The End of Third versions?

[Boss1991]

Speaking of 3rd versions, remakes, or remakes of BW2 more specifically, wonder how they'd handle 5th gen remakes. Would they remake both pairs of games?

They will either remake BW, or not remake Gen V at all, now that we have VC releases available.

They are obviously not remaking both games, and if they have to remake one, the original BW is obviously more iconic. Besides, it makes sense to remake the main story and not a sequel of it. They might include some BW2 post game locations, maybe even Pokestar Studios (unlikely) but probably not the PWT as it is too much effort to do, especially in 3D.

 

[Alexander18]

BW2 is a sequel, and ORAS is a remake. But both incorporate the "third version extra content" that Bw and. XY lacked.

> BW didn't have a dedicated sidequest (Musicals are too simplistic) and BW2 added Pokestar Studios.
> BW2 added PWT.
> BW2 added Move Tutors

> XY didn't have a Sidequest, ORAS added Contest Spectacaulars
> ORAS added Pokemon League rematch teams
> ORAS added Move Tutors

All those features are usually not found in firts pairs, and are added in third versions, and since Gen V and VI didn't have a proper third version, the "extra content" is incorporated in BW2 and ORAS.

BW had the search for the sages as a sidequest. XY had Looker Episode as sidequest along with Kiloude City. Move tutors and League rematch teams in ORAS are not third version content but they are post game content.

 

[Trainer Yusuf]

BW2 is a sequel, and ORAS is a remake. But both incorporate the "third version extra content" that Bw and. XY lacked.

> BW didn't have a dedicated sidequest (Musicals are too simplistic) and BW2 added Pokestar Studios.
> BW2 added PWT.
> BW2 added Move Tutors

> XY didn't have a Sidequest, ORAS added Contest Spectacaulars
> ORAS added Pokemon League rematch teams
> ORAS added Move Tutors

All those features are usually not found in firts pairs, and are added in third versions, and since Gen V and VI didn't have a proper third version, the "extra content" is incorporated in BW2 and ORAS.

Just as a little tip, Move Tutors are not "third game content". FRLG, prior to release of Emerald, included Move Tutors from Gen I TM list, just like ORAS did. If ORAS had third game Move Tutor content, it would have Generation VI moves as Move Tutors, just like any other Third Version including Black 2 and White 2 did.

End of generation games such as Emerald, B2W2 and HGSS has also introduced new additions to breeding mechanics, which are not present in ORAS.

You are free to make up any justifications you wish to, though.

 

[Aromatic Mist]

BW had the search for the sages as a sidequest. XY had Looker Episode as sidequest along with Kiloude City.

That's not what they meant. They were meaning Contests, Pokeathlon, PokeStar, etc. XY has nothing like that.

Move tutors and League rematch teams in ORAS are not third version content but they are post game content.

E4 leveling up has been exclusive to third versions and remakes, with the exception of Black and White for E4 leveling. On the other hand, no main pair (bar remakes) has had move tutors outside of the Ultimate Moves (as of D/P, only FR/LG had them in Gen III), the Pledges (as of BW), Secret Sword and Relic Song (as of BW), and Draco Meteor (as of Gen IV).

Thus, it isn't just 'post-game' content, it's post game third version/remake content.


IMO, there's no need for third versions. To me, they just seem so unnecessary. They don't don't have all the version exclusives of the game, and all the spare content (facilities, move tutors, E4 rematches) can either be put into the main pair or into remakes.

 

[Boss1991]

Just as a little tip, Move Tutors are not "third game content". FRLG, prior to release of Emerald, included Move Tutors from Gen I TM list, just like ORAS did. If ORAS had third game Move Tutor content, it would have Generation VI moves as Move Tutors, just like any other Third Version including Black 2 and White 2 did.

End of generation games such as Emerald, B2W2 and HGSS has also introduced new additions to breeding mechanics, which are not present in ORAS.

You are free to make up any justifications you wish to, though.

I am not making up justifications, I am just pointing out the obvious.

You should go to Bulbapedia, just compare the Move Tutors for each game yourself.

ORAS has those extra Move Tutors that only the last game of a generation has, aka third versions content. In fact, they are the *SAME* Move Tutors that BW2 has and BW/XY don´t have (plus 3 additional moves that BW2 didn´t have). So why are you counting them as "third version content Move Tutors" for BW2, but not for ORAS?

Whether there are some new moves from the generation, is irrelevant, I don't understand why you are focusing on that. What matters is that they are the *special* Move Tutors that function with Battle Points/Shards and only appear in third versions, HGSS, BW2, and OR/AS.

And the final games of previous generations (Emerald, HGSS, BW2) introduced some breeding additions, as you say, but so did the initial pair games before them, so how on Earth is this "third version content" at all? ORAS's breeding addition was to add a second daycare, to double the amount of breeding at the same time, instead of a new breeding mechanic, so ORAS still adds a breeding improvement, just not a mechanical one.

But I don't think breeding additions can be considered "third version content", since those breeding additions in third versions are carried over to the initial pair game of the next generation, so there is nothing "third version exclusive" about them.

Edit: more "third version additional content" shared between BW2 and ORAS are the Join Avenue daily tasks, which return in ORAS, and are done by Secret Pals in Super Secret Bases. The feature was absent from XY and BW. So yeah...

 

[Bguy7]

IMO, there's no need for third versions. To me, they just seem so unnecessary. They don't don't have all the version exclusives of the game, and all the spare content (facilities, move tutors, E4 rematches) can either be put into the main pair or into remakes.

While there are certain features that can be put in the initial games, it's worth noting that the third game just gives them a general second chance to make the game, so general ideas and other improvements that hadn't been thought of in the initial games can be made for the third.

 

[LePetitMeow]

Third Versions are interesting to me. I've only ever really been around to see Crystal and Platinum get the releases and hype build-up.

-Yellow as a third version was more of a promotion of the anime and Pikachu as the franchise's mascot, rather than shifting the focus of the main story, which didn't really change...
-Crystal as a third version introduced the main storyline shifting from Lugia and Ho-oh to Suicune (whom you would capture in place of Lugia/Ho-oh).
-Emerald also made a change to the story. Instead of having Kyogre and Groudon be the catalyst of the story, it was Rayquaza.
-Platinum, like Crystal, shifted the focus of the game's storyline to focus on Giratina, rather than Dialga and Palkia.
-Black2/White2 as a pair of direct sequels STILL gave off the feel of a third version by having Kyurem be the center of the story, rather than the dragons (though they played a secondary role in order to accommodate new forms for Kyurem).

The MAIN thing that all "third versions" seem to have in common lies in the actual storyline of the game. Initial pairs (remakes included) focus on the legendary mascot of that game! The only exception to this is Gen I games, including FR/LG, due to the mascots being the Starter Pokemon rather than legendaries. Third Version ALWAYS shift the story focus to another Pokemon, usually the third member of the mascot trios (Rayquaza, Giratina, Kyurem).

Honestly, the talk of things like Move Tutors and breeding mechanics, and the minute details aren't what really draws people in for the purchase of a third version game; it's the story and the mascots. A Z version would have had Zygarde as the focus of the story, giving its new forms attention, and adding to the plots of Team Flare. That would draw people into the game, not the tiny things like Move Tutors.

It's GREAT that they DO add things like the move tutors, daily and weekly events that make for more game play, etc. But those aren't the major factors to determine when looking at third versions.

 

[Zoruagible]

I don't care if we stop getting third versions, so long as they give the third of the Legend trio some spotlight in the first games, like a post league story ORAS had for Deoxys
Like how Zygarde has gotten jack so far in the games, I want the SM trio third member to actually get some spotlight.

 

[Alexander18]

I think that instead of a third version for this gen, they would include a post game story featuring the third legendary of gen 7 and possibly Zygarde. The post game of Sun and Moon would be the third game story.

 

[RedJirachi]

Ultimately, I think it's good riddance to bad trubbish


I'm sorry, I'm so sorry

 

[Alexander18]

Ultimately, I think it's good riddance to bad trubbish


I'm sorry, I'm so sorry

Third version games weren't that bad. Platinum made a lot of improvements especially the pokedex. Emerald was pretty decent too as it game Rayquaza better focus than Ruby/Sapphire.

 

[RedJirachi]

Third version games weren't that bad. Platinum made a lot of improvements especially the pokedex. Emerald was pretty decent too as it game Rayquaza better focus than Ruby/Sapphire.

Much like having two version in the first place, it's a means of making us spend more money despite not being needed

 

[Shadow XD001]

I've always seen third versions as an improvement over the initial duo (remember how slow D/P were?) and they aren't really necessary to BW and XY. It is a shame that XY did not have a follow up sequel like BW but that idea was clearly dropped in favor of a new set of games. The third versions have really just been a re-telling of the story with slight improvements but I don't it's really justifiable anymore.

 

[PrinceOfFacade]

Most third versions have been pointless.

- Yellow was just a piggyback off the anime.
- Crystal was just a piggyback off of Yellow, and a way to throw in last minute features.
- Emerald was just a continuation of this piggyback trend.
- Platinum was as well.

It wasn't until Black 2 and White 2 that a third version was actually its own version, and not a near-carbon print of the first two. It is the first time I ever truly enjoyed a third version, and the first one I ever wanted to play more than once. Unless third versions become more like Black 2 and White 2, I'd rather they didn't exist.

Maybe without an automatic focus on third versions, GAMEFREAK will start going all-in for massive content in a main installment. I think that's where they're headed with Sun and Moon. Of course, it was at the expense of X & Y having hardly any post-game content. Or current game content outside of the story.

 

[Alexander18]

Most third versions have been pointless.

- Yellow was just a piggyback off the anime.
- Crystal was just a piggyback off of Yellow, and a way to throw in last minute features.
- Emerald was just a continuation of this piggyback trend.
- Platinum was as well.

It wasn't until Black 2 and White 2 that a third version was actually its own version, and not a near-carbon print of the first two. It is the first time I ever truly enjoyed a third version, and the first one I ever wanted to play more than once. Unless third versions become more like Black 2 and White 2, I'd rather they didn't exist.

Maybe without an automatic focus on third versions, GAMEFREAK will start going all-in for massive content in a main installment. I think that's where they're headed with Sun and Moon. Of course, it was at the expense of X & Y having hardly any post-game content. Or current game content outside of the story.

I disagree. Platinum had an expanded pokedex, gym leader rematches, focus on Giratina that wasn't in DP, Battle Frontier, Charon at Stark Mountain, etc. Emerald gave Rayquaza focus it deserved, Battler Frontier, Johto starters, Johto pokemon in extend area of safari zone, Trainer Hill, Artisan Cave with Smeargle, Sudowoodo, Desert Underpass for fossil you didn't choose in Mirage Tower, Mirage Tower, gym leader rematches, etc.

Emerald and Platinum were far from pointless. Yellow and Crystal had better features than RB and GS had especially as you can get all three starters in Yellow. Crystal had a Eusine-Suicune arc. The point is that the third versions are unique versions that I consider better than the first pair of games. However, Game Freak these days have probably decided to move on from the third version games especially as two games earns them more money than one.

 

[PrinceOfFacade]

I disagree. Platinum had an expanded pokedex, gym leader rematches, focus on Giratina that wasn't in DP, Battle Frontier, Charon at Stark Mountain, etc. Emerald gave Rayquaza focus it deserved, Battler Frontier, Johto starters, Johto pokemon in extend area of safari zone, Trainer Hill, Artisan Cave with Smeargle, Sudowoodo, Desert Underpass for fossil you didn't choose in Mirage Tower, Mirage Tower, gym leader rematches, etc.

Emerald and Platinum were far from pointless. Yellow and Crystal had better features than RB and GS had especially as you can get all three starters in Yellow. Crystal had a Eusine-Suicune arc. The point is that the third versions are unique versions that I consider better than the first pair of games. However, Game Freak these days have probably decided to move on from the third version games especially as two games earns them more money than one.

You see, all of these add ons in the third version are things that could have been in the first two. They pose no significant changes.

Black 2 and White 2, however, are actual updates, with new cities, characters, and gyms. The story is updated, the plot is updated. Emerald and Platinum have the same story as their predecessors, but with a few tweaks.

 

[UltimateNinja]

Generell third versions. Meh not really needed. A different take on off a region? Yeah that should be standard now. Kalos was unfinished. Zygarde's role wasn't explained in his home region and there are plotholes to them.

I blame GF for suddenly leaving Kalos like it is now and if SM will end up being the same, then they prove themselfe to rush generation after generation because the first games typically sells the most.

Or they will do something like "Pokemon Earth (Zygarde) and Pokemon Mars (Marshadow) functioning as both Gen 6 and 7's special version.

Also can't really see the suprise SM brought if they are releasing new gens every 3 years.

 

[Alexander18]

You see, all of these add ons in the third version are things that could have been in the first two. They pose no significant changes.

Black 2 and White 2, however, are actual updates, with new cities, characters, and gyms. The story is updated, the plot is updated. Emerald and Platinum have the same story as their predecessors, but with a few tweaks.

It is true that they could have been in the first pair but at the time Game Freak had no problem with releasing third version games. They could have added post game story for Rayquaza and Giratina in the first pair of games but it seemed more fitting to put them in a new game. Third versions are not pointless but are no longer required these days anymore.

Generell third versions. Meh not really needed. A different take on off a region? Yeah that should be standard now. Kalos was unfinished. Zygarde's role wasn't explained in his home region and there are plotholes to them.

I blame GF for suddenly leaving Kalos like it is now and if SM will end up being the same, then they prove themselfe to rush generation after generation because the first games typically sells the most.

Or they will do something like "Pokemon Earth (Zygarde) and Pokemon Mars (Marshadow) functioning as both Gen 6 and 7's special version.

Also can't really see the suprise SM brought if they are releasing new gens every 3 years.

Or they can have Kalos as a post game for Sun and Moon.

 

[PrinceOfFacade]

It is true that they could have been in the first pair but at the time Game Freak had no problem with releasing third version games. They could have added post game story for Rayquaza and Giratina in the first pair of games but it seemed more fitting to put them in a new game. Third versions are not pointless but are no longer required these days anymore.

I think the word 'required' is being used at great liberty, here.

A third version was never necessity. It simply became an expectation by Gen 4. I've never felt the need to ever buy a third version with the exception of B2W2, nor have I ever bought a third version, with the exception of B2W2. Every time I played a third version prior to Gen 5 was with someone else's cartridge, and while it was cool, it was never enough for me to want one for myself, which is why I only played them once.

 

[Class Zero]

While Platinum is one of my favourite games.. I really hope they have done away with the third version cash grabs.
As a student I don't really have the disposable income to buy one of the first two games and then also the third improved version.. but then I don't feel as though I'm getting as good an experience as is possible. Nintendo/Game Freak absolutely should provide the best experience in the first two games, releasing a third improved one just screws over those that bought into one of the first two. If there are improvements to be made then either apply them as patches or incorporate them into the next set of main series games, don't sell us the first games with minor improvements.