Pokémon Legends Z-A - So Z-A Slow! (One for Moyles there.)

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An exciting new adventure awaits players within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.

This is probably more a speculation thread than anything at this point. I'm assuming that thematically, this is going to be a cross between the Gen. 6 games: Pokémon Z obviously links into X and Y and presumably Zygarde (is that a Zygarde core at 1:27?), and the A might have ties to the Alpha in Alpha Kyogre? (Or it's just a backwards alphabet with Unown for days.) But I'm very curious as to how the Legends formula (which is all about running around big areas) is going to tie into what seems to be a more city-focussed place. There's also the fact that most of the things people speculate about are more urban in nature - Lumiose's ghost, the Power Plant entrances, the Couriway Town railway.

Regardless, I'm really excited for another Legends game. Arceus was the best Pokémon game since HGSS IMO, and possibly the most ground-breaking since Gold/Silver (up for debate). I'm also excited for the games to finally deliver on the premise of the rushed-feeling X and Y, and answer some of those speculations. I'm not a big Mega Evolution head at all, but I'm sure I'll cope with seeing Mega Absol again.

The 2025 release date is a good thing too, with the team given more time to work on this one. What does that tell us about Switch 2? Is this a dual-release Switch 2 launch game? A last hurrah for the Switch, à la Black 2/White 2 for DS? Perhaps it's appropriate after all that an X/Y follow-up title leaves us with a heap more mysteries to ponder.

Balladeer wrote:

This is probably more a speculation thread than anything at this point.  I'm assuming that thematically, this is going to be a cross between the Gen. 6 games: Pokémon Z obviously links into X and Y and presumably Zygarde (is that a Zygarde core at 1:27?), and the A might have ties to the Alpha in Alpha Kyogre?  (Or it's just a backwards alphabet with Unown for days.)  

AZ was a character in X and Y who was never given a full explanation or much backstory, so I'm pretty sure we're deliberately alluding to him and also the hypothetical Pokémon Z.

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But I'm very curious as to how the Legends formula (which is all about running around big areas) is going to tie into what seems to be a more city-focussed place.  There's also the fact that most of the things people speculate about are more urban in nature - Lumiose's ghost, the Power Plant entrances, the Couriway Town railway.

There's a pretty famous gaming series that has combined "running around an open area" and "urban" for a while now. Also, with the alphabet in the title being backwards, the 3,000-year story of X&Y and the previous Legends game, this could well feature time travel to a less Urban version of Kalos as well.  

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Arceus was the best Pokémon game since HGSS IMO,

I loved Arceus, but I'm glad we're also still getting fuller Pokémon generations as well.

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and possibly the most ground-breaking since Gold/Silver (up for debate).

You might wanna turn down the rose tint on those goggles mate . . .

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The 2025 release date is a good thing too, with the team given more time to work on this one.

Massively agree. And no idea about all that other stuff.

Super excited for this as Arceus has become one of my favourite Pokémon games.

Speculation wise I do hope we at least see AZ at some point because he does have super interesting lore imo.

I'm actually pretty excited to return to Kalos as I feel like X/Y in general are a little underrated and we're quickly overshadowed on the 3DS.

Also hoping this is a cross gen launch title for the next console because that sounds like a pretty great day to take off work!

Wonder if this be Jan 2025 like the first was, and then be the last hurrah of the Switch.

Be interested to see how they do legends just in one city, like will areas be like the posh part and the slums another.

I was about to say it'd be like Arceus with the "urban development plan" suggesting you'll be building the city up in the same way as you did Jubilife Village but after watching the trailer again and seeing it said "redevelopment plan" I'm now thinking, what if some massive event levelled the city and this is their attempt to rebuild it? Either way I think they'll go with the different timeline approach again but now maybe in a future where everything a bit like it used to be with lots of wildcards. I'd be surprised if they strayed too far from Arceus and who could blame them?

Time jumps would be a ruddy excellent idea. Hope they go for that now.

Buskalilly wrote:

There's a pretty famous gaming series that has combined "running around an open area" and "urban" for a while now.

Truuuuue, but - I dunno, urban exploration just isn't as fun an idea for me as climbing up mountains and frosty peaks.

Buskalilly wrote:

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and possibly the most ground-breaking since Gold/Silver (up for debate).

You might wanna turn down the rose tint on those goggles mate . . .

DEBATE START

No really, what would you pick? I toyed with Ruby/Sapphire and double battles, but in the end I figured that wasn't quite as ground-breaking as the properly open structure. You could argue SwSh did the open world first, but it was smaller and clunkier and felt like a proof of concept. Maybe Colosseum? I'm struggling here!

Well up for another Legends game. Arceus was easily my favourite Pokemon game since Black/White and felt like the first one in a long time that did something really interesting with the formula, so another game in that style is something I'm very interested in.

I hope it still has sprawling, open areas and keeps the ability to catch 'Mon without battling them - that was really fun in Arceus.

As for changes, I'd like to see trainer battles included this time as there were only a handful of them in Arceus to enjoy. Also, maybe some more side activities and things to do in the world beyond just catching 'Mon? They had the right idea with sidequests and a couple of minigames in Arceus - there was a Wyrdeer race course thing, right? - so expanding on that would be great to see.

Balladeer wrote:

You might wanna turn down the rose tint on those goggles mate . . .

DEBATE START

No really, what would you pick?  I toyed with Ruby/Sapphire and double battles, but in the end I figured that wasn't quite as ground-breaking as the properly open structure.  You could argue SwSh did the open world first, but it was smaller and clunkier and felt like a proof of concept.  Maybe Colosseum?  I'm struggling here![/quote]
My issue wasn't with Arceus, it was with Gold and Silver! I love those games but there's a lot of nostalgia there . . .


So, innovations:

RGBY
The game lol.

GSC
Breeding, time/ calendar stuff.

RSE
Double battles, statistical physcial special split, held items, abilities

DPPt
Physical special split for moves, online functions,

BWB2W2
Moving to 3D

XY
Actual 3D, pokemon amie

SMUSUM
Pokemon friendship affecting gameplay, healing in the petting screen, move away from HMs

LGPLGE
Alternative catching mechanics, autosaving

SwSh
3d world with twin stick camera (in the wild area)

LA
Contiguous world, choose to throw ball or battle, 3d world throughout

SV
Open-world, change to breeding

Honestly, most ground-breaking is probably 3rd or 4th gen. I'm only counting things that actually carried over to future games.

I think some of that may be a tad off?  Held items first appeared in GSC, and if 'statistical physical special split' refers to dividing the Special stat into attack and defence that was Gen. 2 too!  I think Gen. 3 is still a good shout: it introduced contests for better or for worse, it had real-world weather for the first time, and the routes really felt like areas.  That's on top of double battles and abilities. Gen. 2 had that Smash Bros. Mêlée feeling where it added so much proportional to the original (I'd include the Dark and Steel types as well) that even if it wasn't all revolutionary, it felt a bit like it.

Buskalilly wrote:

XY
Actual 3D, pokemon amie.

I read that as Pokémon Arnie at first and thought I'd missed something huge.

Balladeer wrote:

I think some of that may be a tad off?  Held items first appeared in GSC, and if 'statistical physical special split' refers to dividing the Special stat into attack and defence that was Gen. 2 too!

Oh yeah, you're right. That makes it even weurder they couldn't move Pokémon from those generations forwards.

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I think Gen. 3 is still a good shout: it introduced contests for better or for worse, it had real-world weather for the first time, and the routes really felt like areas. That's on top of double battles and abilities.

See, now that you've reminded me where held items and the split were, I'm actually less convinced of my own argument!

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 Gen. 2 had that Smash Bros. Mêlée feeling where it added so much proportional to the original (I'd include the Dark and Steel types as well) that even if it wasn't all revolutionary, it felt a bit like it.

I think I'm at the other end of that illusion, where because there are so many similarities to the original, and because some of the game is not really fleshed out (half the Gen 2 Pokémon don't even appear until you get to Kanto, and both regions are a little sparse in trade for the whole two regions thing), it feels like less of an innovator than it actually was. Don't get me wrong, I love the Johto games for vibes, a great roster of monsters and some nostalgia, but I wonder if they're a bit lacking mechanically.