Trentasaurus Rex... alot

Pokemon is pretty GAYmuch the best RPG ever, but recently, under the restraints represented by the handheld, the game has begun to show some wear. And while some features that I believe made the game much more interesting have been inexplicably removed (Night and Day/Cell Phones/Tons of time-based events), I still believe that the game is pure genius and should be pushed forward to the next level. There’s no telling how the Nintendo DS will model the franchise; I am a huge fan of this handheld, however, THIS BLOG IS SHITTY and I believe it will influence the production of some of the most innovative games we’ve ever seen on handheld and console alike. Basically, I’d like to preface this article by saying that there are no doubts in my mind (currently) that Pokemon Pearl and Diamond are going to revolutionize the Pokemon franchise. I just have a ton of ideas for a Pokemon MMORPG, and the release of the Nintendo DS and the prospects of the next titles of the franchise (after Emerald, of course, and discounting games such as Pokemon Dash) has given me the courage to buckle down and talk about a game that may never come to be.

With that out of the way, I’d like to talk about all of the current features of Pokemon that would need changing in a massive multiplayer environment. I’m under the impression that the game would be third person, as most MMORPG’s I’ve seen are; however, the graphics would keep a Pokemon Coliseum-esque look, which I believe would immediately set it apart in look and feel from other RPG’s. The scenes involving the encounter with and capture of Pokemon would need to change, of course; these features might also take some influences from current games, but I’m not particularly fond of the whole “slash-the-air” attack style currently displayed in games such as Everquest, etc. In contrast with the handheld’s style, Pokemon would not just materialize out of nowhere. They’d be visible and therefore avoidable, for the most part. There might be the occasional unavoidable battle, but I think that most players would agree that they wouldn’t miss the never-ending horde of Rattata’s, Pidgey’s, Tentacool’s, and the like.

Visually, the game would be pretty awe-inspiring. The multiple locales of Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, and who knows where else would be very incredible in 3D. Also, the world is extremely vast and perfectly suited to MMORPG format. Players would start out on a reasonably structured journey, but once they got through the basics, they’d be free to choose their own journeys. Eventually, they’d gain HMs such as Surf and Fly, but the time they’d spend on foot would be ideal to learn the game mechanics and develop their character and party.

Graphics and mechanics would not be the only initial changes; customization would play a large role in the game. Character design and Pokemon personalization would be two largely new features; players might even choose to become members of castes such as ‘Hiker’, ‘Biker’, ‘Bird Keeper’, ‘Bug Catcher’, and the like. The Pokemon these players catch would probably be influenced by their character type as well. Pokemon could have different markings (similar to Ruby/Sapphire’s Spinda), colors, clothing, and hairstyles. Another quirk I had in mind came to me from the TV episode which I think was titled “Duplica’s Mansion”. Duplica has a Ditto that has a hard time inheriting the face of the Pokemon it duplicates. This could be a factor Ditto trainers would have to overcome. (By the way, in the game, there wouldn’t be any ‘sucky’ Pokemon as there are in the handheld version. For example, Ditto trainers would likely be ‘Breeders’, but maybe Ditto could morph into items as he could in the aforementioned episode. There would have to be a good number of incentives to get anyone to want a Ditto in their party.)

In order to prevent the game from getting flooded out by a million level 100 Mewtwo’s, the goals of the game would be changed a little bit. No longer would the main goal be to “catch-em all”, instead, that task would be impossible, or nearly so. Instead, players would attempt to just “see-em all” or “defeat-em all”, perhaps. Both of these tasks would be very hard, but they’d be much more achievable. The character would attempt to catch the Pokemon his or her party needs to complete a task, or all of the Pokemon he or she likes, but missions and other goals would be more prevalent in the game story than the idea of owning each species. In the game, Pokeballs might be limited, or certain Pokemon might just be very rare, exclusive, or only available after completing specific tasks. Character types previously mentioned (‘Hiker’, ‘Biker’, 'Gaywad') might be offered exclusive Pokemon as well, meaning certain Pokemon would only reveal themselves to that caste. Another example: A bug Pokemon, such as Pinsir, might only be available to a trainer who has defeated the necessary gym. An even rarer bug Pokemon, such as Scyther, might only be available after the gym is defeated and Pinsir is caught, and then Scizor would require even more completed quests.

Another method of flood control would involve a multiple level system. When trainers complete a certain number of quests, they gain a level, and certain Pokemon can only be caught by a trainer of the appropriate level. Pokemon must be leveled up as well as the trainer, and the Pokemon will never exceed its trainer in level. Although this process of leveling up both the trainer and the Pokemon may seem tedious, it would definitely curb expansion; trainers would have to look for quests to complete before leveling up their Pokemon, which would in turn need to reach certain levels in order for the trainer to progress in quest difficulty. This cyclic process would be essential to the game’s mechanics.

Quests would most likely be the most interesting and enjoyable aspect of the game. Players would go on solo quests during their journey, but there would be multiple opportunities for temporary team forming. Once players felt comfortable with their character, they could choose to enter a guild. Guilds could be comprised of characters of similar character types, but the most successful guilds would probably be composed of a variety of players. Guilds may need a specific Pokemon that only one of their trainers has, and so they act as a convoy of sorts to protect that Pokemon from harms of the wild. Certain character types might also have character specific items: Perhaps there could be a ‘flutist’, and players would access his talent to soothe a wild Charizard they needed to sneak past.

Despite the different character types, each player would be an adventurer, and the less interesting positions would be filled with NPC’s. Shopkeepers, Officer Jenny’s, and Nurse Joy’s would be NPC’s, of course, but whether players could be gym leaders is an aspect of this imaginary game that I’m unsure about. I suppose an especially prevalent player could set up a temporary gym, but there would probably be strict guidelines as to who could be a gym leader. Perhaps if a player of the correct character type was of an appropriate level, he could take over for an NPC. However, it might be best to leave the position of gym leader closed.

The innovations developed in previous Pokemon titles would definitely be kept; the concept of the cell phone would take the form of a basic chat program that basically comes standard with an RPG, the idea of secret bases/houses would remain (players might start out with a house, or they might have to earn it), the night and day concept would be yet another way of making sure everyone didn’t catch every Pokemon instantly (certain Pokemon would only appear at night), and certain NPC’s would evolve in level as the game’s lifespan rolled on. Other minor innovations, such as apricorns and Pokeflutes, would all have their place in the massive multiplayer world of the Pokemon MMORPG.

This game might never come to be. Pokemon’s current platform is comfortable, and Pokemon’s main fanbase is too young for the MMORPG. Nintendo hasn’t developed its online capabilities, and it seems to be someone hesitant to do so. Even if does develop its next console with such capabilities, it might not be able to handle a game of this magnitude. And if it could, who would design it? Where would they begin to completely overhaul one of the most successful video-game franchises, ever? With the money Pokemon rakes in, even after its decline in popularity, the franchise is obviously staying for a while. Perhaps it will stay long enough to see the dawn of my fantasy game, and by some stroke of fate my game gets created, but only time will tell. Until then, suck it fags.