Do you think Pokemon has strayed from it's roots?

[インフェルノの津波]

I remember when I was a 5 year old getting my first Pokemon game. It was Red, preferably. I thought some of the Pokemon looked funny, but pretty cool and original (except for...some. Voltorb...nuff said.). However, after a while, Pokemon started getting...strange.

More colors and stuff added to them, (well...Zapdos did have a lot of those too...) not to mention all of these otherworldly things. I'm not dissing them, I just think it's strange how much Pokemon has changed.

I accepted most of these changes, even embraced some, but...I looked at Haxorus for the first time in months. I almost cried. I automatically thought of good old Charizard, and when I saw Haxorus it was just sickening to me. Now, I can bear it a little...but I still cringe at the sight of it.

When Pokemon originally started, some of the Pokemon made sense, y'know? But...explain to me, how the hell a Ax-Faced Dragon fit in the boundaries of nature? How would it live? Plus, why is it so brightly colored? Charizard made sense, if our lovable fire-dragon was darker it could actually overheat.

I'm not being a nostalgia...whatever you call it. I'm just wondering why some Pokemon don't make sense anymore. I could go on, but some would get mad at me.

Does anyone else feel like this?

 

[Kirbychu]

As far as Pokemon designs go, yes , it has. Change is inevitable.

Spoiler:

Older Pokemon strongly resembled real animals, were simple, and generally payed more attention to anatomy than newer gens. This was a simpler time where people were fine with simple things.

Newer Pokemon are generally more creative, since they'll take a certain aspect about something a turn it into something completely new. Just look at those hideous yellow and orange things that wear their dead skin as pants. They also tend to have more complicated designs, and they really don't pay that much attention to anatomy anymore (Just look at Victini and Zoroark's bodies). Your accusation about newer Pokemon not being natural doesn't really make much sense, to be honest. In the first gen there were plenty of Pokemon like Jynx and Hitmonchan that just made no sense at all. I think it's the fact that newer Pokemon are more detailed that makes them appear less natural.

As for gameplay, everything's stayed the same, but gotten more complicated. I guess an important thing to note is that the game now has a bit less emphasis on levels thanks to natures, EVs, and IVs. We still have 8 gyms, the Elite Four, the evil team, the professor, etc. It took us 14 years to get trainers that weren't 10 years-old.

And let's not forget all the Rattata, Pikachu, etc. clones.

 

[j2y8n2x]

I think Pokemon has changed a lot...
Too much and too fast.

I somehow think that Pokemon are looking more and more like Gen 1 Digimon

 

[olih]

I'm not saying I don't like the new Pokemon, but some....I mean seriously?

Spoiler:

That thing has been haunting my nightmares ever since I saw it. Just look at its face... shiver.
And then there's also this guy:

Spoiler:

Whenever I look at it, I just can't imagine what Game Freak was thinking when they invented this thing. I-I just can't... It makes me want to cry.

 

[Zayin]

Oh I don't mind those two :P. I hate the Gigear evolution line though. Magnemite was fine, but that? Silliest thing ever. Thinking of it, Rotom's transformations weren't any better.

 

[Lady Gaga]

If you wanna whine, then go turn on your Gameboy and go play some Pokemon Red. Nobody is stopping you. Change is inevitable for all things in life. Gosh, people complain that Pokemon is either too similar or too different from the last. If you are on this forum, obviously you like Pokemon, and you will play the games anyways! So stop complaining people!

 

[Lickitricky]

Of course Pokemon has strayed away from its roots. If it had stayed almost completely the same, it wouldn't be as interesting. Like Martian said, GameFreak needs to target the greater audience. It's a little pessimistic, but this company is trying to sell as many games as possible, not please nostalgic gamers.

In terms of personal opinion, I definitely think Black and White is closer to the roots of R/B/Y than Diamond and Pearl, as a comparison. Diamond and Pearl was bad. It was just a bunch of bells and whistles combined with totally unoriginal designs (Combee? Seriously?). That was what made me nervous about buying Black/White. However, I was pleased with the fact that the game redesigned many aspects instead of trying to add all sorts of ideas and techniques. The infinite use of TMs doesn't bother me because trying to get those TM moves on Pokemon through breeding is frustrating, not a challenge.

But also, I though B/W had great Pokemon, alot of them being totally on the theme of R/B (The starters fit the 'theme' perfectly). It also pushed the boundaries with things like Haxorus, the legendaries (which look like Digimon), and especially that Cofagrigus thing, but it didn't burst through the walls at the speed of light like D/P did. It revived old aspects (Dive) while introducing new interesting ideas (Rotation battles = fun), all the while keeping an interesting plot. The design was beautiful (Castelia City/Bridge), and the music endearing (Accumula Town).

In conclusion, however, I agree.
Gabodor makes my digestive system burst into flames.

 

[Croaker]

I think this generation is rather good, better than the 3rd and 4th in fact. It does have some of the ugliest designs yet, though, and of course no new pokemon will ever be as iconic as Charizard and friends, but that is just how it goes.
I do wish they would make less obejct-based mons. I cringe every time I see that ice cream. The ugly toad thing looks so pathetic I can't help liking it.

 

[インフェルノの津波]

If you wanna whine, then go turn on your Gameboy and go play some Pokemon Red. Nobody is stopping you. Change is inevitable for all things in life. Gosh, people complain that Pokemon is either too similar or too different from the last. If you are on this forum, obviously you like Pokemon, and you will play the games anyways! So stop complaining people!

You obviously did not read what I just said. I have no problems with some of the new ones, that's one thing.

I'm just wondering where this is going to end up, Pokemon at first where quite believable. Now, they're getting more and more fantastical. It's hard to believe that some can exist in nature, that's what brought me into Pokemon.

I'm not complaining. At all. I do have problems with Gen 1 as well, but that's not my point. I know chnage is going to happen, but sometimes the change is way too much for one to grasp. Just 10 years ago, I can remember playing my little Gameboy, now I'm sitting at my desk, plaing on a DSi. Also, 500+ has been added to the mix.

I'm not comparing each other by how they look. I'm comparing by how realistic they are.

 

[The 100 Mega Shock]

Pokémon has always been about strange and impossible animals - the complaints of Generation V are equally applicable to Generations I, II, III and IV.

 

[mew_nani]

The 100 Mega Shock has a really good point. I don't think I've ever seen something remotely resembling Wigglytuff, Dratini, Venusaur, Clefairy, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Electabuzz, Magmar, Jynx, Chansey, Rhydon, Mankey, Primeape, or Alakazam, to name a few.
It's true that I don't like some of the designs of the newer Pokemon (Bibarel, Tympole, and Seismitoad), but then again I didn't like some of the earlier Pokemon designs. (those were fewer in number, but still.) I still like the games regardless. Change is good, in some cases. (triple battles, Dive, 3-D graphics... you get the picture.)

 

[Kirbychu]

If you wanna whine, then go turn on your Gameboy and go play some Pokemon Red. Nobody is stopping you. Change is inevitable for all things in life. Gosh, people complain that Pokemon is either too similar or too different from the last. If you are on this forum, obviously you like Pokemon, and you will play the games anyways! So stop complaining people!

What are you talking about? No one's whining here. We're simply discussing how designs have changed over the generations. A lot have valid points have been mentioned in this thread. If you absolutely love the new Pokemon, more power to you, but not everyone's a huge fan.

Come on guys, please don't turn this into yet another thread where we hate on fans who dislike the new Pokemon. D:

 

[ISA56 2.0]

Yes, Pokemon has indeed strayed from its roots, in my opinion. But I don't believe that to be a bad thing! Even though a few of them are....bad at best. *cough-Garbodor-cough* I do understand why you wouldn't like some (or most) of the new Pokemon, but here's the good part-YOU NEVER HAVE TO USE 'EM YOURSELF! (Not yelling here, kay?) If you hate a design, why catch it? Why look at its Pokedex entry? Don't even go in the Route it's at! Forget about it! Use the Pokemon you like! That's why Pokemon attracts so many people-Diversity allows people to catch what they want to catch, wether it's super-cute, badass, or has good stats.

 

[Captain Hobo.]

No, I think they are just making new ones. More designs on them. They just don't want to have pokemon that look like eachother.

 

[Kenshin5]

You can take Blastoise with Water Cannons as part of its body and then Carracosta, both turtles one with pimped out cannons and one a regular sea turtle, you tell me which one is more realistic.

With that said some previous pokemon don't seem any less outlandish then new ones. That just may have a little more added to them due to the increasing complexity of the design.

Gabodor hate bandwagon, a trash pokemon *facepalm* what is this world coming too.

 

[Niprop]

Remember this: Most of the more "complex" Pokémon have no more lines on them then Gyrados and Rhydon do. There's also the fact that ever generation had a few "otherworldly Pokémon" to them, such as (but not limited to):
​

Generation I's Electrode and Ditto

Geration II's Porygon2 and Unkown

Generation III's Baltoy and Castform

Generation IV's Bronzong and Drifloon

Generation V's Vanniluxe and Garbor

Sure, they might not be based on living things (with the arguable exception of the Porygon Line, which are based off of objects that are in turn based of off ducks and cranes), but they still look cool all the same.

Still, every once and a while, something (usually the designs made by Ken Sugimori himself) pops up in the later generaitons that still holds true to one of the designs from Generation I. Still, everybody has their own tastes for what they think are the best, which so long as they don't take a single design standard from an entire generation and apply it to everything there, is fine.

Sure, parts of the game have strayed from the base, but isn't that required to keep the series fresh?

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Pokemon... has changed. I cannot say, however, that it is a bad change. Pokemon has improved; things have become more creative and, for once, I felt something playing through the storyline of a Pokemon game. I felt excitement as I played through White, defeating Team Plasma. The ending's escalation from being an everyday bad guy to being an evil[i/] team was quite epic. The Pokemon games are changing, they're evolving. Some might find it good, others might dislike these changes. At the end of the day, those changes exist, and are here to stay. Might as well get used to them.

 

[Lady Gaga]

Hey guys, I read what you all said, and yea, I guess i was being a jerk. So...
Im sorry!

Continue onward :3

 

[Oryx]

I measured it out, and ~50 in both Generation I and Generation V look like animals, not including Normal types, which are supposed to in the first place (that was a restriction set by someone who had the same criticism as you, not myself). That's one thing that frustrates me - in the criticisms, people tend not to use facts to back themselves up, and it's frustrating when facts are used and they're disregarded because opinion is above all. Of course, most of this is a matter of opinion, but when there are specific complaints (such as too many or not enough animal Pokemon in the new games), it's really not that much opinion based, mostly fact based. There are a few Pokemon where the animal could go either way, but in general anyone else's count will most likely be within 10 or so of my own count.

I think in general people who nostalgia over old games and old designs frustrate me, mostly because I try to have an actual fact-based conversation and I feel as if they completely disregard facts because their biased opinion is the be-all end-all. Opinion is important in this discussion especially, but there's a point in which the claims people make are biased by opinion, even if they're objectively not true.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I don't think Pokemon has strayed from its roots because the general gameplay has stayed the same for all 5 generations. The Pokemon have changed, but the gameplay hasn't.