6th Gen "But I don't want to save over my file..."

I actually wouldn't mind having multiple save files, but I feel like it'd take away the emphasis of what makes it special to have just one. Maybe that's just me being overly sympathetic with it being the tale of our story and adventure, I don't know. That being said, I don't see it happening. Not in a long while. They've had the open option to do multiple save files before, I'm sure, but never bothered to do it. Perhaps it would have an effect on sale prices.

I am curious though, should it ever be done, do you think they'd allow transfer of Pokémon and items to be done between files?

i'm fine with one file, thanks.
hey guys, you know there's a trick for having more then one file on any 3DS game as long as its downloadable. and everyone is saying it'll be downloadable. when you want to get a new file, use a different SD card. it's as simple as that. it'll keep your save file on the first SD card and you'll be free to start a new game. i did this for dillons rolling western and haven't seen anything bad happening to my save files.

Rivvon said:

Just because a lot of people don't like playing with others doesn't mean that any one MMO should make a single-player mode.

It's great that fans have come up with ways to enjoy and challenge themselves with the Pokémon games. But Pokémon really is meant to be played once, with one save file. That's you in that game--you can't really have multiples of yourself in reality, right? It's a design choice made to make the game more immersive. In games with multiple save files, I don't worry nearly as much about my choices, because I know I can simply play again on another save file and do things differently there.

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Which doesn't describe a game where you are forced to click "Yes" all the time or otherwise, you can't play the game. Immersive my foot. A game like GTA or Fable is far more immersive than Pokemon could ever be because Pokemon is based too much on a rigid story than on one's experience. The prime example is in HGSS where this guy blocks my path to the route of Blackthorn City. Why should I as an individual, if its based around experiences , be constrained by some peddler who should by all reasons be in prison for aiding a terrorist organization? Even if not, why can't I run around him, push him out of the way and just continue on my journey like in real life, if this is a supposed one life experience?

Since Pokemon is not based on your experience so much as forced choices and lack of freedom to moving realistically through terrain [Why can't I just get a motorcycle, boat and personal airplane instead of relying on animals for it in a modern world?] and to choose your own path, why not have extra saves since much of this reasoning is moot?

Let's be clear on one thing. If life was like a Pokemon game in the fact I couldn't make a real choice outside of saying yes all of the time , I'd become a part of an evil group like Team Rocket because I wouldn't have to play lip service to every punk I meet in order to go on with my life and become successful rather than being able to freely make choices in a free fashion like in real life, and have consequences for them. Life would be disastrous if people agreed to everything people asked them to do.

But this is a game, so why should it matter how many saves are in it right? It doesn't take away any sort of identity away if you get another save since the game itself does not adhere to the mechanics of real life or of open field RPGs like GTA or Fable that allow you to make real decisions.

I hope that if they make the game truly immersive, then one save will be justifiable, but if its downloadable as others say, I can deal with that. ;)

I don't think you should ever be able to have multiple save game files. The game simply put, wouldn't feel right. It's just so fun to go buy an old cartridge Pokemon game and look through the old owner's boxes and party and check out what they did on their adventure. If you were able to start multiple files the Pokemon wouldn't be as original. I feel as if Game Freak meant to only make one save file possible because the new cards could hold multiple, they just choose not to.

It's not a huge issue for me, but I think you should have the choice to use multiple save files. Players who want to restart and try out new challenges could do so, and players who want one unique adventure could just not use the multiple saves. Imagine, for instance, this dilemma: you caught a shiny, but you want to start a new adventure. Now you can delete the shiny, or go buy the same game twice. Shouldn't be like that. And I definitely agree it's not a technology problem.

one problem with this would be that you could keep catching legendaries, trade them to another game, and trade them to your normal file, then repeat. making the legendary pokemon far too common. or this could be even easier if they allow trading between files. and a lot of people will get one version while their brother or sister gets the other. but with this feature they would just get one game and share. it just seems like to much trouble and only to lower profits.

Everyone seems to be assuming there is some barrier whereby if multiple save files are made available then nobody will buy both copies, but I think if they made a few more significant differences between the two versions they bring out, people will be just as likely to go out and buy the other game. If you can start over 3 times on a game, sure you can play through with all starters and experiment new teams and everything else, but it still doesn't get you the other legendary etc. So just create a bigger distinction between the 2 games where we still feel like we're missing something by not having the other one, that's what I'm saying. People who would normally buy both probably still will, I don't believe that's completely determined by the lack of multiple save files.

Of course though, you do have that whole traditional, sentimental feel that your save file is your own world, but I think there's ways around that for the producers. For example, an extra save file could be unlocked just like difficulty modes were unlocked at the end of B2W2.

I would say that although it's unlikely, I wouldn't exactly be surprised if they did it. I mean, they are trying new things now, I was pretty surprised when they decided to make a direct sequel to Black & White, but that's a different kind of matter, and maybe that's just me. Ultimately, for me personally it would just be an asset of the game knowing that I can try out different teams without deleting my original file, and I know in my head that my first one would be my primary one, so there's no issues there. That's my view anyway.

Jimmyray said:

Everyone seems to be assuming there is some barrier whereby if multiple save files are made available then nobody will buy both copies, but I think if they made a few more significant differences between the two versions they bring out, people will be just as likely to go out and buy the other game. If you can start over 3 times on a game, sure you can play through with all starters and experiment new teams and everything else, but it still doesn't get you the other legendary etc. So just create a bigger distinction between the 2 games where we still feel like we're missing something by not having the other one, that's what I'm saying. People who would normally buy both probably still will, I don't believe that's completely determined by the lack of multiple save files.

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I haven't had words to say this, but this was exactly one of the points I've wanted to get across. If they're so concerned about sales for both version, then make them have enough exclusivity that the consumer still wants to buy both. Multiple save files just gives us the exact same experience for as far as the game itself has control. Sure, we can use different teams, do challenges, pick different starters, but at the end of the day we are still playing through the exact same game over again. Game Freak, do you want me to go out and buy the other version? Then give me something that's different from the one I already have. Giving me an extra save file isn't what would stop me from going out to buy it, it's me buying the same game over again with tiny differences that make it not worth it.

I think we'll see some weird kind of one-sided trading (or 'gifting') of Pokemon to another game implemented before we see multiple save functions. I'm fine with deleting my old saves - I just check for good pokemon on said save about twenty times before I'm happy with it. Besides, multiple saves would harm the second-hand market even more than it has already been hit, and I'd lost my incentive to snag up other people's copies in shops.