And now come the tears, heavy and hot//As it comes clear, this is all we got

[shamanicshaymin]

Ugh. The more I think about it, the more I think that Gen VI is my least favorite Pokemon gen since Gen III.

Mechanics-wise? Awesome. I love Fairy-type Pokemon, I love Pokemon Amie, and I love that EV training isn't nearly as excruciating as it used to be thanks to Super Training. The Kalos region is gorgeous and easy to navigate. I'd live in Laverre City if I could.

It's the storyline and characters I have issues with.

Malva's awesome, so there's her. I liked Calem and I liked Shauna okay. Maaaaaaaybe AZ and the Floette. There's some Gym Leaders I like, at least aesthetically. But other than that, I just don't care. Not really. Team Flare failed to be effective villains, I don't give a flying fuck about the Champion who appeared for what, two scenes? And had no impact on the plot whatsoever? The more I think about it, the more Professor Sycamore seems incompetent and may be my least favorite professor. The storyline and characters have the same issues that I have with the worst Pokemon movies; they take potentially interesting ideas and scenarios, then proceed to shit all over them or shove them aside to be forgotten. I really hope the game writers aren't taking lessons from the Anime and movies, 'cause I think that's bad.

I was willing to give Gen VI the benefit of the doubt, since I knew Gen V would be a Tough Act to Follow, but it really does feel like they skimped around this gen.

Sorry, I've been feeling cynical for some reason and wanted to get it purged from my system. I'm going back to my happy world of Animal Crossing. Marshal is adorable and I love him and I want to give him more hugs.

Comments

[sarajayechan]

I wish Diantha had had more scenes too, because she was cute and had a lot of potential. I agree about Team Flare, though, at least the grunts. They were idiots. And those red suits didn't do anything for me.

And...I kinda liked that Sycamore was an idiot about Lysandre. >.> Granted the game didn't fully explore both sides of it all-on one hand Lysandre's been Augustine's bff since they were kiddos, but on the other hand Lysandre is a genocidal nutjob. My guess is Sycamore was hanging onto his idealism and thought he could singlehandedly talk Lysandre out of it, or just hope Lysandre would have the smarts and the sense to stop himself from going crazy. The professor's regrets after the Team Flare plotline wrapped up felt natural, like he realized he should've tried harder or done more to stop his friend. I like the concept of a professor caught between being a naturally good guy but super close with a genocidal nutjob.

/fanwak/shipper bias

I hope this game will at least get a sequel so holes can be filled and questions can be answered.

/tl;dr I disagree with a lot of the negatives sorry ;3; I'M NOT TRYING TO CHANGE ANYONE'S MIND I SWEAR

[shamanicshaymin]

My guess is Sycamore was hanging onto his idealism and thought he could singlehandedly talk Lysandre out of it, or just hope Lysandre would have the smarts and the sense to stop himself from going crazy. The professor's regrets after the Team Flare plotline wrapped up felt natural, like he realized he should've tried harder or done more to stop his friend. I like the concept of a professor caught between being a naturally good guy but super close with a genocidal nutjob.

I'm more comfortable with this depiction of Sycamore than him just sitting back and doing nothing. I think what hurt their story is that it is very Tell-Don't-Show. Sycamore tells you he's upset and sad about Lysandre, but we don't see him go through the emotions and guilt. Then Lysandre drops off the face of the planet and it doesn't feel like there's any conclusion. I hope the sequel addresses this and fixes other holes too. :o

[sarajayechan]

Yeah, we're told a lot of the feelings involved at the end, and that there's seeds for a conflict. But it bugged the hell out of me when Lysandre just disappeared and Sycamore only reacted once and never mentioned him again. D: I guess until/unless we get a sequel, I'll consider this fanfic fuel. XD;

[swordianmaster]

I have stated in the past: "If Lysandre wanted to remove all of the ignorant people from the world, he certainly did a good job of gathering them all into Team Flare". You can't even compare the anime writing to that - Team Flare would be shamed by Jesse and James's comparative hypercompetence.

I think the problem with Gen 6, from all I've personally seen of it, is that the game is trying to make you invested in TOO MANY PEOPLE. Oak and Elm worked because they were there to throw a pokedex in your face and then never got involved again. More importantly, they pushed Mega Evolution WAY TOO HARD; there are several characters - Lysandre and Sycamore included - that would be infinitely more tolerable if the game wasn't trying to shove their core gimmick down your throat at every turn.

tl;dr: Gen 6 is like the Sonic Heroes of the franchise, writing-wise.

[shamanicshaymin]

"If Lysandre wanted to remove all of the ignorant people from the world, he certainly did a good job of gathering them all into Team Flare."

Ha! Niiiiiice. XD

I think the problem with Gen 6, from all I've personally seen of it, is that the game is trying to make you invested in TOO MANY PEOPLE.

Suddenly, the flaws of Gen VI's story makes a LOT more sense. :P They throw so many names at you, but in reality, people like Aliana, Bryony, and Celosia (and I had to look their names up on Bulbapedia. See? I don't even remember them!) might as well be called "Team Flare Scientist" and it'd make no difference.

*singing* KALOS HEROOOOOES KALOS HEROOOOOOOOES

And then, Looker gets a "Team Chaotix" spin-off.

[guardians_song]

I thought Team Flare had awesome music. I... frankly would be more keen on Gen VI if I hadn't gotten hideously overleveled by the second Gym without even trying to. I don't think I was supposed to already have Venusaur by that point. :\

I'll go back to it sometime, but eh, I DID think it was better than Gen III/Gen IV. Just... coulda used some work on the balance front.

[sarajayechan]

hideously overleveled by the second Gym without even trying to

THAT WEIRDED ME OUT TOO. I'm so used to levelgrinding before every gym and it was like "oh I don't need to??".

Glad the E4 gave me enough of a challenge in the end.