The masters of disappointing overexcited fans are back with a baffling surprise!
After a drought of new game announcements and information, Nintendo has finally broken their silence. Today, July 2, 2020, a new game for the Nintendo Switch developed by WayForward, the makers of the Shantae series, was announced via a Nintendo Treehouse Livestream!
Introducing… Bakugan: Champions Vestroia. Oh.
Striking while the iron is frozen solid.
As you no doubt already know, Bakugan is a strategy (?) game where players use small spherical toys (the Bakugan themselves) that pop open to transform into tiny characters. I think you use them to battle each other and cards are possibly involved. Maybe there’s points? No one knows. Like Mousetrap or Operation, no child has ever actually played the full game, instead opting to play with the toy once, get bored, and put it away forever.
The Bakugan toys spawned an anime series that no one watched in 2007 and a few video games no one played from 2009 to 2011. The anime series has since been rebooted several times over the years, so evidently someone has to be watching these things.
Personally I can’t wait for the inevitable Smash Bros x Bakugan Mii Costume
The trailer showcases players building their team of Bakugan, (Bakugans? Bakugen?) battling online or solo, and that’s all Bakugan is so that’s it. Why this game didn’t receive a full 40-minute-long deep dive Nintendo Direct is anyone’s guess.
With this announcement, the Nintendo holiday lineup is on a roll (like Bakugan!) and we can’t wait to see more games like this soon. Maybe a Beyblade game by Next Level Games, or KerPlunk by MercurySteam.
Players can pop their balls in Bakugan: Champions Vestroia on November 3, 2020, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch!
With the double whammy of news that ARMS is currently free for Nintendo Switch Online members and that it’s coming to Smash this June, the 2017 arena fighter is getting a nice little boost in popularity again. Now is as good a time as any to remind you about the amazing Japanese Twitter account for Arms that was pumping out incredible, original art from 2017 to 2019. Behold!
While the game itself never offered much in the way of story beyond tiny snippets of text in between matches of the story mode, the development team used Twitter as a means to flesh out its characters in sometimes cute, sometimes hilarious, always awesome ways.
We were told things about the characters, like that Ribbon Girl was a pop star for instance, but never really got to see them outside of the arena. That is, not unless you followed the Japanese Twitter account where we got to see the cast slice-of-life style.
Like the time we saw Twintelle working out her hair at the gym:
Or the time Mechanica popped out of her mech to read under a tree in Autumn.
Or whenMin Min brough gifts to a group of young fans?
…Or the boys playing Beyblades. You know, as one does.
There was also the time ARMS predicted 2020 way back in 2017
With these art pieces it seems the team behind ARMS had attempted the same approach that Hero shooters like Overwatch employ; minimal in game story (focusing on pure gameplay) with supplemental online media that fleshes out more of the world at a lower cost to create. While it would have been rad to see the world of ARMS further expanded in game, we’re just stoked to see this stuff at all.
We even got a look at our boy Springman in Smash Bros. Ultimate, back when he was first announced as an assist trophy. Seeing this again helps you visualize what it’ll look like when Arms Characters come to Smash fully this June.
Until last week, the account was inactive since June 2019, which was the 2 year anniversary of ARMS. Since the Smash Bros announcement, however, the account is tweeting again. Here’s hoping that means new original art as we approach the Smash Bros. date and the game’s three year anniversary!
The Legendary Sync Pair Giovanni & Mewtwo strike back in the hit mobile game Pokemon Masters for a limited time!
One of the most powerful Sync Pairs returns this week with Giovanni & Mewtwo in the Legendary Event: Lurking Shadow. This isn’t the first time they’ve shown up, but if you missed your chance to nab the pair last time or are new to the game, now’s your chance to add the infamous psychic Pokemon to your team.
Adding Giovanni & Mewtwo to your team
Unlike most Sync Pairs, Giovanni & Mewtwo aren’t available in the Sync Pair Scout and can only be found by playing the Lurking Shadow Event. Lurking Shadow is available under the Events tab in Explore. By completing both single-player and co-op Lurking Shadow boss areas, you’ll gain Custom Vouchers for the Giovanni & Mewtwo Sync Pair. You’ll need 800 Custom Vouchers to get them, but once you reach that number, they’re totally free. No battle required!
However, getting 800 Custom Vouchers will require some farming. Strong dark and psychic type Sync Pairs are a necessity. While single-player areas are easier and faster, co-op areas will gain significantly more rewards including Custom Buff Blends and Training Machines (more on this later). We recommend sticking to whatever highest level co-op area you can handle for farming.
Houndoom’s Sync Move will evolve it into Mega Houndoom, a crucial addition to your team!
You’ll mostly require strong dark type Sync Pair Pokemon to help you complete these areas (and you’ll want to aim to complete all of them for their First Time Bonuses) as well as some psychic and electric types.
The two best suitable dark type Sync Pairs for the job are Karen & Houndoom and Grimsley & Liepard, both available now in the Spotlight Scout. Secondary to them, Nanu & Persian or Cheren & Stoutland can also be helpful. For psychic types, if you managed to get Professor Oak & Mew recently, now’s their time to shine. If not, Sync Pairs Caitlin & Reuniclus or Calem & Mewstic will also be a big help. For electric types, Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom are also available in the Spotlight Scout, but the always reliable Hau & Raichu work as well.
Upgrading Giovanni & Mewtwo
Once you’ve finally obtained the Sync Pair, the grind isn’t over. The items required for teaching Giovanni & Mewtwo new moves and skills as well as unlocking their level cap are only available for a limited time during Lurking Shadow.
You’ll need hundreds of Custom Buff Blends and Training Machines to get these to their max before the time limit is up, and as mentioned the best way to go about this is grinding those co-op areas over and over. Having powerful dark type Sync Pairs is crucial to higher level areas, so make sure you focus on getting your team as strong as possible to make the grind faster. You’ll also get a x3 bonus for the first match of each co-op area you play everyday so make sure to come back daily.
Giovanni & Mewtwo’s Shadow Ball move is a great ghost type attack that’ll come in handy for later single-player areas.
As with every Legendary Event, a new series of Missions has been added to help the item grind. Completing these missions requires using the Giovanni & Mewtwo Sync Pair, as well as repeatedly completing areas and will reward you with both custom items as well as Gems. You’ll likely complete many of these along the way during your grind, but it doesn’t hurt to take a look and make sure you’re hitting those requirements.
With that done and your Giovanni & Mewtwo Sync Pair fully kitted out, there’s one last grind left. In the Shop tab Exchange Items, you can exchange thousands of Custom Vouchers and Super Custom Vouchers to further level up Giovanni & Mewtwo’s Sync Move, as well as obtain Custom Power-Ups to increase their stats and number of stars. Excess Vouchers and Training Machines can be exchanged for Elite Four Notes, generic Buff Blends, Level-Up Manuals, and Custom Buff Blends if you need more.
When does the Legendary Event Lurking Shadow end?
The Lurking Shadow event ends on March 16, 2020 at 12:59 a.m., so make sure you obtain and finish upgrading your Giovanni & Mewtwo Sync Pair before then! This now marks the second time the Legendary Sync Pair has made an appearance and in all likelihood they may return again in the future, perhaps with another reward adjustment.
Nevertheless, we have no idea if and when they’ll be back, so use this chance now to capture and upgrade the powerful Sync Pair before they’re gone again!
