Nintendo of America has announced on its official Twitter that a new Nintendo Direct will be livestreamed tomorrow. The focus? Pokemon, with the presentation containing “roughly 7 minutes” of new information. The presentation will take place at 6 AM PT.

Obviously there’s a lot that Nintendo could discuss. Perhaps Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! will be receiving some substantial updates or new content. Of course, the wildest speculation is that Nintendo finally reveals its next big Pokemon RPG, which is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch.

It’s still unclear if the title will release this year, in spite of earlier assurances. The Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara has talked about the challenges of developing for the Switch, especially when it comes to utilizing the different modes. If the next title skipped 2019, it wouldn’t be unreasonable. Regardless, if there is a reveal, it will be a momentous occasion. Stay tuned for more details until then, and check out GamingBolt’s official review for Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! in the meantime.

Tune in on 2/27 at 6am PT for roughly 7 minutes of new information in a livestreamed #Pokemon Direct presentation!https://t.co/d1Xx3bDbhq pic.twitter.com/BEwvJi8BFi

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 26, 2019

As of right now, though, we know absolutely nothing about it, other than the fact that it exists and is coming this year. As such, in this feature, we’re going to take a look at fifteen things we want to see in Pokemon 2019– note that this is a wishlist, not a list of predictions. And while we’re going to try and only talk about things that are at least somewhat possible, the things we do mention are by no means predictions about what will or won’t be included in the upcoming Pokemon title. 

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

BE MORE AMBITIOUS

Pokemon as a series has settled into a very comfortable structure that it has adhered to for a long, long time. Even with Sun and Moon, which replaced Gym battles with Island Challenges,  the games were essentially the same as Pokemon has always been. As a series, it has forgotten how to take risks, and how to be ambitious, and seems all too happy to just do what has always worked. And sure, it does it well enough (and reaps the rewards with bonkers sales), but hopefully, we’ll see a more ambitious Pokemon game this time around. We’re not asking for a Breath of the Wild equivalent or anything like that, but even something that steps just a little bit out of the series’ comfort zone would be greatly appreciated.

]]> https://gamingbolt.com/pokemon-2019-15-things-we-want-to-see/feed 0 384795 https://gamingbolt.com/15-upcoming-japanese-rpgs-of-2019-and-beyond https://gamingbolt.com/15-upcoming-japanese-rpgs-of-2019-and-beyond#respond Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:40:30 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=382859 The new year brings new tidings, including rumours of a new generation of consoles. However, it also offers plenty of hope for new stories, new heroes and plenty of compelling RPGs with both. Let’s take a quick look at the 15 JRPGs to look forward to in 2019 and beyond.

Shin Megami Tensei 5

As the first Shin Megami Tensei title exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, Shin Megami Tensei 5 will focus on contemporary issues like unemployment, terrorism and so on. Its gameplay will still feature demons but there’s also the post-apocalyptic twist, as the recent trailer showcased Tokyo in ruins. Shin Megami Tensei 5 will take longer to develop than the previous handheld iterations thanks to Atlus taking advantage of the Switch’s hardware so here’s hoping it’s worth the wait.

The one thing that Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have been very clear about when it comes to next year’s Pokemon game, widely assumed to be a new generation, is that it will be more like the traditional handheld Pokemon games that fans have come to know and love, and less like Pokemon GO or its Switch brethren, Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! which are due out in November this year.

Speaking with Famitsu in an interview, Game Freak’s Junichu Masuda, who has directed multiple Pokemon games, including the upcoming Let’s Go games, has reiterated that the 2019 game will be a lot like handheld games. According to Nintendo Everything’s translation, Masuda said, “As for the 2019 title, we’re working with the idea that everyone will be playing on their own Switch. It’ll have the same kind of feeling as the previous games on handheld systems.”

Which is good to hear. He also hinted that Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! which, going by everything we know until now, lack any connectivity with any Pokemon game other than Pokemon GO, may be forward compatible. “There have been times where you couldn’t bring Pokemon over from previous titles – I imagine that created some bad memories. I want to try and change that, if I can,” he said.

Now, this at least makes sense- Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! mark the debut of a brand new Pokemon, presumably the first Gen 8 Pokemon- so it makes sense that they will have to have some kind of connectivity with future games. I can only hope that the connectivity is total and full, so that I can send forth my lovely Pikachu to join me on my journey through whatever new land Pokemon 2019 will take us to.

Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! launch on Nintendo Switch exclusively, on November 16 this year.

Shadows Die Twice

Teased last year during The Game Awards, Shadows Die Twice immediately drew attention for being a From Software game. Given its macabre showing, we all assumed the obvious – Bloodborne 2. And while that’s a rumour that pops up every now and then, including before last year’s E3, one would assume that this is a brand new IP. Either way, rumours indicate that it will have a “big showing” at a presser, though which one is still a mystery.

Metroid Prime 4

The infamous “reveal a name and generate hype” practice is seen in full form here. However, it is Metroid Prime 4, the long-awaited follow-up in the critically acclaimed franchise. There hasn’t been a proper sequel since 2007’s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and given how Nintendo has been killing with its Switch releases, we can’t help but get excited. Rumours indicate Bandai Namco is developing the title, which isn’t too concerning given its history with games like Super Smash Bros on 3DS and Wii U.

Nintendo’s recent financial report for the nine months ending December 2017 are out and they’re quite optimistic. Along with the Nintendo Switch selling 14.86 million units, surpassing lifetime sales of the Wii U, Nintendo is projecting 17.74 million units sold by March 2018 end.

However, in its projected release dates for games like Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4 (which are listed as “TBA”), the company has indicated that “Pokemon RPG for Switch” could release by “2018 or later”. It will ultimately depend on development milestones and how well things are put together before releasing. But it wouldn’t be impossible for Nintendo to host a Nintendo Direct presentation to properly reveal Pokemon Switch and announce a release date.

Regardless, even if it comes later, Nintendo still has a fairly stacked year with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Dark Souls Remastered to the Switch along with Mario Tennis Aces, Kirby Star Allies and much more.

Cyberpunk 2077

We know next to nothing about the game other than it will be more action-focused and take place in the same universe as the pen and paper Cyberpunk games. However, judging from the excellent quality and scope of The Witcher 3’s campaign, CD Projekt RED has our complete attention for Cyberpunk 2077. The real question is whether Ciri will actually make that teased cameo or not.

Nintendo’s Second Mario Film

The Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993 was one of the most wretched things ever committed to film. Nintendo didn’t abandon the film industry entirely though – rumours have emerged of talks with Illumination Studio (of Despicable Me and Minions fame) to make a new Mario Bros. film. While not officially announced, this film won’t be live-action and instead goes the animated route. Interestingly, it’s already in production. We’ll have to wait for the reveal to get truly hyped but this is still incredible news.

Nintendo Announces SNES Classic

We knew it would happen, especially as Nintendo dashed all hopes and dreams of the NES Classic being restocked. But the SNES Classic was a thing and packed tons of our favourite titles into one awesome box. Even Star Fox 2 was included!

SAG-AFTRA Strike Resolution

Tucked away amidst the major announcements and crazy happenings was the news that the strike against video game publishers and developers by SAG-AFTRA would finally come to end. The strike was on behalf of voice actors across the industry and it became the longest strike ever for the organization before finally ending on September 23^rd. And thankfully, both sides came to an amicable agreement on the matter.

Metroid Prime 4

It never seemed like Nintendo would actually return to the Metroid Prime series. However at E3 2017, it finally confirmed what the rumours have said for so long – Metroid Prime 4 is coming and it’s for the Nintendo Switch. Who’s developing it? When will it be out?

Pokemon Switch

Probably not as tremendous or surprising as the Metroid Prime 4 announcement but Nintendo confirmed a new Pokemon title…for the Switch. Furthermore, this would be a core RPG title from Game Freak and the first in the series to ever debut on a home console. That’s big news, even if – once again – we have no information on a release date or even a name.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

We’ve said it enough time but it bears repeating – it’s simply unbelievable that a game like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds would come out of nowhere from a relatively decent-sized studio and perform as well as it has. The crazy part? The game accomplished all of this while in Early Access. It’s set to release version 1.0 for PC on December 20^th but still.

Xbox One X Reveal And Price

After a year of teasing, the Project Scorpio codename and plenty of speculation, Microsoft finally confirmed its new Xbox console’s name as the Xbox One X. Not only that but at E3 2017, it also announced a retail price of $499 and a range of impressive specs. The console still has a ways to go but the Xbox One X dominated its fair share of reveals at E3.

Nintendo Switch Beats Wii U’s First Year Sales

It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch has been a rousing success this year, overtaking the company’s earlier Wii U console in every way. However, it’s crazy to put that first year of sales into context. When the Wii U launched in November 2012, it sold about 13.56 million units as of March 2017. The Nintendo Switch has already sold 10 million units and it hasn’t been a full year since its launch. Think about that, especially when most of us wrote Nintendo off completely at several points.

Bayonetta 3 Announcement

Reggie Fils-Aime accomplished two tasks at this year’s The Game Awards – he silenced host Geoff Keighley and debuted something we’ve all wanted since forever. That something was Platinum Games’ Bayonetta 3 which saw our favourite bullet witch returning. When and how has yet to be revealed but it’s Bayonetta 3 for the Nintendo Switch and that’s enough.

Soulcalibur VI Announcement

“Do your souls still burn?” With that announcement, Bandai Namco ignited the crowd at The Game Awards and announced Soulcalibur VI. Sophitia and Mitsurugi were showcased in the glory of their younger days. Ring-outs, eight way direction and all sorts of classic mechanics returned with some new ones. Soulcalibur VI will be out in 2018 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC and we can’t wait.

Winner: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Over 25 million copies sold, a 24 hour concurrent player peak on Steam of 2.8 million players, 1 million copies sold on the Xbox One in 48 hours, the most popular game on Twitch – this year was simply dominated by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Whether you loved it and bought into the hype despite its performance issues or hated it but kept coming back, Brendan Greene’s magnum opus was the star of 2017 in terms of sales and headlines.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.