287: Can't Catch 'em All

[JoJo]

My 'dex on Platinum stands at 489 caught, the only pke who are missing are Celebi, Deoxys, Manaphy and Arceus. Before on Diamond I cheated but I went completely legit on Platinum, wasn't actually that hard to get all the pkes just took a long time. Damm those mystery events pkes though.

 

[Mr. Omega]

I just find 6 I like, catch them and stick with it. I only catch one if I never ran into it before, and I happen to run into it. I catch as many as I can, but that's it, and focus on my 6.

But still, what the REAL addicting thing for me is now there is a way to manipulate the stats of pokemon, and coming up with crazy strategies. Some moves you might never use in single player become essential in multiplayer. I swear, once you start going deeper into Pokemon, it starts coming closer and closer to resembling WoW. Including the addicting aspect of it.

 

[drisky]

I've said it before, I caught the 150 Red, all without cheating, and got my pokémon master certification. I did it without considering mew to be a real pokémon, like misingo or whatever. But after Red it just became ridicules way too many systems to get them. Because off all that I'm quite glad that black and white will have all originals, among other reasons.

 

[Something Amyss]

I used to have the same problem. I don't even bother with Pokémon games anymore, and it's basically for the given reason: Either you really can't catch 'em all, or you have to cheat and cheating feels so pointless.

 

[Tiswas]

I got 151 Pokes in Red. No cheating. Attended an event in one of the many shopping centres (or as you Yanks call them. Malls.) and got him. I think the last one I needed was Persian.

 

[Redd the Sock]

It was bad even in the first generation depending on where you lived. Today everyone plays video games, but back then not many of us had game boys. Then again, it's not the only portable game multiplayer feature that assumes a more japanese density of people playing the same game.

Pokemon was a decent RPG with that mass appeal for us with OCD, but the event only ones leave the impression of a smile with a missing tooth. Sadly as far as 3rd gen I have got all the legitimate ones (up to 382) but haven't got the energy to try for the 4th gen. (though that still leaves the dex at 470 something).

 

[Pecoros7]

I had the original 150. To me, Mew didn't count. He was an anomaly that only one of my friends had legitimately and everyone else bought for $5 from a kid with a gameshark and were pissed when they found out he gave them one who knew "cut".

I never quite finished my pokedex on silver. I came close, but I was missing the dogs because I got tired of the stupid chasing thing.

My friend and I bought ruby and sapphire together to collect them all but we never got anywhere close. We gave up on getting the older gen pokemon entirely and we lacked the patience to catch Latios and Latias because the chasing them through random locations without any clue where they were hadn't become any more fun than the last time.

When Diamond/Pearl hit, I simply lost interest. Evolutions became so complicated that they were impossible to figure out without a strategy guide. "I have to level up my pokemon near a special rock while it knows a certain move on the second friday of June but only if it's an exuberant female? Fuck it."

Battling was getting worse, too. The people I've met to battle play specially built teams of IV bread and EV trained pokemon. I keep seeing the same patterns and team builds and it just isn't any fun for me anymore. My friends and I never spent time calculating the most efficient ways to use each pokemon or looking up special builds online. Our teams were built for only one purpose: being awesome.

 

[lvl9000_woot]

Funny this was posted; I just started playing fire red again. I grab whatever pokemon I can find that'll help me against the next trainer rather than try to catch 'em all.

 

[Dastardly]

Can't Catch 'em All

Pokemon pulls a cruel trick on its fans by encouraging them to "Catch 'em all!", but makes it nearly impossible for them to actually do it.

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It's such a hard line to walk, and I've personally found Nintendo to be one of the worst at it. This is unfortunate, as the rest of their work is better than average.

You want to make the highest achievements in the game something to be earned. It should require more of the player than just making it to the end, and a little bit of luck isn't a bad thing either to add some spice. But, on the flip side, using product tie-ins or real-life events to gate these achievements is problematic.

With the Gamecube, Nintendo tried (unsuccessfully) to force people to buy GBAs and cables in order to access some of the gated content in games like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (GBA required for multiplayer) and Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GBA required for the "Tingle" content). It made these games feel incomplete for those of us that didn't have (or want) a GBA... and even if you did, that didn't mean your friends did. Price of admission: too high.

There are two forces at work here: making high-end content and achievements challenging (and thus rewarding), and providing incentives and rewards to players for buying into your company's other endeavors (be they games, devices, peripherals, or events). I find that the biggest problems occur when these two forces converge on the same particular in-game widget--as with the 'event Pokémon.'

Interestingly, Nintendo found a good balance with another game: Mario Kart Wii. The extra character Rosalina was unlocked for those players that had a Super Mario Galaxy save on the console--a clear product tie-in. Now, Rosalina wasn't in any way game-breaking, but it was an extra toward that sense of completion. But players that didn't have Galaxy could still get Rosalina if they won a bunch more 1-star ranks (or played enough online matches).

The reward for Galaxy buyers was a faster and easier reward, but it was still made available to others. Furthermore, it wasn't even limited to online or offline play--either could do it, with enough effort. There were, of course, some other characters and cars that could only be unlocked through online play. Pobody's nerfect.

What's most important, I think, is to keep that kind of gating away from central gameplay mechanics, like the Pokémon series' "catch 'em all" mantra. Even then, it's probably still best to make these things available to all of your players, just at a different, possibly higher 'price.'

 

[Missing SHODAN]

The event pokemon drive the obsessive part of me that wants a complete pokedex nuts.

If Super Mario Galaxy had required you to go to a Gamestop between 1/9/10 and 1/16/10 in order to get the last three stars, (crazy, completionist-type) people would have rightly called BS. I'm not sure why pokemon gets a pass.

 

[Ophi]

Catching them all is absolutely not impossible.

I have all 493 in my SoulSilver version. Not a single one is hacked or gamesharked.

It just takes time.

A lot of time.

.... And the ability to trade on Wi-Fi. : )

Trading RNG/Pokeradar shinies for legendaries = profit!

 

[Fr]anc[is]

Or you could whip out your gameshark and make those blue version only bastards show up anyway. I didn't consider it cheating. Now catching a level 3 mewtwo at the start is most definitely cheating, and more fun I really miss gameshark :'(

 

[Mr. Omega]

The main reason I gave up on "catching 'em all" was the event Pokemon. At first, it was just Mew. Fine. Then Celebi. Whatever. Hell, even Jarachi were tolerable (mostly because it was easy), and I gave up on Deoxys.

Then they went insane in Gen 4. Shaymin, Manaphy, Arceus, Darkrai, Regigigas (let's face it, who ACTUALLY got it the other way?), and all previous event Pokemon at some point or another. And they even have a planned event Pokemon for Gen 5 already! Sure, it's easier with Wi-fi, but how about making it so that they're obtainable in-game without needing an internet connection?

Still, it is nice that there is online trading, but people are completely unreasonable about it. Most want a level 100 event Pokemon for just about everything, be it a version-exclusive, some other event Pokemon, or even a f***ing Zubat.

 

[Tharticus]

This I have a major beef with Nintendo. Most (if all) Nintendo games require the player to do things beyond the impossible. Super Mario Sunshine? Collect blue coins to trade for shine sprites. Big mistake if you happen to trade every 10 coins for a sprite separately. It's best to complete it by obtaining all blue coins and trade all in one.

As a former Pokemon player, I called it quits after the Pokemon names has risen to astounding heights of 400+.

All in all, Nintendo has been about being a completionist types people to grab them all. I collected all 120 stars in Super Mario 64, but I couldn't get all 120 shine sprites in Sunshine. Same goes for the trophies in the Smash Bros Melee and Brawl.

 

[Calico93]

Couldnt you catch them all in Pokemon yellow ? You start off with a Pickachu and can get all three other starters thoughout the game. Hmmmff
And tbh I never really cared for catching every single one, just training up and awesome team of different varieties.

 

[mjc0961]

That bit at the end is why I really hate the way they just give them away over Wifi or at ToysRUs. Especially since now they are in the game, and you just need a special item. They never give you that item so you can go battle the Pokémon and catch it yourself. Oh no. You just get a different version of that Pokémon. I don't want you to just give me Arcues Nintendo, I want you to give me Heaven's Pipe so I can go to the Hall of Origin and catch him myself.

A very good read, Funk. Thanks for that. You make a good point in the fact that a lot of the collecting relied upon the promotions which rarely showed up in America. I still don't think I've seen a legitimate Shaymin. Hard to catch something when you don't even release it in the first place.

I have. That was actually one of the rare times Nintendo DID give you the item that lets you go find it and battle it. Nintendo actually has a lot of "events" over WiFi now that we're on the DS and they hold some in ToysRUs or GameStop now and then too. Still sucks though, I'd rather just do these challenges on my own without having to download an item or go to a store and just download the monster.

Regigigas (let's face it, who ACTUALLY got it the other way?)

I did, and lots of other fans who had their RSE carts lying around still. Not terribly hard to use Pal Park...

 

[Zagzag]

I get what you mean, i remember how giddy i got when i caught Groundon after 2 hours of persistently being smacked down, and having blown all my money on sweet rave parties and the company of fine women so on i had to caputre the damn thing with great balls.

Not actually important, but as Groudon is legendary only Master, heavy, dusk, timer/fast balls (depending on the game) have any bonuses. All other types you use against it become regular poke balls. Not that the game actually does anything to tell you this!

 

[siddif]

I have played every main game to date (including paired versions and the 3rd in each set) and some of the spin offs, I have to admit collecting pokemon especially new and interesting ones is pretty fun. I used to get the games with my brother and sister - the three of us usually got most pokemon traded between the versions though the event pokemon always eluded us so we usually had to rely on cheats but this became less and less used especially with the wifi events though in Diamond and Pearl I would usually cheat just to get the event item rather than the pokemon itself which felt like I was only compensating for the lack of events.

Most satisfying capture? A frozen Mewtwo in blue with a standard pokeball and a lot of time (as well as the down + B placebo effect)