Pokemon Legends: Arceus Is A Stick Or Twist Moment

thegamer.com:

Pokemon Legends: Arceus has reviewed incredibly well, and by all accounts has lived up to its billing as one of the more ambitious and experimental titles in Pokemon’s recent catalogue. While the spin-offs have brought something new to the table, the main series games have stagnated. The only real exception there is Let’s Go, which many would count as a spin-off anyway. This leaves Pokemon with a big question - stick or twist?

Even 25 years on from Red & Blue, you get the feeling Pokemon is surprised by its own success. It does not operate like a traditional triple-A game. It has not even attempted to keep up graphically, and while the visuals aren’t the main draw in Pokemon, a series that makes this much money should be pushing the Switch’s capabilities a little more than it is. But it’s also married to the idea that ‘every Pokemon game could be someone’s first’, and while that’s technically true, I think Sword & Shield sold about 16 gazillion copies. Maybe I need to double check that figure. It’s a lot, anyway.

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Undeniably, Game Freak is correct. In the most literal sense, every Pokemon game could be someone’s first. But as the most popular games series on the planet, you’d like to think the existing players would get a bit of consideration too. It’s like that weird period in the mid ‘00s when every company made offers for new customers only, then realised that meant everyone jumped ship after six months and instead invested ideas in keeping their current base.

Pokemon, of course, does not need to try that hard. Most of those 16 gazillion copies were bought by returning players, and many, like Pavlovian dogs, bought both versions. It’s not just