If you could design a Pokemon game, what would you do differently?

[SuperNova221]

I'd get somebody to add in a few new monsters, name it "Pokemon: Bacon" and get millions from it. I've never cared for the franchise, so I have no knowledge of how to change it, and no motivation other than to make money from it (if I was given the oppertunity)

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I'd get somebody to add in a few new monsters, name it "Pokemon: Bacon" and get millions from it. I've never cared for the franchise, so I have no knowledge of how to change it, and no motivation other than to make money from it (if I was given the oppertunity)

Screw Bacon. You want money?

Pokemon: Cake, Pokemon: Pie, Pokemon: Candy

 

[SuperNova221]

I'd get somebody to add in a few new monsters, name it "Pokemon: Bacon" and get millions from it. I've never cared for the franchise, so I have no knowledge of how to change it, and no motivation other than to make money from it (if I was given the oppertunity)

Screw Bacon. You want money?

Pokemon: Cake, Pokemon: Pie, Pokemon: Candy

They are some of the sequals I have planned. Not going to reveal my best hand yet though.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

*Eliminate random battles. Allow the player to see Pokemon before engaging, thus allowing them to chase the ones they want to catch.

*All sorts of modifiers could be added to this system, such as Pokemon running away from you if your lead Pokemon is clearly stronger level-wise, and rarer ones moving faster. Include tools you earn that help to slow, pacify or scare them.

*Include means of earning XP beyond simply grinding battles. The simple but fun minigames from the Stadiums would be a good start.

*The most generic aspect of the franchise isn't the creatures or plot- it's the locations, particularly the cities. Fix that.

*Allow Gym leaders to level up as the game progresses, so that you can come back and challenge the old ones with new tricks up their sleeves, earning better type-related rewards each time. This might be unfair to the Pokemon without a Gym for that Gen. though, so have a total of sixteen or seventeen type-focused trainers who do that.

*Have a greater selection of Pokemon available at the start. If you're introducing 100 new ones, have about half the old ones catchable without trading.

*More dual battles! Maybe even allow the player to choose if both they and their opponent have more than one Pokemon!

*The wide audience must be taken into consideration of course, but there's no reason we can't have the new villains use some ultra-powerful Pokemon to destroy a city in an event during the game. Makes the NPCs question all the more how destructive Pokemon can be in the wrong hands.

*Spin-down gnially...? (Captcha)

 

[Pearwood]

Step one, stop adding stupid looking new pokemon.

Step two, make every single pokemon available in one game. And add all the regions.

Step three, stop having a villain. Or at least make it a good villain.

Step four, make the rivals less annoying.

Step five, REMOVE THE FUCKING HMs.

Agree with everything here except the first part of three, the game needs a villain to keep the plot moving. I'd also add to have a little variety from the established formula and that IVs and bullshit that you can only figure out with a guide like evolving milotic can fuck right off. Natures and egg moves should be the only reason to breed, not using dittos like sex slaves just so you can get the best IV spread.

 

[Biodeamon]

Make it more mature. Such as suggestive themes and violence.

Also you can attack the trainer directly, not their pokemon

 

[Zhadramekel]

The general make all regions accessible malarkey. But the main thing.

Make it so you can access all the Pokemon in a way that doesn't involve cheating or trading. I can do the cheating part with an Action Replay but it can screw up the save file and I can never get Nintendo-compatible WiFi which means no events, no GTS, no WiFi battles and no whatever else you can think of that you need WiFi to do in the game.

Oh yeah, and Nintendo need to stop making event giveaways only take place at Game Stop. There aren't any in the UK.

 

[Cheesepower5]

All Pokemon aquirable legitimately without having to get it from an event.

 

[Ursus Buckler]

Has anyone here taken the Nuzlocke Challenge? I think having an option to integrate it into the game could be a good way to make Pokemon more meaningful than cardboard cut-outs you yell orders at.

 

[higgs20]

stop making everyone so fucking nice, i love pokemon but i'm sick of every villain saying 'oh you beat me, well as previously arranged and for no reason other than the fact my unshakable moral fibre demands it. i shall keep my promise and give you our hideouts super secret password.'

I mean the pokedex entries for some pokemon suggest they can be massively destructive and the idea of evil teams enslaving pokemon for evil deeds and such could bring in some pretty heavy themes and help to give the games an actual story worth hearing.

I know as a franchise it's largely aimed at kids but there really is the basis of a cracking story just under the surface of your average pokemon game.

also here is the obligatory mention of making all the regions open, choosing your starting region and a more interactive world/ less forgettable NPCs.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

Make it an mmo.

No more starting over every time a new group of 100-200 buggers come out.

 

[FanboyInDisguise]

I agree with most of what's been said in this thread concerning the core of Pokemon games. But if I could design a Pokemon game, I think I'd revisit and perfect that oft forgotten gem, Pokemon Snap. Rail shooter/photography game + Pokemon + plenty of little secrets hidden here and there = pretty great game for its time. Besides it was pretty awesome to watch the little guys do their own thing without fighting each other.

Open world environment (that awesome island is begging to be explored) Wii controls for the camera, more realistic (for Pokemon, anyway) behaviors for the Pokemon that will interact not only with the player but the environment and other Pokemon as well.

Sounds like fun to me...

 

[The Apothecarry]

Firearms. Or grant the ability to steal Pokemon from other trainers.

"Oh, you have a Level 25 Beedrill? ULTRA BALL, MOTHAFUCKA!"

I stopped caring after the second generation.

 

[Canadish]

Dear god that's a list that could rattle on forever.
I love the core concept of Pokemon but the games are a relics of by-gone days. Not everything should go, it's not all awful, but there should at least be some braver uses of the franchise, even if they still keep the Gameboy formula going.

Why Nintendo has never done a PROPER 3D Pokemon game I'll never know.
Colosseum and the other one both sucked so they don't count.

The problem is a fear of mixing up their winning formula I would guess, that or a fear that if successful they'd have to put more work into future titles.

The problem I find this that the game has always talked about the friendship and bond with your Pokemon, yet you never use them outside of battle or a free taxi service.
By this point we should really be able to see the critters in the world, interact with them, see that they're happy rather then get told by some woman in a random NPC house.

I suppose things have gotten better with the Stadiums and Concerts etc that let you use your Pokemon in some other ways, but it's still just a math game. I don't normally mind that in a game (in fact, I miss it, seeing as it's going outta style) but Pokemon is one RPG that should make the experience more visceral. More show, less tell.

One thing I also always wanted was to actually control Pokemon during battle. Remember like the old anime? My inner 11 year old self is still unsatisfied.
Generally if they made a 3D game I'd hope for something like Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim. Huge open world to just go and explore.
Imagine catching wild Pokemon while walking round in that kind of setting. Yeah. Clean your keyboard off.

Of course, they couldn't do that with...what are we at? 600 Pokemon?
It would be way to much work.
So I'd say cut back to about...oh I dunno...150?
Then just focus on making that 150 DAMN good. And boom. Best. Game. Ever.

But, they wouldn't have 200 new toys to sell to kiddies then, so they'll NEVER do it.

 

[Flailing Escapist]

Probably not much. I like grinding my pokemon in tall grass until I can take on the next gym leader. In my own opinion I thought yellow/red were my favorites just because they were so simple.

Spoiler

 

[shemoanscazrex3]

Make the game more like the show. I would also like some more free will to join team rocket or whatever the heck it is nowadays. I also would like some companionship. Lastly I wish there was more story or at least make Pokemon Yellow for the Wii, not just some Wii arcade crap or whatever they call it

 

[yanipheonu]

Well I wouldn't change THAT much, like or not, it's a winning formula.

I'd do SOMETHING with EV training, make it less of a grindfest or at least make it more obvious for people who are playing, as it is only the hardcore know about it and actually train it.

Plus I always though it'd be cool to have the trainer have an ability. Like, you could make the water gym leader have an ability that boosts water types.

Change HMs. They're taking the right direction with making TMs infinite, so we might see this change soon.

Also, for the 3DS games, implement AR and make it so you can Pokemon battle in your LIVING ROOM.

 

[Dragnridr3]

I have several ideas on the subject:

1: A new battle system similar to that of the TV show where it's in 3-D so you can move yourself around and use the surroundings for cover, as well as evading and dodging enemy attacks and proforming combos with your own. This would also allow moves like Double Team (which is supposed to make illusion copies of yourself to confuse your opponent) and Minamize (which is supposed to do as the name implies) to do something besides being deleated to make room for useful moves.
2: Make the main charecter that is supposed to be "you" actualy customizable so "you" can actualy look like you (or howevever you want it to).
3: Stop with the patheticly uncreative names already. Pikachu was cool and has always sounded awesome, however, Throh is not a name it is a misspelling of the word throw.
4: A better story would make the Pokemon series tons better. I'm not saying like a Final Fantasy worthy story of love and loss and the grey area between good and evil, but maybe something better than "Here's a Pokedex. Find every Pokemon that ever existed and capture one of each. Oh, and I heard about this new gang called Team (fill-in-the-blank) if you see them feel obligated to singlehandedly destroy them." I will admit that they did try to expound upon this in the newest game and I appreciated that, but they still have a long way to go.
5: Have a game that lets you start off in Pallet Town and fight your way through every region from Kanto to Unova finding each region's own specialty Pokemon as you go. This would go hand in hand with an increase in what the maximum levels for pokemon are. Something I have been wanting for a long time.
6: This goes slightly with the stroyline portion above, but actually have the rivals there for more than "You've gotten (none, half, or most) of the way through the game I will fight you again." Sure in a world were you fight 99% of the people only one time fighting someone three times seems like a big deal. But the Gym Leaders in Heartgold and Soulsilver felt to me more like rivals than my rival did. I could call those guys up and fight them again anytime I wanted, I fought my rival all of four times and fought with him once (the irony of that being that I fought with him to get Claire's phone number). This though is another thing that they worked on in Black and White which I apreciated but didn't think they went far enough on.

This is a condensed (believe it or not) version of what I've been thinking of for a new Pokemon game. And before anyone says anything I left HM's out of it because the problem there is too obvious.

 

[spartan231490]

The ability to move freely between regions(after a certain point), non-turn based combat, and a bigger move selection list, maybe 8. Also, add health and combo chains so that battles aren't won by spamming a powerful move 3 times, but by using intelligent combinations of techniques. Lastly, move to a true console, like the 360.