When you think of Pokemon, I bet you either think of a really kiddy RPG for handhelds, or a really hardcore kiddy RPG for handhelds. Now, I know that Pokemon is more than just a kids’ game. Hell, I’ve spent hours of my life even recently hunting for those little buggers. Considering how it’s been marketed over the past decade, I’d bet that most people can’t tell the difference.
The way I see it, the Pokemon franchise embodies Nintendo perfectly. There is plenty of room to cater to the most hardcore of gamers and give them exactly what they want, but instead they choose to continue with more of the same, only with minute changes here and there.
Find out how I came to this conclusion after the jump.
Pokemon was released for the original Gameboy in the US with two flavors: Red and Blue. The game featured a top-down RPG world with turn based battles between 150 different types of Pokemon that you could catch and build a custom party out of. Sound familiar? It should, that same formula hasn’t change in a decade, except when the game was brought to the home console.
Now, you think that the Gamecube would have more power than the Gameboy Advance or the DS. Sadly, when Pokemon came to the Gamecube, it was actually missing features from the original Gameboy release. Instead of featuring a vast open RPG, gamers were pushed along a linear path with a set number of Pokemon that they were allowed to control. You weren’t even able to capture wild Pokemon, which was pretty much the draw of the first one (Gotta Catch ‘Em All!) Instead, you could only capture enemy Pokemon that the game decided you could, then rubbed salt in the wound by showing you that many other monsters were programmed in, but you would never be able to use.
Thanks, Nintendo.
So, a game that’s a huge hit on the handheld platforms gets a console release that’s lacking from the version released ten years prior. I could speculate for hours just why this is, but the end result is that Nintendo failed once again to capitalize on a popular franchise that many of their fans see as hardcore. I would guess that their little Arena game releases might have something to do with it, games that are basically 3d battle simulators that require the handheld versions to even be useful, but need a deep seed of fanaticism in the customer to be worth the disc they’re printed on.
Where’s our hardcore RPG on the Wii that takes Pokemon to the next level? Now take that question and replace ‘RPG’ and ‘Pokemon’ with the genre and game of your choice. Mario Kart and Smash Bros are fine games, but are they really taking advantage of everything the Wii has to offer? Smash Bros, maybe. Mario Kart? No. But where’s our hardcore Zelda game that wasn’t originally developed for the Gamecube? Where’s the Wii version of Metroid Prime Hunters where you can go online and test your skills? How about the Animal Crossing that’s double or triple the size of the original? Pikmin anyone?
As you can see, this long rant about Pokemon digs deeper into my feelings for Nintendo as a whole. I grew up playing Nintendo games, and back then they felt hardcore. The number of hours I spent on Pokemon Blue were well spent and quite enjoyable. But now it seems that Nintendo has taken a huge step backwards. Every Nintendo branded Wii game I’ve played has seem skimmed down from their original versions, and I can’t help but to feel that something is missing. It might be indigestion, but I swear it’s something that’s missing.
So, the question is: Is Nintendo going to do anything about it? Or perhaps the DS is meant to be the hardcore system. The Wii certainly has the power to take any DS game and make it 10 times better, but instead they’re usually either the exact same with pretty graphics, or worse off. Time will only tell, but it looks like my hopes of a hardcore Pokemon game are nothing but pipe dreams.
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16 responses so far ↓
1 Tinman // Jun 3, 2008 at 3:07 pm
That’s what I’ve wanted too. A 3D Pokemon game with a customizable character. It’d be awesome.
2 SWSilentkiller // Jun 3, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Yeah I have to wonder why Nintendo isn’t using their series to the full extent that they can be used. Like Metroid Prime 3. It was a great game the problem was that it had no Multiplayer. So I have to wonder what is Nintendo Thinking?
3 Havok Saunders // Jun 3, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I sunk so much of my life into the Red and Blue versions of Pokemon. A true upgrade on the Wii is a no-brainer. I guess Nintendo has decided it doesn’t need anymore money (probably not).
4 Roogan // Jun 3, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Yeah I agree I do oh so love Nintendo, but they are just not what they used to be, its a sad sad things too, they could amount to so much more.
5 Lurkero // Jun 3, 2008 at 3:53 pm
You never know. Nintendo might be planning to surprise us at E3 or some other game convention this year.
6 NecrisJ1MM // Jun 3, 2008 at 4:13 pm
“Wait till E3″ blah blah blah, that’s all they’ve said
if at E3 Nintendo doesn’t deliver for me, then that’s it
7 randomperson // Jun 3, 2008 at 5:15 pm
A 3D Pokemon for Wii that’s like the handheld would be awesome!
8 Gadget2000 // Jun 3, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I totally agree with everything said above. The Pokemon games were hard core, yet Nintendo in its infinite wisdom shoved them into the back of the closet development wise. Multiple story lines? No. Customization? No. Nintendo has let me down…which is why i’m happy i have a PS3
9 t27duck // Jun 3, 2008 at 8:38 pm
For the record: Gamefreak makes Pokemon, not Nintendo.
10 Animathias // Jun 3, 2008 at 9:19 pm
GameFreak is a second party developer for Nintendo, and Nintendo owns the rights to the Pokemon name. They have full control over the direction Gamefreak takes in making the game.
11 Inanimate // Jun 3, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Seriously, and maybe for the console version, it could have, I don’t know, a story.
All the games, do, in a sense. But this one could have a real story.
And I do want to see all those franchises on the Wii, remade by it’s capabilities. Huge, 16 player Pikmin wars? Awesome. 8 player, 8 team brawl? Awesome. 32 player Metroid? Awesome.
Why, do they do this?
Nintendo better do what they Nintendon’t.
If you get the reference, I pat you on the back.
12 HeavenlyYeti // Jun 3, 2008 at 9:30 pm
hmm, you’ve got a point there, I must say. I really don’t know anymore; I mean, Nintendo seems like they’re just gonna stay casual for now, and possibly grow even more casual in the foreseeable future. Which is great for those kids that are new to gaming. It gets them introduced, after all!
But what happens when those kids start to grow up, and suddenly Mario doesn’t look as cool as Master Chief or Snake? Nintendo’s only hurting themselves here, folks. Believe it (see wut I did thar?).
13 Robert Jung // Jun 4, 2008 at 12:40 am
The problem is that you’re all thinking selfishly in the short term. Yes, YOU have mastered Pokemon and Smash Bros. and Mario Kart and want something meatier, but what about all the new gamers who are coming in after you in the years to come? Should they be overwhelmed when Pokemon Ultra XXL has real-time battles and stat juggling, when what they really want is an introductory-level RPG? Or what about all the people who like Mario Kart the way it is and doesn’t want it to get overly complicated with hardcore features?
Nintendo has, since the days of the NES, focused itself on providing BOTH introductory (”casual”) and advanced (’hardcore”) games — this is the same company that publishes Mario Kart and Fire Emblem, remember? They have to provide the introductory-level games because they have NO assurances that third parties will do so, or will do so in a way that won’t scare off the beginners (see how third parties are still struggling to understand casual gaming on the Wii for an example). Nintendo is more than happy to let EA or Activision or Capcom or whoever provide the advanced titles you want; but the beginners are something they want to nurture, to ensure a steady stream of gamers for the future. In just about any interview with Sarotu Iwata, he’ll always iterate the need to keep introducing a steady stream of new gamers to the hobby.
And anyone who says that Nintendo is “selling out” or “going casual” is missing the point. Nintendo has ALWAYS approached video games from this perspective, from Donkey Kong (not the casual-friendly controls and gameplay) to the Gamecube (the controller has a big friendly green button so there’s no doubt what you need to press). Nintendo won’t be disappointed if you want to move to more “hardcore” pastures; they’ll be proud that you’ve finally left the nest, and merely ask that you buy a Fire Emblem or F-Zero GX every once in a while…
–R.J.
14 Jørn Hansen // Jun 4, 2008 at 2:42 am
I cannot agree more with Robert Jung.
Nintendo knows exactly what they are doing right now, and the number speak in their favour.
And how can you fail to see the jump in concept and technology from Super Mario Sunshine to Super Mario Galaxy?
Regarding Metroid Prime 3 it was an excellent single-player experience and I would not have watered-down that aspect for some multiplayer matches. Did you guys even play the game, or did you just write it off for not having multiplayer.
Regarding MKWii, I`m actually liking it better then MKDS.
The causual direction? I play Wii-Fit everyday and it motivates me in a big way to get in shape. Hardcore-gamers are like the silent-film affecionados in the late 1920s. The medium is changing for the better, and Nintendo is the one changing it.
15 Keith K // Jun 4, 2008 at 8:24 am
Jorn Hansen = Fanboy
You’re right on Animathias. 100% on the nose.
I dont think they should bother with a 3D pokemon in the sense of the handhelds though. I think they should go full out and make it an MMORPG
16 Animathias // Jun 4, 2008 at 11:10 pm
@ Robert Jung: I agree with you, I really do. The thing is, Pokemon is actually both flavors in the same bag. You can play through the entire game not worrying about a single stat besides “Pikachu is eletric and is good against water.” But also in the game is an incredibly deep stat system. Building your Pokemon team due to not only type, but by their personal stats or moods, can give you an amazing amount of customization that goes unseen to the casual eyes. Simply bringing Pokemon Diamond or even Sapphire to the Wii with 3D graphics (not changing anything else) would satisfy both the hardcore and the casual crowd.
I don’t want or even expect Nintendo to do a 180 and cater directly to the Hardcore fan. Their current plan is making them alot - ALOT - of money. I just wish their games would have something to cater to us as well. Yes, Metroid Prime 3 was a fine game, and I also agree with Hansen that a multiplayer element could have watered down the single player experience. But why couldn’t they finish the main game, then work on a $10 expansion that requires the original disc that adds multiplayer to it? I wouldn’t care so much if the DS version didn’t feature online multiplayer.. but once again, it feels like the DS is the hardcore system. It just seems wrong (the DS is a good system, but in terms of Wii vs DS, the Wii should be more ‘hardcore’ than the handheld.’)
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