Video Game Coverage

Pokemon GO hype, man.

Salandit's Corrosion ability unleashes poisonous havoc on all, no matter the make, we're talking even Steel or Poison here. Female Salandits also posssess the unique capability of being able to control other Pokémon, through using specialized pheromones. What a week for Pokémon, man.

The premise of The Thieves and the 1,000 Pokémon is to befriend and collect Pokémon through StreetPass. You can use Pokémon to take on the band of thieves and their Pokémon by clashing in stampede-style battles to retrieve stolen treasure.

If you don't have enough Pokémon, you'll end up losing against the thieves, so you'll actually need to have quite a lot of Pokémon to get far in the game. The villains are characters who'll be appearing in the upcoming film, Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction.

The trailer also mentions that there's a special something in store for those who play the game and take it to the movie theaters when the new Pokémon movie premieres. There will also be something special for those with Pokémon X and Y.

The fish named Grayson Hopper has been playing for around 135 hours. Grayson has even acquired his first Pokémon, a Charmander named AAAABBK, and defeated the rival's Squirtle!

The coding that hints at the prospect of Niantic soon introducing buddy Pokémon that follow your avatar around, was first noticed in a github depository, which uploaded all of Pokémon GO's data from newest update.



The coding shows off three different possibilities for how 'buddy Pokémon' will appear on-screen:

-Perched on player's shoulder
-Flying next to player
-Walking behind player (could be tied in to the height/weight measurements previously discovered in Pokémon GO data mine

Would be pretty cool to see Niantic implement a feature that's available in other Pokémon games (Pokémon Yellow, HeartGold/SoulSilver). Can you imagine walking round town with a Zapdos as your 'buddy Pokémon' though?...



So much yes.

We have the technology! Dreams really do come true!

We're specifically talking about the controversy over the three-step 'nearby' feature. Niantic addressed the issue in the following statement today:

Trainers,

As many of you know, we recently made some changes to Pokémon GO.

- We have removed the ‘3-step’ display in order to improve upon the underlying design. The original feature, although enjoyed by many, was also confusing and did not meet our underlying product goals. We will keep you posted as we strive to improve this feature.

- We have limited access by third-party services which were interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokémon GO to users around the world. The large number of users has made the roll-out of Pokémon GO around the world an... interesting… challenge. And we aren’t done yet! Yes, Brazil, we want to bring the game to you (and many other countries where it is not yet available).

We have read your posts and emails and we hear the frustration from folks in places where we haven’t launched yet, and from those of you who miss these features. We want you to know that we have been working crazy hours to keep the game running as we continue to launch globally. If you haven’t heard us Tweeting much it’s because we’ve been heads down working on the game. But we’ll do our best going forward to keep you posted on what’s going on.

Be safe, be nice to your fellow trainers, and keep on exploring.

The Pokémon GO team

Been waiting for an excuse to get a 3DS (or 2DS, or an XL)? Here's your chance! If you register a system and a game, you'll get a free digital download code for either Pokémon X or Y.

Quotes from Bulbapedia:

The official Korean Pokémon site has revealed Mega Slowbro and Mega Audino. The pages for them where taken down quickly, and are currently offline. Mega Slowbro is Water/Psychic and has Shell Armor. Its Defense and Special Attack increase greatly. It is 2.0 m (6'07") tall and weighs 120.0 kg (264.6 lbs.).

Description: Energy becomes concentrated on Shellder which is biting its tail. The result, its shell's hardness increases so that it becomes a strong armor which cannot get be scratched by anyone. When a battle begins, it uses it tail to stand upright and moves by bending its tail like a spring and springing up and down/leaping. With its greater Defense and Sp. Attack stats, it can be relied on in long battles.


Mega Audino is Normal/Fairy and has Healer. Its Defense and Special Defense are increased. It is 1.5 m (4'11") tall and weighs 35.0 kg (70.5 lbs.).

Description: It makes a healing pulse and exudes it from its body to break its enemies. This pulse of healing is strong and makes anyone feel peaceful. Anyone who comes into contact with its 2nd extension/antenna-thing falls into a deep sleep. Its increase in Defense and Sp. Defense stats make it a good supporter in Double Battles.

The orchestral concert Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions is touring the world this year and tickets go on sale soon!

Tickets for all Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions performances go on sale on Saturday, March 28, 2015. But, loyal Pokémon fans have the opportunity to purchase tickets one day before the general public! Just use the presale code MELOETTA to purchase tickets on Friday, March 27, 2015.

Check out the tour stops here.  My ears are ready!

Mega Steelix and Mega Glalie will be in the ORAS demo:





Here are some more details about the demo:

Head to Hoenn Early with the Pokémon Trainer Club! Look for a Special Demo Version code in the October Pokémon Trainer Club newsletter!

Want to play the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Special Demo Version? Look for a special code in the October edition of the Pokémon Trainer Club newsletter. Then, use the special code in Nintendo eShop to download the Special Demo Version directly to your Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo 2DS system!

The Special Demo Version features a unique adventure where you can encounter cool Pokémon, including ones that Mega Evolve! Plus, you'll be able to bring reward items you obtained in the demo into Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.