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Sinnoh Confirmed! Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are Coming to the Switch


Shanty Pete's 1st Mate
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There isn't much more to say. As revealed in the "Pokemon Presents" video earlier today, Diamond and Pearl remakes are coming! Under the titles "Brilliant Diamond" and "Shining Pearl", they are expected to be released late in 2021 - although, no release date has been made official. Here's the trailer, for those not yet in-the-know.

So, what do we think about what's been revealed? Are the chibis charming, or stomach-churning? Does this look like what you were hoping for out of a Sinnoh remake, or does this one miss the mark? What do you hope they change, and keep the same, this time around? And will you be buying this game, or passing on it? I'd love to hear everyone's feedback!

And yes - I recognize a topic already exists speculating on potential Gen IV remakes. But as those remakes have moved from the realm of "potential" into "announced", I believe another thread is warranted.

Edited by Shanty Pete's 1st Mate
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Funny enough, I was thinking of making a thread for this before noticing that people were posting about the remakes on the other thread.

I'll just quote what I said on that thread:

Quote

Okay, so they've announced the remakes. Quick likes and dislikes before I get into speculation:

I like that the remakes are being outsourced; Gamefreak has demonstrated that they do not have the manpower to do two games at once, and this enables them to focus on Legends: Arceus.

I'm not sure about the art style. I don't think it looks bad; it actually looks like it could be neat. I just don't think it fits; the Sinnoh region was based on the island of Hokkaido, so it was designed as a cool, northern region (compared to the first three games) with an atmosphere of rich history and myth. I'm just not sure if this bright chibi art style fits that. I do think you can have a chibi art style that fits the region's climate and atmosphere, but I'm not sure if this one does. 

Now, onto speculation:

I wonder how they'll handle the stuff that used the DS pen without, well, the DS pen. How will making those treats for your Pokémon work? How will the radar for the underground work?

I wonder if they'll do anything to fix walking through deep snow. I understand using deep snow as an obstacle for traversal, but it wasn't a challenge; it was just an annoyance. I hope they'll add a snowshoes item to make traversing through the snow easier.

 

41 minutes ago, Zanarkin said:

kinda wished they had gone for a platinum remake. But hopefully they keep all the improvements and features of Platinum... I'll be very sad if we don't get the full Battle frontier at the very least. Also, I hope we get to go into Giratina's dimension as well. It would kinda suck if we don't 😕

Yeah; I was hoping for a Platinum remake as well. I really liked going into the Distortion World as well, and I liked how the champion Cynthia was heavily involved in the plot without taking away the protagonist's involvement. I don't remember the Battle Frontier; I don't think I played much of it, but I agree that it would be good to see these features return. 

 

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3 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I wonder if they'll do anything to fix walking through deep snow. I understand using deep snow as an obstacle for traversal, but it wasn't a challenge; it was just an annoyance. I hope they'll add a snowshoes item to make traversing through the snow easier.

Infernape's Paw: Granted! There's now an HM09, "Snowshovel", that lets you move through snow more quickly. It's a physical Ice-type move with 40 BP that like 20 Pokemon in the Sinnoh Dex can learn. Also the snow is too heavy, you can no longer walk through it without this HM.

5 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I'm not sure about the art style. I don't think it looks bad; it actually looks like it could be neat. I just don't think it fits; the Sinnoh region was based on the island of Hokkaido, so it was designed as a cool, northern region (compared to the first three games) with an atmosphere of rich history and myth. I'm just not sure if this bright chibi art style fits that. I do think you can have a chibi art style that fits the region's climate and atmosphere, but I'm not sure if this one does. 

Never really thought about it this way. I do remember comments wondering about whether we'll be able to take Chibi Cyrus' evil plots seriously. I personally like the style - I was more of a fan of the Gen VI overworld models than those in Gen VII, for instance. That said, I hope there's at least some degree of character customization - ORAS didn't have it, but Let's Go did to a limited degree, so I could see this going either way.

8 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I wonder how they'll handle the stuff that used the DS pen without, well, the DS pen. How will making those treats for your Pokémon work? How will the radar for the underground work?

Damn, the Wii U would've been perfect for this. I'm not totally sure - we saw the clowns in Jubilife in the trailer, so I'd imagine the Poketch is coming back. Maybe it can be controlled in a separate menu that pops up? That said, there'd be some loss of convenience. As for Poffins... wow, hardly remember how they're made (swirling a mixture in a pot, right?). They could move to a system more like how Pokeblocks were made in Gen III, with timed button presses. Or it's still a spiral motion, except now it's about rotating the joystick itself.

11 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Yeah; I was hoping for a Platinum remake as well. I really liked going into the Distortion World as well, and I liked how the champion Cynthia was heavily involved in the plot without taking away the protagonist's involvement. I don't remember the Battle Frontier; I don't think I played much of it, but I agree that it would be good to see these features return. 

Somehow I've never beaten Platinum. The one big reform from Platinum I'm seeking is the expanded Dex - 150 was too small, but 210 felt just right. Battle Frontier would be awesome, but since ORAS neglected to bring Emerald's back, that one is a stretch. I don't imagine much of the plot from Platinum to return, but we'll see!

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5 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Infernape's Paw: Granted! There's now an HM09, "Snowshovel", that lets you move through snow more quickly. It's a physical Ice-type move with 40 BP that like 20 Pokemon in the Sinnoh Dex can learn. Also the snow is too heavy, you can no longer walk through it without this HM.

Never really thought about it this way. I do remember comments wondering about whether we'll be able to take Chibi Cyrus' evil plots seriously. I personally like the style - I was more of a fan of the Gen VI overworld models than those in Gen VII, for instance. That said, I hope there's at least some degree of character customization - ORAS didn't have it, but Let's Go did to a limited degree, so I could see this going either way.

Damn, the Wii U would've been perfect for this. I'm not totally sure - we saw the clowns in Jubilife in the trailer, so I'd imagine the Poketch is coming back. Maybe it can be controlled in a separate menu that pops up? That said, there'd be some loss of convenience. As for Poffins... wow, hardly remember how they're made (swirling a mixture in a pot, right?). They could move to a system more like how Pokeblocks were made in Gen III, with timed button presses. Or it's still a spiral motion, except now it's about rotating the joystick itself.

Somehow I've never beaten Platinum. The one big reform from Platinum I'm seeking is the expanded Dex - 150 was too small, but 210 felt just right. Battle Frontier would be awesome, but since ORAS neglected to bring Emerald's back, that one is a stretch. I don't imagine much of the plot from Platinum to return, but we'll see!

1. I really hope it's not an HM; that would be really annoying. Speaking of which, they said this would be a faithful remake, but I wonder how they will handle HM moves. Then again, if they get rid of HM moves, what'll happen to Bidoof?!

2. Huh; I hadn't thought about chibi Cyrus. In terms of characters, my concern was the rival. The gen 4 rival was easily my favourite of them because there was just so much character to him: he was friendly, sure, but he was also eager, hot-blooded, hyperactive, hasty, and extremely energetic, and the game got his character across in very creative ways; I will likely not forget how fast and in-your-face he was at every moment in the beginning of the game; always rushing on-screen and out-of-screen. They made the character's movement in a 2D sprite game convey the character. With the chibi art style, he looks largely like his artwork, but I just don't see that haste and energy. I mean; he still moves energetically, but does he look like someone hasty and energetic to you? To me, he looks more like a late-gen generic "friendly" rival: just... happy-go-lucky. 

3. Yeah; the Wii U would've been good for remakes of the DS Pokémon games. Yeah; you made poffins by swirling the mixture in a pot. 

4. Oh, yes; they definitely should use Platinum's dex. A Fire-Type member of the Elite Four should have more than 2 fire-type Pokémon!

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Unova when

I'm actually kinda excited for these! I do also like the art style since it reminds me of the Link's Awakening remake, which is a game that I've come to adore. I'm not completely sold on the DP remakes just yet, though. I'd like to get more information on mechanics of the game before buying it (will it have the Let's Go style of catching Pokémon like rumors have speculated, will it have Megas or Gigantamax, will it have Platinum's improvements, etc.), but it looks pretty decent so far.

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I was beside myself when I learned last night that they'd announced BDSP a mere two weeks after I put up the DPR speculation topic. But really, I think we all knew these were gonna happen sooner or later. We can probably expect Gen V to be remade in a few years, too.

As for the SD field style: I'm not sure how to feel about it. It looks kinda cute, but feels really weird after the last few generations made the field models the same as the battle models. I can understand if they wanted the remakes to feel faithful to the originals and thus went for chibi overworld style, but I don't think that's what most fans wanted DP remakes to look like, I think fans were hoping for something closer to Gens 6-8.

Edited by Lord_Brand
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I can still remember going to GameStop early in the morning on release day to pick up Diamond as soon as the store opened. Damn.

As for the art style, it doesn't surprise me that a lot of people don't like it, but it doesn't bother me for the most part. Looks better than SwSh at least.

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7 hours ago, omegaxis1 said:

So far, it looks like a port. Might get it if it has something new.

It's at least a remaster. "Port" suggests no significant graphical updates, but seeing Pokemon in battle, they're so far removed from the sprites of Gen IV.

5 hours ago, indigoasis said:

Unova when

I'm actually kinda excited for these! I do also like the art style since it reminds me of the Link's Awakening remake, which is a game that I've come to adore. I'm not completely sold on the DP remakes just yet, though. I'd like to get more information on mechanics of the game before buying it (will it have the Let's Go style of catching Pokémon like rumors have speculated, will it have Megas or Gigantamax, will it have Platinum's improvements, etc.), but it looks pretty decent so far.

I'm honestly not sure! ORAS had Megas, so you might think it'd make sense for BDSP to have them too. At the same time, Megas were Gen VI's new mechanic - so, maybe this remake will have Gen VIII's new mechanic, in Dynamaxing. I wouldn't be surprised if, out of a perceived desire for fidelity to the originals, this game has neither.

Still, my number-one gameplay hope is, no mandatory EXP share. I don't think I'd buy the game if it does that.

10 minutes ago, Lord_Brand said:

I was beside myself when I learned last night that they'd announced BDSP a mere two weeks after I put up the DPR speculation topic. But really, I think we all knew these were gonna happen sooner or later. We can probably expect Gen V to be remade in a few years, too.

As for the SD field style: I'm not sure how to feel about it. It looks kinda cute, but feels really weird after the last few generations made the field models the same as the battle models. I can understand if they wanted the remakes to feel faithful to the originals and thus went for chibi overworld style, but I don't think that's what most fans wanted DP remakes to look like, I think fans were hoping for something closer to Gens 6-8.

It is disappointing that they didn't add in Trainer customization like ORAS did, fans would have loved decking Dawn out in various outfits including her ultra-cute Platinum coat and scarf.

Thank you, Lord Brand, for helping bring this into the world.

Anyway, it's tricky - different fans will often want different stuff. I was generally a fan of how the remakes reimagined certain ares - Tin/Bell Tower in HGSS, for instance, or Mauville City in ORAS. So far, these games look a touch more conservative in world-design than I would hope for.

This might be poor parsing on my end, but for the record - ORAS didn't have trainer customization. And I don't necessarily expect it in these games. Although, Let's Go did limited customization (tops, bottoms, full outfits), which I could jive with. And I envision there'd be a skin color option - it seems like such a simple thing to do.

5 minutes ago, Florete said:

I can still remember going to GameStop early in the morning on release day to pick up Diamond as soon as the store opened. Damn.

As for the art style, it doesn't surprise me that a lot of people don't like it, but it doesn't bother me for the most part. Looks better than SwSh at least.

I generally like the art style! Although, it looks like they're using the same in-battle models as Sword & Shield. Which makes sense, but one thing I haven't liked about Gen VI and onward is the models are... super boring. Like, they're way less expressive, in terms of taking or dealing damage, than what the Gamecube games delivered. "Legends: Arceus" looks better on this front, but I don't see a "mainline" game addressing this until Gen IX, at the earliest.

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5 hours ago, indigoasis said:

Unova when

I'm actually kinda excited for these! I do also like the art style since it reminds me of the Link's Awakening remake, which is a game that I've come to adore. I'm not completely sold on the DP remakes just yet, though. I'd like to get more information on mechanics of the game before buying it (will it have the Let's Go style of catching Pokémon like rumors have speculated, will it have Megas or Gigantamax, will it have Platinum's improvements, etc.), but it looks pretty decent so far.

There's at least one hint that it'll take cues from Platinum:

 

 

Hopefully they'll take other cues from Platinum such as the expanded Sinnohdex so that most of the crossgen evos are available in-game, Gym leaders and Elite Four members aren't strapped for options, and you aren't stuck with only two Fire-types. Maybe on that front we can get some Sinnoh regional variants for 'mons to liven up the dex?

As silly as the chibis might look in 3D at least the battle models have proper proportions.

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13 minutes ago, X-Naut said:

There's at least one hint that it'll take cues from Platinum:

Hopefully they'll take other cues from Platinum such as the expanded Sinnohdex so that most of the crossgen evos are available in-game, Gym leaders and Elite Four members aren't strapped for options, and you aren't stuck with only two Fire-types. Maybe on that front we can get some Sinnoh regional variants for 'mons to liven up the dex?

As silly as the chibis might look in 3D at least the battle models have proper proportions.

The Platinum Sinnoh-dex would be good. Sinnoh Regional Variants would also be cool, though I'm not sure which Pokémon would make the most sense. I know that the region is based on the island of Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan), but I know nothing about Hokkaido, so if someone knows anything about Hokkaido, do you have any idea what would be a fitting regional variant?

True; the battle models have proper proportions. Though is it just me, or does the battle animations for Barry in the trailer not convey his personality at all? The original had people pose rather than animate because it was sprites, but his pose clearly conveyed his personality: he's hasty, hyperactive, and full of energy. Since the remake is using 3D models, one would expect them to show his personality with facial expression and animation. But, instead, he just has a generic happy smile and doesn't do any unique animations; he's like every late-gen friendly rival in how he's animated.

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Personally I am super excited for the remakes. Ngl, a lot of it is nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses, but gen 4 is my baby and Diamond was my first pokemon game so this is certainly swaying my opinion to the very positive side. It also helps that I've been burned out since gen 6 and haven't touched a pokemon game since sun/moon so having a pretty much direct port of some of my favourite games ever is also very exciting for me. I also love the chibi/Link's Awakening remake esque style of the overworld. It's very cute imo.

My main wishes for me is that it uses Platinum as a base for the pokedex. If my only options for fire types are Infernape or Rapidash again, I might crack. Also I hope they manage to fit in the distortian world somehow and all the events like Shaymin, Darkrai and maybe finally have the Arceus event happen. Thankfully this seems to be the case based on the Gracidea flower girl being in Floroma Town and Porygon-Z being there.

Also I do hope they improve the in battle graphics too. Graphically, the trainers in battle sprites are my biggest gripe. They just look weird to me so I do hope they improve them a bit.

Would also be happy to see mega evolution make a return, but I'm not holding my breath.

But yeah overall, super happy and content with what we are getting. As a Sinnoh fan, I am eating well with these and Legends. Haven't been this excited in pokemon since pre-X/Y.

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5 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

This might be poor parsing on my end, but for the record - ORAS didn't have trainer customization. And I don't necessarily expect it in these games. Although, Let's Go did limited customization (tops, bottoms, full outfits), which I could jive with. And I envision there'd be a skin color option - it seems like such a simple thing to do.

Really? Huh. Coulda sworn they did. Ah well. They should really make trainer customization a staple of the series.

3 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

Sinnoh Regional Variants would also be cool, though I'm not sure which Pokémon would make the most sense. I know that the region is based on the island of Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan), but I know nothing about Hokkaido, so if someone knows anything about Hokkaido, do you have any idea what would be a fitting regional variant?

How about some that are Fire-type? :v I got a few suggestions:

  • Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam - Psychic/Fire (Pyrokinetics)
  • Geodude, Graveler, and Golem - Rock/Fire (Lava rocks)
  • Machop, Machoke, and Machamp - Fighting/Fire (fiery superheroes?)
  • Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar - Ghost/Fire (Fiery ghosts)

But if I had to choose just one of these, it would probably be the Abra family, as I like the idea of them getting a variant themed on pyrokinesis.

Edited by Lord_Brand
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23 minutes ago, Lord_Brand said:

How about some that are Fire-type? :v I got a few suggestions:

  • Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam - Psychic/Fire (Pyrokinetics)
  • Geodude, Graveler, and Golem - Rock/Fire (Lava rocks)
  • Machop, Machoke, and Machamp - Fighting/Fire (fiery superheroes?)
  • Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar - Ghost/Fire (Fiery ghosts)

But if I had to choose just one of these, it would probably be the Abra family, as I like the idea of them getting a variant themed on pyrokinesis.

Interesting. Question though: what do these regional variants have to do with Hokkaido? The Sinnoh region, being based on Hokkaido, was designed to be a cold, northern region when compared to the first three regions. 

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4 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

The Platinum Sinnoh-dex would be good. Sinnoh Regional Variants would also be cool, though I'm not sure which Pokémon would make the most sense. I know that the region is based on the island of Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan), but I know nothing about Hokkaido, so if someone knows anything about Hokkaido, do you have any idea what would be a fitting regional variant?

Maybe the Yezo Sika Deer as a basis for a "Sinnohese Stantler"? Add some spots, have the "hypnosis orbs" in its antlers be floating rocks, and make it a Rock/Psychic type. Get rid of Jump Kick and most Normal-type attacks, but add in Rock Tomb, Rock Slide, and Horn Leech.

EDIT: Maybe this Mon, or another, could get some Ainu flair? They're the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and it would be awesome to see aspects of their culture be represented. 

Edited by Shanty Pete's 1st Mate
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1 minute ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Maybe the Yezo Sika Deer as a basis for a "Sinnohese Stantler"? Add some spots, have the "hypnosis orbs" in its antlers be floating rocks, and make it a Rock/Psychic type. Get rid of Jump Kick and most Normal-type attacks, but add in Rock Tomb, Rock Slide, and Horn Leech.

That could certainly work. For another possible regional variant, Hokkaido is apparently also home to three populations of the Ussuri Brown Bear, with more brown bears on the island than anywhere else in Asia besides Russia, so perhaps a regional variant of Ursaring? Admittedly, I'm getting all this from a quick read through Wikipedia.

Also, apparently the original settlers of Hokkaido were a group of people, that still exist today, called the Ainu. Perhaps some regional variants could relate to Ainu culture in a way that would be respectful.

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9 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

A little late, but what's wrong with Infernape? Isnt he technically good by D/P standards? 

I mean nothing wrong with infernape(he’s one of the best starters statistically for a reason) but I mean if you don’t pick chimchar, your only other option for a fire type in D/P is uh rapidash and uhhh yeah. Rapidash isn’t very good. Also Flint, the fire type elite four member, had only two fire types on his team in the original D/P and that’s kind of a problem.

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19 minutes ago, lightcosmo said:

A little late, but what's wrong with Infernape? Isnt he technically good by D/P standards? 

Being our second Fighting starter that was part Fire, it isn't that it's bad. It is just Fire is so rare in Sinnoh in D/P. 

If you don't understand the "Infernape's paw" line someone wrote earlier, it's a Pokeified version of the phrase "monkey's paw", a severed monkey's hand is consider a highly cursed object. Wishing upon a monkey paw's is like selling your soul to the devil, it will end badly.

 

17 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Also, apparently the original settlers of Hokkaido were a group of people, that still exist today, called the Ainu. Perhaps some regional variants could relate to Ainu culture in a way that would be respectful.

Keep in mind Japan didn't really consider Hokkaido a part of the country until after 1853 and Japan's opening to the modern West. There were cultural and political interactions prior to that, but it was more a wild frontier under peripheral control. To avoid becoming prey to Europe and America as China and other countries were in the Industrial Age, Japan needed to be strong, and to be strong, it needed an empire. Bring Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islands under direct control instead of longstanding indirect control, and conquering Korea were all necessary for Japan's survival -according to the Japanese imperialists, the natives living in those places might not have agreed with that.

Ryukyu Islanders and Ainu alike are marginalized indigenous peoples who remain affected by longstanding, if weakening in the modern day, racism against them. Perhaps to an extent like Native Americans in the US and Canada, although I have not studied in detail the Ainu nor Ryukyuans myself. 

Edited by Interdimensional Observer
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5 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Keep in mind Japan didn't really consider Hokkaido a part of the country until after 1853 and Japan's opening to the modern West. There were cultural and political interactions prior to that, but it was more a wild frontier under peripheral control. To avoid becoming prey to Europe and America as China and other countries were in the Industrial Age, Japan needed to be strong, and to be strong, it needed an empire. Assimilating Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islands, and conquering Korea were all necessary for Japan's survival -according to the Japanese imperialists, the natives living in those places might not have agreed with that.

Ryukyu Islanders and Ainu alike are marginalized indigenous peoples who remain affected by longstanding, if weakening in the modern day, racism against them. Perhaps to an extent like Native Americans in the US and Canada, although I have not studied in detail the Ainu nor Ryukyuans myself. 

I see; I honestly didn't know this. I don't know much about Japan's history; I'm much more knowledgeable in European History (and even then only for specific time periods). That would certainly explain why the Sinnoh region is shown as something of a wild frontier in the trailer for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

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29 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

I see; I honestly didn't know this. I don't know much about Japan's history; I'm much more knowledgeable in European History (and even then only for specific time periods). That would certainly explain why the Sinnoh region is shown as something of a wild frontier in the trailer for Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

For the Ryukyu Islands, which Okinawa of the famed World War II battle belongs to, during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868), the Ryukyu Islands were officially independent. This was because Japan wanted to trade with China, but the Ming & Qing governments hated Japan, not the least because of the Korea invasion under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and rampant Japanese wako piracy before Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu reunified the country. Some Chinese traders visited Nagisaki the lone Japanese port open to outsiders, but they were limited.

The southern Japanese island of Kyushu was invested almost entirely to the Shimazu clan, and the Shimazu were also tasked with keeping the Ryukyu Islands as the clan's vassal. The Shimazus got a lot of political prestige from this back in Tokyo, despite the Shimazu being officially a tozama (discriminated against by the Tokugawa government) feudal clan. The King of Ryukyu had to hide his Japanese advisors when the Chinese came to visit, because China thought the Ryukyu Islands were their vassal, but the Chinese were smart enough to tell something was up. Nonetheless, China didn't interfere with Japanese puppeteering and continued to trade with the islands, and thus the Japanese could buy Chinese goods from there. 

In the present day, the Ryukyu Islands are notably where the vast majority of United States military bases in Japan are located, far in excess of their percentage of the Japanese population. It's contentious, because even the best behaved armies creates problems for the local people.

But that is enough Japanese history! 😄

Edited by Interdimensional Observer
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25 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

If you don't understand the "Infernape's paw" line someone wrote earlier, it's a Pokeified version of the phrase "monkey's paw", a severed monkey's hand is consider a highly cursed object. Wishing upon a monkey paw's is like selling your soul to the devil, it will end badly.

Yeah you got me, I didn't mean "Infernape's Paw" as a slight against the Mon itself. Just a play-on words.

38 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

Also, apparently the original settlers of Hokkaido were a group of people, that still exist today, called the Ainu. Perhaps some regional variants could relate to Ainu culture in a way that would be respectful.

Seconding that! Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the Ainu to make any good suggestions. And I have to wonder if games made in Japan would be... hesitant... to provide a positive portrayal of a people that have historically suffered discrimination in their country.

31 minutes ago, Ottservia said:

I mean nothing wrong with infernape(he’s one of the best starters statistically for a reason) but I mean if you don’t pick chimchar, your only other option for a fire type in D/P is uh rapidash and uhhh yeah. Rapidash isn’t very good. Also Flint, the fire type elite four member, had only two fire types on his team in the original D/P and that’s kind of a problem.

I think Ponyta and Rapidash are better than they get credit for. Ponyta gets bizarrely high stats for a first-stage Mon, including 85 Attack and 90 Speed a respectable 65 Sp. Attack, and 50/55/65 wasn't too shabby defensively. Rapidash gains 15 in every stat, which isn't much, but it's coming from a good starting place. Speaking of Rapidash - in Gen IV, admittedly, its coverage was kind of narrow, with moves like Megahorn and Bounce. It's gotten some cool new options since then - stuff like Wild Charge, Drill Run, Low Kick, and Morning Sun for recovery. It's not that Rapidash is or was a bad Pokemon - just that being the only option for a certain type is kinda sucky and boring. Like, going back to Gen II games, the Gastly line is excellent - but it's a shame there aren't more Ghosts to pick from (Misdreavus may as well not exist for the main campaign).

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Just now, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Seconding that! Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the Ainu to make any good suggestions. And I have to wonder if games made in Japan would be... hesitant... to provide a positive portrayal of a people that have historically suffered discrimination in their country.

If only I knew how positive the Oina people in Okami are as an Ainu representation. They're the one case of the Ainu in video games that I can think of.

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3 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

Interesting. Question though: what do these regional variants have to do with Hokkaido? The Sinnoh region, being based on Hokkaido, was designed to be a cold, northern region when compared to the first three regions. 

What's an arctic fox got to do with Hawaii? Mostly it's just to give Sinnoh more Fire-types. That, and there's probably some manner of fiery ghost in Japanese mythology. Maybe the Sinnoan Gastly line are associated with lanterns?

Thinking about it, I'm now baffled Vulpix and Ninetales were left out of DP's regional pokedex, since the kitsune is such an iconic kami of Japanese folklore. If you ask me, Vulpix deserves to be one of the staple Pokemon alongside Pikachu.

Edited by Lord_Brand
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9 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

But that is enough Japanese history! 😄

Thanks for the info. Yeah; that's probably enough Japanese History. 

 

9 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Seconding that! Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the Ainu to make any good suggestions. And I have to wonder if games made in Japan would be... hesitant... to provide a positive portrayal of a people that have historically suffered discrimination in their country.

I think Ponyta and Rapidash are better than they get credit for. Ponyta gets bizarrely high stats for a first-stage Mon, including 85 Attack and 90 Speed a respectable 65 Sp. Attack, and 50/55/65 wasn't too shabby defensively. Rapidash gains 15 in every stat, which isn't much, but it's coming from a good starting place. Speaking of Rapidash - in Gen IV, admittedly, its coverage was kind of narrow, with moves like Megahorn and Bounce. It's gotten some cool new options since then - stuff like Wild Charge, Drill Run, Low Kick, and Morning Sun for recovery. It's not that Rapidash is or was a bad Pokemon - just that being the only option for a certain type is kinda sucky and boring.

I don't know enough either; after maybe two minutes of reading a Wikipedia article, all I really learned that I thought could work was a plucked string instrument called a Tonkori, and then I realized that the only Pokémon that could pull off resembling it, such as the Kricketot/Kricketune line, are Sinnoh Pokémon. 

Yeah; Rapidash isn't bad, especially for a story team, but it being the only option for a fire-type if you don't pick Infernape as your starter is not good. Since I pretty much always picked Torterra, my teams ended up never actually having a fire type simply because I didn't go out of my way to catch a ponyta.

 

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What's an arctic fox got to do with Hawaii? Mostly it's just to give Sinnoh more Fire-types. That, and there's probably some manner of fiery ghost in Japanese mythology. Maybe the Sinnoan Gastly line are associated with lanterns?

Thinking about it, I'm now baffled Vulpix and Ninetales were left out of DP's regional pokedex, since the kitsune is such an iconic kami of Japanese folklore. If you ask me, Vulpix deserves to be one of the staple Pokemon alongside Pikachu.

Oh, okay. I was just confused because you had quoted a part where I said, "So if someone knows anything about Hokkaido...", so I thought that your suggestions were referencing something about it.

Yeah, Vulpix and Ninetales would have been a good choice, especially since one thing they wanted to do with the region was place a greater emphasis on history and myth, so having what is essentially the Kitsune Pokémon would've been a good addition. I can't remember; was Vulpix/Ninetales in Platinum's regional Pokedex?

Edited by vanguard333
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