This series of shorts really cements the fact that GameFreak is indeed improving at their craft, but not to where they should be for the most profitable franchise in the world. The stories from Legends:Arceus and Scarlet/Violet, DLC included, are what Pokémon has needed since the switch to 3D. Sun and Moon absolutely should have cut ties with the Pokémon League and been about the struggles of Lillie and Gladion. As cool as Eternatus is, cutting it to focus on the sporting aspect of Galar’s culture would let Sword/Shield’s story focus on the other competitors. Hop specifically could become the game’s antagonist. His frustration with constantly losing against the player would help make him more distinct rival and give context to his decision to become a professor.
better late than never sure, but it probably shouldn't have taken them this long to begin with. probably has to do with forcing the league AND a doomsday villain into every single plot
This is a hypothetical climax for this Sword/Shield that builds off my initial comment that I have separated to keep the other more concise: The final battle to see who gets to challenge Leon is the player against Hop. Before the match, Hop approaches the player before their match and says “I’m winning this match.” Nothing unusual happens in the match until Hop’s final Pokémon when a chilling howl denotes the arrival of Zacian/Zamazenta from beyond the stadium. Hop explains how he came to earn the trust of this Royal Beast through his research into Galar’s legend’s after remembering the encounter you two had with the beast at the start of the game. And… The player still wins. Because we always do. It is at this point that Hop realizes that he was never going to be able to beat the player. He did find joy in learning about the legendary however, guiding Hop to becoming a professor.
The gym and league breaking Sinnoh's pacing after team galactic is so true. I always end up stop playing after i leave the distortion world in platinum. Its why i love that gen 5's climax is actually at the end of the league.
Az mentioned, thank you Ludomancer! I've always been so intrigued by his character and yet. He gets nothing. I wish gen 6 was good every day of my life.
Genuine question, why do people despise the badges as a concept? I personally like being able to see and goalpost my progress into segments with them, and for the start of the plot "heres the thing we do in this world go do it" is far from the worst... I just wish the gym leaders would be any sort of slightly relevant at all to the plot. Play Pokemon Insurgence it's so good.
@@HawkatanaMy lack of experience with fangames is pretty obvious to me, but I found insurgence to be neat. Immersion-breaking? Certainly, alot of design choices don’t make sense nowadays and the music selection is just egregious. It just doesn’t reach the potential it could with the boom nowadays. A relic of it’s past, i guess.
Well if I had to guess, it's because type advantage trivializes them. If your starter has an unfavorable typing the first gym or two might be a struggle, but after that it's a breeze. All you need to do is show up with one appropriately levelled pokemon with a type advantage and you'll sweep the whole gym with them. And you don't feel smart for doing that, you feel like the gyms are dumb for being so easy to exploit.
@@markcochrane9523hey I mean sometimes they give them half decent coverage to deal with their type weaknesses!! It has happened like... 4 times!!! That's more than 0!!!!
@@Theserperiortrainer497 The whole reason he’s mad at you is for something you just don’t get the chance to do. Which is to tell him something important.
@infinityheart_tm9270 oh yeah I forgot that too. the game forces you to be the villain and then argues you are in the right (he isn't either but saying he is wrong isn't quite right). I would rewrite Kieran in 2 key ways but I am not a professional writer so I don't think you want to hear my opinion.
It is very funny to me that this guy who seems to love the high steaks villains and some other content creators I watch who don't really like them and prefer the exploration stuff both have the same exact problem of one interrupting the other, and both claiming that Game Freak is shoving one aside in favor of the other
@@codymatt7 I’d prefer they focus on the high stakes and arcane nonsense, but that’s just preference. Ultimately if they focussed on Any of their three pillars: “Arcane Final Fantasy Stakes.” “Grounded shounen tournament arc.” Or “No Conflict Happy Animal Bonding Area” I’d at least respect it. The Arcane Final Fantasy Stakes crowd used to eat good off of the Ranger and Mystery Dungeon series but now the mainline series is trying to keep all three camps satisfied, and nobody’s happy.
@@TheLudomancer Personally I think the 'tournament arc' and 'animal bonding' thing can coalesce pretty well together. After all, it's a common shonen trait that you bond with whoever you fight with and alongside, and that can apply to your pokemon too. Personally I think Scarlet and Violet, at least, storywise, is one of the better ones in this regard. Nemona I believe is one of the best rivals straight up, Arven's relationship with the professor is at least mildly interesting (though admittedly would've been more interesting if he was the main character (Lillie should've also been the main character of gen 7(pokemon would do well to have a main character in general instead of a blank slate protagonist especially with the stories they're making lately))), and Penny is also there. That being said, I wish they would bring back pokemon-amie or something similar instead of the picnic stuff, cause that was just one of the best ways to integrate actual bonding into the game. Or hell, do something new and interesting with the friendship stat now that they got of Return and Frustration
@@TheLudomancerb-but he has a character arc!!! That happens almost entirely off screen!!!! And is the same as like 90 different other character arcs in this franchise!!!!!! B-but the Karen quote!!!!
@@zx_studios968 I counted the Kalos lads and Nemona because they were exceptions and represented deeper problems I could dig into. Silver is cool and edgy for the opening scenes and then nothing he does ever affects anyone ever again.
STOP GASSING UP TEAM PLASMA, THEY ARE LITERALLY SHOWN TO BE COMPLETE HYPOCRITES AN HOUR INTO THE DAMN GAME. Seriously, the game even acknowledges they are liars yet people still think they had a point.
You know they have genuine adherents in-game, right? Shown in BW2? and the existence of N? Even if they themselves act like brats, the question they pose about how Pokemon ownership looks from a purely mechanical lens is valid. It’s not really their concept’s fault that these games have no way to show conflict beyond Pokémon Battles.
@ Yeah. I never said their conclusions were good. Just that the question they ask is important given how Pokémon’s mechanics look from the outside, and that thesis does a ton for them dramatically.
@@TheLudomancerthe issue I have is that in BW1 they're never shown as anything other than all evil and N is characterized as if he's borderline delusional and only believes what he does because Ghetsis manipulated N and abused so many pokemon around him that N started to believe it. They're played out as if they just invented a fake problem so Ghetsis could do his world domination plan and the problem itself basically never existed, and as if N's character arc is about him realizing he was blatantly wrong all along (until the ending sorta drops that last second because I'm pretty sure he still fully believes it after the ending, just more open to other opinions) I know BW2 tried to show that they actually had a point and that Team Plasma had genuine believers but it's more of a retcon by now, and they're a lot less focused on than the infinitely less interesting new team plasma in BW2. I get that they're an amazing concept and they theoretically address just how messed up the mechanic looks, but I think you (and specially most pokemon fans) really undersell how fucked the execution is and how little it actually addresses anything. I mean until BW2 pulled up with the nigh instantly dropped plotpoint about "the PokeBall oppression" I'm pretty sure they never even talked about capturing pokemon. Like Ghetsis almost exclusively talks about wether it's moral to "own" them or if it's good for humans and pokemon to be together, nothing about the actual capture and potential brainwash part, and never really raises any actual points about it last time I checked (though I admittedly could be misremembering here). If the answer is said to be completely obvious, and the question was brought up by characters who were blatantly evil and lying through their teeth, can we really give them any credit for raising a theoretically interesting question?
This series of shorts really cements the fact that GameFreak is indeed improving at their craft, but not to where they should be for the most profitable franchise in the world. The stories from Legends:Arceus and Scarlet/Violet, DLC included, are what Pokémon has needed since the switch to 3D.
Sun and Moon absolutely should have cut ties with the Pokémon League and been about the struggles of Lillie and Gladion.
As cool as Eternatus is, cutting it to focus on the sporting aspect of Galar’s culture would let Sword/Shield’s story focus on the other competitors. Hop specifically could become the game’s antagonist. His frustration with constantly losing against the player would help make him more distinct rival and give context to his decision to become a professor.
better late than never sure, but it probably shouldn't have taken them this long to begin with. probably has to do with forcing the league AND a doomsday villain into every single plot
This is a hypothetical climax for this Sword/Shield that builds off my initial comment that I have separated to keep the other more concise:
The final battle to see who gets to challenge Leon is the player against Hop. Before the match, Hop approaches the player before their match and says “I’m winning this match.” Nothing unusual happens in the match until Hop’s final Pokémon when a chilling howl denotes the arrival of Zacian/Zamazenta from beyond the stadium. Hop explains how he came to earn the trust of this Royal Beast through his research into Galar’s legend’s after remembering the encounter you two had with the beast at the start of the game. And…
The player still wins. Because we always do. It is at this point that Hop realizes that he was never going to be able to beat the player. He did find joy in learning about the legendary however, guiding Hop to becoming a professor.
@@redactedinfo8557 They’re probably being rushed to meet a deadline or for holiday sales
No, I love the league and I want more of that.
@@mray4784 You are the problem.
The gym and league breaking Sinnoh's pacing after team galactic is so true. I always end up stop playing after i leave the distortion world in platinum. Its why i love that gen 5's climax is actually at the end of the league.
It’s Most generations that are like that honestly. It’s nuts how consistently they biff that.
Area Zero will forever be my favorite area in most of the pokemon games. Hands down because of that music.
please make that megaman starforce video! I am shaking you violently!
Az mentioned, thank you Ludomancer! I've always been so intrigued by his character and yet. He gets nothing. I wish gen 6 was good every day of my life.
I wish Gen 6 Hadn't Happened every day of my life :D
@TheLudomancer o7
@@TheLudomancer I wish you talked about xerosic.I need your OPINIONS ON HIM.
@@TheeHoodedCrusader There was a whole-ass ad at the opening of the video. Get ready for Friday!
@@TheLudomancer THIS IS SO EXCITING!
I miss Pokemon Ranger. And I am both looking forward to and am scared for the Gen 5 remake
Dope vid, glad you popped up in my recommended
Genuine question, why do people despise the badges as a concept? I personally like being able to see and goalpost my progress into segments with them, and for the start of the plot "heres the thing we do in this world go do it" is far from the worst...
I just wish the gym leaders would be any sort of slightly relevant at all to the plot. Play Pokemon Insurgence it's so good.
Dude, Insurgence is legitimately one of the worst fangames I've played. The hell are you on about?
@@HawkatanaMy lack of experience with fangames is pretty obvious to me, but I found insurgence to be neat. Immersion-breaking? Certainly, alot of design choices don’t make sense nowadays and the music selection is just egregious.
It just doesn’t reach the potential it could with the boom nowadays. A relic of it’s past, i guess.
Well if I had to guess, it's because type advantage trivializes them. If your starter has an unfavorable typing the first gym or two might be a struggle, but after that it's a breeze. All you need to do is show up with one appropriately levelled pokemon with a type advantage and you'll sweep the whole gym with them. And you don't feel smart for doing that, you feel like the gyms are dumb for being so easy to exploit.
@@markcochrane9523hey I mean sometimes they give them half decent coverage to deal with their type weaknesses!! It has happened like... 4 times!!! That's more than 0!!!!
You forgot about Xerosic and Kieran.although Xerosic probably gave you ptsd,so nevermind.
With Kieran. It’s Game Freak’s failure to understand what the RP in RPG stands for.
@@infinityheart_tm9270 oh no kierans great.he does have the team plasma problem though were a valid thing is brought up and then ignored
@@Theserperiortrainer497 The whole reason he’s mad at you is for something you just don’t get the chance to do. Which is to tell him something important.
@infinityheart_tm9270 oh yeah I forgot that too. the game forces you to be the villain and then argues you are in the right (he isn't either but saying he is wrong isn't quite right). I would rewrite Kieran in 2 key ways but I am not a professional writer so I don't think you want to hear my opinion.
Gen 3 seems wierd because the localisation team wasn’t able to translate it very well that and alot of the context depends on you Being japnese
It is very funny to me that this guy who seems to love the high steaks villains and some other content creators I watch who don't really like them and prefer the exploration stuff both have the same exact problem of one interrupting the other, and both claiming that Game Freak is shoving one aside in favor of the other
@@codymatt7 I’d prefer they focus on the high stakes and arcane nonsense, but that’s just preference. Ultimately if they focussed on Any of their three pillars: “Arcane Final Fantasy Stakes.” “Grounded shounen tournament arc.” Or “No Conflict Happy Animal Bonding Area” I’d at least respect it. The Arcane Final Fantasy Stakes crowd used to eat good off of the Ranger and Mystery Dungeon series but now the mainline series is trying to keep all three camps satisfied, and nobody’s happy.
@@TheLudomancer Personally I think the 'tournament arc' and 'animal bonding' thing can coalesce pretty well together. After all, it's a common shonen trait that you bond with whoever you fight with and alongside, and that can apply to your pokemon too.
Personally I think Scarlet and Violet, at least, storywise, is one of the better ones in this regard. Nemona I believe is one of the best rivals straight up, Arven's relationship with the professor is at least mildly interesting (though admittedly would've been more interesting if he was the main character (Lillie should've also been the main character of gen 7(pokemon would do well to have a main character in general instead of a blank slate protagonist especially with the stories they're making lately))), and Penny is also there. That being said, I wish they would bring back pokemon-amie or something similar instead of the picnic stuff, cause that was just one of the best ways to integrate actual bonding into the game. Or hell, do something new and interesting with the friendship stat now that they got of Return and Frustration
I was here last
Where is silver?
He stole one Pokémon as an inciting incident and then never did anything that affected anyone again. He got retconned into Giovanni’s kid. So what?
@@TheLudomancerb-but he has a character arc!!! That happens almost entirely off screen!!!! And is the same as like 90 different other character arcs in this franchise!!!!!! B-but the Karen quote!!!!
@@TheLudomancer he counted rivals, so where is silver?
@@zx_studios968 I counted the Kalos lads and Nemona because they were exceptions and represented deeper problems I could dig into. Silver is cool and edgy for the opening scenes and then nothing he does ever affects anyone ever again.
@@TheLudomancer oh, k
STOP GASSING UP TEAM PLASMA, THEY ARE LITERALLY SHOWN TO BE COMPLETE HYPOCRITES AN HOUR INTO THE DAMN GAME. Seriously, the game even acknowledges they are liars yet people still think they had a point.
You know they have genuine adherents in-game, right? Shown in BW2? and the existence of N? Even if they themselves act like brats, the question they pose about how Pokemon ownership looks from a purely mechanical lens is valid.
It’s not really their concept’s fault that these games have no way to show conflict beyond Pokémon Battles.
@ the very first thing we see them do is abuse a munna.
@ Yeah. I never said their conclusions were good. Just that the question they ask is important given how Pokémon’s mechanics look from the outside, and that thesis does a ton for them dramatically.
@@TheLudomancerthe issue I have is that in BW1 they're never shown as anything other than all evil and N is characterized as if he's borderline delusional and only believes what he does because Ghetsis manipulated N and abused so many pokemon around him that N started to believe it. They're played out as if they just invented a fake problem so Ghetsis could do his world domination plan and the problem itself basically never existed, and as if N's character arc is about him realizing he was blatantly wrong all along (until the ending sorta drops that last second because I'm pretty sure he still fully believes it after the ending, just more open to other opinions)
I know BW2 tried to show that they actually had a point and that Team Plasma had genuine believers but it's more of a retcon by now, and they're a lot less focused on than the infinitely less interesting new team plasma in BW2.
I get that they're an amazing concept and they theoretically address just how messed up the mechanic looks, but I think you (and specially most pokemon fans) really undersell how fucked the execution is and how little it actually addresses anything.
I mean until BW2 pulled up with the nigh instantly dropped plotpoint about "the PokeBall oppression" I'm pretty sure they never even talked about capturing pokemon. Like Ghetsis almost exclusively talks about wether it's moral to "own" them or if it's good for humans and pokemon to be together, nothing about the actual capture and potential brainwash part, and never really raises any actual points about it last time I checked (though I admittedly could be misremembering here).
If the answer is said to be completely obvious, and the question was brought up by characters who were blatantly evil and lying through their teeth, can we really give them any credit for raising a theoretically interesting question?
When it comes to the pokemon villains there all ok none of them stands out to me
We all know Team Rocket is the greatest villain team of all time