Let's Talk about Pokemon Let's Go, and how it was the right direction for the franchise.

[SerenaToAlola]

I saw this coming a mile away.

Well. I'm just wondering if people find the chibi aesthetic in LGPE a plus or a minus. Swoosh is more proportionate and some parts look really nice like Glimwood Tangle and the Slumbering Weald but I personally find LGPE more consistently good. So I actually wouldn't mind if they sacrificed the realism for something like LGPE in that sense.

 

[Aulos]

I don't like the chibi style. Especially because when it is used by GameFreak it's nothing more than a sign of them still not being able to move beyond the 2.5D framework that they've only really moved away with Sword/Shield (Sun/Moon did a lot to move us away, but not completely).

GameFreak lingered with the 2.5D framework for far too long and I want there to be no trace of it in any game they design ever again.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

Even if they can buy multiple games, there's only so many they can buy. Say you only have enough money for 2 games, and you have to choose 2 of BotW, Mario Odyssey, and SwSh. Or maybe if you really have the luxury to buy as many game as you want, maybe there's so many other games that you like better than the game falls so far down your list of priorities it's not even worth considering. If you're in those kinds of scenarios, and odds are you will be, it makes sense to completely skip over a game that's perceived as poor/not worth the money. The game doesn't exist in a vacuum, no matter how different it is from other games.

It is true that most people can't buy everything, and many people are forced to make a choice. Your initial argument was about how people make the choice irrationally. I find it highly unlikely that people who are buying Pokemon games are doing so while simultaneously thinking; 'Odyssey looks really fun and I think I would enjoy it MORE, but I like Pokemon, so I have to get it instead' If they were, that would be irrational, but I have seen no evidence that that is the case. I would say that most people either buy both games that they are interested in or they genuinely believe they would enjoy Pokemon more. If they have money to buy both games, there's no reason to not buy the game unless the consumer perceives it as a waste of money.

 

[MrMeowPuss]

Let's go was a flawed adventure, riddled with drawbacks and questionable gameplay choices . However, this game manages to create a more authentic Pokemon experience than Sword and Shield. Here's why:

1. View attachment 139004
2. Graphically speaking, Let's Go follows a more traditional evolution of the gameboy games. The melding of the chibi art in the 3D world is more recognizably Pokemon than the more anime style prevelant in sword and shield. The art style, while clean, also looks more toyetic - something more befitting of Pokemon. Let's Go's chibi models also allows for following Pokemon and Ridable Pokemon to be far more efficient in the games. Following Pokemon in Sword and Shield loses its charm considering your camera usually faces away from the Pokemon. While in Let's Go, the following Pokemon is always on the same screen as yours. To simply put it. Let's Go's graphical style is something that gamefreak should revert too. Moreover, it's Pokemon. Pokemon has been Chibi since its inception and changing it was a huge mistake.
3. Musically speaking. This shouldn't be controversal here. Let's Go features a modern take of the classical soundtrack by offering an orchestrated soundtrack. Seriously, why did gamefreak revert to Midi sounds when its predecessor was orchestrated? It's 2020. No game should feature a midi soundtrack.
4. QOL features. Let's Go offers simple features without overdoing it. You have ridable Pokemon, you have following Pokemon, you have overworld Pokemon. These features are simple, organic and not overdone. They fit in the Pokemon lore. Meanwhile, Dynamax makes no sense. Lore wise, why would any world desire to have giant Kaiju monsters that could destroy an entire country? Let's go also allows a shoulder Pokemon, and you can dress him up. This is the first time where you can actually connect with your Pokemon. Sword and Shield loses that charm.
5. Gameplay speaking. Let's Go actually offered a chance not to battle wild Pokemon. Seriously, this is the most boring and mundane feature in modern games and they had the right idea there. Of course, there should be a choice, however, just catching Pokemon was a more modern take.

Final thoughts. I genially believe Pokemon Let's Go is more authentically Pokemon than Sword and Shield. Yes, it doesn't have the movepool of SWSH. Yes, it doesn't have the Pokemon roster of SWSH, yes it doesn't have the items or TM's that carried over. But, it offers a more simple, streamlined experience that feels authetnic to the gameboy games. Sword and Shield, conversely, feels less close to those games - and that isn't a good thing. Masuda was also the director in these games and no offence to Ohmori, but Masuda understands what makes Pokemon authentic and his game shines far brighter than Ohmori's.

I agree with this to an extent for sure. Although SWSH does feel like something completely different and more what I always had in mind for the direction I wanted the Pokémon games to go, I find LGPE’s style more of a perfect balance.

LGPE to me takes the original styles and gives them a more modern look but still stays true to the games original roots which I personally like. I think if they could do a game with the visuals and QOL stuff like riding your Pokémon and having them follow you in LGPE but the more traditional aspects of SWSH when it comes to move sets, battling wild Pokémon etc it would be my perfect game.

 

[Puddle]

Well. I'm just wondering if people find the chibi aesthetic in LGPE a plus or a minus. Swoosh is more proportionate and some parts look really nice like Glimwood Tangle and the Slumbering Weald but I personally find LGPE more consistently good. So I actually wouldn't mind if they sacrificed the realism for something like LGPE in that sense.

The chibi style is actually one of the only things about LGPE I'm not a fan of. I don't hate it by any means - it's cute and fits the atmosphere of the game - but it did feel a little jarring coming off the back of Sun and Moon, which had more realistic character proportions. Seeing Mina with a bigger head than she had in Alola was weird. What especially bothers me, though, is that the chibi style even carried over into the updated artwork for all the Kanto characters...

For those wondering what the other things I'm not a fan of are.... As much as I love the alternate catching method, sometimes I miss being able to run into a wild Pokemon so I can try out a cool move or a Mega Evolution for fun. In the postgame especially, it feels pretty weird having to rematch a Gym Leader or Elite Four member just so I can see my Pokemon in action. I also don't really like having less control over how I organise my Pokemon in the box, and the candy system for increasing stats is a bit too broken. Other than that, I love the game.