Pokemon
Pokemon
Here’s the location of the Metal Coat in Pokemon BDSP
Steven Rondina
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. …
Pokemon
How to find and use Razor Claw, Razor Fang in Pokemon BDSP
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
Here’s how to get Wyrdeer as a ride Pokemon in Legends: Arceus
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
How to catch Unown in Pokemon GO, and what you get for it
Steven Rondina
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 …
Pokemon
Guide to the Sky Pillar in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
Steven Rondina
Rayquaza’s domain in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald is the Sky Pillar, here’s where it is and how to get in. The Sky Pillar is found in an out-of-the-way location in gen-three Pokemon titles. Though players can technically come very close to it as soon as they have the ability to use Surf, they can’t gain entry until much later on. Even after gaining access, it’s not easy to reach …
Pokemon
Here’s how to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO
Steven Rondina
It’s important to get legendary Pokemon in Pokemon GO since they tend to be of huge importance for winning raids and trainer battles. Getting these powerful Pokemon isn’t easy, however. While legendaries were once obtainable by simply completing field research, things have become significantly more difficult with time. Now they are gated behind a variety of other features in Pokemon GO, making it generally difficult to catch them and especially …
Pokemon
Here’s how to get all 3 starters from Pokemon Sword and Shield
Steven Rondina
There are a few different ways to get all the starters of Pokemon Sword and Shield, but it’s not particularly obvious how to do so. Starters are always cherished in Pokemon, but they’re actually underwhelming in a lot of cases. That’s not the case in generation eight, however. Rillaboom and Cinderace are both among the most powerful Pokemon in all of Sword and Shield from both a casual and competitive …
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet getting huge multiplayer overhaul
Steven Rondina
Multiplayer is a core component of the Pokemon franchise, but Scarlet and Violet will be doing things never seen before in the series. A new trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has dropped. Though much of the focus has been on the new Pokemon that were revealed and the release dates for the games, the trailer also showed off the important new multiplayer features. Since the move to the Nintendo …
We now know when Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will come out
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had its second trailer debut and fans now know when the games will be released. The Pokemon community has finally learned when the ninth Pokemon generation will begin. The games will have a number of interesting new features to go along with a batch of new Pokemon. With Pokemon Legends: Arceus seemingly having no DLC coming, the path is clear for the next mainline games in …
All the new gen-9 Pokemon revealed for Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
As fans expected, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to introduce a sizable batch of new Pokemon to kick off gen-9. The ninth Pokemon generation is set to officially launch in 2022. While it’s already been a big year for the franchise with the smash hit of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, things are only set to get bigger from here. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will potentially reinvent the Pokemon franchise, bringing …
New Scarlet and Violet Pokemon Pawmi, Lechonk, and Smoliv shown
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The second trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has revealed five new Pokemon including Pawmi, Lechonk, and Smoliv. Ahead of the reveals of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet cover legendaries Koraidon and Miraidon, three non-legendaries were also revealed. According to the official website, these new additions are Pawmi, Lechonk, and Smoliv. Though few details on the new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games were given in the trailer, a lot has been …
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet legendaries, box art revealed
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
The cover legendaries for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been revealed, and fans are not high on them. The second trailer for the next generation of Pokemon games has arrived. Much like with Pokemon Sword and Shield, the starters were revealed in the first trailer, but the second trailer showed the official box art for the games. As is the tradition in the Pokemon series, two elaborately designed legendaries will …
How to get all 3 Pokemon Legends: Arceus starters quickly
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Players are used to settling for just one starter per playthrough, but is there any way to get all three starters in Pokemon Legends: Arceus? The good news is that there is a way to get Rowlet, Oshawott, and Cyndaquil in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but the bad news is that it’s not particularly easy. Making starters hard to come by is a hallmark of Pokemon. While this was originally done …
Here’s how to hatch an egg in Pokemon Sword and Shield
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Breeding Pokemon is a huge part of the competitive Pokemon experience. Here’s how to hatch a Pokemon from an egg in Sword and Shield. Pokemon has always used the same mechanics when it comes to hatching eggs. Much like the Safari Zone, while it’s implied that hatching eggs is a matter of time, the actual factor in hatching your eggs is distance traveled. Each egg has a certain number of …
These are the 3 starters in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to bring in a load of new Pokemon, and the list starts with its new starters. The most recognizable and identifiable Pokemon of each generation is its crop of starters. Though not all are equally beloved, these Pokemon are the de facto poster children of their generations even moreso than the cover legendaries. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are shaping up to have one of …
Everything you need to know about Cynthia from Pokemon BDSP
Olivia Richman
Pokemon
Cynthia is one of the most powerful trainers in all of Pokemon, which has left the Pokemon community very intrigued by the strong and sassy champion. Known for her passionate pursuit of legendary Pokemon lore, her blonde hair, and her Garchomp, Cynthia has become one of the most popular characters throughout the games and anime. Here’s everything you need to know about the Pokemon League champion of Sinnoh. Cynthia is …
How to get special event BDSP, Arceus starters in Pokemon HOME
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon HOME version 2.0.0 is finally here with support for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl. To promote this, players can get special versions of the Pokemon BDSP and Legends: Arceus starters in Pokemon HOME. Pokemon’s dedicated box management games and apps have always been unwieldy, and Pokemon HOME is no different. Instead of having the ability to easily redeem promotional Pokemon and just place them directly in …
Is a Pokemon Unite Club subscription worth it? We can tell you
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pokemon Unite is looking to get a bit more cash from its players. Developers have introduced the Pokemon Unite Club subscription service, but is it worth it for you? Nintendo has been looking at new ways to get fans of its biggest IPs to buy into subscription services dedicated to those games. One of the first big examples of this was Pokemon HOME, but it’s not just Pokemon Sword and …
Here’s how to restart in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Pick the wrong starter in Pokemon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire and want to restart the game? Well, it’s not particularly obvious how to do so, but we can help. In earlier Pokemon generations, starting a new game was a straightforward affair. Players simply needed to boot the game and choose the “New Game” option right on the main menu. That has gone away over time as the company has …
Here’s what the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet legendaries could be
Steven Rondina
Pokemon
Some interesting ideas are floating around out there for the legendaries of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The next installments of the Pokemon franchise are set to drop later this year, offering a new open-world experience unlike anything seen before in the Pokemon series. Little is officially confirmed about these new legendaries at this point, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some credible theories that can be put together about what’s …
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.