Candescence

As someone who has actual game development experience and prior knowledge of what Game Freak has already done in 3D... I'm gonna echo Stricker and Blue Blood here, I cannot fathom any reason why there isn't a National Dex. The models, textures and animations already exist. Other data can also be imported with some coding for specific things like where special effects start. And they're workable for the Switch - hell, they were significantly overkill for the 3DS. We even know Sword & Shield already has imported animations from the 3DS games. This reeks of complacency biting Game Freak in the ass, or laziness, or incompetence, or any/all of the above. And considering Game Freak have stated they have no intention of rectifying this mistake going forward, I'm going to say all of the above, because fucking hell. There shouldn't be any reason why they wouldn't port everything over, unless their development toolset is that terrible, and that implies an incredible amount of incompetence. If development of an entire roster of Pokemon is a problem, then get a separate studio dedicated to handling the problem (which would also allow Game Freak and other devs access to a library of Pokemon assets of consistent quality). I'm pretty sure that was Creatures Inc.'s job with X&Y, at least, make them do it, for fuck's sake. Seriously, I'm really getting fed up with Game Freak's whims. Their previous shit such as not carrying over cool features between games was one thing, but this is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Also, I have to roll my eyes at the defense force that's sprung up, because God forbid that Game Freak actually fucks up.

Seriously, the number of candidates is ridiculous. At least half of them should know better than to even try. It's a repeat of the 2016 GOP primaries, but at least here the frontrunners aren't complete garbage. Except Biden. I know voters are into him because Obama, but Hillary was working for Obama, too, and guess how that turned out.

They'd also be picking a really bad time to release in the US without reworking how the F2P elements work, because of the anti-loot box bill on its way through Congress. Though, the licensing stuff isn't gonna be that much of an issue if the Phantasy Star Portable games managed to do it. I'm really just interested in the Fate cosmetics, and they made into the Portables just fine. Though, I'm wondering if there's gonna be JP account transfers or do we have to start all over again.

So this probably is of most interest to a gaming-focused forum like this, so... The text of the anti-loot box bill proposed by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) is available online. It is being co-sponsored by two Democrats. This could be tightened up just a little, but analysis so far basically confirms that this bill, if it passes, will basically kill loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions outright. The intent is to prevent exposure of loot boxes to kids, but in practice it'll force games with loot boxes to have an adults-only rating, which is a kiss of death for games outside of Steam these days - when push comes to shove, I expect that devs and pubs will junk loot boxes and P2W stuff rather than risk losing a big chunk of their audience. If this passes, this will basically force a fuckton of games, especially most of the free-to-play market, to completely change their monetization strategies. Asia-only games will continue to have gacha and such until Japan follows the US' lead.

Amash apparently breaks rank regularly, so his colleagues really shouldn't be surprised. He may be a piece of shit libertarian, but he's a principled piece of shit libertarian, and his analysis of the Mueller Report is spot on. He was the only Republican who actually used his time during the Cohen hearings to actually ask him relevant questions rather than grandstand about nonsense bullshit. What happens next is gonna be the fun part. Amash is from Michigan, in a seat that isn't solidly red, so anyone trying to challenge him from the right might honestly be making it harder for themselves to retain that seat for the GOP if they somehow win the primary.

Yeah, I consider them canon, but they could literally take places in virtually any point in the "continuity", for what worth that word has with Sonic these days. It's implied that Sonic might've taken on the role of Aladdin in Secret Rings, and he definitely took on the role of King Arthur in Black Knight, but they could be roles he unknowingly filled during his adventures rather than really becoming the characters themselves. Though, in the case of the latter, it's only fitting that he leaves the world of the story at the end, because that's literally what King Arthur does - returning Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake and disappearing from the world until the time comes again for him to return to save it.

Yeah, it seems weirdly puzzling logic to try and push the Storybook games out of continuity with. I for one enjoyed the reference, and I do open it leaves the door open for additional opportunities, such as, well, revisiting the Storybook worlds. I would actually be down for Sonic seeking non-scientific solutions to the problem of the Zombot plague if Tails can't cure it in time, such as using the World Rings to empower a wish by Shahra or using the power of Excalibur's scabbard to purge the infection, and perhaps using the World Rings/Excalibur to combat Eggman with the Chaos Emeralds if needed. (And yes, Exalibur's scabbard is depicted as a corrupting influence in Black Knight, but that aspect is honestly out of step with the Arthurian mythos and the vast majority of depictions of the scabbard in general, and the titular Black Knight isn't the 'real' King Arthur anyway, so it's probably that said corruption is really just misuse of its power driven through temptation by unworthy individuals, since Excalibur and its scabbard was meant to be owned by the true Once and Future King, aka Sonic.)