Pokémon Sword and Shield are bigger hits than their predecessors despite all the drama

If you were tuned into Pokémon discourse on places like Twitter or Reddit, you may have thought that Sword and Shield were going to be giant disasters. Instead, sales are already outpacing the last few major Pokémon games.

Nintendo revealed today as part of its latest financial results that Sword and Shield have already sold 16.06 million copies as of the end of December. They released on November 15 for Switch, a little more than 2 months ago.

During the same amount of days after release, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee had sold 10 million copies. The last major entries in the series before that, Sun and Moon for the 3DS, had sold 14.69 million copies. In fact, Sword and Shield are close to already surpassing the total sales that Sun and Moon achieved: 16.17 million. Combined, Sword and Shield are already the fifth best-selling game for the Switch, a system seeing tremendous success as Nintendo also revealed today that the console has sold 52.5 million machines since its launch in March 2017.

Pokémon Sword and Shield sell in was 16.06m units as of December 31st 2019.

In the same time period, Let's Go sell in was 10m and Sun/Moon sell in was 14.69m.

It will shortly pass Sun/Moon lifetime sales (16.17m)

It is already the 5th best selling Switch game of all time. pic.twitter.com/XNedGkwS8c

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) January 30, 2020

Now, this may not be all that surprising. Pokémon is a giant franchise and one of the most recognizable gaming brands in the world. And these games launched for Switch, Nintendo's hot home console/portable hybrid. But ahead of launch, Sword and Shield were swarmed by controversy.

Dexit drama

It all stems from something fans began to call Dexit. Developer Game Freak revealed that not every Pokémon from past games would be available in Sword and Shield. In the games, the catalog of all Pokémon is called the Pokédex, hence the Dexit name. This news incensed some fans, as it had become tradition for all previous Pokémon to be available in new games. If every Pokémon ever made was included in Sword and Shield, the Pokédex would include 807 pocket monsters. Instead the games had 400 of them at launch.

Above: Giant Pokémon!

Image Credit: Nintendo

What could have been a legitimate complaint instead steamrolled into lunacy, as some began to scour every screenshot of the game looking for "proof" that developer Game Freak was being lazy, circling things in red like some kind of conspiracy theorist. This would then turn into harassment, as some would take to Twitter to badger developers. It got ugly. Some fans even called for boycotts.

At the time, it seemed like a big deal. I mean, not because the complaints had much merit. They were just loud. And it turns out a lot of it really was just noise. Sword and Shield aren't just hits, they are huge hits.

This should be a lesson for all of us. Negativity online can be overwhelm. It can distort reality. The Dexit folks were loud, but they were a small minority among Pokémon fans.

This Artist Drew Grammy Stars As Pokémon Trainers And It's So Dang Perfect

Grammys

Gotta sketch 'em all.

Posted on January 29, 2020, at 5:19 p.m. ET

Amy Sussman / Getty Images

If you thought the fashion at Sunday's Grammy Awards was out of this world, you weren't alone.

The red carpet was the scene of some truly astonishing looks served up by Ariana Grande in a gigantic gray tulle dress, Lil Nas X wearing a hot pink cowboy outfit featuring a leather harness, Billy Porter with a remote-controlled hat (!), and queen of the night Billie Eilish dressed in green and black, looking like she had just stepped out of the Matrix.

The four looks inspired a ton of chatter online with comparisons to Batman villains and the world of manga.

But a few people also began comparing the stars and their outlandish outfits to Pokémon gym trainers or leaders.

This chatter caught the attention of 21-year-old Ray Pratiwi, an illustrator based in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, who uses "they"/"them" pronouns. Pratiwi has been a Pokémon fan for more than a decade and enjoys sketching the creatures and trainers in their spare time.

"A lot of the designs are not that complicated, so it's relatively easier to draw, but also not too simple and generic," Pratiwi told BuzzFeed News. "The human characters are also nicely designed too! I'm a sucker for 'themed' character designs, and a lot of the human characters are designed around a specific Pokémon 'type'. I really enjoy drawing them."

To Pratiwi, the comparisons of the Grammy stars to Pokémon trainers made a ton of sense, so they took out their tablet, opened Clip Studio Paint, and got sketching.

"I tried identifying what makes the Pokémon art style work," they said. "Since my usual art style isn't too drastically different from Pokémon's, it wasn't too hard — but I still took note that certain features are unique to this style, such as the eye shape, the face shape, the line work, and the shading style."

The end result? An astonishing work of fan art that immediately went mega-viral.

Let's take a closer look here.

You've got Eilish looking like a poison type badass and hanging with an Alolan Muk.

You've got Lil Nas stunting as a fairy type, accompanied by a Granbull.

Here's Grande the ghost type with her Dusknoir.

And, last but not least, there's Porter the ice type queen with a Glaceon.

"I posted it [on Twitter on Wednesday] and immediately went for a nap for around two hours, and by then it reached 9,000 retweets," Pratiwi explained. "And by now it's gotten up to 50,000, which is the most I've ever gotten on a drawing I made!"

It's safe to say people are loving the drawing — Lil Nas himself even liked the art on Twitter, something Pratiwi said was "pretty exciting."

But there was just one question remaining.

"People have been saying Ariana would kick ass since she has a Dusknoir," Pratiwi weighed in, "but I'm betting on Nas."

'Pokémon Go' online battle feature starts rolling out

Late last year, Niantic promised Pokémon Go players a feature called "Go Battle League" that would finally give them a way to fight other trainers worldwide. Now, the developer has started rolling out Go Battle League, and it will make its way to players based on their trainer level. You may have to wait a bit longer to get it, because Niantic temporarily paused its release "to ensure a smooth feature launch and prevent server issues." But when you do get the feature, you'll be able to fight against other trainers at the Go Battle League preseason events.

The preseason leagues -- namely, the Great League, the Ultra League and the Master League -- will allow Niantic to observe how people are playing and make adjustments for the first season of competitive play. It could help the company determine the ideal season length and rating threshold for ranks, among other things.

To be able to play in the leagues, you'll have to walk five kilometers to earn your entry and unlock five online matches. You can do that three times a day, if you want to battle as many trainers as possible and don't mind the exercise. However, you can also use your PokéCoins to pay your way in via the Battle Now feature if you can't complete a five kilometer walk. The farther you are to the goal, the higher the price is. You'll also be able to encounter Pikachu Libre, a type of Pikachu that wears a lucha libre costume, when you play in the Go Battle League.

Niantic says it will provide updates as soon as it's able regarding the feature's rollout, so you may want to keep an eye on Pokémon Go's social media channels for future announcements.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Pokémon Home cloud storage service will launch in February for $3 a month

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Pokémon Home cloud storage service will launch in February for $3 a month

Premium subscribers will be able to bring 3DS pokémon to the Nintendo Switch

By Julia Alexander Jan 28, 2020, 11:25am EST Share this story

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Image: Nintendo / Game Freak

The Pokémon Company is making it easier for players to keep all of their pokémon from every game in one place with a cloud storage service known as the Pokémon Home. The tool will launch in February.

Details about how Home will work were released in a new blog post from the company today. Essentially, people can use their phones and mobile devices to store pokémon from the old Pokémon Bank and transfer them into Pokémon Switch games as long as those pokémon are supported in the newer games. Support for Pokémon Go is in development. There is also a version of Pokémon Home that lives on the Nintendo Switch, but it will only support Switch games including Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!. Beware, though: once a pokémon is transferred to the bank and into another game, it cannot be transferred back.

Although Pokémon Home will be free to all players for the first month, the premium plan is what Nintendo is trying to sell. Customers who choose to use the basic, free version of Home won't be able to transfer pokémon from the Bank system. That means players with pokémon from 3DS games won't be able to bring those over to Switch titles. Free versions will only allow 30 pokémon to be deposited to Home, while the premium version expands to 6,000. Having a basic plan effectively changes how trading works within Home, too. The company will charge mobile users $2.99 a month, $4.99 for three months, or $15.99 for a year of support. More information is in the graph below.

So, how does it work? Players can use Pokémon Home to trade pokémon in four different ways. Pokémon that are placed in the "Wonder Box" can be traded worldwide. These pokémon will be traded even when Pokémon Home isn't being used. The "Global Trade System" allows players to identify specific pokémon they want to trade and receive. These players will be matched with others who meet the criteria of their search. "Room Trade" allows players to create a room and trade with others who join. There's a limit of 20 people per room, and while the trading has no cost, players will only be able to create a room if they're paying for the premium plan. Finally, "Friend Trade" will let players trade with nearby users who are registered as friends in Pokémon Home.

There are some additional features that accompany Home. Pokémon deposited in Home will be registered to the National Pokédex. Mystery Gifts for Home and Pokémon Sword and Shield can be received in the mobile version of Home. Premium customers can use a feature called "Judge," which allows them to see how strong their pokémon are, and mobile users will get updates and news via the Home app.

The Pokémon Company doesn't have a specific launch date for Home, but keep an eye out for more details soon. Additional information can be read on the official blog.

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Pokémon Home costs three times more than the service it replaces

For that price, you'll be able to store up to 6,000 Pokémon, as well as take better advantage of some of the app's marquee features. For instance, Pokémon Home includes an evolution of the franchise's fun roulette-style "Wonder" trades. As a premium subscriber, you'll be able to place up to 10 in a "Wonder Box," and Pokémon Home will then automatically pair you with other players to complete the trades, even if you don't have the app actively open on your Nintendo Switch or smartphone.

On both Switch and mobile, the app will also come with a judge function that will allow you to see how the stats on your companions compare to other Pokémon of the same species. If you're a competitive player, this feature alone will probably make Pokémon Home worth the price of admission since it will let you save the hassle of doing that in-game.

However, while Home is an improvement on Bank in a lot of ways, Nintendo is likely to face backlash for just how much it costs to use the new service. And while you can use Home without paying, the "Basic" tier is highly restrictive. It allows you to store a maximum of 30 Pokémon. You also can't move any monsters you have stored on Pokémon Bank without subscribing, meaning you can't bring over your favorite companions from 3DS entries like Pokémon X and Y.

Nintendo still has yet to share an exact release date for Pokémon Home. It also sounds like fans will have to wait to transfer any Pokémon they may have caught in Pokémon Go, as Nintendo says support for the mobile title is "in development." However, the company did say it plans to make Pokémon Bank free to download and use for one month after the release of Home to help players move all their monsters over to Sword and Shield. When the service does become available, you'll be able to pay for the Premium subscription through the eShop, App Store and Google Play Store. Tax is included in the list price when you pay for Pokémon Home through your phone.

Update 12:19PM ET: Added details about mobile pricing.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Pokemon Home premium pricing set at $15.99 a year

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The Pokemon Company announced on Tuesday more details about the upcoming Pokemon Home app and its premium pricing models.

Pokemon Home, an app that will be released for the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices in February, is a cloud-based service that will allow users to move Pokemon between compatible games. Pokemon can also be traded through the app with other players.

The service offers a Basic membership for free that limits the amount of Pokemon that can be deposited into Pokemon Home and doesn't allow the ability to move Pokemon from the Pokemon Bank, among other features.

The premium plan costs $2.99 for one month, $4.99 for three months and $15.99 for a year. Premium users will also be allowed to host Room Trades where Pokemon are traded and have access to the Judge function which allows players to see how strong a Pokemon is before trading for it.

Pokemon Home will connect on the Nintendo Switch with Pokemon Sword and Shield along with Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. Support for mobile title Pokemon Go is coming in the future.

Nintendo announced recently two new expansions for Sword and Shield with the first one titled The Isle of Armor arriving in June.

Pokemon Anime Teases Gigantamax Charizard's Anime Debut

The newest generation of the Pokemon games have revealed a whole new region with Sword and Shield that includes a powerful new ability, Dynamaxing. Some of the Pokemon get their own variations of this power up with Gigantamaxing that changes their forms in some way, and one of the most notable is the awesome new form Charizard gets when it transforms into a fiery giant. The current anime series might have a looser association with the Galar region than you would expect from a new Pokemon series, but took the time out to previously demonstrate just how terrifying Gigantamaxing really would be.

The new Pokemon anime bounces around from place to place, and region to region with each new episode, and it's been confirmed that Ash Ketchum and new hero Go will be returning to the Galar region for a special event battle between the Kanto Champion Lance and the currently undefeated Galar Champion, Leon.

Not only will this future episode feature the return of Lance and his Red Gyarados, but a new promo spotted by @DBSChronicles on Twitter gives us a first look at Gigantamax Charizard's upcoming explosive debut into the anime series. Check it out:

This upcoming battle will be featured in Episode 12 of the series as Ash and Go get tickets to a special exhibition between the two regional champions. It's only a couple of weeks away from the time of this writing (although fans outside of Japan are still left without a legal way to keep up with the new anime just yet), and now that Ash surprisingly has a Dragonite of his own, things are about to get a lot more interesting.

The upcoming episode is described as such, "Professor Sakuragi has given [Ash] and Go tickets to the finals of the Pokemon World Championships, the tournament that decides the best Pokemon Trainer in the world. The two of them set off to the Galar region, where the stadium is located, to see this match with their own eyes. The final is between [Lance], the winner of the Elite Four Cup in the Kanto region, and [Leon], whose undefeated record in the Galar region keeps growing. Just how skilled is this man [Leon]?"

Ready to see the fiery power of Charizard's Gigantamax form? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter! Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. There's also a brand new film on the way to Japan this Summer, Pokemon the Movie: Coco.

What the weird world of Pokémon can teach us about storytelling

“This is it? This is the game?”

I am in Italy with my partner, and just like every beach holiday since 1999, I have booted up Pokémon. This particular version is Pokémon Sun for the Nintendo 3DS, but all the games are fundamentally the same: you’re a child leaving home to catch and train tiny monsters so you can defeat various bosses and bad guys. My boyfriend, who has never played Pokémon, has just watched me eviscerate a grunt trainer with my level 41 Mudsdale.

“It’s so … slow.”

I consider, for the first time, what the Pokémon games look like to a person who has never played them. They are slow. A huge portion is just you, a 10-year-old, walking around and being assaulted by bats. The “battles” you enter with other trainers are fundamentally lacking in drama, and mostly consist of you smashing the same one or two moves over and over again. And the “moves”? You see very little of them. Rattata uses “tackle” and this is signified by a rat animation inclining slightly forward.

Why have I been playing this game for 20 years? Because there are two different but adjoining games going on in Pokémon. There is one you play on your console, the plodding, multiple choice-based, “gotta catch ’em all” game that birthed an anime dynasty, then there is another that happens entirely in your own head.

If you’ve ever played Pokémon, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The guilt you feel when it’s time to bench your Pidgeot â€" the one who started with you as a humble level 4 Pidgey on Route 1 â€" because you know he can’t take you to the dizzy heights of the Indigo Plateau. The overwhelming sense of gulping-for-air urgency when you and your team emerge, limping and faint, from another endless cave of poisonous Zubats and aggressive trainers. The strange existential panic when you use a thunder stone on your dainty Pikachu, so he may evolve into a hefty daddy Raichu.

The game encourages you to evolve your Pokémon, bench the weak ones, and do whatever you can to succeed. The weirdly intense emotional state this summons is not a result of the slow gameplay mechanics but a cumulative effect of the writing. The games are essentially road movies. You journey through different towns, dropping in on lives already in progress, stories already in motion. And like any road movie, the visitor is only ever told as much as he needs to know. There are no Super Mario-style “Find the princess!” prompts. You are asked, simply, to read the room.

One visceral example of this is Lavender Town, which you experience as a vague, unfinished ghost story. You arrive in this small village. Something is obviously wrong. Nothing is growing, there are no water features, and a shrill, repetitive 8-bit tune plays. You learn that this is the home of the only Pokémon graveyard. It is the first time we are introduced to the concept of death. We know Pokémon “faint” if they lose a battle, but healthcare being free and medication cheap, death is not something we’ve had to confront yet. But now we know: Pokémon die and they are mourned.

That’s not all. Something terrible has happened here, and recently. One of the characters explains: “Ghosts appeared in Pokémon Tower. I think they’re the spirits of Pokémon that the Rockets killed.” So Lavender Town is haunted because of a massacre led by Team Rocket, something we hear nothing more about.

Mysterious massacre … Team Rocket from Pokemon the Movie: The Power of Us

The Pokémon games are full of stories like this: half-written, euphemistic, full of hints and easter eggs, and characters who allude to things that often never happen. For the first few hours of Pokémon Blue and Red, you are led to believe that a big plot with a Clefairy is about to kick off, and it simply never does. It creates a sense that you are living in a vast, complex world full of lost tales and broken people.

Take the gym leaders. These are the game’s grimy local politicians, whose moods and preferences govern an entire region. The more you play, the more you read into their sad little lives. Brock’s backwoods gym is so dull you can practically hear your rubber soles squeaking on the floor as you destroy his Onix. At Lt. Surge’s deranged Electric-type gym you’re forced to sort through trash before he’ll even speak to you. Female-led gyms tend to be more elaborate â€" do they have to work harder to gain credibility? Is there inherent sexism in the gym leadership world? Maybe that’s why Erica has more trainers than anyone else. Maybe it’s a feminist thing. Maybe Erica is the AOC of Pokémon.

From the beginning, Pokémon has encouraged this kind of close reading. Satoshi Tajiri, the president of Game Freak and creator of the franchise, began his career as a writer. He made a video arcade fanzine, also called Game Freak, which became hugely popular for its gamer tips and lists of easter eggs. In 1999, he gave an interview to Time magazine about the mysterious and elusive Pokémon named Mew, which was added to Pokémon Red and Blue at the last moment as a hidden extra. “There were 150 characters, and Mew was number 151,” Tajiri explained. “It created a myth about the game, that there was an invisible character out there … It kept the interest alive.”

For decades, fan theories about how to find Mew circulated through forums. Most speculation centred on a small truck parked near a ship named SS Anne at Vermilion Harbour. The truck is only accessible with the aid of some crafty trading with another player; for years, many players believed that Mew was hidden behind that elusive vehicle.

The sparse storytelling has led to players filling in the gaps in other creative and fascinating ways. The world is mostly populated by children and elderly guardians, and your own father is absent. Lieutenant Surge, an Electric gym leader, alludes to combat, and is one of the few middle-aged men in the game. To many fans, the natural conclusion is that we are living a decade or so after a war so devastating that it claimed an entire generation of men. Suddenly, the lush forests, the free healthcare (didn’t the NHS begin after the second world war, after all?), the societal emphasis on having strong Pokémon who are willing to fight for you â€" it all makes sense.

As a novelist, I’m keenly aware that people won’t commit to a story unless it engenders an ideological pact between writer and audience; it has to encourage us to fill in the gaps and overinvest emotionally. I would feel ashamed to undertake such a close reading of the Pokémon games, if I weren’t absolutely sure that these theories live in the hearts and minds of millions of fans who spent their childhoods starting adventure after adventure, each more or less identical and yet all filled with imagination. These fans are easy to find. All you need to do is whisper the magic words: “I like shorts. They’re comfy and easy to wear.” Trust me, they’ll understand.

Caroline O’Donoghue’s second novel, Scenes of a Graphic Nature, will be published by Virago in June.

Ash Ketchum Just Got His Strongest Pokemon Yet

Pokemon's newest anime series has been much different than every other anime in the franchise released thus far. Ash's newly crowned Champion status seems to have made him far more laid back as the newest series has seen him casually adventure around the various regions alongside new protagonist Go. But that doesn't mean that he's been slacking in his own journey to be a Pokemon Master, either. While already adding one of the most surprising additions to his party yet with Mr. Mime in a previous episode, the latest episode added one more big surprise.

Episode 10 of the series recently went live in Japan, and teased Ash and Go would be heading to a mysterious island full of Dragonite. This initially seemed like it would just be another fun adventure with Pokemon that wouldn't change the status quo of the anime like the last few episodes, but towards the end of Episode 10 Ash surprisingly caught a newly evolved Dragonite.

After befriending a Dragonair that couldn't quite keep itself in the air, Ash and Pikachu bonded with it further to help it soar the skies. But when they were in trouble, Dragonair forced itself to evolve and swoop them up as Dragonite. Rather than part ways, Dragonite asked to come along on Ash's journey -- adding his strongest Pokemon catch yet.

New episodes of the Pokemon anime aren't being simulcast like many other modern anime releases, so major developments like this are pretty sore for huge fans of the anime in the West. The latest episode ended up being a classic adventure in which Ash became fast friends with a wild Pokemon, and now he's got a Dragonite in his party to use whenever he feels like!

Go has been ahead of Ash when it comes to catching new Pokemon for each episode, but moments like this prove that Ash is still very much in the game. With a Dragonite as part of his team, it joins alongside legacy catches like Goodra as some of the very few Dragon types Ash has ever managed to nab.

What do you think of Ash's surprising catch? How will Dragonite shake up his team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter! Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. There's also a brand new film on the way to Japan this Summer, Pokemon the Movie: Coco.

'Pokémon Go' February Community Day to be Voted by Players - Date & Moves Revealed

Following the Piplup Community Day event in Pokémon Go, Niantic is ready to announce the one for February. However, next month's in-game event comes with a twist: its spotlight Pokémon will be chosen by the players.

That's right, a player vote will decide which Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild during February's Community Day.

According to the official Pokémon Go blog, trainers will have one full day to vote for February's spotlight Pokémon. Starting Saturday, February 1 at 12 a.m. local time until 11:59 p.m., votes will be counted via the total number of Field Research tasks completed globally within the time window.

Results will be announced February 3 with the Community Day taking place February 22.

The candidates for the February Community Day event are these four Pokémon: Vulpix, Machop, Rhyhorn and Dratini.

While some of these Pokémon have had their Shiny variants already introduced in Pokémon Go - and in the case of Dratini already had its own Community Day - there will be exclusive moves the featured monsters can learn.

To vote, trainers must complete as many Field Research as possible. Completing them will earn trainers 200 Stardust. The more you complete a specific task, the more likely it is your choice will be selected. Go out and spin as many PokeStops to get these tasks, and don't complete the task associated with the other choices.

Vote for Machop Community Day! Catch 20 Pokémon

Vote for Rhyhorn Community Day! Catch 20 Pokémon

Vote for Vulpix Community Day! Catch 20 Pokémon

Vote for Dratini Community Day! Catch 20 Pokémon

If Vulpix is chosen, the shiny variant for Kanto Vulpix will make its debut in Pokémon Go. However, evolving Kanto or Alolan Vulpix during the event window will give Ninetales the charged attack, Weather Ball. Kanto Ninetales will have the Fire-type Weather Ball, while Alolan Ninetales will have the Ice version.

Machop, when evolved into Machamp during the event will learn Payback a Dark-type attack that will make it useful against Psychic and Ghost-type Pokémon.

Rhyhorn will finally get its shiny variant introduced into Pokémon Go if it's chosen. However, when Rhyhorn evolves into Rhyperior during the event it'll learn Rock Wrecker, a powerful Rock-type attack.

Evolving Dratini into Dragonite during the event will give the Dragon and Flying-type Pokémon the charged attack Superpower to help it combat Ice, Rock and Steel-type Pokémon.

Which of the four Pokémon will be your choice? Let us know in the comments section.

Nintendo Announces A Brand New Pokemon That Defeats Its Enemies Using Hypnosis Via Twerking

Twerking is one of the wildest phenomena of the last decade, and many of us have laid witness to it many times. But that does not mean we necessarily want it inside of our games. Anyway, Nintendo is here to deliver whether we want it or not, so open up those gullets and get ready to eat whatever they feed you. More content is on the way, as they say.

Turns out there is a new Pokemon in the works for the powerful games Pokemon Sword and Shield. It just so happens this game has all the strength and character of someone who just found that there is a fly in their soup, and Nintendo is ready to capitalize on that energy: Grumpig is a new Pokemon with the ability to twerk, and it WILL hypnotize your Pokemon if it has to do so.

This is going to be a new challenge for trainers all over the world. We will not have the capability to resist. The prediction from the big heads over at sites like IGN and Kotaku is that every major player's team will incorporate the power of Grumpig in some capacity.

If you want to be an outsider, then here is your chance to rise to the top.

Resist the urge to build a core team using the powerful hypnotic abilities of this Pokemon, and you can end up becoming a complete and utter champion once again (assuming you were ever a champion in the first place, which is surprisingly easy for anyone who has played a Pokemon before in the past, ya dig?).

Pokemon Sword and Shield have recently expanded the deck by adding dozens upon dozens of new Pokemon for their upcoming expansions and DLC. They want you to catch 'em all, but are you willing to cough up the cash to get it done? It's a hard case, we all admit. But each of us will have to make those choices on our own. If you do decide to go down this path, just make sure you watch your back because the world is full of challenges.

Anyway, Grumpig is some sort of Pokemon that combines the types of power we normally found in Psychic style Pokemons. But be warned: He also looks like a weird kind of guinea pig. That might inform your way of thinking about this little rat–is it a vermin? Or something more? You will have to play to find out. Good luck, friends.

Pokemon GO Lunar New Year: List of Featured Pokemon

The Pokemon GO Lunar New Year event just went live, and with it comes a number of bonuses including certain Pokemon getting increased encounter rates.

Here are all the Pokemon receiving increased spawns in the wild during the event, according to Niantic:

CharmeleonVulpixParasectVoltorbJynxMagmarMagikarpFlareonSlugmaWurmpleCorphishKricketotFoongus

While Gyarados wasn't listed among the Pokemon receiving increased spawn rates during the event, it none the less can be encountered in the wild. You even have a slim chance of catching a Shiny Gyarados.

In addition, you'll be able to hatch Shuckle, Foongus and Darumaka from 7 km Eggs. Darumaka in particular will make its Pokemon GO debut during the event.

In addition to the increased encounter rates for certain Pokemon, gifts will occasionally award Rare Candies during the event, according to Niantic. Both the chance of becoming Lucky Friends and getting a Lucky Pokemon through a trade will increase during the event.

All of these bonuses will last from now until February 3 at 1:00 p.m. PST.

But that's not all. On February 2 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time, Minccino and its evolution Cinccino will be added to the game as part of a special Limited Research event. During that time, you can complete Field Research tasks to encounter Minccino. You can also hatch Minccino from 5 km Eggs. Shiny Minccino will also be added to the game. In addition, Rattata, Raticate, Pikachu, Sandshrew, Nidoran (male), Nidoran (female), Sentret, Marill, Zigzagoon, Plusle, Minun, Bidoof and Patrat will receive increased encounter rates in the wild during the event.

In other Pokemon GO news, the non-ticketed, city-wide Taiwan Lantern Festival will appear in Taichung City, Taiwan from February 6 to 9, according to Niantic. In the event, players can find electric-type Pokemn like Mareep and Electrike as well as Unown L, Chimecho, Volbeat and Illumise, the latter of which doesn't normally spawn in the region.

St. Louis will welcome the first Safari Zone event of the year at Tower Grove Park from March 27 to 29, where players will catch Mankey, Unown S, Teddiursa, Snivy, Ferroseed and the southern hemisphere-exclusive Chatot. Players can purchase tickets for the event right now, though be advised that March 28 is already sold out according to one user on The Silph Road Subreddit. The United Kingdom will experience it's first ever Safari Zone event in Liverpool from April 17 to 19, according to Niantic. There will also be another Safari Zone in Philadelphia from May 8 to 10.

The featured Pokemon for Community Day February 2020 will be decided by players. On February 1, you can complete Research Tasks to vote for a specific Pokemon to be featured, according to Niantic. There are four Pokemon on offer and each will have an exclusive move when evolved during Community Day: Vulpix with Weather Ball (Kanto Ninetales will learn the fire-type Weather Ball while Alolan Ninetales will learn the ice-type Weather Ball), Machop with Payback, Rhyhorn with Rock Wrecker and Dratini with Superpower.

See also:

'Pokémon Go' Lunar New Year Event: Darumaka Debuts, Start Time and Everything You Need to Know

Another year, another celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year in Pokémon Go.

This year marks the year of the Rat and, as such, Pokémon Go has a few events planned for trainers in the coming week including the debut of two new Pokémon from the Unova region.

Starting this Friday, Pokémon who are red in color will appear more frequently in the wold. The official Pokémon Go blog names off the following Pokémon as examples: Charmeleon, Vulpix, Parasect, Voltorb, Jynx, Magmar, Magikarp, Flareon, Slugma, Wurmple, Corphish, Kricketor and Foongus.

If you're looking to take advantage of all the in-game bonuses in the coming Lunar New Year event, here's everything you need to know including when it begins and ends.

POKEMON GO LUNAR NEW YEAR START TIME

The Pokémon Go Lunar New Year event Friday, January 24 at 4 p.m. EST and ends Monday, February 3 at 4 pm. EST.

DARUMAKA DEBUTS

The first new Unova Pokémon to debut in Pokémon Go is Darumaka. The Fire-type Pokémon will start to hatch in 7 km Eggs. This will be the first time Darumaka and its evolution, Darmanitan, will be available in Pokémon Go, so trainers should collect as many 7km Eggs from friends as possible.

Darumaka isn't the only Pokémon that will begin hatching from 7km Eggs. Other red-colored Pokémon, like Shuckle and Foongus, will also hatch from these special Eggs.

The other new Unova Pokémon is Mincinno, which will be available in a limited research event the following week.

RED GYARADOS

Keeping with the red Pokémon theme, Gyarados will begin appearing in the overworld. This powerful fully evolved Pokémon will be tough to catch, but you'll have a chance at finding a Shiny Red Gyarados.

Like other Shiny Pokémon, they don't appear in their rare variant in the overworld. Trainers will need to interact with Gyarados in the overworld to see if they've encountered a shiny.

IN-GAME BONUSES

During the Lunar New Year event in Pokémon Go gifts from friends have a chance of rewarding Rare Candies. This is a perfect opportunity to earn these special items to help boost your Pokémon's strengths and learn new attacks.

Also, trading with friends will also give an increased chance of becoming Lucky Friends. In that same vein, Pokémon traded will have an increased chance of becoming a Lucky Pokémon.

What do you think of the upcoming Lunar New Year event in Pokémon Go? Which red Pokémon is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section.

Pokémon Go’s live events drove nearly $250 million in tourism revenue last year

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Niantic says its AR game is a boon for host cities of its live events

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Niantic Labs says its live events for augmented reality hit Pokémon Go contributed $247 million in tourism revenue last year across three cities. The announcement on Wednesday was paired with the new schedule for 2020 events across Pokémon Go, Ingress Prime, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.

"Over the last 7 years, live, real-world events have been central to Niantic's goal in leveraging technology to create interactive experiences that foster exploration and discovery, active and healthy lifestyles and lasting friendships," Michael Steranka, Niantic's senior manager for live events, said in a statement. "Niantic's large-scale real-world events have had a true and clear positive economic impact on tourism, bringing people from around the world together for a weekend of adventure."

Niantic says the biggest revenue generator was last year's Pokémon Go Fest Chicago, which drove an estimated $120 million in tourism expenditures from attending players, which included 64,000 attendees across the four-day event. That's triple the number of participants from the inaugural Pokémon Go Fest Chicago in 2017, which suffered from severe cellular connection issues that made accessing accounts and playing the game difficult.

Niantic has greatly improved its live events infrastructure in the years since, and its events now go off largely without any issues. Another Pokémon Go Fest, this one in the German city of Dortmund, drew even more players last year, totaling more than 86,000 attendees, although it ultimately generated just under $60 million in tourism revenue, Niantic says.

Still, the company has proved that it's capable of handling large-scale events now. It's planning more festivals for the game in St. Louis and Philadelphia later this year, as well as one in Liverpool, England. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is also getting its second fan festival, while Ingress will have a series of events that happen concurrently across three days in the first half of the year.

Correction: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is hosting its second fan festival in the first half of 2020; an early version of this story said it was its first.

In This Stream Pokémon Go: Everything you need to know to catch 'em all

Pokémon Go's live events drove nearly $250 million in tourism revenue last year

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Pokemon: The First Movie's CG remake is hitting Netflix next month

Ash gets a CG makeover.

Netflix

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee were reimagined versions of Pokemon Yellow and, after launching on the Nintendo Switch in 2018, have together sold over 11 million copies. So why not remake more Pokemon titles and hope for the best, eh?

Enter Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back -- Evolution. It's a remake of 1998's Pokemon: The First Movie. But while the 1998 film uses the anime's cartoon style, 2020's Mewtwo Strikes Back is all CG. It differs from Detective Pikachu, in which the Pokemon look more realistic. Think a Pokemon movie if it was produced by DreamWorks.

In the trailer above you'll see Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Squirtle, Mewtwo, Team Rocket and more, all remade with the latest CG technology for your viewing pleasure. The story revolves around Mewtwo, an uber-powerful, man-made Pokemon, and its army of clone Pokemon. The film debuted in Japan last July, but hasn't been available for English-speaking audiences until now.

Mewtwo Strikes Back -- Evolution will stream on Netflix from Feb. 27. It follows exciting news that Pokemon Sword and Shield, released on the Switch in November, will get two big expansion packs in 2020. These expansion packs bring new (old) Pokemon to capture, and new boss trainers to beat.

This CGI Pokémon movie is coming to Netflix, weird animation and all

Editors independently select all products and services featured here. If you buy something through our links, we may receive a commission. By Kellen Beck2020-01-21 19:41:22 UTC

The latest Pokémon movie Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Backâ€"Evolution is coming to Netflix in February.

Mewtwo Strikes Back is sort of a CGI remake (with a few changes) of Pokémon: The First Movie, which first came out in Japan in 1998 and tell the story of the creation of Mewtwo and Mewtwo's own struggle with grappling with his existence. The original movie is beautifully animated. The visuals here do not look nearly as good, with a smooth style reminiscent of a Funko Pop.

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Backâ€"Evolution originally came out in Japan and Korea in 2019 and will be making its wider international debut on Netflix on Feb. 27.

Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution English Dub Coming To Netflix

Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution is finally going to release outside of Japan. The film, which first premiered in Japanese cinemas in July 2019, is coming to Netflix on February 27, 2020. February 27 is considered "Pokemon Day," as it is the date that Pokemon Red & Green first released in Japan in 1996.

The trailer below contains many scenes that will be familiar to anyone who saw Pokemon: The First Movie, which this is a remake of.

It looks like the film will appear in other regions, too--an announcement of the film's Netflix release was retweeted by Netflix Australia/New Zealand, and it seems that Netflix has licensed this release.

The film is largely about the origin of Mewtwo, who was created by humans, and a conflict between it and the series' heroes. The original Mew makes an appearance as well. All told, it has a lot in common with the plot of Detective Pikachu--including the appearance of a CGI Mewtwo.

A new Pokemon anime short series, Twilight Wings, is available now.

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Now Playing: Pokemon Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution - Official Trailer (Japanese)

New Pokemon: Twilight Wings Synopsis Confirms Series' Stars

While the main Pokemon series has been following Ash Ketchum and his friend Go travelling the world as part of the former's "victory lap" after winning the championship trophy as part of the Alola League, a spin-off series is giving us a better look into the world that was introduced in the Nintendo Switch exclusive video game, Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Galar region! Now, a new synopsis has given us a breakdown of some new characters that will be appearing in upcoming episodes of Pokemon: Twilight Wings and who counts as the "stars" of the series!

The first episode followed a young boy named Jon, a huge fan of Galar's current Pokemon Champion, Leon, who relies on the power of his Charizard when all is said and done. With Jon doing everything in his power to have a chat with Chairman Rose in order to see his hero battle in real life, the new series gives us a far better look into Galar than we had seen before in terms of how the world operates.

Twitter User DogasusBackpack shared the description for the upcoming episodes of the season, showing that the spin-off series will be focusing on different protagonists throughout the episodes, not just focusing on one star, but many in order to show off the people who live within the Galar Region:

Galar is a unique world within the franchise of Pokemon, not just giving us new iterations of some of the classic pocket monsters that we've come to know and love over the years, but also giving these creatures the ability to increase their size to ludicrous degrees thanks to the Gigantamax power up. In the main series, Ash and Go encountered Gigantamax for themselves while travelling through Galar by train, with a Snorlax implementing the buff and becoming a giant obstacle for the Pokemon trainers to deal with.

What do you think of the anthology structure for Pokemon: Twilight Wings? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Pokemon!

Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. There's also a brand new film on the way to Japan this Summer, Pokemon the Movie: Coco.

Pokemon Go cheats: How cheats work for those looking to gain an unfair advantage

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd. Pokemon Go cheats

For the sake of education, I've got some details on Pokemon Go cheats right here. I must say right off the bat that I do not condone or advocate using cheats in Pokemon Go whatsoever because it can and will likely lead to your account being banned, erasing all of the hard work you've put into the game over the years.

With that said, this guide to Pokemon Go cheats explains the most popular ones out there and how they work, like spoofing, botting, Auto-IV checkers, and more. Use this article as a way to spot those around you potentially using Pokemon Go cheats, but refrain from diving into this world yourself as it creates an unfair environment for the millions of legitimate players.

Pokemon Go cheats: Spoofing © Provided by Future Publishing Ltd. Pokemon Go cheats - Spoofing

Spoofing in Pokemon Go is making the game think you're in a different location to where you actually are. Since Pokemon Go is based on your real world position, you can spoof your location to move wherever you want and catch rare Pokemon, even if they've spawned thousands of miles away. Niantic have started to crack down on this, so do it at your own peril; we wouldn't recommend it!

Pokemon Go cheats: Botting

Botting is like spoofing but even worse, because it's essentially automatic spoofing. You don't get to choose which Pokemon the bot account catches, instead it will just roam around catching rare and powerful Pokemon all over the world. This is for the laziest players out there, and just like spoofing, you stand a very high chance of being banned if you do this. If you're still tempted, make a spare account and give it a go!

Pokemon Go cheats: Auto-IV checkers © Provided by Future Publishing Ltd. Pokemon Go cheats - Auto-IV checkers

The combat power of any Pokemon in Pokemon Go is dependent on their IV, which stands for Individual Values. A 100% IV Pokemon is the best possible, but there's no way of checking the exact IV without a third party program - all you can do is appraise your Pokemon through your team leader, which gives a vague answer at best. Manual IV checkers aren't banned, but they require you to check each and every single Pokemon you catch with a screenshot. Instead, some players opt to use automatic IV checkers but unfortunately, these are banned because they link directly to your account. It can save a lot of time, but is it worth it when you risk your account being banned?

Pokemon Go cheats: Multi-accounting

This isn't technically cheating because it doesn't directly connect to the game, but Niantic still forbid it. Multi-accounting is as you'd expect; having multiple accounts on the go at once. Some will use accounts on different teams to clear gyms before quickly logging into their main accounts and filling the gyms up, while others will access the accounts of friends and family at the same time to fill up new gyms. Either way, it's banned, but not quite as harmful as some other cheats and exploits.

Pokemon Go cheats: Account sharing © Provided by Future Publishing Ltd. Pokemon Go cheats - account sharing

Just as you're not allowed to have multiple accounts on the go at once, you also can't share your account with other people so they can catch Pokemon in different places. This is hard for Niantic to detect as long as you don't use the account simultaneously and give it enough time before logging in when there's a long distance between the previous person, but make sure you're careful when doing it. Sometimes you've got a pal out in a different region and you just need that Relicanth or Corsola...

These are the main cheats and exploits available in Pokemon Go, but there's also plenty of tips and tricks you can use that are well within the rules. Follow any of the links below to get started!

Pokemon Go tips | Pokemon Go Community Day | Pokemon Go field research | Pokemon Go shiny list | Pokemon Go regional Pokemon | Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stones | Pokemon Go Legendaries | Pokemon Go Evolution Items | Pokemon Go Pokedex | How to catch a Spinda in Pokemon Go | How to catch a Ditto in Pokemon Go | How to catch Mew and Mewtwo in Pokemon Go | How to catch Celebi in Pokemon Go | How to get Jirachi in Pokemon Go | How to catch Smeargle in Pokemon Go | How to catch Meltan in Pokemon Go | How to change team in Pokemon Go | How to get Leafeon and Glaceon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Team Rocket | Pokemon Go shadow Pokemon | Pokemon Go A Troubling Situation | How to purify shadow Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Jump Start research

Pokemon Go Field Research: January research tasks and rewards

© Provided by Future Publishing Ltd. Pokemon Go Field Research tasks

One mechanic that entices people to play every day is the Pokemon Go field research, because completing seven days worth of tasks can net some sweet rewards. If your goal is to complete your Pokedex in Pokemon Go, it's worth seeking out the best Pokemon Go field research that can reward you with your missing pocket monsters. We've got the full list of Pokemon Go field research for January 2020 below, so feast your eyes upon the prizes.

How Pokemon Go Field Research works © Provided by Future Publishing Ltd.

If you're new to the world of Pokemon Go, Field Research is essentially a quest that you can obtain. The tasks you're set can range from things like "Catch 10 Pokemon" - which is clearly very easy - to "Make 3 Excellent throws in a row", which is much more difficult. The rewards you earn vary from one task to another, and we have the complete list here.

To obtain Field Research in Pokemon Go, you simply have to spin a Poke Stop. You can hold up to three Field Research tasks at any one time, and to earn the Research Breakthrough, you need to complete seven Field Research tasks. You can only progress through the Research Breakthrough once per day though, so to maximise your efforts, you should only be redeeming the reward for one Field Research task per day.

Pokemon Go Field Research list & rewards - January 2020

Here are all of the Pokemon Go Field Research tasks and the rewards for January 2020, courtesy of LeekDuck.com.

© Provided by GamesRadar (Image credit: LeekDuck.com) Pokemon Go Research Breakthrough Pokemon - January 2020

Lapras is the only breakthrough encounter available this month, which is likely to come as a disappointment for those who have been playing since launch because Lapras hasn't been too rare. That said, you can obtain a shiny Lapras via this method, so keep your fingers crossed for that bright pink shade of water beast.

Now go and catch 'em all, trainer!

Pokemon Go tips | Pokemon Go Community Day | Pokemon Go field research | Pokemon Go shiny list | Pokemon Go regional Pokemon | Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stones | Pokemon Go Legendaries | Pokemon Go Evolution Items | Pokemon Go Pokedex | How to catch a Spinda in Pokemon Go | How to catch a Ditto in Pokemon Go | How to catch Mew and Mewtwo in Pokemon Go | How to catch Celebi in Pokemon Go | How to get Jirachi in Pokemon Go | How to catch Smeargle in Pokemon Go | How to catch Meltan in Pokemon Go | How to change team in Pokemon Go | How to get Leafeon and Glaceon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Team Rocket | Pokemon Go shadow Pokemon | Pokemon Go A Troubling Situation | How to purify shadow Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Jump Start research

Pokemon Go Is Bringing Latios And Latias Back For A Raid Weekend Event

Pokemon Go's January Community Day is coming up this weekend, but that's not the only event to look forward to soon. Niantic has announced the Legendary Pokemon Latios and Latias will return for a limited time next weekend for a special Raid event.

Beginning at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on Friday, January 24, the two Legendaries will appear around the world in five-star Raids, giving you another opportunity to catch them. Latios and Latias will leave the game again at the same time on Monday, January 27. You can read more about the event on the Pokemon Go website.

Latios and Latias are both Dragon/Psychic types, meaning they're each weak to Ice, Dark, Fairy, Ghost, and Bug Pokemon, so you'll want to bring along monsters like Mamoswine, Tyranitar, and Togekiss when challenging them. Other Dragon types also have an advantage, particularly Dragon Legendaries like Rayquaza.

In the meantime, Pokemon Go's January Community Day takes place this Sunday, January 19. The featured Pokemon this month is Piplup, the Water starter from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and if you can evolve it all the way into Empoleon up to two hours after the event ends, it'll learn the powerful Water attack Hydro Cannon.

The Legendary Pokemon Heatran is also back in Raids until February 4, and some new Gen 5 Pokemon are now appearing around the world. You can catch up on other recent Pokemon Go news below.

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Pokémon Go Piplup Community Day guide: best movesets and start times

Piplup's Pokémon Go Community Day takes place on Jan. 19 at varying times, depending on what hemisphere you live in.

Players in the Northern Hemisphere will have their event active from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in their local time, and players in the Southern Hemisphere will have their event from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. in their local time.

Piplup will spawn in abundance, with an highly increased chance to spawn Shiny.

How do I get a Shiny Piplup?

Since Piplup will be popping up everywhere, just tap every Piplup you see until you get a Shiny one. You'll find one sooner or later, as the Shiny rate on Community Days is boosted to about a one in 24 rate.

Image: Niantic via Polygon What special move does Empoleon learn?

Empoleon will learn Hydro Cannon when evolved during the Community Day period. Keep in mind that you cannot use a TM to get this move — you have to evolve your Piplup during this time period.

How do I make the most of this Community Day?

Use your Incubators during the event period to have egg hatch distance lowered by a fourth. Grabbing a handful of high IV Piplup also won't hurt, as it's a pretty strong water-type attacker when paired with Hydro Cannon.

Pair your Hydro Cannon move with Waterfall to get a great water-type attacker. It falls behind Kyogre, Kingler, and Swampert, but if you don't have any of those, this is a great substitute.

If you're deciding which Shiny Piplup 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 Piplup. 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!

Official Pokémon ASMR is a great way to chill out

I've never really been an ASMR person. The sound of another person's voice isn't necessarily relaxing for me. But a very cute Pokémon chewing cookies? Yes, that'll do.

The Pokémon Company released two ASMR-styled videos this week, one of which features grass-type Pokémon Chespin eating crunchy, colorful cookies. The other, which is also very nice, is Charmander snoozing by a fire. (Honestly, The Pokémon Company missed an opportunity by not releasing this one as a Yule Log video.) But really, it's the Chespin video, published on the Pokémon Kids TV YouTube channel, that's got it all — part mukbang, part ASMR.

ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. Essentially, it's that tingling feeling you get from listening to certain sounds. For some people, it's stuff like tapping and hairbrushing. For others, it's chewing or whispering. Apparently for me, it's Pokémon crunching. Honestly, my dog seems to like it, too — I've been playing it on repeat all morning and hasn't stopped looking for the source of the chewing.

If neither of these are up your alley, Nintendo's actually got quite a few ASMR videos on its YouTube channel. The series itself is called "Sights & Sounds," and there are videos and recordings of people playing Nintendo Switch in all sorts of places: the beach, the train, and in front of a fireplace.

Pokemon: Twilight Wings, a Sword and Shield anime, debuts on YouTube

Pokemon Sword and Shield hit Nintendo Switch in November. It's getting a pair of expansions later this year, and now you can see its UK-inspired Galar region in anime form. The first episode of Pokemon: Twilight Wings hit YouTube on Wednesday.

If you've played Sword and Shield, you'll recognize characters like dapper Chairman Rose; his intense second-in-command, Oleana; and Galar Pokemon Champion Leon. But the real fun is spotting all the different Pokemon who show up.

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It's a bit odd that the Pokemon Company went with American voice actors for the English dub, since the game's script uses so many Britishisms that I imagined all the characters having UK accents. Regardless, the animation in this six-minute episode (which is set before the game) is slick.

The anime "will show in detail the dreams of Galar's residents, the realities they face, the challenges they must overcome, and the conflicts they must resolve," according to the official site. That suggests we'll jump to new characters each episode, and we may not see series protagonist Ash Ketchum at all.

'Pokémon Masters' Sync Grids Guide: What They Are & How to Get Sync Orbs

Pokémon Masters just received another major upgrade to how players train and customize their favorite teams.

Sync Grids are a new feature in Pokémon Masters that increases the strength of a Sync Pair and its skills. While players will still need to use a new type of currency to use the Sync Grid, it'll make some low-level Sync Pairs much stronger.

If you're looking to utilize Sync Grids in Pokémon Masters to the fullest, here's everything you need to know.

HOW SYNC GRIDS WORK

First, Pokémon Masters needs to be updated to the latest version. Once that's downloaded, the basics of Sync Grids will be briefly explained. The Sync Grid feature is located in the Team tab underneath the Increase Potential feature.

Once selected, your entire roster of Sync Pairs will appear. However, only a handful of Pairs will have their entire Sync Grid available to them. These pairs are:

Character and Pikachu

Flannery and Torkoal

Flint and Infernape

The rest of the Sync Pairs will just have the basic Sync Grid tiles available to them - more on that in a bit. DeNA assures players that more pairs will have their Sync Grids expanded each month.

Once you've selected your Sync Pair, you'll be taken to their unique Sync Grid. Each tile explains whether it increases a stat or increases the power or effect of a skill. Each tile costs Sync Orbs, which we'll explain in more detail in the next section. Some tiles are unlocked until that pair's Sync Move is at Level 5, so be sure to level them up as soon as possible.

The closer the tile is to the center tile, the less Sync Orbs are needed. However, there's another gauge players will need to keep an eye on, and that's the Sync Pair's energy.

Sync Grid Energy

Each Sync Pair has 60 energy, and each tile costs a certain number of energy to use. The six tiles surrounding the center tile costs zero energy so feel free to unlock them all. However, you'll see that each tile moving forward costs increasing amounts of energy.

You can take a look at the entire Sync Grid to plan which tiles you aim to purchase. But, like Skill Trees in traditional RPGs, the tiles that are available to you depends on the tiles you unlock. Only tiles that are adjacent to unlocked tiles can be purchased, which makes progression fairly linear.

In other words, try to chart your path to the power ups you want before spending Sync Orbs.

Players can reset the Sync Grid if they choose to do so. Resetting the Sync Grid deactivates all tiles and returns it to its initial state. However, all available grid skills will be lost.

Deactivating all tiles does require coins to perform for repeated attempts, but the first time you reset no coins will be removed.

HOW TO GET SYNC ORBS

There are two ways to earn Sync Orbs in Pokémon Masters, and you can do so in single-player and co-op play.

In single-player modes, players can go into battle like normal but you'll want to look out for the "Sync Orb" symbol at the start of the battle. This notification pops up in random battles, so the more you fight the more chances you'll see.

When that symbol appears before you battle, simply perform a Sync Move to earn five Sync Orbs. However, Sync Orbs are not universal to each Sync Pair. The pair that performed the Sync Move during one of these battles will earn the currency, so be mindful of which pair performs the Sync Move.

The other method involves Co-Op Sync Orbs, and they are earned by playing in co-op battles. Like the single-player fights, a notification for "Sync Orb chance" will appear before the start. Perform a Sync Move to earn Co-Op Sync Orbs.

Unlike the solo orbs, Co-Op Sync Orbs are universal and can be used to exchange them for regular Sync Orbs. You'll need 10 Co-Op orbs to earn one normal Sync Orb.

What do you think of the new Sync Grid feature in Pokémon Masters? Let us know in the comments section.

Watch the first episode of new anime ‘Pokemon: Twilight Wings’ right here

If you just didn't get enough of the Galar region as you battled your way through Pokemon Sword and Shield, you're in luck. On Wednesday, The Pokemon Company published the first episode of a limited animated series on YouTube called Pokemon: Twilight Wings, which takes place in the same region as the Switch games.

"John is a young boy who's been hospital-bound from an early age," reads the description of the first episode. "Ever since he saw his first Pokémon battle on TV, he's been a big fan of Champion Leon—and he's dreamed of watching one of Leon's matches in a stadium. Could a visit from Chairman Rose pave the way for his dreams to come true?"

The Pokemon Company says that this series consists of seven short episodes released monthly, and that throughout the series we'll witness "the dreams of Galar's residents, the realities they face, the challenges they must overcome, and the conflicts they must resolve." We'll also get to see some of the Pokemon introduced in Sword and Shield in action, but it's worth noting this isn't part of the official Pokemon the Series you watch on TV.

It's not quite as noteworthy as the announcement of two paid expansions for the Switch games, but if you enjoy the world of those games and want to spend more time with the characters you met in Galar, Twilight Wings appears to be a cute spin-off that adds a bit of flavor to the larger world of Sword and Shield.

Pokemon Go: Where to spend Piplup Community Day in the Bay Area

"Pokemon Go" kicks off 2020 with Piplup as the star of its January Community Day.

The Penguin Pokemon will have Hydro Cannon as its exclusive move for the event. That means players must evolve Piplup to its final form, Empoleon, within two hours of the end of Community Day. The event itself is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 19. During that time, more Piplups will be available in the wild with a strong change of its shiny form showing up for trainers. The bonus for the event will be a quarter egg-hatching distance. That takes a huge chunk of walking out of the equation.

Players should save up those 10km, 7km and 5 km eggs to take advantage of the bonus. What's notable is that new Unova Pokemon have been added to the game and several new pocket monsters can now be found in eggs. In the 5km category, trainers will have a chance to hatch Roggenrola, Tympole, Trubbish, Karrablast, Joltik and Shelmet. In the 10km, players have a chance to get rare Pokemon such as Tirtouga, Archen and Axew. Timburr, which can also be found in raids, is also a possibility in 10km eggs.

Along with the bonuses, players should also expect extras such as special research tasks and perhaps Team Go Rocket battles.

Hydro Cannon makes the Piplup line a better water-type Pokemon, but it isn't something that will define the meta. Thankfully, the shiny version stands out. It's an icier blue and it will make fans of the Penguin Pokemon happy.

With that said, here are the communities holding events for January's Community Day. All information was culled from their respective Discord groups. According to the weather reports, Sunday is expected be partly cloudy with 10 percent chance of rain in some places.

The Pokemon Community Day for January. (Courtesy of the Berkeley-Albany Pokemon Go Discord) 

Berkeley: If you're in the East Bay, the UC Berkeley campus is one of the best spots to catch pocket monsters. Plenty of players in the community will be circling the campanile. Expect the Pokestops around the area to also be lured up.

El Cerrito: If you can't make it to Cal, the El Cerrito Plaza is a great alternative. The site has plenty of parking and is accessible via BART. The area is full of Pokemon and has covered walkways if one wants to some shelter from the weather. There's no group holding an event at the site, but players can expect to see a few trainers around the area.

Pinole: The group North510 CRHP will be hosting a Piplup Community Day at Fernandez Park from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. Expect 3-hour lures, a tent, water and snacks.

Fremont: The Team Rocket Pokemon Go group will hold its event at Lake Elizabeth Park. The group will lure the area up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

San Francisco: If you're in city, there are a few spots to hunt for Pokemon. The first is on the Embarcadero from roughly the Ferry Building to the Cupid's Span sculpture. If trainers are looking for another area, they can head over to the Aquatic Park near Pier 39. Another area to check out would be Golden Gate Park.

Downtown Mountain View: The area along Castro Street from the Embarcadero to the Villa is a great place to play.

South Bay: The South Bay community is more spread out and I haven't been to a Community Day in any of the cities there. These sites are mentioned in the Pokemon Go: San Jose Discord but I haven't verified them.De Anza College (Cupertino)Central Park (Santa Clara)Oakridge Mall (South San Jose)San Jose State University (Downtown San Jose)Overfelt Gardens (East San Jose)

If you know of any popular spots or gatherings for Pokemon Community Day, please email me at gcacho@bayareanewsgroup.com.