Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Pokemon - Nintendo Direct (9/4/2013)

Earlier today Nintendo aired their newest Nintendo Direct, which was focused on Pokemon X and Y. Although the Direct began by simply discussing the Pokemon series' past, it soon turned into a 20 minute showcase of some previously unannounced features for the newest entries. So, if you haven't already heard, let me touch on what was covered.


Pokemon Bank:

Pokemon Bank is a feature fans have been wanting for quite some time. It is an online based Pokemon Box storage system which allows you to actually save a grand total of 3,000 Pokemon. While the games Pokemon X and Y will have limited storage on their own, by downloading the Pokemon Bank you will greatly be able to improve your storage space, and preserve your pokemon for generations to come. On top of that, the Pokemon Bank also includes a deep search system which will allow you to quickly find your pokemon with little to no trouble. If you have 3,000 pokemon saved, and around 300 pikachus, you can now just search for pikachu, and have a list of all of them right before you. Its a lot easier than going through each box hoping to find the specific pokemon you need!


Although this isn't the first time Nintendo has released an outside Pokemon storage system (Pokemon Box on the Nintendo GameCube as well as Pokemon Ranch were created for the very same reasons), this is the first time that they have allowed us to save our pokemon online; in a safe cloud like area. Sadly due to the nature of the Pokemon Bank, the App must be bought from the Nintendo eShop, and you will be required to pay a small fee for future updates and releases for the next generations as well.

Poke Transporter:

The Poke Transporter is another Nintendo 3DS app, but unlike Pokemon Bank (which is a stand alone app), it works along side Pokemon Bank to function. The purpose of the Poke Transporter is so that you can connect either Pokemon Black, White, Black 2, or White 2 to the Pokemon Bank with the use of a 3DS. This allows you to send your pokemon into the online storage, so that you can download them into your Pokemon X or Y versions.

Starter Pokemon:

In past Pokemon games, the Pokemon Professor was always there to give you your first pokemon. Well, that is no longer the case in Pokemon X and Y. Instead of getting your first pokemon from the Professor, you actually get your first Pokemon from a friend; while the Professor gives you your secondary "starter." While your friend will give you one of the three new pokemon starters (Froakie, Fennekin, and Chespin), the Professor will allow you to pick from one of the three starters from the first generation: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.


New Mega Evolutions:

As previously announced, some people will now feature Mega Evolutions which allow pokemon to advance past their 3rd form while in battle. Well, we have now learned that the original three starters are three of the pokemon which will be able to use this Mega Evolution system. Although not much is known about their stats or abilities, we can safely assume that they will be quite the step up from their standard 3rd evolutions.


Pokemon X and Y Limited Edition 3DS XL:

Although the Nintendo Direct was mostly about the two games themselves; Nintendo also took the opertuinity to announce two new Nintendo 3DS XL models; a red one, as well as a blue one, both of which featuring the new legendaries. Both models will be released on 9/27/2013 in both NA and EU.