Pokémon had a lot to live up to this year with it being the twentieth anniversary of their franchise.  Most of the diehard fans were expecting Pokémon Z, a follow-up to Pokémon X and Y, but they will be pleased when Pokémon Sun and Moon meet their release date later this fall. There is also a lot of hype for the location-based Pokémon GO, which will allow the players to go to real-life locations to capture the pocket monsters, but the release date for that still has not been set. 

According to Gamespot, the Beta test for Pokémon GO is already underway in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.  For those that are in the United States and want to sign up, that is possible, all you need to do is just head to the official game's website and get your name down. 

There has been some more news on Pokémon GO on the battle mechanics, as there will be "more than a hundred" different Pokémon to find and catch.  The game will work with a mobile device by having it buzz when there is a Pokémon nearby, and for those that have the Pokémon Go Plus wristband made to look like a Pokémon ball, it will light up and buzz when the virtual creatures come within range.  So when that Pokémon shows up, the user gets out a mobile device and uses the touchscreen to capture it within the Poke Ball. 

By the way, Poke Balls as well as other items can be found at Poke Stops, which will be located in the real world at places such as "public art installations, historical markers, and monuments", which will no doubt build up some traffic around these areas. 

There will also be Gym Battles that will takes place at Gyms, located in real-life locations.  Gyms will have an interesting dynamic as Pokémon GO players will defeat the defending Pokémon in order to reduce the Gym's Prestige level.  When that Gym's Prestige level hits zero, the defending team loses control of the Gym, and then the victor's Pokémon can be assigned to defend said Gym.  So yes, there will be a lot of Gym warfare in Pokémon GO. 

As far as Pokémon Sun and Moon are concerned, that is progressing very well.  Gotta Be Mobile reports that the games will take the players to the new region of Alola, building upon the high detailed 3D visual mechanics that were established in Pokémon X and Y.  The starting Pokémon confirmed for the two games are Rowlet, Litten, and Poppillio. 

As far as other Pokémon included within the game, there hasn't really been any word as yet, but since the Pokémon company usually includes 150 new Pokémon, there will be a lot.  There are still a lot of technical details missing, but there will be more revealed soon, as revealed in tweets from the company. 

Pokémon Sun and Moon is due out for a North American release on November 18, 2016.  As for Pokémon GO, there still has yet to be a release date for the location-based game, but it really needs one.  I have said many times before that this game needs to be released in the summertime, as more people will want to go outside at that time.  The beta test running shows that the game is about ready, so hopefully it will be in the hands of the fans soon.