5th Gen If Black and White were released on the Game Boy...

[Ho-Oh]

This is a what if type thread, since I'm interested to see how you feel about this.

Imagine Black and White were the first Pokemon games to be released - they would have the same storyline, same region design, same Pokemon, but terrible graphics, 8bit music, and none of those features we "miss" in a certain thread - which includes current features such as Dream World, C Gear, Xtranciever, touch screen start menu, being able to register items and more! This also means no 3D, so the bridges would probably be really boring too, same with Castelia.

Would you still enjoy the games as much as you do now? If not, why? Are the Pokemon / Storyline not enough to make you enjoy the region? Do you think because of the advanced storyline early on the Pokemon franchise would be more popular now due to having high expectations for storylines that they have no choice to live up to Unova's standards?

It's an interesting question really, if by now we'd hate all the "new" Pokemon and love Unova's. Or maybe not, you may hate them as a whole! Either way share your thoughts and discuss with others about whether the Unova region which, for a part, prides itself on advanced technology, would be ruined if it lacked most of what it has now.

NOTE: The only Pokemon in the games would be the current generation 5 Pokemon - generation 1 Pokemon wouldn't exist yet!

 

[rstevenson1976]

yes, I think I would still enjoy them, I love gen 1 pokemon, I love not soft resetting for a specific nature, I love not breeding like mad for a specific nature, characteristic and ivs. just 5 stats and no genders everything is even and a pokemon like nidoking (no, not nidoking himself, a gen 5 pokemon that has similar typing and stats) can dominate the whole first half of the game

 

[Zelda]

→ Would you still enjoy the games as much as you do now? If not, why?
Probably not, as I was never really into the older games until Generation III came in. Plus the graphics kill it for me. :( I didn't have any nostalgic feelings with the older games, so I doubt if Black and White were one of the firsts, I'd be any more interested.

→ Are the Pokemon / Storyline not enough to make you enjoy the region?
The storyline is really short, in my opinion. Especially towards the ending, everything felt rushed. Though its been better the rest of storyline plots we've had previously, so as one of the firsts, this would be a great start for the Pokémon franchise. I like many of the Gen V Pokémon, so that would probably keep me in some interest with the games as well.

→ Do you think because of the advanced storyline early on the Pokemon franchise would be more popular now due to having
high expectations for storylines that they have no choice to live up to Unova's standards?
Most likely. They improve with every generation in some way, so why would they continue the franchise without greater experience/advancements?

 

[The 100 Mega Shock]

Such a game would be lauded for being an incredible storytelling achievement for the Game Boy, so it would probably turn Pokémon into a good and progressive series instead of a decent one with mediocre innovation.

But whatever, it's still the same Pokémon games that we've been playing for 15 years so it'd still become the megafad it was for a few years (maybe longer if the franchise kept innovating for longer) and it'd just be noted as the best Game Boy game ever developed instead of just a very good one.

 

[Bloo]

I think I would still enjoy it because Unova is a great region.

To me, Unova is very different from previous regions in Pokémon games. I didn't really like Sinnoh, along with other people, but the mistakes were definitely fixed here, because Unova is a great region. It offers a new start, just look at the Route numbers and a lot of the graphics and camera angles. Though there are places like White Forest that couldn't really retain the beauty on an 8-bit system that is limited to a certain number of color shades, by the time we got to later generations, Unova would probably be remade. A lot is different from other Pokémon games while keeping within the same franchise.

The story is compelling and is more full than other Pokémon games. If it was on the Game Boy, that actually wouldn't be much of a problem to me, because I still enjoy playing games from past video game systems anyway. Pokémon Red and Blue were the best-selling games for the Game Boy; Pokémon Gold and Silver were best selling on the GBC, and Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald were the best selling games on the GBA. There's something about the older games that captivates people. The Nintendo DS' best selling game is not one of the Pokémon franchise. One thing that people who played older Pokémon games say is that with the lower quality graphics, they would be able to imagine more, and be more creative because everything was abstract to them.

To sum it all up, it would be a great Game Boy game, no matter how innovative it would be.

 

[The 100 Mega Shock]

The Nintendo DS' best selling game is not one of the Pokémon franchise.

That is not surprising for a couple of reasons. The DS captured a market much more likely to buy a couple of the games that outsold D/P (Nintendogs, Brain Age) and possibly also more likely to buy a Mario over Pokémon, and it doesn't matter if Game Freak developed the bestest, most super-innovate Pokémon game ever, after 10 years and 3 sequels people are just gonna stop buying Pokémon over and over again.

Even still, D/P beat R/S and G/S in sales anyway.

Pokémon Red and Blue were the best-selling games for the Game Boy;

lol, no.

 

[big NATE alpha]

I would still love it, and it would still be one of my favorite games.
I would NOT, however, love it as much; all the enhancements that come with being a late-developed DS game smooth out the experience extremely well. The story would set the bar for the series and (hopefully) the writers would continue to make better and better stories. It wouldn't change my perception of the Pokemon; in every generation I see good and bad. In short, I'd still buy it. It would still be amazing. And I would still be sold on Pokemon for the rest of my life.

 

[Kea]

If BW came out for the GameBoy, it'd probably be the greatest GameBoy game ever made. Even without the touch screen features and whatnot, it's surprisingly deep. I never played any real GameBoy RPGs besides Pokemon, but I don't think I've heard of any GB RPGs with like... actual characters with a bit of development?

It'd probably, like mentioned before, set the bar high for other Pokemon games. Future games after that would probably expand on the story more instead of the game being focused solely on the catch Pokemon -> beat gyms -> beat Elite 4 formula.

I don't think I'd really miss any of the DS features if they just never existed... :'D

 

[Seeds Horizon]

Not really sure...I think it would have been too confusing for me at that age, and would have given it up. Im not saying I wouldnt have been able to read or understand it, at that age I had the reading ability of a 5th grader, both in understanding and speed. But it would have gotten annoying and way too complex for a game in that age. Look at that one guys thing of tetris, that game is so simplistic yet it does have an underlying complexity. Exactly the same for R/B/Y and G/S/C, but for B/W and the age Pokemon was centered around, at that time it would be super complex.

Most of the DS features I dont even use, I havent even tried Dream World yet, and I would rather they would have kept the same interface from R/S/E. Or even from R/B/Y would have been better~.

As others have stated, the storyline would have set the bar high, but other than that I think its descendants would have sold more copies. Theres more than one reason the sale in the Pokemon franchise has been declining, though this is quite a heated debate based on opinions rather than solid facts. Yes, mostly its because the franchise has been dragged on for ages, but its also about the game play. This includes the storyline, the in game development, the Pokemon themselves, the battle systems, everything that made R/B/Y and G/S/C what they were had been changed after each game came out. Now, personally I think R/S/E had the best gameplay and everything overall, but that was probably because of the major change in graphics and Pokemon themselves as a whole.

So, if B/W were to come first, and then R/B/Y, I can guess that R/B/Y's sales would have been much higher. Though of course its all based on my opinions of the games after playing them for so long, I have n clue what myself nor other people would have thought about them. I can guess though it would have been a top selling game for quite a while, just not as much as its ancestors.

 

[TheMysteryEgg]

If Black/White was the first, I wouldn't buy it. First, I hate all graphics before Gen 3 and second, the storyline is incredibly short. And the music would sound really... bad.

 

[The 100 Mega Shock]

Most of the DS features I dont even use, I havent even tried Dream World yet, and I would rather they would have kept the same interface from R/S/E. Or even from R/B/Y would have been better~.

, but terrible graphics, 8bit music, and none of those features we "miss" in a certain thread - which includes current features such as Dream World, C Gear, Xtranciever, touch screen start menu, being able to register items and more!

Everyone would hate RBY if it came after BW, because that'd be going from a decently enough executed story to having almost no in-game story presence at all

 

[KomakaiNeko]

I still play and love Red version, so I would probably still like Generation 5 if it was made back then.

 

[TheGr8]

Since I started with Blue on the release of it, I think I would be able to handle it. The only downside is what I see as cool in B/W like the bridges and what not would be dull and boring. But I agree I miss not having to breed for natures,ivs, etc. Back in the day pokemon. lol

 

[PlatinumDude]

Would you still enjoy the games as much as you do now? If not, why?: No, I wouldn't because the graphics are one of the reasons why I enjoyed B/W.

Are the Pokemon / Storyline not enough to make you enjoy the region?: They're enough.

(I don't have anything to say on the last part)

 

[Kikaito plush]

I'd wouldn't enjoy it as much if B/W had been released for the gameboy. I tried a pokemon red rom and the music was annoying like anything

the pokemon and the story in B/W were okay, but for me at least never going to beat sapphire.

 

[Sarcastic Prince]

Nope, I would hate it. I never liked PKMN games
until Gen III came out. Luckily, Game Freak was good enough to
make remakes so that we could enjoy PKMN games from the past
with better graphics.

 

[vaporeon7]

I'm sure that I'd still love the game if it was the first one in the Pokemon frachise. I mean I absolutely loved Pokemon Red and Blue and seeing as Pokemon Black and White would be their replacement, I'm sure I'd love it to. I happen to really like 8-bit music and the graphics of Pokemon Red and Blue (although some if not most of the Pokemon sprites look like absolute garbage).

I think the fact that there would not be the other Pokemon would be a major letdown. That would mean that there would be no Vaporeon or even Beedrill or Tangela. I guess my favourite Pokemon would have to be Lilligant or something. I think the storyline would be fine, even though it is quite short compared to other story-lines. At least the games would have more to do after you have finished the main story unlike the original games which just let you in a cave.

I think the Pokemon franchise would be just as popular or maybe just a bit more. I just wonder what the replacement for Pikachu would be. I don't feel as Emolga would cut it as the franchise mascot.

 

[rstevenson1976]

the mascot doesn't necessarily have to be electric, could be axew, or watch it be audino X)

 

[Bluerang1]

I wouldn't enjoy it. The awesome graphics all gone wouldn't give the same experience. I was amazed with what they did with it, so it being 2D wouldn't be as good. The storyline can't even save it >___>

 

[IronTrapinch]

Hey guys, I just bought Pokemon Red and Blue Versions (the new games that came out last week) and what the freak is up with the new Pokemon? A rock with arms? A magnet that evolves into three magnets? A bird that grows a head when it evolves? A pile of sludge? A literal Pokeball with a face? What is Jynx supposed to be? And really GameFreak, a mime? Is that the best you can do? I remember when the Pokemon looked good in first gen Black and White. These suck! Bring back the old ones.

It would be this instead of that.​