Bulbagarden

Hey Silk, whats up man?

I dont really post on Bulbagarden anymore, after I had some "dfferences" with the mods because of their biased behaviour on political issues.

I still come occasionally to check if I have any alerts, and I just saw your one now. Tell me how are you?

I have been disconnected from SwSh for at least 2 months, so there is a lot of things idk about. What is your opinion of SwSh sofar? I havent bought the game, because I would need to buy a Switch for that, and I need a good reason to spend that kind of cash for a game that looks arguably more batrren than even Gen 6 and 7.

What about you?

I'm glad that you're still alive. You haven't missed out on much.

I don't plan on buying SwSh. While there are 3-4 new Pokemon I wouldn't mind using, I can't think anything that even comes close to justifying the price tag, let alone buying a Switch (I rented one for LGPE). The Wild Area seems like it might be fun for an hour and then it would get repetitive, while Camp would get old even more quickly. Dynamax/Gigantamax and the closely related gyms and story simply don't appeal to me. I am not into competitive battling, but I wouldn't enjoy being limited to the arbitrary Pokedex Game Freak came up with. What's left?

I haven't even heard about any interesting landmarks like Pokemon Tower, Pokemon Mansion, Silph Co., Ruins of Alph, Tin/Burned Tower, Lighthouse, Mt. Pyre, Abandoned Ship or Sea Mauville.

Yeah, I completely agree with you.

My main issues are:

1) Battle content is getting scarcer and scarcer. This game looks barebones compared to even Kalos and Alola.

2) What you just said about landmarks: there seems to be nothing exciting like the ones you mentioned. Even Kalos had some landmarks that I liked, like Lost Hotel or Azure Bay.

I will say though: I am really liking the new Pokémon this time. I could see myself using a full team of just new Pokémon. Drednaw, Duraludon, Barraskewda, Appletun, Dragapult, Dracozolt, Arctozolt, etc

But unlike some other fans, I wouldn't buy a Pokémon game just for the cool new Pokémon, if there is nothing interesting to do with them in the game.

Oh btw, I've heard that apparently no new Let's Go game is in the making?

I'd probably use Sirfetch'd, Thievul, Flapple and Runerigus. Both Mr. Rime and Cursola bother me.

It's hard to say what Masuda is planning for Let's Go. He said that there are no current plans but at the same time asked fans to express interest in such a game. I'd think that it could only be released in this generation, as Go isn't getting more popular by the day. Reusing LGPE assets (especially for Kanto) would only be acceptable in the foreseeable future, too.

Hey, what's up? I have been reading about SwSh.

Do you agree that SwSh is probably one of the worse main series games ever?

Yes. I think that I appreciate XY more than SwSh, and that's saying something. At least they introduced 3D models and a new type.

I feel the same. To me Galar is basically just a poor man's Kalos.

I hate when fans throw the term "rushed" but this time I think it is completely justified. This game feels rushed and unfinished imo.

It was sort of inevitable since they're the fourth consecutive release since 2016. USUM and LGPE were lacking in content, too, but at least they weren't hyped up to be the best games ever.

Have you played Polished Crystal?

No, sadly I haven't had time/motivation to play Polished Crystal and any other Pokémon game since we last talked in Summer, due to family issues. But hopefully I might start playing it again, soon. I will definitely tell you my impressions, as soon as I continue playing it.

As for "unfinished dev" games, I think there were already signs of Game Freak's problems during SM. Ohmori said he had to basically develop Trials singlehandedly... But with SwSh it's worse. I don't remember a more content lacking game since GEN 1, tbh.

And in Gen 1's case it was kinda justified. GF had a completely different staff size back then.

But I think it is a safe bet to say that SwSh has been the most disappointing Pokémon game ever. Especially due to the excessive hype they generated, as you said.

There were only about 20 employees with limited experience back in the 90s. And they had to do a lot of trial and error in terms of the mechanics, rather than rely on a pre-existing formula.

Is your family okay?

Well there are health problems at home currently.

My grandma had suffered a micro stroke when you and I were talking in Summer. And now there are problems with my mom's health.

I pray to God that everything is going to be alright soon. But currently, we are still under a lot of stress. Thank you for asking!

As for Game Freak, I wonder why they made better Pokémon games back in the day. Maybe it's just "inspiration"? I feel like they are relying too much on gimmicks nowadays. Gmax and Dynamax make me cringe.

Sorry to hear that. If your grandmother is worried about her daughter(?), then that could cause another stroke. How old are they?

Pokemon used to be a passion project for Game Freak, certainly in the first two generations. The more they felt "safe" about their success, the less effort they put into their work. I think that the transition to 3D and now HD made them think "oh, this and the gimmicks should be enough." They aren't wrong sales-wise, unfortunately. They're really good about maximizing sales while minimizing work.

My grandma is 82, and my mom is in her 50s. But yeah, it is a lot of stress for us, unfortunately. I hope things get better soon.

I know exactly what you mean, when you say Pokémon was a passion project for them for the first two generations. But for me, the real (negative) change happened when moving on the 3DS.

You explained it very well, they are just relying on shiny gimmicks nowadays, and unfortunately it is working.

How are SwSh sales going for now, btw? I heard they are selling very well.