Raid Hour (also referred to as Legendary Raid Hour) started as an experiment in March 2019. Initially called Legendary Lunch Hour, Niantic set aside an hour on Wednesdays for Pokémon GO Trainers to find 5-Star (Legendary) Raids easier by increasing the appearance rates. After further testing, Raid Hour was renamed…
Initially announced on January 31st, 2020, Niantic announced it would begin testing new types of events during February 2020 – Pokémon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour. After testing and user feedback, Niantic combined both events into one and announced what Pokémon and bonuses would be featured in advance. Now,…
During the Pokémon GO’s Season of Max Out (Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024 to Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024), Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon were added to the game. This mechanic is part of Pokémon’s Generation VIII (Pokémon Sword and Shield) where Pokémon transform into “giant” versions of themselves or even new larger…
Welcome to the Character Column! Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a different character from Nintendo’s long and esteemed history, and I’ll analyze what makes them interesting, nuanced, or just plain memorable. Whether they’re heroes, villains or NPCs, I’ll explain why they deserve respect or love from the…
Editor’s note (6/23/21): This piece was originally published to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nintendo 64. The sentiment behind it, however, is timeless. We continue to look back at the system for all the amazing games and memories it’s brought us throughout the years. Welcome to Collectors…
Super Mario 64 is 20 years old today. For those of us who experienced this game during our childhood or adolescence, that fact might seem a little too hard to believe. Nevertheless, we look back fondly at Super Mario 64 for the hours of fun it gave us and as…
As a spiritual successor to 2005’s critically acclaimed Canvas Curse, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse had a lot of inspiration to draw upon. While sequels typically try to outperform their predecessors by upping the ante and expanding on core gameplay mechanics, Rainbow Curse instead sticks to a less is more…
One of the last big Nintendo titles released on the DS, Kirby Mass Attack, released in 2011 to quiet fanfare. After the coming of the 3DS earlier that year, the DS’ list of new releases began to slow down, and more focus was put on the new system and the…
Welcome to the Character Column! Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a different character from Nintendo’s long and esteemed history, and I’ll analyze what makes them interesting, nuanced, or just plain memorable. Whether they’re heroes, villains or NPCs, I’ll explain why they deserve respect or love from the…
Kirby’s first, original outing on the 3DS came along to me at a time where it was sorely needed. It was right in the middle of my college years, and I needed something to keep me going on those days that just seemed to go on forever. Between classes and…
When it comes to his copy abilities, Kirby’s done it all and there’s seldom an ability I’ve seen that I haven’t liked. From hatless beginnings, to animal buddies, to mixing abilities; it’s been a long journey for Kirby’s trademark skill. This week marks the release of Kirby Planet Robobot, and…
Welcome to the Character Column! Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a different character from Nintendo’s long and esteemed history, and I’ll analyze what makes them interesting, nuanced, or just plain memorable. Whether they’re heroes, villains or NPCs, I’ll explain why they deserve respect or love from the…
Kirby’s next console adventure began development in the year 2000, right after Crystal Shards wrapped up. Originally a GameCube project, the focus was always on a multiplayer feature that would allow up to four players to enjoy Dream Land together. Sadly, this project would be scrapped, refocused, discussed and shelved…
On a certain level, all game series are expected to conform to a certain gameplay style or genre. Fans would get upset if the next mainline Zelda title was an FPS, or if an upcoming Metroid entry was suddenly a puzzle game (though they’ve gotten away with pinball before…). Just…
After the diversion that was Kirby: Canvas Curse, HAL took the pink puffball back to his roots in 2006 with Kirby: Squeak Squad. The franchise hadn’t seen a classic, original, single-player only Kirby adventure since the N64 days, which put a lot of pressure on Squeak Squad to deliver some…
