Game Freak has been known to put out Pokemon games regularly. Since the company took a break in 2015, we saw Pokemon Sun/Moon, Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu / Eevee, and now Pokemon Sword/Shield in consecutive years. Although it may seem like Pokemon is a yearly series, Game Freak says it’s not intentional.
Pokemon producer Junichi Masuda explained to VG247, “each time we go into making a new game and start a new project we look at what exactly we want to create – and then from where we decide the most appropriate timing to release it depending on various factors.” What’s important to Game Freak is to have “as many people to come in contact and play Pokemon as possible.”
Game Freak shared some news at E3 2019 earlier this year regarding Pokemon Sword/Shield that left many fans disappointed. Unlike past entries, not all Pokemon will be included this time around. We still don’t have a complete list as to which creatures are in and which aren’t, but the bottom line is that some Pokemon are being cut.
Speaking with VG247, producer Junichi Masuda again weighed in on the situation, stating that Game Freak always hopes to develop “the most interesting game possible and make a more enjoyable, richer experience for the fans.” And since the team is able to “give people a greater attachment to the Pokemon that are in the game,” the studio has no regrets about the decision made with the national Pokedex.
Masuda shared the following when asked if the fan response gave Game Freak any pause for thought, and if he believes this is the only way to go in the future:
Do you remember the early days of amiibo? Nintendo first announced the merchandise line during its E3 2014 video presentation and had only confirmed plans for Super Smash Bros. at the time. The launch would take place in November, and things quickly took a crazy turn after the figures became scarce. amiibo were selling for ridiculous amounts on eBay and people camped out at stores for a chance to obtain the new collectibles.
Here we are nearly five years later, and the situation is much different. Nintendo is still continuing with amiibo, though perhaps not quite as much as it did even a couple of years ago. Smash Bros. is going strong, but Zelda: Link’s Awakening was the only other Nintendo game in 2019 to be accompanied by a new figure.
Since the fifth anniversary of amiibo is almost here, how is everyone feeling about it today? Are you trying to collect every Smash Bros. figure, or have you given up on that quest? Do you view amiibo favorably or unfavorably? Let us know in the comments below.
Several months after its original release, Blaster Master Zero 2 is getting new DLC. Inti Creates has announced that Copen, known from his appearance in Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX and the Gunvolt series as a whole, will be added to the game.
Here’s a trailer showing off Copen:
At E3 this year, Bethesda announced a reworked port of their mobile title, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, for Nintendo Switch. The upcoming game will have many new features including button controls, PvP, seamless pick-up and play between devices, and much more.
We were able to catch up with Craig Lafferty and Matt Carofano (project lead and art director on Blades, respectively) earlier this year for an interview on the upcoming title. We we asked them questions about Switch’s new features, in-depth aspects they haven’t talked about yet, and many more questions that fans want to know.
Check out our transcript below:
Cool Small Games and Tap It Games are bringing the horror/drama visual novel Perseverance to Switch next week, an eShop listing reveals. It’ll be available starting November 1.
Here’s an overview of Perseverance, along with a trailer:
System: Switch
Release date: October 15, 2019
Developer: Blizzard / Iron Galaxy Studios
Publisher: Blizzard
Overwatch took the world by storm when it released in 2016, and even now years later it has grown into a property worth billions of dollars. The Switch version sees its release in 2019 three years after its launch on PC and consoles, sporting newly featured gyro controls and the ability to make the experience portable. But as great as Overwatch is, are the sacrifices made to run on what is essentially a tablet worth it at the end of the day? Parity is key here, but Switch finds itself in a situation of the age old saying, “Just because you could, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.”
Amazon has opened pre-orders for the newly-announced F.U.N. and Shiny Editions for Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. You can reserve a copy here.
The Shiny Edition contains a SpongeBob figurine, wallstickers, six lithographs, tennis socks, and the game itself. The F.U.N. Edition has all of the same goodies in addition to figurines for Patrick and Sandy plus a set of tiki keyrings.
For those that missed it, GameStop also has pre-orders here.
Blizzard has issued a new patch for Overwatch on Switch. Today’s update includes some bug fixes plus more.
Here are the full patch notes:
