Four years ago, a little-known developer namedNianticcreatedIngress.

It was a location-based mobile game that set the stage for their next big game,Pokemon Go.

Both are extremely fun and get you out of the house, but with very different flavors.

Heres how Niantics two hits compare.

Comparing the two is more for fun and to see how each can improve.

Pokemon Go isas close as we can get.

The game even focuses solely on the original 151 Pokemon, to maximize nostalgia.

Specifically, a team of roughly one half of the players on the planet.

Youll hack portals and connect them together to make triangular fields.

The team with the most area covered wins.

Those basic gameplay mechanics are supported by a sci-fi mystery story that gets deeper the more you unravel it.

you’re free to play both games simultaneously and it actually works pretty well.

If you play one game, you may even bump into people playing the other.

Its a pretty neat connection that all the players can share.

Like any good friends, there are a few things these games can learn from each other.

Most cities have separate groups for the two major factions, the Resistance and the Enlightened.

SinceIngressrequires working with others to succeed, these groups are invaluable.

These days, the community has settled enough to pull offsome amazing feats.

Pokemon Goon the other hand is still in its chaotic, embryonic stage.

The lack of any kind of in-game chat system makes this even harder.

Fortunately, this is wherePokemon Goshines.

Step a few hundred feet outside your home (if that) and youll find some Pokemon to catch.

you could get through the first few levels solely by catching wild Pokemon.

you’re free to even use items like incense to draw Pokemon to you.

Anywhere you go, you’re able to find something to catch.

In theory, anyway.

Finding Poke Stops will be the most difficult hurdle for those who dont live in dense cities.

You need these landmarks to get resources like Pokeballs.

Fortunately, Poke Stops are fairly common.

Unfortunately, the game offers almost no way to find these without walking around.

On the flip side,Ingressdoesnt offer much to do if youre not near a portal.

Completing these missions earns you badges and awards for your player profile.

If you prefer to make your own adventure, you’ve got the option to usethe Intel Map.

This tool lets you explore your area to find portals near you and what level they are.

Ideally,Pokemon Gowill adopt some of these features over time.

Pre-made quests would give Pokemon trainers some great adventures.

In the meantime, however, you could still use theIngresstools for both games.

In some ways, this is okay!

The downside is that it can make it hard to keep up with the big dogs.

InIngress, portals are guarded by objects called resonators.

Higher level players can put resonators on their portals that are near-impossible for low level players to destroy.

This is where organized communities come in handy.

Pokemon Gosuffers from a similar problem, to a much smaller degree.

Much likeIngressportals, gyms are designed to be attacked in teams, or by high level players anyway.

However, theyre not the only way to level up.

For the players who only want to work with others occasionally,Pokemon Gois wonderful.

While writing this I took a walk down to a couple nearby Poke Stops/portals.

On the way I was able to catch five Pokemon and get a few resources.

I couldnt attack the gym nearby because it was too powerful, but I could still do things.

Meanwhile, inIngressI could only hack a couple nearby portals for a pittance of experience.

That being said, despite its many improvements,Ingressstill has a slightly higher barrier to entry.

Its insanely fun to cooperate with the local teams to makeart out of portal fields, orattend live events.

Pokemon Go, on the other hand, is so accessible evenkids can enjoy it with their parents.

IfIngressis any indication,Pokemon Gois only going to get better over time.