5th Gen What if there wasn’t any new Pokémon this gen?

[Dragon]

So basically, in this thread, B/W are exactly the same but the Pokemon aren't new. They're old. Every single one of them. With no new Pokemon to look forward to in the games, would you still find them as appealing?

Could've GF pulled this off? Would've you enjoyed visiting Unova with a new storyline, region and everything, but with the mascots being two older Pokemon that represent Black and White, and the rest of the PokeDex being older Pokemon? Do you think this would've decreased the amount of negative opinions about the games?

Feel free to discuss! You don't have to answer this all in a list; they're to bump your thoughts; nvn

 

[Rivvon]

It definitely wouldn't have worked. BW are "soft reboots" and the reason why that works is partially due to the lack of old Pokémon. Narratively, it took tropes from the older games and pushed them forward in a meaningful and profound way. Part of that comes from the Pokémon themselves--Reshiram and Zekrom are designed from the ground-up to reflect the themes of the games (all the different dualities, including old/new). No other Pokémon can take their place. Even the non-legendaries are designed to add to the lore of the region (such as the ancient Unova Pokémon: Larvesta/Volcarona, Yamask/Cofagrigus, Golett/Golurk). You can tell a lot of care was taken to make these Pokémon work with Unova, and the narrative of the games as a whole. The story would certainly remain strong, but not nearly as powerful if old Pokémon were sprinkled in, and would be weakened even further if there were no new Pokémon at all.