Many of us have fond memories of playing Pokemon with friends and trying for hours to capture your favorite monster. Whether you remember when Red first came out or whether you picked up the series in more recent years (like me), most can agree it was and, for many, still is a great source for hours of entertainment. Fans of the franchise dream of being able to capture and battle real Pokemon. Well, we just got one step closer to merging fiction and reality.
Nintendo recently announced a new mobile app called "Pokemon Go." In essence, the game will allow you to merge real life and Pokemon. (If you have not seen the trailer for it yet, click here.) As you travel around town and the world, you will be given the opportunity to catch your favorite Pokemon. However, there has been few details released. Here are some of the biggest unanswered questions:
How Are We Going To Find The Pokemon?
Finding Pokemon is going to be different than anything else we have ever experienced in the regular games. The biggest question is, how are we going to find them? From my research, it appears we will have to walk or otherwise move around, but how spread out will they be? How will we know when we're near one? Is there going to be special filter on our phones we look through? Are we reliant on app notifications? There is a supplementary device being released to aid in finding Pokemon and nearby trainers called the Pokemon Go Plus, but who knows how much it will cost?
What Pokemon Can I Catch Near Me?
Not everyone is going to travel to Paris, Miami and Tokyo in a month, let alone a lifetime. Some people hardly ever leave their hometown in their entire lives. How will Pokemon capturing opportunities be distributed? I would imagine the weaker Pokemon such as Caterpie will be almost universally available regardless of locale, but will I have to trade with someone from Japan or Spain for certain Pokemon? Also, what generations will be available? The trailer only features Generation One monsters, which probably correlates with the fact that most of the users of this app will be old enough to remember the classic games. As many fans dislike the majority of new Pokemon, it will be interesting to see how far back they go.
How Reliant Will We Be On In-App Purchases?
Anyone who has ever played a game such as Clash of Clans knows that mobile gaming is often reliant on in-app purchases to make money, and this game will likely be no different. There will always be someone who is willing to spend hundreds of dollars, and in the process ruining the fun for others who don't want to spend money and therefore can't compete. If in-app purchases are required to succeed after a certain point or if essentials such as Pokeballs require real money, it will limit the amount of people willing to invest time and effort into the game.
Can You Link Your Phone And 3DS?
For those who have played the games in recent years, it has likely taken countless hours to either catch the Pokemon in-game or transfer your favorites from older generations. Will this be starting square one? For people who have invested so much in the games, they may not appreciate having to completely rebuild their entire team.
