Topic: What did Black/White/2 (Gen 5) Contribute to Pokemon?

Frankly, 5th gen is more memorable for what it removed than what it added, it dumbed everything down and set Pokemon in a more kid and casual friendly direction. The only actual new mechanics that it added were hidden abilities, triple battles, and rotation battles (the latter two of which are rarely seen gimmicks), and most of the rest of its improvements were minor refinements like reusable TMs. It doesn't surprise me at all that many people consider it their least favorite, for the older and more hardcore fanbase it offers almost nothing and takes away a lot of what made the series great.

Gen 5 introduced Volcarona (and amazing bugs in general) and Liligant.

Any other argument is invalid.

Quagsire is Gen II, but alright.

I'm not saying explicitly that Ratatta is better than Battleaxeface, but I'd say at least 60% of Gen V Pokemon are bad. That's even worse than Hoenn, which is pretty dang bad. People seem to forget sometimes that the main feature of Pokemon is, and I know this is a shocker, the Pokemon. Unova had some good Pokemon, but so does every region. But Unova has a disastrously bad rate of bad Pokemon, and more terrible awful Pokemon than every other region put together,

There's some cool things in Gen V. The story is high quality, the graphics are better (though after playing X/Y, I can't look at them again), and BW2's alternate gyms are a nice touch. The all-share XP is divisive, but I can enjoy the relief it puts on the constant grind, which is my least-favorite thing about RPGs. But there's no redeeming quality about the Pokemon. They're the worst of the worst, so it's not really a good argument for the game's validity, nor is comparing it to Gen I like that makes you look better in comparison.

The main issue I have with the Pokemon is that there's more ripoffs than usual. I don't mind the occasional regional rodent, bird, or bug (although for the most part I think they need to do a better job of differentiating themselves), but Unova goes way too far with it. We have a Zubat ripoff, a Geodude ripoff, a Tentacool ripoff, a Machop ripoff, a Wingull ripoff, and so on. And that really detracts from the "fresh start" feel they were going for, they need original Pokemon to evoke that feeling and that's something that was pretty lacking in these Pokemon.

Dawg, what? A Zubat ripoff? No man, they got rid of Zubat! No more annoying bats!

See? Woobat. Totally different.

See, I feel like they could've come up with completely different cave dwellers to make it feel more fresh, you find more than just bats and rocks in caves. Like what about an earthworm, a stalactite, a bear, or a spider? And yes, I know there's Joltik and Cubchoo, but those only show up in one cave each.

Likewise, they didn't need another jellyfish for the sea routes when there are still species like dolphins which are unrepresented.

Pokemon was always a dumbed down casual franchise.

Gen 5 was MEANT to recreate gen 1 guys.

Main game wise but competitively that crap gets deep.

Not to the point where they made the regions linear, removed essential or otherwise useful features from the game, or removed all sense of challenge from the game.

Which was pretty pointless, and they failed at capturing that feeling anyway.

I know that. I was just saying people shouldn't pretend like the old games were any more hardcore than the newer games. If anything, it's the other way around because of the improvements made to the metagame.

I don't really care about metagame, I'm speaking strictly in terms of the main game, which has gotten easier since 5th gen.

Honestly, the main game was always pretty easy in Pokemon.

To me gen 5 pokemon sucked, but not because, as some of you try to say, because "tortiozshellz, dragonz" etc., but to me they look depressing or just plain p**sed off. I'm not saying all of them are like that, but when I look at all previous generations, they're all colorful, cute looking etc., here we have 90s comic books. Also, the sound beartrick makes... My God it's just... so wrong.

The online gameplay was much better. Unfortunately they shut the DS online mode down. Other than that its mostly minor things that make the whole experience a little more streamlined. Not a huge improvement over the fourth generation. I didn't really feel like playing a true new generation until X and Y.

I like all the Gens for different reasons but I look back at Gen V and it's just bland. Don't really know what it is, but it's probably my least favorite generation.

I actually like most of the Unova designs btw, even Vanillite (which wasn't even designed by Game Freak)

I also felt really annoyed by the music change when your health hit red, though it was better than the constant beeping they had before.

The Dream World did keep me occupied for some time, though...

Gen 5 mostly introduced little things to streamline the experience (reusable TMs, the game asking if you want to use another repel after one wears off, the Pokemart inside the Pokecenter, more touch screen controls for the menus and PC, etc). The only major things I can think of are Hidden Abilities and Triple/Rotation Battles. It did also introduce Critical Captures and changed how EVs are applied (after each battle instead of when the Pokemon levels up)

Gen 3 I think was the generation with the biggest changes - abilities, natures, Double Battles, a major graphical update, wireless multiplayer, alternate forms, and a complete overhaul of the majority of the whole system by changing the algorithms used in the background for things like IVs.

Gen 4 had big ones like online and the physical/special split, but the rest of the game (DP, not Pt or HGSS) suffered from them trying to shove the fact that online is now a thing down our throats. Even then the GTS still isn't fixed two generations later.

Gen 6 is where they dumbed the game down difficulty wise, but it also introduced quite a bit: Fairy type, Mega Evolutions, the PSS (making online much more convenient), 3D graphics that were long overdue, Sky Battles and Inverse Battles, etc. It made IV breeding and EV training MUCH easier, making the competitive scene more accessible. ORAS in particular added the DexNav features, Soaring, and Primal Reversions. Gen 6 also brought nerfs to weather, critical hits, and various special moves. Shiny Pokemon are easier than ever to find.

Gen 5 was about the Story and incredible Meta. Story was clear and easy to follow. That they actually continued the universe through giving it a sequel. As for the Meta, it was simple and straight road really. Wasn't hard to get EV's and experience in Gen 5. Sadly to be good you get to get hidden ability Pokemon but all was worth it for battles. Cause the TM's were infinite, you could experiment with your powerful Pokemon and get what you wanted out of them easier than pre-gens along with a MASS load of items to benefit the Meta.

Though people say Gen 3 was good because it introduced Natures, Abilities, D-Battles and more moves. It was eventually gonna happen anyway. And Gen 3 didn't really have anything good other than that. Basically a gen to turn following gens into a greater competitive sport by introducing these and a variety of Pokemon.

Gen 5 added new 150 Pokemon and some of the best. (Haxorus, Volcarona, Terrakion, Landarus-T and our mighty fire lantern) It was basically a new Kanto with some actually decent lore (Cause gen 4 was just ridiculous and tried to hard) while keeping the fun factor and simplicity for younger/new players -hence the simple one way path map of the region- So while it was still to be enjoyed, it was also for the older players.

Gen 5 introduced me (the greatest Pokémon ever), so that automatically makes it the best generation.