Lifestyle
Pokémon Legends Z-A is a game of epic proportions, best played on the Switch 2

The new Mega Evolution for Chesnaught and the pristine surroundings of Lumiose City, a setting based on Paris, France.
Nintendo
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Nintendo
In 2013, Pokémon X and Y transformed the franchise with a massive visual overhaul as the first 3D entries in the main series. The games also introduced Mega Evolution, a feature that made strong creatures even bigger and badder, from Mega Charizard to Mega Blastoise.
Releasing over a decade later but set in the same region as X and Y, Pokémon Legends: Z-A (PLZA, for short) feels like a mega evolution for the whole franchise — a colossal achievement that runs splendidly on the Nintendo Switch 2 after the buggy disappointments of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Mega changes to a classic formula
The Pokémon Company’s strength has always been its willingness to iterate.
While the past Legends game, Arceus, broke the mold by placing all its battles in a seamless open world, PLZA goes further with a new system that grants players more autonomy over their Pokémon’s actions.
In a first for the franchise, trainers no longer need to wait their turn to unleash a Thunderbolt or Hurricane from their Pikachu or Pidgeot. PLZA takes Pokémon’s core turn-based combat and ramps up the dynamism in real-time.

One of the many real-time battles in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Nintendo/Jamal Michel
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Nintendo/Jamal Michel
Power Points originally dictated how many times a trainer could use a Pokémon’s move. Once depleted, you’d need to replenish those points or choose a new ability. PLZA flips that system on its head, with a cooldown timer instead of Power Points dictating how and when you can use your move. All the action happens as your trainer scurries around the battlefield, without players taking turns.
While there isn’t an explicit dodge button or command, players can help their Pokémon like Ash Ketchum does on the television show — by using a move to evade a move. Abilities like U-Turn and Volt Switch, which used to swap out active Pokémon, now position them closer to the player’s location, allowing them to avoid enemy attacks.
Freedom to throw hands with challengers
This fluid combat brings a wild variety that’s been missing from previous Pokémon titles. But the novelty’s paired with a familiar structure.
In PLZA, you’ll have to climb the region’s ladder of ranked trainers (from Z to A, naturally) and claim dominance over the Pokémon “royale” scene of Lumiose City, where the game takes place.

Mega Greninja readies an attack.
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The most hilarious moments in my playthrough came when I hid behind garbage cans and bushes in the Battle Zone (which activates during the game’s night cycle) to eagerly jump an unaware trainer and their Pokémon. Climbing the ranks is dirty work, but PLZA makes each encounter absolutely worthwhile, especially when your Pokémon knocks out an unsuspecting Beedrill with a Flamethrower attack!
Lumiose City offers plenty of space to explore, a robust collection of clothing items players have been begging for, and new objectives for those trying to fill their Pokédex or complete research tasks (yes, those make a return from Arceus and expedite some of the endgame content in the best way possible).
A story worth telling
The game’s characters are also eccentric and lovable, as we’ve come to expect from the series.
The protagonist’s friends — like Naveen, whose blasé and ineffably cool personality is going to take over the internet — are loving, fierce, and at times incredibly self-aware and even a little self-deprecating. Your player character joins their group, Team MZ, and quickly learns about the city’s history and their place in it all.

From left to right, the player character, Taunie, Lida, and Naveen meet around a table
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Through PLZA, The Pokémon Company seems to be making subtle meta-commentary too. Subplots involve overly attached “super fans,” aggressive culture connoisseurs, and trainers trapped in parasocial relationships they fail to recognize. What’s more, the dialogue doesn’t drag on as much as Arceus did, which critics felt slowed the game’s pace.
Instead, PLZA channels many of the narrative beats of 2019’s Pokémon Sword and Shield. Major twists and revelations are grounded and earned. Its tone and style feel like an anime instead of a traditional Pokémon game, with huge cinematic moments that arrive and resolve in the most satisfying ways. I was surprised by how much the story’s incredible ending moved me.
After seeing the credits roll, I can say, hands-down, that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is one of the franchise’s best games. Not content to simply trot out new and returning Mega Evolutions, it takes some real risks. While it’s best experienced on the Switch 2, rather than through the compromised version for the original Switch, the game’s nothing short of a triumph: somehow both epic and cozy — and completely unforgettable.


Lifestyle
E-Tailer Oushq Relaunches in Partnership with the CFDA
Lifestyle
In Marc Maron’s last ‘WTF’ podcast episode, Obama offers advice on closing chapters

Marc Maron attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Apple TV+ New Series “Stick” at AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles, Calif. on May 29.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
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The bi-weekly podcast by actor and comedian Marc Maron ended with presidential flair — capping a more than 15-year run that reached millions of listeners.
Episode 1,686 of WTF with Marc Maron dropped on Monday featuring former President Barack Obama as the final guest.
At the start of the episode, Maron explained that he wanted to speak with someone who can help not only reflect on the podcast’s legacy, but how he and his listeners should navigate the world. He also wanted insight from the former president on the current state of politics moving forward.
“And how do we do it with some grace and perhaps some hope and some focus,” Maron said, asking how to engage in civil discourse.
Obama first appeared on WTF back in 2015, recording from inside Maron’s garage. For the second conversation, Maron said it was only fair that this time he host the show from Obama’s house in Washington, D.C.
During their hour-long talk, the two spoke about President Trump’s second administration, the impact of social media and the need to treat others with decency and respect.
Maron launched WTF with producer Brendan McDonald in September 2009 when podcasting started to gain traction. Over the years, it became the go-to spot for in-depth conversations with actors, directors, writers and most notably, other comedians. Some entertainers who appeared on the podcast include Robin Williams, Louis C.K. and Lorne Michaels.
WTF won several awards throughout the years, including Best Comedy Podcast in 2016 by the Academy of Podcasters.
In July, Maron told NPR’s Fresh Air that ending the podcast was a difficult decision, but that he and McDonald had reached a point where they were proud of what they created and were feeling burnt out.

“I just don’t think there’s any shame in stopping if moving forward would compromise either my or Brendan’s vision of the thing or our ability to do it,” he said on Fresh Air. “We’ve maintained our audience all these years, and a lot of them are very close to me. And oddly, the decision made sense to a lot of them.”
Part of Maron’s charm on WTF was his vulnerability. He openly discussed his struggles with anxiety, loss and past addiction to drugs and alcohol. During the last episode of WTF, Maron told Obama that he was ready for the break but he also felt some nervousness about what comes next.
“There is sort of a fear there, of what do I do now?” he said.
“There is a feeling of like, how am I going to feel less alone? How am I going to deal with my mental this or that? And how am I going to find, you know, a way to exist in the world that we’re living in?” Maron added.

The former president responded by sharing how he adjusted to life after leaving the White House.
“Don’t rush into what the next thing is. Take a beat and take some satisfaction,” Obama said. “Pat yourself on the back for a second.”
Lifestyle
L.A. Times Concierge: My 73-year-old mom is visiting from the East Coast. Where should I take her?

My 73-year-old mother is coming to visit from the East Coast. She recently had hip surgery and it’s painful for her to walk too far. She likes quirky experiences like sushi on conveyor belts. I live in Sawtelle. Other times she has come we have gone to the Getty Villa, a couple studio tours, live taping of “Jeopardy!” and a local ramen place. She likes places with a backstory. For example in Boulder, she wanted to drive past the house where JonBenét Ramsey had lived because she is obsessed with true crime. One thing she did say she wanted to do was try to see “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” — CJ Schellack
Here’s what we suggest:
First off, your mom sounds like a good time. And I agree with her: The best places to visit often have an interesting backstory. Let’s start with the food. Given that your mom likes sushi experiences, make a stop at Yama Sushi Marketplace, conveniently located in your neighborhood. The family-owned Japanese seafood shop sells restaurant-quality sushi at takeout prices, writes Tiffany Tse in our guide to Sawtelle. “Just point to what catches your eye, and the staff will slice it fresh, sashimi-style, right in front of you,” she adds. Or if you’d prefer to check out another revolving sushi spot, check out Kura, which has a Sawtelle location.
To satisfy your mom’s appetite for one-of-a-kind, quirky experiences, head to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Highland Park. Yes, it’s a bit of a push from your hood — don’t go during rush hour — but it’s worth the trek, especially if you have a sweet tooth. The 100-year-old family-owned shop is stacked with aisles of rare sodas from around the globe, nostalgic candies and retro toys that its 82-year-old owner John Nese tells me “you can’t find anywhere else.” In the back of the shop, next to the make-your-own-soda station, there’s a deli stand that sells “blockbuster” sandwiches — a name that was inspired by boxing legend Rocky Marciano who, after tasting one, declared “This is a real blockbuster!” (Pro tip: If Nese is there when you visit — and the likelihood is high because he “practically lives there,” he says — be sure to ask him for a rec.)
Once you’ve secured your snacks, grab a picnic blanket or low chair and head over to Hollywood Forever Cemetery to watch a movie — a favorite L.A. experience for many of my colleagues. Through Halloween, Cinespia is hosting movie nights at the cemetery where stars like Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Johnny Ramone are laid to rest. Films are projected onto a mausoleum wall and moviegoers sit on the lawn (an open area with no graves). There’s a designated wheelchair user and companion area with restrooms close by, and accessible parking is available with a placard (though you’ll still need to buy a parking pass in advance).
But if you think your mom would be more comfortable indoors, check out the Quentin Tarantino-owned New Beverly Cinema, known for screening double features of classic, indie, cult and foreign flicks the old-fashioned way — on 35mm film. As Michael Ordoña writes in our guide to the best movie theaters in Los Angeles, “the New Bev is just what a rep cinema should be. It’s cozy, with a mellow, enthusiastic vibe. Surprises sometimes occur.”
To tap into your mom’s inner true crime fascination, make a visit to some of L.A.’s darker landmarks. “I like to take friends visiting from the East Coast on a drive along the Sunset Strip to show them where famous people died, like Belushi at Chateau Marmont and River Phoenix outside the Viper Room,” senior audience editor Vanessa Franko tells me. (Bonus: You don’t even need to get out of your car.) But if you prefer an actual tour, visit the Greystone Mansion and Gardens, where oil heir and homeowner Ned Doheny and his secretary, Hugh Plunkett, were found dead in 1929. Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds recommends it, saying that at this destination, you get “a crime scene, filming location and L.A. oil history, all in one.” We’ve also curated a list of 12 iconic L.A. film and TV horror homes that’s worth checking out (the filming location for the WB series “Charmed” is featured in the photo illustration above). I hope that you and your very cool mom have the best time. Please send us pictures if you hit up any of these spots.
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