BrewsterTea

Would love to see more Monster Hunter, new Mega Man(s) and Okami 2 all announced for the Switch 2! But I'll keep my expectation slow.

Oh boy, I'm super grateful Nintendo has added yet another platform to extend the drip feed, spending time adding Virtual Boy games instead of the 3~ platforms I care most about.

Honestly I'm pretty hyped for what appears to be a fairly straightforward fantasy RPG experience. I think too many RPG's have tried too hard to reinvent the wheel in recent years, both mechanically and aesthetically. For all of E33's praises, I really hate the aesthetic of traveling around the overworld with what appears to be a large sack of a Nightmare Before Christmas reject. I just want that standard, pretty airship to fly around in, thank you very much.

The same way with combat systems. I don't need an overly complex QTE dodging system, or an overly unique party system. I just want a straightforward, simplistic combat system that feels really palpable and kinetic, and focus on a beautiful game world to explore, compelling character design and a fun story that doesn't try too hard with any particular plot point.

The arc of trendy game design has bent so far away from the norm that now I yearn once again for the norm itself.

Interested in Woodo, and curious about Ratatan. Mixtape looks like it will rate well, but it feels more like a movie/tv show rather than a game.

I think every 10 years is a good opportunity to offer a game with all-new Pokemon, at least until the post game. But at this point, they probably won't have a game without Pikachu since he's become so important (and Charizard perhaps?).

But in a more general sense, new Pokemon feel special to whoever is playing their very first Pokemon game. You just can't recreate the strong nostalgic impressions that you experience as a kid, and the beauty of Pokemon's cycle of ever-growing creatures is that the experience of being a Pokemon fan comes full circle as you age. Gen 4 now feels nostalgic and special to the people who grew up with them as their very first game, and even Gen 5 for younger people who will eventually catch up to our Genwunner ages. So it's only natural for older gamers to experience Paldea, Galar, and Unova Pokemon differently than how they remember their very first region(s) (for me it was Gen1-3 that I experienced at that impressionable age range).

Therefore, it's only natural for you the article writer to feel like you fall into a mundane pattern with each game. Certain Pokemon have such a strong impression on you that you can't help but fall into a similar routine. As others have said, my advice to you is to go out of your way to shake up which Pokemon you use. Having your favorite Pokemon available makes it easy to use them as comfort food, but proactively using different Pokemon will help create newfound appreciation for underrated or neglected ones.

The beauty of the Pokemon franchise is that the strong nostalgic preference for different Pokemon is unique for so many people, who experienced different games at different ages under varying circumstances and sensibilities. And as time goes on, the cycle comes full circle and those young gamers grow up feeling nostalgic for their first regions and Pokemon. It's the perfect money-making media machine to be honest. It's like the generation who grew up in parallel to Harry Potter, but repeated perpetually with each generation and new region.

Gahh, I wish Capcom would make another pixel art game! A top-down Monster Hunter game styled like Crystal Chronicles would be amazing. Or a Monster Hunter Stories GBA de-make! Ah well, at least we have studios like Inti Creates for pixel art, for now. Hopefully they don't go the way of Moonlighter 2 anytime soon.

Anyway, Star Force is looking good, and I'm a huge fan of the Battle Network subgenre so I'll most likely pick this up!

@StewdaMegaManNerd Just IMO, lumping in Monster Hunter X 2 into your argument feels unfair. As a big fan of old-school Monster Hunter, I'm definitely still hungry for a new side game that features the nostalgic art style of Monster Hunter's old-school assets. I think older MH fans would greatly appreciate that, and I don't think it's entitled to keep asking Capcom to make another one someday!

Modern re-reviews feel jaded honestly. On one hand I understand this review is critiquing the port itself, but on the other hand, the score ultimately is associated with the quality of the game itself, which is far too low for such a classic like FRLG. Ah well. Good thing it doesn't affect my opinion at least.

Can the game music collection also receive restocks?? I'm so upset I missed out.

@Druidsbrook I have to agree. Still very excited to dive into the games, and I can't be happier that they look this good in 3D! However, it looks like it's still built off of the fundamental Scarlet/Violet system or engine, and I'm wondering if that means the game will once again be a little too outdoor-focused. Now that this new region is so lush and tropical, it might feel like one big safari zone. Scarlet and Violet didn't feel like an actual region with genuine cities. Towns felt like little rest stops you ran into while in the safari zone. It's hard to put my finger on it, but the towns in Paldea felt like they existed in a vacuum, compared to how towns felt in regions as recent as Galar.

Still, we've only seen the introductory area of this new region, so we really don't know what the towns will look like. I just hope they feel more lived in and less superficial.

@kalosn I really loved Legends Arceus' hybrid turn-based combat, so I agree! However, the moment in the trailer when the trainer throws the Pokeball at Pikachu gave very strong visual comparisons to how combat functioned in Scarlet/Violet. Perhaps it's just the game engine that looks similar, and I hope I'm wrong! I would love the hybrid turn-based combat to return.

@ottoecamn As the years go by, I continue to view Sword/Shield more and more favorably. It really did have one of the best 3D art styles (Let's Go being my favorite; with 1:1 character proportions it would be perfect), it had truly grand and spectacular cities to visit, and it was the last route-based region. Plus it was the last Masuda-composed soundtrack.

Oh I always worry about second breakfast. Second cups of tea, too!

The footage from the trailer does look quite a bit nicer than the Switch 1 footage, although the lighting isn't nearly as bloomy as I would have liked. Still, this might finally be the version that I splurge on since I did want a cozy Shire video game for a rather long time.

Such a relief hearing this confirmed! Nice to see they were willing to tweak the code at least a little bit in order to make small improvements for the port.

With only 15 minutes, I hope they're mostly heavy hitters. Would love to see Witchbrook's release date, Sakuna's sequel, etc.

Seems like we'll have to wait many more months before we get a proper first-party Nintendo Direct with AAA IP's on offer.

Very pleasantly surprised to see overwhelmingly positive reviews! The Japanese commercials on Pokemon Japan's YouTube channel are adorable, so everyone should take a look!

@LilKinopio I prefer the slower pace of Animal Crossing. Stardew Valley time cycles felt extremely rushed; I had no time at all to walk around, gain my bearings, talk to whomever I wanted, tinker about with items and mechanics to learn at my own pace. Felt like a time attack mode was turned permanently on! I crashed out of Stardew pretty quickly because of that.

Fully agree with these sentiments. Pokemon has iconic gameplay mechanics and has one of the most satisfying game systems within the industry.

I think the only other design philosophy that equals Pokemon's is Nintendo's first-party pick-up-and-play ethos. Very arcade-like, Nintendo's first-party games are designed to feel like no matter where you are in the game, as well as no matter how busy your life may be, clicking on your console, booting up a game and jumping into satisfying gameplay is a quick and rewarding experience.

For Pokemon's future, I really want GF to tone back future region's size and scope of their open world maps; they can still be in overall scale but ultimately a little smaller than Paldea; make each area more dense; add more barriers and puzzles that need to be overcome with your own Pokemon; and most importantly, restrict the player's line of sight. Without abstract random encounters, a player's line of sight, or lack thereof, is the equivalent to tall grass. And with less line of sight, you have more opportunities to randomize Pokemon spawns within the same areas. just like the developer said in the article, never knowing which Pokemon is waiting around the corner is exactly what made tall grass so addicting in the old games.

The DS I'm desperate to collect is the DSi. My friend had it and showed off all the sweet new features back in the day, and I was soo jealous. It has such a nice little snapping sound when you close the lid. 😭

@metaphysician The Switch 2 chip wafer is already a few years old, so it's fully possible Samsung or etc found a way to shrink the dye in the time since. Obviously a smaller dye wasn't ready by mid- to late 2024 which was when Switch 2 entered production for launch. However it's definitely possible they were able to shrink it by 2026.

@rjejr You make a very good point, because Pokemon Sword and Shield was used to sell the new Switch Lite SKU by featuring a special edition Switch Lite. There's a good chance Winds and Waves will feature a special edition Switch 2 Lite. Perhaps the 2027 delay could be Nintendo trying to line up these two dots even more so than giving the game extra polish or avoiding a GTA VI launch window.

Pokemon is a certifiable console mover, and Nintendo needs every console mover it can get to put pressure on gamers to finally feel like a Switch 2 is worth the plunge. If it was just one 3D Mario game or one 3D Zelda, gamers would still say "Yeah but it's just one game for a $500 investment." At some point each killer IP needs to add up to compel gamers to bite the bullet.

I'm super excited to see this!! Back in the day I was so upset that you had to physically travel to in-person events to get the data loaded onto your game to catch these mythic Pokemon.
Mystery Gift was such a bad idea! Simply clicking A to download a special legendary Pokemon entirely defeats the purpose and makes those Pokemon feel anything but special.

@JohnnyMind Fully agree, I hope we get a digital release of Emerald even more than Ruby/Sapphire particularly for that special Mew event. I missed out on Emerald back in the day, and I'm still salty I never got to enjoy its revamped post-game. That and Platinum especially, ugh I heard so many folk tales about the fabled Battle Frontier back then.

1. Umbreon
2. Charizard
3. Lucario
4. Corviknight

I think just based on the quality of design, Umbreon is one of the best designed Pokemon ever. Clean lines, and highly representative of the Pokemon ethos.

Charizard obviously is one of the best designed Pokemon as well; the classic dragon. Other than a small revision increasing the density of his arms ever so slightly, I think his design is quite perfect.

Lucario in my opinion, just design-wise, is the ideal bipedal Pokemon. He's cozy enough with soft fur and actual paws to be a companion, with just enough hard edges to seem like a tough fighter. His dex entries also elevate him into one of the most important Pokemon of his region, rivaling greats like Kingdra.

Corviknight is the best bird Pokemon ever made, and one of the best representatives of a Pokemon's relationship with humans as helpers. Just a really genius execution on design elements.

@HammerGalladeBro Yer a wind waver, Blue!

This game is really feeling like a big tropical safari zone. From appearing to continue S/V's outdoor-centric game engine to being dressed like you're going on an expedition, this game feels more like diving into a big wild zone rather than journeying across a normal region with proper towns and cities. Perhaps GF is struggling to render large cities with the current engine/console power in ratio of the 3D scale they're working with.

Can't shake the feeling that Sword/Shield is still the last generation to contain a grand scale of big cities for a long while until we can get either more console power or move away from the current Scarlet/Violet engine.

I can't help but feel like the Grass and Water starters will lend themselves to Winds and Waves respectively.

• Browt: energetic and likes to run about. Plenty of energy for flying then! That big fluffy tail almost looks like it could turn into a propeller by its final evo.
• Gecqua: "Springs balls of water from its tail." Almost sounds like it will evolve into a jet ski-like propeller when it evolves. Perfect then for racing over the water! "Maneuvers adeptly" also sounds primed for agile underwater maneuvering.

Then of course there's Pombon, the happy-go-lucky puppy who's just happy to be here!

Ever since Charizard, I've hoped GF would create another starter Pokemon that not only could fly but also be sturdy enough to carry you around the region. Browt feels like the closest chance we've had yet to this idea!

This has been a jam packed Pokemon Presents!

• Despite the weeklong spoiler, FR/LG was a huge part of this year's Presents. I've been playing it all morning and I can't see myself stopping anytime soon! Had to choose Squirtle first, and I named my rival Green since he's using Bulbasaur.
• Pokemon XD is great to see it finally launch on NSO
• Game Music Collection! A surprise Game Boy HitClips-esque music player, and despite some of the many practical drawbacks, I've wanted to collect a Game Boy replica for quite some time! So the fact that it plays music with the original Game Boy sound is perfect for me. I honestly hope they make a Game Boy Color version for Gold/Silver next.
• Pokemon Gen 10 reveal is obviously the biggest highlight. Looks amazing, and like a follow-up to Scarlet/Violet's system but with diving and much better graphics. As a huge fan of the Hoenn region I am ecstatic to see diving make a grand return in full 3D!

NO I was too late!! Pokemon Center had better restock this 🤬

So excited about the Winds and Waves naming scheme! I'll have to buy both now. I hope we can fly Dragonite in a game called freakin' Pokemon Winds, PLEASE GF!!

Amazing!! The graphics are great, water looks gorgeous, the setting looks lush and tropical like Hoenn, and diving is BACK!! Starters look so cute too. So hyped!!

I still think it's possible that Pokemon Presents has a surprise drop of the original R/B/Y on the Game Boy NSO. That way you could play the OG experience with your subscription, and you also have the option to buy the GBA remake separately.

@Nao120 Couldn't agree more with your sentiment! Internet haters have become such zombies to their own mantra that they begin to sound like paid shills attempting to defame the franchise/company. At some point their vitriol becomes a vice around their own neck; studies have shown that outrage becomes addicting for the brain, and people's relentless hate for Pokemon only show that they're all just outrage addicts.

I'm not preordering both copies until perhaps the day before. I'm holding out just in case I spot a retailer offering the cardboard card for digital games because I would LOVE to have them sit on my shelf. But let's be real, I'll probably double dip regardless if I see them months later.

I am so locked in for Friday!! Serendipitously I have the day off, so I can just enjoy the whole day. Pokemon's X account is counting down each day with lovely animations featuring different Pokemon, so check that out if you like!

Getting a strong impression that Mario Wonder is riding on Pokopia's coattails, the irony! Seems like the overall Treehouse will be focused on multiplayer and GameChat shenanigans since that appears to be the correlation between the two. I'm happy to watch more footage of Pokopia before my copy arrives on the 5th.

As a follow-up to the comment above me... I can't wait to buy/preorder everything Pokemon Presents showcases this Friday 🥸

FireRed/LeagGreen's small 40mb size makes me think that Nintendo could make some pixel art de-makes on the same scale as FR/LG, and offer them exclusively through NSO. Tasking current developers to sit down and make an authentic GBA experience using a Nintendo IP for the NSO would add so much value to the subscription. A Splatoon Tactics Advance for GBA NSO would be pretty fun for instance.

I'm going to try my best to stay away from leaks, rumors, predictions, expectations and any other things that will color my viewpoint going into it. My only expectation is to see a brief announcement of Gen 10. I'm also excited to see if they will reveal a special edition Switch 2 for Gen 10, which has coincided with every major release.

Oh, and every 5 years they've presented a cinematic anniversary montage celebrating Pokemon's legacy, so I'm hoping we see another one!

My body is ready Reggie, I'm riding the hype train with you and Iwata forever <3

@Erigen Square Enix failed to realize that the fish-out-of-water trope doesn't resonate with the West nearly as much as it does in Japan. Plus the protagonist's personality and one-liners felt like it was pandering too hard to the West. They have to go back to their roots and remember that most Square Enix fans grew up loving their games that were unapologetically Japanese.

@Strawblaze Business is far too relative to make such a direct comparison between a large franchise product and an indie game. They really are apples and oranges. Nintendo is not treating FR/LG like a proper game, but rather a fun, extra purchase in the spirit of celebrating an anniversary. You could even compare it closer to Mario Wonder's Bellabel Park than an indie game. In our modern world, the price of almost any product is as abstract as the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

In fact, you should blame Silksong for putting pressure on Indies for maintaining the $20 price ceiling, when like you said, all the work they put into the game deserves more than that in relative terms. Quality indie games in 2026's world deserve to go up to $30 at least, but Silksong took advantage of its massive brand value to undercut the indie market.

@Eel Hmm, so all bets are off then. We'll just have to see what happens I guess. Perhaps a satisfactory (or contractually obligated) amount of time has passed since FR/LG was uploaded on iTunes.

@Strawblaze I still don't see $19.99 as taking advantage. It absolutely should be more expensive than the VC Game Boy games, containing vastly better graphics, features, and content. Sure I would enjoy little extras like resizing the screen, but as soon as they add extra features they mostly likely would have charged more. Relative to 2026 standards, $19.99 is an excellent price for a highly prized product.

What if they announce a vinyl collection for one of the soundtracks?! Now that the soundtracks are off of iTunes it feels like anything is possible!

This is exactly why companies hand-wave online discourse as nothing more than noise. For a premium brand like Pokemon, $19.99 is a great price for each version. Greedy would have been charging $29.99 so collecting both would cost $60, an average, consumer-accepted price. Greedy would have been using inflation as an excuse to charge more.

I just want retailers to jump on the physical card bandwagon like Japan is, because I would love to collect both versions as physical cards to sit on my shelf next to my card of Switch 2 Welcome Tour <3

@Eel How very interesting. Perhaps now it's only a matter of time for them to compile the data and plan out a launch schedule for all the soundtracks.

@Strawblaze Spin it as negatively as you like, but I've been dying to replay FR/LG without forking over huge sums of money to scalper scum. And for my absolute favorite games, buying separately is indeed preferable to NSO with their monthly DRM checks, especially if this is required for Home functionality. Pokemon games really are an exceptional case, as much as that bemoans internet haters.

Interesting that Nintendo of America's YouTube still doesn't have an uploaded video for this. They're sleeping in it seems!

Edit: Never mind, the Pokemon YouTube is handling the US announcement. Silly me!

This was the first thing I woke up to before learning about anything else, and this alone made my morning! I've been playing the Top Tracks playlist on repeat. I'm SO happy to finally have this on Nintendo Music!!

Absolutely love the Gen 3 soundtrack arrangements, so hopefully R/S/E will be added eventually. The melodies in Gen 3 just punch so much harder than other generations, especially compared to the ORAS rearrangements. The midi flute and trumpet especially are highlights of Gen 3 music.

@Eel I've been wondering about that! I had a feeling Nintendo wouldn't offer the soundtracks as long as they were available on iTunes. What are the license expirations on the other soundtracks? Perhaps that's the timeline for everything else!

My mother told me she'll watch it this year after I bought her a Switch 2 along with a few Pokemon games to start her off! She's loving Let's Go Eevee and Violet. (she's a fan of Eevee now, but of course) Also got her Legends ZA since she loves Paris, but she's a gaming newb so that one will have to wait until she improves her hand-eye coordination!

I still think RBY/GSC could be added to NSO, but we'll see. They've already just sold them on the 3DS VC, and it feels conspicuous that Nintendo is skipping to the GBA versions for the eShop. Announcing FR/LG a week early could get people to impulse buy before seeing everything else on offer on Pokemon Day.

Hopelessly hopeful they'll announce this for the West during the Pokemon Presents 🥹🥹🤞

C'mon retailers, now's your chance to offer the physical cards of a digital game! I'm holding out on preordering just in case this happens! Japan is getting the physical retailer card, c'mon now!

@garfreek I'm still wondering if they're saving a larger physical collection announcement for Pokemon Presents, perhaps including RBY as well. Crazier things have happened!