Why does it feel like no one is talking about the fact that we’re getting a literal Pokémon Animal Crossing game next week?

Hello? Cozy gamers, are you awake? Next week feels pretty huge for you, doesn’t it? HELLO!?

There’s a handful of video games I can mention to my casual gaming friends that can really get them in a tizzy. Call of Duty (for my male friends I grew up with), and Animal Crossing (for just about anybody) are two that come to mind.

And then there’s Pokémon, that just about everybody knows about, even senior citizens and kids. We’re getting a combination of two of Nintendo’s biggest and most successful IPs, and I feel like I’m not hearing or seeing much hype or discussion about it.

Pokémon Pokopia is a life sim game that combines the world of Pokémon with gameplay of games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Dragon Quest Builders, and it looks and sounds like it has the makings of a huge title. So why does it feel like the hype levels are missing?

I could be way off base, but this game seems to be slipping through the cracks when it comes to the general gaming public that would be interested in a game like Animal Crossing, which took the gaming lexicon by the neck back in 2020 (assisted quite a bit by COVID-19, but still).

One of the questions my friends ask me the most about my job is “when is the next Animal Crossing coming out?” Well, probably not for a long while, but this is easily the next best thing. Nintendo Treehouse played Pokopia during a live stream yesterday and showed off just how deep it is, and it evokes New Horizons memories in the best ways.

In Pokopia, you play as a Ditto that’s basically cosplaying as a human and rebuilding an island to make it habitable for the Pokémon you find. With the purple blob’s powers to copy other Pokémon’s abilities, you can basically transform to use HM moves to terraform and navigate the island.

Squirtle gives you Water Gun to water plants, Bulbasaur gives you Leafage to grow grass, Hitmonchan teaches you Rock Smash to break obstacles, and Scyther gifts you the power to Cut shrubbery in your way. You can befriend the Pokémon you find and recruit some (like Timburr) to build housing, all while adding them to your Pokédex. You get the picture, and that picture is one to be very excited about, if you ask me.

Pokopia also offers online multiplayer where friends can join in on your save and help you build out the area, gather materials, and more. Everything sounds awesome, so I hope the excitement will follow suit, because I feel like this could be a huge title for the Switch 2.

And I think maybe that could be an issue as to why I’m not hearing much about it: it’s Switch 2 exclusive. It also has some competition with other high-profile games dropping on the same day, like Slay the Spire 2 and Marathon, but those don’t feel like this one’s target audience.

I don’t often buy many games anymore, instead choosing to spend my time working on whatever I need to cover for Destructoid, but I will be purchasing Pokopia and playing it whenever I have downtime, because everything it’s shown so far tells me it could bring back those cozy feelings of Animal Crossing to focus on as opposed to anything else happening outside of the game.

Pokémon Pokopia launches for Switch 2 on March 5, and I’m hoping it’ll be the first Pokémon game to really grab me in quite some time.

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Rainbow Six Mobile is now available on mobile devices worldwide, and there are a fair number of operators to unlock at launch.

Operators in Rainow Six Mobile are broadly categorized into Attackers and Defenders. Suffice to say, every Operator is different in terms of how they operate. Despite the game being in its early days, some Operators are simply better.

This guide will help you figure out which Operators are pretty strong in the current meta, and which ones are best avoided at all costs.

Complete Rainbow Six Mobile Attackers tier list

To separate the Operators, I have used four different tiers.

• S-tier Operators are the best choices in their respective roles, and they’re extremely strong at launch.
• A-tier Operators are pretty close to the names on the S-tier, but they have a few weaknesses.
• B-tier Operators are strong characters to consider, but they’re not exactly meta.
• C-tier Operators are either clunky or just poor overall. They’re best avoided unless you’re a fan.

First, let’s look at the Attackers.

S-tier

Name	Reason
Hibana	Hibana is the best breacher in the current roster, all thanks to her X-Kairos Launcher. She can breach fortified and softer walls equally well and open new areas for her allies.
Dokkaebi	Having information on your hand is crucial, and that’s where Dokkaebi comes in. While I don’t like the fact that you have to get at least one kill with her, the ability is absolutely overpowered.
Thatcher	Thatcher is arguably the best supporter in the entire game and his EMPs are great to disable opposition gadgets. This can put the enemy team on backfoot and hand your allies an unexpected advantage.
Lion	Similar to Dokkaebi, Lion can reveal enemy movements. His signature weapon helps to restrict the enemy movement, and you can also use it to corner isolated targets.

A-tier

Name	Reason
Thermite	Thermite is almost as effective as Hibana when it comes to breaching doors. However, his Exothermic Charges can be slightly clunky to handle, which puts him in the A-tier.
Twitch	She is one of the easiest characters to master as her Shock Drone auto-targets and disables enemy gadgets. She’s A-tier since the enemy can shoot at her when she’s controlling the drone.
Capitao	Since he can cover the enemy’s vision of the map, you can force your opponents to play in certain zones. This allows your allies to corner and flush them out for easy kills.
Ash	A solid breacher who can open up multiple entry-points and secure them due to her incredible speed. However, you’ll still need to master the art of rushing in, as timing it poorly can end with you getting killed instead.

B-tier

Name	Reason
Sledge	While Sledge is limited as a breacher due to the slow speed of his hammer, his melee ability makes it easy for you to learn the basics with him.
Deimos	This is one of the hardest attackers to master, and he also struggles when playing alone. Deimos can be considered as A-tier in a well-coordinated team.
Buck	Buck is the perfect example of an Operator who can do almost everything without specializing in any area. His ability to break soft surfaces without having to change his primary is really cool.
Ying	The Candela Flash Charge is amazing at blinding the enemy, but aiming it with precision is extremely difficult on a mobile device. You’ll also need other allies to max out its effectiveness.

C-tier

Name	Reason
Glaz	The Therman Flip Scope allows Glaz to see enemies in smoke, or when you’re hidden in smoke. The problem is the heavy reliance on smoke. If there’s no smoke, Glaz’s ability has zero value.
ATK Recruit	Good starting operator with an extra gadget, but should be replaced at the earliest possibility.

Rainbow Six Mobile Defenders tier list

For Defenders, I have once again used a four-grade tier system, with similar logic behind every rank.

S-tier

Name	Reason
Mira	Mira’s Black Mirror allows you to view enemies through soft and reinforced surfaces, which is such a fun ability to have. Moreover, the enemy will have no idea that you’re well aware of their movements.
Bandit	Arguably the best Defender in the current meta, his Shock Wires are absolutely stunning. The gadget can nullify almost all Breacher abilities and prevents them from breaking the surface.
Mute	He becomes a must-have if the opposition has Dokkaebi. Mute can deny all opposition information with his drones. His jammer also activates against enemy gadgets that can be detonated remotely.
Maestro	Maestro’s Evil Eye is great at detecting enemies with its laser, and the high durability is a bonus.

A-tier

Name	Reason
Smoke	Smoke is a classic Defender who uses his Gas Grenade to keep enemies from entering specific areas. The effects last for a decent amount of time.
Jager	Jager has one of the simplest gameplay. Once you plant his Magpie Defense Systerm, it’s job done. Your remaining task is to hold the strategic points and shoot at the opposition attackers.
Kapkan	Kapkan’s Entry Denial Device is a brilliant hybrid that can either hinder enemy movement, or even get kills (thanks to the five charges).
Frost	Her Welcome Mats, if placed properly, can restrict enemy Attackers for the rest of the Round. However, the placement is key to maximize their effects.

B-tier

Name	Reason
Caveira	If you’re good at takedowns, Caveira is S-tier. She can locate all enemies by completing an interrogation (which requires you to take down a single enemy).
Valkyrie	While her Black Eye Camera can provide information to the team, it takes a lot of time to set them up effectively. Sometimes, rounds might be over before you can properly set up all her cameras.
Castle	His Armor Panel is great at slowing down enemies when they’re trying to push on to the objective.
Rook	A very basic Defender who has extra HP to take more damage. However, he is slightly slow to move.

C-tier

The DEF Recruit is a good operator to learn the role of a Defender, but he doesn’t have much use otherwise.

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