Topic: Nintendo Switch --OT--

@KratosMD Yeah we've been playing the same game for 20 yesrs but now you literally get to play a game from 20 years ago with less mechanical depth and its their first home console game

@KratosMD Im not mad its changing.

Im mad its changing to something almost universally agreed as worse. Pokemon Go is an excellent social experience but it really is not a good game.

Plus, yes, that was how you caught Pokemon. But it was more involved than literal "Throw and hope". There was some prep, strategy, thought.

Now when you encounter Mewtwo itll just sit there and you throw balls until the game decides it works. No battle, no weakening it.

Itll just sit there. Looking at you. While you throw balls.

@KratosMD Its also a major step back.

The way you encounter Pokemon? Improvement.

The way you get them to join you? Worse.

And yeah youve already caught them all, but as you keep saying, you dont want to do that again. So why do you suddenly want to do that again?

Its an easier way to catch things in that it requires no thought. Its a harder way to catch because unlike the core RPGs the process is now 100% RNG as opposed to having influence over it...

It really bothers me that this game is less mechanically involved than a GameBoy game and THIS is the first home console experience.

Like I get wanting to get lapsed fans back in like yourself, but even they knew the way catching worked and liked it.

If you boil this game down to what it is...its Pokemon's first home console game. Its a remake of a GameBoy game, but its removing mechanics and features. In place its adding functionality from a smartphone app.

Can you see why this isnt enticing?

Imagine Persona 6 was an RPG on PS5 but instead of battling you did the dancing game, removing one of the long standing core aspects of the gameplay.

@KratosMD I am amazed you can see replacing existing mechanics and influenced RNG with smartphone mechanics and pure RNG for their first home console game is an upgrade.

I also hope for your sake you ignore the next game which you most likely will as theyve confirmed its more in line with what fans want.

Which makes me question why do this move if its a one off and the lapsed fans wont bother with the next thing. Makes me think if this does well its all we will get in future.

You can be hyped for this. I wont take that away from you. I see your perspective as a lapsed fan but I hope you can see my perspective and why I really just want nothing to do with this game.

@KratosMD I just read it in my head.

"Pokemon home console debut remake of GB game with gameplay from smartphone"

Thats...wheres my booze.

And yeah, the next main game could be good. But the last time GameFreak launched their series onto a system we got XY and Id rather break my spine than go bsck to anything like that quality...the worry is always there.

I mean at least with this game you know its a remake of Kanto before you play it XD

But hey look at that. I was saying theyd start HD Pokemon with a remake. Allows them to adjust without worrying about loads of design details and elements.

I suppose the implication on a wider sense is that this year for Switch is...lets say terrible for me.

Kirby which was meh...and Smash. Guess every year cant be amazing

@KratosMD Don't get me wrong, but you could always just chuck Poke Balls at wild Pokemon hoping they'd stay in à la GO style. I don't see how removing the battling wild Pokemon aspect changes that in any way. It's just taking out potential strategy. You still need to rely heavily on grinding for evolving them all, random trade evolutions, etc. The grinding bit is just made a bit more difficult now...

@YummyHappyPills I haven't been able to get into the franchise since the late DS entries. The main issue I have is the simplification, lowered difficulty and the reliance on intrusive story elements in the franchise. So here's hoping they can at least bring that back in the next entry. Though I've heard you say that USUM were difficult, but in an unfair way, so there's that as well.

Though there's one positive thing about these new games, you know there won't be an intrusive story.

I've also been thinking about the removal of random encounters. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. Pokemon to be has always been a game about numbers, so I didn't mind the random encounters. I would even argue that the surprise of not knowing what you're going to encounter on a new route is actually a positive thing. So preferably I'd like to see a mix of both. I think Ranger is a good example; you could see Pokemon running around, but they turn into a shadow once they entered tall grass. Of course, that shouldn't work for big Pokemon like Tauros, but I think it would be neat if the smaller Pokemon were hidden once they entered the grass. Some could have clues like those Zigzagoon tails in ORAS. I would also like them to adopt the fishing mechanics from Animal Crossing if they're keeping this mechanic in the next games. Have different sizes of shadows for the fish Pokemon. Maybe even some unique shapes, like a star shape for Staryu, etc. Enough to tell most of them apart, but without completely removing the element of surprise.

@KratosMD But if it's anything like Pokemon GO, Pokemon will flee and run away after a random time. I think that's way more infuriating that having it attack your team.

What do you mean with faster pace by the way? If you want to catch them all, you'd still need to catch every (unique) Pokemon you find.

To me, battling pokemon to weaken them is much more fun than just throwing balls and hoping for the best. Those Go catching mechanics work when out and about on your smartphone due to being quick and simple, but I'd want to have traditional capturing on any console games.

Can't wait to waggle to capture Pokemon?
Can't wait to buy another gimmick controller?
Can't wait for mobile phone integration in your video game?
Can't wait to stare at the uninspiring art style?

Then this game is for you.

PS Don't be surprised when the cosmetics for your Pokemon turn out to be microtransactions.

@KratosMD But that's not how either game works. There's a certain chance you will catch a Pokemon (called catch rate), it's determined by a formula. You can modify the outcome by lowering its health, inflicting a status condition, or using a different Poke Ball. Sometimes all you need to do is getting it to sleep and throwing an Ultra Ball at it, that's enough for the outcome to be more than 100%, and therefore to be a guaranteed catch.

Pokemon GO is the same, but without the modifications. So you're just chucking balls until you've caught the Pokemon. From my experience, even if you can pull off the best throws consistently, it's still not guaranteed to catch a Pokemon in one go. Plus, in Pokemon GO all Pokemon have a chance of running away. So you can end up wasting 10 Poke Balls on a Pokemon, and then it just runs away. Trust me, I've played the game for a good while, and it's way more infuriating than anything in the main games.

Waiting for the Poke Ball to waggle three times is still present in Pokemon GO by the way. You're more than likely to spend the same amount of time in a fight, but instead of affecting the chance, you're just chucking more Poke Balls at the wild encounter.

Plus, there's only like 50 Pokemon you need to catch, in order to get the rest you need to evolve them through grinding if you want to ''catch them all'' (& trading). That's where the battles against wild Pokemon come into play. But they're gone in this version. So I don't think this adds anything, it doesn't speed it up, and it doesn't make it necessarily easier, it just removes the ability to influence the outcome of catching Pokemon.

I think a lot of people are missing the point here. This game isn't for people like us who want a more hardcore Pokemon experience. It's to bring in a ton of casuals and people who were into Pokemon Go. The 2019 game is for people who want/are ready for a more hardcore game.

To quote what I said in a recent Nintendo Life article:

I don't think most people on sites like this are as excited for Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee as they are for the more hardcore 2019 title, but it's great for bringing in new people and selling millions of Switches. And more Switches sold means better first and third party support, so it's really a win for everyone involved. The casual people get their casual game, the hardcore people get their hardcore game in 2019, and Nintendo rakes in the money and gives us a lot of great games as a result.

Sure, it's possible that the 2019 title will have "casualization" issues, but so far, it seems like it won't, or at the very least it'll be more aimed towards the hardcore fans than the Let's Go games are.

Sup my Nintendo friends, did you guys see the Nintendo Direct leak? The same guy who leaked the list also was right about Fallout 76. Anyway, nothing is confirmed, but it would be a solid direct. Not sure if its allowed to post here, but many people are discussing it on Reddit.

@PS_Nation Err, which leak? The only leaks I've seen being discussed in the Nintendo-sphere semi-recently are the Pokemon ones related to the new games.

You don't mean the E3 one that listed games like "Yoshi's Flipping Island," right?

@Ralizah That's the one. It would be cool a Star Fox made by Retro. Also, there are games like Super Smash Bros, F-Zero, Metroid, etc.

@PS_Nation Well, aside from the silly names and the fact that the E3 schedule paper template has been used and abused continuously for years around the time of the event, the big thing keeping me from believing this is just that it reads too much like a core Nintendo gamer wishlist. Nintendo pretty much always includes at least one reveal that comes COMPLETELY out of left field.

I very much doubt they're going to announce a Star Fox racing game and a new F-Zero in the same Direct.

@Ralizah It could be false, actually, it's probably false , but I believe the same guy leaked Fallout and that was true, so I dunno...

@Octane But I believe that Retro would make a traditional Star Fox, not a racing game. If Retro is handling the game indeed, it will be a big game, not a spin-off.

Just because a guy got one leak right doesn't mean that he will then go to predict everything right. He probably just lucked out with one of his sources. Rumours and speculation should be taken with a pinch of salt.

So Switch is getting FIFA 19, once again on a custom engine, with vastly improved graphics.

Colour me both incorrect in my pessimism and pleasantly surprised.