You mean B2W2? or Gen VI?
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Pokemon's #1 problem is its utterly insipid writing
- Thread starter Huge Succeeded
- Start date
You mean B2W2? or Gen VI?
I do think X/Y had subpar writing overall (save for a few good snippets in the backstory like AZ) compared to previous series entries, but even at its height Pokemon's strength has never been the writing..It's always been the sense of discovery, incredible team flexibility, sense of nurturing and growth mirrored in the Pokemon you are raising, and the payout for doing so at the end (cute and/or baddass powerhouses that proceed to wreck/and or unlock other powerhouses) alongside the easy to learn and borderline insane to master battle system. All the while managing to make it accessible to all ages.
Feel free to critique the writing and petition for it to be significantly better (good luck), but it has NEVER needed it, and to be frank video games in general are not known for good writing, Uphill battle.
Feel free to critique the writing and petition for it to be significantly better (good luck), but it has NEVER needed it, and to be frank video games in general are not known for good writing, Uphill battle.
Kinda like how they got rid of avatar customization in the Ruby/Sapphire remakes.
I believe they did that for specific reasons. Customization is in Sun and Moon. You just likely won't see customization in remakes of their older stuff like a Diamond and Pearl remake.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
BW2. Although that still had some remnants of BW1's writing style due to being a sequel.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
From what I could tell, people seem to view him as a bit of a jerk because he is constantly yelling at people about how he's "going to unleash his rage!" and I guess people expected him to talk about anything else besides his sister's stolen pokemon. As if the main goal in his quest isn't always the first thing on his mind...
I really like hot-blooded rivals, Barry and the rival in X/Y were too laid back in my opinion.
which is weird because he's one of the more balanced and believable rivals
Delta Episode is just shit and Zinnia should be thrown to the fire
mechanics wise VI is the best so far
This post would have been better if it didn't involve throwaway lines and examples that made it look like you are biased on the people making the product than the product itself
Ah yes, that hard edge of Pokemon Red and Blue has really been watered down by today's censorship and political correctness.
...
Jesus, what drugs are you taking? Have you actually played Gen 1 in the last 15 years?
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Last I checked you saved Kanto in Gen 1 and Johto in Gen 2.
Different scope, but the same shit.
Yeah I never got the censorship thing. Fuck, XY alone had poke-stiality and the pokemon equivalent of otherkin being shoved into your face.
You don't really "save Kanto" or "save Johto" in either of those generations. You save Silph Co. in Gen 1 and Goldrenrod Tower in Gen 2.
Ruby and Sapphire significantly raised the stakes.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Rocket was trying to do a takeover in Silph which eventually leads them to shaking down Kanto.
For Johto, the tower's radio waves affects Pokemon. They can force evolution and shit. It's literally what people complained about team plots in later gens albeit in a more localized scale.
I'm the only one (at least, I don't think I've seen others with this mindset) that thinks the "Rocket is best because they are realistic!" is the most bullshit reasoning in defense of the team. You got fucking Pocket Monsters that can control minds and break mountains. Not exploiting it to the fullest makes the villain look low-tier. This is like having a Digimon villain whose main goal is to get rich by hacking the banks to get rich with his Digimon, or a Monster Rancher villain who bullies people rather than taking over the world because of an ancient prophecy.
In Pokemon the story doesn't matter at all. To me at least. It's just another impediment to me battling. Which is the true core of the game
Wasn't 90s Spongebob, aka Good Spongebob, rated TV-Y? Because that's something more "for kids" shows and games can learn from.
Good for you. Your personal preference has nothing to do with the thread discussion.
Good for you. Your personal preference has nothing to do with the thread discussion.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Spongebob was good but not for the narrative.
I'm talking its writing direction. Early Spongebob was deceptively raunchy, which was a great sign of the writing talent behind the show. I think the same thing can be done with more narrative-driven stuff, but it requires clear talent and execution, a thing many don't have.
Does Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness still have anywhere near as good a script as I remember? When I first played it (at 12 years old, man...) it seemed like such great writing. The plot stuck with me; the characters were actually that, fleshed out characters; and the dialogue was super refreshing.
Kind of afraid to ever replay it and tarnish those memories.
More on-topic, I wouldn't mind a bit of a higher reading level for NPCs and the like. Let the main game stay, bluntly put, "dumbed down." I want any kid to be able to enjoy Pokemon, just like I did when I was three and could barely read. And while I know it's different for everyone so this may not be the case for others, at that age I can't remember ever going out of my way to talk to people. It was battle, catch, battle some more, beat the bad guys... aka the Gym Leaders, lol... And so on.
I feel like more intelligent NPC writing would be a good compromise.
Kind of afraid to ever replay it and tarnish those memories.
More on-topic, I wouldn't mind a bit of a higher reading level for NPCs and the like. Let the main game stay, bluntly put, "dumbed down." I want any kid to be able to enjoy Pokemon, just like I did when I was three and could barely read. And while I know it's different for everyone so this may not be the case for others, at that age I can't remember ever going out of my way to talk to people. It was battle, catch, battle some more, beat the bad guys... aka the Gym Leaders, lol... And so on.
I feel like more intelligent NPC writing would be a good compromise.
You're right. Story does matter but in the case for Pokemon it isn't the top problem
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
throwing subtle adult jokes doesn't make one raunchy though, it just means they're capable of getting things past the radar without ultimately changing the tone of the show, shows like Animaniacs have that too
Inferno313
Banned
So we should treat children like stupid beings?
I agree with OP. And for the people arguing "lol it's pokemon, only gameplay is what we need" then you should go and play showdown. Only battles
It's not that difficult to have a better story, B/W really delivered with the themes it brought to the table.
Nothing in the writing is "stupid" it's just simple, which yes, is in fact helpful for an audience that is only beginning to read. Kids as young as 3-4 play these games.
Is this what they mean by outrage culture? lol
BluePikmin11
Member
Based on the new trailers, it seems like S/M will have the same level of writing as before.
No one says this in real life.
No one says this in real life.
Inferno313
Banned
Based on the new trailers, it seems like S/M will have the same level of writing as before.
No one says this in real life.
That seems, fine to me? Doesn't seem like something that wouldn't appear in your typical Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network show.
If "No one says this in real life" is the barometer for bad writing then Aaron Sorkin movies must be straight gutter trash.
ViciousAnchovy
Member
I understand where the OP is coming from, but Pokémon's writing has grown on me, at least the NPC dialogue has. There's something almost surreal about the overly simple and optimistic things some NPC's say. I've never paid much attention to the main plot, so improvement would be nice, I guess, but I really just go to Pokémon to press A and watch my monsters do stuff.
Cartoons now are better than they've ever been.
God Dayumm
Banned
That's because the censorship was there from the very first game. I said 2 full decades, not 19 years
Based on the new trailers, it seems like S/M will have the same level of writing as before.
No one says this in real life.
Apparently that's slang in Hawaii?
BluePikmin11
Member
It is? I will DEFINITELY need a source for that.
That happens in today's cartoons all the time. Adventure Time in its later seasons would make SpongeBob blush; there's an episode that's basically about wet dreams and masturbation (no, I'm not kidding; short of whipping out a wang onscreen, it could not be more blatant). And Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated could easily be called "Jokes that fly over kids' heads: The series".
Twenty-one years ago, an explicit onscreen Lesbian relationship would be unthinkable in a kids' cartoon.
Twenty-one years later, we have this.
Two full decades of censorship my ass.
PrinnyBomb
Member
The RBY and GSC stories were pretty good imo. RBY with its whole subtle backstory on mewtwo and GSC with the aftermath of everything that happened in the first game.
PrinnyBomb
Member
Am from Hawaii and can confirm, that is actually a pretty well known phrase
"Whole subtle backstory of Mewtwo"? Every reference to Mewtwo in RBY is limited to Cinnabar Mansion and its very straightforward journals. Comparing that to the history of the Mauville Corporation in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is laughable.
Have you played RBY recently? A lot of people seem to remember details that weren't actually present in those games and were introduced in other media. Team Rocket did not have anything to do with Mewtwo's creation in the games for example.
bizzarewars
Banned
I'd agree that the story doesn't really matter, at least plot wise. I think the adventure matters though, if that makes any sense. All that matters is that the games introduce unique scenarios and locations for strengthening the core gameplay loop.
Acerac
Banned
He's not though. Are you linking the two statement to make it seem like he is?
Aye, so any area that isn't directly related to those two should be expected to be absolute shit.
Professor Renegade
Banned
No one plays Pokemon for the story. People play Pokemon to battle eachother and catch 'em all.
Just plain better writing would help with sitting through cutscenes. I am not going to suggest that Pokemon isn't ok how it is, but man I'd appreciate some better writing as well.
PreyingShark
Member
When I was a kid I played Pokémon for the story. I actually ran away from most wild battles and avoided as many trainers as I could to try to get through it quicker.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
we're still in an age where people think Blue's Raticate died.
Riposte
Member
I'm more interested in the campaign. If the mechanics are not put to any sort of test, I don't care how good they are.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
you "test" them in multiplayer silly
Diprosalic
Banned
Pokemon MP is garbage tho.
Battlechili
Banned
If you're looking for good writing in Pokemon, try the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. If there wasn't Pokemon in the title, I'd be surprised to be told the games are aimed at children. They have incredible stories that put a lot of focus on character building to make sure you care about the characters, most especially your partner. There are so many well made twists and turns to these stories that are foreshadowed early on, and they aren't afraid to get dark with them (not that a game being dark makes it better; just that the game's don't have anything holding them back). They have strong writing and are far above Game Freak's work in terms of quality, as one should expect from the developers of Danganronpa and Zero Escape. I also feel the games just benefit from not being in a world of humans. You get to focus on the thing that makes Pokemon interesting: The Pokemon themselves.
Oh God Why
Banned
She wants her hand inside your comfy and easy to wear shorts!!!!!
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
a bit imbalanced yeah, but not garbage, far from it
you want garbage, go look at PSASBR
I wouldn't mind if Pokémon stories were told more like Pokémon Adventures. That manga has fairly good writing and characterization that the games could certainly benefit from.
To anyone who hasn't read it, you should. It's a great take on the Pokémon world. And even Satoshi Tajiri (the creator of Pokémon) said that "This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey."
To anyone who hasn't read it, you should. It's a great take on the Pokémon world. And even Satoshi Tajiri (the creator of Pokémon) said that "This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey."
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
First off, the manga still has childish shit you'd find in your average shonen writing (seriously, the Kanto arc). It just feels different because you're not used to seeing it in Pokemon, and even then later on especially post RSE it becomes really bland (I am looking at you Zinnia).
Second, that one is just a marketing line as the only place that quote is cited is from the old website of the publisher. There's no actual source of Tajiri saying that, but internet and certain PokeSpe fans have taken to believe that being true.
I agree that the manga took a turn for the worse post RSE but I don't mind it being told in a childish way, it's part of the lightheartedness of Pokémon and it should be there. What I mean is that the manga's story really avoids being bland like the games' (at least the first three gens) and make for an interesting read.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I dunno, I prefer the Kanto of the anime than PokeSpe's Kanto (albeit if I had my way I'd prefer Electric Tale Kanto). The "all gym leaders and Elite 4are evil" is the one that made me tilt my head a little and the one that really bugs me in that arc. RSE PokeSpe is the one that I thoroughly enjoyed though.
Electric Tale, questionable artstyle aside, really did push the OS-era anime potential much more. Like it didn't have the trappings Shudo was pushing (let's turn Ash into Nobita! crap).
NHarmonic.
Member
I was surprised by some of the things BW NPCs said. Some spilled some really thoughtful lines, and fit with the atmosphere of the game and it's story.