Although Pokémon is widely considered an accessible role playing game, marketed towards a younger demographic, many players have adopted the franchise as a competitive sport. Knowing what IV’s (Individual Values) EV’s (Effort Values) as well as compatible moves and special abilities your Pokémon possess is an essential in winning competitive battles. The app Pokégen, a free downloadable program for both mac and pc, allows personal modification of movesets and stats of pokémon for competitive use.
Created by forum member and pokéthusiast Codr, Pokégen was introduced to the internet back in December of 2009. The controversial program was created in-mind to be used in conjunction with servers hosting unique DNS codes—which, in return, grant the ability to download your created Pokémon onto your specific game cartridge.
If any of that sounds confusing to you— you’re not alone. Pokégen’s features, at times, are all about logistics. Numeric values are consistently visible to the user and can result in confusion and frustration for first time consumer. This isn’t a problem for advanced users; for each value and code is necessary in understanding how to make your Pokémon. Unfortunately, this inaccessibility can steer away less familiar users of the program.
Learning to use Pokégen is the first learning curve you must overcome. The program does not include any instructions and everything you learn about the program will be acquired through extensive solo research. The second hurdle is learning how to make legitimate Pokémon. A Pokémon’s moveset, ability, IV’s and EV’s must abide by the game’s set rules. If any of those rules are broken, the Pokémon will be considered a “Hack†and will not be permitted onto the game cartridge. Choosing the right moves and stats as well as minute details such as where you first met the Pokémon requires additional research. Fortunately, there are a plethora of guides available on forums and YouTube to help you attain your perfect pocket monster.
Compatibility is Pokégen’s strong suit. Once everything is sorted and working correctly, created Pokémon will work on every Pokémon game released on the Nintendo DS; as long as said Pokémon exists in that iteration of the game, everything should work fine. You will be able to trade Pokémon effortlessly from game to game— a rewarding feeling after potential hours of preparation and understanding the program and server based and Nintendo DS DNS settings.
Pokégen’s reputation is a polarizing one. Demonized by Pokémon purists— regarding it a cheat device— ostracizes whoever uses it, whereas competitive players see no problem with the program and uses it as a tool to figure out which Pokémon strategies they like without breeding Pokémon. It is considered a shortcut; the program’s created Pokémon can be made in 15 minutes whereas breeding can take hours and sometimes days.
Ultimately PokeGen is a hardcore program for hardcore Pokémon fans. Making your own Pokémon is addicting once you get past all the trials and tribulations. The program’s freeware tag also adds incentive to download. Finding out how to use Pokégen effectively is relatively easy, but included instructions would have been appreciated. Streamlining is sorely needed and although the software is capable of amazing things, Pokégen’s user interface is the opposite of approachable, leaving only the adamant natured to stick with it.
Check out a PokeGen Tutorial Below:
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