REVIEW Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit — The release of this totally crept up on me (to the point where I forgot to mention it in last week's issue) — but this real-life toy take on Nintendo's celebrated kart racer is here, and honestly, it looks like a blast. It's reviewing well and is described here as "a startlingly authentic 'mixed reality' recreation" of the usual series experience, oh and for the Mario Kart purists amongst us: "The car itself is surprisingly nimble and responsive [..], which means the actual in-game racing feels very, very close to a proper Mario Kart game". I may have just popped this on my Christmas list. 😅

Damien McFerran  // Nintendo Life

Overcoming AR's limitations with Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit — A chat with Velan Studios president Guha Bala on how they approached reinventing Nintendo's best-selling racing franchise for augmented reality.

James Batchelor // gamesindustry

Level-5 has virtually halted operations in North America

Rebekah Valentine // gamesindustry

Why is Level-5 (possibly) shuttering its Western branch?

Bella Blondeau // The Gamer

REVIEW The Jackbox Party Pack 7 — As ever, some fun to be had here, but this latest grab bag of party games "doesn't live up to the pedigree of the earlier games".

Scott Baird  // Screen Rant

REVIEW Cloudpunk — This futuristic adventure game seems to have missed the mark. Scott Baird describes it as having a "great concept" but the end result is "tedious" and not without its share of technical issues. This review from Nintendo World Report also strikes a negative view, pointing out that the Switch version isn't the best place to play this right now.

Scott Baird  // Screen Rant

REVIEW Cook, Serve, Delicious 3

Paul Roberts // Vooks

REVIEW This is the Zodiac Speaking

Ollie Reynolds // Nintendo Life

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Kirby: It's finally time for a 3D platformer

Abram Buehne // CBR

How 'Hades' made a genre known for being impossibly hard accessible— Yup, Hades is a roguelike, but it's also a solid action game where death is a mechanic that seemingly doesn't infuriate players.

Patrick Klepek // Vice

How The Animal Crossing Diaries are chronicling the pandemic— The UK's National Videogame Museum (worth a visit btw) recently launched a project highlighting how Animal Crossing became part of the 'pandemic gaming zeitgeist'.

Florence Smith Nicholls // Eurogamer

Xbox Boss Phil Spencer on Series X launch, Halo Infinite & Bethesda — Yes, this is about all things Xbox, but this interview with Phil Spencer is interesting for a few reasons, and he does touch upon Microsoft's relationship with Nintendo, it's sustainability, and what possibly lies ahead.

Stephen Totilo  // Kotaku

Monday, October 19

• Death Ray Manta SE — A neon-soaked 'short-form' twin stick arena shooter.

Tuesday, October 20

• HyperBrawl Tournament — Arena sports brawler, looks pretty neat. Four players, with online.
• Outpost Delta — 2D side-scrolling sci-fi platformer/shooter. 

Wednesday, October 21

• Bullet Beat — A fairly straightforward looking dubstep bullet hell shooter.
• Fracter — Isometric puzzle adventure through a monochrome labyrinth.
• ⭐️ Horace — This retro-inspired 2D platformer seems to have reviewed well.
• 🎮 ScourgeBringer — A fast-paced post-apocalytpic roguelite platformer described as "Dead Cells meets Celeste" by Eurogamer.

Thursday, October 22

• Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered — 3D adventure in 50 B.C. Remaster of the 2003 game.
• Double Pug Switch — A platformer with dimension switching - quick thinking required.
• ⭐️ GONNER2 — Sequel to the award-winning first game. Intense shooter/platformer.
• LUNA the Shadow Dust — Hand-animated puzzle adventure - nice style to it.
• Nullum — A minimalist puzzle game in which you eliminate tiles by matching numbers.
• Outbreak: Epidemic — A co-op survival horror adventure about an infection. Hmm.
• Restless Hero — Explore the castle and redeem your soul in this platformer.
• Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure — Arcade puzzle game for two.
• Supraland — 3D first-person adventure taking place in what seems to be a literal sandbox.
• The Red Lantern — You and your team of sled dogs lost in the wilderness.
• They Bleed Pixels — Acrobatic 'gothic' platforming with one-button slash'em up combat.
• THO Simulator — A technician sim. (E.U release)
• Toolboy — Single-player platformer in which you play as a repair robot.
• 📦 Transformers: Battlegrounds — Strategic battles with Autobots. (Oct 23 in U.S.)

Friday, October 23

• CrossKrush — Elderly couple blow up cars.
• Galacide — Vibrant space shooter with puzzle/tactics thrown in. Four player co-op.
• Grood — A destructive arcade shoot'em up with modern graphics.
• Kakurasu World — A collection of logic puzzles (think Takuzu, Binairo).
• Lord of the Click — Top-down medieval clicker with strategy elements.
• Maze — Yep, it's a 3D maze to explore (and escape).
• Supermarket Shriek — Man and a goat in a shopping kart racer.
• Truck Driving Simulator — Big rig sim. 10-4.