Mario vs. Donkey Kong was announced during today’s Nintendo Direct. Launching on February 16, this new title is the first entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series to hit the Nintendo Switch and the latest in the series since its last entry in 2016.
The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series is a successor to the original Donkey Kong series of games. It began in 2004 with Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the Game Boy Advance. This new Switch entry is a complete remake of that original title.
Like the original, the Mario vs. Donkey Kong Switch remake is a puzzle game where you play as Mario. Throughout the game, you’ll complete puzzles to collect the mini-Mario robot toys and eventually defeat Donkey Kong. The puzzles involve using a variety of switches and making your way across platforms and other obstacles to get free and collect these toys. Other times you’ll be collecting keys to progress through levels.
However, it differs in that this new entry to the series features full-on 3D graphics. There are no 3D gameplay gimmicks or overhauls to be found here, but it looks much better than the original Gameboy Advance version.
Another key difference in this new remake is that it offers co-op multiplayer. Here, a second player can take the helm of Toad and help Mario progress through levels and defeat Donkey Kong.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a welcome surprise and another addition to the Switch’s massive library of puzzle games. It is set to release on February 16, 2024.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.