Topic: Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee!

I wonder if Pokemon Bank on Switch will be locked behind the paid online subscription.

Do y'all think there will be gyms again?

Does it really matter? Gyms and trials are literally the same thing. You interact with the environment, fight enemies, then fight a boss the end. There had been gimmicky gyms in the past like Blaine/Fantina's Gyms in Gens 1 and 4 with quizzes and Elesa's rollercoaster thing in Gen 5.

However, one thing I absolutely loved about Gen 7 were bosses like Totem Pokemon and the final battle with Lusamine having instant stat boosts and the ability to summon reinforcements to make it 1 versus 2. Battles with more gimmicks like that to mix up battles instead of strictly being "super effective one-shot cheese" (though Gen 7 could still devolve into that with the right Z-Moves) could be fun.

@Grumblevolcano why do i have a strange feeling you're right...

I miss the gyms that had actual puzzles in them. I want those back, make the gyms a mini-dungeon of sorts again. Trials are not a bad idea per se, but integrating these 'gyms' into the environment ended up ruining both gyms and locales for me.

Mm. The thing that bothers me is that people seem to think that trials are a big shake up in both good or bad ways, when in reality they're literally the same thing as Gyms, gameplay-wise. Mallow's trial with the Stoutland gimmick is pretty much just like how Lt. Surge in Gen 1 had the trash can gimmick: they're both something that separates themselves from other trials/Gyms. What's the effective difference? Nothing.

Anyways that aside, it's also all about presentation in the end to help complement the gameplay. You can have bosses that really test you, but how the story is told really, really helps (and is crucial) in an RPG. You need both. Gen 7 was a good attempt to replicate Gen 5 imo, but it didn't completely embrace the storytelling capabilities like it did then.

From a gameplay standpoint, the only things I think Pokemon needs are more optional, large-scale dungeons and a difficulty option. Replaying Odyssey and Xenoblade 2, I've really appreciated how those two games blend linear gameplay with exploration so well, and I think that they could be a model for Pokemon without necessarily giving up the wider audience appeal factor.

Trials aren't the same as gyms gameplay-wise because you can catch those Pokemon and they're all single encounters until the boss. Not to mention all of the differences in the individual tasks you're completing. I thought some of the trials were a lot more effective at selling the characters since you're interacting with them and gaining momentary party members. However, some of the trials were definitely underdeveloped or abrupt. Hopefully we see some more elaborate stuff in the future.

And no, tacking on side quests isn't going to save Pokemon.

If you take one of the worst gyms in the history of Pokémon, sure. Give me more gyms like Juan's or Skyla's.

@Tsurii Ah, well, that’s a good illustration of the limits of my memory then.

Anyway, I just mean to say that it’s all wild Pokemon in place of trainers.

@MarcelRguez I know, but my point was that it doesn't matter what you call it, it's about what's actually inside the Gym/trial. I was cherry picking with choosing random trials and Gyms, but the effective gameplay of doing either one are basically the same, with both having options to have a gimmick. That's what I mean, both can be versatile enough to be whatever they want to be.

Agreed with @MarcelRguez that the puzzle elements have been lacking from recent gyms/trials. Hoenn's and Sinnoh's gyms in particular had some really good puzzles. I'll take Fortree, Mossdeep (RS or Emerald), Pastoria, Canalave, Snowpoint, or Sunyshore over any of the ones from 6th or 7th gen.

Pixelpar seems to have posted their final thoughts on what they think the new Pokemon game is. They're really good artists in all honesty.

It translates to "Pokemon Let's Go! Pikachu! and the other is Pokemon Let's Go! Eevee!

Masuda also posted this a few days ago, which people seem to think is a hint towards this. So make of it what you will.

@-Green- This just seems to combine what Emily Rogers said recently about the games with that 4chan logo

@MarcelRguez Literally just saw that 4chan logo a minute ago. Pixelpar apparently had been hinting at this for a while it seems. Their past drawing tweets having hints towards this over the span of several days.

@-Green- I'm not trying to discredit this person (don't think I've heard the name before), just saying that this info isn't really new. People have been speculating about Pikachu/Eevee since those tweets from a while ago and the 'leaked screenshot' of that trainer + Eevee atop Lapras.

@MarcelRguez I'm not trying to say you are and sorry if I came off a tad harsh at the start. I never intend that.

Pixelpar had been drawing for like over a month now, iirc, tweets which they claimed had hints towards what they thought the new pokemon would be. They also posted a short video explaining their tweets as well. For anyone who cares.

It’s interesting how they’re highlighting Pikachu and especially Eevee so much. Eevee and its evolutions are my favorite Pokémon, but they’ve never been highlighted as much in any other game. Same with Pikachu too, for that matter. Maybe this isn’t going to be the mainline games we were expecting? And/or maybe this is a remake, perhaps of Pokémon Yellow?

@-Green- S'okay, man
Out of curiosity, is there any worthwhile info in the video?

@shadow-wolf Maybe? If there's any truth to all of this, it could very well be a reimagining of the original games, or something to the effect. All of this is very focused on gen 1.

@MarcelRguez Mostly just them explaining where the hints in their drawings were and what they mean. If its real, it would be fun to look back on.

Okay, Serebii is covering this, although with a big "NOT CONFIRMED" disclaimer. I believe.