Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee have given us our first look at Pokemon on the Switch and things look hopeful so far: we've got following Pokemon back as well as rideable ones(!), and the explorable and battle environments are very beautiful. I'm down for this art style making a return in Gen 8!
Following Pokemon returning was always my wish, but over time I've had various other wants and wishes for future games occur to me, so it might be fun to list them out and see what everyone's priorities are.
To keep things positive I'll ask that posters not shoot down others' wishes but suggest modifications or alternatives.
1. For me the big one is following Pokemon. Being able to show affection to and walk with your Pokemon was so huge in HGSS and I hope we see that for all 807+++ pokemon in Gen 8. Being able to ride on big Pokemon in Let's Go is above and beyond but it would be phenomenal if that made it in too.
2. The end of HMs: I hope Ride Pokemon from Gen 7 continue to be a thing-- but even better, if you were given a rental Ride Pokemon for each function at first, with the ability to assign certain members of your own party Pokemon to those functions.
3. More exploration: Someone posted a pixel-by-pixel map of Kanto on reddit and I was struck by, more than the familiar cities and locations, the blocked-out parts of the map that aren't filled in. It would be cool to be able to explore all those hidden forests, beaches, and waterways of the entire map. There doesn't have to be a legendary around every corner, but being able to push the boundaries of the world in the quest to catch 'em all would be satisfying, especially if there are lots of little areas to check off, little quests to perform, pinecones to collect or whatever.
4. More HMs???: What I mean by that is, it would be cool to have more ways of interacting with the game environment beyond just Ride Pokemon, say also pokemon that have a Cut-like ability naturally, Pokemon that can grow vines up to hidden areas, Pokemon that can use fire or ice or light or magnetism or psychic power to affect the environment, Pokemon that can change the season or time or space and shit, do it Gamefreak.
5. Level scaling: I've always been disappointed to backtrack and find a secret grotto with trainers and wild pokemon... at level 30, because technically I could've gotten there as soon as I got the surf HM. I think that trainers, at least, should bump up their levels every time you get a badge (and let us rebattle them!!!). Wild pokemon can stay at a given route level since sometimes you just want to EV train-- or maybe they can scale too, but you can flip it on and off with a key item.
6. Difficulty Levels: This is one that's long overdue, I think; it's true that Pokemon has a very broad audience and is often given to young kids as their first game, but there are those of us who are itching for a tiny bit more of a challenge, or at the very least don't want to be shown how to use a Pokeball for the 8th or 8 millionth time. I'd like to see an easy mode for the kids and normal/hard for the rest of us, maybe with gym leaders always having six pokemon at higher difficulties and things like this.
7. So what do you just want Pokemon Breath of the Wild?: WELL MAYBE? But I don't think Pokemon necessarily needs to be fully nonlinear like BOTW is-- I just want to get away from the feeling of being trapped on certain routes, handheld by NPCs, and have story progression feel kind of artificial. I think new routes and areas should open up as you gain power/progress the story, not because they're literally gated by an NPC-- even if it accomplishes the same player movement, the latter is just psychologically more infuriating.
I think my overarching design goal would be that catching, growing, and showing affection to Pokemon are the core of the games, and everything that happens should be in service to that in some way, through things like your Pokemon following you, showing them affection in the overworld or Pokemon Amie/Refresh/feed goodies/etc., and using your own teammembers as Ride Pokemon or customizing their appearances in some way. And as you unlock their powers, you can travel further to find more Pokemon to add to your team and/or appreciate their new beauty and power, and as your team grows you can advance your battle prowess and show that off with more and more powerful Pokemon and gym/elite achievements.
Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. What are your wishes for Gen 8, and what are your best memories of various lost features from previous games?
Following Pokemon returning was always my wish, but over time I've had various other wants and wishes for future games occur to me, so it might be fun to list them out and see what everyone's priorities are.
To keep things positive I'll ask that posters not shoot down others' wishes but suggest modifications or alternatives.
1. For me the big one is following Pokemon. Being able to show affection to and walk with your Pokemon was so huge in HGSS and I hope we see that for all 807+++ pokemon in Gen 8. Being able to ride on big Pokemon in Let's Go is above and beyond but it would be phenomenal if that made it in too.
2. The end of HMs: I hope Ride Pokemon from Gen 7 continue to be a thing-- but even better, if you were given a rental Ride Pokemon for each function at first, with the ability to assign certain members of your own party Pokemon to those functions.
3. More exploration: Someone posted a pixel-by-pixel map of Kanto on reddit and I was struck by, more than the familiar cities and locations, the blocked-out parts of the map that aren't filled in. It would be cool to be able to explore all those hidden forests, beaches, and waterways of the entire map. There doesn't have to be a legendary around every corner, but being able to push the boundaries of the world in the quest to catch 'em all would be satisfying, especially if there are lots of little areas to check off, little quests to perform, pinecones to collect or whatever.
4. More HMs???: What I mean by that is, it would be cool to have more ways of interacting with the game environment beyond just Ride Pokemon, say also pokemon that have a Cut-like ability naturally, Pokemon that can grow vines up to hidden areas, Pokemon that can use fire or ice or light or magnetism or psychic power to affect the environment, Pokemon that can change the season or time or space and shit, do it Gamefreak.
5. Level scaling: I've always been disappointed to backtrack and find a secret grotto with trainers and wild pokemon... at level 30, because technically I could've gotten there as soon as I got the surf HM. I think that trainers, at least, should bump up their levels every time you get a badge (and let us rebattle them!!!). Wild pokemon can stay at a given route level since sometimes you just want to EV train-- or maybe they can scale too, but you can flip it on and off with a key item.
6. Difficulty Levels: This is one that's long overdue, I think; it's true that Pokemon has a very broad audience and is often given to young kids as their first game, but there are those of us who are itching for a tiny bit more of a challenge, or at the very least don't want to be shown how to use a Pokeball for the 8th or 8 millionth time. I'd like to see an easy mode for the kids and normal/hard for the rest of us, maybe with gym leaders always having six pokemon at higher difficulties and things like this.
7. So what do you just want Pokemon Breath of the Wild?: WELL MAYBE? But I don't think Pokemon necessarily needs to be fully nonlinear like BOTW is-- I just want to get away from the feeling of being trapped on certain routes, handheld by NPCs, and have story progression feel kind of artificial. I think new routes and areas should open up as you gain power/progress the story, not because they're literally gated by an NPC-- even if it accomplishes the same player movement, the latter is just psychologically more infuriating.
I think my overarching design goal would be that catching, growing, and showing affection to Pokemon are the core of the games, and everything that happens should be in service to that in some way, through things like your Pokemon following you, showing them affection in the overworld or Pokemon Amie/Refresh/feed goodies/etc., and using your own teammembers as Ride Pokemon or customizing their appearances in some way. And as you unlock their powers, you can travel further to find more Pokemon to add to your team and/or appreciate their new beauty and power, and as your team grows you can advance your battle prowess and show that off with more and more powerful Pokemon and gym/elite achievements.
Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. What are your wishes for Gen 8, and what are your best memories of various lost features from previous games?
