Pokemon X/Y’s lack of 3D goes a bit further than we initially thought. Just a few days ago, we heard that the effect was disabled while traveling on the overworld. IGN also writes in an article today that “most of the game, outside of certain cinematics and battle sequences, is displayed as flat 2D.”
Game Freak director Junichi Masuda was asked to explain why 3D is disabled in quite a few areas of the game. In response, he said:
“We chose not to use 3D in areas where we wanted to put more focus on the game’s beauty. We also felt that using 3D sparingly would make it have more impact when it did show up.”
Pokemon X/Y allows players to travel in a number of ways. You can, of course, use your trusty bike. Riding Pokemon is also an option. It has additionally been revealed that players will be able to use rollerblades.
You’ll receive the rollerblades in one of the first towns. If you battle another rollerskater and defeat them, you’ll learn new tricks that can be performed.
Nintendo’s former longtime president Hiroshi Yamauchi died today at the age of 85. Satoru Iwata has since responded to the news with a short statement.
Iwata said:
“We will continue to treasure the values Yamauchi taught us — that what makes you unique lies at the core of entertainment. And we at Nintendo will continue to change the company flexibly to adapt to the times, as Yamauchi did, to carry on his spirit.”
This week’s Japanese eShop update is as follows:
3DS
Downloadable Titles
San Goku Shi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, retail title) – 4,500 yen (from 9/19)
Nobunaga no Yab? (Nobunaga’s Ambition, retail title) – 4,500 yen (from 9/19)
Mushibugyo (retail title) – 5,980 yen (from 9/19)
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (retail title) – 2,000 yen (from 9/19)
Gureko Kara no Ch?sen-j?! Keisan no Shiro to Obake-tachi Hiki-san DEMO – FREE
Gureko Kara no Ch?sen-j?! Keisan no Shiro to Obake-tachi Wari-san DEMO – FREE
Maru G?kaku! Hisho Kentei DEMO – FREE
Maru G?kaku! Kihonj?h? Gijutsushasha Shiken DEMO – FREE
Maru G?kaku! ?y?j?h? Gijutsusha Shiken DEMO – FREE
Virtual Console
Kanshakudama Nage Kantar? no T?kaid? Goj?san Tsugi (Famicom)
Wii U
Downloadable Titles
ARC Style Yaky? (Baseball)!! SP – 800 yen
Virtual Console
Famicom Mukashi Banashi Shin Onigashima (Zengohen) (Famicom) – 500 yen
Although Nintendo has only released one Pokemon Snap game, there has certainly been clamoring from fans for a sequel. Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda is also a fan, and sounds open to considering a new entry.
However, Masuda feels that simply bringing out Pokemon Snap “as the same game” – in other words, “how it was before” – wouldn’t be the best idea. He instead feels that a new release would require “a new idea or something that will make it more appealing to players.”
Regarding the possibility of a new Pokemon Snap, Masuda told Polygon:
“Personally, I really love the Pokemon Snap game, but it wouldn’t be interesting if we just released the same game, how it was before, for the Wii U or 3DS. So we have to come up with a new idea or something that will make it more appealing to players. Sometime down the road, we may have something.”
When asked about a mainline Pokemon game for Wii U in the past, Game Freak director Junichi Masuda hasn’t been open to the possibility. His thinking is that the RPG games are better-suited for handhelds due to the communication aspects.
Unfortunately, not much has changed. Polygon quizzed Masuda once again about a potential Pokemon Wii U game, Masuda said the following:
“The series was built around the idea of trading Pokemon, trading these creatures, and everything we designed about the games was based on that concept. That trading aspect was also to promote communication between people, and really, you need the handheld to be able to go places in real life, meet people, easily trade and battle with them. I think that’s the reason we designed them on the handheld; it’s really important to Pokemon.”
