Video: Ok, We're Hyped About Pokémon Sword & Shield After That Direct

Of course you were that direct was hype!
Though wooloo appears to have stolen the show.

It's nice to finally see some enthusiasm for these releases after months of whining about the first trailer.

I've liked the look of them from the start, but, I'll admit, I'm feeling even better about these games now.

The graphics look much better now.

@Franklin The graphics are identical to what they looked like in the first trailer.

I love the wild area, being able to see Pokémon roaming in the wild, raid battles and captures, dynamaxing is super cute and I'm glad we're going back to traditional gym battles. Alola was great but ultra sun/moon kind of burned me out. This looks super refreshing. I'm going to miss the co-op from Let's go Pikachu and Eevee if it isn't present here though. I'll also miss having Pokémon follow you around outside of their Pokéballs.

Also Gossifleuurrrr <3 I want one so badly 😸

I think you mean 'fist BUMP' rather than 'fist PUMP' which is a sign of celebration. Just sayin'

Wooloo name is a great funny meme.

WoolooWoolooWoolooWooloo....

@Ralizah

Nonsense.

@Finlderp I really hope having Pokémon follow you around outside of their Pokéballs will still be a thing though.. That feature was so unique and well implemented with the mount system etc. It'd be a shame if they don't.. Though I guess it would be way to much work to implement this for all the pokémons that ever existed.

@Franklin

LOL
They're identical.

The internet's obsession with wooloo is getting a little bit creepy.

Can't be. I mean, everyone knows, since the very first trailer, that this is the crappiest Pokemon game ever and that Nintendo/Gamefreak completely have lost it.

@Ralizah not true, the graphics improved a lot

I really can't believe how different I feel about Sword and Shield after the Pokemon Direct as opposed to the reveal trailer. Seeing Pokemon in the overworld and towns just did it for me more than anything else. Not to mention I actually really like all of the new Pokemon they've shown so far, which hasn't happened for generations.

@Ralizah Where do you find that second picture? Im pretty sure i saw every frame of the direct at least twice... Ok four times.

@Venus_Adept https://www.serebii.net/swordshield/pics.shtml

Enjoy!

@Tantani They demonstrably did not.

How much do you think it will sell?
It seems very inspired game and have lots of new thing including open world features and stuff, and all switch big games broke their series records (Splatoon 2, SSBU, 3D Mario, Zelda, Mario party etc) aside from Mario kart that is the second best in the series (and the racing genre) only beaten by the unfair numbers of the Wii version.... and it is a god damm re-release

So following the trend, this game might sell about 20 million!
What do you think?

I'm not just trying to be contrary but I felt the opposite. I haven't cancelled my preorder yet... but those open areas look really really bland....

It looks rather disappointing in everything graphics, designs in Pokémon especially the legendaries which is a sin and the giant gimmick

@MrBlacky
"--everyone-- knows"

Really?
Everyone?
Really?

Maybe I need to watch it again but it didn't hype me up. I was washing dishes and only half watching the direct though.

@GKO900
Pokemon Sword / Shield are not AAA PC Open world games with Gigantic GB size.

@Anti-Matter They are 65GB, confirmed. They're also on PC.

So it there going to be voice acting in this game? We see multiple clips of characters mouths moving like they are forming actual sounds. Granted there isn't any speech bubbles, but I think that has more to do with not spoiling story right now.

In the other modern games they just hang the mouth open to signify they are talking right? Or am I'm miss remembering?

@Octane For that size they definitely should look better than an early PS3 game in 2019

@Anti-Matter come on dude just take off those rose tinted glasses

@Ralizah

The wild area is a lot better.

Clicked your link. The later screenshots look a lot sharper and more vivid. The water in particular looks great.

@GKO900 Octane was joking about the file size. That won't be revealed until at least October I don't think.

@Franklin The Wild Area never featured in the first trailer, though. We saw more of the game, for sure, but the quality of the graphics never changed.

My hype levels are at an all-time low for Pokémon standards actually. Barely anything from the Direct excited me. Dynamax especially ruins the hype a lot for me.

@SakuraHaruka
Yes, everyone and everywhere.😑

@Ralizah

"The Wild Area never featured in the first trailer, though"

Exactly.

The Direct did say that Dynamaxing can only be done in special locations. Time code 13:10 - "These Gym-Stadiums are constructed in very special locations that allow for Pokemon to be Dynamaxed." The raids occur at small rock openings in the Wild Area that shoot out pink energy. I bet the gyms are built on larger geysers of that energy.

@MrBlacky
Oh, Sorry, but I and other people do not think so; so no, are not "everyone", "many" yes, but "everyone" no
Sorry.

@Franklin LOL

"Exactly" what? I said the graphics were identical, not the content that was shown off. The battles and route exploration footage look pretty much identical to what we see in the first trailer. So, no, there has been no bump in the graphical quality. Actually, The Wild Area doesn't look any better visually, it's just larger in scope and not locked down to a fixed viewpoint.

I'd say i am disappointed, but that would imply i expected much in the first place.

I understand not wanting to mess with the formula of gold, but i am still amazed at just how unispired and lazy game freak can be.

Stuff as simple as models having actual expresions and better animations for the mon's would go a long way. With how careless the presentation in the game is, you'd think this is a small time studio and not a studio that holds the single highest grossing multi media franchise in the world.

But whatevs, i guess i outgrew the franchise's target audience a while ago, i'll stick to Dragon Quest XI instead.

@GKO900 I don’t think you are a Nintendo fan, complaining about graphics. It’s never been about the graphics, especially with Pokémon. I think the game looks great, not sure exactly what you were expecting but if you aren’t satisfied then your loss

@Starcakes Game freak has always been conservative and played it safe when it comes to their Pokémon games, so it’s shouldn’t be surprising that they aren’t taking too many risks with this one. But I understand the want for more for sure

I'm definitely hyped, it looks like Gamefreak is taking a cue from Mario Oddy and Breath of the Wild and taking some risks with the franchise. I'm digging all of the new ideas and mechanics being introduced so far! The Kaiju Pokemon and Wild Area look like great additions to me. The Wild Area in particular takes us one step closer to the open world Pokemon game I've always wanted and I'm glad they're taking advantage of the Switch hardware. When they said they would be focusing on the handheld aspect, I assumed they weren't going to do much with the hardware. Glad to see I was wrong.

@Matthew010 Yeah I know it's not on PC either I just follow the game to see if Anti- Matter was gonna say something, I mean the guy it's really funny sometimes

@drewber2635 It's not just about graphics since my favorite game is Ultra Sun/Moon and they look the best they can for that console but also the uninspired designs on legendaries and the new gimmick Dynamax which are just giant Pokémon for 3 turns

Looks like Sword/Shield is taking some steps into becoming "Pokemon of the Wild" that everyone has been dreaming about.

Yeah looks good besides that Dynamax-BS.

@drewber2635 As i said, i understand, Pokemon makes the kind of cash that has the likes of Disney green with envy, i can undertsand why it isn't exactly a franchise willing to risk it.

However, i wasn't asking for risks, just effort. Stuff like a good presentation hardly has bearing on the core of the game, after all.

Dragon Quest is also a franchise not prone to radical change, yet i am still deeply in love with it. A great part of that is because of it's overwhelming charisma.

No offense to any Pokemon fans, but this game's spirit animal is probably whole wheat bread.

@EasyDaRon isn't it just like every other pokemon game? How pokemon are not seen and u just walk through grass until you encounter something? Is this the first pokemon game you ever see gameplay of? If anything it's a step forward since it's like pokemon lets go, and you can see pokemon walking around.

@GKO900 Every new pokemon game has a new feature. People that don't like it will call it a "GIMMICK", while people who do like it don't see it as a gimmick. Everything new is considered a gimmick nowadays, mega-evolution, Z-moves....etc. My point is, how could u call a game like ultrasun/moon you're favorite, when that was the most Gimmicky none traditional pokemon style game yet. Didn't even have gyms...

Loving these vids with Alex and Zion...keep em coming!

@Ralizah There have indeed been improvements to the graphics, but they're minor, so it's understandable you don't see any differences. It's mostly stupid stuff like reduced bloom, and shadows to small details.

One noticeable improvement is in the mines, the walls looked very very low-res, that has been fixed, and i hope more improvements like these happen until the game is released.

Hmmm a lot of naysayers? Maybe I should watch the direct but it just looks like a Pokemon game with different camera angle and betters graphics to me. I haven't played a Pokemon ganes since Pearl, though, so perhaps that's why I'm all game for this.

@Alex0714 The big and buff (attack defense etc) Pokémon was already done in Pokémon Ultra sun/moon they were call totem the only new thing here is that they are giant nothing new that really adds something to the gameplay unlike mega evolutions and Z moves but time will tell if everyone agrees this is a nice addition or just a gimmick

The thing is that the comment section is a mess. You cannot follow a comment and its interesting replies because the comment might have the number #3 and the replies of that comment might be numbers #5,11, 34 and 56. As it stands Nintendo Life comment section is for laughs.

@GKO900,

If you make the graphics more realistic you lose the whole Pokemon charm imho,the art style is perfectly suited to the game.

@MimoDX2,

Even the video in the latest direct said the visuals were not finalized,so there may be more tweeks before release

@Alex0714,

Well said,some people will never be happy no matter what.

@johnvboy It's not about making the graphics realistic but more of how unpolished the game looks maybe you don't notice but if you look closely it has low textures lack of character animation etc just look a video o YouTube

@GKO900,

We will have too see how much improvement we get on the games release,but up to now I am not too unhappy,but each to their own I guess.

A lot is going to depend on the wild area, for me. If the overworld is decently sized and worth exploring, that will be a huge sell. If it's just Hyrule Field, a big empty circle with hallway paths that branch off to towns, then it will show that Game Freak has successfully caught up with 1998 game design. I expect something between those extremes, so it'll probably be good but not innovative.

Also, huge difference between "powerful graphics" and "aesthetically pleasing." Nintendo rarely cares about the former, but games like Breath of the Wild, Skyward Sword, Mario Galaxy, etc. show that they often really do care about making aesthetically pleasing games. I'm someone who likes Pokemon games, they're always a fun 30-50 hours and have a lot of replayability, but if someone described the DS and 3DS games' art styles as "uninspired" or "unmemorable", I personally would have a hard time arguing against them. My personal opinion, of course.

But the Sword/Shield screenshots do look like a real step up in art style from the 3DS games and Let's Go. That's something I'm looking forward to.

This trailer completely reversed my opinion of this game. The reveal looked so conservative and felt like SM HD, and I was really letdown and close to quitting this series. But then this trailer drops and I see the Wild Area and all of its open ended glory and now I'm hyped. The gameplay showed off in the Wild Area is exactly what I was looking for in a console Pokemon game, and while it's not quite the full open world experience I wanted, there's enough of it on display that I think I'll be satisfied. This is the first game in years that I'm excited for.

@drewber2635 it was until the Gamecube failed though. Get out of here with "true Nintendo fan".

@johnvboy Probably they hate when nothing goes their way.

@EasyDaRon It's pokemon though, why would they fill the environment? When the main focus is finding pokemon which are naturally hidden in all pokemon gamesfor the player to find. It doesn't matter if it's 2019 or even 2030. If the land was filled with pokemon all over the place, the game would look stupid and not make sense