• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.
    Register

5th Gen YAY! WE'RE OLDER! ...What's changed?

Zelda

Zelda

⍃⍍⍄ ⍃⍍⍄
4,842
Posts
15
Years
    • Age 8
    • +
    • Seen Sep 15, 2020
    Hildawalkdown.png

    . . .
    ​
    Remember when we first heard news that our characters in Black and White were going to be older than ten, and so many of us got excited about that idea?

    Well, we're older now yet what's so different compared to when we were ten? We still live by our parents, we still have no Pokémon, and still treated like complete noobs (Prof. Juniper showing us what the Pokémon Center was like, and how to catch a Pokémon for the first time).

    So what do you guys think the importance of being an older character was in Black and White compared to the previous generations? I mean, it sure didn't impact the story of the game, and there was no significant difference to being older.

    But really, if we hadn't been told that the characters were now older, I would have still believed they were just ten years old starting their first journey.

    Discuss, discuss, discuss!
     

    Hikamaru

    50,218
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • Kaori said:
    Hildawalkdown.png

    . . .
    ​
    Remember when we first heard news that our characters in Black and White were going to be older than ten, and so many of us got excited about that idea?

    Well, we're older now yet what's so different compared to when we were ten? We still live by our parents, we still have no Pokémon, and still treated like complete noobs (Prof. Juniper showing us what the Pokémon Center was like, and how to catch a Pokémon for the first time).

    So what do you guys think the importance of being an older character was in Black and White compared to the previous generations? I mean, it sure didn't impact the story of the game, and there was no significant difference to being older.

    But really, if we hadn't been told that the characters were now older, I would have still believed they were just ten years old starting their first journey.

    Discuss, discuss, discuss!
    Click to expand...

    I think the concept of the main characters (Hilbert/Hilda, Cheren and Bianca) being older than 10 was to probably make Pokemon appeal to a teenage audience in some way but I liked playing as a character not aged 10, it was a neat change.
     
    Zelda

    Zelda

    ⍃⍍⍄ ⍃⍍⍄
    4,842
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Age 8
    • +
    • Seen Sep 15, 2020
    But what was the change at all? They never mentioned the age difference specifically in the game, in the pamphlet of the DS case or anything! The announcement wasn't very big at all either, and isn't reached out to everyone who is going to buy the game and has. Like I said, without knowing of that small announcement I wouldn't have guessed. It's quite sad!
     
    OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

    OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

    10000 year Emperor of Hoenn
    17,521
    Posts
    14
    Years
    • Nothing much changed actually...and the characters at least the boy doesn't seem all that older, maybe 12. I also find the lack of information on their age sad...
     

    Tachikaze

    九番隊 // Earth-Severing Wind
    158
    Posts
    12
    Years
    • I really don't think it mattered in the long run. They're supposed to be young, there's not much difference between 10 and 12.
     
    mac098

    mac098

    29
    Posts
    14
    Years
    • Seen Jun 10, 2023
    i didnt even know that they were older...i guess i didnt really care that much for it
     
    bobandbill

    bobandbill

    one more time
    16,934
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • Thing is, if they bothered to mention the change in the first place...what's the point? As said by Kaori there's no noticeable change with it so it dos strike me as a bit odd that we know they are older, but not how old they actually are. It's like saying 'Oak has a rare Pokemon!' and then not mentioning it ever again - it comes off as pointless and/or forgotten.
     

    Killjoy

    "He was a laser fish."
    584
    Posts
    12
    Years
    • I never put any thought into the character age, or anything involving their back stories, for that mater. I just see him as, me.


    For that reason I guess I'm happy that Pokémon games don't delve into the characters personalties in any way.
     

    PlatinumDude

    Nyeh?
    12,964
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • I think the older main protagonists of B/W may show that GameFreak anticipated that long-time players got older as the series progressed..
     
    Kano Shuuya

    Kano Shuuya

    → you're here, aren't you?
    889
    Posts
    18
    Years
    • I think that what they meant to change was the feel of the series. The characters personalities did seem a bit more complex, and you could either blame the creators just doing a better job on that, or you could say it was because the cast is older. I also think that they meant to draw in older fans, since not only were the characters older, their general art style was more of a typical anime-styled look, and not so much a kiddy, cartoon-ish style. It wasn't a huge difference, but it was there.

    It also seemed like having them be older, also put them closer to age with the game's enemies. It kind of seemed to me like they understood more of what was going on, and also were close in age with N, so there was the possibility of befriending him. It might not have happened at all if the main cast was 10, and N was still around 18. -w-
     

    Ho-Oh

    used Sacred Fire!
    35,992
    Posts
    18
    Years
    • Seen Jul 1, 2023
    I'd say the storyline influenced this, because if you think about it, the storyline was a lot deeper/complex than in other games. If the characters were younger, I think they'd be less likely to really fit in with the storyline. Because really, all ten year olds would be fine with "yeah let's free Pokemon ANIMAL RIGHTS" or whatever, while 15-16 year olds actually would get suspicious about it, imo, and I think that helped the storyline progress. There's also the fact that later on in the game you got a "job" sorta as a waitress/waiter @ Village Bridge ;x Those are about the main things I can think off the top of my head other than the whole "appeal to older and younger audience at once" thing.
     
    bobandbill

    bobandbill

    one more time
    16,934
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • Hmm, idk. There are a lot of immature teenagers out there and a lot of mature 10 year olds too, and given in the Pokemon world many are allowed to go on adventures with fire-breating creatures and whatnot by themselves I'd say it's fairly possible for them to have deeper personalities if they were the same age. I don't think that was introduced because they were older than 10 but rather that it was just an attempt to better the plot and characterisation to some degree.

    Look at the likes of Silver as well; he was a pretty developed character as far as they go in Pokemon. Heck, even Blue wasn't too bad.
     
    Legobricks

    Legobricks

    7,741
    Posts
    17
    Years
    • Seen Sep 18, 2020
    It doesn't change anything save to implicate marketing-wise that the story would be more involved than that of previous Pocket Monsters titles. Characters' ages are never stated within any version and have no tangible bearing on anything in-game.
     

    Kajini

    42
    Posts
    12
    Years
    • Age 30
    • Seen Jul 4, 2012
    I honestly forgot like a day after reading that up until reading this topic. I never pay the character age any attention. It never seems to make much sense anyway.
     
    Mr Cat Dog

    Mr Cat Dog

    Frasier says it best
    11,344
    Posts
    20
    Years
    • Wait, the characters in B/W were older? Must have missed that meeting when it was announced. But the idea of 10-year-olds being given free reign to roam around the entire country always seemed ludicrous, even when I was that age myself. Now that the characters are older (how old are they? 16? 18? I NEED ANSWERS, DAMMIT!) it makes slightly more conceptual sense, but it doesn't really change the dynamics of the game, or even the relationships inherent. It's not as if a side-plot is going to feature the protagonist acting in line with hormones and trying to get a boyfriend/girlfriend or anything. So, I don't see that anything changed, really.
     
    Melinda

    Melinda

    [b][i][color=#fff]#teamsonia[/color][/i][/b]
    2,269
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Seen Sep 18, 2022
    The characters were 13-16 if I remember correctly. It didn't change much for me like most of the people who posted here. Everything was the same. It's not like our character had love interests N or got to drive a car or something.
     
    OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

    OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

    10000 year Emperor of Hoenn
    17,521
    Posts
    14
    Years
    • Forever said:
    I'd say the storyline influenced this, because if you think about it, the storyline was a lot deeper/complex than in other games. If the characters were younger, I think they'd be less likely to really fit in with the storyline. Because really, all ten year olds would be fine with "yeah let's free Pokemon ANIMAL RIGHTS" or whatever, while 15-16 year olds actually would get suspicious about it, imo, and I think that helped the storyline progress. There's also the fact that later on in the game you got a "job" sorta as a waitress/waiter @ Village Bridge ;x Those are about the main things I can think off the top of my head other than the whole "appeal to older and younger audience at once" thing.
    Click to expand...
    Well Platinum was pretty grown up considering it covered bombing a town, god, child abuse (cyrus was implied to have exprienced this), death (canalave library)...Platinum and DP were pretty dark...and still they were 10 years...
    So in reality there's nothing that big about it compared to last gen for them to have done that other than for "change's sake".
     
    Elite Overlord LeSabre™

    Elite Overlord LeSabre™

    On that 'Non stop road'
    9,895
    Posts
    16
    Years
    • The only change I can see is that they took the opportunity to dress the female trainer in a revealing and entirely inappropriate outfit. Hell, even if I had my own 14-16 year old daughter, there is no way on earth that I would let her go out dressed like that.

    Storywise, there's nothing that suggest having older protagonists made any difference. Adding to the above post, Platinum sent the character to a whole other DIMENSION, something that B/W didn't even try to incorporate. Add to that a continued lack of romance, and a continued lack of the option to have our characters operate motor vehicles or firearms. I feel as if the fact that the trainers are supposedly older had no bearing on the story at all.
     

    Railgun

    Ever Day Another New Adventure
    432
    Posts
    12
    Years
    • The characters never look 10 to start with. Maybe 14 or 16 as for BW they look like there 17 or 18. Well thats just how they look compared to people in my area.
     
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top