Okay, I'm definitly excited for Gen 5, especially now that it's been pretty much validated. But, thinking it over, could Generation 5 be the egg that kills the goose, so to speak?
Let's look at what we've got so far:
Gen 1: The original generation. Here came 151 original, unique species of Pokemon in an entirely new world with strange rules and a nice plot. You begin as a young boy who is taken under the wing of Prof. Oak to go out into the Kanto region and capture Pokemon, wild creatures with special powers that are used for competitive battling. Along the way, you encounter the evil Team Rocket who see Pokemon as a form of profit. You thwart their plans, beat the Pokemon Gyms and ultimately become Champion. This gave you access to one final goodie, Cerulean Cave, with its high-level Pokemon and the uber goodie, Mewtwo.
Pros: 151 unqiue Pokemon, new region of Kanto, entirely new system for a videogame.
Cons:N/A
Gen 2: The follow-up to Gen 1, and, IMO, the best sequel ever. Generation 2 introduced 100 new species of Pokemon, with 12 new evolutions to Gen 1 Pokemon and the inclusion of Baby Pokemon, adding 7 new pre-evolutions to Generation 1 Pokemon, and 6 new Legendary Pokemon. The game also included Kanto's sister region, Johto. The game is also the first to introduce the trend of Legendary Pokemon as mascots; this gen's being Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Suicune. Another new element was the breeding system, which allowed players to leave obtain 1st stage versions of Pokemon they left at the Day-Care center. You'd begin the game as a young boy/girl who is given a Pokemon by Prof. Elm and asked to run a simple errand which quickly unfolds into a grand adventure. You discover that TR has regrouped and once again thwart their plans, as well as beat the 8 Pokemon Gyms of Johto, and become Champion. Afterwards, you go to a redesigned Kanto where you defeat its 8 gyms and then reach the final challenge of defeating Red, the protagonist of Gen 1.
Pros: 100 new Pokemon, with a minute amount of evolutions and pre-evos to previous Pokemon coming to a total of 19. New region of Johto, option to return to Kanto, improved battle system and animated Pokemon.
Cons: Low difficulty level, exclusion of Virdian Forest, Safari Zone, and the option to traverse Silph Co.
Gen 3: Generation 3 took us to the tropical region of Hoenn. Gen 3 introduced 135 new Pokemon with no evoltuions to previous Gen Pokemon and only 2 pre-evos to past Gen Pokemon and a total of 10 new legendary Pokemon. The setting for Gen 3 is the island region of Hoenn. The mascots are Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza. This region also introduced the 'nature' element, in which every Pokemon has a certain 'personality' to itself. You'd start off as a newly moved-in resident from Johto. You quickly enter the world of Pokemon after aiding an endangered Prof. Birch from a wild Pokemon. You traverse Hoenn, battling Gym Leaders, and participating in Pokemon Contests. Along the way you uncover the evil doings of Teams Aqua and Magma, two eco-terrorist teams whom want to expand the land and sea respectively. You defeat them after they awaken the ancient Pokemon of Land/Sea, Groudon/Kyogre, and then proceed to become Pokemon Champion. Afterwards, there is little to do other than partake in the Battle Frontier, an island where comptetive game-play is key.
Pros: 135 new Pokemon, 2 new baby Pokemon, new system in which trainers could particpate in Pokemon Contests to win ribbons based on their Pokemons' condition, new region of Hoenn, further improved battle system, Battle Frontier is introduced for competitive gamers.
Cons: Of the 135 new Pokemon, only about two handfuls are actually original or memorable. There was almost no inclusion of previous Generations' Pokemon. The post-game fell fatally flat. The introduction of ten legendary Pokemon made it less special to have said Pokemon.
Gen 4: Generation 4 introduced players to the Sinnoh region, with 107 new Pokemon, with 22 evolutions to past Gen Pokemon, 7 pre-evos to past Gen Pokemon and 14 new Legendary Pokemon. The game takes place in the Sinnoh region. The version masctos are Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. You begin the game as an innocent boy/girl who unknowingly becomes enthralled in Pokemon after a chance encounter with Prof. Birch. You then travel through Sinnoh and uncover the menacing force known as Team Galactic who want to reshape the world using the Pokemon of Space and Time, Palkia and Dialga. You defeat them, proceed to conquer the Sinnoh League and become Champion. Again, not much in the post-game other than the Battle Frontier.
Pros: 107 new Pokemon, the new region of Sinnoh, 2.5D graphics, higher difficulty.
Cons: Of the 107 new Pokemon, a very select few are actually good. This gen has way too many evolutions to previous generations' Pokemon which ruined most of them (Rhydon, Magmar, Electabuzz). Also, with 14 new legendaries, having a Legendary isn't even considered special anymore. Arceus=EPICEST OF MOST EPIC OF EPIC FAILS.
Now, we have the release of HG/SS. This could possibly be the last Golden egg before the goose dies from Generation 5. So, is Gen 5 going to be the end of Pokemon?
