Topic: Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee!

@MarcelRguez Easy mode confirmed? Nah, there were differences between gen 1 and the gen 3 remakes as well. The guy only had a Caterpie and a Weedle in gen 1, but they were both level 14.

@link3710 Eh. Whilst that would be great, don't count on it. It just means the next games will have the things that this game doesn't have. But I'd be surprised if it was an actual return to roots (in terms of difficulty, less hand-holding, more open region, etc.

@Octane And now he has a lv.9 Venonat, going by the trailer. Besides that, it's a low-key confirmation of the whole exp. system being revamped, if removing wild Pokémon battles wasn't indication enough.

@YummyHappyPills oh come now, intros have never looked particularly good.

Idk, I'm seeing a lot of negative comments in this thread but... I think this game is the best way of achieving the objective of selling 20 million consoles this fiscal year:

• A simplified experience will allow A LOT of new switches bought for kids this christmas.
• The pokeball controller plus (or however this atrocity is called) will also atract kids and increase incomming cashflow
• Integration with GO will atract casual smartphone gamers
• Yellow remaster and the original 151 pokémon will make a lot of nostalgic people that haven't play the franchise lately (like myself) buy the game

In addition to what I stated above, a transition title will also allow to:

• Spend another whole year in the new core RPG game that we all are expecting
• A lot of people that wouldn't buy the new core RPG game will buy this game and like it, and will almost automatically buy the new core RPG game next year
• If a lot of assets from the 3DS games has been reused, as it seems, it means that this is a cheaper game that will be sold full Price: this grants bigger earnings that can be used for the new core RPG game
• A transition title also allows gamefreak to earn know-how in order to ease the development of the new core RPG game

I would also would like to have the new core RPG game this year. Anyway, I like what they have done, and I will definetly buy Pokémon lets GO Pikachu (but they really need to make next year's entry worth the waiting...)

Oh, most definitely. However, what's best for business doesn't always line up with particular people want.

Edit: Visual comparison of locales

@MarcelRguez Right. I don't care about what will sale Switches. I really don't. I want quality experiences, and the Switch is not delivering.

A system that sells well but is lacking in good games is meaningless to me. Like the Wii. The Switch hasn't quite hit the level of the Wii yet, but with games like this it certainly is beginning to.

@Harmonie Can't adhere to that sentiment. This is my first Switch disappointment, and it still can be salvaged by the 2019 games. Everything else has been stellar.

Hopefully the next Pokemon game improves off of SM style of visual. These games seem fine, but nothing I find too special. Some people preferred the older pixel style of the older games, but personally I’d prefer they continue improving on the current until we get out of the awkward phase.

I don't know if I missed someone saying this since this thread has exploded, but I'm finding who this is "directed" at to be pretty interesting. I think this game is pointed mostly at "genwunner's" children. Basically those who grew up playing the 1st generation are either adults (me), or a parent (my brother). This is a great way to introduce a new generation of people to pokemon using a parents nostalgia. Now I know there is more to it than that, but I just thought it was interesting. I can already see my brother and niece playing this together.

@MarcelRguez So you're thinking they're making the games easier to make up for the lack of wild encounters?

To everyone disappointed by the reveal: this game isn't targeted at you. It's meant for the hundreds of millions of people who played GO but never touched a mainline game. We're getting our core RPG next year, and honestly Let's Go is just giving Game Freak more time to work on it and make it the series' proper console debut. Taking it for what it is, it looks pretty great. Nothing spectacular, and the dumbed down catching is a letdown, but remembering the audience and that we're getting a main game next year makes it look much better. Also local co-op in a Pokemon RPG is pretty hype

I honestly don't know why some people are disappointed with this announcement. Gamefreak was under serious pressure from Nintendo to release new Pokemon games this year. They could have rushed the next Generation games, if they had wanted which would have seriously been a bad idea.

Instead, these two games act as a decent stop gap before the next major RPG releases come out late 2019. I also think Gamefreak are right in trying to make a game that appeals to those of us who have always played traditional Pokemon games, while also trying to appeal to the Pokemon Go audience.

I don't personally play Pokemon Go, but I get why Gamefreak wants to unify the base. As franchises such as Sonic have shown, splitting off your audience into different demographics and making different titles for different people doesn't really work and it honesty just tends to divide the fan base.

I also like the new capture system which is very imaginative and way better than earlier reports that Gamefreak were thinking about changing the battle system, which would have been a truly terrible idea as the battle system is great as it is.

Well, my argument is valid only if we do get what we want next year

They don't look all the impressive but I'm fine with them existing as their not the big gen 8 Pokemon games that everyone thought they would be before they were officially announced. From a business standpoint, they make a lot of sense. Ease the casual crowd who started with Pokemon Go into the traditional style of Pokemon without removing all traces of Go (so that the game doesn't feel too foreign) while simultaneously tiding over the hardcore crowd for the proper Switch games next year. I'm also glad this means that the gen 8 games will have an extra year of development time because I was really worried that they would be released this year and end becoming a really mediocre, rushed product.

As for me, unless I get them as a gift for Christmas or I'm REALLY out of games to play around the holiday season, I properly won't bother picking them up and just instead wait for next year. Obviously it's not aimed at me but I won't spoil the fun for all the people that are genuinely excited for them.

@Octane Maybe? Either that, or everything yields much more exp. than before.

@ilikeike Speaking for myself, I just can't see as anything but GF chasing the dragon that was the release of the original games for the umpteenth time. It's something that was already present in the 3DS games, but now it's taking shape in the form of a standalone game. To me, it doesn't mean GF is getting the pandering out of their system so they can focus on something new and ambitious for real next year, because I'm not seeing that drive anywhere. Too early to tell, I know.

I think it's directed at those who played and liked Pokemon GO. The strategy being that if you liked Pokemon GO, you'll want to pick up a Switch and Pokemon Let's GO. Then you try out other games that the Switch has to offer and the Switch becomes a giant success.

The long term Pokemon fans don't have to worry because the E3 2017 announcement was for the 2019 game so if they don't like Let's Go they can just wait a year.

@MarcelRguez Game Freak confirmed that they've been working on the next core game since before the Switch released. That implies that they're taking their time with it, hopefully to make it a more ambitious game than Let's Go. So I think Let's Go releasing this year serves three purposes: 1, give Pokemon a bigger presence on Switch, 2, reach the 20 million goal this year, 3, get the GO audience into the core series. So I really do feel that Let's Go, whatever we may think about it, is just setting up the real debut next year.

I honestly think it’s a Wind Waker moment. Aside from apparently getting rid of random battles (which will be mega popular outside the circles who have “thou shall enjoy annoying random battles” inscribed into a stone slab” - even Dragon Quest has seen the light and dumped them) and rejigging the catching mechanics for the ones from Pokemon Go (which were the satisfying part of that game and - let’s face it - catching was never a huge part of the original games anyway) it looks like a fairly bog standard Pokémon game. Certainly the battle system - the core of the games - seems to be intact

It’s just been presented in a slightly different way.

The other things they’ve either hinted at or shown like Pokemon followers in the field and a more anime involved story progression are things that people have asked for for years.

I personally wanted Pokémon BoTW but TPC was never going to give us that.

@Grumblevolcano So the people who are into free mobile games will suddenly drop €330 on a Switch, €60 on the game, and get the €50 controller while they're at it?

@ilikeike Sure, but my worries have less to do with the next games being as ambitious as Let's Go and more with them not being more ambitious than S&M. Then there's the conversation of what Let's Go means for the franchise going forward, but that conversation is hot takes central right now.

@StuTwo So it's going to be the worst 3D Pokémon game?

@Octane That's what baffles me. That line of logic should absolutely not produce the results TPC wants, but I bet it will work regardless. Feels like we live in Bizarro World at times.