Mewtwo Just Broke Pokemon GO

In the past two days, the rise in Google searches for Mewtwo in the Pokemon GO universe have expanded wildly. More than almost any other Pokemon GO-related term that I'm aware of – and I've been watching the numbers since day 1. The other thing that's risen sharply in the last 24 hours is Mewtwo-related complaints from Pokemon GO users that do not live in Japan – where this Pokemon is (thus far) exclusive.

I've been playing Pokemon GO since before the beginning, and I've not paid a single cent to do it. This game is free – and not just free with an up-front cost. This game is literally free – one needn't spend a single dime in this game to play. And yet – this week – some very angry customers are complaining.

Pokemon GO trainers have said this week that they're super mad! They feel like the game is broken now – what good is the game if there's a Pokemon they can't get? Why should I, the ultimate Pokemon GO master, keep playing if I can't have Mewtwo right now?! And why are the Legendary Birds still in the game – not like we previously discussed!?

These trainers are angry because they want to Catch Em All. That's what the most well-known tagline from the game says – that's what the brand is all about! "Gotta Catch Em All, Pokemon!" But it's not Mewtwo's fault that I've been unable to catch em all this week – it's the SHINY Pokemon's fault.

Since Shiny Pokemon first hit the Pokemon universe, the small possibility of capturing every different kind of Pokemon has become a near-impossibility. In addition to every basic Pokemon, there are Legendary Pokemon, Male and Female versions of Pokemon, and Shiny Pokemon – and region-exclusive Pokemon, too!

In all, there are over FIVE HUNDRED different iterations of Pokemon that are now or have been available thus far in Pokemon GO. If you'd like to know how we arrived at that number, have a peek at our investigation called How many Pokemon have been in Pokemon GO so far? (HARDCORE Total) posted earlier today. It's not a realistic goal, really, nor one that any non-cheater should ever hope to accomplish.

But for those Pokemon trainers that've dropped hundreds of dollars on the game assuming they'd see Mewtwo pop up in Times Square before anywhere else in the world – I see you. I assumed the same thing – it's all because of this video, one of the first and sweetest of Pokemon GO videos from Niantic.

My only advice is this: if you're having trouble being a completist in this game, good god don't go back to the rest of the world of Pokemon video games. You'll find no end to the iterations in the games – different versions of Pokemon forever and ever and ever! Drop in on Pokemon GO Central on Facebook to see more early Pokemon GO news bits, secrets, and memes in large abundance!