The future of the Pokémon is currently a mystery, but the next steps taken by the franchise could change the way the Pokémon is for the rest of its execution.
Like many of Nintendo’s game franchises, Pokémon has been producing new mainline titles and derivatives for quite a while. While many old games are considered classic by longtime fans of the series, the latest titles have come under much more severe scrutiny.
It is easy to argue that the critique of the bottom line Pokémon titles, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, Granted. After all, these games were some of the most expensive on the main line Pokémon games available for purchase with many players finding their adventures full of flaws, bugs and some questionable game design options. Many also found the story lackluster compared to previous titles, and this despite being a generally well-received generation.
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Fans also didn’t like how the expansion content that is usually added to a definitive version of games, like Pokémon Platinum instead, they were blocked by two expensive pieces of DLC. Despite the amount of disappointment behind these Pokémon Company decisions, the good sales of these games and their DLCs can mean bad things for future Pokémon titles if they continue. However, this can only be known with certainty when the ninth generation of Pokémon is released.
National Pokedex Permanently Retired
One of the biggest controversies with Pokémon Sword and Shield was the withdrawal of the national Pokedex. This meant that there were many Pokémon that simply could not be found or captured Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield with them also being prevented from being transferred via Pokémon Home.
Although there were some updates that accompanied the DLC releases for Sword and Shield that brought in some older Pokémon, there were still many that were left behind. With Junichi Masuda responding to these complaints, it is very possible that Pokémon Home can be stuck as a home forever for many Pokémon created by players since the third Pokémon generation. The apparent reason for the lack of national Pokedex is to force players to meet the new Pokémon and get closer to them, but many Pokémon games have the national Pokedex as a late game resource. This means that players will be able to enjoy the main game with their new Pokémon and bring back their old party after the main objective is completed.
If the national Pokedex does not return Pokémonof the ninth generation, it’s more than likely that players will never see all the Pokémon in a game again. That is at least until Pokémon GO reaches the main games in the amount of Pokémon implemented. With some less popular Pokémon, this could also mean that they can be considered retired and never be used in a main game again.
Mega Evolution and Z-Moves that never come back
There are many Pokémon fans who agree that the two best parts of generation six were the fairy type and Mega Evolution. While Mega Evolution was not used as much in generation seven with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon due to the new feature of Z-moves, Mega Evolution was still made as an option for players who unlock it. However, these two new battle options that changed the Pokémon battle were completely unavailable in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.
This would not be the first time that a Pokémon battle mechanic has been retired, as triple battles and rotation battles that were introduced in generation five. However, many competitive and casual players were very fond of Mega Evolution and Z-moves. It was clear that Galar’s dynamics were the replacement for these mechanics, but many felt that this new mechanic was inferior to mechanics that were no longer available.
even though Pokémon GO fully embracing Mega Evolution, its possible failure to be implemented in the nine generation games could mean the end of it and Z-moves for the Pokémon franchise. This means that the interesting new shapes and insights behind these special shapes and abilities are likely to be overlooked and never seen on the Nintendo Switch.
DLC blocked content
It used to be tradition to Pokémon games to be launched in pairs with a separate third game, eventually coming out with a more polished experience alongside more content for players to try. Although this tradition has been broken for a long time, Pokémon Sword and Shield instead, it has DLC that needs to be paid for separately from the main game. The content of this DLC contains more Pokémon, more characters and more history that many players think they should have obtained in the base game.
The Armor Island and Crown Tundra DLC seems to have sold well beyond Pokémon Sword and Shieldsales are already impressive. This can lead to an echo with the release of Pokémonthe ninth generation with content that was previously available in basic games being reserved for future DLC, which could cause Pokémon experiences will become increasingly expensive in the future. It may even be possible that entire features like Mega Evolution and the national Pokedex that players want again can be blocked behind this paid DLC. Pokémon fans who are still buying the main games would probably buy this DLC to get any resemblance to their old ones Pokémon experiences back to the Nintendo switch, but that’s not exactly consumer friendly.
Initial buggy releases being the norm
When Sword and Shield were released, players found them full of bugs and flaws that were easy to execute and replicate, which was also true for the releases of the Armor Island and Crown Tundra DLC expansions. While many were fixed eventually, it didn’t give a good light on the games and their DLCs. If that attitude continues when the ninth generation is launched, each subsequent generation will be expected to be an absolute mess after the launch. As there are players who are unable to connect their switch to the internet for any reason, there will also be many people who will not be able to obtain the necessary patches to make the game work as planned.
Although patches are expected in modern game days, bugs and obvious bugs must be fixed before the game is released. Even in 2021, players are finding more and more flaws Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield that gives a bad impression. It would be a pity to see this being the norm for the rest of the Pokémonservice life of.
Pokémon Sword and Shield are already available for Switch.
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