Pokemon Go – Syndication Server

All Pokemon GO Winter Holiday research tasks

The Pokemon GO Winter Timed Research tasks are here, with plenty to keep you busy as the year draws to a close

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The Pokemon GO Winter Timed Research tasks are here, with plenty to keep you busy as the year draws to a close. Niantic is offering the first round of Winter Timed Research tasks for free for all players in the Pokemon game, though if you want to tick every box, you’ll have to pay for it. Some of the tasks are only available as paid research and cost $1.99 and $4.99 in the in-game shop. Niantic is also running Winter Wishes and Frosty Festivities alongside the main event, two separate quests with even more rewards to earn.

There’s quite a bit to do in the free tasks and a chance to earn rewards, find rare spawns, and more, though, so if you’re keen on keeping your money in your wallet, you won’t be getting shortchanged.

December Pokemon GO 5-star Raids

Our December Pokemon GO 5-star raids list lays out what to expect from legendary raids each week of the month and which Mega Raids run too

The December Pokemon GO 5-star raids have begun, as Niantic kicks off a month of Gen 5 legendaries and one all-powerful monster from Gen 4. Each week in the Pokemon game features a different 5-star raid, and you have the whole week to take part in as many raids as you have passes for. That’s handy, since most of them have a chance of being shiny as well – more raids mean a better likelihood of running into a shiny legendary. 5-star raids also come with bonus Candy and other useful items, so whether you want the featured Pokemon or not, it’s usually worth joining at least one.

A new raid boss always replaces the previous one at 10 a.m. local time on the raid’s start date.

Pokemon GO: How to create a party and join a party

This guide explains how to create a party and join a party in Pokemon GO and what requirements you need to meet before you can start.

How to make a party in Pokemon GO’s new Party Play update is a straightforward process, which is nice, considering you’ll need to do it frequently if you want to get some handy multiplayer bonuses. Joining up in Party Play makes Pokemon GO raids easier thanks to a hefty power bonus that pumps up your charged attacks, and there’s even a set of Welcome Party research tasks that reward you with chances to encounter rare Pokemon and quite a lot of XP.

This guide explains how to create a party and join a party in Pokemon GO and what requirements you need to meet before you can start.

Pokemon GO Welcome Party research tasks and rewards

The Pokemon GO Welcome Party research tasks are here, a chance to earn plenty of bonus XP and rewards to celebrate the mobile game’s update

The Pokemon GO Welcome Party research tasks are here, a chance to earn plenty of bonus XP and other rewards to celebrate the mobile game‘s new Party Play update. You can only complete Welcome Party research tasks in a party, so make sure to brush up on how to form a party in Pokemon GO if you haven’t already.

Welcome Party special research tasks are live as of Oct. 17, 2023, and they have no time limit. You’re free to complete all four steps at your pace, so there’s no rush to throw a party together right away if you need more time.

As is usually the case with special research, the Welcome Party tasks are split into four steps with two tasks each and a bonus task that just rewards you for completing the other two.

Pokemon GO update adds new multiplayer options with Party Play

Niantic announced a new Pokemon GO update aimed to improve your multiplayer experience in the mobile game

Niantic announced a new Pokemon GO update aimed to improve your multiplayer experience in the mobile game. The Party Play update is live now and lets you team up with three other people to tackle challenges and catch Pokemon together.

Party Play introduces new party-themed challenges to help you scoop up more XP and other rewards as you complete them. These show up when you first form or join a party, and you can all choose which ones to complete, ranging from catching certain Pokemon to battling in raids, and spinning PokeStops.

Speaking of raids, you get a handy new power boost when you complete raids in Party Play. The team can pull off a Party Power move, which doubles the power of your charged attacks. It charges every time you use a fast attack, so it should be a convenient way to get through tough Raid battles quickly.

Creating a party only takes a few steps.

Open your trainer profile
Tap the new “Party” tab
Choose “create”

You can choose to get a QR code or a numerical code, like Nintendo’s friend codes, to share with up to three other nearby trainers. A party can be just two trainers, though, so you don’t have to have four people involved.

To join, open the party tab and select “join,” where you can input your code and get started. You can see other party members’ avatars on your in-game map and share party highlights for everyone to see.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

Niantic announces a Pokemon GO and Detective Pikachu event

The next Pokemon GO event is a crossover with Detective Pikachu, celebrating the launch of the Nintendo 3DS game’s sequel on Switch

The next Pokemon GO event is a crossover with Detective Pikachu, celebrating the launch of the Nintendo 3DS game’s sequel on Switch. The Detective Pikachu and Pokemon GO event runs from Oct. 5, 2023, through Oct. 9, 2023, and gives you a chance to encounter Pikachu in their sleuth’s hat and more.

Hat-wearing Pikachu who evolve actually keep their headgear and turn into hat-wearing Raichu.

There’s also Slowpoke with a cute lil’ hat that’s far too small for them, Bronzor, Alolan Exeggutor, Growlithe, and Chimecho, all of which have a chance to show up in their Shiny forms. Failinks, Bellossom, Xatu, and Ducklett will also turn up more often, but not as Shinies.

You have one chance per day of encountering Pikachu with a detective hat while you’re taking snapshots. Completing themed research tasks will also earn you one encounter with a hat-wearing Pikachu, so you should walk away from the event with at least one rodent sporting a deerstalker.

Detective Pikachu-themed field research tasks put you on the same path as Sudowoodo and Snivy, both of which may be Shiny, and Rowlett, which won’t be, and you get double XP for spinning PokeStops while the event lasts.

If you want to splash out some real-world cash, you can pick up a Detective Pikachu-inspired pose for your avatar from the in-game shop.

Meanwhile, Detective Pikachu 2 launches on Oct. 6, 2023, for Nintendo Switch and follows Tim and his coffee-drinking, hard-boiled Pikapal as they track down Tim’s father and unravel a tangled web of dark secrets in Rhyme City.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

Pokémon GO Promo Codes for free items

Amazon Prime Gaming is offering Pokémon GO promo codes, and we have how to get them, redeem them, and other active codes listed.

Promo codes are a simple way to get free items in Pokémon GO. These can be consumable items like Pokéballs or exclusive avatar items from well-known brands that enhance your avatar with a special touch. This guide will show you which codes are currently available for Pokémon GO and how you can redeem them.

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Niantic adds Zygarde in Pokemon GO routes update

A new Pokemon GO update is adding Zygarde to the mobile game, but piecing this legendary Pokemon together takes a bit of effort

A new Pokemon GO update is adding Zygarde to the mobile game, but piecing this legendary Pokemon together takes a bit of effort. You need to collect Zygarde Cells to put Zygarde back together again like in previous Pokemon games, but the only way to find those cells is by traveling Pokemon GO’s new routes.

You’ll also encounter Zygarde in a new round of special research, A to Zygarde.

The route system lets players create paths for other players to follow, ideally to show off their favorite sights around town or highlight places of interest that might not be designated with a PokeStop or other in-game marker. All you need to do is start from a Gym or PokeStop, hit “record” to map your route, and set off.

Send the route for consideration once you’re done, and after it’s approved, anyone can follow it. Traveling routes is the only way to get Zygarde Cells at the moment, but they offer a range of other bonuses as well. These include extra Buddy Candy, bonus XP, and Buddy Hearts when you complete a route with your designated Buddy Pokemon, and incense works more effectively when you use it on a route that you’re traveling for the first time.

To follow a route, open the “Nearby” menu to get a look at any close routes, find one you want to travel, and set off.

Zygarde is only available in the A to Zygarde research task, though if other legendary Pokemon are anything to go by, including X and Y’s signature legendaries, you’ll likely be able to find Zygarde in special raids later down the road.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Overbeast is a Pokemon GO-alike with an eco-conscious heart

Liquid City wants to leave their mark on AR mobile games with their debut title Overbeast, a Pokemon GO-like with nature at its core

Pokemon GO is probably the first thing that comes to mind when most people hear “AR mobile game,” but new studio Liquid City is hoping to change that with their debut title Overbeast. Overbeast admittedly looks a lot like Pokemon GO or even Peridots on the surface. It uses an AR overlay to show you fantastic creatures (the Overbeasts) in your area,and your goal is training them and eventually battling other Overbeasts that other players have trained.

How you raise them is where Overbeast aims to set itself apart, and GLHF spoke with Keiichi Matsuda, Liquid City’s director, about those aims and what his goals are for the mobile game.

You won’t find Overbeasts around every corner or wandering around your neighbor’s yard. They’re far fewer in number compared to Pokemon and are tied to regions and locations. They also live in the sky, so you can see them from, presumably, anywhere – without having to cross busy streets or trespass on private property.

Overbeasts only flourish in a healthy environment, and if you want to make them happy, you have to create and tend a little virtual nature haven wherever you are. The mobile game lays a grid across the world with nodes where you and others can grow trees and other plants to revitalize the virtual world. Your newly-created gardens and forests need daily care, and Matsuda’s hope is that people will team up and tend these habitats together.

However, he also recognizes that Overbeast’s goals might be a bit too ambitious at the moment, since the game requires strong 5G connections and pricey hardware. You probably won’t see your local Overbeast reach its full potential if you live outside a major city, but Matsuda says Liquid City is working on new features so more people can actually play the game, though he didn’t mention when these plans might come to fruition.

While the point of all your nature tending is, ostensibly, powering up your local Overbeast and eventually duking it out with critters from other states and regions, Matsuda hopes players will enjoy the quiet moments as well.

“The battles are exciting, but there is another side to Overbeast,” Matsuda says. “I like to put in headphones and spend time collecting pollen in my AR forest, while listening to the beautiful music and forest sounds by our composers Skillbard. It’s relaxing and meditative, and if you are lucky, your local Overbeast might pay you a visit too.”

Other players can see and tend the trees you plant, and you can see theirs. When you plant a tree or take care of a little garden patch somewhere, you’re giving someone else a small patch of virtual sanctuary as well.

Enjoyable as Matsuda says the large-scale Overbeast battles are, that sense of togetherness is what he really hopes people take away from playing the game.

“I hope people take pride in the forests they grow with their neighbors and feel a connection to each other,” Matsuda says. “We are all individuals, but also part of nature. If we can understand that, then I hope it can influence the way we treat our real environment too.”

Overbeast is available now as a free-to-play game on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Peridot review: Pokemon GO maker’s latest game needs some work

Peridot from Pokemon GO maker Niantic is a charming mobile game, but some concerning technical issues hold it back at the moment

Pokémon GO became an overnight sensation, with millions of people eagerly roaming the streets to catch the neighborhood Pidgey and Rattata – and forgetting basic safety in the process. Niantic tried to emulate that success with several IP since, but none have ever been as successful as the first big hit.

Peridot, Niantic’s latest attempt, aims to break the trend, not only by being a completely new IP, but by giving players that desire to open the mobile game daily. Only this time, it’s not Pokemon you want to take care of, Tamagotchi style. It’s adorable little creatures called Dots.

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Much like your Pokémon, your pet Dots in Peridot need love, attention, and food to grow, and you can even see them in your own home.

After hatching your first baby Dot from an egg, you use your phone’s camera to watch them frolic around your home. This was my first immediate gripe with Peridot. Your camera has to be open at all times. Unlike Pokemon GO, there is no way to turn it off. The way your Dot interacts with the environment also isn’t seamless, since the technology isn’t there yet. You’ll just see it phase through furniture and float around in the air, all at a sluggish 4fps.

It’s easy to overlook technical issues if you’re engaged with what the game has to offer, but I’m not sure that Peridot has quite enough to offer at the moment. It has the long list of dailies you expect from a free-to-play game of this type – rewards for logging in every day, alongside desires and goals that your Dots need fulfilled. You also have to feed and play with your Dot regularly or be punished with a doleful look from its big, sad eyes. It’s fine! But not much more than that and not different enough from Pokemon GO to feel fresh and distinct.

Niantic games always have a social element, and the social part of Peridot is Dot breeding. It frames the process as a conservation project where you raise and breed your Dots before releasing them into the wild. There are hangout points all over your town, much like Pokéstops, where you can post your Dot as eligible for breeding. Other people can then message you saying they would like to breed, and the woohoo-ing can begin.

I find this whole process embarrassing for me and my polygonal pet, not only because I am messaging another real-life person asking if their Tamagotchi is in the mood, but because it all feels very a bit gross. Dots don’t really need repopulation, and people are breeding their Dots to get the attributes they like, such as specific fur colors, long angelic wings, or demon horns. Breeding pets – even fake ones – to get the exact look you want just feels wrong. Sure, hardcore Pokemon players do the same thing with effort values, but I don’t like it there, either.

While the general loop of raising my Dot did keep me coming back to Peridots, there were too many technical issues to overlook. I specifically bought my phone because it has an amazing battery that can go three days on a single charge. When my Dot asked me to take it on a 1km walk, my battery drained by 20 percent during the 15 minutes I had the app open on the walk The rate that your Dot drains the life from your battery is simply unsustainable for a game you’re supposed to play on the go.

Even if you stay at home to play with your phone constantly plugged into the mains, there is a larger issue. The game makes intense demands on your phone, and if it runs like mine, you’ll feel it overheat in mere minutes of having the app open. I never played for more than 20 minutes at a time, as I worried about causing permanent damage.

Peridot may find its fan base of Tamagotchi nostalgists, but the technical issues are too much for me to recommend it to anyone. Until Niantic changes these fundamental issues, there’s just no way for people to play Peridot the way the company envisions. And it could be good! The general gameplay of raising and playing with your virtual pet is one that has been successful in the past. You just… can’t really do much of it right now.

Version tested: Mobile (Android)

Peridot technical breakdown

Peridot doesn’t crash, but it doesn’t do much beyond this. The framerate is single-digits low and still struggles to be consistent. It makes huge on your phone, causing the battery to drain and the phone to overheat. I would be worried that consistent playtime may cause irreparable damage to your device. Playing the game is difficult given the lag involved, but it can be okay if you remain on the same screen and don’t try to menu too frequently. Big improvements need to be made, however.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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