Let's keep it real, everyone who is anyone has heard of Pokémon. You don't have to be one of the many who were born in the 90s to know of this legendary (no pun intended) journey. It has warped the minds of modern day adolescents and even those who grew up that currently have a standing in College. Even your own grandparents know a decent piece of knowledge about it. However, there lies a distinctive issue that not a fair share handful are willing to admit.
Pokémon has fallen.
No, I'm not talking about "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
The foe fainted!
No. Not that type of fallen.
I mean fallen along the lines of nothing is the same anymore, nonetheless entertaining. Look, I get it, "you can't expect everything to stay the same forever." It's understandable and I wholeheartedly give credit to Nintendo and The PokémonCompany for at least giving it a shot. But yet, the attempt seemed to be limited in its value towards capturing an essence that could live on without expiration.
From a young age, specifically around 1998, Pokémon was a pretty good standard of entertainment and a breath of fresh air for the adventures revealed when I first picked up its video game, Yellow Version, with our good ol' classic (then) chubby buddy on the front cover, Pikachu.
As a small bit of years rolled on, and escaping out of the classic 8-bit grainy picture and grooving on to a step-up with the Silver, Gold and Crystal Versions, it'd seem as if the success of the trio brand of games with encaptivating background of storied adventures aligned to each would see through to a promising future in the franchise's popularity.
And how couldn't it? With similar storylines but an impactful climatic twist added to the mix of each of the three, there is no denying that the fun was just beginning. Let's be honest, we all completely caught the heebie-jeebies when this happened.
Following up came the opening of Generation 3. A whole new landscape of many grand features that expanded not only the legacy of the Pokéverse with a new wave of fresh faces, but also with a fresh breath of life and captivating appeal to the nature. The leading focus of the peer group represented by the super-ancient Pokémon or The Weather Trio, Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza. Groudon representing land, Kyogre for sea and Rayquaza holding own to the sky. Both Groudon & Kyogre battling for centuries over claiming a source of natural energy within the Earth. Rayquaza being the peace-keeper in that war to keep the two at bay from causing mass destruction among the world.
Moving onward to a more mystifying land of the Sinnoh region whereas wild occurrences takes place very often. Whether it'd be through the troubled antics of Team Galactic in such vile attempts to recreate the entire Pokémon universe under their own hand to chasing after the three servants, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf of the God-like Legendary Pokemon, Arecus who remains perched at the Holy high levels of the Hall of Origin. Which can be accessed via the Spear Pillar, where lies the site of the Creation Trio of the temporal Pokémon, Dialga, the spatial Pokémon, Palkia and the grim-like Renegade pokemon, Giratina who lies beyond a portal of the Pillar to a bizarre humanity called Distortion World.
Overall, in addition to its expansion towards keeping the nostalgic and the fresh act of captivating adventure, generation 4 keeps any PokéAdventurer drawn to unlock the many secrets of new creature types, legends and cross through many lands to rise in the ranks of becoming the very best.
.......Now.
Is where it becomes difficult.
I'll just come straight out the box and shoot for the big question:
WHAT
HAPPENED
TO POKEMON?!
Look, I am in the very least of the category towards being biased. However, I request an answer as to why the past six years of the legacy that was build on a never-ending adventure of exuberance has completely washed down the toilet?
Don't get me wrong for a single second. Change CAN be a good thing, but this situation begs a blunt force of questioning. I admire the hard-work that Nintendo and The Pokemon Company put forward. To continue keeping at bay the memories of such tender trails that we have walked along the years with Ash and his friends, it has always been a journey that keeps on giving with such great surprise. But would it just have been so hard to have left it to a peaceful rest back when an abrupt turn for the absolute unfortunate, back in 2010?
Generation 5, 6 and fairly soon, 7 has been (and will be) nothing short of a volcano eruption straight into the pit of several tons of childhoods. What was once a prime focus towards exploring difference cities and towns with a historical background behind many of them has transmogrified towards being a circus freak show, rural areas with little to no life tied to it and a barren wasteland for searching the most horrendous appealing creatures with names that are least easier to pronounce than most medical terms.
Speaking of horrendous appealing creatures, along the way of the new upbringing in the Pokémon world, someone sprouted the "bright idea" to introduce a little upgrade called "Mega-Evolutions." Now once again, don't get me wrong, there are very FEW new designs towards these seemingly newly developed creatures that most of us have come to know and love. However, the chink in the armor is just as of that. To put it simple:
Who thought it was smart to assign Mewtwo two new forms?
Who decided Blastoise needed a bigger cannon?
Venasaur needed a few extra leaves?
Charizard needed to resemble a demonic dragon or even
Don't call it a complaint, call it a concern.
What was the motive behind shifting around ideas to devalue the prestige to the OGs of this legacy. None the less to touch the Legendaries, who each and every one was sworn to never possess any trace of evolution, and more so, terrible ones.
Mewtwo shouldn't resemble a D-rate Freiza from Dragonball Z as if he didn't look like the original enough already.
And while we're on the topic of Legendary Pokémon, anyone care to explain that Rainbow Dash looking thing last pictured up above?
Is this the best that could come out of the production room of was expected to make a splash? Because I will reassure, I (unbiasedly) was utterly ashamed and stunned to still call myself a proud Pokémon supporter after coming across this little thing for the first time, which, (SURPRISE), looks like the makers found the nerve to call it a LEGENDARY after dragging it out of a My Little Pony cartoon.
Truly an embarrassment that to this day, it is an uncomfortable setting that for half a decade, it has seemed to appear that dungeons and dragons, Yu-Gi-Oh and Digimon have all paired up in a low-budget display to somehow find their way to be called Pokémon. Disregard the thought to mistake any ideal term or line that I have uttered in the convincing fashion to bash the state of the strongest tug to our heart strings that have played in harp fashion since the Gameboy (not color) days. It is just a true shame to me that for the CHANGE that actually came along, became more of a side show to appeal on platforms to make people think, rather than continue on in the passion that formerly brought a fair share of delight to everyone's heart.
With the incarnation of Generation 7 upon is very shortly, one would only have to question, what next?! What incomprehensible names will we have to pronounce next, what rejected trash bin drawing will the Pokemon Company pull from yet again to bring upon for the new starters of this journey? So many questions need answering yet so troubling for the mind to process for not one but many concerned viewers, gamers and adventurers who are all stricken by...
...just how the Legacy of Pokémon fell flat.
