Pokemon GO

System: Apple and Android devices
Players: 1, online multiplayer
Rating: Everyone
DLC: Yes (in-app purchases)
Website:  pokemongo.com   Pokemon GO on pokemon.com

Note: As of 7/12/2016, Pokemon GO is only available in certain regions.  Visit pokemongo.com to find out if the game is available in your region.

And play safely, people!  Don't enter dangerous places to look for Pokemon, and don't play the game while your attention is required elsewhere!


Pokemon GO is quite a bit different from the other games in the series.  While you still get to catch and train Pokemon, the way you do so has changed.  Some of it for the better, some for the worse.

First of all, you no longer guide your trainer around a game world.  The game uses a map of your current location, and you need to wander around to find Pokemon! Your location, time of day, and items used determine the types of Pokemon you can find.  When you're able to catch a Pokemon, its sprite will appear on the map.  Tap it, and you'll enter capture mode.

Unlike previous games, you don't battle Pokemon to weaken them for capture: you swipe the screen to toss a Pokeball at your target.  Sometimes, you'll catch the Pokemon; other times, you'll need to use another ball.  Now and then, the Pokemon will run away from you.

Other features of the game are Pokestops and Gyms.  Certain places will be marked as one or the other.  Pokestops allow you to collect items, and set out lures to attract more Pokemon to the area.  Gyms allow you to battle enemy trainers for control of the place.

Despite some of the neat ideas, Pokemon GO has some serious flaws.  Battling only happens at Gyms, and has become a button mash fest: rapidly tap the screen for one attack, or press and hold to ready a special attack when it's ready.  You can't battle, trade, or party up with other people, or even add them to a friend list.

Depending on their circumstances, some players are instantly screwed.  Being on a single wifi connection or crappy data plan restricts what you can do.  Rural areas tend to have few, if any Gyms or Pokestops.  In these cases, your only way of powering up is to capture Pokemon.  And even this is unbalanced.  Some people capture 5 or more Pokemon in a tiny area; others walk several kilometers and don't find any.

Pokemon GO is also one of the buggiest apps I've downloaded.  It frequently crashes or gets stuck after I catch Pokemon, with or without Augmented Reality mode.  It fails to load at random times, even if the servers aren't busy.  The GPS signal gets lost when I'm 10 feet from my router.  When I'm walking in one direction, the game believes I'm going in a different direction.  The time of day has no effect on what Pokemon I find.

Note: I am stuck with one wifi connection, and use an older iPad Mini.  However, I can play other resource intensive games without this many issues.

There's a lot of potential in Pokemon GO.  Right now, though, it feels like an unfinished beta and is pretty disappointing.  Stick to the older games for now, or wait for Sun and Moon.