Pokemon Black & White 2 [DS]

[Candescence]

Something as big as a fully 3D Pokémon game requiring a new bespoke engine to be made from scratch, even adapting existing pre-completed test elements, will on its own take about two years, and they've probably quietly started on experimental testing already. Then they have to actually build useable content to run in that engine, which will take another one to two years to do properly.

The kind of game you guys are asking for cannot be done with a hardware platform still in development, so this would have only been started properly once the 3DS was released. Oh, and this assumes that the system would sell in the first place which was never a guarantee and I doubt Game Freak began work on a 3DS Pokémon as soon as the hardware was announced even with their privileged access to Nintendo's development tools - especially in the light of this game being announced, so that adds another nine months of waiting to make sure the project was worth starting to begin with.

Keep an eye out around 2015/6. It's going to take about that long to get this done. 3D games are always exponentially more time-consuming and more expensive to produce than 2D, and on top of that Game Freak have to work out something useful to do with the 3D screen. There is no way in hell they'll make a main series Pokémon title without the full roster of existing Pokémon - Japan would crucify them - so they've somehow got to get through 650+ full battle animations for the Pokémon yet. And there's not even any guarantee the battle system will stay the same either!

[Jetronic]

No. Kyurem, Zekrom, and Reshiram were once one dragon. They split apart though, so Kyurem can combine with the two easily.

Also. here's a little something:

[Jeffhog]

Resume of the official story of the Tao Trio in-game:

"The mythologies of the trio are implied to be connected, despite having no true relation. The origins of Zekrom and Reshiram are told in legends, as they were once a single powerful Dragon Pokémon used by twin heroes in order to create the Unova region. But the brothers each sought something different in life—truth for the older brother and ideals for the younger—and they began to argue, then fight, over who's side was right. The single dragon, in response, split into two Pokémon: Reshiram, who sided with the older twin, and Zekrom, who sided with the younger twin.

The two dragons were equally matched as they battled and neither conquered the other. As a result, the brothers set aside their differences, and equally declared there was no right side, either. But the sons of the heroes resumed the fight, and Reshiram and Zekrom destroyed the region with their fire and lightning powers. They subsequently disappeared afterward.

At the beginning of Black and White, one of them resides in the Dragonspiral Tower, who is called upon by N to create his ideal world. The player is tasked with finding the other dragon in its corresponding stone (Light Stone in Black and Dark Stone in White) and revive it to resolve the history the twins began in the past.

Kyurem's origins are much different than those of the other two. The third dragon came down to Earth from an icy meteor and crashed into a place called Giant Chasm. An old legend in Lacunosa Town describing Kyurem claims that it would take people and Pokémon away from the town and eat them; this is why the town is now surrounded by a giant wall."

Some theorists say that the icy meteor were the remains of the original dragon's body though. Nothing left to preserve its existence as the dragon split into two, the shed body froze and crashed down towards the earth.

Seriously, if this is the case in BW2, I'm so in.

Besides, I'd like to see Kyurem actually appear threatening instead of walking around like a chicken.

I always imagined him clucking...

[-Robin-]

If the original dragon formed between the fusion of Kyurem, Reshiram, and Zekrom - assuming all three were once a single entity - is to be shown soon, I suspect that conglomeration will be unveiled in the next generation, like how Regigigas was released in Gen IV.

Regigigas's origins was hinted at in the Sealed Chamber in RSE ("We owe all to the Pokémon.But, we sealed the Pokémon away. We feared it."), but was never given a name. ReshZekKyu could fall into the same mold, given its cryptic and vague origin, and be delivered in Gen VI in some kind of event.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Professor Westwood V

[Tori Himemiya]

Besides, I'd like to see Kyurem actually appear threatening instead of walking around like a chicken.

I always imagined him clucking...

I always though he was try to do a tap dance.

But it can't seem to get it right.

[Sami]

The one thing that keeps me coming back to these games is the battle system; and it's the one thing I want to stay the same. Despite looking simple on the surface, Pokemon's battle system is incredibly deep and takes a lot of time and effort to master. I've spent several hundreds of hours in total playing these games, and I still have a long way to go before I can really say I've mastered it.

Changing the battle system at any point would be overkill. I want evolution of the existing template, not a total re-imagining of it.

[buba]

Silly people, why would GameFreak use 3D models in a main game when they can use them in the unknown Pokémon arcade games?

EDIT: Of course I still prefer the Sprites.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Tmsp

[Jetronic]

https://twitter.com/#!/NintendoUK

Brand new #Pokémon Black Version 2 & Pokémon White Version 2 for #NintendoDS coming to Europe this Autumn

That's...actually not too far from the japanese release date (unless it's near the end of the year, it'll be around the same amount of time as black and white).

[Marcello]

Wow, I didn't expect it to be released here so soon. I was at least thinking Spring '13

[Conando]

Sometimes Nintendo starts translations well before the game is completed (all they need is the script at first, after all). I'm guessing an October release at the earliest because, we know they'll be titles Nintendo pushes for the holidays.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Crow T. Robot

[Jeffhog]

Woah shit! Autumn!? That's awesome!

[\Lennox]

Sometimes Nintendo starts translations well before the game (unneeded stuff, just need this) because we know they'll be titles Nintendo pushes for the holidays.

[Ichigo Storm]

Fall 2012 release also announced for the US.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy

[Noir]

I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that these will be the last pokémon games of my childhood now.

At least the wait won't be long if these turn out to be wortwhile.

[Kuzu]

Wow, I didn't expect it to be released here so soon. I was at least thinking Spring '13

The games usually come out 6-8 months after the Japanese release, if anything they're coming out early in Japan, they usually come out in September and then March/April for the US/EU.

But Fall? Fuck Yeah.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Shadic Claus

[PSI Wind]

Of course. This is Pokémon.

You guys do know how Nintendo needs to print cash, cash and for a change, lots of cold hard moolah especially in this sort of situation, and this's been rectified by another set of paired versions. Pokémon has been making money throughout its entire existence, and if anything, Nintendo needs money from the games as we speak. The 3DS may have been a great handheld console, but ill timing and poor quality of launch games has caused this to turn into one of the world's worse platform launches, to the point where price drops were months earlier than expected, the lost $70 or so being compensated for through 20 awesome games from two bygone eras.

Otherwise, if there was no backward compatibility, Nintendo would be dead. But now that there is, who knows (well, other than God, really). Maybe Game Freak's really prepping for tons and tons of stuff being developed for the 3DS, and I'm assuming Grey would be a combination of both two paired versions to make this even bigger.

Hey, let's be thankful they learned their lesson from here on out.

.........The 3DS outsold the DS in it's first month AND is now the best-selling handheld in Japan in a 51 (or was it 49) week mark. The 3DS has been selling great ever since it came out :\

[ChaosXVI]

The 3DS launch was merely an unpleasant hiccup, because ever since the August price drop and then the arrival of Star Fox, 3DLand, and Mario Kart 7, the 3DS has been unstoppable in sales. I only wonder why they didn't use B&W2 as an opportunity to drive sales even further up by releasing it for 3DS instead.

[Jeffhog]

Off-topic adorableness powers GO!

[Conando]

Otherwise, if there was no backward compatibility, Nintendo would be dead. But now that there is, who knows (well, other than God, really). Maybe Game Freak's really prepping for tons and tons of stuff being developed for the 3DS, and I'm assuming Grey would be a combination of both two paired versions to make this even bigger.

Hey, let's be thankful they learned their lesson from here on out.

Nintendo 3DS only did poorly during its launch window. It's gone on to be Nintendo's fastest selling console, and they made a killing during the holiday season off of the one-two Mario punch. A new Pokemon game would only serve to make it impossible for PS Vita to ever get close to selling as much as 3DS. Like how Diamond and Pearl did for DS. In other words, overkill. Not that they're not going to do it but, they're not in a position where they have to anytime soon.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Crow T. Robot

[\Lennox]

http://mashable.com/2012/01/26/nintendo-sale/

http://www.destructoid.com/3ds-sales-below-projections-nintendo-explains-why-199716.phtml

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/01/3ds-sales/

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/26/nintendo-enhances-expected-loss-15-million-3ds-units-sold-since/

Okay, Nintendo may have gotten better in the past six months, but they've still had losses. But now, if they don't need the extra money, they'll want the extra money because its money and you know far back how big companies and money go.

To be fair though, according to these articles, the 3DS has been stronger than the Wii and DS, however, there were still some problems due to all three of these items having less than projected sales. Either way, the platforms are awesome.

[buba]

Off-topic adorableness powers GO!

Snip

Kyurem fused with Meloetta.

[Jeffhog]

Also, to those who have counterargued Pokémon designs with hardware limitations, I think this could also be of worth to use.

In any case, let's all ask ourselves the one question that hasn't been asked yet, a question that is considered essential for a great number of Pokémon releases...

Which version will YOU be getting?

[Conando]

It depends, which version has the Reshiram Kyurem? I'll probably get that version, since I got White originally, so I've already experienced Zekrom.

[Blue Blood]

Also, to those who have counterargued Pokémon designs with hardware limitations, I think this could also be of worth to use.

In any case, let's all ask ourselves the one question that hasn't been asked yet, a question that is considered essential for a great number of Pokémon releases...

Which version will YOU be getting?

That picture only further proves the point the designs got more complicated come Gen III, and that the inspirations got more outlandish.

[Kuzu]

That picture only further proves the point the designs got more complicated come Gen III, and that the inspirations got more outlandish.

I hardly call Pokemon like Silcoon, complicated.