Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet

[Glen-i]

18 minutes ago, Eddage said:

Does anyone want to be a legend and trade me a Quaxly when I start playing on Friday? Gonna pick Spriggatito but would love both in my team as I don't like the look of any of the other available water 'mons.

Figured a few of you are at the stage were you can breed now  

I can do that.

Can even get you a Fuecoco as well.

[Ike]

On 10/11/2022 at 6:25 PM, Glen-i said:

Sounds to me like two of the final evolutions are pretty cool then.

I like those odds!

You were correct.

[MindFreak]

Two Titans and three Gyms down. My entire team is about level 40 now, I wonder how overpowered I'll end up being for the remaining Gyms. 

[Hero-of-Time]

After 40 hours the Pokedex has been completed and my Pokemon Violet Diploma earned.

Spoiler

Some of the evolutions are a real faff on and can be pretty annoying. Having to play in co-op mode just to evolve one is ridiculous. As for catching all the Pokemon, they may as well have just left it like it was in Legends. I say this because of a move named Ruination. I have no idea if this has been in a Pokemon game before but it's basically this game's version of the Final Fantasy spell that is named Demi. It does pretty much the same thing in that it keeps halving whatever HP the wild Pokemon has. Do this 2 or 3 times and it's ready to catch. You can even do it on legendary Pokemon. Very easy.

[MindFreak]

3 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

After 40 hours the Pokedex has been completed and my Pokemon Violet Diploma earned.

  Pics (Reveal hidden contents)

Some of the evolutions are a real faff on and can be pretty annoying. Having to play in co-op mode just to evolve one is ridiculous. As for catching all the Pokemon, they may as well have just left it like it was in Legends. I say this because of a move named Ruination. I have no idea if this has been in a Pokemon game before but it's basically this game's version of the Final Fantasy spell that is named Demi. It does pretty much the same thing in that it keeps halving whatever HP the wild Pokemon has. Do this 2 or 3 times and it's ready to catch. You can even do it on legendary Pokemon. Very easy.

There is a move called False Swipe which will leave the Pokémon at 1 HP. That has been there for long. 

Seems like this is the shortest Pokémon game in ages. I can see the rest of my adventure being quite fast having a team of level 45. I now returned to the central city and went east this time and everything is just level 20 or below. :/

[Glen-i]

4 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I have no idea if this has been in a Pokemon game before but it's basically this game's version of the Final Fantasy spell that is named Demi. It does pretty much the same thing in that it keeps halving whatever HP the wild Pokemon has.

You mean Super Fang? That move that has been around since the first game?

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, MindFreak said:

There is a move called False Swipe which will leave the Pokémon at 1 HP. That has been there for long. 

Yeah, I knew False Swipe was thing but I thought it just chipped away at HP.

15 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

You mean Super Fang? That move that has been around since the first game?

I never realised that's what that move done. All these years I could have been making catching Pokemon much easier for myself.

1 hour ago, MindFreak said:

Seems like this is the shortest Pokémon game in ages. I can see the rest of my adventure being quite fast having a team of level 45. I now returned to the central city and went east this time and everything is just level 20 or below. :/

Yeah, it's not a great length and it's pretty easy throughout. Even more so if you take your own route because you then end up super OP when going back to areas you skipped. The game should have scaled depending on how you tackled the gyms. Post game is very meh as well.

[Glen-i]

5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I never realised that's what that move done. All these years I could have been making catching Pokemon much easier for myself.

I mean, in the first generation, that's understandable. But descriptions of moves have been around since Gold/Silver, so that's defo on you.

Anyway, Super Fang is normally balanced by the fact that only crummy Pokémon like Raticate can learn it and it doesn't affect Ghost Types. It'll be interesting to see if this new version will make an impact like Nature's Madness did.

[Hero-of-Time]

33 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

I mean, in the first generation, that's understandable. But descriptions of moves have been around since Gold/Silver, so that's defo on you.

As if I read the description of moves. I either use it randomly to see what it does or just go with the highest attack power.

The move is definitely not restricted to shoddy Pokemon.

[Hero-of-Time]

I've been looking forward to their verdict of this technical mess of a game.

[MindFreak]

Ouch. That's rough. Write-up here if you don't want to watch the video.

[Glen-i]

Normally, with Digital Foundry stuff, the majority of issues tend to be stuff I never notice in actual gameplay.

This game though, you don't need an eye for it, and a frame rate tracker to see the issues on display.

Some important NPCs, and the Pokémon themselves look fine. Everything else though? Oof...

It's amazing to think Sword/Shield is technically better in every respect. But nooooo! People whined because you can't rotate the camera, (even though that game is designed around it) and now you've got this shoddy, geometry clipping shambles.

It's upsetting to me,  I thought Sword/Shield was a step in the right direction in a lot of ways over the 3DS titles, but Scarlet/Violet is a million steps back in some respects.

[Ashley]

 

 

[Dcubed]

I think the most shocking thing is how much of a technical downgrade S/V is from PL: Arceus.  That game runs like a dream in comparison to S/V!

But yeah, every complaint made in the DF video is spot ok.  This is the roughest and most unpolished/unfinished game that Nintendo or TPC have ever published (and that includes BDSP).

[Glen-i]

23 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

I think the most shocking thing is how much of a technical downgrade S/V is from PL: Arceus.  That game runs like a dream in comparison to S/V!

Shame it's nowhere near as fun though. Trudging through that Pokédex was an absolute chore.

[bob]

37 minutes ago, Ashley said:

 

 

Yeah, this just shows that it doesn't matter what technical mess Game Freak vomit out, it will still break sales records every single time. People still go out in their droves and buy it (in many cases TWO copies), and I don't see that changing. Therefore, I don't see the quality of the games changing either. They're just going to get worse and worse, because there's no negative consequence for doing so.

[Ashley]

I could see this inevitably doing well simply because they've changed things up. However the blow back about the glitches seems bigger than previous games so there's a chance that narrative may break through. 

Maybe...

[bob]

1 minute ago, Ashley said:

I could see this inevitably doing well simply because they've changed things up. However the blow back about the glitches seems bigger than previous games so there's a chance that narrative may break through. 

Maybe...

There's no blow back quite like selling 10 million copies.

[Hero-of-Time]

27 minutes ago, bob said:

People still go out in their droves and buy it (in many cases TWO copies), and I don't see that changing. Therefore, I don't see the quality of the games changing either. They're just going to get worse and worse, because there's no negative consequence for doing so.

 

 

[Dcubed]

2 hours ago, bob said:

Yeah, this just shows that it doesn't matter what technical mess Game Freak vomit out, it will still break sales records every single time. People still go out in their droves and buy it (in many cases TWO copies), and I don't see that changing. Therefore, I don't see the quality of the games changing either. They're just going to get worse and worse, because there's no negative consequence for doing so.

You won’t really see the ramifications of the shoddy state of this release on launch weekend (obviously launch day buyers who pre-ordered wouldn’t have been aware of how unfinished the game actually was, before they bought it).  You’ll only really see it manifest with future releases and S/V’s sales legs/WOM down the line…

Edited November 24, 2022 by Dcubed

[Glen-i]

32 minutes ago, bob said:

People still go out in their droves and buy it (in many cases TWO copies),

No, they don't. Only people who have a sibling they plan on playing with ever buy the double packs. By that logic, loads of multiplayer games (Splatoon, for example) these days should get this same criticism.

You'd be a complete idiot to buy two for yourself.

[Ashley]

27 minutes ago, bob said:

There's no blow back quite like selling 10 million copies.

You can't (or shouldn't) criticise something you've not played. The review embargo dropped the day before release, by that point the sales were already processed. 

I'm not suggesting the next game will do poorly or anything, but there is a potential for reputational damage to take hold over time.

[drahkon]

20 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

You'd be a complete idiot to buy two for yourself.

Gonna late my mate know.

[Glen-i]

5 minutes ago, drahkon said:

Gonna late my mate know.

Tell him he's a dumbo of the highest order. What's he gonna do with the second one, play it again? Absolutely pointless. That 50 quid could be spent on anything else, like an NSO subscription so he can get the Pokémon from the other version. He'd have plenty of change left from that.

[drahkon]

1 minute ago, Glen-i said:

Tell him he's a dumbo of the highest order. What's he gonna do with the second one, play it again? Absolutely pointless.

I think he'll tell you to be less judgmental and let people spend their well-earned money how they want and their time playing a game twice.