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Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Release Date, Bundles, Gameplay, and Everything Else You Need to Know

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Release Date, Bundles, Gameplay, and Everything Else You Need to Know

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 14 November 2018 01:21 IST

Highlights

Pokemon Go Pokemon can be transferred to either game
Motion controls aren't needed in handheld mode
Both games are 1080p in docked mode

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! are the first new Pokemon games for the Nintendo Switch since Pokemon Quest. When the Nintendo Switch released in March 2017, the ability to use it as a handheld and home console made it an ideal fit for new Pokemon games and Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! are, as the title suggests, influenced by Pokemon Go for Android and iOS in addition to the traditional role-playing gameplay the series is usually known for. Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! are out this week and here's what you need to know about these Nintendo Switch exclusives.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! differences

The starter Pokemon differ in both games, giving you either Pikachu or Eevee depending on the one you buy. Pikachu has a surfboard, allowing it to sail the high seas while Eevee can use a balloon to fly and cut through small trees. Some Pokemon will be exclusive to each title — Oddish, Sandshrew, and Growlithe only appear in Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! while Bellsprout, Vulpix, and Meowth are exclusive to Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! release date

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! for the Nintendo Switch have a release date of November 16 internationally on cartridge and digitally via the Nintendo eShop.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! download size

If you're looking to buy Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! digitally, prepare to make some space on your Nintendo Switch. Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Have download size of 4.1GB each, totalling at 8.2GB if you want both games.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! preload date and unlock time
Digital buyers were able to preload Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! Starting October 22. The Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! unlock time is 12am ET according to the US Nintendo eShop.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! price
Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! have a $60 price tag (around Rs. 4,200). Although Nintendo doesn't have an official India presence, that hasn't stopped parallel importers and grey market stores from stocking up on the game as they have in previous years. Several Mumbai-based game stores speaking to Gadgets 360 have confirmed that they would be selling Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee cartridges in the range of Rs. 4,200 to Rs. 4,700, which isn't too bad when you consider that it's almost the same price for the game digitally and you get the added advantages of saving on Nintendo Switch storage space and selling your copy of the game when you're done.

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee Nintendo Switch limited bundles
On November 16 you'll be able to buy two Pokemon Let's Go limited bundles, which include a Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/ Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! branded console, a Poke Ball Plus accessory, and pre-installed digital versions of Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! The Pokemon Let's Go Nintendo Switch limited edition price is $400 (around Rs. 28,000). These are Nintendo's first limited edition Nintendo Switch consoles for the West. The last one was exclusive to Japan, a Monster Hunter XX Nintendo Switch console that sold out in seconds. Considering Pokemon's popularity in India, we won't be surprised to see these available around launch week, albeit at a slightly higher price.

Poke Ball Plus
Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! for the Nintendo Switch get a new Joy-Con accessory called the Poke Ball Plus. Nintendo revealed the Poke Ball Plus release date as November 16, the same day as the games. It can also be used with Pokemon Go. The Poke Ball Plus price is $50 (around Rs. 3,500). In terms of specifications, it houses a 220mAh battery and charges via USB Type-C. Nintendo claims the Poke Ball Plus can be charged using the Nintendo Switch AC adapter and the battery lasts around three hours on a single charge. It comes preloaded with a rare Pokemon, Mew for use with the games.

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! resolution and frame rate
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee on the Nintendo Switch have a 720p resolution on the console's screen. In docked mode on an HDTV, the Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! resolution is upped to 1080p. Now this might not be a big deal if you've been playing on a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, but to put it into perspective, outside of Pokemon Go on Android and iOS, Nintendo Pokemon games have had the highest resolution of 240p on the Nintendo 3DS. While Nintendo nor The Pokemon Company hasn't confirmed the Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! frame rate yet, it's safe to say that the games would take advantage of the Nintendo Switch's hardware for greater fluidity.

Are Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee core Pokemon games?
Since they're developed by Pokemon studio Game Freak and have been heavily inspired by Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! are considered by its creators to be core Pokemon games intended to be entry points for those new to Pokemon or who only played Pokemon Go. “Not only have we managed to make these titles great entry games for those who are new to the Pokemon RPG series, but at the same time really provide a new and fresh experience that fans of the series will enjoy,” said Game Freak Director and Producer Junichi Masuda during the reveal of these games. “I wanted to bring the fun of this more intuitive, as well as widely accepted and popular, Pokemon-catching gameplay, right back to the Pokemon main series RPGs.”

That said, they're not mainline Pokemon Games. Pokemon Red and Blue, Gold and Silver, Sun and Moon, these are all considered mainline Pokemon games as they introduce new locations and new generations of Pokemon, both of which aren't the case in Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, despite being developed by Game Freak.

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee motion control gameplay explained
Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! use the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con gyroscope in docked mode to capture Pokemon. What this means is, you'll aim and throw Pokeballs to catch Pokemon by simulating throwing motions not too dissimilar to games like bowling on the Nintendo Wii. In handheld mode, you don't use motion controls. Instead, players can use the joystick on the left Joy-Con controller to aim and press the A button to throw a Poke Ball.

Do you need Pokemon Go to Play Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee?
No, Pokemon Go is not required to play either game. As you play through Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!, however, you'll be able to transfer Pokemon from Pokemon Go. Keep in mind that any Pichu, Pikachu, or Raichu with special hats in Pokemon Go cannot be transferred to Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! or Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! and Pokemon that are shiny in Pokemon Go stay shiny in Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!. This is important because some Pokemon Go events make shiny Pokemon easily available than they usually are in mainline Pokemon games.

What Pokemon are in Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!?
The first 150 Pokemon from the original games along with their Alolan forms from Pokemon Sun and Moon are in Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

Do Pikachu and Eevee evolve in Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!?
The Pikachu or Eevee you start with cannot evolve. Those you catch or transfer however, can be evolved. Furthermore, only Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon are available out of Eevee's eight current evolutions. Are you looking forward to Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and/ or Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!? Let us know via the comments.

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