‘Pokémon GO’ Could Be Teasing One Of Its Weirdest Pokémon, Gen 4’s Rotom [Update]

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Rotom

The PokemoN Company

Players are trying to figure out what to make of a mysterious tweet from the official Pokémon GO Twitter yesterday which talks about Professor Willow finding something odd on his computer:

Once all the obvious “hidden folder” jokes have passed, players are now speculating that this could have something to do with Rotom, a Gen 4 Pokémon that has not shown up in the game yet. Why does this tease potentially have something to do with Rotom?

Rotom is one of the weirder Pokémon out there, and that’s saying something, considering how strange some of the later gen Pokémon get. He’s a multi-form Pokémon that turns into different forms when…possessing different household objects. From Bulbapedia:

When it does not possess an appliance, it is Electric/Ghost-type.

When it possesses a microwave oven, it becomes Heat Rotom, and is Electric/Fire-type.

When it possesses a washing machine, it becomes Wash Rotom, and is Electric/Water-type.

When it possesses a refrigerator, it becomes Frost Rotom, and is Electric/Ice-type.

When it possesses an electric fan, it becomes Fan Rotom, and is Electric/Flying-type.

When it possesses a lawnmower, it becomes Mow Rotom, and is Electric/Grass-type.

The idea that Pokémon GO players have is that perhaps Rotom has possessed a different household object, Professor Willow’s computer, and is on its way to entering the main game as result. It’s not clear how these different forms would be handled in GO, but the game has managed to get its head around some of the stranger Pokémon and multi-forms in the game, so I’m sure it could figure something out.

Where there is one cryptic tweet, there are bound to be others, so perhaps we’ll get some clarity on what GO is planning as time goes on here. It’s possible this may not have to do with Rotom at all, since we know that a computer is not one of his forms, but we’ll see. Rotom is weird but not a mythic or legendary so this seems like quite a bit of fuss for just him.

Stay tuned to this post for updates, and we’ll see if we get another tease of…whatever this is later today.

Update: A series of new images appear to show new NPCs, with the GO account speculating they could be related to Team Rocket. So Rotom is looking pretty unlikely at this point:

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‘Pokemon Go’ Adds 2 New Moves; Battle System Redo Happening Again

"Pokemon Go" was officially released on July 2016 and three years after it was named as the top-selling mobile game for August. The popularity of the augmented reality game is expected to dwindle given its age, but with its August sales, it appears that Niantic is doing the right thing to make the game interesting and relevant. And, because the game developer knows how to listen to its players and take their feedback seriously, Niantic is planning to change the battle system of the game once again.

Niantic Labs and "Pokemon Go" community managers are collecting players' feedback and try as much as possible to meet them. Because of this, "Pokemon Go" has interesting activities and regularly occurring update rollouts. The next batch of "Pokemon Go" improvements are aimed to revise the combat or battle system of the game.

Unlike other "Pokemon" franchise games, the combat system of "Pokemon Go" is lagging behind although it has gradually improved over the years. The next round of changes is expected to make the game's battle system even better. It might allow players to deal more damage to the new Unova pocket monster in the game.

Pokémon Go will allow players to trade with friends later this week. Photo: Niantic

Although it will improve the battle system of "Pokemon Go," the upcoming update will be more of a clean-up than full redo. It will focus on some of the combat system mechanics that are usually out of whack. The bigger improvement will be on energy charging and the timing for the damage dealt.

If this happens, "Pokemon Go" will experience great improvements and will aid them in making the Raids a little bit less frustrating. Additionally, the health bars in "Pokemon Go" will shortly pulse every time damage is received. This will make it clearer for the players to see if the attacks they launch are connecting.

Aside from the mechanical changes anticipated to roll out in "Pokemon Go," there are also a couple of new exciting moves added to the augmented reality game. These are Ice Fang, and Thunder Fang moves. The thunder fang is an electric-type fast attack and can be used with Steelix, Hippowdon, Arcanine, and Mightyena.

The ice fang, on the other hand, is an ice-type fast attack that can be used with Drapion, Hippowdon, Suicune, and Mightyena. "Pokemon Go" is available on iOS and Android devices.

'Pokémon' Anime Poster Showing Ash, Pikachu & New Character May Have Leaked

The Pokémon Sun and Moon anime is about to end in Japan, which will then lead into the next sub-series in the long-running show.

On Friday, a supposed poster for the next series in the Pokémon anime was posted on various Japanese message boards. The poster shows Ash, Pikachu, a new trainer and Scorbunny, the Fire-type starter of the upcoming Sword and Shield games.

It should be noted that this poster did not come from official sources so it is not confirmed, but the contents of it seem legit enough for trusted Pokémon site, Serebii to tweet about it.

Check out the alleged Pokémon Sword and Shield anime poster below.

There are quite a few points to note from this supposed trailer. The first is that Ash and Pikachu are involved, which seemingly debunks rumors that the duo would not be in this series after winning the Alola League.

Another point is the background, which showcases all seven generations of the Pokémon franchise up to this point. There were rumors that the next series of the Pokémon anime would explore past regions, and if true, this poster seemingly confirms it.

Then we have the new character alongside Ash. This young boy is likely from the Galar region if his starter Pokémon is Scorbunny, one of the three chosen to be a trainer's partner at the beginning of their journey. Whenever Ash comes to a new region, he catches at least one of the starter Pokémon, so this poster means he either has Scorbunny or one of the other two starters, Grookey or Sobble.

Confirmation and more information on the new series of the Pokémon anime is coming this Sunday, September 29 in Japan, so it won't be long before fans learn where Ash and Pikachu's journey will take them next.

In Japan, the Sun and Moon anime is reaching its conclusion, with Ash recently winning the Alola League and preparing to face Professor Kakui. The dub of the anime is about 20 episodes behind, so the English conclusion won't air until the beginning of 2020.

The Sword and Shield games are set to release in November with a region full of new Pokémon, Galarian forms of older generation Pokémon and new battle mechanics.

Pokémon Sword and Shield release November 15 on Nintendo Switch.

What do you think of the supposed poster? Which Pokémon do you hope Ash catches in this series? Let us know in the comments section.

'Pokémon GO': There's An Easier Way To Trade Pokémon Caught 10,000 KM Apart, And Get The Reward

Pokemon GO

Credit: Niantic Labs

It's World Tourism Day here in Pokémon GO, a thing I just learned existed. Overall it's a bit of an underwhelming event for everyone outside of Europe, where Mime Jr. has been released for the first time. Mostly we've got some egg bonuses and a whole bunch of Zangoose and Seviper. There's one field research task, however, that might have some trainers stumped: trade Pokémon caught 10,000km apart. It's a tough one for most people that aren't hopping around the world on a constant basis, so you might be a little confused as to how a normal player can get this done. Luckily, there's a way to do it that doesn't involve having one party travel halfway around the world.

The simplest way is, naturally, just to find someone with a Pokémon they caught on the other side of the globe. The circumference of the Earth is 40,075 kilometers, so in order to fill this requirement, you're going to need to skip over an ocean pretty much no matter where you are. You can just barely cover it if you're working with the entire continent of Eurasia: Lisbon to Shanghai is 10,711 kilometers. Over here in the Western Hemisphere you'd need to go North/South: Anchorage to Tierra Del Fuego is 14617 kilometers, which gives you a bit of wiggle room on both sides. I got these numbers with this tool here, which you can use to test things for yourself.

But here's the thing: you don't need to go to a place to get a Pokémon from a place. If you get a gift with an egg from someone, the Pokémon that hatches out of the egg will be registered as being from the place the gift was originally collected. So all you need to do is make an international friend, get an egg, and presto: you've got a Pokémon from where that person is from. I've got someone in Japan that gives me some, and that's more than far enough to get the job done. For our United States readers, I'd recommend Australia because you can search for it without worrying about language barriers. I was able to test this with a hatch from an Australian egg and everything worked out.

Looking around on social media can probably get you an international friend fairly easily, particularly because people on the other side of the globe are also trying to fill this, and because they might want high kilometer trades for the Pilot medal. There are plenty of websites for exchanging friend codes, and sometimes people also list their locations alongside them. It's been a while since I had to fill out my friend list, but this one here lets you search by location.

If you do this, you'll get the somewhat underwhelming reward: a Zangoose or a Seviper, whichever is not currently spawning around you. These have switched locations before, so it's not like they're hugely rare on either side of the world. But if you missed the rotation before, this will help you fill that out.

‘Mario Kart Tour’ Breaks ‘Pokémon GO’ Record With 20 Million Day One Downloads

Sensor Tower

Sensor Tower

It may not have multiplayer, it may be loaded with microtransactions, but people really, really like Mario Kart. Nintendo’s newest mobile offering, Mario Kart Tour, has broken the one-day download record for not just its own mobile games, but all mobile games.

The previous record was held by none other than Pokémon GO, which had 6.7 million downloads on day one. Mario Kart Tour racked up 10.1 million downloads, breaking that record and dwarfing other games like Clash Royale and Fortnite, according to data from Apptopia. (Update: Sensor Tower actually clocks Mario Kart Tour with 20 million downloads in 24 hours)

As for Nintendo’s own offering (ie. not those made by Niantic and The Pokémon Company), Mario Kart Tour has effectively doubled the day one installs for Super Mario Run, and everything else is barely a blip by comparison. Mario Kart Tour has hit #1 in overall rank in 93 countries at the time of this writing.

Revenue is a different story, however. Sensor Tower reports that while Mario Kart Tour is making way, way more money on day one than the recent release of Dr. Mario World did, that it’s still behind the day one revenue numbers of Fire Emblem Heroes, at least in terms of ranking. FE was #17 for iPhone revenue in the US on day one while it was #5 in Japan. Mario Kart Tour is currently #19 in the US and #25 in Japan for day one.

Mario Kart Tour

Nintendo

Mario Kart is routinely one of the best-sellers on any Nintendo console it’s released for, so it should be no surprise that it has put up big numbers for a mobile release, though this big? That is a little surprising.

Whether Mario Kart Tour has staying power is another story. The game is monetized in a far different fashion than traditional Mario Kart games, with a Fire Emblem-like gacha model for better racers (purchased with gems), and an odd $5 a month subscription model where an entire tier of racing (200cc) is gated behind it. But Nintendo seems very much done with trying to make up-front pricing work like with Super Mario Run’s experiment with a free demo then a big charge for the full game. They’re going down a far more traditional road with a free game injected with microtransactions, though gameplay itself is on point, at least once you get used to the mobile controls.

This is already a hit for Nintendo, we’ll just have to see how big of a hit as time goes on.

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Pokemon Go October Community Day Details Announced, Features Trapinch

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Pokemon Go's September 2019 Community Day is behind us, but developer Niantic has already announced the first details for next month's event. October's Community Day will take place on Saturday, October 12, and this time, players will have more chances to catch another Pokemon originally from Ruby and Sapphire: Trapinch.

Throughout the event, Trapinch will appear in the wild much more often than normal, and you'll also have a chance of encountering a Shiny Trapinch in Go for the first time. On top of that, the Ant Pit Pokemon will be able to learn a special event-exclusive move if you evolve it all the way into its final form, Flygon, by the end of the Community Day, although Niantic hasn't revealed what that attack will be yet.

In addition to increased Trapinch spawns, Niantic will offer a couple of other bonuses during October's Community Day. This time, you'll earn three times the usual amount of XP when you capture a Pokemon during the event. As usual, any Lure Modules you use during the Community Day will also last for three hours rather than 30 minutes.

Much like September's Community Day, October's event will take place earlier than usual, from 11 AM to 2 PM local time. You can find more details about the event on the official Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, the first Gen 5 Pokemon have made their debut in Pokemon Go. The new monsters arrived as part of the mobile game's final set of Ultra Bonuses. Alongside the new Pokemon, Niantic has added a new evolutionary item called the Unova Stone, which is used to evolve certain Gen 5 monsters. You can read how to get the Unova Stone in our guide. For more Pokemon Go news, be sure to check out the links below.

New 'Pokémon Go' Event Brings Mime Jr. Debuts, Shiny Seviper, Zangoose & More

A new event is about to begin in Pokémon Go and with it brings new Shiny Pokémon into the popular mobile game.

Niantic is partnering with World Tourism Organization as one of its global Affiliate Members network to support innovation in the tourism sector by identifying trends and new ways of traveling in a digital world.

"At our General Assembly, UNWTO expressed its commitment to embracing technology and innovation in order to make our sector more sustainable, more inclusive and a real driver of social and economic change," said Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General in a press release. "This exciting new partnership with Niantic will help us meet these goals. I warmly welcome them into our Affiliate Members network and I am confident UNWTO and Niantic can work together to help transform the way we travel and better promote the many benefits of responsible tourism."

"We're excited to be part of UNWTO's global Affiliate Members network where together, we'll be able to expand our collective goal of promoting global tourism through the use of innovative technologies," said Anne Beuttenmüller, Niantic's Head of Marketing in Europe in a press release. " Real world games have proven to have an incredible impact on cities and communities around the world and we're honored to help raise awareness by providing Trainers in Pokémon GO access to a new in-game UNWTO shirt for their avatars to kick off World Tourism Day 2019."

This partnership celebration will bring permanent changes to Egg pools as well as temporary bonuses in-game. Here's everything you need to know about this upcoming event in Pokémon Go.

POKEMON GO UNWTO EVENT START TIME

The UNWTO event in Pokémon Go starts Thursday, September 26 at 4 p.m. EDT. Some features of the event will end on Tuesday, October 1 at 4 p.m. EDT.

SHINY SEVIPER, ZANGOOSE, MIME JR.

The first big feature of this new event is the Shiny forms of Seviper and Zangoose will debut in Pokémon Go. However, the Pokémon you find depends on your region. Currently, Seviper can be caught in the Americas and Africa while Zangoose can be found in Europe, Asia and Oceania.

The other Shiny Pokémon being introduced is Mime Jr., the pre-evolved form of Mr. Mime. This also marks the debut of Mime Jr. in Pokémon Go, but can only be found in Europe.

EGG CHANGES

This new event will permanently bring region-exclusive Pokémon to 5km Eggs in their respective area. Only Eggs picked up after 4 p.m. EDT on September 26 will have a chance to hatch into these Pokémon.

This is a permanent change to Pokémon Go. Here's a list of region-exclusive Pokémon that can be hatched:

Farfetch'd - Asia

Tauros - North America

Kangaskhan - Oceania

Heracross - Central and South America

Corsola - Coastal areas between 26 and 36 degrees latitude

Volbeat - Europe, Asia, Oceania

Illumise - Americas, Africa

Torkoal - India and South-East Asia

Seviper - Americas and Africa

Zangoose - Europe, Asia and Oceania

Lunatone - Europe, Asia and Oceania

Solrock - Americas, Africa

Tropius - Africa

Relicanth - New Zealand

Pachirisu - Northern Canada, Russia and Alaska

Chatot - Southern Hemisphere

Mime Jr. - Europe

Pansage - Asia Pacific

Panpour - Americas

Pansear - Europe, Africa

Heatmor - Western Hemisphere

Durant - Eastern Hemisphere

IN-GAME BONUSES

Trainers will receive a special UNWTO shirt for free to customize their avatar in-game.

Here are the other bonuses players will receive during the event:

Trades will cost 25 percent less stardust

Double experience from PokeStops

These bonuses will only be active until October 1 at 4 p.m. EDT so take advantage while you can. There will also be new research tasks involved with this event and we'll update this section when we learn more.

What do you think of this latest Pokémon Go event? Let us know in the comments section.

New Pokemon Go Event Announced, And It Finally Adds Mime Jr.

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A new Pokemon Go event is set to begin very soon. Developer Niantic has announced it has partnered with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation for a special event in the hit Pokemon mobile game, which will give you a chance to catch a couple of new Shinies and hatch region-exclusive Pokemon, including the long-awaited Mime Jr.

Beginning September 26, you'll be able to grab a United Nations World Tourism Organization t-shirt for your avatar from the item shop. On top of that, you'll be able to hatch region-exclusive Pokemon from 5 km eggs. These Pokemon, however, will still only be available in their respective regions--so players in, say, the US will not be able to hatch a Pansear unless they received a 5 km egg from Europe.

Speaking of Europe, players in the region will have their first chance to obtain Mime Jr., the baby form of Mr. Mime. Mime Jr. is one of the few Gen 4 Pokemon to have yet appear in Pokemon Go, and it is among the region-exclusive monsters that can hatch from 5k eggs during the event. You can see the full list of Pokemon you'll be able to hatch--along with the regions each one can be found in--below:

Farfetch'd (Asia)

Kangaskhan (Australia)

Tauros (North America)

Heracross (North America)

Corsola (South America, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia)

Volbeat (Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe)

Illumise (North America, South America)

Torkoal (Asia)

Zangoose (Eastern Hemisphere)

Seviper (Western Hemisphere)

Lunatone (Eastern Hemisphere)

Solrock (Western Hemisphere)

Tropius (Africa, Mediterranean)

Relicanth (New Zealand)

Pachirisu (Alaska, Canada, Russia)

Mime Jr. (Europe)

Chatot (Southern Hemisphere)

Pansage (Asia-Pacific)

Pansear (Europe, Middle East, Africa, India)

Panpour (Americas)

Heatmor (Western Hemisphere)

Durant (Eastern Hemisphere)

On top of that, you'll have your first chance to catch Shiny forms of Seviper and Zangoose in their respective regions. Trading Pokemon will also cost a quarter less Stardust than normal, and you'll earn twice as much XP when you spin the Photo Disc at PokeStops. Finally, there will be special Field Research tasks to complete.

The special Pokemon Go event will run until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on October 1. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go website. Of course, that isn't the only in-game event on the horizon. October's Community Day is also set for October 12, and it will feature Trapinch, the first form of Flygon. The Legendary Giratina has also returned to Raid Battles for a limited time, while some Gen 5 Pokemon are still appearing in the wild.

Pokemon Go: Altered Forme Giratina Now Available For A Limited Time

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Update: Altered Forme Giratina is now live in Pokemon Go. The Legendary will appear in five-star Raids for the next several weeks. If you're hoping to catch one, be sure to check out our Giratina Raid guide for battle tips and everything you need to know about the Renegade Pokemon. The original story follows.

Mewtwo may be leaving Raid Battles in Pokemon Go very soon, but another Legendary is set to return in its place. Giratina, the Legendary Ghost/Dragon Pokemon from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, is making an encore appearance in Raids beginning 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET today, September 23, giving you another chance to add it to your collection.

Giratina will appear in five-star Raid Battles until October 17. As when it first debuted in Go, the Pokemon will be in its Altered Forme; this time around, however, you'll have a chance of encountering a Shiny version. As usual, there's no guaranteed way to ensure you encounter a Shiny Giratina, so if you're hoping to catch one, you'll need to be persistent and take part in a lot of Raids.

Giratina Raids will occur periodically at Gyms around the world, but your best chance to find some will be on September 25, when Niantic holds another Legendary Raid Hour. From 6-7 PM local time, there will be even more Giratina Raids occurring than usual, giving you plenty of opportunities to battle the Legendary. You can read more about Giratina's return on the official Pokemon Go website.

Giratina is set to return the same day that Mewtwo leaves Raid Battles, but that won't be your last chance to catch the Legendary Psychic Pokemon. Beginning September 25, Mewtwo will return to the invite-only EX Raids, and this time it'll know the Ghost-type attack Shadow Ball. It'll make another brief appearance in standard Raids on October 8, when it returns for a Legendary Raid Hour event from 6-7 PM local time.

In other Pokemon Go news, the game's Safari Zone event is now underway in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. To celebrate the event, Shiny Yanma is spawning in the wild around the world. Meanwhile, Pokemon Go's October Community Day is set for Saturday, October 12. This month, the featured Pokemon will be Trapinch, the first form of Flygon. A handful of Gen 5 Pokemon have also begun spawning in the game, and some require a new evolutionary item called the Unova Stone.

Pokemon Masters Adds Another Sync Pair

Pokemon Masters is adding another 5-Star Sync Pair. Earlier this week, Pokemon Masters announced that Hilbert and Oshawott would be added to the game and be featured in an upcoming Spotlight Scout banner. Hilbert was the male player character from Pokemon Black and White and is notably one of the oldest starting trainer in the game along with Hilda, his female counterpart. Both Hilbert and Hilda have only appeared in Pokemon Black and White, and Hilbert has never appeared in the main anime series. Hilbert made a brief appearance in Pokemon Masters as part of Team Unova, which players faced as the last team in the Single Player Story before it ran out of in-game content.

Hilbert and Oshawott are a Support duo and serve mainly to boost the stats of other team members. Oshawott has the abilities X Speed All, which raises the Speed stat of all Pokemon on Hilbert's team and "In This Together" which boosts the Attack stats of allies. Notably, "In This Together" is even more effective when Oshawott's HP is low. Oshawott also has the awesome passive ability Impervious, which prevents Oshawott's stats from getting lowered.

As with other recently added Sync Pairs, players can only obtain Hilbert from the Sync Pair Scout, which can be access through the in-game store. Players can use Gems to use the in-game Scout, which they either achieve by complete stages, or by purchasing through the app.

Pokémon Go Giratina raid guide: counters and best movesets

Giratina is back in Pokémon Go raids, and whether you're fighting its Origin Forme or Altered Forme, you'll want the same counters.

When the spooky Pokémon is in its Origin Forme (the one that looks like a snake), it's the strongest ghost-type DPS in the game, even with the release of fifth generation Pokémon. Altered Forme is mainly good for PvP, but is worth having for your Pokédex. This time around, lucky players may find a Shiny Giratina.

Niantic via Polygon

Both forms of Giratina are ghost- and dragon-type, meaning that they have a plethora of weaknesses. However, if you use ghost- and dragon-type Pokémon against Giratina, be prepared to dodge and get hit hard. Ice-, dark-, and fairy-type moves will also help get the job done. Below are some good counters:

Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Outrage

Salamence with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor

Palkia with Dragon Tail and Draco Meteor

Gengar with Shadow Claw/Lick and Shadow Ball

Tyranitar with Bite and Crunch

Once you get your Giratina, the best moveset for it is Shadow Claw and Dragon Claw for Altered Forme Giratina, and Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball for Origin Forme.

Altered Forme Giratina is back in raids until Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. ET and it's looking likely that Origin Forme Giratina may return after that date. If you're not Shiny hunting, it might be worth saving your raid passes until the stronger version of this ghostly Legendary returns.

What's the top-grossing mobile game right now? Pokemon Go

(CNN) - If you thought Pokémon Go sunk into obscurity after taking over the world a few years ago, do we have news for you: It just climbed to No. 1 on the list of top-grossing mobile games.

According to SuperData, Pokémon Go made $176 million this August, its most successful month since the halcyon days of 2016.

Those who haven't checked their Pokédex recently may be surprised to learn that a LOT has been going on in the game over the past three years. Legendary Pokémon, new Pokémon, shiny Pokémon, raids, friends, trading abilities; you name it, and Pokémon Go developer Niantic has made it happen. Paid additions like raid passes, which allow players special access to capture Pokémon, have added to the game's bottom line.

You also know a game is popular when there's a whole economy built around cheating at it. Earlier this year, Niantic sued developers from a group called Global++ who were allegedly creating copies of Pokémon Go and other popular Niantic games to give players unauthorized advantages in the real versions of the games.

On a happier note, Pokémon Go recently celebrated its third anniversary with IRL events and special in-game releases.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

Pokemon GO Shiny Giratina: What Does It Look Like?

Giratina in its Altered Form will return to Raid Battles in Pokemon GO, with players having a chance to catch its shiny form according to Niantic.

Giratina in its Altered Form will be available to fight in five-star Raid Battles starting September 23, 2019 at 1 p.m. PDT, according to Niantic. It's shiny version will be released at that time. A Legendary Raid Hour will also be held on September 25 from 6-7 p.m. local time, with an increased number of fire-star raids.

Here's what Shiny Giratina looks like in Pokemon GO:

Shiny Giratina has one of the more drastic changes from its normal to shiny form among Pokemon. His yellow parts turn pale blue, his red parts turn blue and his gray parts turn beige.

According to The Silph Road, your chances of encountering a shiny Legendary Pokemon after a Raid Battle is one in 19.

You still have a chance to catch Mewtwo with the exclusive move Psystrike until September 23. The Pokemon also has a chance to be shiny after you beat it, according to our previous guide. Due to technical difficulties, the Legendary Raid Hour with Mewtwo with Psystrike will be held on October 8, 2019 from 6-7 p.m. local time, according to Niantic Support.

The Shiny versions of the recently added Pokemon Patrat, Lillipup and Klink, according to our previous guide. They're among the many new Pokemon from the Unova region added recently.

Don't forget that you still have a chance to hatch the region-exclusive Pokemon Farfetch'd, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime and Tauros from 7 km Eggs until September 23 at 1 p.m. PDT with a chance to hatch their shiny forms as well. However, you also have a chance to encounter the shiny versions of these Pokemon in the wild in the region they're found in even after the Ultra Bonus period is over according to Niantic Support. Farfetch'd is found in Japan and South Korea; Kangaskhan is found within Australia; Mr. Mime is found within Europe and Tauros is found within North America, according to Eurogamer.

See also:

Pokemon GO Halloween leaks are here again!

It's that time of year again in Pokemon GO! It's time to look at what Niantic's got in the works for their most spooky holiday celebration in October. Much like previous years, this Halloween won't necessarily be called "Halloween" in the game – but it'll be no less dark because of it. This year we've got word that Halloween will release one of Pokemon GO's most disturbingly dark monsters of all.

Much like previous autumn harvest events, Niantic's discussed including 2x Pokemon Candy for each different Pokemon Candy-rewarding sort of action. That includes Pokemon capture, Pokemon Egg hatching, and transfers too. This event will also include halved requirements for Buddy Candy. What better holiday than this than to give Pokemon Candy a big sugary kick into overdrive?

Remember that time when, just before the release of Gen V, aka Gen 5, Unova Region, in Pokemon GO, when we'd interpreted Niantic's teasing about Yanmask to mean it'd be released with the first wave of Generation 5 Pokemon on the 16th of September? That was the wrong instinct!

Or at least it didn't turn out to be that which Niantic decided to go and do. Instead, this horrifying mask-toting Pokemon will be released into the wild – and quite likely in Shiny Pokemon form – near the end of October, 2019. According to sources familiar with the subject matter who wish to remain anonymous, Niantic's plans are to release at least Yanmask (and it's evolution Cofagrigus), if not a few other Dark/Ghost Pokemon just in time for Halloween.

Planned releases for Halloween:• Yanmask• Cofagrigus• Purrloin• Liepard• Zorua• Zoroark

It'd be a real treat to see all three of these Pokemon lines released at once (and Shiny too!) but there's a distinct possibility Niantic will spread this release schedule out a bit. There are already a whole BUNCH of Ghost, Dark, and Halloween-friendly Pokemon released in the game in Generations 1-4. As such, we expect all manner of Ghost and/or Dark Pokemon to appear more frequently during the duration of the event.

Also, as it is with this sort of behind-the-scenes insight, there's always a chance that Niantic may completely scrap current plans and go with something completely different by the time Halloween rolls up. Keep your eyes on the prize and start collecting Pokeballs now, regardless. Halloween's been pretty much the best in-game event in Pokemon GO every year since the beginning!

This event will likely start either October 18 or October 25, 2019. The end date is most likely November 4, giving you either 1 or 2 weeks to capture all the ghosts you can. That includes either 2 or 3 weekends in which to make this holiday your most Pokemon-injected of all time!

'Pokemon Go' Hits Highest Revenue Mark Since 2016 Peak

TECH

9:47 AM PDT 9/20/2019 by Patrick Shanley

Have we still not caught them all?

Niantic's Pokémon Go continues to soar, as the mobile AR title, first released in 2016, generated $176 million in August, Nielsen's SuperData reports. That figure represents the highest point for the monster-catching game since its peak in July 2016.

The performance was driven by a number of in-game events, such as a gift event from Aug. 5-19 that introduced collectible eggs that would hatch into different monsters. 

Pokémon Go was the top-grossing mobile game worldwide in August. Epic Games' battle royale shooter Fortnite topped the console list (the exact revenue figures for that title's performance last month were not shared). 

Overall, digital video game spending worldwide was up two percent year-over-year to $8.9 billion. Mobile gaming was the fastest-growing sector, making up 62 percent of the total figure, up from 57 percent year-over-year. 

Elsewhere, Blizzard's World of Warcraft Classic, which bowed on Aug. 26, drove a massive spike in subscribers to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The new offering is a throwback to the 2004 original, providing a server for current fans to play the original version of the game. 

The launch of WoW Classic bumped subscriptions up 223 percent last month when compared to July counts. Even so, total revenue for the game was lower than the Battle for Azeroth expansion launched last August.

On the console side, EA's Madden NFL 20 delivered slightly lowered digital sales when compared to its predecessor last year. Accounting for pre-order launch dates, which split sales across July and August (the game officially debuted on Aug. 2), digital units sold were down six percent from last year. The decrease in digital sales did not keep the sports title from topping the month's best-sellers, however, a feat the series has accomplished for seven consecutive years in its launch month. 

Pokemon: Nintendo reveal SirFarfetch'd - the new Galar form in Sword and Shield

SirFarfetch'd is the evolved form of Farfetch'd in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Nintendo have revealed a mysterious new pokemon for Sword and Shield!

Meet SirFarfetch'd, the Galarian form of Farfetch'd.

Last week Nintendo teased the new pokemon with a glitch to their website.

SirFarfetch'd is described as a fighting-type pokemon with the special ability 'Meteor Assault'.

Sir Farfetch'd uses a giant leek for a weapon, and shield

The Galar version of Farfetch'd evolves into SirFarfetch'd "after experiencing many battles" according to Nintendo.

It's famous leek weapon turns into a powerful lance and shield after evolving.

Nintendo apologised for the glitch on their website saying "the incident was caused by a mischievous wild Rotom that entered our servers, causing a temporary disruption to our website. "

Farfetch'd will join Weezing and Zigzagoon (and it's evolutions) in getting a Galarian form - where their appearance would look different to normal, based on being from the Galar region.

More Pokémon Confirmed to Return in 'Pokémon Sword and Shield'

The Pokémon Company released a new feature on its website called the Dynamax Camera, which allows fans to use landscape photos on their smartphone and add a Dynamax Pokémon to it.

While the new feature is a neat way to involve Pokémon fans, it actually confirms the inclusion of certain Pokémon in the Sword and Shield games.

According to Serebii, there are 50 Dynamax Pokémon that will appear in the Dynamax Camera and it confirms Sableye, the Ribombee line and Aegislash line will be included in Sword and Shield.

Sword and Shield currently has 250 Pokémon in the Galar Dex. This number includes both new and returning Pokémon. You can check out the running list of returning Pokémon on Serebii.

The Gen 8 games also bring more regional variants, called Galarian forms, as well as regional evolutions of older Pokémon like Obstagoon and the recently announced Sirfetch'd.

The inclusion of Sableye, the Aegislash and Ribombee lines weren't the only older generation Pokémon added this week. During the Sirfetch'd reveal, the Escavalier line was confirmed via the Japanese trailer as the rival of Sirfetch'd.

Dynamax and Gigantamax are brand-new battle features introduced in Galar, and they essentially, take the place of Mega Evolution and Z-Moves which are not returning in Sword and Shield.

The biggest controversy surrounding Pokémon Sword and Shield was the announcement that not every Pokémon will be obtainable in the Gen 8 games. Junichi Masuda of GameFreak said as much during the E3 2019 Nintendo Treehouse Live demo. The upcoming Pokémon Home app for smartphones, which acts like Pokémon Bank, won't be able to transfer every 'mon from past games into Sword and Shield.

GameFreak deliberated extensively to figure out which Pokémon to include. Masuda wrote a letter explaining the team's decision further.

"There are a couple of different parts to the thinking behind it, but really the biggest reason for it is just the sheer number of Pokémon," Masuda explained. "We already have well over 800 Pokémon species, and there's going to be more added in these games. And now that they're on the Nintendo Switch, we're creating it with much higher fidelity with higher quality animations. But even more than that, it's coming down to the battle system. We're making sure we can keep everything balanced and give all the Pokemon that appear in the games a chance to shine.

"We knew at some point we weren't going to be able to indefinitely keep supporting all of the Pokémon, and we just found that Sword and Shield would probably be a good point to go back and reevaluate what would be the best selection of Pokémon that appeal to the widest audience while keeping into consideration the balance of the battle system. It isn't just going to be all-new Pokémon in the Galar region Pokedex; there's still going to be a lot of favorites that fans will be able to bring over that they've adventured with previously. But yeah, it was pretty much just balancing and getting this optimal selection of Pokémon for the adventure we wanted to provide."

However, the announcement was not met with understanding from the Pokémon Community. Hashtags like "bring back national dex" and more continue to flood Pokémon's social media accounts months after the announcement.

Pokémon Sword and Shield releases November 15 for Nintendo Switch.

What do you think of the latest Pokémon to make it to the Galar region? Let us know which returning Pokémon you want to see next in the comments section.

Pokemon Sword adds leek-wielding Sirfetch'd as version exclusive

We met a dangerous duck for the first time Wednesday as the Pokemon Company and Nintendo showcased new Pokemon Sirfetch'd, which you'll be able to add to your collection in Pokemon Sword and Shield, which hit Nintendo Switch on Nov. 15. This Fighting-type evolves from Farfetch'd after "experiencing many battles" and is a Sword version exclusive, so Shield players will have to trade for it.

Sirfetch'd, which the companies teased last week, has a calm demeanor and always battles fairly, befitting its knight-like demeanor. A famous painting of Sword and Shield's Galar region apparently shows it duelling with Escavalier, a knight Pokemon first seen in Pokemon Black and White.

Sirfetch'd is an evolution of Farfetch'd.

The Pokemon Company

"In battle, Sirfetch'd uses the sharp stalk of its leek as a lance and the thick leaves as a shield," its Pokedex entry reads. "It maintains this leek over the span of many years and treasures it more than anything. When its leek finally withers, Sirfetch'd will leave the battlefield and retire from battling entirely."

Now playing: Watch this: Nintendo shows latest Pokemon game, Sword and Shield

2:13

It's the only Pokemon that can learn new move Meteor Assault, which sees Sirfetch'd point its leek at the opponent and charge at toward them. It's a powerful attack, but Sirfetch'd has to spend a turn recovering afterwards.

Farfetch'd debuted in Pokemon Red and Blue more than 20 years ago, but this is the first time it's been able to evolve. Version exclusive Pokemon are a series tradition, with the idea being that you trade with players who have other version to complete your Pokedex.

First published at 7:28 a.m. PT.Updated at 7:51 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.

The newest Pokémon in Sword is the sophisticated and unibrowed Sirfetch’d

One of the most peculiar Pokémon ever created is Farfetch'd, a bird monster that is pretty clearly just a regular bird holding a leek. If you thought this was the bizarre creature's final form, you can think again, because a new evolution called Sirfetch'd will appear in Pokémon Sword.

Available only in Sword — you Pokémon Shield players will not get to experience its majesty — Sirfetch'd is an evolution of Farfetch'd found in the Galar region. It's a fighting Pokémon that ways more than 250 pounds, so you won't want to mess with it unless you have some serious power on your side.

It also abides by a strict code of ethics, and will fight fairly each and every time. It retains its leek from its previous form, and can use it as both a sword and a shield for offense and defense. The Pokémon Company noted in its profile that once this leek is destroyed, Sirfetch'd will be forced to retire.

To deal extreme damage, you can use the special attack Meteor Assault, which sees Sirfetch'd charge at his opponents using the leek as a javelin. Once you use this attack, you will not immediately be able to attack again, so you have to make it count.

Sirfetch'd is certainly a dapper individual, with clean white feathers, but it also sports a unibrow like the original Farfetch'd. This could mean it has endured teasing at the hands of other monsters, which has likely strengthened its resolve.

Pokémon Sword and Shield will feature several other new monsters, as well. These include the three starters — Sobble, Grookey, and Scorbunny. As is tradition with the series, they are water, grass, and fire types, respectively, and should serve as the perfect foundation for the rest of your roster. With the removal of random battles in the Galar region, you should be able to get the Pokémon you need much more easily now. You can then use them to take on the game's many gym leaders.

Pokémon Sword and Shield launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch on November 15. A special version of the Nintendo Switch Lite will be available to purchase on that date, as well.

Editors' Recommendations

One of the original Pokémon just got a new evolution, and fans are going wild over it

After more than 20 years, one of the original 150 Pokémon is getting an evolution.

The Pokémon Company revealed on Wednesday that Farfetch'd caught in the Galar region of "Pokémon Sword and Shield" will be able to evolve into a brand-new Pokémon named Sirfetch'd.

Armed with a sharpened leek as a sword and using the leek's leaves as a shield, Sirfetch'd appears to fit perfectly within the themes of "Pokémon Sword and Shield."

Read more: Every new Pokémon coming to 'Pokémon Sword and Shield' this November that we know about, from Alcremie to Yamper

Farfetch'd, the Wild Duck Pokémon, was easily recognized thanks to its strong eyebrows and the leek that it carried at all times. The original Pokémon game, "Pokémon Red," said that Farfetch'd was nearly extinct because too many people were eating it.

Sirfetch'd is described as "a noble knight that fights fair and square." The Pokémon stands just two feet and seven inches tall, and its sword looks to have twice the height. Sirfetch'd is a plain fighting Pokémon, instead of a Normal/Flying type like Farfetch'd.

The new Pokémon will have a new move called Meteor Assault that can only be learned by Sirfetch'd. It's said that once its leek withers, Sirfetch'd will retire from battling, but it's unclear if this will impact the game at all.

So far, fans have already embraced the new Pokémon and started posting fan art and memes on social media as soon as rumors of Sirfetch'd appeared online.

Here's what some members the Pokémon community are saying so far:

"Sword and Shield" are the latest generation of Pokémon games arriving on the Nintendo Switch on November 15.

Pokémon GO’s Gen 5 Reveal Image Has A Massive Hint About A Potential Chinese Release

Pokemon GO

Niantic

Yesterday, Pokémon GO rolled out new Gen 5 Pokémon from the Unova region for the first time. The Unova region is loosely based on New York City, and like there usually is with this kind of release, there was an official image put out accompanying the new update that you can see above.

It makes sense that Unova Pokémon would show up against a city backdrop, given the location of that game, but that’s…definitely not New York City behind them. Rather, investigators at the Silph Road have found something rather significant:

The city shown here is actually Shenzen, China, a huge city of 12 million on the mainland, with this angle taken from Exit B of the Grand Theatre Metro Station, right in front of the Shenzhen Grand Theatre, according to the super-sleuths.

Now, it’s certainly possible that the graphic design team at Niantic just wanted a generic “city” background, and one that wasn’t immediately recognized as New York, I suppose, and they came up with this image.

And yet it also seems like it could be an easter egg hinting at a future release of Pokémon GO in mainland China, which has long been the white whale of the series as it has been unable to arrive there so far. Pokémon GO has been banned in China because they deem it a “threat to geographical information security and the threat to transport and the personal safety of consumers.” But China has also been open to the expansion of the video game industry before, so anything’s possible.

There have been no official announcements about whether or not Pokémon GO is coming to mainland China any time soon, but many fans assume this may be some kind of nod in that direction. Again, it could all just be a grand coincidence and some sort of stock photo issue when creating the image, but it does seem little coincidental that Niantic would use a city from the largest region on earth they’re still trying to break into. And they’ve hidden stuff in past images like these before.

My guess is that we may be hearing some kind of announcement soon, though this kind of secret is hardly confirmation in and of itself. But it’s definitely worth taking note of, as that would be an absolutely massive expansion for GO and open up an whole new realm of possibilities for the game.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read my new sci-fi thriller novel Herokiller, available now in print and online. I also wrote The Earthborn Trilogy.

'Pokémon Masters' Update: Lyra and Chikorita Added in New Event

The number of Sync Pairsin Pokémon Masters is growing as Lyra and Chikorita from the Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver games are ready to be recruited in the new mobile game.

Similar to the recent and ongoing Olivia and Lycanroc event, Pokémon Masters players will be able to train their Grass-type Pokémon much faster with the Grass-type Training Event. Players will also be able to earn special items by grinding tickets earned through battle.

But the biggest prize of this event is the addition of Lyra and Chikorita, a brand new Sync Pair that can actually evolve.

If you want to take advantage of everything involved with this new event, here's what you need to know about the new Pokémon Masters event featuring Lyra and Chikorita, including when it begins and ends.

POKEMON MASTERS GRASS-TYPE TRAINING EVENT START TIME

The new Grass-type training event starts Tuesday, September 17 at 2 a.m. EDT to Monday, September 30 at 2 a.m. EDT.

HOW TO RECRUIT LYRA AND CHIKORITA

Like other Sync Pairs, Lyra and Chikorita can be obtained by using the recruiter. Go to the shop and spend anywhere between 300 and 3,000 gems to open up to 10 recruits. However, players will need to make sure they are pulling from under the Lyra Spotlight Scout banner.

Under this banner, Lyra and Chikorita have a two percent chance of being pulled, which is the highest of any other Sync Pair.

Like some other Sync Pairs, Chikorita can be evolved into Bayleef and Meganium after the pair reaches a certain level and the player has enough of a special item to perform the evolution. If you want to learn more about evolution in Pokémon Masters, go here.

Lyra and Chikorita are of the Support Role and do well when there's harsh sunlight on the field. Here are the four attacks, sync move and passive ability this new Sync Pair has:

Energy Ball - has low chance to decrease target's special defense

Dire hit All - increases critical hit ratio of everyone on your side of the field

Sunny Side Up! - Raises the Attack, Special Attack and Speed of all allied Sync Pairs. This increase is doubled in the sunlight

Light Screen - Reduces special damage for all allied Sync Pairs

Chikorita's passive ability is Solar Shield, which prevents status conditions when it's sunny on the field.

The pair's Sync Move, when Chikorita full evolves into Meganium, is called Heart of Gold Leaf Storm. This move's damage is increased the move Meganium's stats are raised.

What do you think of the latest Pokémon Masters event? Who will you pair Lyra and Chikorita up with? Let us know in the comments section.

Pokemon Go: Every Gen 5 Pokemon So Far And How To Get Them

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The first Gen 5 Pokemon have finally made their debut in Pokemon Go today as part of the game's third and final set of Ultra Bonuses. Players around the world are now able to encounter a variety of monsters originally from Pokemon Black and White versions, with even more to come over the next few months.

As teased, the three Unova starters--Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott--are among the new Pokemon you can find, and they'll be available both in the wild and from certain eggs. They certainly aren't the only Gen 5 monsters coming to the game, however. Pidove, Lillipup, Patrat, and more will also appear in the wild, while Litwick, Ferroseed, Deino, and others can hatch from 10 km eggs.

Depending on where you live, you'll also be able to encounter a handful of new region-exclusive Pokemon. Durant and Heatmor will only appear in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, respectively, while the three elemental monkeys Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour will each be exclusive to certain parts of the world.

Finally, to coincide with the Gen 5, Niantic is introducing a new evolutionary item to the game called the Unova Stone. Much like the Sinnoh Stone, this is required to evolve certain Gen 5 Pokemon, such Lampent, and it can be obtained through Research Breakthroughs.

Below, we've rounded up all the Gen 5 Pokemon confirmed for Pokemon Go so far, along with all the known ways you can obtain them. We'll continue to update this list as more Gen 5 Pokemon are introduced to the game, so be sure to check back often if you're looking to add a particular Unova Pokemon to your collection.

Gen 5 Pokemon How To Obtain Snivy Wild, 5 km eggs Servine Evolve Snivy Serperior Evolve Servine Tepig Wild, 5 km eggs Pignite Evolve Tepig Emboar Evolve Pignite Oshawott Wild, 5 km eggs Dewott Evolve Oshawott Samurott Evolve Dewott Patrat Wild, Raids, 2 km eggs Watchog Evolve Patrat Lillipup Wild, Raids, 2 km eggs Herdier Evolve Lillipup Stoutland Evolve Herdier Purrloin Wild, 2 km eggs Liepard Evolve Purrloin Pansage Asia-Pacific exclusive Simisage Evolve Pansage Pansear Europe, Middle East, Africa, India exclusive Simisear Evolve Pansear Panpour Americas, Greenland exclusive Simipour Evolve Panpour Pidove Wild, 2 km eggs Tranquill Evolve Pidove Unfezant Evolve Tranquill Blitzle Wild Zebstrika Evolve Blitzle Drilbur 5 km eggs Excadrill Evolve Drilbur Foongus Wild, 5 km eggs Amoongus Evolve Foongus Ferroseed 10 km eggs Ferrothorn Evolve Ferroseed Klink Raids, 10 km eggs Klang Evolve Klink Klinklang Evolve Klang Litwick 10 km eggs Lampent Evolve Litwick Chandelure Evolve Lampent (via Unova Stone) Golett 10 km eggs Golurk Evolve Golett Heatmor Western hemisphere exclusive Durant Eastern hemisphere exclusive Deino 10 km eggs Zweilous Evolve Deino Hydreigon Evolve Zweilous

After more than 1,000 episodes and 22 films, Ash Ketchum is finally a Pokémon Master

Ash Ketchum, the hero of the "Pokémon" animated series, has finally become a Pokémon Master after more than 20 years of adventures.

Joined by his iconic partner Pikachu, Ash left home in the first episode of "Pokémon" with the dream of becoming a master Pokémon trainer. The series debuted in Japan in 1997 and arrived in the United States a year later. For more than 1,000 episodes and 22 feature films, the "Pokémon" animated series has followed Ash's travels around the fictional world as he encounters hundreds of Pokémon and battles his fellow trainers.

To become a Pokémon Master, trainers must win a tournament against the toughest competition in their region, called the Pokémon League. After coming up short in six Pokémon League tournaments, Ash captured his first championship in the Alola region against a rival trainer named Gladion.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Ash's Pikachu who won the final battle. He used Lycanroc, a wolf Pokémon, to defeat Gladion's Lycanroc in a fight that came down to the last hit. The episode aired in Japan on Sunday but hasn't officially been translated to English.

Read more: A rare Pokémon card worth $60,000 got lost in the mail, and the seller is offering a $1,000 bounty for its return

"Pokémon" has only continued to grow in popularity in the past two decades, and Ash's journey has touched millions of people around the world. While his failure to win the Pokémon League had become a running joke among fans through the years, Ash's victory sparked celebration around social media.

The "Pokémon" director and composer Junichi Masuda retweeted messages of support from countries including Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Australia. Fans said Ash's persistence through the years should serve as a reminder that success could be a long journey.

Despite being on the air for more than two decades, Ash hasn't really aged since the start of the series â€" he's been 10 years old since 1997.

It's unclear whether the next season of the "Pokémon" anime will replace Ash with a different protagonist, but the Pokémon champion will still have plenty to do on his own adventures â€" after all, he's still gotta catch 'em all.

Whismur Is Still Weirdly Hard To Find For The ‘Thousand Year Slumber’ Quest in ‘Pokemon GO’

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I really, really didn’t think this was going to happen at any point in my Pokémon GO experience. I have caught literally hundres of Whismur during my time playing this game, and that’s not counting the hundreds more that I’ve seen and not bothered with. Whismur, for a long time, was one of the most common Pokémon in the game, one of the easiest things to farm for evolution experience and just generally a nuisance. And yet now, I somehow find myself in the situation where all I want is a Whismur: my kingdom for a Whismur.

When the new “Thousand Year Slumber” quest debuted to get Jirachi in this game, it seemed like the Feebas part of the quest was going to be one of the hardest steps: Feebas is a historically rare Pokémon with a high candy requirement and a walking requirement to boot, the sort of thing that a player without candy reserves could easily get stuck on. And yet for me, it’s Whismur that’s been the issue: I’ve seen one of these things since I got this quest, and I’m still waiting for my chance to finally move on to stage 3.

It’s a function of how Pokémon spawns work in this game, and of how they’ve evolved over time. Common Pokémon used to be common all the time, because we spent most of our time in what we can consider the “normal” state: i.e. no event spawns. But as time has gone on we’ve wound up spending less and less time during the “normal” state and more time inside of one event or another. It’s a good way to keep player’s interested, overall, but it has the odd side effect of making what should be common Pokémon surprisingly difficult to find.

I’m hoping that next week’s Gen 5 debut will bring some relief. Historically, new generations appear alongside normal spawns, and as a result previous generation common mon are also available in good numbers during that time. If not, I’ll still be in this entirely unexpected state of a long-term Whismur hunt. The game does have a way of surprising you.

Ash Ketchum Trending After Finally Winning Pokemon League

Twitter Ash Ketchum wins the Pokemon League

Ash Ketchum is trending on Twitter because he finally won a Pokemon League Conference after all these years. The big win happened on the Pokemon Sun and Moon anime's 139th episode, "Birth! The Aloha Champion!" And now Twitter is celebrating his big win after 22 long years.

Twitter Is Celebrating His Big Win After More than 20 Long Years

The news was first shared by @anipoke_PR, Pokemon's official anime Twitter account. The translated tweet reads: "He won the fierce fight between Gurajio was shining at the top of the Arora Pokemon League # Satoshi. Actually, this is the first time that I won the Pokemon League. Satoshi, really congratulations." 

Ash won after fighting Lillie's brother Gladion, and this marks the first time he's ever won a Pokemon League Conference. Yes, it's been a long 22 years. Some fans have said that they were born when Ash first started down this road, so they've been waiting pretty much their entire lives for this moment.

Now everyone's celebrating on Twitter too.

On Twitter, @ActualAero wrote: "Ash Ketchum has been a part of millions of lives & while many stop watching the Pokémon anime Ash continued to be a role model trainer for new generations. He's lost every Pokémon League to teach children it's ok to lose & today he finally won. What a day to be a Pokémon fan :)" 

Ash Ketchum has been a part of millions of lives & while many stop watching the Pokémon anime Ash continued to be a role model trainer for new generations. He's lost every Pokémon League to teach children it's ok to lose & today he finally won. What a day to be a Pokémon fan :) pic.twitter.com/Gzbf9j08N9

— Aero (@ActualAero) September 15, 2019

Everyone's celebrating.

More than 20 years of traveling far and wide.More than 20 years of Pokémon training+battling.In more than 20 years and 1000+ eps, his courage pulled through, his destiny was fulfilled, and finally became the very best.

Congratulations, Pokémon League Champion Ash Ketchum. pic.twitter.com/n0WmRXhDep

— TSF EV (@Alpha_Eevee) September 15, 2019

One of his most heartbreaking losses was in 2016, but all of that is forgotten now.

saw Ash Ketchum trending and was worried he got cancelled

— Rav (@iamRav) September 15, 2019

The celebrations aren't limited to Twitter. Reddit is celebrating too. The announcement is the trending topic on r/television right now.

One person on Reddit wrote: "he finally became the very best 😭." 

Others wonder what this means for the future of Ash on the anime series. Redditor u/brucebananaray wrote: "This is bizarre and what Alternative universe do we live. Does this mean Ash will grow up now that he isn't ten anymore? Will he finally go on a date with Serena and friendzone her."

But u/Animeop isn't impressed. They wrote: "Like about time but this is a little lame. Alolah is like the baby brother of leagues. Not even 6v6 and the competition was mehhh. If Ash had to win it should have been XY or Sinnoh when his team was pretty stacked. Ash winning at least may retire his character or else he's going to need to come back guns blazing." 

Others are hoping this means he'll become the challenger for new protagonists in future series.

But overall, most people are excited about the news.

The Win Comes Shortly After a New Pokemon Anime Was Announced

And all those Quora questions about why Ash never wins are outdated.

QuoraAsh Ketchum

Back when he never won, people guessed it was because he was a "mediocre Pokemon trainer." But Mike Justin suggested: "The creators want the Pokémon anime continue for as long as possible. The main storyline of the anime focuses on Ash Ketchum's journey to become a Pokémon Master, "the very best like no one ever was". If Ash did achieve that dream or even made significant progress towards it, it's a signal that the show will come to an end. Masamitsu Hidaka, a former director of the anime, even stated himself that if Ash becomes a Pokémon Master, the show ends."

It's interesting that this happens right after a new Pokemon anime was announced.

The new series will cover "the world of all Pokemon" and "all regions." But Ash may not be the hero of this series, given that he's finally won. Of course, all that's conjecture, but more information is supposed to be announced about the new series on September 29.

READ NEXT: WATCH: Man with TV on Head Leaves CRT TVs on Porches in Virginia

Pokémon Go Turtwig Community Day guide: best movesets and start time

Turtwig's Pokémon Go Community Day will take place Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m in your local time.

Turtwig's evolved form, Torterra, isn't the best grass-type DPS around, falling behind Roserade or other grass-type starters with Community Day moves. However, grabbing many Torterras will be an easy feat this weekend and they're still pretty strong, so if you're lacking grass-type attackers, make use out of this Community Day.

How do I get a Shiny Turtwig?

Shiny Turtwigs will spawn randomly among the masses of other Turtwig at rate of about one-in-24. After the Community Day, Shiny Turtwigs will be able to spawn in the wild or hatch out of eggs, but at a much lower rate.

Niantic via Polygon What move does Torterra learn?

Unsurprisingly, Torterra learns Frenzy Plant when evolved during the event period and up to two hours after. Make sure to evolve your Turtwig and Grotle into a Torterra before 4 p.m. in your local time in order to get the special move.

How do I make the most of this Community Day?

This Community Day features tripled catch Stardust, so make sure to catch any many Pokémon as you can and consider popping a Star Piece if you have any.

The best moveset to give your Torterra is Razor Leaf and Frenzy Plant if you're in need of a grass-type DPS. If you already have a team of Roserade or Sceptile, you're better off using those.

If you're deciding which Shiny Turtwig to evolve at the end of the day, try using one of the new search strings. Sort your 'mons by "recent" using the lower right icon, then type "4*" in the search box at the top. This will let you know if you have any 100% IV Turtwig. Most people won't be so lucky, so next you'll want to type "3*" in the search box, which will show you any recent 'mons that are 80% or above. Appraise these to see which one is best and then evolve your new buddy!

‘Pokémon Sword And Shield’ Teases New Pokémon On Website

The Pokemon Company is teasing a new Pokémon on the official "Pokémon Sword and Shield" website. Who's that Pokemon?

Fans are going crazy over a new Pokémon being teased at the official "Pokémon Sword and Shield" website, Polygon noted. The tease began as an announcement from the official Pokémon Twitter account, which posted a tweet with a link to the upcoming games' website.

The website shows a small box that looks like a glitch of some sort, reminiscent of a first-gen glitch known as Missingno. Those who want to see the glitch best open the "Pokémon Sword and Shield" website using a PC browser, then chase it using the mouse pointer until it stops moving and then becomes clickable.

Clicking on the glitch leads to a Rotom's call being played, followed by a Pokédex listing that's quite difficult to understand. The listing reveals a few details about the mysterious Pokémon, but has some words redacted to hide its true identity. The image itself appears glitchy and can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

"Only [redacted] that have survived many battles can attain this [redacted]. When this Pokémon's [redacted] [redacted]ers, it will retire from combat," the Pokédex listing reads.

The listing also reveals that the new Pokémon is a Fighting type Pokémon that weighs a hefty 257.9 lbs and has an ability called "Steadfast." Not much is revealed about the new Pokémon, except that it has some green, white, brown and black colors on it.

Fan speculations

Fans all over the internet speculate that this could be no other than an evolution to Farfetch'd, the wild duck Pokémon that's been there from the first gen. Fans believe that the image features a whitish-grayish colored duck Pokémon named "Sirfetch'd" as it carries a green colored "leek" as a sword and a green colored shield on the other hand. This is easy to see when the image is rotated.

Of course, some people wouldn't quickly agree with the speculation for some reasons. First, other netizens speculate that the image could be that of a Galarian Cubone. Second and most importantly, netizens noted that an evolution to Farfetch'd would unlikely weigh a massive 257.9 lbs, which would make it heavier than a Drednaw which weighs 254.6 lbs.

The Pokémon Company hasn't officially unveiled the new Pokémon yet. It hasn't been added to the list of Pokémon in the game's official website. As it is, it's best to take the speculations with a grain of salt as it could be anything - including the glitch Missingno. becoming canon.

Fans of the franchise will see older Pokémon sporting new looks in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Photo: st_visualization / Pixabay

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Who's that Pokemon? Pokemon Sword and shield gets a cryptic teaser for a new Pokemon

© offered by means of Future Publishing Ltd. Pokemon Sword and safeguard

The legit Pokemon company has posted a cryptic teaser for a brand new Pokemon coming to Pokemon Sword and shelter. Taking a distinct twist on their basic silhouetted who's that Pokemon gag, a pixelated, distorted photo of a new Pokemon has regarded with a description this is in part blocked out. in the event you observe the link on the Tweet and go to the reliable site, that you may spot the graphic on the page. once you click via, it can take you to the blurred out photograph of the mysterious Pokemon.

After lots of squinting and rotating, it does seem like some form of chicken, and a lot of are already speculating that or not it's a fancy Galarian take on Farfetch'd. There were some tremendous concepts about what it may seem like already. some of the gold standard takes to this point is this rendition that indicates a reasonably fly looking Farfetch'd hen with a leek-like spear and preserve. folks have dubbed it "SirFetch'd," and frankly we're so on board with the design. or not it's no longer any such farfetched seem, in any case. 

The web page states that it's a fighting Pokemon with the ability Steadfast, however the description beneath is fairly intriguing. whereas it's partially blocked out to retain us guessing, the description says that "best [redacted] that survived many battles can reap this [redacted]." How interesting. The Pokemon will also retire from combat for an as yet unknown motive.

we've had a load of distinct Gen eight Pokemon published to date, including the lovable Polteageist teapot Pokemon, the stripey Kiss tribute band Galarian types, and our new fluffy buddy Wooloo. we'll be retaining our eye on this Pokemon to discover just what it should seem like and if it definitely is a new Farfetch'd kind coming to the Galar place.

wish to understand extra? New Pokemon Sword and take care of points consist of more coach customisation, Pokemon Camp and a ghostly tea Pokemon.

Pokemon Go neighborhood Day September 2019: birth times, brilliant Turtwig, event move, And extra

Pokemon Go's 2nd wave of extremely Bonuses is operating except September sixteen, however earlier than the third wave arrives, Niantic will host the online game's subsequent group Day adventure. This month, the experience falls on Sunday, September 15, and as usual, it would supply avid gamers all over the world the opportunity to capture a infrequent Pokemon and take expertise of different in-game bonuses.

customarily, Pokemon Go's neighborhood Days run for only three hours, however the specifics of every experience differ month by month. To assist you put together, we have now rounded up everything you deserve to find out about September's neighborhood Day beneath, from its featured Pokemon and new start time to the different bonuses that could be attainable.

what is September's Featured Pokemon?

every group Day revolves round a particular Pokemon, in order to seem plenty greater regularly than standard during the adventure. The famous person of this month's group Day is Turtwig, the Grass-type starter from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. Turtwig will be a typical sight in the wild all through the event, so you'll have a lots less demanding time of catching some and stocking up on Turtwig candy. you will even have your first chance of encountering a vivid Turtwig. These will seem randomly right through the adventure, so you'll want persistence--and a bit success--if you're hoping to add one to your assortment.

This time, you may not be restricted to simply hunting Turtwig in the wild. The turtle Pokemon will additionally seem as a Raid boss all through the event, and a pair of km eggs that you acquire from PokeStops will have an opportunity of hatching into Turtwig, giving you a lot of other ways to get it. you'll want to seize as many Turtwig as which you can all through this month's neighborhood Day, as you are going to need a lot of Turtwig candy when you are hoping to evolve it all of the method into its closing form, Torterra.

what is September's community Day movement?

On accurate of expanded Pokemon spawns, each community Day also items an opportunity to get a different movement. if you're capable of evolve the featured Pokemon into its closing form with the aid of the end of the experience, it should understand a magnificent assault that it at all times is never in a position to studying in Pokemon Go. This month, that attack is Frenzy Plant. continually, you'll have as much as an hour after the adventure to get the attack, but this time, any Torterra you evolve up to 2 hours after the adventure ends will recognize the circulation.

What Time Does September's group Day beginning?

As prior to now mentioned, each community Day runs for under three hours. The past few activities have all taken region within the evening, from 4-7 PM local time, to account for the summer time heat. This month, despite the fact, Niantic is retaining the community Day lots earlier than common, from 11 AM to 2 PM local time.

What other Bonuses are available?

Niantic is providing a couple of other bonuses as a further incentive to take part within the group Day. As common, any trap Modules that you simply use all over the experience will final for three hours, rather than half-hour as they consistently do. On right of that, you will earn three times the common amount of Stardust should you trap Pokemon. this is applicable to any Pokemon you trap all the way through the event, not simply Turtwig.

Pokémon Sword and guard release date, trailers, and brand new aspects

After releasing one of the vital most desirable video games in franchise heritage on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo and video game Freak are finally able to convey the leading Pokémon games to the Nintendo swap – the primary of which might be known as Pokémon Sword and shield.

The video games will liberate globally on Nintendo swap this November and should convey with them a manufacturer-new area, points and Pokémon for trainers to swoon over. The authentic Pokémon YouTube channel has been dripping feeding us with snippets of gameplay and Pokémon designs too – even though now not each person is chuffed with what's been proven thus far (greater on this below).

The Sword and shield games can be set in the Galar vicinity (truly, a Pokémon-ified edition of the United Kingdom) and will encompass a couple of creatures including three new starting Pokémon, Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey. we are going to additionally see a brand new mechanic called Dynamaxing if you want to replace Z-moves and Mega-Evolutions – and curiously even Poké Jobs that aid your Pokémon benefit adventure.

So how does Sword and safeguard stack up to Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee on switch? these games acted as a sort of reboot of the fashioned purple and Blue titles for the Nintendo Gameboy, and for a lot of did not count as a 'core' Pokémon event. gamers will be looking to Pokémon Sword and take care of to convey the proper Pokémon experience to Nintendo switch, and expectations are a whole lot, lots bigger.

So what do we know, and what are we hoping to look when Pokémon Sword and protect launch this yr? examine on to find out.

[Update: A new Nintendo Direct has brought some more Sword and Shield details and we've even had the chance to get hands on with the game! Read on to find out more.]

cut to the chase

what's it? The eighth-era of Pokémon games

When can i play it? November 15, 2019

What can i play it on? Nintendo change

Pokémon Sword and guard unencumber date

all the way through a special Pokémon Sword and look after concentrated Nintendo Direct on June 5, Nintendo printed that Pokémon Sword and protect will unlock globally on November 15, 2019. 

moreover, Nintendo announced pre-orders for a double-pack edition of the games may be attainable quickly.

Pokémon Sword and safeguard trailers

questioning what towns within the Galar area may seem like? A brand new trailer dropped throughout Gamescom will give you a better conception. Rolling verdant hills, quaint educate stations and the ever-standard comfort of the Pokémon core. try the new footage below:

Pokémon Sword and guard will made combating bigger and more advantageous than ever, and we mean the former fairly literally. In a trailer released in August 2019, some new battle mechanics are explored. Watch the trailer beneath to see new Hidden abilities, strikes, items and a few greater particulars about Dynamaxing. 

a new day, a brand new trailer. We have been anticipating possibly greater of an in-depth Pokémon Direct, but this two-minute clip does provide us a look at some new Pokémon designs – as well as some 'opponents' you are going to be dealing with off against in the online game.

check out the video under:

one more recent Pokémon Sword and take care of trailer gave us a more in-depth study Dynamaxing, new Pokémon and the Galar Pokémon League. try it out beneath:

The most beneficial glimpse we have now had of Pokémon Sword and guard became throughout a special Nintendo Direct in June. The Nintendo Direct shed lots of gentle on what new points we will predict alongside some new Pokémon friends. 

check out the video under:

the first Pokémon Sword and safeguard trailer did not provide too a good deal away, however that you may see the primary glimpse of the environments and artwork style.

You additionally get a primary look at three new starter Pokémon: the fire-rabbit Scorbunny, twig-monkey Grookey, and a tragic-looking tadpole (sadpole?) referred to as Sobble.

investigate the trailer out below:

The remaining video, released right around the time of E3 2019, highlighted one of the most geographical points of the Galar place and introduced us to raid battles – a mechanic taken from the Pokémon Go mobile video game.

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photograph credit score: Nintendo

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Pokémon Sword and safeguard news and contours

Autosaves?

may we at last see autosaves make an look in a mainline Pokémon video game with Sword and take care of? most likely. ages after that Nintendo Direct or not it's now come to the consideration of some eagle-eyed enthusiasts (by way of Eurogamer) that throughout the trailer "Now Saving..." briefly seemed all through gameplay. This might, of route, just be the aftermath of a manual store nevertheless it seems like it might without problems be marking the introduction of an autosave this is instigated via achieving certain aspects or crossing certain thresholds within the online game. We may not know for bound, despite the fact, except it be tested or denied by Nintendo. 

Nintendo Direct September 2019

Nintendo dropped a direct in early September with some fresh particulars on Pokémon Sword and take care of. 

First up, as we already knew persona customisation is making a return but it's going to be extra large-ranging than ever before. Now moreover changing tops and bottoms, which you can exchange hairstyles, observe make up and pull some classy outerwear. Catching Pokémon in a leather jacket? You betcha. 

there is also Pokémon Camp which permits you to pitch up a tent during your journeys and play along with your Pokémon. this will improve their performance in fight and you can even take your Pokémon to talk over with the camps of different avid gamers online. 

tenting additionally capability cooking. Now that you can lovingly create dishes of curry and rice for you and your Pokémon with greater than one hundred diversifications to enjoy. To retain track of your recipes you'll be the use of the Currydex (yes, critically). 

Of path, there are also some new Pokémon. The Direct added us to flying-water-type Cramorant and ghost-category Polteagiest. 

Gamescom 2019

Gamescom 2019 is right here and regardless of that indisputable fact that Nintendo dropped a new Pokémon trailer in basic terms days earlier than the experience, extra new photos has been shown. don't seem to be we spoiled. 

the new pictures offers a pretty good study an as-yet-unnamed town in the Galar area. This footage exhibits that moreover the prior to now revealed flying taxi service within the video game, avid gamers will also be capable of commute by using educate. with a bit of luck the attempt to reflect the uk will handiest be surface degree or we are going to get nowhere by rail. towns will also have, as anticipated, Pokémon facilities, grocery retailers and apparel stores to have a look round and spend some funds. 

New battle mechanics

In a contemporary trailer, some fresh battle details were validated. 

Corviknight is shown to have a Hidden ability known as reflect Armor so that it will permit it to reflect any stat-lowering outcomes again at its opponents. 

Hidden expertise, it's been demonstrated in a blog put up, are a bit more special than common competencies as they'll only function in Pokémon which have been caught in Max Raid Battles (so a Corviknight you trap from a normal come across won't have the replicate Armor skill). 

These Max Raid Battles, coincidentally, are how to come across another kind of particular Pokémon: one it is capable of Gigantamaxing. in case you're really lucky you might go into a Max Raid fight and come away with a Pokémon that may Gigantamax and has a Hidden capacity but that'll be a really rare experience and you'll should take part in a lot of Raids. 

New objects will even be introduced to the video game. One of these is Room carrier, so one can decrease the speed of the Pokémon preserving it throughout Trick Room. The different is Eject Pack with the intention to swap the conserving Pokémon out of battle if its stats are decreased, enabling you to substitute it with an additional out of your group. 

combating online

a few more particulars on the on-line battle Stadium have been demonstrated. players with a Nintendo switch online subscription can be capable of join over the web and compete in single or double battles. These battles may also be ranked or casual, with the previous involving dealing with trainers of an identical ranks to are attempting and earn aspects to circulate up, while the latter is, smartly, just for enjoyable. With things working throughout the Nintendo switch online service, that skill Pokémon international link isn't supported. 

Pokémon have jobs now

An official record on the Pokémon Sword and shield's website shows a way of incomes event facets with the aid of freelancing your Pokémon out to random employers. Exploitation, or a enjoyable summer time job? at the very least it's an outstanding manner of guaranteeing your boxed Pokémon are not languishing when you take your leading group on your event as can sometimes turn up. It looks something of a disgrace that you just can not go together with your Pokémon and take half in a mini video game for some jobs however both manner it be a superb way to hold your Pokémon working towards and to herald some particular items as rewards. 

vicinity variations

Regional diversifications of general Pokémon always make exploring new areas much more enjoyable. The vicinity variations for the Galarian place in reality play up that U.k concept. 

There's Galarian Weezing which is obviously drawing heavily on the economic Revolution with its chimney pipe hat and Victorian manufacturing unit-proprietor vibe. 

meanwhile Zigzagoon and Linoon have taken on a more badger-like appearance.

There's also a wholly new Pokémon proven for the Galar region: Morpeko. This little hamster-like creature is lovable unless It receives hungry. In most likely the most relatable Pokémon behaviour ever, when Morpeko enters hangry mode, it goes from electric powered classification to darkish classification and appears utterly merciless. 

The dangerous guys

Pokémon grunt enterprises are very hardly ever delicate and crew Yell are carrying on with that style with their name, their vogue and their utter adoration of Marnie. 

Marnie is one in all your leading rivals in Sword and shelter and she's hell bent on fitting a champion. crew Yell are her followers who will get in your way so as to support her get there. 

Bede is your other rival. He's a bit more mysterious than Marnie (and looks a little greater like a grandmother too). whereas he's also aiming to turn into champion, he's obtained different factors you'll be aiming to discover. 

(photograph credit: game Freak)

brand new models

The Pokémon Sword and guard building group has been dealing with ire from enthusiasts following the information that each Pokémon ever won't be accessible to trap within the new video games with the newest rumors suggesting that video game Freak has been utilising historic 3DS creature models for the switch video game with a purpose to reduce charges. This conception has been shot down through an older Famitsu interview with Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori (by means of Polygon) during which it's pointed out that the models for the brand new video game had been made from scratch. 

It became additionally noted that the greater intensive images of the switch has lengthened the time needed to render Pokémon so the restrained Pokédex would have come at some aspect. 

version-exclusive gymnasium Leaders

Pokémon Sword and look after can have version-unique gym Leaders. In Pokémon Sword you will combat karate prodigy Bea, while in Pokémon shelter, you tackle emo king Allister.

Gigantamaxing

prior to now we had heard of the Dynamax characteristic that allows Pokémon to become tremendous-sized during battles, youngsters Nintendo has now published the "phenomenon" of Gigantamaxing. 

while Dynamaxing can most effective ensue in specific areas of the Galar place, and is a typical incidence for Pokémon from the region, Gigantaxmaxing is barely particular to definite species of Pokémon and kicks issues up a notch with the aid of now not only increasing a Pokémon's measurement however also its appearance.

in addition, Gigantamaxing boosts the vigor of the Pokémon and makes it possible for it to make use of a distinct circulation called a G-Max move - each and every G-Max movement is specific to a particular species of Gigantamax Pokémon.

greater new Pokémon

In a contemporary trailer Nintendo delivered us to a few greater new Pokémon we will be encountering in Galar, together with the jogging ice-cream sundae Alcremie, lovable doggy Yamper, coal chunk Rolycoly and metal dragon Duraludon.

(photograph credit score: Nintendo)

Doubling Down

Pokémon producer Junichi Masuda has reiterated the information that not all Pokémon would be accessible to catch in Sword and look after in an announcement to lovers on the legitimate Pokémon web page. in the observation, Masuda thanked enthusiasts for their love of the Pokémon collection but reaffirmed the resolution to limit Pokémon in the video game to those within the Galar area. 

He did, however, add that "even though a specific Pokémon isn't available in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon guard, that does not imply it is going to not seem in future games."

Fan backlash against the information has been severe nonetheless it appears that game Freak is sticking to its weapons. Masuda brought in his commentary that the Galar region will see "the realm of Pokémon continues to adapt. The Galar area offers new Pokémon to encounter, Trainers to battle, and adventures to embark on. we are pouring our hearts into these video games, and we hope you will seem to be ahead to becoming a member of us on this new journey."

can't catch 'em all 

it be been verified that Pokémon Sword and guard will now not function every Pokémon from the franchise up to now, making them the first mainline games to do so. Given there at the moment are greater than 800 species of Pokémon here's, most likely, no longer all that amazing.

The reason, based on online game Freak producer Junichi Masuda (via Famitsu), is that on reaching generation eight there should be more than a thousand Pokémon in the Pokédex. Such a large number skill "it has develop into extraordinarily problematic to make Pokémon with a brand new character play an energetic part and to steadiness their compatibility" as well as to make certain they'll all be balanced in battle.

not only that, it might be too tricky to have so many in-online game fashions with a excessive sufficient graphical satisfactory. 

though the choice saddens Masuda, he says that or not it's a decision he "needed to make some day" and that he's opting to "opt for the best". 

(picture credit score: Nintendo)

Pokémon Ball Plus

We failed to hear a lot about Pokémon Sword and defend all the way through Nintendo Direct at E3 2019, however it was teased that the Pokémon Ball Plus will also be used to take your in-game Pokémon for "a stroll". besides the fact that children, the ball cannot be used as a controller.

furthermore, it was teased that "first rate issues" will occur if you construct up a robust connection to one Pokémon in specific.

liberate date revealed

Nintendo held a unique Pokémon Sword and defend focused Nintendo Direct on June 5 that revealed both games will release globally on November 15, 2019.

Max Raid Battles

an awful lot like Pokémon Go, Sword and safeguard has a characteristic which makes it possible for trainers to crew up with up to three others online to tackle extra powerful Pokémon.

Legendaries

Pokémon Sword and guard's wolf-like Legendary Pokémon are Zacian (sword) and Zamazenta (look after).

Dynamax Mode

This new mode enables trainers to make their Pokémon giant and tremendous-powered. This mode can handiest be activated once all the way through a battle and lasts three turns before a Pokémon reverts to common dimension.

greater new Pokémon

Alongside the starter Pokémon, Nintendo has also published a few greater new Pokémon joining Sword and guard: Wooloo (sheep Pokémon), Gossifleur (a fancy girl Pokémon that evolves into Eldegoss), Drednaw (who resembles a snapping turtle) and Corviknight (a raven and glorified taxi carrier for the Galar region).

Wild enviornment

Galar features a Wild area where trainers can explore, combat and catch Pokémon. Which Pokémon appear depends on the atmosphere and weather.

Stadiums

Trainers will combat Pokémon leaders in Stadiums rather than the normal gyms. These stadiums are large and packed with a cheering viewers. 

New characters

Nintendo printed your new rival is Hop, whose older brother is the Pokémon champion of Galar. meanwhile Professor Magnolia and her assistant Sonia will act as your courses.

coach outfit customization may be a function

whereas it's not a brand new feature, trainer outfit customization has been popular with Pokémon avid gamers for the reason that it turned into introduced in X and Y. And it be a feature which a fresh Uniqlo competitors has validated will be in Pokémon Sword and protect. 

In a collaboration with The Pokémon enterprise, the garb manufacturer asked fanatics to design a desirable which might then be bought in retailers. Now that the profitable entry has been chosen (a design featuring Magikarp and Gyrados) it's been revealed that the properly will even be wearable in Pokémon Sword and defend as a trainer outfit.

just what number of extra outfit alternatives there will be in the video games is rarely well-known yet, however we're hoping to capture a glimpse of some extra if Nintendo suggests us some new Sword and shield pictures during its E3 convention this 12 months. 

Made for handheld

while the Pokémon Let's Go video games had been developed with television mode in mind, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has cited that Pokémon Sword and shelter will "emphasize the enjoyable of taking part in Nintendo change in handheld mode." Furukawa made the feedback right through Nintendo's March 2019 fiscal results Briefing (by the use of Nintendo lifestyles).

an entire new world

We comprehend the video game is decided in a fresh place of Galar, instead of a rehash of Kanto or a previously visited territory. Galar seems to be loosely inspired through England's cities and nation-state, with rolling hills and brickwork cities to discover.

The trailer additionally confirmed glimpses of jewel-encrusted mines and what could even be a soccer stadium (see the kit below), notwithstanding we're waiting to peer no matter if competing in a Pokémon-themed soccer World Cup could be feasible for players.

brand new Pokémon

Yup, here's a brand new era of Pokémon, that means you will be seeing loads of new faces – in addition to a lot of historical ones. The trailer gave us a mix of widespread Pokémon like Pikachu and Hoothoot alongside the brand new starters, and we're hoping online game Freak be ready to retain the brand new designs entertaining (no ice cream or candelabra Pokémon, please.)

contemporary to the core

Sword and shelter seem to be to preserve the seem and 3D animation vogue of the Pokeémon Let's Go video games that launched on Nintendo swap last year.

Pokémon video games haven't been flat 2nd video games in years, and has more and more been relocating against vast avatars and 3D environments. Some may additionally pass over the historic-school pixel allure of the past games – and locate the 3D creature fashions a little bland – however for improved or worse here's what we're getting.

Pokémon Stars what?

What still confuses us is that we've been awaiting the lengthy-rumored Pokémon Stars video game for over two years now, Eurogamer. published a file in late 2016 that noted distinctive sources had verified a brand new version of Pokémon solar and Moon was being developed for the change below the code named Pokémon Stars. 

while it certainly not materialized, 'Stars' may smartly had been a code-identify for what ultimately grew to become the Let's Go games, or may nonetheless show a change port for the solar and Moon games.