Author: Trafficblast

We’ve got another list of tips for any of you who’ve decided to pick up Fire Emblem: Three Houses. This time around, we’re diving into tips that mostly apply to mid- and late-game gameplay for Three Houses, so expect some minor spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

In the above video, Kallie Plagge walks through some of the best practices to get acquainted with, habits to learn, and tips to follow for those who want to get the best possible outcome in the many quests scattered throughout the second half of Three Houses. You don’t need to follow these tips to beat Three Houses, but they should help you out if you’re feeling stuck.

One thing you definitely don’t need to worry about in Three Houses’ second half is romance, a feature that isn’t really present in the new Fire Emblem game at all. In the first episode of GameSpot’s new podcast, After Dark, Kallie sits down with Jake Dekker, Lucy James, and Jean-Luc Seipke to dive further into the topic. You should give it a listen if you haven’t already.

In GameSpot’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses review, Kallie Plagge writes, “Fire Emblem: Three Houses asks a lot of you. Every piece, from battle to friendships to training your units, must be managed both individually and as part of a whole. It can be intimidating, but when it all clicks together, it really clicks. Mastering the art of thoughtful lesson planning as a professor improves your performance on the battlefield, where success relies on calculated teamwork and deft execution. Cultivating relationships during battle in turn draws you closer to each of the characters, who you then want to invest even more time into in the classroom. Every piece feeds into the next in a rewarding, engrossing loop where you get lost in the whole experience, not just in the minutiae.”

In the first episode of GameSpot’s After Dark podcast, reviews editor Kallie Plagge, video producers Jake Dekker and Jean-Luc Seipke, and senior video producer Lucy James cover several hot button topics in the gaming industry. One of the issues the group weigh in on is the ongoing discourse surrounding romance in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Since the release of 2012’s Fire Emblem: Awakening, the Fire Emblem series has repeatedly included some form romance in its mainline games. Prior to Three Houses’ release, people began assuming the game would follow the same pattern, especially after early preview coverage compared it to Persona 5–another anime-like RPG where romance plays a significant role. However, as Kallie and Jake can attest (as they’ve both beaten Three Houses), that’s not the case.

In actuality, there’s very little romance in Three Houses. As what’s there is so minimal, both Kallie and Jake agree that romance isn’t even a core pillar of Three Houses. There’s so little, in fact, the two argue that the ongoing discussion of whether queer romance is handled well in Three Houses is perhaps unwarranted.

For the rest of the Three Houses conversation, be sure to listen to the full podcast episode. Kallie, Jake, Lucy, and Jean-Luc also weigh in on Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, the Ooblets Epic Games Store limited-time exclusivity controversy, and the Twitter campaign to boycott Borderlands 3.

In GameSpot’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses review, Kallie Plagge wrote, “Fire Emblem: Three Houses asks a lot of you. Every piece, from battle to friendships to training your units, must be managed both individually and as part of a whole. It can be intimidating, but when it all clicks together, it really clicks. Mastering the art of thoughtful lesson planning as a professor improves your performance on the battlefield, where success relies on calculated teamwork and deft execution. Cultivating relationships during battle in turn draws you closer to each of the characters, who you then want to invest even more time into in the classroom. Every piece feeds into the next in a rewarding, engrossing loop where you get lost in the whole experience, not just in the minutiae.”

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“Where’s the Lobby?” “Why’s there no GameSpot podcast?” At least several of you have been asking, so here it is: the official GameSpot Podcast! We’re calling it GameSpot After Dark, and it’s, well, a podcast about video games. We might talk about other stuff, but generally speaking, this is the space each week where GameSpot staff can come together and talk about the games we’re playing, go over the biggest news stories, and answer some of your questions.

GameSpot After Dark will go live every Friday. Right now, it’ll be audio-only (and available on iTunes, Spotify, and other places where podcasts are found), but we’re not ruling anything out! On that note, please give Episode 1 a listen and let us know what kinds of things you want to hear, what kind of guests you want us to invite on, and whatever else comes to mind. You can email us at [email protected]!

So, without further ado: On this week’s episode, Jake Dekker, Kallie Plagge, Lucy James, and Jean-Luc Seipke get together to talk about Fire Emblem: Three Houses‘ lack of romance, the Ooblets-Epic Store controversy, and all that shady business with Borderlands 3. We also discuss how we can’t say the F-word on this show.

Where You Can Listen To Episode 1

The Pokemon Company dropped a new trailer for Pokemon Sword and Shield earlier this week. Along with revealing new rival characters, the video gave us our first look at a brand-new Pokemon named Obstagoon, which immediately drew comparisons to Kiss singer Gene Simmons. Now the rockstar has shared his thoughts on the monster.

In a statement to Newsweek, Simmons said he was flattered by the new Pokemon. “Pokemon has been a part of our household for decades, ever since our kids first discovered them,” Simmons said. “And to see Pokemon pay homage to Kiss, is flattering.”

Gene Simmons and Obstagoon

Obstagoon is a new, region-exclusive evolution of Galarian Linoone. The entire Galarian Zigzagoon line has drawn comparisons to Kiss due to their black and white fur and star patterns around their eyes, which resembles the makeup the band wears while performing.

Zigzagoon and Linoone aren’t the only Pokemon receiving Galarian forms in Sword and Shield; The Pokemon Company also revealed the amazing Galarian Weezing, which has smokestacks that resemble top hats and mustache-like gas clouds around its faces. We also got a glimpse at a new hamster-like Pokemon named Morpeko, which can change between “full belly” and “hangry” forms.

Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Nintendo Switch on November 15. You can check out all the new Gen 8 Pokemon revealed so far in our gallery. For more on the titles, be sure to read our Pokemon Sword and Shield release date and pre-order guide.