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

[RileyXY1]

After Masuda's recent statements, I don't have high hopes for these games.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

Some news from an article recently linked on the LGPE thread (translated with Google translate, sorry)

About Pokémon 2019:

• The idea of Pokémon 2019 is that each player uses their own Nintendo Switch, so it will have a style of gameplay more similar to previous games.
• Masuda wants to be able to transfer Pokémon from Let's Go to Pokémon 2019.
• The graphics of Pokémon 2019 will be more elaborate than those of Let's Go.

Entrevista a Junichi Masuda sobre Let’s Go: capturar Pokémon era muy difícil para algunos, más cambios controversiales en el futuro

(elaborate might seem like a translation goof, but the original is elaborados, so it would seem that is what was meant)

I'm feeling pretty good about those last two points-it's always great to have Pokemon be transferred up from previous games (especially when this means GO Pokemon can be used in Gen 8), and "elaborate" graphics sounds nice to me-I get the feeling that they mean they're adding more detail, but didn't want to give the impression that it was going to be a more realistic style, if that makes sense?

But that first point-dude, what the heck? You're making a game on a system that is capable of being a home console. It can support multiple users. It is also the most expensive console your games have come out on. And you just introduce co-op play. Why are you assuming everyone has a personal Switch?

 

[Silktree]

Probably because Nintendo want to release a handheld-only Switch form (hence all the talk about a 3DS successor) and Pokemon 2019 is supposed to be the big flagship title that will make people buy their own "Switch". I wouldn't dream of it, personally.

This makes co-op a lot less likely. They probably want to keep it exclusive to the Let's Go series, which is a shame because it's being severely misused there.

 

[Oriden]

Co-op also seems to be implemented in a really simple fashion in Let's Go- you run around the screen like player 2 in the early 2D Sonic games and use Player 1's pokemon to fight. Yeah, two people can play the game, but it doesn't seem like they went to any effort with it, since Player 2 doesn't really have their own data in the game. It's probably simpler at this stage than figuring out how to make a game call upon two different sets of player data at once.

 

[prog rocker]

1- Well, it doesn't really affect me since I play the games alone because I don't know anyone that plays the games or has a Switch.
2- This point makes me think that Kanto Pokémon will be less common so that Let's Go can have some use for the people that doesn't have the previous games. After all, Let's Go is going to be someone's first Pokémon game.
3- I don't know what to think about this. I'm really curious to see how it will look like.

EDIT: You know, playing Pokémon X for the third time in a row made me think of something else I would like: a way to influence your NPC partner in Multi Battles. Not exactly 100% control, just giving them commands like "target Pokémon 1" or "be defensive". That would be prevent moments like Faba and the Aether Employee getting +6 in their defenses because Lillie's Clefairy won't attack. Or when they knock out the Pokémon you're targeting and force you to use a non-effective move on the remaining Pokémon.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I have a feeling that the 2019 games will be released alongside a handheld version of Switch (kinda like 2DS to 3DS). From his statements, the GO style catching either remains or becomes optional, but I'm sure it isn’t disappearing.

I feel that Co-op will remain unchanged from LGPE, apart from maybe being able to give a name to Player 2 (LGPE just calls them a 'support trainer') and being able to choose their gender. Or maybe neither since they’re feeling lazy.

 

[Blast]

I'd be very surprised to not see some form of co-op in Pokémon Switch, though thinking about it, it's not unthinkable. Seeing as GF most likely has seperate teams working on the games, the team for Pokémon Switch might not have had the idea of co-op in mind from the beginning of development. In the past, beloved features like following Pokémon (HGSS), special music during battles (BW) or rollerskating (XY) have not appeared in the games immediately following, or at all since.

Personally, I think even a basic form of co-op is better than not having any at all. I probably wouldn't use it myself, but it really does seem like a waste to me to not include it with a game on a console that is so geared towards co-op play to start with.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

the team for Pokémon Switch might not have had the idea of co-op in mind from the beginning of development.

I'd say it’s nearly impossible since co-op is pretty much a part of Switch's core concept.

 

[InfernapeTheWise]

Didn't they say GameFreak has 300+ employees now?

 

[Silktree]

They must have included Creatures and whoever else is helping them.

As for co-op, the beauty of it is when you can play on a single system. Can you imagine that working well on a handheld-only Switch? Game Freak have removed features for a lot less.

 

[InfernapeTheWise]

They must have included Creatures and whoever else is helping them.

As for co-op, the beauty of it is when you can play on a single system. Can you imagine that working well on a handheld-only Switch? Game Freak have removed features for a lot less.

Does anybody know where they said it?

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Co-op also seems to be implemented in a really simple fashion in Let's Go- you run around the screen like player 2 in the early 2D Sonic games and use Player 1's pokemon to fight. Yeah, two people can play the game, but it doesn't seem like they went to any effort with it, since Player 2 doesn't really have their own data in the game. It's probably simpler at this stage than figuring out how to make a game call upon two different sets of player data at once.

That's exactly my qualm with the co op feature. It's just a whole lot of nothing.

 

[Silktree]

Does anybody know where they said it?

Eurogamer claimed that someone said it: "The studio, I'm told, has grown to well over three hundred people in size - it's an ambitious plan even still."

Either way, there are definitely only 143 full-time employees in the company itself. They're gradually expanding, though.

Also, bear in mind that more than 500 people were involved with XY in some way: "Taking into account the localization groups for each language, more than five hundred people were involved in the development."

I guess that the localization teams are pretty huge. There are seven of them now.

 

[TrainerJaren]

The co-op in Let's Go allows them to utilize one set of joycons in one home. It's not there for its ground breaking utilization imo. It's mostly a "cozy home" feature.

If it survives in the 2019 games it will most likely be using player data for each trainer by then and wont be a local feature otherwise.

 

[lavandula]

We have another 4chan "leak". Take huge grain of salt, but better than having no "leaks", right?

 

[Poke Dragon]

This one sounds reasonable considering the promise of many new Pokemon in the Gen 8 games, though not believing about new Megas considering Game Freak's habit of dropping a mechanic after a generation. I can see this one being real, it isn't one of those crazy impossible ones like changing a Pokemon's official name or outright removing Pokemon.

 

[Johnny Boy]

We have another 4chan "leak". Take huge grain of salt, but better than having no "leaks", right?
View attachment 111908

A region based on Australia? Me likey. And let’s all pray that one of those new megas is a mega flygon.

 

[Velvet]

Australia and New Zealand? Probably fake but... if it's true I can bet there would be tons of Poison types.

 

[Aulos]

I really hope it's not true. If not only because I'm biased and don't want to see another warm/hot region right now.

I'll probably be disappointed with what region they pick in the end, but I'm not too worried about this particular random leak being true, so I can keep the hope alive at least a little.

 

[Esserise]

The “aimed to outright replace Smogon” thing is extremely questionable.

I don’t really care about the rest, other than I doubt that there are going to be any new Mega Evolutions.