Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl & Legends: Arceus

[Soniman]

My only real hope is Platnium based DLC down the line which, while incredibly scummy an idea would at least convince me if they added enough new content 

[Blue Blood]

1 hour ago, Soniman said:

My only real hope is Platnium based DLC down the line which, while incredibly scummy an idea would at least convince me if they added enough new content 

Battle Frontier and what else? Distortion World? I'm genuinely asking, because I can't think of how else to add in Platinum content when all that game for the most part was polish and tweak the DP experience. 

[Kuzu]

6 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

Battle Frontier and what else? Distortion World? I'm genuinely asking, because I can't think of how else to add in Platinum content when all that game for the most part was polish and tweak the DP experience. 

When I asked this same question on Twitter, people also cited story content too with the likes of Charon and Looker and the post-game story with them. As well as fleshing out Cyrus' motives a bit more.

 

In other words, something that's incredibly niche among the fandom.

[Blue Blood]

9 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

When I asked this same question on Twitter, people also cited story content too with the likes of Charon and Looker and the post-game story with them. As well as fleshing out Cyrus' motives a bit more.

 

In other words, something that's incredibly niche among the fandom.

Yeah, there's very little Platinum "content" to add. And anything that they could potentially add as DLC, I'd just be viewing it as additions that could have been made to the base game from the get go. 

Only 10 weeks until Legends Arceus, I guess! 

[Salamander]

I do think a better remake could feasibly have included a "Platinum Episode", reworking Platinum's Spear Pillar climax into a postgame storyline taking place in Turnback Cave.  You'd have Cyrus, the infamous Giratina "jumpscare", and the Distortion World - it relocates pretty easily.  I think DLC for content which kind of already exists but wasn't included is a bit of a different kettle of fish to DLC for outright new content, though, and I just don't see the enthusiasm being there.  Platinum was more than just the extra bits, anyway; it was the parts which outright replaced stuff from Diamond and Pearl, like the graphical changes throughout, the new gym layouts, the expanded story.

(I do sincerely think they might have been considering Battle Frontier DLC for ORAS.  The whole "Battle Frontier project has started!" business is just so tone-deaf otherwise.)

[Sonicka]

Honestly, it’s not a big deal either way to me to be honest. I’d just rather play the definitive version edition of the game (which allegedly is the original platinum). Actually… I’m pretty sure I have Platinum locked away on an old R4 card thinking about it so I might actually not need to concern myself.  

EDIT: Found it. I can't believe I put only a few hours into this game about 12 years ago. Well, at least that's sorted me out. =D

It’s just that Polished / Phantom / Paymore Platinum feels like the right kind of scummy move for the company to make next IMO. But also fair point - it not like the third editions of the other remakes got a look in either. 

[PC the Hedgehog]

14 hours ago, Soniman said:

My only real hope is Platnium based DLC down the line which, while incredibly scummy an idea would at least convince me if they added enough new content 

This game is just begging for DLC. While this is wishful thinking, I think it'd be great if they did it similar to Sword and Shield: 2 DLC packs, one with all the Platinum content, and the other a new chapter or storyline not featured in the original games.

In other extremely wishful thinking, I wish the DLC would be free, since $60 for a kind of barebones remake is already too much for me.

[Sonicka]

5 hours ago, PC the Hedgehog said:

This game is just begging for DLC. While this is wishful thinking, I think it'd be great if they did it similar to Sword and Shield: 2 DLC packs, one with all the Platinum content, and the other a new chapter or storyline not featured in the original games.

In other extremely wishful thinking, I wish the DLC would be free, since $60 for a kind of barebones remake is already too much for me.

Pokemon Platinum DLC content will come exclusively to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Service =P

[Sonictrainer]

A new Regional Variant was revealed recently

Quote

Hisuian Voltorb looks very similar to the Poké Balls of the Hisui region. This Pokémon is always in high spirits and has a friendly personality. However, it discharges its stored electricity when it gets excited, so it frequently shocks nearby humans and Pokémon.

Spoiler

• Hisuian Voltorb
• Category: Sphere Pokémon
• Type: Electric/Grass
• Height: 1'8"
• Weight: 28.7 lbs.

Quote

This enigmatic Pokémon has a glossy, spherical body. It looks very similar to the Poké Balls of the Hisui region, what with the wood-grain-like makeup of its body's surface and the hole on the top of its head.

There seem to be countless seeds packed inside Hisuian Voltorb. Occasionally, it spouts these seeds out of the hole in its head. However, no one knows exactly what it’s like inside the Pokémon’s body, because inside the hole, it’s pitch-dark. It’s impossible to see anything even if one peers into the hole.

This Pokémon is always in high spirits and has a friendly personality. However, it discharges its stored electricity all at once from the hole in its head when it gets excited, so it frequently shocks humans and Pokémon in its vicinity. Even the slightest provocation can set off such a discharge, so in human settlements, Hisuian Voltorb is considered a nuisance. Tales of people temporarily plugging the hole on Hisuian Voltorb’s head and kicking it out of settlements are not entirely uncommon.

 

[Blue Blood]

Well, it took them all of five seconds to come up with that design. And I actually don't mind it one bit. Low hanging fruit, but it works. Nice typing too. 

[Salamander]

Aye, this one's mostly made up of subtle touches, like the wood-grain texture and the more angular eye shape.  But regional forms often start out not very different (or even not different at all), so I'd imagine we're being set up for a more exciting evolution - perhaps with something growing from that seed-packed hole in its head?

Edit: Seen it pointed out elsewhere that if you flip Hisuian Voltorb upside-down, the emphasised browline becomes a moustache.  Great stuff, certain to be part of the Electrode design.

[Sonicka]

For those concerned about the PlayStation 2 era trees (and lack thereof) Gamefreak now have you covered.

They managed to find enough competency to add one fairly good looking 3D berry tree in there

…

[Sonictrainer]

We have a new trailer for Legends: Arceus that reveals some new human characters.

 

 

New Character: Adaman

Spoiler

Quote

Adaman serves as the leader of the Diamond Clan and has Leafeon as his partner Pokémon.

This daring young man hates seeing time go to waste and likes to rush forward without worrying too much about particulars. This way of thinking puts him at odds with Irida, who leads the Pearl Clan, so the two are frequently seen fighting.

 

 

New Character: Irida

Spoiler

Quote

Irida serves as the leader of the Pearl Clan, and her partner Pokémon is Glaceon.

As a leader, she feels it is important to have the courage to face the vast Hisui region without quailing before it. Though she is suspicious of you when you first meet, she will come to trust you thanks to the help you provide in quelling the noble Pokémon.

 

 

 New Character: Ginter

Spoiler

Quote

Ginter is the head of the Ginkgo Guild. He might not look all that enthusiastic, but it’s his strong leadership that keeps the guild together. He’ll sell you rare items and special finds that he gets from various places.

 

New Character: Volo

Spoiler

Quote

Volo, one of the Ginkgo Guild’s merchants, is often to be found wandering the Hisui region. He has a tendency to cross paths with you no matter where you travel. He’s got a boundless sense of curiosity and is always interested in unusual finds and unusual people.

 

 

[Zaysho]

Really getting sick of Pokemon games having save-game bonuses from other games. It'd be one thing if it's just outfits or an early bonus that can be obtained later (like G-Max Pikachu/Eevee, albeit that's via DLC in SwSh but that at least means you don't need Let's Go), but locking Mythical Pokemon like Mew and Jirachi behind it in BDSP (requiring Let's Go and SwSh, respectively) and now Darkrai (BDSP) in Legends Arceus is just scummy.

[Blue Blood]

I feel like we're about 20 years too late to complain about Pokémon being scummy.

[NegaMix]

It's not just Darkrai they're doing this to. Shaymin's also only available in Legends via having a Sw/Sh save.

[Zaysho]

14 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

I feel like we're about 20 years too late to complain about Pokémon being scummy.

All stuff like this does is kill any motivation I have to play a Switch era Pokemon game, even the ones that are genuinely interesting like Legends.

[Blue Blood]

13 minutes ago, Zaysho said:

All stuff like this does is kill any motivation I have to play a Switch era Pokemon game, even the ones that are genuinely interesting like Legends.

I don't care enough about not getting access to a couple of Legendary Pokémon for it to out me off the games. Legendaries are just box fillers best, and 9/10 these days I'll just knock them out for the EXP if its the game doesn't mandate that you can then. 

But I don't disagree with you at all. This, along with so much in the Pokémon games is scummy. That's the entire business model of Pokémon though, and it's turning me off the franchise more and more each day. They always block off small but important parts of the games behind pay walls. They're not even trying anymore. It was bad enough that Mew in LGPE was a "freebie" for a buying a £50 accessory... And the games themselves are hardly pushing any other boundaries, except in corner cutting. The fact is that the Pokémon games continue to sell in disgustingly high volumes despite all this. I can only how that people continue to call out this shit so that things change but, let's be real here, that's not going to happen.

[Kuzu]

Not that I don't agree with either of you, but we kind of fed into these types of business practices since day 1. The only difference between then and now is that now we're aware that we're being exploited.

 

I suppose there's a sense of betrayal when in realizing this, but I personally was never under the impression that these corporations were ever interested in me personally, so its kind of whatever to me.

This is gonna sound extremely defeatist but it is what it is. Pokemon is too big of a juggernaut to really care what a bunch of thirty year olds online think, and its not gonna stop the children from buying it.

So like....just don't buy it and stick with rom hacks or just exclusively play the old games, that's all I can really say.

[Zaysho]

49 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

It was bad enough that Mew in LGPE was a "freebie" for a buying a £50 accessory...

Cripes, I forgot about that. I thought it was a Home bonus lol

I dunno, though. I wouldn't really care if they were just DLC because that's at least an option that doesn't involve buying overpriced, gutted games to get actual Pokemon. This is basic-ass content and people who skipped the other games shouldn't have to just miss it.

40 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

I suppose there's a sense of betrayal when in realizing this, but I personally was never under the impression that these corporations were ever interested in me personally, so its kind of whatever to me.

It's far less dramatic than "betrayal" and more like "I don't like [thing] and it makes me not care enough to buy this game." It's a bare minimum expectation. They did it with ORAS and I'm not even asking for a special story like that.

But whatever.

[Kuzu]

If video games weren't hella exploitative of the consumer mindset, they wouldn't sell :V

Really, sometimes I wish Pokemon had a legitimate contender. Competition is pretty much the only thing that forces these companies to listen to us, otherwise there's literally no incentive to ever backdown on these practices.

[Zaysho]

18 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

If video games weren't hella exploitative of the consumer mindset, they wouldn't sell :V

For what it's worth, I can see it as rewarding people who have been following the series, and I have friends who actively play these games that will get a lot out of stuff like this. The only tweak I'd really want to this sort of thing, if it has to be done, is just making it timed before it becomes available regularly for everyone else or limiting it to cosmetic stuff (compare this to, say, not getting a Kingdom Hearts remix in Smash if you didn't buy the rhythm spinoff which isn't really losing out on anything important).

If you're like me and you've been skipping games due to lack of interest, then it adds up and you basically don't get actual game content. It's just a buzzkill, that's all.

[Kuzu]

Completely agree, its punishing you for not playing games you don't really care about. 

[KHCast]

Can’t reply to statuses, so figured I’d add my two cents here 

 

 

 

I agree with @Blacklightning that the graphics are far from the big issue with GF and their model with Pokémon games. It’s certainly a symptom of a larger problem. What’s annoying, is how posts like the above in turn result in everyone, as you can see by the QT’s, doubling down on their support of GF and justifying what they do, to stick it to the “unpleasables, that are always complaining about Pokemon”

 

Feel like that could have been avoided had people like this directed the criticism at specifically the Pokemon company itself and their handling and directing of funds towards the games. That’s not to say GF were innocent here, but they certainly aren’t the only issue here 

[Salamander]

To be honest, I think subjective and often hyperbolic arguments about the graphics are a bit of a red herring when it comes to Pokemon.  The focus should instead be on the amount of single-player content, which has measurably decreased in both quantity and quality since the shift to 3D; and which gives little reason to be confident in the Legends world being anything but a barren space devoid of anything to do except catch, catch, catch.