Just when you thought you were on the verge of catching 'em all and allowing your soul the rest it so desperately craves, Nintendo announced today that the next Pokémon games are on the way for worldwide release in October 2013 on the 3DS. And not only that, but Pokémon X and Y will be sporting a new look for the series, moving away from the traditional sprites that have been part of the game's look since 1996.

As you might expect, this is pretty big news for people who are obsessed with catching those weird little pocket monsters and making them fight each other. Which we are.


Whether Pokemon: Male Chromosome will feature a new region or an update of an older one remains to be seen, but in addition to the new visual style, players are going to be getting new Pokémon to catch, including new starters. As revealed in the video at Pokémon.com, players will have their choice of Chespin, a grass-type, Froakie, a water-type that looks like a blue frog, and -- most importantly of all -- this adorable little badass, Fennekin:


I am going to set so many things on fire with that thing.

That said, I have to admit that I'm a little apprehensive about the new look. It might just be that it's what I'm used to, but I'm strangely attached to the sprites and top-down view of the rest of the series. I've never been a big JRPG fan, but that classic style of play just seems to work really well in Pokémon. Also, replacing the bike with rollerblades? Stop murdering my childhood, Game Freak!

But really, that's probably just me being a scared old man (who still plays Pokémon) being afraid of the future (of Pokémon). I may like the old sprites a lot, but the 3D renders do mean that they'll be able to more easily do complex animations for attacks, something that I've wanted to see for a while -- and something that the video is sure to highlight. Either way, I'll be playing it in October, and I'm sure it'll be a comfort that some things never change.


[Via Joystiq]

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