Your controversial opinions

[PkmnTrainerV]

Like what?

Like the aforementioned removing "u" from words. "Colour" and "honour" are words which I use pretty frequently and the omission of the "u" irks me sometimes. And adding "z" to words instead of "s" like "realise". No offence to the ones who grew up with the Amerifsn versions. I grew up reading a borderline obsessive amount of Enid Blyton so British spellings and her way of writing were ingrained into me in childhood. Not to mention that I come from India, a British colony so our teachers taught a convoluted mix of British and American English but the better teachers pretty consistently used British versions.

I would have preferred it to be spelled "Isle of Armour" as well. It's strange how the people of Galar say very British things like "mum" and "telly" and "naff" and "faff", but still use American spellings.

But I think they stuck with American spellings for consistency. It wouldn't really have made sense for Galarian people to use British spellings if moves and abilities still had their usual American spellings, especially as there's an ability called Shell Armor. Changing the spellings of moves and abilities for just one game would have been confusing for people outside the UK, and might have even caused compatibility problems with Pokemon HOME. So I can understand why this decision was made, even if the end result is a bit strange for us British folk. Another thing worth noting is that people in Galar may not even speak English, as evidenced by the fictitious writing seen throughout the region, in which case the American spellings - and the British turns of phrase - are just translations.

There was no excuse for not giving the characters British accents in Twilight Wings though, as much as I adore that series. But I digress, this thread is about the games!

I’m not bothered by the move spellings since they have to remain as consistent as possible in my opinion. It’s just I ended up being peeved on Isle of Armour (you can pry the u from my cold, dead hands) since... well "Armor" feels wrong to me and the game is set in Britain so they could put the "u" without any major issues at all. Americans would understand what was being spoken about either way. I’m less peeved about the other spellings since we come across those ability names way less I guess.

But it just feels wrong for a British region's DLC name being standardised in American English worldwide. (And I love my "u"s).

Note that I don’t hold any strong opinions about dub purities and accents. It's just an almost irrational slight annoyance I have whenever I type the DLC name: a small insignificant controversial opinion perfect for this thread which ultimately doesn’t matter much. Even I’ve stopped paying much attention to it by now.

 

[Esserise]

I would have preferred it to be spelled "Isle of Armour" as well. It's strange how the people of Galar say very British things like "mum" and "telly" and "naff" and "faff", but still use American spellings.

But I think they stuck with American spellings for consistency. It wouldn't really have made sense for Galarian people to use British spellings if moves and abilities still had their usual American spellings, especially as there's an ability called Shell Armor. Changing the spellings of moves and abilities for just one game would have been confusing for people outside the UK, and might have even caused compatibility problems with Pokemon HOME. So I can understand why this decision was made, even if the end result is a bit strange for us British folk. Another thing worth noting is that people in Galar may not even speak English, as evidenced by the fictitious writing seen throughout the region, in which case the American spellings - and the British turns of phrase - are just translations.

Understandable, but still an odd timing for them to change Vice Grip to Vise Grip.

(Personally, I'm from America but I deliberately alternate between British and American spellings all the time, without any rhyme or reason, just to spite the English language for how full of inconsistencies it is even without regional differences. )

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Personally, I'm from America but I deliberately alternate between British and American spellings all the time, without any rhyme or reason, just to spite the English language for how full of inconsistencies it is even without regional differences. )

Due to the mish mash of a English I've been taught (it’s even treated as a separate dialect in vein of American English vs British English now, so yay?) I act the same way myself.


Don't quote my previous post if I ever use American spellings. At this point I just go by whatever comes to mind first. And it tends to be 70% British.

 

[Puddle]

I’m not bothered by the move spellings since they have to remain as consistent as possible in my opinion. It’s just I ended up being peeved on Isle of Armour (you can pry the u from my cold, dead hands) since... well "Armor" feels wrong to me and the game is set in Britain so they could put the "u" without any major issues at all. Americans would understand what was being spoken about either way. I’m less peeved about the other spellings since we come across those ability names way less I guess.

Come to think of it, Isle of Armor is a place name, so the spelling being different to other instances of the word "armor" wouldn't have really mattered. They could have also done something fancy with the Crown Tundra and spelled it "Crowne" (an old-fashioned spelling) or something, just to make it a bit more interesting. The Isle of Armour and the Crowne Tundra... I like it, makes them seem less modern and more like real place names. Might not have been so good for marketing, though.

 

[Esserise]

Might not have been so good for marketing, though.

Good call. I suspect that is an important factor - when marketing something like Pokémon, you want it to be accessible to and easily understood by all age groups, while also making sure it can be translated relatively smoothly across nine languages, so it is usually best to keep things simple. A quirky spelling just for the sake of flaivoure might make things a little more complicated than they need to be.

 

[WyndonCalling]

To wade in on the Wallace/Steven debate - I preferred Wallace the second time around, not for any of his particular qualities, but because it's interesting when the series attempts to establish something of a continuity and have characters change roles between games (even though Emerald isn't a sequel as such). Interestingly, in the manga

Spoiler

Wallace was always the rightful Champion, and opted to demote himself to Gym Leader to stay close to Winona.

(Personally, I'm from America but I deliberately alternate between British and American spellings all the time, without any rhyme or reason, just to spite the English language for how full of inconsistencies it is even without regional differences. )

My culture is not a costume. This is not how I write, and this is not ok.

 

[Esserise]

Here's the real boiling-hot one:



And quite honestly I... think I agree? Like, if I delineate between "the game that I think made the most considerable/impressive advancements for the series in the long term" (which I'm pretty sure I would still say was Ruby & Sapphire or maybe, maaaybe X & Y - it really depends on what angle I'm looking at it from) and "the game that I think provides the most enjoyable Pokémon experience yet" (where the older games are kind of at an inherent disadvantage due to ever-progressing technological capabilities enabling things like global multiplayer interaction). I am becoming more and more inclined to give SwSh+DLC the latter title.

I would not necessarily nominate SwSh on their own to that position - I certainly liked them, but there's a lot that I think BW or XY did better in comparison. But the DLC waves have just continued to improve upon what worked in the base games. It makes me really excited for how future titles might develop under this paradigm.

Interestingly, in the manga

Spoiler

Wallace was always the rightful Champion, and opted to demote himself to Gym Leader to stay close to Winona.

You mean in... in like a wholesome, they-care-about-each-other way, r-right?

My culture is not a costume. This is not how I write, and this is not ok.

I have also declared war on the decision to put a p in receit.

 

[Defiant]

SwSh are now my 2nd favourite games of all time just slightly behind HGSS but if I'm honest HGSS may be benefiting slightly from nostalgia.

When we move on to a new region and leave Galar behind, I can see SwSh claiming the top spot.

 

[WyndonCalling]

Here's the real boiling-hot one:

My angst over SwSh's initial release has all but entirely dissipated by now, and I'm chomping at the bit to start a full playthrough once we know the shape of the entirety of Gen 8. It'll sting to revisit the memories of the base game's cutscenes all over again, but that'll be soothed by seeing all my favourites saunter about the place in Camp (assuming the full 'dex eventually returns).

You mean in... in like a wholesome, they-care-about-each-other way, r-right?

The manga is notoriously dark (especially regarding the Hoenn cast's mortality rate), but it isn't that dark. Yes, it's reciprocal.

I have also declared war on the decision to put a p in receit.

*Pinches bridge of nose and breathes heavily*

 

[prog rocker]

Oh boy, you talking about American vs English spellings and you would have a heart attack hearing me speak. I blame the fact that I frequently listen to music from both sides of the ocean.

I have also declared war on the decision to put a p in receit.

Wait, what?

 

[Galactic_V]

Can't say much about English vs American Pokemon-wise since I play the games in Japanese, so "Isle of Armor" is basically "Yoroi-jima（ヨロイ島）" for me.

But I guess it makes sense to use the Armour spelling instead indeed, as Galar is based in the UK and all, however I don't think it's supposed to be a big deal since it's not really the real world.

Although reading posts above they did maintain a few British writings, which is interesting.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

And quite honestly I... think I agree? Like, if I delineate between "the game that I think made the most considerable/impressive advancements for the series in the long term" (which I'm pretty sure I would still say was Ruby & Sapphire or maybe, maaaybe X & Y - it really depends on what angle I'm looking at it from) and "the game that I think provides the most enjoyable Pokémon experience yet" (where the older games are kind of at an inherent disadvantage due to ever-progressing technological capabilities enabling things like global multiplayer interaction). I am becoming more and more inclined to give SwSh+DLC the latter title.

I would not necessarily nominate SwSh on their own to that position - I certainly liked them, but there's a lot that I think BW or XY did better in comparison. But the DLC waves have just continued to improve upon what worked in the base games. It makes me really excited for how future titles might develop under this paradigm.

I think there’s one factor which is detrimental for SwSh+ the "complete experience" for being applauded as the most enjoyable entries. - the price tag.
Most people's reaction to hearing "Sword and Shield and the DLC are the most enjoyable games compared to other entries" would be- it should be . Since it costs more than 2x the price of a conventional Pokemon game, more content should be a given. There’s an inherent expectation of a more premium experience.

That’s one of the reasons that may have slightly modified the amount of gushing responses it gets.

I do agree with a lot of what you’re said here btw for the record.

 

[Puddle]

"It looks like a Digimon": No, it doesn't. Digimon has a pretty specific artstyle that doesn't look much like Pokémon to me, specially the official Bandai artwork.

The only Pokemon that I think truly resembles a Digimon is actually Cosmog. It's very reminiscent of the Baby and In-Training Digimon. A few other Pokemon, like Complete Zygarde and some of the Ultra Beasts, have Digimon-like characteristics but even then, their designs are still a lot simpler and "cuter" than fully-grown Digimon typically are.

 

[Esserise]

I think there’s one factor which is detrimental for SwSh+ the "complete experience" for being applauded as the most enjoyable entries. - the price tag.
Most people's reaction to hearing "Sword and Shield and the DLC are the most enjoyable games compared to other entries" would be- it should be . Since it costs more than 2x the price of a conventional Pokemon game, more content should be a given. There’s an inherent expectation of a more premium experience.

That’s one of the reasons that may have slightly modified the amount of gushing responses it gets.

I do agree with a lot of what you’re said here btw for the record.

That's certainly a good point, and totally fair if it affects anyone else's reception. I think for me personally though, there's just not that much of a tangible difference between paying $90 for SwSh and the DLC, and paying $80 for Moon and Ultra Moon, other than less redundancy. That's how I tend to view it. I suppose one perk of the enhanced edition format was that I got an extra save file that could be wiped without compromising my original save, but even that has been supplanted by the Switch having multiple profiles that can all play a single game.

 

[Blaine.]

Coming from someone whose favorite game is B2W2, the games are kinda underwhelming compared to original. I loved the aspect of a direct sequel to a Pokemon Game, and I think that should be explored more. But B2W2 kinda got easy really fast. You could have a Lucario by the first gym. Unlike the original game, where you maybe had 5 different pokemon by the first gym, You can get maybe 12 different pokemon. It's like X and Y or SwSh, you have so many options thrown at you at once, it creates an overpowered team by the first game.

 

[prog rocker]

The only Pokemon that I think truly resembles a Digimon is actually Cosmog. It's very reminiscent of the Baby and In-Training Digimon. A few other Pokemon, like Complete Zygarde and some of the Ultra Beasts, have Digimon-like characteristics but even then, their designs are still a lot simpler and "cuter" than fully-grown Digimon typically are.

Cosmog might be the closest one, true.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

That's certainly a good point, and totally fair if it affects anyone else's reception. I think for me personally though, there's just not that much of a tangible difference between paying $90 for SwSh and the DLC, and paying $80 for Moon and Ultra Moon, other than less redundancy. That's how I tend to view it. I suppose one perk of the enhanced edition format was that I got an extra save file that could be wiped without compromising my original save, but even that has been supplanted by the Switch having multiple profiles that can all play a single game.

I don’t think that comparison is straightforward since if someone didn’t buy Moon and bought Ultra Moon, they got a lot of the enhanced experience for just $40. Ultra Moon can exist independently without Moon whereas you need base Sword and Shield to experience the extra content so it blurs the lines in my opinion.

 

[Puddle]

Here's another hot take! (I think?) I prefer smaller regional Pokedexes, and I think 150 is the magic number. If the original Sinnoh Pokedex had swapped a few Water types for Fire types, it would have been perfect in my view. When a region has a large Pokedex, of which its new species make up only a tiny percentage, it starts to lose its identity.

Smaller Pokedexes are, of course, a lot less daunting to complete as well. Catching 150 Pokemon is a realistic goal that doesn't feel too overwhelming.

Galar has slightly more justification for having a large Pokedex, because of Dexit and the Wild Area. But I still think 400 is much too many. If there had been, say, 200-250 Pokemon in the Galar Pokedex, the Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra could have each had a completely unique set of Pokemon in their Pokedexes, instead of having to reuse ones from the main Pokedex.

 

[a230]

Here's some controversial opinion for you

• Kanto Starter are the best(not talking about Pikachu and Eevee)
• Unova starter are the worst
• I prefer simple desing than pokemon with a too complicated design
• Sun and Moon are the worst games
• Let's go are a lot of fun
• It was better in gen 1 and 2 for the battle system , now it's just too complicated for nothing. I was better when it was simple and when you could take your actual pokemon that you use during your adventure and being force to bread and lost hours and hours just for being at least a bt competitive.
• Blue,Silver, Gladion and Bede are the best rivals
• Gen one have the best roster of pokemon
• Gen 7 have the worst roster of pokemon
• I prefer Sugimori art than Turner art.
• Dynamax is a boring gimmick
• Mega was a pretty nice gimmick
• Z-move are a good gimmick
• Mythical should be special quest in a game, if not, they don't need to exist
• HGSS, BW2,ROSA and RBY are the best games
• The crown thundra makes SWSH amongst eht best pokemon games
• The isle of armor was really boring

 

[Esserise]

I don’t think that comparison is straightforward since if someone didn’t buy Moon and bought Ultra Moon, they got a lot of the enhanced experience for just $40. Ultra Moon can exist independently without Moon whereas you need base Sword and Shield to experience the extra content so it blurs the lines in my opinion.

Sure. I think there's a lot of angles you can take to compare the situations and ultimately it's going to come down to the customer.

Me for instance, I'm a massive fan and I've been consistently pleased with the last several entries in the series, so there's an extent to which I'm a sure-buy no matter what. From that perspective, it makes sense that I would prefer DLC over enhanced versions, because like I said, I'm paying about the same for less redundancy. The $30 I put on the DLC is going toward entirely new content which acts as a stimulus package to keep me playing the game long after the initial purchase.

You could also take a more holistic view, of course, as you've described. Depending on how you define and what you expect from a "complete experience," You're paying a lot more for just Sword + DLC than you are for just Ultra Moon. Although, while this calculation works in hindsight, in practice it requires you to try to predict what GF are going to do with a certain set of releases. In 2016, for instance, we didn't know that there would be another round of Alola games, and Gen 6 had seemingly just axed the idea of enhanced versions, so in order to only purchase the set of Alola games that would provide the "complete experience," you would have to have passed on the original SM and banked on them releasing an enhanced edition later on. Whereas that's not going to be the case with this generation - there is no director's cut version; no Pokémon Zweihänder that you can hold out for instead of buying Pokémon Sword. (Well. Technically there is, but price- and content-wise, it's just the same as if you had bought Sword and the DLC as they were released.)

Then there is the comparison between base Sword and base Moon, where there's initially only a $20 difference, and where I feel like the fact of the DLC's existence becomes kind of a different beast. You can choose to pay more to upgrade your copy of Sword with more content, but you can't do that with Moon. In fact, Moon gets kicked somewhat into irrelevance after just a year, since it can't receive any of the new Pokémon or forms that were introduced in Ultra Moon (this is particularly problematic if you're into competitive - the 2018 VGCs were based solely on USUM). Sword on the other hand gets a free patch so that you can communicate with other SwSh players regardless of whether you've purchased the Expansion Pass - you can even receive the new species and form additions if you find someone willing to give them to you.

Here's another hot take! (I think?)

Well I certainly hate it! I'll stick with big Dexes. Although I think Kalos still had the best execution of a large Dex. There's not really a lot of species overlap between Central, Coastal, and Mountain Kalos (and particularly wrt Mountain, I think there's a lot of internal diversity as well, as the environments differ quite a lot as you progress through that subregion - you have the swamp with stuff like Goomy and Quagsire and a few ghosts, then the autumnal ruins with Dark types and unique species like Pumpkaboo, then the icy routes, the wetlands, a spooky forest, and kind of an eclectic mix at the tail end with Pokémon like Altaria, Scyther, and Ursaring), whereas the Alola Dexes went out of their way to support the same handful of species on every island (Rattata. Yungoos. Pikipek. Chansey. Repeat.), and much as I like the Wild Area, the weather-based distribution kind of throws everything off (the numbered routes in Galar are a lot better at feeling more distinct).

• Dynamax is a boring gimmick
• Mega was a pretty nice gimmick

These are... not really controversial at all, at least within a lot of the online fan circles.