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Let's talk: Pokemon Snap is overrated.

Kopyii said:
The fact that there's even a minute amount of joy to be had from playing the game positively sets it apart from most other Pokemon spinoffs. Even outside of that context, I disagree; it's a solid title with a fair amount of replayability with trying to get the perfect photos, though it definitely could've benefited from some added length.

Puzzle League > Snap > TCG > Conquest > Stadium mini-games > nope, there's only trash here
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Pokemon Pinball is the shit.
 
I remember being SUPER FUCKING HYPED for this game and then I finished it that same day I got it. I was pissed.

It was enjoyable while it lasted, and going for those special shots added a little bit of replay value... but still, holy shit what a short game it is.
 
So it was a little short. It was still a game about taking pictures of awesome Pokemon while you rode around in a Jurassic Park-style ride.

I mean, come on. What a cool concept.
 
I think it was a fun, little game. The core idea has so much potential. Just looking at Pokemon Snap and either the 3ds or Wii U, one can imagine so many possibilities for a deeper experience.
 
only thing i hated was the length, but i had fun with it growing up

remember my friend bought it and we played all night, beat it that night too so he was kinda pissed but it was cool
 
Christopher said:
What formula? It was a kids photo game I don't really see where you can take it.
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Formula: Different levels where you photograph Pokemon and interact with them in specific ways in order to get the perfect shot.

Being unable to think of a way to iterate on the game seems very lacking in creative imagination:
A. Improve the graphics (duh)
B. More and varied levels (also duh)
B. Potentially make it free roaming instead of on-rails (or move backwards/forwards on the rail at will, or have more multiple routes to take than the original game had)
C. Increase the amount of interactions you have with pokemon to take different pictures (keep the food and "annoy" ball, but include stuff like toys, traps, nets, etc. Maybe do some kind of Nice/Mean mechanic where you can do nice things or mean things depending on what items you use)
D. Lens or filter types
E. Video photography (might take away from the purity of single shot photography, but it might work).
 
I think of it as something that is similar to Majora's Mask of where there are great ideas and atmosphere, but the execution and the technology wasn't there to make it an amazing game. It's definitely a concept I would like to see Nintendo return to, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
I liked it as a younger kid, but I liked anything Pokemon. It was still alright on the Wii Virtual Console years later, but I was certainly glad it wasn't more than the $12 it cost. It feels like a digital download title; before digital download titles were even a thing.

Modern sequel could be great if done correctly.
 
It was an enjoyable game, and is the only one to show Pokémon somewhat living in their own environment. So it's pretty good in my book.
 
I only just got around to playing it a few months ago. It was cool, but the concept was more exciting than the game. It was fun seeing Pokemon in actual natural habitats instead of tall grass...I would imagine that is what gets it so much love, since I personally don't get that much enjoyment out of the picture taking....maybe some do though. It definitely isn't suited to long play sessions.
 
I've actually got an idea for expanding the concept that I've been working on for a long while.

You play as the Observer, last of his species documenting life in the universe. Travel to different star systems and planets taking photos of the wildlife. These planets are just large themed levels. Sticking to Nintendo like tropes. Fire, Water, Plant, etc. Collect resources from the planets (ores, chemicals) to expand your search and upgrade your equipment. Bosses are just larger more aggressive versions of wildlife on each planet. They can attack, but this really isn't a game about combat.

I hope I have something functional to show off in the next year or so. I'm not dedicating my entire life to it, so I have no clue when or if it will ever be "done".
 
While the game may have been short it was all about the replay value. Getting pikachu to do the perfect pose or getting getting Lapras to sprout out at the perfect moment. It took me ages to figure out how to get things like dragonite and Jinx. I always said if but a wii u day one if I get A new snapand pokemon stadium game
 
I love Pokemon Snap, still play it every few years. It's short enough that you can beat it in a few hours, and pretty relaxing. Would definitely like a sequel.
 
Thunder Monkey said:
I've actually got an idea for expanding the concept that I've been working on for a long while.

You play as the Observer, last of his species documenting life in the universe. Travel to different star systems and planets taking photos of the wildlife. These planets are just large themed levels. Sticking to Nintendo like tropes. Fire, Water, Plant, etc. Collect resources from the planets (ores, chemicals) to expand your search and upgrade your equipment. Bosses are just larger more aggressive versions of wildlife on each planet. They can attack, but this really isn't a game about combat.

I hope I have something functional to show off in the next year or so. I'm not dedicating my entire life to it, so I have no clue when or if it will ever be "done".
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Could combine that with horror elements. You have to run and hide to not be killed, but can't leave without good pictures. A mixture of Amnesia and... whats it called spirit camera? ghost camera?
 
I disagree. Pokémon Snap is fantastic.

The amount of surprises included in such a small game is amazing. And the feeling you get when discovering something is to this day unmatched in terms of on-rails gaming.

The fact that Nintendo hasn't announced Pokémon Snap U yet is my biggest problem with the company.
 
The original game was very flawed, but I loved it. When I tried replaying it a few years ago, I couldn't get past the second or third level or so. It just doesn't hold up anymore.

I would still like to see a sequel of sorts. Just getting up close with all the Pokemon and observing them is really endearing and taking pictures would work especially well with the GamePad. Maybe they should go more in the direction of this series:

Endless_Ocean_Coverart.png


Iwata said they're announcing a couple of games at E3 that wouldn't work without the GamePad, right? ...Maybe........
 
I kinda have to agree with OP, Pokémon Snap looks fun but it's far too short and doesn't offer much replay value.

I can't imagine paying full price for Pokémon Snap back in the day.

PeakPointMatrix said:
EDIT: How the F**K has Nintendo missed the opportunity to release a Pokemon Snap U?? The concept screams for Wii U game pad implementation! Imaging searching around your room on the gamepad to take a picture? Walking closer and further, tilting to get the right shot? I'd buy that shit in a heart beat!
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Probably because it would expensive to do all 721 Pokémon in HD, unless they limit the number of Pokémon that appears in the game.

Hell not even Pokémon Snap had all 151 Pokémon in the game.
 
Me and my bud rented it as a joke, had a fucking blast. Then again we were like 14.
 
Mr-Joker said:
Probably because it would expensive to do all 721 Pokémon in HD, unless they limit the number of Pokémon that appears in the game.

Hell not even Pokémon Snap had all 151 Pokémon in the game.
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You kind of countered your own point there. There'd be no need to have all 721 in the game
 
Deified Data said:
People remember the raw potential more than the game itself, I think. I enjoyed the game. It's not something I would have paid full price for. But the appeal survives because the notion of a Pokémon photography game featuring the hundreds of Pokémon that have been revealed since gen1 is glorious.
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The problem here is that, no matter how you design a game like Snap, it's going to be asset-driven first and foremost. Making the Pokémon world come alive like in Snap or Hey You! Pikachu requires building it first; without really meaningful mechanics to master, too, the game seems more like a novelty simulation of the world without letting players role-play in it. Snap's main mechanic shouldn't be the end of a Pokémon-world game, since there's only so much you can get out of photography in terms of challenge and mastering the mechanic.

The first solution is to take a Snap sequel off-rails and turn into a free-roaming adventure. I'm not here to play a score-attack game, so the focus should be on instigating unique behavior, collecting data to be analyzed, and then bringing it to one of many Professors who might need certain photos/research items for their work. I'd like for the game to have unique story arcs where, should you get different data and results with a specific Professor, your missions will change and so too will the end-game related to that contact. Above all, the devs could sneak in Souls-style integrated online features into the single-player campaign, in addition to some multiplayer modes. What I'm advocating for is a first-person Pokémon stealth game that lets you interact with the world in complex ways never before seen in the franchise.
 
Deified Data said:
People remember the raw potential more than the game itself, I think. I enjoyed the game. It's not something I would have paid full price for. But the appeal survives because the notion of a Pokémon photography game featuring the hundreds of Pokémon that have been revealed since gen1 is glorious.
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Pretty much. I dont know how any kid could not be disappointed by Pokemon's snap being to short. Unless you rented it or were rich, being able to receive one game a year for your birthday and Christmas and being an incredibly short game is disappointing no matter how good the game was. While I don't think a game needs to be 100 hours to be worth it a 2-3 hour game that includes finding all the secrets and pretty much maximizing your score leaving pretty much nothing left to do when the game is a full priced n64 game is just ridiculous.
 
I don't think a sequel could stand on its own today, it's just too shallow. Unless it'd be a $10 eShop title, but, why bother?

Including a variant of it in the 7th gen of main Pokémon games would be enough IMO. Like, maybe enhance the Safari Zone with a photo safari, and you'll be able to locate the PKMN you've got pics of in the Zone itself when going in to catch stuff? (In addition to a basic set of PKMN that you can find without taking pics?)
 
Never played it as a kid, but my friends showed it to me just recently and it was fun trying to find all the secrets and get the best shots. Honestly it would make a great multiplayer game where 1 person uses the Wii U pad and 1 person uses the TV screen trying to out-shoot the other person. I'd buy a sequel for the Wii U if it was $30.
 
Stumpokapow said:
The core mechanic is excellent, the levels are great, but it's a short and small self-contained game with not a lot of replay. It is absolutely begging to be iterated on.
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Agreed. Also felt that about Afrika / Hakuna Matata. This industry is anti- games where you take pictures of animals.
 
I think a lot of people think highly of it because if it's massive, untapped sequel potential that has been building for 5 generations now.
That's shit's like a volcano, pressure has been building and it's all gonna come out at once.
 
i played it at a friend's house once...i didn't enjoy it. hey you pikachu also sucked

fwiw pokemon channel was decent
 
Chariot said:
Could combine that with horror elements. You have to run and hide to not be killed, but can't leave without good pictures. A mixture of Amnesia and... whats it called spirit camera? ghost camera?
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Those elements are there, but without any truly frightening imagery. I'm going for a Pikminlike creepy. More subtle background themes, than out and out horror.

So far at least most of the models wouldn't look out of place in a Pikmin title. I've been using Unity to get it all together, but parts are proving more challenging than I'd expected to successfully implement. Might have something to do with my programming skills being limited to "Hello World." lol.
 
A new Snap would print money, but Masuda's publicly stated that he and The Pokémon Company would rather rejuvenate the game structure/mechanics and outdo themselves. Laudable, but, in Nintendo's current situation, a modern iteration would do just the trick.
 
I've always liked that game. I played it again recently and had fun with it. But I don't get why they didn't bother adding more levels and most of all, all of the 151 pokemons available at the time.
 
It's a simple game with a simple premise and it's very charming. I feel it deserves the praise it gets and it's one of my favourite spin-off's because of how relaxing it is.
 
Also Pokemon Snap like Mischief Makers and Smash Brothers made the N64 for me. Those three games elevated the system to a must own status for me. I had a loooot more games for my PS1, but few impacted me like those on the N64. Which is hilarious because none of those three games are something I'd consider big or involved. An onrails photo game, inventive platformer, and a 4 player fighter.
 
I played it a lot when i was a kid, i played it a lot a couple of months when i got a N64 again. Of course the graphics haven't aged well, but the core system is still pretty fun (there's something in the way you hit Pokemons with an apple that will always make me smile) and some levels are pretty damn well designed..

I seriously would love a new game using the WiiuPad.
 
I went back and played it last year. It was a fun time but I also finished the whole thing within like 2 hours. And even if you didn't know where all the secret exits were, it wouldn't take much longer than that to figure it out.

kubus said:
Endless_Ocean_Coverart.png
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This game was my jam though. Didn't get nearly enough attention. It has the Pokemon Snap-like element of trying to puzzle out how to find rare fish, but then also has some really enjoyable exploration too. More safari, less track.
 
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