#PokémonSwordShieldEX #TheCrownTundra Coming October 22!

Hey fellas: this is just one of many reveals from what just streamed; so for now, I’ll focus on this one since it’s the biggest piece of information I was waiting for.

On October 22 of this year, just over four months since the launch of the Isle of Armor and just under a year since the release of “Pokémon Sword and Shield,” the second chapter of the “Expansion Pass” will launch: “The Crown Tundra.” The titular area of the Galar region is heavily based on Scotland; and sees you exploring the land under the guidance of a man known as “Peony.” On top of many monsters from the previous titles returning with new special forms (such as the Kanto Legendary birds), the quest will focus on a new monster known as Calryex. 

As someone who has enjoyed the base game and the Isle of Armor chapter so far (I am nearing the combined 350-hour mark of gameplay logged), I look forward to not only telling you more ahead of launch; but exploring the new section once it goes live this October. That will be all for now, take care.

Digimon Adventure: Last Kizuna is a Disappointing Finale (First Viewing Thoughts)

Hey fellas: I just saw Digimon Adventure- Last Kizuna, and… it’s not exactly what I was expecting. I mean, as a Digimon movie, it’s at least better than the 2000 one. As a movie on its on merit, it’s all right; but as a finale to the series? Personally, it’s a bit of a disappointment. They tried to sell this as the “Logan” or “Endgame” of the original storyline, but it instead comes off more like “Dark Phoenix.” There will be some spoilers for the film if you care, but nothing you probably don’t already know; so let’s get started.

The basic plot is as follows: five years have passed since the events of the Tri movies; and 20 years since the events of the original TV series. As the Chosen Children/Digidestined are on the verge of graduating college and going their separate ways, it’s discovered that so too are their Digimon as their bond wanes; right as a pair of enigmatic people from New York and a new Digimon threat known as Eosmon threatens both the digital world and real world alike.

Essentially, if you have any familiarity with the franchise; you have a solid idea of what to expect already. I appreciated the risks the Tri movies took even if not everyone did; but this movie surprisingly plays it safe. In fact, I was able to telegraph many of the plot points before they actually took place. For the record, I only skimmed summaries beyond the previews; but before I begin detailing the issues I have with this movie’s handling of the story; I will point out the good things in it.

First and foremost, the animation is quite impressive; really showing off how many advances there have been since the original, especially in the action sequences. The sound is also great, with the music being energetic and the voice acting being a big factor of praise in both dubbed and subbed versions. I am glad they got the original cast back for the former, and in the latter; they found another strong replacement for Tai’s original VA after her untimely passing. 

Now, comes my thoughts on the story; and it’s not the first time I’ve felt this way about anime that’s well-regarded either. Many fans felt this to be a worthy and emotional sendoff for the original anime: I didn’t. On the contrary, I felt this had to be one of the most uneven mixes of both past and present since the infamous finale of Enterprise, “These are the Voyages.” I didn’t hate that either; but given how that’s my least favorite Star Trek finale, it’s also not a comparison I make lightly.

This movie gets absurdly heavy-handed with its metaphors about age; and what’s meant to be the story’s emotional center instead ends up as its biggest detriment. In many ways, it’s almost like there were ideas for at least two different screenplays that were combined in this one. Part of me wonders if it might have been better to make this an OVA series instead of just one 94-minute film. It really doesn’t help that on top of not implementing the whole “growing up without growing apart” thread that well; the “adult” parts of the movie just feel really forced. Characters getting drunk at a soba parlor? Check. Agumon stumbling upon Tai’s stash of girlie movies? Yup. Characters trying to figure out a life path that’s somewhere in between a stereotypical “Generation Z” member and an extra from “Reality Bites?” If the US theatrical release hadn’t been cancelled by this pandemic, I’d be filling out requests for my refund already.

Yet, that’s the fatal irony with this movie: the whole idea that age would be the end of the adventure is utter nonsense. In fact, this movie essentially takes far longer to tell the same story that the final episode of the first season did; but with less emotional impact. I don’t currently have plans for a full review of this movie; so I will try to keep things brief for my wrap-up.

Even with what the movie tries to say about predestination over free will; or the relationship between age and maturity; the film somehow gets less emotional response from me than the infamous scene of Tommy Westfall playing with a snow globe. I’m not saying they had to end it all with everyone getting turned into orange juice; but the finale of the TV series didn’t leave me feeling as empty. (Side note: I did at least like how this movie further de-canonized the infamous distant finale of 02, but how did I not notice that Davis/Daisuke was such a fracking simp? I didn’t think much of that when watching the show in between Beast Machines and Power Rangers back in the day, but wow did his pursuit of Kari not age well.)

Despite the best efforts of the denouement itself, I felt nothing. When the audience has no emotional investment in the story, the departure just doesn’t work. At its core, the film doesn’t seem to understand that maturity and adventure are not mutually exclusive. That’s a major reason why Spirited Away isn’t just my favorite Miyazaki film; but one of my all-time favorite movies: Chihiro’s arc and her subsequent goodbye to Kohaku was much more effective and emotionally-resonant to me. 

Above all, while “Digimon Adventure: Last Kizuna” may not be the worst finale I’ve ever seen; but it’s also not the finale other people I know praised so much. It’s at least better than the 2000 Digimon movie, and an OK movie on its own; but it’s a bit of a disappointing finale to this story. If you want a good Digimon anime, just go rewatch Tamers on Hulu; as I plan to. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from a much better story about the line between maturity and wonder, the classic “The Little Prince:” “It’s all a great mystery, look up at the sky and you’ll see how everything changes.”  

That will be all for now, I will talk more about The Crown Tundra once it has a concrete release date. Later.

Level-5 Abby Closed Down.

This is a sort of follow-up post to one I made a while ago, and I think it's important based on what has happened since then.

As revealed by an anonymous former employee on Twitter (who shall remain undisclosed to protect their identity), Level-5 Abby has closed down as of July 2019. This information has also been verified via this release from Games Industry, with the remaining employees folded into the main branch of Level-5 International.

Since the date of this information coincides with the informal announcement of the international release of Yo-Kai Watch 4 last year at Anime Expo; this has raised even further concerns over not just that title, but the state of the company as a whole. 

As I suggested in the previous article, if you are a former employee of the company; feel free to come forward and let others know about it. You don’t have to tell me personally, but if you have any information or grievances, people need to know about them.

"Pokémon Sword and Shield" at 18M Sold, "Let's Go" at 12M Sold, Nintendo Switch at 61M Sold!

Hey fellas: I thought would address this as I continue work on my other posts, since another big sales milestone has been crossed.

As of their recent quarterly report, “Pokémon Sword and Shield” have sold over 18.22 million copies as of June 30, 2020. This is just under two weeks after the launch of “The Isle of Armor” chapter of the Expansion Pass; but even more significantly, this marks another record for the franchise. Though one of my associates, who shall remain undisclosed suggested things have finally given way for the series; the opposite has happened instead: not only have games outsold the games released on 3DS in a fraction of the time they had on the market, they’re now in the top 3 bestselling games in the entire franchise to date. Number one is still the original Red, Blue and Yellow at 31.4 million copies, closely followed by Gold, Silver and Crystal at 29.5 million copies. At this point, it’s less of “if” and more “when” the titles will move further up the list. “Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee” have also sold a respectable 12.2 million copies to date. The titles have managed to remain among the bestselling titles on the Switch, alongside other big names such as “Animal Crossing New Horizons” at 22.4 million copies, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” at 19.99 million copies (with Sakurai all but confirming the game just passed 20 million in a column for Famitsu), “Super Mario Odyssey” and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” at well over 18 million copies and “Splatoon 2” at 10.7 million copies. The top game on the system still remains “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” at 26.7 million copies.

On that note, the Nintendo Switch itself has further proven successful, with the console now having sold 61.44 million units to date across all its versions; less than 500,000 away from surpassing the 61.91 million the original Nintendo Entertainment System sold in its entire lifecycle. Talk persists of an upgraded model with new features in the near future; much as has been done with the company’s previous systems (part of the reason I let other people get a new console at launch first). If you were to ask me what I would want out of an upgraded Switch, my answer would be simple: longer battery life in portable mode and finding a solution to Joycon Drift. I love my Switch and the Pokémon games released for it so far, so those two features would make it even better as we head towards the 25th anniversary next year. That will be all for now, take care.

"Pokémon Coco" Coming to theaters in Japan this Christmas.

Hello everyone. First off, I once again apologize for how busy I’ve been since my last post; and you will see my next one when it’s done. Second, I have some good news for you all: after being delayed from its release on July 10 (due to the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic), “Pokémon Coco” is finally getting a theatrical release in its native Japan on Christmas Day later this year. The news was revealed alongside a new trailer and other details that I will share with you all.

Going off the new synopsis that came from this reveal as well; I can now confirm the details that began being shared earlier this year and give you a brief outline of the plot: the story does indeed focus on a young man known only as “Coco,” who was orphaned as an infant 10 years before the events of the story. He was then raised by Zarude, a guardian of the forest. In the present day, when the forest is in peril; Ash and Pikachu cross paths with Coco and Zarude, teaming up to save their home from disaster.

The theme song, “Those Mysterious Creatures,” is written by Okazaki Physical Education (great name, by the way); who will also be contributing more music to the movie, and the song will be performed by Tortoise Matsumoto. On top of Team Rocket having a supporting role in the movie, the film will also feature new characters including Dr. Zed (voice of Koichi Yamadera) and his assistant Karen (voice of Nakagawa Shoko), no relation to the member of the Johto Elite Four. The film’s promotion will also see Zarude join the roster of “Pokémon Sword and Shield” via a promotional event alongside a shiny Celebi.

Though details about international release have still yet to be revealed (the film’s JP dub has yet to be completed as of this writing), the fact that not everything has been presented just yet intrigues me. Again, as someone who liked the previous work director Tetsuo Yajima did on the “XY” series, the excellent “Origins” miniseries and “Pokémon: The Power of Us,” I am very eager to see the film when it does officially come out. My guess is the English dub will likely be streamed on Netflix ahead of other outlets; much like “Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution” and the newest season have.

As I continue work on larger projects I have planned, I will state that I intend to review the movie in full once it is officially released in English; and I will bring you any further information as it becomes available. That will be all for now.

Honest Thoughts: The Wayforward "Bakugan" Switch Backlash was Understandable, and Avoidable.

On July 10, 2020; as part of a Nintendo Treehouse Presentation, following more information on "Paper Mario: The Origami King," a new project was revealed for this November from WB Games and Wayforward: "Bakugan: Champions of New Vestroia" on Nintendo Switch. The expectation was that the new game would be a welcome addition to the exclusive titles on Nintendo Switch. If reactions online and the YouTube ratings are any indication; it was not. Though some fans of the series were pleased, overall; consensus among fans of Nintendo, Wayforward and the general public so far has been uniformly negative. Even if fans still feel this way after being told to temper their expectations; I personally do not bear any of the parties involved any ill will. Even so, to a degree; the backlash was understandable and avoidable. Here are my honest thoughts why.

Given how it's been some time since the last Nintendo Treehouse and almost a year since the last full Nintendo Direct (talk persists of one being held in the near future), expectations about what Wayforward would be working on next were high. Even with Nintendo clarifying on their Twitter page that Wayforward wasn't developing for a first-party Nintendo IP, but a third-party game; given the developer's reputation among many (myself included), expectations were already high no matter what. I deliberately kept my specific ones low in this case: aside from developing cult classics such as Shantae; the developer has proven themselves capable of making licensed games that are counterarguments to the idea they all are crap. Several titles in that area include games based on Adventure Time, the remaster of the classic "Duck Tales" game, and Contra 4.

Though the expanded details of "Paper Mario: The Origami King" were relatively well-received; the moment that the title Wayforward was involved with was a "Bakugan" game, response to the game immediately took a nosedive. I even stepped away from my computer to go take a shower instead.
When I came back, things went from bad to worse.

On top of downvotes on YouTube uploads of the game (including those on Nintendo's official channels) outnumbering likes; enthusiasm from fans of the series and its current incarnation was drowned out by backlash from people who wanted something else. Though I am largely indifferent to the game, I am not a Bakugan fan at all; as I have previously stated. Thankfully, I didn't put all my chips on this number; since I'm still looking forward to the new Paper Mario and I know Wayforward also has the original Shantae games finally coming to Switch later this year (so I can play them again without having to find a Game Boy Color copy on eBay for hundreds of dollars).

That said, to a degree; the backlash to this announcement was understandable, and avoidable. I agree that perhaps, instead of setting up this presentation and framing it like this; the game could have just as easily been announced in a press release or a stealth drop on social media platforms and it would have just been dismissed like nothing. It also doesn't help the current pandemic and other factors have upended the usual venues for this. By default, there was no way framing the announcement like this was going to go over well at all. Admittedly, it's not as disastrous as the Diablo Immortal reveal was; but it's still a far cry from the Breath of the Wild reveal.

Then there's the game itself: not only did it have the sheen of a licensed mobile game, it didn't help that it looked objectively worse than previous tie-ins released during the series' initial peak in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Here is a screenshot, courtesy of LevelUp.com on their Twitter page.

Top: Bakugan on Wii, 2009.
Bottom: Bakugan on Switch, 2020.

I mean, I don't expect much from a licensed game; but I do expect more from Wayforward as a developer. I've mentioned this before, and it bears repeating: your target audience doesn't give you carte blanche to not try. It's especially inexcusable from this developer, who has released content of much higher caliber over the past 30 years and has made licensed games people have enjoyed before.

Suffice to say, not only has this announcement dinged the presentation for many; even Bakugan fans are split on the reveal. Though some are interested, many more disliked the aforementioned downgrades from tie-ins released just over a decade ago; as well as the changes from the anime and tabletop games. When the people you're trying to target would rather have a more straightforward version of the tabletop games than an action-RPG with a quasi-open world; you've missed the mark. There's also the possibility that given the recent change in management at WB Games (with AT&T/Warner Media selling off their majority stake in the company as I type this) that doesn't understand the material or Wayforward as a developer; which might explain this perfect storm of bad decisions.

Make that a nearly perfect storm.

Part of me hopes that it won't be totally irredeemable, but it's not looking good at all right now. It also doesn't help that the game's November 3 release date will be in the same rough window as #TheCrownTundra chapter of #PokémonSwordShieldEX , as well as whole new consoles such as the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X that may very well offer more complex and engaging experiences than what this title is currently demonstrating.

As for me: I am way more interested in the new Paper Mario game next week, and I know that Wayforward will be releasing the original Shantae games on Switch; which interest me a lot more. I do not know how this will fare, since I only played the PS3 tie-in after a relative gave it to me as a gift (it's definitely the most embarrassing trophy on my PSN profile). I do know this as my honest thoughts: even if I agree it's not worth harassing the developers or people who actually do want to play the game, I also truly believe the backlash to "Bakugan" by Wayforward on Switch was understandable; and avoidable. That is all for now: Later.

Is The English Release of Yo-Kai Watch 4 Still Happening?

On July 5, 2019 at Anime Expo in Los Angeles; during the first appearance of Level-5 at the expo, Akihiro Hino informally announced plans to localize Yo-Kai Watch 4 in English alongside the fourth and fifth movies in the series. A year has passed since then; bringing many changes to the state of the video game and anime industries (and not just because of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic). Given how quiet it's been since then (apart from the game being submitted to the ESRB for rating), this bears the question: is the English release still happening? Much as I did with Yo-Kai Watch 3, I shall use this post to explore what's gone on so far in an attempt to answer this question.

Let's start with the launch of the Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Since it began development under the NX codename, the console was always a source of fascination among fans and the public alike. After the underperformance of the Wii U, the console had a lot riding on it; especially given the shakeup of leadership at Nintendo after Satoru Iwata passed away in 2015. The results have spoken for themselves: the console has sold over 55 million units to date, with the launch title "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" selling over 17 million units across all its versions as of this writing.

At this time, many suggested that "Yo-Kai Watch" being released in territories outside Japan would be vital to Nintendo's future as a company; due to publishing the series outside its homeland. This very much proved not to be the case upon release, with the first game having sold just a paltry 440,000 copies in the US when it launched in 2015. Its EU sales of 700,000 were moderately better, but still less than the 1 million the title sold in Japan. The following year in 2016, the launch of
"Yo-Kai Watch 2" outside Japan was confirmed for that September. During that year's E3, Hino gave his most optimistic prediction about the series' success outside Japan: believing that it would follow the same pattern and "bloom like a flower" within six months to a year's time. Unfortunately, it didn't: the sequels ended up selling only about half of what the first game did domestically, and the general public and critics were divided over the games (though fans and others such as myself did concede they refined many problems with the first game even though it admittedly relied on many elements from it). Releasing in the shadow of both "Final Fantasy XV" and "Pokémon Sun and Moon" didn't help matters either, as they went onto eclipse "Yo-Kai Watch 2" critically and commercially.

Suffice to say, with the release of the Switch in 2017, many people began transitioning from the 3DS to the new hybrid console; and what developers were planning to do with the console from 2017 onward was an interesting situation. Least of all, this meant that numerous franchises would make the jump from the 3DS to the Switch; especially in the case of Pokémon and Yo-Kai Watch. Despite some detractors at the time thinking otherwise, "Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon" still proved to be successful titles, being uniformly praised and selling over 8.77 million copies worldwide to date. "Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters" released that September, and has only sold 120,000 copies in the US; another drop from the previous titles and well below what it sold in Japan (despite being the most polished version of the game).

By the year 2018, development was in progress for Yo-Kai Watch 4 even before the title was officially announced that April. Before I go any further, I'd like to thank the user SodaDog of The Cutting Room Floor in advance for the details about development that I otherwise wouldn't have known about. One of the hardest things about writing some of these articles is finding concrete information about the subjects I address. Sometimes, the details are plentiful about this matter; other times I need to do more digging. This is the latter case, but several concrete details have been pinned down; some of which I addressed in previous posts. The game was initially scheduled for that year's holiday season; most likely to coincide with the release of the fifth movie. I may have retired from recapping the series after my look at the fourth movie (I don't plan to review any further anime from the series in my new direction either); but we shall return to this point. The year also saw the release of Yo-Kai Watch Blasters ("Busters" in Japan) on the 3DS, which; while not without its fans, garnered mixed reception for its gameplay loop. It also sold only 70,000 copies in the US, well below the 2 million it sold in Japan; largely due to a smaller print run and launching against the highly-anticipated Spider-Man PS4 game. Even as #PokémonLet'sGo, a remake of Pokémon Yellow sold well over 11 million copies as of this writing; Yo-Kai Watch 4 was delayed from its planned holiday 2018 release in Japan into 2019. This brings us to our next point.

On June 20, 2019; Yo-Kai Watch 4: We're Looking Up at the Same Sky; released in Japan on Nintendo Switch, nearly three years after the third game released in Japan. The third game also came to the United States that February; in the wake of both Kingdom Hearts III and the remake of Resident Evil 2 releasing. Though largely praised for being the most polished of the three main titles, the game; which was ironically developed to appeal to Western players, sold just 4,000 copies on the 3DS. Likewise, though Yo-Kai Watch 4 was largely praised for its improvements over previous titles; the game still had a marked decline from the previous entries in sales despite launching at #1.

Just eight days later on June 28, however; Super Mario Maker 2 launched; causing Yo-Kai Watch 4 to quickly fall in sales. Super Mario Maker 2 went on to sell more in its first three days than YW4 did in its first five months. To date, the base version of Yo-Kai Watch 4 has received the lowest sales of the franchise. Level-5 also gave the game an expansion and a port on the Playstation 4 later the same year, as well as a rerelease of the first game on the Switch; but this ultimately proved unsuccessful in reaching the same heights it had before. One major red flag is that after those versions launched, the publisher stopped reporting sales. This doesn't happen often, and I can only think of a handful of major examples in my lifetime (the Xbox One being the biggest one I can think of). Even before the announcement of their first ever expansions, "Pokémon Sword and Shield" have sold over 17 million copies to date; placing them among the bestselling games not only on the Switch; but of the entire franchise so far, managing to overcome divisive feedback from some fans. "Yo-Kai Watch 4" has only sold 380,000 copies to date across all its versions by contrast. Bringing up "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" (18.8 million sold) and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" (24.7 million sold) would just be overkill.

So, much as I did with "Yo-Kai Watch 3" before it was officially announced; to answer this question; we'll need to put ourselves in the position of the creators. You have a console which is much different to develop for than previous ones; despite being made by the same manufacturer with a similar target audience. You also have an existing system you have worked with in the past that could reach a new audience; even with the challenges of not having your main one and a new console on the way. You have a toyline that had record sales in your own country, but didn't make inroads elsewhere in the world. You have an anime series which has been trying to find an identity beyond the humorous exploits of yokai and being a merchandise-driven series. Finally, you have a pair of movies that are key to your new game's story; set to be localized alongside the new game despite the fact the fourth film underperformed and the fifth outright flopped at the box office.

Given all this in mind, it all begs the question: is the English release of Yo-Kai Watch 4 still happening? Much as the last game before it, I submit it's not impossible; but it's definitely a task which faces the same uphill battle the previous games did.

As such, I would give the following suggestions to Level-5 if I was given the opportunity: market the title as a soft reboot of the series for western audiences; as with the accompanying movies. In lieu of printing any physical copies of the game (barring a limited run), have the games go straight to the Nintendo Switch eShop and/or Playstation Network Store digitally (my closest area that got a physical copy of Yo-Kai Watch 3 was Corvallis, at which point I finally caved and downloaded it from eShop instead). Put the movies on digital streaming/PVOD with subtitles rather than dubbed for traditional venues (some theaters are trying to reopen, but for the most part the entire year's slate has been reshuffled or outright sent to home viewing instead), which is also a model that's more likely for the TV series going forward (since Snack World got put on Crunchyroll and Inazuma Eleven Ares was a nonstarter in NA). Most importantly of all, don't try to push the game as the "next big thing:" just release it and promote it enough to let players make their own judgment.

I cannot say for certain what will happen for the proposed localization, let alone the whole series going forward. I mentioned before that I'm reminded of how Monster Rancher went through a similar pattern in the past, and in a fraction of the time I suggested. It remains to be seen whether or not
Yo-Kai Watch can recover, or if it does end up like Monster Rancher (haven't heard about Tecmo Koei localizing the reboot game either); defeated not just by competition, but also by its own troubles adapting to a changing marketplace. If the localization does happen, I don't plan on getting the game right at launch; but most likely at a reduced price on a digital sale depending on what happens. That's all for now. Later.