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Is Pokemon progressively getting easier?

Gfx

╰☆╮You're Perfect ❤
144
Posts
10
Years
Back when Pokemon first came out, what you didn't know is that you could be creating a team that you could use your whole entire Pokemon experience. You could slowly trade a level 100 Charizard from game to game, sweeping the Elite Four. Now, it's even easier. Yesterday, I went to a friend's house and he had a Shiny Latios and Latias in his HG. He said he basically got them for crappy Pokemon in a trade. Do you think Pokemon is getting incredibly easy? Any file I look at has a few level 100s because it's so easy to get them now a days.
 

Satoshi Ookami

Memento Mori
14,254
Posts
15
Years
If there are people who do that then... well... to each their own. It's a cowardly way, though...
I always use new Pokemon to beat the game.
As for the main question... It could be that games are getting easier but I feel it's more like you are more adapted to the game mechanics, you know what to do, you know strengths and weaknesses of your party... it's more in you than in game =)
 
180
Posts
12
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  • Age 36
  • Seen Aug 12, 2023
Transferring pokemon from one game to another is one thing. That'll definitely make it easier, but mostly only for the elite four + champion. If you start a fresh game though and not use any transferred pokemon... well actually, depending on what pokemon you use, you should be able to just sweep through pokemon red/blue/yellow without a whole lot of grinding. If you pick Charmander though, it may take some grinding at the beginning since Butterfree would be your best bet against Brock, level up Pikachu for Misty, and catch a diglett for Lt. Surge.

Without going into too much detail, I think Pokemon games have actually been around the same difficulty throughout.
 

Sydian

fake your death.
33,379
Posts
16
Years
I started to think that, but then I realized that I'm just getting older, and with that age comes "I know the type chart by now" lol. You also have to realize that the internet is actually more in gear than it was for the original games, and even the second batch of games. You can easily look up how to beat the game or get through areas by watching LPs or just looking on websites with walkthroughs. But hey, that's your choice if you want to avoid them.

There are more tutorials and such than there were back then. I remember Yellow threw you out in the world on your own and you have to figure stuff out for yourself. Black and White give you tutorials up your butt whether you want them or not. And for us older fans, that got really annoying really fast. But for younger players, it was helpful. We didn't deserve to get thrown out on Route 1 like old shoes when we were 5! I would have appreciated the help as a kid. :( I thought the point of Yellow was to get back Eevee, lol.

Where was I going with this, ugh...I think I made my point in there somewhere. Also want to mention I had a hard time with BW2. Trainers were more difficult in that game, imo. So no, I don't think they're really getting easier. We're just getting older and wiser and learning the ropes of the game better, and because the general formula of the game doesn't change, it makes it seem like they're easier. Compare that to a Zelda game where the basis stays the same, but the places, dungeons, and puzzles are different, it's not really the same case.

Did I make any sense? Ugh.
 
14,092
Posts
14
Years
I think it is a lot easier now than it was in the era of RBY & GSC. Back then, it's not like you could pull up Bulbapedia if you were stuck on a route or didn't know the type chart, etc. Through in walkthroughs, and Youtube, and it's much easier to get ahold of pertinent information. That power of the internet man! I think that's what Sydian was alluding to as well.

I thought B&W was really one of the easiest games in recent memory. One of the only games where I found myself over-leveled headed into Gym battles and the Pokemon League.
 

OmegaTL

Time Lord
59
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 28
  • Seen Oct 4, 2013
I don't think the games are getting easier, but I do think that they start to feel easier as you get older, since you learn about stuff like natures, EVs, IVs and the type strengths and weaknesses. I think they will always be fun, though.
 

Elaitenstile

I am legend
1,908
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 24
  • Seen Feb 27, 2015
People are getting more and more used to the idea, there is a lot more support for everybody and the stuff is getting more complex yet easy to understand the basics. The ultimatum is that there is new variety of things come out; however old ones yet stay, thus combining the new and the old gives a more powerful output. If anything, games have become harder, because of the AI of the computer increasing and less margin of error that can be exploited. Yet I have to say Black becomes way easier because I've caught up with the Sinnoh games, and I know what to expect. I may not know Oshawott's type, but its design is a dead giveaway for a water type, so I instinctively use a grass or electric type move.
 
483
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Oct 2, 2020
I don't think the games in and of themselves have gotten easier at all. If anything, they've maybe gotten a little tougher.

However, for anyone who's played them for long enough to compare the generations, they've almost certainly gotten easier, just because it's pretty much impossible to play a series of games for that long without figuring out some good strategies.

I don't think trading in level 100s and/or legendaries from past games has anything to do with anything, really. That's sort of like a professional boxer saying that boxing has gotten easier because he just knocked out a six year old.
 

Iceshadow3317

Fictional Writer.
5,648
Posts
13
Years
If you actually play BW the correct way, it is not that easy even for someone who has played for a while. It seemed to be a lot harder.

And that Latios and Latias were probably hacks if they are from GTS.

It also seems easier because you are learning. RBY and GSC were incredibly hard for me because I had no idea what I was doing. In RSE and up I knew what I was doing so it seemed easier.
 

Shrew

is a Shrew
838
Posts
10
Years
I think they're getting easier. Some examples from the most recent generations:

1. Nurses/doctors. In the past, if you wanted to heal, you either had to spend money in advanced to buy lots of potions *or* go all the way back to the Pokemon Center. Most people did the latter to save money, but now that you have convenient healing in the middle of routes, you have an option which saves money and time.

2. The newer games have more options for level grinding, along with higher leveled opponents. This is one of the few made-easier things which I appreciate, because only playing against the Elite 4 (stuck at the same levels) over and over got dull.

3. In Black/White 2, did anyone notice that the prices for all battle subway items got cut in half than they costed in any previous games (including Black/White)?

4. Pokewalker and Poekmon Dream World give you level-ups much more easily. Especially the Dream World, which only requires 500 dream points regardless of whether your pokemon is lv5 or lv99.

5. We recently got free shiny legendaries through events. Getting legendaries for free has been a thing since GSC, so it wouldn't be a big deal except, y'know... these were already at lv100. -_-

6. Not that levels are that are that important nowadays anyways... ever since Generation 4, we've had flat battles, which automatically make pokemon at either level 50 or level 100. A good option, don't get me wrong, but it defeats the point of having lv100s.

7. In Black/White, we got Lucky Eggs for free in the middle of story mode. No need to hunt down some 1% Chansey thing.

8. Black/White's Elite 4 only had less pokemon than in other games.

9. If you accidentally faint a legendary, it respawns.


I think a lot of these are good ideas; for instance, the last one, because some new players aren't familiar with saving before talking to a legendary, basically this doesn't punish people just for being new to the game. Anyways. Can't think of any others from the top of my head.
 
4,181
Posts
10
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Well, I'm experienced in Pokemon so I guess it feels like it's getting easier... Can't speak for everybody else, though, obviously.
 
50,218
Posts
13
Years
Well, I'm way more experienced and knowledgeable of everything now than when I first played Ruby, so the games have been getting a bit easier for me but there are still some parts that I find hard. I would have still sucked today if I didn't get more knowledge of the Pokemon over time.
 

CoffeeDrink

GET WHILE THE GETTIN'S GOOD
1,250
Posts
10
Years
I don't know, koff~

I'm torn. It may get more difficult as the games keep coming out. There is so much to remember that I sometimes forget which type is which. It doesn't happen often but when you're filling up a cup with 700+ Pokemon, some of them eventually spill out, koff~

Since they're adding a new type this time around, I'm sure it's going to take me some time to get used to the way the fairy type acts. Along with the type changed Pokemon and type changed moves. I hope that you can start off with Hard mode. I heard that they put different difficulties in Pokemon White 2 and Black 2 Versions, but I have yet to play them. If they enable me to take the Hard route, I'm going for it, so you should too, koffi~
 

Blueredemption

Never stop exploring!
478
Posts
10
Years
  • Age 25
  • Seen Oct 16, 2023
Huhh.... well.... uhhh... ok, i dont think that they have gotten easier, other than the first hour of gameplay in the new versions there has been no real difference in the difficulty (for me anyway) for proof, whitney still pinned me between a clefairy and a milktank for days on end in both silver and soul silver.

Though i will admit, the out of battle gameplay has gotten much easier, compared to the puzzles and cave systems in the games from the early 2000s the new versions are nothing in comparison. It may have been anoying, but i miss being lost in caves like rock tunnel or victory road. :(
 

Altair1

Willpower
578
Posts
11
Years
I think all Generations have varying difficulties depending on the Pokemon you choose...
However in Gen V they just hand you a Lucky Egg which really makes training incredibly easy. Theres also Doctors and Nurses, vending machines and what not around routes making it easy to heal.
In my view of the most difficult to easiest would be:
HG/SS -> G/S/C -> FR/LG -> R/S/E -> R/B/Y -> D/P/Pt -> B/W 2 -> B/W
 

yungdialysis

shoutout to britney spears
28
Posts
10
Years
if they made the games much more difficult it would be really fun, look at emerald i did emerald in 2 months but i finished black in 2 weeks.
 

Yoshikko

the princess has awoken while the prince sleeps on
3,065
Posts
12
Years
  • Seen Apr 27, 2020
The amount of guidance you get throughout the games has pretty much increased (if you got any at all in the first two gens). The first game to me that really seemed to hold your hand throughout it was FR/LG. But I can remember how much I used to struggle with caves and such and just progressing when I played Yellow as a little kid, so for kids its pleasant, for older people not so much. But I think they're trying to find the balance a little because it's gotten a little less with the last few games, I think so at least.
 

Treecko

the princess without voice
6,316
Posts
12
Years
It does feel a bit easier, especially in Black and White, but that's mainly cause of how much knowledge most fans have access to nowadays. Older fans who have been playing the games for years know they're way around everything and so nothing surprises them. I know that's the case for me. Back when I was a 7 year old playing Red I had no clue what I was doing. but no I've been playing the games for years I can play a game much quicker. There's also so many more tutorials, walkthrough and info on fansite, especially Bulbapedia , that I can look up anything I need help with.
 
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