Category: Technology

Whenever there’s a Nintendo Direct in September, you can be pretty sure that it’ll be a major edition of the showcase. Given that Friday’s one was scheduled to be about an hour long and that Nintendo has a whole new console to put games on, it was already likely that there was going to be a lot of news. 

Even then, it managed to be a jam-packed Direct. Let’s take a look at all the biggest announcements from the showcase, including what’s obviously the most important one: a Switch 2 version of Overcooked 2.

Mario’s 40th anniversary

September 13 is the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. in Japan, which is a big reason why this Direct took place on a Friday (a highly unusual day for Nintendo to hold one of its showcases). Following news of Mario-related updates for the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, the company revealed the title for the next Mario movie. It’s called The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and it’s coming to cinemas in the US on April 3. We’ll have to wait a little longer for a trailer, though.

There was no announcement of an upcoming 3D Mario game today, unfortunately, but there was still plenty of other news. Mario Tennis Fever is coming to Switch 2 in February as the first new Mario Tennis game since 2018. Yoshi’s getting another adventure of his own with the Switch 2 platformer Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which is set to arrive next spring. A Switch 2 version of Super Mario Bros. Wonder with fresh multiplayer modes will drop around that time too. 

Before all of that, though, Nintendo is bringing the wonderful Wii games Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 to Switch on October 2. They’ll be available separately or as a bundle on the eShop and as a combined edition on a $70 physical cartridge. On Switch 2, you’ll be able to play these two classics in 4K. 

Two Mario Galaxy Amiibo figures are coming in April as well. Even though I’m not typically an Amiibo collector, I really want those because Luma is just adorable. In addition, Nintendo plans to release a physical collectible of the Talking Flower from Super Mario Bros. Wonder next spring.

Donkey Kong Bananza DLC out today

If you’ve already smashed everything to smithereens in Donkey Kong Bananza and have been yearning for more to do in one of the biggest Switch 2 exclusives to date, you’re in luck. Nintendo revealed a paid expansion for the platformer during the Direct. It’s called DK Island & Emerald Rush and it’s out today for $20.

You’ll be able to barrel around Donkey Kong’s home island and meet up with some familiar faces. After you’ve beaten the story in the main game, you’ll be able to try the Emerald Rush mode. This will see you undertaking timed runs in DK Island and the main game’s layers to collect emerald ore, smash fossils and collect Banandium Gems. 

Meanwhile, Nintendo has released a demo for the main game. So, if you have a Switch 2 and haven’t played Donkey Kong Bananza yet, you’ll be able to find out for yourself why the other cool kids are saying “ooh, banana!” all the time.

Pokémon Pokopia

Quite a few people were expecting/hoping for news of a new Animal Crossing during the Nintendo Direct. While that didn’t happen, Nintendo had arguably something even more exciting to announce — especially if you’re both an Animal Crossing and Pokémon fan.

Pokémon Pokopia is the first Pokémon life simulation game. You’ll play as a Ditto who has been transformed to look like a human and turn empty land into a cozy paradise for both yourself and Pokémon. Ditto can learn abilities from Pokémon, such as using Squirtle’s Water Gun to give life to flora. 

It looks utterly lovely. Pokémon Pokopia is coming to Switch 2 in 2026.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave

Nintendo used this Direct to seriously start filling out its Switch 2 slate for 2026. One of the games it’s publishing for the system next year is a new entry in the Fire Emblem series. It announced Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave during the showcase.

As ever, this will be a turn-based tactical RPG. The debut trailer touched on the story and characters in the upcoming game. 

Metroid Prime 4 and Hades 2 release dates

We had a feeling these were coming soon, but release dates for both Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Hades 2 were both major announcements during the Direct. Samus has a rad, Tron-esque bike in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which will arrive on Switch and Switch 2 on December 4.

Hades 2, meanwhile, will arrive on Switch and Switch 2 on September 25. The full game will be available on Steam and Epic Games Store on the same day as it will exit early access on PC. There were be cross-save support across PC and Switch/Switch 2. The Switch 2 version will support 120fps gameplay when the console is docked. That Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong are dropping in the same month is pretty wild. Apologies to any designs you had on getting some sleep in September.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment release date

Nintendo announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment during a dedicated launch direct for Switch 2 back in April, and now there’s a release date for this hack and slash game. It’s coming to the console on November 6.

Age of Imprisonment, which was developed by Koei Tecmo’s AAA Games Studio, sees Princess Zelda traveling back in time and meeting Rauro and Sonia, the first king and queen of Hyrule. You’ll try to take down Ganondorf (yes, again) in what’s known as the Imprisoning War. Zonai devices will be at your disposal. According to the trailer, you’ll “uncover ancient truths that were only glimpsed in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.”

There’s two-player co-op support via split-screen and GameShare. Zelda, Rauru and Sonia are among the playable characters, and you’ll be able to swap between them. You can also play as a Korok for a change instead of torturing the poor creatures, you monsters.

AAA third-party games coming to Switch 2

Nintendo confirmed during the Direct that Resident Evil Requiem is coming to Switch 2. It’ll arrive on February 27, the same day the next entry in Capcom’s classic survival horror series debuts on other platforms. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village will also land on Switch on on February 27.

We learned back in April that the first installment of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy was bound for Switch 2 and now there’s a release date for that. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is coming to the system on January 22.

Switch 2 versions of indie classics

The Nintendo Switch was such an important platform for indie games, and several that became huge hits are getting Switch 2 versions. Overcooked 2 (the ultimate relationship test, in my opinion) will have support for 4K visuals, 60fps gameplay, GameShare and CameraPlay — the feature that allows you to see you and your teammate’s faces on screen as you play —in its Switch 2 version. That’s on the way this holiday season.

Stardew Valley will also support GameShare for co-op play on Switch 2. Mouse controls will be available, as well as four-player splitscreen and eight-player online action. Those who have the game on Switch already will get a free upgrade when the Switch 2 version arrives this fall.

Human Fall Flat is headed to Switch 2 in Spring 2026. That will also have support for mouse controls, GameShare and eight-person multiplayer.

It’s far too early to say whether Powerwash Simulator 2 will become an indie classic, but the original game was terrific and its sequel is getting a Switch 2 version as well. There’s no exact release date for Powerwash Simulator 2 as yet, but it’s still slated to arrive this fall.

Suika Game gets a sequel

Suika Game was a huge hit, and the sequel promises to soak up even more of my time. Suika Game Planet adds an extra dimension to the puzzle action. Instead of dropping fruit into a bucket and trying to combine two of the same items into a larger one, this time there’s a circular stage. That might be a fun wrinkle for anyone (me, hi) who gets frustrated about not being able to reach large fruit at the bottom of the container.

Suika Game Planet is coming to Switch and Switch 2 this winter and I might not be able to do anything else with my time after it drops. The Switch 2 version will support a GameShare mode that allows up to four players to work together.

Virtual Boy is back

Last but not least, Nintendo had an absolute shocker when it came to Switch Online + Expansion Pack. No, it’s not adding Super Mario Sunshine to the Gamecube app just yet. The company is bringing Virtual Boy games to the service, which is more bananas than anything you’ll find in Donkey Kong Bananza. 

To play those games from a system that was notoriously undercooked (partly because Nintendo was placing much more focus on the massively more successful Nintendo 64 around that time), you’ll need an accessory. A $100 plastic tabletop one that looks just like the original Virtual Boy and a $25 cardboard version are on the way. They’re compatible with the Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 and, if it’s an authentic Virtual Boy experience, probably some eye strain.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-metroid-virtual-boy-and-more-all-the-biggest-announcements-from-todays-nintendo-direct-165722897.html?src=rss 

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Amazon and Google misled advertisers regarding the pricing and terms for their ads. As first reported by Bloomberg, the investigation is being conducted by the agency’s consumer protection unit, and centers around the auction-style sale of advertising space by the companies.

Google sells ads using automated auctions that run after a user enters a search query. These auctions take place in less than a second. Amazon uses real-time auctions to place ads within its listings, which users would recognize as “sponsored listings” or “sponsored ads” when searching for specific products.

The investigation questions whether Amazon disclosed so-called “reserve pricing” for some of its ads, which is a price floor that advertisers must meet before they can buy an ad. For Google’s part, the FTC is looking at certain practices by the search giant including its internal pricing process and whether it was surreptitiously increasing the cost of ads in ways that advertisers weren’t privy to.

The FTC isn’t the only federal agency keeping a close eye on big tech. Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that Google held a monopoly in online ad tech after the Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to break up the giant’s ad business. Google also recently escaped mostly unscathed from a Department of Justice monopoly case involving its Chrome browser.

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson has previously said that big tech is one of the agency’s top priorities. These investigations move forward against a backdrop of top tech CEOs continuing to try to curry favor with President Trump via lavish personal gifts and sweeping (if potentially unrealistic) promises of investment in the US economy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftc-investigating-ad-sale-practices-at-google-and-amazon-160236895.html?src=rss 

It’s official. The Switch 2 is getting the next entry in the long-running Fire Emblem series. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave will be available sometime in 2026, though we have nothing more specific than that.

We do have a trailer and it looks gorgeous. It showed off the game’s tactical combat, which is a mainstay for the franchise, and teased the story. It involves some sort of gladiator-like contest called the Heroic Games. There are plenty of new combat units and many of them boast gladiatorial flair of some kind.

It also looks to take place in the same universe as the immensely popular Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which came out for the original Switch console. There are some visual similarities and one character seems to be a grown-up version of someone from Three Houses.

This makes a certain kind of sense, given that Three Houses is the most financially successful game in franchise history and considered by critics to be a stone-cold classic. The more recent Fire Emblem: Engage wasn’t nearly as popular, despite being a solid entry.

For the uninitiated, this series is all about tactical turn-based combat, factional rivalries and robust storylines involving numerous characters. It was a niche franchise here in the USA until the 3DS era and the release of Fire Emblem: Awakening and Fire Emblem: Fates.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/fire-emblem-fortunes-weave-comes-out-for-the-switch-2-in-2026-162127483.html?src=rss 

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade comes out for the Switch 2 on January 22, 2026, which was revealed at today’s lengthy Nintendo Direct livestream. This is the first entry in the remake trilogy and primarily takes place in the opening city of Midgar. You’ll have to wait until Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to explore the overworld map, and there’s no Switch 2 release date for that one yet.

This release does include the Episode Intermission DLC, which involves the ninja Yuffie on a mission to steal powerful items from the evil Shinra corporation. That story takes place after the main campaign.

There’s a trailer and it looks gorgeous, so the Switch 2 should be able to handle this one. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade originally came out back in 2021. The long-awaited title was more of a reimagining than a straight remake of the iconic JRPG. The game still managed to garner critical acclaim, despite drastic changes from the original.

It was followed by Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in 2024, with a third game on the way to close out the trilogy. There’s no name for this final entry and we don’t have a release date, as it’s still in active development.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/final-fantasy-vii-remake-intergrade-hits-the-switch-2-on-january-22-152559995.html?src=rss 

Nintendo kicked off its latest Direct on Friday with a slew of Mario-related news to mark the 40th anniversary of its mascot. One of those announcements was for a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the delightful Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which is coming next spring. It will feature fresh multiplayer modes and other new features that Nintendo will reveal later.

A region called Bellabel Park will open up. You’ll be able to hop into several modes with family and friends, such as one that will see you compete to collect the most coins on a course and a game of tag. There’s also a Bob-omb relay race, a mini game where you’ll lay out donut blocks for each other to progress through a level and a rhythm game.

In addition, Nintendo is going to sell a physical version of the annoying cute talking flower from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. That’s coming your way next spring too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/super-mario-bros-wonder-is-getting-a-switch-2-version-with-new-multiplayer-modes-133722013.html?src=rss 

Nintendo is dropping a slew of Mario-related announcements this morning as part of the franchise’s 40th anniversary, including a new game starring his dinosaur companion. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is coming out for Switch 2 in the Spring of 2026 and the brief bit of gameplay we saw plants it squarely in the cutesy yet intriguing tradition of past Yoshi platformers. 

The game’s worlds and levels appear to be part of a book named Mr. Encyclopedia (or Mr. E for short) that Yoshi can jump into and explore. The game’s main hook is traveling through those worlds and documenting the creatures you meet along the way, whose special abilities are what let you progress. For example, there’s a little yellow walking flower that feels quite familiar from past Yoshi games; finding it and letting it ride on Yoshi makes other flowers bloom in the level. Presumably, that’s a component to getting to where you need to go. In another level, dandelions that you can scatter will make rocks brittle so you can pound them and proceed. 

As with most Yoshi games, there’s a cute and distinctive art style on display here — the gameplay will be recognizable to anyone who has played games going all the way back to Yoshi’s Island on the SNES, but obviously with more modern tweaks. It’s not the same aesthetic as the yarn- and craft-based things we’ve seen on games like Yoshi’s Crafted World and Yoshi’s Wooly World (which introduced the absolutely adorable yarn-based Yoshi) but it’s in the ballpark. 

While Yoshi and the Mysterious World continues the kid-friendly aesthetics of those earlier games, I’m hoping it brings some of the challenge found in old-school titles like Yoshi’s Island. We’ll find out next year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/yoshi-and-the-mysterious-book-is-a-new-platformer-coming-to-the-switch-2-next-spring-133805615.html?src=rss 

Switch 2 fans have a new Mario Tennis game to look forward to early next year. During Friday’s Direct presentation, Nintendo announced Mario Tennis Fever. It’s the first new entry in the long-running series since the release of Mario Tennis Aces in 2018. The new game will be a Switch 2 exclusive, with Nintendo promising plenty of tweaks to an established formula. For one, there are new defensive moves your character can take, including slides and dives, to prevent your opponent from scoring a point. 

Then there are the fever rackets, from which the game is named after. These essentially allow you to snowball against your opponent by building a rally gauge and then executing a “fever shot.” The effect of these depend on the racket you have equipped. For example, the ice racket will freeze a part of the court, while the mini mushroom racket will shrink your opponents, making it harder for them to cover their side of the court, if they’re hit by its projectiles. There are 30 fever rackets to try. Mario Tennis Fever will also offer the biggest roster in series history. In all, there are 38 playable characters, including fan-favorites like Rosalina and Donkey Kong. 

On top of that, Fever looks to offer plenty of different ways to play, with online play offered alongside a silly story mode that sees Mario and his friends turned into babies and forced to relearn the rules of tennis. There’s even a swing mode where you can use the Joy-Cons motion controls for a “more authentic experience.” 

You won’t have to wait long to play Mario Tennis Fever, with the game set to release on February 12, 2026.      

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/mario-tennis-fever-hits-the-court-on-february-12-134227490.html?src=rss 

The long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is coming on December 4 to both the original Switch and the recently-released Switch 2, as announced during today’s Nintendo Direct livestream. The Switch 2 is getting a dedicated version with upscaled graphics and some other bells and whistles, just like the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

We already knew the next Metroid would drop sometime in 2025, but it’s nice to have an actual release date. We got a nifty trailer for the first-person adventure earlier this year that showed off new power-ups for protagonist Samus Aran. The game looks very fun and certainly seems to capture the spirit of its predecessors.

The plot involves Samus exploring a large planet and battling malevolent alien creatures which more than likely include the titular Metroids. This is a first-person game, unlike the relatively recent Metroid Dread, with an emphasis on scanning the environment, shooting enemies and solving puzzles. She has a cool-looking motorbike this time around, with an Amiibo figure to match. The trailer also shows off some wide-open sections to explore.

The first Metroid Prime was released all the way back in 2002 for the Nintendo Gamecube. The fourth entry has experienced a rocky development cycle, with Nintendo scrapping the project entirely in 2019 to start over from scratch.

The Metroid series dates back to 1986 with the NES original. The franchise represents one half of the popular Metroidvania genre, which is buzzy right now thanks to the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong. A price has not yet been announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/metroid-prime-4-will-be-released-on-december-4-for-switch-1-and-2-134718933.html?src=rss 

Donkey Kong Bananza, probably my favorite game of the year, is getting a paid expansion today called DK Island & Emerald Rush. As the title implies, you’ll get to explore the island where Donkey Kong hails from and visit a whole host of his friends while you’re at it. Naturally, there is more to explore and find there, but there’s also a whole new set of challenges once you’ve finished the main game story. That’s the titular Emerald Rush. 

The timed missions involve you running around the island smashing as much green ore as you can get. As you go, smashing fossils you find unlocks various perks, which in turn help you amass more emeralds. Some of those perks act as multipliers on how much emerald you collect; others do things like make more treasure chests (that are naturally loaded with emeralds) appear. In somewhat roguelike fashion, your perks and skill reset after every run — but the location of things like fossils and Banandium Gems stay the same. So as you learn the levels, you’ll be able to further maximize your collection. 

Emerald Rush mode isn’t limited to the new DK Island layer, either — it’ll be integrated into other layers in the main game. As with everything else in Donkey Kong Bananza, it looks like a pretty delightful time. The DLC is set to go live today, but it’s not up in the Nintendo eShop yet so its price remains a mystery.

If you haven’t played the main game yet, Nintendo also released a demo that you can try later today, as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/donkey-kong-bananza-is-getting-a-dlc-expansion-today-140016430.html?src=rss