As one of the most successful franchises in gaming, any upcoming Pokemon news is naturally going to draw a lot of excitement. Nintendo recently announced a new Pokemon Presents to air on August 18. The presentation focuses exclusively on the long-running franchise, and fans are looking forward to getting more information about the two big games on the way: Shining Diamond and Brilliant Pearl, and then the open-world adventure Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Pokemon has been one of Nintendo's biggest properties for decades so it's natural for the presentation to build excitement quickly. Diamond and Pearl remakes have been a requested project from fans for a long time. Nintendo has stated that news about the remakes will be a key facet of the Pokemon Presents showcase. Fans have already seen a bit of those two titles but the showcase will hopefully dive more into the new mechanics and changes that are coming in the remakes. Diamond/Pearl were both very popular entries on the DS, so Nintendo is likely keeping close to the original's script.
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Updating an older game like Diamond/Pearl is always a challenge. Keeping older fans happy with the faithfulness of the remake needs to be balanced with modernizing mechanics and visuals enough to capture new fans that may have missed the original back when it released. It's likely that Nintendo will dedicate most of the time for Shining Diamond and Brilliant Pearl to showing off more of the reimagined Sinnoh region. Focusing on the visual side of the project is a safe way to build excitement among fans without divulging too much information that Nintendo might want to keep for the actual release.
The other big title that fans are hoping to get a deep dive into is Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It will be a big first for the Pokemon franchise in a lot of ways, so getting a deeper look at just how the game will work would be huge for fans. The first thing to jump into the minds of many fans after the Pokemon Presents event was announced was getting to see more of Arceus. Styled very similarly to Breath of the Wild, its actual mechanics and world would be great to see in the event.
As an open-world adventure game, Arceus is a unique twist on the standard Pokemon formula. The best things to show off at the presentation would definitely be more of the game's mechanics and some of its new world. Fans may get a more detailed look at just how Pokemon will be used in Arceus and whether or not some form of traditional battling will be involved. The first trailer didn't show much other than the player character and their partner Pokemon out in the world. Many questions still linger about how combat will work or just who players will be battling against at all.
With such big projects on the way, expectations about the Pokemon Presents showcase are already very high. Things can spiral out of control very quickly with online speculation, and such a beloved franchise like Pokemon only heightens the problem. Just how Arceus will be used in the story of Pokemon Legends is a good example. Overall though, fans should try and keep their expectations in check for the event. It's more likely that Nintendo will be fairly conservative about what it releases during the Pokemon Presents event, but there will undoubtedly be enough there to get fans excited about the upcoming games.
Also of note, Nintendo will likely use the platform to announce any news about upcoming Pokemon Go events and address the state of its other active titles. Many have wondered if Pokemon Snap will receive a full DLC, especially after the recent free content update that added new Pokemon and courses. After the mixed reaction to Pokemon Unite, it will interesting to see if Nintendo will address the game or announce any changes to it.
Pokemon Presents will air on August 18.
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