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1st Gen Setting the tone of the series

  • 108
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    9
    Years
    • Seen Aug 22, 2017
    I know that the first games had to deal with a huge amount of technical limitations and couldn't possibly know that it was going to set the tone for an amazing and enduring series, but putting that aside, there are a few touches that I think could have really tipped things over the edge of awesome.

    Primarily, I'm talking about things related to the Pokedex descriptions - we're told that Magneton is formed by several Magnemite linking together, but it actually just evolves via level up at 30. In Pokemon Snap you have to join 3 together, so why not in the main series games too?

    It's just something I find a little annoying, that there has clearly been thought and effort put in to the descriptions but they usually have very little bearing on the actual game. I know 20 years later is not really the time to do anything about it, but it's just a thought I have.
     
    I think the biggest problem at the time was the limited technology. Just using the Magnemite/Magneton thing as an example, I'm not so sure how the game would react if 2 Pokemon were to just suddenly disappear, just for the third to evolve. I mean, I'm sure there could've been an in-game event or something that made Diglett/Magnemite's evolutions make a little more sense, but I give the 1st gen games the benefit of the doubt with things like this.
     
    I think the biggest problem at the time was the limited technology. Just using the Magnemite/Magneton thing as an example, I'm not so sure how the game would react if 2 Pokemon were to just suddenly disappear, just for the third to evolve. I mean, I'm sure there could've been an in-game event or something that made Diglett/Magnemite's evolutions make a little more sense, but I give the 1st gen games the benefit of the doubt with things like this.

    Oh I definitely give them the benefit of the doubt, even more so given that I was about 5 when I played them and would never have worked out how to evolve them. I'm just saying more along the lines of how this has set the tone for the series, never to have been "corrected" if you understand my point. I entirely get that they were working with limited technology, but as I mentioned, some of the Pokedex entries just seem downright wrong given how things are presented in game.
     
    Let's not forget that according to the dex in Gen 3 that Kadabra was apparently a young boy who was transformed, i can't fathom how we'd achieve that without permanently damaging Nintendo's image
     
    Let's not forget that according to the dex in Gen 3 that Kadabra was apparently a young boy who was transformed, i can't fathom how we'd achieve that without permanently damaging Nintendo's image

    I think I'm okay with that, because it's a 'rumour' rather than a fact presented by the game, but there are plenty of Dex entries that could be portrayed in the game as opposed to how they seem to be ignored.
     
    I know that the first games had to deal with a huge amount of technical limitations and couldn't possibly know that it was going to set the tone for an amazing and enduring series, but putting that aside, there are a few touches that I think could have really tipped things over the edge of awesome.

    Primarily, I'm talking about things related to the Pokedex descriptions - we're told that Magneton is formed by several Magnemite linking together, but it actually just evolves via level up at 30. In Pokemon Snap you have to join 3 together, so why not in the main series games too?

    It's just something I find a little annoying, that there has clearly been thought and effort put in to the descriptions but they usually have very little bearing on the actual game. I know 20 years later is not really the time to do anything about it, but it's just a thought I have.

    You are right the tech was not on spot but the adventure that pokemon brought was head of it time, There was somthing about pokemon blue, red and yellow that set spark to all new generation of games.
     
    I actually think that 'merging' or 'forging' was fully available in the Gameboy's ability scope. I thinkthat for general use, leveling up was the most generally accepted way of getting stronger. Of course there are new Pokémon like Malamar that evolve by turning the 3DS upside down. As the games evolve themselves and we go through newer mechanics, we see +newer ways to evolve! From Mossy rocks, magnetic caves, times of day, love, trading specific Pokémon, specific items, stones, holding specific items, learning specific moves... lots more ways are a being introduced as time goes on! I think that if they started mixing up how older Pokémon evolve more than a few would protest against it.
     
    I actually think that 'merging' or 'forging' was fully available in the Gameboy's ability scope. I thinkthat for general use, leveling up was the most generally accepted way of getting stronger. Of course there are new Pokémon like Malamar that evolve by turning the 3DS upside down. As the games evolve themselves and we go through newer mechanics, we see +newer ways to evolve! From Mossy rocks, magnetic caves, times of day, love, trading specific Pokémon, specific items, stones, holding specific items, learning specific moves... lots more ways are a being introduced as time goes on! I think that if they started mixing up how older Pokémon evolve more than a few would protest against it.

    I'm not saying that they should change up old methods, I'm just hypothesising how great it would be to have that happen from the start, or maybe from a "resetting" of the series.
     
    I'm not saying that they should change up old methods, I'm just hypothesising how great it would be to have that happen from the start, or maybe from a "resetting" of the series.

    Oh, I'm not discounting the idea and I even agree that it was fully [Gameboy] capable of the changes that you specified. It's a strange thing I suppose, but as we go along, maybe we'll get to see it more often...
     
    It's true that the game was pretty 'blank slate' in terms of diverse evolutionary methods, but because of that, it wasn't that difficult to get the predominent section of the Pokedex. Granted, some partners take a lot longer to evolve, like Rhyhorn, but at least you don't have to trade one with a Protector to get its entire line. Before I got my Link Cable, I had to settle w/ Graveler, Machoke, Haunter and Kadabra.
     
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