In late 2006, I took a Tokyo train a few stations down to pick up a copy of Pokémon Pearl on a whim, which had launched in Japan earlier that day. Over the ensuing months I spent hundreds of hours in the Sinnoh region, where I was pulled deep into the nascent online community. Needless to say it’s held a special place in my heart ever since — the first generation that I played entirely in Japanese, and one that has a way of transporting me back to one of my favorite times in my life.

In the years since, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have been given comparatively short shrift, much to my chagrin. Developer Game Freak didn’t even see fit to include Diamond and Pearl’s starters in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, despite the fact that their (mostly) open world Pokémon adventure is set in an ancient version of Gen 4’s Sinnoh Region. Most of the love for latter day Pokémon games are generally reserved for the likes of Black and White, with little respect given to Diamond and Pearl's striking atmosphere and the myriad improvements it made to Ruby and Sapphire.

On reflection, the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl generation was mostly about refinement. It brought back several features that had been cut in Ruby and Sapphire, redefined the balance of the competitive game by splitting physical and special attacks, and introduced several much-needed evolutions for Pokémon like Roselia and Piloswine. Most critically, it introduced true online play, paving the way for the community to grow into what it is today. But to say that a game refined the existing formula isn't a terribly exciting legacy, which is perhaps the biggest reason that Gen 4 wound up getting lost in the mix of history.

Still, that didn't stop the community demanding Diamond and Pearl remakes, if only because they were next in line after 2014's Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. But when they were finally announced earlier this year, the community was left feeling slightly bemused. Compared to the gorgeous, fully-updated remakes afforded Gen 3, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl seemed to be on the losing end of things. My initial reaction was to be irritated. Gen 4 getting the short end of the stick once again. Typical.

Now I'm kind of glad Game Freak took the remakes in this direction. Over the course of a 40 minute hands-off demo, I found myself once again transported back to the region that remains my sentimental favorite. The remakes are at pains to preserve the look and feel of the originals, and until I saw Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in action, I didn’t realize how much I missed it. Returning to the overhead camera angle is refreshing, in some ways bringing me all the way back to the days of Red and Blue on the Game Boy. Even the distinctly tinny soundtrack isn't all the different from how it was back on the Nintendo DS. If only it had kept the 2D sprites, it would be perfect.

It’s wildly different from the more recent Pokémon Sword and Shield, which attempts to mix somewhat modern graphics with online social elements like the Wild Areas and raids. By comparison, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are a throwback — a nostalgia trip. It even brings back the old Union Room, a kind of visual lobby system introduced back in the days of Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green in 2004. It’s really interesting to compare them to see how the series has progressed in recent years, particularly in terms of how it has trended toward MMO-like elements such as raid battles. Being the first in the series to support online play via wi-fi, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl certainly had their share of early online social elements, but the balance of the gameplay still favored content that could be enjoyed without an internet connection.

A Window Into a Different Era

Being remakes, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are of course loaded with various odd artifacts from the Nintendo DS era. Poffins can be created by using the touchscreen. The Pokétch — an in-game device that previously lived on the DS’ second screen — will now occupy the top corner of the Switch’s screen if you wish, allowing you to easily check on your Pokémon’s friendship or hunt for items. This was an era when the DS’ touchscreen was still a fresh and novel concept, and lots of the remake's features hearken back to that period in one way or another, from the screen-tapping rhythm game of the Super Contests to the ability to put stickers on Pokéballs. Even the random badge polishing mechanic is back.

Of course, they aren’t one-to-one remakes of the original games. Among other additions, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will feature the more robust version of Exp. Share, meaning that XP will be doled out across the entire party (which for whatever reason can't be disabled). It will also be possible to customize your character’s appearance thanks to a new shop in Veilstone City that sells unique outfits, with Pokémon able to follow you around on the world map. Notably, Hidden Machines [HMs] will be returning in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but will be handled slightly differently than before. Instead of teaching a monster a move that is then irritating to remove, a “wild Pokémon” will appear to perform the action instead. It’s a tweak that manages to preserve the spirit of the original system while removing much of the hassle.

But probably the biggest change is the Grand Underground — a series of tunnels where you mine items and build secret bases. In addition to supporting online play, it will feature biomes filled with special on-screen Pokémon that are influenced by statues you put in your base. It's here that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl come closest to matching the current generation games, but its approach is still firmly grounded in the originals.

Most of the improvements it makes are welcome, if only because Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are probably the least enjoyable generation to actually pick up and play in the modern era. Even I'll admit that the battle system was painfully sluggish back in the day. The memory of watching a monster’s health bar sloooooowly drain to zero after a critical hit is still burned into my brain even after all these years.

In removing some of their more abrasive elements, the remakes should be able to bring some of the region’s strengths back to the forefront. In particular, I hope they manage to capture its mood -- the vaguely menacing title screen, the grinding gym battle music. There was an unsettling vibe to these games that still stands out in my mind to this day.

One way or another, it will be a relief to go back to a simpler period in Pokémon history — an era without Gigantamax forms and Mega Evolutions, and with a Pokedex that’s actually close to manageable. I’m excited to once again tromp through the snow drifts around Snowpoint City; to journey to the Spear Pillars, and to battle Cynthia, who after all is still the best Champion in my very biased opinion.

Mostly, though, I’ll just be glad to have Chimchar back at my side after all these years. Welcome back, buddy. It’s been far too long.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN. Her natural enemy is Blaziken, who gets far too much attention compared to Infernape.

Jeff Strain, the founder of State of Decay developer Undead Labs who previously worked at ArenaNet and as the original lead programmer on World of Warcraft, has started a new game development studio in New Orleans called Possibility Space. The studio will be a distributed team, meaning employees can work from anywhere. And the team aims to create a AAA game.

“The phrase ‘triple-A’ has a lot of baggage in the development community,” Strain clarified to IGN, “so it’s not a phrase I like to use. It often implies a lack of innovation. Developers are often not viewing [AAA] as a positive. [But] are we going for a small-scale, purely innovation based attempt to capture a niche market, or do we have big ambitious goals and the resources to match those big ambitious goals? I can tell you it’s very much the latter.”

Strain said the move is due in part to a need for “some creative renewal” but primarily motivated by family. “I’ve been getting to a point where my family needed me,” he said. “And my wife’s family needed her too. There were a lot of forces around that drawing us back.” He emphasized, however, that he’s also incredibly proud of the games he and the team built at Undead Labs. “State of Decay is still on its way to achieving its ultimate vision,” he said, referring to the upcoming State of Decay 3, and he has nothing but kind words for Microsoft on his way out of Undead Labs, which Microsoft acquired in 2018.

“If you look at the way they manage and deal with the studios they’ve acquired over the past five years versus 10 years ago or 15 years ago, there’s a profound difference,” Strain said. “They do a good job of acknowledging that diversity of development cultures is a strength and not a weakness, and they support that and encourage that to the greatest degree that they can. They’ve done a good job of protecting the development cultures of all the development studios. And that’s why, by and large, I think people are happy working there.”

Joining Strain at Possibility Space are Jane Ng (Campo Santo, Valve), Austin Walker (Waypoint Media, Friends at the Table podcast), Liz England (Ubisoft, Warner Bros.), Richard Foge (Undead Labs, Probably Monsters), Brandon Dillon (Oculus, Double Fine), Leah Rivera (Undead Labs, ArenaNet), Brian Jennings (NZXR, Magic Leap), Charles Randall (Ubisoft, BioWare), and Erica Tam (Electronic Arts, Oculus). Some will work out of New Orleans, but most will not. “The pandemic accelerated a lot of trends that were already in place,” Strain said. “The fact is that it is completely possible to work wherever you want to work and live wherever you want to live. I do think that most developers like the freedom. Most game studios have shown [during the pandemic] that yes, you can continue to develop great games in a distributed fashion. For me the opportunity here is, ‘Let’s lean into a fully distributed studio.’ It’s about your culture. Let’s embrace it and have access to a global talent pool.”

When IGN asked Strain about what’s happened since he published his open-letter response to the damning accusations surrounding Blizzard, in which he called for and endorsed game-developer unionization, he told us, “My goal in publishing that letter was to start the process of defanging it. Of taking the fear out of it. And to exhort my fellow studio heads and publishing executives to stop fearing it and stop fighting it and instead step back and say, ‘Could we maybe [get] ahead of what a union might reasonably demand for the health and safety of its workers?’

• Skip to 1:23:40 in the video above to hear an interview with Jeff Strain from 2015 that goes over his fascinating career story, from Blizzard to ArenaNet to hitting on a huge new idea with State of Decay.

“It’s just not that hard to treat people fairly and equally. I’ve learned that it’s not enough to just have good intentions. It’s not enough to wish for diversity. You have to build structure that you adhere to in order to make it fair. We started [at Possibility Space] by making sure that we cast a very broad net and looked at the widest range of people we could to make sure we were getting fair representation at all levels of the company. And those people have now come on board and are strong counselors and offer strong guidance for how we continue to build the kind of systemic culture we need to build to make sure that as we hire people over the next five, 10 years, that we build a culture that would survive...me. You don’t want that all going away the moment certain key people walk out the door. It’s the most important issue facing our industry right now and it takes systems, not talk. It takes structure, not wishes.”

During a recent hands-on preview event for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker expansion, director Naoki Yoshida revealed that Square Enix's popular MMORPG recently has surpassed 24 million players. Furthermore, it is the most profitable Final Fantasy game in the series.

Speaking to the press in a digital preview event, Yoshida revealed that the player count has hit 24 million players 11 years after Final Fantasy 14 was first released. In a chart Yoshida shared with the press, Final Fantasy 14's player count back in 2015 was 4 million registered players. That number hit 10 million by the time the third expansion, Stormblood, was released in 2017, before doubling in the next four years.

"You all know just how hard things were for us with the original Final Fantasy 14," Yoshida says referencing the MMORPGs infamous launch. "Since then, we were able to transform the title into one that provides a major contribution to our company's profits."

Indeed, Yoshida says Final Fantasy 14 is the most profitable title in the Final Fantasy series. "It's perhaps unbecoming of me to say but in terms of our business, we've been able to achieve great success. Moving forward, we're going to spare no expense with our investments to ensure that this game continues to be one which our players can enjoy."

Final Fantasy 14's continued success is one of the highlights in the MMORPG space and a true comeback story. Especially after the version of the game that was released in 2010 was critically panned. But this year alone, the word-of-mouth buzz for Final Fantasy 14 has seemingly taken the game into the mainstream.

And just because the upcoming expansion is set to conclude a major storyline doesn't mean Final Fantasy 14 is over. During the presentation, Yoshida spoke about the next ten years and thanked the player-base for sticking with the game.

Check out IGN's full hands-on preview of Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker to learn more about the new classes and areas coming to the MMO with the expansion.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

While not included in the upcoming expansion, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will receive a post-launch patch with a new mode that vaguely sounds like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing called Island Sanctuary. In an interview with IGN, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida shared more details about this upcoming mode and what you can and can't do.

Details for the Island Sanctuary mode remain sparse, especially since it's not planned to be released until after the Endwalker expansion is released in November. But we did know that you can tend to animals and crops similar to a farming sim.

Speaking with IGN, Yoshida elaborated further by explaining in Japanese it's vaguely called "pioneering of a deserted island" which the team translated into Island Sanctuary. "There are elements of pioneering and building things," Yoshida revealed. "So you would have a facility that you build or a farm that you can cultivate or you can have animals there." But as far as any ties to the main game, it's completely optional.

"You can leave it as-is if you want to let the weeds grow out of control, that's perfectly fine. Or if you want to go there and make it your own, that's perfectly fine as well." There is also a social element to Island Sanctuary where you can invite friends and "idly chat," if you so desire.

Yoshida joked that hardcore raid content players might find the mode "pointless" since there are no objectives, but this is meant to be a kind of reprieve. And while players have home estates already they can customize, Yoshida added that "With Island Sanctuary we're trying to accomplish things that you can't do in your regular estate."

It will be a while until we can finally see Island Sanctuary in action, but a social-focused mode divorced from the MMORPG grind sounds pretty appealing.

Final Fantasy 14 is on a hot streak, celebrating 24 million registered players in 2021. For more, check out IGN's full hands-on preview for Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

During a recent hands-on preview event for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker expansion, director Naoki Yoshida revealed that Square Enix's popular MMORPG recently has surpassed 24 million players. Furthermore, it is the most profitable Final Fantasy game in the series.

Speaking to the press in a digital preview event, Yoshida revealed that the player count has hit 24 million players 11 years after Final Fantasy 14 was first released. In a chart Yoshida shared with the press, Final Fantasy 14's player count back in 2015 was 4 million registered players. That number hit 10 million by the time the third expansion, Stormblood, was released in 2017, before doubling in the next four years.

"You all know just how hard things were for us with the original Final Fantasy 14," Yoshida says referencing the MMORPGs infamous launch. "Since then, we were able to transform the title into one that provides a major contribution to our company's profits."

Indeed, Yoshida says Final Fantasy 14 is the most profitable title in the Final Fantasy series. "It's perhaps unbecoming of me to say but in terms of our business, we've been able to achieve great success. Moving forward, we're going to spare no expense with our investments to ensure that this game continues to be one which our players can enjoy."

Final Fantasy 14's continued success is one of the highlights in the MMORPG space and a true comeback story. Especially after the version of the game that was released in 2010 was critically panned. But this year alone, the word-of-mouth buzz for Final Fantasy 14 has seemingly taken the game into the mainstream.

And just because the upcoming expansion is set to conclude a major storyline doesn't mean Final Fantasy 14 is over. During the presentation, Yoshida spoke about the next ten years and thanked the player-base for sticking with the game.

Check out IGN's full hands-on preview of Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker to learn more about the new classes and areas coming to the MMO with the expansion.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

While not included in the upcoming expansion, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will receive a post-launch patch with a new mode that vaguely sounds like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing called Island Sanctuary. In an interview with IGN, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida shared more details about this upcoming mode and what you can and can't do.

Details for the Island Sanctuary mode remain sparse, especially since it's not planned to be released until after the Endwalker expansion is released in November. But we did know that you can tend to animals and crops similar to a farming sim.

Speaking with IGN, Yoshida elaborated further by explaining in Japanese it's vaguely called "pioneering of a deserted island" which the team translated into Island Sanctuary. "There are elements of pioneering and building things," Yoshida revealed. "So you would have a facility that you build or a farm that you can cultivate or you can have animals there." But as far as any ties to the main game, it's completely optional.

"You can leave it as-is if you want to let the weeds grow out of control, that's perfectly fine. Or if you want to go there and make it your own, that's perfectly fine as well." There is also a social element to Island Sanctuary where you can invite friends and "idly chat," if you so desire.

Yoshida joked that hardcore raid content players might find the mode "pointless" since there are no objectives, but this is meant to be a kind of reprieve. And while players have home estates already they can customize, Yoshida added that "With Island Sanctuary we're trying to accomplish things that you can't do in your regular estate."

It will be a while until we can finally see Island Sanctuary in action, but a social-focused mode divorced from the MMORPG grind sounds pretty appealing.

Final Fantasy 14 is on a hot streak, celebrating 24 million registered players in 2021. For more, check out IGN's full hands-on preview for Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

A recent major update for the enhanced version of Quake brought a number of changes to the game, including improved analog input on controllers, aim smoothing, and various other general tweaks. However, one detail that wasn't highlighted is that it's now possible to play the game using mouse and keyboard controls on consoles, including Nintendo Switch.

As tweeted by idTechpics (below), one Reddit user showed the Nintendo Switch version set up to fully support mouse and keyboard controls via the dock's USB ports. In the image the Switch is docked, with the player trading out a Pro Controller in favour of the game's original control scheme.

We've tested this ourselves with a wireless keyboard and mouse, and it works pretty seamlessly. On Switch in particular, it's an ususual feature, with very few games offering native support for keyboard and mouse (with on of the few other notable examples being Hypnospace Outlaw).

Quake supporting keyboard and mouse on Nintendo Switchhttps://t.co/ulJqox70HP pic.twitter.com/ca5QFNyRUC

— Powered by id Tech (@idTechpics) October 11, 2021

A remastered version of Quake was initially revealed back in August during QuakeCon following a leak. The game then launched the very same day for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox Game Pass. As of October 12, the games have also been upgraded for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, offering 4K, 120 frames per second play.

The enhanced version of Quake comes with the game's original expansions, The Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity as well as including MachineGames' Dimension of the Past update, which was released to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. For players looking for a new challenge, the enhanced edition also included a second expansion called Dimension of the Machine.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

A recent major update for the enhanced version of Quake brought a number of changes to the game, including improved analog input on controllers, aim smoothing, and various other general tweaks. However, one detail that wasn't highlighted is that it's now possible to play the game using mouse and keyboard controls on consoles, including Nintendo Switch.

As tweeted by idTechpics (below), one Reddit user showed the Nintendo Switch version set up to fully support mouse and keyboard controls via the dock's USB ports. In the image the Switch is docked, with the player trading out a Pro Controller in favour of the game's original control scheme.

We've tested this ourselves with a wireless keyboard and mouse, and it works pretty seamlessly. On Switch in particular, it's an ususual feature, with very few games offering native support for keyboard and mouse (with on of the few other notable examples being Hypnospace Outlaw).

Quake supporting keyboard and mouse on Nintendo Switchhttps://t.co/ulJqox70HP pic.twitter.com/ca5QFNyRUC

— Powered by id Tech (@idTechpics) October 11, 2021

A remastered version of Quake was initially revealed back in August during QuakeCon following a leak. The game then launched the very same day for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as well as Xbox Game Pass. As of October 12, the games have also been upgraded for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, offering 4K, 120 frames per second play.

The enhanced version of Quake comes with the game's original expansions, The Scourge of Armagon and Dissolution of Eternity as well as including MachineGames' Dimension of the Past update, which was released to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. For players looking for a new challenge, the enhanced edition also included a second expansion called Dimension of the Machine.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The original Cowboy Bebop voice actors are returning for the Japanese dub of the live-action series, which premieres on Netflix in November, just weeks after the anime joins the streamer.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Netflix has tapped the original voice cast of the beloved anime to reprise their roles for the Japanese language track of the live-action version of the show, with multiple members of the cast already confirmed, including Koichi Yamadera as the voice of Spike Spiegel, who will be portrayed on-screen by John Cho in the series.

Taiten Kusunoki will replace the late Unshō Ishizuka as the voice of Jet Black on the Japanese language dub alongside returning anime cast members Megumi Hayashibara as Faye, Norio Wakamoto as Vicious, Gara Takashima as Julia, Ken'yû Horiuchi as Gren, and Takaya Hashi as the Teddy Bomber together with Tsutomu Taruki and Miki Nagasawa as Punch and Judy.

Hikaru Midorikawa will return to voice Lin, one-half of Vicious' twin enforcers, alongside Romi Park who will step up to voice Shin, Lin's younger brother, who was voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama in the original anime. Masako Isobe is onboard as the new voice of Spike's former mentor Mao, taking the reins from Kazuaki Itō who voiced the character in the 1998 series.

Netflix recently acquired the streaming rights to the original Cowboy Bebop series, with all 26 episodes of the anime being made available on the platform from October 21. The acquisition of the series allows audiences to get acquainted with the characters ahead of the live-action adaptation, which is due out less than a month later on November 19.

The new series is developed by André Nemec, who has past experience in taking animation to live-action, having been credited as one of the writers on the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. He previously discussed the process of adapting the original Cowboy Bebop series, assuring fans that the series will not be "violating the canon in any direction."

The 10-episode first season of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop series will debut on November 19 — and there are a few things we think the show needs to get right. Cowboy Bebop joins several other live-action adaptations in the pipeline, including a new Netflix series based on One Piece, an Akira remake from director Taika Waititi, and a reimagined version of Your Name.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The original Cowboy Bebop voice actors are returning for the Japanese dub of the live-action series, which premieres on Netflix in November, just weeks after the anime joins the streamer.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Netflix has tapped the original voice cast of the beloved anime to reprise their roles for the Japanese language track of the live-action version of the show, with multiple members of the cast already confirmed, including Koichi Yamadera as the voice of Spike Spiegel, who will be portrayed on-screen by John Cho in the series.

Taiten Kusunoki will replace the late Unshō Ishizuka as the voice of Jet Black on the Japanese language dub alongside returning anime cast members Megumi Hayashibara as Faye, Norio Wakamoto as Vicious, Gara Takashima as Julia, Ken'yû Horiuchi as Gren, and Takaya Hashi as the Teddy Bomber together with Tsutomu Taruki and Miki Nagasawa as Punch and Judy.

Hikaru Midorikawa will return to voice Lin, one-half of Vicious' twin enforcers, alongside Romi Park who will step up to voice Shin, Lin's younger brother, who was voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama in the original anime. Masako Isobe is onboard as the new voice of Spike's former mentor Mao, taking the reins from Kazuaki Itō who voiced the character in the 1998 series.

Netflix recently acquired the streaming rights to the original Cowboy Bebop series, with all 26 episodes of the anime being made available on the platform from October 21. The acquisition of the series allows audiences to get acquainted with the characters ahead of the live-action adaptation, which is due out less than a month later on November 19.

The new series is developed by André Nemec, who has past experience in taking animation to live-action, having been credited as one of the writers on the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. He previously discussed the process of adapting the original Cowboy Bebop series, assuring fans that the series will not be "violating the canon in any direction."

The 10-episode first season of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop series will debut on November 19 — and there are a few things we think the show needs to get right. Cowboy Bebop joins several other live-action adaptations in the pipeline, including a new Netflix series based on One Piece, an Akira remake from director Taika Waititi, and a reimagined version of Your Name.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.