Pokémon is getting all kinds of love at E3 this year, with big stuff being announced yesterday at the conference, like Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, including details about the Mythical Pokémon Mew, Pokémon GO integration, and a bunch more. Developed by GAME FREAK inc., both games are looking to bridge the gap between players looking to take their first steps into the world of Pokémon, and (hopefully) appease longtime fans of the franchise.
Nintendo’s presentation included info about the Pokémon Mew, a super rare Pokémon that can't be found in any of the main Pokémon games. For Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, Mew will be available in the Poké Ball Plus, and players will be able to transfer the creature to their version of these new games. Each individually sold Poké Ball Plus will contain Mew, and so will the Poké Ball Plus accessories sold in special packs. However, If you catch Mew while playing Pokémon GO, you can't bring it into Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!
This is kind of cool, until you realize that you are pretty much paying $49.99 (on its own) for a controller with about three hours of battery life (you can charge it with a Switch charger), although getting Mew softens the blow a bit. I guess it's hard to criticize too hard when the series motto is literally, "gotta catch em all," Sometimes, that means forking over big-time dough.
Game Director Junichi Masuda also showcased a variety of gameplay elements, plus parts of the Viridian Forest, Pewter City, and Brock, who should be familiar for long time fans of the series.
Here are some other features that were announced at the conference:
- GO Park—GO Park is enabled as a player progresses further in the game and will help players befriend Pokémon from Pokémon GO in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! This feature allows for Kanto region Pokémon from Pokémon GO to be transferred to Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! These Pokémon will then need to be captured with a Poké Ball again. The player can interact with them in a whole new way in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!
- Candy Jar—Players can use a variety of Candies to strengthen their Pokémon in a training system introduced in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! Later in the game, players will be able to send their Pokémon to Professor Oak to receive these candies.
- Link Trading and Battles—Players will be able to trade and engage in Single and Double Battles with other players online and via local wireless communication. Battling and trading online will require an active Nintendo Switch Online membership, a paid service launching this September.
