Consider it the true Batman v. Superman of our times. Or perhaps the real Captain America: Civil War of our times. In the war between two hotly anticipated Pokémon games (or three, depending on how you count them), which will win? Nintendo will no doubt be bringing in the booty this year when it comes to the Pokémon franchise, but does it run the risk of one game overshadowing the other?
Pokémon Sun and Moon will be a more conventional Pokémon game: built for a Nintendo handheld and featuring (presumably) classic Pokémon gameplay, including gym battles and exploring a brand new location with over a hundred new Pokémon. There will be starters, legendaries, locations ranging from small towns to big cities: all of that will probably be there, just as we’re used to it.
Pokémon GO, however, is a more elusive beast. Being a mobile title developed by Niantic, it will feature vastly different gameplay than its 3DS cousins. Expect real-time gym battles, Pokémon moves reduced to two, artificial reality Pokémon capture and a strange evolution system involving crystal shards and repetitively capturing the same Pokémon over and over again. It’s all quite opposite of what we’re used to, but overlaid onto the real world we live and breathe in.
Being a free-to-play game, Pokémon GO appears to have a considerably wider range than Sun and Moon. It might be a particular hit in territories where the console games are not accessible, such as South Asia or Africa. Of course, being a free game means that it doesn’t really compete against Sun and Moon. Perhaps we’re seeing a division in the Pokémon games fanbase, with GO providing a more social, but less meaty experience, while Sun and Moon deliver a ‘premium’ paid Pokémon experience.
What do you think is going to be the bigger success, GO or Sun and Moon? Let us know in the comments below