Zeostar

np at all honey

hiya o/ while i completely respect your disagreement, i feel there's a few things you should note. forgive me if this is lengthier than usual as i grew up primarily on spinoffs (alongside the main series games) so i've played a fair few spinoffs so i'm pretty opinionated on this kind of stuff, haha.

so! first and foremost. it's undeniable that since generation 3, the main series has had a repetitive formula. i suppose you can extend this to since generation 1 really, but gen 3 is really when the repetitive "beat the evil team, become the hero" plot became the norm for pokemon gaming to this very day. the problem here is that game freak doesn't really... change much from this formula, with their biggest deviation being the gen 7 alola games. that said though, i'm sure you're well aware enough that while people give credit where credit is due for game freak for trying something different, some felt the change didn't go far enough. trial captains and kahunas were basically redressed gym leaders, and there was still an elite four. team skull shook things up a bit by being a self-parody of sorts of an evil team, but the aether foundation was your typical cookie-cutter evil team that we've seen in past generations. in short, sm/usum were cut from the same kind of cloth other past generation games were, and while there was some change to make things exciting (z-moves, rotom-dex, rotom powers, mantine surfing in the case of usum etc) in general, most of everything was kept the same. the battle tree was just a redesigned battle tower exactly like the old battle maison, so there wasn't a huge leap there. i guess old trainers like cynthia, red, green etc make a comeback, which is exciting, but that's about it.

anyway, what does this all have to do with spinoffs? that's what i'm about to get to right now, actually!

you mentioned that pokemon snap couldn't be compared to the main series games because it'd be an apple to oranges comparison. and i mean, you'd be largely right. pokemon snap is a different game than like... every main series game. but here is where your argument falls short -- you mentioned that it tried something unique an different, and honestly imo that's all there is to it -- where the main series games played it safe by being essentially the same (minus gen 7 if you count that as different enough but that's heavily debatable), spinoffs of the past offered a fresher take on pokemon gaming. sometimes that fresh take doesn't always work out. for example, i detest pokemon dash, because i thought it was just super boring. i respect the approach, but i feel that the execution wasn't really fun for me nor did i enjoy the games. still, it was different and unique, and that may be enough for someone to enjoy it more than the constant repetitive nature of the main series games.

if you want more of a apples to apples comparison, then take pokemon colosseum, pokemon XD, or even pokemon battle revolution. you can raise a team and catch pokemon in the former two games and battle just as you would the main series games in pokemon battle revolution, but the plot is executed so much better than what the main series games can even dream of reaching. yes, much like the main series games, in pokemon colosseum/XD, there's an evil team and you have to defeat them to be the hero, but there's more to it than that. since the plot revolves so heavily around shadow pokemon, you start to begin to learn about what shadow pokemon are, why cipher is doing what they're doing, and your journey doesn't even stop when you beat the evil team, because you still have to unlock the hearts of all of the shadow pokemon that you've caught on your journey so far. cipher isn't even the only criminal organization the player has to deal with. team snagem and gonzap are others that the player has to face. in short, while the goal is simple to beat the evil team and become the hero much like the main series games, the paths you take to get there is much more fulfilling than the plot of the main series games.

pokemon battle revolution had pretty much zero plot and, although basic, introduced character customization which at the time was completely nuts and keep in mind this didn't exist in the main series games until years later. as someone who cares a lot more about the battling side of things than trading/breeding, pbr was about the most fun i've had in a pokemon game in a long time. to this day i'm still saddened that genius sonority (the company that developed colosseum/XD/pbr) didn't bother to make a fourth game on the switch because i bet it would've been super cool.

and then we get to another example. pokemon conquest. i'm not sure if you've played conquest, but again it's another example on a different perspective on pokemon gaming done well. it's more of a strategy-based game than the main series games are but you still raise pokemon and iirc recruit (it's been years since i've played but i vaguely remember certainly details) pokemon in a similar manner to catching them in the main series. plot was different enough to be enjoyable, and about the only thing i personally didn't like about pokemon conquest was the post-game, but that's a personal thing.

and pokemon mystery dungeon speaks more or less for itself, as you've already noted =P

but yeah i mean... it's opinion anyways, but i still maintain my own opinion that spinoffs are largely more enjoyable than the main series games because unlike the main series games, spinoffs have that freedom to take a different direction and take different risks, for better or worse. i could honestly go on and on about other spinoffs that made my childhood so great (Hey You! Pikachu was a notable part of it), and while the main series games are great, don't get me wrong, game freak has dropped the ball many times by playing it safe when the main series games have much more potential to be more exciting and different than they are.

FF13!! Wow! Oh yeah my exams went well except for physics, and I'm trying to improve myself haha.

My 3DS is with my cousins, they need it for playing Majora's Mask as they broke the one they had. They won't buy another 3DS, but might go for a Switch as it's new. I'll be getting it back in a few days max, they'll be coming to town for a few days. Golden Sun is my only experience in FInal Fantasy-like games, with summons, turn-based battles, special abilities, a story, etc. COming to FF, I'll be dealing with FF6 advance shortly (Emulator).

Have you got any plans for 2020? And did you enjoy the holiday season?

Wouldn't mind if the Christmas plot was ditched ye.

Actually felt that message had a different context, as in, there was asked for being a backup gifter in case something like this may happen. I don't think it was meant towards you not signing up as one.

Merry Christmas to you Zeostar! You're so sweet to think of me. Have your holidays been bright?

I have been almost exclusively at The Clubhouse since November, haven't been visiting as many other parts of the forum or Discord because I really want to boost activity there so that this part of the forum open, so I have been trying to boost and revive older clubs, open new clubs, host events, give out prizes, help prospective club owners brainstorm,my focus has been so singuarly on that. But it's time for me to stop and take break, and catch up with an old friend. How have you been doing? Any fun Christmas presents?

-Sam

Ah sucks to hear about all that happened, I fully understand.

I had a good chuckle about it and kinda brightened up my day which was a bit moody, so I really appreciated it regardless of quality ^^

Having fun is the most important thing about this imo. I'll happily await what else you had planned :D

Thanks! I hope you had a Merry Christmas! :)

Aye, good to know that it was good! Thanks for the wishes! It's great speaking to you, by the way :D All my exams went well except for physics, and another series of exams will begin from the 28th.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't special either. I was busy studying and got some time to play Golden Sun: The Lost Age. (If I'd have my 3ds, I'd have continued the ORAS Nuzlocke) My aunt is going to stay with us for a week, so we'll have a pleasant time. Nothing else.

Yeah I received it. Thank you for the Secret Santa gift and Merry Christmas to you aswell!

Merry Christmas, Zeo!

Thanks for the wishes! Except for the physics test, all of them went well. And completely being dependent on tests does hurt, it was that way for us last year, but they changes it to homework plus tests this time around.

We got two days off for Christmas, after which testing will resume again. And then the external examiners (this from other schools) will evaluate our practical skills, so I expect January to be a tight month.

Have you got any plans for this Christmas?

https://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=10103491&postcount=2 I think you missed the point of my thread, this thread is about the unused beta sprites in generation 4 found recently, not remakes.

Soooorrrry for the late response! It hurts to know you guys don't have breaks :( But you know where you went wrong, which is a positive part of it. We've got practice test upcoming, which are like the buffed up versions of actual finals. so we prepare better. I know you're not hurt, but I believe if you overthink stuff you mightn't feel better. Wonder if it would be nice if you could do those questions where you went wrong again for practice...

When did you join the Social Media team, by the way?

I understand, I faced the same problem last year :( But let's hope to become stronger by learning from our mistakes. A burden will be lifted, as you said. Don't forget to take breaks, though.

Nice timing! Now then, hope you are full of confidence for the exams as well! I will check out Chael Sonnen, now that you say he's hilarious, hehe.

Aw yeah, a one minute video! I'llcheck it out, thanks :D I really enjoyed the last video, especially the first line and then how Ali rants and keeps on going with those powerful talks. I would say those were more out of self-confidence than anything! Tyson bit Evander's ear, oh my, that's brutal O_O

I started in Sinnoh with Pearl version in 2008. Hence Sinnoh's got a sof spot for me :p But I hope the remakes are made in a good manner. They should give the games some justice, and of course do something about Barry....
What else? How are the final preps going?

I know of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather through news! And the video you linked, hoho, if I was going to be his next opponent and he says something like "I'm coming to get you!" I would shiver... And the way he rhymes his phrases is so cool! Aww, the video was just 3 minutes?

Hmm, I can totally understand. Gen 4 was too slow, and nostalgia won't blind me. But Gen 2 was epic and it still has the best postgame! Was it your first game?

Oh, I've got good company in the boat, then! I'll get a Switch and Sword&Shield (one for my sister) after graduation.
Coming to sports, I love Football(or Soccer), Kabaddi and Cricket. You might not have heard of the other two but it's okay XD
I haven't yet watched a boxing match (ouch) but it seems like you like the sport! You've got any recommendations?
Oh, I do have a favourite game, and it is Pokémon Black 2 because I felt it was a complete experience!
How about you? Did you enjoy Alola?

No problem at all, Zeo! You really deserve the badge! :D I hope you feel better, too!

Also, in response to your previous message:


Oooooh, that's really, really nice of you!! I'll be looking forward to it! =) In the meantime, I hope the rest of your weekend is great!

Pokémon was a distraction last year, I played Ultra Sun immediately after finishing Sun, which was immediately after finishing Omega Ruby. All of this was nonstop gameplay and no work. Then a phase of sports craze hit me. Now, I am able to study without last year's fuss. Recently, I finished Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky and now am doing a nuzlocke of Omega Ruby, because I have covered this year's syllabus and I can now use my time in a better way for revision. And coming to the new games, I haven't yet bought the Switch, so I'll wait for my turn.