Following the announcement of Pokémon X/Y there's been a rash of opinion articles popping up all around the 'web about how the main series of Pokémon games could be brought to Nintendo Wii U.
And why not? I’m sure since the consoles reveal many fans have wondered how the series could be imagined on Nintendo’s first HD console.
So how could Pokémon work on Wii U?
Take a quick overview of some of the previous Pokémon console games and you’ll notice that they all deviate far too much from what makes the ‘core’ handheld series great. The series has sustained itself because it’s simple, yet both challenging and addictive.
With that in mind, picture a fully realised 3D Pokémon adventure, complete with overworld, gyms, elite four and hundreds of little critters to find, capture and battle with. Everything you know and love about the handheld games, but displayed right on your TV screen. It’d be like an exceptionally made JRPG but with Pokémon.
Ideally, such a game would retain the visual likeness of say, Pokémon X/Y (full 3D world/models), albeit taking taking full advantage of the Wii U’s HD capabilities. We shouldn’t expect a game with the same level of detail as say, Skyrim, but still nice enough to look at so it doesn’t look like a 3DS game stretched to HD resolution.
It’s pretty much a given, really, using the Wii U GamePad and it’s second screen in conjunction with the TV screen to recreate the dual screen nature of the DS/3DS. After all, we’ve really come to just expect a dual screen setup for our modern day Pokémon games.
So any potential Wii U game really needs to make use of the TV screen and the GamePad. And yes, I mean for everything that you already do in the handheld games; issuing attack commands, using items, accessing the in-game menu and more. Though, that isn’t to say whoever the developer would be can’t look at say, Off-TV play or new and interesting ways to use the GamePad.
One idea I’m sure a lot of people have had is to use the GamePad in a Pokémon Snap inspired way. That is, to line up the GamePad with your TV and snap a picture of the Pokémon on screen. This could be for any number of reasons, from an ongoing side quest or just as a nod to long-time fans who want to see an all-new sequel.
It’s no secret Nintendo is pushing a whole new online strategy with Wii U and 3DS, and as always the companies Pokémon series is at the forefront. While new online innovations are planned for the upcoming 3DS releases, it doesn’t mean we can’t dream of how a Wii U game would work online.
Online match-matching would need to be a thing, that much is certain. Entering a specific union/link room and getting randomly pitted against another player would no doubt be awesome. Likewise, ‘always on’ co-op could be worked in as well, allowing you to pair up with groups of other players and journey around - though that’s treading into MMORPG territory there.
To scale back a little, being able to jump into a game of co-op Pokémon Wii U would be a nice feature. You and a friend could pair up and take on a tournament, or assault the Battle Tower, for example, or just explore the map together and participate in double battles.
What would you like to see in a Pokémon Wii U game?
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