Why don't Gamefreak care about the fans anymore?

[Arcalargo]

Also, WHY should GF/TCPi/Nintendo give a wet fart about what the fans want? ALL that they should/will care about is if you will buy the game. That's it. They are a business, not your friend. I do hate to break this to you and other fans that don't seem to understand how companies survive. It's just that at the end of the day, the only language they understand is money.

Do you think that they don't care about you? They don't. Stop buying the games and other merchandise, stop going to the websites, stop participating in events, and convince your friends to do the same. Want them to listen? Hit them in the Wallet. That is the only language companies of this size understand.

I apologize for being harsh. This is the way of the world we live in and any thoughts otherwise are wishful thinking.

 

[Bolt Strike]

To be honest, I don't think Pokemon fans are very united in terms of what they want.
Pokemon fans are a diverse group of people from different cultural backgrounds, and they all want different stuff.

People who think they represent "Pokemon fans" really need to read more of what OTHER Pokemon fans want.

To be honest, Black and White was very well received by Japanese fans because of the story content, and honestly, many Pokemon fans do care about the in-game story.

Wouldn't it make sense then, to make a diverse game that appeals to a variety of gamers? Under that logic you should be addressing as many complaints as possible simply to maximize your audience.

They explained way back in an Iwata Asks that the linearity of Unova was a reaction to reports they'd gotten that Sinnoh was proving too difficult for younger players to navigate and that they were giving up before even beating the game. Clearly GF took that to heart. I wouldn't expect the degree of linearity to change very much, especially since linear paths probably also make their own lives easier by offering an automatically steady plot progression and level curve to build the game around.

Yeah, that excuse doesn't really fly anymore, and it was an overreaction for its time as well. Even I had problems navigating Sinnoh, namely where to get Strength. I didn't really want to explore Lost Tower and they didn't really do a good job of conveying that it was mandatory for progression, they had one NPC that told you about it in Hearthome but you don't actually need to go there until after Canalave at which point they give you no real indication of what to do next. Things like that and the heavy HM usage likely did more damage than the nonlinearity. And at this point, with the changes they've made to field moves and having a hint system like the Rotom Dex, do you really think people would still have problems?

 

[TechSkylander1518]

If I may be blunt for a moment-saying "X group doesn't care about its fans because it's not meeting my standards" is, frankly, one of the most entitled statements I've seen. It assumes that one person's opinion must be the opinion held by everyone in the fanbase, and demands the company change for them.

They seem to ignore that most fans care more about actual content rather than just the story,

Just because you don't like a story in a game doesn't mean nobody else does.

actual post-game content with the Battle Frontier which is what makes you want pour your energy into the game for hours

Again, your opinion is not universal. Personally, I was never interested in any battle facility-I gain no experience, my Pokemon are weakened, it has no effect on the world of the game beyond BP, and I'm not battling a friend. Why spend so much time on something like that?

the same of which can't be said about the recent where you would put down the game once the main story is over.

Battle Frontier-Battle trainers under special restrictions to earn BP. If you do well enough, you can battle special trainers.
Battle Tree-Battle trainers under special restrictions to earn BP. If you do well enough, you can battle special trainers.

It's not uncommon or wrong to not be as interested in an aspect of a game anymore-those battle facilities are time consuming, and you might not have the spare time to dedicate so many hours anymore. But don't pin the blame on the game developers when they've still included what you think was lacking.

In addition to areas, we got actually cool areas such as Distortion World which had a really unique puzzle, and wasn't just a pretty looking corridor or hallway which looks to be the case with USUM.

Take a look at this trailer for Platinum:

It's not showing off the Distortion World's puzzles-it showing off how cool it looks. Unless a game is specifically puzzle-driven, showing off puzzles isn't going to be the main focus of a trailer.

which looks to be the case

Seriously? "This looks to be the case, so I'm sure it sucks"? Surely you've heard an old saying about book covers?

It shows how much effort and thought they put into the games back then

2D graphics and <500 Pokemon in earlier versions compared to 800 Pokemon and 3D graphics now. They have to be putting more effort in-there's no way around that.

with USUM looking to be a 40- hour movie rather then a game with the excessive cutscenes

Yes, please, do tell us exactly what gameplay is contained in an unreleased game that you've never played.

and areas which have no uniqueness or substance to them.

...I honestly do not know how you can look at the trailers and say there's no uniqueness to these settings.

 

[Alola]

I think my only big gripe about Game Freak "failing" fans is the removal of features in subsequent games. Pokemon Contests, the Pokeathlon, DexNaving, walking Pokemon, Gym Leader rematches, the Battle Frontier, 8-bit music swaps, and Secret Bases are some of my favorite elements about the Pokemon series. Sadly, they aren't featured in most games outside their introduction and possibly skip a Generation or two.

I know it may be impractical to have every single feature in every game after it is established, but you would think they would keep a well received, fun mechanic or two going forward. Especially to have something to do during the post game.

 

[Silktree]

I play story-driven games - with the exception of Pokemon. I think that the storytelling is still a far cry from being considered the main draw, or even an excuse for reduced gameplay. I am not impressed by the direction USUM seem to be going in, which is an over the top plot about a one-dimensional Pokemon. SM's relative simplicity worked better, unless USUM surprise me.

Either way, if I just cared about cutscenes, I would watch them all on YouTube. And well, that's what I'm going to do unless the post-game has a lot more exploration than just elaborate chambers for the UBs. I already skipped ORAS since Megas, the Delta Episode (which I watched for two rather dull hours), DexNav and Soaring didn't do anything for me.

An RPG needs to have a good balance between gameplay (battles and exploration) and storytelling, with each benefitting from the other. Game Freak have never accomplished such a balance. I will say that I am rather indifferent to most side features; the only thing I do after covering all the map is use rental teams in games where they're available. Training an optimal team is a chore.

 

[Kallyle]

Battle Frontier-Battle trainers under special restrictions to earn BP. If you do well enough, you can battle special trainers.
Battle Tree-Battle trainers under special restrictions to earn BP. If you do well enough, you can battle special trainers.

It's not uncommon or wrong to not be as interested in an aspect of a game anymore-those battle facilities are time consuming, and you might not have the spare time to dedicate so many hours anymore. But don't pin the blame on the game developers when they've still included what you think was lacking.

I feel like you're simplifying things by comparing a single facility that’s a Battle Tower clone. The main draw of those facilities wasn’t just the difficulty and the win streaks (except for the straightforward Battle Towers of course), but rather the interesting twists each facility had. For example, the Battle Arena from Emerald judged the conflict between two Pokémon should you or the opponent not have a Pokémon faint within three turns. The Frontier in Platinum and HGSS had the Battle Castle where you can purchase items for in-battle use based on Castle Points you earn after each battle (other facilities don’t really let you use items like that). A better argument would have been the Battle Royal Dome.

 

[lavandula]

Wouldn't it make sense then, to make a diverse game that appeals to a variety of gamers? Under that logic you should be addressing as many complaints as possible simply to maximize your audience.

They are making a diverse game.
Sun and Moon are fun for beginners, but also has a very balanced metagame for VGC players.
There's also the Battle Tree for non VGC veterans.

 

[The Outrage]

Am I less of a fan because I care about the story? Lol.

People keep talking about the Battle Frontier as content when it existed in Gen III because there was no good way to continually keep us engaged in the core of the series, which is training and battling Pokemon. No, we don't have Battle Frontier anymore. What we have is the Battle Spot. Game Freak regularly hosts tournaments, and themed tournaments through Pokemon Global Link. These all essentially provide the same core function as the Battle Frontier, though it would be great if Game Freak incorporated some of the more unique game modes (e.g., rental pokemon) in online play.

The idea that Gen VI games onward don't have "content" seems kind of like saying Mario Kart doesn't have "content" after all the courses are unlocked when the main draw in the series is online play. I'm also not sure if there's a lack of exploration in these games vs early-gen games where it just took longer to get around places because you couldn't run.

 

[Kirby4ever]

Spoiler: Sums up the thread and other threads complaining about any new game that haven't come out yet

 

[Almonds]

Uhm, GameFreak does care about the fans.

Did everyone forget Hoenn Confirmed? They answered fan demand.

 

[Bolt Strike]

They are making a diverse game.
Sun and Moon are fun for beginners, but also has a very balanced metagame for VGC players.
There's also the Battle Tree for non VGC veterans.

Not what I mean by diverse. I mean that they have to appeal to pretty much every element on the gameplay, battling, Pokemon collection, overworld exploration, extra features, storyline, etc. And the fact that we're sitting here talking about this says that no, they are not doing that. Overworld exploration and extra features in particular have been lacking the last several games, the complaints are coming from people who like those aspects of the game. What you and Game Freak both don't seem to understand is that there are more than 2 demographics that play this game. There's at least 3-5.

 

[Ambrose7]

Not what I mean by diverse. I mean that they have to appeal to pretty much every element on the gameplay, battling, Pokemon collection, overworld exploration, extra features, storyline, etc. And the fact that we're sitting here talking about this says that no, they are not doing that. Overworld exploration and extra features in particular have been lacking the last several games, the complaints are coming from people who like those aspects of the game. What you and Game Freak both don't seem to understand is that there are more than 2 demographics that play this game. There's at least 3-5.

You think gen 1-3 games had more exploration then the current ones? While Sun and Moon are small, excluding them all other games have had great areas to explore. Heck using pokemon to explore areas in Sun and Moon felt amazing. As for extra gameplay content, Gen V had tons of those especially B2W2. Although I will admit that Gen VI and VII did not.

Personally I would want the games to have more post game content. Storywise let it be more like Delta Episode than UB thing. And content wise something similar to PWT would be nice.

 

[Boss1708]

Online features can never replace ingame single player features, because, you know, online features get discontinued in a few years, while ingame single player features are always available. BIG DIFFERENCE.

For example, a game like BW2 had its online features discontinued, but it still has plenty of ingame single player content to enjoy if I were to decide to play it today (protip: I just did that a few days ago). Same goes for HGSS, etc.

That is why something like the battle spot can never really replace an ingame feature like the BF/ Battle Tower/ PWT/ etc. Furthermore, it´s never wise to replace ingame single player features for online features. Both should exist simultaneously.

USUM is my last hope for the return of something like the PWT or BF. Those kind of features are only really developed for third versions and sequels. If USUM doesn´t bring one of those features back (or something similar in concept) now, it means they have officially stopped making them, imo.

 

[Ambrose7]

Online features can never replace ingame single player features, because, you know, online features get discontinued in a few years, while ingame single player features are always available. BIG DIFFERENCE.

For example, a game like BW2 had its online features discontinued, but it still has plenty of ingame single player content to enjoy if I were to decide to play it today (protip: I just did that a few days ago). Same goes for HGSS, etc.

That is why something like the battle spot can never really replace an ingame feature like the BF/ Battle Tower/ PWT/ etc. So yeah, it´s never wise to replace ingame single player features for online features. Both should exist simultaneously.

USUM is my last hope for the return of something like the PWT or BF. Those kind of features are only really developed for third versions and sequels. If USUM doesn´t bring one of those features back (or something similar in concept) now, it means they have officially stopped making them, imo.

True. Battle Tree wasn't half bad. If expanded, it can be something akin to the PWT.

 

[Minnale101]

Sales are the only dictator to them of what's wrong and what's right

 

[Bolt Strike]

You think gen 1-3 games had more exploration then the current ones? While Sun and Moon are small, excluding them all other games have had great areas to explore. Heck using pokemon to explore areas in Sun and Moon felt amazing. As for extra gameplay content, Gen V had tons of those especially B2W2. Although I will admit that Gen VI and VII did not.

I would actually say 3rd and 4th were the high point of exploration. The other regions had less areas and less opportunities to wander off and explore. BW2 had the content, but because of its linearity it didn't have the exploration.

 

[Dr. Buni]

It is cute that you think they ever cared about fans, in the first place.

 

[Alola]

Online features can never replace ingame single player features, because, you know, online features get discontinued in a few years, while ingame single player features are always available. BIG DIFFERENCE.

For example, a game like BW2 had its online features discontinued, but it still has plenty of ingame single player content to enjoy if I were to decide to play it today (protip: I just did that a few days ago). Same goes for HGSS, etc.

That is why something like the battle spot can never really replace an ingame feature like the BF/ Battle Tower/ PWT/ etc. Furthermore, it´s never wise to replace ingame single player features for online features. Both should exist simultaneously.

USUM is my last hope for the return of something like the PWT or BF. Those kind of features are only really developed for third versions and sequels. If USUM doesn´t bring one of those features back (or something similar in concept) now, it means they have officially stopped making them, imo.

I appreciate you so much for saying this.

 

[godiego]

Online features can never replace ingame single player features, because, you know, online features get discontinued in a few years, while ingame single player features are always available. BIG DIFFERENCE.

For example, a game like BW2 had its online features discontinued, but it still has plenty of ingame single player content to enjoy if I were to decide to play it today (protip: I just did that a few days ago). Same goes for HGSS, etc.

but that's also you making a choice to continue to use an older product. support and service for older products is always discontinued.

like, sure, Platinum, BW2, and HGSS have more longevity because they have the BF and PWT to offset the closure of the WFC, but that longevity is predicated on you know, actually being able to play the game. i don't own BW2 for instance, so for me it's all pointless. couldn't care less.

That is why something like the battle spot can never really replace an ingame feature like the BF/ Battle Tower/ PWT/ etc. Furthermore, it´s never wise to replace ingame single player features for online features. Both should exist simultaneously.

the only problem here is what happens when the online feature is superior to the in-game feature? no point in developing a BF (let alone a one-off PWT) if the online features are across the board better.

 

[Ambrose7]

but that's also you making a choice to continue to use an older product. support and service for older products is always discontinued.

like, sure, Platinum, BW2, and HGSS have more longevity because they have the BF and PWT to offset the closure of the WFC, but that longevity is predicated on you know, actually being able to play the game. i don't own BW2 for instance, so for me it's all pointless. couldn't care less.


the only problem here is what happens when the online feature is superior to the in-game feature? no point in developing a BF (let alone a one-off PWT) if the online features are across the board better.

People enjoyed the PWT due to the returning characters. The BF different facilities are what make it great. I fail to see how online can compensate for this. And online is definitely not superior due to the said reasons.