Decreasing replay value

[Satoshi-kunt]

Is it just me or does the post-game replay value of the main versions decrease as the generations go on? Since Gen IV at least it seems that there just hasn't been nearly as much to look forward to after the main story. In DP there were multiple new places to explore after the E4- turnback cave, snowpoint temple, hell, the fucking entire battle zone. But in BW the postgame towns are next to useless (especially lacunosa town, and oh, fucking white forest/black city- the fuck was that shit? not everyone can just find others to play with wirelessly) and at best, they marginally meet what past games included, as opposed to building onto them. and in XY i swear there's literally no new areas to explore except the unknown dungeon and kiloude city, though the latter is just a fuckin battle tower with a multiplayer-contingent safari zone (see what i'm getting at?) also, both games don't have a rematch option, wich fucking sucks dick because then it just becomes the same old stale 'fight these cocksuckers in a restaurant/stadium/whatever to train your pokes' thing. fuck, maybe it's just nostalgia but i feel like game freak wants to trend toward having a postgame focused more on multiplayer and less on singleplayer. not that it's inherently bad but this kind of tradeoff destroys the spirit of the game imo.

edit: so after rereading my rant i think that i conflated a couple of messages in here-
1. postgame activity- the amount of stuff you can actually do after beating the E4. this includes exploring new places, new story stuff, meeting new trainers, etc.
2. replay value- how much you find yourself re-exploring places because they're useful or interesting, whatever

 

[Team Gaara]

I personally do not think replay value has been decreased.

The third games (or sequels in Gen 5's case) since Ruby and Sapphire tend to be the ones with more features for post-game activity. With X and Y being the first two games, it's likely that we'll be getting more postgame stuff like a Frontier or something along those lines in, let's just call it "Z". Emerald added the Battle Frontier, Platinum added the Battle Frontier and a short post-game story with Heatran and Team Galactic, and Black2/White2 added the BlackSkyScraper/WhiteTreeHollow, PWT, and Pokestar Studios. So it seems, in my observations that replay value increases with each generation (when looking at third versions).

I personally think X and Y have a good amount of after-game activity. There is the Battle Chateau and the Battle Maison in addition to the Looker story, catching some legendaries, and finding Mega Stones if it interests you.

Speaking of, it depends on what kind of player you are. I've heard that some people haven't picked up X and Y since they finished the game and Looker story. Those people primarily just play for the story. I, on the other hand, play every day, as I also battle online. The game has plenty replay value to me, because I make new teams every time I finish one. Other people continue to play to complete the Pokedex. Others challenge the Battle Maison. So I really think the amount of replay value really depends on what you want to do in your game.

In short, I don't think replay value decreases as the generations go on; I personally think it increases and that the amount of time you spend on the after-game before you get bored of playing just depends mostly on the kind of player you are.

 

[TwilightBlade]

Although there are so many more Pokemon to breed, I find myself getting bored doing that. I'm also bored with running through Le Wow and the clothing boutiques. :/

I'd really like a battle facility to return.

 

[Norzan]

People keep forgetting that remakes/third versions/sequels are the ones with the good post games, when comparing paired versions post games i think X and Y has one of the best post games. R/B/Y had literally no post game, Gold and Silver had Kanto but it was a barren wasteland with barely anything to do except defeat gym leaders and it takes at max two hours to defeat them all and after that there's nothing to do there, R/S had only the Battle Tower, Regi Trio and Latios/Latias and Rayquaza, i think the post game in D/P was pretty good with the whole Battle Zone and Battle Tower, B/W had the Battle Subway and Kyurem and X and Y has the Battle Maison (wich is so much better than the Battle Tower), Battle Chateau, Mewtwo, the Kanto Birds and if you are into competitive battling they made IV breeding so dang easy when compared to Gen 5, it takes me at max two hours to make a perfect IV pokemon with the right nature. So no the games are not decreasing in replay value and also they have been focusing more on Wi-Fi since Gen 4 so i doubt they'll decrease any aumont of focus on Wi-Fi in the next gens.

 

[LilyStorm]

After quests and legends I don't really care about post game.

 

[Bolt Strike]

There was definitely a decrease in replay value from 4th gen to 5th gen, they removed many items and features that added to the replay value and the new features didn't really make up for it. 5th gen to 6th gen? I'll have to get back to you on that.

 

[Muur]

Replay value goes up. What can you do in gen 1 after doing the league?

 

[randomspot555]

Replay value goes up. What can you do in gen 1 after doing the league?

This is a good question, and it is also worth noting that despite the lack of "replay value" of Gen I, people still somehow managed to sink hundreds of hours into a single save file.

Nowadays, if you don't practically hand them post-game content on a platter, kids complain that there's nothing to do.

 

[ZoroarkPKMN]

I enjoyed the B/W post-game, because it didn't really add many story elements but added more areas. Gen VI seems like it adds more story elements, but not areas.

 

[Orion-Sama]

Nowadays, if you don't practically hand them post-game content on a platter, kids complain that there's nothing to do.

This post summed it all up pretty much.

Pokémon isn't exactly a game known for its engaging story or setting. What makes it stand out is the gameplay, like with most Nintendo franchises. Particularly the experimentation, collecting, and multiplayer angle. I find myself logging several hours in every entry of the series, even in the arguably least playable games. Diamond is ironically the game where I logged the most hours in an individual file, despite how much I hated playing it.

I do like the story and setting a lot, despite what I said earlier. However, I am aware that's not the focus of the game, and definitely not what keeps me playing. After all, that's a very small and temporary part compared to the completion aspect. Anyone complaining about lack of replay value should try getting their Trainer Cards with all the stars/best color and see how long it takes. Even when that is completed, training new Pokémon, making new teams, and trading and battling with others is what constantly breathes life in this series.

So yep. I don't think the replay value has decreased. It was really high to begin with, and the latter Generations added even more elements to keep someone busy, both with new tasks or even extra story elements. If the multiplayer and completion elements of the series don't hook you, perhaps you're playing the wrong game.

 

[randomspot555]

Yeah, I remember people complaining that the BW post-game was too battle focused. And my thought was like...why in the world are you playing Pokemon if you don't like battling? Nearly everything you do in Pokemon is battling or is related to it. The main plot is almost entirely battle focused. Breeding benefits Pokemon in various ways and gives them more potential in battle. Even dex collectors have to battle Pokemon in order to catch them. Even the side stuff like Pokethlon, Movies, and Contests involve battling elements in one way or another.