[twillight]

The interface is a definite improvement, don't mind me. Now you don't have to hassle to know what your TM/HMs do because every instance the game is telling you. The character cards are comfy. In the menus you still can't jump from top to bottom, but whatever. The graphic is definitely improved.


Then come the problems.


The Current Evil Group is just like the previous: wants to destroy the world, because they are stupid. The fact that the writing is inconsistent doesn't help.
There is no other character in the game. Ok, there's a rival, and that annoying champion-woman-or-who, but their appearance is very irregular.
The intro sequence is darn annoying, every half second interrupting you with a cutscene.
The majority of the game has nothing to happen in it. The whole thing feels empty, not just because it is empty without any event, but because the maps became quite simple. No need for backtracking, you don't have to memorize stuff, just go ahead in those hugh fokin places (so use a premade map, else you'll grow beared, women too).


There are too many environment-interacting moves, and you never know which you'll need, what leads to metagaming. Especialy because even w/o Flash you can actualy see a bit of sorrounding here.


And I dunno, but till the first/first two Gyms got insane amount of exp, like to be lvl 20-25. After that the 3rd felt like I stopped, only got two/three lvl 28-30 mon.


Oh, and I'm still not sure about my party. First is, the guides don't prepare against psychic mons, and they somehow mostly missing? Fire mons also missing. Electric mons seems punny mostly,although midgame a couple appeared, but hardly the threat as before.


To be honest for the first 2 gyms you could go with chimchar, and that's it. For the next 2 you can use Rotom, which feels a lot like Sableye, but with more powerful moves, but it seems to cover what I'm missing from the guieds, so it seems a keeper.
On the other hand the selection is thin, but also the exp isn't that great when I compare to the opponents' level - I can barely keep above them only using like 3 mons. Planned more, but I practicaly dumped them not finding any use for them, while struggling finding exp to pull them to my main(s)' level.


And I think I have a hunch why the games' quality decline despite the obvious improvement on the technical side.
First: what are the pokemons? "Charizard" stuck in my head as it is "a dragon". Pidgey stucked because it is a bird. And so on. But what are these new mons? Just shiney shapes. I can point at them, but otherwise they are just "things".
Second: too much online-multiplayer-area-restricted content. There are the contests, gazillion items, dozens of pokemons, optional areas (Platinum has an entire second map under its WORLDMAP!), events, who-knows-what features, pokemon-food-mixing, special items, whatever - I either can't access, more often don't even care! I'd get them if they'd be available, but this way they just deminish the experience because they are there, but I (the player) don't even care!

Third: the game's mechanics became too complex. There are pokemon types, move-types, natures, abilities, hidden abilities, breeding, egg moves, EV, friendship, move set, TM options, HM options, move removal, competitive gaming, post-game content, various randomizations, player ID-number related stuff, loaction-related stuff, day-, hour-, week related contents, importing between generations and versions, double types, stats, genders, held items, consumables, permanent statboosts, hit chances, feeding, clothes,other accesories...
It becomes overwhelming just to list them. The players can noloinger reverse-engineer the effectiveness of stuff, and programing/coming up with the rules is even harder! So I wouldn't expect the company be able to create a refined game, and if they would be able, it would be for naught, because the users couldn't solve their puzzles! So the whole thing becomes "button mashing", thus becomes easy for anyone who pays half attention - just like how the fans of the games reacted. The games became simpler by becoming too complicated.

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For platinum you can just see they almost threw out the concept of "create your own team" by the look of it. Here this:
- the obvious best starter is Chimchar (fire/fighting variant). This beats the first 2 gym, and the majority of the game anyway.
- use only this mon, and your level will just be good to beat everything in your way, and neither your type will cause any problem (aside some rare water attack, where you'll have to back to the PC, because pokemon is pc, and the selfdestructing geodudes - none complained for this move ever?). Then you bump into Rotom. Which is immediately lvl 20, and will beat the 3rd and 4th gym, and is just a great addition in every sense.
- then you'll get the chance in platinum only for a gabite -> garchomp, a "semi-legendary" dragon type. And yes, it is a great type and hugh strength again to your party. You know what you're missing still? A grass-type. And with just 4 mon you practicaly could beat the game in theory. For this you get an eevee, and super-soon compared to all other options to it, you can change it to Leafeon. Only problem: there are no physical grass moves for it, but you see the tendency.
- you even get a free flying type to move around: togepi -> togekiss.
- you still have one more place in the team, and you guess what, you get a FRIGGIN LEGENDARY to fill the role. Sure, you get it late, at lvl 1 - likely you'd've get it a couple of lvl higher originaly -, but it is a FREE LEGENDARY.


So, very interresting design we have here.