Are you fine with the way games are?

[Sicksadpanda]

Personally, I think pokemon are actually getting "harder" each gen. However, that difficulty was dampened by exp distribution. Many people found gen 6 to be a joke, but when I gave it a try with a simple team and no exp share, I actually found it considerably challenging since the trainers were consistently higher level, doesn't use an army of unevolved trash pokemon, and even equipped with TMs. Then I went back to gen 1 and 2 VC, and I found them super easy when I focused on fewer pokemon. NPCs often didn't have good team combo, or have bad moves (Like Champion Blue's Arcanine having roar, despite the fact that it literally does nothing in trainer battles during gen 1).

The change is that the grind requirement has been severely lowered, but the trainers have gotten better (not in terms of AI smartness, but their team formation). It was actually better to use less pokemon in older games to beat the game, unless you love grinding. But in newer games, the trainers have gotten better in general that you don't really want to rely on fewer pokemon, but you did not need to grind too much to get all pokemon on the same level.

Now here's an interesting topic, enhanced games have always been harder than the base game (except for Crystal, unless you count Mareep and early Magmars being removed as hardmode). Enhanced games have buffed gym leaders and totem pokemon to be more challenging compared to the base game, this was something I feel players glossed over. Now we have DLC instead of enhanced games, and while SwSh DLC was great, I did think it was handled weirdly. Since you're not required to do a "new game", they couldn't buff anything in the base game, so they had to put the difficulty in the DLC. The issue was that DLC didn't have many NPCs to battle, but players have found it challenging to do IoA right away (I haven't tried it though). Galarian Star Tournament is pretty challenging if you didn't level your team to 100 as well, but again, that's not really part of the main storyline.

 

[Psajdak]

What if Game Freak decides to just focus on DLCs for years in the future, just expanding upon Sw/Sh?

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

What if Game Freak decides to just focus on DLCs for years in the future, just expanding upon Sw/Sh?

There will be new games released. Each new Gen takes about five years of planning and developing and begin just as the next new set of games are released. RS were being developed right when Crystal was being released, SM development was seen as early as XY when the 20th Anniversary footage showed Pikipek on a computer as a wireframe skeleton.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

If anything DLC might help their development time. I mean, I'm not an expert but I think it'd faster for them to put out a DLC for the already existing game rather than making a new one even if it's a third version/USUM-esque game.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

What if Game Freak decides to just focus on DLCs for years in the future, just expanding upon Sw/Sh?

They won't do that. People will get sick of SwSh if they leave it on the market for too long. Crown Tundra seems to have been SwSh's swan song and they're going to be moving on to a completely new game next. I think going forward we could expect the same, 1 year of focusing on the base game and 1 year of DLC.

I do think they could space out the releases using DLC though. SwSh isn't the only game I could see getting DLC. If DP remakes do indeed happen next year as some are predicting, for example, they could distribute Platinum content through DLC in 2022 (which would be kinda scummy admittedly, but a step up from ORAS all but ignoring Emerald's content so I'll take it), and then perhaps 9th gen will release in 2023 instead of 2022, which would give Game Freak an extra year to polish the games like everyone wants. That would be a win-win.

 

[Tsukuyomi56]

Sword/Shield are enjoyable as far as Pokemon games but there is something a bit missing in terms of exploration and decently challenging battles (not “unfair” battles like Ultra Necrozma where you either resort to overlevelling or using “cheese” strats). The DLC was a step in the right place regarding exploration however (got a bit lost in Crown Tundra’s caves myself).

 

[rolf: a weird scientist]

Personally I hope having pokemon completely unavailable in games does not become the new normal. Other than that I am a bit sad to what extent maximizing IV's and natures has become easier. Graphically, I either hope they truly make a step forward and improve environmental graphics (I mean look at those tree textures), or revert to older graphics for which they already have a good style. Battle graphics wise I hope they just keep it as is: improving them does not add anything (nor would it justify leaving pokemon out).
I wish there was a little less handholding: just like with the older games, let us roam and discover things ourselves. And let there be more things hidden to find.

So for the main question: pokemon Sword and Shield were sadly a step back for me and I ended up not buying them (Ultra Sun and Crystal VC being the last games I have played). As I do not see myself enter the current generation anymore, I hope the next generation improves on the points above.

 

[Divine Retribution]

Other than that I am a bit sad to what extent maximizing IV's and natures has become easier.

I'm curious why. From my perspective, removing the grindy aspects of creating teams just makes competitive play easier and more accessible, especially to people who don't have a lot of free time and don't want to spend days or even weeks breeding and training a team in order to start battling in the first place.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

They made it so you can make your in-game team competitive-able with just some mints, bottle caps and the patch capsule. That's quite good in my book.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

If you don't like how easy it is to get your desired EVs, IVs, natures, and abilities, you can feel free not to use them. No one's holding a gun to your head and making you. But for the people that were irritated with how tedious it was, it's a tremendous benefit. I cannot see how that's anything but a good thing.

 

[SubtleVVeirdoh]

I don’t have the time to get any new competitive Pokémon trained, however, I agree I do like how easy/accessible it’s become. This is coming from someone who would breed the same mon 4/5 times, with different natures, moves, etc.

Besides that I only find myself playing to finish the games, since I restarted for mono runs. Graphics are nice but the story is too easy. If I wanna play a “harder” game I usually look for Gen 5 or older.

I appreciate these games more than Gen 7 for sure. I wish we would’ve gotten Megas instead of a rip off of Megas with Z moves, which is what Dynamax seems like.

 

[Ditto B1tch]

The series is dead for me since Generation 6.
Game Freak is on a need they ought to introduce a new mechanic (Megas, Z-moves, Dynamax etc) in every generation when actually we just wanted new and well designed Pokemon.
No more evolutions and pre-evolutions to link new Pokemon with previous generation (except Silveon). This is kinda sad.
And the big proof Game Freak is lacking good idea to make Pokemon is the introduction of alternate form. Adding a ice variation to Vulpix instead desiging an ice fox from zero is too lazy by them.

 

[SubtleVVeirdoh]

No more evolutions and pre-evolutions to link new Pokemon with previous generation (except Silveon). This is kinda sad.
And the big proof Game Freak is lacking good idea to make Pokemon is the introduction of alternate form. Adding a ice variation to Vulpix instead desiging from zero a ice fox is too lazy by them.

I do agree that it would be cool to design new Pokémon with new type combos, or just new Pokémon in general but regional variants help flesh out the Pokémon world, since there are regional variants of plants and animals, even from the same region (Australia/Red New Guinea Rainbows).

It’s lazy in a sense but, using a Ninetales that’s not fire type is cool to me. Just sucks that the typing is limited to just one Pokémon, one Pokémon we’ve used in a way. I’d love to use an Ice/Fairy with a different ability and stat distribution, now that I’ve had my fun with A-Ninetales

 

[Vini310]

The series is dead for me since Generation 6.
Game Freak is on a need they ought to introduce a new mechanic (Megas, Z-moves, Dynamax etc) in every generation when actually we just wanted new and well designed Pokemon.
No more evolutions and pre-evolutions to link new Pokemon with previous generation (except Silveon). This is kinda sad.
And the big proof Game Freak is lacking good idea to make Pokemon is the introduction of alternate form. Adding a ice variation to Vulpix instead desiging from zero a ice fox is too lazy by them.

Recycled designs/recolors are the standard in Mon games, just look at Digimon and Yo-kai Watch:
- Agumon VS. BlackAgumon (and SEVERAL other variants)
- Blizzaria VS. Damona
- Jibanyan VS. its 200+ variants.

They all are different from each other, and serve as an unique take on an already existing Mon.
Besidies, tha fandom has been expermenting with regional variants, or at least, TYPE variants for years, what's wrong on capitalizing on it?

 

[BCVM22]

It would be a bit of an issue if Pokémon were doing it anything like Digimon, which has been doing it from the beginning and it seems like half their bestiary has a differently-colored but otherwise identical counterpart, where Pokémon's being doing it for four years, and with only a small handful of the near-900. Unclear what the issue is there.

 

[Ditto B1tch]

Recycled designs/recolors are the standard in Mon games, just look at Digimon and Yo-kai Watch:
- Agumon VS. BlackAgumon (and SEVERAL other variants)
- Blizzaria VS. Damona
- Jibanyan VS. its 200+ variants.

They all are different from each other, and serve as an unique take on an already existing Mon.
Besidies, tha fandom has been expermenting with regional variants, or at least, TYPE variants for years, what's wrong on capitalizing on it?

Cutie, I would rather having a new Pokemon instead recolorring and retyping an old one

 

[Auraninja]

I personally like the regional form Pokemon, as it brings the concept of Galapagos finches over to Pokemon and renovates older concepts.

I didn't like how it was only Gen 1 Pokemon in Alola, since I felt like it was a tad restricted, but they picked Pokemon I like such as Vulpix and Marowak.

Gen 8 brought more to the concept, allowing non-Gen 1 Pokemon to gain regional forms as well as regional evolutions.

 

[Lykouros]

I like the regional variants and I enjoy the alternate forms in Digimon as well. As long as new designs are also being made, I appreciate the concept.

Dynamaxing did feel a bit too much like rip-off Megas with Z-moves. Being immune to protect, weight-based moves, encore, etc, also made them feel too separate from standard Pokemon battle mechanics. I'd favor a return to Megas or going back to standard battling altogether, maybe with a bigger emphasis on doubles format if they really wanted to shake things up mechanically.

 

[The Admiral]

Regional variants are fine, because I feel reasonably confident that, had Game Freak just made Pokemon that were new species that looked like the regional variants, That Certain Section of the Fan Base Who Are Impossible to Make Shut the **** Up would have started ragging on them Nintendo for "lack of creativity" or whatever. Regional variants are also good from a worldbuilding perspective, and looking at how the species developed over time.

However, it definitely seems like Game Freak loves to focus on things from gen 1 first and then come back to everything else later -- they spend an extraordinary amount of time buying into Kanto nostalgia (which is understandable from an economic perspective, but feels tired from a perspective of game content).

Anyway they should bring megas back specifically to get Sugimori to finish that Mega Flygon concept, but otherwise I don't care much for the gimmicks in general (unless the Ultra Beasts count as a gimmick -- that was a cool plotline; I know Z-moves are linked into that, but Z-moves are ehhh). There's still some stuff that I feel is under-explored to begin with, and Game Freak keeps just hopping onto the newer and newer things, leaving that old stuff in the dust.

 

[janejane6178]

I am ok with regional variants AS LONG as it doesnt come on the expanse of the number of new pokemons AND I want it to apply to recent gens as well and not just gen 1....