this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2024
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[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 154 points 1 year ago (3 children)

You're allowed to return home anytime you want. Just walk your character into their bedroom, tuck them into bed, save, exit to the main menu, and delete the save. Congratulations, you have just completed the alternate ending to Pokémon.

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 53 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know I'm replying to my own comment but this reminded me of a joke I once read about the first Bioshock game (Bioshock spoiler incoming)

TitleWhen Andrew Ryan told me to kill him at the end of Bioshock, I shut off the game and deleted the save. A man chooses, a slave obeys.

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The VR game Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners has a series of decisions at the end. On my first playthrough I managed to fuck up everything and everybody.

spoilerFirst you can choose to flood either a storage full of supplies that could help a ton of people or a guy trapped in a bunker next to them who was pleading with me through radio. I just didn't have the heart to kill him while he's talking to me, even though sacrificing him would probably be justified in the post-apocalyptic reality of the game.

Then one of the few unambiguously good characters, stricken with grief, threatens to ring a bell which would attract a horde of zombies and lead to a massacre. A soldier is ready to shoot her to prevent that. There's gotta be a way to talk it through, right? Well, no, he was pulling the trigger so I shot him first. That soldier? The guy I refused to flood earlier.

And guess what? I couldn't talk it through. She was adamant she will pull the rope and... I ended up shoting her too. Great fucking job, hero.

It really hit hard too - these were not just dialogue choices or anything. I had to actually turn the right valve in the first case and then pull the trigger in the other two.

Well, this being a VR game, I just put a pistol to my temple and pulled the trigger. Figured that was a valid choice after fucking everything up. I got a standard game over screen, but as far as I'm concerned that's how the story ended that particular playthrough.

[–] Sigh_Bafanada@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Would you recommend the game? It sounds quite interesting from that blurb

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[–] SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works 28 points 1 year ago

The NEET ending.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Shouldn't you also, I don't know, go to school, graduate and become an accountant or something?

[–] sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Does Pokemon even have accountants? They don't have real banks... only Pokebanks...

Can you collect interest on your Pokemon?

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In the second gen your mom can manage your finances for you, although she buys stuff with your money so I wouldn't call it a bank exactly lol.

[–] sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 year ago

Bank of Mom is something that most of us know in some form.

[–] brsrklf@jlai.lu 107 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Yeah, but you know, danger in the pokémon world is relative.

The worst thing that can happen when you face mafia/terrorists/wannabe dictators is they will make your rat fight theirs. I guess they'll take your lunch money every time you lose, so that's a thing.

[–] 520@kbin.social 77 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Haha oh nooo. The official lore can be surprisingly fucking dark. Even in the games, the reason Jubilife exists is because wild Pokémon smoked an entire village. Burnt the fucking thing to the ground and gave the Galaxy Clan's commander PTSD.

Also in the beginning of Arceus, your rival has only just recovered from hospitalisation after they took a thunderbolt from a Shinx.

Then there are literal wars that break out. And some of the Pokédex entries. And the mangas go fucking dark too at times.

The losing your lunch money is just a game mechanic.

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like the way it's handled in PL:A. Before Pokémon have developed a symbiotic relationship with humans, they will straight up just attack you in the wild.

[–] 520@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago

I do too. It actually felt a bit like a world filled with potentially dangerous animals, as opposed to magical pets.

[–] Syrc@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The whole lore is an absolute mess, to be fair.

There's Pokémon who should be ridiculously dangerous to even get close to, but no safety measures are required whatsoever and people use them all the time with no consequences. Villains are ready to destroy the world or whatever it takes to reach their goals, but they still won't attack you, or anyone opposing them, directly with their Pokémon. And that's just two of the huge holes in the worldbuilding.

I love the series (well, at least up to XY), but the lore constantly swings between "happy-go-lucky kids-friendly game" and "deep character-driven narrative/creepypasta material", with no coherence between the two. And I love both sides, but trying to make sense of it all is pointless unless you go full theorycrafting and make up your own headcanon.

You can't even use secondary sources because everything has their own canons and you can't make sense of the game through manga information, for example (even though I really wish the game plot was as good as Pokéspe's).

[–] Dagnet@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wonder how many trainers simply starve to death because they suck at battling

[–] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Team Rocket is a lot more sinister when you realize they’re running around causing generations of children to starve in the wilderness

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

And are absolutely not above kidnapping. And that's the two least successful Rockets in the entire organization.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

That's why so many of them became bug catchers and fishers.

[–] abominable_panda@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Meanwhile professor oak:

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[–] mcmoor@bookwormstory.social 13 points 1 year ago

Professor Oak: I don't want to marry a single mother!

Ash's mom:

[–] OpenStars@startrek.website 9 points 1 year ago

Is that why there's already heavy breathing behind the slammed door?

[–] Jakdracula@lemmy.world 47 points 1 year ago (2 children)

not true the mom does not give him a rat professor oak does.

[–] Madison420@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Also prof oak is almost certainly giving it to your mother.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Professor Oak is giving it to Ash's mother. You play as "Red."

[–] Madison420@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You play as ash in yellow and to be specific I was talking about the show and it's pretty obvious he was laying out down all over the starter town.

[–] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 year ago

Pallet Town*

But yeah he was laying more pipe than a Cerulean City plumber.

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[–] KuroiKaze@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

you know ash's mom was getting that milf pussy pounded by professor oak

[–] Resol@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Meanwhile the kid collects more rats, each one more powerful than the last, instead of collecting other animals

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 10 points 1 year ago

He also like short because it's comfy and easy to wear

[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 8 points 1 year ago

Until he finds the top 1% of rattatas.

[–] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 1 year ago

but a fucking cool electric rat

[–] son_named_bort@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And the 10 year old wants to be the very best, like no one ever was.

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[–] superduperenigma@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I feel like this comic would've been better if they didn't feel the need to dedicate an entire panel to explaining the joke.

[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

For those that would get it without the last panel, definitely. Unfortunately mainstream appeal necessitates the explanation.

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[–] bouh@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

That's also how Spartans became adults, somehow!

[–] Maultasche@feddit.de 7 points 1 year ago
[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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