Game Buoy Podcast Episode 187A – Episode Aipom Pokemon Review: Game Buoy Remake Project Episode 12

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Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, November 23, 2025, Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy get ready for a review of recent Pokemon games by clearing the news slate!

This episode is part of the Game Buoy Remake Project, a series of themed episodes revisiting previously discussed topics. This week, the Podcast Pirates follow up on Game Buoy Podcast Episode 116 – Same Type Attack Bonus Podcast Episode 1 – You Can’t Stop Here, This Is Zubat Country! A Game Buoy Spotlight on Pokemon Go, originally published on July 19, 2016.

HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME

• Valve has announced 3 new pieces of hardware: the Steam Controller, the Steam Machine, and the Steam Frame.
• The New York Times interviewed Roblox’s CEO and asked him about child safety.
• Miyamoto-san has shared the first stills from the live action Legend of Zelda movie.
• A 31 minute-trailer has dropped for HoYoverse’s upcoming psychological thriller, Varsapura. 
• Trails in the Sky: 2nd Chapter Remake has been revealed.
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A is now the best selling physical game in the U.S. this year.
• Vampire Survivor’s sequel will be a card-based dungeon crawler.
• The latest trailer for My Hero Academia: All’s Justice includes scenes from the climactic episode of the anime’s last season. 
• Guild Wars Reforged has been announced for PC, due out December 3.
• Pokemon Pokopia’s release date of March 5, 2026 was revealed in a 10-minute trailer showing new Pokemon forms.

RELEASE UPDATES

• Ys X: Proud Nordics is heading west on February 20, 2026.
• Tales of Berseria Remastered launches on February 26.
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Silver Phantom comes to PSVR2 on November 21.
• Marvel: Cosmic Invasion’s physical editions have been announced for release on March 13, 2026, and the Switch 2 edition will have the full game on cart.
• Jaleco Sports: Goal! is now available for PS5 and Switch, along with Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded. 
• STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT confirmed for PC and is coming west in 2026.
• PICROSS S SNK Classics & NEOGEO edition has been announced for Switch, along with PICROSS S Capcom Classics edition.
• Nippon Ichi Software has announced Shinigami Hime to Ishokan no Kaibutsu for PS5, Switch 2, and Switch, due out April 30, 2026 in Japan.
• Cho Aniki Collection for PC is now available.
• Tomb Raider Definitive Edition is now available for Switch and Switch 2.
• Vampire Survivors VR has been released for Quest 3. 
• Dave the Diver is now available for Xbox One and Xbox Series, with physical editions announced for PS5 and Switch 2.
• Silent Hill 2 Remake is now available for Xbox Series. 
• A demo for the Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster is now available.

CULTURE CLUB

• Sena Bryer, voice actress of Wuk Lamat in FFXIV, shared that Yoshi-P personally apologized for the transphobic abuse she faced.
• Yoshi-P teased that FFXIV will be “Reborn” again for its next 10 year cycle and that the team is rethinking everything from the ground up.
• FFXIV’s Letter from the Producer Live 90 will air on December 5 (and you can get Digital Collector’s Edition upgrades for 50% off until December 7).
• The Former Sega/GiGO arcade in Akihabara has been reborn as Silk Hat Game Center.
• Yuji Horii plans on working on Dragon Quest games until he passes away.
• Mat Piscatella discussed how rising prices are pushing people away from AAA games and towards free games.
• The devs of Hytale have bought the rights from Riot and will be releasing it themselves; they will be releasing the game in early access at a price point that is as “aggressively low as possible.”
• Players are creating wild custom vehicle designs for Kirby Air Riders; however, Nintendo is banning designs of Chef Kawasaki in a bikini.
• Gearbox has released Borderland 4’s first DLC free for all players because they were too busy fixing the game to finish the DLC.
• Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO, has been revealed – but will not be coming to PS5.
• A new Ratchet and Clank game has been announced, and it’s a mobile shooter.
• The Game Awards will be streaming on Amazon Prime Video for the first time this year.
• Death Stranding Isolations, another Death Stranding anime project, will be coming in 2027 to…Disney+?!
• A Fortnite skin featuring Homer Simpson in his underwear will earn him the honor of the first Fortnite character to “get his nipples out.”
• Garry’s Mod just got a new update.
• Megabonk has withdrawn from The Game Awards because it is not the studio’s debut indie game.
• CoroCoro Magazine is looking for winners of an Inazuma Eleven contest 7 years later.
• The Hello Yoshi app has been released on the Play Store and the Japanese App Store.
• A holiday survey shows children are asking for digital video game currency, but that also, children want to play games with their parents.
• Valve is holding off on Steam Deck 2 until the system on a chip architecture can demonstrate marked improvements over the current Steam Deck’s power.

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO

• Xseed has canceled the release of the Corpse Party Tetralogy Pack.
• https://kotaku.com/fortnite-kill-bill-yukis-revenge-lost-chapter-tarantino-2000645687  Fortnite will feature a crossover with Kill Bill that ties into the “lost chapter,” Yuki’s Revenge.
• A recent Switch 2 update prevents third party docks from working, but Nintendo has stated this was not intentional.
• Dear Destiny, a new FFVII Rebirth novel, will follow Aerith and Tifa during their time in Midgar.
• PokePark Kanto will open on February 5, 2026.
•  Sales of Street Fighter 6 have topped 6 million.
• Guilty Gear Strive’s Switch version has finally received the other season 4 DLC.
• God Eater Resurrection is returning as a mobile pachislot game.
• Mega Zeraora has been revealed for Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Mega Dimension DLC, which confirms the accuracy of datamined leaks.

SO CONTROVERSIAL

• Arrowhead’s CEO feels there can be a “middle ground” with generative AI.
• Shuhei Yoshida says that the indie scene is developing creative uses for AI.
• Krafton is offering employees voluntary resignation after announcing its transformation into an “AI first” company; also, the CEO allegedly asked AI to “brainstorm ways to avoid paying” Subnautica 2’s devs an earnout bonus.
• Ubisoft admitted that an AI-generated loading screen “slipped through” into Anno 117: Pax Romana’s final build; they have also unveiled Teammates, an upcoming FPS with AI-powered squadmates and an AI assistant.
• https://www.gamespot.com/articles/arc-raiders-sparks-debate-over-ai-voice-acting-in-games/1100-6536146/ ARC Raider’s use of AI voice acting has sparked debate;some reviewers, including Eurogamer, are pushing back.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is filled with AI art slop.
• Zoopunk will provide players with the option to create generative AI assets.
• Colossal Order and Paradox have parted ways.
• Korean developers are apologizing for the pinching fingers gesture in games because some men feel insecure and believe it to be a reference to use of the emoji in a feminist movement insinuating they have tiny penises.
• A Japanese dacha game has replaced its characters temporarily with silhouettes because Apple found its designs “potentially offensive to some users.” 
• Videos featuring a fan server for Concord have been hit with DMCA strikes.
• Fortnite is allowing creators to add “paid random items” (AKA loot boxes) in Fortnite.
• A Member of Parliament in Edinburgh discussed Rockstar’s dismissal of 31 employees in the UK House of Commons; over 200 Rockstar employees signed letters demanding their colleagues be reinstated and have joined the fired staff in protests.

DOOM AND GLOOM

• Yoko Taro has been working on games, but they just keep getting canceled.
• Crystal Dynamics has been hit with another wave of layoffs.
• A large video game marketing firm made a post about using fake Reddit accounts to build engagement, then took the post down.
• Tokyo Revengers: Last Mission is ending service.

SMASH HIT

• ‘We were effectively props’: young stars of game development feel let down by the ‘gaming Oscars’ (The Guardian)
• Xbox is screwed (Polygon)

RUMOR HAS IT

• Moore’s Law is Dead claims Xbox might be forced to raise the price of Xbox consoles yet again due to not preparing for the global RAM shortage.
• The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake may be closer to a release date.
• The long-rumored Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag remake might be releasing by the end of the fiscal year.

MINI-DISCUSSION

Captain Spike and First Mate Slaggy McWaggy discuss their impressions of the State of Play Japan from November 11, 2025!

WHAT’S UP

Captain Spike has been playing Super Robot Wars Y, Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, and Final Fantasy XIV. First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has been playing Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, Final Fantasy XIV, One Piece Pirate Warrior 3, Pokemon Legends Z-A, and Pokemon Black (during which he shares his impressions of his new AYN Thor – and yes, he does own a physical copy of Pokemon Black, thank you very much.)

SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Hello, folks! This week we’re talking about Pokemon games across recent years. Tell us about your notable (good and bad) Pokemon experiences from more recent generations (since Alola or so!)

Bonus question: Although it’s not related to Pokemon games, last week’s Sony State of Play was a surprise! Did you tune in? If so, how did you feel about the announcements? Was there anything you were hoping to see that wasn’t featured?

EXITLUDE

SHOUT OUTS – “FRIENDS OF BUOY”

• Orange Lounge Radio, where every gamer has a voice
• Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
• Game Mechanics, where TTRPG designers “kick tires and run diagnostics on tabletop experiences”
• Walloping Websnappers! A Spider-Man Podcast, a dive into every Spider-Man cartoon ever made
• The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
• Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
• Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
• Standard Issue Computing, retro and modern computer games, hardware, software, and history
• Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
• Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
• Thomas Game Docs, where each video covers “a different aspect of video game history”
• Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord