>>12484439I agree completely. I really hated the whole "YOU DA CHOZEN WUN! YOU GOTTA SAAAAAVE TA WEEEEEEERLDDDDD!" To me what made the villain plots great in the other games was that you weren't fighting the badguys because it was your role in an ancient prophecy passed down by the great and wise elders throughout generations. NO. You beat Team Rocket because they were an obstacle between you and your goal. They were just more people to test the limits of your team. As far as HMs vs npc roadblocks HMs really were the way to go. When a boulder blocks your path you have to find a way to move it or break it. You earn the access to the tool you need, and you move it yourself because you worked for it. When a construction worker stands in front of a bridge and says NAH-AH YOU CAN'T GO HERE and you're left with nothing to do but beat a gym leader/battle your rivals 80 times/whatever just to walk back out and discover that you must have done the magic task because he's gone now, it really feels like you're being cheated. The boulder can't move itself. You have to move it. The NPC can move, and when his movement is a reaction to a specific unrelated task, it really feels like your character could have just waited around until the bridge was finished or whatever. Shit's gay.
