Pokemon
Pokemon
7 shocking facts about Pikachu you probably don’t know
Olivia Richman
Even your mom knows the name “Pikachu” and in fact, it’s probably the only Pokémon some parents know. That’s because Pikachu has become a huge icon in Japan and is considered the mascot of the Pokémon franchise. While everyone recognizes the electric mouse-like Pokémon, there are still some things you probably didn’t know about the well-known character. Here are seven interesting facts about Pikachu. You probably can’t even begin to …
Pokemon
How to catch and evolve Shelmet, Karrablast in Pokemon
Steven Rondina
Can’t figure out how to evolve your Karrablast and Shelmet in Pokemon Sword and Shield? That’s understandable, because while it isn’t difficult to do so once you understand the process, not everyone knows how. Pokemon has a long tradition of adding new ways for Pokemon to evolve. Originally this was just a matter of trading Pokemon, but each generation adds a new wrinkle to evolving Pokemon. Held items, leveling up …
Pokemon
Grafaiai revealed as new Pokemon coming in Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
A new generation nine Pokemon has been confirmed for Scarlet and Violet, with The Pokemon Company revealing Grafaiai. Grafaiai is a new Pokemon that seems similar to an aye-aye. It marks its territory by using poisonous saliva, which it uses to effectively paint designs onto trees and other landmarks. The new Pokemon was revealed with a faux nature documentary segment discussing its graffiti approach to marking territory. The reveal of …
Pokemon
These are the best cat Pokemon to catch right meow
Olivia Richman
Cats are one of the most popular pets in the world. Over 25% of households in the United States alone have at least one cat. But if you can’t get enough cats, you can also own cats in Pokemon! There are a ton of cats throughout the many Pokemon generations, each with their own powers and unique looks. Here are some of the coolest cats in Pokemon. There are tons …
Pokemon
Cyclizar revealed in new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer
Steven Rondina
A new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer has arrived, showing off the new gen-nine Pokemon Cyclizar alongside new held items and moves including a Hidden Power replacement. The 2022 Pokemon World Championship wrapped up and to celebrate the occasion, The Pokemon Company gave fans an extra taste of upcoming games. A new trailer was revealed during the event that showed off new wrinkles to the game. Just as importantly, it …
Pokemon
The best Pokemon Unite team composition with the current roster
Steven Rondina
There are many options on the Pokemon Unite roster, but a definitive best team composition has emerged in the Pokemon World Championship. Pokemon Unite is a little over one year old at this point and the game’s balance has improved since its introduction. Early on, top-ranked teams essentially ran identical teams of Pokemon. Options are more flexible today judging from the teams at the 2022 Pokemon World Championship, but there’s …
Pokemon
The full Pokemon Unite tier list from the World Championship
Steven Rondina
The 2022 Pokemon World Championships are rolling, and the fierce Pokemon Unite competition has helped determine the best support, attacker, speedster, and all-rounder in the game today. When Pokemon Unite first dropped, it had a very rigid tier list where Eldegoss, Lucario, and Snorlax were unstoppable monsters that absolutely needed to chosen. Game balance has improved since then to some degree, but there are still some Pokemon that are definitively …
Pokemon
Here’s why Pokemon Go players are demanding changes to gyms
Olivia Richman
Pokemon Go players is demanding some changes to gyms, a big part of the mobile game. Here’s why. Pokemon Go players are accustomed to running into glitches and bugs in the popular mobile game. But while these are often fixed by developer Niantic in a timely manner, there are some core gameplay issues that have stuck around for far too long. Recently, some players have taken issue with the nature …
McDonalds might run out of Pokemon cards as fans get old toys
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
Despite McDonalds’ attempts to limit the number of Happy Meals people can buy, it seems that the fast food chain is still running out of its latest Pokemon card promos. Last year, Pokemon celebrated its 25th anniversary with a small collection of promo cards made available with Happy Meals at McDonalds. But due to the hype surrounding Pokemon cards at the time, scalpers started buying dozens of Happy Meals at …
The most expensive cards in McDonalds Pokemon card collection
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
The Pokemon community has been excited about the return of Pokemon cards to McDonalds this month, but some of the cards are already more expensive and desirable than others. Last year, Pokemon celebrated its 25th anniversary by releasing a small collection of cards available at McDonalds with Happy Meals. The small packs caused chaos in the Pokemon TCG community, with collectors buying hundreds of Happy Meals to get their hands …
How to get Cranidos and Shieldon in Legends: Arceus, BDSP
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Anyone looking to complete their Pokedex in Pokemon Legends: Arceus will need to get their hands on a Cranidos and Shieldon, but that’s not necessarily going to be easy. Even so, players will be very familiar with how to get Shieldon and Cranidos in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Pokemon Legends: Arceus gates a lot of content behind the player’s Pokedex progression, which forces players to catch, battle, and …
Why did Pikachu become skinny? Will fat Pikachu ever return?
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
The Pokemon community is often at odds about which generation of Pokemon is the best, which had the worst designs, which game was the best, if developer Game Freak is putting in enough effort, and more. But Pikachu becoming skinny in its latest iterations has unified many fans who miss the old fat Pikachu design. When the Pokemon anime first appeared in the mid-90s, Pikachu had a rotund design like …
Guide to the Pokemon World Coronation Series Masters Tournament
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Journeys is likely about to conclude with an event unlike anything seen before, with the World Coronation Series Masters Tournament bringing together the likes of Steven, Cynthia, and Leon. Each Pokemon generation has its own anime series and the finales range from unceremonious to epic. Pokemon Journeys, the series attached to Sword and Shield and the eighth generation, is set to go out with a bang. Recent series like …
All the details on Terastal Phenomenon, Tera types in Pokemon
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Each Pokemon generation has its own unique battle mechanic, and Scarlet and Violet will have the Terastal Phenomenon and the Tera types that it bestows on Pokemon. Much like the ability to Dynamax and Gigantamax in Pokemon Sword and Shield, the Paldea region is set to have its own gimmick that is implied to be a part of the game’s environment. That gimmick is the ability to use the Terastal …
The best and most iconic crab Pokemon in the history of crabs
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
Ever heard of carcinization? If not, you’re missing out. Basically, everything is evolving into crabs. Their design is just superior, apparently, and nobody can escape that fate. Not even Pokemon, as there have been an abundance of crab Pokemon over the years. Crabs are strangely popular in the enduring RPG series, but not all crabs are created equal. Here are some of the best crab Pokemon from over the years. …
Leaked Paldea map may reveal Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gyms
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will take place in the Paldea region, and the gen-nine map for the new area has been leaked. For the third time in four generations, Pokemon is heading to Europe. Pokemon gen nine will be set in the Paldea region, a new area based on the countries Spain and Portugal. The most recent Pokemon Presents event revealed a number of key details about the region including …
2022 Pokemon World Championship schedule, how to watch
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
The Pokemon World Championship 2022 is almost here and the schedule and list of events are all penned in. After being postponed for multiple years, the largest Pokemon competitive showcase has returned. Taking place in London, the festive tournament will feature the Pokemon TCG, the Pokemon VGC, and more. Looking to tune in for the action-packed weekend? Here is how to watch the Pokemon World Championship 2022. Commonly referred to …
These are the types for Paldean Wooper, Fidough, and Cetitan
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Presents dropped a new trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, introducing fans to the types for new Pokemon Paldean Wooper, Fidough, and Cetitan. Alongside a deep dive into the Paldea region and the reveal of the new Tera type battle mechanic, three new Pokemon were revealed. This includes two completely new Pokemon as well as the first regional variant set to arrive among gen-nine Pokemon. These new Pokemon are …
Terastallize and get Tera types in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The new battle gimmick for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has been unveiled, with Tera types and the ability to Terastallize set to shake up the series. Since Pokemon X and Y introduced mega evolution, each generation has had a unique addition to battling. Pokemon Sun and Moon brought in Z-Moves, Sword and Shield brought in Dynamax, and Scarlet and Violet are set to bring the Terastallize mechanic. This new gimmick …
Here’s what Paldea region offers in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon fans have finally gotten a look at Paldea, the new region of Scarlet and Violet that will serve as the home base for gen nine of the series. After months of mystery, Pokemon Presents gave players a proper look at the new content coming in Scarlet and Violet with a new trailer. The trailer details the world of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet much deeper than the initial teaser trailer. …
Pokemon stands as the largest cross-media IP in the world by a comfortable margin, but how did it make such explosive gains?
For a long while, pivoting a video game franchise into a larger brand seemed impossible. Iconic titles like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil received TV and film adaptations, with the most common result being catastrophic failure. That was the norm from the 1990s all the way into the 2020s; and it probably shouldn’t have been.
While Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and Silent Hill: Revelation were irredeemably bad, Pokemon showed that a video game series can be adapted into many different mediums. Here’s a quick history of the franchise and its future outlook.
Pokemon explodes with Game Boy games, quickly expands
Pokemon first arrived in Japan in 1996 with the release of Pokemon Red and Green; a pair of titles for the Nintendo Game Boy. The two games were largely identical, but each one had a handful of Pokemon that were exclusive to those titles. This encouraged players to collect and trade these monsters with others who purchased the games.
Later on in 1996, the game was reimagined as a trading card game. Then in 1997, an anime adaptation launched in Japan.
Both of those rapid-fire expansions earned strong success domestically. More importantly, it primed Pokemon for an overwhelming global push.
In 1998, the franchise officially crossed over into North America, Europe, and Australia. The games were killer apps for the Game Boy but it wasn’t just a video game. An accompanying anime aired new episodes daily, and the trading card game exploded out of the gate. This made it difficult to ignore Pokemon to the point where characters like Ash Ketchum and Pikachu were universally recognizable. Just like that, the franchise was unstoppable.
Pokemon expands beyond Nintendo consoles, grows even further
For decades, Pokemon video games were among the top-selling games each year they came out. The Pokemon TCG was one of the biggest in the industry. The anime was a constant, without even mentioning its many spin-off movies. Licensing characters for toys and apparel was a golden goose for all involved.
But the franchise was still positioned to grow further.
Almost all of the games were exclusive to Nintendo’s gaming hardware, but mobile gaming was on a sharp rise of its own. The franchise also released a long list of spin-offs, successfully turning the series into everything from a pinball game to a beat ‘em up. The Pokemon Company had dabbled with PC and mobile games previously, but started actively partnering with other studios in the 2010s.
The biggest example of this was Pokemon GO. The Pokemon Company partnered with AR game studio Niantic was an instant hit, being downloaded hundreds of millions of times. It was far from alone, however. Battling-focused gacha game Pokemon Masters, MOBA adaptation Pokemon Unite, and puzzle game Pokemon Cafe launched in the following years.
It wasn’t just licensed mobile games, though. Games like Detective Pikachu and New Pokemon Snap gave players fresh and varied ways to enjoy the familiar franchise.
Modern Pokémon games see mixed response, but sales remain strong
Though Pokémon has many lifelong fans, the mainline releases have long attracted controversy within the fandom. Though the first few generations were generally beloved, opinions on new and modern games releases vary wildly. Starting with the Nintendo Switch, critical response to the games wavered.
Reviews for Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee were lower than previous entries in the series. That pattern held with Pokémon Sword and Shield, which were also met with extreme backlash on social media.
Though each mainline game made every monster from previous generations available up until Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, this ended with Sword and Shield. Several fan favorites, including Beedrill and the Unovan starters, were made unobtainable in the game. The mega evolution and Z-move battle mechanics were also removed from the games. It’s unclear why or what methodology was used to determine which of the little monsters were left out.
Reviews sank further from there, with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, then Pokémon Scarlet and Violet garnering the lowest review averages for mainline games.
Despite this, the games were still an enormous commercial success. Pokémon Sword, Shield, Scarlet, and Violet ranked among the best-selling games in franchise history. Its publisher may have heeded some of the fan criticism however, as the company opted against releasing a new mainline game or expansion in 2024. This was the first year without a major game release since 2015.
