New Super Mario Lego Sets Are Available Now At Amazon

Lego Super Mario already had a massive launch last summer with the Starter Course and more than 10 expansion sets, but if you’re itching for more Mario Lego fun, a new wave of kits have arrived. Originally announced in November, the fresh lineup of Lego Super Mario products includes multiple new expansion sets and Power-Up Packs. The most interesting addition to the series is the Master Your Adventure Maker Set, a kit featuring a wide variety of pieces and obstacles to help you create bigger courses. We’ve rounded up the new Lego Super Mario products below, all of which are available to purchase at Amazon.

Master Your Adventure Maker Set

$60

The Master Your Adventure Maker Set pairs well with the Starter Course and existing expansions. This 366-piece set comes with four characters and a wide variety of obstacles to help you make even more elaborate designs.

Wiggler’s Poison Swamp Expansion Set

$40

A new expansion set featuring the iconic Super Mario enemy Wiggler, this kit is designed as a swamp. It comes with 374 pieces, including Goomba and Koopa Paratroopa.

Chain Chomp Jungle Encounter Expansion Set

$20

Chain Chomp comes to Lego Super Mario in the Jungle Encounter expansion set, a small-scale kit featuring 160 pieces. It also comes with a Bramball enemy. This set isn’t a full course; it’s meant to be paired with other kits.

Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge Expansion Set

$30

The Piranha Plant Puzzling Challenge expansion set features 267 pieces, including a pair of Piranha Plants and Spiny. It has a rotating carousel, which is used to help Mario stomp on each of the baddies, as well as a trio of red-coin blocks.

Tanooki Power-Up Pack

$10

You can dress Lego Mario in the Tanooki Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3 with this Power-Up Pack. Mario will earn additional coins when you spin him while wearing this suit.

Penguin Power-Up Pack

$10

Mario’s Penguin Suit originated in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. With this Power-Up Pack, Mario nabs extra coins by sliding on his belly across the course.

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Fall Guys Is Getting A Big Doom Crossover Next Week

Fall Guys is getting a handful of skins as part of a crossover with Doom next week. The demonic skins will be available in the game show battle royale for a limited time starting on January 12.

Mediatonic released a special trailer featuring a level that looks like it’s straight out of Doom Eternal. It showcased several new skins, including various monsters from the Doom games. The studio was supposed to showcase one skin during a stream with Bethesda on January 5 but had to reschedule.

Mediatonic has been teasing this crossover since early December. The studio posted a silhouette of an adorable little bean dressed in Doom Guy’s armor. Fans of both games quickly identified the skin and now we’ve got a look at some of the other skins coming with the crossover.

Fall Guys has become a hub for crossovers with games, movies, and other media properties. We’ve seen skins from Sonic the Hedgehog, Godzilla, Untitled Goose Game, Gris, and a handful of other games published by Devolver Digital. It doesn’t look like the gravy train of new skins will stop anytime soon, either.

Mediatonic also introduced a special playlist that features nothing but Hex-A-Gone. If you thought the fan favorite finale was difficult before, try winning it multiple times in a row.

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New Streaming Service Announced With A Unique Hook

A new streaming service for film and TV content has been announced, but this one is not like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or HBO Max. The new service is called Struum, and it aims to offer an avenue for people to stream shows and movies from various other streaming services without having to buy a subscription to each of them individually.

The service comes from industry veterans at Walt Disney Co. and Discovery Inc. Co-founder Paul Pastor told The Wall Street Journal that Struum would help shine a light on smaller-scale streaming services that have great content but people aren’t necessarily aware of.

Struum said it has already reached deals with almost three-dozen services–spanning more than 20,000 movies, shorts, and TV shows–but the company declined to mention any by name.

Here’s how it will work: subscribers get an allotment of credits each month that can be spent to watch TV shows and movies. The full pricing model is not available, but the company told WSJ that one tier might cost $10/month for 100 credits, and this would let you watch one program per day. The number of credits it costs to watch a show or a movie is still being decided, and it will ultimately come down to a number of factors. A portion of subscription revenue from Struum will be given to the partnered streaming services.

One of the early investors in Struum is former Disney boss Michael Eisner through his Tornante Co. investment firm. “When I heard about this idea of an aggregation platform that would pick up smaller streaming services that don’t have brand awareness particularly like Netflix does have, I thought this was a great idea,” Eisner told WSJ.

Platforms like Apple TV, Amazon, and Roku already offer aggregation of streaming content, but you need to subscribe to each individual service–say, Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, Hulu, etc–to actually watch the content. Struum promises a more streamlined approach where you can watch content from any provider without needing a subscription. Struum will also allow users to fully subscribe to the various providers it supports, and in that situation, Struum would get a portion of the subscription revenue.

There is no word yet on when Struum will release publicly or if it will be exclusive to the US.

Monster Hunter Rise Switch Demo Releasing Later Today

Capcom shared a wealth of new details on Monster Hunter Rise during today’s Digital Event, including some information on the game’s upcoming demo. The publisher had previously teased that the demo would be released sometime this month, and it confirmed during the stream that the demo will go live on the Switch eShop later today, January 7.

The demo will give fans their first taste of Rise’s two big new gameplay mechanics: the Palamute and the Wirebug. The former is a new type of canine companion that players can ride on and fight alongside during a hunt, while the latter functions like a grappling hook and lets players swing around the environment.

In terms of content, the demo will feature four missions: two training exercises that introduce you to the Wirebug and the new Wyvern Riding mechanic, and two proper hunts. The “beginner” hunt tasks you with slaying a Great Izuchi, one of the new monsters being introduced in Rise, while the “intermediate” hunt has you battling the returning Mizutsune.

Both hunts are playable either solo or online with other players, and you’ll be able to sample all 14 weapon types in the game. However, the demo will only be available until February 1, so you’ll have a limited time to play it. You’ll also need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play the demo online with others.

In addition to detailing the demo, Capcom shared a new trailer for Monster Hunter Rise during today’s Digital Event. The video introduced us to a new locale, the Frost Islands, as well as a variety of monsters that will be appearing in the game, including the new Goss Harag and several returning fan-favorites like the Tigrex, Khezu, Barioth, and the aforementioned Mizutsune. The demo also gave us our first look at Wyvern Riding, a mechanic that lets you temporarily ride and take control of a monster.

Monster Hunter Rise launches for Nintendo Switch on March 26. In addition to the standard edition of the game, Capcom will also release Deluxe and Collector’s editions, which come with some additional bonus items. You can learn more in our Monster Hunter Rise preorder guide. Three new Monster Hunter Amiibo figures are also launching alongside the game on March 26.

Rise is the first of two new Monster Hunter games coming to Switch this year. The second, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, is slated to arrive sometime this summer and is a follow-up to the series’ 3DS RPG spin-off. Capcom has teased that there will be some connectivity between Rise and Wings of Ruin.

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Canceled Game NBA Live 20 Gets ESRB Rating, But There May Be More To The Story

In October 2020, EA Sports announced that it would not release NBA Live 20 and instead focus on making a new basketball game for next-generation consoles.

Despite that announcement, it seems EA may still have something in store for NBA Live 20. The ESRB recently rated NBA Live 20 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but not next-gen consoles.

It’s curious that NBA Live 20, which was thought to be canceled, would receive a rating from the ESRB if EA did not plan to release it in some form. We have reached out to EA in an attempt to get more details on the situation. It is also possible this is some kind of clerical error on the ESRB’s behalf. Keep checking back for more.

The series has had a tumultuous history: Back in 2012, NBA Live 13 was cancelled just six days before it was due to be released. NBA Live 20 never actually surfaced, though–gameplay footage was never shown, so it’s unclear how far along development the title was.

As it stands, 2018’s NBA Live 2019 is the most recent entry in the series–and it was pretty good. The franchise competes with 2K’s own NBA 2K series, which is the top-seller in the licensed simulation-based NBA series.

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Twitch Removes PogChamp Emote In Wake Of US Capitol Violence

Video streaming site Twitch has removed the PogChamp emote after its face, Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez, made controversial comments about the violence at the US Capitol on Wednesday.

“We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today,” Twitch said in its statement on January 6.

“We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on–its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself–and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image,” the statement continued.

Twitch said it will work with its community to create a new emote for the “most hype” moments on Twitch. The PogChamp emote displayed Gutierrez’s surprised face, and it’s used in Twitch chats as a quick way to communicate a feeling of surprise or excitement.

Some popular Twitch personalities and internet celebrities weighed in on the news, including Jenny Nicholson and Sean Plott.

GameSpot will report back with more details as they’re made available.

Arcade1Up Will Reveal Its Next Machines In Just A Few Days

Arcade1Up has typically used CES as its announcement venue for upcoming at-home arcade cabinets–and as of 2020, pinball machines–and that isn’t changing now that CES 2021 has gone virtual. GameSpot can exclusively reveal that Arcade1Up will be showing off its newest machines on January 11.

What Arcade1Up has not revealed yet is what those machines will be. Last year, it brought a trio of pinball machines to CES, including Marvel, Star Wars, and Attack From Mars variants, along with systems like NBA Jam. The majority of the systems shown at the event are now available, though the pinball machines were bumped from the end of 2020 into early 2021.

The brand began with traditional-style arcade games using buttons and joysticks, but it is now offering light gun games as well. Thus far, they’re limited to the Buck Hunter series, but the technology is likely to be implemented into other cabinets, too–Area 51, Time Crisis, and House of the Dead are among the most often requested games. Additionally, a seated Outrun cabinet, complete with a matching bench and four racing games, is available, with a stand-up variant also in the works.

Arcade1Up also began dabbling outside of the arcade entirely with its Infinity Game Table, a virtual board game platform loaded up with Parker Brothers and Hasbro games. The device’s successful Kickstarter campaign raised over $1 million, with an estimated release date around March.

The Office: Here’s Some Good And Not So Good News About A Reboot

Over the past few years, there have been numerous reports claiming that NBC’s famous TV show The Office may get rebooted. However, series creator Greg Daniels has now poured a little cold water on that, while also offering a glimmer of hope and optimism.

Asked flat-out by Collider if a revival of The Office was in active development right now, Daniels said, “No.” However, the writer and producer said it could happen sometime down the track. Perhaps more exciting than that, Daniels also said he would want to be personally involved if it did happen.

“It’s not impossible for sure. I would want to be involved, and I’ve got two other shows I’m working on right now,” Daniels said.

It’s good to hear that Daniels would want to be involved, as he had an instrumental role in the first run of the show for its earlier seasons. He stepped away to work on Parks and Rec before returning to The Office for its ninth and final season.

Daniels is currently working with The Office star Steve Carell on the Netflix show Space Force, which is returning for a second season. He’s also a key creative on Amazon’s sci-fi comedy Upload, which was also renewed for a second season. He sounds like a very busy man, so if a new version of The Office is to happen, it probably wouldn’t get off the ground soon.

Carell, who played the bumbling boss Michael Scott on The Office, has said a character like Scott would not fly in today’s climate with his off-color jokes.

The Office recently left Netflix (in the US, at least) to join NBC’s own streaming service, Peacock. As part of the shift, Peacock is offering a special pricing promotion to encourage people to sign up. There are also new bonus features and other content that subscribers can watch on Peacock.

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Popular ‘PogChamp’ Emote Will Be Removed From Twitch

Twitch has announced that it will remove the popular “PogChamp” emote from its service following a tweet made by Ryan ‘Gootecks’ Gutierrez, whom the emote is based on, which “encouraged further violence” following today’s insurgency on Capitol Hill.

Today, during the legislative confirmation of the electoral votes for Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election, President Trump’s supporters rushed, and briefly occupied the Capitol building, forcing Senators and House legislatures to barricade themselves or leave the premises for safety.

During these events, Gutierrez tweeted a statement about the events on Capitol Hill that appeared to call for further violence during the takeover.

The 'PogChamp' Emote
The ‘PogChamp’ Emote

‘Will there be civil unrest for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol today or will the #MAGAMartyr die in vain?” Gutierrez tweeted.

In a statement to IGN from a Twitch spokesperson, the company announced, “We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today.”

The company added, “We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on — its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself — and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image. We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch.”

Gutierrez is a Street Fighter player whose surprised face reaction became the basis of the ‘PogChamp’ Twitch emote. It is a popular emote often used by commenters when surprising moments happen on stream, particularly in fighting games.

Responses to Gutierrez’s tweet from commenters condemned his statement as insensitive and commenters wondered if Twitch would take down the ‘PogChamp’ emote in light of the tweet and Twitch has agreed to do so. Popular streamers already moved before Twitch to ban the emote from their own private stream channels.

Twitch says it will work with the community to create a new emote, but has not revealed what that process will entail.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

CES 2021: Dates, Conferences, And News We Expect

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed how conventions operate–or don’t–and this certainly applies to CES 2021. The event won’t be held in-person this year, but there will still be plenty of virtual presentations and announcements beginning Monday, January 11. The biggest names in technology will share news on upcoming products and services, including gaming brands. Here is everything you need to know about CES 2021, including the dates, key presentations, and expected announcements.

When is CES 2021?

CES 2021 will take place online from January 11 through January 14, and events are scheduled throughout each of these days. It kicks off with a keynote presentation from Verizon CEO and chairman Hans Vestberg on January 11 at 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET.

You can see a full list of when each event kicks off on the official CES website. Keep in mind that some of the scheduled events during these CES 2021 dates are actually replays of previously-streamed presentations. This is the case for every single event on January 14.

Key events

Below, we’ve roundup up some of the most intriguing events to look out for, as they’re likely to be filled with news on hardware, games, and more. Some are specific to gaming or esports, while others have a broader technology focus that might include gaming content.

January 11

Verizon Keynote: 3:30 PM PT / 6:30 PM ET

January 12

Next Generation Television in Focus: 4:30 AM PT / 7:30 AM ET

CTA’s Vision for the Tech Industry: 5:15 AM PT / 8:15 AM ET

GeForce RTX: Game On: 9 AM PT / noon ET

AMD Keynote: 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET

Do More with Intel’s Power of Computing: 9:15 AM PT / 12:15 PM ET

RazerStore Live: CES Edition: 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET

Sony Electronics of North America announcements: 10:45 AM PT / 1:45 PM ET

Creating an Esports League From the Ground Up: 12:15 PM PT / 3:15 PM ET

January 13

TCL Global CES 2021 Spotlight Session: 4:30 AM PT / 7:30 AM ET

Microsoft Keynote: 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET

The Technological Revolution of Esports: 12:15 PM PT / 3:15 PM ET

Expected gaming announcements

While much of the news for CES 2021 is being kept under wraps, we do already have some companies teasing announcements during the event.

Arcade1Up news

Arcade1Up tends to make a lot of new announcements at CES, and even though it will be online-only this year, that isn’t changing. The brand’s marketing and communications lead David McIntosh teased news on Twitter, but stopped short of saying what category the systems would be in. He also didn’t share the exact date for the news, but we should learn more soon.

Rumored new GeForce laptop GPU

One of the juiciest rumors revolves around ASUS, which already teased an upgrade for its TUF gaming laptops as well as its Republic of Gamers line. It appears a new system could include a still-unannounced mobile version of the RTX 3080. The traditional version is extremely difficult to find, which could make this laptop a hot-ticket item. Nvidia will be hosting its own presentation on January 12, and it will feature “the latest innovations in gaming and graphics” according to its official website. These presentations could feature a game demonstration using the company’s GeForce processors.

Razer news

RazerStore Live will be held on January 12, and it will feature product announcements and promotions along with prizes for those watching. It has only been a few months since Razer’s last big presentation, but there will be news on “exclusive products” during the stream.

For more on CES 2021, read about Nvidia’s GeForce RTX presentation as well as the new Mad Catz gaming mouse and new Samsung TVs.

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