4th Gen "Well, that would have been more fun if... that really should have been..."

[curiousnathan]

No game can be perfect. Some games are close to perfect, some are close to our bins or the donations box at our local charity store (well at least some of the games I've played have been. :P) and some are in between.

But what did you think of DPPt and HGSS? Were they perfect games? Did they deserve the scores they received on some of the most well-known gaming sights such as IGN and gamespot? Are there any improvements you could make if you had the chance to make them? What would they be? Why would you make those changes? Or did the final games of their trio fill in any flaws the other's had?

I don't think I'd make much of a change. I suppose DP could have an extended post-game, but that was pretty much covered by platinum, but what I did think lacked in HGSS, was the fact that even though the post-game was great and it definitely lived up to the Kanto region we saw, played through and most of us loved -- it just.. I think it still lacked. Or perhaps that was just because I loved the games so much that I wanted more?

What's your view? What would you do?

 

[Alex199719]

What I've noticed is that it takes a much shorter period of time to complete the gyms in the Kanto region... Anyone else notice that?

Alex

 

[curiousnathan]

What I've noticed is that it takes a much shorter period of time to complete the gyms in the Kanto region... Anyone else notice that?

Alex

Perhaps you found them easier? How so?

I found some of the quite challenging. Although with my pokemon around the same levels as their's, if not, higher I easily swept a few like Erika and Brock.

 

[s0nido]

What did you think of DPPt and HGSS?
Well I got Pokemon Pearl around the time it was released and LOVED it. I thought it was an amazing game and loved the new and fresh Pokemon it brought to the table. Platinum could only have been an improvement, and needless to say, I loved it too. I loved HeartGold and SoulSilver because they improved on everything from the original games, but there were a few hiccups that I found a bit irritating. Overall, though, the fourth generation was an improvement in every way over the previous generations, IMO.

Were they perfect games? Did they deserve the scores they received on some of the most well-known gaming sights such as IGN and gamespot?
I wouldn't go so far as to claim that they were perfect games. Clearly there was so much more that could have been done with these games, as Pokemon Black and White showed us, which were released on the same console. They did deserve the scores they received, though, and I do say that the fourth generation of the Pokemon RPGs was a great one.

Are there any improvements you could make if you had the chance to make them? What would they be? Why would you make those changes? Or did the final games of their trio fill in any flaws the other's had?
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl had a few flaws in them, but these flaws were rectified with the release of Pokemon Platinum, which was an amazing game in its own right. As for HG/SS, I think that there were a few additions to the original story line that were unnecessary. The seemingly last-minute incorporation of the mascot Pokemon into the main story line seemed really badly done, IMO. It just felt thrown in as a last thought rather than being expertly woven into the new story line. It was especially annoying when I had my first playthrough of SoulSilver in Japanese and I had no idea what was happening when Lyra was blocking me from surfing to Kanto. Otherwise, gen 4 was amazing.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

I personally felt that D/P/Pt were much higher quality games, and more enjoyable than HG/SS. The latter didn't deserve the high scores and praise they received, and I perceive HG/SS to be the beginning of the downward slide of the Pokemon games in general. D/P/Pt did earn their high scores, however. However, no game is perfect, as outlined below.

For D/P/Pt, The biggest change I would have liked to have seen was a rival who didn't have such an annoying attitude. Seriously, I wanted to smack Barry in the face every time he opened his mouth or ran into me. Otherwise, there were some Pokemon I would've liked to see obtainable in the main game, but other than that, I didn't see any big issues with D/P/Pt.

As for HG/SS, my list of changes is much longer. Venturing through the (still watered down) Kanto with level 50-60 Pokemon and running into level 6 wild Pokemon was annoying. Having to wait until a specific day at a specific time to rematch someone was annoying too. The prospect of having your mother save your money was completely ruined by how often she would annoy you by buying useless crap. I would have liked to see these games connect with FR/LG to determine the final opponent and their team. And the added Rock Climb sections only served to make things more frustrating. Many HG/SS additions, like the Pokeathlon, the Pokemon following you, and the Safari Zone ranged from mere novelties to outright annoyances.

 

[s0nido]

As for HG/SS, my list of changes is much longer. Venturing through the (still watered down) Kanto with level 50-60 Pokemon and running into level 6 wild Pokemon was annoying. Having to wait until a specific day at a specific time to rematch someone was annoying too. The prospect of having your mother save your money was completely ruined by how often she would annoy you by buying useless crap. I would have liked to see these games connect with FR/LG to determine the final opponent and their team. And the added Rock Climb sections only served to make things more frustrating. Many HG/SS additions, like the Pokeathlon, the Pokemon following you, and the Safari Zone ranged from mere novelties to outright annoyances.

I think most of those faults were carried over from the original games, such as the lv5-6 wild Pokemon in Kanto and the annoying Mom. The main reason why they received such high ratings was probably due to how true they remained to the originals, but yeah, I'd have to agree with you that they were a bit overrated.

 

[curiousnathan]

I think most of those faults were carried over from the original games, such as the lv5-6 wild Pokemon in Kanto and the annoying Mom. The main reason why they received such high ratings was probably due to how true they remained to the originals, but yeah, I'd have to agree with you that they were a bit overrated.

I'd have to disagree with both of you here. Yes it did have its negatives like you both have mentioned, however I definitely think its deserved it's rattings. And iirc, black and white scored higher that HGSS which I though wasn't right, especially with a lack luster post game compared to HGSS and the boring storyline overall. But that's just my opinion. C:

 

[Katie the Friendly Ghost]

I found all of the fourth generation to be amazing. With the new platform came new graphics, new features with the touch screen, etc. but the storylines I thought were also enjoyable in DPPt and of course HGSS. I enjoyed the new Pokemon quite a lot, and there was just so much more to do coming out of the GBA generation, which I had throughly enjoyed.

HGSS was a simple remake, but that's why it deserved a pretty decent score in my opinion. You keep the nostalgia factor and add new features and that's all people really should look for in a remake.

 

[rndm.]

For me, HGSS had the same "flaw" as did GSC: Story completely breaks down when going to Kanto. I know, it's being true to the originals, but in my opinion it was a flaw in the originals. It, again, made going through Kanto a pain for me...