Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield (2019, Switch)

[Hero-of-Time]

It's that time of year again when we need to decide whether these images from the new Pokemon game are real leaks or fakes.

Personally, I hope these are real. The Bunny and Platypus are adorable.

[Julius]

25 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

It's that time of year again when we need to decide whether these images from the new Pokemon game are real leaks or fakes.

Personally, I hope these are real. The Bunny and Platypus are adorable.

Saw these last night, and I have to agree on the bunny and platypus. If these are fake, those are some excellent pieces of fan art all the same. Not such a fan of the lemur (/monkey?) though...

However, I don’t think these are real. I’d love for them to be - man, I want a platypus Pokémon so very bad now - but, at least personally, the artwork looks waaaaaaay too defined and complete when compared to the leak of the final evolution of the Alolan starter Pokémon a couple of years ago. It just looks a bit too neatly organised and doesn’t feel as cluttered as that concept art did, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Speaking of a platypus Pokémon, though, where would everyone like to see them find inspiration for their next region? 

Spain and Italy have been heavily rumoured for some time now, which I think would be great, but I also have Australia, China, and a return to Japan on my wish list  just hope they’re a little more abstract when it comes to utilising their inspiration/s this time around.

Kalos and Alola didn’t feel very fictional when compared to some of the other regions, at least to me, because it feels like they just kept the already existing landmarks of France and Hawaii and traced routes all over their existing respective maps. I’d live to see a little more abstraction this time around, like with Unova.

[Dcubed]

39 minutes ago, Julius Caesar said:

Saw these last night, and I have to agree on the bunny and platypus. If these are fake, those are some excellent pieces of fan art all the same. Not such a fan of the lemur (/monkey?) though...

However, I don’t think these are real. I’d love for them to be - man, I want a platypus Pokémon so very bad now - but, at least personally, the artwork looks waaaaaaay too defined and complete when compared to the leak of the final evolution of the Alolan starter Pokémon a couple of years ago. It just looks a bit too neatly organised and doesn’t feel as cluttered as that concept art did, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

True.  But we don't know what draft this is.  It could be a later and more refined draft than what we saw leaked from the Gen 7 games.

 

It could go either way, but I'm gonna lean slightly more towards them being real.  They actually do look like real Pokemon designs and look just like something Sugimori or Ohmura would design, unlike most fakes.

 

If they are real, I'd be very happy with them! They all look pretty great, especially the platypus one! (about time we got a platypus Pokemon anyway!)

 

Australia would be my choice of inspiration for the new region personally.  Lots of variety in locales, lovely mountaneous areas and a killer desert! (Also potential for New Zealand as a post-game region you unlock  )

Edited February 21, 2018 by Dcubed

[Julius]

3 hours ago, Dcubed said:

True.  But we don't know what draft this is.  It could be a later and more refined draft than what we saw leaked from the Gen 7 games.

 

It could go either way, but I'm gonna lean slightly more towards them being real.  They actually do look like real Pokemon designs and look just like something Sugimori or Ohmura would design, unlike most fakes.

 

If they are real, I'd be very happy with them! They all look pretty great, especially the platypus one! (about time we got a platypus Pokemon anyway!)

 

Australia would be my choice of inspiration for the new region personally.  Lots of variety in locales, lovely mountaneous areas and a killer desert! (Also potential for New Zealand as a post-game region you unlock  )

Very true. If I recall correctly, it was the Chinese localisation team (or someone related to them) that leaked the final starter evolutions of SM, and they also leaked Team Rainbow Rocket for USUM, so if we do end up with a real leak again...it's probably going to be from that area of the development again. 

So, if these are real (and I think I'm just trying to temper my expectations a bit, because I really do adore that platypus design) and are further along in the design process than the final starter evolutions of Alola, it could potentially point to the game being pretty far along too. Maybe not in time to release this year, but starter evolutions and legendary Pokémon are, I imagine, the designs that they attempt to have finalised first, because they're normally what are tied to a game's reveal. I would like to imagine that development started pretty early when compared to other main series games (XY was in development since BW, iirc), if nothing else because of the upgrade in hardware from the 3DS to the Switch for Game Freak. 

I love the idea of NZ being a post-game region for an Australian region, and I think that Australia has an extraordinary array of wildlife and sealife for them to take advantage of. Regional variants could also be appropriate to return here like with Alola (Seviper, Joltik, Galvantula, Ekans, Arbok and Kangaskhan specifically come to mind).

Honestly, i hope that they don't show off nearly as much as they did with the lead-up to SM. I think that this is one of those cases where the games might be better suited to an E3 reveal than to a Pokémon Direct, because of how successful the Switch has been so far and how big a brand Pokémon is.

I'd love to see an E3 reveal with the titles, box art legendary and starter Pokémon, and then throw out there what they see as necessary if the E3 reveal hadn't already (version exclusives, some regional variants, the return of gyms or trials, etc.).

I feel like they showed off way too much of the main story and cutscenes with SM marketing, way too many snippets throughout the game, and waaaaaaay too many of the Pokémon. I think that they'd be best off creating trailers and marketing around aspects that didn't spoil the core aspects of the main game, becayse they honestly don't need to: the Switch main series Pokémon games have the potential to be the first main series games to pass the 20 million units sold mark (something SM might have got closer to if not for USUM) since Gold & Silver, so I hope they don't blow their metaphorical load in the marketing campaign and ruin the sense of true discovery for the fans.

Release it that November - you've got a five month window there which is more than enough to correctly market this game.

Oh, and maybe don't have a demo this time around. Those never work out well for the up-to-that-point unannounced parts of Game Freak's hard work.

[FireMeowth]

I want those starters to be real so I can get a plushie of the bunny. I need to hug it!!

[Glen-i]

Yeah, if those are fake, that Platypus Pokémon is gonna be a real casualty, because than Game Freak can't nick it.

Call me boring and patriotic, but I'd like a region based on the UK. It'll make a nice contrast to Alola, because there's be a 50% chance it would rain no matter where you are. Unless you're in the northern part of the region, then it always rains.

Also, that regions Dragon Pokémon could be based off of the Welsh Flag Dragon, which would be pretty awesome.

[Glen-i]

They've been confirmed fake. Done by an Italian YouTuber called Cydonia. And so the Pokémon cycle continues.

EDIT: No wait, they work with that YouTuber. The artist is someone along the lines of "50 shades of Heliolisk" which is a fantastic name. Still fake.

Edited February 21, 2018 by Glen-i

[Hero-of-Time]

Bah! Anything Game Freak now puts out will be a disappointment in comparison.  

[Julius]

4 hours ago, Glen-i said:

They've been confirmed fake. Done by an Italian YouTuber called Cydonia. And so the Pokémon cycle continues.

EDIT: No wait, they work with that YouTuber. The artist is someone along the lines of "50 shades of Heliolisk" which is a fantastic name. Still fake.

Well, that was fun while it lasted. RIP Platyblue. (Definitely my favourite fan design)

Edited February 21, 2018 by Julius Caesar

[Dcubed]

Aww man.  I actually really liked those designs  (especially Platypond, he was my fave)

[Julius]

Rumours are swirling that the game will be released this year, with a teaser/announcement expected to come prior to E3 by those who are asserting that this is true. It is also being suggested that Bandai is readying themselves for the reveal of new Pokémon toys in May.

To be very clear: I don’t necessarily believe this to be true, nor do I necessarily believe any of the other rumours/purported leaks surrounding the games to be true.

However, with Smash expected to come in either September or October by many (either to tie directly into the launch of Switch Online or to follow it up), and with other first party titles without release dates (such as Fire Emblem or Yoshi) not expected to carry the weight of Nintendo on its shoulders in what will surely be a stacked Christmas period, I am starting to think that it’s certainly possible that Pokémon Switch launches in late November of this year.

Some might argue that Smash is big enough to carry Nintendo alone this Christmas, and whilst I agree, I do think that Pokémon for Switch caters primarily to a much more casual (and generally younger) audience, and that both games (with 4 - 10 weeks between them) could flourish in sales alongside each other.

It would also be an excellent way for Nintendo to truly establish and consolidate a greater and more varied install base for the Switch going into 2019.

[Glen-i]

There's no denying that Pokémon will sell Switch. Which is why I'm really hoping Game Freak don't rush this. After the tragic Pokémon X/Y continuing the trend of Game Freak struggling with new hardware, they need to really take their time.

Switch is doing fine at the mo. Smash can lead the Christmas charge this year just fine.

[markderoos]

Imagine the Switch game linking into Pokemon Go in an interesting way. Pokemon Go would become some sort of companion app for Pokemon Switch.

Saleswise that could potentially lure in a lot of new gamers. Or would the Go community hate the idea?

[MindFreak]

6 minutes ago, markderoos said:

Imagine the Switch game linking into Pokemon Go in an interesting way. Pokemon Go would become some sort of companion app for Pokemon Switch.

Saleswise that could potentially lure in a lot of new gamers. Or would the Go community hate the idea?

It would be a nice way to hatch ingame eggs.

[bob]

Imagine the Switch game linking into Pokemon Go in an interesting way. Pokemon Go would become some sort of companion app for Pokemon Switch.
Saleswise that could potentially lure in a lot of new gamers. Or would the Go community hate the idea?

I know one forum user who would have an aneurysm if that happened.

[Glen-i]

7 hours ago, bob said:

7 hours ago, markderoos said:

Or would the Go community hate the idea?

I know one forum user who would have an aneurysm if that happened.

Here's a mental idea... How about you two shut the hell up and stop trying to give Game Freak horrible ideas?

No, wait... Given some thought, there might be one situation where that's fine. Make it that so you can only get Gen 1 Pokémon via Go, and Bank, then I'd be OK with it. Because then I don't have to be bombarded by them when I play a proper Pokémon game.

[Julius]

47 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Make it that so you can only get Gen 1 Pokémon via Go, and Bank, then I'd be OK with it. Because then I don't have to be bombarded by them when I play a proper Pokémon game.

My biggest problem with Kalos and Alola is that Game Freak’s desire to cram every single Pokémon into a generation of games seems almost entirely redundant now that we have Bank; I’d personally much prefer if the majority of Pokémon available within a region were those native to that region’s Dex, at least for the duration of the game’s main story. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by Julius Caesar

[Ashley]

1 hour ago, Glen-i said:

Here's a mental idea... How about you two shut the hell up and stop trying to give Game Freak horrible ideas?

No, wait... Given some thought, there might be one situation where that's fine. Make it that so you can only get Gen 1 Pokémon via Go, and Bank, then I'd be OK with it. Because then I don't have to be bombarded by them when I play a proper Pokémon game.

I dunno, I liked the Pokewalker thing and its a shame they dropped that in a hot minute.  Making it available as part of the app might be a nice addition as its not like you'd have to use it.

[Glen-i]

12 hours ago, Ashley said:

I dunno, I liked the Pokewalker thing and its a shame they dropped that in a hot minute.  Making it available as part of the app might be a nice addition as its not like you'd have to use it.

What if there was a Pokémon that you could only get through that though?

[Ashley]

5 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

What if there was a Pokémon that you could only get through that though?

Isn't that what Nintendo has amiibo for?

But yeah, I did mean as an optional aside for egg hatching or 'bonding' with Pokémon. Not exclusive Pokémon catching. 

[Glen-i]

Just now, Ashley said:

Isn't that what Nintendo has amiibo for?

That would mean giving the Pokémon Amiibo some actual usage! We can't be having that!

[markderoos]

1 hour ago, Glen-i said:

What if there was a Pokémon that you could only get through that though?

I was thinking the other way round. Connecting both accounts will get you extra’s, small bonusses or other incentives in Go. That way it won’t influence the Switch game. I think that would help getting more mobile gamers take the leap to Switch.

[Julius]

Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and Game Freak have registered a trademark for ‘Ultra Shiny’.

I’m curious as to what this could mean. A rare type of shiny, differing to the shiny colour palettes we already have? A shiny distribution of an Ultra Beast being inbound? Or perhaps an Ultra Shiny keyring? 

Regardless of what it is, it’s inevitably going to be blown out of proportion by Pokémon YouTubers, which is a bit of a shame. At the same time, it just makes me even more hopeful that we hear some official news about the game this year: I can hardly stand the wait as it is, but the increasing lunacy and manic of the fan base regarding this game makes it almost unbearable. 

Fingers crossed for some news this E3/some time this year.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Julius Caesar

[Dcubed]

Gotta Gacha 'm All!

[Ashley]

Could it just be related to the TCG?