{"id":22242,"date":"2018-05-31T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now"},"modified":"2018-05-31T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-31T18:00:00","slug":"soapbox-pokemon-gos-casual-influence-on-the-mainline-series-is-a-good-thing-at-least-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2018\/05\/31\/soapbox-pokemon-gos-casual-influence-on-the-mainline-series-is-a-good-thing-at-least-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Soapbox: Pok\u00e9mon GO\u2019s \u2018Casual\u2019 Influence On The Mainline Series Is A Good Thing, At Least For Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<aside class=\"picture embed centered picture-900x img-900x\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a title=\"Pokemon_Lets_Go_Screenshot_01.png\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/attachment\/0\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/attachment\/0\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Pokemon_Lets_Go_Screenshot_01.png\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p><em>Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today&#8217;s article, staff writer Ryan explores the new approach to gameplay found in the upcoming Pok\u00e9mon games and why they might just be the moment of relief the series desperately needs&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>So, <strong><a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/pokemon_lets_go_pikachu_and_lets_go_eevee\">Pok\u00e9mon: Let\u2019s Go, Pikachu! and Let\u2019s Go, Eevee!<\/a><\/strong> have finally been officially unveiled and the response from fans has been unsurprisingly mixed. Seemingly acting as an exact middle ground between the mainline entries to the series and <a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/mobile\/pokemon_go\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/strong><\/a>, these new titles look set to provide a very different experience to what the core series fans will be used to by now, and one that definitely appears to lean towards the more \u2018casual\u2019 style of gameplay.<\/p>\n<p>I realise that these next few words will cause irreversible outrage among some fans, but I think that this approach is exactly the kind of breather the series desperately needs. Recent games (yes <a class=\"external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/3ds\/pokemon_sun_and_moon\"><strong>Pok\u00e9mon Sun and Moon<\/strong><\/a>, I\u2019m talking about you) have started to become <em>ridiculously<\/em> complex &#8211; the avalanche of Ultra Beasts, different forms, 800+ character Pok\u00e9dex, IV training, and more abilities and movesets than you can shake a Sudowoodo at have become sadly off-putting over time \u2013 and I dread to think how series newcomers must feel when they realise what they\u2019ve gotten themselves into.<\/p>\n<p>As much as my younger self used to love the depth and detail of each new release (I even made sure to have a complete living Pok\u00e9dex for each generation) a mixture of slowly becoming an adult with those pesky responsibilities, and a natural decrease in general gaming time, means that I no longer have the effort or desire to keep up with these time sinks. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m alone in this, either; the increase in popularity of quick, 15-minute bursts of portable gaming makes sense when you think about how fast-paced the world around us feels these days.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/attachment\/1\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/attachment\/1\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Pokemon_Lets_Go_Screenshot_07-2.png\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Back to the games themselves, these new Let\u2019s Go titles are positively oozing with the idea of simplicity; anyone can pick up and play, catching Pok\u00e9mon is as laid back as it is in Pok\u00e9mon GO, and having the monsters roaming around on screen removes the tedious walking back and forth needed to find that wild Ponyta you\u2019ve been after for decades. The best thing about GO, for me at least, is how it sits in your pocket, happily chilling until you feel like having a quick go, and these games appear to take that vibe and apply it to a much more gamer-focused setup.<\/p>\n<p>The thing is, despite this shift to an easier way of playing, it still looks to be full of the charm and magic we\u2019ve come to know and love. The nostalgia of that almost <em>over-loved<\/em> first generation should win over the series\u2019 older fans (at least to some extent), and the easy-to-pick-up approach should enable newer and younger players to have fun (which is what gaming is supposed to be about, after all). The only people I can imagine being genuinely put off by this are those who play competitively, or those who invest their time into the deeper underworld of the series\u2019 breeding and training, but there are plenty of other Pok\u00e9mon games still out there that can provide all of that and more.<\/p>\n<p>For me, Pok\u00e9mon has always been about completing my Pok\u00e9dex and beating the main story, feeling an immense amount of pride as that cute little Caterpie I once had stands strong against the Elite Four as a beautiful Butterfree. These games can give me that same sense of adventure, but on a less daunting, less demanding, and much more relaxed scale. As I\u2019ve <em>evolved<\/em> through childhood, my teenage years, and now into the beginnings of a new chapter, I\u2019ve started to place much more value in the simple things that can make me have fun and be happy, and these games may be able to do just that.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture strip\">\n<div class=\"img\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/attachment\/2\/original.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/05\/soapbox_pokemon_gors_lcasualr_influence_on_the_mainline_series_is_a_good_thing_at_least_for_now\/attachment\/2\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Pokemon_Lets_Go_Screenshot_09-2.png\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Of course, I\u2019m not saying that I want Pok\u00e9mon to fully transition to this style of play forever \u2013 there are plenty of benefits that come as a result of the more traditional approach to the series, and I\u2019d want every Pok\u00e9mon fan to feel like they have something they can enjoy. Luckily, the next entry looks set to return to those formalities, and I\u2019d love to see a world where the two styles happily coexist, allowing players to pick the style most appropriate for them.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it\u2019s just me, but seeing Pok\u00e9mon wandering around an open-style world, having a Pikachu sitting on my shoulder, and pretending to throw a <em>real-life Pok\u00e9 Ball<\/em> at my favourite creatures on my TV, is the kind of game I would have dreamt about as a kid. It doesn\u2019t have to become the norm for the series \u2013 and it likely won\u2019t \u2013 but these new games could well be the perfect filler until the next one arrives in 2019. Bring on November.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>So what do you think about the blend of gameplay styles found in Pok\u00e9mon: Let&#8217;s Go, Pikachu! and Let&#8217;s Go, Eevee!? Do you think it could work nicely, or are you upset with the new direction? Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today&#8217;s article, staff writer Ryan explores the new approach to gameplay found in the upcoming Pok\u00e9mon games and why they might just be the moment of relief the series [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22242\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}