More information about Pokémon Sword and Shield was revealed on Wednesday, June 5, during a Nintendo Direct, and it appears that the next-gen game is bringing much more than some new pocket monsters to the series. The livestream started out with a new gameplay trailer that introduced new and classic Pokémon, while also teasing some Sword and Shield gameplay, including a multiplayer battle that featured a gigantic Gyarados and Raichu. The team also broke down new gameplay mechanics and story elements players can expect when the games launch later this year.
The current Pokémon champion in the Galar region is Leon. His younger brother Hop is your rival in Pokémon Sword and Shield and he starts his journey to become champion on the same day as you. As is typical with the main Pokémon games, players will journey throughout the region to face off against gym leaders. The gyms in Galar are massive stadiums that can accommodate one of the game’s new features: Dynamax.
Galar region Pokémon can use Dynamax to become gigantic versions of themselves, which increases their power and the impact of their abilities. Dynamx lasts for three turns and players can trigger it strategically. The first major multiplayer feature in Pokémon Sword and Shield also involves Dynamax Pokémon. At specific areas, players can team up with three others to take on Max Raid Battles. Conquering these tougher battles against Dynamax enemies allows your team an opportunity to capture the Pokémon and some Pokémon are only available via Max Raid Battles. There will also be additional multiplayer interactions over Nintendo Switch Online.
Milo is one of the gym leaders introduced in the Nintendo Direct and he’s a grass-type user. That means all of the people that have jumped on the Scorbunny starter hype train will have a leg up on Milo once they encounter him. When you encounter Milo and other gym leaders, you’ll have to contend with the various Dynamax threats they can employ in addition to fighting through their roster of Pokémon.
The full rosters of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be revealed closer to the release date, but we did get a peek at three standard Pokémon, one evolution, one that can be used for travel and two legendary Pokémon. Wooloo, Drednaw, and Gossifleur are the basic Pokémon that were introduced and the flying Corviknight was introduced. Corviknight, once obtained, can transport players all over the Galar region. Gossifleur’s evolution into Eldegoss was shown, and we got a look at two legendary Pokemon: Zacian and Zamazenta. Zacian has a sword in its mouth, and Zamazenta’s mane was shaped like a shield, so the two will likely be split off into their two respective counterparts.
Pokémon Sword and Shield will launch on Nintendo Switch on November 15, and a double pack pre-order for those that want to own both titles is available now.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.