Fakemon: Yay or nay?

[Spikey-Eared Pichu]

One element commonly implemented, or atleast promised, by most Poke-fangame developers are Fakemon. Now, I was wondering, do you think that Fakemon are a good idea, or a poor waste of time?

For those of you that don't know, Fakemon are Fake-Pokemon (hence the name Fakemon). They are fan-made drawing, sprites, pixel-arts, etc. of possible Pokemon that game developers implement in their games to give the sense that their game is a 'Next Generation' sort-of-thing.

My personal opinion is that Fakemon are somewhat of an essential part of a Poke-fangame, if done properly. I look at any game developement topic that has Fakemon solely for the purpose of seeing what Fakemon are being included because I gather ideas from that, but that's just me. Game without a Fakemon element don't particularly interest me because I look at Poke-fangames as a way for fans to come up with the next generation of Pokemon in their own way, including new Pokemon (Fakemon).

Anyways, that's what I think, let me know what you think.

 

[davidthefat]

Yay,
Pros:
Its more legal...
Shows off creativity of the creator
Not just leaching off of nintendo
Adds more flavor to it
Cons:
Some can be real sh*tty
Some are ridiculous looking

 

[Maruno]

I think it depends entirely on the quality of the fakemon, and I'm afraid to say that the sprite plays a large part in that evaluation. Points are deducted for poor spriting skills (again, sorry, but it's true), unnecessary fakemon (another generic mouse?) and ones that feel incomplete (this means things like bad Dex entries and movesets). Points are gained, though, for filling niches (dolphin pokémon?) and having good names (i.e. not some Latin mess or Scrabble disaster, nor obvious ones that are just an element and an animal name shoved together, like Flamonkey or Aquardvark).

I also get the feeling from some fakemon that they're only a certain type combination for the sake of having a pokémon with that type combination (Grass/Fire is a common one, and it's usually a burning tree stump), and similar other features - and that's bad. More than anything else, a fakemon should feel like it belongs rather than being just a, "Hey, I know what I think would be cool!" sketch. Obviously it's harder to shake off this feeling when it's supposed to be a legendary pokémon, because most games still have a central "battle the legendary, save the world" plot, but it's still possible. Just remember that legendary =/= frills. It doesn't need fins and stripes and multicoloured patterns all over the place just for the sake of making it look tougher.

Overall I don't mind if there are fakemon or not. A nice mix of old and new is nice, rather than a Dex filled with nothing but fakemon. Essentially, it's nice if they're good, and bad if they're not. After all, Pokémon games are all about the pokémon, and it's really noticeable and off-putting if some of them are found lacking.

Question: How about edits to existing pokémon? How many changes can one make to a real pokémon before it stops being that pokémon and becomes a fakemon (albeit one inspired/based on a real one)?

 

[Neo-Dragon]

Well the biggest CON for using fakemon is reputation. The official Pokémon are best used because player's know and understand the strengths and weakness of that official Pokémon.
When you see fakemon, like when picking a starter fakemon, you do it on how you think looks the coolest of toughest. It's generally the same when a new generation is out in the official games. The fakemon you choose might be the weakest out of the bunch.

The biggest Pro for using them would be how original and how much life they can bring into your fan game. It makes your game stand out a lot if you have really well done fakemon in the game.

 

[KingCharizard]

Hmm, This is an interesting topic, yes, yes it is indeed. Here's what I think, Fakemon In fan games, Maybe. It all depends if they are done right. And what i mean by done right is a believable fakemon, not splicing not a random doodle. All the orginal pokemon in a way make sense, I believe for instance take CHARMANDER(A Fire reptile aka a dragon). When i see fakemon they dont look like they belong in the pokemon world, yeah some look cool but they dont fit. When you create a fakemon you must take into account each official pokemon that came before it and build on that. All of the fakemon i've saw thus far arent made this way they are created in an image of what the artist believes is cool But a Electric/Fire Type is just crazy. So when making a game i believe its best to stick with official pokemon rather then make your own but if you can do it right then by all means add fakemon. You should also remember the official pokemon can be improved, by addind new attacks, new evloutions, ect...