Mega Charizard Banks: Pokemon Direct Recap

September 4, 2013

Nintendo has used its most recent Nintendo Direct stream, retitled Pokémon Direct for this occasion, to reveal a number of new applications and details for the upcoming Pokémon X & Y games.

Pokémon Bank will allow Pokémon X & Y players to effectively store up to 3,000 Pokémon in the cloud. It will come with a search function to filter through the myriad Pokémon. Pokémon Bank will also interact with another newly announced add-on, Poké Transporter, to store Pokémon from the Black, White, Black 2 and White 2 games; these Pokémon can then be downloaded into Pokemon X & Y.

Pokémon Bank will require an annual fee. Satoru Iwata explained the decision, “…This will be a long-term service that requires management and maintenance of the system to store Pokémon as well as compatibility with future titles.” Nintendo has not yet announced a price.

The stream also detailed the early moments from the upcoming Pokémon titles. Your starter Pokémon (Chespin, Fennekin or Froakie) will be provided by your friend. The Professor will instead give you a partner Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle.

These, and other, Pokémon can eventually be evolved further than in Pokémon Red & Blue with the Mega Evolution mechanic. By combining a trainer-equipped Mega Ring and a Pokémon-equipped Mega Stone, these First Generation Pokémon can be evolved into Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard and Mega Blastoise.

Nintendo also announced that special Pokémon editions of the 3DS XL — one in Blue and one in Red — will be available for sale in North America and Europe On September 27. We will let you know if these will be available in Australia.

Pokémon X & Y will be released worldwide on October 12.