Generation IV Remake Speculation

[Johtoo]

Regional forms are always a possibility. Even Let's Go allowed them, despite the fact that it tried to erase everything from Gen 1 onwards.

 

[prog rocker]

I remember when I was little, before I knew anything about Black and White, I thought they'd keep pushing back Arceus' National PokeDex number because it was too important to not be the last. Also, the national ordering of Gen 2 Pokémon is a mess.

Gen I's dex is not much better either.

 

[Esserise]

Regions of 'Japan' (the first 4 gens) have never had regional forms.

Well, that’s why it’s called retroactive continuity.

The concept didn’t exist then, but it does now, so upon reexamination, they can apply it. Groudon and Kyogre didn’t have Primal Reversion forms... until they did. They’d never changed a Pokémon’s entire type... until they did. They’d never created regional forms specific to an old region...

 

[SeanWheeler]

I remember when I was little, before I knew anything about Black and White, I thought they'd keep pushing back Arceus' National PokeDex number because it was too important to not be the last. Also, the national ordering of Gen 2 Pokémon is a mess.

Arceus is an overrated Pokémon. Nobody's National Dex number will change. They never changed the numbers of the past legendaries and mythicals, and they even separated evolution families in different regions.

 

[EmpoleonProd]

While you're certainly free to feel that way, it's nonetheless clear that Game Freak aren't averse to the idea of putting newer extensions of old Pokémon into remakes. FRLG was puritanical about it, but HGSS let some of the Gen 4 evolutions in, ORAS let them all in and introduced new Mega Evolutions as well as Primal Reversion especially for the box mascots, while LGPE (not a typical remake, but still) brought in the existing Mega Evolutions and Alola Forms, and an entirely new species. The deed is more-or-less done. Since regional variants are a popular feature that also give the games something new to market in lieu of wholly new species, I'd think there'd be more incentive for them to do it than to not, and most people will either just not even bother to question the continuity of it, or chalk it up to the multiverse.

Everything you mentioned isn't even comparable in concept to Sinnohan forms lol

Adding new Megas, allowing Alolan forms to be traded over, adding Primals etc. is all fine, it's the expected new content. The point of regional forms was to show that Pokemon that migrated to regions they weren't native to, all the regional forms so far are typically Gen 1-5 Pokemon that went to a region they weren't native to. Adding Sinnohan forms is a fairly large retcon, larger than allowing evolutions from other generations. By that logic Platinum shouldn't have allowed earlier access to the extension of the Sinnoh Dex (the part that comes after the mascot legendaries).

I'm also not a fan of Sinnohan forms, it would feel like a forced idea that didn't need to exist. Regional forms, at their core, exist to allow Gamefreak to give us unique options in new generations without over-saturating us with new, sometimes repetitive or redundant Pokemon designs. Megas existed for the same reason. That's why there have been less new Pokemon released per generation, on average, starting with Gen 6. If they use the Platinum Sinnoh Dex, the variety of Pokemon in Sinnoh is already fine, we don't NEED Sinnohan forms, they wouldn't serve a purpose.

It makes sense for newer generations to get regional forms so that they don't have to make 150 Pokemon every generation, but they can rather create new type or ability concepts of existing Pokemon that don't take up new Pokedex slots. They aren't giving us regional forms just for the sake of regional forms, there's an obvious intention behind them.

Tl;dr: Sinnohan regional forms serve no purpose and would be a complete waste of dev time. Regional forms exist so that Game Freak doesn't have to add 150 new Pokemon to the regional dex every generation but can redesign some less useful Pokemon that can maintain their National Dex slot.

I'd rather that dev time go to the underground, Battle Frontier, and Distortion World. If we get Sinnohan forms but we don't get the best out of the aforementioned areas, I would be immensely disappointed in these games for the dev time that got wasted.

Edit: Also, allowing Alolan forms in LGPE is not even close to the same thing. They didn't create Kantonian forms of any Gen 3-7 Pokemon, which would've been the counterpart to these hypothetical Sinnohan forms. I'm 100% fine with allowing us to have Alolan and Galarian forms in Sinnoh remakes, but Sinnohan forms are a waste of dev time. Save regional variants for new generations and their respective regions.

 

[AngryBinacle]

Well, that’s why it’s called retroactive continuity.

The concept didn’t exist then, but it does now, so upon reexamination, they can apply it. Groudon and Kyogre didn’t have Primal Reversion forms... until they did. They’d never changed a Pokémon’s entire type... until they did. They’d never created regional forms specific to an old region...

Doesn't necessarily make it a realistic option. Form changes are one thing, but entire subspecies?

They might keep most of the new designs for the generation to come (probably 2022, knowing GF).

 

[Lanstar]

Behold, the ultimate nightmare scenario:

Spoiler: Fake and cursed

 

[Fan of Jarrus]

What does the Spanish mean?

 

[Phosphene]

Behold, the ultimate nightmare scenario:

Spoiler: Fake and cursed

View attachment 140226

My janky translation:

• Without Pokémon GO
• I have no idea what this says. Is batallas a cognate for ball?
• Regress the PPS and make it mandatory to play in the Festival Plaza Edit: Forget(?) the PPS, we made it mandatory [something something] Festival Plaza
• Cynthia returns
• 100% Skill-based

Edit 2: Better translation

• Without Pokémon GO
• Battle with wild Pokémon
• The PPS returns and we ordered to demolish the [expletive] Festival Plaza
  • I fudged this one big time.
  • For any Spanish speakers here, why the use of regresar here but volver for Cynthia? Thanks.
• Cynthia returns
• 100% Skill-based

 

[EmpoleonProd]

Behold, the ultimate nightmare scenario:

Spoiler: Fake and cursed

View attachment 140226

Unpopular opinion here, but I personally wouldn't mind. I enjoyed LGPE, my only real gripe was the removal of Abilities and EVs (and ironically, replacing EVs with an arbitrary and debatably more convoluted system with the stupid candies).

A more casual "Let's Go" style game with Pokemon Go integration and mechanics would be fine to me, as long as they don't cut corners on existing mechanics like Abilities, EVs, etc.

I'm HOPING that the absence of Abilities and EVs in LGPE was more of a "this is a remake of a Gen 1 game" decision than a "this will be a staple of the Let's Go sub-series of the main series games" decision.

I also have faith that Game Freak saw the backlash of pointlessly cutting Abilities and EVs and will consider their inclusion in future hypothetical Let's Go titles such as Let's Go Johto.

 

[swiftgallade46]

Sinnohan forms are definitely plausible. I said this earlier, but I think the latter 4 gens would be most likely to receive Regional Variants in Sinnoh.

Sinnoh was also all about evolutions and we just got the first cross-generation evolutions in quite a long time (excluding Sylveon). They promoted them as a brand new mechanic called Regional Evolutions, and yet we only got a small handful of them. I could easily see Sinnoh expanding on them. The latter four gens have never even gotten any cross-generational evolutions aside from Runerigus.

 

[Bolt Strike]

Doesn't necessarily make it a realistic option. Form changes are one thing, but entire subspecies?

They might keep most of the new designs for the generation to come (probably 2022, knowing GF).

They've had some amount of new Pokemon every game now since SM. Not just every generation, every game. They don't seem to have the mentality of "we have to reserve everything for a new generation" anymore, they sprinkle a few even in the mid gen games now. I expect Sinnoh will do the same, so a few Sinnohan forms actually does sound plausible.

 

[EmpoleonProd]

Sinnohan forms are definitely plausible. I said this earlier, but I think the latter 4 gens would be most likely to receive Regional Variants in Sinnoh.

Sinnoh was also all about evolutions and we just got the first cross-generation evolutions in quite a long time (excluding Sylveon). They promoted them as a brand new mechanic called Regional Evolutions, and yet we only got a small handful of them. I could easily see Sinnoh expanding on them. The latter four gens have never even gotten any cross-generational evolutions aside from Runerigus.

But my point is that it's not needed. As I said in my last post, regional forms exist so that they don't dilute the National Dex with too many Pokemon, it would be a waste of dev time for a remake when there are far more popular features desired by fans such as a Battle Frontier, the Distortion World, a good underground, contests, the entire Battle Resort, etc.

Sure they CAN do it but that doesn't mean they should. Anyone who thinks they should doesn't understand why regional forms exist or what makes a good game lol

 

[KenzeyEevee]

I dont want a third regional variant of Meowth

 

[SeanWheeler]

I'd rather not have new Sinnohan evolutions at the end of the Galar section of the National Dex. Diamond and Pearl already introduced enough new evolutions like Lickilicky, Magnezone, Electivire, Magmortar, Froslass, Roserade, Togekiss, Probopass, Dusknoir, Ambipom, Leafeon, Glaceon, etc. The remakes don't need more just because there weren't enough regional form evolutions in the contemporary region.

 

[EmpoleonProd]

I'd rather not have new Sinnohan evolutions at the end of the Galar Dex. Diamond and Pearl already introduced enough new evolutions like Lickilicky, Magnezone, Electivire, Magmortar, Froslass, Roserade, Togekiss, Probopass, Dusknoir, Ambipom, Leafeon, Glaceon, etc. The remakes don't need more just because there weren't enough regional form evolutions in the contemporary region.

Huh? This is a non-issue, Sinnohan forms don't need to be added to the Galar Dex. All regional forms have the same National Dex slots as their original counterparts, and even if they do patch these forms into SwSh, they don't need to be in the Galar Dex I don't think?

 

[swiftgallade46]

But my point is that it's not needed. As I said in my last post, regional forms exist so that they don't dilute the National Dex with too many Pokemon, it would be a waste of dev time for a remake when there are far more popular features desired by fans such as a Battle Frontier, the Distortion World, a good underground, contests, the entire Battle Resort, etc.

There is not a single mechanic in any game that is “needed”. It’s all up to what they think would be popular, and clearly Variants have been. I’m not really sure why you believe that the entire reason for their existence is to avoid National Dex padding, but I’m certain you can’t say that concretely. It’s not a waste of time when it’s a mechanic that would draw in consumers. And, if they did things right, then all those other things you listed could be included as well.

Sure they CAN do it but that doesn't mean they should. Anyone who thinks they should doesn't understand why regional forms exist or what makes a good game lol

Nobody knows why they exist except for GameFreak, and “what makes a good game” is entirely subjective. If they did their research and found that variants are a popular mechanic, then yes they absolutely should include them.

 

[SeanWheeler]

Huh? This is a non-issue, Sinnohan forms don't need to be added to the Galar Dex. All regional forms have the same National Dex slots as their original counterparts, and even if they do patch these forms into SwSh, they don't need to be in the Galar Dex I don't think?

That was a typo. I meant the end of the Galar section of the National Dex.

 

[EmpoleonProd]

That was a typo. I meant the end of the Galar section of the National Dex.

Well Sinnohan forms would keep their spot in the National Dex so like I said, that's a non-issue.

 

[Circus]

But my point is that it's not needed. As I said in my last post, regional forms exist so that they don't dilute the National Dex with too many Pokemon, it would be a waste of dev time for a remake when there are far more popular features desired by fans such as a Battle Frontier, the Distortion World, a good underground, contests, the entire Battle Resort, etc.

Sure they CAN do it but that doesn't mean they should. Anyone who thinks they should doesn't understand why regional forms exist or what makes a good game lol

Casual reminder that Masuda has stated in an interview that postgame content is unlikely to be deep due to shifting demographics.

You most likely will not get a Battle Frontier, at most you'll get a Battle Tower / Battle Resort port.

Entering in more subjective areas: I personally don't see why people make such a fuss about the Distortion World, it's empty - by design - it's just a puzzle area that looked impressive back in the day but it's relatively mundane today.

I hope it doesn't make a comeback in the remakes, or at the very least, don't have you do it again if you lose to Cyrus / Giratina.