Pokémon Presents 2/27/2024

[Perkilator]

Here’s the URL.

[vanguard333]

The only announcement I thought was interesting was the new Legends game, and even then, it was an entirely pre-rendered teaser that showed nothing other than the title and the fact that it will be set in the Kalos region.

I can honestly say that I was not expecting the Kalos region to be the next region to get a Legends game, but it does make sense as that region has a lot of lore in regards to its history that went completely unexplored in X and Y. My guess is that this game will be recycling a lot of scrapped ideas for the Pokémon Z game that never came to be.

[AzureEmperor]

13 minutes ago, vanguard333 said:

The only announcement I thought was interesting was the new Legends game, and even then, it was an entirely pre-rendered teaser that showed nothing other than the title and the fact that it will be set in the Kalos region.

I can honestly say that I was not expecting the Kalos region to be the next region to get a Legends game, but it does make sense as that region has a lot of lore in regards to its history that went completely unexplored in X and Y. My guess is that this game will be recycling a lot of scrapped ideas for the Pokémon Z game that never came to be.

I feel the same way, the spin-offs just haven't been as engaging for me lately, but the legends announcement got me hyped because of the possibilities. We could get so much out of this like new megas, the power plant, east kalos, lore, new mysteries, and cool side characters. Also based off the trailer saying Lumiose City is undergoing reconstruction I believe this game may be set in the future contrasting Arceus being in the past. All in all this one release just has me so excited!

[Florete]

Happy they're continuing Legends. Just please let it cook this time. Arceus was a ton of fun but also had a ton of issues.

[vanguard333]

4 hours ago, AzureEmperor said:

I feel the same way, the spin-offs just haven't been as engaging for me lately, but the legends announcement got me hyped because of the possibilities. We could get so much out of this like new megas, the power plant, east kalos, lore, new mysteries, and cool side characters. Also based off the trailer saying Lumiose City is undergoing reconstruction I believe this game may be set in the future contrasting Arceus being in the past. All in all this one release just has me so excited!

I see. I'm not hyped for it, given that we know next-to-nothing about it, but I do hope it's good.

It being set in the future would make the "Legends" part a bit of an artifact title, but I suppose it could work. I was wondering how it could happen in the past, since almost all the lore for the Kalos region's history is about events 3,000 years before X and Y, and I don't think they'd want to go that far back in the past since they'd still want pokeballs and the pokedex to be a thing without introducing a ton of retcons.

Personally, I do hope it takes in the past, since part of the appeal of Legends for me was the games taking place in the past. I'd prefer something along the lines of the Pokémon equivalent of late-Victorian era.

Incidentally, Legends Arceus had Jubilife Village be the central hub and then had the player explore a set of open areas in different parts of the region. Since Lumiose City is supposed to be huge, I wonder if that will be the case here, or if the whole game will be within the city; I'm hoping the former.

Edited February 27 by vanguard333

[AzureEmperor]

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

Incidentally, Legends Arceus had Jubilife Village be the central hub and then had the player explore a set of open areas in different parts of the region. Since Lumiose City is supposed to be huge, I wonder if that will be the case here, or if the whole game will be within the city; I'm hoping the former.

Looking at online posts the Lumiose is the entire map, but I didn't get any hints on the time period. Honestly after hearing that I'm leaning towards cautiously optimistic, either way though we all have to wait for more info to have any real opinions.

Sidenote; does anybody else think it would be funny if the game was set during the Pokémon equivalent of the French revolution

[vanguard333]

1 minute ago, AzureEmperor said:

Looking at online posts the Lumiose is the entire map, but I didn't get any hints on the time period. Honestly after hearing that I'm leaning towards cautiously optimistic, either way though we all have to wait for more info to have any real opinions.

Sidenote; does anybody else think it would be funny if the game was set during the Pokémon equivalent of the French revolution

I see. That's a shame, though I suppose there is more they can do with the city than I originally thought; I saw someone mention the Paris catacombs as a possibility, and that could work.

In any case, I think any speculation at this point is pointless, since the teaser gave us almost nothing to go on. I get that it's an announcement teaser and not a full trailer, but the 2019 announcement teaser of Tears of the Kingdom at least gave us mummified-Ganondorf, and that was to announce that the game was in development. This game was given a release year and the teaser showed us nothing, and with nothing to go on, there's no real point in speculation.

That would be funny. Personally, I was hoping for the Pokemon equivalent of 19th Century Paris so that, where Legends Arceus was something I could jokingly compare to the anime Golden Kamuy (due to Legends Arceus being based on dawn-of-the-20th Century Hokkaido, and Golden Kamuy is set in that time and place), I could jokingly compare Z-A to the anime The Case Study of Vanitas.

[Lord_Brand]

The Mega Evolution symbol at the end is tantalizing. Presumably, this is a sign that Mega Evolutions are returning, but there's also vast potential for new Mega Evolutions, including some of Gen VIII and IX Pokemon.

There's also a distinct chance Legends Z-A will have different starters, much like Legends Arceus, and I have a strong feeling two of those will be Snivy and Piplup, as their themes fit the region perfectly. Scorbunny could be an interesting choice for the Fire starter, repping the previous generation just as Rowlet did in Legends: Arceus. Of course they'll presumably also have regional variants of their third stage evolutions, with new secondary types.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

2 hours ago, AzureEmperor said:

Sidenote; does anybody else think it would be funny if the game was set during the Pokémon equivalent of the French revolution

Can't wait to use Pinsir's Guillotine against Robespierre's whole team!

16 minutes ago, Lord_Brand said:

The Mega Evolution symbol at the end is tantalizing. Presumably, this is a sign that Mega Evolutions are returning, but there's also vast potential for new Mega Evolutions, including some of Gen VIII and IX Pokemon.

Man... I'll believe it when I see it. The symbol is great and all, but I'm worried that "Megas are back!" is just going to turn into "(pre-existing) Megas are back!". That's what Sun & Moon did, after all. I'm still happy to theorycraft new Megas, but don't have a ton of hope that they'll show up.

19 minutes ago, Lord_Brand said:

There's also a distinct chance Legends Z-A will have different starters, much like Legends Arceus, and I have a strong feeling two of those will be Snivy and Piplup, as their themes fit the region perfectly. Scorbunny could be an interesting choice for the Fire starter, repping the previous generation just as Rowlet did in Legends: Arceus. Of course they'll presumably also have regional variants of their third stage evolutions, with new secondary types.

The original X and Y were uniqurle, in that the player got two starters: one from Kalos, and another from Kanto. I wonder if they'll do something similar here? Like, maybe your proposed "Snivy/Scorbunny/Piplup with regional evos" as the original starters, but then "Chespin/Fennekin/Froakie" that the Professor offers you later on.

2 hours ago, AzureEmperor said:

Looking at online posts the Lumiose is the entire map, but I didn't get any hints on the time period. Honestly after hearing that I'm leaning towards cautiously optimistic, either way though we all have to wait for more info to have any real opinions.

I wonder, if it's all in Lumiose City, will we have the encountering and catching system that Legends Arceus offered? Would we only be able to catch species that live in, or visit, the city? I worry that would be somewhat limiting, even though I do like the idea of a Pokemon game portraying a city moreso "to scale", as opposed to "six houses, one hospital, a gym and a shop".

[vanguard333]

Something that various people pointed out online that makes sense as a theory for when this game is supposed to take place: in the mid-to-late 1800s, Paris underwent a huge reconstruction and public works project led by Napoleon III and Georges-Eugene Haussmann. Given that Legends: Arceus was based on the colonization of Hokkaido that took place between the 1860s and the early 1900s, it would make sense for this game to take place within a similar time period, so it is possible that the mention of Lumiose city undergoing reconstruction is a nod to that time period.

[Lord_Brand]

21 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Man... I'll believe it when I see it. The symbol is great and all, but I'm worried that "Megas are back!" is just going to turn into "(pre-existing) Megas are back!". That's what Sun & Moon did, after all. I'm still happy to theorycraft new Megas, but don't have a ton of hope that they'll show up.

Actually, Sun & Moon did introduce their own Megas, in addition to retaining the Megas from X and Y. Including, perplexingly, Diancie.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

2 hours ago, Lord_Brand said:

Actually, Sun & Moon did introduce their own Megas, in addition to retaining the Megas from X and Y. Including, perplexingly, Diancie.

That's actually incorrect. Mega Diancie was introduced in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, as you can see by the fact that it has Gen VI data. Likewise for Mega Pidgeot, Beedrill, Swampert, Metagross, etc.

...Side note: it's really funny that ORAS added new Megas for Pidgeot and Beedrill, among others, when those Mons don't normally exist in the games at all. But no Mega Flygon for us!

[vanguard333]

On 2/28/2024 at 8:13 PM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

...Side note: it's really funny that ORAS added new Megas for Pidgeot and Beedrill, among others, when those Mons don't normally exist in the games at all. But no Mega Flygon for us!

I was always more of an Altaria fan than a Flygon fan, so I was just glad that Altaria got a mega evolution that gave it the Fairy type (which, honestly, I think makes more sense for the standard Altaria to have as it would make Altaria more unique and really fit even the standard Altaria). But yeah, the additions of Mega Pidgeot and Mega Beedrill were a bit odd as choices for a gen 3 remake.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

1 hour ago, vanguard333 said:

I was always more of an Altaria fan than a Flygon fan, so I was just glad that Altaria got a mega evolution that gave it the Fairy type (which, honestly, I think makes more sense for the standard Altaria to have as it would make Altaria more unique and really fit even the standard Altaria). But yeah, the additions of Mega Pidgeot and Mega Beedrill were a bit odd as choices for a gen 3 remake.

Yeah, the "Mega Flygon" bit has been done to death, admittedly. Like, did we really need a second Dragon/Ground Mega? In my opinion, no we did not.

I'm quite a fan of Mega Altaria as well! I remember running a D-Dancing set, with Earthquake and Pixilated Return. Fairy plus Ground has almost perfect coverage. And it was great to see Altaria get a Mega, alongside other Hoenn Mons, like Sharpedo, Camerupt, and Sableye.

That said, there were still plenty of underwhelming Hoenn species who would've loved a Mega. Mons like Zangoose, Seviper, and Grumpig. Honestly, who even rememvers that Grumpig exists? That's how much of a bum steer it got.

[Lord_Brand]

On 2/28/2024 at 5:13 PM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

That's actually incorrect. Mega Diancie was introduced in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, as you can see by the fact that it has Gen VI data. Likewise for Mega Pidgeot, Beedrill, Swampert, Metagross, etc.

...Side note: it's really funny that ORAS added new Megas for Pidgeot and Beedrill, among others, when those Mons don't normally exist in the games at all. But no Mega Flygon for us!

Huh. So, they added them in the code, there just was no way to legitimately obtain their stones until Sun and Moon?

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

6 hours ago, Lord_Brand said:

Huh. So, they added them in the code, there just was no way to legitimately obtain their stones until Sun and Moon?

No, they were in the game. On top of the Stones existing, various NPCs used them - Wally used Mega Gallade, for instance, while Steven used Mega Metagross. I don't believe they were coded into X & Y, but rather, were ORAS exclusives within Gen VI.

[vanguard333]

I wonder if there will be any regional forms/evolutions in this game and, if so, what they will be. A lot of the regional forms in Legends Arceus were for Pokémon based on animals important to Hokkaido and Ainu culture: Ursuluna (bears), Basculegion (salmon), Decidueye (owls), etc. The most-likely time period for this game is mid-to-late 19th Century Paris, and I wonder what would have similar significance.

My knowledge of French culture in that time period is limited to things like the works of Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, etc.), the Eiffel Tower, and that's about it. There is one thing I can think of that would be easy for Pokémon to adapt, though it would be 100 years too early: the Beast of Gevaudan. Basically, there were a number of reported animal attacks in the Gevaudan province in the 1700s that were believed to be the work of one monstrous hound called the Beast of Gevaudan (in reality, it was probably just a bunch of unrelated wolf attacks).

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

12 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

the Eiffel Tower

Hear me out - a regional variant of Duraludon, based on the Eiffel Tower. Make it pure Steel, or maybe Steel/Fairy. With an orange-and-white shiny variant, based on Tokyo Tower!

[Lord_Brand]

On 3/2/2024 at 5:56 AM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

No, they were in the game. On top of the Stones existing, various NPCs used them - Wally used Mega Gallade, for instance, while Steven used Mega Metagross. I don't believe they were coded into X & Y, but rather, were ORAS exclusives within Gen VI.

Oh, maybe I was mistaking ORAS for SM then. ORAS had the second wave of Megas, including Diancie.

Speaking of wolf attacks, how about a Lycanroc variant based on the Loup-Garou, basically the French werewolf?

And, how about a Gardevoir variant inspired by Joan of Arc? Joan was one of the notable female knights in history if I'm not mistaken. That, or they could have a new female-only evolution for Kirlia, balancing out Gallade.

They simply must have a Mr. Mime variant. Hmm...maybe a Fidough variant based on a baguette?

Would be great if the Sword Legends appeared here, since they're based on the Three Musketeers (and D'artagnan). Could be inferred that they migrated to Unova from Kalos.

[vanguard333]

On 3/3/2024 at 4:59 PM, Lord_Brand said:

Speaking of wolf attacks, how about a Lycanroc variant based on the Loup-Garou, basically the French werewolf?

And, how about a Gardevoir variant inspired by Joan of Arc? Joan was one of the notable female knights in history if I'm not mistaken. That, or they could have a new female-only evolution for Kirlia, balancing out Gallade.

They simply must have a Mr. Mime variant. Hmm...maybe a Fidough variant based on a baguette?

Would be great if the Sword Legends appeared here, since they're based on the Three Musketeers (and D'artagnan). Could be inferred that they migrated to Unova from Kalos.

Interesting idea. I'm not familiar with the Loup-Garou; is there something distinct about it?

A Gardevoir variant inspired by Joan of Arc could work. I was trying to think of things from 19th Century France specifically, but I could see them making a Joan of Arc Pokémon simply because Joan of Arc is such an iconic figure in French history.

Mr. Mime is already a mime; I'm not sure how much more of a mime Mr. Mime can be.

The sword legendaries definitely should be here. The cloud legendaries were in Legends Arceus despite it making almost no sense for them to be there, so the sword legendaries should definitely be in Z-A.

One possible source of inspiration could be Phantom of the Opera, though that novel released in 1909, making it a bit late.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

On 3/4/2024 at 8:44 PM, vanguard333 said:

One possible source of inspiration could be Phantom of the Opera, though that novel released in 1909, making it a bit late.

Maybe a "Phantump of the Opera", with a little mask? Vines covering one of the eyes, for instance.

Oh, and how about a "Munchlax of Notre Dame"? Give it a swollen back, and maybe a lantern to carry.

[vanguard333]

4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Maybe a "Phantump of the Opera", with a little mask? Vines covering one of the eyes, for instance.

Oh, and how about a "Munchlax of Notre Dame"? Give it a swollen back, and maybe a lantern to carry.

Those are some good puns. I had a good laugh.

If I recall correctly, in the book, the mask covered the whole face; it only covers half the face in the musical because that made it easier for the actors to sing. Other than that, I like the idea, though I'm not sure if Phantump is the best idea for a Phantom of the Opera Pokémon. What would its evolution be?

I suppose Munchlax could work. A church bell would probably be more fitting than a lantern, since Quasimoto's job in the book was to ring the church bells.

 

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

19 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

I suppose Munchlax could work. A church bell would probably be more fitting than a lantern, since Quasimoto's job in the book was to ring the church bells.

Hm... if we want the bells of Notre Dame, then maybe a regional variant of Chingling?

19 hours ago, vanguard333 said:

If I recall correctly, in the book, the mask covered the whole face; it only covers half the face in the musical because that made it easier for the actors to sing. Other than that, I like the idea, though I'm not sure if Phantump is the best idea for a Phantom of the Opera Pokémon. What would its evolution be?

I realized after the fact that "Kalosian Phantump" wouldn't make any sense, because Phantump is already from Kalos. But I couldn't resist the pun.

As for a potential evolution, I'm imagining Phantump, but taller. Maybe flip the trunk around, so the branches point down. Give it arms and legs, and a silken cape. Or one made of leaves? I'm not sure of the typing - it shouldn't stay Ghost/Grass, but I'm not sure what to switch to.

[vanguard333]

56 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Hm... if we want the bells of Notre Dame, then maybe a regional variant of Chingling?

I realized after the fact that "Kalosian Phantump" wouldn't make any sense, because Phantump is already from Kalos. But I couldn't resist the pun.

I think Chingling or Bronzor would work, since Bronzong is a giant bell.

Oy, yeah; Phantump is from Kalos, so that wouldn't work.

 

Another thing I can think of, though it would be anachronistic as the genre didn't really emerge until the 1910s, is a Phantom Thief Pokémon; the Phantom Thief genre really dominated a lot of French literature in the 1910s, with the most notable examples being Arsene Lupin and Fantomas.

[Lord_Brand]

On 3/4/2024 at 5:44 PM, vanguard333 said:

Interesting idea. I'm not familiar with the Loup-Garou; is there something distinct about it?

According to this article, loup-garous were a result of a person being cursed for not being a good Christian (so, they're punished by being turned into everyone else's problem. Sure...) The main way to lift the curse would be for someone who recognizes them in their lycanthropic state to draw their blood. Afterward, neither were supposed to speak of the incident for fear of worse reprisals.

On the surface level, a loup-garou-inspired Lycanroc sounds like a Rock/Dark type, but I could see one having some Fairy-type moves as well. Alternatively, the Dawn form is Rock/Fairy, the Midnight form is Rock/Dark, and the Dusk form could be Fairy/Dark, or Rock/Normal.

On 3/4/2024 at 5:44 PM, vanguard333 said:

Mr. Mime is already a mime; I'm not sure how much more of a mime Mr. Mime can be.

For starters, they could give it a black-and-white complexion more akin to traditional mimes. Possibly facial markings as well. Mimes tend to elicit reactions similar to clowns though, so they might want to be careful how far they go, unless uncanny valley is the intent. Could make it a Psychic/Normal or Psychic/Fairy type.

Interestingly, its Japanese name, Barrierd, does not make reference to mimes at all. This is also why, despite sporting a male-oriented honorific in English, Mr. Mime have an even gender ratio of males to females (a fact that was foreshadowed by translator Nob Ogasawara during Gen I, who was wary of the name due to the possibility there could be sequels with genders).

Makes me wonder if they should try introducing a Ms. Mime counterpart, with maybe a Japanese name like Barriequin (barrier + harlequin).\

On 3/4/2024 at 5:44 PM, vanguard333 said:

The sword legendaries definitely should be here. The cloud legendaries were in Legends Arceus despite it making almost no sense for them to be there, so the sword legendaries should definitely be in Z-A.

Interestingly, LA added a fourth member, Enamorus, though my bro felt that was a weird choice for one since it didn't overtly represent a force of nature like the other three do (Water or Ice would have made more sense). That said, maybe they could somehow add a new legend for the sword legends? Maybe based on Constance Bonacieux or the Man in the Iron Mask? Though Cobalion's already part Steel-type, so that latter one could be problematic.

Edited March 9 by Lord_Brand