{"id":14855,"date":"2016-04-15T00:01:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T00:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=14855"},"modified":"2016-04-02T00:59:15","modified_gmt":"2016-04-02T00:59:15","slug":"the-fighters-of-pokken-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/15\/the-fighters-of-pokken-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fighters of Pokken Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PIKACHU\"<\/a>Nintendo and Namco have worked together a lot in the past. Namco\u2019s good at making arcade baseball games, so Nintendo had them do some Mario baseball titles.\u00a0 Namco\u2019s Taiko drum music games were a hit in Japan, so Nintendo had them do Donkey Konga.\u00a0 And Namco also is known for racing and fighting games, so they helped Nintendo with the arcade Mario Karts and recent Smash Bros. games.\u00a0 So when Nintendo wanted to make a Pok\u00e9mon fighting game, Namco was up to the task again, since they are known for fighters like Tekken.\u00a0 In fact, that\u2019s why the Pok\u00e9mon fighter is called Pokken, as a combination of Pok\u00e9mon and Tekken.\u00a0 So I thought in this blog we\u2019d take a quick look at the game and check out which Pok\u00e9mon you can play as!<\/p>\n

Pokken Tournament is a 3-D fighter like Tekken. In most 3-D fighters, you move on a 2-D plane but can shift to your left and right in 3-D.\u00a0 You do that in Pokken as well, but there is another phase in the game where you move totally in 3-D.\u00a0 These two different ways to move are called Phase Shifts, and you change between them by hitting your opponent a certain number of times.\u00a0 I like it because it keeps the game kind of fresh and not TOTALLY like Tekken, and kind of makes Pokken its own game.<\/p>\n

Pokken Tournament has your standard set of modes for a fighter. Since it\u2019s set in the Pok\u00e9mon universe, you get to create a trainer and unlock outfits and other goodies to personalize him or her.\u00a0 You can also earn titles like in other fighters such as Street Fighter 4 or Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (I don\u2019t have any of the more modern systems so I don\u2019t know if other fighters are like this).\u00a0 You also get a female advisor who will give you tips and hints as you play.\u00a0 You can even choose her outfit as well.\u00a0 I had to turn off her advice, though, because it got pretty annoying.\u00a0 And you know that\u2019s saying a lot since I\u2019m pretty tolerant of annoying game characters.\u00a0 I jokingly called the female advisor my \u2018girlfriend\u2019 while playing the game because she only helps you out and cheers you on, and nobody else.<\/p>\n

So after you design your trainer, you can try the other modes. There is a fairly lengthy single player story mode about a Pok\u00e9mon fighting tournament, along with a side story about a mysterious Shadow Mewtwo and her trainer that you have to fight sometimes.\u00a0 Nothing super special, but it\u2019ll keep you entertained for a while.\u00a0 You can also level up the Pok\u00e9mon you use, and boost stats like attack and defense, but I don\u2019t know how much of a difference it makes.\u00a0 I like how easy Story Mode starts out, but gets gradually harder as you go.\u00a0 I\u2019m not good at fighters, so at least it makes me feel like I made some progress.\u00a0 I also like the controls, as they simplified them a bit so newbies and novices can still pull off cool moves, but I bet pro fighters can find a lot of challenge and techniques, too.\u00a0 But then, I\u2019m not a pro so if that\u2019s not really the case, maybe one of you pro-fighters can set me straight.<\/p>\n

Aside from the single player story mode, there is also a Practice Mode with a pretty thorough and interactive tutorial. You can also do single battles vs. CPU, or go head to head with another local player.\u00a0 And of course, there is an online mode, but I haven\u2019t tried much of it yet because I\u2019m afraid of how badly I\u2019d get beaten!\u00a0 And that\u2019s Pokken Tournament in a nutshell.\u00a0 I like it a lot, actually.\u00a0 It\u2019s colorful and whimsical and easy to pull off cool moves.\u00a0 Now let\u2019s take a look at the Pok\u00e9mon you can play as.\u00a0 Did any of your favorites make the roster?<\/p>\n

Blaziken<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the most part, I can understand why they chose some of the Pok\u00e9mon they did. Bipedal Pok\u00e9mon with \u2018arms\u2019 and \u2018legs\u2019 are easy to translate into a fighting game to show punches and kicks.\u00a0 And Blaziken just looks like it belongs in a fighter, with its fiery kicks and other attacks.\u00a0 Hard to believe that it evolves from a little Torchic.<\/p>\n

Lucario<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lucario is a veteran fighter, having appeared in a couple of Smash Bros. games. In Pokken, Lucario has a lot of projectile attacks, and he can also summon a psychic spear weapon somehow.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t know he could do that in the games!<\/p>\n

Sceptile<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you didn\u2019t know what type of Pok\u00e9mon this was, you could tell right away from this game that this is a grass type. Lots of vine attacks with this guy.\u00a0 Also, Sceptile looks like something Godzilla would fight.\u00a0 One thing I haven\u2019t mentioned yet is that when you shift between 3-D and 2-D phases, a meter will fill up and when it\u2019s full, you can go into Burst Mode for a short while which makes your attacks stronger and you can use a special Burst Attack.\u00a0 I think one of the reasons why they chose the Pok\u00e9mon they did for this game is that many of them have Mega Evolutions, including Sceptile, that they could turn into for the Burst Mode.<\/p>\n

Machamp<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course you can\u2019t have a Pok\u00e9mon fighting game without a fighting-type Pok\u00e9mon, and Machamp is one of the more well-known fighting types. He\u2019ll take you out with throws and a flurry of punches from his four arms!\u00a0 He also likes to pose like a bodybuilder when he wins.<\/p>\n

Weavile<\/strong><\/p>\n

As much as I played and covered Pok\u00e9mon back in my Dallas Morning News days, I\u2019m not as familiar with the newer Pok\u00e9mon. But just from this game I can easily tell that Weavile is a Dark\/Ice type.\u00a0 He\u2019s a little guy in the arena, but he has lots of ice and slash attacks at his disposal.\u00a0 My \u2018girlfriend,\u2019 er, advisor in the game has a Weavile, supposedly.\u00a0 She talks about it all the time.<\/p>\n

Charizard<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one\u2019s a long-time favorite, coveted in the card game and appearing in other fighters like Smash. As you can expect, he has lots of flying and fire attacks, and his Burst Mode turns him into Mega Charizard and he becomes blue!<\/p>\n

Garchomp<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another one that looks like something Godzilla should fight. This guy looks like a cross between a hammerhead shark and a submarine.\u00a0 I thought he might be an evolved form of Sharkpedo, but he\u2019s not.\u00a0 I can\u2019t remember if this is the right one, but brother Jeff said he\u2019s in the game because he\u2019s popular in the anime.\u00a0 Although he could\u2019ve been talking about another one.\u00a0 Anyway, his Burst Mode turns him into Mega Garchomp, who gets a lot more spikes and a sharper chin.<\/p>\n

Gardevoir<\/strong><\/p>\n

I guess every fighting game has to have a couple of female characters in them, and since Gardevoir is a bit feminine-looking, I guess that\u2019s how it got in the fighting game. She uses lots of psychic attacks, and her Burst Mode changes her to her Mega Evolution form, which just makes her look like she has a poofier dress.<\/p>\n

Braxien<\/strong><\/p>\n

I guess this evolved form of Fennekin would be considered the other \u2018female\u2019 fighter in Pokken, as her fur resembles a skirt and she has a lot of feminine mannerisms in the game. She fights with a stick with a flame at the end and uses it like a magic wand.\u00a0 She even rides it like a broom in one of her win poses.\u00a0 Keeping with the \u2018witch\u2019 theme, her Burst Attack has her summon all these bubbles with hearts and notes in them, and sends them to hit the opponent in a flurry of magical fireworks.<\/p>\n

Pikachu<\/strong><\/p>\n

It may seem silly to pit cute little Pikachu against all these other brawlers, but since Pikachu is kind of the Pok\u00e9mon mascot; you know they\u2019d have to put him in here! While most of the Pok\u00e9mon you can play as are bipedal, they mixed it up with some Pok\u00e9mon, like Pikachu.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t really have any typical punches and kicks like some of the others do, but he\u2019s still fun to use and I\u2019ve played with him the most.\u00a0 It\u2019s fun to jump in the air and send a Thundershock bolt down to the opponent below.<\/p>\n

Pikachu Libre<\/strong><\/p>\n

My brother Jeff plays the newer Pok\u00e9mon games more than I do, and he said that in one of the new ones, you can dress up Pikachu as different things, and one of them was a wrestling outfit. So they put that in this game, too!\u00a0 It\u2019s almost as if they had too many move ideas to use for just one Pikachu, because most of Pikachu Libre\u2019s moves are totally different!\u00a0 I love his Burst Attack!\u00a0 You just have to see it to believe it!\u00a0 I\u2019m also glad they put Pikachu Libre in here because at heart, this is a silly fighting game and Pikachu Libre has that whimsical spirit.<\/p>\n

Gengar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course this game needed a ghost type, and Gengar is one of the more familiar ones. Gengar\u2019s attacks are pretty unconventional, as you can warp around and attack enemies from all sides, even below them!\u00a0 So if you want to throw off your opponent, Gengar\u2019s good at that.\u00a0 Also, I think they picked Gengar because his Mega Evolution form for attacking in Burst Mode is pretty sick!\u00a0 In his Burst Attack, it shows the opponent falling into Gengar\u2019s mouth like he was plummeting into a nightmare abyss!\u00a0 Crazy!<\/p>\n

Chandelure<\/strong><\/p>\n

At some point I think the makers of Pok\u00e9mon ran out of ideas. This is a ghost-type Pok\u00e9mon and I guess they were thinking about swinging chandeliers in a haunted house.\u00a0 Oooo, spooky! So if you ever wanted to play as a chandelier in a fighting game, here ya go!<\/p>\n

Suicune<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like I said earlier, even though many of the Pok\u00e9mon in this fighter are bipedal, they did mix things up with a few of the characters, and here\u2019s a four-legged critter. This is one of the legendary Pok\u00e9mon from Gold\/Silver\/Crystal I believe.\u00a0 Suicune has a lot of water and ice attacks, naturally.<\/p>\n

Shadow Mewtwo<\/strong><\/p>\n

This dark version of Mewtwo is the main antagonist in the Story Mode. I think you can unlock him for good by beating Story Mode, but if you bought Pokken Tournament during the initial run, you got an amiibo card that you can scan on the Wii U gamepad to play as him as long as the Wii U is turned on.\u00a0 As you would expect, Shadow Mewtwo has a lot of dark, powerful attacks, and he Mega Evolves in Burst Mode with an attack that reminds me of some of the summons from FF7.<\/p>\n

Mewtwo<\/strong><\/p>\n

I believe you also unlock regular Mewtwo after beating Story Mode, but I don\u2019t know how he plays because I haven\u2019t beaten it yet. And if I waited to beat it before writing this blog, it wouldn\u2019t be a very timely blog.\u00a0 I would expect Mewtwo to have a lot of the same moves as Shadow Mewtwo, but Pikachu and Pikachu Libre\u2019s moves are totally different so who knows?<\/p>\n

Support Pok\u00e9mon<\/strong><\/p>\n

And those are the Pok\u00e9mon you can play as, but there are other ones in the game. They are called Support Pok\u00e9mon, and you choose a pair to bring with you in battle.\u00a0 By filling up another meter, you can press a button and call on one of the Pok\u00e9mon to help you out.\u00a0 They\u2019ll either attack the opponent or give your character a boost.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to go over what each one does, as this blog is getting long enough as it is.\u00a0 Plus I haven\u2019t unlocked them all yet.\u00a0 But if you know about Pok\u00e9mon and take a guess, you\u2019d probably be right.<\/p>\n

Emolga & Fennekin<\/p>\n

Snivy & Lapras<\/p>\n

Frogadier & Eevee<\/p>\n

Cubone & Diglett<\/p>\n

Jirachi & Whimsicott<\/p>\n

Croagunk & Sylveon<\/p>\n

Pachirisu & Magikarp<\/p>\n

Mismagius & Ninetales<\/p>\n

Rotom & Togekiss<\/p>\n

Farfetch\u2019d & Electrode<\/p>\n

Dragonite & Victini<\/p>\n

Espeon & Umbreon<\/p>\n

Reshiram & Cresselia<\/p>\n

Magneton & Quagsire<\/p>\n

Yveltal & Latios<\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

And those are all the Pok\u00e9mon in the game! Well, there are others that appear in the backgrounds of the stages, but we\u2019re not going to go THAT far into it.\u00a0 I\u2019m only disappointed that none of MY favorite Pok\u00e9mon made it in Pokken.\u00a0 I can understand why some of my favorites aren\u2019t in, as I tend to like some pretty useless Pok\u00e9mon, like Delibird.\u00a0 But I also like Wobuffet, and I think that would\u2019ve been a great one to use as a punching bag in Practice Mode, since Wobuffet is basically a punching bag himself.\u00a0 But my number one favorite Pok\u00e9mon is Snorlax, and I didn\u2019t see him in the game at all!\u00a0 And I think Snorlax would\u2019ve been a viable fighter.\u00a0 He could\u2019ve been like other fat fighters like E. Honda or Rufus or that one guy from Tekken.\u00a0 I guess there\u2019s always DLC, but I don\u2019t know if Pokken will have DLC characters.\u00a0 There is room for about four slots that could be other characters, but who knows?\u00a0 At any rate, Pokken Tournament is really fun and I enjoy it and it\u2019ll probably make my \u2018Best Fighting Game of the Year Award.\u2019 Anyway, in the comments section, let me know what Pok\u00e9mon are your favorites, and which ones you would like to see in a fighting game like Pokken!\u00a0 Later!\u00a0 –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nintendo and Namco have worked together a lot in the past. Namco\u2019s good at making arcade baseball games, so Nintendo had them do some Mario baseball titles.\u00a0 Namco\u2019s Taiko drum music games were a hit in Japan, so Nintendo had them do Donkey Konga.\u00a0 And Namco also is known for racing and fighting games, so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,8,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews","category-movie-reviews","category-television"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14855"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14856,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14855\/revisions\/14856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}