The Villainous Giovanni Returns In Pokémon Ultra Sun And Ultra Moon

Hype! Wait, no, I'm supposed to be disappointed and not buy this game! But... It has Giovanni in it... And he's relevant... I'm conflicted.

It's clear that they really want my monies.

Seems like the Suicide Squad/ Secret Avengers of the Pokémon universe

Can't wait for this. If the preload option is up today I will be getting it

0o0

Can i get Xerneas straightly from Ultra Sun / Moon without Pokemon Bank ?

I thought barring Giovanni and Ghetsis most of the other team leaders weren't particularly evil in their games. Hopefully, it's actually written to make sense.

Giovanni has assembled a team of bosses from past games in the series
Every Legendary Pokémon will be up for grabs

I'm this close to becoming a lapsed Pokémon fan. Game Freak, I'm not 12 anymore, you can't bribe me with legendary Pokémon. Improve the single-player further.

Looks like they're really going all out on these games. It's the end of an era on 3DS.

Oh, wait. I thought USUM were just cheap cash grabs with little to none new content. Who would've thought of waiting until they showed what's new.

@Anti-Matter Yes, you can.

Pre-downloading Ultra Sun as soon as I'm home. Changed my phone's wallpaper to this new artwork.

Now this sounds like something right out of a fanfiction tbqh.

The Gen 1 fanservice is REAL.

It's interesting that Maxie and Archie are using their R/S/E designs rather than their OR/AS designs.

Ahhhhhh damn it I would have loved this to be a surprise.

So does this confirm Lysandre is alive? Also that Cyrus is not trapped in the Distortion World anymore?

Kind of weird to just shove these boring guys in there.

@Steven_the_2nd I hear you, I hate spoilers but this may have tipped me into buying the game.

@-Green- This is an alternate story to the first game, so I'm betting this is basically either a what if story or just a parallel universe... Which is about the same thing. Or, perhaps they've been snatched from their storylines through said wormholes.

@Kalmaro Lol so true. Sun and Moon didn't grab me at all after the first like 90 minutes and I spent 55 days soft reseting for a Shiny Rowlet starter XD lol.

And now I'm interested. Hope the part with villains won't be just a quick fanservice, with the leaders served as cameos during the postgame, but will have an actually good reason behind all this stuff.

While this may be spoilery and been better for some to not know this, however it may have finally tipped me in the direction to pick it up. The whole every boss from all the other games which I've played everyone, and every legendary being available are a lot more interesting than most of the other stuff I've heard.

Okay, I'm finally hyped now. That remix of the Team Rocket battle theme sounds fantastic, and it's nice to have other teams as well instead of just being completely gen 1 fanservice yet again.

Also, this trailer had a good amount of legendary bird pokemon in it

It's about time this pair of games grew a pair of Poké Balls and showed it goes beyond the mere rehashing third versions usually get.
It's a villainous version of the Gym Leaders returning in B2W2 and it's generally an extended B2W2 treatment, which can't really hurt.

So does this disprove the Giovanni suicide theory from HGSS?

So we are getting all the old villains back. Maybe we can return to other regions as well

Looks good. I'll enjoy playing through these with my daughter.

I was just thinking what if this is a hint that the next Gen on the switch is finally going to give us something a lot of fans have been hoping for like a rainbow version of this game that includes every area thus far and availability of nearly every pokemon pretty much.

I remember a leak from before the SM reveal that said it was codenamed Pokémon Rainbow. Seems like we are going full circle with Team Rainbow Rocket.

@dougphisig They've gone big for two of their biggest franchises so far with the Switch. I really hope the inclusion of all or at least a good chunk of the regions is part of the Switch game. The console can handle it.

There's also a 5 minutes long Japanese overview trailer.

Good news for those who care but I’m not sitting through another nonsensical narrative. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: make the Switch game open-world with optional storyline. S/M were close to the most disappointing games of my life thus far and this looks like more of the same.

And no new Alolan forms (that we know of)? Super lame and a huge missed opportunity.

It’s just sad because I used to be a huge fan of the series. I’m over Pokémon for now. Maybe when the Switch game comes.

I have completely abandoned my 3DS since I got the Switch and did not want this game, but Nintendo has just kicked me in my nostalgia and I want this game now!!

good, introduce more things to the game, maybe it will be worth the money in due time, but not yet.
This doesn't even make sense in character context, they will have to pull a very good twist (or a really bad one) to explain why those bosses are working together considering some of them have conflicting ideologies.

EDIT: AW F***, I forgot, the metagame will be total chaos, mega mom, desolate groudon and maybe landorus TT_TT

This "every legendary" thing is the epitome of this need they feel to make all species available, and as the Dex continues to grow I think that's really starting to hurt gameplay...

These games are looking so dope. I was a bit disappointed with Sun and Moon, but these are shaping up to be the best Pokémon games since Black and White. Giovanni is easily the coolest villain in my opinion, glad he's the leader of the new team! With Ghetsis there, too, maybe N will make an appearance...? Please?

Huh. If this is intended as a kind of swan song before a series reboot, I'm mildly positive about it. If the intent is to just keep adding on when the series moves to the Switch, I think they're hurting their future games. When everyone's super...

That is a crap ton of legendaries. And it’s kind of cool to see all of the villain teams return. There’s a lot of nostalgia and fan service in this version, but I’m still waiting for the big hook. Just spill the beans and tell us we can go back to Kanto already. Unless they are saving it as a surprise in the post game for people to discover.

I'm sorry, I love rainbows, but having Giovanni of Team Rocket suddenly be the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket just seems... weird to me. It sounds like Team Rocket suddenly opened a gay club.

Just like in Sonic Forces. Someone in the Pokemon team has been reading too many fanfics.

@-Green- No. Rainbow Rocket has pulled the various bosses from alternate universes where they succeeded in their plans. So they're not the same Cyrus and Lysandre.

@IceClimbers So basically lala land. Nice writing whoever writes these fanfics.

On a separate note, I'm okay with fan service if it's done tactfully and with purpose/creativity. Hopefully this isn't just another case of a boring cameo like Grimsely from the previous games.

If this was coming to Switch I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Alas, my 3DS days are well and truly behind me.

Hey there, NintendoLife! Thank you so much for once again putting the spoiler directly in the title and preview of the article. I know can always rely on you to spoil everything about upcoming games, regardless of whether or not I want every surprise to be ruined.

I stopped visiting this website for a year because of your glaring Sun/Moon spoilers. It's nice to know that this will continue to be the site's policy and it was a mistake to come back.

Team Rainbow Rocket? Bwahahahaha!....

...That was my initial reaction. Some of those team leaders being in there doesn't even make any sense...unless they were pulled from alternate universes, maybe? Hopefully things don't become too convoluted....

Oh so you have all this stuff and you won‘t market it as such? Sure, all eyes were on Odyssey before but now‘s a tiny bit too late. You know I have both versions as well as a Pokeball 2DS XL preordered so just take my money, I guess.

LAAAAAAAME!!

This game is really going for style over substance more so than any other Pokémon game yet. They’re showing a ton of new things but they haven’t shown a lot of depth to those things. Hard to get excited about these games when nothing revealed goes that far beyond a typical third version.

They showed every legendary and form of legendary in order. Then they showed Dialga and Palkia again right after going through them all. What does this mean?

@Bolt_Strike I think they might be explaining things in less detail because a common complaint about Sun and Moon was how they revealed too much. While I can't say things such as the Pokemon Ride minigames will have a ton of depth, I think the game will have enough new content. They did say this would be like an "Ultra" third version, whether you consider that a good thing or not.

So... They waited till the last second for reveal all the potential cool stuffs that may push more people into buying the game?

Sincerely this trailer got my attention, but it's really too late, I can't afford to add such a big RPG to my schedule at last second XD

Weren't the first three generations of villains supposed to be reformed by the end of their respective titles? Wouldn't it make more sense for each past villain to have their own motivations and story path? Ah, but that would be too much work to elaborate upon, I suppose...

@TheLegendOfLaser They don’t have to explain every little detail to show depth. They just need to convey that there’s much more to these features than the 1 minute of screen time they get. They don’t really give us a sense of how long these features last, just that they exist.

Day one from me. I have the week off from work to play this gem!

This, right here. Sold. Was not going to get this before. Now I want the double pack.

Why did they wait 2 weeks before release to actually talk about the cool stuff ?
I didn't plan on buying those because of the meh-announcements.
Really weird marketing.

I'm not getting hyped for this game, but I will probably pick it up eventually.

@Ernest_The_Crab The other Team leaders have their own goals and objectives they want to accomplish. And who else can get them there than the biggest and most elusive crime boss of Kanto? They don't have to be evil to join the team, they just want the goals they spent their lives working for to finally happen.

Ugh, i don't like pre-ordering but i really want to play this game as soon it's available...

@Yorumi @LegendOfPokemon Looks more like a 20th anniversary thing to me.

Why is there no Darkrai, Shaman, Deoxys, Mew, Jirachi, Arceus, Manaphy, Victini, Keledo, Meloetta, or Genesect since this is the last game for the 3DS?

I really wish they didn't wait until 2 weeks before launch to reveal all of this cool stuff about the game. Definitely changed my mind about buying US/UM. It's just frustrating because a large majority of the trailers up until now made it seem like such a soulless cash grab

They are going all in!!!

Really hyped!

I forgot how bland Archie and Maxie looked before their redesigns. More importantly, the lack of Cipher annoys me. They were the best.

That being said, this is a pretty bonkers thing for them to be doing. I didn't see it coming. Now I'm wondering how Giovanni, perhaps the least threatening villain here, became leader.

So is Giovanni father of Ash? It was a hot topic back in the day on the old forums

I just realized... TPC is screwed no matter what they do. No matter what, people will be upset. If they don't give us much info, people decide there's not enough reason to get this game. If they give us info, people that were planning to get it on the basis of trusting it will have enough new stuff get upset information is getting spoiled. If they give us the info too early, people get upset there won't be any surprises by release and that they haven't saved anything. If they give us the info too late, people are upset they didn't budget for it and it's too late. No matter what, people will be upset.

I wouldn't say these are spoilers, as they're official announcements. Based on the leaked info (that continually is being proven right), there's a lot of unannounced content. They handled marketing how they decided it was best, either get it or don't get it but can people stop complaining on every single article? If you don't want to even hear official announcements, you probably shouldn't be online because that stuff spreads like wildfire. If you already are set on not getting it, why bother clicking these articles and commenting? If you suddenly feel so different, get it at a later date, it's not going anywhere.

More on topic, I hope the Battle Facility is more like the Battle Frontier and less like the place from X and Y, I want a bunch of high level challenges, ya know? Excited to see Giovanni finally return (even though this plot will likely be a silly post game story that won't make much sense). All the legendaries are... okay I guess? I have a living Pokedex I can transfer with Pokebank but I suppose it doesn't hurt to have more copies of legendaries. Totem Stickers... idk if I follow, like we can get the Totem Pokémon from trials? That's interesting, are they gonna be too OP that they're banned though? And Island Scan I thought was in the previous game.

@LArachelDisciple least threatening? Half the villains thought they were doing the right thing and Giovanni was one of the few that was both realistic in his goals and evil for the sake of evil. Plus, he's essentially the Godfather, who's power comes from charisma and leadership, if anyone could manipulate the others into following him, it'd be Giovanni.

I was already hyped for this game, but this is probably the best piece of news to come from the Ultra titles.

Really wish they'd throw in Team Snagem eventually. Orre was such an awesome region

If this is the last announcement before release I gotta say Im not impressed. Should be Sun and Moon DLC lol

At least give us Kanto to run around in or something.

@ShadJV But Giovanni lost his resources, didn't he? His team was defeated twice. You are right that he's the scummiest, but being the worst morally doesn't make him more dangerous than "nuke the earth" Lysandre.

At least we can look forward to seeing how he rose back up from being so thoroughly beaten in Heartgold/Soulsilver.

@LArachelDisciple but did I say he was the most dangerous? I said he has charisma and leadership quality, something that losing his resources can't affect. He knows how to rally people onto his side, knows what to promise, how to find their weak points. Most of the other villains got people to follow them due to some sort of justification to their causes, Giovanni doesn't need to justify his cause, he functions off of charisma. If you pay attention to characters recruited to his team throughout the series, they rarely cite intimidation, which he would need a team to back up, instead there's ordinary people like scientists who switched allegiance due to promises of the things they desire (promises he may or may not fulfill). Besides, it's been what, a decade canonically since his team was disbanded? Way more than enough time to create a new team.

@ShadJV Good reasoning. It makes more sense now.

pride is lit this year

This doesn't make much since because each major villain in the Pokémon series each had there own motivations and a different vision on how the Pokémon world would be ruled.

If these villains did cooperate with a each other, I can only see it lasting only for a sort while.

Umm, one of those villains died in the game. I won't say who to avoid spoilers.

Well, this does looks more interesting than sun & moon.

Waiting for more news if there's any postgame or something.

@Ernest_The_Crab I was thinking that too before I even read the article

@Kalmaro Agreed, i barely touched Moon, and had no intention of buying the new ones.. but all old school goodness is just to good to give up, Way to go with a bang for the last on the platform. And i really feel like i should support that. Also GIOVANNI.

Oh, blast it! Game Freak, don’t do this!

US/UM were supposed to not appeal to me, and now I’m thinking of trading my copy of Moon in.

Huh, this is actually cool. I've always seen Ghetsis as the least repentant villain in the series (you somehow just don't come back from being a child abuser) but he's way too off the rails to summon a team of villains. Giovanni is like the Batman of Pokémon villains, so this works.

Am I going to go out and buy the game now? I doubt it, but never say never. This is still technically an annual release, and just on principle I'm never going to get fully behind those. But it looks less lazy now, so props to them.

@Mogster The Giovanni suicide theory was already disproved when he showed back up for the World Tournament in Black/White 2.

I think its pretty bad that everyone who bought Sun or Moon has to buy it AGAIN to get acces to this content. Should have been dlc!

@Viendra That region resides in a spin-off series like the Pokemon Ranger titles so they don't exist canonically?

Dumping all the old legendary Pokemon isn't really that enticing unless you're just now jumping back into the series, which if that's the case, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon hardly look like great points of entry. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire did the same thing 3 years ago.

@Porky no sheet, dumb move by nintendo

@Viendra No sheet huh, then while complain if you already know smh.

Succ deek porky