#REDDIT POKKEN TOURNAMENT PRO#
Wii Remote + Nunchuk as well as Wii Remote + Classic Controller Pro play is also supported. While I had no problem guiding the action with my trusty GamePad, my 11-year-old immediately gravitated to the Pro Controller. My kids’ current favorite remains the Whirlipede exercising on a treadmill in the game’s Speed Training Gym. The various arena locales are also impeccably designed, and, while players will likely stay firmly focused on the action, spectators will note no shortage of cute, quirky supplementary Pokémon action in the background. Even the more outlandish characters, like the quadruped Suicune and the patently non-humanoid Chandelure, are so lovingly rendered that their attacks, stance, and reaction animations seem perfectly real. Those big ol’ playable Pokémon are gorgeous and their movements graceful and fluid. Ok, let me get this out of the way– Pokkén Tournament looks amazing! The creepy carnival show that is Mega Gengar’s Burst Attack could certainly distress some younger players, which likely explains the ESRB’s rating of E10 for “Fantasy Violence.” Speaking of graphic… That said, some of the game’s special Synergy Burst Attacks (think powerful Mega-Evolution moves, though they are even available for those Pokémon without canonical MEs) are just plain freaky.
But, for all its verisimilitude, the game lacks the sort of bloody combat those of us from the Mortal Kombat generation may associate with one-on-one fighting games.Įven the most visceral attacks–I’m looking at you, Garchomp–merely imply that grievous damage has been done to an opponent. Pokkén Tournament takes place in a living, breathing world, the Ferrum League and its surrounding area. Graphically violent? Not in the slightest. I guess what I’m saying is, while Smash is a hardcore title dolled up in Nintendo niceties, Pokkén Tournament is an accessible fighting game that forgoes frills in favor of more streamlined action and a cohesive atmosphere. Think bigger character models, more deliberate, action-oriented gameplay, and an overall more realistic feel.
Pokkén, as the name implies, instead shares a similar aesthetic with more traditional fighting titles like Bandai Namco’s Tekken.
#REDDIT POKKEN TOURNAMENT SERIES#
Despite Smash Bros‘ distinctly hardcore appeal, that series is often typified by crazy power-ups, enormous stages, and overall multiplayer mayhem.
Instead, it’s all about straight-up Poké-combat with attacks inspired by the core franchise’s lengthy catalog of type-specific moves. Obviously, trainers are involved–your customizable player avatar as well as the handlers of the opponent Pokémon–but don’t expect to see them take center stage like in the various cartoon series. On the surface, Pokkén Tournament sort of sounds like a joke, like some April Fools’ gag gone horribly awry, but hear me out imagine a head-to-head fighting game starring only Pokémon. Pokkén Tournament is a big, brash brawler that first appeared in Japanese arcades last summer, but does it deserve a place in your family’s Wii U library? Read on to find out. This week we continue our #Pokémon20 celebration with a look at a very peculiar series spinoff slated for North American release this Friday, March 18.