Saturday, January 22, 2011

My requests for Gray

First off, my brother-from-another-mother/heterosexual life partner Ryan has actually started blogging. Check him out here and let's all hope he updates more than I do. Everything about the bus is true, by the way.

Someone asked recently if a mid-tier Pokemon in the tier listing (specifically, Solosis/Yuniran) is worth using. I should clarify: Just because something was "Mid" in the tier list doesn't mean you shouldn't use it, and if I was adding Upper-Mid and Lower-Mid to the listing Yuniran would've been the former. Especially since it can do things Sigilyph/Shinbora can't (like use Electric moves and Psycho Shock before the endgame). And I might have to re-evaluate that list since it turns out Rankurusu/Reuniclus is going through a Smogon suspect process right now. We all know what that means.

Having taken a few weeks off to grind Dragon Quests before VI comes out (BUY IT, YOU FOOLS!), I've begun to consider the inevitable 3rd version, which will undoubtedly be called Pokemon Gray and feature Kyurem as its version mascot. But that wouldn't justify me spending $35 on the remake.

But these things would.
1) Move Tutors
Isn't this one of the most obvious things to include in the 3rd version, considering move tutors debuted in a 3rd version (Crystal) and have been in every one since? Well, yes. But in addition to the things that were tutorable in the GSC remakes (less String Shot and Outrage), here's what needs to be in the Tutor list for Gray:

- Everything in this post that isn't already on the list
- Air Slash (because it's now one of my favourite moves to use and would make the genies more usable)
- Hard Roller (provides a unique physical Bug option for Pokemon who can learn Rollout - imagine my shock when Golem could get this - and dicks over Minimize users)
- Mountain Storm (so I get the best of both worlds with Dageki)
- Any 4th gen TM that got replaced with something fiendishly lame (Roost, Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse just to name 3) EXCEPT Stealth Rock. Leave that one alone, for the love of Goddish.

2) A slightly expanded Unovadex
Now hang on, you say. Wasn't the point of the 5th gen to be a fresh start with no old Pokemon? Well, yes. But I'd like to go through this generation without another set of remakes - especially since I can still play my 3rd gen games on the same system I play Black and White on. So I'd like to see them add a few Pokemon into the main storyline that are:
a) Hoenn-dex Pokemon, and
b) Fill in types that aren't well represented in the Unovadex.

Mainly, I'd like to see the Swellow, Breloom, Absol, and Sharpedo families brought into the early game, and for the fishing rod to be available earlier so we can get our early Milotic. Special Water, physical Grass/Flying, and pure Dark in general are kinda difficult to use in this game (although Dark does have two Top-tier guys ingame, they're dual-typed). Of course, if they do that, they'll take the opportunity to bring back Pikachu... sad end.

3) The Ability Tutor
Yes, I know I've harped on this before. But it's not known if they're going to add 5th gen Pokemon to the Dream World before this game - if ever - and those guys got Dream World abilities for a reason. Maybe I just want a Shadow Tag Chandelure really badly, I dunno.

Stick it in the Battle Frontier if you must, but I want to be able to access those 3rd abilities without playing Farmville, and if it costs me BP that's a sacrifice I'd be OK with making.

4) Shiny mascots
Little known fact that might help online: Anyone who pulls out a shiny Reshiram, Zekrom or Victini is cheating.

There is no way to force a shiny encounter with either one of the mascots or Victini, as it will just re-roll if a shiny ID comes up. I don't know if this was a glitch or intentional but either way, we know Reshiram and Zekrom will both be catchable in the 3rd version. Let's hope we can get some sparkly action going this time, huh?

5) At least one of Victini, Kerudio, Melodia, or Genesect to have an ingame catch opportunity during the story
This is the one with the slimmest odds of happening - hell, Victini is the only one that even has a catch location in B/W, and it still requires an unlock from a wi-fi event. Still, each Pokemon listed has an ingame event (two move tutors and Genesct's cassettes at the P2 Lab), so maybe they can throw us a bone and give us a chance to catch a previously event-exclusive Pokemon ingame. At the very least, it would mark the first time a Pokemon was exclusive to the 3rd version.

6) The game is the final DS game published by Nintendo before they move full time to the 3DS, and the RS remakes are held until gen 6.
Every handheld generation has the big final game that's compatible with the old system before support gets dropped. The Game Boy had Pokemon Gold/Silver, the GBC had Shantae, the GBA had Pokemon Emerald and later, Final Fantasy VI Advance.

A 3rd version of the fastest selling Pokemon series in history would be a fine way for the series to depart the 2D generation while they prep the 3D gimmick for gen 6. To that end, there wouldn't be an opportunity to release the remakes until 2012 (Japan) or 2013 (US) by which time they need to have buried the original DS family.

And those dates happen to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Ruby and Sapphire's release.

But RS still doesn't have the pent-up demand for a remake that GSC did, and there aren't any massive, Red Gyarados namedropped in the opening hints of the RS remakes as far as we can tell. They need a couple of years to break away from the point where RS is playable easily before jumping in - and they can sate that demand with a 6th gen.

7) No Kanto
This should be self-explanatory.

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Your homework is to study this picture. This leaked out from the Official Nintendo Magazine, and Pokebeach confirmed it - that appears to be every English name for the 5th gen.

I'll update the tier list posts appropriately, and have comments shortly.

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