We?ve seen Microsoft?s ebony obelisk and Sony has shown us the future of play. This socially distant E3 season, Nintendo has only been pulling rabbit punches as the other platforms are throwing haymakers. Since announcing a new Paper Mario title, the Big N has been quiet until 6/17/20. At 9:00am EST, Nintendo dropped a new Pok?mon Presents, a 10 minute showcase of what?s to come from the Pok?mon Company, helmed by Tsunekazu Ishihara we are treated to 5 announcements regarding those pocket monsters.
Pok?mon Smile
Starting with the most perplexing announcement, Pok?mon Smile is a mobile app which hopes to help young children brush their teeth better by gamifying the process. Utilizing your mobile device?s front facing camera, you are adorned in a pok?mon hat as you brush your teeth to reveal what pok?mon has found itself in your maw. Once cleaned you have a chance to capture the pok?mon and add them to your menagerie. Pok?mon Smile launches today on Android and IOS and features no in-app purchases. Hopefully 5 out of 5 dentists will recommend this title.
Pok?mon Cafe Mix
Another non-mainline pok?mon game featuring a distinct art style. This is a puzzle game which casts you as a Pok?mon Cafe owner. Cook meals for pok?mon and expand your cafe to entice new species to patronize your business. The game mechanic is to make the longest string of the same pok?mon icons to ?cook? the meal they are requesting. Did I mention once the pok?mon can join your cafe and the uniform includes a red newsboy hat? Customize the cafe to your liking as you expand your eatery. Pok?mon Cafe Mix is coming soon on Switch, Android and IOS and it?s ?free to start?. I personally will pay whatever I need to pay to get that squirtle in a hat…Nintendo, just tell me where to sign.
New Pok?mon Snap
So if it?s like New Super Mario Brothers, will this game feature a soundtrack with that ?wah wah? beat? Stupid questions aside, finally a new entry in the Pok?mon Snap has been revealed. We?ve gone through at least 5 generations of Pok?mon since the last Snap title, so hopefully there will be a lot of species to capture on film. Some highlights of the trailer include scenes of Wailords breaching, a Pidgeotto(?) swooping in an absconding with a Magikarp and a Squirtle enjoying a ride on a Lapras. The trailer also implies like the first title it will be an on rails safari style affair as the ZERO-ONE is back and apparently it projects an AR track. The parting shot shows the game?s development will be handed by Namco Bandai, thus assuming the partnership between the companies continues to be strong. Pok?mon Snap is coming to the Nintendo Switch, with no release date revealed.
Pok?mon Go
The mobile game that erroneously raised the share price of Nintendo is still going strong (even though I have long since stopped and sold off my Go?tcha). Ishihara relays that Niantic is still making tweaks to the title to make it playable despite this quarantine environment. Furthermore this year?s iteration of Pok?mon Go Fest will be digital, thus accessible by all players who wish to participate. Also a silhouette of an upcoming ?Victory Bringing? pok?mon that will be spawning soon in the game (Spoiler: it?s Victini). Mega evolutions will be coming to Pok?mon Go as Niantic looks to incorporate the feature in a way which is compatible with their title.
Pok?mon Sword and Shield: Isle of Armor
The first of two add ons for the latest mainline Pok?mon titles is here. As a celebration of it?s release events will be happening in Sword and Shield as well as Pok?mon Go. A new max raid battle against Zeraora is now live and if one million players can complete the battle, all players will be gifted a Shiny Zeraora. On the Pok?mon Go front, Galorian Farfetched will now appear in game and players will be able obtain the training gear from the Isle of Armor for their avatars.
Ishihara closes the presentation by saying there is another major project that he wishes to share with everyone, however that announcement will happen next week on 6.24.20. So find a way to occupy yourself for 7 days and we?ll do this again…me? I?m gonna fight periodontal disease, while catching some cutesy critters. GOTTA BRUSH THEM ALL! Pok?mon!