Pokemon as a Game Series: Growing or Failing?

[Musashi]

As far as I see it, this is how my rant on it goes.
The games started out a looong time ago. Cute graphics with a plot and tradition that would become legendary in its following years. Huge impact on people (namly children) everywhere. Its pokemon! The newest and hottest thing! You get to throw a ball at a cute and awesome looking creature and then train it and watch it grow and change omgftw!!!~~
Lol in other words it was "teh sheet"
Also it was the trend back then, if you look a digimon (which didnt fair as well as pokemon seeing as..its completely dead >_o)
The thing was to have kids, mostly in their early teens run around with cute looking animal like creatures that helped them and to co-exsist in harmony and all that animal rights tree hugging kinda pep talk you get in high school biology.
With the release of Gold, Silver, and Crystal..Things kind of stepped up a knotch. I can remember sitting on a couch next to my cousin, he had Gold, I had silver, and playing it for days nonstop, Im pretty sure we stopped sleeping, eating, breathing ect. Just to play the game lol.
In other words, Pokemon was still super awesome!
Then cames Ruby and Saphire. I will admit I didnt like it at first. I was still attached to all the other first 200 hundred pokemon lol..I wasn't ready for 100 more XD. Though, when I did play it, I admit that now it is my favorite Pokemon game so far, and from what I can see, sales havent gone down one bit with pokemon games, infact they went up I believe. Because you have die-hard fans, newcoming fans, and children that grew up watching the show that now want a game of it.
So all in and all it would make no sense for the sales to have dropped, and they didnt, and it clearly shows because they would have learned the lesson and not have made d/p.
I also think D/P is a smash hit as well, and im going to get mine sometime this century, hopefully.

The pokemon anime
Totally opposite story.
It started out as the uber coolness! It was awesome and everyone loved it because it followed the trend!
Next was Johto. Another awesome with ratings series! Everyone still loved pokemon, loved the characters, loved everything.
Ahem..The next generation was not so lucky..
I think what made the Ash/Brock/May series so horrible was May, Misty's replacement.
You had die-hard fans even outraged at the pokemon anime creators because they just replaced someone they've grown attached to for what, 8+ years!? I was enraged and vowed to never watch Pokemon again. Loved the games, and still played them until I passed out, but I never watched any of the Pokemon Series again. I was so attached to Misty and the idea of the fiery red-head, this soft-spoken wimpy girl with no backbone was not my idea of a misty, in all respect she was mistys OPPOSITE. thats not what the fans needed and to this day it still kind of baffles me.
The anime series died because of that mistake. Fans quit watching, no one liked it anymore, I heard kids in first-grade calling eachother gay because they watched pokemon, it was no longer "teh sheet".
Which is sad. But, I believe with the release of Sinnoh, and since its not May anymore, the hated Misty-replacement, Misty fans can come back because now its MAYS replacement! Yippie! No more Misty killer. Lol
Thats my take on it all anyways.
Also note, I love all the Pokemon characters! And only bashed them in the perspective of those fans that I was using at the moment! Like the die-hard misty fan's hate for May!

 

[Carrie_Slovak]

The games are still popular, though not as much so as the younger generations move on to more violent video games (I still love Pokemon, though, even though most of my games revolve around some form of violence). Still, it's an awesome RPG game series, and, though Pokemon fans get insulted for their...fan-ness...we still play because: "hey, we love our Pokemon games, and nothing you say will change that, so nyeh!"

That's the idea, anyways. I'm fifteen now and still a die-hard fan of Pokemon, though if people in my school were to find out they'd probably try to grill me about it (big mistake little people, big mistake; remember why you're scared of me in the first place, pickin's.) I believe the games are neither growing nor failing; they're as popular as they've always been.

The anime, however, sucks now. I refused to watch the Hoenn generation--not because of May--but because they took out Misty, and it just lacked something that can't be put into words. I don't hate May, I just really missed Misty. She added flair.

I didn't like Battle Frontier because of the new voices (what possessed you to scrap the old voices, you fools?!) so I hope the Sinnoh generation brings the anime back up to par. It will still never have anything on the games, though.

 

[PokemonMasterOles]

The games are still popular, though not as much so as the younger generations move on to more violent video games (I still love Pokemon, though, even though most of my games revolve around some form of violence). Still, it's an awesome RPG game series, and, though Pokemon fans get insulted for their...fan-ness...we still play because: "hey, we love our Pokemon games, and nothing you say will change that, so nyeh!"

That's the idea, anyways. I'm fifteen now and still a die-hard fan of Pokemon, though if people in my school were to find out they'd probably try to grill me about it (big mistake little people, big mistake; remember why you're scared of me in the first place, pickin's.) I believe the games are neither growing nor failing; they're as popular as they've always been.

The anime, however, sucks now. I refused to watch the Hoenn generation--not because of May--but because they took out Misty, and it just lacked something that can't be put into words. I don't hate May, I just really missed Misty. She added flair.

I didn't like Battle Frontier because of the new voices (what possessed you to scrap the old voices, you fools?!) so I hope the Sinnoh generation brings the anime back up to par. It will still never have anything on the games, though.

And just to put this out there even if it weren't to grow anymore everytime a little baby is born for the first 5 years of there lives or more theres a 95% chance they'll like pokemon

But yeah you have a point I see parents buy ing there 5 year olds halo and stuff I know im 12 but I thought i was young playing M games......

 

[Damion Lionheart]

Well, hmm, I say pokemon is defetly growing very much so on a tequnical(omfg how do you spell that) level. No one could disagree with that right? A lot of new stratigy in training with natures, ev's, the 1000 times easier way to get shineys(lol) and that special/physical split. Pokemon themselfs, are not realyl declining I say, but just go ina wave patern. Sometimes there awsome, sometimes there not so awsome. The origional 151 were defiently awsome, I mean there the origional. The gs were ok, a nice addition of bugs I have to say. Ecpecialy HARACROSS!
The ruby saphire series was another definet high, they were jsut about all very well done, ecpecialy the legendaires such as deoxy. Coo yet origional Now with diamond and pearl hmmm, there medium high. Not the best of them but there gems are realy great like eves very nice new evelutions or lucario who I think is basicly the definition of a fanmade looking cool pokemon. Not in a bad way but something someone at home might cook up.
Still, sometimes I wonder if those slightly complicated new additiosn was the best idea. Pokemon doesnt have a huge older fanbase in schools and such, so it might be wasted on younger kids. But meh, that might be the thing that draws more older players in. All well, we shall see.

 

[Arcoilu]

^Dp is more likely to pull in older kids. At least 10 people on my bus(I'm in middle school) have dp.
I think the popularity is increasing.

 

[Crash then Burn]

In my opinion the popularity is staying the same. all the same kids are getting the newer and more inproved games. I think if they remade G/S/C Pokemon's popularity would skyrocket because some of the old players who are just sick of Kanto and Hoenn will have a big shock when it happens. In my opinion they should've made a remake of G/S/C before they made D/P.

My children will be playing my pokemon games on my First Gamebooy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Sp , Gameboy Micro, and Ds. Along with one of each game of each area. ^.^

 

[Hayabusa]

after silver/gold, ruby/sapphire were the only games that actually interested me. DP turns me off :/. Something about silver/gold made it the pkmn game for me, it was jus so fun! p.s. with all the new pkmn THEY STILL DONT HAVE DRAGON/FIRE that would be so sweet, and put on levitate on it and you truly got a monster, kinda like charizard but without the 4X weakness to rock and all the other crap the flying type comes with :/.

 

[halls]

defenitely failing cuz there should be more to do in d/p. what really contributed to the downfall of pokemon was pbr. what the? pkmn stadium was better than pbr. at least you got your money's worth and did something in the game other than battle. the only thing keeping pokemon from ending up like digimon is the wifi. pokemon will be determined whether its a success for nintendo in the next few years. they better come up with something BIG. maybe like customizing your pokemon and put clotes on them or change the color or something to make it unique and all your own. that would be kinda cool.

 

[leehage]

It is rising, sort of.

The fans of pokemon are growing up and the games are growing as well. EVs and competitive play make it a much more strategic game, attracting older players. The game is still enjoyable after all these years and more importantly, it has remained true to its core fans. While the new ones are not completely original, some are cool and usable in teams.

However there are problems. After beating Sapphire/Diamond, I found myself with nothing to do. Sure Battle Tower is there but I don't like that too much. I just wish another region had been included. The hardware has advanced; I mean, the game boy could do it! And the problem is, while remaining close to the original formula, you can't help but feel you are playing the same game over and over. Something new needs to happen. Something big.

 

[depiro27]

I think the series as a game has grown...think about it if your in this forum most likely your above the age of ten. For some reason your still playing the pokemon games and getting involved in the series. Maybe it's because you can't get enough of the games, or the games are really fun. No matter the situation your making the game a success as long as you play it. ;D

 

[Zephyr]

I grew up with Pokemon. Many of us thought it was dying when the first new pokemon appeared--totodile, marill, snubull and hoothoot. I soon accepted the change, when I was the first to get gold/silver with the guide when it first came out (first day on sale in target. lol.)

I'd have to say that my 2 fave gens were kanto and johto. Kanto because without it, pokemon wouldnt be here. Johto because without it, there wouldnt be change. As I stated in a different topic, g/s/c introduced real time (the first ever gameboy game, perhaps first game EVER, to do this), a selectible female character, berries, hold items, easier pc actions, eggs, breeding, 100 new pokemon, a much longer, somewhat dragging storyline, and shinies. I always look at the games as editions of a phenomenon. r/b/y was the barest skeketon of what was to come; a beta, a lab test, a hypothesis. With diamond and pearl, i cant imagine anything else they can add into the games. But they'll think of something, dont worry..

btw, i hated the hoenn gen.. the episodes didnt cut it for me, and the games weren't comfortable at all.so by the time d/p came, i almost stayed away from it.. i saw an episode for 2 minutes, and i told myself "it's finally happened.."

but im glad i stuck with it since i was 9.

 

[LookOut4TheVatos]

I Think That Its Growing b/c they came out with wifi which was a great Idea ESPECIALLY the GTS b/c b4 all u could do was trade with a friend AND u needed a cable but now its wireless and u can trade allover the world.Also The ppl who make pokemon have EXTREAMLY good imaginations so Yeah I Think its Growing

 

[LookOut4TheVatos]

It is def. growing because of wifi,and The GTS.and the ppl @ pokemon have rly good inaginations

 

[NonAnalogue]

Warned for double-posting. We have an edit button for a reason.

 

[Kohuded]

Now, if they introduced a Pokemon related to Castform, maybe, or Smeargle...

Smeragle: Yes but Cast form is a pokemon that changes type after wather and i dont think that will have a good evelution.

BTW.
If they havent copiyng something they would not have goten any way.
For example Tackle and scratch is pretty much the same.

 

[GP_39]

They are definetely growing! The best proof is right here on this sight. Is our logo not "Wii're still crazy and proud"? Some pokemon fans are hiding in their closet, others are openly public, wearing their pikachu ears. The fan base is still strong, and growing stronger. Look at my little brother for example. When he was 4 or 5 years old, he also watched me play the old games. He was intrigued! Once he learned how to read, he was chugging away on his pokemon version gameboy (the yellow and blue one with charmander and pika on it) playing my old Red. Now hes buying cards and merchandise, and just got diamond (helpful to me- hehehe ;D)

We are still buying pokemon stuff, we are setting a great example towards the young uns to buy pokemon games, the only way that pokemon is going to fail within the next ten years is if the name is sold off(doubtful) if all us loyal fans tradgically go blind from playing so much (more doubtful) or if the creators make such a crappy game that everyone is disgusted and burns all their pokemon merchandise in blinding hatred (very doubtful) The only way that the pokemania can fail if we let it! SO STAY OFF OF DRUGS AND KEEP SUPPORTING POKEMON!!!

 

[seve_guy]

I think it has stayed in a moderate position all the time.

I think a fun way to do Poke'mon games is to do this sort of format after maybe 5 generations of Poke'mon.

Poke'mon Rainbow Version (Pretty much all versions combined.) or something like Poke'mon The Ultimate Quest (for masters only, the hardest Poke'mon game to date.)

It would have a Johto format, after beating one region you move to an old one and beat all the Gym Leaders and Elite Four of every region. The levels of Poke'mon would increase, possibly to level 400 or 500.

This is how I would do it to make the series.

5th Region- Elie Four at their highest levels would be maybe level 80.

Sinnoh- Elie Four- Levels maybe 150-160. (Wild Poke'mon would be at that level too and you would get a Sinnoh Starter.

Hoenn- Elite Four 250-270 (same rules apply)

Johto- Elite Four 340-360

Kanto- Elite Four- 420-450

Now this may sound confusing and may contradict that laws of Poke'mon Evolution.

For example, you are in Kanto and come across a level 400 Magikarp. If you raised it one level it would evolve into Gyrados. But that would be too easy.

Let's say you caught it, maybe raising it to level 430 would do the trick. Note that the Magikarp only knows splash.

For the 5th region, normal evolution applies.

Sinnoh regions Poke'mon would become more challenging and so on and so forth.

But to make this system work you would have to put all Poke'mon in one generation in their corresponding reason. For example you couldn't find a Hoenn Poke'mon in a Sinnoh world.

And I would include a Dark type Gym Leader. After 4 Generations, they've yet to make one.

I would buy that game if it came out.

 

[Michieru]

Warned for double-posting. We have an edit button for a reason.

Can you even warn someone who isn't a member? o-o

Anyway, lately Pokemon actually seems to be more popular with smaller kids than it used to be. I guess that since Pokemon was such a weird thing back when we were kids that even though it was popular, it was still kind of weird. I mean alot of kids loved Pokemon but so many were too afraid to admit it that they even picked on other kids who liked it and stuff.

Now people are much more open (in general) with what they like when they are children because its such a common thing now.

However, in my personal opinion, pokemon has gone downhill. And while some people see coordinating as this huge "omg thats so awesome" kind of addition; the real Pokemon Masters (lol) see the side-things as what they really are, just a gimmick to make it more appealing to more people. I mean, if the games were always the same, their sales would probably go downhill, they need to make more people enjoy it and... pokemon fashion shows? You can't tell me that didn't definitely drag some more feminine people into liking the series. lol

 

[ZenixX]

I think Pokemon has been growing.

Red and Blue were fun.
Never played Gold/Silver/Crystal (Don't know about them)
Ruby/Sapphire were great
Fire Red/Leaf Green were even greater bringing back red and blue, with better graphics.
Emerald liked just as much Fr/Lg
Diamond and Pearl (they were fun but not as good as Fr/Lg and E.)

Overall i think pokemon has been growing for the most part.

 

[Uki]

Well in my opinion it has grown . I has grown by the means of better graffics and new updates such as new pokemon, new items, Wi-Fi, pokemon abilities, new moves. All of these make the game better. The people that have played the older versions really notice the difference and love it, but new pokemon players think it is a bad game compared to Halo, COD4, etc..

 

[PokeRad]

I genuinely think that the pokemon game series is falling down and down and down^infinite
this is mainly because the new games have nothing really new in them except the story line and maybe the pokemon.
that too the story lijne is just a repetition of the anime with the occassional "here and there"s.
This , in other words , makes it very^infinite boring.

 

[Power Metal Maiden~]

Although I completely prefer the first gen to the rest, I can't deny that the Pokemon game series is growing.
I have noticed that tons of the new Pokemon have a sort of new style to their design, and many kids who didn't like Pokemon before are very attracted to this new style. On the other hand, people like myself who have always loved Pokemon can't resist a new Pokemon game, whether they agree with the changes or not.
Also, to be able to connect, trade, and battle with others across the world via Wi-Fi has cause the series to grow as well, as I far as I can see.
=)

 

[leehage]

The pokemon series thrives on correcting its mistakes and upgrading lesser features. Every new generation, they've added new features which were never bad. I think that as long as the pokemon games remain good, hardcore gamers will have to respect them and the fans will stay true.

If the next generation fixes the GTS, improves the contests, and possibly open up an alternate job choice, then no one could complain.

 

[Uki]

Well, in my opinion it is growing. The game play and graffix are getting better each game. The legendaries are also growing with the mixture of types and new moves. Take Giratina for example; he is a mixture of ghost and dragon (which hasn't been done before) and he turned out good. The games (in my mind) are getting more of a story line and more things to do after you beat the elite four. After you beat the elite four in blue verison all you did was complete the pokedex, you couldn't re-battle gyms or trainers, you couldn't go to the battle frontier, all you could do was start over again. As for the story line it isn't just going from gym to gym then to the elite four anymore, you have to do other things. Th

 

[PlatinumAce]

Poke'mon is a big part of me. When I was five, I received Poke'mon Blue Version and a Gameboy Color for Hanukkah. This was my first ever video game. Needless to say, I was hooked. Since then, I've gone about buying every Poke'mon game I could get my hands on. The Progression from Blue/Green/Red/Yellow to Gold/Silver/Crystal was amazing to me. I played through all three games whenever I possibly could. When Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald came out, I was quick to buy. I was amazed by the new graphics, but everything else was eerily familiar. I was honestly just starting to lose interest in the lack of a plot in the Sapphire Version and Emerald Version I had. When Diamond/Pearl Came out, I think that the one thing I disliked was fixed: The lack of storyline. But, one thing bothered me about this new series: No originality what so ever. At this point in time, Poke'mon had become a bit clique. These are perfect examples:
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=263
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=235
I'm hoping that Platinum turns out a tad bit better.
Well, my point is, every Poke'mon game is going to have something we don't like but that doesn't mean the series is in free fall.

 

[Twi;ightPhoenix0402]

I think that pokemon is going downhill, but just a little. I would honestly like to see customizable characters. The storyline is still the same, just with a few tweaks in them for each version. I would like to be able to make choices in the game. I would like to work for team rocket once in a while. You have to admit that it does seem like fun.

 

[Tony14]

I think its growing, i remember being six and hearing the gotta catch em all pokemon rap...well at that time i thought it was dumb and i changed the channel to dragon ball z..but then my aunt got me a gameboy color with pokemon blue my brother got red and my cusin got yellow and they never played them so i did ;D..anyway it wasn't until after i beat blue,red, and yellow(many times) that i realized the games that i loved so much was from that show with the dumb rap...so i watched the show and i eventually was able to sing the hole rap word for word and every one thought was i was a freak cause i sang it in school..then when i was eight i noticed pokemon was played less and every one was playing gamecube...well me being who i was i saved my money for a very long time and then blew it all on the johto and hoenn games...and the other generation 3 games...and for a while it was just me playing those games until now that i got d/p and instead of me being the wierd kid on the bus playing pokemon diamond..know im the oldest kid on the bus playing pokemon daimond..im 14 now by the way..and i think its cool when i walk in the bus training my nidorino or something and some random little kid challenges me to a battle

 

[badly shaded]

I think that pokemon is going downhill, but just a little. I would honestly like to see customizable characters. The storyline is still the same, just with a few tweaks in them for each version. I would like to be able to make choices in the game. I would like to work for team rocket once in a while. You have to admit that it does seem like fun.

i would love to have customizable characters and, more choices too, it seems very one track, if you see what i mean. i don't think its going downhill at the moment, but if they don't have some new ideas, it will do, because every game is the same but with different pokemon and cities, i must admit, i enjoy this but some more options would be nice to see. they have buckled up their ideas in DP.

 

[BLiZZAGA]

It's been growing for me up till 3rd gen.4th seemed a little repetitive, likely because of the 3rd gen-copied story.I've aready payed for shaphire, do I need to pay more for a clone?I think the only thing making me still play/like Gen 4 is the WiFi/Undergroud/all the other new additions.

As far as I can see it, they need to take one of two paths:
The Perfect World One-Break the box labeled "Break incase of emergancy" and take out the peice of paper inside, dial the number, and talk with the head of Square Enix until they've been convinced to work the magic they did with SMRPG on this.

Or the Real World One-Drop the "Huge pokemon is going to destroy things, capture it" Story, make a new one and increase the originality with everything else.

I think Platinum might be starting that second plan, though.And I'm not just saying that to be optimistic or somthing.

 

[Luigi777]

I though DP was a slight drop in-game wise, but I'm thinking thanks to Platinum the series should kick up.
The key word in that statement was "should".

 

[Satoren]

I personally think the game is developing on certain levels, particularly when it comes to the competitive areas. After all, a lot of the Pokemon in this Generation are upgrades of originals or new species with typing and movesets that scream Metagame action. Further more, the EV system is definitely not something some kids can get on the fly, and was obviously geared towards hardcore gamers.

Gameplay-wise, if it isn't broken, don't fix it, and the formula thus far doesn't seem to be getting too annoying for veteran players, and people who are only now playing Pokemon can certainly cut their teeth into it. That's not to say there are some changes. A lot of features have been added to make the game a lot more convenient.

Overall, the games are indeed evolving, and their doing so safely. By taking it one step at a time and not causing the series to go into a grand rebirth or overhaul of sorts.

 

[AzunaTsume]

When you really think about it, the games have gotten alot better since the old days of Red, Blue, and Yellow. The graphics have improved dramatically and they have made it easier and more convenient for a person to get in contact with another person via wifi.
Although, even though the graphics aren't really that great in the first generation, I still find myself picking up my Gameboy SP and sticking my Blue or Yellow version in there and playing it for a few hours. It's like Mario, sometimes you just can't beat the classics. Haha, I remember when I first got Crystal version and I was so shocked to see the Pokemon actually moving. It was a vast improvement in the gaming experiences of Pokemon. And then with Crystal they made the option of the male or female trainer; also a big change for the female Pokemon nerds out there.
But now that we have Diamond and Pearl, ((Platinum soon to be here)) it makes a person wonder what else Nintendo plans to do to make their games even better. Only time will tell... and there is my two cents on the matter, but overall I have to say no: the games are not getting worse.

 

[Chris]

The graphics have changed alot, it's a good thing. The thing that I don't like is the storyline. In R/B/Y your mission was to become a pokémon master, the same thing in G/S/C. Now in R/S/E and in D/P/Pl.. I don't.. there's just something I don't like about the plot. I had Gold and I tell you, it was a great journey, so epic. The sun went down, I arrived to Olivine City, and got a task to send medicine to the lighthouse.

And the rivals were just effing brilliant in the first two generations. Blue was such a bully and Silver was a true anarchist stealing pokémon and just wanted to kick your ***! The new rivals are too boring

What I would like to see is some improvements in the story. Maybe we could make our own rivals, modify their personality and such and create our own journey. Also, I'd like to look like myself and not someone else, so maybe a sprite editor or something

 

[XJirachiX]

When you take the difference between Red, Blue, Yellow and compare it to Diamond, Platinum, Pearl, and Revolution. It has changed. It is GROWING. R/B/Y were played on GBA. D/Pt/P are on NDS. Revolution is on Wii! Pokemon are even on Super Smash Bros. You can see how popular pokemon are getting. ESPECIALLY to kids. Some people even buy the Japanese games. I hope they make Generation V. Pokemon has gotten better. Hopefully they make more game consoles for games. And more games for the consoles. Knowing that Pokemon is still GROWING

 

[Mr.Smith]

I've noticed it's been failing by a little bit, not by much, but the American way is to get money off of any fad and wait til it bombs out, I think it may stop soon, they might come out with 2 or 3 more series, but with the economy is, so unstable, too close to call. Now, it is growing in the other sense of graphics, story lines, etc. No doubt.

 

[Shocari]

This game is growing. I've been a pokefan for 10 years now, and I still feel the sense of accomplishment when I beat the Elite 4 for the first time like I did many years ago. Sure, they are running out of ideas, but if they asked kids across the world, there would be tens of thousands of new Pokemon. That would be what, Gen. 500+?

I feel a bit more excited every time a new Pokemon game comes out, because I feel that Nintendo is trying to make it fun for everyone and give the veterans more of a challenge. Pokemon is growing, it might end up like Mario and stay for decades.

 

[depiro27]

You are right the series has grown. Don't forget to mention the many posibilities Poke'mon hasn't tapped yet. I've also been Playing pokemon for 10 years and every game has brought different features. How can people think Poke'mon is going down. Evidence of success innundates any negative comment about Poke'mon.

 

[KirbyZoneXD]

Well... it's good. It has grown really well. There are a lot of things that where really need. thous, altough that i really hate the Sinnoh Pokedex. I mean, came on!!! It's poor on pokemon types! Like inb example there's the fire type, Please, blow me away! There's just two kinds: Ponyta and Chimchar. Oh and another point: The gym leaders and the elite four (the champion is alright). There's this guy....... Volkner!! He has lame pokemon like octillery and ambipom... i don't mean that ambipom and octillery are lame, but they have nothing to do with electric types. Just because they can learn charge beam (that tm is lame, too. I was expecting something like Discharge, ect) Candice is lame too. oh ther's this guy from the elite four: Flint: if there aren't any fire types why would they put him there??!! With pokemon like drifloon and steelix... that's just sad. I hope the platinum version cames with a rich pokedex in types.

 

[Jeydis]

Well... it's good. It has grown really well. There are a lot of things that where really need. thous, altough that i really hate the Sinnoh Pokedex. I mean, came on!!! It's poor on pokemon types! Like inb example there's the fire type, Please, blow me away! There's just two kinds: Ponyta and Chimchar. Oh and another point: The gym leaders and the elite four (the champion is alright). There's this guy....... Volkner!! He has lame pokemon like octillery and ambipom... i don't mean that ambipom and octillery are lame, but they have nothing to do with electric types. Just because they can learn charge beam (that tm is lame, too. I was expecting something like Discharge, ect) Candice is lame too. oh ther's this guy from the elite four: Flint: if there aren't any fire types why would they put him there??!! With pokemon like drifloon and steelix... that's just sad. I hope the platinum version cames with a rich pokedex in types.

The reason for those diffrent types is so you dont sweep them away too easily with say a water type for Flint. Witht he Lopunny and drifloon there it brings and element of surprise to the game without being too outrageous sicne they have attacks that are still in theme with the gym leader. As for charge beam being lame well I like it just fine and love using it on a few of my pokemon. It suits some pokemon better then calm mind.

As for the dex having less type variety I have to agree with the Sinnoh one, that and the fact that a hole huge load of the pokemon in it where either new evolutions or babies of previous pokemon or the pokemon themselves.

Overall the game series is definatly growing, with the addition of online play and a huge variety of items and side quests and training methods and breeding changes, the games have grown far past what they used to be. Longevity of the game has about tripled judging by my play time on Diamond.

 

[asiankid5]

In my own opinion the pokemon series is falling.
First of all the game hasn't really changed over the 10 years. I mean look at the first series to the latest ones. Sure they tried to get more and more people playing by staring the trozei and mystery dungeon games(which I enjoyed because they were different) which some what worked.
Secondly it seems to me that the only reasons why the game designers made series 2-4 because the original was getting old.To me the first three games are the best(even though I haven't played yellow).
Thirdly, lets compare the pokemon series with the mario series.

pokemon red(fun because it was the first game) vs donkey kong(fun because you never expected what the next level had) winner=tie

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(fun because the olympics) vs
pokemon diamond(alright but expected more) winner=Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Anyways this was my opinion.