Pokemon Gotta Catch-Em-All

Is this typically when they announce the next game or will that come after Snaps release?

Y'know, in some ways I feel like it's too soon for a new game, but it's more miraculous that we didn't have a new game last year, even if it was just a remake of a prior game. There were rumors of a Diamond/Pearl remake, though, so possibly?

My instinct is to assume it'll focus on Snap, Shield/Sword expansion content, and then a bunch of "smaller" games (be that in terms of actual scope or anticipated sales).

It's a weird place in the cycle for them to do an announcement. We're about at the point away from Sword and Shield launching that one would expect the followup (like BW2 or USUM), but I think the expansion is taking the place of that sort of version upgrade this go around. If I was being super cynical, I might guess they do a Deluxe edition with the DLC included, but Nintendo doesn't seem to go that route on the same platform that I recall. (For instance, Mario Kart 8 or Pikmin 3 on the Wii U, and then their Deluxe versions on the Switch). Maybe Game Freak could do their own thing, but my guess is no.

A Sinnoh remake or a Johto Let's Go have been rumored/hoped every time there's an announcement, and it hasn't happened yet. My guess between the two would be a Johto Let's go, since I think reusing a lot of the the assets (including a whole map!) from the first Let's Go games would make the development a bit easier.

I assume there will be some coverage of New Snap since it's due in April, plus one or two other spinoff games (remember that MOBA that they showed footage of at some point)? Or maybe a new Mystery Dungeon game. That might be enough to warrant it's own direct.

Boy, that's more words than I was expecting for nothing more than rank speculation.

I have no interest in the main Pokemon series, so I'm just here for Snap. Despite the game launching in two months, we know very little about it so far. Hopefully we get a good deep dive tomorrow morning.

I would love to see another expansion for SwSh, but would also be excited for a remake of Diamond/Pearl (since we're about due for that).

I pretty much never tire of revisiting games I loved in the past via remakes or significantly overhauled remasters -- or even in some cases via simple remasters like the Amalur Re-Reckoning because I just enjoy the game so much.

I'm curious about the new Snap -- waiting for some extensive reviews/impressions post-release to see if I'll bite or not.

So, from the Direct:

More Pokemon Snap. Definitely on rails. Looks gorgeous, honestly. My only reservation was that the first one was really short, so unless you're really into chasing high scores, I'd want to get an idea how long it is before I think about getting it full price. It looks like there's a lot more content in this one than the N64 one.

Welp, screw me. Diamond/Pearl remakes it is, but in some sort of Pokemon Go style engine/models. I do like the orchestrated version of the soundtrack. It's coming out this year, even.

Pokemon Legends Arceus seems....interesting? It might be cool. They're experimenting with more in-world stuff like throwing pokeballs outside of battle, and the battle animations are slowly getting better as well.

Well I wasn't expecting that. It was basically all bigger titles.

  • New Pokemon Snap is... Pokemon Snap, but new. On-rails, take photographs.
  • Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, remakes of... Diamond and Pearl. Releasing this holiday.
  • Pokemon Legends: Arceus

That last one is the curious one. They're light on details, and given some of the choppy performance in places I'm assuming all footage was of a game still deep in development. Slated for early 2022, it takes place in a far earlier era of Sinnoh before they had a Pokedex of their own. It doesn't seem like you catch Pokemon via battle, but instead do so by creeping through long grass and tossing the ball. There are still battles, though. I'm not sure if it's a modification of the Let's Go mechanics or not. It looks like it could be built off the same engine/tech as either Sword/Shield or Let's Go.

I'm curious to see more. That said, haven't played beyond the first gym of Sword/Shield, and I never finished Diamond/Pearl on the DS. So I dunno if I should really be snagging more Pokemon games.

Sundown wrote:

More Pokemon Snap. Definitely on rails. Looks gorgeous, honestly. My only reservation was that the first one was really short, so unless you're really into chasing high scores, I'd want to get an idea how long it is before I think about getting it full price. It looks like there's a lot more content in this one than the N64 one.

That's exactly what I'm into. I'm hoping that the game has some sort of S ranks for levels that I can aim for. I don't care about getting a high score for the sake of a high score, but I'll happily grind for hours to hit a certain goal and get that shiny medal.

This blew both Nintendo and Sony out of the water imho. Focused and interesting.

Snap will likely be a hit in my house for both young and old.

I'm the only one who plays proper Pokemon games. I'm happy to see they're doing the remakes in their own style. Not sure if I'll get it or not, but I do like that they've partnered with other devs to get these out.

Who saw Legends coming? NO ONE. lol I'm cautiously optimistic because Game Freak's tech side continues to be so damn underwhelming, but also because the Switch's weak CPU holds open world games back. Still, this looks more like what I want from a Pokemon game, so I'll put my money where my mouth is when it arrives.

I came in expecting nothing but the remakes, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the Legends reveal. Granted, it looks extremely rough, more proof of concept than anything, but I'm glad to see them actually making a drastic change for once.

Snap also looks nice, but I'm no longer interested in score-chasing, so shelling out $60 for a 3-4 hour on-rails experience doesn't sound great to me. I might just get a physical copy and flip it after a couple runs.

garion333 wrote:

Who saw Legends coming? NO ONE. lol I'm cautiously optimistic because Game Freak's tech side continues to be so damn underwhelming, but also because the Switch's weak CPU holds open world games back.

Judging by the frame rate in this trailer and the Wild areas from Sword/Shield, I do not have high hopes for this being anything more than a jittery mess on the current Switch model. I'm gonna need you to will the Switch Pro into existence before this releases.

I bet my family would get a kick out of Pokemon Snap. One of my daughter's favorite things to do right now is take pictures of Pokemon in Pokemon Go using the AR mode.

Legends actually looks really fantastic. I'd love to get my hands on it.

garion333 wrote:

the Switch's weak CPU holds open world games back

And yet it's home to the best open world game to date, so it's at least theoretically possible.

I was hoping for a Diamond/Pearl remake, so of course I'm quite happy and eager to dive into that, but the Sinnoh "prequel"?! Giggity!

I'm a happy monster tamer enthusiast today.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
garion333 wrote:

the Switch's weak CPU holds open world games back

And yet it's home to the best open world game to date, so it's at least theoretically possible.

They ported XCX?!? How'd I miss that?!?

Spoiler:

The weak ass CPU is why open worlds are ugly on Switch, though made up for by content. Sometimes. Game Freak isn't the one to do it, so far.

Dyni wrote:

I came in expecting nothing but the remakes, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the Legends reveal. Granted, it looks extremely rough, more proof of concept than anything, but I'm glad to see them actually making a drastic change for once.

Snap also looks nice, but I'm no longer interested in score-chasing, so shelling out $60 for a 3-4 hour on-rails experience doesn't sound great to me. I might just get a physical copy and flip it after a couple runs.

garion333 wrote:

Who saw Legends coming? NO ONE. lol I'm cautiously optimistic because Game Freak's tech side continues to be so damn underwhelming, but also because the Switch's weak CPU holds open world games back.

Judging by the frame rate in this trailer and the Wild areas from Sword/Shield, I do not have high hopes for this being anything more than a jittery mess on the current Switch model. I'm gonna need you to will the Switch Pro into existence before this releases.

For Snap, check to see if your library stocks Switch games, then get it there when it arrives. A 3-4 hour experience is perfect for a free rental from the library.

Yeah... Ugly, jittery and poorly designed/executed. Pretty much modern Game Freak to a T, but this is what I've been asking for, so I gotta own up to it and buy it, or something. It's a pride thing.

Oh well, no worries, Switch Pro is right around the corner! I promise it'll launch in the 2020's.

As much as I'm eager to point out things like Splatoon 3 and Pokemon Legends for 2022, when the Switch turns 5, and say "Oooooh, the supposed yet incorporeal evidence for a Switch Pro keeps adding up!", I think we also need to remember that 1) Game Freak aren't exactly the best programmers, as the history of the entire Pokemon and its glitchy nature attests, and 2) this is a game roughly a year out from development, so rough looking footage is par for the course for a game in development.

I forgot to mention that I absolutely love the aesthetic of the Diamond/Pearl remakes and wish more games would look like that, new or reinventions of old. I'd buy it for the appearance alone except, again, I never even beat the originals.

garion333 wrote:

The weak ass CPU is why open worlds are ugly on Switch

I can't agree with you that Breath of the Wild is ugly, but I will grant you that most of the open world games ported over to Switch aren't so hot.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
garion333 wrote:

The weak ass CPU is why open worlds are ugly on Switch

I can't agree with you that Breath of the Wild is ugly, but I will grant you that most of the open world games ported over to Switch aren't so hot.

BotW is the exception, but mostly because it's a AAA game with AAA art direction that has been aped across the industry and isn't going for realism. Fenyx Rising aped the right game!

garion333 wrote:

it's a AAA game with AAA art direction that has been aped across the industry and isn't going for realism

Kinda like the new Pokémon.

After giving it a day, I think I'm coming around on Legends. Or, I like that they look like the direction they're going with the more open world, I still like the two battle animations we saw, and I'm interested to see where they go with it. As long as there's a lot more polish before it ships.

On the other hand, I think I'm cooling to the Diamond and Pearl remakes. Partially that Let's Go/chibi/Link's Awakening remake artstyle for the characters is putting me off, and partially I don't know what they're going to do with it to justify the price tag for me. I mean, I still have Platinum sitting on my shelf, and it's still very good and very playable. The only real quality of life update that I would have liked Gen 4 to have was unlimited TMs, but I can live without it. I don't want to take anything away from those who are really excited for it, and Diamond and Pearl were good Pokemon games (albeit with a painfully slow battle engine) so I think some people are really going to like these remakes. But it kind of just makes me want to play something from Gen 4 or Gen 5 again instead and keep my money.

I'm happy simply because they aren't doing the exact same art style and reusing assets from Sword/Shield. I expected the remakes would be borrowing from Let's Go/Sw/Sh and I don't think they are.

And despite plenty of complaining online about it being a top down chibi art style, I prefer the top down view. The simplified 2d-esque in 3d looks so much better than the Game Freak games. It's cleaner and better looking overall than Sw/Sh.

Of course, that's all about look. We shall see where the gameplay ends up and see if there's any interesting wrinkles.

Has anyone ever tried playing a Pokemon game with a house rule of permadeath? If a Pokemon gets knocked out then you have to let it go.

Seems like it could up the ante in the game.

I’ve done it before. You’re basically describing a Nuzlocke Run. The other main rule in a nuzlocke run besides permadeath is that you can only catch the first Pokémon you see on each route, so you can’t just pick your favorite team but instead have to figure out how to work with what you have.

It steps the difficulty up significantly, and showed me how sloppy I am while grinding, and how crushing critical hits can be.

https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net...

Yup. I've done one Nuzlocke run as well. It's a great way to turn the easy breezy Pokemon PvE experience into something challenging and harrowing at times.

garion333 wrote:

For Snap, check to see if your library stocks Switch games, then get it there when it arrives. A 3-4 hour experience is perfect for a free rental from the library.

I did finally look into this. Unfortunately, the closest library to me that rents games is a 90 minute drive Too bad.

Sundown wrote:

I’ve done it before. You’re basically describing a Nuzlocke Run. The other main rule in a nuzlocke run besides permadeath is that you can only catch the first Pokémon you see on each route, so you can’t just pick your favorite team but instead have to figure out how to work with what you have.

It steps the difficulty up significantly, and showed me how sloppy I am while grinding, and how crushing critical hits can be.

https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net...

Yup can confirm didn't know this was a thing. Lol

I'm thinking of firing up one of the Mystery Dungeon games and giving it a go. Not sure it'll be as easy to do than with a mainline game since recruitment is totally different. Hmm

Dyni wrote:

Yup. I've done one Nuzlocke run as well. It's a great way to turn the easy breezy Pokemon PvE experience into something challenging and harrowing at times.

garion333 wrote:

For Snap, check to see if your library stocks Switch games, then get it there when it arrives. A 3-4 hour experience is perfect for a free rental from the library.

I did finally look into this. Unfortunately, the closest library to me that rents games is a 90 minute drive Too bad.

Damn, that's a shame. We've borrowed from the library numerous times and Luigi's Mansion 3 ended up in a purchase (from the eShop). It's tough with Nintendo games since the wait list can be.......extensive.

Anyway, sorry you don't have one near ya!

Out of nowhere release dates were revealed for the upcoming Pokemon games on Switch.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are releasing November 19th, 2021, which makes sense as they typically release Pokemon games in time for Black Friday shopping.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus, meanwhile, is releasing January 28th, 2022, which is a lot closer to the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release than I expected.

Foxcade's got a really good examination of the ridiculous size of the Pokemon franchise as a whole, and all the things that contribute to the difficulties faced in trying to change (or "evolve" as it were) the mainline games.

It's a pretty hefty video, however, at 40 minutes.

I've stopped following the main Pokemon games. I've put a considerable amount of time in a lot of the others, including recently, New Pokemon Snap. Definitely a nice relaxing game to play when I want to relax.

IMAGE(https://pokecharms.com/data/attachment-files/2021/07/915431_trainercard-Mixolyde.png)

I’ve been playing Explorers of the Sky recently, and I think it’s clicking with me. It really didn’t at first. This is the second or third time I’ve tried it, and I dropped it every time at like 2-3 hours. I think each time it was around the point where you can do several side missions while in a dungeon, but if you wipe at the end, you don’t get the rewards for the missions you cleared, AND they’re gone from your queue. I think I rage quit the last two times that happened, and nearly did this time as well. I don’t like games where your progress can be lost at this point in my life. It's one of the reasons I don't play a lot of roguelikes. And this is my first Mystery Dungeon game, for reference.

So I nearly dropped the game after a wipe this go around, but picked it up to play one more time, and after several good runs through some new dungeons, finally got to the point where the story looked like it was going somewhere. We went from kind of annoying kids show characters to now mysteries around legendary Pokemon, and suddenly things are a bit more interesting. And I finally started getting good TMs like Thunderbolt and Swords Dance. Now I might actually stick with it this time.