The formula of Pokémon has remained largely unchanged since the days of Red & Blue back on the original Game Boy. Even though each subsequent generation of the series has added a wealth of new content and made the overall experience a much more strategic one, players both casual and hardcore are still tasked with roaming the world and catching the eponymous creatures in order to battle both AI-controlled and human opponents. The phrase 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' comes to mind, as the series' sales continue to remain strong two decades after the release of the original games. Naturally, there have been numerous spin-offs, from pinball games and games based on the Trading Card element of the series to a long-forgotten photography game and battling simulators on the Nintendo 64, GameCube and Wii. To date, however, there has never been an open-world Pokémon RPG released on consoles. Such a title could contain Just Cause-sized world that players are free to roam and explore to their heart's content, populated by high definition renditions of all 720 Pokémon. Realistic battle sequences would also be a sight to behold (if a little graphic), whilst exploration tasks would be greatly livened by the assorted aquatic, cavernous, mountainous, woodland and urban environments in which the aforementioned 720 beings make their home. The Wii U has greatly struggled as a console in comparison to its predecessor, but the release of a groundbreaking original title such as this could go a long way to reverse its fortunes, giving Nintendo something that both Sony and Microsoft lack in the form of a huge, high quality game based on a multimedia juggernaut. Alternatively, should Nintendo eventually choose to go the way of Sega and switch to becoming solely a developer of games rather than consoles, such a title would be a hell of a way to make a new first impression.
