We’re just about a month out from Pokemon Sun & Moon, so anticipation for the game is building fast.

Today, Nintendo just announced that there’ll be a free self contained demo for the game on October 18th. Users will be able to download the demo on the E-shop, catch and discover some of the Alola formed Pokemon, and even capture Ash’s Greninja which can be transferred into the full game! Pretty awesome that we’re getting this demo in the first place to help level out anticipation. That or it’ll just make people more impatient.

Are you excited for the demo? What kind of Alola Pokemon are you hoping to find? Tell us in the comments below!

Out of 720 Pokemon, Japan has selected generation six water starter, Greninja, as the most popular across the entire franchise.

Barring the yet to be (officially) released Volcanion and the Pokemon shown to debut in Sun and Moon, Japanese participants were asked to vote for any one of the current 720 Pokemon as their favorite between April 16 and May 8, with the winner to be distributed to copies of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as a bonus for pre-purchasing tickets to Pokémon the Movie XY & Z: Volcanion and the Exquisite Magearna. While it was surprising to see a non-generation one Pokemon win the poll, the wider results show a bigger picture.

First, Greninja has had a pretty big push since it debuted in and Y. Not only was it arguably the best looking form out of all the other generation six starters, but it was easily the most viable in battle thanks to its hidden Protean ability. By changing its type to match whatever attack its using, it helped the water / dark type play both offensively and defensively, letting it adapt to various situations to make up for its lackluster defensive stats. On the anime front, Froakie became Ash’s main Pokemon during the most recent season of the long running anime, eventually evolving into Greninja and taking on some of its trainer’s characteristics in the process, (which is a heavily rumored mechanic for the upcoming Sun and Moon.) Lastly, Greninja was the sole playable and representative to be featured in the most recent Super Smash Bros. title, with a variety of fast attacks that lay waste to its opponents in unique ways.

Pokemon Top 12

Rounding out the rest of the top 12 is Arceus, the creator of the Pokemon universe who debuted in Diamond and Pearl, Mew, the first Mythical Pokemon, Pikachu, the series mascot, Sylveon, the sole fairy type in the top 12 who is also the most recent Eevee evolution, the man made Mythical Pokemon, Genesect, from Black and White, the sky dragon, Rayquaza, and Y‘s Zygarde, (who still got no game,) Charizard, best known as the $100 trading card that got stolen out of your card folder, the musical Meloetta from the fifth generation, the ultra powerful gen 1 secret boss, Mewtwo, and Eevee itself, the Pokemon that can become eight other types. What’s especially telling to me, is that despite gen 1 being held in such high regard, the list is full of a surprising amount of gen 5 and 6 Pokemon. Notorious for the former’s trash bag and ice cream monsters, while the latter had a living set of keys, it’s good to see that the voters acknowledged how awesome the rest of the roster could be. Now, where’s Latios, Latias and Volcarona!?

What wasn’t a surprise however, is Simisear was dead last. Sorry, fire poop monkey. There’s always next election. Stunfisk is still worse though…

Simisear

Did any part of this list surprise you? Who would you put at the number one slot? Choose your favorites in the comments!

Make ready your Amiibo-tapping fingers, because a wave of new details have just been announced! Nintendo is continuing to feed our Amiibo fever by launching new Amiibo, unveiling release dates, and even providing details on how some of the new figures will work!

First, details regarding the Wolf Link amiibo and its functionality in the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD.  The physical version of the game includes both the Wolf Link Amiibo and the game, and it launches March 4 at a suggested retail price of $59.99!  As described in our earlier article, the other currently available Legend of Zelda Amiibo figures will also activate special effects within the game, so it may be worth picking them up at the same time (if you don’t already own them)!  Also, it has been announced that the Wolf Link amiibo will be compatible with the Wii U Legend of Zelda game launching later this year, although we still don’t have details on Amiibo functionality or release date for that title.

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Next up, March 18 will see the launch of several new amiibo from the Animal Crossing series!  Namely, the new Amiibo that will be available are Timmy and Tommy, Kapp’n, and Rover.  Digby, which was previously only available with the Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival bundle, will also be available as a stand-alone amiibo.  All of the currently released physical Animal Crossing amiibo, including the upcoming ones, are based on major NPC characters (such as shop owners) in the Animal Crossing universe, and are largely used in Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, although several of them can also be used to unlock Super Mario Maker costumes.  Also, later on in March, the third wave of Animal Crossing Amiibo cards will be launched, expanding the catalog of available cards to a whopping 300!  Animal Crossing cards are based on the NPC villagers that can move into a town with the main character, although there are card versions of the major NPCs as well–these cards are used mainly with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer where you can build a home for each villager and save the created home to the card.  They can also be used in Amiibo Festival, although only with side-games.  For more information on specific functionality with amiibo, please check Nintendo’s amiibo compatibility list.

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Another game that has been announced with Amiibo functionality is Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.  Both the Mario and Sonic Amiibo can be used with this game, and these will activate a “daily power” that will boost each individual character.  Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games has a launch date of March 18, at a suggested retail price of $39.99.

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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokémon, some of the Pokémon Amiibo will be available again at select retailers.  Prepare for the return of Charizard, Jigglypuff, Greninja, and Lucario!  Note that it doesn’t mention Mewtwo, but based on my own travels, Mewtwo stock doesn’t seem hard to find (yet).  Who knows–maybe amiibo functionality with a new Pokémon game is right around the corner!

And finally, Amiibo compatibility has been confirmed for Star Fox Zero, launching exclusively on Wii U on April 22.  More details on Amiibo functionality with the title will be revealed at a later date.  The Star Fox franchise is one of Nintendo’s strongest, following several anthropomorphic animal space pilots on their various intergalactic missions.  After our recent expeditions on the planet Mira with Xenoblade Chronicles, and the resurgence of Star Wars with Episode VII, we are looking forward to jumping back into the deep reaches of space with Fox and his crew, using the Wii U’s GamePad as our cockpit!

How do you feel about this new wave of Amiibo news?  Has it forced your Amiibo fever to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit?  Please let us know in the comments!

Pokemon.com has revealed some interesting details about the upcoming season of Pokemon X and Y out of Japan, much of which seems to hint at what the future may hold for upcoming iterations of the popular video game franchise.

In the latest news update, it was revealed that Zygarde, the hidden Legendary Pokemon that could only be found after the main story was completed in the Pokemon X & Y video game, will be getting a variety of new forms, (or “formes” as the cool trainers like to call them). More surprisingly however, is that Ash’s Greninja is also getting a physical change! Read up on the details from the official website below:

 

Zygarde Cell

Zygarde Cell: This stage has been identified as the single Cells that make up Zygarde. Cells do not possess any will or thought processes. They’re found scattered throughout the region. Since they can’t use any moves, researchers question whether they can even be called Pokémon!

Zygarde Core

Zygarde Core: At this stage, this aspect of Zygarde is little more than a part of the Pokémon’s brain. Unlike the Cells, the Cores are self-aware and can communicate with Cells and other Cores via telepathy. When a change occurs in the local region’s ecosystem, Cores have been known to take action.

Zygarde 10

Zygarde 10% Forme: Zygarde 10% is the Forme that the Zygarde Core takes when it gathers 10% of the Cells nearby. Capable of traveling over 60 mph (100 km/h), it defeats enemies with its sharp fangs and its incredible speed.

Zygarde 50

Zygarde 50% Forme: This Legendary Pokémon watches over and maintains the local ecosystem. Until recently, this was the only known Forme of Zygarde. In actuality, this Forme only has 50% of the Cells in its structure.

Zygarde Complete

Zygarde Complete Forme: This is the perfect Forme that Zygarde takes when the Core gathers 100% of the Cells. When the ecosystem is under threat, and the Core concludes that the 50% Forme will be unable to deal with it, the Core takes on the Complete Forme. Its power is said to be greater than that of the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal!

Ash-Greninja

Ash-Greninja: Plus, Ash’s Greninja takes on a mysterious new appearance in the latest season! Ash-Greninja is the form that Greninja takes when the bond between it and Ash is raised to the limit. The strength of their bond changes Greninja’s appearance, and it takes on the characteristic look of Ash’s attire. This phenomenon is also said to have happened just once several hundred years ago in the Kalos region, but it remains shrouded in mystery.

Those who follow Pokemon won’t be too surprised about Zygarde. While hidden legendaries receiving upgraded formes has been a thing ever since Deyoxs in Ruby/Sapphire, and has led to a third version starting with Platinum and Giratina, and it’s clear that this anime update is most likely leading to a Pokemon Z. Couple that with Zygarde’s low end stats compared to Xerneas and Yveltal, and we knew that something was up! Just not that the version we caught before was only 50% complete, (or that it can become a dog for some reason.)

Ash-Greninja is a completely different possibility entirely. With trainer customization being such a big deal in X & Y, does this mean a potential future version might let our Pokemon take up the appearance of our trainer if their affection his high enough? Or is this just a one off anime gimmick to help Ash’s Greninja stand out? We won’t know until a new game is eventually announced, so we’ll just have to throw out baseless speculation until then!

Share your thoughts with us on the subject below, and let us know what else you’d like to see in future versions of the popular game!