Originally scheduled to be released only in Japan, the highly anticipated Pokemon-based fighting game, Pokken Tournament, may have found a home on US shores as well. Kevin Bachus, the Senior Vice President of Entertainment and Game Strategy for Dave and Buster’s, told Reddit during an AMA that Dave and Buster’s would be testing Pokken Tournament. He stated: “Yes. We will be testing Pokken. Candidly both NAMCO and I are more optimistic about that title and our typical guests than Tekken.” This statement obviously set off a firestorm of people requesting that their nearest Dave and Buster’s become a test location.
Pokken Tournament was released in Japanese arcades on July 16th. It is a one-on-one brawler featuring monsters from the Pokemon universe duking it out in an enclosed arena. Basically, Street Fighter with cute little monsters.
So far, nine characters have been announced as playable in Pokken Tournament. In addition to the Machamp pictured above, players will also be able to enter the arena as Blaziken, Charizard, Gardevoir, Gengar, Lucario, Pikachu, Suicune, and Weavile. Other Pokemon, such as Eevee and Lapras, have been confirmed as characters that can be called in to assist you during fights. It features controls similar to modern home consoles, as opposed to the more traditional arcade stick that most fighting games use. This is to help it appeal to a more casual audience and, presumably, to make the transition to a home console port simpler. Each monster will also be able to use their traditional moves that fans are familiar with, as well as build up a “Resonance Gauge” to unleash their mega evolutions.
What do you think about a Pokemon-themed tournament fighter coming to Dave and Buster’s? Will Pokken Tournament‘s appeal convince you and your friends to go enjoy a Mountain O Nachos? Let us know in the comments!
