Your controversial opinions

[BorealRookidee]

Idk if this is controversial, it probably isn't, but i don't like how HGSS had the Suicune fight take place on a random route. I get that they couldn't place him in the Tin Tower like in Crystal because it might interfere with players looking to catch Ho-Oh, but they could have him return to the Burned Tower for a similar kind of atmosphere.

Here's something i expect people to disagree with though: i strongly dislike the "catch all the legendaries" postgame content. It makes all the legendaries feel like they're basically the same thing, as opposed to the clear personality they had in the older games. In gen 4, Dialga and Palkia were these world ending threats, but in the crown tundra they're just... there.

I think PLA is the only game that did a legendary catching spree well.

 

[BorealRookidee]

Although, to be fair, would Dynamax Adventures be as fan as they are without legendaries to catch at the end?

 

[There Is No Arceus]

I think PLA is the only game that did a legendary catching spree well.

yup. PLA didn't just cram them all into the same area and called it a day; they actually gave the legendaries the love and care they deserved. Though it helps that they didn't go overboard with the amount of legendaries in the game; there was just the Sinnoh legendaries and a few extras

 

[Ransei]

No legendary box art/box art-level Pokémon after Gen 5 needs an additional forme. They were all more developed in media with the formes they were all given in their respective generation(s), more complete in their forme development (despite legendaries such as Zacian and Zamazenta lacking more significance of their roles), and better overall competitively than legendaries prior to them. The older legendaries either had hints about having other formes (mysterious orbs we lacked information about, presence from dimensions we never saw them in, was stated to have been genetically modified from birth), or were said to have other formes but never showed up as them (the Original Dragon of Unova).

Ho-Oh nor Lugia need to be touched, but Lugia needs its moves back alongside more useful tools it could use like Will-O-Wisp to keep up again.

Legendaries from Gen 6 onward can have additional information shown and explained about them without shoehorning a new forme in for the sake of it. That'll be fine.

The minor legendaries are more reasonable to add additional forme changes for, as these Pokémon don't embody major aspects of Pokémon's nature in some significant way. Pokémon who were legendary because they waged war against humanity and won or became legendary off being born from hatred of those perished by a sword make more sense having any sort of regional variant, powerful transformation, evolution, Mega Evolution etc than stuff like Arceus and Xerneas.

 

[Sheep40]

Pokemon is at it's best when it embraces that it's a JRPG.

 

[Rachael]

Playing Scarlet has confirmed my belief that I much prefer Pokemon to NOT be open-world--at least, not in the way SV is. I'm the type of person who wants to fight every battle, find every item, and talk to every NPC. SV's format makes all of those things next to impossible, because with all that open space, it's very easy to miss those things. There's no way to tell if you've already beaten a trainer, and there's no way to know if you've crossed over into an area where the Pokemon or trainers are too strong for you to take on. I've also never liked going back to re-explore areas, because it always involves trying to remember which spots you've covered, and again, it always evokes the question of "Is there a single thing I'm missing? Yes, there must be, because all these areas look the same and I can't tell how much ground I've covered." SV exacerbates this entire issue. In fact, I'm getting frustrated right now because I know I'm not doing a very good job of explaining it. It sounds like it SHOULD be easy to say, "What's the problem? Just make sure you cover all the ground you can," but...it's not.

That said, I still don't want level scaling to ever be a thing if we keep going with the open world idea. If I'm not strong enough to take on a trainer, I want to be able to power my way through by increasing my Pokemon's level. I don't want to have to constantly think up a strategy. For me, that takes the fun out of battling. I like seeing every Pokemon on my team gradually get stronger and learn new moves until they finally beat that troublesome trainer.

I guess I'm the same way about Pokemon games. I wondered why I like the new games better than the old games, and I realized it's because I get excited to see how the series changes over time. And, like in the games themselves, I just like to keep moving forward.

(That's not to say I don't have standards, though. Pokemon could take a step that would make me give up on the series, but so far, it hasn't.)

 

[BorealRookidee]

Scarlet and Violet were designed to emphasize story over gameplay to the extreme, hence the mass simplification.

I actually prefer it this way as pokemon is a JRPG, a genre that is traditionally narrative first, gameplay second.

Yeah I don't agree with any of this.

SV has some really nice gameplay. It's far from perfect, but the open world is pretty fun, there's some pretty hard battles, it certainly has the Pokemon core down just fine, and expands upon it decently well. Lots of great QOL changes, too.

I also disagree that JRPGs are narrative first, gameplay second. Most JRPGs are plot-heavy, for sure. But all have (and require) a very strong gameplay core. Do you think anyone would like Final Fantasy or Persona if the games didn't have very strong gameplay?

 

[Norzan]

Also completely disagree with JRPGs being narrative first gameplay second. Some of my favorite JRPGs like Final Fantasy 6, Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 3 and Dragon Quest 8 have really nice stories on top of plenty of fun gameplay with all the tools you are given to customize the characters. These games would lose a lot of appeal to me if the gameplay was simplified.

 

[Boss1708]

My controversial opinion is that LGPE is a fantastic game, and it's also one of the most underrated Pokemon games.

IMO, LGPE has the best graphics, art style, music, and the best atmosphere in general. Furthermore, it also has the best implementation of following/riding Pokemon and Overworld encounters.

Sure, the game is not perfect. But I think the aforementioned pros outweigh the relatively few cons.

 

[Stef50S]

My controversial opinion is that LGPE is a fantastic game, and it's also one of the most underrated Pokemon games.

IMO, LGPE has the best graphics, art style, music, and the best atmosphere in general. Furthermore, it also has the best implementation of following/riding Pokemon and Overworld encounters.

Sure, the game is not perfect. But I think the aforementioned pros outweigh the relatively few cons.

I do agree that LGPE have the objectively best following Pokemon system in the series. Not only do they keep up with the player, there's also variation not only in the animations, but also their position relative to the trainer. Plus, the fact that you can ride some of them is straight up cooler than in HGSS while also still showcasing the size difference between Pokemon.

 

[There Is No Arceus]

My controversial opinion is that LGPE is a fantastic game, and it's also one of the most underrated Pokemon games.

IMO, LGPE has the best graphics, art style, music, and the best atmosphere in general. Furthermore, it also has the best implementation of following/riding Pokemon and Overworld encounters.

Sure, the game is not perfect. But I think the aforementioned pros outweigh the relatively few cons.

i can see that there's a lot to like, but i personally don't enjoy the catching mechanics. It was great to see Kanto's landmarks with an updated graphical style though; wish Sinnoh got this treatment.

 

[Bolt Strike]

IMO, LGPE has the best graphics, art style, music, and the best atmosphere in general.

Debatable, but even if that's true, how significant is that. I mean, this is a video game, it's meant to be played, that's what separates a video game from say, a TV show or a movie. None of these aspects really affect how the game is played, so I don't think you can give this as much weight.

Sure, the game is not perfect. But I think the aforementioned pros outweigh the relatively few cons.

Yeah, I definitely do not agree with this. Feels more like few pros and many cons.

Pros:
-Pokemon roam the overworld instead of random encounters in the tall grass (however, LA, SV, and to a limited degree SwSh also include this feature)
-Pokemon following returns
-HMs replaced with Secret Techniques (which multiple other games from SM on have done)
-Alolan Forms and Mega Evolutions added

Cons:
-Removal of traditional catching mechanics in favor of Go's gimmicky catching minigame.
-Pokemon selection limited to just the original 151 and Meltan/Melmetal, the least amount of Pokemon in a main game besides RBY themselves.
-No new areas over the original RBY
-Only additional content over the original RBY was the addition of Master Trainers
-As in Yellow, Pikachu/Eevee is all but shoved down your throat
-Graphical style is still largely similar

And those first 4 cons in particular... are very significant. It basically ensures the game is a largely copy/paste feeling RBY remake that feels very lacking compared to other more modern experiences. And then they have the gall to regress in a way other main games do not by removing the traditional catching mechanics, so not only does it not feel better than RBY, but it arguably feels worse. I think those 4 in particular are the main sticking points with players that hate LGPE, the catching mechanics might've been okay for mobile but don't feel like they belong on console, and the latter 3/4 are areas that I think a lot of people want to see improved in a remake because other, modern games tend to be FAR better in those aspects so it makes a game that largely sticks to the original constraints feel archaic and undesirable.

 

[Ransei]

Pokémon Rumble World was a freenium title that didn't act much like freenium titles. It acted more like a very long demo you can play until you bought the full game or could spend money to unlock more things until you the full game was bought. There was a very strict limit to the microtransacions that only allowed players to spend 30-40 USD in the game depending on how they spent. After reaching the cap, you just unlocked full game perks and money was not really an issue anymore.

Pokémon Rumble World also had a full cartridge release after their freenium release for 40 USD, which just had all the full game perks automatically implemented.

 

[CyanLaser]

Rumble World was the first game I bought microtransactions for lol

Now for the reason I’m here: a lot of the battle track arrangements from Masters sound very same-y to me. Maybe it’s because of the instrument choices? I dunno, but it does.

 

[Yung Dramps]

My controversial opinion is that LGPE is a fantastic game, and it's also one of the most underrated Pokemon games.

IMO, LGPE has the best graphics, art style, music, and the best atmosphere in general. Furthermore, it also has the best implementation of following/riding Pokemon and Overworld encounters.

Sure, the game is not perfect. But I think the aforementioned pros outweigh the relatively few cons.

I've never played it but honestly LGPE looks like a really neat little game for the reasons you stated and others whose biggest crime was being overpriced. If it were $40ish and had cross-gen evos I'd hazard to call it an underrated gem (or at least as close to underrated gem status as a game which sold more copies than the lifetime sales of most franchises can get)

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I like Turo's in game design way better than his stock art design (they look NOTICABLY different--his whole face is shaped differently!) and it's a pity that the stock art design is the one people draw the most. Hardly anyone draws his in game design in fan art, even with the TCG being closer to his game design.

I know Rocket was the first evil team to use "shadow/dark" tech, back in the fourth movie, but it was only one officer using it. Ergo, I feel it needs to be closer associated with the Orre teams and not Rocket. Though part of that is likely Rocket/Kanto overload.

I'd have liked LGPE if I could play it with a normal control scheme. The throw mechanic REALLY didn't take people with mobility issues into account.

I still think Hunter J survived. They'd be skimming bits of her henchmen off the lake for years, but it'd be a waste of a good villain to write her out in such a foolish way (and they TOTALLY could have brought her back as the bounty hunter Ash fought near the end of the series).

 

[Boss1708]

Cons:
-Removal of traditional catching mechanics in favor of Go's gimmicky catching minigame.
-Pokemon selection limited to just the original 151 and Meltan/Melmetal, the least amount of Pokemon in a main game besides RBY themselves.
-No new areas over the original RBY
-Only additional content over the original RBY was the addition of Master Trainers
-As in Yellow, Pikachu/Eevee is all but shoved down your throat
-Graphical style is still largely similar

• Personally, I much prefer the LGPE catching mechanic over the traditional one. I must say, however, that I have a Switch Lite so I only play in handheld mode. I've heard that the catching mechanic can be more annoying in docked mode, so I will give you that.
• I absolutely LOVE the fact that LGPE only includes the original 151 Pokemon + their Mega Evolutions and Alola formes. I think it's really refreshing and feels like "going back to the roots". I'm not someone who dislikes all newer Pokemon designs but I do have a preference for the original 151 plus their Megas, so I'm glad LGPE did that. It feels really nostalgic yet fresh at the same time.
• I will agree with you there, I would have liked a postgame Battle Tower island as a postgame destination or something, but they preferred to have the Master Trainers scattered all over Kanto. But that works too, for me. I mean, I am a fan of Kanto, so I can't complain.
• There's a lot more than just Master Trainers compared to RGBY, there'd also Gym Leader rematches, Green rematches, Red rematches, Elite 4 improved rematches, an additional herding mini game in the Go Park complex, etc. There's also riding on Pokemon, flying on Charizard/Aerodactyl/Dragonite, etc.
• I really like the partner Pikachu/Eevee, personally
• the graphics are gorgeous imo

That said, I also want to remind you that we are in the "controversial opinions" thread. I know my opinion is controversial, which is why I'm posting it here LOL

 

[Bolt Strike]

I absolutely LOVE the fact that LGPE only includes the original 151 Pokemon + their Mega Evolutions and Alola formes. I think it's really refreshing and feels like "going back to the roots". I'm not someone who dislikes all newer Pokemon designs but I do have a preference for the original 151 plus their Megas, so I'm glad LGPE did that. It feels really nostalgic yet fresh at the same time.

The problem is that the original 151 is FAR less than the average Pokemon game, which typically has twice as many Pokemon, and there's also far less variety. Revisiting the game and seeing things like only having Gengar and Dragonite for Ghost and Dragon (with a handful of Alolan forms added in, but not enough to really fix the issue) really ruins the nostalgia and exposes that the original 151 wasn't such a great selection after all. This is especially evident when you see some of the Elite 4 members like Agatha and Lance unable to craft a full team of their type because there's not enough of them in the entire game to begin with, but there's also players that might want to do monotype runs that would be unable to.

There's a lot more than just Master Trainers compared to RGBY, there'd also Gym Leader rematches, Green rematches, Red rematches, Elite 4 improved rematches,

The rematches add a few more battles to the Master Trainer, but still not much. Where are the larger sidequests like Contests, Secret Bases, etc.? What is there to do other than catch and battle?

an additional herding mini game in the Go Park complex

Which replaces the far more involved (albeit a bit gimmicky) Safari Zone in the originals. So a net negative here really.

There's also riding on Pokemon, flying on Charizard/Aerodactyl/Dragonite, etc.

Can you really call that "content" though? It doesn't really open up anything to really do. It's more of a QoL feature that content.

Also I'm not really impressed with flying. It's basically a glorified form of riding.

the graphics are gorgeous imo

The problem with LGPE's graphics, which is also something that ties into the map design, is that everything is so flat and blocky and plain. It feels like a 5 year old's LEGO set. That was good for its time, but now it feels very crude and unrealistic. You can't properly represent elevation, with mountains and valleys and so on, everything looks squarish rather than realistically proportioned, and there's minimal environmental variety. I look at LGPE's artstyle and think things like "Why do most routes just look like flat, generic grasslands?", "Why does Mt. Moon not feel like an actual mountain?", or "Why is Cinnibar Island a generic island rather than the volcano it's portrayed as in both the anime and GSCHGSS?". It feels far worse than other 3D games because of these kinds of issues. Hell, you could say it's arguably worse than even RSE for this reason (show me any area in LGPE that remotely resembles Rt. 119, for example).

I really don't find things like the original 151, the original flat, blocky, plain map design, or the lack of any kind of side content "refreshing and nostalgic". Really, it feels regressive and limiting. Those kinds of elements have aged like milk, they were fine on the original GB because that was all those games are capable of, but gaming has evolved FAR beyond the GB's limitations and can easily do 10 times as much as RBY could in... pretty much every way. So to see Kanto intentionally sticking to these kinds of limitations in pursuit of some sense of nostalgia feels like such a waste. I don't want to see a Kanto that largely feels like a copy/paste of RBY with an HD coat of paint. I want to see what Kanto would look and play like if it was designed from the ground up for the Switch, with a massive 400ish Pokemon Kanto Dex incorporating families from multiple regions, sprawling realistically proportioned open worlds, an actual story, actual side content, etc. That's the only kind of Kanto game I'd be willing to buy for $60 on Switch.

 

[Boss1708]

The problem is that the original 151 is FAR less than the average Pokemon game, which typically has twice as many Pokemon, and there's also far less variety. Revisiting the game and seeing things like only having Gengar and Dragonite for Ghost and Dragon (with a handful of Alolan forms added in, but not enough to really fix the issue) really ruins the nostalgia and exposes that the original 151 wasn't such a great selection after all. This is especially evident when you see some of the Elite 4 members like Agatha and Lance unable to craft a full team of their type because there's not enough of them in the entire game to begin with, but there's also players that might want to do monotype runs that would be unable to.



The rematches add a few more battles to the Master Trainer, but still not much. Where are the larger sidequests like Contests, Secret Bases, etc.? What is there to do other than catch and battle?



Which replaces the far more involved (albeit a bit gimmicky) Safari Zone in the originals. So a net negative here really.



Can you really call that "content" though? It doesn't really open up anything to really do. It's more of a QoL feature that content.

Also I'm not really impressed with flying. It's basically a glorified form of riding.



The problem with LGPE's graphics, which is also something that ties into the map design, is that everything is so flat and blocky and plain. It feels like a 5 year old's LEGO set. That was good for its time, but now it feels very crude and unrealistic. You can't properly represent elevation, with mountains and valleys and so on, everything looks squarish rather than realistically proportioned, and there's minimal environmental variety. I look at LGPE's artstyle and think things like "Why do most routes just look like flat, generic grasslands?", "Why does Mt. Moon not feel like an actual mountain?", or "Why is Cinnibar Island a generic island rather than the volcano it's portrayed as in both the anime and GSCHGSS?". It feels far worse than other 3D games because of these kinds of issues. Hell, you could say it's arguably worse than even RSE for this reason (show me any area in LGPE that remotely resembles Rt. 119, for example).

I really don't find things like the original 151, the original flat, blocky, plain map design, or the lack of any kind of side content "refreshing and nostalgic". Really, it feels regressive and limiting. Those kinds of elements have aged like milk, they were fine on the original GB because that was all those games are capable of, but gaming has evolved FAR beyond the GB's limitations and can easily do 10 times as much as RBY could in... pretty much every way. So to see Kanto intentionally sticking to these kinds of limitations in pursuit of some sense of nostalgia feels like such a waste. I don't want to see a Kanto that largely feels like a copy/paste of RBY with an HD coat of paint. I want to see what Kanto would look and play like if it was designed from the ground up for the Switch, with a massive 400ish Pokemon Kanto Dex incorporating families from multiple regions, sprawling realistically proportioned open worlds, an actual story, actual side content, etc. That's the only kind of Kanto game I'd be willing to buy for $60 on Switch.

I actually understand your points, but I just don't agree with them. So to each their own.

Like, I know the kind of Kanto game you want, but I don't think LGPE is worse than what you want, just different. I also feel like this game is just not targeted at people like you. You want a completely new and different Kanto, and that's just not what LGPE intends to be. LGPE is a nostalgic trip for people that played the originals, and want to replay them in HD, with modern QoL, etc. And that's EXACTLY what I wanted. Me and many other people too.

Just to be clear, I also think that the completely new Kanto that you want would be really cool too. And I hope they make it one day. But don't blame LGPE for not being what you wanted, when it wasn't meant to be that in the first place.

 

[GelpyK]

Leech Life needed a buff but 80 base power is too much. An hp-draining move available to that many pokemon shouldn't be so strong.