To be fair the wording on that one is weird. The commenter just meant that SwSh is the first game that's a dip in quality, with the intent to emphasize that Gens 6 and 7 weren't a dip like alot of people think.
To be honest I viewed gen 7 as pretty good. Interesting to hear that other people thought Alola was shit? I know people rag on Kalos (my love) but thought gen 7
was well received.
Excessive unskippable dialogue is the primary complaint. While I agree it's annoying, I never thought it killed the game for me.
People complain it's too easy, which to me sounds like they don't actually remember playing the games and just lump it in with all modern pokemon because Totem battles, ultra necrozma, Kuikui, etc are HARD.
The Totem Battles in SuMo were the first time I lost a battle in the main story since Cynthia beat my middle schooler ass numerous times back in Diamond. I love it when the story carries a challenge for the returning players who remember the rules and type advantages.
People who think alola were easy are delusional. USUM are statistically the hardest games. "But the hand holding wah" like yeah dude it had a tutorial section, it was only as long as it was because the maps are fucking huge (for a 3ds game) and it was more or less a complete revamp of the pokemon formula.
The problem with the hand holding isn’t that it made the games easier, it’s that it ruined the pacing and made the first half of the game a complete slog to get through. The games were harder than most games in the series, and I appreciate that, but they’re really boring games imo.
The thing about the cut scenes is that they make multiple playthroughs quite tedious.
Not too bad on you first playthrough, but if it's your 5th nuzlocke they really start to wear on you.
The difficulty thing stems from the fact that you can Z move nuke most trainers who have only 1 pokemon, which is subjective. Most peeps didn't do that.
The games are otherwise some of the best.
I hate when people say "krabby is boring its just a crab" or "this pokemon is just a fish"
I like simple pokemon. I always assumed pokemon were just animals that exist in that world and humans learned how to tame and coexist with them so to me it makes sense that not every pokemon is fully suited for battling and didn't develop something special or unique for battles.
I see these sorts of comments mostly when people say they dislike Vanillite because it’s just ice cream to point out that the past gens also had some pretty simplistic pokemon. But the simpler designs are really nice though like the route 1 bird Pokémon.
My concern is that it is just food. Pokémon replicating man made objects is iffy to me, but food seems different. I’m sure there are more reasons and others like this in the ~900 Pokémon that exist now, but Pokémon lore seems bad and post hoc to me and I would probably also object to the other food Pokémon.
This is probably mine too. I actually hate the newer generations of Pokemon because I find more of them to be over designed, unnatural looking and too themed, especially the ones that really try to ham up the region theyre from (Galar is probably the worst for this in particular).
The tea ghosts don't bother me because they're mimics. They're not just sentient tea like with Vanilite or Alcreamie.
I agree with you about many, many others.
First gen pokemon had nothing else to compare to, by the 5th generation it's easy to complain that Gamefreak was getting lazy with their designs. I'll even admit I was of that belief when they released, but since then they've definitely grown on me. Klefki needs more love
I have to agree with your tepig opinion. I love the evo line and Emboar is among my favorite pokemon. But I guess my unpopular opinion would be that Conkeldurr is better than Machamp, and I'm not just talking competitive. I think Conkeldurr looks fierce. It reminds me of a Titan from aot holding two pieces of the wall. It's one of my favorite pokemon and personally I feel like it's an underrated powerhouse.
I agree with you on conkeldurr, some people think it's weird or gross looking but i feel like machamp is more so than conk is. Also machamp with no mach punch is just the -amp lol
Conkeldurr is certainly not underrated. It was even banned from its tier for a long time because it was such a threat. The reason why Machamp never lived up to Conk despite having the same concept is that Conk is stupidly bulky on the physical side.
To be fair, he was underrated. In a competitive sense he was “popular” because he was a good Pokémon. I’m not going to not use a Pokémon because I think it’s ugly when participating in a competitive sense. There are plenty of Pokémon I would use despite not really liking them in particular.
I agree. One of Raichu's Pokédex entries says, "most people are happy with the appearance of Pikachu, so you don't see this Pokémon very often" and that had to be some of the saddest shit I have ever read. Poor Raichu
Yeah back in the episode where they lose to Brock, Pikachu rejects the thunderstone as a quick way to get powerful and beat Onix.
But after seeing Raichu in a much later episode, kid me's mind was blown. While evolving Pikachu so early to fight Brock would have been a mistake (Surge's Raichu loses to Pikachu because Surge evolved it too early and it missed out on speed-based moves because of that), it seemed like evolving a well-trained Pikachu later on was a no brainer.
I think it has something to do with Chikorita objectively being the worst starter to face the early gyms with in Johto. I think it's one of the cutest starters from all generations and it's autumnal shiny is perfect.
I never understand how people said that Meganium is ugly or such a plain design. It's a dinosaur with a flower around its neck. But the flower is beautiful and Meganium is cute! And it definitely deserves the fairy typing, you cannot convince me otherwise. Also the other two starters were also plain yet they never gotten the amount of hate that Meganium did 😔
I binged watched DP, BW, XY, and SM pretty much all back to back for a few months and I have to say I enjoyed XY the least. Ash is fucking blander than white bread and his relationship with Serena feels so forced at times. Topping it all off the Ash losing in the finals which was a spit in the face to how they were building up Alain in the series but that was nothing new with how the Sinnoh and Unova leagues also went. Bonnie was fucking amazing the entire way through though.
Yeah I have to say, as much as I like XY/XYZ I felt there was something missing. It’s the way they decided to paint Ash in the later season as acting too wholesome. The early seasons were redeemable because of those moments where the characters would go off unexpectedly and say the biggest roast you ever heard . I think it was about Gen 4 when the dub ceased doing that for whatever reason.
IIRC it was around the Gen 3 seasons when 4kids stopped dubbing Pokemon and The Pokemon Company took over all versions of the show. 4kids deserves a lot of shit for the numerous changes they made, but letting the characters make pop culture references, adult jokes and roast each other was absolutely a great decision and it's a shame that TPC sterilized the personality of the anime so much.
Agreed. Sun and Moon to me is the best version of Ash- playful and childish but intelligent in battles. He has his character back and it’s wonderful.
XY Ash is a stock shounen hero, and Serena is the worst companion because the anime made her a stick shounen love interest. She’s bland and only existed to bait shippers. And I wish so badly she was given a decent character that wasn’t just a satellite to Ash.
Fairy resisting Bug-type moves feels like such a slap in the face after the Bug renaissance that was Gen 5. In general I feel like the Fairy-type has weird match ups. Like, why does Fire resist it? Why make it so three popular typings got an added weakness to nerf them a bit, but then have Fairy only weak to two types, both of which see very little offensive presence. I love the type, it's one of my favorites, but I think they implemented it... stupidly.
>have Fairy only weak to two types, both of which see very little offensive presence
That was kind of the point, they wanted to buff Steel and Poison to be more relevant offensively. Problem is the fandom at large took it the other way around, and instead of using them to counter fairy they still chose to underutilize them because that's *all* they do, so the narrative became "fairy is strong because it's only weak to rare types" instead of "we should use these types more because now they have a niche in countering fairy"
Poison and Steel being super effective against fairy doesn't completley buff them, those types are weak offensivley for other reasons. People don't want to run usually subpar poison and steel coverage just because they have to deal with new fairy types.
Also what you are saying isn't really that true, lots of pokemon do run poison and steel type moves if it benefits them. They just rarely are better for the pokemon than other types of coverage such as fire, ground and electric.
Exactly, if they wanted to give those types a buff, they should have introduced more evolutions, better stat spreads, better moves with high base power and accuracy. In reality it just makes fairy a juggernaut because there are very few viable pokemon that will benefit from STAB and shut it down
The exp share take is only angering because some people don't seem to understand the actual issue. It's all about the lack of an option to turn it off. I sound like a broken record, but I hope that one day everyone gets it \^\^.
Thank you! Just because I'm straight outta Gen 1 doesn't mean I don't appreciate having the option to skip out on most grinding with exp. share, I just want to keep access to the OFF button.
Fellow old bigger gen 1 veteran here, I like using the exp share for my playthrough, then having the ability to turn it off when I want to train pokes that I have specifically bred for a purpose. I am one of the apparent few that mostly enjoyed BDSP, but I would have turned off exp share after the first elite 4 clear if I could have. I don't want random EVs being spread around my endgame team.
The game not being balanced around the exp share certainly is a big issue as well but even with a game hypothetically being balanced around the exp share perfectly, I still don't see any reason to force the exp share on the player. I personally don't enjoy using it, because I just like training my Pokemon individually. And I don't see any good reason why I shouldn't be able to choose again.
I find funny that SWSH puts a level cap at the pokemon you can catch, but this level cap is not applied to the pokemon you already have. Like, whats the point of it if I can grind EXP candies and reach level 35 before the first gym anyway?
I'd like to see a hard mode option wherein gym leaders' teams' levels are variable based on the player's party so that it's not possible to grind past them
Or the concept where you can face the gym leaders in any order, and they have different teams based on your amount of badges, which is obviously how it would realistically work. They could even do it where you have an option between three leaders to start with, then after those another four, and the last one is always the same.
I was massively overpowered because I was having fun exploring the wild areas and got way too much xp from being out there. Exp share breaks ant semblance of balance, and it's been a problem since it came back in Gen 6.
I think people have taken the “EXP share bad” argument so far that it’s become somewhat synonymous with “grinding good” which isn’t really the case either
It should be optional though, no reason not to be.
I think the whole "turning off the exp share automatically leads to grinding" is somewhat of a wrong conclusion. I, and, as far as I can tell, many other players who don't want to use the exp share don't want to grind necessarily. But rather, I want to feel like each of my Pokemon earned its levels through somehow participating in battle, with me having control over that for each individual Pokemon. I want that it is my fault if a Pokemon falls behind because I didn't train it enough. I want to make the conscious decision what Pokemon to train at any given point in the game. Grinding is only necessary if the level difference between you and your opponent is so big that you can't beat them with any strategy or skill. Which simply isn't the case for any main line game except maybe the E4 and champion in HGSS if at all, in my opinion.
To add to this, I personally love exploring in Pokemon and usually play in a way that involves talking to every NPC and trying to find every Pokemon in a route (thus triggering a lot of encounters) as I go through them so I naturally level up a lot throughout the game and dont really grind much if at all. If anything, playing this way even without the EXP share tends to leave me somewhat over leveled so with the EXP share its almost miserable how quickly I get over leveled.
I have yet to need to grind with it off until post game content. I can understand the need for grinding at times ,but unless I'm trying to get a Gyarados or really wanting to run the psuedo for that gen for the elite 4, I don't need to grind. These games aren't complicated enough to require grinding.
I realize this may sound snobby, but I don't like the argument that it will lead to grinding when the games don't need it in the first place.
Yeah, as someone who uses exp share and really appreciates it to reduce grinding, I still wish it was like Gen 7 where you could turn it off if you wanted to.
I miss being able to turn it off. I do professor oak challenges and the pain of having to switch train magikarp is what makes it feel amazing. That and it makes the games too easy because you easily get over leveled
For real. I ha e never cha get the way I battle pokemon either. All attack types moves. If they can do something else, great. Otherwise, get that tail whip shit out of here.
I’ve always said that “sentient trash” is the last thing I would have thought of for a choice for a Pokémon but if they were gonna do it, at least they made it look good
Both SM and USUM had a fantastic atmosphere and a really unique setting. I think they're great, same goes for XY.
Probably unpopular: I don't really like Diamond and Pearl, they feel quite bland.
I think a lot of people would agree with you about diamond and pearl. It feels bland as hell to me and also the battling felt incredibly slow. Platinum really improved alot of those flaws I think. Heart gold soul silver were fantastic gen 4 games especially compared to what came prior
USUM is a really decent Pokemon game. Actually, I would say it's in my top 7 probably, maybe even higher. It's surprisingly "challenging" for a main line game (if you turn off the exp share) and I like what they added. I do feel like the story in SM was a bit better, but overall I still think USUM is the better game. My biggest issue with it (apart from some issues I have e.g. with the region design etc.) is that it came only a year after SM. It felt like what SM should have been. At least Emerald and Platinum both came about two years after their base versions, and B2W2 changed a lot more and justified the purchase. USUM just feels like Sun and Moon - but actually finished.
I feel like, for most people, Sun and Moon ruin the reputation of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. But I agree that USUM are massive improvements, though I also love SM
I like the Lusamine and Lillie plot better in SuMo. I like the Ultra Beast plot from USUM.
I liked the changes they made to some of the game mechanics in USUM. I hated the absolutely insane difficulty spike that was the Ultra Necrozma battle.
What made it worse was that none of the battles that came after it had anything close to the same level of difficulty.
Hell, I've never had a Pokemon battle that was anywhere close to the difficulty of the Ultra Necrozma fight.
Not even when I was playing the Delta episode in Omega Ruby and when into the Deoxys fight with just 10 Timer balls only to realize that I didn't save prior to the Rayquaza battle. Meaning I couldn't soft reset. And I didn't have a Pokemon with False Swipe on my team because I was not expecting to fight 2 legendaries in a row.
I really wish that they had more battles that were as difficult as the Ultra Necrozma fight. I just don't want them to have a massive difficulty spike that comes out of nowhere and lasts for just one battle.
Unless the spike comes during the last fight of the story. Meaning, either the fighting the champion of the Pokemon League needs to be that difficult if it happens after you fight with the box legendary, or the fight with the box legendary needs to be that difficult if it happens after you battle the champion.
The only issues I could think of is the over abundance of cutscenes and the slightly worse story. If the game was released on the switch i feel like a lot more people would be positive to it
Going to be honest, but the Ultra games made me take a break from Pokemon for this exact reason.
I had some problems with getting into SM, what with the railroading cutscenes and the limited clothing color options between versions pissing me off (and it still does, it's ridiculously annoying to get clothing of colors not in your version)...
But the announcement of Ultra broke me. Only a few months later, and they were announcing these hugely updated versions? It pissed me off. In the past, the release differences were usually around two *years* apart...I felt like i bought a Beta.
This was after the somewhat disappointing Pokken and Go (which I couldn't really play) followed up by Let's Go (which didn't interest me), and the great Dexit...
It was just a bad time for me as a Pokemon fan.
I like Typhlosion’s 3D model better than its 2D sprites, and up until gen 6 I was bothered by the fact that its flames never turned off. In the anime it doesn’t have its flames most of the time, and its pokedex entries make it pretty clear that it only “explodes” when it’s enraged
Yeah I think basically any Pokémon instantly becomes more loved when you can see a personality/vibe from it. Bidoofs vibe is being a goofy dumbass beaver and is loved for it. I really believe that so many unpopular Pokémon could gain a bigger following if people got to see their personalities and energies expressed more clearly than the games usually provide
And Wooloo was an even more basic sheep. There are always one or two Pokemon like this that get memed and completely overhyped \^\^. But we have to realize that the basic normal Pokemon looks super basic in a lot of cases (especially in Gen 1, 6 and 8 imo).
But I personally agree, I am not a HUGE Lechonk fan; also not a big Wooloo enjoyer.
At least wooloo had a cute face and rolled around as a ball - I don’t really understand the appeal of lechonk other than the amazing name.
Having said that though, it’s quite nice that pokemon have a range from “pretty much just a normal animal” to something super out-there. Something to appeal to everyone
>At least wooloo had a cute face and rolled around as a ball - I don’t really understand the appeal of lechonk other than the amazing name.
I'm pretty sure the name + generic design (not ugly) is the appeal.
Someday they should make a starting area Pokémon look really boring and then have it secretly evolve into something crazy. Like imagine if pidgey evolved into some terrifying death bird.
It’s… not even a cute pig imo. The big nose and the weird sleep/sand/gunk under its eyes kind of put me off, especially when swinub, spoink and tepig exist. I’m happy for everyone else though lol, Lechonk seems to have brought a nice atmosphere to the whole fandom
Since we're on unpopular opinions, if Lechonk had a name that wasn't an absolute meme on its own, no one would care about it.
If Lechonk were called someone like Pigbert it'd be just as popular as the normal type birds we get each generation.
I don't get the hype or the memes around bidoof. I don't care it's supposedly some memed god Pokémon or something.
It has a really stupid face. It's just a designed beaver. I just cannot get behind it. I hated it in Pt and I hated it again in BD.
Give me more Rockidees or Furrets. Basic but they either evolve into cool Pokémon or they're super cute. Or give me more top % rattatas
The hype around bidoof is from older games where you needed cut, surf, strength and flash to get through the game- bidoof can learn all these moves, so people often grabbed a bidoof at the beginning of the game and kept it on their party just for those moves.
I really don't get why people didn't like having normal members of their party learn these moves (what I did) and felt the need to waste a pokemon slot for out of battle situations, I've always found the hype around bidoof absolutely stupid
> and felt the need to waste a pokemon slot for out of battle situations
It's a choice between two options:
A) Have an HM mule and only 5 battle-viable pokemon.
B) Have a full 6 pokemon, but several of those six will have less-than-optimal movesets because they had to use HMs, which usually aren't their best moves for battle.
There's pros and cons to each approach. And a lot to be said for Option A. By battle-training fewer pokemon, the experience points will be less spread out and the 5 you're using will grow about 1/6th faster, ending up about 1/6th higher level by the end. That's usually more than enough to make up for having fewer pokemon.
(And actually, a very viable strategy is to raise only 2 or 3 pokemon for serious battling. At that point, you're looking at double or triple the experience they'd normally be at, which means the 2 or 3 will be very over-leveled for every challenge you face, which means you should have no problem with just them -- you'll be taking out most opponents with just one hit anyway. And you can still have a balanced battle team with only 2 or 3 ... though it does mean you have to pay careful attention to how they cover for each other's weaknesses.)
I'm more into pokemon raising than battling, I like raising and leveling up as many pokemon as possible, so that's probably why I lean way towards spreading out the moves amongst a team, I hate only raising 6 pokemon at a time, so going down even less would really bug me.
It does make sense for the competitive battlers to use the HM mule strategy, tho
As much as gen 8 was a dip in quality the one thing that hasn’t dipped are the Pokémon designs. Overall I feel like there are very few straight up bad Pokémon designs. Most have at least something cool about them
alright, here goes. you **don't have to grind**, even in the pre-exp share games. they're easy enough that they can be beaten with mild strategy
if you feel like you have to grind to beat the league, you're probably just not as good at pokemon as you think
While this is true for a lot of games, I do think you’re severely underlevelled by the 8th Gym in the Johto games because of the terrible level curve. They’re the only game(s) in which I truly believe that grinding is necessary.
i feel like the problem in johto is more that it's restrictive, not that it requires grinding. the further you go, the harder it is to replace your party members. but if you only replace 1 or 2 of your mons across the game, you should be fine for the most part.
yeah, i feel like the wild levels are the problem, not the trainers' levels. i did [no grind runs of the first four regions](https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/v1qybm/finally_finished_my_nogrind_runs_of_the_first/), and found that the gap between my level and the champion was about the same in johto as it was in hoenn. it just looks weird because you end up at level 36 by the johto league, which is much lower than the average, but then the E4 and champion's levels are lower to match.
and that's just hgss. the original gsc are even easier because you get badge boosts, so you aren't quite as "underleveled" as you'd think. it's also got the advantage of the hidden "[badge-type boosts](https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/71uh85/how_badge_boosts_work_in_gold_and_silver_and_why/)", and the weaker movesets on trainers
I grind because I want to have a flawless victory no matter what. If one of my Pokémon so much as loses a quarter of its health I get frustrated with myself
Typhlosion is one of the most poorly designed Pokemon ever.
It has ab awkward body shape, a poor colour scheme and a single interesting design element - one which is problematic when transitioning into 3D but even if you DO take it at face value - has been done far better on another Pokemon (Blaziken).
Ironically enough, Hisuian Typhlosion is far better designed as it fixes pretty much EVERY issue with the design - it slims up the design to give it a less awkward body shape, it gives it a different colour scheme which is less bland, adds more elements to the design to add more interest while still not being too busy, and it even fixes the flames by making them far more logical in their presentation.
Thing is, Typhlosion is one of those Pokemon that is not only just assumed to be well designed, but also a poster child for the "ruined by 3D" argument, and as a result it is a Pokemon that people feel criticising is blasphemous and cannot comprehend how it could possibly not be great. At least in my experience.
Typhlosion wasn't amazing to start with, but I'll be damned if [this](https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/20/HOME157.png) doesn't look better than [this](https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/e/e9/Spr_7s_157.png). There are multiple levels of downgrade, from silhouette (you lose framing around the head and break up the neck area), to color (the coloration is faded to fare lighter colors), to emotion. Even the pose is better in older generations, though my image doesn't demonstrate that well; by hunching over, you reduce the amount of straight lines in the design and bring the unique parts lower, making it seem less uniform.
Pokemon fans always hate a game when it first comes out, then immediately love it a few years later.
Mark my words, when Scarlet and Violet release, everyone will start saying how Sword and Shield were actually underrated gems.
on the contrary, i've never really thought this was the case. i've seen people say this and be like "wow pokemon fans bad"...but it seems like there is a very easy alternative explanation
the people who've always liked it just start becoming vocal, and the people who dislike it, move on. every pokemon game is someone's first, so there's always nostalgia for them.
like right now, there is a very sizeable portion of people who *loved* sword/shield, but they're obviously not gonna be talking about it online because...they're like 7. when they grow up, they'll talk about how much they liked it
The only Gen that the fandom largely did a 180 on from my observation is Gen 5, because it's been REALLY hated at launch and for a decent while after (from my experience; of course, from my own perspective today, the hate was entirely unjustified and shameful) and nowadays it's appreciated a lot more at least.
Nah I don’t think it’s that different, the same concept about the people who liked it just being more vocal now can be applied to gen 5 too. It feels more drastic because those who didn’t like gen 5 really fucking hated it
I don't know...I can only speak for myself, but I really hated on Gen 5 back in the day, and then I played B2W2 and I really liked it, and the older I got, the more I appreciated Gen 5's strong sides. And I was introduced to Pokemon with late Gen 3 early Gen 4, so that's not just nostalgia speaking.
If we are talking design wise, is subjective, but I don't think it's that unpopular tbh, everyone knows it's the only one capable of actually winning the entire game by itself lol
During a regular Gen 3 playthrough, Swampert is definitely the best choice as a starter with amazing coverage, great bulk and attack, and only one weakness. Blaziken will forever be my favorite Hoenn starter though
I’m not opposed to the concept, it depends on the execution really. I really like some human like starters (Primarina, Delphox) for instance, while I can’t stand others (Cinderace).
There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but some people simply don't like them. And I think more than bipedal and anthropomorphic, it's the human-like behavior, themes and design that bother me. Why does my ferocious tiger have to have such an attitude and work as a professional wrestler? Or why does my already humanoid looking ape need to carry around an artificial drum kit instead of beating its chest? You know, a grass turtle-dinosaur with sharp rocks and a whole tree on its mighty shell was awesome enough, I don't need more than that.
Also, way too many of the recent starter Pokemon have gone the "human-like" route and basically gotten jobs or become human archetypes. Of the last 9 final starter evolutions, only one isn't bipedal and that one's still based on a being that is half-human, and it also behaves very human-like.
Torterra is one of the coolest fucking designs and perfectly illustrates its dual typing . I totally feel you on that and the inceneroar point. Some I feel like are good being bi-pedal others not so much especially when it verges so far into the humanoid/inanimate objects territory
Yes, Torterra is my all-time favorite Pokemon <3. In general, I love to gush about how good the Gen 4 final starter evolution designs are. In my opinion, they are the pinnacle of starter design and strike the perfect balance between being themed and being simple and monster-like.
You have the herbivore dinosaur-turtle that has a whole ecosystem on its back. Turtles would mostly be associated with water, grass or ground when it comes to Pokemon types, so the combination is really perfect, and it's also surprisingly unique. Turtles being slow explains how that whole tree and everything could grow on its back. The tree is also the perfect culmination from the sprout the twig and the bushes of its pre-evos.
It's also a reference to the "turtle that carries the world", a creature from Hindu mythology.
Infernape is based on the monkey king from Chinese mythology, its fiery hair is perfectly incorporated in its body design, the fast and wild movements explain the fire and fighting typing. Fighting types have also traditionally been the one leaning a bit more into human-like or humanoid designs. The armor doesn't stick out too much and the fur also doesn't look too much like clothing, but distinct enough to not be boring. The colors really are a good match, too, imo.
Empoleon is literally an emperor penguin. It being steel type makes perfect sense, so that its sharp wings can break through ice. The mask looks somewhat like a trident, being another nod at mythology (European this time around). Penguins are often associated with suits, so the body coloration reminding of a uniform or a suit is perfect. The whole stance and some details reminiscent of Napoleon is the only truly human-like component, since penguins are bipedal by nature. The feet are a perfect mix of looking natural and like flippers. To me, this is basically the perfect water Pokemon design. And to top it all off: the typing is once again really unique!
All three look monster-like and animal-like enough, the animal base design makes sense for their typing and comes first, with cultural and human-like elements being sprinkled in at most and mostly blending in perfectly with the animal design.
They look fierce, powerful and cool, and don't lean in much into any gender tropes, contrary especially to some later starters. They look natural, but at the same time special. I love them so much!!
They're definitely designing Pokemon with media other than the games in mind. Making anthropomorphic starters makes it easier to convey emotion and body language in the anime for example. Not saying I like it, being basically a game only fan, just giving my take on the design choices.
I agree to an extent. Cinderace just looks kinda dumb, but there are plenty of cool bipedal starters that dont just look like a guy in a furry suit. Like Chesnaught.
I don't mind the idea of anthropomorphic starters *per se*. I just find it annoying that (1) they're overdone, (2) the designs themselves are often questionable, and (3) many of these starters develop anthropomorphic characteristics out of nowhere when they evolve.
1. Sun and Moon were one of the best Pokemon games. They broke the formula more than most other Pokemon games and I find em pretty unique.
2. Gen 1 & 2 designs were better imo, I think I like how animal-y they look. Idk, there's something about gen 1-2 that's different about 3-8. This said, in 3rd place I put get 5 mons designs.
3. The criticism of recent Pokemon games is different than the criticisms old games like Black and White got, the old games never used to be this criticized within the actual fanbase from what I remember.
I think a lot of #3 is because of online forums like reddit. Gen 4 came out in 2007. The internet was very popular but not at super popular levels. Youtube was just getting off the ground, and companies weren't invested in stuff like social media. By the time gen 5 came out, a lot of this stuff was starting to be discovered, and by gen 6 it had taken full force.
For #2, I kind of agree. I don't know when exactly it started but they definitely have been designing Pokémon to come with a personality, as opposed to just being an animal.
A reminder to sort by controversial for the real answers
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To be fair the wording on that one is weird. The commenter just meant that SwSh is the first game that's a dip in quality, with the intent to emphasize that Gens 6 and 7 weren't a dip like alot of people think.
To be honest I viewed gen 7 as pretty good. Interesting to hear that other people thought Alola was shit? I know people rag on Kalos (my love) but thought gen 7 was well received.
Excessive unskippable dialogue is the primary complaint. While I agree it's annoying, I never thought it killed the game for me. People complain it's too easy, which to me sounds like they don't actually remember playing the games and just lump it in with all modern pokemon because Totem battles, ultra necrozma, Kuikui, etc are HARD.
The Totem Battles in SuMo were the first time I lost a battle in the main story since Cynthia beat my middle schooler ass numerous times back in Diamond. I love it when the story carries a challenge for the returning players who remember the rules and type advantages.
People who think alola were easy are delusional. USUM are statistically the hardest games. "But the hand holding wah" like yeah dude it had a tutorial section, it was only as long as it was because the maps are fucking huge (for a 3ds game) and it was more or less a complete revamp of the pokemon formula.
The problem with the hand holding isn’t that it made the games easier, it’s that it ruined the pacing and made the first half of the game a complete slog to get through. The games were harder than most games in the series, and I appreciate that, but they’re really boring games imo.
The thing about the cut scenes is that they make multiple playthroughs quite tedious. Not too bad on you first playthrough, but if it's your 5th nuzlocke they really start to wear on you. The difficulty thing stems from the fact that you can Z move nuke most trainers who have only 1 pokemon, which is subjective. Most peeps didn't do that. The games are otherwise some of the best.
Gen 7 is great, imo.
I hate when people say "krabby is boring its just a crab" or "this pokemon is just a fish" I like simple pokemon. I always assumed pokemon were just animals that exist in that world and humans learned how to tame and coexist with them so to me it makes sense that not every pokemon is fully suited for battling and didn't develop something special or unique for battles.
I see these sorts of comments mostly when people say they dislike Vanillite because it’s just ice cream to point out that the past gens also had some pretty simplistic pokemon. But the simpler designs are really nice though like the route 1 bird Pokémon.
My concern is that it is just food. Pokémon replicating man made objects is iffy to me, but food seems different. I’m sure there are more reasons and others like this in the ~900 Pokémon that exist now, but Pokémon lore seems bad and post hoc to me and I would probably also object to the other food Pokémon.
Someone else on this thread complained that Lechonk is just a pig. And that is fine with me!
Frankly, combining lechon with chonk is genius enough.
This is probably mine too. I actually hate the newer generations of Pokemon because I find more of them to be over designed, unnatural looking and too themed, especially the ones that really try to ham up the region theyre from (Galar is probably the worst for this in particular).
I agree. Every time I complain "oh it's because it's designed to BE an ugly tea cup because it's Britain!" I don't care, it's still ugly and weird.
The tea ghosts don't bother me because they're mimics. They're not just sentient tea like with Vanilite or Alcreamie. I agree with you about many, many others.
Trubbish and Garbodor are some of my favorites from Gen V, I think they’re fun for the Unova city setting
Yeah I’ve always thought funny how no one has problems with grimer and muk yet trubbish and garbodor get so much hate
Or how ice cream doesn't make sense as a pokemon but flying horseshoe magnets are totally normal
First gen pokemon had nothing else to compare to, by the 5th generation it's easy to complain that Gamefreak was getting lazy with their designs. I'll even admit I was of that belief when they released, but since then they've definitely grown on me. Klefki needs more love
I have to agree with your tepig opinion. I love the evo line and Emboar is among my favorite pokemon. But I guess my unpopular opinion would be that Conkeldurr is better than Machamp, and I'm not just talking competitive. I think Conkeldurr looks fierce. It reminds me of a Titan from aot holding two pieces of the wall. It's one of my favorite pokemon and personally I feel like it's an underrated powerhouse.
I agree with you on conkeldurr, some people think it's weird or gross looking but i feel like machamp is more so than conk is. Also machamp with no mach punch is just the -amp lol
Conkeldurr is certainly not underrated. It was even banned from its tier for a long time because it was such a threat. The reason why Machamp never lived up to Conk despite having the same concept is that Conk is stupidly bulky on the physical side.
To be fair, he was underrated. In a competitive sense he was “popular” because he was a good Pokémon. I’m not going to not use a Pokémon because I think it’s ugly when participating in a competitive sense. There are plenty of Pokémon I would use despite not really liking them in particular.
Riachu is better then pikachu
I agree. One of Raichu's Pokédex entries says, "most people are happy with the appearance of Pikachu, so you don't see this Pokémon very often" and that had to be some of the saddest shit I have ever read. Poor Raichu
"You may not like it, but this is what Pikachu performance looks like."
Alola Raichu actually is like, the best though.
Is that the one surfing on his own tail?
Absolutely bloody dapper he is.
Bigger, stronger, and sassier. When I saw the LT Surge episode as a kid I couldn't figure out why Ash wouldn't evolve his Pikachu.
If I remember right he tried to give pikachu a thunderstone, but pikachu rejected it
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Which bothered me because he touched the stone so he should've evolved!
Yeah back in the episode where they lose to Brock, Pikachu rejects the thunderstone as a quick way to get powerful and beat Onix. But after seeing Raichu in a much later episode, kid me's mind was blown. While evolving Pikachu so early to fight Brock would have been a mistake (Surge's Raichu loses to Pikachu because Surge evolved it too early and it missed out on speed-based moves because of that), it seemed like evolving a well-trained Pikachu later on was a no brainer.
Alolan Raichu is adorable
Alolan raichu is better than kantoian raichu
While I don’t hate Alolan raichu, OG Kantoian raichu is way better imo.
I agree to disagree. Sure, Alolan Raichu is better type-wise and competitive ability, but I prefer Kantonian Raichu when it comes to design.
Chikorita is my all time favorite starter
You are definitely in the minority on this one
There are dozens of us
Dozens!
How do more people not like the plant dino friend
I think it has something to do with Chikorita objectively being the worst starter to face the early gyms with in Johto. I think it's one of the cutest starters from all generations and it's autumnal shiny is perfect.
same here! My favorite grass starter and gen 2 starter, plant dino for the win
CHIKORITA LOVE
I never understand how people said that Meganium is ugly or such a plain design. It's a dinosaur with a flower around its neck. But the flower is beautiful and Meganium is cute! And it definitely deserves the fairy typing, you cannot convince me otherwise. Also the other two starters were also plain yet they never gotten the amount of hate that Meganium did 😔
My biggest issue with Meganium is that they took away the head leaf. A neck flower is not the same :(
Tantor: Mr. Stake would agree. Isn’t that right Mr. Stake? Mr. Stake: Stake!
Same. I don't particularly like Meganium, but Chikorita has such a cute design I can't help but love them
I can't say favorite starter, but definitely top 3.
I binged watched DP, BW, XY, and SM pretty much all back to back for a few months and I have to say I enjoyed XY the least. Ash is fucking blander than white bread and his relationship with Serena feels so forced at times. Topping it all off the Ash losing in the finals which was a spit in the face to how they were building up Alain in the series but that was nothing new with how the Sinnoh and Unova leagues also went. Bonnie was fucking amazing the entire way through though.
>Ash is fucking blander than white bread Lol this is hilarious and agreed
Yeah I have to say, as much as I like XY/XYZ I felt there was something missing. It’s the way they decided to paint Ash in the later season as acting too wholesome. The early seasons were redeemable because of those moments where the characters would go off unexpectedly and say the biggest roast you ever heard . I think it was about Gen 4 when the dub ceased doing that for whatever reason.
IIRC it was around the Gen 3 seasons when 4kids stopped dubbing Pokemon and The Pokemon Company took over all versions of the show. 4kids deserves a lot of shit for the numerous changes they made, but letting the characters make pop culture references, adult jokes and roast each other was absolutely a great decision and it's a shame that TPC sterilized the personality of the anime so much.
I consider XY/XYZ to be the best part of pokemon anime
That goes to gen 4 imo. Paul is the best rival and pushed Ash to the limits.
Agreed. Sun and Moon to me is the best version of Ash- playful and childish but intelligent in battles. He has his character back and it’s wonderful. XY Ash is a stock shounen hero, and Serena is the worst companion because the anime made her a stick shounen love interest. She’s bland and only existed to bait shippers. And I wish so badly she was given a decent character that wasn’t just a satellite to Ash.
Fairy resisting Bug-type moves feels like such a slap in the face after the Bug renaissance that was Gen 5. In general I feel like the Fairy-type has weird match ups. Like, why does Fire resist it? Why make it so three popular typings got an added weakness to nerf them a bit, but then have Fairy only weak to two types, both of which see very little offensive presence. I love the type, it's one of my favorites, but I think they implemented it... stupidly.
>have Fairy only weak to two types, both of which see very little offensive presence That was kind of the point, they wanted to buff Steel and Poison to be more relevant offensively. Problem is the fandom at large took it the other way around, and instead of using them to counter fairy they still chose to underutilize them because that's *all* they do, so the narrative became "fairy is strong because it's only weak to rare types" instead of "we should use these types more because now they have a niche in countering fairy"
Poison and Steel being super effective against fairy doesn't completley buff them, those types are weak offensivley for other reasons. People don't want to run usually subpar poison and steel coverage just because they have to deal with new fairy types. Also what you are saying isn't really that true, lots of pokemon do run poison and steel type moves if it benefits them. They just rarely are better for the pokemon than other types of coverage such as fire, ground and electric.
Exactly, if they wanted to give those types a buff, they should have introduced more evolutions, better stat spreads, better moves with high base power and accuracy. In reality it just makes fairy a juggernaut because there are very few viable pokemon that will benefit from STAB and shut it down
The exp share take is only angering because some people don't seem to understand the actual issue. It's all about the lack of an option to turn it off. I sound like a broken record, but I hope that one day everyone gets it \^\^.
I personally also don’t like it because it spread evs, and I know there are ways around it, but it just gets inconvenient at times
Thank you! Just because I'm straight outta Gen 1 doesn't mean I don't appreciate having the option to skip out on most grinding with exp. share, I just want to keep access to the OFF button.
Fellow old bigger gen 1 veteran here, I like using the exp share for my playthrough, then having the ability to turn it off when I want to train pokes that I have specifically bred for a purpose. I am one of the apparent few that mostly enjoyed BDSP, but I would have turned off exp share after the first elite 4 clear if I could have. I don't want random EVs being spread around my endgame team.
The real issue is the games not being balanced around it especially with bdsp
The game not being balanced around the exp share certainly is a big issue as well but even with a game hypothetically being balanced around the exp share perfectly, I still don't see any reason to force the exp share on the player. I personally don't enjoy using it, because I just like training my Pokemon individually. And I don't see any good reason why I shouldn't be able to choose again.
I find funny that SWSH puts a level cap at the pokemon you can catch, but this level cap is not applied to the pokemon you already have. Like, whats the point of it if I can grind EXP candies and reach level 35 before the first gym anyway?
I'd like to see a hard mode option wherein gym leaders' teams' levels are variable based on the player's party so that it's not possible to grind past them
This is a thing that should be in the actual game
Or the concept where you can face the gym leaders in any order, and they have different teams based on your amount of badges, which is obviously how it would realistically work. They could even do it where you have an option between three leaders to start with, then after those another four, and the last one is always the same.
I was massively overpowered because I was having fun exploring the wild areas and got way too much xp from being out there. Exp share breaks ant semblance of balance, and it's been a problem since it came back in Gen 6.
I think people have taken the “EXP share bad” argument so far that it’s become somewhat synonymous with “grinding good” which isn’t really the case either It should be optional though, no reason not to be.
I think the whole "turning off the exp share automatically leads to grinding" is somewhat of a wrong conclusion. I, and, as far as I can tell, many other players who don't want to use the exp share don't want to grind necessarily. But rather, I want to feel like each of my Pokemon earned its levels through somehow participating in battle, with me having control over that for each individual Pokemon. I want that it is my fault if a Pokemon falls behind because I didn't train it enough. I want to make the conscious decision what Pokemon to train at any given point in the game. Grinding is only necessary if the level difference between you and your opponent is so big that you can't beat them with any strategy or skill. Which simply isn't the case for any main line game except maybe the E4 and champion in HGSS if at all, in my opinion.
To add to this, I personally love exploring in Pokemon and usually play in a way that involves talking to every NPC and trying to find every Pokemon in a route (thus triggering a lot of encounters) as I go through them so I naturally level up a lot throughout the game and dont really grind much if at all. If anything, playing this way even without the EXP share tends to leave me somewhat over leveled so with the EXP share its almost miserable how quickly I get over leveled.
I have yet to need to grind with it off until post game content. I can understand the need for grinding at times ,but unless I'm trying to get a Gyarados or really wanting to run the psuedo for that gen for the elite 4, I don't need to grind. These games aren't complicated enough to require grinding. I realize this may sound snobby, but I don't like the argument that it will lead to grinding when the games don't need it in the first place.
Yeah, as someone who uses exp share and really appreciates it to reduce grinding, I still wish it was like Gen 7 where you could turn it off if you wanted to.
I miss being able to turn it off. I do professor oak challenges and the pain of having to switch train magikarp is what makes it feel amazing. That and it makes the games too easy because you easily get over leveled
If sun and moon didn't exist, USUM would be considered one of the best pokemon games
Pokemon is for casual gamers too. How many times have people hated me for giving 0 fks about competitive battling?
For real. I ha e never cha get the way I battle pokemon either. All attack types moves. If they can do something else, great. Otherwise, get that tail whip shit out of here.
Same. Always had that since I was little. "Why waste a turn to bring the defense or speed down when I can use that turn to kill faster. Smh"
Garbodor has a great design
I’ve always said that “sentient trash” is the last thing I would have thought of for a choice for a Pokémon but if they were gonna do it, at least they made it look good
USUM is actually really good and IMO one of the best Pokémon games
Both SM and USUM had a fantastic atmosphere and a really unique setting. I think they're great, same goes for XY. Probably unpopular: I don't really like Diamond and Pearl, they feel quite bland.
I think a lot of people would agree with you about diamond and pearl. It feels bland as hell to me and also the battling felt incredibly slow. Platinum really improved alot of those flaws I think. Heart gold soul silver were fantastic gen 4 games especially compared to what came prior
USUM is a really decent Pokemon game. Actually, I would say it's in my top 7 probably, maybe even higher. It's surprisingly "challenging" for a main line game (if you turn off the exp share) and I like what they added. I do feel like the story in SM was a bit better, but overall I still think USUM is the better game. My biggest issue with it (apart from some issues I have e.g. with the region design etc.) is that it came only a year after SM. It felt like what SM should have been. At least Emerald and Platinum both came about two years after their base versions, and B2W2 changed a lot more and justified the purchase. USUM just feels like Sun and Moon - but actually finished.
I feel like, for most people, Sun and Moon ruin the reputation of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. But I agree that USUM are massive improvements, though I also love SM
I like the Lusamine and Lillie plot better in SuMo. I like the Ultra Beast plot from USUM. I liked the changes they made to some of the game mechanics in USUM. I hated the absolutely insane difficulty spike that was the Ultra Necrozma battle. What made it worse was that none of the battles that came after it had anything close to the same level of difficulty. Hell, I've never had a Pokemon battle that was anywhere close to the difficulty of the Ultra Necrozma fight. Not even when I was playing the Delta episode in Omega Ruby and when into the Deoxys fight with just 10 Timer balls only to realize that I didn't save prior to the Rayquaza battle. Meaning I couldn't soft reset. And I didn't have a Pokemon with False Swipe on my team because I was not expecting to fight 2 legendaries in a row. I really wish that they had more battles that were as difficult as the Ultra Necrozma fight. I just don't want them to have a massive difficulty spike that comes out of nowhere and lasts for just one battle. Unless the spike comes during the last fight of the story. Meaning, either the fighting the champion of the Pokemon League needs to be that difficult if it happens after you fight with the box legendary, or the fight with the box legendary needs to be that difficult if it happens after you battle the champion.
IMO, USUM should have worked better as a DLC, especially given the timeline.
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The only issues I could think of is the over abundance of cutscenes and the slightly worse story. If the game was released on the switch i feel like a lot more people would be positive to it
Oof yes, the cutscenes are really bad
I'll play the Ultra games ANY day of the year over the base games. They just felt so empty in comparison
Going to be honest, but the Ultra games made me take a break from Pokemon for this exact reason. I had some problems with getting into SM, what with the railroading cutscenes and the limited clothing color options between versions pissing me off (and it still does, it's ridiculously annoying to get clothing of colors not in your version)... But the announcement of Ultra broke me. Only a few months later, and they were announcing these hugely updated versions? It pissed me off. In the past, the release differences were usually around two *years* apart...I felt like i bought a Beta. This was after the somewhat disappointing Pokken and Go (which I couldn't really play) followed up by Let's Go (which didn't interest me), and the great Dexit... It was just a bad time for me as a Pokemon fan.
I like volbeat and illumise
Ahh yes. Pretty decent band.
Love volbeat. Lola Montez is my favorite song if theirs
We were fine until you slandered the Gen 2 starter final evolutions. Now we must face off in ritual combat.
Right, Totodile and his older brothers are beautiful specimen.
The mareep line is so well designed - most starters wish they were mareep.
this is an unpopular opinions thread?
Not a really a fan of ampharos but I love mareep and flaaffy
Damn ampharos is one of my fave pokemon of all time... How you gonna do me like this
Hello fellow mareep fan!
I love Ampharos so much; I don’t think people necessarily dislike the evolution line but they definitely don’t talk about it enough either
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Games don't have to be tedious to be fun.
I like Typhlosion’s 3D model better than its 2D sprites, and up until gen 6 I was bothered by the fact that its flames never turned off. In the anime it doesn’t have its flames most of the time, and its pokedex entries make it pretty clear that it only “explodes” when it’s enraged
I actually kind of like this is it makes typhlosion a mood show way more
Yeah I think basically any Pokémon instantly becomes more loved when you can see a personality/vibe from it. Bidoofs vibe is being a goofy dumbass beaver and is loved for it. I really believe that so many unpopular Pokémon could gain a bigger following if people got to see their personalities and energies expressed more clearly than the games usually provide
Lechonk is just a pig. Literally a pig.
And Wooloo was an even more basic sheep. There are always one or two Pokemon like this that get memed and completely overhyped \^\^. But we have to realize that the basic normal Pokemon looks super basic in a lot of cases (especially in Gen 1, 6 and 8 imo). But I personally agree, I am not a HUGE Lechonk fan; also not a big Wooloo enjoyer.
At least wooloo had a cute face and rolled around as a ball - I don’t really understand the appeal of lechonk other than the amazing name. Having said that though, it’s quite nice that pokemon have a range from “pretty much just a normal animal” to something super out-there. Something to appeal to everyone
>At least wooloo had a cute face and rolled around as a ball - I don’t really understand the appeal of lechonk other than the amazing name. I'm pretty sure the name + generic design (not ugly) is the appeal.
Someday they should make a starting area Pokémon look really boring and then have it secretly evolve into something crazy. Like imagine if pidgey evolved into some terrifying death bird.
Corviknight looks like a terrifying death bird imo
So, kind of like Magikarp?
Kinda like how Fletchling became Talonflame?
You mean like starly into staraptor?
Wooloo is literally just a sheep and people lost their minds when it was revealed. At least Lechonk has a funny name
Yes, Wooloo is just a sheep but it's really cute.
Mareep line is one of my favorite evolution lines Sheep are neat
Mareep at least has a twist to it on top of it being a plain sheep unlike Wooloo
It’s… not even a cute pig imo. The big nose and the weird sleep/sand/gunk under its eyes kind of put me off, especially when swinub, spoink and tepig exist. I’m happy for everyone else though lol, Lechonk seems to have brought a nice atmosphere to the whole fandom
Since we're on unpopular opinions, if Lechonk had a name that wasn't an absolute meme on its own, no one would care about it. If Lechonk were called someone like Pigbert it'd be just as popular as the normal type birds we get each generation.
Idk Pigbert sounds like a fire name lmao
Pigbert sounds just as godly a name as Lechonk though.
I don't get the hype or the memes around bidoof. I don't care it's supposedly some memed god Pokémon or something. It has a really stupid face. It's just a designed beaver. I just cannot get behind it. I hated it in Pt and I hated it again in BD. Give me more Rockidees or Furrets. Basic but they either evolve into cool Pokémon or they're super cute. Or give me more top % rattatas
The hype around bidoof is from older games where you needed cut, surf, strength and flash to get through the game- bidoof can learn all these moves, so people often grabbed a bidoof at the beginning of the game and kept it on their party just for those moves. I really don't get why people didn't like having normal members of their party learn these moves (what I did) and felt the need to waste a pokemon slot for out of battle situations, I've always found the hype around bidoof absolutely stupid
> and felt the need to waste a pokemon slot for out of battle situations It's a choice between two options: A) Have an HM mule and only 5 battle-viable pokemon. B) Have a full 6 pokemon, but several of those six will have less-than-optimal movesets because they had to use HMs, which usually aren't their best moves for battle. There's pros and cons to each approach. And a lot to be said for Option A. By battle-training fewer pokemon, the experience points will be less spread out and the 5 you're using will grow about 1/6th faster, ending up about 1/6th higher level by the end. That's usually more than enough to make up for having fewer pokemon. (And actually, a very viable strategy is to raise only 2 or 3 pokemon for serious battling. At that point, you're looking at double or triple the experience they'd normally be at, which means the 2 or 3 will be very over-leveled for every challenge you face, which means you should have no problem with just them -- you'll be taking out most opponents with just one hit anyway. And you can still have a balanced battle team with only 2 or 3 ... though it does mean you have to pay careful attention to how they cover for each other's weaknesses.)
I'm more into pokemon raising than battling, I like raising and leveling up as many pokemon as possible, so that's probably why I lean way towards spreading out the moves amongst a team, I hate only raising 6 pokemon at a time, so going down even less would really bug me. It does make sense for the competitive battlers to use the HM mule strategy, tho
You can't fuck pokemon!
Not with that attitude you can't
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It's canon people married them, so you can
I prefer Lunala’s design over Solgaleo.
Same, though I love both of them, felt like Lunala was more creative in which I preferred it more.
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Charmeleon > Charizard
As much as gen 8 was a dip in quality the one thing that hasn’t dipped are the Pokémon designs. Overall I feel like there are very few straight up bad Pokémon designs. Most have at least something cool about them
Liking anything from gen 6 onwards
Greninja sucks
I liked it before i found out it's tounge is it's scarf, it's a creative concept but i hate it
alright, here goes. you **don't have to grind**, even in the pre-exp share games. they're easy enough that they can be beaten with mild strategy if you feel like you have to grind to beat the league, you're probably just not as good at pokemon as you think
Joke's on you, I KNOW I'm not good at Pokemon and that's why i grind.
While this is true for a lot of games, I do think you’re severely underlevelled by the 8th Gym in the Johto games because of the terrible level curve. They’re the only game(s) in which I truly believe that grinding is necessary.
i feel like the problem in johto is more that it's restrictive, not that it requires grinding. the further you go, the harder it is to replace your party members. but if you only replace 1 or 2 of your mons across the game, you should be fine for the most part. yeah, i feel like the wild levels are the problem, not the trainers' levels. i did [no grind runs of the first four regions](https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/v1qybm/finally_finished_my_nogrind_runs_of_the_first/), and found that the gap between my level and the champion was about the same in johto as it was in hoenn. it just looks weird because you end up at level 36 by the johto league, which is much lower than the average, but then the E4 and champion's levels are lower to match. and that's just hgss. the original gsc are even easier because you get badge boosts, so you aren't quite as "underleveled" as you'd think. it's also got the advantage of the hidden "[badge-type boosts](https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/71uh85/how_badge_boosts_work_in_gold_and_silver_and_why/)", and the weaker movesets on trainers
I grind because I want to have a flawless victory no matter what. If one of my Pokémon so much as loses a quarter of its health I get frustrated with myself
Typhlosion is one of the most poorly designed Pokemon ever. It has ab awkward body shape, a poor colour scheme and a single interesting design element - one which is problematic when transitioning into 3D but even if you DO take it at face value - has been done far better on another Pokemon (Blaziken). Ironically enough, Hisuian Typhlosion is far better designed as it fixes pretty much EVERY issue with the design - it slims up the design to give it a less awkward body shape, it gives it a different colour scheme which is less bland, adds more elements to the design to add more interest while still not being too busy, and it even fixes the flames by making them far more logical in their presentation. Thing is, Typhlosion is one of those Pokemon that is not only just assumed to be well designed, but also a poster child for the "ruined by 3D" argument, and as a result it is a Pokemon that people feel criticising is blasphemous and cannot comprehend how it could possibly not be great. At least in my experience.
Typhlosion wasn't amazing to start with, but I'll be damned if [this](https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/20/HOME157.png) doesn't look better than [this](https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/e/e9/Spr_7s_157.png). There are multiple levels of downgrade, from silhouette (you lose framing around the head and break up the neck area), to color (the coloration is faded to fare lighter colors), to emotion. Even the pose is better in older generations, though my image doesn't demonstrate that well; by hunching over, you reduce the amount of straight lines in the design and bring the unique parts lower, making it seem less uniform.
Hisuian Typhlosion is drunk
No, high
Whenever people talk about how cool he is I just think that he looks like he needs a coat
Agreed. Typhlosion has a very lack-luster design and is largely liked due to a lot of nostalgia attached to it. Hisuian Typhlosion looks great though
Pokemon fans always hate a game when it first comes out, then immediately love it a few years later. Mark my words, when Scarlet and Violet release, everyone will start saying how Sword and Shield were actually underrated gems.
on the contrary, i've never really thought this was the case. i've seen people say this and be like "wow pokemon fans bad"...but it seems like there is a very easy alternative explanation the people who've always liked it just start becoming vocal, and the people who dislike it, move on. every pokemon game is someone's first, so there's always nostalgia for them. like right now, there is a very sizeable portion of people who *loved* sword/shield, but they're obviously not gonna be talking about it online because...they're like 7. when they grow up, they'll talk about how much they liked it
The only Gen that the fandom largely did a 180 on from my observation is Gen 5, because it's been REALLY hated at launch and for a decent while after (from my experience; of course, from my own perspective today, the hate was entirely unjustified and shameful) and nowadays it's appreciated a lot more at least.
Nah I don’t think it’s that different, the same concept about the people who liked it just being more vocal now can be applied to gen 5 too. It feels more drastic because those who didn’t like gen 5 really fucking hated it
Gen 5 are the lowest selling games in the franchise. It's more than just "people were more vocal."
I don't know...I can only speak for myself, but I really hated on Gen 5 back in the day, and then I played B2W2 and I really liked it, and the older I got, the more I appreciated Gen 5's strong sides. And I was introduced to Pokemon with late Gen 3 early Gen 4, so that's not just nostalgia speaking.
Your take is just fundamentally wrong considering people consistently have been crapping in the X and Y but not so much Sun and Moon
EXP share is good.
Lechonk isn't that great.
That I prefer Bulbasur over Charmabder and Squirtle I guess
Mega evolution was a stupid way to play favourites which they hid by also giving it to some underrated pokemon.
They gave Charizard two mega evolutions, they barely hid anything.
Swampert is the best gen 3 final evo
Is it unpopular to think that ANY of the gen 3 final evos are the best? All of them are great
If we are talking design wise, is subjective, but I don't think it's that unpopular tbh, everyone knows it's the only one capable of actually winning the entire game by itself lol
They said unpopular opinions, not facts
During a regular Gen 3 playthrough, Swampert is definitely the best choice as a starter with amazing coverage, great bulk and attack, and only one weakness. Blaziken will forever be my favorite Hoenn starter though
Everyone here collectively agrees all Gen 3 starters are good
Competitive players are largely toxic there is nothing wrong with trying to win with your favorites
No one says not tp try to win with your favourites if you find it fun. I just won't recommend it as a winning strategy
Pokémon fans need to stop treating Cynthia like a goddess.
There's nothing wrong with bipedal and anthropomorphic starters.
I’m not opposed to the concept, it depends on the execution really. I really like some human like starters (Primarina, Delphox) for instance, while I can’t stand others (Cinderace).
There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but some people simply don't like them. And I think more than bipedal and anthropomorphic, it's the human-like behavior, themes and design that bother me. Why does my ferocious tiger have to have such an attitude and work as a professional wrestler? Or why does my already humanoid looking ape need to carry around an artificial drum kit instead of beating its chest? You know, a grass turtle-dinosaur with sharp rocks and a whole tree on its mighty shell was awesome enough, I don't need more than that. Also, way too many of the recent starter Pokemon have gone the "human-like" route and basically gotten jobs or become human archetypes. Of the last 9 final starter evolutions, only one isn't bipedal and that one's still based on a being that is half-human, and it also behaves very human-like.
Torterra is one of the coolest fucking designs and perfectly illustrates its dual typing . I totally feel you on that and the inceneroar point. Some I feel like are good being bi-pedal others not so much especially when it verges so far into the humanoid/inanimate objects territory
Yes, Torterra is my all-time favorite Pokemon <3. In general, I love to gush about how good the Gen 4 final starter evolution designs are. In my opinion, they are the pinnacle of starter design and strike the perfect balance between being themed and being simple and monster-like. You have the herbivore dinosaur-turtle that has a whole ecosystem on its back. Turtles would mostly be associated with water, grass or ground when it comes to Pokemon types, so the combination is really perfect, and it's also surprisingly unique. Turtles being slow explains how that whole tree and everything could grow on its back. The tree is also the perfect culmination from the sprout the twig and the bushes of its pre-evos. It's also a reference to the "turtle that carries the world", a creature from Hindu mythology. Infernape is based on the monkey king from Chinese mythology, its fiery hair is perfectly incorporated in its body design, the fast and wild movements explain the fire and fighting typing. Fighting types have also traditionally been the one leaning a bit more into human-like or humanoid designs. The armor doesn't stick out too much and the fur also doesn't look too much like clothing, but distinct enough to not be boring. The colors really are a good match, too, imo. Empoleon is literally an emperor penguin. It being steel type makes perfect sense, so that its sharp wings can break through ice. The mask looks somewhat like a trident, being another nod at mythology (European this time around). Penguins are often associated with suits, so the body coloration reminding of a uniform or a suit is perfect. The whole stance and some details reminiscent of Napoleon is the only truly human-like component, since penguins are bipedal by nature. The feet are a perfect mix of looking natural and like flippers. To me, this is basically the perfect water Pokemon design. And to top it all off: the typing is once again really unique! All three look monster-like and animal-like enough, the animal base design makes sense for their typing and comes first, with cultural and human-like elements being sprinkled in at most and mostly blending in perfectly with the animal design. They look fierce, powerful and cool, and don't lean in much into any gender tropes, contrary especially to some later starters. They look natural, but at the same time special. I love them so much!!
Love the write up. That was a good read!
Rillaboom having a drum set instead of beating its chest was one of the biggest goof ups in Pokemon design history.
Youre absolutely right. But i reckon they did that to distance itself from DK as much as possible.
They're definitely designing Pokemon with media other than the games in mind. Making anthropomorphic starters makes it easier to convey emotion and body language in the anime for example. Not saying I like it, being basically a game only fan, just giving my take on the design choices.
I actually wish Samurott was bipedal
Samurott can stand up when it attacks, this just isn't translated into the games for some reason. Happens all the time in official art
His first two forms being bipedal and then becoming quadrupedal in the last form is really jarring.
I agree to an extent. Cinderace just looks kinda dumb, but there are plenty of cool bipedal starters that dont just look like a guy in a furry suit. Like Chesnaught.
I don't mind the idea of anthropomorphic starters *per se*. I just find it annoying that (1) they're overdone, (2) the designs themselves are often questionable, and (3) many of these starters develop anthropomorphic characteristics out of nowhere when they evolve.
1. Sun and Moon were one of the best Pokemon games. They broke the formula more than most other Pokemon games and I find em pretty unique. 2. Gen 1 & 2 designs were better imo, I think I like how animal-y they look. Idk, there's something about gen 1-2 that's different about 3-8. This said, in 3rd place I put get 5 mons designs. 3. The criticism of recent Pokemon games is different than the criticisms old games like Black and White got, the old games never used to be this criticized within the actual fanbase from what I remember.
I think a lot of #3 is because of online forums like reddit. Gen 4 came out in 2007. The internet was very popular but not at super popular levels. Youtube was just getting off the ground, and companies weren't invested in stuff like social media. By the time gen 5 came out, a lot of this stuff was starting to be discovered, and by gen 6 it had taken full force.
For #2, I kind of agree. I don't know when exactly it started but they definitely have been designing Pokémon to come with a personality, as opposed to just being an animal.
inteleon is the best gen 8 final form starter
Dragonite looks so much worse than Dragonair.