YES! Goodbye sprites, welcome 3D models. Fennekin, I f***in' choose you, day 1 purchase! I need this inserted directly into my veins ASAP.

Yes! I've been wanting a NEW Pokémon for quite some time. Black and White and Black and White 2 are pretty different from the others, but to me, Pokémon should have moved on to a new visual style awhile ago. Is that crossing the line, Pokéfans?  :P:  I'm pretty sure that I'll buy this. Looks pretty fun. I haven't been this excited about Pokémon since 1998.

I see a 3DSXL in my future.

I was about to say. My hype level has reached new heights with this announcement. Simultaneous worldwide release, badass stag legendary, and no Fire/Fighting starter this time!

Graphics looks a bit jagged but the game will look better on the 3DS screen surely, + they still have 9 months to work on this game. Excite! (I'm ordering my Pikachu 3DSXL right now!)

Wow!  This is a megaton announcement and they couldn't wait  for e3 that's amazing , it looks pretty and new and this will help 3ds allot

The fact that it's a simultaneous worldwide launch is kind of a big deal. Good on Nintendo for finally managing to do this.

I wouldn't exactly call myself a Pokemon fan (I really enjoyed Yellow when I was a kid but the only one I've played since then has been Heart Gold which I didn't finish), but if the mood strikes me I could see myself picking one of these up.

They didn't talk about the Pika Walker.

Alright Pokemon Male and Female.  Get your 3D Breed on.

Seriously enough.  I'm hoping for Organ Battle music.  How can it be a 3D Pokemon without Organ Battle music?

A universal release date is huge news. That's news worth hyping.

I haven't played Pokemon since the original Red, but I might jump on this. Looks like the step forward I've been waiting for from this franchise.

Though looking at the video some I would like the view pulled back quiet a bit.

Wow! I had good feeling this is what was coming, but a world wide release?! Kowbunga!

Finally a true Pokemon game for the 3DS. I haven't been this excited for the next pokemon since Gold. The last game I played was diamond 6 years ago and it was okay. This game, with all the great network, spotpass and streetpass capabilities of the 3DS, is exactly what I'm looking for.


Monster Hunter 3DS
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Fire Emblem
Luigi's Mansion 2
and now Pokemon?


What a strong year it's going to be for my 3DS.  They  need to release a Black XL pronto!

This looks like the 3D Pokemon game I wanted them to release on the N64 or Gamecube.  I guess Nintendo really does insist that the "real" Pokemon games are strictly for handhelds and they just needed to wait for the handheld technology to catch up.

I don't like the cell-shaded graphics but I pretty much hate ALL cel-shaded graphics, and the look of a game is forgivable if the gameplay is solid.

I can see a 3DS purchase in my future because of this.  I've wanted this game for over ten years!

3DS is going quadtriple platinum. So much for Apple pushing handhelds out of the market.

I hope X and Y means cross-hybrid Pokémon.

I'm really liking Chespin, Frennekin and the red Y bird dragon Pokemon. And the third version will most likely be Pokemon Z.

I'm probably showing my ignorance of Pokemon by asking this, but is Froakie really the first time they've created a Pokemon that's similar to a frog? You'd have thought they would have already used the frog motif already.

Yar har har!
Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath are all Tadpol Pokemon.
Politoad in Gen 2 is a frog or a toad.
Gen 4 has Groagunk and Toxicroak.
Gen 5 has Tympol, Palpatoad and Seismetoad.

In this very trailer there is a statue of Palpatoad.

So yeah there are a few frog/toad Pokemon and I love them all!

Froakie is going to evolve into one of the United States' founding fathers. Probably into who ever wore the biggest powdered wig. I think that's where the inspiration comes from. That and foamy tree frogs when they mate in the trees.

I'm kind of with ian on this one, I was a fan of Red back in middle school and this is the pokemon I was waiting for...

never played anything after Red, not counting the stadium games, but the look of the subsequent releases kept me from purchase for the fact that moo progress was made. I know, I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but I read all I could on the sequels and while new features (and creatures!) were there, it was never anything that interested me enough into diving back in.

while its a little superficial, it suited me to wait all these years because otherwise I would of been burnt out on the series by now, and a facelift wouldn't of been enough to get me interested.. but now I'm interested!

now I just have to decide if I want to get a 3ds now our keep holding on for a redesign...

If you're going to get a 3DS primarily to play this new Pokemon I say wait until after E3. Who knows? They might, indeed, announce a redesign.

Waiting would mean not being able to play Fire Emblem for a few months though.

Swings and roundabouts.

If I'm going to get a 3DS for this game, why don't I just wait until the game comes out?

Well if you being a 3DS just for this game I think that obligates you to get the Pokemon 3DS that is surely to come out alongside this.

Only if it has Squirtle on it.  Pikachu's presence is an automatic no-buy.

After re-watching the Pokémon Direct on my 3DS I was surprised by how great the game actually looks on the 3DS screen.

October, you're so far away...

I wonder how many Ian's and EasyCures are actually out there? I am the pokenut, who in some cases view it as a way of life. I've been playing in tournies and going to events for over a decade now. I make sure my daughter has poke dolls has her primary doll, has over 700 hours on each version and I'm the type who has literally at least 1 of every Pokemon in the box and no space for extras. I was going to buy this regardless, even though I so desperately wanted a facelift.

But now I see guys like IanCure on other forums as well coming out of the woodworks. I predict the 3DS is going to outsell DS with this Pokemon title eclipsing all the others. Nah not really, but wouldn't be surprised.

The last Pokemon I played was Silver and before that I only played Yellow. All of the other games did nothing but grab my attention because of the communication features. Eventually I fell out of the loop and then I got into Animal Crossing. This new Pokemon looks rich and dynamic, I can't lie and say that I 'm not interested. I just might pick it up if the rest of the details are exciting.

Oh I wouldn't buy one JUST for Pokemon 3DS, there is a list of games I'd like to play, I just can't justify the price knowing my history with handhelds (never give them the attention they deserve) and considering my luck*, it's better I wait anyway..

Fortunately, I've never really tried the FE series so missing it won't be a big loss :P

*my luck: I was a slightly poor kid, by the time I saved up enough money to buy my GameBoy Color (my first ever GameBoy) the GBA was announced. I had ALMOST bought a GBA a few years later, can't remember why I didn't, but I remember being glad I didn't because shortly after I had heard about the GBA SP being announced (I still like the original GBA design better though..). When I finally bought a DS - the Mario kart bundle with a red DS Phat - and the DSL was announced shortly after.. so yeah, I didn't want to rush in to a 3DS because of this history.

IanCure sounds like a joint tribute album for Joy Division and The Cure.. I really wish that existed now :(

PS. you have a daughter!? Where was I when this happened!?!?!?!?

PPS. HOLY SHIT! THEFLEECE!

Am I the only one who thinks those overworld graphics are "meh"?

I was expecting more from the 3DS's first real Pokemon game, but this looks barely better than a regular DS game (see Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks). I was hoping we'd see graphics on par with Resident Evil Revelations, Kid Icarus Uprising, and Super Mario 3D Land.

The Pokemon models themselves look fantastic, however. It's just the overworld and trainers that look "bleh".

I wouldn't worry about another redesign. They are still selling the XL alongside the original 3DS model.

XL isn't a redesign though, it's another thing to worry about.. When they make a redesigned model, will they release the XL version along with it or will I have to wait for that version to come out, ugh.

Um... it IS a redesign. It's bigger than the older model, and it has a completely different look to it (rounded instead of square).

It's not a redesign, though, in the sense that it has feature parity with the original model, and the only real difference is the size. Compare that to the various DS redesigns, which all offered new features or more significant improvements (except the DSi XL, which was to the DSi what the 3DS XL was to the 3DS, namely a different size option).

http://gematsu.com/2013/01/pokemon-x-and-y-to-boost-franchise-to-over-700-pokemon

Interesting info that should be added to the article.

Um, none of that info is unexpected or surprising. Of course it will boost the total to over 700. The lowest ANY gen has added was Generation II with 100 new Pokemon, and no chance in hell of Generation VI adding less than 51. New merchandise based on X and Y? Duh. Global launch, already mentioned. The game using 3DS's power? Shocker, lol. Etc. Nothing really worth noting.

> The game uses an innovative communication system that makes it feel as if you are playing with other players around the world.

> The bonds between players and Pokemon will deepen, And Pokemon will become stronger with the new battle structure.

You're telling me this was expected? I thought this was a very interesting read tbh.

That Froakie looks pimp.

Without details, those sound like PR talk. The "innovative" communication system could be simply chatting during battles.

As for the bonds, previous Pokemon games had a bond system with Pokemon and trainers, so how will this be different?

@ EasyCure, you gave me congrats all the way back in March, lol.

I wouldn't read to much into it.  He is getting old. :P

@tendoboy: um.. what he said ;) Thanks Insano'

I honestly don't remember that, I think I was still in semi-lurker status back then so it never stuck. The only person here I can remember has kids is Brandogg(?) because:

A. he has a baby in his avatar
B. his wife keeps spittin' em out! that poor woman..

I feel forgotten :P

if it makes you feel any better Ceric, you're still just "someone else" - plus Brandoggs kids aren't that special. Everyone knows your first kid is special, and then every one after that is just meh. Why? Cuz Scrubs said so :D

Back on topic though: This new Pokemon looks cute, it's like the cartoon series but playable. I'll give it a go even if I'm not a serious pokemon 'master' like some of you are who stuck with the series so long. I can barely remember half the pokemon in the original games, don't know ANYTHING about the new types or breeding etc. I'll get it just because :)

Not really because I've been a prolific and active poster for many years.

You're certainly not the only one with that initial reaction. The Pokemens (that's what they're called, right?) themselves and the battle animations look pretty good, but comparatively the trainer/overworld stuff kind of looks bad. When I say comparatively, I mean when compared to the battle animations but also when compared to what the 3DS is capable of more generally.

Who knows though? This is only the first trailer, I might grow to appreciate it more.

I think part of this needs to be a little put into perspective.  At the end of the day the Pokemon and Battle Animations we will see much longer then the Overworld items so, it makes sense they focus on them.  We'll probably see at least 3 iterations that use these same Pokemon Models and Animations if not a console game as well.

@Ceric

Totally. If they had to prioritise one over the other, I'd definitely want them to put more effort into the battle animations and really give the Pokemon some character, which they appear to have done.

However, there will always be that part of me that wants a more cohesive world. If you'll grant me leave to be fanciful for just a moment, I've always wanted Pokemon to make a radical break from tradition. What I would have liked to see from the series would have been a more zoomed in 3rd person perspective (think Monster Hunter), a world portrayed on an epic scale (think Zelda and Xenoblade), and battles which take place directly on the map as you encounter them rather than being separated into a distinct battle arena view.

...

Although, I guess at that point it wouldn't even qualify as a Pokemon game now would it? lol.

Regardless, I still think that X/Y has the potential to rejuvenate the formula enough for me to want to jump back in. It's the first time I've been excited about a Pokemon release since Yellow.

I always hoped for a more hunting feel like in Pokemon Snappish and Monster Hunter as well.  Hopefully, battles will just happen where you stand just zoomed in a bit to free up GPU for the battle. 

Can you imagine if the series took a dark turn and trainers started carving and skinning wild Pokemon for their hides Monster Hunter style? That would be...awesome. Horrifying...but awesome.

Yeah, but it would go against the vibe of the series plus these are 10 year olds.  Not to mention your main weapon is the Pokemon.

Damn, that would be awesome.  I've made Joy Division/Cure playlists before and they go together very well, provided it's earlier Cure.

My hesitation to buy a 3DS largely comes from my general dislike of handhelds.  I have no real desire to game on the go.  The first handheld I got was the GBA, which seemed like an ideal purchase since it would let me play all Game Boy games.  I got it for the library of games and nothing more.  The problem I find is that handhelds are uncomfortable to play.  Since the screen is attached to the controller I have to look down the whole time, which hurts my neck.  I also tend to move controllers a fair bit during intense gameplay and that ends up moving the screen as well, which is disorienting.  The GB Player was a godsend since it let me play my games the way I wanted to.  However the DS had no such option and I found I rarely played it as a result.  It's not that the 3DS doesn't look to have good games but rather that I figure I'll neglect it due to my general dislike of the handheld gaming experience.

It would indeed be awesome, glad to see we can agree on that. I'll also agree that handhelds are uncomfortable. That is one of the reasons I never enjoy my handhelds the way I do consoles, I can never find a comfortable position to use it while home and thus my play sessions are shorter and much further apart than a console. I really should seek out a GBA player now and invest some time into all those games I never finished.. 

@ceric: I may be confusing you for another poster from back in my early days, but I believe we had a joke once about how you'd always end up being referred to as "someone else" when people were referring to your post, because the post itself was memorable but the user was not. Could've been another user from back then though, so my joke doesn't make sense now.

I'm probably going to get the smites for this, but as much as I love Pokemon, this is the series that Nintendo can afford to be lazy with. What looked to be running across a spider web and swinging from tree to tree may be nothing more than GYM experiences that are seen no where else but that particular Pokemon gym. I look at the foot pad for launching off and I realize exploring will probably be largely the same as before.

Now I obviously don't know for sure, but I am personally not getting my hopes up despite always getting my hopes up for everything else.  I'm just keeping the games history in mind when I analyze the trailer. Still though, exploring those ancient ruins in the deserts and deep sea are thrilling to me! But I'm not counting on much more than we have already experienced before.

As for the battles I have to be Downer Debbie again. You should all prepare yourselves for Pokemon Stadium like battles but faster with more dynamic angles. Pokemon battle revolution was made with the idea to make the battles look as exciting as possible, it was actually a considerable step down from Pokemon Stadium 2 despite making contact.

If HP is reduced and gained quickly the battles may just move quickly which would be great. But trust me when I say the Pokemon will not appear any more alive then they did in all the other 3D battle games. I can already see that with the Gen 1-4 Pokemon in trailer, they have the same exact animations, where they just kind of sit there. That isn't worse than any other RPG but I feel like with the same creatures used over and over for these 3d titles they could use at least 2 idle animations. Maybe just pacing back and forth watching the opponent or anything.

Again they very well could surprise us with full HP idle animations, mid HP, and Low HP, but what ever you remember from the Pokedex 3D Pro and the Stadium type games you will see exactly that and nothing but for the entire game.

It's not all bad though, because if there are plenty of attacking animations where one monster invades the space of another things will certainly look more interesting. What appeared to be Feint Attack or Quick Attack from Froakie in the trailer may be a hint at whats to come.

As much as I can't stand the flaws in the 3D battles I stick with it because the battle system is so deep and so fun and I love new Pokemon thrown into the mix.


The graphics certainly don't wow me in the slightest. I naively thought we would see something comparable to Pokedex 3D Pro, though those models will certainly be used for the Wii U 3D battle game. The only thing that wowed me was that it was in full 3D period.


The style does look like the proper direction to take after the sprite based games, It just looks more like a DS game than a brand new 3DS game is all. I wish the soon to be cut scenes didn't look so(for lack of a better word) realistic compared to the main game. Should be done in the same style. Hopefully Z will have some noticable graphical improvements.

Oh, Wow that joke hasn't been referenced since Vudu was here.

Actually, this would work quite well if it were implemented how Dragon Quest IX handles its mob placement. Mobs randomly appear - some of the enemies will chase you (aggro), and others will run if they suspect danger.

I could definitely see a world implemented like this in Pokémon. I've always wanted to be able to fight/catch the little buggers right there on the map, too. This would work incredibly well with other trainers also! You mentioned Xenoblade, and for a moment there my eyes opened up really wide. I'd love to see an epic, vast, open world like this just brimming with Pokémon left and right.

I know, right!? It would be incredible!

This is what I expected the announcement to be. It looks good at first glance, but I'll need to know some more details before I can get excited about it. I like the idea of Pokémon but for me the games have been stagnant on the DS, and I didn't like the changes they made in the GBA generation.

Looks good so far. They still have more to do development wise so looking forward to seeing what the final build looks like. As well as what spot pass and Internet features there are. Street pass is of course useless and I fear the game will build around that first and foremost.