What Pokemon Go Needs to Do Make New Players Feel Welcome

Pokemon Go’s one year anniversary is this week and we discuss what’s changed since its inception. From Raids and Gyms to the massive learning curve for newbies and returning players, there’s a lot that’s been added upon what we felt was a barebones release last July. Along with this, we compare it to how games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, and Hearthstone manage to be welcoming to new players without watering down gameplay for loyalists.

In addition to this, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy - a high definition remaster of the one-time unofficial PlayStation mascot has been out for a week, to acclaim both critical and otherwise. The number one complaint being its difficulty, which for some reason has been equated to Dark Souls of all things - which is amusing since it hasn’t been altered since the original releases. We speculate as to why this is the case and comment on India’s delayed launch for the game.

Furthermore, we talk about rumours surrounding the possible release of action games Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 for the Nintendo Switch and the controversy surrounding Mass Effect developer Bioware’s new game - Anthem. A new PS4 trailer taken from Xbox One X footage has had Xbox One users up in arms suggesting that fanboys need some time out.

The conversation turns to Call of Duty and how Activision’s stance on hardselling you on the latest and greatest in the series has softened with the advent of microtransactions, DLC, and plummeting sales.

On the topic of DLC, we talk about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s expansion pass and if it’s worth your time and energy. The first DLC for it includes Master Mode, a new quest in Trials of the Sword, and a host of items and can only be bought with the second DLC due later in the year for $20. Could this be the way forward for Nintendo? Find out in Transition.

You can subscribe to Transition via Apple Podcasts or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below. The music for this episode comes via Magnus Souleye Pålsson's album PPPPPP, which is the soundtrack for the game, VVVVVV.