Things That Seriously Need To Change

I love Pokemon Y. I do. But I feel like nothing really changed. There's a ton of features I wished for, yet have not received. Yeah, I love customization, large quantities of Pokemon, 3DS-appropriate graphics, diagonal movement, and sitting. But... some things are unfortunately still there. Here's my list of what really needs updating..

1. Removal of "deposit" and "withdraw" functions for the box.

When have you used this since "move Pokemon" was introduced? Yet these two relics remain, not only for no reason, but above the infinitely more useful move option. Why would I choose to deposit if I don't want to withdraw, maybe move some stuff? I personally like to hatch a group of eggs, but depositing a team to get eggs while passing the Daycare doesn't take up that much time with move (i.e., any time). Fine, make them available if you must. But put "move" at the top.

2. Special features that don't want to make the player throw the game against the wall.

You know. Remember spreading honey on trees to get that damn female Combee, only to get a Wurmple? Or going to White Forest days after beating the game, losing most of the available Pokemon because you didn't play fast enough, and now you have to wait until going back to America from your year abroad to get more people to occupy the place?

And how can we forget "Easy Mode" and "Challenge Mode" from the Gen V sequels? Yup, I really want to restart my game to play a slightly harder version of the game I just beat. No thank you.

Even X and Y aren't immune. No, I don't want to drop everything I'm doing for one hour of the day to get some Mega Stones. Just make them really expensive at the Stone Emporium. Even better, why not make the available for longer than an hour?

For all the hand-holding people complain about, like EXP Share's new function, to being handed free amazing Pokemon for no reason, I think there's too much of the opposite extreme. Make the bonus features actually usable.

3. Ledge Jumping.

Okay, Skiddo can ledge jump. That's cool. But it's in one area that has ZERO PURPOSE IN THE GAME. Okay, one purpose: Showing off the ledge-jumping ability. But why flaunt it if you can't use it apart from the Skiddo ranch? I get using Mamoswine to pass through thick snow, Rhyhorn to get through a rocky road, and Gogoat to... walk through town? Wouldn't be so cool to use your own Skiddo to jump over other ledges? That should be an overworld ability. And speaking of...

4. Cut HM01 from the game.

I hate this move. The Unova games made accessibility without constant HM use possible. Dropping boulders with Strength, limiting Surf's use, and previous HMs are now TMs.

Then there's Cut. I'd be fine if Cut worked properly. However, unlike the boulders than drop in holes, the trees remain there, no matter how many are cut. Why? Cut is the least useful damaging HM there is. Even past ones. At least Rock Smash lowers defense. Cut is a glorified Tackle.

Why not give players more options? Reward creativity. Let Pokemon use Steel or Fire moves to cut trees. Better yet, don't make trees reappear. Best of all, DON'T PUT IN TREES. They've been pretty much sidelined at this point, basically (pardon the pun) cutting off the player from items. But Cut is the first HM you get. What's the point? You already have Cut. It's another relic, like Deposit and Withdraw.

5. Bring back Johto remake features.

Yes, I've got a bit of bias regarding the Johto games. Gold was my favorite game, then Heart Gold! For good reason: Great features. HGSS also gave us some features with amazing potential. The Pokeathlon gives use to "useless" Pokemon, Kurt's balls are wonderful, the automatic running is great, and, oh yeah, POKEMON WHO WALK WITH YOU. HGSS spoiled us. With X and Y, there's no way you could travel around Kalos being tailed by a Wailord. Tight corners like the hedges would be... unworkable.

Even so, remember how certain Pokemon in Sinnoh could follow you, but only if they fit standards of beauty? That was dumb. But there's some logic. Probably not many people want Corsola walking with them, so you wouldn't have to do all Pokemon.

Leaving that aside, rollerskates are very much like the automatic running... but only outside. My B button is wonky when it comes to extended holding time, so automatic B would be a boon.

Okay, some of Kurt's balls are dumb. No use for Moon Ball. But Love Ball? Heavy Ball? Yes please! Ilove new balls, but none appear in Kalos. For shame.

And yes, being able to play with, pet, and interact with every single Pokemon with individual mechanics (love how Slugma can't be pet) is amazing. But I wish more could be done with it. I don't know.



That's all I got at the moment. Anything you wish they'd done in X and Y that they didn't? Leave a comment below! Or don't. Whatever. S'all good.

Pokemon X and Y Versus Black and White

I have returned. Huzzah! And I've played Pokemon X and Y. It's been out for over a month, but I beat it in a few days. Thoughts?

SPOILER SECTION, EVEN THOUGH IT'S BEEN A MONTH:

Well, they ranged from "Ehhhhhh..." to "OH MY GOD, THAT WAS AMAZING." I say Pokemon Y got me best on the emotional level. Something about actually being appreciated by the people of Kalos really makes it a great journey. And, of course, there's AZ.

But I feel that this game is a bit... anticlimactic. Yeah, there's the great payoff and all that, but so what? I had no trouble with the Elite Four. Every member of Flare? BOOM. Defeated. Gym Leaders? Well... okay, Clemont got me. That dang Emolga. But after that? BOOM. In fact, the most trouble I had at all in the game was the Inverse Battle trainer. Muscle memory, you know. Normal types are completely broken.

Let's look at Black and White. N, right? He had a full team. He had a nice, balanced team. Same thing with Ghetsis. Balanced, intimidating. Lysandre has too many Pokemon weak to Fairy types. And how many are those? Three. OUT OF FOUR. And I know that it's different because N and Ghetsis were the replacements of the Elite Four, but that's no excuse. They had balanced teams, even if three of Ghetsis's Pokemon are weak to Fighting. HE STILL HAS THREE TO FALL BACK ON.

Obviously, the graphics are better. But I never think graphics should overrule gameplay or story. I think that X and Y can be... laggy. Especially during a horde battle. Heck, even in Triples, it lags. I know that there's a lot to process, and I personally could never do it, but it feels unfinished.

POKEMON! Yes, let's talk about them. My new favorite is my Gogoat, Skillet. Not all of them are great, especially since there's a limited supply. To be honest, I actually prefer the designs of Unova to Kalos, and that includes Pokemon, humans, and the overall regional appearance. And imagine that beautiful Village Bridge music... brings a tear each time. OO EHH AHH...

I think the selection is better, sure. Having not only new starters, but Kanto starters too? That really brings in the old players, which the Unova games sort of... blocked off. I'll admit, it did seem a bit like an attempt to shy away older players. Yes, I know, a new region shouldn't exist solely on older Pokemon. But saving the fan-favorites for the end, or never? I don't know. The sequels fixed it, but it still felt limiting to me. X and Y don't have this problem at all. There are far more Pokemon available than any other region.

Whereas Black and White focused on changing the monotony of the games, like a female professor, improved storyline, and more connection to the characters, X and Y don't. They don't. Sycamore's a pleasant enough professor, and he actually battles you. The storyline is weaker because it isn't followed up on. And I can't feel too connected to many of the characters, especially since the rivals are so low-key and unimportant, the gym leaders don't get involved, the champion meets you only once, and AZ disappears. And what, may I ask, was the point of building up Alexa? She does nearly nothing.

But what X and Y lack in story, they make up for in actual battles. A new type, moves that have different typings or super-effectiveness, three new battle schemes (compared to Unova, which has a few times you can Triple or Rotation battle, and Double Wild Pokemon = Double Battle), more emotion between you and your Pokemon, experience changes, and a whole bevvy of game-changers? This is what Pokemon is about, keeping the player on their toes. Unlike games prior, it never felt like a chore to battle. Even in the Battle Maison or Chateau, there are rewards for battling, including immediate Battle Points, a lot of money, or a rise in rank. I got immersed in battle. That's what really matters in the end. Immersion. Black and White lack that. Even with Audino and EXP changes, it still felt like a chore to battle and grind. X and Y change the game, so there's all new strategy for old and new players.

Plus, Pokemon Amie is adorable. Really well-constructed and functionally brilliant. Unova titles don't connect you to your Pokemon, which the Johto sequels did. Give a reason to love your Pokemon, that's the key.

The winner in my opinion is X and Y. I like the aesthetics of Black and White, but the actual gameplay mechanics keep me coming back each time.

Five On One... In The Sky?

There was more news than I thought. A bunch of new Pokemon, and some styles of battle. First, the Pokemon.

As I expected (and many of you have too), Fletchling evolves into a Fire/Flying type. Now, this is pretty good news. The last Fire/Flying introduced was back in Gen II, so it's a welcome return for me. I know, it's terrible against Stealth Rock, but you gotta admit, they Charizard, Moltres, and Ho-Oh look pretty cool.

I have one problem, though. The name. People seem to like it, but I think it's as uncreative as Seel. Ready? "Talonflame". Literally two words to make one name. Not even a conjoined name like "Skuntank". That at least has something.

Another new Pokemon with an old typing not seen since Johto: Skrelp, which is Poison/Water. It looks like shriveled seaweed mixed with a seahorse. Points for creativity.

Less exciting is Clauncher, a Water crustacean. It's like a cross between Corphish and Kingler painted blue. Hope it becomes something less generic.

Vivillon's pre-evolutions were also introduced, the middle stage being Spewpa, and the basic stage something no man can pronounce in English. They are less fascinating than Vivillon.

Two more Pokemon with no current English names: A Fire/Normal lion, and a Fairy. Both are cute, but the fairy is disgustingly so. It's actually the lightest Pokemon in existence. No chance it'll evolve into a DEATH FAIRY? Fun fact: Not a real thing.

But let's get to the most interesting aspect: Two new modes of battle. Well, okay, one is for wild battles. Still, it's something. The first is sky battle. It seems a trainer can ask you if you want to have a sky battle, and if you say yes, any Flying type or Levitating Pokemon can battle each other in the sky.

Yeah, okay. I have a problem with this. I don't know the details fully, but isn't this a bit limiting? Furthermore, how is this type of battle actually different? Double, Triple, and Rotation battles have different strategies. From what I can tell, all Sky Battles do is whittle your team down.

However, it's too soon to tell, so let's go on with Horde Battles. I approve of the idea. Five wild Pokemon battling one of your Pokemon. I'm disappointed that this doesn't seem to be for trainer battle use, but it will certainly help with stuff like raising EXP.

But I'm sure you already knew all of that.

Fairy Type Pokemon Outed

Game Freak clapped its hands and brought Fairy type to life, folks! Yes, Sylveon is a Fairy type. But not only that! Other Pokemon have been in the proverbial closet about their real type for years! This includes Gardevoir (no big shock), Marill (a little surprised), and... Jigglypuff? I mean, I always thought Clefairy fit the bit. IT HAS FAIRY IN ITS NAME! But it probably will be later.

So they are now dual-typed Fairy Pokemon. Glad they're finally comfortable with themselves to admit it. It seems Game Freak forgot about history and said, "Ehhhhh... Jigglypuff is a dual-type, Mewtwo can change form! What else can we change?" But I'm actually excited to see what other new changes there are.

Speaking of changes, there's a new mechanic! Tired of using your Pokemon as objects? Why not play with them? Yes, it seems all Pokemon can be played with now face to face. THAT IS AMAZING. This also seems to support my theory that Spinda's dots will be no more. What, billions of different designs on a 3D model with tons of different facial features? Give those guys a break.

Oh, there's two new Pokemon. Ready for this? The left is Noivern. It's a Flying/Dragon. Um... yay? Flying is going up in the world, I guess? It's a scary looking bat, so that's a plus. The right is Vivillon, and UGH. It's a Bug/Flying butterfly. Really? Gosh, there's just not enough of those! Unova was so nice about not repeating unwelcome types like this. Why is Kalos?

Still, most of the news is excellent. Way to go, Pokemon!

Is Pokemon Art?

Lately, people have been asking if video games are art. I think so. However, is Pokemon?

Someone argued validly that Pokemon can't be art because it has no atmosphere. Which I guess is kind of true. Pokemon isn't well known for stunning visuals. In fact, Pokemon in the first generation is very bland when it comes to atmosphere. Every location looks practically the same. In fact, a lot of the locations are just cities.

Later games improved on this with quiet snowy areas, serene forests, threatening volcanic mountains, frightening haunted houses, gorgeous bridges, techno towns, and bustling cities. Islands are usually hit-and-miss, but there's something there.

Still, does it have atmosphere? Does atmosphere even qualify Pokemon as art, or anything? Well, I think X & Y might finally be onto something. There's diagonal movement, which means more exploration. In fact, the ways to explore have been changed. Instead of simple running and bicycling, we have rollerblading and Pokemon-riding. In fact, you can change your own character to better reflect you. It's too soon to tell, but from what I've seen, Pokemon might finally be nearing that atmosphere it so needed.

Actually, two games come to mind when discussing Pokemon as art. For me, at least. Pokemon in Gen V really tries to bring the beauty of the Pokemon world to the player. Zoom outs and ins are prominent while traveling, in order to let the player perceive the amount of detail that went into the game. For once, I actually don't spend my time flying everywhere. Sometimes, I just run around enjoying the scenery. In that sense, I think Pokemon really captures the meaning of art.

Before that, one game DOES capture the atmosphere it tries to portray: Pokemon Colosseum. It moves diagonally, so again, you can travel more. But it goes beyond that. The tone of the game is dark, and the loneliness of the scenery really captures that. So if there's one game that captures art, it's Colosseum.

But I don't feel that atmosphere alone says what is and isn't art. Choosing a Pokemon team is art. It shows what choices you make as a person, and the preferences of what you feel makes a good companion. Art is more than good looks. It's about personal connection, and Pokemon really manages to capture that, no matter how lousy people feel each passing game may be.

Well, this got kind of preachy. Hopefully next time will be an update on X & Y. Watch out for that Table Pokemon!

Probably No Light Type...

WE HAVE FOUR NEW POKEMON!

One of them, however, seems to disprove the existence of a Light typing. See the little yellow guy? He's Electric/Normal, and is the Generation Pokemon. As in generating electricity. No doubt light as well. I believe because of him, we won't be seeing a Light type at this point. Sure, it doesn't prove anything, but that guy's about as light as they come.

The others I'm in favor of. I love the Fighting panda, and the Grass Gogoat is kinda cool, especially since you can ride it. The robin... I see it as the odd one out in this image. I firmly feel that it's this region's national bird, like Pidgey or Pidove. The fact that it can learn Flame Charge does inspire some hope in me that its final form won't just be a boring Normal/Flying type again, like so many others.

The panda is adorable, but as I was talking about Spinda before, I can't help but feel that this panda is too close to what real pandas look like. Spinda is a clear exaggeration, but this guy... well, hopefully he'll evolve into something as cool as he is cute.

You can ride Gogoat. Which is why I've been calling it Gogoat. Aside from being its name, you can go on the goat, which I'm fascinated with. Can we expect more rideable Pokemon? I hear you can only ride on it in the main city, which is fine, but disappointing. Not much is known about the city, but as far as I can tell, it's involved with a marketplace.

More news: You can customize your trainer, giving them different skin and hair colors. This makes sense, especially given a previous image of the male trainer looking at a mirror. I welcome this feature, even if this is as far as it goes.

Back to the Electric/Normal Pokemon. So this might mean that Light isn't a type, but it's not conclusive. But if they wanted to make a Light type, this Pokemon would have been a great opportunity. They could still do it, but I don't think so. Besides, it's too much of a game-changer. Where were Arceus' Light plates? Would Flash becoming a Light type really change anything? For that matter, can you think of that many Light type moves to fight with?

Sound could still work. The fact that there's an ability protecting from Sound-based moves, not to mention the many Sound-based Pokemon like the Whismur family, Chatot, and Meloetta, all of which are at least part Normal type, means that Sound isn't too far off.

Next time, hopefully, we'll get more insight on X & Y. Maybe something bigger can be revealed.

3D Spinda

So Pokemon is going into 3D, huh? Well, that should be cool. Yep, very cool.

Spinda can't be the same.

I thought about it. Spinda has over 4 billion different spot patterns. More with shiny. So tell me that it'll be possible to fully incorporate that into the game. Tell me that.

It can't. Spinda was always able to be cheap. It didn't move for most of Generation III, but in Emerald, it just jumped a little, not turning its head. Same with the fourth generation.

In Gen V, it wobbled constantly. Even though full animation was possible, it didn't spin. That would be more effort. And in spin-offs, Spinda didn't have any spot differences.

So with Gen VI, having full 3D graphics would complicate things. Spinda would be a nuisance to animate. Especially because of this fact:

NO ONE CARES ABOUT SPINDA.

I'm sure someone would complain if they removed its identity by giving one general spot pattern, but who seriously uses Spinda? No, really, name me someone who uses Spinda. I will slap them.

So X & Y will have "well over 700 Pokemon". Whether that means we'll get a typical even-numbered generation amount or not (Johto has 100, while Sinnoh has 107, so this could be, like, 110) has yet to be seen. What I can tell you is that this will surely take a toll on the animators.

So would Spinda be worth it? Should they drop Spinda's gimmick? It's not even that good. I mean, certainly fascinating, but not even a little useful.

That having been said, 3D Pokemon is a bit... well, I think this series can't go on forever. Obviously not. A thousand Pokemon would be too complicated. Everytime someone who used to play Red and Blue asks, "How many Pokemon are there now?", I tell them. And they always go into shock.

Let's face it. Not all Pokemon are good. Spinda, naturally, being a prime example. Pure gimmick. So is it worth it to complicate an already complex game? Because it IS complicated. Unova alone had 649 Pokedex entries, plus more shadows and animations. Not to mention, animating the sleep effect. Can you imagine how hard it must be to work on Pokemon, especially the new games? It must be Hell on Earth.

Personally, I say it's time to make things easier for the programmers. They have to animate all sorts of new effects. It's gotta be tough.

By the way, I got speaking lessons. I don't use "ain't" anymore. Anyway, next time we'll talk about something else. Maybe the anime.