You know, since this is a general gaming thread, there's something I did want to talk about. I've recently started Dragon Quest IX on Nintendo DS for the first time, and it's really hammered home how much I want Pokémon to be party-based instead of 1v1. I knew that was the main reason I've been disappointed in the Pokémon series anyway, ever since I moved from Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and Darkest Dungeon to Pokémon: Ultra Moon. At its core, Dragon Quest IX is a multiplayer game. I'm [i]supposed[/i] to be playing with friends, a point which the game made clear when the Wight Knight destroyed me even though I was technically overlevelled, all because I was alone and he could out-heal any damage I dealt to him. When I returned back to the Quester's Rest, I realised I could summon NPC companions to help me out, and equip them with any weapons and armour I wanted (as long as they were the right class for it.) Thing is, they start out at level 1 and I'm level 12. So before I can go back to the Wight Knight boss battle, they need levelling. And what I realised, was that even at level 1 they made normal enemy encounters much easier. So even though I haven't gone back to the Wight Knight, I [i]know[/i] it's going to be both easier and more fun. This is why Pokémon doesn't interest me anymore. I enjoyed the fifty-or-so hours I spent on Ultra Moon last year, largely for the catching and training part of the game, but it was [i]boring[/i] whenever I had to battle. I like Alola's Pokémon designs - vikavolt, mimikyu and decidueye in particular. And the actual creature design is always what pulls me in. But despite this, I didn't really [i]feel[/i] anything when I finished the game and started something else. Like I normally do when I finish a game. And the reason is that every. Single. Battle. Basically came down to "hit the guy with the one damage dealing move and watch him go down in one hit." There's no synergy or real tactics or strategy involved. Healing moves are useless. Buffs and debuffs are useless. It literally just came down to using the most powerful damage dealers, and having a variety of types. And going into online pvp, it was the same. Either my opponent went down in one hit, or I did. Although at least there in pvp, speed mattered too. And I don't mean to bash Pokémon, because I love turn-based RPGs. I just think that genre only works when the game is also party-based. I mean, if Pokémon was party-based, I would actually have a use for healing moves and a support Pokémon. It wouldn't necesarily make the game easier or harder, and it could still be the casual friendly game it's always supposed to be. But it would be more engaging for people who want something [i]more[/i] from an RPG. But I guess that's just me, and we're all different! I just wanted to speak a bit about it.