I have a little confession to make. For the longest time I’ve been harbouring a sinister secret desire to play a game in which you can punch a Pikachu square in its stupid little face for every annoying ‘pika pika’ I’ve had to stomach over the years. Then maybe kick it down a set of stairs. Then maybe throw it into the jet of a plane.
The closest I’ve gotten to this is Smash Bros. where, in fairness, you can smack the little bugger into the stratosphere with a baseball bat. It still isn’t enough. I’m fairly certain not all of my wishes will be fulfilled with this game but it does seem to be getting closer. ‘Pokkén Tournament’ is the second large scale collaboration between Nintendo and another developer announced within the last year, this time taking the form of a Pokémon fighting game co-developed by Nintendo and Bandai Namco, coming to Japanese Arcades in 2015.
Apparently releasing games in arcades in Japan before later releasing them for home consoles has been standard practice for the Tekken series for years, so if this turns out to be a hit, it’s pretty safe to assume we’ll see a western Wii U release sooner or later. I’m pretty sure that would come along with a name change, though, I don’t think the name ‘Pokkén Tournament’ would fly here. The trailer itself is really cool, Lucario is probably my favourite fighting-type Pokémon as well as my favourite newer Pokémon overall and he’s kicking all kinds of ass in the clip.
In the course of writing about this game I got thinking about a couple of other Pokémon Wii U games that would have made far more sense to make in my opinion:
Pokémon Snap U (or hopefully a far more clever name.)
Why haven’t they made Pokémon Snap for Wii U yet? Makes too much sense? Nintendo hate money? The Wii U’s gyroscopic controls are something that if it’d been described to me while we were still in the midst of the Wii’s lifespan, I would have been very sceptical indeed.
Nintendo managed to lure me back using the Wii U’s simple promise of buttons. I, along with many others, was fed up with gimmicky controls so when I finally got a hold of a gamepad I was shocked to find how much I loved the motion features. The gyroscope is fluid and easy to use and it’s practically begging to be used for a Pokémon Snap game; the view through the lens presented on the gamepad, a lush HD environment filled with Pokémon living in the wild along with animations with the kind of complexity that could really bring the scene to life; the kind that the Nintendo 64 couldn’t dream of creating.
Bored of the idea of Tekken Pokémon yet? I sure am. That’s not even beginning to mention the possibilities the Wii U being an online console could bring to the game, with Miiverse features letting you trade your favourite pictures with friends or have the community at large vote for the best snaps. Shove your Tekken Pokémon, Nintendo. Shove it.
Pokémon Stadium for Wii U (again, please think of something better.)
Besides the fact that Nintendo really don’t have their arse from their elbow when it comes to easily and conveniently getting in touch with friends and having a game with them; You know, the thing Microsoft and Sony were able to do a DECADE ago, the time feels perfect for a follow-up to the N64’s ‘Pokémon Stadium.’
The thrill of taking your Pokémon from your portable console to your home one will only be vastly increased now that Nintendo have made the leap to HD and online. I’d like to stress that I by no means feel like graphics are all that important. Art style trumps horsepower any day of the week. That said, Nintendo going HD has had the biggest impact for me personally since most of their games are colourful and highly polished, games that truly make the most out of HD.
When or if Pokkén gets a western release, I’ll definitely look into picking up a copy but it won’t be until it’s pretty damn cheap. It’s a cool idea but unfortunately its announcement has only highlighted the lack of other Pokémon games that I think far more people would be excited about playing. That said I look forward to taking control of Lucario and kicking all of you in the face in the future. Please pick Pikachu.
Not a fan of Pokkén Tournament? Let us know what Nintendo SHOULD be making in the comments below!
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