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'Super Mario Odyssey' may look bizarre, but it feels just right
There's perhaps no better example of Nintendo's creativity in game design than the Super Mario Bros. franchise. At a glance, the company's mascot seems like an unchanging, static figure. In reality, every game he stars in tweaks the Mario formula ever so slightly -- adding new power-ups in Super Mario Bros. 3, rethinking level design in Super Mario World or introducing exploration in Super Mario 64. If the E3 demo of the newest game in the franchise is any indication, our favorite plumber's latest adventure is no different: Super Mario Odyssey is a creative, joyously fun remix on a formula the company has been tweaking for decades.
The Morning After: Wednesday, June 14th 2017
Welcome to the middle of the week. It was Nintendo's turn to dominate E3, the world's biggest gaming show. Super Mario Odyssey is coming to the Switch this October, Intel is making VR better and the Atari 2600 is back. Kind of.
Watch Nintendo's E3 2017 event in under 7 minutes
The E3 Nintendo Spotlight earlier today delivered a load of announcements in about half an hour. We're all busy people, and you might not have time to watch the entire event to catch up on the news. Now you don't have to. We've cut down the the finer points to a clip that's less than seven minutes. Sit back, relax and check out all of the Switch, Mario, Kirby, Yoshi and Pokémon stuff you may have missed. And yes, there's Metroid.
Mario Kart is drifting into a Japanese VR arcade
Few things in life are as uniquely stressful as pulling into first place in Mario Kart, only to hear a Blue Shell hurtling at you from behind. There's no escape -- all you can do is close your eyes and accept your inevitable defeat. That experience is going to get infinitely more dreadful for players who visit the VR Zone in Shinjuku, Japan: Bandai Namco has developed a version of Mario Kart for the HTC Vive, complete with the tiny pseudo-cars for players to plop down into.
'Super Mario Odyssey' comes to the Switch October 27th
When Nintendo announced Super Mario Odyssey alongside the Nintendo Switch reveal, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Sure, the Wii U had New Super Mario Bros U, Mario Maker and the excellent platforming of Super Mario 3D World -- but the open-world exploration mechanics of Sunshine, Galaxy and Super Mario 64 skipped Nintendo's last console. When Nintendo teased Odyssey as a refreshing return to form, it didn't give us a lot to go on. We knew Mario would explore a earth-like metropolis named New Donk City. We knew he could dance. We knew he had a magic hat. Now, we know when we'll be able to play it all: Today at E3, Nintendo announced that Super Mario Odyssey would launch on October 27th.
'Yoshi' on Switch is more cardboard, less yarn
There's a new art style coming to the Yoshi franchise in its latest game, as the title character trundles around a diorama-styled 2.5-D setup collecting items, defeating enemies and solving puzzles. As shown in the trailer below, it will feature co-op gameplay like Donkey Kong Country Returns or the New Super Mario Bros games, and, in a change from Yoshi's Woolly World, the eggs are back. Nintendo says this action platformer will arrive on the Switch in 2018.
Playing all the games at Nintendo's Switch event
We've touched the hardware and were left with some good impressions. But that's only half of the equation: What about the games? Nintendo is offering several upgraded (and some brand new) titles for the Switch. While some depend on the new controller interfaces (Arms) and sharing aspects of the new console (1-2-Switch!), others, in classic Nintendo style, tap in our nostalgia (Sonic Mania, Ultimate Street Fighter 2). And there was another chance to play Zelda. Here's every title we could get our hands on at the Switch event.
Watch the Nintendo Switch event in less than 12 minutes
What a night. While you were (probably) fast asleep, Nintendo ended months of speculation by revealing a ton of new info about its upcoming console. Most important, the Switch launches globally March 3rd and will cost $300. Nintendo also announced a number of new games for the system, including Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, a custom Switch version of FIFA, Xenoblade 2, Skyrim and a weird but fun-looking new IP -- Arms. There are also new titles and ports from big hitters like Ubisoft and Square Enix, and we're even promised a sequel to No More Heroes.
Here are all the trailers from the Nintendo Switch event
When Nintendo revealed its mysterious NX game console as the Switch in October, we still didn't know much. Yes, it was a hybrid portable game console with new games in the Super Mario, Legend of Zelda and Splatoon franchises -- but how much was it going to cost? When was it coming out? What else would we be able to play? Now that the console's official reveal is over, we have answers: $300, March 3rd and a whole lot. On top of teasing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo's Switch reveal event showed us trailers for a new Fire Emblem game, a second Xenoblade Chronicles, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and so much more.
'Super Mario Odyssey' puts Nintendo's plumber in the real world
Super Mario Odyssey is Nintendo's latest Mario game, and it's due to hit the Switch during the holiday season this year. The new adventure is a sandbox-style game that throws Nintendo's famous plumber into environments from the real world.
Mario and pals are coming back to UK Happy Meals this week
The most famous Italian plumber, well... ever has been unexpectedly popping up all over the place lately. But skateboard shoes, late-night TV and smartphones were just the beginning. Now Mario is sliding back into Happy Meals from McDonald's according to Nintendo Life. His appearance is flawlessly timed ahead of this week's big livestream for the Wii U successor, Switch, too.
Nikkei expects Nintendo Switch will sell for less than $250 in Japan
It's almost a tradition: Nintendo teases a new product and Nikkei reports a key detail just before its official reveal. The Japanese paper successfully called the Nintendo DSi, key details of the 3DS and got pretty close to the Wii U's launch price. Now, paper is predicting a ballpark price for the Nintendo Switch. Nikkei says fans should plan to spend about ¥25,000 for Nintendo's next device in Japan -- about $215 at today's exchange rate.
'Mario Kart 64' is the Wii U Virtual Console's latest addition
Sure, Mario Kart 8 is great and all, but if you wanted to see the original version of "Toad's Turnpike" on the Wii U, your options have been pretty limited. Tomorrow changes that, as Mario Kart 64 will release on the system's Virtual Console. Revisiting the Nintendo 64 game will run you $9.99, and for that you'll get off-TV play and dim, washed out graphics -- the latter is a staple for just about everything on Virtual Console.
'Super Mario Run' hits 40 million downloads in four days
Nintendo has released official download figures for its first (true) smartphone game. 40 million people have tapped their way through the free version of Super Mario Run in just four days. The full game is priced at $10, but Nintendo didn't reveal exactly how many Mario Runners have decided to take the plunge. How does that compare to 2016's smartphone hit, Pokémon Go? Well, it's not a simple comparison.
'Super Mario Run' is now available
Finally, there's a Mario game on smartphones. As promised, Nintendo has released Super Mario Run today, giving iPhone and iPad users a new way to run, leap and spin through the Mushroom Kingdom. It's an auto-runner, meaning the portly plumber will jog, hop and vault over obstacles automatically. You tap the screen to jump, leaping across gaps and goombas to collect colorful coins. It sounds simple, but there's a surprising amount of complexity to the platforming. Like Rayman Jungle Run, timing is essential to unlock contextual moves, such as rolls and wall jumps.
'Super Mario Run' won't work offline due to piracy concerns
Super Mario Run doesn't arrive for another few days, but when it does, you'll need a constant internet connection to play the game. In an interview with Mashable, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that due to piracy concerns, the latest installment of Mario doesn't have an offline mode. The company is worried about piracy because the game will be available in 150 countries on devices that it doesn't have direct control over.
The Morning After: Thursday, December 8, 2016
Hey, good morning! Last night, Nintendo showed off the Switch and its debut mobile Super Mario game, Microsoft laid down some big plans for 2017 and 10,000 Sprint stores are turning into PokéStops.
'Super Mario Run' is just as much fun as we'd hoped
It's no stretch to say that Super Mario Run (launching December 15th for iOS; an Android version will arrive next year) is one of the most notable mobile games in years. It's Nintendo's first real smartphone game and one of the only instances in which the company has developed a Mario game for non-Nintendo hardware. It's the first of several mobile titles planned and could mark the start of a major business shift for Nintendo. But let's put aside all these heady concerns about what Super Mario Run means for the company and answer the most important question: Is the game fun?
Nintendo's Switch might play GameCube games
Following years of pining after GameCube games on the Virtual Console, it looks like Nintendo fans will soon be getting their wish. According to a recent report by Eurogamer, the Nintendo Switch is rumored to be the first Nintendo console to offer GameCube games on its Virtual Console. Citing several sources within the company, the article states that Nintendo already has classic titles like Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion and Super Smash Bros. Melee running on the Switch.
'Super Mario Run' arrives on iPhone and iPad December 15th
At the iPhone 7 event, Apple and Nintendo revealed that Mario would make his way to iOS devices this December. Well, today Nintendo revealed the exact date: December 15th. That's the day Super Mario Run will be available to play on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The app can be downloaded for free, but you'll only be able to play parts of the game's three modes without handing over additional funds. To unlock the full game, you'll have to pay $10.
