In case you missed the initial announcement, Nintendo Live 2023 is currently taking place this weekend in Seattle. The event is packed with all sorts of entertainment and as part of this Nintendo is also showcasing its upcoming Switch release Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Nintendo’s Treehouse held a live hands-on gameplay demo – showcasing some earlier courses, the power-ups and the game’s multiplayer. Thankfully, it’s also uploaded the full recording on its YouTube channel. It’s well worth a look if you want to see how the game plays with other people.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is also available to play for the first time at Nintendo Live 2023. In addition to this, the event features experience zones, live performances, a variety stage, NintendoVS tournaments and a special Nintendo pop-up store where you can get your hands on all sorts of merchandise.
This event run from now until 4th September, and the schedule over the next three days includes a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Championship, Zelda Orchestra, Super Mario Big Band, Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament and Splatoon 3 Championship. You can learn more on Nintendo’s official website.
Like the look of Super Mario Bros. Wonder so far? Will you be watching Nintendo Live? Tell us in the comments below.
It’s been another massive week in the world of Nintendo with the company hosting a special Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct.
Ahead of the game’s October release, Nintendo has also given a number of outlets the chance to go hands-on with the game. And now there’s a bunch of previews up, so we’ve decided to round them up into a single a post. So, without further ado, here are the very first previews of Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch:
IGN executive editor Ryan McCaffrey said everything about Nintendo’s new flagship 2D Mario game was worthy of Super Mario’s original legacy:
“Super Mario Bros. Wonder may have a unique name, unattached to any other games in the series’s long and decorated history, but after playing an hour of it, I think Nintendo could’ve gotten away with calling it Super Mario Bros. 4, and all of the weight of expectations that would’ve come with that. (Yes, Super Mario World was arguably Super Mario Bros. 4, but you get my point…)”
Axios Gaming author Stephen Totilo believes Wonder could be an absolute “smash” hit when it launches:
“During Axios’ hands-on time, Wonder felt more forgiving than Nintendo’s major 2D Marios. Power-ups are more plentiful and a new system lets players earn badges that can add powers (higher jumps, parachute hats) or protection (a badge that lets players automatically spring out of otherwise fatal pits, for example).
“The game’s four-player co-op options are less prone to sabotage this time around, too. In a change from the recent co-op 2D Mario game, players can’t bump into each other or toss each other around, as collision impacts are disabled (unless someone wants to ride on Yoshi).”
ComingSoon felt the latest entry in the Super Mario Bros. 2D series is shaping up to be something special:
“The game feels just like a side-scrolling Super Mario game should, but deviates from the norm just enough to make things feel incredibly new and exciting. Combined with new mechanics, power-ups, and ways to play, the next entry in the iconic video game series has the recipe for success.”
GameSpot called Wonder potentially the biggest “2D Mario Rethink” since the Super Nintendo era:
“The titular wonder of Mario Wonder comes from its fantastical stage effects: unique, tailored mechanics that are custom-made for each stage. When you find a Wonder Flower, the entire stage changes to conform to some wild new reality. Most if not all of the Wonder Flowers are entirely missable, which means that each stage is designed to function on two levels–as a regular, well-crafted Mario platforming stage, and also as a zany, mechanic-changing, one-off gameplay experience.”
” It’s the most Mario has ever looked like playing a fully animated cartoon, absent perhaps Paper Mario… Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels alive in a way that 2D Mario hasn’t for years, and may launch an entirely new trajectory for the series going forward.”
And The Gamer said Wonder felt like a “long awaited sequel” to Super Mario Bros. World on the SNES:
“It feels strange to think of Super Mario Bros. Wonder as a game Mario needs, when the series has just opened a massively successful theme park, a billion dollar movie, and continues to host the most recognisable video game character in the world. But 2D Mario did need a leg up to catch up to what its 3D and Kart racing brothers had been up to. Wonder is a super double wall jump up, taking the legendary series to new heights.”
Are you excited for the release of Mario Wonder on the Switch after reading these impressions? Tell us below.
Indie hit Cult of the Lamb recently received a cool Don’t Starve crossover, but if that wasn’t already enough it’s now unveiled officially licensed Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controllers.
These designs were crafted by CptnAlex Designs and are “extremely limited” edition. There are only125 of each controller. They’re priced at $165.00 USD and are expected to ship in late October 2023. So if you want to add these to your collection, you might want to order them sooner rather than later.
Here’s a bit about them:
“These Limited Edition controllers feature a dueling design with the Lamb in both a dashingly adorable flower bed and a dangerously deadly pit of bones! These one of a kind controllers are like nothing else out there, and are extremely limited. Let everyone know you are an official member of the cult with this officially licensed controller from Cult of the Lamb!”
Officially licensed custom controller
Premium Packaging
Exclusive hard enamel pin
Stainless steel authenticity card signed by artist CptnAlex
Official Nintendo Switch Joy-Con controllers used as base. Customised shell.
Would you be interested in this limited edition controller? Tell us below.
Heat Initiative, a child safety advocacy group, is launching a multi-million dollar campaign against Apple to pressure the company into reinstating iCloud CSAM detection.
Heat Initiative said it would launch the campaign against Apple after pressing the tech giant on why it had abandoned plans for on-device and iCloud Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) detection tools. The launch comes after Apple giving its most detailed response yet as to why it backed off its plans, citing that it would uphold user privacy.
In response to Apple, Heat Initiative has officially launched its campaign website. The advocacy group issues a statement on the front page that reads, “Child sexual abuse is stored on iCloud. Apple allows it.”
“Apple’s landmark announcement to detect child sexual abuse images and videos in 2021 was silently rolled back, impacting the lives of children worldwide,” the statement continues. “With every day that passes, there are kids suffering because of this inaction, which is why we’re calling on Apple to deliver on their commitment.”
The website contains alleged case studies that detail multiple cases where iCloud had been used to store sexual abuse materials, including photos, videos, and explicit messages.
It calls on Apple to “detect, report, and remove sexual abuse images and videos from iCloud,” as well as “create a robust reporting mechanism for users to report child sexual abuse images and videos to Apple.”
The company provides a copy of a letter it sent directly to Tim Cook, saying that it was “shocked and discouraged by your decision to reverse course and not institute” CSAM detection measures.
It also includes a button that allows visitors to send a prewritten email demanding action from Apple to the entire Apple executive team.
Child Sexual Abuse Material is an ongoing severe concern Apple attempted to address with on-device and iCloud detection tools. These controversial tools were ultimately abandoned in December 2022, leaving more controversy in its wake.
The Heat Initiative is not alone in its quest. As spotted by9to5mac, the Christian Brothers Investment Services, and Degroof Petercam are respectively filing and backing a shareholder resolution about the topic.
With the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct giving us lots of new information about the game, we’ve also been hearing about some hands-on reports from those who have managed to play the game at Gamescom — and it’s been positive all around.
But one of the best anecdotes to come from those Gamescom 2023 previews comes from an interview Eurogamer had with the game’s director Shiro Mouri and Nintendo executive Takashi Tezuka. It turns out that Mouri himself is a Daisy fan, and like many Nintendo fans, is delighted he’s been able to include her in the 2D platformer.
Mouri has been aware of the positive reception surrounding Daisy’s appearance in the game, and shared his thoughts on why it’s a good thing — it will actually help resolve family feuds at his own home!
“This is a personal family anecdote but I have two daughters myself and when they played previous Mario titles, they would always fight over who gets to play Peach. Including Daisy will help resolve fights within my own household, and also I thought that having Daisy would be something that a lot of Mario fans would be happy with!”
Daisy made her debut in Super Mario Land on the Game Boy, but in terms of playable appearances, she’s basically been relegated to Mario Party, the sports games, and Mario Kart. It took until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for her to be a proper playable fighter — the first Echo Fighter — and she is playable in Super Mario Maker 2 and a couple of mobile titles.
So Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first time Daisy has been properly playable in a mainline Mario game — fantastic news for fans and for Mouri’s family, then! We’re certainly excited.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is out next month on 20th October on Switch. Are you happy to see Daisy playable? Let us know down below.
A certain generation of people are going to feel old when we say this, but Spyro the Dragon is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. And ahead of that big birthday, the official Spyro Twitter account has announced that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy has hit a scorching sales milestone: it’s shifted over 10 million units.
Reignited Trilogy was developed by Toys for Bob and initially launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018 — a Switch release launched the following year. The game contained remasters of the first three Spyro games, which debuted on the original PlayStation — Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer (or Ripto’s Rage! for you North Americans), and Spyro: Year of the Dragon.
With 10 million units sold — at least going by Activision estimates and reports — it’s safe to say fans still love Spyro, and it has many people clamouring for a “true” fourth game in the Spyro series. It happened for Crash Bandicoot, after all, so why not Spyro?
Spyro the Dragon launched on 9th September 1998 on the original PlayStation and stars a purple dragon called Spyro along with his dragonfly friend Sparx. The pair must save the Dragon Kingdom from Gnasty Gnorc, who has turned all of the larger dragons into crystal and stolen all of their gems.
The two sequels expanded the scope of the original, giving players new worlds to explore, new skills to try out, and sometimes new characters to play as. For anyone who grew up with a PlayStation, or who loved 3D platformers, Spyro was a dream come true.
Have you played Spyro Reignited Trilogy on Switch? Would you like to see a fourth “true” Spyro game? Get toasty in the comments.
Retro-style action-adventure Gunbrella — from Gato Roboto developer dionksoft — will be opening up on Nintendo Switch on 13th September.
Publisher Devolver Digital shared the news with a smoking new release date trailer, showcasing the grizzled gunbrella-wielding hero’s skills with this unusual weapon.
The game was originally revealed in an Indie World presentation last year, and we’ve been waiting for it to drizzle down with some action-packed bullet brolly action. You’re on a quest for revenge in a world that’s struggling — a vital natural resource is draining away, placing everyone in danger. And your quest for revenge will cross over with the shady dealings of disturbing organisations and unusual creatures.
Here’s a rundown of what to expect from this fantastic-looking platformer, along with some brand new screens:
GAIN MASTERY OF THE GUNBRELLA Engage in thrilling, side-scrolling action making full use of the Gunbrella’s unique maneuverability and close-quarters combat capabilities. The Gunbrella is more than just a weapon – use it to glide, swing, dash and dive around the world and discover seemingly unattainable secrets along the way.
LEAVE NO STONE GUNTURNED From a small town menaced by cult kidnappings to a junkyard fortress ruled by a ruthless trash gang, explore a diverse assortment of unusual locations and interrogate bizarre characters on your quest for answers. Keep track of findings in your trusty notebook, and remember to retrace your steps…
RETRIEVE. RELOAD. REPEAT. Salvage scrap and spare parts to trade for different munitions and upgrades for your impermeable arsenal. As your search deepens, and you conjure increasingly ghastly agents of the supernatural, you’ll need all the help you can get.
Gunbrella blasts onto the Switch eShop on 13th September for $14.99. Are you ready for a storm when Gunbrella launches? Get under cover in the comments.
After a slightly quieter summer period, the next couple of months are absolutely overflowing with top-tier Switch game releases. We’ve got a new Pokémon game, a new 2D Mario, a new 2D Sonic, and lots, lots more. Wowzers.
We’ve been busy rounding up our usual selection of games headed to retail in the coming weeks, including some highlights picked by us as well as lots of other games and accessories that are launching soon (there are some particularly cool accessories this month, so make sure you don’t skip that section of our guide!).
Have a browse through and see if anything takes your fancy:
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
A special remastered version of Rune Factory 3 is headed to Switch on 5th September, and there’s even a Golden Memories Limited Edition to buy.
This new remaster will have you settling down in your idyllic fantasy town with improved graphics and redesigned 3D character models. Alongside the new graphics, you’ll also discover a brand new Newlywed Mode, standalone adventures unlocked after marriage to each of the game’s 11 eligible bachelorettes, as well as a “Hell” difficulty level that sounds very friendly indeed.
If you haven’t played this action RPG/romance/farming mash-up before, then here’s your chance to see what it’s all about:
Mortal Kombat 1, which is actually the 12th main instalment in the series, fights its way onto Switch and other platforms on 19th September.
Developer NetherRealm says that this new entry will “usher in a new era of the iconic franchise with a new fighting system, game modes, and fatalities”. We recently went hands-on with the game if you’d like to read all about our thoughts; otherwise, you can grab a pre-order using the links below:
The Pikmin 1 + 2 HD remasters are already available digitally on Switch, but the physical edition – perfect for any collectors looking to add two great games to their library in one tasty swoop – launches on 22nd September.
If you’ve missed the news, EA Sports’ FIFA series isn’t allowed to be called FIFA anymore. So here we are with the slightly more clunky-sounding EA Sports FC 24, launching on Switch on 22nd September.
It might not have FIFA’s backing, but there’s no need to worry – EA Sports FC 24 still features 19,000+ fully licensed players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30+ leagues across world football, with all your favourite clubs and stars being included just as they always have been. It’s an interesting new venture for a series that’s sometimes accused of being a bit too ‘samey’ year-on-year. Perhaps this could be the ideal opportunity to freshen things up more than ever before?
The tough-talking, coffee-guzzling Detective Pikachu returns in, well… Detective Pikachu Returns!
A sequel to the original 3DS game, Detective Pikachu Returns sees the titular mouse teaming up with his pal Tim Goodman for another journey to solve a series of mysterious incidents that are occurring within the city. Pre-orders are open now, with more options available here.
In the blue corner of what will be quite the late-October showdown (more on that in the next entry on this list), Sonic Superstars speeds onto Switch on the 17th.
This new platformer will have players setting off on an all-new 2D adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. All-new Emerald powers are also in play, allowing you to move and attack in “dynamic new ways”.
We’re feeling pretty optimistic about what we’ve seen on this one so far, with features like a series-first co-op campaign available. You can treat yourself to a copy below.
And in the red corner of that October battle we have Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the first new 2D Mario game in a decade!
As anyone who watched the game’s initial Nintendo Direct reveal will remember, this new Mario game sees the series’ classic side-scrolling gameplay be turned on its head thanks to the addition of Wonder Flowers! These game-changing items trigger all sorts of weird and wonderful moments like warp pipes coming to life – it all looks utterly fantastic. More pre-order options are available here.
More Upcoming Switch Games For September And October 2023
As well as the highlighted games above, there are plenty of Switch retail games that could pique your interest over the coming weeks…
New Accessories For Your Switch
And finally, below you’ll find a selection of Switch accessories coming up soon as well as our Switch buyer’s guides if you’re looking for anything in particular.
Folding phones, while new, have been the same for a little while now, but Honor looks like it could shake things up. At IFA 2023 in Berlin, the company announced the Honor V Purse, a phone that has its screen all around the outside of the case and unfolds to make a bigger screen. It’s definitely different from the other best foldable phones on the market at the moment.
While it may sound impractical, it’s only a concept phone, and Honor is advertising the device in a different sort of way. It’s all in on the fashion side of things, with the phone getting a handbag-style strap, various designs for the outside of the device, and even a catwalk fashion display on the show floor at IFA. It’s putting the device firmly in a different category from usual flagships.
Of course, it’s just a concept phone, but the design does raise some questions. Obviously, having your display all around the outside of the phone isn’t going to be good for hazard-prone fashionistas — that thing’s gonna crack — while the idea of having a fashionable wallpaper always on also sounds fun, that’s gonna murder battery life. And it doesn’t look like the device could fit a particularly big battery either.
Still, it’s good fun, and there’s no point in being a tech cynic about it. Just look at the video below and see for yourself.
Nuchallenger has unveiled DLC for its NES-inspired brawler Treachery in Beatdown City, three years after the game’s initial launch. Plus, it’s coming to Switch on 13th September.
Announced during yesterday’s The MIX Next Online Fall Showcase 2023, Treachery in Beatdown City: Ultra Remix is a big update that includes some new story, levels, attacks, defense, enemies, music… basically, whatever you can think of, it’s there.
The swish reveal trailer (above), complete with some lovely hand-drawn animation and those NES-style visuals, showcases just some of what to expect from the DLC. And, according to the trailer, if you own Treachery in Beatdown City now, you’ll get the DLC for free when it launches later this month — this may only apply to the Steam version, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for if you’ve already go the game.
Anyway, here’s a rundown of the DLC itself from its Steam page:
Treachery in Beatdown City: ULTRA REMIX is a massive story and content update for Treachery in Beatdown City! Tripling the content, Ultra Remix adds new levels, lots of new exciting attacks, defense options, ~80 more enemies to fight, new music, and more!
Key features:
– New enemies to fight! From aggressive musical performers, terrible tourists to abusive cops, washed up wrestlers and of course, ninja dragon terrorists. – New attacks! From all new dashing strikes, running lariats, backflip kicks and more. Gain lots of new ways to attack your enemies! – New defense options! Parries and rolls create all new ways to defend and fight back! – New maps including the bustle of Times Square, the sunlit roofs of East Fulton, dreary subways, talk show backstage areas, and more! – New weapons to wield including steel chairs and nunchucks! – All new amazing tunes from Inverse Phase!
Treachery in Beatdown City: Ultra Remix takes a swing on Switch on 13th September. Will you be returning to Beatdown City then? Duke it out in the comments.
