Pokémon

Months Later, Some Parks Are Protecting Themselves Against Pokémon Go Problems

When Pokémon Go was in its prime last year, many of the game’s more popular locations were parks. And some of those parks got trashed. Understandably, if also a little late (at least for Pokémon Go), local governments are now taking steps to try and stop this happening again. In Milwaukee, AP reports, one park…

Somebody’s Gonna Have To Choke A Pokémon

This is the official art from Tomy’s Toy Fair press kit for My Friend Eevee, the follow-up to My Friend Pikachu. This is not how you treat your friends. This is how you treat your friends. I didn’t get a live picture of My Friend Eevee, as the version at the show is a work…

These Pokémon Toys Are For Girls, But Boys Will Want Them Too

Though Pokémon has always held broad appeal across all genders, toy maker Tomy says female fans have been clamoring for stuff made specifically for them. And so we’re getting adorable little miniature playsets, purse Pokémon and awesome headbands. Works for me. I was initially confused as the Tomy rep took me through the girls section…

Togetic’s Low Catch Rate In Pokémon Go Is Frustrating Players

Anyone who comes across Togetic in the wild will want to catch it—I mean, look at the cute ‘lil bugger. Adding Togetic to your collection through a wild encounter may be way harder than it sounds, however. While Togetic was technically available before through egg hatching, the recent gen two update has made the monster…

Why Pokémon Go Players Are So Hyped About Unown

Unown, the letter-shaped monster, is causing a stir in Pokémon Go right now thanks to their mysterious nature. Everyone wants to capture Unown, but half the people talking about it aren’t even sure it’s actually in the game. Spoilers: it is. In the main games, Unown appear in ancient ruins, which gave them an air…

Pokémon Go Has Turned Blissey Into A Beast, And It’s Taking Over Gyms

Don’t let the round pinkness and the cheerful smile fool you: Blissey is a monster. Since it was added to the roster of second generation Pokémon Go creatures last night, Blissey has started to tear up many gyms. Here’s why Blissey is so good: it has a hell of a lot of health. Really, it’s…

The Pokémon Mega Bloks Are Coming

More accurately the Pokémon Mega Construx are coming, as Nintendo’s pocket monsters become the latest license to join Mattel’s recently re-branded line of construction toy sets. Anything is better than Ionix. Pokémon is one of the most desirable toy licenses out there, and now Mattel has the construction toy segment of that license locked up.…

Pokémon Go’s 80 New Monsters Are Now Live [Update]

Generation two is here, and it brings with it a slew of new faces to Pokémon Go. Earlier today, an update dropped for Pokémon Go that brought with it a slew of new customization options. More recently, the new roster of Pokémon from Gold and Silver went live, and are now fully capturable out in…

A Lack Of Patches Is Threatening Pokkén Tournament’s Competitive Future

Despite being slated to return to the Pokémon World Championships in 2017, the competitive Pokkén Tournament scene is facing a massive problem. The console version of the game, which some players train on before competing on arcade units, is badly in need of an update. But the the people behind Pokémon have made no indication…

In Japan, The Pokémon Company Announces New Game For iOS And Android

Today, The Pokémon Company announced a new smartphone game would be out this spring in Japan. It appears to star the weakest Pokémon around. The Japanese title is Hanero! Koiking (Splash! Magikarp), and all The Pokémon Company has revealed so far about the smartphone title is a teaser site, with a newspaper article that mentions…

Pokémon Card Game Players Say They Can Tell Rare Cards Before Opening The Latest Packs

Pokémon card players are warning each other against buying loose English Pokémon Sun & Moon packs from retailers. An alleged exploit in Pokémon Sun & Moon’s booster boxes could lead to retailers scamming customers out of rare cards. Over the last few days, Pokémon card players have reported that Sun & Moon’s booster boxes are…

Pokémon Go Update Will Finally Add 80 New Monsters From Gold and Silver Later This Week

After months of fan begging, Niantic will finally pull through and add real content to Pokémon Go. A Pokémon Go update slated for sometime this week will allow players to collect dozens more creatures from the Johto compendium. Once added, the new monsters will found just like other monsters within the game—by going out there…

Someone Created A Pokémon Red and Blue ‘Virus’, And It’s Wild

It’s been over twenty years since the release of the original Red and Blue, but people are still messing around with the games to discover new glitches and exploits. It’s incredible. Last week, we told you about a recent Red and Blue exploit that allows you to delete your opponent’s save files just by playing…

For Its Three Year Anniversary, Twitch Plays Pokémon Gets Its Most Ridiculous Game Yet

Has it really been three years since the internet collectively tried using Twitch chat to control a single Pokémon game? Time flies. Even more absurd: Twitch Plays Pokémon is still going, and the latest iteration may be the best one yet. Right now, Twitch Plays Pokémon (TPP) is running a modified version of Pokémon Yellow,…

Meanwhile, at the Grammys tonight… Or, for a different take:

Pokken Tournament is getting a 2017 World Championship Series. The announcement was made by the game’s producer, Masaaki Hoshino, at the conclusion of the Tokaigi 2017 two-on-two Pokken tournament. A new patch was also revealed for the Japanese arcade version of the game. The news comes after the game failed to qualify for EVO 2017.

The 11 Most Popular Monsters Tearing Up Competitive Pokémon

Out of hundreds of potential choices, competitive Pokémon players can only bring six Alolan monsters into a battleground. Three months in, despite the uncertainty of the overall metagame, some picks are turning up more often than others. In an effort to illuminate the current state of VGC, below are 12 of the most popular monster…

New Pokémon Red and Blue Exploit Lets Players Delete Opponents’ Save File

“I battled a Mew and it deleted my save file” almost sounds like a creepypasta and yet, it is completely real. Welcome to the wild world of Pokémon Red and Blue glitches, where terrifying corruptions are possible. For years now, hardcore players have known about the “Cooltrainer” glitch, an exploit that is “meant to represent the…

Pokémon Go’s Valentine’s Event Isn’t What The Game Needs

For a moment, I ask you to take a deep breath and reflect on the unsolved mysteries of the games industry. Where is Half Life 3? Who is Wario, really? Why won’t Pokémon Go’s developers actually add the features the game so desperately needs? Okay, it is a little maddening. In the last day, all four…

Happy Birthday, Mewtwo

“We named the newborn Mewtwo” concludes the diary entry from the original Pokemon games, though it might just be a clever ploy by a highly intelligent clone in order to score annual cake. I’m not arguing with him. (Originally published 2/6/16)