>>54503589This seems like a loaded question so I'll answer as truthfully as I can, based off of my experiences in pokemon HeartGold
>Would Johto have been good if they had scrapped the idea of a Kanto postgame and used the freed-up space to enhance Johto itself instead?I don't think you can rectify the Kanto region in the GSC/HGSS games aside from removing it outright with no substitute. The problem with Johto (or atleast (You)r problem with Johto) is that everything from the start to the end has strong ties to Kanto. At the very beginning Professor Oak speaks to you, you see him at Mr. Pokemon's house, he's on the radio, you find Rattata and Pidgey on Route 29 (first route in the Johto games), the entire Team Rocket plot that came directly after the events of RBY, the Radio Tower and the S.S. Anne's relations to Kanto, the majority of trainers use pokemon that debuted in the Kanto region, outright referencing the events of the last game from "3 years ago", etc. You can't just "remove" Kanto without majorly changing what Johto is. You'd need a new evil team, a new plot, even more new pokemon if you're really autistic about kantomons in Johto, new E4, new maps, new setting, and so on. They are linked by far more than just the proximity of each other.
>It would have the bonus of solving the problem of Johtomons being trapped in Kanto.If you mean the likes of Houndour and Sneasel being only found in Kanto, the real problem is them just being postgame pokemon. "Fixing" that usually just means moving their encounters earlier in the game, like how romhacks did it and how third version pokemon games tweaked encounters.
>The region could have felt less like West Kanto and more like a proper standalone region.I think that the region has a clear identity on its own. For example, the region puts a strong emphasis on its traditional, historical roots in folklore and legend, represented by the legendary pokemon HO-OH, Lugia, and the Three Legendary Dogs. (1/2)
