Don't you just love talking about sequels to games that aren't even out yet?! I do.
Good. Now that that elephant's dealt with, on to the original topic.
So Pokken Tournament comes out in a few days, and it's gotten pretty solid reviews for the most part. It has more content than many of us expected, but it's still lacking in the think we want the most - Pokemon. It's also lacking in the single player aspect. But there is a silver lining. Most reviewers see this game as a great first step to a long running franchise. With this in mind, I want to talk about what I hope to see from a new Pokken.
1. More Pokemon
This is, to me, by far the biggest slight against Pokken. Pokemon has over 700 characters to choose from. But I get it. They had to do a lot of work to build the foundation for this game, and it looks really good. I get it. Give me more Pokemon with the next game. A lot more. The Naruto games have like 100 fighters, and that's what I hope to see in the later Pokken's, but I'll be more measured for my expectations of the sequel. Going from Smash 64 to Melee gave us 14 more characters. That's over double. Since Pokken has a roster of 16 characters, I expect at least 34 fighters all together. That number will naturally raise if Pokken gets DLC, which it should.
2. Deeper Single Player
This is another thing. The great thing about Pokemon is that there's something for people who just want to play Pokemon casually and something for people who want to play competitively. That something for the former is the campaign. Now while I don't think that hoping for a vast open world game in Pokken is realistic at this point, I do want to see something where you can sort of explore, but that makes sence with what Pokken is. The Tekken series added the Scenario Campaign with Tekken 6, while the Naruto games are famous for their campaigns. Pokken should be like those. Since Pokken is set in a region that revolves around battles more than most, it would be awesome if Pokken 2 took place in this sort of Battle Frontier-like area. Like this mini-city that revolves around battling with various battle facilities that focus on different rules for combat.
This would be great because it would keep the focus of the world on combat while still providing the perfect setting for a short adventure. Since battles in Pokken take place in a separate battle screen, just like the turn based battles of Pokemon, it would be so easy to just allow players to run into trainers in this little overworld in the same way they do in the core Pokemon games. In this way, Pokken 2 would be to Pokken what XD was to Colleseum. With five different Battle Facilities offering "Tokkens" or some shit, it could offer a similar singleplayer experience to the actual battle frontiers. Add a 6-7 (or more, please) hour campaign that actually has some effort put into it like with Tekken 6, the Naruto games, colleseum, and XD, and you have yourself an awesome competitive action game single player offering.
3. Tag Battles
Wow, this one is so obvious. Tag battles need to happen and be the default. There were so few Pokemon in Pokken that I get why they weren't incorperated here, but this is POKEMON. You build a TEAM of battlers. I get that assist Pokemon are meant to simulate that. I get it, but it's not enough. Ideally, you'd be able to select 3 pokemon on your "team," with three assists. Each Pokemon would have only one health bar, and battles would happen like this. This way, each player technically has a team of "six," and it can really feel like you're having a Pokemon match. The Naruto games (I think) even have this system where you can choose to have less characters, and those characters are more powered up. Pokken can do the same for people who only want to use one or two Pokemon.
4. Make Pokemon Types Matter
This is solely dependant upon suggestions 1 and 3 happening. If we get a larger roster, and we get tag battles where you can switch Pokemon in or out, type match-ups need to matter again. I get that this is a "fighting" game. I get it, but this is also a Pokemon game, and in Pokemon, Blaziken would be weak to half of Suicune's attacks. I get why they weren't in this game. I'd be pissed if I had a 1v1 match determed from the get go because I was a sceptile and you're using a Blaziken. When I have only so many options of characters and I don't have the option to immediately switch into a counter for a better match up, that would be frustrating.
But with a larger roster and tag battles, that shouldn't be an issue. I'm also not suggesting that the super/not very effective damage be double/half like it is in Pokemon. Maybe 10-20% more/less. Just something that is significant enough for us to know that the games are taking the world of Pokemon seriously.
5. 3D Trainers with Better Character Customization
This should be a no brainer. Bandai Namco are basically famous for the amount of customization in their fighting games. Bring that to Pokken. I want to feel like a trainer. Being allowed to move around in the world is part of it, but having more options for customization is another. From what I've seen of Pokken, it already does a pretty good job. Just go that step further by making the characters 3D. So I can see them running around in the background and when I explore and shit.
6. Good VA
Fix your VA, you bastards.
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So what about you? What do you want to see in Pokken 2?