In case you missed it (unlike myself, who totally didn’t sleep through it due to staying up late last night), Nintendo held their Nintendo Direct press conference this morning, and it was themed after the powerhouse monsters themselves: Pokémon! The buzz surrounding what could be announced had grown louder and louder as the date approached, with many theories coming fairly close to the actual mark. This is going to be a great year for trainers the world over!
First up, we have Pokkén Tournament DX coming to the Switch! Coming out last March as a fighting game giving you direct control over your Pokemon combatants, Pokkén Tournament DX, or Deluxe, will bring the game to Nintendo’s newest console generation. Players can each use one of the Joy-Con controllers to play, bringing the ability to play on the go with whomever your eyes may lock with! Switch will also feature its own set of exclusive fighters, like the poison/fighting-type Croagunk or the grass/ghost-type archer, Decidueye! Look for the Poké-brawler this September 22nd.
Also coming this 22nd of September, we have new arrivals to the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in the form of Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Gold. The second generation returns to us in its classic forms as opposed to the alt-universe versions. Nintendo did confirm that this will be available on the Virtual Console only, with no plans for a Switch release. This shouldn’t disappoint fans too much, however, with the next and last major announcement for the morning…
Arriving this November 17th for the Nintendo 3DS, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon will make their heavily anticipated debut! Rumored to the be titled ‘Pokémon Stars’, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon continue the trend in Pokémon games of having two new titles that serve as both sequels to their original title, as well as alternate universes. The explanation that these alternate titles, at least starting since Fire Red and Leaf Green, but all but confirming it with alternate dimensions in Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, should tie heavily into US and UM. The video was accompanied by commentary during the show, stating that we’ll be getting new Pokémon and new story. What new Pokémon means is already being debated by theorists. Does this mean all new Pokémon, or new Alolan forms as we saw with the likes of Sandshrew and Vulpix? Solgaleo and Lunala look to have fused with Necrozma, the creature that was neither Pokémon nor Ultra Beast, in the same vein that Zekrom and Reshiram fused with Zekrom in Black 2 and White 2. And on that note, will we also see new Ultra Beasts? The games are called Ultra Sun/Moon, it’d be a pity if we didn’t get some new extra dimensional non-pokémon. These new titles always love to mix up the villains and heroes. Will old allies be enemies? Will the trials be the same or updated for this new timeline? And just WHY is Lycanroc so prominently being shown jumping in front of the sun, perhaps more new forms for the werewolf? Time will tell!
I won’t lie about my bias, I’m most excited for the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon news, as I’ve had plenty of time with Gold/Silver and not owning a Switch puts a damper on my ability to play Pokkén. But what about your favorite announcements? What has you chomping at the bit for your Pokémon fix? Let us know in the comments, and until next time Gamers…
Stay Kultured!