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Super serious.

I dug Platinum, it was a fun game and also the first Pokemon game I ever played. So then I got Black and was like, "this is just like Platinum but with dopey lookin' Pokemon" and not in a good kind of way. There's so much grinding between gym battles you'd think the game title is a shout out to coffee bean grinders. /lamejoke

I say all this because X & Y are coming out soon, and as much as I'd like to play them I fear it will be a repeat of Black. For everyone who plays Pokemon, what sets the games apart to you and keeps you coming back?

Silver, gold, Brase. Silver and gold. ;D

Platinum was on the DS.

I stopped playing pokemon after silver. sweatdrop

I still have my yellow and red though that I'll bust out on a rainy day though.
I used to have silver but the clock in it died. sad

*ahem* Time for a Roland Rant, which we have not seen in quite a while.

The first for us Americans was Red and Blue. For most kids who played those games, they were something so brand new, it was great, even for gamer kids. And it was an adventure for kids about kids with what were essentially pets (much like that puppy you may have wanted for Christmas) where all of these adults trusted you and let you control your life, and treated you as an equal, if not superior. That was a great hook, along with blending popular fantasy tropes (Caves, Dragons, Villainous Cabals, etc.), and its similarity to Final Fantasy games (think of it in terms of building a team, leveling them up, think of the moves as weapons and armor, and there ya go it's Final Fantasy) all meshed together to make the games almost irresistible to most folks at the time, especially children.

Fast forward a few years. That generation was just getting towards Junior High, where everything is about being social somehow, and one of the biggest complaints is your parents' tyrannical control over you. Well, Pokemon was there to tell you how great you were, how smart you were. You could trade with your friends, you could battle with them to show THEM how great you were. The Pokemon were your friends, they wouldn't abandon you, even when you felt like the entire world was after you. Professor Oak cared about your safety, Mom was always home to take care of you, and your pets would follow you and fight for you anywhere. How could you not love it, even if you weren't aware of that bit of psychology?

Now those kids are 18. They don't really play Pokemon anymore, it's kind of on the back burner. They've moved on to Devil May Cry and the new generation of Final Fantasy, games with flashy graphics and over-the-top game play. These aren't the kids who liked battling pets, these are teenagers and adults who fight gods in their spare time. And so we get the new generation of Pokemon: Revamped graphics, Legendaries that are ACTUALLY legendary, and it gets played up as if we're the saviors of a world. They get back into it, they start enjoying the mini-games like the underground, and EV training. Now there's this whole new dimension of the game they had never thought about as kids, a deep level of statistics and numbers they feel the need to conquer.

Fast forward to now. That generation is in their early 20s, they've conquered the new systems, they've grown bored of them. Berries and excavation are just tedious now. EVs are second nature and almost feel unnecessary. Some of us have memorized the entire pokedex, some even in specific detail (For instance, I have). They need a challenge fro ma game now or they won't play it. Queue Pokemon Black and White. They revamp the graphics yet again, and they give us something many MMOs we play have: A scaling experience point system. They play up a new challenge level, and more in depth game play. the game sells a huge amount of copies, but alas isn't too well received. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 come out, and they sell less copies than their predecessors but have a new, smoother system and the battle tournament is actually very well received, and suddenly people start buying the game. People love their tournaments, and one of the biggest hooks in gaming is a sense of conquest, of domination.

Now, we have Pokemon X and Y. Nintendo is being careful after the Black and White near-flop. They've played up even HIGHER quality graphics, and have put the entire focus on new, high-def, sparkly Legendary Pokemon based on current very popular fantasy tropes (Wyverns and Stags). People are a bit tentative at first, then they make another announcement: The highly beloved Eevee is getting a new evolution, and we can't seem to figure it out by looks. This throws hype to a whole new level, and then we take a look at Fennekin and realize there is no way this could be Fire/Fighting again and even more hype over what new kind of starters these will be.

And the great machine moves on~

Also since Prince posted his...

Vensuaur (M/Level 100)
Metagross (Level 100)
Whimsicott (F/Level 100)
Arcanine (M/Level 100)
Gardevoir (F/Level 100)
Altaria (F/Level 100)

That's my main team.

My secondary team is:

Venusaur (M/Level 100)
Arbok (M/Level 100)
Whimsicott (F/Level 100)
Breloom (M/Level 100)
Ninetails (F/Level 100)
Umbreon (F/Level 100)

That team is based on status problems. I love it, the slow, grueling kill is my favorite.

And my third and final:

Arcanine (M/Level 100)
Lucario (M/Level 100)
Accelgor (M/Level 100)
Dragonite (M/Level 100)
Breloom (M/Level 100)
Crobat (M/Level 100)

This is my "Speed demon" team. It's meant to put a lot of pressure down on the enemy.


And I'm working on this team in pokemon white, forgot the levels and don't have the game on me but

Bisharp
Hydreigon
Samurott
Whimsicott
Braviary
Tirtouga


I've been playing since Red first came to America ^^;

Well, that's alright, they aren't for everyone =) But I strongly suggest you try HeartGold or SoulSilver. Would totally send you my copy with 3 legit shiny eevees, but it got stolen xD

I get them to level 100 because I know what I'm doing and when I put myself into something, I really put myself into it, I'm a passionate man.

lol well, if you know any friends that have it, ask to borrow it, and just dig into it for a day. If you don't start enjoying it a little bit after you fight Morty, you're never going to and can stop right there lol