Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced more details for Pokemon HOME, the Pokemon collection and management app that will go live in February. Coming to Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch, it will allow players to link supported titles and store their Pokemon in cloud servers. Supported titles include Pokemon Sword and Shied and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! on Switch (Pokemon GO support is in the works).

Pokemon HOME allows for several different ways to trade Pokemon including the Global Trade System for outlining exactly which Pokemon you want or wish to receive, Room Trade for trading with up to 20 people, and Friend Trade for trading with friends. There’s also the National Pokedex for registering different Pokemon and their forms, Mystery Gifts and much more. Free and Premium plans are available but there are a number of differences.

Free users can only deposit 30 Pokemon while Premium users can deposit 6,000. Premium users can also create rooms to trade in while free users can only join rooms. Only one Pokemon can be placed in the Global Trade System for free users while Premium users can place three. A Premium plan costs $2.99 per month, $4.99 per three months and $15.99 for 12 months on the Nintendo eShop, though prices are subject to change. For more details, check out the official website here.

Super Mario Party

The infamous ruiner of friendships debuts for the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Party takes the more traditional approach to the series’ formula, introducing new mini-games, some with motion controls, and a new mode called Partner Party where teams of two can work together. There’s even a mode called Toad’s Rec Room where multiple Switches can be combined for gameplay across multiple screens. Super Mario Party captures the amazing feeling of losing to never-ending nonsense, which may or may not be your definition of a good time.

Nintendo of America has announced on its official Twitter that a new Nintendo Direct will be livestreamed tomorrow. The focus? Pokemon, with the presentation containing “roughly 7 minutes” of new information. The presentation will take place at 6 AM PT.

Obviously there’s a lot that Nintendo could discuss. Perhaps Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! will be receiving some substantial updates or new content. Of course, the wildest speculation is that Nintendo finally reveals its next big Pokemon RPG, which is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch.

It’s still unclear if the title will release this year, in spite of earlier assurances. The Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara has talked about the challenges of developing for the Switch, especially when it comes to utilizing the different modes. If the next title skipped 2019, it wouldn’t be unreasonable. Regardless, if there is a reveal, it will be a momentous occasion. Stay tuned for more details until then, and check out GamingBolt’s official review for Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! in the meantime.

Tune in on 2/27 at 6am PT for roughly 7 minutes of new information in a livestreamed #Pokemon Direct presentation!https://t.co/d1Xx3bDbhq pic.twitter.com/BEwvJi8BFi

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 26, 2019

Owlboy

D-Pad Studio’s Owlboy first released in 2016 following years and years of development. Its charming art-style and believable characterization meshed well with the quasi-Metroidvania platforming it had to offer. Playing as Otis and flying through the skies to battle pirates and learn the truth about the world may not have been revolutionary but it’s utterly amazing adventure all the same.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out later this week, and as you might know, Spirits play a huge part in the story and gameplay. While these Spirits must be unlocked through the course of the game, two will be available immediately to those who own Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! These are Partner Pikachu Spirit and Partner Eevee Spirit.

Each Spirit is unique to their version, so if you want both, you’ll need both versions of the Pokemon game. Pikachu and Eevee function as Support Spirits – the former increases your attack and movement speed, while the latter increases attack and defense. If you don’t own either version of Pokemon Let’s Go, then don’t worry. Both Spirits will still be unlockable in-game.

Players will need to complete some challenges in order to access them though. Owning either version of Pokemon Let’s Go simply guarantees access from the start. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out on December 7th for Nintendo Switch. It will have a day one patch, which allows players to save replays as videos. Stay tuned for full patch notes when the game launches.

In Super #SmashBros. Ultimate, those with save data for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! will unlock the Partner Pikachu Spirit, and those with save data for #PokemonLetsGo, Eevee! will unlock the Partner Eevee Spirit! They can be unlocked by completing challenges too! pic.twitter.com/Sx4xIpCXwn

— Nintendo AU NZ (@NintendoAUNZ) December 2, 2018

Black Friday is always a lucrative period for games, consoles, and electronic sales. This past week was no different, according to Adobe Insights, which measures the best-selling items available through online retail with Experience Cloud. The analysis firm revealed that Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee! for Switch along with God of War on PS4 were in the top-selling products for Black Friday. Overall, they ranked fourth and fifth respectively.

More interesting perhaps are the online retail sales on Thanksgiving Day. The Nintendo Switch was on top, while Red Dead Redemption 2 was in fourth place. This means that a lot of consumers opted to buy these products before the Black Friday sale. Perhaps there was concern of them selling out when the sales rush started.

It’s worth noting that since these sales are for online retail only, we’ll have to wait for more information from sources like The NPD Group to determine how Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo each performed. That will be happening on December 18^th. However, it’s still good to see Pokemon: Let’s Go doing well, especially after it already having sold 3 million units worldwide in its first week.

The Nintendo Switch had a pretty good week in the UK. According to the latest sales data from Gfk Chart-Track for the week ending November 17th, Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! debuted in fourth and sixth respectively in the physical retail sales chart. Combined sales for the two would make them the most successful titles of the week, however. Digital sales aren’t factored into the equation, so actual sales will likely be higher.

Along with being a success in its own right, Pokemon Let’s Go helped boost sales for other Switch titles. As per GamesIndustry.biz, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sales were up 94 percent. Super Mario Party and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild saw an increase in sales by 25 percent and 52 percent respectively. Even Just Dance 2019 saw a 465 percent sales leap thanks to the Switch version, though its inclusion in a hardware bundle that also had Pokemon Let’s Go definitely helped.

Launch week physical sales for Pokemon Let’s Go, however, are down 60 percent next to Pokemon Sun and Moon (2016) for the Nintendo 3DS. Compared to Pokemon X and Y, which released in 2013, sales are down 5 percent. There are a fair number of reasons for this, such as stock issues (leading to some pre-orders not being fulfilled) and a smaller install base compared to the 3DS Pokemon titles. It’s worth waiting to see how many more Switch owners react to the games over the next month, especially when the Christmas season is in full swing.

It will also be interesting to see how Pokemon GO players react. The NPD Group recently reported almost 15 percent of the mobile game’s players in the US were interested in purchasing a Switch to play Pokemon Let’s Go. Since the latter implements quite a few elements from the mobile title, it could further help mobile players make the transition more easily.

Déraciné

FromSoftware has been working like crazy to diversify its portfolio and Déraciné is perhaps its most off-beat title. As a faerie of sorts, the player moves around a boarding school, influencing the lives of its students. Freezing time and building personal bonds with the students are the core tenets of the game. However, it’s perhaps most intriguing because it’s a PlayStation VR title. What does the story hold and will it contain the same deep world-building that’s defined so many FromSoftware games? Déraciné arrives on November 6^th so it won’t be long before we find out.

Overkill’s The Walking Dead (PC Version)

Though the Xbox One and PS4 versions were delayed into 2019, Overkill’s The Walking Dead is still coming to PC next month. Focusing on four survivors, each with their own unique skills and backstories, the first person shooter lets you play either super-stealthy or guns blazing in scenarios teeming with zombies. Players will need to loot supplies and defend their home camp, ensuring it survives against the onslaught of the undead. Overkill’s The Walking Dead arrives for PC on November 6^th.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

After a sudden delay, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is set to release on November 13^th for Xbox One and PS4 (no Switch or PC confirmation yet). Featuring remasters for Insomniac’s original games, namely Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, the trilogy promises gorgeous graphics paired with the same awesome platforming. If that weren’t enough, a remastered version of the soundtrack also accompanies the original with the ability to choose between the two.

Fallout 76

When Bethesda first announced Fallout 76, we were expecting any number of things. An online FPS/RPG with social elements and games-as-a-service content was not one of them. Impressions from the beta have ranged from enthusiastic to somewhat worried but we honestly won’t know how good Fallout 76 is until it releases. Will it bomb? Or should we learn to stop worrying and just love the always-online gameplay? We’ll find out on November 14^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Hitman 2

Those craving a solid stealth experience needn’t worry as Agent 47 is back in town. Hitman 2 promises a full game with six locations, different story missions, Contracts and different targets to hunt post-launch. Of course, the same challenges and variety of gameplay remain but IO Interactive is adding some intriguing new content. Ghost Mode lets you compete against another player, fighting to assassinate targets faster than them while the original Hitman’s locations and missions will be available and updated in the sequel. Releasing on November 14^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, Hitman 2 should be yet another excellent outing with our favourite assassin.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!

It’s Pokemon! Well, it’s sort of Pokemon. The original 151 creatures are here, battles with trainers and Gym Leaders still apply and Pokemon can be captured and trained. However, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! take several cues from the mobile Pokemon GO series, incorporating Joy-Con controls for capturing Pokemon. You can forego motion controls altogether and sure it’s weird, but this is still a proper Pokemon game. We’ll find out how fun it is when it launches on November 16^th for Nintendo Switch.

Battlefield 5

The next iteration of Battlefield saw its own delay by roughly a month for additional polish. We’ve gotten a better look at the various War Stories contained within, the schedule for Tides of War and even how the game’s economy will work. While Firestorm won’t be available till March 2019, Battlefield 5 should still have a host of interesting mechanics to exploit like fortifications and Companies on top of the new maps and modes. It’s out on November 20^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Darksiders 3

The much-awaited sequel in the cult classic franchise is nearly upon us. Gunfire Games’ Darksiders 3 takes place in a seamlessly linked open world while returning to the hack and slash action that defined the first game. Playing as Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, there will be whips, acrobatics, magic and different forms to take advantage of. How the quest to defeat the Seven Deadly Sins plays out remains to be seen but it should be a marked improvement over Darksiders 2. Darksiders 3 releases on November 27^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Tetris Effect

You’ve played Tetris, sure, but have you played Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s version of Tetris? Tetris Effect arrives for PS4 and PlayStation VR on November 9^th, bringing a more musical-based rhythm to the puzzle experience. While we doubt players will still be seeing Tetris blocks falling after the game is over, Tetris Effect should provide a surreal yet visually resplendent experience for fans of the series.

Spider-Man DLC 2: Turf Wars

Turf Wars is the second chapter for The City That Never Sleeps, the DLC saga for Insomniac’s Spider-Man. While there isn’t a whole lot known at this point, it will bring new story missions, new suits (hopefully with suit powers this time) and some new enemies. Will famed villain Hammerhead make an appearance? Time will tell but for now, stay tuned for the DLC’s launch in November if you want even more Spider-Man.

Honourable mentions

Here are a few honourable mentions outside of our top ten that may be of interest.

• Underworld Ascendant
• Kursk
• Ride 3
• Artifact
• Farming Simulator 19
• The Quiet Man
• Football Manager 2019

Much has been made of the hype behind the Call of Duty series, especially with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, given the number of new things it brings to the table. In fact, it is apparently the most anticipated game of the holiday 2018 season, according to Nielsen.

In a survey by Nielsen Game Rank (where data was collected from 6,000 participants), Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was on top in the multiplatform category. Red Dead Redemption 2 was next, followed by Battlefield 5, and Fallout 76. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey ranked fifth on the list, which is interesting. After all, Ubisoft’s open world RPG set a new record in launch week sales for the series this generation.

As for platform exclusives, Spider-Man for PS4 and Forza Horizon 4 on Xbox One topped the lists for their respective platforms. Meanwhile,  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Party, and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! also had fairly high scores in the Switch category.

Keep in mind that Nielsen’s ranking are based on “higher levels of anticipation across the broader body of gamers overall.” Check out the full infographic below for more titles.

Dead Cells

Motion Twin’s rogue-like, semi-procedurally generated Metroidvania title has a lot of buzz going for it. Throw in dodge rolls and punishing yet satisfying combat with a gorgeous pixel art style and you have something truly extraordinary. In early access since 2017, Dead Cells has already garnered acclaim for its level design, pacing and enemies, not to mention the sheer selection of weapons and combat possibilities. Each run is tempered by an intriguing build and with the full release on August 7^th, we finally get to see the entire story come together. Dead Cells will be available for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.