Pokémon Sun and Moon E3 Trailer + It’s Evaluating Time!

Well, it’s that time again! Pokémon Sun and Moon were shown off at E3, so we got plenty to look over, meaning…

It’s Over-The-Top-Excited-While-Your-Friends-Watch-Awkwardly Evaluating Time!!!

So, let’s start with the trailer!

In addition to that, we’ve also got this trailer that was revealed a couple of days before E3 got started.

So, as usual, let’s go over the Pokémon covered in these videos. I should also note that there were two other Pokémon revealed in a CoroCoro leak, but we’re not gonna go over them just yet, since a few details (like their English names) have yet to be revealed. Until then, let’s start a little different and go over a Pokémon we already knew of.

Zygarde, the Order Pokémon

 

We’ve actually known for some time that Zygarde had different forms, due to their presence in the anime. That, combined with the title of the current arc of the anime, XY&Z, led people to believe there would be a Pokémon Z released, and that these forms would be released in said game. Instead, it looks as though the writers of the anime opted to use this arc to advertise these new forms early. Right off the bat, I can’t help but notice that Zygarde seemingly can only access its Complete Forme (or Perfect Zygarde, as people are calling it because, let’s be honest, the similarity to Cell is staggering) by first going 10% Forme (the dog). So what does this mean for Zygarde’s standard form we’ve already gotten to know? How do Zygarde Cell and Zygarde Core fit into all this? And does this mean Ash-Greninja will also be a thing in the games? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. I WILL say that its Core Enforcer attack is AWESOME. It’s like Zorro with a freaking laser beam. I love it. XD

Pikipek, the Woodpecker Pokémon…Try saying that five times fast. lol

Pikipek is apparently #10 in the Alola Regional Dex, and has two evolutions, so I’m pretty sure we’re looking at our early region bird. One thing that separates it from the others, though, is one of the two Abilities it can have: Skill Link. That means moves that hit 2-5 times (like Fury Attack, Bone Rush, or Rock Blast) will now ALWAYS hit 5 times. Combined with its Pokédex page saying it can strike targets with its beak 16 times per second, and I’m pretty sure it will learn Fury Attack, and perhaps some sort of new Flying-type equivalent to it. Its other Ability is Keen Eye, which you should know all about, especially with birds. The only move that I know for sure that it learns is Peck. And yes, it’s been brought to my attention that Pikipek looks like Pearl from Steven Universe…which is funny, because it’s weak against Rock-types. lol

Yungoos, the Loitering Pokémon

Yungoos is a mongoose. I’m not sure why the ‘e’ was taken off at the end of its name for English, but whatever. Point is, it’s a Normal-type, and has two different Abilities it can know: Strong Jaw, which increases the power of biting moves (like Bite, Crunch, Fire Fang, etc.), and Stakeout, which does more damage to Pokémon who are just switching in when it attacks, so you’ll wanna be careful about whether you want to switch Pokémon or not while battling it. The only move it was shown using was Tackle, but with Strong Jaw, I think it’s pretty clear that it will learn biting moves as it levels up and/or as Egg Moves. Originally, I didn’t think this was gonna be our new Rattata for this region, considering that a mongoose isn’t considered vermin. However, it’s been brought to my attention that, as mongooses are an invasive species in Hawaii, technically speaking, it IS considered vermin there, so here we are. The more you know, I guess.

Grubbin, the Larva Pokémon

I fully expect Grubbin to evolve, since early revealed Bug-types usually do, and based on its appearance, I would imagine its evolved form will be some kind of beetle. In fact, since there already are beetle-like Pokémon in existence, I wonder if this is the pre-evolution that will link the two? Probably not, but hey, it’s a theory we can speculate about. Its only Ability (that we know of, anyway) is Swarm, which increases the damage done by Bug-type moves when its health gets low. The only attack we know of that it can learn so far is String Shot, though since it apparently seems to love electricity, I’d imagine a likely move for it to learn is Electro Web.

We also learned about a new way to battle: Battle Royal. Four Trainers send out one Pokémon each. Anyone can attack anyone. When one of your Pokémon are knocked out, you send out a new one. The battle continues until one Trainer has had all of their Pokémon knocked out, at which point, the other Trainers will have the number of Pokémon they’ve knocked out added to the number they still have conscious to determine who did the best. Not sure what happens if there’s a tie, like maybe it then goes into overtime or something. Personally, I would’ve just had all four Trainers battle til the last one standing, but whatever. I will say that, given the rules presented, you probably wanna try to make alliances early so that you don’t get singled out by all three opponents.  Also, the image for Battle Royals confirms something else: There IS Trainer customization of some kind in this game. So, for those wondering, this seems to solidify that it IS back.

There was also a demonstration of the game streamed on Treehouse. If you wanna watch it, it’s right here…

I will say that this both answers a few questions about the early game while also opening the floor to several new questions. Apparently, each of the four islands has a guardian deity, and the deity for the island you start off on, supposedly called Melemele, is referred to as Tapu Koko. These deities are highly implied to be Pokémon, so does this mean there’s a Pokémon named Tapu Koko, or is that a title of some sort? Is this a Legendary Pokémon, or could Tapu Koko be an individual of a species of regular Pokémon found on the island? We also know that Hau is referred to as the “grandson of the kahuna”. Kahuna is apparently a Hawaiian term for…

“And I quote…”

…”a priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, or expert in any profession”. I’m still convinced that Hala is Hau’s grandfather, so that tells me that he is the kahuna. It’s also been suggested that Hala is a great Trainer of some sort, so perhaps kahuna is also a Trainer class in this game. Something else we learned from this video is that, after encountering a Pokémon in battle once, the battle menu will show which of the moves your Pokémon can use will be effective, super-effective, or not very effective against that Pokémon when you battle it again. There’s also the option to check on each Pokémon in battle to see how much their status has been changed by the effects of different moves and Abilities. Both of these things are great for beginners, and unlike stuff like giving away items like Lucky Eggs and Exp. Shares, I don’t really mind this too much. Heck, it makes things easier for me, too, since there’ve been some changes to the type chart as of late. And lastly, we learned that Popplio can learn Disarming Voice, furthering the fan theory that it will evolve into a Water/Fairy-type, which I would actually be okay with, especially since it would make it vastly different from other seal-like Pokémon we’ve seen in the past.

Anyway, that’s all for now. Be sure to check back here when we next learn anything about the new games, and to get the games when they come out in November. Ja né!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Trailer + Story Speculation

…Well, it’s been a while since we’ve talked about Zelda on this blog, hasn’t it? 😛 And what better time to make up for that than right here. Now, keep in mind, as I’m typing this, I haven’t been watching Nintendo Treehouse for more info, as it’s one of those things where, if you didn’t watch from the beginning, you’re pretty much screwed, so I’m basing this article solely on the trailer. When the whole thing is posted as a single, viewable video, I’ll check it out and see what I got right. For now, though, here’s the trailer…

… … … …HOLY HYLIA. O_O So, let’s go ahead and get the obvious thing to do with this trailer out of the way: Figuring out where this takes place in the timeline. Well, we can very clearly spot the Bridge of Eldin in one scene, so as it pertains to the fork in the timeline, that tells me that this takes place in the same line as where Link went back in time, warned of Ganondorf’s plans, and thus Ganondorf was tried and executed for his crimes against Hyrule…well, or so people were led to believe, anyway. Granted, Hyrule has obviously gone through some changes since then, but then again, Hyrule in Twilight Princess looks different from how it did in Ocarina of Time, so it’s not too big a leap to suggest that this is the same Hyrule, only that things have changed in the time between the games. We see the Master Sword in the woods, which admittedly could be either the Lost Woods from A Link To The Past or the Sacred Grove from Twilight Princess, but regardless of which one it is, the place has clearly been overgrown by grass quite a bit.

Speaking of, the next thing I’m left to guess at is that a LONG time has passed between Twilight Princess (assuming I’m right about the timeline placement) and Breath of the Wild. What makes me say that? Well, a few things. Specifically, Hyrule seems a lot more lush when it comes to plant and wildlife than it did previously, and we don’t see ANYONE else in the trailer other than Link. That tells me one of two things happened: Either the Hylians all eventually moved on to new lands, leaving Hyrule to the other creatures that inhabit it, or there was some sort of disaster that occurred and that there are very few Hylians left. Naturally, I could be wrong in either case, and that Nintendo simply hasn’t shown off the Hylian settlements in the game yet, but I don’t think I am. Why? The title of the game is Breath of the Wild. Between the title and the gameplay, this game clearly has an emphasis on Link having to survive in the wilds with few to no one around to help him. We hear a voice in the trailer, but it doesn’t sound like she’s anyone who is talking directly with Link, instead being telepathy, or simply some other kind of voice in his head.

On the subject of Link, something odd I noticed during this trailer is that, at no point in it, do we see Link in his trademark green tunic. Instead, we see him in a lot of other kinds of clothes and even armour at one point. This seems to suggest that either Link will find different full outfits to wear along the journey, or that attire customization is going to be a thing in this game. Personally, I’m kind of hoping for the latter, but again, why the lack of the green tunic? Well, the tunic seems to be connected to the Hero of Hyrule, the one who saved it from evil, and thus is why Link wears it in his every incarnation, as he is destined to become the hero. So, why doesn’t he wear it here? One possibility is that he isn’t the hero in this game, or perhaps that he simply hasn’t earned the right yet. But there is one other thing to point out, as it pertains to the Hero of Hyrule: His weapon of choice, the Master Sword.

As we see in the trailer, the Master Sword is rusted and cracked all over. Now, why would this be? It’s been thousands, if not MILLIONS, of years since Skyward Sword, when the Goddess Sword was transformed into the Master Sword, and not once has it ever been shown to have this type of damage done to it. So why now? This would SEEM to suggest something very wrong has happened to it and/or to Hyrule. We know that monsters are not only roaming the land, but now have encampments and are much more organized, that there are massive Guardians around Hyrule, and that Ganon apparently plays a role in this game, but what does that indicate? Has Ganondorf finally taken over and gotten revenge? Has the Master Sword simply become too damaged because of the growing evil in the lands? Could something have happened to the link (pun intended) between it and the line of the hero? And where does that leave Link? Is he a survivor of a group that were hiding out in Hyrule and is now on his own, or some kind of explorer that’s returned to Hyrule to determine what’s happened after so long?

Well, right now, we have no answers. All we can do now is speculate as we wait for more details to arise between now and its release next year on the Wii U and NX. Still, lemme know what you all think of the trailer, as well as my ramblings, and we’ll see what comes up between now and the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Ja né!

Hyrule Warriors Coming to Nintendo 3DS

…Well, apparently HYDRA has struck again. This time, they’re going after Nintendo trailers meant for E3. Specifically, a new trailer was leaked revealing that Hyrule Warriors is coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Let’s take a look, shall we? 😀

…So yeah, I guess my decision to wait a bit before getting Hyrule Warriors was right all along. ^_^

E3 Info Pouring Out My Ears!!! (Mario, KH3, Pokémon, Smash Bros., Scribblenauts, and More!)

Holy crap, has there been a TON of info released at E3. First off…well, first off, let’s just get this outta the way, STEPHANIE BROWN IS IN SCRIBBLENAUTS!!!

“SCARY STEPHANIE BROWN”

Cried tears of joy when I saw that. I mean, I was already contemplating buying this game, but this sealed the deal for Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. And speaking of tears of joy, that brings me to another major announcement: Kingdom Hearts III is now officially under development, FINALLY! lol

According to Square-Enix, “Believing light and darkness must remain in balance, Master Xehanort seeks to spark war against the ‘tyranny of light’ to restore equilibrium. In an effort to undermine Xehanort’s plot, Sora, Donald and Goofy search for seven guardians of light and the ‘Key to Return Hearts,’ while King Mickey and Riku search for previous Keyblade wielders.” So apparently, this is the one that’ll finally wrap up the Xehanort storyline. Also, it is set to be released on the PS4 and Xbox One, no word on the Nintendo Wii U, but I remain hopeful nonetheless.

One game trailer that caught my attention was, surprisingly, Super Mario 3D World, where four players can play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad all at the same time.

So yeah, for anybody that says that Super Mario Bros. 2 doesn’t count toward Luigi and Peach being useful since it was a dream, guess what? lol And speaking of Mario, he appeared in a trailer for another game that I’ve been looking forward to…

I’m guess these are tentative titles, by the way. Oh, and if THAT wasn’t enough to get you hyped about the game, then there was the BIG announcement regarding a certain new challenger…

So yes, the current confirmed roster for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consists of Mario, Donkey Kong, Fox, Samus, Pikachu, Link, Kirby, Bowser, Villager, Pit, and Mega Man. Also, looking like there will most definitely be a story mode of some sort, much to my immense joy.

Moving on, there was also a trailer for Pokémon, which confirmed a few things and revealed some new stuff…

Well, I think most of us called the Fairy-type, though a couple of the Pokémon that received it are kind of a surprise. Also, just gonna say it here, I am gonna have SO much fun with Pokémon-Amie. ^_^

And because I feel I should be generous and give credit where credit is due…Halo 5! 🙂

And that’s all for now. If there’s anything I forgot or just wanted to save for later, don’t freak, it’ll be up when it’s up. Ja ne!

Related articles

• Kingdom Hearts III Coming to Xbox One & PS4 (thegeektrench.com)
• E3 2013: Games Announced for Nintendo’s Wii U (nerdsagainsttheworlddotnet.wordpress.com)
• E3 2013: Mega Man Joins Super Smash Bros! (analogaddiction.org)
• Pokemon X and Pokemon Y Launch Date Confirmed, New Type Revealed! (nintychronicle.wordpress.com)
• Sora is all grown in up Kingdom Hearts 3 (gamesradar.com)