Pokemon
Pokemon
The most expensive cards in McDonalds Pokemon card collection
Olivia Richman
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 …
Pokemon
How to get Cranidos and Shieldon in Legends: Arceus, BDSP
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
Why did Pikachu become skinny? Will fat Pikachu ever return?
Olivia Richman
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 …
Pokemon
Guide to the Pokemon World Coronation Series Masters Tournament
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
2022 Pokemon World Championship schedule, how to watch
Olivia Richman
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 …
Pokemon
These are the types for Paldean Wooper, Fidough, and Cetitan
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
Terastallize and get Tera types in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
Here’s what Paldea region offers in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
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. …
Mythical Pokemon to be allowed in ranked for 1st time ever
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Sword and Shield will go into completely uncharted territory with Ranked Battle Series 13 by removing all limitations on legendary Pokemon and allowing mythical Pokemon. Historically speaking, the Pokemon Company has completely barred mythical Pokemon from all competitive formats. As for legendaries, they’re banned outright most of the time but some series allow for one or two to be included on a team. That’s ending in Pokemon Sword and …
All that’s known about Fuecoco from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The starters for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are confirmed, and while all of them have been warmly received, Fuecoco has arguably been the most popular of the bunch. Though Sprigatito and Smoliv have been the most thoroughly memed Pokemon among the gen nine newcomers, Fuecoco has received unanimous praise from fans. While many Pokemon are quite matter-of-fact in their presentation, the new fire-type starter has a clear energy to it. …
Pokemon Squishmallows are coming, here is what’s available
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
Fans of everything cute have expressed joy over the news that Pokemon Squishmallows are coming. Squishmallows have become one of the most popular plushies to collect in North America thanks to their simplistic round design and soft material. If past is precedent, the Pokemon Squishmallows may become the most coveted in any collection after the collaboration was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con. The official tweet from Squishmallows showed two favorites …
Ash vs Cynthia showdown in Pokemon Journeys has fans abuzz
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The Pokemon Journeys anime is set to host possibly the biggest battle in its history with Ash vs Cynthia in the World Coronation Series’ Masters Tournament. Pokemon Journeys introduces a novel, but long-needed concept to the Pokemon anime. While Ash has long sought to become a Pokemon Master, it’s never actually explicitly stated what that accomplishment means. With the Pokemon anime going on 25 years, the complete lack of a …
Here’s how to get shiny Pikachu in Pokemon GO and the games
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pikachu is the iconic mascot of the Pokemon franchise, but a shiny Pikachu is even better. For Pokemon GO players, shinies are the be-all and end-all of collecting in the game. For those who play the mainline games, shinies are a great way to flex on opponents. Though Pikachu isn’t especially sought after in the latter, a shiny Pikachu is a must-have for any dedicated Pokemon GO player. So how …
Here’s the location of the Super Rod in Pokemon BDSP
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Getting the various fishing poles remains a critical part of every mainline Pokemon game. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are no different, but how do you get the Super Rod? We can help. Pokemon BDSP locks a significant amount of content in the post-game. This includes a number of key evolution items, sections of the map, and much more. One of the biggest parts of that “much more” is …
Here’s the location of the Metal Coat in Pokemon BDSP
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The Metal Coat is one of several evolution items players can get in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and we can tell you where to find it. The Metal Coat isn’t particularly difficult to find, but players only have access to one during the course of a normal playthrough. The good news is that players really only need one in order to get the most out of the item. …
How to find and use Razor Claw, Razor Fang in Pokemon BDSP
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The Razor Fang and Razor Claw are important evolution items in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining pearl, but can you get them in the early game? For better or worse, Pokemon BDSP follows in the footsteps of the original Diamond and Pearl. This makes for a refreshingly challenging experience relative to other recent Pokemon games, but it also makes things team-building fairly rigid. Gligar and Sneasel are both Pokemon that …
Here’s how to get Wyrdeer as a ride Pokemon in Legends: Arceus
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Gaining the ability to ride Wyrdeer smashes down almost all exploration barriers in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Here’s how to do it. Pokemon Legends: Arceus attempts to give players a drip feed of content, with the rideable Pokemon being the primary means of regulating this. The trouble with that is Wyrdeer’s mobility is too much for developer Game Freak to control. Players aren’t meant to be able to cross bodies of …
How to catch Unown in Pokemon GO, and what you get for it
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Unown isn’t a powerful Pokemon, but its unique gimmick makes it one that many Pokemon GO players want to get their hands on. Catching every Unown is easier said than done, however. There are 28 versions of Unown with each one representing a letter of the alphabet or punctuation mark. This makes it a highly collectible Pokemon as players will need to be aggressive in completing their collection. In Pokemon …
These are the best of the starters in each Pokemon generation
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Starters are a big deal in Pokemon games, but which Pokemon starters are the best of all? The answer has changed over time. New mechanics like the hidden abilities that were introduced in Pokemon Black and White, the addition of fairy typing in X and Y, and other granular changes have made different Pokemon stronger or weaker. With gen-9 starters looming just on the horizon it’s worth taking a look …
Breed Pokemon, then do this to Gigantamax in Sword and Shield
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Logically speaking Pokemon Sword and Shield players should be able to breed Gigantamax Pokemon, but that’s not actually the case. There is still a way to bestow Gigantamax powers to an applicable Pokemon, though. Anyone that has touched ranked Pokemon battling has spent dozens of hours breeding Pokemon to have the best IVs, nature, moves, and ability. From there, players need to train them to get the perfect EVs. The …
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.
