649 and Counting: Should Pokemon Stop Breeding, Or Is There Still Room to Expand?

Pokemon – expanding your mind, one Mudkip at at time

649 Pokemon and counting…I remember the days of yore where I would both wake up early on the weekends and rush home after school to catch my favorite TV show: Pokemon. Without fail, even up to this day, I will bust out into the theme song if someone merely utters “I want to be the very best…” And I’m a 23 year old college graduate. I knew the Pokerap by heart (as did most children in the 90’s that played Pokemon) and I prided myself in knowing anything and everything about the Pokemon universe. Or at least all that mattered in the 151 universe.

I have been playing these games since 1996, which was when Pokemon was released in the United States. For 16 adventurous years, I have roamed the streets of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and now Unova with my trusty starter at my side (if I could take my favorite Pokemon Charmander in every adventure, I so would). As the worlds expanded, so did my knowledge of Pokemon. So many different types, effects, and moves appeared that it was a lot to take in with every new game. I remembered the moment I discovered the move “Attract” for the first time. Albeit a darn near useless move now, but at the time I was super stoked because now gender will affect Pokemon game-play. I have battled my way though thousands of wild Pokemon and suffered my first heartbreak when some of my favorites would fight a valiant effort and faint, only to be resurrected at the closest Pokemon Center. I dabbled in the game-play of collecting rather than competitive battle. I wanted to fill my Pokedex like any respected Pokemon trainer…excuse me, master, would do and try my best to stick by the good ol’ motto that still stands today: “Gotta catch ‘em all.” And I did. Oh…did I catch them all.

But why does this all matter? Well, friends and fellow Pokemon masters, the time has come once again where our world is expanding. We have survived the new games releasing every so often and a couple remakes. The world of 151 in Kanto expanded to 251 in Johto. From there, it grew to 386 when we entered Hoenn, 493 when we discovered Sinnoh, and finally now settling with 649 in Unova. Or at least…that’s what we thought. 649 Pokemon is not the end of our journey my friends, but merely a pit-stop for another adventure that awaits us just around the corner.

649 Pokemon? I could barely remember my shoe size for bowling.

Pokemon: Black 2 and Pokemon: White 2 is set to be released in August 2012 and I must say, as an avid Pokemon player who has been playing this game for the past 16 years, I am not that much excited. The question I ask myself, and to all my fellow Pokemon masters, do we really need more Pokemon at this time?

According to Serebii.net (best Pokemon site ever), Pokemon: Black and White 2 are set to have a Pokedex for the Unova region consist of 300 Pokemon. Now, in Pokemon: Black and White, 155 of those Pokemon are already accounted for. With a little math, it is safe to assume that Pokemon: Black and White 2 will feature 145 new Pokemon, be it alternate forms, evolutions, or just an entirely new set.

But how can you be sure that there will be new Pokemon? Maybe Serebii is wrong (gasp!) and that there will not be 145 new Pokemon. Well, I cannot say for sure that there will be a new set, since this is all just speculation at the moment. But I can do my best to work with what information I have and deduce a logical answer. So if Serebii.net is wrong, how about something a little more credible? Say the Pokemon website itself.

According to the Pokemon website, we adventurers are set to find “some extraordinary new places and people.” When I read that, I immediately thought of new Pokemon. New places means new Pokemon, otherwise why make an entirely new game just to feature the older ones again? An alternate idea could be that aside from new Pokemon, it is definitely possible that these “new places” will bring about the old ones from our past. Pokemon from the other regions may appear in these new places, indicating that it matters not what Pokemon are in what region, but that they are EVERYWHERE in this world. I would not mind that at all, actually. It would bring in the other regions of the Pokemon world and almost make them seem connected besides having these awesome creatures roam their lands.

However, my thought on new Pokemon in these “new places” is not a “farfetched” idea (heh heh get it, farfetched…Farfetch’d is a Pokemon…nevermind). We already know that there will be new forms for Kyurem, Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, and Keldeo. But who’s to say it is going to stop there? This game takes place two years after the time in Pokemon: Black and White. So in that span of time, what else was discovered? New forms of other Pokemon…new Pokemon in general? We shall see.

New forms of other Pokemon…boy a Poison or Steel Eevee would be pretty cool.

Now, I did say “at this time,” meaning I am not opposing Pokemon to stop breeding completely and just stop at Unova. There is still a lot of juice left in this engine to continue on for a couple more games. Who knows; Pokemon might exceed the 1000 mark, which would make creating a new Pokerap to encompass everyone a bit of a challenge. I’m merely saying the release date for this new game could be pushed back slightly. It is understandable that this is a continuation of the Unova region, so the developers want to get it out as soon as possible to make sure people don’t forget about it. But Pokemon: Black and White was just released not too long ago, March 6, 2011 to be exact. Give us some time to breathe before you shove another game down our throats.

It is not that I am getting burned out with Pokemon. Hell, I have been playing this game and all its components for 16 years and I am not about to stop now. I have had my hand on most of the Pokemon games, even if I did not own the console for it I still found a way to play it. I just picked up Pokemon Conquest as well, for the sheer reason that it was Pokemon. If anything, I am far from quitting. New Pokemon? BRING IT ON! But bring it on slowly and gently…I’m new to this region. So give me some time to explore before you shove more down my throat.

We have had this relationship for many years, Pokemon. Don’t go ruining it by making a Rapidash to the finish line with a new game. It’s okay to be a Slowpoke.