Harmonix’s Fuser finally has a release date and it’s coming on November 10.
Fuser was announced back in February as a new take on the rhythm gaming genre where, instead of focusing on hitting notes as they come down a moving track, your job is to keep the crowd excited with your musical mashups. Harmonix announced today that players will get the chance to try their hand at being a virtual DJ on November 10 when the game arrives for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC. It’s not clear if the game wil lcome to PS5 or Xbox Series X, or if it will be backward compatible on the new consoles.
Oddly enough, the game is only available for preorder on Xbox and Steam and the Epic Games Store on PC. You can’t preorder a PlayStation version or Nintendo Switch version at time of writing.
November 10 is close to where Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X respectively, are expected to launch. We don’t technically have a release date for either console but Microsoft has said the Xbox Series X will launch in November. Perhaps Fuser will come to next-gen consoles but for now, only time will tell.
Super Mario 3D All Stars is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch on September 18. It includes three classic 3D platformers that originally appeared on three different generations of Nintendo hardware. It has Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy, and it’s up for preorder right now.
The visuals of each game have been upgraded with higher resolutions, including a 16:9 screen ratio in Super Mario Sunshine. The controls for Super Mario Galaxy have also been optimized so you can use two Joy-Con to the things that required the Wii remote in the original. The game also comes with a music player mode that lets you browse through to the original soundtrack of each game.
Oddly enough, this is a limited-edition title. The physical version will available at retailers in a “limited run,” and the digital version will be available to purchase from the Nintendo eShop until the end of March 2021.
As yet, the only retailer that has listed the physical copy is Best Buy. I’m sure it will roll out to other retailers in the coming hours. As it does, I’ll update the list here. In the meantime, you can grab it from Best Buy or the Nintendo eShop.
As usual with Nintendo games, Super Mario 3D All Stars is only coming out in a standard edition. No special editions or preorder bonuses have been announced, but we’ll add them here if anything new pops up in the future. In the meantime, you can take a look at our other preorder guides.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a new toy set that combines real-life Mario Kart models and Nintendo Switch, and will be released on October 16.
The game involves using a physical Mario Kart toy – equipped with a motor and camera – that connects to your Nintendo Switch, which is used as a controller. On the Switch screen, the real world around your kart is turned into an AR Mario Kart course.
Physical gates can be placed around a room to act as a course, and players can race each other’s karts, and against digital Koopalings, which are shown on the Switch as AR models against the real-world backdrop from the kart’s camera feed. Racing against the Koopalings will unlock in-game skins and course designs.
So far, Mario and Luigi karts have been revealed, both of which respond to boosts, being hit with items, and other in-game effects. Up to four karts can race together at one time.
The game has been co-created with debut developer Velan Studios, which comes with some pedigree in this area – the company was created by Vicarious Visions co-founders Guha and Karthik Bala, who previously worked on the likes of Skylanders and Guitar Hero.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Nintendo has announced a brand new version of its original handheld console, the Game & Watch, featuring a full-colour version of Super Mario Bros. It will be released as a limited edition on November 13.
Aside from the original Super Mario Bros., the new Game & Watch will also include Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels, and a new version of Game & Watch: Ball featuring Mario.
It will also function as a clock, with Mario and various Yoshis appearing to smash sets of blocks into the shape of the current time. There are also apparently “35 little touches to discover”, although it’s not clear what they’ll be.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Nintendo released a Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct, and it announced Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which includes optimized versions of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for Switch, a Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. device, and more.
There was a ton of incredible news for Mario fans, and we’ve gathered all of them below, including the full Direct you can watch for yourself!
Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. is a new collectable device is inspired by the original Game & Watch systems that were first released in the 1980s. This device will be able to play Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and a special version of Ball with a Mario makeover. Additionally, the Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. will also function as a clock, with “35 little touches to discover. It will be released on November 13, 2020.
Super Mario Bros. 35 will be released as a digital-only game exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online members on October 1, 2020. Nintendo has also stated it will only be playable until March 31, 2021.
Super Mario All-Stars to Be Released Today on Nintendo Switch
Super Mario All-Stars, which was originally released on the SNES in 1993, includes upgraded versions of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 with enhanced 16-bit graphics. It will now be made available on the Nintendo Switch… later today!!
Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary In-Game Celebrations
From September 9-23, Mario Kart Tour will have a special Super Mario Kart Tour event, and it will feature special appearances by Mario (SNES) and Donkey Kong Jr. (SNES) from the original Super Mario Kart.
A 35th anniversary-themed Ninji Speedrun course will arrive in Super Mario Maker 2 in November
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will have an in-game online tournament using Super Mario series fighters, stages, and items in November and December.
A Super Mario-themed Splatfest is coming to Splatoon 2 in January 2021 that asks the question, “Which Super Mario power-up do you prefer: supersize with a Super Mushroom or become invincible with a Super Star?” There will also be special keychains and t-shirts available as a My Nintendo reward closer to the Splatfest.
In March 2021, Super Mario-themed furniture will be available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Super Mario Bros. 35 has been announced for Nintendo Switch, which takes the form of a battle royale-like competitive version of the original Super Mario Bros., featuring 35 players. It’s out on October 1.
Announced in today’s Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct, this “online battle game” has you playing simultaneously with 34 other players, with enemies defeated in your course being sent to other players’ games.
The game will also add an item roulette function and a set of pickable strategies to prioritise who becomes your enemy-sent victim.
It’s reminiscent of Switch’s Tetris 99, and will come exclusively to subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online service. It will only be available to download until March 31, 2021.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Super Mario 3D World is, finally, coming to Switch in the form of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, arriving on February 12, 2021.
The game will include the full original Wii U game, as well as what seems to be an expansion, Bowser’s Fury. Besides an ominous tease in the trailer, it’s not clear what Bowser’s Fury will be, but a press release promises we’ll learn more details “later”.
The previously Wii U-exclusive game will launch with 4-player online and local multiplayer, and new Cat Mario and Cat Peach amiibo will be released as a double pack on launch day.
It’s yet another welcome addition from the Wii U library to Switch. We awarded the original 3D World a 9.6/10 review, saying “it fulfills the promise of a multiplayer Mario much better than anything that the Japanese game maker has done before.”
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Nintendo has announced Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which includes Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Sunshine, and it will be released on September 18, 2020.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars features optimized versions of 3D Super Mario games Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Additionally, this collection includes an in-game music-player mode to play the music and songs from all three games. Like the version in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this can also be played with the screen turned off.
All three games include updated Joy-Con controls with rumble, and players will still be able to use motion controls in Super Mario Galaxy is they wish, as they Joy-Con controllers will mimic the original Wii remote’s function.
A press release explains that the game will receive a limited physical release, and will seemingly only be on sale digitally until March 31, 2021. We’ve contacted Nintendo for clarification on whether the game will be available again in any form after that time.
Super Mario Galaxy was released on the Nintendo Wii in 2007 and, in our 9.7/10 review, we said, “Super Mario Galaxy is one of the greatest platformers I have ever played, Wii’s best game, and an absolute must-own experience. And to me, this odd trek through space really does feel like the true sequel to Mario 64. It harkens back to the N64 classic with nostalgic faces and places from the Mushroom Kingdom, but it also re-invents the franchise with new space-themed mechanics and fresh Wii-enhanced controls.”
Super Mario Sunshine was originally released on the GameCube in 2002 and, in our review, we said “It’s completely captivating from the start, and I can’t rave enough about the tight controls. It just feels right. However, I am quite disappointed by the vacation theme and Nintendo’s stubbornness to pay attention to presentation. The story and character design especially is poorly executed. I think Nintendo finds making Peach into a total ditz and Mario into a fat goon amusing, but it feels pretty lame for those of us with some intelligence.”
How do you remake a game that’s spent two decades perched at the pinnacle of what this industry has to offer? I mean, the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 isn’t just considered as one of the greatest sports games ever made; it’s literally wedged amongst the top three highest-rated video games of all time on Metacritic. You’d probably be better off cutting your losses and photocopying the Mona Lisa at this point, right?
Well, no, because despite the high bar set by the originals, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is an absolutely rip-roaring remake. Vicarious Visions has successfully brought Neversoft’s esteemed classics back to life, allowing old and new fans alike to experience these masterpieces through a modern lens while remaining entirely respectful to the moves, the maps, and the music that’s been seared into the brains of millions since the turn of the millennium.
THPS1+2 pushes off on the right foot immediately, with a fantastic intro fusing footage of the iconic stars of the original games with clips of the new skateboarding superstars joining the roster. It shouldn’t be understated how effectively this otherwise fairly simple sizzle reel instantly injects these new skaters into the fabric of Pro Skater, meaning they don’t just feel tacked on.
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You have not. Not like this.
Everybody’s Heard About the Bird
It’s actually quite remarkable dropping into each of the nearly 20 levels and marvelling at just how authentically they mirror the geometry of the 1999 and 2000 versions of these same maps. They’re obviously infinitely richer with granular detail, filled with impressive lighting, and – unlike the PS1 oldies – feature a draw distance that stretches to the horizon instead of disappearing into fog when it hits double figures, but they’re also wonderfully familiar. The graphics don’t necessarily eclipse those of other triple-A sports sims but they’re quite handsome, and importantly they’re vastly superior to the peculiarly stylised and generally unattractive look of THPS5.
There aren’t really any duds amongst the maps but I was particularly impressed by the Mall’s mild reinvention as an abandoned and decaying ghost town that looks like a flood has swept through it, and Venice’s vibrant colour explosion, with almost every surface sporting generations of layered graffiti. Hangar is also a highlight; it’s never been the most interesting level but here it’s been turned into a virtual shrine to original Tony Hawk developer Neversoft, which is a nice touch.
Both individual games are represented as a separate string of levels in THPS1+2 – and you can progress through them independently – but beyond that everything is unified and accessible from a central hub. Skills points for your skaters that you earn in THPS1 maps, for instance, make your skater perform better for the THPS2 maps – and vice versa. This is a good, elegant solution that beats having each game as an otherwise unrelated mode, like in Vicarious Visions’ last remake effort, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
Those of you with robust memories may remember where a lot of the collectibles and goals on the maps are because, as this is a faithful remake, they obviously haven’t moved. If you recall where Ollie the Magic Bum disappears to each time you jump over him I guess you may find yourself going through the motions a bit, but it’s difficult to fault Vicarious Visions for sticking to the originals.
One place where the remake goes beyond the original road map is that new challenges have been added to the THPS1 levels to make them consistent with the longer lists in the THPS2 ones. This freshens things up a little while they last, but the biggest boost comes from the absolutely exhaustive list of overarching challenges that can be completed across any of the maps at any time, from certain strings of tricks to specific enormous points totals. Completing these ties into a new, overall leveling system that earns you unique decks, plus cash to drop on other gear for your skaters in the store. Many I achieved by accident, though others I completed after spotting them while shuffling through the menus. Especially on the first run through, THPS1+2 feels like one of those games where you’re always achieving something, whether you know it or not. Returning veterans will probably have every map unlocked within a day or so, but with 21 challenges for each of the 21 pros plus several hundred extra challenges on top of those, I can’t really begin to estimate how many hours of play there are here. Chuck in multiplayer and the much-enhanced create-a-park tools and it may be endless, especially as parks can be shared online.
I predict that some players of a certain vintage may end up a bit anesthetized to all the pop-up notifications and flashy bonus-collection-button-mashing – I know I became a bit numb to it – but I wouldn’t say it compromises any of what’s great here. If you just want to hop in and play through some incredible-looking maps from THPS1 and THPS2 – whether you’re looking to chill, chase scores, or chuck a controller around between some friends, THPS1+2 will satisfy. But if you want to devote yourself to chasing over 700 challenges across every skater and earn boards and other booty, THPS1+2 can most certainly supply that. There are no microtransactions and everything in the game can be unlocked via gameplay.
Despite sticking with tradition in terms of the maps, the default controls are actually more akin to those in THPS3 and THPS4 rather than the first two games. But before you freak out, know that the more limited, original movesets are available to toggle on for purists who crave an experience precisely like the original games – removing things like reverts, wallplants, and even manuals if you want – but I’m enjoying the default controls as they are. I have a lot of love for EA’s Skate and I’m fascinated by Skater XL’s technicality, but there’s also a lot to be said for THPS1+2’s big combos and pure arcade thrills and spills.
For the young or inexperienced who may find all of this a bit too frantic and unforgiving there are cheats that can be activated to make things easier, though those scores are tracked separately so your kids or your grandma won’t be able to completely overwrite your greatest no-assist accomplishments. If you’re concerned about the presence of such a crutch, remember: this is a game from the ’90s, and the only thing more ’90s than video game cheats are acid-wash jeans and the soundtrack to Batman Forever.
Speaking of soundtracks, the famous THPS music selection is virtually all present and accounted for, and that’s perfect because it’s such an indisputably integral part of the original games. Vicarious Visions has also augmented it with a well-curated list of old and newer tracks, so it’s now doubly longer than it was originally. You can toggle them off if you want but, while not all the newer songs are to my taste, several are pretty good. For instance, I’d never heard of Rough Francis before THPS1+2, but these guys are awesome. Exposing me to new songs that will go on regular rotation in my car for the next few decades is exactly what Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games did back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, and THPS1+2 is doing it all over again. Impressively, THPS1+2 hasn’t just captured the spirit of the originals in terms of the meticulously rebuilt maps and faithful feel – it’s done it in subtler ways like this, too.
Hello Games has been very busy since the release of No Man’s Sky, updating the game so extensively that GameSpot has reviewed it three times, increasing the score from a 7/10 to a 9/10 along the way. The studio has recently released The Last Campfire, a smaller adventure with no planetary exploration. Now the studio is looking to the future, and work on a new, bigger game has begun.
Talking to Polygon, Hello Games studio founder Sean Murray has talked about what the company is doing now, saying that they’re working on “a huge, ambitious game,” similar to No Man’s Sky. Murray, who used to work at EA and developed “lots of sequels,” is keen to make another exciting project, saying that Hello Games formed to make the games they “always wanted to make”.
Murray says that No Man’s Sky came about as the result of “a little bit of a midlife crisis,” and that The Last Campfire was made by just three people (the studio is made up of 26 employees). Half of the remainder of the team has been working on the team’s next project, which is meant to be a big one.
Murray also reflects on the path No Man’s Sky took to release in the article, saying he’s glad how things ended up with the game after a rocky beginning. “Where we’ve ended up with the game, where we have hundreds of millions of hours played and a really happy community and all of that kind of thing, you know, I’m OK with that deal that we did,” he says.
“I reckon about half of what we did–and a lot of where we had problems, I think, where we were naive–we didn’t really need to do and we would have had the same level of success,” he reflects on the game’s early press opportunities. “A lot of opportunities were put in front of us, and we were told that they were the right things to do and I look back and I’m not sure that they were super, super important to the overall outcome kind of thing.”
Murray does not share any specifics of the next project, and judging from these quotes, it might be a while before Hello Games reveals it.
The latest major update to No Man’s Sky was Desolation, which added spooky abandoned spacecraft to the game.
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