2006 National Championships and Future Games

[Silktree]

Bulbanews Article

This thread can be used for discussion on the tournament, but as I have opted to make clear in the article presentation, another topic deserves just as much attention.

Particularly interesting is the fact there are five new games scheduled for release. It is unknown whether this takes Pokémon Trozei into account, which will have been available for five months by the end of the Championships. If not, the five games in question must be Pokémon Dungeon of Mystery Red and Blue, Ranger, as well as Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. However, out of these only Ranger has been confirmed in the context of a stateside release. There is growing concern that the Dungeon of Mystery games may remain limited to Japan like their predecessors, and at the same time, Diamond and Pearl may very well not be released in the U.S. until after the year has passed. This gives way to the possibility that Trozei will be included in the list after all, followed by Ranger and either Dungeon of Mystery or Diamond and Pearl, but with a yet unannounced game.

Feel free to comment or suggest your own explanation for this oddity.

 

[Doctor Oak]

There is growing concern that the Dungeon of Mystery games may remain limited to Japan like their predecessors

NoE has referred to it in their Pokemon 10th Anniversary Part 2 update this weekend, stating that it doesn't have a release date yet but acknowledging its existence and then detailing some info on it.

They wouldn't do that if they hadn't been told it was coming to the west.

Afterall, the only real thing that has thrown fuel on this "OMGZ!! No Mysterious Dungeon for usses?" thing was Pokemon.com not mentioning it in their 10th anniversary news. Which really, considering it's Pokemon.com, means nothing.

 

[Silktree]

Fair enough, this promises the inclusion of Mysterious Dungeon in the five games list. Yet, the real issue that has been raised continues to hold true - Diamond and Pearl will be released in Japan by the end of the year, but that might be so late that the English release will be pushed to 2007's agenda. One would think the prizes would be given to the winners on the spot.

The question to be kept in mind is whether it is plausible for Trozei, which for the time being falls under the category of future games, to be handed out as a prize five months after its release. I would be the first to admit that the game could very simply be passed off as a normal puzzle game, were it not for the icons that are supposed to represent all 386 Pokémon characters. That said, the fact remains that Trozei constitutes as one of the four Path to Diamond and Pearl games, to the extent of being compatible with Mysterious Dungeon Blue. Further, its lifetime has been prolonged owing to the use of special Nintendo DS stations at Pokémon Center stores and other reserved places across Japan. Apparently, the same stations will be implemented in retail stores across the United States.

In light of the above, I find that Trozei is much more likely a candidate than Diamond and Pearl. Of course, this begs another question to which the answer is not as simple - the fifth game that has been unheard of in Japan.

 

[Ash-Tray]

I don't get it. Why wouldn't they bring the games here? I doubt they have much ta lose.

 

[GrnMarvl14]

It's not what they have to lose, it's whether they can gain enough. Why bring over a previously unheard of series of games (unheard of to most Americans)? It's easier to not do it than to do it and risk losing money, or getting bad publicity for the franchise.

 

[Silktree]

I don't get it. Why wouldn't they bring the games here? I doubt they have much ta lose.

If you are referring to Mysterious Dungeon, they will indeed be released. The matter was previously put into doubt for reasons that are no longer valid.

This, however, is not the issue I wished to bring to light.

 

[Ash-Tray]

But isn't Nintedo known for the unknown games and making them famous like Animal Crossing or pikmon.

 

[Ash-Tray]

If you are referring to Mysterious Dungeon, they will indeed be released. The matter was previously put into doubt for reasons that are no longer valid.

This, however, is not the issue I wished to bring to light.

Ok I understand. But what about the others like Diamond and Pearl? Those are one of the games I'm really Amped about.

 

[Silktree]

Ok I understand. But what about the others like Diamond and Pearl? Those are one of the games I'm really Amped about.

A month ago, it might have been reasonable to expect the two games soon after the peak of the summer, around August. By now even that seems overtly optimistic, as we are still not at the point of holding solid impressions of the game content. Besides, even if the games were to be released in August, it would only apply to Japan - I find it dubious that the Japanese copies would be given as prize in an American tournament.

If the number of future games were stated as being four - it would obviously pertain to the current four Path to Diamond and Pearl games. If it were six, then Diamond and Pearl would have to be counted as well, as illogical as that would be. But the number is indisputably five.

The reason for my insistence upon this fact goes beyond pedantry with numbers. The 10th anniversary of Red and Green's release is a week away, and yet there are more signs of the event's commemoration in the United States than there are in Japan. Suffice to say, the release of Diamond and Pearl would serve this role more than well, but instead we are left with Ranger, which is clearly not meant to represent the special occasion. On the other hand, if a surprise announcement revealed that another game had been planned all along, everything would finally be put into perspective.

 

[Silktree]

I am rather disappointed that no one has expressed interest in the topic of this thread. If to be honest, it seems to me that hardly anyone understood the main idea of the article, and perhaps that is the fault of my writing skills - I would not know without any response.

I took the liberty of posting the same posts on Serebii's forums, as I grew discouraged at the lack of replies. I cannot say that the experiment yielded different results. In a twist of fate, however, someone there also remarked on the oddity - and I was surprised to see the following reply from Serebii:

I have a hunch that another game will be revealed to fill the gap between Ranger (March) and DP (November) in Japan and that that game is the one thats being counted

To which I replied:

I must say that it is ironic for the two of us to share the same opinion. If you happen to remember, you started a forum thread in June 2004 pertaining to a mysterious game that was rumored to be announced the following month. You, as many other members, assumed that to be one of the next generation games, despite the fact it would have logically been two games in that case. I suggested the game would be the third game to Ruby and Sapphire, particularly since it was too early for a full-fledged announcement of the next generation. Irrespective of my argument, everyone seemed to have dismissed the idea on the grounds that FireRed and LeafGreen had filled the need for a third game. Needless to say, the game in question was Emerald - Diamond and Pearl were only revealed later that year, and their "announcement" was merely limited to title names.

I am not bringing this up to open a box of worms, on the contrary - I am impressed that after a year and a half you have changed your views on "repetitive" games. It would appear that the majority of players are primarily interested in the sensation of exploration, and by that I am referring to new Pokémon. Granted, the pair of games that define each generation have more to offer, but to reach its potential a generation cannot consist of these two games alone. In other words, the question should not be how much time has passed since the beginning of the current generation (Ruby and Sapphire's Japanese release), but rather, whether nothing more can be done to supplement the generation as a whole.

The aforementioned question was relevant prior to Emerald's release, and remains so to this date. From that time till now, XD was also released and served its role in unlocking some of the unused data, but the validity of the question has been left in tact. There is ample of unused data in the third generation games, and while the same held true for the English version of Crystal, at least the Japanese version could be regarded as being complete. In this case, the Japanese and English versions (and otherwise) are on equal grounds, but the problem lies in that higher standards have been put forth. Most notably, Game Freak developed a parallel series to Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald - FireRed and LeafGreen.

It is plain to see that I am in fact suggesting the purported new game will be a third game to FireRed and LeafGreen. In my eyes, anyone who has played the games should be able to assert that they constitute a series on its own right. That is to say, they go far beyond the notion of adding the older generation Pokémon to Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. It follows that a third game to finalize the series on the one hand, and the third generation on the other, is well in order.

From a practical viewpoint, I must first stress that none of the current four Path to Diamond and Pearl games was developed by Game Freak, not even Ranger. As such, the development of these games could not have possibly interfered with that of Diamond and Pearl, which raises the question what else could account for the one-year delay of the games. Observing the past two generations, Ruby and Sapphire were announced soon after Crystal's release in a straightforward fashion. With Gold and Silver, their beta forms were unveiled after Japanese Blue had been distributed, but they were ultimately delayed as to incorporate them into the Game Boy Color environment. As fans had expected the games to be released in 1998, Yellow came as an alternative that was soon deemed the true supplementary addition to the first generation. Thereafter, Gold and Silver were revealed in their true forms (including the names).

Essentially, Diamond and Pearl have always been slated for the Nintendo DS under their current names, but their announcement following Emerald's release was of a different nature - lacking official artwork to represent the games. This fact has not changed since, with the only details known about the games being far too general to count as solid impressions. Presumably, the third game has always been in mind, and the plan is to showcase Diamond and Pearl once it has been released. As for when the game will even be announced, I personally think it would have already been announced had it not been for marketing considerations (potential collision with Ranger's upcoming release).

If to trust my instincts, now that Ranger's release is ever so imminent, the third game could very well be announced in this month's CoroCoro. Furthermore, the Pokémon Wonderland magazine will also be published this month, and assuming it bears the same content as CoroCoro, a preview of its cover may be enough to confirm the game's existence (as was the exact case with Emerald).

I sincerely hope that I have put across my opinion and finally drawn some attention.

 

[evkl]

Having a strong journalism background, I must say that you shouldn't be down on yourself if your opinion is ignored in the press--things tend to break down in a fashion which dicates popular speakers gain more recognition than informed ones. Having readership--and being responded to--are very difficult things in a highly competitive environment.

With that said, I agree with your characterization of Nintendo's plans for the franchise; I suspect the Yellow to Fr and Lg will be released.

 

[Jukain]

I must say you have become quite convincing, although nothing is certain at this point. We will have our answers soon enough no matter what they are. Even I could guess with Ranger no longer in the limelight, something is going to get the chance to recieve the attention. Mind you, we will have the great influx of knowledge of exactly what Ranger is from those that get it and play it. There is no real reason we know for D/P's delay, even if it was to make it the best it could be. It does sound a lot like what you have just said for G/S, only I think D/P has been slated for the DS ever since it's concept, and I don't think bringing Pokemon to the DS warrants a big enough retooling of the game mechanics to make this big of a delay. I will wait for definite answers because just to assume would be foolish.

 

[Kater]

My oppinion. This was virtually their last chance to hold a big contest and do it right, since D/P will have Wi-fi and noones going to bother with that when they can, specutivly at the momeny, organize tourneys online. I think that this is closer to what Emerald Contest should have been but still, so many flaws. They should have had something like hold things in every major city to compete (like every Toys r' us or something) had the winners from those go to state championships so on and so forth. I'm going to try to enter, but i still think this is being handled the wrong way. Though the prizes are sweet.

 

[Trainer-c]

I am cautious in the thought of another main Pokémon title releasing before the end of the year. Though the absence of a Game Freak title, combined with the unused data in the current titles, does arouse my suspicion. There is the chance that Diamond and Pearl themselves could be games to reveal that unused data in the Gen III titles. (I find this to be a bit of a long shot, personally.)

And, if Diamond and Pearl are to be released by the end of '06 as currently believed, this new game would be pretty much selling alongside D/P, though it is proven that the third generation has been anything but predictable.
There is also the fact that a Yellow version for FR/LG, wouldn't fit the Path to Diamond and Pearl motif.