Unpopular opinions

[LeftyGreenMario]

If I recall correctly, move descriptions tend to be pretty vague and crappy, which highlights Game Freak's reluctance to patronizingly withhold information from their players. Oftentimes, I have to look up Bulbapedia to figure out some unclear details on some moves. I don't remember the specifics, but it would be nice if some people can fill me in. I know the "heals by more than half" is one example, but I'm sure there's more.

But honestly, I really think that, if it doesn't exist already, there should just be sanctioned team building modes, could even be as a side mode, like Battle Whatever being an optional side mode that's unlocked after the Elite Four. In that mode, you get to build your own team and every value you can control (and perhaps they can explain it). They can easily let you make a team of perfect IVs (or set IVs for Hidden Power) and quickly invest EVs, but of course, you can't use those Pokemon in-game. Some elitist people will complain that everything was "easier", but the reality is that a lot of people don't have time or patience to spend months breeding something, they have this thing called real life, and democratizing the process is vital if you want a thriving community.

I guess I'm saying a lot of word for what Pokemon Showdown essentially does, but why not make it an in-game side mode for Battle Haxtier or an external Pokemon app like Pokebank? Give people more options beyond Pokemon Showdown.

Anyway, I'm getting into wishlisting again, but damn it's really hard to avoid it when discussing problems (though I hardly believe those problems are considered "unpopular".

 

[Detective Barricade]

If I recall correctly, move descriptions tend to be pretty vague and crappy, which highlights Game Freak's reluctance to patronizingly withhold information from their players. Oftentimes, I have to look up Bulbapedia to figure out some unclear details on some moves. I don't remember the specifics, but it would be nice if some people can fill me in. I know the "heals by more than half" is one example, but I'm sure there's more.

But honestly, I really think that, if it doesn't exist already, there should just be sanctioned team building modes, could even be as a side mode, like Battle Whatever being an optional side mode that's unlocked after the Elite Four. In that mode, you get to build your own team and every value you can control (and perhaps they can explain it). They can easily let you make a team of perfect IVs (or set IVs for Hidden Power) and quickly invest EVs, but of course, you can't use those Pokemon in-game. Some elitist people will complain that everything was "easier", but the reality is that a lot of people don't have time or patience to spend months breeding something, they have this thing called real life, and democratizing the process is vital if you want a thriving community.

I guess I'm saying a lot of word for what Pokemon Showdown essentially does, but why not make it an in-game side mode for Battle Haxtier or an external Pokemon app like Pokebank? Give people more options beyond Pokemon Showdown.

Anyway, I'm getting into wishlisting again, but damn it's really hard to avoid it when discussing problems (though I hardly believe those problems are considered "unpopular".

If they're complaining that it's "easier", then it can be an option to use your own Pokemon if you're confident in them. And besides that, this wouldn't cover the more elaborate strategies actual human opponents tend to come up with. (and certainly be able to reliably pull off since computer opponents can often shoot themselves in the foot. See the "dumbest things the AI has done" thread for some fine examples)

I mean, yes, what you're suggesting is technically wishlisting, but TPC and Game Freak like having their online battle tournaments. I'm sure there are many kids who see these top players competing and dream of being the very best. (like no one ever was!) Yet their dreams are quickly dashed once they find that the game offers next to no help whatsoever in how to get there. The tools are there, (including Hyper Training, but you need to get the Pokemon to level 100 when competitions are set to level 50) but it's time consuming to use them even when you know what you're doing, (and don't really account for legendary Pokemon such as Tapu Koko whom you've only one shot at) let alone someone who's just starting out. Allowing banned legendary Pokemon to be used in certain parts of the Battle Whatever was cool, but a lot more players would probably be interested in battle facilities and the competitive side of things if the game guided them in what they're supposed to do.

Heck, most everything else in the games is tied to hand-holding tutorials, so why not have something to gently guide players into the world of competitive battling, or even just getting high streaks in the Battle Whatever? (that is way too catchy of a name) It's little wonder players lose interest in the post-game when it just goes "Congratulations! You're past all the stuff you didn't need tutorials for but got 'em anyway! Now we're gonna abandon you at the very part you probably do need help figuring out! Have fun~"

 

[jordanthejq12]

While we're doing lukewarm takes...

The original games are obsolete in their entirety, mostly by way of FRLG, although I feel LG deserves some credit as well. They have aged poorly and are filled with so many bugs and glitches that encountering said glitches appears to be much of the appeal behind still playing them. I honestly cannot ever go back to them--if I have a Kanto itch that needs scratching, why not just play FRLG?

 

[BP]

Real talk though FR LG were some of my favorite games in the series. All the sprites from those games look soooo much better than the RSE period. In addition, I really enjoyed the post game. The only thing Emerald had over FRLG was the Battle Frontier which was mediocre at in my opinion due to the fact that you could only catch like Smeargle and Shuckle if I remember correctly.

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

Real talk though FR LG were some of my favorite games in the series. All the sprites from those games look soooo much better than the RSE period. In addition, I really enjoyed the post game. The only thing Emerald had over FRLG was the Battle Frontier which was mediocre at in my opinion due to the fact that you could only catch like Smeargle and Shuckle if I remember correctly.

Smeargle and Sudowoodo, I think, not Shuckle.

Also, I am gonna be frank and say I dislike Hoenn as a region. I hated the water routes, because water routes tend to be tedious as fuck, with no repels you hit Tentacools, and if you have a repel, it won't matter since the swimmers just spam Tentacools as well and sometimes other things.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

This is related to random encounters: when I was getting back into Pokemon, I found out that I enjoy destroying every Pokemon I see, so I'm actually looking forward to the water routes once I try out Alpha Sapphire. This is so radically different than when I normally played Pokemon years ago. Heck, I just forgo using fly just to go through the ordeal of destroying all Pokemon along the way, not even using ledges to avoid the grass, only to find out I'm heading the wrong direction and then to go back.

I'm weird.

While we're doing lukewarm takes...

The original games are obsolete in their entirety, mostly by way of FRLG, although I feel LG deserves some credit as well. They have aged poorly and are filled with so many bugs and glitches that encountering said glitches appears to be much of the appeal behind still playing them. I honestly cannot ever go back to them--if I have a Kanto itch that needs scratching, why not just play FRLG?

Pff I don't think that's unpopular! There's no reason to play the original games. Heck, why would you want to deal with the slow movement, the ugly as sin sprites, the lack of an experience bar, the horrendous excuse for an item bag, the noise of Elecktabuzz, the noise of the screech move, that your Blastoise looks like a drowning Kirby in the menu, the clunky PC storage, the annoying text scrolling that makes everything a pain to read, the stupid "special" stat and awful move and type balance?

The tools are there, (including Hyper Training, but you need to get the Pokemon to level 100 when competitions are set to level 50) but it's time consuming to use them even when you know what you're doing, (and don't really account for legendary Pokemon such as Tapu Koko whom you've only one shot at) let alone someone who's just starting out. Allowing banned legendary Pokemon to be used in certain parts of the Battle Whatever was cool, but a lot more players would probably be interested in battle facilities and the competitive side of things if the game guided them in what they're supposed to do.

I was under impression that the tools were limited and disappointing to begin with, so it came off to me as Game Freak wanting to cater to that crowd but was too stingy to let go of their old traditions and we have this weird compromise that ends up satisfying no one. And given Game Freak's track record on needed features, people are probably worried that Game Freak won't build on it and just abandon it. Yes, I still remember that you guys removed the following Pokemon from HeartGold and SoulSilver when everyone loved that feature especially when they were clamoring for it since Pokemon Yellow.

You have to give credit to Codraroll for coining the Battle Whatever as it is, I found it to be a hilarious name and pretty fitting because I sense contempt for it, and that contempt is so deserved.

 

[adman2]

The Special stat from the 1st generation reminds me of TEC from Etrian Odyssey. In that series, TEC was a combination of "magic attack", "magic defense", and "healing power". When Etrian Odyssey 5 came out, TEC was split into INT (magic attack) and WIS (magic defense, healing power).


Both series tend to be conservative, with the gameplay remaining mostly consistent between entries. Except for a distinctive feature that only stays in one game. The Pokemon features (e.g. Acro/Mach bikes) have already been described in this thread, so I'll elaborate on the EO equivalents.


Sea Quests were a side mission in EO 3 that involved charting the ocean around the city of Armoroad. This was a sort of puzzle, because you could only move so many tiles per session with your ship until you had to go back to town. To go out farther into the ocean, you had to find specific items scattered throughout various islands. Etrian Odyssey 4 had airship navigation around a world map, with fetch quests and minibosses. In every other EO, you enter the main labyrinths through a menu. EO5 and the Untold games don't have anything like an overworld or Sea Quests.


And just for fun, both Etrian Odyssey and Pokemon have Mystery Dungeon games. Status ailment moves are more effective in both series than in most Japanese RPGs.

 

[Detective Barricade]

This is related to random encounters: when I was getting back into Pokemon, I found out that I enjoy destroying every Pokemon I see, so I'm actually looking forward to the water routes once I try out Alpha Sapphire. This is so radically different than when I normally played Pokemon years ago. Heck, I just forgo using fly just to go through the ordeal of destroying all Pokemon along the way, not even using ledges to avoid the grass, only to find out I'm heading the wrong direction and then to go back.

I'm weird.


Pff I don't think that's unpopular! There's no reason to play the original games. Heck, why would you want to deal with the slow movement, the ugly as sin sprites, the lack of an experience bar, the horrendous excuse for an item bag, the noise of Elecktabuzz, the noise of the screech move, that your Blastoise looks like a drowning Kirby in the menu, the clunky PC storage, the annoying text scrolling that makes everything a pain to read, the stupid "special" stat and awful move and type balance?


I was under impression that the tools were limited and disappointing to begin with, so it came off to me as Game Freak wanting to cater to that crowd but was too stingy to let go of their old traditions and we have this weird compromise that ends up satisfying no one. And given Game Freak's track record on needed features, people are probably worried that Game Freak won't build on it and just abandon it. Yes, I still remember that you guys removed the following Pokemon from HeartGold and SoulSilver when everyone loved that feature especially when they were clamoring for it since Pokemon Yellow.

You have to give credit to Codraroll for coining the Battle Whatever as it is, I found it to be a hilarious name and pretty fitting because I sense contempt for it, and that contempt is so deserved.

I said the tools are there, not that they're particularly great. I'd rather have the Destiny Knot be able to guarantee some stats and the Everstone guarantee nature than leaving it all up to chance. It takes hours, if not a few days, to breed something now as opposed to weeks without resorting to RNG abuse. (I've nothing against that, just it wasn't an intended function of the game to rely on outside software to figure out the exact hoops to jump through to get what you want... hopefully)

 

[DreamPrince]

Looking back at it, I do agree with Codraroll that Gen 4 and 5 have the most post game content. I'd like to point at TamashiiHiroka's video on Diamond and Pearl. She states the reason why Diamond and Pearl was very ambitious in terms of content, largely because the Pokemon franchise was fading away; VizKids was not making enough money to keep the actors for anime as an example. That potential risk of failure is why Gen 4 and 5 in general have a lot more content in terms of post game, such as the Battle Frontier and a new island/region to explore.

But I guess around XY, the Pokemon franchised had solidified, which is why the post game really only features an episode for an extension casual players. In fact, I think the only reason we have "episode" scenarios is because it would look totally bad if there was absolutely no post story. Even if Sun and Moon didn't sell as well as Diamond and Pearl, the cash flow is still huge from other sources, such as the TCG and Anime, so GF can get away with Sun and Moon not selling as well as Diamond and Pearl; as well as not making a " hardcore " Pokemon game because they don't have to since they make enough money off their games which are lacking in content thanks to Pokemon's brand Image making enough money.

That's the stick in the mud I have right now is that they have so much money so this would be a perfect time to experiment a bit. Not to mention Pokemon has already has an extreme brand image, so one flop isn't going to end this things. Though what is a flop for Pokemon is hard to say. Let's Go was game with less content than FRLG and only sold 10 million and yet it still is considered a success. This is concerning because GF can now get away with adding less content and still make money off it.

And I don't see the issues being resolved in Sword and Shield. The camera angle is clearly reminiscent of the 3DS games, and the message Masuda give says that the games are meant for players from the beginning and those who started with Let's Go. Otherwise known for everyone. So this probably means an extra episode and no places to explore..

Tamashii states that Masuda was very ambitious for Diamond and Pearl. Wow. Time flies.

GameFreak in 2006

GameFreak in 2019

 

[Pikachu315111]

Move, item and ability descriptions? Hah, good luck getting all the info you need from it *stares at Water Bubble*

Base stats, learnset and possible abilities? Nope. At least the learnset is shown through the new Move Reminder.

The description one always bothered me because sometimes it would be flavor text, sometimes only tell its affect, and other times be a mixture of both! They should have two different description boxes, one that is flavor text and the other exactly what the item does (this one would probably work better as a list format).

Probably wouldn't be too much of a problem having the Pokedex list all that, or at least the Base Stats & Abilities. As for the learnset, I feel that's a slippery slope as then why wouldn't the Dex also list the TMs it can learn, Tutor moves it can learn, and Egg Moves it can get? That's maybe a bit too much information (that could maybe also be handled elsewhere, like having an NPC at the Daycare tell you about the Egg Moves). Also there should be some form of discovery, whenever you level-up and your Pokemon learns a new move it's a bit more exciting to see what it is when you don't know.

 

[earl]

I’m confused, I thought people historically disliked BW1’s postgame of a few more towns on the other side of Unova. Not to mention the stupid 10 level jump between Ghetsis and every postgame trainer

 

[Pikachu315111]

I’m confused, I thought people historically disliked BW1’s postgame of a few more towns on the other side of Unova. Not to mention the stupid 10 level jump between Ghetsis and every postgame trainer

I don't think they were mad about there being additional towns in the post game, but rather with how linear BW was it didn't allow you from going to them until then. You knew where the additional towns were and theoretically there was no reason you couldn't go there, but the game wanted to keep you on the story path so roadblocked them. It was more people not liking being told where they can or can't go then the concept there is additional locations now available for visit in the post game. I think people like new areas to explore post game... just don't make it so its literally cutting off a chunk of the map.

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

I would say the love for gen 5's postgame comes from B2W2, since mine comes from there especially. I agree BW had no post-game at all imo.

 

[DreamPrince]

I don't think they were mad about there being additional towns in the post game, but rather with how linear BW was it didn't allow you from going to them until then. You knew where the additional towns were and theoretically there was no reason you couldn't go there, but the game wanted to keep you on the story path so roadblocked them. It was more people not liking being told where they can or can't go then the concept there is additional locations now available for visit in the post game. I think people like new areas to explore post game... just don't make it so its literally cutting off a chunk of the map.

I would say the love for gen 5's postgame comes from B2W2, since mine comes from there especially. I agree BW had no post-game at all.

Well I can agree that BW were very linear, there were some areas that could be explored further such as: Wellspring Cave, The routes that lead to P2 laboratory, Pinwheel Forest, Mistralaton Cave, and if we count post game, the Dreamyard and Challenger's Cave. I also disagree that BW had a small post game. While there wasn't too much of a story going on, the abillity to explore the other half of Unova was really fun and diverse. The only thing I disliked was the level curve, which is an absurd 10 levels up.

Speaking of level curves, I never found the level curve a problem in Johto, with the exception of Red. I also really liked the ability to go back and challenge the gyms in Kanto in any order. Probably like the closest thing to an open world in a Pokemon game.

 

[Wishy]

This. Some Pokémon learn moves if you hold back evolution, but it's applied very inconsistently and there are zero hints at all in the game about what to expect and when you can expect it, and figuring it out through trial and error is a futile task that only leads to madness. Shroomish learning Spore, one of its best moves, 17 levels after it's supposed to evolve has to be the worst offender. It's one of those things you pretty much have to read a guide to find out, because nobody holds off evolution of such a weak Pokémon for so long just for the sake of it.

I guess the concept of unique moves if you hold off evolution makes for a nice enough Easter egg, but its implementation could use some work. Holding off evolution is generally not something you do, since it is usually a major trade-off and you're very rarely rewarded for it. And often as not, there may be moves you miss if you hold off evolution too late, such as Nidoqueen learning Earth Power at level 43 (in an ironic twist, Nidorina learns Super Fang at 47 - better decide early which move you prefer to use in your playthrough). As such, a player is unlikely to discover those bonus moves unless they look them up.

I guess the idea was to hide some information so they'd have some sales arguments for strategy guides (such as the classic "how you can evolve Onix into that awesome Pokémon used by the sixth Gym Leader"), but in the age of Internet resource sites (in other words, since 1999 or so) locking information like that away has no real value. Either players will never discover it, or they will have it spoiled before they even catch the Pokémon. The information becomes too obscure, or its obscurity becomes pointless. The games really need an in-game knowledge databank which at least hints when there is something like that to discover, so players can search for Easter eggs without trying in vain while still retaining some element of surprise. If only the Pokémon franchise had an element like that, a knowledge bank trainers carry on their person, it would be really useful in-game... a "Pokémon Index" or something like that...

A Pokedex that provides more than irrelevant factoids (which I love) and location information would be a dream.

They could scale how much information is revealed to the player by adding more information into a Pokemon's dex entry based on how often you've encountered it in the wild/battles, how many you've captured, etc., and record key advice/facts revealed by NPCs in there. As fun as it is to discover this stuff for yourself, its nice for the game to ya know, actually explicitly contain that information for you to discover. They could even gatekeep certain information via upgrades. Ultimately a full dex entry would contain an evolution map, flavour text, location, full level up set (with an indicator for egg moves/"moves acquired by breeding" or something).

It's frustrating that the Pokedex devolved into a lame tutorial bot in Gen 7 when it has so much potential to be a rich + useful encyclopedia of information.

 

[p0ip0le]

the Y menu thing from the gen5 games (or at least in b2w2 since idr if its in bw) should come back bc it's convenient af to have a bunch of important shit in one button instead of just your bike and having to dig around for any other item you would need

 

[Millky95]

A Pokedex that provides more than irrelevant factoids (which I love) and location information would be a dream.

They could scale how much information is revealed to the player by adding more information into a Pokemon's dex entry based on how often you've encountered it in the wild/battles, how many you've captured, etc., and record key advice/facts revealed by NPCs in there. As fun as it is to discover this stuff for yourself, its nice for the game to ya know, actually explicitly contain that information for you to discover. They could even gatekeep certain information via upgrades. Ultimately a full dex entry would contain an evolution map, flavour text, location, full level up set (with an indicator for egg moves/"moves acquired by breeding" or something).

It's frustrating that the Pokedex devolved into a lame tutorial bot in Gen 7 when it has so much potential to be a rich + useful encyclopedia of information.

Pokemon Stadium 2 had something similar in Earl's Acadmey. If they don't want us to carry it around in PokeDex form don't see why we can't have a school or research lab implimented. Shame we never see a Pokemon expert or professor around...

the Y menu thing from the gen5 games (or at least in b2w2 since idr if its in bw) should come back bc it's convenient af to have a bunch of important shit in one button instead of just your bike and having to dig around for any other item you would need

ORAS had that as well. Could have a fishing rod, both bikes and the eon flute all on one button

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

A cool improvement on the Y menu thingy would be to make it similar to the shorthand Page Rider feature (clicking a specific direction button will call the set mon). This way, people can easily bring out their bicycle, rods, and whatever gen 8 might offer this year. It is, imo, a better option than having to scroll potentially, as this is just like clicking the Y button on a uniquely-registered key item.

 

[Suspicious Derivative]

I’m confused, I thought people historically disliked BW1’s postgame of a few more towns on the other side of Unova. Not to mention the stupid 10 level jump between Ghetsis and every postgame trainer

It seems like most of the fandom isn't all too fond of the B/W postgame, which is a bit weird since these games are (objectively, more or less) among the best in terms of postgame for a first pair in the series. But then again, it is never easy to know what the fandom really considers a good postgame. I guess people were disappointed after HG/SS (which I thought had an awful postgame, but that's just me) or didn't find it as enjoyable as B2/W2 which has much more postgame and content (best in the series if you ask me). I personally liked the postgame of B/W though, the games gave you large new areas to explore with lots of new Pokémon that couldn't be found during the main game, combined with fun minigames and a good Battle Facility. This made it really enjoyable for me. I know I have said this earlier, but I think B/W is one of the two first pairs with the best postgame, the other being D/P. And that might also be an unpopular opinion since some people claim B/W has "no postgame", but that is simply just not true.

As for the level jump, I can understand if others find it annoying, but I did personally not find it to be that bad. The games give you plenty of opportunities to grind up your team, making it possible to take on the postgame trainers with no problem after a little bit of grinding. I remember that I spent a few days at the Nimbasa Stadiums to grind up, then my teams were ready. Compare this to S/M, which has a similar high level jump to the postgame but a worse situation regarding the training spots. Or even worse, HG/SS, which has the extreme level jumps from Blue to the Elite Four rematches or Red, with awful training spots. So I think B/W did pretty well in that regard.

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

It seems like most of the fandom isn't all too fond of the B/W postgame, which is a bit weird since these games are (objectively, more or less) among the best in terms of postgame for a first pair in the series. But then again, it is never easy to know what the fandom really considers a good postgame. I guess people were disappointed after HG/SS (which I thought had an awful postgame, but that's just me) or didn't find it as enjoyable as B2/W2 which has much more postgame and content (best in the series if you ask me). I personally liked the postgame of B/W though, the games gave you large new areas to explore with lots of new Pokémon that couldn't be found during the main game, combined with fun minigames and a good Battle Facility. This made it really enjoyable for me. I know I have said this earlier, but I think B/W is one of the two first pairs with the best postgame, the other being D/P. And that might also be an unpopular opinion since some people claim B/W has "no postgame", but that is simply just not true.

As for the level jump, I can understand if others find it annoying, but I did personally not find it to be that bad. The games give you plenty of opportunities to grind up your team, making it possible to take on the postgame trainers with no problem after a little bit of grinding. I remember that I spent a few days at the Nimbasa Stadiums to grind up, then my teams were ready. Compare this to S/M, which has a similar high level jump to the postgame but a worse situation regarding the training spots. Or even worse, HG/SS, which has the extreme level jumps from Blue to the Elite Four rematches or Red, with awful training spots. So I think B/W did pretty well in that regard.

I would say HGSS's idea of post-game was rather good, just it was executed really poorly, ranging from the poorly executed free world idea (like they could have kept the free Gym order but boost the next ones' levels and give them better mons, movesets, and etc.) to the lack of real story objectives to interact with (like the closest thing we've got there is the Rocket Grunt quest there. I wish I had more opportunities to interact with some form of story or something like this). Also I felt like the route trainers there were pretty pathetic and underwhelming (insert Silver sprite here) and I would have wished if they buffed them and made them significally more broken and more interesting to fight. The level jump to Blue and Red is also rather horrible, but at this point I am used to all sudden level jumps.

 

[Siggu]

Might be quite repetitive in this, but HGSS's main problem is that it does not really fix any of the problems GSC had. And yes, that includes the post-game.

Those flaws might be a little less bad in the remakes but they are still clearly present. The level curve, Kanto feeling like filler, etc.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

I disagree, the remake was much kinder to Kanto. Sure, we still had some retained changes like the underground paths not being used, but other than that, it certainly felt more true to Kanto than the barren Kanto in the original game. It also introduced the well-appreciated mechanic of respawning legendaries. The RageCandyBar was turned into a key item rather than a useless consumable, so that's appreciated too. There are also more rebattleable Trainers in Kanto than in the previous games. Also, the Elite Four comes with buffs the second time you challenge it.

I do feel the easiness of Kanto is retained though, and I'm not really sure about the Pokemon variety, as I haven't seriously played Gold.

 

[Ryota Mitarai]

I disagree, the remake was much kinder to Kanto. Sure, we still had some retained changes like the underground paths not being used, but other than that, it certainly felt more true to Kanto than the barren Kanto in the original game. It also introduced the well-appreciated mechanic of respawning legendaries. The RageCandyBar was turned into a key item rather than a useless consumable, so that's appreciated too. There are also more rebattleable Trainers in Kanto than in the previous games. Also, the Elite Four comes with buffs the second time you challenge it.

I do feel the easiness of Kanto is retained though, and I'm not really sure about the Pokemon variety, as I haven't seriously played Gold.

Not like you are really catching mons from Kanto anyways, because either they are not really decent or come at low level (unless you are called Snorlax, that's like the only viable Kanto mon that is not Legendary). I once did a HGSS run where I got a Makuhita, Houndour and Murkrow for a post-game team, though none of them are ones I caught in Kanto, so post-game gives more viable mons in Johto than Kanto itself.

 

[Hyper Cutter]

If I recall correctly, move descriptions tend to be pretty vague and crappy, which highlights Game Freak's reluctance to patronizingly withhold information from their players.

I'm not sure they're even doing it intentionally most of the time, so much as there's only a limited amount of space for descriptions (and doubly so in English, which generally takes up more space than Japanese text does).

 

[Zelen]

Not like you are really catching mons from Kanto anyways, because either they are not really decent or come at low level.

This. I've never replaced any pokémon from my ingame team in GSC or HGSS with a pokémon caught in Kanto because they are so underleveled, usually in their 20ies. I think in remakes gyms bring more challenge but it's not valid enough reason to replace your high level team member with L20 Murkrow or something. :P In Gen II I usually just speedrun through Kanto in 2 hours or less just to get access to Mt.Silver.

I also agree with Siggu about level curve issues... I've played recently through all 3 games. Gold as a regular play-through, Crystal in slow-mode (catching every pokémon and exploring everything) and Silver in Nuzlocke. What these all got common was that after defeating Morty you're forced to grind for 4+ hours from level 15 to 25 with wild low level pokémon. There isn't nowhere near enough trainers to get to decent levels.

I'm not sure but can you go to Lake of Rage before going for Cianwood City (5th Gym) and defeat Team Rocket at Mahogany Town and at Radio Tower? I've never tried that to be honest, I've always just struggled myself through Fighting and Steel gyms with severely low leveled team. :D