Pokemon Go Gen2 Release

It's the news a lot of people have been waiting for with speculation going wild, the long rumoured Generation 2 update for Pokemon Go starts this week with 80 new pokemon to be added plus new items, game mechanics and customisations.

It looks like you'll have to go out and find the 3 starters, rather than being given them so keep an eye out later this week.

We'll have more details as they are made available.  In the meantime check the tags for our other Pokemon themed blogs.

UPDATE:
Official details available here.

UPDATE:
New features and new Pokemon are now available!

DaNoob: Pokemon Sun&Moon - a Vicarious Review

DaNoob reaches for new heights of noobiness as they attempt to review a game they've never played, best not to take them seriously, this is just what too much YouTube looks like...

I've never played a Pokemon game, but it looks like something I'd be into, although not so much I'd go out and buy a New 3D Lite 2DS XLi (and to think I was confused by PSVita not being PSP2?). The latest instalment has been greatly received by fans and critics, now I've watched some YouTube let's plays ... which obviously means I know better!

Nintendo have wheeled out another remake of a game that was great 20 years ago... only this time they've actually listened to fans and made some improvements, why it took this long I have no idea, other games have nailed some of these elements for years.

I mean how long does a game have to be around before characters have actual voices? I'm no expert on the 3DS (noob) but surely it's powerful enough to at least allow voices for the main story? Talking about the power of the machine, I've seen YouTubers refer to the awesome graphics and detailed environments... but all I can see is rough and blocky and nothing like a game from 2016, I've seen retro 8bit titles look sharper.  How does a 20 year old franchise expect to keep with the times and  only jump to 3D graphics 2 years ago!?









Apparently fans have been waiting for an ability to ride pokemon to travel round the ingame region, your pokemon that you can ride, they wont be battling alongside you, these ride pokemon are basically pokemon shaped vehicles!
so why has it taken so long? Seems like a no-brainer to me, and if there's one thing I know it's no brainers. Also I lose any hype for this new feature when I find out it's not







Having access to a feature called Exp Share early on also sounds like big deal... so we've had 20 years of this not being standard and no one thought it might be a good idea? Perhaps it wasn't such a common feature  way back but then most games allowed you to play with a party of several characters, not one at a time.Which means I'm still baffled by why team battles seem like such a breakthrough... this isn't something new people!

In place of any real innovations it's also good to have a new gimmick. The new Z-moves seem familiar.... they're activated by an odd dance that makes Dragon Ball Z's Fusion Dance look completely sane and sensible. This is then followed by a powerful aura from DBZ surrounding the pokemon and an over the top attack animation that ranges from great orbs of DBZ style energy to mountain destroying DBZ style punches. I'm starting to wonder of "Z-moves" got there name because adding the "DB" would have resulted in copyright issues. Does the (equivalent of a) letter "Z" have some significance in Japan?






Still perplexed I watch YouTubers being amazed by tweaks to battle that let you see what status effects your pokemon have... maybe the devs missed RPG design 101... although they are learning, the game can now show you which moves will be effective/super effective after you've fought a particular pokemon once which as there are now 18 types with multiple strengths and weaknesses is a welcome but overdue addition..

After battles there's a chance to interact with your team of tiny monsters, ok fine this is a good idea  for a series built on training monsters, a chance to do some actual training, or not quite. I'm not sure how it affects the game at all, from a company that also published NintenDogs I expected more.

It seems Pokemon is slowly being dragged into the modern era but still with some old school quirks (no autosave? On a handheld? Seriously?) and seemingly held back by it's hardware, a game with this many framerate drops would normally be crucified by critics, why has there never been a console release of a main-line Pokemon game? I'm not hating the games, they seem at least decent, at no way worse than any other RPG, and everyone seems to have an absolute blast playing it! I just can't get my head around the popularity,

I've come to the conclusion that Pokemon is the Batman of RPGs.

Why is it so good?

Because it's Pokemon!

PKMN TCGO: Vs Ladder Reset

 Let's have a look at this ladders firey Pokemon prizes.

First up is Flareon.  Admittedly not the best attack cost but as it only requires one fire energy you could get away with stacking your deck with double colourless energies to reduce the power up time.  With items and luck you are looking at 100-120 damage (without weakness or resistance) which isn't bad for a stage 1 Pokemon.  Additionally the ability to make any stage 1 Pokemon a fire can be a powerful tech tool when there are so many other Pokemon that have a weakness to fire.  This means that your stage 1 Pokemon can all be hitting x2 damage should you get your match-ups right.

Of course you could always play other Eeveelutions with a similar ability to cover all your bases and run a rainbow energy...


Ninetales is a bit of a mixed bag.  If you time it right you could cause some serious aggro to your opponent just by having him on your bench.  Dropping your own stadium and then evolving your Vulpix could lead to some pretty deadly combos which would be impossible to stop until they have taken out your Ninetales.  So in theory you wouldn't really want to be attacking with him and would protect him and your combo for maximum damage.

However, should you be forced to attack Ninetales is a bit pants.  He has no lesser cost attack meaning it will take you three turns or a Stadium to power him up.  At 90 HP three turns is a long time, especially with some of the EX and Mega evolutions.  The card is saved by a slightly higher attack point and by putting your opponent to sleep, which again would prolong whichever combo you have going.

Unfortunately the manner of the card means you can't rely on it in game because dropping it at the wrong time would mean you would not be able to play your own Stadium card and making any combo you had planned useless.

Camerupt EX has an average HP for a Pokemon EX and his first attack is pretty basic.  It is his second attack that you want to focus on.  For a whooping four energy Camerupt will do 50x Fire energy attached to your Pokemon.  By equipping your deck with energy retrievals/searches and Pokemon with the ability to generate energy or draw cards you will be able to ensure that once your Camerupt is powered up there will be no stopping him!  Especially if you choose your energy cards wisely.

I would also make sure that I have some way to pull him back in your deck as he is pretty powerful but also super heavy.  Heal items are a good idea too so that you can just leave him up front for as long as you can.

Let us know if you come up with any interesting combos for these cards.  

We would love to see what you come up with!

PKMN TCGO: Versus Ladder Reset

Today on Pokemon Trading Card Game Online the versus ladder has been reset with a grass theme.  Cards up for grabs include Genesect EX, Lilligant and Amoonguss.  Lets take a quick look at how these cards can be incorporated into your Grass decks!


Amoonguss


Although his attack and HP are not the best Amoonguss has the ability to Confuse and Poison your opponents Pokemon when you use him to evolve a Foonguss.  Playing this at the right time can seriously hinder your opponent and cause them to retreat, heal or risk considerable damage.  Best case your opponent will take 10 damage between turns and hit itself for an additional 30 by the time you have your next turn for a maximum total of 50 hit points per turn.  Should your luck continue 'Rising Lunge' can hit up to an additional 50 damage per turn before using Pokemon Tools.

There are a lot of other Pokemon such as Ninetales from the Dragons Exalted set which can cause additional damage depending on the conditions already on your opponents Pokemon.  In this case using Amoonguss to cause two status conditions will allow for Ninetales to do a guaranteed 120 points the turn you evolve Amoonguss. Should your opponent survive they will then be hit with 10 hit-points of poison damage before even thinking about dealing with confusion!  All things going your way you are looking at 170 damage for the wonderful value of one fire energy and one very well timed evolution!


Lilligant

Lilligant is not the greatest Pokemon on it's own.  However, when combined with the Poison/Confusion power of Amoonguss, 'Dream Dance' can cause some serious damage! While asleep your Pokemon will be unable to retreat meaning they will be forced to sit and take silly amounts of damage from their poison and (should they ever wake up) the possibility to hit themselves with Confusion.  This kind of mass Special Conditions on Pokemon can scare less experienced players and be hard to over come without lucky trainers and heals.  This is why 'Lead' is a useful tool.

Packing your deck with supporters and means to search out healing methods would be essential when using this card as it also puts itself to sleep.  Although not the end of the world you would also be stalling your own deck, which is never great.


Genesect EX

Now here is where a good plan all comes together....

Although his attack 'Megalo Cannon' is not great, it still attacks for 120 points per turn.  The double grass requirement is a bit of a pain when you have many double colourless users hitting for just as much.  However, what we are really interested in is his Ability 'Red Signal'.

When you attach a Plasma Energy to Genesect you may switch one of the opponents benched Pokemon with their Active Pokemon.  This means that when you are holding your Amoonguss in your hand and Lilligent/Ninetales is at the ready you can pull out your opponents Mega/Ex Pokemon with the millions of Energy cards attached to it and start smashing it with Special Conditions!

Remembering that a lot of the EX/Mega series have HP above 150 and attacks that can be brutal against basic/weaker Pokemon being able to stop them attacking with Sleep/Confusion is a great defence.  Being able to pull said Pokemon out before it has the time to power up is also a great strategy as your opponent will be left scrambling to either heal, retreat or power up their Pokemon before you defeat it!

These are just a few ways that you can use this periods Vs Ladder rewards.  If you find any new combos feel free to comment bellow!

PoGoBus: A New Way to Play Pokemon Go

Has Pokemon Go lost its appeal? Are you waiting for something new to breathe life into the game?

Then why not try PoGo by bus? The new way to play that brings in new gameplay elements and all you need is a lengthy commute or an all-day ticket.

• Pokestop timing - Handily a lot of pokestops are at the roadside but can you spin them while you ride past?

• Gym challenge - Mastered pokestops? Find a gym next to a bus stop and try to complete a battle before it the bus pulls off!

• Bus stop dilemma - Waiting for a bus? Check the nearby sightings and weigh up the risk of running off to add to your pokedex. Can you make it back for your bus in time?

• Tactical choices - Two pokemon appear but there's an even rarer one nearby, you only have time to catch one before you drive past, what do you do?

• Eggs and popups - Desperately need that pokestop? Rare pokemon spawned? Tough! Eggs can interfere at any second, even worse if they add to pokedex!

• No exploring - lucky spawns- something juicy nearby? You better hope it wanders into the road... unless you fancy getting off at the next stop? Who needs to get to work on time anyway?

• Learn new areas and nest locations- take the scenic route and scope out new spawn locations, discover new nests!

• Meet bus friends - don't let the bus driver's not-so-sunny disposition fool you, everyone is a friend when you travel by bus!

• Some buses have powerpoints and wifi - play all day!

• <10mph - Stuck in slow traffic? Keep walking that egg without actually walking. Only busses and tractors get away with going this slow, which one would you prefer?

• Manage resources- Do you know where the next pokestop is? Will you have enough pokeballs to last?

More fun than trying to actually pogo on a bus… unless some kind of bug/feature removes the ability to play while travelling, but what’s the chance of that happening?


[Note: Thanks to a recent bug/feature players can no longer catch pokemon when travelling above 25mph...]

Pokemon TCG Online Vs Prize Ladder Reset

This month we see the Vs Ladder reset with the deadly Toxicroak EX, Gothitelle, Dusknoir and trainers 'Teammates' and 'Pokemon Fan Club' as your prizes.

Gothitelle provides you with the ability to remove Stadium cards and replace it with your own.  This comes in handy against all manner of Stadium cards which can provide powerful combos.  It is always a good idea to carry at least one Stadium card or way to remove an opponents Stadium.

Dusknoir's ability allows him to increase the number of damage counters on himself in order to increase the damage delt.  This is useful for gaining a more powerful attack and also heals your other Pokemon.  However, this does leave your Dusknoir exposed and the ability to easily heal would be paramount.










Toxicroak EX doesn't seem so scary on first glace but is actually a force to be reckoned with.  His Triple Poison attack causes your opponents Pokemon to take 3 damage counters between turns in stead of the normal 1.  This means that from Your initial attack to your next go your opponent will be taking 60 hit points unless they can do something pretty sharpish.  Poison attacks are a good way to get your opponent to speed through their heals or trade their Pokemon onto the bench regularly.  This kind of deck control can fluster a lot of inexperienced players and limits what most decks can do.

His second attack Smash Impact isn't amazing for three energy.  It does 80 damage and isn't affected by resistance which isn't bad.  However, when you take into consideration you will have already poisoned your opponent they should then take an addition 30 hit points after your turn.  This means that you will be hitting for a total of 110 damage a turn!  Adding Pokemon tools such as Muscle Band will also increase your damage making him an even more formidable foe.

Check in next month to see what's on the ladder!

Niche Plays: World of Final Fantasy (Demo)

In case you missed it you can now try out a demo for World of Final Fantasy on either PS4 or the PS Vita.

I gave it a quick run through so thought I'd add a few of my first impressions.

First off, you'll notice the super-cute chibi style; throughout the demo you'll meet famous final fantasy characters recreated in this style but still with their usual voices, they somehow end up being both adorable and hilarious, although you wont get much conversation out of them during the demo. Your own characters can switch between being these tiny "lilikins" or grow into Kingdom Hearts style characters called "Jiants" (see what they did there?)

The style may look like it's aimed at kids but Square Enix seem to have hit a balance where the game will appeal to long term fans too. If you enjoyed Final Fantasy 9 then you won't find the character style off-putting anyway, personally I'm loving it. There's also two command modes for battle, simple button presses for kids and casuals or a classic menu style. There's a new stacking mechanic that I haven't discovered the finer points of, but a stack of characters share health and are more powerful... it also looks so cute and rather funny if you manage to topple a stack of enemies. It's classic turn based combat and some long animations can't be skipped... however if things are moving too slowly for you there is a fast forward button.

As you go you'll figure out how to “imprism” enemies, that is trapping them in a crystal or prism. There are obvious parallels to Pokemon even down to the spherical prism traps giving 3 wobbles/dings on a successful capture. There's even skill trees for each monster you collect and they can evolve into new forms. Monsters come in 3 sizes with the smaller ones forming the top of your stack. You can even ride some of them around the world (something I've heard Pokemon Sun&Moon is also doing).

It remains to be seen how much Sun&Moon will push the Pokemon franchise forward but WOFF (not sure about that acronym) is doing some things the Pokemon games should have done years ago; voice acting, top end graphics, big cinematics, tweaks to gameplay, being able to play on a home console AND a handheld!

World of Final Fantasy is out nearly a whole month before Pokemon S&M (possible a worse acronym) so there's time to try it out, at least check the demo. The full game hits 28th October. Pokemon may have an edge with its mainstream appeal but Final Fantasy might just have a solid contender, even if it is a bit more Niche.

Noob Reviews: It's Not Pokemon Go!

Even Pokemon aren't safe from... DaNoob

Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) is now available as a free download for PC and mobile, and never having tried the physical game before, I jumped straight in. And promptly got stuck on the tutorial...

Ok, once I realised I was an idiot I got past this stage and things started to make sense. The basic concepts were actually pretty easy to pick up. But knowing there's other cards, types, evolutions and not knowing what to expect makes it more overwhelming that in should be.

I got a handle on my starter deck and took out a few of the weaker AI opponents (like a boss)... and then I hit an electric type with an electric attack and dealt extra damage?!? Apparently everything I've learnt from games is wrong...Including that health counters go down after damage! In this game they go up... ok when I think about it, this is probably a feature of the physical game and would make perfect sense, but without any prior knowledge... I am not having any luck with this game!

My woes continued as I tried to build my first deck, a cunning mix of weak pokemon, underpowered items and broken evolution chains. The game allows you to compete online.. I am so not ready.

Despite myself there's a solid game here, I'm told it's a faithful recreation of the physical game and unless you're a complete idiot (no names) this version may be more accessible than the physical card game with the advantage of a readily available supply of opponents and handy sorting of electronic cards with the ability to save your favourite decks. 

You're having a Ghastly - Pokemon Go! Funnies

Pokemon Go has awakened the comedy in nerds and we have saved a few of our favourites for you all!

Pokemon GO – Trainer Guide

PoGo as it is also known has taken the world by storm. It was so popular in

fact that the servers have experienced issues and the UK launch has been delayed.

So before the official Pokemon Go launch we thought we would put together this quick guide to help you on your way.

Catching Pokemon

You encounter Pokemon by walking around. The game tracks your GPS and moves you in game as you physically walk around. Pokemon appear randomly and you have to quickly tap on them to trigger an instance battle where you can capture the Pokemon.

Once in the Instance you are able to 'throw' a pokeball by swiping the screen. You can press and hold the ball and a circle will appear. Getting the inner circle as small as possible increases your chance of getting the Pokemon. The better your aim also drums up extra EXP.

Throwing the ball does not always grantee a Pokemon and some times they get back out. At higher levels you can also get Razz Berries which encourage the Pokemon

to like you and even Great Balls. You can also spin the ball (somehow I can never do it) which can stop Pokemon from knocking the ball away.

Your map also has a function that lets you know how close and what kind of Pokemon there are in your area. Although the number of feet suggest how close a Pokemon is to you all the methods we have currently used don't seem to work to utilise this system very well. However, people across the globe seem to be having different results to us!

Be sure to adventure into different locations at different times to ensure that you get a wide range of Pokemon and a chance of catching something awesome and rare.

Levelling and Evolving

You can power up your Pokemon by spending Stardust and Pokemon Candies on them. Unlike previous game where there was a bigger focus on Battles (more on that later).

You can collect Pokemon Candies by capturing and 'transferring' Pokemon. Each Pokemon requires a large number of Candies and Stardust to become max CP (Combat Points).

Although you dont have to evolve a Pokemon before it is max CP, it is advised that you fully evolve a Pokemon before levelling to ensure that it has the best possible CP.   This is because the amount of CP a Pokemon can have is based on your Avatars level and the max CP of a Pokemon increases when you do.

It should also be noted that Pokemon have different attacks and so the biggest CP is not necessarily the Pokemon which you should level up however they do loose these moved when evolving...

You can level up your Avatar as you catch Pokemon, defeat gyms etc and as you level up stronger Pokemon become available to you as well as increase the CP of your Pokemon. You also unlock better items such as hyper potions and great balls.

Teams

There are three teams in Pokemon based around the three legendary bird Pokemon, Articuno, Moltress and Zapdos (blue, red and yellow). Each team must work together to capture gyms and increase the Gyms level and 'prestige'.

Pokestops

Pokestops are locations on the map that you can go visit in order to get some goodies, such as Poke Balls and Potions. They are located around the map and you can use a 'Lure Module' it increase Pokemon coming to that stop for all trainers. Although we are not sure that it is a way forward if you do have the option to continue walking. Pokéstops also give you some EXP.

Gyms

At the moment you cannot face off against your friends in battle. However you can go to gyms and battle against other trainers. The battles are based around tapping the screen to make your Pokémon attack and holding the screen for it to do a bigger attack once they have filled their power bar. You can also dodge attacks by swiping the screen left or right. Strengths and weaknesses also come into play with these attacks.

If you are a part of the gym you can train your Pokémon at the gym to earn prestige for your gym and also a small amount

of EXP for you trainer. You cam place one Pokémon to protect the gym per Gym level and one Pokémon per trainer. This means a level five gym can have five trainers and five Pokémon protecting it.

However, opposing teams can attack in groups with up to six Pokémon each. Making it much easier for trainers to attack a Gym they wish to take over if they have strong enough Pokémon. To take over the gym they must defeat the Pokémon at the gym lowering its prestige until it has dropped below level 1. Then you can replace the Pokémon with your own and level the gym up for your friends to come and join you.

Although Gyms are perhaps not the best way to gain EXP, been a part of a gym goes towards your daily bonuses and the more gyms you are in the more coins and stardust you will receive.

Eggs

Eggs are items that you receive from Pokéstops. You place them in incubators so that they will count the steps that you are taking toward them hatching. Each Egg counts in kilometres (km) and can range from 2km to 10km.

We have seen a distinct correlation between the length of the Egg and the rarity/quality of the Pokémon, however as my friend got a 200 CP Pikachu from a 2km Egg it seems there is still a lot of luck involved.

Items

There are several additional items at the moment that you can purchase in the shop. As well as additional Pokéballs and bag upgrades you can purchase incense, lucky eggs, lure modules and egg incubators.

Incense and Lure Modules are used to draw Pokémon to your location, except that Incense can be used anywhere and only works for you. Lucky Eggs increase the amount of EXP you receive and Egg incubators are additional incubators that wear out over three uses. All rather useful but can also be collected at Pokéstops and when you level up.

Medals

The world we live in likes to reward us for our efforts and in PoGO you get medals for collecting large numbers of Pokémon, walking, training, evolving, hatching.... pretty much everything! Although they are mostly just for you so you can show off to your friends.

AR

The Augmented Reality for PoGO has been faulty at best for myself and an even bigger drain on your battery than it normally is. There have been announcements to make this more fluent within the next few updates.

The Pokédex

Last but not least the wonderful Pokédex. Showing you all the wonderful Pokémon that you have caught or seen and giving you the all faithful Pokémon profile.

There are still many things that we have to learn and we will keep you updated!

Be sure to follow the Niche: Treat Your Geek blog for the latest news.

POKEMON GO! IS HERE!!!!

...and yes the Caps were required....

The wait is well and truly over!

You can get your very own Pokemon on Android now!

Send us your Pokemon tales!  Who did you catch first?

Download it here