The Pokemon Company has revealed that the two dressed-up Pikachus that we see toward the start of Pokemon Winds and Waves' reveal trailer actually have names.

In the first minute or so of the Pokemon Winds and Waves trailer, a trainer and their Pikachu are reminiscing about previous regions. They then answer their door and are greeted by two Pikcahus who look dressed for vacation. While this might've just seemed like a cute way to introduce us to this tropical region, these Pikachus will play a bigger role in the games and are actually named Mr. Windychu and Ms. Wavychu.

Yes, those Pikachu have names. Mr. Winydchu is the one wearing sunglasses and a shirt, while Ms. Wavychu is the one wearing a floral top and skirt. "The latest video featured the appearance of some Pikachu with a brand-new look," the website for Pokemon Winds and Waves teases. "Just how could these Pikachu be involved in your adventure? Look forward to future announcements."

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Prime Video's God of War TV show is now in production, and to celebrate, the company released a first-look image of Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson in costume as Kratos and Atreus, respectively.

The TV show, which has already been ordered for two seasons, tells the father-son story of Kratos and Atreus as they go on an adventure to spread the ashes of Faye, their wife and mother. "Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human," reads a line from the show's description.

In addition to Hurst and Vinson, the God of War TV show stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Max Parker as Heimdall, Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Alastair Duncan as Memir, and Ed Skrein as Baldur.

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The newly revealed Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves will set a new record for the monster-catching series, releasing after the longest wait between Pokemon generations. Announced at the Pokemon Presents presentation, Game Freak's tenth-generation Pokemon game won't arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 until 2027.

That'll be five years since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet landed on the Switch. Previously, the widest gap between generations was four years long.

• Red/Green/Blue (1996) to Gold/Silver (1999): Three years
• Gold/Silver (1999) to Ruby/Sapphire (2002): Three years
• Ruby/Sapphire (2002) to Diamond/Pearl (2006): Four years
• Diamond/Pearl (2006) to Black/White (2010): Four years
• Black/White (2010) to X/Y (2013): Three years
• X/Y (2013) to Sun/Moon (2016): Three years
• Sun/Moon (2016) to Sword/Shield (2019): Three years
• Sword/Shield (2019) to Scarlet/Violet (2022): Three years
• Scarlet/Violet (2022) to Winds/Waves (2027): Five years

All things considered, the mainline Pokemon games have been coming out at a fairly consistent pace. Three to five years between new entries isn't so bad compared to other major gaming franchises, many of which have been subject to longer development cycles. We're looking at you, Elder Scrolls and Grand Theft Auto.

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A new report sheds more light on the situation surrounding the free-to-play shooter Highguard, which launched to big numbers but quickly cratered, with developer Widlight laying off staff and leaving people to wonder if the studio would eventually pull the plug entirely on the game. The biggest takeaway from the report is that former staff said "hubris" was to blame, in part, for the game's downfall.

Bloomberg reported that Highguard was tested "extensively" with internal and external players, and the feedback was reported to have been "mostly positive." However, there were some road bumps, too, including a general sense that it was a "complicated game to learn" and was more fun with voice chat enabled. People inside Wildlight reportedly asked management if the team could open the game up to an audience of public testers, similar to how Arc Raiders and Battlefield 6 handled pre-release community testing, but Wildlight management reportedly "nixed" those plans.

The idea from the top, the report claimed, was that the studio wanted to shadowdrop Highguard like Apex Legends, a game that many of the staff on Highguard also worked on. That was reported to have been the plan until The Game Awards host and organizer Geoff Keighley played an early version of the game and agreed to give Wildlight a prime spot at The Game Awards for $0.

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In addition to reprising his role as The Ghoul in Fallout Season 2, last year marked Walton Goggins' in-game debut as his character in Fallout 76's Burning Springs expansion. When it came time to lend his voice to the game, Goggins looked to a member of his own family for inspiration.

During a discussion shared by Deadline, Goggins noted that voice work calls upon different acting muscles than he would have used on-camera. That's why he looked to his son, Augustus Goggins, for a way to approach his performance.

"I don't think about my facial expressions or my voice," said Goggins. "I don't really think about anything when I'm working in front of a camera ... Whenever you're in a booth, you have to, in some ways, do what you do organically with your body [to] your voice. I just chose to imagine the person playing the game, in the sense that, my son is a gamer. And I thought about speaking to him and what he would like to hear. I know how he cackles, I know how he feels whenever he's communicating with someone or a voice in a game that plays. So, I just thought about him to be quite honest."

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Patricia Summersett, who voices Zelda in The Legend of Zelda series, has commented on the upcoming live-action The Legend of Zelda movie. She does not appear to be involved but said in an interview with IGN that she is "curious to see what the iteration is," and that's a question many fans are wondering as well.

Is the game going to adapt the story of any game in particular like some film adaptations do? Or take more of the approach that The Super Mario Bros. Movie did with how it doesn't adapt any specific game but instead carries forward the same characters, theme, and tone of the games?

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Marathon's pre-release server slam is running throughout this weekend, giving gamers their first proper chance to try Bungie's extraction shooter. Whilst getting a feel for the gameplay, some players also discovered that the phrase "Arc Raiders" was censored from Marathon's in-game chat.

Clips showing the censorship started circulating online, as picked up by Kotaku. Streamer Lirik posted a clip testing the chat censor, finding that Arc Raiders appeared to be the only major shooter that was banned from discussion in Marathon. While posting "arc," "raiders," or even "arcraiders" was allowed, the game would blank out "Arc Raiders" as a phrase, even with spaces or double spaces between the letters. Kotaku also tested the chat filter in-game, confirming what had been posted by streamers and content creators.

In response to a similar clip on X, the Marathon dev team account soon posted a screenshot showing Arc Raiders uncensored in chat, reversing the word filter. The dev team's screenshot reads "Arc Raiders is awesome. 2 cakes!" referring to a popular meme about comparison in art--however the screenshot was posted without any explanation of why Arc Raiders was censored in chat to begin with.

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With the Pokemon franchise turning 30 years old today, now is the perfect time to get stuck into the hit pocket monster franchise. Fortunately, Amazon’s Woot store is offering massive discounts on several Pokemon games for Switch and Switch 2 consoles as part of its Video Games For All sale, allowing you to save big on these popular titles. While the games are already discounted, all you have to do is use the promo code LEVEL20 when you check out to get the price slashed even more.

Woot Video Games For All sale

The biggest bargain here is for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as the Switch edition has been discounted to $36 (was $60). Released last year, Pokemon Legends: Z-A sees the series return to the Parisian-inspired streets of Lumiose City for a grand tournament, and it also offers a completely different battle system to learn and master. If you're on Switch 2, you can upgrade it for an extra $10, so this makes for a nice savings overall.

It's worth noting that this version features Spanish art on the cover and as the game's primary language, but you can set it to English in the menu settings. Its predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, is also another highly recommended game that puts a few interesting twists on the traditional turn-based gameplay of Pokemon.

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Sony has announced that it'll be rolling out an upgraded version of its PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling technology for its PS5 Pro console. PS5 Pro lead systems engineer Mark Cerny says that it has been working on a "different" approach to not only the neural network but also the overall PSSR algorithm, and the update will roll out in the coming weeks.

To give PS5 Pro owners an idea of what to expect, Capcom's Masaru Ijuin revealed how the recently released Resident Evil Requiem will benefit from the upgraded PSSR. Resident Evil Requiem uses an upgraded version of RE Engine, and through it, each strand of hair and beard is rendered as a polygon, Ijuin explained. This allows hair to not only move realistically in response to body motion and wind, but light also changes depending on how it passes through the digital follicles.

Gallery

"The upgraded PSSR has allowed us to elevate our expressiveness by successfully processing these details and textural particularities, which are traditionally difficult to upscale because of their intricacy," Ijuin said on the PS Blog. "We hope you will experience this unprecedented level of horror and visual fidelity, and the new gameplay feel it delivers."

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Pokemon Lego Sets

Check out the first Lego Pokemon sets

See at Lego Store

Lego has unveiled three Pokemon building sets themed around Kanto region legends from Generation 1. All three models are part of Lego's display series for collectors and experienced builders, and they're all available to order now.

The most affordable model in the lineup is a 587-piece posable Eevee figure for $60. From there, the price jumps to $200 for Pikachu and Poke Ball, a 2,050-piece dynamic model with a buildable lightning bolt stand. For Pokemon fans with disposable income, check out the massive 6,836-piece Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise diorama. Priced at $650, the model comes with three large buildable figures and a modular stand themed around each Pokemon.

If you purchase the Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise Lego set, you'll get an exclusive freebie while supplies last: the Kanto Region Badge Collection. The 312-piece set includes replicas of the eight badges from Pokemon Red/Blue inside a clamshell case. Lego Insiders will also have the chance to get a 233-piece Mini Pokemon Center at launch.

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The next set of mainline pocket monster games--Pokemon Winds and Waves--have been officially revealed during today's Pokemon Presents livestream, and they will launch worldwide in 2027 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.

The announcement trailer for the tenth generation of Pokemon games unveiled multiple biomes in the new unnamed region, including tropical beaches with palm trees, rugged cliffsides with massive windmills, and more. The trailer also teased underwater exploration, which would be a first for a mainline Pokemon game.

We also got to meet the starter Pokemon for this new generation: Grass-type Browt, Fire-type Pombon, and Water-type Gecqua. Browt is a small bird with pronounced eyebrows, Pombon is a small dog with a large tuft of hair around its face, and Gecqua is a blue gecko with large (and adorable) eyes.

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Three decades is a heck of a long time for any video game franchise to be around, but when it comes to Pokemon, that series of pocket monster video games has been a multi-generational blockbuster. So what's next for Pokemon? That's something we're hoping to discover in today's Pokemon Presents livestream.

How to watch Pokemon Presents

As always, you can catch the Pokemon Presents livestream through the official Nintendo YouTube channel.

• YouTube

Pokemon Presents start time

The Pokemon Presents livestream will kick off on February 27 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET.

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Late last year, Netflix struck a deal with Warner Bros. to purchase most of the company's assets for $82 billion. Now, Netflix has chosen to abandon that deal rather than match the higher offer made by Paramount. That paves the way for Paramount to become the new owner of Warner Bros. Discovery, pending stockholder and regulatory approval.

For the better part of two months, Warner Bros. refused to engage with Paramount, which briefly led the latter to file a lawsuit against the rival studio. Earlier this month, Netflix granted Warner Bros. a one-week period to reopen negotiations with Paramount. The Warner Bros. board subsequently decided that Paramount's higher offer was the better deal, and Netflix declined to keep bidding.

"We believe we would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.' iconic brands, and that our deal would have strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the US," said Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). But this transaction was always a 'nice to have' at the right price, not a 'must have' at any price."

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During your time in a raid or while browsing your vault in Marathon, you'll come across dozens of different loot items. Trying to sort out what certain loot does can be a nightmare on Tau Ceti, especially when you're in the heat of the moment with enemies breathing down your neck. However, one of the loot items that is tripping more players up than anything is called "Enhanced Salvage."

Enhanced Salvage is a classifier that is applied to numerous different pieces of loot in Marathon. You can see whether an item is Enhanced Salvage while looting it or in your vault between raids. Marathon doesn't do a great job of explaining what to do with this type of loot, though, so allow us to walk you through it.

What is Enhanced Salvage in Marathon?

Enhanced Salvage is usually a piece of green or blue rarity loot, and the loot that it can be ranges from a wide variety of technological items. For example, we have a Fractical Circuit in our inventory in Marathon, and you can see the "Enhanced Salvage" tag at the top of the loot box in the vault.

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Last year, a new incarnation of RedOctane Games was founded by veteran developers behind Guitar Hero and DJ Hero. RedOctane Games also disclosed that it's working on a new rhythm game, and that title has now been revealed as Stage Tour. The first teaser trailer for Stage Tour should bring back some fond memories for players who grew up during the Guitar Hero generation.

RedOctane has shared some additional info and noted that Stage Tour will be a digital-only release on consoles and PC. Unfortunately, an actual physical release of the game itself may not be in the cards. There will be a branded microphone, drum controllers, and a new guitar controller modeled after Gibson's Kramer. The Guitar Hero influence is clearly felt in the throwback visuals of the trailer, but players will be able to use standard game controllers or keyboards to play if they don't want to buy any of the special controllers. Players can either select their preferred instrument or step up and sing along with the backing track.

Unlike Guitar Hero, Stage Tour is being planned as a platform, rather than a series of sequels and standalone games. "Stage Tour is not built to be replaced," writes RedOctane. "It is built to evolve. The plan is regular special events that are more than just music drops. Real moments. Real themes. Real updates. We want to evolve the game alongside the fans who support it. Improve it. Expand it. Keep it alive."

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Given how often I've had to pick up shop and move to another social media site, you'd think I'd be used to online spaces sunsetting or changing so completely that they're unrecognizable. But here I am, anxiously waiting to see how Discord's upcoming worldwide implementation of age-verification might affect the platform and whether or not that means having to move again. It's entirely possible that nothing changes. But even if it doesn't, the loss (or at least the splintering) of Discord would be terrible, as it's the primary means by which I and so many others in the tabletop space stay glued to one another. If anything, the situation has been a stark reminder that you shouldn't be entirely relying on Discord for your main hobby.

If you haven't been keeping up with it, Discord's decision to roll out new age-verification policies worldwide was not well-received. Discord attempted to downplay concerns, but a disclaimer on the FAQ about Discord's age-verification policies pointed to the app testing a relationship with Persona--that disclaimer was quickly and quietly deleted, though an archived version still exists. Persona's shady associations with ICE and other deportation efforts in the United States further raised people's eyebrows.

In a statement to Kotaku, Discord said that its work with Persona was part of a "limited test" that is no longer happening. But for some users, even a brief association with Persona was enough for them to start looking elsewhere. Discord's delay of its age-verification policy, detailed in a blog post on February 24, doesn't seem to have slowed down people wanting to find a Discord alternative.

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After an initial disclosure from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, two prominent leakers have backed his account that Sony could be shifting away from releasing single-player titles on PC. According to Schreier, that may mean that upcoming games like Marvel's Wolverine or any future God of War sequels may not come to PC at all.

SneakersSO and NatetheHate have both offered their corroboration to comments Schreier made on the Triple Click Podcast. Schreier stressed his belief that Sony's live-service games like Helldivers 2 would continue to be on PC, largely because those titles are so dependent upon building a large player base. But he suggested that Sony may be "backing away from putting their exclusive console stuff like traditional single-player stuff on PC."

Schreier added that he doesn't think Sony reverting to console-only for single-player games would be a big deal because the titles weren't as successful on PC as they were on PS5. He also noted that Sony hasn't been launching its AAA titles day-and-date with PC, and wouldn't suffer many consequences from pulling back on its PC releases.

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When He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Dragon Pearl of Destruction was revealed at Gamescom 2025, it marked the beginning of Mattel's celebration of all things Masters of the Universe for 2026. Players can control He-Man, Teela, and Man-At-Arms across side-scrolling stages rendered in bright, 16-bit-style pixel art--and for the first time, fans can take up the Sword of Protection and play as She-Ra.

Being in the shadow of He-Man has led She-Ra (who celebrated her 40th anniversary last year) to have sparse appearances outside of mobile releases like Tappers of Grayskull. Her inclusion broadens the playable roster and feels like a natural fit for a co-op brawler, and even includes her sword's ability to become other weapons and items.

Limited Run Games released new footage Thursday, showing off more pulls from deeper parts of the lore, including appearances by the elder dragon Granamyr and wicked sorceress Shokoti, suggesting the developers at Bitmap Bureau are going beyond the most obvious cartoon beats.

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Resident Evil Requiem is finally here, making it a great time to brush up on all that's happened across the Resident Evil series' 30-year history. This is especially true as Resident Evil Requiem looks to combine a bunch of different story threads across both mainline and spin-off titles in the series. For those that are jumping into the franchise for the first time, or for those who need a refresher on key plot details, here’s everything you need to know before playing Resident Evil Requiem. Oh, and as you might have suspected, plenty of spoilers lie ahead, so read at your own discretion.

In the mid- 1960s, a group of scientists led by Oswell E. Spencer discovered the Progenitor virus, which they believed could be used to essentially speed up humanity’s evolution. In order to fund their research, they agreed to develop new strains of the virus for the U.S. military to be used as bioweapons, as one of the biggest hurdles in utilizing the Progenitor virus to evolve humanity was that it had a high mortality rate. Thus, the Umbrella Corporation was born, as well as a litany of new strains of Progenitor. One of these strains, of course, was the notorious T-Virus, or Tyrant virus.

The Mansion and Raccoon City Incidents

In the late '90s, the Umbrella Corporation's less-than-ethical work finally falls under scrutiny. Resident Evil (1996) kicks off the saga and details an investigation into an Umbrella Corporation research station on the outskirts of Raccoon City, the Spencer Mansion. This investigation is helmed by Raccoon City’s Special Tactics and Rescue Service, or STARS, and led by Albert Wesker, who turns out to be a mole planted within the group by Umbrella. Along with Wesker, Resident Evil introduces two other key players in the RE series: protagonists Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. After exploring the mansion's various chambers, Chris and Jill discover Umbrella's dirty secrets and are forced to confront Wesker. Although Chris, Jill, and a handful of other STARS members manage to escape, the end of that game sees the T-Virus break containment and infect the city’s water supply.

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To celebrate ten years of Stardew Valley, creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) has announced two new marriage candidates and while one of them makes perfect sense ... Well, we're a bit confused about the other.

As revealed during ConcernedApe's stream, Stardew Valley's 1.7 update will allow players to romance both Sandy and Clint. And to be clear, I get Sandy. Sandy is great! Clint, on the other hand, is a choice.

As the local blacksmith, Clint is perhaps one of the NPCs you interact with the most in Stardew Valley. As such, some Stardew fans have been eager to learn more about him and perhaps even save him from his chronically single status, which they now can do. If they want to. For some reason.

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