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Marvel Rivals Is Winning For The Same Reasons As The Early MCU

4 April 2025 - Matt Miller

Over the last several months, I’ve spent a lot of time bouncing between my favorite characters in Marvel Rivals. Doctor Strange pulls me in with his sorcerous ways, only for Invisible Woman to grab my attention. I’ll be blasting lightning bolts with Storm and then be drawn over to the fun of bashing baddies with Thor’s Mjolnir. It’s a vicious cycle, and I’m hooked. It’s also one of the big reasons Marvel Rivals consistently hits such substantial concurrent player numbers, keeping fans engaged for match after match. Rivals successfully unites a disparate cast of comic book heroes and villains in a way that parallels the early success of Marvel’s live-action film universe.

From the earliest incarnation of Marvel Comics #1 more than 80 years ago, the comics universe gradually grew and thrived around the genesis and endless reinterpretation of its many characters. Even that earliest issue (which pre-dated the actual company being called Marvel) featured character names, like Jim Hammond as the Human Torch, who would eventually pass the mantle to a completely different individual. By allowing creators to shape their own stories and directions within the editorial framework of a larger universe, the shared universe became rich, nuanced, and fun to follow.

In later years, it didn’t matter that you had gritty crime stories playing out in Daredevil, even while the X-Men jetted into space for adventures across the galaxy. Inherently goofy characters like Howard the Duck could co-exist with the existential angst and monster-within narrative of Bruce Banner and Hulk’s dual identities. Vampires? Talking raccoons? Norse gods? International spies? It was all fair game.

It worked because, whether they showed up in their solo books or as part of a team, these heroes and villains were allowed to be themselves in their own spaces and then cross over with the others without pause. The writers and artists of those decades of comic books let the characters interact, even when the meeting points felt awkward or unusual. New versions of characters could arrive from an entirely different universe, and it was fine.

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe got underway, there seemed to be an awareness that a similar approach was required. Captain America’s espionage thriller vibe could live right alongside Star-Lord’s shenanigans on the fringes of outer space. Then, the two could be smashed together for the kind of fun we see in the final hour of Avengers: Endgame. The movies got each character’s vibe, voice, and feel “right,” so it didn’t matter if there was an incongruity in the individual figures meeting up. That was part of the fun.

Marvel Rivals manages the same trick. As a longtime comics fan, I’m continually impressed with how NetEase has seamlessly captured the essence of so many Marvel characters, even while putting a new spin on each. The voice cast's performances are what I imagine in my head as I read the comics. The interstitial line reads from characters between match rounds feels like what we’d expect to hear if Punisher was talking to Rocket or Magneto was communicating with Scarlet Witch. Squirrel Girl and Jeff the Land Shark are silly, and that’s just fine to have them trading barbs with Loki; the weirdness is played for fun.

Once in battle, each character’s inherent nature comes out in their gameplay, just like the plots of each MCU film reinforce the personalities of individual heroes. When Venom drops into the midst of an enemy scrum, tentacles flailing, it feels like a natural counter as a tank to disrupt the enemy team, but it also just understands who and what Venom is. Hulk’s ultimate has an intuitive quality as he balloons to even greater size and strength. If a player knows the character from other mediums, they’re already partway there to understanding how that character will play in the game.

Likewise, much like the MCU’s willingness to embrace different timelines and convoluted ideas of a multiverse, Marvel Rivals dives headlong into a backdrop of colliding universes. In practice, even if narrative takes a backseat to gameplay in a competitive title like Marvel Rivals, there’s still an easy out for understanding all the myriad outfits and places a player might encounter. Why is Captain America in an AIM outfit? That was totally a thing in the comics! Why is Dracula in here alongside the mythical squirrel named Ratatoskr? Because the zany intersection of those ideas is supported by the narrative framework.

Marvel Rivals has me continually playing because the matches are intense, the art style is beautiful, and the fun of so many distinct playstyles keeps me coming back for more day after day. But as a longtime fan of this fictional universe, it’s also that the game captures my imagination and understanding of these characters in a way that few other Marvel video games have done so well. The game gets what is wild, bizarre, childlike, and exciting about this colorful setting, and like with both the comics and the movies, it has me eagerly anticipating what happens next.

Marvel Rivals is heading into Season 2 on April 11, alongside a wealth of new balance changes, costumes, and the introduction of Emma Frost as a new playable character.

WWE 2K25 Review – Banger After Banger

4 April 2025 - Marcus Stewart

WWE 2K25 Review

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Publisher: 2K Games Developer: Visual Concepts Release: March 14, 2025 Rating: Teen

Quality is subjective, but if you ask WWE fans about the state of the product in recent years, many will tell you it’s the best it’s been in ages. The company is enjoying a boom period in quality and mainstream popularity not seen since the Attitude Era, and it almost feels scripted that the WWE 2K video games have been on a similar upward trajectory during the same time frame. WWE 2K25 retains everything that has worked in the recent entries while opening up the roster in a welcomed way due to the long-overdue introduction of intergender matches. Although the game’s most prominent new mode, The Island, is a questionable addition, 2K25 puts on another strong performance.

For the first time in a long time, the 300-plus superstar roster can slam each other as equals now that male and female superstars can finally compete in any match type together. This is my favorite new addition; I only spent significant playtime with half the roster in previous games since the online community tends to favor playing the men. Now, I can finally use my neglected favorites like Asuka or Rhea Ripley without twisting a buddy’s arm to pick one of the ladies to play with me. Intergender matches also raise the possible combinations of match-ups exponentially since men's and women’s abilities are on a level playing field. Liv Morgan can take down Roman Reigns as effectively as the boys, giving 2K25 a fun, arcade-like vibe.

The exceptional grappling includes the return of chain wrestling, a triggerable mini-game in which players execute a cinematic series of counters and tie-ups to gain the upper hand. I haven’t missed this feature since its last appearance in a 2K game, and 2K25 doesn’t make me feel wrong for that. The mechanic works fine, but it is sometimes a chore due to how long it can go on, so it’s not something I go out of my way to execute and falls squarely in the “neat” category.

I enjoy the addition of the Underground Match, the MMA-style contest where you must win by knockout or submission inside a ropeless ring surrounded by bystanders. Bloodlines Rules is perhaps the most entertaining stipulation in some time. The match is essentially a street fight that lets you summon up to three superstars to perform run-ins on your behalf à la Cody vs Roman at Wrestlemania XL. This match is delightfully chaotic, and it’s even more amusing when using non-Bloodline-related superstars just to see who runs out. The allies either fit that wrestler's on-screen relationships or are hilariously random, like Stone Cold receiving help from Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, and The Ultimate Warrior. Regardless of the match, WWE 2K25 remains an entertaining hold-for-hold experience. However, I’m beyond ready to move on from hearing the action called by the long-outdated commentary team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton.

The Bloodline, WWE’s faction of wrestlers hailing from the legendary Anoaʻi/Maivia family dynasty, dominates 2K25, culminating in a brand new mode called The Island. This is WWE 2K’s spin on NBA 2K’s MyCareer, letting players create a custom superstar to explore a WWE theme park-like hub world. From cleverly designed destinations like the lucha libre-inspired Temple of the Ancients and a Japanese arcade themed after the members of Damage CTRL, The Island is fun to gawk at, especially since it's filled with inside nods and easter eggs for hardcore fans. Unfortunately, text-based conversations mean interactions with superstars feel flat, and the minimal ambient sound effects make the Island more lifeless than it looks. Exploring is a literal pain due to constantly holding the trigger button to execute a weirdly sluggish run to get around marginally faster. Additionally, the lack of a map means a lot of aimless searching for where to go, and the small in-game mission indicators don’t stand out enough from the crowd.

The Island challenges players to complete matches and other tasks to earn a WWE contract (and the acknowledgment of Roman Reigns) while engaging in goofy sidequests like finding the haunted scattered pieces of an urn or obtaining mech suit parts from WWE’s gamer wrestlers. These missions are broadly fine, eliciting a chuckle in some cases.

The main reward for doing them is earning VC, 2K’s premium currency, to pump up your character, but the Island would prefer that you spend real money to speed up the process. My earlier theme park analogy rings most true in how much the Island tries to tempt players to open their wallets via stores selling cosmetic pieces (some branded, e.g. Nike). While easy to ignore, it still feels a bit icky given that a single piece of attire, such as a pair of shoes or a shirt, costs $5 minimum, and it will take a lot of playtime to earn enough VC to unlock even a few complete outfits purely by playing. This is especially egregious since the same currency is used to improve your character’s attributes, and budgeting real money to balance attire and performance upgrades isn’t fun.

As a fan of the yearly Showcase mode, centering it on The Bloodline’s long lineage is an appealing choice, and it covers a nice breadth of the family tree. From Peter Maivia to Yokozuna to the Usos to Nia Jax, Showcase is thematically interesting but disjointed in execution. Instead of only presenting a faithful documentary-style recreation of matches, several bouts offer fantasy match-ups, like The Wild Samoans vs The Dudley Boyz, which is a bit odd for the historian in me.

Vintage matches are sometimes held in modern arenas instead of recreating era-appropriate venues, creating another thematic disconnect. Showcase’s match order also feels haphazard as the family history lesson (narrated by Paul Heyman, who does an unsurprisingly great job) jumps back and forth between the different family generations, making it trickier to grasp if you’re unaware of the Bloodline’s heritage. The 2024 Bloodline vs Bloodline WarGames match, for example, seems like an obvious and fitting final bout, but it’s strangely the penultimate contest to a random and far less significant tag match from yesteryear. Showcase is still an enjoyable summary of the Bloodline’s decades-long greatness, but it’s a weaker overall showing than previous iterations.

The story-driven MyRise pushes intergender gameplay further by featuring a single, branching storyline that stars a male and female superstar that players switch between. I appreciate the streamlined approach of doing away with social-media-based match-ups to bouts. With only Story quests and optional live events designed for grinding skill points, MyRise is less bloated and more manageable. This year’s storyline of an NXT invasion of the main roster, a la 2001’s WCW/ECW Alliance angle, is hilariously absurd when you factor in that at least 90 percent of the main roster consists of NXT alumni. Still, that silliness is what makes MyRise’s often ridiculous plots fun in a dumb way. Despite several flat performances from some voiced superstars (including what sounds like a tired CM Punk in a primary role), MyRise remains a fun little romp I still enjoy partaking in.

MyGM, a favorite destination of mine, is essentially the same this year but makes up for the lack of innovation by finally introducing much-requested online play for up to four players. My long-time disinterest in the card-collecting MyFaction remains unchanged; it’s still okay for those who like it, but playing it does nothing to inspire more engagement beyond the obligatory check-in. The Creation Suite and, to a lesser extent, MyUniverse don’t feature any substantial changes, but they’re still entertaining time sinks for dedicated players.

But what matters most is when the bell rings, and taking control of this massive roster and mixing it up – regardless of gender – across a now-impressive selection of stipulations is a blast. Although it’s the only real game in town, WWE 2K25 retains its title as the best and most substantial pro wrestling sim fans can buy.

Score: 8.25

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Trump Tariff Plans Delay Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Date

4 April 2025 - Charles Harte

After years of waiting, Wednesday's comprehensive Nintendo Direct finally revealed everything the Nintendo Switch 2 has to offer, including its new features, launch games, and release date. To top it all off, pre-orders were set to open next week on April 9 until Nintendo issued a new statement to news outlets this morning. Pre-orders are being temporarily postponed due to the United States' recently announced tariffs, which will likely impact the console's price.

Nintendo issued the following statement to Game Informer:

Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.

On Wednesday evening, the White House announced its upcoming tariff plan, which would impose fees on goods imported from other countries. While the administration has been public about the incoming taxes, the exact rate has turned out to be much higher than anticipated, and in Nintendo's case, it will likely cost them a lot of money. Two common countries where products are manufactured, China and Vietnam, will have tariffs of 54% and 46%, respectively, placed on their exports to the US.

After the Direct, we learned the base system would cost $449 while the Mario Kart World bundle would be $499, a pair of price tags that staggered many potential buyers. Despite that, Nintendo's delay implies it might raise the price even higher to offset the new tax. Regardless of whether the price will be adjusted, updates on the international trade situation are coming through every day, so Nintendo may also just be waiting for future developments.

The Nintendo Switch 2's launch date of June 5 remains unchanged. For more details on the upcoming console, check out our hands-on impressions, learn about its technical specs, and read a complete recap of the Direct.

The Midnight Walk Sold Me On Its Haunted, Handmade Aesthetic

3 April 2025 - Charles Harte

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR2, PC Publisher: Fast Travel Games Developer: MoonHood Release: May 8, 2025

After watching about 45 minutes of gameplay of The Midnight Walk during a recent demo, I got the chance to inquire about the game's stop-motion art style. It's not true stop-motion – all the animation is done digitally – but the developers mentioned that they sculpted every figure in the game by hand. To explain, co-director Olov Redmalm switches his Discord camera to his phone and walks across the office, showing a workspace littered with handcrafted figures of characters and environments. He ends up at a small, well-lit white box, where he says they can scan sculpted pieces into a digital format. In fact, phone cameras have become so advanced in recent years that they just use their mobile devices as scanners.

When I ask why they don't just use a 3D modelling program to generate the assets, they give two answers: First, you can't replicate the little details and imperfections that come from hand-sculpting. Second, it's apparently easier this way, a response I found equal parts simple and surprising..

The Midnight Walk is a first-person, narrative-driven puzzle game with a creepy aesthetic. As the Burnt One, you embark on the titular journey with caution, avoiding monsters and bringing light back to the world. The developers claim the game has themes of light vs. darkness in its visuals and mechanics, and this is immediately apparent; the first thing they do in their playthrough is receive a pair of eyes, transforming the blurry visuals to a clear view of the grim, clay environment. The Midnight Walk even has a dedicated button to close your eyes, either to blink and reveal secrets or to will away particularly dangerous creatures, as if the player was a child convincing themselves it was all a dream.

The theme of light is also represented by matches, a core mechanic used to light torches and solve puzzles. To achieve that stop-motion aesthetic, which is usually done by animating toy-sized figures, matches are large, two-handed tools. When you light them, they realistically burn down the matchstick, creating what the developers refer to as a built-in timer, a convenient restraint to make puzzles more challenging.

Of course, you can also light fires with Potboy, the cute, pot-headed companion who also acts as the game's mascot. In addition to shooting embers from his scalp to light distant lanterns, he also graciously volunteers to squeeze through small spaces and get fired out of cannon-like pipes. Potboy is, in many ways, the emotional and aesthetic core of The Midnight Walk. He's creepy and cute, smiling and waving on the streets of an otherwise twisted, disturbing landscape.

The developers describe The Midnight Walk as a "cozy horror" game, a combination of descriptors that seems inherently contradictory. To me, however, it makes sense: Spooky stop-motion is most famously seen in movies for children, like Coraline or The Nightmare Before Christmas, so it's inherently a little nostalgic. Despite their gothic trappings, I can easily imagine many of these characters on a kid's t-shirt, with Potboy being the chief example.

Gameplay for the first half of the experience is relatively straightforward. Co-director Klaus Lyngeled (the one playing the demo) just proceeds along a linear path, avoiding monsters, lighting candles, and shutting his eyes to remove obstacles. Then, they skip further ahead in the build to a later point in the game. Klaus is now equipped with a matchstick gun, which gives him even more candle-lighting range than Potboy provides, but this time, he has to navigate a town crawling with enemies called Grinners. Klaus' purposeful death aside (he wanted to show us the Grinner's horrifying killing animation), the level clearly challenged him, making him retreat and be patient. I enjoy watching developers play their games, and they often play it up for an audience, but seeing Klaus genuinely tensing up at the risk of being caught was entertaining and exciting.

I'm looking forward to The Midnight Walk. Its aesthetics remind me of movies I watched as a kid, and I enjoyed seeing how Moonhood is committed to using that art style to tell a story. Luckily, I'll only have to wait a few weeks for its release on May 8.

South Of Midnight And More Join Xbox Game Pass This Month

3 April 2025 - Marcus Stewart

Xbox Game Pass April 2025

A new batch of Xbox Game Pass titles begins hitting the library today. The coming week is headlined by South of Midnight and promising indie puzzle game Blue Prince. A few other noteworthy titles are also now available on the Standard subscription tier, such as Wargroove 2 and Still Wakes the Deep.

Check out what’s coming Xbox Game Pass (including the membership tiers each title will be available for) as well as the list of games leaving the service this month. We’ve also included links to our reviews for applicable titles if you’d like to know what to expect from a given game.

What’s Coming to Xbox Game Pass

Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition (Console, PC, Cloud) - Today | Our ReviewGame Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

All You Need is Help (Console) - TodayGame Pass Standard

Still Wakes the Deep (Xbox Series X/S) - Today | Our Review Game Pass Standard

Wargroove 2 (Console) - TodayGame Pass Standard

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition (Console, PC) - April 8 | Our ReviewGame Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard

South of Midnight (Xbox Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - April 8Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Commandos: Origins (Xbox Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - April 9Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Blue Prince (Xbox Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - April 10Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Hunt Showdown 1896 (PC) - April 15 Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

What’s Leaving Xbox Game Pass on April 15 Botany Manor Coral Island Harold Halibut Homestead Arcana Kona Orcs Must Die! 3 Turbo Golf Racing

Mario Kart World Preview - Cross-Country Karting

3 April 2025 - Brian Shea

Mario Kart World

Platform: Release: July 17, 2025

For the last several years, I’ve struggled to answer a question that has long plagued me: Where in the world could Nintendo possibly take the Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. franchises after the culminating entries that appeared on Switch? Both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate possess similar DNA in that they bring together the majority of content from past games and deliver an experience that feels like not only the best entry in those legendary franchises but also a climax that will require a different approach for the next game.

When it was revealed that a new Mario Kart game – the first all-new entry in over a decade – was coming to Switch 2, I couldn’t wait to see how Nintendo would approach following up one of its most successful first-party titles of all time. Now that I’ve gone hands-on with Mario Kart World, I’m pleased to report that Nintendo has cracked the code on where to take Mario Kart after 8 Deluxe.

Mario Kart World brings the world of Mario Kart to life through open-world-inspired design. You can drive around in Free Roam, go off-track during races, and compete in massive events that span multiple regions of the world. When you play Grand Prix, you even drive from one track to the next to deliver an immersive feeling of connectivity.

My Mario Kart World session begins with Grand Prix. The course was incredibly intricate and involved, with lakes of lava, twisting tracks, and obstacles galore. With 24 racers in a match, the start of each event feels chaotic as characters fight for position. This also means items are constantly being used, but it never felt overwhelming. In fact, thanks to various indicators to show you where items were approaching you from, I found it easier to avoid incoming attacks. If you do get hit by a shell, Bullet Bill, or other projectile, your driver’s reaction is less of a canned animation and feels more physics-based than ever before seen in the franchise. I also enjoyed grinding on rails during races – I was surprised that it felt more like a Sonic game’s grinding mechanics (complete with the ability to hop between rails) and less like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

Cow

With so many characters in each race, Nintendo dug deep into its character roster, with mainstays like Mario, Wario, Peach, and Yoshi being joined by less common characters like Cheep Cheep, Wiggler, Goomba, and even a cow named Cow. At one point, I thought the obvious next step for the Mario Kart franchise was to open the floodgates to other franchises beyond the small crossovers we saw in 8 Deluxe. That would have been a fun idea, but not nearly as fun as these obscure and oddball characters from the Mario franchise.

After completing my Grand Prix race, I move on to a Knockout Tour match. This mode takes the 24 players and pits them against each other in a map-spanning elimination race. Each lengthy segment ends with a checkpoint that accepts a set number of racers, and any player who comes in after the stated placement is eliminated from the match. I breezed through the first checkpoint near the front of the pack, but after taking the lead and holding it for a while, that signature Mario Kart madness unfolded as I was hit by a couple of shells shortly before the next checkpoint, and I arrived at the checkpoint as number 13. The problem? You needed to be 12th or better to continue.

From there, I spent some time in Free Roam. I didn’t snap any photo mode pictures, but I explored a vast field with flowers you can bounce on and a ravine where I dropped down, floated along, and found a star and a pile of coins. To exit, I found a giant pipe, which transported me up to the main road. Though I didn’t discover anything earth-shattering during my Free Roam session, I love the idea of rewarding exploration with fun discoveries like these. The ability to go anywhere has me so excited about what the creative team of Mario Kart developers can come up with.

Mario Kart World feels like it walks a tightrope of delivering something completely new while still feeling definitively like Mario Kart and not feeling like a step backward from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. With Mario Kart World, Nintendo appears to have followed up its most successful title from the Switch in superb fashion, giving Switch 1 owners an intensely enticing reason to upgrade to Switch 2 as soon as possible.

Mario Kart World arrives exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day, June 5. Ahead of that, we’ll learn more about the flagship Switch 2 launch title through a dedicated Mario Kart World Direct on April 17.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Preview - At Long Last

3 April 2025 - Brian Shea

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Platform: Switch Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Retro Studios

One of the most anticipated games for the entirety of the Nintendo Switch lifecycle has been Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. After its announcement in 2017, development was restarted under the original trilogy’s developer Retro Studios. Unfortunately, that means the game that was announced the same year as the original Nintendo Switch still isn’t out as that console’s lifecycle is about to end. Now that the game is finally ready, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is still coming to Switch, but with Switch 2 a mere two months away, Nintendo announced this week that the game is receiving an enhanced version on Switch 2.

On top of crisper visuals, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond provides the option of playing in Graphics mode or Performance mode. Graphics mode delivers 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, while Performance mode grants 1080p HD visuals running at a smooth 120 frames per second. My hands-on demo uses Performance mode, showcasing Switch 2’s ability to reach sky-high framerates with even visually demanding titles.

My brief demo shows off a gorgeous cutscene with Space Pirates attacking a Galactic Federation base. A ship swoops down, firing off a couple of shots at enemy crafts before landing. Samus emerges from the ship and my playthrough begins.

After navigating the destroyed facility using Samus’ various moves like her Morph Ball and Scan ability, I encounter my first enemies. Samus can fire her energy beam from the hip, or you can more finely aim by holding the left trigger down to lock on a target, then use motion controls to target with more specificity. I’m not the biggest motion controls fan, but this became my preferred way to become hyper-accurate with Samus’ attacks.

However, as many shooter fans know, the most accurate way to aim is using a mouse. On the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4, you can turn your Joy-Con 2 on its side at any point to seamlessly use the mouse functionality with no need to enter any menus to change your control scheme. The little touch of not needing to take yourself out of the action to change your control scheme feels magical, and whether I was playing Metroid Prime 4 or Super Mario Party Jamboree, I was consistently impressed by the mouse’s accuracy and reliability.

After blasting through a few waves of Space Pirates, completing a Morph Ball sequence where I dropped bombs to open a path above a room full of enemies, and targeting specific areas of doors using the aforementioned motion-controlled aiming, I enter into a boss fight against Aberax. This hulking beast fuses with a Metroid and unleashes energy blasts and shockwaves Samus’ way.

Thankfully, Aberax has obvious weak spots, which I target using the left trigger and the motion controls. While locked on, I can also dash to the side with a button tap. As the shockwaves come my way, I can use Samus’ double jump to launch over attacks or transform into her Morph Ball form to avoid airborne shockwaves. After taking some damage, I begin to worry I might not take down the monster. Thankfully, as I destroy Aberax’s weak spots, some health pickups spawn. I can run up and grab them, but that would open me up to attack. Instead, I charge Samus’ beam, which also attracts nearby items.

After a straightforward but somewhat tense battle, I finally take down Aberax and a final cutscene plays with the powerful bounty hunter Sylux showing up and launching an attack of his own. Shortly after that, my demo ends and I’m mad I have to wait at least a few months before I can play more.

My time with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was brief, but I exited my demo completely wowed by the experience. This segment is presumably right at the start of the game, but I was completely entranced by the action on-screen. I already thought Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was one of the most promising games of 2025, but after playing through this sequence, it’s not even a question that it’s one of my most anticipated of 2025.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond arrives on Switch 2 and Switch later this year.

Nintendo Switch 2 Hands-On Preview

3 April 2025 - Brian Shea

Nintendo Switch 2

Developer: Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch launched on March 3, 2017, not only pulling gaming’s most iconic name out of its Wii U downturn but also revitalizing and revolutionizing the handheld gaming market due to its innovative hybrid nature. Now, more than eight years later, Nintendo has finally pulled back the curtains on its direct successor, Nintendo Switch 2.

Though the elevator pitch is that it’s a bigger and more powerful version of the system that has sold more than 150 million units in its eight-plus years of life, I walked away from my recent extended hands-on session with Nintendo Switch 2 rather impressed.

Hands On with Nintendo Switch 2:

The sleek design of the Nintendo Switch 2 immediately catches the eye, whether behind a display case like my first encounter with the upcoming console or resting in my hands as I play the hotly anticipated launch title Mario Kart World. The 7.9-inch LCD screen looks big even when compared to the 7-inch Switch OLED model, and it absolutely dwarfs the 6.2-inch screen of the original Switch model.

I was initially concerned when I heard it was an LCD screen instead of what should be the industry standard for handheld devices going forward in OLED, but the system’s creators are confident in their display decision.

“There are a lot of advancements that have been made in LCD technology,” Nintendo Switch 2 hardware design lead Tetsuya Sasaki says during a Switch 2 developer roundtable. “During the development, we took a look at the LCD technology that was available to us now, and after a lot of consideration, we decided to stick with LCD.”

My initial fears were immediately dashed away as I fired up Mario Kart World during my first hands-on session. The 1080p resolution and smooth framerate look terrific on such a small screen. With support for up to 120 frames per second, it delivers exceptional performance in a form factor that is the same thickness as the original Nintendo Switch. However, the biggest differentiator in my time with Nintendo Switch 2 is its ability to display more vibrant colors and lighting thanks to its HDR capabilities.

Mario Kart World

“Even with the OLED version of Nintendo Switch, we hadn’t had support for HDR, but that’s something we have support for now,” Nintendo Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto says.

Most of my demos took place in docked TV mode, but Mario Kart World looks terrific on the Switch 2 screen. Nintendo also touts better speakers in Switch 2, though it was difficult to test that out due to a loud gameplay environment.

If you’d prefer to play in Tabletop mode, the kickstand is substantially more durable and adjustable than that of the original Switch, making Tabletop mode much more versatile and viable. I don’t anticipate worrying that I’ll accidentally snap this stand off or that it’ll be unstable in any way.

Though the ability to play on the go is one of Switch and Switch 2’s main attractions, I typically enjoy my games on the TV, and that is precisely where most of my gameplay sessions take place. Removing the Joy-Cons from the Switch 2 is not quite as easy as the rail-based system of the original Switch, but the button-release magnet system that holds the Joy-Con 2s in place feels much sturdier than the Switch 1’s rails. Removing and replacing the Joy-Con 2s to the Switch 2 has a tiny learning curve, but after completing the process a few times (and learning that it’s easier if you connect the bottom of the Joy-Con, and then the top), I had the process down.

I didn’t get the opportunity to try out GameChat or any of the social elements involving the built-in microphone or the additional camera, but I did spend some time playing camera-based games in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Party Jamboree. These games, which involve squatting and standing when the Talking Flower from Super Mario Bros. Wonder tells you to, waving your hand to hit a block as many times as possible in a short period, or just moving and making as much noise as possible, work well. The camera aptly separated each of the four players in their side-by-side playspaces, removed the background, and transposed each person to the in-game environment as individual entities.

There was only one occasion where the camera had difficulty recognizing that one of the players stood up at the correct time, but it could have been because the player’s shirt color was nearly identical to the wall behind us. The applications of the camera and microphone outside of GameChat give me a lot of hope for ideas developers might come up with in future titles, and after this short demo, the camera went from a potential pick-up at launch to a must-have for me.

Civilization VII

As well-utilized as the camera is, the Joy-Con 2 mouse functionality was perhaps the most pleasant surprise of my entire demo. By turning the Joy-Con 2 sideways, you can instantly activate its mouse capabilities where supported. Switch 2 versions of games like Civilization VII and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond allow you to use the mouse functionality, but rather than going into a menu to select it, you simply turn the Joy-Con 2 sideways and place it directly onto the table or even your legs. I was shocked at how I could go from traditional controls in Civ VII to using a combined control scheme where my left Joy-Con functioned almost as a PC’s WASD while my right Joy-Con turned into a mouse with a simple turning of my wrist. Similarly, my gameplay session of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond allowed me to go from traditional FPS controls with motion controls for fine-tuned aiming to mouse-style aiming with no menus whatsoever.

Not only is it simple to activate in those cases, but it works remarkably well. And with small pads on the sides of the Joy-Con 2s, I never felt like I was in any danger of damaging the controller, even with aggressive mouse movements like with the wheelchair basketball game Drag x Drive or the newly added Super Mario Party Jamboree mouse minigames.

For the other games I checked out, I used the Switch 2 Pro Controller, which feels similar to that of the original Switch with two changes: the inclusion of the C-button for GameChat and the addition of two mappable back buttons similar to those found on high-end controllers. The back buttons weren’t mapped in my gameplay sessions, but as someone who often uses those back buttons on my Xbox Elite Controller, I’m excited to have more options with this new Pro Controller. However, if you already have a Switch Pro Controller and don’t want to drop additional money just for the back buttons and C-button, all Switch 1 accessories work with Switch 2.

When you combine my hands-on impressions of the Nintendo Switch 2 with the proven track record for the Switch brand, an excellent opening game-lineup salvo, and other features like 256 GB of internal storage, sweeping backward compatibility, and bigger SL and SR buttons for more comfortable sideways Joy-Con play, the Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a worthy successor to one of the best-selling video game systems of all time. With just around two months to go until launch, I’m already eagerly anticipating getting my hands on my own Switch 2 and beginning this long-awaited next era for Nintendo.

Nintendo Switch 2 arrives on June 5.

Reader Discussion: What Did You Think Of The Switch 2 Reveal?

2 April 2025 - Marcus Stewart

The Switch 2 had its grand unveiling today, revealing its features, the initial batch of games, pricing, and a release date. As the dust begins to settle, what do you think of this first big showing for the upcoming console?

How do you feel about the hardware specs and pricing? Do games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza have you hyped? How about those GameCube games finally appearing on Nintendo Switch Online? And let’s not forget the glut of third-party titles making the jump to Switch 2. Needless to say, Nintendo gave us a lot to digest.

So now it’s your turn to sound off: what’s your reaction to all of the Switch 2 announcements? Let us know in the comments.

Nintendo Explains Why Switch 2 Was Not Called Super Switch

2 April 2025 - Kyle Hilliard

From the moment Nintendo announced it was going to make a follow-up to the Switch consoles, speculation about what its name could be had been rampant. One of the most common expectations for what we now know as the Switch 2 was that it would be called the Super Switch, following the naming structure established with the update from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

In a long interview on Nintendo’s website with producer, entertainment planning and development department Kouichi Kawamoto, senior director entertainment planning and development department Takuhiro Dohta, and general manager technology development division Tetsuya Sasaki, Kawamoto explained the naming decision.

“There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one,” Kawamoto says in the interview. “We even considered ideas like ‘Super Nintendo Switch.’ However, Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn't feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we'd like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo.”

You can read the full discussion that dives deep into all things Switch 2 right here.

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