Gaming Pok

[Erika]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Ok, being the Pokesap myself, I've been worked up over GameFreak's next two Pokemon games, Pearl and Diamond versions to be released on the NDS (release TBA in 2005). My friend was telling me about it over the phone, so I [i]just had[/i] to look into it. :whoops:

[url]http://ds.ign.com/articles/558/558477p1.html[/url]

Nothing much farther than the promises of GameFreak's president, and the development news itself.

[url=http://serebii.net/diamondpearl/pokemon.shtml][u][b]And here's the first Pokemon to be revealed so far.[/b][/u][/url]

Its U.S. name is Munchlax (JP name is Gonbe), a pre-evolved form of Snorlax. At first I thought it was a Ghost Pokemon, then I saw Snorlax down there, lol. X3 This thing is damn creepy. o_0;

Well, no matter, I'm looking forward to this game just as much as any other RPG being released. [/color][/size]

[Vicky]

[SIZE=1][B]Damn... not another game, so soon? I mean, Fire Red and Leaf Green haven't really been out for as long, they could give the fans a little suspense. And what I want to know is if they'll change the game style or something, instead of adding more pokemon and changing the name... Maybe a game that isn't the same as the last ones, I think I've had enough of collecting the badges already...

And the names... they need to stop using stuff like this and change it to something else. What's next? Brick Hard and Sponge Soft?

Enough of my badtalk and ranting... but I guess this could be another good game. Like I said if this is just going to be the same as the past... 8 versions of the GB games then nah thanks. They should use the Pokemon Collosuem(sp?) storyline or something along those lines anyway, maybe a game were you don't have to start off as a complete n00b trainer, I hate training Pokemon when they get to level 20 or so, that's the hard point were trainers are hard to beat and points are hard to get, unfair sometimes.

...Seriously, I hope this version isn't the same thing. Though maybe this will be promising even if you still have to go through collecting the badges... meh.[/SIZE][/B]

[Kitty]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=1]Ah. I knew I'd need a DS for Pokemon games. Well, it's on my Christmas list ($150 bucks of MY hard earned cash for something I'll use not-so-much?! No thanks..).

I agree with vicky. Enough with the badges! All of the past.. let's see here.. Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Sapphire, Ruby, FireRed, LeafGreen... TEN frickin' games are all about badges. Of course, there is the occasional Team Rocket beating you get to have fun with, and collecting pokemon is great, too. But what's the point if you can't collect all 380-or-so? It's kind of pointless. There are always the ones you want that you can't get unless you go to those weird.. event things.

And yeah, the names are weird. I really hope (after Pearl and Diamond) that they don't do any ThingColor names. That was really stupid, in my opinion. But yeah. I'm a pokemon freak, so I'll buy 'em even if they dont't have any new features, lol. ^___^;;[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Meggido]

If the storyline isn't darker and they don't allow people to catch all the pokemon that have been created then it's not quite worth getting. The thing I would like to see though is the combination of the four worlds they have created over the games, Johto, Kanto and the new ones from the GBA and GCN games. I can't remember what they're called plus one extra area. That would create more depth to the game.

I'm kinda waiting for Emerald as I skipped out on Ruby and Sapphire. Wasn't there already a version entitled Diamond which was the third in the Kanto set on GBC?

[Erika]

[quote name='Meggido']I'm kinda waiting for Emerald as I skipped out on Ruby and Sapphire. Wasn't there already a version entitled Diamond which was the third in the Kanto set on GBC?[/quote]
[size=1][color=royalblue]Yeah, I looked that up and saw carts and everything, but since I'm focusing on the DS titles I haven't gotten any farther, as far as I know, it was either a rumor or a fake.

Anyways, no matter how basic and/or "repetitive" the series' storylines are, I just can't put down Pokemon. I'm a sap for simple, lighthearted, 2D RPGs, or any kind of RPG. I'm sure that was the point of it all.

And I only own Blue, Yellow, Gold, Crystal versions for the past series, and I managed to get all Pokemon with those versions. Y'don't really need to have [i]all[/i] the versions, mind you. As for the new series, I have FireRed and Sapphire.

But since FireRed and LeafGreen were remakes (I admit, I love 'em more than Sa/Ru), I theoretically think it wouldn't take too long to develop. Who knows, the release date for Diamond/Pearl could be cut back even. For all we know it could be released a year from now.

I'm PRETTY IFFED over Colleseum. Thoroughly disappointed. Pokemon Stadium 2 is so much better, and has way more innovation involved, not to mention a much higher fun factor. The only thing that spurs me to play it is trying to Snag all the Pokemon and conquer Mt. Battle to obtain my long-lost Ho-oh. (And in my humble opinion, I think challenges like those would be more efficient, and give Pokemon a bit more innovation, instead of getting those "unobtainables" such as Mew and Celebi from stupid Nintendo events.)

Anyways, on to topic.

Storywise, I seriously hope that the dialogue from the baddies is a lot more well-thought of, and eliminates those irritating scenarios such as them redundantly giving away top-secret plans and agendas right in front of the hero, and using the stupid term, "meddling kid". :rolleyes: I don't give half a rip on the "targeted" age group, it's rated "E" because it's targeted at "Everyone", and I highly doubt "Everyone", or the majority of, are a bunch of unobservant blockheads that need neon signs to point you in the right direction.

That's basically my only concern for these new games. Otherwise I don't care. :3[/color][/size]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]The Pokémon Diamond games on the original Game Boy were bootleg copies of either Red, Blue, or Yellow. This, on the DS, will be the first official version named Diamond.

You know what I'd really like to see with these games, though? A totally new area, not linked to any of the previous ones, with a completely different setup and story. I, too, am tired of gyms and badges, and I didn't even bother getting any of the GBA games. (Yellow and Gold were enough for me; there are other, more original games out there on the GBA that I'd rather buy instead.) The core gameplay of the Pokémon series -- the battles themselves -- is great, but it's been used in exactly the same way for far too long now. I don't really have any specific ideas about a different structure for Diamond and Pearl, but I think I'd prefer just about anything to the same old gyms and badges routine.

Unless Diamond/Pearl does something significantly different from the rest of the series, it's not going to be getting my money. ... Just like I said in the R/S and FR/LG threads.[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

I've owned and played most of the Pokémon games released so far and I have to admit my patience with the series is wearing rather thin, I admit that Sapphire had a rather good storyline to it which I enjoyed but there was just too little different. Like Des I'd like to see some new innovations in Pearl and Diamond, and since the DS is supposed to be the innovation machine I think we might see some.

I think the battling system in Pokémon will never change, the whole newbie/badges aspect maybe but I have to admit that's half the fun of it. I made it my business to be 5/10 levels that the next gym leader so I never really had any problems, though as with all RPGs you start from the very beginning. Heck I wondered how Auron had defeated Sin when he's so weak when you first use him at the start of Final Fantasy X, that's just the way it is with RPGs.

All and all I'm interested but not expecting any miracles, my only hope is they get rid of those awful Pokémon competitions.[/SIZE]

[Erika]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Gyms and Badges never really bothered me. In fact, I'd be disappointed if they took that away. However, they can make the Gyms more challenging, without any of those lamea** traps and whatnot.

I enjoy trampling over every trainer that literally asks for it. I can take down Gym Leaders at 5-10 levels weaker. The trainers, most of them, are too easy most of the time.

I'm looking for, yeah, a new area--well, world would be a better term.

Overall, a complete new smorgasboard of Pokemon, no "mixes" of old ones like Sapphire had.

And as a battler, I really think they need to work on types this time. I discovered that a majority of the Pokemon I use/in all, are either weak against Ice, Water, or [i]both.[/i] It's an odd yet vital observation.

I'd love to see more varied Pokemon types, such as Dark-Fighting, Dark-Bug, Electric-Bug, Psychic-Poison, Fire-Poison, Dragon-Grass, etc. There seems to be too many Flying-, Normal-, Water-, and Ice-types.

Overall, it's a Pokemon game, regardless, and I expect familiar elements (with twists, even), just like any other series would have. But I think taking away those (or some) elements entirely or replacing them would be like turning it into a different game with just "Pokemon" as its title (which are my thoughts on FFX-2). I don't wanna spend the whole game double-battling like I did in the world of Orre in Colloseum (sp?).

I guess if you're not a Pokefan, you would be a bit halfhearted about the series. I would like to see a lot of elements from the G/S/C series, with Morning, Day, and Night, and seven weekdays. And no berry crap like Sapphire and Ruby had, such as stupid Berry Blending or Contests. Sure they make excellent holding items, but otherwise, no.[/color][/size]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]The reason behind why exactly I play the RP Pokemon games is all down to battling; I find the concept of it -- though very simple and basic -- to be exceptionally fun and quite addictive. I guess I could say just about the same thing about any other game that runs under the same basis of Pokemon, but what makes Pokemon different from all the others is the structure of it. There are so many Pokemon for you to choose from and level up, that you find yourself playing the game beyond the conventional "choose a move and press A" routine, which all pretty much derives from the uniqueness of the Pokemon in terms of stats and moves, not to mention type.

So, with that in mind, I kind of hope that the gym leaders or any other leading aspect of the game aren't messed around too much, if at all, and that Game Freak stick to the original method of the story mode, since I'd hate to have to adapt to a completely new system just for the sake of battling.[/color]

[abc kid]

:ball: [Font=Arial] Pokemon is not only a game where you can choose any type of Pokemon that you wish, but you can also combine different types of Pokemon in order to form a well-balanced team. In addition, I like the appeal of relying on strategic means and understanding of each Pokemon's weakness to win a battle. Personally, I figured they released at a short time span since it [B]is[/B] the holiday season and so they attempted to cash in. That sentiment may not be true, but it is pretty obvious that they are proceeding at keeping gamers at their heels by the time Christmas starts.

Come to think of it, I believe the DS cost approximately $149.99 ( if you don't include the sales tax), which is about the same price of the larger game consoles that is on the market today. Needless to say, some people are going to be on a budget this holiday season, but yet again, do they [B][I]ever[/I][/B]?

[Endymion]

[COLOR=Navy][SIZE=1]I'll consider buying Pearl or Diamond afer I do some research on the games, and with the pokes and prods from Dark Serena. She's got good taste in games for the most part. (Harvest Moon rocks!) I think I'll stick with my Red and Blue versions for now...[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Erika]

[size=1][color=royalblue]I agree with what Bombu said.

But I'm expecting something new, also. And I think they should stick with the real-time factor. Crystal Version's what got me into Pokemon in the first place, because the game was so damn fun, and the real-time element gave it a sense of well, time, lol, and gave it more of a sprawling-world feel.

I mean, y'can't go wrong with such an awesome handheld RPG, lol. ^__^

And next time they make a console battle/arena-oriented Pokemon game, it'd better not have a Story mode [i]because[/i] not everyone will have it, nor does it really fit with the whole concept of Pokemon being portable a.k.a. [i]Pocket Monsters[/i], so it would be lame to have console-exclusive Pokemon (like they did in Colloseum(sp?), and that aggravated me to no end), and have none/little of those available on the GBA games. And Snagging Pokemon is a royal pain in the a** because it's hard to keep them from killing themselves from Shadow Rush. :twitch:

Anyways, moving on. :p

[url=http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=72103250&replies=2&ui=cb_post_04]Here's some more information, but it's unconfirmed for now. [/url]

I'm sure the poster means that the 500+ Pokemon is the grand total, but for now, I'm going to distance myself from the information because it's not confirmed yet. It's still info, nonetheless, and I'm trying to nab every tidbit of it just in case. :whoops:[/color][/size]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I wouldn't really be surprised if D/P are compatible with R/S/E and FR/LG, actually. I mean, the DS does have a GBA cartridge slot, so it's not like there wouldn't be any way to link the games up, even though the DS doesn't have an EXT. port for link cables. And there's also the possibility of the DS being able to interface with the GBA Wireless Adapter, for linking with FR/LG.

Most of all, though, I hope they do let you battle/trade online at WiFi hotspots. That, I think, would probably attract a good number of people to the game that otherwise might not bother, after all the previous installments. Myself being one of them. Not since the days of R/B/Y have I gotten to battle another real person -- not a single time with G/S/C, and I only know one person that owns Sapphire, so that wouldn't even be worth it to get Ruby or FR/LG -- so being able to battle people online would really spark my interest.

Another thing I'm hoping for is that you'll be able to catch every Pokemon just between Diamond and Pearl. If they try and milk the franchise even more, in the same way they did with R/S, FR/LG, and Colosseum, I'm really going to be pissed. You could catch all 250 of the original set just between Red and Blue, and you could catch all of the new 100 or so Pokemon just between Gold and Silver, and they better go back to that. You shouldn't have to trade between five games to be able to get every Pokemon.[/color]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']Another thing I'm hoping for is that you'll be able to catch every Pokemon just between Diamond and Pearl. If they try and milk the franchise even more, in the same way they did with R/S, FR/LG, and Colosseum, I'm really going to be pissed. You could catch all 250 of the original set just between Red and Blue, and you could catch all of the new 100 or so Pokemon just between Gold and Silver, and they better go back to that. You shouldn't have to trade between five games to be able to get every Pokemon.[/color][/quote]

[size=1]Yes that was one of the few things I'd have been concerned about when my attention was first drawn to this, though I must admit even between myself and my brother we were never able to fully complete a Red/Blue Pokédex. If the case is that one has to have access to five different Pokémon games to complete either Pearl of Diamond then it would really kill the series in the eyes of fans. Still tell that to the guys at Gamefreak and Nintendo who just want to make money as opposed to delivering an original game once again.[/size]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Yeah, that was really a nuisance. In Leaf Green I had devised a squad that was compatible to go up against my opponent's squad -- or possibly any other random-goer's -- but a lot of the Pokemon that I had taken into consideration to use were only available through trading from Coliseum, which just left a massive hole in my final squad.

I can understand that the Pokemon games all complement each other in a way like no other game, as it somewhat introduces a different level of exploration (an annoying one, mind you), but it was for the above reasons that I thought I wasn't benefiting ideally from Leaf Green, even though it was very capable of doing so.[/color]

[MissWem]

[quote name='Dark Serena][size=1][color=royalblue] And I think they should stick with the real-time factor. Crystal Version's what got me into Pokemon in the first place, because the game was so damn fun, and the real-time element gave it a sense of well, time, lol, and gave it more of a sprawling-world feel.[/color'][/size][/quote]
[COLOR=DarkSlateGray]"Sprawling" is one way to put it. But I disagree, the real-time factor completely drove me crazy.

Aside from me stupidly not knowing whether or not it was daylights saving yet thus causing my game to be out of sync by an hour for half the year, it just annoyed me so much. You'd find me playing at 2am for more stupid reasons and then there were some pokemon events that were so time sensitive if you missed it first time round you'd have to wait an entire week for it to happen again. Like capturing Lapras.. probably took me two weeks to get it right 0_o It only appeared for a few hours during a certain day, and to make things worse, it was such a weak pokemon to use ;-;

Admittedly I'm a poor sucker for the pokemon series, the only reason I ever started buying any game boys was just for the pokemon geams ^^"

I highly doubt they'd push the franchise as far as to force people to trade between five games. Afterall they did cut it off last time and made Ruby/Sapphire completely independent of the original series, probably mostly due to the hard ware compatability. This being from a 2D game to a really fancy shmpants 3D one. Then to the DS is another rather large jump with the dual screen. Collosseum would appear to be no more than having 'bonus' pokemon. Technically you could still capture all the 200 pokemon between Ruby/Sapphire. I don't know about Leaf/Fire since I found myself completely guttered it was only revamps of the original, meaning I didn't buy it nor cared to do much research.[/COLOR]

[Erika]

[size=1][font=Verdana][color=royalblue]Alright, I found some more new Pokemon:

[url]http://serebii.net/diamondpearl/pokemon.shtml[/url]

Rukario, oh my gosh lol. [i]It's a Steel-Fighting!!![/i] *dies* YES! I've always wanted a unique physical Fighting-type.

And Sneasel's evolution looks kinda cool kinda retarded lol. But good chances that I'll train one anyway.

The pre-evolutions can go to hell lol. I mean, it's like one of them has a wooden diaper. O_o; [b]And oh my God, it's got an anus. o_o[/b][/color][/font][/size]

[Ellerby]

[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma][CODE] [B]White casts Revive thread on Pokémon Diamond / Pearl![/B][/CODE]
I think it's about time this thread was brought back to life considering how we're nearing to the release dat (one month for Japan). Over the next few months, a s[spoiler]lug[/spoiler]load of information will be released, and it's only fair that us OBers talk about how much we can't wait until it comes out near us!

Alright, so the new starter Pokemon are the same as they were 2 years ago (to be honest I thought they only announced those guys a few weeks ago), but that's okay since they rock. Here are some facts and rumours about the game (woo!).

[INDENT][b]Facts[/b][/INDENT]
[list][*]The Pokédex now allows one to input their own weight and height to be compared to that of a Pokémon.
[*]Pokémon Contests, which first appeared in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, will return as "Super Contests", with a few similarities and a few differences. Super Contests consist of three rounds. In the Visual Judgement round, players utilize the DS's stylus to place objects on their Pokémon in order to receive points. In the Dance Judgement round, a player's Pokémon competes with its opponents in a test of rhythm and balance. The final round, Performance Judgement, is identical to the original premise of Pokémon Contests; Pokémon use their attacks to score points.
[*]The Battle Tower will return in Diamond and Pearl.
[*]Pokémon will make animated entrances into battle, as revealed in a Japanese commercial (sick...).
[*]Diamond and Pearl will feature Wi-Fi gameplay, allowing trainers to form teams like Pokémon Highway and Topolegion League.[/list]

[INDENT][b]Rumours[/b][/INDENT]
[list][*]Diamond and Pearl will utilize five different time periods, a concept originally introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver; the scale of the system has grown substantially and now features: morning, daytime, afternoon, evening and night.
[*]Assuming the same role as Pokéblocks, "Pokébread" can be made through use of the touchscreen and fed to Pokémon in order to increase certain traits and the likelihood of success in a Contest.
[*]Aesthetic differences between male and female Pokémon of a given species will be implemented, including aspects such as differently sized or absent distinctive physical features. In the example provided by CoroCoro, a female Wooper has smaller antennae than its male counterpart.
[*]A completely new device known as the Pokétchi, resembling a wristwatch, can be obtained and will play host to a variety of features, including a time management system, a calculator, a method for monitoring Pokémon in the breeding center, and a type chart.
[*]The Safari Zone is set to return.[/list]
[CENTER][size=1]Please note that although these are quotes from Wikipedia, there are screenshots to back 'em up.[/size][/CENTER]

So! Who's as excited as I am?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]God no, the contests are back ? Those were such a waste of time, to paraphrase the wise Prince Vegeta, my Pokémon are warriors, not a variety of flower. I mean seriously, in a toughness contest, how can an Aggron not get the audience's approval ? It's ridiculous.

OK, after my little rant, I'm personally very pleased that the different time periods have been brought back, night and day from Gold and Silver were cool, but I can't wait to see what happens by adding morning, afternoon and evening to the mix. I hope the Safari Zone won't be exactly the same as previous incarnations, where you pay to catch so-called rare Pokémon, I mean seriously, there are Pokémon that are limited to other regions and you don't have to pay to catch them. Maybe integrate part of the old Bug Catching Contests into the mix and have a prize for the person with the rarest catch.

Seeing as the hand-held games never vary between Europe, the U.S. and Australia, aside from those countries in Europe with separate languages, I've never understood why they can't release an English version at the same time across the board, or at least include Ireland and the U.K. in the American shipping. Oh well, doesn't really matter, we can easily order a copy from across the waters when they're released in the States.

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Diamond][B]Pokémon Diamond & Pearl[/B][/url]

The Wiki article, seeing as White seems to have forgotten to post it.[/SIZE]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=#8B0000]N-Europe has stated that the game will be released in 2006 in Europe, Australia, and America, but no dates have been confirmed. I wouldn't mind if Europe were to get the game a little later than America though, just as long as the two release dates aren't ridiculously apart from each other, like with ACWW.

One thing I'm disappointed with about the new Pokemon games is the way that the Wi-fi compatibility works, since you won't be able to directly battle other players. Instead, you have to download another player's Pokemon squad to your DS, and play against them as a CPU opponent. I'm pretty sure that the issues concerning AI and such will be resolved by being able to choose the difficulty of your opponent or something, but it's just not the same as whooping someone in person.[/color]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Bombu][color=#8B0000']One thing I'm disappointed with about the new Pokemon games is the way that the Wi-fi compatibility works, since you won't be able to directly battle other players. Instead, you have to download another player's Pokemon squad to your DS, and play against them as a CPU opponent. I'm pretty sure that the issues concerning AI and such will be resolved by being able to choose the difficulty of your opponent or something, but it's just not the same as whooping someone in person.[/color][/quote]
[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]You've got to be kidding me. That's so lame. Will we at least be able to trade with others? And where did you hear this? I want to be sure that it's true.

And yeah, the Contests were dumb. But they were never mandatory so it's not a huge problem. They're just there for those times when you don't feel like battling Pokemon (which can happen quite often if you're stuck at a Gym Leader).

Even with the craptastic Wi-Fi compatibility, I'm still psyched. I can always just trade and battle with my one other friend who still likes Pokemon games, heh.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[BlueYoshi]

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Even with the craptastic Wi-Fi compatibility, I'm still psyched. I can always just trade and battle with my one other friend who still likes Pokemon games, heh.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

[color=#8B0000][url=http://www.ds-x2.com/index.php?id=5582]Link.[/url]

At least you'll have someone you know to play against. I always manage to get my main Pokemon to Level 100 before any of my friends do, so our battles are generally one sided, and they lose interest in the game before they reach Level 100 themselves. I believe Pokemon Red was the only game where I had a full on battle with one of my friend's brothers... and I won.[/color] :animesmil

[Ellerby]

[quote]Don't forget, you still have the entire friend code system to use if you want to fight or trade against people you know, or anyone you exchanged codes with.[/quote]
[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]I think this means that we can still battle people via Wi-Fi, it's just we can't have tournaments in the Battle Tower.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Gavin]

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]I think this means that we can still battle people via Wi-Fi, it's just we can't have tournaments in the Battle Tower.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

[SIZE=1]Consider yourself lucky White, at least you can battle Wi-Fi. Some of us are still using below 56K dial-up for God's sake.[/SIZE]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Consider yourself lucky White, at least you can battle Wi-Fi. Some of us are still using below 56K dial-up for God's sake.[/SIZE][/quote]
[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]This is where that Adapter thing comes in. Apparently you plug it into your USB port and it acts as a router.

You'd have to ask Bill, he has one.

Anyway, what games are you guys getting? Diamond or Pearl? I think I'll most likely be getting Pearl. Because although Diamond's legendary guy looks cooler, almost nobody will be getting Pearl so it'll be easier to trade and stuff. :)[/FONT][/COLOR]