"How Generation V stunted the progress of the core-series. [Long Post]"

Now that a couple of generations have passed since Gen V’s debut, the full effects of the backlash against Black and White are becoming more clear.In hindsight, it seems that Gen V’s soft-reboot design mentality was something of an inevitability after Generation IV.The Gen IV games were unique in that they had an air of finality and closure in their atmosphere. With Hokkaido being the last major section of Japan that GF could base a Pokémon region on, it was obvious that the games were going to start branching out of Japanese-inspired settings after Gen IV ended.The Pokémon that were introduced in Gen IV also added the feeling of conclusiveness. Many new Pokémon had unique type combinations. Torterra, Empoleon, and Lucario just to name a few. We received many evolutions to Pokémon from previous generations. From Honchkrow to Mamoswine to Tangrowth, we were being treated to the “final forms” of Pokémon we had come to know and love for years prior. We were given the eeveelutions Leafeon and Glaceon to finish out the formerly special-types (excluding dragon). We got the largest number of legendary/mythical Pokémon in any generation before or since. Heck, we even got the Pokémon equivalent of a creationist deity. One who had the all-time highest base stats of any Pokémon to boot.Many unfinished story/lore threads from previous games were wrapped up as well. We learned a lot more about the history of the Pokémon universe through the Creation trio and Arceus. More of the lore surrounding the Regi Trio was revealed as Regigigas was introduced. HGSS brought us the Celebi event where we learn that Silver is Giovanni’s son. The final battle with Red seems like it would function as a logical and satisfying conclusion to the series had it ended with Gen IV.Compound all of this with the fact that Generation IV occupied the timeframe when a lot of people began to “age out of Pokémon”, with many leaving after HGSS, and Gen V being what it was starts to make a whole lot more sense.Faced with the prospect of losing a huge chunk of their fanbase, Masuda made the decision that it was in Game Freak’s best interest to try and capture a new generation of fans to fill in the gaps of the older one. And you know what, that was probably the best decision in that situation.Many people here are hardcore fans, and don’t realize that this sub only represents a portion of the fanbase. So regardless of whether or not we have religiously bought every game from every generation, the sheer number XY-era posts from people saying they were returning after not playing since Gen III/IV is pretty telling that people left. Even now with the release of LGPE, there are dozens of posts from people who haven’t played the past few generations and are looking for advice/tips. Game Freak was definitely onto something when they feared people leaving.The design philosophy of BW is pretty much a direct product of all these factors. Unfortunately though, many of the fans that stuck with the series into Gen V were extremely vocal with their criticism of the new games.It was inevitable that Gen V would distance itself in terms of identity from previous games just by nature of being the first games not set in a region based on Japan. It also was supposed to foster an entirely new generation of Pokémon fans. Since the idea was to bring in young players who had never experienced Gens I-IV, Game Freak took the opportunity for a fresh slate and ran with it. The games were to be set on what is essentially the other side of the Pokémon world in a region based on the Americas.One of the things that contributes to a Gen’s identity the most is the roster of Pokémon introduced. I know that many, many people didn’t and still don’t like the fact that only new Pokémon appear in Unova in BW. I’m not here to say whether it’s a good or bad thing, but rather to explain that it is a calculated thematic choice and makes sense for what they were going for.For a region on the other side of the world, it would follow that the Pokémon that live there would be entirely unique. You wouldn’t go to Japan in real life and find a Buffalo or a Chinchilla in the wild. By the same token, Flying Squirrels are native to North America so in Unova you find Emolga instead of Pikachu.But people didn’t like the designs, oh at all. The Pokémon were too overdesigned! There were too many inanimate object designs! Who would ever want to train a trash bag Pokémon? Or an Ice Cream Cone Pokémon? Give us back Gyarados and Gengar!People couldn’t stand that their old favorites were being “erased” by Game Freak. What’s funny though is that Generation V is probably one of the generations that gave the MOST love to older Pokémon, even more-so than Gen VI with it’s Megas, and all for one reason: Hidden Abilities. Pokémon that were completely outclassed/useless before suddenly gained new abilities to bring them relevance once more. So many people forget that it’s Gen V we have to thank for things like Sheer Force Feraligatr and Regenerator Slowbro (RIP Shadow Tag Chandelure, we hardly knew ye).A lot of people also take umbrage with the fact that many of the new Pokémon drew parallels to Generation I Pokémon. There’s definitely truth to this. I don’t think anyone would deny that Throh and Sawk are trying to emulate the Hitmons, or that Gigalith is Unova’s take on Golem. Game Freak definitely took some inspiration from their most successful generation (Gen I) when they were filling out the Unova Dex. After all, if it got a ton of people into the series the first time, capturing the spirit of Gen I in these new games would be a great way to gain new fans.Regardless of thematic importance, however, it is undeniable that a huge reason of why Gen V received a lot of hate was because of it’s lack of returning Pokémon (Though frankly, I don’t know why anyone would be upset that Abra, Geodude, Oddish, Machop, Magikarp, and Tentacool were nowhere to be seen for once).Then, of course, there’s the story of BW.How does one construct a story after the Sinnoh games? The games had the highest stakes of any game, with Team Galactic threatening the stability of the universe. There wasn’t a way to increase the seriousness in terms of destruction. So instead, Game Freak decided that instead of building another story around preventing destruction of the world, they would center the conflict on opposing sides of a complex, ethical argument. Team Plasma wants to liberate Pokémon from human control because forcibly capturing creatures and removing their free will is inhumane.Many people thought and still think the narrative of Gen V was poorly executed and one of the worst parts of the game. Admittedly, certain parts of the story fall flat. Team Plasma’s “the end justifies the means” attitude when it comes to battling with Pokémon to free them is a bit hypocritical. The fact that one side of the argument is given more attention and we don’t see the many reasons why Pokémon DO belong with humans being discussed is a let-down. The fact that Ghetsis DOES turn out to be evil at the end is kind of lame since it shirks the interesting moralistic argument that the game goes out of its way to set up until that point.It didn’t help that quite a few players didn’t want to be bothered with the ethics of keeping Pokémon in captivity while they were plowing through the Elite Four. They didn’t like that the story took precedence over everything else in the game. This is a valid stance, and there is a value to games that focus on the player journey instead of the story. Pokémon IS and RPG after all, and often times the strongest part of an RPG is the player-constructed narrative.Some things about the story do work well, however. N was a great character to represent Team Plasma’s side of the argument as he felt at the same level as the player character. His backstory provided legitimacy to what he had to say as he is able to communicate with Pokémon on a level that no other character in the series can. The fact that he comes around to the player’s side at the end also helps to balance out the argument a little and show that things aren’t as black and white as they seem.I do think that the story of Gen V is one that was worth telling, however. It sparked a ton of compelling discussions about the game series we had loved for years. It made us question things we never thought mattered in the games up to that point. It’s clear that Game Freak was attempting something with greater long-term relevance in order to make a bigger impact on new players. And, for better or worse, the story of Gen V is still talked about to this day. If nothing else, it makes BW some of the most notable games in the series.Still though, this meant little to those who already had tons of other issues with the games. In just about any forum or thread you went on back in the day, you’d see a plethora of posts bashing the Pokémon designs, the sprite animations, the story, the characters, and the game in general. It was instantly the worst generation to many.I think that many people found the games jarring to say the least, especially as a sequel Gen IV, which celebrated its roots to older parts of the series with new evolutions and the best remakes in the series. Releasing the year after the beloved HGSS only highlighted the foreign aspects of BW, and fans felt alienated.I don’t think it’s far fetched to say that Game Freak immediately reacted very strongly the the criticism it received following the release of BW.Just one year after the release of BW, they released B2W2. While these games are phenomenal entries, it’s hard to not see them as a form of damage control after Game Freak realized that Pokémon’s older fans were still around.All of the risks they took in the first game were stripped away. Suddenly, non-Unovian Pokémon appeared all throughout the region. Most major trainers now use non-native Pokémon on their teams. Team Plasma is back and is now a terroristic organization that is attacking cities with no moral greyness to explain their actions. The story is back to being cookie-cutter Good vs. Evil. The pacing of the plot falls on it’s face when the game forces you to fight Marlon instead of going after Team Plasma. Hugh’s motivation is nonsensical and hard to care about, stunting him as a character. Overall, the story is probably one of the weakest ones in the series.B2W2 do have plenty of redeeming qualities, though. They introduced a ton of innovative features. The Pokémon World Tournament, Unova Challenge, and PokéStar Studios were all great additions. Challenge mode and easy mode were an interesting idea even if they were implemented quite poorly. The updated Pokémon sprites used more frames so animations would look smoother. All trainer sprites were now animated as well, not just your rivals’ and N’s. Not to mention a ton of QoL updates like auto-reusing repels.Despite Game Freak beginning the process of performing a 180 with the series, it was clear that a lot of effort and attention to detail went into BW2.This is where things in the main series started to get messy; Gen VI.I am convinced that the negative reaction to the Gen V Pokémon only approach in BW is why we have Mega Evolutions. Game Freak heard the concerns that older Pokémon were being left behind and created Mega Evolution as a way to show longtime fans that they haven’t been forgotten and as a way to bring these old Pokémon into the spotlight again.Megas are a great thing. The fact that a lot more Pokémon are viable nowadays thanks to them is awesome. However, you can’t deny that some of them only exist because of favoritism and fanservice. Charizard got two of them and the other Kanto starters didn’t. Pseudo-legendaries (Garchomp, Tyranitar, Salamence, Tyranitar) who didn’t need a buff got Megas. Already OP legendaries got Megas. Mega-Rayquaza was even so OP that it was banned from Smogon Ubers. What’s worse is a lot of the Megas weren’t even significantly more useful. Mega-Garchomp is actually a downgrade.Game Freak REALLY pandered to nostalgia with Megas to win over the fans they alienated with BW. Most Mega Pokémon come from Gens I-III. In fact, there are only 7 Megas from Gens IV-VI. This wouldn’t be such a problem if the Megas for older Gens went to Pokémon really in need of them, but they went to Pokémon that were already good on their own. Scizor gets a Mega but Girafarig doesn’t?Because Megas existed to milk nostalgia, Gen V Pokémon got the shaft when it came to receiving them. A lot of really cool candidates like Sigilyph and Galvantula were snubbed. In fact, the ONLY Gen V Pokémon to get a Mega was Audino, and even then I’m pretty sure it only received because Game Freak forgot to retcon it to a Fairy-type in XY.Then there’s the fact that the story in XY is so weak to the point of why even bother. They probably wanted to scale it back so that the focus was on the journey again, but what ended up happening was the complete opposite problem that BW had.The narrative in XY is almost a direct lift from the Sinnoh games, just with different characters and some thematic tweaks. Lysandre’s motivation is incredibly vague and flimsy. He wants the world to be superficially beautiful so he tries to destroy it. What sense does that make? The Team Flare grunts don’t have a believable reason to be following Lysandre and some of them don’t even know what the goals of the team are. None of the characters get fleshed out enough for the player to care about them besides AZ and Emma from the Looker story, which isn’t even part of the main plot.The story is an absolute mess in almost every way possible. Everything needed to be expanded upon for it to be worthwhile. We were denied a third-version for Kalos though, so unless the games ever get remade it will remain a hodgepodge of poor writing and laziness.XY also coincided with the time when mobile gaming really started to take off. Younger and younger kids had mobile devices and Masuda was definitely taking notice. BW had failed to really capture the attention of the younger generation and it had angered the existing fanbase.In an effort to remedy this, not only did they stuff tons of nostalgic Kantonian elements into XY (Santalune Forest=Viridian Forest, TWO Mega-Mewtwos, The Legendary Birds) for older fans, they also decreased the difficultly (Key Item Exp. Share, less Pokémon on enemy trainers’ teams).Since kids now had a lot more vying for their attention besides a dedicated gaming console, there’s a much higher tendency towards instant gratification in Gen VI to keep younger players coming back. Sycamore gives you Kanto starter and their Mega-Stone in Lumiose before the second gym. You get handed a Lucario with its Mega-Stone by Korrina halfway through Kalos. The catch rates for the cover legends in every game since XY are are a lot higher. Tons of prompts asking if you want to insta-warp somewhere. The Latis just join your team in ORAS without you having to battle or catch them.Masuda apparently decided that not enough kids would play beyond the main plot to justify including the Battle Frontier in ORAS and thats a decision that both boggled the minds of almost everyone on this sub and kept the games from being on the same level as HGSS. They lifted the Battle Maison directly from XY, stuck in some breeding conveniences for the competitive players and called it a day.Even with all of these omissions and poor decisions, we all bought the games anyway. Game Freak took this as an indication that core series Pokémon games will sell well no matter what, which while true, is something I am afraid will lead to a lot of laziness on their part in the future.Surprisingly though, things improved a little with Gen VII.Sun & Moon thankfully reintroduced narrative risk-taking. The characters had compelling motivations and warranted existing, although it does feel like you’re Lillie’s bodyguard for a good chunk of the game. Hau is nice but a bit one-note. Nebby was an interesting variable and plot-device. Overall I feel like it’s a happy medium between too much and too little story. The handholding is ATROCIOUS in these games however, and the cutscenes take way too long to be enjoyable.SM took risks with things like Ultra Beasts and Z-Moves. Ultra Beasts were cool but they weren’t explored in game very much at all. Z-Moves felt like a half-baked attempt at trying to emulate the hype of Mega Evolution and they failed miserably. The fact that Game Freak apparently dropped Megas starting with SM is disappointing and confusing since they entire previous generation revolved around them and suddenly they’re barely touched upon at all and even painted in a negative light. Alolan forms became a thing but were only given to Kantonian Pokémon because of course they were. At least the difficult was upped with Totems and smarter AI.As far as post-game content goes, we get the Battle Tree, which is literally just the Battle Maison but with Partners and a different theme. We also get the Battle Royal, but it’s a one-trick pony with little substance.USUM were what SM should have been at release if Game Freak didn’t rush it to coincide with the 20th anniversary (the same reason why Pokémon Z doesn’t exist). The expanded lore and main-plot relevance that Ultra Beasts have is great. The story makes a lot more sense and the conclusion is far more satisfying than SM. There are additional features like Mantine Surf and Totem Stickers. But again there’s signs of a lot of cut corners. Ultra Megalopolis was nothing but a backdrop to fight Necrozma. The Battle Tree was lifted directly from SM.I’ll start with LGPE by saying they are $60 but have 1/10th of the content that USUM has, which is extremely sad.I’m not about bashing games, but Game Freak was extremely lazy with this game. Once again we are exploring Kanto, so there’s the nostalgia pandering right out of the gate. This wouldn’t be bad had Kanto not been identical to its layout from previous games despite the switch being capable of so much more. Also, only the first 151 (Plus Meltan & Melmetal) are in the game yet they couldn’t improve the battle animations for any of them. There is no post-game period besides Master Trainers and Gym rematches.Beyond that there are just some annoying decisions from a game design standpoint. They forced in motion controls to sell an overpriced peripheral and had to limit the controls because of it. If you want to ride on a flying Pokémon you have to dismount and remount everytime you load a new area. Trade evolutions are now locked behind a paywall so if you want to complete the PokéDex you HAVE to pay for online service.I’m surprised more people aren’t afraid of what this means for the “core series” going forward. I realize these games are NOT Gen 8 but given Game Freaks’s tendencies lately I’m not terribly hopeful that they’ll put $60 worth of effort into it. I see people praising these games for bringing back things like following Pokémon and being immersive but not discussing the fact that they are not worth their price in the slightest. We have demonstrated to Game Freak that these games will sell well no matter how little effort goes into them. That’s concerning for the quality of future titles.WAY TL;DL - The backlash from Black & White started a trend of Game Freak milking nostalgia and omitting content in the newest games and it’s tragic. via /r/pokemon https://ift.tt/2zvXg62