Latest news with #PokemonLegends
Digital Trends
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Pokémon Gen 10 needs to be a reboot
2026 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, which is a sentence that makes me woefully uncomfortable with my age. Personal insecurities aside, most of the Pokémon community believes this is the perfect year to announce the 10th generation mainline title for the Switch 2. Gen 9, Scarlet and Violet, will have been out for four years by then, and it would give this year's Pokémon Legends: Z-A a little time to breathe. I've never been a big fan of the annualization of Pokémon games, but that's a topic for another day. I grew up as a diehard Pokémon fan starting with the GBA titles, but slowly fell off the series over time. Part of that was age, sure, but when I realized there was another monster-catching RPG coming this year that had me feeling all those old sensations of excitement and wonder again, I knew it wasn't just nostalgia. As a thought experiment, I wondered what Pokémon Gen 10 could do to get me excited for this once beloved series again. The answer was a simple one. Pokémon needs to be rebooted. Back to basics All of the major modern problems with Pokémon can be attributed to bloat. I don't blame Pokémon for ending up in the situation it finds itself in — it is a victim of its own success at the end of the day. After the original generation, we all loved the fact that the next games not only had a new roster of monsters to catch, but all our old favorites were back. Pokémon is a game about building bonds and becoming attached to your little creatures, so it would be antithetical to the game's themes to force us to sever our bonds with each game. But 30 years later, the benefits of that system are now heavily outweighed by the drawbacks. Recommended Videos When I say Pokémon needs a reboot, I'm mainly talking about the roster. As of Gen 9, there are over 1,000 Pokémon. If Gen 10 introduces about as many as each gen tends to, I wouldn't be surprised if we have 10 times the number of Pokémon we started with. GameFreak has already faced backlash for failing to include all previous Pokémon (or allow them to be transferred) since Sun and Moon, and while newer hardware and the ability to add more as DLC have offered some reprieve, the issue has only gotten worse with time. We all remember the 'Dexit' controversy when Sword and Shield came out, right? A lot of this comes down to the team wanting to push the games further. Transitioning off of handhelds opened up a world of possibilities that GameFreak wanted to take advantage of, but the baggage of the series weighed it down. I won't handwave all of the Switch-era Pokémon games' technical issues on there simply being too many Pokémon, but I would be surprised if it wasn't at least a big contributing factor. What I do feel more comfortable claiming is that Pokémon models and animations did suffer due to the sheer volume the team had to work on. Gen 10 is the perfect excuse to make a clean break. Cut all the existing Pokémon out and introduce a new, fresh roster of 100-200 Pokémon max. Maybe Pikachu can get a cameo or something, but if one legacy 'mon gets featured, it just opens a can of worms for everyone else to complain why their favorites can't show up too. Put all the love and care into a new, tight lineup rather than going for quantity. They could even streamline the type system which has gotten a bit bloated as well. Pokémon should be constantly innovating (round of applause for resisting the urge to say evolving). I would lose my mind if you told me there was an open world Pokémon game when I was 7. Granted, I would also freak out if you told me there were over 1,000 Pokémon, but we've seen how that monkey's paw finger has curled. The current state of the series' technical performance is embarrassing enough, but the games themselves are losing some of that magic. I want to be excited and surprised by what I will find in the tall grass again. I want to feel like I'm really on an adventure with a bunch of new friends I've named and built a bond with. Legends came close to giving me that feeling, but recognizing every Pokémon and fighting against technical issues kept it from being as revolutionary as it could've been. Gen 10 has a lot of pressure on it just by the nature of its number and the fact that it likely will come out on the 30th anniversary year of the franchise. That's on top of the expectations a mainline Pokémon game has to contend with after Scarlet and Violet did major damage to the series' reputation (though admittedly not reflected in the sales). A radical change like a reboot is a gamble, but it also feels like the perfect excuse to shed the weight of the past and focus on a new future for Pokémon.
CNET
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
All the Free Stuff From Today's Pokemon Presents Stream
July's Pokemon Presents didn't feature any major mainline game announcements, but you're eating good if you play one of the Pokemon live service games. Sizable updates are coming to the whole suite of Pokemon mobile games, including Pokemon Go, Pokemon Masters Ex, Pokemon Cafe Remix and Pokemon Sleep (though Pokemon TCG Pocket was left out to dry this time around). New playable characters are coming to Pokemon Unite, and we got additional news about Pokemon Champions and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Even people who don't play too many games got their fill of good news as the release date was revealed for Netflix's Pokemon Concierge. If you have a keen eye, though, you also spotted nearly half a dozen promo codes and free item reveals scattered throughout today's Pokemon Presents stream. But, just in case, here are all the free Pokemon goodies you can redeem right now. Read more: The Top 25 Best Pokemon Games of All Time, Ranked Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon Go The next Pokemon Go Fest will be a massive one -- literally. Pokemon Go Fest Global 2025: Max Finale takes place between Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, incentivizing players to take on challenging Gigantamax battles in order to catch the game's newest legendary, Eternatus. In order to gear up for these fights, you can redeem the GOFESTMAX promo code in the Pokemon Go web store to unlock a special timed research to power up your Pokemon box. This research gets you a free Gigantamax Cinderace, Rillaboom or Inteleon, which you can otherwise only catch after battling them in some of the game's hardest raids. Popular characters from Pokemon's generation nine are arriving in Pokemon Masters Ex. Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon Masters Ex Fan-favorite Scarlet and Violet characters are arriving in Pokemon Masters Ex. You'll have a chance to earn Carmine and her partner Pokemon, Sinistcha, in an upcoming September update. To celebrate the new wave of arrivals, anyone who logs into the game right now will earn 3,000 free gems to use however you like: pull trainers to your heart's content now, or hold onto them until the new characters have joined the roster. Alolan Meowth, Totodile and Minccino join the crew -- and your cafe. Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon Cafe Remix It's a pirate's life for Lapras in the latest Pokemon Cafe Remix update. Starting July 23, you can earn sea captain Lapras, pirate crew Alolan Meowth, Totodile and Minccino and unlock themed decorations to deck out your cafe. To celebrate all the summery fun, you can recruit a free Jigglypuff with a sun hat staff member by logging in now. A free 11-pull express ticket is also available every day during the duration of the event. These twin legendaries are joining Pokemon Unite's playable roster. Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon Unite Latios and Latias team up to enter the fray to commemorate Pokemon Unite's fourth anniversary. While Latios joined the battle in a recent update, Latias will become a playable pocket monster on Aug. 8. A new game mode, Electrode Volleyball, is also available for all players to experience now. To celebrate the pocket monster multiplayer online battle arena's anniversary, you can redeem the UNITE0722 promo code to unlock a limited 3-day Latios access pass, a platinum Latios boost emblem and a platinum Latias boost emblem. You can get a snazzy in-game tracksuit with new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet promo codes. Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon Scarlet and Violet A legendary set of Tera Raids is arriving in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to celebrate the game's free Switch 2 update. Right now, players can fight shiny versions of the Treasures of Ruin. Once the global community collectively defeats Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu and Chi-Yu one million times each, players will be able to catch their shiny variants after the Tera Raids. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players are also able to celebrate the release of the Switch 2 with new character customization unlocks. Use the STRACKSU1T promo code to unlock the tracksuit apparel item in Pokemon Scarlet and the VTRACKSU1T promo code to unlock the outfit in Pokemon Violet. This fan-favorite Psychic-type Pokemon will be integral to your Legends: Z-A journey. Nintendo/Screenshot by CNET Pokemon Legends: Z-A This follow-up game to Pokemon Legends: Arceus comes out on Oct. 16, and we just got our first look at Mega Dragonite and the fearsome Rogue Mega Evolution in-game raid battles. If you already know that you're going to buy Pokemon Legends: Z-A at launch, there are free in-game rewards you can earn ahead of time. Players who purchase the game will earn a free Ralts holding a Gardevoirite, which allows you to unlock the powerful Mega Gardevoir early in the game. If you buy a digital copy of Legends: Z-A, you'll also earn 100 free Pokeballs to do with as you please.
