I think calling it a cash grab is bit much. It seems like they're trying different style of game while experimenting with how they're going to make the transition from handhelds to an actual console. People wanted a Pokemon game in 2018 and Nintendo was in a weird balance between moving on from the 3DS while not quite having enough time to make a full blown Pokemon Switch.

I'm not excited about the lack of battles, but it's not like they're putting out garbage just to make money.

 

They're tying it with Go to make money, and buy themselves a year.

For a company that prides itself on polish, you're not telling me they looked at anything in Go (aside from its crazy popularity) and thought 'you know what our game needs? Some of that!'

I'm all for experimenting with the formula - fuck, I still think Snap is the best pokemon game ever made - but this is a bad one.

I'm also not sure you're appealing to your base who own Switches and buy them for Pokemon games by doing this.

Honestly, if they'd just done the Go thing as soon as you're ready to cap, it'd be completely fine. Cutting out the need to weaken Pokemon though? Or needing your pokemon to actually do something to get xp? That's... Not good.

 

Good news for all of us:

Reddit thread, Source

Recognition! At long last!

Looks like we might be able to expect more challenges on the level of Sun & Moon's totem battles to come in the new 2019 Switch title, or at the very least more pacy tutorials. This is a good step for the franchise either way.

 

Interview with Junichi Masuda, director of Pokemon.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...-borrowing-from-pokemon-go-and-lets-gos-story

 

Solid meh from me on this one. I think the idea of having a separate, more casual pokemon experience to introduce new blood to the franchise is great, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed that it's not a full 3D, mainline pokemon game with all the computing power of the Switch.

Sounds like I'll be getting my wish in 2019 though, so that's something to look forward to I guess.

 

To me, the mainline games are already casual af - finding complexity in online battling doesn't mean the base game isn't casual.

He mentioned in the interview that he's hesitant to go full open world because it becomes too daunting a game to approach...

I wish they'd have continued making the mainline games many seem to love, and the 'spin-off' was instead a huge, open-world console rpg...

Instead, imo, they've opted for casual, and casual-er

Edit: OMFG I'm an idiot. It just clicked with me that it's only 151(2) pokemon... No Umbreon / Espeon? What are we even doing here...

 

Eeveelution DLC will sort this little hiccup out. Just $3.99 per Eevee!

 

Tried out Pokémon Quest yesterday. It's not terrible as far as mobile games go - at first glance it looks like the typical 'pay to not wait' microtransaction model, but actually the game doesn't try to push microtransactions on you at all. You can't even buy the in-game currency directly as far as I know.

The idea is you get a 'salary' every day, and if you buy the DLC you get a few helpful items and a permanent funds per day increase. A few people I've seen have said they got through the entire game without feeling the need to spend anything. It's a good, consumer-friendly business model.

That said, I hate it lol. It's a beat 'em up style adventure where your mons automatically run towards the targets. All you do is click to make them use their abilities and manage their equipment. I find it super dull.

It's more strategic then it looks at first glance, mind you: bosses have charge attacks that can be avoided by pressing the scatter button, and you need to keep a good eye on the position of your team to make sure they're using their moves effectively. There's an auto mode so you don't even have to do anything, but it sucks compared to you.

I can't entirely put my finger on why I don't like it. I guess I just don't find it fun. It's a grind to level up, and your only motivation to level up is to grind. The only thing that makes me actually want to play this game is to collect Pokémon, but that's hamstringed by needing to wait for expeditions to complete and I just don't want to sit through it.

Solid no thanks/10.

 

I Noped as soon as I saw the art.

Square Electrode?! NANI?!

 

Currently playing a bit of it myself. It's not horrific, but there's nothing exceptional about it. It's kinda just a standard mobile game, with nothing to make it "Pokemon" other than the character names and moves.

It also feels way too slow to play passively, but it doesn't have enough for the player to "do" for it to be an active game you need to pay attention to.

 

I actually find the artwork adorable. It takes almost no effort or attention, so I'm just setting it to autoplay expeditions while I do chores and such.

Gonna catch 'em all.

 

Yeah, I probably will too. I'm such a bitch for Pokemon.

It's not like it's completely devoid of fun. It's like an incremental game, I guess, there's some enjoyment in that feeling of progression.

 

I'm almost certainly going to buy a Switch just so I can play Let's Go Pikachu. I call myself a casual fan despite having waited 5 hours in the cold to buy a limited edition 20th anniversary 3DS and some other merch. Don't really care about trading or battling or completing a dex, the cute little Pikachu and hitting the nostalgia buttons are enough for me.

 

Just laid a beatdown on Mewtwo in Pokemon Quest. Those chunky little pokesprites are still adorable. And with a fixed Pokedex of 150, this might be the first time I catch 'em all - beating even my 11 year old self who had 149 Pokemon but no gosh dang Vaporeon.

 

I got my three mewtwo team max power and farming the final zone in Pokemon Quest and decided "Hey, why not go for all of them."

I lost stream a week ago and stopped trying. It was just so repetitive trying to get random draws for the Pokemon I need.