Yokai Watch: The New Pokemon?

Credit: Level-5

Does the long-running franchise Pokemon have competition?

Yokai Watch is a series of role-playing video games which allow the player to fight and capture different types of yôkai.  Does the concept seem familiar? Before we continue, let us discuss what are yôkai.  Yôkai are spirits that inhabit Japan which can be considered the Western equivalent of monsters or demons.  Yôkai are also known as bakemono, obake, and many other terms.    The concept of yôkai dates back all the way to Heian Era(785-1185) but prevalent during the Edo Period(1603-1868).  Yôkai were believed to be reason behind erratic behavior and other unexplained phenomenon, a theme central to the plot of Yokai Watch.

Now that we know the basis of yôkai, let us go forth,  Yokai Watch began as a role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS released in 2013 and developed by Level-5.  The plot follows a boy or girl that is given a watch by a “yôkai butler” Whisper.  Together with a cat yôkai Jibanyan, they befriend and fight yokai causing mischief for the residents of Sakura New Town.  The player uses the watch in order to see the yôkai then using medals to summon other yokai to battle them.  If victorious, the defeated yôkai gives their medal to the player to summon them in the future.  Yokai Watch also has spawned several manga and an anime series.

The reception of Yokai Watch in Japan has achieved wide acclaim.  Unfortunately the franchise has not migrated to North America yet but will be coming overseas very shortly as the anime is due to air October 5th, 2015 and the first game November 6, 2015.  But how does this franchise fare against Pokemon?  Lauren Orsini wrote an article stating the popularity of this new franchise.  She has stated that despite plans to sell all forms of merchandise to Western audiences, the localization will have trouble.  As mentioned before, Yokai Watch is vastly popular in Japan at the moment with the series’ mascot Jinbanyan surpassing the popularity of Pokemon‘s Pikachu. However, Orsini quotes Dale North, a writer for Games Beat:

“These beings… won’t mean anything to Western children, but Japanese kids are familiar with these mythical creatures and are able fully appreciate the silly, pun-based naming scheme that series’ creators went with. And it’s not just the lore that is Japan-specific: The locations, relationships, and nonplayer characters are all just as unabashedly Japanese.”

I personally do not see this being a severe issue for Western children.  For anybody who knows Pokemon‘s history, they will know that some Pokemon are indeed based on yôkai.  It is possible that it will be more difficult to localize the series than Pokemon, but I believe it won’t be very long until Western children will start loving the characters as much as Pokemon.  I don’t necessarily believe Yokai Watch will replace Pokemon any time soon but I understand how some might worry.  The concept maybe similar but both are different in their own right, and I think both franchises should be enjoyed as I love them both thoroughly.

(Written by Ryan Moers)

Pokemon Go

Credit: IGN

90’s children rejoice, because you can become a Pokemon Trainer in real life now!

Pokemon GO is a new mobile app developed by The Pokemon Company and Niantic, which is coming to I-Phone and Android in 2016. Nintendo is also working on the development of Pokemon Go, and is heavily influencing the game content. It will include an optional wristband GPS device called the Pokemon Go Plus that works with the game. It can also be warn as a clip instead, which can be put on clothing and bags.

The Pokemon Go Plus device will communicate with your cell phone through Bluetooth and alert the player to nearby Pokemon. Just like in the regular Pokemon games, you will be able to catch Pokemon, but with an added twist. You have to physically walk to the location where the Pokemon is in the real world. All of the Pokemon will have GPS coordinates where they appear. The device also allows you to catch these Pokemon with the push of a button (which can also be done on the screen of your phone). The trailer also shows that players can battle and trade their Pokemon by using the application. There is also speculation that there may be events where legendary Pokemon can be captured through the effort of a group of people all using their Pokemon to fight it (seen in this trailer for the game).

In Tech Advisor’s article they quote John Hanke, the founder of Niantic.

Pokemon Go will apparently be a Free-To-Play game, but will have some in game content that players can pay for. No one is sure yet if it will impact the player’s ability to progress in the game. Pokemon has several other free-to-play games such as Pokemon Rumble World and Pokemon Shuffle, which suffer from this problem.

My Personal Opinion

I’m not sure how successful Pokemon Go will be, because we don’t have very many details about how it works yet. Based on the internet’s reaction, however, many people are super excited to start catching their own Pokemon in real life.

What is for sure, is that this game will certainly bring back some nostalgia for older players, and attract a newer generation of kids to enjoy the Pokemon universe.

As a 90’s kid, I grew up with Pokemon and have played all of their Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games. I think moving into the mobile market is an extremely wise decision on Nintendo’s part because it is a huge market of untapped consumers. Not everyone has a Nintendo game system, but almost every person has a cell phone these days.

I personally can’t wait to run around in the real world catching Pokemon. I hope that they do not make you have to travel too far to find them so that Pokemon are accessible for many people. I also hope that you will be able to train and level up your Pokemon so that they can grow stronger (and not be at a static level).

I am afraid that since it is free to play that they will try and trick players into spending extra money on the game to progress. I hope that the only money you have to spend is on the Pokemon Go Plus device.

(Written by Rachel Bissell)

About Cody

I am a first generation American studying Engineering here at MTSU, scheduled to graduate this fall. My parents are from Vietnam and Germany so my cultural background is pretty mixed. I love to play video games like FIFA and other sports games, along with PC games like DOTA 2 and League of Legends. In my free time I Love to race dirt bikes at our local track and sometimes beyond as far as my family in Pittsburgh, and sometimes we end up traveling as far as Utah like this past summer. I have lived mostly in Tennessee, but plan to work and travel internationally after graduating, I am very exited to see other parts of the world and those near my dad’s homeland in particular. If i could mange to come across an opportunity landing me a visit or even a job in Japan I would take it without hesitation, as I would love to experience Japanese culture and lifestyle first hand. In closing I hope to learn a lot this semester and have fun in this class.

About Ryan

Ryan Moers was born October 6, 1988 in Berwyn, Illinois.  He currently is pursuing Japanese language and culture.  He excels in Japanese mythology specifically youkai, Japanese monsters or spirits.  He has also studied Spanish, Hebrew, and German.

About Brian

Brian William Sharber was born on May 11, 1990 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee to Keith and Kathy Sharber.

I’m in my early 20’s, and I have one younger brother, Michael. I grew up in the country part of Tennessee, where there was nothing to do but tend to the garden, or take our dogs for walks out in the cornfields. Thus, my interests have always fallen under reading, watching anime, or playing strategy games. I will always put my games on the hardest possible setting, as I enjoy a challenge, and love understanding what it is I’m doing wrong so I can better my playstyle.

Doing so has made me who I am today. I’m a calm, thoughtful, understanding and organized perfectionist. I used to be a quiet, shy individual; but now I’m an extremely honest person and will say whatever is on my mind, yet I will do so in a polite way. I value intelligence, decency, and classiness extremely highly.

Insight into this: the first time I went to a pep rally at my high school, I can recall the stands being crowded with sweaty guys bumping their shoulders into me hooting and hollering at the cheerleaders and using strenuous uses of curse words in almost every sentence for almost an unbearable hour. Suffice to say this repulsed me heavily and I never went to one again. It was at this time, my best friend Matt Irazary (I’m sure that’s mispelled), informed me about this really cool place he and his buddies hung out during pep rallys. Curious, I proceeded to the art class, where they played Magic the Gathering cards, something I had never heard of before. I was absolutely enthralled with it, so much so that I’d spend 7 dollars sometimes on just one card. I enjoyed that time so much, even though sometimes in Math, I’d stare at the beautiful artwork on the cards for 40 minutes of class time and never get caught. Perhaps because I was a good student, they cut me a break.

I graduated from Riverdale High School and am currently an undeclared freshman enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University.

Some fun facts about me:

1-I used to weigh 60 pounds more than I do now. However, all I did was replace every drink I used to drink with water, and I eventually went from overweight to underweight. So, I started lifting weights and gained 30 pounds of muscle (Don’t quote me on that) and self-confidence.

2-I have an orange cat with yellow eyes, who wandered into my life a few years ago, and would never let me near him for a year. Yet everytime I’d put food for him on a rock a few meters in front of him and walk away, he’d come out from under the bushes and eat it about a minute later. He’s recently become more friendly with me, though I’m not sure why. He rubs against my legs and even allows me to pet him these days.

 

 

About Rachel

Rachel Elizabeth Bissell was born on December 9th, 1994 in Placentia, California to Roger and Elizabeth Bissell.

At 20 years old, Rachel is the youngest of six siblings, including three half-brothers and three half-sisters. They include: Charlie, Desiree, Rebecca, Andrew, Marissa, and Daniel. Despite having so many siblings, Rachel grew up like an only-child. Her older siblings were all out of the house before she was five.

While she lived in California, Rachel’s father worked at Disneyland. He played Trombone in the Disneyland band! She was able to go to the amusement park for free, and would often bring her friends along with her.

Rachel’s best friends are Lydia Seymour (who she met when they were both 2 years old) and Julie Eden (who she met when she was 4, and when Julie was 6). Rachel still keeps in touch with them, though Julie lives in Georgia now, and Lydia lives in Northern California.

Rachel moved to Antioch, Tennessee at age 15, where she graduated from Cane Ridge High School. Rachel now studies Electronic Media Production at Middle Tennessee State University and plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education.

Rachel’s hobbies include:

• writing fantasy novels
• swimming
• roller skating
• watching anime
• playing video games (Pokemon is her favorite)
• spending time with the people she loves most

Rachel has an orange tabby cat named Amber, who is currently 10 years old. Amber is extremely fat! Amber goes hunting outside every morning and brings presents in from the backyard. Yuck!

Fun Facts about Rachel:

1 – She has broken both of her arms & had surgery to correct one of the breaks. Now she has a metal plate in her arm.

2 – She used to be an Artistic Roller Skater (which is similar to ice/figure skating only on roller skates). It was a popular sport in California.