What the future holds

What about the future?
 

As video games and consoles develop, there is a lot more we can expect from Nintendo and Niantic in the upcoming months. From some couple Pokémon games that are expected by the end of the year to more developments in the app game.

The mobile game is still looking for new ways to enhance the experience. Most recently, the game introduced Team Rocket as a villain, who turned Pokémon evil and took over Poké Stops. Special events like costumed Pikachu and Snorlax infestations also help make the game fun. Plus, legendary Pokémon pop up all the time, giving players the ability to take them on in what the game calls “raids.”

As for the console games, it was announced by Nintendo that by the end of the year three big titles will have been released. However, due to the current pandemic, such future is uncertain.  

Not many things are unknown, but many are expected. We are still waiting for a moment in which the AR used by Nintendo becomes VR so we can really enjoy the game from a different perspective. With the current technology and research they have, it is expected that by next year some prototypes of such games will have hit the consoles, as many different titles have done already in PS4 /5.

Since the long-term future is just a prediction, one thing is for sure, if such a thing happened by the end of the year when the new titles get released, many people will have regreted not having saved money for buying a Nintendo Switch and the VR hardware it would require to work.

What do you think the future holds for video games?

What do you think about Pokémon being in the virtual world?

Once you have answered, you can go back to the road to Pokémon.

 NOT EVERYTHING WAS A BED OF ROSES

                                                                                    Video taken from:  The Nintendo Beast

I bet you are all used to seeing 3D augmented reality Pokémon everywhere through and from your mobile cam to your Nintendo Switch, but we were not that popular back then. It had been all black and white until Nintendo launched the market the Gameboy Color, but before that not all had been as bad as you think it was though we used to look like this:

Image taken from https://www.mic.com/articles/178526/pokemon-red-blue-and-yellow-for-iphone-forget-pokeland-bring-the-original-games-to-ios

Yet, Gameboy color hit the market in November 1999, there had been already really good Pokémon games you could play in Gameboy. In fact, the last Pokémon game released for Gameboy was “Pokémon Yellow.” It was released on September 12, 1998. However, three big names had hit the market long before that “Pokémon Red and blue,” 1998;  “Poket Monsters Blue,” October, 1996; and “Poket Monsters Red,” February 1996.

If you ask a kid these days about their favorite Pokémon game, they will tell you there is only one available for their Nintendo Switch, “Sword and Shield”. However, and as stated before, there had been plenty of games released throughout the years, not just for Nintendo switch but also for mobile phones, Nintendo 3DS, DS, and Gameboy Advanced, among others.

Even the successful app Pokémon GO has undergone way many changes in the last year than it had ever had in the previous years. In fact, at it’s very beginning and after it had made its great announce of bringing all Pokémon to life, it was seen as a big bummer by many users since the actions were excessively limited. Nowadays Pokémon go users can do more than simply catch pocket monsters, they can do hundreds of things no one had thought could have been done back in 2016.

Now WhaT?

Answer the following questions in the comments:

What do you remember from the first generation of Pokémon in contrast with the last one?

Which is you favorite  Pokémon?  Why?

Once done, you can go back to the road to pokemon

 

THE ROAD SO FAR

Video taken from The Leaderboard

By David L.

Pokemon, today.

Pokémon has been there for us for more than 24 years, now. However, since its beginnings, it has -changed a lot. Nowadays, there are way more than the 151-Gen 1 original Pokémon as there are 8 monster generations. Likewise, In terms of merchandising, Pokémon is as important as Nintendo’s mascot and image, Mario Bros.

Even though Mario is the in pole position, Pokémon is not long behind since it is in second place, and it is not just because the never ending story that comes up with new monsters to captivate the huge audience that ranges from children to contemporary adults, or the  incredible movies that have been aired in the last few years, including, of course, the 2019 live action movie called Detective Pikachu, but it is also its great video games that are accessible to absolutely every one, that is, you can access the video games from any of the consoles available, Nintendo wii, wiiU, switch, and mobile apps; being the last one, one of the most important ones since 2016. Pokemon Go has blended both the essence of the “gotta cath’em all” brand slogan with a “be active and exercise” politics that push players to go out and walk to socialize with their surrounding  in order to catch all kinds of pocket monsters.

Since Covid-19 hit at the beginning of last year, it has motivated Niantic (company dedicated to bring Pokémon to smart phones) to go beyond our expectations in order to improve the mobile game to the point that it has changed that much in one year than it has in 4 years. Niantic has allowed people to play from home, raid from home and catch all kinds of Pokémon form home, making the game experience safer during this pandemic year.

It can be said that the road so far has not been the easiest, but it has made Nintendo and Niantic improve the game considerably in both game features and user experience. Let’s see what the future holds for Pokémon and Nintendo.

What now?

1. Answer the following questions as a comment below before you go back and continue the pokeroad.  

a) Tell use in the comments what you think about Pokémon today

b) Who do you think should be the representative of Nintendo, Picachu or Mario? Why?