The first Pokemon game on the Switch was always going to be a Big Deal but this wasn't perhaps what people were expecting. There's still some capacity for surprise left in the franchise, it seems.
So what do we have?
A Generation 1 focus; essentially a remake of Pokemon Yellow.
Two-player local co-op.
Crossovers with Pokemon Go, including the same catching mechanic and the ability to import Pokemon from the mobile game.
No random battles
Hilarious vibrating Pokeball accessory
Can't see any scenario where I don't get this on the day of release - I've put enough hours into Go to make this a no-brainer. Anyone else? I'm guessing Mart's already got his order in, at least.
You beat me to writing about this - I only haven't because I didn't fancy spinning out enthusiastic posts via my mobile. :)
Very much looking forward to this, it'll be the one that draws me back in. Haven't played a 'proper' Pokémon game to death since Diamond (I dabbled in X/Y but quickly lost interest), so the more casual approach here most certainly appeals. I'm an Eevee boy, for sure.
Things of note:
• Seems to be a reimagining of the Yellow world, but not a remake due to the need to draw in Go players. I'm betting on the story being simpler to keep people hooked with more freedom to roam and less 'Where do I go now?' moments.
• You can only go from Go to Switch, not Switch to Go - LG only has Kanto region stuff, so no cheating there to fill those Mewtwo/Tauros gaps.
Very much looking forward to this… will pre-order the ball as soon as it appears on the Nintendo store. :)
I'd have been more interested in this if it had retained the classic capture battles, though I have to admit I'm still pretty tempted.
Some of the messaging around this and other upcoming Pokémon titles seems blurry, though - I got the impression from some articles that there's another, "main series", entry coming next year that will be entirely in the traditional mould?
Well, it's not the Gen 8 game everyone was expecting. It's very firmly Gen 1, although it does include the Gen 7 Alolan forms plus apparently one brand new Pokemon that hasn't appeared anywhere else so far.
Whether or not this becomes the mould for Switch games in the series going forward will depend on its reception, I'd expect. I don't have a problem with the removal of battles for capturing wild Pokemon - you'll still get to fight properly in trainer and gym battles. It's exactly the same split they've got in Pokemon Go.
Some of the messaging around this and other upcoming Pokémon titles seems blurry, though - I got the impression from some articles that there's another, "main series", entry coming next year that will be entirely in the traditional mould?
Yep.
Pokémon messaging is always wooly when they're not announcing stuff. That said, they've come some way from where they used to be - namely, saying fuck all until the game was finished and ready to be shown without issue. Just saying something, anything is coming is a new thing for them.
My other half is obsessed with Pokemon Go but I was still slightly surprised when she announced she'd pre-ordered Let's Go (with the Pokeball controller, no less) - I think it's probably the first actual videogame she's ever bought.
I've watched her playing it with my son and they're both having a great time with it. It's basically a remake of Yellow with some Pokemon Go mechanics and it's totally aimed at parents playing with their kids. There's a neat little two-player co-op mode, the controls are straightforward and the game's very very easy, though there are some more challenging mechanics like catching streaks of the same Pokemon to trigger rarer spawns and shinies so that's very much driving their interest.
The controls are odd - if you're playing docked then you have to use motion controls for the catching, which means basically either a single joycon or the Pokeball. But if you're playing handheld then you get a much more traditional button-controlled experience, and it's odd that you can't use the Pro controller to replicate that when playing docked. The Pokeball itself is a pretty shit controller (not enough buttons, and hardly ergonomic) but you can transfer one of your Pokemon to it and take it for a walk to level it up, and it's hilarious seeing someone walking along with it occasionally making Pokemon noises and rattling to let you know there's something "inside it". It's quite a convincing mechanic, in an odd kind of way.
It's not a substitute for a proper Gen 8 Pokemon game, but as a gateway drug it does exactly what it's meant to do, draw Pogo players into the "real games" in preparation for a full entry next year.
I found these fan-made covers - replicating the packaging of the original Green/Red releases - online and couldn't resist printing them out. Really like them. :)
