Havertz’ late penalty against his former club put a different perspective on what was a disappointing performance from the one Arsenal would have hoped for.

Arteta felt the game had “different phases” and his side were “very dominant” in the first half, but did not take the early chance they had when Gabriel Martinelli’s powerful shot hit the crossbar.

He also unusually took off key player and captain Bukayo Saka after a below-par display, but his replacement Noni Madueke won the penalty that saw Arsenal avoid defeat in the competition for the first time this season.

Leverkusen were not happy with the penalty award as Malik Tillman’s torso seemed to make contact with Madueke’s foot as he dribbled into the box.

But Havertz kept his cool to ensure Arsenal remain favourites in next Tuesday’s return at Emirates Stadium.

“We are confident we will get the job done in London. The manager said just go on and try and change the game,” said Madueke.

“I don’t really know what happened [for the penalty] I just know I felt contact, went down and penalty.

“Kai Havertz has been scoring high-pressure penalties all his career, top composure to step up. Really pleased, not just for him but the team as well.

“When you come on and your team is losing it gives you that extra impetuous to try and change it.”

Arteta was “not surprised” with Madueke’s impact as it was his “biggest quality.”

“He’s very brave at doing that and Noni is a real threat. To have a player with that ability when you need him and to step in in the manner that he did, big credit to him,” added the Spaniard.

Arsenal have avoided defeat in the first leg in four of their last five knockout games in the Champions League (W2 D2 L1), going on to progress in two of the previous three ties.

But in their previous 16 matches at this stage of the competition, they have lost nine and progressed seven times.

Arsenal are still competing for trophies in four competitions and aiming to claim their first silverware since an FA Cup triumph in 2020.

Arteta was pleased his side remained composed when going behind to leave Leverkusen with a draw.

“Yes, that’s why I said emotionally it becomes a very different game because that is a team that is very, very good in transition, and you have more hurry and more rush to create danger and to go and draw the game, and you can get caught while doing that,” he said.

“I liked that emotionally, we understood what we had to do.

“The level of execution obviously has to be better and it will be better in the second leg. We’ll adapt a few things and yes, we’ll move on.”

The head chef of the wildly popular Noma restaurant has resigned on the first day of its limited Los Angeles run following a protest from former employees accusing René Redzepi of violent abuse.

On Wednesday, Noma’s LA pop-up — charging $1,500 per dinner — began its 16-week run. But excited foodies weren’t the only ones drawn to the Danish restaurant’s opening day.

The protest, led by former employees, disrupted the opening. One former employee reportedly held a sign saying ‘Noma Broke Me’. A few hours later, Redzepi made a post on social media saying he was stepping down from his position.

“After more than two decades of building and leading this restaurant, I decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into the next chapter,” Redzepi said in a social media post.

He assured diners that the restaurant’s team “is the strongest and most inspiring it has ever been.”

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“This team will carry forward together into our LA residency, which will be a powerful moment for them to show what they’ve been working toward and to welcome guests to something truly special.”

Former employees spoke to the The New York Times about the alleged abuse and violence they experienced during Noma’s more than 20-year run.

“Beneath the glamour and stars, workers being pushed beyond their limits, workers being punched and choked, workers being humiliated and dreams being broken,” Jason Ignacio White, the former director of fermentation at Noma, said during the protest, according to NBC Los Angeles.

He demanded a change in management at the restaurant.

“The restaurant has violated the rights of employees over many years; restoring these employees’ rights would be necessary but not sufficient. Noma must change its management and employee policies to comply with both legal and moral obligations to the broader restaurant community,” he said, according to the NYT.

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In his resignation post, Redzepi said that he has “taken big steps to transform the culture over many years.”

“I recognize these changes do not repair the past,” he wrote. “An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.”

In the wake of the NYT exposé, a pair of major sponsors pulled away from Noma’s LA pop-up.

American Express and Blackbird, a hospitality start-up, backed out of their partnerships with the restaurant, according to the NYT and Expedite, a restaurant news publication.

“René’s past practices, by his own admission, were unacceptable and abhorrent,” Blackbird founder Ben Leventhal told the paper. “We cannot lean on time elapsed and rehabilitation claims when these things resurface.”

One 2014 incident, described in the NYT’s report, details Redzepi allegedly punching an employee reportedly after forcing the entire kitchen staff out of the restaurant to watch him humiliate a sous chef who had put on techno music.

In another incident, he allegedly punched a female employee in the ribs after he saw her using her phone, which he prohibits for staff during their serving hours.

In 2015, Redzepi published an essay admitting that he had been a “beast” to some of those he employed. He also offered an apology via a statement to the NYT.

“Although I don’t recognize all details in these stories, I can see enough of my past behavior reflected in them to understand that my actions were harmful to people who worked with me,” the chef said. “To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgment, or my anger, I am deeply sorry and I have worked to change.”

On Monday March 9, 14-year-old Daniel Padilla Jr., of Fresno, Calif., was enjoying playing basketball during a PE lesson at school when he suddenly collapsed and was rushed to hospital

A teenage boy has sadly died suddenly after collapsing at school.

The boy has been identified as 14-year-old Daniel Padilla Jr., of Fresno, Calif., he was playing basketball during P.E. class at Fresno High School on Monday, March 9, when he collapsed, ABC 30, ABC 7 News, and KMPH reported.

Am emergency service dispatcher could heard requesting emergency assistance for an unconscious child in the school’s gym around noon on Monday, according to dispatch audio obtained by ABC 30.

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“We can confirm that the student who collapsed during PE has tragically passed away at the hospital,” a spokesperson for Fresno Unified School District said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Our hearts are with the student’s family, friends, and school community during this incredibly difficult time. At this time, we do not have any additional information to share.”

“Our hearts continue to ache in solidarity with the family of our student,” the FUSD spokesperson later said in an update. “We can only imagine the pain his unexpected passing is causing them. We are honoring and respecting our student and his family by giving them the time and space they need to grieve.”

Following the upsetting incident a team of mental health professionals have been made available at Fresno High School to provide both social and emotional support for students following Padilla’s death. Staff will also have the option to speak with counselors, and substitutes are available for teachers who may need time off to grieve.

Daniel’s sister Hailey Valdovinos has launched a GoFundMe page. Padilla is remembered as a “silly kid who loved playing video games, cracking jokes and enjoyed spending time with his family whenever he got the chance.” Valdovinos added that playing basketball was one of his favorite hobbies, and he also enjoyed going to the movies and hanging out with his siblings.

The GoFundMe, which has already raised more than $10,000 of its $18,000 goal, will help his loved ones with affairs such as burial costs for what Valdovinos described as an “unexpected and unexplained” death. Padilla’s cause of death has not yet been determined.

You can donate to the GoFundMe page by clicking here.

Last year, a government-commissioned report looking into the role of employers in health and disability said that fit notes were “often problematic”. The Keep Britain Working review noted GPs often did not have the time, or the occupational health training, to fully assess if someone was able to work or not.

The Trump administration is using a 20-year-old report to misrepresent former President Jimmy Carter’s views on mail-in and absentee ballots as it pushes for federal legislation that would impose strict new proof-of-citizenship and photo ID requirements for voting ahead of the midterm elections.

On two successive days this week, President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt invoked the 2005 report by the Commission on Federal Election Reform while advocating for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act. The commission’s co-chairs were Carter, a Democrat, and former Secretary of State James Baker, who held senior government positions in the administrations of three Republican presidents — Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Trump and Leavitt falsely claimed that Carter was against the use of mail-in and absentee ballots because they can lead to fraud, a mischaracterization of the report’s conclusions.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

TRUMP, at the Republican Members Issues Conference on Monday: “Jimmy Carter, the best thing he ever did, he headed a commission after he was president. It was the single best thing. And he did a thing on mail-in ballots. He said mail-in ballots should not be allowed because they are inherently dishonest.”

LEAVITT, at a White House press briefing on Tuesday: “The bipartisan 2005 report of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, shared by, of all people, former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, concluded that, quote, ‘absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.’”

THE FACTS: Carter supported mail-in voting and absentee ballots, according to statements by the late president, his grandson Jason Carter and The Carter Center. The 2005 report stated that absentee and mail-in ballots can create opportunities for fraud, but also suggested ways to reduce that risk and recommended further research on the issue. Experts say there is no evidence that mail-in and absentee voting leads to widespread fraud, either now or 20 years ago.

“My grandfather supported mail-in voting — so much so that he used it himself,” Jason Carter, chair of The Carter Center’s board of trustees, told The Associated Press in a statement on Wednesday. “Any claim to the contrary unnecessarily sows doubt in election integrity and undermines voter confidence in a consequential election year.”

President Carter himself publicly endorsed mail-in voting and absentee ballots in 2020, a view that continued until his death in 2024.

“I urge political leaders across the country to take immediate steps to expand vote-by-mail and other measures to help protect the core of American democracy — the right of our citizens the vote,” he said in May 2020 amid concerns about elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four months later, in response to news reports about his opinion of absentee ballots, Carter said: “I approve the use of absentee ballots and have been using them for more than five years.”

Voting by mail remains popular with voters of both major parties. During the 2024 election, which Trump won, roughly 30% of voters cast mailed ballots, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. That was higher than pre-pandemic levels, when about a quarter of voters used mailed ballots. Three of the four states where use of mailed ballots was higher than in 2020 are controlled politically by Republicans — Indiana, South Dakota and Utah.

Trump himself has voted by mail in his home state of Florida.

A misrepresented report

The Commission on Federal Election Reform, organized by American University’s Center for Democracy and Election Management and funded by a group of philanthropic organizations, published a report, “Building Confidence in U.S. Elections,” in 2005. Among its findings were that “absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud” and that voting by mail is “likely to increase the risks of fraud and of contested elections” in certain states.

However, the report did not discourage the use of mail-in and absentee ballots. Rather, it included suggestions for how to reduce the risk of fraud.

The report made three recommendations related to absentee ballots and voter registration fraud: that jurisdictions only allow specific people to handle ballots, and prohibit candidates or party workers from picking up and delivering absentee ballots; that states should pass legislation to minimize fraud from payments for voter registration, absentee ballot or signature collection efforts; and that states should not discourage legal voter registration or get-out-the-vote work.

It also suggested that states should implement better safeguards for ballot integrity and encouraged further research on the pros and cons of mail-in and early voting. The report noted that in Oregon, which had been using vote-by-mail for seven years, there was “little evidence of fraud.”

“The administration’s claims about President Carter’s views on mail-in voting are not true,” the Carter Center said in a statement this week to The Associated Press.

It said the claims do not “consider the rest of the report’s findings or President Carter’s acknowledgment of the safeguards that have emerged in the 20+ years since this report came out.”

No rampant fraud

Mail-in and absentee voting does not cause widespread election fraud, according to experts, even as their use has increased in the past two decades, from roughly 13% of voters in 2004 to nearly a third of all ballots cast two years ago.

“There’s no evidence that mail-in voting fraud was rampant then, and it’s not rampant now,” said Mark Lindeman, policy and strategy director at Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group focused on election technology. “Mail voting has become more common and more mature. So, over that period of time, states have learned from each other — best practices for not only avoiding fraud, but just generally administering mail balloting well.”

For example, ballot tracking, curing ballots that had initially been rejected, and the ability to identify and address duplicate voter registrations have improved.

Trump has flip-flopped on mail-in voting over the years. He preemptively argued that mail balloting was bad months before voting even began in the 2020 election. At the same time, he encouraged voters in Florida — a state he won — to vote by mail. Trump and other Republicans then blamed mail-in voting for his loss.

The GOP, and sometimes even Trump, urged voters to cast their ballots by mail ahead of the 2024 election when it was seen as a necessary course correction during a tight race.

Asked whether Trump stands by the statements he and Leavitt made, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: “President Trump and Karoline are completely right — and Karoline read a direct quote from the report during her briefing.”

She added that the press release The Carter Center published in May 2020 that included Carter’s endorsement of mail-in voting “does not invalidate the findings” of the 2005 report.

___

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

A drone is circling in the skies above Zaki Ramadan when he takes my call. As a humanitarian worker in Sudan’s southeastern Blue Nile state, he is helplessly watching aid dwindle and civilians be killed by the meteoric rise in drone strikes.

“We stopped all humanitarian activity. We cannot work. All the offices are closing because of the drones – some of the area has been evacuated. WFP staff left two days ago from the area, anticipating drone strikes,” he says.

Drone warfare has made Sudan’s war a death trap for a population of more than 46 million people as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) battle for territory.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, an independent global monitor, has documented at least 198 drone strikes in Sudan launched by both sides in the first two months of 2026. At least 52 of them involved civilian casualties, killing 478 people.

“For us, when we hear the sound – we just rush and hide ourselves. We run to the river, and sometimes we can go into our foxhole. We go to the town and go to where there are no buildings sometimes,” says Zaki.

The area he operates in has been ravaged by armed rebellion and state violence for decades, but this time is different.

A dangerous new depth to warfare

“This war is quite different. This time they are using too many drones. Before – 20 years or 30 years ago – they did not use these drones, it was just a normal clash,” he says.

Drone warfare has added dangerous depth to Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe by making safe aid delivery and emergency response virtually impossible in some of the hardest-hit areas.

“No food, no medical care, no sanitation,” says Zaki. People scrambling to safety are left with little to no option of sanctuary.

:: Have drones changed war forever?

Sky News analysis and mapping of ACLED data has found that deadly drone attacks are spread across Sudan and the number of civilian casualties is rapidly rising.

For the third consecutive day of new drone strikes on the southern White Nile state, an RSF drone hit a secondary school and shelter killing at least 17 people – mostly school girls – and injuring 10 others on Wednesday.

In just a two-day window in mid-February, more than 60 people were reported to have been killed by drones launched by both sides, with at least 15 children killed in a single Sudanese military drone strike on a shelter.

In January, a drone strike on N’djamena market in South Kordofan’s Dilling county killed 13 people and a month earlier, a triple drone strike by the RSF on a kindergarten and hospital in the same state killed 114 people – including 43 children.

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UN: Sudan atrocities bear ‘hallmarks of genocide’

Detentions and deportations

The walls are closing in on civilians dealing with escalating violence as borders close. Drone strikes are spread across the eastern border to the west – even hitting the territory of neighbouring Chad which hosts close to a million Sudanese refugees.

Chad recently closed its border with Sudan after multiple cross-border attacks by the RSF. Other neighbouring countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Libya are dealing with the danger of their own civil wars and are increasingly unsafe for refugees.

Egypt, a key safe haven for Sudanese refugees, is now deporting them en masse. Hundreds of thousands are now facing fear of detention, deportation, and death as Egyptian authorities unleash a brutal crackdown. The Sudanese embassy in Cairo has said that 578 Sudanese citizens have been deported back to Sudan in December and January.

Affected families have told Sky News that their status as asylum seekers with the United Nations Refugee agency (UNHCR) is often ignored as their loved ones are picked up. Dozens of missing person posts are being shared on Facebook to trace those suspected of being detained or deported.

“They took us to prison, and we were terrified. I have never been imprisoned before – in Sudan or elsewhere – and was shocked by the sight of the prison. It felt like we were in a soap opera,” a Sudanese refugee who was detained by the Egyptian authorities told Sky News.

He was a taxi driver in the Sudanese city of Al Fashir. He eventually fled the regional capital – where the RSF are accused of committing genocide and killing 6,000 people in just three days of capture – and went to Egypt for his safety.

“They split us up into four groups, and we were around 110 to a single cell. There was violence from the police and then violence within the cell from embedded guards. You are constantly dodging both.”

An 18-year-old called Al-Nazeer Al Sadiq was also kept in one of these cells. He was arrested from a neighbourhood in Cairo and the three friends with him at the time were deported. He eventually died in detention.

“He did not have any illness – he was healthy when they picked him up,” his brother tells us from Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

“The first day my mother visited him he was mentally exhausted and not at peace. There were three visits and each time he was deteriorating more and more – right until he died.”

Al-Nazeer’s family have returned to Sudan, despite the risks. The Egyptian government did not respond to our request for comment.

Read more from Sky News:
Thousands killed in three days
1,000 days of war in Sudan
UN sees ‘hallmarks of genocide’

UK’s asylum crackdown brought into focus

Here in the UK, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood implemented an emergency ban on study visas for students from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cameroon, and Sudan to slow asylum claims. This has meant that Sudan’s best and brightest minds – at least 210 students – are being prevented from pursuing scholarships to some of the UK’s best universities.

At least 22 of them were meant to study at the University of Oxford, and 39 of them were accepted in a UK government-funded Chevening scholarship for emerging leaders.

On the ban, Ms Mahmood said: “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused. That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders.”

But the students impacted believe that they are facing the compounded cruelty of Sudan’s war.

‘It’s heartbreaking’

“What’s especially painful about the current situation is that the data simply doesn’t justify a blanket decision like this,” says Rawan, who has been blocked from enrolling in her dream masters programme in international health at the University of Oxford after being accepted.

“The Home Office has pointed to a 300% increase in asylum claims from Sudanese students, from 30 to 120 cases over five years. But when you look at the bigger picture, those 120 cases represent only about 0.1% of total asylum claims in the UK.”

She continued: “It’s heartbreaking to see how we’re also villainising the students who sought asylum as they are not manipulating the system, they are fleeing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with more than 14 million Sudanese people displaced by the war.

“There is definitely a general sense of helplessness.”

This war is becoming a dead end as borders close and drones stalk the skies. Aid workers like Zaki do not know what to tell the people scrambling for safety.

“They get confused about where they can go to feel peace – they go to South Sudan, there is a problem. They go to Ethiopia, there is a problem,” says Zaki.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit Australia in April for private and public engagements, with the Duchess attending a luxury weekend retreat in Sydney

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are travelling to Australia next month for a brief unofficial royal visit, where Meghan will be the star attraction at a ‘girls weekend’ retreat in Sydney.

The Duchess of Sussex will deliver speeches throughout the “weekend like no other,” including at a grand dinner, with VIP ticket purchasers also able to secure a photograph with the Duchess.

Supporters have been taken aback by the cost of attending the event, with tickets beginning at a staggering £1,439. This price includes participants’ accommodation at a beachside Sydney hotel and entry to three days of activities, including a gala dinner, yoga and meditation sessions, and a disco celebration.

Those wishing to get even closer to Meghan can buy the VIP experience tickets, which are being offered for £1,705 per person. Alongside the weekend’s activities, this ticket guarantees seating at a table in the front two rows for the gala dinner with Meghan, as well as a group table photograph with the Duchess of Sussex.

This means that for an additional £266 per person, devoted admirers of Meghan can get a group photograph with the Duchess during her rare Sydney visit.

A promotional message about the multi-day event states: “A girls’ weekend like no other! An unforgettable weekend for women ready to reconnect, recharge and have some serious fun. Join us for an intimate luxury weekend by the ocean designed to bring women together for powerful conversations, relaxation, laughter and unforgettable experience.”

The last time the Duchess of Sussex travelled to Australia, she reportedly complained that she wasn’t receiving payment for the walkabouts, according to claims in a royal book. Harry and Meghan were last down under in 2018, where they spent 16 days travelling around Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand on their first royal tour as a married couple, reports the Mirror.

During the tour, huge crowds turned out to see them as they visited the countries and attended an impressive 76 engagements. A book written by former The Times’ royal correspondent Valentine Low claims that Meghan “enjoyed the attention” she received but did not understand the point of royal walkabouts.

Mr Low writes in Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown that the Duchess of Sussex showed a “refreshingly informal approach to royal visits” which was “a hit with the Australian public”. However, despite being hailed as an “inspirational role model”, the royal expert revealed that it was a different story behind the scenes.

The book reads: “Although she enjoyed the attention, Meghan failed to understand the point of all those walkabouts, shaking hands with countless strangers.” Quoting unnamed members of staff, the book claims that Meghan was heard saying: “I can’t believe I’m not getting paid for this.”

Meghan isn’t the only one making appearances at high-profile events during their Australian tour, with Prince Harry also delivering a speech at the InterEdge Summit in Melbourne. This event is described as a “professional development summit designed to equip leaders, practitioners, and changemakers with the knowledge and tools to create mentally healthy, safe, and high-performing workplaces.”

Tickets for this mental health summit begin at £1,054, with proceeds from ticket sales being donated to Lifeline. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Harry and Meghan would be visiting Australia for the first time in over seven years, spending time in Sydney and Melbourne in mid-April.

A representative for the couple stated: “Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will visit Australia in mid-April to take part in a number of private, business and philanthropic engagements. Further details will be shared in due course.”

It is understood that their children, Archie and Lilibet, will not accompany them on this trip.

Appearing at a Durham Crown Court plea hearing, Catherine Brennan pleaded not guilty to a single count of stalking, involving serious alarm or distress.

Between December 1, 2024, and February 24, last year, she is accused of making unwanted calls, sending numerous text messages, posting comments on social media and sending messages to the complainant’s family about him.

Ellen Wright, for the defendant, said during the period of the alleged offending she was suffering with psychosis, which was undiagnosed at that time, but which was subsequently diagnosed, and for which she now has medication.

Miss Wright asked the court to adjourn for preparation of a psychiatric report on the defendant to assess the issue of psychosis.

Judge Nathan Adams agreed and said the report should be served on the court along with the defendant’s signed defence statement, by April 30.

Read next … more court and crime stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

A further case management hearing will follow two months later, with a trial date provisionally pencilled in to start on August 10, 2027.

Adjourning the hearing, Judge Adams told Brennan: “There’ll be a hearing back here in late June and if there needs to be a trial, it will be at the back of a long queue, I’m afraid, in August next year.”

He granted the 38-year-old defendant of Startforth Park, Barnard Castle, bail to attend the further case management hearing at the court, on June 29.

The Thursday letters page explores the modern Nintendo vs. Sega rivalry, as one reader wants an end to Resident Evil remakes.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Turn back the clock
With Resident Evil Requiem and Pokémon Pokopia both selling out in terms of physical copies I wonder if there might still be a way to reverse the trend towards digital only? There’s lots of stories about Gen Z going retro for physical media, like CDs and DVDs. I’ve never heard game mentioned but I would’ve thought the same logic applies there.

Part of the reason behind the trend (apart from being contrary) is that they’ve realised it’s actually fun to own things, to put them on shelves, and to know they can’t be taken away from you. None of that applies to digital games so my hope is that we will see the increase in digital sales begin to slow and hopefully reverse.

If vinyl can make a comeback – and I hear even audio tapes and VHS – then video games absolutely should. There’s so much more to be gained by owning the games you pay for.
The Bishop

Your sequel is in another decade
A Fallout 3 remaster is all well and good but it’s now over 10 years since the last mainline Fallout game and we have absolutely no idea when Fallout 5 is coming out. After The Elder Scrolls 6 could mean 2033 or later. By that time we may not need a video game to experience a post-apocalyptic wasteland!

If I was Microsoft I’d hand the whole franchise over to Obsidian, who made New Vegas. Bethesda has been sitting on the series for so long and they’ve done absolutely nothing with it. They’ve had all the time and money needed to get more people in and work on two games at once but that doesn’t even seem to have been a thought.

I think it’s because Todd Howard wants to do everything himself but, I’ll be honest, him not working on the next Fallout 5 would be better news than it coming out tomorrow.
Focus

Super Pokopia Odyssey
I see Pokémon Pokopia has sold over 2.2 million copies in four days, which puts it ahead of the pace set by Super Mario Odyssey… which went on to sell over 30 million. Very happy to see, not just because it’s a great game but because it’s a bit of a risk that’s been rewarded.

You can slap the Pokémon name on anything and it’ll sell something at least, but they obviously put a lot of care into this one, more it seems to me than the mainline games. We all know GC hates the Dynasty Warriors games, so they get the bonus of Omega Force being taken off that while they’re busy with Pokopia.

Looking forward to playing it some more and it already looks like there’s lots of plans for post-launch support.
Zeiss

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Brief rivalry
It is always funny to compare Nintendo’s fortunes to Sega’s. They’ve been partners now for much longer than they were ever rivals but there’s no way Sega is in the same league as Nintendo now, if they ever were.

I think the reason Nintendo is reaping the benefits of good reviews, but Sega isn’t, is that Sega’s brands are just too old and tarnished. After all these years, nobody expects a Sonic game to be good and Shinobi may be a good game but nobody remembers or cares about the franchise.

On the other hand, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a weird game, with a weird name and concept, that looks basically like a PlayStation 2 game. I played it and loved it but frankly I’m surprised it did as well as it did.

Sega left it far too late to revive their Mega Drive era games and now the majority of gamers don’t even know what they are. While with Nintendo it’s the opposite and Pokémon is a household name that only boosts the sales of an already good game.
Onibee

Console first
Is Microsoft’s proposed combination of PC and console likely to shift Sony’s policy of putting console exclusive games on the PC, or is that something that had already shifted?

As an aside have just completed and really enjoyed Death Howl. Excellent game – thanks for highlighting it.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)

GC: We’ll probably never know for sure, because Sony hasn’t commented publicly on any of its policies for years. The most recent suggestion is that Sony is more worried about Valve’s Steam Machine than they are Project Helix.

Quiet for now
The build-up to a new console launch is always tiring in terms of all the nonsense companies talk. I can’t wait for the tech demos that don’t look anything like any of the games that ever get made. Anyone remember the one for the PlayStation 5, with the Tomb Raider looking woman and the promise that SSDs would change the way games are designed (spoiler: they didn’t)?

As usual, Microsoft just cannot shut up and let its product do its talking. They’re still going on as if they’re a big deal and it’s just getting sad. They could’ve just been the next EA and that would’ve been plenty important for them, but now we’ve got to endure Xbox One Part 3.

It should be humiliating for them that Sony don’t care what they think, they’re only worried about Steam Machine, even though it flopped once and there’s no guarantee that Valve can make it a hit at all.

And yet still Sony apparently think there’s a better chance of that happening than Xbox messing up their plans. And yet despite all that I think going for a premium price PC is actually a good idea for Microsoft. It’s not the same thing as PlayStation and it sounds like it’s going to be more expensive/more powerful than Steam Machine.

At least that’s a clear point of difference, so they may have some luck with it, even if it is for a niche audience. But for pity’s sake just stop with the hype until you’ve got something to show, by which I mean a games line-up, a price, and a release date.
Jakey

Monster anticipation
Are you planning on reviewing Monster Hunter Stories 3? I very much enjoyed the last two and the third looks like a development on an already very enjoyable series.

I have the game pre-ordered and whilst I don’t always agree with your reviews I am curious about your take on this spin-off series.
BristolPete

GC: Yes, we’ll have a review this week.

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Keep the plates spinning
Nice to see Resident Evil Requiem doing so well and looking forward to playing it. I’m cheap these days and with a sizeable backlog anyway, can wait for the sales. Still haven’t finished Resident Evil 4 remake yet.

As a fan of the series, though, I’m surprised Capcom and gamers (looking at the GC letters page) are so unimaginative with where they could take these now beloved characters and the absurd zombie conspiracy story they’ve cooked up over the years. Online all you hear is talk of the next remake or DLC. However, with such a rich tapestry to draw on, they could easily churn out new spin-offs and semi-sequels for a while yet.

I mean, why tie yourself down to remaking older entries at all? With the modern RE Engine perfected, just reuse assets from the previous modern games to do side entries with new stories and more regularity. Send Jill Valentine off to Latin America to battle an outbreak and meet a new bunch of scientist weirdos for an all-new direct sequel to Resident Evil 3.

Give Leon and Chris a new game taking down dodgy virus labs in made up ex-Soviet states now they’re special forces bros., etc. Maybe call it Resident Evil Revelations 3. I guess you’d risk it becoming the video game version of those supposedly bad CGI movies nobody watches… but Capcom are on such a roll I’d trust them to get the job done for a few games, before it got stale.

They don’t need to go through the mill of making Resident Evil 5 or 6 work in the modern age, just forget them.
Marc

GC: Resident Evil spin-offs have a very mixed history, whereas almost all the remakes have been great; so it’s not hard to see why fans might prefer one over the other. That said, we’d love to see Revelations 3 happen.

Inbox also-rans
A new game by he creator of Wordle? I wish you hadn’t told me that, as now I will be doing my best to pretend I didn’t know, so I don’t waste my entire morning on it.
Aslan

I wonder why February has become such a big month for new releases. I guess it’s because it’s still dark out in the evening, but so is almost all of March. Seems odd to go from busy to almost nothing.
John Parsnip

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