It’s been a bit since we’ve had a brand-new 2D Mario title, but one fan has taken it upon himself to provide that to those pining for a new entry in the classic platformer franchise. After seven years of hard work, Twitter user Metroid Mike 64 has finished his unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 using Super Mario Maker 2 on Switch — and you can play through the entire thing right now.
Metroid Mike 64 shared the news with his followers on Sunday, pointing out that he’s been working on the project since 2015 with the goal of creating “a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves.” This, he points out, means a complete lack of the kinds of masochistic and troll levels that are commonly seen in Mario Maker 2, instead providing players with something focused on nostalgia and old-school charm.
I’ve finally finished creating my Super World in Mario Maker 2 and have unofficially named it Super Mario Bros 5. I’ve been working towards this moment since 2015, trying to create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves. pic.twitter.com/eUNvHQysVq
— Metroid Mike 64 (@MetroidMike64) September 25, 2022
Having begun work on his unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 using the original Mario Maker for Wii U, Metroid Mike 64 had to meticulously move his creation over “block for block” to Mario Maker 2 when it was released in 2019. It was a time-consuming process, but the end result is something he’s clearly quite proud of. With eight worlds and 40 full levels based on various early games in the beloved series — and even world maps with branching paths connecting them all together — he’s ensured that there’s plenty for Mario enthusiasts to enjoy here.
If you’d like to check out Metroid Mike 64’s Super Mario Bros. 5 in Super Mario Maker 2, you can do so right now by using the maker ID 0G9-XN4-FNF.
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.