The characters are a little too white-bread. I understand that Pokemon is a children's game, but you need to understand how your target demographic has shifted over the years. Let me explain:
- Pokemon Red & Blue was released in the United States on September 30, 1998. I was 9 years old when that game hit the shelves.
- Pokemon Yellow was released in October 1999. I was 10.
- Pokemon Gold & Silver was released in October of 2000. I was 11.
- Pokemon Crystal was released in July of 2001. I was 12.
- Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire was released in March of 2003. I was 14.
- Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen was released in September of 2004. I was 15.
- Pokemon Emerald was released in May of 2005. I was 16.
- Pokemon Diamond & Pearl was released in April of 2007. I was 18.
- Pokemon Platinum was released in March of 2009. I was 20.
- Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver was released in March of 2010. I was 21.
- Pokemon Black & White was released in March of 2011. I was 22.
- Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 was released in October of 2012. I was 23.
- Pokemon X & Y will be released in October of 2013. I will be 24.
Pokemon has been around for 15 years and your most loyal fan-base has yet to see content geared towards their current demographic. Now, granted, we can't have violent or sexual content plaguing a game that is still ultimately geared for children, but here's a recommendation:
As opposed to starting off as characters who are innocent, naive children like those pictured above, what if we got to pick one of these choices instead:
That's right! Antagonist background as an option! Why not? Some of the most popular and top-grossing games of all time include some kind of morality spectrum. If you're worried about trying to justify the plot for an antagonist character, then you can modify the plot to accommodate for a morality climax wherein the character decides to be good instead. That way, you can teach the kids how it isn't good to be bad.
Wow, that's a really simple message, but you know what...it doesn't hurt to reinforce it. Ideas for the morality climax? Oh, I've got tons of them and none of them are like the morality climaxes in other games like Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic. Do you want to hear them?
Hire me, Sugimori!
They actually did that with the Gamecube Pokemon games. The protagonist was a former team member.
ReplyDeleteIn the style of my previous post concerning making previous starters more available in later generation games, if this idea was already accomplished in Pokemon Colosseum, then there is no reason why the concept cannot be duplicated. Also, the player had no choice as to whether or not the past with Team Snagem was desired for their own character journey; you were a member of that team and you have to deal with that. The primary argument here is for choice of background and starting journey. The game does not change depending on whether or not you pick the male or female protagonist, and I believe that even that should impact the plot slightly.
ReplyDeleteIf they did it once, they can do it again and expand on it.