Nintendo/ The Pokemon Company

With the launch of Pokemon Sword and Shield only a day away, Pokemon fans are absolutely fuming.

According to them, the long-standing Pokemon development company, Game Freak, lied to them about all sorts of things, and they've taken to Twitter to air out their grievances under #GameFreakLied. But what did Game Freak lie about specifically? Let's find out.

1. Dexit was a result of all new in-game models

GrookeyNintendo/ The Pokemon Company

In every other mainline Pokemon game, throughout the entire history of the franchise, all previous Pokemon could be obtained in the newest entry. But, in a move that fans have dubbed "Dexit" (a play on Pokedex and Brexit), Sword and Shield will be lacking over 400 different Pokemon species including favorites like Blastoise, Mewtwo, and Garchomp.

While Game Freak asserted that this was, in part, a practical decision due to the necessity of creating new, updated in-game models of every Pokemon for the Nintendo Switch, fans aren't buying it. Dataminers have synced up newer models with older models from Sun and Moon, seemingly showing that some models were, in fact, reused.

2. Playing Pokemon will make you popular

Pokemon GoNintendo/ The Pokemon Company

Game Freak has always suggested that playing Pokemon games will help you to become popular. That's why they put such an emphasis on trading and battle, to encourage social interaction, right? Maybe it's time we put this Game Freak lie to rest, too.

Talking about Pokemon games does not necessarily make you friends, and setting all my online dating profile pictures to me holding a giant Pikachu plush does not seem to be upping my game. This is just a blatant marketing tactic by Game Freak to convince lonely, socially anxious people (like myself) to buy yet another product that will increase their social clout.

3. Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide

Epstein and TrumpPORTRAIT OF AMERICAN FINANCIER JEFFREY EPSTEIN (LEFT) AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER DONALD TRUMP AS THEY POSE TOGETHER AT THE MAR-A-LAGO ESTATE, PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, 1997. CREDIT: DAVIDOFF STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES

Game Freak keeps pushing the narrative that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide, but that's not what the autopsy says.

Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself. Regardless of what Game Freak says, don't believe for a single second that the cameras outside the guarded prison cell of a billionaire pedophile with ties to some of the richest, most powerful people in the word, who is also on suicide watch, would just randomly "malfunction" and that, during that small period of time, said pedophile would be able to hang himself. No way, Jose. Jeffrey Epstein was murdered. Jeffrey Epstein's death was an inside job. #GameFreakLied
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CULTURE

The Pokemon Community Has Gone Full-Blown Toxic Over Sword and Shield

#IStandWithSerebii trends on Twitter after angry Pokemon fans attack one of the community's most helpful people.

Nintendo/ The Pokemon Company

A large chunk of the Pokemon fandom seems to have taught themselves TM06 in response to their dissatisfaction with the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield games for Nintendo Switch. That's the in-game means of making your Pokemon learn the move Toxic, for any of you non-fans.

With Pokemon Sword and Shield set to launch on Friday, the online Pokemon fan community is wrapped up in a storm of inner turmoil. Every official Pokemon post on social media is being barraged with negativity, and the Pokemon subreddit is mired in complaint threads––all over a game that hasn't even come out yet.

sword and shield mr mimeNintendo/ The Pokemon Company

Their ire boils down to an overwhelming sentiment that Game Freak, the development team behind the Pokemon games, is giving them a subpar product. Many of their issues center around "Dexit," the fan term for Game Freak's decision to make roughly 400 Pokemon species unavailable in Sword and Shield––a particularly unpopular direction for a series wherein every previous Pokemon has been available in every subsequent mainline game since its inception over 20 years ago.

On a personal note, I agree with a lot of the complaints. I've been a dedicated Pokemon player since Gen 1, when I got the original Pokemon Blue alongside my first Gameboy. So yes, I've been disappointed in everything from the cut Pokemon to the newer Pokemon designs, and if it weren't for Chonk Pikachu, there's a good chance I would have canceled my preorder.

That being said, the Pokemon community's toxicity has gotten out of hand. Complaints and dissatisfaction are fine, but recently, some fans have taken to lashing out at game developers, and even other fans, who simply want to enjoy their own gameplay experience. And while personally being upset about a game not turning out the way you want it to is totally understandable, attacking other people, accusing the game developers of lying, and going so far as to send death threats is completely inexcusable.

If you've been on Twitter recently, you might have seen #IStandWithSerebii trending. For those out of the loop, Serebii.net is the most prominent Pokemon news site, having been in operation for over 20 years and providing a veritable treasure trove of Pokemon info. Amazingly, it's also fan-run. The site's creator and webmaster, Joe Merrick, is a bit like a Pokemon fandom celebrity, considering his dedication to running a core source of information for one of the world's biggest franchises.

Like most Pokemon fans, Merrick hasn't exactly been celebrating the loss of over 400 Pokemon in the new games. But he's also a seemingly nice, level-headed guy, and he's been vocal about not supporting anyone taking their anger out on the game's developers.

On November 8th, after the Pokemon Company in Japan canceled their Sword and Shield launch event due to "operational reasons," Merrick Tweeted a nice, sympathetic message to the game's director, Junichi Masuda.

The message is in Japanese, but it basically expresses the fact that the vocal outrage is not indicative of the feelings of every fan, and while many people might have different opinions about the new games, a lot of fans still appreciate all the fun and imagination that comes part and parcel with a new Pokemon game. Merrick later Tweeted appreciation for the franchise under #ThankYouGameFreak.

Well, some Pokemon fans didn't take kindly to this and started attacking Merrick on Twitter and even, allegedly, sending death threats. The unprecedented toxicity against Merrick, a person who has brought nothing but positivity to the Pokemon community, resulted in a rallying cry for sanity from the portion of the Pokemon fanbase who, you know, aren't real monsters. Thus began #IStandWithSerebii.

Merrick's partner, Marti, utilized the hashtag to lament her SO's treatment by the fanbase.

Many people expressed extreme disappointment in their community.

Some even took a harsher approach, pointing out how pathetic a person must be to send out death threats over a video game.

And, in what might be the only positive thing to come out from the entire Sword and Shield debacle, Merrick got the message of support loud and clear.

But the truth is, no matter how mad you are about anything in a video game, even a franchise you've loved for over 20 years, it's never justifiable to use that passion to attack another person. Purposely ruining enjoyment for other fans because they like something you don't like is never okay. Writing mean messages to a game developer because you're mad a game feature wasn't included is never okay. And sending death threats over a video game is never, ever, ever okay. No matter how anyone feels about Sword and Shield, we need to be better than that.

CULTURE

The "Pokemon Sword" and "Shield" Galar Dex Leaked, and the Cuts Are Brutal

The Galar Dex is like a Pokemon franchise Thanos Snap.

The Pokemon Company

One of the Pokemon franchise's most prevailing, and perhaps most important, features has been the National Pokedex–a system whereby every new mainline game, no matter where it took place or what new Pokemon it added, would ultimately allow players to collect any Pokemon in the entire franchise during the post-game.

The National Dex meant that every Pokemon game built upon its predecessors, and a player's favorite Pokemon could always be counted on to join them in the new game, even if they didn't really fit the new region's theme. So when the news broke that Pokemon Sword and Shield, the first mainline Pokemon entry for Nintendo Switch, would be getting rid of the National Dex, fans were understandably upset.

****POKEDEX SPOILERS FOLLOW****

But some still held out hope. Sure, a lot of the less popular Pokemon would probably be getting cut––Pokemon like Musharna, because wtf is that thing?

MusharnaSeriously, wtf guys?The Pokemon Company

But all the favorites, powerful bad boys like Garchomp, Metagross, and Dragonite, would certainly be safe, right?

Well, the final Galar Pokedex (Galar is the new region in Sword and Shield) just leaked on 4chan, and oh man, this sh*t is like a Pokemon purge. Out of the 800+ Pokemon currently in existence, 400 are gone. It's like the Thanos snap, but worse, because instead of being random, a lot of the choices are actively ridiculous.

Here's a visual. Green background Pokemon are included. Orange background Pokemon appear in an alternate "Galar form"; but the white background Pokemon are straight up gone:

Sword and Shield PokedexCredit to anonymous user on 4chan

Not a single starter Pokemon line has made it to the new games other than Charizard. And while I'm not about to lie and say I don't love Charizard, how could they do Venasaur and Blastoise dirty like that? What about Greninja? What about Incineroar?

It's almost unbelievable how many great Pokemon have been cut. No Alakazam. No Absol. No Zoroark. No Fossil Pokemon. What was Game Freak thinking? And before anyone argues that those Pokemon just didn't fit into the Galar region, which is based on the UK, they didn't include Stoutland––a Pokemon based on freaking Scottish and Yorkshire terriers.

StoutlandThe Pokemon Company

Even weirder, they included Musharna. Why, of all the Pokemon out there, would they cut Salamence but include FREAKING MUSHARNA?

Luckily Mimikyu, probably my all-time favorite, is still in the mix, but this entire new Pokedex is a massive disappointment, and the decisions of which Pokemon to include are frankly baffling.

Pour one out for your lost Pokebros.