Some people may say that Pokemon is fine. "Oh look at those 16 million sales. Oh look how much Japan loves Pokemon." This may true. As of now, Pokemon may be fine and dandy. But if you look at sales, Pokemon Red/Blue is still on top by a lot at ~31 million. The it's Gold/Silver at ~23 million. Diamond and Pearl, the newest games, are at 16 million, only one above the Ruby and Sapphire. This is actually worse when you take into fact that the DS is doing better worldwide as apposed to the GBA. Anos, while all the third versions of the games sold less then their main counterpart, Platinum did the worse. In comprision to a lot of other games, Pokemon is doing well. However, when we look at it compaired to it's predicessor, it's doing worse. Pokemon is in decline, and it may very well die one day. The 5th generation will definatly do worse then Diamond and Pearl. It's not healthy, and I'm here to make it better.

What's Dr. Smashchu's diagnosis? Simple. Pokemon is suffering from being the same. Pokemon is now been the same old, same old for far too long. Two things really kill games. Either the game gets to become less assesable, or it becomes formulaic. Pokemon is probably getting harder, but the real problem is it's getting repetitive. Many people can feel it. Pokemon is losing it's magic becuase we are exploring the same world with the same pokemon. The only difference is they have new names and some new pokemon. For the most part, if you've played one, you played them all.

Back in the day, it wasn't like that. Pokemon Red and Blue offered new experiences. It was an RPG with a different take. Really, it was not and RPG but a monster game. It just used the RPG elements to get the idea acrossed. Pokemon was really a genre defier. Pokemon was fun. Anyone could get into it and there was a mon for everyone. The game also had amazing multiplayer even if there were only two players. Gold and Silver kept this trend by making a sequal to Pokemon. At that time, the world had it's eye on Pokemon, and fans anticipated what a sequal to Pokemon could be. When Gamefreak make Gold/Silver, it was not keeping a status quo. It was saying "Where should Pokemon go next." The game aded a lot. A ton of new Pokemon (100) a whiole new and unique region, and new features: Day and Night, Genders and breeding, held items, new unique gyms, NEW TYPES. Oh, there was so much. It's no wonder people are going nuts over Gold and Silver. Will people do the same for Ruby and Sapphire remakes.

When Sapphire/Ruby came into play, it did not look at itself as a sequal. It say itself as a "status quo." With Gold and Silver, it definitely felt like new pokemon.  R/S were just, Pokemon. In fact, it took away from Gold and Silver (namely the Night and Day system). Ruby and Sapphire didn't try to make a new experience, but to recycle the old one. This is perhaps why Pokemon began to faulter at these games. Diamond and Pearl only worsened it. It just felt the same and boring. I could get into R/S. I can hardly truck my way though D/P.

Now, I will be bash the latr two games a lot. But, we must also look at G/S for problems too. G/S still did poor in comparison to the original games. So, we need to look at all factors in determining where the games must go to return to the glory days of Pokemon. My goal next is to highlight the changes that need to come to Pokemon. What is the route that the new games must follow. I assure you, my ideas will be crazy.

1)Make 150-200 New Pokemon. And use ONLY these

The catch phrase was always "Gotta catch em' all." The main character's name in the anime was Ash Ketchum. Back in Red and Blue it was doable. Only 150 mosters to collect, and almost everyone tried. My friend and one of his old friends managed 150 Pokemon. I, myself, made it to 104. Now, catching them all is almost impossible. There are 493 Pokemon if I recall correctly. In order to get each one, you'd need to buy multiple games and train a lot of pokemon to level them to their final forms. You'd also have to participate in numerous special limited time events. The time dedicated to this goal outweights it's benefits. This may be the reason why Nintendo has retired the phrase "Gotta catch 'em all."

This, alone, could be the single peice of advise that could make Pokemon fun again. Collecting pokemon was one of the biggest draws of Pokemon. This was destoryed by Mew (which I'll talk more about later) and Gold and Silver). With 252 mons, it was getting to hard to catch them all. Like I said, people tried to catch 150 pokemon. In Gold/Silver, most didn't. No one did in R/S. The collecting asspect of Pokemon has been destoryed, which destroyed most of the franchise along with it. The only way to sustain this number of Pokemon would be to make the games an MMO.

The goal is simple, catch these 150-200 Pokemon and ONLY these 150-200 Pokemon. This will bring collecting into full swing again. People can actually try to get all the Pokemon and, while harder then previous games, will still be doable. It becomes a goal, and it brings back the game's fun. It will also no longer require a million games to get them all (Really, to get all the mons in R/S it required a total of 7 games). Now, the game can return to the simple fun of getting them all. This will increase the value of the one (or two) game(s). Instead of spliting the adventure into multiple games, the game is all in one game (or set of games). Think Starcraft 2 is bad with three versions. Try Pokemon with 7. Nintendo has been doing it longer then Blizzard. The other goal is finally get rid of reused Pokemon. You knwo who peoplem are tired of seeing? Geodude and Zubat in EVERY cave. Pokemon R/S was still fun becuase the game put a big emphasis on new Pokemon (you couldn't get any old ones until after the 1st gym). Diamond and Pearl was bad becuase it was msotly about old, not new. Make a new Bat. Make a new rock. Who cares if it is the same idea. It's better then seeing the same pokemon over and over. Surprise the player guys. Pokemon was fun because all the mons were new. Who would you see next? It's not fun if you expect the same guys in the same place.

2)Make the Gyms interesting, not recycled.

Another reason Diamond and Pearl sucks is becuase it has the same Rock gym at the begining for the third time in a row. One of the appeals of Gold and Silver was it made new gyms. The first Gym was flying, one that was never used before. There was a Bug gym next, and a Normal gym. There were types no one expected. Now, they can't make gyms new forever, but now they aren't even trying. The Rock has been the first gym three time in a row and it uses Geodude everytime. How is this not lame? Fighting, Water, Electric have been done three times. Most other types have been twice. Yet, there has never been a Dark gym (despite there are a lot of Dark Pokemon) and only one Posion, Bug and Dragon. They really are just recycling gyms.

This part is to really say to Game Freak to change it up a little bit. Make the fights more fun by making new pokemon types to fight. Rock is getting to predictable, as are most of the other types. At least use the ones that have gone twice rather then three times. Also, make the gyms a bigger part of the game. Make the gyms really interesting in of themselve. Make them bigger, harder, anything. Make it feel that beating a gym is a real accomplishment, rather then a footnote

3)Kill Team "Insert Name Here"

Team Rocket was cool. They were still cool in Gold and Silver (but less so). Team Galatic is retarded, I'm sorry. At least Megma and Aqua had something interesting going for them in that you fought a different one in each version. With Galactic (and what makes them lamer) is they are becoming a bigger focus. Team Rocket was never that big of a focus. You met them once or twice in the early stages of the game, but you didn't really see them until Celadon. Now, Galactic is al over the place. I met them in a tow after the first gym, after I beat the second, in another near the third. Where are they not. Might as well just GIVE them the region as they are all over the place otherwise.

One of the big problems with them is that they are making the game story driven. The reason Pokemon fit Role Playing so well was it was YOUR adventure. Team ____ is making it more about the story of "Ummm, what's your name?" Basically, my idea would be to kill them. Your goal is to be the best trainer, not save the world. They were fun in the other games, but they are definitely boring now. How about, instead of a large evil organization, you have to fight a gang of ruffians. Maybe they'll even challange you to battles right there in towns unlike other trainers. Maybe their fights are on a small scale rather then a large one, but they would be different. You might see one in any town, causing trouble. Either way, Death to Team "Insert Name Here."

4)No more Baby/New Evolutions

This has only been reinforcing using old Pokemon. The problem really started in Gold and Silver, but the vein didn't burst until (guess who) Diamond and Pearl. In fact, most of the new Pokemon were evolutions of old Pokemon; this made the game focus too much on the end game and has ruined most of the Pokemon. Really, do we need Magezone? Or Rhyperior? No. In Gold and Silver, it was new and different. You got new evolutions to old favorites like Scyther. Now, they are tiering out. Heck, most people won't even see these new Pokemon, so what's the point. It's really for old fans, not for making new users.

Baby Pokemon were the same way, but worse. No one cared about Baby Pokemon. Thankfully, there were onyl a few. They were only interesting becuase breeding was new. Otherwise, meh. The problem is D/P is obsessed. The promotion consisted of namely Baby Pokemon. Do we REALLY need Mime Jr. What's wrong with regular Mr. Mime. Heck, the only time I like to see Bonsley is when I get to throw him in Smash Bros. Other wise, they are a waste of space, and need to die. D/P tried to implement them into the game better then before, but they just felt flat. They exist really to appeal to younger fans (and Japan, but sales of the games are still down there). This means that Nintendo has realized that Pokemon is liked by Pokemon fans. It is a hollow shell of what was otherwise a cultural phenomenon.

Number one solves thuis ddilemma, but Nintendo still needs to learn this. Diamond and Pearl really sucked becuase it was more old content with new additions then just new content.

5)Fewer Legendaries/No Event Pokemon

They are about the same, so I'll peice them as one.

Legendaries are getting out of hand. They worked in Red and Blue. Again in Gold and Silver. A little wonky in Ruby and Sapphire, but it was OK. NOW? There are about 10 or so legendary Pokemon and maybe more. We have the 14 legendaries in Diamond and Pearl. WHAT? The game worked with just 5 (or 4 without Mew). Who needs 14. Again, this is to please current fans. Young kids love legendary Pokemon becuase they are cool and really powerful (a.k.a. easy). In fact, this is why the World Tournement is allowing Legendaries. It is becuase most of their users are now younger kids (worse then with R/B) and they know damn well of that. Legendary Pokemon are fun in that they are a challenge, but it gets hard when there are too many. Remember, most people just used a Master ball on Mewtwo. Catching all the legendaries is hard. Too many will frustrate most players. If they are few, then the challange is doable and people will go for it. Pokemon's decline si really was the herdal has been raise far beyond what anyone could achieve.

Now, event Pokemon fell into the same boat. I know most people have been begging to make these events easy. Getting all the Pokemon will soon be outside of everyone's grasp. This kills the game for most people are it breaks the "Catch 'em all" mentality. Now you have to go to a limited time event to get the Pokemon. What if you can't. Most people won't care, but they will also care less about the game itself. The only people would could like these are current fans, and namely little kids. Otherwise, it's mean to the player. Just let them get all the Pokemon without the dumb event. This is another major thing that needs to be removed. Again, 4 pokemon are event pokemon in Diamond and Pearl.

6)New Locals Please

Gold and Silver was fun for mixing it up a lot. The game had everything out of order and then some. There were new and unique locals as well as rearranging old ones. The forest was actually after the second gym rahter then before the first. R/S and D/P just reused most areas and didn't explore many beyond "Look, and X." There was a desert in Ruby and Sapphire, but you never got to explore it. You never got to really go into a Volcano (despite it all takes place in Japan) or a rain forest like Jungle, or an island (maybe you shipwreck). Maybe more snowy areas (one thing D/P did right). There are plenty of newe locals avaliable. I was suprised I thought up the few I did on the top of my head. Locals mean unique mons. It also add more to the exploration factor of Pokemon. Pokemon is also about exploring becuase, by looking under every crany, you find new Mosters. Also, fresh locations makes the experience more fullfilling. You get to go somewhere different. Change of scenery is always good.

At the very least, don't just copy R/B and G/S

Now, i would like to mention some off stuff. These may help the game, but they may also hurt them. These are not definative ideas, but things to look into

A)New types for starters. Pshychic, Fighting and Dark?

Pokemon has always used the same three types (Grass, Fire, and Water) in every game. The goal here is to mix it up. Rather then stick with the old system, which may feel tired by now, we use the same concept in a new package that can offer it's own benifits.  They still work in the same triange as the other three types. Besides being new, this set up can give players a powerful and unique type earlier in the game. In reverse, the problem is that Grass, Water and Fire are good types to have too. These pokemon are strong too, so having a type as basic as those might be helpful. Of course, having one of these strong types may also be a trump card, so it may be more of your opinion on how it needs to go.

I think the goal here to really mix it up. This will give old players something different (which I assume most want), maybe bringing back players who left at R/B and G/S. This is a crazy, but interesting, idea.

B)New Types

Since Gold and Siver, there has only been the same 17 types. Dark and Steel were awesome becuase they changed the dynamic of the types. Psychic was dominating, so Dark comes and balances it all out. Steel brings an evern tougher type to the table that would be worthy in a trainer's team. The types were added becuase G/S were seen as trying to move the phenomenon. Since the last two games just followed the status quo, nothing new like that was added. Now, for the fifth game, we need a new type. We need to get excited to play with a whole new breed of Pokemon. What the other games have done well is make the conveted types become more accesable. But after two lapse games, we need a radical change like a new type. How can you get player's excited if there isn't one. A new one will get them pumped for a new experience. Not adding one will make them except the status quo.

The only problem with this is what do you add? Most possible types were covered with the current 17. The most obvious choice is Light. We have Dark, but pokemon has never explored the good vs dark thing. Not that I'm advocating story elements (in fact, Pokemon needs to remove them as much as possible. The game needs to be a pathos and nothing more). But, again, it seems like the most logical step. But most of all, you have a whole new set of pokemon to play with rather then the same rules we've done for the last three games.

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Now, that is a lot of what is wrong. With these, I've highlighted the biggest areas of problems. As you might have guessed, Diamond and Pearl was really a low point for Pokemon. It made it more popular amoung children, but by doing that, it alienates everyone else further. A new pokemon will need new and interesting ideas. With population declines, Pokemon can't survive forever with just kids (or it could, but will only get lamer). Everyone need to have with Pokemon. Pokemon did A LOT of things very well which is why it succeded. Despite Pokemon getting boring, it is prime canidate for the MMO treatment, showing that a lot of people still have a little bit of light with what originally made Pokemon amazing.

What is really killing pokemon (outside of the earlier paragraph), is that it keeps just following a status quo. R/S and D/P were lapse games. They did very little to expand the franchise and enough to make people leave. I think pokemon will very well run itself dry. The only reason these spin off games can exist is becuase the main games are so succesful. But what happens when they are not. Even after falling under 10 million (which is very possible) no one would want to buy a generic lame pokemonm spin off. Most fans don't buy those games becuase they lack quality and exist becasue the franchise can be exploited. I ask, for how long. Pokemon needs new life. It has become more souless marketing then enjoyable game experiences.

In conclusion, Pokemon D/P did well, but it is showing decline. It did only slightly better then R/S despite it is on a system with a much greater install base. The change is not proportional at all, showing me that Pokemon is starting to fade. It has been over exploited and the well is gettingf dryer with each game. New interest is needed in order for the Moltres to rise from the ashes. Pokemon D/P was anticipated because of online, but the actual game fell flat. The 5th generation can't sell on online (something Pokemon has needed for a while). The future may be very grim.

I only read the beginning of your post (it will take me a while to read the rest), but Pokemon declined for a big reason. It wasn't a drop in quality at all (I thought Gold and Silver was great). Rather, the games (and other merchandise) sold less because the fad died. Pokemon still has many millions of fans, but it will never be like it was in the late 90s. Gone is the day where you could make a game about taking pictures of Pokemon and have it sell gangbusters. Gone are the days where every last kid on every last country on Earth had to have a Gameboy and a copy of Pokemon. Gone are the days of Pokemon board games, trading card extravaganzas, plushies, pillows, blankets, pajamas, cups, and every last piece of merchandise available.

Pokemon is still a huge game series, but major improvements won't bring it back to its glory days.

Yeah, the post is long. Took me almost two hours tio write it.

I disagree with the line of thinking becuase I see that fan having died for a reason. Mario Mania existed in the 80s, but it was ended by Super Mario World (as acording to Malstrom. He's writen a lot on it too). I think the fad died due to something else. Something made Pokemon a worldwide phenominon. I ask why it isn't now.

It's great that you went so in depth, but not everyone is going to want to read something that long. Don't be surprised if people quote things that are out of context, or cherry pick certain points.

What killed Mario-mania was that they stopped bundling a game with every system. The 2 best selling Mario games were bundles, and Mario Bros. was really heavily bundled. Then, of course, there was the fact there were more games to buy than Mario. And, of course, the low userbases of the N64 and Gamecube didn't help matters. The Wii would have reversed the process, but Nintendo made the focus on the Wii series and the Miis instead of Mario. It was probably a great step for them, but not for Mario. What made Pokemon so incredibly popular was a vast universe of Pokemon. The stat building, the collectibility, the unique personalities and abilities, and a variety of other things made it so big. It died because all good things must end. The fact that Pokemon is still so popular today is a testament to its selling power and popularity. But there's just no way that it can sustain the following it had back in the 90s.

Man, those were the days...

hehe the baby pokemon section made me lol kinda

I hope that the next all new Pokemon game as no more than 3-4 legends. I am VERY tired of those...

I've read ! All of it !

Now i think the genre is dying for a couple of reason... some you get right some not...

1) 250 is a little bit less... i think 300-350 could be good... but only in 1 game. Like you said, i dont want to collect them all and play 8 games to do so.

2) I dont think legendary bother that much. I love legendary, not because they are strong but because they are hard to capture. In diamond they were a lot... but they werent strong as "THE Legendary" like the legendary birds or mewtwo.... Sorry but the 3 same pokemon... that leave etc... dont remember their name, arent that strong. even a good trained lucario kicked their ass.

3) The genre is dying because the hype is too. Pokemon was new and everything and you cant change the game all over because it wont be the same... so just create something else. You canat keep the hype for something by doing always the same with some extra and with the style of game that pokemon is.... You cant add that much. Same goes with Mario. Maybe not Zelda and Final fantasy because you can change a lot of things in these series but not in some.

4) Baby... make me sick. Same for me... But i saw people playing over 400 hour of pokemon to raise the perfect pokemon with the best "attitude" that give a boost in certain stats and etc... So its good for some people and its not for some like me and you.

5) The gym: They are trying new things.... Let them continue i know they will do the thing right someday.

6) The "insert team name" shit: yeah we know... it suck... even more when its the main plot. For pokemon they need 3 things: Team "Insert name" that pop every once in a while, a big rival that do the same... and A GOOD STORY ! We need a story pokemon related... it would be really good !


Personally i think what could revive the pokemon series is that you make a 3d Pokemon... like on the wii. Do a 3d pokemon when you have to crouch in the wood to get a caterpie or things like that... you know more "hunting style" or more... pokemon habits style.... A little bit like pokemon snap... give electricity to a electric pokemon to distract him and .. stuff like that... After you get in the fight and its gonna be awesome !

The problem about making Pokemon "new" is that the game creator isn't trying to appease one fanbase, but two and trying to find the right balance could be something difficult to do without alienating another.

It's getting late over here so I'm going to post tomorrow if this post gets replied/quoted today or later.

the only real reason Pokemon games are selling less is that as people have said, pokemon was the thing in the 90s and people have moved on to other things.

and now I will address some of your points

first your implication that the game being aimed at young people and them playing pokemon is a bad thing. The main fanbase of pokemon has always been kids like it or not it's a fact.

now I hate baby pokemon and the D & P evolutions as much as the next person but this brings me to my next point, you diss the babies and new evos then say they need all only 15-250 new pokemon. can't you see that most of the new designs SUCK and you want more?

and to continue you say you want just a few pokemon in the games so you can collect them all but you ignore the fact that they already have just 151 pokemon to catch/see sure you can unlock the national dex with almost 500 but that is just for hardcore players so they get the best of both worlds a reasonable list of pokemon to catch and the ability for the nostalgic bunch to collect all ther old favourites. I mean do you really think they would sell more copy's by alienating all the old fans, putting in less content?

More content and it needs to be longer.

That's really all it needs, honestly. Pokemon is still the 2nd best gaming series.