BDSP Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl General Discussion

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

By the way, I'm not wanting to say that there aren't people which will really use all of them but I guess these are mostly those people that are going for completing the Pokedex (which would be the minority of the players I guess, since I can imagine that the general casual player won't bother with that).

I'm a general casual player and let me tell you, I most likely won't be bothering with catching them all.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Casual players absolutely will try to catch everything. That has been the appeal of the franchise from the very start? It's also why GO is so popular.

Personally, I have always used regular pokeballs more than anything- great and ultra only when I have to. Regular pokeballs just seemed more cost effective, especially when I could get a free premier ball with every purchase of ten.

Actually pretty sure that it's been mathematically proven that pokeballs are the better buy. Great ball's catch rate isn't worth the extra cost.

Not me. I'm a very casual Pokemon player and Video Gamer in general, and yet I've never managed to catch every single Pokemon in any Pokemon game I've ever played. Hell, I've only completed the Regional Dex once, with the most recent titles Sword and Shield and I think I got really close one other time with Moon and maybe Ultra Moon.

It may be the appeal to some people, but catching them all has just never really meant that much to me. For me, Pokemon was, and still is, more about the adventure and the journey you take with your beloved Pokemon pals, and the bonds you form with the Pokemon you like best that then become your favorites over the course of your playthrough. I usually lose interest with any and all catching with the end of the game or if I'm trying to finish/get close to finishing the regional Dex. Though I've found as I've gotten older, I usually try to at least finish the regional Dex, for example I'm trying to do that with my current playthrough of Y. But that's usually it. I don't usually attempt to catch anything in the National Dex unless they're a personal favorite, and will likely do so with Y as well.

In regards to Pokemon Go, I've played it briefly, but I don't think I really cared for it that much. I'm certainly not a fan of its concept in practice (I hate getting outside and exercise LOL.) Also, I just recently got my own cell phone, and I never had one before, which was a further deterrent to playing Go. I might give it another try now, nut somehow I doubt I will. Again, the catching aspect just really isn't my style.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

I suppose it could also be an age thing- I don't know about you, but when I was a kid first playing Pokemon, there was only 150 of them. XD And up through Gen 4, at least, it wasn't too overwhelming to keep trying to catch them all.

These days, it does seem a bit much, but most people I know who play are still in that habit.

It might be an age thing, but there's no denying it's a daunting task nowadays. It's a little overwhelming, and I certainly don't go for it. (Of course, all my feelings about not catching them all and Pokemon Go in general could just be because I'm a very lazy person.)

 

[Greninjaman]

Question: Will the Gym Leaders be using their Diamond/Pearl teams in these games or the Platinum ones?

 

[RavenRaziel98]

Question: Will the Gym Leaders be using their Diamond/Pearl teams in these games or the Platinum ones?

Diamond/Pearl

 

[TechSkylander1518]

I’m also the sort to try to catch every new species, but I still don’t see the point in this bonus. You can’t catch every Pokemon from the start, you’re starting with your Route 1 Normal/Bug/Flyings, all of which have pretty high catch rates. I doubt anyone would go through the first 75 before catching everything available to them, and then they’re off to trainer battles and collecting enough cash to buy the same amount.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Question: Will the Gym Leaders be using their Diamond/Pearl teams in these games or the Platinum ones?

Their Diamond and Pearl teams, but with revamped movesets and A.I., or so I've heard.

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

I’m also the sort to try to catch every new species, but I still don’t see the point in this bonus. You can’t catch every Pokemon from the start, you’re starting with your Route 1 Normal/Bug/Flyings, all of which have pretty high catch rates. I doubt anyone would go through the first 75 before catching everything available to them, and then they’re off to trainer battles and collecting enough cash to buy the same amount.

Yeah.....it's a weird bonus, to say the least.

 

[Zombijoe]

I’ve never played the Sinnoh games before and I’m wondering if BDSP are going to be worth it for a first play through.

I’ve seen the leeks and am bummed out about the platinum content not being in it but the new post game stuff looks fun.

I’ve also looked up some gameplay of platinum and I didn’t realize how slow they were and the amount of HMs used in the game seem a bit much. The faster game speed and Streamlined HM usage in BDSP look really nice but I don’t know if that much makes it’s worth getting over platinum.

(I also feel weird about supporting Game Freak since the remakes could be better.)

Any advice?

 

[Daren]

I’ve never played the Sinnoh games before and I’m wondering if BDSP are going to be worth it for a first play through.

I’ve seen the leeks and am bummed out about the platinum content not being in it but the new post game stuff looks fun.

I’ve also looked up some gameplay of platinum and I didn’t realize how slow they were and the amount of HMs used in the game seem a bit much. The faster game speed and Streamlined HM usage in BDSP look really nice but I don’t know if that much makes it’s worth getting over platinum.

(I also feel weird about supporting Game Freak since the remakes could be better.)

Any advice?

Realistically you probably won't miss the Platinum content if you never played Platinum.
Also Platinum might be hard to find for a reasonable price nowadays. A quick check on amazon has it over $100 even used. As much as I like it I wouldn't shell out that much for it.

If you're okay with what you've read about BD/SP there's no reason not to go for them.

 

[CynthiaLover]

@Zombijoe I agree with @Daren on this. If you never played Platinum then you really won't miss the content in it. Plus, there are some traces of Platinum in BDSP. You can still catch all the Mons in the Platinum Dex before the E4, albeit in the Grand Underground, so that does expand the Dex to more desirable levels and doesn't limit your Fire-types to just the Chimchar and Ponyta lines. Platinum was also very slow (though faster than DP) and had excessive amounts of HMs, so the fact that BDSP is both much faster AND made the HM issue pretty much non-existent is already a major plus. And BDSP has a fair bit to offer in the post-game such as Gym/E4/Champion rematches with almost stupidly powerful teams and very smart AI, along with catching several Legendary Mons, the Battle Tower, National Dex (albeit up to Gen 4) etc. You'll also get access to the modern conveniences that were introduced in later gens such as Ability Capsule/Patch, Nature Mints, Fairy-type, updated movepools, etc. And you're not limited to one file anymore due to the Switch's nature (granted, it's still one file per user, but you can have multiple users so you can have multiple files without needing to restart one), so that greatly boost the replay value.

And just like Daren said the cost of Platinum on online markets is ridiculous (especially if you want an authentic one, as there are several knockoff ones littered about). As someone who loved Platinum I'm not willing to shell out that much money for a copy, making $60 an easier pill to swallow.

So if you've never played Gen 4 before and are willing to deal with some of the drawbacks then I suggest you pick up at least one copy of BD or SP. It has its flaws but it is still a massive improvement from the original Gen 4 games.

 

[Oriden]

I’ve never played the Sinnoh games before and I’m wondering if BDSP are going to be worth it for a first play through.

I’ve seen the leeks and am bummed out about the platinum content not being in it but the new post game stuff looks fun.

I’ve also looked up some gameplay of platinum and I didn’t realize how slow they were and the amount of HMs used in the game seem a bit much. The faster game speed and Streamlined HM usage in BDSP look really nice but I don’t know if that much makes it’s worth getting over platinum.

(I also feel weird about supporting Game Freak since the remakes could be better.)

Any advice?

Played Diamond so BDSP isn't worth it to me, but I would say that it's probably most worthwhile for a first time player.

Plus it wouldn't be Game Freak you're supporting, it'd be ILCA who apparently did a great job on revamping the battles.

 

[Almonds]

Wait, so Volkner and Flint won't have Electivire/Magmortar?

That's so disappointing.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Plus it wouldn't be Game Freak you're supporting, it'd be ILCA who apparently did a great job on revamping the battles.

I’m pretty sure at least a proportion of the profit would go to GF, since Masuda was the director.

 

[Oriden]

I’m pretty sure at least a proportion of the profit would go to GF, since Masuda was the director.

Yeah but it's still mainly ILCA being supported by this. Game Freak has its own cash cow that it cares about more.

 

[Fairy Type Arceus]

My gamestop night be having a 9pm release which is pretty hype. Was worried they wouldn't even do midnight.

 

[colours]

you shouldn't be. people have their preferences. while Plat teams seems to be the popular opinion, it's not like it's a crime to prefer the D/P teams.

 

[SlowGinFizzzz]

Did anyone else have SERIOUS trouble with that Ace Trainer double battle on Route 215 (right before reaching Veilstone City) in the original Diamond/Pearl? Like, I still remember struggling a lot against that Kadabra and Gyarados as a kid, much more so than against any of the Gym Leaders or even Galactic Commanders up to that point. They very much nerfed them in Platinum and gave them completely different teams, and I think that's pretty much the only instance where I actually preferred the Diamond/Pearl one. I remember fighting them in Platinum for the first time and thinking, "Where's the challenge??"

 

[Puddle]

I actually think using the DP Dex makes more sense on the whole. The Platinum Dex has an unintuitive numbering system that wouldn't have made much sense to new players, and it includes Giratina, a Pokemon that presumably doesn't appear in BDSP's main story. I think giving players access to extra Pokemon in the Underground, rather than completely revamping the Pokedex order, is a good compromise.

 

[Daren]

Gardenia's Roserade (why a fully evolved Pokemon for the second gym?).

It wasn't the first time they did that; Misty's Starmie can be a huge pain if you didn't pick Bulbasaur. Roserade might be a step up stat-wise, though.

Did anyone else have SERIOUS trouble with that Ace Trainer double battle on Route 215 (right before reaching Veilstone City) in the original Diamond/Pearl? Like, I still remember struggling a lot against that Kadabra and Gyarados as a kid, much more so than against any of the Gym Leaders or even Galactic Commanders up to that point. They very much nerfed them in Platinum and gave them completely different teams, and I think that's pretty much the only instance where I actually preferred the Diamond/Pearl one. I remember fighting them in Platinum for the first time and thinking, "Where's the challenge??"

I don't recall them but I am getting Mt. Moon Raticate flashbacks.
(Actually when I replayed Platinum a year or so ago my only loss was to a random Galactic scientist who X Specialed a Kadabra in Eterna that was able to pull a sweep that early. Could've won if I wasn't on a no items challenge run though).