Why do you like Pokémon?

[Wave⁂]

Seriously, why?

Choose carefully.

 

[Sir Bedevere]

da games durrrrr

This should have been a multi-vote poll because I don't just like it for the games. :<

 

[Golem the Stern Father]

Haters in 3, 2, 1 ...

 

[Circa]

I know that what I like about Pokemon the most is just the world of it.

But I really just don't know what it is that actually makes me like Pokemon, to be completely honest. So I probably should have voted Other or something.

Oh well.

 

[Gates]

I thought this was going to be more like "What aspect of pokemon do you like most?" As in catching pokemon, exploring the world, breeding, battling the computer, team building, competitive battling, etc.

For me it's the actual battling process. The amount of mental warfare going on in high levels of competitive pokemon play is very high. Preparation is key but a really good battler using a subpar team can beat an average battler using a good team (generally, hax happens).

 

[BurnBurn]

I love the pokemon world. I seriously want to be in it instead of Earth ._.

 

[PowerBomb]

I love the pokemon world. I seriously want to be in it instead of Earth ._.

Yeah, but then realism and science rear their nasty head. Imagine your chances of survival in the wild...

Games for meh. It was the reason I got into Pokemon anyway.

 

[Riddle]

I voted competitive but as per Gates' criteria I would definitely say teambuilding. While the argument Gates makes is true you make it seem as if teams are like a character in Smash. Since you make your teams, teambuilding is actually a very large part of what makes good battlers good. If you are a good battler but a bad teambuilder then I don't think you would actually qualify as a good player, you need both to compete.

Having said that, teambuilding is what I truly love since nothing in pokemon gives me more enjoyment than watching Circa someone use a team i built and have it work together like, well, a team.

 

[Gates]

It's true that teambuilding is extremely important in pokemon, but honestly I like battling more. I think they're both about equal in terms of importance and I didn't mean to downplay one or the other.

And it is like a fighting game in the sense that you need to anticipate and think about how your opponent reacts. For example, if I send out a pokemon, how will they react? Do they have a counter for it? Do they have anything that can stop it from doing what it needs to do without killing it (sleep, etc)? Furthermore, what will they expect my pokemon to do - attack, spread status, or use a supporting move? Maybe they'll think I'm just sending it out to gauge their response and not fall for bait, maybe they'll take it hook line and sinker. Maybe they'll send out a counter to scout how I react. In fighting games and strategy games you need to think ahead of your opponent and anticipate what they'll do.

Additionally it's a war of attrition that gives you a very strategic aspect as well. If I have 3 pokemon and my opponent has 5, how can I overcome them? Do I have sweepers I can use? If so, do I know if my opponent has counters to those sweepers or walls that the sweeper might not be able to handle? If I don't have sweepers, how can I come back by just stalling? Can I use phazing and entry hazards to beat them, or do they have a spinner that can get rid of that plan? Do they have a sweeper that can kill everything I have? Conversely, if I have the advantage, what does my opponent have left? If I have a sweeper out who's gotten a boost already and they send in a counter, do I pull him out and save him for later or risk him dying? If I try to pull him out, how likely am I to have time for him to boost again? If I have a wall out, how likely are they to have an answer to that wall? What if he surprises me with an Explosion? How would I deal with that?

These kinds of things are what I really like about the actually process of battling.

 

[UltiMario]

Need this to be a multi-vote poll.

 

[Wrath`]

Gotta love the competitive battling, to think a game meant to be a simple catch this battle this turned into an immense strategic war between two people

 

[Moozle]

Yeah, but then realism and science rear their nasty head. Imagine your chances of survival in the wild...

Games for meh. It was the reason I got into Pokemon anyway.

Yeah, but in the real Pokémon world, that doesn't matter. I want to live in a place where you can make a name for yourself, have fun, and explore. A place where you're not shot down at the beginning of every adventure, and most of all, a world where there is still a ton to be discovered. The world of Pokémon ****ing rules.

 

[Wave⁂]

Need this to be a multi-vote poll.

I considered it, but this makes you think instead of going down the list and checking everything that you remotely like.

 

[UltiMario]

But there's no way I could possibly select one thing.

The media for Pokemon got me into liking the series.
The games got me loving it.
The competitive scene got me addicted to it.

 

[Wave⁂]

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[Terywj [태리]]

I don't like Pokemon.

Screw Wave+ for not making this poll have mutiple options.

 

[Clownbot]

The games: Handheld or console
The Pokemon themselves
The Pokemon World
The Trading Card Game
Aesthetics: Art or Music
Not not not not not competitive play

 

[UberMario]

From what I like the most to the least:

-Manga/Anime (yes I'm the only person that's selected that so far >_>; )
-Art/Music (I love the music, and I think Ken's art style is awesome)
-Pokemon themselves (Ties into Art)
-Pokemon world (Again)
-The games (Surprisingly, while I like the games, I really can't seem to stick to them after completition, even though I know there's a LOT of replayability left)
-The trading cards (used to collect them, but never had more than 100 and I don't think I even have them anymore . . . .)
-Competitive Play (Sorry, I just can't imagine myself grinding to 100, waiting for the pokemon with the perfect ability/personality, grinding eggs to get perfect IV/EVs, or spending 30 minutes + on a pokemon battle, this is coming from a Chess lover.)

 

[Fuelbi]

Does spriting fall under art/music? Because that's a large reason why I also like pokemon

 

[Clownbot]

-Competitive Play (Sorry, I just can't imagine myself grinding to 100, waiting for the pokemon with the perfect ability/personality, grinding eggs to get perfect IV/EVs, or spending 30 minutes + on a pokemon battle, this is coming from a Chess lover.)

Most competitive battles take place over battle simulators in which you don't have to do all this (except maybe the last one lol)

 

[UberMario]

Does spriting fall under art/music? Because that's a large reason why I also like pokemon

Spriting is a form of pixel art, so yes it should/does.

Most competitive battles take place over battle simulators in which you don't have to do all this (except maybe the last one lol)

Oh, so is that what that Shoddy thing is? I've always wondered lol

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Shoddy Battle and Pokemon Online are great simulators for competitive play. Not many people play over WiFi, only the true breeders and RNG users do.

 

[Ocean]

wheres the all of above option?

 

[Terywj [태리]]

wheres the all of above option?

I guess "Other" could count as "all of the above".

 

[Firus]

I think the question probably could've been better worded as "What do you like most about Pokémon?", since I really don't like Pokémon for any sole reason -- pretty much the only factor that doesn't contribute to my liking Pokémon is the competitive play.

However, I have to go with the Pokémon world as the thing that I like most, because of exactly what Moozle said:

I want to live in a place where you can make a name for yourself, have fun, and explore. A place where you're not shot down at the beginning of every adventure, and most of all, a world where there is still a ton to be discovered. The world of Pokémon ****ing rules.

Next for me would have to be Aesthetics: Art or Music. I don't sprite too much anymore (lost my motivation), but spriting is awesome, and Pokémon spriting is really fun. I've always liked the art style of Pokémon -- from the odd art style of the first gen sprites to the refined look of them in later generations, and even the art style of the overworld. The music's also amazing, I have tons of it in my music library (601 songs, actually) -- from the original anime music to the music in all of the games.

The Pokémon themselves are another thing I love, though I'm not a fan of all of them. The creative, interesting designs of some of them and the simplistic designs of others can be quite amazing.

Of course, the games are made up of all of those elements, so although playing the games is probably the thing I do most of all in regards to Pokémon, I would go deeper than just saying the games are my favorite part -- the gameplay isn't the sole reason I play the games (which sounds silly, but if you had Pokémon without the Pokémon world, without the music or art, and without the actual Pokémon but some ripoff creatures or something, it wouldn't be the same).

That said, I still enjoy the anime/movies -- older pieces for nostalgia, newer ones for lulz (though Lucario and the Mystery of Mew was actually a very good movie, in my opinion). I rarely play the TCG still, but I still have my old cards and I'll play it with my friends every so often just for kicks.

 

[Cease Tick]

I picked the games, but I didn't see the competitive play choice. Definitely competitive play. The games are second, and the manga is third.

 

[Ocean]

ever since getting into competitive battling, I've been able to see pokemon in a brand new light. its wonderful.

 

[firelord767]

1 ch00z3 d4 p0k3m4nz w0rld!1!1!1!

Yeah, like my poor l33t says, i chose world. It's just so freaking cool! The main reason i started playing the games and suffered through a handful of anime episodes is just to broaden my knowledge of the pokemon world so i could at least imagine myself in it. Of course, i did start playing the games for the sake of beating other little critters up once i figured out that overtraining your starter and neglecting the other 492= pretty darn bad.

Also, if this was multi-choice, everyone would probably click all of them. Or at least a lot of people.

Gee, i wish Manga and Anime were separated. The anime is what makes a lot of people frown upon Pocket Monsters*, while Pokespe just plain pwnz.

*I await your hate mail.

 

[xLeafybug =D]

Competitive play. Without a doubt. The mental aspect of it is what I love about it, and the only reason I still play the games. The Games themselves would be second. I don't really care about the rest of that stuff.

 

[Deathfox30]

I like it because it's the only Nintendo game I don't suck at....er.... the Nintendo game I suck least at. :DD

*votes competitive play*

 

[ndayday]

Everything besides competitive play.

I mean, I'm ok with competitive play. I wouldn't classify it as a reason why I like Pokemon though. More and more I'm into the media aspect, actually (DEAL WITH IT). I guess in the end though it's everything that makes Pokemon what it is that I like.

Oh but I chose music because I really like it.

 

[Steelia]

...Hmm.
Maybe I should've gone Pokemon themselves... Ah, well.

The LEGENDARIES are the ONLY things that keep me comin' back to the series. I take a look at the Legends... and if I like what I see, I play that gen's games. Not sure when this started... I think just after 2nd Gen... but whatev, eh?
*cough*Such a reason is also why I dislike Brawl so much.*cough*

Just the whole... unique, and powerful factor about them (mainly unique)... is what intrigues me so much. They're rogues. They don't listen to no one, and don't afraid of anything. Plus, they take FOREVER to capture, but you have the opportunity to try again, try again, try again till you've got 'em. Awesome. I LOVE the added challenge they bring, and just how powerful they are to utilize.
I'm not into the whole competitive scene... so the reputation of these guys remain strong in my eyes.

The 1st Gen Legends are a tad outdated, in terms of design and stats (save for perhaps Mewtwo and Mew)... but they still have their charm.
2nd Gen wasn't TOO shabby, if just a bit knocked off from 1st (3 beasts, anywho).
3rd Gen... err... Was never too fond of this line-up. Regis win it for me, though.
4th Gen I absolutely a-DORED. Regigigas alone could've reeled me, but the Dragon Trio looked epic, Darkrai was cool (Dark-type Legend and all), and Cresselia struck a chord with me.
5th Gen's shaping up... kind of okay. Reshiram's sticking to me, Zekrom is pretty epic, and Victini's got a 1st Gen charm about it, which I really like. Hopefully there're more, and hopefully they've all got some charm about them.

 

[Ocean]

The LEGENDARIES are the ONLY things that keep me comin' back to the series.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

I think the Legendaries to indeed have some merit to them, but I disliked the turn they took, especially during the shift from Gen. III to IV. The Regis were a cool twist on the recurring trio, but then came the legendary beings and that just didn't quite click with me. Dialga and Palkia are both neat in typing and in concept but I think the artwork could have been done much better. I'd say the only Gen. IV Legendary I enjoyed was Shaymin and maybe Cresselia. Maybe.

 

[Niiro]

Manga ftw. Competitive battling is dull, and Nuzlocke is the only real reason I play the handheld games anymoar, besides nostalgia.

 

[Fatmanonice]

I got into simply because I've always had a strong interest in animals. I'm now a zoology major and my reasons for liking the franchise are largely the same. I like the game because I consider them the ultimate time killers and a large number of my friends are still into them.

 

[kirbyraeg]

Other sounds good.

Basically I don't like the games or competitive battling anymore, but I do like touhoumon.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Basically I don't like the games or competitive battling anymore

I think everyone is getting a little tired of the current metagame. It's getting stale. The new B/W metagame should keep things fresh though.

Anyways, the games are what got me started, then the competitive aspect got me hooked after observing it for quite a while.

 

[Night-san]

Should be multi-vote. Really, I voted for "The Pokemon Themselves", but competitive battling is also a big part, the world, the games... Too much. ;-;

 

[Blaziking17]

Should be multi-vote.

I concur because I do like competetive battling as well as the games themselves. Ever since I knew about EV training, I can make any Pokemon into what I need it to be.

I just wish Pokemon would appeal to more people, young and old. The anime really doesn't show the true potential that Pokemon offers through its games. They have a negative stereotype about Pokemon being "just for kids" when it really is not.