Hey guys, I don't know if this is where this goes but I wrote a blog about how the TCG needs to come to the DS. I figured that was general enough discussion. Here is a copy/paste version of it and I will link at the bottom for gamespot members. Let me know what you what you think. Mods, if this goes somewhere else, can you please move it.
Pokemon TCG, the DS (or 3DS) and what NEEDS to happen.
Who reading this remembers back when Pokemon was the biggest thing ever? I certainly do. Between the Game Boy games, the anime, and the cards the franchise could not be stopped. Now fast-foward 12 years later. Still big. I have fairly recently (the last year and a half to two years) gotten back into the Pokemon TCG (trading card game). While I played the main video game series all along for some reason I lost interest in the cards along the way. A couple summers ago, I found my old card and with a friend of mine remembered how to play and BAM! we were hooked again. One of the most forgotten element in the Pokemon days of old was the TCG game for the Game Boy. Seeing as I loved the card game back then, this game was a huge time-suck for me. Although the sets included in the game were only base through jungle I still enjoyed playing against the computer. The purpose of this blog is to lay out my argument for a revival of a video game version of the Pokemon TCG. I will explain why it would be awesome, how it would work as well as counter the main argument for why Nintendo would/should (for their own interests) never do this.
First of all, why would this be awesome? This would be awesome because there are Pokemon TCG players all across the world right now. Believe it or not, the game is still thriving. The problem is, with a world that is becoming ever more busy and long gaps between periods where tournaments are going on it is sometimes difficult to get ample practice in with deck ideas. There are TCG leagues, but not everywhere and sometimes at inconvenient times. The TCG video game I am imagining would solve this problem. It would also serve as a great way to build and test deck ideas without having to either proxy a deck or invest money in cards that don't work in your deck (I can hear Nintendo's argument now, and I will get to that later). It would also be an awesome way for TCG players to connect and for the metagame to expand. So, how is all of this going to happen? How would this fantastic game work?
On the surface, the game would work very similar to the original. An incredible story is not important for this game to work. For those who do not remember, the first game had an overworld map (similar to Mario in a way). When you selected a location it would take you to a "club." The clubs were like gyms in the main series. Each club had a type theme and a leader (like a gym leader). When you beat the leader you got a medal. Get all medals and you could challenge the four "Grand Masters" to get the "Legendary Pokemon Cards." Whenever you would beat an opponent you would get booster packs to expand your collection of cards and help make your decks better. You had a rival, who only serves as a tougher test to see how good your deck was. That was the whole story. It was mostly playing the TCG. Randomized deck draws and coin flips with very good computer AI (atleast I felt like the AI was good) was so awesome. So, my idea for the game would function very similar to that with several additions. The first addition would be the inclusion of all the sets currently in the format at the time of the games release. For example, if the game were to be released tomorrow then the game would include all cards from the sets Diamond and Pearl through Heart Gold Soul Silver: Unleashed. I would work on the AI to make it even better to where when you go back and replay people maybe they have multiple decks or switch them up and make them better as you advance in the game. The next HUGE addition I would make would be online play. This would be awesome. Right now Pokemon TCG players use a program called "Redshark" or they use Skype to play online. This would be a much better, streamlined way to play. The game could either be on the DS or the 3DS. The graphics would be able to have a better looking, almost real image of each card as opposed to what we had on the Game Boy color. Now, I can hear the argument from Nintendo now. "We won't make any money off the real Pokemon TCG if we release this as people will just play this instead." I disagree.
First of all, the tournaments will still be held with the physical cards. They will still make just as much money off of the cards as they do now. The serious players will buy a box of each new set and attendance may actually go up if the DS game is used to promote the actual game and bring in new players. I feel that it is highly unlikely that people would drop playing the real game where there are tournaments, leagues, the actual cards and friends to just play a digital version online or against the computer. Both Yo Gi Oh (on the DS I know of and maybe other consoles) and Magic the Gather (on XBLA) have digital versions of their card games and it does not appear to hurt their market for card purchases. A common misconception is that if say I need a Gengar for my deck I am going to go out and buy packs of cards until I open one with a Gengar in it. No, what I, and most players, would do is go on ebay and buy the single card from an individual. Nintendo doesn't make any money off the second hand purchases. The only market that would be hurt would the the second hand market as people would be able to test out deck easier before purchasing cards for them. Even then, I still don't see much of a change and most people proxy a deck out before they make purchases (atleast, I do). I do see, however, the potential for Nintendo to make even more money. I say that the game could be a retail release. If it is on the 3DS ( and is possible or this may even be possible on the DS) Nintendo can release DLC for each new set of cards when it is released. This would mean that those who use the DS game to play online and test decks would have to purchase the DLC if there were cards in the set they wanted to use. The DLC could update computer decks or just add new computer opponents. Nintendo would make the same amount of money off the cards, but then also make money off Nintendo Points from people buying the DLC.
I say that this is something that needs to happen. It is just to good of an idea to pass up. But then again, so is a Pokemom MMO and we may never see that happen either...
http://www.gamespot.com/users/gamer_CNSK/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25840053&tag=all-about%3Bblog1[/b]
Pokemon TCG, the DS (or 3DS) and what NEEDS to happen.
Who reading this remembers back when Pokemon was the biggest thing ever? I certainly do. Between the Game Boy games, the anime, and the cards the franchise could not be stopped. Now fast-foward 12 years later. Still big. I have fairly recently (the last year and a half to two years) gotten back into the Pokemon TCG (trading card game). While I played the main video game series all along for some reason I lost interest in the cards along the way. A couple summers ago, I found my old card and with a friend of mine remembered how to play and BAM! we were hooked again. One of the most forgotten element in the Pokemon days of old was the TCG game for the Game Boy. Seeing as I loved the card game back then, this game was a huge time-suck for me. Although the sets included in the game were only base through jungle I still enjoyed playing against the computer. The purpose of this blog is to lay out my argument for a revival of a video game version of the Pokemon TCG. I will explain why it would be awesome, how it would work as well as counter the main argument for why Nintendo would/should (for their own interests) never do this.
First of all, why would this be awesome? This would be awesome because there are Pokemon TCG players all across the world right now. Believe it or not, the game is still thriving. The problem is, with a world that is becoming ever more busy and long gaps between periods where tournaments are going on it is sometimes difficult to get ample practice in with deck ideas. There are TCG leagues, but not everywhere and sometimes at inconvenient times. The TCG video game I am imagining would solve this problem. It would also serve as a great way to build and test deck ideas without having to either proxy a deck or invest money in cards that don't work in your deck (I can hear Nintendo's argument now, and I will get to that later). It would also be an awesome way for TCG players to connect and for the metagame to expand. So, how is all of this going to happen? How would this fantastic game work?
On the surface, the game would work very similar to the original. An incredible story is not important for this game to work. For those who do not remember, the first game had an overworld map (similar to Mario in a way). When you selected a location it would take you to a "club." The clubs were like gyms in the main series. Each club had a type theme and a leader (like a gym leader). When you beat the leader you got a medal. Get all medals and you could challenge the four "Grand Masters" to get the "Legendary Pokemon Cards." Whenever you would beat an opponent you would get booster packs to expand your collection of cards and help make your decks better. You had a rival, who only serves as a tougher test to see how good your deck was. That was the whole story. It was mostly playing the TCG. Randomized deck draws and coin flips with very good computer AI (atleast I felt like the AI was good) was so awesome. So, my idea for the game would function very similar to that with several additions. The first addition would be the inclusion of all the sets currently in the format at the time of the games release. For example, if the game were to be released tomorrow then the game would include all cards from the sets Diamond and Pearl through Heart Gold Soul Silver: Unleashed. I would work on the AI to make it even better to where when you go back and replay people maybe they have multiple decks or switch them up and make them better as you advance in the game. The next HUGE addition I would make would be online play. This would be awesome. Right now Pokemon TCG players use a program called "Redshark" or they use Skype to play online. This would be a much better, streamlined way to play. The game could either be on the DS or the 3DS. The graphics would be able to have a better looking, almost real image of each card as opposed to what we had on the Game Boy color. Now, I can hear the argument from Nintendo now. "We won't make any money off the real Pokemon TCG if we release this as people will just play this instead." I disagree.
First of all, the tournaments will still be held with the physical cards. They will still make just as much money off of the cards as they do now. The serious players will buy a box of each new set and attendance may actually go up if the DS game is used to promote the actual game and bring in new players. I feel that it is highly unlikely that people would drop playing the real game where there are tournaments, leagues, the actual cards and friends to just play a digital version online or against the computer. Both Yo Gi Oh (on the DS I know of and maybe other consoles) and Magic the Gather (on XBLA) have digital versions of their card games and it does not appear to hurt their market for card purchases. A common misconception is that if say I need a Gengar for my deck I am going to go out and buy packs of cards until I open one with a Gengar in it. No, what I, and most players, would do is go on ebay and buy the single card from an individual. Nintendo doesn't make any money off the second hand purchases. The only market that would be hurt would the the second hand market as people would be able to test out deck easier before purchasing cards for them. Even then, I still don't see much of a change and most people proxy a deck out before they make purchases (atleast, I do). I do see, however, the potential for Nintendo to make even more money. I say that the game could be a retail release. If it is on the 3DS ( and is possible or this may even be possible on the DS) Nintendo can release DLC for each new set of cards when it is released. This would mean that those who use the DS game to play online and test decks would have to purchase the DLC if there were cards in the set they wanted to use. The DLC could update computer decks or just add new computer opponents. Nintendo would make the same amount of money off the cards, but then also make money off Nintendo Points from people buying the DLC.
I say that this is something that needs to happen. It is just to good of an idea to pass up. But then again, so is a Pokemom MMO and we may never see that happen either...
http://www.gamespot.com/users/gamer_CNSK/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25840053&tag=all-about%3Bblog1[/b]
