WARNING!
The following document contains personal opinions and may contain potential bias. Anyone sensitive to someone else's opinion may want to turn away now. But thanks for reading anyways!
What's up, everybody? I'm davidthemightypaladin. You may know me as David Ishihara, the mild-mannered and spunky leader of the Brave Adventurers in the Dimensional Heroes series. With Generation VII going its second round with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, a lot of people couldn't help but get hyped. Myself included. After playing through Ultra Moon's story and Rainbow Rocket episode, I couldn't help but feel amazed at the things that made this game a masterpiece. Poke Pelago, Z-Moves, the Ultra Beasts, heck, even the Tapu Guardians themselves! There were tons of features that set itself apart from its brethren, and each and every one of them is unique and fantastic in its own way! Buuuuut… Like the others, they're not exactly perfect. I'm talking to you, Ghetsis! You heartless scumbag! *ahem* Sorry. Got carried away. Whether it's features removed from Generation VI, or things never considered, there were a lot of missed opportunities. Oh boy… I'm not gonna make any friends today either, am I? Anyways, this will list things that I felt that Generation VII would benefit from. So, without further ado, it's davidthemightpaladin's Top 10 Things that should've been in Generation VII!
#10- Sparring Arena
With the introduction of Poke Pelago, a lot of facilities were added for our PC Pokemon to interact with. They can go exploring for rare items, tend the berry fields, relax in the hot springs, and even play in the gym to raise their levels and stats. But one piece of the puzzle that I feel that it wouldn't be complete without is a sparring arena, where two teams of Pokemon battle each other to see which is better. Obviously, this would use both Single Battle and Double Battle formats. The only reason that this isn't any higher on the list is because we already have stuff for this, like Pokemon Showdown, and the PokeType app. But still, doesn't this make you the least bit curious?
#9- Triple Battles and Rotation Battles
Okay, this is more of a personal thing, and I can see why a lot of people in Gens V and VI didn't like them. I happen to be one of those people that actually do like them. They added a new depth of strategy you couldn't find on the other formats, with the positioning of the Pokemon you have in battle being very crucial, as attacks only hit the Pokemon in the center or across from the user. Battle Royale is still nice, and adds a factor of making sure your opponents don't steal your K.O.s, but… It just doesn't ring it the same way for me.
#8- Pokemon walking alongside you
This pretty much bugged me for a while. The release of HeartGold and SoulSilver introduced the concept of Pokemon walking alongside their Trainer. It was removed in Generation V for whatever reason, and...it never happened again. It was a new way to interact with Pokemon and raising their bonds with you, which is very helpful, since some Pokemon evolve with a high enough friendship rating and there's nothing that can determine that besides the affection meter in Pokemon Refresh, even though they're not the same. I only wished that they'd do it with multiple Pokemon so that it would look as though the whole team is traveling together like some sort of JRPG, but hey, that's just me.
#7- Pokestar Studios
Okay, from this point on, I'm just gonna list things that would make Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon better. I won't say they should all be on here, but that at least one of them would make the experience a whole lot better. Don't get me wrong, the games are already great in their own way, but there was wasted potential. Anyway, next on the list is Pokestar Studios. You probably remember this little tidbit from Black and White 2, which was chock-full of great side content. Maybe that's way I was listing everything. I wanted the games to be more like Black and White 2. Back to the entry. Pokestar Studios featured a new way of battling by positioning you as an actor in a movie. It challenges you to use moves in a specific order to get the best ending. The plotlines in the movies work really well, so much so that you're addicted to keep going. I really wanted this to be in so that we can see what Alola brings to the table. But, it's nothing to get worked up about.
#6- Pokemon Musical
This was kind of the replacement for Pokemon Contests in Gen V because there are no contest stats. You dress your Pokemon up with props and and watch as they perform. Your Pokemon will gain more favors the more in-theme the props are, and how well they perform in their solos. It's a fresh breeze from the competitiveness of the other side games, and I really wished it would make a comeback sometime soon.
#5- Horde Encounters
Yeah, it's a barely noticeable feature from Gen VI, but I really appreciated the work that went into it. Having to face five Pokemon at once really threw me for a loop the first time around. It was a nice way to gain experience and catch Pokemon that couldn't be caught normally. Plus, I really like the fact that it becomes a three-way battle if two groups are caught in it. This wasn't possible due to the removal of Triple Battles, but...it sure would've made the battle against Team Skull in Poni Island more enjoyable.
#4- Pokeathlon
Another feature that was removed after HeartGold and SoulSilver, and is actually one of my favorites. As a bit of a sports nut myself, I actually like this feature. Taking a break from the traditional format, this pitted three of your Pokemon in athletic competitions against other teams to see who is the best. With competitions being based around certain kinds of stats, you have to keep on your toes when picking your team and when you're competing. This is probably just a buzz from the UA Sports Festival, the only difference being a lack of a Battle Tournament, but I really liked this! It's a shame that I'll lament on what I missed while I wait on a decent Mario and Sonic Olympic Game. Not saying that they're bad, but Olympic Winter Games was the best for me because it had Festival Mode, and it made me feel like I was actually in the Olympics. I-I should probably get to the next one, this is getting a little too emotional for me.
#3- PWT
Honestly, who wouldn't want this back in? It was the greatest feature to ever grace Black and White 2, and I was shocked when it was removed in Gen VI, in favor of what? The Battle Maison? That thing couldn't light a candle to this wave awesomeness! It allowed you to battle Gym Leaders and Champions from past regions to fill in that wave of nostalgia for long-time fans. Plus, you could never tell who you'd be facing, so it was a great experience every time. Plus, it's the only thing other than the Battle Dome in Pokemon Emerald where battles are conducted in tournament format Speaking of which…
#2- Battle Frontier
Okay, I'm just gonna say it right now. Everybody wants this back! There are multiple facilities here that test the Trainers' mantle by having them face the challenges under certain conditions. Every facility is different, so there's something for every kind of Trainer. We all thought that it would come back in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire when they were being remade for the 3DS, and what do get instead? A model of the Battle Tower, saying that it's not ready yet! So much time later, still nothing! That was like the ultimate kick in the nuts for fans. Now that Gen VII has gone back to the original Gen III battle style with the exclusion of Triple and Rotation Battles as I mentioned earlier, I need to ask, why isn't this back yet?! It's like come ON, GameFreak! How much longer are you going to prolong this? This would've been number 1 if there wasn't something else to address.
#1- Console game
Don't lie to me. You've all been thinking of this, too. It's high-time that we finally got a Pokemon game for the consoles, right? Well, it didn't really help that we hadn't had a console game in 10 years! Instead, we get treated to spin-offs like Pokemon Conquest, the Pokepark games, the Mystery Dungeon games, the Pokemon Rumble games, and just recently, Pokken Tournament. Don't get me wrong, they're all good games in their own right, but… I for one miss the chance to battle with my Pokemon on the big screen, especially with all they had to offer, like Pokemon Stadium, the Gym Leader castles, even the Colosseums in Battle Revolution were a nice change of pace before Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection went kaput. But still, a Pokemon Stadium type game can really revolutionize the Pokemon community in ways we never thought before. Gen VII is still going strong, so I have my hopes that they can actually pull this off.
So there you have it. Thanks for reading this, and if there are any features that you think should've been on here, by sure to leave a comment.