Dollar Tree being only a single dollar on everything.
I didn’t know Dollar Tree existed further back in the years like the 80s. But, I didn’t discover the store until like late 2000s. That store was a godsend for my then mostly broke ass. Sure the quality of products could’ve been better and the food selection could’ve been better, but they were there for me and others who’re strapped on budgets.
And it was a good 16 years while that lasted. It is a little annoying at times to shop there and know it is no different than Dollar General and Family Dollar. But it could’ve been worse.
Pokemon games before generation 6 (7 was perhaps a brief return to form).
I’ll go get my walker. Gen 4 was a big dissapointment to me (outside of the physical/special split) and where I stopped keeping up with the new releases. The plot didn’t grip me, but I also never picked up Platinum. Maybe that one somehow makes it better.
In my entirely objectively right opinion, Gen 2 had the best “world”/“setting” and Gen 3 had the best “mysteries”/“secrets” and postgame with Emerald. Someone deserves to be jailed for leaving the Battle Frontier out of ORAS.
I tried to love Soul Silver, after all the many hours I put into GSC, but never finished it. I’ve also tried Black and White, BW2, XY, and ORAS. A good amount of the “gold standard” rebalance/QoL hacks too (Drayano is the GOAT). It just doesn’t keep me like it used to. Get at most 3 or 4 gyms in and just lose interest.
SWSH was the death knell of pokemon games, it got lazier and lazier, to not even trying. and masuda said he would do this, because he got burnt out. the console game needs to be handed out to another company. too bad people ars still buying the slop.
Despite being prime age for Pokemon Red when it came out, I didn’t get into the games until my 20s. Heart Gold was my introduction to the series. Black & White came out soon after that, so it was my first “new” Pokemon game that I was excited for.
I eventually went back and played gens 3 and 4 as well. Despite that, I must say, these endless rehashes of old games are quite confusing for someone new to the series. I wish I had been in from the start.
I enjoyed ORAS, gen 7, and I’m maybe a bit embarrassed to say it but Scarlet, despite being technologically and aesthetically bankrupt, was rather fun. Brilliant Diamond has also become a bit of a comfort game that I’ve replayed 4 or 5 times now.
Right now, I’m on a GBA romhack kick, with a heavy preference for original regions with a deliberately selected pokedex consisting of official 'mons from a range of generations. Recently enjoyed Pokemon Lazarus so much that I’m replaying it.
The ROM hacking scene has had so many awesome hacks recently, I can hardly keep up! I’ve been playing Elite Redux and Emerald Rogue a lot recently, and heavily enjoyed Unbound and Gaia. There’s a bunch of new DS hacks coming that are looking very promising too, including ones with original regions. We may very well see a DS hacking renaissance soon!
Platinum fixes a lot of the issues that Diamond and Pearl had, namely the extremely slow animations and health bars, as well as the lack of available fire types. It’s the definitive way to play Gen 4, especially Drayano’s Renegade Platinum.
Yeah Gen 4 was my exit from the main games too. I just remember everything being so bloody slow in that game. Everything took so long. Just using cut required a cut scene.
The original Diamond and Pearl are almost unplayable without using an emulator to speed it up. Especially the health bars. Looking at you, Victory Road trainer with a Blissey!
Come on, how bad could it be?
Oh. Oh no…
Lost it at wild Blissey with a focus sash
Gen 2 was the GOAT. It had enough Pokemon count (you could collect them all without the effort that it takes now) and Pokémon stadium 2. Everything else has been men after that, though I did like secret caves and change in attacks. Now if y’all excuse me it’s time for my medication and back to rocking chair.
I stopped at Gen 4.
I look at Pokemon now and where it is and all I can think is how lazy and cash-grabby it really tries to be. Not like it hasn’t been cash-grabby before, it was just a lot more clever about it back in the day and striking while the iron was very hot. But the developers of Pokemon have gained a reputation as being considerably lazy and nuanced about where they’re taking the series. For example, Satoru Iwata is the key reason that Gold and Silver was able to have both the Johto and Kanto regions. He helped use a special compression method that made it work, while the original devs were fretting about in how to do it and was considering cutting content out.
These days though, it’s been evident how truly lazy the devs are, they’ve relied on name brand alone to carry them. Like yes, I know Pokemon was geared for kids and everything should be simple and all. But even the kids deserve something better than what garbage that has been shoveled out.