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On April 18 2026 12:52 lestye wrote:Show nested quote +On April 15 2026 01:46 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I didn't realize that the recently released Pokemon Champions game was free... I just downloaded it, and there's a lot more customizability than I would have thought, even without importing any Pokemon from other games! So far, it seems fun  Yeah I havent sunken my teeth into it. I really should because I keep getting WolfeyVGC's youtube shorts recommended to me, and the antics they do in pokemon is interesting. Ill have to do research because im curious how the tension is with competitive pokemon fans and new mainline games. I'd expect it to be a complete shitshow like Diablo 3 PVP or something, but apparently people are still into it. I wonder if Game Freak has struggled with needing new shiny feature for combat that appeals to casuals and competitive players. It was odd to me, because Sword and Shield really leaned into pokemon battle as a spectacle, yet they didnt really get people into the competitive format, which seems like a disservice
The developers made Pokemon Champions very accessible, user-friendly, and even balanced for beginners too, streamlining the EVs, abilities, and attacks in ways that even non-competitive players (like me) can easily understand and tinker with. For example, instead of needing to worry about EVs, every Pokemon already has the maximun number of points available that you can then allocate/spread among speed, physical attack, special attack, etc. Similarly, you can choose any 4 attacks that can normally be learned by a Pokemon, and you can change them between battles.
Pretty much everything is low-risk and customizable at any time, and you start the game with plenty of options for free Pokemon.
I spent $0, transferred zero of my own Pokemon, was still able to make fun and strong parties, and went really far in both ranked singles and ranked doubles. I think some people were worried that the game would be pay-to-win due to there being optional microtransactions, but it's definitely not.
If you know the Pokemon type/strong/weak chart and make sure your party has decent coverage with strong, reliable damage-dealing attacks, you're already like 80% fine. Maybe even 90% if your Pokemon have higher speeds / go first, and if you assign some useful items / mega stones for your Pokemon to hold. The last 10% - to really be successful at the highest of levels - takes a bit of learning about abilities, synergies, and swapping in a few non-damage-dealing attacks (like Tailwind), but most players will win most games using just damage-dealing attacks that exploit weaknesses/STAB. Very straightforward for the majority, especially if you've ever played even a single mainline Pokemon game.
I think if there was one criticism I'd make, it's that there's no real single player mode for battling/campaigning, like in Pokemon Stadium. Gamers can still play casual/unranked battles though, if the ranked/ladder structure isn't their cup of tea.
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How well does Pragmata run on a Switch2?
I can run it on my current computer but it's like a 2060 rtx so probably not super well.
I'm contemplating buying a new computer in about 2 months so I could wait.
But if it runs well on max settings on a Switch2 I could just play it on that.
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On April 19 2026 22:30 CuddlyCuteKitten wrote:
How well does Pragmata run on a Switch2?
I can run it on my current computer but it's like a 2060 rtx so probably not super well.
I'm contemplating buying a new computer in about 2 months so I could wait.
But if it runs well on max settings on a Switch2 I could just play it on that.
I only played the demo in docked mode and didn't notice any framerate drops. I thought the graphics were solid too - nothing took away from my enjoyable gameplay experience. I don't exactly remember how many fps, but I found this article/review:
"Played in TV mode, though, Pragmata has a beautifully clean presentation that handles the detailed hard surfaces of the art style really well and, to my untrained eye, runs at a smooth 60 frames per second. Pretty great! In handheld, the game appears to downshift to 30 frames per second and the presentation is slightly muddy; it has that clean-but-hazy look of a game running at low internal resolution that's been upscaled. But it still looks good! It looks like Pragmata." https://www.polygon.com/pragmata-switch-2-performance-graphics-impressions/
So it seems that there are basically no issues in docked mode, and then you can expect the usual concessions if you opt for the versatility of handheld mode!
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On April 20 2026 00:15 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Show nested quote +On April 19 2026 22:30 CuddlyCuteKitten wrote:
How well does Pragmata run on a Switch2?
I can run it on my current computer but it's like a 2060 rtx so probably not super well.
I'm contemplating buying a new computer in about 2 months so I could wait.
But if it runs well on max settings on a Switch2 I could just play it on that. I only played the demo in docked mode and didn't notice any framerate drops. I thought the graphics were solid too - nothing took away from my enjoyable gameplay experience. I don't exactly remember how many fps, but I found this article/review: "Played in TV mode, though, Pragmata has a beautifully clean presentation that handles the detailed hard surfaces of the art style really well and, to my untrained eye, runs at a smooth 60 frames per second. Pretty great! In handheld, the game appears to downshift to 30 frames per second and the presentation is slightly muddy; it has that clean-but-hazy look of a game running at low internal resolution that's been upscaled. But it still looks good! It looks like Pragmata." https://www.polygon.com/pragmata-switch-2-performance-graphics-impressions/ So it seems that there are basically no issues in docked mode, and then you can expect the usual concessions if you opt for the versatility of handheld mode!
Sounds pretty good. I'll think about it. I kind of need a new computer for work anyway and I really need to buy one for tax reasons so...
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On April 19 2026 00:11 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:Show nested quote +On April 18 2026 12:52 lestye wrote:On April 15 2026 01:46 DarkPlasmaBall wrote:I didn't realize that the recently released Pokemon Champions game was free... I just downloaded it, and there's a lot more customizability than I would have thought, even without importing any Pokemon from other games! So far, it seems fun Yeah I havent sunken my teeth into it. I really should because I keep getting WolfeyVGC's youtube shorts recommended to me, and the antics they do in pokemon is interesting. Ill have to do research because im curious how the tension is with competitive pokemon fans and new mainline games. I'd expect it to be a complete shitshow like Diablo 3 PVP or something, but apparently people are still into it. I wonder if Game Freak has struggled with needing new shiny feature for combat that appeals to casuals and competitive players. It was odd to me, because Sword and Shield really leaned into pokemon battle as a spectacle, yet they didnt really get people into the competitive format, which seems like a disservice The developers made Pokemon Champions very accessible, user-friendly, and even balanced for beginners too, streamlining the EVs, abilities, and attacks in ways that even non-competitive players (like me) can easily understand and tinker with. For example, instead of needing to worry about EVs, every Pokemon already has the maximun number of points available that you can then allocate/spread among speed, physical attack, special attack, etc. Similarly, you can choose any 4 attacks that can normally be learned by a Pokemon, and you can change them between battles. Pretty much everything is low-risk and customizable at any time, and you start the game with plenty of options for free Pokemon. I spent $0, transferred zero of my own Pokemon, was still able to make fun and strong parties, and went really far in both ranked singles and ranked doubles. I think some people were worried that the game would be pay-to-win due to there being optional microtransactions, but it's definitely not. If you know the Pokemon type/strong/weak chart and make sure your party has decent coverage with strong, reliable damage-dealing attacks, you're already like 80% fine. Maybe even 90% if your Pokemon have higher speeds / go first, and if you assign some useful items / mega stones for your Pokemon to hold. The last 10% - to really be successful at the highest of levels - takes a bit of learning about abilities, synergies, and swapping in a few non-damage-dealing attacks (like Tailwind), but most players will win most games using just damage-dealing attacks that exploit weaknesses/STAB. Very straightforward for the majority, especially if you've ever played even a single mainline Pokemon game. I think if there was one criticism I'd make, it's that there's no real single player mode for battling/campaigning, like in Pokemon Stadium. Gamers can still play casual/unranked battles though, if the ranked/ladder structure isn't their cup of tea.
If you are still making attempts you can do the opposite of tailwind and use trick room which removes the pressure of maxing speed.
Players will only find wins using attack only movs if there is still a deep enough player pool. Competitve pokemon teaches people really fast that attacking with your pokemon right away is usually tricky to say the least :D (mostly thinking about 2v2 naturally).
I have a "few" min/maxed mons but have yet to find the time/will to play champions :/ currently my switch is almost fully focused on lego SW, my kid doesnt drop it eheh
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Here are 30+ games that Nintendo has added to their list of upcoming releases, some of which already have free demos available: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/games/coming-soon
The list isn't even complete yet - there are more 2026 confirmed games (e.g., Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave) and more 2026 leaked games (e.g., a new Star Fox) - so it looks like there will still be plenty to play during the second half of this year, before 2027 arrives with some heavy hitters: new Pokemon mainline games and probably a new 3D Mario. Maybe 2028 could be the next 3D Zelda too?
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EPT
