Favourite Features - All Generations

[Djaco75]

I thought I would just create this thread to see some of the best features that Pokemon had. Here you can list your favourite features of any Pokemon game to see what the spread is.

Personally, my favourite feature is the PWT in Black and White 2. I loved the idea of battling Gym Leaders and Champions from previous regions. However, I would have liked to see the Elite Four in there too...

Can't wait to see your opinions!

 

[Involuntary Twitch]

Having Pokemon follow you in HeartGold/SoulSilver was something I'd been wanting for many generations, I felt like it really added a whole lot of flavor to the world and was sad to see it go away in subsequent games (although for understandable reasons).

Also, as a kid I remember being incredibly excited for the Battle Frontier in Pokemon Emerald. All the different styles of battle were interesting to me and I enjoyed the challenge, although I was too young to be very good at it. Simply having a large post-game sandbox area to play around in was a lot of fun, though.

In terms of making good use of the dual screen, honestly I thought Pokemon Diamond, Pearl & Platinum's "Poketch" was great, it had so many different features (a clock, a step counter, a regional map, a doodle pad, etc.) that made good use of the touch screen and enhanced gameplay.

Lastly, the 6th and 7th gens use of Pokemon-Amie and Pokemon Refresh have been something I absolutely love. Getting to pet, play with and feed your Pokemon is so much fun! I loved how you can use it to cure status conditions in Gen 7 too.

 

[Luka S.J.]

Breeding (introduced in gen 2) had to be probably the most important feature for my OCD later down the line. And having those IV checking NPCs in the latest gens made getting those perfect Shiny 'mons even more accessible.

On that note, I could also say that horde battles were a really nice way to rack up EVs real quick. Imo it overshadowed Super Training which could have been a thing.

 

[pokeciv]

By far the best added feature was the 'instant repel refresh' in gen 5. I mean, seriously - think of all the steps required to avoid more Zubat: Start, Down, Down, A, A (if you've previoously used a repel), A, B, B. The insanity!

Jokes aside, while this may seem like an almost negligible addition next to many other (previously mentioned) features, I just thought I'd bring this into the spotlight. Something so simple can make a big difference, and make caves that much more enjoyable. :)

 

[Evan]

It's hard for me to separate my favorite mechanics from mechanics that drastically changed Pokémon, but I'll try to keep in mind the ones that I personally liked the most in the list below:

Gen II - Shiny Pokémon. It really added a new level to Pokemon, and gave people incentive to go and hunt and catch and show off prizes. A "once in a blue moon" kind of thing, Shiny Pokemon has had a huge effect on Pokemon series-wide, and I love it personally for that reason.
Gen III - Double Battles. I can't state how much I love double battles. They made the competitive scene for me, and allowed for a ton more competitive creativity. Also I have a soft spot for the Orre games which really show off the double battle feature.
Gen IV - Pokémon Following, probably. I love it, the bonding feels fun, and there weren't too many other huge Pokemon mechanics.
Gen V - EASILY being able to continue onto using more Repels, as @pokeciv said before.
Gen VI - I liked the trainer customization in gen 6--I don't know that I would do it in all Pokemon games since it loses the character of the protagonist you design, but it was fun to deck out my trainer.
Gen VII - Poke Ride for SURE. I wish it was expanded upon--it took what was annoying about HMs and got rid of it, and took what was GREAT about HMs [i.e. needing to use Pokemon on the overworld] and played it up even more. Bravo there.

 

[Hematite]

This is a minor but oft-overlooked feature that I personally enjoyed in the same vein as the PWT. Does anyone remember the Black Tower/White Treehollow (collectively called Unova's Challenge, but I figured that was too vague so I wanted to name them individually first :p)? I really enjoyed those for a few reasons:

> They're long and get to somewhat challenging opponents like the standard Battle Facilities. You even do face a few Legendaries, although I don't think they get to be as common as in, say, the Tree or Subway because only the Area Bosses use them.

> They were a fantastic place to level-grind, and they got to high enough levels that you could reach level 100 from them far more quickly than in BW - or most other games, really. Breeders using only the Happiny line was a fantastic way to facilitate this.

> There was no banlist - this is literally the only postgame facility where things like the mascot Legendaries and any Mythicals can be used in any game as far as I know. Since you can replay it and face strong, high-leveled opponents, it's actually a nice way to (cough) give you something to do with them, which most games forget to offer (cough).

> It was really survival-oriented - the segments were broken up nicely so it wasn't impossible, but you couldn't use items from your Bag (only give hold items) and your team would be quickly worn down if you didn't stay ahead of the level curve, so you had to pick your battles (following the clues to the Gate Trainer, for example - having a Gate Trainer to seek out but making all of the battles optional was a really ingenious way to keep players willing to fight while not making it an exhausting gauntlet and keeping players in control of how many battles there were) and you were always seeking out a Nurse.

> I also enjoyed that it felt like a lively area like a dungeon/cave/forest/route and had lore/some small backstory rather than being presented as a safe, regulated environment (I did the Treehollow, but I'm told Black Tower had some mystery behind it and wasn't just a standardized facility, either) - it felt more like an adventure even though it could easily have been presented the same way as the Tower or something.

I just really enjoyed them, haha! XP

 

[Luka S.J.]

Gen IV - Pokémon Following, probably. I love it, the bonding feels fun, and there weren't too many other huge Pokemon mechanics.

Physical/Special move split. Unlimited item slots in the Bag. Gender differences. Running inside buildings. Slew of online functionality. People forget all the good gen 4 did for the game :P

 

[Evan]

Physical/Special move split. Unlimited item slots in the Bag. Gender differences. Running inside buildings. Slew of online functionality. People forget all the good gen 4 did for the game :P

Mentioning GTS or anything online felt like a cop out, Physical Special split was in that category of "changed metagame forever but didn't particularly affect me playing at the time" and I had to go with following pokémon. The other things were subtle and less "fun", though unlimited bag items definitely gets close.

 

[doof]

Cop out or not, the online stuff in Gen IV-V(especially since it was wireless) was easily one of the big things back in the day for me. It was awesome to be able to just up in and team up with my brother or sister in the Battle Frontier, and/or battle them.

Another, probably bigger feature to me was the ability to transfer Pokemon from Gen III to Gen IV through that park thingy. I used to transfer every living thing in my Emerald over to Platinum, to the point that I had no good Pokemon left. I was having to decide between starting over or trying to salvage what I had. I decided against starting over (which I should've done in reality) and built up a new team, but that's another story.

Same thing when HGSS and BW came out. All Pokemon were moved to HeartGold to see their follower sprite, and then all were moved to see their animated battle sprite. So basically, my favorite features were the ones that made me lose my Pokemon from game to game. But eh. It was fun.

 

[Flares]

What I really liked were the day/night versions of town themes in DPP, followed by the BW2 gym themes. Despite it being only a small detail, I felt like it really added something to the game (btw the night version of the DPP PC theme was easily the best PC theme, haha).

Other than that I can only agree with what has been posted already. The Gen V repel refresh mechanic and Gen III's double battles definitely were one of my favorite features.

 

[Djaco75]

followed by the BW2 gym themes

Yeahhhh.


I was really disappointed that feature didn't return in X and Y. The gym themes added so much to the BGM in the Pokemon World. Also, just adding something here. Almost all of the Black and White 2 Gyms had a second purpose. I really liked that about the later Gen 5 games - it added so much to the actual quality of the game.

 

[Evan]

Oh I also wanted to mention "Gym Leader's Last Pokemon" theme from Gen 5. That was such a dope theme, and still likely my favorite rendition of the Pokémon Title Theme.

I wish the gym battles were just a tad more difficult so that the general feeling of the music could come through, but I absolutely LOVED the atmosphere of "OH MAN HERE WE GO GUYS LETS DO IT"

It helped immerse me in the game a LOT more.

 

[TheGamingPaladin]

hmm, oh how do i begin with listing all the features that i liked? i guess i will do so in generational order.

Gen 1 - RBY: while Red remains as my favorite version of Gen 1 (Red being my fave color) Yellow AKA Pikachu Edition had some really great features, it started with Following Pokemon (only Pikachu but this is still where the mechanic began, so i digress.) but there was also Pikachu inspired minigames, which i would love to see more Pokemon-centric Minigames, would give all the more reason to "Catch em All!"

Gen 2 - GSC: Breeding - of course it is overlooked as being a mechanic but it's become a crucial part of our metagame as soon as it's inception in Gen 2, we use it for Shiny Hunting and to breed Champions. another feature that is overlooked (and sometimes underappreciated...) is the Day to Night System that runs off an internal clock, now you had reasons to be on Morning, Noon and Night to catch more pokemon, see time related events and even Evolve pokemon.

Gen 3 - RSE: Contests - now while i cant say that everyone liked the notion of Pokemon Contests, but i very much enjoyed the concept, why i even got a Magikarp Lv30 to the Finals of the Cute Category, with Splash, Tackle, Flail and Bounce. i would love to get back into contests and earn medals to show off to my fellow Pokemaniacs.

Gen 4 - DPP: Mining and Secret Bases - both mechanics went hand in hand with each other in DPP, you could mine for shards and invade other players bases to take their flags, it was the closest that Pokemon has come to Capture the Flag in MP, perhaps we can see that happen again one day.

Gen 5 - B&W: Repel Refresh - while a small mechanic in itself, being able to use another repel after you finished the first one made keeping weak pokemon at bay, especially while hunting for the roaming legendaries.

Gen 6 - XY: Trainer Customization - i know some players didnt like that the default character was free to dress up as you please, but i feel that with MP becoming more and more a part of Pokemon in general, we need to play as ourselves, which Gen 6 offered and i support it being a permanent mechanic.

Gen 7 - SM: Poke Ride - no more HMs bogging down our teammates or limiting our teams outside of Gym Battles, sweet christmas that is something i find LONG overdue.

oh and any new Battle Types or Endgame mechanics is very much been welcome in my book, the Endgame is a big deal for me, and facing trainers in even more ways just keeps it interesting.

 

[kirlial]

There's been lots of nice additions throughout the series but I'll name five things I quite liked:

-Reusable TMs in the fifth gen, mostly because it meant that I actually used them at all rather than feeling that there were too precious to use.

-Diving in gen 3 (though the underwater speed was a little slow), it was loads of fun to explore the sea and go underwater, finding rare items. I loved when it returned in BW2 as well.

-the Poketch for the touch screen in gen 4, as well as the toggle running button in HGSS.

-Time-based events in gen 2, such as the lapras that appears on fridays and the siblings who would appear one day a week and give you a hold item. Time-based events were of course further expanded as the series went on.

-Post game getting to explore Kanto in gen 2, even if it was a little hollowed out. By far the most fun post-game for me.

 

[TheGamingPaladin]

There's been lots of nice additions throughout the series but I'll name five things I quite liked:
-Reusable TMs in the fifth gen, mostly because it meant that I actually used them at all rather than feeling that there were too precious to use.
-Diving in gen 3 (though the underwater speed was a little slow), it was loads of fun to explore the sea and go underwater, finding rare items. I loved when it returned in BW2 as well.
-the Poketch for the touch screen in gen 4, as well as the toggle running button in HGSS
-Time-based events in gen 2, such as the lapras that appears on fridays and the siblings who would appear one day a week and give you a hold item. Time-based events were of course further expanded as the series went on.
-Post game getting to explore Kanto in gen 2, even if it was a little hollowed out. By far the most fun post-game for me.

Reusable TMs are the best, now all our pokemon can get their best movesets without any issues, dunno WHY i didnt list that in my favorite features.