Originally reported in an exclusive interview with Game Informer was that the latest Pokemon games, Sword and Shield, would offer a massive 18 different Pokemon Gyms for players to take on during their adventures in the Galar region. Apparently, that information appeared to be a mistranslation on the publication's part, as The Pokemon Company International has stepped in to correct the original story. In an official statement, the company clarified that there are indeed 18 Pokemon Gyms in the Galar region, however, they exist to "contribute to the background setting of the story". As in previous Pokemon games, there are only 8 Gym Leaders you'll be able to take on, though they will be different depending on which game you choose.

In the Galar region, Pokémon Gym Battles are popular sporting events, and the 18 different types of Gyms that exist in Galar contribute to the background setting of the story in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. In each game, Trainers must collect eight Gym Badges to complete the Gym Challenge and earn the opportunity to participate in the Champion Cup.

Over the course of the main story, Trainers will challenge eight Gyms, which are all in the Major League. Which Gyms appear in the Major League and Minor League will differ between Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. For example, depending on the version of the game, Trainers will be able to challenge different Gym Leaders, such as Bea or Allister.

Each version will have eight Gyms and eight Gym Leaders that Trainers can battle for a traditional Gym Challenge experience that fans have enjoyed throughout the Pokémon video game series.

Source

 

[HinaNaru Cutie]

View attachment 181499​

Originally reported in an exclusive interview with Game Informer was that the latest Pokemon games, Sword and Shield, would offer a massive 18 different Pokemon Gyms for players to take on during their adventures in the Galar region. Apparently, that information appeared to be a mistranslation on the publication's part, as The Pokemon Company International has stepped in to correct the original story. In an official statement, the company clarified that there are indeed 18 Pokemon Gyms in the Galar region, however, they exist to "contribute to the background setting of the story". As in previous Pokemon games, there are only 8 Gym Leaders you'll be able to take on, though they will be different depending on which game you choose.



Source

Lmao that's just sad xD. It just makes the game even more bad. I'm honestly waiting until the game comes out for everyone who gives a dang about the games franchise to boycott it :3

 

[Foxi4]

Wow, it took people this long to realise that Pokemon is an exercise in copy-pasting content and releasing the same game over and over? I mean, y'all should've noticed that after Gold and Silver, that's on you.

 

[Purple_Heart]

i noticed it since ruby/sapphire ....g/s i was too young at that time xD

 

[Rune]

What if there's 18 gyms in total in the game, but you only play "8 per play through". So the 8 you play is determined by your starter Pokemon or something.

 

[Rahkeesh]

The 8 you "get badges from" are determined by which game you got (Sword vs Shield)

Only "some" of the gyms are different between games, unspecified how many.

So that means we are looking at between 10-14 gyms between the two games.

Now they are using confusing wording like "you get badges from 8" but I'm betting this means you only get to fight in 8 gyms per game. But we will have to see.

 

[GbaNober]

maybe all 18 gyms will be available in the next ultra sword and ultra shield next year.

 

[warweeny]

18 gyms in LORE? Give me a good reason we can’t battle them?

Because that would mean they need to make some effort in making a pokemon game.

We can't have that now can we?

 

[Pipistrele]

Wow, it took people this long to realise that Pokemon is an exercise in copy-pasting content and releasing the same game over and over? I mean, y'all should've noticed that after Gold and Silver, that's on you.

Which is absolutely fine and even kinda the point, to be fair? Pokemon is a cyclical franchise with similarly fleeting demographic - just like any series with similar release style (Dragon Quest, King of Fighters, Trackmania, etc.), each entry is designed to re-introduce old ideas to a new audience with newer technology, serving as de-facto "pokemon game of its generation", rather than some expanded continuity of increasing complexity. I'm just kinda surprised by how many hardcore veteran pokefans see it as inherently bad thing, and not just a logical reality of a franchise that's not really interested in attracting grumpy old farts to begin with.

 

[Foxi4]

Which is absolutely fine and even kinda the point, to be fair? Pokemon is a cyclical franchise with similarly fleeting demographic - just like any series with similar release style (Dragon Quest, King of Fighters, Trackmania, etc.), each entry is designed to re-introduce old ideas to a new audience with newer technology, serving as de-facto "pokemon game of its generation", rather than some expanded continuity of increasing complexity. I'm just kinda surprised by how many hardcore veteran pokefans see it as inherently bad thing, and not just a logical reality of a franchise that's not really interested in attracting grumpy old farts to begin with.

There is a big difference between sticking to a formula that works and regurgitating ideas. Pokemon is far closer to Call of Duty than it is to Final Fantasy, which isn't to say that Final Fantasy is any good, to be fair - the games in that franchise have been on a downward slope for a long time too. Game Freak's idea of innovation is adding new Pokemon to an already overcrowded roster (to the point that they didn't even bother rendering all of them in the latest mainstream installment of the series) and convoluting the rules further and further for no reason. I remember when Pokemon was a fun little adventure where you collected monsters while playing rock paper scissors with statistics, and that was just fine. All Game Freak had to do was release games that follow the same model and get progressively better, but they've stretched it too thin and expanded in all the wrong areas. For God's sake, when Pokemon games from the N64 have more detailed animation than your flagship game on a brand-new system, you know you're in trouble. When you have to lift animations wholesale from a portable entry in the series, you've made a cavalcade of errors along the way and you should probably examine them. There's s total of 807 Pokemon now, not counting all the different forms etc. - that's ridiculous.

 

[Pluupy]

What's the point of having 18 gyms if only 8 are playable? Just make them regular buildings in that case...

 

[ZachariasBarnham]

I'm even gladder now that I'm not getting this game. I only bought Omega Ruby for modding. Wow, Nintendo and Gamefreak have not given me any motivation to buy a Switch.

 

[Pipistrele]

There is a big difference between sticking to a formula that works and regurgitating ideas. Pokemon is far closer to Call of Duty than it is to Final Fantasy, which isn't to say that Final Fantasy is any good, to be fair - the games in that franchise have been on a downward slope for a long time too. Game Freak's idea of innovation is adding new Pokemon to an already overcrowded roster (to the point that they didn't even bother rendering all of them in the latest mainstream installment of the series) and convoluting the rules further and further for no reason. I remember when Pokemon was a fun little adventure where you collected monsters while playing rock paper scissors with statistics, and that was just fine. All Game Freak had to do was release games that follow the same model and get progressively better, but they've stretched it too thin and expanded in all the wrong areas. For God's sake, when Pokemon games from the N64 have more detailed animation than your flagship game on a brand-new system, you know you're in trouble. When you have to lift animations wholesale from a portable entry in the series, you've made a cavalcade of errors along the way and you should probably examine them. There's s total of 807 Pokemon now, not counting all the different forms etc. - that's ridiculous.

I haven't said anything about Final Fantasy, mainly since Final Fantasy has always been pretty experimental as JRPG franchise, for better or worse =) But returning to topic, while I dig your complaints when it comes to 3DS entries, it's hard for me to relate to them here - roster in S&S is already significantly reduced to negate said bloat (which is a major point of controversy in itself), a new setting is developed, large open-world area with interconnected multiplayer is being added, and there's even extensive cooking sim elements that are thrown in for a good measure. I don't see any convoluted rules either - new battle modes are added, but for the most part, the core mechanic of "Catch mons/beat trainers in simple Dragon Quest-esque battle system" is still there and virtually unchanged since Gen 1.

 

[Foxi4]

I haven't said anything about Final Fantasy, mainly since Final Fantasy has always been pretty experimental as JRPG franchise, for better or worse =) But returning to topic, while I dig your complaints when it comes to 3DS entries, it's hard for me to relate to them here - roster in S&S is already significantly reduced to negate said bloat (which is a major point of controversy in itself), a new setting is developed, large open-world area with interconnected multiplayer is being added, and there's even extensive cooking sim elements that are thrown in for a good measure. I don't see any convoluted rules either - new battle modes are added, but for the most part, the core mechanic of "Catch mons/beat trainers in simple Dragon Quest-esque battle system" is still there and virtually unchanged since Gen 1.

Virtually unchanged, besides EV's, IV's and a myriad of hidden or random statistics that change the nature of the game from a fair and balanced RPG to... well, Pokemon.

 

[Pipistrele]

Virtually unchanged, besides EV's, IV's and a myriad of hidden or random statistics that change the nature of the game from a fair and balanced RPG to... well, Pokemon.

But those stats are hidden for a reason - they're just semi-random numbers to add mons more personality and connection to the player, not features to min-max and make strats around (not that it stops some people). It's also not meant to be "fair in balanced" in the way competitive RPGs are - Pokemon is much more about collecting and raising cutesy animals, hence the mechanics that focus on that first and foremost. Munchkins and powergamers aren't exactly the game's intended audience.

 

[Lucifer666]

People are so salty in any thread about Sword/Shield pretty much regardless of the topic it's quite sad.

A gaming journal misinformed the public; how is this GameFreak's fault?

TBH my enjoyment from Pokémon stems from expecting more or less the same experience with every release, but with ever so slightly updated graphics. Anything extra that comes out of that generation/region is a bonus. Keep your expectations low and you won't be disappointed. If you want a game that has major developments/overhauls per release, then I'm afraid this is the wrong franchise.

 

[Axido]

But those stats are hidden for a reason - they're just semi-random numbers to add mons more personality and connection to the player, not features to min-max and make strats around (not that it stops some people). It's also not meant to be "fair in balanced" in the way competitive RPGs are - Pokemon is much more about collecting and raising cutesy animals, hence the mechanics that focus on that first and foremost. Munchkins and powergamers aren't exactly the game's intended audience.

Yeah, that's why they hold collecting and breeding contests every year.
Not that I'd play Pokémon for the competitive part, but I got a feeling that GF focused a lot on that within the last years. Otherwise they wouldn't have made it significantly easier to manipulate EV and IV values using ingame mechanics or items.

 

[Foxi4]

But those stats are hidden for a reason - they're just semi-random numbers to add mons more personality and connection to the player, not features to min-max and make strats around (not that it stops some people). It's also not meant to be "fair in balanced" in the way competitive RPGs are - Pokemon is much more about collecting and raising cutesy animals, hence the mechanics that focus on that first and foremost. Munchkins and powergamers aren't exactly the game's intended audience.

That's untrue just on the face of it, even the most casual of observers can notice that EV's and IV's have a tremendous effect on the overall stat progression of your Pokemon, and the best indication of them you get in the game is an educated guess - they're not listed along with other stats. The game has stopped being about collecting cute animals once the roster crossed from a tough sell of +/-250 well into the range of 800+, not to mention that you have to chase many of them down during events. Right now the game *is* for "power gamers", it's an exercise in doing math, with hidden or random variables. It's a shadow of its former self and devoid of the "fun factor" the originals had, and that comes from a person who played Pokemon Yellow for so long that the in-game clock had stopped counting time. It's all very curious to me since the title is still advertised to children when, for all intents and purposes, it's just a badly designed Shin Megami Tensei clone with little to no story at this point. Each to their own, I suppose.

 

[Hells Malice]

Not really a big deal, though with this pokemon release any idiot will jump on a reason to be mad. 18 would be a tad excessive.

 

[pedro702]

I don't get ALL the hate.

It's like a soccer league. There's the good one (major) and the smaller one (minor) no one really cares about. To go to the E4 you have to conquer the major league.

That probably means there are two gyms that are in the minor league in both games. (Or more if there's some major overlap, which I would assume would probably be at least one or two.)

It's like walking by a tiny city (like that second city in gold/silver), they're not big or important enough to have a gym in the major league, but they still have a minor league gym, which I think is a nice touch and better than nothing.

I think it's an interesting concept. And personally, if I were in charge of this, I would make the minor gyms also playable, you just... Don't get a badge. (Or whatever). Don't see that happening, though. (Sadly)

in the original red and blue there were 9 gyms, you had the fighting gym that was a gym that gave you either hitmonlee or hitmanchan, i remenber they said they were applying to be an official gym yet, so yeah red and blue had technicaly 9 gyms even tough one didnt gave you a badge, i miss gold and silver tough, for me still the best pokemon games ever made, heartgold and soulsilver just improve on everything that is a masterpiece i mean 16 gyms and a final rival from main game is something they never attempted ever again and its a shame imo.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

What if there's 18 gyms in total in the game, but you only play "8 per play through". So the 8 you play is determined by your starter Pokemon or something.

preety sure its dependant on your version so to play all gyms you need both versions.

 

[Pipistrele]

Yeah, that's why they hold collecting and breeding contests every year.
Not that I'd play Pokémon for the competitive part, but I got a feeling that GF focused a lot on that within the last years. Otherwise they wouldn't have made it significantly easier to manipulate EV and IV values using ingame mechanics or items.

It's honestly the first time I hear about official, GameFreak-approved breeding contests. Collecting challenges are a thing, but they're pretty much in the spirit of "catch'em all", rather than any sort of stat gaming. As for hidden stats and all, Junichi Masuda himself explicitly stated his stance during the Wired interview:

"Each Pokemon does have a value but I don't consider those data as parameters. I prefer to think of them as real, living creatures. It's the same way that if you have a pet and someone else has the same breed of dog, it's a different dog. That way people can play the game and my Pokemon will be different to your Pokemon even if they're the same type. A comparison would be looking at a datasheet on different dogs and deciding about the data on the different dogs and deciding which one you want based on that data -- that would be soulless."

Right now the game *is* for "power gamers", it's an exercise in doing math, with hidden or random variables. It's a shadow of its former self and devoid of the "fun factor" the originals had, and that comes from a person who played Pokemon Yellow for so long that the in-game clock had stopped counting time. It's all very curious to me since the title is still advertised to children when, for all intents and purposes, it's just a badly designed Shin Megami Tensei clone with little to no story at this point. Each to their own, I suppose.

Maybe I miss on something, but your argument sounds like "This game isn't oriented for kids because I think it sucks".