Pikaeevee

Another Saturday is now upon us, bringing with it another chance to sit down and play some of our favourite games. This weekend just so happens to see the release of one of the biggest games of the year for Nintendo, and it therefore comes as very little surprise that almost the entire team is getting stuck into a new pocket monster-catching adventure. Feel free to read our entries discussing Pokémon, Pokémon, and Pokémon below, and get involved via our poll and comments section below. Enjoy!

Liam Doolan, news reporter

Like many other Switch owners, this weekend I’m playing Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! Based on the four hours I’ve spent with the game so far, I’m rather enjoying the overall simplicity of the title. While not everyone might feel the same way, I think it’s a pleasant change of pace from the usual games that do require a lot more effort to play.

Right now, I’m on the outskirts of Mt. Moon. My current party is comprised of Pikachu, Ivysaur, Charmander, Magikarp, Chansey and Nidorina. I love how you can easily swap out Pokémon with the quick-access box. It’s a lot better than having to find a PC on a regular basis. Generally, I like all the adjustments that make the game a lot more streamlined. Seeing Pokémon follow my character and waiting for rarer ones to spawn in the wild has also been a thrill - as is catching the tiny and big versions of each monster. I could harp on all day about how fantastic my journey through the Kanto region has been so far, but I’ll leave it at that for now. You’ll no doubt hear more about my adventures in the coming weeks.

Gavin Lane, contributing writer

Which titan of business was it who uttered the line ‘Sleep is for wimps’? Gordon Gekko? Derek Trotter? Regardless, I’ll be channelling the sentiment as Civilization VI devours my weekend. A fully fledged portable Civ is an exciting prospect, but it was a colossal time-sink when shackled to a PC – now nowhere is safe. So, you’ll find me empire-building on the bus, in the bath and in bed. Look forward to a full report next week. Until then, bonjour.

N.B. Yeah, Del-Boy said the sleep thing.

Steve Bowling, US editor

This weekend I'll be joining Pokémon trainers the world over in returning to the Kanto region. I had a hard time deciding on whether I'm Team Eevee or Team Pikachu, but ultimately nostalgia won out and I settled on Team Pikachu. I'm far from the fresh-faced youngster I was when the Generation 1 games launched, but they still hold a special place in my heart. Every time I've played the games at a prerelease event, I couldn't help but smile. Now that it's finally here, I can't wait to enjoy the full experience. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a truck I need to look for Mew under.

Ryan Craddock, staff writer

Get ready to gasp and revolt in absolute shock as I reveal that I too will probably end up playing Pokémon this weekend. I was the poor soul responsible for putting far too many hours into it over the few days before release to bring you our definitive verdict (you can read my review right here) so my remaining tasks are finishing off the PokéDex and taking on those pesky Master Trainers.

I was also incredibly excited to start transferring my Pokémon GO catches onto my Switch, only to discover that my phone doesn't seem to be supported - so no Meltan for me. Do I look around for a new phone to get that sorted, or is that going ridiculously overboard? Things we gamers do, huh?

Austin Voigt, contributing writer

I am playing Pokémon, and only Pokémon. Okay, maybe also some Splatoon 2. But mostly just Pokémon. I went to pick up my Pikachu edition at the midnight release last night, got home, and promptly passed out before even starting the game because I have recently become old and tired. But now I need to make up for that lost time, so the rest of this weekend, I will be in Kanto (with some yerba mate so that I don’t fall asleep again).

Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, reviewer

By the sheer power of my will (and the boring responsibilities of being a grown up) I won't be playing Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee this weekend. Instead, I'll be taking the multiplayer melee racing of Collidalot for a spin for review.

There have also been some new updates to Paladins, so what better time to resume my healthy love for this bombastic hero shooter? God help my free time...

Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer

This weekend I will actually try something out of my comfort zone, a Pokémon game - I went with team Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! It'll be my second game of the franchise after Pokkén Tournament. I will hopefully at long last ‘get it’ and become one with the rest of the Pokémon loving crowds. I'll also be working my way through some Starlink: Battle for Atlas and Valkyria Chronicles 4.

Sometimes you don’t really notice how much you miss something until it somehow makes its way back into your life along with a nostalgia overdose and GRIP is exactly that. Super fast, over the top, loud soundtrack arcade racing action where every side is up. I hope to put a few tournaments in this weekend.

My game of the week is Super Hydorah, the greatest Gradius game Konami never made. So very happy to at long last play the Locomalito and Gryzor87 shmup love letter on Nintendo hardware.

Which games are you playing this weekend? (310 votes)

  1. Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!25%
  2. Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!16%
  3. Civilization VI7%
  4. Splatoon 29%
  5. Collidalot  0%
  6. Paladins2%
  7. Starlink: Battle for Atlas5%
  8. Valkyria Chronicles 44%
  9. GRIP  1%
  10. Super Hydorah1%
  11. Something else (comment below)30%

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As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a vote in the poll above and a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days...