5th Gen Fifth gen as a turning point for the series

Up until the fifth generation, the games followed a fairly consistent pattern, with two base games and a third version. The third version usually had a fairly similar plot to the other two games, with a few differences. Sometimes there were remakes, too, though those were a less consistent feature of the first four generations.

With the release of BW2, however, the cycle was altered. Now there were two games rather than one, and those two games were essentially sequels to the older games of the fifth generation. We never got the Gray Version we expected, and instead, we got a second trip to Unova from a different vantage point.

Since then, the series has changed a bit. We don't seem to have any third versions for gen 6, and gen 7 seems like it might shake the series up further. Given that, looking back on gen 5, how do you feel about the changes it introduced to the Pokemon generational formula? What are your thoughts on the legacy of gen 5 now, and how do you see that legacy changing (or not) in the years to come?

One of the changes I really liked was having N and Ghetsis replace the Champion the first time through the Elite 4. It was really awesome and different how they incorporated the villains all the way through until the end. This really kept the player engaged through the whole rather than be pretty bored by the end after defeating insert evil team here. I think this series will definitely continue to be looked at as a turning point and the reason for all the changes coming to Pokemon.

I think it revitalized the series by locking previous Pokémon. I couldn't waltz through the game with Magneton and Bronzong so I had to rely on newer Pokémon! It totally revived the drive to see what new Pokémon awaited me and what strange new places I could get to! It pumped it to life with new seasons and great features like season changing Pokémon!

JDJacket said:

I think it revitalized the series by locking previous Pokémon. I couldn't waltz through the game with Magneton and Bronzong so I had to rely on newer Pokémon! It totally revived the drive to see what new Pokémon awaited me and what strange new places I could get to! It pumped it to life with new seasons and great features like season changing Pokémon!

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It was definitely interesting doing a complete reboot, in a sense (vs. a lot of the other games where you have access to some old Pokemon and some new Pokemon). What were your thoughts on the addition of older Pokemon to BW2 from the start, vs. the completely fresh start that the first BW pair provided?

And seasons were definitely a lot of fun. It's a shame that they seem to have become a one-generation feature, rather than something that lasted. I guess waiting multiple months in order to access particular areas was annoying for many players, but still, they had a lot of potential.

It was definitely a turning point in the Pokemon games and a great one at that, not only the removal of a third version, but in B/W we could only catch Unova Pokemon and the story was without a doubt more fleshed out.

I was surprised at the sequels in Gen 5, and I was very excited for them at the time. So much so that they were the first games I imported just so I could play them early, then bought them once they released in the US. I enjoyed those games very much too and thought that they were great sequels to Black and White. I'm happy about the changes that they brought with them to the release formula. Wouldn't mind seeing a traditional release formula for the next generation since I doubt that Sun and Moon will get a third version seeing how close the Switch is to releasing. Although the Gen 5 sequels came out when the 3DS was out for a bit.

I haven't played Generation V's Black 2 or White 2. I may have to seek them out on eBay or some other such site. I have heard that the games don't have such a strong story compared with Pokémon Black & White.

JDJacket said:

I haven't played Generation V's Black 2 or White 2. I may have to seek them out on eBay or some other such site. I have heard that the games don't have such a strong story compared with Pokémon Black & White.

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Gandhi Savage said:

I actually think the continued plot of B2W2 is amazing and that you should definitely try it up! Please give it a try.​

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I certainly will add it to my list of things to do! I have to be honest, I haven't been playing Pokémon or any game for that matter, in a while. It's rough, but once I get things all set up and have a better understanding of how certain systems operate I will have more free time!

JDJacket said:

I certainly will add it to my list of things to do! I have to be honest, I haven't been playing Pokémon or any game for that matter, in a while. It's rough, but once I get things all set up and have a better understanding of how certain systems operate I will have more free time!

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I agree that BW2 are definitely worth trying. They have a very different feel from BW (they felt a little more traditional to me), but a lot of fun in a different way. I haven't played them as much as many of the other entries (free time was a big issue for me in gen 5, and it's a bit of an issue at the moment, too), but I enjoyed the time I spent on them. If you're looking for them, depending on where you live, they may still be readily available on Amazon (they are for me, anyway).

I really, REALLY loved the ideas of sequels when it was first announced. The story from the first games were suddenly able to be expanded upon, it wasn't just "a 10 year old saved the region, time to move on to the next one" but it showed that there are still problems in every region at any time. It was also really cool to see how Unova had changed. What new places had developed? How had some of our favorite characters changed? I also really appreciated how we traveled through a different route and not the same one as in BW.

I was a bit disappointed with the turning point of BW being that we could not use older Pokemon. It's not that I wanted to only use older Pokemon - at the beginning of each new generation, at least, I try to use only new Pokemon - it just seemed odd. Plus, I wasn't a huge fan of too many Unova Pokemon when they were first announced.