A look at who's taking up Ash's mantle

The next step in the Pokemon animated series is on its way. With the latest trailer?, we're getting ?a look at the new series leads that are taking up the mantle.

Liko and Roy look like our two new leads, each with a mysterious new artifact. Liko carries a strange pendant, while Roy has an oddly ?designed PokeBall. I imagine the series will probably highlight their search to uncover the meaning behind both of them.

We also have Friede and my personal new favorite character, Captain Pikachu. If you were worried that Ash's impending retirement would mean less Pikachu, that does not seem to be the case. We even get a?? Pikachu with a co?ol hat!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAav4UAT7zk

Paldean starters Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxley all make an appearance here too; it ??looks like Sprigatito is Liko's Pokemon, while Roy has Fuecoco. Also spied in today's trailer: Fride on a Charizard, a Cerueledge, and an Oshawott just hanging out in the background of one shot. Rad!

Setting off on a new journey

Following after Ash's big championship win, this new series will see the longtime protagonist hang up his hat and let a new batch of eternally-young Trainers t??ake the lead. It's a pretty big step, considering how Ash has been at the center of the Pokemon a??nimated series for quite a long time.

It leaves a lot of weight on this special to deliver???, but I'm keen to see how the show evolves with Liko and Roy in the lead. The new series premieres in Japan on April 14 with an hour-long special.

Meanwhile, if you're keen for more in the world of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, there's plenty on the way this year. The Pokemon Company recently confirmed two pieces of DLC are scheduled for this year, with one arriv??ing in the fall and the second arriving winter 2023.

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A new band of Pokémon adventurers arrives

With the start of a new Pokemon generatio??n comes a new stage in the long-running animated series. And it looks like this time,?? Ash and Pikachu won't be setting out for the new region full of Pokemon.

A new trailer today shows what's next for the animated Pokemon series. It starts by confirming that the final episodes of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series will air? over the coming days, specifically the "final chapter" in Ash and Pikachu's story. Looks like a lot of fa?miliar faces will be turning up.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_VMGv2kKEI

Then, at the end of the trailer, we see some of the Paldea region Pokemon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. After a tease of Fuecoco, Quaxley, and Sprigatito, we see the splash art for who we can assume will be the new protagonist of the Pokemon animated series.

The trailer description says that viewers will join two new heroes and the three Paldea starter Pokemon, on a journey through the exciting world of Pokemon. No names for the duo yet.

The champion still remains

Ash and Pikachu recently made real-world headlines by finally win?ning the Pokemon World Championship in the animated series, cementing Ash's place as one of the best. Now, it seems like our intrepid and forever-young pro?tagonist is going to set his sights elsewhere, as we pass the torch to a new band of Trainers.

It is bittersweet to see. I certainly haven't followed the animated series closely in some time. But the Pokemon series featuring Ash, Pikachu??, Brock, and Misty was always on the television as I was growing up. Seeing Ash finally hang?? up his hat, so to speak, is a big change but probably as overdue as his championship win.

This might get to me tune in for some of the new episodes too, as Paldea is a really cool region with some fascinating history that players dig into near the end of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Here's hoping Ash and Pikachu still ??pop in for a cameo now and then.

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Get a look at all the sights, sounds, and faces of HBO's adaptation

HBO has published a new trailer for its adaptation of The Last of Us today. It spot??lights a whole bunch of familiar faces, and gives us a good idea of where the production is headed with Naughty Dog's story.

The center of the trailer is obviously Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The duo are the core of The Last of Us, and w??e see a lot of familiar mome??nts with them. Joel looking gruff and getting violent, and Ellie learning to thrive and survive in the harsh world around them.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBRRDpQ0yc0

We also see the broader cast of the series. Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Nick Offerman as Bill, Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, and Storm Reid as Riley all make an appearance. The latter does suggest that we'll be seeing the DLC content Left Behind somehow folded into The Last of Us, which is?? grea??t. That particular slice of the story adds a ton to Ellie's character and would be missed if it got left out.

Save who you can save

This is the longest look yet at the series, and it's interesting that the trailer doesn't explicitly set up the story of Joel and Ellie's cross-??country road trip.

It's an adaptation of Naughty Dog's well-known and recently remade survival action game, so fans already know what's coming. And for an unaware outside observer, I imagine the act?ion, emotions, and ominous western music over footage of zombies gets the appeal across. Either way, it's a solid trailer, and one that's got me keen on seeing the premiere.

No date's been set yet for HBO's The Last of Us, outside of a 2023 window. Naughty Dog has been celebrating today, the unofficial-official Last of Us Day, with a bunch of new GIFs and other fun tidbits for TLOU fans.

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Stop the presses, that's Big the Cat

A new teaser trailer went live today for Sonic Prime. The Netflix series follows Sonic and pals in some new adventures, though it looks li??ke they'll be dealing with some old villains in t??he process.

We've seen a few quick teasers of the upcoming series, but today's teaser trailer shows a pretty hefty amount of Sonic Prime.

Notably, you can spot a few familiar faces in the teaser. Shadow th??e Hedgehog, Big the Cat,?? and of course, Eggman.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUb16YyU-04

It seems like there's some kind of multi-verse, shattering of reality situation going o?n here. Whatever plans Eggman and other characters like Shadow are up to, Sonic will have to handle them.

The series is set to premiere this holiday season, and a landing page is live over on Netflix right now if you want to set up a reminder.

Year of the blue blur

It's been quite the year for Sonic, all things considered. The movie franchise side of Sonic the Hedgehog has done quite well, and looks to be expanding further. Another movie is planned, which isn't too surprising given the second film's stinger, and a Knuckles series is on the way too.

On the video game side, Sonic fans already got a classic collection in Sonic Origins. And there's Sonic Frontiers on the way as well, taking the h??igh-speed action into the big open world.

It's been a big year for fans of the blue hedgehog. And for Netflix, Sonic Prime could set a good tone for video game adaptations moving forward. The company's had some great success with Castlevania, Arcane, and now Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. At least in terms of animation, the adaptations have been largely solid. While Sonic Prime is a bit more kid-friendly than those series, it'd be nice to see Son?ic getting a solid series among all the adaptations coming out of Netflix.

Sonic Prime speeds onto Netflix later this year.

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New episodes of the making-the-band series will debut weekly

If you dig pop songs and narrative adventures, We Are OFK might just be crafting a mix for you. Indie-pop interactive series We Are OFK debuts with its first two episod??es?? on August 18, 2022.

The biopic series follows the members of OFK, a virtual band looking for their big break in the Los Angeles music scene. The interactive animated? series takes place over five episodes, with five interactive music videos that double?? as tracks performed by OFK.

Team? OFK, the developers behind the project, includes some multifaceted talent from the gaming, TV, music, and film industries.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu2iKC4fVDs

In essence, it's kind of like an interactive Gorrilaz or Josie & The Pussycats narrative adventure. Episodes will have fully-voiced dialogue and texting interfaces for long-range chats. It also looks like it will have some drama, as these 20-somethings try to make it big while also dealing with hear?tbreak, music-making, and paying the rent.

The first two episodes debut on August 18, while new episodes premiere weekly afterward on August 25, September 1, and Septemb??er 8. The season will ultimately be five episodes long.

Spin the record

For collectors, We Are OFK is also getting a couple sp??ecial physical goodies. One that makes perfect sense is a 2x vinyl, which includes OFK's singles, art prints, and some special acoustic tracks. Those acoustic versions can only be heard on the vinyl.

There's also a physical version planned for the Nintendo Switch and PS5 versions of We Are OFK, which includes all five chapters and a papercraft version of Debug the cat. I guess Stray is no longer the only cat game on the market.

Both versions arrive via iam8bit, and are currently up for order on the iam8bit site.

We Are OFK premieres on Nintendo Switch??, PS4, PS5, and PC via ??both Steam and Epic on August 18.

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The Dragon Age is coming to Netflix

Today, Netflix and BioWare announced a new collaboration to bring Dragon Age to the streaming platform. Dragon Age: Absolution is a ne?w series? set in the world of Thedas, arriving this December on Netflix.

Shown off during today's Netflix Geeked stream, Dragon Age: Absolution is a six-episode series. It'll follow a set of new characters from the world of Dragon Age. That includes elves, Qunari, mages, knights,? and some other surprises.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A1PSiPSs_k

Dragon Age: Absolution is set in Tevinter, which has some interesting implications. Plus, with the next Dragon Age game also heading Tevinter, the Netflix series could potentially set up storylines. Or it might just be a good entry point for newcomers. Either way, Tevinter is definitely an interesting place to ?go; it's a region full of magic, mystery, and intrigue.

The Dread Wolf nears

As for the Dragon Age series in the gaming realm, BioWare recently announced the title for its next entry. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will be?? the next mainline game, with the player heading to Tevinter and dealing with a lingering threat in Solas.

The latest Dragon Age has been in development for a while, and BioWare has con?firmed it won't launch in 2022. Basically, it's going to be a while before we get a n?ew virtual adventure in Thedas. In the meantime, this streaming series will be something for fans to dig into and pick apart, at the least.

Dragon Age: Absolution is another step of Netflix diving deeper into the world of video game adaptations, too. A new Cyberpunk anime was already announced, and its live-action Resident Evil adaptation arrives soon. Today's stream also had news about Netflix's Tekken series, The Cuphead Show, and the next book of Dota: Dragon's Blood. And now, the streaming service will break into the fantasy world o??f Thedas.

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Looks like we're in store for a lovely little adventure with this Pokémon anime

There is just so much Pokémon anime out there, and yet it's always so good, it never feels like enough. Thankfully, the first installment of a brand new three-episode Pokémon anime web series just dropped: Hisuian Snow, which is set in the Hisui region of Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The mini-series is produced by Wit Studio, which famously created the hit anime series Attack on Titan. Ken Yamamoto, who worked on Princess Connect! Re:Dive as an episode director, serves as director for Hisuian Snow, and Taku Kishimoto of Fruits Basket, Haikyu!! fame is the lead screenwriter.

Hisuian Snow centers on a young man named Alec, who had been told his whole life that ??Pokémon and humans cannot coexist peacefull?y. When he wanders out into the snowy forest, he encounters a wild Hisuian Zorua, and inadvertently kicks off their adventure together. There is also the looming threat of a strong, unfriendly Zoroark that lives in the forest as well, although it remains shrouded in mystery for now.

//twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1526911249832??886278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1526911249832886278%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&a?mp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polygon.com%2F23123567%2Fpokemon-hisuian-snow-anime-first-episode

As someone who is still relatively new to the world of anime (and more specifically, Pokémon anime), Hisuian Snow looks like a great place to start. It may only be a few episodes long, but it already promises the fun, thrills, and heart that fans of the series have become accustomed to. With such an all-star team behind the wheel, it's no surprise that the series is of the quality that it is, and we'll certainly be looking forward to the rest of the episodes, neither of which have a release date yet. We suspect they won't be too far off, though, and at the very least, the first episode "Onto the Icy Blue" is available to watch now on the Pokémon YouTube channel and the Pokémon TV app.

//youtu.be/thhRi11aTI8

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A scheduling conflict appears to have led to a new casting

Ron Swanson fans will be pleased. Nick Offerman has taken up the role of Bill, the crafty and reclusive survivor, for The Last of Us HBO adaptation.

According to Variety Offerman is taking up the role from Con O'Neill, who is no longer portraying Bill due to scheduling conflict. Offerman will play the character alongside Murray Bartlett's Frank. Those who have played the first Last of Us game will remember the early section set in "Bill's Town," and the tensions between the two charac??ters.

The HBO Last of Us series looks set to follow the story of the PlayStat?ion game made by Naughty Dog. Taking place years after humanity was overtaken by a fungal infection, Joel tries to deliver Ellie out of a quarantine zone and into the hands of the rogue Fireflies.

//twitter.com/Naughty_Dog/status/??1468250782625501187

HBO confirmed it would be adapting The Last of Us last year, with Pedro Pascal taking on the role of Joel and Bella Ramsey playing Ellie. Naughty Dog and HBO shared a first look image back in September, ??so production's be?en underway for at least a while.

Naughty Dog, meanwhile, might be working on more Last of Us for the future as well. Between confirmation earlier this year that the team is still working on multiplayer of some kind, and rumors of a remake of the first Last of Us, it seems like a lot ?is on the way for this universe.

For the HBO adaptation at least, Nick Offerman seems like a great casting for Bill. His section is short but has a lot of impact, so it'll be interesting to see where the Parks and Recreation and Devs actor takes the character.

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