Little things you like about Pokémon

Max. Optimizer

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The icing on the cake, though, was this Key Item of which I don't know the English name (Lecteur GB in French, if that helps anyone). I can't even remember how I got it, but I remember reading the description saying that it would bring back the sounds of a lost era or something, and activated it, thinking "sounds good to me!".

The wave of sheer nostalgia that hit me almost made me cry.
I'll always remember the day I could travel through Johto with the sounds of the original GB game, and its awesomeness. I really hope they bring this back for any Sinnoh remake, I wanna hear Route 209 all over again on my 3DS.
The item is called "GB Sounds" in the English version of HGSS.

Also yes, I couldn't possibly agree more with you on that topic, it was definitely one of the best features that these remakes had to offer.
It'd be definitely nice to have that same feature that allows you to switch between the new and the old versions of your favorite soundtracks in future remakes as well.
I mean, the main reason as to why we are literally begging for remakes of old Pokémon games is because we want to revisit our fond childhood memories and wallow a bit in nostalgia, right?
I often catch myself reading YouTube comments under Pokémon soundtrack videos and the vast majority of the users praises the nostalgia it makes them feel.
In my opinion this is not just because they're nicely composed, but I think that I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we tend to associate special moments and achievements we experienced in the games when we first played them.

Music is after all something that goes from your ears straight to your heart as they say.
 
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Pikachu315111

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Welp, Pokemon Japan's Youtube channel just released a new music video, this time for Magnemite: Where Is Coil? Here Is Coil!*
BTW, turning on closed caption will give you a translation of the song, neat!

I'm guessing a Magnemite app game up next?

*Coil is Magnemite's name in Japan. Thinking about it, I have no idea why.
 
Did the official Japanese media just acknowledge a localized English name of a Pokémon? One that has a dub name change on top of that? That seems quite new. Golly!
 
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Pikachu315111

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So what's Coil (the move) called, then?
The Japanese name for the move "Coil" is "Coil Up". However there is no confusion between the two because Magnemite's Japanese name is the transliteration of the English word coil (コイル which roughly translates into English as "Koiru") while Coil's Japanese name is how someone in Japan would describe a snake coiling up (とぐろをまく which roughly translates into English as "Toguro o Maku").

EDIT: Shedinja'd

Most likely named after electromagnetic coils.
Right, probably should of checked Bulbapedia before saying that.

Did the official Japanese media just acknowledge a localized English name of a Pokémon? One that has a dub name change on top of that? That seems quite new.
Huh, that is interesting. When I first saw the closed captioning I didn't think of it, but now that you mentioned it I checked back and this is the first video on the Japanese Youtube which does this. Very strange, I'm wondering what brought on this decision and would it now be a permanent feature or at least for any songs?

As for who did the localization, don't know. Not only did it mention the localized name change but also the lyrics are grammatically correct (true, their simple lyrics, but there is some sentence structure in the lyrics and English and Japanese have different sentence structures). I could think of only two reasons why:

1. Either the Japanese Pokemon Company or Pokemon USA realized people from other countries were watching the Japanese music videos so got the lyrics translated for better enjoyment of those who do so and maybe to draw in more views.
2. Either the Japanese Pokemon Company or Pokemon USA decided if they ever dub the song it would be handy to have the lyrics translated so they don't have to bother with that process. If I'm correct that this is promotion preperation for a Magnemite app game this could likely be the case.
 

Pikachu315111

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I can't believe this is worse than the magikarp song. And that song is bad enough...

It would be cute if the voice wasn't like a horrible toddler robot ;)

I know it's free to listen to, but I deserve a refund.
It's as if the Pokemon franchise is aimed at kids. :P

I personally find this all kind of funny. Waste of time? Sure, but as an onlooker doesn't take any time away from me. And hey, at least this shows they're doing something than just pushing out merchandise.
 

Pikachu315111

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While not Pokemon-related, this is Game Freak related. Ever wonder why every so often Game Freak would suddenly release a non-Pokemon game? Well it's to give their developers a chance to make their own game (among other reasons). Called "Project Gear", it's open to any GF employee. They'll pitch a game idea to the higher-ups, if they like it they'll green light a creation of a prototype ON COMPANY TIME, and after a few months its decided whether to create a full game or cut it at the prototype. Of course Project Gear is scheduled so it doesn't conflict when it comes time to make the next main Pokemon game. It's to help let the developers unwind after spending months if not years working on a Pokemon title as well as keep creativity flowing. Project Gear is the reason for games like Harmoknight, Tembo the Badass Elephant, Pocket Jockey, and the recent Giga Wrecker.

Considering how many big name publishers and developers are reluctant to do this, it's encouraging to hear how Game Freak not only lets their employees submit a game pitch but actively encourage it and let them use company time and resources to just create a prototype let alone the full game. :)
 
While not Pokemon-related, this is Game Freak related. Ever wonder why every so often Game Freak would suddenly release a non-Pokemon game? Well it's to give their developers a chance to make their own game (among other reasons). Called "Project Gear", it's open to any GF employee. They'll pitch a game idea to the higher-ups, if they like it they'll green light a creation of a prototype ON COMPANY TIME, and after a few months its decided whether to create a full game or cut it at the prototype. Of course Project Gear is scheduled so it doesn't conflict when it comes time to make the next main Pokemon game. It's to help let the developers unwind after spending months if not years working on a Pokemon title as well as keep creativity flowing. Project Gear is the reason for games like Harmoknight, Tembo the Badass Elephant, Pocket Jockey, and the recent Giga Wrecker.

Considering how many big name publishers and developers are reluctant to do this, it's encouraging to hear how Game Freak not only lets their employees submit a game pitch but actively encourage it and let them use company time and resources to just create a prototype let alone the full game. :)
It's a pretty nice development policy. (Now I wanna work at Game Freak)

IIRC Valve had a rather similar way to work at first (dunno now)
 
It's interesting how some of Game Freak's platform games aren't even available on Nintendo systems. If I recall correctly, Giga Wrecker was a PC game, and Tembo landed on PlayStation 3 or 4. If it weren't for its exclusivity, would Pokémon be more self-contained than it is now? The franchise refuses to cross over with other Nintendo franchises, such as Mario Kart 7 including Link, Inklings, and Animal Crossing characters, but not Pikachu or any other Pokémon. Smash doesn't really count, and most crossover games are just the gameplay with Pokémon slapped onto them, such as Mystery Dungeon, Pokken Tournament, Conquest, and even GO.
 
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Pikachu315111

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One cute thing I noticed in the pictures is that in the first one (after the header image) there's a cabinet full of Pokemon stuff. Top shelf has plush and figurines and middle shelf has the main series Pokemon games placed chronologically in order (though looks like they ran out out of room as it stops at BW2 and I don't see enough space for XY or SM) with also figurines of Pokemon from that gen (including those special figurines they gave out as pre-order bonuses). But then you look at the bottom shelf and though it's hard to tell what's being dispayed, there's something which is recognizable: A Jill plus from Drill Dozer. So it can be assumed that bottom shelf probably either has GF's other older games they made or those could also be prints of the magazines that GF made when it first was created. Shows even though they're now mostly known for Pokemon they do care where they came from and about the other games they made.

And not to mention all the Pokemon plushies that are around. We mostly saw Pikachu and the Substitute Doll but I can only imagine how many more there are lying around.

It's interesting how some of Game Freak's platform games aren't even available on Nintendo systems. If I recall correctly, Giga Wrecker was a PC game, and Tembo landed on PlayStation 3 or 4. If it weren't for its exclusivity, would Pokémon be more self-contained than it is now? The franchise refuses to cross over with other Nintendo franchises, such as Mario Kart 7 including Link, Inklings, and Animal Crossing characters, but not Pikachu or any other Pokémon. Smash doesn't really count, and most crossover games are just the gameplay with Pokémon slapped onto them, such as Mystery Dungeon, Pokken Tournament, Conquest, and even GO.
Hm, I don't know, that feels more of Nintendo's choice than GF's. Aside from Smash Bros, Nintendo stance on Pokemon seems to be that its the red-headed child of the family. In addition to the Mario Kart 8 exclusion, Animal Crossing has items based on many of Nintendo's popular franchises... except Pokemon. Mario Maker is a strange case too. By using the Amiibo you can have other game characters be "playable" in Mario Maker and they all come with a special sound effect relating to their franchise/game. And while Pokemon does have characters, the odd thing about them is that they don't have a special sound effect to them.

Now I have no idea what's the business side of things is like. Like does Nintendo need to pay GF (or rather, the Pokemon Company) to use Pokemon content? I wouldn't think so, they own 1/3rd of the Pokemon Company. Do they have to first submit an idea to be approved of from GF and the Pokemon Company in order to go ahead of using any Pokemon content? While I can see that slowing down the process of them including them in some things, I don't see why GF or the Pokemon Company wouldn't let them add in Pokemon content into Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, or give them sound effects for the Pokemon characters. To me, it always felt maybe Nintendo is jealous of Pokemon's success & popularity, a franchise made for their consoles yet they don't own full rights to it. You mention Mystery Dungeon, Pokken Tournament, Conquest, and GO, games which feel like Nintendo had very little say in the creation of aside from letting them make it for their consoles. The Pokemon Company were the ones who approached Bandai Namco, Tecmo Koei, and Niantic to develop Pokken, Conquest, and Go.

If Pokemon wasn't tied down my exclusivity, I'd actually think they'd be more out there than contained. When Nintendo finally relented on making Nintendo games or mobile devices Pokemon was one of the first to jump on board. And as pointed out, GF has made other games for other consoles and PC (which for a second party developer, while not unheard of, I would say is rare especially nowadays when publishers are more tight gripped on their developers).
 

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Can we take a moment to recognize that the pokemon animations are amazing? I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about the shift to 3D models, but before you judge you have to see all the animations for these guys, not just the "standby" pokedex pose.
This is more or less the same that happened back in Gen III/IV. Before then, Pokémon had to be designed to look nice in monochrome on a low-res screen. That means few details, a simple colour scheme, and very static poses. Even in Gen II, each Pokémon sprite could only have two colours besides black and white, and the Pokémon were designed accordingly. When the GBA, was able to display more colours at once, we got more colourful Pokémon designs. Dustox and Beautifly, for instance, proudly display their multi-colour pallettes early in RSE. Then came the high-resolution DS sprites, allowing Pokémon to have complex patterns that would have been impossible to render on a Game Boy. The art style of the franchise changed because it was no longer restricted by the technical limitations of the hardware.

And now, we have hardware capable of complex animation. That means that new Pokémon may be designed to look good in motion, Buzzwole probably being the prime example for now. For too long, even through Gen VI, Pokémon had to stay relatively still or only perform simple movements (see Spoink, for instance). I think that any new Gen VII formes, and eventually new Gen VIII designs, will be designed from the ground up with dynamic movement in mind. Let's just hope they will update the old models too, to let them move around a litttle.
 

Max. Optimizer

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Can we take a moment to recognize that the pokemon animations are amazing? I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about the shift to 3D models, but before you judge you have to see all the animations for these guys, not just the "standby" pokedex pose.
I'd like to welcome the opportunity to point out that this improvement can be subdivided into two categories:

While it's undeniably true that the visuals and animations are by now elaborate, smooth and aesthetically pleasing as never before on one hand, I'd also like to place great emphasis on how this has affected the way we perceive Pokémon in terms of their unique personal traits that strongly resemble human ones on the other hand. In my opinion it's a great way of illustrating how Pokémon are in no way mere "brainless, characterless and emotionless" creatures whose only point in life, according to critics and animal activists back in the day, consists of pulling off victories for their trainers in "cock fight"-like battles.

You know how they say that people tend to choose a dog (or a pet in general for that matter) that fits their appearance and character?
Well, I guess that this applies to the world of Pokémon as well to great extent:

Remember that guy that always looks funny at you at the gym when he's not busy taking selfies to prove to the world that hard work pays off? Yeah?
Well now just picture the exact same scenario in your head except with a Buzzwole or a Machamp. See what I mean?

Trainers and their Pokémon can be soul mates by now and share a vast spectrum of character traits and their bonds are stronger than ever as further evidenced by the in-battle effects that depend on your Pokémon's frienship level for example.
 
I was walking at night in Hauoli (actually hatching something) and I see the moon's phase is actually accurate to the real life. It is gibbous in real life and it shows exactly that in Hauoli's sky. It also had shown full moon and crescent moon. That's missable or unnoticeable yet spot on detail there.
 
Hoothoot sleeping in Pokémon GSC or HGSS, when you headbutt trees while it's daytime. The first time i saw that, my mind was blown. I never thought GameFreak would pay so much attention to detail.

I already made a thread about this, but Voltorb's design. Here is the link to the thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/voltorbs-design-is-genius.3606756
If you're too lazy to read it, basically, there are monsters in RPGs called Mimics. They are chests with eyes. In Pokémon, you find items in Pokéballs. In RPGs, you find items in chests. In the Power Plant, there are a bunch of fake Pokéballs who are disguised as Voltorbs, and make you fight a lvl30 [iirc] Voltorb if you interact with them. Voltorb are basically the Mimics of Pokémon. MIND. BLOWN.
 
I already made a thread about this, but Voltorb's design. Here is the link to the thread: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/voltorbs-design-is-genius.3606756
If you're too lazy to read it, basically, there are monsters in RPGs called Mimics. They are chests with eyes. In Pokémon, you find items in Pokéballs. In RPGs, you find items in chests. In the Power Plant, there are a bunch of fake Pokéballs who are disguised as Voltorbs, and make you fight a lvl30 [iirc] Voltorb if you interact with them. Voltorb are basically the Mimics of Pokémon. MIND. BLOWN.
I personally prefer the one Super Mystery Dungeon does - Ditto spawns as an item. If you step on what seems to be an item, Ditto suddenly Transforms. And, by the way, Transform confuses everyone else in the room in that game. Arceus forbid if you encounter a Ditto in Reversal Mountain while you have a Mawile with the Awakening emera.

On that matter, Super Mystery Dungeon has some really interesting spawn mechanics.

For example, if you KO a Nincada, after some turns, a Shedinja spawns where it was KOed. Furthermore, enemy Pokemon consider Shedinja as another enemy, trying to KO it to exploit the "enemy evolves after KOing" mechanic.
 
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cityscapes

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i have officially figured it out

z crystals weren't created to breathe new life into bad mons, they were created to breathe new life into bad moves

"man no one uses porygon z for its conversion gimmick! let's give it a boost that way conversion is actually worth the turn it takes to use"
"salamence is a menacing dragon! its best flying move, fly, is exploitable pretty easily though because you can just switch out so no one uses it. wait... here's an idea!"
"now with weather abilities released, no one is using the moves to summon weather anymore... let's fix that!"

that's honestly pretty cool
 
i have officially figured it out

z crystals weren't created to breathe new life into bad mons, they were created to breathe new life into bad moves

"man no one uses porygon z for its conversion gimmick! let's give it a boost that way conversion is actually worth the turn it takes to use"
"salamence is a menacing dragon! its best flying move, fly, is exploitable pretty easily though because you can just switch out so no one uses it. wait... here's an idea!"
"now with weather abilities released, no one is using the moves to summon weather anymore... let's fix that!"

that's honestly pretty cool
Well, Kukui's a professor of moves, after all...

Not the first time we've seen this. Elm's a professor of breeding in the generation that mechanic was first introduced; Rowan's a professor of evolution in the generation several older mons got new ones. Birch specializes in Pokemon habitats when Gen III introduced the modern National Dex (old mons becoming available in the new region at some late-game/postgame point), Sycamore specializes in Mega Evolution when that was all the rage, and Juniper...I actually don't know Gen V that well, so I won't speak on that. But you get the idea.
 
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Well, Kukui's a professor of moves, after all...

Not the first time we've seen this. Elm's a professor of breeding in the generation that mechanic was first introduced; Rowan's a professor of evolution in the generation several older mons got new ones. Birch specializes in Pokemon habitats when Gen III introduced the modern National Dex (old mons becoming available in the new region at some late-game/postgame point), Sycamore specialized in Mega Evolution when that was all the rage, and Juniper...I actually don't know Gen V that well, so I won't speak on that. But you get the idea.
Gen V didn't introduce anything significant so Juniper is the Professor of whatever-comes-up.

That being said, it's a pattern I didn't notice until now...
 

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