‘Pokémon Sun and Moon’ Release Date, Latest News Update; Joining With ‘Pokémon Go’?

Oct 04, 2016 06:42 PM EDT

At this point, there is little point talking about Pokémon as it is gone from a niche fad to a household name.  Especially after its two-decade anniversary happening this year, to the hugely spectacular launch of the mobile game of Pokémon GO, it seems like everyone is playing it now.  Naturally, this leads into what will be a very exciting game launch for Pokémon Sun and Moon on the 3DS, which finally has a formal release date. 

For those that don't know, Pokémon Sun and Moon promises a new wave of starter Pokémon, but some legendary ones to continue to look for, according to Game N Guide.  It is the seventh generation for the entire Pokémon saga, and pre-orders are filling fast now that the release date has been finally announced.  It is a follow-up to the popular Pokémon X and Y editions that launched on the 3DS all the way back in 2013. 

Like most games, Pokémon Sun and Moon will have a special edition.  In this case, it is the Fan Edition which has a SteelBook case that will hold the game itself.  Nintendo plans to offer a direct pre-order with three various packages, one of which shows Solgaleo and Lunala, who are the two lead Pokémon in the series. 

Also, for those that intend to purchase Pokémon Sun and Moon before January 11, 2017, there will be a Munchlax included.  The Munchlax is apparently going to eventually evolve into a Pulverizing Snorlax, and rigged with a feat known as Snorlium Z, a Z-move that is known as the Pulverizing Pancake.  That Munchlax also has two other special moves of Hold Back and Happy Hour.

There is also a report from University Herald that the upcoming games will include Mega Evolution, maybe.  This was a feature included in Pokémon X and Y, and it hopefully was popular enough to show up in Pokémon Sun and Moon. 

A recent update to the news about Pokémon GO shows that there are exclusive characters for each version, according to PC Advisor.  For example, players will only find Passimian in Sun and will only be able to catch Oranguru in Moon. 

There will also be a feature known as Pokémon Bank that will allow players to be able to transfer any of their Pokémon from the original trio to Sun and Moon.  There will also be a new battle format known as Battle Royal where four trainers can battle at once.  Each chooses three Pokémon, with one entering the field at a time, and then it is all over when all three Pokémon of any one trainer have fainted. 

There is even a report from iDigitalTimes saying that there could be a link-up between Pokémon Sun and Moon with Pokémon GO.  It is an interesting idea, and a definite way to make Pokémon even bigger than it already is for its best year yet. 

The demo for Pokémon Sun and Moon is going to be released for the Nintendo 3DS on October 18, and then the games will have their formal release date on November 18.