>>57400874I don't care for competitive either. I like taking advantage of the systems in the game to accomplish things other than winning battles, since just about anything can win a battle. I'm the person who doesn't mind having HM slaves because they have a specific utility that allows me to further navigate the world. I look for all the hidden Trainers, items, interactions, I seek out all rare Pokémon as soon as they become available, I do optional content, I use abilities with overworld effects to draw out specific Pokémon, etc. Thief was one of my favorite moves (up until Gen V) because it actually steals held items off of enemy Pokémon. I used to do the Backlot maid challenge in Platinum everyday using a Kecleon (traded from Diamond) with Thief since it learned it through level-up and I didn't want to use an HM. I think using Repels with specific party leads of a certain level is a really cool idea for drawing out specific Pokémon. I calculated my Secret ID and used that to determine my fourMunchlax honey trees, slathered those trees everyday, and within six days I had found a Munchlax. I then chained them and got a ton of Leftovers.
Pokémon is really cool for the collection aspect, and I get no real joy in trading or transferring stuff up. I'd rather catch a Gastly in Sprout Tower at night than transfer one from Gen I's Pokémon Tower just because I caught it there in the previous game. I also enjoy avoiding mandatory content as long as possible while I do everything else. It's novel to avoid doing Gyms in Gen I. In Gen II, I did all of Kanto except for the Gym Leader battles and then did a gauntlet of all eight in a row. It's not that the battles were really fun, it was that I could do it this way, that my choices gave me a relatively unique playthrough fitting my playstyle that made it enjoyable. As the games became more linear and story-driven and heavy on rewards while reducing any "inconveniences" like HM obstacles, they became less engaging.
