5 Ways the 'Pokemon' Games Are Evolving for the Better

For we millenials, Pokemon has been around for as long as we have. We grew up with all these Pocket Monsters, trying to "catch 'em all," but now we've evolved and gotten older. The Pokemon franchise has been rapidly growing in popularity (again) just over the past decade, and it's had to make some adaptations to keep itself fresh and new. And let me tell you, these changes have been spoiling we Pokemon players rotten.

Here are some ways that the Pokemon games have changed over time that have caused we older players to give the developers a round of applause.

1. Training is a ton easier.

Remember the days when you had to have a weak Pokemon up front and then immediately switch it out in battle for a stronger one? Yeah, we do, too, and it got a little annoying. Thanks to the newer Exp. Shares, though, we can train every Pokemon in our party with one battle!

Hardcore players that remember the countless hours it took to train the perfect team may scoff at this easier way to train a weak Pokemon team, and admittedly, it does make it harder to go back and play the older games for this reason, but it makes the newer games more enjoyable!

The player can now focus on battling for battling's sake now instead of having to comb through a patch of tall grass for hours in hopes of raising a Pokemon's level a few times. It can't be denied that this change in the series has more pros than cons.

2. Say goodbye to HM mules.

With the newest edition having Pokemon perform an HM move for you on command, there's no need to catch a Pokemon solely for the purpose of equipping it with HMs for you to use throughout the game. It gives you another open slot in your Pokemon party for one you really want and it saves you time from having to find, for instance, a water type, since your normal type can't learn Surf.

Again, some of the more hardcore gamers may be averse to this new edition, but the convenience of it is too hard to ignore. And be honest, who didn't enjoy riding a Charizard to wherever you needed to go in Pokemon Sun and Moon?

3. The Graphics, Obviously

The game graphics have changed dramatically since the first generation and I'm sure all of us are very pleased with this. The graphics seem to be getting better with each generation and we are looking forward to whatever Pokemon game is next in the lineup to see what beautiful scenery and battles will be in store.

4. Pokemon-Amie

This is a mini-game of sorts that allows playesr to get closer with their Pokemon by petting it, feeding it, and playing games with it. On the surface, it sounds quite a bit like Dogz or Catz, but it's better because (at least in the newest Pokemon installment) their level of love for you benefits you in battle!

Sure, it can be cheesy and at times inconvenient, but if your Pokemon love you enough, they will endure a 1-Hit KO just because they don't want to see you sad! That bonus has been very helpful in certain battles and it makes the Pokemon in the game feel real to the player, at least to some extent.

I've encountered people that either loved or hated the Pokemon Plaza or the Isle of Pokebeans in the Pokemon Sun and Moon, but I have yet to come across someone who didn't like the added bonuses you get from this game within a game.

5. The Pokemon game library keeps growing!

The amount of people that play Pokemon of all ages continues to grow, along with the Pokemon game library. With each new game comes new Pokemon (most of the time), a new Team to have us fight against, and a renewed sense of adventure when we pick up a new or old game to start the saga. People have connected over these games and it's good to see the amount of players connecting increase with each new game.

I'm sure its popularity will wane again at some point, but I also don't think it'll take too long for the games to bounce back and become one of the most talked-about game series of all time.