Happy New PWB!

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the best Pokemon game in years so far, feels like the closest we've got to a fully 3D Pokemon game on console, as opposed to a souped up version of the handheld games. (And despite the backlash, I liked Sword/Shield so don't @ me)

They took the 'wild areas' from Sword/Shield which were a decent idea with rough execution, and implemented them way better. There's something to be said for the feeling of sneaking through tall grass to stalk an Eevee until you get close enough to throw a Pokeball at it manually. If you have to fight, then it plays pretty much like it always has with a few tweaks, but me initiating a fight and being able to run my character around the battlefield as it happens just feels really good.

I think the coolest thing so far is how you fill the Pokedex. You don't merely catch a Pokemon, you can do other tasks like beat a few in battle, see specific moves from it or even evolve it. So you are not one and done after catching a Pokemon, you can still spend a bit of time running around just looking for the same species to study it, it's a great mechanic.

As has been well documented by now, it's not really Pokemon BOTW, the map is segmented (so far this first part is huge too) but you can 'explore' it to see what Pokemon you stumble upon

Spoiler - click to showI accidentally stumbled into a Level 40 Rapidash that looked evil and tried to kill me

Speaking of which, some of these Pokemon are hostile and you will understand why the dude in Pokemon Snap needed his armoured buggy when you get them after you!

Aside from the wild areas, you have a town hub you can go back to and buy materials for crafting, items, new moves from a trainer, clothes and also sidequests. The story also seems a touch more involved so far, like the tasks I'm given so far are excuses to fill the Pokedex but the premise of your arrival in the world this takes place in is pretty interesting.

I think it deserves its own thread but I will just post my thoughts here for now while I'm talking to myself. It feels like a big deal because whatever here is rough and/or doesn't work could make for a fucking phenomenal sequel.

I hope you didn't pay full price for it. Because… you know.

I keep looking at Arceus, partly just as the kid is going through a bit of a Pokémon phase (mostly inspired, it seems, by a classmate who has the trading cards).

I'd want to get the card version though, so we can swap it between Switches, so I don't think Crazy Mart's Discount Code Store helps with that - and £50 feels like a lot to swallow. Though I also realise, as a Nintendo game, it's never going to get any cheaper.

There is absolutely a way to buy digitally and play simultaneously on two switches. We did it with Animal Crossing.

Yeah, I've done it with some of my stuff on the kid's Switch, but he has to use my profile to play it on – or I've got to set his Switch as my Primary one? I don't think he'd be up for playing a full Pokémon game yet – too much reading – but Minx might, and swapping between three consoles could get a bit much.

I'd want to get the card version though, so we can swap it between Switches, so I don't think Crazy Mart's Discount Code Store helps with that.

It does, but a) the discount isn't quite as high, b) I'd have to go to the office to get it and c) then I'd have to post it to you, which is more cash. So, ultimately, not anywhere near as good.

Okay, so after MGS4 (albeit a while after the fact) and MGS5 I had sort of begun to lose faith in Kojima a bit, but with Death Stranding I'm starting to believe in him again, if you include PT too I think you can say that him dropping MGS was actually pretty good…

For being just an Amazon Delivery simulator, it can get pretty tense at times, if nor the BTs (Just think of wraiths of dead people that let off an atom bomb if they eat you) it's the Mules, the humans who like to hoard stuff in post apocalyptic event world trying to kill you. Worse still, you can't even kill them back because people dying of any cause in this world just creates more BTs. And it's not just the danger it's the…'struggle' I guess? And the more you link up networks between outposts the more structures you can use in your world that were built in the games of other Death Stranding players. This would be 'okay, sure' tier if it was just you unlocking shortcuts on the map from the AI but no, this is the playerbase working to help each other out and boy does it help to have some rope anchors dotted up the side of a cliff to make your job easier.