Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon

[drahkon]

Don't know where else to post it...

...I...I never knew. WHAT THE FUCK, MAN? Is this real life?

[bob]

Pfff, us true fans knew all about that ages ago.

[Glen-i]

On 12/13/2017 at 3:17 PM, bob said:

Pfff, us true fans knew all about that ages ago.

He's right, I've been rocking that move since Gen 1. Great if you don't want to get into an encounter for whatever reason.

That stopped working after Gen 4 though.

Cool little fact. In Pokemon Emerald, a Pokemon with the "Hyper Cutter" ability cuts a larger area of grass than usual. I'm such a nerd...

[Glen-i]

Hey, you know what people didn't like in the Sun and Moon thread? That's right. My bloody Battle Videos.

The first US/UM online competition has started. Johto VS Alola (That title is misleading, I thought it'd be Gen 2 and Gen 7 only, it actually means Alola Pokedex plus Gen 2 and Gen 1 Pokemon, why are all Gen 1 Pokemon allowed?)

Good news is Megas seem to be back! Woo! Team Dragon Croissant Spaceship go!

8ATG-WWWW-WWWB-RM8Q

This match pretty much sums up my first half of today's matches. Be amazed at my dreadful luck as some random Japanese girl and the millionth Mimikyu takes me to school yet again.

U35G-WWWW-WWWB-RMUL

Gen 5 music, FTW! Anyway, this was some weird match. Here's a game. Try and guess what my opponent's opening move is. You'll never get it.

H47W-WWWW-WWWB-RNW8

This guy only entered this competition to show off his hacked Pokemon. Because nothing says "My team is hacked" like a team of Shinies. This time, I get to be the random Japanese girl and proceed to get through completely unscathed.

Quick impressions of the meta are that it hasn't changed too much, except for Kommo-o's new completely insane Z-Move. What were they thinking!? Balance goes right out of the window with that. It's bad enough that it hits like a nuke and hits both opponents in a double battle, but it also raises all of Kommo-o's stats? How is that fair? Luckily, Kommo-o hasn't got the speed or the defenses to back it up, getting two Pokemon to gang up on it normally does it in.

Hawlucha is catching all sorts of people off guard though, instant momentum thanks to Tapu Koko's Electric Surge using the Electric Seed instantly doubles it's speed thanks to Unburden. Fits beautifully with my Alolan Raichu based shenanigans. Just gotta watch out for Oranguru and it's Trick Room.

Marowak is there to provide a hard counter to anyone who tries to one-up me with Pheromosa while Zapdos and Tailwind is a back up Pokemon just in case Tapu Koko would be unwise to use.

Edited December 15, 2017 by Glen-i

[Ike]

2 hours ago, Glen-i said:

Hey, you know what people didn't like in the Sun and Moon thread? That's right. My bloody Battle Videos.

The first US/UM online competition has started. Johto VS Alola (That title is misleading, I thought it'd be Gen 2 and Gen 7 only, it actually means Alola Pokedex plus Gen 2 and Gen 1 Pokemon, why are all Gen 1 Pokemon allowed?)

Good news is Megas seem to be back! Woo! Team Dragon Croissant Spaceship go!

8ATG-WWWW-WWWB-RM8Q

This match pretty much sums up my first half of today's matches. Be amazed at my dreadful luck as some random Japanese girl and the millionth Mimikyu takes me to school yet again.

U35G-WWWW-WWWB-RMUL

Gen 5 music, FTW! Anyway, this was some weird match. Here's a game. Try and guess what my opponent's opening move is. You'll never get it.

H47W-WWWW-WWWB-RNW8

This guy only entered this competition to show off his hacked Pokemon. Because nothing says "My team is hacked" like a team of Shinies. This time, I get to be the random Japanese girl and proceed to get through completely unscathed.

Quick impressions of the meta are that it hasn't changed too much, except for Kommo-o's new completely insane Z-Move. What were they thinking!? Balance goes right out of the window with that. It's bad enough that it hits like a nuke and hits both opponents in a double battle, but it also raises all of Kommo-o's stats? How is that fair? Luckily, Kommo-o hasn't got the speed or the defenses to back it up, getting two Pokemon to gang up on it normally does it in.

Hawlucha is catching all sorts of people off guard though, instant momentum thanks to Tapu Koko's Electric Surge using the Electric Seed instantly doubles it's speed thanks to Unburden. Fits beautifully with my Alolan Raichu based shenanigans. Just gotta watch out for Oranguru and it's Trick Room.

Marowak is there to provide a hard counter to anyone who tries to one-up me with Pheromosa while Zapdos and Tailwind is a back up Pokemon just in case Tapu Koko would be unwise to use.

I think you could've won that first battle if that High Jump Kick didn't miss. Nice Hawlucha set though.

Yeah that 3rd trainer wasn't very good, didn't even have decent shiny colour 'mons either. That Dragonite just looked ill.

[Glen-i]

2 minutes ago, Ike said:

I think you could've won that first battle if that High Jump Kick didn't miss. Nice Hawlucha set though.

Yeah that 3rd trainer wasn't very good, didn't even have decent shiny colour 'mons either. That Dragonite just looked ill.

High Jump Kick's 90% accuracy clearly doesn't apply to me. I expected it to lose me a couple of matches, but it ruined me in 5 separate occasions in 15 battles.

But that example was definitely the worst. I knew I couldn't pull off a one-hit KO, so I went with Acrobatics, and then SURPRISE! High Jump Kick! If I needed the extra oomph next turn. Which I did. The one time I used it, typical.

I experimented with that Hawlucha set in the Battle Tree and it worked a treat. The extra Defense boost can really ruin someone's momentum if they go physical. Iron Head totally wrecks Alolan Ninetales which people love to bust out as a Hawlucha counter and Thunder Punch gets a nice boost from Terrain. I can see Hawlucha slamming it's way into my go-to team. It contemplates my team nicely.

[Dcubed]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/media-create-sales-week-50-2017-dec-11-dec-17.11944/page-12#post-2354235

 

Not strictly US/UM related, but this seems to be the best place to put it.

 

 

Looks like Creatures are hiring people with UE4 and Unity experience, and interestingly have shown what seems to be a Pokemon related prototype in UE4!

 

Creatures make their own spinoffs like Poke Park and Detective Pikachu, but also help to co-develop the mainline games (in particular, they're responsible for all of the Pokemon 3D models in the 3DS Pokemon games).

 

Could Game Freak be ditching their own engine and moving to UE4? (Oh good lord please!)

Edited December 20, 2017 by Dcubed

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Dcubed said:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/media-create-sales-week-50-2017-dec-11-dec-17.11944/page-12#post-2354235

Not strictly US/UM related, but this seems to be the best place to put it.

Creatures make their own spinoffs like Poke Park and Detective Pikachu, but also help to co-develop the mainline games (in particular, they're responsible for all of the Pokemon 3D models in the 3DS Pokemon games).

I’ve suggested before that any attempt by Gamefreak to deliver on an open-world front would likely call for some aid from Monolith Soft, and I think it’s probably the case that Creatures is taking on the task of bringing the CG models from Sun and Moon (which were all high quality, having walking and running poses, etc.) up to boot and detail (new animations, in additions to the new Pokémon, etc.) for Pokémon Switch, like they did with creating all of the models for X and Y, as you rightly pointed out.

My main reason for believing this is for that game, as opposed to a spin-off game, is because of the window given by Gamefreak for Pokémon Switch being 2018/2019: getting Creatures to handle the potential upgrading of previous models for the new engine would certainly make the most sense if Nintendo and Gamefreak are serious about making a technological splash (which they should be, I think - in terms of the jump from 3DS to Switch, and beyond resolution) with this game, as well as having it out in the next 18 months or so. 

I personally don’t see Nintendo allowing Gamefreak to use the UE4, seeing as they love to use their own proprietary engines, but Miyamoto has previously stated that Nintendo has mastered the Unreal Engine. My best guess would be that Nintendo’s proprietary Switch engine is based on Unreal Engine 4, but who knows? 

[Serebii]

14 hours ago, Dcubed said:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/media-create-sales-week-50-2017-dec-11-dec-17.11944/page-12#post-2354235

 

Not strictly US/UM related, but this seems to be the best place to put it.

 

 

Looks like Creatures are hiring people with UE4 and Unity experience, and interestingly have shown what seems to be a Pokemon related prototype in UE4!

 

Creatures make their own spinoffs like Poke Park and Detective Pikachu, but also help to co-develop the mainline games (in particular, they're responsible for all of the Pokemon 3D models in the 3DS Pokemon games).

 

Could Game Freak be ditching their own engine and moving to UE4? (Oh good lord please!)

Don't get your hopes up. Also why would UE4 be better than their own engine?

Edited December 21, 2017 by Serebii

[Dcubed]

14 minutes ago, Serebii said:

Don't get your hopes up. Also why would UE4 be better than their own engine?

Game Freak have struggled to keep up with their contemporaries on all platforms since the GBA.  And they now have to transition to HD development.  They’re not equipped for the job (hell, not even Nintendo’s own developers are even able to make HD games on their own anymore; how do you think Game Freak are gonna manage it?) and while the 3D models of the Pokemon might be of high quality, their game engine suffers from serious performance issues on 3DS.

 

Switching to UE4 makes a lot of sense.  It’s a mature engine, is relatively easy to use, capable of a wide variety of art styles (just look at DQ11, Octopath Traveller or the new Yoshi game!) and runs well on Switch.  It would give them a huge leg-up on making the transition from 3DS to Switch.

 

It doesn’t mean that their games have to look like the “realistic Pokemon” fan mockups, UE4 is very flexible and has great Japanese documentation too! (Meaning that they can not only learn it fairly quickly, but also employ programming support from outside the company effectively too.  Companies that could reasonably co-develop the game, like Namco or Orca, already have plenty of experience with the engine).

 

I think it makes a lot of sense; and this job listing does imply that it’s a very real possibility.  It would be great for helping Game Freak in getting off to a flying start and also break away from the limitations of their aging engine.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Dcubed

[Serebii]

Their game engine struggles on the 3DS because the models are too complex though... their engine is already HD ready, that's why it runs like ass. Just plop some better textures on and you have a beautiful Pokémon game that will run well on a Switch

Also assuming the job listing is for Pokémon Switch is a bit illogical. Don't forget that Creatures Inc. do a lot of their own stuff

Edited December 21, 2017 by Serebii

[Dcubed]

56 minutes ago, Serebii said:

Their game engine struggles on the 3DS because the models are too complex though... their engine is already HD ready, that's why it runs like ass. Just plop some better textures on and you have a beautiful Pokémon game that will run well on a Switch.

 

3D models do not equal a game engine.  Those same models run perfectly fine in Pokedex 3D Pro (and while running in S3D to boot!).  Game Freak's engine runs terribly and I say that as a long-time fan of the series.  It doesn't even support basic texture filtering on 3DS for pity's sake! (Even the N64 could do that!) and they're being expected to basically jump two generations in one go with the Switch!

 

I agree that the 3D models for the Pokemon are probably good enough as they are.  I don't see them going back and remaking all 800+ Pokemon models again.  Like you say, I expect them to reuse the models but with better shaders, lighting, textures etc.

 

You know who else used to struggle with making 3D games until recently? Intelligent Systems.  But look where they are now! Game Freak could get to that point if they get the outside help that IS currently do...

 

Quote

Also assuming the job listing is for Pokémon Switch is a bit illogical. Don't forget that Creatures Inc. do a lot of their own stuff

Very true, but I think it's a sensible choice to move to UE4 and if Creatures are moving towards using it, then it's a strong sign that they're going to be using it for the next mainline Pokemon too; given that they co-develop the games alongside Game Freak.

 

They wouldn't even be the first Nintendo affiliated studio to abandon their own in-house engine in favour of UE4.  Good Feel actually had their own engine that they employed on both Wii U and 3DS (and it even ran really well on both consoles too!) and they've switched to UE4 for the new Yoshi game.  Nintendo EPD and Monolith also use various middleware packages in their own engines, like Autodesk Beast and Havok; so it's hardly a sacred cow that they're killing here.

 

Given Game Freak's current position, it seems far more sensible to me to make use of an established engine that already runs well on Switch than to spend years flailing and struggling to make something of their own from scratch (it also means that they may be able to get the next mainline Pokemon out on Switch much sooner than they'd otherwise be able to).

Edited December 21, 2017 by Dcubed

[Goron_3]

1 hour ago, Serebii said:

Their game engine struggles on the 3DS because the models are too complex though... their engine is already HD ready, that's why it runs like ass. Just plop some better textures on and you have a beautiful Pokémon game that will run well on a Switch

Also assuming the job listing is for Pokémon Switch is a bit illogical. Don't forget that Creatures Inc. do a lot of their own stuff

Lol, you can't be serious. HD development is much more complex than that. It's not just a case of upping the textures.

The current Pokemon titles are using game design similar to PS2-era RPG's, because that's all the 3DS hardware is capable of. The jump from that to current day standards is absolutely gigantic. For a developer going from PS2-PS3 (or Wii to Wii U) the jump was already massive, but to go from 3DS game and world design (which is an evolution of the DS games) to a home console like the Switch...god damn. I can't think of a similar jump. I guess it would be like the Link's Awakening team working on a game like Ocarina.

My biggest concern about this game is that it ends up getting rushed out the gate. I know they've said 2018 is the target but I would rather they took their time really push the boundaries of the franchise and its game design forward. It would be pretty disappointing if they just gave us a HD version of what had come before. Game Freak are a small team compared to say the Zelda or Mario teams, right? I hope they are given time and resource to do the franchise justice.

[Dcubed]

25 minutes ago, Goron_3 said:

Lol, you can't be serious. HD development is much more complex than that. It's not just a case of upping the textures.

The current Pokemon titles are using game design similar to PS2-era RPG's, because that's all the 3DS hardware is capable of. The jump from that to current day standards is absolutely gigantic. For a developer going from PS2-PS3 (or Wii to Wii U) the jump was already massive, but to go from 3DS game and world design (which is an evolution of the DS games) to a home console like the Switch...god damn. I can't think of a similar jump. I guess it would be like the Link's Awakening team working on a game like Ocarina.

My biggest concern about this game is that it ends up getting rushed out the gate. I know they've said 2018 is the target but I would rather they took their time really push the boundaries of the franchise and its game design forward. It would be pretty disappointing if they just gave us a HD version of what had come before.

 

Actually, they haven't given any sort of date at all.  Nobody from Nintendo or TPC has mentioned a date at all (same goes for Fire Emblem Switch and Metroid Prime 4 for that matter).  Any rumblings of it coming in 2018 are nothing more than people making assumptions.  I wouldn't expect Pokemon Switch to hit until November 2019 at the earliest (We might see a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon this year though).

 

I also wouldn't say that the game design of Pokemon is "outdated" either.  There's nothing else to compare it to really.  Limited in terms of the scope of the world and the camera system? Sure.  Outdated in terms of the rest of the game design? By what standard? Turn based games are not "outdated" at all.

 

Not every game has to be a contemporary open world game, with a free moving camera, that is a clone of The Witcher or GTA.  In fact, for a Pokemon game that is supposed to have a wide audience, that actually might be a detriment.

 

That being said, Pokemon has always largely been an "open world" game, ever since the beginning.  It was only with the 3DS games that they had to really take a step back here.  I would expect it to be designed more like Monster Hunter World or Super Mario Odyssey in that regard; with a decently sized, crafted world, but delivered in a seamless fashion without loading between areas.  More like the original games, but in full 3D (and hopefully without the utterly ridiculous genwunner pandering! Please!!!).  Probably with a behind the character view, but I'd expect camera control to be limited - think Mario Galaxy - in order to make it accessible to kids and people not used to using cameras in 3D space.

 

I expect something grander in scale than Sun/Moon, but certainly still an evolution of what they were going for with that game.  Pokemon doesn't need to change what it is, but it probably does need to back up on the linearity of the newer games, get rid of the loading screens and get back more of that "open world" feel that it used to have.  If that means much fewer cutscenes, then so be it.

 

Quote

Game Freak are a small team compared to say the Zelda or Mario teams, right? I hope they are given time and resource to do the franchise justice.

Correct.  They have 118 staff in total (and not all of them work on one game at a time).  I don't see any way they can make a HD Pokemon game without outside help.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Dcubed

[Goron_3]

6 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

 

Actually, they haven't given any sort of date at all.  Nobody from Nintendo or TPC has mentioned a date at all (same goes for Fire Emblem Switch and Metroid Prime 4 for that matter).  Any rumblings of it coming in 2018 are nothing more than people making assumptions.  I wouldn't expect Pokemon Switch to hit until November 2019 at the earliest (We might see a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon this year though).

 

I also wouldn't say that the game design of Pokemon is "outdated" either.  There's nothing else to compare it to really.  Limited in terms of the scope of the world and the camera system? Sure.  Outdated in terms of the rest of the game design? By what standard? Turn based games are not "outdated" at all.

 

Not every game has to be a contemporary open world game, with a free moving camera, that is a clone of The Witcher or GTA.  In fact, for a Pokemon game that is supposed to have a wide audience, that actually might be a detriment.

 

That being said, Pokemon has always largely been an "open world" game, ever since the beginning.  It was only with the 3DS games that they had to really take a step back here.  I would expect it to be designed more like Monster Hunter World or Super Mario Odyssey in that regard; with a decently sized, crafted world, but delivered in a seamless fashion without loading between areas.  More like the original games, but in full 3D (and hopefully without the utterly ridiculous genwunner pandering! Please!!!).  Probably with a behind the character view, but I'd expect camera control to be limited - think Mario Galaxy - in order to make it accessible to kids and people not used to using cameras in 3D space.

 

Correct.  They have 118 staff in total (and not all of them work on one game at a time).  I don't see any way they can make a HD Pokemon game without outside help.

Yeah, to clarify I'm not asking for a Witcher experience, just a much more open world environment compared to Sun and Moon. Ruby & Sapphire felt like proper adventures to me. I'm more than happy with turn based battles too.

As for the 2018 thing, I'm fairly sure I recall them saying it at E3? I may be mis-remembering though

With regards to outside help, I wonder if Monolith may be giving a hand. A large part of Xenoblade development will have wrapped up several months ago and we know how well they can push hardware.

[Dcubed]

6 minutes ago, Goron_3 said:

With regards to outside help, I wonder if Monolith may be giving a hand. A large part of Xenoblade development will have wrapped up several months ago and we know how well they can push hardware.

I have thought about that myself, but I reckon that it's more likely that Namco would be helping out here.

 

Monolith are still working on Xenoblade 2's DLC, have just finished work on BOTW's DLC and have another project they're just starting of their own (not to mention are also probably providing art assets for other 1st party Nintendo titles, like Pikmin 4 and Animal Crossing Switch, as well).  They're likely tapped out for resources.

 

Namco are Nintendo's go-to partner for outside development assistance and also have quite a bit of experience with UE4 now (not to mention that they've worked on Pokken/Pokken DX, so they have some experience with the IP already).  They also have plenty of manpower to spare, so they seem like the most likely partner to me.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Dcubed

[Julius]

There’s a Pokémon Switch thread (it was quite buried, but it’s there) to talk about this; I’m not trying to be rude, just thought I’d mention it in case the mods see this as getting off topic

As for official word on a release date, during its initial announcement at E3, Ishihara stated that it “might not release for more than a year”, but Nintendo’s Earning supplementary info cites it as releasing in “2018 or later”.

Personally, I gravitate towards the latter, simply because I think that Nintendo already has a lot up it’s sleeves hidden away for 2018, and I agree that November is the most likely month of release whichever year that it comes, seeing as the last three main series entries have all released in November. I also agree with the idea that other parties, such as Monolith Soft or Bandai Namco, could be involved in the process, though I have my doubts that the latter would be involved, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

As for how the series could evolve, I do think that dreams of “Pokémon-BOTW” are unlikely to ever come to fruition, but I think it’s worth mentioning that there are a few parts of BOTW I would like to see influence the design of the game: complete control of the camera, (more) in-depth character customisation, a world open to the extent that it feels like it’s a true adventure, etc. I feel that the last point is the most important, at least to me, because of how X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, and (Ultra) Sun and (Ultra) Moon all felt like a vacation more than they did an adventure? 

It would be wise for them to keep the simplicity of the games, which is what makes them so accessible to all ages, in aspects such as turn-based battles. However, random encounters are something in particular which I would like to see changed to overworld encounters, and more events where we meet Pokémon and befriend them or interact with them before capturing them would be a welcome addition. Another thing I’d like to see them do is to lean into some JRPG tropes, namely a focus on story. Sure, Pokémon plots aren’t - and don’t have to be - the greatest thing in the world when it comes to storytelling, but perhaps scale it back from world domination/world-changing events and focus on character arcs instead? 

Just my two cents (or maybe I should be saying pence? Idk) or so.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[FireMeowth]

7 hours ago, Serebii said:

Also assuming the job listing is for Pokémon Switch is a bit illogical. Don't forget that Creatures Inc. do a lot of their own stuff

C-can I finally start hoping for PokéPark 3 or a fourth Ranger game again?

I probably shouldn't get my hopes up...

[Glen-i]

14 hours ago, Julius Caesar said:

Sure, Pokémon plots aren’t - and don’t have to be - the greatest thing in the world when it comes to storytelling, but perhaps scale it back from world domination/world-changing events and focus on character arcs instead?

Yo there, let me tell you about a little spin-off series called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.

Because if you thought Lillie's character arc in Sun/Moon was a step in the right direction...

Man, if Game Freak came along and said "Hey, we're gonna have those blokes at Chun Soft do the plot", I'd flip my lid.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Glen-i

[Julius]

5 hours ago, Glen-i said:

Yo there, let me tell you about a little spin-off series called Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.

Because if you thought Lillie's character arc in Sun/Moon was a step in the right direction...

Man, if Game Freak came along and said "Hey, we're gonna have those blokes at Chun Soft do the plot", I'd flip my lid.

As someone who loves the MD series, I couldn’t agree more. It really achieves the sort of balance I’d like to see: simple gameplay mechanics with a lot of depth, if you so desire to use them (which the main series already utilises very well), and a story filled with character arcs which respect the player and isn’t afraid to take chances. 

So yeah, Game Freak, listen to @Glen-i. Please?

I think that the real problem with the main series games is that, ultimately, the pacing has been off with their plots for over a decade - take this as a constructive criticism from someone who loves the franchise much like the rest of you.

Gen I’s plot was paced very well, in my opinion: we run into Team Rocket more and more the deeper we get into the game, and, ultimately, our conflict with them runs parallel to, and comes to a head with, the final gym challenge. No world-changing event takes place, but, instead, we get a climax to both our gym challenge and conflict with them against Giovanni at the Viridian City Gym. 

In Gen II, once again, Team Rocket have returned and we run into them more and more throughout the game until, ultimately, their story comes to a head in Mahogany Town and, consequently, Goldenrod City. I think that this is where some of the problems with pacing ultimately began with the franchise: Team Rocket is effectively disbanded prior to our eighth and final gym challenge, and besides a rogue grunt over in Kanto who didn’t get the memo, that’s all there is to the plot. 

In both Gen I and Gen II, our rivals have progressive character arcs which I’d say are rarely touched upon, but are certainly evident, in Gen III (with Wally), Gen IV (with Barry) and Gen V (with Cheren, N, and Hugh). The problem is that, at this point and beyond, we’re thrusted into world-saving mode and Game Freak seems hellbent on serving us with friends more than fleshed out and realised rivals. 

I think that a change certainly needs to be made with the next games, and again, I’m not asking for Shakespeare in Pokémon. My suggestion is to give us a number of rivals, each with a unique battle style and perspective on things. For instance, our rivalry with our neighbour is a friendly one, and their growth throughout the game reflects our own. In a similar vein, we can have another rival who begins his arc in a pure state of rage, for whatever reason, who primarily uses Pokémon aggressively with high attack stats, and his arc has him and his team become more balanced throughout the game. A rival attached somewhat to the past/present of the evil team (such as Silver or Gladion) is always an interesting perspective to see too.

Focus primarily on the gym challenge until the end of the main game. This gives us time to see individual character arcs play out and focus on the aspects of travelling and Pokémon battling, a bit like a season one of a TV series, if you will. We run into the evil team sparingly throughout the course of the game, mostly taking out grunts and scientists, and are almost always one step behind the evil team. We and everyone else have very little idea as to what their true intentions are, before they come out in full force during our celebrations after beating the League. Whatever their goal is, make it so that we lose to their leader (scale levels above that of our team), who challenges us during these celebrations to prove a point: we still have a long way to go. 

And thus, season two of the game begins, and, as the Champion - and having lost to their leader - we now have a convincing reason inside the universe to take the battle to the evil team, all in the post-game. This can reveal truths about certain characters, take some of our rivals in unexpected directions, and also add some more depth to the world that we’ve already travelled through (i.e. remember that energy research facility? They’ve selfishly been carrying out tests on how to utilise the energy of Pokémon). 

That got quite long-winded, but yeah: if Game Freak are ever going to take a chance with the engine, or with the plot, or with some of the gameplay mechanics beyond the core ones, now is the time. 

Edited December 22, 2017 by Julius Caesar

[Serebii]

On ‎21‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 2:51 PM, Goron_3 said:

Lol, you can't be serious. HD development is much more complex than that. It's not just a case of upping the textures.

The current Pokemon titles are using game design similar to PS2-era RPG's, because that's all the 3DS hardware is capable of. The jump from that to current day standards is absolutely gigantic. For a developer going from PS2-PS3 (or Wii to Wii U) the jump was already massive, but to go from 3DS game and world design (which is an evolution of the DS games) to a home console like the Switch...god damn. I can't think of a similar jump. I guess it would be like the Link's Awakening team working on a game like Ocarina.

My biggest concern about this game is that it ends up getting rushed out the gate. I know they've said 2018 is the target but I would rather they took their time really push the boundaries of the franchise and its game design forward. It would be pretty disappointing if they just gave us a HD version of what had come before. Game Freak are a small team compared to say the Zelda or Mario teams, right? I hope they are given time and resource to do the franchise justice.

I am 100% serious. The models and everything are all set for HD and have been for a while. All they need to do is textures and the usual bump mapping etc. and it'd be fine.

 

Look at HD images of Gen 7. The models are fantastic in HD. Everything is. This is part of why the games have run so poorly, they're too advanced for the 3DS

Edited December 26, 2017 by Serebii

[markderoos]

Ok back on topic: what do you think of Ultra Space? Because frankly, I’m not a fan at all and just find myself trying to get the hang of it purely to catch some Legendaries to complete my living dex.

It’s tedious, it’s badly controled (even with the circlepad) and it’s 3D interface makes it hard to predict if you’re aligned with orbs or warpholes. Very, very, very anoying part of the game while I was actualy very surprised about how fresh the game felt up until then.

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, markderoos said:

Ok back on topic: what do you think of Ultra Space? Because frankly, I’m not a fan at all and just find myself trying to get the hang of it purely to catch some Legendaries to complete my living dex.

It’s tedious, it’s badly controled (even with the circlepad) and it’s 3D interface makes it hard to predict if you’re aligned with orbs or warpholes. Very, very, very anoying part of the game while I was actualy very surprised about how fresh the game felt up until then.

It's a more interesting way of getting old legendaries than the way OR/AS handled it, which was incredibly lame and uninspiring. The Gyro controls are pretty unwieldy, but thankfully, you can switch to Circle Pad. I found it easier once I realized that you reset to the center when you let go of the circle pad. (In other words, the position of the circle pad is the position of you)

Personally, once I adjusted to the unorthdox controls, I quite enjoyed going back in there now and again to build up my Battle music collection. Nothing amazing, but a fun little diversion. Music is cool too.

Now, here's a return volley question. I assume you've seen the credits, if not, just don't click this.

Spoiler

What did you think of Hau replacing Professor Kukui as the final battle? Personally, I raised a smile with the way they blatantly tried to play on the expectations of people who played the originals. But for me, it kinda felt flat for two reasons.

• I kinda called it a while before I got to the Pokemon League. Mainly because in the lead up to it, Hau kept saying lines like "Remember Glen, we're definitely gonna battle again" Which he never said in S/M. It pretty much confirmed it once he didn't shop up on the top of that mountain. So the surprise was ruined.
• Hau's team is nowhere near as competitive as Kukui's. Even if you ignore the fact you've fought him loads of times so you know how to counter him, his Pokemon don't contemplate each other well at all. Kukui utilises Stealth Rock, priority moves and Tailwind to try and outspeed you and cause some significant chip damage. Hau has nothing with strategic movesets (In fact, his starter only has three moves).

I liked the music though, it's a good remix, even if it starts with that horrible and forced callback to the Gen 1 intro sequence.

BTW, I have plenty of spare legendaries (And your Castform) from my Ultra Space excursions, so I might be able to save you some annoyance if you don't mind trading around. Or if anyone else wants them.

Spoiler

Moltres, Mewtwo, Raikou, Ho-Oh, Latios, Regice, Registeel, Regirock, Groudon, Mesprit, Uxie, Dialga, Giratina, Heatran, Cresselia, Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, Tornadus, Reshiram, Xerneas

Just give me some notice.

[markderoos]

Spoiler

Yeah, Hau wasn’t any suprise at all at that point. They overdid it anyway with the changes in the story. The first (and only) time I got realy surprised was with the Totem Araquanid instead of Wishiwashi. Was a hard fight for me because I thought I wouldn’t need to change my team because of my starter Rowlet. Neat surprise but they couldn’t keep up with the higher difficulty Totem Pokemon after Kiawe. Nanu was a little bit harder but the rest of the Captains and Kahunas were as easy an in S/M.

Regarding some of your spare Legendary Pokemon, I especialy need Dialga as it’s not available in Ultra Moon. But I also still need Moltres and Giratina. Maybe also Reshiram but I could’ve mixed it up with Zekrom, need to check that out. Do you also happen to have a spare white Flabébé?

[Glen-i]

4 minutes ago, markderoos said:

  Regarding spoiler (Hide contents)

Yeah, Hau wasn’t any suprise at all at that point. They overdid it anyway with the changes in the story. The first (and only) time I got realy surprised was with the Totem Araquanid instead of Wishiwashi. Was a hard fight for me because I thought I wouldn’t need to change my team because of my starter Rowlet. Neat surprise but they couldn’t keep up with the higher difficulty Totem Pokemon after Kiawe. Nanu was a little bit harder but the rest of the Captains and Kahunas were as easy an in S/M.

Regarding some of your spare Legendary Pokemon, I especialy need Dialga as it’s not available in Ultra Moon. But I also still need Moltres and Giratina. Maybe also Reshiram but I could’ve mixed it up with Zekrom, need to check that out. Do you also happen to have a spare white Flabébé?

Yeah, I'd probably agree with everything in the spoiler.

I'm afraid I don't have any white variants of the Flabébé line. Sorry.

Seeing as I have Ultra Sun, chances are that Reshiram is exclusive to my version. If there are any exclusive legendaries from Ultra space I don't have but you need, I'll be happy to go grab them for you.