Missed Opportunities in Pokemon Games

[Poke Dragon]

Let's be real, Pokemon has had so many great opportunities for many things and yet, they didn't do anything for them. I'll start off with a simple one:

Not introducing a Dragon-type Eeveelution alongside Sylveon. Every generation that has introduced an Eeveelution has always had type advantages applied against one another in the same generation. The only exception of course is Gen 6 and the fact that there wasn't a Dragon-type Eeveelution introduced alongside Sylveon.

Gen 1: Jolteon is SE against Vaporeon. Vaporeon is SE against Flareon.

Gen 2: Umbreon is SE against Espeon.

Gen 4: Glaceon is SE against Leafeon.

This theme would've still been applied for Sylveon and the theoretical Dragon-type Eeveelution. Plus it finishes with all of the Special-types instead of just leaving the concept incomplete.


This is just one of the many opportunities that Pokemon decided not to do and thus missed them, what are some of the ones you have in mind?

 

[Frozen Fennec]

Bringing back the Sevii Islands for Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee!

 

[prog rocker]

Rejecting the Wolfman and Kotora lines.

 

[Daren]

I'll make the mandatory "no Battle Frontier in Or/As" post.

Also, I think introducing Gorochu in gen 2 would have been a lot better than Pichu. Pika already has early game stats; it didn't need a weaker prevo, and Raichu-tier Pokémon like Electabuzz would eventually get evolutions anyways.

 

[Poke Dragon]

Not having a Gen 4 remake during Gen 7:

The theming of Sun and Moon would've tied perfectly into the theming of time and space. Not only that, but it would've also have been coming full circle right to the remakes of the first main series Pokemon games that had utilized the double screen formula, making it a fitting end to the Pokemon games that had double screens before moving to the Switch.

 

[R1ke]

I guess this is less of a missed opportunity and more of a general issue, but I don’t get why so many notable trainers nowadays have only 5 pokemon. Main examples I can think of are Guzma, Lusamine, Rainbow Rocket Team leaders and Leon+all your rivals in the champion cup (this one’s even weirder since hop/leon already have full teams). Like surely they can fit one more pokemon and complete their team.

 

[Frozen Fennec]

Also a missed opportunity; Gorochu. Although instead of making it an evolution for Raichu, I would make it a branched evolution from Pikachu that would have evolved from either high friendship or a Fire Stone or something.

 

[Poke Dragon]

Another missed opportunity regarding a Pokemon:

Not having any of the base of fusion Pokemon being able to fuse with both members of their respective trios. Necrozma fusing with both Solgaleo and Lunala would've been a perfect way to make it transform into Ultra Necrozma since there would be enough light to maintain that form permanently. With Calyrex, they could have just made it so a simple horse cart would appear behind the horse Pokemon. And of course, the most obvious is allowing Black Kyurem to fuse with Reshiram/White Kyurem to fuse with Zekrom during Gen 5 as some sort of hidden form that the player would discover themself without Ghetsis knowing about it.

And in speaking of Gen 5, not having Hilbert/Hilda meet up with N in Black 2/White 2. It's so ridiculous that didn't happen considering Hilbert/Hilda was looking for N. Plus that would have resulted in potentially allowing Nate/Rosa to catch Hilbert's/Hilda's legendary dragon as a result of N releasing his dragon for Nate/Rosa to catch. Moreover, there is unused text of Hilbert/Hilda talking to the player in the PWT.

 

[Puddle]

Not including Leaf (or Green, as I like to call her) in HeartGold and SoulSilver. She could have appeared at Mt. Silver instead of Red if you're playing as Lyra.

 

[prog rocker]

Not including Leaf (or Green, as I like to call her) in HeartGold and SoulSilver. She could have appeared at Mt. Silver instead of Red if you're playing as Lyra.

Or better yet: Use the dual slot feature and let the Mt. Silver trainer match your FRLG trainer (at least in name and gender).

 

[Bolt Strike]

There's a lot of them that I'd have to think about later, but the biggest one of all would have to be skipping an updated entry of XY (third version/sequel/whatever) for SM. XY is painfully lacking in... everything and the rationale for having a second generation on the 3DS the year before its successor was releasing was flimsy at best. They should've had a second Kalos game in 2016 and SM on the Switch in 2017. Being a launch year Switch title would've done more to help SM than the 20th anniversary ever could've hoped to.

 

[Shib]

Perhaps not a missed opportunity but perhaps the one thing I really wish had been done:

After the completion of Gen IV when black and white started development once the decision was made to base a region on New York I really wish that GameFreak/TPC had made something of an overall plan of the regions of the Pokémon world. I don’t mean like every single detail planned out but having a list of names for a lot of regions against their real world counterparts.

This would have let them hint at stuff better and even explain Pokémon that would make more sense as being originally from another region - e.g Copperajah’s Pokédex entry could mention that they are originally native to the <Name> region which has a long history with Galar.

I realise it would make quite a lot of work initially but I really think it could have helped make a more rich and connected feeling world.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Not making Pokémon Z.

Kalos clearly had many sign that it could get a Z version to expand on unresolved things, like the unopened Power Plant doors and, most notably, Zygarde, who probably suffered from it the most. Instead of making a Z version where it could shine, Game Freak wanted to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary by releasing a new generation, thus skipping the Z version and shoving poor Zygarde's brand new formes as nothing but an optional side quest in a region that it wasn't even native to. Very underwhelming. Zygarde deserved better.

 

[RK9]

Not letting us fight Hilda/Hilbert in BW2. They had Memory Link and could have possibly used it to have them use the teams you had when you cleared the game in BW.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Not letting us fight Hilda/Hilbert in BW2. They had Memory Link and could have possibly used it to have them use the teams you had when you cleared the game in BW.

There's even unused dialogue in the game's coding that indicates you were supposed to be able to battle them in the PWT.

 

[RK9]

There's even unused dialogue in the game's coding that indicates you were supposed to be able to battle them in the PWT.

Yeah.

But to be honest, I think it's fine they aren't in the PWT. Cause it would be very anti-climactic to just have them walk into there when no one else has seemingly gotten a hold of them in terms of contact but then suddenly Clay's like "'ello chap, fancy a tourney?" and they come flying home first thing they do.

But the Nature Reserve. Oh god the Nature Reserve. It's secluded enough and inaccesible to most of the public enough that not many people would go there. You can easily use it as a 'Mt. Silver mirror' where you can fight Hilda or Hilbert somewhere in the outskirts. (Which does beg the question, why didn't they come when Gehtsis was up to no good again, but Red also stayed in Mt. Silver when Team Rocket was moving in Johto so I guess it's okay-ish enough.)

 

[Leaf_Ranger]

Well, not making a Green 2DS model to release in the West because I'd prefer a green 2DS and the opportunity to play an English version of the original Green version (and don't tell me that's Blue version because the sprites are different).

Also, not making a day/night cycle in the Gen. 3 games. Thinking about it, that's one of the first proof that GF wasn't interesting in building the new games upon a base of set features that make sense to stay in all games.

Last but not least, GF had a missed opportuinty of staying true to their word and actually make new models for Gen. 8 instead of blatantly lying or a missed opportunity to just shut up instead of lying to consumers.

Let's be real, Pokemon has had so many great opportunities for many things and yet, they didn't do anything for them. I'll start off with a simple one:

Not introducing a Dragon-type Eeveelution alongside Sylveon. Every generation that has introduced an Eeveelution has always had type advantages applied against one another in the same generation. The only exception of course is Gen 6 and the fact that there wasn't a Dragon-type Eeveelution introduced alongside Sylveon.
(...)

I don't see there a missed opportunity because eeveelution seems to appear to promote something:
Gen. 1 - Elemental stone (albeit incomplete) evolution;
Gen. 2 - Day and Night cycle;
Gen. 4 - Location based evolution;
Gen. 6 - New type.
Also, while what you said also made sense (about weaknesses), I really don't missa a Dragon type eeveelution because Kalos doesn't seem to have that mcuh presence of Dragon-type lore with only Drasna being the most relevant related thing (as far as I remember) to it.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I don't see there a missed opportunity because eeveelution seems to appear to promote something:
Gen. 1 - Elemental stone (albeit incomplete) evolution;
Gen. 2 - Day and Night cycle;
Gen. 4 - Location based evolution;
Gen. 6 - New type.
Also, while what you said also made sense (about weaknesses), I really don't missa a Dragon type eeveelution because Kalos doesn't seem to have that mcuh presence of Dragon-type lore with only Drasna being the most relevant related thing (as far as I remember) to it.

The 2nd gen Eeveelutions were also done to promote Dark type, and Espeon being there demonstrates how Dark is immune to Psychic. Kalos could've had something similar, and they could've found some way to work it in.

 

[Antiyonder]

While I never expected Yellow to be completely different than Red/Blue, I'm surprised at the lack of references through say trainer battles.

Like maybe:
- Final Viridian Forest trainer having a Metapod and Pinsir.

- Having four trainers each with an Eeveelution or having at least one who uses all four of them.

- A few more Rocket Trio encounters including Lickitung and Victreebel in the mix.

 

[prog rocker]

- A few more Rocket Trio encounters including Lickitung and Victreebel in the mix.

Judging by when the references stop, I don't think they would have those...