Two new Pokémon games, "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y," have taken the
gaming world by storm, selling more than 4 million units globally in
their first two days of availability, and tracking to become the
fastest-selling games of all time for the handheld Nintendo 3DS.
Not bad for a franchise
that got its start in 1996 on the Nintendo Game Boy handheld console.
But the president of the Pokémon Company said the new games stay true to
their roots of bringing people together to play while offering a new
blueprint for the universe of pocket monsters.
"From the beginning,
communication between players has been the primary goal for the Pokémon
brand," Tsunekazu Ishihara told CNN. "Today, the ability to connect
millions of people around the world via Wi-Fi is why launching 'Pokémon
X' and 'Pokémon Y' simultaneously worldwide was an ambitious yet
important goal."
Since debuting in video
and card games, Pokemon has become a cultural phenomenon across the
globe. There have been cartoons, cereals and a feature-length film, not
to mention the national and global tournaments that draw thousands of
players.
"Gotta catch 'em all" is
the franchise's catch phrase, referring to the player's goal of catching
and training the tiny monsters to compete against other players. That's
gotten significantly harder, though, with the expansion to more than
700 different known creatures in the universe.
Unlike previous titles
that were named after colors, "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y" represent a
more analytical way of developing the games for The Pokémon Company and
Nintendo. Ishihara said it required designers to understand that not all
Pokémon gamers play for the same reasons.
"X and Y represent the
X-axis and the Y-axis, but not in a scientific sense," he said. "Each
person's thought process, though different, tends to intersect
somewhere. I'd like to think this commonality or intersection occurs
when people of diverse backgrounds play 'Pokémon X' and 'Pokémon Y'
together."
Developers also included a
new transformation ability called Mega Evolution. As Pokémon battle and
gain experience, they evolve into stronger forms of themselves with
improved skills and stats. Mega Evolution allows the creature to
temporarily become stronger in battle.
Here's the catch: not all Pokémon can Mega Evolve.
"(This) requires players
to use new strategies while they play, taking the brand to a new
dimension," Ishihara said. "This is yet another reason we chose titles
that were theoretical instead of names based on colors or precious
stones."
Keeping the franchise
fresh for fans while making it accessible to a new audience is important
to Ishihara. Pokémon is the second-best-selling gaming franchise in the
world, trailing only the "Mario" series.
Recognizing that its
place in video game history is assured, Ishihara said new technology
allows designers to do things with Pokemon they couldn't do in previous
titles.
"Maintaining a balance
of familiarity and innovation is important," he said. "Ever-evolving
technology helps maintain that balance, because we can progress aspects
of the game that people enjoy already and add things like new
communication features that could only be imagined five, ten years ago."
"We feel this balance is
key to the franchise's success and longevity. In 'Pokémon X' and
'Pokémon Y,' I think we do an excellent job of introducing the basics of
the game to the player in a natural way, building their understanding
step after step, all while ensuring the pacing allows the longtime fan
to jump in and progress quickly to the more challenging portions of the
gameplay."
The two new titles
represent the franchise's first foray onto the Nintendo 3DS handheld
console. The visual enhancements give players the opportunity to see
their favorites move and interact in ways they never could before.
The technical abilities
of the 3DS let players see their favorite moves and interactions in new
ways, as well as play with other gamers around the world.
Ishihara said in late
December that a new cloud service called Pokémon Bank would let players
move their creatures back and forth between games -- a service fans have
been asking for for many years.
"We have to stick to the
core of the franchise -- the collecting, battling and trading -- while
at the same time we have to take advantage of the new technology and the
evolution of the hardware to expand on the aspect of communication," he
said. "We also need to make sure that it's fun and rewarding to do each
of these things. It's not an easy task."
Despite the advancements
in technology, improvements to the look and intense level of fan
interest, Ishihara believes that the franchise's simple, original goal
-- to bring people together -- works as well today as it did 17 years
ago.
"The Pokémon universe is
incredibly fun and diverse, and like the world we all live in,
continues to surprise and excite us," he said. "I'm really excited to
continue working to connect people in ways we only dreamed about when we
first started. There is still so much to discover, so many Pokémon to
find."
Gotta catch 'em all indeed.
Artikel Lainnya :
