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[jigglet]

I've been thinking about this a lot recently.

Rewind the clocks back to the mid-to-late 90's. Nintendo had just lost FF7, and Yamauchi made that now-infamous quote about RPG's being for "losers".

Then came Pokemon, the property they only partly own. Sure it's a majority stake but that's not the point; serious money was left on the table. Before it blew up, they would have had every opportunity to own Pokemon outright. In fact, partly-owned subsidiaries weren't a common practice for them back then. However, on the basis of such disdain for RPG's, it's easy to see how they would have been indifferent to this new "Pocket Monsters" game and allowed a precious piece of the pie to be left on the table.

But hindsight is 20/20.

Fast forward to the mid 2010's. Nintendo is still unsure about what to do with mobile tech, to the point of being dismissive of it. Pokemon Go goes on to become a mega hit. It's faded away, right? No, I looked up the stats recently and to my surprise it's still making obscene an amount of money. I'm not talking about in relative Nintendo terms; even against the big industry players it's actually still one of the biggest. Would Nintendo have given away 30% of this pie to Niantic had they had more confidence in mobile tech? Yes you could argue Nintendo lacked the infrastructure and know-how to build Pokemon Go but that's irrelevant; intent is what matters.

I can't help but think what other blindspots are out there and how Pokemon will somehow fit into this picture one day. I have this image of Pokemon being involved in some earth-shattering trend one day that Nintendo dismissed, and by that point Nintendo's share of the venture has been whittled down to like 10%

 

[oagboghi2]

How is this a blind spot for Nintendo? Are they at risk of losing the franchise?

 

[jigglet]

Are they at risk of losing the franchise?

No, how is losing the franchise the only definition of it being a blindspot?

 

[oagboghi2]

If Nintendo doesn't lose the franchise, than what's the blindspot? Do you think Nintendo gives a shit about Niantic cut?

They have majority stake in the franchise, which you glossed over. That's what Nintendo cares about.

They may see mobile as a blindspots, but that is a different issue entirely. I doubt think Nintendo cares about that market as much as their shareholders do?

 

[jigglet]

I doubt think Nintendo cares about that market as much as their shareholders do?

Well I suppose I should disclose that yes I am a shareholder, with a pretty significant holding actually. That may skew my perspective I admit.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Pokemon is a low effort franchise that makes Nintendo a crap loads of dough and is worth more than all your favorite videogames combined. Even after the last game and how it showed long time fans they don't give a flying fuck they killed it. Pokemon's is Nintendo's cow.

 

[ILoveGTR]

Pika Pİk

 

[teezzy]

Monster Crown 'bout to dethrone

 

[theclaw135]

Pokemon is a litigation battleground waiting to happen. Should the partnership break down on bad terms, no one company holds a legitimate claim to continue the franchise on their own accord.

 

[Happosai]

There were some weaker Pokemon games on N64 (Stadium was good, though). I see no blindspots -- it's another anchor for the ever growing Nintendo fan base.

 

[FloatingIslands]

It's their master plan to never fully own it.
That way, they can't be blamed for Game freak's laziness

 

[anab0lic36]

I think this is Nintendo's blindspot when it comes to Pokemon:

Make the game more appealing to more experienced players....a good place to start there would be not having the game be so mind numbingly easy.

 

[ShinNL]

I have a confession to make. I haven't finished a game in more than 10 years. By that I mean I never got to a credits screen of a single player game. I always end up playing those time sink games like Diablo, Skyrim, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter and lately Warframe. But I buy a lot of those must-have games.

A friend of mine about the same age got a Switch and convinced me to play Pokémon. The Pokémon that had so much negativity surrounding it, more than I can remember any other generation. I was convinced it's a mediocre game. Ended up getting the version he didn't get and thought, heck, why not, it was 33% on sale anyway.

It ended up being the first game I finished in years. It had everything that was dumbed down. I even wrote entire essays to strangers on the internet how I think the battle system could be involved into so much more. Yet I just ended up enjoying the simple charm of turn based battles. The linear path made it easy to just play a little bit to continue the story. The battles actually looks quite pretty and the music can be quite hyped at some times. Grind was almost non-existent, the built-in EXP share helped in that regard. I just had a very enjoyable time and was satisfied with finishing it.

Does it have the endless attention to detail, the ultra refined polish, moments of epiphany, hardware-pushing graphical fidelity, unlimited replay value and new gameplay mechanics? Nope, it checked none of that.

I realized the core gamer in me was in disbelief, but I also realized I too can just shut my brain off and enjoy the simplicity. It's like enjoying a good popcorn movie vs hyping up an AAA blockbuster movie with all expectations set too high. And while shutting my brain off is something a grown up does, in the end it also means it's very easy to understand and to play by a younger audience where brains aren't as developed.

In hindsight, do I think this game got it right? I probably have to admit that maybe they do, but not so much because it's the direction I personally wanted to see Pokémon go (basically, never evolving it's gameplay mechanics), but it definitely reaches a much wider audience than if they did something like this (I googled myself to find this essay):

It should be like the anime cartoon. I'm 33 now. Back in the day I watched the Pokémon series before I had the game. When I had the game, nothing about the battle system felt like I was really fighting like in the series.
A system I propose that would mimick the anime would be something like this:

• Pokémon face each other in real time. They don't do anything unless being sent a command. Four face buttons are used for this.
• Commands are exactly like in previous games, like Quick Attack etc. Your usual Pokémon moves.
• When using a command, there's a time lag before your Pokémon responds. You're not the Pokémon, you're commanding it. You might even have Pokémon that barely seems to listen to you at first without training, due to their inexperience or personality.
• Part of the leveling system is increasing your affinity with your Pokémon, this reduces the time lag. This feels like you're really getting stronger with your favorite Pokémon and 'how fast they respond'. At the most OP level, it would feel almost real-time, truly rewarding the player with the feeling of 'me and my Pokémon are connected'.
• Use the D-Pad to give movement commands to the Pokémon. This system allows extra commands that are in the anime but absent from the game, like 'dodge', 'run away' or 'get closer'. This will differentiate and allows things like kiting glass cannon types and tanky bruiser types.
• The analog stick should control the trainer. Getting the best view (aka best camera angle) is part of the gameplay. This allows elements like 'hiding' and terrain-shaping moves to be a thing.
• As for balancing issues, real-time might be too intense for kids or adults who just want to relax. It can be easily be toned down by simply having a cooldown on how fast you can send another command. It will be relaxing, real-time with Pokémon moving and hopping around but much much more interactive.
• A cooldown system will also give more meaning to speed, rather than just attacking first. A fast weak Pokémon might be able to do 4 moves in the time the slower Pokémon does 3 moves.
• In the same sense, a cooldown system also helps differentiate powerful moves and weaker moves of the exact same type. One might give a better recovery time while another makes your Pokémon tired for a longer time.

Pokémon should feel and play like the anime cartoon and act like living creatures. Menu-based Pokémon? Yeah, I already played that 20 years ago.

I think from a game design perspective I still think something like this would be amazing. But.... am I even the audience and does this even add value to the majority of buying audience? I'm can't say I'm sure anymore. I enjoyed the latest Pokémon maybe too much to hold this stance.

 

[theclaw135]

OK so no, it isn't up to the "standards" deserving of a full priced game on current hardware.
I would've liked more variety in a few details, like the raid den rock formation gets boring.
Plus the disastrous PR. Trying to make it sound like the balance was improved (they tried but not in the ways people wanted), the models were improved (they weren't and this is one thing I will criticize the game for), and that they weren't planning DLC (o rly? taking users for idiots backfired).

Where sword and shield DOES succeed is establishing a more entertaining foundation. There are noticeable engine improvements, it overall looks sharper and runs smoother than 3DS. Mega Evolution and Z-Moves had made the battle mechanics convoluted IMO. Dynamax combines much of their functionality, into a system accessible to more species. The character design is more appealing. I didn't care for Ultra Beasts.

 

[SometimeLaterToday]

 

[ROMhack]

Nintendo's? No. Pokemon is gamer's greatest blindspot.

The high standards people hold the series up to is frankly stupid. If you'd like a case study of what happens when 30+ year old nerds aren't catered to then look at the reaction to Sword and Shield, which is obviously a game made for young children and teenagers.

Sorry if this sounds harsh.

 

[theclaw135]

Nintendo's? No. Pokemon is gamer's greatest blindspot.

The high standards people hold the series up to is frankly stupid. If you'd like a case study of what happens when 30+ year old nerds aren't catered to then look at the reaction to Sword and Shield, which is obviously a game made for young children and teenagers.

Sorry if this sounds harsh.

I'm struggling to name any other instance, ever, of ongoing widespread complaints that in large part boil down to wanting games to be more recycled. They've been at it for a whole year!
The outcry would be more comprehensible to me if it were more clearly directed toward better production values, Game Freak's honesty, etc.

 

[Starlight Lotice]

Pokemon is Game Freaks biggest blindspot. Their output after Drill Dozer took a nosedive with mediocre games (bar the Card Jockey game) because they seem to think that all of their games are worth premium price when they are not.

Little Town Hero and that Giga Breaker game are Published elsewhere because Nintendo have no faith in their Non-Pokemon games after Drill Dozer (which is a great game). SEGA give them a try for Tembo but it didn't do quite well either.

I accept the fact that Pokemon is their bread and butter and they make the most effort into those games despite lacking a lot of stuff. They just seem to not be good at making any other game. (Ironically the Opposite of Sonic Team who make great Non-Sonic games but don't try WITH their Bread and Butter franchise).

 

[EightBit Man]

Never understood the franchise's appeal. I think Nintendo relies way too much on safe-bets like it. Also the recent Pokemon Direct kinda infuriated me. We've already had recent Pokemon games, and what did we get? A ton of rubbish Pokemon-related games. We still haven't seen a single Metroid game on Switch, and even The Legend of Zelda franchise is relegated to a secondary status it seems. Pokemon and Animal Crossing is all I hear about these days. It got annoying.

 

[theclaw135]

Pokemon is Game Freaks biggest blindspot. Their output after Drill Dozer took a nosedive with mediocre games (bar the Card Jockey game) because they seem to think that all of their games are worth premium price when they are not.

Little Town Hero and that Giga Breaker game are Published elsewhere because Nintendo have no faith in their Non-Pokemon games after Drill Dozer (which is a great game). SEGA give them a try for Tembo but it didn't do quite well either.

I accept the fact that Pokemon is their bread and butter and they make the most effort into those games despite lacking a lot of stuff. They just seem to not be good at making any other game. (Ironically the Opposite of Sonic Team who make great Non-Sonic games but don't try WITH their Bread and Butter franchise).

On top of that the expectations of a premium priced console Pokemon game clash with Game Freak's strong desire to maintain their independence. Little Town Hero, rough as it is, marks a milestone to that end; it's their own self published IP. (without Nintendo, Sega, or otherwise on the digital release)

 

[GymWolf]

Is blindspot a synonym for cash cow?!

 

[theclaw135]

Is blindspot a synonym for cash cow?!

Well it's unknown where the money truly ends up. Game Freak is a privately held company and doesn't disclose their earnings.

 

[HF2014]

I have a confession to make. I haven't finished a game in more than 10 years. By that I mean I never got to a credits screen of a single player game. I always end up playing those time sink games like Diablo, Skyrim, Monster Hunter, Street Fighter and lately Warframe. But I buy a lot of those must-have games.

A friend of mine about the same age got a Switch and convinced me to play Pokémon. The Pokémon that had so much negativity surrounding it, more than I can remember any other generation. I was convinced it's a mediocre game. Ended up getting the version he didn't get and thought, heck, why not, it was 33% on sale anyway.

It ended up being the first game I finished in years. It had everything that was dumbed down. I even wrote entire essays to strangers on the internet how I think the battle system could be involved into so much more. Yet I just ended up enjoying the simple charm of turn based battles. The linear path made it easy to just play a little bit to continue the story. The battles actually looks quite pretty and the music can be quite hyped at some times. Grind was almost non-existent, the built-in EXP share helped in that regard. I just had a very enjoyable time and was satisfied with finishing it.

Does it have the endless attention to detail, the ultra refined polish, moments of epiphany, hardware-pushing graphical fidelity, unlimited replay value and new gameplay mechanics? Nope, it checked none of that.

I realized the core gamer in me was in disbelief, but I also realized I too can just shut my brain off and enjoy the simplicity. It's like enjoying a good popcorn movie vs hyping up an AAA blockbuster movie with all expectations set too high. And while shutting my brain off is something a grown up does, in the end it also means it's very easy to understand and to play by a younger audience where brains aren't as developed.

In hindsight, do I think this game got it right? I probably have to admit that maybe they do, but not so much because it's the direction I personally wanted to see Pokémon go (basically, never evolving it's gameplay mechanics), but it definitely reaches a much wider audience than if they did something like this (I googled myself to find this essay):



I think from a game design perspective I still think something like this would be amazing. But.... am I even the audience and does this even add value to the majority of buying audience? I'm can't say I'm sure anymore. I enjoyed the latest Pokémon maybe too much to hold this stance.

Bit of a same story for me. In my 40’s and experiencing Pokemon for the first time. Started a bit of the old games in the past on GBC, GBA, nothing to do, i think these games were total crap. Out of nowhere, decide to give Shield a try, and god, its so enjoyable, easy to understand. Call me crazy but without making it look as the same, it gave me a feeling of BoTW when playing it, mixed with some Final Fantasy parts in it.Its a game i have difficulty putting down. With this new experience, i bought the 3DS games, just give them a quick try, and i seem to dig Pokemon X and Pokemon Sun ( not sure yet about Omega Ruby ). Yes the game is easy, im seeing a bit of a difficulty increase when playing X ( choose the water pokemon this time rather than the fire ), but for me, its a new serie i just felt in love with. God, i even got Pokemon Go on IOs and i think its entertaining.

 

[Walter Matthau]

It’s hard to predict future success of a franchise. Remember Yo-kai Watch?

 

[Kumomeme]

its the company's blind money pot

 

[theclaw135]

It’s hard to predict future success of a franchise. Remember Yo-kai Watch?

They fumbled all over. Yo-kai Watch games took too long to localize, and the shrinking print runs barely gave it a chance.

 

[Lionel Richie]

It’s hard to predict future success of a franchise. Remember Yo-kai Watch?

Imagine saying that about Pokemon in the year of our lord 2020 and also having the gall to compare it to an also ran like Yo-Kai Watch. Pokemon was an obvious hit from the start, the fact that Nintendo might have had a chance to secure a bigger slice of the pie is irrelevant. They ate PLENTY OF PIE since then.

 

[theclaw135]

Pretty much every game that has tried to take Pokemon head on is missing the 'secret sauce'. Whether less appealing monsters, blander setting, or what, who's counting.
The likes of Robopon are dead and buried.

Dragon Quest Monsters was one of the best, longer lasting efforts... until they just stopped bringing it west.

 

[Jubenhimer]

Whatever it is, something needs to change regarding Game Freak's attitude towards Pokemon. It's honestly pathetic that the New Pokemon Snap game has more detailed environments and character models than THE MAIN entry on the Switch.