Niantic changes Pokemon Go and other games to adapt to social distancing

Niantic is reworking its games so players can stay inside and still have fun.

Pokemon Go For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.

Niantic, creator of popular AR games Pokemon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is changing gameplay to encourage social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The games now include both indoor and outdoor play elements, Niantic CEO John Hanke said in a Monday release. 

"We are adding to our product roadmap so we can enable more ways to play inside and around the home in the coming days and weeks, when the world needs it most," Hanke said in the release.

Niantic is planning to add an indoor step-tracker with Adventure Sync so indoor tasks like cleaning or running on a treadmill will count toward achievements in the game. The company is also enhancing in-game social features so players can stay in touch with those they can't meet up with in real life. 

"You'll soon be able to team up with friends and take on Raid Battles together in Pokémon GO from the comfort of home," H anke said.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is getting some new changes.

César Salza / CNET

Niantic is also working on ways for players to "virtually visit and share memories about their favorite real-world places," and is reimagining Pokemon Go Fest, though more details are not yet available. Players can also check out Go Battle League, a new form of gameplay with reduced walking requirements. 

In Wizards Unite, Hanke said Niantic has increased the nearness of overall content like Spell Energy and rare potion ingredients. In addition, Foundables can spawn directly in your house. Ingress Portals are also now tuned to encourage at-home play. 

"In areas where it is permitted by local authorities, outdoor walks, practiced with proper social distancing, will continue to be a great way to contribute to physical and mental well being and you'll still be able to play our games while you do that," Hanke said. "The changes we are making offer an alternative when that's not possible."

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Niantic is updating Pokémon GO and other titles to support indoor gaming

Niantic, the development company behind popular AR mobile games Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, is adapting its titles to support at-home gaming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, Niantic's games have encouraged people to go outdoors, explore their world and connect with others in real life as they played. But with government lockdowns and home quarantines under way, it's no longer safe to play these games as originally intended. 

The company says it will now prioritize making changes to its AR titles to allow people to play inside and around their own homes.

For example, Niantic's Adventure Sync function will now track your indoor steps as you do things like run on a treadmill, clean your house or make other indoor movements and activities. It's also enhancing the games' social features to allow friends to stay in touch virtually, and soon take on Raid Battles together while staying at home.

Instead of discouraging virtual movement i nside the game, as Niantic has in the past, players will be able to virtually visit and share memories about their favorite real-world places. And this summer, Niantic will re-imagine its plans for live events to allow players to participate without having to leave home.

These updates aren't just those made for the consideration of players' needs during this time of crisis -- they're also necessary changes to ensure Niantic continues to operate both during the pandemic and beyond.

Niantic's live events have driven big business to the cities that hosted them -- nearly $250 million in tourism revenue in 2019, it once said. It also served as a mechanism to drive its own revenues and keep players engaged over time. The plan had worked -- Pokémon GO has continued to grow, even though it's not the hyped-up global phenomenon it was at launch. Last year was its highest-grossing year ever, a report from Sensor Tower found, as the game pulled in nearly $900 million in player spen ding in 2019. Much of the revenue was due to the game's significant updates and real-world events, the report noted.

Story continues

These latest updates aren't the first changes Niantic has made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. It had already modified gameplay in Pokémon GO to encourage users to stay inside -- including by rewarding players who caught their Pokémon while inside, for example. It also just launched a new form of gameplay called the GO Battle League, which can be played from home, with reduced walking requirements and discounted select items so players wouldn't have to walk as far to catch Pokémon, among other things.

In Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the company increased the amount of content that's near players on the map, so they could progress in the game without traveling far. Potions were also tuned to support people playing from home.

And in both titles, gifts were adjusted to include more helpful content throughout each day.

< p>In Niantic's first game, Ingress, it has made a few changes, too. Ingress Portals are now tuned to encourage at-home play and it has reduced the need to interact with multiple Portals. Several other changes make it easier to play the game without having to walk around as much.

Niantic has not yet gone so far as to fully eliminate the use of outdoor walks as a means of gameplay, however. Instead, it still encourages people to get outside -- in areas where it's permitted by local authorities to go for walks.

Though Niantic had made earlier changes to its games due to the outbreak, today's announcement represents a more formal strategy for its business. It also lays out a detailed roadmap of what Niantic has in store. Not all its new features are live. Instead, Niantic says they'll roll out in the "coming days and weeks," without committing to an exact time frame.

"We created Niantic with a mission to help people get outside, exercise, and explore the world, with th e ultimate goal of helping people connect with others. Today we support a global community of hundreds of millions of people who look to our games for regular entertainment and an opportunity to get outside and connect with friends," said Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke, on the company blog.

"We have always believed that our games can include elements of indoor play that complement the outdoor, exercise and explore DNA of what we build. Now is the time for us to prioritize this work, with the key challenge of making playing indoors as exciting and innovative as our outdoor gameplay," he added.

'Pokemon Go' Rumors: COVID-19 Pandemic Gives Niantic An Uncanny Boost

KEY POINTS

Number of Pokemon Go players spiking

Niantic tweaks in-game features

Spawn rates have increased and shop items have been discounted

With most folks holed up at home, people are left with no recourse but to find some means to keep themselves occupied. And in the case of "Pokemon Go," it appears that the augmented reality game has benefited from it with more players logging on.

The weird thing about it is that most know that "Pokemon Go" players can only garner success if they move around and take part in special events. Movement is limited for most parts of the world although data shows Niantic is reaping dividends the past week per Sensor Tower. The game has raked in about $23 million, up 66.7 percent from the previous week.

With no events, a good explanation for this is that some Pokemon are spawning in some areas. Though some may not be rare or something worth collecting, "Pokemon Go" players are using the forced lull to keep themselves occupied. According to Venturebeat, Niantic has applied some increased spawn rates of monsters, making it easier for gamers to capture monsters even when constrained to their homes.

A large chunk of the 23 million reportedly came from the United States. Some have even gone to the extent of spending in the game, estimated to be in the vicinity of $7.8 million with Niantic giving discounts on special stuff like insense packs. Eggs twice as fast but somehow this could be of less interest with most confined to their homes.

Niantic has already canceled some events such as the Abra Community Day and the all Safari Zone events. Legendary Raids are likely to follow with the company trying to adjust even if it is a socially-focused game.

Like most companies, Niantic is trying to adapt to the coronavirus issue by making tweaks to "Pokemon Go." It is a pretty precarious situation for them and the best they can, for now, is just to see what the game brings once they open it. With more Pokemon lurking, it explains why some are going after those incense packs. Rather than go out and look for them, augmented reality players can now stay indoors and use incense to attract the pocket monsters. It remains to be seen if Niantic will up the stakes and include some old critters or even rares to keep people occupied from the unfortunate pandemic.

Pokemon Go Photo: Eduardo Woo/Wikimedia Creative Commons

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX — Gotta friend ‘em all

© Provided by The Star Online The downtime between dungeon exploration is a great opportunity for you to explore Pokémon Square (aka the hub town) and appreciate all the beautiful visual design in this game.

As I write this article in the middle of March 2020, I find myself stuck at home in Britain due to a nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.

Everywhere I look, it's doom and gloom as the coronavirus deluges the news cycle. I could use an escape from all this anxiety, or perhaps... a rescue.

Yes, a rescue team.

So let's talk about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, the 2020 Nintendo Switch remake of the similarly-titled Pokémon-themed roguelite JRPG-esque turn-based dungeon crawler originally released in 2005.

While I'm sure there are plenty of more important things to talk about right now, it's still genuinely comforting to know I can sit at home and enjoy a simple video game that's filled with pure happiness, colour, joy, and the occasional psychic duck.

Meowth and me

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, you wake up one day in a strange new world and find that you've been transformed into a Pokémon. Gasp!

Fortunately, the first person you meet is an energetic, lovable, and very talkative Pokémon who becomes your best friend and welcomes you to this magical, human-free world of talking Pokémon.

© Provided by The Star Online Your Partner Pokémon will be your reliable best buddy and indispensable source of motivation throughout your adventure, so treat them nicely, OK?

Together, you form a Rescue Team that constantly delves into various dangerous dungeons to rescue hapless Pokémon and, perhaps, solve the mystery of what's happening in this world and why you were transformed into a pocket monster.

And turning back into a human is also a goal... I guess? The story tries to paint the fact that you've been transformed into a Pokémon as a "bad" thing, but let's be honest here – if I suddenly woke up as a beloved yellow mouse with the power of lightning, returning to being a boring human who has to wear pants will be the last thing on my mind.

The game's narrative should just embrace the fact that becoming and befriending Pokémon in a world full of talking Pokémon is a fantasy that any sensible person would enjoy, because the concept is as magical and delightful as the watercolour aesthetics that permeate the game's visual design.

Tactical Treecko

As with most Pokémon games, the variety of creatures you get to meet and recruit is the main draw of the game.

To start off, you get to choose the species of your character and your buddy from a list of 16 Pokémon. (I'm a Squirtle with an Eevee partner, because I have to represent my Gen 1 OGs.)

© Provided by The Star Online Reason number 42 this game is so anime: you're scrappy underdogs who fight monsters way more powerful than you. And win. With the power of determination. And friendship.

Whatever you choose, be aware that each Pokémon has its own array of Abilities, Moves, and (newly introduced in this game) Rare Qualities that lets it interact with the exploration and combat mechanics in ways that are substantially different from the mainline Pokemon games.

For example, in Pokémon Sword/Shield, a Squirtle's Water Type only matters when calculating damage from Fire or Grass moves; Water Gun is just its basic attack.

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, my Squirtle can cross water tiles because of his Type; and his Water Gun attack has a range of two tiles in a straight line, making physical positioning on a 2D map a new important factor to consider in Pokemon battles.

Later on, you'll get to recruit additional members to your Rescue Team either by completing quests (usually in the basic "Find Pokémon X which is trapped in Dungeon Y" variety) or through combat while exploring dungeons, because if anime like Dragonball Z has taught us anything, it's that defeating your enemies is a great way to make friends.

Resource management – from managing your food items so your team doesn't go hungry, to being judicious with your limited Moves – plays an important strategic element in your long dungeon crawls.

© Provided by The Star Online One of the benefits of being a Squirtle is that I can cross water tiles. The other benefit is that I'm am so goshdarn cute!

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon's gameplay has more thoughtful tactical and strategic depth compared to the mainline Pokemon games, which is great. However, there is still one problem: if you were planning to Catch 'Em All, then you need to prepare for the grind.

Rescue, repeat

If you want to recruit a Bagon, for example, you must first build a camp worth 3,000 coins, because a cheap Poke ball accommodation isn't a thing in this world.

This means you'll need to perform repeated dungeon runs, earning a few hundred coins each time. Repeat that for about the 40+ other camps that cater for different species groups, which cost 500 to 9,000 coins each.

Then, if you want a team of strong Pokémon (and trust me, you want to power up your main character and partner to extreme levels before you meet Xatu in the storyline), you'll want to amass "dojo tickets", which are also earned through a lot of repeated play.

© Provided by The Star Online It can take a lot of repeated dungeon runs to level up, so be sure to collect and use Dojo tickets to speed up the process. Hint hint, you really want to do this before you meet Xatu at the Great Canyon.

This feeling of repetition is made worse by how generic the randomly generated dungeons eventually feel, which is a typical problem for many roguelites and roguelikes. This means that while Pokémon encounters are generally exciting, the long stretches of dungeon exploration can make the minute-to-minute gameplay feel boring.

Heck, even the game knows this, because it literally has a button that lets you automatically and speedily explore whole dungeons, stopping only when you encounter a wild enemy Pokémon!

Strangely, I'm completely OK with this. Partly, it's because repetition and grinding is simply intrinsic to the experience of building a perfect Pokémon team. Partly, it's because I have a personal soft spot for roguelites/roguelikes.

© Provided by The Star Online While rescuing stranded Pokemon in randomly-generated dungeons sounds tough, sometimes you start the dungeon directly next to your rescue target.

But mostly, it's because I play Pokémon Mystery Dungeon not as a cerebral challenge, but as a carefree relaxation game – I play the game in auto-mode with my Nintendo Switch in hand, while I'm watching the TV for hours, as my mind zones out after a long day of working in self-isolation.

Happy in a dungeon

The game isn't a hyper-engaging challenge that tests my brains and skills, and it isn't a game that keeps me awake at night thinking of its deep and nuanced mysteries. It doesn't need to be.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is just a simple, charming, and ultimately relaxing game I can switch on any time I want to destress and unwind.

© Provided by The Star Online There are many things to find in a Pokemon Mystery dungeon, such as Pokemon to fight, Pokemon to befriend, Pokemon to rescue, and Pokemon items to loot. Uh, make sure you figure out which is which.

And honestly, given how I'm writing this while locked inside my home and isolated from the rest of the world, I'm simply happy that I can still go exploring and make friends – even if those friends are loveable electric mice that don't wear pants.

PROS: You get to become and befriend a wide variety of Pokémon; it's colourful, bright and joyful.

CONS: Repetitive gameplay, quite possibly by design.

POKEMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: RESCUE TEAM DX

(The Pokemon Company/Spike Chunsoft)

Dungeon crawler for Switch

PRICE: US$59.99 (RM265)

RATING: 5 stars

Pokemon Go changes its Twitter bio to encourage people to stay inside during coronavirus

Can you catch them all from your couch at home?

With social distancing and stay at home orders in place for many Americans, popular outdoor activities are falling by the wayside, even Pokemon Go.

According to BuzzFeed News reporter Ryan Mac, Pokemon Go changed its Twitter bio on Friday to encourage fans to stay inside during the coronavirus pandemic.

The app removed references to "stepping outside" and "Getting up and GO!" from its bio.

Inside the game, various requirements have been changed to keep players engaged while keeping them indoors. New Pokemon characters have also been added to the game.

On Sunday, police in Madrid, Spain arrested a 77-year-old man for violating the city's lockdown after he was found out and about playing Pokemon Go.

Latest coronavirus updates: Click here for our roundup of the most important developments from NYC and around the world.

Niantic Updates Players On "Pokémon GO" Event Changes

In the wake of what's going on in the world right now, Niantic has updated its players as to what's happening with a few events in Pokémon GO. The company briefly released details yesterday about a few events, which you can read below. Some have been extended to give people more time to play while one has been canceled outright.

Credit: Niantic

Thundurus in five-star raids: This event has been extended until Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Cobalion in five-star raids and as GO Battle League rewards: This event has been extended until Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7).

Raid Hour (every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. local time): This event has been canceled until further notice.

No word yet how many other events will be affected, or whether or not Pokémon GO will even have continued events in the months to come with cities being put on lockdown. But if you have the ability to go out and get some exercise and fresh air while practicing social distancing, please do it.

About Gavin Sheehan

Gavin has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys standup comedy, Let's Play videos and trying new games, along with hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.

     

Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Biggest Problem with Max Raids

Pokémon Sword and Shield launched November 15, 2019 amid the Dexit controversy, anger over reused animations and Galar Pokédex leaks. Despite the online outrage, Sword and Shield has received fair reviews with critics and players complimenting the familiar atmosphere while criticizing the barebones story and world-building.

As with every Pokémon game, Game Freak added new mechanics to shake up the formula. Sword and Shield added camping activities, freely roaming Pokémon, Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing and, most interestingly, Max Raid Battles. In this Pokémon GO inspired mode, four trainers battle one Dynamaxed (or Gigantamaxed) boss. These are tough to beat, but doing so will yield participants rare items and a chance to add a powerful Pokémon to their teams. However, there are several issues that make this mechanic frustrating and, in some cases, almost impossible.

Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view.

Related: What Pokemon Go's Battle League Lacks That the Main Games Have

The biggest problem with Max Raids are the NPCs. While the mode is mainly meant for multiplayer, any slots not filled by real players when the timer runs out will be filled by NPCs who, quite simply, make it unnecessarily difficult to beat four and five star bosses. The pool of NPC Pokémon is abysmally small and consists of questionable options such as Togepi, Magikarp and Wobbuffet. What's worse is that the game always seems pick Pokémon that are weak to the boss being fought. Fighting an Electric-Type boss? No problem. MVP Magikarp is here to get fried by a Thunderbolt after it gets a noneffective Hydro Pump off.

Players who had done a lot of Max Raids know to give up immediately if a Wobbuffet, Eevee, or Solrock is put in, as these Pokémon are known for spamming useless moves that don't damage the raid boss. Plus, Max Raid Battles have two loss conditions: the battle lasting ten turns or four Pokémon fainting. When weak or useless NPCs use moves like Helping Hand and Rock Polish, they waste turns and, since many of them are generally weak or have type disadvantages to the boss's moves, they bring the player closer being blown out of the den by fainting from one hit. As a result, entering Max Raid Battles can be a roll of a dice depending on which allies the AI selects, and frustrated players may have to resort to grinding their Pokémon to Level 100 to have any chance at going it alone.

Some cynical players have posited that Nintendo is using the incompetent NPCs as a way to push people towards paying for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. With online functionalities, players can collaborate with one another instead of being at the mercy of the bad AI. But players have reported bugs with the service and have noted that it is difficult to coordinate raids over the Internet. Even when playing online, there are major problems with the matchmaking that makes it hard for players to find or join Max Raids, often resulting in players having to play with NPCs whether they subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online or not.

RELATED: Is Pokémon Moving Toward a True Open World Game?

Then, there are the battles themselves. In Max Raid Battles, four player (NPCs or otherwise) take turns using moves to damage a Dynamaxed or Gigantamaxed boss. After a certain point, the boss will put up a number of shields that the opponents must break before dealing damage again. While this may seem straightforward, there are several flaws.

The shield mechanic will be triggered one the player and their allies drain the boss's health to a specific point. This means that if they are just a little bit off, someone will have to waste a turn taking out that single Hit Point before the shields come up. This is especially frustrating if a player has Dynamaxed their Pokémon, as Dynamaxing only lasts three turns, can only be done once per battle and Dynamaxed Pokémon can often take out two shields and deal plenty of damage, so wasting one of these turns is a huge loss that can end up costing the player the battle.

Additionally, players cannot use forward-thinking strategies, such as strengthening their stats or utilizing abilities. While nothing's stopping players from using status moves, at a certain point, the boss nullifies both stat changes and abilities. Status effects like poison also have little effect, and players simply waste turns trying to set up long-term payoffs. Meanwhile, the raid boss can use moves like Bulk Up or Calm Mind to boost their stats to ungodly levels, and using stat reducing moves does next to nothing. And, again, the AI can further complicate things, as an NPC might bring a Pokémon with a weather changing ability (like Torkoal's Drought) that ends up damaging your own Pokémon.

Related: Pokémon: Pikachu's Unseen Final Form, Explained

Even if a player is able to make their way through the mire of terrible mechanics and earn their chance to capture the boss, Gigantamaxed Pokémon (the rarest and toughest bosses who are exclusive to this mode) don't have a 100% catch rate. It's especially frustrating if players won the raid by a hair after invited others join them or when the boss part of a time-sensitive event. Losing that Gigantamaxed Snorlax who's only available until the end of the month after five attempts is off-putting and doesn't incentivize players to try again.

The last problem is somewhat minor compared to the others, but the fact that there is no option to back out after selecting "Ready for Battle" means a little mistake, like selecting the wrong Pokémon, other players not joining in time or ending up with an AI-selected Solrock can result in a huge waste of time. The player will have to either attempt the battle anyway, sit through up to 10 minutes of animations or close the game entirely. That last one may sound like an easy solution, but if you have manual saves on and you haven't saved in a while, you'll lose a lot of progress.

Max Raid Battles could be a lot of fun and have plenty of cool new ideas in them, but there are massive issues with the current mechanics. While having a new way to play Pokémon cooperatively is great, the systems in place don't work as intended whether you've paid for Nintendo Switch Online or not. The foundation for an innovative system is there, but in its current state, Max Raid Battles are frustrating and unrewarding.

KEEP READING: Pokemon: What Is the Nuzlocke Challenge - and Why Is It So Popular?

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Tips to decode ‘Pokemon Go’ Go Battle League and help trainers succeed

Having trouble in "Pokemon Go's" Go Battle League? Trying to find tips but you can't cut through the jargon? Here is an explanation about what terms such as energy farming, piggybacking and safe-switching means.

The techniques are just tricks that experienced players have learned after hours of playing. They come after fielding a team and knowing the Pokemon matchups in and out. That comes with experience and knowing when to use a charge move, when to shield and when to switch. That's important now because the Go Battle League is how many players interact with the game during the coronavirus pandemic. It's also one of the best and safest methods of catching legendaries such as Cobalion and the only way to get rarer Pokemon such as Rufflet.

With that said, let's start with the basics.

1. What are the best Pokemon? If you played enough, you'll see the same Pokemon over and over again. There's a reason for that. These pocket monsters stand up well in most matchups. They have a great combination of stats and moves that make them devastating against the likes of Butterfree or Tyranitar. How the masses pick their Pokemon is regarded as the "meta." It's the state of the game, or in other words "What's trending," but that can change as new moves are added or players discover new team combinations.

At the moment, most trainers will run across Altaria, Azumarill, Registeel, Defense Deoxys, and Skarmory . My advice is to find one of them and power them up to below 1500 CP for the Great League. Ideally, find ones with low attack stats and high defense and stamina for the Great League and Ultra League. In player vs. player, it's more important to max out those two stats rather than attack, which skews the combat power higher.

2. Figure out the team makeup. Once you determined what Pokemon you want, it's best to narrow it down to a specific team. A good one will have multiple charge moves with ones that will cover the weakness of an ally. Nothing is more frustrating than going against a Pokemon and finding that all the attacks do nothing against it.

I follow Zyonik's advice and build around a lead, cover and safe switch. That means players need a strong Pokemon that can set the tone, another pocket monster that can protect it if the initial matchup is bad and final creature that complements both while also being able to take a hit. Personally, I build a team around anchor that is good against most Pokemon (See tip No. 1) and add allies that augment it.

Now for the in game strategy:

3. Know when to use your charge moves. A big part of the strategy in Go Battle League is understanding when it's best to use the charge moves. That's the bread and butter for a Pokemon as charge moves deal damage or in some cases lower or raise attack or defense. Usually, I have a few simple rules for when to use a charge move.

The first is that I never use a charge move when an opponent is down to a sliver of health. It's almost always better to save that move for the next Pokemon.

The second is that there are instances when firing a great charge move is better than an excellent one. I look at an opponent's health and if it's a third or less, I deal great attacks in order to leave them with a sliver of health. Doing that will lead to extra fast attacks and more energy for another charge attack.

The third is for situations, in which I'm in a favored matchup and the opponent is locked in with a weaker Pokemon. Because they can't switch them out, I can take advantage of that and defeat their Pokemon with all fast moves while saving my charge moves for an emergency. The process of gathering energy for charge moves is called "energy farming." A case I run into is my Bastidon with Smackdown versus a Altaria that only has Sky Attack. A smart trainer would knock out the flying Pokemon with only fast moves and save two charged move for the next Pokemon. Firing off two charge attacks in a row without giving an opponent to get energy is called "self-piggybacking."

In close matches, the moves you perform in the margins are often the difference between victory and defeat.

4. Know when to switch. Switching is the other side of the coin for charge moves. Swapping out a Pokemon at the perfect moment can turn the tide of battle. The big issue with this is timing. It takes a while to figure out how long to keep one Pokemon in and when to switch out. Ideally, trainers should switch out their Pokemon when a person fires off a charge move. Do it correclty and the new Pokemon that comes will act as a shield and absorb the damage with minimal pain.

One smart thing to do is save a Pokemon with a sliver of health and use it to absorb a charge attack for another Pokemon. This often happens at the end of a match. The injured pocket monster takes the hit but it could save the one you are depending on. This technique is called a "Third Shield" takes timing and feel. Players have to predict when their opponent is going to fire off a charge attack and toss in the weak Pokemon before that happens.

Another tactic is "sacrificial swapping." This is when players purposely put a Pokemon that has a bad matchup against a rival so that it can quickly die and players can bring in a better Pokemon and kill the one that threatens the team. I wouldn't do it all the time, but in certain battles when players know their other teammates are vulnerable, it's a good idea to take out the threat.

5. Know when to use shields. I often use shields as an extra layer of armor for Pokemon. Sometimes trainers run into a bad matchup on an important Pokemon and it's often better to stall and wait for a switch by using shields. On the opposite end, I often use shields aggressively as a way to augment certain Pokemon's offense. In the case of Shadow Pokemon, I take advantage of 20 percent damage boost while using shields to protect them against charge attacks that would normally kill them in one blow because of their 20 percent weakness. I find that the offense and getting rid of threats is more important than the shields, which I burn to keep them alive.

Another scenario I burn shields quickly is to protect Pokemon with special moves that have boosts to stats or hurts a rival's stats. In the case Mantine, it's surprisingly effective because Bubble Beam lowers an attack stat. It can weaken a rival enough so that players can send in another teammate to knock it out without much worry. In addition, Bubble Beam charges quickly and players can fire it off repeatedly, pressuring opponents to use shields. This is called "Shield Baiting."

Lastly, I have this piece of advice:

6. Keep playing no matter what: No matter what tips I offer, experience is the best teacher in Go Battle League. If trainers settle on a team, they should figure out everything about their Pokemon. They need to get the feel for when to shield, when to use a charge move and when to switch out.

The most important lesson from battles is learning the matchups. With experience, trainers will know what movesets are popular, which matchups are bad and what they head-to-heads they can take advantage of. Play enough and you can assess a situation and figure out the best course of action while the battle is going on. You'll know how long to leave in a Pokemon and when to take it out. You can even pull of a safe switch or you'll predict that a Mantine can handle a grass-type given enough shields and expertly timed Ice Beam.

Trainers should expect to be frustrated with Go Battle League on "Pokemon Go." The system isn't perfect. Players will lose because they are outclassed or the lag prevents them from attacking. It happened to me plenty of times, but I don't let that discourage me. I just take a deep breath and press on because you learn with every matchup and as long as you're a better player than you were the day before, you'll know you're on the right path. Mamba Mentality.

Pokemon Go Will Get A Very Helpful New Feature Soon

Pokemon Go developer Niantic has been making numerous adjustments to the popular AR game as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In addition to canceling a handful of events that were planned to take place this month (including this week's Lugia Raid event), the studio has implemented a variety of tweaks to make it easier to play the game from home, including a handy new feature that will help you keep track of what's happening in the title.

Niantic is introducing a Today View tab in Pokemon Go. This tab will be located in the same menu as your Field Research and Special Research tasks, and it will make it easier to keep track of what's currently going on in the game. Among other things, Today View will display ongoing and upcoming in-game events, as well as personal stats, such as your daily streaks and what Pokemon you currently have defending Gyms.

Niantic hasn't announced when the Today View tab will go live in Pokemon Go, but it teases that it will be rolled out "soon." In the meantime, you can read more details about the upcoming feature on the official Pokemon Go website.

In another attempt to make Pokemon Go easier to play from home, the game is now offering extra bonuses indefinitely. For the time being, you'll earn triple the normal amount of Stardust and XP for the first Pokemon you catch each day. The gift limit has also been increased; you can now open up to 30 gifts each day and carry up to 20 of them in your inventory. Finally, Niantic is offering a new, 1 PokeCoin bundle in Pokemon Go's in-game store every day.

As previously mentioned, Lugia was scheduled to return to Raid Battles this week, but Niantic canceled that event. Instead, players will continue to be able to catch Cobalion as a Go Battle League reward until March 31. The Legendary Pokemon Landorus is slated to make its debut in Pokemon Go that same day, but it's currently unclear if the ongoing coronavirus situation will affect those plans as well.

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Pokemon Sword & Shield: Gigantamax Snorlax, Machamp, And Gengar Leaving Today

Pokemon Sword and Shield's latest Max Raid events are coming to an end very soon. The events are scheduled to wrap up today, March 25, at 4:59 PM PT / 7:59 PM ET, making this your last chance to catch some rare Gigantamax and version-exclusive Pokemon.

There are two concurrent Max Raid events going on now, the first of which features Gigantamax Snorlax, Machamp, and Gengar. All three of those Pokemon are currently appearing in Max Raid dens in both games. Since Gigantamax Pokemon are normally incredibly hard to find, this is a good chance to catch to catch them before their spawn rates return to normal.

On top of that, developer Game Freak recently kicked off a second Max Raid event that makes a handful of version-exclusive Pokemon available in the opposite game. Galarian Corsola, Ponyta, Oranguru, and female Indeedee are appearing in Max Raids in Pokemon Sword, while Galarian Farfetch'd, Darumaka, Passimian, and male Indeedee are appearing in Shield. This event likewise ends on March 25.

Time is also running out to claim some freebies in Sword and Shield. Until the end of the month, you can download 20 free Battle Points and a free Bottle Cap--good for Hyper Training one of your Pokemon's stats--via Mystery Gift. You can also claim three free TR94s, which can teach a Pokemon the Ground-type attack High Horsepower. You can see all the free gifts available now for Pokemon Sword and Shield here.

In other Pokemon news, Nintendo recently released an update for Sword and Shield that "fixed several issues," including one that would cause the game to crash if you received a hacked Pokemon through Surprise Trade. Sword and Shield have two big expansions on the way this year: Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. The first arrives this June, while the second will follow sometime in fall.

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77-year-old fined for playing Pokemon Go amid Spain's coronavirus lockdown

Maybe now isn't the best time to Go.

Niantic For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.

The coronavirus pandemic is most lethal to the elderly and the virus' spread throughout Spain is the second most deadly in the world. So it's not surprising that police in Madrid, enforcing the city's lockdown measures, arrested a 77-year-old on Sunday for being out and about in the city, reports TeleMadrid. The septuagenarian's reason leaving his home? Having to catch 'em all, obviously.

Madrid police on tweeted a photo on Monday of the 77-year-old's ticket. The man was arrested at 1:30 p.m. for "hunting Pokemon," presumably in Pokemon Go, a mobile game that requires you to walk out in the real world to catch virtual Pokemon. Hunting for Pokemon in the streets, the tweet noted, was strictly prohibited. 

On Wednesday Spain's death toll, after reporting 738 new fatalities from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, exceeded China's to become the second highest in the world. The country, with a popul ation of 46 million, has suffered 3,434 deaths, more than the 3,285 deaths China has reported. Italy's death toll stands at 6,820. 

Spanish officials announced a national lockdown of two weeks on March 14. Residents can leave the house to go to work, medical centers, banks, supermarkets and pharmacies. On Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he wants the lockdown to extend to April 11, pending parliamentary approval. 

Spain's enthusiastic Pokemon hunter isn't the only one to break lockdown for new digital critters. A 31-year-old in Italy was fined by police last week for playing Pokemon Go in public with his daughter, reports Italy's Leggo. "I have to hunt Pokemon," the man reportedly told police.

Niantic, the developer behind Pokemon Go, has encouraged players to stay at home. It's tweaked the game so that Pokemon spawn more frequently, so players don't need to go outside to find them. Incense, an in-game purchase which increases Pokemon spawn rates, has been discounted 99% and now lasts twice as long. Raid events, which see hundreds of players coordinate to defeat and catch powerful Pokemon, have been canceled. 

‘Shelter In Place’ Sparks More Extreme Changes To ‘Pokémon GO’

Pokemon GO

Niantic

While video game production may be in turmoil with entire studios working from home, actually playing video games is one of the only things many stuck-inside quarantiners can do as state after state, country after country issues “shelter in place” orders where you essentially can’t go anywhere except the pharmacy or grocery store.

One of the only games this directly impacts is Niantic’s Pokémon GO, a game that relies on being outside, playing with other people in close proximity and visiting popular landmarks. This has always been one of its most unique appeals, as so few games are this outdoorsy and social, but now in a global pandemic, it’s a huge detriment to the core concept.

Niantic has already tried a few things to encourage continued Pokémon GO gameplay, increased spawns and such, but now they’re going a step further with a slew of new changes and additions to the game meant to inspire players to stay indoors as much as possible.

Pokemon GO

Niantic

Here’s what’s changing:

There’s now 3x XP and Stardust from your first catch of the day. This bonus stacks with Star Pieces and Lucky Eggs.

There is now a 1 PokeCoin bundle (essentially free) that gives you 100 Pokeballs, which is meant to combat the problem that most people cannot (or at least should not) go to Pokestops for a fresh supply. These bundles will change each week to new items, and there’s already another one that’s 1 coin for 30 incense so you actually have something to catch.

You can now carry 20 gifts in your inventory and open 30 daily, as this is an aspect of the game that relies on having friends that you don’t actually have to see in person. Gifts will now contain more Pokeballs than usual.

These will likely not be the last changes to the game. I have heard a common request from players about the potential for a “plantable” PokeStop that you could say, place on your home to get items from, though that may just be wishful thinking (rural players have been requesting something like that for years).

I do not envy Niantic trying to figure out how to keep people playing a game designed to be social and outdoors in a global pandemic, but they’re doing their best. More to come.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Pick up my new sci-fi novel Herokiller, and read my first series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.

Niantic Offers ‘Rotating’ Bundles For ‘Pokemon Go’ Players At Home

KEY POINTS

Niantic is offering rotating 1 PokeCoin bundles for "Pokemon Go" players

This week's bundle consits of 100 Poke Balls for 1 PokeCoin

The contents of the bundle with change weekly 

The idea of "Pokemon Go" is to send players and aspiring Pokemon Masters to explore the outside world while at the same time, having fun collecting Pokemons and battling other Trainers. It became a worldwide phenomenon up until the outbreak of COVID-19.

While other countries are requiring residents to remain indoors, some are more strict and have put certain cities on lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. As such, "Pokemon Go" players can't go outside to do what they're supposed to do game-wise. 

Fortunately, Niantic came up with a plan to supplement players with enough Pokeballs to catch those elusive monsters. According to Engadget, the developer has started selling a 100-Poke Ball bundle for 1 PokeCoin in the game's official shop. 

Pokemon Go sparked a global frenzy as users of the gaming app hunt for virtual cartoon characters Photo: AFP / ISAAC LAWRENCE

To put things in perspective, "Pokemon Go" players will indulge in "rotating" 1 PokeCoin bundles that will change each week as one-time purchases. The contents will vary and for this week, the promo comes with the aforementioned 100 Poke Balls. 

Niantic will also give "Pokemon Go" players with three times the Stardust and XP for their first catch of the day, while the number of gifts that they can open per day was maxed in to 30, 20 of which they can carry in their inventory. 

Engadget also pointed out that Niantic has launched a new feature called Today View that shows players the latest in the "Pokemon Go" world such as upcoming events and spin and catch streaks, among others.

Pokémon Go gets easier and cheaper to play while you're stuck at home

It could be tough getting enough Poké Balls when you have to stay at home and can't visit PokéStops. To make sure you have enough balls to catch monsters with, Niantic has started selling a 100-Poké Ball bundle for 1 PokéCoin in the Pokémon Go shop. The company has launched a rotating 1 PokéCoin bundle that will change every week and will be available as one-time purchases. It's also increasing daily bonuses and giving you three times the Stardust and XP for your first catch of the day, as well as adjusting the number of gifts you can open in a day to 30.

In additio, Niantic has also launched a new feature called Today View that shows the latest things you should know about Pokémon Go. It displays the latest and upcoming events you can participate in, the Pokémon you have in gyms, as well as your spin and catch streaks.

Unfortunately, the company had to cancel Raid Hour and Lugia Raid Week, which was scheduled to begin today and would've given you the chance to catch the legendary diving Pokémon. You can, however, still get Cobalion as a Go Battle League reward until March 31st, 2020.

Pokémon May Have New Competition, and That's a Good Thing

After almost a quarter of a century, Pokémon is still going strong. Between the announcement of new DLC and the number of times Pokémon Home has been downloaded since its release last month, the Pokémon franchise shows no signs of slowing down.

But that doesn't means it's all been Roselia and Sweet Scent. Pokémon Sword and Shield has been wrapped up in controversy since it was first announced that the National Pokédex wouldn't be included, meaning many beloved creatures would not be included in the games. Fan resentment only grew when it was revealed that some animations were being reused, undermining one of the reasons given for the change. Pokémon fans have been fervent in both their support and disapproval, and with the Internet as pervasive as it is now, this has created the perfect opportunity for competition in the monster-collecting genre.

Related: REVIEW: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a Lovely Return to Form

This is actually not a new thing -- Pokémon has had competition in the monster-capture genre since its inception. Its most well-known competitor, Digimon, even has a new title coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year. But Pokémon itself has had little to fear over the years, relying on brand power and customer loyalty to continue to be the very best. But with that loyalty shaken, two new competitors have been able to take the stage.

Pokémon is a very sturdy brand, with reliance on a stable formula: go out, catch Pokémon, challenge gyms, defeat the evil team. There has been some variation on the formula, which makes it accessible to new players, but frustrating to veteran players who want more of a challenge. This is where Temtem has its chance. Developed by Crema and published by Humble Bundle, Temtem was fully funded on Kickstarter in 2018 and released in Early Access on Steam in January 2020. The game follows the same basic formula as Pokémon: go out, catch Temtem, challenge dojos, defeat the evil team.

However, where Temtem differs is in the challenge involved. Recent Pokémon games have been careful to ensure that the player is not frustrated by full-party wipes or sprawling dungeons. Temtem forgoes that, anticipating that players are already accustomed to its game mechanics. Instead, it replicates the challenge of older Pokémon games, and players should expect to get wiped out and lost.

Related: Temtem: What To Do After You've Done Everything In Early Access

Despite the different terms, monsters, and locations, Temtem is unapologetically inspired by Pokémon to the point that it's part of its sales pitch on Steam. The gameplay will be familiar to longtime Pokémon fans, and most of the basic mechanics, like capturing monsters, are very similar to Pokémon. These similarities are enough to split players on Temtem: some love it for being a Pokémon clone, while others hate it for the same reason. Regardless, when Temtem first launched, the servers were flooded with people who wanted to play. After last year's Pokémon-related drama, Temtem being Pokémon-esque and available to PC players gave disgruntled fans an alternative path.

Still, Temtem follows the somewhat linear and dungeon-style crawl of Pokémon, and some fans have been asking for an open-world Pokémon game for years now. This is where the next game comes in: Kindred Fates, which is currently being developed by Skymill Studios. The upcoming game has quite a bit of hype surrounding it after it was funded on Kickstarter in just five days. Kindred Fates bills itself as a monster capture game in the same vein as Pokémon, but in an open world environment with real-time combat. Also unique to Kindred Fates is the permadeath mechanic, which Pokémon fans have been toying with for years with the Nuzlocke challenge. Both Kindred Fates and Temtem are planned to be available on Steam and the Nintendo Switch, with Temtem already slated for a full platform release in the future.

Games like Temtem and Kindred Fates are important, and they speak to a larger trend that are Game Freak should pay attention to. These indie titles show that consumers, who are the ones paying for games, have become more critical of the products they invest in, and that the Internet gives them the change to be more vocal with their concerns.

We have already seen the effect of the consumer voice with the Sonic the Hedgehog movie: originally slated to release in November 2019, Sony listened to the backlash to Sonic's original design and delayed the film's release until February 2020 in order to make the necessary changes. When the movie finally released, it was a smash hit that shattered both the February slump and the video game curse. In short, the company listened to the consumer and was rewarded for it.

Related: Pokémon Should Keep Remaking Mystery Dungeon Games

Compare and contrast Pokémon, which can stick to its formula without fear due to brand power and consumer loyalty. But consumers have been asking for more for years now, and after years of the same, some are dissatisfied enough to move on. Unofficial Pokémon fan games have been a way for fans with game design talents to create a game with the improvements they'd like to see, but we are moving even further into an era where Pokémon fans who know what they want are in a position to make it happen. Many fans have wanted a challenging game or an open-world MMO, and these indie studios have answered the call.

It's not clear if games like Temtem and Kindred Fates will actually challenge Game Freak enough to have to adapt in order to compete. In fact, history suggests that won't be the case. Pokémon has already survived challengers like Yo-Kai Watch, Digimon, and Monster Rancher with hardly a waver, and their brand power may be insurmountable. Pokémon may have little to fear from its competition, but consumers have shown how vocal they can be.

In any case, these games give consumers the option to take a different path that better suits their needs. While Pokémon may not lose the throne, with Temtem and Kindred Fates entering the fray, it might have to work to keep its title as the monster-capture king.

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About The Author

Dr. Kelsey Dickson is a writer and artist from Delaware. When she's not actively engaged in creative media, she's catering to the whims of her pets, who most likely run the house. Her degrees include a Bachelor's in Game Art, a Master's in Creative Writing, and a Doctorate in Online Education. She also spends a lot of time writing fanfiction, but we won't hold that against her.

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'I have to hunt the Pokémon': A man in Italy gets charged for ignoring the coronavirus lockdown to play 'Pokémon Go'

A man in Italy was cited by police for being out in public during the country's strict coronavirus lockdown.

When police asked why he was out, he explained, "I have to hunt the Pokémon." He was playing popular smartphone game "Pokémon Go" with his daughter.

Outside of Asia, where the virus first hit, Italy is facing the greatest impacts of coronavirus, with over 35,700 people testing positive and nearly 3,000 deaths due to the virus as of this week.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

"I have to hunt the Pokémon," apparently wasn't enough to convince Italian police that a 31-year-old man should be allowed to stay out on Italy's streets during a country-wide coronavirus lockdown.

According to a report in the Italian newspaper Leggo, the man was with his daughter in San Fermo, a small town in northern Italy, when he encountered the Italian Carabinieri (Italy's main police force).

When asked why he was flouting the country's current lockdown rules, he told the Carabinieri, "I have to hunt the Pokémon." That was apparently not enough to excuse his actions, and he was charged. 

Italy has been on strict lockdown since March 10, when Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte issued a nationwide order.

An Army soldier stands guard in front of the Turin Synagogue during as Italy continues it nationwide lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic. Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

Outside of Asia, Italy has seen the most severe impacts of the coronavirus.

As of this week, the country's death toll from the virus sits around 3,000 people, and nearly 40,000 people have tested positive. Italy initially responded by shutting down regions of the country and encouraging voluntary social distancing.

But as the virus spread rapidly, Prime Minister Conte moved to lock down the entire country. Italians aren't allowed outside after 6 pm, and there's a ban on public events â€" even to catch a Pikachu. 

'Pokemon Go' Player Charged For Violating COVID-19 Lockdown

KEY POINTS

Italy has outnumbered China in terms of COVID-19 deaths

The country is currently implementing stricter rules

A "Pokemon Go" player was recently charged for playing the game outside and for violating the current COVID-19 guidelines imposed by the country

The absence of vaccines for the deadly pandemic COVID-19, triggered almost all countries all over the world to embrace the draconian method of locking down its borders. This is one way to flatten the curve and to starve the novel coronavirus from finding hosts and spreading the infection. But, for the love of the game, a "Pokemon Go" player was charged for ignoring the COVID-19 restriction.

Italy now has the most number of deaths caused by the COVID-19, and it is enforcing stricter guidelines to prevent the spread of infection beginning Mar. 09, 2020. Comicbook recently reported that a 31-year old "Pokemon Go" player was recently charged for violating the country's lockdown rules. He was caught playing the augmented reality game outside of his house in Italy.

During the lockdown, residents are restricted from leaving their homes and are only allowed to do so for specific reasons like purchasing necessities. Despite the danger of contracting the novel coronavirus, authorities fined over 43,000 people caught violating the country's rules.  Leggo, an Italian news outlet revealed that the 31-year old "Pokemon Go" player is a resident of San Fermo and was playing the augmented reality game with his daughter when he was intercepted by the authority.

Pokemon Go maker Niantic continues to make changes to improve the game and make it enjoyable for everyone Photo: AFP / INA FASSBENDER

"Pokemon Go" earned its popularity because it is the first game to allow players to go outside, travel places, and personally interact with other players in an actual real-world setting. It offers exciting features like Raid Battles that encourage players to go out and play together. But, the current COVID-19 pandemic just makes it difficult for players to do the things that they enjoy doing in the augmented reality game.

Niantic recently postponed several in-game events in "Pokemon Go" to encourage players to home quarantine or self-isolate. Moreover, the game developer made some changes to the game like making incense more affordable, so "Pokemon Go" players could lure pocket monsters to their location. Pokemon Eggs are now easier to hatch, which could now be accomplished by just making a few footsteps.

The COVID-19 pandemic has, by far, changed the way we do our day to day activities, and Italy is not an isolated case. Most countries practice total lockdown to prevent the spread of infection. "Pokemon Go" players might find it hard these days to enjoy the popular augmented reality game, but the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus far outweighs the joy of playing the game.

Pokemon Go Cobalion Guide: Raids, Weaknesses, And Best Counters

Cobalion is back in Pokemon Go for a limited time. The Legendary Iron Will Pokemon has returned to the game as part of a special Raid event, which has been extended to run from March 17-23.

This marks Cobalion's second appearance in Pokemon Go, but even if you've previously caught one, there's a good incentive to get another this week. Not only does the Legendary Pokemon now know a special event-exclusive move--Sacred Sword--but you'll also have a chance to encounter its Shiny form.

Like other Legendaries, Cobalion is a formidable Pokemon to battle, so you'll need a good team and some aid from other players to take it down. To help you out, we've rounded up some tips on how to battle and catch Cobalion below.

How To Find Cobalion

Cobalion will appear in five-star Raids until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on March 23, making this the easiest way to encounter it. Raids can occur at any time, but you'll receive an in-game notification when one is about to begin nearby, so you shouldn't have much trouble tracking the Legendary Pokemon down.

Once you find a Gym that's hosting a Cobalion Raid, you'll need to redeem a Raid Pass to participate in the battle. You can get one of these for free when you spin the Photo Disc at a Gym, but you can only hold one free pass at a time. You can also purchase them through Pokemon Go's in-game store for 100 coins.

There's a second way you can encounter Cobalion in Pokemon Go. Like Thundurus, Cobalion is featured as a reward in the Go Battle League PvP mode. Defeat enough players in online battles and you'll earn a chance to capture Cobalion outside of Raids. However, the Iron Will Pokemon will only be available as a Go Battle League reward until March 23--the same time it leaves Raids.

Cobalion Weaknesses And Counters

Cobalion is a dual Steel/Fighting Pokemon. Thanks to this unique typing, Psychic, Flying, and Fairy Pokemon (which normally have an advantage over Fighting types) only deal neutral damage to Cobalion. However, its part Steel typing makes Cobalion vulnerable to Ground, Fire, and other Fighting Pokemon, so you'll want to stack your team with those when you face it.

Other Legendary Pokemon like Groundon will be especially helpful, but if you don't have one of those, Garchomp, Hippowdon and Mamoswine are good alternatives; the latter, however, also takes super-effective damage from Cobalion, so keep that in mind. Entei is one of your best bets when it comes to Fire Pokemon, although Chandelure and Moltres are also good choices, and you can round out your team with Fighting types like Machamp, Hariyama, and Heracross.

As previously mentioned, you'll want to avoid using Fairy types, as they take super-effective damage from Steel moves. Ice, Rock, and Normal Pokemon are also poor choices, as all those types are susceptible to Cobalion's Sacred Sword.

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'Pokémon Go' Genesect Special Research Event: Start Time, Tasks & What You Need to Know

The next special research event in Pokémon Go is about to begin and features the Mythical Pokémon, Genesect.

This powerful Bug and Steel-type Pokémon has mysterious origins but has one of the most unique attacks in all of Pokémon. However, unlike past events that feature Mythical Pokémon, Genesect can only be obtained via a special item purchased by trainers for a limited time.

Similar to the Regigigas event in 2019, trainers who purchase this item will get an early attempt at catching Genesect. The special pass costs $7.99, but Niantic assures trainers the tasks needed to complete it can be done from the safety of their homes during this trying time.

Here's all the information you need to know about the Genesect event including when it starts, ends and what in-game bonuses you can take advantage of.

POKEMON GO GENESECT SPECIAL RESEARCH EVENT START TIME

The Pokémon Go Genesect event begins Friday, March 20 at 8 a.m. local time and ends Thursday, March 26 at 10 p.m. local time.

POKEMON GO GENESECT RESEARCH EVENT TASKS

Update: Here's the official tasks for the Genesect event:

Battle another trainer five times

Catch 25 Normal-type Pokemon

Give your Buddy 1 Treat

Power up Pokemon 5 Times

Catch 25 Fire-type Pokemon

Send 3 Gifts to friends

Transfer 3 Pokemon

Catch 25 Water-type Pokemon

Hatch an Egg

Make 3 Great Throws in a Row

Catch 25 Electric-type Pokemon

Play with your Buddy

Battle a Team Leader 3 Times

Catch 25 Ice-type Pokemon

Take 3 Snapshots of Genesect

There are special research tasks going on as well. The reward encounters are always either Scyther, Shieldon, Skarmory or Nincada.

Catch 10 Pokemon

Make 2 Great Throws in a Row

Make 5 Nice Throws

Take snapshots of Genesect

Spin Pokestops

Trade a Pokemon with a Friend

The actual tasks needed to catch Genesect in Pokémon Go remain unknown. The latest update of Pokémon Go had the tasks, which were found by dataminers. The incomplete strings are listed below.

Catch (?) Pokémon

Trade a Pokémon with a friend

Make (?) Great Throws in a Row

Make (?) Nice Throws

Spin (?) PokeStops

Take a Snapshot with Genesect

However, a Niantic rep informed Newsweek that the research tasks have shifted to make it so trainers can complete them on their own. They will include the following tasks:

Catch Pokémon of various types

Play with your Buddy

Power up Pokémon

Battle another Trainer (this includes GO Battle League)

Hatch Eggs

SHINY NINCADA AND IN-GAME BONUSES

As for in-game bonuses, Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, and Ice-type Pokémon will be appearing more frequently in the wild.

Nincada, the Ground and Bug-type Pokémon will be hatching more often from 5km Eggs and its Shiny form will make its debut in Pokémon Go. Karrablast and Shelmet will also hatch more often from 5km Eggs.

The Raids will shift to feature more Steel and Bug-type Pokémon. We will update this section with the Raid Bosses when the event goes live.

Trainers will also enjoy double the catch and hatch stardust to help them power up their Pokémon.

What do you think of the upcoming Genesect event? Let us know in the comments section.

Pokemon Go postpones multiple Safari Zone events due to coronavirus concerns

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Pokemon Go Safari Zone events for St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Liverpool have all been postponed due to concerns and complications related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Niantic announced today. 

Niantic confirmed that the St.Louis Safari Zone would be postponed last week, and while it did say other events were still planned, it also suggested that they might be affected as well. Sadly, with today's news, all upcoming Safari Zone events have been postponed. The St. Louis Safari Zone was scheduled for March 27 - 29, while the Liverpool and Philadelphia events were planned for April 17 - 19 and May 8 - 10 respectively. 

If you've already purchased a ticket to any of these Safari Zone events, you can refund it through Niantic's in-app support. You have until 11:59pm PT on Wednesday, March 25 to get a refund for St. Louis; the same time on April 15 to refund Liverpool; and the same time on May 6 to refund Philadelphia. 

If you do decide to hold onto your ticket, you'll get access to Safari Zone Pokemon Encounters and Special Research during the scheduled hours for that Safari Zone. In other words, you'll be able to experience as much of the Safari Zone as possible from the comfort and safety of your home.

With events as far out as May now being postponed, it's likely that Pokemon Go will be restricted by the coronavirus for several months to come. In a newly updated FAQ, Niantic said that "given the ever-changing landscape and varying degrees of impact from location to location, there is no one-size-fits-all solution across our live events." The fate of Pokemon Go Community Day activities, for instance, is very much up in the air. 

Pokemon Go tips | Pokemon Go Community Day | Pokemon Go field research | Pokemon Go shiny list | Pokemon Go regional Pokemon | Pokemon Go Sinnoh Stones | Pokemon Go Legendaries | Pokemon Go Evolution Items | Pokemon Go Pokedex | How to catch a Spinda in Pokemon Go | How to catch a Ditto in Pokemon Go | How to catch Mew and Mewtwo in Pokemon Go | How to catch Celebi in Pokemon Go | How to get Jirachi in Pokemon Go | How to catch Smeargle in Pokemon Go | How to catch Meltan in Pokemon Go | How to change team in Pokemon Go | How to get Leafeon and Glaceon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Team Rocket | Pokemon Go shadow Pokemon | Pokemon Go A Troubling Situation | How to purify shadow Pokemon in Pokemon Go | Pokemon Go Jump Start research

REPORT: Pokemon Events To Shut Down For 2 Months Amid Coronavirus Crisis

KEY POINTS

Both Pokemon video and trading card games  will be canceled for at least two months

The Pokemon World Championships in August could be affected by the suspension

The CDC has recommended to cancel events of 50-plus or more

Pokemon fans certainly do not want to catch them all, especially if it is the coronavirus that has been sweeping the globe and halting life as people know it.

In a rather unsurprising development, The Pokemon Company has canceled all Play! Pokemon events due to the increasing threat of the coronavirus -- also known as COVID-19. The postponement is initially set for two months, but the possibility of an extended hiatus is high.

According to a report by Game Rant, both Pokemon video and trading card game tournaments are affected, which could have major implications for ranking championships.

To note, players will be unable to earn ranking points during the suspension. Championship points are used for the ranking in large championship tournaments, but the ranking system will be severely crippled given the lack of events.

It is also worth noting that the Pokemon World Championships are slated from August 14 to 16, which now raises questions about how it will push through and how it will determine those who will qualify for the event given the situation.

The Play! Pokemon program has various events, such as Pokémon League, Pokémon TCG Prerelease Tournaments, Championship Series, League Challenge, League Cup, Premier Challenge, Midseason Showdown and Regional and International Championships.

However, given that the coronavirus continues to spread and affect various businesses and communities, it will not be surprising if more of the company's competitions will be suspended or canceled altogether.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly had a massive impact on the gaming and e-sports industry. In fact, Pokemon Go recently made changes in its game to allow people to play even in self-quarantine or at the comforts of their own home.

On the side of e-Sports, Americas Pro League and World League for PUBG mobile have been postponed and will be rescheduled to a later date.

Meanwhile, the newly created Flashpoint for Counter-strike will be moved to online matches just to push through with the games.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently recommend not holding events with 50 or more people for the next eight weeks in order to stop the coronavirus spread. While organizations continue to find feasible solutions for this, cancelation and rescheduling of events are unavoidable.

Pokemon tournaments are set to be canceled in lieu of the coronavirus crisis. Photo: Kamil S/Unsplash

Pokemon Go March 2020's Field Research Tasks And Research Breakthrough Reward

March is officially underway, and there are a ton of events lined up for Pokemon Go this month, including the debut of the Legendary Thundurus and another Community Day. A new month also means a new set of Field Research tasks, and if you can complete enough of them, you'll earn an encounter with another new Gen 5 Pokemon.

As usual, Field Research tasks are distributed via Poke Stops. You'll receive a task when you spin the Photo Disc, and each one you complete will net you rewards, which can range from helpful items like Poke Balls and berries to encounters with certain Pokemon.

On top of that, the first Field Research task you complete each day will net you a stamp. If you amass seven stamps, you'll achieve a Research Breakthrough, which will net you additional rewards, including an encounter with a special Pokemon. This month's Research Breakthrough reward is Ferroseed, a Steel/Grass type originally introduced in Pokemon Black and White. Ferroseed's evolved form, Ferrothorn, is a great Pokemon to have for PvP battles, so you'll want to catch as many as you can this month.

The Field Research tasks you receive from Poke Stops will be randomly drawn from a larger pool, so there's no telling which ones you'll get. You can have up to three active Field Research tasks at a time, but you're free to discard any that you may be having trouble with and receive a different task from another PokeStop. You can see the updated list of Pokemon Go's Field Research tasks--along with the possible rewards they dole out--below, courtesy of The Silph Road.

Field Research Task Rewards Catch 5 Pokemon with Weather boost Poliwag or Vulpix encounter; 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, or 5 Poke Balls Catch 10 Pokemon with Weather boost 500 Stardust, 6 Razz Berries, 2 Pinap Berries, or 5 Great Balls Catch 3 Grass-, Fire-, or Ground-type Pokemon Hoppip encounter Catch 7 different species of Grass-type Pokemon 3 Rare Candies Catch 5 Fire-type Pokemon Torchic encounter Catch 10 Pokemon Magikarp encounter; 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, or 5 Poke Balls Catch 10 Normal-type Pokemon 500 Stardust, 6 Razz Berries, 2 Pinap Berries, or 5 Great Balls Use 5 Berries to help catch Pokemon 500 Stardust, 6 Razz Berries, 2 Pinap Berries, or 5 Great Balls Catch a Dragon-type Pokemon Dratini encounter; 1,500 Stardust, 3 Rare Candies, 2 Gold Razz Berries, or 10 Ultra Balls Catch a Ditto 1,500 Stardust, 3 Rare Candies, 2 Gold Razz Berries, or 10 Ultra Balls Battling Tasks Field Research Tasks Rewards Defeat 3 Team Go Rocket Grunts Growlithe encounter Battle in a Raid Pinsir encounter; 200 Stardust, 5 Nanab Berries, 5 Potions, or 2 Revives Battle in a Gym Mankey encounter; 200 Stardust, 5 Nanab Berries, 5 Potions, or 2 Revives Battle another trainer Mankey encounter Win a Gym battle Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle encounter; 500 Stardust, 10 Nanab Berries, 3 Super Potions, or 4 Revives Battle in a Gym 5 times Machop encounter; 500 Stardust, 10 Nanab Berries, 3 Super Potions, or 4 Revives Use a super-effective Charged Attack in a Gym battle 500 Stardust, 10 Nanab Berries, 3 Super Potions, or 4 Revives Use a super-effective Charged Attack in 7 Gym battles Electabuzz encounter; 1,000 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy, 3 Hyper Potions, 6 Revives, or 1 Max Revive Win 5 Raids Aerodactyl encounter Win a level 3 or higher Raid Kabuto or Omanyte encounter; 1,000 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy, 3 Hyper Potions, 6 Revives, or 1 Max Revive Win 3 Gym battles Jynx encounter; 1,000 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy, 3 Hyper Potions, 6 Revives, or 1 Max Revive Win a Raid 500 Stardust, 10 Nanab Berries, 3 Super Potions, or 4 Revives Win 3 Raids 1,500 Stardust, 3 Max Potions, 8 Revives, or 3 Max Revives Throwing Tasks Field Research Task Rewards Make 3 Great throws Gastly, Anorith, or Lileep encounter; 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, or 5 Poke Balls Make 5 Nice throws Voltorb encounter; 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, or 5 Poke Balls Make 3 Nice throws in a row 500 Stardust, 2 Pinap Berries, 5 Great Balls, or 2 Ultra Balls Make 3 Great throws in a row Onix encounter; 1,000 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy, 9 Razz Berries, 3 Pinap Berries, 10 Poke Balls, or 5 Ultra Balls Make 3 Great curveball throws 1,000 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy, 9 Razz Berries, 3 Pinap Berries, 10 Poke Balls, or 5 Ultra Balls Make 3 Great curveball throws in a row 1,500 Stardust, 3 Rare Candies, 2 Gold Razz Berries, or 10 Ultra Balls Make 5 Great curveball throws in a row Spinda encounter Make an Excellent throw 500 Stardust, 2 Pinap Berries, 5 Great Balls, or 2 Ultra Balls Make 3 Excellent throws in a row Larvitar encounter Make 5 curveball throws in a row 500 Stardust, 6 Razz Berries, 2 Pinap Berries, or 5 Great Balls Make 2 Nice curveball throws in a row 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, or 5 Poke Balls Hatching Tasks Field Research Task Rewards Hatch an Egg Exeggcute encounter; 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, or 5 Poke Balls Hatch 3 Eggs Magmar encounter; 1,000 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy, 9 Razz Berries, 3 Pinap Berries, 10 Poke Balls, or 5 Ultra Balls Hatch 5 Eggs Chansey encounter Hatch 7 Eggs 1 Mossy Lure Misc. Tasks Field Research Task Rewards Transfer 3 Pokemon Diglett encounter Trade a Pokemon Tangela encounter Evolve a Pokemon Gloom or Eevee encounter Power up Pokemon 5 times Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle encounter Send 10 Gifts to friends Gligar encounter Spin 10 PokeStops or Gyms 200 Stardust, 3 Razz Berries, 1 Pinap Berry, 5 Silver Pinap Berries, or 5 Poke Balls Buddy Tasks Field Research Task Rewards Take a Snapshot of your Buddy Sunkern encounter Earn 5 Hearts with your Buddy Cherrim encounter

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‘Pokémon GO’ Pokémon Spotlight Hour 2/17: What Is It?

Pokemon Anime

Credit: The Pokemon Company

Pokémon GO has implemented various measures to make its “get outside” oriented gameplay a little more oriented to staying inside, but it’s a tricky balancing act. It requires total re-orienting how the game works, and some of the systems don’t port over to stationary play as well as we might like. At least we’ve got the GO Battle League, which was already a huge boon to playing this thing at home. Regardless, Niantic is for the time being continuing to roll out mini-events even as larger ones get postponed, and one of those is the weekly Pokemon spotlight hour, happening tonight from 6:00-7:00 PM local time.

The official Twitter account posted about this this morning with a somewhat misleading teaser:

The reason this is somewhat misleading is that it seems to indicate that the spotlight hour is going to focus on a single Pokémon, like we saw last month, or at least that’s how I interpret the whole question mark in a circle sort of thing. But we’ve already got a preview of the event from the other side of the world, and it’s the same as we’ve had all month: increased spawns of all Pokemon and increased shiny chance. So don’t go looking for anything in particular, but do use your incense and try to get as much as you can at home.

I would strongly recommend going out to play this thing, especially in populated areas. In some places, playing outside will be illegal. If it is legal and you do go outside, try to maintain distance from other people on the street. Usually you can tell a Raid because of the people gathering around to play, but if you must raid try to access it from as far away as possible and join in with other people on the periphery, far away.

Right now, the most pressing problem that Pokémon GO has is Pokéball availability: it was a good move to make this game playable indoors, but it’s a lot harder when Pokéballs still only come from Pokéstops, and those are outside. If we had some sort of reliable, non-paid way to get them at home, we could really play without leaving the house.

Pokemon Go: Mythical Pokemon Genesect Arriving This Week As A Paid Event

As teased, Genesect is coming to Pokemon Go this month. The Mythical Pokemon will make its debut in Niantic's popular mobile game as part of a new Special Research event. However, you'll need to buy a virtual ticket if you're hoping to catch it.

Genesect will be available as part of a new Special Research story quest called A Drive to Investigate, which kicks off at 8 AM local time on March 20 and runs until 10 PM local time on March 26. As previously mentioned, this story quest will only be accessible if you have a virtual ticket, which can be purchased ahead of the event from Pokemon Go's in-game shop for $8 USD.

Purchasing the ticket will grant you access to various Special Research tasks that culminate in an encounter with Genesect. If you don't buy a ticket, you'll have a chance to encounter the new Mythical Pokemon in EX Raids beginning in April. In addition to Genesect, the Special Research story quest will lead to encounters with other Bug- and Steel-type Pokemon such as Pinsir, Scizor, Skarmory, Karrablast, Shelmet, and Durant.

Genesect-themed trainer items

You'll receive a few other perks for purchasing the Drive to Investigate ticket, including a Genesect-themed cap and bag for your trainer, along with the following items:

5 Premium Raid Passes

3 Super Incubators

3 Charged TMs

3 Fast TMs

3 Incense

3 Star Pieces

1 Poffin

15 Rare Candies

1 Glacial Lure

Coinciding with the Genesect Special Research event is the previously teased "mystery weekend event," which runs from March 20-23. During that time, Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, and Ice Pokemon will spawn in the wild more frequently than usual. Nincada will also be appearing more often during the event, and you'll have a chance to encounter a Shiny version.

On top of that, lower-level Raids will feature Bug- or Steel-type Pokemon, Karrablast and Shelmet will hatch more frequently from 5 km eggs, and you'll earn twice the normal amount of Stardust when you catch or hatch Pokemon. You can read more about the event on the Pokemon Go website.

Pokemon Go's March Community Day was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 15, but Niantic postponed the event due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, the developer has extended this month's Cobalion and Lugia Raid events. You can also encounter a few Legendary Pokemon in Raids, including Thundurus, and a new set of Field Research tasks is available.

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'Pokémon Twilight Wings' Episode 3 Premieres Showing the Bond Between Hop and Wooloo

The latest episode of Pokémon Twilight Wings premiered Tuesday, featuring the next adventure of the inhabitants of the Galar region.

Episode 3 of Pokémon Twilight Wings highlights Hop and his partner, Wooloo, in a poignant edition of the series that deals with acceptance and knowing your limitations. Each episode of the miniseries has explored similar themes, but this is the first that showcases them from the point of view of a Pokémon.

Watch episode 3 of Pokémon Twilight Wings below.

The episode titled, "Buddy," starts with Hop. He's your character's rival in Sword and Shield, as well as the young brother of Galar region champion, Leon.

Hop aspires to be the next Galar region champion and often studies his brother's matches with his partner Pokémon, Wooloo. Interestingly enough, the match Hop is watching is a recent one against Bea, the Fighting-type Gym Leader and the focus of the second episode of the series.

While Hop watches the match, he gushes over not just Leon's abilities but how cool and powerful Charizard is. Wooloo hears this and yearns to be like Charizard, but Hop continues to tell it that they are not a Charizard and can't do the same things.

This angers the Wooloo, who leaves Hop and explores the town. It continues to run into various Pokémon and tries to imitate a Charizard by breathing fire and trying to fly. This leads to Wooloo crashing down a hill into Milo's farm.

Fans will remember Milo as the Grass-type Gym Leader who uses Wooloo in his challenges prior to you taking him on.

After nursing Wooloo back to health, Milo calls the Corviknight Taxi to take it back to its owner. However, Wooloo doesn't seem keen on going back to Hop, instead seeing how well Milo treats his sheep Pokémon.

Corviknight takes the Wooloo when the Normal-type Pokémon sees Hop yelling out for his partner. Wooloo is happy to see his trainer and even jumps out of the taxi into Hop's arms.

Hop apologizes to Wooloo and says that they'll become champions together.

After the credits roll, episode 3 teases the subject of its next installment, the Water-type Gym Leader Nessa.

It's not yet known when Episode 4 of Pokémon Twilight Wings will air, but fans will likely have to wait until late April to see it. The first three episodes don't seem to have a connective arc - although there are nods to past episodes like Bea's battle with Leon - but, with just three more episodes to go, we'll see where it goes.

What did you think of the latest Twilight Wings episode? Who do you want to see have the spotlight in a future episode? Let us know in the comments section.

Pokemon Go Cobalion Raid Guide: Weaknesses And Best Counters

Cobalion is back in Pokemon Go for a limited time. The Legendary Iron Will Pokemon has returned to the game as part of a special Raid event, which has been extended to run from March 17-23.

This marks Cobalion's second appearance in Pokemon Go, but even if you've previously caught one, there's a good incentive to get another this week. Not only does the Legendary Pokemon now know a special event-exclusive move--Sacred Sword--but you'll also have a chance to encounter its Shiny form.

Like other Legendaries, Cobalion is a formidable Pokemon to battle, so you'll need a good team and some aid from other players to take it down. To help you out, we've rounded up some tips on how to battle and catch Cobalion below.

How To Find Cobalion

Cobalion will appear in five-star Raids until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on March 23, making this the easiest way to encounter it. Raids can occur at any time, but you'll receive an in-game notification when one is about to begin nearby, so you shouldn't have much trouble tracking the Legendary Pokemon down.

Once you find a Gym that's hosting a Cobalion Raid, you'll need to redeem a Raid Pass to participate in the battle. You can get one of these for free when you spin the Photo Disc at a Gym, but you can only hold one free pass at a time. You can also purchase them through Pokemon Go's in-game store for 100 coins.

There's a second way you can encounter Cobalion in Pokemon Go. Like Thundurus, Cobalion is featured as a reward in the Go Battle League PvP mode. Defeat enough players in online battles and you'll earn a chance to capture Cobalion outside of Raids. However, the Iron Will Pokemon will only be available as a Go Battle League reward until March 23--the same time it leaves Raids.

Cobalion Weaknesses And Counters

Cobalion is a dual Steel/Fighting Pokemon. Thanks to this unique typing, Psychic, Flying, and Fairy Pokemon (which normally have an advantage over Fighting types) only deal neutral damage to Cobalion. However, its part Steel typing makes Cobalion vulnerable to Ground, Fire, and other Fighting Pokemon, so you'll want to stack your team with those when you face it.

Other Legendary Pokemon like Groundon will be especially helpful, but if you don't have one of those, Garchomp, Hippowdon and Mamoswine are good alternatives; the latter, however, also takes super-effective damage from Cobalion, so keep that in mind. Entei is one of your best bets when it comes to Fire Pokemon, although Chandelure and Moltres are also good choices, and you can round out your team with Fighting types like Machamp, Hariyama, and Heracross.

As previously mentioned, you'll want to avoid using Fairy types, as they take super-effective damage from Steel moves. Ice, Rock, and Normal Pokemon are also poor choices, as all those types are susceptible to Cobalion's Sacred Sword.

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Pokémon Voice Actor Explains How Cartoon Dubbing Works

00:00

I'm Ash Ketchum, I came from

00:01

Pallet Town in the Kanto Region.

00:03

And this is my good buddy, Pikachu.

00:12

Hi, I'm Sarah Natochenny, I'm a voice actor.

00:14

You probably know me best as Ash Ketchum on Pokemon.

00:17

I'm also Delia Ketchum, and Staraptor, and Misdreavus.

00:24

Today I'm gonna be showing you my process

00:26

for dubbing Pokemon into English.

00:28

Pokemon is a show that's originally

00:30

voiced and animated in Japan.

00:31

So when the show comes to me,

00:33

my job is to reinterpret it for an American audience.

00:36

We start every session with my director

00:38

telling me all about the episode.

00:39

The turnaround time for these shows is extreme,

00:42

so sometimes we are working with scripts

00:44

that were finished the night before.

00:46

I never get to see the script ahead of time,

00:47

it's always a cold read.

00:49

Hi, I'm Lisa, the voice director.

00:51

And Ash, today you're gonna be running down the beach.

00:54

Yes! Gonna have some beach time.

00:57

I record in a booth by myself.

00:59

So I very rarely get to hear the other actors' performances.

01:02

My director is the dungeon master,

01:04

she knows how everything is gonna sound,

01:06

she can predict all of their performances,

01:08

and she knows exactly how to direct me

01:09

to get exactly what she wants.

01:11

Next we watch the scene in Japanese, let's take a look.

01:14

[speaking in foreign language]

01:21

[speaking in foreign language]

01:37

So a lot of stuff is happening in this scene.

01:39

He's running, he's out of breath, he's tripping over Litten.

01:42

And then he runs to his mom all excited and huffing.

01:45

And he's always huffing, he's always excited and huffing.

01:48

So I wanna do justice to that just with my voice.

01:51

So what I'm looking for when I see this in Japanese

01:54

is the mouth flap, where he moves his mouth.

01:56

Where he opens his mouth really wide,

01:58

where he has a [groan] like a clenched kinda teeth thing.

02:01

And that'll indicate to me where

02:02

to put all the words on the page.

02:04

So first we're gonna do a whole run of the scene

02:06

and then we're gonna go back

02:07

and pickup all the parts where I messed up.

02:09

We are on line 45. 'Kay.

02:13

It's gonna be on there, you won't beat me.

02:15

You are about to meet Litten for the first time.

02:17

So this is where you're gonna keep running through

02:19

over there as you saw in the scene.

02:21

As soon as you get there you're gonna step on his tail

02:23

and then you'll go into sorta like

02:24

the comic tumbles after that.

02:25

So let's give it a whirl.

02:27

There are three beeps that cue me in.

02:29

I come in on the fourth beep.

02:30

So Sarah, I'm gonna give you three beeps

02:32

for the first cue, and then one beep for the following.

02:49

So basically my eyes, if you notice,

02:51

are darting back and forth from the page to the screen

02:54

to make sure that I have the line right

02:56

and that I have the flap right at the same time.

02:59

So while I'm matching the flap

03:00

and getting all the words out,

03:01

I have to match the emotion that's happening onscreen.

03:05

More so than the original performance.

03:07

So I'm looking at the animation

03:08

and figuring out how to emote based on that.

03:12

So I look at his eyes, I look at his eyebrows,

03:15

I look at his mouth, I look at the way the animation is.

03:17

If it's like in a really crazy scene

03:19

and the background changes,

03:20

then I know I have to get much bigger.

03:22

So now that we've done one take of this long pass

03:25

my director's gonna give me some notes.

03:26

And she'll have a lot of 'em.

03:27

Let's give that another pass.

03:29

The line that you're, I know it's a long set

03:32

for you to sorta take on there,

03:33

is gonna be, sorry, as soon as you

03:34

turn around and go on that.

03:35

So when you ramp yourself up after Pikachu

03:38

get up a little bit, you can even get in

03:39

a little bit more with that.

03:41

So that you're sort of like pretty intense

03:43

by the time you actually step on Litten's tail.

03:45

So the sorry is onscreen?

03:47

The sorry is onscreen.

03:49

The turnaround-- it's that.

03:50

The turnaround, that's sorry?

03:52

That turnaround right there that

03:53

you're seeing, that's you having

03:55

the reaction into the sorry.

03:57

So while this happens our engineer

03:58

moves the three beeps over to the spot

04:00

where I need to punch in the uh, sorry.

04:04

Cool, so we're looking at line 50.

04:07

You got an open shock react and then a sorry.

04:09

So you're gonna do the turn and then the double flap.

04:26

Sometimes I have to deliver a line in a way

04:28

that doesn't feel natural to me.

04:30

Sometimes I have to go really really slow

04:32

or really really fast.

04:33

Sometimes a line will be really urgent,

04:36

but there's not enough mouth movement

04:38

for me to say something really really fast.

04:40

And that can be a problem.

04:44

Blue water, fluffy white clouds,

04:47

and delicious Pinap juice.

04:52

Yeah, you got that, you can hit that second line.

04:53

I was too early so I messed it up.

04:55

I was too early and I messed up the line,

04:58

it's not fluffy white clouds it's white fluffy clouds.

05:04

So long before the script ever even gets to me

05:07

an adapter has to take the Japanese translation

05:09

and make it make sense in English.

05:11

And make it also fit into the mouth flaps.

05:14

That's how we get this.

05:16

The timing of my performance is really important

05:18

because first of all, you don't wanna hear

05:19

somebody talking when their mouth isn't moving.

05:22

Secondly, and this is the adapter's job,

05:23

he has to make sure that everything

05:26

he gets out of the translation makes sense in English

05:29

and fits into the mouth flap.

05:31

So if a character has a big wide open mouth

05:34

halfway through the sentence, he has to justify that,

05:37

he has to write a script that justifies that.

05:43

Blue water, white fluffy clouds,

05:47

and delicious Pinap juice.

05:54

It's so refreshing.

05:57

Yeah, it's great. Great.

06:00

I play many characters on the show.

06:01

Usually I do them one at a time,

06:03

but for the purposes of this demonstration

06:05

I'm gonna do them together.

06:14

Hope you had fun, Ash.

06:16

Sure did, we went diving with a Sharpedo,

06:19

saw lots of Pokemon I've never seen before, yeah!

06:24

That was great, we're just gonna stretch out

06:25

one of the ones in the middle over there.

06:27

You gave us enough time so that we can do it perfectly.

06:30

So sometimes my performance might be a little bit short

06:33

and they can digitally lengthen it

06:34

so that it fits the mouth flap perfectly.

06:37

Sure did, we went diving with a Sharpedo,

06:40

saw lots of Pokemon I've never seen before, yeah!

06:44

Sure did, we went diving with a Sharpedo,

06:48

saw lots of Pokemon I've never seen before, yeah!

06:52

All right, that looked great.

06:57

That sounds like fun!

06:59

We have Mimey to thank for winning

07:00

the tickets for our vacation.

07:02

Thanks very much, Mimey.

07:06

So sometimes the line in the script

07:07

comes up a little bit short and we have to

07:09

add a few syllables to make it fit the flap.

07:10

So Lisa, what do you think?

07:13

Well let's take a look at what we've got.

07:15

Why don't we add in have Mimey to thank

07:17

for winning the tickets for our Alola vacation.

07:20

And how about, that does sound like fun?

07:22

Rather than that sounds like fun.

07:29

That does sound like fun.

07:31

We have Mimey to thank for winning the tickets

07:33

for our Alola vacation.

07:35

Thanks very much, Mimey.

07:39

All right, let's see the completed scene.

08:05

Blue water, white fluffy clouds,

08:09

and delicious Pinap juice.

08:16

It's so refreshing.

08:20

Hope you had fun, Ash.

08:22

Sure did, we went diving with a Sharpedo,

08:25

saw lots of Pokemon I've never seen before, yeah!

08:29

That does sound like fun!

08:31

We have Mimey to thank for winning the tickets

08:33

for our Alola vacation.

08:35

Thanks very much, Mimey.

08:38

And that's how I dub Pokemon.

08:40

So because the English dub is so widespread

08:42

I'm getting emails from people in India,

08:44

and Bangladesh, and Russia, and Japan, and Brazil,

08:47

thanking me for helping them learn English.

08:49

It's really an important thing that helps bridge cultures.

08:52

In 1931 a French actor's union

08:54

told its membership, you cannot dub

08:57

because it is beneath you

08:58

and it is offensive to the original actor.