Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl & Legends: Arceus

[Sonictrainer]

So it's looks like we're visiting 2 different timelines in the Sinnoh Region!

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Sinnoh. 

Remakes.

Confirmed.

Experience the nostalgic story from Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl in a new adventure. 
#PokemonBrilliantDiamond and #PokemonShiningPearl arrive on the Nintendo Switch in late 2021! 

Instead of just going to the past, it looks like we're going even further into the distant past of the Sinnoh Region.

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First came Sinnoh remakes. Then came Sinnoh pre-makes.

Introducing #PokemonLegendsArceus, a new challenge and a new frontier for the Pokémon world.

 

[Blue Blood]

I absolutely abhor this art style. Both in battle and in the overworld, it looks really fucking ugly. It's not just the chibi style, which I admit is something I've never liked, but the graphical fidelity too. These games do not look good graphically. Big oof. It's like if Link's Awakening Switch had been outsourced to a bunch of first-year college students. 

I don't need a Pokémon game that so faithfully recreates DP. Gen 4 games are still easily accessible; the 3DS is perfectly capable of playing those games. All of the other remakes have significantly updated the games, brining is a wealth of new features, designs and fixes. Whilst we don't know much about these yet, everything so far suggests "1:1 remake with new graphics". Gosh this looks awful. I was really hoping for something more along the lines of SwSh or even ORAS.

Legends looks cool though. 

[Diogenes]

I've been out of Pokemon for a while now, but Legends...well, it's at least got my curiosity. Real-time action/adventure "hunting" has the potential to be a lot more engaging than RPG menuing, but I need to see more before I can judge the execution; it seems like battling is an entirely separate system from catching, so if catching is just action rolls and throwing balls it may not stay interesting for very long. Also the ~5 FPS pokemon do not look great but performance is something to worry about later.

Remakes are remakes, whatever. They look fine but gen 4 is where I burnt out so I'm not really interested in going back.

[Danj86]

22 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

I absolutely abhor this art style.

I misread that as adore at first. It confused me because I had already seen your status about the art style. Lol

I guess I can understand that they wanted to stay true to the original but...I guess it's not what people would expect from a handheld game being remade to a modern console that is also handheld. Nintendo did that with Links Awakening too. If I recall correctly, the style was divisive for that game too.

[Blue Blood]

3 minutes ago, DanJ86 said:

I misread that as adore at first. It confused me because I had already seen your status about the art style. Lol

I guess I can understand that they wanted to stay true to the original but...I guess it's not what people would expect from a handheld game being remade to a modern console that is also handheld. Nintendo did that with Links Awakening too. If I recall correctly, the style was divisive for that game too.

Links Awakening doesn't have an artstyle that I like either. In fact, I really dislike the look of that game a lot. But a straight-up remake made sense there and felt quite fitting. Even if I dislike the chibi look of the game, the graphically fidelity was really good. These graphics though are not good.

[Salamander]

While my feelings aren't quite so strongly negative, I do find myself deeply ambivalent about BDSP.  While I don't mind the graphics, the fact that they respect the original proportions so much makes the whole thing look weirdly like a sidegrade more than an upgrade - but the elephant in the room is Platinum, and they went out of their way in the presentation to tell people that if they were looking for Platinum content they should stop paying attention.  I hate to say it, but even the names sound uninspired.  Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?  Is that seriously the best they could come up with?  I don't want to be precipitous, but the evidence so far is that this is going to be an absolutely literal, by-the-numbers remake, with none of the creativity that was the redeeming feature of ORAS.  And if that is the case, then I just don't think I'm interested.  By Gen IV the games were fundamentally modern anyway.  I already played an updated Diamond/Pearl, it was called Pokemon Platinum and it was great.  Like, did anyone not just want Perfect Platinum?

As for Legends: Arceus - while I commend GameFreak for doing something different... well, I'm not remotely interested in open-world, action RPG Pokemon.  That is in fact the opposite of everything I've ever liked about Pokemon.

Edit: I guess what I'm saying is that I feel like GameFreak outsourced the wrong game.  Legends: Arceus could've been done by people who actually have experience with this sort of thing, while the D/P remake would've been in more ambitious hands in-house.

[Kuzu]

I feel like after the backlash that SwSh got, it makes sense that they would want to distance themselves from that artstyle. I thought SwSh looked fine, and could use some touch ups, but after that shitshow, It makes sense they would move away from it. I'm....not a fan of this artstyle personally, looks like its trying too hard to be faithful while being 3D, so the result looks like an awkward mesh of the two. Kind of like Gen 6's weird ass sprites.

 

 

Legends is legit though, keeping an eye on that. 

[Sonicka]

I somewhat returned to Pokemon with S&S after a long break from the series, and whilst that wasn't quite what I really hoped for the series (basically BOTW, but Pokemon)... it was a fun time.

Watching this... it's quite frankly embarrassing now. I never played the Diamond or Pearl games as I exited the series after Gen 3... so the prospect of remakes in the style of S&S with wild areas was something I was looking forward too. Instead we have something that quite frankly at this stage looks worse than the "let's go" games. 

Legends meanwhile is teatering on the crusp of what I am personally after. The subtitle after "legends" suggests this is the road they are taking with the Pokemon series going forwards if the main studio is working on this since the remakes have been outsourced. And frankly, thank god - we don't need more Pokemon critters anytime soon for christ sake.

I appreciate Legends footage is from an early development reel... but this looks like REAL early footage. It's so rough. Please Gamefreak for all that is holy don't release this next year, do what the Zelda team did and delay, delay, delay, until you can at least get something looking closer (or running closer) to Breath of the Wild.

...Or just hire some of the Xenoblade Chronicles staff to help out like they did. As there is literally no reason why a Pokemon open world game can't look or run as good as those titles that Monolith Soft create or help out with on the switch. 

 

[QuantumEdge]

I've never understood why GF seem so bad at making games look good and so reluctant to really shake up the formula (like doing a different battle system just once...).  It's like they became lost and confused when upgrading from pixels.  Much as I love DP, this is just lazy and I'm really nervous about how much additional content we're getting, assuming there's any in the first place.  

I mean, the Legends game looks like we're going in the right direction, but it still doesn't look as nice as BOTW and it only just looks a bit better than SwSh.  

[Kuzu]

3 minutes ago, QuantumEdge said:

I've never understood why GF seem so bad at making games look good and so reluctant to really shake up the formula (like doing a different battle system just once...).  It's like they became lost and confused when upgrading from pixels.  Much as I love DP, this is just lazy and I'm really nervous about how much additional content we're getting, assuming there's any in the first place.  

I mean, the Legends game looks like we're going in the right direction, but it still doesn't look as nice as BOTW and it only just looks a bit better than SwSh.  

Its not being developed by Game Freak, another company is doing DP with masuda as the co-director. GAme Freak are working on Legends. 

[Sonictrainer]

Alright, here's the photos & info, with the bigger images being spoiler tagged.

Trainers/Lucas & Dawn

Spoiler

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Experience the nostalgic story from the Pokémon Diamond™ and Pokémon Pearl™ games in an adventure reborn on the Nintendo Switch™ system.

Adventures in the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl games will take place in the Sinnoh region. Rich in nature and with Mount Coronet towering at its heart, Sinnoh is a land of many myths passed down through the ages. You’ll visit many different locations in the Sinnoh region, while striving to become the Champion of the Pokémon League.

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The original story has been faithfully reproduced, and the sense of scale in the originals’ towns and routes has been carefully preserved. People who played Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl can revisit familiar places and relive familiar scenes once more. For those setting out through Sinnoh for the first time, plenty of new encounters and surprises await.

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These remakes include easy-to-understand, player-friendly conveniences of the modern Pokémon series, plus up-close-and-personal Pokémon battle scenes.

Whether you played Pokémon Diamond or Pokémon Pearl back in the day or you’re encountering these games for the first time, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

I wonder how the Underground will change...

 

Sinnoh Starters

Turtwig

• Category: Tiny Leaf Pokémon
• Type: Grass
• Height: 1'4"
• Weight: 22.5 lbs.
• Ability: Overgrow

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Made from soil, the shell on its back hardens when it drinks water. It lives along lakes.

It undertakes photosynthesis within its body, making oxygen. The leaf on its head wilts if the Pokémon is thirsty.

Chimchar

• Category: Chimp Pokémon
• Type: Fire
• Height: 1'8" 
• Weight: 13.7 lbs.
• Ability: Blaze

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It agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggy mountains. Its fire is put out when it sleeps.

Its fiery rear end is fueled by gas made in its belly. Even rain can’t extinguish the fire.

Piplup

• Category: Penguin Pokémon
• Type: Water
• Height: 1'4"
• Weight: 11.5 lbs.
• Ability: Torrent

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Because it is very proud, it hates accepting food from people. Its thick down guards it from cold.

It lives along the shore in northern countries. A skilled swimmer, it dives for over 10 minutes while hunting.

 

Box Legendaries

Dialga

• Category: Temporal Pokémon
• Type: Steel/Dragon
• Height: 17'9"
• Weight: 1505.8 lbs.
• Ability: Pressure

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It has the power to control time. It appears in Sinnoh-region myths as an ancient deity.

This Pokémon is spoken of in legend. It is said that time began moving when Dialga was born.

Palkia

• Category: Spatial Pokémon
• Type: Water/Dragon
• Height: 13'9"
• Weight: 740.8 lbs.
• Ability: Pressure

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It has the ability to distort space. It is described as a deity in Sinnoh-region mythology.

It is said to live in a gap in the spatial dimension parallel to ours. Palkia appears in mythology.

 

 

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The Pokémon Legends: Arceus game honors past Pokémon games’ core gameplay while infusing new action and RPG elements.

You’ll need to catch, survey, and research wild Pokémon in a long-gone era of the Sinnoh region to create and complete the region’s first Pokédex.

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To catch Pokémon in the Pokémon Legends: Arceus game, you can observe them to learn their behavior, then carefully sneak up, aim your Poké Ball™, and let fly!

You can also have your ally Pokémon battle wild Pokémon that you hope to catch. Just throw the Poké Ball holding your ally Pokémon near a wild Pokémon, and you’ll seamlessly enter battle and command your Pokémon by choosing from moves it knows.

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You’ll be brought to the Sinnoh region, the setting for the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games. But this story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokémon Trainer or having a Pokémon League even existed.

All around, you’ll find Pokémon living wild in harsh environments that make for a Sinnoh unlike the region you may remember from the days of the Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games.

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The Poké Balls of old were apparently built a little differently from the ones we know so well. They were made mostly of wood, and steam puffed from their tops when Pokémon were caught.

 

Distanct Past Starters

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As you start off on your adventure to create the region’s first Pokédex, you’ll be able to choose Rowlet, Cyndaquil, or Oshawott as a partner.

These three Pokémon arrived with a Pokémon Professor, who encountered them on research excursions to various regions.

Rowlet

• Category: Grass Quill Pokémon 
• Type: Grass/Flying 
• Height: 1' 
• Weight: 3.3 lbs.

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Rowlet is a Pokémon from the Alola region. It uses photosynthesis to store up energy during the day, while becoming active at night. Silently it glides, drawing near its targets. Before they even notice it, it begins to pelt them with vicious kicks.

Cyndaquil

• Category: Fire Mouse Pokémon
• Type: Fire
• Height: 1'8"
• Weight: 17.4 lbs.

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Cyndaquil is a Pokémon from the Johto region. It is timid and always curls itself up in a ball. When it’s surprised, the flames on its back flare up stronger. When it is attacked, it uses its flames to protect itself.

Oshawott

 

• Category: Sea Otter Pokémon
• Type: Water
• Height: 1'8"
• Weight: 13 lbs.

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Oshawott is a Pokémon from the Unova region. With the scalchop on its stomach, it blocks opponents’ attacks, then retaliates immediately by slashing. Its scalchop can be used to break open hard Berries as well.

 

Boxart Legend

Arceus

• Category: Alpha Pokémon
• Type: Normal
• Height: 10'6"
• Weight: 705.5 lbs.

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Holding the key to this tale is the Pokémon known as Arceus. Arceus is said to have shaped all there is in this world. Just how is this mighty Pokémon connected to your journey?

 

[Sonicka]

10 minutes ago, QuantumEdge said:

I've never understood why GF seem so bad at making games look good and so reluctant to really shake up the formula (like doing a different battle system just once...).  It's like they became lost and confused when upgrading from pixels.  Much as I love DP, this is just lazy and I'm really nervous about how much additional content we're getting, assuming there's any in the first place.  

I mean, the Legends game looks like we're going in the right direction, but it still doesn't look as nice as BOTW and it only just looks a bit better than SwSh.  

 

5 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

Its not being developed by Game Freak, another company is doing DP with masuda as the co-director. GAme Freak are working on Legends. 

To be fair though, the main question still stands. And GameFreak have for the most part gotten away with it because... well, Pokemon.

To be brutally honest, as lovely as their sprite work can be - even as a kid I felt short changed on GBA playing Ruby and Sapphire when games like Golden Sun existed. The trend just continued as the hardware got more sophisticated, with each new game looking either like a low level entry game in terms of graphics, or just flat out previous gen. 

[Sapphirine Wind]

I'm not fond of how they're choosing to to go about the art style for BDSP. It feels like it's saying "HEY THIS WAS A DS GAME". The models when they're battling look good, though, there's a good polish to them.

Pokemon Legends Arceus is very interesting; it's about time we saw some ancient Poke Balls. But the environments look too... garry's mod. Just bland.

[Soniman]

Yeah I don't like it. 

Give ORAS some credit when they remade they really REMADE it, they changed and improved the story gave fresh redesigns to ALL the significant characters, actually nice looking Chibi graphics from what can be expected on the 3DS.

But this is just soooo lame? I wanted a SWSH-Styled remake with wild areas and no random encounters but..no none of that it doesn't even feel like it's part of the same Gen as SWSH. And I know they obviously did that because GF didn't make this so they probably had to be super conservative but even as just a pure graphics update thus looks really LAME. Links Awakening looked fantastic, this is a Switch game but you wouldn't know from looking at it, looks like a Chinese mobile game. So yeah I'm quite disappointed by this, our one-shot at a great remake down the drain for Gen IV fans.

Pokémon Legends looks interesting at least, looking forward to learn more of that 

 

[Sega DogTagz]

Surprised they were willing to show legends with it still so rough around the edges... Despite getting excited hearing it was moving toward an open world model, that footage did not inspire confidence. 

 

Also think I will pass on BS and SP. Doesn't look like there is any meat to that bone. Just. Bog standard rehash. I can go back and play the originals if I'm feeling nostalgic.

[Salamander]

9 minutes ago, Soniman said:

Yeah I don't like it. 

Give ORAS some credit when they remade they really REMADE it, they changed and improved the story gave fresh redesigns to ALL the significant characters, actually nice looking Chibi graphics from what can be expected on the 3DS.

But this is just soooo lame? I wanted a SWSH-Styled remake with wild areas and no random encounters but..no none of that it doesn't even feel like it's part of the same Gen as SWSH. And I know they obviously did that because GF didn't make this so they probably had to be super conservative but even as just a pure graphics update thus looks really LAME. Links Awakening looked fantastic, this is a Switch game but you wouldn't know from looking at it, looks like a Chinese mobile game. So yeah I'm quite disappointed by this, our one-shot at a great remake down the drain for Gen IV fans.

Can't wait for eight-directional movement and "Distortion World project has started!"

[Kuzu]

If nothing else, I expect the Diamond/Pearl games to ultimately be the better of the two, even if I would prefer that not be the case. 

 

Ideally, both games will do well so that this can send a positive message that outsourcing is good, and that GAme Freak experimenting is also good. But that's just being optimistic. Pokemon Spin offs never do particularly well, and given the jank of this game, I don't expect that to change. 

[Sonictrainer]

2 hours ago, Salamander said:

While my feelings aren't quite so strongly negative, I do find myself deeply ambivalent about BDSP.  While I don't mind the graphics, the fact that they respect the original proportions so much makes the whole thing look weirdly like a sidegrade more than an upgrade - but the elephant in the room is Platinum, and they went out of their way in the presentation to tell people that if they were looking for Platinum content they should stop paying attention.  I hate to say it, but even the names sound uninspired.  Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?  Is that seriously the best they could come up with?  I don't want to be precipitous, but the evidence so far is that this is going to be an absolutely literal, by-the-numbers remake, with none of the creativity that was the redeeming feature of ORAS.  And if that is the case, then I just don't think I'm interested.  By Gen IV the games were fundamentally modern anyway.  I already played an updated Diamond/Pearl, it was called Pokemon Platinum and it was great.  Like, did anyone not just want Perfect Platinum?

I heard someone joke about needing to buy a Platinum Pass, a DLC expansion that adds all of the stuff from Platinum Version...

[Zaysho]

What's kind of funny about these remakes is that they remind me a lot of what was done with Link's Awakening. It's not a bad thing, per se, in fact I find it kind of novel to go back to the oldschool overhead look... however it's such a bizarre choice after years of what remakes actually were in the context of this series that I have no idea what to even make of them. On one hand, cool, I like Diamond/Pearl but on the other... was anybody asking for a slavish recreation of it versus creating a new game out of SwSh's engine like previous gens had already done? Nothing about this makes sense to me other than answering a demand people were making for the last seven years since ORAS came out. And it falls into the same issue where third version content is presumably either cut or severely diminished despite those being the definitive versions.

Like, I dunno, it looks fine and I think I'd enjoy it more than SwSh (which I didn't buy) on the basis that it's literally a game I already liked, but I just expect way more from this franchise and it keeps giving the bare minimum with its mainline entries since XY. This was acceptable during the 3DS era but they're on a home console charging $60 a pop now and it's getting harder to justify supporting these games especially on a system that offers so many other RPGs. And I can't help but feel a little put off knowing this is helmed by the group that developed Home.

Legends at least looks interesting but I'm going to be extremely cautious about it until I see more. I like the concept and everything but it's a Game Freak game and I already saw what early hype got me last time.

[Mega]

I'm worried that this'll just be based on vanilla D/P and lose all the improvements Platinum brought to the table. I hear OG D/P aren't exactly a great experience.

[Salamander]

7 minutes ago, Sonictrainer said:

I heard someone joke about needing to buy a Platinum Pass, a DLC expansion that adds all of the stuff from Platinum Version...

I have to be completely honest: I thought that was a realistic possibility up until we saw the trailers.  I outright expected it, even.  But this looks so vanilla - literally just Diamond/Pearl HD - that I genuinely don't think they care about Platinum one bit.

Insane to me that GameFreak looked at the reception to Platinum and to every previous remake and decided that what people wanted was for DP remakes to be more faithful.

[Sonictrainer]

5 minutes ago, Mega said:

I'm worried that this'll just be based on vanilla D/P and lose all the improvements Platinum brought to the table. I hear OG D/P aren't exactly a great experience.

Honestly, Platinum Version fixes a number of issues that made Diamond & Pearl boring.

I remember replaying Diamond Version and not having as much fun as I did during my first playthrough.

Also, the Sinnoh Trainers with Coats > Sinnoh Trainers without Coats.

[Kuzu]

9 minutes ago, Zaysho said:

What's kind of funny about these remakes is that they remind me a lot of what was done with Link's Awakening. It's not a bad thing, per se, in fact I find it kind of novel to go back to the oldschool overhead look... however it's such a bizarre choice after years of what remakes actually were in the context of this series that I have no idea what to even make of them. On one hand, cool, I like Diamond/Pearl but on the other... was anybody asking for a slavish recreation of it versus creating a new game out of SwSh's engine like previous gens had already done? Nothing about this makes sense to me other than answering a demand people were making for the last seven years since ORAS came out. And it falls into the same issue where third version content is presumably either cut or severely diminished despite those being the definitive versions.

Like, I dunno, it looks fine and I think I'd enjoy it more than SwSh (which I didn't buy) on the basis that it's literally a game I already liked, but I just expect way more from this franchise and it keeps giving the bare minimum with its mainline entries since XY. This was acceptable during the 3DS era but they're on a home console charging $60 a pop now and it's getting harder to justify supporting these games especially on a system that offers so many other RPGs. And I can't help but feel a little put off knowing this is helmed by the group that developed Home.

Legends at least looks interesting but I'm going to be extremely cautious about it until I see more. I like the concept and everything but it's a Game Freak game and I already saw what early hype got me last time.

I feel like its at least somewhat more justified by it being a different studio, and after the backlash that SwSh got, they probably felt this was the safer option. I completely agree with you, but I also understand WHY they did it and what the thought process was. I feel like if SwSh didn't get so much controversy, they would have went with the more traditional route.

I don't HATE it, but it's kind of really off putting. 

[Sapphirine Wind]

Like, looking at it compared to ORAS, they're setting it up to be a faithful remake, and that's... underwhelming.

To me, what made ORAS neat was it added on some neat stuff, like Soaring with the Latis, using that to access various legendary Pokemon, updated some older designs (Maxie and Archie look so much more memorable to me now), and even added something new to the story and some new stories, like with Zinnia and a bit with Lisia. Even with FRLG and HGSS, they still added things to them that made it feel like they were more than just a remaster.

I would say THAT'S why people liked remakes so much and were looking forward to DP remakes. Looking like this, I don't think there's gonna be any cool additions like Soaring, or any add ons to the stories, or any neat redesigns. It seems like it's going to be the same game with prettier graphics. Sure, it might be early to say that much, but first impressions are important, and that's the vibe this gives off for me.

[Sonictrainer]

Just now, Sapphirine Wind said:

updated some older designs (Maxie and Archie look so much more memorable to me now)

To be honest, I couldn't think of any characters from Sinnoh that needed a major redesign like some of the other gens.

Although, I am curious how the Pokétch is going to work.