I'm Sad That Pokémon DLC Might Have Permanently Killed One Franchise Tradition

screenrant.com:

DLC has become a prominent part of the last few Generations of , but it seems that its rise has simultaneously put an end to a long-running franchise tradition. Of course, I have thoroughly enjoyed playing through the DLC of the most recent core games, as have countless other people. However, when I think about what has lost at the same time, I cannot help but feel sad as well.

There have been two major pieces of DLC for games so far, for the Gen 8 and 9 games, and both were released in multiple parts. ’s DLC introduced the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra separately, for example, clearly justifying its additional cost in the process. Meanwhile, ’s own DLC,, was released in three parts:, and the epilogue. Both sets of DLC massively expanded their respective games, introducing new characters and Pokémon to populate their settings.

There has been a long tradition for the core paired titles of each Generation to be followed by a third game version, also called an upper version. Upper versions appeared in Gens 1 to 4, omitted from Gens 5 and 6, and then saw a resurgence in Gen 7 with; the only time that upper versions were themselves paired games. However, with the advent of DLC for in Gen 8, upper versions have fallen out of favor once more, and this time I believe it will be for good.

arguably took the place of upper versions for their prequels in Gen 5, while Gen 6’s prospective was ultimately skipped so that development could focus on .

Playing an upper version could be a radically different experience from the original paired games of a Generation, even if a large part of the game remained the same. The unusual approach to development meant that each upper version could build upon its predecessors by introducing new features and plot points, leading to very different adventures through a familiar world. For example, combines Team Magma and Team Aqua’s plans from so that both come to fruition, ultimately necessitating the intervention of Rayquaza as Groudon and Kyogre