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It may have only been three months since Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 were released in North America and Europe, but that didn’t stop Nintendo from announcing the next two installments in the series in today’s special “Pokémon Direct” presentation.
Dubbed Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, the sixth generation of Pokémon games looks to shake the franchise up even further than Pokémon Black and White before them, boasting fully rendered 3D graphics (in a style reminiscent of Dragon Quest IX) and a new array of monsters to capture and tame.
Few concrete details on the games were revealed, but the trailer that aired during today’s presentation highlighted the three new starting Pokémon that players would get to choose from at the beginning of their adventure: Chespin, a Grass-type rodent; Fennekin, a fox-like Fire-type; and Froakie, a froggish Water-type. Fans were also given a brief glimpse at the two new legendary creatures that would be adorning each game’s box art, both of which appear at the end of the trailer.
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y will be released in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia in October, 2013.
If any of you just heard that high pitched squeal of delight, that was me. Sorry.
At last, after so many years of waiting, we’re gonna have our first fully-3D Pokemon adventures. I couldn’t be more excited.
The big news here is that it’s going to be the first time in Pokemon history that a main-series game is going to be releasing simultaneously worldwide. Going to be interesting not having 3-6 months of Japanese spoilers to avoid this time.
Something else to keep in mind: Iwata (during Pokemon Direct) said you’d be able to get “some” of your favorite Pokemon when the game released in October. It makes me wonder if backward compatibility is being nixed for the first time since Gen III when the stat system was completely overhauled.
Well, that would be disappointing… especially considering they already have 3D models of all the old Pokemon for the Pokedex 3D app.
I took that to mean the regional Pokédex would have both old and new Pokémon to catch, like how Ruby/Sapphire/Diamond/Pearl had some older monsters mixed in with the newer ones they introduced.
This october is going to be great now. I’m going to miss the sprites though.
This generation came so fast this time. It feels like 5th gen just started
Oooh yeah. Froakie is so mine.
And the feeling of Gen 5 being so short may just be because of how Nintendo staggered the marketing for it. It seems new because every other week there’s either a new download or tournament going on, and I’m pretty sure Black 2/White 2 caught everyone by surprise. Heck, it even seems like the anime ran faster than a normal season.
Gen 5 received a full three years in the spotlight, so yeah, it’s about time. Still, kudos to Nintendo for making it seem like a quick transition. This definitely beats the drought-like feeling the previous generations had leading up to a new generation release.
Anyone else getting a Dragon Quest feel from these screens?
I’m hoping that this game is to Pokemon what Ocharina of Time was to Zelda. Gen 5 was my favorite Pokemon generation since Gen 2, but I am so ready for Gen 6. There is so much potential for this game. October can’t come soon enough.
That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the footage! I don’t imagine they’ll be all that different from the previous games, but I’m really looking forward to the pair nonetheless. Also, apparently the new legendaries are called Xerneas and Yveltal.
You nailed it. I bet that’s why I’m more intrigued by this than I have been for any previous Pokemon. It’s pretty impressive if Nintendo can bring old fogeys like me into the series this far in.
Question: As a complete Pokemon newbie, would I be better off waiting for an inevitable “Pokemon Z”? (Do I have that right? the pair comes out, and then a somewhat more newbie-friendly combination version comes later?)
Hey penduin! The tertiary versions of a generation aren’t particularly “newbie friendly” (at least not any more so than the initial pair), but they do have some new features, like a slightly expanded storyline and a different combination of wild Pokémon to catch. The changes usually aren’t that major, though, so you’d still essentially be getting the same experience if you buy one of the first two games, but you could hold off if you’d rather have the “definitive” version.
Cool! Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like if I decide to go for it, I’m good any which way. :^)
I’m so excited about this game!! I can’t wait! This years looks amazing for Nintendo consoles.
I really like Froakie’s design.
And people said that Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 were ‘big surprises’! This is a big surprise! This is great! I am so looking forward to Generation VI, I bet it’ll be better than Gen V by far.