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| Pokemon Red |
As technology advances, the
mechanics of gaming and the games themselves improve to appeal to a more modern
demand for better graphics, more immersive gameplay, and fresh ideas to keep
series like Pokémon afloat. With the introduction of newer portable consoles,
like the 3DS, which has significantly better abilities at handling graphics and
faster paced gaming, the newer forms of Pokémon are also altered visually to
suit these new abilities. Most notably, two of the newer introductions to the
series, X and Y, allow the battles to be viewed in 3D imagery and the once flat
pixelated landscapes have become gorgeous, colorful, and 3D.
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| Pokemon Red |
The old battle screens showed the Pokémon sprites in black and white and crowded the screen with the boxes that showed the health
bars and a large box describing each move made during the battle. In the newer
games, rather than showing a brief animation and stating the name of the move,
the game can rely more on imagery depicting the action of each character rather
than relying more heavily on text.Visually, the text boxes commanded attention as they would appear and separated character names and moves from the other text, as shown in the image to the right. The names of the species of Pokemon and the move, THUNDERSHOCK in this example, are fully capitalized while the regular text is lowercased. A bold exclamation mark adds to the tension of the moment as does the bold fast music that is used specifically for battles. It creates a sense of competition and rivalry and the need to win the battle.
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| Pokemon X |
In Pokémon X the graphics are
colorful, but the use of battle specific music and old conventions of the game
that remain from earlier versions keep it consistent. It still visually separates
the Pokémon from each other and places them on opposing ends of the screen,
with the player’s Pokémon to the far left and the opponent to the far upper
right corner. The landscape and characters are given more space on the screen
in the X, and the stats of the characters as well as the Pokémon still in their
Pokéballs are shown small above this. It gives slightly more information than
Red, but does so in such a way that the focus is still predominantly on the Pokémon
themselves rather than crowding the screen. This may be due in large part to
the bigger screens on portable gaming systems, as the original Game Boy had a
much smaller, one screen format, while 3DS and its predecessors boast two
larger screens. One is used to select options, like what moves to use, while
the other is used solely to watch the battle.
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| Pokemon X |
One addition that provides an
entirely new aspect of the games has been Pokémon Amie, which functions
similarly to an animal simulator like Nintendogs.
It provides increased interaction between the player and their Pokémon, which
can also allow improved emotional connection to both the game and the Pokémon
itself. The new feature allows the player to use mini games to earn Poké Puffs
and then to feed those Puffs to the Pokémon they are currently carrying. Customization
of the player character is also new, but is specific to the gameplay of X and Y
and will not be available in future Pokémon games. Style points are a key
component of the game and are accumulated through clothing worn by the
character. The eye color, hair color, clothing, and accessories are all able to
be customized to suit the player. This can be used to create a separate avatar or to make the sprite as similar to the player
as possible. It promotes a stronger opportunity to form a connection with the
avatar and game as it can be customized and altered to the wishes of the
player.
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| Pokemon X |
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| Pokemon: The First Movie |
In the film, Pokémon: The First Movie, the ability to expand upon the ideas of
the game allows it also to provide more background for the way each system in
the game works. This also allows it to show more of the relationship between a
trainer and their Pokémon. When a character faints or is engaged in a battle
within the game it is a piece of the overall construct of the game and the
ability to quickly find the nearest –place to heal pokemon- possible is always
in the back of the player’s mind. The emotions brought on by losing a battle
are lessened by the knowledge that after a brief interlude to heal their pets,
the game will continue. The film allows a lost battle, and the discomfort and
pain of the Pokémon during battle, to be visualized and gives them more power
within the story. The individual moments can be drawn out, emphasized with
intense background music, and can draw the trainers directly into the line of
sight. In the game the trainer is the player and they are unseen during
battles, but the trainer is depicted throughout the film, here the most prominent
being Ash. His relationship with Pikachu, which is central to the film, is
approached in a way that allows the viewer to feel more strongly about the bond
between a trainer and their Pokémon. One particular scene, shown here when Ash
is turned to stone, reveals the intensity of the bond through Pikachu’s reaction.
Since he can not speak English, it is through his physical representation of
emotion, facial expressions, gestures, movements, and sounds, that his grief is
shown.
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