The Game Awards stole the spotlight today (it’s okay, other franchises need to have their moment sometimes). But a lot of excitment still happened on the Pokémon news front. Would you expect anything less?
The most pressing thing was Pokémon Go introduced different size variants for certain Pokémon. At this stage, only three Pokémon have XXS and XXL forms, but more will come.
Meanwhile, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players are debating whether the latest patch actually fixed anything behind the scenes, with some insisting it did and others arguing against them. While they’re busy bickering, other players are checking their heart rates after being bamboozled by Great Tusk, who hilariously keeps appearing in places it shouldn’t due to a bug.
And on a final note, the schedule for the Pokémon anime has leaked early—much to the relief of those who feared it might not continue after Ash finally became champion last month.
Let’s dive into it!
New size variants? Yes, please!
If you encounter Poochyena, Mightyena, and Mawile in Pokémon Go, make sure you bring a scale and some measuring tape, because these Pokémon now come in XXS and XXL sizes.
If you’re really lucky, it might be a Shiny XXS or XXL one, too. Talk about a treasure hunt!
They have different animations and will appear larger or smaller than their standard sizes in battles, menus, etc. You’ll also be able to see records for the smallest, largest, lightest, and heaviest variants caught.
At this stage, it only features those three Pokémon but will likely include more down the road.
He said, she said, they said…
The moment Nintendo announced that the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Version 1.1.0 update was on its way, players hoped it would be the patch that fixed some or all the performance issues.
Nintendo confirmed it was working on a fix, but the patch notes implied it wasn’t the one.
Still, some players reported noticeable improvements. For example, GameXplain noticed a pretty drastic improvement. In fact, the popular content creator claimed it was “leaps and bounds” better. Others reported more subtle improvements, including better draw distances, improved shadows, and more.
But there are two sides to every story.
Another content creator showed the performance in certain places varies in each patch, suggesting it’s more random than anything. This was replicated by others in side-by-side comparisons, too.
So, is it fixed or not? Nintendo may have made some subtle tweaks that improved some of them, but since the company didn’t mention anything about it in the patch notes, it wasn’t the main purpose.
Great Tusk, what on earth are you doing?
Great Tusk, the Paradox Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet, is up to no good!
Rather than being confined to Area Zero and a small area in the Asado Desert like it’s supposed to, the gargantuan mammoth-like beast keeps popping up in unexpected places.
One player reported that whenever they enter a building, Great Tusk is always waiting inside. They shared a video of it happening on social media, claiming it’s one of many incidents.
And the funniest part is, others are reporting it, too.
Pokémon anime schedule leaked
The future of the Pokémon anime has been a hot topic ever since Ash was finally crowned champion. People asked themselves: Will it end? Will it continue without him as the main character? Or will it continue as it always has?
It seems like we now know the answer to the first question. No, the anime doesn’t seem to be ending.
Leakers all but confirmed it after revealing the upcoming schedule. It shows two unnamed episodes releasing on Dec. 23 and Jan 1. They fall after the current season is supposed to end on Dec. 16.
As for whether it’ll revolve around Ash, that’s another question entirely. We’ll know more as the month rolls on.
That brings us to the end of yet another Pokémon news week.
As always, it was an eventful one. Not even something massive like The Game Awards can eclipse our community entirely—and that’s a testament to how massive (and awesome) it is.
And with that, we’ll leave you with a parting message from our good friend Gary Oak: “Smell ya later!”
Published: Dec 9, 2022 12:35 am