Pokken Tournament DX Live! See the Pokemon Tekken Mashup

Today Nintendo is going a little deeper into the competitive nature of Pokken Tournament DX on the Nintendo Switch during it's Treehouse Live at E3 livestream. The stream has already begun, and above you'll see a number of representatives from the Nintendo Treehouse and the team behind Pokken showing you just what makes this game so special. If you've been wondering what the big deal is, you're about to find out.

Pokken Tournament is a game that originally launched on the Wii U. It's the brain-child of the folks behind fighting games like Soul Calibur and Tekken, and of course, the people behind Pokemon. If the thought of a 3D and 2.5D fighting game hybrid from the people who make Tekken sounds a bit bizarre for a Pokemon game, well, that's because it is. It's the strangest thing we could have imagined, but it works so well.

And I can tell you this from personal experience. I spent countless hours playing Pokken Tournament on the Wii U, and I'm dying to get back to it again on the Nintendo Switch. This new version will feature never before seen stages and five additional Pokemon that were only playable in the Japanese arcade version of the game.

Pokken Tournament DX plays out in two distinct phases. During field phase, your Pokemon will have full-range 3D movement across the battlefield where you'll have to utilize ranged attacks and short combos to try to land a powerful blow on your opponent. If you succeed, the fight will shift into duel phase, which plays like a more traditional left and right, 2.5D fighting game like Street Fighter. Here is when you get to show off all of your fancy combos and mix-ups.

The game is constantly shifting between these two phases, which keeps the gameplay fresh and entertaining for those playing as well as for those watching. Check it out for yourself, and get pumped!