History BrokenBase / Pokemon

* Is making the Pokédex mandatory something that makes sense and was bound to happen anytime soon, being the TropeNamer for GottaCatchEmAll, or does it turn the game into a collectathon? Progression in this game is directly tied to Pokédex completion, meaning players can find themselves catching Pokémon for the sake of advancing and not because they want to catch them, particularly since tasks can take a very long time to be fulfilled if you don't catch the Pokémon. This is especially relevant for [[spoiler:Arceus, which requires capturing one of every Pokémon (save for [[OldSaveBonus Darkrai and Shaymin]])]], meaning the player has to actively seek for Pokémon they don't like just to reach a BonusBoss.

** Generation V was the first generation to see significant change for the ''Pokémon'' franchise, mostly with a focus on deeper lore and more developed characters and stories, as well as a completely new, self-contained regional Pokédex with no older species. However, the games were met with glowing praise by some fans and apathy from others, resulting in lower sales than Gen IV; many of the changes and innovations Gen V introduced fell by the wayside in the subsequent (and differently polarizing) 3DS entries. Some fans (especially overzealous supporters of the generation) believe Gen V to be [[SacredCow perfect]] and point to "[[FirstInstallmentWins genwunners]]" as the main or sole reason why its innovations fell by the wayside. Others believe that the games' novelty was undermined by some of their creative decisions being out of touch with the fanbase at large -- such as with the extremely polarizing Unova Pokédex of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' -- and that Game Freak misattributed the blame to fans not liking Gen V in general, resulting in future games distancing themselves from Gen V as a whole. Others still believe Gen V [[http://twinfinite.net/2017/12/best-pokemon-generations-ranked/1/ to not have been as innovative or groundbreaking at many people claimed]], and in fact that its weak attempts at being "different" were already signs of ''Pokémon'' being desperate for new ideas and continuing along its path of being a FranchiseZombie -- and that, in fact, the games tried ''so'' hard to be different that they ended up alienating fans of the classic formula and Pokémon species.

* Is the game a case of AuthorsSavingThrow, giving breaths of fresh air of a franchise that was growing stale, or a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks in that the series needed not an overhaul, but just plain better games, and that ''Legends: Arceus'''s decent sales means that traditionally-designed Pokémon games may not come back. Detractors may find ''Legends: Arceus'' to be ''Pokémon'' InNameOnly and too similar to ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter''.

** Unlocking Arceus requires having ''beaten'' ''Legends: Arceus'' and not just having a savegame (unlike every other case in the series) meaning you can't just borrow a copy for a few minutes, create some save data and return it, but rather buy a copy and play through it - and since ''Legends: Arceus'' is so different from all the other games, it might mean spending 60 dollars just to get a single Pokémon.
** The fact that ''Legends: Arceus'' ''already allows players to get an Arceus without the need of an event''[[note]]the only difference is the one in ''Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl'' [[PaletteSwap can be shiny]][[/note]], meaning that players that only purchase ''Legends: Arceus'' can get one Arceus, players that get both ''Legends: Arceus'' and ''Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl'' can get two, and players that only get ''Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl'' cannot get any.

* The massively lower amount of trainer battles, and that most bosses are wild Pokémon. Does it flow better with the game, especially since you're not going to find sequences of trainers with very weak teams, or does it make too irrelevant [[spoiler:to be properly prepared for the battle against Volo]]? That the game tries to justify this by saying the people of Hisui had yet to trust Pokémon also causes a split in that whether it's a well-thought justification or just an excuse and that they could have had a way higher proportion of trainer battles if they wanted to.

Being officially called a "mainline game" despite [[AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent being so drastically different]] than every other entry considered as such meant that ''Legends: Arceus'' was inevitably going to cause a fractured base. Outside of a small amount of specific points that are generally agreed on, virtually everything is fuel to the fire.

* Is the game a case of AuthorsSavingThrow, giving breaths of fresh air of a franchise that was growing stale, or a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks in that the series needed not an overhaul, but just plain better games, and that ''Legends: Arceus'''s decent sales means that traditionally-designed Pokémon games may not come back. Detractors may find ''Legends: Arceus'' to be ''Pokémon'' InNameOnly and too similar to ''Franchise/MonsterHunter''.

* The game makes for a ''much'' higher focus on exploration, expanding on ''Sword and Shield'''s concept of Wild Areas so that the game's map is essentially a group of open areas. Defenders will say it's a necessary change and puts Pokémon closer to modern titles (even if it's not WideOpenSandbox), and that newer entries had become [[NoSidewaysNoExplorationNoFreedom too linear]] and had maps that were not engaging. Detractors often point the QuicksandBoxTrap ''Legends: Arceus'' is affected by, with non-linear maps and missions can make the player feel lost, forget there was a goal to begin with and not make any progress

** One of the most intense debates, especially after Gen VIII, is whether the franchise should abandon its roots entirely and become a WideOpenSandbox and/or an ActionRPG. Supporters say that it is the best possible shakeup the franchise could use, and often cite games such as ''VideoGame/YoKaiWatch4'' as examples of "what Pokémon should have evolved into by now". Opponents think the franchise can innovate in other ways (such as story, see above), don't want the franchise to blindly FollowTheLeader for games like ''Breath of the Wild'', and prize ''Pokémon'' as a rare RPG franchise that hasn't moved away from turn-based gameplay. The reveal and subsequent release of ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' has united these groups to an extent (adding some aspects of a WideOpenSandbox, but keeping battles turn-based with some action aspects), but the debate still rages on in some circles.

* Being officially called a "mainline game" despite [[AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent being so drastically different]] than every other entry considered as such was inevitably going to cause a fractured base. Outside of a small amount of specific points that are generally agreed on, virtually everything is fuel to the fire. Is the game and AuthorsSavingThrow, or a blatant case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks? Is the CombatantCooldownSystem better or worse than the traditional one? Is the increased focus on exploration better, or it makes players lose track of what they should be doing? Is making the Pokédex mandatory something that makes sense and was bound to happen anytime soon, being the TropeNamer for GottaCatchEmAll, or does it turn the game into a collectathon?

''Pokémon Sword and Shield'' along with ''Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl'' proved themselves to be the most controversial titles in the entire franchise since ''Pokémon Black and White'', thanks to a number of design choices that not only [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood greatly shifted the priorities of the games]], but [[FranchiseOriginalSin brought several long held problems with the series to a head]]. Nearly every facet of the game starts debates that feels eerily like political {{Flame War}}s, and just about the only thing Pokémon fans can agree on is that these games completely shattered the fandom which leads to a cautionary tale about brand power and merchandising over their own works.
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''Pokémon Sword and Shield'' proved themselves to be the most controversial titles in the entire franchise since ''Pokémon Black and White'', thanks to a number of design choices that not only [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood greatly shifted the priorities of the games]], but [[FranchiseOriginalSin brought several long held problems with the series to a head]]. Nearly every facet of the game starts debates that feels eerily like political {{Flame War}}s, and just about the only thing Pokémon fans can agree on is that these games completely shattered the fandom which leads to a cautionary tale about brand power and merchandising over their own works.

* EXP Share being mandatory. The changes to the EXP Share after Generation 6 were already a contentious topic for how it made the already easy games even easier, but with this change, the most common refute to it ("just turn it off") was no longer valid. The officially mentioned workaround by Game Freak to simply deposit Pokémon to not have them get EXP felt clunky compared to a simple toggle, which the newly added autosave feature had (something that garnered flack even from those neutral on the matter). Those defending the change argue that many RPG's had given EXP to all party members for ages and never had a problem with it: the general response to this is that Pokémon plays so differently from other RPG's that, even if the game was balanced around it, there wouldn't be much mileage out of mandatory EXP share. Furthermore, this was a holdover from the ''Let's Go!'' games, which were also decried by veterans for their lack of difficulty: though it was generally given a pass then due to ''Let's Go!'' being a much more explicitly entry level game, the promise that the next games would cater to more serious players made this retention difficult to ignore. Whether the final game's easy difficulty is a direct result of this change or not is base breaking in and of itself as well.

* In Japan, the male dexholder/Prof. Oak's grandson is named green to match the Red and Green version, while the third dexholder introduced later on would be named Blue, since that was the third version of the game. However, their names were switched in translation [[{{Woolseyism}} as to match the dual version in the west]], i.e, Red & Blue. This leads to much confusion among the fanbase, with some preferring to use the original while the others prefer the English games. (Many would specify their gender when referring to the two, with Blue (M) for example)

** The promise to put Pokémon that "fit" the game already raised some eyebrows from the beginning, but the Galar Pokédex itself proved quite divisive. Of particular note was the omission of many fan favorites, such as Garchomp, Absol, and Ampharos, and the inclusion of some very unpopular Pokemon, mostly from [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Generation 5]], such as Basculin, Garbodor, Klinklang, and Vanilluxe[[note]]It's thought that James Turner, the art director of the game who started with ''Black'' and ''White'', has a bias for the generation similar to Creator/MasahiroSakurai's bias for ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. There is also how every creature he designed sans Shadow Lugia and the Ultra Beasts were in the base game.[[/note]]. This is base-breaking because every Pokémon is someone's favorite. Those who [[NostalgiaFilter grew up with these mons]] look at them fondly (in a way making this a case of OldGuardVersusNewBlood depending on age groups), [=YouTubers=] like LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} are fans of Garbodor, and even ''[[TierInducedScrappy Basculin]]'' has a small but strong fanbase.

** Generations 1-7 vs. Generation 8: Easily the most heated and infamous one. This one essentially boils down to the removal of certain Pokémon in the roster of ''Sword and Shield'' (as well as Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves). Older fans consider the roster exclusions to be insulting to fans of Pokémon that did not get into the newer games (even those that were added later as DLC), rallying under the hashtag [=#BringBackNationalDex=]. They also claim that [[ReplacementScrappy the replacement for the 3DS games' Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves,]] [[ScrappyMechanic Dynamaxing,]] [[GameBreaker is wildly overpowered,]] and consider Sword and Shield's $60 (now $40 as of October 2020) price tag (with $30 DLC) to be overpriced considering the price of earlier installments and the length of the base game being only around 20 hours. Conversely, fans of Generation 8 don't mind the roster cut, saying that it alters the competitive scene in an interesting way and makes 100% completion less of a tedious chore. Similarly, the price of the game has also been linked to the console the system was released on rather then the game itself. They also consider going the DLC route to be an improvement over older games [[CapcomSequelStagnation just repackaging earlier installments as a definitive version]] and selling the improved version at the same price, [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo causing players to buy the same game twice.]]

* The fanbase is hugely divided over which generations are the best or worst; with every new addition (or lack thereof) to the series, many people cry the entire franchise (or just a generation) ruined. Here are just a handful of the breaks:

** There are many others; "Generations 1-2 and 5-7 vs. Generations 3-4", "Generations 1-4 vs. 5-7", "Generations 1-3 vs. 4-8", "Generations 2-4 vs. Generation 1 and 5-7", "Generations 1-3 and 6 vs. Generations 4-5 and 7", "Generations 6 and 7 vs. Generation 8", and so on. ''Pokémon'' has gone through so many changes throughout its history that it's difficult to find fans that fully accept every generation in the franchise.

* ''Pokémon HOME'', the successor to ''Pokémon Bank'', has been a divisive subject among the fandom ever since the announcement of "Dexit" back in June of 2019; just about the only thing agreed upon by both sides is that locking the Judge function behind a paywall is pointless, especially for Pokémon that can be transferred to a mainline title and have its individual values read that way. It has drawn the ire of many for locking away many features that were once part of the main series proper, namely the Global Trade Station and the National Pokédex. The removal of the latter, particularly, has led many to give the app derisive nicknames such as "Pokémon Prison", referencing how Pokémon transferred from before Generation 7 are stuck in ''HOME'' and cannot be taken out unless they are available in a mainline game. Others are more charitable to the app, particularly those who either did not care for or were okay with "Dexit" because of the massive workload involved with bringing every Pokémon forward in every mainline game, saying that HOME gives these "forgotten" Pokémon a centralized platform to be carried onto upon every periodic release. Some fans even use this to justify the shunting of the [=GTS=] to ''Pokémon HOME'', for it now being the only place that allows players to store all known Pokémon makes it the most sensible platform for trading them away. None of this even touches on the Premium Plan, which flares up almost any forum or social media post that dares to it: you'll find a whole spectrum of opinions, ranging from finding it to be a miniscule expense that should not matter to people buying 40 to 60 dollar games every year and something that actually makes the experience more centralized, to flabbergasted fans that think charging any more than an annual dollar for storing kilobytes of data on a server owned by one of the richest companies on the planet is outrageous.

** One of the most intense debates, especially after Gen VIII, is whether the franchise should abandon its roots entirely and become a WideOpenSandbox and/or an ActionRPG. Supporters say that it is the best possible shakeup the franchise could use, and often cite games such as ''VideoGame/YoKaiWatch4'' as examples of "what Pokémon should have evolved into by now". Opponents think the franchise can innovate in other ways (such as story, see above), don't want the franchise to blindly FollowTheLeader for games like ''Breath of the Wild'', and prize Pokémon as a rare RPG franchise that hasn't moved away from turn-based gameplay. The announcement of ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' has united these groups to an extent (being a WideOpenSandbox, but keeping battles turn-based with some action aspects), but the debate still rages on in some circles.

* Tying into EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame, the games' main campaign, ditching the ExcusePlot of most of the previous games in favor of a more serious and overarching storyline and dialogue reminiscent of other [[EasternRPG JRPGs]]. Many fans adore the fleshed out story and characters, finding them a welcome and extremely engaging change to the ExcusePlot of old, and say that a serious story should be a part of the core experience from then on. Other fans think the campaign is an obtrusive slog that guards competitive play and PVP behind eons of frivolous text, citing the games as proof that the design of ''Pokémon'' games does not facilitate serious stories well. These changes also intensified the Gen 5/Gen 6 rivalry as the decreased focus on the main campaign and increased focus on endgame preparation for competitive monsters were huge points of contention in ''X'' and ''Y''. The implementation of said story and its quality is also a frequent point of debate, with ''Pokémon'' threads on social media constantly going back and forth about the long stretches of dialogue at each plot point (some of which is arguably unnecessary), the subsequent decreased focus on competitive battling improvements and map exploration (particularly from those who PlayTheGameSkipTheStory), the major players of the story's conflict being {{Base Breaking Character}}s (the biggest example being Lillie), and the questionable pacing of the campaign itself (particularly dealing with the third island).

* Do '''not''' go onto a forum and ask people whether these games (and by extension Meltan and Melmetal, which made their core series debut in these games) are part of Generation 7 or Generation 8. Those who say the former often assert the game is a spin-off, citing the drastic changes made to the gameplay, the heavy inspiration from and integration with ''VideoGame/PokemonGO'', and the fact that no new Pokémon made their playable debut in these games (barring the tenuous nature of Meltan and Melmetal). Those claiming the latter note how the game is still a mostly authentic remake of Gen 1 for a modern audience, it preceded the debut of ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' on the Switch, and it retains enough of the core gameplay (including more than a few references to other mainline titles) to be an acceptable part of the mainline continuity, and even putting that all aside, it was still made by Game Freak, in contrast to other spinoffs, hoping to appeal to both mainline players and new ones. The debate is frequently marred by the controversy surrounding the game's simple and entry level nature, with many who don't like the games calling it Gen 7, and those who do calling it Gen 8. It certainly doesn't help that Game Freak seemingly has no interest in answering this question, seeing as Meltan and Melmetal are listed under "Unknown Origins" in ''Pokémon HOME'' as opposed to either Alola or Galar. Though [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYtKRuKUXQ this video]] made for the 25th anniversary lists the games among the seventh generation right after ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', making it lean more on the 7th generation side.

* The visuals. While from the onset the games were never seen as the most beautiful thing on the Switch, something that many expected owing to Game Freak's own inexperience with the modern home console, the statement that the National Pokédex cull allowed Game Freak to more fine tune the game's graphics immediately led to heavy scrutiny and criticism for seemingly not being worth the tradeoff. A now infamous meme comparing the trees in the Wild Area to the ones in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' became the poster child for graphics complaints. The claims that the Pokemon were made to be more "expressive" also drew many unsavory comparisons to other home console Pokémon titles such as ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' games and ''VideoGame/PokemonBattleRevolution'', which were seen as more "expressive" despite releasing years prior on much less powerful hardware. While many are turned off by the low resolution textures, the short draw distance, the poor scaling of monsters during battle, and the reuse of some of the worst animations from the 3DS days (particularly those from ''X and Y'''s Sky Battles), those who do not see it as a weak point cite how many other high profile first party Switch games, such as ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', have similar graphical bugs and inconsistencies that do not incur any flack and thus by complainers' logic should not be exculpated for these problems (this usually devolves into a debate about the overall quality of ''those'' games in relation to ''Sword and Shield'' which is a whole other topic). About the image of the tree in the Wild Area, opponents to this point bring up how the image itself was horribly compressed before being put on the internet (which some suspect [[ManipulativeEditing was done on purpose]]) and that it simply hadn't loaded all the way in due to the intensity of the Wild Area. They also bring up animations from ''Stadium'' and ''Battle Revolution'' that opponents to the new games would completely rip into if they were in ''Sword and Shield'', such as Doduo using Fly and [[{{Gonk}} Golbat's model]].

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** Generations 1-7 vs. Generation 8: Easily the most heated and infamous one. This one essentially boils down to the removal of certain Pokémon in the roster of Sword and Shield (as well as Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves). Older fans consider the roster exclusions to be insulting to fans of Pokémon that did not get into the newer games (even those that were added later as DLC), rallying under the hashtag [=#BringBackNationalDex=]. They also claim that [[ReplacementScrappy the replacement for the 3DS games' Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves,]] [[ScrappyMechanic Dynamaxing,]] [[GameBreaker is wildly overpowered,]] and consider Sword and Shield's $60 (now $40 as of October 2020) price tag (with $30 DLC) to be overpriced considering the price of earlier installments and the length of the base game being only around 20 hours. Conversely, fans of Generation 8 don't mind the roster cut, saying that it alters the competitive scene in an interesting way and makes 100% completion less of a tedious chore. Similarly, the price of the game has also been linked to the console the system was released on rather then the game itself. They also consider going the DLC route to be an improvement over older games [[CapcomSequelStagnation just repackaging earlier installments as a definitive version]] and selling the improved version at the same price, [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo causing players to buy the same game twice.]]

''Pokémon Sword and Shield'' proved themselves to be the most controversial titles in the entire franchise since ''Pokémon Black and White'', thanks to a number of design choices that not only [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood greatly shifted the priorities of the games]], but [[FranchiseOriginalSin brought several long held problems with the series to a head]]. Nearly every facet of the game starts debates that feels eerily like political [[FlameWar Flame Wars]], and just about the only thing Pokémon fans can agree on is that these games completely shattered the fandom which leads to a cautionary tale about brand power and merchandising over their own works.

* The visuals. While from the onset the games were never seen as the most beautiful thing on the Switch, something that many expected owing to Game Freak's own inexperience with the modern home console, the statement that the National Pokédex cull allowed Game Freak to more fine tune the game's graphics immediately led to heavy scrutiny and criticism for seemingly not being worth the tradeoff. A now infamous meme comparing the trees in the Wild Area to the ones in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' became the poster child for graphics complaints. The claims that the Pokemon were made to be more "expressive" also drew many unsavory comparisons to other home console Pokémon titles such as ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' games and ''VideoGame/PokemonBattleRevolution'', which were seen as more "expressive" despite releasing years prior on much less powerful hardware. While many are turned off by the low resolution textures, the short draw distance, the poor scaling of monsters during battle, and the reuse of some of the worst animations from the 3DS days (particularly those from ''X and Y'''s Sky Battles), those who do not see it as a weak point cite how many other high profile first party Switch games, such as ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', have similar graphical bugs and inconsistencies that do not incur any flack and thus by complainers' logic should not be exculpated for these problems (this usually devolves into a debate about the overall quality of ''those'' games in relation to ''Sword and Shield'' which is a whole other topic). About the image of the tree in the wild area, opponents to this point bring up how the image itself was horribly compressed before being put on the internet (which some suspect [[ManipulativeEditing was done on purpose]]) and that it simply hadn't loaded all the way in due to the intensity of the Wild Area. They also bring up animations from ''Stadium'' and ''Battle Revolution'' that opponents to the new games would completely rip into if they were in ''Sword and Shield'', such as Doduo using Fly and [[{{Gonk}} Golbat's model]].

''Pokémon Sword and Shield'' proved themselves to be the most controversial titles in the entire franchise since ''Pokémon Black and White'', thanks to a number of design choices that not only [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood greatly shifted the priorities of the games]], but [[FranchiseOriginalSin brought several long held problems with the series to a head]]. Nearly every facet of the game starts some kind of debate, and just about the only thing Pokémon fans can agree on is that these games completely shattered the fandom which leads to a cautionary tale about brand power and merchandising over their own works.

** The cited reasons for the Dex exclusions also proved extremely controversial. While there was a general understanding that continuing to maintain nearly 1000 unique entities was no easy task, many fans were skeptical of Game Freak being able to keep its promise on improving the graphics and game balance due to their history of failing with it. Come the game's release, and the game's central gimmick of Dynamaxing was seen as a total GameBreaker within the first few weeks. Smogon's decision to ban it was proof enough for many that Game Freak failed to keep their promise, even when keeping the increased scrutiny of the game as a result of the Dex exclusions and the much larger install base in mind. One side praises the smaller number of variables and the removal of many historic game breakers such as Therian Landorus and Mega Rayquaza, and the other side believes that it is far less entertaining and only further reinforces the ComplacentGamingSyndrome.

* Dynamax and Gigantamax. Reception to them was already cold from the start thanks to being partially to blame for the Dex exclusions as well as being seen as an uninspired combination of Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, neither of which returned in these games, resulting in the mechanic being seen as a big-time ReplacementScrappy for those mechanics by many people. On the one hand, many enjoy the simplicity of the mechanic and how much the additional effects of Max Moves add to the battle dynamics (especially in doubles), while rectifying issues that both Megas (being usable by only forty-two Pokémon) and Z-Moves (being strictly one-time use) had (both mechanics also required giving up the Pokémon's held item, with one exception) and being set as a more fitting and time appropriate spectacle in the game's story. On the other hand, others see Dynamax as unoriginal and boring, as well as horridly unbalanced in practice (especially in singles), with people disliking the numerous benefits Dynamax Pokémon gain for what is seen as little to lose (the big one being their ability to set up a number of beneficial field effects and stat boosts ''and'' deal hefty damage to opponents at the same time).
* The visuals. While from the onset the games were never seen as the most beautiful thing on the Switch, something that many expected owing to Game Freak's own inexperience with the modern home console, the statement that the National Pokédex cull allowed Game Freak to more fine tune the game's graphics immediately led to heavy scrutiny and criticism for seemingly not being worth the tradeoff. A now infamous meme comparing the trees in the Wild Area to the ones in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' became the poster child for graphics complaints. The claims that the Pokemon were made to be more "expressive" also drew many unsavory comparisons to other home console Pokémon titles such as ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' games and ''VideoGame/PokemonBattleRevolution'', which were seen as more "expressive" despite releasing years prior on much less powerful hardware. While many are turned off by the low resolution textures, the short draw distance, the poor scaling of monsters during battle, and the reuse of some of the worst animations from the 3DS days (particularly those from ''X and Y'''s Sky Battles), those who do not see it as a weak point cite how many other high profile first party Switch games, such as ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', have similar graphical bugs and inconsistencies that do not incur any flack and thus by complainers' logic should not be exculpated for these problems (this usually devolves into a debate about the overall quality of ''those'' games in relation to ''Sword and Shield'' which is a whole other topic).

Being one of the biggest franchises with decades worth of content and games, it's not surprising that some aspects of the franchise have proven divisive.

* The overall structure of the main series has been slowly but surely causing more and more rifts in the playerbase, with there being numerous points of contention. Few will tell you that any of the mainline ''Pokémon'' games are bad video games; the fanbase largely agrees that they are all of generally good and consistent quality. However, opinions are '''very''' split over what makes a good or bad ''Pokémon'' game. One side argues that the series is a stagnant relic of the 90s that has long suffered from age and is in dire need of ''some'' sort of noticeably distinct change to the plot mechanism and/or battle mechanics to stay relevant, while another side argues that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that ''Pokémon'' has managed to persevere through polishing a formula the developers have found to work, something that not many series can attest to. This being such a core concept of the games means that this commonly reflects in how the fanbase reacts to specific games and the design choices made in them. For instance, Generations V and VII, with their more linear campaigns and story driven experiences coming at the expense of PVP gameplay that the series was then largely known for, are commonly praised by the former camp but criticized by the latter camp, while Generations VI and VIII, with their focus on [[GottaCatchEmAll picking from a large variety of monsters]] and exploration that downplayed the need for serious stories, are commonly praised by the latter camp but criticized by the former camp. These major shifts in creative direction have resulted in every entry since the start of Gen V being a ContestedSequel one way or the other.

* A common debate is whether ''X'' and ''Y'' or ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'' are the superior Gen VI games. Supporters of ''X'' and ''Y'' tend to enjoy the hugely expanded Pokédex and the return of Gen I favorites, Trainer customization, the Friend Safari and the Kalos region itself. Supporters of ''ORAS'' cite the wider variety of features, more balanced difficulty, greater level of polish, more extensive postgame, wider variety of obtainable starters and Legendaries, and the Delta Episode. Of note is the fact that both sets of games [[PanderingToTheBase attempt to pander to nostalgic fans]], albeit in different ways, and also have deeper and more involved stories than previous ''Pokémon'' games.

* ''Pokémon X and Y'' also introduced the all new Fairy-type, [[WordOfGod explicitly]] to [[ObviousRulePatch balance]] the increasingly overpowered Dragon-type. Opinions of this type vary wildly:
** There are the purists, who hate that a new type is being added at all, as it shatters years of continuity (for the most part, disliking the type for this reason is understandable, considering how complex the franchise is).
** There are people who like the Fairy-type and consider it a much-needed addition to the franchise.
** There are people who would be fine with a new type but think the Fairy-type sounds stupid.
** There are people who do not like how Fairy-type focuses mainly on small, cute and mostly feminine Pokémon and completely ignores TheFairFolk (though some Pokédex entries do mention that some are mischievous).
** There are people who are fine with the Fairy-type but don't think it should be effective against Dragon-types (mainly hardcore Dragon-type fans who are upset that their favorite type is now only weaker).
** And, finally, there are those who feel the type has utterly ruined others, lamenting the fact that now Ice-type Pokémon are rendered almost useless, since that type possess mostly slow Pokémon and harbor no less than 4 weaknesses against very common types, including the Rock-type (including the Stealth Rock move mentioned above), only resist its own type, and was mostly use to counter Dragon-type Pokémon. Now that the Fairy-type is here and can do the job far better, there is very little reason to use Ice-type Pokémon in X/Y. It also greatly weakened the already weak Dark-type, giving it three weaknesses and two strengths, and also weakened the Bug-type, another weak type (the already-weak Grass-type was also not improved in Generation 6). It also gave the Fire-type another resistance, and since this type is strong against Ice, Bug and Grass, those types are now even weaker. And, after going through such lengths to make Dragon-types weaker, Mega Garchomp was introduced[[note]]Ironically, Mega Garchomp is considered a PowerUpLetDown in practice by the competitive community, for the following reasons: it loses 10 points in its Speed stat, taking away its niche to outspeed the average Pokémon and hit hard, making its 40 Attack Stat boost moot, it loses its ability Rough Skin, meaning it loses chip damage done to physical attackers in exchange for Sand Force, which is far more situational and only activates in a sandstorm, and the most important reason: it sacrifices the Mega Evolution slot (and a hold-able item) for a more useful Mega Evolution [[/note]].

[[/folder]]

* The overall structure of the main series has been slowly but surely causing more and more rifts in the playerbase, with there being numerous points of contention. Few will tell you that any of the mainline ''Pokémon'' games are bad video games; the fanbase largely agrees that they are all of generally good and consistent quality. However, opinions are '''very''' split over what makes a good or bad ''Pokémon'' game. One side argues that the series is a stagnant relic of the 90s that has long suffered from age and is in dire need of ''some'' sort of noticeably distinct change to the plot mechanism and/or battle mechanics to stay relevant, while another side argues that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and that ''Pokémon'' has managed to persevere through polishing a formula the developers have found to work, something that not many series can attest to. This being such a core concept of the games means that this commonly reflects in how the fanbase reacts to specific games and the design choices made in them. For instance, Generations V and VII, with their more linear campaigns and story driven experiences coming at the expense of PVP gameplay that the series was then largely known for, are commonly praised by the former camp but criticized by the latter camp, while Generations VI and VIII, with their focus on [[GottaCatchEmAll catching 'em all]] and exploration that downplayed the need for serious stories, are commonly praised by the latter camp but criticized by the former camp. These major shifts in creative direction have resulted in every entry since the start of Gen V being a ContestedSequel one way or the other.

** Generation VI marked a general shift towards streamlined, casualized and linear main plots, gimmicks such as Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing, larger regional Pokédexes that rely heavily on past generations (especially [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Gen I]]), and more user-friendly competitive breeding and training in favor of fewer postgame features, a shift which has largely persisted through the series since. Some fans highly enjoyed these changes, as shown by the greater sales and mainstream attention of games from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' onwards; the increased focus on classic Pokémon helped [[WinBackTheCrowd win back]] those who were alienated by the Unova games, and many fans highly appreciated how Game Freak finally acknowledged and helped players deal with GuideDangIt competitive mechanics like [=EV's=] and [=IV's=]. Other fans did not enjoy this new direction for the franchise, mostly for making the games less engaging for fans invested in single-player campaigns, sidequests/exploration, and postgame facilities. This divide wasn't at all helped by the many design and technical flubs in the games since, such as highly inefficient programming (resulting in framerate drops), oversights in Pokémon movesets and mechanics, underwhelming visuals, and of course the infamous Pokédex and move exclusions. Overall, fans in the latter category accused the games of transitioning from self-contained creative endeavors to an unpolished, MerchandiseDriven arm meant to advertise the rest of the franchise and establish Pokémon as marketing icons, much like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]].[[note]]Coincidentally, the corresponding seasons of the anime are viewed as significant improvements over its adaptations of Generations III through V, but suffer from many of the same complaints, leading to accusations that effort is "divided more evenly" between the anime and games than before.[[/note]]

* There have been serious debates over the designs of the [=PCs=], whether the starters are awesome or not, and the animations of the sprites. Some people hate the idea of triple battles.
* Also, some don't like the fact that there are no Pokémon from the older generations in the Regional Dex, whereas some think that it is a refreshing idea. Not helping matters is the fact that many fans feel that the Gen V newcomers contain some of the best[[note]]almost all the Legendary Pokémon have been well-received, Serperior and Samurott are fairly popular as starters (especially after Serperior's Hidden Ability was released in ''ORAS''), and many of the more powerful fully-evolved Pokémon such as Haxorus and Bisharp are praised for their designs, movepools, and typings[[/note]] ''and'' worst[[note]]Emboar is the third Fire/Fighting starter in a row, the elemental monkeys are seen as a waste of Dex space, and the Trubbish, Klink, and Vanillite lines have been infamously criticized[[/note]] concepts in the series.
* This extends to the postgame, where only a limited number of older Pokémon can be caught, and [[https://www.serebii.net/blackwhite/unobtainable.shtml a huge number of fan-favorites]] (including ''[[SeriesMascot Pikachu]]'') can't be found in the game. Does it matter in the first place, given that they only appear once the story is complete? Was it a consequence of trying to [[SequelDisplacement reinforce the newcomers as a new "baseline" for the franchise]], or does it just come across as neglectful towards the franchise's past?
* On the competitive side of things, there has been a backlash over the fact that when battling via Wi-Fi or console link, the opponent's entire team (and their nicknames) are all revealed, without an option to turn this feature off (in the manner of the ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' series). Some see it as a welcome addition to competitive tactics, and others believe that it will ruin the metagame forever. Also serves as a premature nerf to Zoroark, due to its unique ability becoming less effective.

* A common debate is whether these ''X'' and ''Y'' or ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'' are the superior Gen VI games. Supporters of ''X'' and ''Y'' tend to enjoy the hugely expanded Pokédex and the return of Gen I favorites, Trainer customization, the Friend Safari and the Kalos region itself. Supporters of ''ORAS'' cite the wider variety of features, more balanced difficulty, greater level of polish, more extensive postgame, wider variety of obtainable starters and Legendaries, and the Delta Episode. Of note is the fact that both sets of games [[PanderingToTheBase attempt to pander to nostalgic fans]], albeit in different ways, and also have deeper and more involved plots than previous ''Pokémon'' games.

* The overall structure of the main series has been slowly but surely causing more and more rifts in the playerbase, with there being numerous points of contention. Many players want to see ''some'' sort of noticeably distinct change to the plot mechanism and/or battle mechanics, seeing the games as extremely similar and derivative, and those who don't want to fix what isn't broken, as the games in spite of this are of generally good and consistent quality. Major changes in creative direction were made twice -- first in Gen V, then in Gen VI, the latter lasting through Gen VIII -- and both times evoked mixed reactions in the fanbase, with different demographics.

** Generations VI, VII, and VIII marked a general shift towards streamlined, casualized and linear main plots, gimmicks such as Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing, larger regional Pokédexes that rely heavily on past generations (especially [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Gen I]]), and more user-friendly competitive breeding and training in favor of fewer postgame features. Some fans highly enjoyed these changes, as shown by the greater sales and mainstream attention of games from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' onwards; the increased focus on classic Pokémon helped [[WinBackTheCrowd win back]] those who were alienated by the Unova games, and many fans highly appreciated how Game Freak finally acknowledged and helped players deal with GuideDangIt competitive mechanics like [=EV's=] and [=IV's=]. Other fans did not enjoy this new direction for the franchise, mostly for making the games less engaging for fans invested in single-player campaigns, sidequests/exploration, and postgame facilities. This divide wasn't at all helped by the many design and technical flubs in the Gen VI, VII, and VIII games, such as highly inefficient programming (resulting in framerate drops), oversights in Pokémon movesets and mechanics, underwhelming visuals, and of course the infamous Pokédex and move exclusions. Overall, fans in the latter category accused the games of transitioning from self-contained creative endeavors to an unpolished, MerchandiseDriven arm meant to advertise the rest of the franchise and establish Pokémon as marketing icons, much like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]].[[note]]Coincidentally, the corresponding seasons of the anime are viewed as significant improvements over its adaptations of Generations III through V, but suffer from many of the same complaints, leading to accusations that effort is "divided more evenly" between the anime and games than before.[[/note]]
** The intense extremes between the above have led fans to debate whether the main series should go in a more story-driven direction like Generations V and VII, or stick to an ExcusePlot like the older games and Generations VI and VIII, and make the game more about [[GottaCatchEmAll catching 'em all]] and exploration.
** One of the most intense debates, especially after Gen VIII, is whether the franchise should abandon its roots entirely and become a WideOpenSandbox and/or an ActionRPG. Supporters feel that the franchise has become stagnant and hasn't innovated in decades and that a big shake-up to the core formula is necessary, and often cite games such as ''VideoGame/YoKaiWatch4'' as examples of "what Pokémon should have evolved into by now". Opponents take an "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" stance on the current battle system, think the franchise can innovate in other ways (such as story, see above), don't want the franchise to blindly FollowTheLeader for games like ''Breath of the Wild'' and prize Pokémon as a rare RPG franchise that hasn't moved away from turn-based gameplay. The announcement of ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' has united these groups to an extent (being a WideOpenSandbox, but keeping battles turn-based with some action aspects), but the debate still rages on in some circles.

* A common debate is whether these games or ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'' are the superior Gen VI games. Supporters of ''X'' and ''Y'' tend to enjoy the hugely expanded Pokédex and the return of Gen I favorites, Trainer customization, the Friend Safari and the Kalos region itself. Supporters of ''ORAS'' cite the wider variety of features, more balanced difficulty, greater level of polish, more extensive postgame, wider variety of obtainable starters and Legendaries, and the Delta Episode. Of note is the fact that both sets of games [[PanderingToTheBase attempt to pander to nostalgic fans]], albeit in different ways, and also have deeper and more involved plots than previous ''Pokémon'' games.

* The Gym-less gameplay has had some levels of this thrown at it. Many people liked the formula being shaken up a bit and bringing a new idea to the table. Others cried that [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks they changed the formula]] and [[ItsShortSoItSucks it makes the game feel even shorter]]. ''Others'' don't think enough changed, arguing that the Island Challenge was still too similar to Gyms (both involve beating a strong opponent of a certain type specialty and their underlings), aside from a few elements such as the Totem calling an ally Pokémon.

* Tying into EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame, the games' main campaign, ditching the ExcusePlot of previous games (aside from Gen 5) in favor of a more serious and overarching storyline and dialogue reminiscent of other [[EasternRPG JRPGs]], which notably reverses the Gen 5/Gen 6 rivalry. Many fans love it due to giving the plot more significance and fleshing out the characters and story more, particularly against ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' which were often criticized for lacking in these regards. On the other hand, other fans find it a case of TheyChangedItNowItSucks, as the ExcusePlot was a keystone of Pokémon games in the past and they feel the design of Pokémon games does not facilitate serious stories well. The implementation of said story and its quality is also a frequent point of debate, with Pokémon threads on social media constantly going back and forth about the long stretches of dialogue at each plot point (some of which is arguably unnecessary), the subsequent decreased focus on competitive battling improvements and map exploration (particularly from those who PlayTheGameSkipTheStory), the major players of the story's conflict being {{Base Breaking Character}}s (the biggest example being Lillie), and the questionable pacing of the campaign itself (particularly dealing with the third island). And that doesn't even get into the replacement of Gyms with trials...

* There is a notable BrokenBase as to the Pokémon's cries, due to how they differ across incarnations. Fans argue over whether the synthesized animal noises of the games, the PokemonSpeak of the [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} anime]] and numerous spinoffs, or the voiced animal noises of ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' and the ''[=B2W2=]'' animated trailer are the best and should be used in media. While PokemonSpeak was once more widely criticized due to its heavy association with the anime, it became more accepted as the norm as it was used in more media (most notably the live-action ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu''), to the point that some reviewers such as [[WebVideo/{{Jimquisition}} Jim Sterling]] criticized its absence in the games in favor of the digitized cries they always used.

* In a different direction, the fanbase for ''Pokémon'' had already been broken right from Day 1. Fans of the video games, of the [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} anime]], and of the [[TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}} Trading Card Game]] are largely separate. Chances are if someone says they're a fan of Pokémon, they're only a fan of one of the above and range between a passing interest to vile disgust at the other two.

* Sabrina's redesign. Either it is an unexpected but refreshing revamp of her or it takes away the [[EvilIsCool menacing charm]] given by her original design and the [[AdaptationalVillainy outright]] [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} malicious]] [[Manga/PokemonAdventures counterparts]] associated with them.

''Pokémon Sword and Shield'' proved themselves to be the most controversial titles in the entire franchise since ''Pokémon Black and White'', thanks to a number of design choices that not only [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood greatly shifted the priorities of the games]], but [[FranchiseOriginalSin brought several long held problems with the series to a head]]. Nearly every facet of the game starts some kind of debate, and just about the only thing Pokémon fans can agree on is that these games completely shattered the fandom. But one thing that stands out on both sides of the fandom are a cautionary tale about brand power and merchandising over their own works.

''Pokémon Sword and Shield'' proved themselves to be the most controversial titles in the entire franchise since ''Pokémon Black and White'', thanks to a number of design choices that not only [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood greatly shifted the priorities of the games]], but [[FranchiseOriginalSin brought several long held problems with the series to a head]]. Nearly every facet of the game starts some kind of debate, and just about the only thing Pokémon fans can agree on is that these games completely shattered the fandom. But what stands out on both sides of the fandom are cautionary tales about brand power and merchandising over their own works and importance of social media to the world.