Pokémon Sun & Moon: Hopes & Dreams

 

Announced in February, the next line of Pokémon games are to be released later this year. With a new generation of games comes hopes and dreams, these are a few of mine for Sun & Moon!

Out November 18th November 2016 if your lucky. 23rd November 2016 if you're not.

Over Share

Generation VI changed the way the Exp Share worked from its initial introduction in Gen II as a hold item, which you gave to the Pokémon you wanted to level without sending them to battle. The exp share would then give the Pokémon holding it half the experience points. In Gen VI they changed the Exp Share to a key item, that when turned on ALL non-battling Pokémon gain the 50% experience points, the actual battling Pokémon getting full exp.

Along with changing the Exp Share, Gen VI introduced Pokémon-amie, a feature that allows the player to increase their Pokémon’s affection towards them through mini games and feeding them. With the right affection level, Pokémon will gain a boost of 20% experience from every fight. Combined with the Exp Share, you can level your squad to 100 before the Elite Four with relative ease, creating one of the biggest game breakers in Pokémon history.

One could make the reasoned argument of “Dude, just turn it off”, however the Exp Share in previous game made for easier leveling of weak Pokémon, such as Magikarps and Feebas, without the old skool Exp Share one has to partake in the tedious swap training. A method where you send out the weak Pokémon first and swap out for your stronger creature, letting them share the experience. Needless ball ache.

One way GameFreak can develop the Exp Share, and not just revert back to the old skool, is have it so you can choose which Pokémon in your party will get a share of the experience and which don't. Simple solution where most should be happy.

Let my Pokémon go!

Ever since Pokémon Yellow, and more recently HeartGold & SoulSilver, fans have wanted one thing above all else to be applied to the rest of the series: your Pokémon escaping their pokéballs and roaming the overworld alongside you. Having them visually with you through your adventure makes your team feel more than your abducted battle slaves, but sidekicks, beloved pets, travel buddies and partners.

Gen VI introducing rideable Pokémon it would also be awesome if you were able to ride one of the Pokémon from your crew. Not all Pokémon would be available for riding of course. Though it would be funny to see yourself roaming the world riding a Togepi. This could be achieved through a saddle hold item, and only Pokémon with full friendship and/or affection for you will allow you to get on their backs, but how awesome would it be to ride around on your OWN Pokémon? Totally freakin’ sweet!

Evil Oppression

Team Rocket were the best evil organisation in Pokémon for the simple reason they were just plain dicks. Didn’t have any motivation beyond wanting money and to be dicks. Since Team Aqua and Magma, however, we’ve been forced to listen to the villains philosophical droning about how them destroying/changing/taking over the world is the best thing for the planet! Even Ghetsis hid his evil plans behind a PETA campaign.

What we need is a villainous organisation that goes back to basics, goes back to the Team Rocket days. No more faux-philosophy, just a group of bastards being bastards! Have a group of Pokémon poachers, or a group that thinks nothing of polluting the planet and her seas, leaving you to unleash your ground, fire, flying, water and fairy Pokémon to summon Captain Planet!

Also, stop making grunts ginger. Starting to feel some prejudices are being expressed.

Otherworld

Once again, in life, Pokémon Gold & Silver shall show us the way. The second generation games gave us not one, but two regions to explore and catch Pokémon in; Johto AND Kanto! It was magnificent. Every game since has been a minor disappointment due to the glaring omission of this feature and only giving you a single region. How boring! They even got my hopes up in Pearl/Diamond/Platinum by putting the Johto gym leader, Jasmine, near the end of the game. Tease! We got something greater; Gold & Silver remakes, but we are still left yearning for the next multi-region Pokémon games.

While I’m sure Sun & Moon won't be the Pokémon MMO where you can visit and explore every region from all the games ever that I have personally been waiting for, there is a chance you’ll get the chance to revisit Kalos. The Gen VI games, X & Y, have yet to get a third installment, or a direct sequel, leaving the region very unloved.This could mean that GameFreak are planning to allow players to go back to Kalos at some point during Sun & Moon, giving Poké Masters the chance to explore more of the region and revisit old friends and maybe even enemies.

Or maybe they’ll release it after Sun & Moon. Either way.

Go, go gadget Pokéapp!

At the end of last year GameFreak announced Pokémon GO, their attempts to bring Pokémon to life through the use of a mobile app. Pokémon GO will have trainers going out into the real world and catching Pokémon using their mobile devices. I feel it would be a missed opportunity if there wasn’t some form of link between GO and the Gen VII games.

It might be in a similar vein to the Pokéwalker that came with HeartGold & SoulSilver, where you could catch Pokémon and transfer them from the walker directly to the games. Or maybe they will be items or Pokémon that you can catch in Sun & Moon that’ll have an effect on the encounter or catch rate of Pokémon in GO. Or maybe sharing data will just allow you to fill up Pokédex pages. However they do it, having this form of cross platforming would make both games that little bit more enjoyable.

To be useful and loved

The beauty of Pokémon is that there is any number of combination of squads that you can put together to battle through the many regions and unless you’re a competitive battler, you can’t go wrong in constructing your team of six. That is unless you try to use a select few Pokémon. The likes of Farfetch’d and Dunsparce have been relegated to the levels of laughable and used as mere Pokédex fillers. This is largely due to them being terrible at battling. It doesn't help either that there are other Pokémon of the same types that do the job with much better efficiency.

What these poor, unloved Pokémon need are some evolutions! Gen IV might have made us all a bit weary of having new evolutions for Pre-existing Pokémon, but there is no getting away from the fact there are some Pokémon desperately in need of it. At the very least give poor old Farfetch’d a new pair of wings and let him finally soar! Since the very start he has been nothing more than an HM slave or the collection item of a Pokédex completer, those of us who have tried to use this bird in a battling context have been left frustrated and regretting our terrible, terrible decision. Come on GameFreak, give these lame ducks some much need TLC and give us a greater range of Pokémon to battle with!