8 ms·

Nintendo Announces Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield

uodtl 8y ago
Looks like they will keep sacrificing playability and enjoyability for graphical greatness.
- TremendousJudge 8y ago
  why do you think that?
- brootstrap 8y ago
  I feel like they should be able to pull off a nice looking pokemon game. Think Breath of the Wild but pokemon! This looks pretty close to that no?
  - uodtl 8y ago
    Why should BOTW be the objective? It was a pretty meh game. And dungeons were terrible. Explaining myself to the user below: weapons breaking too often, combat is crap, very limited amount of types of enemies, etc.
    - saagarjha 8y ago
      I haven't played Breath of the Wild, but almost everyone I've talked to seems to say it was a great game. What didn't you like about it?
    - adamch 8y ago
      Probably because many people loved BOTW and it was wildly successful, both critically and financially. So there's clearly a market for that style of game among Switch users.
      - uodtl 8y ago
        Sure, but I'm interested in getting a good Pokémon game. I don't care what the market wants. Of course, the market will win, that's how all franchises get ruined.
        chimeracoder 8y ago
        > Of course, the market will win, that's how all franchises get ruined. "The market" is how all franchises become franchises in the first place.
    - anth_anm 8y ago
      BotW wasn't perfect, but the change to formula was nice. I'd like to see something more like Dark Souls 1, it's a linear world unless you figure out how to go a different way. Then it opens up tremendously.
      - brootstrap 8y ago
        I would love to have a DS1 like journey but it's unlikely for a pokemon. Maybe a spinoff pokemon. You know how many people arrive and firelink and spends hours dying to skellies? This pokemon version would need to put level 30 pokes hanging nearby Rt. 101. And there would be some crazy backdoor route to go from starting area straight to elite 4 :p
        Qwertystop 8y ago
        A different combat system, maybe? The Dark Souls model relies heavily on player skill/dexterity as well as (or more than) pure numbers; there's plenty of room for other models to support something like that. A first-person or third-person action model doesn't fit Pokemon very well because it doesn't position the player as the trainer, but you could do a turn-based grid like Fire Emblem, or a turn-based/real-time grid-fighter thing like MMBN, or an overhead-camera action-y thing (Diablo, most MOBAs, etc). Integrating battles into the world more (environmental things - climb trees, dig holes, hide behind rocks) could also help.
        anth_anm 8y ago
        I meant Zelda, but a pokemon game that's less linear would be good. you could add high level pokemon in easily accessible areas, but position the pokemon centers to make getting stuck extremely hard. Make the gyms harder but make the order flexible.
    - brootstrap 8y ago
      You are right, the combat is crap, durability sucks. But the 'world' is mainly what i was referring to, the visuals and journey. Not the combat. /uodtl is right about all of those things. I admit i never actually finished BoTW but I spent 100+ hours in it, so it was worth my money. I've seen this image on r/gaming where it shows a BoTW like panoramic view, but with your pokemans. That is what everyone wants!
- slantyyz 8y ago
  Can't you have both? To me, the thing that makes playability and enjoyability worse on games like this is the grinding they make you go through before you can even do anything.
- jefft255 8y ago
  Why? I don't see any indication of that in the trailer. I just hope that it is a classical turn based pokémon game like I loved to play.
- jamesgeck0 8y ago
  What are you basing that conclusion on? The trailer didn't show any UI.
- deskamess 8y ago
  That is not Nintendo's m.o. They sacrifice graphics more often than not.. their consoles are legendary for being on-par graphic-wise with the competition from 5 years ago. Their gameplay though is awesome. As a Switch user and playing BOTW and other properties, it has been great.
Someone1234 8y ago
It looks nice. I'm still waiting for an "open world" style Pokemon game. For example take the Zelda: Breath of the Wild game/engine as a starting point and make a Pokemon game. There's nothing inherently wrong with an on-rails game, and Pokemon games are well known for it. But it feels like the type of theme where exploration being a cornerstone would be fantastic. I was hopeful after Pokemon Go's success (a game pinned on exploration) and Breath of the Wild, that that would be a natural progression.
- saagarjha 8y ago
  That would certainly be interesting. I think they might have to modify the traditional 8 gym/Pokémon League system, though.
  - Someone1234 8y ago
    I agree, they would definitely have to find a new progression system. They could make it a "Team Rocket" based game. Instead of focusing on Gyms, you're trying to stop Team Rocket from liquifying the environment for example. I like Gyms, and I don't think "on-rails" Pokemon games should go away (there's obviously a large market for them). I just want a game where I can go explore and be surprised/find hard to locate Pokemon. Just feel like the whole theme of Pokemon just naturally flows into that style of game.
- ahoy 8y ago
  I was just thinking today that nintendo has been remarkably conservative with their main-line pokemon games. The core gameplay has changed very little since 1996. I guess they can't be blamed for not changing a winning formula but it's still interesting.
  - cbhl 8y ago
    I really liked the juxtaposition of the "Technology is Incredible" guy from Pallet Town in the original Red/Blue/Green versus Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu. The side games are where all the cutting-edge development happens. Someone comes up with an idea, and builds a prototype. If it works well, it gets integrated into the main-line games. Pokemon Snap tested, "can we render a pokemon in 3D". Pokemon Stadium I and II tested "can we do a 3D battle system". Eventually these made their way into the 3DS titles. More recently, the catching mechanics in Niantic's Pokemon Go made their way into the main-line Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu.
smush 8y ago
Pokemon set in Industrial Era England, eh? Better than it could have been. I just hope this one's mechanics lean closer to XD than, say, Moon.
Slippery_John 8y ago
I'm really disappointed that they're re-introducing the random encounters system. Let's Go was such a breath of fresh air with being able to see them walking about. I would often find myself hurrying off somewhere but stopping because I saw a pokemon running about that I hadn't caught yet.
- izzydata 8y ago
  I do like the visible Pokemon, but the Let's Go style of catching wild Pokemon prevented me from buying the game. It seems like they could have had visible encounters plus wild Pokemon battles.
  - joshschreuder 8y ago
    Yeah it's not like they couldn't have the best of both worlds. It's like they heard the backlash over the wild battle system and threw out the whole lot instead of considering which parts really work.
dmix 8y ago
It'd be nice if I could "rent" a Nintendo Switch to play this, like they used to have at Blockbuster. I wouldn't want to buy the whole system otherwise. Although it is pretty cheap.
- zolthrowaway 8y ago
  Not to sell you on something you don't want, but I adore the Switch. My favorite aspect of it is that I hit the power button and I am instantly in my game. I feel like it's easy to play in 10-15 minute chunks when I have a little bit of free time available. I play in handheld mode probably 80% of the time and I find myself taking it with me more than I did when I had the original DS. On top of that, this system has the best 3rd party content of any Nintendo console since the 64. I'd really recommend it if you have interest in it at all.
  - neuronic 8y ago
    > this system has the best 3rd party content Really? I adore the system as well but... it seems rather bloated with mediocre and outright terrible "indie" content. There is a distinct lack of AAA quality games aside from Nintendo originals (Mario, Smash, Zelda...). 2 years of Switch were enough to finish those to a satisfying end. A couple of ports like Stardew Valley don't really help the case either. I just finished adventure mode in Smash and consider only two games to buy right now: Octopath and Undertale, where only the former is a new original Switch title. Im not jumping at those either. The games that seem attractive in the store are often available on other systems as well.
    - zolthrowaway 8y ago
      You left out my qualifiers :). I fully stand by my statement that it has the best 3rd party content of any Nintendo system since the 64. The Wii was a fine system but it lacked a lot of quality 3rd party content because of how unique the hardware and controller situation were. The Wii U was basically a $400 Super Smash Bros machine. I'm not saying that the Switch is perfect, but it has far more options than it's predecessor, even if you're not super happy with those options. I personally own Celeste, Okami, Dead Cells, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane trilogy and several others on my Switch. I get that most of these are ports, but with the Wii and Wii U we were rarely getting even that and I am very happy to be able to play them on the go. I'm happy that we have these games and developers are bringing their content to the Switch. It shouldn't be taken for granted imo.
anth_anm 8y ago
Pokemon is recycled garbage and I WANT IT NOW.

Looks like they will keep sacrificing playability and enjoyability for graphical greatness.

TremendousJudge 8y ago
why do you think that?
brootstrap 8y ago
I feel like they should be able to pull off a nice looking pokemon game. Think Breath of the Wild but pokemon! This looks pretty close to that no?
- uodtl 8y ago
  Why should BOTW be the objective? It was a pretty meh game. And dungeons were terrible. Explaining myself to the user below: weapons breaking too often, combat is crap, very limited amount of types of enemies, etc.
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    I haven't played Breath of the Wild, but almost everyone I've talked to seems to say it was a great game. What didn't you like about it?
  - adamch 8y ago
    Probably because many people loved BOTW and it was wildly successful, both critically and financially. So there's clearly a market for that style of game among Switch users.
    - uodtl 8y ago
      Sure, but I'm interested in getting a good Pokémon game. I don't care what the market wants. Of course, the market will win, that's how all franchises get ruined.
      - chimeracoder 8y ago
        > Of course, the market will win, that's how all franchises get ruined. "The market" is how all franchises become franchises in the first place.
  - anth_anm 8y ago
    BotW wasn't perfect, but the change to formula was nice. I'd like to see something more like Dark Souls 1, it's a linear world unless you figure out how to go a different way. Then it opens up tremendously.
    - brootstrap 8y ago
      I would love to have a DS1 like journey but it's unlikely for a pokemon. Maybe a spinoff pokemon. You know how many people arrive and firelink and spends hours dying to skellies? This pokemon version would need to put level 30 pokes hanging nearby Rt. 101. And there would be some crazy backdoor route to go from starting area straight to elite 4 :p
      - Qwertystop 8y ago
        A different combat system, maybe? The Dark Souls model relies heavily on player skill/dexterity as well as (or more than) pure numbers; there's plenty of room for other models to support something like that. A first-person or third-person action model doesn't fit Pokemon very well because it doesn't position the player as the trainer, but you could do a turn-based grid like Fire Emblem, or a turn-based/real-time grid-fighter thing like MMBN, or an overhead-camera action-y thing (Diablo, most MOBAs, etc). Integrating battles into the world more (environmental things - climb trees, dig holes, hide behind rocks) could also help.
      - anth_anm 8y ago
        I meant Zelda, but a pokemon game that's less linear would be good. you could add high level pokemon in easily accessible areas, but position the pokemon centers to make getting stuck extremely hard. Make the gyms harder but make the order flexible.
  - brootstrap 8y ago
    You are right, the combat is crap, durability sucks. But the 'world' is mainly what i was referring to, the visuals and journey. Not the combat. /uodtl is right about all of those things. I admit i never actually finished BoTW but I spent 100+ hours in it, so it was worth my money. I've seen this image on r/gaming where it shows a BoTW like panoramic view, but with your pokemans. That is what everyone wants!
slantyyz 8y ago
Can't you have both? To me, the thing that makes playability and enjoyability worse on games like this is the grinding they make you go through before you can even do anything.
jefft255 8y ago
Why? I don't see any indication of that in the trailer. I just hope that it is a classical turn based pokémon game like I loved to play.
jamesgeck0 8y ago
What are you basing that conclusion on? The trailer didn't show any UI.
deskamess 8y ago
That is not Nintendo's m.o. They sacrifice graphics more often than not.. their consoles are legendary for being on-par graphic-wise with the competition from 5 years ago. Their gameplay though is awesome. As a Switch user and playing BOTW and other properties, it has been great.

It looks nice. I'm still waiting for an "open world" style Pokemon game. For example take the Zelda: Breath of the Wild game/engine as a starting point and make a Pokemon game. There's nothing inherently wrong with an on-rails game, and Pokemon games are well known for it. But it feels like the type of theme where exploration being a cornerstone would be fantastic. I was hopeful after Pokemon Go's success (a game pinned on exploration) and Breath of the Wild, that that would be a natural progression.

saagarjha 8y ago
That would certainly be interesting. I think they might have to modify the traditional 8 gym/Pokémon League system, though.
- Someone1234 8y ago
  I agree, they would definitely have to find a new progression system. They could make it a "Team Rocket" based game. Instead of focusing on Gyms, you're trying to stop Team Rocket from liquifying the environment for example. I like Gyms, and I don't think "on-rails" Pokemon games should go away (there's obviously a large market for them). I just want a game where I can go explore and be surprised/find hard to locate Pokemon. Just feel like the whole theme of Pokemon just naturally flows into that style of game.
ahoy 8y ago
I was just thinking today that nintendo has been remarkably conservative with their main-line pokemon games. The core gameplay has changed very little since 1996. I guess they can't be blamed for not changing a winning formula but it's still interesting.
- cbhl 8y ago
  I really liked the juxtaposition of the "Technology is Incredible" guy from Pallet Town in the original Red/Blue/Green versus Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu. The side games are where all the cutting-edge development happens. Someone comes up with an idea, and builds a prototype. If it works well, it gets integrated into the main-line games. Pokemon Snap tested, "can we render a pokemon in 3D". Pokemon Stadium I and II tested "can we do a 3D battle system". Eventually these made their way into the 3DS titles. More recently, the catching mechanics in Niantic's Pokemon Go made their way into the main-line Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu.

smush 8y ago

Pokemon set in Industrial Era England, eh? Better than it could have been. I just hope this one's mechanics lean closer to XD than, say, Moon.

Slippery_John 8y ago

I'm really disappointed that they're re-introducing the random encounters system. Let's Go was such a breath of fresh air with being able to see them walking about. I would often find myself hurrying off somewhere but stopping because I saw a pokemon running about that I hadn't caught yet.

izzydata 8y ago
I do like the visible Pokemon, but the Let's Go style of catching wild Pokemon prevented me from buying the game. It seems like they could have had visible encounters plus wild Pokemon battles.
- joshschreuder 8y ago
  Yeah it's not like they couldn't have the best of both worlds. It's like they heard the backlash over the wild battle system and threw out the whole lot instead of considering which parts really work.

dmix 8y ago

It'd be nice if I could "rent" a Nintendo Switch to play this, like they used to have at Blockbuster. I wouldn't want to buy the whole system otherwise. Although it is pretty cheap.

zolthrowaway 8y ago
Not to sell you on something you don't want, but I adore the Switch. My favorite aspect of it is that I hit the power button and I am instantly in my game. I feel like it's easy to play in 10-15 minute chunks when I have a little bit of free time available. I play in handheld mode probably 80% of the time and I find myself taking it with me more than I did when I had the original DS. On top of that, this system has the best 3rd party content of any Nintendo console since the 64. I'd really recommend it if you have interest in it at all.
- neuronic 8y ago
  > this system has the best 3rd party content Really? I adore the system as well but... it seems rather bloated with mediocre and outright terrible "indie" content. There is a distinct lack of AAA quality games aside from Nintendo originals (Mario, Smash, Zelda...). 2 years of Switch were enough to finish those to a satisfying end. A couple of ports like Stardew Valley don't really help the case either. I just finished adventure mode in Smash and consider only two games to buy right now: Octopath and Undertale, where only the former is a new original Switch title. Im not jumping at those either. The games that seem attractive in the store are often available on other systems as well.
  - zolthrowaway 8y ago
    You left out my qualifiers :). I fully stand by my statement that it has the best 3rd party content of any Nintendo system since the 64. The Wii was a fine system but it lacked a lot of quality 3rd party content because of how unique the hardware and controller situation were. The Wii U was basically a $400 Super Smash Bros machine. I'm not saying that the Switch is perfect, but it has far more options than it's predecessor, even if you're not super happy with those options. I personally own Celeste, Okami, Dead Cells, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane trilogy and several others on my Switch. I get that most of these are ports, but with the Wii and Wii U we were rarely getting even that and I am very happy to be able to play them on the go. I'm happy that we have these games and developers are bringing their content to the Switch. It shouldn't be taken for granted imo.

anth_anm 8y ago

Pokemon is recycled garbage and I WANT IT NOW.