Pokémon Go Community Day Weekend, 12/12/2020 and 12/13/2020

As always, it's that time of year when Community Day of Pokémon Go holds its annual recap of all its featured Pokémon. Now, this is only the third year that the event has progressed, and due to the current conditions that became apparent this year, there was a radical shift in the way things were conducted as the year progressed; it was all to alleviate the burden of not being able to partake in the event as had always been the case (as it was in January and February of this year). The recap edition this year appears like a blend of new sensibilities and old approaches.

Like last year, featured Pokémon from this year's editions were present in the wild across both days of the event, starting yesterday from 6 AM and ending tonight at 10 PM. The first six (Piplup, Rhyhorn, Abra, Seedot, Weedle, and Gastly) on the first day yesterday and the other five (Magikarp, Porygon, Charmander, Electabuzz, and Magmar) on the second day today became more prevalent during the common event period of 11 AM to 5 PM; during this period, bonuses of halved Egg hatch distance and doubled Stardust were active. Pokémon from last year's run of Community Days, meanwhile, became available through Level 1 raids and 2 km Eggs. Likewise, Field Research tasks gave out "Catch 3 Pokémon" due to the recap nature of the event, and for the respective final evolved forms, they gained the exclusive moves to which they are associated.

There were also differences, aside from the extended periods as above and the use of Incense instead of Lure Modules as per the norm for the rest of this year. The most notable difference is that for the first time since Community Day had started, Pokémon from the 2018 editions cannot gain their exclusive moves from that time during this "super" recap period, though this will be rectified at some point in the future, or can be so now and immediately with use of Elite TMs. As well, since the introduction of the bonus paid Special Research, this was effectively the only way to get one; this year, there are four pages of tasks of catching particular Pokémon from this year's editions. With Timed Research, a one-page set of tasks now reward more kinds of balls as well as an Elite Charged TM. Mega Gengar and Mega Charizard X were also more prevalent in Mega Raids on the specific days they were more prevalent.

This current time of year, personally for me, would be rife with theme events, as had happened for the previous editions. However, the current conditions practically prevented that from happening, and thus I was freed to a certain extent to participate in both days by walking to PokéStops, grabbing their Research tasks, and using them to compel myself to capture more Pokémon. Yet on both days, the local weather was pretty much the main issue that prevented extensive progress, as it rained throughout, and even on both days, it triggered a new kind of weather warning in Pokémon Go. In both cases, Poké Balls quickly became highly demanded items, especially when it prevented further progress by actual walking after all available options have been exhausted. The opportunity of this year's super "recap" edition became utilized mostly for building up Candy stock and evolving a few desired Pokémon that could use their exclusive moves by their final evolved forms, which should be perfectly acceptable.

This year hasn't been quite opportunistic for much of anything, including the Community Day of Pokémon Go and even in my particular local case. Even with that, Community Day with its characteristic activities since April has been quite captivating. This is particularly the case even now, as Community Day utilized a blend of older approaches with new sensibilities for its "super" recap for the end of the year. All that is left to do now is to wait for the current conditions to resolve themselves so that Community Day can be enjoyed even more fully as it once was and even more so later on.

 

One year ago: Performance Critique: Pokémon Theme feat. Otaku

Two years ago: Trainer Battles Are Go!!!

Three years ago: Will You Be There?

Virtual Reality (VR) and Pokémon

Sometimes, when I discuss "virtual" and "reality" together with Pokémon, I'm referring to the fact that the conceived reality of the world of Pokémon is one that exists within a realm that is electronically mediated. In popular usage, however, "virtual reality" (VR) also refers to a technology that allows people to fully experience a completely conceived realm through electronic means. Recently, it has become more accessible through certain devices or even a smartphone if properly set up, and even a popular game of the past has embraced this technology of the future. As for Pokémon itself embracing this technology, that may be a bit more complex.

Nintendo, as a copyright holder for Pokémon, had attempted to deal with VR before. A system had been created called Virtual Boy - certainly, a takeoff from Game Boy - and it was to deliver VR technology almost in the same way as today. In a way, it was years ahead of its time... or rather behind, as it's grayscale and low resolution, much like the Game Boy. The system miserably failed in the market, also in part due to its incomplete and rushed nature. Most importantly, it came only a year or two before Pokémon was first released in Japan and years before its worldwide popularity. Therefore, it was (not so much) a good thing that Pokémon "missed this boat" that Nintendo itself created.

In a way, however, the 3D legacy of the Virtual Boy lived in what would then be the 3D of the 3DS, and that became a minor success along with the overall success of the console itself. Even so, it's still a point-and-counterpoint thing, as my earlier posts on this topic (may) have indicated. On one hand, the way the 3D is for the 3DS, it's not something to write home about. On the other hand, it was also an immersive thing that some games, including Pokémon games, made use of. With this in mind, it may be considered that in a way Pokémon has made use of VR in the sense that it made use of the 3D visualization capabilities of the 3DS. Yet it could also be called "virtual" VR the way that it is implemented.

As for actual VR efforts in the sense as it is implemented today, there is an actual established effort called Pokémon VR that attempts to implement VR for Pokémon through sideloading on a particularly famous VR headset. I don't have said VR headset to vouch for myself, but the effort may be considered to be noble if it weren't for a couple of things. The headset, for one, is a proprietary product of a certain company whose control lies in another company whose reputation for privacy has not been too great. For two, as a result of the above, it becomes an unofficial product, given the stance of Nintendo on third parties. If a real and official Pokémon VR is to be developed, Nintendo has got to be in on it as well.

VR today is an advancing thing, and if the past is of any indication, the seeds of it had been sown with past technologies. It would take a few steps in the advancement of current technologies to be able to make it even more relevant today, particularly in the case of Pokémon as something that is popularly enjoyed all over. It would also have to necessarily involve Nintendo, but that's a given with Pokémon regardless. Whatever the case may be, VR may be the next logical step to take for Pokémon as it itself represents a "virtual" world with its own "reality" that would possibly receive quite many benefits if it were to somehow make use of VR technologies efficiently to bring a new method of enjoyment to its loyal and devoted fans.

One year ago: Sword and Shield Uptake

Two years ago: Much Ado About Figures

Three years ago: The Rainbow Feather of Ho-Oh

YouTube Pokémon Highlights - "Gotcha!" Versions

This is yet another post that I've been meaning well to make but time got away from me for various reasons. Now, a couple of months ago, there was the premiere of a phenomenal song with a phenomenal music video by a phenomenal band, and it's one that captures the hearts of Pokémon fans all around the world, notwithstanding its language (Japanese). So much so, in fact, that after its premiere, fans began making "adaptations" of it in various forms, and many of them can be found on YouTube as well. This highlight is an overview of some of those "adaptations".

One of the ways songs can be adapted is for them to be able to be played on the ever-popular piano, and in fact, there are a few piano versions that float on YouTube. One of those versions is a version performed by the popular Japanese pianist Marasy, whose live approach is a nice spin. Other versions take a virtual "piano player" approach, which could theoretically be followed by those not keen on playing sheet music. There are two full versions by D-kun and Robang592, as well as two "video versions" by OnlinePianist and Pianobin. Those who like listening to or playing the piano should find any of these versions pleasing for either purpose. They also show the popularity of the piano versions and the associated approach.

Since Pokémon takes its origins from the Game Boy, creation of low-bit versions become an approach that is not only unique but also nostalgic. Some of these low-bit versions may be called "8-bit" or "chiptune" covers, and they denote the specific approaches for them. The cover by LSDj exactly involves the Game Boy, while the covers by Teracchi and Jetdarc take a general approach. All of these are incidentally for the shorter "video version", which is certainly better than nothing. If the song itself is a callback to the roots of Pokémon and where it stands today, these low-bit covers really take the song back to those roots and make it as if the song had originated from there, which has to be the point for their creation.

Being that Pokémon is popular all over the world, English covers become a given, especially as there is no "official English version" in the first place, at the very least not yet. Still, two enterprising creators have managed to conceive separate English versions for the song, and for the full version nonetheless. The covers by Silver Storm and Megami33 have their own particular characteristics and yet are pleasurable to listen to, especially for those who may seek something very different than the original Japanese version. Whether or not an "official English version" becomes realized (which may still be a possibility, however remote), these creations should still be lauded for fulfilling alternative versions for the global Pokémon audience.

It's rather evident that Pokémon has captured the hearts of many fans around the world, including the one who writes the posts on this very blog. It's also rather evident that the song that premiered some time ago encapsulates lots of impressions that many Pokémon fans can relate to. It then becomes unsurprising that the most creative of fans would be able to take the song, apply their own creative touches, and conceive something that would be representative of their feelings as well as those of others. The results are a blend of nostalgia, entertainment, and pleasure.

One year ago: Rethinking Game Linkages

Two years ago: Passing It On: The Next Generation

Three years ago: Pikachu Head Collectibles

Night Falls, Heavens Rise

I had been debating on whether or not I should make this post. The reason is because my raid group hasn't been too active in hosting its own tournaments, and - I'll admit - I haven't been too active either in participating in the tournaments. But I've had a history with the tournaments, and I'm likely to participate in them at any time if the opportunity allows, so I've decided to make this post regardless. Now, the tournaments of course refer to those of the Silph Arena, and this post therefore regards one of its cups or themes for the current running season of the Arena.

The cup or theme for the month of December is called "Nightfall", as hinted by the title of this post. For this, the restrictions are fairly simple. There are only type restrictions, with only the Normal, Fighting, Ground, Poison, and Ice types allowed. All kinds of Pokémon are allowed, so long as they are of at least one of these types. Apart from this utilizing the Great League (as is standard) and Mega Evolution being disallowed (as the current protocol), the cup or theme becomes as simple as that. The selection of types can be said to represent all the things that may befall the night and make it dark in different ways.

Accordingly, there is always a meta. At the heart of the meta is Galarian Stunfisk for its ability to counter most other Pokémon that can possibly be used; it is therefore central. In the periphery of the meta, there is another single actor of Wigglytuff, which can deal with the Fighting (and Mud Boys) realm, which can deal with the Ice realm, which can deal with the (Shadow-) Grass-Poison realm, which can deal with Wigglytuff. Galarian Stunfisk and Wigglytuff are key parts of a team of six Pokémon that the Arena requires, while the other four can be made up of selections that can effectively deal with others as above.

It is no surprise, then, that Galarian Stunfisk tops the usage list (at this point in time) for current teams on the Silph Arena. Below that, there is Froslass as the major representative of the Ice realm, followed by Medicham and Swampert as the best of their combined realm, and then Wigglytuff and Gallade (the latter as part of the Fighting realm). Rounding out the top 10 are Venusaur, Victreebel, Noctowl, and Abomasnow, three of which are in the Grass realm while Noctowl holds its own as a Normal type representative. Many of these will make fine choices for teams.

Being that this is December, Nightfall becomes the last theme of the year for the Silph Arena. It has been a somewhat difficult year due to last season becoming rather anticlimactic and this season starting off in the midst of further difficult situations, which may have caused some to refrain from competing, like me. In that sense, it may be considered that night has fallen, as with this theme, in contrast to the Sunrise theme. But then again, with night falling, the heavens also rise, and with the choices of Pokémon for this theme, all it takes is a pick of the right ones to send a Trainer right to the stars.

One year ago: Pokémon Center Pilot Pikachu Plush - Narita Airport Ver.

Two years ago: Stage Coin Tricks in Shuffle

Three years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru F!

Let's Talk About Finding Our Way

Me: Before we get too deep into things, I'd like to say that this hasn't been the best of years, perhaps for us.

Pikachu: Pika chu. ["I can understand."]

Ash: Well, I can see that. It's not exactly the most fun thing having to go around with something over your nose and mouth when normally you don't have to, but it is what it is.

Me: And I've heard things are becoming not too good again, so don't expect me to be able to send you to anything.

Ash: Don't worry - it's not in our best interests anyway. Let's just wait and see for now.

Me: OK, that's settled. In the meantime, we can have another "Let's Talk". This time, I want to discuss about going places, achieving things, making stuff work - all things that make up "finding our way".

Ash: That's an interesting topic. You know, it's something that you and I as Pokémon Trainers do. I've had my way in finding ways.

Me: I know you do. Sometimes they're interesting, sometimes they're unexpected, but they're always entertaining.

Ash: But it doesn't always work out, the first time at least. You've seen the battles that didn't turn out great, and that much is what I can say.

Me: On the other hand, you've had lots of great journeys, and you always find your way.

Ash: Yeah, like that one time I rowed to an island in Alola and had a neat time there.

Pikachu: Pika chu! [interjects]

Ash: Oh, sorry. Except for one part. But we did find our way from there too.

Me: So, you know what you're talking about. You go places, meet Pokémon, catch them, then succeed, and that's over all the challenges. That's an impressive thing of finding your way.

Ash: But you do the same when you don't have me doing it.

Me: True, but my career isn't as impressive as yours.

Ash: I see things that I'm still impressed at. You've been able to succeed in Pokémon in some ways. That tells me that you've found your way too.

Me: I guess. Especially since it has worked out well in many ways. That's hard to deny.

Ash: So you see that.

Pikachu: Pi pika pika. ["Have spirit."]

Me: That's pretty much always the deal.

Ash: OK, so, uh, I think I know why you're bringing up this topic. It's something that I saw around one and a half years ago, and you're trying to "find your way".

Me: Yes, it's exactly that. It's a little easier because I've been expecting it, but it's also a little harder because... it always is. And recently I've found one issue after another.

Ash: From what I can see, once you've found your way from this, then you've found your way. So keep that in mind.

Pikachu: Pika! ["Yes!"]

Me: Sure. And perhaps after that, then we can find the way that becomes clear for everyone.

Ash: You bet! Now go find your way.

One year ago: A Day (or Year) with Pikachu

Two years ago: To See and See Not

Three years ago: A Pokémon Twist to My Phone

Popular Poké-Shipping

Years ago, I discussed a particular case of "shipping" - that which pertains to assigning bonds of relationships between characters - in the world of Pokémon, specifically that for some human ones in the anime. As expected, the realm of "shipping" can and does go beyond the human characters. In the case of Pokémon, it goes to the creatures that bear the name. In this day and age, there are a few of these popular Pokémon "ships", and they are worth noting to some extent.

One of these that is currently very popular is the "ship" between Lopunny from the fourth generation and Cinderace from the eighth generation. The dynamic is that they, of course, are rabbit-like Pokémon, and by that virtue, they make for a "harmonious" couple. Often, Cinderace is regarded as the male and Lopunny is regarded as the female, especially considering that most Cinderace are male, as it is an evolved starter Pokémon. This has made for a source of entertainment and humor on some channels on YouTube, and thanks to the Expansion Pass, the two Pokémon can potentially meet; the report is that the interaction is actually wholesome. It's a neat "ship" in any case.

The next popular "ship" between Pokémon involves that related to a particular Pokémon that some "shippers" might really enjoy, and which I've even mentioned on this blog at times. That Pokémon would be Sylveon, and it is plainly obvious why. It is a total relationship fodder with its cutesy appearance that some fans just cannot resist. Likewise, they cannot resist pairing it with another Pokémon, and one particular choice for this "shipping" is Umbreon. The contrast is immediately evident: the latter is a Dark-type Pokémon, and loyal fans know that the Fairy type commands an upper hand over the Dark type. The relationship thus becomes something that is rather suggestive, to put things lightly.

For the last kind of "shipping", this may not involve a relationship in a traditional sense, but it is a relationship nonetheless that some have "shipped". Those with experience in breeding Pokémon in the main series games will know that Ditto will readily breed with most species of Pokémon, thus in effect acting as the surrogate parent in a relationship. This ingenious and unique characteristic is utilized by some to establish the partners of Ditto under different circumstances as one of the parents (either father or mother, depending on the partner) of particular Pokémon bred from them. The result can be purely amusing, but then so is "shipping" in general, even with Pokémon.

It becomes clear that "shipping" knows no bounds, with respect to the forms of the characters being "shipped". All of the above cases of "shipping" among Pokémon demonstrate some sense of a relationship, especially that which evokes similar impressions as per usual human relationships. And they are especially popular now thanks to the interests of certain Pokémon fans in establishing the most fanciful of links to creatures that define life in this world alongside their human companions.

One year ago: Pieces of a Pokémon Life

Two years ago: Cosplay: IJF - Cosplayer Rising Star

Three years ago: (Un)finished Business

GOtcha Podcast Episode 2: My Way of Playing Pokémon Go

Here's another longtime post that I've wanted to make, as the follow-up to the one for the first episode of my podcast with Handoyo. After that first episode, we followed up on the plan to have the episode be an hour long, and we did just that: the second episode is one hour and seven minutes long, which is quite longer than the previous one. It also means that much more content and a longer time to make the overview, which is why I've delayed it for the longest time, along with and as a result of whatever I do in and out of Pokémon.

For this episode, we decided on the title "My Way of Playing Pokémon Go" because we got quite personal for this episode. Specifically, we decided to introduce ourselves (an idea that I posed since we didn't do it in the first episode, which we ideally should have done) and what makes us involved in Pokémon Go as well as Pokémon in general. We also shared what we do in Pokémon Go and the adventures that have progressed. Continuing into the "What's Happening" segment, we continued discussing the particulars of the Mega Evolution event that had continued up to that point, and the updates that had been or are to be implemented for Mega Evolution. There were also updates on the other surrounding events, to which we contributed our thoughts and experiences from raids, related Pokémon, items, and so on.

In the "Pokémon Trivia" segment, which is the segment I'm fully responsible for, I discussed Meltan and Melmetal as a family of two unique Pokémon species. Many of their characteristics are indeed as such, not the least because of its epithet as a Mythical Pokémon. I also covered much of their relationships with the main series games (specifically Sword and Shield and the Let's Go games, as well as Pokémon Home). Interestingly, much of the info I detailed proved to have their own twists in realization thanks to recent developments, including the Go-Home link. Its characteristic introduction was also a part of the discussion between Handoyo and me, a moment that I myself covered in a couple of posts of this blog. Handoyo and I consider that all the relevant links that Meltan and Melmetal have with the games as a form of marketing.

The "PvP Corner" segment for this episode dealt with the Go Battle League of Season 3 at that time, as well as previews for Season 4 and 5, and even Halloween (Cup), the last with a special discussion of its involved types, and all of them with discussions of their respective rewards. There was also a discussion of Go Battle Night and its associated Flying Cup, which ended up being canceled, or rather rescheduled - therefore, much of our discussion continued to apply, just not for its intended scheduled time as we reported. Commonly, Handoyo would take care of this segment all on his own, but for this episode, I also contributed by giving a "for Dummies"-style primer and how it became relevant to the competitive aspect of Pokémon Go, community or otherwise. I intended myself to contribute further in this way.

One last thing that we added in this episode is a "Weekly Challenge" segment designed to test ourselves. We each establish three challenges that we would attempt to fulfill during the week between the recording of episodes, and then we would report on how we fulfilled those challenges, if we did at all. The intent is, of course, to set these individual challenges each week and then come back to them, but as it's plainly obvious by now, it's been more than a week since then, and this podcast has become inactive for one reason or another, which is regrettable. What was intended to be weekly has turned out not to be the case. With that, the "Weekly Challenges" have seemingly ran aground along with the podcast itself. It is unknown if we'll get to them in a later episode, even for the sake of closure for the challenges here.

For that matter, I don't know if we'll get to a later episode, if at all. Over the course of initially starting this podcast, we've invested in efforts and tools for that purpose, and we had gotten something good going as a result that has now stalled. Regardless, we did manage to get lots of content in this episode that could serve very well for the template of further episodes down the line. We would just have to get to them as I finally did for the overview of this episode. It may be a longtime project in the works for the both of us as Pokémon Go Trainers.

One year ago: Timeless and Forever

Two years ago: Local EX Raid (and the Power of Us), 12/7/2018

Three years ago: The Shops of Shuffle