Post by RawkHawk2010 on Jun 5, 2010 11:49:29 GMT -5
Regardless of what directions our rose-tinted goggles of nostalgia may point us toward, Pokémon has never been perfect. While most of my complaints are nitpicky and not worth mentioning, one example of bad game design has plagued the series since its conception, yet has gone ignored by Gamefreak for just as long. I am of course referring to HMs. For the uneducated, HMs are also known as Hidden Machines. Unlike Technical Machines (which for the most part are battle exclusive), Hidden Machines function as regular battle moves as well as important "field moves" that can assist the player while adventuring. Giving the Pokémon a more profound role in the adventure looks like a good idea on paper, but the shoddy implementation ruins the flow of an otherwise respectable gameplay experience.
Almost all traditional RPG and adventure games have a way of blocking certain areas and items from the player until specific criteria is met. In Pokémon, HMs partly accomplish this. Until you obtain Cut (and the Gym Badge needed to use it), certain items and areas will be inaccessible until you chop down the trees/shrubbery in the way. This situation can be compared to the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker where Link must acquire a sword so that he can chop down the trees leading to the peak of Outset Island. However, the key difference here is that LINK'S SWORD IS ACTUALLY GOOD. YOU CAN ACTUALLY KILL THINGS WITH IT. TRY CONSISTENTLY KILLING THINGS WITH CUT'S MEASLY BASE FIFTY POWER. Yeah, ew. Did I mention that it doesn't even have 100% accuracy? >.> Rock Smash is Cut 2.0, and tries to fix the first move's problems by rewarding you with a wild Pokémon encounter whenever you smash a rock. As expected, the process is annoying and repetitive (and this is coming from someone who likes Shuckle enough to have bred a PC box full of them o.0). Rock Smash at least has a secondary defense-lowering battle effect, but you'll likely never be able to capitalize on it if you're running moves like these.
This is not to say all HMs are bad. Surf is a wonderful move both on the battlefield and off, which proves a Hidden Machine can exist without compromising the battle potential of the Pokémon it's taught to. But since Gamefreak obviously has no intention of making the majority of HMs battle-usable, I can only suggest one of two solutions:
1. Downgrade all HMs to TM status, and reserve HM purposes to key items. A flashlight would illuminate dark areas, but a compatible electric-type or light-emitting Pokémon would be needed to power it. A hammer item would be capable of breaking rocks, but to wield it you would first have to enlist the help of a physically-strong Pokémon. So on and so forth.
2. Change HMs into "abilities" that a Pokémon can perform while keeping its moveslots intact. If a water Pokémon looks like it can ferry someone across the water, it should be able to surf regardless of its moveset. This idea has already been experimented with in the form of Shuckle's berry-shucking ability. By attaching berries to Shuckle as items, it can liquefy them overnight; no HMs needed!
Either way, all Pokémon would have an opportunity to be useful on the field, but the subject of movesets being wrecked by terrible moves would cease to be an issue.
In Closing:
If I am granted space for six Pokémon, I want to use six Pokémon! I should not have to reserve a space (or two. >.>) for a Bidoof or Sandshrew just so I can cut down a tree or push a boulder that I may encounter unexpectedly. I also should not have to ruin a moveslot for one of my good Pokémon just to access a certain area. In Heartgold, one of your Pokémon must know Rock Climb before you can battle Red at the top of Mt. Silver. Assuming you have six Pokémon, this already puts you at a disadvantage - and any disadvantage is critical when Level 88 Pikachus and that damned Snorlax are involved.
With that said, I'M NEVER EVER EVER EVER BUYING A PRODUCT FROM THIS COMPANY AGAIN. The series was ruined the day the cartridges stopped being special colors, anyway. [/No.]
Almost all traditional RPG and adventure games have a way of blocking certain areas and items from the player until specific criteria is met. In Pokémon, HMs partly accomplish this. Until you obtain Cut (and the Gym Badge needed to use it), certain items and areas will be inaccessible until you chop down the trees/shrubbery in the way. This situation can be compared to the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker where Link must acquire a sword so that he can chop down the trees leading to the peak of Outset Island. However, the key difference here is that LINK'S SWORD IS ACTUALLY GOOD. YOU CAN ACTUALLY KILL THINGS WITH IT. TRY CONSISTENTLY KILLING THINGS WITH CUT'S MEASLY BASE FIFTY POWER. Yeah, ew. Did I mention that it doesn't even have 100% accuracy? >.> Rock Smash is Cut 2.0, and tries to fix the first move's problems by rewarding you with a wild Pokémon encounter whenever you smash a rock. As expected, the process is annoying and repetitive (and this is coming from someone who likes Shuckle enough to have bred a PC box full of them o.0). Rock Smash at least has a secondary defense-lowering battle effect, but you'll likely never be able to capitalize on it if you're running moves like these.
This is not to say all HMs are bad. Surf is a wonderful move both on the battlefield and off, which proves a Hidden Machine can exist without compromising the battle potential of the Pokémon it's taught to. But since Gamefreak obviously has no intention of making the majority of HMs battle-usable, I can only suggest one of two solutions:
1. Downgrade all HMs to TM status, and reserve HM purposes to key items. A flashlight would illuminate dark areas, but a compatible electric-type or light-emitting Pokémon would be needed to power it. A hammer item would be capable of breaking rocks, but to wield it you would first have to enlist the help of a physically-strong Pokémon. So on and so forth.
2. Change HMs into "abilities" that a Pokémon can perform while keeping its moveslots intact. If a water Pokémon looks like it can ferry someone across the water, it should be able to surf regardless of its moveset. This idea has already been experimented with in the form of Shuckle's berry-shucking ability. By attaching berries to Shuckle as items, it can liquefy them overnight; no HMs needed!
Either way, all Pokémon would have an opportunity to be useful on the field, but the subject of movesets being wrecked by terrible moves would cease to be an issue.
In Closing:
If I am granted space for six Pokémon, I want to use six Pokémon! I should not have to reserve a space (or two. >.>) for a Bidoof or Sandshrew just so I can cut down a tree or push a boulder that I may encounter unexpectedly. I also should not have to ruin a moveslot for one of my good Pokémon just to access a certain area. In Heartgold, one of your Pokémon must know Rock Climb before you can battle Red at the top of Mt. Silver. Assuming you have six Pokémon, this already puts you at a disadvantage - and any disadvantage is critical when Level 88 Pikachus and that damned Snorlax are involved.
With that said, I'M NEVER EVER EVER EVER BUYING A PRODUCT FROM THIS COMPANY AGAIN. The series was ruined the day the cartridges stopped being special colors, anyway. [/No.]
