Pokémon fans flocked to central London this weekend for the ultimate sneak peak of the latest games and Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction. The Ham Yard Hotel hosted the event, which treated big and small fans alike to a hands-on experience, with an excitable man-sized Pikachu thrown into the mix.
Pokémon creators Junichi Masuda and Takeshi Kawachimaru flew in from Japan to introduce the latest in a throng of Pokémon movies that tie in with the phenomenally popular new games, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Mixing old-time favourites Ash and Pikachu with the star of the latest games, jewel Pokémon Diancie, there is little there for the adults in the audience but younger fans will enjoy the new array of characters, with battles and show-downs mixing with cosplay and a baffling number of sub-plots.
Tailored for infant attention spans, the Cocoon of Destruction serves the simple purpose of giving fans the same narrative found in the games minus the interaction. Special effects are far from ground-breaking, but are not the selling point for a character-based franchise and so expect clunky CG to walk hand in hand with some pretty basic animation.
Anyone with no interest in the globally recognised brand would find the event a waste of time, but anyone that has picked up a Gameboy in the last ten years and tried their hand at the game will be pleased to know that Pokémon is as strong as ever, and shows no signs of slowing down.
