Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Diamond/Pearl remakes get release dates

By Giovanni Colantonio Published November 11, 2021

Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond all have official release dates.

Nintendo announced all three games at a Pokémon Direct earlier this year, but only gave release windows for each. The new dates line up with those original projections.

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Pokémon Legends: Arceus is scheduled to launch on January 28, 2022. The new title is an open-world twist on the franchise that looks closer to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild than a traditional turn-based RPG. It will retail for $60 and pre-orders for the game are available now.

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As expected, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are coming out just in time for the holiday season this year. Both titles will launch on November 19. The anticipated games are remakes of the classic Pokemon Diamond & Pearl. Fans of the series had been begging for an update on the games for years prior to its announcement. Pre-orders are open now and each game is $60.

Fans who want to buy both will be able to get a double pack. The Nintendo online shop lists the price at $120, so there doesn’t appear to be any extra savings for buying the bundle vs getting each game separately.

The surprise announcement comes ahead of Nintendo’s E3 plans, which are still unknown. The company usually broadcasts a digital Direct showcase around E3, but it has yet to confirm that. An announcement like this would usually be reserved for E3, raising questions about what Nintendo plans to do for the show. Considering the news, it seems likely that all three games could get more information during the event.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

Gaming

All Old Verse locations in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus promo imaage featuring two trainers and their parties looking out towards a mountain.

There's really no need for any extra incentive to go explore the Hisui region in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The freedom of the regions to run around, encounter Pokémon, complete tasks, or just take in the sights is brand new to the franchise. There is a ton to discover in each zone beyond just the next Pokémon you want to catch. Collectibles have never really been a thing in Pokémon games before, at least not to a serious extent, but thanks to the more open style of this game, GameFreak has scattered some hidden goodies for you to hunt down.

The most notable collectibles you can add to your list of things to, well, collect all of are called Old Verses. Unlike many other collectibles, these are so well hidden that, unless you know specifically how to find them, there's almost no chance you will accidentally stumble upon one during normal play. Bucking the usual trend with collectibles, it has to be said that there's no tangible reward for finding them all. Instead, you just get a more complete and detailed picture of the world you've found yourself in. To help you put this ancient poem back together, here are all the Old Verse locations in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Gaming

How to farm XP fast in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

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Each and every Pokémon game starts you off at the lowest level of trainer. You get to pick your starter and are then set off, more or less, to go collect more monsters to add to your team, level them up, and evolve them. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is no different in that regard. However, in almost every other way, this new Pokémon title changes up how you need to approach each and every situation you are faced with. Not only does this mean combat, exploration, item management, and progression, but also how you go about leveling up and earning XP.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the more difficult entries the franchise has seen. Even wild Pokémon you spot roaming around the various zones you can explore can easily be 10 or more levels above your team, and that's not even mentioning the more rare enemies like Alpha Pokémon, let alone boss encounters against Noble Pokémon. You should still be able to make it through the main campaign without too much grinding, but all those extra end-game challenges won't go down as easily. To help you train the most powerful team possible, here are the fastest ways to farm XP in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

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What are space-time distortions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

A space-time distortion appearing.

Without giving anything away for anyone who hasn't booted up Pokémon Legends: Arceus yet, let's just say that this game starts playing with some crazy elements before you even begin your journey proper. We all knew this game would be very different from past titles from the trailers, including the choice to set this game in the distant past of the Pokémon universe, along with the more obvious changes to gameplay and structure. However, being set in the past isn't just a narrative set dressing that doesn't impact the gameplay. Strange new events will pop up during your adventure that you need to be aware of.

Space-time distortions are as mysterious in the game as they sound. These events aren't very well explained by the game, and if and when you happen to see one, it might scare you off of investigating it. Based on the name and how they look, we wouldn't blame you for wanting to steer clear of these intimidating zones. However, once you understand them, you may end up wanting to hunt them down. We may not be astrophysicists, but we can tell you everything you need to know about space-time distortions in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.