Pokemon

Could Sora and Goku Join ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’?

February 26, 2019 Editorials

A new Nintendo Direct is scheduled as of tomorrow, February 13th. Many upcoming games, both announced and unannounced, have the potential to be covered and revealed, including Animal Crossing, the mainline Pokemon game for the Switch, and the recently released hit Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The first of Ultimate’s DLC characters, Joker from Persona 5, has been announced already. Due to be included in the game this month, he will likely be featured in this month’s Direct. But a new, yet unannounced character may emerge as well. It’s always exciting to see who will be drafted next into the Smash roster, and with four more DLC characters coming after Joker, it could be a motley crew indeed. Although Smash Bros. characters are often incredibly difficult to predict beforehand due to their unpredictability, some make more sense than others. And while who knows which character will be revealed next, there are some that could be…

Guide: How to Train the Best Pokemon in 2023

May 8, 2023 Guides

“I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.” A line every Pokemon fan is familiar with from the original show’s first song lyrics. In order to be the best, though, you need the most powerful Pokemon. As much as weaker Pokemon may be our favorites, sometimes they just don’t cut it. A constant recurring theme in Pokemon that it’s not how strong the Pokemon is, but how much their trainer cares about them, that wins a battle. As any Magikarp can attest, that’s not entirely true, but from a different perspective, it’s not entirely wrong either… Even the Pokemon most famous for being powerful can be outshined by weaker species of Pokemon by the way that they are raised. In that sense, putting more care into how you raise your Pokemon really does matter compared to just going by how strong a Pokemon inherently is. So…

Prediction: VR is a Hop, Skip, and a Killer App Away From Changing the Game

January 31, 2019 Uncategorized

Throughout the history of gaming, there have been a select few technological turning points that changed the direction of video games forever. You could say they include: the introduction of arcades, the arrival of home consoles (and subsequently, the death of arcades), and the leap from 2D to 3D graphics. These advances changed the landscape of games and decided the next playing field that they would exist on. After 3D graphics, though, what is leap is left? Have they all been leapt over, or is there yet another one that will change the direction of gaming like its predecessors before? Well, to better understand the scope of things thus far, we can divide advances in gaming technology into two categories: revolutionary and refining. “Revolutionary” includes the aforementioned leaps that we just talked about; the ones that introduce a whole new level of play. “Refining” refers to the steps taken along…

Three Ways That Pokemon Needs to Change

January 29, 2019 Editorials

Pokemon is a series that is loyal to its traditions, perhaps like no other — if you get a mainline Pokemon game, you know exactly what you’re getting. In a world where a franchise might take a sudden, confusing shift into a direction that you don’t gel with, staying true to the formula can be seen as trustworthy and a good thing. On the opposite end, it’s also possible for a franchise to play it too safe and things could start to get stale. While Pokemon is definitely still enjoyable, it’s a peculiar series of games in that it’s kept up with the times in some ways, but in others is very archaic and has hardly progressed. I get it: why mess with the formula of one of your biggest cash cows? But in 2019, much of its features feel like anachronisms from the past and are outdated. In some…

No Plans yet for a Nintendo Switch Successor, but What About a New Switch?

January 26, 2019 Opinionated News

Nintendo and their consoles have seen a rollercoaster of success over the years, but they are very pleased in recent times, throwing their plumber’s cap in the air at the surging success of their Switch console. They have seemed to have found a happy medium where they can sell a console with the popularity of the Wii, but with the focus being on traditional first-party games, in the spirit of the Wii U. As reported and translated by Nintendo Everything, there are no plans for a price cut or successor to the Nintendo Switch, as stated by Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa through The Sankei News. Furukawa references the Switch’s great sales numbers and their lofty target of selling 20 million units this fiscal year. In short, they have no plans on stopping the Switch train anytime soon. But if there is potentially a new Switch version on the horizon, that train…

Confirmed: Incineroar Stole Its Spot in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate From Another Pokémon

November 4, 2023 News

Like the true heel Pokémon that it prides itself on, Incineroar took a spot in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that was almost given to the arrow-shooting owl Pokémon Decidueye, game showrunner Masahiro Sakurai has stated. Feeling the need to have a Pokémon series representative in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sakurai and his team narrowed their selection down to these two characters. Ultimately, Sakurai wanted a wrestling-themed fighter, so the muscle-bound grappler Incineroar won out. This information was found in an interview with Sakurai by Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, as shared by Eurogamer. The interview goes on to mention other fun facts about fighter selection, including that the reasoning behind the unexpected Piranha Plant was to show that any character could appear. Incineroar’s own inclusion came as a surprise to some in the Smash community, as its addition to the roster was contrary to alleged leaks that came to surface before the…

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

January 22, 2019 Opinionated News

When I first heard of the concept of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu I didn’t know what to think. The title says it all. There is a Pikachu in a world full of pokémon who happens to be a detective… and he talks. Based off of the 3DS game, a boy has to track down his missing detective father with the help of his partner, Detective Pikachu. To make matters even more interesting, the boy can somehow understand what the Pikachu is saying. It is an interesting take for sure. Then I saw the trailer, and I have to say, it piqued my interest. Never in a million years would I expect to recognize the voice of a Pikachu. But when I heard Detective Pikachu speak, I immediately knew who it was. There was no doubt in my mind the hilarious, handsome Ryan Reynolds is the voice of Pikachu. I thought it…