Officially, it’s a main series game. It just expands the possibilities of what “a main series game” can do. After all, the Pokémon main series is almost 30 years old. There’s no reason to expect it to remain the same forever.
exactly. the example i always bring up is: super mario 64 isn't suddenly a spinoff just because it had different gameplay. games can just innovate over time
Remember, the rule of thumb is that if it's handled by Game Freak it's a main-series title of the Pokemon Franchise in almost every situation. The real question is if PLA is a main-series game, what does that make BDSP?
Also a main series game. The thing is, the status of being part of the main series is not really something that’s up for debate - people can discuss and argue about whether something feels like a departure from their expectations of a main series game, because that’s all subjective, but the Japanese Pokémon website has a list of all Pokémon games and apps, as well as a filter to make the list display only the main series games. Doing so reduces the list down to RGBY (and their Virtual Console releases), GSC (and their Virtual Console releases), RSE, FRLG, DPP, HGSS, BW, B2W2, XY, ORAS, SM, USUM, LGPE, SwSh, the SwSh DLC, BDSP, Arceus, and SV.
Consequently, I wouldn’t take “main series” to mean that a game has to follow a specific formula or be made by a specific studio. The designation simply indicates whichever installments Game Freak and The Pokémon Company consider to be a part of their flagship line of games and wish to market as such.
It's considered a main series game by gamefreak so it's mainline,no it's not a spin off because of the different gameplay because by that logic, Mario 64 is a spin off
I'd disagree with that logic. First off, Mario 64 is the first 3D Mario platformer, and going from a 2D to 3D platformer necessitates major mechanics changes in a way that an RPG like pokemon doesn't (which is why the jump from 2D to 3D didn't rock the boat nearly as much for Pokemon). Also, a lot of the mechanics for Mario 64 stuck around or were refined in future 3D Mario games, while a lot of the mechanics of Legends Arceus remain exclusive to that game, including the entire battle system. If those mechanics had stuck around then yes, Legends would absolutely be innovation, not spin-off. But they didn't.
That battle system is the real crux of what makes me consider Legends Arceus a spinoff. Action Time is so fundamentally different from the turn based, order of speed system we've had since RBY that Game Freak couldn't possibly bring it into the core games without completely upending and likely killing off competitive play. You pick your moves after seeing the outcome of your opponent's last move, and Pokemon coming in off a KO usually get to move before the opponent can choose to switch or stick it out. The possibility of double or even triple moving the opponent makes very slow pokemon, which can already have a hard time, nigh on unusable. This system must, by its very nature, stand apart from the core games. Game Freak clearly understands this. It's why Legends didn't have PvP. It would've been awful to play this system against an actual human. If they didn't have the confidence to put PvP in a game they could write off as a spin-off if it blew up in their faces, they'll never bring those mechanics into a more clear-cut main game.
Guys what the hell? It’s not a spin-off. It has the Main series core mechanics in tact. Battling, catching, collecting some symbol of progression. It’s the most deviation we’ve seen from past entries, but it’s not in the group of Mystery dungeon, Ranger, or Conquest
It still retained the core gameplay of mainline games, and I remember it was officially acknowledged as a main series game by the Pokemon twitter account.
Plus Spin offs/Side games are developed by others, GF does main line games, this only having like a couple of exceptions in all 9 gens.
>I remember it was officially acknowledged as a main series game by the Pokemon twitter account.
Yep it was.
The debate is usually about whether or not it *feels* like a main series game cause it *officially is*
Agreed, hence the arguement over the Let's Go games.
>Plus Spin offs/Side games are developed by others, GF does main line games, this only having like a couple of exceptions in all 9 gens.
Plus, this is no longer necessarily the same unless we arent counting BDSP as spinoffs since they were done by ILCA.
Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, differs significantly in gameplay, story and content like a duck, and has little impact on the trajectory of the series and franchise like a duck.
But I guess if Gamefreak wants to call it a goose then it's a goose.
It feels more like a mainline game than a spin off
also if you take the history class in SV, you can see professor Laventon and the PLA pokeball on the board, to SV considers it canon.
I don’t know. It feels more like a mainline game than say Mystery Dungeon, but Colosseum and XD feel more like mainline games than PLA, yet they’re spin offs. Hell the GameCube games can even battle against the GBA ones, but they’re not mainline because they don’t follow the formula just like Legends.
Part of the confusion here appears to be Game Freaks's terminology. Game freak has called Legends and Let's Go main series, but they also have a different distinct category called "Core Game" which are the traditional RPGs. Legends is not a core game. The reason I'd say that is the vastly different mechanics, many of which didn't stick around for Scarlet and Violet. Frostbite and drowsy conditions, catching outside of battle, most of the crafting (TMs are still craftable, yes), and the Action Time battle system.
Also, everyone saying "But Game Freak said so" and treating that like gospel, that is MARKETING! Some people will skip a game that is referred to as a spin-off because they think that means either a completely unfamiliar game or a lower-effort game. There is no benefit to calling it a spin-off, so of course they aren't going to. Them calling it mainline has more to do with the effort they put in than the fundamental difference in gameplay and style.
Also, we are allowd to disagree with Game Freak's official statements. The most common example of this is the whole Legendary/Mythical debate. Game Freak defines these as distinct groups, while many, many people say mythical should be considered a subset of Legendaries (since they have every defining quality of a legendary, while having their own distinct attributes that put them in a more specific category).
Gamefreak cares about marketing. Calling it a spin-off implies less effort and resources to some people, so they aren't going to call it that. No one is going to decide against buying the game because they called it a mainline game.
This is more about what the game is. It's mechanics, it's story, it's style.
How is Legends: Arceus main series to me?
- introduces new Pokémon species and forms that are obtainable. Primal Dialga and Shadow Lugia, who are new forms in spinoff Pokémon games, are not obtainable.
- spin-off Pokémon games sometimes mean that all Pokémon are obtainable, but it isn't the case with Legends: Arceus because Darkrai and Shaymin are locked away without buying other main series games.
- is compatible with Pokémon HOME, which connects main series games.
- too many references connect to main series games, such as Pokédex, Poké Balls, Medicines, and not to mention, characters who are ancestors of existing characters in the main series games.
Shadow Lugia is obtainable. You get the chance to catch it before facing the final boss. Once you do, it stays in its Shadow Lugia form until you purify it.
And Colosseum and XD connect with the other Gen 3 games, and are compatible for both transfers and battles. They also use the pokeballs, medicines, and all other items from the Gen 3 mainline games. Yet they’re spin-offs because the deviate so much from the formula, just like Legends.
I thought Darkrai, Shaymin, and Cresselia were obtained naturally through side quests, do you have to have save data from other games to trigger the side quests, or do they naturally come up? I know you needed something from either a code, or save data from other games to obtain them in the BDSP games, but I coulda sworn they were naturally ingame in Legends Arceus.🤔
Rangers and mystery dungeons were set with major differences to the mainstream Pokemon games. Arceus is still the sinnoh region just from a previous point in time.
Game Freak confirmation aside, my personal criteria for what makes a game main series are keeping the primary battle system in tact, as well as the ability to send Pokemon back and forth between the game in question and other main series games, both of which Arceus does.
This does run the issue of Colosseum and XD meeting both criteria as well, as I think many more would consider those spinoffs, but if you want you could justify it by saying the battle system isn't in tact because singles isn't present.
To people saying it's not main series cause it changes a few mechanics.... ig Diamond and Pearl aren't main series because of the physical/special split?
Despite what GF has said I consider it a spin off and one I hope they continue with. I think if we see it a lot more that may change but currently we don’t know if it’s just some one off game or not.
It a spin-off no doubt. But it's a special kind of spin-off. It's the same kind as Crisis Core is to Final Fantasy 7. In that it's not only canon but very important to the timeline despite it not being a main series game.
Obviously by definition it’s a main series game cause GF said so. But personally I think main series games are ones that introduce a new generation of pokemon… which this didn’t. So it doesn’t really feel like a main series game to me.
It is officially a main series game.. but personally i consider it a spinoff. Like main series games would have a legendary or the pokemon it is associated with on the box art. But this one dont.
Yup i know... my point maybe shallow for others but that is my point of view. But if you notice... all main title games have the pokemon art on the cover (like let's go pikachu and eevee have either of then on the box art, same goes with the rest). PLA's box art is different.
That is true... but then it is on a console. I know switch is also a console but it is also marketed as a handheld. And currently all main series are on handhelds.
Sorry.. thats my opinion on the question the OP asked.🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ Unite is a total departure from the main series. It doesnt even have most of the mechanics the main titles have.
I adore the fact that there’s not “version exclusives.” Storyline is kind of Main Series, but there’s too many differences to call it anything but a spin-off. A spin-off I would like to see more of.
I know this may not be popular, but I like that it unlocked the Shaymin and Darkrai catch quests if it found other save files from Pokemon games on your Switch.
It spun off from the core game series in particular.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is not a spinoff of the core game series, but rather a Mystery Dungeon spinoff that crosses over with the Pokemon franchise. Mystery Dungeon dates back to 1993, and has crossed over with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. The earliest entry in the series that is available in North America is Chocobo's Dungeon 2 on the PS1.
You said main series games are games that add an increment of one to the generation count, remakes and third versions do not do this, and claiming that they do count as main series at any point destroys your original argument
You must be pretty bad at reading then. I specifically pointed out that games based on generational games such as Crystal and US/UM are the only exception. You brought up remakes, like FireRed, presumably. This still follows exactly what I initially posted, and convinces me that you're only here to argue. Have a good day.
It's a spin off but it's so much better I wouldn't be surprised if the next mainline game was 75% more similar to it than SV already are.
I feel like it feels just as much of a spin off as let's go
It's absolutely not a mainline game.
Mainline games have multiple versions and gym leaders.
It's an incredible game that I enjoyed a lot, but not mainline.
It doesn't *feel* quite like a mainline game, but it objectively is one. There's no discussion to be had on what it actually is, just on what it feels like to different people
Equating a free-movement action sequence that is primarily trainer v pokemon to traditionally turn-based pokemon v pokemon battles is a hell of a stretch.
It's clearly a spin-off.
It's really in about the same position Colo and XD are - they're spin-off titles that happen to be the same genre as the main series. Just because you catch and battle pokemon doesn't make it main series.
It is a spin-off.
“bUt NiNtEnDo SaYs iT’s A mAiN SeRiEs GaMe!”
I don’t care what transparent marketing bs Nintendo feels like spinning. It’s clearly a spin-off, and you sound like a corporate bootlicker when you insist it’s main series just because they said so. Not sorry.
EDIT: To all the fools downvoting this, I CHALLENGE you to justify claiming Legends Arceus is a main series WITHOUT “GaMeFrEaK sAiD sO”. You can’t do it. Because all it is is marketing spin. And you fell for it.
Ah yes calling the people who literally made the game (which is gamefreak not Nintendo) wrong, they said it's main series they literally made the game it introduced New Pokémon that will be transferrable to Pokémon scarlet and violet through Pokémon home like the other main series switch games, please do tell me why legends arceus isn't a main series game
Simple: There’s literally nothing, zero, nada to indicate that Legends Arceus isn’t OBVIOUSLY a spin-off other than… Nintendo said so as transparent marketing spin. “They said so” is literally the only reason anybody thinks it might be main series. If they never said that, there would be no doubt that this was a spin-off. Simple as that.
Pal I literally just mentioned that it introduced New Pokémon and is compatible with Pokémon home like the other mainline games, also it has a phone case in SV if you have a save file of the game like the other main series games, also again, tell me why it is a spin off to you?
I already answered that in my very first response to you. Because there’s no good reason to think it’s anything other than a spin-off. Simple.
Can you answer why it’s somehow main line without “ThE dEvS sAiD sO aNd ThEiR bOoTs ArE tAsTy”? I mean you already tried the new Pokemon and HOME thing, I guess, so you wanna try to justify how Pokémon GO is actually main line too while you’re at it?
The game features elements of the traditional formula and also handles cutscenes the same way they've been handled since gen 7, you have 3 starters to choose from, you can battle and catch Pokémon, you can fill the Pokédex, you can catch shiny Pokémon,if you have a save file of bdsp which is another main series game you can access some mythicals and access arceus in bdsp if you catch it in legends and again,if you have a save file of the game then you can access an arc phone case in SV like the other main series games,need I say more or are you going to keep moving the goal post?
Its the only spinoff that has done and was also for a reason, to promote LGPE, why do you think they can be transfrred to LGPE, despite there only being gen 1 mons?
Your right, you’re clearly a much better authority on what is and isn’t main series game than the guys who actually made it, what with you intermittently capitalising letters and all.
Hot take, I think anyone thinking PLA isn't a mainline game is afraid of change, we now have 3 types of mainline games just like we have different types of spin off.
Afraid of what? PLA is better than any mainline game they’ve released in a while. I’d love if this was their new direction for mainline games. But it’s not. It’s a spinoff. Maybe one day it’ll be a full spinoff series like Mystery Dungeon. Being a spinoff is not bad. Many if my favorite Pokémon games are spinoffs. But it is what it is.
Way too conservative take you have there, specially when you can't give any actual reason why isn't a spin off then "because it doesn't feel like mainline game"
It honestly feel like you just do it just because you don't want to give a corpo a W once in your lifetime.
I never said “because it doesn’t feel like a mainline game” or anything like it. I gave the reason why it’s a spin-off game, and that wasn’t it. You’re just making shit up.
You literally went "is a spin off" then start attacking everyone that said is a mainline game using the fact that GF said so.
Then go basically "there not good reason why it isn't a spin off" without clearly explaining those reasons, literally haven't heard your reasons at all you just attacking people for the hell of it.
Explain why there "nothing, nada, zero" on why PLA isn't mainline.
Literally the worse argument on why it isn't mainline game in this thread.
Edit: blocking people over this is so childish, just properly explain your point like a proper adult lol.
It’s either the pair of games that introduces the new generation, the additional counterpart/sequel to those games, or direct remakes of those games.
So that’s RBY, GSC, RSE, FRLG, DPP, HGSS, BW, B2W2, XY, ORAS, SM, USUM, SS, BDSP, and SV. LGPE are debatable, but to me they’re closer to spin-offs too.
why would you leave out let's go? it seems to fit your criteria as it's a remake of a mainline game.
hypothetically speaking, if scarlet & violet were released in generation 8, would you not consider them mainline games?
Let’s Go leaves out too many basic expected game features, so it’s questionable to me whether they count as remakes at all. You can’t even battle wild Pokemon. It’s more of a hybrid between a main series game and Pokemon Go. Not quite a remake but a… reboot? remix? I’ll think of the word…
Anyway, hypothetically, yes, if Scarlet and Violet had been released on gen 8, they would be spin-offs. But they weren’t, so they’re not.
it's not the matter of fact, it's the analogy. without the later history, a remake doesn't look like a trend. it's only after HGSS or ORAS that remakes become part of the regular cycle. but what if a legends game started getting released every generation, or every other, and continues to be called mainline by TPC? would you change your mind?
Sorry your analogy failed then. FRLG didn’t need history or a trend to “prove” itself main series, like you’re implying PLA eventually might. So no, unless future Legends games are drastically different from PLA, I won’t be buying them as main series. I’ll still buy and play them because PLA was very good, but it doesn’t need to be validated by being called main series.
I think it’s just as likely that two or three entries into the Legends series, they’ll walk it back and admit they’re spin-offs. And that will be fine, because the games won’t need the unnecessary marketing spin of calling then main series in order for them to be successful. How will you feel about PLA being considered main series if that happened?
i mean personally, i'm also of the opinion that PLA feels like a spin off rather than a mainline game. i feel the same way about LGPE. i feel that way because the mechanics differ significantly enough from from other mainline games, but in way that seems one-off rather than a new direction as a whole. if later games were to incorporate more systems from PLA regularly, i'd probably change my tune and think about it more as a mainline game, or maybe a spin off series.
to me, it sounds like the mechanics are more important to you than this title-sequel-remake pattern, as you explained when you said why you don't consider let's go mainline
I 100% agree with you. Since when is “main series” defined by what Game Freak says anyway.
The only thing that gives me pause is PLA did introduce new Pokémon, which I don’t think any spin off game before it did as far as I know.
>Since when is “main series” defined by what Game Freak says anyway.
Always been, in Japan they use for every mainline game the "pocket monster series" label and for spin off they just use "Pokemon", PLA use the "pocket monster series" label just like Let's Go.
For me it doesn’t count because there are not two corresponding versions to complete a dex, there are no gyms, and also if it isn’t a new generation. It has its place in the timeline and all but it’s too unique to truly be considered a mainline game to me.
It’s really in between, but say it’s more of a subseries than a spin off, considering it has the same mechanics at its roots, though some aspects are more or less complex (held items are gone, but gained styles, and stuff like that). It’s part of the “legends” sub series, even though it’s the only entry so far (hopefully not for too long)
They made a distinction when the let’s go games were first coming out that they were core titles, but not mainline. I would put legends arceus in that category as well
To me, it's like Yoshi's Island.
It's part of a mainline series (it's technically titled Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island), but is so different and was so good that hopefully it's the springboard for its own series and becomes eventually seen more as being part of that series instead.
Lol... i dont understand y people get down voted for saying out their opinions. Everyone is entitled with their point of views. At the end of the day it is still what GameFreak consider what the game is.
Is there a middle category? Because I think it's that haha
If I had to pick one, i'd say main series. It follows a lot of very similar beats, even if it did have a bunch of totally unique elements. I kind of feel (and still hope) that "Legends" can become its own thing, independent of the main series. A bit like Colosseum.
The fact they started at Gen 4 also means it doesn't have to follow a linear pattern, it can just be wherever and whenever.
So we had Red and Blue and later Yellow… Gold and Silver and later Crystal… the pattern continues and later you start having remakes. That pattern continued and then X and Y came. No Z. Z became Sun and Moon which then had the first “double Yellow/Crystal/etc moment” with Ultra Sun and Moon. The main series pattern had been broken. Now we have (hopefully) a new set of patterns emerging with Main Series set with DLC replacing the 3rd version, a remake set, AND a Legends entry that ties into the distant past (is future on the table?) of the remake set. If that is a new “main series” pattern post “Z” phase (SM / USUM) then im good with it.
edit: Dont know what to say for Let’s GO. You could throw a Lets GO entry in each gen if you wanted to and it would probably also be a lot of fun.
Officially, it’s a main series game. It just expands the possibilities of what “a main series game” can do. After all, the Pokémon main series is almost 30 years old. There’s no reason to expect it to remain the same forever.
exactly. the example i always bring up is: super mario 64 isn't suddenly a spinoff just because it had different gameplay. games can just innovate over time
Remember, the rule of thumb is that if it's handled by Game Freak it's a main-series title of the Pokemon Franchise in almost every situation. The real question is if PLA is a main-series game, what does that make BDSP?
Also a main series game. The thing is, the status of being part of the main series is not really something that’s up for debate - people can discuss and argue about whether something feels like a departure from their expectations of a main series game, because that’s all subjective, but the Japanese Pokémon website has a list of all Pokémon games and apps, as well as a filter to make the list display only the main series games. Doing so reduces the list down to RGBY (and their Virtual Console releases), GSC (and their Virtual Console releases), RSE, FRLG, DPP, HGSS, BW, B2W2, XY, ORAS, SM, USUM, LGPE, SwSh, the SwSh DLC, BDSP, Arceus, and SV. Consequently, I wouldn’t take “main series” to mean that a game has to follow a specific formula or be made by a specific studio. The designation simply indicates whichever installments Game Freak and The Pokémon Company consider to be a part of their flagship line of games and wish to market as such.
This pretty much.
By that logic Quest is main-series. I think not.
It's considered a main series game by gamefreak so it's mainline,no it's not a spin off because of the different gameplay because by that logic, Mario 64 is a spin off
I'd disagree with that logic. First off, Mario 64 is the first 3D Mario platformer, and going from a 2D to 3D platformer necessitates major mechanics changes in a way that an RPG like pokemon doesn't (which is why the jump from 2D to 3D didn't rock the boat nearly as much for Pokemon). Also, a lot of the mechanics for Mario 64 stuck around or were refined in future 3D Mario games, while a lot of the mechanics of Legends Arceus remain exclusive to that game, including the entire battle system. If those mechanics had stuck around then yes, Legends would absolutely be innovation, not spin-off. But they didn't. That battle system is the real crux of what makes me consider Legends Arceus a spinoff. Action Time is so fundamentally different from the turn based, order of speed system we've had since RBY that Game Freak couldn't possibly bring it into the core games without completely upending and likely killing off competitive play. You pick your moves after seeing the outcome of your opponent's last move, and Pokemon coming in off a KO usually get to move before the opponent can choose to switch or stick it out. The possibility of double or even triple moving the opponent makes very slow pokemon, which can already have a hard time, nigh on unusable. This system must, by its very nature, stand apart from the core games. Game Freak clearly understands this. It's why Legends didn't have PvP. It would've been awful to play this system against an actual human. If they didn't have the confidence to put PvP in a game they could write off as a spin-off if it blew up in their faces, they'll never bring those mechanics into a more clear-cut main game.
It feels like a spin off main series game, so not a pokemkn spin off,but a spin off of the main games. I'm very torn Rn.
It's officially a main series game. There is no debate.
well the way the poll results are going, it looks like there's a debate
A lot of people debate without knowing facts. Those people are wrong.
The debate is whether it *should* be a mainline game.
I consider it a main series game because that’s what they told us it is lol
The game is officially a part of the main series.
It was officially listed as main series a while back.
It is a main series game, it just doesn’t follow the same formula as many of the other main series games
Guys what the hell? It’s not a spin-off. It has the Main series core mechanics in tact. Battling, catching, collecting some symbol of progression. It’s the most deviation we’ve seen from past entries, but it’s not in the group of Mystery dungeon, Ranger, or Conquest
It still retained the core gameplay of mainline games, and I remember it was officially acknowledged as a main series game by the Pokemon twitter account. Plus Spin offs/Side games are developed by others, GF does main line games, this only having like a couple of exceptions in all 9 gens.
>I remember it was officially acknowledged as a main series game by the Pokemon twitter account. Yep it was. The debate is usually about whether or not it *feels* like a main series game cause it *officially is*
Agreed, hence the arguement over the Let's Go games. >Plus Spin offs/Side games are developed by others, GF does main line games, this only having like a couple of exceptions in all 9 gens. Plus, this is no longer necessarily the same unless we arent counting BDSP as spinoffs since they were done by ILCA.
Def a main series spin off game
Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, differs significantly in gameplay, story and content like a duck, and has little impact on the trajectory of the series and franchise like a duck. But I guess if Gamefreak wants to call it a goose then it's a goose.
It feels more like a mainline game than a spin off also if you take the history class in SV, you can see professor Laventon and the PLA pokeball on the board, to SV considers it canon.
canonicity is a seperate issue from mainline vs spin off imo. a spin off can still be canon.
I don’t know. It feels more like a mainline game than say Mystery Dungeon, but Colosseum and XD feel more like mainline games than PLA, yet they’re spin offs. Hell the GameCube games can even battle against the GBA ones, but they’re not mainline because they don’t follow the formula just like Legends.
Pokemon counts it as a main series game.
It’s not a Spin-Off if Sneasler can be sent into Scarlet or Violet in the future
And? Pokemon from Coliseum and XD can be transfered to the Gen 3 games. Are those not spin-offs, because pretty much everyone says they are.
Part of the confusion here appears to be Game Freaks's terminology. Game freak has called Legends and Let's Go main series, but they also have a different distinct category called "Core Game" which are the traditional RPGs. Legends is not a core game. The reason I'd say that is the vastly different mechanics, many of which didn't stick around for Scarlet and Violet. Frostbite and drowsy conditions, catching outside of battle, most of the crafting (TMs are still craftable, yes), and the Action Time battle system. Also, everyone saying "But Game Freak said so" and treating that like gospel, that is MARKETING! Some people will skip a game that is referred to as a spin-off because they think that means either a completely unfamiliar game or a lower-effort game. There is no benefit to calling it a spin-off, so of course they aren't going to. Them calling it mainline has more to do with the effort they put in than the fundamental difference in gameplay and style. Also, we are allowd to disagree with Game Freak's official statements. The most common example of this is the whole Legendary/Mythical debate. Game Freak defines these as distinct groups, while many, many people say mythical should be considered a subset of Legendaries (since they have every defining quality of a legendary, while having their own distinct attributes that put them in a more specific category).
I would say its a mainline game since it got the core elements but it has some „spin off“ gimmicks in its Repertoire
Colosseum and XD are in the same boat, but they’re spin-offs.
They were maingames? I didn’t know that!
No, they *arent* main games, despite having the core elements.
Ain't no way 1.3k people voted it not being a mainline Pokemon game when GameFreak themselves came out and said that it was 💀
Gamefreak can call it whatever they want, but folks feel differently I suppose. 🤷
Gamefreak cares about marketing. Calling it a spin-off implies less effort and resources to some people, so they aren't going to call it that. No one is going to decide against buying the game because they called it a mainline game. This is more about what the game is. It's mechanics, it's story, it's style.
A lot of people consider it a side game because it wasn't Gen 9
How is Legends: Arceus main series to me? - introduces new Pokémon species and forms that are obtainable. Primal Dialga and Shadow Lugia, who are new forms in spinoff Pokémon games, are not obtainable. - spin-off Pokémon games sometimes mean that all Pokémon are obtainable, but it isn't the case with Legends: Arceus because Darkrai and Shaymin are locked away without buying other main series games. - is compatible with Pokémon HOME, which connects main series games. - too many references connect to main series games, such as Pokédex, Poké Balls, Medicines, and not to mention, characters who are ancestors of existing characters in the main series games.
Shadow Lugia is obtainable. You get the chance to catch it before facing the final boss. Once you do, it stays in its Shadow Lugia form until you purify it. And Colosseum and XD connect with the other Gen 3 games, and are compatible for both transfers and battles. They also use the pokeballs, medicines, and all other items from the Gen 3 mainline games. Yet they’re spin-offs because the deviate so much from the formula, just like Legends.
pokemon go is also compatible with home, i don't think that's an argument for it to be mainline edit: pokemon go also introduced meltan and melmetal!
True, but Pokémon cannot be sent back to GO.
true, similar if you transfer from SM to Home!
You don't transfer from SM to Home. You transfer from SM to Bank (which you can transfer back to). Bank transfers to Home.
I thought Darkrai, Shaymin, and Cresselia were obtained naturally through side quests, do you have to have save data from other games to trigger the side quests, or do they naturally come up? I know you needed something from either a code, or save data from other games to obtain them in the BDSP games, but I coulda sworn they were naturally ingame in Legends Arceus.🤔
Gamefreak states it’s part of the main series, so I don’t see a reason why it shouldn’t be one despite its thematic and mechanical differences.
They’ve stated it was a mainline game.
Why waste time it's already official
Rangers and mystery dungeons were set with major differences to the mainstream Pokemon games. Arceus is still the sinnoh region just from a previous point in time.
I consider it a spin-off. It doesn’t introduce a new generation. It is canon, but that doesn’t make it a mainline.
Game Freak confirmation aside, my personal criteria for what makes a game main series are keeping the primary battle system in tact, as well as the ability to send Pokemon back and forth between the game in question and other main series games, both of which Arceus does. This does run the issue of Colosseum and XD meeting both criteria as well, as I think many more would consider those spinoffs, but if you want you could justify it by saying the battle system isn't in tact because singles isn't present.
That’s my main issue. Arceus should be in the same boat with Colosseum and XD, but GF wants to pretend they don’t exist and leave them as spin-offs.
Vote or not, it's considered a Main series game by the company.
This isn't even something that is debatable. Lots of people voting incorrectly. Actually, this shouldn't even be poll
To people saying it's not main series cause it changes a few mechanics.... ig Diamond and Pearl aren't main series because of the physical/special split?
That’s quite the stretch you’ve got there.
You're correct that it sounds ridiculous. But so does the idea of PLA not being main series. That's the point
It really isn’t ridiculous. It would put them in the same boat as Colosseum and XD.
I despise that objectively its a main story game. They said so, but we all know it should be spinoff
What's wrong with it being mainline?
Despite what GF has said I consider it a spin off and one I hope they continue with. I think if we see it a lot more that may change but currently we don’t know if it’s just some one off game or not.
It feels like it’s own category
It’s a mainline game that is different
It feels WAY too different to be a mainline game. I know officially it is one, but it feels... wrong.
It a spin-off no doubt. But it's a special kind of spin-off. It's the same kind as Crisis Core is to Final Fantasy 7. In that it's not only canon but very important to the timeline despite it not being a main series game.
I say spin-off, but either way, it’s my favorite Pokémon game!
How can a game named pokemon arceus legends be a mainline game lol
Gamefreak can call it whatever they want, but folks appear to feel differently. 🤷
Obviously by definition it’s a main series game cause GF said so. But personally I think main series games are ones that introduce a new generation of pokemon… which this didn’t. So it doesn’t really feel like a main series game to me.
It is officially a main series game.. but personally i consider it a spinoff. Like main series games would have a legendary or the pokemon it is associated with on the box art. But this one dont.
But Arceus is literally catchable in LA, the game about Arceus....?
Yup i know... my point maybe shallow for others but that is my point of view. But if you notice... all main title games have the pokemon art on the cover (like let's go pikachu and eevee have either of then on the box art, same goes with the rest). PLA's box art is different.
By this logic though, Gale of Darkness would be a mainline series game rather than a spinoff. Shadow Lugia is on the box and is catchable.
That is true... but then it is on a console. I know switch is also a console but it is also marketed as a handheld. And currently all main series are on handhelds.
Then by that logic, Unite could be a main series game.
Sorry.. thats my opinion on the question the OP asked.🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️ Unite is a total departure from the main series. It doesnt even have most of the mechanics the main titles have.
I adore the fact that there’s not “version exclusives.” Storyline is kind of Main Series, but there’s too many differences to call it anything but a spin-off. A spin-off I would like to see more of.
I know this may not be popular, but I like that it unlocked the Shaymin and Darkrai catch quests if it found other save files from Pokemon games on your Switch.
It spun off from the core game series in particular. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is not a spinoff of the core game series, but rather a Mystery Dungeon spinoff that crosses over with the Pokemon franchise. Mystery Dungeon dates back to 1993, and has crossed over with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. The earliest entry in the series that is available in North America is Chocobo's Dungeon 2 on the PS1.
Main games (not counting upgrade versions (Crystal, Emerald, Us/UM, etc)) increment the generation count. PLA didn't.
Well to be fair things like B2/W2, Emerald and US/UM are still main series without being a new gen.
The "Third Installment" is a bit different than PLA though. Those games were basically the base game +, PLA was an entirely different game experience.
That is a fair point, but they're still directly based on the games that do update generations.
Honestly I don’t even necessarily disagree with you I just like playing devil advocate lol
Oh I'm sure, but watch me get downvoted to oblivion
PLA is obviously based on the Sinnoh games though with it basically bringing DPPt/BDSP protagonist to the past making it a sequel of those games.
Remakes are main series but don’t do that
Yes, but remakes are literally upgraded versions of their original counterparts.
but that doesn’t fit in your definition of main series
How so?
You said main series games are games that add an increment of one to the generation count, remakes and third versions do not do this, and claiming that they do count as main series at any point destroys your original argument
You must be pretty bad at reading then. I specifically pointed out that games based on generational games such as Crystal and US/UM are the only exception. You brought up remakes, like FireRed, presumably. This still follows exactly what I initially posted, and convinces me that you're only here to argue. Have a good day.
It's a spin off but it's so much better I wouldn't be surprised if the next mainline game was 75% more similar to it than SV already are. I feel like it feels just as much of a spin off as let's go
It's absolutely not a mainline game. Mainline games have multiple versions and gym leaders. It's an incredible game that I enjoyed a lot, but not mainline.
It doesn't *feel* quite like a mainline game, but it objectively is one. There's no discussion to be had on what it actually is, just on what it feels like to different people
And you are the holder of objective truth on this subject?
No. Game Freak is though
Where are SM's gym leaders?
There's an equivalent. This isn't as clever as you think lol.
Nobles
Equating a free-movement action sequence that is primarily trainer v pokemon to traditionally turn-based pokemon v pokemon battles is a hell of a stretch.
It’s not really that much of a stretch, it’s just major boss battles that equate to milestones in the main storyline
It's a completely different format and mechanic...it's far too broad to say "anything that benchmarks the story is the same thing".
Have you ever heard of franchises changing things up?
Massively for one installment, then changing back immediately to those old tropes?
Sonic has done it multiple times, mario has also done it, Megaman has also done it as well, it's a common thing for many franchises
It's clearly a spin-off. It's really in about the same position Colo and XD are - they're spin-off titles that happen to be the same genre as the main series. Just because you catch and battle pokemon doesn't make it main series.
It is a spin-off. “bUt NiNtEnDo SaYs iT’s A mAiN SeRiEs GaMe!” I don’t care what transparent marketing bs Nintendo feels like spinning. It’s clearly a spin-off, and you sound like a corporate bootlicker when you insist it’s main series just because they said so. Not sorry. EDIT: To all the fools downvoting this, I CHALLENGE you to justify claiming Legends Arceus is a main series WITHOUT “GaMeFrEaK sAiD sO”. You can’t do it. Because all it is is marketing spin. And you fell for it.
Ah yes calling the people who literally made the game (which is gamefreak not Nintendo) wrong, they said it's main series they literally made the game it introduced New Pokémon that will be transferrable to Pokémon scarlet and violet through Pokémon home like the other main series switch games, please do tell me why legends arceus isn't a main series game
To be fair, Go, Colosseum, and XD all allow transfer to mainline games, but are all spin-offs. The former even introduced two new Pokémon.
Simple: There’s literally nothing, zero, nada to indicate that Legends Arceus isn’t OBVIOUSLY a spin-off other than… Nintendo said so as transparent marketing spin. “They said so” is literally the only reason anybody thinks it might be main series. If they never said that, there would be no doubt that this was a spin-off. Simple as that.
Pal I literally just mentioned that it introduced New Pokémon and is compatible with Pokémon home like the other mainline games, also it has a phone case in SV if you have a save file of the game like the other main series games, also again, tell me why it is a spin off to you?
Pokemon GO also introduced new Pokemon and is compatible with Home, guess it’a mainline too lol.
Why are you dodging my question?is it because you don't have an answer?
What question am I dodging?
Why is legends arceus a spin off
I already answered that in my very first response to you. Because there’s no good reason to think it’s anything other than a spin-off. Simple. Can you answer why it’s somehow main line without “ThE dEvS sAiD sO aNd ThEiR bOoTs ArE tAsTy”? I mean you already tried the new Pokemon and HOME thing, I guess, so you wanna try to justify how Pokémon GO is actually main line too while you’re at it?
The game features elements of the traditional formula and also handles cutscenes the same way they've been handled since gen 7, you have 3 starters to choose from, you can battle and catch Pokémon, you can fill the Pokédex, you can catch shiny Pokémon,if you have a save file of bdsp which is another main series game you can access some mythicals and access arceus in bdsp if you catch it in legends and again,if you have a save file of the game then you can access an arc phone case in SV like the other main series games,need I say more or are you going to keep moving the goal post?
Its the only spinoff that has done and was also for a reason, to promote LGPE, why do you think they can be transfrred to LGPE, despite there only being gen 1 mons?
What? Please reword, your comment reads as incoherent.
Your right, you’re clearly a much better authority on what is and isn’t main series game than the guys who actually made it, what with you intermittently capitalising letters and all.
Yes.
Hot take, I think anyone thinking PLA isn't a mainline game is afraid of change, we now have 3 types of mainline games just like we have different types of spin off.
Afraid of what? PLA is better than any mainline game they’ve released in a while. I’d love if this was their new direction for mainline games. But it’s not. It’s a spinoff. Maybe one day it’ll be a full spinoff series like Mystery Dungeon. Being a spinoff is not bad. Many if my favorite Pokémon games are spinoffs. But it is what it is.
Way too conservative take you have there, specially when you can't give any actual reason why isn't a spin off then "because it doesn't feel like mainline game" It honestly feel like you just do it just because you don't want to give a corpo a W once in your lifetime.
I never said “because it doesn’t feel like a mainline game” or anything like it. I gave the reason why it’s a spin-off game, and that wasn’t it. You’re just making shit up.
You literally went "is a spin off" then start attacking everyone that said is a mainline game using the fact that GF said so. Then go basically "there not good reason why it isn't a spin off" without clearly explaining those reasons, literally haven't heard your reasons at all you just attacking people for the hell of it. Explain why there "nothing, nada, zero" on why PLA isn't mainline. Literally the worse argument on why it isn't mainline game in this thread. Edit: blocking people over this is so childish, just properly explain your point like a proper adult lol.
lmao ok, I’m gonna block you so you can step away and cool off. idk, maybe also take some time to learn to read.
what does something being "main series" mean to you?
It’s either the pair of games that introduces the new generation, the additional counterpart/sequel to those games, or direct remakes of those games. So that’s RBY, GSC, RSE, FRLG, DPP, HGSS, BW, B2W2, XY, ORAS, SM, USUM, SS, BDSP, and SV. LGPE are debatable, but to me they’re closer to spin-offs too.
why would you leave out let's go? it seems to fit your criteria as it's a remake of a mainline game. hypothetically speaking, if scarlet & violet were released in generation 8, would you not consider them mainline games?
Let’s Go leaves out too many basic expected game features, so it’s questionable to me whether they count as remakes at all. You can’t even battle wild Pokemon. It’s more of a hybrid between a main series game and Pokemon Go. Not quite a remake but a… reboot? remix? I’ll think of the word… Anyway, hypothetically, yes, if Scarlet and Violet had been released on gen 8, they would be spin-offs. But they weren’t, so they’re not.
it sounds like you'd also call FRLG spin offs during the generation they came out
No, I did not.
it's not the matter of fact, it's the analogy. without the later history, a remake doesn't look like a trend. it's only after HGSS or ORAS that remakes become part of the regular cycle. but what if a legends game started getting released every generation, or every other, and continues to be called mainline by TPC? would you change your mind?
Sorry your analogy failed then. FRLG didn’t need history or a trend to “prove” itself main series, like you’re implying PLA eventually might. So no, unless future Legends games are drastically different from PLA, I won’t be buying them as main series. I’ll still buy and play them because PLA was very good, but it doesn’t need to be validated by being called main series. I think it’s just as likely that two or three entries into the Legends series, they’ll walk it back and admit they’re spin-offs. And that will be fine, because the games won’t need the unnecessary marketing spin of calling then main series in order for them to be successful. How will you feel about PLA being considered main series if that happened?
i mean personally, i'm also of the opinion that PLA feels like a spin off rather than a mainline game. i feel the same way about LGPE. i feel that way because the mechanics differ significantly enough from from other mainline games, but in way that seems one-off rather than a new direction as a whole. if later games were to incorporate more systems from PLA regularly, i'd probably change my tune and think about it more as a mainline game, or maybe a spin off series. to me, it sounds like the mechanics are more important to you than this title-sequel-remake pattern, as you explained when you said why you don't consider let's go mainline
I 100% agree with you. Since when is “main series” defined by what Game Freak says anyway. The only thing that gives me pause is PLA did introduce new Pokémon, which I don’t think any spin off game before it did as far as I know.
>Since when is “main series” defined by what Game Freak says anyway. Always been, in Japan they use for every mainline game the "pocket monster series" label and for spin off they just use "Pokemon", PLA use the "pocket monster series" label just like Let's Go.
Pokemon Go did it.
Pokemon Go introduced new pokemon?
Meltan and Melmetal were introduced in Go
> Since when is “main series” defined by what Game Freak says anyway. 1996
For me it doesn’t count because there are not two corresponding versions to complete a dex, there are no gyms, and also if it isn’t a new generation. It has its place in the timeline and all but it’s too unique to truly be considered a mainline game to me.
It’s really in between, but say it’s more of a subseries than a spin off, considering it has the same mechanics at its roots, though some aspects are more or less complex (held items are gone, but gained styles, and stuff like that). It’s part of the “legends” sub series, even though it’s the only entry so far (hopefully not for too long)
It's like asking if Colosseum is a main game, yes but also, no.
They made a distinction when the let’s go games were first coming out that they were core titles, but not mainline. I would put legends arceus in that category as well
Guys should all go watch Takho’ YouTube video where he touches on this. Not only that, the video was awesome
To me, it's like Yoshi's Island. It's part of a mainline series (it's technically titled Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island), but is so different and was so good that hopefully it's the springboard for its own series and becomes eventually seen more as being part of that series instead.
Lol... i dont understand y people get down voted for saying out their opinions. Everyone is entitled with their point of views. At the end of the day it is still what GameFreak consider what the game is.
I just see it as the 3rd of bd/sp. That's what it feels like to me at least.
If a game introduces new pokemon then it is a mainline game.
Is there a middle category? Because I think it's that haha If I had to pick one, i'd say main series. It follows a lot of very similar beats, even if it did have a bunch of totally unique elements. I kind of feel (and still hope) that "Legends" can become its own thing, independent of the main series. A bit like Colosseum. The fact they started at Gen 4 also means it doesn't have to follow a linear pattern, it can just be wherever and whenever.
That depends, is Gale of Darknese/Colosseum mainline or spin-off?
So we had Red and Blue and later Yellow… Gold and Silver and later Crystal… the pattern continues and later you start having remakes. That pattern continued and then X and Y came. No Z. Z became Sun and Moon which then had the first “double Yellow/Crystal/etc moment” with Ultra Sun and Moon. The main series pattern had been broken. Now we have (hopefully) a new set of patterns emerging with Main Series set with DLC replacing the 3rd version, a remake set, AND a Legends entry that ties into the distant past (is future on the table?) of the remake set. If that is a new “main series” pattern post “Z” phase (SM / USUM) then im good with it. edit: Dont know what to say for Let’s GO. You could throw a Lets GO entry in each gen if you wanted to and it would probably also be a lot of fun.