SaintDynamite

This post explains what I expect for the remainder of Generation VI.

The next generation? All I can say is that I expect a late 2016 release for the 3DS (with New 3DS enhancements), and the new region should explain the Strange Souvenir references from XY. The games should commemorate the 20th anniversary in a big way, and a good starting point would be using Guyana (which is connected to Mew) as the basis for at least part of the region.

Happy birthday.

I don't mind at all. You are not the only one who does that.

I am not excited about the games yet. The news was satisfying, but nothing really surprised me. I was somewhat disappointed when I saw the Eiffel Tower, since I'd rather see a region based on Tohoku, where the Sinjoh Ruins should be located.

I hope that the games will really stand out as a new experience, but I'm skeptical at this point. I set my expectations too high for HGSS and the Generation V games, so I won't repeat that mistake. I'll just wait for things to unfold.

I definitely think that Ghetsis and N's story will be concluded, as there is no excuse to keep dragging it out and no other game will be present a more fitting opportunity than the sequels do. N himself may still make appearances in future games, though.

This is the most important discussion.

I am not at all excited about E3. I keep abreast of Nintendo's agenda because it affects Pokémon, but only rarely does Nintendo announce anything that catches my interest. Truth be told, I am not a gamer. The only thing that I somewhat expect Pokémon-wise is an international release date for B2W2. If I thought that the next console game should be released for the Wii U, then I would be expecting an announcement, but I think it will be the last Wii game and that it will only be revealed next month or later.

Why have you been so quiet about your thoughts on B2W2?

I'd say that I was right about the need to replace third versions with sequels, wouldn't you? Thankfully, Platinum was the end of that.

I'd say that "experimental" is an undeserved compliment in Platinum's case. Version-exclusive Formes had been done before with Deoxys in Generation III, and the story additions weren't major as the Distortion World was a very short-lived experience, so I don't see how Platinum expanded the story to a greater extent than Emerald did, let alone Crystal. The Pokédex revisions were nice, but they certainly seemed forced. For instance, what on earth were Game Freak thinking when they gave so many trainers members of the Eevee and Togepi lines?

If Generation III is supposed to be a template for all generations to come, then that's a very sad thought. There's so much more that can and should be done.

The reason that I looked forward to HGSS so much is that I honestly believed they would be more than remakes. If it hadn't been for the obvious foreshadowing (which is absent in Ruby and Sapphire's case), I would have anticipated Johto sequels instead. Like most people, I believed that Game Freak would release Generation V for the DS' successor, which would have rendered Generation VI at least five years long. The franchise would have been awfully stagnant with just simple remakes and spin-off games; I could never understand the fans who argued with me about that point, especially as they were so quick to forget HGSS once Black and White were announced.

Not only would Ruby and Sapphire remakes be superfluous, they would just be a waste of time more than two years into the DS' lifetime. By late 2013 Game Freak shouldn't be afraid to utilize the 3DS, and I simply can't see them wasting that potential on remakes; a new generation is the only way to get players to move onto the 3DS. That said, I can see Gray being released for the 3DS this year, but only to make use of the new communication features; I also strongly feel that the game should not retread Black and White so as not to be perceived a 3DS port of DS games. Ideally, the game should be a 3DS-enhanced DS game with many story additions, but if Game Freak actually went through with the (more important) latter point, I wouldn't blame them for needlessly removing backwards compatibility.

I absolutely hate the fact that most people expect Gray to be just like Platinum (which I thought was the least innovative third version barring Blue), but with the added requirement of buying a new system to play it. If Game Freak are that short-sighted, I really have been wasting my time all these years.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday.

Looking back at our previous conversation, it is a pity that the next game will be released a whole year after the Mewtwo distribution, meaning that the event really was random. Worse still, now it would be pretty pointless to have Mewtwo be available in said game, but there's always Mew...

I have a very good feeling that the event Mewtwo is a pre-cursor to a game announcement around December, with the game itself being released around March. I think that Mewtwo's event should make Mew available, but more importantly, it should finally provide us with answers about Mewtwo's origin story and Mr. Fuji's role in it.

A Mewtwo event may not seem like a good fit for a Unova sequel, but Game Freak did add Faraway Island to Emerald of all games.

My thoughts on future games have changed since our last conversation. Read here if you're interested.

It's hard to tell with Genius Sonority. Colosseum was a very pleasant surprise (regardless of whether or not you knew about Pocket Monsters RPG, and I didn't at the time), and XD further underscored the RPG elements in a way that obviously left room for more. But Trozei, PBR and Typing DS have all been a significant step back; I'd like to think that the company didn't really want to develop those games.

I don't think I'd like any non-RPG Game Freak games, either. Maybe that's all there is to it, but Genius Sonority would be fools to opt for another take on PBR when Colosseum was far more successful.

A new game is going to be announced next month. I'd say that the Wii game is the strongest possibility, even though we know that at least one 3DS game is also being developed.

I consider Meloetta's Step Forme to be a sign that a third version is not being planned. Otherwise, why would they want us to unlock it in the movie event just a few months before the game's release, when it could be another incentive to buy the game? I doubt that they consider the Platinum Formes a mistake.

As for Kyurem, what strikes me is the fact that it doesn't have an a hidden ability, despite the fact that its main ability (Pressure) isn't unique at all. The part about its base stats being "lacking" (by a measly 20 points) isn't convincing considering that Groudon and Kyogre are a bit weaker than Rayquaza, but I don't see why Kyurem would only have Pressure. So in other words, I do expect it to have a Forme.

The only thing that was stated in one of the magazines is that the game was meant to darker, featuring an older protagonist named Leo (Wes' Japanese name).

I have little doubt that Kyurem will be expanded upon, but I'm postulating that it may be given an independent story in the form of the Wii game. It will obviously be connected to Reshiram and Zekrom, but that doesn't mean that it has to be part of the Plasma plot. Like Mewtwo, Kyurem looks menancing enough to continue where Shadow Lugia left off (which is not to say that the Wii game will necessarily be a sequel); the story about it kidnapping people and supposedly eating them needs to be explored.

My theory about Keldeo is that it will be distributed this year via a Wi-Fi event involving the Wii game, following what happened last year with Victini. I also suspect that the dual movie deal is not merely a one-time thing, allowing for Meloetta and Genesect to simultaneously star in next year's movie.

Mewtwo never really having its story told is one of the reasons I'm not very invested in Kyurem's fate. Whatever the deal behind Kyurem is, it's not anywhere near as inspired as the relationship between Mew, Fr. Fuji and Mewtwo could be if given the proper focus.

So it would sadden me if Kyurem starred in the Wii game instead of Mewtwo, even though that would validate my theory about the lack of a third version. I really do believe that Mewtwo was supposed to be the mascot of Pocket Monsters RPG, and whatever Tajiri was planning must have been fairly interesting.

So I'm one of the select few people who still suspect that Mana Ibe was telling the truth when she said that Black and White were the last games of their installment. Junichi Masuda did not actually refute her statement, but he obviously didn't want the fans to know too much about anything; there not being a third version is a far bigger story than there being one, especially as it would mean that Generation VI is closer than most would think.

But the Wii game is real as per Satoru Iwata's own words, although the RPG part is a rumor. At any rate, if there really isn't going to be a third version, the Wii game will have to make up for it in more ways than one. Since the game will most likely be announced next month, we'll have a good idea about the merits of a third version then.

I've discussed all of this in a fair amount of detail with another friend. You can read our discussion here.

If to be honest, I don't care much for either the remakes or the third version. The former are in no way supported by anything other than a somewhat problematic precedent (as opposed to HGSS which had been very clearly foreshadowed all the way leading to their announcement), and the latter presents the problem of the DS becoming outdated. Further, I don't see why Game Freak would choose to release anything than a new generation as the first 3DS entry, or why Nintendo would wait more than two years to push the 3DS' sales in the best possible way.

It just seems convenient that Black and White's plot is already quite complete, focusing on both mascots, and that they're both most likely going to be distributed this year through the movie. As for Kyurem, despite its obvious connection to Reshiram and Zekrom, it doesn't really lend itself to being incorporated into the Team Plasma story.