I'm not in the habit of writing speculatory blogs. It's something I've only done once before that I can recall, having put together some brief expectations for Grand Theft Auto V around the time of that game's announcement back in late 2011. As I outlined in that blog, these wishlist-type things invariably seem to have the quality of screaming blindly into a void, with inevitable disappointment the only likely outcome. I still hold that viewpoint, although in retrospect it is fun to look back on just how many of my hopes for GTAV came true - we got a more vibrant city, some interesting open-world distractions, fantastic complex mission structures in the form of heists, and a ton of stuff to spend our ill-gotten gains on. It's a shame my pipe dream of Chinatown Wars-style car chases never came to fruition, but on the whole, I think I did a pretty good job.

So what's got me back on the speculators' bandwagon? Simple - my baptism and rebirth as a true-blue Pokémaniac. Back when GTAV was announced in 2011, I'd convinced myself that I'd outgrown Pokémon off the back of a particularly underwhelming playthrough of Pokémon White (still my least-favourite generation to this day. I even went as far as writing a blog post proclaiming the series as 'not for you any more', by far my most inflammatory blog ever, and one I no longer completely agree with (although I think it still stands as an important argument in the face of people looking for drastic structural and mechanical changes from the franchise). Everything changed in 2013, when I embarked on an epic quest to finally catch 'em all. On that journey I became aware of the incredible mechanical depth of the franchise, and from there I never looked back. Almost three years later I've played offerings from every single generation in the franchise's history, I've trained incredible competitive teams and led them to impressive victories, I've embarked on multiple Nuzlocke runs and documented them in both blog and video form. All this and I still haven't completed my National Pokédex (although with the Mythical Pokémon distributions scheduled throughout this year, it hopefully won't be too long before I do).

I'm no longer just a fan of the Pokémon games, I'm part of a wider community. And if there's one thing I've learned about the Pokémon community during my time as part of it, it's that they sure do love to speculate. With the announcement of Pokémon Sun and Moon in yesterday's Pokémon Direct, I began musing on what the next generation of Nintendo's ongoing collect-a-thon might bring to the table. Obviously we have nothing to go on at this point except for the logos for the two versions and some brief flashes of concept art in yesterday's Pokémon Direct, so all of what I'm about to write below is pure speculation. Nonetheless, I thought it might be fun to put some of my thoughts down in words and see how on- or off-point I was when the games finally roll around this holiday season. I've tried to keep things relatively low-key and realistic, because as I touched on in my aforementioned 'Pokémon Isn't For You Any More' blog, there are certain cornerstones of the series that won't ever change due to its perennial status as 'My First JRPG'. Join me, and perhaps let me know some of your own hopes for the seventh generation of Pokémon in the comments below.

Two Distinct Stories

I want to start this point by clarifying what I mean by 'distinct' in this case. I am not expecting two completely different stories, because there's no precedent for that whatsoever. Paired Pokémon games have always followed the exact same story path, with minor differences in their specifics. I'm not expecting Sun and Moon to break that pattern - they will inevitably tell variations of the same story, because that's the way it's been since Gold and Silver. What I mean by 'distinct' here is that I would like Pokémon Sun and Moon to have a clear divergence between their stories, where one goes one way and one goes another, until some form of resolution ties their story threads back together. For a clearer picture of what I'm getting at here, take Ruby and Sapphire as examples. Those games had distinct differences in their stories catering to their specific legendary Pokémon - Kyogre's awakening caused torrential rain, while Groudon's caused a ceaseless heatwave. I'd like to see Sun and Moon take a similar approach, maybe using day and night as the dichotomy - have one legendary Pokémon bring about a never-ending day with a sun that never sets, and the other cause an endless night where the sun never rises. It makes the games feel more distinct from one another, something sorely missing from X and Y which played identically from start to finish.

Two Evil Teams

Following on from my last point, I expect to see not one but two evil teams in Sun and Moon. For simplicity's sake, let's hypothetically refer to them as Team Solar and Team Lunar (you can have those ones for nothing, Game Freak). Much like Teams Magma and Aqua in Ruby and Sapphire, I envision Teams Solar and Lunar being diametrically opposed to one another, but fulfilling similar roles to each other in their respective versions. I think it's a much better approach than that taken since Diamond and Pearl, which has seen both games in each pair feature a single evil team (Galactic, Plasma and Flare), with a single nebulous goal that can be applied to either legendary mascot. I want to see two evil teams clashing with each other, pointing out each other's ridiculous plans while remaining ironically oblivious to how similarly ridiculous their own plans are. It makes for a really neat three-way dynamic where the player takes the middle road, rather than a straight-forward, boring, good-versus-evil story.

Two Regions

This is probably my most outlandish hope for Sun and Moon, and yet the more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense to me. What I'd like to see is for Sun and Moon to take place in a region neighbouring Kalos, perhaps one based on Spain or Italy,or even the UK. Then, when the player beats the Elite Four, they're able to travel to Kalos and continue their adventure. There's certainly precedent for it, with Gold and Silver's memorable post-game return to Kanto. There's also a whole host of auxiliary evidence to support the theory, too. The next Pokémon movie will likely be a crossover featuring both sixth- and seventh-generation Pokémon (notably Volcanion and the recently-revealed Magearna). Zygarde, the third member of sixth-gen's 'XYZ' trio, has a host of form changes which have been leaked but are yet to be officially revealed in-game. There are NPCs in X and Y that claim to be from a region near to Kalos that isn't currently known to us. These little tidbits are just a few of the many compelling arguments for a return to Kalos being on the agenda for seventh-gen. It would also be the perfect response to the general perception among players that X and Y lacked post-game content.

Full Reinstatement of the Day/Night Cycle

Some of you may wonder what I'm going on about here. Along with breeding, the day/night cycle has been a mainstay of the Pokémon franchise since the second generation, with FireRed and LeafGreen being the only exceptions. But over time the impact of that day/night cycle on the game has dwindled somewhat. It used to have a bearing on the kinds of Pokémon that would appear in any given area - some Grass-types might appear in the morning with the rising sun, then become unavailable to catch at night, replaced by nocturnal Pokémon once the sun sets - but that hasn't been the case since fourth-gen at this point. It's a shame, because these shifts in the kinds of Pokémon available gave the games a more immersive quality, lending some authenticity to their ecosystems, not to mention encouraging the player to revisit the same areas at different times of day to search for new kinds of Pokémon to add to their collection. With the upcoming games actually referring to day and night in their names, I think seventh-gen would be the perfect time to reinstate the full depth of the day/night cycle to the series. Especially if, as I said in my first point, day and night are connected with the game's story in any way. While they're at it, why not reintroduce the seasons from Black and White as well?

New (Mega) Evolutions

This is without a doubt the most likely thing to happen on this list. I was initially sceptical when Mega Evolution was announced, thinking it a gimmicky addition to the franchise. In practice it's actually been an awesome inclusion, giving a much-needed competitive boost to some underwhelming Pokémon and accompanying them with usually great aesthetic overhauls as well. There will inevitably be more Mega Evolutions for existing Pokémon in Sun and Moon, but I hope that any new Mega Evolutions stick to that creed of giving a fresh lease of life to older, less viable 'mons. High on my list for Mega Evolution hopefuls in seventh-gen are Sandslash, Granbull, Luxray and Froslass. That being said, I also wouldn't mind seeing some older Pokémon getting proper evolutions, or even baby forms, provided Game Freak can be creative about it. And heck, while we're on the subject, another Eeveelution or two wouldn't go amiss either.

Also, if Solrock and Lunatone don't get version-exclusive Mega Evolutions in Sun and Moon, then Game Freak will have missed one hell of a trick.

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I think that's going to do it for this blog. As I said above, this is purely speculation and meant to be taken with several grains of salt, but I'd like to think there's some merit to at least one or two of these ideas. If you're as hyped by the announcement of Sun and Moon as I am, please feel free to join in the speculation and throw your own crazy thoughts into the fray via the comments section below, because I'm definitely up for discussion on this topic. Until next time, thanks very much for reading. Take care, and I'll see you around.

Dan

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Currently playing - The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (PC)

I had a different end-point in my journey to "catch them all" back in Pokemon X. I discovered that I think the battle system is super dumb and unsatisying for single player, with boss fights in particular generally lacking any tension, while I have close to zero interest in getting into the competitive side of the game.

I avoided Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, thinking I was done with the series for good. The mere announcement of these games though has me thinking I'm ready. Ready to build another team weird, ready to transfer my collection of now over 700 Pokemon to the next link in the endless chain. It's been long enough now that I think I can appreciate the things I do like about the series once again. Expressing myself through building a team of Pokemon whose look I like, and the simple joy of watching the numbers go up as I refine said team to get me through the game.

Now, as for your actual post I'm not sure what I want out of a story from Pokemon. I liked having a crew of other kids you occsionally ran into like in X&Y, but I didn't care about the villains and I doubt that will change. I think Team Aqua and Magma was extra dumb when that went on but hey, why not?

I remember the returning region reveal in Gold & Silver pretty fondly so I guess I wouldn't mind seeing them pull that again. Extending the post-game I'm all for. I waited until Black 2 to play that generation and that game had a ton of stuff to do, some of which I only returned to while trying to catch them all in Pokemon X.

I feel like the removal of features that were exclusive to Day or Night-time in the games was a move aimed to accommodate more people's schedules so I'm not sure if that would make a return. I would appreciate it though, I really liked that stuff.

As for Mega Evolutions I have no requests. Most Pokemon I like visually are mid evolutions that are " "ruined" " for me once they adopt their superior forms anyway. I don't mind the concept though (and Mega Beedrill looks awesome!).

The one standing request I have of the games is that I want the world to be DENSE with Pokemon. I don't want to have to beat the Elite Four for the floodgates to open. I want a TON of options right from the start. You've got 700+ of these little fuckers, put 'em to use.

I think a compromise could be that the game has its own time cycle like open-world games instead of basing it on real time. I agree with the point that having it based on real time meant I never got a chance to catch morning Pokemon. Having its own time means that while you might miss it, you don't have to wait until the next real-time day for another chance. It was a neat concept but not very well executed. Having skipped all the generations after Ruby until X/Y it was very refreshing coming back to the series seeing all the improvements (for example, gaining exp even when catching Pokemon, not sure if that was a thing before X/Y).

With 3DS Red supporting Pokemon Bank, I think I'm more tempted to get Sun when it comes out and transfer all my Pokemon over, although it depends on whether or not they have evolved the formula further from X/Y or would it be the same game just more Pokemon and new locales. If it's the latter, I'll stick with the ones I have already.

Also, ORAS is actually incredibly unfriendly in regards to accommodating people's schedules. Certain legendaries were only available for one hour a day, and if you adjusted your system clock, all of those legendaries would be unavailable for a full 24 hours after the adjustment. This wound up being frustrating for multiple reasons, not just the complete disregard of a person's life, as if you are having especially bad luck getting one of the legendaries to stay in an Ultra Ball, you might not even manage to catch it within the hour. Then you're forced to wait a full day before getting a chance at it again. and you can forget trying to catch them in ordinary Poke Balls (which some people do for aesthetic reasons.)

That said, I do have a fondness for the Day/Night cycle as it appeared in Gold and Silver, maybe more out of nostalgia than anything else. I remember going out at night and catching a Spinarak and being so excited that I caught something I couldn't catch during the day. If the available times for catching Pokemon are wide enough I wouldn't have an issue with it. Maybe within the four distinct times the game recognizes (morning/day/evening/night) each Pokemon could be available for two or them instead of one, with a couple of exceptions for Pokemon they want to keep especially rare. Also, they could keep some form of the DexNav around so that if you've already encountered a specific Pokemon you can use the DexNav to find it regardless of what time it is.

I'm pretty excited about a new gen, though the absence of Pokemon Z makes me really hope you're right about the game including Kalos in it. I kind of wanted to explore that region further than X and Y allowed.

If they do two regions I'd actually opt for buying both for myself.

It's probably too much to ask, but I'd really like an "Expert Mode" or something that actually forces the player to engage in some of the deeper systems at play. Maybe not as extreme as forcing them to min-max EVs and complementary natures, but I'd like to not feel like a child. I played somewhere around 80 hours of Pokemon X version, but with the exception of the rather meager post-game stuff, it's all really, really easy. That probably explains why I lasted 4 hours in Omega Ruby before putting it down.

My main hope, given the names, is that we see more focus on alien pokemon. They've dabbled with it in the past with Deoxys, but I'd love to see more. Also, having another game with a two region thing is one of my dreams. It was so cool in G,S,&C. I've never understood why they haven't done it again. Anyways, looking forward to more Pokemon whatever it may end up being.

@arbitrarywater: There was some sort of difficult level stuff in BW2, but that's about it. http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Key_System#Difficulty

I'd love to see something equivalent to the Vs. Seeker that lets you re-battle trainers on random routes. When there's nothing left to do but breed powerful versions of your favorites, being able to level up easily during that process while catching or hatching would be very appreciated.

It would be so awesome if Pokemon Go somehow tied in to sun and moon similar to the pokewalker. Also it would be consistent with the themes of Sun and Moon, with Go being the Earth component. Probably wishful thinking, but think about how awesome that would be.

@jacksukeru totally agree with you on the pokemon density thing. More available pokemon = more team variety. On the difficulty thing, I somewhat agree with you as well. I've actually been replaying Pokemon Pearl recently, and the difficulty ramp up is actually kind of big and surprised me (the levels go from mid 20s to like 30, 40 out of nowhere). It provided a slight challenge that I haven't had in a long time in a pokemon game and I really like it.

The only thing i really want ( need ) them to update is the pokemon sound effects, those cries are 20 years old and have sounded like garbage since day 1.

I haven't skipped a generation in 20 years, and I don't plan to stop.

@arbitrarywater: Well they actually did that in B/W 2, but it was only after you beat the game. The reason the make it so easy is so the kids playing it (pokemon's target audience) won't stop playing. Kids now have so much they can do, if something is too hard for them they're just gonna quit and move unto something else and pokemon can't let that happen.

You did go back and play them right cause if you didn't that was a bad idea. I agree with the fact that they should give us more options, but it should be strained. Kinda like in G/S how we had a couple options on the first 2 routes to build our team.

@dragonitedude: I have no interest in seeing those remakes, guy.

@jacksukeru: Why not, to be honest there some of the best games in the series. Sure it was as hard as X and Y, but it was really fun to play, and are you really going to skip the soaring feature and mega rayquaza.

@dragonitedude: I don't want to burn out on the grind of Pokemon before Sun & Moon by spending a ton of hours on an already too familiar game that won't end up giving me any additional Pokedex entries anyway. A few superficial, additional features definetly won't sway me either.