Little things you like about Pokémon

[R_N]

I feel most players would probably stumble into Articuno first. You can just circle to Cinnabar by going to Pallet first, but you just got Surf so you're probably going the Fuschia route which will lead directly through Seafoam

Zapdos is kind of the only one you have to go out of your way to see (Moltres is on a side path iirc but you can seed it around the screen I think) since you never have to interact with that part of the map.

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

I feel most players would probably stumble into Articuno first. You can just circle to Cinnabar by going to Pallet first, but you just got Surf so you're probably going the Fuschia route which will lead directly through Seafoam

Zapdos is kind of the only one you have to go out of your way to see (Moltres is on a side path iirc but you can seed it around the screen I think) since you never have to interact with that part of the map.

Depending on how young the first-time player is, the Seafoam Islands Strength puzzle could be enough of a roadblock to have them looking for an alternative route, but yeah it's definitely the natural progression from Fuchsia, particularly with Fly being entirely optional. Either way, Articuno can also be seen through the Fuchsia City/Route 15 gatehouse binoculars in RBYFRLG.

It is interesting to think about just how hidden Zapdos is in the original games, though. In FRLG you can freely move the cursor around the map and hover over the Power Plant location icon, but in RBY there's no hint towards it at all. I could also imagine the trauma of Flash-less Rock Tunnel discouraging a lot of younger players from returning to that area to explore haha.

 

[Sonikku A]

I feel Moltres being in Victory Road somewhat fails cuz the sprite for it is....literally the same as all other bird mons using fly

Similarly, you'd think the NPCs would notice and be way more excited, rather than only 1 mentioning it offchance when talking about Blaine. I feel the best thing is to have it interacted with, it roars, then flies off, which leads you wanting to find it in the overworld later

So basically the Beast trio in GSC

The real reason it's in Victory Road is cuz it was made very late in dev cuz Arcanine no longer was the trio

 

[R_N]

I feel Moltres being in Victory Road somewhat fails cuz the sprite for it is....literally the same as all other bird mons using fly

Similarly, you'd think the NPCs would notice and be way more excited, rather than only 1 mentioning it offchance when talking about Blaine. I feel the best thing is to have it interacted with, it roars, then flies off, which leads you wanting to find it in the overworld later

So basically the Beast trio in GSC

The real reason it's in Victory Road is cuz it was made very late in dev cuz Arcanine no longer was the trio

Judging by the internal ids from our various builds, the birds were created at about the same time as each other likely to fulfill a similar purpose. Arcanine was probably never considered to be part of the trio

I also believe Moltres was supposed to have its own dungeon and it was replaced by Cerulean Cave in the final, presumably so Mewtwo had a spot after they scrapped the Silph concept.

e: Aha found it on Helix & TCRF. Moltres' dungeon was originally in the Cerulean Cave with a completely different aesthetic and was there in the wild encounter table alongside other fire types

 

[pika pal]

Judging by the internal ids from our various builds, the birds were created at about the same time as each other likely to fulfill a similar purpose. Arcanine was probably never considered to be part of the trio

I also believe Moltres was supposed to have its own dungeon and it was replaced by Cerulean Cave in the final, presumably so Mewtwo had a spot after they scrapped the Silph concept.

e: Aha found it on Helix & TCRF. Moltres' dungeon was originally in the Cerulean Cave with a completely different aesthetic and was there in the wild encounter table alongside other fire types

This makes me like the LGPE wild (rare) encounters with the birds a little more, as a coincidental overlap with this original concept for Moltres being in the Wild Table evidently

 

[R_N]

This makes me like the LGPE wild (rare) encounters with the birds a little more, as a coincidental overlap with this original concept for Moltres being in the Wild Table evidently

Articuno, Snorlax and Mewtwo (!) were in the same boat. Zapdos presumably would have been as well, but the old Power Plant encounter table we have either doesn't have it by mistake (some of the encounter tables do have misplaced Pokemon and such) or they were in the early process of maybe changing out their plans (the moltres dungeon had files labeling it as the Zapdos dungeon, despite the theming of everything, so they could have been moving things around shortly after this; alternatively they were about to try implementing the OW encounters or something of the sort).

 

[igiveuponaname]

It is interesting to think about just how hidden Zapdos is in the original games, though. In FRLG you can freely move the cursor around the map and hover over the Power Plant location icon, but in RBY there's no hint towards it at all.

While the power plant is never shown on the actual map in RBY the game still hints at its location when looking at area data for magnemite and voltorb in the pokédex. Considering it's like one of if not the only location you can find them it can lead players to that location if they're in search for those mons. Just something I find cool.

 

[Yung Dramps]

I like how Penny is the only team leader besides Ghetsis with a team of 6. Honestly torn on whether this should go in this thread or its dark side cousin: On the one hand this is a sad indictment of the absolute state of Pokemon villains. On the other hand it's freakin hilarious

 

[Mova]

Penny's more of an antagonist turned ally than a villain, kinda like how there aren't any real villains as of Galar, especially not in Paldea. Volo was our closest in Hisui, and arguably the only actual villain as of late. Rose was an impatient little shit, and the real Paldea professor indirectly enabled the Paradise Protection Protocol to act how it did.

 

[R_N]

He's so dang happy

 

[Suspicious Derivative]

One thing I like about Pokémon sequels is how they change the structure of the region and in which order you can explore various areas.

G/S/C changed Kanto a lot, making you start in Vermilion City instead of Pallet Town (though I guess you technically "start" on Route 27, but let's ignore that). Starting in Vermilion makes the entirety of central Kanto available much earlier, while Pallet Town is likely going to be one of the last places you visit since getting there requires you to fix the Power Plant and get rid of the Snorlax blocking Diglett's Cave.

B2/W2 changed the progression in the main game. A large chunk of eastern Unova is now available during the main game, everything from Route 14 to Route 11, including the Giant Chasm. The path to Victory Road is also different, and Victory Road itself has changed a lot. At the same time, some areas that were accessible during the main game in B/W are now locked to the post-game. Those are Twist Mountain to Tubeline Bridge, as well as Skyarrow Bridge and everything beyond it.

Let's not forget about the spin-offs! This happens in Orre as well. In Colosseum, the Cipher Lab is a late-game area, and Realgam Tower serves as the ending location of the game, featuring the final bosses. Though IIRC you visit Realgam Tower once earlier in the game, but without being able to access the majority of it. In XD, the Cipher Lab is visited early on, while Realgam Tower is also accessible much earlier and is mostly optional. Meanwhile, Colosseum starts at the Outskirt Stand, but in XD, you don't visit it until much later.

On the whole, I like how sequels change the area order and accessibility compared to the original games.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

I like how between the two Gen 8 games, Sword and Shield and Legends: Arceus individually focus on a different core aspect of Pokemon as a whole, the former on battling and the latter on catching Pokemon, both the core tenets of the Pokemon games. SwSh heavily focuses on the battling aspect, treating the Gym Challenge like a big sporting event and making a huge deal out of it, ultimately being about your own rise to the top to becoming the greatest Trainer and battler in the region by dethroning the undefeated Leon. PLA is about creating the first ever Pokedex and about catching and studying Pokemon in many ways, ultimately getting to meet and understand every single one in the Hisui region, building up to Arceus.

Coincidentally, the Journeys anime which took place in that same generation had Ash and Goh co-star as dual protagonists and they naturally represented both aspects individually apiece. Ash wanting to become the strongest battler, and Goh wanting to catch all kinds of Pokémon.

 

[woodgoldtwo]

How hilariously broken Wooloo is in the early game of Sword and Shield if you manage to get one with fluffy

 

[R_N]

After learning Heatran has 100 base friendship, I'm endeared to it even more
Majority of legends (or legend-adjacent) have 0, a handful of them have like 35 barring that. The ones that have 90-100 are generally the "nice" ones like the Lati, Cresselia, Calyrex or the small Mythics. So Heatran, of all Pokemon getting 100 is pretty funny; its entire thing is probably setting off a volcano when grumpy but hey it's pretty chill with you. Good guy Heatran.

But since I was looking at those, other ones I find charming:
-Tornadus & Thundurus also have 90. Landorus is the "nice" one so that one having 90 makes sense, but I guess the jerk gods have a soft spot for us too.
-Volcanion also has 100; you might think that's just a Mythic thing but it's usually only the small mythics (Confined Hoopa, for example). Diancie has 70/50 (gen 8 tweaked all the values to account for the changes to happiness), Deoxys has 0, Keldeo has 35, etc. Guess its also curmudgeonly soft.
-The lake spirits are in the highest tier alongside folks like Indeedee or Chansey: 140 base. I figured at least Mesprit would be pretty high, but I didn't think all 3 would be 140!
-We all know that Buneary has 0, mostly as a joke, but Nymble & Lokix are also super funny. Nymble has base *20*, Lokix meanwhile has base 0. VERY few unevolved Pokemon have less than 70/50 and Lokix just out & out hates you. Great stuff
-Base 20 is actually a new rate for gen 9 and only shared by Nymble and Charcadet's evolutions. Charcadet itself is base 50. Makes sense, the armor you get for both of them isn't exactly known for being good.
-Hoopa Unbound went from 100 to 50 in the gen 8 transition, for some reason
-Umbreon having base 35 while the OG eevees,Espeon & Sylveon have 70/50 is presumably a dark type thing but Leafeon & Glaceon also have 35. Rude pair.

 

[Bakugames]

why did no one tell me croagunk is a homie day 1. this is delightful

actually editing my post as i scroll through the friendship page.
It seems like they dropped the dark/ghost type and pseudos being less chummy with you by default, as most of them seem to enjoy your presence after gen 6. Low/high friendship gets rarer in the fairy gens, other than legendaries and the like.

Indeedees beigh high because they're waiter nanny mons who like being helpers is really funny. pushovers but i like it

Despite the fact they're in constant suffering, the galar fossils have no strong feelings towards you. it makes sense but itd be really funny if they had 0 friendship

Also despite the fact theres a bunch of lore of ogerpon getting friendly with you and choosing you, it also has a base 50 friendship. of course that's more than the average 35-0 friendship that legendaries have, but you'd think she'd follow more into the 100s

why is luxio a homie also. what's going on here

 

[Imperial Magala]

The Lake Trio makes sense in the Sinnoh games due to the player saving them from Team Galactic before capturing them afterwards.

 

[Coronis]

View attachment 608512

why did no one tell me croagunk is a homie day 1. this is delightful

actually editing my post as i scroll through the friendship page.
It seems like they dropped the dark/ghost type and pseudos being less chummy with you by default, as most of them seem to enjoy your presence after gen 6. Low/high friendship gets rarer in the fairy gens, other than legendaries and the like.

View attachment 608514
Indeedees beigh high because they're waiter nanny mons who like being helpers is really funny. pushovers but i like it

Despite the fact they're in constant suffering, the galar fossils have no strong feelings towards you. it makes sense but itd be really funny if they had 0 friendship

Also despite the fact theres a bunch of lore of ogerpon getting friendly with you and choosing you, it also has a base 50 friendship. of course that's more than the average 35-0 friendship that legendaries have, but you'd think she'd follow more into the 100s

View attachment 608515
why is luxio a homie also. what's going on here

Luxio is like a domesticated pet. Luxray is that badass who got its primal urges back and is full of pride and disdain.

 

[Bakugames]

Luxio is like a domesticated pet. Luxray is that badass who got its primal urges back and is full of pride and disdain.

im just surprised shinx isnt the one with the 100 base friendship. i also dont know if this is an oversight or intentional easter egg LOL

 

[Coronis]

im just surprised shinx isnt the one with the 100 base friendship. i also dont know if this is an oversight or intentional easter egg LOL

Shinx is more like the feral kitten you adopt. Ya gotta break it in a little bit before it trusts you.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

A few regions have Pokemon noted by the Pokedex to have originated from another region (Corphish, Quaxly, Gible, Yungoos, Eiscue, Copperajah) or regional forms which are explicitly noted to have split off from the form we knew previously (Vulpix, Raichu, Diglett, Meowth, et al) but I like that SwSh's dex entries for Zigzagoon flip this and tell us that the one we're used to is actually the offshoot and the new form is the original.

Shield dex entry (Hoennian): Zigzagoon that adapted to regions outside Galar acquired this appearance.

Shield dex entry (Galarian): Thought to be the oldest form of Zigzagoon.

 

[DrrT]

I can't believe I'm going to say this and I don't even know if it's a good thing but this fandom at least does know how to hype things up. Never seen the reactions to a new game since ironically XY but if people are always this hyped then woah.

Also: the TCG has been reintroducing mechanics in the game since the SV era started. Now they will also get to reintroduce Megas (trough they won't be the same as EX is not the same as the current ex). I guess it makes a lot more sense in retrospect.

 

[Yung Dramps]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1762612376925245613

babe wake up beytah rei just dropped

 

[DrrT]

If anything else, Pokemon right now is in a golden era of innovation in a lot of aspects, not only the games themselves (even the anime of all things got a proper new beggining, which it didn't even back in BW). After being stale for so long it's very refreshing to see. I know the results' quality can be argued but the fact they are even doing it is something I can't help but love.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

If anything else, Pokemon right now is in a golden era of innovation in a lot of aspects, not only the games themselves (even the anime of all things got a proper new beggining, which it didn't even back in BW). After being stale for so long it's very refreshing to see. I know the results' quality can be argued but the fact they are even doing it is something I can't help but love.

Yeah I've gotta say, the Switch era as a whole so far has been such an interesting era for Pokémon because there's been so much change and a clear intention to actually steer this franchise forward and in a new direction. Around Gen 7 I was starting to get bored of Pokémon and the infinite loop of stagnation it was sticking itself in on all fronts.

The Switch era has been a constant stream of excitement and interest for me and is probably the most fun and interest I've had in this franchise in a long while, especially on the games front and the anime front. Sword and Shield may have been lacking in some fronts but I did genuinely enjoy it, especially with the DLC attached, and the Gyms had an amazing atmosphere and the characters were so fun, and the new Pokemon brought so many incredible designs that I still love to this day. The DLC took the Wild Area and made the IoA and Crown Tundra even more vibrant and showed great promise, which they followed up upon well with Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet. Legends: Arceus was a pleasant surprise when it came to revisiting Sinnoh, as someone who grew up with DP and was waiting for Sinnoh to come back. While I wasn't big on BDSP, PLA more than made up for it, and was a really fun story set in ancient Sinnoh and the ARPG elements were a nice change of pace. SV has been a ton of fun for me too, with Paldea's open world exploration and its great characters and storylines, which continued with Teal Mask and Indigo Disk. And I'm glad Kalos is getting its share of the pie with its own Legends game that I eagerly look forward to, since XY and ORAS was the last time before this that I was this interested in Pokemon and Kalos was so cool.

The anime and other animation has been killing it lately too. I've really enjoyed Journeys despite its faults and seeing Anipoke starting to deviate from the old Ash formula was a real treat, and seeing Ash, Goh, and Chloe travel the world and many old characters showing up again not to mention Ash finally becoming World Champion and leaving as the show's protagonist is a moment I'll never forget. Horizons has been so interesting to me and I really enjoy Liko's character so far, and I'm happy to see Anipoke tell a brand new story that isn't Ash and Pikachu's, and it's building on what Journeys did only with a fresh cast. The other smaller productions they have been doing a lot of lately have also been really cool. Twilight Wings, Hisuian Snow, Paldean Winds, and whatnot. Not to mention Evolutions, Path to the Peak, and Concierge recently were surprisingly good.

Like, this era isn't perfect, and everything about it can claim to have some faults, but it sure as hell has been interesting and seeing Pokemon take a variety of different directions and doing so many new things in many fronts in the entire Switch era has kept my interest in this franchise at an all time high for the past few years, and I am absolutely enjoying it.

 

[R_N]

Thinking about Legends got me thinking about a certain character again and I thought I had brought this up before, but whatever now's a good a time as any


For the most part, I think people look at the "happiness" mechanic and how this gets applied to the evil teams using things like Crobat in their final battles a little too literally (and even if taken further we still have thing of "the Pokemon itself can just like the trainer regardless of their actions") in terms of what it says about the character

however there is one singular major character where i think the opposite might say something about them and that's how Melli even in his final possible rematch (5th+ clear of the Path of Tenacity) still only has a Golbat.
You can't even use the 1 v 3 as an excuse, all the other training ground final matches have fully evolved Pokemon aside from Rei/Akari still using Clefairy (to reference their descendant) and Pikachu (Because It's Pikachu), Mai still using Munchlax (but that's her ace and has other gameplay reasons since she needs to use it for the Massive Mass Outbreaks) and Ress (who is a joke fight)