14 DAY TRIAL // The newly announced Pokemon X & Y video games will finally take the venerable series into the 3D space, but that does not mean that the team working on them will also change the core mechanics that gamers love.
J.C. Smith, an international marketing director at The Pokemon Company, tells Polygon that, “This game has been a long time coming. Obviously, Game Freak wanted to make sure that when they created this new universe on the 3DS, that it looked fantastic; both in the polygonal style and also when people are able to see the 3D effects as well.”
The use of 3D allows Pokemon to be more lively and players will be able to see their favorite creatures in a new light, with new animations also set to emphasize their unique powers.
The reveal of Pokemon X & Y shows that the game will include more cinematic battle scenes and a blend of new and old creatures.
Smith commented by saying, “There’s always been an evolution of the look and feel; it just happens to be that we played Black and White, and Heart Gold and Soul Silver, and Diamond and Pearl, and Platinum — all of those games on the same platform. So it feels like it’s been a long time in the same way.”
The Pokemon franchise is known for being very conservative, but the executive says that players also dealt with significant shifts in mechanics and style when the series moved between devices before.
The new Pokemon experiences are named after a pair of new creatures and will continue the series’ history of delivering almost the same experience in two packages in order to encourage player interaction and trading.
Pokémon X & Y is set to appear exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS all over the world, during October of this year.