Pokémon

Here’s a small Pikachu voice recognition toy that will look in your direction and babble “Pika Pika.” According to Takara Tomy’s YouTube description, everyone from small kids to foreigners can play with it. No word of an international release.

One Unused Pokémon Concept Was Just A Gun

There’s still a lot to sort through in the big leak of a demo for Pokémon Gold and Silver from yesterday. But let’s talk about this early version of Remoraid, who used to look like a gun. In the release version of Gold and Silver, Remoraid is basically just a fish. Remoraid evolves into Octillery,…

The Internet Reacts To Those Unused Pokémon Designs

Nintendo recently announced two new Pokémon games coming to Switch later this year and one that’s out now called Pokémon Quest. There’s also a bigger Pokémon RPG coming in 2019. The real news this week though is that there actually used to be a ton of weird and adorable Pokémon that were planned for Pokémon…

Pokémon Quest Is… Fine. It’s Fine.

Pokémon Quest is a cute little RPG that I enjoy playing, but that I feel like I’ll enjoy more once it actually comes to phones in June. On the same day that Nintendo announced Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, they also announced that there’d be a small, “free to start” game available on the Switch’s…

Old  Pokémon Gold And Silver Demo Shows Features That Never Made It

Pokémon Gold and Silver once had a bigger map, many more Pokémon, and even a skateboard, according to a new leak of a pre-release demo for the two 1999 Pokémon games. First shown at the Nintendo Space World Convention in 1997, two years before the games’ release, this demo for what would become Gold and…

The Man Who Inspired Snorlax

One of the most beloved Pokémon is Snorlax. Meet the man who inspired the character. In a recent interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, Pokémon art director Ken Sugimori confirmed that planner Koji Nishino served as the model for Snorlax. Nishino has worked on the series since Red and Green Previously, it seems, that it wasn’t…

No One Knows If People Eat Pokémon

One question has always haunted me during my years playing Pokémon. If people eat meat in the Pokémon universe, and there are no other animals that players see or interact with but Pokémon, what are they eating? Series director Junichi Masuda says not even he knows. Masuda has worked on every single Pokémon game at…

The Internet Reacts To Pokémon On Switch

Last night Nintendo announced Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, two new Pokémon games coming to Switch in November. They may not be what people were expecting or hoping for, but any time there’s new Pokémon games, the internet is gonna freak out. Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are both based on Pokémon Yellow,…

Alola Version Of Exeggutor Comes To Pokémon Go With A Goofy Twist 

The Alola version of Exeggutor turned the Pocket Monster into a full-sized palm tree. The character’s design was rather silly! So is this Pokémon Go depiction. Earlier this month, it was announced that Alolan forms were coming to Pokémon Go You cannot see Exeggutor’s head, right? Hilarious, right? But you can see the full character…

You know that “free to start” Pokémon RPG that was just announced? Well, it’s going to be on the Switch eShop today. I’ll be sitting here refreshing.

A Proper Pokémon RPG Is Coming To Switch In 2019

Aside from showing off two all-new Pokémon games for the Switch tonight, Nintendo also dropped news fans have been waiting years for: a full, core and proper Pokémon RPG is coming to consoles next year. There’s not much in there other than a reminder (a Pokemon RPG on a console was first teased by Nintendo…

New Pokémon Game Announced For Switch, Has Multiplayer & Poké Ball Controller [Update]

Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are real, and coming to the Switch on November 16, Nintendo announced this evening, confirming previous leaks and rumors. These games will take players all the way back to Kanto region to collect the original 151 Pokémon, and they’ll feel very different than any Pokémon game we’ve seen.…

There’s A New ‘Free-To-Start’ Pokémon Game For Switch [UPDATE]

Pokémon Quest is a cute new Pokémon RPG, where you’ll be able to befriend the pocket monsters on the Switch. Update – 9:53pm: And it’s going to be available on the Switch eShop today. Pokémon Quest is a “free to start” RPG for the Switch, taking place in the new region of Tumblecube Island. In…

Prosecutor: Father Of Kid Rescued By ‘Real-Life Spider-Man’ Was Playing Pokémon Go

A Malian immigrant heroically rescued a four-year-old Parisian child dangling from a balcony on Monday with Spider-Man-like nimbleness. Today, we got an answer to the million-dollar question, “Where were his parents?” According to authorities, the parent he lives with, his father, was out catching Pokémon. Over the last day, the video of rescuer-slash-IRL superhero Mamoudou…

Pokémon Dev Shares Designs That Didn’t Make It Into Original Games, Inspiring Fan Art

While the original 151 Pokémon are now world-famous, not every monster idea that Game Freak at the time made the cut. Earlier this week, we got a look at some of the creatures that never made it into the game, and fans are giving the designs a new life. The image above was shared via…

Fans Are Buzzing About A Possible Pokémon Switch Leak 

Seemingly every big Pokémon game leaks ahead of time, and a new generation of entries may follow suit. Over the last few days, a series of online posts purporting knowledge of the next major pocket monsters game have caught fire within the Pokémon community. If real, these leaks promise Pokémon games that are simultaneously familiar…

Pokémon Games Should Be Messier And More Annoying

When I was younger, I liked to overtrain my Pokémon until they stopped listening to my every command. You could do this in older games and risk the consequences. I found it thrilling to know that, at any moment, maybe in a crucial battle, my Pokémon might not do as I say. Now that I’m…

Pikachu Wasn’t Based On A Mouse, But A Squirrel 

Even though the Pokédex describes as a “Mouse” type, the iconic character was originally based on another rodent. In a new Yomiuri interview, Atsuko Nishida, who previously worked at Game Freak, revealed that she based the character’s original designs for Pokémon Red and Green on a squirrel and not a mouse. “At that time, I…

Piplup From Pokémon Turned Into Internet Nightmares

Nagoya-based YouTuber and Twitter user Pocha has an interesting speciality. Namely, taking Piplup and creating CG dance animations like this. Or this. And this. Thank you, Pocha. I think. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from…

I Love Unfinished and Broken Games

I’ve been playing a lot of incomplete and glitchy games lately, from Radical Heights to Far Cry 2. Their messy imperfections often annoy players looking for sleek and polished experiences where everything runs smoothly but I find unfinished textures and falling out of bounds is strangely beautiful. When Final Fantasy XV’s demo Episode Duscae released…