Pokkén Tournament Is A Pokémon Fighting Game For Japanese Arcades

This morning, The Pokémon Company announced a partnership with Bandai Namco on a new project. Pokken Fighters is a Pokémon fighting game that will be released in 2015.

The first look showed two Pokémon duking it out hand-to hand. The title is slated for arcades in Japan, and the only hint that we have about a possible North American release is an English trailer from The Pokémon Company’s official YouTube channel.

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Our Take
It’s important to note that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company do not completely overlap. Nintendo isn’t involved in the Pokémon TCG for iOS and, as of now, isn’t involved here. This might be a good get for the Wii U, but we won’t really know until we see something beyond fighting type Pokémon. 

The creatures are at their most interesting with elemental and ranged attacks mixed in. Unfortunately, Tekken and Soul Calibur are about up close, melee fighting. Until we get a sense for how other types of Pokémon are included, my enthusiasm will remain in check.