finally finished X, i got into pokemon a couple years ago with HGSS, have been playing it ever since in order (skipping FRLG and B2W2) and i expected to dislike XY. i've always heard about how easy kalos is, how the 3d designs suck and sprites are better, it's soulless, route 1 screenshots etc. but i was very pleasantly surprised>kalos is the best region yet, it has a distinctive style and feel that u can feel in the whole region and all the towns and routes looked beautiful with a ton of attention to detail>the 3d models were good and fun, i thought they felt alive and a ton of moves used the models creatively instead of just taking a 2d sprite and smashing it into another>OST is great, the friend group idea was neat, fairy type, megas, pokemon amie all good additions>çit is indeed too easy (i had to make a 2nd team just to make sure i didn't overlevel my pokemon more), side characters are underdeveloped, some pokemon designs are a bit weird>the story is clearly rushed and had a grander vision which makes the pacing of the game (specially the last third) very weird, but people play pokemon for its story anywaynone of that changes that in the end this was a great game, one of my favorites. i truly don't get all the hateHGSS>XY>BW>plat>emerald
>>59332362Glad you enjoyed eating shit.
>>59332369This thread isn’t about Unova, anon.
Easiest games so far yet Pokefags shit themselves over the thought of using a Rock type Pokemon.
>>59332362>unironically used barbaracle
Nice team man, awesome Pokemons.
by the way, since my next region will be alola should i play SM or USUM?>>59332369what about is bad?
>>59332362>the friend group idea was neat, First person I have heard that genuinely liked the XY friend group. Even the people who like the idea tend to agree that other games with one handled it much better.
>>59332362FRLG and B2W2 are some of the best games in the series. You should give them a playthrough.
>>59332736SM
>>59332743the idea was neat, sadly it wasn't excecuted very well. i think most people tend to see them as rivals when only calem/serena is one, but i liked traveling and randomly running into them or working on something together briefly. sadly like i said most characters were underdeveloped so it didn't work out great>>59332746i will! it's just i've replayed HGSS so many times and explored its kanto i haven't got the highest priority towards FRLG and BW was the last game i played after XY so i felt like leaving unova for another time so as to not get fatiguedonce i play a gen7 game i'll definitely get on one of those next though (probably B2W2)
>>59332362>Trevenant>Meowstic>Pangoro>BarbaraclePretty kino team anon ngl, I'm glad you enjoyed XY, try ORAS some time if you enjoyed it soaring and dexnav are pretty fun
>>59332754I see. I'm a bit reluctant to give XY much credit for the idea alone when BW did have a friend group previously in MC-Cheren-Bianca and I think that was written better even If I'm not particularly fond of BW's overall story.
>>59332754Saving it for later is a good idea.
>>59332362How did you like your team? You said you used a rotating team but I assume the one in the HoF is the main squad. I remember using Trevenant myself for Y when the games first came out and being disappointed in how late you got it and it never quite managing to pull its weight. Props for Barbaracle though.
>>59332736Vanilla SM has a better plot regarding the an important character because it commits to the idea.USUM has more content but it kinda messes with previous plots a bit. Also it's arguably one of the hardest of the newer games.It's hard to choose because it's not like Emerald/Platinum that you have an obvious option. I would argue that since Gen 7 is NOT the [current gen] anymore, you might prefer spectacle of main content over "side content".
>>59332362Just skimmed your post but I know everything you said is 100% correct because you’re a barbaracle enjoyer
>>59332736Since you said story isn't that important to you I'd say USUM, it has more content and the only real gripe I have with it compared to SM is butchering some characters and the Rainbow Rocket arc being such shameless fan service that I wanted to vomit. Oh and the SM MC's look better than the USUM redesigns, Chicken is iconic, nobody remembers how she looks in USUM, but those games have customization so it hardly matters.
>>59332782that's true, i guess i sort of felt that was less like a friend group and more like individual friends you had scattered around the region. with this new group you have your loner rival, shauna who they try to make your bff and the duo of quirky characters that mostly hangs out with themselves. i definitely like BW's cast more than anyone in XY though>>59332553thx!>>59332787it was really fun, i only base my team on aesthetics and this is probably the most balanced team i've ever had with only meowstic being redundant but he can learn lots of good TM moves to cover some weak points on the team. i only used my 2nd team for grinding money (in lumiose restaurants) and some stuff in between routes before the eighth gymfunny story about trevenant, i felt the same during a lot of the playthrough (specially because i knew he'd be on my team so i used phantump before him) and he's slow, not very bulky and weak to a lot of common moves, but in the final battle against diantha all of my pokemon were down except him and diantha only had mega gardevoir left, i thought i was going to fail until diantha used a full restore, allowing my slow underleveled trevenant to go first and it one shotted mega gardevoir with phantom force saving the run so he's earned my respect since
Let's say I want to give the games a genuine go.I beat Shield in 2021 (no dlc), and beat Legends Arceus yesterday. Blue, Silver, and Soul Silver near each of their respective releases.If Arceus gave me an itch to revisit pokemon, is release order the best way to play? It seems there is a decline over time, seemingly at XY. Should I knock the 3D titles out of the way so I can go back and just get greatness back to back? Or would release order be preferable
>>59332800i mean story is still important to me, it's just that if a pokemon game has a mid story it's not the end of the world for me which is why the decision between SM and USUM is hard>>59332788that makes sense, i'd rather the core game be good so i think i'll go with SM
>>59332878SM is legit the worst pokemon game I've ever played. They never stop talking. Few steps, scene. Change zone, scene. Few steps, scene. Scene. Scene.It's never ending.
>>59332861>beat Shield, Blue, Silver, Soul SilverPlay Emerald, Platinum, Black1/White1, Black2/White2, Sun/Moon and wait for Winds/Waves. So basically skipping XY and SV.>Emerald and PlatinumSolid third versions and better than the remakes, honestly you could start with either one, I prefer Platinum but Emerald is worth playing as well.>Black1/White1Only has original Pokemon until you beat the final boss, so it's kinda like a bizarro world of Red/Blue since you're seeing new monsters at every corner. B2/W2 are not substitutes, they're sequels 3 years later so it's kinda like revisiting Kanto in GS/HGSS, things have changed and there's a new plot.>Black2/White2This time they include mons all over the national dex and it's great, more places, more content, it's like a more fun version of BW1, and the true swan song of sprite Pokemon.>XY (I recommend skipping)I'm not even against XY but since you're going to play some of the best games, it's better to skip the "decent" ones to avoid burnout.>Sun/MoonI consider it more interesting than XY, but not as good as the gen 5 games. If you're going to check out one of the 3DS games, I recommend this one.>Scarlet/Violet (wait for Winds/Waves instead)The structure is completely different from classic Pokemon but personally I'm not against, I just think they need to refine the system and make it look prettier, which is pretty much what Winds/Waves looks like so far.If you have a Switch 2 or you're planning to get a Switch 2, then wait for Winds/Waves, it's less likely to make you mad at Pokemon again (kek).
>>59332896>it's better to skip the "decent" ones to avoid burnoutYou just recommended he play through gen 5 two times.
>>59332901Gen 5 is one good game and one great game, so no contradiction.
>>59332896Appreciate the insight.I was kind of planning on revisiting FRLG & HGSS since its been so long. Thoughts on USUM?
>>59332909XY is better than both of them. There’s literally no reason to play gen 5 if you’re going to play gen 4 and 6.
>>59332975Anon he replied to here, the notion of an entirely new dex of pokemon with none returning sounds pretty great to me.It's a level of effort I feel they don't often put forward. Same reason I really enjoyed Legends Arceus so much.
USUM and SV are must plays.
>>59332979BW2 has literally zero new Pokemon in its dex.
>>59333004White Kyurem and Black Kyurem are new mons though and BW2 are worth playing after BW for the duology experience.>inb4 t-they are fusionsNew usable mons, I don't care if that triggers your autism.
>>59332909It's okay. The story is one of the worst they've ever done, the graphics are bad, he'll be disappointed in all the removed features. I don't see why you'd recommend both sets instead of just BW1.
>>59332979The brand new dex might be misleading you then. BW is very much a by-the-books pokémon game structurally. The biggest change compared to the previous games is more time spent on the story and dialogue, but compared to some of the games after it's not even among the worst (or best if you actually like characters yapping with no end in sight) in that regard. It's the first game were I felt they actually wanted you to pay attention to it instead of just being a vehicle to drive you through the region and the different set pieces, unfortunately I don't think it did it very well.
>>59332438kys binaclefag
>>59333008Then by that dumbfuck logic XY is even more worth playing because it has 100 new Pokemon and is set in a completely unique region as opposed to one where 80% of the maps are reused.
>>59333019Anon I know you might be retarded and lack a theory of mind but different people might enjoy different things. I'd say ORAS and SM are superior to XY unless you really want to customize your trainer.
>>59333064>Anon I know you might be retarded and lack a theory of mind but different people might enjoy different thingsNot relevant. I'm using your own standards for what makes something worth playing, dumbfuck.
>>59332896Hey man, can I get your recommendation? I played platinum, soulsilver, black, black 2, and I’m currently playing omega ruby. Was wondering what to play next. Should I really skip XY and just go straight to SM? (Would rather play those than USUM because of story)
I personally prefer the Hoenn approach were the majority by a decent margin are new Pokemon, but with old ones sprinkled in here and there instead of reinventing the wheel like BW.The fuckhuge regional dexes we have gotten from XY on kind of lacks identity and I struggle to remember which old mons are actually part of the regional dex and which are not. If you really wanted a Nat. dex exclusive Mon for your playthrough there was usually some roundabout way to achieve that as well.
>>59333100In retrospect I like the Unova approach because including so many Pokemon from previous generations has a tendency for people to just choose their favorites instead of trying new Pokemon. For example in XY you get a Kanto starter and a Lapras outright given to you, and the former get Megas in a Mega-drought story while the latter has a unique Surf model that other Pokemon don't get. It was a common criticism with Johto too how new Pokemon weren't being utilized by the Gym Leaders and often weren't available until Kanto, which doesn't make much sense. Why doesn't Falkner use a Noctowl? Why doesn't Bugsy use a Ledian, Ariados, or Heracross? Why doesn't Morty use a Misdreavus? And even in SV Gym Leader aces are often still past-gen Pokemon Terastallized to the leader's preferred type instead of a new one.If a region is mostly new Pokemon then that at least encourages experimenting with the new guys instead of falling back on old ones, establishing an identity for the region.
>>59333135>>59333100Yeah I agree. I like the approach of Hoenn and bw1. Like I remember trapinches are the ones you find in the desert route in Hoenn and whismurs in that tunnel was digging and Aron in the granite cave. And you know unova you remember the guys you find in the charge stone cave or the litwick in the ghost tower. But like bw2 and xy there’s so many shitters I don’t even remember what’s on the routes and I don’t care because I’ve already caught them in other games and moved them to home. So it’s just repels and rush through the route.
>>59333135>including so many Pokemon from previous generations has a tendency for people to just choose their favorites instead of trying new PokemonHow is this a problem?
>>59333151It’s the only remotely unique thing gen 5 has going for it so they have to pretend mashing A with roggenrola instead of mashing A with geodude somehow makes the gameplay any meaningfully different
>>59333151Because why introduce the new Pokemon if players are just going to use ones they've seen before?
>>59333157I'm not talking to you. Shut the fuck up or go seethe somewhere else.
>>59333158Just use the new ones then. No one is forcing you to use the old ones. And most people probably haven't used every pokemon ever made in the first place. Like if I play through red and never use a doduo should I just never have the chance unless I go back to gen 1 games? Ridiculous.
>>59333157Yes anon, people play pokemon games for the POKEMON so having different pokemon is a notable difference.If you're going with this "muh same stats and typping" (it isn't) then there's no point in aiming for anything other than overleveling your starters and using hyper potions.
>>59333151People would take to the forums and cry with how they're "forced" to use Klefki & Aurorus instead of Lucario & Lapras.
>>59333165>Yes anon, people play pokemon games for the POKEMONIncluding the ones they actually like as opposed to shittier pointless reskins of them, yes.
>>59333171That's a personal opinion, which is fine.Mons like Golem and Gigalith have different appeal even if they're playing in a similar style.
>>59333178You’re arguing with yawnfag
>>59333164Yes, no one is forcing people to use old ones, but people will still naturally gravitate to what's familiar or efficient, if given the chance. Way back in the 2011 Game Developers' Magazine this was posted:>"This is what games are for. They teach us things so that we can minimize risk and know what choices to make. Phrased another way, the destiny of games is to become boring, not to be fun. Those of us who want games to be fun are fighting a losing battle against the human brain because fun is a process and routine is its destination.”>"Many players cannot help approaching a game as an optimization puzzle. What gives the most reward for the least risk? What strategy provides the highest chance - or even a guaranteed chance - of success? Given the opportunity, players will optimize the fun out of a game."Part of the fun of a new Pokemon game is the opportunity to use new Pokemon. And so if people gravitate to Pokemon that aren't new, that's a fault of the game's design.
>>59333194Nah that sounds like it's the fault of the human psyche. If i like Pikachu and want to use Pikachu it's not the game designs fault.
>>59333203Sure, but that's not a thing that game designers can control. So the solution of "make Pikachu available in the postgame or transfer it in, but don't make it available otherwise" is a game design choice that facilitates using a Pikaclone instead of Pikachu itself during the main game. That's how Unova does it. Conversely if Pikachu is available from the outset, then why use Dedenne, or Togedemaru, or Pawmot?
>>59332362playing xy is like eating spaghetti without anything else added. no olive oil/butter, no sauce, no meatballs, no parmesan. it's plain as fuck
Gen 7 encourages “experimentation with the new pokemon” more than gen 5 because gen 7 actually has some degree of challenge instead of being so fucking piss easy you can steamroll it the same way with literally any pokemon
>>59333214How challenging is gen 7
>>59333209Why didn’t they add anything to XY to give it some flavor? Or fix it with x2 y2 or z later?
>>59333208>Pikachu is available from the outset, then why use Dedenne, or Togedemaru, or Pawmot?To evolve them and complete the Pokedex.
>>59333209XY had flavor it's just that things perceived as unique to XY just stopped being unique, like character customization, being the first mainline to use 3D pokemon for battles, etc.
>>59333231Megas were supposed to be that flavor but there were so few of them available during the campaign that they're very unnotable. Gamefreak tried to fix this in ORAS by having many more available, both for you to use and to face off against. XY is experimental in this way, it's the first instance of a dedicated generational gimmick and GF wasn't sure how to use that properly yet.
>>59333241That's a good point. XY added a lot to the foundation of the series while pretty much everything gen 5 added except hidden abilities was so meaningless it got dropped a gen or two later.
>>59333004Clearly talking about BW, moron
>>59333247Glad we agree he should play XY over BW2.
>>59332975>>59333004>>59333019>>59333087hi yawnfag
>>59332878USUM has more intrusions in service of a story that is worse. I recommend you play neither, but if you must, it is better to play SM for your first time in Alola.
>>59333252Dunno what kind of semantics wordplay you're trying to pull, but it sounds dumb.
>>59333262just ignore him
>>59332362>kalos is the best region yetAnd a new Pokeshiteater is born.
>>59333262>"BW is worth playing over XY because it has more new Pokemon">"ok then surely XY is more worth playing over BW2 for the same reason, right?">"Y-Y-Y-YOU'RE JUST SEMANTICS WORDPLAYING ME!!!"
>>59333194>but people will still naturally gravitate to what's familiar or efficient, if given the chance.Not a problem.
>>59333242>make something that’s supposed to be the flavor>barely have it in the game at allHow could they be so stupid? They should have plastered that shit everywhere just to take advantage of the hype.
Well the cuz never answered me so I’m just gonna skip XY when I’m done with omega ruby and go straight for SM
>>59333511Cool anon, congrats on thinking for yourself a tiny bit.
