Few things have us as excited as the news of a new Pokemon game, and with just over a month to go, our hype levels have reached an all time high following Nintendo's special Pokemon Direct show yesterday. So far we've had a new Pokemon type, a cute new Pokemon petting game and more new Pokemon designs than you can shake a bag of Pokeballs at - and now we have news of new applications, fancy Mega Evolutions and a couple of limited edition consoles to come. Oh, and a few familiar faces that long-term Pokefans will be sure to recognise! So without further ado...
Due to launch around the same time as the Pokemon X and Y games is a little application called the Pokemon Bank. It's essentially a Pokemon storage box that lives on the internet, and much like the PC boxes in the game can store lots and lots of Pokemon - 3000 to be exact, across a whopping 100 boxes. Assuming you have a connection to the internet, you'll be able to deposit and withdraw your Pokemon at any time, as well as filter the thousands you've crammed in there by type, sex or nature. These boxes are in addition to those built into your Pokemon X or Y game too, and Nintendo also hinted at the service being used to move your critters across to whatever games succeed X and Y. While we're on the subject of shifting Pokemon from game to game, you'll also be able to download an extra little doo-dad from inside the Pokemon Bank application - the Poke Transporter - that lets you transfer across all your Pokemon from both Black/White and Black/White 2.
Seeing as pictures of the Pokemon Bank are a bit on the boring side, here's a smiley Pikachu instead!
It all sounds quite useful really - there's no more need to dual-wield consoles or enlist the help of a friend to painstakingly trade Pokemon across one at a time. But there's one major drawback to the whole affair - it's not free. While Nintendo haven't confirmed exactly how much it'll cost yet - the Japanese version will set you back 500 Yen, or roughly £3.20 for a year - the Pokemon Bank will require an annual subscription, and will seemingly be the only way to move your Pokemon from game to game (although the Poke Transporter won't cost extra on top). While a one-off fee may possibly have been forgivable, a yearly subscription fee to "help cover the costs of the server, updates and other such stuff" is a lot more debatable. While the promised free 30 day trial does help soften the blow, that Nintendo are effectively charging for a slightly souped up version of something that used to be free has somewhat dampened our spirits.
Thankfully, from here-on in the news gets better. In Pokemon X and Y, we already knew we'd be facing a tough choice when choosing which of the three starter Pokemon we want to begin our journey with - the cheery grass-rodent Chespin, the more refined puppy fire-type Fennekin or the funky water frog Froakie, but Nintendo have revealed that we'll also have a second dilemma - a second set of 'mons to choose from, who'll be instantly familiar to anyone who's played the original Pokemon Red and Blue games on the GameBoy.
When you first meet up with Pokemon Professor Sycamore of the new Kalos region, rather than letting you choose from the new starter Pokemon, you'll instead be given the choice of one of the quintessential Pokemon companions Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, with the new 'mon being dished our by a friend at the beginning of the game. Over the past few months we'd finally managed to decide we'll be backing foxy Fennekin as our X and Y starter, but now we have just over a month to make up our minds between green leafy dinosaur beast Bulbasaur and the cutesy turtle Squirtle too! Oh no! (What's wrong with Charmander? - Ed)
Decisions, decisions...
Nintendo also went into a little more detail as to how the new Mega Evolutions will work - these special, temporary evolutions change your 'mons appearance mid-battle, and grant them a mega super secret power that's only possible while they're in their mega evolved form. Apparently, the secret to the transformation lies in the Mega Ring, a black bracelet worn by your Pokemon trainer, and the Mega Stone that the Pokemon holds - when the two devices end up in sync during a battle, the evolution happens. It seems the kind of relationship you have with your creatures helps too, perhaps making mega evolution more likely when you and your Pokemon are best buds. While not all Pokemon are capable of mega evolving, the likes of Venosaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Lucario, Mewtwo, Mawile and Absol have been confirmed - we also spotted what looked to be mega evolutions of Ampharos, Gyrados, Salamence and Blaziken too.
Choosing to close out their broadcast in (expensive) style, Nintendo also revealed their plans to bring the previously Japan exclusive Pokemon X and Y-themed limited edition 3DS XLs to the UK. Coming in either Red or Blue, you'll be able to pick up the fancy consoles on the 27th September, a fortnight before the game hits stores - unfortunately, there's no news as to whether it'll come with the game pre-loaded as it's supposed to in Japan, but it might be a rather swish way to get the game early if it does!
That being said, although the designs may be pretty cool, in our opinion they don't quite come close to the nicest 3DS XL Nintendo have so far produced - the now out of stock, but similarly Pokemon themed Pikachu edition. Just look at his little face!
Pokemon X and Y both launch on the 12th of October in the UK - make sure you stay tuned to the site for much more Poke-goodness in the run up to launch.
Funky.
