Evolution of Pokemon

[Luca72]

There have been a few Pokemon topics on the board recently that got me thinking. I wasn't impressed with Black/White because it didn't change the standard formula very much (not that I was expecting it to). We've been playing the same general Pokemon game since Red and Blue. Obviously, Nintendo doesn't want to fix what aint broke, and it's not like any of the major Pokemon releases have been low quality.

But what if they changed the direction of the franchise? Mario didn't stay a 2-D side scroller forever. Metroid became a first person adventure game. So what could be done with Pokemon?

B/W took a major step in the right direction by allowing online battling without a Friend Code. The future of Pokemon is, to me, obviously online. Do you think Pokemon could make it in a more MMO-like setting? This could involve NPC battles and huge areas, but also the ability to walk around and see other players' avatars before battling them. I think you could even have community-generated content, like building and running your own gym after getting enough prestige in the game.

This is all pie in the sky stuff, so there's no limit. What do you guys want to see?

 

[bluesession]

Pokemon Snap/Pokemon RPG!
I want to see a 3d pokemon since the first pokemon. A game where you can actually look for pokemon in the wilderness instead of random encounters.
And I belive I'm not the only one...

 

[wintercoat]

There have been a few Pokemon topics on the board recently that got me thinking. I wasn't impressed with Black/White because it didn't change the standard formula very much (not that I was expecting it to). We've been playing the same general Pokemon game since Red and Blue. Obviously, Nintendo doesn't want to fix what aint broke, and it's not like any of the major Pokemon releases have been low quality.

But what if they changed the direction of the franchise? Mario didn't stay a 2-D side scroller forever. Metroid became a first person adventure game. So what could be done with Pokemon?

B/W took a major step in the right direction by allowing online battling without a Friend Code. The future of Pokemon is, to me, obviously online. Do you think Pokemon could make it in a more MMO-like setting? This could involve NPC battles and huge areas, but also the ability to walk around and see other players' avatars before battling them. I think you could even have community-generated content, like building and running your own gym after getting enough prestige in the game.

This is all pie in the sky stuff, so there's no limit. What do you guys want to see?

There would probably be an official Pokemon MMO if Game Freak wasn't tied to an exclusive deal with Nintendo. With the Wii U having a more social focus, we may very well see one spring up, though whether or not it'll be in full 3D like the Colosseum games is anyone's guess.

 

[Pb Zeppelin]

I think an Elder Scrolls style first person game where you run around and catch/battle pokemon would be the bee's knees.

 

[Luca72]

I think an Elder Scrolls style first person game where you run around and catch/battle pokemon would be the bee's knees.

Fallout 3 modders agree!


I'm eagerly waiting for someone to make a semi-illegal freeware game that takes this concept and runs with it.

 

[Dragonpit]

There have been a few Pokemon topics on the board recently that got me thinking. I wasn't impressed with Black/White because it didn't change the standard formula very much (not that I was expecting it to). We've been playing the same general Pokemon game since Red and Blue. Obviously, Nintendo doesn't want to fix what aint broke, and it's not like any of the major Pokemon releases have been low quality.

But what if they changed the direction of the franchise? Mario didn't stay a 2-D side scroller forever. Metroid became a first person adventure game. So what could be done with Pokemon?

B/W took a major step in the right direction by allowing online battling without a Friend Code. The future of Pokemon is, to me, obviously online. Do you think Pokemon could make it in a more MMO-like setting? This could involve NPC battles and huge areas, but also the ability to walk around and see other players' avatars before battling them. I think you could even have community-generated content, like building and running your own gym after getting enough prestige in the game.

This is all pie in the sky stuff, so there's no limit. What do you guys want to see?

There would probably be an official Pokemon MMO if Game Freak wasn't tied to an exclusive deal with Nintendo. With the Wii U having a more social focus, we may very well see one spring up, though whether or not it'll be in full 3D like the Colosseum games is anyone's guess.

A Pokemon MMO would be rather successful. The only problems I can see involve the Legendaries and other one-of-a-kind Pokemon. Just how would they handle those...?

 

[HellsingerAngel]

I think a 3D Pokemon would be neat. A Pokemon MMO, however, is never going to happen. Nintendo has already taken a firm stance in stating that Pokemon already is an MMO, which is pretty much true with all the events that are done. Just requires more effort than most other MMOs. =P

 

[Kahunaburger]

When I was a kid I always wanted a more open, free-roaming world. It seems to me like it would be pretty straightforward to procedurally generate pokemon levels and encounter lists, which would be the most resource-cheap way of accomplishing that. That and a bigger emphasis on competitive multiplayer + balance to grab their other main demographic seems a good way to go.

 

[Luca72]

There have been a few Pokemon topics on the board recently that got me thinking. I wasn't impressed with Black/White because it didn't change the standard formula very much (not that I was expecting it to). We've been playing the same general Pokemon game since Red and Blue. Obviously, Nintendo doesn't want to fix what aint broke, and it's not like any of the major Pokemon releases have been low quality.

But what if they changed the direction of the franchise? Mario didn't stay a 2-D side scroller

How about a dungeon crawler? Oh, wait..
How about a puzzle game? Oh, wait...
How about an SRPG? Oh, wait...
How about an action game? Oh, wait...
How about a free-roaming 3D game? Oh, wait...

Those have all been made already. What was I thinking?

And even as a childhood fan of Pokemon I was never interested in playing any of those games because they didn't have the mechanics that make Pokemon interesting in the first place. I'm talking about a different spin on tracking down, capturing, and then battling with Pokemon. The rest of those games were very clearly aimed at young kids. I think by making the gameplay a little more expansive and exciting you could make a game that appeals to children and older players.

Actually, that SRPG, besides having the most ridiculous concept I think I've ever heard of, seemed like a cool idea. The more I look into it though the more it seems really watered down.

 

[Ranylyn]

What I think we need is a pokemon game where...

- You, as the trainer, roam freely and are attacked in real time. Think like encountering a monster in the forest in any action RPG. So you have buttons to deploy currently selected Pokemon. Pokemon move autonomously so long as you control the trainer, but if the trainer is in no danger, you can manually control the pokemon instead. The trainer has their own HP, and if he/she drops, your pokemon race into a panic and cannot continue to explore, doing the first thing they know to do when hurt - carrying you to the Pokemon Center. (If you have no pokemon deployed, someone will appear to help you for a price.)

- Pokemon use their powers to aid in free-range exploration. A large enough bird can get you up to a mountain ledge, for example, while you'd need a water type for serious spelunking due to the low ceiling clearance and flyers not being ideal for crossing underground streams.

Etc. I've been imagining this in my head for ages now. It'd be sweet.

 

[Xan Krieger]

So you're basically looking for http://www.moddb.com/games/pokemon-origins ? I've got my hopes riding on this one.

 

[superdark]

I think they should use the Super Smash Brothers engine for Pokemon battles. Still have the massive overworld to explore and capture Pokemon in. You still grind and level up your Pokemon, and when you learn a new move you assign the new move to one of the buttons.

I think that would be a hell of a lot of fun.

 

[Charli]

A Pokemon MMO would be rather successful. The only problems I can see involve the Legendaries and other one-of-a-kind Pokemon. Just how would they handle those...?

Boss battles. Don't allow capture of the one of a kinds.

As much as I love Articuno having uber-pokemon would make balancing a nightmare, so the simple solution is to make the Legendary Tier pokemon out of bounds for capture, but still reward players for fighting them in some way perhaps (to 0 HP, maybe when that happens the players are blessed or given items like the NevermeltIce etc)

Of course this would require quite alot of rebalancing of certain pokemon to ensure the one hit wonders aren't becoming the ONLY option for trainers to succeed, but with alot of work and effort behind it this is the only franchise in MMO format that I think would topple WoW. And I like WoW.


Digimon Masters Online already has the right idea, with Nintendo backing this project It would be really significant.

 

[Smeggs]

I'd like a Pokemon Snap 2. No reason they couldn't finally do that with the 3DS.

I've always wished they would make the leap to actual console games. Colosseum was okay, Gale of Darkness was awful. I mean an actual region all its own with its own gyms and shit. You could also go to a "colosseum" to battle other people's registered teams online.

Also, it would be cool if they'd finally give us control of our Pokemon.

Nintendo: *GASP* You mean CONTROL their MOVEMENTS?! A GAME that actually takes SKILL instead of just SPAMMING MOVES?! UNTHINKABLE! INCONCEIVABLE!

I'd be able to understand if they couldn't animate every single attack, as there are hundreds upon hundreds of them, but seriously, if I were able to dodge, attack, and everything else of my own accord then it would actually BE a battle of who was the better trained, rather than who was able to hack in t3h shin1est 4rceus. I want to brawl. I want to take control of the Venusaur that I spent hours training, and I want to physically battle the opponent.

A solution to the "don't want to animate all the moves" option could be simple, just base the game's story (loosely) off of the original Pokemon manga. That way we'd already have set Pokemon (maybe giving us some choices) so that the devs wouldn't need to make fifty-thousand different animations.

 

[Death Carr]

I've had this idea for some time now.

A third person 3D Pokemon game spanning all of the regions.
Battles aren't just you sitting there and spammin moves, instead you're given control of your pokemon in a small battleground. And you don't just get the four attacks, there are independent buttons for jumping, dodging, etc. And simple moves like tackle wouldn't be attacks anymore, instead they would also be an independent move because it seems a bit silly that a level 100 charizard forgot how to tackle a pikachu.

 

[SD-Fiend]

What I think we need is a pokemon game where...

- You, as the trainer, roam freely and are attacked in real time. Think like encountering a monster in the forest in any action RPG. So you have buttons to deploy currently selected Pokemon. Pokemon move autonomously so long as you control the trainer, but if the trainer is in no danger, you can manually control the pokemon instead. The trainer has their own HP, and if he/she drops, your pokemon race into a panic and cannot continue to explore, doing the first thing they know to do when hurt - carrying you to the Pokemon Center. (If you have no pokemon deployed, someone will appear to help you for a price.)

- Pokemon use their powers to aid in free-range exploration. A large enough bird can get you up to a mountain ledge, for example, while you'd need a water type for serious spelunking due to the low ceiling clearance and flyers not being ideal for crossing underground streams.

Etc. I've been imagining this in my head for ages now. It'd be sweet.

i think they kind of did that already. I haven't played it but I think that you just (mostly anyway) described the Pokemon Ranger series.