Zero Punctuation: Pokemon White

[Dexiro]

Great review Yahtzee. I haven't played pokemon since Blue/Red, and it's nice to know I haven't missed anything in 15 years.

~ basing opinions off a ZP video? You should know better ;3

WHAT! HE DOESN'T LIKE SOMETHING I LIKE!? CLEARLY THE MAN IS BIASED BEYOND ANY HOPE![/quote]

Are you new here? It's pretty generally accepted that people shouldn't base their opinions off ZP videos, they're only intended to be entertainment.

Great review Yahtzee. I haven't played pokemon since Blue/Red, and it's nice to know I haven't missed anything in 15 years.

~ basing opinions off a ZP video? You should know better ;3

Except in Pokemon's case, its true for the most part!

Seriously... I quit playing after they released gold and silver... 151 was too much for me, and they add pokemon to the game at a rate far faster than I can catch without cheating. And with the advent of all their bullshit store promotions of giving you a pokemon you can probably get already, but this one is special because it lets you get a pokemon you can't get in the new game, is really, really stupid.

Yellow might of been the best, though I'd argue any pokemon game that DIDN'T make you have to have 10+ versions of the game just to have them all, would be the best. My favorite moment though in pokemon, has to be getting a Cacuna that knew both Harden and Tackle. If only I could of some how got it to learn silk shot...

Yeah a lot of that stuff is really annoying. The thing is though hardly anyone cares about catching all the Pokemon anymore, it's just not worth the hassle. I would really like a game where catching every Pokemon is feasible.

What you should worry about with the new games really is the gameplay and other bells and whistles. The gameplay has been improved over the generations, if kind of slowly, but the newer generations are focusing more and more on improvements. From what I've heard the newest gen is the best so far.

 

[EndlessSporadic]

Wow. I never saw this coming. I was sure he'd be reviewing Crysis 2.

He probably hasn't played it yet or there aren't enough negative points about it to actually make a video about it.

But for the exact reasons mentioned in this video, that is why I stopped playing after emerald/sapphire/ruby.

 

[mrdude2010]

You really should have picked up Pokemon Black, Yahtzee. It focuses on story rather than collecting a bunch of critters. At one point you have to choose whether to choose between your friend and your journey, with a branching story for each path. It's pretty much two entirely different games and it puts the Bioware writing staff to shame.

I'm sorry you had to get the wrong version to get back into what has become a great series.

Yea that's totally comparable to KOTOR or ME2 in terms of writing. i'm astounded that bioware has skimmed by with so little effort put into their writing that a recycled story with one twist can put them to shame.

I can't tell if you're serious or not, which I find hilarious since people seem to have the same problem with me.

i think they're both somewhat sarcastic

 

[FallenMessiah88]

Not much to say about this one. I just don't get Pokemon. I watched the TV series when i was a kid, but that's about it. But hey, I'm currently looking for some new games for my DS and this one and Okamiden are pretty high on my list so maybe this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

To be fair though, there's not much to get in pokemon in general. Sure they add extra random crap that some people really enjoy like battle towers and endurance thingies and whatnot (if I remember correctly pokemon 8: electric boogalo even had a whole damn island to play with after you beat the story).

But as far as many people will care: You can safely ignore the story and the lack of cutscenes and voice acting make it easier to do so than any nonportable console game. You still collect critters, and you still make them cage fight other critters.

So, y'know. If you want some mindless entertainment then this will sure as hell fit the bill. Covered me off at least.

Well thats certainly good to hear. I think I'll give it a try then.

 

[randommaster]

You really should have picked up Pokemon Black, Yahtzee. It focuses on story rather than collecting a bunch of critters. At one point you have to choose whether to choose between your friend and your journey, with a branching story for each path. It's pretty much two entirely different games and it puts the Bioware writing staff to shame.

I'm sorry you had to get the wrong version to get back into what has become a great series.

Yea that's totally comparable to KOTOR or ME2 in terms of writing. i'm astounded that bioware has skimmed by with so little effort put into their writing that a recycled story with one twist can put them to shame.

I can't tell if you're serious or not, which I find hilarious since people seem to have the same problem with me.

I think they're both somewhat sarcastic.

I'm hoping it was sarcastic. There were a bunch of people taking it super seriously, so it's hard to tell.

It would be funny if Gamefreak did something like that, though.

 

[Laxman9292]

I agree with Yacee. While I like turn based combat, the one in Pokemon is very boring. Its just more complicated rock-paper-scissors. Hit with strongest attack, rinse and repeat.

You have clearly never played competitively. Saying it is too easy to beat the campaign trainers is like complaining about bad AI in a FPS, once you get online, the kiddie shit you used in the game is not gonna fly anymore.

 

[soulmonarch]

Speaking of things that haven't been done on ZP yet:

I would love Yahtzee to review Dynasty Warriors 7. Something tell me I would laugh my tits off.

 

[Eldarion]

I agree with Yacee. While I like turn based combat, the one in Pokemon is very boring. Its just more complicated rock-paper-scissors. Hit with strongest attack, rinse and repeat.

You have clearly never played competitively. Saying it is too easy to beat the campaign trainers is like complaining about bad AI in a FPS, once you get online, the kiddie shit you used in the game is not gonna fly anymore.

Um, so what? Who cares what pros do online when most people just want a nice single player RPG?

Competitive pokemon.....just...really?

 

[psiho333]

Hahaha, fun review as always Pokemon(s) are (were) imo good when there were only 150 of them, or with the first expansion 250. Those actually had great design and didn't resemble real animals as much as the newer ones do.

But oh, the frustration of random encounters ...

 

[zerobudgetgamer]

While the plot seems interesting, it gets old rather quick, the minor tweaks do noting to disguise the fact its still the same game from ten years ago.

Also your arguements on DragonQuest and FF are a bit off. First how many DragonQuest games even get to go outside Japan? Their market is the only one that like the same style over and over. Personally I like FFX, and FF12, hated FF 13. For me 12 was FF at its height its pinnacle, the way the series should have evolved and should have kept on evolving, but noooo they actually devolved it for 13.

Does anyone know why 13 was crap and played liek something out the dark ages? Because all the hardcore turn based RPG fans hated 12... WTF? Japan and its RPG's have never caught up to modern standards. If you look at Infinite undiscovery, Lost Oddesy, Enchanted Arms, or other console RPGs from Japan, you'll see that aside from very slightly different battle mechanics their all basically the same. No evolution.

Ironically Pokemon's problem is they have never "Evolved"(LOL pun intended) in 15 years.

Well, what kind of evolution are you looking for? Most of the really great fighting games still haven't moved out of their 2D corridor, and aside from slight differences from one game to the other, it's all the same button combining to create big, flashy attacks. And don't get me started on shooting games (RPG haters talk about fighting reskinned baddies all the time, what the hell's the difference between shooting at Nazis or shooting at the Taliban aside from the scenery?)

For the record, a lot of people disliked FF12 because it was the start of taking the gameplay away from the gamer. Ignoring all other flaws (character design and the homogenization of abilities, overarching plot getting hidden under overarching side quests, the complete and utter uselessness of summons, and the lack of attachment to characters through either development or love interest) the Gambit system basically allowed gamers to leave the game to do it's own thing. You wanna level up your guys? Either spend dozens of hours in front of the TV fighting shit, or find some enemy that summons monsters, set your gambits up so it kills the summons but not the summoner, and leave the game on for those hours while you do something else. And let's not forget Yiazmat, the 6+ hour "Secret" boss that most people just set up their Gambits and left alone, ensured that they would NEVER die in those entire six hours because their Gambits wouldn't allow it.

The gaming industry as a whole thrives on familiarity. It thrives on it from similar stories to similar baddies, right down to similar controls. How often have you played a game where X wasn't used for Confirm, or that the Trigger buttons weren't used to shoot, and yet was still heralded as a genius product, and/or that didn't end up setting a precedent for all future sequels and similar-genre games? And another for the record, a lot of these games that stick to the known formula are far more popular than you give them credit. In the first day of release here in America, Pokemon Black/White sold over 1 million units, and sold almost 3 million in the first two days in Japan.

 

[Laxman9292]

I agree with Yacee. While I like turn based combat, the one in Pokemon is very boring. Its just more complicated rock-paper-scissors. Hit with strongest attack, rinse and repeat.

You have clearly never played competitively. Saying it is too easy to beat the campaign trainers is like complaining about bad AI in a FPS, once you get online, the kiddie shit you used in the game is not gonna fly anymore.

Um, so what? Who cares what pros do online when most people just want a nice single player RPG?

Competitive pokemon.....just...really?

Just like some people might just want a nice relaxing FPS campaign without wanting to deal with playing online with a bunch of annoying teenage twats? Seriously, listen to yourself and get off your high horse, it is a strategy game and people usually like strategizing against other humans as opposed to rough AI opponents. Pokemon actually makes more sense to be played online. And, just as not everyone who plays CoD or whatever is a pro, there are people who play pokemon online that are not pros.

 

[Laxman9292]

No, I could not, and probably still not do whta was done in the video. What I mean was that Pokemon is not a challenging strategic game like that one guy waaaaaaay back was saying. I countered his point by saying that if a six year could beat the game then it is not hard.

Beating the main game was not the challenge he was talking about. When played against actual people it becomes the challenging strategic game he meant. That is like saying since a six year old can beat the main missions in Starcraft then the game is not hard. And then you would immediately have your computer rage hacked simultaneously by thousands of little Koreans who could whip your sorry ass in Starcraft.

 

[snowfi6916]

I can't download or watch the video. There is a problem with the webpage.

Please check on this Escapist tech/moderator....guy....person...uh...

Thanks.

 

[Andrew_Mac]

their all evolutions of the same pokemon what else would would you call a vanilla ice cream line? they have tons of creativity

I mean, why is the family even called vanilla in the first place? Vanilla is the most plain ice cream flavour ever.

And as for tons of creativity bullshit, most of the pokemon names are just badly made puns. Such as:
Sandile. It's a Crocodile, and its ground type. OMG push the freaking boat out!!!
Boldore. Yes, IT'S A ROCK TYPE!!! :O I'd NEVER have guessed that!!!
Timburr. it carries bits of wood. Well done. and its evolutions aren't much better. Gurdurr. yep, it carries steel girders... Conkeldurr. Well thats just silly...

All in all, I like pokemon, but I prefered it when it wasn't all puns and lack of creative names. I know, its always been that way in Pokemon. since the first in the pokedex, bulbasaur. Its a plant dinosaur! But still, that was when they were still growing. No excuses now.

 

[Silas13013]

While I found the review entertaining (if massively lazy and uninformed), I must say the comments here are much better to read. Mostly it's most peoples inability to understand what pokemon is. Such as this individual:

-snip-

No, I could not, and probably still not do whta was done in the video. What I mean was that Pokemon is not a challenging strategic game like that one guy waaaaaaay back was saying. I countered his point by saying that if a six year could beat the game then it is not hard.

Remember when Yahtzee did his review of Bowers inside story and said he wishes that "kiddy games" and "fun for all the family" were not the same thing in the developers eyes? Well that's what pokemon does. Yes, it's main target audience is young children. Are you really so think as to think that a game based off of completing it to 100% and designed for kids, is not going to be able to be beaten by kids? Of course not, that's just stupid. However, despite the easiness of the campaigns of pokemon (seriously yahtzee? You had trouble with N? I always knew you couldn't play video games but honestly...) it has a very deep and complicated metagame that people who have the desire to get a challenge out of the game can pursue.

So in reality, you are both right. The main game is easy because its designed for children to be able to beat without much trouble. However, to say that it isn't a deep or strategic game is fine, it just means you don't know anything about the majority of the game. But to deny its existence is laughably ignorant.

 

[Extravagance]

I see his point. I've been bored as hell with the series since Crystal. The current ones are only worth taking a look at because the usual "go here, defeat gym leader, go here defeat gym leader" takes a slight back seat to the thing with N. Though the grunts really needed some reworking.
"We believe that pokemon should not be slaves to people. So we're going to steal everyone's pokemon, and here are the ones we have to fight you with." Fairly contradictory.

 

[SD-Fiend]

their all evolutions of the same pokemon what else would would you call a vanilla ice cream line? they have tons of creativity

I mean, why is the family even called vanilla in the first place? Vanilla is the most plain ice cream flavour ever.

And as for tons of creativity bullshit, most of the pokemon names are just badly made puns. Such as:
Sandile. It's a Crocodile, and its ground type. OMG push the freaking boat out!!!
Boldore. Yes, IT'S A ROCK TYPE!!! :O I'd NEVER have guessed that!!!
Timburr. it carries bits of wood. Well done. and its evolutions aren't much better. Gurdurr. yep, it carries steel girders... Conkeldurr. Well thats just silly...

All in all, I like pokemon, but I prefered it when it wasn't all puns and lack of creative names. I know, its always been that way in Pokemon. since the first in the pokedex, bulbasaur. Its a plant dinosaur! But still, that was when they were still growing. No excuses now.

well it's made of snow. snow is white and so is vanilla ice cream also what else do you expect them to name a rock type? grassolon? if it's not a pun the only thing they can name it is something completely unrelated.

 

[Eldarion]

I agree with Yacee. While I like turn based combat, the one in Pokemon is very boring. Its just more complicated rock-paper-scissors. Hit with strongest attack, rinse and repeat.

You have clearly never played competitively. Saying it is too easy to beat the campaign trainers is like complaining about bad AI in a FPS, once you get online, the kiddie shit you used in the game is not gonna fly anymore.

Um, so what? Who cares what pros do online when most people just want a nice single player RPG?

Competitive pokemon.....just...really?

Just like some people might just want a nice relaxing FPS campaign without wanting to deal with playing online with a bunch of annoying teenage twats? Seriously, listen to yourself and get off your high horse, it is a strategy game and people usually like strategizing against other humans as opposed to rough AI opponents. Pokemon actually makes more sense to be played online. And, just as not everyone who plays CoD or whatever is a pro, there are people who play pokemon online that are not pros.

Your point being? The experience of the majority of the playerbase is more relevant than what the very small hardcore crowd can turn the game into with enough IV training or whatever.

Fact of the matter remains that you can play thru most of the story mode using whatever element attack the enemy is weak to and win in 1 or 2 shots. This has been true pretty much since the original red and blue that I still own and play. Does this ruin the whole experience? No it doesn't. Obviously these games are fun to enough people anyway. I've played every generation since the original red version. But the combat is kinda stale and could use a lot of improvement.

In short, the use-surf-on-fire-type-win-match gameplay isn't really excusable just because a small portion of the fanbase play against eachother with fully IV trained teams or whatever. Cause the story mode sells the games.

 

[Flunk]

Pokemon is pretty stupid but I have to say I'm kinda enjoying this one. It's pretty well executed but it might just be helping me relive treasured childhood memories. Oh well, that's good enough sometimes.