[B/W] I don't live here, I just work here

[Kip]

More and more recently I've been finding myself going back to SoulSilver and the GameBoy Advance games rather than playing Black. And for a while I couldn't really explain it. I just assumed it was for nostalgia value, but I've recently realised that it's actually something else:

I am just a tourist in Unova.

I don't feel like I live there. I'm just here to see the sights. I can hardly remember or know how to pronounce most of the city names ('cept Black City, ha ha ha.). I have to constantly look at the map to see where I'm going and remember where I am. I find myself taking cruises and flying to places just to walk over the bridges rather than battling or exploring. I queue up to get an ice creme and go and ride elevators. I sit there fiddling with my C-Gear and scrolling through my PokéDex, and not actually doing anything.

This isn't because I don't like the game or I've gotten bored of it - far from it: I have a team of 6, all of whom have reached Level 80, still in training and whom I think are fantastic. I've been to every bit of the region, have a Battle Subway record and I've caught a lot of Pokémon. I love the music, adore the scenery, the story, the much improved battle system (still not as good as the GBA's imo but that's a different kettle of fish).

And still - it doesn't feel like I live there. With other games it does. Feels like I've been a resident of those parts and I don't have to look at a map to know where I'm going. And I know that because each time I switch from Black to one of the other games I feel like I'm coming home after an increasingly mediocre holiday. It's like Unova's charm was fantastic in the beginning but after a while it's simply worn off. I can play post-game in Kanto, Johto and Hoenn for years (even Sinnoh at a stretch but not so much), and I have done since I never usually start new games.

Is it possibly a lack of expansion after the game has ended? Kanto had the Sevii Islands, the legendary birds, the caves and the league to play with afterwards. Hoenn had it's massive maps to explore, the Gold/Silver games had more expansions than all of them put together - heck even Sinnoh had the underground and that battle island... place... thing. But Unova... you've explored half of it already when the story ends, and everything else after that just seems... well, easy. And now there's just nothing to do anymore.

Or is it because Unova is cold and soulless... in the sense that it was created for the sole purpose to be different from the other games. It's charms are there but that X factor that you can't quite define isn't, and after a while the whole region just feels dead. It looks appealing, but feels impersonal. Kanto, Johto and Hoenn felt, and still feels, like an adventure. Unova just feels like a story that's been told already, like I've been watching a film and it's finished.

Basically every time I go to Unova in Black I feel that I'm just visiting, and when I go to the other games, I'm back at home. It's curious, isn't it?

[miakalina]

I see myself pretty much as a native of Unova.
I know where almost everything I need is, items/Pokémon/npcs.
Where as I need guides now just to play the old games.
I do go back and play the older gens, but I can't stay away from Unova for too long.
It makes me home sick for Undella. x]

[WishCookie]

I know exactly what you mean Kip. Its just something with Unova that doesnt have the same feeling as the older games. I mean i'm playing the older games more often then pokemon black. But it isnt fun when then skipped the Battle Frontier and they also dont have any PokeNav/Phone or VS.seeker.

Then only thing you can do after beating the game is to collect all of the rest pokemon and then you're done. You only got the Subway left but nothing more.

[Musica]

Actually, I think I am lost (tourist) in Unova. You know, I have to check serebii to look for NPC's. I only remember Day-care. But, BW is still fun. I still have much to explore.

[Toujours]

I strongly disagree with a lot of your points, tbh. I personally feel like I'm a part of Unova more than I've felt a part of other Pokemon games, and although I don't play much anymore, with other Pokemon games it was sometimes a chore to even get me to finish the main story of older Pokemon games.

Originally Posted by Kip

Is it possibly a lack of expansion after the game has ended? Kanto had the Sevii Islands, the legendary birds, the caves and the league to play with afterwards. Hoenn had it's massive maps to explore, the Gold/Silver games had more expansions than all of them put together - heck even Sinnoh had the underground and that battle island... place... thing. But Unova... you've explored half of it already when the story ends, and everything else after that just seems... well, easy. And now there's just nothing to do anymore. :(

I think a lot of people disagree that the rest of the map is easy, considering the level jump and such. I would argue that there's a lot to explore still in Unova after you've finished it, but that doesn't necessarily imply a post-game. It really doesn't take that much time to explore something, especially in Pokemon. And once it's explored, there's really no need to explore it again; post-game usually implies more of a longevity than that. But as far as Unova, it has a Battle Subway which is comparable to Sinnoh's arenas, and it has Black City/White Forest, Abyssal Ruins (a game in itself), Dream World, etc.

Or is it because Unova is cold and soulless... in the sense that it was created for the sole purpose to be different from the other games. It's charms are there but that X factor that you can't quite define isn't, and after a while the whole region just feels dead. It looks appealing, but feels impersonal. Kanto, Johto and Hoenn felt, and still feels, like an adventure. Unova just feels like a story that's been told already, like I've been watching a film and it's finished.

I don't understand this. This may be because you're already attached to the older games, but I don't understand how it being different implies it being 'soulless'. I find the difference freeing; I was in a whole new story, not some side-story of an old region written to appeal to people that can't move on from the older games.

[Yoshikkko]

I think it might be because all the other regions were more traditional and .. folksy? I don't really know how to explain, but they were more like little home villages and with one or two big cities which put even more emphasis on the smaller villages/towns, which do make them feel more like home to me than Unova, which is just all around very urban.

[Kotowari]

I think the region where I felt most at home was (and is) Jotho, if I wanted to live somewhere it'd be there.

But that doesn't take away that I love Unova. It's a region which is very much alive, considering the amount of exploring you can do before the E4. The many people you meet on routes that aren't trainers willing to battle, the shaking grass...
While playing, I felt very eager to explore the region, being overwhelmed with every step I took. I used to feel like a tourist, but after a while I felt home at Unova. I'm not a native, but I like it there.

[LegendaryFSK]

At first, I kind of did feel like a tourist in Unova. However, I now feel like Unova is the region where I feel most at home. I think there is plenty to explore in Unova and I love the urban feel to it.

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Well, Unova felt a lot like my *current home.* By which I mean a cold unfamiliar place that I was forced to visit and that I do not want to return to. Name any place there besides Castelia and Nimbasa and I'll probably have no clue where it is or what goes on there. I felt little connection with the region or its inhabitants. And it certainly doesn't help that I felt completely disconnected with the pseudo-hooker character I controlled on my DS screen. I ended up selling White to GameStop so I can be assured I don't have to go back there. If only I could do the same with my RL home...

I feel a much stronger attachment to Kanto, Sinnoh and Orre, and feel most familiar and at "home" with those regions. Of course the Charlotte, NC metro region is the region I feel most at home

[XEL]

I felt most at "home" in Hoenn, tbh. But in Unova, I don't have to search for guides for locations like I did in past games. I just know where everything is. I guess that makes Unova my "home?"

[Houndoomed]

I feel like a tourist in Unova, Black and white are not the same, still good, but different in their own ways. I just recently played through white to expand my trading abilities but couldnt wait to get back into platinum. Sinnoh is home for me.

Zeus

[Drakow]

Oh wow. You're so right Kip. I barely know any of the B/W city names lol. I'm probably just a tourist too then. Unlike you though, I am pretty bored with the game. Haven't played it in ages myself. Don't even have the drive to breed my new team onto the game either. I've just given up with it until they release the third game.

[Ghiaccio]

Eh, I would have to say Unova is closest to home for me in the games. I've just loved exploring this place and I know most of the places, and it's just gotten me more involved than any of the other games. I love all the places here too, it's a great place in my opinion.

[PlatinumDude]

I'm not so sure about living in Unova. Sure, it has the Battle Subway, the amusement park and the Royal Unova, but I still feel at home in some regions (Hoenn and Sinnoh in particular).

[femtrooper]

Definitely a tourist. It hasn't grabbed me enough to say that I live there yet.

[Curious.]

Tourist. Like you mentioned Kip, it just doesn't have the X-factor feeling, nothing really keeps methere as to HG for example. :3

[Forever]

I AM A RESIDENT. UNOVA IS MY HOME.

I dunno but I felt really foreign in other regions,, sure I've visited them a lot but they've never felt like "home". Unova, however... there's something about how the characters were designed, or how the cities were set up, everything just feels tight-knit there, and I know basically everything there, as opposed to other regions where I can't really remember. It might also be because it was the most recent but I definitely did feel better in Unova than I did in Johto with the recent remakes.

However, as for your post, I don't think Unova is really souless. I think there's a lot about it that gives it "life", whether it actually be the storyline or the fact that the characters got along so well together... it's just so welcoming!

This region is my region and I love it and if I have my way I'm gunna stay here for life, for life, for life.
^ I just happened to be listening to it okay!

Either way as I said before, wonderful thread idea Kip. 10/10 for you!

It sucks that only a few of us are residents. :(

[Patchisou Yutohru]

I certainly don't live there either. I don't remember most of the names of the region and, despite playing through the game multiple times, I still don't know where most things are. I only know about three or four town names. Something about it is very disconnected for me, and I can't exactly pinpoint why. I'm a lost tourist, like a few others.

[Hikari10]

You can basically say I am a resident of Unova.

Most of my fave Pokemon inhabit the region and the locations are awesome.

[Magmaruby and Aquasapphire]

I'm then same, I still don't remember most of the names of Unova's cities except for Nimbasa, Castellia, and white/black forest/city...
I also felt that the post game was soulless..eastern Unova lacks the fun western Unova had...maybe it was cause we had no reason to be there other than to capture pokemon unlike the west half which had plasma, and Gym badges, subway, pokemon league,ect....

[Zerrah.]

I don't think I could ever call Unova "home". And it's sad really...it's not like I don't want to enjoy the region as much as the others, it's just that there's something about it that keeps you from remembering too much about it. I agree with the movie analogy because at the times when I've seen things happen they seemed nice. However, once the moment ended there was nothing for me to remember. However, there are a few aspects of the game that were incredible. Like the fact that the gym leaders were more involved in the plot of the game. Now, I know that Pokemon hasn't been known for its story, but when I saw all the gym leaders lining up to defend me against the evil forces, I thought to myself, "Wow, the most skilled trainers in all the land actually do come out of their holes and actually help their region in its time of need" Huh.

[Forever]

So this week I chose this lovely thread to be revived! From now until forever you can reply to it but beware people might not reply to earlier posts and so on, enjoy etc :)

[CycloneGU]

Well, SOMEone has to kick this off again...

I am currently on a mission to complete the Unova Pokédex. The problem: other than a few select Pokémon I've overlooked (Relic Castle being a prime example, and some fishing in the P2 Lab area west of Nuvema Town; I already went back to the Dreamyard when I found a missing Kanto entry there), everything that remains to be found is not in Unova, or in rare cases (see Growlithe) is found in the second version of Unova. Thus, I recently took on SoulSilver and finished Johto, but have to also eventually handle Kanto and get the three legendaries there (not to mention decide if I want to cheat in the Enigma Stone to make Latias catchable "legitimately"; I caught Latios today for import soon into Unova).

My main reason for going to Unova ATM is for any trading (sometimes me looking for something, others me giving someone something) and for hunting Audinos on Route 11 (a great place to ride back and forth looking for shaking grass exists in the middle of the path). Coincidentally, while leveling and evolving the imported entries, I also slowly give experience to my Unova catches.

Sooner or later, I'll pick my final E4 team from the entire PokéUniverse and train them all to the needed level together with Lucky Eggs to boost, then I'll be all set to properly complete the game! One thing is for sure; provided I succeed, I can literally later import anything I want into a future Gen. VI game (or even now into B2/W2) and maintain a completed Dex for anyone who needs help finding something or for anything to be bred in the future games.

I guess once I meet mission success, I will just want to be that one stop shop for whatever anyone needs.

Cyclone

[bobandbill]

There's some interesting points raised, and a different way to view it.

I think in some aspects I am a tourist; unlike other places I have found remembering the names of places less...natural? than before (Driftveil for instance, one I have learnt to remember quickly, is mostly just because I love its music so much), and I did find some places less endearing than others as before, such as the post-game areas which were less fun to explore than others given the lack of point beyond 'watch Looker talk at a Sage'.

I think a lot of people disagree that the rest of the map is easy, considering the level jump and such. I would argue that there's a lot to explore still in Unova after you've finished it, but that doesn't necessarily imply a post-game. It really doesn't take that much time to explore something, especially in Pokemon. And once it's explored, there's really no need to explore it again; post-game usually implies more of a longevity than that. But as far as Unova, it has a Battle Subway which is comparable to Sinnoh's arenas, and it has Black City/White Forest, Abyssal Ruins (a game in itself), Dream World, etc.

Old post so I'm no so much replying to but using as a platform to rant a bit. =p The level jump post game for extra areas was certainly difficult, I agree... but it felt off to me as such. It just did not seem right that suddenly everyone has pokes...what, 10-15 levels stronger than the E4s/yours? Including preschooler trainers? @_@ It didn't really seem thought out well and probably contributed to the feeling I had with the other routes post-E4.

And it also felt a bit off in the lack of things to do, which I'd argue don't compare favourable to other games. Abyssal ruins seemed to be more a guide-dang-it thing (unless someone wants to confess to solving it all by themself?) that did not offer much beyond sellable objects or items not typically used if you don't use Arceus. Black city/White forest was hurt by a lack of local wifi access if you didn't have it. Battle subway is great and all, but beyond that... musicals pale in comparision on contests/pokeathlon imo, and dream world is annoying in being 6 days a week, one hour maximum and not even on the DS, so no wonder one may get a natural disconnect to it with the Unova region itself (it's not really part of Unova I suppose either, come to think of it...)

[Pingouin7]

I move to the newest region every time a new game is made.

Originally Posted by CycloneGU

(not to mention decide if I want to cheat in the Enigma Stone to make Latias catchable "legitimately"; I caught Latios today for import soon into Unova).

Going to assume you don't have B2/W2 yet, but you might want to get White 2, assuming you are going to buy either of them.