Super cool as this game is, it isn't going to be easy for international fans to play. No, this is not a Japan-only Wii U release. Don't relax yet though. It's worse. Pokken isn't even a console game. It is a Japan exclusive arcade game.
I know Pikachu. My thoughts exactly. They have yet to announce any release for a console or arcade games outside of Asia, so use on the other side of the world may never get to play this game. But, I think it is an interesting decision at least. Arcades are nearly obsolete nowadays, so to have an actual, bona-fide, get out-out-and-play-with-your-friends-in-a-real-arcade-like-the-80's is kind of cool. For most of us, with we have a game at home we either never play it because we know we can whenevery we want, or we obsessively play it to where it has no excitement to it. But with this, it has a real experience going out and inserting quarters into a machine, being an exciting and rare experience. But, I seriously hope they have a Western release. Please Nintendo? We are dying to play your newest game, and are a great audience to make money off of. The only issue is that we don't have many arcades here after the invention of home gaming, so to find a permant home may be more difficult. But, I can see it finding a place in comic/hobby shops, stores, Pokemon tournaments, and Chucky-Cheese. But, I can't really see Nintendo putting in all the work for this game and not letting the whole world play it. But, there are some interesting features to this game's arcade style. To see an analysis of all the details, see the video below (warning: while this channel is fairly clean when just one person is reviewing, I have heard cuss words before and have not watched the video to it's entire end [although I think would suspect it's fine] so proceed with caution).
First of, what I find most interesting, is the Namco Passport. This allows you to make an account and use your login to access your special Pokemon, trainer and stats. This means that no matter what arcade you go to, your info will be everywhere, like the cloud. Secondly, is the characters. Right now, we don't have the best line up. Lucario, Machamp, Pikachu, Suicine, and Gardevoir is all we have.
I love that they have very detailed Pokemon with unique statistics, attacks, battle styles, and great detailed art, but the amount simply isn't a good representation of the 700+ Pokedex we have. Not only this, but this particular group just seems... weird. I guess it's just the overwhelming presence of cool colors that's making me feel as though this group isn't very diverse, although out of all the popular Pokemon and legendaries, why they choose Gardevoir and Suicine eludes me. Not to insult Nintendo's choice of characters, but I would have added different ones if it were up to me. But, theis most likely isn't all the Pokemon, considering how cool of a game this seems to be and how many open slots there are for more characters. Almost all of these screenshots are of the demo version, and, similarly to Super Smash Bros 3DS, it most likely does not contain all the characters. Additionally, there are other support Pokemon as well, including Froagadier, Eevee, Emolga, and Lapras, Snivy, and Fenniken (all basic Pokemon), which can attacks, slow down your opponent, or aid your attacks.
Overall, I think this game is super cool, and am really hoping to be able to experience this internationally. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!
Sources:
Pokemon/Nintendo images and trailers
Google Images
