Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

[Celebii151]

Thread to discuss the Mystery Dungeon Series, including the new upcoming one: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Magnagate and the Infinite Labyrinth.

[phoopes]

They're making one for 5th gen wahoooooooooo!

I actually like the PMD games slightly better than the main series, and I've been waiting for what seems like forever for a 5th gen one to come out. This is amazing, man.

[Charminions]

Love this series. EoD/EoT was a too easy, but the story was much better than Red and Blue Rescue Team. Currently playing through Red Rescue Team on a ROM using Charmander and Treecko as my partner.

[Haymez]

Loved the Mystery Dungeon games. Can't wait for the new one, though lack of 3ds will make it difficult :S

[Celebii151]

I don't like that you have to take a picture to decide your starter.

[Talon87]

3D, huh? Does this mean the mazes are going to be in 3D too? That could be really frustrating + disorienting. ^_^; I sure hope it's not going to be like this! I'm not as big a fan of the Chunsoft games' gameplay as I would like to be but I love their stories to pieces and I have to agree with phoopes that I may like the PMD games slightly more than the official games. (It's a tough call. Like, today if you asked me, I'd probably swing in the direction of the official games. But ask me tomorrow and I could swing the other way. Real tough call for me.) They've both had great stories thus far and I look forward to seeing what they try with the third in the series. That stated, I never did 100% complete the other two (I just beat their main story modes) and when I restarted my copy of PMD Blue I ended up putting it down only halfway through before moving on to other distractions. So I dunno if I'll get this or not. Not owning a 3DS definitely means no for now. ^_^; But once I get a 3DS (or the 3DS' replacement? ;D) I'll have to decide whether to skip this one or pick it up. I'll probably be counting on player reviews at that point. Story is lamer than the first two = no thanks, story is the best yet = yes please.

[Jerichi]

Watch the trailer on Serebii, Talon; it's basically just the same as the old games but all the graphics are prettier.

[Talon87]

Originally Posted by Jerichi

Watch the trailer on Serebii, Talon; it's basically just the same as the old games but all the graphics are prettier.

Grazie. Didn't think to look at screencaps. Still don't see the trailer but I see the still pictures and can appreciate from them that this is going to be an offset bird's eye view with 3D models. So pretty much exactly what we're used to seeing only now with some lol awesome 3-D grafix! Well, that's good. Don't mind one way or another but the swap from PMD sprites to 3D (though the 2D sprites were cute, it's true) and it looks like it's otherwise the same thing. The screencaps make the graphics look kinda shitty but if it's one thing I think we all learned from the DS it's that you can't judge how good or bad 3D modeling will look without actually seeing it on the DS in action for yourself.

Jer, it looks like Kecleon's back ... but only the green one? ^^; That or else their shops are so physically far apart that we can't even see the path leading up to the purple one's shop to the right. ('Cause like, you can totally see that some sort of merchant's shop is to the right. And you'd think it's the purple Kecleon's, like usual. But is it really so far apart from his brother's that we can't see the footpath leading to his stall? ^^; )

[phoopes]

Originally Posted by Talon87

I'll have to decide whether to skip this one or pick it up. I'll probably be counting on player reviews at that point. Story is lamer than the first two = no thanks, story is the best yet = yes please.

Oh, I wouldn't worry about the story at all, especially after how well the first two delivered. Hell, the second one had the only moment in the Pokemon games that ever made me shed a tear, something I hadn't experienced with Pokemon since watching "Bye Bye Butterfree" or the first Pokemon movie when I was a little kid. Both games have had lovable characters, great story writing, and everything else that you would expect from a great game. I'm sure the third won't disappoint, especially with purdy 3D graphics, haha. I'll definitely be getting this once it comes out.

[Talon87]

Well, you and I also seem to have different experiences within our shared love of the franchise. I'd rank 1's story ahead of 2's strictly speaking (there were aspects to both which I loved and were greatly memorable and aspects to both which were silly or have been forgotten) and it was 1 that made me cry, not 2. So like, to you the expected trend is 1 was good, 2 was great, so 3 will be the greatest yet; whereas to me the trend has been ever so slightly downhill with 1 great and 2 good but not as good as 1 and so I'm kind of twisting my hands worried that 3 will be as good as or worse than 2 rather than being as good as or better than 1.

Hence my reservations as expressed above. ^_^;

[Haymez]

I'm with Talon in that I loved the first one. The sequence after the final battle, the feels...

I liked the second ones, especially EoS. I liked the addition of the special episodes so you could see what happens to Grovyle. That is my favorite part of the story in that game.

If the third can keep the storyline up then I'll definitely consider getting it, though if they can't I may just let it by.

[Jerichi]

One comment I will make about the new game is that I'm a little discouraged by the limited number of starters you can chose. I know they're trying to showcase Gen V 'mon, but one of the things I liked about the earlier game was the amount of selection and permutations you could create. The starter set + Pika + Axew seems really limiting, especially considering I don't particularly love any of these Pokemon. In the other games, I could at least squeak out a duo I liked okay.

[XanderKetsu]

Originally Posted by Jerichi

One comment I will make about the new game is that I'm a little discouraged by the limited number of starters you can chose. I know they're trying to showcase Gen V 'mon, but one of the things I liked about the earlier game was the amount of selection and permutations you could create. The starter set + Pika + Axew seems really limiting, especially considering I don't particularly love any of these Pokemon. In the other games, I could at least squeak out a duo I liked okay.

I want to say that the screenshot didn't show all the starters, and trailers do lie occasionally, but I could see that happening. Otherwise, kinda hyped. Coming out this year in Japan, so we shouldn't wait long.

[Slash]

From the graphics I've seen from the screenshots, I don't like this. Aesthetically, it doesn't appeal to me. I like PDM but I have not played the second set as I'm dirt poor. The storyline is great, however, and I liked the graphics. Combined with the fact I'd need a 3DS for this, probably not gonna happen anytime soon.

What I don't get is why we need a 3DS at all. Platinum had great 3D work that amazed me on first playthrough, so the DS Lite has the capability for 3D graphics. Plus, the lack of dual slot is depressing. Then again, my eyes are a lot different from most people's and I've never needed 3D glasses for movies, so.

[Kindrindra]

>New PMD game

Okay, now I know that it is actually possible to go unconscious due to happiness. 0_o


@Kairne:
Actually, that's only Psudo-3D. It looks 3D due to being the creator's best guess of what the object would look like from each angle. The 3DS on the other hand is the first thing (to my knowledge) to have true 3D- It outputs two images, one to each eye, so the image works the same way as objects in real life.
...Of course, psudo-3D has gotten so good that you can't tell the difference half the time. XD


As for which game I liked best; I really liked the original PMD, but PMD2's story outclassed it imop. To be fair, though, I think the reason I like PMD2's story more is that it had more twists.

[Talon87]

Recently, I completed PMD1 on a second save file. I went ahead and ground a little bit after this, in preparation for the next dungeon or two ... and then I realized, "Y'know, if you're gonna do this, you might as well do it on your original save file. I wonder how far we got on that anyway? " So I loaded up the old save file and ... HOLY CRAP, I HAVE OVER 8,000 RESCUE POINTS ON THIS ONE! O_O; (On the new one, I just recently surpassed 1,500. ^^; )

It looks like there's two different directions you can take the immediate post-Story Mode-game in. One of these directions is ...

1. Talk to Medicham, Lombre, and Whiscash to get HM Dive.
2. Go investigate the Stormy Sea that Lombre was talking about.
3. This path will take you through Kyogre, Mew, and the two Latis. (I know this because I have Kyogre and Mew icons on my save file progress bar and I have both Latios and Latias befriended. O_o I have no memory of doing that. )

The other of these directions is ...

1. A Spinda arrives in town, saying he's giving up the hunt for the legendary Mirage Pokémon. He gives you the one lead he has, a Clear Wing, and bids you to finish what he could not.
2. Your first pit stop is the Fiery Fields, where you meet Entei, who converts your Clear Wing to a Red Wing.
3. Your next stop is the Lightning Fields/Meadows/whatever, where you presumably meet Raikou.
4. Presumably you then go on to meet Suicune.
5. Before presumably finally meeting Ho-oh.

This path opens up regardless of your progress on the first (Kyogre/Mew/Latis) path. I know this, because Spinda showed up on my second save file while I was still grinding up for Stormy Sea. (I had lost my Reviver Seeds fairly quickly the first time I attempted it, so I decided to level up by running other errands.) Just out of curiosity, I decided to investigate Fiery Fields. And just in case it was too hard, I brought with me a spare Escape Orb (since it makes you save before entering). And sure enough it, it was way too hard for my second save file's team.

But what about my first save file's team? Well, I loaded them up and was surprised to see that they hadn't done the Fiery Fields bit at all yet. (It had that black boxed "GO" next to its name and everything.) So I go there and ... lololol, what a cakewalk. ^^; I'll admit to one KO (fucking Camerupt) since my team consisted of a Level 50 Pikachu, a Level 48 Charizard, and a Level 28 Mudkip (the Mudkip got 2HKO'd by Camerupt's powerful Earthquake), but aside from that a few close calls (like a Magcargo Rock Slide that just barely missed Charizard ), I managed this dungeon without any problems. Not sure why I never pressed on with it before putting the game down years and years ago. I probably just grew bored with the game in general, or moved on to other things.

My Pikachu's IQ is like 6 stars. Charizard's is 5 or 6. I have a Level 40 Houndoom whose IQ is 6 or 7 stars. (Apparently he was my loyal bud until I boxed him for poor Charizard. ^^; ) And my loyalest of sidekicks, Celes the Chikorita, is around Level 50 and has 6 IQ stars. Geez. No idea how long it took to grind for those gummis. Although ... I am starting to vaguely recall some kind of gummi trick involving the passcodes. Not sure if I abused that on PMD1, PMD2, or neither. Hmm ...

[Yougirasu]

So, I started playing through Explorers of Time again the other day (starting with a Treecko and settling on a Piplup partner) And I've gone through the initial story and graduated from the guild (only took me 2 tries... That darn Wigglytuff). I have to say, I do like the story of the game. But I haven't played the original PMD, so I can't really offer my opinion as to which was better.

I've now reached a point where I'm wanting to unlock additional dungeons, without the use of a Wondermail generator, to obtain pokemon that I'd like to build up. But, getting the Happy Outlet for the only one I've decided on (Togepi) is proving to be taxing. But, on the plus side, I've got a fair few evolution items and a mission that will reward me with a Coronet Rock for when I get a Nosepass and a whole heap of Nectar for rapid IQ gain. I've been passing the days using Sentry Duty, since it refreshes the boards for the chance of a new dungeon, and I've forgotten the other rewards, but I know how to get Nectar and considering it gives twice the boost of a favourite gummy (but lacks the chance of a stat boost) I find it to be rewarding enough...

Although I may just give in and create a wondermail to explore Happy Outlet with some kind of nice reward... We'll see how quickly I get bored of Sentry Duty first though.

As an Update, I finally got Happy Outlook. Which made me... Happy
No luck on finding a Togepi though. But, with all the Nectar I'd collected I managed to give me, Treecko, every IQ ability that's available for its IQ group. Which is kinda crazy (and shows how long it took before I got Happy Outlook, especially since you need to get your IQ level to 750 for Treecko's final skill). I'm thinking about continuing with the story shortly, but I've got pokemon I want to raise (if I'm going into Blizzard Isle or whatever it's called, I'm taking my only fire type who's about 30 levels behind the main 2 atm.) and I'd like to get some sort of Tanking pokemon to pair with client pokemon so he/she can take all their blows for them... So many things to do, so little desire to go grind.

[deoxys]

OMG DUNSPARCE BBY NO ;-;

[Loki]

WHAAAAA?!?!?!?!?!

Now I hate Virizion.

[deoxys]

I hate Verizon, too. Shitty service if you ask me.

[Gemini Spark]

Originally Posted by deoxys

OMG DUNSPARCE BBY NO ;-;

It's not that surprising, considering the Muskedeers were introduced in general as not trusting anybody. While they might accept others as comrades, they aren't willing to make any friends.

Spoiler: show

Viriz changes her mind, though, after you save Dunsparce from the Pawniard Bros. (hence why she joins your team relatively early in the game, along with Dunsparce and Emolga, though Emo doesn't like Viriz being on the same team as him because of her original attitude towards Dunsparce. Also, inb4 Emolga x Virizion)

[Talon87]

A HA HA HA HA! XD That is awesome. Fan edited or screen-for-screen actually in the game? (Obviously the first and second halves are stitched together from two separate scenes, but I'm talking about whether each half's screens are or not.)

[Gemini Spark]

All of that is actually in the game. So glad I bought it.

[Rakurai]

I really don't understand how people can prefer Explorers' story to Gates' after having gone through both.

The presentation of it alone is enough to make me like it better.

[Emp]

Joining the "I hate Virizion" club.

How dare such a poorly designed Gen V Pokémon be that mean to a cool oldschool Pokémon like Dunsparce!

More on topic: The dialogue in this game looks kinda funny. Better than the unnatural sounding B/W dialogue (this was the first game Nintendo translated in-house) - although I'm not sure if they have the same writers.