Welcome, Trainers!
Still need a costume? Want to do something Pokemon style? Here’s a list of options, but we’ll highlight a few below:
Here’s a large Pikachu costume for adults- but it’s a bit pricey!
And of course a trainer outfit – This one for team Mystic (but check the first link above for all the options)
Pokemon Sun and Moon are bringing with them several changes to the Pokemon formula. Not only are classic Pokemon getting new forms just for the new regions, the official site even states that the region operates on its own terms and is quite different than anything we have visited before. The regions are getting rid of day and night cycles to push their story forward instead of focusing on the formula.
Sun and Moon are taking some drastic turns compared to the other handheld games in the series. First off they seem to be leaning towards giving the Alola region itself deep bits of lore and it’s own history, which they will use to change the core gameplay mechanics we are used too. As it appears now we may even forgo the classic gym battles and possibly the Elite Four in exchange for island based challenges. We have been told that islands will have leaders called Kahunas that will be challenged when you finish trials on the islands. The trials will vary from battles to finding items to progress in the island’s quests. After you finish gathering your quest item you will be challenged by a boss know as a totem Pokemon.
Totem Pokemon will be larger than other Pokemon of the same name and have special abilities. When in battle with them they will also have the option to call in other Pokemon to fight you as well. There are 5 islands you have to make it through one of which is man made instead of being nature based like the rest. If you manage to make it through the totem you will then end up in the Grand Trial for the island that once beaten will give you recognition across the region and allow you to progress in the story. We aren’t completely sure how the progression will take place at the moment, but it can only be assumed that we are taking out gyms as we have seen art for everything but leaders at this point.
On top of all of this, there will be two different organizations as well as ultra beasts that you will get entangled with. Team Skull is the suspected bad guys of the generation and have the mysterious Type Null Pokemon by their side, in the story; they will mess up trial sites and be involved in robbing trainers of their Pokemon. The Aether Foundation has constructed a man-made island to take in and care for different Pokemon, they also do research on the mysterious ultra beasts that threaten the island. Finally, Ultra Beasts are mysterious Pokemon that are named with code words that have been causing disasters around the Alola region for unknown reasons, we do not know how many there are or what they currently want.
Along with all these changes, there will be new Z moves that involve buying a separate item to use. The Z- watch will be sold in stores with Z crystals and will link to your 3DS to be used in battle. Other than these changes we are still waiting to find out more information about the changes in Sun and Moon. On the bright side it looks like Pokemon-Amie will be returning in a new version and we have confirmed avatar customization for your trainer.
Nintendo released a video of their upcoming gaming system “Switch”. Pretty interesting concept of using a single system for both mobile and home/console based gaming. The video is a bit weird as it seems to endorse full-on game addiction- I mean, can’t you even take your dog for a walk without keeping your eyes glued to a gaming screen? But anyway, have a watch and comment below!
Back in the nineties when Pokemon first swept the United States they released wave after wave of merchandise that found its way onto playgrounds all over the country. One of the most sought after was the Pokedex, a working version of Ash Ketchum’s first Pokedex was released that included an entry for all original 151 Pokémon and had stats, sounds, and unique animated sprites for each Pokémon. This toy was extremely popular because it made kids feel like they could really run around and catch Pokémon in the real world. Now, with the release of Pokémon GO it seems like the days of replica pokedexes would be over, but an Etsy user has defied that sentiment by making a phone case replica of the original Pokedex, so now with your Pokedex in hand you can really catch them all and fill Pokedex entries while feeling like you’ve really delved into the world of Pokémon!
The case itself looks fantastic, there’s a high level of detail and it does not come apart to wrap around your phone like most modern cases. Instead, this case allows a bottom piece to detach and your phone is slid into place and held by the same plate you removed. The case also has the option to have the logo of Valor, Mystic or Instinct on the front cover, or you can opt for a plain cover if you so choose. The latest version of the case also includes an aim assist or for throwing pokeballs. This is actually a slide you can unlatch from one side of the case and overlay on your phone’s screen to make throwing your pokeballs straight much easier. There are several cases that have this feature, but all of them seem to be fixed to the screen, so when not catching Pokémon the slide would be in your way, but this Pokedex case resolves that issue by allowing you to simply snap the slide back into the case cover.
The case is available on Etsy from the user AnimaSpiritus for $39.02USD. The version covered here is Mark 2, and actually hits at a fair price considering the cases are handmade. That also means there aren’t always a ton of them available so be sure to grab one before they get bought out or you may have to wait for more to be made before you can get yours!
Or you can check out a few more options on Amazon for Pokedex Phone Cases as well.
The Dragon Quest series is a major JRPG series that is often compared to Final Fantasy. Dragon Quest has a similar structure to Final Fantasy in more recent titles, but the first six games in the series were two separate trilogies, after which each game has its own world, story, and characters. The series is actually what lead to the JRPG franchise and has been quoted as some of the inspiration for the Final Fantasy series as Dragon Quest was the first true JRPG originally releasing its first game in 1986 in Japan.
Dragon Quest was known in the US as Dragon Warrior until 2005 due to copyright issues, so be aware of this when searching for older games, although remakes released after 2005 are renamed to Dragon Quest. With this noted, there is one huge reason you should look into some Dragon Quest games, most likely you already love Dragon Quest. How can such a little-known series already have your love you ask? Dragon Quest and its many side games encompassing several genres have inspired and are directly linked to almost every modern JRPG in existence. First the series established ed the classic turn-based combat, directly inspired Final Fantasy, was a pioneer in spinoff games that expanded secondary characters as protagonists of their own stories, started the popular Mystery Dungeon series which Pokémon has a huge side series for, and the artwork is 100% handled by Akira Toriyama the artist of the famous Dragon Ball series. This is just a taste of how much Dragon Quest has affected the gaming world.
As stated previously Dragon Quest has a long series of side games that encompass several different genres. So if a traditional JRPG isn’t exactly what you’re looking for you can find games in the series to introduce you to the ever-present monsters that the series is recognizable for. One of the largest spinoff series is the Dragon Quest Monsters series. There are a total of 4 unique games in the series as well as Nintendo DS remakes of the first two. This series is all about taming and breeding the monsters of the Dragon Quest world and using them to battle similar to Pokémon. As well as Monsters, there is the most recent spinoff for the PS4 Dragon Quest Heroes, a Dynasty Warriors inspired game that pulls characters from many popular Dragon Quest games to fight together on an epic quest spanning an entire continent. All the games generally have JRPG elements for game mechanics but are built around different concepts and allow for much different gameplay. The spinoffs are also easier to step into as they’re more widely available and cheaper, but they still have a lot of great content to offer.
As for the main series of games they are extremely story focused and usually revolve around a hero building a party to stop a great villain. While the stories are usually much more in depth than this simple concept they drive themselves with unique and memorable characters and settings, and all share monster designs and art styles. They also improve the battle system and graphics with each release, most recently Dragon Quest VII was re-released in a full remake version for Nintendo 3DS in North America, and Dragon Quest XI is currently slated for a 2017 release.
In short, Dragon Quest will have something for almost anyone who loves JRPGs of any sort. It has been a driving force for much of Japan’s gaming industry and is still a major influence in Japan. It’s worth checking out the long list of games from the series to see if any catch your interest.
Since the release of Pokémon GO it seems that many people have acquired portable chargers to assist with playing the game for long periods of time without having to stop to recharge their phone. However, a majority of these chargers available are simple rectangular blocks with no details save for their USB ports on one side or maybe a logo. So it only makes sense that someone decided that these portable batteries should be made to fit more into the immersion of playing Pokémon GO. This lead to the Pokeball charger.
The most common one available is a standard sized Pokeball with several variants you can choose from to fit your style. They have capacities ranging in the 10000 to 12000 mAh range, and can charge your phone several times over. They even have LED lights on the ball to give it a more advanced look. There are several design options, the chargers come in three ball variants of standard red, a black luxury ball, and a pink ball similar to the lesser known love ball. Each one can also have your team logo of choice pictures on the top half of the ball. The charger port is located on the front center of the ball, where one would normally expect the opening mechanism to be located.
The chargers all look amazing, and you can find them on eBay for $18.99 USD, which is actually pretty fair considering the cost of most similar powered chargers being the same if not more. If you really wanted to immerse yourself in Pokémon GO you could combine this charger with the Pokedex phone case we covered to get a full set of poke-gear for all your hunting needs!
Yo-kai Watch is the new and upcoming monster befriending series that is capturing the hearts of gamers around the U.S. In every store you go in you can find Yo-kai Watch toys and games being sold and the commercials for the show are on every tv channel you turn to. The games had a successful launch a few weeks ago with the second games in the series Yo-kai Watch Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. This week Level-5 and Nintendo contracted with Fandango to bring the movie to select theaters across the nation winning, even more, fans over.
The movie is based loosely on the plot of the second games with some key elements changed to make it more fitting to fit in a movie time slot. Some of this article will cover key details from the movie and game so to avoid spoilers stop here!
Yo-kai Watch The Movie takes place mostly in the past where Nate ventures to learn the origin of the Yo-kai Watch. It connects back to the T.V. series which shows key points leading up to the movies events including the interference of the antagonists. Like the show the movie has heavy comedy built into it, but for story lovers, there is a heavy overtone of seriousness when it comes to Nates Grandpa. The movie starts when the Yo-kai Watch mysteriously disappears overnight with memories associated with it and the shopping district comes under attack by a giant cat Yo-kai. Upon the realization that Nate has lost his memories he regains the ability to see Jibanyan and Whisper and win the battle against Meganyan who convinces him to go visit his grandma in the country.
Upon, arriving he stumbles upon Meganyan again who he has to save from being trapped in a shed. Upon releasing Meganyan he turns into Hovernyan who tells Nate his grandpa who he never got to meet is in trouble in the past and needs his help. With the use of an item, they teleport back in time where Nathaniel, Nate’s grandpa has gone into a depression and refuses to finish making the Yo-kai Watch. Because of this, there is now time interference causing the watch to never even exist. This sets our heroes on an adventure to help Nathaniel realize he has friends in the Yo-kai and convince him to finish the watch. Along the way, they will end up confronting powerful enemies that have been working behind the scenes to skew the friendship between the humans and Yo-kai and must uncover the truth hidden in the past.
The movie also has heavy Star Wars references and parodies the series many times throughout it. The movie has enjoyable content for both kids and adults to enjoy. Depending on your age you will be able to take the jokes as they really are and appreciate the story itself at different depths. The movie is also a great companion to the games and can quickly bring you up to speed on the series as whole if you haven’t had time to check it out as of yet.
The Harvest Moon franchise has been going since the days of the SNES in 1996. The series revolves around a story where you generally end up inheriting or buying a farm in a town you’re not familiar with. Over the years the game series has immensely improved on features and formula to become a staple of the gaming world. Harvest moon games have featured everything from story driven tear-jerkers with deep character development to achievement hunting for magical music notes. The series also has a strong presence on DS consoles and has just about something for everybody looking to get into the series.
First off, we should explain that Harvest Moon has had a name change to Seeds of Memories in the U.S.A. and while there are still Harvest Moon games being made, they aren’t from the mainline series. There was recently a split between the company Xseed who wanted to import the games and Natsume who wanted the name to make spin-off type games. This has triggered a lot of confusion for gamers, but needless to say, while the spin-offs are different, if you happen to pick one up they still have quite a bit of the original formula involved in their gameplay.
Moving on to some of the games you can get for your DS. The most current mainline Harvest Moon game is called “Story of Seasons” and has you growing your farm over a large plot of land, it features the most updated cast of animals, mechanics, and all new characters to the series. The game also is one of the first to feature the long awaited character customization feature of the series. If you’re interested in a less expensive, but equally as fun Harvest Moon game you can purchase “A New Beginning” for about 20$ USD less than “Story of Seasons.”
What can you do in these games, though? In Harvest Moon games you can, of course, grow crops and raise animals on your farm. If you don’t want to make money that way you can scavenge, fish, mine, win festivals, or in some games you can even pick up odd jobs to do. One of the main draws to the series is the marriage system where you woo a potential partner with gifts and by triggering cutscenes eventually win them over. In the story driven games you can complete tasks like milking a cow for the first time to earn achievements that expand the town and pull you closer to finishing the story, see Magical Melody and Sunshine Islands for this type of gameplay. Other types like Save The Homeland and A Wonderful Life are heavily story driven games where you roleplay the life of your character.
If you are interested in having the newest of the new features in your first Harvest Moon playthrough look into “Trio of Towns” the official cannon line of games next upcoming release. If you don’t want to wait until February to play then pre-order “Skytree Village” for your 3DS. Skytree village is under the Harvest Moon name and made by Natsume, it will be releasing at the end of this month.
While in the US our politicians are gearing up for the fast-approaching date for the presidential election it seems that politicians in Norway are trying to fill up their pokedexes. Sometimes things don’t have to be as strict as we make them out to be in the world.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg was recently photographed during a debate and the picture clearly shows Pokémon GO on her phone in front of her. After the debate, she told news networks she didn’t think the speaker on stage when the photo was taken would mind. Trine Skei Grande was the speaker, and she had also been caught playing Pokémon GO during a defense meeting in August. Both politicians laughed off the incident and Grande even tweeted that she was perfectly ok with Mrs. Solberg searching for Pokémon during her speech.
Norway’s politicians may all be coming together over Pokémon, Grande and Solberg even come from differing political parties but seem to be very friendly to each other over the issue. Hopefully, the Norwegian people aren’t bothered by this, and maybe this could be a sign that politicians around the world could be more civil and be more unified if they would just play a little more Pokémon. We’ll have to see if more politicians join in the fun and if any politics shift in response to it, maybe we’ll even get more global action on endangered species?
So, you know those boring re-chargeable batteries you get at places like Walmart and Target that are just plain clunky boxes. Wouldn’t you like to have an option that just looked cooler? What if you could use your battery without cords going everywhere or having to carry it in your other hand? Well, the people over at the site PokeGlove have heard your complaints.
The PokeGlove re-chargeable battery is small and compact and fits perfectly inside the glove. Yes, that’s right a glove that you can wear instead of being tangled in cords or having to carry anything! It’s also lightweight and made completely for performance. On top of that they come in team colors Valor Red,Mystic Blue, or Instinct Yellow. So, you can support your team while playing.
The gloves have a small, medium, and large sizing chart. As well as, a glove for left or right handed people to choose from. You also have the choice of buying from their website or Amazon.com. The glove will also let you choose between charging cables for IOS and Android users. The Gloves are made with Amara Lycra, and secured by Forway Velcro wristband.
Overall, the gloves are stylish and give you a convenient way to recharge your phone when you’re low on battery. The price for them is rather inexpensive compared to other specialty batteries and they cater to everyone glove preferences. If you’re interested in getting a PokeGlove then use our code “POKEFIND” to get 10% off your order to their store.
