Posted Fri Jan 29, 2016 at 01:30 PM PST by Justin Clark
And we need to make it happen.
Let's just start at the beginning here with the actual news: Because this year represents the 20th (good God....) anniversary of the 'Pokemon' franchise, Nintendo has been quietly announcing the goodies fans of the series can expect over the next 365 days. The most recent one, besides 'Pokken Tournament' and 'Pokemon GO' for mobile devices, is a game currently known as 'Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo', but virtually everybody on the planet who isn't working for Nintendo is calling 'Detective Pikachu'. which will be releasing on the 3DS' eShop in Japan next month. Here's the first trailer:
You might've noticed something interesting around the 35 second mark. That's right: Pikachu actually talks in this game, and not just his own name. In fact, it seems he'll be doing a whole lot of talking, considering the full synopsis Nintendo released, which 'Pokemon' fansite Serebii.net was kind enough to translate:
"In the gameplay, you play as Tim as he has interviews with people and gathers evidence with the help of Detective Pikachu. Tim interviews humans while Pikachu interviews Pokémon. While exploring town, you can find spots to investigate. You can look for evidence by using a magnifying glass and moving it around the scene until you find something. If Pikachu notices anything, the bottom screen image of Pikachu will activate. Tap it to speak with Pikachu to get a hint or advice.
Detective Pikachu likes coffee and asks Tim to invite attractive women over for tea, but is weak around them. Detective Pikachu, due to being able to talk, cannot use any moves and isn't very fast."
Basically, it sounds like the out-of-the-courtroom bits of 'Phoenix Wright', but with 'Pokemon'. Sounds cute enough, and certainly something Western gamers would love to play. But this wasn't enough for a brilliant, ever-scheming internet. And so, in the days that followed the trailer's release, something beautiful has happened.
The internet is suggesting Danny Devito voice Pikachu.
Who knows where the initial idea came from but a change.org petition has now made the rounds of the gaming internet to have Danny Devito voice the great electric mouse detective. It was probably started as a lark. It is, as of this writing, a thin hair short of its 25,000 signature goal.
Now, Nintendo is well known for handling fan engagement rather conservatively, to say the least, but it doesn't mean they don't listen, as evidenced by the fact that fans managed to get a guntoting, badass sexpot murder witch from a hard-M rated game into 'Smash Bros.'. And yet, some ideas are so incredibly brilliant, so obviously great, that it would be folly to not try. An intrepid fan has even made a roughshod, but effective dub of Devito's 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' over the 'Detective Pikachu' trailer. It just. Plain. Works.
As of this moment, there have been no announcements of bringing 'Detective Pikachu' to the West. But it's a pretty safe bet at this point that there is, indeed, an audience. And that audience wants Pikachu to sound like Frank Reynolds. Nintendo, hear our prayer.
Source: Nintendo, Serebii.net, Tealhollow1 (via YouTube)
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