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Your POSITIVE Opinions

GiratinasEmbodiment

Herald of Antimatter
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World-building within the confines of the existing franchise is apparently a niche. A GTS-based #ChainOfDeals forum game has been hit-and-miss so far. But this... this is something that really needs to happen, and if I'm the only one who's willing to make it happen, I'm going to be very very sad.

There is not enough positivity on the internet. The people with negative opinions are always the ones who make themselves heard. I want to change that. I want people to come here, and I want you to share what you LIKED about the Pokémon games. Core series, side series, spin-offs, free-to-play, any of it. I want a place where good, enjoyable opinions coalesce.

Don't shy away from it because you think it's going to be an unpopular position. Frick, if you end up double-posting between here and the controversial opinions thread, because you suspected your enjoyment of something was going to be controversial, all the better. People assume that just because something is unpopular, that means it's bad, without regarding it for themselves. Use your own judgement on this front. If you liked something about the games, then say it here.
And don't make it a masked insult, either. This isn't "I liked this better than that" or "I liked this and wish it hadn't stopped". This is "I liked this, and this is why". Maybe "I liked this, and I'm glad that didn't happen instead". Positivity. There needs to be more of it, plain and simple.

With all that said, let's get right into it.



1. I feel that the versioned core series games make the series much more enjoyable than it would be if they were standalone games per Generation.
Contrary to popular belief, it's not a drive for people to buy two of what is effectively the same game - it encourages you to play with friends, cooperatively or competitively. In fact, the versioned games actually prevent people from buying two of the same game even when they would have a good reason to. In my childhood, my mother would refuse to allow me and my siblings to buy two of the same game; regardless of whether we wanted to play multiplayer with a game that didn't use DS Download Play, or we all wanted to play a game that only had one save file, she vetoed it without a prayer. But when I got a copy of Pokémon Pearl Version and my brother got a copy of Pokémon Diamond Version, we were able to communicate with multiplayer, play on separate save files instead of having to wait until one had finished the story, and my mother didn't raise a fuss over it.
And for people who do end up acquiring both versions for their own use, usually for reasons completely unrelated to the versioning, it makes the experience better. I, for example, lost a great number of well-trained Pokémon in Generation IV. This was largely out of my own poor judgement; I wanted to play through the game again, because there's nothing wrong with playing a game more than once (despite the opinions of some people I know), and I failed to account for the fact that I would lose my Pokémon in so doing. When my brother wanted to get rid of his copy of Diamond, I told him I wanted it, and used it to play through Sinnoh again without losing my Pokémon. The experience was just that little bit different from Pearl that it was enjoyable without being note-for-note. And when I wanted to play through Sinnoh again after that, I traded my Pokémon from Pearl to Diamond, so I didn't lose them again. I still have that copy of Diamond, and I use it as a "storage" cartridge so I can play through Platinum again (and for communication with Battle Revolution; more on that later) without losing anything meaningful. And for that reason alone, I have gotten myself a copy of both versions of every pair of core series games, with the exception of SoulSilver Version and Black Version 2 because neither pair had anything transferrable that the earlier games of the generation lacked, so I can trade between i.e. White Version 1 and White Version 2 if I need.
(Yes, that includes ORAS and Sw/Sh, even after the advent of Pokémon Bank and Pokémon HOME, which do not allow storage of items. Mega Stones and Master Balls should not just be thrown away, and I bought physical copies of the Switch games which means I can't load up separate save files on two consoles.)
(Ultra Sun would fall under the same conditions as SS and B2, except that I was late to Generation VIII, really wanted the Moon versions, went to buy the games when they only had Sun versions, and made some really bad judgement calls on both sides of the morning. I've since given Ultra Sun to a family friend to save him the trouble of buying the game himself.)

2. I appreciate the fact that that Mega Evolution and Z-Power did not carry over to Generation VIII.
Both of those are deeply intertwined with the regions of the Generations from which they originated, and are available in each the region they are available for a good reason. You get a Key Stone in Kalos because you're tasked with learning more about Mega Evolution. You get a Key Stone in Hoenn because you helped a guy who collects stones for a living and is investigating a phenomenon similar to Mega Evolution. You get a Z-Ring in Alola because it's a right of passage for the people of Alola. You get a Key Stone in Alola as a sign of appreciation from the assistants of the guy who wanted to know more about Mega Evolution. You get a Key Stone in Kanto because Let's Go happens after Red and Blue are established Trainers, have travelled the world, and have gotten Key Stones from another region, and Blue wants to reward you for dealing with Team Rocket.
Would I have enjoyed Mega Evolution and/or Z-Power making an appearance in Galar? Probably, for gameplay reasons. Will I enjoy it if Mega Evolution and/or Z-Power makes an appearance in Sinnoh? Most likely, for gameplay reasons. But not for story reasons, unless you received them for a good reason, from someone who has a good reason to have them. If Kahili was touring in Galar and got ambushed by Ice-types in the Crown Tundra while she was on a leisurely stroll with her Hawlucha, you rescued her, and she decided to reward you with a Z-Power Ring and a box of type-based Z-Crystals? Decent. She's Alolan, she's got a reason to have a Z-Power Ring, and Z-Crystals are handed out by NPCs in Alola. If you woke up in Postwick after becoming the Champion and your Mum told you a package came in the mail, and it turned out to be a Key Stone from someone you've never met and who doesn't even appear in person? Questionable. Better that Gurkinn or Sycamore happen to be in Galar and give it to you in person.

3. I enjoyed Pokémon Battle Revolution.
I probably would have enjoyed Pokémon Stadium if I had become a Pokémon Trainer in Generation I or II (and I owned a Nintendo 64), but that's just an inference based on how much I enjoyed Pokémon Battle Revolution. The battles are cinematic, and a spectacle to watch. The Pokémon animations are designed to be visually entertaining, the attacks all showcase #VisualEffectsOfAwesome, and the announcer is enthusiastic and cheerful. And he says Pokémon names out loud, which helps with pronunciation if you don't watch the anime (at least for the ones that have actually appeared before the game came out; they changed the pronunciation of Arceus' name for a good reason, but he had no way of knowing that was gonna happen).
The various battle gimmicks in each Colosseum are fun to play, and they paved the way road for things like Rotation Battle and Battle Royal. Waterfall Colosseum's Team Battles offered a good reason to avoid power-levelling your starter Pokémon, because it's only good for one KO. Neon Colosseum's Fortune Battles give you a good reason to know and understand the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent's Pokémon, because you might end up using your opponent's Pokémon, and they yours. Say what you will about Rental Pokémon, but they always provide an opportunity to try out a Pokémon you might not have had the chance to try out for yourself. The ones on the Rental Passes make for sound, well-rounded teams, and Gateway Colosseum's Trade Battle lets you expand those teams if you deem fit. And the ones in Sunset Colosseum's Select Battle encourage tactical thinking, instead of just brute-forcing things with a Pokémon that's been trained on a journey and given a purely offensive moveset.
Plus, in-game full-body Pokémon cosplay is still one of my favourite things in the entire franchise, even if you've really gotta earn that Lucario Costume. I kinda squeed when I saw the Sundae Dress in X/Y, because it brings back memories. I think I had an opportunity to get an Eevee outfit in Sw/Sh because I've played Let's Go, and I missed it, and I'm miffed at myself.
 
Don't forget, a controversial opinion can still be a positive one. ;)

I think my most positive reflection on the franchise is that some very important decisions that were made early on were bang on the money; namely the fact that the franchise is grounded in a highly personal experience, where human characters tend to be secondary to the appeal and the titular monsters were never unique entities ala an IP such as Digimon. The early species designs in particular are quite generic and invite the player to imprint themselves on the world by way of assigning personalities and crafting a team.

To this day the Pokémon gaming experience is largely player-owned, even as cultural references become more and more explicit and, in a sense, exclusionary. It remains an RPG in the truest sense of the word in terms of player agency.
 
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In my experience, even if I may bag on a particular game for its faults, it remains true for me that the foundation of the core series gameplay is so utterly rock-solid that every entry is at worst still quite enjoyable (at least in their own era - age does make some games harder to revisit, but I don't think that's really the game's fault). Of all the main series games that I've played, I can't think of a single one that I didn't have multiple good times with, aside from Red and Yellow (and that was back when I was an easily-frustrated child, so I give 'em a pass). I certainly have my critiques and my preferences, but broadly speaking, this series has provided me with a stunningly consistent high satisfaction rate for years upon years.
 
Despite all the franchise's faults, I do see many positives, and they must outweigh the negatives cuz I keep buying lol.

The one I'm going to touch on is the Pokemon designs themselves. They still manage to make a lot of good creature designs, even if they're not all for you, someone somewhere likes it. Even if they fall flat once they get to the game design standpoint, such as typing/abilities/movesets, you have to admit the artistic designs of Pokemon will always appeal to somebody.
 
*The creature designs remain a strong point. The variety is clearly there to appeal to different player types, hence why we have the whole "cool"/"cute" split that's been mentioned by one of the designers (if I recall), but there's also both silly and serious designs; for instance back in gen 1 we have Charizard as a fairly normal (if bipedal) dragon compared to Mr. Mime.

*The "theme" behind regions has also gotten clearer over time; I have a much better idea of what Galar is like as a place then I ever did Kanto.
 
I'm just looking at my massive thread-starting post, and I'm like "Ha, I wanted this to be 'not too long', so I stopped it at three."

4. I love events where you get to battle Mythical Pokémon to try and catch them.
Sinnoh's really the star of this statement, because it had no less than three such locations in Generation IV (even if only two of them were officially released) - Newmoon Island, Flower Paradise, and the Hall of Origin. I hope to see at least the former two show up in BDSP. But it's not the only one; Johto had the GS Ball at the Ilex Forest Shrine, Hoenn had Birth Island and Faraway Island, and Unova had Liberty Island. And you know what, in-game events count too, so Hoenn has the edge-of-space encounter at the end of the Delta Episode, and Galar has the swordsman hunt on the Crown Tundra.
Not to say that receiving a Mythical Pokémon without a fight doesn't have its merits. Especially if it happens to be at a relatively low level, so you can raise it up alongside your party (the Poké Ball Plus' Mew comes to mind, that guy made Let's Go a hundred times easier). But getting to fight a Legendary Pokémon is exhilarating, especially if you happen to do it with levels on-par instead of having a massive advantage. And more often than not, such a battle lets you see what kind of environs that Legendary Pokémon is most comfortable in (Kalos' auran abductees being the most notable exception). Extending that to Mythical Pokémon is a rare treat that I enjoy wholeheartedly.
Of course, some Mythical Pokémon make more sense for being restricted as gift Pokémon. Manaphy being the prime example - darling Princess of the Sea, she hatches from an Egg. Finding the Egg in the wild might make for an interesting subplot, but the Ranger games satisfied that before the transfers, so receiving a Manaphy Egg in another game would be more than enough for me.

5. I take no issue with the games where you're not allowed to change your clothes.
My reasoning for this is very stupid - I am not a fashion-forward individual. I am perpetually of the mind that "if it serves a purpose, how it looks is irrelevant". I wear Crocs and sweatpants, that should give you an idea about how little I care about fashion. It's certainly an interesting thing to explore in the regions where it's available, don't get me wrong. With some effort, some #SaveScumming, and adherence to my preference for the colour black, I can put together (what I think is) a decent ensemble or two for just about every player character in Kalos, Alola, and Galar.
But it is nice to not have to worry about that. Especially when you don't have a Battle Chateau to money-grind at. I've done at least one playthrough for all three of those regions where I didn't change my clothes the whole journey. (Wow, that sounds bad outside the context of a video game, doesn't it?) So for games where your outfit doesn't change, or where the outfit change is limited to situational circumstances - like Contests in Hoenn and Sinnoh - that's just one less thing I'm tempted to make stupid decisions about, which saves me the trouble of planning it out in advance and making a tight budget over it.
And in games where the outfit change is not limited to situational circumstances, I do really appreciate it when there are 'guided' outfits that you don't have to give too much effort to putting together. Let's Go gave you entire ensembles all at once, which made things a lot easier on me - this is standard, this is formalwear, this is Rocket cosplay. And Galar has some very welcome locations where they sell pieces that compliment the Gym Challenge uniforms, without having you run around Galar in a Gym Challenge uniform.

6. The side series and spin-off games have always been fun, at least the first round.
(Stadium and Battle Revolution are really more like extensions of the core series than standalone games, so I talked about those separately)
Some games have less replayability than others, I'm not gonna deny that. And not every game is for everyone, I'm not going to deny that either - if you're not enjoying something, there's no reason to keep going. But every spin-off has been worth the time (and sometimes money) it takes to try out, at least once. And for the ones that are not pure gameplay, the stories are always on par with - if not exceeding - the stories of the core series.
I'm the first to admit that Pokémon UNITE is not my kind of game (and my reasons are founded in the gameplay, not the meta), but it's basically a spectator sport with Pokémon, and it would probably be awful fun to watch if anyone's saving replays or running streams. (I've never really watched streams on anything, and finding good gameplay videos is hit-and-miss, but UNITE is making me consider the risk.)
Pokkén Tournament is a full-on fighting game - a proper fighting game, not a platform fighter like Super Smash Bros. - which provides exciting, dynamic battles of an entirely different nature compared to the core series' RPG battles. Less variable, perhaps, as a side effect of a fixed moveset, but a lot more of a spectacle, and much more of a test of skill than preparation.
Pokémon Snap and New Pokémon Snap are so frickin' relaxing. Yes, even at the Voluca Island Illumina Spot. (My perspective of that might be skewed by the fact that I totally misunderstood how to disperse the Volcarona's flames. After trying and failing to illuminate all three crystablooms at the same time for like ten rounds straight, throwing fluffruits at the two of them was- uh, I'm not gonna say it.) Just riding through the Pokémon's natural habitat, shooting photos of them as nature carries on, is the perfect anti-stress gameplay. At least as long as your analog sticks aren't drifting.
The Mystery Dungeon games are admittedly on the repetitive side, but that does not stop them from having enjoyable gameplay. Roaming the dungeons, fighting the wild Pokémon that come your way, it makes you feel like an explorer. As a Trainer, you're trying to unlock the secrets of your Pokémon, but as a Pokémon, you're trying to unlock the secrets of the world.
Orre, Orre! (You're probably not supposed to pronounce "Orre" in a way that makes that pun work, are you?) Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD are practically core series games in their own right. With the lack of tradeability until the post-game limiting you to what you find in Orre, and the way that XD continues the story from Colosseum without strictly requiring you to have played Colosseum first but making your XD experience better if you have, they're basically the precedent to the Unova games. And good Alpha, they make you earn your way through Orre. A limited selection of Pokémon, no (or few) wild Pokémon to level-grind against, perpetual Double Battles, AI Trainers with #ArtificialBrilliance, and a wallet tighter than a Grass Knot all require you to be prepared and act smart. And catching a Pokémon that belongs to a Trainer is so much more of a challenge than catching one wild, because wild Pokémon act at random and Trainers act tactically.
Pokémon Ranger has been my gold standard for spin-off games. The gameplay is so different from the core series, yet there are just enough shared elements that you can apply your knowledge from one to make the other easier. The way people bond with Pokémon is different from Trainers in the core series, but it's no less a meaningful bond. There's a whole region to learn about, there's a story designed to give you a thrill, there's post-game content that makes it worth it to continue playing after the credits, and there's a broad selection of Pokémon to provide a new take on catch-'em-all completionism.
And Pokémon Conquest... lived up to my gold standard, and went for platinum. Every concept I loved about Pokémon Ranger found new form in Ransei, and I enjoy every aspect of it. The battles don't just make you think, they make you think tactics, fully and completely - yet knowledge of type advantage and evolutionary causes from the core series will pay off. Pokémon and Warriors have ties that bind them so close, it becomes a synchronicity that is both heartwarming and entertaining in every appearance. Ransei is a huge region, so varied that every single type of Pokémon has a habitat that nature has tailor-made to please them. The story of Nobunaga intending to destroy Ransei makes every battle part of a greater whole (and the fact that his intention was "I have to break it down to save it" is proof that even the biggest badass can frick up). The post-game stories let you understand more of the characters who you previously only ever opposed (even if some of them prove that they're just frickwads that should be opposed). The Ransei Gallery is satisfactorily huge that filling it out is just as much of an endeavour as filling out the Pokédex (which I can appreciate even if I don't have the patience for either of them). And the best part is, Conquest could easily be remade in the current generation, the same way as i.e. Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team, with minimal effort. There's only, like, three Warriors with Normal-type specialization, one has a Flying-type, one has a part-Fairy type, and one has an Eevee; you could easily make Aurora the Fairy-type kingdom and just scatter Normal-types throughout the region.
That said, I would not object to ANY of these games receiving another entry.
 
Despite all the franchise's faults, I do see many positives, and they must outweigh the negatives cuz I keep buying lol.

The one I'm going to touch on is the Pokemon designs themselves. They still manage to make a lot of good creature designs, even if they're not all for you, someone somewhere likes it. Even if they fall flat once they get to the game design standpoint, such as typing/abilities/movesets, you have to admit the artistic designs of Pokemon will always appeal to somebody.

Or you are just a Pokeaddict and thats why you keep buying.
 
Or you are just a Pokeaddict and thats why you keep buying.
That could very well be true and I could easily be offended by that comment, but seeing as this is a thread for POSITIVE thoughts only, in gonna go ahead and say that there are much worse things than Pokemon to be addicted to.
 
That could very well be true and I could easily be offended by that comment, but seeing as this is a thread for POSITIVE thoughts only, in gonna go ahead and say that there are much worse things than Pokemon to be addicted to.

Exactly my thoughts. Can be worse things than being a pokeaddict (Heck, its one of the positive addictions i think).
 
The core series is still enjoyable despite all the flaws. It still hasn't made me want to buy a Switch, though.
Buying a new console for the purposes of playing a single game is an easily-regretted decision. I don't blame you for not being willing to do it. And what's more, a game can be enjoyed for its story without being played for oneself, if you have a means to witness the story second-hand. Let no one tell you that you haven't been able to enjoy Sw/Sh or Let's Go on the grounds of not having a Switch to play them on.
 
Buying a new console for the purposes of playing a single game is an easily-regretted decision. I don't blame you for not being willing to do it. And what's more, a game can be enjoyed for its story without being played for oneself, if you have a means to witness the story second-hand. Let no one tell you that you haven't been able to enjoy Sw/Sh or Let's Go on the grounds of not having a Switch to play them on.

Agreed, you don't need the latest console to enjoy Pokemon! I was in two minds whether to get a Switch myself. I ultimately ended up getting one when I found out Galar would be based on my home country, the UK, but I might not have done otherwise. I haven't yet decided if I'll be getting the Switch's successor.

I think the best way to enjoy a game's story, without actually playing the game, is probably to read the Pokemon Adventures manga. I haven't read a lot of it, but I'm always really impressed by it when I do.

The Pokemon games all have timeless appeal and people are always revisiting the older ones. You don't always have to be playing the latest one! I was replaying one of my favourites, Omega Ruby, recently. And I've thought about maybe replaying Pearl or Platinum in November if I decide not to buy Shining Pearl straight away,
 
I wasn’t planning on getting a Switch, back in 2018 when the only thing I would have been getting it for was Pokémon, and we only knew of two core series games that would be on the system (LGPE and the 2019 game). Investing in a Switch for just one, maybe two $60 games and nothing else simply wasn’t worth it in my opinion.

But then out of the blue, a remaster of another old game I love was announced for the Switch, and I figured I could better justify the purchase if I was going to use it for more than just Pokémon. So at that point, I decided that I would make a serious effort to step outside of my comfort zone and try out other kinds of games, even beyond the aforementioned remaster, and that strategy worked out exceedingly well in the end. I’ve managed to diversify my gaming interests well beyond what they once were.

That being said, by this time next year, there’s going to be quite a lot of Pokémon games on the Switch, as well as a cheaper model (the Lite) on the market than there was when I was considering my purchase. I’m not endorsing this, but if someone really is only into Pokémon and is thinking about getting a Switch, they could probably rationalize that choice more confidently today than I could have back then.
 
I think the best way to enjoy a game's story, without actually playing the game, is probably to read the Pokemon Adventures manga. I haven't read a lot of it, but I'm always really impressed by it when I do.
The Adventures manga is definitely a good read, I won't deny that. But I was actually referring to the more broadly-applicable practice of watching a video playthrough of a game you can't play for yourself. If you see the events happening, you've gotten the opportunity to experience the story in just as direct a manner as having actually played the game. And more often than not, you'll get to observe the nature of the gameplay so that you can determine whether it's worth playing yourself, just in case you get the chance. I wouldn't exactly compare it to reading the manga because they make a LOT of storyline changes in the manga. But it ultimately boils down to what the individual prefers.

I wasn’t planning on getting a Switch, back in 2018 when the only thing I would have been getting it for was Pokémon, and we only knew of two core series games that would be on the system (LGPE and the 2019 game). Investing in a Switch for just one, maybe two $60 games and nothing else simply wasn’t worth it in my opinion.

But then out of the blue, a remaster of another old game I love was announced for the Switch, and I figured I could better justify the purchase if I was going to use it for more than just Pokémon.
I sympathize with that situation a lot more than I want to. To describe me as "late to the party" regarding the WiiU is a dramatic understatement. I literally purchased a WiiU the day before the Switch was announced. And at first, I didn't end up getting the Switch just out of spite. Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a Switch launch title and the WiiU's closing title, so I got the WiiU version and ignored the Switch's existence for a while, and I was fairly bitter about the number of WiiU games that got ported to the Switch because the WiiU suffered through no fault of its own.

But like you, a game I really enjoyed got a Switch remaster, and I decided, you know what, maybe it's not such a bad idea to have the option. And I haven't regretted that decision. I still haven't gone and bought any of the ported WiiU games (except Hyrule Warriors, and mostly because it has the content from Legends that didn't get to the WiiU version), but I've enjoyed many others, and I haven't regretted any of it. And after being able to play through Galar and knowing a new journey in Sinnoh is on the horizon, I can look back on that decision with fondness.
 
Even if i wasn't very fond of some designs in Gen 7 and 8, they still somehow manage to make some amazing designs for pokemon. Basculegion looks amazing and that's after 25 years of designing pokemon.
 
One more point of mine, just because this only really hit me in the last week or so.

7. The best part of the Pokémon games is the fact that no two journeys are identical.
I'm not just talking about different journeys through different regions. I've played through every region at least twice, and there's ALWAYS something to make the experience new. You're not gonna run into all the exact same Pokémon under all the exact same circumstances as you did last time. And even for the fixed encounters, like opposing Trainers and legendary Pokémon, you're not gonna have the exact same fight with each one.
Even if you build up the same team as last time, the amount of variability in what you're going to experience is outstanding. You're not gonna find the same species at the same level with the same gender and all the same IVs at the exact same pace as you did before, even if you're the min-maxer who's going to seek all of that out. Something is going to be different, every single time. It's a level of replayability that very few games can lay claim to.
To say nothing of how different two people's experiences can be. A friend of mine recently had the opportunity to go through Gen VI Hoenn, and we had a battle once she had finished off the Delta Episode. The team that she put together was so different from any team I had ever raised in Hoenn, I couldn't even begin to imagine what her experience was like at any of the key points, even after she had shared what parts of the journey had brought her the most panic and stress (going into Hoenn's Core with only three party members and intent to catch the super-ancient Pokémon? Good Alpha, the courage that would take).
You cannot have the exact same experience twice. You will not have the exact same experience as someone else. And that level of variation, the fact that every single journey is unique, is a rarity that I cannot appreciate enough.
 
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