Pokémon Presents: 26th February 2021 @ 15:00 GMT

[Julius]

All aboard! 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Julius

[Glen-i]

Genuinely intrigued by what could be shown here.

Outside of New Pokémon Snap, we have nothing on what's happening over the year.

Exciting! But also nerve wracking!

Edited February 25, 2021 by Glen-i

[Londragon]

Pokemon Unite will undoubtably be shown, probably a release date.

[Ashley]

2 minutes ago, Glen-i said:

Genuinely intrigued by what could be shown here.

Outside of New Pokémon Snap, we have nothing on what's happening over the year.

Exciting! But also nerve wracking!

Did Pokémon Sleep ever get released?

[Julius]

Alright, I'm going to try to keep my expectations in check. Not so much my wildest hopes and dreams, but of a bit ramble about what we might expect to see. 

Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Remakes are inevitable...right? - Personally, there's no question in my mind that this is the year we return to Sinnoh. Yes, it's the 25th anniversary of the series as a whole, but this is the longest it's taken for them to remake a core series title from its initial release (it's Diamond & Pearl's 15th anniversary this September, vs the 12 years it took to remake Ruby & Sapphire), it would follow the trend of having a pair of remakes every other generation since HeartGold & SoulSilver with Gen IV after the release of the opening pair of games set in a new region, and to push my point even further, Sinnoh is the only region from the core series titles which we haven't returned to in any form since Platinum released in 2008. So, yeah, this would be well overdue!

For me personally, then, it's not a question of whether or not Sinnoh games are coming this year, but rather a question of if they are announced here, and the only reason I dare suggest for a moment that they wouldn't is simply based on what I remember of past remake reveals: the last three remakes - HeartGold & SoulSilver (2009), Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire (2014), and Let's Go, Pikachu! & Let's Go, Eevee! (2018) - were all officially revealed for the first time in May of the year they were released, the latter two pair releasing in November of the same year they were revealed, and HeartGold & SoulSilver in September of the same year (in Japan). I had to look this up for FireRed & LeafGreen (2004), as I would have been too young at the time to be in the know, but apparently those were officially revealed in September 2003 and released in Japan in January 2004. Point is, the longest wait from official reveal to launch has been about six month or less, and if Diamond & Pearl remakes do end up being announced tomorrow for a November release (and considering the last five pairs of games, starting with Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire in 2014, have all been released in November, I think that's a fair to predict that these would come in November too) then it will be the longest we've waited from official reveal to release for any Pokémon core series remake to date.

This isn't me saying that we won't see them tomorrow - I'm in the cart which thinks we do, simply because it's the anniversary celebration, and it's the only time a potential remake reveal has landed in an anniversary year of the series - but if we don't for whatever reason see a core series title announced tomorrow (and considering COVID could be a factor in any delay to such news, though they announced Sun & Moon with art and renderings from around the office in the year it was released, so...), then May seems the other likely slot they might try to fit it into. If you want some totally wild and unfounded speculation I've thrown around in my head, I think it's totally possible that the Switch Pro and BotW2 were aiming for November of this year, and because it doesn't make sense to release such massive titles on the same system in the same month, the remakes could have been planned to be released in September (their anniversary month) to free room up for that in November. Again, totally unfounded speculation on my part - Pokémon kills it in Q4 - but it's just something interesting to think about, I think. Not that I really think that's happening  

Now, I think it would be a pretty big misstep if we ended up with something else other than Sinnoh remakes this year - regardless of the form they would take - but this is Game Freak we're talking about. If Gen VII taught us anything, it's that a) they care enough about major anniversaries to basically make a new pair of games Pokémon Anniversary: The Video Game for one (I loved Sun & Moon for that, even if I think it fell short in other areas), and b) they really don't care too much about past precedent. I mean, we ended up with a second pair of Kanto remakes in a brand new subseries with the Let's Go games before getting Sinnoh remakes, the first multi-platform Pokémon generation, and the first enhanced editions (albeit a pair of them, for a change) in nearly a decade at that point. I think Diamond & Pearl remakes are the obvious choice to go with this year, and are more likely than the next pair of true and proper Let's Go games if that series does continue (a second pair of Johto remakes before a first pair of Sinnoh remakes would seriously cause some uproar), but they could go another direction. This is basically me talking myself down from a ledge here, but Red 2 & Blue 2 (aka Kanto's Back Again Again Again Again Again: Give Us Your Money Edition) or a brand new pair of games isn't totally impossible. Unlikely? Yes. Do I think we'll get Sinnoh games instead of those? Yes. But impossible? No. 

As for the reveal itself of potential Diamond & Pearl remakes, logically it would be the thing you close on (unless somehow even with Diamond & Pearl reveals, for the 25th anniversary, they decide to tease the development of Gen IX for next year if it is a noticeable step up from Sword & Shield in its ambition, but I don't see it). If you're going full-on Sword & Shield engine with Wild Areas, stick on Professor Rowan's Laboratory while you give us some environmental shots, I don't expect them to go too crazy with the reveal simply because compared to other remakes, again, this would be the furthest out we've seen anything. If it's top-down like the Let's Go games, but keeping the core series mechanics, either make that clear or, again, jjust tease some environmental shots. Whatever you do, I find it hard to believe you can come up with something worse than the Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire reveal. 

It's called the Advance for a reason - Okay, so Game Freak ported the Gen I games over so that we could return to Kanto on the 3DS back in 2016 for the 20th Anniversary. Please don't do that again! As fun as those earlier games can be to return to, with the later release of Gen VII titles and ports of the Gen II on the 3DS, you could play through six of the seven generations of core series titles at that time on your 3DS, thanks also to backwards compatibility with DS titles. The only generation missing? Gen III, the Game Boy Advance titles.

You want to send us back to Kanto again for the 25th Anniversary? Release FireRed and LeafGreen on the Nintendo Switch's eShop. Sell them for £10 - £15 each, you don't have the issue you might end up with for later DS titles where they were designed for two screens, and the best part is that it's Hoenn's 20th anniversary next year, so you can then port over Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald for that too. Easy money. 

Nintendo Switch: Ports Extraordinaire - I don't think this necessarily needs to take time up here and can just be scattered throughout the year, but the Wii U saw a lot of ports back in 2016 for the 20th Anniversary, with various spin-off titles making it over: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. A lot of these depended on a second screen or a touch screen, so I don't know how feasible it would be to see some of these come over, but if they could find a way to port the Ranger games over in a collection, I think they'd go over great. The Trozei games, from what I remember, wouldn't need too much changed to make them a single screen experience, too, so maybe those could come over? The you've got Pinball, the Puzzle games, the TCG games...there are a lot of Pokémon spin-offs! Personally I'd want to see Pokémon Colosseum or XD: Gale of Darkness come over, just because I think they were - and are still - a pretty unique spin on the formula, and I loved watching my friend play them on his GameCube growing up. And a port of the original Pokémon Snap later in the year once the hype for New Pokémon Snap has died down would absolutely be welcome (or heck, even just make it an add-on for that game). 

Spinning off like a Hitmontop - And yes, the 20th Anniversary also saw a number of spin-offs too, so continuations/remasters/remakes of old series, or completely new series, would be great to see. Back in 2016 the Wii U version of Pokkén Tournament was released, Detective Pikachu released in Japan, Super Mystery Dungeon made its way to Europe and Australia after releasing in 2015 in Japan and North America, I'm pretty sure another one of those Japanese arcade puck games got released, and let's not forget that Pokémon GO turns 5 this year and will likely have a bunch of events coming up (if they haven't already announced them), though I don't think this is necessarily the place for that. 

In terms of what I'd love to see, I know we only got Rescue Team DX, but the sooner we get an Explorers of Sky remake, I think @Glen-i will agree, the better! In terms of other series they could bring back, I'd love Ranger to get a new game to serve as a bit of a reboot, just because I don't think those games would necessarily be best ported over, but would need a lot of work on a mechanics level to translate that experience to the Switch. I have no idea how popular Pokkén Tournament ended up being, and I have no idea how Bandai Namco's teams are structured - so it could by all means be the same people working on New Pokémon Snap, though I kind of doubt it based on just how different they are mechanically - but that always seemed like a shoe-in for a sequel to me. 

In terms of new spin-off titles, I'm not super sure. It's hard to bet against some other Pokémon app being announced, but other than that, the only real thing springing to mind would be a Pokémon Warriors game, though I'm not sure how likely it would be we'd get one this year just with the ongoing support Age of Calamity is getting. Seriously, though, if and when they do get around to it, that'll be the easiest money they've ever made, and maybe one of the only realistic ways to surpass Age of Calamity's great sales figures in a massive way. I kind of envision this as Pokémon just running amok and you playing as a trainer, catching and swapping between Pokémon on your way up to the top, levelling them up as you go, helping save some region from certain demise. To make later playthroughs rewarding, have other trainers from throughout the franchise's history unlock which you can use in a New Game+, such as using Red's team from Mt Silver, Cynthia's team from Diamond and Pearl, Youngster Joey's Rattata/Raticate, etc. It would be such an easy game to support in that way, and heck, you thought Dexit in Sword & Shield was bad? Because could season pass the absolute stuffing out of a game like that. 

Updates on already announced titles - A pretty safe thing to expect, but also a pretty easy thing to forget: updates on Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon Unite as @Ashley and @Londragon mentioned, respectively, are a great shout. We also haven't heard about the Detective Pikachu (video game) sequel since it was first announced in May 2019, so that could turn up, and I think another look at New Pokémon Snap now that it's just over 2 months away - and wasn't at last weeks Nintendo Direct - would be a smart choice. I don't expect to see much of New Pokémon Snap, just because I don't think a deep dive necessarily helps sell that game any better than short snippets, and at most before the game's release (but not necessarily here in this presentation) I think we might see a playthrough of a level or two, just to share with those not familiar with the first game what they can expect. But again, I think that game is a fairly easy one to market in short snippets, so I don't think it should take up too much time here. 

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Julius

[S.C.G]

Pokémon Presents 26.02.2021 to be shown tomorrow

Now up on the main page.

N-Europe will have the full Roundup article posted, shortly after the presentation.

- - - - -

Edited February 25, 2021 by S.C.G

[Dcubed]

Right on cue.

Return of Sinnoh.  Let's... appear!  

[MindFreak]

So... last year we got Pokémon Smile. Wonder if we get Pokémon Push now....

[Ashley]

35 minutes ago, MindFreak said:

So... last year we got Pokémon Smile. Wonder if we get Pokémon Push now....

Pikachu the birthing assistant?

[EEVILMURRAY]

Hopes:

New Ranger Game

New core game, doesn't have to have a wealth of new 'mon, just a new world.

More Snap stuff

Maybe reboot of Sinnoh shizzle, proper style.

Hopefully sneaking in a sequel to Golden Sun 

 

What we'll probably get:

More Mystery Dungeon bollocks

More DLC for Sword/Shield

Reboot of Sinnoh but in Pokemon Go stylie

Clones of other games just with Pokemon in  / freemium appz

 

[Glen-i]

11 hours ago, EEVILMURRAY said:

Hopes:

New Ranger Game

New core game, doesn't have to have a wealth of new 'mon, just a new world.

More Snap stuff

Maybe reboot of Sinnoh shizzle, proper style.

Hopefully sneaking in a sequel to Golden Sun 

 

What we'll probably get:

More Mystery Dungeon bollocks

More DLC for Sword/Shield

Reboot of Sinnoh but in Pokemon Go stylie

Clones of other games just with Pokemon in  / freemium appz

 

Considering the thread we're in, that's not a hope, that's desperation.

Also, screw you! If Mystery Dungeon bollocks happens, I'm happy dancing all over this page.

[Mandalore]

Some wild speculation:

Pokemon Mini 2: Red & Green. The original games on new mini hardware, complete with link cable to make Nintendo even more money for an authentic experience.

Gen 5 remakes announced instead of Gen 4 to troll everyone.

 

What I'd really like to see:

New Pinball.

New Colosseum style game. Give another (more competent) developer a shot at making an adventure with more traditional mechanics, without any of the main series baggage or unrealistic expectations.

[Ashley]

Things I would like:

A way of playing Gold/Silver on the switch (VC, remake, whatever) as I'm in the mood to play them again and only have a switch. 

Same for the GB TCG game (trading card game game). 

[Julius]

Reddit user PracticalBrush12 - who in hindsight accurately leaked last week's Nintendo Direct, and plenty of other Nintendo-related things, including Sword and Shield details (I had a look at their post history after last week's Direct) - has apparently leaked two games from today's Pokémon Presents. 

Like last time, throwing the link to the leaks in a spoiler tag to save people potentially opening it by mistake. 

Spoiler

https://www.resetera.com/threads/rumour-reddit-user-praticalbrush12-leaks-two-upcoming-pokemon-games-for-the-nintendo-switch.385265/

Going to be a long five and a half hours steering my eyes away from that 

Also leaks totally suck, and while it's interesting to look back at after an event, leaking things hours before an event just rubs me the wrong way. Then again, the only leaks about announcements I don't mind are the silly ones, like when developers aren't careful with their laptops when in public, and more important things like how staff are treated internally.

Stealing a developer's thunder is stupid, especially when it's one of the more widely known journalists in the industry breaking the news (like that guy whose name rhymes with Mason Schmeier). The only time in recent memory that it's worked in a reveal's favour was with Mario+Rabbids. 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Julius

[drahkon]

I looked at that leak.

Spoiler

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by drahkon

[Ashley]

Spoiler

That second one would be interesting, but more because of the setting. Pokémon Conquest was one of the most interesting spinoffs to me because of the unique setting. 

 

[MindFreak]

Spoiler

Sounds interesting but I'll have to see that before I believe it. The second thing is what so many have wanted for so long...

 

[drahkon]

3 minutes ago, Ashley said:

  Response to leak (Reveal hidden contents)

That second one would be interesting, but more because of the setting. Pokémon Conquest was one of the most interesting spinoffs to me because of the unique setting. 

 

Spoiler

Had to look up that Conquest thingy. The setting is interesting indeed.

 

1 minute ago, MindFreak said:

  Leaks (Reveal hidden contents)

Sounds interesting but I'll have to see that before I believe it. The second thing is what so many have wanted for so long...

 

Spoiler

Yup. This is what I need to be interested in a Pokémon game again. It just needs to be done right (and real, obviously).

 

[Julius]

Me for the next five hours: 

(it's a joke about being bashed by leeks/leaks)

Edited February 26, 2021 by Julius
Hopefully clarifying which one I am

[Ashley]

Are you bashing people with leeks or trying to pretend you're not being bashed over the head by them?

[Julius]

Just now, Ashley said:

Are you bashing people with leeks or trying to pretend you're not being bashed over the head by them?

The latter, Julius is definitely the name of a Psyduck!  

[Ronnie]

53 minutes ago, Julius said:

Stealing a developer's thunder is stupid, especially when it's one of the more widely known journalists in the industry breaking the news (like that guy whose name rhymes with Mason Schmeier). The only time in recent memory that it's worked in a reveal's favour was with Mario+Rabbids. 

Totally agree with this.

It might have done Mario + Rabbids a big favour, but it was still a shitty thing to do from Emily Rogers. I think she's learned from that though and hasn't leaked any specific games since.

[Ashley]

33 minutes ago, Julius said:

The latter, Julius is definitely the name of a Psyduck!  

Sounds a little farfetch'd to me

[Goron_3]

Looks like the rumour is true - the trailer has leaked (available on resetera, along with plenty of screenshots). Very happy with that.

What's funny about this is that it's literally the exact opposite of what Serebii has been claiming for years

Edited February 26, 2021 by Goron_3

[drahkon]

FYI: Don't hover over that link.

The URL will spoil a lot.