Spoilers Official Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee Discussion Thread

[Cresselia92]

I’m actually annoyed at how many features are missing and that online trades and battles are now paywalled (I am NOT paying money for that. Not happening.)

I’m afraid you’ll have to be ready for that. If I’m not mistaken, future online features for future Pokémon games will be paywalled as well. It just so happens that LGPE are the first to follow this new feature (if we can call that feature).

Personally speaking, I don’t care at all about that, as I never trade and battle online, but I can see why some people may feel disappointed.

 

[Envoy]

I’m afraid you’ll have to be ready for that. If I’m not mistaken, future online features for future Pokémon games will be paywalled as well. It just so happens that LGPE are the first to follow this new feature (if we can call that feature).

Personally speaking, I don’t care at all about that, as I never trade and battle online, but I can see why some people may feel disappointed.

Honestly, this is probably less a GF call and more a Nintendo call.

 

[Kallyle]

Why is there still no text dump? Did the dataminers just forget or did they just not even bother?

Also, can anyone tell me if Meltan is even acknowledged in-game?

 

[Bittersweet]

I’m afraid you’ll have to be ready for that. If I’m not mistaken, future online features for future Pokémon games will be paywalled as well. It just so happens that LGPE are the first to follow this new feature (if we can call that feature).

Personally speaking, I don’t care at all about that, as I never trade and battle online, but I can see why some people may feel disappointed.

This is super disappointing for me because Pokemon is the only game I play. Literally. I bought a DS, 3DS, and now Switch exclusively to play Pokemon.

The Switch Online system is great if you play online a lot, but Pokemon isn't a series with a lot of heavy-duty online stuff... I can't justify paying $3 to $5.95 a month for access to trades. Even if I average 10 trades per month (which is quite a high liberal estimate) that works out to essentially paying $0.30 per trade.
Trading online these days is really the only way to complete the Pokedex, one of the series' core concepts.
I paid more than $400 for the Switch. I paid $120 for Pokemon Let's Go: Pikachu. Needed to evolve my Graveler, and so did my friend so we hopped online– when I was suddenly blocked by a popup explaining I needed to pay money to do that. After paying so much for the game itself, this feels so dirty. I didn't actually bother checking whether this function would require a paid subscription before I bought the game; I just assumed it wouldn't because... well, it's Pokemon, why would it? Never has before.
I was annoyed with the game before because it wasn't to my personal taste, but now I'm actually downright angry with it. If I'd known that a basic aspect of the series, trading, now required real-world money to unlock, I wouldn't have bought this game.
I regret buying it. I regret buying my Switch for it. I feel like I just took $500 and lit it on fire.

Imagine if they introduced a paywall for breeding, or if unlocking Pokemon Centre services required a $1 per month subscription...

 

[Silktree]

@Bittersweet Out of curiosity, why did you pay more than $400 for the Switch when the retail price is $300? Likewise, your game should have cost $110 with the Poke Ball Plus included, and $60 otherwise. There is a $400 bundle with all three items, so that could have saved you over $120.

That said, I'm sensitive to your situation as I've come to the realization that the games are going up in cost without offering enough in return. I don't think that the 2019 games will change that for me, and I don't give a hoot about Nintendo's other offerings. But since you've already spent all that money, I'd make the most of the game (even if it costs you a measly extra $4 to complete the Pokedex) and then sell it, if not the system as well.

 

[Cresselia92]

@Bittersweet

Alas, this isn’t something exclusive to LGPE. Pokken as well requires the Switch Online Service to battle online. Games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart Deluxe, Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Super Mario Party require that subscription as well. And the whole thing about needing to pay for online services now affects stuff like the Super Smash Bros community as well, as players of Brawl and 4 are now forced to pay if they want to compete against other players, and I assure you that some of them are as peeved about needing to do that.

Though, I admit I’m baffled that you needed to spend so much for the Switch and the game. I’ve gotten the Switch with Let’s Go Eevee and the Pokéball Plus for 400€. I’m afraid that you have been cheated, pal…

 

[Bittersweet]

@Bittersweet Out of curiosity, why did you pay more than $400 for the Switch when the retail price is $300? Likewise, your game should have cost $110 with the Poke Ball Plus included, and $60 otherwise. There is a $400 bundle with all three items, so that could have saved you over $120.

That said, I'm sensitive to your situation as I've come to the realization that the games are going up in cost without offering enough in return. I don't think that the 2019 games will change that for me, and I don't give a hoot about Nintendo's other offerings. But since you've already spent all that money, I'd make the most of the game (even if it costs you a measly extra $4 to complete the Pokedex) and then sell it, if not the system as well.

I am only guesstimating, but I am using Australian dollars. I bought my Switch when Let's Go! Pikachu and Eevee were first announced, before I knew about the Switch bundle.

I already told a good friend of mine he can have all 2,000+ of the Pokemon I have in Pokemon Bank if the 2019 games also require money to play online. Then I'm selling everything. I just can't justify a money-drain subscription for such a basic and necessary feature...

This is obviously very upsetting as I have been a longtime dedicated fan and completionist of the video game series for 20 years now...

 

[Bittersweet]

@Cresselia92 I am probably exaggerating/only guesstimating about the price, but you get my point anyway...

 

[EmpoleonProd]

I can't believe how much some of you are complaining about the Switch being a paid subscription...

News flash, every gaming company in the world is going in this direction, be glad it's only $19.99 a year because Xbox and PlayStation have been known to charge double or even triple that amount.

This is the direction modern gaming is taking, this is NOT a Gamefreak or a Pokemon Company call, so stop bashing the games like it is one, this is a Nintendo response to an industry call and the gaming industry is getting away with this loot box mentality, pay more for less, members benefits, online subscriptions, and all that.

Also, you can still trade with your friend locally, you just can't do it online. So the whole idea behind Pokemon of getting together with your friends to trade and battle and hang out in person is still there, all you're losing is online battling and trading, which prior to Gen 4, we lived without just fine anyways.

The craziest thing is, the money-focused business model works, in fact, Gamefreak was one of the early users of it. Why make two games? Why not? It's twice the money from people who will buy all the games. I was pissed about "Stars" being split into USUM, but hell, I still went and bought both so haha they got me.

Think of how much DLC Pokemon fans would buy for. Johto for $20? Instead top seller in the eshop. Battle Frontier for $10? I'd be sold on that too.

People are buying a Pokeball Plus mainly for a Mew, I don't know if I would've bought it without the Mew but I am genuinely enjoying the controller as well so I can't say I got it just for Mew but I do know that several people did just that.

I am only guesstimating, but I am using Australian dollars. I bought my Switch when Let's Go! Pikachu and Eevee were first announced, before I knew about the Switch bundle.

I already told a good friend of mine he can have all 2,000+ of the Pokemon I have in Pokemon Bank if the 2019 games also require money to play online. Then I'm selling everything. I just can't justify a money-drain subscription for such a basic and necessary feature...

This is obviously very upsetting as I have been a longtime dedicated fan and completionist of the video game series for 20 years now...

Why not just battle and trade locally? Local multiplayer is not tied to the online subscription. You can still trade and battle locally like you've been able to since Red and Blue. By refusing to pay for the online subscription, you're essentially tying yourself to Gen 1-3 limitations of no online. Now you're back into the stone ages where you have to meet up with someone at your house or their's with both of your Switch's just like how my friend used to come over to my place so we could use my link cable. You can still trade evolve your Gravelers...

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Also, you can still trade with your friend locally, you just can't do it online. So the whole idea behind Pokemon of getting together with your friends to trade and battle and hang out in person is still there, all you're losing is online battling and trading, which prior to Gen 4, we lived without just fine anyways.

Why not just battle and trade locally? Local multiplayer is not tied to the online subscription. You can still trade and battle locally like you've been able to since Red and Blue. By refusing to pay for the online subscription, you're essentially tying yourself to Gen 1-3 limitations of no online. Now you're back into the stone ages where you have to meet up with someone at your house or their's with both of your Switch's just like how my friend used to come over to my place so we could use my link cable. You can still trade evolve your Gravelers...

Because many of us don’t have any friends or people owning a Switch/playing Pokemon.

The closest 'friend' I have who plays Pokemon is literally the other side of the globe so...
I'm pretty sure the amount of Switches in my country is in single digits too.

Online is a huge thing for people now, and specially essential for Pokemon as a franchise.

 

[KiranTheWitch]

I'm honestly so jealous of everybody that's already playing. I wish I had chosen to have my switch arrive on launch day when I purchased it at gamestop.

I actually emailed them about it to upgrade and they replied to me THE EVE OF LAUNCH. When it had shipped already. Who wants to see my reply.

I actually hella agree with @EmpoleonProd there. Sony and Microsoft have been doing this for years with their subscription services that are required for their respective online game plays. The fact that Nintendo's just NOW doing it and that it's only $20 a YEAR is fantastic and something that should be appreciated and taken advantage of while we are still in the beginning stages of advanced online gameplay while we can. Because we all know that prices go UP in time.

 

[Adelon]

I was so sure I was going to like this game.

I’m actually annoyed at how many features are missing and that online trades and battles are now paywalled (I am NOT paying money for that. Not happening.)

And it is enjoyable... like compared to games in general, it’s like an 8 out of 10 on the fun and enjoyable scale.

But for Pokémon, it’s like a 3.

I paid $120 for this... I feel robbed.

I mean ... its literally a game for small children. Nintendo has made it clear and its not as if you were forced to buy the game. They even said the grownup Pokemon title is coming next year (and on the bright side, it will almost certainly be revealed in January which is just around the corner).

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I mean ... its literally a game for small children. Nintendo has made it clear and its not as if you were forced to buy the game. They even said the grownup Pokemon title is coming next year (and on the bright side, it will almost certainly be revealed in January which is just around the corner).

Actually they also promised that the 'veterans' will be 'kept at their toes'.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

News flash, every gaming company in the world is going in this direction,

Since when does "everyone in power is choosing it" mean that we have to be okay with it?

be glad it's only $19.99 a year because Xbox and PlayStation have been known to charge double or even triple that amount.

Oh, thank you, merciful Nintendo, for only making me an additional 20$ annually on top of the 60$ game and 300$ console that I also bought from you, in addition to my internet bill. You are so kind.

This is the direction modern gaming is taking, this is NOT a Gamefreak or a Pokemon Company call, so stop bashing the games like it is one, this is a Nintendo response to an industry call and the gaming industry is getting away with this loot box mentality, pay more for less, members benefits, online subscriptions, and all that.

While it's true this decision comes from Nintendo, it does seem that Pokemon had a choice in the matter, because not all Switch games require the online fee, like Fortnite.

And I think the fact that Fortnite chose not to include the online fee shows that letting companies pay for the internet themselves is not that damaging. Sure, Fornite brings in revenue through microtransactions despite being free-to-play, but their developer's net worth is only expected to hit 8 billion by 2019. Nintendo, in contrast, had a revenue of 1.056 trillion yen for 2018 (x), which is about 9 billion USD (x). If Nintendo's annual revenue is more than Epic Game's entire net worth, and Epic Games still manages to let their players get online without an additional fee, what excuse does Nintendo have? Profit might be their motivation, but it doesn't mean that nobody has a right to be mad about it.

The craziest thing is, the money-focused business model works, in fact, Gamefreak was one of the early users of it. Why make two games? Why not? It's twice the money from people who will buy all the games.

There's a pretty big difference between "make minor differences between games so people have the option of buying two, while also encouraging trade between people who only bought one game" and "requiring an additional fee for a feature of gameplay that was considered a major part of the game".

Think of how much DLC Pokemon fans would buy for. Johto for $20? Instead top seller in the eshop. Battle Frontier for $10? I'd be sold on that too.

Likewise, "make a one-time purchase for extended gameplay beyond what is typically included" is not the same as "pay to access the internet on your game console when you're already paying your internet provider regularly and you've already purchased a game and a game console."

Why not just battle and trade locally? Local multiplayer is not tied to the online subscription. You can still trade and battle locally like you've been able to since Red and Blue. By refusing to pay for the online subscription, you're essentially tying yourself to Gen 1-3 limitations of no online. Now you're back into the stone ages where you have to meet up with someone at your house or their's with both of your Switch's just like how my friend used to come over to my place so we could use my link cable. You can still trade evolve your Gravelers...

In addition to PkmnTrainerV's points about not having nearby friends, sometimes people just don't have the time to drive over to friends' houses. Someone might live 30 minutes away from them-are they really going to spend an hour driving back and forth just to get one trade in?

 

[EmpoleonProd]

Because many of us don’t have any friends or people owning a Switch/playing Pokemon.

The closest 'friend' I have who plays Pokemon is literally the other side of the globe so...
I'm pretty sure the amount of Switches in my country is in single digits too.

Online is a huge thing for people now, and specially essential for Pokemon as a franchise.

Then tough luck, because this is exactly how it was for 10 years before DP came out. You got 10 years of the stone age where the only way you were getting trade evolutions was with a real life person and a link cable, 10 years of free online, now you have 10 years of cheap paid for online.

If you don't want to pay to get trade evolutions, you can play Pokemon GO for free, and don't even talk to me about space or data, you could go delete some useless apps, stay connected to a WiFi, and still play it.

 

[Bittersweet]

I can't believe how much some of you are complaining about the Switch being a paid subscription...

News flash, every gaming company in the world is going in this direction, be glad it's only $19.99 a year because Xbox and PlayStation have been known to charge double or even triple that amount.

This is the direction modern gaming is taking, this is NOT a Gamefreak or a Pokemon Company call, so stop bashing the games like it is one, this is a Nintendo response to an industry call and the gaming industry is getting away with this loot box mentality, pay more for less, members benefits, online subscriptions, and all that.

Also, you can still trade with your friend locally, you just can't do it online. So the whole idea behind Pokemon of getting together with your friends to trade and battle and hang out in person is still there, all you're losing is online battling and trading, which prior to Gen 4, we lived without just fine anyways.

The craziest thing is, the money-focused business model works, in fact, Gamefreak was one of the early users of it. Why make two games? Why not? It's twice the money from people who will buy all the games. I was pissed about "Stars" being split into USUM, but hell, I still went and bought both so haha they got me.

Think of how much DLC Pokemon fans would buy for. Johto for $20? Instead top seller in the eshop. Battle Frontier for $10? I'd be sold on that too.

People are buying a Pokeball Plus mainly for a Mew, I don't know if I would've bought it without the Mew but I am genuinely enjoying the controller as well so I can't say I got it just for Mew but I do know that several people did just that.

I know every company is taking this route... But Pokemon never has before now. That's why I always preferred them. Yes, you had to pay extra if you wanted both versions. You had to pay extra if you wanted features exclusive to certain consoles/handheld systems. But that stuff was all optional.

As it was, anybody and everybody who had the game, the system, and WiFi could complete the Pokedex, train a great team from the available pool, breed for IVs, etc. The World Champion could be anyone at all; they just needed the game and a drive to put the work in.

But now they need the game... and they also need to sign up to pay $3 to $5.95 a month indefinitely. For a feature that was free before and formed a core aspect of Pokemon's concept as a game.
I'm not mad at them charging more money for version exclusives, or Game Boy eShop titles (in fact, I always buy both versions, and I bought 8 eShop copies of all the Gen I and II games so...) because that stuff was all optional add-ons. Having to pay for the ability to trade is not introducing a brand new online feature and charging a small fee for it; it's taking what was always a basic free feature and putting a price-wall on it.

Why not just battle and trade locally? Local multiplayer is not tied to the online subscription. You can still trade and battle locally like you've been able to since Red and Blue. By refusing to pay for the online subscription, you're essentially tying yourself to Gen 1-3 limitations of no online. Now you're back into the stone ages where you have to meet up with someone at your house or their's with both of your Switch's just like how my friend used to come over to my place so we could use my link cable. You can still trade evolve your Gravelers...

Battling and trading online has been free since it launched in the mid 00s. It's not like Pokemon data has increased in load such that it makes sense to now charge for it. Pokemon are the same bits of digital information they've always been, as are Pokemon battles. If there were some truly new online aspect that you had to pay for, it would be a completely different story and I probably would pay for it no question.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Then tough luck, because this is exactly how it was for 10 years before DP came out. You got 10 years of the stone age where the only way you were getting trade evolutions was with a real life person and a link cable, 10 years of free online, now you have 10 years of cheap paid for online.

You’re literally advocating for an anti-consumer practice which is a literal regression from the previous experiences?
I know you like LGPE, but I don’t think blindly advocating for previously free, and now almost essential features being paid now should be advocated by consumers.

It is impossible to return to the offline times of Generation 4 and before- the world is connected more by online than ever before, people have friends all over the globe, and there were literally region exclusive forms with Vivilion.
A lot has changed since those times, and GameFreak has literally aimed their latest games at children who weren’t even born when Generation 4 was released.

Also there’s no guarantee that Generation 9 will support Go transfers.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

"Tough luck, deal with it" is a pretty terrible defense. Yeah, people are going to deal with it-that doesn't mean they have to be happy about it, or that they can't complain.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

"Tough luck, deal with it" is a pretty terrible defense. Yeah, people are going to deal with it-that doesn't mean they have to be happy about it, or that they can't complain.

It almost seems like a company rep-esque reply to me, which is a dangerous mindset as a consumer.

 

[Bittersweet]

I actually hella agree with @EmpoleonProd there. Sony and Microsoft have been doing this for years with their subscription services that are required for their respective online game plays. The fact that Nintendo's just NOW doing it and that it's only $20 a YEAR is fantastic and something that should be appreciated and taken advantage of while we are still in the beginning stages of advanced online gameplay while we can. Because we all know that prices go UP in time.

So the fact that previously free basic online connectivity features now cost $20 a year... is fantastic? Because... well, it could be more.