In this week’s bumper pack episode, Rebekah, Matt, and Haydn discuss the troubled Google Stadia launch, Half-Life: Alyx, and Pokémon. 

Google made big promises with the Stadia, and now it’s here the response has been notably muted. Plagued by fidelity and performance issues, the Stadia is struggling to fulfill its potential. As it stands, Stadia is widely considered the best game streaming platform available, but is still a long way from being complete. 

The long-awaited next entry to the critically-acclaimed Half-Life series was announced by Valve last week, but it’s not what fans were expecting. The VR exclusive title could be the “killer app” that virtual reality headset makers have been waiting for, or the high entry cost could just exclude many die-hard fans of the series. 

Finally, Nintendo and Game Freak are sitting pretty on a mountain of cash following the release of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, despite community backlash over certain Pokémon which don’t appear in the game. 

Petitions to Donald Trump and a Twitter frenzy weren’t enough to impact the game’s sales, which has already become the Nintendo Switch’s fastest-selling title.