Sin(noh) City

 Okay I don't know anymore what's going on. Just as I finished reporting on the three new Final Fantasy VII games that aren't Remake part 2, we get two new Pokemon games announced, and a new trailer for New Pokemon Snap, a decidedly more peaceful pokemon game. Although if I were a wild animal I wouldn't appreciate being pelted with fluorescent dyes and woken up by music. I guess I need a Switch as well. How much do they cost again?

It seems it is Sinnoh year because both games are set in the Sinnoh region. I still think Kanto is the region with the most appearances though. Let me see. Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, Gold, Crystal, Fire Red, Leaf Green, HeartGold, Soul Silver. That is ten. Sinnoh has had three so far and now we get well three more, because one announced game is a pair. So that is six. Kanto is way ahead, but Sinnoh is now second place. Oh I'm done I forgot the original Green version plus Let's go Eeveee and Pikachu, So three more to Kanto I guess?

The paired game I mentioned is of course the Diamon and Pearl remake. As usual the third version didn't get one. Confession time: It always bothered me that Gold and Silver got a Crystal version while Diamond and Pearl got a Platinum version. Wouldn't the opposite made more sense thematically? Anyroad say hello to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. There aren't many details yet. It won't look like recent 3D titles. It is closer to a remaster. If we get any new gameplay modes or Mons or region forms, we don't know yet.

And now for the more interesting, but potentially more problematic entry.

Pokemon Legends Arceus on paper sounds like a game I would make. It's Sinnoh, but it is set in the past, where everything looked like Feudal Japan and you used steampunk poke balls. And the player characters totally look like ninjas. Sounds like high quality Pokemon fan fiction, minus the bondage that is included in pretty much every Pokemon fan fiction (take a note Gamefreak). Also the title kinda suggests, that if this go well we might get other Pokemon Legends games. Again, gameplay info is sparce. We do know that we can capture mons without battle if we want and if we are good enough. We also know that the starters are old mons we are familiar with, but not ones we had in Sinnoh. Rowlet, Cyndaquil and Oshawott are starters from Alola, Johto and Unova. But now they are here. Oddly enough Piplup is a wild Mon now. Outside of Go the only starter Mons you can encounter in the Wild are Pikachu and Eevee. Maybe we captured all the wild ones by the time Diamon and Pearl comes? That doesn't sound familiy friendly.
But what concernes me is that a Pokemon Professor will send us on a journey to fill the first ever Pokedex. I'm sorry, what? Professor as a title doesn't sound era appropriate to me. More importantly, Professor Oak invented the Pokedex much much later. Maybe this is just some marketing nonsense and you will complete the PokeScroll or whatever, but I did wince when I read anachronistic stuff like Pokedex, Professor and research. I like how the game looks, the base concept and the promise of more RPG elements. I have concerns nonetheless, but this looks good. I will keep an eye on this project.