A crushing good time The best party games are the ones you’re able to pick-up quickly. It’s what makesMario PartyorTowerfallorWarioWare: Smooth Movesthe go-to games for get-togethers with friends and drinking buddies. These are the types of games anyone can understand and can lead to hours of fun and competitiveness that run long into the night. In 2019,King of the Hatmay join those titles as a must-play game for parties. I almost missed it as I walked the floor at EGLX....

Donald will be droppin F’bombs Square Enix will be releasing an update forKingdom Hearts IIItomorrow that adds back the series’ patented “Critical” difficulty option. A step above the current hard mode, it should provide a suitable challenge for series veterans and anyone that has playedIIIto death since it released. Series director Tetsuya Nomura announced the news in a Tweet from theKingdom HeartsTwitter account, though didn’t offer any details on how the game’s various parameters will be tweaked....

Although there is more than meets the eye… Two years after its release, Nintendo’s kart racerMario Kart 8 Deluxeis back at the top of the UK Charts, having overtaken rival titleCrash Team Racing Nitro-Fueledto take the chequered flag for this week, at the very least. The acclaimed Switch racer leads the charge of a successful week for Nintendo releases, which also sawSuper Mario Maker 2,Super Mario Odyssey, and the Switch port ofMinecraftall retain or re-enter Top Ten positions....

And a Tanooki Buggy WhenMario Kart 8delivers its first DLC pack in November, it’ll arrive with a few familiar courses. The newest reveal today is the Yoshi Circuit stage, which was previously found inDouble Dash(andMario Kart DS). Additionally, the Tanooki Buggy has been revealed. The pack will also add Link, Cat Peach, and Tanooki Mario to the mix, as well as four vehicles (Buggy, Master Cycle, Blue Falcon, and B Dasher) and eight courses total (Wario’s Gold Mine, Excitebike, F-Zero, Yoshi Circuit, and four others)....

Starting next month I’m done withMetal Gear Survive‘scampaign and at this point I’m basically waiting for matchmaking sessions to actually fill, but Konami says that more content is on the way — which could spur more people into action after they’ve finished the campaign in turn. Starting next month Konami is adding post-launch content, which includes the new mission type “Rescue.” As expected you’ll need to brave the enemy and rescue NPCs, and all of this will be happening in tandem with new modifiers for challenges that alter the way you approach each mission....

NBA 2K25v5.0 update is now live on the current-gen consoles, and developer Visual Concepts has made a few important tweaks ahead of the upcoming season. Season 5 is almost upon us, and players will be able to unlock a fresh set of rewards from their grind. The release date and time has been officially confirmed by the developers, and the latest patch has also made some important updates to gameplay and in-game stats....

Pre-Black Friday deals We’re just a week from Black Friday and the floodgate of new titles are arriving in sync. Today, Nintendo released the Pokemon Yellow remake ofPokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu, andLet’s Go Eeveeon the Nintendo Switch and this is decisively going to be one of the top holiday titles to pick-up. Next week, you’ll find EA’sBattlefield V, which honestly is receivingdecent reviewsdespite all the initial backlash. It looks like controversy aside, the game is still plain o’Battlefieldfun....

Get another look at the things you can do inTears of the Kingdom We’ve talked about the potential of the new building and combination mechanics inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomin the past: but it’s another thing entirely to see it in action. Although Nintendo gave us the “final” trailer forZelda: Tears of the Kingdomrecently, we now have this extra “You Can Do What?” ad to peruse and glean more info from before its August 04, 2025 release....

Also, Severed Note that the big release for Switch (Sonic Mania) isn’t actually out today, but rather August 15 — it’s just included in this week’s Nintendo Download issue! Also on Switch you’ll findSevered, Flip Wars(August 10),Ironcast, NeoGeo: King of Fighters 2000, Rocket Fist,andPhantom Trigger.Troll and Ihits on August 15 as well. On the 3DS sideElminage Originalwill arrive on August 10, plus aMonster Hunter Storiesdemo.Soldier BladeandFinal Soldierare hitting Wii U, too....

Also, 3D Streets of Rage 2 The time has finally come —The Binding of Isaacis hitting Nintendo platforms, on both the Wii U and New 3DS. Also on Wii U isDragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria, Canvaleon, The Quiet Collection, DK Jungle ClimberandLegend of Kay Anniversarywill drop on July 28. On the 3DS side we haveStreets of Rage 2 3D, Dragon Fantasy,Epic Word Search Collection, Fantasy Pirates,andI Love My Cats. New themes includeEtrian Odyssey Untold 2, Miku: Project Mirai DX,andBOXBOY....

This letter, written by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime andNintendo PowerEditor-in-Chief Chris Slate, thanks fans for their loyalty and informs that the magazine will end after the December issue. Reggie also mentions that we can catch Nintendo news from a variety of different outlets, from Facebook to YouTube to special Nintendo Direct broadcasts; while probably not the intention, it does drive home the uselessness of print media in our ultra connected world....

Overall, industry is down 19% from 2012 Thursday was NPD day, a day of celebration and / or commiseration throughout the US gaming industry. The big winners in terms of hardware and software were 3DS andNCAA Football 14. This marks the third straight month that 3DS has been in the top position, and as forNCAA… well… it’s an American football game selling to an American audience. It’s spot was secured....

Ooblets and giblets In the sizzle reel near the end of Microsoft’s press conference yesterday,Oobletswas one of several that jumped out at me. Double Fine is bringing this Glumberland game to Xbox One and PC via Steam in 2018. Described as a mix of “Pokemon, Harvest Moon,andAnimal Crossing,” you farm and train your ooblets, run a shop,and “unlock the mysterious of the Oob.” Theofficial websitealso lists the following features: Live a simple life working the land (and battling magical creatures)...