2019/2/27 Pokemon Direct

What are your hopes, dreams, and expectations for today's Direct?

Gen 8? New Pokemon Go or Let's Go stuff? A movie tie-in? One last hurrah for the 3DS?

Less Go stuff ( i really hate go) new sprites / 3d models i think the GO models look lifeless ( they looked like ripped unity assets somebody made), they don't have that pokémon charm. Some good post game like pokémon gold/silver had. Just get all that Pokémon Go stuff out of my pokémon game and i would be a happy man. I completed all the pokémon games but just couldn't get past Pokémon let's go. Also new variations of old beloved Pokémon would be nice.

Also please don't put fur on pokémons keep that shit in the "funny animal" community.

I'm really hoping that Gen8 will be a good rejoining point for me. I played Gens 1-3, and then I stopped halfway through 4. Came back for a bit of 6, but stopped right around the legendary encounter. Gave Gen 7 a shot, and got bored around halfway again.

I don't know if I'm just done with the format, or if I just need the right game to hook my attention again, but I'm hoping that Gen8 can at least help me figure it out.

Gen 8 Pokemon Sword and Shield

World looks good in this one if not... linear? Like a long flat island with single cities spanning east to west coast. Unfortunately, if they don't make any sort of radical changes for the switch this time around (especially with Let's Go making some changes) I think it's safe to say core Pokemon will never evolve besides minor stat/battle mechanic changes. It's gonna be the same old game from now till forever. Real bummed they're keeping random encounters in core.

It would be nice to see the wild pokemon in the grass, but I'm not sure the map necessarily implies that the game will be particularly linear. The area with the lakes to the south takes up a significant portion of the map and doesn't have any landmarks to speak of, so maybe it's a more open area to explore. The area north of that seems to have cities all around the edges, so there's the potential to visit at least some of them in whatever order you'd prefer.

Yeah, I think any possibility of me being excited for a new Pokemon game ever again has finally left me after that trailer. I could barely stay awake playing Moon, and this looks like more of the exact same (but with better aliasing).

Looks like the only new ideas they have is a new area. I'm sure it will do very well.

Hmmm Victorian England Pokemon #TeamSobble

Trailer just didn't have enough info.

why it's called sword and shield no idea they might do a take on the Roman epic of Romules and Remus (the two wolfs who founded Rome.)

Sword and Shield got me thinking about

• Returning already to random battles
• Appears to be using fixed camera angles
• Battle animations still involve giant, floating 2d hand symbols instead of Pokemon actually attacking
• Modern Pokemon designs still seem tired

Overall I'd call this a real bummer of a reveal. If they're doing anything at all to shake up the formula, they sure didn't show it here.

I loved Moon and I'm excited to play this. I'm excited to finally see a mainline Pokemon game on an actual console.

I think they're going for a safer game for their first real console release. Maybe they'll switch it up afterwards.

This looks like everything I wanted. Can't wait.

I think the new starters look kinda cute. But the region being a vertical strip tells me these games will be just as linear as the series has been lately.

Unfortunately, I have a chronic problem finishing Pokemon games. It's just too similar for me to last even a single playthrough. I really don't understand friends of mine who have been playing religiously for 20+ years and can still be hungry for more.

Random battles returning really bums me out, I think the Let's Go style of hunting Pokemon was great. I personally think all 3 starters look super lame and like cut-rate versions of previous pokemon throughout the years. Ain't no Rowlet or Froakie among them.

All and all I'm bummed. Sun/Moon was way too dry for me and when I hit traditional Pokemon style fatigue. That and the fact Moon had such a slow start as they held you hand for hours was super annoying, and granted we know very little about Sword/Shield, that trailer didn't inspire confidence that this won't just be that, again :(

Though I guess they'll be able to charge 60 now instead of 40 since it's on a "proper" console, so I guess the Pokemon games are changing in drastic ways!

I'll buy it at a high price!

I love sun and moon for their Pacific Islands style setting but UK seems cool!

If there isn't a pokemon called Corblimey in this game, I'll be very disappointed.

I'm disappointed that it did not really take anything from Let's Go, such as pokemon in the open world, and walking with/riding on your pokemon. And I'm a little disappointed that it looks very similar to Sun and Moon.

I guess the Let's Go style will continue in a side line series of games, maybe that's where all the remakes will go from now on. I'd actually prefer that so that the remakes can be different than the current gen counterpart.

@kmj2318: Agreed, I like the art style of Let's Go far more than what's shown here for Sword/Shield.

Summed up my feelings exactly.

As someone who has been playing Pokemon for 20+ years I'm hungry for something new, but not Let's Go motion controls/simplification type new. Pokemon has such incredible potential yet they just keep playing it safe. Give us behind the shoulder 3rd person view with camera controls, Pokemon visible in world at all times, and more than one region. Throw in some sort of online. Just do something new with the gameplay.

It's a beloved series that has so much obvious untapped potential still, and they're really blowing it.

Screw Popplio, I'm a Sobble man now!

I'm excited!

Can't help but see a lot of people worry that we're going to get another Fire/Fighting type with Scorbunny because of the bandage on its nose. But I'm gonna say that the "Scor" is not only supposed to be short for scorch but also score and it'll wind up being modeled after a soccer or rugby player.

I would absolutely love a banning system like you see in DOTA or League for online battles too.

Probably going to buy this one and I haven't played a Pokémon game since Gold. The reason is because it's on Switch and I can play it alongside my girlfriend (who's a huge fan) playing it which should be fun. Of course, she's already told me that if I am getting it, I'm getting shield.

Also, there is a football/soccer pitch in the trailer. Now I'm not saying there needs to be an Inazuma Eleven style mini game where you assemble a team of Pokemon to play...but there totally should be.

@janman: solid prediction. Personally i'm going for the twist that 'scor' is for scorched (fire) bunny and people think they know what they're gonna get from this pokemon, but it turns out that 'scor' stands for Scorpion and the 'bunny' part signifies that this nightmarish & scary scorpion is really into baking bread & buns.

I actually don't mind random battles, and felt like the lack of any non-trainer battles in Let's Go made everything feel... empty? Like, yay, you're catching new Pokemon, but having better Pokemon didn't make it easier to make it from town to town or easier to catch more Mons.

I'm down to explore a new region, but I hope it doesn't feel as linear as some past games. The one map view they gave sure made it look quite linear.

Also, Grookey 4 Lyfe.

I guess this will be the game that makes me get a Switch. I always said that's how it'd go ever since the thing launched. Just like my Wii-U, Wii, and Gamecube, I'll probably barely use it and only for exclusives.

Interested in the game. Although I have a feeling it won't change up quite as much as they could. I'd like a huge, more open ended world, with previous regions explorable (even just in the post game like they did before) and old Pokemon.. but I think that might be too overwhelming for younger audiences. Also, why do that when you can remake the old games again and milk it to death.

Looks good but I can't help being a bit disappointed. I've been thinking about what this game could be since the announcement of the switch so it was bound to fall short in some ways, I was hoping for something sprawling- open ended like Breath of the Wild and this doesn't look like that. It's hard because I understand that pokemon can't stray too far from the normal formula without sacrificing the continuity from game to game... definitely excited to see more new designs. Sobble looks dope.

Random battles restores a nuzlocke to its proper potential and I'm all for it.

@efesell: I've never had a Nuzlocke run, but I know what you mean. I was actively turned off in Let's Go because of how *rarely* you fight in it.

@rejizzle: Amen

Also there should be a football pokémon called Mezzard.

Despite all the hype for a brand new official next Pokemon title using the power of the Switch, this just seems like "here's some more, new place and a new set of Pokemon."

As someone who stopped after Red/Blue/Yellow, both because getting new video games was a rare, special occasion type of thing, and because I was too young to follow video game culture and releases the way we all do now, I'm a little disappointed.

I kinda wanted a little bit of Breath of the Wild, to show a a living breathing world and how Pokemon and people live in it, and then a little bit of Monster Hunter World, meaning at it's core it's still the same type of game, but really refined and tweaked to bring in all the people who haven't kept up with the complexities of the battle system (or who have never played before.)

Also, to go along with my Breath of the Wild hopes, it would be cool to get all of that in one massive world that has all the regions and all the Pokemon so far.

I was hoping for the Breath of the Wild version of Pokémon... haven't played since GBA days but... looks to be just the same old pokemon we've been playing for 20 years?

Mainline Pokemon is always going for the It's always someones first Pokemon crowd and not looking to innovate for us old folks who've already grown up on them.

Gotta say, I was disappointed with the reveal. I like pokemon but I'm just sick of the formula at this point and it looks like more of the same. Even visually it kinda just looks like garbage compared to other switch first party games which already look a gen behind everyone else.

I had a strong suspicion it would turn out to look like a slightly polished 3ds game because that's the only kind of game that can be developed in such a short time span that this has had, but it's still disappointing - I was really hoping for the first console true pokemon game to graphically be a real step up - 3rd person over the shoulder, etc. Imagine BOTW graphics in a pokemon world.