The folks at The Pokémon Company and Niantic have brought back the memories of the late 90s. With the all new free-to-play app called Pokémon GO, the little pocket monsters are back for some super fun time. On 6 July 2016, the game was out in a few parts of the world including the US, Canada, France, Australia, UK and more. Reportedly, within a day of its release, the game was declared a smash hit and scored high in tech reviews. Many reviews expressed that, regardless of the glitches and issue the users face, the Pokémon GO is still an incredible game. The game is not officially available for India as of yet but we assume it will be in the next few months.
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Available on the iOS and Android platforms, Pokemon GO can be downloaded for free from the App store and Google’s PlayStore respectively. The makers of the game say, “With Pokémon GO, you’ll discover Pokémon in a whole new world—your own! And we know for a fact that is true. Built on Niantic’s Real World Gaming Platform the game uses real locations for users to explore the real world in order to discover their favourite Pokémon in their surroundings. More than a hundred species of Pokémon are up for grabs in this augmented reality game.
This is how you do it-
First get the game downloaded on your compatible phones and get out of your couch. Then, customize the look of your trainer by choosing apparel and accessories to give him or her a cool look. Your customized character will appear as you move around on the map, as well as on your profile page.
Explore your surroundings to find and capture as many Pokémon as you can. As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you’re near a Pokémon. Once you’ve encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone’s touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Be quick or else it might run away! Also look for PokéStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments, where you can collect more Poké Balls and other items. As the game advances you will level up as a Trainer, thus enabling you to catch more powerful Pokémon to complete your Pokédex.
There are many features on the game to keep the whole experience intuitive and interesting. The makers of the game have also introduced the Pokémon GO Plus portable device that will enable players to be in the game even while they’re not looking at their smartphones. The device connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth and notifies the player about events in the game—such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby—using an LED and vibration. In addition, players can catch Pokémon or perform other simple actions by pressing the button on the device. The Pokémon GO Plus accessory will be launched in late July 2016.
The game has garnered a lot of attention and is well received by the users but there are some safety concerns that have emerged. The game requires you to go out and explore your surroundings in order to find and capture your favorite Pokémon. But with eyes locked on phone screens and no attention to surroundings, many players have faced serious injuries. In a latest incident reported, around 10 teenagers became victims of armed robberies after being lured by attractive items leading them into an unsafe environment.
In totality, there are 729 revealed species of the title characters and in course of time all will be added to the Pokemon GO game list. So how many of you have collected so far? Do share your views and collection with us. Go Pokemon, gotta catch ’em all!
