BDSP Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl General Discussion

[Kallyle]

RIP battle frontier lol! Meh I honestly don’t care because I can be blonde Dawn!!!

Not surprising, but the fact we even have the Battle Tower to begin with is a miracle in and of itself. I thought for sure that ILCA would scrap the notion of battle facilities altogether due to their lack of experience in fully developing games largely by themselves (let along Pokémon games). Let’s just hope it isn’t neutered like SwSh’s and that we get Barry’s dad instead of Leon somehow being there.

That being said, I foresee a few outcomes in regards to the Battle Tower itself.

1. Best case scenario: The functionality of all five of Platinum’s battle facilities and their bosses are available in one facility.
2. Disappointing scenario, but still okay: It just functions like your standard Battle Tower, but isn’t as watered down as SwSh and actually has a Multi Battle option.
3. Worst case scenario: It functions exactly like SwSh’s neutered Battle Tower, perhaps even more watered down (if possible).

 

[Puddle]

Just something of interest.

Spoiler: Screenshot 1

Bidoof is listed by its regional number; but then:

Spoiler: Screenshot 2

Also by its national dex number.

I was hoping we might get some interesting Pokedex titbits like this! From these screenshots we can deduce that all 493 Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl will be in the game, and a National Pokedex containing all of those Pokemon will be given to the player in the postgame (which will then change the Pokedex numbers that are displayed on summary screens, as was the case in past games).

It appears that the Normal-type symbol now has Bidoof ears! I really like the new triangle-shaped symbol that indicates a Pokemon is native to Sinnoh, with the small circles representing Mount Coronet and the three lakes.

 

[Poke Dragon]

Alright, I think they will show something about Darkrai as the next reveal. Cresselia is definitely returning as a legendary encounter, but Darkrai would be such a huge surprise.

 

[KirbyBulba737]

New Underground map:

Spoiler

Welcome to the Wild Area Grand Underground!

especially for Dawn.

Welcome to GF's clothing selection, in which boys get shit on and girls get everything!

 

[Phosphene]

Kudos to the people who predicted that the Underground would be a Wild Area. While Hideouts aren't exactly a Wild Area, I'd wager they're relatively close.

Considering that the Presents showed a Houndoom (which is avalible in Pearl via the Poké Radar) in a Hideout, I wonder if Radar 'mons will be put there instead and the item itself will be axed.

 

[Norzan]

Definitely looks better graphics wise than what was shown at the reveal. Makes me wish they have waited a few more months to show this instead.

 

[Esserise]

It appears that the Normal-type symbol now has Bidoof ears!

I'd really like to meet Bidoof's agent, after seeing the push it's received throughout this year.

 

[Puddle]

The Grand Underground is basically the only feature that interests me and only because they added a new gimmick to it. Everything else looks just like the original D/P only with slightly better graphics. It pains me to see how much work went into that Arceus game in comparison to this game, which was supposed to be the nostalgia grab that everyone was waiting for.

"Slightly" is a big understatement, if you ask me. And believe me, I've already seen many people being hyped for these games.

It's definitely more than a slight improvement.

 

[Norzan]

It's definitely more than a slight improvement.

Given one it's 2D and the other 3D, it's not really an improvement. It's just a different style.

Myself i prefer the 2D style of the original, but the 3D in the remake is not bad.

 

[Puddle]

Given one it's 2D and the other 3D, it's not really an improvement. It's just a different style.

Myself i prefer the 2D style of the original, but the 3D in the remake is not bad.

I love the original graphics too, don't get me wrong! I do sometimes miss the 2D sprites, they had a lot of charm. I was just trying to show how they've done more than simply make 3D versions of the old graphics - they've added a lot more detail as well. You can now see the shadows of clouds passing overhead, for example, and Mount Coronet looms in the background during battles.

 

[Esserise]

Hardly a surprise given that there'll be HOME compatibility and thus they would need to at least be supported, but I guess Apricorn Balls are actually included this time around. Question is, will there be a way to acquire them through regular gameplay, or are they just a special bonus for customers of a specific retailer?

(My guess: They'll be a BP exchange prize)

 

[Mr. MoonStone]

I was genuinely surprised by how polished things looked in this trailer! My expectations have definitely improved and I may actually purchase this sooner rather than later! I'm impressed!

 

[CynthiaLover]

I must admit I was getting a bit worried about these games. But thanks to this Direct I've put a lot of my concerns at ease. I'm actually really looking forward to these games now. And we get a free Manaphy egg to boot? Nice! The games look a lot more polished now, which is a very good thing. Still iffy on the chibi/toy style overworld but at least the character models are a lot cleaner. And whattya know? Customization is back! Along with the quadlet of skin/hair tone starting options for each gender. Certainly wasn't expecting that, not that I'm complaining. Although I do fear that the boys will get the shaft again in outfit department, but we shall see. At least not all of Dawn's choices are super girly, some actually having a kind of tomboy-like vibe, which is a definite plus. While not as wide as SW/SH, it's definitely a welcome addition nonetheless.

The Grand Underground is definitely a place I'll be spending most of my time in, like in the originals (well, Platinum, to be exact), especially now that there are these bonus areas where you can find and catch various Mons (though I don't like the fact that they're determined by what statues are in your Secret Base... guess that means I'll have to actually make a Secret Base this time around, something that I largely ignored in the originals). Still, at least there is more to do down there than just digging for items, fossils, and useless Spheres (which may be useful now if we need them to buy statues for the Secret Bases in order to get good hideaway spots). Hopefully this means getting Spiritomb will be easier, too.

Walking Pokemon are back? Meh. I still really don't see the appeal of that unless it has an actual benefit. SW/SH actually gave the mechanic a reason to be useful, as it boosted Friendship/Affection, so hopefully the same, or at least something good, will be applied here. But, again, meh.

Super Contests look good, but they've never been my thing. Feels like a lot of work for not much reward. Maybe I'll try them out this time, as at least it looks pretty good, but I'm not super interested in them.

Seals returning is interesting. Hopefully we can get them much earlier, as we only got a small handful (outside of the Unown-based letter ones) when they're first available, as you can't buy any until Sunnyshore City in the originals. And hopefully the Ball Capsules won't be as tedious as before, where you had to constantly equip and unequip them if you wanted to deposit the Mon with said Ball Capsule in the PC, which was a major annoyance. We shall see.

There are still a few unknown variables in these games. The main one being are HMs still a thing? We saw Waterfall being used in a battle and we saw the Rock Climb wall, too, which does raise some concerns. Although I didn't see any fog this time, as one of the routes shown was the foggy route toward Celestic Town, but it could've been blown away prior to show the route better. That does raise a few concerns. Unless they have a special method for getting past those obstacles I'm a bit leery about Sinnoh's infamous HM issue being solved or not. We shall see.

Overall, looking pretty good this time around. Still not sold on the chibi/toy style overworld models but overall the games are looking much, much better than before. Hopefully the games turn out good and do the originals justice.

 

[prog rocker]

I hope the Hisuian Pokémon are also available here.

Also, I hope the statues don't work like HGSS's Safari Zone decorations and the Pokémon they attract can be found without waiting weeks.

 

[Tyler53841]

I suspected, but now confirmed that they are using Platinum elements like the expanded Sinnoh Dex in the remakes which I am happy with. Probably going to have a few changes when you consider Sylveon.

Also even if Walking Pokemon is back I hope it will have the ability to turn it on/off, something that HeartGold/SoulSilver lacked.

 

[prog rocker]

Also even if Walking Pokemon is back I hope it will have the ability to turn it on/off, something that HeartGold/SoulSilver lacked.

Maybe? The early footage lacked walking Pokémon, so I guess I'm 75% sure.

 

[Hidden Mew]

Welcome to GF's clothing selection, in which boys get nothing and girls get everything!

Yeah, that has been a pretty consistent issue since they introduced customization. Although, Lucas' outfits also looked pretty cool. Dawn stood out to me more mainly because I'm used to seeing her default outfit more than Lucas', but hopefully there will be good options for the male playable character too. Boys want to dress up their avatars too, so ideally the outfits available should be more even.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I suspected, but now confirmed that they are using Platinum elements like the expanded Sinnoh Dex in the remakes which I am happy with. Probably going to have a few changes when you consider Sylveon.

Also even if Walking Pokemon is back I hope it will have the ability to turn it on/off, something that HeartGold/SoulSilver lacked.

So far they've only indicated Platinum's Pokemon are in BDSP, and the Battle Frontier is absent, while it remains to be seen if content such as Wi-Fi Plaza, the Distortion World, and the Villa are in. I predict we'll get a small Distortion World segment as part of a post game story arc, but nothing else from Platinum.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

Also, I hope the statues don't work like HGSS's Safari Zone decorations and the Pokémon they attract can be found without waiting weeks.

Or months, in some instances. Hopefully someone realized how dumb that was.

 

[Alola]

Wow, that is a lot of information to wake up to!

• Walking Pokémon are back - yes! I am excited about having my Piplup outside its ball a la Dawn, haha. I read on the website that this apparently comes available after a certain part of the game, however; I hope it's in the beginning, as not walking with your base form Starter feels wrong. Maybe it's unlocked in Jubilife... Also, this really should be a series staple going forward; I mean, we have the hardware and walking animations.
• Being able to change skin color is awesome as well; I did not expect that QoL change, but I appreciate it as kids (and any player, really) should be able to see themselves in role playing games like these. And it appeals to everyone, as players can be the "original" Dawn & Lucas should they so choose.
• Outfits! Every other remake has had new clothing for the main characters (as well as everyone really, for that matter...), so it was unusual that Lucas and Dawn did not. But as HM said, it makes sense if they didn't since the plan was to give outfits to players instead; poor Barry. I really like that we will have actual winter gear for travelling up to Snow Point (Dawn's ear muffs look cute); I like immersing myself like that. That being said though, I'll say it - it's a step backwards that we can't customize individual pieces like in every game prior that has allowed clothing customization. If there is a franchise that embodies the saying "of two steps forward, one step back," it would be Pokémon. And please let the boy options look as good as the girls.
• The graphics look amazing, especially how everyone looks during a battle. Roark has never looked better; his pose is adorable.
• While the Super Contest Show looks fun, if I read the details right, you only use one move throughout the entire performance? If so, that's disappointing. I was never a fan of the rhythm game segment they added in Sinnoh, so seeing that portion apparently being focused on rather than displaying an assortment of moves isn't my cup of tea.
• I love the changes to the Underground; very much needed. Seeing Munchlax being able to be caught there was super nice! Makes me wonder if Feebas will as well, and if it has to do with the Milotic statue. And speaking of Pokémon, it seems we can put our fears to rest regarding availability of species, if the Underground is any indication.