By now, all fans of the Pokémon franchise and video game series know of developer Game Freak's formula to releasing their mainline entries, or at least up until a certain point. It all (mostly) started with the very first generation of games on the original Game Boy. Excluding the complications of the Japanese versions of Red and Green, the true first in what fans call the "third version" game was Yellow.
These third version games served as the definitive editions of the current region and generation. This trend continued through the fourth (Sinnoh) generation before 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Black and White got direct sequels with Black 2 and White 2. Here are 10 reasons wಌhy actual direct sequels are better than third/fourth version games.
10 ꧂ They Actually Change Up The Story
The third (and/or fourth) version mainline Pokémon do change up the story. However, they largely do not change the stories in any significant way as players typically follow the majority of the same story beats from the previous pair of games. For instance, the majority of the main story changes from Crystal were adding the subplot with Suicune and Eusine.
Meanwhile, Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, while in the same region but being the only true direct sequel games in the mainline, actually continued off the events of Black and White. Whilღe story isn't the biggest appeal to the games, playing another game with around 9🐽0 percent of the same story as the one players played a year ago can be a drag.
9 It Can Change The Region You're In Ph𒐪ysically
Since Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 are the only direct sequel games in the mainline series, these will be the go-to examples. While making an entirely new region for a direct sequel(s) would not make much sense since at that point they should just be a completely new generation with brand new Pokémon, the gen five sequels show that pl𝔍ayers can at least alter or modify the existing region to give new areas to explore.
Part of the drag of the th⭕ird version games is that, in addition to most of the same story beats, the vast majority of all the areas players will explore are the same, too. Like the gen five sequels, players can give plot reasons as to why the region has physically changed.
8 Third/Fourth⭕ Version Games Feel Even More Like DLC
By far the easiest comparison to make to games like Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, etc. is that they are essentially DLC being sold as a separate game. The argument could be made that even the direct sequel Pokémon games could also fit in as DLC, but the third/fourth version gam🔥es fit that category much more.
This entry is a reason that is a culmination of all of the reasons why direct sequels are better than third version games. Third version games, like the ones mentioned, could arguably be "new game plus" DLC expansions since th𒐪e story beats and areas are largely the same.
7 Direct Seque🌳ls Justify The Full Price Tag More
Fans acknowledge Nintendo gives very little leeway in terms of price points/discounts. The games will be kept at full price for a long time in new condition. Especially with Pokémon, the games likely💮ꦚ will even go up in price with time when players can only get them used.
6 Third Version Games Make The Prede♐cessors Obsolete
Many fans likely feel that Pokémon Platinum makes playing Diamond and Pearl pointless Despite being strong games regardless, the latter pair had pacing issues aside from just having less content than the f🌊ormer.
However, thanks to the nature of the gen five sequels (story changes, region changes, post-game content, etc.), Black and White a🐼ren't truly✅ obsolete games. Fans will always appreciate having more games to come back to and enjoy.
5 Adding More Forms To Existing Pokémon Is More Justified♏
Similar to how sequels themselves💎 have more justified price tags, adding new forms to existing Pokémon makes more sense. It also feels more justified adding these forms in sequels rather than the third versions because it comes off less like DLC the price of a full, brand-new game.
Like with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (more on those later), adding some new forms to existing creatures feels like it should have been done wi🐟th the original gen seven games. The same could be said for when those games adဣded a few more new Pokémon.
4 Direct Sequels Can Argu🔯ably Be🌄 Better Than Paid DLC
Direct sequels, like the gen five games, can arguably be more worth players' time and money. Given the fact that the Switch games are $59.99 and not $39.99, players would be paying at least a similar amount of money getting Sword/Shield and all the DLC to complete the game for content that probably coulཧd have been there in the base game☂.
3 ⭕ Patches/Updates Make Thi⛦rd Versions Outdated
It was at least sort of understandable why Game Freak started the trend of the third version games back in the day as the mainline games were on more primitive hardware that couldn't be updated or patched in any way post🍸-launch. The only way to amend the original pair of games was to make a separate one.
Obviously, w💦ith technology in general getting to be as advanced as it is, we now have the ability to receive patches/updates to games post-launch. Since third version games, despite being great and complete e𓆏xperiences for that generation, felt more like DLC expansions anyway, patches may make more sense now.
2 ꦜ Pseudo-Sequels Don't Cut It ꧑
Here is where the seventh gen games, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, become directly relevant. Game Freak skipped the sixth generation as those didn't get direct sequels or third/fourth version games (and many fans se🦂em to think those games could have used something more).
They came back in gen seven by giving Sun and Moon not just a third, but also a fourth version game, ma꧃king it seem like more of a cash grab and feeling like a "pseudo-sequel" as well. These games seem like they're only half-measures at best in justifying one, let alone two, more entries.
1 More ❀Fulfilling Content
With the exception of the Johto remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, the gen five direct sequels arguably had the most fulfilling content (at least in the post-game). Black 2 and White 2 unfortun🧔ately didn't have🎀 the fan-favorite Battle Frontier, but it included content that seems to make up for it to fans.
In addition to legendaries and other Pokémon made newly available, there are a number of battle facilities to answer the exemption of the Battle Frontier. There's the Black Tower, White Treehollow, Battle Institute, Battle Subway, and the beloved♑ Pokémon World Tournament, which allows to battle prominent trainers from the past regions.