Pokémon Masters Adds Charizard In Biggest Content Update Yet

Pokémon Masters is celebrating both Pokémon Day and its own 6-month anniversary since the official launch, and has just added Charizard to the game while releasing the biggest content update yet.

The addition of Charizard is also just the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot more being added to the game to chew through. Such as new missions for the story, a new game mode, new story events, new evolutions and more.

Whether you're new to this game, a returning player, or a current and active player, now is a good time to be logging into the game with everything that's now available.

Today's Pokémon Masters update adds Charizard & Red as a sync pair

To get Charizard in the game you'll need to complete the associated story event.

This will include new missions that have you meet Sygna Suit Red who is the sync pair trainer for Charizard. But because the two of them are a sync pair you can of course still add them to your team and use them in battles.

Typically with these event missions, you only had so much time to acquire the new pair. That isn't the case this time as Red and Charizard will be permanent adds. If however you do the limited time Poké Fair Scout + Present you have better chances of getting them.

So it might be worth trying to do those while you can. This limited part of the event will be around from today at 10PM Pacific Standard Time until March 15 at 10:59 Pacific Standard Time.

Main story chapters have been extended to include 22 – 24

You have three new chapters of story missions to complete following this update, as it adds on chapters 22 – 24.

These new chapters won't open up until 10PM just like the limited time event. Once you are able to start them though, completing them will reward you with another new sync pair. Valerie and Sylveon.

New stories for evolution sync pairs are here

If some of your Pokémon in the game are lacking an evolution, now might be your chance to help them evolve.

New story mission for evolution sync pairs have been added into the game with this update. So in addition to the new chapters for the main story, the new event story missions for Red and Charizard, and the new story event for Sygna Suit Elesa and Rotom, you have these missions to go through as well.

One thing is for certain, you won't be running out of content to do in this game anytime soon as the new update has added a ton of it.

Pokemon Masters

Get ready for a whole new take on Pokémon battles as you team up with famous Trainers from throughout the history of Pokémon in Pokémon Masters. This mobile game is a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and DeNA Co., Ltd., and it gives longtime fans an opportunity to reunite with Gym Leaders and Champions from previous Pokémon video games for an all-new adventure!

Pokémon Masters Adds New Single-Player Survival Mode

The developers at DeNA have announced some big new additions to the Pokémon Masters mobile game, including a single-player survival mode called Battle Villa. This will be music to the ears of gamers who called for more single-player content at the time of the game's launch in August last year.

"Battle Villa is a new game mode where every choice matters," reads the official description from DeNA. "In this new mode, players will battle against AI opponents to see how many total stages they can clear during the two weeks of a Battle Villa being open." This is a timed event that will test your ability to withstand an onslaught of battles, in a similar style to the Battle Chateau from Pokémon X and Y and other such enjoyable locations from the iconic Pokémon RPG franchise. There are 25 stages to clear, each of which consists of a 3 versus 3 clash of Sync Pairs.

There are a few terms and conditions to be aware of here. As DeNA notes, "While a player's progress will carry over day to day, players will only be able to battle with a select number of sync pairs each day." And in order to take part, you have to complete Chapter 7 of the game's main story first.

You won't have to wait long to get involved, though, since the first Battle Villa event will be kicking off on February 28, 2020, at 1:00 AM ET. The event will be available until March 16, 2020, at 12:59 AM ET. Further Battle Villa events are being planned for the future, as well.

We were lucky enough to have an early hands-on experience with the Battle Villa, and we're pleased to report that it does inject a bit more challenge into the game. You can't fully heal your Sync Pairs between battles, and you can't revive any creatures that get knocked out, so you'll have to be tactical about which critters you deploy at which point. You're able to pick nine Sync Pairs to take into the Battle Villa each day, and if you fail, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to make another attempt.

We've also got some screenshots to give you an early impression of what the Battle Villa is like. Here's an image of the exterior...

Looks pretty swanky, doesn't it? That air of gravitas is present and correct inside the Battle Villa, too, as you can see in this next image...

And if you're wondering what the user experience will be like between the battles, this next screenshot should give you an idea. You'll be trying to work your way through a list of battles, presented like this...

And if you want to know what the battles themselves will look like, here's a snap of the battle in progress...

The addition of the Battle Villa isn't the only new thing to get excited about in Pokémon Masters, either. On top of the recent addition of Professor Oak and Mew as a Sync Pair, you'll now be able to pick up Red and Charizard. Red, if you were wondering, is the official name of the player-controlled protagonist from Pokémon Red and Blue. You'll be able to get this new Sync Pair through the usual in-game channels, and there will also be an event titled "Poké Fair Scout + Present" taking place between February 28 and March 16 which will increase your chances of picking up Red and Charizard.

Other new additions to the game include a host of evolution options, a story event featuring Elesa and Rotom, and three chapters that are coming to the Main Story. Players that log into the app during this six-month anniversary event for Pokémon Masters will also be able to pick up some free gems as a gift. You've got to admire all of this effort to keep the game fresh, right? And if you do take part in the Battle Villa event, good luck to you!

"Pokémon Masters" Receives A Massive Update For Pokémon Day

DeNA and The Pokémon Company have released a massive update for Pokémon Masters this morning to celebrate Pokémon Day properly! We have the full list of additions below as they went all out to make this an event for players. Which includes new story chapters, more evolutions, a new story event, more added characters, free games to play in the game, and much more. Enjoy combing through everything there is to do in Pokémon Masters for the next month.

Credit: DeNA

Sygna Suit Red & Charizard Now Available: As previously teased, the wait is finally over as Red & Charizard join Pokémon Masters as a sync pair. This version of Red dons his Sygna Suit, a special outfit that Trainers can wear into battle on the island of Pasio. A unique feature of this sync pair, shared only by a few others such as Korrina & Lucario, Blue & Pidgeot, and Steven & Metagross, is that Charizard transforms into Mega Charizard X after executing a sync move. While Sygna Suit Red & Charizard will permanently be added to the game, players will have a higher chance of obtaining this sync pair in the limited time "Poké Fair Scout + Present," available from February 27 at 10:00PM Pacific time to March 15 at 10:59PM Pacific time.

Chapters 22 – 24 Added to the Story—Get Valerie & Sylveon: Three new story chapters will be added to the Main Story of the game at February 27 at 10:00 Pacific time, allowing players to continue the story of Pokémon Masters and play up to Chapter 24. Completing these new story chapters will also allow players to add the sync pair of Valerie & Sylveon to their team.

More Pokémon Evolutions Added: New evolution sync pair stories have been added, allowing more Pokémon the opportunity to evolve in the game. For example, Oshawott can now evolve to Dewott and Samurott, Whirlipede to Scolipede, Espurr to Meowstic, Palpitoad to Seismitoad, Cranidos to Rampardos, Ponyta to Rapidash, Makuhita to Hariyama, Nosepass to Probopass, and many more.

Battle Villa, Single Player Gauntlet-Style Survival Mode, Added: Battle Villa is a new game mode where every choice matters. In this new mode, players will battle against AI opponents to see how many total stages they can clear during the two weeks of a Battle Villa being open. While a player's progress will carry over day to day, players will only be able to battle with a select number of sync pairs each day. The inaugural Battle Villa will be open from February 27 at 10:00PM Pacific time to March 15 at 10:59PM Pacific time for those that have completed Chapter 7 of the Main Story. Future Battle Villas will periodically open in the game.

New Story Event Features Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom: A new type of story event titled "Shining Star" will feature the professional model of the Unova region, Elesa. Instead of the traditional Story Mission-style format that players are used to, players will have to battle against AI opponents and traverse a series of maps in order to progress the story. Only players who have completed Chapter 1 of the Main Story are eligible to participate in "Shining Star." Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom will also be featured in the "Sygna Suit Elesa Spotlight Scout." Both the story event and the spotlight scout will be available from February 27 at 10:00PM Pacific time to March 15 at 10:59PM Pacific time.

Professor Oak & Mew Still Available to Add: This sync pair will be distributed to all players that have logged into the game and completed the tutorial before March 15 at 10:59PM Pacific time. This marks the first time in the Pokémon games that Professor Oak will join the battle as a Pokémon Trainer.

Free Gems to Celebrate Six Months Since the Launch of Pokémon Masters: To commemorate the release date of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green in Japan 24 years ago, players who login to the game before March 15 at 10:59PM Pacific time will receive a one-time gift of 3,000 free gems. Players that login each day prior to this date will also be able to receive up to 3,000 additional free gems, given out in celebration of six months since the launch of Pokémon Masters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HahbHIIRgDY&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfasshwtfKY&feature=youtu.be

About Gavin Sheehan

Gavin has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys standup comedy, Let's Play videos and trying new games, along with hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vero, for random pictures and musings.

     

Pokemon Masters celebrates 6 months with Red and Charizard

Pokemon Masters is celebrating Pokemon Day, but more than that, it's celebrating its six month anniversary by introducing Red and Charizard.

The Pokemon Company has been finding various ways to celebrate Pokemon Day. Meanwhile, developer DeNA has a different occasion to celebrate on top of that. It's been six months since Pokemon Masters was released, so that means the developer has several things planned for the game's player base, including the long-awaited arrival of Red and Charizard.

So yes, let's take a moment to talk about Red and Charizard. They'll be debuting as the latest sync pair, with Red donning his Sygna Suit. Red's one of a special breed of trainers, meaning that executing a sync move will transform Charizard into Mega Charizard X. Players will have a chance to earn Sygna Suit Red and Charizard at any time, but your odds are going to increase if you take part in the Poke Fair Scout + Present event. That's set to begin tonight at 10PM PT and will run through March 15 at 10:59PM PT.

The other big addition to Pokemon Masters is the all-new Battle Villa. This is a new game mode where players will take on AI opponents in a test to see how many they can defeat. The Battle Villa will last for two weeks, with player progress carrying over from day to day. However, there's a limit to how many sync pairs players can face daily. If you've completed Chapter 7 of the main Pokemon Masters story, then the Battle Villa will open its doors. The first one will last from 10PM tonight through March 15 at 10:59PM PT.

As for the story, look for Chapters 22, 23, and 24 to be added at 10PM PT tonight. Completing those chapters will let players add Valerie and Sylveon to their team. Outside of the main story, players can take part in a new event called Shining Star, which will see players take on a number of AI opponents en route to facing and ultimately unlocking Sygna Suit Elesa and Rotom.

In addition to these events, about a dozen new evolution sync pairs will be made available. The Pokemon Masters six-month anniversary event kicks off tonight at 10PM PT and will last until March 15. If you need incentive to log in, you'll pick up 3,000 gems for jumping in before the end of the event. Also, don't forget about Professor Oak and Mew. They're still around for a few more days.

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he's also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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'Pokémon Masters' Update to Add Red and Charizard, Battle Villa & More

Pokémon Masters players will be happy with the mobile game's latest update, as it not only features a new game mode but also adds one of the most requested Sync Pairs, Red and Charizard.

DeNA and The Pokémon Company put out a lot of information for Pokémon Day, and the Pokémon Masters mobile game has possibly the biggest news of any other game in the franchise thus far.

First, Sygna Suit Red and Charizard will soon be available to recruit. The Sync Pair will be permanently added to the game, and players will have a higher chance of recruiting him in the limited-time "Poké Fair Scout + Present," available from February 28 at 1:00 a.m. EST to March 16 at 1:59 a.m. EST.

Red and Charizard's Sync Move will allow the Fire and Flying-type Pokémon to Mega Evolve into Charizard X, making it one of the only Sync Pairs with the ability to Mega Evolve.

The Pokémon Masters team previously teased a new game mode called Battle Villa and new information and a release date has now been revealed. In the Battle Villa, players battle against AI opponents to see how many total stages they can clear in succession. It's essentially a survival mode that will last for two weeks. A player's progress will carry over day to day, and they will only be able to select nine Sync Pairs to join them.

The first Battle Villa in Pokémon Masters opens February 28 at 1 a.m. EST through March 16 at 1:59 a.m. EST. Players will need to have completed Chapter 7 of the Main Story to access this new mode. More Battle Villas will open periodically in the future.

The Japanese Pokémon YouTube channel also uploaded a new trailer for the game teasing more updates and Sync Pairs. The trailer shows Wally and Gallade, Lillie and Clefairy and even Sygna Suits for Green and Blue. Green will have a Mega Venusaur, while Blue will have a Mega Blastoise. The trailer also teases that Eggs are coming to Pokémon Masters as well. Check out the new trailer below.

The next Pokémon Masters update will add Sygna Suit Elesa and Rotom to your team. The Unovan Gym Leader and her new Pokémon have already made their Pokémon Masters debuts in new main story chapters, but a future event will give players a chance to partner with her. Instead of the traditional Story Mission-style format players are used to, trainers will have to battle against AI opponents and traverse a series of maps in order to progress through the narrative.

Only players who have completed Chapter 1 of the Main Story are eligible to participate in this new event. Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom will also be featured in the "Sygna Suit Elesa Spotlight Scout." Both the story event and the spotlight scout will be available from February 28 at 1 a.m. EST through March 16 at 1:59 a.m. EST.

Pokémon Masters players will also receive 3,000 free gems for logging in before March 16 in celebration of the mobile game's six-month anniversary.

What do you think of the upcoming Pokémon Masters updates? Let us know in the comments section.

Review: CGI is not the best look for Ash and Co. in ‘Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back — Evolution’

Arriving on Netflix for "Pokémon Day," "Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back — Evolution," the 22nd feature in the franchise, is a talkier remake of "The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back." That film grossed $86 million in its 1999 American theatrical release, still a record for a Japanese animated feature.

In the new film, scientists working for the sinister Team Rocket clone the formidable title character from a fossil so their boss Giovanni can weaponize the artificial creature. But Mewtwo shatters its fetters and the laboratory in a violent rejection of Giovanni's plot — and all humans.

As they do in so many of the features, irrepressible Pokémon Master-in-training Ash Ketchum and Pikachu convince the hostile, staggeringly powerful Mewtwo that friendship between humans and Pokémon is a good thing. The Pokémon battles and declarations of affection provide what fans expect, but after 20 years, it all feels very familiar.

It's not clear why the f ilmmakers switched from drawn animation to CG for the new film. Ash and his friends Brock and Misty have the disturbing, plastic look of badly rendered skin. As Pikachu and other Pokémon have been made into countless toys, it's easier to accept three-dimensional versions of them. But the realistic fire burning at the tip of Charizard's tail feels unnecessary, and the cartoony characters look out of place amid the hyper-real water, lightning, explosions and other special effects.

The previous feature, "Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us" (2018), offered an original and relevant story. "Mewtwo Strikes Back" feels like poké-business as usual.

'Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back--Evolution'

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Playing: Available on Netflix