Pokémon Legends: Arceus (28th January 2022)

[darksnowman]

2 hours ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

I'm not sure why they've gone with the anime trope of people whipping off their clothes to show their "true form", especially when they look fucking stupid and not even hinted (from memory) that they're anything other than what they were originally (Pokémon "Wielder"?! really?!). The only one who ever had that effect was Giovanni being the Viridian Gym Leader, and he didn't need a wardrobe change.

Gotta Wield 'Em All!

[bob]

Still haven't finished it, BTW... I've lost all interest in it

Not all interest, or you wouldn't keep posting in here about it.

[MindFreak]

I also tend to get burned out from open world games because I want to do everything and thus get distracted from actually completing the game. In The Witcher III, I simply didn't progress the main story because of all the side quests, treasure icons and whatnot that were available to me but that mains that after what, 30 hours I hadn't really played what made the game so great and I just didn't want to continue playing it anymore.

What @Glen-i did in the beginning, getting complete PokéDex for all the Pokémon he caught surely will lead to a burnout because it's simply not that fun in the long run (IMO). However, running around, discovering the world and new Poklémon is a lot more fun and thus, that was what I focused on. I would have wanted more riddles, secrets and deeper lore (those ruins!!) but I did end up enjoying the game a lot - even more than I would have expected in the beginning of January.

[Glen-i]

2 minutes ago, bob said:

Not all interest, or you wouldn't keep posting in here about it.

 

Fine, if you're gonna be all pedantic about it.

I've lost all interest in playing it.

If this wishful thinking of Sword/Shield getting updated to allow people to transfer the new Pokémon from this game actually comes to fruition, then I'll probably go back to it just to maintain my National Pokedex completion.

[Glen-i]

1 minute ago, MindFreak said:

What @Glen-i did in the beginning, getting complete PokéDex for all the Pokémon he caught surely will lead to a burnout because it's simply not that fun in the long run (IMO). However, running around, discovering the world and new Poklémon is a lot more fun and thus, that was what I focused on. I would have wanted more riddles, secrets and deeper lore (those ruins!!) but I did end up enjoying the game a lot - even more than I would have expected in the beginning of January.

Probably just me, but the Pokedex research tasks was the only thing keeping me going. I much prefer the more linear routes. Once the tasks lost their appeal, nothing else was saving it.

I'd probably be more forgiving if the battle system wasn't so regressive.

[MindFreak]

Just curious - what kind of books do you prefer to read? 

I read fantasy - surprise? - and I love getting lost in a new world with new stuff to discover.

[Glen-i]

31 minutes ago, MindFreak said:

Just curious - what kind of books do you prefer to read? 

I read fantasy - surprise? - and I love getting lost in a new world with new stuff to discover.

Not many. But I'm partial to the likes of Sherlock Holmes.

That and Harry Potter is the only stuff I've really committed to reading.

[Ashley]

I'm enjoying the non-linearità (phone wants to be Italian). Normally when I get a new linear thing to do I ignore it for an hour or so while I just mess around. 

I do wonder if they'll try and merge the two 'approaches' going forward. Have that open world somewhat (although more in it would be good) while also a narrative path with gates, which is essentially what gyms are. 

As I've said before for the first time in years (decades maybe) I'm not sure what Game Freak will do next and that's exciting in itself. 

[EEVILMURRAY]

How exactly do you "investigate" these massive mass outbreaks? I'm trying to for a mission, I've caught batches, I've beaten the shit out of others, but it doesn't tick it off the list.

[Glen-i]

Anything to make my eventual return to this game less painful, I suppose.

[BowserBasher]

49 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Anything to make my eventual return to this game less painful, I suppose.

Yay, 15 items I probably won't use 

[bob]

1 hour ago, Glen-i said:

Anything to make my eventual return to this game less painful, I suppose.

Just don't play the game anymore dude. Sell it and recoup some money back.

[Glen-i]

35 minutes ago, BowserBasher said:

Yay, 15 items I probably won't use 

Well, Grit Pebbles are stupid useful for getting EV's and Star Pieces are just vendor trash to get more money.

@bob, I bought it digitally. And even so, I'll need it for transferring the new Pokémon to maintain my National Dex completion.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Glen-i

[BowserBasher]

27 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Well, Grit Pebbles are stupid useful for getting EV's and Star Pieces are just vendor trash to get more money.

 

I just heard "get money", lol, I've never delved into all the EV and stats stuff.

[Glen-i]

55 minutes ago, BowserBasher said:

I just heard "get money", lol, I've never delved into all the EV and stats stuff.

Legends Arceus has a really basic interpretation of the EV stuff. Just shove Grit items into everything and it boosts the stat of whatever you use it on.

It's really dumbed down, as you can just max out every stat with no thought about what you should prioritise for each Pokémon's strengths.

[markderoos]

Almost done with this game.

Spoiler

Caught Spiritomb, Rampardos and Tornadus today. Now I only need Shieldon/Bastiodon, the Porygond and Enamorus before I can move on to Arceus.

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by markderoos

[EEVILMURRAY]

I'm down to needing Umbreon, Togetic/kiss, Pichu, Wyrdeer and I think that's it. But with two of those needing happiness (I'm going to try that flying Togetic but those flying balls are a pain to use), and there are nosl side missions left, I'm not sure if I can be bothered.

The game starts off slow, which is fine, builds up nicely but too quickly, plateau'ing way too soon so that by the end you've got a fair bit to do, but bugger all to do.

I spent yesterday watching Deep Space Nine with the Switch undocked (a massive rarity) stood nearby with me periodically checking the map for a distortion so I could get the fossil dudes. 

[Dufniall]

Spoiler

I've just caught Giratina, and I'm finally starting to actively fill the Pokédex. Which will be taking a while.

Curious to see how many hours everyone has on the clock when you finally complete the Dex! I'll try to write up a final thoughts post somewhere coming week.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Dufniall

[MindFreak]

50 minutes ago, Dufniall said:

  Progress (Hide contents)

I've just caught Giratina, and I'm finally starting to actively fill the Pokédex. Which will be taking a while.

Curious to see how many hours everyone has on the clock when you finally complete the Dex! I'll try to write up a final thoughts post somewhere coming week.

56 hours for me. 

[EEVILMURRAY]

I think I'm about 45ish. Maybe not even that.

[markderoos]

Ok so how do I actually 

Spoiler

catch Arceus? I’ve beaten him in his frenzy fight and then it ends and I have his entry in my Pokedex, but haven’t actually caught him? Do I actually have to fight him again or what?

 

[Dufniall]

It is done! After 71 hours, I have caught, registered and got research level 10 on 241 Pokémon. Only Darkrai remains, but he is locked behind a BD/SP save file, which I don't have. Luckily Lord Arceus doesn't count him, and also Team Galaxy neglects him and they decided to give me the Shiny Charm anyway. Time for the verdict!

The Good

I really enjoyed this game. The fact that I went for Pokédex completion (something I haven't done since Pokémon Sapphire), is an indication that it felt right to keep going, although getting the last bits of research required was a bit of a slog. I really love the setting of feudal Hisui, including the dress style and the idea of the Pokédex being a book. The new region variants are cool, and the Noble battles were surprisingly fun as well.

The way the game is structured with regions opening up instead of having just one big overworld didn't bother me and I may even preferred it this way to give it a bit more structure. I enjoyed the side quests, especially the weirder ones like having a Geodude be used as a pickle jar

Stuff I want to see in the new game is being able to change moves on the fly. Oh I need a sleep move to catch this Pokémon? Just swap out a move on the go, loved that! The choice of wanting to engage a Pokémon or try to catch them stealth style is something I loved as well and a reason why the game kept being interesting. Side quests also helped a lot! And finally, not having to trade Pokémon was a joy because it meant I could easily finish the game myself. But with the new game being 2 versions again I doubt this will stick.

The Bad

First of all the story. I can't imagine the reason why I have to be a time-travelling kid chosen by the God himself with a god-infused smartphone. Easily I could just have been a local kid, or the hero who walked with Pokémon who gets frequent mentions in the game. I think I'd also would have preferred to be a bit earlier in the timeline, and you are actually the first person ever to use a Pokéball. Other plot holes remain (like what happened to the Hisui variants? Is this whole adventure just a parallel universe kind of thing? And wtf how does Ginkgo get stuff like microwaves and refrigerators?), and the "threat" and dislike of Pokémon from the community could have been done better. That said, I like how the game has a slightly darker tone regarding mentions of dying in the field, and the fact you get shunned for being an outsider.

The lack of voice acting really set me off. Cutscenes are just empty without audio, especially as characters' mouths are moving. Further, the game has some excellent tracks, but takes the BOTW approach to sometimes just leave out music or have a small ambient track in the background.

I'm not the biggest fan of having to repeat catch Pokémon (something Let's Go also had), especially without a proper box ordering system. My boxes were a mess and the only viable way of finding something was the search option. Oh, and one thing that annoyed me a lot is the fact that when you face a trainer, experience is given after the whole fight is over. So if half of your team faints, they miss out on all XP.

The Ugly

Well, because this game is ugly isn't it? Water effects are bad, pop-in is terrible, environments are empty, Pokémon in the distance move at 5fps and the textures on rocks etc. are horrible. But somehow it didn't bother me as much as I figured it would have. Because the core gameplay was just so much fun.

All in all I love this fresh take on the series, with a different approach, exploring the lore, craft items and roam the wilds to catch them all. After the good old 8 gyms and a Pokémon league this was a very welcome change of pace! I hope Game Freak keeps these more experimental games in their portfolio, but please hire a bunch of extra guys to polish your games graphically a bit.

[MindFreak]

54 minutes ago, Dufniall said:

And wtf how does Ginkgo get stuff like microwaves and refrigerators?

I believe this is actually said in the game - they come out of the time rift.

[bob]

It is done! After 71 hours, I have caught, registered and got research level 10 on 241 Pokémon. Only Darkrai remains, but he is locked behind a BD/SP save file, which I don't have. Luckily Lord Arceus doesn't count him, and also Team Galaxy neglects him and they decided to give me the Shiny Charm anyway. Time for the verdict!
The Good
I really enjoyed this game. The fact that I went for Pokédex completion (something I haven't done since Pokémon Sapphire), is an indication that it felt right to keep going, although getting the last bits of research required was a bit of a slog. I really love the setting of feudal Hisui, including the dress style and the idea of the Pokédex being a book. The new region variants are cool, and the Noble battles were surprisingly fun as well.
The way the game is structured with regions opening up instead of having just one big overworld didn't bother me and I may even preferred it this way to give it a bit more structure. I enjoyed the side quests, especially the weirder ones like having a Geodude be used as a pickle jar
Stuff I want to see in the new game is being able to change moves on the fly. Oh I need a sleep move to catch this Pokémon? Just swap out a move on the go, loved that! The choice of wanting to engage a Pokémon or try to catch them stealth style is something I loved as well and a reason why the game kept being interesting. Side quests also helped a lot! And finally, not having to trade Pokémon was a joy because it meant I could easily finish the game myself. But with the new game being 2 versions again I doubt this will stick.
The Bad
First of all the story. I can't imagine the reason why I have to be a time-travelling kid chosen by the God himself with a god-infused smartphone. Easily I could just have been a local kid, or the hero who walked with Pokémon who gets frequent mentions in the game. I think I'd also would have preferred to be a bit earlier in the timeline, and you are actually the first person ever to use a Pokéball. Other plot holes remain (like what happened to the Hisui variants? Is this whole adventure just a parallel universe kind of thing? And wtf how does Ginkgo get stuff like microwaves and refrigerators?), and the "threat" and dislike of Pokémon from the community could have been done better. That said, I like how the game has a slightly darker tone regarding mentions of dying in the field, and the fact you get shunned for being an outsider.
The lack of voice acting really set me off. Cutscenes are just empty without audio, especially as characters' mouths are moving. Further, the game has some excellent tracks, but takes the BOTW approach to sometimes just leave out music or have a small ambient track in the background.
I'm not the biggest fan of having to repeat catch Pokémon (something Let's Go also had), especially without a proper box ordering system. My boxes were a mess and the only viable way of finding something was the search option. Oh, and one thing that annoyed me a lot is the fact that when you face a trainer, experience is given after the whole fight is over. So if half of your team faints, they miss out on all XP.
The Ugly
Well, because this game is ugly isn't it? Water effects are bad, pop-in is terrible, environments are empty, Pokémon in the distance move at 5fps and the textures on rocks etc. are horrible. But somehow it didn't bother me as much as I figured it would have. Because the core gameplay was just so much fun.
All in all I love this fresh take on the series, with a different approach, exploring the lore, craft items and roam the wilds to catch them all. After the good old 8 gyms and a Pokémon league this was a very welcome change of pace! I hope Game Freak keeps these more experimental games in their portfolio, but please hire a bunch of extra guys to polish your games graphically a bit.

There are easier ways to get Dark Rai.

Most supermarkets sell them.

[Dufniall]

27 minutes ago, bob said:

There are easier ways to get Dark Rai.

Most supermarkets sell them.

They don't have those in the Netherlands unfortunately. And with current Brexit regulations and taxes I think it's cheaper to buy a copy of Brilliant Diamond than to import a box of these!