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…
Fire Emblem Engage releases next week, and I’m pretty stoked. Obviously there’s a bit of caution (I’ve been disappointed by new entries in the past), but the character designs, combat, and overall feel look amazing. My optimism isn’t shared by everyone though – particularly those who fear that the inclusion…
2022 was a year of grand, sweeping games on Nintendo Switch. We had one of the biggest RPGs ever in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a luscious sci-fi epic in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a time-spanning remake of the ages in Live A Live. All these and more were up for Game…
In modern times, year five of a console’s lifespan is usually around the time things start winding down, to get prepared for year six or seven when the successor officially debuts. The Wii released in 2006, and by 2011 it was winding down with only the occasional blockbuster release. The…
Game Freak released not one but two Pokémon games this year. And not just that, but games specifically designed to be wide open, innovative takes on the formula. That led to certain problems due to development constraints, but it’s remarkable that the two games are not just feature complete –…
The other day, I was looking back through an opinion piece I wrote earlier this year, an evaluation of the Pokémon franchise shortly after the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. And while the article has already aged in general, one part in particular jumped out at me: It’s unlikely…
The Nintendo Switch Split Pad Compact is Hori’s newest offering to fans who enjoy playing the system in handheld mode. Courtesy of Hori, we were given the opportunity to test out the controllers and compare them to what’s already been available on the market. So, is this reinvention of Hori’s…
Recently, the gaming internet was shocked and subsequently outraged when Bayonetta voice actor Hellena Taylor revealed that she wouldn’t be returning to voice her in Bayonetta 3 after only being offered $4,000 to do so. Cries for justice and vindication followed. And then… it was revealed that she was likely…
The charming thing about art is that it isn’t always about going to insane lengths to provide the most beautiful or impressive vision — sometimes a humble, simple bit of minimalism is far more charming and lovely than the most sprawling canvas. Such is this case with this quaint Lego…
There are many old SpongeBob gags I love, but one of the greatest — especially from the show’s rare live-action segments — is when SpongeBob superfan Patchy the Pirate eagerly puts on a video of what he believes to be a lost episode of the show, only to discover that…
Here’s a fun fact: did you know that hermit crabs and king crabs aren’t real crabs? While not too distantly related, hermit crabs and king crabs belong to the taxonomical infraorder Anomura, while “true” crabs like fiddler crabs and blue crabs are part of the taxonomical infraorder Brachyura. But why…
It’s a natural course for fan projects to name themselves as sequels to the franchises they’re based upon. How many Star Wars home films back in the day were named Episode VII decades before Disney actually made that a real thing? It’s not a surprise then that Nintendo fan and…
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was one of the earliest, best surprises on the Switch. Many of the Nintendo published titles of the system’s first year were highly anticipated, but also far more “expected” than a tactical strategy game that crossed over the most famous name in gaming with Ubisoft’s…
