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[Nocturnowl]

Finally putting some time in with Empoleon and I gotta laugh at his slide jump animation where he pirouettes through the ear with that kingly elegance.

My spirit was crushed today as my Decideuye lost to multiple over owls online, in vintage pokken fashion half the time things felt random as shit like "wait so I use a heavy attack against his acrobatics but instead of just hitting them in the face because grabs>strikes it initiates a cancel out clash? but I did it earlier with the weak y attacks!"
As much as I like Pokken I'm now reminded of how it can grind my gears when you think you can punish something because surely the lag time of that diving attack with the explosive aura and then you get fucked for trying.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Came here to figure out if the single player was anything more than just CPU fights like the demo

Now I’m convinced!

the CPU in the demo is dumbed down significantly, try fighting a CPU in free battle at Normal difficulty and it's day vs night

with that said the first few battles of the league could be comparable to the demo

 

[Neiteio]

Braixen is such a perfect Pokemon. Delphox is OK, but Braixen is truly perfection. It's like Harry Potter x Pokémon x Pop Idols.

 

[Seik]

Played for some time yesterday.

While it doesn't look that good in my 4k TV, it looks great on the Switch's screen! That's really where the game shines the most imo.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Scizor is so cute when he loses.

 

[Not75Drops]

I'm going to try and get more into this game when I get a Switch sometime next year. I picked up the Wii U version but didn't stick with it for long as I was pretty busy when it came out last year.

This has probably been answered already, but is the game enjoyable when using the joycon's d-pad? I'll probably pick up the pro controller as well but if I just want to relax and play it in handheld mode, is it fine?

 

[BiggNife]

I'm going to try and get more into this game when I get a Switch sometime next year. I picked up the Wii U version but didn't stick with it for long as I was pretty busy when it came out last year.

This has probably been answered already, but is the game enjoyable when using the joycon's d-pad? I'll probably pick up the pro controller as well but if I just want to relax and play it in handheld mode, is it fine?

I play in portable mode with the analog stick and I've had zero issues

Because of the 3D nature of field phase I don't think Pokken is the kind of game you need to play with a d-pad, It feels totally fine on an analog stick.

 

[Not75Drops]

I play in portable mode with the analog stick and I've had zero issues

Because of the 3D nature of field phase I don't think Pokken is the kind of game you need to play with a d-pad, It feels totally fine on an analog stick.

I was worrying more about Dual Phase than anything else but if the analog works fine, then it's not a problem. Thanks.

 

[Geminosity]

Braixen is such a perfect Pokemon. Delphox is OK, but Braixen is truly perfection. It's like Harry Potter x Pokémon x Pop Idols.

I'm just glad that Harada realised that :3

 

[Neiteio]

Doesn't Gardevoir have a mega form? I wonder why it wasn't incorporated into its synergy burst.

At any rate, I continue to be impressed by this game. It's a fighting game that never gets boring because it's constantly shifting between the field phase (3D) and duel phase (2D), so the perspective is always changing, along with your strategy. The phase shift (a dramatic moment in itself, with its high-impact pause) is empowering rather than frustrating since it's triggered by the player, and if deployed correctly it can set up spectacular combos and even restore some of your lost health, similar to Bloodborne.

Pretty much every move by every Pokemon is fun to use. This is a super-easy game to pick up and play; like Smash Bros, the inputs are never more complicated than a button + a direction, and repeatedly tapping attack will auto-combo. But the depth is dizzying in its possibilities. I love it, and I even enjoy just watching replays set to my specific search criteria, seeing how certain match-ups played out online at the highest skill levels.

Visually, this game is underrated. I think it looks great on both handheld and my 1080p TV. The main visual shortcoming is in the backgrounds, where the onlookers are rendered as flat sprites bobbing up and down. Still, it's fun seeing the countless Pokemon cameos in the background and how they're all integrated into the daily lives of the people of Ferrum. Each arena has effective atmosphere and a strong sense of place, with plenty of detail to comb through (if you can take your eyes off the action in the foreground).

I also think the music is super-catchy in several stages, and the sound effects combined with HD Rumble lend a visceral sense of impact to each hit.

Just felt like gushing a bit!

 

[BiggNife]

Doesn't Gardevoir have a mega form? I wonder why it wasn't incorporated into its synergy burst.

She does, and it is. It just doesn't look all that different from her regular form.

The main difference is the shape of her "dress."

 

[Nocturnowl]

I also think the music is super-catchy in several stages

Tellur Town Autumn is a jam

 

[Berordn]

She does, and it is. It just doesn't look all that different from her regular form.





The main difference is the shape of her "dress."

It's a lot easier to see in duel phase because of how it reshapes her silhouette too. It's always been kind of a weird mega form.

 

[Neiteio]

Tellur Town Autumn is a jam

Yes, this is one of my faves! I also like the Mystery Carnival theme.

She does, and it is. It just doesn't look all that different from her regular form.

The main difference is the shape of her "dress."

Oh wow, good eye!

 

[Kebiinu]

This game seems to be selling quite well according to Japan and UK. Especially for a remaster and a fresh system. I'm no longer worried about the future of this game, and it really is fucking excellent. Finally starting to hit competition on ranked with my Darkrai, players aren't so surprised by his various projectiles anymore. So I'm forced to immediately go on the offensive and try to apply pressure with traps and the like.

Man...very impressed with this game overall.

 

[Griss]

Scizor is so cute when he loses.

Yeah, that's a fantastic animation. Just wish I wasn't seeing it so much recently.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Man I love Decidueye so much. His combos are great, I love the consistency of adding a lot of his learnable moves from Sun and Moon. Leaf Blade, Frenzy Plant, Spirit Shackle, Suckered Punch. I think he's only really missing Brave Bird. There's a lot of attention to detail.

One thing I wish the game had done was make his Synergy special into a Z move. Get the Z aura around him. I mean his super move is cool and it does give the look of it but I would have liked to have seen Sinister Arrow Raid proper.

 

[Zafir]

Had a lot of fun playing the game again. Hadn't really touched it since near it's Wii U release, but it's as good as I remember, maybe better because I can do a few online matches during my lunch break at work.

Happy they made the single player tournament not mandatory for character unlocks. I have put some time into it, and might still finish it anyway, but having done that once before on the Wii U I'm in no rush to finish it a second time.

Ranked seems kind of all over the place. I've not played a massive amount since I only got it Monday, but enough to climb to D5, and it's matched me with anything from E5 to C3. Maybe the game knows something though, I actually ended up beating that C3 ranked person, lol.

Tellur Town Autumn is a jam

Yeah love that track.

 

[Poppy]

Braixen is such a perfect Pokemon. Delphox is OK, but Braixen is truly perfection. It's like Harry Potter x Pokémon x Pop Idols.

you are right

 

[RomanceDawn]

I'm going to try and get more into this game when I get a Switch sometime next year. I picked up the Wii U version but didn't stick with it for long as I was pretty busy when it came out last year.

This has probably been answered already, but is the game enjoyable when using the joycon's d-pad? I'll probably pick up the pro controller as well but if I just want to relax and play it in handheld mode, is it fine?

I love the separate d-pad buttons on the joycon. I never ever make the wrong input since they are separated. When I'm using a tradition d-pad on the pro controller I notice I do mess up quite a bit. When I press forward or back my thumb comfortably hits the d-pad in a way that I often press up at the same time.

Is that the main d-pad issue everyone has been having trouble with in those other threads? With Zelda and the other 8 games I have on switch I never noticed anything wrong. On Pokken tournament I'm trying to shoot an Ice Beam and Empoleon keeps using Drill Peck. Cause I press left and my thumb is on it in a way that is registering up as well. Is it me or is that the common issue people have been having?

So yeah I love the Joycon's d-pad for this game.

 

[WhatWeLeftBehind]

Yeah I've just found a new timesink for my Switch. Holy shit does the gameplay of Pokkén translate well to handheld. Also: playing this portable lessens the tedium of the grinding you gotta do in single-player. Boring to do when relaxing behind your television, but a great timewaster whilst playing in the bus or on the train.

Last year I got the demo for the Wii U version and played it along with a friend. Both of us were a bit perplexed to see not local multiplayer in both the demo or even in the full game(not counting the off-tv play one as it isn't...great). Also the game seemed a bit light on content and I expected an update to come to put in the arcade version's rebalancing and extra characters.
So when I saw the Switch reveal, I was hoping for a remaster on Switch. Lo and behold, this one shows up with all the new content. Might as well, I thought.

First up: this is a much better full price release then Pokken on Wii U. Not just the added characters but the additions to single-player make the game a pretty good package. Like someone else said: the added roster does take away from the grindiness of having to fight the same pokémon twice. But add in the daily challanges and a meaty practice mode and I'd say this is worth full price for single-player alone. Almost.

But it's the portability and the revamped local multi-player that make this damn good. I flat out disagree with anyone who says this has been a low-effort port. Could it be better in resolution? Yeah, definately. But it gets a lot more right then on its first release and, frankly, this game was born to be on a hybrid device like the Switch.

Great game.

 

[Boss Doggie]

also I'm creeped out of Empoleon having teeth

 

[Neiteio]

also I'm creeped out of Empoleon having teeth

I like how Darkrai can stretch out to reveal normal human-sized legs.

 

[Wiped89]

Was hoping the game would be at least 900p docked. It looks like crap on my 4K TV.

Yeahhhh. Downloaded the demo and gave it a whirl. Is that what the final game looks like? It looks absolutely appalling on my TV, and OLED usually makes everything look good. So blurry and low res.

 

[Neiteio]

Yeahhhh. Downloaded the demo and gave it a whirl. Is that what the final game looks like? It looks absolutely appalling on my TV, and OLED usually makes everything look good. So blurry and low res.

It's 720p on TVs. I think it looks great, but my TV is 1080p, not 4k.

 

[GetDigitized]

Yup looks like the switch screen on my 1080p led tv.
Is there an explanation for moves online other than the in game move list?

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Lag is not kind to Scizor at all.

I remember on the Wii U, when I'd play Blaziken, lag wasn't too big of a deal, since Blaziken can kind of flail around and do alright if lag got in the way of inputs, but Scizor requires some set up before he can really do well, and if you accidentally flail around from lag, you have some serious problems (like your Swords Dance goes flying away from frustratingly mashing buttons, or you Swords Dance after an opening to do so emerged and you're stuck eating hits)

also I'm creeped out of Empoleon having teeth

Penguins have barbs in their mouths that are kind of like teeth

Although he never has teeth in any other appearance.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Though I guess that makes Empoleon more Dedede than ever.

 

[Nelo Ice]

Finally got my copy!. Can't wait to check it out after I eat.

 

[Spiritreaver]

How's playing online in handheld mode for everyone else? Much lag? I don't notice much if any lag when I play over WiFI, but I worry it's completely awful for my opponents.

 

[GuitarGuruu]

How's playing online in handheld mode for everyone else? Much lag? I don't notice much if any lag when I play over WiFI, but I worry it's completely awful for my opponents.

In handheld for me personally it was a lot worse than when docked.

 

[Spiritreaver]

In handheld for me personally it was a lot worse than when docked.

Sounds about right. I'll have to play docked more.

 

[Wiped89]

It's 720p on TVs. I think it looks great, but my TV is 1080p, not 4k.

Ah. Mine is 4K but the Wii U holds up okay. Smash, 3D World and Mario Kart 8 all look great.

Pokken absolutely does not

 

[Nelo Ice]

Went through 4 of the tutorials and played some league before jumping online. Tried out Weaville based on that character sheet posted since I figure well I have no idea what I'm doing so went with the rush down char. Game is super fun and I won my first game after my 3rd match just now in a mirror. Had a close but match against a Pika player last match though and was hyped when I came back to steal a round with like 200 health lol.

 

[Seik]

Ah. Mine is 4K but the Wii U holds up okay. Smash, 3D World and Mario Kart 8 all look great.

Pokken absolutely does not

Well, tell yourself that it was even worse with Pokken on Wii U.

Game wasn't even native 720p, it was blurfest. Well, it kind of still is but less. :lol

 

[Zalman]

I'm so glad I didn't sleep on this game. I did get it on Wii U last year and enjoyed what I played. However, I did feel like it was lacking something. This game adds that something. To be honest, the port feels a little cheap. There isn't much new here. But what IS here is fantastic.

First of all is obviously the new characters. That's always a good thing when it comes to fighting games. I'm personally really enjoying Decidueye and Scizor.

Secondly, we have Team Battle mode, which is way more fun than I expected. It should have been the default mode, in my opinion. It makes battles longer and more varied. It almost feels like an actual trainer battle. I play this almost exclusively now.

The third great addition is the inclusion of same-screen multiplayer. I barely did this on Wii U because their solution was awful. The game is still enjoyable even if both players share the same camera. This alone has turned Pokkén into a game that I will boot up as a party game.

And finally, of course, there's handheld mode. It's so easy to pick up and play on Switch. A few matches here and there is enough to satisfy me.

I'm not sure what the future of Pokkén is since they didn't bother to add more than one new character other than the arcade ones. Maybe this is it, maybe they're working on a sequel. But I'm glad that this specific game has finally reached its potential as a truly great game.

 

[AGoodODST]

I enjoyed the WiiU game but ended up losing interest.

Quite happy to double dip. Had fun playing on the train into work. Jumped in with Pikachu as that's who I used last time.

Definitely want to experiment a bit more this time round.

 

[Kebiinu]

The Ferrum League grind is a lot less tedious this time around, since the portability helps out immensely. Love knocking out a couple battles on the way to work. I use the opportunity to try new tricks and combos.

Online I'm starting to run into stiff competition. I really want to be great with Darkrai, but I'm struggling against the rush down characters and faster zoners. I'm gonna try utilizing his Nightmare Mode more, I just gotta find some more way to lead into it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

It's 720p on TVs. I think it looks great, but my TV is 1080p, not 4k.

Is it possible a 720p game would look better on a 4k set than a 1080p one since it's an even 3x scale of 720p?

 

[BiggNife]

How's playing online in handheld mode for everyone else? Much lag? I don't notice much if any lag when I play over WiFI, but I worry it's completely awful for my opponents.

I've gotten a few laggy matches in portable mode, but generally it's been pretty good for me. Then again, I've never had any of the wireless issues that a lot of other people seem to have with the Switch, so YMMV.

And yeah, I think Pokken looks great on my TV, but it's only 32". I'm sure 720p starts to look really blurry once you go above 43" or so.

 

[moeman]

Doesn't Gardevoir have a mega form? I wonder why it wasn't incorporated into its synergy burst.

At any rate, I continue to be impressed by this game. It's a fighting game that never gets boring because it's constantly shifting between the field phase (3D) and duel phase (2D), so the perspective is always changing, along with your strategy. The phase shift (a dramatic moment in itself, with its high-impact pause) is empowering rather than frustrating since it's triggered by the player, and if deployed correctly it can set up spectacular combos and even restore some of your lost health, similar to Bloodborne.

Pretty much every move by every Pokemon is fun to use. This is a super-easy game to pick up and play; like Smash Bros, the inputs are never more complicated than a button + a direction, and repeatedly tapping attack will auto-combo. But the depth is dizzying in its possibilities. I love it, and I even enjoy just watching replays set to my specific search criteria, seeing how certain match-ups played out online at the highest skill levels.

Visually, this game is underrated. I think it looks great on both handheld and my 1080p TV. The main visual shortcoming is in the backgrounds, where the onlookers are rendered as flat sprites bobbing up and down. Still, it's fun seeing the countless Pokemon cameos in the background and how they're all integrated into the daily lives of the people of Ferrum. Each arena has effective atmosphere and a strong sense of place, with plenty of detail to comb through (if you can take your eyes off the action in the foreground).

I also think the music is super-catchy in several stages, and the sound effects combined with HD Rumble lend a visceral sense of impact to each hit.

Just felt like gushing a bit!

Always love reading your impressions Neiteio! getting closer to pulling the trigger on this game...just waiting for the price to go down a bit.

 

[JBourne]

The demo does not do this game justice at all. The CPU isn't nearly as dumb in the full game, and when you turn it up the fights get way more interesting. I'm not ready to jump online, but learning the game has been fun so far.

 

[PadWarrior]

https://twitter.com/mcdareth/status/913422193765289984

 

[Neiteio]

https://twitter.com/mcdareth/status/913422193765289984

Wait, there's a Christmas stage separate from the snow stage with the snow sculptures?

 

[RomanceDawn]

Oh shoot will I need to do some story to get my afro? That should be one of the default hair styles! My hair is like a sheep!

Anyone want to play? I am really digging Gengar's outrageous tactics and moves. Though he is no where near the level of my Empoleon or Garchomp.

Oh and thanks guys for the tips with projectiles. Sometimes I still panic and get overwhelmed but I don't feel absolutely useless like I used to.

 

[Zafir]

Wow, just had my first rage quitter.

Matched into him, proceeded to get him down to low health without him really touching me in the first round. He quit. I queue up again, get put against him again, and he quits during support select, lol.

To be fair, it's nice it took this long I guess.

 

[ReaperXL7]

There's nothing to unlock or keep someone engaged outside of the multiplayer right? I was thinking about getting this, Xenoverse 2 or Lego Ninjago but from much of what I've read about Pokken if you're not planning on spending much time online there isn't a lot there.

The demo was fun but it seemed likely that it was going to be light on content.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

There's nothing to unlock or keep someone engaged outside of the multiplayer right? I was thinking about getting this, Xenoverse 2 or Lego Ninjago but from much of what I've read about Pokken if you're not planning on spending much time online there isn't a lot there.

The demo was fun but it seemed likely that it was going to be light on content.

Cosmetics and titles are unlocked. There's an entire single player mode. And daily challenges.

 

[BiggNife]

There's nothing to unlock or keep someone engaged outside of the multiplayer right? I was thinking about getting this, Xenoverse 2 or Lego Ninjago but from much of what I've read about Pokken if you're not planning on spending much time online there isn't a lot there.

The demo was fun but it seemed likely that it was going to be light on content.

I haven't played Xenoverse 2 but fyi the story mode in Xenoverse 1 was just as grindy as Pokken's if not moreso.

But yeah, local and online multi are the real meat and bones of Pokken. Ferrum League is fine to waste some time on a commute or something but I wouldn't recommend buying the game if that's all you're going to play. I think the game really comes into its own when you play against human opponents.

 

[Zafir]

I don't think you should buy the game if you're not interested in online, personally. The single player is a bit ehh imo. That said, I guess it depends what you want out of single player content, I guess the Ferrum League is fine if you're someone who really likes the arcade mode in a fighting game.