E3 Countdown: Pokemon Let's GO Pikachu/Eevee

In the lead-up to E3, we’re counting down with our most anticipated titles. You can find out when all the press conferences are taking place in Australian/NZ times HERE.

If there’s three things in life that are certain, it is this; death, taxes, and a Pokemon game on a Nintendo handheld. Fans have been calling for it since the follow up to the 3DS’s last iteration of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and while the fanbase is divided on what we should see next, Nintendo surprised everyone with something totally unexpected – and not exactly well received either.

WHEN WAS IT ANNOUNCED?

Unbeknownst to fans all around, extremely obvious hints were dropped on April 1st only to be ignored – and when Nintendo finally revealed what was coming, it caused a significant stir within the community. As is trademark for Nintendo as of late, the reveal came out of left field and left many fans scratching their heads. At the same time, Nintendo dropped a SECOND hint that an all-new adventure was in the works as well, and would be hitting shelves some time in 2019.

WHERE WILL WE SEE IT?

With a release date of November 16th you can guarantee more will be shown at E3 this year in the lead-up to release, although we’ve already seen a fair bit of it from the announcement trailer. Functionality surrounding the additional Poke Ball controller will also likely be displayed so that people have a little more of an idea on how it works.

WHEN WILL IT RELEASE?

After the reveal video we basically know that it will be coming on November 16th. This will be a good one for both fans of the originals and for those looking to jump from Pokemon Go into a fresh adventure, and will no doubt be on the wish list of the younger generations.

WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE?

More functionality about the game would be the first bet. Nintendo has already stated that battles only exist between Trainers only, and not with wild Pokemon which removes a staple element of the franchise. For those who are less inclined to pick up these games, the key selling points are likely to be the functionality and features included within the games that makes them more than just an advanced version of Pokemon Go.

The fact that the games drop every Pokemon past no. 151 is also an interesting and questionable decision, and it remains to be seen how much the games have to offer past catching and battling. How do we train the Pokemon we catch? What else do we do with them? Are there version-specific monsters, just like back in the day?
Simultaneously, it would be great to see or at least find out a little more about the 2019 games that are set to come out – at this stage all we know is that they are being worked on, but no other details have come to life.