Nintendo Announces Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! For Nintendo Switch

Wow .. that’s .. weird

Neither. Really wish this was Gen 8. Can’t use Pokémon Go where I live anyways.

Looks like absolute trash. Keep Pokémon GO out of my RPGs.

HOW IS THIS REAL

ahem

Can't say I'm thrilled with what I see, but I'm open to being surprised. These are still mainline entries on a home console, after all. I'll be picking it up (along with that sweet Pokéball accessory).

EDIT: Was made aware of these not being core entries. Please don't blow up my notifications.

@Pokefanmum82 They also announced that Gen 8 is still being developed for next year. This sounds like a project to keep people satisfied until then.

OOOOOOOOOOKAY THEN.
That sure was... Well, it was.

Let’s Go Pikachu for me. Doesn't look half bad, but I need some more info, however.

CHSJDBJSDBK I’m dyingggg. At least this isn’t gen 8. The kids will love this though.

This isn't the core rpg game we were promise, Nintendo stated that is coming out next year.

Since this isn't the actual next Pokémon gen, this is totally fine with me. Hope it's a success with the casual crowd.

So this is kind of a Red/Blue remake?

Cautiously optimistic

It looks really cute. Not terribly happy that battles with wild pokemon seem to be completely gone, and I'm not sure what implications that has for battles with trainers and gym leaders, but I'm open to seeing where they go with this.

I...don't know what to think.

@julzshred The Pokémon Twitter confirmed they're directly based on Yellow Version

"Do I want this?" is the real question here. I gave up on Pokemon Go because it wasn't going anywhere and this looks like what Pokemon Go should gave progressed into eventually. If it's not a full price retail game I will probably get it, but I just don't know if I want this.

I feel like they announce this early to not disappoint people on E3

Am I happy to be alive, or do I wish I didn't have to live on this planet anymore? I honestly can't tell. This looks both horrid and actually-kinda-cool at the same time. @_@

This will be a cute game to play while I wait on the true next core game. This is not a core game even if GameFreak tries to call it one. However I will not be picking up GO so I hope the GO interaction is optional.

Really feel you should add in that they confirmed via Twitter that this is a spin-off, and that the real, next mainstream game is scheduled for the second half of 2019.

Anyways... I would've been legit heartbroken if this was a main series game. But knowing it's just a spin-off, I might give it a chance after we learn more. The co-op and being able to gang up on another trainer or wild Pokemon seems weird, but it seems like it could make things more fun.

Pokemon Ben Wa ball confirmed.

Not sure what to make of this, glad reading the comments this isn't 8, not that I care about that one either but I was afraid for the world's well being.

We only have 1 Switch, unlike two DS and three 3DS, so we only need 1 game, not 2, so we'll see how they play, though most likely Eevee.

If you can only catch wild Pokemon and not battle them that's kinda lame.

Revealing this at 11PM New York time, 4 or 5 AM UK/EU, makes me think it's all about the Japanese audience.

I'll be waiting for the reviews and price for this one.

Neither.
Waiting for the Gen 8.

If I do get it, Eevee is totally my choice.

Also waiting for Gen 8.

BTW, since this is a remake of Yellow, will we get to see Jessie and James?

Sort of strange and a bit confusing. But still have the main one in 2019 - so I am OK with a spin off, just need to see more.

I guess one good thing of me having to wait up to update the server tonight.

People are so going to toss that ball into their TVs - that I know 😅

This is apparently a spin-off from what I've seen. I'm fine with this game existing (might even pick it up), assuming that they're planning to be far more ambitious than this with the next main entry.

Well .... Seeing as i still play Pokemon GO regularly.
Let's Go Eevee

Wow !
Pokemon GO connecting with Switch version ?!
Insteresting....

Day one buy, my girlfriend is losing her mind at the cuteness of Eevee, and I love that we'll be able to play together on the same game and system. Had been waiting on getting Switch to see how it turned out and have been happy so far, but this is the game that seals the deal.

Not as thrilled as I would’ve been a year or two ago had this come out then

At first I was disapointed, but after seeing the trailer, it looks kinda cool. I like the local multiplayer, and I think it's pretty intresting. I do think it it is a bit odd that they are remaking a game that the target audience of children likely wouldn't have played.

Eh, I hope secretly Gamefreak is actually making a more traditional Pokemon game. I know we wanted change from the series but this seems a bit drastic and dare I say, a bit of a cop out to tie in with GO

Edit: I spoke too soon. Apparently gen 8 is still coming

So if this is connected at ALL to the main games, Pokemon is dead.

No other way about it. Pokemon main games are currently just FILLED with cheaters. And so is Go. If you can just transfer pokemon over to this game, and this game is connected to the other games, then it is just done.

Not to mention it looks like you just catch pokemon without weakening them, or that they are on the overworld so it ruins the RPG genre... This is pure pandering garbage and I guess I will just have to stop Pokemon for good.

@Pichuka97 The official Pokemon twitter has confirmed the next core series game is coming out in late 2019.

Some odd decisions on some of the mechanics and gameplay choices. But I’m willing to wait for more info. My daughter is excited for co-op gameplay in a Pokémon game. So that should be fun

I think it looks cool. It's a spin-off with the new mainline game coming next year, so this will make the wait a little bit easier I think.
And now that we know that there won't be news of the new mainline Pokemon game during this year's E3 (probably) I wonder what big game will take its place instead...

@LordGeovanni I’m sure the series will be fine. I am curious as to how this possibly having some connectivity to other games means the series is dead. That seems to be a pretty big leap we’re taking

Looks cool for a spin off.

It's gonna perform very well that's for sure.

@Arcamenel Yeah I just found out. Thanks for the heads up c:

@LordGeovanni There are plenty of RPG games where you encounter enemies on the overworld... EarthBound, for one

I will probably end up getting it

Not sure how I feel yet. I think that’ll really depend on if I can turn off the motion controls. I never really cared for Pokémon Go, so I’m not overly thrilled about the trading back and forth. It’s a cool feature don’t get me wrong, but I don’t play Go so it’s pretty useless to me.

@UmbreonsPapa
effectively they would just be no way to stop all this movers and Packers from destroying the game like they have currently.

@Markiemania95
Part of the difficulty inherent to RPG as a genre requires grinding. The ability to pick and choose your battles directly is counterproductive to the entire purpose of the RPG genre. It is already affected the other two core RPG series. Both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have suffered from this and a large majority of people don't care because it makes it easier for them.

This looks awesome cant wait day 1 hype!

Can't wait until 2019 for the real Pokemon games.

JEHNEJSHWHEBELEUWGBRBRJXUSBSBWBDJDJJEKSKSFDNRJPWIDB

Oh wow!!, this is amazing!! ^.^
Yes, is a "remake" of yellow version, for the new generation of consoles (switch); but now it shows that new mechanics will be implemented that we "has been seen" in other games (Pokemon Go for example), but without leaving aside the mechanics of the original game, in addition, this will connect to the Pokemon GO game to give it more "push"; and possibly, these new mechanics can be the basis for the new generation that will come later (of course, already improved and more interesting)

I just started playing Pokémon go again yesterday.

Fortuitous.

@thesilverbrick @Pokefanmum82 - This looks to be the "Stadium" equivalent of Pokemon, since the same conference announced a core game is coming in 2019.

SMT V will be a nice palette cleanser after this.

This is interesting. You attract people with Go then upstream them to Let's go XXX and then to the Core one.

@LordGeovanni SMT does overworld encounters right in regard to your point. You can "see" an enemy, but you won't know what it is until you start the battle. So you can't pick and choose.

Also, random encounters in Pokemon added a really fun surprise element to it. This sucks out all of the joy and excitement of shiny hunting...

Looks awesome just wish they kept the capture system the same by weakening them but other than that I like it and you get to walk with your Pokémon again!

I won’t say I’m thrilled with this. I don’t hate it, but it’s underwhelming and not at al what I need.

Now if this had come out years ago INSTEAD of Pokémon go, I can say I would have been extremely excited.

@NotAceAttorney I slightly disagree with your thoughts on visible encounters. Random Encounters force you into a battle scene and give you the potential to not be able to run away. That aspect still forces you to balance your health items and Escape items. With visible encounters you know how to run away from them and how to better conserve limited potions or such. That is the aspect that I am currently worried about. But I do fully agree, visible encounters that you can see the Pokemon will completely suck.

So you mean I don’t have to walk around forever to try to catch Pokémon?! Sounds good! I’m curious how this will play out. This may be aimed at kids but it brings me back to the “good old days” with the original Pokemon. I think the connectivity between Switch and the app is neat.

This is not what I was expecting or really what I wanted but I’m glad that the next core game won’t be released until next year- I’d rather them take their time and make something meaningful to add to the lineup.

But my... these Pokémon people have been very busy haven’t they?

@LordGeovanni Yeah, it's kind of sad to see it go in a way. I had so much fun looking for Pokemon using the Poke Radar or the Dex Nav. There was a fun aspect to it as well. Every time you go to a new route, you have no idea what Pokemon are there. Now you can see them all straight away.

Afterthought... how is any reasonable person supposed to pick between Eevee and Pikachu?!! Complete madness!

Exciting news

Think I’ll pass on this one.

this ain't a core game, the main pokemon game is expected 2019.

I'm not sure why everyone is made about the Pokemon Go integration, my understanding is that it's optional. This basically sounds like updated Pokemon Yellow, which I think will bridge the gap between old and new play methods. I personally am looking forward to playing again in Kanto, and as someone who was 8 when Gen 1 came out I've lost touch with the last several generations' Pokemon. It will be refreshing to be back in familiar territory in an updated skin. I have a feeling people are really going to enjoy this when it's all said and done.

I'm confused. Is this THE main new Pokemon game?

It looks like the battle mechanics remain true to Pokemon. If that is the case, I will still give this a chance. Current Pokemon Go has up to gen 3 Pokemon so we might get later gen Pokemon in the post game, like in Fire Red Leaf Green...

I am not gonna write it off, but I am not too excited at a glance either.

[edit] knowing that this is a spinoff and not the main game, I am a lot more open to it.

Curious about the game and confused about some of the reactions.

Does anyone even know whether Pokemon GO is a requirement to play this game? I would personally guess a big NO, and that the connection to the mobile app is more like a super charged amiibo.

I love this! I only played up to silver before I lost interest in the series’s and it eventually became overly complicated. If this is how good their switch spin-off is can you imagine the core game coming out next year? I imagine they’d want to differentiate the art style from the more casual Lets Go! Series. Maybe we will get that realistic open world Pokemon game I’ve been hoping for! 😁

@Dezzy Apparently the new mainline game is coming in 2019 and this is a spinoff.

I'm glad this is not the main new Pokemon game, interesting how they use Ash and Gary's starter for both though. I'm not a fan of Pokemon Go so I probably may passed on this one. The one that is planned for 2019 though I may aim for that one instead.

Day 1 purchase for me

@Dezzy
This is like a kind of Spin off (using the connection with Pokemon GO and add new mechanics), a Test for the new generation in 2019.

I think it's fine as long as I can play without that stupid throw. And it looked like you can switch to two player at anytime and do double battles? I wonder how they are gonna balance it? Because an already easy game must get super easy with 2v1 if they don't buff the opponents pokemons.

I think it looks fun. I'm also really glad that this is a side thing and a more traditional Pokemon RPG is coming next year. I still enjoy playing Pokemon Go and this seems like something that'll be fun to go along with that and is certainly a way to remake (or however they are handling) the older games while at the same time trying something different for the people who have been feeling like the series is stale. I think the series in general has been just fine personally but I won't begrudge them having a "Let's Go" side series to experiment with.

2018: Core Pokemon RPG to bridge the gap between Pokemon Go and the 2019 titles
2019: Brand new core Pokemon RPG (aka Generation 8)

This is pretty smart on Gamefreak/The Pokemon Company's behalf; they are developing a title that is both old (remake of Yellow), new (replace wild battles with Pokemon Go-like catching) and really simplified (only Kanto Pokemon) to cater to casual Pokemon Go players for 2018, while also developing a traditional new core title for 2019 to keep the hardcore Pokemon fans satisfied.

@DonSerrot Yeah frankly this looks like something that will really improve Pokemon Go too.

Hmmmm just woke up ,and saw we already had news. Now as for what I think about it. Well let's wait to see what the price will be.

@GKO900
The past four Pokemon games have been announced less than a month before E3.
In fact, Pokemon has never been revealed at E3.
So it's probably not that simple.

I'm actually entirely fine with having a game like this, targeted at kids. If you don't like it, remember that it's not always about you. A lesson some of us millennials have a hard time with.

I just hope this won't be $60... I'd pay $40 for it at the most

@Reignmaker it is weird how people get outraged when they don’t want something. They take it weirdly personal. Buying is totally optional and it’s perfectly fine to not want it but this looks like it will be really popular, especially in japan. There’s a new ‘proper’ game coming but in the meantime people can play this if they like, and I’m sure it will do wonders for switch sales. Struggling to see how this is a bad thing!

Despite the motion controls and the Pokemon Go integration....I'm actually really excited for this.

@Reignmaker
Repeat that many times to see if they listen to you, because this "is the story of never ending ..."

For everyone taking price: pre-orders are up at Best Buy for $60 each.

Really on the fence here... This definitely wasn't what I wanted. I might just wait for the 2019 mainline core RPG instead... Pokémon GO is the worst kind of garbage to have ever had the Pokémon name slapped onto it, and these games utilize some of the same systems. They don't look like they're exactly the same, which is good, but eh, they sure do remove some of the magic about Pokémon.

It's a small little feature, but I do hope that the option to throw the Pokeball remains in the main Switch entry. Also, hoping that the Pokeball Joy-Con is compatible with the main entry.

The game itself feels fairly simplified, which will appeal to casual gamers, and might not do much for dedicated ones, though that's likely expected since it ties into Go, which does seem to have a good amount of mainstream appeal. Looking forward to jumping back into Go, and eventually seeing how these tie together.

Well the rumors made it sound like a mainline game yet it seems it’s being treated otherwise.

It is all about Evee and I hope Leafeon is in it.

@JTMnM This is actually just a spin-off apparently. They said the next core game was a 2019 release.

@Orin41 I'd rather call you a guy who prefers when things were simpler. 'Genwunner' tends to just go towards those more militant against later entries. Your reasons are perfectly sensible, and it's looking like everyone playing Pokemon on Switch is going to win in the end.

I love the legacy of Pokemon, and how it's built up, but I can't deny the charm of booting up the simpler, original Yellow on my 3DS, and getting to play a modernized version with some different bells and whistles is interesting.

I am interested, since it is a Gen 1 remake and a new approach to some degree. Don't have a smartphone, so cannot play Pokemon Go.
Hope this isn't too integral to the game.
Don't really dig the design of the game. Looks very basic.
But the scene where you can ride on your Onyx totally confinced me!
Why would you choose Pikachu though? Evee gives you the choice of three elements. Maybe it takes some time to get the stones and a normal type is usually not that useful, but so is Pikachu until Azuria city.

It looks like a nice couple's game, and my wife is totally gonna make me buy it.

What's strange to me is that they didn't wait until E3 to show this. Maybe they wanted to get the news of this one out of the way first so that they could focus on the new mainline game at E3 without confusing people.

@Nomad
Pokemon games are never officially unveiled at E3. Alwasy before.

I’m pretty meh about this. May get it, may not.
I may have missed it but how do you whip a ball when in handheld mode?
I just hope they don’t dump the Go stuff into Gen 8.

"it will feature direct connectivity with the AR game that allows one to trade Pokémon back and forth between games."
Maybe back, but not forth. You can only move Poke'mon from your phone to your Switch and not vice versa.

@Seacliff true but people were expecting the new main game to be revealed at E3 especially this new switch fans and after the backlash of the leak Pokémon everyone was thinking that it was a joke I'm guessing they knew it would not be a good idea to reveal this game at E3

I just started to play Pokémon Go a couple of weeks ago, so this one seems cool, too
I also like you can have 2 players in the game and I love the Pokéball. I will surely buy in the moment it will be available

@dings I don’t know about the price elsewhere, but in Japan is a full priced game: ¥5990 plus tax, so I think it’ll be around $60 in the US too...

Maybe I'll redownload Pokemon Go if it means I can play through this with Johto and Hoenn pokemon. But knowing Pokemon Go, it's going to be difficult to find a Mawile.

I will give this game a try, but it looks like Pokemon for casuals, also I’m not paying anymore than $30 for this game.

I'm not a big fan of either Pokemon go or motion controls, but seeing the graphics, this bodes really well for Gen8 next year! ^_^

Thank goodness this isn’t the real ‘core’ RPG and just some spinoff. I don’t care for Pokémon Go at all so this is an easy skip for me. I’m finding I have much less time to game these days anyway, so I need to be selective with purchases.

I am very confused. Yes, you no longer weaken Pokemon to catch them, but I also noticed that Pokemon have Levels, not CP. There are legitimate trainer battles, not endlessly tapping to win. Why again is everyone hating on this? Is it cause they announced another Pokemon game for next year, so this one is just garbage. Change something about Pokemon and bring on the torches. Actually very interested in this game, eager to learn more.

Very very interested in pricing for this. Not sure if this'll be sold like a full-price sixty/eighty for us Canadians dollar Switch game or be a cheaper tie-in to go with the app and sell merchandise. Or microtransactions. Too early to really tell I suppose.

This looks fun. I was a bit worried about the leaks because I thought they were relating to the mainline gen8 Pokemon game. Now I understand what they're doing, this looks pretty fun - and a clever way of getting mobile gaming fans onto a home console.

It looks fine for what it is. Definitely full retail price though for those above with your wishful thinking!

How can people be negative when it has CO-OP?!

Jay...a console version of Pokemon GO...wohoo and such noises...
But seriously, the worst part about it is, that i can already her the people complain that simply won't understand that this is not the announced mainline game...

Other than that, i never got the appeal of Pokemon GO, mich less on a console. Hard pass.

That's kinda cool to reel in back old fans who stopped caring about Pokemon once the number of them passed 500 and play with Go, as well as the kids walking around with their phones who have not played the normal series yet. Also it means you can get all 151 in one game if I understand correctly, since Go doesn't have colour-coded versions? I guess I can take Pikachu version and still have a Squirtle on me.
Colour me interested. Although I had zero interest in Go so far.

Mind blownq

It's a lot more than what I was expecting, to be sure. I kind of soured on Pokemon Go once I realized that Pokemon don't really spawn based on your environment, with the exception of water Pokemon only appearing in areas near water.

Like I went to one of the volcanos in Hawaii in 2016 while anticipating a bunch of fire Pokemon, but I only saw the same Pokemon that already spawn in my own neighborhood at home in Oregon. That's not really all that exciting, but maybe I'll give it another shot once this game comes out.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but my hype just died. Using Pokemon Go asserts, really? And you don't fight the wild Pokemon either by the looks of it.....

I like the looks of it. There's a few things that are questionable(only the original 151, no online, no wild battles), but then again, it's not a mainline game and more of a appetizer for gen.8 next year. Couch co-op is insanely cool and the joycon functionalities look fun.

Pretty genius move to attract the Pokemon Go crowd AND the old school Pokemon crowd.

All whiners complaining will be standing first in line to pick it up come november. Always the same whining and always the same outcome. I will buy it first day without a doubt and I'll be preordering any collector's edition as soon as it's available and so will you.

If this turns out to be sort of a pokémon yellow remake with GO features i dont have to use, i will get both games l. Go Pikachu first and eevee later, on discount. Need more info.

I'm happy that theres a pokemon coming out on switch while we wait for the new gen.
Day one buy for me. Since I'm still playing pokemon go.
Me and my gf find it kinda cute either. So....love it!

I hated Pokémon Go and I hated Sun/Moon, so maybe this one could be a step in the right direction. Who knows. I do love Pikachu though so I will keep watching new developments regarding this game. 🤔

@skrax I won't be. Never bought Pokemon Ultra Sun. The series had already changed too much, but not in a good way. I've never had a interest in Pokemon Go, so the Switch version which is like Go mobile I really have no interest.

They had a chance to do something great, it's the first time they've actually had modern hardware, and they decide to get rid of everything that made the series great.

I wonder if you can customize your trainer....
I'm excited to know more about this game.

@Einherjar Are you sure, I'm pretty sure it is.

Edit: Ah ok I just checked Twitter, this indeed isn't the core game which is still coming, I'll put my rage away now.

@LordGeovanni I am assuming you skipped xenoblade chronicles 2 then...

I think this is a brilliant idea. Considering how many Pokémon Go players there are, and how much publisity it got (and still gets to some degree), it’s a smart move to connect it with the Switch. Also smart to tie it up to R/B/Y for nostalgia.

And there’ll still be a mainline game released next year.

The only strange is that they announced this now, and not at E3. Hopefully this means the lineup for E3 is already good.

Now this is what Pokémon GO! should have been.

Hard pass

@Anti-Matter Hey man I have no issue with that, but until about 5 mins ago I thought this was the main Switch Pokemon game, which it isn't. That being said Pokemon doesn't need to be made easy for people to enjoy it, I was only a kid when Red came out and played it to death.

I can't see this attracting a casual gamer who only plays Go into buying a Switch, they will just keep playing the mobile game. Somebody who is a casual gamer isn't going to pay over £200 to play a game, but we will see.

@Hughesy Yup. Nintendo's poor business decisions aside, im pretty confident that they aren't that stupid to try to pass this as their new flagship title.
As a friend of mine put it: "Its a nice tool to get those Pokemon GO newcomers and casual players ready and fit for a proper mainline title"

If this succeeds bringing the Pokémon Go player base to the Switch then job done. Ker-ching! As for the game, it uses the Switch really well. I...I'm actually interested in the Pokeball controller. If it has HD rumble it could get weird. Could be a fun game with it. And that's exactly all it is. A fun game to attract Pokémon fans. I haven't played Pokémon in years and was thinking about revisiting the series with the Switch. So I'll be definitely waiting for the 2019 rpg games...but dammit, I'll be looking at reviews for the Let's Go and Pokeball...

Let’s Go Eeeve it is for me. I even bought Ultra Moon, I won’t pretend I have standards.

But even as someone who was defending this when it was a rumor, and I knew this would be a glorified 3DS game, I’m still let down a little. Deep down I expected more. The GO integration makes this 2 years too late.

But random encounters are finally gone, hello! Let’s celebrate that!

Let's go, Eevee! Someday when I get to buy this game, that is. As someone with the original Blue barely behind me, Gold still not started and most of Moon still unexplored, I don't feel so inclined to dive into any remakes right now. Pokemon GO still remains unavailable here, too (just like with our eastern neighbours - how is Nintendo Russia going to advertise this game, I wonder? ), so once again, I do hope this connectivity is purely optional. But overall, a curious project - and seemingly even an RPG with local co-op? A Switch game indeed.

I have to say, I am really excited for this. And, as a massive Eevee fan, Let’s Go Eevee all the way!
I love the art style and the fact that they are finally letting pokemon follow you again, and as someone who has not played a Kanto adventure since LeafGreen in 2005, I am all for it. Though I am not too happy with the new catching mechanics - I don’t have a problem with motion controls, but I really wish we could still battle wild pokemon before capturing them...

Ah, well, it’s not one of the core games anyway - it will definitely keep me busy and scratch that Pokemon itch until late 2019, and hopefully bring a lot of lapsed Gen 1 and Pokemon Go players to the Switch.

It looks beautiful and I love that it's just the Kanto area, but the combat will be the deciding factor for me. Hopefully it's not like Go where you just tap the screen into oblivion.

@julzshred It's inspired by Pokemon yellow. It's not a remake.

@Jezebel95
Btw, Vaporeon is Kanto region, right ?
I might want to evolve the Eevee to Vaporeon since i like Water type Pokemons.

@SegaBlueSky It's not.

This all feels like a huge step back, but that's due to lack of information. I feel like there is a reason to not fight wild Pokémon, but only catch them (besides the reason it's based of GO ofcourse).

I found this on the website though:
"The practice of catching Pokémon has been changed dramatically from previous titles. Now you can use your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con to toss a Poké Ball at your target with one hand, either by pressing a button or flicking your wrist. With fewer buttons and intuitive action, it’s never been simpler."

I'm glad that it's not only going to be playable through motion control, but still. I feel like without it's going to be very, very boring.

I personally see this as GREAT news. Getting a Pokémon game this year (and a free one) AND a core Pokémon game next year is more than anyone asked for and more than anything we have seen on a home console before.

Great news 👍

@Saego What's the evidence for that? From the look of the trailer I don't see much suggesting that the normal turn-based combat is in place. Plus they show Pokemon having 'CP' rather than a level when they're being captured.

I have not played a Pokémon game since Yellow on my Gameboy Color, but this strikes me as a major let-down. I had been excited for a massive, open-world Pokémon game—maybe with MMORPG elements—using an expanded / new roster of monsters. Now it feels somewhat like rehash and gimmick. I suspect this will play well with Children, which is fine — it’s important for their to be great games for kids, and this may well be a fantastic way to bridge the generational divide (in terms and game iterations) between older (me) and younger fans of the game. But for Pokémon’s first true foray onto “the big screen” on such a revolutionary console, this feels like a big missed opportunity. BotW and Odyssey — games which are instantly recognizable as somehow revolutionary and faithful to the beloved elements of their respective timeless series — this is not. A shame.

@rdm22 responding to myself: it’s not fair to say this isn’t revolutionary—the connectivity to the phone and accompanying toys certainly are—but what I meant was it doesn’t feel like a radical reinvention of the series. Instead it is building off the cash cow that was Pokémon Go! That may be smart, but I don’t think it will make for great gameplay. Then again, I actively avoided Pokémon Go! So maybe I’m just old and stupid.

I hope I’m wrong. I always root hard for Nintendo.

I'll admit, this does look pretty awesome

@SegaBlueSky You can literally see it in the trailer at 1:22. Also, when you encounter a Pokémon in the wild, you see CP aswell as Lvl at 1:36.

@Pokefanmum82 it's a full-pledged pokemon rpg, the thing with pokemon go is just a small additional function and doesnt affect gameplay at all

It's look good on its own ways.
But I myself have always been imagining that this gen pokemon game will look a lot like Zelda Breath of the Wild, vast open world map with full of lively creatures and amazements waiting to be explored.

@samuelvictor The 'core' gamers are just let down by the fact that the battles with pokemon which you encounter in the wild, are gone. It's just such a weird design choice.

@Nudawa Oh boy, are you going to be dissapointed.

'@Pokefanmum82 it's a full-pledged pokemon rpg, the thing with pokemon go is just a small additional function and doesnt affect gameplay at all'

That's not completely true. As far as we know, there aren't battles with Pokémon you encounter in the wild.

@Saego Aha, that's very helpful, thanks! Very reassuring.

My boy will go crazy.

I only watched the trailer, but after reading the comments on what it is going to be i am not buying this over 30 euro's.

Only played PokeGo for a few times and i kinda have a Pokefatigue already.

30 euro's not more so they better watch out with their pricing.

@TobiasAmaranth Your comment pertaining to life and death about a game trailer is a bit concerning.

@Sanangelo89
Internet comments 101 -> People over-react and speculate... and not always in that order.

Holy polarised opinions, Batman!

This will sell well into the millions, regardless.

I might get this but there are a few things i am not thrilled about mainly pokemon not hiding kinda takes the fun out of hunting them down, and i hate motion controls so hopefully it will have a alternative method

@Saego I’m taking a wild guess here and saying that the entire game probably wont fall apart because of that one aspect of design - however - was that choice openly stated or just more speculation from the internet?

Yeah this will sell well and maybe bring in a lot of Go payers into the Switch fold. Maybe.

Me? Not sure, might be fun with the little one and I have to admit to quite liking the ball device.....but more plastic, more power chargin, more clutter....so....I’ll wait and see for reviews and more info.

@samuelvictor I wouldn't say that it's clearly a spinoff, really. It's just a remake with Pokémon GO intergration, which on paper sounds really good. The only difference is that there are wild Pokémon which move around freely, instead of being hidden in grass & caves, which is a nice step to new Pokémon RPG's. And that the wild Pokémon battles are missing, which is just so weird.

@Saego rewatch the trailer carefully. there is battles like every other main pokemon games.
Imagine it is Pokemon Yellow with cool features, today graphics and animations.

No one asked for my opinion but hey!
My first thought was URGH! Combining mobile and console!

But watching the trailer... as long as the GO mobile game isn't necessary or an advantage (if there is online play which it doesn't look like?) then I find it ok and looks like a good idea to bring smaller ones and those not into Pokemon games much into the series.

I reckon I could get the wife excited with multiplayer pokeball throwing and not an overload of pokemon to remember. 😊

@FTL The only information we have, is the trailer and the offical Nintendo and Pokémon Company websites. It's not stated there that wild pokémon battles are missing. In the trailer however, we see a small glimpse what happens when you encounter a wild Pokémon, with the options to: get ready (so that you can throw a Pokéball), use item, runaway and help. There's also an indicator to show how many Pokéballs you have left.

On the site however, I found the following:
"The practice of catching Pokémon has been changed dramatically from previous titles. Now you can use your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con to toss a Poké Ball at your target with one hand, either by pressing a button or flicking your wrist. With fewer buttons and intuitive action, it’s never been simpler."

My kids will love this. Co-op Pokemon. Looks simple enough to get them into the game.

I think this is fine for Xmas, this is a Pokemon Adventure for the Switch.

I play Pokémon Go everyday, so I’m definetly getting this. Haven’t decided on the versjon yet though, can you evolve the Pikachu or the Eevee? I have a feeling you won’t be able to do that...

@Nudawa Just read my comment carefully. There are trainer battles, yes. But (as far as we know based on the official website and trailer) there aren't battles with Pokémon you encounter in the wild.

@NewAdvent

Yeh agreed, definitely best case scenario. Nobody cansay gamefreak are being lazy, they are bringing 3 new Pokémon games out! That is crazy good support for a system this young.

Looking forward to these games!

Now this looks pretty sweet, and just as I imagined a traditional Pokemon game looking on Switch.

Hopefully it really is a classic and full Pokemon game and not just some parts with some of the more important stuff missing.

Oh come one, the Pokemon company said again and again that this is not, in fact, a spin-off, but a game in the core serie.

The only reason why people say it's a spin off is because they said that "a new core serie game is coming in 2019".
Where does people see the confirmation that this game is a spin-off here?

Even the Pokemon CEO himself said this is in the core game serie!

Seeing all those people say "yeah, it's a spin off so I'll look into it, thanks god it's not in the main serie"... It kinda breaks my heart.

@Anti-Matter Yes, Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon are all Kanto eeveelutions. Apparently we will not be able to evolve the companion pokemon we start with, but we will be able to evolve other Eevees and Pikachus caught in the wild.

According to Gamespot: “Your starter Pikachu or Eevee cannot evolve in the Let's Go games. However, other Pikachu or Eevee you catch or transfer can be evolved. Only Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon are available out of Eevee's eight current evolutions.”

Hope this clarifies things a little.

@Saego Its because they are trying to focus more on the multiplayer aspects of the games. It makes no sense to have a social app connect to a game that is anti-social. If they made will pokemon battles in the games then people wouldn't bother to play with other gamers. By cutting out the battles with wild pokemon, people will need to battle with others to get their battling fix.

@Phle No you cannot evolve your starter. Their will be other Pikachu and eevee available in the wild though that can be evolved.

Now if they'd fix their bleedin' site to allow me to, after YEARS, reset my password without an "unexpected error" the page assures me is reported...

@ Mitch Vogel. With all due respect I think you are a lazy writer on this site. Non Nintendo sites are full of details on these games and your article on a Nintendo (and therefore Pokemon) dedicated site is just a very tiny paragraph. The quality of the articles on Nintendo Life is getting worse every week. I feel very sad about this.

Doesn't look exciting at all in my opinion. The graphics are pretty clean and good-looking, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about this game.

@Arnold-Kage Amazon has preorder available at $60 USD. I was hoping it would come cheaper than that.

Knowing that these aren't the core games put me at ease. Excited now!

Any idea what special Pokémon will be? Mew? Maybe he is still under the truck?

I’ll get this, excited for gen 8 in 2019.

Also Evee all the way... I want me an Umbreon or Espeon

A lot of moaning as usual,the vocal internet forum minority will claim this is the game nobody wanted,when in fact a lot of current and potential Switch owners never visit these forums in the first place,and for us guys to gauge what they may buy or not is impossible.

Looks like a very accessible Pokémon game to me.

@NewAdvent I agree with you about how nicely this game has been presented. Looks as good as I had hoped.

last pokemon game i played was on the old B&W nintendo, got the switch to run and play these kind of games, as long as I can collect and battle with this i'll be fine. Would be great if Pokemon Company planned and was ready with a AAA game at this point but well.. it is it what it is.

Totally on board with this, I love it! I just wish it was kept as an E3 surprise.

@Cosats After reading this I had to go back and read the article again. I didn’t realize how little about the features of the game were mentioned in the article. It seems that that most of these articles are content with putting in a video for you to watch while writing very little about it. Even the video said this game was available to preorder and there was no attemp to even find the preorder price ($60USD) for this game- that is lazy. That would save a quarter of the comments about price tag.

The major change to the formula is that you don't fight with wild pokemon but instead you throw balls a la Pokemon Go. I don't like it at all.

@May_Nyan,

Why?...because it's not the exact game you personally want?,heaven forbid the Pokémon company try something different that might sell well,and build on the massive success of Pokémon Go.

And I am pretty sure a mainline traditional Pokémon game will come out for the Switch at some point

I was hoping we’d get a remake of yellow as the first switch game so I’m very happy to see that is kind of what is happening. I’m not sure how I feel about the GO integration, motion control (optional I guess), and seemingly losing wild battles. Hopefully more info will be made clear soon.

@dimi,

I have never been that interested in the Pokémon series,but I can see why people love the franchise so much.

This new game however interests me and I will probably buy it.

I'll wait to see what Game Freak has for us in 2019 with Gen 8.

@dimi
Pokemon still same as usual = peoples complaining.

Pokemon has some Major changes = peoples still complaining.

Some peoples are really hard to be satisfied.

I’m willing to bet that there are a lot of young people who love the Pokemon IP - watch the shows, collect and trade the cards, play Pokemon GO - but have never owned a 3DS or played a core series game.

That would be because for many households cheap tablets have replaced Nintendo handhelds and during the Wii U era Nintendo as a brand has not been on parents radar nearly as much. I can see this example creator in my extended family.

With this in mind, and the recent massive success of the Switch - and their obvious targeting of a younger audience since Christmas (when many young people will have been gifted them). It seems like a pretty great strategy to create a game that is simplified, appealing to a young audience, has an accessory that will be the talk of the playground and focuses on a smaller net of Pokemon.

It will sell them bucket loads of games and Switches, growing the audience significantly and gently and in a fun way introduce them to the concept of what a Pokemon game really is (my son is 6 and he thinks Poken is the Nintendo Pokemon game). Then release a core game that’s had the time to make it what it needs to be and boom - you’ve caught yourselves a huge gaggle of hungry new Pokemon fans to keep the series healthy into the future and ‘pleased’ those wanting the more substantial game (pleased is pretty speculative of course).

@Ralizah In the video it shows a random encounter in tall grass (psyduck)

@eaglebob345 nope 60 bucks

@Anti-Matter agreed

@Spectra I honestly love motion controls and something tells me that there will be normal controls, just like they did in Odyssey

TBH I really have no interest in the game after seeing the trailer. If I had to pick one it would be eevee but still it is not the style I like.

Great for people who are looking forward to it but I rather wait for a true gen 8 game to come out.

I'm just glad that these aren't the core games. I didn't enjoy Pokémon Go, and this is just a beefed up version for the Switch.

@Anti-Matter I don't think those complaints are from the same people, and it's not change in general that I have a problem with, it's changes that make no sense, are bad for the series, and are just trying to cash in the success of a mobile game that was not good and only appealed briefly to a casual audience who don't care about Pokémon and moved on. In the main series I think they've always introduced good changes that make sense while keeping the series true to what it always has been, I think Sun and Moon in particular changed a lot of things but they were all good changes like getting rid of HMs and deviating from the traditional gym system, but still keeping the mechanics of catching pokémon, training and battling them that have always been the core of the series.

I've been playing this game since it first came out and from what I see I am excited. Obviously this is the bridge game to Gen 8. It allows them to try out so many things and gauge the reactions of both core fans and new. The graphics are a big step up and could definitely get way better for the next game. Only thing I'm not happy about is not battling the wild pokemon... However glad that after a decade they finally allow a pokemon to follow you again! Gamefreak gave us all a game to play on switch while we wait for them to finish Gen 8 and that's pretty cool.

Colour me very impressed!
Hyyyyype!!!!

A kind of remake based on Pokemon Yellow that looks like a great introduction for younger kids. I'm down with this. My 7 year old will be too.

I've been saying the mainline pokemon games need Co-Op gameplay for months now. And now that they're introducing it to the series like this, well, I can't fault it. Looks like they're executing it pretty well just by looks alone.

However, if they remove this and don't build on it for the next pokemon game in 2019, I will consider it a major lost opportunity. This looks fine as it is though, I guess. Since it is just a spin-off.

@sashj Don't see how that connects. But still, that's pure speculation.

I already preordered! I can't wait to play this with my Son. He loves Pokemon and I think it looks really fun. I'm still more excited for the core game coming in 2019, but this looks really good. The two player drop in mechanic with one joy con is also really cool. I can't wait to play this!

GameFreak is using this game as a stepping stone into the High Definition Era, so it's completely understandable.

Graphics wise, I'm pretty stunned. It's looking more and more like what I Imagined back in the 90's...

SPOILER ALERT!

There are battles, people! Look closely and you'll see them!

@MattFox I did notice but we don't know enough about the system to know how simplified it has been, we don't even know how pokémon will get experience, level up and evolve, since there aren't wild encounters... if it's the system of Pokémon Go, then that's simply awful.

So, even though I'll probably just get called a troll, I'm pretty disappointed in this candy ass wannabe Pokemon game. I know the real RPG is coming for next year. Too me, this is just a Pokemon GO Booster pack. I hate Pokemon go so, no thanks. The wait continues.

Personally I think Pokémon Go is trashy, and this is a hard no as well. However if people love it, I hope this brings them joy.

I have to admit, I am surprised so many people are complaining about this being a full-price game...it is still a fully-fledged Pokemon RPG - there is a story, gyms (and therefore a League), a region to explore, 151 Pokemon to catch and the usual online battling & trading. The only differences are in the catching mechanic and the fact that there are no breeding and ranked battles, which frankly makes me somewhat relieved, as it removes the grind when trying to catch a specific Pokemon and the competitive scene was never my thing.

Yes, this is not Gen 8, but it also is definitely not just a fleshed-out port of Pokemon Go on Switch, as so many people on this comment section seem to be thinking. It is just a reboot of Pokemon Yellow, with SOME (this being key) features from Pokemon Go mixed in to somewhat reinvent the formula. Plus, Nintendo charged full price for Leaf Green/Fire Red and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire; why would this be any different?

And just to be clear, I say that as someone who has played every single game in the series with the exception of Black/White 2 and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon since Ruby came out on GBA. The games were becoming too bloated and over-complicated, what with Ultra Beasts, Mega Evolutions and Z-moves, and had started to feel same-y and in dire need of a reboot. In my opinion, this looks like the right way to go, both to draw new players in and to keep long-time fans like myself from abandoning ship.

But I guess that's just my two cents.

I've been waiting for this for a long time. Finally a modern remake of pokemon gen 1 game with hd graphics and new ways to play. The only thing I'm not to sure about is the non battling wild pokemon thing but i am very old school so this game is very much down my street. Sure the next main pokemon game will probably be good too but this is a dream for me.

This was exactly what I was afraid that this years title was going to be all the rumors I didn't want to be true ended up being true when it comes to this title. TOOO much GO integration into this game, I can understand what they are going for, but I think this isn't what at all what most core Pokemon players are looking for. I played GO for about a month, but the game was just too simplistic which is what it needed to be for what it was going for and it was good for getting people up and moving. However making this your first outing on the switch just feels like a slap in the face to the hardcore fans that have picked up most of the series games through the years. I'd rather their time been spent strictly on next main line game, though it might be a separate team working on it. I'm just feeling salty since last night when I saw this. Yes it might be better than expected, but the trailer didn't help me at all with wanting to buy this game, and that's what a trailer is for to sell the game to people that might buy it. Going to stink waiting a full year and half for a proper Pokemon title, and you can't help but wonder if they are going to try to integrate some of this stuff that turns me off from this game into the new main series game. I'll end my rant for now by just summing it up again, the GO integration is way too much with this game, the only things that i like is the graphics aren't too bad, but the gameplay has me very worried.

@TJM Not sure why kids need a simplified game now, back when blue, red & yellow came out those were targeted at the same range for kids, and still was super popular or else the series wouldn't be where it's at today.

BOOM! There it is! To all of you you thought I was wrong in saying that Smash as the keynote of E3 was lame and indicated a weak first party year for Switch, unless they were holding their cards close and had Pokemon or Animal Crossing last minute. I told you so.

Nintendo wins E3. </mic>

@Jezebel95 I can't tell looking at it....are there traditional battle moves and/or HMs etc? I see items in the menu, I see the Go style "throw balls until you capture something", but is there an actual battle system other than throwing Pokeballs? What I see looks great, and looks like a real Pokemon game (I never got caught up on what Gen is what....as long as a game has Pikachu I'm good. I don't do competitive, I just collect furries. ) except without the 4-move battle system that's kind of iconic for Pokemon I'm not sure how much of a "game" the game can have. OTOH, I can't imagine doing the whole Kanto region just throwing Pokeballs.

@Mamabear

That would be terrible news. As that would likely mean it 70 euro or more for me
Was this perhaps with the pokeball controller included?

I love everything I've seen so far and you don't HAVE to use the "go" interaction at all so stop whining you crybabies.

@dougphisig I don't think "the core audience" is really the focal point, no game wants a stagnant audience. That leads to the mood just before FE: Awakening where it was assumed it would be their last game for the series until they somehow lucked into a new larger audience. I couldn't stand Go either, I played it for like 20 minutes, found 2 Pokemon, no gyms, and that's where the experience ended. If you don't live in an urban metro core, the game basically doesn't work. Never saw a single other person play it even at the height of the craze here either. And it's not a rural area by any stretch. But for the tens or hundreds of millions that DID play it, Go is the Pokemon they know and want now. Fusing the Go play into a "core" game isn't a bad decision. The aim was to lure that crowd back to the core hardware and games....this game seems as good a bridge as possible. Visually though, new battle mechanic aside, this game LOOKS core enough. I just don't know how much actual "battle" there is or isn't. I imagine there's more than we're seeing that we'll see at E3. And endless wild battles was kind of a grind....if this speeds up "catching them all" and allows for more focused tactical battles, I'm all in. Maybe I'll actually complete a Pokedex for once. Even for an SMT addict Pokemon could be a grind.....

As for simplifying things for kids...yeah I don't get that either. We keep getting told how kids are smarter than ever, able to do more than ever, and that it's impossible for us to keep up with the skills the future kids will bring to the workplace....and meanwhile we're told we need to dumb things down for the kids. Which is it? Are they smarter and more skilled and more well trained for the modern world than us or are they vegetables that can't understand anything more than button mashing?

Looks like this is aiming to capture the hearts of Pokémon Go players and introduce them to the main series of games.

For those of you still confused about everything, or just part of the thing, I've written up a guide (with sources and photos):

https://www.wattpad.com/581992394-randomness-cubed-everything-you-need-to-know-about

I hope this helps! 😃

@NEStalgia this is just from watching the trailer, but it looks like we do have standard turn-based battles against trainers, and I spotted what looked like a gym signpost in one of the screenshots, so I think all that is unchanged. It looks like they got rid of having to battle wild Pokemon before you catch them, though, and you now see them walking about in the tall grass, which means that there should be no more random encounters. I don't think that makes much of a difference, to be honest - I personally am a firm believer in just throwing a Quick Ball right off the bat, which works 99% of the time.

It also looks like Pokemon still have levels - if you look at the trailer at 1:10 and 1:21, you can see that both wild Pokemon and NPCs' Pokemon have a level value next to their name, which hopefully means that this will also work like in the older games. Maybe we will be able to have re-matches against NPCs and gym leaders to make up for the lack of wild Pokemon battles when we need to grind?

@Yorumi You do realize there are multiple teams working on multiple games at Gamefreak right? They had one team working on these games and another team has been working on the other games for a while now. If anything, a release date for 2019 should be good news and tell you that those game will be much better than if they had been rushed.

It just occurs to me that the game that seems to have most inspired these two titles is Pokemon Colosseum - which had no random battles and trainer battles only. That was a really awesome title - so I think these should be very good games.

@NEStalgia I think the big thing is they are trying to market this towards Pokemon GO players, but I'd have to guess that most people still playing GO at this point due to it's simplistic nature 1. Probably weren't pokemon fans to begin with 2. Probably don't even have switches and probably are not going to be interested in getting a switch. Just my guesses, which makes it even stranger to try to shove these mechanics on a switch game. I'm sure they are thinking maybe they can get that Pokemon GO audience to pick up switches because of this, but I just think that isn't that likely. Just personal opinion obviously. I actually might be a sadist because I actually enjoy grinding xp in most rpg's. That's just a part of how most RPG's are being a long time RPG player, it really gives you more play time even if it does feel like padding it out. I regularly end up 100+ hours on main line pokemon games lol.

Is there an actual battle system? The wild encounters are very pokemon go, but I hope theres still attacks and status effects and all that...

This is a spinoff game, official Pokémon twitter account said afterwards that a new core RPG game is coming to Switch in 2nd half of 2019. I definitely will be getting this game, likely Pikachu version. I also want that new Pokeball Plus, basically it's a Pokewalker 2.0 with PokePlus abilities, and it's part Joy-Con!! I hope there's pre-order options that include the game & accessory!!

@skrax Pokémon Go interactivity isn't the problem, the problem is that the whole capturing Pokémon capturing and training system is replaced by the shallow rubbish from Pokémon Go, that bad mechanics from Pokémon Go are built into the game.

@Yorumi Who said anything about unlimited resources? Gamefreak themselves stated that the games being released in 2019 have been in development for more than a year already. They were also the ones who mentioned that they have multiple teams working on multiple games at the same time. They have a junior team that works are simple projects and a senior team that works on more complex projects. Junior team is made of newer employees and senior team is made of employees with a high amount of experience. Its really not that hard to grasp.

@May_Nyan Maybe you are right, I'm just happy I get another pokemon game. The wait will be terrible though.

@Yorumi @dougphisig I don't know about that. The stated (and endlessly reiterated) point of Nintendo doing mobile at all was not about the direct revenue stream but about using it as a marketing tool to pull people into the console ecosystem. Yeah, the incoming president may have different ideas, but for Iwata and Kimishima, that was the goal, and both, as well as Reggie have stated that that plan is very successful from their perspective. I remember when Go was booming, 3DS and DS sales spiked and console version of Pokemon sales spiked dramatically. While the two are normally different audiences, I don't think it's correct to say that Nintendo, and especially Pokemon phone games don't generate an ingress into the Nintendo console market: It's already done so before. That's why I'm STUNNED there has been no Animal Crossing to tie in with the mobile game. Tying in with GO was inevitable for the next Pokemon game (I think I said that here even before Switch came out!) The question now is probably whether there are more Pokemon players that played DS/3DS games or that played GO. We can probably guess which audience is bigger, and why it needs to be addressed in any new entries.

As for grinding, meh, been there, done that. There's only so may 300 hour grind heavy RPGs you can play in one lifetime. I used to look at the box and think "how many hours can this game consume" and think I was getting value. It took a while to realize I was getting filler, and a tight, concise game that has no filler from start to finish has me wanting to relive it again and again while a 300 hour filler game has me wanting to "just get through it so I can move on" and then never want to touch it again. Good RPG example is Jade Empire. By RPG standards it's extremely short, but it contains zero filler, keeps you engaged and enthralled from start to finish, and makes you want to relive it again. FFX OTOH, I suffered through it enough hours the first time. Good game, but so much filler I don't want to experience again just to get to all the actual enjoyable parts. I'm all for a concise experience that just does what it needs to do without padding it out needlessly. That doesn't mean I need it to be short, I just don't need it to be made artificially longer than it ought to be by way of tedium. Real life is effective enough at that.

Project X Zone.....It was fun for the first 70 or 80 years of playing it...but it started to get boring after that

@Jezebel95 You were able to catch more in that trailer than I!

@DarthFoxMcCloud I'm not sure it's a "spinoff", I don't think they said that specifically. I would expect next year's game uses similar systems to this one, and also ties in with GO. I expect the development time on the next one is more about creating all the 8th gen Pokmen, which is a mammoth undertaking, more than it being a totally different game experience. Clearly a lot of work went into this engine/format....I doubt it's not "the Switch Pokemon Engine/format"

"Our revised forecast predicts that we will now sell another 40 million Nintendo Switch units by the end of the current fiscal year."

• Nintendo

@NEStalgia haha, that's just because I'm off sick today, so I had the time to analyse every tiny detail in the trailer. I highly recommend checking out some videos on Youtube if you have time to spare: some of the gaming channels have really broken the trailer down frame by frame, turns out there's lost of hidden little things no one would notice!

@NEStalgia I'm just going off the tweet that the Official Pokémon account sent out. That the next CORE RPG game is coming in the 2nd half of 2019. That to me says that Lets Go Pikachu/Eevee is not a CORE game, so it's a spin-off. With elements from the mainline games but still a spin-off. The 2019 game could use the same graphics engine but go back to a more traditional battle-based system like we're used to (but maybe it uses the Joy-Con or Pokeball Plus to use motion controls to catch the Pokémon but you still have to battle them to weaken them. From what I can tell in Let's Go though, there's no battle to first weaken, it's just catch it like Pokémon GO). We won't know until 2019 to be certain.

I am really hyped about this. I like my "traditional" core Pokemon games but I really enjoy it when they make games that differs from the core experience. Some of my favorite games are Pokemon spin-off. It's gets boring doing the same thing for 22 years without change. Let's Go Eevee, unless I can play Let's go Raichu

Times like this I wonder what would happen if social media was around when games like Pokemon Snap (also $60 at that time and not Pokemon Stadium) was announced/ released. Dollars to donuts it would get a stronger reaction than this. Ironically people want a sequel to it too.

@NEStalgia The one thing I can say is if they keep the GO integrations in the main line game they will probably lose a good chunk of their classic players that continue to buy the games year in and year out especially if the level up system is replaced with GO's mechanic of just catching the same monsters to get candy's to level that is WAY more boring than grinding xp at least by battling the other monsters.

So its one part pokemon, one part go and one part pokewalker? It's kinda neat and kinda bleh. My kid wants it, I'll pass.

So legit!!

@Tystian Why its almost as if you don't know what a spin-off is? I'm quite certain that you do.

"Here comes the salt. Here comes the salt and I say, it's alright."

No one probably got that reference but whatever.

I think it looks interesting but I'll wait until we know more. On a side note, Pokémon Quest is actually pretty fun.

@dougphisig Well, I can't see them NOT integrating with GO. It was the biggest thing to happen to Pokemon in ages, and it kind of made sense for teh game (did nothing for me in my location...but I see how it does.) I think we're stuck with Go integration (it might make Go not suck, so there's that!) The leveling...yeah, I can see the annoyance of candies. Especially since the candies are really a gatcha system as an F2P loot box model....hopefully THAT will not make it in. That would definitely ruin the game. Ultimately though I don't think they're too concerned with "people that have bought Pokemon since the 90's" and "the competitive scene". I doubt that really represents a meaningful part of Pokemon's revenues. Plus it's an impossible to please part of the fan base. They cost a lot more money to support than they provide. I'm not saying they shoudl go all Wii and abandon them, but they're not going t o miss opportunities to tie into a huge Pokemon audience for a bunch of disgruntled 30-45 year olds. The GO battle system isn't all bad. The AR is what made it bad. In a "proper" game world it may play out a lot better. (as long as real battles exist.)

@DarthFoxMcCloud And the DS is a second pillar to the GameBoy

I suppose it's something for it to say "the next CORE game in 2019", but I wonder if that means "the next real Pokemon of which this isn't" or if it means "the next generation of Pokemon will begin with next year's game." That would be an easy enough translation to change the entire meaning with just a word or two being a synonym. This might be a "spinoff" but more likely this is a "side story/remake" like Omega Ruby, more than "spinoff." Though it does tie into the film. I'd have said this is pure spinoff but so much of it looks so "normal" for Pokemon I'm not convinced this isn't the mainline battle system....I'm also not convinced that's a bad thing. It depends on what gyms/trainers/towns are or aren't like. There's so much nay saying about changes here without seeing trainer battles. Technically wild Pokemon battles operating like trainer battles never actually made sense to begin with. People wanted Pokemon to change so it doesn't get stagnant...now it's changed and everyone says "not THAT change!" But without a trainer battle we don't know what's the same or not! If I imagine wild pokemon are now accelerated captures so you can focus on trainers for the tactical RPG battles....that could be pretty cool (both for this game and the next.) If this is really just "throw fake pokeballs, do nothing else" then yeah, it has to be a spinoff.

@Yorumi They've more or less said WiiU was a disaster/failure. Miyamoto's been the most direct about it a few times at least. They've commented on the release schedule etc being incorrect. They're round-about. They have to be. But They've basically said as much. Mobile was wholly a brand awareness tool. Not unlike Smash in a way. The idea was people see only what's on their phones these days, that's where they're introduced to things, so introducing them to Nintendo things through playables on the phone is more useful than billboards and TV ads. FE gained a lot of brand awareness through Heroes. AC, not so much. But Pokemon was a renaissance. Sun/Moon didn't do so well but that was also post Go ultra hype when people were winding down from Pokemon again. Fatigue played a role, and, yeah, much of the Go crowd isn't going to be down for endless menu driven battles....which is exactly why LGP is a thing.

I think it's less about direct converts "oh I like Pokemon so it's time to buy a Switch" as much as brand saturation. If you see it EVERYWHERE, and it's familiar, more people will try it which exposes others to it, etc. Though even Disney is fatiguing Star Wars so no marketing tactic is failproof. I think OTHER companies (Squeenix, looking at you) want to tap into mobile to make fortunes (and if it works it works well!), but I think Nintendo wisely sees it as advertising space that pays rather than costs money. It's trying to do what Wii tried to do: Make new gamers. It failed with Wii, those people became phone gamers, not gamers. But if you don't pull potential console converts from phone space, where DO you try to pull new customers? They're more likely to come from there than elsewhere. Trying to win converts from there seems like a better tactic for a console company than just trying to make a killing on phones. And it's a cheap strategy. Make games that MAKE some money....get tons of advertising absolutely free.

Your fears of fanbase swap are valid though. They may be aiming for that....I can see why though. The "core" fanbase is aging. People who loved a game in high school in the 90's aren't really the most lucrative market to try to retain forever. Pokemon either entirely reinvents itself which is high risk. Plays it safe holding onto a thinning fanbase forever until it's gone. Or makes a play to pull the other half of it's fanbase into activity. For the most valuable IP in gaming, the choice is kind of obvious. Even if as a player I'm uncertain, if I were to be the one making the decision, that would be the obvious one to make.

So everyone who was losing their minds at me today saying this game wasn't a spinoff. Well, seems the gaming media is starting to backup what I was saying. From elsewhere on the interwebs: "The pair of Pokemon games are coming to the Nintendo Switch on November 16 and are not considered part of the 'core series' of Pokemon games, though they share many core series features. These aren’t the Pokemon games teased during last year’s E3, but that game, a core series Pokemon RPG, is scheduled for the back-half of 2019." And even here on NintendoLife's own site, here's a link detailing the fact that Let's Go games ARE NOT core. Remakes fine, but they're not core. (https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/pokemon_core_series_rpg_will_arrive_in_the_second_half_of_2019) - regardless I'll be playing Let's Go Pikachu as it looks fun.

@rdm22 I did not realize this was not the “main” Pokémon RPG being released for Switch. Hence my long complaint about this being a disappointment yada yada. Perhaps if I’d bothered to read NL’s articles a little more closely I could have saved my self from he embarrassment of publicly and needlessly criticizing Big N / Game Freak. Mea culpa. I’d delete my post, but think instead I’ll leave it up as a humbling reminder of speaking before knowing what one is talking about.

@NEStalgia Problem is you alienate your core audience and then if the gamble doesn't pay off with new players then you lose out on a whole lot more sales. I don't think they are stupid enough to incorporate the GO mechanics into a core game at least not in the same way they are in this new game. I'd be ok if you had the option to do the go catching mechanics when you are trying to catch a pokemon after battling them, otherwise that's the only way I could see them keeping something like that. Most people would get sick of doing that for all their captures though I'd think. The repetition in the catching system from go would kill a core game I think. I'm not saying the core games definitely are not in need of changes, but these changes I think would just make them worse.

@dougphisig Not really. They're working on another game for next year already with a new gen. Even if it's set to do the Go mechanics now, if this bombs badly they could re-tool regular battles back in before next year and say "we TOLD you we were doing the real new game next year! Here's exactly what you wanted." Or of this succeeds, then they stick with this. Either way, minimal risk. They either pull the new audience and stick with it forever, or hedge, and try this first and if it doesn't stick we still get "our" version on schedule and they lose nobody. This is a test balloon. Remake Yellow with Go mechanics and see how it does. There is the chance that it's actually really good for both old and new players of course. I'm not sure Pokemon never changing was good for it's long term survival. Some people wanted real-time ARPG or Pokken battles instead of the same old turn based. Just rehashing Yellow forever "now with more competitive breeding for all 5000 competitive players out there!" was going to bury the series anyway. It had to do SOMETHING different. Even the diehard fans were clamboring for different.....just nobody could agree on what different meant.

For now though we don't know the extent of battles here. Do you use Go mechanics for WILD pokemon, but traditional for trainers? Seems likely. We see attack moves in the trailer. There are mon vs mon attacks.....we just don't know in what context yet. We see you can get to the items menu instead of throwing the ball. There's more here than just throwing balls. We'll see at Treehouse I bet how it really plays.

It also depends where/how trainers are present. We don't see them readily in this trailer. But wild/random encounters being replaced with Go mechanics would make sense if trainer battles are frequent and well structured. It would also make you grind...you'd really need to capture well before facing a trainer, more importantly than just level grinding. (Heck I finish every mon game with my unevolved starter...I never evolve them. )

Kind of like 5 years ago when XBox hedged on a new DRM scheme, it tanked, and Sony that planned the same thing reversed it back stage and said "same as always everyone!" and everyone loved them.

@Yorumi I think the more successful the harder it is to innovate well or take risks though. Pokemon is THE most valuable IP in gaming. Who wants to be the person that breaks that? So you play ever safer for fear of risking losing the world. Even if you're chipping away at it at least you're not the one that lost it all at once. That's why established players in anything traditionally get eroded by newcomers....well until the new monopoly friendly "this is totally not planned economy socialism" business world where the big players are in league with the State and ensure no competition of any real meaning can exist. In the volatile gaming industry though, Pokemon has got to be the hardest to maintain. So in this case the "change" is already "established"....it's very very TPC and very Japanese to do a "radical change" by way of choosing one that you already successfully did.

Great, another thing where I have to wait impatiently for next year. Might get it for collection, but this doesn't interest me much - I loved yellow and was initially excited, but hearing the gameplay details - particularly the lack of wild battles, the motion controls, and the GO stuff - makes it clear that this is not something I would want to spend my time on. This is the kind of thing that should stay as a phone-mobile game.

@Yorumi I think part of the problem is really the same as Metal Gear's problem. Metal Gear was meant to be, essentially a quadrilogy. But the brand power forced them to keep trying to milk sequels out of a series the creator had already brought to the completion he wanted.

The same is true I think for Pokemon. Tajiri just wanted to create a simple Game Boy game that created a similar fun as his childhood bug collecting hobby. He did that. One and done. But then it somehow became a global phenomenon. And it had to keep going. Ok, now there's color, now there's detailed sprites...the could be iterated on. He stepped back from development after Ruby/Sapphire. I think he kind of did what he wanted to do with the game and that was that, but brand power meant there's pressure to keep it going indefinitely. So what do you do with a game that you've already realized your vision more than once on when you need to keep remaking it? Even if you're just the exec. producer? You just keep making the same thing, trying to add something exciting to it now and then. Although he's not involved in Go directly, I imagine the out and about nature of it inspired him more than the last 4 games since it brought his game full circle to the bug collecting hobby, on a global scale. In a way, Go is probably more his vision than XY/SM/etc ever was. I wouldn't doubt, without having read interviews, that it could be argued this is the first time it DOES have vision in a while. It was a game inspired by the Link Cable after all. He wanted people to battle in person, that was the point. Go did that. This game merges go with the core design. If I were Tajiri, I'd be pretty excited about this change.

Makes me think of Chrono Trigger/ Chrono cross. What the fans liked about it was an accident, what the designer intended was something totally different.

Love it, already pre-order it.

@Yorumi True, but I do think they kind of already did what the game set out to do (maybe until this version) and, for a creator if you've already done what you wanted, or as far as your vision went.....plus you're responsible for making sure the most valuable brand in the industry remains so......it's easy to see why you'd just do more of the same.

Heck, it works for CoD.

Guys, CHILL OUT! This isn't the core game that was teased last year. That's coming out in Q3 2019

@Yorumi You do now that Nintendo was heavily involved in the making of the 2 new games right? So while Nintendo was helping them work on these games, they probably had their other teams working on the other games. We also have no idea how long the 2019 games have been in developement, they could have been in development since 2015 for all we know.

Mixed feelings on this one. Pokemon Yellow was my first ever pokemon game, but the lack of wild battles...

No wonder they can release it so fast, the level graphics are just 3ds pokemon games' graphics without the downsampling needed to fit the textures on the 3ds, while the pokemon models are from pokemon go.

... If the connectivity with pokemon go uses Bluetooth, I'm going to rage so hard about Nintendo not enabling Bluetooth headset support.

Cya
Raziel-chan

@Spectra @Lizuka @Switch_will_fail @MoonKnight7 @ChibiNinja @MysticX @smithpa01 @AG_Awesome and everybody else complaining about the Motion Controls:
'The practice of catching Pokémon has been changed dramatically from previous titles. Now you can use your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con to toss a Poké Ball at your target with one hand, either by pressing a button or flicking your wrist. With fewer buttons and intuitive action, it’s never been simpler.'
Source: the pokemon website.

@BlueBlur101 Q3 or Q4. Not known yet.

@MattFox Nobody said a thing about no battles, at all.
People were dissapointed that there are no battles with pokémon you encounter in the wild.

@Saego I bet if core gamers could still battle wild Pokémon to decrease their HP and have the option on motion control catching of said Pokémon then that would be the winning combination.

I think the ‘flicking’ of the Pokéball will be satisfying experience for those still wishful Pokémon trainers. Especially with that nifty Pokéball accessory..

@Yorumi I think the main problem with ‘ a steady decline ‘ in Pokémon game sales is a lack of true innovation in the series. It seems from reading many of the comments that the people continually buying the new games are die hard Poke fans with a declining number of newbies.

I myself had an amazing time playing the Red version but have only picked up a few since. The main reason being they were basically the same. Same premise. Mostly the same battle mechanics. Same types of maps. Unavoidable countless hours spent grinding to higher levels. Unavoidable countless hours hoping to catch certain Pokémon. There are a few new bells and whistles but you can’t fool yourself into thinking it “feels” new.

The next “core” game needs serious innovation. I’ve been waiting/wanting for a “ core” game on the system for well over 15 years. I’m hopeful that they take some inspiration from Zelda BOTW and Mario Odyssey and decide to really bring new life to the series.

@NEStalgia in response to #270 there have been so many variations in Pokémon I doubt they could break it. With games like Pokémon Snap, Pikachu PokéPark, Pinball, puzzle titles, Pokémon rumbles, Pokémon statiums then Pokken. It could be argued that this company has the most freedom when it comes to doing wtf they want. If they tried something truly innovative in their core games and it doesn’t do well they could just go back to their tired and true formula and I have a real hard time believing they wouldn’t rebound.

@Spectra "either by pressing a button or flicking your wrist." They're optional.

@Yorumi Actually the more I look at this trailer the more I like this. (Or maybe it was a longer trailer? I just youtubed it...it's the #1 thing in the YT search.) Honestly it's looking pretty good. I clearly saw a Pokemon Training Center/town in some frames, there were clear battle segments (actual battle moves...laser beams coming out of both mouths, lol), we'll find out in two weeks at E3, but I'm starting to think this is a "classic" Pokemon after all, just with Go integration and the "Wild" pokemon not being battles (which is really fine.)

I'm starting to think of this less as a spinoff and more as a "quick Yellow remake in the new style with old Pokemon." I could be proven wrong in two weeks, but just observing the trailer, that's how it looks. IN that context the Go integration makes sense. It's not for me, but Go isn't really a fun game on its own....too little going for it, nothing you can really do with what you do. But if GO were just a "second screen" extension of capturing wild pokemon for a core game...it's not a bad addition (if you're into that kind of thing.) I for one don't plan on venturing into the Fukushima exclusion zone to catch a Victini as some people seem to be into....but if it's just an "outside the game" way of capturing wilds that matches the inside the game way of capturing wilds which doesn't affect towns/trainers at all....I'm cool with it.

My feeling so far is, the doom and gloom is misplaced, focusing on the pokeball throwing to mean "spinoff" when the bigger thing is just "small set of 1st gen Pokemon/Yellow remake" is what makes it "not the core game", and it's otherwise core.

If we look at it that way: Do we NEED the same battle system for wilds and trainers? Should we actually have the same battle system for both? Or does it make sense to make it different? And why can you battle trainers only once, and then they just stare at you weirdly as you go by forever more?

It makes me think of these episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1h5TzdTq0o&list=PL0348F54B8C91BD9A

Maybe this game fixes some of that

@Yorumi I would gladly shell out money for that game and even gleefully purchase the expansions.

@Saego I predict November, in line with other main series releases, so it would be Q4 basically.

Also, Smash has to be September now that Let's Go is in November. The opportunity to market Nintendo Switch Online is RIGHT THERE!

@LordGeovanni Most RPGs with overworld encounters include a seeking mechanic that make you unable to avoid all potential encounters. While it still doesn't help this game without any actual wild Pokémon battles, maybe the trainers will be rebattleable and take the place of wild Pokémon as the means for grinding, and the way they're positioned will leave you unable to skip them all whenever you traverse a route.

Besides, the difficulty with overworld encounters is further maintained in that if you skip too many grunt battles you'll be too underlevelled for the bosses, so most players won't actively try to avoid the battles most of the time, since they know they'll just have to tediously grind more later if they don't fight the battles now. However, it is useful to skip many of the battles if you're just backtracking or focusing on item collection or some other kind of subquest.

@Saego @May_Nyan Yeh, I realized after I read a few more articles that you guys are correct. I was so stoked about the game, now it seems more and more like a Pokemon Go that costs 60 Dollars..

I do think I`ll buy it anyways, just to see how I feel while playing it..

@Saego Ah right - well it seems like it might be a fun game regardless, but we’ll see - worst case there is a tradition gen 8 coming anyway

@Tempestryke actually I was stating that it wasn't a core game, and that version of Pokemon was coming out next year or so. For people seemed upset that it was a remaster. I was not complaining, if it comes across that way, it was not as intend.im actually really looking forward to this game. Sorry for the late respones