Frigg's day has made its return, meaning the Modojo crew is once again able to provide a medieval-laced recap of this week's foray into the mobile gaming arena. This week saw our release of a number of new guides covering everything from Switch hardware updates to old-school Sega favorites, as well as a smattering of Pokemon Go headlines thrown in for good measure. That stein of spiced mead can wait - it's time for the Modojo Rewind. One of the niftiest headlines to hit the mobile scene this week was news of Sega's new Sega Forever collection of games. Five Genesis games have already been released under the Forever banner, and like the rest of the games planned for the collection, they are all free to play on mobile devices. Even better, players can use a Bluetooth controller like the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con to play Sega Forever games. For a complete look at all things Sega Forever, including details on how to download the games and their optional unlock prices, hit up our Sega … [Read more...]

Pokémon Go's huge new Gym update is here. Niantic has been promising a total overhaul of the popular mobile game's gym system for a while, and now, that update has finally arrived. In the biggest update since generation two Pokémon were introduced to the game, players will now be able to collect Gym Badges, keep their Pokémon motivated by feeding berries to their team, and participate in Raid Battles to cooperatively bring down and capture extremely powerful Pokémon. Players can also expect to see a number of new items in the game, including Rare Candies (which are capable of turning into any type of Pokémon Candy), Golden Razz Berries (which offer a much higher chance of catching a wild Pokémon), and two different types of Technical Machines (letting players retrain their Pokémon's movesets). At the moment, Raid Battle functionality is limited. Niantic has capped it so that only players of level 31 and above-those who have put a hefty … [Read more...]

The latest update for Pokemon GO expands the game’s combat options to include more than just gym battles. Now players of a certain level can participate in raid battles, where they can earn special items by working together with their fellow trainers to defeat bosses. In Pokemon GO, there are five tiers of difficulty for raid battles, with four tiers currently in the game at the time of this writing. Raid battles are organized by star ratings. The easiest battles are one star, whereas the most difficult battles in the game right now are four stars. Besides star ratings, players can also tell how tough a raid battle will be based on the color of egg that appears above the gym where the event is taking place. One and two star raid battles are denoted by a pink egg, whereas three and four star raid battles are marked by a yellow egg. The same Pokemon will be found with the same egg color, regardless of tier. The only difference is that Pokemon found on the higher tiers … [Read more...]

When Raid Battles first launched for Pokemon GO they carried with them a level requirement that, for most casual players, was quite steep. At launch, anyone that wasn’t level 35 or higher could not participate in the mobile game’s exciting new feature, and as expected fans were disappointed. Luckily, developer Niantic has heard those complaints and is tweaking the level requirement as a result. At first, Niantic dropped the level requirement for Pokemon GO Raid Battles down to level 31 early Friday morning. But that didn’t seem to be enough, and so they dropped it two more times, first to level 28 and then to level 25. While Niantic never officially revealed why it was dropping the level requirement for Raid Battles, there’s little doubt that fan outcry played a part. For the most diehard, a level 35 requirement was hardly a barrier, but for casual players that seemed a steep hill to climb. And if the whole point of Raid Battles is to bring lapsed players back … [Read more...]

Raids are up, but you’ll need to level up a bit in order to take part. Pokemon Go’s much-anticipated raid battles are now live as part of a sweeping set of updates to Pokemon Go including the addition of gym badges, TMs, rare candy, legendary Pokemon and other series staple features. Many of these features have been highly anticipated, but none so much as Raid Battles – multiplayer battles against AI Pokemon that will let you take on very high level Pokemon for special rewards including items that are all new to Pokemon Go and the chance to catch rare Pokemon or even legendary Pokemon for the first time. But, alas, there is a catch. Pokemon Go Developer Niantic has tweeted from the official Pokemon Go twitter account alerting players that they’ll need to be a certain level to take part in raids – and boy, it’s high. In order to raid in Pokemon Go’s newest feature you’ll need to be a whopping level 35 or above – which is a pretty … [Read more...]

The Poke-times, they are a changin’. Big time. What’s inside Pokemon Go’s latest patch update: 0.67.1 APK Pokemon Go’s latest patch update is a big one. In many ways this is the patch that hardcore Pokemon fans have been waiting for – it’s the one that’ll finally add in many of the defining features from the main Pokemon games on Nintendo consoles and handhelds, finally turning Niantic, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company’s big geocaching phenomenon into a more fully-fledged Pokemon experience. What exactly do we mean by these kinds of features? Well, fans have been working hard to data mine the game and thanks to places like the Pokemon Go Reddit, The Silph Road and Pokemon Go Hub we now have an even better idea of what the patch will include beyond what Niantic themselves have already announced as being in this Pokemon Go update. All the information here is as according to the datamine, and could be changed by Niantic before it’s … [Read more...]

AAAAAAAAAAND WELCOME...to this ongoing blog that I hope takes off, or at least dies with dignity. Isn't that feeling when the credits roll grand? Even better when you're treated to a really unexpected, yet really pleasant tune. Recently, I've had a really nasty habit of starting games, playing it for a bit, moving on, and not coming back until I forgot where I was. It's gotten really bad recently, and I just realized why: Did you know DTOID used to have forums? Within them was a regular thread that allowed you to post your completed games and then someone would edit the master list and we'd see how many game we could beat each year as a community. Some people were insane (All hail Chris "Magnalon" Carter and StriderHoang) and easily surpassed 50 games. What I want is to be able to adapt that yearly thread into a cblog form for the community to enjoy and hopefully push other people like me to be more motivated to complete games. Because you finally completing a game (Or getting a … [Read more...]

While Pokemon GO may never be as popular as it was last summer, the game is still played by millions of dedicated fans on a daily basis. Niantic has maintained the game’s community by regularly updating it, with the latest update tweaking gym battles and adding raids to keep longtime players invested in the experience. Besides new gym battles and raids, though, Niantic has also updated the game to allow for increased storage space. As announced by the official Pokemon GO Twitter account, players can now increase the number of items they can carry from 1,000 to 1,500. However, this storage increase doesn’t come automatically. Anyone that would like to increase their storage capacity from 1,000 items to 1,500 items will have to purchase bag upgrades from the shop, and they don’t come cheap. Bag upgrades in Pokemon GO cost 200 coins, which can be obtained using real-world cash or by earning coins at gyms. While there are undoubtedly Pokemon GO fans that … [Read more...]

Augmented reality is proving to be just as popular as virtual reality. Pokemon Go was the first AR title to achieve mainstream recognition, and now other are trying to emulate it. Of, course, there are others who want to have fun along the way as they develop a possible proof of concept. Developer Abhishek Singh, 28, took about a month using Unity to recreate a Super Mario Bros. level for the Microsoft HoloLens. Dressed as Mario, he took it for a spin in New York's Central Park and it worked rather well. Granted he had to go around pipes and could jump up to other levels, but he was able to jump over holes in the ground and jump up to punch blocks to get coins. He could jump on Goombas for points, and he used a rather ingenious method of shrinking the environment when he jumps on a super mushroom, since he can't make himself grow. "In Mario since all the action tends to start happening further out in front of you," Singh told UploadVR. "I didn't find the limited field of view to be a … [Read more...]

Although the Pokémon GO update was yesterday, the new gyms are now up and running as of today. There has been changes added to the way Gyms work in Pokémon GO, such as now being able to obtain items from them, and a new Gym badge feature. Here's the breakdown from Niantic regarding the new Gym update: "New Gym Features and Updates: Starting soon, Gyms are undergoing a major facelift. You'll soon be able to spin the Photo Disc at Gyms to acquire items just as you do at PokéStops-but that's only the beginning. More updates to Gym battles are also just around the corner. Gyms are no longer based on Prestige and training. Instead, they now feature six permanent slots that can be filled by the controlling team's Pokémon. Each Pokémon assigned to these slots must be unique. For example, only one Blissey can be assigned to a Gym at a time. In addition, opposing teams will battle the Pokémon in the order they were assigned to the Gym. At the heart of … [Read more...]

If you’re using tracking apps to catch Pokemon, don’t expect them to behave. Yesterday we dropped details of a the game’s huge new patch, which added some major features – gym badges, legendary monsters, TMs, expanded gyms, the works. Also included, it seems, was a mark that will pop up on the profiles of cheaters. A verified account from developer Niantic, labeled ‘NianticGeorge’, has spelled this change out in a Reddit post: “Starting today, Pokémon caught using third-party services that circumvent normal gameplay will appear marked with a slash in the inventory and may not behave as expected. We are humbled by the excitement for all the new features we announced yesterday.This is one small part of our continued commitment to maintaining the integrity of our community and delivering an amazing Pokémon GO experience.” It remains to be seen what they mean when they say that these monsters will not behave as expected, but … [Read more...]

This is more than just a new way of fighting in gyms. Update as of June 22 at 10pm British Summertime: Gyms are now appearing back online worldwide. If your local gyms aren’t yet up, they will be in the coming hours – act fast and go get your Pokemon into those coveted gym spots! There’s a lot currently going on in the world of Pokemon Go. If you’re not the type of player who follows along the updates and changes to the game through Pokemon Go’s media channels or through the very comprehensive coverage here on VG247 (how could you? Tut tut), you may have missed the current Summer Update shenanigans – and you may have just logged in to discover that ‘gyms are under construction’. But… what’s going on? Nintendo, The Pokemon Company and Niantic aren’t sleeping on the success of Pokemon Go. While fans of more traditional Pokemon have Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon and a new Pokemon entry for the Switch to look forward … [Read more...]

Today the UBM Game Network, organizer of the Game Developers Conference and the Virtual Reality Developers Conference, is proud to present the second annual VRDC VR/AR Innovation Report! It’s packed with insight gleaned from surveying over 600 professionals involved in the development of virtual/augmented/mixed reality experiences, and offers an exclusive glimpse into the VR/AR/MR industry -- from platform preferences, to market challenges, platform availability, funding and more. For more information and to download the report, download it for free here! As the world of VR, AR, and MR expands, UBM Game Network continues its work of providing industry professionals with opportunities to learn from each other and maintain their place on the cutting edge. To that end, VRDC Fall 2017 will take place in San Francisco from September 21-22, 2017 and will bring together creators of immersive experiences of all kinds—including … [Read more...]

Pokemon GO’s new update totally changes the way that Gym mechanics work and the community is very excited. The new system is meant to encourage more players to get involved in the multiplayer side of the mobile AR game and help less serious players feel comfortable in the world of Gym battles. Part of the new system gives players a chance to motivate other people’s Pokemon by feeding them berries at Gyms. During the first few hours of testing this new Pokemon GO feature, players seem to be finding a secret reward that Niantic didn’t mention in the original press release… After feeding a Pokemon a berry at an updated Gym, players seem to be getting rewarded with an average of 20 Stardust. This is a fairly insignificant reward, but can definitely add up over time. The more exciting report is that, on occasion, players also seem to be getting rewarded with a single candy that matches the species of Pokemon that was being fed. Multiple players are already taking … [Read more...]

Pokemon GO’s latest update has the potential to breath fresh life into the mobile AR game. By reinventing the Gym system and introducing new Battle Raids, there is now an improved multiplayer experience that should help keep the community engaged in the game’s content. Unfortunately, some Pokemon GO players are now worried about whether or not they are high enough level to participate in Battle Raids. After downloading the Pokemon GO update, players will see a new tab labeled ‘Raids.’ There are currently no Battle Raids available to the public, but the text in the box says, “Raid Battles are not yet available for your level.” The additional ‘for your level’ has a lot of people worried that there is some kind of level requirement. Rest assured that everyone, including max level players, are currently seeing that same message. None of the official notes from Niantic about Battle Raids have mentioned a level requirement at all, so this … [Read more...]

Niantic Labs has announced the release of a new update to Pokemon GO. Recently the company has teamed up with Starbucks to turn many of the their locations around the United States into PokeStops and Gyms. Their last update, released back in December, saw over 7,800 Starbucks locations turned into sites where players could collect items and capture gyms for their teams. This latest update adds upon that original number. A post on Niantic’s official website detailing their partnership with Starbucks states, “On December 8, we announced an official collaboration between Starbucks and Pokemon GO. This originally transformed 7,800 Starbucks locations in the United States into either PokeStops or Gyms. Today, we’re happy to share that over 5,000 additional Starbucks stores in the United States have been integrated into the game as either a PokeStop or Gym, giving you even more places to play Pokemon GO and to engage with your local community. Look for the … [Read more...]

Three different kinds of boxes If you're still playing Pokemon Go and actually buying things (I haven't done the latter for months, as no one is around to actually use my lures), you now have a chance to buy more things, because Niantic is all about shoving in more ways to spend money than fixing or adding to the actual game. Until December 30, you can buy a "Special," "Great," or "Ultra" box, which provide Great/Great/Ultra Balls respectively, as well as a varying amount of Incense and Incubators. You save a small amount of Coins (the earned in-game and premium currency) for each bundle. After that, "Bronze," "Silver," and "Gold" boxes will go on sale on December 30 through January 3, with a secret batch of items in them that will be revealed in a few days. So uh, this is something you can buy if you want. I think a lot of us are waiting on actual features to arrive first. Limited-time holiday item packs [Pokemon Go] You are logged out. | … [Read more...]

Battleborn to be Number One It's that time again when we all pick our favorite games of the year. 2016 was stuffed with great ones like Overwatch, Doom, and Final Fantasy XV, but those are all garbage compared to the One True Game of the Year. Of course I'm talking about Battleborn. In a year full of fantastic games, Battleborn clearly blew them all out of the water with its amazing gameplay innovation and writing. Overwhat? You are logged out. | It Didn't Take Ten Years for the Final Fantasy XV Porno to Come Out Nominees for Destructiod's Best PS4 Game of 2016 Doom 4 was Cancelled Because it Felt Too Much Like Call of Duty Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star Finally has a Western Release Date Nominees for Destructoid's Best PC Game of 2016 For Honor, a Game that was Said to be Playable Offline, Now Requires a Constant Connection RIP, For Honor, we hardly knew ye. My internet sucks way too much to put up with that shit. He "used the company credit cards to buy things … [Read more...]

Patent mentions 'real world carriers' as trade locations Pokémon GO was one of the biggest successes of the year, and even though it'll never get back to the heights of popularity it began with, it's still getting regular updates. Niantic has said for quite a while that it's been working on some features players expect from Pokémon games, including one-on-one battles and trading. A patent filed with the United States patent office may shed some light on how the latter function might work. It details a "System and method for transporting virtual objects in a parallel reality game." The patent was filed in March of 2015 by Niantic founder John Hanke and several other Google employees, prior to the spinoff that created Niantic. The patent mentions that transporting virtual objects through the virtual world can be linked to the location of "real world carriers," for example buses, airplanes, trains, ferries and the like. In the example given, the patent says that "a player … [Read more...]

Super Mario Run has reached 50 million downloads. Nintendo announced the milestone on its Japanese Twitter account, where it also said it's giving all players 10 free Toad Rally tickets as a celebration. 【お知らせ】「スーパーマリオ ラン」全世界5000万ダウンロードを記念して、キノピオラリーの「ラリーチケット」を10枚プレゼントしています。これからも「スーパーマリオ ラン」をよろしくお願いします。#SuperMarioRun pic.twitter.com/bQQdB8B8d0 - SuperMarioRun (@SuperMarioRunJP) December 23, 2016 "To show our gratitude to everyone who's downloaded [Super Mario Run], we are giving you all 10 Rally Tickets for free," reads a message delivered to players through Super Mario Run's in-game notification system. "Use them to enjoy all the fun of the Toad Rally. " Super Mario Run was released on December 15, which means it has reached to 50 million downloads mark in just over a week. As previously detailed, it accumulated 40 million downloads in the first four days it was available. The game is free to download, but only a limited selection of levels are playable until you purchase the game. … [Read more...]