Rare Article: Keeping Pokémon Fun

We all play a whole lot of Pokémon. Some people play more than others, granted, but on average, Pokéfanatics like ourselves play Pokémon a bunch, because we wouldn't be Pokéfanatics if we didn't. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the game can become monotonous. It stops being fun when one plays it too much. Sure, we love the game, but we've seen pretty much all the game has to offer. That's where I come in. I'm going to show you ways to get a newfound fervour for the games.

Chapter 1: Friends, Or: Those Things That Most of Us Don't Have

I've talked about it in other Rare Articles, but Pokémon is an inherently social game. In order to complete the Pokédex you need to trade. In order to battle competitively you need someone against whom to battle (Sidebar: I dislike when grammar makes me sound strange.) Even beyond that, getting a friend into the game can rekindle your romance with Pokémon. You will find yourself breeding Pokes for your friend, giving strategy tips, and playing a whole lot more than you did by yourself. And it will be fun.

Chapter 2: Challenges, Or: No Pain, No Gain

Another way to keep Pokémon fresh is to implement some challenges. One of the most well-known challenges is Nuzlocke, where you are limited to only catching the first Pokémon in a new area and if a Pokémon faints, you must release it, as it has "died." (If I got the rules of Nuzlocke wrong, please don't kill me. I haven't actually done it before.) Nuzlocke will definitely make things more interesting, but for those who don't think it is for them, consider a few of the following ideas.

Try a solo run. Play through the game with only one Pokémon. Make it something that wouldn't normally do very well, that way there is an element of difficulty to it. You will probably grow to cherish this Pokémon, even if it's IVs or stats are lackluster.

Alternatively, you could try to play through a game with only Pokémon of a different generation. This requires two game cartridges and two DS's (or Game Boys, GBAs, etc.) For example, catch a team of six low level Pokémon in Ruby and transfer them up to the fourth or fifth generation. The game has changed a whole bunch, and playing with the oldies could make things interesting.

Chapter 3: Depth, Or: Pokémon Used Whirlpool! You Cannot Escape!

The main reason that I keep coming back to Pokémon is that you get out of it what you put in. Sure, you can play throughout the game and beat the Elite Four easily without ever even knowing what an IV is, but if you want to go that far you can become quite a competitive player. If you haven't ever really gotten into EV training, give it a shot. You will most likely find that you will become attached to the first Pokémon you EV train. If you've never bred for stats, go for it. Chances are, there is something in Pokémon you haven't tried. My recommendation is to try that thing, even if it seems hard/boring. You might find that it is your favorite part of Pokémon.

That does it for Rare Article this week. I apologize for the lack of an article last week. I wasn't even busy. I kind of just forgot. Whoops. :(