Pokémon's Diamond And Pearl Remakes Have Been Updated To Version 1.3.0, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Ah at last! The fabled GWS building will finally let us in.

Allow me to go in and trade away a few bidoof and starly.

When are they going to add Pokémon Home support?! It's taking so long for what should be a simple update for such a big company.

@C-Olimar : Especially one demanding a comically absurd annual fee.

I would like to do the Arceus event but I haven't bought Legends: Arceus.

...I've barely had the motivation to finish BDSP anyway. Pretty sure I'm only at Veilstone City.

I love that location #1 on the in-game globe is actually Jubilife City

I’m dying to know the story on why the GPS took 4 months to be implemented.

I really wish they would’ve brought back mega evolutions for these games. If they planned from the beginning not to have these remakes affect the current meta in swsh there would’ve been no issues for having it since it bdsp aren’t competitive pkmn games

@Moonlessky : Agreed. I wish Megas/Gigantamax forms would carry over to subsequent games. There is so much wasted potential with a lot of these Pokémon. I feel dissuaded from using any Pokémon with Mega forms knowing that I can never harness their full potential (and even more so when they're shiny).

The appeal of the GWS kind of goes down if we need the NS online to play it. If that service was worth the money I wouldn't mind, but that's not the case.

It's a cool feature and made it easier to fill out the Pokedex and get those version exclusive Pokemon. This is the way I guess xD

@Pungu : And with Pokémon HOME being as expensive as it is, it would have been far more appealing if it included online play for all Pokémon games as a bonus.

Fortunately for those without, one can still use HOME to acquire any missing Pokémon via its own GTS for free.

The moment Pokémon revealed a new generation, I immediately lost motivation to keep playing.

I mean they have to add Home at some point right? Otherwise how are we meant to complete the Pokedex without Celebi?

Ugh... I just bought this game and I've gotten to the conclusion that Pokemon is just a "Press A repeatedly to win" game.

It's bloody disgusting. I'm always looking at my phone every time I get into a fight or wild encounter. And that is a bad sign for an IP.

This happened with SW/SH. Pokemon definitley lost its magic. I hope Arceus ignites a renewed feeling within me with the IP.

Because if Violet/Scarlet go down this path... then this franchise belongs in the past, let it die. Long live GB/GBA Pokemon and thats it.

@Moonlessky Mega evolutions shouldn't have been a temporary form in the first place. They should have been a completely different pokemon/pokedex entry. So much wasted potential and designs. Nobody even cares about those anymore and some were really cool. Not even in Pokemon Go. Those raids are as empty as a barren wasteland.

@fafonio "It's bloody disgusting. I'm always looking at my phone every time I get into a fight or wild encounter. And that is a bad sign for an IP."

No, that is just a sign you have a bad attention span.

@sanderev no, that means that whatever Im doing… I’ll always win at the game, just keep pressing the same button 😒

Pokémon has become a chore, like an unpaid job …. and I wanted to love this game as I’m a fan of the old top-view games.

@fafonio you say “lost its magic” as if it was ever any different.

I could play red and blue on repeat as a kid, way before I even learned to read English.

@Eel at least in the GB games there was a challenge. I’m facing gym and generic trainers with 32 lvl pokemons when I’m at lvl 55… and I haven’t done a single minute of grinding.
It’s 1 HIT KOs battle after battle … it’s not even fun 🤦‍♂️. It’s ridiculous.

EXP Share completely destroyed the games.

@fafonio I vividly remember I would usually have a single super overleveled Pokémon to one hit KO everything back then too.

Eventually little Eel found out that using the other Pokémon in his team made the experience spread out. Kinda like how now, I rotate my entire team every now and then to keep the levels in check.

Perhaps try to make the game fun or challenging for yourself? It kinda sounds like you simply don’t enjoy them anymore though.

@Eel could be it. But at least there was a strategic thing to it.

Should I just level one Pokémon and leave all others weak? What if that Pokémon gets KO’d? I’d have a weak team. Or should I level up the whole team and have a weak but all-around average team?

But these new games you just have all these god-tier Pokémon 1 Hit KO’ing everyone. You’re just a killing machine with no challenge at all.

Believe me, I’m at my 6th gym just pressing A with Empoleon… and Im just winning, no matter which move, or which Pokémon I choose. It’s just… a boring game. Nobody likes winning without a challenge. I’d rather watch a series while I just press the same button, win the battle, and then run around to my next destination.

Im sooooo inclined to try Arceus after this. I really hope that if Scarlet/Violet fix the difficulty setting or get rid of the EXP Share, if not I’d just rather see Pokémon become a thing of the past.

** Adding to what you just edited. That’s the thing, you kept rotating Pokémon to level them up… but now, with EXP share… you don’t even bother anymore. That’s the difference. You don’t even bother training them. Just carry them in your team and win without doing nothing.

@fafonio So, it's well documented, but BDSP gets borderline unfair at the end game. I was in your boat, fighting every trainer and around 10 levels over everything with a full team of 6. I wasn't so overlevelled as everyone else claims to be, so I don't know what I'm not doing that everyone else is, but when you end up battling perfectly trained Pokemon with perfect stats, hidden abilities no in game trainer has ever used before, competitive movesets and items and team synergy, you'll be glad you're overlevelled.

Fun fact, if you don't want to get outsoed and basically one shot by Cynthia's Garchomp, you'll need a Pokemon with a speed stat of 235 I believe.

As for Arceus, in that game chances are you WILL be underlevelled, and you will get one shot. A lot. Trainers don't let you switch after koing a Pokemon, and several use multiple Pokemon at once against your one.

One trainer even has a team of 8.

So you know, pick your difficulty I guess 🤣

@Haruki_NLI that gives me a bit of hope. However just to have 1 hour of challenges after a 25 hour stupidly easy adventure is a sign of terrible design.

I remember 25 years ago picking Charmander and having my ass kicked with Brock in the first gym and then by Misty on the GB games…. Forced me to go into the wild, build a team, train my Pokémon, rethink my strategy and then try again. Something that has been severely lacking in recent games.

As I said, I think EXP Share completely destroyed the system. You just keep having these god-tier Pokes in your party every single time.

I was on the fence about Arceus. Now I’m totally convinced that it’s the way to go after the lackluster SW/SH BDSP games. I really want this IP to pick up its pace and return to its peak fun.

Sorry for the rant, I just bought this game over a few days ago and I’m sooo disappointed about it. I never thought there could be worse Pokémon games than SW/SH in my opinion. They are broken.

@fafonio Pokémon has always been easy, especially up to the elite 4 & champion. BDSP and Arceus are actually a bit more difficult in the late-game. It's however in post game Pokémon usually gets hard.

So yeah, the short attention span still works. Pokémon isn't meant to be extremely difficult. Never was and never will be.

And in BDSP, I've seen some trainers actually using strategy for the first time ever in a Pokémon game. Preparing multiple attacks / status effects effectively, switching Pokémon to one that is super effective to mine.

@sanderev so… is it a good game if you just keep pressing the same button and win for 25 hours straight so you can have fun the last 5 hours? No, I don’t think so. That means that the game has a poor pace.

Is it short attention span though? I can play lengthy RPGs and still be engaged in every battle, at every plot advance, etc. I’ve been playing video games for over 30 years now.

It’s not short attention span, it’s just a badly and boringly designed system.

You said “extremely” difficult. It’s not even difficult. It couldn’t even be considered easy difficulty. It’s hand-holding.

Are you really playing a game when you’d rather look at the window… AND still be winning the game?
No, that’s doing a chore, not playing a game.

** You’re talking about the online aspect of the game… not the campaign.

@fafonio I am engaged in every single battle. And if it's too easy, I just use Pokémon that are less powerful. That way I also improve them as well. Which makes it more than just pressing A. Also most trainer / wild Pokémon battles can be skipped if you want to, making required battles harder.

And sure there is some handholding. But that doesn't take away the overall fun in the games. And yeah, it would be nice for them to add a "Hard mode" to these games. And add more improvements to the AI. But, I still have as much fun with the games as I've had with them since I started playing them (Yellow was my first, and I played every single game since)

Dude just add Home support. The GWS isn't what will complete my dex, it's transferring in boxes upon boxes of Pokémon I've accumulated over the years, many of which are from the original DS games.

@sanderev so, you're saying that I should be forced to underdevelop my Pokemon? Its counter productive. Good game design doesnt make you learn ways as how NOT to play a game, but the other way around.

Wouldn't it be better then if we weren't forced to use EXP Share? I think that would make the game better overall. Or as I just read people complaining during launch.... let us turn the EXP Share OFF. It breaks the game.

@jcboyer515 Refer to: "Should I just level one Pokémon and leave all others weak? What if THAT Pokémon gets KO’d? I’d have a weak team. Or should I level up the whole team and have a weak but all-around average team?"

That was the GB Pokemon magic.

@jcboyer515 Actually Yellow was harder, because you had to face Brock with Pikachu as your starter. And most likely strongest Pokémon.

@fafonio Sure, a toggleable Exp-Share would've been a nice addition.

@sanderev you're right... Yellow was the hardest of them because of that. Maybe the best of the trilogy.

Anyway, I just don't want to complain about the game... it's just my opinion about the game... its fresh in my gaming mind and I'm so dissapointed I bought it. I wanted to like it. It's just becoming an excuse to complete my Living Dex for Pokemon Home............. and it isn't even compatible yet!!!!!

@fafonio The game is too easy overall, but it has the hardest elite four and champion in the series. They upped the difficulty from Diamond and Pearl and they're even harder when you re-challenge them. One of Cynthia's Pokemon is joint highest level for an NPC's Pokemon in the series. Then the battle tower in the post game is a great challenge so it does get difficult eventually

@jcboyer515 what i meant with that is… yes… you had your strong Bulbasaur… but what if your top-level Bulbasaur fainted, or ran out of PP? You’d then just have 5 level 1 pidgeys. Ooooor you could have 5 level 10 pidgeys along your “weak” level 12 Bulbasaur.
You know what I mean? It was your strategic choice.

Now you just have 6 Pokémon sharing experience and being god tier. That’s why I referred you to that argument.

@LXP8 I really hope so. It’s just not encouraging having to play a 25 hour adventure to get to the good part 😞

@jcboyer515 that doesn't mean it can't evolve. Or be counter productive. We didn't need EXP Share back then... we don't need it now. The middle ground: give us the option to toggle it, or give us multiple difficulty options.

For an IP that has been around 25 years, it surely needs to evolve or do a 180 flip.

Anyway, it has been a nice and respectful discussion... I liked it. I need some sleep, so I will be calling it quits now. Have a great day everyone.

@fafonio I remember when I first picked up Gen 1 and picked up Bulbasaur.

I walked through Brock and Misty. Sometimes the choices for your team make the game laughable.

Of course Pokemon has always been for all players. So maybe difficulty options would be good.

I feel Arceus leans too far in the wrong direction. The game has completed reworked stats where weaker Pokemon are artificially scaled up so sometimes a 50 level gap isn't enough to one shot, and your opponents can also move up to 4 times before you do if they play their cards right, and they can, especially in the post game. Heck, I've been one shot by stuff way lower level than me with a simple weakness, not even 4x effective. Work that out.

I'm at the pre-elite four in my Shining Pearl nuzlocke right now. I'm training up a party member as I lost my Torterra in Volkner's gym. It was my first death since before the second gym and fourth death overall, to the "electric" gym leader's water type pokemon using an ice move. Go figure.

Anyway, the permanent Exp. Share has ruined this game's level curve completely, as I and many others predicted it would. I typically play nuzlockes with level limits, meaning I can't level up past the next gym leader's ace. That's just not viable in BDSP in any way without skipping as many trainers as you can. They left the levels of opponents' pokemon totally unchanged. Walking into Volkner's gym, my pokemon were level 57. His ace is level 49. It's ridiculous. If you're going to force the Exp. Share, at least fix the level curves to account for the extra experience being gained in every battle.

@fafonio
lol, no.

The series can die for you but not the many that love it. You know it is more than possible to make the games harder for yourself right?

@darthyoshi Okay, so do you want a challenge or not? You complain about how easy BDSP is and then turn right around and complain about how you need to have revives on you in PL:A. I didn't mind getting my ass kicked in PL:A at ALL, because I was thrilled that I was actually being challenged in a Pokemon game while playing as intended instead of having to play by a self-enforced ruleset just to get some fun out of it.

@Silly_G Not if it doesn't work with the game haha

@Kimyonaakuma does BDSP run well on Switch?

@anoyonmus it's fine. I wouldn't say it's the most impressive remaster in terms of graphics but it's very functional. I haven't seen it struggle at all.

If you want to play Diamond and Pearl in 2022 then it's a great option