POKEMON Direct Gives Us Glimpse at New Games and Old Favorites
Today’s Pokemon Direct had 3 main events: Pokken Tournament DX, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon, and Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver are coming to the Virtual Console. Many fans were expecting the third installment of Sun and Moon, Pokemon Stars, but were instead treated to the reveal of other exciting plans from Nintendo.
First, Pokken Tournament DX. This takes the original Pokken Tournament, adds some game modes, adds 5 new Pokemon, and releases on the Nintendo Switch. The new modes include team battles (exciting!), online ranked play for the more competitive players, and friend-only group matches. Local multiplayer will be supported and it looks like you can use a single Joy-Con as a controller. The new Pokemon are well-needed additions: Darkrai, Scizor, Empoleon, Croagunk, and Decidueye. These additions are sure to add variety to the roster as well as let more people play as their favorites. My biggest hope is that this version is better supported after launch than its predecessor. You can pick it up September 22, 2017, from your favorite game shop.
Next, we have Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon. Nintendo didn’t give us very much information, but maybe they’ll fix that at E3 next week. What we do know is that they will take place in Alola, but have different stories than Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. We also got a glimpse at new versions or potentially Mega Evolutions of the main legendary Pokemon, Solgaleo and Lunala. Hit up your favorite game store on November 17, 2017 for these Nintendo 3DS games.
Finally, the Virtual Console announcement. Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver are being released September 22, 2017, on the Virtual Console for Nintendo 3DS! This was the most exciting announcement of the three for me and my friends. We love those games, and clearly, a lot of people do since the remakes Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are incredibly hard to find for sale and costly. The classic versions will get the same treatment as Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow received over a year ago. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but I think it’s safe to bet it will be between $7-10 dollars.
Which announcement has you most excited? Who’s your star fighter in Pokken Tournament? What do these new forms of Solgaleo and Lunala mean? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.