"I wasn't considering existing Pokémon users too much," he admits. Masuda is confident that his game can appeal to both experienced players and newcomers, insisting that the latter group is his primary concern when making a new Pokémon title. While younger gamers enjoy the simple thrill of encountering new monsters, older players pore over the complex numbers game that lies behind the kid-friendly exterior, breeding creatures to improve their team's statistics – and their chances in combat.Īttempting to appeal to such a wide audience is a tricky balancing act, but the Japanese sales would suggest Game Freak has struck gold once again: Black and White were the country's biggest-selling games of last year, reaching a combined 5 million sales in January, the fastest titles to do so.
Though the cartoon series and cuddly merchandise might suggest to many that Pokémon is a game for children, it would hardly be the success it is today without a sizable adult audience. The series' accessible but deep battling system has grown into a digital sport, with the annual Pokémon Video Game Championships drawing ever-larger numbers. Yet the compulsive collector isn't the only kind of Pokémon player. There are Pokémon exclusive to each version, which is not only a useful – some would say cynical – moneyspinner for the publisher, but encourages player trading a feature that has been simplified with local infra-red connectivity, as well as more comprehensive and transparent online options. After the credits roll, monsters from the previous games can be traded across and picked up from newly unlocked areas, as players attempt to reach the new tally of 649. Not that those who've spent hundreds of hours amassing their collection will be forgotten. "In order to surprise players, we need to have something different," explains designer and composer Junichi Masuda. There's a more dynamic and expansive world to explore, reworked graphics and, most important, a fresh batch of Pokémon, with any old creatures seemingly consigned to the dustbin of history. Even so, its creators have decided it's time for a new beginning.