13 Things Nobody Wants To Admit About Pokémon

Considering how adamantly opposed Pokémon has been towards the concept of reinvention, it sure has indulged itself over the years in many bizarre gimmicks. Pokémon Yellow itself was essentially just a blatant attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the animé, and there have since been a number of strange, fruitless stunts that failed to leave a lasting impression.

Does anyone remember the Pokéwalker, for instance? It was essentially a pedometer which was bundled alongside Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, which gave players the option of recording their steps throughout the day. You could also catch Pokémon on the device and transfer them back to your DS, which is exactly as counterproductive as it sounds. I mean, why would anyone choose to play a secondary device instead of their handheld, considering the fact that both options are entirely portable? It makes no bloody sense.

Besides that, Game Freak have incorporated a vast number of ineffectual gimmicks over the years, like the Pokéathlon Stadium, which was added to Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, which did nothing besides introduce a whole host of repetitive minigames. Pokémon-Amie might be the most recent offender, a feature in Pokémon X/Y that involves developing stronger relationships with Pokémon through sustained petting, which is just as awful as it sounds.