Despite their bitter history in the franchise, Team Rocket and Gym Leader Giovanni partnered with Mewtwo in Pokemon Masters, essentially picking up where Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon left off. But a fitting counterpart to them is joining the game soon: Professor Oak and Mew. It’ll be interesting to see if Pokemon Masters will explore any dynamics between these four in the future. Along with that, today’s gaming roundup also looks at new games joining Nintendo Switch Online and Google Stadia, games getting cancelled, and games getting Kickstarted.
Highlights From This Week's Gaming News
Pokemon Masters Professor Oak Fights for the First Time Ever
With his debut in Pokemon Masters, series mainstay Professor Oak will be playable for the first time. And his partner of choice is another icon from the franchise: Mew. The two will be available before March 16.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Opening Cinematic
The recently released cinematic serves as a new trailer for the upcoming remake and includes Cloud and Aerith. After experiencing a delay, the return trip to Midgar is still scheduled for April 10.
Five New Stadia Games Coming Soon
After a rough launch, Stadia has announced that these titles will be available in the future: Spitlings, Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks), Serious Sam Collection, Panzer Dragoon: Remake, and Lost Words: Beyond the Page. There have been no concrete release dates shared yet.
Four New Nintendo Switch Online Games Coming in February 2020
The upcoming titles include Smash Tennis and Pop'n TwinBee for SNES, and Eliminator Boat Duel and Shadow of the Ninja for NES. Players can check them out on Feb. 19.
Marvel United Tabletop Title Cracks $450K on Kickstarter
Tabletop game publisher CMON quickly met their funding goal for Marvel United on Kickstarter. The upcoming Marvel game is designed for a roughly 40-minute experience with two to four players. It will also feature chibi art and sculptures.
Chaos Code NEXT Canceled As Developer Halts Work On New Projects
FK Digital's announcement may mean the end of a fighting series. The developer also shared their regrets, but no specific reasons for the cancellation.
Features and Reviews of the Week
How Typhoon Studios Crafted the Humor of Journey to the Savage Planet
Alex Hutchinson, creative director and co-founder of Typhoon Studios, took the time to talk to TechRaptor about crafting the comedy in Journey to the Savage Planet. Hutchinson shared that influences included The Office and Monty Python.
Though Kentucky Route Zero has nice graphics, audio, and settings, TechRaptor found its story lacking and characters underdeveloped.
What to Play in Early 2020 (Since Every Game You Wanted Was Delayed)
Lesser known titles that have been recently released or will launch soon include KUNAI and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. New DLC for Dead Cells, The Bad Seed, is also now available.
What did you think of the new Final Fantasy VII Remake cinematic? Are you excited for Marvel United? Did you see other news in gaming this week that deserves attention? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.