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Kotaku East
The Total Sales for Pokémon Are Staggering
This year marks Pokémon’s 20th anniversary. Starting in 1996, when Pokémon Red and Blue launched in Japan, the world has purchased millions of Pokémon games and its spin-offs. Over 279 million, that is. Think about that number for a moment. Dual releases aside, it’s incredible. According to Famitsu, that’s the latest global sales figure for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 17, 2016 -
Pokémon Designer Killed In Freak Accident
Veteran Pokémon artist and designer Eric Medalle died Sunday in Seattle when a massive tree collapsed onto his car. He was 42. As reported by KING 5 News in Seattle, Medalle had been driving with one of his two daughters near a park called Lost Lake Trail. A significant windstorm knocked over several trees in…
By Jason Schreier Published March 16, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Reminder: Pokémon Is Incredibly Popular in Japan
Don’t ever forget this. In Japan, people really, really like Pokémon. So today, when the newest Pokémon Center opened in Kyoto, there were massive lines to get into the store. Yesterday, when I visited the shop to check out its limited goods, I kind of thought, hey, people will come tomorrow. Did they ever. As…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 16, 2016 -
Kotaku East
The Most Traditional Pokémon Center in Japan
This week a new Pokémon Center opens in Kyoto. At first glance it looks like any other Pokémon Center that dots Japan, but it’s not. This is the most traditionally Japanese of them all. The store’s centerpiece is a statue of Pikachu riding Ho-Oh. Hardly an accident, the statue has a deeper meaning as a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 15, 2016 -
Magikarp’s Stage On The Pokémon Fighting Game Is Pure Fire
Magikarp isn’t a fighter in Pokkén Tournament, but damn if it’s not stealing the show anyway. So, there’s a stage in the Pokémon fighting game called “Magikarp Festival,” which you can see below in GameXplain’s video. You’ll note that the stage takes place on a fishing boat, and you can see Magikarp floppin’ about everywhere.…
By Patricia Hernandez Published March 11, 2016 -
Kotaku East
New Pokémon Game, New Fake Magazine Scans
Whenever there is a new Pokémon game, you can count on two things: Excitement and phoney magazine scans of the new Trainers and the three Starters. Pokémon Sun and Moon will be no exception. There are numerous examples of this in the past (hereand here, for example), but as Japanese site Hachima Kikou points out,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 11, 2016 -
Culture
Stardew Valley Mod Fills The Game With Pokémon
I’ve always wanted to play a Pokémon game where, instead of being a ten-year-old warmonger, I got to settle down and participate in other aspects of the Pokéconomy. Now, with the help of a Stardew Valley mod, I can. Pokedew Valley is an ongoing effort to collect every Pokémon-themed Stardew Valley mod under the sun…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 10, 2016 -
Kotaku EastNew Pokémon Experience Headed to Smartphones in Japan
Unveiled today, Pokémon Co-Master is a board game-style Pokémon title for iOS and Android. According toThe Pokémon Company, the game is Pokémon meets jinkouchinou (人工知能), which is the Japanese word for artificial intelligence. The combination, The Pokémon Company says, makes for a new Pocket Monster experience. The game, which is free-to-play with online, is a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 10, 2016 -
A Ten-Minute Tour Of Pokkén Tournament Wii U
The Wii U version of Namco Bandai’s Pokémon fighting game has landed at Kotaku, along with strict time constraints on how much video we can share. So here’s quick look at training, fighting, customization and Amiibo unlocks of Pokkén Tournament. Before review day arrives we are able to share 30 minutes of direct feed (non-streamed)…
By Mike Fahey Published March 7, 2016 -
Kotaku East
A Touching Pokémon Tribute in GIF Form
Here we are, celebrating Pokémon’s 20th anniversary. The best tribute I’ve seen so far is this GIF made by Japanese Twitter user Memi. It’s beautiful. Thanks, Roy for the tip! To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 3, 2016 -
Pokkén Creators Wanted To Make Pokémon Look ‘Really Realistic’ For Their Fighting Game
Pokémon are usually cute creatures. That’s part of the appeal. But the upcoming Pokémon fighting game is not about that life. A couple of weeks ago, I had a chat with Pokkén producers Katsuhiro Harada (of Tekken fame) and Masaaki Hoshino (of Soul Calibur fame). I wanted to know, what was the most surprising thing…
By Patricia Hernandez Published March 2, 2016 -
The GTA Series In The Style Of Pokémon
CJ, Niko Bellic, Tommy Vercetti and GTA III’s Claude, all together, in a fantastic demake by Hat-Loving Gamer. And it’s not just a demake. The battles and other mechanics are now all similar to classic Pokémon games. It’s a tougher world, so the gym is no longer used for Pokémon battles. To contact the author…
By Gergo Vas Published March 2, 2016 -
The Pokémon Superstition That Will Never Die
Some people think that walking under a ladder is bad luck. Others knock on wood so they don’t tempt fate. And we can’t forget about the people who avoid the number 13. Some people even press “down B” after they throw a Pokeball in Pokémon games, because they think it will help them capture monsters…
By Patricia Hernandez Published March 1, 2016 -
Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow’s Miiverse Is Amazing
Fantastic illustrations. Hilarious screenshots. Nostalgia. Pokémon’s Miiverse has it all—including, surprisingly enough, players who are experiencing Red/Blue/Yellow for the very first time. It’s one of the most heartening things I’ve seen this year. Here’s the best of the original Pokémon’s Miiverse. Kanto is a funny place Stand-out illustrations The newbies Celebrations
By Patricia Hernandez Published February 29, 2016 -
CultureMeet The Latest Big-Headed Pokémon Figure And His Powerful Friend
Back in December 2014 I took a look at the first melding of two of my favorite toy properties, Pokemon and Good Smile Company’s big-headed Nendoroid line. Today we get to play with the latest addition to the line, the N Nendoroid, which is not easy to say at all. The misguided but well-meaning leader…
By Mike Fahey Published February 29, 2016 -
The Original Starter Pokémon, Re-Imagined
“What would the first Pokémon generation look like if they were introduced today?” To answer that question, Pokéfans infinipede and ShedSimas embarked on a project to redesign the original 151 Pokémon, with their first targets being, of course, the original starters. As the introductory post on the New 151 Tumblr blog states, the pair of…
By András Neltz Published February 29, 2016 -
Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: An Unfortunate Acronym
They probably should have gone with “Bright Sun” and “Dark Moon” or something to that effect for the next two Pokemon games, but they didn’t. Pokemon S&M it is. All we need now is a Pokemon wearing a gimp mask and . . . ah yes, Banette. Close enough. Let’s do this. Those of you…
By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2016 -
Meanwhile, In Scenic New York City
By Mike Fahey Published February 27, 2016 -
That Time My Pikachu Was Kidnapped And Held For Ransom
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Pokemon Red and Blue in Japan, and fans are celebrating by sharing their fondest Pokememories. Mine involve a kidnapping, complete with Polaroid shots and a magazine cut-out ransom letter. It all went down at Dragon*Con 1999 in downtown Atlanta. I’d been working security for the convention…
By Mike Fahey Published February 27, 2016