Pokemon GO Announces Johto Pokemon, New Features

Published: February 15, 2017 10:00 AM /

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Pokemon GO Johto

Pokemon GO, the wildly popular augmented reality Pokemon-catching game by Niantic, has announced that new Pokemon (and some new features) are on their way in a news post on the game's official website.

Starting things off, the game will be adding over 80 Pokemon originally from the Johto region (the setting of Pokemon Silver and Pokemon Gold). The three starters (Totodile, Chikorita, and Cyndoquil), as well as a handful of other Pokemon can be seen in a trailer that accompanied the release:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R04u9E5INTI

Much like the second generation of games, a fundamental mechanic is being introduced: gender. Pokemon will begin to appear as either of the two genders (male or female) out in the wild. Considering the introduction of baby Pokemon added in late 2016, this is one more step towards allowing breeding. Special evolution items are being added as well; although no specific examples have been mentioned, these will likely be items such as Thunder Stones. Players at the /r/PokemonGO subreddit have raised some potential issues and questions about these new evolution items - will they change the way existing Pokemon such as Pikachu or Eevee currently evolve?

Aside from the new creatures to capture, new items are being added to the game. The news post specifically mentions two new berry types. Nanab Berries will slow a Pokemon's movements and make it easier to catch, and Pinap Berries will double the amount of candy you get from capturing a Pokemon if you successfully manage to snag it. Pokemon will also be reacting to players in new ways, so you'll likely need to make good use of these new additions to the trainer's arsenal.

Finally, trainer avatars will be spruced up a bit. New selections of clothing are on their way if players would like to change the appearance of their avatar. There are still quite a few unanswered questions to be had regarding this update, of course - will Niantic be increasing the cap of Pokemon storage? Will existing Pokemon be assigned a gender after the update? Where are the Gen 1 Legendary Pokemon? For the moment, one thing is likely - you'll probably be seeing more trainers out in local Pokemon GO hotspots in the coming weeks.


Quick Take

It's nice to see the game updating with new Pokemon, though it's a bit depressing that Niantic hasn't yet gotten Global Events and Legendary Pokemon off the ground. Some more hardcore players have complained about the absolute cap on Pokemon and Items (no more than 1,000 of either), and I hope that Niantic has the sense to increase this. I also hope that they have the generosity to afford players some freebie storage slots for Pokemon and items, respectively.

What do you think of the new Johto Pokemon being added into the game? Have you kept playing Pokemon GO, or have you put it down after the initial hype? If you've stopped playing lately, will this update give you a reason to pick it up again? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Pokemon Go
Game Page Pokemon Go
Developer
Niantic
Publisher
Niantic
Platforms
Android, IOS
Release Date
July 6, 2016 (Calendar)
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