Pokémon: Let's Go! Pikachu

Nintendo has announced a short Pokémon-dedicated Direct broadcast to be shown at 2pm UK time tomorrow, 27th February.

At the time of writing, over 800 Pokémon exist, their influences ranging from shrubs to supernatural entities stretching back eons into Japanese lore. Many are based specifically on Yōkai, strange and grimly comic creatures native to Japan that, like Pokémon, have been recorded in illustrated encyclopedias and playing cards.

Did you complete Pokémon Let's Go? Or are you still lurking around Go Park in Fuschia City, permanently parked there to farm Meltan boxes?

You probably already knew this - and if you didn't, please don't make me regret telling you about it - but Eurogamer has a 'Contact' email. It's about as exciting as it sounds. You can find it on our 'Contact Us' page, obviously, and anyone can use it to send us general tips or enquiries or questions - any of that sort of generic stuff that doesn't really fit into the usual communication we'd get at a site like Eurogamer every day.

Eevee for Smash? Not quite - but the true star of Pokémon Let's Go is due to make some sort of debut in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

We already had an idea Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee were performing well from the recent British sales charts, where the games (when combined) topped sales of all other titles last week. And this success appears to have been mirrored globally, as a whopping 3m units have been shifted in the first week since their release.

The news was shared via The Pokémon Company on Twitter (translated by Gematsu). It means the games have broken the record for the Switch's biggest launch to date.

Described as a hybrid of Pokémon's mainline games and Pokémon Go, Let's Go appears to be an attempt to bridge the gap between old and new Pokémon players. I mean this quite literally, as the easiest way for Pokémon Go players to get their hands on new Pokémon Meltan is to transfer their critters to the Switch game. With sales figures like these, it seems the crossover plan is going pretty well for The Pokémon Company. That must be a huge releevee.

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Japan gets all the good stuff. Yesterday, it was a massive box of 63 amiibo. Today, it's this - an official Eevee Tamagotchi, so you can carry the fan-favourite Pokémon around in your bum pocket.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is the UK physical chart number one, after it beat the physical launch sales of Fallout 76, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, plus a new boxed version of Fortnite, and Hitman 2.

But that doesn't tell the full story of last week - one of the most competitive in the year so far.

Spyro sold brilliantly, and Activision's purple dragon deservedly won the UK chart for the first time since his original PlayStation 1 game back in 1998.

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Updated story (November 17th): Meltan is now available for Pokémon Go players without having to own the newly released Pokémon Let's Go on Nintendo Switch as part of a new quest.

The special research quest follows the likes of Mew, Celebi and Spiritomb earlier this year, and is perhaps the most convoluted yet, requiring number of specific creatures (such as Ditto to get it.

But by the end, the chance to own Meltan without access to Let's Go is yours. You can see exactly what you need to do in our Pokémon Let's Go Meltan quest steps page.

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It's an exciting week if you play Pokémon, with the arrival of the first fully-fledged game on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Let's Go, and a series of new updates topping off a very strong year for Pokémon Go.

Over time, Pokémon games have developed themselves a bit of a conundrum. These are family games, bright and inviting and unquestionably filled with joy. Yet a lot of their audience - and I can say this because it includes me - is pushing on a bit. It means that every game kicks off with two opposing impulses, at once trying to welcome a new generation and ease them in gently to the 20-year-old whirlpool of systems and rituals, while also giving those 20-year-long fans something worthwhile, something challenging, and something new.

Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

Developer: Game Freak

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Lavender Town, the spookiest location in any Pokémon game, has been shown off for the first time looking better than ever in a new Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee trailer.

Meet Melmetal, the evolution of recently-revealed mythical Pokémon Meltan (AKA Nutboy).

A couple of days ago in an interview with Eurogamer, Pokémon developer Junichi Masuda and Kensaku Nabana announced Pokémon Let's Go would get new post-game content in the form of Master Trainers. From the interview, we learned these trainers each specialise in a single Pokémon, and can be challenged by players in one-on-one battles with this specific Pokémon. Upon winning a battle, players can then claim the title of being that specific type of Pokémon master - for instance, a Psyduck master. There's also a whopping 151 in total - one for every Pokémon in Kanto. Phew - that should certainly keep you busy.

Just in time for Halloween, here's an official set of Pokémon trading cards themed around Edvard Munch's iconic, haunting painting The Scream.

If only Kanto Airways had a loyalty scheme. I've been to Pokémon's founding region so many times, now. Red, Blue, and Yellow; back again, by wonderful surprise, in Gold, Silver, and Crystal; once more in the FireRed and LeafGreen remakes and of course all across the land in the TV series, if that counts. And then that's not to mention the perpetually-active Kanto events of Pokémon Go, if I ever missed it for just a second.

Two decades on from Pokémon Red and Blue's arrival here in the west, we're going back to Kanto once again.

The mystery surrounding new Pokémon Meltan has been somewhat lifted, as new videos shared on the official Pokémon channel hint the Pokémon may be able to evolve, is attracted by an ancient box, and can only be caught in Pokémon Go. Phew.

Remember last year when that magical talking Pikachu video went viral on the internet? Well, I can't promise this year's Pokémon film will be quite as exciting, but it should still be quite a treat for British Pokémon fans when it arrives in cinemas late November.

Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us is the sequel to I Choose You, and follows Ash and Pikachu (of course) as they explore the seaside town of Frau City. When Ash arrives, there's something of a party going on, as the town is celebrating its annual Lugia festival. But, inevitably, things start to go a little wrong. The festival's livelihood is put at risk, and Ash must team up with new friends to protect the city from a "procession of Pokémon" that are threatening the town. Notting Hill Carnival certainly sounds a little different these days.

The film was originally released in Japan back in July, and will come to over 300 cinemas in the UK and Ireland this winter. Most of the showings are on November 24th and December 1st, but if you can't make these, you may be able to make one of the limited number of showings on December 3rd. You can find your nearest showing and book tickets here.

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Over the past few days, Pokémon Go players have been intrigued and puzzled by the appearance of a new Pokémon during this month's Community Day event. Nobody really knew anything about the Pokémon - known as "nutboi" in the Eurogamer office, or "nutto" on reddit - other than it would transform into Ditto when caught (and that it may be related to Kecleon). Until now, that is.

UPDATE 22/9/18: Yesterday's leaked new Pokémon design has stunned fans by suddenly appearing in the game. What appeared to be a slip-up now looks like a purposeful release, as spawns of the unnamed creature began appearing overnight.

It's only a few months until Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee come to Switch, and today we got another peek(achu) at the games.

One of the main selling points of Let's Go is players will be able to transfer their Pokémon from Pokémon Go into the new games. These Pokémon will be kept in Go Parks, and according to the press release, there will be 20 of these parks within a larger Go Park complex outside Fuchsia City (site of the Safari Zone in the original games). Each Go Park can hold 50 Pokémon, meaning you can hold up to 1000 PoGo critters in Let's Go at any one time.

But it won't be as simple as an old-school migration. In a Q&A with Junichi Masuda, the director confirmed PoGo Pokémon will not "go straight into your collection" and will need to be caught within the complex.

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After yesterday's out-of-the-blue announcement of a Limited Edition Nintendo Switch bundle to celebrate the release of Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee later this year, GAME has now listed both bundles for pre-order, costing Ł339.99.

Nintendo has announced a limited edition Pokémon-flavoured Nintendo Switch.

Some Switch games do not support cloud saves "to ensure fair play", Nintendo has said.

EGX 2018 - the UK's biggest games event, run by Eurogamer parent company Gamer Network - will host the first UK hands-on opportunity with Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee.

Nintendo has gained a bit of a reputation for its strict copyright policy. In the last few months alone, it filed several lawsuits against emulation sites, and is believed to have indirectly pressured ROM site EmuParadise into shutting down. Now, Nintendo has gone after a new target: 11-year old fan game creator, Pokémon Essentials.

The latest trailer for Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee has shown off more of the game's opening sections - including our first look at trading, more footage of battling, and the debut of water gym leader Misty.

There's a part of me that wants to say the inside of Creatures Inc., the Tokyo company where Pokémon cards are made, is exactly what you'd expect. That it is everything you've imagined. A Wonkalike dream factory of wonder and weirdness, hidden in plain sight.

After spending some time with Pokémon Let's Go! Pikachu and Eevee, I now understand why The Pokémon Company was at pains to break tradition and mention its plans for a separate, full RPG game in 2019. If it wasn't clear from the brief snippets of footage shown in Pikachu and Eevee's reveal trailer, a few minutes of hands-on gameplay confirms these Pokémon games are very different from the ones you are used to - even more than I was expecting.

You'll need to use motion controls to catch Pokémon in Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee, regardless of whether or not your Switch is docked, and they're compulsory throughout.

You need to buy a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to trade Pokémon or enter online battles in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee.

For a long time, Pokémon has been playing it safe. In two decades the main series really hasn't changed that much, instead retreating into a kind of calculable routine. New, main series Pokémon RPGs come out every couple of years: each time there's two of them, each time there's probably an enhanced version - either a third, or another pair - and each time Game Freak will add roughly one thing new and take roughly one other thing away, which was probably the new thing they'd just added last time.

Pick out a feature from most Pokémon games and, chances are, Junichi Masuda probably had something to do with it. The long-time director, producer, designer and composer has done everything from designing the intricacies of breeding shiny Pokémon in the main series, to writing the music for Pokémon Go.

An early version of Pokémon Gold and Silver, featuring dozens of Pokémon cut from the final release, has been found by fans and posted online.