Don't forget the part where they were able to pay for that house because they got money from their parents in addition to what they earned.

The last thing I wanted was to Pokémon to adapt a 'live service' style format. Then again FOMO is very much the Pokemon companies bread and fucking butter. Fuck this franchise.

This was a fucking terrible idea and if I had my way the person who came up with this would be fucking fired.

And for those that say 'oh it's easy'. Yes, I got it within an hour, it was also the most non-fun hour I've perhaps had in my life, and I work in customer service.

That's not me saying 'the games were better in 2D'.

It's more that these games have gone from limited handheld hardware into the 3D HD era but feel like their budget is still shoestring both in terms of resource allocation, money, and time allowed.

Pokemon is literally the most valuable brand on the planet. It surpasses Mickey mouse for god sake!

These games should feel like premium products, but I am going to be honest, the last time I felt like a game was a premium product was Black and White.

Some will say you don't need both versions. Maybe. As someone who was very lonely as a child and had no one to trade with...yeah...there's benefits to having both.

As for things like the quality of the games content and not hiring VOs and such...

Not sure if the pokemon games have the depth to present a 'two sides' argument. Ruby and Sapphire feels like the last time they did something like that and even then it wasn't that big a deal.

I'm okay with that, I am not okay with the games being 90% the same but sold at the same price.

DLC's to me are a replacement for the third version. I'd rather have DLC that gives me new addon content than a third version I have to pay full price for again.

This means if someone doesn't want to trade with others, they can just start the game again and select the other version and voila, they're now playing the opposite version.

Sell 1 DLC that expands either game, with any version exclusives determined by that starting game choice.

If we use a previous generation as an example. If I were to buy 'Pokemon Red-Blue' at the start of the game it would ask 'do you prefer hot or cold' or even just 'Which version do you want to play'.

Once chosen, your one and only save file is now that version.

That for me is just too much.

I think the Legends series has shown that they don't need to do this but I would approach the main series differently:

You still have two versions, but its within one game. At the start you make choices which determine which game you're playing, or you just pick.

I think the two versions idea is valid for the trading and collecting aspect, but is blatantly done purely for money.

It's especially egregious that the DLC is also locked to a particular version, so not only do you have two versions of the game, but two versions of the DLC!

However, there is a solution for that: "Yo, we don't recommend this but...a'right! Here you go!"

They even give you the same options as you would if selecting the other starters. Only to pull a 'just kidding!' when you go to select Pamcham.

A secret 4th or even 5th option I'd be behind. Yes it isn't normal and I understand that it may throw the balance of the game out a little.

I am not suggesting that they offer you the ability to start with any pokemon.

but for a brief second I was thinking "Are they going to allow me to pick Pancham as a 4th alternative option?"