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With the revelation that Ho-Oh and Lugia will be featured in Movie 13, I feel that we have a better angle from which to discuss this topic.
Since 2003, Japanese Pokémon movies have had game promotions where the main featured Pokémon is downloaded to the handheld games. It is no coincidence that these Pokémon are not found through normal gameplay. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Mew in 2005, all of the relevant Pokémon were officially revealed through the movies. As for Mew, Movie 8 marked its debut in Generation III, whereas the previously-unseen Pokémon was Lucario, which was not given an event due to not having accessible data at the time (but also since Mew served that role more than well on its own).
As of now, Generation IV has exhausted all of its event Pokémon and the National Pokédex can be completed even without the upcoming remakes. Nevertheless, before today many fans were of the opinion that Movie 13 could imitate Movie 8 by focusing on Celebi and giving it a new Forme that would distinguish it from the Celebi that has been available in the GBA and DS games for years. But those fans did not suggest that Celebi share its limelight with Ho-Oh, let alone Lugia, but rather proposed that a Generation V Pokémon akin to Lucario be showcased. As I see it, the theory falls apart once Ho-Oh and Lugia are thrown into the mix; being the version mascots of the newest games, it is unfeasible for them to be relegated to lesser roles on account of a Celebi Forme and a new non-event Pokémon. There should obviously be a third Pokémon in the movie title, but the inclusion of Celebi would rule out the introduction a new Pokémon with a key role. It would also be extremely unprecedented if two Pokémon from previous movie titles (Lugia and Celebi) were given an encore (whereas Mew was not included in Movie 1's title, playing second fiddle to Mewtwo).
It is fair to say that the chances of having a new Celebi Forme as the event Pokémon have just been substantially diminished. For that matter, it is also considerably unlikely that Ho-Oh and Lugia will have alternate forms: Would it make sense for the promotional Lugia and Ho-Oh to trump those normally found in-game long before the movie premieres? Wouldn't that make more players angry than it would please? Suffice to say, it would be a departure from the handling of Origin Forme, which is Platinum's mascot legendary.
As some of you know, I have long been a proponent of the idea that HGSS can add at least one new Pokémon to serve the role of an event Pokémon for the remainder of Generation IV. If it existed, it wouldn't fit into any regional Pokédex just like Heatran, Regigigas, Cresselia, Phione, Darkrai, Shaymin and Arceus. It goes without saying that it wouldn't be able to be traded to DPPt, contrasting it with the first 493 Pokémon, but that would be completely analogous to being able to trade every item from Platinum to Diamond and Pearl - with the notable exception of the Griseous Orb. Obviously, the Movie 13 promotion would be for HGSS players only; it wouldn't be unprecedented given that the 2004 movie promotion was limited to FireRed and LeafGreen games, even though it could have easily included Ruby and Sapphire by means of a direct Deoxys transfer.
Since Generation V is so far away, the remakes should really stand out in their own right and whet the fans' appetite so as to decrease demand for brand new games. They are only games to be added to an existing generation three years into its lifetime, and may very well break the boundaries to which we have become accustomed. Bearing in mind that unlike in Generation III, Platinum's alternate forms have their own index numbers and are essentially treated as new Pokémon (excluding the fact that they share the same names and Pokédex numbers as their predecessors), the remakes could add new index numbers in addition to Notched-ear Pichu's and not necessarily make them interchangeable with existing Pokémon. In fact, Notched-ear Pichu itself has shown no signs of being able to change its form or even evolve, which it would have to do if it could be traded to DPPt games.
The only reason for which everyone is adamant on keeping the National Pokédex count the same as in Diamond and Pearl is to avoid limiting compatibility. But Platinum's alternate forms do limit compatibility in the sense that not only can they not be traded to other games (including other Platinum versions!) without reverting, they are also unusable in Wi-Fi battles and official tournaments. Moreover, My Pokémon Ranch had to be updated before it could support the new forms, and has remained incompatible with non-Japanese versions to date. The only difference between an alternate form and a truly new Pokémon is that the former can at least switch into another Pokémon that does not present compatibility issues, but doing so still defeats the purpose of trading and battling with the alternate form as it is. Besides, why isn't Notched-ear Pichu simply regarded as a Forme to make compatibility with DPPt seem less forced?
In conclusion, I'd like to remind everyone that regardless of how the game promotion is handled, the 7-year pattern suggests that a previously-unseen Pokémon will be announced in 2010 and added to the movie title. Needless to say, it would be unfeasible for Celebi to be that Pokémon even if it had a new Forme, and so there will have to be something brand new. What would be accomplished if that Pokémon weren't accessible in-game until Generation V's release date in late 2011 at the earliest? Movie 13 will obviously tie into HGSS and promote those games first and foremost - how can it do that successfully without a proper event Pokémon?
Since 2003, Japanese Pokémon movies have had game promotions where the main featured Pokémon is downloaded to the handheld games. It is no coincidence that these Pokémon are not found through normal gameplay. As a matter of fact, with the exception of Mew in 2005, all of the relevant Pokémon were officially revealed through the movies. As for Mew, Movie 8 marked its debut in Generation III, whereas the previously-unseen Pokémon was Lucario, which was not given an event due to not having accessible data at the time (but also since Mew served that role more than well on its own).
As of now, Generation IV has exhausted all of its event Pokémon and the National Pokédex can be completed even without the upcoming remakes. Nevertheless, before today many fans were of the opinion that Movie 13 could imitate Movie 8 by focusing on Celebi and giving it a new Forme that would distinguish it from the Celebi that has been available in the GBA and DS games for years. But those fans did not suggest that Celebi share its limelight with Ho-Oh, let alone Lugia, but rather proposed that a Generation V Pokémon akin to Lucario be showcased. As I see it, the theory falls apart once Ho-Oh and Lugia are thrown into the mix; being the version mascots of the newest games, it is unfeasible for them to be relegated to lesser roles on account of a Celebi Forme and a new non-event Pokémon. There should obviously be a third Pokémon in the movie title, but the inclusion of Celebi would rule out the introduction a new Pokémon with a key role. It would also be extremely unprecedented if two Pokémon from previous movie titles (Lugia and Celebi) were given an encore (whereas Mew was not included in Movie 1's title, playing second fiddle to Mewtwo).
It is fair to say that the chances of having a new Celebi Forme as the event Pokémon have just been substantially diminished. For that matter, it is also considerably unlikely that Ho-Oh and Lugia will have alternate forms: Would it make sense for the promotional Lugia and Ho-Oh to trump those normally found in-game long before the movie premieres? Wouldn't that make more players angry than it would please? Suffice to say, it would be a departure from the handling of Origin Forme, which is Platinum's mascot legendary.
As some of you know, I have long been a proponent of the idea that HGSS can add at least one new Pokémon to serve the role of an event Pokémon for the remainder of Generation IV. If it existed, it wouldn't fit into any regional Pokédex just like Heatran, Regigigas, Cresselia, Phione, Darkrai, Shaymin and Arceus. It goes without saying that it wouldn't be able to be traded to DPPt, contrasting it with the first 493 Pokémon, but that would be completely analogous to being able to trade every item from Platinum to Diamond and Pearl - with the notable exception of the Griseous Orb. Obviously, the Movie 13 promotion would be for HGSS players only; it wouldn't be unprecedented given that the 2004 movie promotion was limited to FireRed and LeafGreen games, even though it could have easily included Ruby and Sapphire by means of a direct Deoxys transfer.
Since Generation V is so far away, the remakes should really stand out in their own right and whet the fans' appetite so as to decrease demand for brand new games. They are only games to be added to an existing generation three years into its lifetime, and may very well break the boundaries to which we have become accustomed. Bearing in mind that unlike in Generation III, Platinum's alternate forms have their own index numbers and are essentially treated as new Pokémon (excluding the fact that they share the same names and Pokédex numbers as their predecessors), the remakes could add new index numbers in addition to Notched-ear Pichu's and not necessarily make them interchangeable with existing Pokémon. In fact, Notched-ear Pichu itself has shown no signs of being able to change its form or even evolve, which it would have to do if it could be traded to DPPt games.
The only reason for which everyone is adamant on keeping the National Pokédex count the same as in Diamond and Pearl is to avoid limiting compatibility. But Platinum's alternate forms do limit compatibility in the sense that not only can they not be traded to other games (including other Platinum versions!) without reverting, they are also unusable in Wi-Fi battles and official tournaments. Moreover, My Pokémon Ranch had to be updated before it could support the new forms, and has remained incompatible with non-Japanese versions to date. The only difference between an alternate form and a truly new Pokémon is that the former can at least switch into another Pokémon that does not present compatibility issues, but doing so still defeats the purpose of trading and battling with the alternate form as it is. Besides, why isn't Notched-ear Pichu simply regarded as a Forme to make compatibility with DPPt seem less forced?
In conclusion, I'd like to remind everyone that regardless of how the game promotion is handled, the 7-year pattern suggests that a previously-unseen Pokémon will be announced in 2010 and added to the movie title. Needless to say, it would be unfeasible for Celebi to be that Pokémon even if it had a new Forme, and so there will have to be something brand new. What would be accomplished if that Pokémon weren't accessible in-game until Generation V's release date in late 2011 at the earliest? Movie 13 will obviously tie into HGSS and promote those games first and foremost - how can it do that successfully without a proper event Pokémon?
