Pokemon Direct 09/04/2013

Pokemon Direct 09/04/2013 (Video)

Pokemon X & Y (Homepage)

09/05/2013

Yesterday, Nintendo & Pokémon released a special "Pokémon Direct." The video link is above. It lasts about twenty minutes. If you have the time, be sure to check it out. If not, then read my recap of the video down below.

*Recap*

The first part of the video walks you through the previous games and all of the generations of Pokémon up to this point. The real updates are once we finally reach the new generation, X & Y.

Pokémon Bank
Pokémon Bank will be a 3DS app that enables could storage of your Pokémon. It will have 100 boxes worth of storage which equals 3,000 Pokémon!! It will also feature extensive search options, that will let you easily browse your massive Pokémon collection. This is an amazing feature, one that they've actually had the idea for since Pokémon Crystal. You've seen precursors to this with previous Pokémon storage solutions such as Pokémon Box for Ruby & Sapphire using Nintendo Gamecube as well as My Pokémon Ranch on Nintendo Wii. However, this will be the first time that the storage is available in the cloud and can be accessed by any X or Y game.

So, what is the downside to this fantastic feature? Well, since the Pokémon will be stored in the cloud, there will need to be continual maintenance and operational costs for the feature, so there will be an annual charge. They did not specify how much the service will be in the video, but I've heard from some people that the amount will be 500¥ per year, so I'm not sure what the official U.S. Dollar price will be.

We've seen this trend emerging of additional fees for additional features in the past, i.e. Pokémon Dream Radar. Both Nintendo and Pokémon realize that with the level of apps and digital downloads available, there is more money to be made other than the release of the game.

Poké Transfer
Poké Transfer will be an additional 3DS app that you will gain access to after downloading Pokémon Bank. Poké Transfer will allow you to put in a copy of Pokémon White, Black, White 2 or Black 2 into a 3DS console and transfer your Pokémon to your Pokémon Bank account. This will allow you to make transfers using only 1 3DS console, which is a relief for those of us that only own one. From Pokémon Bank you can then transfer all of your previous generation Pokémon to X or Y. The feature seems amazing, and I was fervently hoping for a way to transfer massive amounts of Pokémon at one time in X & Y. Since I've played every game from every generation up to this point, I have more Pokémon than can fit on even two regular cartridges.

This is such an amazing app, so what's the downside? At first, I didn't even realize it, but this will be the very first time that you will not be able to transfer Pokémon from previous games without paying an additional fee. This has been a basic part of every previous generation to an extent, and this will mark the first time we'll have to pay for it. I'm fine with additional payments for additional services, such as Pokémon Bank, but I don't like the move to charge for something that has been included in games up to this point.

Starters
In addition to choosing from Chespin, Fennekin & Froakie (who you will get from your friend) you will also choose one of the original three starters (Bulbusaur, Charmander & Squirtle) from the Professor. This marks the first time you'll get two starter Pokémon.

Mega-Evolutions
We learned a little more about Mega-Evolutions in the video. The trainer will use a "Mega-Ring" (which actually looks like a bracelet) and this will communicate with the "Mega Stone" that the Pokémon is holding to trigger the Mega-Evolution. Your heart will pour into the Pokémon for this to happen. Is it possible that Mega-Evolution is tied to the bond with the trainer in some way? We'll have to wait and find out.

X & Y Limited Edition Consoles
This is what I was looking for more than anything else in this video. They will release two limited edition Pokémon 3DS XL consoles in North American and Europe. There will be a Red console and a Blue console. The release date for both consoles is September 27, 2013. This is in addition to the two limited edition consoles that will be available in Japan, the Blue for the general public and the Gold only found at Pokémon Centers. There is a possible downside for the U.S. & European consoles though as they will not include copies of the games like the Japanese consoles will. This may bother some people but not others.

*Summary*

Now that I know that there will be limited editions of the consoles, I've already headed over to Amazon and reserved the games. Since the announcement just took place, it looks like the consoles are not yet listed on Amazon. I'll update this post once they are live. I've provided the links below for both of the games.