I personally think that they should, what with all the older fans I know of. As in, a bit more violence, death mentions ok... Just not so little-kiddish. When I walk around the school, I am ashamed to see kindergartners wearing beat-up Pokemon tees and carrying Pokeball backpacks. You know, they have violent animes on at night, so they could even make an anime.
I, personally, would like to see the Legendary Birds rip stuff's eyes out, and Palkia could first remove Ash's spleen, then implode him.
epic
but I don't know how it would work, so i said no
they definitely should. i always feel embarrased around my friends because of pokemon. only my closest friends know about my obsession(kinda) with pokemon. on the other hand, the whole skool knows about my obsession with the nightmare before christmas. pokemon should be kinda like the nightmare before christmas. it was intended for children (mostly) but teenagers and adults seem to embrace it more.
This is what I mean. At my birthday sleepover, I was so excited about my new copy of PMD2 that that was all I could think about. When I tried to tell a story-'cause I'm a good storyteller, not to brag- about my team, everyone started doing other stuff. I was all like, ";-; it's my birthday..."
Moving to a more mature audience isn't always a good thing. See: Sonic the Hedgehog series.
^ im assuming u are refering to the game shadow the hedgehog? everyone bashes it but i found it to be very entertaining.
nintendo doesnt have to change the whole series. it could be like the legend of zelda series. they have the darker, more mature twilight princess game and the cute, cartoony phantom hourglass game.
I think pokemon is fine the way that it is. Sure little kids play it, but so do adults... My mom played pokemon along with my brother and myself. Not to mention how many of my friends like it.
If you like then game then you shouldn't be ashamed that younger people play it. Also you shouldn't be ashamed that you play or like it just because others don't...
I agree with Shade. Making a game more violent or dark doesn't make it more suitable to play. I like the way pokemon is, and I don't think that aspect of the series should change at all. As far as being ashamed, well I'm not, I don't see a reason to be. Many people at my school know that I play, and some of them do so too.
It makes sense that they make something that's abit more properly made for teenagers but i mean there isn't much they could change about it to make it more teen rated i dunno i support it but i'm not sure there would be much difference
I don't have ANYONE that also likes Pokemon... My cousins, but they're in Georgia and I won't see them for another year, probably...
making the pokemon series darker and more mature (or at least part of the series) would open the variety of the audience. they dont have to make the series hardcore with blood, killing and sex (that'd be a weird pokemon game) but some things are a little bit childish like the types of pokemon available. example: pachirisu. nintendo seems to be making everything super-cute and childish. i wish they would change some of those things. i know that they cant just delete pachirisu from the pokedex but they could fix the sprites or something.
I like the pokemon that are super-kawaii! that's what i live for ultra sweet pokemon that can help kick ass ^,.,^ but i think sometimes the attacks are kinda weak it's like it needs to be tougher the way the attacks are shown in the game and how it affects the pokemmon not like bloodall over or huge cuts but your pokemon should start to get tired and slump or become pale to show that it's in pain and that it's tired ^,.,^ that's my idea so far
Yuk- I didn't mean THAT dark. Like the Transformers movie(2007 one) dark.
Hmmm? are you talking about what i posted?
I was referring to STH's post. You posted like at the same time.
*bows* sorry i was just making sure! ^,.,^
They should, but it won't happen. The same problem has been occurring with Bionicle. The large teenage and adult fan-base wants the books and movies to be more mature, but Lego won;t do it because they want to keep the young audience. The same thing applies here. Not gunna happen, but I'd like to see it happen if it ever did.
I think Pokemon keeps to the younger audience because there is an overwhelming amount of kids who play it. There are probably more younger kids that play than adults, that it only makes sense to keep to them because there is a sure thing in it. Kids bug their parents for the games and because parents want their child happy they buy it... The Pokemon company will probably keep things this way just for that reasoning.
Edit: It boils down to mostly one thing; PROFIT.
I agree, pokemon is fine the way it is now. But.... I do support a darker game, because it just seems a little more appealing to me with dark music, and a little more gore, because i normally play T or M games, and I think that it could just follow the same storyline as the other games, just ... more for teenage audiences.I have nothing against how it is now, but... i don't like people knowing about me playing it because its ... kind of little kiddish, and if it was rated T...
i dont think i would really care as much.
lol I don't agree with the Pokémon ripping peoples' spleens out and stuff but it'd definitely be interesting if they just toned down on a lot of the very kiddish stuff.. maybe make one where the main characters are actually older than 12 for one.
I voted "Should they?" even though I was confused as to why the answers to a question where questions themselves.
Video game wise - Yes, they should make a darker version for older players, not so much zapdos plucking peoples eyes out... but older, in the anime you can seriously see how kiddish it is *banned episodes* earthquakes from whiscash, guns from shop keepers, silly crap that could've just been over looked but since its a kids show they banned the episodes..
things they could do to make it just a hair darker for teens, KILL SOMEONE ... have more than Cubones mother die ...like...die die not faint... lol
Make the main character...18 not 10-.-;
*anime*Have Brock mate with someone..
Zerxer: Pokemon Colosseum (although Rui half ruins the trend).
They should've brought Wes back for XD, but oh well.
DP was quite deep as it stands, but we'll just have to wait and see what Platinum will add to the mix.
What we need is the old Team Rocket. They freaking killed stuff.
I'm not ashamed of people knowing I like Pokemon. I tell them straight out, I like Pokemon, don't like it? Tough, I do. And they respect me from that.
I do agree, however, that Pokemon should have some darker stuff. In games and Anime. I like kawaii stuff like Pikachu and such, but it'd be cool like if it was something like the Jak series. (Except the racing part, that killed Jak off.)
My appeal in Poke'mon has always been about how young and innocent things are. While I do think that some of the old Red/Blue darker themes should come back (To make the player really feel the need to stop the antagonists), actually maiming/killing Poke'mon would be absolutely cruel and disgusting. I think it was mentioned that Poke'mon find "battling" sort of a game or sport, sort of how puppies in real life bite and tackle each-playfully. Making them fight to the death would be horrible. The games' main appeal, I think, is that sort of innocence of adorable animals forging a bond and innocent play (Use Harden, Metapod!) with the player.
Though yeah, we need older protagonists. Ash is what, seventeen in a ten-years-old's body now?
I'd rather not have a favourite feel-good game become "darker and edgier". As one previously mentioned, furry little rodents saving tiny animals from an egg-shaped scientist must be serious business. XD
blizardq please do not double post -_-
I've merged your posts for now but don't expect leniency in the future.
I think that the main series games should stay pretty much the same, for the kiddies, but they should make more side games targeted for older teens/adults. Genious Sonority was kinda going in the right direction with Colosseum, but then they made XD, and then they made Trozei. >_> But really, I loved how Wes was an anti-hero, how he wasn't doing everything for the sake of mankind at first but for his own reasons.
I think a new Pokémon game like this should create some good characters. Many of the characters in the Pokémon games are very two-dimensional. "I'm Candice! I like to shop!" "I'm Prof. Rowan! I scare small children!" The Cipher boss in Colosseum was pure genius. That plot twist was something that no one expects from something so innocent as Pokémon.
Plus, the Pokémon do need to look more mature-ish, too. I'm not saying all of the Pokémon look kawaii... there's a fair share of cute Pokémon (Pikachu, Clefairy, Chimecho...) and tough Pokémon (Garchomp, Sharpedo, Houndoom...), and I guess now trampy Pokémon too. *COUGHLOPUNNYCOUGH* I'm saying that Ludicolo doesn't need to be grinning and dancing while burned with 3HP left. (Not that Ludicolo should ever get in a condition like that... it's my favorite Pokémon!) They should look hurt, and they should look non-super-ultra-always-kawaii-chipper.
And, yeah. :/
its kinda kiddish they should add more violence
Unlike Batman, I don't think Pokemon could pull it off. Besides, how dark could it get considering they have to include Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Luvdisc, etc.?
Nononononononono
Adding violence or...well, anything that would make it rated Teen would kill the series. Violence doesn't make games fun, it's the gameplay that makes it fun (with a few exceptions...like Mortal Kombat or Rampage =D). If they do anything, they should make the story deeper or something...or at least less kiddified. With the direction it's going, the average Pokemon game will be 3 and under by next gen
XD was better than R/S/E/FR/LG in my opinion. Good storyline and some laughs. I don't think violent games, but better storyline and more insane plot twists.
I think they should drop the anime, and all the merchandising stuff that goes with the games, (although they won't cause it makes lots of money). It's that that makes Pokemon appear to some people as kiddy. Games like Mario don't have adult storylines or content, but the majority of people don't see Mario as a kids game, becuase it doesn't have all the kiddy merchanise attched to it. That said, I think a more detailed story would be good. And drop the rubbish about how Pokemon eggs magically appear. I'm not saying we need to know about Pokemon mating, but we don't need to be fed some babyish story. Why not just leave the whole bit about how eggs get there. I mean, who really cares. We just want the egg to hatch to hatch to get the Pokemon that's inside it.
I want the villian from Pokemon 4Ever, with his dark balls, DAMN that was cool. He would make a good Wii villian, have him ACTUALLY steal your pokes and make you battle them, that would be cool. At one point he will steal your starter and you must get him back by beating him at the top of the Elite Four or something.
it wouldnt have to be violent, but the game and the anime series could be more intense. maybe when ash gets older or something he can address more teenage like issues. or in the game pokemon can actually suffer injuries that make it so they cant battle anymore or something like that. i wanna see more in game strategy and longer games with higher level npc pokemon.
deeper, darker and rougher story lines would be great. the blood and gore can stay out of pokemon tho cuz enough people already say it influences animal fighting enough without the blood and gore. we dont need nintendo going thru a whole michael vick like lawsuit because some kid decided to sue them saying it encouraged him or her to train their dog to be vicious or something dumb like that.
uh..... to tell you the truth, i agree with beretta.
only because if i was about 10 years younger i would have started calling my dog arcanine and trying to teach him thunder fang with a car battery taped on his back.
I don't really care if the anime is darker or not. I lost interest when I was 11.
In terms of the games:
I wouldn't mind if it were targeted for an older audience, but I know the type of parent that is very obsessive about rating, and content. If I were a kid that wasn't allowed to play pokemon because of a T rating, then I would be upset.
It's all about the gameplay, in my opinion. Screw the story X3!
A good story line doesn't always make a good game, it just makes it better.
Screw the anime. The colsole games could be darker. I feel like XD could've been darker.
The handhelds not so much. They're good as is.
They should make it M so the pokemon can have SEXI donno, I think it'd be cool if they made a seperate game that had more violence... you know, the pokemon bleed when scratched and stuff. And like they could have Pokemon Hunters with Ursaring skin rugs, and stantler head trophies....
Hey that'd be pretty damn cool.
Any Pokemon game that goes into the T-rated territory will probably start throwing very Call of Cthulu-ish things into it.
I DON'T WANT TO PLAY A GAME WITH CUTE FUZZY COSMIC HORRORS. DARKRAI AND GIRATINA ARE BAD ENOUGH.
Also, Pokemon already have sex. G-rated sex leading to Hot Skitty On Wailord Action.
Well... it would be "cool" to have pokémon for teens, however, if they make them as stupid and violent as some of you said, the pokémon company would even get sued (by "Americans," you know how they are ). But well, the only stuff I can think of pokémon for teens would be http://forums.gtsplus.net/index.php?showtopic=3672, it would be awesome if they got something better and more violent.
I'd like a slightly more mature game.
Not an "M" kind of mature, but just....something where certain story elements are, ya know, a bit more realistic. I'm not sure how to properly explain it, but the ambitions of certain villains aren't very realistic for a "take over the world" storyline.
I'd like to see a pokemon game with a similar maturity to that of a "Tales of" game. Yes, they're made by two completely different companies, but Nintendo can at least try and make their RPGs to be up to the standards the majority of RPGs out there have.
Also, I'm not overly ashamed of playing it in public, but sometimes I want to punch my peers who dare to snicker at me. They don't know what they're missing, XD.
Also, does anyone remember when Pokemon Stadium came out how some parents were complaining about it encouraging animal abuse? I remember watching that news story and having to reassure my mom that it wasn't like that.
I tell you, any parent who claims the game is bad for their children because of its possibility of animal violence should look at their parenting skills and ask themselves "Hm, have I ever actually told my kid about this and made sure they understood that they're playing a make-believe game and that animals in real life can't do those magical things?".
I think a more mature game would be alright, but when I think about it, I really don't want to see a bunch of cute creatures killing each other/being killed by Team Rocket or something.
And yeah, Americans would go ballistic sue-happy because we're stupid like that.
Yeah, I think that pokemon should have some sense of maturity and have a level of violence, but not in a gory sort. It also implies very well that pokemon should be for people that are 10 years of age because, correct me if I am wrong, but I do remember that Dawn (in the series) started out as a trainer when she was 10. I mean wouldn't her mother be really mad, like she could be harrassed at any moment.
I also think a more mature game would be awesome. It'd be pretty cool if there was a post apoclypse setting or if one of the Teams had taken over the world or something. Not sure what you could do for a plot in the game, but it'd still be pretty darn cool.
This all reminds me of a flash I want to make. "The Real World of Pokemon" You see a innocent Rattata, bouncing around and nibbling at some grass. After a few moments, a flurry of movement occurs, and he's gone. The next seen shows a Pidgey ripping out it's guts.
Now, I don't know if Pokemon could make the transition too terribly well. It would be interesting, but some of the Pokemon would require some work to look a little more real, if that is the intended goal. I enjoy drawing such ideas, and even coming up how they even coexist in the world. There's a reason why no one sees Charizard flying around, or the more dangerous kinds. Their hunted to keep their numbers down because a flock of fire breathing lizards would NOT be a good thing.
While a more mature game might be kind of cool, I actually think they already do a good enough job of putting a more mature theme in the manga (i.e. Archie murdered Maxie).
I don't really see what, though, they could do to make the games more mature. You've got breeding, you've got underage gambling, Pokemon grave sites, and in FireRed/LeafGreen a Cubone's mother was actually killed by Team Rocket. If you want, you could even go as far as comparing Rare Candies to drugs, but that's kind of borderlining on silly and really just more for the laughs.
They've already put so much into these games, it's not exactly surprising that the characters have such a simplistic dialogue.
The anime, though. . . yeah, the anime leaves a lot to be desired, namely this season.
First season was the best.
I would love to see more grown up pokemon shows and games. Speaking as one of the adults from the original target group, we all felt pretty abandoned when pokemon didn't decide to grow up with us and the younger kids who we thought were lame started picking it up.
Really though, I would love to see some more grown-up pokemon stuff.
First of all, I have to say I don't feel ashamed at all that I play Pokemon, and I'm pretty sure I'm a fair bit older than most of the folks posting in this thread -- I'll be 22 in Sept. Also, my fiance' will be 32 in Sept as well. My little brother who is 14 also plays.
The thing is, who gives a rats butt what anyone thinks of you for liking Pokemon?
And why make it more dark and violent? One of the cool things about Pokemon, in my opinion, is the naivety of the world. The innocence really adds something to it.
and to be honest, I'm a softy and I hate the idea of my Pokemon actually dying.
I guess it *could* be cool, and I can see it being a pretty neat idea. But then again, I'd like to see a Pokemon MMO, and I think that would be teen orientated, too.
I'm sort of on both sides of the argument, but irregardless, I don't think anyone should be ashamed for liking what they like. All of my friends and family know I play Pokemon and am seriously addicted to it, and most of them think it's cute and quirky.
Heck, I play World of WarCraft a lot, too, and my entire guild used to give me crap when we'd run instances and stuff and be like "Now, Ittsy, put down Pikachu and come be a good little tank..."
I dunno, I just don't think you guys should be embarassed. Just because something you like is popular with the younger crowd doesn't mean it's bad. It just means that we loved Pokemon when we were young, and it has staying power.
I voted no. Pokemon is violent enough (it's basically virtual dogfighting, for goodness sakes), and there are at least half a dozen mentions of the deaths of both humans and Pokemon in the games and the show.
I don't even understand the logic that making it all GRIMDARK would somehow make it more suitable for an adult to play. Is it just for the bragging right of "derp derp my games got BLOOD AND GORE," or what...?
I don't know. I play quite a lot of violent, M-rated and T-rated games (No More Heroes, the Metal Gear Solid series, Bully, etc) along with a slew of casual, kid-friendly games because I enjoy them. Shouldn't it be more about how much you enjoy a game than how much adult content it has?
Reading through this topic, I've only seen the manga mentioned like once or twice, but not elaborated on. Kinda makes me sad, the manga is *exactly* what the topic is talking about
NO, pokemon has always been for Everyone for a reason. It keeps fans and keeps bringing new ones in. The closest you will get in the pokemon colossium for Gamecube.
Lol @ Stantler trophies and Ursaring skin rugs. (I am aware of how old the post was.)
I think that the hand-held games are heading in that direction, anyway. I thought that Cyrus getting snatched up and the Lake Spirits being strapped to those machines was pretty hardcore given Pokemon's hand-held storyline history. I mean, R/B/Y mentioned that the Marowak was killed, but you never saw it happen. Now, you are actually getting to see things happen in the games.
Also, if you read the Canalave Library books, they speak of a man killing innocent Pokemon and how people actually eat Magikarp. That's far more realistic/mature than the past.
As far as violence is concerned, the Dark types should be more serious and violent. Their type implies that they are that way, so they should at least look like it. A teen version would be pretty cool, if it employed such things.
I think that it could end up being a bit more teen-ish also because the original fanbase has matured. I don't see too many younger children playing pokemon anymore. They're falling for the knock-off shows. At least, that's what I'm seeing in my area.
Hey, you never know. Maybe Gen. V will step a bit further in the mature/dark direction with the style of pokemon for that region.
TL;DR - Yes, as a separate sale. It'll bring in more people to add to the fanbase. The lighter storylines can and must still be sold to make more money, though.
Pokemon does not need an older version. Pokemon can appeal to all ages, and if you dont like it and think it's for children, thats your opinion. Pokemon is fine as it is.
Im 14, and I think that the pokemon games are just fine. Nothing else needs saying.
They need an older pokemon game. Without a doubt.
I'm really beginning to get sick of the "I'm 17 and control a 10 year old with more power than I could ever imagine." Really, how many ten year olds (except for Ash, but he's the protagonist, of COURSE he breaks the mold) can defeat 8 gyms and the elite four all before their 11th birthday? Hell no.
Us older fans do need something to continue to latch onto the series with.
Or, at least make the female character less girly. *sigh* I swear, I'm playing a male character in HeartGold because I don't want a fricking pink and white pokedex.
I want to see guns in pokemon. Not just that one banned-from-the-US episode, but guns in the game. Make Team Rocket a real threat, not just "Oh, we're using pokemon to take over the world but we can be stopped by a ten year old!" Make them a terrorist organization...*see VG Cats*
Or at least let the person getting the pokemon grow up a bit on the journey. OR! Get this...HAVE THEM START A FEW YEARS TOO LATE! Really, what ten year old do any of us know that is totally responsible and can care for him or herself on his or her own? IN THE WILDERNESS! And what about school? Shouldn't those kids be in school?
This is why pokemon needs to grow up in the series. Have late teen/early adult start out on their journey. Not some little snot-nose'd brat.
Come back, original creator! ;_;
Remember in the R/G/B/Y/G/S/C days, where Team Rocket killed a Pokemon and chopped the tails off of Slowpoke? Yeah, moar general evilness plz. Also, less of this sexist garbage. I want to play as a girl who doesn't wear all pink and a skirt and everything she owns is pink. Chris was not girly like that at all (and now they've replaced/redesigned her so she is).
Things That Would be Awesome But Will Never Happen With the Current Exec. Producer:
- A game on Wii/other console ("It goes against the tradition of Pocket Monsters! They must always be handhelds!!!" WUT. Pokemon itself went against tradition. It implemented a trading system that had never been seen to such a magnitude in the monster-raising genre before! >:C).
- A MMORPG (See above).
- A game that involves death. Ever again. ("Oh, Satoshi wouldn't want to put death in the games! He himself said it would upset the children!!!" Um, your own monsters dying. Your character killing someone. That's what he meant, genius. I think he wouldn't want to shield the children of Japan from death completely - people do die from old age or illness, and you can't escape that, yanno. It's a natural thing that they can't live in ignorance of. The sooner they come to terms with it, the better. The things I said were no-no's above are bad because they stop the children from coming to terms with them).
If they ever made an E10 game with painful/powerful-looking attacks (like the Stadium games), a plot that didn't make you a speshul sparkleflake who must save the world (which I found tremendously overused and stupid at age ten), and no rampant sexism, which didn't shy away from death completely, I would be in love, even if the monsters themselves sucked.
YES.
I remember seeing a picture and it was Ash, Misty and I think Brock and everyone was looking so awesome. Pikachu had a scar like Kenshin's on his face <3
and the caption read "Pokemon, it could have been much better"
I can't find it though
I think there should be a compromise made between the two. Make an entirely new series with entirely new characters, and make that one more teenage and a little older and be shown later.
But at the same time keep the anime series as it is.
Keep the games the same- they are fine
You have to admit that Pokemon Colisseum and Pokemon XD were rather a bit dark.
Anyway I don't think they need to change the games very much. Maybe they could make them a bit darker but in my opinion pokemon is a game made for everyone to play.
And just because you're older doesn't mean you don't have to not like it. Hell I'm going to be 17 soon and I still like the pokemon games
Just run two games alongside each other. Perhaps the 3rd game in each generation could be a darker, more realistic game. Not so much that it scares kids to nightmares, but enough so that the general populance wouldn't be so afraid to embrace it.
Pokémon never get hurt, they just faint. And in the Animé, they are instantly not-fainted after being returned. Pokémon rarely die. I still don't know what makes a pokémon die, certainly not through battling or Ashs pikachu would have died long ago!
They have the Dark pokémon in the trading card game (I think) so it might translate pretty well into a dark game.
I like the way the games are.
They should make the characters in the anime a few years older considering how long Ash has been travelling. He hasn't changed much since the first season, he still usually rushes in to battle with not very much strategy and just goes full force ahead.
Then if he loses he comes up with a new strategy that he overuses until the opponent knows it. Then he still wins, then they continue their journey. Then it happens again and again. @_@
Oh god yes.
I dont think it needs to be gory or anything. But it would be nice if Team Rocket/Magma/whatever didnt always lose in the end.
It'd be nice if Ash + pals didnt (almost) always obtain pokemon by asking if they'd like to join.
I want pikachu to either evolve or disappear for a while.
I want the characters that have been around for FOREVER to grow up some.
etc
What I really want is an Anime based on Colosseum and XD and have Wes and Rui be the main characters. And there would an actual storyline in this Anime. Not the predictable "beat 8 gyms and go to the Pokemon League" storyline you see with Ash, but the actual storyline of Colosseum and XD. And this Anime, since it's based on the games, should be darker and more mature than the one with Ash. It says in the games that the Shadow Pokemon are attacking people; well, show that in the Anime. And have some actual canon romance with Rui having a crush on Wes, and then by the end of the series they'll be together or something.
I'm not saying to cancel the current Anime. That one is fine for kids. But have a little spinoff based on the adventures of Wes and Rui that's geared towards the older audience. "Closing the hearts of Pokemon," Pokemon attacking people, plot twists, real OPEN romance (like a dramatic kiss at the end or something), and maybe some blood here and there. The concept of Shadow Pokemon is interesting enough. Brainwashed, "evil" Pokemon. That's certainly dark enough without stepping too much out of "the boundary."
If they do that, Nintendo will win my heart forever. (And plus, Wes and Rui look like an awesome couple. ^.^)
pokemon should be a mix of the first movie, with the colisseum games, the mewtwo movie had serious business in it, and now that i watched it as i am older, i notice a lot of antiracism mssgs that i didn't notice as a kid, and the "aura" of colisseum is pretty dark.
and a subseries based exactly from colisseum would be awesome, and a nice refresh of the obvious routine.
I've always wanted an older version of pokemon. were the trainers have evolved pokemon and actually win battle through training.
xD
There's always Pokemon Special..
It's a very dark manga series of Pokemon, though the characters are still around 12-13.
I believe Pokemon and people actually die in the series.. that's what I hear anyway.
I think there should be a new series of Pokemon anime that tells the story of new characters for a more mature audience while the current series continues to air. This way we can see a new take on Pokemon and Nintendo can make more money revisiting old regions. The new series should have a Teen rating showing scars and mild amounts of blood as well as tone down on the comical Pokemon attacking people scenes. That would be something i could watch.
Maybe they should have a darker RPG for the Wii; at least to experiment. I'm not talking about people and pokemon getting killed, but maybe some scratches, sighns of fatigue, and the destructable envionment that was cut from Battle Revolution. Nothing too fancy or gorey, just something to try out and ease fans in without heavily affecting the tried-and-true RPG style we've come to know and love.
Yeah with PBR hyper beam or hyper voice in a glass building.
"Those kids with their arceus with hyper voice destroyed my house!"
Pokemon XD should've been a bit darker. Shadow pokemon, well in reverse mode (or whatever it is called) does hurt shadow pokemon (Them hurting themselves) so maybe it was a bit violent but not super violent. (Wow, a badder confusion. I am so scared!) But they will lose a lot of their kid audience and revenue and that will impact the company.
It wouldn't sell well enough, and why is it needed? The games as they are seem fine to me. When did E rating start to mean kiddie game anyway?
I wouldn't mind a more mature Pokemon series. I think the darkest the anime has gotten is the first movie?
I mean, they do say the legendaries are super!dangerous, but Mewtwo is the only one that's actually killed anyone.
I'm not entirely sure on the subject of a darker game.
While I dearly love a combination of Pokemon and horror (so fun to think about!), I think part of the fun is that the series is targeted as being so child-friendly when there are some seriously questionable things in it. An animated ghost-doll that seeks the child that discarded it and sticks itself with pins to generate attacks; a ghost balloon that tries to steal children; an icy Pokemon which is described to enjoy freezing foes solid and eating them in a leisurely fashion; a Pokemon whose ability is to cause people to go into a deep, utterly nightmare-infested sleep. Etc, etc. (all examples from the third and fourth generations, btw -- Banette, Drifloon, Glalie, and Darkrai.)
Not to mention Team Galactic. Oh, Team Galactic. They blew up a lake and left countless Magikarp to flop around helplessly and die. I dunno about you guys, but I was honestly disturbed by that part of the game. It felt so wrong. I really wanted to help those fish, but couldn't. They set off another bomb. They're shown to be cultish, even reminiscent of the Nazis if you listen to Cyrus's speech and Looker's reaction to it. Cyrus, imo, is a complete monster. He may not be some kind of violent sadist or some such, but he wants to create a world without spirit (free will/emotion) and become a God in it, thinks of his followers as mere pawns and utterly useless and lies freely to them, and unlike every other villain in the Pokemon series... he refuses to change his ways.
See, it may all be in a G-rated-as-Animal-Crossing game, but there's darker stuff there if you look closely. |3
Edit: Forgot to mention -- there was implied character death in the Sinnoh arc of the anime a bit ago, haha.
I think it is fine the way it is. Pokemon makes me feel like the little kid in me is getting preserved. The game makes everything different because the goal isn't just to beat the Elite Four, it is also to make friends and battle others over Wi-Fi. Pokemon is evolving for sure, and I doubt they would need to change anything that could possibly jeopardize the success.
I think they should... A pokemon with Final Fantasy-like story would be great
I'm not really looking for a game filled with tragedies or something like that... But if they add in a mind-boggling mystery (maybe at least something like those in mystery dungeons?) and merge the plot with the goal (beating the champion), I think that would be great...
It's sad that the problem is resolved before you fight through the championships... It kind of removes some thrill... But that's just me...
I just find out amusing about the thought of Pokemon ripping out spleens and shredding eyes. But I doubt Pokemon will ever change. Most people who play the franchise and who enjoys it will keep coming back to each new generation. I personally dislike a number of the Gen 5 Pokemon, but everyone who knows I play Pokemon knows I'm going to be going out and getting White. So. Nintendo has your money no matter what they throw up into a cartridge and ship millions of. As long as they keep getting their money, they won't change drastically. Yes the change from Gen 2 to Gen 3 was drastic, but that was because Technology took a nice large step into what we know today. So, yes I would like to see some of the more violent nature of Pokemon, but I doubt we're ever going to see it.
Has the world been brainwashed by the amount of M rated games into thinking that more blood/darkness/gore makes a game better? I play a lot of hack n slash games and love slasher movies, but I still love cute things too. For people who are only arguing that pokemon isnt "cool" anymore, get over yourselves. If people dont like you because you play pokemon, tough. They arent your friends anyway. My friends are all fine with pokemon. Heck, they actually asked me to draw pokesonas of them. Anyway, back to the topic.
No. It doesnt. Pokemon doesnt need to be any darker than it already is. Have you people ever read the pokedex entries for certain pokemon? Theres plenty implication of death. The games themselves are full of implications of mature themes. Thats all you need. The implications are subtle enough that younger kids may not catch on, but older players will understand. The thing is, pokemon has always been a family game. Its not a 3 year old game, its a FAMILY game, meaning its appropriate for everyone. And you seem to think that making it more mature would make it popular. It doesnt work that way for the same reason that young disney stars will never be taken seriously. Once you have that "for kids" image, its hard to get rid of. People would either just ignore the game completely, say its gimmick a bigger audience, or have crazies that would sue.
However, It would be cool if you could play as Team Rocket or whatever team for once. But again, that doesnt mean that you have to include graphic violence and death. I do agree that they need to make the main character older. Maybe have some kind of age selecting thing and the character has a different appearence depending on what age you select.
Point is though, pokemon works without the need for blood and intense violence.
I don't think a T rated Pokemon would be all that bad, hell parents these days pay attention to ratings on games and buy their kids "M" rated material. i seriously doubt Pokemon would suffer
I would SO LOVE to see a Gyarados kill Dawn with a Hyper Beam...
Wow this is an old thread.
Personally I don't think making a darker game would add anything to the series. Pokemon is a very cute series that occasionally adds some darker elements. It's perfectly suitable for children and it should stay that way. Think about the idiot parents who would think "Oh it's pokemon, it should be fine for my six year old." without looking at the rating. Most parents don't seem to pay attention to things that were never intended for kids, why would they be suspicious enough of a Pokemon game to look at the rating and actually think?
I mean we get angry mobs when there are video games made solely for adults that are not made from something based on children's media. The world thinks everything needs to be child friendly and adults aren't allowed to enjoy things as it is, there's no need to get them angry at Pokemon again since I'm pretty sure most people are over whatever they didn't like about it when it was everywhere at the end of the 1990's/beginning of the 2000's.
Um, yes. And can be the pedophile he always wanted to be!
Isn't there a short movie like this? I think it's where Ash is about sixteen, Pokemon battles are like dog fighting and about as legal, and I think Team Rocket or someone end up killing Professor Oak... That's pretty dark.
i disagree. but i would like some bad words.
Oh wow this is old...
You know, I remember when I was 10 years old, I thought of a Pokemon game that I always imagined would be REALLY awesome to play if it ever actually came into existence. You played as a pokemon (kind of like PMD, but not "human becomes pokemon") and you lived in a world that was taken over by an evil trainer, who sought to capture every single pokemon in your world and turn them into slaves. You literally watched almost all your friends get pulled into over-sized pokeballs and whisked away to his lair/castle. Then one day, you and one of your only remaining friends decide to set out to try to DO SOMETHING about the evil trainer, starting with releasing the captured pokemon and/or save those about to be captured.
The basic set-up I thought of for it at the time was a bit like Banjo-Kazooie. You and your friend + any other Pokemon you had join you would travel to various locations and save as many pokemon as you were able to. The only enemy in the game would be the oversized pokeballs, which couldn't be defeated, but could be temporarily warded off by using an attack on them. You could assemble a team of up to six pokemon for your runs to various locations, but you could only control one specific one at a time, however you could switch control freely.
The end of the game would see you fighting against the evil trainer, who not only enslaved all of his pokemon, but effectively brainwashed them into following his every command.
The game I envisioned at the time would've been 3D, and on something like the N64 (nowadays, it'd be the Wii, or one of the other 3D systems).
I thought of ALL of that when I was just 10 years old. Nine--almost 10--years later, all I get is PMD, Rangers, Colosseum, XD, and to a degree Black/White. And yet, none of those games are quite at the level of epic dark as the game I imagined.
I keep hoping maybe someday it'll be made, but considering how long it's been....not very likely. =/
But I'm just saying, if a 10 year old could think of a dark-themed pokemon game, why the hell can't Nintendo?
Umm... Ok, I'm lost for words. Pokemon has dark elements in it - they're there, they are just hidden so that EVERYONE can enjoy it! E rating means EVERYONE. That means it's good whether you're 6 or 233! For younger kids, they get their basic "I'm going to be the Champion with my Rare Candied team!", older kids start thinking about EVs and good team combos, and then you have an incredibly long stage where you're battling in Championships and building specific teams with EV training, blah blah blah. Then, you have adults, who probably play for leisure time, or as a way to connect to their kids. That's why Pokemon is good for EVERYONE - Plus, if you just try a little bit harder, you can notice the dark things there are in the Pokemon World.
I think they should, the current one is too boring
I've seen this discussion many times, but every time there's been one question that I've never seen a good answer to. What would making the game 'more mature' add to the series? The answer I always ended up with was 'Nothing that couldn't be added by merely improving the game'. A more mature plot doesn't necessarily equal a better one, so if one would like a better plot, it'd probably be easier for them to simply make a better plot than radically change one of the core foundations of the series, that being the appropriate for all ages rating. As for the comments on Pokémon sustaining injury, I've heard that when one of the progenitors of the game was asked why the Pokémon fainted instead of dying, he made a comment about there being enough killing in the video game industry, a statement that is more true now than ever. If you genuinely feel that violence and realism make a game better, then Pokémon probably isn't for you. There are plenty of games like that out there, and I for one am pleased that they've avoided such subject matter in Pokémon games.
Well, just finished skimming a three year old topic, only a few mentions/acknowledgements of the manga.
Pokemon Special is about as dark as the series is going to get. People and pokemon do die in it (lol Steven), and it has an overall darker tone than the games or manga. I understand people are stressing they want a more mature pokemon game, but in all honesty, the liklihood of it happening is slim. Even with the pokemon label, it will probably be prone to tons of criticism, and not be received very well by the general public.
Besides, have any of you actually paid attention to the dex entries on some of the pokemon? They're fucking creepy when you actually think about it. Yamask, as a more recent example, is implied to have been human at some point in the past. Dex info states it still has memories of its former life, and the mask it carries used to be its face when it was still human. You're training something that was once human, what? Some game versions state that Drifloon essentially steals away children, though Pearl mentions it typically gets tugged around. HG/SS say that a child that mistake Drifloon for a balloon and hold onto it could end up missing. Banette is basically a cursed doll with strong feelings of hatred that inadvertently led to it coming to life/becoming a pokemon. Some versions says it looks for the child that abandoned it as a doll. Haunter sucks your life away if it licks you. Its lick also causes shaking that doesn't stop until you die. Duskull loves the sound of crying children, and won't give up chasing its victim until dawn. Staring into the crack on Shedinja's back or attempting to look into Dusclop's body is said to steal your spirit.
And there are probably a lot more examples than that. For a kid friendly game, some dex entries are just downright disturbing if you sit there and think about them for more than a second.
I agree that the Dex entries are pretty creepy, but you never see them get played out in the games, which makes me kinda sad.
I've had a creepy idea for a Pokemon game stuck in my head for a while now. You'd be a trainer (you'd start out with either Espeon or Umbreon *shot* or some other Dark or Psychic type) in a town where people have been mysteriously disappearing. No one quite knows where these people went, but some firmly believe that the ghost-type Pokemon that live in the old mansion on the hill have something to do with it. You'd be asked to go into the mansion and investigate (seeing as you're apparently the only person willing to go in the building). In the mansion, you'd come across many different ghost Pokemon; mostly Ghastlys and Litwicks and such at the beginning. Then, you'd accidentally trip a switch, and go plummetting to the mansion's basement, where you'd find all the missing people's bodies. They look dead upon first glance, but closer inspection reveals they are in a state of suspended animation. You are startled in your inspection by a ball of light floating around the ceiling, which turns out to be the spirit of your next door neighbor. The spirit says that certain Pokemon in the mansion have stolen the spirits out of their bodies, and the only way to get them back is to defeat them. If they aren't defeated, they'll keep taking souls until there are no more people left in the entire town.
So then the screen cuts to black, and you're in the PokeCenter in town. You heal your Pokemon, and go back to the mansion. You fight your way through countless ghosts until you find one of the "Mini bosses" (Haunter, Banette, Sableye, Yamask, etc.). Once you defeat a mini boss, a portion of the souls stolen will go back to their bodies and be free to return to the town. You get to go back to town every time you defeat a mini boss to heal your Pokemon and go to the Poke Mart (you can also go during your "quest", but that will cause you to start all over again). You can talk to the people you've freed, and they will give you gifts as a way of saying thanks (A couple even give you more Dark/Psychic Pokemon, so be sure to talk to them all!). Once you've defeated all the mini bosses, it's time to go up against the Big Boss. You find it in the attic of the mansion. It's a Confagrigus! Apparently the owner of the mansion turned into a Yamask when he died and then evolved. He has become bitter and envious of the people in town because they are still human. So, as anticipated, he attacks you, and you fend him off with your team. If you win, Confagrigus calms down and decides to move on, leaving the mansion forever (and apparently all the other ghosts leave as well). If you lose, however, there's a short scene where Mr. Confagrigus eats your soul, and then you can try to defeat him again afterwards.
Of course, throughout the game, you'd be finding out about the deceased owner of the mansion and his tendencies to be a hermit, living all alone with his Shuppet in that big old mansion. You'd get some side quests too, going and retrieving things for people you've saved. But I've imagined it to look a bit like those scary ghost games for, like, PS3 and all that. Y'know, all the horror games that have the mood lighting and the things that sneak up behind you. I think that'd be a good game
But yeah, it probably wouldn't be very popular *shrug* I'd buy it though x3
@Saph: I really like that game idea, actually o-o.
Not bad. But I could foresee this possible scenario:
Mother sees the game, sees the pokemon label. "Oh, my kid loves pokemon, I'll get it for him." Or, maybe they wanted it and told their parents, whatever. Parent buys game because of the label, completely disregards the T rating on it. Later finds out about the content of the game, voices complaints/outrage about it.
This is why I believe a more mature pokemon game would not be received well, because the series is just too set in a "fun for everyone" state, that there's really no way out of it. People of all ages play the games, and it is perceived by many people as a kid's game. If something more mature came out, even if Nintendo slapped a huge warning on it about being darker than its more light-hearted pokemon games, parental outcry over content is inevitable. It's funny, because the ratings are supposed to help parents decide what games are and aren't suitable for their kids, but many of them don't pay attention to them anyway.
Also, for your game idea, make sure to add the Litwick line Litwick pretends to be a guide for people while leeching their life energy, which become Litwick's own fuel. Lampent searches for spirits of the dead, and typically arrives the moment someone dies to steal their spirit. Chandelure can absorb spirits, which it burns with its flames, while leaving the body behind. It can also put its foes into a hypnotic state, which likely makes it easier to absorb the spirit of its foe.
Some pretty twisted stuff.
That is very true, but it's still just fun to think up games like that, right?
Also: If the parents don't heed the rating on the box of a game it's their own fault if they later find out it's not for their eight year old kid. That's why it's there. And I hate it when people blatantly disregard a warning on a label, and then become outraged when they find out the product is a bit more "offensive" than they thought it out to be. It's your own fault, deal with it. Don't go thinking you can sue the company that made the product just because you're too stupid to actually read a freakin' box.
Anyways...yeah, I thought about the Litwicks and their evos. I was thinking they'd follow you around in the mansion and take away some of your HP (I think in this kind of game the trainer would also have to have HP) if you don't fend them off with your Pokemon in time. Some of 'em you wouldn't see until they're right behind you (makes you jump a little, like with all of the scarier games). If the trainer runs out of HP then he/she blacks out and winds up back at the town's PokeCenter, meaning you have to start the "quest" you were on all over again.
I think that Chandelure would be a pretty good mini boss for towards the end of the game. Like either right before Confagrigus, or a few back. I think that Drifblim would also be a good mini boss, and Dusknoir. And also, up in my earlier post where I said Haunter would be a mini boss, I meant Gengar ^^; How many mini bosses do you guys think there should be? Six? More? I think any more than Six and the game would get too tedious, because in my mind the mansion is like a maze, and getting to the mini bosses gets more difficult the farther into the game you go.
Also, the thing about people giving you more Pokemon: I think it'd be neat if they had two Pokemon they wanted to give you, and you could choose between which one you want the most. That way there'd be more variety in the teams you could have. For example:
Old Man: Thank you so much for saving us "Enter Name Here"! As a way to show my thanks, I'd like to give you one of these Pokemon. Oh, don't worry! I used to be a Trainer when I was your age, blah blah blah.
Which Pokemon will you take?
Abra
Poochyena
------
Somethin' like that. They'd always have to have both a Psychic and a Dark type so you could choose between the two.
Argh, now I wish I could make my own game. Wouldn't that be fantastic? I'd love to be able to do that.
Oh of course, I wasn't implying otherwise. And you're completely right. Stories you hear from time to time about parents/critics raising a shitfit over a game's content, how bad it is for kids and whatnot, when it's like... rated M, come the fuck on. The game has that rating for a reason, why are you whining about your precious brats when they shouldn't even be playing the game in the first place? Take some initiative, do some research, learn to say no to your kid if they insist on having the game. Ah, but I digress..
Nintendo isn't really known for mature games though, so likely even if a darker pokemon game were green lighted, it would be third-party or something. Which I would be wary of from the start. Still, depending on how it was done, the concept might be neat.
I think the darkest GAME that they've done is Colosseum. I mean, you were the bad guy before the game started, so you're lying to this girl that travels with you for half the game until someone from Team Snagem blurts out that you're one of them. I liked the Colosseum game, but it still doesn't have a plot that's in-depth enough for me.
I hope that they make another game like Colosseum for the Wii. I'm not sure how popular it was (I liked it a whole bunch ), but I liked that it was for the Gamecube, and that it was 3D and whatnot. I hope that, if they do decide to make another Colosseum game, that they make it a little more serious. And put that awesome hover-motorcycle back in! That scooter from XD was just lame.
I don't think this would happen because kids would buy the game regardless of any warnings put on it that it was for an older audience and the pokemon company would be sued.
However, my opinion on the matter:
I think it would be great to have a pokemon game that was more mature in terms of topics/themes that make you think, plot with layers, things not always being 100% perfect in the end, etc. I don't think you necessarily need excessive violence or sex for that. In fact, I think having over the top gore would take away a lot of what many fans love about pokemon, for example the overarching themes of camaraderie in a team and fighting for the truth and putting things right in a corrupt world. Black and White definitely had more of that, which is why I enjoyed the game even though I didn't like most of the pokemon, but of course it was still geared mainly towards kids. Having a game with an older intended audience would allow for the entire game being more mature instead of just parts.
I definatly think they should, make it a bit harder, and more kind of "evil plot" thing.. :P
Maybe not so much blood and gore. I would however like to see a reboot of the pokémon anime that's for an older audience. I'm fed up with Ash, I've given up on the anime, I watched it when Pokémon first came out. Ash has been trying for over 10 years to be a pokémon master and he still isn't. It irks me that in every episode team rocket tries to steal pokémon. It's so predictable that they fail.
what about a series based on the mystery dungeons? or pokémon ranger? I'd like to see an anime based off pokémon conquest? they have so many spin off games
I feel like it should stay E, don't get me wrong, i would love a mature pokemon game, im glad Sun/Moon had a little more darker themes than past entries, but i feel that the developers would go wild with the mature themes while trying to keep it for a teenage audience and becoming an edgy mess like Shadow the Hedgehog became.
I don't think they should. Pokemon is violent, but in a non-violent way, and it should stay like that. Pokemon ripping each other's eyes and insides out is definitely not stuff for people my age (I am 13 years old btw). The only way they can do this but still keep the series fine is to make Pokemon 'die' instead of 'faint'. But hey, you can still revive them, so no big deal!
I'm not sure if it would be good for a game that is for all ages to go brutal like that but I at least thank people for thinking it up at times and even the Pokemon company themselves for giving some strong good animation for it.
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