I’ve had some history with Pokemon. I still remember being 10-years old reading the preview for Red and Blue in Nintendo Power. Then it came out and I had a blast collecting all 150 Pokemon, fighting Team Rocket, getting through the Elite Four, and using the Missingno trick to get my Pokemon team to level 100 for tournaments. Then Gold/Silver popped up and the enjoyment continued. Soon Ruby/Sapphire came out offering off-putting new Pokemon designs and the same tasks as the previous games. Despite the repition, however, I still had a good time with it. Then there was Diamond/Pearl. Once again with the same tasks as all the others along with even more off-putting Pokemon designs (a Pokemon that looks like a cherry? Really?). I couldn’t even be bothered to finish Victory Road and fight the Elite Four.

And now Nintendo has announced Pokemon Black/White whilst also saying that the games will be getting a bit of an overhaul. How much of an overhaul is still uncertain, but based on the screenshots, it still seems like we’ll be getting more of the same. A bold assumption, sure, but really, it’s become rather predictable by this point. However, I have a solution. After spending so much time with Pokemon over the years, I know how Nintendo can make it fresh and new again.

Step 1: Add more plot.

First and foremost, Nintendo needs to change the focus and goals of the games. Yes, yes, the gimmick of the games is obviously “Gotta’ Catch ‘Em All,” and I’m not saying they need to abandon that. However, this, along with the concept of gathering badges and becoming a Pokemon Master need to become secondary. I’m sure you’re wondering “Secondary to what?” Well, secondary to plot, of course.

Despite being an RPG, the main Pokemon games have always been rather minimal on plot. Sure, there’s some evil organization with plans to take over the world that you always manage to foil, but that’s really about it. Sure, there are little stories here and there as your journey continues, but can anyone really say that they’re genuinely interested in what’s going on? What if the main character’s motivation for becoming a trainer was something more? For instance, let’s say that the main character’s dad has been missing for years, presumably dead and one day you receive a note along with a Pokeball, telling you that your father is still alive and the only way to reach him is with the Pokemon received with the note.

Now right there you’re curious about what’s going on and willing to become invested in this story. You still have to catch other Pokemon to build up your team, but your goal isn’t actually to catch them all. Rather, it would be available as a “side quest” of sorts along with the gym battles and Elite Four (though I’m sure through better writing these things could easily be integrated into the plot). Granted, we’ve already gotten a taste of this in Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon: XD, but I’m talking about something more than what those side games offered.

Step 2: Add FEWER Pokemon

Just with an interesting story that drives the player, the Pokemon games will improve and even expand the audience. I’m not going to stop there, though. Another big addition that would improve the game would be—believe it or not—fewer new Pokemon. The creative team from Game Freak has really been losing it over the years. Very few of the new Pokemon beyond Gold/Silver have been very interesting or creative. Ruby/Sapphire was alright, but Diamond/Pearl was just atrocious. If the games shift their focus more towards story, then there isn’t as much of a need to push the “catch ‘em all” aspect. If they only needed to come up with, perhaps, 50 new Pokemon for a game, they would be able to probably get at least a few more creative juices flowing and put more thought into what is added. And really, who the hell would want to catch over 600 Pokemon? Even with little kids, who the hell would want to do that?

Step 3: Make the games longer

Finally, the other big addition for Pokemon should be greater length. Gold/Silver was great at this just because it had a new area and an old area for players to explore. There’s also the fact that many people already spend over 70 hours wandering around in Pokemon looking for and training their Pokemon, but could you imagine if before those 70 hours they spent around 30 going through an interesting and expansive story?. Why not give players an epic story that spans across several different regions? This way, they would have a reason for travelling to all these different areas and could mix in elements/characters from the older games into the plot and give players more to see and explore.

I understand Pokemon is generally geared towards children, but it’s very clear that those kids aren’t the only demographic playing Pokemon. Besides, back in the day, kids were playing games like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, giving them long and entertaining stories along with deep RPG action. I think it’s about time Pokemon fulfilled its RPG duty and included these things too.

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