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Even if you haven’t played Pokemon Sword and Shield yet, you might have seen Ball Guy somewhere on the internet. The mysterious Poke Ball mascot was the cause of some debate when the games launched–is he weird, or is he a friend? Back then, I defended Ball Guy. He gives you free Poke Balls, I reasoned. He’s nice. He just wants to help out. Who cares if his outfit is weird and he has no known origin?

For far too long, I considered Ball Guy a friend. Not anymore. Ball Guy is my enemy. He sucks, actually. He really sucks. He is the bane of my existence.

I’ll admit that during the main story, Ball Guy appears good. He’s supportive. He’s always there for you, at every Gym. He gifts you various ultra-rare Poke Balls so you can catch your favorite monsters in… cool balls. But when you become Champion, his disposition changes.

See, after you beat the game, you’re allowed to call a rematch Champion Cup in Wyndon whenever you want. You battle three people, mostly Gym Leaders, and it takes a bit of time, but it’s a decent way to make some money. It’s also the only way to get an item I really need: the Flame Orb. Why I need a Flame Orb is not as important as the fact that it is incredibly useful, incredibly rare, and only available at the mercy of Ball Guy, who gives you a prize when you complete the tournament.

Each day, the first prize you get for completing a rematch cup is a Wishing Piece. It is guaranteed, and it resets every day. Ball Guy comes out and hands it to you like it’s worth something–it’s not. They are easy to buy in the Wild Area for Watts. I don’t need them, and I don’t want them. But I get one every single day, just so I can grind more Champion Cups on the off chance he’ll give me what I want.

Yesterday, I did around 10 Champion Cup rematches. I did not get a Flame Orb. I did get some Dusk Balls (which you can buy easily) and some Ultra Balls (which you can also buy easily). I also got 100 Poke Balls, twice. And when Ball Guy gives you 100 Poke Balls, that’s when he shows his true colors.

Betrayal.

Before he reveals your absolute garbage prize, he gleefully does the universal sign for mocking others’ pain: He animatedly wipes fake tears from his permanently smiling ball face, as if to say “Aww, did the baby want a Flame Orb?”, and it goes on for a couple of seconds. He then reveals that he’s giving you 100 Poke Balls, which are useless to you. Selling them nets you pennies. You don’t catch Pokemon with Poke Balls anymore. But here they are. Guess you better grind this tournament out again, sweetie.

I will do it again today. I will get a Wishing Piece. I will keep running the stupid Champion Cup until I get my Flame Orb. And when I get it, I will never speak to Ball Guy again. He’s burned me too many times.

The next big streaming service, NBCUniversal’s Peacock, will be launching in a few months, combining multiple networks and movie studios. Movies, TV series, news, sports, and originals will all be content you can stream from home. Now, we know the launch date and the pricing model for the service.

During the Peacock investor meeting, chairman of NBCUniversal Steve Burke opened discussing what type of platform the new streaming service will be. He noted that Peacock will fit into an ad-supported business model with premium content, much like an ad-supported Hulu–something Burke did not mention during the opening of the presentation.

As for the launch of Peacock, Comcast subscribers will get it first, as it begins to roll out on April 15, and it will be included at no additional cost. In July, all tiers for the streaming service will be launched nationwide on multiple platforms, just in time for the Tokyo Olympics coverage. The service will arrive internationally at a later date.

Later, chairman of Peacock and NBCUniversal Enterprises Matt Strauss announced that Peacock will be available free. However, there will be various tiers for customers to choose from, which you can see below.

Peacock tiers and cost:

• Free: 7,500 hours of ad-supported programming. Includes current seasons of TV shows, movies, TV classics, news and sports, Hispanic, streaming channels, and more.
• $5 a month: 15,000 hours of ad-supported programming. Includes everything in previous tier, plus original series, 4K/UHD viewing, premium moves, full tent-pole series, and more.
• $10 a month: Everything in previous tiers, without ads.

It’s important to note that original series are not included in the free tier, so don’t expect to watch that Saved By The Bell revival, unless you plan on paying for the service. Additionally, the $5 tier will be bundled free for Xfinity, Xfinity Flex, and Cox customers. As far as ads go, users will be limited to five minutes of ads per hour, and that is less than traditional network and cable TV, which is around 16 minutes per hour.

One video presentation showcased the many movies and shows that will be a part of Peacock from TV hits like The Office, Parks & Recreation, Saturday Night Live, Murder She Wrote, Xena: Warrior Princess, and more. Additionally, movies like Shrek, Minions, and Fast & Furious were shown as well. Reality TV was also highlighted, with shows like WWE’s Total Divas appearing, a USA Network property, which falls under the NBCUniversal umbrella.

In addition to VOD programming, including movies, TV, and original content, Strauss said “daily, current, and even live content will be streamed.” So you may be able to watch the news, as it airs on the network, on Peacock.

At the time of this writing, the release date for Peacock had not been revealed, but we’ll keep you updated as more is revealed at the investor meeting.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

On paper, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE sounds like something that was custom-made for people like me; it’s a lengthy Japanese RPG that incorporates elements of Fire Emblem and Persona, packed with J-pop and J-rock topped by Hatsune Miku references. There are opportunities to experience everyday life in modern-day Tokyo and a whole lot of dungeon crawling with a dynamic combat system built on the foundation of the Shin Megami Tensei games. Now, it’s been ported to Switch (hence “Encore”) with extra content, opening this former Wii U exclusive from 2015-16 to a wider audience–including myself who’d previously only played through the prologue. But throughout my 15-ish hours so far, I keep wondering what it is I’m fighting for.

With the publishing help of Nintendo, Atlus took some of the building blocks of Megami Tensei, turned the diabolic slider all the way down, and put music and performing arts center stage as the supernatural power that can defeat demonic entities. TMS mostly revolves around two main characters, Itsuki Aoi and Tsubasa Oribe, who get wrapped up in a mystery of evil spirits (Mirages) from another dimension (the Idolasphere) taking over the souls (called Performa) of entertainers. It’s laid clear enough in the prologue, and the duo’s friends from within the music industry progressively join the cause as Itsuki and Tsubasa stumble their way through showbiz.

Now that’s a premise I can get behind. But as much as I adore those concepts, the whole hasn’t come together–the threads that tie its characters and story events feel hollow, and how the game moves on without much reflection makes it hard to care about the struggles at hand.

I could forgive the early scene where Itsuki and Tsubasa suddenly know how to transform into their magical forms and harness the power of Mirages using glowing orbs that come out of their chests, despite them knowing nothing about the Idolasphere beforehand. However, as more narrative pieces begin to stack, TMS drops the ball while trying to connect its threads in a meaningful way. It’s easy to appreciate the attempt at showing the effect of succumbing to the pressures of a front-facing industry, but the game doesn’t take the necessary steps to establish itself. I keep thinking about how Tsubasa’s sister Ayaha, who was a popular performer herself, disappeared for five years and is eventually saved by your party. Sure, there’s a warm scene where they’re happy to see each other again, but shortly after, Ayaha just kind of exists as an assistant for your agency. Five years she was gone, and you just keep it moving.

Although those are just a few examples, they’re indicative of how the story has progressed so far. Things just kind of happen without much rhyme or reason in the moment, largely skipping the beats necessary for them to make sense in the context of TMS’s world.

It probably sounds as if I’m having a bad time with TMS#FE Encore, but that’s a bit far from the truth. For all the aforementioned gripes, I can’t help but embrace some of the sugary pop music and incessant upbeat vibes, because it’s often just plain fun. That especially applies to the incredible spectacle of combat, which takes place in front of a large otherworldly audience that’s constantly cheering you on. Your party’s costumes change as the power of your Mirages come forth in fights, which are directly drawn from Fire Emblem characters and classes. Layered systems make combat like a dynamic turn-based puzzle, and the unique loop of crafting equipment upgrades–which is tied to learning new skills/spells–is fantastic throughout.

If you’ve played an SMT or Persona game, you’ll recognize the same names for spells and similar mechanics of exploiting elemental weaknesses, and that doing so lets you pile on extra attacks within the same turn. In TMS, that perk manifests as Session attacks, which play out like choreographing the perfect steps to a dance; when you hit a foe’s weakness and have the right Session Skills set to your party members, one turn will blossom into a combo of subsequent attacks that unfolds in a stylish flurry dealing lots of damage.

Style may not account for substance, but it’s the visual excitement that carries me through, in a way that you’ll feel compelled to watch attacks play out rather than fast-forwarding past them. I know this’ll sound ridiculous, given what I’ve said about nonsensical cheesiness, but when the random Extra Skills activate, and for some reason characters begin to sing, dance, and perform to cast a big spell, I’m obliged to shake my head in simultaneous bewilderment and enjoyment.

There are a bunch of neat references that’d put a smile on the face of those who love TMS’s source material. A personal favorite is the Hee-Ho Mart sponsored by SMT mascot Jack Frost, and the clerk clearly resembles the recurring Fire Emblem character Anna who assumes her canonical role as a merchant. Instantly recognizing SMT spell names make combat feel right at home, and little things, like the level-up jingles from Fire Emblem, are a cool touch. Some good fan service never hurts.

At some point, you accept that TMS doesn’t make too much sense, nor does it have to. Not every game needs to have a prevailing, grand message, but I still wrestle with the fact that TMS isn’t mindful of coherent story arcs in the front 15 hours of the game. It assumes that I already care from the start and skipped all the necessary steps to get there. Don’t get me wrong, TMS is a fun time that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has jams, slick style, and a great spin on the SMT combat system. And I’d be remiss not to mention the beautifully animated cutscenes, which rival the character performances you see in an anime like Love Live. However, if you have several 50-to-60-hour RPGs all vying for your time, I’m not sure I’d put TMS#FE Encore on the priority list right now.

I intend on seeing it through not just because of the Atlus name or that it directly draws from some of my favorite franchises, but also because I know what it’s like to love a game and tell others that it “doesn’t get good ’til hour [insert high number here].” TMS may or may not click when I wrap it up, but I’m glad that it’s available on the Switch, giving us a great way to experience something that was likely overlooked in the recent past.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

From controllers that cost 50 or 60 bucks to VR headsets that go for hundreds of dollars, there’s no shortage of gaming accessories out there, and the best products are rarely cheap. However, a new Amazon Warehouse sale is slashing the prices on dozens of gaming-related products, offering an additional 20% off lightly used items.

The sale features some solid deals on the DualShock 4 and Xbox One wireless controllers; the excellent Hori Split Pad Pro, one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers we’ve tried, is cheaper as well. If you’re looking for a VR headset ahead of Half-Life: Alyx‘s release this year, the HTC Vive Cosmos is marked down by an additional $103, dropping the price to $412.54. There are plenty of other headset options too, including the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 and the PlayStation Gold wireless headsets.

Amazon Warehouse sells like-new, open-box, and pre-owned items that have been returned by customers at a discount, so this sale is a nice opportunity to get expensive items still in great condition for way cheaper. Purchases are Prime-eligible, so you’ll get free two-day shipping if you have a Prime membership. While Amazon Warehouse products don’t come with a warranty, they’re backed by Amazon’s standard return policy. You can read more about Amazon Warehouse items on Amazon’s FAQ page.

Check out more of the best gaming items on sale from Amazon Warehouse below. All of these items are already cheaper than usual, but you’ll see an additional discount at checkout, which we’ve indicated below. The sale also spans multiple categories, including kitchen, home improvement, Amazon devices, outdoor recreation, and more, and you can see the full offering of deals at Amazon.

Best Amazon Warehouse gaming deals

HTC Vive Cosmos Headset – $412.54 ($515.67)

HTC Vive Cosmo virtual-reality headset for PC – save $103.13 at checkout

DualShock 4 Wireless Controller – $29.74 ($37.18)

DualShock 4 controller for PS4 (Magma Red) – save $7.44 at checkout

Hori Split Pad Pro – $37.73 ($47.16)

Hori Split Pad Pro for Nintendo Switch – save $9.43 at checkout

Xbox One Gears 5 Limited Edition Controller – $36.90 ($46.13)

Xbox One Gears 5 Kait Diaz Limited Edition Controller – save $9.23 at checkout

PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset – $46.67 ($58.34)

PS4 Gold Wireless Headset – save $11.67 at checkout

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless Headset – $55.57 ($69.46)

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset for Xbox One – save $13.89 at checkout

Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – $52.79 ($66)

Razer BlackWidow TE Chroma v2 Gaming Keyboard – save $13.20 at checkout

Razer Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse – $82.36 ($102.95)

Razer Viper Ultimate Hyperspeed Wireless Mouse – save $20.59 at checkout

Death Stranding Collector’s Edition – $97.14 ($121.43)

Death Stranding (PS4) Collector’s Edition – save $24.29 at checkout

Catherine: Full Body “Heart’s Desire” Premium Edition – $40.51 ($50.64)

Catherine: Full Body (PS4) Premium Edition – save $10.13 at checkout