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Pokemon's Honedge brought to life
The folks behind the Man at Arms video series and makers of replica weaponry from games and films are at it again, this time with a Pokemon look-alike. The latest Man at Arms video shows the creation of the Pokemon Honedge, a new creature introduced in Pokemon X and Y that resembles a sword with a blue cloth attached to its hilt. While the Man at Arms crew chopped together a fine approximation of the creature (complete with a rather sharp blade, as seen in the ending demonstration), they did leave out Honedge's ornate sheath. Not that we'll be the ones telling them about the minor detail. They make swords, after all, so we'd hate to critique them. Led by master swordsmith Tony Swatton, Man at Arms' past work includes the energy sword from the Halo series, the God of War series' Blade of Chaos as well as swords from Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. [Image: Man at Arms]
Netflix captures Pokemon cartoons, movies this March
Like Hulu before it, streaming video giant Netflix is expanding its portfolio of films and TV shows to include a selection of animated Pokemon fare. Come March 1, Pokemaniacs will find two movies and two seasons of the Pokemon animated series listed on Netflix. American Netflix subscribers will receive access to Pokemon: Indigo League (better known as the first season of the series), while Pokemon: Black & White will come available to everyone, regardless of location. To complement the global addition of Pokemon: Black & White, Netflix is also adding Pokemon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram and Pokemon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom, two Pokemon films which made their US debut in 2012. As with all Netflix offerings, these shows and movies are only available to Netflix streaming subscribers. If you don't have the scratch to afford $8 per month, we'd recommend you pay a visit to Pokemon TV. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have generously set up the site as a repository where fans can stream many episodes of the animated series at no charge. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
Fan-crafted Pokemon 3D captures Oculus Rift support
Our review of Pokemon X and Y spent a lot of time gushing over the introduction of 3D to the series, but now fans have taken things one step further by dragging the pixelated world of Pokemon Gold and Silver into the stereoscopic reality of the Oculus Rift headset. The footage you see above was created by a YouTube user calling himself "Vaecon," who you may recall from his work in bringing The Legend of Zelda to the Oculus Rift. For his latest project, Vaecon modified the ongoing Pokemon 3D fan project to support the virtual reality headset. Some things don't quite work - text doesn't display properly and certain details are hard to make out - and it's apparent that the game was built for a more traditional display, but despite its flaws, the end result is a three-dimensional visit to the Johto Region. While replicating this experience for yourself at home will require you to own an Oculus Rift headset, Pokemon 3D is a free download. It's not supported by Nintendo and could be struck down by a cease and desist order from the publisher at any time, but until then, the project's creators continue their efforts to add every known Pokemon and region to the 3D remake. [Image: Kolben Games]
Free Pokemon X or Y with 3DS and purchasing one of six games
Nintendo announced this morning that during March, those who register a Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS system, along with one of six select Nintendo 3DS games via Club Nintendo, will receive a free code for Pokemon X or Y. The six games are: Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins and Yoshi's New Island. The games or system has to be registered within March. Download codes must be redeemed by May 31, 2014. And, yes, Pokemon X or Y is "hands-down the best in the series." [Image: Nintendo]
Rumor: Free Pokemon X/Y with purchase of 3DS XL or 2DS and a game
A supposed scan of a Toys R Us ad indicates a new Pokemon X and Y sale is on the horizon. The ad, courtesy of a GoNintendo tipster, states that new 3DS XL or 2DS buyers who additionally pick up one of six games and register their gear on Club Nintendo in March will receive a download code for Pokemon X or Y. The six eligible games buyers may be picking from are Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Yoshi's New Island, Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, Super Mario 3D Land, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and Mario Kart 7. As it stands now, there's no confirmation of the deal on either Club Nintendo or Toys R Us' sites. We've reached out to Nintendo for more information and will update as we learn more. [Image: GoNintendo]
Pokemon X/Y's newest Pokedex entry detailed
Who's that Pokemon? It's Pokemon X/Y's latest and rarest pocket monster, and if you want to dodge details until the very moment it's available for capture, this graf is your last chance to do so! Pressing on? Alright - the above sillhouette belongs to Diancie, a rock/fairy type crowned with pink jewels. The Pokemon site explains that Diancie can "create diamonds out of thin air by compressing the carbon in the atmosphere with its hands. It uses these jewels in battle to attack enemies and protect itself." The Pokemon site also notes that we'll have to "stay tuned" for information on when and how we'll be able to properly capture Diancie, so we'll just have to let it enjoy its final moments of freedom. For now. You can check out Diancie's first turns in battle in the trailer after the break!
Pokemon Bank now available on North American 3DS eShop
A day after its European debut, Nintendo has released the beleaguered Pokemon Bank application to the North American eShop. Simply fire up your 3DS, visit the online store, download the free program and it's yours. As its name suggests, the Pokemon Bank is an electronic storage service for the legions of pocket monsters you've gathered in Pokemon X and Y – up to 3,000 of the adorable critters. More crucially, however, the Bank brings with it Pokemon Transporter functionality, which allows you to transfer Pokemon from the Nintendo DS Pokemon games into Pokemon X and Y. While the Pokemon Bank download is free, the service itself is not. Nintendo is imposing a $5 annual fee for use of the Pokemon Bank, though if you download the application prior to March 14 you'll receive a free 30-day trial. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
Nintendo's contrarian streak saved us from a monstrous Pikachu
Pikachu now stands as the world's most famous electric rat, but had Nintendo been more inclined to accept outside advice, the little yellow cash cow may have been less "cuddly" and more "hideously terrifying." During the initial development of Pokemon, the company was repeatedly warned away from the series' now-trademark adorable aesthetic, according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. "This cute yellow thing is not a monster, everyone told us," Iwata recalled. Concept art of a muscular, more vicious Pikachu was drafted, but Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president of Nintendo at the time, refused to change the initial design to make the creature a more traditional (pocket) monster. "When you adapt too much, you lose what's unique about you," noted Iwata. Despite his anecdote about the power of sticking to one's guns, Iwata told the Wall Street Journal that Nintendo has to make more of an effort to cater to stereotypically Western tastes if it hopes to survive the company's current dire financial straits. "We need to work even more closely with the U.S. team," Iwata said, noting that "[i]t's all about balance." [Image: The Pokemon Company]
Hulu wades into the tall grass, captures Pokémon animated series, movies
Hulu's expansive collection of kid-friendly streaming media just grew a bit more attractive to gamers with the addition of numerous Pokémon animated series episodes, films and animated specials. Pay a visit to Hulu's new Pokémon section and you'll find a growing offering of Pokéshows. Currently available are the Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai animated movie, the four-part Pokémon Origins special and the first season of the Diamond & Pearl storyline from the Pokémon animated series. In the near future, Hulu plans to add three more Pokémon films, Pokémon: Giratina & the Sky Warrior, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life and Pokémon - Zoroark: Master of Illusions, as well as the first two episodes of the Pokémon: X & Y animated series. While Hulu's efforts to catch all the various wings of the Pokémon video empire are to be lauded, the streaming media site has a long way to go before it can compete with the official Pokémon TV website. There you can find almost every episode of the Pokémon series utterly free, courtesy Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
Nintendo nine-month profits drop year-on-year, Wii U ships 1.95 million in Q3
Nintendo reported a net profit of 9.6 billion yen (around $93 million) in the last three months of 2013 on the back of shipping 1.95 million Wii Us across the quarter. Despite that holiday success, the company posted a year-on-drop for its first three fiscal quarters, the nine months ending in December 2013. Net profits fell by just under 30 percent to 10.2 billion yen ($99 million), with Nintendo noting the Wii U has continued to bring down its figures, chiefly because of price cuts in the US and Europe. Nintendo slashed its sales forecasts for the fiscal year earlier this month, and expects to post a net loss of 25 billion yen ($242 million) for the fiscal year ending in March 2014. There's been no official announcement yet, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and members of the board are reportedly taking a temporary pay cut in response to the company's recent downturn. According to French news agency AFP (via Polygon), Iwata told reporters in Tokyo he would take half his normal pay for five months, with board members receiving a 20 to 30 percent cut. If accurate, it wouldn't be the first time in his tenure that Iwata has taken a pay cut: His salary was also halved in 2011, the reason then being poor 3DS sales.
Best of the Rest: Thomas' picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Pikmin 3 For each day of fruit-harvesting, monster-killing progress I make in Pikmin 3, I burn two or three attempts just mapping out my best possible plan of action on the Gamepad. It's a style of play that I typically move on from pretty quickly, but making off with a hefty batch of resources without more than a few Pikmin dying in the process is so satisfying that it's easy for me to stay with it. It helps that Pikmin 3's world is so interesting to explore, too - guiding Pikmin and their tiny captains through caves, snowy hills and grassy pathways is enjoyable even without discovering new treasures. As inviting as the initial cast is though, crossing paths with the game's creatively stressful brand of wildlife cuts bursts of tension into the task of gathering food. Meeting Pikmin 3's roster of unsettling enemies imposes a sense of vulnerability on me, one I imagine my miniature fleets share while following my lead through larger-than-life environments. Of course, victory feels even better when it involves stomping out populations of nightmarish foes. I've never lasted long when faced with obstacles like those found in Pikmin 3, but its offering of challenge in a creative, intriguing world has kept me invested in daily runs for supplies.
Best of the Rest: Sinan's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon It's still hard to believe that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon exists, and perhaps that's why this standalone expansion is so great. Who'd have thought Ubisoft had it in them to greenlight a Far Cry 3 reskin that traded the 2012 game's colorful jungle and wicked undertones for 1980s neon, Michael Biehn, and dinosaurs shooting lasers out of their eyes? Not only does it provide a wonderfully excessive version of Far Cry 3's open-island action, but with its dumb humor and loving pastiches Blood Dragon crams an impressive number of standout moments into one bite-sized package; this passage of play (spoiler warning!) is without doubt one of my favorite moments from any game in 2013.
Best of the Rest: Earnest's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Pokémon X/Y Nintendo is generally a risk-averse company, but with its most recent Pokémon entries it proves that when the normally predictable gaming giant decides to switch things up, it does so in spectacular fashion. Not content to merely increase the number of Pokémon yet again, Nintendo added proper, full-featured online gameplay to Pokémon X and Y alongside gorgeous, colorful 3D graphics. The basic "gotta catch 'em all" gameplay formula still underlies X and Y, but for the first time since the original generation of Pokémon games, catching a Pikachu in the tall grass is complemented by a feeling of modernity and aesthetics superior to anything the franchise has ever seen. While Nintendo will likely have a very hard time topping the success of X and Y with their inevitable sequels, that's less a knock against the company and more high praise of just how hard Nintendo pushed itself for the franchise's 3DS debut. Whether you're old hat at tossing Pokéballs or just want to add a new vice to your life, Pokémon X and Y are phenomenal games that obsolete everything the series has spawned previously.
Best of the Rest: Mike's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. FIFA 14 Regardless of any indicator that 2013 was a "tune-up" year for EA Canada's ongoing soccer sim series, FIFA 14 arguably remains the best sports gaming has to offer for another year. Retaining the elements of unpredictability with the game's ball physic, introduced in FIFA 13, the developer improved teammate AI and slowed the game's pace to force more deliberate, tactical on-field play. The result couldn't be any clearer in the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game, which saw significant improvements graphically, particularly in the crowd's character models. While it may not be a top-ten game of the year, FIFA 14 was easily one of the most enjoyable.
Pokemon the Series travels to Kalos in January on Cartoon Network
Pokemon the Series: XY will make its Cartoon Network debut on January 18, 8:30 a.m. ET/PT, following two movies and an animated special which will air earlier in the month. The new series will follow longtime hero Ash Ketchum's travels to the Kalos region, which is where Pokemon X / Y take place. Poke-fans of Mewtwo (who is the best pokemon anyway, no Billy you can't trade me your Ekans for him) should be especially pleased, as the two movies and special episode focus on the imperfect Mew clone. Pokemon: The First Movie will air January 4 at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT. The animated special, Pokemon: Mewtwo - Prologue to Awakening, will air January 11, also at 8:30 a.m. ET/PT. Pokemon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened will immediately follow the special at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT. More than a decade later, 10-year-old Ash continues his quest. To be the very best. Like no one ever waaaaas...
Here is Club Nintendo's favorite Wii U and 3DS games of 2013
Nintendo compiled a list of 20 games that Club Nintendo members noted as their favorites from 2013 recently. Nintendo featured ten games for each for 3DS and Wii U, with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate as the lone game that landed on both lists. Among the Wii U games selected by Club Nintendo members are the obvious Nintendo-published choices in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Super Mario 3D World, The Wonderful 101 and Pikmin 3. The best-of list also includes Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Rayman Legends and Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, the latter being the single eShop-only game of the Wii U group. The list of 3DS favorites are marked by both Pokemon X and Y, Fire Emblem: Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Head past the break to see the full Club Nintendo-selected Wii U and 3DS list of favorites from the year.
Rocky Japanese debut delays Western Pokémon Bank release
Pokémaniacs outside of Japan will be waiting longer than expected to see the Pokémon Bank storage application, after it wounded the Nintendo Network at debut. Though much of the blame for the ongoing, worldwide Nintendo Network server outages must be placed on the hordes of new Wii U and 3DS owners spawned by yesterday's holiday, Nintendo of Japan has posted a notice on its website which states that the Bank has been causing more of a traffic crush than its creators expected, and has compounded the company's traffic problems. To regain control of the situation, Nintendo has removed the problematic storage application from the Japanese eShop. If you're able to visit the North American or European eShop despite its traffic woes, you'll now find the Bank bears a "to be determined" release date. It was originally scheduled to arrive today, but Nintendo of America followed suit with an official delay. "As you may know, we are currently experiencing a large volume of traffic on the Nintendo Network service," reads a post on Nintendo's Facebook page. "Due to the high traffic, we are postponing the launch of Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter until further notice. As a Nintendo standard, we strive for the utmost quality before launching any of our applications. We truly regret the inconvenience, and wish to reassure you that providing a solution is our top priority. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your continued patience." We have attempted to contact The Pokémon Company for more information on the delay and possibly a new release date for the Bank. We have yet to hear back.
Use Pokemon Bank by September 30, get free Celebi
Pokefans that download the Pokemon Bank storage app for Pokemon X/Y and access their Pokevault by September 30 will be offered a free Celebi, this morning's Nintendo Direct announced. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata noted that Celebi will "also available during the free trial period" for the storage app, so you won't need to pay the annual $4.99 fee to get your legendary Pokemon.
Plot your favorite species' demise with this Pokemon Bank trailer
Look, we know Eevee is cute, but there's only so much storage space in Cassius' PC. If you're unwilling to halt your plans of capturing the entire species, a trailer for the upcoming Pokemon Bank recaps how the service, complete with its annual $4.99 charge, will aide your plans to catch 'em all.
Pokemon X/Y patch fixes exploits, uses flying type on bugs
A wild patch appeared in the eShop region for Pokemon X/Y! It seems pretty willing to add itself to your collection though, so approach it expecting a Magikarp-tier fight. Patch 1.2's details note a fix to a problem involving the Wonder Trade feature - Pokemon that evolve due to being traded through Wonder Trade will now be capable of learning new moves. An issue where "certain captions" for Trainer PR videos weren't properly unlocking in Lumiose City has been addressed as well. The notes also list an update to an "internet communication issue," which Destructoid reports is related to curbing the use of unofficial tools called Battle Analyzer and Instacheck. Pokemon Champions will need to download this update before they can return to proving their abilities against opponents in online battles. If you've neglected your collection of new friends since October, Patch 1.2 also includes a previous patch addressing a saving glitch in Lumiose City.
