Photorealistic Graphics Didn't Match Welcoming Nature Of Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu And Eevee

I appreciate the sentiment (and Let's Go is a good looking game in its own right), but consider games like Yo-Kai Watch 4. That game definitely looks visually warm and welcoming to newcomers while looking far better than an up-ressed 3DS game like Let's Go. Again, the game looks good, but I'm not sure if it's realizing its full potential.

I think the Pokémon on Pokkén are about as realistic as I can handle.

This game looks beautiful, the meltdowns will be glorious when this turns out to be the best selling Switch game of 2018.

It looks cute, I guess that's what they're going for. But for the first time in a decade I'm going to be skipping a mainline game, if that's really what it even is. This game just doesn't look like it's for a player like me.

I can't wait to play it but I'm ready for a presentation on the level of trip to Legoland (pre-school vibes)

Love my Switch but didn't know it could do photorealistic? 😆

@ilikeike for sure it's a matter of taste but I very much dislike the new art direction in Yo Kai 4 especially that ugly half "attack of titans" monstrosity in the trailer... Not welcoming IMHO (I know it may not be representative of the rest but yeah...)

Ok but maybe go for the more realistic one still at some point?

@dil_power I can understand that (and AOT was the first thing I thought of when I saw that enemy as well). I just think that YKW's overall graphical style would be a pretty great upgrade for Pokemon.

I don't get why many people seem to be against the Generation VI-esque aestethic Game Freak went with - the artistic department, and I mean graphically-wise and musically-wise, seems to be the one thing Game Freak got right, that is, as far as the lackluster marketing is allowing us to perceive.

The Let's Go games look gorgeous, art style trumps realism every time.

I’m just glad there are a few devs out there that don’t need to turn every game into a hyper realistic movie. Artstyle varieties are fun. Let’s not lose the wonder of gaming shall we?

I just realized the other day that Let’s Go and Gen 8 aren’t even going to hold a candle to whatever kind of crazy monstrosity Gen 9 is going to be. Especially based on the drastic difference between Gen 6 and 7.

Well, that good that we didn't end up with the jumbled realism in Sonic '06.

I've been thinking about the 1st gen battle theme a lot, because it's so damn good. I'm assuming it'll be out, in this case? Who knows! It's pretty darn aggressive. While I love stuff like that, I understand if it's out. The game looks relaxing, and great so far. I feel like those aggressive sounds on the gameboy back in the day hooked certain kids, and annoyed adults to no end. I've been excited for this game. I haven't played through a Pokemon game in full since Diamond, and stopped buying them after hardly playing Black and X. I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and this looks fun. I hope they keep the bike theme!?

@AlexSora89 Because Gen 7 was a major improvement in the series graphically, while Gen 6 is the most bland game of them all, and they decided to go with 6's.

That does not mean they had to give it the "mobile look" 🙃

Got it preordered.I got a feeling that the 2019 pokemon game will be what core fans wanted.

I would design the world in the style of the early days of the Pokemon anime, with Skyward Sword-esque watercolor textures and some subtle Wind Waker-esque cel shading on NPCs and Pokemon for a warm, inviting effect. Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee look great, but this greedy Generation 1 fan from before Mewtwo Strikes Back hit American movie theaters will not be fully satisfied until Pokemon evolves into a gridless totally open world read to explore like the one seen in the show.

Now what about the lazy animations?

Also I feel that the current art style looks great and hope to go with the same/similar style for future main series games.

I'm personally really happy with how Let's Go looks for what it is. The art style is reminiscent of the old Gen 1 games while still being more modern. That really feels like what this game is trying to do in general, bring back the feelings of the first games for returning players as well as for a new generation. If this was the art style for next year's Pokemon game then I'd be a little concerned, but I really feel like this style was done specifically for Let's Go. Gen 8 should either have it's own new style or build off of the Gen 7 style. If my hunch is correct we'll probably be seeing a Let's Go Gen 2 at some point in the future too. Let's Go feels too much like a redo of how they handle remakes for them to not continue with it if it does well enough. They'll probably want to have plenty of games to fill the Switch's longer planned life with, and with a nostalgia evoking art style already made I don't imagine it'd take too much extra work to make Gen 2 happen.

Whould have like to see an other graphics style

Tips for Cuter looking:
1. Make it Chibi Nendoroid proportion.
2. Add with goofy & silliness.
3. Eye catching furnitures, trees, house design, etc.
4. More fashionable trainer outfits.
5. Customable U/I & BGM changes. Choose the interface theme & BGM during gameplay by yourself.

I don't think anyone was looking forward to photorealistic Pokemon.

It doesn't have to be photo realistic but does it really needed to look like a Upscaled 3DS game? Pokémon Colosseum on the Gamecube legitimaly looks better than this, that game also has more work put into it... and even with all the complaining, I will still, buy this game because Pokémon...

Personally I liked the newer techno and rock tracks (Colress's theme and the Team Skull encounter themes stand out in my mind), but I agree that those would be out of place with the kind of aesthetics that I've seen for these two games so far.

Personally, I'm kind of looking forward to new relaxed renditions of old favorites.

Just say you upscaled 3DS assets and go

@bratzdoll Why say that, when they clearly did not.

@CosmoXY they've said the mainline game is coming in 2019. This is a Pokemon Go game.

It doesn't need to (and shouldn't) be photo-realistic but could they create an environment that feels less empty and dead?

I'm not sure you can make it photorealistic without it becoming terrifying. Some of the moves would be devestating to see actualised

The visuals look fine imo. If they can do photorealism in next gen i will welcome it. My problem is with casual approach

So, now I know the reason why the game looks so IOS/Android !

Because in the head of the developers, that is OR realistic OR Cellphonish ! LOL

God, PR talks at its best...

I like the sound of this, after reading the preview last night I went and preordered it. I haven't played a Pokemon game since yellow, mainly because I don't like JRPGs. As soon as I read there would be no random battles, and that the esoteric grind had been removed I thought it's for me. Should be a nice enjoyable chill game to play over Christmas along with occasional bouts of Smash. I also went and preordered NSMB U to play with the wife to try and cheer up a depressing January. Some good Nintendo times a coming!

@CosmoXY Its not a mainline game. That's coming next year.

I was five years old when I played Pokémon Blue. I'm not gonna lie, I found it pretty difficult. But that's why I loved it. Any time I beat a gym or my rival, I felt a wave of accomplishment overtake me. The game was my everything. Heck, I even used it to help myself get better at reading! And this brings me to my opinion on Gamefreak'making the music "friendlier." So what's going to happen to Lavender Town? As I mentioned, I was five when I first played Pokémon Blue. From the second I entered Lavender Town, I knew something was off. The NPC dialogue freaked me out, the infamous music was haunting, and having to face the fact that Pokémon can die was something that will stick with me forever. Now I will admit, these factors did in fact scare me as a child. Every time I'd replay the game, I'd shut off the sound and rush through Lavender Town as quick as possible. Yet, I have the fondest memories of Lavender Town more than anything else in the game. And there's the beauty; An 8-bit adventure left an impression on me that I'll never forget. Gamefreak made me feel. Now you might be thinking that I hate these new games, but I honestly don't. I simply wish for the kids experiencing Pokémon for the first time through these new game are left with the same impressions Blue left on me. I feel that, for the lack of a better term, censoring the game will leave a gaping hole in the overall experience. I hope this is not the case. I really hope they keep the things that challenged not only my ability, but also my emotions. If they end up taking out Marowak's tragic story, or heck even the Pokémon Tower entirely, I understand why. But I hope they end up keeping it in. I love Pokémon and I feel so excited for the new generation of kids that'll fall in love with it the same way I did with Pokémon Blue.

How do you even do "photorealistic" with Pokémon?

The designs of many of them are pretty cartoonish, how would you fit Pokémon like Jigglypuff, Porygon or Popplio into a photorealistic-looking world?

@Xaessya Although I kind of agree with you, it takes ages making an animation for every move each pokemon has (so 151+ Pokémon, 10 moves at least, so that will be atleast 1510 different unique animations).

What i want is a Pokemon with a Challenging single player game, as that does not exist. A game were the trainers are as hard as the people you battle online to hep you build a team and better understand the science behind the online system. I do not need another stupidly easy entry level Pokemon game. They need to start adding a more challenging mode for the adult players now

Was it just photorealistic environments (like Pikmin) or photorealistic Pokemon too?

Real life looking Pokemon would be pretty scary, but I wouldn't mind seeing a live action movie one day.

Good thing they know their audience and their property well enough to make (what I very much consider to be) the right choice in that regard. At least with the visual.
The removal of all rock music might be a bit overboard.

@Zuljaras
Yes. Or at least, they want their parents to. And while 6-7 year olds might want cool edgy things, their parents certainly want to give them something that looks warm and safe.

The visual style is perfect, wouldn't change a thing. There's a reason all those "Zelda/Mario/Pokemon in Unreal Engine" tech demos look so weird.

@Rika_Yoshitake i think smash will sell better, but thats just me

@Rika_Yoshitake i think smash is gonna be on top this year

I think the Pokken style is great and should be the benchmark for Pokemon graphics/style going forward.

@Anti-Matter every day I get happier and happier that you are not and never will be on the development teams for anything that I like.

@Mogster
What did you mean ?

@Agramonte The game does not have a "mobile look". Actually, there is not such look, as games' visual representation on telephones vary greatly.

@PLAYwithGregg Could’ve fooled me.

@Anti-Matter
Tips for Cuter looking:
1. Make it Chibi Nendoroid proportion.
2. Add with goofy & silliness.

These aren't particularly great ideas for a main Pokemon game. And in fact has already been done before with the spinoffs like Rumble. If you want this kind of graphics go play that. Not every game has to look the same.

It looks identical to Sun/Moon running on an emulator, seems like they just ran with the exact same engine, just outputting in HD. I'd be surprised if this didn't start out as a 3DS project, and amazed if they seriously considered other art styles. Can't wait for the next Switch game to be built properly from the ground up.

@Mogster
Aw, come on !
It just my suggestions.
It's up to Gamefreaks to implement those features or not.
Btw, Nendoroid / Chibi looking is really cute to see. Just look at Project Mirai DX 3DS & Dragon Quest Builders.
And the goofy & silliness, look at Fantasy Life 3DS & World of Final Fantasy.
Pokemon Anime itself has some silliness & goofiness.
You might think those 2 ideas are not good for you, but it would be great for me if those features implemented.
Just matter of taste.

@CupidStunt Pokémon Colosseum and XD on the GameCube have challenging single-player modes. Yes, they use the Generation 3 mechanics and are perhaps not quite as hard or complex as modern competitive multiplayer but they definitely force you to use more of a strategy when battling compared to the main handheld games.

@Kalmaro I am pretty sure that is what he meant by photorealistic. He would have no reason to mention Pokken, presently, as all attention needs to be on "Let's Go" until after Christmas. I am sure January's confirmed Nintendo Direct will have the first teaser of "Pokemon Alpha & Pokemon Beta".

I didn't know they were making the music softer to, check one more reason so far why i'm probably not getting this game.

Plus, of course, there's the fact that a photorealistic Pokemon game would be absolutely terrifying.

@chasttix Not sure I follow. Would Pokkén count as photo-realistic?

@amiiboacid
Generation VII, an improvement? Sure.
Generation VI being "bland", though, hardly so.
The grid/polygonal route they went with in Gen VI had a truckload of charm, not to mention the fact that Wailord sharing the screen with a Rattata was consistent with their size as listed in their respective Pokédex entries, before the neat addition of Pokémon Trainer character models in the Alola games threw said consistency out of the window.

Besides, I'm fine with the LGPE duo's technical aspect being used as a testing ground before we get the proper Generation VIII games in 2020 or, hopefully, late 2019. What I'm not fine with is how LGPE are mangling the series' mechanics to a grotesque degree in what is supposed to keep fans busy until G8 hits the shelves.

Stylized games always age better than photorealistic games. Look at Okami compared to any other game on the PS2. Tell me which aged better.

Translation: we just used all the models we could from the 3ds games, just with textures without the hardcore texture compression required to fit them in the 3ds's minuscule vram. We never considered actually putting any effort in the graphics.

And they even neutered the music? What's next, changing slash to a swing with a nerf bat?

Cya
Raziel-chan

photorealistic pokemon are truly horrifying conceptually. There is one guy who has done a stellar job of it drawing many from Diglett to Steelix. Many are actually rather frightening nightmare fuel.

This game is a tactically good move to draw in the GO players. I still won't understand the people who think it is anything more than that. I for one could use an easy casual game every so often.

I'm hoping the 2019 game brings back the aggressive music. Good music is something that you must never part with. I'll never forget the champion theme for Platinum, and most of its soundtrack. Sometimes intimidation is a good thing. (I sucked at Pokemon when I first played it, and now it is a breeze.)

I don’t hate the visual style in the Let’s Go games; the stiff and lifeless animations are what are off-putting. The game has an overwhelming amount of polish visually, but as soon as it starts moving, everything is so wonky and lifeless.

Wait, does this mean they removed Team Rocket's Hideout theme because is "too aggressive"? Or the Champion's theme?! This just makes more questions than answers.

It work in theory if you think each pokemon has 5 moves, 4 normal 1 ultra. Would it really take that much memory to animate the 150- how many they decide pokemon if they only have 5 moves. Could they make it look as good as the pokemon go ads. Or is cartoon style the way to go!. Also with pokemon 2019 a few people are hoping for open world but how is that going to work with levels. You can't just stroll into a level 50-100 pokemon and have only levels 5s now can you lol.People have said the could introduce scaling to make sure this doesn't happen, but then there are some pokemon that should not be scaled down to level 5, level 5 mew two anyone?. But if it is open world than it wouldn't be to hard to program the scaling so that if you level 5 a mew two won't show up into your at least level 50!. Also pokemon can learn new moves and forget moves so maybe animating them all on photo realistic would be a chore if not impossible.

@JediKadabra I know this is an old story, but had to follow up. I didn't think it was mainline either. Now Masuda says it might be the last mainline game he directs. Seems like they don't even know.

@CosmoXY Hmmmm good to know. That is definitely mixed messaging.

@CaPPa Your wish been granted with the Detective Pikachu film.

@CupidStunt
Yes it was, that movie looks a lot more than I was expecting. Not sure about Ryan Reynolds though, as I see Pikachu but hear Deadpool, so I keep expecting him to drop a load of F bombs.