anime ban didn't deter Game Freak from creating Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, so I don't think new forms or evolutions are completely out of the question.

Or they can give it a Mega to fix it.

 

[Phosphene]

I honestly think new pokemon will be replaced by varients in the future.

I doubt regional variants will replace new Pokémon as I don't believe they have the same excitement factor; they aren't new enough, methinks, especially considering their stats generally don't change from form to form. In my opinion, the low number of variants released each game helps make them feel more special, and having a whole region full of them would diminish that.

The number is almost 1,000 and you have to ask yourself when is too much?

Is there really much of a difference between 1,000 different types of Pokémon and 1,000 different variants of one Pokémon? I think whatever issue you're implying here would be an issue regardless of whether the Pokémon are all different types or all different variants.

 

[SinnohEevee]

I doubt regional variants will replace new Pokémon as I don't believe they have the same excitement factor; they aren't new enough, methinks, especially considering their stats generally don't change from form to form. In my opinion, the low number of variants released each game helps make them feel more special, and having a whole region full of them would diminish that.

Is there really much of a difference between 1,000 different types of Pokémon and 1,000 different variants of one Pokémon? I think whatever issue you're implying here would be an issue regardless of whether the Pokémon are all different types or all different variants.

I think we will get more new variants and less new Pokémon, but yeah, it won't replace new Pokémon.

 

[Bolt Strike]

If you're already asking for regional variants, why stop there? Why not hope to get a couple completely new Pokémon introduced for the remake?

Personally I believe regional variants are more fitting for new gens than for remakes. For once because by now it were new gens to add them, and also because I feel the biggest selling point of remakes is "nostalgia" in a way. And Game Freak seems to be aware of that, as ORAS kept the roster pretty faithful to the originals that were 3 gens ago (adding evolutions that came later, however, such as Dusknoir if I remember correctly?)
Other Pokémon from later gens were found all the routes, yeah, but that was a post-game thing.

And personally-again, I want to play the DP remakes because I want to play DP on Switch, and Sinnohan variants would kind of break that.

I'm calling the only new forms we're getting for DP remakes will be related to G-Max.

Honestly I feel like this is the remakes' biggest flaw, they're TOO entrenched in nostalgia to the point where they're unwilling to fix the problems that existed at the time. This is especially the case with the regional dexes/the main game roster, where the older regional dexes tended to have severe variety issues due to some types (Ghost and Dragon especially) having too few Pokemon in the National Dex altogether to provide good variety. However, this is not the case now, and it makes the variety issues all the more glaring. I loved DP, yes, but when I want a remake, I don't just want DP as it was. I want DP as it could've been if it were designed on the Switch, if it didn't have the limitations it had back on the DS so it can become an even greater game than it was (not with the changes in design philosophy of making the games more simplified and casualized though, that's been a change for the worse since the originals). This mentality of "it has to be a copy/paste job because nostalgia" is quite irritating and holds remakes back from being an even better and more modernized experience.

 

[Puddle]

I want DP as it could've been if it were designed on the Switch, if it didn't have the limitations it had back on the DS so it can become an even greater game than it was (not with the changes in design philosophy of making the games more simplified and casualized though, that's been a change for the worse since the originals).

One thing I do like about remakes sticking so close to the originals is that it means less cutscenes. I feel more free to explore in ORAS and Let's Go than I do in any of the other modern games.

 

[Esserise]

Is there really much of a difference between 1,000 different types of Pokémon and 1,000 different variants of one Pokémon? I think whatever issue you're implying here would be an issue regardless of whether the Pokémon are all different types or all different variants.

Especially when it's pretty much the same amount of work developmentally. New regional variants still require new models and animations and all that. It's not really a more economical option or anything, all you'd be doing is indulging in a weird phobia of an arbitrary number.

And it's not like anyone is obligated to like, memorize every Pokémon or whatever, especially if the games aren't going to support them all at once anyway. Devoted fans like me do that simply because we're nerds who love the series. The amount of Pokémon species is a concern for the developers solely because of what it implies in terms of tending to legacy content - that is to say, having so many Pokémon means there's more and more accretion to contend with whenever they move onto a new engine. But regional variants don't actually alleviate that; in fact, I think they would exacerbate it to some extent. Like, if they're at the point where they're limiting regional Dexes and having to pick-and-choose which species get to be in a game (which is a point that we've already reached, so in a practical sense, the singularity has already occurred and they've made it clear how they plan to adapt to it), they might actually be less inclined to pick Meowth after it's received 8 different regional variants and each one is going to require upkeep, when they could instead just go with Purrloin or Espurr or some other cat without any variants.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

I do feel like DP have way more room for improvement than the first three gens did. I think I have also mentioned that this time around, I do want more than just Sinnoh in 3d because the DS games are still pretty visually appealing unlike the GBA and earlier games. And they already have the physical/special split, so they don't need to be upgraded in that sense either. Platinum is still very playable, so these remakes probably do need to change more than their predecessors.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I do feel like DP have way more room for improvement than the first three gens did. I think I have also mentioned that this time around, I do want more than just Sinnoh in 3d because the DS games are still pretty visually appealing unlike the GBA and earlier games. And they already have the physical/special split, so they don't need to be upgraded in that sense either. Platinum is still very playable, so these remakes probably do need to change more than their predecessors.

Interesting. I would actually say the opposite, there's less that needs to be improved compared to the first three. Although improvements such as 3D graphics, open world design, controllable camera, and regional variants do open up the opportunity for much more drastic improvements than past games had, but IDK that there's much they can do with those because it would require them to pretty much redesign Sinnoh from the ground up which might be more trouble than it's worth. What are you looking at needing improvement to say that they have more room for improvement?

 

[TechSkylander1518]

If you're already asking for regional variants, why stop there? Why not hope to get a couple completely new Pokémon introduced for the remake?

Personally I believe regional variants are more fitting for new gens than for remakes. For once because by now it were new gens to add them, and also because I feel the biggest selling point of remakes is "nostalgia" in a way. And Game Freak seems to be aware of that, as ORAS kept the roster pretty faithful to the originals that were 3 gens ago (adding evolutions that came later, however, such as Dusknoir if I remember correctly?)
Other Pokémon from later gens were found all the routes, yeah, but that was a post-game thing.

And personally-again, I want to play the DP remakes because I want to play DP on Switch, and Sinnohan variants would kind of break that.

I'm calling the only new forms we're getting for DP remakes will be related to G-Max.

Aren't new Megas/GMax forms just as intrusive to the nostalgia factor as regional variants?

 

[Bolt Strike]

Aren't new Megas/GMax forms just as intrusive to the nostalgia factor as regional variants?

To be fair, adding new Megas/GMax forms would be like adding new evolutions, it's taking an existing line and adding additional forms to make it more "complete". Regional variants are adding completely new lines that weren't there before. It does intrude on the nostalgia factor a bit, but not as much.

But again, that's one aspect of the nostalgia that I think should be intruded on, it's a flaw in the originals that existed because of insufficient variety in the National Dex as a whole that no longer exists now. If they'd have decided on the Sinnoh Dex now from the current pool of existing Pokemon, they certainly would not do things like only give Sinnoh 2 Fire type Pokemon or 1 Dragon (or even the 5 Fire and 2 Dragon from Platinum), they just didn't have enough at the time that they thought would fit while they have more than enough now. Sinnoh's variety issues are largely a byproduct of a much more limited pool of Pokemon to choose from (and partially poor planning, as seen with Platinum's expansion, but mostly due to having a more limited pool of Pokemon), so to retain that flaw because of "nostalgia" makes the game feel old-fashioned in a negative way.

 

[SeanWheeler]

When he was doing the Kanto Battle Frontier, Ash saw Pokémon he hadn't previously seen in Kanto.

Trainers owning Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon don't matter. Especially when it's made clear that those Pokémon aren't native to Kanto. Pokémon brought over from other regions is different from regional forms. Ash has seen all the Alolan forms in the Sun and Moon series and knows the difference between an Exeggutor from Alola and an Exeggutor from Kanto. If the remakes introduce Sinnohan forms and Ash met one of these in their Kantonian form in Sinnoh without Dawn noticing the difference, that is a plot hole waiting to happen. Also, if there's going to be regional forms introduced in remakes, how's that going to work in Unova where Pokémon from other regions are supposed to be very rare?

 

[swiftgallade46]

Trainers owning Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon don't matter. Especially when it's made clear that those Pokémon aren't native to Kanto. Pokémon brought over from other regions is different from regional forms. Ash has seen all the Alolan forms in the Sun and Moon series and knows the difference between an Exeggutor from Alola and an Exeggutor from Kanto. If the remakes introduce Sinnohan forms and Ash met one of these in their Kantonian form in Sinnoh without Dawn noticing the difference, that is a plot hole waiting to happen. Also, if there's going to be regional forms introduced in remakes, how's that going to work in Unova where Pokémon from other regions are supposed to be very rare?

Well if the Sinnohan forms are from gens 5-8 then they never would have encountered them in the first place back in DP (besides Zorua/Zoroark). Also, the anime doesn’t really dictate the games; it’s mostly vice versa.

Whether or not regional variants would appear in a theoretical BW remake doesn’t really affect things here, but I’d point out that regional variants are still native to the region they’re in so the point is moot. If you had a Unovan Gogoat, it would still be native to Unova.

 

[Tuoko]

Trainers owning Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon don't matter. Especially when it's made clear that those Pokémon aren't native to Kanto.

You're forgetting that there were wild Johto & Hoenn Pokemon within the Battle Frontier arc (along with Bonsly, since I think that was the only wild Sinnoh mon shown).

If the remakes introduce Sinnohan forms and Ash met one of these in their Kantonian form in Sinnoh without Dawn noticing the difference, that is a plot hole waiting to happen.

I don't think this really matters too much, since the games aren't stuck with what the anime already established/have shown. They can just give the explanation that they live in a seperate area within Sinnoh than the ones that were shown before.

Also, if there's going to be regional forms introduced in remakes, how's that going to work in Unova where Pokémon from other regions are supposed to be very rare?

A regional variant wouldn't really be classified as being from another region, for all intents and purposes, they'd just count as more Unova Pokemon.

Even still, there were still non-Unova Pokemon that were native to Unova in BW. They just weren't in the regional Pokedex

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

What are you looking at needing improvement to say that they have more room for improvement?

I feel like Sinnoh doesn't really have a lot of its own identity and the things it did do, didn't reach their full potential. Contests and Secret Bases were just carry overs from Hoenn, but they weren't necessarily done better; imo. I'm going to put most of my response in spoilers just because I intend to ramble a bit; and I want to condense it.

Spoiler: The Underground/Bases

I never got as invested in my secret base in Sinnoh because it was in a totally separate map that was almost completely barren. Instead of having a variety of options to build your secret base, you just pick a random spot in the wall of the Underground. What's more? I think the only layout is square and you have to waste a bunch of time to destroy the rocks instead to make it bigger. It's not exactly fun. What's more? It had way less decorations and way less variety. No posters or cushions or floor mats.

And the Underground itself is pretty lackluster even if you have a friend to mess around in it with. There's nothing co-operative to do with them and instead you are just suppose to play capture the flag while setting traps, but there's no structure to it whatsoever. It might have been somewhat cool if it was a fleshed out game, but its just there and I guess you're just suppose to make your own rules. What's more, now that we are on the Switch, the whole thing is going to have to be redesigned anyway because a lot of the traps relied on using the touchscreen/microphone to get out of. And how would you get more bases anyway? Would they spawn in the Underground if you connect online? Would you end up with just a row of holes in the wall; side by side? The Underground is a big part of Sinnoh, but even in the base game; its just there. I feel like it needs a lot more work that Hoenn's Secret Base system needed. Hoenn's secret bases were often hidden away, and finding them was at least somewhat of a challenge, but in the Underground; there are no obstacles and finding a base would never be difficult. Even with traps; it was always just a slight annoyance more than anything. There wasn't anything engaging about it.

Spoiler: Super Contests

Then there's super contests, which just added dress up and a short rhythm game on top of Hoenn's already existing Contests. And you can totally correct me if I'm wrong, because I could just be misremembering, but completing contests wasn't connected to anything outside of the contest Hall. In Hoenn, completing contests was to help fill out the art museum. Which; I guess isn't much, but it was something. I think Sinnoh just had a picture gallery in the contest hall itself. *shrug*

So first off, the dress up feature was amusing when it first came out, but even then, it was just layering sprites overtop of sprites. Most of the time, it looked pretty jank because of obvious reasons. It was also hard to know which items were for which category, but ultimately; you were just slapping in things that fit the category. It didn't have to look nice or anything. The dress up feature was also re-used for Jubilife station for really no purpose. I just feel like it would take a lot of work to make this feature worthwhile and I don't know if it would even be worth it? I imagine it would have to end up working similar to the alola photo club, but that doesn't really capture the essence of "dressing up your pokemon" that Diamond and Pearl were going for. Plus, this section is just slightly different from the part that's technically already in RSE. The score is I think mostly determined by the 'condition' which is boosted by feeding Poffin instead of Pokeblocks.

Then there's the "dancing portion". If I'm being honest; it might just be best if they focused on this part, but would it still just be models hopping up and down? It just seems like they would need to do something to make this portion interesting if they fleshed it out. Then there's the "acting" competition which I think is more or less identical to RSE. And I'm probably in the minority, but I wouldn't want the contests to just be ORAS contests all over again. I kind of like the fact that different games have things that make them unique. I already did contests in ORAS; I would prefer something new.

Idk; maybe I'm being weird.

Spoiler: Miscellaneous stuff

So, aside from Secret Bases which are by all means objectively worse, the Underground which is underdeveloped, and Super Contests which were kind of jank without really being all that different; what else does Sinnoh have to offer?

Pokeball Seals are ..... okay I guess. They don't really serve much purpose, they were annoying to use, and they didn't have a lot of variety. I can't see Gamefreak allowing them to be used online if they brought them back, and people are really into the whole apricot ball and ball breeding thing and these "features" kind of conflict with each other. Idk; if it went away, I probably wouldn't notice, but if they kept it, I feel like it needs to do more than have custom effects for 2 seconds. Like maybe they should give bonuses or something? But I don't know how you do that without it being OP.

Then there's Amity Square? Lol; I feel like I shouldn't have to explain why this "feature" would need work to be interesting. Its there to have a select few pokemon follow you and pick up items to use for dress up in contests. Yeah; hmm.

Then there's the Pal Park which was a "mini-game" for transferring pokemon. Yeah; that feature is also kind of obsolete.

Then there's the Resort House; which is cool in theory, but it only has the one set of furniture and its really just there to spend excess money. Guests will visit, but they don't do anything notable.

Honey Trees are AWFUL. the end

Great Marsh is just another Safari Zone really. It doesn't do anything unique or interesting. And the map layout is very basic compared Hoenn's. At least in Hoenn, you still had the bike rails to ride around on and find items. The Great Marsh is just kind of Square and has mud; which everyone hates the mud sooo... GameFreak is obviously not interested in doing the safari anymore (and after the disaster that was the HGSS safari zone maybe we don't want them to). But if they remove the safari zone elements here; what would be left?

The Trophy Garden is just a place to randomly find pokemon that they didn't put in the main dex for some reason. It's boring. And Mr. Backlot is boring. There's nothing interesting about this place. It's basically a worse safari zone.

Then, oh boy, there's the Poketch and if it doesn't need work; I don't know what does. It had SOME useful functions, but just was mostly to show off the touch screen. Even at the time, I mostly ignored the Poketch. The whole thing has to be redesigned in some way to work on switch.

Spoiler: Sinnoh's Side Areas and Story

Now finally; I just want to touch on "story" stuff. To talk about this, I think I will first mention the SS Aqua. The SS Aqua in RSE was a fun little area to explore in which you had to find hidden keys and make your way through the ship. On its own, it was already good imo, but ORAS improved on it by giving it a bit more of a story.

The most equivalent location I can think of in Diamond/Pearl would be the Old Chateau. Which is just a couple of rooms; you see some 'ghosts' float around; and you find Rotom in a TV. It's relatively empty aside from that. It would be cool if this place could be a full size mansion filled with a bunch of different ghost pokemon and a couple puzzles, but it just didn't do anything. Gardenia makes a big deal about being scared of it, but nothing comes of that. I just feel like it would take a lot more work to make the Chateau interesting compared to SS Aqua. There's other examples, but I feel like this is the most glaring one.

Then on a more subjective note, I feel like Sinnoh's story has way more potential that what it does with it. Past games had very simple and cartoony villains and plots. I think that's fine and they didn't really have to change that too much when remaking them. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, I feel is the first game they tried to put any nuance into the story. Cyrus has some backstory that's really out of the way to find out about and I would personally really like them to expand on it. All of the legendary Pokemon have a lot more lore, but its all only briefly touched upon. A lot of story was locked behind events. I feel like Sinnoh has this possibility for an epic story and adventure that I personally would really really like, but its just not quite there. For Kanto, Johto and Hoenn, the story was what it was and I didn't have the feeling like there was a lot of room for improvement without writing a new story. But in Sinnoh; hmmmm; I just want to know more, you know?

 

[prog rocker]

Honey Trees are AWFUL. the end

*Has flashbacks of putting alarms so I don't miss a potential Munchlax encounter* Hmmm... yeah. Hopefully that either stays gone or gets a massive rework. We don't need three Pokémon with absurd encounter methods in the same game.

 

[Johtoo]

I doubt regional variants will replace new Pokémon as I don't believe they have the same excitement factor; they aren't new enough, methinks, especially considering their stats generally don't change from form to form. In my opinion, the low number of variants released each game helps make them feel more special, and having a whole region full of them would diminish that.

Is there really much of a difference between 1,000 different types of Pokémon and 1,000 different variants of one Pokémon? I think whatever issue you're implying here would be an issue regardless of whether the Pokémon are all different types or all different variants.

That doesn't change the narrative. 1000 is too much and Gamefreak are actively trying to avoid that number; hence the greater focus on regional variants. And there won't ever be 1000 regional varients, but what they should do is curate a maximum of 500 Pokemon (including regional variants) for each respective generation and leave it at that. Leave the original 151 (because they're iconic) add in 40 regional varients of those mons. Then select around 350 Pokemon from other generations to go into the game.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Spoiler: The Underground/Bases

I never got as invested in my secret base in Sinnoh because it was in a totally separate map that was almost completely barren. Instead of having a variety of options to build your secret base, you just pick a random spot in the wall of the Underground. What's more? I think the only layout is square and you have to waste a bunch of time to destroy the rocks instead to make it bigger. It's not exactly fun. What's more? It had way less decorations and way less variety. No posters or cushions or floor mats.

While those were downgrades, they didn't really bother me that much. I mainly wanted to create puzzles and such, and the Secret Bases still let me do that. Those improvements would definitely be appreciated, but I don't think I'd call them "major".

And the Underground itself is pretty lackluster even if you have a friend to mess around in it with. There's nothing co-operative to do with them and instead you are just suppose to play capture the flag while setting traps, but there's no structure to it whatsoever. It might have been somewhat cool if it was a fleshed out game, but its just there and I guess you're just suppose to make your own rules.
What's more, now that we are on the Switch, the whole thing is going to have to be redesigned anyway because a lot of the traps relied on using the touchscreen/microphone to get out of. And how would you get more bases anyway? Would they spawn in the Underground if you connect online? Would you end up with just a row of holes in the wall; side by side? The Underground is a big part of Sinnoh, but even in the base game; its just there. I feel like it needs a lot more work that Hoenn's Secret Base system needed. Hoenn's secret bases were often hidden away, and finding them was at least somewhat of a challenge, but in the Underground; there are no obstacles and finding a base would never be difficult. Even with traps; it was always just a slight annoyance more than anything. There wasn't anything engaging about it.

I think it's meant to be unstructured and chaotic and I liked that, it made it more dynamic and unpredictable, which is more exciting. I don't really think any of this needs to change, the only way I could see it improving is adding in an online mode so even more people can get in on the fun. They could also potentially add Pokemon Dens for Max Raid Battles if they feel so inclined to work in some SwSh mechanics, but other than that, I don't think it really needs much more. As for the traps using the touch screen, I'm sure they'll come up with something.

Spoiler: Super Contests

Then there's super contests, which just added dress up and a short rhythm game on top of Hoenn's already existing Contests. And you can totally correct me if I'm wrong, because I could just be misremembering, but completing contests wasn't connected to anything outside of the contest Hall. In Hoenn, completing contests was to help fill out the art museum. Which; I guess isn't much, but it was something. I think Sinnoh just had a picture gallery in the contest hall itself. *shrug*

So first off, the dress up feature was amusing when it first came out, but even then, it was just layering sprites overtop of sprites. Most of the time, it looked pretty jank because of obvious reasons. It was also hard to know which items were for which category, but ultimately; you were just slapping in things that fit the category. It didn't have to look nice or anything. The dress up feature was also re-used for Jubilife station for really no purpose. I just feel like it would take a lot of work to make this feature worthwhile and I don't know if it would even be worth it? I imagine it would have to end up working similar to the alola photo club, but that doesn't really capture the essence of "dressing up your pokemon" that Diamond and Pearl were going for. Plus, this section is just slightly different from the part that's technically already in RSE. The score is I think mostly determined by the 'condition' which is boosted by feeding Poffin instead of Pokeblocks.

Then there's the "dancing portion". If I'm being honest; it might just be best if they focused on this part, but would it still just be models hopping up and down? It just seems like they would need to do something to make this portion interesting if they fleshed it out. Then there's the "acting" competition which I think is more or less identical to RSE. And I'm probably in the minority, but I wouldn't want the contests to just be ORAS contests all over again. I kind of like the fact that different games have things that make them unique. I already did contests in ORAS; I would prefer something new.

Idk; maybe I'm being weird.

I never really did Sinnoh's Contests, so I really can't argue much on this one.

Spoiler: Miscellaneous stuff

Then there's Amity Square? Lol; I feel like I shouldn't have to explain why this "feature" would need work to be interesting. Its there to have a select few pokemon follow you and pick up items to use for dress up in contests. Yeah; hmm.

It was a cute little feature for letting your Pokemon follow you, and probably a beta test for HGSS re-introducing the mechanic in full. It will definitely need a new purpose now since following was already brought back for the SwSh Expansion Pass, but again, I don't see this as major.

Then there's the Pal Park which was a "mini-game" for transferring pokemon. Yeah; that feature is also kind of obsolete.

Same here. Needs a new purpose, not entirely major.

Great Marsh is just another Safari Zone really. It doesn't do anything unique or interesting. And the map layout is very basic compared Hoenn's. At least in Hoenn, you still had the bike rails to ride around on and find items. The Great Marsh is just kind of Square and has mud; which everyone hates the mud sooo... GameFreak is obviously not interested in doing the safari anymore (and after the disaster that was the HGSS safari zone maybe we don't want them to). But if they remove the safari zone elements here; what would be left?

Just make it a Wild Area type of place or bring back Let's Go's capture system for this. Done.

Also speak for yourself on the HGSS being a "disaster", I liked it for the most part (the only major issue was the ridiculous time requirements on some of the rarer species). I want to be able to design and share my own Safari Zone again, I love the one I made in HGSS (it has all of the rarer Pokemon in it and the mazelike design really messes with you to make you earn them).

Then, oh boy, there's the Poketch and if it doesn't need work; I don't know what does. It had SOME useful functions, but just was mostly to show off the touch screen. Even at the time, I mostly ignored the Poketch. The whole thing has to be redesigned in some way to work on switch.

I actually think the Poketch was one of the best regional gadgets in the series, second only to the Pokenav Plus (how can you vote against Dexnav?). It was a bit bloated with relatively pointless touch screen apps, but beyond those there were some extremely useful features that allowed you to track certain gameplay mechanics such as friendship, steps, berries, eggs, and the type chart. They really just need to trim the fat more than anything else.

Spoiler: Sinnoh's Side Areas and Story

Now finally; I just want to touch on "story" stuff. To talk about this, I think I will first mention the SS Aqua. The SS Aqua in RSE was a fun little area to explore in which you had to find hidden keys and make your way through the ship. On its own, it was already good imo, but ORAS improved on it by giving it a bit more of a story.

The most equivalent location I can think of in Diamond/Pearl would be the Old Chateau. Which is just a couple of rooms; you see some 'ghosts' float around; and you find Rotom in a TV. It's relatively empty aside from that. It would be cool if this place could be a full size mansion filled with a bunch of different ghost pokemon and a couple puzzles, but it just didn't do anything. Gardenia makes a big deal about being scared of it, but nothing comes of that. I just feel like it would take a lot more work to make the Chateau interesting compared to SS Aqua. There's other examples, but I feel like this is the most glaring one.

You're getting the name confused, the S.S. Aqua was the boat you took to go between Johto and Kanto in GSCHGSS. The ship you're referring to in Hoenn is the Abandoned Ship (RSE)/Sea Mauville (ORAS).

Then on a more subjective note, I feel like Sinnoh's story has way more potential that what it does with it. Past games had very simple and cartoony villains and plots. I think that's fine and they didn't really have to change that too much when remaking them. Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, I feel is the first game they tried to put any nuance into the story. Cyrus has some backstory that's really out of the way to find out about and I would personally really like them to expand on it. All of the legendary Pokemon have a lot more lore, but its all only briefly touched upon. A lot of story was locked behind events. I feel like Sinnoh has this possibility for an epic story and adventure that I personally would really really like, but its just not quite there. For Kanto, Johto and Hoenn, the story was what it was and I didn't have the feeling like there was a lot of room for improvement without writing a new story. But in Sinnoh; hmmmm; I just want to know more, you know?

Eh, I mainly feel the opposite. Kanto and Johto's stories were empty and dull, they need the extra writing badly. Hoenn and Sinnoh were fine. I appreciate extra story to flesh them out, but as they were in the originals I was fine with them.

Not quite the "major improvements" I expected. Usually when I look at a game needing major improvements, I look at the larger aspects of the game such as the Pokemon selection, map design, the general plot, and side content. And Sinnoh... really doesn't need a lot of that. The Dex is a lot more well rounded than most of the older games once you add in Platinum's expansion, the region is fairly well designed for the most part and I can't think of any new areas to add, the story was good by Pokemon standards (I would say it's probably the best story not named BW or SM), and there was enough extra content to keep you engaged for a long while. I think they could definitely stand to clean things up a bit, but in those terms I'm not really seeing anything major needed whereas I can think of numerous improvements on that scale for the likes of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn.

 

[swiftgallade46]

That doesn't change the narrative. 1000 is too much and Gamefreak are actively trying to avoid that number; hence the greater focus on regional variants. And there won't ever be 1000 regional varients, but what they should do is curate a maximum of 500 Pokemon (including regional variants) for each respective generation and leave it at that. Leave the original 151 (because they're iconic) add in 40 regional varients of those mons. Then select around 350 Pokemon from other generations to go into the game.

There are already well over 1000 Pokémon if you count alternate forms, though. And they should be counted because other than a select few, they all require completely new models.

I also take issue with reserving 151 spots in every generation for the original Pokémon. There’s just no reason to do that. Their “iconic” status is entirely subjective and I’d argue that there are plenty of other Pokémon from later generations that are more iconic than several gen 1 Pokémon.

Anyway. Of the two, I think Regional Variants are more likely to be added in DP Remakes than entirely new Pokémon. Though I suppose Regional Evolutions are a thing now, so I could see several of those.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

Not quite the "major improvements" I expected. Usually when I look at a game needing major improvements, I look at the larger aspects of the game such as the Pokemon selection, map design, the general plot, and side content. And Sinnoh... really doesn't need a lot of that. The Dex is a lot more well rounded than most of the older games once you add in Platinum's expansion, the region is fairly well designed for the most part and I can't think of any new areas to add, the story was good by Pokemon standards (I would say it's probably the best story not named BW or SM), and there was enough extra content to keep you engaged for a long while. I think they could definitely stand to clean things up a bit, but in those terms I'm not really seeing anything major needed whereas I can think of numerous improvements on that scale for the likes of Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn.

Well, when I said that Sinnoh had more room for improvement, I didn't necessarily mean it has a bad thing. I don't really know how to explain it better.

Spoiler: Potential Graph

I have attached a graph to better explain what I'm trying to say. In this graph; black boxes indicate what I feel are a games "max" potential. In this graph; HGSS extended that max potential, but the other remakes didn't. Blue indicates how much the base games filled up the max potential while the additional colors show how the remakes (in my mind) helped fill that potential.

As you can see, Sinnoh has more blue than the others, but there's a lot more room left in its box.

Also, just to be clear, this image is just a demonstration and is not fully in scale or anything.