Author: Trafficblast

Like Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield introduce new forms of old Pokemon to fit the games’ region. These Galarian forms are loosely British-inspired–there’s a Charlie Chaplin-like evolution for Mr. Mime called Mr. Rime, for instance. On the more Brit punk side of things, there’s Galarian Zigzagoon and Galarian Linoone, black-and-white versions of the more run-of-the-mill ones first introduced in Ruby and Sapphire. And with their Galar forms, they also get a third evolution: the Gene Simmons-looking Obstagoon.

Galarian Zigzagoon evolves into Linoone by leveling up as normal. To get Obstagoon, though, you have to put your Linoone to work. Linoone only evolves if it’s participated in lots of battles–while I don’t have an exact number, mine was in my team from nearly the beginning of the game, and it didn’t evolve until around level 55 or so. The Pokedex indicates that the Galarian forms of these Pokemon came about because they have harsh street-urchin lives, so it makes sense that getting into lots of scrapes would turn one into a monster that looks like it’s in Kiss.

You can also catch Obstagoon in the wild once you’ve collected enough badges. Depending on the weather conditions, it’ll show up in the Bridge Field region of the Wild Area, sort of near the Daycare. You can also find one past the lake next to Professor Magnolia’s house if you ride your bike all the way west (it’s technically Route 2). You’ll want at least one Obstagoon you’re willing to part with, because you can trade one to a Team Yell Grunt in Spikemuth for a Kantonian Mr. Mime.

Obstagoon learns an interesting version of Protect called Obstruct. Direct contact from an opponent will harshly lower that opponent’s Defense stat, which helps make Obstagoon’s attacks hit harder while also protecting it for a turn.

For more on Sword and Shield, be sure to read our review. There are other Gen 8 Pokemon that are tricky to evolve, but we have guides on them, too! See how to evolve Milcery into Alremie, Sinistea into Polteageist, and Applin into either Flapple or Appletun.

Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s Galar region is inspired by the United Kingdom, and in that spirit, the games introduce a ghost-type Pokemon that’s themed after tea. Sinistea, a teacup, evolves into a whole pot of tea called Polteageist. As far as Pokemon names go, they’re some of the best. But they’re also cool Pokemon, and it’s not too hard to get them if you know where to look and what to do.

Sinistea can be found in Glimwood Tangle, the cool mushroom forest between Stow-on-Side and Ballonlea. You’ll have to rustle through the tall grass to trigger an exclamation point to pop up, and Sinistea is among the Pokemon that can show up when the battle starts.

Once you catch a Sinistea, head back to Stow-on-Side and talk to the right-hand man running the marketplace stand. He sells a different “bargain” item every day, most of which are evolutionary items for various Pokemon. The item you’re looking for is the Cracked Pot–if he’s not selling it today, ask him for his next bargain to see if it’ll come tomorrow. One you get it, all you have to do is use it on Sinistea the way you would use an evolutionary stone to get Polteageist.

Polteageist’s signature move is Teatime, which forces all Pokemon on the field to eat their berries at once. This can be useful if you think your opponent’s Pokemon are holding berries that reduce the damage they’d take from a super-effective move, for example–that way, you can hit the Pokemon head-on for full damage right off the bat.

For more on Pokemon Sword and Shield, be sure to read our review! And we have other guides on how to evolve specific Pokemon in the game, including Milcery, Galarian Linoone, and Applin.

There are a number of Pokemon with branching evolution trees, in which various factors can determine if a Pokemon evolves into one form or another. Gloom, for example, can either evolve into Vileplume via a Leaf Stone or Bellossom via a Sun Stone. Pokemon Sword and Shield introduce a new Pokemon with a branching evolution line, but uniquely, it evolves differently based on which version you’re playing.

That’s only sort of correct, though. Sword and Shield each have an exclusive evolutionary item, and each one can be used to get a different evolution of the grass/dragon Pokemon Applin. In Sword, you can get a Tart Apple to evolve Applin into Flapple, and in Shield, you can use a Sweet Apple to evolve it into Appletun. As the names would imply, this family is all apple-themed. All you have to do is use the Apple on an Applin like an evolutionary stone.

There’s a boy on the west side of Hammerlocke who will clue you in to how to evolve Applin, and he’ll even give you the respective Apple item. You can also find either a Tart or Sweet Apple under a tree on Axew’s Eye in the Wild Area, and they’re also one of the many sweets-related rewards for victory at the Battle Cafes in Motostoke, Hammerlocke, and Wyndon. While we haven’t been able to test it yet, we assume that you can give an Apple to any other Pokemon to trade with a friend and get the other version’s item in your game so you can evolve your Applin as you please. We’ll update this story when we can confirm if it works.

For more on Gen 8, check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield review. We also have guides on other strange evolutions of new Pokemon, including Milcery/Alcremie, Galarian Linoone/Obstagoon, and Sinistea/Polteageist.

The Epic Games Store is offering another free game through its store. This time it’s The Messenger, the retro throwback that takes inspiration from the early Ninja Gaiden games as well as exploration games like Metroid. It will be available through November 21.

The Messenger is notable for its humorous writing and a time-travel mechanic that plays into the exploration challenges. You’re accompanied by a demon companion who cracks wise and revives you after death. The Messenger usually costs $20, but if you add it to your Epic Games library during the free window it will be yours forever. Developer Sabotage Studio also has released the game’s first free DLC, Picnic Panic, which will be included with the copy.

“The Messenger takes the best parts of the action-platformers it takes influence from and reinterprets them well,” Alexander Pan said in GameSpot’s review. “With clever writing, well-designed levels, and balanced difficulty curve, the game continuously hooks you with enticing skill-based challenges and satisfying payoffs. Your character might have an immediate imperative to delivering a world-saving scroll, but the journey there is definitely one to savor.”

The next free game on the Epic Games Store will be Bad North. For more ways to save money on your gaming habit, check out our Black Friday coverage below.

Since Red Dead Redemption 2‘s release on PC a few weeks ago, Rockstar has been working diligently to improve upon the game’s performance and stability, especially when it comes to a stuttering issue affecting certain Nvidia GPUs and four- and six-core CPUs. Those who have managed to get it running smoothly have noticed another problem, however: the passage of time is seemingly tied to your framerate.

Those who played Dark Souls 2 on PC may be familiar with this specific bug. From Software’s PC port ran at 60fps compared to the console version’s 30fps, which caused weapon durability to degrade twice as fast. Red Dead Redemption 2 stumbles into a similar problem if you’re running the PC version at a higher framerate than the console version allowed.

Reddit user Jimmyoneshot discovered the link, and other players have expressed how the passage of time appears to differ depending on your framerate. Some players have noticed that the day/night cycle progresses much faster on PC, with the time of day changing multiple times on long journeys. Others have also noted how weather conditions like rain and lightning will come and go in the blink of an eye.

This becomes a significant issue when you factor in Arthur Morgan’s cores. Red Dead Redemption 2 keeps track of its protagonist’s health and fitness as represented by the three cores of health, stamina, and Dead Eye. Eating too much without exercise will make Arthur gain weight and increase his stamina consumption, whereas he’ll become gaunt if you don’t eat enough, which negatively affects his health regeneration. Players started to notice that each core seems to drain much faster on PC, so Jimmyoneshot decided to perform a few tests.

They created two saves at the beginning of chapter two, locking the framerate to 30fps in one save and leaving the other with their usual 100-130fps settings. They then played a full in-game day, completing the same story missions while eating four steaks at the same point during the day on both. When playing at a higher framerate, Arthur lost 0.75 of his weight by the next day, compared to the 1.5 he gained when locked at 30fps.

Losing weight four times as fast as usual isn’t an ideal situation, but the bug’s recent exposure should hopefully lead to an imminent fix on Rockstar’s part.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is just the third Star Wars title of this console generation–it follows the first and second Battlefront games for PS4, Xbox One and PC, the same systems that Fallen Order is available on. The game, made by Titanfall and Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment, puts you in the Force-sensitive boots of Jedi warrior Cal Kestis and sends you out into a post-Revenge of the Sith version of the Star Wars universe.

Reviews have gone up alongside the release of the game, including our own 8/10 take. “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the latest game in the canon, is one of the better offerings specifically because it tries to look beyond the trappings of Star Wars,” our critic Phil Hornshaw says. “It’s not just another Jedi power fantasy, although wielding the Force with skill and resolve will certainly make you feel powerful. Like the best Star Wars games, it’s one that adds to the ideas of the films and other material, exploring new corners of the galaxy while focusing on the core themes of the franchise: knowing yourself, fighting your own darkness, and braving adversity with the help of friends.”

Other reviews have also mostly been positive so far, with most outlets praising this as a return to form for Star Wars, which hasn’t received a substantial single-player game in some time. There’s also some consensus, though, that the game can feel a bit rough or become frustrating in some sections.

We’ve rounded up a few of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s reviews below. For more, be sure to check out GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic for a look at what even more critics made of the game.

• Game: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
• Developer: Respawn Entertainment
• Release date: November 15
• Price: $60 / £50 / $68 AUD

GameSpot – 8/10

“But especially as it wears on, Fallen Order becomes perhaps the strongest conception of what playing as a Jedi Knight ought to really be like. It’s true that Fallen Order borrows liberally from other action games, but those elements work together with Respawn’s combat and environment design, and a story that finds humanity in the Force and in its characters, to hone in on what makes the world of Star Wars worthy of revisiting again and again. Even with some rough edges, Fallen Order represents one of the most compelling game additions to the Star Wars franchise in years.” – Phil Hornshaw [Full Review]

IGN – 9/10

“It’s been ages since we got a great single-player Star Wars action game, but Jedi: Fallen Order makes up for a lot of lost time. A strong cast sells a dark story while keeping things fun and loyal to Star Wars lore, and fast, challenging combat mixes with energetic platforming, decent puzzles, and diverse locations to explore for an all-around amazing game.” – Brian Shea [Full Review]

Game Informer – 8.75/10

“Despite these numerous little problems, Respawn’s maiden voyage with Star Wars is largely a success. I couldn’t put this game down, both for the thrill of exploring and wanting to see where the story took me next. The inspirations taken from Dark Souls, Uncharted, and Metroid Prime unite to create something unique that just happens to work incredibly well for this beloved license. Like most starships in this universe, Jedi: Fallen Order could use a little polish, but the rust doesn’t hold it back from roaring with excitement.” – Andrew Reiner [Full Review]

Gamesradar+ – 4/5

“There’s plenty to like about Fallen Order, but it should come with the caveat that it’s slightly rougher than I was expecting. I’ve played the entire game on PS4 Pro and glitches and framerate stuttering have cropped up enough to warrant mentioning. One patch has already been released before launch, and EA has told us that another is on the way, but it did give my initial playthrough a rougher-than-ideal feel.” – Ben Tyrer [Full Review]

USGamer – 3.5/5

“Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order comes painfully close to being the best action game of the year, but it ultimately falls short due to pacing problems and a host of technical issues. Still, this is the first step into a larger world for a franchise that has persistently struggled since its acquisition by EA.” – Kat Bailey [Full Review]

Eurogamer – No Score

“I’ll admit crunching a Souls-like in less than four days is an unnatural and grueling experience: I imagine if I’d played Fallen Order over several months, I would have been less frustrated, but probably still bored. It’s such a shame, as Fallen Order has an incredible gameplay experience at its core, with fantastic environments and well-directed action sequences. Yet it’s unable to sustain this thanks to some fundamental design problems.” – Emma Kent [Full Review]

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