• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Is Pokemon Legends: Arceus the first legitimate step for GameFreak to make a proper Pokemon game?

levyjl1988

Banned
Pokemon Sword and Shield was downright trash. The lazy animations, the poor textures, the ridiculous handholding, the bland NPCs. The list keeps going on.
Skill Up's review pretty much nails it.


After seeing this video, there may be some hope, GameFreak is slowly moving away from the minimum viable product and perhaps releasing a game that fans actually want.


+Your Trainer actually gets hurt.
+Animations have been fixed.
+Third person battles.

-Copy and paste home interiors?
-Pokemon aren't as lived in like New Pokemon Snap.
-Side quests structure?
-Multiplayer component?

Unlike traditional Pokemon games, there is only one version. Spending $90 CAN for two versions of the game with barely any differences and purchasing the expansions for both versions and the service feels quite disrespectful.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) is releasing to nothing more than what seems to be just a texture makeover and nothing expansive like Heart Gold/ Soul Silver or Leaf Green/ Fire Red did to expand on game made before.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Is Pokemon going in the right direction or did you abandon ship long ago?
It seems like the only way to truly convey the Pokemon world is through the tv shows and the movies as the games don't do justice to actually flesh out represent the Pokemon World.
 

Fbh

Member
Arceus looks like the fan made unity asset flip version of the Pokemon game I've wanted for a long time.

I like the core concept of Arceus in that it feels different from what they've been doing for the past 25 years. But as long as Nintendo/Gamefreak refuse to put any sort of actual effort and budget into these games I doubt I'll jump back into the franchise.

Any why would they? When they continue to dominate sales and outsell the vast majority of AAA games?. Minimum investment for maximum profit, it's like the wet dream of any company.
 

Saber

Gold Member
You have to be completelly retarded to believe such piece of junk is a "step in the right direction".

Implementing meanless mechanics doesn't help awfull mechanics and ugly outdated visuals. Not to mention the total lack of honesty and transparency with their own consumers.

But whatever happens is pointless. It happened the other time, whoever wants to buy their products will be very likely to buy it regardless of the quality of the final product, even if PC announces that the game comes with AIDS on it. See the reactions from the recents remakes and you will understand what I'm talking about.

The copium and hopium cilinders are pretty much what keep their fanbase alive from their vegetative state of being corporate slaves.
 
Last edited:

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I’m never played Pokémon but when I have SMT with better monster design and combat why do I need Pokémon?
 
Last edited:

RCU005

Member
I believe Game Freak has the money to make a AAA Pokemon game people have wanted.

I don't know about Arecus a lot, but the reveal trailer made it look like BOTW, but I've heard that it's not the case at all, and that it's much smaller and not even truly open world.

It's just so weird that in many ways, Nintendo is so stuck in the past, but somehow it has work for them wonderfully with many franchises. That's something neither Sony or Microsoft could ever do.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Pokemon Sword and Shield was downright trash. The lazy animations, the poor textures, the ridiculous handholding, the bland NPCs. The list keeps going on.
Skill Up's review pretty much nails it.


After seeing this video, there may be some hope, GameFreak is slowly moving away from the minimum viable product and perhaps releasing a game that fans actually want.


+Your Trainer actually gets hurt.
+Animations have been fixed.
+Third person battles.

-Copy and paste home interiors?
-Pokemon aren't as lived in like New Pokemon Snap.
-Side quests structure?
-Multiplayer component?

Unlike traditional Pokemon games, there is only one version. Spending $90 CAN for two versions of the game with barely any differences and purchasing the expansions for both versions and the service feels quite disrespectful.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) is releasing to nothing more than what seems to be just a texture makeover and nothing expansive like Heart Gold/ Soul Silver or Leaf Green/ Fire Red did to expand on game made before.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Is Pokemon going in the right direction or did you abandon ship long ago?
It seems like the only way to truly convey the Pokemon world is through the tv shows and the movies as the games don't do justice to actually flesh out represent the Pokemon World.


Please present what evidence you have that this is what „Pokémon fans actually want“. You act like the majority of fans hated Sword/Shield and want this Style of game.
 

ANDS

King of Gaslighting
Look, if it's in TEMTEM it should be in a POKEMON game but better. Nothing in that video beyond the most basic stuff (animations and such) suggests that not much has changed for this game series.

. . .to be fair though, I'm not sure how much they can change the Pokemon combat formula (i.e., if it is something that is just ingrained in the DNA of the game and immutable).
 

Codes 208

Member
Enhanced versions of the Red/Blue concept, more or less.
What OP means is that now they are making a truly new type of game.
Hardly, its mission based to track down those hyper pokemon so now so its essentially monster hunter with pokemon
 

HF2014

Member
Funny thing is Pokemon Sword was my first Pokemon game, and its still for me the best, even after trying all 3DS games, and the horrible, imo, Lets go Pikachu. But i was not dissapointed in any of these 3DS games, finished Sun and plan finishing Omega Ruby and X. I even got Pokemon Mystery Dungeons on Switch and i think its a fun game!
 

MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
If the game was a new IP no one would give it a look AL is going to sell based on brand recognition. The game is not going to be good. The only good Pokemon games that are actually new are Pokken Tournament and Pokemon Snap.

They should just get Bandai Namco to partner up and make their Pokemon games.

I stand firm when I say the best Pokemon game to date is still Gold/Silver. Ruby/Sapphire was ok but after that it started going downhill.

Honorable mention to OG Pokemon Stadium.
 

justiceiro

Marlboro: Other M
They got a extra year to develop this game, but they unable to even mantain a open world. It's literally proof they can't.
 

Bitmap Frogs

Mr. Community
Well, I hope it works.

I like the idea of pokemon but the actual execution... nah. SMT is much more my jam.

Arceus might change that.
 
Last edited:

Codes 208

Member
Hardly what? Arceus is a complete shift from the previous game formula.
In regards to being anything new. Its a step away from traditional pokemon sure, but to me this is just a genre swap not unlike pokken being a fighting game or pokemon mystery dungeon being a turn based dungeon crawler.
 

Whitecrow

Banned
Any single Pokemon can compare to Blue/Silver generations. They were so simple that imagination filled the experience in amazing ways. They were top tier games at those times.
More than 20 years later, they're basically the same games with enhanced gameplay and childish visual style that fails terribly to deliver the same epicity of the first adventures.

Legends: Arceus may be a step forward, but the effort seems also... lacking.
 

Smasher89

Member
Funny thing is Pokemon Sword was my first Pokemon game, and its still for me the best, even after trying all 3DS games, and the horrible, imo, Lets go Pikachu. But i was not dissapointed in any of these 3DS games, finished Sun and plan finishing Omega Ruby and X. I even got Pokemon Mystery Dungeons on Switch and i think its a fun game!
The decline started with the 3ds games, XY were the first where it started to go downwards with basicly less puzzles, super low difficulty and no postgame challenges.
Go deeper back and you'll notice (but also alot of features has shut down since there were online components thats no longer used). In the old games the game started once you reached the postgame, now its just the starting point of shinyhunting and completing the dex, which can be started earlier anyways.
 

HF2014

Member
The decline started with the 3ds games, XY were the first where it started to go downwards with basicly less puzzles, super low difficulty and no postgame challenges.
Go deeper back and you'll notice (but also alot of features has shut down since there were online components thats no longer used). In the old games the game started once you reached the postgame, now its just the starting point of shinyhunting and completing the dex, which can be started earlier anyways.

Well, call me crazy, but i think having these game becoming a bit easier is just a step of improving. Sure earlier game were giving you more challenge, but does this serie need to remain a hard game like it was in the past? I think by being a bit easier and adding more friendly options, it get a new audience.
 
it seemed ambitious but gamefreak gonna gamefreak. i ain't buying it nor the shitey diamond/pearl remakes.

fuck gamefreak. they don't deserve to make Pokemon games but hey as long as the $ keeps coming in who cares, right?
 
Pokemon got bad with just Sword/Shield? lmfao.
for me the G/S/C era was my absolute favourite. i will admit that the R/S/E and D/P/P eras were fun too. HG/SS were fantastic remakes of G/S and i still swear that they are the best Pokemon games ever made. I love the visuals of the original G/S games but HG/SS are the better games.

Black and White were respectable games but after that, for me, it all went downhill. B2/W2 didn't do much. X/Y were forgettable. Sun/Moon were trash and so were the Ultra games.

Let's Go Pikachu was such a fun game and got me excited in Pokemon again but it was essentially just a Pokemon Yellow remake. Sword/Shield took some steps in the right direction but still felt underwhelming.

The Diamond/Pearl remakes and Arceus will be the first Pokemon games i don't buy and I've played all the Pokemon games since Red in 90's.
 
Last edited:

hemo memo

Gold Member
Proper Pokemon game? What the fuck have they been making for the last 25 years?
Ctrl + C of the same 25 years old game and to add to the ridiculousness, split it into 2 for maximum money grab. The word “Lazy” have never been more appropriate description of the a dev.

When you think about it, it doesn’t make sense. I mean Nintendo internal teams are the most creative devs out there. Yet Game Freak is the most creatively bankrupt dev in the industry.
 
Last edited:

Smasher89

Member
Well, call me crazy, but i think having these game becoming a bit easier is just a step of improving. Sure earlier game were giving you more challenge, but does this serie need to remain a hard game like it was in the past? I think by being a bit easier and adding more friendly options, it get a new audience.
Concidering all the moves and pokemon, types and abilities you have to kinda learn its still quite complex, QOL stuff that makes it faster to get a battle ready pokemon is good, no need to breed for 3h just to get a medioker pokemon which is good(breeding pre emerald even didnt guarantie anything).
But theres nothing in the games that uses that complexitys potencial, team synergy and battle combos go just to the most basic level.

Something like the battle pyramid still could be played casually or more hardcore (think of it like a dungeon where there was limited to no healing, and you couldnt bring held items, instead it were randomized items and healing with risk/reward to exploring. Goal was to get to the top to beat the trainer there.
100 times more interesting than the battle tower thats been the staple of the last couple games, where getting a score just meant you dealth with stuff like focus band, quick claw OHKO moves in a good way.
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
If you mention pokemon around xbox and sony fanboys they'll get ticked off and break your neck, I see that franchise that has potential but hasn't moved on from the 90s. I understand they have fire but the top down view is a no-no for me.
 

Saber

Gold Member
Well, call me crazy, but i think having these game becoming a bit easier is just a step of improving. Sure earlier game were giving you more challenge, but does this serie need to remain a hard game like it was in the past?

It has nothing to do with "becoming hard". It's about becoming brain dead.
One way to make the game easier without necessarily removing the challenge is limiting the movepool of the opposing AI for instance. The player should still needs to swap mons over the premise of type advantege(is the main thing about pokemon as rpg and probably acts like a learning pattern).

So it's not like usual players want the AI to have lvl 75 Garchomp with full IV, EV and strongbased moves for deal with. Instead the game should have a ground type pokemon with a regular-mid ground attacks so the player should think "well, I'm fighting with a pokemon at disavantage and have a flying type on my team, so I should totally swap to it". Nowadays however you fight an AI that doesn't even put much of fight and the player have way too much overleved pokemons, completelly mitigating any source of challenge and learning behaviour. It's like those cheapy mobile games, you want to win then just win.
 

levyjl1988

Banned
Please present what evidence you have that this is what „Pokémon fans actually want“. You act like the majority of fans hated Sword/Shield and want this Style of game.
Well, I can't speak for all fans but I know what the fuck I want out of a Pokemon game and Sword and Shield is far from it.

I want a Pokemon game where:

1. It doesn't handhold you.
2. An open-world game where the town you start in would be randomly selected and be more than 5 houses.
3. You can go to any gym you want in any order and gym leaders use Pokemon based on how many badges you have so the difficulty is scaled to that.
4. You can catch Pokemon in any order without following the boring routine of going a set specific route every game.
5. Legendary Pokemon feel legendary with major side quests. Most Pokemon games you just have some guy in the Pokemon Center just give you these legendary Pokemon like handouts, you never had to work hard to earn them, it's like here you go. Like WTF?! Where is the struggle, where is the rewarding feeling?!
6. Environments are atmospheric and truly mimic that of the anime.
7. Pixar-like storytelling that is great for both children and adult audiences with deep moral subtext and conversations that is worthy of conservation and analysis.
8. Post-game has you requiring specific Pokemon to trigger sidequests.
9. Dark Souls hidden like areas that make entire subreddits want to solve mysteries of the game, like inspecting and hitting every wall, but having certain Pokemon on your team leading you to secret areas and uncovering hidden items and Pokemon nests.
10. Full character customization look at the start of the game and accessories and clothing to be purchased at different towns and cities each clothing brand is unique to that city and theme.
11. Animations that are fluid.
12. Players actually knock on doors to enter like in Animal Crossing and being respectful rather than fucking trespassing and seeing copy and pasted homes.
13. Legendary Pokemon and Mythical Pokemon have side quests attached to them that feel monumental and in design with their characters.
14. A pokemon's personality is actually depicted on screen rather than in text. Like you can tell if a Pokemon is timid of bashful just by its body language.
15. Camping has a purpose so you can rest your Pokemon and yourself in tents.
16. Continuing with the mechanics of Arceus your trainer can also get injured.
17. Memorable NPCs, talking to them after battle yields some interesting dialogue of wisdom and even hints of places to investigate. Further dialogue would push you to hidden sidequests.

I could keep on going, the Pokemon franchise has so much potential but right now it's handled by a team who doesn't give a shit. If only this franchise was given to the hands of the young and hungry who can push this franchise and evolve it more than what it currently is.
 

Dr. Claus

Vincit qui se vincit
Well, I can't speak for all fans but I know what the fuck I want out of a Pokemon game and Sword and Shield is far from it.

I want a Pokemon game where:

1. It doesn't handhold you.
2. An open-world game where the town you start in would be randomly selected and be more than 5 houses.
3. You can go to any gym you want in any order and gym leaders use Pokemon based on how many badges you have so the difficulty is scaled to that.
4. You can catch Pokemon in any order without following the boring routine of going a set specific route every game.
5. Legendary Pokemon feel legendary with major side quests. Most Pokemon games you just have some guy in the Pokemon Center just give you these legendary Pokemon like handouts, you never had to work hard to earn them, it's like here you go. Like WTF?! Where is the struggle, where is the rewarding feeling?!
6. Environments are atmospheric and truly mimic that of the anime.
7. Pixar-like storytelling that is great for both children and adult audiences with deep moral subtext and conversations that is worthy of conservation and analysis.
8. Post-game has you requiring specific Pokemon to trigger sidequests.
9. Dark Souls hidden like areas that make entire subreddits want to solve mysteries of the game, like inspecting and hitting every wall, but having certain Pokemon on your team leading you to secret areas and uncovering hidden items and Pokemon nests.
10. Full character customization look at the start of the game and accessories and clothing to be purchased at different towns and cities each clothing brand is unique to that city and theme.
11. Animations that are fluid.
12. Players actually knock on doors to enter like in Animal Crossing and being respectful rather than fucking trespassing and seeing copy and pasted homes.
13. Legendary Pokemon and Mythical Pokemon have side quests attached to them that feel monumental and in design with their characters.
14. A pokemon's personality is actually depicted on screen rather than in text. Like you can tell if a Pokemon is timid of bashful just by its body language.
15. Camping has a purpose so you can rest your Pokemon and yourself in tents.
16. Continuing with the mechanics of Arceus your trainer can also get injured.
17. Memorable NPCs, talking to them after battle yields some interesting dialogue of wisdom and even hints of places to investigate. Further dialogue would push you to hidden sidequests.

I could keep on going, the Pokemon franchise has so much potential but right now it's handled by a team who doesn't give a shit. If only this franchise was given to the hands of the young and hungry who can push this franchise and evolve it more than what it currently is.

Which is great. However, clearly that isn’t the majority of opinion given how well the game sold and continues to sell.

Much of your complaints have been a thing since the very first Pokemon game, which I can understand wanting to see some improvement. However, expecting a company who does the same thing for over 25 years to suddenly do an about face and change? It’s silly.
 

Star-Lord

Member
Which is great. However, clearly that isn’t the majority of opinion given how well the game sold and continues to sell.

Much of your complaints have been a thing since the very first Pokemon game, which I can understand wanting to see some improvement. However, expecting a company who does the same thing for over 25 years to suddenly do an about face and change? It’s silly.
I was going to say I don’t recall having Articuno, Moltres, or Zapdos handed to me in a Pokémon Centre. I had to work for the fuckers. I’d include Mewtwo, but that one is cheap with a Master Ball. The Legendaries in Pokémon Gold/Silver and Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire also had stories and side-quests attached to them and took effort to catch.
 
Last edited:

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
They need to really change the formula to get me on board.

Currently, Pokémon is aimed at kids, and I don't want to play some kids game with a simple story for five year olds. No. I need a fully, mature R rated game.

Change it to a fully openworld MMO, which can be explored in FP or TP viewpoints. Make it a huge openworld as well. Fit in all current regions and expand them in size. Make the maps at least 1 million km2.

Next, change the battles. Nobody wants outdated turn based battles. Make them real time, FFS.

Add insane blood and violence. Pokémon no longer faint, but get torn apart and killed from other Pokémon.

Add a mature and dark storyline. Something like you'd find in Walking Dead. Really hard hitting. Get some holiday voice actors as well to voice NPCs and Pokémon. Finally, change it to UE4 and give us the most realistic graphics and art style possible.

That would then be a real Pokémon game that I'd buy.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
On the one hand, I think Arceus is an interesting and important step into more adventurous and forward-thinking territory. On the other, it's clearly a hedged bet, a spin-off title with underwhelming production values designed as a test-bed for the kind of new ideas GameFreak has been afraid to try in Pokemon proper.

I'm interested to see how it shakes out and if we see the series expanded or some of those changes get rolled into the mainline, but it's more of a start than a destination.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Currently, Pokémon is aimed at kids, and I don't want to play some kids game with a simple story for five year olds. No. I need a fully, mature R rated game.
M-rated Pokemon with a dark, mature storyline running on UE4 exists and is called Shin Megami Tensei V.
 
Last edited:

Sgt.Asher

Member
Pokemon needs to go into once a generation release schedule. One main game, one remake, and fill the rest of the years with spin offs (mystery dungeon, snap etc..). As it is now, pokemon can't maintain quality releasing on a yearly schedule.
On a side note, the battle dialog is so fucking slow, i don't need to see the animation, then, the moves name, and then the effect. God forbid there is a group heal in a raid. It's been like that since the first game. Streamline that shit.
 
I’m never played Pokémon but when I have SMT with better monster design and combat why do I need Pokémon?
240-2400528_this-clean-png-of-jack-frost-on-the-main-site-makes-jack.png
 
Top Bottom