My Thoughts on the 2/27/22 Pokemon Direct (Also quick thoughts on Gen 8)

Feels good to be able to get a video done. So that Pokemon Presents was probably one of their best, the bar isn't that high for these but hey, it was still pretty good. Let me know what you thought of the direct down below in the comments.

[@TheKoopaManSho1]

Also in the case of SwSh. They were not Designing nor animating the majority of Pokemon. TPC had the files for the Animations, Move Pools, Stats, Models. Everything was made prior to X and Y as a means of future proofing for all further 3d Pokemon games. They used that as the basis for Alola which while it didn't have the National dex, it had all the pokemon in the data. The identity of Pokemon is and always will be "Collectable Monster Games" and you can say "gotta catch em all" is no longer a tagline or wasn't in japan all you want. IT does not change the fact that the games are set out with that goal in mind since Red and Green. The 100% completion has always been a complete Pokedex. As is the in game story narrative reliant on it. Professor Oak's dream is to document all the pokemon, not most. It is not just laziness on Game Freak's part not to include these pokemon it is outright baffling and bordering on sheer spite. IT was never about the Graphics, that would not be the issue if all the Pokemon were there. It was not about the removal of features. It was not about the increased price tag. It was not about the oversimplifcation of mechanics. It was not even about the removal of moves, some of which are competitive staples. It is about the franchise abandoning it's identity for the sake of Yearly Releases. I do not want Pokemon to become like Call of Duty.

[@TheSwordsman100]

I agree but its also because every Pokemon is someone's favorite.

[@TheKoopaManSho1]

@@TheSwordsman100 If anyone are being elitist it's the ones who say "It doesnt matter if Luvdisc et al are not in they suck anyway"

[@psychie8625]

I was initially hyped for Gen 8, but I didn't get around to playing it until... 8 months after I got it. During that time, I started to realize just how sketchy the Dex cut really was (The models and animations of the old Pokémon were reused from the 3DS games, so spending memory space on new ones couldn't have been a big issue), so the pre-release hype was gone by the time I finally got around to playing it. I wasn't impressed. Not by the region, the characters, the Dynamax... The new Pokémon roster was pretty good, but that wasn't enough. As for the Direct... Eh. 1 day ago I would've said that I would've been better off without the new reveal, but on second thought, the reveal wasn't the problem for me. It was the release date. If layering releases is normal, so be it, but from what I've seen, I don't think Game Freak has the manpower to do something like that without problems. Optimization has proven to be a repeated struggle for them after all, so having both Legends and the new games in the oven at the same time gives me bad feelings for both (I say both because I don't actually have Legends yet, and I don't currently have plans to get it). ...Speaking of Scarlet and Violet, I'll probably wait until I can find a deal of some kind before I approach one of them, and the one that gets my money is the one where the version exclusives are better in battle. I've been doing more Nuzlockes than anything else lately, after all. As for the starter, I'm waiting on the final stages. I predict that Sprigatito will either be like Luxray or like a feminine Incineroar. Fuecoco is probably going down the Feraligatr route, and Quaxly... Pirate.

[@justinnzamora5366]

I'm picking the grass cat starter for Pokemon Violet. Gen 8 imo gets too much vitriol. It has flaws sure but I loved features such as Nature Mints, the Wild Area, and the soundtrack is stellar.

[@GameGod77]

As someone who plays pokemon masters, I can tell you that the game has anniversary events every 6 months; been that way from the start actually. It's jam packed with content at this point and has been streamlined a fair amount since launch. The devs are surprisingly on the ball with events too, which is either a sign of great management or behind the scenes crunch, I'm hoping it's the former obviously.

[@TheIvoryDingo]

I'm personally quite looking forward to the new region that seemingly will be based on Spain/the Iberian Peninsula, but as for what starter I'll go with... I'm still debating between Fuecoco and Quaxly. As an addendum to the point about animations, I know that people will likely say "But why does that matter if they're just going to reuse old animations?". And my answer to that is that while animations may not need to be remade, they WILL all still need to be tested regardless just in case something in the code causes an animation to not play properly (and doing that for 300+ Pokemon as well as any NPCs will take quite a bit of time).

[@FierceGalactaKnight]

I still hope you get around to making that Gen 8 list. I always loved seeing what Pokemon you had as your favorites :)

[@spongehead93]

In regards to the whole Dexit thing, yeah I think we’re gonna have to get used to each individual game not having every Pokemon. What I’m hoping happens at some point is that Game Freak will make a sister app to Pokemon Home that would basically function as an official version of Pokemon Showdown: online battling with every ‘Mon under the sun, detailed explanations of mechanics and strategies, and maybe mini games as a way to obtain certain held items/stat buffs. I think the reason why Dexit became such a hot-button issue is because the core games have always been the torch-bearing pillar in the franchise, especially in terms of competitive battling, and when a favorite isn’t included in that, it feels like they’ve been left behind. With something like this in place, each individual game would be under a lot less pressure and can just have the Regional Dex that would work best for it. Heck, with a more standardized version of the battling in place, each game could afford to get a little weirder with its own mechanics, similarly to what Legends Arceus did.

[@RyansChannel0203]

I’ve pretty much already had it with all the Dexit excuses these devs have come up with. So I’ve already given up entirely on supporting the main series games at this point.

[@spongehead93]

@@RyansChannel0203 tbh I think the whole Dexit thing was really blown out of proportion. Like a precedent was broken with it, that's absolutely true, but I don't know, I guess with a Pokemon roster getting close to 1,000 'Mons I kinda think this was an inevitability. Like I said, I think having a Pokemon Home: Battle Simulator (or whatever they'd end up calling it) would be a great solution to this problem: it would always be there as the main utility for the competitive battling scene, and as such there'd be less pressure on the games themselves bear that torch.

[@RyansChannel0203]

I wish I was excited for this.

[@FierceGalactaKnight]

I mean, that's really your choice to be excited or not

[@Zek3nator]

The starters of gen 8 were fantastic. Decidueye, Typhlosion and Samurott were probably one of the strongest showings we’ve had. … Wait what do you mean there were other starters? On a serious note, I feel like the first half of gen eight was a mixed bag. That being said it won me over with the remakes of mystery dungeon, bdsp, and arceus (yes, I have a positive bias towards gens 3 and 4)

[@Jasonwolf1495]

I think the real key to dexit wasn't about not having all the pokemon. It was not having all the pokemon and nothing feeling like it was replacing them. PLA is a perfect example of a game with a limited roster that was praised because it had a bunch of new content that you could understand if they limited the dex. Gen 8 didn't sell people on that.

[@Arcadenblog]

Feels like yesterday I was watching the "What's Your Opinion" video on X & Y when they were first announced, and ironically that's how I first found out about it.

[@johnathenyoungs4850]

I wouldn't mind a redo for the top 10 kanto pokemon list

[@FierceGalactaKnight]

As for my opinions on the new games, I'm super excited. I don't know which starter I'll pick because each Pokemon has unlimited potential, but also unlimited potential to go a way that doesn't appeal to me. Since I spend most of my time with the final form of the starter, I want to see what direction the starters are going to go in their middle form before I make any decisions (RIP me if they don't announce even the middle forms before the games come out )

[@KageDarkAngel]

Not going to lie. I felt that Gen 8 was a tad bit rushed. It was a lot of fun once the DLC hit and the Wild Area was good, but it felt like it could have been better, like they could have done more with what they had. Still enjoy it though when I need some down time and the wild area's music is pretty relaxing. As for the direct, I wasn't really expecting too much at the beginning (thinking the Pokemon company is putting so much investment in the mobile games, which I personally cannot play on a technical side nor have interest in playing) so the Gen 9 announcement caught me by surprise. Will probably get both versions as usual (especially if Gamefreak continues to use Pin Code trading methods rather than Gen 6 & 7's GTS method) and I am interested in using Sprigatito first and Fuecoco in a second run. Not a big fan of the duck sadly, but I bet it will surprise me in the end when it evolves.

[@MARIO1UP2000]

I’m hoping to get both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet just like I did with Pokémon Sword and Shield, and heck I even received both Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl as Christmas Presents (Been meaning to play those, but I’m not doing that until I beat Red in SoulSilver). And Legends Arceus is a fun experience, it won’t disappoint you.

[@FierceGalactaKnight]

My favorite part of Gen 8 were the introductions of TRs. I understand that a lot of people were upset at the removal of Earthquake being reteachable, but come on: A. You can get as many TRs as possible so long as they are available from the watt traders. Never again do you have to get two versions of the game just to find and trade over that one tm like in the old games, which was the biggest problems with TMs being disposible. Now, if you have plenty of watts, you can get as many Earthquake and Ice Beam TRs as you want. B. You can get TRs as soon as you get to the wild area. Sure, grinding watts isn't anybody's favorite activity, but the fact that I can catch a Timburr and have it know Close combat before the first gym is freakin' sweet! And lastly C. 100 newTMs/TRs being introduced in the game is easily the best trade off. With moves like Close Combat, Crunch, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance, Nasty Plot, etc. being completely new moves that were never available available through TM or Move Tutor means that so many Pokemon get their movesets expanded upon. I could make a list of my favorite Pokemon that got Close Combat this generation... and that's just ONE new TR. (by the way, that list definitely includes Haxorus, Aegislash, Conkeldurr, and Absol) Say what you want about Gen 8, but this change alone made the games infinitely better for me.

[@Grant_Scarboro]

5:14 BASED.

[@techspider9517]

Love To Know What You Got To Say The Eshop For 3ds/Wii U To Me I Hope They Can Bring Some To The Switch That Way People Can Still Get The Game

[@SonicGamer-JustVibing]

I'll start this off with my thoughts on the direct. Neat that all the mobile stuff is getting new things for people that play them, really nice that Legends Arceus and BDSP is getting new content updates, and I'm excited for Scarlet and Violet! I'm still not sure who I"ll pick. And now for Sword and Shield...... Honestly, I enjoyed the game. Maybe some things could have been done better, but I don't think it's the greatest sin of humanity. I enjoy the raid battles (even though those can suck with the A.I.), exploring the Wild Areas, Dynamaxing was pretty cool, and I liked lot of the new Pokemon introduced! I think it's also neat adding things to make training competive Pokemon easier, but I'm not intrested in that because I feel it takes forever. I'd rather max out every special weapon in Legends 2. I guess I have to talk about Dexit now huh? While it does suck that some of my favorite Pokemon aren't in Sword and Shield, I can understand the reason behind it. Having to make sure 1000+ Pokemon are working properly does sound rather taxing. Although that's probably an educated guess on my part, I have no idea what development is like in Gamefreak. However my biggest problem with this whole Dexit situation is that it seems to have spawned some VERY bitter fans that makes it really hard to enjoy the series. I can see why some would be frustrated with the series, but it sucks when your excited about something or enjoying something within Pokemon and having to see some bitter fan being bitter just takes the wind off my sail. I know it's just an opinion at the end of the day, but still. Looks like Sonic isn't the only franchise where I have to deal with the occasional cynical fan. So yeah, that's my two cents.

[@gravityhero2227]

I got spoiled too. "Thanks" KZbin.

[@TheKoopaManSho1]

Ark Ay Oose. Like Ark and Goose. It is a combination of Arc/Arch and Deus.

[@freetoplayking7362]

probably cool duck, grass cat will be everyone else's picks, and... I'm not too down on apple croc's design

[@redrazorx-23]

I’m picking Violet, and i’m probably picking Fuecoco

[@MartinMKGamerJohnson]

I’d actually be interested on what you thought of the 3DS ports of Gen 1 and a remake of the Gen 1 list. Feel like it’d be cool to see what changed! As for Gen 8; I felt similarly to what you said. Yeah, it sucks not all of them made it, but not ALL of them need to make it now. Especially with Gen 9 on the horizon, since if we’re getting roughly the same amount of new Pokémon as we did in Gen 8, that would bring the total to over 1000 Pokémon! So, yeah, cutting it down makes sense and I’m fine with it. Makes team building more interesting. As for Gen 9, I’m leaning towards Violet, but we haven’t seen the legendaries yet, and that’ll be part of my decision making process. For the starter; I’m crossed between Sprigatito and Fuecoco. If/when I end up getting both, I’ll just use one for each. Just gotta wait and see

[@gravityhero2227]

I'm picking Fuecoco and i'll probably go with Scarlet.

[@GameGod77]

I'd like to hear your thoughts on gen 1 if you've been replaying it recently. I always pick the fire starter and I'm inclined to go for scarlet, but ultimately it comes down to what the choice in box legendary is.

[@NakazoraGen]

So... Gen 8 introduced a lot that was good, but the games themselves felt... off. They were missing something. I feel the DLC fixed a little bit of that, but... the story just felt empty. You HEAR about a lot of things happening, but never see them. And characters tended to lose and gain character quirks whenever. I mean, seriously, the game tells us right away that Leon has a bad sense of direction, and then he is always right where he needs to be all the time. And when chaos starts going on in the background, he apparently goes off to take care of it. ... LET US DO SOMETHING! Hell, just tell us after gym 8 that he got lost, and we need to help either find him or solve the dynamaxing pokemon issue! But instead... NOTHING. Also, Wooloo will never be forgiven. We had a sheep. And the fact they made a new one and thrust him into the limelight makes me - an Amphy fan - quite upset. lol

[@Pepperknight341]

People were only upset with the game's graphics because Masuda used it as an excuse to justify the dexcut.

[@meta527II]

0:11 “all we really saw was the name of the games and that’s it” (shows Decidueye, Solgaleo and a Z move) Of course there’s the possibility you were showing footage of another trailer

[@cjszero01]

That wasn't the trailer, just some gameplay footage for that generation.

[@meta527II]

@@cjszero01 Yeah, I had a feeling it probably wasn't

[@michaelgunnels9694]

I love the starters but why did they pick ducklett of all pokemon that the starter looks like but I do feel like that it's too soon for a new gen especially after arceus

[@lukerbom12]

Pokémon screwed themselves in a way by always having every Pokémon return for the National Dex and setting that standard that, let's face it, is impossible to sustain forever. It is the only series in the universe that is held to that standard where they are actually criticized if not everything comes back to future games. No one cried that hard just because, say, the Cloud Suit didn't return to Mario Odyssey.

[@voltricity1942]

could i get an invite back to your discord server? i used to be in it for a while but i left as i was in a ton of servers and was cleaning up my server list but i'm interested in joining back

[@ZachaRicO]

Pokemon Sword and Shield were good. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were slightly better. But Pokemon Legends: Arceus showed them up like it was nothing. Regardless of one's opinions, Generation 8 was hard to sit through due to the outrageous outrage over things that really shouldn't have been such a huge deal. Dexit is the prime example. While I doubt anyone likes not having every single Pokemon available to use in a game, the fanbase handled their frustration extremely poorly. The biggest irony of this debacle, however, is the fact that Sword and Shield currently have the largest selection of Pokemon available for use in game out of all the Switch titles, capping at over 600. All this controversy sadly ended up dragging Pokemon and Game Freak through the mud, leading to BDSP and Legends: Arceus getting preemptively criticized. While BDSP remains contested, Legends has thankfully shown up the naysayers and proven to be one of the best core games in years. While I'm excited for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (I'm gonna pick up Scarlet), I have a hard time believing that all the negativity this last generation sparked is gonna go away any time soon.

[@alphamarigi]

The important news that dexcut wil sadly continue into Gen 9 was hidden in the fine print. They fit models and animations for 800 in a 3ds cartridge they have no excuse

[@gravityhero2227]

Gen 8 was awesome.

[@awesomeisthename22]

Gamefreak is the third worst gaming company behind EA and Ubisoft