Sometimes Lin Lixin couldn't help but admire his own foresight.
Using a color LCD screen for NP's debut was truly the wisest decision he ever made.
Although in the era before LED backlight technology was invented, power consumption was a major problem for this thing.
But it was all worth it.
If given the chance to see a world in color, who would be content to remain confined to a grayscale, black-and-white world?
More importantly...
If there's no color, what will happen to shiny Pokémon?
In the original Pokémon series, the Shiny mechanic was introduced in Generation II.
Whether Game Freak didn't think of this in the first place, or whether it was due to hardware limitations, perhaps only the original team behind Game Freak in its early days knows the answer.
However, with the arrival of the second generation, and the strong addition of a host of big names from Nintendo, the quality of Pokémon began to improve dramatically.
Uncle Shigeru provided technical Support, Brother Satoru helped write optimization algorithms...
With the gradual development of Pokémon, coupled with the upgrade to color screens on the GBC, it can be said that Pokémon, the world's number one IP, only truly got on the right track starting with Pokémon Gold and Silver. In fact, this series even featured an incredibly exaggerated miracle that has been difficult to replicate in later generations.
Dual maps!
In addition to its own map from the second generation, Pokémon Gold and Silver, thanks to their new 1MB cartridge media, fully incorporated the entire Kanto Region from the first generation.
How to create a new miracle on the foundation of a work that is already at the top.
Back then, before Gamefreak became completely rotten, they delivered an absolutely perfect answer.
However, for Gamenova, this problem is far more difficult to solve than that of Gamefreak back in the day.
Because from the very beginning, they aimed for the most perfect state under the current technological conditions.
[Most Anticipated Work:]
[no.1]:
[ Pokémon Generation II]
[Number of votes]: [7203]
[No. 2]: [ Biohazard 2 ]
[Number of votes]: [...]
Looking at the overwhelming number of votes in the magazine, Lin Lixin clicked his tongue in exasperation.
They started too high, and now they've dug a huge hole for themselves.
If this thing isn't handled properly, I'm afraid I'll be branded as a slacker and nailed to the pillar of shame.
"I'm counting on you guys to make me proud..."
Lin Lixin picked up two sample card boxes that had just been produced by the factory and were placed on the table.
One of them depicts a large bird.
Its golden tail feathers and crest, along with its fiery red plumage, exude a peculiar majesty.
It is Ho-Oh.
Legendary Pokémon that exist only in mythology.
It is also the legendary Pokémon featured on the cover of Pokémon Gold. In fact, this is not its first appearance.
It actually made a quiet appearance as early as in " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation ".
However, that time it only provided a simple silhouette and no additional information.
It will reappear in a new promotional work in the near future, in the same form as in " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation ".
This strange figure is the subject of daily discussions in the Pokémon community.
The prevailing opinion is that this is not one of the 151 known Pokémon.
Therefore, there is only one answer...
It's definitely going to be a new Pokémon that will appear in Generation II!
Lin Lixin silently looked at the Ho-Oh on the cover.
This is their first official attempt to incorporate this genuine "mythological feel" into a game.
Similar designs existed in the first generation, such as Articuno, Zapdos Mew, Moltres, and Mewtwo.
But rather than calling them "legends," they are more like some kind of hidden, powerful monsters. Given the extremely limited capabilities available at the time, it was simply impossible to create the sense of ritual that legendary Pokémon should have.
But today, Gamenova is a completely different company.
They now have a complete entertainment industry system, with their own music team, a professional team of original artists, and a large group of incredibly talented producers.
Lin Lixin picked up another card box.
It also depicts a Legendary Pokémon.
The blue and white color scheme gives it a fresh, girlish feel, but its giant, hand-like wings and wide-open mouth already prove that this creature is destined to be extraordinary.
It is Lugia, a mythical creature representing the sea god.
Lin Lixin prepared an entrance performance for it that would absolutely rival the original.
Just like Ho-Oh, Lugia has actually already quietly met with players.
However, this little Easter egg has yet to be discovered by anyone, which is making him extremely curious.
"Seriously, I went out of my way to choose a work with an ocean theme, couldn't everyone be a little more perceptive...?"
Yes, he naturally didn't overlook such a perfect medium as " Pirates!!" Every ship sailing on the sea would hoist sails adorned with its own logo.
Even Pirates! have those classic Pirates! flag symbols.
Beyond these bizarre and varied noble family crests, merchant guild emblems, and Pirates! symbols, there exists a unique crest.
If you don't look closely, it looks exactly like other family crests—intricate, mysterious, and meticulously designed.
But anyone who has ever seen Lugia will recognize it at a glance – this thing is designed based on Lugia's image!
According to the established custom, sailors would voluntarily hoist such flags, intending to seek the protection of the legendary "sea god".
"Tsk tsk, looks like we can't hide Easter eggs too well in the future."
Lin Lixin reluctantly set both sets of card boxes aside for the time being.
The game isn't even finished yet; this is just something we've made ahead of time to test the waters.
After all, the factory can't wait for the development department to finish before starting work; that would cause a lot of delays.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Lixin dialed a number.
"Hey, Steve? I'll cram something into the next issue of Electronic Games. I'll fax you two silhouettes later, and then you'll..." Unlike the immense difficulty of development, marketing for the Pokémon series is much easier.
Even if he doesn't seek out any media channels, he can just find a crowded place and casually ramble on for a bit.
Within a week, the news would spread throughout the country, becoming known to everyone.
Let's just put the black silhouettes of the two mythical beasts in the magazine as an "exclusive scoop" for now.
This will not only give "electronicgames" a lot of talking points for pure-blooded Gamenova fans, but also further generate buzz.
Those bored, fanatical fans will go and dig as much as they want.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Lixin strode to the development department.
He needed to quickly explain the next few crucial gameplay mechanics to them.
"I've finished writing the GDD proposal. Kojima, you handle the day-night cycle and the system for Pokémon with different time limits. Oh, and the entrance animations for legendary Pokémon too."
The most suitable person for these tasks is, of course, Hideo Kojima, who serves as the "game director."
In " Our Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand," he had already experimented with day-night cycles. The strength of vampires would vary depending on the time of day, and at night, the entire game would even transform into a stealth-based gameplay.
As for performing on stage, that's his comfort zone anyway.
" Will, Carmack, your missions are the most important this time."
At this point, Lin Lixin's expression became slightly serious.
"The breeding system and friendship system will be crucial cornerstones of the future Pokémon universe."
The so-called breeding system is actually the infamous root of all evil: the egg-hatching gameplay.
This model can be considered the core mechanism of BaoLike.
It can be said that this system and affinity system truly completed the last piece of the Pokémon puzzle.
Collect, train, and battle.
Both trading and multiplayer are crucial elements that were established from the very beginning.
But frankly, the first generation didn't do a very good job in terms of character development.
Hmm... okay, maybe it's perfect by today's standards. But compared to the many similar games and simulation games that will emerge later, it really doesn't have much of a nurturing element.
If I had to categorize it, it would only be leveling up and evolving by defeating monsters?
This leads to a very awkward problem.
In Pokémon Red and Green, the Pokémon you possess are more like weapons than partners.
Catch, train, fight.
Using Lin Lixin's "dual-cycle model" as an example, this is actually a very standard template answer.
Complete, but not excellent.
Is it fun?
That must have been really fun. Otherwise, Pokémon wouldn't have been able to carve out its own path in that primitive era when there were no related derivative products.
It's the Christmas season, and all the manufacturers are putting in their best efforts to create the big hits they've been working on all year.
Without Pokémon as a supporting force, even with Tetris on the handheld console, Gamenova would never have won so decisively.
But despite being fun, Pokémon Red and Green have a very serious problem: they are too simple.
The strategy depth, replayability, and character pool are all too shallow.
Even with Lin Lixin pulling out a hidden Pokémon like No. 151, it couldn't stop the decline in popularity.
Even today, the Pokémon IP remains incredibly popular.
However, the number of players who actually log in and play every day is actually not as many as you might imagine.
Most people just go to the Pokémon Center to join in the fun.
They can only maintain the IP's popularity through spin-offs such as " Nova Kart," " Hamsterball," and " Clefairy's Universal Gravitation."
Perhaps Gamefreak was also aware of this.
They plan to solve this problem once and for all in Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Their solution was—a nurturing system!
If you put a male and a Pokémon into the breeding center, you will get an egg. After a period of incubation, it will hatch into a new Pokémon.
Skills, Individual Values (IVs), Species, Nature, Egg Group, Ability, Shiny... From this generation onward, a completely new group of Pokémon trainers has emerged.
Egg Party.
Geneticists active in the Pokémon world.
The process of breeding a unique and powerful Pokémon through years of complex group breeding has become the longest-lasting gameplay element in this game.
Of course, this also marked the beginning of a nightmare for a certain unfortunate Normal-type Pokémon was about to transform...
However, this system was then combined with " Pal Park " and GTS, which were already familiar to players.
What kind of storm it will stir up is something that can be predicted.