Now that the anticipated launch of Pokémon Sword & Shield is in sight, Poké-mania is being turned up to a level not quite seen since the launch of Pokémon Go over 2 years ago. While gamers are excited to play what will likely be the sleekest, most massive version of this beloved franchise to date, it's easy to forget this series' more humble, simplistic origins.
It's certainly easy to point even the latest version of this RPG as seeming a bit dated in certain areas, especially in terms of visuals. Yet, the features and aesthetics of Sword & Shield suddenly seem epic compared to the crude, limiting 8-bit experiences of, say, Red & Blue.
Let's take a journey back to the past and examine 10 things about the classic Pokémon games that haven't aged well.
10 The Audio
Obviously, it's not fair to knock the original Pokémon games too hard, and to their credit, Game Freak did what it could, given the Game Boy's painfully limited audio capabilities, by providing some melodic tunes.
At the same time, you can point to the NES, a similarly archaic machine, which managed to produce more appealing music that still holds up today. Indeed, by today's standards, the simple, crude nature of the repetitive, looping soundtrack found in the Game Boy Pokémon games is just tough to listen to.
9 Randomly Generated Battles
The concept of traveling through perilous landscapes while being abruptly interrupted by a random unseen enemy is one that annoys many RPG fans these days. Yet, back in the more grueling gaming days of the '80s and '90s, this feature was pretty commonplace in role-playing games. Given the fact that older games often had a tougher bent, in addition to their limited hardware, this easy-to-develop feature seemed like a no-brainer for many developers.
Classic Pokémon, in particular, had a rather annoying version of this, as it would often throw you in areas rife with frequent encounters, sometimes in the midst of a lengthy puzzle or maze. There was also the frustrating prospect of trying to search beyond a bunch of weak Pokémon encounters in the wild to find a more potent one.
8 Slow, Convoluted Puzzles
While the old-school Pokémon games were never quite known for their fast, thrilling pacing, the game's liberal use of drawn-out puzzles slowed things down to an almost unbearable level at times.
Even back in the day, navigating your way through a convoluted maze of conveyor belts in that Team Rocket headquarters, or pushing countless boulders around caverns, wasn't all too exciting. But to our more fast-paced modern sensibilities? These puzzles feel excruciatingly chore-like. At least, with the magic of the internet, resorting to quick solutions has never been easier.
7 Monster Variety
Ah, to be a naive child of the '90s again - when 151 different Pokémon was considered plentiful. Nowadays, gamers have been spoiled with an absolute plethora of monsters roaming the increasingly expansive lands. Each generation has seen an increase in the monsters that can be obtained, and now that Generation VIII will be kicking off with the epic Sword & Shield, we'll be seeing a record number of monsters, including new ones exclusive to the upcoming games.
There are now well over 800 varieties, and while we sadly won't be able to nab each of them in the latest rendition, it's still a far cry from the measly 151 found in Red & Blue - which still requires both versions to collect them all anyway. Going back to the older games these days - and coming across endless hordes of Rattatas or Digletts - somehow isn't as exciting as it once was.
6 Archaic Cutscenes & Dialogue
It probably goes without saying that you shouldn't be expecting glorious PS4/Xbox One style cinematics or visuals when it comes to Game Boy, GBA, or even DS Pokémon games. No, these older Pokémon games, in particular, were about pure, undiluted gameplay.
Still, for a game released at the end of the 20th century, the ultra minimalistic cutscenes and bland text-based dialogue exchanges feel closer to an NES game. While fans obviously know that Pokémon is a deceptively deep and epic odyssey, you certainly wouldn't know it by the super stripped-down nature (or lack thereof) of the game's presentation or cutscenes.
5 Lack Of Character Customization
This may seem like a trivial feature on the surface, yet, gamers do often like to inject their likeness onto an in-game avatar. RPGs of the modern era come with endlessly elaborate systems to create a playable character whose details you can customize and hone to the point of almost resembling the player.
Of course, it would be silly to expect anywhere near this level of customization from a late-'90s Game Boy game, but surely Game Freak could have included some level of changeable features other than your name. Basically you're stuck with a character who's seemingly meant to resemble Ash Ketchum, will no option to even change the character's gender.
4 The Battle System
When it comes to RPGs of the modern era, especially of the Western variety, tastes have gravitated towards more exciting, real-time combat, and often in a 3D space. This doesn't inherently mean action-based battles automatically make for better or more "modern" combat. Still, the battle systems of the older Pokémon games are pretty basic, with only a handful of text-based options and binary turn-based mechanics.
Even the latest DQ title, despite its adherence to more traditional JRPG-style battles, adds some modern flair by allowing you to move around in a 3D space, and to customize a number of elements including battle tactics.
3 Repeating & Basic NPCs
Considering the impressive variety of monsters that you'll be fighting and capturing in Pokémon games, it's a bit odd that these experiences consist of a number of repeating and ambiguous NPCs. Even for its time, this felt like a pretty archaic trait that lessened the epic feel of your adventure somewhat. You've got the ongoing appearance of your "rival," of Team Rocket, and the countless Nurse Joys working the Pokémon Centers.
At least, the anime tries to explain this away by claiming all the Nurse Joys are related to each other...
2 Simple Grid Movement
Of course, there's only so much you can do when confined to the Game Boy's older, 8-bit tech. Still, for a game like Pokémon, which stresses grandiosity and adventure, the game's slow, limiting movement tends to feel particularly aged.
Basically, you're locked into a square-like grid, which only enables straight movement in any direction with no diagonal navigation. Even the more modern renditions of Pokémon on the DS cling to this pretty dated system of avatar movement.
1 The Aesthetic
Ironically, it's Game Freak's otherwise expansive, epic mainline Pokémon games which have managed to look the most dated graphically. While the Game Boy games at least have the excuse of being limited to decades-old hardware, even the GBA and DS titles of more recent years adhere to a pretty flat and pixelated look.
At least the upcoming Sword & Shield will feature some spruced-up visuals. Obviously, we're not talking glitzy Witcher 3-style realism - but the game will at least take on a more visually charming cell-shaded look, which is likely to age better anyway.