For all its qualities, it’s not uncommon for people’s launch-era PS4s to sound like a jet engine every time they turn it on now, partly because it’s difficult to clean out any accumulated dust that has built up inside the console. This is true of any vented system, but the PS5 is introducing a very helpful new feature into its design–a “dust catcher” that makes it easy to regularly clean your system out.
In Sony’s teardown video of the PS5, two holes on the console are shown off. These are the dust catchers, where any dust collected by the system’s fan is filtered to. This means that getting rid of the dust in your system–and avoiding a horribly loud fan–is simply a matter of vacuuming them out of these holes.
Removing dust from a system can often be a finnicky job, so this is good news.
One of the PS5’s dust catcher holes.
The outer facade of the system will need to be removed to access the holes, but as the teardown shows, this is not a complicated procedure. This hopefully means that a launch-model PS5 will have a longer life than has been the case with some previous systems.
The video also highlights the disc drive in the PS5 (if you don’t opt for the digital-only version), which features double insulation to keep down vibration and noise. Hopefully, the PS5 will be a quieter console than the PS4.
The PlayStation 5 begins its international rollout on November 12. Here’s our complete launch guide for Sony’s new system.
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Hey there, my name is Max Blumenthal, aka RinHara5aki. If you haven’t heard of me, I’m an American The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild player that has spent over 2300 hours battling in Hyrule. Gold Lynels are my favorite sparring buddy, and I’ve spent a whole lot of time making combat videos and pioneering several BotW techniques. The Bow Spin, for example, is one of my most notable. With that background, you can imagine that when a game comes along that everyone touts as a “Breath of the Wild clone,” my interest immediately piqued. Naturally, I had to see what it was like for myself.
Since its first reveal, Genshin Impact got both a lot of attention and flak for its BotW-like appearance and gameplay, making people question its originality. They would ask: “Why would I play this game if it’s just a ‘lesser’ version of BotW?” After playing the game for 50+ hours, I can confirm that, yes, it does have similarities to BotW, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play it–there’s a lot of interesting things going on, which I’ll go over. To make this easier to digest, I’ll be splitting this comparison into three main sections of analysis: exploration, combat, and my overall thoughts. And be sure to watch the video version of this feature in the player below for a more visual look at what I mean.
Exploration
Exploration is where I feel Genshin Impact is the most similar to Breath of the Wild. It’s also what was most often shown in trailers leading up to the game’s release, making people angry to the point of destroying PS4s in protest of its development. Genshin Impact’s similarities to BotW’s navigation techniques are blatant–the gliding mechanics are pretty much the same, and both games have options to climb or jump up most surfaces, jump off walls, attack while falling, use stamina to sprint, and much more.
Genshin Impact feels familiar in that respect, and it’s easy to get accustomed to the exploration when you know exactly what you’re doing. It can sometimes feel alarmingly similar, mainly when you reach parts of the map, such as Mt. Hulao and Cape Oath, which are nearly identical to Satori Mountain and Cape Cales from BotW. Taking inspiration from a game as well-received as BotW is understandable, and honestly, more games should do so. In fact, Ubisoft’s upcoming Immortals: Fenyx Rising bears notable similarities to BotW–much like Genshin Impact.
It’s surprising how similar Genshin Impact is to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Genshin Impact even keeps some of BotW’s issues, such as automatically clambering onto objects you didn’t mean to. But, to its credit, Genshin Impact also streamlines things from BotW’s systems, offering a fast swimming option instead of BotW’s swim-dash option, which limits your ability to steer Link. Mercifully, you can also climb in the rain, making it much less stressful to traverse when the weather isn’t ideal, even if that restriction is part of the appeal of BotW’s system.
Even though some people disliked the rain climbing limitations in BotW, difficulties like these did make you think a little more about how to traverse the world and whether there were other ways to get around that weren’t yet available or you hadn’t thought of. In many cases, it pushed players into BotW’s other mechanics, such as camping until the weather clears, using Revali’s Gale, and other unconventional solutions that can present alternative ways to get places. One of the wonders of BotW is its playground-like world, and it’s so engrossing because its multiple tools let you manipulate that world in different ways. While Genshin Impact doesn’t have many of those elements, I still don’t think it’s entirely necessary, as its developer miHoYo seemed focused on making an RPG first, and an open-world adventure game second, and that’s okay.
One thing Genshin Impact does right with its exploration is that, like BotW, its breadcrumb-like open-world design often grabs hold of your curiosity.
One thing Genshin Impact does right with its exploration is that, like BotW, its breadcrumb-like open-world design often grabs hold of your curiosity. The fact that you can get distracted so easily when going from place to place makes the game’s world extremely fun to explore and satisfying to go out of your way to scavenge materials on your way to an objective. And while the “finding a tower to unlock parts of the map” design philosophy is nothing new or exclusive to BotW, it’s an integral part of exploration that also appears in Genshin Impact. It’s certainly welcome, as it makes progression across the map much more visual and rewarding.
So is exploration in Genshin Impact as good as it is in BotW? Not really, it’s perhaps a bit more intuitive, but not as well-considered. Regardless, you will definitely still get lost in Genshin Impact and probably enjoy exploring the vast, colorful world on display. And the fact that you get to have that in a game that can be played for free is a HUGE plus in my book.
Combat
My definition of Breath of the Wild’s combat will be completely skewed compared to the average player, so I’ll try to approach this from a more general top-down view. I can safely say that this is where Genshin Impact deviates the most from BotW, and it is immensely fun in its own distinct way. Combat focuses on using and switching between multiple characters to leverage elemental properties during a fight. While BotW also heavily uses elemental properties in its combat, Genshin Impact uses them differently, rewarding you for swapping mid-combat to gain buffs and encouraging you to mix elemental attacks. This is done by tying each character to a specific element, and when combined with weapons and artifact effects, it creates satisfying depth. Genshin Impact’s RPG mechanics shine in this regard and makes your ability to handle the different elements a key component in combat encounters.
Combat is where Genshin Impact deviates the most from BotW.
The general combat is also somewhat different. Besides one counter-stance character, there is no proper “guarding” or “parry” button, leaving dash as your only defensive maneuver. And while there are falling attacks, you’re unable to do any other actions while jumping, making most advanced air maneuvers like jump cancels relatively useless. In this respect, BotW has the edge in this aspect thanks to more options and versatility of tools, which is what gives BotW its combat more depth and intricacy. The control scheme in Genshin Impact is also completely different, but it still feels good to perfectly dodge an attack, and then blast foes with a mix of elements. Ultimately, both games are fun in their own unique way and have rewarding combat. BotW just has the kind of room for creativity that appeals to combat lab monsters like me.
One of Genshin Impact’s other significant differences comes from the rolling and leveling of multiple characters and the progression of artifacts and weapons–a system that channels its design roots as a gacha game. While acquiring these characters feels pretty unnatural and completely breaks story immersion, it all plays into diversifying the experience. The new characters you obtain are all very distinct, and all can be viable in a team. Seeing this character system in Genshin Impact almost makes me want something similar in BotW’s upcoming sequel. Still, unless Link and Zelda are on-screen at all times, I think it would feel a bit unnatural to switch between them continually. After all, when it comes to the mainline Zelda series, narrative immersion is incredibly important to me.
Overall Thoughts
As I mentioned above, Genshin Impact is an RPG first and an open-world adventure game second. As someone who likes both genres very much, this marriage does work out in Genshin Impact’s case. There are a ton of RPG’s out there that kill the exploration factor for me with limiting design decisions, such as invisible barriers and overly simplistic dungeon crawls, and Genshin Impact doesn’t do any of that. While the story isn’t much to write home about (even when compared to BotW’s light narrative), the pleasant visual aesthetic, involved combat, and bread-crumb exploration really pulls me into what it’s trying to do. And while, yes, Genshin Impact’s BotW inspirations border on imitation, that shouldn’t inspire anger or objections. Why wouldn’t you want more games to take inspiration from one of the greatest games of all time?
And remember, if Genshin Impact’s gacha elements turn you off, this game is entirely free, and it doesn’t require any money to be spent on it, so it’s well worth trying out for a little bit, at least. Whether or not I’ve quelled any doubts you might’ve had jumping into this feature, I cannot deny that Genshin Impact is still an excellent open-world RPG in its own right, and a great way to keep you busy until the Breath of the Wild sequel shows up–whenever that is.
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The war over whether or not Disneyland should reopen rages on. After Disney announced it was laying off 28,000 employees, partially blaming California’s refusal to allow theme parks to reopen, the state has yet to budge. In fact, California governor Gavin Newsom hinted that it may be some time before theme parks are allowed to reopen in California.
Speaking to the media, per The Hollywood Reporter, Newsom said, “We don’t anticipate in the immediate term any of these larger parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data. We feel there’s no hurry to put out guidelines, and we continue to work with the industry.”
Newsom’s comments come after Disney chairman Bob Iger resigned from the state’s economic task force. However, according to the governor, “It didn’t come as a surprise to me at all. There are disagreements about opening a major theme park.”
As for how for the state plans to approach such an opening, Newsom said, “We’re going to let science and data make that determination.” It was previously reported by the Orange County Register that the state was prepared to issue its guidelines for reopening theme parks last week. However, according to THR, that fell through when the California Attractions and Parks Association asked that plans not be finalized until they previewed them. According to a statement, CAPA did not support all of the state’s proposed requirements.
“While we are aligned on many of the protocols and health and safety requirements, there are many others that need to be modified if they are to lead to a responsible and reasonable amusement park reopening plan,” the statement reads. “We ask the Governor not to finalize guidance for amusement parks before engaging the industry in a more earnest manner, listening to park operators’ expertise, and collaborating with the industry on a plan that will allow for amusement parks to reopen responsibly while still keeping the health and safety of park employees and guests a top priority.”
Meanwhile, Orange County, which is home to Disneyland Resort and the Knott’s Berry Farm theme park, is reportedly asking the state to approve the parks reopening early. “Disneylands have opened across the world and have not seen any spikes in COVID,” Orange County supervisor Lisa Bartlett said, according to a Southern California ABC affilitate. “And they have significant health and safety protocols… We are collectively pushing, pushing, pushing to have that done sooner rather than later.”
The protocols in place at Disney World include temperature checks, required mask use unless you’re eating, decreased capacity, and partitions throughout the parks, creating a barrier between employees and guests. Social distancing is also encouraged between guests, with line queues clearly marking six-foot spaces between individuals.
As it stands now, it looks like California’s theme parks will remain closed for the time being.
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It’s National Spooky Month, and you know what that means. It’s time to watch all manner of movies spooky, scary, and Halloween themed. This year, Adam Sandler delivers the latest in his library of Netflix movies, Hubie Halloween. Hubie Dubois is the town snitch, hated by everyone but Julie Bowen, and he’s about to save Halloween.
Hubie Halloween hits Netflix today and features Sandler himself, frequent co-star Kevin James, and Julie Bowen in starring roles, and too many cameos to name along the way. Critics are split on the movie, with the Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score hovering around 60% fresh. After the insanity that was Uncut Gems, we can’t be sure anymore what to expect from Sandler.
Hubie Halloween (2020)
Directed By: Steven Brill Written By: Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Kevin James, Ray Liotta, Steve Buschemi, and more.
Release Date: October 7, 2020
New York Post – 3/4
“Sandler has had a rough go with critics, often for good reason. Scanning his Rotten Tomatoes page is like peaking at the gradebook for a remedial math class: 12 percent, 27 percent, 9 percent. But “Hubie Halloween” proves that the problem isn’t that he’s starring in stupid movies; it’s that he’s not starring in enough of the right stupid movies.” – Johnny Oleksinski [Full Review]
USA Today – 2.5/4
“Hardcore Sandman fans will find plenty to adore in “Hubie,” which is akin to a mini Baby Ruth candy bar in a trick-or-treat bag: sweet, gooey, nutty and satisfying enough.” – Brian Truitt [Full Review]
RogerEbert.com – 2/4
“While he was doing press for “Uncut Gems,” Adam Sandler joked that if he didn’t get an Oscar for that film that he would torture us and make the worst Netflix comedy ever made for revenge. The good news is that this is not that movie. “Hubie Halloween” is just generally entertaining enough to be harmless, while also being the kind of movie that people will have trouble remembering exists by the time he makes “Tommy Thanksgiving”.” – Brian Tallerico [Full Review]
AV Club
“Sandler, his co-screenwriter Tim Herlihy, and go-to director Steven Brill don’t have the patience to tease these elements out into a fresher variation on their preferred formulas, like The Week Of or Murder Mystery. The filmmakers haven’t tapped into a newfound talent for plotting out spooky mysteries, either… Yet there is something half-satisfying and pacifying about Hubie Halloween. In true content-blurring Netflix fashion, Sandler has essentially made a likable children’s movie to babysit undemanding adults.” – Jesse Hassenger [Full Review]
THR
“Sandler’s guileless performance charms, as wholesomely simple as his knockout turn in Uncut Gems was multifaceted. And Brill keeps the supporting cast from going overboard, as they’re wont to do in Sandler pics. (We’re looking at you, Schneider and Meadows.) With the exception of a surprisingly useful thermos, nearly no joke in the film will be remembered the next day. But Hubie is good company for old fans who’ve visited Happy and Billy too often to be surprised by their foibles and unlikely feats.” – John DeFore [Full Review]
Variety
“Nobody’s breaking a sweat here, but even on autopilot, Sandler’s mugging is sort of exhaustingly impressive on its own terms. The actor’s recent change-of-pace role in “Uncut Gems” may have earned him critical plaudits for “real” acting, but there’s method and skill in this kind of shrill physical showmanship, even when it appears to be his default setting.” – Guy Lodge [Full Review]
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Pikmin 3 Deluxe is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 30, and in preparation for the series’ return, Nintendo has released some Pikmin short films on YouTube. These films, which were originally released as a bundle of three on the 3DS and Wii U Eshops for $5, are now free.
The movies have been uploaded to Nintendo Japan’s YouTube page, and we’ve embedded all three short films below. These movies initially debuted at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Occupational Hazards
Treasure in a Bottle
The Night Juicer
These videos were originally available in stereoscopic 3D on 3DS, but these are the HD versions that were released on the Wii U.
If you’re interested in revisiting Pikmin 3 Deluxe on Switch, check out GameSpot’s preorder guide. A demo of the game is available now, and you can transfer your progress over from the demo to the full game when it releases.
Xbox Game Pass games can now be streamed through mobile devices thanks to xCloud, making it much easier than ever before to play The Master Chief Collection on the toilet. But this is just the start of Microsoft’s plans for streaming, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has indicated in a tweet that streaming will make its way to Game Pass on Xbox and PC, too.
Replying to a tweet asking directly whether Game Pass on console and PC would allow for streaming at some point–allowing users to demo a game before committing to a download–Spencer responded saying that they have a plan in the works for this. “It’s in the long list of cool things the xCloud team is working on, just a bit further down the list,” he said.
Yes, we want to do this. It’s in the long list of cool things the xCloud team is working on, just a bit further down the list. But we want console and PC players to be able to browse as easily as mobile players, it’s a good gamepass feature.
This means that the feature could be a while off yet, but it’s at least being planned, and we could eventually see Game Pass streaming on these systems.
Microsoft’s next systems, the Xbox Series X and Series S, will release on November 10. If you’re looking to pick up either system, or some new Xbox games for the end of the year, check out GameSpot’s 2020 Xbox Gift Guide.
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This beta, which will include VIP Escort, Combined Arms: Assault, and Fireteam: Dirty Bomb playlists–as well as the new Cartel map–will feature some more granular differences, too. Treyarch, the developer behind Cold War’s multiplayer, has extensively detailed the differences between the alpha and beta for Cold War, noting every change made based on player feedback.
There have been multiple changes to the way characters move, for instance, with more animations and various tweaks to speed, penalities, and field of view during different types of movement. Here’s the complete list of movement changes.
Core Movement
Integrated updated locomotion animations and systems for walking, jogging, and sprinting.
Slightly increased acceleration when moving from a standstill.
Sprinting
Reduced or removed several sprint penalties that could leave the player in a state of reduced sprint speed. This results in more opportunities to use the Sprint Takeoff feature for a quick burst of speed when initiating a sprint.
Increased the time it takes to ramp down from maximum to minimum sprint speed for a smoother change of speed. This also slightly increases the time at which a player sprints at a faster pace.
Slightly adjusted camera bob during sprint to better align with updated movement animations.
Disabled Field of View increase when sprinting. This should provide a smoother in-game view and prevent a “floating camera” feeling when sprinting.
Sliding
Slightly reduced slide speed.
Increased the minimum amount of time a player must sprint before sliding to better align with time to reach max sprint speed. This means a player cannot immediately trigger a slide from a near-standstill.
Addressed an issue that allowed players to cancel a slide without the appropriate slowdown. We will continue to monitor and investigate any slide-cancel exploits.
In guns, one of the major changes is that aim assist for snipers on controllers has been brought back. This has not been the case since Black Ops II, but their heightened relevance to Cold War’s multiplayer made this necessary. Here are the changes to weapons and Gunsmith.
Gunsmith
Added a more detailed breakdown of statistics for each attachment, explaining in detail how each attachment influences its weapon’s stats.
Moved the Gunsmith UI button closer to the weapon for easier access.
Recoil and Firing Animations
Added new weapon recoil systems and firing animations with a comprehensive tuning pass for a revamped weapon firing feel on every weapon for both hip-fire and ADS.
Reworked and rebalanced all recoil patterns, impacting weapon balance and mastery across the board.
Full touch-up pass on animations across all weapons based on feedback.
Aim Down Sights (ADS)
Added new ADS weapon rendering technology for more realistic ADS perspective.
Smoothed out all ADS in/out transitions.
General Weapon Tuning
Made tuning changes to Alpha weapons that overperformed or underperformed, including increases to AK-74u recoil and ADS time, increasing LMG ammo capacity, and more.
Attachment Tuning
Full attachment balance pass to ensure all attachments stay relevant and balanced.
Sniper Rifles
Added aim assist on snipers for controller users for cross-platform balancing.
Several precision-aiming adjustments to help the sniping experience feel more fluid.
Sniper glint now displays more often and more reliably to help players understand when they are in danger.
Adjusted ADS time on sniper rifles.
Sniper rifles now requires higher hits on the body for one-hit eliminations (for example, upper chest instead of stomach, or upper arm instead of lower arm).
Frag Grenades
Reduced the fuse time on the Frag Grenade for Beta. Throw speed adjustments are targeted for launch.
Meanwhile, the Scorestreak system has been changed so that rewards require more points to activate in several modes, so as to “reduce Scorestreak spam and make Scorestreaks more rewarding.” Various improvements to visual and sound design have been made, too, alongside many other changes and additions. It’s worth checking out the full list for more information.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will release on November 13 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, and Xbox One. You can figure out which version is for you with GameSpot’s preorder guide.
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With next-gen consoles come new hardware standards. For the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, one of the new features is HDMI 2.1 support. But what exactly makes HDMI 2.1 different, and is it worth buying a new TV for?
In this video, Jean-Luc Seipke breaks down everything you need to know about HDMI 2.1, such as the improvements to color and HDR it offers. Most significant to gaming will be the ability to output 4K at 120fps, and we touch on some of the titles that have been confirmed to support it for next-gen.
If you’re interested in buying a TV with HDMI 2.1, check out our roundup of the best 4K TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X. And if you’re just as excited for new consoles as we are, then check out our weekly show Generation Next, where every Friday our PS5 and Xbox Series X/S experts breakdown the latest news and everything you need to know about the new consoles.
Along with its stylish spaceship exterior, the PS5 is bringing a lot of cool new features into this generation of gaming.
The DualSense controller alone is packing in a bunch of interesting new features, taking immersion a step forward with its haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, not to mention the welcome addition of a built-in microphone. These are all features that games like Astro’s Playroom, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Arkane’s Deathloop will be taking full advantage of.
Controller aside, there’s also new emphasis on its Tempest 3D AudioTech, which the PS5’s Pulse 3D wireless headset are built especially for. Developers like Capcom are excited to use spatial sound to emphasize the horror of Resident Evil Village. Now you’ll be able to hear a werewolf breathing heavily behind as you run for your life. Lovely.
Beyond the gameplay immersion, there’s also a lot going on under the hood of the PS5 too, like its new cooling system, or its ability to take full advantage of an SSD for improved load times. There’s a lot, so in this video we’re taking a look at seven of the coolest features Sony is bringing to the table with the PlayStation 5.
Super Mario Bros. 35 marks something of a historic moment for the multitalented plumber. In Mario’s extensive past, there have been plenty of multiplayer games, but many of these come in the form of sporting spin-offs or asynchronous multiplayer where you take turns attempting levels. Even the likes of New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 3D World–both of which feature competitive elements–ultimately revolve around a shared goal of completing levels together as the main objective. This is where Super Mario Bros. 35 stands out; Mario’s latest in a long line of entries is the first time you compete synchronously against other players on traditional platforming courses. It’s a significant achievement both in and of itself and as an online multiplayer experience, even if there can be a few dull moments.
In the vein of fellow Nintendo Switch Online release Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35 has you compete against up to 34 others simultaneously to be the last Mario standing, playing levels from the original NES Super Mario Bros. Like Tetris 99, your play area takes up the center of the screen while everyone else’s concurrent games form a surrounding border, allowing you to glance at opponents’ progress as you jump your way through course 1-1 and beyond. Essentially, the main two factors separating Super Mario Bros. 35 and Super Mario Bros. is the pressure of competition, plus a lot more enemies to navigate.
As is the case with most of Mario’s platforming adventures, running out of time or dying are your only two methods of failure. However, there are no extra lives to be had here, only one chance per round to become the only Mario remaining. In your quest to be the number one mustachioed Italian man, you disrupt other players by defeating enemies, who will then be sent over to other courses. Additionally, taking another note from Tetris 99’s playbook, you can select who to send those Goombas and Koopas to or let a preset choose–such as who has the least time remaining or anyone who’s actively targeting you.
Causing chaos by sending waves of baddies to competitors is fiendishly fun, knowing you’re inconveniencing them at every step. It also forces you to approach these familiar Mushroom Kingdom levels in tangibly different ways. Instead of speeding through and trying to slide down the end flagpole in record time, you’re thinking about what approach will actively cause others to slip up in response. This means trying to take down Hammer Bros. as opposed to running straight past them and trying to make Piranha Plants pop up in tricky locations. On the receiving end, it’s brutal encountering a rogue Bowser–or any wave of minions in a tight space, for that matter.
As tricky as facing off against several Bowsers in a random course can be, it’s a great way of refreshing decades-old content to make it feel like a new challenge all over again. Similar to how seeking out opponent fodder changes your course approach, dealing with different enemies in unfamiliar environments creates variety in a way perhaps only the Mario Maker games have done previously. These unique challenges alter each course’s rhythm, warping your sense of muscle memory and course layout knowledge to intelligently generate a slightly different experience each time you jump into Super Mario Bros. 35.
In the absence of extra lives, Super Mario Bros. 35 finds an alternative use for coins in the form of random item power-ups. As soon as you collect 20 coins, you can press X to bank them in return for an item decided by fate. This could be a Mushroom or Fire Flower power-up, the limited invincibility-inducing Star, or a POW Block that clears the screen of enemies. While the random allocation of items puts you at the whims of chance, you create your own luck to a degree by collecting enough coins to have multiple rolls of the metaphorical ? Block.
From many angles, Super Mario Bros. 35 is a very different beast to the many Mario platformers you know and love–which is simultaneously a strength and a weakness. Survivability reigns supreme over speed, which often rewards slower play to the detriment of excitement, particularly during each round’s final moments.
The beginning to middle stages of each round are by far the most exhilarating as you dash through courses while dodging the many nefarious characters invading your game. Ironically, Super Mario Bros. 35 slows down significantly when the music speeds up to signal that only five players remain, and even more so when it becomes a duel against the sole other Mario standing between you and victory. This is because it’s often best to play conservatively, focusing on just trying to survive rather than be aggressive. Although some one-on-one battles I had were tense and exciting standoffs where we both took risks, the majority of my wins came from dull, drawn-out attritional affairs where instead of feeling like I had won, it felt more like my opponent had lost. These final showdowns drag due to the fact that courses keep randomly cycling through with no end in sight–playing through 1-1 yet again doesn’t make for a grandstand finish. Unlike other games occupying the battle royale space, Super Mario Bros. 35 lacks a definitive tiebreaker element that increases the stakes in order to encourage aggressive play and make late-game moments more exciting.
While much of Super Mario Bros. 35’s variety is inherent due to its online multiplayer nature, there are a couple of other game modes to try your hand at–albeit with some caveats. 35-Player Battle is the main mode but throws up an early confusion. Supposedly, you cast a vote to determine the course everyone starts on–at least that’s what the official Nintendo website says. In practice, pretty much every 35-Player Battle I played started on 1-1, which contributes to the game’s pacing problem because things start off so leisurely. Special Battle, the other main mode, imposes unique conditions such as starting on a particular course or everyone beginning with 35 coins or a particular item. This mode encourages more aggressive play largely due to greater course variation, as starting on later courses before everyone has accumulated masses of coins whittles down the field much faster. Unfortunately, Special Battle is a limited-time mode, only available to play during specified time periods, meaning you’re stuck with 35-Player Battle most of the time.
Adding to the frustration in course variety is how Super Mario Bros. 35 makes unlocking new courses needlessly slow. To be able to vote for a wider range of courses or hone your skills in practice mode, you need to have beaten the course in either 35-Player Battle or Special Battle. However, because courses cycle through randomly and repeat so frequently, you’re never guaranteed the opportunity to unlock anything each round. Super Mario Bros. 35 does employ a ranking system where you unlock different player icons by leveling up, and coins accumulated each round can be spent on beginning the next round with a power-up–but they aren’t particularly enticing incentives.
Super Mario Bros. 35 does offer other avenues to feel like you’ve achieved something, though. After winning your first round, Coin Challenge unlocks, showing you your highest coin count in a win and assigns a rank based on where you sit among other players. It’s cool that Coin Challenge displays historical data too, providing an incentive to return each week to best your previous efforts and rise up the leaderboard. Additionally, Super Mario Bros. 35 tracks and charts many different statistics, including total wins, players knocked out, and how many of each enemy you’ve defeated. This data is a neat little extra that gives a bit more meaning to each round.
Although I can only judge Super Mario Bros. 35 on how it plays right now, it feels like it has a strong, scalable base, much like how Tetris 99 felt at launch. Super Mario Bros. 35’s availability will supposedly be limited, however–at the time of writing the game will only be available until March 31, 2021. The reasons why are a bit of a mystery, but as things stand it seems like there’s plenty of potential for the game to grow into something bigger with subsequent updates and in-game events.
Delivering precisely what is advertised, Super Mario Bros. 35 delivers on familiar 2D platforming with an all-new competitive twist. Playing against 34 other Marios at once is a wonderful type of mayhem, as is facing off against hordes of enemies. However, early course repetition and late-game lulls slightly temper this Mushroom Kingdom celebration of Mario’s 35 years.
