Julius

Late 2025, no date... (which means it's almost certainly November) Today's new trailers/footage: Kind of crazy that they went with two Gen II starters – and that we're seemingly going to get Mega Meganium?! Textures look rough but hey, at least it runs better in this first bit of gameplay than Legends: Arceus did. Rival being determined by MC gender kind of sucks

Guess I'll finally be starting with Totodile

Always a win when new languages are made available in Pokémon games Latin American Spanish coming to Champions, Z-A, and a number of future products. They've got a new Pokémon office in Mexico, too!

Just announced in today's Pokémon Presents! Overseen and planned for by Game Freak, developed by Pokémon Works. Connects with Pokémon Home, but also sounds like you will be able to get Pokémon in-game.

That terrifying opening with Darkrai in Pokémon Sleep was freaking hilarious

Well, today's the day folks! Happy Pokémon Day, and here's hoping for a nice surprise or two later! I might need to treat myself to a Pokémon pick-up or two to commemorate the occasion It's also floating around that the Presents might be 19 minutes long? Seems like a decent length to me. Last year's was super short from what I remember, so hey, if it's longer than that I'll take it! Next year's better be 30 minutes for the 30th, though, because otherwise -- what are we even doing?

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Sonic Colors: Ultimate and TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection are the Essentials games for March. Wild to see Veilguard already hitting the service, end of October release to PS+ Essential in March...got to be one of the fastest turnarounds on a third-party AAA release getting onto the service, surely? Can't tell if that's because PS paid the big bucks or if it's a case of the sales numbers dropping and EA wanting to cash in, or maybe it's a weird counter to Avowed on Xbox?

Sure, but like you go on to say, I think the fact they've got any Mega Evos at all *should* hopefully rule them out as being the starter Pokémon. Fully expect them to turn up elsewhere in the game, mind you. Well, at least Charmander... But hell, Mega Evo Z would be dumb as all hell which makes it a very obvious thing for GF to do. I could actually see an alternative Mega Evo/whatever they're doing about regional forms be the way they justify Torchic being the Fire-type starter. So what you're saying is that Gen IV will continue to get shafted...what else is new? Hey, we've agreed on 2 of the 3 at least! I do like the InteLupin idea, the only thing that gives me pause is that I feel like the line is just too similar visually to the Froakie line, and at which point I would honestly just prefer they give us the Froakie line instead (I know I'm right don't @ me). I honestly have a feeling they're going to ignore our absolutely understandable justifications for our picks and throw Torchic in there. The French rooster is just way too iconic for them to ignore, I feel like. Anyways, I know you weren't the biggest fan of Legends: Arceus, Glen – is there anything in particular you'd like to see them do differently this time which could help win you over? I feel like the game is going to be starkly different in a number of ways given the urban setting vs open world terrain we had in Arceus, so it seems like there'd be a lot of opportunities to change things up and really differentiate the two.

Time for the meaty overview trailer:

New update! The Unimog is a funny addition to me

Can't believe this is tomorrow! Very excited for what we'll see from Legends Z-A Anyone got any hopes/thoughts/expectations for what they'll show from the game? Any thoughts on starters? For me, I'm really curious to see how the game holds up technically. Both Legends: Arceus and Scarlet & Violet were technically atrocious when they were first shown – surely with seemingly more time in the oven, this will have a stronger initial showing, technically? As for starters, I imagine Kalos starters are either going to be native to the area and just running around or handed to us at some point in the game. I can already imagine Froakie swimming through streams just outside the city with Frogadier jumping around the trees, while Fennekin and Chespin run around on ground level. But, like Legends: Arceus, I think our initial starters are going to be a good excuse to revisit previous starters and give them either final evolutions which are regional forms or, obviously much more likely here, Mega Evolutions (doing both would also be beat but very confusing, too, given this'll seemingly be modern day Kalos just like X & Y were). With that in mind, for me? • Gen I starters are off the table as they already have Mega Evos. • Gen II, Cyndaquil is off the table given we've got Hisuian Typhlosion from Legends: Arceus. • Gen III starters are off the table as they already have Mega Evos. • Gen IV is very firmly on the table as they didn't get anything across the remakes and Legends: Arceus – for shame! • Gen V, Oshawott is off the table because of Hisuian Samurott. • Gen VI starters have nothing (but I think they'll get Mega Evos and be captured elsewhere in the game/given as a gift, not a starter). • Gen VII, Rowlet is off the table because of Hisuian Decidueye. • Gen VIII are on the table because they don't have Mega Evos, BUT they did get Gigantamax forms in Sword & Shield's DLC, so I don't think we get them here. • Gen IX are a possibility but I can't quite see it happening myself – having a Pokémon turn up as a starter Pokémon two games in a row (outside of third/enhanced versions and sequels) would be a bit strange to me. It's weird though because Gen VIII and IX probably make the most sense geographically to make it into a game set in Pokémon Paris with what their regions are based on...but whatever, I'm taking them off the table! So that leaves me with what I think is a realistically narrowed down shortlist of Chikorita, Totodile, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Snivy, Tepig, Litten and Popplio. So, for the Grass-type, I'm thinking it's Snivy. That design just looks like it's based on royalty and kind of snooty. In my mind? That makes it super French. For the Water-type, I think it's the toughest one to decide of the options left from my shortlist. I'm going with Piplup purely because you have a Pokémon whose final evolution (Empoleon) has a name which draws from Napoleon, so, uh, yeah. At the same time, Mega Feraligatr would be cool as all heck and fits best in my mind with what I think Mega Evolution is about (Pokémon going berserk with newfound power), but Primarina (the Popplio line) would also make sense to me for how big ballet is in France. Lastly, the Fire-type...I really think it should be Torchic to be honest (just with how the rooster symbolically ties into France), but it's not on my shortlist, so I won't consider it! Incineroar is in Smash and a very popular final starter evo and so I'm thinking they go with that, not really sure what the connection would be...Aristocats? With starter speculation out of the way, not sure how many new Mega Evos we'd see here (if any), but I feel like Mega Sylveon is a nail-on, and Mega Dragonite and Mega Flygon better be on the table, too! Oh, also, I just hope we're having straight-up battles on the streets, kind of Yakuza style, in this

Happy birthday @Dcubed! That OLED screen is lovely, great gift from your sister! Yes! I've been wanting to see something like this too recently, actually. I've still got my childhood DSi which is basically retired for nostalgia purposes, and my New 3DS XL is the glossy black Solgaleo & Lunala limited edition one they put out for Sun & Moon – don't get me wrong, it's lovely, but it being glossy and black (aka: THE fingerprint magnet) *and* a LE makes me want to retire it. Those are my current options for playing DS games, and while I think I'll probably be getting a different New 3DS XL at some point (probably Metallic Blue like my DSi ) for my 3DS gaming needs, I'd really love to see some better screens to enjoy and revisit a number of DS games. Some of the pixel art on DS games are absolutely gorgeous and deserve to be admired in the most absurdly overtuned way possible

WB continue fumble their gaming division in ways you couldn't if you were trying

Per Schreier, after a lot of rumblings over the past few weeks about what was happening with this game and WB Games: the game has been cancelled. Monolith will be getting shut down, as will a number of other WB Games studios. Good lord.

Yeah, don't blame you guys at all. I was on the fence about going in for launch because of my experience with World, but after hearing all this, I'll just wait. There's so much else to play that getting to the game over Christmas or something sounds much more appealing to me right now! Oh, and it's just World, as in the one of them, @Dcubed don't mean to pick on you at all but I've been hearing it a lot on podcasts and reading it a lot more in articles and on other forums – guess that's just what happens when the successor to World is Wilds, eh? Gave me a good chuckle at least agreed with all of your points!

Bit weird that this has a thread before announcement but sure Anyways, it's been rated in Singapore (originally saw it flagged by Gematsu, so shout-out to them I guess). Woop. It has been rated for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch and PC.

Revenge of the Sith will be back in theatres from 25th April to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary: Poster is lovely as always from Matt Ferguson: Got to imagine they're given away at Celebration – wonder if they'll be given away at viewings too? I'll be looking to cop one for sure...still need to look out for TPM's from last year still for the 25th! Can't wait to see what TFA's looks like later this year for the 10th?! Elsewhere, THR are reporting that Kathleen Kennedy is looking to step down as President of LFL and retire: A lot going on all of a sudden – and we've still got 2 months yet until Celebration!

More info from the official site, as well as the official poster. We will be getting an arc/three episodes dropping every week! A chapter/arc consisting of three episodes per week is the exact perfect way to release this. Hell. Yes. I'm so ready

Kind of funny to me how it's been nearly 2 years and a lot of the key shots in this trailer - thumbnail included - were in the Andor S2 trailer shown at Celebration in London Been feeling the call of an Andor rewatch lately, I'm taking this as the sign that I should go ahead with those plans. I've loved a lot of Star Wars shows - live-action and not - and have mixed feelings on some others, but if Andor S2's quality is in line with S1's and the ending can deliver, I think it's safe to say that I might have a new favourite when this is all said and done. Feel sorry for any of you who have struggled to get into it when trying to in the past, because once you push beyond the first couple of episodes, the show goes on to show you the very best of what Star Wars could be like in this day and age. And it's glorious.

Reviews have started coming in, and it's currently at an 89 on both MC and OC. Reviews seem to be calling out the performance issues and the lack of a truly challenging endgame in the launch version – seem to remember a similar sentiment floating around at the launch of Rise as well.

My expectations for this event right now are literally just Legends Z-A, give me those starter Pokémon and show me how the Legends format is going to work in Lumiose. Oh and yeah, just confirm new Mega Evos are on the way, too. A returned focus to trainer customisation would be neat to see, too! I'm really curious about when Z-A is going to drop, it's got to factor in (note: not into) the Switch 2 launch and I can see them not going with the typical November launch this time around. Not expecting mainline games on NSO - 30th anniversary next year seems the more obvious choice for when we're going to get those legacy mainline games on Switch, if ever, and as stated before I'll be shocked if they're on NSO and not sold piecemeal - but maybe some more spin-offs come to the service? There aren't too many left prior to the DS but the Ruby & Sapphire Pinball game on GBA would be a neat get, and hey, a nice surprise like TCG2 getting released in the West via NSO would be awesome. Would love a new spin-off or two, just not sure what they'd be. Explorers DX seems to be off the table for a bit, maybe something a bit out there like a PokéPark spiritual successor?

Next Thursday. Please be excited!

Dan Da Dan was Done Do Done a while ago, loved it. Easy 9/10. Really sudden and abrupt end to the cour, though, which isn't too bad considering we get the next part in July...but yeah it was just odd Also got back to watching Yu Yu Hakusho a couple of days ago after drifting away from it at some point last year, and just now rounded off the Dark Tournament arc. Still a good ways to go before it's all over, but man, that was brilliant! Still think I'd give HxH the nod ahead of this with where I'm up to so far as Togashi's better story, mainly just because there's a better flow between arcs and also because they aren't as weirdly paced (well, apart from Chimera Ant, perhaps), but hey, it's definitely more Togashi, and it's obvious which ideas in the show so far sorry of planted seeds in his mind of where he'd eventually take HxH.

Season 2 arrives Sunday 13th April: The different posters are neat: I'm so curious to see where S2 ends and what they do differently, especially after coming around to just how brilliant (yet flawed) Part II was when I replayed it at the start of last year. There's a lot which could potentially get spoiled for people - if it hasn't already been - depending on where they round this season off. There have been rumours about the adaptation of Part II being split into three seasons, too, which has me a little nervous. While the first season was great as an adaptation, I came away feeling like it was such an obviously inferior retelling of the game's story – weird pacing, weird things cut out and new things included, not to mention the last episode, which I feel really dropped the ball at times. Part II is much more ambitious but isn't nearly as untouchable in my eyes as Part I, so I do think there are room for things to be improved – I guess the question really, then, is if they have been.

Bunch of new details came out on Friday per an interview IGN carried out with Kamiya, Capcom producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, and Machine Head Works producer Kiyohiko Sakata. Key points I've jotted down and cross-referenced below, but the whole thing is well worth a full read. I was going to stick this in a quote but that cuts off weirdly now, so: • Capcom publishing; Kamiya directing; Clovers developing with support from Machine Head Works, staffed by Capcom vets who supported the previous Ōkami HD release. Machine Head Works have also supported on recent Resident Evil remakes. • being produced on the Capcom side by Yoshiaki Hirabayashi – he was produced on Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 Remake, and has been with Capcom for several decades. In fact, he was lead designer on the cinematics for the original Resident Evil 4! • being produced on the Machine Head Works side by Sakata – whose history with Capcom dates back to the original Resident Evil on PlayStation. He was Lead Coder on the original Resident Evil 4. • game is VERY early in development. Talks started after Kamiya left Platinum. Development started this year. • the game will be developed in RE Engine; [Hirabayashi says] "But we from Capcom, we believe that without RE Engine at this point we wouldn't be able to realize Kamiya-san's artistic dreams for this project." • Kamiya has spent time watching back YouTube reaction videos for the announcement and fins himself crying along with fans. • Hirabayashi thinks the sequel is justified from the Capcom side – while not a runaway success originally, the original Ōkami is on their IR list of million+ sellers, and sales have remained steady throughout the years, making Ōkami a very unique IP for them. • asked about the IGN watermark on the cover of the Wii release of the game, all three declined to comment. • when asked about the Switch 2, both say that they can't really comment – but Kamiya does say he would like to see the Virtual Console rebooted. • this will be a sequel and continuation to the original Ōkami. • confirmed that it is Amaterasu in the TGAs trailer.