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Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire 'fresh takes' heading to 3DS in November [Update: Trailer added]
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will arrive on 3DS and 2DS in November, Nintendo announced today. The games are "fresh takes" on Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, which originally launched in 2003 for Game Boy Advance. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were set in the Hoenn region within the series, and featured the monsters Groudon and Kyogre. The box art for the new games, as seen in the announcement trailer, shows off stylized versions of both Pokemon, which may indicate the inclusion of the Mega Evolutions system introduced in Pokemon X and Y. [Image: Nintendo]
Who's that Pokemon commentator? It's you (possibly)!
The Pokemon Company International has announced they're looking for the very best - commentator, that is. If you think you've got the Spark inside of you and are ready to make a Splash, you could tag along with TPCI for the 2014 Pokemon US National Championships and Pokemon World Championships. Just make sure to Rest up before you Swagger on-camera for your audition; there's sure to be a lot of competition for the spot. But who knows, maybe you'll get an Encore instead of a Double Slap. Complete rules for the auditions can be found on the official Pokemon site, but the gist is that you'll need to record a video audition of you commentating on a Pokemon X / Y or Pokemon Trading Card Game battle, then paste the video to YouTube. Also, while the Pokemon games don't seem to have a problem with child endangerment or child labor, only US residents who are 18 years or older may participate. Now go out there and Charm 'em all. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
Pokemon X and Y capture 12 million sales
Buried within an announcement of another Pokemon movie, The Pokemon Company revealed today that Pokemon X and Y for 3DS have reached sales of 12 million units. According to the company, the latest installments in the gotta catch 'em all RPG series have helped the franchise reach sales of 245 million games sold to date. But that's just the video game: The collectible card game has over 20 billion cards out in the wild, and there's also the animated series empire. Pokemon will celebrate 20 years of confining animals in tiny red and white spheres in just a couple of years.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl soundtracks get hitched to iTunes
Diamonds and pearls may be beautiful, but they're also expensive. Unless we're talking about the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl soundtracks, which are now available on iTunes for $9.99. This 149-track compilation includes such memorable tunes as "Opening Movie" and "Obtained a TM!" And who could forget that heartwarming poke-classic, "Trainers' Eyes Meet (Lass)"? The release of the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl soundtracks just leaves Pokemon Black/White and Pokemon Black 2/White 2 to go. The Pokemon Super Music Collection has been steadily releasing since November, with soundtracks for Pokemon X/Y, Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen, Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver and Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire already lurking in the tall grass iTunes store. At this rate, it'll be interesting to see who can get through the entire series first: the Pokemon Super Music Collection or Twitch Plays Pokemon. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
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]
Twitch slays Pokemon after two weeks of non-stop action [Update: New game on Sunday]
The livestreamed crowd-play event Twitch Plays Pokemon has ended, as thousands of players pooled their efforts to defeat the Elite Four in Pokemon Red. The game was completed after 16 days of consecutive play and saw over 35 million viewers during that time. Twitch Plays Pokemon is a Pokemon Red mod that allowed Twitch viewers to control the game's main character Red by entering commands in the streaming platform's chat window. The event began on February 12 and reached 75,000 concurrent viewers after five days of play. There were plenty of doubts that players would even be able to cross the Safari Zone in the game, let alone view its ending credits, though the game's creator told Joystiq that "even when played very poorly it is difficult to not make some progress in Pokemon." The community that gathered around Twitch Plays Pokemon upheld a narrative that extended beyond Pokemon Red's initial scope and included the Twitter-trending Bird Jesus (Pidgeot) and the spiritual consultant and deity Lord Helix (Omanyte). Joystiq also talked with MIT associate professor T.L. Taylor about the event's place in network and game culture, who said it tapped into "something I think is very compelling. So I don't think we're going to see [crowd-play] go away as a genre." Considering how entertaining this has been, we certainly hope not. Update: As it turns out, the Twitch Plays Pokemon stream now features a countdown timer ticking away roughly 26 hours and 25 minutes as of this writing that notes, "A new adventure will begin." That pegs the start of what seems to be the next version of Twitch Plays Pokemon at 7:00 a.m. EST Sunday morning. [Image: The Pokemon Company]
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]
Twitch Plays Pokemon, but can Twitch beat Pokemon?
"Even when played very poorly it is difficult to not make some progress in Pokemon," the mastermind behind Twitch Plays Pokemon told Joystiq. The Twitch community is putting that opinion to the test.
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]
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.
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.
Pokemon X/Y 2DS $150 bundles announced, available later this week
Nintendo is kicking up its drive behind the 2DS with two Pokemon X/Y bundles priced at $150, coming to Target and Toys R Us on Friday, December 6. Target will offer a red 2DS system with Pokemon X pre-installed, while the Toys R Us bundle features a blue system with Pokemon Y pre-loaded on a SD card. Nintendo released the 2DS as an alternative to the 3DS earlier this year, with a standalone price set at $130. The hinge-less hardware's lower price comes at the expense of 3D tech, and with backwards compatibility for 2000+ DS games. With 4 million copies of Pokemon X/Y flying off shelves within 48 hours of release, and 2 million sold in North America to date, Nintendo seems to be hoping the game's prolific performance will boost that of the 2DS' across the holiday season.
Final Pokemon Origins episode translated into English, available now
If the animated Pokemon show the franchise grew up with wasn't really your thing, you can try a different, sans-Ash Ketchum origins story with Pokemon Origins. Destructoid noticed that the fourth and final episode of the series, which is based off the Pokemon Red / Blue storyline, is now available in English. You can watch all four episodes on the Pokemon website or go mobile with The Pokemon TV app in the App Store or Google Play store. Each episode runs just over 20 minutes. The series follows Red's journey from Pokemon Zero to semifinalist for the title of Pokemon Champion, with the other contender being that smug jerk, Blue. There's also an encore battle involving Ash's quest to finish filling the Pokedex. If you're willing to take a break from your own conquest in Pokemon X & Y, Origins is a nice way to remember how the Kanto region laid the foundation for the world of Pokemon.
Report: Nintendo trademarks mysterious 'Great Detective Pikachu'
Nintendo's most lucrative electric rat may be trading in his Thunderbolt attack for a Meerschaum pipe, as the publisher has trademarked something called "Great Detective Pikachu." Normally, trademarks come and go. You're as likely to see a 'mark spawn a full-fledged game as you are to see a company sit on a term or phrase for potential future use. Great Detective Pikachu however, is a bit different as it directly ties to a recent, official video depicting a strange, talking blue Pikachu. Scant little is known of how the game will actually perform or what Pikachu might be detecting, but it has been revealed that motion capture techniques are being used to properly animate the rodent's facial expressions and speech routines. Whether that sounds adorable or intensely terrifying comes down to your opinion on overly-anthropomorphized Pokémon. Either way, we aren't likely to know how things play out until Nintendo decides to shed more light on this mystery.
Report: Hacker leaks three new Pokemon, two new Mega Evolutions
A wild hacker appears! It uses Modify Code! It's super effective! Kotaku reports a hacker has discovered three normally unobtainable Pokemon hidden away in the game's code. The new Pokemon are Volcanion, Diancie and Hoopa, which are pictured above, in that order. While not officially confirmed by Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokemon Company, these Pokemon are thought to be "event Pokemon," which means players who don't hack the game can only catch them at official Pokemon events. Smealum, the same hacker who created the homebrew Portal game for DS, claimed responsibility for the hack, and also revealed Mega Evolutions for Latios and Latias. While the two Dragon-type Pokemon were previously differentiated by Latios being blue and Latias being red, it seems that they are more or less indistinguishable from each other when they Mega Evolve. The Mega Evolution for Latias is pictured above. Don't rush off to trade your Pokemon just yet, though. Smealum wrote on Twitter he does not plan to release the hack or any of the newly-discovered Pokemon into the wild. Smealum wrote that while it would be fun "in theory," he didn't want to "ruin" the online Pokemon X / Y experience.
Pokemon detective game with blue, talking Pikachu due in 2015
The Pokemon Company is working on a 3DS detective game with Pikachu as your partner, due out in 2015. The game was outed on Japanese channel NHK, in a program called The Professionals highlighting Pokemon CEO Tsunekaz Ishihara, as spotted by Serebii. The detective game features a rare Pikachu as the enemy, but the development team "can't see people liking it," the site says. It also stars a blue Pikachu that talks, and Pikachu is being developed with motion capture and facial recognition software. NHK posted an ad for The Professionals on October 22, showing the detective game and a clip of a motion-captured Pikachu that will haunt our quiet nights alone for years to come. Both bits were graciously giffed by TinyCartridge, if this year's haunted houses just aren't doing it for you. Pikablu, anyone?
Mega Evolutions coming to Pokemon trading card game in February
Mega Evolutions, one of the new features in Pokémon X / Y that allows players to take their pocket monsters to new heights in battle, will be making an appearance in the Pokémon trading card game (TCG) next year. Starting February 5, players can pick up 10-card booster packs as part of the Pokémon TCG: XY expansion, which may contain cards that allow them to Mega Evolve one of their Pokémon. In the Pokémon TCG, Mega Evolutions are only compatible with Pokémon-EX cards, which is interesting, because EX cards sort of already did what Mega Evolutions do: they're suped-up, more powerful versions of existing Pokémon, and they're incredibly popular at TCG tournaments. There is a catch to Mega Evolving your Pokémon in the TCG, though. Once you Mega Evolve, your turn ends immediately, so you have to survive into the next round if you want to attack. In other Pokémon TCG news, the Kalos Starter Set, which features the first TCG Fairy-type pokemon - who are resistant to Darkness-type Pokémon - will be available November 8 of this year. Both the Kalos Starter Set and the XY booster packs will include a code card that will help aspiring trainers build up their virtual deck in Pokémon TCG Online.
Pokemon X, Y shifts over 4 million in two days
Nintendo announced it's sold more than four million units of Pokemon X and Y worldwide across the game's first two days at retail. The series' first 3DS games are the fastest-selling of all on the console (if their sales are combined), and Nintendo says they are currently "tracking ahead" of Pokemon White 2 and Black 2 by more than 70 percent. "The early response to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y not only reaffirms the ongoing passion of Pokémon fans," said (a beaming) Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, "But also indicates that an entirely new generation of gamers is eager to experience the franchise for itself." Nintendo's figures may represent shipments rather than direct sales, but either way four million-plus in just two days is very impressive. [Update: Nintendo has confirmed this is four million copies sold to consumers.] As are the games themselves, having earned four and a half stars in our review. The series transition to 3DS was a mega-evolution according to Earnest, who said X and Y are "hands-down the best in the series."
Nintendo UK offer: Buy Pokemon 3DS XL, Get X or Y for £20
Here's a nifty offer to tempt UK folk picking up Pokemon X and Y this weekend, particularly if they've been hankering for the themed 3DS XLs. If you buy either the red or the blue Pokemon handheld from Nintendo's new UK web store, you can pick up one of X or Y for just £20. The total bundle comes to £200, and that's with free next-day delivery. Given that the game's going for £30-40 at various UK stores, how I've still got a regular sized 3DS, and how purty those limited edition XLs are ... yep, I kinda want it. Dammit.
