Need a quick monster collecting fix? Pick up Yo-Kai Watch 2!

If you have caught em’ all in Pokemon Go or you’re waiting for the second season of Pokemon releases then I’m sure you’ve looked into to pre-ordering the newest 3DS games Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. As you may have noticed, however, these game won’t be here until sometime in November leaving you in a collection slump. Fear not though, for Nintendo has your back as long as you are able to gain access to a 3DS. The game Yo-kai Watch is a monster collector based on a watch that can summon creatures by inserting the friendship medal they award you for pretty much just feeding them a lot of food.

Yo-Kai Watch 2 has just released and is a huge monster collecting game by the same studio(Level-5) that made the insanely beautiful and popular Ni No Kuni game for the PS3.  Yo-kai Watch is similar to Pokemon in enough ways to scratch the itch you have for new Pokemon. The games currently have 3 versions out in the non-eastern part of the globe titled Yo-kai Watch, Yo-kai Watch 2 Fleshy Souls, and Yo-kai Watch 2 Bony Spirits.  Yo-kai Watch 2 is split into two different versions that contain different Yo-kai depending on the ones you pick much like Pokemon. They each have over 200 Yo-kai to befriend and features online battle to challenge your friends with when you assemble your ultimate team.

On the story side of things Yo-Kai Watch has a very comical narrative to it and never tries to take itself to seriously.  The collectible creatures in Yo-kai Watch all have quirks about them generally related to their names. Fidgephant, for example, is found in the game causing mischief because anyone he is around ends up having an uncomfortable urge to run to the bathroom. The world of Yo-kai Watch is filled with sidequests detailing the mischief that the different Yokai causes for the humans around them and it’s your job to generally stop them with a battle. The main story itself is usually a little more serious, but it still has a lot of light-hearted moments throughout it to keep things colorful and fun. The first game takes around 12 hours to get through and the second has been quoted to be pretty expansive giving you a lot more to play.

The battle system that we mentioned above is also quite different from Pokemon. Each Yo-kai has a level and most of them have evolutions/fusions to help make them more powerful. The battle will have you spinning a wheel to switch out Yo-kai and using mini-games to build up their soultimate moves to deal massive damage to the opponent. There is also mini-games to help break status effects and collect bonus items that fly across the screen. The system is generally a complicated mesh of micro management that is easy to learn and get into quickly.  Just make sure to keep a good balance of firepower,defense, and healing throughout your team and you can do just fine.

If you do end up getting into Yo-kai Watch on the side almost every store carries Yo-kai Watch merchandise as of right now so feeding your inner collector is easy. Currently, you can buy yourself a Yo-kai Watch and the medals. There is also a huge line of small medal moments toys that come with the Yo-kai posed with its medal to put on a shelf. On top of all of that a new line of giant plushes have just come out of the show’s mascots Jibanyan and Whisper.

Pokemon Go, it has been a good run . .

Pokémon Goers, sad news have been bestowed upon us. Pokémon Go’s 74 day winning streak has finally concluded. For the sake of clarification, Pokémon Go is no longer the highest grossing app. It was superseded by Clash Royale. You know, the game that has the commercial with the guy rolling the “r’s” in every word. “These are the rrrrrrrrrules of the duel”. Yeah, that game. Though, there is a caveat – Niantic’s most successful creation is no longer the highest grossing app in the US iOS system. It is still the highest grossing app in the Play Store under Google, and it is still the highest grossing app in other country’s iOS system. Those countries include Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Australia, Great Britain, Belgium, Denmark, and Thailand. So there are definitely still records to be broken in those countries.

While on the topic of records being broken, Pokémon was able to place third when it comes to the most consecutive days at being the highest grossing app. It is preceded by the famous Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga.

Despite being uncrowned, Niantic can definitely pat itself on the back. However, they shouldn’t catch themselves in a jubilating environment because the question now is:

How will they stimulate the consumers to put more dollars into their game?

 

Niantic has done it?!

Ever since the release of Pokémon Go, there have been numerous of third parties that have developed ways to assist Pokémon Goers in obtaining the Pokémon of their choosing –  such as this one. These ways include providing up-to-date news, IV calculators, and GPS Pokémon locators. All of these facets of the Pokémon Go community are the key to being a successful trainer. That being said, I am here to inform you all that one of these facets will return to the power of the creators of Pokémon Go – Niantic.

“Which one is it?” you might be saying.

Get a load of this:
Niantic has released a beta version that tests the compatibility of a GPS Pokémon locator in Pokémon Go itself.

(Click here to see it.)

This ultimately means that all other programs of GPS Pokémon locators are essentially rendered useless. Niantic providing a company owned GPS Pokémon locator could be considered a good thing or a bad thing. It depends from which lens you are looking through. Of course, for Pokémon Goers, it is a wonderful thing. It provides more accuracy when it comes to the location of the sought out Pokémon. Consequentially, it gives Pokémon Goers a more sense of comfort because they don’t have to put any trust in third parties that create their own GPS Pokémon locators.

 

             

Now, you might be wondering why you haven’t seen this beta version. The simple answer is that it was only released in San Francisco, the home of Niantic. However, it is definitely something to look forward to right? Let us know how you feel about this.

Is Pokemon Go Plus Malfunctioning?

Is Pokémon Go Plus fulfilling its expectation as the ultimate gadget of Pokémon Go? So far, that is not the case. With Pokémon Go Plus release date being tomorrow, despite being delayed, the highly anticipated device is creating faces that resemble that of ‘Gloom’s’ on fans. These reactions are caused by the fact that there seems to be a low chance of actually catching the Pokémon.

This is essentially adding gas on the fire because, as it is, you cannot catch Pokémons that are not registered in your PokéDex – which has left a lot of fans dumbfounded. Pokémon Go Plus is designed to assist Pokémon Goers by notifying them of nearby Pokémon via buzzing. You are then left with the option to either catch it by pressing a button on the device or to not catch it by completely ignoring the notification. If you decide to catch the Pokémon, there will be an indication of whether the capture was successful or not by emitting green or red light respectively. So far, Pokémon Goers have been receiving the infamous red light – which is causing the unhappy reactions. Not to mention, the lack of options when it comes to which PokéBall you would like to use. Normally, this would not be an issue if it was the handheld game. However, Pokémon Go is not a handheld game and does not provide unlimited resources, so wasting PokéBalls is not ideal – especially if you are a high level.

Ironically enough, there are, what we would call, “positives” to Pokémon Go Plus. Despite the “negatives” I have mentioned, Pokémon Go Plus serves as a tracking system i.e. it tracks the distance the individual has completed. This means that it affects your hatching ability and your candy acquisition in a positive way i.e. you are able to hatch more eggs and evolve more Pokémons. So, that is definitely a plus.

All in all, this has been quite the eye opener for a lot of Pokémon Goers – so much so that there are rumors of a lot of cancellations occurring – which makes me wonder if whether or not Pokémon Go Plus is the ultimate device?

I Pledge My Allegiance

Are you a Pokémon Go fan? Not an ordinary fan, but a huge fan. Like a fan that would go to a meet up just to socialize and catch Pokémon with unknown Pokémon fans. If so, why don’t you present yourself as one? Show the world who you are! There is no shame in that! There is nothing to be afraid of! The world shall know thou allegiance. Whether thou is

Mystic

Valor

or Instinct

 

Let thy people know what is to lie on thou chest!

Support you fellow man and fellow women!

Things You Need To Know About Pokemon Go Buddy System

With the Pokemon Buddy System being released, there is a lot of perplexity in the atmosphere. So, here are a few things you need to know about the new Pokemon Buddy System:

  1. Each Pokemon that you select as your buddy has a specific candy that is meant for that particular Pokemon. For example, if you want to be like Ash and select Pikachu as your buddy, you will stumble upon Pikachu-related candies.
  2. Each Pokémon requires you to walk or creatively maneuver for a specific amount of distance. These distances are usually 1, 3, or 5 kilometers. Once you have completed the required distance, you will be awarded with the candies.

Thanks to The Silphroad, we are able to know how many kilometers are needed for each Pokemon to receive their respective candy:

 

  1. The candies are used to evolve the particular Pokemon that candy is pertained to. For example, if you receive a Pikachu candy, it will only be used to evolve Pikachus into Raichus.
  2. Once you have evolved a Pokemon, the amount of distance associated with that Pokemon is completely erased.
  3. The Pokemons that have “unavailable km per candy rewards” are described as such due to their required km being unknown.

That sums up all you need to know. Happy Pokemon Go’ing!

The Ultimate Device – Pokemon Go Plus

On the the 8th of September (yesterday), Nintendo finally gave us the expected date to see the release of the Pokémon Go Plus.

Pokémon Go Plus will be shipped starting on 16th of this month. As of now, you can pre-order your Pokémon Go Plus on the UK Nintendo website for the price of 34.99 pounds ($46.42) or, you can purchase it on Amazon for the expected price of $35. Pokémon Go Plus is a device that alerts you whenever there is a Pokémon nearby – which has a very reasonable implication as the game moves forward and includes more content a.k.a Pokémon. This device’s release date had everyone who knew about it on the edge of their seats because the release date was unknown while the pre-ordering phase was initiated earlier in July during E3. So this is quite the sitrus berry for Pokémon Goers.

Before you purchase this item it is imperative that you check the compatibility of it with your phone. If you go to the Pokémon Go website and click the compatibility picture:

you will see the specifics used to determine its compatibility.

It is no surprise that the removal of the in game locator had a play in the success of this item; however, the effectiveness and the delayed release of Pokémon Go Plus is being questioned for a couple of reason.

  1. The potential amount of revenue that could have been obtained due to an earlier release has been diminished severely. During the beginning phase of Pokémon Go, approximately 47 million people were active on Pokémon Go. Now, there are roughly 30 million people actively playing Pokémon Go.
  2. The utility of it might be diminished as Pokémon locators get better and more efficient on other electric devices – phones, tablets, iPads, and even watches.

In due time, we shall see.

Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Playing Pokemon Go in Church

Earlier last month, on August 11th, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, at the Church of latter Day Saints, a young vlogger by the name of Ruslan Sokolovsky took video of himself playing Pokémon Go. This incident has led to his arrest and a possible sentencing of up to 5 years. Why do you ask? Because they believe it is sac-religious and incites hatred upon their beliefs and the church in general.

Just 4 years prior to this, two women from the band Pussy Riot were sentenced to 2 years in prison for the exact same charges. The difference between these cases is that 5 members from Pussy Riot formed a stage and put on a concert at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This action began as a protest against Vladamir Putin (Which they believe to be a dictator in the likes of Stalin.) and the church officials that supported him. This eventually became a music video called “Punk Prayer – Virgin Mary (Mother of God), Chase Putin Away!” Due to this, Patriarch Kirill I, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, stated that “…they were doing the work of the devil.”

Now, any some what intelligent and logical person should easily be able to see the major differences in these cases. Which is this…
As seen in the video, Ruslan Sokolovsky, who was protesting the church and its decision to forbid playing Pokémon Go while in the temple (Which has a Gym at its location.), merely walked in, caught a few Pokémon and then left. The members of Pussy Riot actually staged a musical protest inside of a church, called out their countries leader for being bribed by the officials of so said church and others, while making an actual music video out of it.

This blows my mind. That Ruslan Sokolovsky, is looking at serving 3 years longer in prison, than the 2 members of Pussy Riot, all though, all he did was walk in, burn some incense (Not the churches mind you.) and walked out. The ladies of Pussy Riot can be seen mocking the church, while the nuns are trying to force the women out of the temple. Am I the only one who sees this as utterly insane and mind boggling?

As the human species, we have supposedly come to an age where reason/science and religion can be seen as one. In 1981, Pope John Paul II stated that “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” Also, as seen in “Catechism of the Catholic Church”, paragraph 159, it states… “Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.”

So, what has happened since then, to cause them to believe that a young man must be sentenced for 5 years in prison for playing Pokémon Go? Is Pokémon and Pokémon Go, really sac-religious and inciting hatred upon the church? In my opinion, no it is not and must not be seen that way. It is what childhood dreams are made of. It is something that has brought communities together and has shown, that people of all races, age and belief, and opinion can be seen and acts as one. That shows that we can love and respect each other as we should and must, for the benefit of the human species. To me, this is an act of the Russian government and the church, which states otherwise. I believe, we must rally in support of Ruslan Sokolovsky and the let world know, that we will not stand for this nonsensical punishment and form of justice, no matter where it takes place. I’m not saying that he doesn’t deserve to penalized for his actions, but, a 5 year prison sentence? I find that to be quite harsh, even though he did break some rules that are being forced in his region of the world. And again, this is only my opinion and no one else’s.

And, as always… Go Team Mystic!

Pokemon Go’s Unofficial Speed Limit

In a previous article, I faintly discussed about the ethics of the way most people play Pokémon Go. The article was then ended by posing a question regarding your thoughts on these technological and creative practices used to hatch eggs. For for those of you who favor those methods of hatching eggs, I have quite the news for you. The news address the “speed rule” since there is a lot of confusion and/or ignorance about it.

If you skim through the official Pokémon Go support page, you’ll see the section that pertains to hatching eggs.  In that section, Niantic doesn’t provide concrete information, if not any information, as to how fast you can go to hatch your eggs – which leaves you puzzled considering that “speed rule” is implemented in the game. So I took the liberty in doing some observational research and came up with an answer. The speed limit is 15-20 mph.

Now, I know you are thinking that it is not concrete at all and you are correct, but there are two significant reasons as to why it is not concrete. These are:

  1. There is no official statement on what exactly the speed limit is.
  2. Due to mechanical error, the calibration for how many mph you can go up to may differ from person to person. (The number was not consistent)

I hope this serves as a “morning sun” to that “rain dance”.

Future Updates and Speculations

It was not until recently at San Diego Comic Con, “The Comic Con”, that we received further news about what Niantic intends on doing in the future when it comes to Pokémon Go. This news update consisted of different aspects such as:

  • New servers
  • Expansion on the game’s inclusivity (More countries being able to have it in their systems.)
  • The release of the legendary Pokémons
  • Breeding
  • Pokémon Trading
  • Buddy system
  • Bug Fixes (Who didn’t see that coming?)

However, I want to focus primarily on the Pokémon Trading and partially on the breeding aspects. It is important that I mention that from this point, the content of this article is speculative.

Upon the implementation of the Pokémon Go Trading system, it will of no surprise to find out that it is only limited to certain regions – considering that Pokémon Go is not available in most countries. In addition to that, there most likely will not be international trades. Reason being is because Niantic is a relatively small company when you consider that they only have two homerun hitters – Ingress and Pokémon Go. Not to mention, they are working on acquiring new servers – which means the amount of data and resources needed to operate an international system supersedes their capabilities. So, things are certainly looking grim for that goal, but it is worth mentioning that they are getting pampered by Google and Nintendo – which could make that goal more obtainable. (See statistics here.)

Another potential reason why initially there wouldn’t be international trade is simply the fact that that sort of move is very unprecedented in regards to Pokémon content. By that I mean Nintendo, the creators of Pokémon in its entirety, never immediately implemented an international trading system when it came to Pokémon games. It was always a progressive move to accomplish that goal. Nevertheless, the inclusion of Pokémon Go Trading system will completely change the standard of the game – especially when it breeding is added to Pokémon Go’s arsenal.

Now there is not much to talk about when it comes to how effective breeding is in a Pokémon game – especially if you’ve played the handheld Pokémon games, but if you did not, here are two main things to look forward to:

  • Better Pokémon in circulation (higher IV stats)
  • The creation of Pokémon Go’s Black Market

Note: This is not set in stone and is nothing more than speculations. Take this with a grain of salt.