Wait, the new trailer for Pokemon Sun and Moon has barely been out half a day, and you’re already making predictions? Isn’t that a bit premature?
Well yes, and no. Yes I’m making predictions, and no it’s not really that premature. After all, others were posting their predictions back when all we knew about the game was the logo and a few bits of concept art. At least this article is being posted after an actual trailer!
Either way, I like predictions. They’re a sort of game where I try to outdo the analysts and insiders through sheer common sense. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lost, it doesn’t matter anyway. So let’s get out the trusty old crystal ball, and see what the future might hold for Pokemon Sun and Moon!
Prediction 1: There will be more new Pokemon
So let’s start with an obvious one, shall we?
Basically, I predict that Pokemon Sun and Moon will have a lot more new Pokemon species than X and Y. The reason?
Because the team doesn’t need to spend as long remaking old content. Indeed, why did X and Y get so little new Pokemon? Because the series was moving to 3D for the first time, and that necessitated remaking everything single model of every single older Pokemon. So as well as just repeating the existing Pokedex, they needed to remake all the region specific forms, as well as the numerous Unown and legendary Pokemon variations.
In addition to this, they then had to remake all the people and items too. So all those Poke Balls needed a new design, all the trainers needed new models, all the recurring building designs needed updating… it was a lot of work for a new game, especially when said game had a release date set in stone.
But that’s all done now. The trainer classes can be mostly reused from X and Y (who cares the Cooltrainers look slightly old fashioned now?), the minor formes can be brought from the last generation without too many complaints (oh no, Unown ? looks worse than the new Pokemon!) and the old Pokedex is all done and set. The result? Plenty of time to spend on new Pokemon species rather than updated reskins of the old ones!
As a result, I’m predicting we’ll get at least 100 new Pokemon species in Pokemon Sun and Moon.
Prediction 2: The region with involve multiple islands
Well yeah, a pretty obvious prediction this one. The pictures we’ve seen of the Alola region show a fairly small landmass with closely grouped together landmarks. Like the one below:
Above: This can’t be all of it, right?
As a result, it seems almost inevitable that the game will not be restricted to this tiny area. Instead, I foresee extra islands to the North, West and South of the map, which might end up being the location of further gyms, towns, sidequests and legendary Pokemon.
To support this prediction, note the small blue building in the bottom centre. Looks a lot like a dock of some kind, doesn’t it? What’s more, you can see a boat inside said building too.
So I predict this will be how you initially travel to the nearby islands, until a point later in the game when Surf becomes available as a HM and you can travel the seas at your leisure.
Prediction 3: The villains will try to make day or night eternal
Because hey, most villains tend to base their plans around the cover legendaries for a generation. For example, Team Magma wanted to expand the land and Aqua expand the ocean. Team Galactic wanted to remake the universe in their own image, and Team Flare wanted to use Xerneas/Yveltal to power the Ultimate Weapon and either make themselves immortal or destroy all life in Kalos.
Hence based on that logic (and Sun/Moon’s legendaries representing the sun and moon), I’m going to guess the evil plan involves time. Maybe the team wants to use Solgaleo to constantly force the world into an endless day, as part of a plan to ‘stop’ time from progressing and destroy the sleep of people and Pokemon. Or maybe they want to use Lunaala to cover the world in a dark, dreary night, to kill off plant life and bring about thousands of years of darkness.
Above: Guess what they’ll be used for…
Yes, I know they’re not the most original plots. Yes, I also know the ‘endless night’ one was done in The Powerpuff Girls. But we’re talking about games called Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon here. What do you expect the evil team is going to be up to? Harvesting Pokemon ivory, poaching rare fish and running an illegal diamond mine under the starting town?
It’s going to involve day and night in some way. Let’s leave it at that.
Made a typo. Actually 8AM EST. Well, my source made a typo anyway.
Ever since Pokemon Sun and Moon were announced in February, news about the games has been pretty slow coming. The Japanese TV show discussion turned out to be a recap of the original announcement. There was nothing in CoroCoro for the next two or so months afterwards. And with E3 being mostly focused on the new Zelda game, it seems like Pokemon Sun and Moon won’t be shown there either.
But now, it seems we’re finally getting some news about the game. On May 10th (aka the Tuesday coming) at 8AM EST, news about the games will be forthcoming. This will probably involve a trailer, some early artwork showing the starters and legendaries, and all the other stuff usually associated with a new Pokemon game announcement. Here’s a Twitter post confirming it by Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda:
New #PokemonSunMoon information will be revealed on May 10th, around 21:00 JST! Stay tuned everybody!
— 増田順一@GAME FREAK inc. (@Junichi_Masuda) May 6, 2016
So for any Pokemon fans out there, rejoice. New information is coming, and very soon at that.
What do you want to see in the upcoming Pokemon Sun/Moon announcement?
Edit: Quick note about time zones. Basically, 8AM EST is:
It’s common knowledge now; the Wii U is being phased out and replaced by the Nintendo NX. Yes, it’s coming in March 2017. Yes the Wii U is likely being discontinued the year after. We know it’s coming and that the ninth generation of video game consoles has nearly begun.
But while everyone knows about the Wii U’s successor, that still leaves one obvious question. One that’s been bugging me for quite a while now…
Namely, what’s going to succeed the Nintendo 3DS?
Because let’s face it, by all rights, the 3DS should be getting a successor. It’s been out longer than the Wii U and has at least matched the lifespan of the Game Boy Advance. It’s gotten almost all its major games already (Mario Kart 7, Zelda A Link Between Worlds, Pokemon X/Y) and a whole ton of unexpected surprises (Luigi’s Mansion 2, Majora’s Mask 3D). And both sales and third party support have been at a low point in recent years, with the latter being virtually non existent from companies outside of Japan.
So, where is it?
Where’s the next generation of Nintendo handheld system?
Is it the Nintendo NX? That sounds unlikely, especially with the level of power hinted at by the leaks and rumours. A console with higher specs than the Playstation 4 probably won’t be very portable. And that rumour about a future GamePad acting like a remote play device has been rather thoroughly debunked by this point.
Has Nintendo outright given up on portable systems? That’s another possibility, given how much smartphones seem to be cannibalising their market and how a lot more focus seems to be going to smartphone apps now. But Nintendo makes money on hardware as well as software, and a 200 quid handheld games system with 50 quid games makes a lot more money than no new hardware and free/cheap mobile apps.
Above: Especially if they can sell people multiple versions of the same system.
Are Nintendo planning to keep the system going, even as the Wii U gets a successor? Well, that’s certainly possible. There are major 3DS games in development right now, and some of those haven’t yet been announced by Nintendo. But how much longer can the system survive on odd Nintendo spinoffs, Pokemon and eShop titles? Nintendo’s highest sellers have already been released on the system, and it’s unlikely they’ll get sequels on the exact same system. Mario Kart 9 or 10 will probably not be heading to the 3DS any time soon.
Above: This is not exactly going to send 3DS systems flying off store shelves…
So just what is going on here? Where is the Nintendo 3DS’ successor, given that the Wii U is getting its own? And how much longer can the 3DS hold out before Nintendo moves onto greener pastures?
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to get banned from Nintendo’s online services? What it’s like when your 3DS can’t connect to Nintendo Network?
Well if so, this interesting video I found online should answer those questions. Posted on Voat by a user called G4, it shows what happens when a hacked 3DS gets banned from Nintendo Network by the system. Here it is:
Basically, when you try and go online, you get the following error message:
Error Code: 002-0121
This device’s access to online services has been restricted by Nintendo.
For help, visit support.nintendo.com
It’s also apparently locked to the hardware somehow, since even deleting the Nintendo Network ID and removing various serial numbers associated with the console doesn’t let this person online again. On a more positive note, he does also say the ban only lasts 15 days, so it seems likely that most hackers will be able to return to the eShop and Nintendo Network sometime down the line.
Either way, it’s a fairly interesting look at what happens if Nintendo bans your 3DS for ‘hacking’, as well as what happens if you try and connect online regardless.
