Topic: Pokémon Winds and Waves

Ironically putting out a 3D game that looks this good only makes me more confident they should do an HD-2D approach to their other games, if simply for the reason of keeping up some degree of quantity. Even doing a good enough, not quite like the actual HD-2D style update for B/W would likely be really appealing and I have to imagine would be dramatically quicker to be able to release than anything remotely on the level of gen 10. Quite frankly, best case scenario. Almost hopeful that that's relevant to the FR/LG release, as its inevitable success would be good proof people will still buy 2D Pokemon.

And it makes me think its more likely, they didn't see the gen 9 sales and think "well that's it for us regularly putting out Pokemon RPGs".

I was listening to the game's main theme again and I thought of how it sounds sort of like the songs that accompanied the opening movies of the 3DS games. On Switch, all the games' title screens have just been still images and I've always wished they would go back to the style of title screens of the DS and 3DS days (which peaked in USUM, IMO), which would usually present dramatic looks at the legendaries and previews of the adventure to come. This theme makes me think we are getting that style of title screen back. I'd see the title screen movie going in the following phases in accordance to the song:

1) Calm prelude - Shows a few establishing shots of the open world.

2) Intense buildup - Shows the legendaries in action. The particular style the song is going for gives me the feel that the legendaries this Gen will be going for is that of powerful and ruthless incarnations of nature.

3) Pokemon Main Theme - Shows video of protagonists running through the open world (similar to much of the shots seen in the reveal trailer).

I think it's a combination of several things...

1) Better hardware makes the biggest difference. Switch 2 is, at least according to Nvidia, 10x the power of the Switch. Even if in some respects it's only 6x that's still massive, not to mention DLSS helping it punch ever further above it's weight. As mentioned, even Zelda games struggled with framerate on Switch, as did Xenoblade Chronicles.

2) The learning curve of HD development was something Nintendo went through in the Wii U era, but not Gamefreak. They didn't cut their teeth until Switch. This was certainly one contributing factor, at the very least.

3) Scarlet and Violet was their first open world game, and they were not ready to take on such a task, particularly with Switch hardware. A lot of their team had been developing handheld titles their entire career and was not experienced with the needed techniques and required skills.

4) Development cycles were brutal. The machine they created had its deadlines and Pokemon was going to release every couple years, regardless of quality. Winds and Waves will have had a full 5 year development cycle, which is closer to what we expect for big open world games nowadays. It's being given enough time to properly cook.

5) From what we've heard, Nintendo was not happy with Scarlet and Violet, and we know for a fact gamers weren't. Just look how quickly it got a free Switch 2 update to address its performance. The damage that game did to the brand was massive. Gamefreak will have been more than eager to repair that reputational damage with their next mainline entry.

They've now gotten past their learning curve, they've become experienced with HD and open world development, they're motivated to create something impressive, they're being given enough time to do the game justice, and it's on a platform with sufficient power to accomodate their vision.

What are we all thinking for the starters' final evos?

Browt I expect to become a Grass/Ground cassowary, purely. Its "clumsy" description makes me think Browt will have trouble learning to fly, but considering the Rowlet comparisons I doubt they'd give it the same type combo as Hisuian Decidueye.

For Pombon, I'm not feeling any one particular type for it, though I will say that its stocky build makes me think it'll stay quadrupedal and become just a big lion-like dog. I've seen Fire/Fairy and that could work, though I don't see much reason for Fire/Fairy outside of "he is a sweet boi."

I'm most confident in what I think Gecqua will evolve into, being Water/Psychic type and the one out of these three to become humanoid. First of all, I expect Gecqua to gain the Psychic type for a few reasons: 1) its magenta eyes lend themselves well to the psychic type; 2) the water droplet pattern on its forehead has a third-eye motif to it, which could get expanded upon in later stages; and 3) the website describes Gecqua as being "intelligent" which would again indicate the psychic type. As for its body plan, I think it'll become humanoid because of its thinner build (which, while not a rule, has trended towards humanoid starters in the past) and because of how it is shown to stand on its hind legs to laugh. Sorry Gecqua bros.

I really don't know what most of these will evolve into (Water/Psychic for Gecqua makes a lot of sense, but the other 2? No clue), I just hope they steer away from Fighting and Dark triangles which is what they've been doing for many of the most recent starter trios (XY had Fighting/Psychic/Dark and Arcues and SV had Fighting/Ghost/Dark). It's getting tired and Fighting and Dark especially have been paired with all 3 starter types at least once so there's no way to continue using them without it feeling tired.

@UpsideDownRowlet
Also, there were some evolution from the starters didn't match with the region theme representation.
For example the Gen 6.
Froakie became Greninja, it was Japanese stuffs in French representation Kalos region?
In Gen 7, Kitten became Incenroar with Lucha Libre vibe in Hawaiian representation Alola region?

For Gen 10, I think the final evolution will be on the "doesn't make a sense" path again.

@UpsideDownRowlet

I have a very specific image in my mind and tried to draw it lol, it's not very good but hopefully it converys my thoughts. I just really hope he ends up being a rooster lol

@Anti-Matter Since Gen 4 (I think) the starter trios have had distinct themes uniting the 3 Pokemon. Sinnoh had mythology, Unova had foreign cultures, Kalos had TTRPG classes (paladin, sorcerer, rogue), Alola had circus I guess, Galar had British entertainment, and Paldea had colonial festivals. I am quite curious what the final trio theme will be. Lockstin & Gnoggin had a video going over the possible origins of the starters and he brought up some potential connections the starters may have to countries with links to Indonesia.

@CaleBoi25 I like your concept art. I'm guessing by the fighting game pose that you're predicting a Grass/Fighting type combo. I'm learning pixel art right now, so I may share some of my own concept images for the starters in the near future. Browt gang for the win!

@UpsideDownRowlet I really hope Gecqua evolves into a huge sleek lizard rather than a lizard person. As for second type, psychic and poison are the obvious choices but I could imagine a surprise, especially since we don't know what the game's gimmick is.

@UpsideDownRowlet I'm not totally sure what all the possible types are, but that sounds about right! In my mind it's basically Foghorn Leghorn but green and with eyebrows lol. Definitely share that pixel art when it's done, I am not great at sprite work but I always love seeing people's works!

Browt = Bird + Sprout (maybe?)

Pombon = Pomeranian + Bonfire

Gecqua = Gecko + Aqua

I think Browt is going to be a bird that can fly, and not a flightless bird like people are saying it is now. Mainly because of (leaked content) The mode of transportation of this game, and how it feels like they're going to easily move to the idea of having each of the starter pokemon embody Land, Sea, and Air. They'll have Gecqua evolve into a strong swimmer that'll be able to help you get from island to island with ease. Browt will probably be the Pokemon that can soar great distances and allow you to fly around the region. Given the mention of how Pombon has a glowing spot in it's throat, there's a chance that it can illuminate darker caves and act like a flashlight for those areas- given how the lighting system works in this game

I have to say, as much as it will only benefit the games themselves on the long run, it's going to be weird to spend the better part of 1.5/2 years (rather than less than a year) with nothing but the occasional morsel of information until launch. It was technically the same for Legends Z-A, but there was a lot less announced in that case, and we're talking about a typical mainline pair of entries. It's unprecedented for Pokémon, to say the least.

I hope Gecqua will become like komodo dragon That will be really cool

Usually when starters are revealed, there's one clear favorite and the others are typically deemed lame.

And there will always be a fan fave- in this case Pombon, but for the first time since I started paying attention to Pokemon, there seems to be a sizeable fanbase for all 3 starters.

I of course see plenty "Pombon Supremacy" memes going around, but then I'll see a video saying "Gecqua 100%, the others don't even come close!". Then I'll see a comment thread going on about Browt being the only logical choice with its Angry Birds vibe...

And I love that! Feels like they really nailed it with the starters this time, as all 3 have their fans who truly believe their choice is the clear winner.

@JaxonH That's a good point! Everyone who isn't in love with Browt is wrong, of course, but I suppose we are all entitled to our own opinions... XD

@CaleBoi25 Nah, Gecqua forever. Though we can both agree not Pombon. Pombon is just... a normal dog.

Perhaps even... an Annoying Dog.

I wonder if the time system will be real time or something like what Scarlet/Violet & Legends Arceus/ZA have? I wasn't too fond of the time/day system that those latter games had & preferred the real-world time system that older gens had...That's one thing I liked about Sword & Shield despite their obvious problems.

Dog is good.