GTL: Nintendo Evolves Pokémon to New Heights

Twin Galaxies Editorial Staff,

June 4, 2018 9:30 PM

Nintendo promises an influx of new Pokémon titles, from Nintendo Switch exclusives to freemium mobile releases. With Pokémon: Let's Go and Pokémon Quest, trainers have much to look forward to–but can these releases convince mobile gamers to evolve into console players?

Pokémon as an industry has grown and evolved over the years, with Nintendo keeping it fresh with new games and new Pokémon for every hand-held console generation. Is Nintendo an outlier among companies due to their franchise success, and how will the new games look to bridge the gap between mobile gamers and more traditional console players? On this episode of Game Talk Live, Host Mandie Roman covers these topics and more alongside her panel of experts, this week joined by Matt Acevedo of Hyper RPG, Pokémon Go streamer Dave Crane, and YouTube content creator Mousie Mouse.

The panel starts the discussion by looking at what we know about the upcoming Pokémon Lets Go games. Is what we’ve seen enough for fans to get on board, or are the games missing some key elements that make Pokémon games so great? The panel also looks at the rise and fall of Pokémon Go, and whether Nintendo is capable of bringing those people back into the fold.

The topic then turns to how Nintendo keeps the Pokémon franchise fresh. The panel talks on how the merge between mobile gamer and console gamer can work with the new titles, as well as how the proposed peripherals can keep the gameplay interesting.

The panel then discusses whether the release of games such as Pokémon Go and Pokémon Quest are just gateway games designed to lure people in to the more traditional console market. Is the ultimate goal of Nintendo to make games that will attract people in to buying their more traditional games, and how will these non-traditional titles affect the way people play the franchise as a whole?

The panel then looks at what the ultimate goal is for the franchise, and what players ultimately want out of a Pokémon game. With the rise of AR games and mobile titles, are we edging closer to the ultimate real-life Pokémon experience?

The topic then turns to the ways in which Nintendo has kept the Pokémon franchise fresh and exciting over the years. Has the popularity of Pokémon carried the hand-held market for Nintendo, and is the franchise capable of even more longevity?

The panel looks at the core aspects of Pokémon games, and how they have helped shape the market. With its original release so long ago, how has Nintendo managed to keep people coming back year after year?

Finally, the panel looks at the difference between the two offered games, Pokémon Lets Go Pikachu and Pokémon Lets Go Eevee. Is it predatory to have two full price releases, knowing that people will want to purchase both versions, or have we become used to the fact after so many years of Pokémon games? The panel also looks at whether Pokémon has become ingrained into our culture, and whether Pokémon will stick around for some time yet.

This episode of Game Talk Live has wrapped up for today, but you can catch it in its entirety in the video embedded above. Meanwhile, don't miss out on the previous episode of Game Talk Live in which expert panelists discuss the rumors swirling around the gaming industry in the lead up to this year’s E3 event.

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