merritt k Jun 22, 2022. 4 minute read
I Was a Teenage Pokemon Gym Leader
I’m not that into the series anymore, but I still can remember the first time I played a Pokemon game. It was my birthday, and I unwrapped a gift from my best friend to find a copy of Pokemon Blue, the first game — along with Red — released in…
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FEATURES
Andrea Shearon Jun 18, 2022. 1 minute read
N64 Pokemon Snap Heads to Switch Online, No News on Blockbuster Kiosk Locations
The N64 Pokemon Snap release is headed to Nintendo Switch Online on June 24, available to those of you with the Expansion Pack version of the service. And while that’s a well enough cause for celebration, I am distraught over Nintendo’s apparent decision to not revive long-dead video rental chain…
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NEWS
Nicholas Grayson Jun 1, 2022. 2 minute read
Ranking the New Scarlet & Violet Pokemon by How Tasty They Look
The Pokemon Company released a new trailer for the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the next entries in the mainline games. With the locale for this title moving to the majestic vistas of Spain and Portugal, there are a lot of new opportunities for Pokemon designs. There have been Pokemon…
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merritt k May 11, 2022. 2 minute read
A Proposal for Standardizing Color Language in Video Games
Color is a tremendously useful tool in game design. Players come to associate certain shades and hues with different mechanics and systems, which can obviate the need to label them in more intrusive ways. But there’s a problem — even as some conventions have been established, nobody has proposed a…
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FEATURES
merritt k Apr 21, 2022. 3 minute read
Happy 33rd Birthday, Game Boy!
33 years ago today, Nintendo released the Game Boy handheld device in Japan. It was a simple, unassuming thing, a large gray brick with four buttons, a directional pad, and an LCD screen that could only display shades of green. Only a few years later, Nintendo’s competitors began to explore…
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FEATURES
Colette Arrand Apr 7, 2022. 3 minute read
Logan Paul’s $5,275,000 Pokémon Card: A Review
I barely know who Logan Paul is. I will admit to watching a couple of boxing matches hoping to see him or his brother get knocked out by reputation alone, only to find myself disappointed in the ability of people who are good with their fists to deliver the kind…
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WRESTLING
merritt k Mar 22, 2022. 4 minute read
The Best and Worst Video Game x Beauty Brand Collabs
Beauty products and video games may not seem like the most logical match, but when the COVID-19 pandemic kept people around the world inside for months on end, many took solace in digital worlds — so it makes sense that brands might try to get in on that action. Makeup…
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FEATURES
Michael Higham Mar 1, 2022. 3 minute read
How to Draw Rowlet in 7 Easy Steps
I love Rowlet so much. I don’t remember what life was like before Rowlet. A baby owl. A bird orb. A borb. A round owlet. A Rowlet. Ever since starting Pokemon Legends: Arceus, I think about Rowlet every day. (I really hope we can find one in Pokemon Scarlet and…
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FEATURES
Imran Khan Mar 1, 2022. 3 minute read
What Your Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Starter Choice Says About You
With the announcement of Pokemon’s ninth generation, Game Freak also revealed a brand new set of starting Pokemon to begin your journey with. Starter Pokemon tend to become the most iconic monsters of each generation as everyone is guaranteed to get one of them and usually carries their chosen starter…
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FEATURES
Andrea Shearon Feb 27, 2022. 1 minute read
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Revealed, Gen 9 Launching in 2022
Nintendo and developer Game Freak have revealed Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the next entries into the series’ main RPG franchise, and it launches late this year for Switch. During this morning’s Pokemon Presents, a short preview closed us out with an announcement definitely not on my Pokemon stream Bingo list…
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NEWS
Joey Chip Jan 28, 2022. 2 minute read
Not Nicknaming Your Pokemon is Callous and Boorish
Every now and then, I remember there are some real sickos in the Pokemon world. And a few hours into Pokemon Legends: Arceus, I’ve been reminded of a subset of them who I had erased from my brain eons ago. But I suppose going back to a historic setting in the Pokemon universe…
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FEATURES
Fūnk-é Joseph Nov 24, 2021. 5 minute read
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond is Cute and Superfluous
After years of fans chanting at Nintendo employees, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have finally been released. Today, resident Pokemon veterans Fūnk-é Joseph, featured contributor, and Nicholas Grayson, Fanbyte’s brand editor, had a candid conversation about the series’ trajectory, Sinnoh’s many musical bangers, and why it feels a bit…
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REVIEWS
Nerium Nov 17, 2021. 2 minute read
Gengar is a Chair Now and on an Unrelated Note Gengar Tongues Extend Up to Several Meters
The plush, purple Gengar armchair is a real piece of Pokémon merchandise you can buy right now. Assuming you live in Japan, of course The already-pricey piece of kitsch goes for $226 USD and is sold by Japanese retailer Cellutane. Though they’re not directly shipping it to the United States…
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NEWS
Lincoln Carpenter Oct 27, 2021. 4 minute read
Pokemon Eggs Are My New, Ideal Gacha Game
I have a complicated relationship with gacha games, which means I have a complicated relationship with gambling. I’ve loved my share; one glance at the list of games tied to my Google Play library provides more proof of that than you’d ever need. But a necessary asterisk marks that love…
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FEATURES
Fūnk-é Joseph Jul 26, 2021. 3 minute read
Pokémon Unite’s Zapdos Turns Players Into Unstoppable Gods
When playing Pokémon Unite, TiMi Studio Group and The Pokemon Company’s new joint collab MOBA, there’s a moment when the tide of battle becomes intense. The air shifts as the 10-minute match nears its end. Zapdos spawns in the central pit, and everything changes as players brace for a final…
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TRENDING
Dillon Skiffington Jul 16, 2021. 2 minute read
Pokemon Fighting Type Guide – Weaknesses, Strengths, Counters
As the list of Pokemon grows, and the number of Pokemon types with it, keeping up with how each type interacts with one another can be challenging. Especially if you’re mainly playing Pokemon GO and haven’t kept up with mainline installments like Pokemon Sword & Shield. The good news is…
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GUIDES
Kenneth Shepard Feb 27, 2020. 2 minute read
Mimikyu Has Achieved its Goal of Being More Popular Than Pikachu
On this Pokemon Day 2020, Mimikyu is officially more popular than Pokemon mascot Pikachu. This is according to an official “Pokemon of the Year” poll by The Pokemon Company, which amassed over 6 million votes over the month of February. The results have a few surprises, and maybe even a few…
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NEWS
Ben Sledge Jan 27, 2020. 5 minute read
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is a Pokemon Game Actually About Friendship
If you’d only ever watched the animated series, it would be easy to believe that the core theme of Pokemon is friendship. However, the games offer a very different story to that of Ash and Pikachu; while NPCs from Professor Oak to N emphasise the importance of building friendships with Pokemon,…
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FEATURES
Jordan Mallory Jan 15, 2020. 2 minute read
ThinkGeek Is Making a Bluetooth Jigglypuff Speaker
If this were the best of all possible universes, Jigglypuff would be real. It’s not, obviously, for thousands of brand new reasons each day, but that won’t stop humanity from trying to emulate what that reality might be like. ThinkGeek, now a fully-integrated subsidy of Gamestop, has filed a Bluetooth-enabled…
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NEWS
merritt k Jan 1, 2020. 1 minute read
13 Pokemon Who Just Destroyed Your Priceless Ming Vase But Know You Can’t Prove It
In the Pokemon justice system, vase-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In the Galar region, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Vases Unit. 1. Jigglypuff “Look, somebody broke something! It wasn’t me. I pwomise.” 2. Snivy “Even if…
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LISTS