Tag: Pokémon

The January 2022 Wrap

Post author By Mark
Post date February 7, 2022

In what feels like a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, we’ve already run through the first month of 2022. Despite how quickly we seem to have left January behind, the start of the year did feature a huge amount of releases worth taking a look at (and some less so). For those that didn’t see a full review on arrival last month, here’s the wrap on everything else that kept us glued to our screens in January.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

It would be easy to compare Ghostbusters: Afterlife to recent franchise revivals like Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Halloween and expect a nostalgia filled cash-grab of a trip down memory lane and to a certain extent it is. But more than that this is a revival from the person perhaps best qualified to revisit the Ghostbusters: Jason Reitman – son of original director Ivan Reitman – who tackles his father’s franchise with immense care and a penchant for the same whimsical tone that made the original film so much fun. When Callie (Carrie Coon), daughter of Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, moves into her recently deceased father’s dilapidated farmhouse with children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), they discover their grandfather’s ghost-busting history and are forced to pick up where he left off to protect the small town from a ghostly outbreak of gigantic proportions.

Carrie Coon is typically excellent in her supporting role and Paul Rudd shines as the quirky, slightly unhinged substitute teacher with an obsession with the Ghostbusters but the true strength in Reitman’s sequel lies with its younger characters. Mckenna Grace is the perfect lead, a socially awkward but brilliant young girl who forces herself into an uncomfortable but banter-rich friendship with fellow student Podcast (Logan Kim) as they stumble through the basics of ghost-busting. Not since IT have younger actors in a blockbuster been so compelling and not annoying; sure they make mistakes along the way and it’s endlessly fun to watch them do so but they aren’t the stereotypically stupid kids you usually see on-screen – capable of maintaining investing and adult conversations that allow Reitman to tell a story for all-ages that doesn’t feel like it panders to children. The set-up runs a bit long and the climactic showdown could have benefitted from some refreshingly smaller stakes and fewer cameos but if Afterlife proves one thing, it’s that the franchise is far from dead.

The Tender Bar

Clooney’s latest directorial effort is a good-hearted, if rather schmaltzy affair centred around the story of JR Maguire (Daniel Ranieri and Ron Livingston at times but mostly Tye Sheridan), a young boy forced to return home to his grandparents house with mother Dorothy (Lily Rabe) where he develops a close bond with his bar-owner uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck). Clooney directs without much flair or invention, opting for the overdone trope of cutting between timelines to show his audience the colourful characters JR is surrounded by without ever investing us in JR himself, who remains an un-engaging, blank slate of a protagonist throughout and never seems to develop any interesting personality traits of his own despite the unconventional occurrences happening around him.

All the other usual culprits of the coming-of-age film are here too – overused voice-over from a future JR, awkward sexual encounters and youthful drunk experiences – but it never makes the audience feel anything because we don’t care about JR in the first place. Where Clooney does succeed, however, is in his hiring of Affleck and Rabe, both of whom give excellently endearing and engaging performances of troubled, layered individuals who aren’t where they expected they would be in life and who desperately want to prevent the same from happening to JR in their own conflicting ways.

Spencer

Pablo Larraín has a thing for historically important women. He showed his hand once with the harrowing depiction of grief and responsibility in Jackie and now he does it again with Spencer, a psychologically draining look into one hellish Christmas weekend for Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as she battles for her individuality against the rigid rules of the Royal Family. Don’t let the stunning cinematography fool you though, Larraín’s film plays as more of a horror than a standard biopic; the luxury and strict practices of the Royal family slowly suffocating Diana as she desperately struggles to maintain her independence and prevent her children from being absorbed by it all.

Dinners carry a sinister, uncomfortable air; the resplendent decorations and sumptuous food overshadowed by contemptuous glares and stolen glances from the people that keep Diana at an arms length, her refusal to confirm creating an outcast rather than a chance for the family to embrace a different future. Stewart is rock solid in what many believe to be an awards-worthy performance, but the upper-class British accent can’t help but ring false after so much exposure to her usual gravelly tone. Nevertheless her performance perfectly captures the stress of a woman slowly falling apart at the seams and the overwhelming odds facing her in her attempt to change centuries-old traditions.

Archive 81 – Season 1

Based on the popular podcast of the same name this slow burn of a horror follows Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie), a video archivist drawn into a web of demons and ancient cults when he is offered the chance to restore the video tapes of Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), a college student believed to have perished in a mysterious blaze in the 1990’s. An impeccable opening episode carefully sets up the framing device of Dan watching these tapes, as we come to understand his troubled past and the sinister conspiracy he has unknowingly become a part of. From here we follow Melody’s slightly less investing storyline as she interacts with the various tenants of her new apartment building; slowly coming to understand the strange link between the two, separated by a generation.

As things become more heated Archive 81 begins to stall, losing momentum by the sixth episode and crawling to a finale that while justified, is unsatisfying in how it presents a premise for the inevitable second season that is eerily similar to another huge Netflix property. That that other show managed to introduce the same concept in two hours compared to this shows eight is all the more disappointing, and while there is certainly room for the show to expand in new and interesting ways, for now it appears to be coalescing into the usual Netflix formula for the horror/sci-fi show. Special mention however, has to go to the indie directing team of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who continue to improve as they make yet another leap towards more mainstream content, crafting two of not only the best episodes of the season but of television in general in some time.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

As one of the most ambitious projects rolling out this summer, Pokémon Legends: Arceus has quickly become one of the fastest selling games in the franchise’s history. Where previous entries stuck close to the successful formula that Pokémon was built on back in the 90’s, Arceus boldly and frequently steps outside the lines to mostly fantastic results. Instead of the standard linear adventure from one battle and random encounter to the next, you’re now set loose into sprawling landscapes full of unique monsters, characters and mysteries to solve around every corner.

A solid – if brief – storyline underpins the adventures you’re encouraged to create on your own, and it tends to take a more mature and nuanced approach than the usual ‘beat the bad guys’ plot from most of the previous entries. Is it the best looking thing you’ll see on a console this year? Most certainly not. It also doesn’t have the runtime of a usual Pokémon RPG, able to be knocked over in less than 20 hours if you’re really pushing forward. However most will forgive these slight flaws in return for the completely overhauled mechanics and sense of total freedom that Legends: Arceus offers, as well as what its runaway success means for Pokémon’s future.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Jessica Chastain transforms for the role of Tammy Faye Bakker; the always heavily made-up and perpetually cheery televangelist who, along with husband Jim (Andrew Garfield), became embroiled in a scandal that almost destroyed the pair’s devoted congregation. The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a fairly straightforward biopic in structure; a religious Wolf of Wall Street highlighting the opulence amassed by the Bakkers and their inevitable downfall. But it’s hard not to get swept up in the film’s infectious energy and become desperate to learn exactly what is going on behind the scenes of this all too perfect relationship; the film spinning us an image of these shysters in the same way the Bakkers did to their congregation, albeit with more of an insight into the darker side.

Nothing truly shocking is ultimately revealed but it’s enough to keep you entertained in tandem with Chastain and Garfield’s performances. They are simply riveting as the Bakker’s, with an innocent enough meet-cute evolving into a marriage plagued by power dynamics and emotional and spiritual manipulation. The tone never drops it’s overtly cheery facade but there is always a palpable sense of tension as you wait for the other shoe to drop. Chastain should easily find her way into the Best Actress race come awards season with a performance this layered underneath all the flamboyance.

Tags Archive 81, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Netflix, Pokémon, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Spencer, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Tender Bar

Articles & News

The November 2021 Wrap

Post author By Mark
Post date December 2, 2021

We’re quickly rolling into the end of another year, which means the start of another big summer release schedule. That means more people in cinemas and even more spending each night endlessly scrolling through Netflix for something to watch. Looking to get a head start on the competition, a number of big releases hit our screens in November and – while we managed to cover most of them in detail already – there were a few that almost got away without so much as an honourable mention. Here’s a quick wrap on some of November’s most notable entries we haven’t covered yet.

Red Notice

In many ways Red Notice might be the ultimate Netflix film: an obscenely expensive and majorly mediocre blockbuster attempting to hide its numerous flaws behind the sheer star power on display. We follow Ryan Reynolds’ thief Nolan Booth and Dwayne Johnson’s Interpol agent John Hartley as they are forced to become an unlikely (but so likely) team to escape prison and prevent Gal Gadot’s rival thief from cashing in on an epic payday through the theft of fancy Faberge eggs. Reynolds and Johnson have good chemistry together and the action, while repetitive, is enough to hold your attention but rarely does the film do anything that hasn’t been done before in a thousand better films, and when it does try and break the mould, the choices made don’t make a lick of sense. Johnson is left to do majority of the heavy lifting here (easy for him, have you seen the man?), with Gadot seemingly unsure of every decision she makes and Reynolds relying on the same schtick from Deadpool for the 9th film in a row. Please can we put it to bed? You’re better than this Ryan.

Titane

You know the classic tale: girl meets car, girl falls for car, girl… does the deed with car. No? Not ringing any bells? That’s probably because Titane is one of the most bizarre and out-there films in recent memory. Julia Ducournau’s follow-up to 2016’s Raw is a far more brutal affair; following Agathe Rousselle’s Alexia on a spree of post-car-coitus murder, eventually leading her to impersonate a fireman’s (Vincent Lindon) missing son in order to evade police and wait out the rest of her unnatural pregnancy. A strange, often disturbing film to witness, Ducournau doesn’t shy away from some truly horrifying imagery – lactating motor oil and feeding on metal amongst them – as she approaches the inevitable birth. But it isn’t all garage gore, weaving in a touching, if extremely unconventional emotional backbone with the bond formed between Lindon’s traumatised fireman and the equally, if not more traumatised Alexia. A follow-up that doesn’t quite manage to hit the high bar set by Raw – and which certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes – Titane is successful in managing to make you care about some truly horrific people and their terrible plights.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

It’s tradition. For every new Pokémon adventure GameFreak creates they go back and remake one of their classic outings; this time around that honour belongs to 2006’s Diamond and Pearl versions. Development duties have been shirked by GameFreak for the first time ever, leaving Japanese developer ILCA at the helm. The results are fairly solid; the base gameplay mechanics remain as tight as ever, with quality of life improvements of later games like the Exp share mitigating the brutal difficulty the original games were known for. The new chibi style for characters in the over-world is godawful to look at but is quickly forgotten once the muscle memory kicks in and you lose yourself in the intoxicating rhythm of catching and battling those little pocket monsters. Less of a groundbreaking stride into the future of Pokémon and more a fresh coat of paint for a fan-favourite.

‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas

Is it possible to love Christmas too much? That’s the central conceit behind Apple TV+’s latest documentary ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas, quickly spiralling into an examination of far-right conservatism in America and one man’s obsession with freedom of expression, no matter the cost. The film centres around Jeremy Morris, a Christmas-obsessed lawyer who turns a small Idaho cul-de-sac upside down when he insists on hosting a massive Christmas spectacle, complete with house-covering lights, a camel and thousands of attendees. Naturally his neighbours aren’t too pleased about the idea, prompting one hell of a neighbourly battle for supremacy as things move to court. Despite its fairly trivial, “rich people problems” premise, director Becky Read succeeds at pulling you in under the guise of this innocuous man who has been strangely banned from Christmas decorating before slowly unravelling his story, boiling your blood in the process. A fun if frivolous documentary perfect for those Grinches out there.

Tiger King 2

The Netflix sensation that swept the world in 2020 returns for a second season of tiger taming, assassination-plotting mayhem, only largely without those things. Feeling more like an extended epilogue to the first season than a fully realised vision, Tiger King 2 suffers from existing only to appease viewers hungry for more from the world of Joe Exotic and his wild antics. Except that story has already been told. It’s slim pickings in terms of genuinely new and interesting content, with directors Eric Good and Rebecca Chaiklin scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill the reduced 7 episode order. There’s an episode catching up with Joe, the obligatory rehash of Carole Baskin and the reopening of the case into her ex-husband’s disappearance, and check-ins with all the big players from the first season, most of whom are in exactly the same spot as last time. At least once an episode there is a moment that will make you laugh or cry out in astonishment but more often than not you’ll be bored revisiting facts you already know or watching interviews with people you don’t care about. Tiger King was the perfect distraction for the world in 2020, and that’s where it should stay.

South Park: Post Covid

The first of 14 made-for-streaming South Park films under the gargantuan deal creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone signed earlier this year (in addition to 6 more seasons of the veteran show), Post Covid picks up decades after this year’s Vaccination Special, with the boys now adults at the end of the Covid pandemic. When Stan (Trey Parker), now an online whiskey consultant, receives a call that Kenny has been killed (a first for the series), he returns to South Park for the funeral, running into an estranged Kyle (Matt Stone) and Cartman (Parker) – now a Rabbi. The strength of this joke alone is enough to carry majority of the special, with Kyle endlessly skeptical of Cartman and his new family of carbon copy kids. It isn’t a total one trick pony though, skewering all the pop-culture moments that the show hadn’t managed to touch on in previous Covid-set specials from the rise of Disney+ and HBO Max to remote learning. It isn’t quite as laugh-out-loud as the Vaccination Special was and you do miss these characters as their kid selves, but by and large the first Paramount+ outing changes enough of the formula to keep things feeling funny and fresh.

Tags 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas, Brilliant Diamond, Pokémon, Red Notice, Shining Pearl, South Park, South Park: Post Covid, Tiger King 2, Titane

Movie Reviews

Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Post author By Mark
Post date May 14, 2019

Pokémon is a franchise that has been in my life since I was a child. I’ve played all the games as they’ve come out and watched the show religiously every morning. So it’s fair to say that I was equal parts excited and nervous about the series first foray into live-action cinema. The possibilities were endless, but why base the movie on a spin-off game majority of the franchise devotees had avoided? I’m happy to report that I was wrong. Pokemon Detective Pikachu is a great entry point into the live-action Pokémon world that, despite a somewhat paint-by-numbers story, always manages to leave you in awe at the creature realised on the big screen.

Let’s start with the most important point: the Pokémon. A lot of work has clearly gone in to redesigning these creatures to live in the real world. From the more prominent like Charizard, Bulbasaur and the little furry detective himself, to the lesser known like Rufflett and Octillery, a ridiculous amount of attention to detail has been utilised here to make each individual Pokémon seem like a living, breathing part of the environment. I never stopped being wowed by each new creature that stepped into frame and I found myself constantly scanning each scene for hints of new Pokémon. The visual effects team has done a marvellous job and it is a testament to their work that, in a film whose primary draw is to see these monsters realised on screen, this is easily the best and most rewarding part of the movie: trying to catch ’em all as you watch.

What isn’t as jaw dropping, however, is the story. Pokemon Detective Pikachu centres around the disappearance of Harry Goodman, the father of our protagonist Tim (Justice Smith) and partner to Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds). In order to deal with his father’s disappearance, Tim travels to the utopian Ryme City, a place where Pokémon and people live in harmony. He soon teams up with the talkative Pikachu, who he can mysteriously understand, and the two embark on a journey to unravel the mystery of what happened to Harry. Along the way Tim and Pikachu meet up with plucky young investigative reporter Lucy Stevens (Kathryn Newton) and her Pokémon partner Psyduck, a headache stricken duck who explodes if his stress levels rise. The story is all a bit basic, with twists and turns you can see coming from a mile away. What makes it forgivable though, is that it’s really just an excuse to see a range of Pokémon in their unique environments. While this may seem like an excuse, the cast, especially Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, imbue the story with enough heart to get you through the somewhat lazy writing and on to the next big Pokémon reveal.

Reynolds shines as the titular detective, bringing the same level of humour and heart that he gives to his Deadpool character, albeit toned down here for a PG rating. His jokes, while they feature no swearing, will largely go over most kids heads and are there for the parents. However there are still plenty of jokes and slapstick humour for the little ones, making it a great choice for a family film, instead of something darker like Avengers: Endgame. The motion capture work done by Reynolds is top-notch, with Pikachu conveying a wealth of different facial expressions, whilst always remaining a believable, adorable little Pokémon. Justice Smith gets a chance to prove his acting chops here after a pretty lacklustre turn in last year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Rather than scream at the sight of anything remotely scary, Smith gets more to work with here – allowing him to show some emotional range as someone who feels abandoned by his father and who has isolated himself from the world and those around him, including Pokémon, as a result. It’s a testament to his acting that he is never overshadowed by Reynold’s yellow furball, holding his own and showing some quality comedic timing – the scene involving the Pokémon Mr. Mime in particular is hilarious, showing some strong physical comedic acting.

Kathryn Newtwon seems like she is in a different movie the first time we see her, playing the intrepid news reporter character very over-the-top, almost to the level of an anime character from the television show. She seems to have a better handle on the character the next time we see her and soon comes to play a major role in the proceedings. Where the acting gets really schlocky, however, is with Bill Nighy and Chris Geere’s father/son philanthropist duo Howard and Roger Clifford. It’s clearly a paycheck movie for Nighy, who channels about a tenth of the intensity from the Pirates of the Carribbean movies, and you can’t help but feel that he doesn’t really have an understanding of what he’s saying when it comes to Pokémon. Geere is, not to put too fine a point on it, ridiculous, making Kathryn Newton’s first appearance seem like she was in The Godfather. The way he delivers his dialogue and his physical acting in scenes is so over the top I was having trouble not laughing out loud at how bad the acting was. Apart from that, Ken Watanabe gives a solid performance as the police chief of Ryme city, and the pairing of him with the grumpy dog Pokémon Snubbull was a stroke of genius and leads to some of the best jokes in the film.

As an introduction and proof of concept of a live-action Pokémon world, Pokémon Detective Pikachu works wonderfully well. Despite a somewhat bland, obvious plot and some shoddy acting, Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith and the army of VFX animators give you enough to fully invest in the world and the main relationship between Tim and Pikachu. I was always engaged by these two characters and was willing to go where the story took them, even if it did get a bit ridiculous at times. As a lifelong Pokémon fan, I was awestruck that my childhood had come to life on the big screen and I had a smile on my face for the entire runtime. I’m willing to forgive a few small missteps in story and acting if it means we get to spend more time in this world.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu stars Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newtown, Ken Watanabe & Bill Nighy – in cinemas now.

Tags Bill Nighy, Detective Pikachu, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Pokémon, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Ryan Reynolds

Game Reviews

Pokémon: Let’s Go Eevee & Let’s Go Pikachu

Post author By Tydus
Post date May 8, 2019

Pokémon’s little yellow mascot takes the spotlight once again this week, making his live-action film debut in Warner Bros’ highly anticipated Detective Pikachu. While the movie is a big shift from what we’d usually expect to come out of the Pokémon universe, it does draw heavily from what made the series a worldwide phenomenon to start with – especially when it comes to the love it gives the titular hero. In celebration of its release (and due to just a smidge of hype), we’ve decided to revisit Pikachu’s most recent outing on the Nintendo Switch – in yet another quest to catch ’em all.

Being the second remake of a game from the late 90’s, the announcement that Pokémon: Let’s Go would be the first RPG in the series to hit the Switch was met with mixed reactions. Pokémon Yellow, the original from which this is based, hit its 20 year anniversary during the same year – so this new release had a nice bit of symmetry. However fans had been holding out for an entirely new adventure – one that would take advantage of the power and flexibility of the new Nintendo hardware – and so were torn to learn that they’d be getting a remake using mechanics from the popular free-to-play mobile game, Pokémon Go.

Despite this, Let’s Go still captured the majority of fans upon release late in 2018, predominantly because Nintendo and Game Freak had achieved exactly what they’d set out to do. This entry was never about further inflating the roster of catchable creatures or developing new regions and deeper competitive play – it was created as a celebration. A tribute to the series’ roots – its original characters, gameplay and world. In stripping back many of the franchise’s growing layers and complexities, Let’s Go was able to tap into what made series such a hit all those years ago – and in doing so, it was a success.

Before even starting the game, you have a choice to make. In usual Pokémon RPG fashion, the franchise’s first big Switch entry is split into two releases: Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. Both versions are almost identical, save for a few Pokémon exclusive to each version – and, of course, your partner for the journey. Your partner Pokémon will play a much larger role than in any past entry, often playing a role in most of the adventure’s story beats. It also has access to exclusive moves and, despite not being able to evolve, is strong enough to be an unassuming little powerhouse in battle. You’ll come across numerous outfits and accessories for them too, as they’ll be travelling out in the overworld with you at all times (they also come in handy as the game’s fast travel system and field-move users). What I’m getting at is that Pikachu and Eevee are central to just about everything that goes on, so make sure to pick your favourite before you dive in. Once you do get started, you’re quickly introduced to your chosen sidekick before being sprung into your new adventure across Kanto.

I use the word ‘new’ loosely here, with Kanto being the oldest and most recognisable region in all of Pokémon. However the Nintendo Switch has allowed for quite a significant step up with regards to how the game looks and plays. The towns, routes and characters of Kanto have never looked better, and – despite this huge facelift – almost every area of the game has been faithfully reconstructed as they were in the original. The path through Viridian Forest is still exactly the same as it was 20 years ago, and you can still pay an outrageous sum of money for a Magikarp in the Pokémon centre outside Mt Moon.

Yet for all its similarities, there are a number of changes that have been made in bringing the adventure to the current gen. For example, the Safari Zone has been completely removed and replaced by ‘Go Park’ – a dedicated area for connecting with the player’s Pokémon Go mobile collection. It’s a great way of bridging the two games and rewarding dedicated fans, but cutting the Safari Zone completely still feels like a misstep given its size in the original. This is only one of the changes arising as a result of Pokemon’s recent mobile success, with the classic Pokémon formula receiving some significant adjustments as well.

Let’s start with the battles, or rather, the lack of them. You will no longer battle wild Pokémon you wander through tall grass, dark caves or while crossing water. Instead, battles are strictly reserved for gym leaders and other trainers – of which there are admittedly quite a few across Kanto. The battles themselves are the same as always, albeit a lot more detailed and dynamic. Experience gained through these battles is shared amongst the entire team, meaning you’re not made weaker by the reduced battle practice you’ll be getting. You’ll also strengthen your team by catching wild Pokémon that you come across on the road, which brings us to the other major change introduced here.

Random wild Pokémon encounters are out, with the player now able to see each critter roaming about in the field. Gone are the days of tripping over the same Pidgey or Geodude every few steps, as you can now pick your next catch – or avoid them altogether if you like. Once you run into your target, the encounter itself will immediately be recognisable for fans of Pokémon Go – in that all you’re required to do is make a well-timed Pokéball throw to land a catch. This is fairly simple and fun when in handheld mode, yet docking the Switch and breaking out the motion controls is almost always a bad time. Your throws are often misread, and once you’re up against Pokémon who like to move around a bit, you’ve got no chance.

For the most part, these changes are actually a benefit to the adventure. Battles are more exciting and enjoyable because you’re not fighting off waves of Zubat and Tentacool every few minutes. Being able to pick and choose your next encounter is a huge plus, and the focus on catching rather than battling means you end up creating quite a collection without really thinking about it. These freedoms also allow you to enjoy your adventure without getting too bogged down in the workings of it all. The plot itself remains largely unchanged, having you make your way to the top of the Pokémon League – stopping briefly to dismantle a criminal organisation in the background when needed. There’s been a huge attention to detail in delivering the story here, with Oak, Brock, Misty, Jessie and James all looking exactly as you remember them from morning TV in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. There are also a number of easter eggs and references peppered throughout for long-time fans, right down to a marooned truck parked suspiciously off the docks of Vermillion City.

Whilst being positioned as a nostalgic love letter to fans who have been following the series for decades, Let’s Go also cements itself as the perfect entry point for a new generation of fans to step in. Shifting the formula to match the style of the insanely popular Pokémon Go creates an easy transition for many new players, and the reduced overall difficulty results in a smoother learning curve for less experienced players. You can even bring another player along for some couch co-op, taking part in joint battles and coordinated catches to make life even simpler.

The addition of these extras doesn’t mean that all of the game’s challenge is gone, however. Upon clearing the main story, you’re given the chance to earn ‘master’ titles from new trainers that have appeared all across Kanto. Most will require you to challenge their favourite Pokémon with an identical one you have raised – the battle deciding which of the two trainers should be named ‘master’ of that particular Pokémon. While it certainly creates a large amount of content after the credits roll, you’ll really have to ask yourself if it’s worth training almost 150 different Pokémon up to their absolute max – just to be named something like ‘Goldeen Master’. Otherwise you can track down some challenging trainers from the original games – or, better yet, take the Master Ball for a walk through the dark depths of Cerulean Cave.

Whether you’re returning to Kanto with years of experience, or you’re a newcomer starting your first adventure, Let’s Go does an excellent job of pleasing both sides of the spectrum. While erring on the side of the less experienced crowd more often than not, Nintendo and Game Freak have included enough challenge and nostalgia to appeal to the existing dedicated fanbase as well. Whilst not officially “core” games, meaning that not all of these changes will be carried into future instalments, Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee have provided a glimpse of what the future holds for the series – while at the same time recognising all that made Pokémon so special to begin with.

Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu & Let’s Go Eevee are available now on Nintendo Switch.

Tags Game Freak, Kanto, Let's Go Eevee, Let's Go Pikachu, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Pokémon