Switch Pokemon Winds & Waves

[omgfridge]

Announced at the Pokemon presents. Out in 2027.

Hopefully a smoother launch than Scarlet/Violet had but Switch 2 did fix those.

Love the look of the starters. I am team water Gex.

 

[UltraEgo]

Let's hope Game Freak actually made an effort with this, and it's not another bare minimum job

 

[Gethelred]

My issues remain:
- I hate the way the game looks in the 3d engine. You look like a talented nine-year old's attempt at drawing a character from a template. Going from the pikachus in the opening cinematic to the in game engine is jarring AF. What good is done by showing the world and the pokemon in it is likely undone by graphical glitches, pop ins, shit textures and - frankly - uninspired visuals for linear paths.

Clair Obscura has exceedingly pretty landscapes that are worthwhile to explore purely because they're pretty and contain visual storytelling, despite the emptiness of them. FF13 was criticised waaaay back because despite being pretty, you're in a linear corridor in what is ostensibly an adventure game. Pokemon is at its best when it's got the metroidvania elements comprised by the HMs and you're not limited in your exploration, and your exploration needs to give you something worthwhile. 'Rock themed area' with a geodude again is not worthwhile.

- Long tutorials and time wasting.

It took more than a minute for the actual trailer for the games to begin. I don't particularly know why we needed to see boy and girl surfer pikachu, and while I acknowledge that probably isn't for me - my favourite pokemon is bulbasaur though, so it isn't as though I can't get got by cuteness - the whole thing reeked of masturbatory self flagellation.

After Sun and Moon had the entire first half of the game be a linear tutorial followed by a series of on rails sequences, Sword and Shield weren't really all that much better. Mario Odyssey was not pushing the series onto new ground, but designed to bring in new young fans. I can't see gamefreak doing anything other than what they've done consistently since XY and put steadily more timewasty elements - do we really, truly need to see leaves cross the screen laggingly on transition because we entered a battle in a forest? - and linear paths or tutorials.

For me to come back, it's going to have to be ****ing amazing on release, not after DLC or patches.

 

[The_Todd07]

Let's hope Game Freak actually made an effort with this, and it's not another bare minimum job

Scarlet and Violet came out 3 years after Sword and Shield and included covid

Winds and Waves will be 4.5-5 years after Scarlet and Violet

At the very least they are giving themselves more time

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

My issues remain:
- I hate the way the game looks in the 3d engine. You look like a talented nine-year old's attempt at drawing a character from a template. Going from the pikachus in the opening cinematic to the in game engine is jarring AF. What good is done by showing the world and the pokemon in it is likely undone by graphical glitches, pop ins, shit textures and - frankly - uninspired visuals for linear paths.

Clair Obscura has exceedingly pretty landscapes that are worthwhile to explore purely because they're pretty and contain visual storytelling, despite the emptiness of them. FF13 was criticised waaaay back because despite being pretty, you're in a linear corridor in what is ostensibly an adventure game. Pokemon is at its best when it's got the metroidvania elements comprised by the HMs and you're not limited in your exploration, and your exploration needs to give you something worthwhile. 'Rock themed area' with a geodude again is not worthwhile.

- Long tutorials and time wasting.

It took more than a minute for the actual trailer for the games to begin. I don't particularly know why we needed to see boy and girl surfer pikachu, and while I acknowledge that probably isn't for me - my favourite pokemon is bulbasaur though, so it isn't as though I can't get got by cuteness - the whole thing reeked of masturbatory self flagellation.

After Sun and Moon had the entire first half of the game be a linear tutorial followed by a series of on rails sequences, Sword and Shield weren't really all that much better. Mario Odyssey was not pushing the series onto new ground, but designed to bring in new young fans. I can't see gamefreak doing anything other than what they've done consistently since XY and put steadily more timewasty elements - do we really, truly need to see leaves cross the screen laggingly on transition because we entered a battle in a forest? - and linear paths or tutorials.

For me to come back, it's going to have to be ****ing amazing on release, not after DLC or patches.

I've not enjoyed the past few iterations, but playing Fire Red has really shown me just how much they've dropped the ball. Despite two decades of quality of life improvements and technical advances, it is the inescapable truth that the games from 2004 are far superior to any main line (plus Z-A) Pokemon game in the 3D era.

 

[UltraEgo]

They should be using cel-shaded anime style art direction for their game engine like Genshin Impact.

Pokemon have always looked terrible in 3D IMO

 

[Gethelred]

I've not enjoyed the past few iterations, but playing Fire Red has really shown me just how much they've dropped the ball. Despite two decades of quality of life improvements and technical advances, it is the inescapable truth that the games from 2004 are far superior to any main line (plus Z-A) Pokemon game in the 3D era.

And the worst part about it is it simply shouldn't be this hard.

• put pokemon - all of them - in game.
• make 8 gyms and elite 4.
• craft a basic world with interesting things to do in it, plus a few secrets people could miss.
• profit.

 

[UltraEgo]

And the worst part about it is it simply shouldn't be this hard.

• put pokemon - all of them - in game.
• make 8 gyms and elite 4.
• craft a basic world with interesting things to do in it, plus a few secrets people could miss.
• profit.

they profit anyway no matter what they do, it's why they don't even try because they are guaranteed profit

 

[Gethelred]

they profit anyway no matter what they do, it's why they don't even try because they are guaranteed profit

They do, but they could still do less and make a good game. They waste time on boondoggles and gimmicks to be scrapped a game later rather than just producing a quality user experience.

 

[UltraEgo]

They should be using cel-shaded anime style art direction for their game engine like Genshin Impact.

Pokemon have always looked terrible in 3D IMO

Imagine Kanto like this

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

And the worst part about it is it simply shouldn't be this hard.

• put pokemon - all of them - in game.
• make 8 gyms and elite 4.
• craft a basic world with interesting things to do in it, plus a few secrets people could miss.
• profit.

See I don't disagree necessarily, but I actually think the reality is much simpler.

I am enjoying Fire Red for four core reasons:
1. I am spending my time exploring, catching, and battling - not dancing, dressing up my Pokemon, or spamming A to skip mind numbing dialogue.
2. The game is challenging. It is nearly impossible to hit level parity with gyms/rival, and the gameplay therefore becomes so much more strategically interesting.
3. Somewhat relatedly, the game doesn't spend time holding your hand. You wake up in a world filled with Pokemon and...figure the rest out. I've got 4 Pokemon within an hour of gameplay and know roughly where I'm going and what I'm doing. In the 3D era games I'm still getting shown how to catch a Pokemon and learning about my dumb friends' stereotypical traits and hobbies.
4. Although it is still linear, there is so much more freedom to go wherever, and it takes some thought to work out where you're going. The Metroidvania elements are there to keep you more or less on track with HM/item area locking, but outside that, you make your own way. Ironically the lack of HM locking should be a positive of the new games but they're so devoid of exploratory freedom that they've got the worst of both worlds.

The suggestions in your post are also good ones, but the biggest problem is that the core gameplay loop is fundamentally broken in the 3D era, and the game is not fun to play.

 

[Grockadoc]

Still pissed we haven't got an Australian based region...

Surely there is a market there given all of our native fauna.

Could have a fire/dark type starter based around the a Red Belly Black Snake or even Tasmanian Devil.

A grass/fighting type Kangaroo based mon.

And a Water/Poison type Platypus.

 

[Gethelred]

Still pissed we haven't got an Australian based region...

Surely there is a market there given all of our native fauna.

Could have a fire/dark type starter based around the a Red Belly Black Snake or even Tasmanian Devil.

A grass/fighting type Kangaroo based mon.

And a Water/Poison type Platypus.

And a quasi legendary based on dropbears.