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Canari is a name you'll become all too familiar with in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but you won't actually meet her for a few hours. Instead, you'll get acquainted with her rather adorable plush dolls. This guide will explain everything you need to know about the Canari Plush Dolls, what they do, where to get them, and just how to get them. Canari Plush Dolls explained - Pokémon Legends: Z-ACanari Plush dolls are key items that sit in your inventory and provide a handful of boosts to you throughout the game. You don't need to equip them — as long as you've bought the doll, it'll provide you with the little boost. There are five different types of Canari Plush: Red, Gold, Pink, Green, and Blue. You'll get your first one, a Red Canari Plush, from Tarragon after reaching Rank Y in the Z-A Royale. Afterwards, you'll be able to buy more dolls and upgrades for existing dolls wby spending Colorful Screws. Where to buy Canari Dolls You can buy Canari Dolls at the Racine Construction building, which is on South Boulevard in the Vert Sector. You'll know you're in the right spot when you see a construction worker standing outside. Make sure you head inside the building to unlock it as a fast travel spot! How to get Colorful Screws Colorful Screws will be available to collect as soon as you get your first Canari Plush. These can be found all across Lumiose City on the rooftops and in many scaffolding platforming puzzles. You'll see them as they emit a purple glow; don't worry, you can't get every single one immediately, so just pick them up as and when you can. All Canari Plush effectsEvery plush brings with it a different benefit, so they're all worth getting eventually. Here's what all five dolls do, and all the upgrades, including screw cost. Many thanks to Serebii for recording the exact effects of these dolls! Canari Plush Effect Level 1 (3 Screws) Level 2 (5 Screws) Level 3 (8 Screws) Red Canari Plush Increases Exp. points +5% Exp earned +10% Exp earned +15% Exp earned Gold Canari Plush Increases prize money from beating trainers in Z-A Royale Increases your prize medal conversion by *1.15 Increases your prize medal conversion by *1.299 Increases your prize medal conversion by *1.5 Pink Canari Plush Increases the amount of Mega Shards dropped by Mega Crystals Small Crystals drop 2-4 Shards Large Crystals drop 8-12 Small Crystals drop 3-5 Shards Large Crystals drop 10-14 Small Crystals drop 5-7 Shards Large Crystals drop 14-18 Green Canari Plush Increases your (the trainer's) health HP increases to 150 HP increases to 200 HP increases to 250 Blue Canari Plush Makes it easier to catch Pokémon Catch rate increases by 10% Catch rate increases by 20% Catch rate increases by 35% What's Canari Plush should I get first? For our money — or should that be Colorful Screws? — we think the Blue Canari Plush should be the first one you grab. This will help make some of those tougher Pokémon much easier to catch. Take that Dratini! It'll just be less of a headache building teams with rarer Pokémon as you progress through the story. As for the rest, Pink, Gold, then Red are probably the next three you should focus on: you'll need Mega Shards to trade for Mega Stones later down the line, while Gold will help you make money nice and quickly. Red is always worth grabbing if you need an Exp. boost and are training 'mons up. Green should be your last pick — perhaps if you're struggling with a Rogue Mega Evolution fight. View full article -
With a new real-time battle system, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has upgraded Pokémon battles to a whole new level, and with it comes a bit of a learning curve. If you want to get to grips with the basics, or become a pro, then this guide will help you understand everything you need in order to get through the game. Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Battle System - Beginner TipsMoving to real-time doesn't just change things from turn-based to action-based, it's a bit deeper than that! You can now fully move around the battle arena, as can your Pokémon! That adds a whole layer of strategy already, but there's a lot going on. So here's some basic tips we suggest focusing on — some of these are similar to previous Pokémon games, but others are a little more unique. Yes, you can avoid attacksWho needs an accuracy stat? Not Legends: Z-A it seems. Almost every single attack in the game is now reliant on a number of factors, not just whether they'll hit or not. Some attacks, like Quick Attack, and guaranteed to hit, so there's no need to run around like crazy trying to dodge that. But the Hydro Pumps, Solar Beams, Shadow Balls of the world, watch out. Keep an eye on your opponent to see what attack they're going to use. Watch their animation, and move. Don't command your Pokémon to attack while they're getting ready. And, if they get close, lure them in, then move at the last second. No Headbuts allowed! Oh, and attacks like Pin Missile, that used to hit between 3-5 times? Those are dodgeable now too. Stay out of traps This should go without saying, but considering the way traps work in Z-A, it's a little bit new here. Spikes, Poison Spikes, Stealth Rock, Fire Spin, Future Sight, and a bunch of other moves no longer just sit on the field for guaranteed damage each turn — or prep a power boost on the next attack. Instead, these sit in a specific spot and will stay there until they expire. You don't have to step in them, and you shouldn't! Type advantage is still very importantAnother fairly obvious one, but with all the changes here, it's worth reiterating — pay attention to Pokémon types. Don't take a Grass-type into a fight with a Fire-type; avoid using Dragons against Fairies. You get the idea. Mix up your attack types, too, as you would a normal Pokémon game: don't just give Floette Fairy-type moves; give it some Grass, some Normal, some Poison. TMs are reusable so don't be shy about using them. Keep close(ish) to your PokémonThis is maybe the most important thing we learned while playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A — don't stand far, far away from your active Pokémon. Sure, it puts you in a bit of danger, but the crucial thing is that it stops your Pokémon from running back and forth between you and the enemy. Keeping close to your 'mon means not only can you see what's going on a little better, but it also means you can lead your buddy away from danger. You can't control them directly, but they will follow your movements, and the close you are, the better you know that you'll be able to avoid damage. Lock on - but not all the time Holding ZL will lock onto the enemy, allowing your Pokémon to use one of its moves. But it also makes you move slower and means you can't dodge roll. So, if you see your opponent readying a move, let go! And run! You really only want to lock on to keep an eye on the opposing Pokémon (if you end up far away) and to ready an attack of your own. Stat boosts (and debuffs) are worth itOutside of competitive battling, buffs and debuffs didn't always feel worth it in the mainline games — they waste a turn and more often than not the gain didn't outweigh the damage we took. That changes in Legends: Z-A. Now, because you can prep as you sneak up on an enemy, or even just move out of the way, buffing is absolutely worth it. Debuffing, too, particularly in the early game. Fight Mega with Mega This won't apply until your a few hours into the game, but we figured it was worth saying here — if your opponent Mega Evolves, or you're up against a Rogue Mega Evolution, you ideally want to fight fire with fire and do the same. Mega Evolutions have hugely improved stats over their base forms, and that means that, more often than not, they're more defensive and have higher HP. Super effective attacks are great and all, but they'll make less of a dent. If you have the power to Mega Evolve when your opponent does, then just do it. it's not worth the hassle, and you'll get the energy back easily as you continue. Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Battle System - Advanced TipsAlright, so you're getting pretty good at this now. But there are some extremely useful and very unique situations to react to throughout Z-A, so for those of you who want to become the A-Ranked trainer of Lumiose, read on. These tips will be very helpful for when you take on the later Z-A Royale challenges or try to catch some difficult Pokémon in the post-game. Put your Pokémon away! Yes, you heard — put your 'mon back in its ball! You don't always need to be doing damage, and because you can't really control your Pokémon's movements, in situations where it's hard to get them to avoid damage (particularly in Rogue Mega Evolution fights), stick 'em back in your pocket. Many fights have wide area-of-effect attacks that are pretty tough to avoid without worrying about your Pokémon Pal too. So save yourself some potions and just put them away for a few seconds. Wait for the attack to stop, and send them out again. If your Pokémon is Mega Evolved, then don't worry, they won't revert back inside the ball. They're raring to go once you send them out again. Stack up effectsSo you can't stack tons of status effects on top of each other, but you can stack say, Poison with a lovely-placed Fire Spin. Not only will both of these chip away at damage, but they're easy to reapply and overtime can take out a significant chunk of health. Add in some of your own attacks and, well, it's damage city over here. Don't be afraid to double up move types Something that's a little bit of a no-no in mainline Pokémon — doubling up moves of the same type. Not always the case, but variety is the spice of life and all that. That's less of an issue now thanks to attacks being on cooldown. You can just rotate between two Water-type moves against a Rock-type opponent and absolutely destroy them, for instance. One isn't going to run out of PP anymore, after all. Plus Moves are A+Plus Moves become available around the same time you get your first Mega Stone. They consume part of the Mega Gauge, meaning it'll take longer to Mega Evolve, so you might be worried about using them. Don't be. Plus Moves make 'mons who can't Mega Evolve pretty darn powerful. Don't just save them for the Florges' and Pangoros of the world, though — they're great for every Pokémon. Pressing + before using an eligible Plus Move gives your attack a Mega-style boost to its power. Attacks get stronger and have a wider area-of-effect, for instance. In situations where you're struggling, or when you're just not building up the energy to Mega Evolve, use Plus Moves. -
With a new real-time battle system, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has upgraded Pokémon battles to a whole new level, and with it comes a bit of a learning curve. If you want to get to grips with the basics, or become a pro, then this guide will help you understand everything you need in order to get through the game. Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Battle System - Beginner TipsMoving to real-time doesn't just change things from turn-based to action-based, it's a bit deeper than that! You can now fully move around the battle arena, as can your Pokémon! That adds a whole layer of strategy already, but there's a lot going on. So here's some basic tips we suggest focusing on — some of these are similar to previous Pokémon games, but others are a little more unique. Yes, you can avoid attacksWho needs an accuracy stat? Not Legends: Z-A it seems. Almost every single attack in the game is now reliant on a number of factors, not just whether they'll hit or not. Some attacks, like Quick Attack, and guaranteed to hit, so there's no need to run around like crazy trying to dodge that. But the Hydro Pumps, Solar Beams, Shadow Balls of the world, watch out. Keep an eye on your opponent to see what attack they're going to use. Watch their animation, and move. Don't command your Pokémon to attack while they're getting ready. And, if they get close, lure them in, then move at the last second. No Headbuts allowed! Oh, and attacks like Pin Missile, that used to hit between 3-5 times? Those are dodgeable now too. Stay out of traps This should go without saying, but considering the way traps work in Z-A, it's a little bit new here. Spikes, Poison Spikes, Stealth Rock, Fire Spin, Future Sight, and a bunch of other moves no longer just sit on the field for guaranteed damage each turn — or prep a power boost on the next attack. Instead, these sit in a specific spot and will stay there until they expire. You don't have to step in them, and you shouldn't! Type advantage is still very importantAnother fairly obvious one, but with all the changes here, it's worth reiterating — pay attention to Pokémon types. Don't take a Grass-type into a fight with a Fire-type; avoid using Dragons against Fairies. You get the idea. Mix up your attack types, too, as you would a normal Pokémon game: don't just give Floette Fairy-type moves; give it some Grass, some Normal, some Poison. TMs are reusable so don't be shy about using them. Keep close(ish) to your PokémonThis is maybe the most important thing we learned while playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A — don't stand far, far away from your active Pokémon. Sure, it puts you in a bit of danger, but the crucial thing is that it stops your Pokémon from running back and forth between you and the enemy. Keeping close to your 'mon means not only can you see what's going on a little better, but it also means you can lead your buddy away from danger. You can't control them directly, but they will follow your movements, and the close you are, the better you know that you'll be able to avoid damage. Lock on - but not all the time Holding ZL will lock onto the enemy, allowing your Pokémon to use one of its moves. But it also makes you move slower and means you can't dodge roll. So, if you see your opponent readying a move, let go! And run! You really only want to lock on to keep an eye on the opposing Pokémon (if you end up far away) and to ready an attack of your own. Stat boosts (and debuffs) are worth itOutside of competitive battling, buffs and debuffs didn't always feel worth it in the mainline games — they waste a turn and more often than not the gain didn't outweigh the damage we took. That changes in Legends: Z-A. Now, because you can prep as you sneak up on an enemy, or even just move out of the way, buffing is absolutely worth it. Debuffing, too, particularly in the early game. Fight Mega with Mega This won't apply until your a few hours into the game, but we figured it was worth saying here — if your opponent Mega Evolves, or you're up against a Rogue Mega Evolution, you ideally want to fight fire with fire and do the same. Mega Evolutions have hugely improved stats over their base forms, and that means that, more often than not, they're more defensive and have higher HP. Super effective attacks are great and all, but they'll make less of a dent. If you have the power to Mega Evolve when your opponent does, then just do it. it's not worth the hassle, and you'll get the energy back easily as you continue. Pokémon Legends: Z-A: Battle System - Advanced TipsAlright, so you're getting pretty good at this now. But there are some extremely useful and very unique situations to react to throughout Z-A, so for those of you who want to become the A-Ranked trainer of Lumiose, read on. These tips will be very helpful for when you take on the later Z-A Royale challenges or try to catch some difficult Pokémon in the post-game. Put your Pokémon away! Yes, you heard — put your 'mon back in its ball! You don't always need to be doing damage, and because you can't really control your Pokémon's movements, in situations where it's hard to get them to avoid damage (particularly in Rogue Mega Evolution fights), stick 'em back in your pocket. Many fights have wide area-of-effect attacks that are pretty tough to avoid without worrying about your Pokémon Pal too. So save yourself some potions and just put them away for a few seconds. Wait for the attack to stop, and send them out again. If your Pokémon is Mega Evolved, then don't worry, they won't revert back inside the ball. They're raring to go once you send them out again. Stack up effectsSo you can't stack tons of status effects on top of each other, but you can stack say, Poison with a lovely-placed Fire Spin. Not only will both of these chip away at damage, but they're easy to reapply and overtime can take out a significant chunk of health. Add in some of your own attacks and, well, it's damage city over here. Don't be afraid to double up move types Something that's a little bit of a no-no in mainline Pokémon — doubling up moves of the same type. Not always the case, but variety is the spice of life and all that. That's less of an issue now thanks to attacks being on cooldown. You can just rotate between two Water-type moves against a Rock-type opponent and absolutely destroy them, for instance. One isn't going to run out of PP anymore, after all. Plus Moves are A+Plus Moves become available around the same time you get your first Mega Stone. They consume part of the Mega Gauge, meaning it'll take longer to Mega Evolve, so you might be worried about using them. Don't be. Plus Moves make 'mons who can't Mega Evolve pretty darn powerful. Don't just save them for the Florges' and Pangoros of the world, though — they're great for every Pokémon. Pressing + before using an eligible Plus Move gives your attack a Mega-style boost to its power. Attacks get stronger and have a wider area-of-effect, for instance. In situations where you're struggling, or when you're just not building up the energy to Mega Evolve, use Plus Moves. View full article
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Mega Evolutions return! Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings this fan-favourite mechanic back; not seen since Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, this ability allows your favourite 'mons to get an extra power boost and a snazzy new look to boot. All previous Mega Evolutions have returned in Z-A, but we've also got some brand new ones to sink our teeth into. But before you jump in, you'll also want to know how to get that 'mon's Mega Stone. So we've got every single Mega Evolution in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and the location of the relevant Mega Stone, including for the upcoming Mega Dimension DLC. Note: This guide will contain spoilers for the entire game, so please read at your own risk! All Mega Evolutions & Mega Stone Locations in Pokémon Legends: Z-A There are currently 65 Mega Evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, many of which are brand new to the franchise. At least four more will be added to the game via the Mega Dimension DLC. We've listed all of them below, along with the Mega Stone you'll need to Mega Evolve them, and how to get the stone. MEGA EVOLUTION MEGA STONE LOCATION Mega Meganium* Meganiumite After defeating Rogue Absol (Chikorita starter), or from the Stone Emporium in Post Game (100,000 Poké Dollars) Mega Emboarite* Emboarite After defeating Rogue Absol (Tepig starter), or from the Stone Emporium in Post Game (100,000 Poké Dollars) Mega Feraligatr* Feraligite After defeating Rogue Absol (Totodile starter), or from the Stone Emporium in Post Game (100,000 Poké Dollars) Mega Beedrill Beedrillite Defeat Rogue Mega Beedrill Mega Pidgeot Pidgeotite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Ampharos Ampharosite Defeat Rogue Mega Ampharos Mega Gyarados Gyaradosite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Barbaracle* Barbaracite Defeat Rogue Mega Barbaracle Mega Starmie* Staminite Defeat Rogue Mega Starmie Mega Eternal Floette* Floetite Get Eternal Flower Floette (post game) Mega Pyroar* Pyroarite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Clefable* Clefablite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank B) Mega Alakazam Alakazite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Gengar Gengarite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Scolipede* Scolipedite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Victreebel* Victreebelite Defeat Rogue Mega Victreebel Mega Medicham Meditchamite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Manectric Manectite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Gardevoir Gardevoirite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Gallade Galladite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Houndoom Houndoominite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Altaria Altarianite Defeat Rogue Mega Altaria Mega Audino Audinite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Lopunny Lopunnite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Banette Banettite Defeat Rogue Mega Banette Mega Camerupt Cameruptite Defeat Rogue Mega Camerupt Mega Excadrill* Excadrite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Garchomp Garchompite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 70,000 Poké Dollars Mega Sableye Sablenite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Mawile Mawilite Defeat Rogue Mega Mawile Mega Absol Absolite Defeat Rogue Mega Absol Mega Lucario Lucarionite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Slowbro Slowbronite Defeat Rogue Mega Slowbro Mega Sharpedo Sharpedonite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Eelektross* Eelektrossite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Dragonite* Dragonininte Defeat Rogue Mega Dragonite Mega Venasaur Venusaurite Defeat Rogue Mega Venasaur Mega Charizard X Charizardite X Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 100,000 Poké Dollars Mega Charizard Y Charizardite Y Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 100,000 Poké Dollars Mega Blastoise Blastoisinite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 100,000 Poké Dollars Mega Malamar* Malamarite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Dragalge* Dragalgite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank B) Mega Glalie Glalitite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Froslass* Froslassite Defeat Rogue Mega Froslass Mega Abomasnow Abomasite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Scizor Scizorite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Pinsir Pinsirite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Heracross Heracronite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Hawlucha* Hawluchanite Defeat Rogue Mega Hawlucha Mega Scrafty* Scraftinite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 140 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Chandelure* Chandelurite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank D) Mega Aerodactyl Aerodactylite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Steelix Steelixite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 70,000 Poké Dollars Mega Aggron Aggronite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank D) Mega Tyranitar Tyranitarite Defeat Rogue Mega Tyranitar Mega Falinks* Falinksite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank D) Mega Skarmory* Skarmorite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Salamence Salamencite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Kangaskhan Kangaskhanite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 70,000 Poké Dollars Mega Drampa* Drampanite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Metagross Metagrossite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Zygarde* Zygardite Receive at the end of the game Mega Chesnaught* Chesnaughtite Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 3 Mega Delphox* Delphoxite Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 2 Mega Greninja* Greninjite Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 1 Mega Diancie Diancite Mysery Gift (as of 6th Nov 2025) Mega Raichu X* ??? Mega Dimension DLC Mega Raichu Y* ??? Mega Dimension DLC Mega Chimecho ??? Mega Dimension DLC Mega Baxcalibur ??? Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 4 How many new Mega Evolutions are there? We're pleasantly surprised that Z-A has added so many new Mega Evolutions to the game — right now, we've counted 29 (though not all of them are immediately available), which includes Mega Diancie, revealed on 6th November 2025. The DLC will be adding at least four new Mega Evolutions too, so this list is bound to grow. What are Rogue Mega Evolutions? You'll see in the list above that lots of the Mega Stones are only available once you defeat a Rogue Mega Evolution. Don't worry, these are all related to the mainline story, so no need to worry about seeking them out. Rogue Mega Evolutions are similar to Frenzied Pokémon from Legends: Arceus — they're big boss battles where you need to whittle down your opponent's health. Once you defeat them, you'll get their Mega Stone as a reward. -
Mega Evolutions return! Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings this fan-favourite mechanic back; not seen since Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, this ability allows your favourite 'mons to get an extra power boost and a snazzy new look to boot. All previous Mega Evolutions have returned in Z-A, but we've also got some brand new ones to sink our teeth into. But before you jump in, you'll also want to know how to get that 'mon's Mega Stone. So we've got every single Mega Evolution in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and the location of the relevant Mega Stone, including for the upcoming Mega Dimension DLC. Note: This guide will contain spoilers for the entire game, so please read at your own risk! All Mega Evolutions & Mega Stone Locations in Pokémon Legends: Z-A There are currently 65 Mega Evolutions in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, many of which are brand new to the franchise. At least four more will be added to the game via the Mega Dimension DLC. We've listed all of them below, along with the Mega Stone you'll need to Mega Evolve them, and how to get the stone. MEGA EVOLUTION MEGA STONE LOCATION Mega Meganium* Meganiumite After defeating Rogue Absol (Chikorita starter), or from the Stone Emporium in Post Game (100,000 Poké Dollars) Mega Emboarite* Emboarite After defeating Rogue Absol (Tepig starter), or from the Stone Emporium in Post Game (100,000 Poké Dollars) Mega Feraligatr* Feraligite After defeating Rogue Absol (Totodile starter), or from the Stone Emporium in Post Game (100,000 Poké Dollars) Mega Beedrill Beedrillite Defeat Rogue Mega Beedrill Mega Pidgeot Pidgeotite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Ampharos Ampharosite Defeat Rogue Mega Ampharos Mega Gyarados Gyaradosite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Barbaracle* Barbaracite Defeat Rogue Mega Barbaracle Mega Starmie* Staminite Defeat Rogue Mega Starmie Mega Eternal Floette* Floetite Get Eternal Flower Floette (post game) Mega Pyroar* Pyroarite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Clefable* Clefablite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank B) Mega Alakazam Alakazite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Gengar Gengarite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Scolipede* Scolipedite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Victreebel* Victreebelite Defeat Rogue Mega Victreebel Mega Medicham Meditchamite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Manectric Manectite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Gardevoir Gardevoirite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Gallade Galladite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Houndoom Houndoominite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Altaria Altarianite Defeat Rogue Mega Altaria Mega Audino Audinite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Lopunny Lopunnite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Banette Banettite Defeat Rogue Mega Banette Mega Camerupt Cameruptite Defeat Rogue Mega Camerupt Mega Excadrill* Excadrite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Garchomp Garchompite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 70,000 Poké Dollars Mega Sableye Sablenite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Mawile Mawilite Defeat Rogue Mega Mawile Mega Absol Absolite Defeat Rogue Mega Absol Mega Lucario Lucarionite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Slowbro Slowbronite Defeat Rogue Mega Slowbro Mega Sharpedo Sharpedonite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Eelektross* Eelektrossite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Dragonite* Dragonininte Defeat Rogue Mega Dragonite Mega Venasaur Venusaurite Defeat Rogue Mega Venasaur Mega Charizard X Charizardite X Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 100,000 Poké Dollars Mega Charizard Y Charizardite Y Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 100,000 Poké Dollars Mega Blastoise Blastoisinite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 100,000 Poké Dollars Mega Malamar* Malamarite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Dragalge* Dragalgite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank B) Mega Glalie Glalitite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Froslass* Froslassite Defeat Rogue Mega Froslass Mega Abomasnow Abomasite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Scizor Scizorite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 50,000 Poké Dollars Mega Pinsir Pinsirite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank E) Mega Heracross Heracronite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 180 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Hawlucha* Hawluchanite Defeat Rogue Mega Hawlucha Mega Scrafty* Scraftinite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 140 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Chandelure* Chandelurite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank D) Mega Aerodactyl Aerodactylite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Steelix Steelixite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 70,000 Poké Dollars Mega Aggron Aggronite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank D) Mega Tyranitar Tyranitarite Defeat Rogue Mega Tyranitar Mega Falinks* Falinksite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank D) Mega Skarmory* Skarmorite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 240 Mega Shards (Reach Rank C) Mega Salamence Salamencite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Kangaskhan Kangaskhanite Stone Emporium on Vernal Avenue, 70,000 Poké Dollars Mega Drampa* Drampanite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank F) Mega Metagross Metagrossite Quasartico Inc,, Mega Shard Exchange, 360 Mega Shards (Reach Rank A) Mega Zygarde* Zygardite Receive at the end of the game Mega Chesnaught* Chesnaughtite Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 3 Mega Delphox* Delphoxite Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 2 Mega Greninja* Greninjite Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 1 Mega Diancie Diancite Mysery Gift (as of 6th Nov 2025) Mega Raichu X* ??? Mega Dimension DLC Mega Raichu Y* ??? Mega Dimension DLC Mega Chimecho ??? Mega Dimension DLC Mega Baxcalibur ??? Reward from Z-A Battle Club's Ranked Battles Season 4 How many new Mega Evolutions are there? We're pleasantly surprised that Z-A has added so many new Mega Evolutions to the game — right now, we've counted 29 (though not all of them are immediately available), which includes Mega Diancie, revealed on 6th November 2025. The DLC will be adding at least four new Mega Evolutions too, so this list is bound to grow. What are Rogue Mega Evolutions? You'll see in the list above that lots of the Mega Stones are only available once you defeat a Rogue Mega Evolution. Don't worry, these are all related to the mainline story, so no need to worry about seeking them out. Rogue Mega Evolutions are similar to Frenzied Pokémon from Legends: Arceus — they're big boss battles where you need to whittle down your opponent's health. Once you defeat them, you'll get their Mega Stone as a reward. 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I honestly never thought I’d fall in love with Pokémon battles. That’s not why I play Pokémon – I don’t play competitively either – because I play a ton of RPGs where combat is the draw. I can get my fix elsewhere. But Pokémon Legends: Z-A may have done the impossible; in Kalos, I can’t wait to get into a fight. Taking the basic framework for 2022’s Legends: Arceus, Z-A transplants the frictionless catching and larger environments to the streets of Lumiose City and switches things up by placing battles at the forefront, rather than the exploration. Arceus is one of my favourite Pokémon games ever, so I had concerns, but the shift here mostly works. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) When a Pokémon spots me from a distance or I lock eyes with a trainer, no longer am I simply going for the same attacks, nor am I stressing about PP in a long Elite Four rush. Everything is real time with Xenoblade-style cooldowns and full movement to boot. This is the best Pokémon battles have ever felt. Your Pokémon are no longer just static sprites and polygons with repetitive animations: they move in accordance with your own movements. And you have to use that to your advantage to both attack and avoid opponents. Suddenly, I’m not just thinking about type match-ups (still important, of course) but attack distance, Pokémon speed, the battle space around me, and when to use each move. Totodile’s Bubble Beam can hit from a further distance than, say, Bite, but it has a longer charge-up time and it gives the opponent the chance to run away. Bite, however, might put Totodile in harm’s way. What if this Sandile has Absorb and gets it off as my little croc is running up to attack? I’m even using attacks like Fire Spin and Toxic Spikes to set up traps and lure my opponent. These are all things that I know are used competitively, but I, even casually, feel like I have to utilise status effects and stat boosts and everything else in my Pokémon’s arsenal to win. And things can get particularly dicey when Alpha Pokémon get involved. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) Even Mega Evolution feels like it’s been massively improved, with snappy and dramatic transformations that in many story-focused battles are essentially mandatory. It’s beautiful to see the bones of the series’ combat be fully realised in this new system, and I’ll be sad to lose this system outside of Z-A. Thankfully, as you can probably gather so far, there is a lot of that combat thanks to the Z-A Royale, which makes up one half of the game’s narrative progression. By day, Lumiose is a place for coffee and couture — and I must say, the fashion available is très chic — but by night, a battle zone opens up where trainers lurk and aim to duke it out and gain ranking points to reach the next promotional match. You can pick up Bonus Cards to help boost those rewards by fulfilling certain conditions, such as defeating foes with Plus Moves or putting them to sleep. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) It’s another excuse to get into battle, which is absolutely a good thing. Especially as you progress through the game and higher-levelled trainers join the ranks. I never got bored sneaking into a new battle zone, picking up the nearest Bonus Card that fit my Pokémon team’s skillset, and then destroying a foe five levels above me with a crafty super-effective back attack. It’s extremely satisfying to pull off and frustrating when the trainer turns at the last minute to spot you, in a good way. When you’re not spending time in the Z-A Royale, you’ll be helping Team MZ to quell the Rogue Mega Evolution threat popping up all over the city. These are basically the Frenzied Fights from Arceus, but much better. To me, they’re like MMORPG raid battles – watch the attack patterns, try to dodge, expose the ‘mons’ weaknesses, then Mega Evolve for some big damage numbers. Because I was actually battling the Rogue Mega and not just running and throwing things, I felt engaged in these fights. They weren’t just an obstacle, but they helped me understand the importance of space and movement in combat. There were even times where I had to recall my Pokémon and hide behind an obstacle to avoid taking damage. It’s another layer of strategy that I wasn’t expecting from Pokémon that I really appreciate – even if those fights can get a little too chaotic and hard to track. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) Something I hope Game Freak and The Pokémon Company can keep up on Switch 2 is smooth performance. I wish I wasn’t so shocked here, but they’ve managed it in Legends: Z-A. Running at a very consistent 60fps in both handheld and docked, with only a few slight dips in extremely busy, late-game battles and some fast menu cycling, it’s honestly a relief. Load times are also relatively snappy in both formats. I wasn't able to test out the Switch 1 version for review, so we'll have some thoughts on that post-launch, but on the newer console at least, it's a success. If only the visuals were as consistent. I’ve showered a lot of praise on Legends: Z-A so far; the music is excellent, and I enjoy the abundance of fashion shops and customization you have access to throughout the whole game. But as I said earlier, it mostly works. Unfortunately, there’s a big thing holding the whole game back from being truly brilliant: Lumiose City. I will say, I’m pleasantly surprised at how dense this Kalos staple feels: it’s full of alleyways to get lost in and packed with life. There’s always a cafe or a boutique or even just a few market stalls tucked around the corner, places where people and Pokémon hang out. Scaffolding is stacked along the side of buildings, presenting some finicky platforming challenges and item rewards. Even on the rooftops, you’ll find Bird ‘mons fluttering around and trainers gathering and chatting. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) But while I was wandering around the cobbles of Lumiose, I realised it all felt very compact. The city is essentially one big open zone, with a fair amount of verticality. But that means I’d run through and explored the entire place within about five hours. Sure, more Wild Zones unlock as you progress, bringing more Pokémon to catch. But it left very few surprises for the entire game. I also wish it looked better, too. Lumiose has a few lovely sights here and there, but on the whole, Legends: Z-A appears lifeless. Arceus wasn’t a graphical showcase, but that watercolour-style aesthetic gave it a really unique feel. New Pokémon Snap looks so much better and more vibrant than this. If clothes can swish around and hair flow through the wind, why can’t we have windows that aren’t just flat textures or shadows that don’t look like bleeding ink blotches on the floor? It's a little better docked, but not much. I know this is controversial, too, but voices would help give this game character. I’m not even asking for full voice acting — though monologues and pre-rendered cutscenes feel utterly bizarre as just text on a screen — but I’d love a voice clip or two, along the lines of modern Zelda games. It’d also help give the story a little more oomph, which it needs when focusing on friendship, recovery, and forgiveness. Even with an explosive climax (which I urge you not to spoil yourself on), I felt... nothing. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) Those aforementioned Wild Zones might be my biggest disappointment with Z-A; admittedly, this is less about exploration and catching Pokémon than Legends: Arceus is, but it restricts that sense of discovery and magic that even the mainline ‘Gen’ games have. No longer am I walking out into a field and seeing Magikarp in the rivers and Bellsprout in the grass; instead, they’re constrained to tiny pockets of land, most of which are just little parks, boxed-off little streets, or construction sites. What makes the Wild Zones stick out more is that there are actually plenty of Pokémon that do just wander around Lumiose: I spotted the Unova monkey trio just hanging around in trees at various times; Fletchlings and Pidgeys sit on roofs or lampposts and fly away when you approach; when it was raining, I found a Goomy sitting waiting for the nighttime drizzle to stop underneath a bridge. I still love catching these little creatures, so let’s give them the love they deserve. You can’t reasonably expect Pyroar to just prowl around the city streets, I get that, but sticking various 'pens' across the city doesn’t feel like the right solution. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) The monster-catching aspect of the series does feel like it’s been relegated to the back seat a little; I’m glad Arceus’ catching system is back and still snappy, and you still have to put yourself in danger to “catch ‘em all”, but in revisiting Lumiose, in being restricted to this city and these zones, and in a Pokédex that lacks variety, it all starts to add up. The return of Mega Evolutions does help to alleviate that somewhat, but I really miss the sense of discovery I get from going to a new place or finding Pokémon in unexpected places. Instead of feeling like a fresh new spin on the Legends formula, Legend: Z-A squeezes it into an X & Y-shaped sequel. In many ways, it’s more focused, but Z-A loses a lot of charm and the smaller environs don’t entice me to dig into every nook and cranny of the city. It’s so close to being a great Pokémon game thanks to that combat, which alone makes it worth picking up. But ultimately, it's just a good one. ConclusionPokémon Legends: Z-A should be celebrated for its fabulous real-time combat and its largely smooth jump to the Switch 2, but in condensing things down to one single location, it loses part of the Pokémon magic that Arceus and many other entries managed to amplify. I’ll forever find filling up my Pokédex fun, and for the Switch 2 generation, this is a good starting point for the franchise. But if the Legends series is to continue, it needs to recapture its personality and fuse that real-time system with a bit more freedom. -
With three weeks to go until the Mega Dimension DLC drops, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has unveiled its next brand new Mega Evolution, and this time it's a Mythical Pokémon getting an upgrade. Zeraora was first introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, way back in Gen VII, and its Mega form makes a few subtle changes to its original design. Its mostly-yellow fur has turned black, and there's now a lot more blue on its knees, head, and chest. its blue tuft on its head has turned to something resembling a horn, and it has a few blue spikes across its body in general. And, lastly, it now has two ponytail-like features instead of one. It's definitely one of the lighter Mega Evolutions we've seen so far, especially compared to Mega Chimecho, but hey! The Thunderclap Pokémon has its fans. Images: The Pokémon Company According to the Pokédex, "The electric energy it stores in its body is equivalent to ten bolts of lightning. Protrusions on its forehead, chest, back, and the backs of its hands are where the electric energy is particularly concentrated." We'll be getting one more Mega Dimension update in two more weeks (2nd December), which will likely be another Mega Evolution. Stay tuned until then! What do you think of Mega Zeraora? What 'mon do you want to see go Mega? Let us know in the comments. -
With three weeks to go until the Mega Dimension DLC drops, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has unveiled its next brand new Mega Evolution, and this time it's a Mythical Pokémon getting an upgrade. Zeraora was first introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, way back in Gen VII, and its Mega form makes a few subtle changes to its original design. Its mostly-yellow fur has turned black, and there's now a lot more blue on its knees, head, and chest. its blue tuft on its head has turned to something resembling a horn, and it has a few blue spikes across its body in general. And, lastly, it now has two ponytail-like features instead of one. It's definitely one of the lighter Mega Evolutions we've seen so far, especially compared to Mega Chimecho, but hey! The Thunderclap Pokémon has its fans. Images: The Pokémon Company According to the Pokédex, "The electric energy it stores in its body is equivalent to ten bolts of lightning. Protrusions on its forehead, chest, back, and the backs of its hands are where the electric energy is particularly concentrated." We'll be getting one more Mega Dimension update in two more weeks (2nd December), which will likely be another Mega Evolution. Stay tuned until then! What do you think of Mega Zeraora? What 'mon do you want to see go Mega? Let us know in the comments. View full article
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If you're into cozy games with crafting, farming, and the like, but also like driving around in an open world, Dutch studio Square Glade Games has announced that Outbound is coming to Switch 2. Previously announced for the original Switch (don't worry, it's still coming to that console if you're a Switch 1 faithful), the game was a Kickstarter success back in 2024, raising a chunky €265,679 to bring Outbound to PC and consoles in Q2 2026, and that now includes Switch 2. The trailer above will give you a good idea of the gameplay blend the small team is working up, but it looks to be combining elements of open-world exploration (co-op with up to three other players if you want) with campervan decoration, crafting, farming, cooking, patting the dog - all the cozy things you might want wrapped up in a Firewatch-esque art style. The Kickstarter broke every stretch goal going, so you've also got fishing, beekeeping, other minigames, and a character editor. Here's the offical blurb and feature rundown, plus a bunch of screenshots showcasing the breadth of options available, not to mention the incredible breadth of your camper's roof that allows for all that customisation: Images: Square Glade Games "A utopian near future..." Yep, we'll have a drop of that, please. The Kickstarter page still has an estimated delivery date of January 2026, but Q2 2026 is the official word at the moment. Given the ambition (we particularly like the sound of the four-player co-op) of this two-person team indie endeavour, we'll be impressed if it doesn't slip a little. See? Not a single mention of BOTW visual vibes. Let us know below if you like the look of Outbound and plan on getting away from it all sometime in the first half of 2026. -
If you're into cozy games with crafting, farming, and the like, but also like driving around in an open world, Dutch studio Square Glade Games has announced that Outbound is coming to Switch 2. Previously announced for the original Switch (don't worry, it's still coming to that console if you're a Switch 1 faithful), the game was a Kickstarter success back in 2024, raising a chunky €265,679 to bring Outbound to PC and consoles in Q2 2026, and that now includes Switch 2. The trailer above will give you a good idea of the gameplay blend the small team is working up, but it looks to be combining elements of open-world exploration (co-op with up to three other players if you want) with campervan decoration, crafting, farming, cooking, patting the dog - all the cozy things you might want wrapped up in a Firewatch-esque art style. The Kickstarter broke every stretch goal going, so you've also got fishing, beekeeping, other minigames, and a character editor. Here's the offical blurb and feature rundown, plus a bunch of screenshots showcasing the breadth of options available, not to mention the incredible breadth of your camper's roof that allows for all that customisation: Images: Square Glade Games "A utopian near future..." Yep, we'll have a drop of that, please. The Kickstarter page still has an estimated delivery date of January 2026, but Q2 2026 is the official word at the moment. Given the ambition (we particularly like the sound of the four-player co-op) of this two-person team indie endeavour, we'll be impressed if it doesn't slip a little. See? Not a single mention of BOTW visual vibes. Let us know below if you like the look of Outbound and plan on getting away from it all sometime in the first half of 2026. View full article
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Genvid CEO Jacob Navok, the former Director of Business at Square Enix, has shared his two cents' worth on the ongoing debate surrounding the use of AI in game development. While it's far from a glowing endorsement of the practice, Navok argues that most players "generally do not care" about it (thanks for the heads up, GamesRadar+). "For all the anti-AI sentiment we're seeing in various articles," Navok wrote in a recent post on X, "it appears consumers generally do not care". Alongside the successful launch of ARC Raiders, the source of Navok's argument is Steal a Brainrot, the Roblox game that racked up 30 million concurrent users ("approximately 80x the ARC Raiders concurrents") earlier this year despite being, quote, "named after/based on AI slop characters". The game tasks players with 'stealing' voxel characters modelled on the AI-generated creature meme, 'Italian Brainrot', and, if those numbers weren't telling enough, has proven immensely popular. "Gen Z loves AI slop, does not care," wrote Navok. "The upcoming generation of gamers are Bane in Dark Knight Rises, saying 'You merely adopted the slop, I was born in it'". This follows a handful of high-profile cases of AI-generated images appearing in the year's biggest releases, with both Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and ARC Raiders being dragged through the mud at launch, while still putting up huge sales numbers, regardless. And yet, art and voice work are just "the tip of the spear" when it comes to AI being used in the industry, Navok continues. "Many studios I know are using AI generation in the concept phase, and many more are using Claude for code". "It will be hard to find a non-indie title that isn't using Claude for code," he concluded, "and ignoring Claude's AI use because it's code while focusing purely on art shows that a lot of AI sentiment is being driven by emotion rather than logic". Of course, high player counts for the Roblox slop game or ARC Raiders aren't to suggest that everyone is on board with AI implementation. While some studios like EA are diving headfirst into it, we've seen great swathes of studios (big and small) standing opposed to the idea, and our social feeds are constantly awash with disappointed fans after the discovery that their favorite series/franchises/games have hopped on the AI trend. -
Genvid CEO Jacob Navok, the former Director of Business at Square Enix, has shared his two cents' worth on the ongoing debate surrounding the use of AI in game development. While it's far from a glowing endorsement of the practice, Navok argues that most players "generally do not care" about it (thanks for the heads up, GamesRadar+). "For all the anti-AI sentiment we're seeing in various articles," Navok wrote in a recent post on X, "it appears consumers generally do not care". Alongside the successful launch of ARC Raiders, the source of Navok's argument is Steal a Brainrot, the Roblox game that racked up 30 million concurrent users ("approximately 80x the ARC Raiders concurrents") earlier this year despite being, quote, "named after/based on AI slop characters". The game tasks players with 'stealing' voxel characters modelled on the AI-generated creature meme, 'Italian Brainrot', and, if those numbers weren't telling enough, has proven immensely popular. "Gen Z loves AI slop, does not care," wrote Navok. "The upcoming generation of gamers are Bane in Dark Knight Rises, saying 'You merely adopted the slop, I was born in it'". This follows a handful of high-profile cases of AI-generated images appearing in the year's biggest releases, with both Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and ARC Raiders being dragged through the mud at launch, while still putting up huge sales numbers, regardless. And yet, art and voice work are just "the tip of the spear" when it comes to AI being used in the industry, Navok continues. "Many studios I know are using AI generation in the concept phase, and many more are using Claude for code". "It will be hard to find a non-indie title that isn't using Claude for code," he concluded, "and ignoring Claude's AI use because it's code while focusing purely on art shows that a lot of AI sentiment is being driven by emotion rather than logic". Of course, high player counts for the Roblox slop game or ARC Raiders aren't to suggest that everyone is on board with AI implementation. While some studios like EA are diving headfirst into it, we've seen great swathes of studios (big and small) standing opposed to the idea, and our social feeds are constantly awash with disappointed fans after the discovery that their favorite series/franchises/games have hopped on the AI trend. View full article
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It was announced a little while back that the Gran Turismo series reached a whopping 100 million copies sold in total, making it comfortably one of Sony's most successful franchises. In celebration of this milestone, developer Polyphony Digital has announced a couple of things for Gran Turismo 7. The first is a major free update named Spec III, due for release in December. Additionally, a premium DLC called the Power Pack is also on the way, arriving at the same time as the update. Now, a less splashy bonus has been unveiled, but rather than rewarding existing fans, it's something only new buyers can enjoy. As announced on the game's socials, both editions of Gran Turismo 7 now come bundled with a bunch of in-game Credits at no additional cost. If you buy the standard edition, you'll receive 750,000 Credits, while the Digital Deluxe edition rewards you with 2 million Credits. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a massive number of Credits, but it's enough to give newbies a little head start in the sim racer. While this is mainly a benefit for new purchases, fans of the series aren't best pleased about it, asking where their free Credits are for supporting the game at launch. Indeed, it would be nice for fans to get some sort of perk, even if it is just a boost to their Credits. Still, it's not a huge issue, really; if you're super into GT, you probably don't need to worry about your Credit count. Are you tempted to pick up GT7 and gain these bonus Credits? Tell us in the comments section below. -
It was announced a little while back that the Gran Turismo series reached a whopping 100 million copies sold in total, making it comfortably one of Sony's most successful franchises. In celebration of this milestone, developer Polyphony Digital has announced a couple of things for Gran Turismo 7. The first is a major free update named Spec III, due for release in December. Additionally, a premium DLC called the Power Pack is also on the way, arriving at the same time as the update. Now, a less splashy bonus has been unveiled, but rather than rewarding existing fans, it's something only new buyers can enjoy. As announced on the game's socials, both editions of Gran Turismo 7 now come bundled with a bunch of in-game Credits at no additional cost. If you buy the standard edition, you'll receive 750,000 Credits, while the Digital Deluxe edition rewards you with 2 million Credits. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a massive number of Credits, but it's enough to give newbies a little head start in the sim racer. While this is mainly a benefit for new purchases, fans of the series aren't best pleased about it, asking where their free Credits are for supporting the game at launch. Indeed, it would be nice for fans to get some sort of perk, even if it is just a boost to their Credits. Still, it's not a huge issue, really; if you're super into GT, you probably don't need to worry about your Credit count. Are you tempted to pick up GT7 and gain these bonus Credits? Tell us in the comments section below. View full article
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Capcom has announced a new sales milestone for its fan favourite action RPG, Dragon's Dogma 2. As revealed on its official social channels, the cult hit sequel has now surpassed 4 million copies sold: Dragon's Dogma 2 launched in March 2024, meaning it's taken around 20 months for it to reach the milestone. The first 3 million sales were within the game's first few months. While fans are happy to celebrate the news, many responses are asking after some sort of DLC. The original Dragon's Dogma eventually received the Dark Arisen expansion, and players are hopeful that the sequel will get the same treatment. However, it's not clear that any such extra content is coming; Capcom has made no allusions to an expansion for Dragon's Dogma 2, though it's of course still possible. As it stands, though, the game itself received a very positive reception despite some rough edges, and has been getting updates as recently as April of this year. -
Capcom has announced a new sales milestone for its fan favourite action RPG, Dragon's Dogma 2. As revealed on its official social channels, the cult hit sequel has now surpassed 4 million copies sold: Dragon's Dogma 2 launched in March 2024, meaning it's taken around 20 months for it to reach the milestone. The first 3 million sales were within the game's first few months. While fans are happy to celebrate the news, many responses are asking after some sort of DLC. The original Dragon's Dogma eventually received the Dark Arisen expansion, and players are hopeful that the sequel will get the same treatment. However, it's not clear that any such extra content is coming; Capcom has made no allusions to an expansion for Dragon's Dogma 2, though it's of course still possible. As it stands, though, the game itself received a very positive reception despite some rough edges, and has been getting updates as recently as April of this year. View full article
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Today's Xbox Game Pass roundup has delivered some lovely upcoming additions - which we're very grateful to see given that the post-Black Ops 7 XGP lineup was looking a little thin. One game that's really standing out to us here is The Crew Motorfest; Ubisoft's 2023 racer set in open-world Hawaii. At the time of its release, we said that a true Forza Horizon competitor had come to market, and today, we're doubling down on that. Motorfest is a really good open world racing game, and one that's absolutely worth your time on Xbox Game Pass. If you've played any of the more recent Forza Horizon titles you'll pretty much know what to expect here. Rather than The Crew 1 & 2 which focused on incredible scale and more RPG-like sensibilities, Motorfest strips things back towards something that more closely resembles the Playground Games series. In fact, this The Crew experience even revolves around its own in-game festival (the clue's in the name), and yeah, even the overall vibe is very Forza Horizon. Having said that, Motorfest does have a few issues. We'd argue that the game's progression isn't as satisfying as it is in Horizon - Playground just has that gameplay loop nailed down. The Crew focuses largely on 'playlists' that are quite similar to Horizon Stories in Forza, and when you have plenty of them dotted around on the map, they're fantastic fun. Down the road though, the amount you can hop into dries up (DLC aside), and then the game becomes a bit more laborious progression-wise. Thankfully just driving around the open world is good fun, and the game is gorgeous too. Xbox Series X players can experience Ivory Tower's open-world rendition of Hawaii at up to 60FPS, while Series S players are stuck at just 30FPS. However you play though, this is one very good looking racer - it maybe even beats Horizon 5 in the looks department if you ask me. Speaking of Horizon 5, if Xbox's most recent Horizon game feels a bit long in the tooth now, The Crew Motorfest is simply a great alternative, especially before FH6 rolls around in 2026. So, yeah, The Crew Motorfest is a really good addition to Game Pass Ultimate, we reckon. It's not exactly original as an open-world racer, but it's the closest you'll get to a proper Forza Horizon alternative right now, and its addition to the library later this week (November 20th) will be well worth exploring. For everything else included in today's fresh Xbox Game Pass roundup, check out our coverage on that down below - and we'll chuck our original The Crew Motorfest review underneath that as well. -
Today's Xbox Game Pass roundup has delivered some lovely upcoming additions - which we're very grateful to see given that the post-Black Ops 7 XGP lineup was looking a little thin. One game that's really standing out to us here is The Crew Motorfest; Ubisoft's 2023 racer set in open-world Hawaii. At the time of its release, we said that a true Forza Horizon competitor had come to market, and today, we're doubling down on that. Motorfest is a really good open world racing game, and one that's absolutely worth your time on Xbox Game Pass. If you've played any of the more recent Forza Horizon titles you'll pretty much know what to expect here. Rather than The Crew 1 & 2 which focused on incredible scale and more RPG-like sensibilities, Motorfest strips things back towards something that more closely resembles the Playground Games series. In fact, this The Crew experience even revolves around its own in-game festival (the clue's in the name), and yeah, even the overall vibe is very Forza Horizon. Having said that, Motorfest does have a few issues. We'd argue that the game's progression isn't as satisfying as it is in Horizon - Playground just has that gameplay loop nailed down. The Crew focuses largely on 'playlists' that are quite similar to Horizon Stories in Forza, and when you have plenty of them dotted around on the map, they're fantastic fun. Down the road though, the amount you can hop into dries up (DLC aside), and then the game becomes a bit more laborious progression-wise. Thankfully just driving around the open world is good fun, and the game is gorgeous too. Xbox Series X players can experience Ivory Tower's open-world rendition of Hawaii at up to 60FPS, while Series S players are stuck at just 30FPS. However you play though, this is one very good looking racer - it maybe even beats Horizon 5 in the looks department if you ask me. Speaking of Horizon 5, if Xbox's most recent Horizon game feels a bit long in the tooth now, The Crew Motorfest is simply a great alternative, especially before FH6 rolls around in 2026. So, yeah, The Crew Motorfest is a really good addition to Game Pass Ultimate, we reckon. It's not exactly original as an open-world racer, but it's the closest you'll get to a proper Forza Horizon alternative right now, and its addition to the library later this week (November 20th) will be well worth exploring. For everything else included in today's fresh Xbox Game Pass roundup, check out our coverage on that down below - and we'll chuck our original The Crew Motorfest review underneath that as well. View full article
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Kirby Air Ride, I think it's fair to say, didn't receive all that warm a welcome when it launched back in 2003. With lucky GameCubers already marinating in the delicious driving juices of Mario Kart: Double Dash and F-Zero GX, Kirby's cute and chaotic style of racing just didn't seem to stick with the mainstream, and, as a result, it's become known as one of those Marmite efforts. You either gelled with its new approach to slinging yourself around tracks or you didn't. For me personally, I've always enjoyed Air Ride's novel take on track racing. I also think it's a game that sings especially strongly in multiplayer, once everyone who's racing fully knows what they're doing. Indeed, this was the first GameCube title that allowed for LAN setups via broadband adapters, so the multiplayer was 100% where the gravy was at. Taking everything into account, though, and despite my love for the OG, a sequel in the form of Kirby Air Riders was an unexpected announcement during the run-up to Switch 2. I certainly didn't have it on my Switch 2 bingo card. So it's lucky, then, given that it's a bit of curveball, that it's actually very good. If I had to guess the two main issues people had with Kirby Air Ride back in the day, it's a fairly even split between a lack of meaningful single-player content and how messy the game can seem to the uninitiated as races (and minigames) play out. Nintendo has obviously taken note of the first issue here, and as a result, we've got a sprawling story mode with multiple paths and endings and a metric ton of collectible content to keep you busy. It's also got a very gritty and serious sci-fi tone, which is so at odds with the style of the actual racing that you can't help but love it. However, on the second problem, well, you'll have to suck eggs and learn to play the game, I'm afraid. It all makes sense when you get into the sweet Air Ridin' groove. It also wasn't broken in the first place, so bravo to Masahiro Sakurai for sticking to his guns and keeping the soul of it all intact. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) On that note: Air Riding. It's not karting. This style of racing is a different beast entirely, and there's a learning curve in getting a hang of the basics. In Air Riders, you take control of a rider from an ever-growing roster of Kirby and his pals, each of whom has an impressive variety of stats relating to their driving abilities, along with their own specials and tricks to pull off mid-race. Stuff like turbo boosts, area of effect attacks, and lots of other stuff I won't spoil the fun of unlocking. Once you've chosen Waddle De— I mean...whoever your favourite is, you then pick a machine. These aren't just different for the sake of being different, nor do they simply have varying degrees of speed, boost, handling, and so on. No, in Air Riders, there's depth. Proper depth. And it comes in the form of an impressive menagerie of unique machines that work in fundamentally different ways. We've all seen the default Warp Star that gives you a nice balance of ground and air speed, but then you've got other options like the incredibly fast but terribly fragile Paper Star, the charging Tank Star, the slippery Slick Star, and even a few that transform or straight-up blink like electricity from point to point on a track as they slow then boost. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) There's a lot more to take in than you may expect at first blush, and especially if you've listened to naysayers over the years who say it's shallow. Get a few seasoned riders into a race and things can get hugely intense. With rider and machine chosen and on the track, you then get down to slinging yourself around. Movement forwards is automatic, the number one mental hurdle for newcomers. Your job as pilot is to make sure you utilise every opportunity on the track as it presents itself; to gain maximum forward momentum, by spinning, shifting around the course to hit boosts and jumps, and hammering enemies for mini-boosts or copy abilities to whale on your opponents with. Once you 'get' it, it's incredibly moreish, and almost zen-like in the focus that's required to take down another rider who knows what they are doing. Feels too automated? You're not trying hard enough. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) Also at the core of the racing, beyond the automatic nature of travelling forward, you have the all-important boost/brake button. Holding down 'B' will slow your machine right down until it eventually stops. It also, at the same time, charges up your turbo boost. So there's a strategy at the heart of everything here, and it's a pleasing one in how it relates to some very nicely designed tracks. You want to know these tracks well to target the best jumps, to know the best opportunities to slow right down for a full boost (tight corners are the most obvious example) or overtake, and to find these opportunities on any given course, whilst also battling a constant stream of other riders and NPC enemies, makes for an addictive and satisfying thing to settle into. It's manic in all the right ways. This sequel, too, is made all the more satisfying by some visually spectacular race sequences spliced throughout tracks. There's a mix of sections composed of proper, tight-corner racing alongside flashy on-rails sequences where you whip between rails to collect/dodge and set yourself up to boost into whatever comes next. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) Nintendo has gone to town on these rail sequences, with some elaborately cool parts where riders tumble and spin through all sorts of wild scenarios, and the game does well to give you just enough control at all times, and enough ways to steal a lead or damage your opponents, that even when you're not fully in control of your machine, and even when weapons are auto-fire on proximity for a lot of the time, it still feels like you're needing to think quickly and know the rules, tracks and machines inside out to make an impact, especially in the online mode. The story mode is the real big addition, and it makes a good impression. I won't ruin the narrative (and it's not much to write home about), but the setup, where you race through 11 chapters composed of levels full of races and minigames, works well. Between each race and challenge, you're returned to your vehicle as it blasts along a road through each stage, and this gives you three options at all times on how to proceed, so there's variety along the way, until you hit a mini-boss or boss race battle. It also gives solo players lots to unlock, there's replayability in returning for alternate endings, and it acts as a fantastic training mode for the delights of online. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) Before I touch on the online, though, you've also got the returning City Trial, Air Ride, and Top Down racing modes. These generally remain largely unchanged from what was offered up in the original game. City Trial gives you five minutes to gather as many collectibles as you can whilst blasting other racers before being dropped into a minigame for a grand finale, and it's as chaotically frenzied as ever. Top Down mode is honestly addictive as all hell when you get into it (think Codemasters' Grand Prix Sim on the Commodore 64 but with crazy courses and you're 90% of the way there). It's the online, though, that's the real king. I had limited time with it for this review, but I luckily found matches in Air Ride and City Trial modes against a few ferocious competitors and I couldn't be happier with the performance. No input lag, no issues connecting, and in races it was buttery smooth, as it is across all modes. The City Trial and Air Ride races really do come alive here, and I implore you to dig in, learn how to drive the machine of your choice well and reap the benefits of some surprisingly fierce competition - alongside all the jumping into targets, gliding competitions, and events where you try to eat more than everyone else. I mean, Kirby gonna Kirby. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked) As a solo game, Kirby Air Riders is a step up, then. Each of its modes brings over 100 collectible bits and bobs to unlock and create a picture scene from the story, so there's plenty to work towards. The campaign itself also does a suitably Kirby-esque job in starting out relatively normal on the narrative front before ending up in some far-out sci-fi states. The whole thing also looks and plays as good as anything I've played on Switch 2 thus far, so you're in for a treat on that front, my friends. I've also got to make a special point here to mention the surprisingly deep machine customisation on offer. I was actually a little shocked! There are loads of textures, icons, unlockable pixel art, and all manner of ways to truly make all of your machines your own. It's a lot, and it's very, very welcome for solo fans. Onto niggles, and I will say that the chaos — all of the huge icons and speeding around amidst groups of riders, especially in City Trials — can feel aimless at times. And it's still every bit the Marmite experience. The story is silly, and most of the side games, which see you hit air targets, make long jumps, and so on, well, they're not exactly riveting. Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked) And in local multiplayer, whilst playing on the same system, we spotted that you lose the ability to see the stats for your chosen rider and machines, which sort of takes away the ability to inspect and learn on the fly. Let's hope a little tweak can be patched in on that one. Overall, then, I know it can be hard to make Kirby converts, but I genuinely believe Kirby Air Riders deserves them. This is a huge big colourful beast of a sequel. It's jam-packed to the rafters with stuff to find, to unlock, and collect, and it has proper depth. There's a ton of machines, loads of riders and courses, and — should you get stuck in and learn and "git gud" — you'll find an alternative to the usual kart-racer style of business that absolutely deserves its place on any podium. ConclusionKirby Air Riders is a cracking sequel that gives solo players much more to dig into with its story campaign, whilst also bringing all-new levels of shiny graphics, bells and whistles to its returning City Trial, Air Ride, and Top Down Racing modes. This is a chaotic and frenzied racer, there's no doubt, but it's got depth for those who wish to learn and plenty of competition to be had both online and at harder difficulties for diehards. With lots of excellent tracks, riders and machines to unlock, sat alongside some surprisingly deep machine customisation, Kirby's latest air riding adventure is off to a strong start. Oh, and that soundtrack! -
Right now, it's a pretty good time to be a fan of shoot 'em ups! Not only did Polygon Bird's Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga-esque shooter Birdcage recently release on Steam, earning some incredible early reactions from players. But we also have a ton of other exciting indie shoot 'em ups on the horizon to look forward to, with the latest of these to be added to our own personal wishlist being the promising 2D sidescroller, AGGRESTA. The promising shoot 'em up first came to our attention earlier this week, thanks to the regular Time Extension collaborator, Ashley Day, and is an independent game from the Japanese developer named Tetsu (てつ), who has been sharing updates of the game since the project first began back in 2020. It mixes Gradius-style arcade shooting with sword-based combat and looks set to include some impressively detailed levels, ranging from verdant cities to underwater stages and enemy strongholds located in the middle of a densely-packed asteroid field. Right now, details about the game are scant, with Tetsu (てつ) writing online that the reason for this is that they want players to be surprised and to go in with fresh eyes when playing. As a result, we're not even entirely sure of the platform yet, though PC would probably be a safe bet. Regardless of that, though, the project looks phenomenal from all that the developer has shown so far, with the stages featuring a nice mix of 2D and 3D elements, and some brilliant mechanics such as the ability to flip the ship horizontally to fire backwards at enemies who have managed to slip past you. We'll be keeping an eye on this one in the future for sure. But you can also stay up to date on the game's progress by following Tetsu (てつ) directly on Twitter/X or checking out the #AGGRESTA tag. -
Right now, it's a pretty good time to be a fan of shoot 'em ups! Not only did Polygon Bird's Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga-esque shooter Birdcage recently release on Steam, earning some incredible early reactions from players. But we also have a ton of other exciting indie shoot 'em ups on the horizon to look forward to, with the latest of these to be added to our own personal wishlist being the promising 2D sidescroller, AGGRESTA. The promising shoot 'em up first came to our attention earlier this week, thanks to the regular Time Extension collaborator, Ashley Day, and is an independent game from the Japanese developer named Tetsu (てつ), who has been sharing updates of the game since the project first began back in 2020. It mixes Gradius-style arcade shooting with sword-based combat and looks set to include some impressively detailed levels, ranging from verdant cities to underwater stages and enemy strongholds located in the middle of a densely-packed asteroid field. Right now, details about the game are scant, with Tetsu (てつ) writing online that the reason for this is that they want players to be surprised and to go in with fresh eyes when playing. As a result, we're not even entirely sure of the platform yet, though PC would probably be a safe bet. Regardless of that, though, the project looks phenomenal from all that the developer has shown so far, with the stages featuring a nice mix of 2D and 3D elements, and some brilliant mechanics such as the ability to flip the ship horizontally to fire backwards at enemies who have managed to slip past you. We'll be keeping an eye on this one in the future for sure. But you can also stay up to date on the game's progress by following Tetsu (てつ) directly on Twitter/X or checking out the #AGGRESTA tag. View full article
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Your latest mission as an Earth Directorate agent is to investigate the source of certain perilous rifts. However, the sabotage of this investigation leaves you drifting unconscious through space for a decade. The galaxy you wake up in is both familiar and different: factions have splintered, emerged or even merged, while the forces of capitalism are as rampant as ever. For you, the objective is clear: track down the one who wronged you and decide on their fate. A return to Obsidian's corporate satireDespite being a sequel, The Outer Worlds 2 shares little in terms of story with the first game. It’s set in a new colony with a new cast. You don’t need to have played the first one to get into this one. But if you’ve played the first installment, you will have a pretty good idea of what’s on offer: a space opera that leans on corporate satire (the irony is not lost here with Obsidian being under the umbrella of a giant corp itself). Unlike the first game in this series, The Outer Worlds 2’s plot is less on the nose with its “capitalism=bad” message. The narrative is more nuanced while carrying similar overarching themes. Being an Obsidian game, you can expect the same wittiness in exploring relatable issues that come to be expected from its titles. Characters also have depth to their personalities. As you interact with the main cast, you get to learn about their backstories and motivations, helping better relate to them. While it is not as well-implemented in every NPC - the main antagonist, for one, doesn’t immediately come off as particularly interesting - it helps in fleshing out its universe. The conversations you engage in with your expanding crew or NPCs who will inevitably throw side quests at you are memorable as you actively engage in tasks (and, sometimes, combat) that aid them (or not). The Outer Worlds 2’s environments are varied and detailed. Whether you are exploring your spaceship the Incognito or venturing on a new planet, the world building remains strong. For the inquisitive gamer, notes and conversation logs reveal details about the world and its inhabitants. Doing so might also provide hints or leads that can be used in conversations and side quests. Venturing off the beaten track often offers some of the game’s best moments: inventive, surprising and often hilarious encounters and discoveries. This encourages and rewards exploration, and the game doesn’t offer a dull moment in indulging in such practices. Assemble your crew, embrace your flaws and embark on adventures!As an immersive simulation, The Outer Worlds 2 offers an extensive level of player agency. From the moment you boot the game, you can customise your character’s appearance and attributes. Your in-game choices further influence your progress. Should you side with this authoritarian faction to get easier access to where you need to be? Or should you aid the one under attack, despite their questionable practices? Whatever your choice, the intrigue of alternative scenarios persists, encouraging replays. More often than not, there are multiple ways to tackle quests. The game offers a freedom of play style, allowing you to mix and match stealth, frontal assault or other approaches based on the situation you find yourself in. Other pathways can also open up based on information you find by exploring. Conversations will indicate that you might be missing some key information, encouraging you to comb your area for additional clues. Such levels of experimentation contributes to player agency while making your playthrough unique. As an RPG, The Outer Worlds 2 comes with the expected gamut of character customisation from upskilling to equipment management. One of the freshest additions is the way choices can mould your character beyond a morality system. Right from the character creation stage, you have to pick positive and negative traits. This balances out your character’s attributes, offering a fair challenge in the game. Furthermore, when leveling up, you will often be offered flaws. These are additional traits that you can choose to accept or reject, and are based on your character’s actions leading up to that point. For example, if you’ve been on a buying spree at vendors, you might get the ‘Consumerism’ flaw. It reduces vendor prices but also the value of items you sell. It’s a smart design that integrates with the game’s themes around consequence and corporate hubris. Obsidian’s latest magnum opusIt’s been a busy year for Obsidian, with the launch of Avowed, Grounded 2 (Early Access) and, now, The Outer Worlds 2. Each of these titles are recommended in their own right, and The Outer Worlds 2 is the company’s latest hit, until the next one, if this year’s trend is any indication. This sequel rarely feels boring with the levels of player-driven choices, rich world-building and freedom of playstyles. That said, there are some areas where it falters, even if slightly so. Some narrative beats occasionally slow down and take a detour that feel like layers of fluff added to stretch a map. The restrictions of certain actions or conversation options that require specific skills that you didn't opt for can get on your nerves. It’s as if the game is gently waving you away from accessing all of what it has to offer. But this is a purposeful design that nudges towards replayability where different builds unlock different doors, further hammering in the aspect of player-driven choices. My main gripe has to do with the narrative exposition. The game all too often takes a hand-holding approach to sinking you in its lore, from your preset objectives to the faction-led universe. This limits self-discovery of the intricacies of the world, as if the developers don’t trust the player in doing so. There is plenty of exploration and lore to flesh out by checking logs and talking to NPCs, but the main gist feels like it’s presented to you so that you can’t miss it. It’s not a bad approach for a narrative-driven game, but can feel odd for those who have experienced other titles in the genre. Nevertheless, The Outer Worlds 2 remains an engaging and entertaining game. If you are into sci-fi RPGs, you’ll want to try this one out. If you’ve played the first title, this one will feel like an improvement. The writing remains a high point with its wittiness and satire that defines this universe. Obsidian might have found its own Fallout franchise and I hope to see more installments in the future. -
It appears Rockstar Games have introduced some GTA 6 assets into GTA Online before the new game has come out. That’s according to a couple of dataminers who have delved into the game’s files from the Money Fronts update. Last week, Rockstar launched a series of new mansion teaser missions called the New Listing missions. As part of it, it led dataminer Lucas7yoshi_RS to examine how the missions work. He found some interesting things such as how the pool cover at Devin’s mansion is actually a bunch of fences with tarp, which are existing assets, placed horizontally. This is a neat trick by the developers at Rockstar to avoid making a brand new asset for this one area. Another dataminer, rollschuh2282, at first thought this was a new asset but could not find it in the game’s files. This led him down a rabbit hole and the discovery of asset textures using the naming convention Rockstar is using for GTA VI and and not GTA V. GTA 6 Assets In GTA Online ExplainedLucas explains that both GTA VI and Red Dead Redemption 2 use PBR (physically based rendering) and a new character system called “metapeds” unlike GTA V. Due to this, the file naming scheme is quite different from GTA V to RDR2 and now GTA VI. The names are far longer and include extra suffixes. You can see an example of GTA V, RDR2 and the apparent GTA 6 asset name in GTA Online provided by Lucas below. The assets in GTA Online with GTA VI’s naming convention are a pair of chinos, love heart underwear and a bra. They are found when exiting a laundry bin during the second Mr Faber mission. One thing to note is that we do have “Love Heart Boxer Shorts” already in GTA Online. These came as part of the Valentine’s Day Massacre Special update in 2014. It’s possible they were remade for GTA 6 or the naming convention has changed because they will be in GTA 6 and this was a bit of a small mistake. Lucas thinks an artist could be making the assets using the wrong workflow. There are some GTA Online assets that “inexplicably have pbr texturing, but that could be assets destined for gta 5”. Regardless, these specific boxers now have a new naming scheme. The dataminer continues by saying “The metaped naming is the most explicit confirmation this was intended for GTA 6, as this isn’t even proper clothing its used for”. Rockstar Have Done This For Quite Some TimeThis is not the first time assets that showed up in a GTA VI trailer were added in GTA Online updates. Various clothing items in Trailer 1 and Trailer 2 can be found in GTA Online. There has also been speculation vehicles have been backported. It was explained to us that backporting does not make much sense and rather the assets are improved for GTA VI. So the chances of someone using the wrong workflow as mentioned above for these assets is plausible. -
It appears Rockstar Games have introduced some GTA 6 assets into GTA Online before the new game has come out. That’s according to a couple of dataminers who have delved into the game’s files from the Money Fronts update. Last week, Rockstar launched a series of new mansion teaser missions called the New Listing missions. As part of it, it led dataminer Lucas7yoshi_RS to examine how the missions work. He found some interesting things such as how the pool cover at Devin’s mansion is actually a bunch of fences with tarp, which are existing assets, placed horizontally. This is a neat trick by the developers at Rockstar to avoid making a brand new asset for this one area. Another dataminer, rollschuh2282, at first thought this was a new asset but could not find it in the game’s files. This led him down a rabbit hole and the discovery of asset textures using the naming convention Rockstar is using for GTA VI and and not GTA V. GTA 6 Assets In GTA Online ExplainedLucas explains that both GTA VI and Red Dead Redemption 2 use PBR (physically based rendering) and a new character system called “metapeds” unlike GTA V. Due to this, the file naming scheme is quite different from GTA V to RDR2 and now GTA VI. The names are far longer and include extra suffixes. You can see an example of GTA V, RDR2 and the apparent GTA 6 asset name in GTA Online provided by Lucas below. The assets in GTA Online with GTA VI’s naming convention are a pair of chinos, love heart underwear and a bra. They are found when exiting a laundry bin during the second Mr Faber mission. One thing to note is that we do have “Love Heart Boxer Shorts” already in GTA Online. These came as part of the Valentine’s Day Massacre Special update in 2014. It’s possible they were remade for GTA 6 or the naming convention has changed because they will be in GTA 6 and this was a bit of a small mistake. Lucas thinks an artist could be making the assets using the wrong workflow. There are some GTA Online assets that “inexplicably have pbr texturing, but that could be assets destined for gta 5”. Regardless, these specific boxers now have a new naming scheme. The dataminer continues by saying “The metaped naming is the most explicit confirmation this was intended for GTA 6, as this isn’t even proper clothing its used for”. Rockstar Have Done This For Quite Some TimeThis is not the first time assets that showed up in a GTA VI trailer were added in GTA Online updates. Various clothing items in Trailer 1 and Trailer 2 can be found in GTA Online. There has also been speculation vehicles have been backported. It was explained to us that backporting does not make much sense and rather the assets are improved for GTA VI. So the chances of someone using the wrong workflow as mentioned above for these assets is plausible. View full article
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Rally Arcade Classics is a £15.99 game that, at the very least, looks strikingly similar to Sega's seminal off-road racer, Sega Rally. With a gorgeous 90s Aesthetic dialled in, 40+ cars to unlock from across the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s and 48 stages to plough through now thanks to the 1.27 Chase & Precision update, there is a lot of bang for your buck here, but is it worth your time? Gorgeous scenery, great-looking carsBeginning the game, you have five modes ahead of you, including the initial requirement of working your way through a licensing area. With some 60 licenses to bag and 180 stars to earn, there is a mammoth task ahead of you before you even set foot in the tour, rally, chrono, arcade or events sections. The early licenses require you to hit checkpoints as fast as possible to gain bronze (one star), silver (two stars), or gold (three stars) status against the clock. Alternatively, you might need to drift or perform some rally-related escapade to grab those stars. Each license stands on the shoulders of the previous, so gaining enough stars in C grade will unlock B, then A1, A2, and then ultimately S1 and S2 for the top-tier drivers. There are a total of 508 in-game trophies (19 PSN ones too) and 1280 stars to collect throughout your journey, and those collectable stars can be used to unlock new difficulties and tracks or purchase new cars, which, although unlicensed and with no liveries, look recognisable as their real-life counterparts. There are a staggering 44 cars in total, ranging from small-engined front-wheel-drive runabouts to flat-out all-wheel-drive supercars; there is something for everyone, and the progression cycle is tough but exceedingly rewarding. Starting in Finland, you have the cool, crisp, fresh environments composed of forests and lakes. Catalunya in Spain is a more mountainous region, with lush greenery and wetter, muddier conditions, whereas Greece is far drier, more of an arid and harsh environment with open vistas and dry surfaces to skid around. Lastly, Monte Carlo offers the most heavily varied and curated tracks with the tightest turns and hairpin-like corners. Time of day and weather also play into how your races fare, with some really nice sunny and nighttime variations, slippery thunderstorms, and my most hated: foggy weather. The lighting and scenery are consistently nice-looking, but I noticed that your headlights don't cast shadows on anything other than solid brick walls, so a little bit of the realism feels lost when fanging it around courses at night. Graphically hits the brief & is very challenging tooRally Arcade Classics' arcade, tour, chronos and event modes are where the meat of the game resides once you have earned your stripes and gotten through the licensing phases. Arcade alone contains 16 challenges that are dependent on your licensing situation and the cars or stars obtained, and gradually puts you through challenges with the level of car you have unlocked, going from the slowest beginner models up to the most rapid pro spec cars. Tour mode contains six chapters, each packed with time attack, drift and versus challenges, and "rally" opens up the four main locales, each with six difficulty levels for pitting yourself in either regular cars or rally-specific models. Chrono is a great mode to sink your teeth into and get to grips with all of the cars without needing to unlock any. I really enjoyed feeling the difference between the "Startos" (Stratos) and the "Kopper" (Cooper), "Wolf" (WV Golf), or "Paigot" (come on now), you get to toy with at the start. The faster cars include the Seilka, Collora, Esworld, Suforc and the wonderfully titled "Mr Bang Sti", which is plainly a Subaru Impreza. Everything can seem quite daunting at first, but practice really does make perfect, as you punch it and keep trying to skim off those seconds across each stage. There is a handy bar at the top of the screen that indicates your progress against the clock, with a silver depleting bar showing you're total progress, green that you're ahead of time, or red that you're trailing behind. One mistake can cost you the entire race, so you need to be in control of your vehicle and know the basics of drifting, and how to brake to take every type of corner or hazard that you'll encounter. Luckily, you have your trusty co-pilot barking out "easy left" or "hard right" for example. I found that generally you can floor it and take easy corners without breaking, medium corners require a single brake pump, and hard corners can be taken by either a series of feathered braking, or one swift handbrake turn. Using these basic rules, I managed to fire on all cylinders and conquer a lot of courses with ease, that was until I got to Monte Carlo, where the tight turns absolutely rocked me, and I had to strategise a lot more. In one event, I remember finding myself 8 seconds behind the leader with just one last stage to go, so I floored it and made sure I paid attention to the split times given to me all the way around. I gradually clawed back "-2" per quarter and scraped through just 300ths of a second ahead of the previous leader. It's tense and engaging, especially if you have something to lose, so cranking up the difficulty and challenging yourself is where the endorphins really flow! Weekly and monthly events also add a layer of freshness at regular intervals, pitting you against the world with a specific track, condition and car for you to compete with. I really like this as it gives players something to look forward to each week. It's unbelievable that this game is only £15.99, really. No splitscreen or real multiplayer modesRally Arcade Classics contains so much content and offers enough real, engaging challenges that it's hard not to recommend. On top of all this, you also have an online leaderboard with really serves to ramp up your explosive passion when it comes to besting those other faceless players online. I repeatedly hit retry so that I could put my best times up against the world, and honestly, I managed to go from 1400-ish down to the top 200-300 within a matter of 3-4 attempts, but getting any better than the top 200's I found extremely challenging; there are some really good players out there already! On that note, I would also have loved to see a proper online versus mode, or even split screen. Sure, rally car races in real life only pit one car against another's time, and when it comes to video games, I would imagine this format makes for an easier, quicker project to design, create, and deploy because there is no need for fancy netcode or optimisation for multiple cars on track, but it's something that could have been fantastic. Without multiplayer, it essentially boils down to ghost racing with no official liveries and notably no damage system either, which puts an extremely small dampener on things when we look at the bigger picture. We have to remember that this is not a £60 game, it's not even a £30 game, it's a steal at £15.99 with weekly/monthly updates to boot!