It’s been one heck of a year
A lot has happened in 2020. The entire world as we know it has shifted, and with that, a lot of changes have been made to Pokemon GO. All of this to allow Trainers to continue to play from the comfort and safety of their homes. From Remote Raiding and inviting friends to Raids, to increased Incense effectiveness and improved spawn rates, we have seen several major quality of life changes (most of which were well received within the community.)
Today I’m going to go over my favorite updates and events that I believe showcased the best of Pokemon GO this year and the Pokemon Crossroads articles that went along with them.
#5: Pokemon GO to Pokemon HOME Compatibility
The option to transfer Pokemon from game to game has long been a staple in Pokemon. Trainers have been holding on to Pokemon in GO for over 4 years with no way to play with them in main line games. This feature was teased for a long time, then when it finally dropped, a lot of controversy arose around the cost of transferring. But over time, Trainers warmed up to it and accepted it for what it was. Check out the article.
#4: Pokemon GO Throwback Challenge
These challenges has longtime trainers relive their past adventures through the first four regions of The Pokemon series. Each week had a list of obstacles designed to challenge even the most veteran Trainers. Check out the article.
#3: Pokemon GO Fest 2020
Every year, Niantic has held a huge celebration in Chicago, Illinois, bringing Trainers from all over the world, to partake in a one-of-a-kind experience within the world of Pokemon GO. This year, the world was rocked by COVID-19. Flying across the world and crowding into a tiny park just wasn’t deemed safe. The crew at Niantic worked hard and came up with a way for everyone to play from the safety of their own home or at the least, their own city. This was a huge turning point for IRL events and made these types of events more accessible to the masses. Check out the article.
#2: Remote Raiding
Coordinating raids in game has been a feature that long time fans of Pokemon GO have been asking for. We used to have to waste a raid pass just to jump into the lobby in hopes that more people would join us. Another way was using other apps such as Discord to discuss who was going to be at a Raid and when.
This feature was fixed and we can now scout out other players without leaving the app or using up a Raid Pass. But with some countries being on lockdown, Raids were inaccessible, leaving Niantic to come up with a solution. Remote Raid Passes were the answer. Now you could safely Raid in any gym that was visible from your location. Niantic then took it one step further and allowed us to invite up to five friends to join us. Check out the article.
Honorable Mentions
I would be doing myself a great injustice if I didn’t plug my first articles here on Pokemon Crossroads. Since the launch of Pokemon GO, I have been a huge fan of the game and played everyday since the games launch. I enjoy finding quick ways of doing menial tasks and these articles, I find, really showcased some of that.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
#1: Go Beyond
Only a quick few months after Pokemon GO released, a small group of people who played day and night hit the level cap of 40. Four years later, a good majority of players had also hit that cap. There was rumor of level cap increase for quite a while, but late this year, we received the trailer that gave us hope. Yes, the level cap was finally being increased to 50. but getting there will be no easy task. There will be challenges along the way to force you to prove your worth. Check out the article.
So there you have it. The top 5 best moments in Pokemon GO this year. Do you have any other moments that stand out to you? Let us know.
See you around, Genesect!!!
