Man on subway: “I get it! It’s like a family tree and all the people are blooming out of the tree and the bottom of the stalk is the past, and the top is the future, that’s why you can’t see it (because the top kirby is cut off), because you can’t see the future.”
Remember location-based gaming? It’s back, in Pokémon form. Coming to iOS and Android as free-to-play download next year, Pokémon Go is a smartphone side-project produced by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and lead developer Niantic – that last studio worked on location-based, MMO augmented reality game Ingress while it was a part of Google.
Here’s what we know about how it plays: “In Pokémon GO, players will be able to catch, trade, and battle in the real world by utilizing location information. Pokémon GO’s gameplay experience goes beyond what appears on screen as players explore their neighborhoods, communities and the world they live in to discover Pokémon alongside friends and other players.”
I dig this “Pokémon GO Plus” accessory, which you can wear on your wrist:
Info on the bluetooth device: “By pressing a button on Pokémon GO Plus, simple in-game actions like catching a Pokémon can be performed. Developed and manufactured by Nintendo Co., Ltd., Pokémon GO Plus will connect to smartphones via Bluetooth and by flashing and vibrating, will notify players about events like the appearance of a Pokémon nearby.”
BREAKING NEWS FROM THE SQUID RESEARCH LAB: We’ve just received footage of a live performance by none other than the Squid Sisters! That’s right: Callie and Marie performed for their fans recently at Niconico Tokaigi, a gaming event in Japan.