The 25th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise has brought several celebrations for the enthusiastic fan base. Whether you're talking about the announcement of Diamond and Pearl remakes, the brave new direction in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, or the virtual Post Malone concert, fans have had no shortage of fun things to look forward to. As the Pokémon Trading Card Game continues to explode in popularity, Pokémaniacs now have another thing to help their party like it's 1996: a new TCG collection celebrating the first 25 years of the franchise.

The new Celebrations expansion lets you take an evolved stroll down memory lane, offering up a collection of Legendary, Mythical, and beloved Pokémon, including Mew, Ho-Oh, Flying Pikachu, and Surfing Pikachu. This collection is smaller than your typical expansion, featuring just over 45 cards, including four Pokémon V cards, two Pokémon VMAX cards, and 25 classic Pokémon TCG cards. These classic Pokémon TCG cards give you the chance to add remakes of iconic cards to your collection, including Base Set Charizard, Umbreon ☆, and Tapu Lele-GX. 

Unfortunately, given the special nature of this set, you can't purchase individual booster packs. Instead, you can pick up various Collections. The Collections will feature special four-card booster packs with uniquely designed cards, all featuring foil and a 25th-anniversary logo. While several cards in this expansion are celebrating Pokémon's past, collectors and players can expect creatures from all regions, including Zamazenta from Pokémon Sword & Shield. In addition, players can expect some of the newer Pokémon to feature mechanics from previous Pokémon TCG sets, like Light Pokémon, Delta Species Pokémon, and Pokémon Star.

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On October 8, you can pick up the following sets:

• Celebrations Collection – Dragapult Prime
• Celebrations Collection – Lance's Charizard V
• Celebrations Collection – Dark Sylveon V
• Celebrations Deluxe Pin Collection
• Celebrations Elite Trainer Box
• Celebrations Mini Tin
• Celebrations Special Collection – Pikachu V-Union

Following that initial launch date, two new Collections launch on October 22: Celebrations Premium Figure Collection – Pikachu VMAX and Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection. Then, at some point in October (no date set yet), the Pokémon Trading Card Game will release the Celebrations Collector Chest.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last year as products fly off shelves. Some retailers even temporarily halted sales of the cards, citing employee and customer safety, but many stores have them returning to the shelves with item limits applied.

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Microsoft and Xbox have been busy over the past few years, completely renovating the Team Green ecosystem, including new studio acquisitions and broader goals for the road ahead. But just because there is new on the horizon doesn't mean that everything we've loved in the past is getting left in the dust. Xbox's Phil Spencer mentioned recently that there are "so many" games they'd like to revisit as a team, Killer Instinct among them. 

Killer Instinct is a fighting game with a hugely dedicated fanbase. With various combatants to choose from and special attacks to master, it's been a vital part of this particular community. That being said, there's not really a demand for this right now, especially so with other fighting games on the market currently and Xbox working on expanding beyond its current boundaries. 

Spencer joined up with the folks over at the Dropped Frames podcast to talk about revisiting old favorites. It was then that Killer Instinct was brought up, saying, "There are so many good games in our catalog that we'd love to revisit," Spencer said. "The response when we did [Killer Instinct] at the launch of Xbox One was fantastic. Not everybody inside of the Xbox org kind of saw what that game could become. I will just say, Matt [Booty] and I have discussed many times [Killer Instinct] and where we'd like to go with it."

The love and desire are there, but the timing isn't. Spencer added, "It's in our hearts and our minds that we want to continue to do something with [Killer Instinct]. It is about finding the right team and the right opportunity. But it's not due to any lack of desire on our part that we're not doing more of [Killer Instinct] because we love the franchise and the community response."

While I would personally love to see Killer Instinct make its return, I am glad that the team is focusing on outward growth. While that can absolutely include familiar favorites, too much of a focus on that could potentially result in a backwards slide of momentum. Xbox has been doing amazing things since the Xbox One era to grow and nurture a new and improved ecosystem. We broke down, in detail, here about the different strategies between Sony and Microsoft for this generation, including how Xbox is thinking outside of the ... well, the box. 

Speaking of fan favorites, what do you think about more Killer Instinct in the future? What other games from the past would you like to see make a comeback? Join in with your thoughts in the comment section below! 

[Source: Dropped Frame via VGC]

Here’s a question for all my fellow Apex Legends lifers out there: When was the last time you played on King’s Canyon? A majority of you might retort, “Well, Jay, just a few seasons ago,” and you’d be right in saying that. But what if I raise you one and ask another question: When was the last time you played on the preseason version of King’s Canyon? That’s right, the original map that launched alongside Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale back in 2019; the arena with fan-favorite points of interest (perhaps, even long-forgotten) like Skulltown and Bridges. Well, starting next week, you’ll be able to get swallowed up by nostalgia as the beloved battlefield makes its way into rotation just in time for a new in-game event.

The Genesis Collection Event will be similar to previous Apex Legends extravaganzas in that the tantalizing rewards will still range from cosmetic items (for characters and weapons alike), equipable stat cards, and more. You can earn a bevy of rewards for simply playing the game, but others can only be unlocked with in-game currency or real-world monies. I, for one, am beyond excited because cool skins for both of my mains – Wattson and Loba – are dropping at the same time! But I know why you’re really here: Revenant’s heirloom has been revealed. I don’t want to spoil anything outright, but the guy is reminiscent of the grim reaper for a reason. You can watch the trailer above to see his melee options in action.

Other incoming changes include fixes to Lifeline’s hitbox, balancing tweaks for rifles like the Spitfire and 30-30 Repeater, Arenas updates that focus on weapon prices and ability kits as well as a handy scoreboard that’ll allow you to keep track of the duel in real-time, and quality of life adjustments. However, the biggest update focuses on Wattson: she can place more than one Nessie on the map at a time with her Epic emote, with up to 20 Nessies being the max – a feature that we Wattson players have been desperately waiting for all season long. 

The Genesis Collection Event starts next week on June 29 and lasts until July 6. Have you been saving up to purchase Revenant’s heirloom? Let us know what you think about it below!