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3DS

Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon Starters and More Revealed

by Adam Abou-Nasr - May 10, 2016, 5:28 am EDT
Total comments: 20 Source: The Pokémon Company

Release date, region, and gameplay all get spilled.

The Pokémon Company released the first trailer for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon today, showing off new Pokémon and gameplay.

The three starters are Rowlet (Grass/Flying), Litten (Fire) and Popplio (Water). The two new mascot Pokémon were also revealed but not given names.

The new Alola region is described as "paradise" and has a tropical theme in the trailer. The games are set to release on November 18 in North America and Japan and on November 23 in Europe.

The trailer includes a handful of new locations and both day and night shots. The games follow the art style of the previous 3DS Pokémon games.

UPDATE: The Japanese trailer shows trainer customization and the professor's name as Hala. In addition, a Meowth is visible at a point, confirming old Pokémon will be present.

Images

Talkback

TOPHATANT123May 10, 2016

Love the look of the world, gives off vibes different from the previous entries in the series. It's also nice to see trainer customisation again.

Huzzah for trainer customization seeming to be back given the fact that the japanese trailer shows you selecting trainer skin color and shirts seeming to be different in a few different cuts!

Grass/Flying is a shit type that really dragged Tropius down. Ice is an incredibly prevalent move type and being x4 weak to it is a soul-crushing thing. Rowlet will already have an uphill battle given the fact that almost EVERY water type can come equipped with such an attack.

JEEZ they're sliding this in about as late as possible, huh? December 18th is only about a week and a half out from having a Dr. Luigi-esque release date. I still think this game should have been an NX launch title, but givne the console is 2017, this now makes a lot more sense.

I'm really hoping that the engine shown here doesn't run like a choppy N64 game like X/Y OR/AS did the moment you turn on the 3D slider.

Now more than ever they are REALLY trying to push the idea that this game is coming out in so many different languages in the advertising.

Finally, I feel like if this game had gotten the proper E3 reveal it probably should have gotten, we'd have learned some details on new mechanics or what the heck the point of poke banking Gen 1 pokemon are

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterMay 10, 2016

Bring back DexNav. Seriously DexNav is easily one of the best things to come out of Gen 6.

OedoMay 10, 2016

The Alola region looks awesome and those starters look like they could have cool character designs by the time they reach their final and mega evolutions (which is ultimately most of what I care about when it comes to Pokemon games).

Quote from: pokepal148

Bring back DexNav. Seriously DexNav is easily one of the best things to come out of Gen 6.

The  first thing I thought when I saw it in ORAS was "wow, how did it take them this long to put something like this in the game?" Seems like such an obvious thing to do in hindsight and, yeah, definitely one of the best features in those games.

Evan_BMay 10, 2016

Looks great. Honestly, I'm surprised, but very impressed by the switch to full-on character models after XY. The chibi days are gone, it seems.

Triforce HermitMay 10, 2016

I hope I can customize myself enough to not look like a surfer douche.

Still, very nice so far. Really good looking. Can't wait to hear more. More interested so far then I was with X/Y

WahMay 11, 2016

Everything looks good except the starters look like shit.

WahMay 11, 2016

of to Hawaii peps!

Evan_BMay 11, 2016

Quote from: Lucario

Everything looks good except the starters look like ****.

Says the 99th fan of one of the worst designed Pokemon ever.

Yup, the pre-release hype is setting in. Seeing as the visuals feel like a massive step up from Gen VI and we're finally getting a tropic-themed region that isn't utter garbage, it's getting me all excited about Pokemon again. Although new Pokemon in general do that to me.

WahMay 11, 2016

1v1 Lucario's only.
(better then any gen 1 pokemon, I just went there ;))

KhushrenadaMay 11, 2016

Quote from: Lucario

Everything looks good except the starters look like ****.

I like Litten. That would be my starter. Appealing to the cat people is a clever move Pokémon creators. The only one I don't like the look of is  Popplio. It's like some weird cross of a seal and Chuck E. Cheese.

WahMay 11, 2016

They just all look derpy to me and grass flying srsly?
looks like fire for me... (my tradition of water starters! NOOOOO!)

Evan_BMay 11, 2016

Quote from: Lucario

1v1 Lucario's only.
(better then any gen 1 pokemon, I just went there ;))

That's not an inaccurate statement, by many standards.

Except aesthetic design.

I think Rowlet will become the fast Grass starter we all needed by never got. No, I'm not looking at you, Sceptile. WE NEVER GOT IT. Although Litten does look quite nimble. I just see Poplio becoming very Samurott-like in all the wrong ways.

Evolutions and stat/movepool is going to help with my choice in starter. otherwise, I may just throw my starter out the Wonder Trade airlock and try to Wonderlock Pokemon Sun.

CaterkillerMatthew Osborne, Contributing WriterMay 13, 2016

What I like is that the layout of the terrain isn't as obviously grid based as it has been since the Game Boy.

Loving the new starters and what appears to be a circus theme going on. Rowlet will be mine for sure! He can join the 4x weakness starter club with Charizard, Torterra and Swampert. Who cares? Just don't pick em.

Everyone always questions why this latest version wasn't pushed for launch with Nintendo's next handheld ever since Ruby and Sapphire. That's just not how the Pokemon company works. They want that install base first and foremost so getting main line Pokemon for the launch of anything will likely happen never. At least not with the current management.


Oh and that commercial did my heart good. How does something like that not take you back to grade school when you first got into Pokemon? Made me tear up a little.

Ian SaneMay 13, 2016

Quote from: Caterkiller

Everyone always questions why this latest version wasn't pushed for launch with Nintendo's next handheld ever since Ruby and Sapphire. That's just not how the Pokemon company works. They want that install base first and foremost so getting main line Pokemon for the launch of anything will likely happen never. At least not with the current management.

Yeah, gotta have that install base in place for that killer app franchise that can sell systems by itself.  Seriously, who the hell runs that company?  And if the userbase didn't build up what would they do?  Move it to PlayStation?  Nintendo handhelds seem to do just fine anyway but that logic of their's is pretty silly.

Luigi DudeMay 13, 2016

Quote from: Ian

Quote from: Caterkiller

Everyone always questions why this latest version wasn't pushed for launch with Nintendo's next handheld ever since Ruby and Sapphire. That's just not how the Pokemon company works. They want that install base first and foremost so getting main line Pokemon for the launch of anything will likely happen never. At least not with the current management.

Yeah, gotta have that install base in place for that killer app franchise that can sell systems by itself.  Seriously, who the hell runs that company?  And if the userbase didn't build up what would they do?  Move it to PlayStation?  Nintendo handhelds seem to do just fine anyway but that logic of their's is pretty silly.

Yeah Pokemon is the kind of game that would have legs but the Pokemon Company wants everyone buying the same game right at launch so they'll be more likely to buy the newest merchandise and watching the newest Anime episodes that are covering the latest game as well.  They don't want stranglers coming in late, they want everyone getting Pokemon fever at once.  To the Pokemon Company, Pokemon isn't just a game, it's basically a lifestyle.

Ian SaneMay 13, 2016

I was thinking about how the timing was such that Pokémon was pretty much a killer app for the GBC in North America.  My younger brother was just the right age for the first Pokémon craze and his friends all were rocking GBCs or a really old brick model hand-me-down Game Boy.  It wasn't like they were asking their parents for a Game Boy Pocket to play it.

There have been other Pokémon games released at the tail end of a handheld's life but owners of the new handheld were always able to participate because of backwards compatibility.  It doesn't make much sense to release a big 3DS game when presumably the NX will replace it soon.  So is the NX backwards compatible with the 3DS or is Nintendo and the Pokémon Company okay with this being a 3DS exclusive?

Evan_BMay 13, 2016

There are forty-something-million 3DS' out there.

I think this game will hit at least twenty percent of that number, which is a nice number to have.

I'd say 20% of 57 million is a nice target.

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