Let's talk about Pokémon designs

While I normally disagree with "genwunners" and the like who claim that all of the new Pokemon designs are terrible, I would like to address one thing that I feel has been happening more with later generations: overdesign.

There are a few Pokemon that I would call slightly overdesigned: Sylveon, Sigilyph, Palkia, Haxorus, Xerneas, Barbaracle (OK, Barbaracle's just plain ugly), but let's look in particular at the poster children for overdesign: The Kyurem Formes.



First of all, I understand what they were going for. They're supposed to be (possibly unnatural) fusions of Kyurem and one of the Dragons. But the designs are just so busy. You have tubes whose purpose I can't imagine, big chunks of ice seemingly glued on, and massive tail generators. (That's a complaint I have with the Unova dragons in general, actually - the tail generators look incredibly out of place and impractical for actually moving around.) Kyurem-B is the worse one in my regard, both due to Zekrom being fairly overdesigned itself and the fact that they just couldn't decide on a scheme for its wings and arms - one of each is Zekrom's and the other is Kyurem's. Wouldn't it make at least a bit more sense to give it Zekrom's wings and then Kyurem's arms (or vice versa)? This also happens with Kyu-W, but not nearly to the same degree. I feel like when GF designed it, they were just thinking "It doesn't look legendary enough. Why don't we just add more stuff to it?", the end result being something that doesn't even look like a Pokemon. Indeed, the Kyurem Formes are the perfect examples of what happens if you try too hard.

But I'm not one to rant. And Gen V's legendaries aren't all clunkers - For example, Cobalion.



Now this is an example of legend design done right! It has a simple colour scheme, being mainly blue with lighter feet. This gives it the appearance of boots, which is a very nice touch in my opinion. Cobalion is often depicted as the eldest and wisest of the Swords of Justice, and its long white "beard" and stoic gaze excellently complement that. Most importantly, though, there isn't a lot going on with it; only the horns, beard, and fins on its front legs.
I think it might be different for deer, but I automatically see four-legged pokemon as sort of canine in appearance, and so Cobalion's front leg has always looked like it bends the wrong direction. Also, I think his zig-zagged horns look a bit silly, and I keep thinking the line on his face is a hair on my screen, it just looks so extra. But these are nitpicks, not a terrible design, no.
 
I love Nidoking... it's one of my favorite Gen I 'mons. I can also say I'm not nostalgia blind! :D I find it better than Nidoqueen because I simply don't like the large tan parts on the body. Nidorina is awesome though.
 
I love Nidoking... it's one of my favorite Gen I 'mons. I can also say I'm not nostalgia blind! :D I find it better than Nidoqueen because I simply don't like the large tan parts on the body. Nidorina is awesome though.
And I'm telling you that those designs have got absolutely nothing on Goomy.
There is only one design that could possibly compete and that would have to be Dunsparce's.

You can tell just by looking its color scheme. Yellow is the color of victory. Gold. Dunsparce never loses a battle. This is perfectly reflected in its appearance. The blue markings represent the blue sky over the battlefield over in Vietnam. This clever honors the Vietnam veterans in a kid friendly game so that we may never forget the bravery that those men went through.
 
And I'm telling you that those designs have got absolutely nothing on Goomy.
There is only one design that could possibly compete and that would have to be Dunsparce's.

You can tell just by looking its color scheme. Yellow is the color of victory. Gold. Dunsparce never loses a battle. This is perfectly reflected in its appearance. The blue markings represent the blue sky over the battlefield over in Vietnam. This clever honors the Vietnam veterans in a kid friendly game so that we may never forget the bravery that those men went through.

I'm not talking about Goomy though. I'm talking about Nidoking. Does everything need to compare to Goomy? Goomy is one Pokemon. I like Goodra, but to me Goomy is kind of boring. It's a ball of goo. Yay. It's cute and all but I don't like it. I also hate Sliggo.

EDIT* This isn't spreading hate. I know that was directed at me. I don't go around praising a Pokemon I like left and right. It was annoying to me to see something so unlike the Pokemon to be compared to another and considered better. If the Goomy line was some what similar to another being talked about, I get it. But not when it's a ball of slime compared to a rhino with spikes.
 
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And I'm telling you that those designs have got absolutely nothing on Goomy.
There is only one design that could possibly compete and that would have to be Dunsparce's.

You can tell just by looking its color scheme. Yellow is the color of victory. Gold. Dunsparce never loses a battle. This is perfectly reflected in its appearance. The blue markings represent the blue sky over the battlefield over in Vietnam. This clever honors the Vietnam veterans in a kid friendly game so that we may never forget the bravery that those men went through.
This is by far the truest thing that I have read on smogon, or for that matter the Internet. I applaud you great Tazonite for realizing the true symbolism behind dunsparce. That and the sheer awesomeness that is goomy. All other Pokemon are insignificant vermin next to it.
 
Oh hai!, I have a few POWERFUL OPINIONS when it comes to Pokemon Design, so of course, I shall talk about them here. I'll only do three of the bullet points tonight, since upon proofreading what I've been typing up... I kind of made a word storm. And I'd rather not bother anyone with my Huge Wall o' Text (TM).

  • What makes a good/bad Pokémon design to you?
What makes a design good/bad, at least in my eyes, is the ability to communicate its idea to another person cleanly, without TOO much interference. You see, a picture is worth a thousand words, so a good design? it's one that punches the viewer in terms of "This is what x is like". Of course, a designer can totally manipulate how a person sees this subject. They may have an appearance that, at first glance, makes them look like a shy wallflower, but the fact that they have red detailings on their outfits can mean that, in the future, they would become a much more headstrong character.
BUT that is getting a bit off track. The point is, communication. As an example, earlier in this thread, someone mocked that the Meowstic duo looked like bad designs. I disagree with this! The Meowstic duo feature front-lopped ears, beady eyes, twin tails, scarves, even their own hair tufts! But the WAY they're styled, along with their colors, is a hint at their personality (And this isn't getting into why their ears are lopped at all!). In terms of their color scheme, white naturally goes with any color, and blue is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. So you have a boy who's blue, with a very gentlemanly, innocent appearance, while the female is quite the angry princess. Together, they're a pair of mysterious looking cats, which could be enough of a hint to think "Hm, maybe these are Psychic? They're too peculiar to just be Normal".
In terms of a bad Pokemon design... That's hard for me to think about off-hand. I don't want to use the overdesigned meme on my opening post, sooo let me talk about a Pokemon I feel quite bad for. Dragonite. MANY fans don't care for it, if they like Dragonair. And I could understand why, you have Dratini, then this beautiful Dragonair, then derpy Dragonite. While with me, I ADORE and love Dragonite for what it is - A gentle giant of a dragon, who can also be seen as mysterious, and is quite mighty to boot. When it comes to evolutions, they should match the natural progression of the chain, at least tangentially. So seeing as Dragonite shares nearly nothing with Dragonair... Sadly, the 'nite isn't cut out for being a good Dragonair evolution. It's a shame to think on this, since I'm such a huge fan of the 'nite, and yet, I understand how disappointed Dragonair fans are.

  • Are there any Pokémon designs you like or dislike for specific reasons? Can you point out exactly what the designers did right/wrong?
In terms of liking or disliking, while I may joke with my friends how I hate certain designs, it's often hyperbole. You see, a lot of deisngs I hate, are usually ones I feel very, very high indifference towards. Versus liking, which would be me being tied to a design mostly from how it speaks for the lore it's based on.
For a Generation 1 example, I ADORE Ninetales. Childhood biases aside, it's a fox. A nine-tailed fox. It just oozes smug from its smirk, BOTH its normal and shiny coloration fit the mythos of kyuubi no kitsune, and overall, it's simply a beautiful fox that I'm happy is the parallel to the Chinese-based Arcanine.
While in terms of a design I'm indifferent on, it's Gardevoir. See, I did use to like Gardevoir as a kid, mostly from how Wally has one in RSE, and I didn't realize as a kid, that it was actually rare?? So spending hours looking for one, and catching one, made me think it's something special. Fast forward some years, and... I don't really care for it. I get why fans love it (Besides what you may see on GIS) - It's a ballroom dancer, a knight, a beautiful dude/dudette who can make BLACK HOLES for their trainer. Its design even fits this theme! But even though logically, I should be like "This is good!', I... Still don't like it. It's one of strange cases where I can identify that something is legit good or bad, but somehow, I still don't like it. It could just be me being way too quirky a thinker? Or I'm just overthinking everything (Oh nooo)

  • How do other aspects of the Pokémon work with or against the design? Can movepool, abilities, lore or the design basis affect the way you view a Pokémon design? That is, can it ruin an otherwise good design, or remedy a bad one?
EVERYTHING on a Pokemon, appearance, dex lore, moveset, is all important. Everything. I personally go appearance, dex lore, moveset, and out-of-game appearances (Anime/manga) as the tier list. And even then? There are plenty of times where I don't see a mythology reference immediately. So I do like enjoying hearing new trivia of Pokemon I overlook, ESPECIALLY ones I dismiss as lame monsters (I am sorry Beartic, I never knew you were LITERALLY a superhero to polar bears).
There's also funny things to see with movesets, such as Weavile having the ability to Surf (Though weasels, in fact, canNOT swim. Such bad science, Pokemon).
 
Jumping on the Chikorita train a little here.

A lot of the hate the evolution like gets is because it sucks smelly nuts both in-game and competitively. However, I don't think they are badly designed. They have the interesting niche of staying cute through the whole evolution line. It's a nice deviation from the gold standard of starter designs:

cute baby first stage -> middle stage that looks like a teenager trying to act cool and adult -> tough/kickass final stage

Meganium is a big but friendly dinosaur (it's round and smiley, plus the flower) and Bayleef makes sense as a middle ground. Much more than Ivysaur anyway, which is little more than a bigger Bulbasaur.
 

Martin

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People always rat on gen 5 designs, but I personally really like a lot of them. Take Stunfisk, for example. Its tied with Wobbuffet for my favorite Pokémon on the merit of its design (I'm not joking when I say that it is one of my favorite across all six generations) and due to personal experiences I've had with it; the really derpy look on its face won me over immediately, and the more I looked at its design the more it grew on me. Sadly its gen 6 model completely butchered it, but regardless I completely adore it. And then there is Trubbish. People always go "ffs why a trash bag?" when they see it, but I think its actually rather cute. Its round eyes and little smirk on its BW sprite really hit home, and its body isn't exactly unattractive outside of its arms. The Klang line are all completely badass, the Galvantula line is cute and badass, respectively, literally every legend and mythical Pokémon has a great design, the Stoutland line is incredible, Blitzle, Zebstrika, Gigalith, Excadrill, Krookodile, Sigylyph, Zorua, Zoroark, Sawsbuck, Emolga, Accelgor, Escavalier, male Jellicent, Mienfoo, Mienshao, Pawniard, Bisharp, Bouffalant, Braviary, Durant and Hydreigon are all really well designed, and yet people moan a lot about the gen. Who cares if inanimate objects are getting to become Pokémon when a lot of them are really actually rather decent designs? And any genwunners who moan about this aspect are hypocrites when you consider that gen 1 had the Voltorb line, Magnemite, Magneton, the Geodude line, the Grimer line, the Koffing line and Gastly, which are all--you guessed it--based on inanimate things (Pokéball, rock, gravel, sludge, land mine and smog, respectively).

Speaking of gen 1, I'm gonna be controversial and say that the designs in that generation aren't particularly great. I mean, sure quite a lof of them look cool, but if gen 5 is "lazy" then gen 1 must be braindead, because my god some of these things' evolutionary design progressions are uninspired. I get that this is a reasonably common thing in Pokémon for the evolutions to be similar to their prevos, but while most gens tend to have significant alterations to designs to set them apart from their prevos without straying too far from the original concept (with a few exceptions, such as the Sentret and Cyndaquil lines--which literally change concept upon evolution (some weird fusion of a meerkat, a tanuki, a flying squirrel and a sugar glider-->a ferret for Sentret and a mouse-->a stoat-->a honey badger for Cyndaquil) upon evolution, gen 1 has a massive habit of turning things from a small version of something to a bigger version of exactly the same thing or literally duplicating them (Diglett, Magnemite and Koffing meet this criteria off of the top of my head). This is just incredibly lazy designing, and the series has at least made an effort to shift away from this since then. That said, it also has its fair share of hits with regards to design progression upon evolution (such as Dratini and Magikarp's lines (which both have very interesting folklaw behind them if you want to take the time to read into them) while the Drowzee line is really creative and the Geodude line does a lot of shapeshifting during its evolution--going from a stone to gravel to a boulder--among a fair number of others). While I say that it is extremely braindead, that isn't to say I dislike them. However, from an analytical standpoint gen 1 is extremely weak in this regard when compared to the other gens--even if I still like it :]

There are no Pokémon designs that I dislike personally, although there are a fair a lot that I think are mediocre. I can't remember the entire national dex off of the top of my head though, so I'm not gonna list them because I know for a fact that I'll miss a lot of them, but there are a lot of very hit or miss designs in this game. Probably the most consistent in terms of quality of design for me is a close call between gen 2 and gen 4--although that may just be my bias due to HG being the first game I played followed by Pt xD
 

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I have yet to see people have problems with the entirety of Gen V. The fact that it has many good designs is almost universally acknowledged. It's just that it does have a fair share of bad designs and recycled concepts too. Gen V tried to use only new designs throughout the game, but it's clear that the designers resorted to copying concepts on far too many occasions. Tympole is based on the exact same concept as Poliwag. The Timburr line is functionally identical to the Machop line, the same way Roggenrola emulates Geodude - down to the exact same methods of evolution. It is hard to describe Throh and Sawk without also describing Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Whimsicott and Lilligant reuse the design base of Jumpluff and Bellossom. Purrloin and Glameow might as well have been different genders of the same species. The elemental monkeys managed to take a somewhat creative design and copy itself six times. The designers even managed to recycle a weirdly specific idea, "Psychic-type dream tapir".

It's not that those designs are bad, per se. It's just that they had already been done. That's why Emboar got so much flak. In itself, it's not a very bad idea. Fire/Fighting is a decent type for a starter. But when you see it done for the third time, you kind of wish the designers had done something else instead. Had it not been for Blaziken and Infernape, Emboar would probably have been a lot more popular. The laziness Gen V is often criticized for isn't in the designs themselves, it's that many of them were so clearly emulating previous Pokémon. You list a lot of designs that "save" Gen V in my book - the latter half of the Unova dex is a wonderful display of creativity - but you can't use those to refute the arguments that the designers leaned heavily on recycled designs for a substantial number Gen V Pokémon.

Saying that Gen V is bad as a whole is just as wrong and generalizing as saying Gen I is bad. You have to look at the individual designs, not lump it all into a big box. Saying Diglett and Magnemite have "lazy" evolutions isn't an argument against Gen I designs, it's an argument against Dugtrio and Magneton specifically.

As for the least popular Gen V designs, the Vanilite and Trubbish lines, I'd say both ideas are at least creative. Personally, I think the Vanilite line is badly designed, but Trubbish is a quite decent design. Garbodor is just a victim of "unnecessary derp face". The eyes and pose of Garbodor are what destroyed its reputation. Had it been posed in a slightly less "idiot waving hello" pose, and given better eyes, Garbodor would have been a very clever design. Minute details were not given enough attention, and Garbodor was thoroughly screwed over.
 
You guys DO know the theme of Gen 5 (If I recall it well, it's been a while since I read any interviews...) is the fact that Game Freak intentionally wanted to start with basics, right? That theme persisted all throughout the generation, the idea of being in a new "Gen 1" region, a locale far, far away from the others, and even in the anime, Ash is more like his Kanto self, for better or for worse.

So I imagine a lot of designs in Generation 5 are nods to older Pokemon. Which I agree with you Codaroll, aren't BAD, the point of them is that they're taking nods to older Pokemon. And even then, each Pokemon offers a new idea to the table. Zebstrika isn't just "Rapidash but Electric", it's a zebra with different abilities, and has a more intimidating design, compared to Rapidash looking more graceful.

Being a nod to something old, does not mean they don't offer anything new, which is true of Tympole having a sound theme, versus Poliwag's line based around spirals and their hypnotic nature (And even then, both frogs evolve into completely different amphibians...), Throh and Sawk, in a bubble, aren't similiar to Hitmons at all, besides the fact that they're both duos (Their builds, fighting styles, color schemes are all different... Their main similarity is that they're a duo of martial artists), Glameow and Purrloin's similarites are that they're cats. They look completely different otherwise. So it becomes an issue of, "Can a designer get more from one aspect of life, or are they restricted to doing it once?" IE, if Primeape is A Thing, can Aipom no longer exist?

Really, a thing to look how for is how Gen 1 and 2 intentionally have MUCH more simpler designs compared to later ones, and that's not really bad! The team had limited assets with the Game Boy, so things like Charmander or Doduo were intentionally designed to be iconic, but not crazy enough where they couldn't be sprited into the game. Compare this to Gen 5, which not ONLY adds new monsters later into its dex, but also offers Pokemon that are slight nods to older monsters. And even does them in a way where those old monsters aren't completely irrelevant! The Woobat line are courtship bats, versus Zubat's line being full of vampiric mammals. Even our poisonous Unova bug, Venipede, becomes a huge millipede, compared to Weedle becoming a bee (And there's a second bee in Sinnoh, not Unova!)

Being simple isn't bad, at least in my eyes, nor is taking homage to older designs either. Designing stuff is waaay too complex (And frankly kind of subjective to judge???) than the layman may expect.
 
Gen 1's designs are known to be very simple, which was required due to the limits of the Game Boy. But Gen 2 has done this as well. Gen 1 just has a few more instances. Generation 1's best designs take simplicity and make some good out of it. Sometimes it isn't even really easy to say why we like simple designs. I think the way I see it, anything unique and recognizable can make simple work out well.

Nidoking is a popular design. I personally think Nidoking looks big, robust, and very strong. He still manages to look like a realistic creature unlike some later designs such as Zoroark. I like Zoroark's design, but the way that thing is design, the weight of that hair would snap it's little spine in half. Not to say that realism automatically makes a design good, bur he looks like a legitimately strong, capable battling creature. And he's got a horn. That's totally radical, dude.

Gengar is also notable. There's not much to him. He's kinda just a circle with limbs and spikes all around him. But the facial expression- those red eyes- they make Gengar look menacing and sinister. Like a real tough ghost. The "spikes" on Gengar make him look tougher as well. Spikes in general add that type of feel to a design depending on how they're implemented. Gengar is an even more simple design than Nidoking but still manages to stick out as one of the best in Gen 1.

Gen 1 is also known for lazy design choices. I don't know who thought it was smart to take a dugong, color it white, add a horn and a silly facial expression and call it a day. They didn't even bother naming the thing. "Dew"- those little water droplets on the grass- yeah, that'll make it sound all Water-typey while still reminding us that the Pokemon is indeed based on a dugong. Brilliant. Pigeotto and Pidgeot, aside from size, look so similar that honestly it just looks like they're the same Pokemon with different hairstyles.

Not to say later generations don't do this, but this post here is dedicated more toward gen one. Some of the designs managed to make an impact and look really cool. Nidoking, Gengar, Rhydon, Alakazam, Mewtwo.... All of those are really nice designs. And I'm not saying I hate the other Pokemon's designs, it's just that I have to admit, some are more lacking than others. I like Golem's design- I think it looks cool. Even though he's just a boulder with limbs and a head.

If this post spawns interest, I will put on my thoughts of gen 2's designs if you... care...
idonfuckin
 
Gen 1's designs are known to be very simple, which was required due to the limits of the Game Boy. But Gen 2 has done this as well.
Just a tiny nitpick, Game Freak didn't even know they'd HAVE a Pokemon 2, so I generally lap Gens 1 and 2's designs into the same fold, in terms of how their Pokemon look fairly simple.
I still believe Gen 2 had a tiny bit more work done on some Pokemon, considering how Hoothoot has cool clock eyes, or you have a witch crow out of Murkrow, but I could understand how a non-Pokemon fan could see Johto mons as coming from RB, since their designs follow similar rules.
 
And I'm telling you that those designs have got absolutely nothing on Goomy.
Trying to compare Nidoking to Goomy or Goodra is like trying to compare an apple to a papaya or mango. Nidoking is this armored beast who looks like he can turn a brand new 4x4 into scrap metal. Goomy and Goodra are these cute, even goofy squish balls of fun that don't even look like they want to hurt a fly (but Goodra inevitably will if she happen to like that fly).

And enough with the Goomy worship, and the Nidoking bashing. I love The Goomster, but don't think I'm going to let you insult the epicness that is Nidoking! It's a freakin' bipedal rhino for Arceus sakes!!!
 
Just a tiny nitpick, Game Freak didn't even know they'd HAVE a Pokemon 2, so I generally lap Gens 1 and 2's designs into the same fold, in terms of how their Pokemon look fairly simple.
I still believe Gen 2 had a tiny bit more work done on some Pokemon, considering how Hoothoot has cool clock eyes, or you have a witch crow out of Murkrow, but I could understand how a non-Pokemon fan could see Johto mons as coming from RB, since their designs follow similar rules.
Yeah, I forgot...

Also somebody's spreading shit about Goomy's design. Ignore them if you come across them.
 
I know I'm not the first person to say this, but so overdetailing is a huge contributor to shitty design. Remember those hideous late 90s/early 2000s websites with the galactic backgrounds and multicolored dropshadowed fonts with glittering cursors and the like? Same concept. Here's some good and memorable examples of simplicity in pokemon design:
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There's a ton more, these are just the first ones that came to mind and I'm too lazy to look up pictures of others that would make the list (Clefable comes to mind, Pikachu, etc), but as you can see, they all have a very simple yet clearly designed base, with just enough detailing and colors to add some character or to fit a theme or the like. Of course, this doesn't make a difference if it's a shit idea to begin with (looking at you, Luvdisc), but it's a definite factor in many cases. I think this is why Rowlet is probably so popular -- it's very simple, yet clearly an owl, with only a charming little leafy bowtie to add some character and show that he's a grass type. Just my thoughts
 
Pyroar would be a good example of a newer Pokemon that is done simply.

They don't too many details. Just tan, lighter tan, and then the "fire" manes. It works well and to me makes them better than say Luxray. Even at Shinx it has much more going on than Litleo and Pyroar. We've got spikes, we've got a star tail, x-ray eyes, bands of yellow.... it's a lot to take in compared to the simple design of Pyroar.
 
Alright, this seems like it may be an immensely unpopular opinion- I actually like luvdisc. Okay, maybe it's kinda cheesy and lacks competitive battling prowess, but I think it's cute and has a good (at the very least decent) design. Also, I really like its shiny form. It's kinda a play on "a heart of gold". How can you hate a Pokemon with a heart of gold?

Edit: ok, this was supposed to be in the unpopular opinions thread, but it does have to do with design, so I'm just keeping it here. If a mod want to move it, go ahead.
 
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It think simple design has been talked about enough, so let's talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of COMPLEX DESIGN!

Complex design has it's own merits to be true, and is not inherently better or worse than simple design. But it is easy to go overboard and overdesign, which gives complex design a negative stigma. And while Gen 5 is having fingers pointed at it, Gen 4 is really the best and the worst in my opinion (Gen 6 too, but for other reasons). So let's dive in:

1. Palkia, Dialga, Giratina
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These guys are what make "complex design" work, mainly because having a complicated design works for what the pokemon is supposed to be. As the embodiment of space, time, and antimatter it works for them to have an otherworldly design with frills, spikes, fins, and extra limbs all over the place. I like Dialga's xenomorph head, and Giratina-O's face-plate too. Heck, everything about Giratina-O. My typical beef with complex design is that most of them look like they can't move, but for legendaries it kind of works (plus these legends are also pretty slow, for legendaries). It's like they have so much power that full range movement doesn't matter anymore. While it's not perfect all the time (Palkia's phallic top half for one), the design is at least justified for the purpose: to make monsters that seem to not belong in this world.

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The bad and the ugly. I think guys like Rhyperior are why Gamefreak doesn't do traditional evolutions to new pokemon anymore. It's so UGLY! And it ruined a perfectly cool 'mon in Rhydon too! Why?! First they screwed with porportions to make the reasonably shaped Rhydon into squatty body here, then there's the pointless elbow spikes and ugly plate mail. I'll admit the wrecking ball tail is kind of cool and the anime did make rock wrecker look awesome with the hand-holes, but the WORST thing about this guy is the color choice. Orange and turd brown?! And in that pattern?! I almost think it would have been better with the color's switched, and least it would look less turdish.

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Some people call Magneton a lazy design. While I disagree with that, I do declare that Magnezone is a 100% improvement. Magnet trio to flying saucer? Awesome! Another change I approve of is the centralized major eye and two minor eyes, giving it a symmetry that some Magenton sprites lacked (making them look like a magnet mess instead of a combined targeted offense). And Mystery dungeon really sold me on the red and blue polarity markers by turning them into police sirens. Way to go Gamefreak!

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I didn't like Gliscor at first. In fact I hated him, but to my defense my first look was at his super deformed DP sprite before Platinum gave it some TLC. While it has some elements of overcomplication (the tiny upper arms and kite wings that are not attached to them, plus the tiny waist/huge chest combo are my sour points) but eventually I learned to like his creepy yellow eyes, big grin and the way it uses it's tail as a kickstand. Such a super cool bat! ...until Noivern came along and did all I liked about Gliscor 10 times better. But I still like Gliscor! Just not quite as much.

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Nope.

Enough of Gen 4. Now let's talk about mega-evolutions!
Note: not all mega-evos present in hide tabs because seriously people
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One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong...

Every single mega evolution is a complex design, but for some reason I like all of them. And as a collective none of them get the level of criticism some Gen 4 pokemon get, so what's their excuse? Well, for me three things:
1. They are all temporary. I have to always deal with Rhyperior's ugly mug (well except evolite), but I can tolerate Heracross looking derpy for a match knowing my beetle will be coming back. And if you don't like them you don't have to use them, while regular evolution is more a forced progression (in spirit if not in reality, but there is some overlap).
2. Anime and television has kind of conditioned me to accept that power comes with frills, spikes, useless wings, and Fabio hair.
3. Some of them are really cool. REALLY cool. From Mega-Pinsir's crazy face to Mega-Kangaskhan's dual pose, we all have our favorites.

Obviously there's a lot more to discuss about the good/bad/ugly of complex design, but I hope this at least stops the knee-jerk reactions against it. There is a good way and a bad way for everything!
 
Take Stunfisk, for example. Its tied with Wobbuffet for my favorite Pokémon on the merit of its design (I'm not joking when I say that it is one of my favorite across all six generations) and due to personal experiences I've had with it; the really derpy look on its face won me over immediately, and the more I looked at its design the more it grew on me.
Chiming in on Stunfisk and in general on "derpy" designs (like the mentioned Wobbuffet). They get a lot of bashing because they look, well, derpy.

However, this is not a bad thing in my opinion. They look derpy because they are SUPPOSED to look that way. Just like Greninja is supposed to look cool, Gardevoir is supposed to look graceful, and say Eevee is supposed to look cute. Not everything can be kickass or a thing of beauty. Personally I think a lot of derpy Pokés look adorable in their own way.
 
Complaining about Rhyperior's color scheme is sort of odd, if you consider the fact that it evolves via the Protector. Think of it this way - Rhydon became one with this armor plating, which made it rounder, beefier, and practically a tank. It makes sense to me.
This is true, but making logical sense doesn't mean that a bad design isn't still bad. If anything it just moves the question from why Rhyperior's plates are orange to why the Protector is orange.

It also doesn't answer why the secondary color is that ugly brown shade either, given Rhydon is gray. Not that gray and that orange are that much of an improvement. Shiny Rhypherior is a better color palate, making it look more like a construction worker (yellow/gray).
 
It also doesn't answer why the secondary color is that ugly brown shade either, given Rhydon is gray. Not that gray and that orange are that much of an improvement. Shiny Rhypherior is a better color palate, making it look more like a construction worker (yellow/gray).
I GUESS the idea is how the Protector somehow changed Rhydon SO MUCH, its scaly body became more like the Earth (Hence, being round, brown and all rocky).

Personally, I don't mind the colors together, but then that's getting more into subjectivity.
 

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