When “Pokémon Go” works (as in, free of server or GPS issues), it works well. It’s a fun, engaging scavenger hunt that most of the time makes up for what it’s been doing to my Galaxy S4’s battery.
What’s more, I’ve never seen a mobile game become such a huge deal so quickly. “Angry Birds” and “Candy Crush Saga” may be among the most popular games of all time, but I couldn’t tell you if I’ve ever had a conversation about either of them, let alone as many as I have had with random strangers around town about “Pokémon Go” over the last few days.
I live in Newport, Rhode Island, which seems to be chockful of Pokéstops and gyms because of the city’s hundreds of landmarks I walk a lot every day and it’s been neat figuring out where certain Pokémon and Pokéstops are along my regular walking and jogging routes. It’s been especially fun to find Pokémon in particularly quirky places around town.
The best finds so far have been a Drowzee in the Walmart pharmacy section, a Pontya that inexplicably appeared on one of the longest bridges in New England (don’t worry, I was riding the bus) and a Gloom I found off of Bellevue Avenue, famous for its mansions.
At this point, I feel that its negatives like connectivity issues and a “battery saver” feature that seems to do nothing at all, detract from the things that work and work well. I’m looking forward to see how this game develops as it becomes more stable over the summer. – Ryan Gibbs, Newport RI
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