Source: The Pokemon Company (screenshot)
This week has been relatively uneventful until the live stream of Pokémon Presents takes place on Wednesday morning. Typically, The Pokémon Company President Tsunekazu Ishihara leads these presentations, but this time COO Takato Utsunomiya hosted the event. We’ve learned a lot of exciting new information about upcoming Pokémon Nintendo Switch games, as well as updates to existing games.
New elements in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Source: The Pokemon Company (screenshot)
We at iMore have been raving about these Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes for some time now, but the presentation has definitely made them even more attractive. Among the most exciting news of Generation 4, we learned that Pokémon can follow you in the world, the updated Union room allows you to interact with local and online players, you can change your character’s clothes and change the statues in your base Secret affects the type of Pokémon they appear in the Great Underground, some of which can only be found there.
VPN Deals: $ 16 Lifetime License, $ 1 Monthly Plans, and More
It seems that these new items and activities bring this classic Pokémon game to modern times while still managing to capture the magic of the originals. Some people are still not happy with the chibi art style from top to bottom, but I really like it because it is a true representation of the classic games. Not to mention, seeing these adorable chibi characters walking around in different outfits excites me more than I thought.
The awkward celebration of 5 years of Pokémon Go
Source: The Pokémon Company (screenshot)
With the rise in COVID variant cases, many fans are understandably upset by the catering changes.
It’s crazy to think that Pokémon Go has been around for five years. What started as a unique new AR concept in 2016 has quickly become a global phenomenon for people of all ages. To celebrate, Pokémon in the Galar region can be caught from Friday, August 20 at 10 a.m. to Tuesday, August 31 at 8 p.m. local time. Not to mention, the Legendary Pokémon Zacian and Zamazenta can be caught between August 20 and 26.
This event comes at a strange time where many players are boycotting Pokémon Go over pandemic cancellations. These changes force people to get closer to Gyms and PokéStops and therefore players must get closer to each other. With the rise in COVID variant cases, it is understandable that many fans are unhappy with these changes.
Niantic said it is investigating the matter and will report on September 1, but hosting a big event in the Galar region that draws people out and about is exactly what gets people upset. It seems Niantic is fixing the issue when it would probably be best to postpone the event until the issue is resolved.
Dialga and Palkia Switch Lite Lazy or nostalgic?
Source: iMore
It has the same design that was used in a special DS Lite a few years ago.
It’s not too surprising that Nintendo is releasing a new limited-edition Switch Lite, as it depicts the two Legendary Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Nintendo basically did the same at the same time as Sword and Shield, with a Switch Lite that featured Zacian and Zamazenta.
Some people aren’t too impressed with the look of the Dialga & Palkia Switch Lite, and that’s understandable given that it looks a lot like the same design that was used on a special DS Lite a few years ago. Whether it’s a lazy reuse of an already available design or a nostalgic comeback, it’s questionable.
Either way, pre-orders for this limited edition Switch Lite will be sold out in a matter of minutes, as does all Switch hardware. If you want to buy one for yourself, you should be informed and make the purchase as soon as possible.
No, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is not a BotW scam
Source: The Pokemon Company (screenshot)
Pokémon games have always been about using Pokémon to explore new places and capture new creatures.
Of all the upcoming Pokémon games, Legends: Arceus was the one that caught my eye the most. Rather than focus on becoming the best gym master, players control an ancient Sinnoh character trying to build the world’s first Pokédex. Rather, it is an open world game with a combat system that fights directly in the overworld. In addition, we now know that there are regional Hispanic forms such as the Growlithe, which looks like an ancient lion dog statue. By the way, the internet fell in love with this good puppy as well as it should. It’s a good drink.
Many people compare Legends: Arceus to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While I can see how many basic commons there are, I feel this comparison is invalid. Just because a game uses a cell shading art style, which existed before BotW, doesn’t mean it’s a visual Zelda scam. When it comes to the open world part, Pokémon games have always been about using Pokémon to explore new places and capture new creatures. Nothing about Legends: Arceus seems out of the ordinary for this purpose.
Now some items definitely have a new feel, like making Poké Balls out of materials. But it still doesn’t give off a Zelda feel. If anything, this more open world approach is a truer 3D rendering of handheld games than Sword and Shield. And honestly, it seems exactly what I expected the Pokémon games to be years ago.
Pokémon Unite is coming to mobile devices, but not yet Blastoise
Source: The Pokémon Company
Many people thought that Blastoise would be the first Pokémon added to the lineup since it was teased early on.
This week, the mobile version of Pokémon Unite finally has a release date. It will arrive on iOS and Android on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. The best part is that pre-registration is currently available on the App Store and Google Play Store. To encourage everyone to participate, each player will receive a Pikachu license if at least 2,500,000 people pre-register and a Special Festival Style: Pikachu Holowear if there are at least 5,000,000 pre-registrations.
Given that players can link their Nintendo Switch accounts to their Pokémon Unite mobile accounts, this high number seems quite achievable. After all, millions of people have already played the Switch version, and being able to continue from multiple devices seems quite appealing. However, it will be interesting to see how well cross-play and cross-platform play work. Hopefully this doesn’t lead to even worse connectivity issues within a team.
The only strange thing about this section of the Pokémon Unite presentation is that neither Blissey nor Blastoise were mentioned, although we already knew that the former would arrive in the game that morning. Many people thought that Blastoise would be the first Pokémon added to the lineup as it was teased early on, but it wasn’t. Instead, we learned that Mamoswine and Sylveon would eventually join us, but no combat roles or exact dates have been listed.
It’s all for this week. I hope you are excited about some or at least one of the things mentioned during Pokémon Presents. Amazing games are coming to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices in the coming months and I’ll be here to discuss them with you.
Until next time.
– Rebecca Spear
2.1.3
Pixelmator Pro Gets Massive PSD Update
A new version of Pixelmator Pro brings a massive PSD performance update, including optimization with other Apple Pro apps like Final Cut Pro.