Since February, news has been pretty dry on the upcoming Generation Four remakes, but finally we have been spoiled with a three minute long trailer detailing the new game in all of its glory!
Pokémon fans are waiting in anticipation for the release of these games, so here’s a top five ranking list of the most exciting moments seen in the recently released trailer.
5) Exploring the Sinnoh region on the Nintendo Switch in HD
It’s been 15 years since the release of the OG Diamond and Pearl games on the Nintendo DS and since then, the graphics have developed tremendously.
The Nintendo Switch can allow for Nintendo to step outside of the box and illustrate the favoured Sinnoh region in a new light, as they have done in what has been shown to us so far.
From the winter wonderland of Snowpoint City, to the nature loving areas of Twinleaf Town and Eterna City, it will be very interesting to compare the locations to the DS versions.
It is increasing noticeable within the shown graphics how these games are staying loyal to the art style but with the Chibi art style twist.
The blissful atmosphere of areas such as Floaroma Town look fantastic so far, with the glimpse of the bright, vibrant flowers being scattered across, as they did in the original counterparts but in a much clearer light.
It will bring a glimmer of joy to the player when exploring the refreshed region.
4) The return of Pokémon Super Contests in a new light
What a better way to show off your Pokémon in a way that doesn’t involve battling other trainers!
Pokémon contests were first introduced in Generation Three, but were reinforced back in Diamond and Pearl at the grand hall in Hearthome City.
The Pokémon super contests are divided into different parts.
To begin, you and your Pokémon select which competition you’d like to enter: Coolness, Cuteness, Beauty, Toughness and Cleverness. With different ranks of levels depending on difficulty.
Onto the show, the competition has three different elements. First is the visual round, where you get to dress your Pokémon along with the capsule element to show off your Pokémon at their best light.
Next is the dance stage where you work together with your Pokémon and time their dance moves to the rhythm to score the highest points.
Finally, the move stage is to evaluate your Pokémon’s best move-set depending on the category of competition you entered, for example if its a ‘beauty’ move for a beauty competition, it’ll earn you the highest points.
The success of Pokémon contests within the anime is bound to shine with the updated Switch graphics, watching Dawn and her Piplup become the top Pokémon Coordinator on the show, can now become a reality for Pokémon players once again.
This version looks so much more fun to play and more action based! How can you not love seeing an image of Turtwig on stage.
3) Exploring the updated Sinnoh Underground
This underdog feature was one of the main highlights of this second trailer, with the expansive underground system being more than it was ever imagined in this remake.
Using the explorer kit, there is so much to do in your free-time other than collecting the gym badges.
From creating your own secret bases, to collecting fossils, there is so much to do with this Generation Four exclusive feature.
The most unique part of this reveal in the trailer is the expansiveness of the underground map itself. In comparison to the DS titles, the map was more simplistic and had less features.
What makes this feature so exciting in the remake is how the Pokémon roam around in the new hideaways, where certain environments such as lakes and volcanic areas have different types of Pokémon to encounter.
Can we point out this amazing underground map of the Sinnoh region. It’s somewhat like two regions above and below each other!
2) Trainer Customisation
New hairstyles and clothes for Lucas and Dawn? Take my Poké Dollars.
One of the best parts of this trailer was discovering that we can customise our Generation Four main protagonists, something which we were unable able to do in the original games.
This feature allows trainers to make their look more personalised, from changing the hair to even simple touches such as a bag and hat.
From what we have seen so far it’s only a glimpse at what selection of hairstyles and clothing is available in the games themselves.
It would be a genius move by Game Freak if they allow us to customise Dawn and Lucas in their Pokémon Platinum outfits, but that is something we’ll have to wait and see for…
1) Having your partner Pokémon follow you around
Finally, our number one most exciting feature is something that was such a complete surprise and joy to many fans, the return of Pokemon following us!
This feature was last seen in Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, but it was never included within the original Sinnoh games.
Having your battle partners follow you around as you explore the lands of Mt. Cornet and areas such as Sunnyshore City and beyond will be thrilling to watch and adds to the overall experience of playing Pokémon.
All of the features listed above make us very excited to play these remake games in November!
The exclusive content shown in this trailer was beyond what many of us expected from the original trailer released back in February.
In the meantime, the countdown begins and in just three months and we can finally go catch em all, again!
Click here to read more about the features included within these upcoming titles.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available to play on the Nintendo Switch from November 19, 2021.
By Jack Proverbs
Feature image: The Pokémon Company/Game Freak