With the release of Pokémon franchise is back at the forefront of the gaming world. Players are once again taking part in the quest to catch 'em all as they traverse the Paldea region. With new Pokémon, new Gym Leaders, and new enemies, the franchise is once again offering everything fans could want.
Of course, there are some things that the fanbase remains upset about. While Pokémon is a series of games with some incredible variety, there are valid critiques that fans have had about the games, and it is worth exploring them to see which areas can still be improved.
Johto Was Underutilized
Though Johto was one of the best regions in Pokémon, the series has severely diminished its importance by dedicating itself entirely to Kanto and often overlooking Johto. The series had a beautiful and traditional landscape with iconic architecture to match, and its Pokémon were also uniquely fun, though they did not appear nearly often enough.
"I find it ridiculous how so many areas in Johto were underutilized," says Reddit NVD6432. While Kanto and other regions were given the chance to truly thrive and stand out their way, Johto never had the opportunity, and it is severely disappointing.
Older Games Are Unbalanced
There is a common refrain that newer Pokémon games are far too easy. While many claim that it is a consequence of the players growing older, the reality is very different. "The only reason older games are 'hard' is because they're stupidly unbalanced with random RNG thrown in everywhere," says Reddit d3rpyXpenguin. "Pokémon has always been easy and it probably always will be."
Even the best Gym Leaders relied on RNG to determine which moves they would use, which made them incredibly unpredictable and annoying to face off against. Now that the RNG has been perfected, the games are much more balanced and enjoyable.
Mega Evolutions Don't Work
To revitalize some old characters, Pokémon introduced Mega Evolutions. While many Kanto Pokémon did need a new evolution, "Creating Mega Evolutions was a terrible idea," says Redditor TRNRLogan. "They generally looked like more edgy versions of the base Pokémon."
Mega Evolutions completely unbalanced the game, as already-powerful characters were given power beyond belief. To make matters worse, it is extremely resource-intensive, as it meant creating new forms for old Pokémon, rather than spending time on new and inventive characters.
Pseudo-Legendary Designs Are Lazy
There are some incredibly powerful Pokémon that leave fans scratching their heads when they try to uncover exactly why they aren't considered Legendary. Compared to some underwhelming Legendaries, Pokémon like Dragonite deserve the nod.
"The fact that most of them are Dragon-types just really bothers me," says Redditor RaisinMmmm. "I get that Dragons are super powerful and all, but I just wish more of them could be unique like Metagross." It makes the designs feel incredibly lazy, and players get the sense that uninventive creators only think of dragons as powerful.
Rare Content For Adults
The children who originally played the early Pokémon games are now adults. While many still love the series, there is no way to enjoy content geared toward the massive adult audience. Games focused on them could have darker themes, which could open up the Pokémon universe.
"I would totally get behind a “PG-13” or even “R” rated series," says Redditor Pokémon with the scariest designs could be extraordinary.
Most Mythical Pokémon Are Useless
Mythical Pokémon are incredibly rare and are often viewed as little more than legend. Yet, despite being important to the world of Pokémon, they rarely play any actual role in the story, and they are rarely anything more than slightly more interesting collectibles.
"All mythical Pokémon after gen 4 (except Genesect, Keldeo, and Hoopa) are absolutely pointless and serve little to nothing to Pokémon lore other than being rare," says Reddit the strongest mythical Pokémon contribute practically nothing, which is lackluster for creatures who should be essential.
Trade-Based Evolutions Are Annoying
Not every Pokémon player has friends who are also into the series, and many will only be able to afford one game. Trade-based evolutions assume otherwise. "They also make it so having full access of the single-player game content is impossible without internet or two games and consoles," says Reddit galmenz.
Given that many fans are children, it isn't fair that they should be required to have multiple games or friends who are interested in the series. The series is perfect for those who prefer single-player modes, which is why these evolutions just aren't right. It unnecessarily limits players in ways that do little to challenge them as gamers.
Gen 1 Designs Can Be Weak
The best Pokémon from Gen 1 were given unique designs with fascinating elements, like Eevee's evolutions or Scyther's size. Others could easily bore fans to death, and it is part of why the fanbase tends to overlook the many characters with uninteresting looks.
"A lot of the ideas/designs for Gen 1 Pokémon are just as lazy and boring as some of the newer designs," says Reddit KlutzyNinjaKitty. "Grimer and Muk are just slimes, Voltorb and Electrode are just balls. Butterfree is just a butterfly, etc." For fans trying to argue that the problems with designs are new, it has been a problem since the franchise began.
The Mystery Gift Isn't An Accomplishment
Where some Legendary Pokémon can be acquired through difficult challenges or momentous moments, newer games offer those Pokémon without having to expend any effort whatsoever. It takes away from the accomplishment of the capture, which makes it less impressive overall.
"I don't like how Legendaries given through Mystery Gift are just given to you with no event or fanfare. Back in the old days you were given an item of some kind and had to go to a certain area to CATCH the legendary," says Redditor Monsicorn. Pokémon is all about the fanfare, so removing that element takes away from the series.
Trainer AI Isn't Clever Enough
AI is an essential part of any game. Every ally and enemy will rely on artificial intelligence to ensure that it will be a proper challenge for the players and other NPCs. Yet the AI in Pokémon is far from top-of-the-line. For a franchise as successful as Pokémon, it does need to be better.
"The trainer AI needs a drastic overhaul. From my experience a lot of potentially hard battles are made easy because the NPC picks a useless move three times in a row instead of trying to finish your Pokémon off," says Redditor DurableSword. Any player often wins matches just by the occasional horrific AI decision-making, rather than by building their skill.
