Official Pre-Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield Speculation & Leaks thread

[ThePokeSpectre]

Don't think we get anything this month, since Shiny Zygarde is distributed.

So with that logic, we shouldn't have gotten a game announced back in Feb 2016 (Sun and Moon) when the last similar event like this was running (Mythical a month which was Mew).

Besides, Zygarde is being released June and Let's go according to what people are saying is to be revealed before the end of the month. I don't see how they conflict.

 

[Spinjira]

As much as I loved BoTW, I just want to point out that the remake/enhanced port Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which released almost two months later, outranks it in sales for the Switch worldwide by around three-quarters of a million sales. Last time I checked my Switch's eShop, Death Road to Canada was in the top three in the sales chart. Switch games do not need to be groundbreaking to sell well or be well received.

I agree with you're point, but BOTW is the best selling Zelda game ever. It has outsold the two Wii entries that had an install base 5 times of the current switch numbers. While games don't have to be groud breaking but the innovation in BOTW definitely helped it reach new heights sales wise.

 

[Gísli]

I agree with you're point, but BOTW is the best selling Zelda game ever. It has outsold the two Wii entries that had an install base 5 times of the current switch numbers. While games don't have to be proud breaking but the innovation in BOTW definitely helped it reach new heights sales wise.

Definitely - no arguing with that! And of course I myself would love a Pokémon game that went as far as BoTW did for LoZ. I'm just pointing out that it is not a requirement for making a good or popular game.

 

[Greninjaman]

I could see how they could make it like Breath of the Wild: let you face each leader in any order, with them using a different team based on when you fight them. They could also implement the Quest Mechanic from BOTW (I.E every main/side quest has a quest tag like in BOTW).

Also, aren't Pokemon games open-world anyway? You can go places.

 

[TheElderKing]

I could see how they could make it like Breath of the Wild: let you face each leader in any order, with them using a different team based on when you fight them. They could also implement the Quest Mechanic from BOTW (I.E every main/side quest has a quest tag like in BOTW).

Also, aren't Pokemon games open-world anyway? You can go places.

I’d love that mechanic, but I really doubt GF would go that route. It seems too much complicated for them to implement it.

With open-world games, people generally means larger game worlds what Pokémon games offer.

Which, I don’t think it’s necessary, since it often means the game feels empty. I think a middle ground would be the best approach, expecially as a starting point, and later they can decide if they want to make them larger or not.

For anyone that plays/played Bioware games, think of Dragon Age Inquisition. The areas in the game were too large with not enough content inside. They should’ve made the areas half their size, and it’d have been enough, given how small their games in terms of world size were before.

 

[KrisiChiki]

I don’t think it’s possible to gauge fan expectations when the Pokemon comminity is so big. I also don’t believe these games will fail even if it’s a sraight-up Yellow remake with SM graphics. It’s Pokemon so it will sell.

However, I really wish to see Game Freak slow down and spend more time on developing better games. I don’t even care about graphics; I just want more content, more substance and more detailed regions. As much as I love Pokemon, I don’t want to pay 60€ for something that wants to compete with the mobile market. I hope the Switch showed Game Freak that the console/handheld market is not dead.

 

[WallflowerCanyon]

Has there been any Pokémon game that has met fan expectations and is generally considered a masterpiece?

Not really sure on that one, since the community as a whole seems to be divided among which Generation is the "best". This fandom is sure a finicky one for sure.

 

[Spinjira]

Also, I'm not arguing to make Pokemon more like BOTW but that changing/innovating the gameplay can help the tired (but still fun) formula. Pokemon has only changed in smallish incremental steps over the last two decades rather than big shake ups in the formula. Is pokemon different than it was 20 years ago? Absolutely, but for the most part not much has changed the core gameplay of exploring the world, catching and battle pokemon.

 

[William-Jdubz]

Not really sure on that one, since the community as a whole seems to be divided among which Generation is the "best". This fandom is sure a finicky one for sure.

It seems to me after reading the comments most fans don’t know what they truly want or desire from Gamefreak, I wonder if we will ever be satisfied.

 

[Feign]

I don’t think it’s possible to gauge fan expectations when the Pokemon comminity is so big. I also don’t believe these games will fail even if it’s a sraight-up Yellow remake with SM graphics. It’s Pokemon so it will sell.

However, I really wish to see Game Freak slow down and spend more time on developing better games. I don’t even care about graphics; I just want more content, more substance and more detailed regions. As much as I love Pokemon, I don’t want to pay 60€ for something that wants to compete with the mobile market. I hope the Switch showed Game Freak that the console/handheld market is not dead.

Masuda hasn't directed a game since 2013. The only way this is rushed is if this is a spin off to buy more time. There's a reference to Gen V in Emerald, so it's not impossible to believe he's had plans for a console specific game for some time. The most credible leaks so far don't seem entirely promising, but I wouldn't write off Game Freak yet. I downloaded the Pokedex 3D app and the models are gorgeous due to the textures and shading. Just aesthetically, they have a lot to work with and it would be considerably less effort than the jump to XY.

 

[Feign]

It seems to me after reading the comments most fans don’t know what they truly want or desire from Gamefreak, I wonder if we will ever be satisfied.

That's because it's a game of telephone. Even when people agree on something, when it gets repeated, it changes slightly. Do it enough times, and it's almost unrecognizable. You can't base satisfaction off of reactions to reactions, which is all we have for now.

 

[Greninjaman]

Which, I don’t think it’s necessary, since it often means the game feels empty. I think a middle ground would be the best approach, expecially as a starting point, and later they can decide if they want to make them larger or not.

You know, I agree here. In thinking about it, it seemed that the world of BoTw was TOO large for what it has. I think that some Tower Zones could have been shrunk//merged with others. When I traveled through the world, I would often not come across a lot of enemies. Once, I was riding the Master Cycle like a lunatic (Yes I got the DLC [both in fact]) and I stumbled across a Guardian. I decided to fight it. In past games, you were under threat of attack no matter where you go. Sure there's the Skeletal enemies that come out at night.

 

[TheElderKing]

You know, I agree here. I thinking about it, it seemed that the world of BoTw was TOO large for what it has. I think that some Tower Zones could have been shrunk//merged with others. When I traveled through the world, I would often not come across a lot of enemies. Once, I was riding the Master Cycle like a lunatic (Yes I got the DLC [both in fact]) and I stumbled across a Guardian. I decided to fight it. In past games, you were under threat of attack no matter where you go. Sure there's the Skeletal enemies that come out at night.

It’s a common con of open world games. If they’ll ever go that path, I hope GF won’t make the world too big.

 

[Poke Dragon]

For the game to be open world, they have to strike a balance. An RPG isn't easy to make in an open world setting.

 

[TheElderKing]

For the game to be open world, they have to strike a balance. An RPG isn't easy to make in an open world setting.

Indeed it’s not, that’s why I hope they won’t make it (if/when it’ll happen) too big.

Also, based on the starting point, I don’t think it’s necessary to make it too big either, regardless of the complications with the content to add to not make the game feels empty. I don’t think Pokémon games need a huge open world.

 

[Oriden]

I think the world would feel larger if they didn't hold your hand and force you to go a certain way to progress the game, for starters. Just enough room to run in without making it a chore to cross a map would be good too.

An ideal open-world Pokemon game would probably be a large-ish world with few blocked routes, an indicator on the map of where to go next but otherwise a lot of interesting side quests that you can go complete instead of furthering the story, giving more of an illusion of freedom while still having a direct story path.

They could probably have a game with no blocked routes by having pokemon levels scale up with your trainer's level like... in... Pokemon Go. ._. ...screw pokeball-throwing and battles, why not take inspiration from that Go mechanic.

 

[Minya_Nouvelle]

Pokemon doesn't need to be a large open world. It just needs more side areas that are fun and rewarding to explore like the SS Aqua, or trick house, or the Relic Passage, etc.

I think they also need to just be more imaginative, break boundaries, be a little weird. Go bold. I want a whole game like the Rainbow Rocket post story. You've introduced cannon parallel dimensions. Use that to the fullest advantage:

Kanto takes place in universe where Giovanni won and things are crazy. They've nearly eradicated the pokemon population in order to create super powerful pokemon called Ultra Shiny (like Red Gyardos). That's my dream right now anyway.

 

[CalamityRobin]

The idea of Pokemon going open world makes me a bit nervous, honestly. My other favourite series (not an RPG) recently went open world after years of following the strict formula they were good at. It was a mess.

Pokemon can probably do it better, but... sometimes games can lose something by going open world. It has to be the right fit, and I'm not completely sold on Pokemon being that right fit.

 

[Poke Dragon]

I for one, hope that Pokemon doesn't take the Breath of the Wild route since all of that empty space sort of made it boring. I think a Super Mario Odyssey route is much better if they plan on going open world, it still gives the player an objective for them to do, but they have the option to do a lot of sidequests as well all the while limiting the player into a single area, which works best as an RPG.

 

[GrimmSceptile]

Shame they are probably fake