Pokémon Legends: Z-A preorders include a free starter pin

Read our full review of Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

Walmart is winning Pokémon Legends: Z-A preorders thanks to a free starter Pokémon pin bonus with every physical copy of the game. It's a cut above retailers like Best Buy.

Sadly, these preorder pins have suffered stock issues, but Walmart has reopened the preorder flood gates once again. Best of all? Walmart is still offering a release day shipping time, so trainers won't need to wait for their dose of new Pokémon for the sake of a Chikorita, Totodile, or Tepig pin.

Pokémon Legends Z-A is set to be the biggest shake up ever for mainline Pokémon games. Moving battle mechanics towards real-time, trainers will need to shift their focus to movement, how long attacks take to cool down, and collecting mega energy orbs to Mega Evolve their own Pokémon.

It's great to see Mega Evolution return after 12 years, and there's even brand new Mega Evolutions of fan-favorite Pokémon such as Dragonite. Set in Kalos' Luminose City, it's a far cry from the usual region touring adventures and Legends Arceus "open-zone" gameplay.

Using rooftop traversal and sections of the city fenced off as wild areas for Pokémon to live in, it's an interesting take on moving Pokémon games forward whilst keeping that winning formula that's kept it in first place. Instead of gyms and the Pokémon League, the Z-A Royale has trainers earning ranks by facing off against trainers in battle zones, working from ranks Z to A with promotional battles at every rank increase.

All in all, it's a promising concept and a sign of the Pokémon Company moving in the right direction. Still on the fence about Pokémon Legends: Z-A? Our review goes into more detail.