As expected, this morning’s big Pokemon-related announcement by Nintendo was a new Pokemon game for the 3DS. What was surprising was that Nintendo has created a full 3D world for the new game as opposed to the classic styling of the quasi-top down perspective for moving through the world and the mostly static combat screen. That’s fitting considering that it’s the first Pokemon game in 3D (the Black and White series were released on the DS).

In addition to the new graphics style and fully-animated battles, you’re playing in a new area of post-nuclear war Japan the world that looks very much based on Europe. Whether this new region of the Pokemon world is cutoff from the other regions remains to be seen. However, we do know that there will be new Pokemon added to the 649 already in your Pokedex. (That makes me feel old. It was only 251 when I last played a Pokemon game.) Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie have been confirmed as the grass, fire and water type starter Pokemon for the games.

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are due out in October and will be released simultaneously worldwide, a first for Pokemon games.