UBISOFT® INVITES ANZ CUP WINNERS TO MONTREAL FOR $100,000 RAINBOW SIX SIEGE TOURNAMENT
Sydney, Australia – Nov 30, 2016 – Today, Ubisoft® announced that the winners of the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege ESL event, The ANZ Cup, will qualify to compete in The Six Invitational. This prestigious tournament will take place in Montreal, Canada on February 3-5, 2017, where there will be a prize of $100,000 for the winners.
The ANZ Cup final takes place on December 8 with the winning team picking up a $5000 cash prize, Audio Technica Headsets, and entry into the Six Invitational, which includes travel for the entire team to Montreal.
The Six Invitational will see the world’s best teams from North America, Europe, LATAM and Australia & New Zealand playing against each other to be crowned champions and walk away with the $100,000 prize.
ANZ players can still enter the ANZ Cup with Open Cups taking place every Wednesday, Major Cups every Thursday and then the Major Final on December 8.
For more information on Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, please visit rainbow6.com.
For the latest on all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit ubiblog.com.
About ESL
ESL Australia, the local division of global electronic sports league tournament organiser ESL, is Australia and New Zealand’s leading esports tournament organiser. ESL Australia features a studio home base in Sydney, Australia, the first ever multi-purpose built esports studio capable of hosting Local Area Network games and a live audience. For more information on ESL Australia, current tournaments and more, visit: http://play.eslgaming.com/australia
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2015-16 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,394 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
UNIVERSAL PARKS & RESORTS AND NINTENDO WILL BRING THE FUN OF NINTENDO TO LIFE WITH EXPANSIVE, HIGHLY THEMED ENVIRONMENTS AT OSAKA, ORLANDO AND HOLLYWOOD
Imagine the fun of stepping into a larger-than-life Nintendo adventure
30th November, 2016 – Imagine the fun of stepping into a larger-than-life Nintendo adventure. Gigantic Piranha Plants spring to life. ? Blocks, power-ups and more surround you. And Mario and all his friends are there to pull you into a brand-new world.
You will enter an entire realm filled with iconic Nintendo excitement, gameplay, heroes and villains. And it is coming to three Universal theme parks around the globe. See more in the official announcement video on YouTube.
The creative visionaries behind Nintendo’s legendary worlds and characters are working together with the creative teams behind Universal’s blockbuster theme park attractions. Their goal: to bring the characters, action and adventure of Nintendo video games to life within Universal theme parks. And to do so in new and innovative ways that capture what makes them so special. All of the adventure, fun and whimsy you experience through a screen will now be all around you – in breathtakingly authentic ways.
Nintendo-themed areas are coming to Universal Studios Japan, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.
These will be expansive, immersive and interactive. They will be highly themed and authentic environments filled with multiple attractions, shops and restaurants.
Guests will feel as if they are playing inside their favourite games – this time in real life.
There will be something for everyone – regardless of their age or gaming experience level.
Planning and creative work on these areas is well underway; they will open separately over the next several years.
The new themed areas come as the result of a global partnership between Universal Parks & Resorts and Nintendo – two icons of the entertainment world. Universal theme parks create incredibly popular family entertainment experiences for millions of people based on compelling characters, stories and innovative technology. Nintendo creates remarkable and imaginative games filled with captivating stories and beloved characters.
Each Universal theme park will announce details of its specific Nintendo areas. The first such announcement will come soon.
About Universal Parks & Resorts:
Universal Parks & Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe today’s most relevant and popular entertainment experiences. With three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg as creative consultant, its theme parks are known for immersive experiences that feature some of the world’s most thrilling and technologically advanced film- and television-based attractions.
Comcast NBCUniversal wholly owns Universal Studios Hollywood, which includes Universal CityWalk Hollywood. It also owns Universal Orlando Resort, a destination resort with two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure), five resort hotels, and Universal CityWalk Orlando. In addition, Comcast NBCUniversal owns a 51 percent majority interest in Universal Studios Japan, in Osaka and has a license agreement with Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. The company has also announced plans for a theme park in Beijing.
Prove Your Racing Skills in this Intense Face-Off Between Street Racers and Police
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 30, 2016 – Ubisoft® has announced The Crew Calling All Units, the second major expansion for The Crew® action-driving MMO, is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.
Players will take to the roads in an all new storyline as elite cop Clara Washington to take down illegal street racers nationwide. Gamers looking to drive on the other side of the law can also play as a street racer to show off their driving skills and team up with their crew to take over the U.S. This police-chase fantasy will come to life in an action-packed open world, through 12 new missions that will let players create their own cop tactics, ride in fully-equipped police vehicles and collect new parts, vehicles and XP. Players can pick a side, or swap at will, perfecting their strategies to track down street racers or how to evade the police.
In this always-on, all-terrain confrontation, players will rely on a set of special abilities and some of the most iconic vehicles to speed across the U.S. As a member of the police force, players will have access to a wide range of cop vehicles, from exotic supercars to heavy off-roaders and monster trucks, helping them perform successful arrests. From busy streets to rocky mountain paths, players will be able to use their badge and the terrain to their advantage to take down street racers. Players who prefer to ride as a racer will take off with cargo for thrilling races and big rewards. Chases can be triggered anytime, anyplace on the map, making each chase unique and unpredictable for players in this open-world face-off.
Additionally, all The Crew players will have complete access to the street racer gameplay, including special abilities such as unlimited nitro and blinding flashbangs, as well as the new level 60 cap and the matching performance boost.
For the fullest driving experience, The Crew® Ultimate Edition is also available. It includes the main game, The Crew® Wild Run expansion and the brand new The Crew Calling All Units expansion, as well as the Season Pass vehicles with their customization options.
For more information about The Crew Calling All Units and the Ultimate Edition, please visit thecrewgame.com.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2015–16 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,394 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
Windows, the Windows Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and “Games for Windows” and the Windows Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft.
The “PS” Family logo is a registered trademark and “PS4” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
The game offers a multitude of specific features and full 4K support on PC
Sydney, Australia – November 30, 2016 – Today, Ubisoft® announced that WATCH_DOGS® 2 is now available on Windows PC.
WATCH_DOGS 2 features a wide array of PC-specific improvements in order to provide players with the best and most immersive experience possible, whatever the hardware is, including full 4K support with Ultra Textures and Extra Details options. The game also features uncapped FPS, along with a host of other features and options such as multi-monitor support with advanced setting, multiple save files support and a fully mouse-centric UI. For further information about the full PC specific features and improvements, please visit: http://blog.ubi.com/watch-dogs-2-pc-specs-system-requirements-revealed/
The PC system requirements for WATCH_DOGS 2 are:
Supported OS – (64-bit versions only): Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10
Hard Disk Space: 50 GB
Peripherals: Windows-compatible keyboard and mouse, Microsoft Xbox One Controller, DualShock 4 Controller
Multiplayer: 256 Kbps or faster broadband connection
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (3GB) | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB) | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB) or better | AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB) or better
In WATCH_DOGS 2, players explore the San Francisco Bay Area as Marcus Holloway, a brilliant young hacker from Oakland wrongly framed for a crime he did not commit by the predictive algorithms of ctOS 2.0. This upgraded version of the city infrastructure operating system, which was introduced in the first WATCH_DOGS video game, is being used to track, control and manipulate citizens on a massive scale. As Marcus joins the hacktivist group DedSec, they decide take down ctOS and BLUME, the multinational company behind this oppressive system.
WATCH_DOGS 2 features a vast and dynamic open world offering a variety of environments and gameplay possibilities with extended hacking options and a greater variety of gadgets and weapons. Players can not only hack into the city’s infrastructure but also every person and any connected device to trigger unpredictable chains of events. This unique level of freedom unlocks many opportunities in terms of playstyles and players can choose to use stealth hacking to complete missions without killing a single enemy or go guns blazing for a more ferocious approach.
WATCH_DOGS 2 is developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the studio behind the first WATCH_DOGS as well as numerous successful franchises such as Assassin’s Creed®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, Prince of Persia®, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® and many more, with the collaboration of several Ubisoft studios around the world.
WATCH_DOGS 2 is available for purchase on Uplay and other digital distribution services. For more information on WATCH_DOGS 2, please visit watchdogs.com.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2015-16 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,394 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
Twitter Announces Live Streaming Event with Disney and People for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Exclusive live broadcast to feature never-before-seen Rogue One content
November 30, 2016 — Twitter today announced it is collaborating with Disney and People to live stream exclusively a special Rogue One: A Star Wars Story event. The live stream, hosted by People, will feature the debut of never-before-seen content from Rogue One followed by a Q&A with the director and cast members from the film.
Live coverage will start on Friday, December 2nd at 10am PT, streaming from a surprise location. The live stream will be available worldwide to Twitter’s logged-in and logged-out audience on Twitter and connected devices and can be found at RogueOne.twitter.com, Twitter Moments and through @StarWars and @people.
The experience will give Star Wars fans a sneak peek of the highly anticipated film ahead of its December 16 release date, and will include behind-the-scenes commentary during a live discussion with Director Gareth Edwards, Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, and cast members including Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk and Riz Ahmed. The Q&A will be hosted by People’s Deputy Entertainment Editor, JD Heyman. Fans can submit questions on Twitter for the cast to answer during the event by Tweeting with #AskRogueOne.
“People come to Twitter to see what’s happening in the entertainment world, and the conversation about movies, especially Star Wars, is constant on Twitter,” said Anthony Noto, COO at Twitter. “Our collaboration with Disney and People will give fans fresh and exciting live Star Wars content that they can view and Tweet about all on the same platform.”
“Disney and Lucasfilm are always seeking out innovative ways to tell great stories and engage with fans around the world,” said Ricky Strauss, President, Marketing, The Walt Disney Studios. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Twitter and People to create this can’t-miss Rogue One event that gives Star Wars fans a behind-the-scenes peek at one of the most talked-about movies of the year.”
“People is thrilled to participate in the celebration of the latest release in the iconic Star Wars franchise,” says Jess Cagle, Editor in Chief, People. “We have been covering Star Wars since the very first film hit theaters in 1977; our audience can’t get enough of it.”
People is also releasing a special newsstand edition on Nov. 30 called Stars Wars: The Secrets of Rogue One, featuring a VR bonus including goggles, in addition to the original People Special — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is premiering Nov. 30 on the People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN).
About Twitter
Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) is what’s happening in the world right now. From breaking news and entertainment to sports and politics, from big events to everyday interests. If it’s happening anywhere, it’s happening first on Twitter. Twitter is where the full story unfolds with all the live commentary and where live events come to life unlike anywhere else. Twitter is available in more than 40 languages around the world. The service can be accessed at Twitter.com, on a variety of mobile devices and via SMS. For more information, visit about.twitter.com or follow @twitter.
About Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, with Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel are producing, with John Knoll and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The story is by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, and the screenplay is by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” opens in U.S. theaters on December 16, 2016
About People
Time Inc.’s People revolutionized personality journalism when it launched as a weekly in 1974 to celebrate extraordinary people doing ordinary things and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Ubiquitous and still at the center of pop culture more than 40 years later, the People brand is accessible across all media and platforms (print, digital, video, mobile, social) bringing more than 80 million consumers a unique mix of breaking news, exclusive photos, video, and in-depth reporting on the most compelling newsmakers of our time. In addition, comScore ranks the People and Entertainment Weekly Digital Network No. 1 in the entertainment news category. Each year major media across the globe anticipate the cover reveal of People’s most famous franchise, the Sexiest Man Alive (which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2015) sparking a lively debate on social media. With a trusted reputation and unparalleled access to the red carpet, celebrities, and entertainment, an essential component of People’s editorial vision remains human interest stories, which touch and often mirror the lives of our passionate audience. And now, the People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN) app offers a free, advertiser-supported OTT streaming video service. People is an award-winning 24/7 news organization headquartered in NYC with reporters worldwide. For more information visit People.com and Timeinc.com, and follow @people on Twitter and Instagram, @peoplemag on Facebook, and the People channel on YouTube and on Snapchat’s Discover.
HELP IS COMING IN EARLY 2017 WITH BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT’S FROZEN EXPERIENCE IMPACT WINTER™
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment signs worldwide publishing agreement with Mojo Bones for post-apocalyptic survival adventure
“My name is Jacob Solomon. I’m a survivor on this white wasteland I name the Void. I hope this diary will help anyone if I fail to survive it”. This is a message from Jacob’s diary posted on twitter.com/ishelpcoming
Surviving in an unfriendly world is not an easy task. The good news is rescue will arrive in 30 days. If you’re still alive… BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe and Mojo Bones today confirm that players will be able to test their survival instincts with IMPACT WINTER in early 2017 on PC for digital distribution. Developed by Mojo Bones, the game will allow players to help Jacob Solomon and his team of 4 survivors to survive the next 30 days in a harsh and winter environment.
In IMPACT WINTER, the push for survival makes each play through unique. Helped by Ako-Light, a robotic companion, players will be able to explore the hostile world and find solutions while struggling to stay alive in the freezing atmosphere.
“When Mojo Bones introduced IMPACT WINTER to us, we understood early on that this alternative survival experience, with its distinctive artistic direction will be a unique adventure for players. We’re really pleased to closely work with Mojo Bones on this project as we continue to expand our range of games” said Hervé Hoerdt, VP Mktg & Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe.
“The team here at Mojo Bones are both extremely proud and excited to partner with BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment for the release of IMPACT WINTER” said Stuart Ryall Co-Founder and Designer at Mojo Bones Ltd. “As gamers, we formed Mojo Bones in 2011 with the intention of using our newfound creative freedom to explore and design unique ideas and concepts. IMPACT WINTER represents the most ambitious step along our journey so far; taking inspiration from our favourite games, movies, music and literature in an attempt to build on those influences and create a one-of-a-kind survival adventure.”
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe S.A.S. part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive content for platforms including all major video game consoles, PC and mobile. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises, including PAC-MAN™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, DARK SOULS™, NARUTO™, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, Dragon Ball, GALAGA™, RIDGE RACER™ and ACE COMBAT™. For more information please visit www.bandainamcoent.eu
About Mojo Bones:
Mojo Bones is an independent studio founded in September 2011 by a team of experienced game developers. The company prides itself on creating visceral concepts across PC, console and handheld, with a main focus on delivering high-quality and innovation. For more information please visit www.mojobones.co.uk or contact [email protected]
WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT, TT GAMES AND THE LEGO GROUP ANNOUNCE LEGO® WORLDS
For PlayStation®4, Xbox One and STEAM™
Players Can Create Anything Imaginable and Define Their Own Adventures In the Ultimate Digital LEGO® Bricks Building Experience
Sydney, AUS – Nov. 30, 2016 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO® Group today announced that LEGO® Worlds, a galaxy of imaginative worlds made entirely of digital LEGO® bricks where players can explore, discover and create together, will commercially launch on February 22, 2017 for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and STEAM™. Developed by TT Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, LEGO® Worlds has been in STEAM™ Early Access since last year allowing players to provide feedback for continual improvements leading up to its official launch.
“LEGO® Worlds expands our LEGO® videogame franchise with a new experience that embodies all the fun of physical LEGO® brick building,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “TT Games has created an expansive, digital universe that combines unlimited creativity with the LEGO® humor that fans love.”
“LEGO® Worlds brings the very essence of LEGO® play – building – to the digital world, more than ever before,” said Niels Jørgensen, Vice President, Digital Games for The LEGO® Group. “We are excited to bring our physical and digital play models closer together and know it will resonate with our core audience – and engage new ones. We believe LEGO® Worlds has the potential to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through its experience of open-ended creative play.”
In LEGO®Worlds, players uncover hidden treasures in environments that range from fun to the fantastical, where worlds come to life with a dizzying variety of vehicles and creatures – from cowboys riding giraffes to vampires scaring Yetis, to steamrollers, racing cars and colossal digging machines. Gamers can embark on a quest to become a Master Builder by helping other LEGO® characters along the way – find a sword for a king, protect a farmer from a zombie invasion, or build a home for a caveman. Environments and creations are brought to life in any way fans can imagine, either by building brick by brick, placing down enormous prebuilt LEGO® structures, or by using wondrous tools that let you paint and shape the landscape. LEGO®Worlds’ online multiplayer functionality allows players to explore each other’s worlds together, create together, and engage in cooperative and competitive play experiences that players can build themselves.
A separate LEGO® Agents DLC pack, featuring new characters, vehicles, weapons and more from the Agents range of play materials, will be available first on PlayStation® 4 and exclusive for 90 days.
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About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc., is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all platforms, including console, handheld, mobile and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
About TT Games
TT Games (www.ttgames.com) is the combined publishing and development group behind the hit games LEGO® Star Wars™, LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame, LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes and The LEGO® Movie Videogame. Incorporating renowned UK developer Traveller’s Tales, TT Games has a distinctive focus on console, handheld, mobile and PC games of the highest quality, aimed at young gamers and their families.
About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark, and main offices in Enfield, USA, London, UK., Shanghai, China, and Singapore. Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and based on the iconic LEGO® brick, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials. Guided by the company spirit: “Only the best is good enough”, the company is committed to the development of children and aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play and learning. LEGO products are sold worldwide and can be virtually explored at www.LEGO.com.
For more news from the LEGO Group, information about our financial performance and responsibility engagement, please visit http://www.LEGO.com/aboutus.
Darksiders Warmastered Editionlaunched on PC today. Players will be able to revisit War’s adventure through a post-apocalyptic Earth after is is accused of triggering a war between heaven and hell, allowing the demons to take control of Earth. The game has been remastered from the ground up for 4k resolution. All the texture resolutions have been doubled from the original game, modern post-processing effects added, and the cut scenes have been re-rendered.
Anyone who owns a Steam copy of Darksiders will automatically receive Darksiders Warmastered Edition for free. As thanks to people who own the game on other platforms already, THQ Nordic has slashed the price by 80% on Steam and GOG until December 2nd.
Mad Fellows and Reverb Triple XP (Shadowgate) announced their new music shooter Aaero today. The game fuses high speed aerial combat fused with music-oriented gameplay. The graphics are reminiscent of old school arcade shooters with a delicious, modern twist. The electronica soundtrack features licensed musics from the likes of Noisia, Flux Pavilion, Katy B, The Prototypes, Neosignal, and more.
“We have been buzzing with excitement since we created the very first prototype of Aaero. Combining our favourite elements of rail-shooters and music gameplay has created something truly unique that we’re very proud of,” states Paul Norris, founder and Creative Director at Mad Fellows. “Aaero is based on a deep, fundamental synergy between music, gameplay and visuals. We’ve strived to create a unique and intuitive experience that exhilarates with bold visuals and an incredible soundtrack.”
Reverb Triple XP will be bringing a demo of Aaero to PlayStation Experience 2016 in Anaheim, California. The event runs on December 3rd and 4th at the Anaheim Convention Center. Aaero launches for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in February 2017.
Pokemon Sun & Moon mark the beginning of the 7th generation of core Pokemon titles, bringing the total number of Pokemon species past the 800 mark. This time we travel to the Hawaiian inspired Alola region with an all new adventure that promises to shake up the Pokemon formula in a number of different ways while staying true to everything that made this franchise popular in the first place. Does Pokemon Sun & Moon honour the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise while bringing us a new classic adventure or should Game Freak go back to developing one Pokemon generation per Nintendo handheld?
Story
Right away it’s clear that Sun & Moon are going to be presented in a more cinematic fashion. You don’t even get to a title screen before you’re asked for your name and gender. Thanks to the new style this is a more cinematic experience than we have seen in the past, with more cutscenes and shots framed in interesting ways as opposed to the standard top down view we normally have. Unfortunately outside the initial excitement of these changes the next 4 hours or so is a pretty painful tutorial-driven slog. While meeting the new characters and learning about the Alolan traditions is exciting the first time, it’s not long until you get annoyed with the constant interruptions to your adventure and some of the characters begin to become frustratingly one dimensional (I get it Lillie you don’t like Pokemon battles… and keep that damn Pokemon in it’s bag!).
Thankfully, once you get off the first island the greater story arc starts to come together, characters begin to develop into likable people and your adventure opens up immensely, giving the player a surprising amount of choice in how thoroughly they explore each route and town. Your main goal is to complete the Island Challenge and all the Trials, Totem Pokemon battles and mini games that go with that. The Island Challenge serves as a great replacement for gyms (yes, they are completely gone) even if they function similarly in most regards, but at least Game Freak is mixing it up.
What’s not different is the return of an ‘evil team’ known here as Team Skull, although, for better or worse, they are easily the most over the top evil organisation yet. These guys are pretty basic thugs but their story does get more complicated as you proceed and they become more than just comic relief (if you’re into that type of comedy). If you’ve ever seen the movie Chappie think of that group of thugs that start to care for him and imagine those guys in a PG rated Pokemon game. Team Skull are another example of a familiar Pokemon concept done differently and like the Island Challenge this works to a similarly successful degree.
Each main character seems to grow alongside you and they all bring their own unique angle to a greater story that revolves around some deeper themes. Pokemon Sun & Moon’s plot doesn’t really push the boundaries of what a ‘Pokemon story’ can be outside of it’s presentation, however it’s still a decent tale that gives enough motivation to continue pursuing the next story beat and is probably one of the best stories we have had in the franchise. You don’t need any knowledge of past Pokemon games to enjoy this self-contained story, although those that have will be happy to hear there are lots of references and nods to appeal to your nostalgia.
Gameplay
Classic Pokemon gameplay refined over seven iterations gives us the strongest games in the series gameplay wise. The core mechanics of this game are really no different to the original Red & Blue that released 20 years ago. You make your way around a large region from a small town all the way to the end game, catching Pokemon and battling trainers all while leveling up your team of 6 Pokemon to keep up with the games well paced difficulty spikes. It’s a simple concept, but the sense of adventure in exploring new areas and finding new Pokemon tied in with the story and fun battle system make this such a fun and rewarding RPG to play.
What Sun & Moon does best is improving and changing on a lot of small things to make the game better. While to me, the changes implemented in Sun & Moon do little to change what it means to be a ‘Pokemon game’, all the improvements make this the best Pokemon game to date. A map and current objective is always displayed on the bottom screen thanks to the new Rotom Pokedex, breeding competitive Pokemon is faster and easier than ever, HM’s are gone and replaced by Poke Ride that allows you to fly, move faster, smash boulders, find items, surf on water and more without the need to take up move slots on your team, the list goes on. These are small changes that go a huge way in making Pokemon more fun and less tedious.
There seems to be much more focus on catching every Pokemon you can in Sun & Moon and luckily the catching Pokemon system is still as fun as ever. Finding new and rare Pokemon is always a thrill especially as there are around 80 brand new Pokemon to discover, most with new evolutions, abilities and moves. The way you catch Pokemon hasn’t changed and I don’t know why but it’s still incredibly appealing. Weakening a Pokemon carefully into the red zone of health before throwing whichever Poke Ball you think looks the best and hoping it stays in there is so simple but it just works.
The new ‘call for help’ mechanic that wild Pokemon can utilise is a bit hit and miss. While early game it becomes annoying as you kind of just want to catch the Pokemon straight away, post-game it is an essential part in finding stronger Pokemon with their hidden abilities and also gives you a greater chance at finding a shiny Pokemon. If they just allowed you to throw a Poke Ball with two Pokemon out on the field I think this feature would work much better but it’s not a huge issue unless you really want a certain Pokemon and it just endlessly calls for help.
Then there are Pokemon battles, which has truly evolved into one of the most in depth turn based RPG systems ever seen. Now with over 800 Pokemon all with different attributes and over 600 unique attacks, the strategy that comes into just building a team without even factoring in battle strategy is staggering. Players have to manage stats, health, attack damage, type advantages, abilities, status effects, when to trigger the new Z-move mechanic and more, all in the heat of battle. While that may seem like a lot to remember, actually performing well in battles is rather simple and everyone from a primary school child to a 26 year old competing at the World Championships can find great enjoyment from it. Rookie players will have no trouble getting through the game simply on knowledge of type advantages, but completing some of the post-game content and battling other trainers online demands more knowledge from the player. Lastly, everyone will be able to appreciate the new UI features which keep track of stat effects and type advantages on the bottom screen.
The battle system doesn’t just contain additions, with lot’s of small balancing changes being made to Pokemon stats, attacks, abilities and more to ensure a fairer playing ground. While I don’t doubt common strategies will still emerge after experienced players spend more time with the game, these changes should go a fair way to providing a battle system where no clear strategy or Pokemon dominates any other. While unfortunately Triple and Rotation Battles have been completely removed from the mix, a four way battle mode called Battle Royal mode has been introduced that for the first time allows four players to battle for themselves all at the same time. Battle Royal brings it’s own brand of strategic thinking and while more gimmicky than standard battles is a worthy new battle type. Like most of Sun & Moon you can choose to ignore the feature if it doesn’t appeal to you, a freedom that is appreciated many times throughout the game.
Among other additions I’ve already mentioned, Pokemon Sun & Moon adds two big new features and one improved one. Pokemon Festival is the new online mode that allows you to trade (Wonder Trade and the GTS are thankfully back) and battle (both with friends and randoms with different rule sets) easily through menus while also containing shops that offer various functionality like getting rare items, training your Pokemon in specific stats and more. There are some mini games but from what I’ve seen nearly all of them just involve you running around the festival circle talking to people and answering a question correctly for 3 minutes. I’ve done these missions a few times as they are an easy way to earn the Festival Coins currency and unfortunately they are as boring as they sound.
More interesting are Global Missions that task the community with completing a certain goal in a real time period and offer great in game rewards, such as catching 100,000,000 Pokemon in two weeks. While this first mission might have a ridiculous number attached to it, I’m sure the numbers for these missions will get more realistic as time goes on. The Pokemon Festival is accessible at any time right from the main menu and will definitely be of use to you on your adventure outside the necessary communication features.
The second big new mode is Poke Pelago. This mode makes use of all the Pokemon that are stored away in your PC and is fantastic, offering many utility like services that help the player in various ways. These services level up with use increasing their effectiveness just like the Pokemon Festival mode and can be accessed at any time through the menu once you unlock the feature. Gathering Poke Beans (which are kind of used as a currency here and to feed to your Pokemon in Pokemon Refresh), leveling up automatically, attracting wild Pokemon without having to catch them, growing berries and even hatching eggs without needing them in your party are just some of the beneficial features offered by the new mode. This was a great way to get your PC Pokemon involved in the game.
Lastly Pokemon Amie returns as Pokemon Refresh. Gone are all the weird presents and mini games and now you simply just pat your Pokemon or treat it after battle. This might include using a towel to wipe mud off it if it was hit by a messy move like Mud Slap or drying it off with a hairdryer if it got hit by a water move. The best part of this is the medicine item which will heal any status condition after battle without the need to use any item. Feeding your Pokemon beans, showing it love with pats and caring for it in the ways mentioned above increase it’s affection towards you which can have substantial effects in offline battles, including greater ability to dodge attacks and even survive them. If you’re not into caring for virtual pets then the good news is you can probably never touch Pokemon Refresh and not really be worse off for doing so, but if you ever loved Tamagotchis or the old Digimon devices you will love this feature.
There’s also a decent amount of post-game content, most of which is accompanied by its own mini-plot of some kind. I won’t go into details for spoiler reasons, but old characters from past games return, there are a variety of side quests to complete and the world is fully open to you to backtrack and find all the items you may have missed along the way, some of which will be very important to completing the Pokedex or in battle. Pokemon Sun & Moon represent a great valued product with lots of replay value.
Visuals
The 3DS is really starting to show it’s age at this point but Pokemon Sun & Moon do the best they can here on the aging hardware. The Pokemon themselves are by far the best looking aspect of the game, with really detailed models and an impressive amount of animation for each one from their battle animations to how they react in Pokemon Refresh. Game Freak took their strongest asset and focused on making them as unique and lovable as possible with a level of effort and care that really shows in every single Pokemon. It’s even more impressive when you consider there are over 800 Pokemon now, many of which have alternate forms that require completely new models. Each Pokemon even has certain areas of their body they hate being touched and certain areas they love, and they will let you know about it with either a cute or spiteful animation.
Most of the new Pokemon designs are very original and look great in my opinion but there is always much debate about this topic so it’s probably best you judge that for yourself. Vanilluxe from the 5th generation still holds the record for worst designed Pokemon to me if anyone wanted my opinion there. Most of the attack animations are standard fair but there are a few standouts for the big and powerful attacks. Likewise, Z-moves look truly devastating on a large scale, however they do begin to get repetitive after multiple viewings. Luckily they can only be used once per battle.
Outside of the Pokemon themselves the graphics range from excellent to good, with bright and well designed environments to decent models with blurry textures, especially on trainers faces. I am very happy to see that the ‘chibi’ style from past games has been done away with and we now have a proper ‘to scale’ world, trainers and Pokemon. To compliment that change, we now have full control pad movement as opposed to the 8-way movement grid system most past games used. This makes the world feel much more natural as not everywhere is cornered off by right angles and straight edges however you can tell Game Freak is still new to this as the way the game doesn’t let you into areas you can clearly fit through and artificially blocks you off from routes at times for some of the dumbest reasons is groan inducing. You’re telling me no one can cross this bridge just so this kid trainer can find items with his Stoutland… come on guys, this is basically invisible walls except they talk back to you with a lame excuse.
What really deserves praise is the visual flair added to the game, most importantly in battles. No longer are Pokemon battling on circles in generic environments. A Pokemon’s trainer now stands behind it, giving orders and reacting to the battle in an area that looks a lot like the one you were in prior to battle. Speaking of the trainers, customisation is back allowing you to dress and style your character to your liking. Sure the options are fairly limited but there are enough features to make you feel like your character is unique and is wearing the look you want.
Performance is perhaps the biggest issue with the game presentation wise. During battles with 3 or more trainers it is clear the 3DS is struggling to keep up, often lowering the frame rate immensely and causing the game to lag after the attack selection screen. This doesn’t have any large ongoing detrimental effect on the game but the issue but does occur frequently enough to warrant mentioning. In a similar vain, considering how much time you spend in battles it would have been nice if the whole process received a small speed up, particularly entering battles and HP bars draining more efficiently. Again though this is only a minor gripe.
Audio
The music ranges from fantastic to forgettable which is fair enough given the amount of tracks in the game. Most of the tracks associated with the major battles are among my favorites as are the remixes and tracks from past games. I don’t mind the new wild Pokemon and trainer theme but they just aren’t as catchy as in past generations.
As for sound effects all your classic menu sounds, Poke Ball sounds and even the thud noise when you run into a wall is back alongside both the old and new Pokemon cries. As with most Nintendo series there is no voice overs to speak of here but whether the series really needs voice acting is a debate for another time. The quality and volume mixing of the audio is perfect without any notable problems.
Overall
Pokemon Sun & Moon is arguably the greatest core Pokemon game we have received, but that is based largely on the merit of each title that has come before it. Pokemon has had 20 years to refine itself and that all manifests in Sun & Moon, with evolutions in presentation, the streamlining and refining of many core features and all the small changes that make this game unique (but not too unique) from what has come before it. While the performance issues are disappointing and the story, graphics and music are at times only acceptable, as a whole the game never falls below that benchmark and most of the game is terrific in all aspects, particularly gameplay wise. This is a fantastic game that does due justice to the Pokemon franchises legacy.
