It also introduced Mega Evolution, which is still popular in Pokémon GO regardless of it not having been in following games.

This was done to make battling more balanced when it came to Dark and Dragon types. Gen 6 wasn't only the first Pokémon game on 3DS, but it also introduced Fairy types and retroactively gave this typing to previously seen Pokémon like Clefairy and Jigglypuff. With global trading becoming so much easier and with such a wide age range, this was a good step to take. As such, the lack of popular characters from previous games initially made Gen 5 less appealing to many people.įun fact: This was the first Pokémon game to ban certain words from being usable as player or Pokémon nicknames. However, something that many fans didn't like was that Black and White only offered brand new Pokémon to capture until players unlocked the National Pokédex at the end of the campaign. Although unique, seasons have not appeared in any of the following Pokémon games. Perhaps the most compelling part was knowing that Team Plasma, the evil team you go up against, had an interesting cause that you couldn't completely disagree with.Īlthough we had seen the time mechanic before now, Gen 5 combined it with a brand new seasons mechanic that changes with each month, giving players different-looking environments to explore and different Pokémon to catch on a regular basis. It also took place in a more city-like environment than previous games, giving it a somewhat gritty feel.

Gen 5 offered a slew of interesting new elements such as unique camera perspectives, new fighting sprite animations, and better 3D graphics than ever seen before in a core Pokémon RPG. Otherwise, the story isn't really that interesting and both the gameplay and music don't stand out much from other core Pokémon games.įun fact: This was the first core Pokémon game to get a prequel in the form of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which was released only two months after the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes. There were too many of them, which made it so players either had to bog down their team with these special moves or frequently swap out for a Pokémon whose sole purpose was to be an 'HM Slave', like the beloved Bidoof.Īdditionally, many of the new Pokémon designs in this game aren't considered as memorable as other gens.

These games are also responsible for Game Freak's move away from HMs. The most notable and important contribution was making global trading easier by doing away with the traditional cable connection and using DS WiFi instead. Diamond and Pearl weren't bad games, but they didn't really bring a lot to the table either.

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