Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise
Yelsha42:
So all three starters are reptiles.
moltres93:
Yeah, interesting. So what do you think of the overall design of the little water turtle?
Yelsha42:
Quite nice. The face and limbs are simplistic enough that it retains a cute appeal but the shell is detailed enough to make the Pokémon interesting. The 'fluffy' curly tail is also an interesting addition and doesn’t really fit with the turtle/reptile image, yet it still works.
moltres93:
Having grown up with the first generation of Pokémon, I have never really questioned their designs until now. Reviewing each Pokémon design in this way enables me to look at Pokémon "for the first time" again, and now looking at Squirtle I never remember being so unimpressed by something I have always been so familiar with O__o That said, Squirtle's simple design might not be such a bad thing. Like I mentioned while reviewing Charmander, Pokémon are supposed to start off simple and become more interesting as they grow older. Looking at Bulbasaur's bulb and Charmander’s flame tail, Squirtle’s trade-mark (its shell) doesn’t seem all that amazing. The only thing that sets it back from a cartoon turtle would have to be its tail.
Yelsha42:
Well when compared to real animals, Squirtle certainly is the one with least changes. That being said I still think when considering simply the design and not it's role as a Pokémon, it is far more interesting than Charmander. There’s just more going on in the character.
moltres93:
In my personal opinion, I have to disagree. Perhaps a pattern or texture on its body would have been a nice addition. Anyway, moving on to Wartortle. Before I say anything about the Pokémon itself, I think I should point out that we have a bit of a "char-line forearms” thing going on here with the ears. Squirtle has none, Wartortle has large fluffy ears and then Blastoise has small ears. The tail also gets larger with Wartortle before becoming small again with Blastoise. Very strange in my opinion.
Yelsha42:
The addition of ears and emphasis of the tail of Wartortle is a move in the right direction, making it seem more mature. Ears on a reptile are also unusual, but again it seems to work visually.
moltres93:
Yeah I agree with you here. They actually did something to the Pokémon to make it less like a cartoon version of a real animal. As mentioned before, it would be interesting to see what they would have done if they "advanced" the ears and tail further with Blastoise instead of shrinking them again. Wartortle's cute body shape combined with its teeth and narrowed eyes make it a great middle evolution. It’s smack-bang in the middle between the cute starter and the kick-ass final evolution!
Yelsha42:
I think the disappearance of ears and tail was to emphasis how 'tank' it was. The addition of cannons on Blastoise is also the first 'mechanical' part of Pokémon. They also look fucking awesome.
moltres93:
Yeah, I don't think I can come with anything that would make Blastoise better. It's a tortoise. WITH CANONS. Need I say more? Squirtle line= 7/10.
Yelsha42:
9/10.
