What Happened To Pokken? 

Who is your favorite Pokken character? I was a Sceptile / Pikachu main myself

I love when Pokemon uses other, less looked at Pokemon for their side games. Like yeah you have regualars like Pikachu, Charizard, Lucario. But then you have unothodox stuff like Crustle in Unite or Chandelure in Pokken. It's just so much fun when they use these types of Pokemon.

Oh God, he didn't start off by saying "Good Morning" 😳

Pokken deserves more. The phase shifting mechanic is unique, every fighter has completely different playstyles, and the roster itself is surprisingly well balanced. There are flaws (no rollback netcode, local splitscreen is 30 FPS, lacking single player content, etc.), but it's still one of my all-time favorite fighting games. The core gameplay is so fun and unique. There's really nothing else quite like it, and I'm glad that the competitive scene is still alive and kicking for it.

God, I miss this game. Should’ve gotten much more attention from both its updaters and the Pokémon community.

They should have just done something like make shadow mewtwo transferable to the main series games after you reach a certain benchmark in Pokken. Sales would have shot right up

Now imagine this… Legends Arceus open world + Pokken combat (trainer battles where you control your Pokémon fully and have different move sets/special attacks) = perfect Pokémon game

It just needed more characters and especially more Gen 5 content. Seriously even with all the updates we only got one Gen 5 pokemon, chandelur.

I wish the Pokepark, Rumble and Ranger series cameback

I'm _incredibley_ thankful this game's still got an active community. It makes the game feel so alive for me and I only got into it a few months ago. and it's a great game.

I don't know if this really means anything, but The official Pokemon channel does have the Pokemon players cup featuring pokken, with the last one being few months ago..so i don't think the series itself is completely dead!

Actually a really good game. Even better on Switch. Love fighting games & Pokemon putting them together was crazy awesome seeing. Sad seeing what happened. Always played Mewtwo and Garchomp myself

As a top player for this game, I will say from an outsiders point of view I can understand some criticisms such as not finding Field Phase exciting. I will say that Field Phase when you get in depth about it has a lot to offer for resource management (you get a lot of meter to go into Burst mode by winning Field Phase, more than winning Duel). Duel Phase would also be more limited without a second phase, since infinites would be everywhere and it all around feels more free with movement. This is the same reason why in DX you just can’t remove Field Phase for local battles. They’d have to change the entire game’s mechanics and make Pokken lose its identity for one mode, though I do understand the frustration of needing two consoles ever since Wii U for optimal tournament/casual play without online. It’s only one mode in the grand scheme of things and if you made those mechanic changes all around, then it might as well be Pokken 2 and not a deluxe version. As for rosters, I know there are criticisms about the size and comparisons with Smash, though I find those unfair when Smash is a celebration of video games that’s released for over 20 years when Pokken’s first definitive release has a roster of 23, which is still a good amount. Pokken has one of the most varied rosters when it comes to movesets ever. When it comes to quality, I am of the belief it’s in Pokken’s favor compared to Smash. Only about 3 moves are shared between two characters among the cast (the Mewtwos). This is including how every character has a different moveset in both Field and Duel, with each character having something to offer that makes them incredibly unique even when they’re a similar archetype. I don’t mean to bash Smash but I think it’s fair to have that opinion when they’ve even glorified clones with the term Echo Fighter. The sales comparison is also one I don’t understand for the same reasons, though DX’s sales number has been old for a long time, with Harada saying it actually sold very well (over a million is nothing to scoff at to begin with, so I feel the Smash comparisons needlessly make over a million a lot worse than it actually is). I think the sales used in this video were even before Pokken’s height in 2018 and free trial/sale period the year after. I saw a lot of people interested then so I wouldn’t be surprised if Pokken broke 2 million or more. Still found the video interesting, but I did want to give my viewpoints as someone very familiar with the scene! My biggest disagreements were definitely on Field Phase and DX being somehow more lacking than Wii U.

Pokken's competitive scene became alot more elitist because of the lack of support for the game making it very hard for newer players to have success.

I love Mortal Kombat, so I instantly loved the idea of Pokken. I hope it gets more love in the future.

Since the beginning I’ve always wanted a game just like pokken. One where you could actually FIGHT with your Pokémon in real time. It looks more like a Pokémon battle from the anime. It hurts to see it struggling today.

I feel like Pokken's (main) nail in the coffin was it's gameplay. It was a great and interesting idea, but it didn't really lend itself to being played by a casual audience, Pokemon's primary audience. I personally think if they made Smash Bros but with Pokemon that it would sell like hotcakes. This in no way is me saying that it was a bad idea though. I find it very creative. I just think it's a reason why the game didn't meet innitial expectation.

Here's an answer to the "why'd it bomb in the arcade?" question from someone who pre ordered, was hyped, and got it day 1... I didnt even know the game hit arcades first and I'd imagine many others thought the same.

I disagree with everyone. The reason Pokken failed was due to 0 promotional advertising by Nintendo. They didn’t try to show why it was different or even advertise it much in the first place. They also didn’t add DLC or major updates to keep up the fanbase

If Pokemon Snap rise from the grave 20 years later, I can see Pokken 2 in a distant future

The dual fighting styles made it so much better to me. Made you have to learn multiple combos not just the one that did the most damage

I sincerely hope we do eventually get another Pokken game in the future. Aside from it being a great concept, I love that it gives underappreciated mons that you wouldn't expect to be in a fighting game a chance to shine, including unevolved mons that aren't Pikachu.

I've never played Pokken but I've always thought it looked really cool. It's a shame it didn't reach the full potential of a fully realized Pokémon fighting game.

I Always wanted the Battle system in the Main Line Games to be like this

Such a great spin-off. Played the Wii U original still need to get the Switch port. Watching the PWC Pokken finals is also a joy to watch.

I played Pokken in 2016 at Dave and Busters, and there were lines to wait to play. I think the actual issue was that each game took astronomically long by arcade standards; why have a Pokken Machine consistently making 6.0 credits every 10 minutes when you can have another Big Bass Wheel getting a 9.9 credit play every 2 minutes.

I really don't understand why this game wasn't more popular. I pretty much only just discovered it for my own and it is just. So. Much. Fun. It looks great, it has amazing combat feedback, all the moves are so creative and it's so cool to finally see the Pokémon in much more impactful action. The phase-shifting is a great gimmick, every character is unique and fun to play. And I say all this without being a Pokémon fan!

Several years ago, I longed to play the japanese arcade version when it was the only version of the game around. Thankfully, my local arcade has plenty of Japanese imports, including Pokken, so I thankfully got to play it several months back.

Can we just say that, this game was meant to be based of *Tekken* right? That's the reason we have the "en" at the end

It’s a shame really Pokken is a fun game but not everyone is competitive I would love an sequel

5:36 and the fact that Melee is a freaking Invincible Zombie that will never die.

Just got this game and its so fun! Just wish it had a lot more characters Greninja mainly Tyranitar or Haxorus

This game popped up in my radar after getting interest in Pokémon and it is just up my ally. I’m not big into turn-based games, which is primarily what Pokémon is, and I mostly go for arena fighting, JRPG, and hack-and-slash, as well as whatever style the Arkham series was. So hearing that there was a Pokémon fighting game with mechanics that are like the Storm Games, My Hero, and recently Demon Slayer really grabbed my attention. It’s on my list of games to get on the Switch as soon as I get one.

Community is still going strong! Weekly tournaments, active discord, and plenty of great resources!

i swear 2016 was probably one of the more iconic years of pokemon

Pokken was both the first game I pre-ordered and my first fighting game that I played and I loved it, I really hope for more Pokken in the future

God such an underrated game. It has its flaws, but as someone who grew up dreaming to play a Pokémon game with real fighting action like in the anime, well, this was a dream come true… Here’s hoping we can do that again someday.

Keeping an eye on the game when it was first teased, I'll admit. I was one of *those* people who was turned off by the Tekken x Naruto Ninja Storm gameplay. I wanted it to go full Tekken. However watching the gameplay, the roster slowly grow, freaking Dark Mewtwo terrifying me with it's DBZ finisher, this game is a gem that deserves more. Or at least the love for devs to come back to it someday. The music captures what I love about Tekken's music too.

I got this game over a year ago and been having so much fun learning the game, playing online sets and engaging with the community in Discord. It really is an underrated Gem in my eyes.

I think the worst part was the little-by-little releases and underwhelming start. If they had just gone for what's now DX it would've had much more hype and built a playerbase. They really missed a money printer.

I love Pokken and it's a shame that it didn't get the success it deserves. Pokken was let down by the WiiU release and its advertising. Things aren't nice with the official support either as TPCI continues to make 3v3 the standard format for their events in the Pokemon Championship which is awful. 3v3 requires everyone to play 3 Pokemon which increases the barrier for entry considerably while also dragging games on for far too long making it a viewer's nightmare. It's a shame because Pokken was getting more viewership than VGC or TCG up until they changed the format from 1v1 to 3v3. At least the grassroot tournaments and communities treat it right. Long live Pokken

Glad to find another NC based content creator. Went to ECU and was active in the Melee scene at Blue Ox.

Pokken tournament is one of my all time favourite games and still play it today it's a shame it didn't get the shine as other games it really deserves another chances with of course with upgrades

i always wanted this so badly, and i just now randomly saw it pop up on my recommended

I want Pokken 2 to be the Pokemon Day 2024 announcement. Make it so, TPCi & Bandai Namco!

I just got this game for xmas. I have been looking forward to playing this for ever since it came out!

I really enjoyed playing Pokken DX on the Switch but eventually I stopped playing and sold it. Every now and then I see something on it and that interest resparks for a bit but I hold out cause I feel like they’re going to make a sequel.

i literally just bought pokken dx yesterday after owning it on my wii u, the timing is perfect

I'm still to this day disappointed they didn't add Greninja with battle bond into this game having the burst move as Greninja's final move from the X&Y championship's would have been amazing.

Pokken was the closest thing we would ever get to anime-style battles. You could actually perform moves like “ Dodge that attack!” and “ Jump on the opponent’s shoulders and then use Thundershock!”

When i bought the switch it was partially for this game so it made me sad that it had so little sucess. I also could not find somebody to play it with so i droped it too... But if someday its popularity rises i will be there to play it because i really love the idea of the game and also the gameplay experience always pleased me

the moment I saw "lowtier" I was hald expecting the footage to include a ragequit at the speed of light xD dunno if it's one of the numerous accounts LTG uses or not, but it was hilarious xD regarding the video, awesome insight on the issue as usual. it did suffer from the same weakness as any 3d arena fighter. Player 2 usually gets shafted. I'd love to see a proper 2d fighting game for pokemon. it could be interesting.

Your videos are always fire!! 🔥🔥🔥

Gengar in Pokken is one of my favorite characters from any fighting game ever, and it’s a shame we may never get to see it again. I’d absolutely love for it to come back into the big time with a sequel of some sorts. That would easily be a day one buy for me.

I love Pokken Tournament, I think its a really cool side-game for the Series. And the gameplay is surprisingly deeper than you think. I wish this game took off more than it did.

I was interested in Pokken when I first heard of it, because I thought it was Super Smash but with pokemon only, and that it would be awesome since many smash-characters were unknown to me, except for Mario, Luigi, Zelda-characters and pokemon I learned about all of them from Smash. Also many friends were more interested in pokemon than in games in general. Thus many were excited to play smash but for dousins of pokemon! Unfortunately, we are oldies and are only familiar with the two first generations, barely third generation, so when there were less than twenty characters and many were unfamiliar, it was sort of like playing Super Smash again. Then, as you said, the split screen vs. get many TVs at the same place did not work, since were were more than two friends and just wanted Super Smash but with pokemon (that we knew) XD Us being oldies is not anyone but our own fault, but the fact that we had to have multiple consoles or TVs made me uninterested in getting it. Perhaps what they could retry the fighting aspect (in only a local scale, hopefully) with Pokemon Stadium 3, haha. Because again, the idea of Super Smash but with many pokemon is great, but I am also just casual that prefer playing with my friends in the same living room, rather than with friends from different houses (when Norway closed and we were isolated during the pandemic, we opted to play multiplayer games where we worked and/or communicated more together, rather than fighting games where we would usually be quiet except laugh and give snide comments).

It's a real shame a sequel doesn't seem to be in the works. That could have been an opportunity to streamline gameplay into something more tailored to console play by cutting out the field phase.

I saw this in the store the other day and thought back to when this first came out and how badass it looked. I've never been one too big on street fighter type games, but its pretty sad that this never took off.

I actually just picked this up. I remember seeing something about a pokemon fighting game some years ago. Gata say, I'm liking it. Gonna see if my crotch goblin is down to play . Great vid!

Next time they wanna make a fighting game, they should give it to Arc System Works.

Bought the Wii U version played it for a couple days, noticed the lack of content got bored and traded it back in

This is one of those games that deserved to do way better than it did. Hopefully it gets the attention it deserves if it comes back in the future 🙏

It’s great! I like how they mix RPG and fighting together. Last time I played a game like that it was Flying Dragon on N64. I’m going all out with MewTwo.

Yeah, this was like my first impression of the series.

I can definitely say that if this game came out today, it would definitely be a hit game

My biggest issue with Pokkenn was the roster, when I got my Switch in 2019 I was pretty stoked to try out that game but when I got it I felt underwhelmed with how many Pokémon you could actually play as. I didn’t get to play Stadium or Colosseum so I thought this was the next best thing, I think I’m gonna redownload Pokkenn though and give it another go.

Kazuya Mishima’s fight against Lucario in his route in Classic Mode in Super Smash Bros Ultimate references this game.

i was a scizor main but you should do more vids on the side games i loved your take on pokken

I actually just bought this game lol. I know I’m way late to the party but I’m enjoying it quite a lot. My biggest complaint would be the lack of characters. Steady small dollar dlc character packs like a lot of DBZ games do would make a huge difference

Fun Fact: the Pokken controller is compatible with more that Pokken. It's actually possible to plug the controller into a PS3 and it will work perfectly (minus the missing analog sticks and home button). I found it worked great with 2D games like Mega Man 9 & 10. It also worked beautifully with PS1 games via download or disc. And of course it's also easy to use on PC.

Isn’t it obvious? Look at the amazing visuals and animations! They don’t wanna make GameFreak feel bad about their crappy work. Anything with more heart than the mainline games (Mystery Dungeon, Stadium, Pokepark) is scrapped to get rid of the evidence that better things exist. So this shouldn’t come as a shock

i'd love to see a pokken game that gets somewhat frequent dlc in the near future, as unlikely as that may be i shall wait for it

Pokémon Type Wild and Pokken are both such gems I adore them

About to buy it in 2022 lmao, I played the demo a few years ago and really liked it

I understand how difficult it is to make characters for fighting games, but the roster needs to be significantly expanded upon. I’m thinking in the hypothetical next game there has to be at least double the characters, returning included- not even counting hypothetical DLC. I strongly suggest that every Pokémon with a Mega Evolution should be a playable fighter, and that in Gen 9 (when the game would again, hypothetically release) that that Generation would introduce a few more Mega Evolutions and have those new inclusions be added DLC; on top of underrated and/or requested Pokémon that should be in Pokkén. (Leavanny An Eevee Evolution, Mismagius, Lopunny, Maractus, Ambipom, Reuniclus, god the list goes on. There’s so much potential.)

Imagine a Pokkén single player campaign. You battle other trainers and gym leaders in open and fun areas. Inbetween battles you walk around in hub areas, or traverse through the world similar to any other Pokémon game. You progress through the story and catch more Pokémon. There's a Switch -out mechanic in battles. I think this would be SO MUCH FUN. My biggest problem with Pokkén was the small arenas. Never felt that good to play in for me.

I hope the next games has two mode, 1v1 and 3vs3 with switches in real time like mvc, dbfz, etc. And obviously a big roster! Pokemon like Greninja, Zeraora, Zoroark, Lycanrock, Zarude, the starters and much more.

I love how Darkrai would hit you with Persona 5 menus

One of the best fighting games I have ever played on Switch. This game should be more complicated otherwise it will become boring just randomly button bashing and winning fights randomly with no skills involve. This game is actually hard to master! Every pokemon has a completely different style of play. GENGAR is my FAVES!

I didn’t know there was split screen multiplayer in the game! My brother and I always share one screen.

I bought the game earlier this year played a bit and got distracted by other games but I started playing again last month and beat the main story and I really enjoyed it. I feel like it’s a hard game to get into but once you understand it you can easily get better and better. I would definitely buy a pokken 2 and would love to get better if there were ever events available for that game. Also I was a garchomp main!

That’s weird I loved this game and still do. lol 😂 the weird multiplayer is a problem unfortunately but I love fighting like I’m in the anime and love the character roster !

I really loved the graphics of pokken and I’d love to see some of the textures in base games.

Commenting here for future me to find when the Pokken 2 hype begins.

Man I love pokken. Although I must admit that releasing fighting game without real couch vs mode is worst decision they could have.

this game is so sick, lately I been playing it and having an absolute blast, I really love the total package of gameplay, although I hate fighting pika libre lol

I have pokken tournament against played every pokemon fans because pokken tournament is amazing fighting game❤️❤️❤️

Remember when the Wii u had a card for an early shadow Mewtwo?

Pokken had and still has a whole lot of potential. It’s the closest thing we have to an all Pokemon Smash Bros game.

I love Pokken Tournament! We can't just let this beautiful game die... 😭

I didn't hear much of the game but I found it this summer, didn't play it much. Now I'm looking at it more as time goes by cuz it's a great idea. The weird fighting mechanics was a turn off when I got it. It's fun now that I'm putting more time into it.

6:40 Machamp used ORA ORA

I think the biggest issue with the game was poor mechanics. Burst was way too strong for casuals and way too weak for pro play. The inherent RPS (grab, attack, counter) system with a million moves having armor made the game feel like a knockdown, then guess right on wake-up fest. Plenty of people wanted to give the game a shot, but just couldn't stomach it after a few months.

The small roster killed it outright for me when I found the game secondhand at GameStop a few months ago. Had to read the label four or five times to make sure I was reading that insultingly small number correctly. There are enough Legendaries, Mythicals, and other strong Pokémon that they should have included at least a hundred.

Yeah, it was too complicated for the franchise's audience. I'm not too bad at fighting games, but even I felt overwhelmed by it. Without the second phase it would still have had enough depth.

What's the background music for the start of the video?

If they could double the roster for the second version, they might have something. But wait until switch 2 out and probably gen 10 released.

I loved Pokkén on Wii U, but not enough to double dip on Switch. I think if it were saved for a Switch launch title with DLC it wouldn’t be so forgotten.

I think it was reasonably successful for a fighting game but under the bar for pokemon. Agree alot about the struggles with local play (I got used to playing backwards haha) but I think if pokken 2 happens it'll stay strong if they keep the updates coming.

Garchomp goes hard here, my favorite boi showing his strength!