Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Retrospective

[@KingKlonoa]

So, a lot of people are expressing interest in the team I made for my playthroughs. I suppose since they were fairly ordinary teams this time around, no one would care and it would just eat up video time. But many commenters have expressed an interest. I will explain my team here, and going forward I will always go into those choices. Diamond- Empoleon (Bingus) Piplup is the Gen 4 starter I have used the least. Probably because my sister has Pearl, and she picked Piplup, so I started to associate those two things with her. But I figured I should get an idea of what Empoleon is like, and I wasn't disappointed! Pretty bulky, but not afraid to dish out some damage. A really damn solid water type with a design I've always loved. Roserade (Makima) I've used Roserade before, but I just felt like doing it again. There weren't many other Grass types I was interested in, and it's just a really solid Pokémon. Again, D/P don't have a ton of new options anyway. Honchkrow (Grim) I've also used this once before, but it's been so long that I wanted to do it again. Pretty solid Dark/Flying type, and has always been one of my favorite new evolutions. Bronzong (Taco Bell) Here's one I've never used, but was pretty satisfied by. Got a lot of bulk, a really defensive typing, and pairing it with something like Charge Beam later on was pretty excellent. I gave it Heatproof because of its nickname (ha) but I think the better ability in this game is definitely Levitate. Rapidash (Extinction) I wanted to use a fire type. Rapidash is one of my all-time favorites, and the physical special split happened. Felt like I had to. Unfortunately, it doesn't get any physical fire moves until WAY later. But it was still pretty good. It was essentially my only fire type option. Toxicroak (Harley) This was the most underwhelming member of my team. It learns some decent moves, and has some good attacking stats, but I found that in most situations, its speed was its death knell. Too many times where it just died before it got to do anything useful. Platinum Infernape (Rajang) Ol' Reliable, what can I say? Infernape is just an excellent Pokémon. Definitely my favorite of the Fire/Fighting starters. Floatzel (Tails) I've always loved this line. They're fast attackers, with Aqua Jet as a decent stab priority move. It almost never let me down, especially when I taught it Ice Fang. I'm a big fan of the glass cannons. Togekiss (James) Since there were some new evolution options, I wanted to take advantage. Togekiss with Serene Grace is just excellent. Aura Sphere and Air Slash at the relearner and you're essentially set. Isn't it great when you have more options? Gengar (Skulker) This one is two-fold. I haven't used Gengar in a very long time, but the last time I did use it was in Platinum so this is kinda nostalgic. I also wanted to show off how much better it was made by the split. It's a powerhouse now, with Psychic, Shadow Ball, and basically anything else you want to put on it. A fast special attacker. You can even run sleep and dream eater if you want. It's just a great Pokémon. Magnezone (Kid) Another cool one. It's a LITTLE slow for my liking, but it could usually eat a hit or two so that was fine. Magneton has always struck me as being just a little lame, so I've always appreciated this third evolution. Learns great Steel and Electric moves. Weavile (Yukine) This is another one that could only work in this gen. It's one of my all-time favorites, so I'm really glad it's a viable Pokémon. Like I said in the video, though, I do wish it had another option besides Avalanche. It eventually does, but that's way past the point of relevance. Still, great glass cannon sweeper pick.

[@nickb6425]

Great video! Infernape and Weavile are two of my favourites. You did manage to teach Weavile Ice Punch since you had it in Platinum right?

[@darrylsmith5148]

Thank you

[@linksora7120]

Thank you so much for this! I think there's a lot of great choices here :) Also very different choices here to my favourites (torterra, gastrodon, vespiquen, drifblim, mismagius, electivire and magmortar), I love your videos man and just love the thought you put into everything :) Keep up the amazing content :)

[@thefinalskarm1754]

Ice Punch is still Postgame in Platinum. Methods of obtaining Ice Punch on the Sneasel line are as follows, breed with Smeargle (Sketch Ice Punch user) 48 BP in the post game. The other options for em's aren't listed as their only parent to give them Ice Punch is Smeargle. Shoutouts to the guy that removed the elemental punch TM'S.

[@nickb6425]

@@thefinalskarm1754 nope, there's a move tutor west of Pastoria City in Platinum, for coloured shards

[@TriforceZard]

I love that Platinum adds an NPC that was Cyrus’s caretaker and feels guilty about how Cyrus turned out.

[@mccajake]

Platinum’s additional details like that really help with its worldbuilding, something that wasn’t as present in the originals. It feels more alive

[@GodSlayer330]

I think this helps make the NPC’s feel human and not just an NPC.

[@gaylordcomic]

Is that just in plat? I distinctly remember a guy mentioning Cyrus in Sunyshore city during my Diamond playthrough

[@spinceiling7442]

@@gaylordcomic The NPC in Sunyshore is in all games but in Platinum, his grandfather is in one of the post game routes

[@BBWahoo]

fudge, spoilered after a decade, that's what I get for not playing it

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

I've been playing Pokemon since Gen 1 and I've invested the most time in gen 4, absolutely no-lifing Platinum. There's something about the atmosphere, the soundtracks, the story and the environment that made me fall in love with this generation the most.

[@MariOmor1]

Hello there You're everywhere I like Gen 4 And so do you

[@ct2xperience749]

@@MariOmor1 wait! This isn't him. Look at the user name carefully.

[@fish-kj1dg]

@@ct2xperience749 No no, it’s him.

[@codenamespam2359]

Why do I see u in every comment section

[@legendarysixsamurai-shien402]

Gen 4 is easily the best line up: -Diamond -Pearl -Platinum -Heart gold -Soul silver

[@MrMitchbow]

To me Barry is a very patient friend. No matter how fast he wants to go, he’ll always wait at the next town for me as I slowly make my way through routes batting and catching mons bonding with my team and loitering around. It could take me days to get through a route and Barry never leaves me behind, he sits and waits for me to catch up before he continues. So wholesome

[@smashmaster521]

Yeah. It's kind of annoying when he springs a battle on you when you least expect it, though.

[@smashmaster521]

@A B True, but I need time to prepare for battles with him first.

[@smashmaster521]

@A B Yeah, but I lose money if I lose, and money is a precious resource I can't afford to lose in Pokemon.

[@MarluART]

I remember in Diamond when I was younger, I explored every square inch of the map to see what could find, that's when I noticed a little gap in the bushes on the eastern long route, imagine my surprise to find an entire dungeon AND a legendary hiding in there.

[@jakewithonions]

Same way I ended up finding it! I had no idea, but I remembered going to that route and noticing a gap I never saw before! I was playing my DS in bed (wasn't supposed to be 👀) and I scoured that maze of a dungeon. I jumped out of my skin in my bunk bed circa 2006 when I spotted Giratina, a Pokemon I didn't even know existed yet. What a good fucking game.

[@jasonreed7522]

This reminds me of how i found Cobalion in my first playthrough of Black, i just decided to go into the cave with an ominois description and at the end i found a legendary i had never heard of before with an awesome signature move and relatively unique typing. I know its not even the same generation but its such an amazing feeling to just find a legendary tucked away in a corner you were allowed to miss, especially if you had never heard of it before. (And in gen 3 that stretch of land in hoenn with Jigglypuff was a nice little secret)

[@YiddishDancingClown]

That's exactly how I found the power plant in Gen 1. Saw the water I could surf on and wanted to know where it went.

[@turbo8628]

The new generations miss out on so much of this because they ruin the experience with the internet. Great to see its not just a gen 1 thing!

[@danielgloyd4529]

​@turbo8628 That's why I always go into a new game blind. Unfortunately even then the newer gen games lack any kind of meaningful exploration.

[@missingno.6224]

Platinum is full of small details that are absolutely amazing when you dig into them, and one of my favorites is the placement of Absol in the regional dex. You find it as you're scaling Mt. Coronet, having just learned that Cyrus intends to summon Dialga and Palkia to spear pillar and recreate the universe...No doubt, Absol is appearing towards the summit because it senses the oncoming apocalypse of universal rebirth. Right? Well, it can be interpreted that way...But there's a better way of looking at it: what is Absol's number in the Platinum Pokedex? #209. JUST BEFORE GIRATINA. Absol isn't foreseeing the rebirth of the universe, albeit that is probably part of its presence at coronet. No, it is serving as an omen of the appearance of Giratina, who in coming to the real world has created a portal to the distortion world, potentially causing the destruction of both. The fact that Absol precedes Giratina in the pokedex like this can't be coincidental, and it's one of my favorite details in ANY Pokemon game.

[@violetsparkles5453]

thats fucking sick ive never thought of this but it makes hella sense

[@trxxblx-wxs-hxrx]

I just searched the dex to see if you're capping hard and I'm here in awe like "wtff???" Thaats actually really crazy esp since you mentioned seeing it at the end before the legendary encounter since theres no other pokemon in the distortion world...got me shooketh

[@WardofSquid]

This is the sort of thing that I love and miss the most about old Pokemon games

[@fuckugoogle6696]

diamond was one of the first games I played on my own and back then, it really felt like there was more to absol! I was so involded into everything, checked on every fucking bin. today, it gives me such a sentient feeling of a dooming omen of whats to come and feels like a special mon.

[@TheBBCSlurpee]

That’s sick wtf

[@KnightsDisillusion]

Gen 4 has the best atmosphere. It's the only Pokémon game where i take in the scenery and mood. Sinnoh generally feels like a real place.

[@schmedly937]

Part of the reason Sinnoh feels so real, I think, is because the environment is very cohesive. For example, there's no desert route on the mainland because the mainland is cool and temperate. Why should there be a random desert? Contrast that with newer regions like Kalos, where the only thing separating a rocky desert from a snowed-in mountain pass is two routes. That variety is certainly more interesting than Sinnoh's monotonous routes, but it also feels manufactured and artificial, like a theme park ride.

[@PittsburghSonido]

Sinnoh and the Gen4 remakes are the best atmospheric games Gamefreak ever developed. I think of how much we needed a full-scale remake of the Sinnoh area (which is what I believe the new Arceus game takes from). Imagine traversing a vast and remote landscape like Mt. Coronet or Snowpoint City. Imagine how dense Jubilife City could be with bustling streets and pedestrians seemingly walking aimlessly to and from work within the city. Canalave would be my favorite re-designed area as I can picture a massive sea port designed for docking large ships compounded with such wondrous overlay of score it originally had. Etc. When I think of games that could flourish with an amazing redesign on a maximum scale, I think of Sinnoh. Amazing world.

[@borby4584]

Gen 5 also has some good atmosphere too, but that’s moreso because of tricks with the music and camera angles. Skyarrow Bridge, BW’s gates to Victory Road, the buildup to the Champion’s chamber, and the stairs of Celestial Tower are some excellent examples

[@adimai7605]

I agree with this gen 4 is very immersive my only issue is the performance it has its rather slow and i like pokemon to be fast-paced other than that easily one of the strongest pokemon gens

[@isetmfriendsofire]

I take in the scenery in Hoenn a lot too, personally. Okay, and Johto. Okay, even Kanto a little bit. Look, I just love 2D pokemon atmosphere and environments, hahaha.

[@BensOnTheRadio]

Man that commercial at the beginning just activated a part of my brain that hasn’t been accessed in about 14 years.

[@retrorewind6042]

I remember seeing it for the first time in 2006 just as i finished playing gen 3. what a time to be alive

[@thew00dsman79]

@@retrorewind6042 I was 6 at the time, and I remembered it, that’s crazy

[@retrorewind6042]

@@thew00dsman79 i remember it like it was yesterday

[@tristanneal9552]

I was like "You sly dog, you got my nostalgia tingling!"

[@ItsRetroPlanet]

I believe I was around 14 or 15 when I first saw that commercial, and even now I am amazed at how well it looks.

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

Lucario's actually a jackal not a wolf. I've always thought an african themed pokemon game with an anubis lucario variant would be sick.

[@TheZestyCar]

We could have an Egyptian themed Pokemon game sometime down the line, but as for myself I am hoping for an Italy based region. It's just gotta happen. We are so close to it happening.

[@Lulink013]

I want a region based on all the coastline of the mediteranean sea, with a tiny bit of France hailing back to Kalos, Italy as the mountain part of the region, maybe a few water routes leading to and from Greese, then a after a few more stops and cities a big turning point (geographically and naratively) with what would be an area based on Turkey and I guess a little of the middle east, then of course egypt and the rest of Africa's north coast, the detroit, which could have a city spanning the two continental masses, unified in a single city with a bidge connecting the two or something, and finally last but not least, Spain. I don't know where the league would even be and since this is a huge area compared to real Pokémon region it would probably missrepresent most of the places it's based on, but I feel like there are steong enougg parrallels between all mediteraneas areas to get inspiration from.

[@ZeldaboyOG]

@@TheZestyCar Italy and the rest of the Adriatic area. Although that might feel like a Hoenn 2.0. Still I feel like a game based in that area would combine some of the best aspects of Hoenn and Kalos. History, and art.

[@nathancurnutt8074]

Would it's typing be fighting ghost or dark ghost?

[@ZeldaboyOG]

@@nathancurnutt8074 I'd say Dark/Ghost. Anubis is judged people's deeds so a Dark type would fit for seeing the evil in people's hearts. Although Lucario maybe a jackal Anubis is actually a wolf. The animal that Anubis is based on was reclassified as a wolf in 2015. So even more perfect for Lucario since people mix it up too.

[@bhgameman]

Imagine a timeline where Crystal and Platinum switched names. Edit: Or even Diamond as the final game in the 4th gen lineup "Pokemon Crystal and Pearl out now on Nintendo DS!"

[@Supermateo97]

Pokemon: Gold, Silver, Platinum - 👌🏾 Pokemon: Diamond, Pearl...Crystal? 🤢

[@bhgameman]

@@Supermateo97 still all gems lol

[@anthonyhutchins2300]

It would make alot more sense lol

[@turtleanton6539]

Pokémon is not about sense

[@richardjacobson3634]

@@bhgameman a pearl isn't a gem, it's literally oyster snot

[@vincentmarcellino7183]

The physical/special split really helped my boy Machamp. Giving him the elemental punches is actually a viable strategy instead of just being something you do only because he has 4 arms

[@jasonreed7522]

The phys/special split litterally saved so many mons, and while i love gen 3 with all my heart, but my god was the split needed to litterally save mons like sneasle and crawdaunt. (Both physical attackers who are dual special types) Unfortunately movepools have yet to be made properly. (Cue meme about armless wooper learning icepunch but black kyurem with an arm litterally made if ice can't learn ice punch)

[@Leo-kc2kp]

@@jasonreed7522 ice punch wooper is peak game design

[@JarvisBaileyVA]

I love the way he opens these videos with commercials from the release of these games. It's a pure injection of nostalgia.

[@nickb6425]

Man you’re not kidding

[@lepapanouwel4663]

No he opens them with a shitty Nordvpn

[@aturchomicz821]

@@lepapanouwel4663 true OMEGALUL

[@Patterrz]

I always loved 4th gen but good lord Diamond and Pearl were slow, Platinum saved it for sure

[@adimai7605]

thats a general pokemon problem nowadays lmao if not the actual speed the framerate which can't even reac 30 sometimes lmao the first 3 gens we're the best in that regard then probably gen 5.

[@jaretco6423]

Well Platinum is still slow in many areas. Not as bad as Diamond & Pearl was thanks to an few quick snaps of the engine like surfed and few others. But still slow regardless.

[@smashmaster521]

Yeah, Diamond is pretty slow, but it's like Majora's Mask in that if you can get past the tutorial sections of the game, it gets a lot better.

[@ct2xperience749]

@@smashmaster521 😆🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😄😄😄😄☺☺☺ No it don't...

[@ray0064]

@@jaretco6423 eh it’s pretty fine the only areas I think it’s still slow at is when you’re using healing items and saving

[@Noraaxu]

We use that giratina figure, which I loved btw, as a thing to scare birds from this specific overhang on our porch. Works like a charm

[@jwalkrr]

Geaux tigers!!!

[@sleepy-fc6rf]

This video so far makes me realize how little I thought about the relaxed, historical feel of the Sinnoh region as a kid. I grew up in a city that also felt very relaxed, slow, and resplendent in its history, so it never really occurred to little kid me. Now that I think about it, though, it gives me an all-new appreciation for my favorite generation.

[@eh6194]

I remember I used an action replay to do all the events when I was like 10 fun times

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

Same. And then I learned how much cheating can take away from a game's experience when I used it more and more with Heart gold. At first it was just to walk through walls because I got stuck for days on end (how tf was I supposed to know to step out of the *only window in the game* it lets you walk through?) But by the end of my experience I stole Red's Venasaur at the end of the game. Though I do think part of the problem was just with me being intelligent enough Pokemon didn't take effort anymore and I didn't feel like investing time into it for the same results.

[@b-mill4306]

Same, using those codes for the events that were never released blew my fucking mind

[@MrKevosmin]

Do you know where I can *buy* one ?

[@sd-wc9ep]

@@MrKevosmin doing it on a Emulator would probably be the easyest^^even the oldest and crappiest Androids are able to emulate ds games

[@MrKevosmin]

@@sd-wc9ep 😭 it wouldn’t feel the same, I legit have a 2DS XL and would wanna try if I can buy the AR set for DS(i)

[@NealBones]

That Salamance named "Fuck Lance" had me dying 🤣

[@insertobligatoryreferenceh489]

yup that was it's name in gen 3

[@juliewinchester1488]

I actually misread and did a double take when I saw that cause I swore it said "What the FUCK will LANCE do?"

[@dymonz2363]

I was drinking coffee, while it popped up :(

[@E_X_I_T]

Same it got me so good

[@EvanGamer]

I was just scrolling through the comments while watching the video and I ran into this comment the exact moment that Salamance was on screen 🤣

[@0oumakun]

Manaphy is actually hard to obtain with Ranger games. You only get one egg... per game. Not per save file. Not to mention that these cartridges with unclaimed Manaphy eggs are heavily sought after for in the shiny hunter community. This is because the egg itself can't be shiny on the D/P game that's claiming it. You have to trade the egg to *another* game and then reset if they don't hatch shiny. Thus, you're going to want a lot of eggs to make the most out of each attempt. edit: ty for the heart King! To be clear I don't think this is a failure on part of your research, it's an incredibly niche and dumb thing Nintendo did that mostly only hunters & complete dexers care about. Otherwise, nonshiny Manaphy's been re-released several times. I don't think there's another way to attain shiny Manaphy legitimately otherwise.

[@nb2044]

Can you please explain to me what this entails? Do shiny hunters have to buy a new ranged game (with an unclaimed Manaphy egg) every time they attempt to get a shiny Manaphy?

[@Abszilla51]

Wow, dude. That's nuts, thanks for sharing.

[@0oumakun]

@@nb2044 Thankfully no! The reason why the prices aren't outrageous (like, it's not ~200 for a 'clean' copy) is because of this. See, to get a shiny Manaphy it's... well, it's dumb. The initial Gen 4 game that gets the egg(s) will not create a shiny Manaphy. It just won't happen. This is because of the Trainer ID system and shiny factor, which is something another shiny hunter could explain better. Here's the key, though: other Gen 4 games are safe. You just have to trade the eggs to them. I'm a bit foggy on the details after this - this may be wrong, feel free to correct me - but you trade 5 eggs to the other Gen 4 game and hatch. If none of them are shiny, you reload the game, send the eggs back to the first Gen 4 game, and then wipe the second. (You wipe the second game to get another Trainer ID, to be clear: the Trainer ID is what determines whether or not the egg will be shiny.) Repeat. This is why shiny hunters make a full party (minus one) to increase the probability. TL;DR You can do this with one clean copy of Ranger and two Gen 4 games but it will take a million years, which is why hunters who are inane enough to do this in the *first place* get at least 5 eggs.

[@0oumakun]

@@Abszilla51 No problem! It's one of the harder hunts to do, considering there's a limited amount of unclaimed Manaphy eggs out there in the wild. Who knows, maybe ranger-origin Manaphy will become insanely good in competitive and there will be one last unclaimed egg that's going for 5k on Ebay. (I love Manaphy, but I wouldn't hunt it. The color isn't even that different!)

[@generalshepherd2209]

I have a friend that was shiny hunting Manaphy. After 2 years he’s still hunting

[@munchrai6396]

One thing that I never noticed before since I never played DP is that Eterna Forest didn't have that ominous filter that it does in Platinum, which really does add to its atmosphere, but also confused me when I was younger as to how I could fly out of that thick tree cover.

[@littiescorp4197]

I have a very similar experience with Pokemon, where my first game was Sapphire, but most of my childhood nostalgia comes from Diamond. It's nice to hear others that feel the same lol

[@gigiratliff5801]

I remember finding out about the online microphone functionality on accident when using a friend code site to battle strangers. I actually ended up having an acquaintance for a couple of months this way. I hardly remember the details of this person or their life, but I will never forget the shock and amazement we both experienced when we HEARD each other's voices! Neither of us saw that coming

[@Batterskull]

Oh sweet Arceus this music brings me to tears

[@sillybeanthing]

Literally same. The music is so incredibly nostalgic it actually makes me tear up. I had Pearl, and I got it as soon as it came out. I was 8! Now as a 23 year old, I think it's a mixture of missing the innocence, and the time to just play games like that for well over 800 hours without breaking a sweat, and still enjoying the game.

[@sillybeanthing]

Well... I think I was 8.

[@Crailtep]

@@sillybeanthing Diamond & Pearl came out 2 days after my 9th birthday and I’m 23 now also so you most likely were 8!

[@TheJazzMan333]

16:36 After your description of Dialga/Palkia, it makes sense why their second typings are what they are. Steel is hard, sturdy, and takes a lot to bend--much like time (in theory). Water is much more fluid, dynamic, and can congregate around a strong enough force--much like space is warped by gravity.

[@nightwing2032]

And dialga, palkia, and giratina represent the three states of matter. Solid, liquid, and gas. That’s a little detail that most people don’t know.

[@saricubra2867]

@@nightwing2032 Giratina can twist time and space, therefore it's the god of gravity

[@nightwing2032]

@@saricubra2867 I know, but the three states of matter are still represented with their typings. Steel, water, and ghost. I wasn’t talking about giratina twisting time and space. I already know that.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@saricubra2867 I'm pretty sure that Giratina is supposed to be antimatter.

[@saricubra2867]

@@matthewmuir8884 Isn't true, if that's the case, it would destroy the pokémon world but no.

[@isetmfriendsofire]

One of my best pokemon memories in general was getting through that snowy route and finding Snowpoint. My pokemon were so weak, and I was low on items. I had no idea how much further I would have to go. Arriving at the city felt like when you come in to a warm fire after being out in the cold. I played the shit out of these games as a kid, but I definitely didn't give them the appreciation they deserved. I did like them, although they were my least favorites at the time, even after gen 5 came out. I really love them now, though, especially Platinum. They make me feel an indescribable way that nothing else can make me feel. Also, Surf is also a shitty hm in d/p. It's sooooooooo slow!

[@musicdev]

And let’s not forget the Snowpoint City music. The music feels so warm, the atmosphere set in Gen 4 was sooooooo good

[@isetmfriendsofire]

@@musicdev Ironically, I found it cold, but it's one of my favorite music in the game for sure. Maybe cold in a "cold outside, but I'm safe in the warm" sense

[@warj.3577]

The thing about Defog that frustrated me the most was how, at least for me, it was pretty useless in battle. Why would I take up a turn in battle to raise evasiveness by only ONE stage, when I can use that turn to do ANYTHING else? I've always been more of a player that takes up almost all of my slots with attacking moves, so using a hard-to-delete move that lowered an invisible, temporary stat always felt pointless.

[@Pionterus]

@Cerinol Except that defog worked like shit until gen 6

[@yoshimallow]

Does No-Guard still cheeze it?

[@clarkus11]

Very interesting that you are 23 I now know why you feel so relatable in all of these retrospectives. Keep up the good work man I watch every one

[@koemon_exe]

Gen 3 and 4 were the two gens I grew up with as well, so it's interesting to hear a retrospective from someone who has similar context to me

[@anthonyhutchins2300]

I grew up on the first 3 but I still sort of played this one. It's cool to hear the perspective of people slightly younger than me.

[@IMATR0LL0L0L]

Grew up with 1 & 2 (born 96), and really got into Pokemon with 3 & 4. I agree that it's nice to hear the opinions of someone who has a good understanding & respect for the same era of the series that I cherish🤙🏽

[@koemon_exe]

@@IMATR0LL0L0L Nice! It's interesting to hear different perspectives from my own! My first game was FireRed, and I played Ruby shortly after. This would have been around 2005/6. Then I ended up getting Diamond on release date, then HeartGold, White, White 2, X, Sun, and Shield!

[@isetmfriendsofire]

I was an odd case, because I got really into pokemon with gen 1, but never played the games (except snap) until gen 3. I feel like it set me up to be able to enjoy a lot of the aspects of the series, but like many I sorta lost interest once we went 3D. I did play through Sun, but it's a way different experience, feels almost like a different series.

[@axlorg89]

Same! (‘98) 3 was what I dabbled a lot in but 4 was the first time I owned a Pokémon game (Emerald belonged to brothers gameboy). I stopped after 5 but I might replay it since it does get a good story and good graphics. Either way the DPP music has me nostalgic

[@genuineangusbeef8697]

27:37 tfw no mention of the cleverness involves in giving a fire trainer a Hot Air Balloon pokemon

[@user-uo7sm1dh6u]

Fuck I never even thought about that

[@LunaSaint]

@@user-uo7sm1dh6u It's okay, you're in company. I spent sooooooo long in this game and never put the two and two together.

[@soggywater7271]

I heard someone say Steelix represents tempered steel too But what does Lopunny represent?

[@user-uo7sm1dh6u]

@@soggywater7271 😏

[@musicdev]

58:25 man, that Frontier Brain theme really was something. I’m so excited to hear Gen 4 music again

[@thatonedude9744]

The opening section describing the Sinnoh region was beautifully written! It reminding me of reading Italo Calvino describe a town. Makes me want a Pokémon version of Invisible Cities!

[@indigoblue8600]

This is one of those hour/hour+ long videos that I know I’ll return to again and again, just to hear the analysis and thoughts and everything. Expertly done, as always.

[@sweetwheatsy]

Music in this gen is genuinely fantastic. Mt. Coronet is one of the best themes I've heard in a vide game period. Such an intricate composition

[@isetmfriendsofire]

I listen to Snowpoimt City when I go on winter night walks to this day. Makes me feel such a special way.

[@bluegum6438]

Route 216 is a bop

[@ssscout]

perfect timing. just finished working on a video today and wanted to listen to one of your retrospectives, and you drop this banger

[@notaidandobbins]

hey sc6ut!

[@megamanzero5when895]

I've seen you comment on a Jean Dawson video before. You got good taste stranger 💙

[@johnsmith-ir1ne]

... If you're gonna advertise/shill your own channel unsolicited in the comments section, you should at least be a little more subtle 😂

[@goingthere9302]

@@johnsmith-ir1ne it seems to me like his comment had nothing to do with self promotion

[@goodgaming5720]

800k subs prob not hoping for comment referral lmao

[@smashi4088]

the mt coronet theme is so iconic, probably my favorite location theme in the whole franchise. It’s so unbelievably foreboding and anxious with its building and waning tempo, perfect build up for what happens at the summit

[@AdeptCharon]

"I'll never know why they gave Roselia a pre-evolution" tl;dr: look at its stats. They wanted to give Roselia the role of a growing Grass type that is a prominent option, available from start to finish of your adventure, similar to Seedot/Lotad or even Oddish/Bellsprout. But they couldn't just put Roselia in the grass leading up to Floaroma, because it has a base 100 Sp. Attack already, which at the very least puts it on the level of the middle-stages of the mentioned Grass types of other regions (it's actually significantly stronger than those)

[@ajh22895]

Base 100 with Growth. If you don't have a mon that can beat or wall it, it will destroy you.

[@jasonreed7522]

@@ajh22895 and gen 4 gave us the physical special split so it could become even more powerful than in gen 3.

[@Dataiconroy]

This hit hard, I have so much nostalgia for this series. I have been feeling those same bittersweet feelings, it truly is a melancholy feeling. They're good memories, yet we can never revisit them. Well said on your part.

[@johnpaulcross424]

Sinnoh is the most beautiful region in my book, thank you for taking the time to go back though this gorgeous realm

[@BlueSpindash1]

Giratinas battle soundtrack also has a flatline in it which is another scary detail that adds to its unnerving nature

[@Goldenblitzer]

This and gen 5 are the gens I’m nostalgic for, the boxes alone are nostalgia inducing for me

[@zisolo4283]

this is like a docu-series of past pokemon games, so great content

[@damocleas]

Wait Palmer's Regigigas has bright powder to try to help it get through the 5 turns, that's funny af

[@Orangeninja5000]

Regigigas really over here like "SOLAR FLARE!!!!"

[@Porfonto]

just wanted to share a personal anecdote from when i was 7 years old (and lacked the knowledge to comprehend english entirely since it wasn't my native language) my first playthrough of pokemon pearl took 2 years to finish because i didn't know that you needed to use the bike to get over that slope on the top of orebrough town or how to finish the event in floaroma town so i always assumed the game was softlocked until i had to buy a literal guide to understand what the game wanted

[@federicosavorani6320]

I was blocked for a year in Pokémon black because I couldn't finish the refrigerator-thing puzzle before the fifth gym. I maxed out the Pokémon musical and overleveled my team in the end, before one kid on vacation solved the "dungeon" for me lol

[@ray0064]

Same with me when I was 6 playing Pokémon gold for the first time. I didn’t understand how to use HMs so I was completely stuck in Ilex forest

[@petefontaine4837]

I got Emerald pretty close to release when I was very young, but I didn't know I had to set the clock so my mom made me return it because I literally could not even start the game.

[@smirglepapier531]

That reminds me of the time when I was stuck near Hotel Grand Lake because the guy before Sunyshore City said there was a blackout and my dumb ass sat there waiting IN GAME FOR HOURS because I thought I had to wait REAL TIME there ☠️

[@Theflutterviper]

Shoutout to Lorithia the Breloom, making all enemies pay for their insolence

[@JoshSweetvale]

29:00 Always get Infernape, Roserade and an early Gible if you can manage it. Stomp stomp stomp. Roserade is such a gorgeous unity of form an function. You see a blaster Grass type? It has ROSE GUN ARMS.

[@ItsMeHarry]

God I love these games, even with how slow they felt I just felt so much affinity towards these games, then when Platinum came out I was even more immersed and it always holds a place in my heart

[@LordYamcha]

Now this is going to be juicy I always await these retrospectives due to how fantastic they truly are

[@MojaveKnight17]

UI yamcha! Lame

[@blackstep_dad2572]

Simp

[@jumpyman9754]

@@blackstep_dad2572 wow you are so funny! XD XD! You are probably such a chad bro! XD XD! Very funny! LMAO! LOL! SO FUNNY HE SAID SIMP!!! LMAO LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!! XD XD!!!!!!

[@joj5150]

this is a cancer thread

[@MiDuWay]

The Gen 5 Hype is SO fucking real at the end of this video holy shit

[@victorcaldwell9356]

You mean HGSS hype?

[@ct2xperience749]

@@victorcaldwell9356 not sure. He might throw a curve ball at us and go for XY.

[@QuintaFeira12]

@@victorcaldwell9356 Yeah, no way he brought up the "let us focus on new pokemon more" bit up for any reason other than fall back to it on Gen 5 and say "oh, fuck, that was a mistake, we need some balance". Gen 5's second versions are amazing, easily besides platinum at the peak of the series, but there's a bit of a hard sell among some people with how it introduces itself, that some people never get past. I don't want to get into specifics, but basically, Gen 5 and people calling it their favorite is something I don't have as an automatic assumption. HGSS have the exact opposite first impression, in that they're INSTANTLY mindblowingly awesome, and it's literally for just two simple reasons: 1 - Very little in the way between you and progression, the intro is literally less than 3 minutes, and 2 - FOLLOWING POKEMON. No matter how many flaws the game may have to put them below Platinum or BW2, that impression, that sheer, powerful injection of awesome the game gives you that you never get anywhere else anymore, the lack of handholdiness while you literally handhold your pets, keeps it burning strong in people's minds. I can't, for the life of me, understand why gamefreak was so ADAMANT in refusing to give us following pokemon for 3 and a half generations. And it's not like SWSH's following pokemon are even any good, like, holy shit are they awful and "there, we did it, now shut up!" compared to gen 2 remakes. At least Let's Go's are pretty soulful, but that entire game is too limited.

[@mfspectacular]

@@QuintaFeira12 go download drayano's rom hacks, you wont fw the original games anymore

[@zjzr08]

@@QuintaFeira12 In terms of following Pokemon, I didn't get why we didn't have it when sprites for them had been made for HGSS, and some Unova mons are already overworld Pokemon, and just needs 310 more (non-shiny and shiny, although I guess they need overworld sprites for the ones with drastic Gender differences).

[@Harry-oy4rb]

The fact that you talked about how sad it is that Darkrai is unobtainable without a key and led it into a sponsor tugged on my heartstrings and absolutely played me

[@steezyonyoutube9896]

Sinnoh hit the ball out of the park with the pre-evolutions and the new evolutions of old Pokemon. And almost all of the new Pokemon. And ALL of the legendaries. This is probably Pokemon's GOAT.

[@HoyesPoi]

I thought your first 3 videos in this series were incredibly interesting and honest analyses of the games and regions. DPPt is the first generation I played, and only 10 minutes into the video I felt more nostalgic and sentimental than I expected. You do a wonderful job of bringing these games to life and exploring them through these videos :) Looking forward to Gen 5

[@TheJazzMan333]

51:48 I remember SPECIFICALLY pre-ordering Platinum from Best Buy to get this Giratina Origin figurine. When the product arrived, it *did not* come with the Giratina. I was so pissed.

[@DerekSquirreltail]

To be honest, I kinda loved that there was a handful of events only obtainable through action replay. It had the same kind of gaming magic as Stop n' Swop to my kid brain, where I felt like I had to go beyond the boundaries of the game itself to get access to these super special hidden events that were teased just enough in game to feel tangible but impossible at the same time. It added some mystical weight to them that I never got from just having stuff plopped into my game at IRL events.

[@snooze-malone]

I completely agree. Obviously it is an unintentional benefit, but boy howdy did I feel so cool.

[@granspectre]

I really dig you adding in the commercials to these retrospectives. They really add a level of nostalgia to these videos. (also reminds me how long it's been and how old I am now) This has been a nice take on Gen 4.

[@adrthegreatball4596]

Your obvious love for this generation makes me want to replay this generation.

[@jeremyalgood7230]

Hit me right in the childhood every time with the addition of the commercials in these videos. Edit* 2:03 Oh man me too, Gen 4 is the best in my opinion, definitely my favorite.

[@bandicootsauce4569]

KingK, would you consider doing a retrospective of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series in the future?

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

Would be nice to see more love thrown towards the Pokemon games that hire writers and aren't mediocre compared to its peers.

[@auralunaprettycure]

@@haruhirogrimgar6047 it’d a shame PMD’s gameplay loop has a decisive nature for some considering just how fantastic the games are in both pacing and writing. I can understand some who do find the gameplay not their style, but I know lots of people who just refuse to try them cause they heard from others that the gameplay was “grindy”. It’s such a shame. If people can play through super hard RPGs that are dark and for an adult audience, I think a well written, but kid friendly one deserves the same respect. It’s just so good

[@ellagage1256]

Gen 4 may not have been the one to introduce me to Pokemon, but it is the one that made me really fall in love with the series

[@snailgirl6]

Yes! Me too...

[@ozmond]

I got into Pokémon at the age of 6, towards the end of Gen 3. I remember getting a piplup promo card spring 2007.

[@JetblackJay]

Nice

[@ellagage1256]

@@JetblackJay You know I would've been suprised seeing you here, but after that Cynthia art... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@smashmaster521]

@King Slayer Oh hello there. I didn't expect to find you here. Also, gonna have to disagree by saying that Gen VI was a pretty enjoyable ride.

[@caydenh895]

As someone whose first game was Platinum I’m in love with this retrospective thank you for doing this generation justice

[@briantimmons4615]

That main menu screen and sound where you press start on Diamond brings me back. By far my most played generation and most enjoyable for me.

[@ChocolateAsian9000]

As a dirty Gen 1ner I have thoroughly enjoyed these retrospectives on games I missed out on. I can see where the fandom for these come from!

[@jackfrostyellow1315]

Today’s my birthday. This is the best darn gift I could’ve asked for.

[@Poet482]

I would think it'd be something SMT-related.

[@KingKlonoa]

Happy birthday

[@CrispyBaconYT555]

So with KingK’s nostalgia for this game and Xenoblade Chronicles I’m starting to wonder if we’re the same person...

[@zencyn4682]

Have you ever seen yourself in the same room as KingK?

[@CrispyBaconYT555]

@@zencyn4682 Omg, I haven’t 😱

[@UnoriginallyChrisLPs]

52:00 - Your mom totally threw it away because you had too many toys. I also had many things "disappear" as a kid with my parents giving me the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ treatment. RIP Giratina figure

[@Jerler91]

RIP My pokemon card collection. Although mom looked me in the eyes when she did it 🤣

[@HLRxxKarl]

That sounds so unnecessarily awful and hateful. I have so many toys from when I was a kid that I've willingly tried to get rid of, but never followed through with because of how difficult it would be. Whoever did that must've been an awful parent.

[@turtleanton6539]

Y ah jealous

[@saltmines5761]

Pokémon Diamond was what I consider my first video game (I technically had some kind of Leap Frog handheld prior). Since it was my initial foray into gaming, my first playthrough was mystical to me, and my lack of knowledge played a huge role in its mythos in my memory. Until my brother, who had played Gen 1 in his childhood, directed me on what to do, I thought the whole journey took place in the protagonist’s room, which is ironic considering PLA’s opening where Arceus plucks you out of your room. My brother informed me that what I thought was a bookcase was a staircase; he also told me just to press A. Because of that direction, I ended up picking Turtwig inadvertently. My next issue was that when I shut off my DS, I was wholly unsure on how to access my save. For context, I was 7; that’s honestly my only excuse. It was miraculous I navigated to the save option, but it was somehow beyond me for several days to click the big box past the title screen. Until I finally applied some more thought at that post title screen, I just made a new game, always choosing Turtwig, and usually made it to beating Roark. I still have the original completed save on my Diamond cart, but I’m not sure which “restart” stuck. Other small things I remember was that, prior to the end/post game, I only ever caught a Pikachu and evolved it to Raichu. I somehow convinced myself that Gabite evolved at level 49, and I never got the prompt at 48. I whittled down Dialga to the red to go on and chuck my Master Ball at it. I’m baffled I eventually beat Cynthia, but I’m glad my 7/8 year old self pushed on. Among many other reasons, Gen 4 remains very important to me and kickstarting my love for games and the unique single player experience.

[@JaRP36]

I’m 29 and I can agree it’s hard to capture that same feeling playing as a kid. Everyone whippin out their gameboys at the YMCA to show off their Pokémon. Oh the memories.

[@SnowyTaco]

Sinnoh is my favorite region and one that means a lot to me. I like to watch these analysis videos on the region every now and then. Something I couldn't put into words myself but subconsciously I felt when playing them as a kid. It just calms me looking back at Sinnoh.

[@BensOnTheRadio]

Further in the video now… You can actually change your Nintendo DS’s DNS settings and continue to gain access to event Pokémon and items! I was able to do this a few months back for my games.

[@isetmfriendsofire]

Can you get the Manaphy egg?

[@ArcadianLegend]

@@isetmfriendsofire I think there's a regular Manaphy event in the list but I can't get it to happen for the life of me and it's the same for a some others. Is it because my games are PAL region?

[@saricubra2867]

Or play Renegade Platinum...

[@isetmfriendsofire]

@Pissed Off White Guy As long as I can obtain a Manaphy without just hacking it into my pc, I'm good

[@Painted_Owl]

Those DP commercials are quite the blast from the past

[@ozmond]

Damn I remember seeing them on tv

[@azulesmalls5514]

The brilliance of it shines brighter..... Congratulations I would be grinning if I ever said that.

[@geraldcastillo8620]

Bro Sinnoh region is like your voice in this video. It's quiet, calm and relaxing. what a wonderful Video!

[@clumsysandbocks5650]

Solicitor: "Where on the doll did Pokemon dominate you?" King K: *sniffles, points to childhood*

[@anthonyhutchins2300]

You beautiful creature... I check on your channel every month hoping you dropped the new generation video. You're work on these is excellent!

[@Glory2Snowstar]

I JUST finished my last assignment for my freshman year at college and now this comes out. The perfect way to start Summer vacation, if you ask me! 4:12 AM, good snacks, and a video that you KNOW is gonna be good.

[@HarryG98]

4am is way too late to eat snacks 😮

[@williamcole4790]

I'm incapable of getting over Bingus and Makima, absolutely love this

[@brycedavenport4810]

That was one of the most impressive segways into a sponsored ad ever. It was so smooth as silk, I'm actually mad about it. I don't think anybody I watch has the ability to Segway into a sponsored ad as well as you and mad props for it.

[@iFish12]

These games were my first online voice chat experience

[@Piizzachuu]

It’s always interesting to see the point of view of someone who grew up with a different Gen. I myself was a Gold, Silver and Crystal kid. Great vid as always! 💜

[@SilverSon87]

Watching your Retrospective series on all these Pokemon games really takes me back while also providing a very well articulated analysis, can't wait for the next one!

[@metalsabatico]

Ooooooomo

[@AZEVMUSIC]

god these videos are so awesome man make you want to play all over again god damn what a work of art this channel is

[@YourKingDeadpool]

Another unbelievably well written and incredibly relatable retrospective here. I find myself in the exact same situation with the giratina figure at launch, its something I Havent thought about in a long time. 10/10 video and I cant wait for the next one

[@iJuicyyy]

The Roserade named Makima... I see you are a man of culture as well

[@MARTINSDOG]

What a fantastic video. And I cannot estresa this enough, B2W2 hype is absolutely massive.

[@realkingofantarctica]

I used to be really harsh on Generation 4 despite it being what introduced me to the series, and it was one of my least favourite generations for a while, but as time went on I began to appreciate and enjoy it a lot more, and now Platinum is one of my favourite Pokemon games ever.

[@jaretco6423]

Same. I used to hated this gen because of how sluggish and boring it was. But after coming back into it, I started to appreciated more and it was as good as I thought it would. Though it's still slow in many regards and so much HM requirements that are abysmal, I still have an good time with it. It's not my favorite Pokémon game of all time. But it's in my top 3.

[@hiiloveyou4997]

Play Renegade Platinum. It's basically Platinum but with reduced HMs, instant honey trees, Fairy type added, stronger Team Galactic / more events with them, more available Pokemon, harder Gym Leaders/Trainers, and other quality of life improvements. Dawn is also a new rival added. It's the same thing as Platinum though . Levels are increased and so is AI, but not too the point where it's too much. The Gym Leaders have more encounters there to give them more personality. E.X. you meet Gardenia in the ice route before challenging her, you go through the muddy route to meet Crasher Wake to ask him for a challenge, you help Maylene and Candice stop Regigigas from reawakening, etc. I also enjoy how Dawn is a new rival. It's fitting since other generations make the opposite gender your rival. The game also makes unused routes like 212 and the Pal Park required as parts of the story. There's so much more I can talk about, but I really don't want to spoil a lot of it. This version just adds so much more to Sinnoh and makes it even better. The game made me love Platinum even more. Now, people are doing challenge runs of the game and making it more known. Let me know what you think of it later on. It may change your opinion of Sinnoh.

[@hiiloveyou4997]

@@jaretco6423 Play Renegade Platinum. It's basically Platinum but with reduced HMs, instant honey trees, Fairy type added, stronger Team Galactic / more events with them, more available Pokemon, harder Gym Leaders/Trainers, and other quality of life improvements. Dawn is also a new rival added. It's the same thing as Platinum though . Levels are increased and so is AI, but not too the point where it's too much. The Gym Leaders have more encounters there to give them more personality. E.X. you meet Gardenia in the ice route before challenging her, you go through the muddy route to meet Crasher Wake to ask him for a challenge, you help Maylene and Candice stop Regigigas from reawakening, etc. I also enjoy how Dawn is a new rival. It's fitting since other generations make the opposite gender your rival. The game also makes unused routes like 212 and the Pal Park required as parts of the story. There's so much more I can talk about, but I really don't want to spoil a lot of it. This version just adds so much more to Sinnoh and makes it even better. The game made me love Platinum even more. Now, people are doing challenge runs of the game and making it more known. Let me know what you think of it later on. It may change your opinion of Sinnoh.

[@jaretco6423]

Hi I love you. Ok. I've heard of Renegade Platinum and it looks interesting. I'm gonna see that and Blaze Black & Volt White 1 & 2 whenever I can.

[@saricubra2867]

@@jaretco6423 Dryano makes by far the best improvements to Gamefreak's games, he is like the Christian Whitehead of Pokémon. He also made amazing stuff with Emerald.

[@zekkyauditore3021]

I forgot Cynthia is a historian. And wouldn't you know it, ten years after playing Diamond I share the same profession with my favorite champion from my favorite generation. Godspeed Cynthia, you probably had way more impact on me than I imagined

[@Yinyanyeow]

The HM rant was so funny. The best joke I heard for the series so far.

[@thevoxway]

I feel like the subsequent gen is the one people really sink into. I first got Gen 2 and I loved them but Gen 3 blew my mind in terms of new mechanics and graphics, not to mention the legendary Poke puzzles and all the rumours around the mythicals!

[@khalidamin53]

I haven't even started the video yet. damn that first trailer hit all my nostalgia

[@Laurmachi]

I don't know why when I was going through Pearl, out of every Water type available, I gravitated towards Lumineon... But I kind of just did, and really liked it.

[@luckylucas8596]

I have to keep pausing because the memories of Sinnoh keep making me cry. Thank you for taking a look back at these games.

[@fernando98322]

HMs can work again now that the Move Tutor and Move Deleter are in every Pokémon Center, plus TMs are unlimited nowadays as well. It could make for interesting team building while traveling through the region for the main campaign IMHO. Two more things that can improve the original system: make Fly an item like the soaring flute or the bird taxi in Galaar, and put signs in front of dungeon entrances that tell you what HMs you're gonna need.

[@gotmilkrobot4]

Its hilarious how much time i spent on these games with my friends, especially the underground section. Not even the main point, but it was so fun. Man. These games slapped

[@flameheadshero]

Having only played Platinum, it’s weird to see how limited Diamond and Pearl were. It’s no wonder I never really got a lot of the complaints about gen 4. It almost makes it feel like D&P were unfinished and Platinum was what it was always meant to be.

[@smashmaster521]

I'd argue that Diamond and Pearl are still enjoyable despite the rough edges, but those rough edges are very hard to ignore.

[@Jazzomancer00]

Great retrospective. Also, that was the SMOOTHEST transition into a paid promotion.

[@kellyo.4381]

this part of the video 3:30 - 6:55 was phrased so beautifully and sentimentally that I started crying 😭 I never really comment on many YT videos that often, but omg the nostalgia literally hit me like a truck. Thanks for this :) EDIT: just finished the whole video - amazing experience! Had me laughing and on the hook throughout - PLUS I learned so much cool trivia about the games that I loved thanks to your eye for the smallest details. Definitely earned a subscriber 😊 keep it up!!!

[@5001Fergies]

the soundtrack, the new pokemon, the beautiful region, the insane nostalgia i feel just from the sight of palkia, gen 4 is easily my favorite pokemon gen and platinum is my second favorite game of all time.

[@Derpmaster001]

I remember loving hm's and not having an issue with my team. I had all the pokemon I wanted in my team while fitting in Hm's and using them often in battle. Sucks that a lot of people didn't have the same experience as me.

[@caviicape]

ye, as a kid i had a starter with 3 hm moves and i had no issue. tbf tho, it was my favorite pokémon so it was comically overlevelled so never realized that its moves sucked

[@jasonreed7522]

I think part of why everyone hates HMs are that you are stuck with them, and many are quite useless in battle. Cut is 50 base power and can't really be justified on a main pokemon when you can't get rid of it when its outclassed. Fortunately Strength, Waterfall, Surf, and Fly are decent in battles. But Flash, Defog, rocksmash are basically useless. (Flash being a gen 3 HM) usually the result is that you end up with 1 or 2 "HM Slaves" who only know HMs and aren't expected to participate in battle.

[@ScytherKB]

im honored to be watching this on release day. I can officially say, I was apart of KingK's history :D FYI, I love watching your videos in the background as I do other things, since your voice is so calming :)

[@archieconlan7520]

u deserve way more subs and views than u have u clearly put unimaginable amount of work into each video

[@xave3829]

2:55 When Sasuke leaves Konoha, he's actually doing voice acting gigs to atone for his sins.

[@FantasyZoneGaming]

that commercial in the beginning had breakcore music. breakcore is part of Frutiger aero and stuff. early to mid 2000's were the best. that is a fact.