I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can't patent an idea, but you can patent the expression of an idea, and that expression can be very specific.
I recommend you all to actually read the patents in question. If you don't want to because it's too long, that'll immediately prove my point. Nintendo's patent files are long because they are extremely specific. This idea that Nintendo is just slapping around vague, non-specific patents is complete bollocks, fuelled by those who don't understand the first thing about patents.
That patent about the ball throwing or creature mounting? It's way more in depth than you may think, and goes over a ton of logic statements to determine specific things like camera angles, sound effects, animation sequences, when something is or isn't possible, etc. As you can see, all these things are related to the expression, and not the idea itself.
As for the monetary demands, Nintendo doesn't care about PocketPair itself. They are inconsequential in the grand scheme of things (evident by how much Palword itself has already fallen off in the past year). Nintendo's likely goal is to deter Sony and their desperate attempt at regaining relevance in the Japanese market.
