I’ve been playing the Switch 2 alongside 3.5 million of my closest friends since Nintendo’s new console came out on June 5, and I’m having an excellent time.Although to be perfectly transparent, a vast majority of my play has been dedicated to , a game I’ve been looking forward to for months and that perfectly scratches the couch co-op itch I’ve been meaning to ask my doctor about.is colorful, bright and infinitely replayable, and one feature that’s getting a lot of attention is its elevated skill ceiling.
This installment introduces new mechanics like wall riding and rail grinds, which significantly alter how the game is played at its highest levels, where shortcuts and strategic pathing are a must.There’s too much variability in Mario Kart for it to be a professionally competitive franchise, but that doesn’t stop people from getting extremely good at it, and players are already trying to milk the most milliseconds out of the new moves in .It’s going to take a while, since these mechanics are surprisingly complex, and I’m excited to see what secrets the community uncovers in the near future.While that’s happening, I’d like to highlight something on the opposite side of the skill spectrum.
is far less frustrating in moment-to-moment gameplay than , and I think this is one of its greatest strengths.I don’t have empirical data here, but it’s a distinct feeling I have every time I play: Getting hit with shells, running over banana peels and bouncing into obstacles is more forgiving than ever.These moments are less jarring than they were in specifically, and it takes noticeably less time to recover and get back into the race after taking a red shell to the behind.
Either the stun time is shorter, the post-collision acceleration is faster or there’s some witchy combination of these factors happening, but whatever the cause, I deeply appreciate the effect.is flow-friendly and accessible, and these subtle tweaks diminish some of the series’ most annoying aspects, like resetting after a barrage of explosive bullshit gets hurled into your bumper.The only item in that feels like a true hard stop is the lightning bolt, but at least that one affects every character around you with the same momentum-jamming force.Meanwhile, the tracks in are so very, very pretty — looking at you, Starview Peak and Rainbow Road — the character roster is stacked with super adorable fresh faces, motorcycles are more stable than previous games, and the 24-player Knockout Tour is a fun test of skill.
With the potential for 23 items to be aimed at your back, it makes sense that Nintendo would try to make recovery more seamless this time, and I just wanted to say that I notice it and appreciate it.Now, to figure out this wall riding thing.The newsXbox is preparing for a post-console worldXbox president Sarah Bond announced that the company’s next generation of hardware will be powered by AMD, just like the Xbox Series X/S and the coming ROG Xbox Ally handhelds.That’s cool, but it also offers some clues about the future of Microsoft’s gaming division, and things are looking more decentralized with each new morsel.Xbox appears to be positioning itself as a platform-agnostic software provider, leaning into PC and handheld play, and running an all-inclusive storefront that follows you across devices.
It really sounds like the next Xbox could be more of a PC that lives under your TV, rather than a dedicated, closed-system video game machine.Ouya was just 12 years too soon, it seems.The SAG-AFTRA video game strike is overDid you hear that sonorous, well-articulated sigh of relief? SAG-AFTRA suspended its strike against 10 major video game studios, following nearly a year of negotiations over AI use and actor compensation.The union and the studios signed a deal that includes wage increases for more than 24 percent of performers and protections around the deployment of AI and digital replicas.Bungie hits pause on Maybe this is for the best.
Bungie has indefinitely delayed , citing a need to overhaul the game as it currently stands.The delay follows a slew of bad news out of Bungie, starting in July 2024, when the studio laid off 220 employees, or 17 percent of its workforce.In May 2025, Bungie was caught using stolen artwork in the alpha and several former employees accused the studio of fostering a toxic environment.
Whether really requires a revamp or Bungie just needs a moment to breathe, a delay feels like the right move.EVERYONE CALM DOWN, will not cost $80It will cost $70.Bloober Team is the Silent Hill studio nowIt’s official — Bloober Team is remaking the original for Konami.The project follows Bloober’s highly successful reimagining of , which landed in October 2024 and garnered oodles of acclaim from critics and players alike.There’s no word on a release date for the new remake, but it’s joining a trio of other in-development projects in the Silent Hill universe: from Annapurna Interactive and No Code, from Bad Robot and Genvid, and from author Ryūkishi07.Read our Switch 2 reviewSenior reviews writer Sam Rutherford is a beast for collecting all of his thoughts on the Switch 2 so quickly and with such fabulous insight, and it’d be a shame if you didn’t get to absorb all of that delicious knowledge for yourself.
This has been my review of Sam’s review of the Switch 2 — a console that is also pretty fantastic, by the way.Summer Game Fest never endsSummer Game Fest 2025 officially wrapped up on June 9, but the embargoed stories, interviews and our hands-on impressions from the show just keep on coming.Since we last spoke, Engadget’s SGF 2025 crew has published articles about , , , , , and .Cool games out now: , , Playdate and the Kris listEvery Saturday morning on Engadget, contributing reporter Kris Holt publishes a roundup of fantastic-sounding and freshly available indie games, so be sure to check for that regularly.This week, the Kris list features , and , among other shout-outs.
In related new-game news, Remedy’s extraction shooter and Bithell Games’ isometric action experience are also available now.And finally, we’re halfway through Playdate Season Two, which has already provided a firehose of oddball experiences — all lovingly parsed through each week by Engadget weekend editor Cheyenne Macdonald.