"Pokémon Legends: Arceus" does something no other mainline Pokémon game has done before: It attempts to create a real open world. The game's focus, too, is different: You're tasked with completing the Pokédex, not becoming a Pokémon Champion by defeating the Elite Four. Gone are loading and transition screens to battles. The change in mechanics, along with an almost watercolor-esque aesthetic to the feudal Japan-inspired Hisui region, is a much-needed shot of adrenaline for the series. While "Arceus" has its share of tech and graphics issues, those issues never get in the way of what was otherwise a smooth, unique experience.

Modern video games can be so perceptibly realistic – grass rippling in a gentle breeze, non-player characters going about their daily routines, faces and gestures that look so close to those of real humans – that they've started to call to mind Plato's old chin-stroker about the cave (reimagined in 1999's trench coat-flapping classic The Matrix.) What if we are all trapped inside a shockingly realistic illusion? Would we really know if we were inside a video game? If you're looking for reassurance that we haven't yet reached the singularity, boot up the ropey Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. In this second Pokémon outing of the year, developer Game Freak abandons February's Legends: Arceus's intriguing feudal-era setting, but otherwise picks up where it left off.

It appears as though "Scarlet" and "Violet" take heavy inspiration from that game; some open-world traveling features teased for the two upcoming games, like flying, appear nearly identical in function and animation to their "Arceus" counterpart. It's still unclear if "Scarlet" and "Violet's" catching mechanics will take inspiration from "Arceus," which included not just the classic catching mechanics involving turn-based battling, weakening and throwing a Poké Ball, but also a "Pokémon Go"-like hybrid that involved sneaking up and throwing a perfectly aimed Poké Ball before the battle even began. "Scarlet" and "Violet's" battles and UI were only briefly showcased during the Pokémon Presents.

Nintendo on Tuesday reported a solid net profit for the financial year to March on the strong performance of its blockbuster Switch console, but issued a cautious forecast. Uncertainties linked to the global chip shortage and potential production and transport delays caused by Covid-19 lockdowns could hit future profits, the Japanese gaming giant warned. The company, which has benefited from a string of popular titles including "Pokemon Legends: Arceus", posted a 2021-22 net profit of 477.7 billion yen ($3.7 billion), down just 0.6 percent on-year. But it expects net profit for the current financial year of 340 billion yen, a yearly drop of around 29 percent. Nintendo's profits were sent soaring by a boom in demand for video games during the pandemic and the runaway popularity of the Switch, which was launched in March 2017.

One of the more famous scenes in recent video-game history can be found at the beginning of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, from 2017. The player's avatar, Link, starts on a plateau high above the land of Hyrule. It's a test zone in which to familiarize oneself with the mechanics of the game. But a paraglider tool, obtained at the end of the introduction, makes it possible to leave the plateau behind and enter the rest of the environment. After exiting a cavern, Link stands at the lip of a cliff, and the camera pans out to survey the vast landscape, a patchwork of forests, rolling hills, seas of fog, and darkened mountains. Like Simba in "The Lion King," the player gets the sense that everything the light touches is her kingdom, a sprawling natural world explorable from end to end.

Winter is a great time to catch up on your video game "pile of shame," which makes Amazon's latest deal either well- or poorly-timed depending on how you feel about having even more games to play. Right now it's buy two, get one free on select books, movies and game titles, and there's some good stuff to grab while supplies last. We're looking at a lot of new and popular Switch titles, including Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which was just released two weeks ago. The list also includes last year's Mario Party Superstars, Shin Megami Tensei V and Ace Attorney Chronicles. Quite a few first-party Nintendo games are also on the list, including Metroid Dread, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Luigi's Mansion 3. PlayStation owners can enjoy the benefits of the deal too, with titles like Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Madden NFL 22 also included in the selection, while Xbox players can grab copies of Dying Light 2: Stay Human or Forza Horizon 5.

There's a location in the game atop a mountain, with the iconic Snowpoint Temple from the "Diamond/Pearl" games realized in a 3D environment. In front of it is a yawning lake with an island sitting at its center. Off in the distance in another direction looms Mount Coronet, this universe's stand-in for Japan's famous Mount Fuji. None of this sounds flat, does it? The issue is that none of these locations are framed with player location in mind.

He loved the thrill of waiting for a rare bug, and the rush of excitement when he found one. The anticipation building before he struck, hoping to catch it. As his collection grew, so did his sense of pride. This cycle was the foundation for one of Nintendo's most massive franchises in its history. Pokémon's very existence is a love letter to this cycle, something Masuda and the developers at Game Freak hoped to replicate for players.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus lets players hunt the tiny monsters in a new, open-world setting. Pokémon Legends: Arceus lets players hunt the tiny monsters in a new, open-world setting. From cartoons to trading cards to toys, Pokémon has been a succesful media franchise for 25 years, with tons of fans from all over the world. But fans of the Pokémon video games have been begging for a major shake-up to the series -- and now, with the announcement of the new Pokémon Legends: Arceus, they may get one. Earlier this month, Pokémon player ChocolateKieran -- who asked us to refer to him by his username for privacy and safety reasons -- was watching the company's 25th anniversary live stream with his followers on Twitch.