Technologies

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Hands-On: Trying Out Real-Time and Mega-Evolution Fights

A 20-minute peek at the highly-anticipated sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

I wandered the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center days before it would be flooded with tens of thousands of fans for the 2025 Pokemon World Championships, looking for a tucked-away room to get a taste of a game diehard Poke-nerds would give anything to see. For a brief 20 minutes, I got to play Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Let’s be clear: My time with the upcoming game — split into two 10-minute sessions — was hardly enough to reveal every way Z-A will build on its predecessor. The groundbreaking 2022 title Pokemon Legends: Arceus brought the storied monster-training franchise into an open world set in its distant past — a wilder, less civilized era when Pokemon roamed the land largely unchecked.

Instead, Pokemon Legends: Z-A brings the series into the present — a shift that’s stirred mixed feelings among fans. In my brief hands-on, though, I spotted some promising tweaks to the Arceus formula, especially on the Switch 2 (docked mode, to be exact), where I saw no performance hiccups.

The first 10-minute slice of Pokemon Legends: Z-A focused on trainer battles in a sprawling city. I started with a four-monster team which included familiar faces like Chikorita, Mareep and Weedle, and entered the Battle Zone. There, I could challenge (and be challenged by) other trainers. All of it was part of the mysterious, eponymous Z-A Royale, a competitive league where I began at the very bottom: Z grade, naturally.

The twisting alleys of the Battle Zone hid trainers ready to pounce, but unlike in Arceus, battles here start instantly in the field and play out in real time — enemy Pokemon will chip away at your HP if you don’t send one of your own to fight. Holding L2 targets an opponent, and each of your monster’s moves is mapped to the face buttons (A, B, X, Y), each with its own cooldown. That let me slip in stat-affecting moves like Growl between damage-dealing Tackles — almost like injecting some fast-paced Pokemon Unite DNA into the open-world formula. Swapping Pokemon is simple: Use the directional pad to pick a benched monster, then press up to switch it in.

Like any Pokemon game, trainers can catch you off guard, letting their Pokemon sneak in a few attacks before you send out your own. You can turn the tables by locking on with L2 and choosing an attack from your active Pokemon, making the Battle Zones feel almost like PvP areas. Unlike in Arceus, you can use potions and other healing items between or during battles — just watch out, as real-time attacks don’t pause while you’re in menus.

With my party of level-seven and -eight monsters and just a trio of trainers to beat, this Battle Zone felt like an early section designed to help players get acclimated. There’s no telling how complex future Battle Zones might get — or what other environments might allow battles between trainers (or even wild Pokemon). These areas seem tuned to the Z-A Royale competition, with beaten trainers awarding not just rank-improving tickets but also prize medals (earned for wins and forfeited for losses). Battle Zones take place at night, and at daybreak you’ll receive prize money based on how many medals you’ve won or found lying around.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Mega-Evolution battles

The second 10-minute demo, short as it was, held the flashier attraction: a Mega-Evolution battle that served as a hefty, story-driven boss encounter. While Arceus had plenty of big, strong Pokemon to encounter in the wild, Z-A’s addition of Mega Evolution lets players face beefed-up versions of regular monsters in longer, more challenging fights.

I started the demo chasing a legendary Zygarde in its dog-like 10% form, which led me to a city rooftop and an Absol radiating Mega Power. It’s not the first time Pokemon have bristled with unstable energy — a mysterious, professorly figure named AZ caught up to us, calling it another Rogue Mega Evolution. Just as the creature evolved into Mega Absol, AZ lent us his Lucario to battle the frenzied Pokemon.

This boss battle took the lion’s share of the second demo to beat, building on the real-time combat I’d experienced with trainers and adding its own unique mechanic: When I’d dealt enough damage to the Mega Absol, it would drop colorful Mega Power orbs I could collect. While dangerous to collect — the Mega-Evolved Pokemon hurled attacks my trainer had to dodge or risk losing health — filling the bar let me Mega-Evolve my Lucario to carve off even bigger chunks of the boss’s HP.

What followed was a fun romp and a promising glimpse at the game’s boss battles, with me (the trainer) darting around the small arena to dodge lunges and ranged attacks while managing Lucario’s move cooldowns to chip away at Mega Absol’s health. Some of those moves were damaging, while at least one other — Protect — nullified enemy attacks, a very neat application of an otherwise passive, classic Pokemon move.

After a close shave with my health in the red, I defeated Mega Absol and won an Absolite for my trouble — a stone that would let me attach it to my own Absol to Mega-Evolve it in a future battle.

My 20 minutes with Pokemon Legends: Z-A left a lot of questions unanswered about the upcoming game, which comes out Oct. 16. Would it have the Breath of the Wild-style open-world exploration that made Pokemon Legends: Arceus such a success? What other changes are in store for the switch to a modern-day setting? But at least I can satisfy fan curiosity about the real-time combat: It’s engaging, fast and rewards quick thinking to maximize type advantages. Still, plenty of stones remain unturned for Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Technologies

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”