August 2023

Focus Entertainment has shared extended gameplay footage - and by 'extended', I mean 'a combined 25-ish minutes worth' - of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and the Don't-Nod-developed Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden as part of a mini-showcase.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - which is due to launch for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on 7th November - sees Life is Strange and Vampyr developer Don't Nod heading to the frozen wilderness of North America, circa 1695, for a tale of ghost-hunting lovers, one of whom is (rather awkwardly given their profession) recently undead.

It's the pleasingly spooky set-up for an action-RPG that promises a "mystical, lore-rich world plagued with supernatural creatures and ancient secrets", and Banishers' extended gameplay trailer follows our heroes Red and the ghostly Antea as they investigate a haunting at the behest of a New Eden villager - an investigation that leaps between the physical and spectral worlds, and somehow manages to involve quite a lot of gun.

Read more

Last year, Facebook (now known as Meta) announced that it was adding legs to its ugly virtual reality avatars. Some people were excited. Now a year later, after Meta promised the legs were coming soon, they are finally (sort of) working inside the company’s depressing digital “metaverse”. Should we…cheer?

Read more...

"So the Xbox Series X version was already in good shape last time I looked at it. So we're just going to go through the motions, 'Okay, what do we still need to do?' Vincke says.

"There's a bunch of stuff that needs to happen to finalize it. But I think from a content point of view and from a technical point of view, we're actually very close."

After that, Vincke says, Larian Studios will proceed through the usual testing and certification requirements ahead of release.

Thanks, Bilibili announced that it is publishing and distributing the Simplified Chinese version of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby in China. Pre-registration started on August 4, 2023 and within ten days, over a million players signed up. Cygames is working on expanding Uma Musume: Pretty Derby not only within Japan, but to other countries as well. However, there is no news as of yet in regards to an English release.

You can download the Simplified Chinese version of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby from the game’s official Bilibili page. Obviously, since the game just came out, it has the debut roster of horse girls and there is only one main story. It’s unknown if the Chinese version will, like the global server for Twisted Wonderland, try to catch up to the Japanese version or if it will remain several years behind the original server on a permanent basis.

One Piece is a series built on lofty promises. Chief among them: that its hallowed treasure, which still has yet to be revealed since the series began 26 years ago, will be worth the journey; that protagonist Monkey D. Luffy will someday fulfill his dream of becoming the king of the pirates; and that its long-running…

Read more...

Did you know you can change the direction an asteroid is travelling in by painting one side of it white and one side of it black? Or that astronauts on the International Space Station experience sunrise and sunset 16 times a day? Now that I think about it, it seems obvious, but it never crossed my mind until the European Space Agency's Mr Emmet Fletcher enlightened me.

Fletcher is the ESA's head of branding and partnerships. He has spent almost 30 years working on "literally hundreds" of space-related projects, including ESA's Rosetta mission. Not only was this mission the first to rendezvous with a comet, it was also the first to follow a comet on its orbit around the Sun, and the first to deploy a lander to a comet's surface. He is also, as it happens, rather partial to a video game or two, starting back on the BBC Micro and having since clocked up numerous hours in titles such as Juno, Kerbal Space Program and Elite Dangerous (a game he calls "stunning").

Earlier this week, I sat down with Fletcher over Teams to talk about Starfield, and space games in general. We turned over numerous topics, ranging from how the International Space Station will be disposed of (they are going to re-enter it, so it will be burnt up in the atmosphere), all the way to James Bond and Bruce Willis. In the end though, our conversation revolved around two key points - What does entertainment media get right about space? And, more interestingly, what does it get wrong?

Read more

Today is Starfield early access release day, providing you bought the pricier editions, and senior Bethesda boffins are feeling appropriately festive, and probably also totally exhausted. Bethesda Game Studios director and executive producer Todd Howard has sent an email to staff thanking them for their efforts and ruminating a bit on Starfield's "long and winding" development, which began with Howard chatting to ZeniMax Media's now-passed co-founder Robert Altman in the wake of Skyrim's enormous success.

Read more

Like the beginnings of the universe, The Banished Vault starts out impossibly dense, before expanding outwards into something brilliant. On first glance it's almost inscrutable - but it's also tantalisingly simple. You, a crew of maybe half a dozen intergalactic monks, stranded at the frontiers of galactic exploration, have encountered something called The Gloom, a virus of darkness consuming one solar system at a time. Guided by little more than a glorified abacus and your wavering faith, you must outrun it for long enough to chronicle the mysteries you find here at the edge of existence, holding out against the rushing darkness to transmit your findings back home. You arrive somewhere. You research something. You move on in time to survive - manage that four times and you're done. When it all clicks, and the fog of numbers and tables and energy calculators clears, it's magic.

But first: the density. The Banished Vault is consciously designed as a kind of virtual board game. The universe is rendered flat here, your ships moving like pieces on a board, the board itself a generated map of a solar system, with several planets and their moons around a central star. At the start of each run, and each trip to a new system within it, The Auriga Vault, a vast galactic monastery and your suitably gothic, 40K-inspired home among the stars, arrives and waits at the edge of this solar system, while your three starting ships and six starting monks - called Exiles here - arrive with it.

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has said its decision to only develop one expansion for its ambitious sci-fi role-player was based solely on "technological" factors.

The drama around Cyberpunk 2077's initial launch and subsequent withdrawal from sale on PlayStation, as well as the game's overall sales figures, all had nothing to do with it, the developer has stated.

"As we have announced a long time ago, we're not going to make a second or third expansion," CD Projekt exec Michał Nowakowski said in an investor Q&A held last night (thanks, VGC). "This is the only expansion of the game, and it has nothing to do with the numbers and how satisfied or not we are with sales or anything of the kind."

Read more

The Stardew Valley board game will be back soon for those who missed the previous windows to purchase it. Pre-orders will begin on September 5, 2023. The board game will ship out in October 2023. You can order it via the official website. It costs $50 and there is free shipping, but it will only ship to the US.

If you wish to purchase Stardew Valley: The Board Game and you don’t live in the USA, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone is working with some distributors in certain countries. You can also purchase the game in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, EU, and the UK. You will have to contact your local game store to see if they carry it. Note that if you order from ConcernedApe’s website that you will not be able to return it or ask for refunds.

Stardew Valley: The Board Game is a cooperative game that you can play either by yourself or with up to three friends. A warning on the website states that it is not a quick game to play. While the actual Stardew Valley game has routes where you succumb to the evils of capitalism, the tabletop version ocuses more on revitalizing the town. You can farm and fish to restore the Community Center, as well as befriend the residents of Stardew Valley.

A new permanent Simulated Universe feature, Swarm Disaster, will appear in Honkai: Star Rail starting on September 6, 2023. There will also be new Blessings, Curios, and random events. In order to participate in the new map, you will need to first clear Simulated Universe: World 5.

In total, there will be five different difficulty levels in Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster. Once you complete all chapters of Swarm Disaster, as well as complete a new adventure mission, you will be able to unlock the Path of Propagation as a Path to choose in the beginning of a run. The Propagation in lore follows the deceased Tayzzyronth and some random events in the current Simulated Universe reference it.

As for how Swarm Disaster will work, it’s similar to regular Simulated Universe in that you travel from Domain to Domain. However, after every Domain, you toss an Audience Die, which have different effects depending on the Aeon. You can also take on Trail of Pathstrider challenges, which will increase your Communing Trail points. You can use these points to gain extra rewards, unlock special buffs, and collect new main story chapters. There is also a new boss enemy in the Third Plane called “Swarm: True Sting.”

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on mobile devices and Windows PC. The Simulated Universe: Swarm Disaster feature will become a permanent fixture of Honkai: Star Rail from September 6, 2023.

It's a stormy night. The lights are off. The doors are locked. Somewhere, a woman is singing. Somewhere else, a phone is ringing. The sinks are full of gunk and there are children hiding in the cupboards. Oh, and the darker stretches of floor are covered with writhing tentacles. This is Holstin, a Polish survival horror experience in which you merrily rove an isolated town that, based on 14 minutes of fumbling around in exactly one very unwelcoming house, already seems a match for Silent Hill in terms of existential squalor. A public playtest is underway, and I've got a trailer for you through the jump.

Read more

Officially unveiled at this week's Panic Games Showcase, Arco is a triptych of revenge stories set across the deserts, plains and forests of a fantastical, South American-style landscape. It's a part of the world we don't often get to see in games, and its stunning pixel art (and tiny cute little llamas) instantly caught my eye when I got to play an early mission from it at last week's Gamescom. Made by four developers spread across the globe, the official genres listed on its Steam page describe it as a tactical turn-based action adventure RPG where you guide four separate heroes in their fight against the ominous sounding Red Company. But just saying it's turn-based is doing Arco a disservice, I think, as it's also a little bit real-time, a little bit simultaneous turns, and all pretty brilliant, if you ask me. Here are some very early impressions of it.

Read more

Ubisoft classic Beyond Good & Evil is getting another re-release, according to a listing which has popped up via the US game ratings board.

An ESRB listing shows the Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition as coming to Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S (thanks, MACOS380).

Ubisoft has yet to announce this new re-release, or detail what it might contain. Eurogamer has contacted the publisher for comment.

Read more

Last month Capcom revealed the next character to join the Street Fighter 6 roster: A.K.I.

Now we can see her in action for the first time, in a brand new trailer.

Check out her poison-fuelled moveset in the video below.

Read more

Just when you thought you knew everything about Baldur's Gate 3 - all the top tips and tricks - a fresh handful of them come along and take you by surprise. Well, they take me by surprise - I bet you're much more savvy than me. Just in case you aren't, though, and you're a kindred spirit, here's what I stumbled upon.

The tip that really took me by surprise is this. Did you know that you can initiate combat during an interaction cut-scene to affect the outcome of it? It means you can potentially save a character scripted to be attacked - and maybe killed - during the cut-scene before it actually happens.

The tip comes from content creator ESO Danny. As the video points out, you can interrupt a cut-scene by selecting the "Attack" circular button/option in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

Read more

My Happy Marriage is a romantic anime that should definitely be in your "Must Watch" for summer 2023. Based on the light-novel and manga series of the same name, it is set in an alternate version of Japan’s Meiji Restoration where supernatural entities and abilities are common among Japan’s top families. It follows the main character Miyo Saimori, who after the death of her mother is forced to be a servant of the family she was born into by her father’s new wife and daughter.

[caption id="attachment_981126" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Kinema Citrus[/caption]

Miyo’s story is an interesting re-telling of the classic Cinderella story, but doesn’t feel like a cheap imitation. Instead, it feels refreshing against the backdrop of romance anime that have been made recently, thanks to the interesting world and dedication to character development. The story also follows Kiyoko Kudo, the main love interest of the story. I was first worried that Kiyoko was going to be a very one-sided character early on in the story due to the viewers getting very limited views of his personality, but his character has developed quite well so far.

"And across the company but including Phantom Liberty we're at the same time parting ways with some team members. It's a gradual process which will end in Q1 next year."

Earlier this month, Capcom teased an all-new character named A.K.I. coming to Street Fighter 6 as a DLC fighter. Now, the company has revealed that A.K.I will hit the game later next month on September 27 alongside a twisted gameplay reveal trailer. 

When A.K.I. joins the fight next month, she’ll be the 20th playable character in Street Fighter 6, following the first DLC fighter, Rashid, who hit the game in July. Like Rashid and all future DLC fighters, players will encounter A.K.I. across all three modes of Street Fighter 6: World Tour, Fighting Ground, and the Battle Hub. 

Check out the A.K.I. gameplay trailer for yourself below for a taste of what to expect: 

Capcom updated its TGS 2023 webpage by adding Dragon's Dogma II to the overall lineup. The company's booth in Makuhari Messe's Hall 6 will also feature a demo of the game. This will be the first time the public can access a playable demo of Dragon's Dogma 2, the sequel that is slated to release for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

When Capcom first announced its TGS 2023 appearance in mid-August 2023, it did not include Dragon's Dogma II. The initial lineup only featured Street Fighter 6, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Exoprimal, Monster Hunter Now, the VR mode of Resident Evil 4 Remake, and a Resident Evil-themed shooting range by Tokyo Marui.

Square Enix released a brand new Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis trailer highlighting new gameplay footage, costumes, and story details about young Sephiroth. It hints at his journey as a young hero 15 years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. The "Countdown to Launch" trailer also shows off a variety of familiar moments from FFVII and Crisis Core FFVII newly animated in FFVII Ever Crisis's art style. New gameplay scenes also show off new costumes for Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Zack while taking on a variety of bosses and enemies.

The FFVII Ever Crisis "Countdown to Launch" trailer can be viewed below:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u3lJUgkFrE[/embed]

FFVII Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura stated on social media that FFVII Ever Crisis "evolved" due to addressing feedback from players since the closed beta back in July 2023.

Over the past week, dataminers have been rifling through Baldur's Gate 3's code and have discovered a dragon's hoard of alleged "cut content". It's hard to specify what they've unearthed without accidentally sounding the Major Spoilers trumpet and initiating Armageddon, but the supposed buried offerings include additional areas, swathes of dialogue, storylines, cutscenes, characters, romance opportunities and even deities. Given just how much Larian's gargantuan RPG gives you to play with, I am kind of thankful for a generous amount of stuff being "left out" - certainly, I don't need any more romanceable NPCs, I'm already fending them off with a broomhandle. But the news has gone down badly with a few players, and especially those who feel the game's overall quality takes a dive in acts 2 and 3.

Developers have come to Larian's defence, amongst them David Gaider, former Baldur's Gate 2 and Dragon Age writer, who is nowadays creative director of Summerfall Games, creator of the very earwormy STRAY GODs: The Roleplaying Musical. "Not surprised to hear of the amount of stuff apparently cut from BG3," Gaider wrote on Twix. "BG2 had a mountain of stuff cut over its development, some early and some even after lots of work had gone into it... almost every game does. Every DA game did. Heck, even Stray Gods had some considerable cuts."

Amazon's Prime Gaming offers several free titles throughout the month of September, including Football Manager 2023 and the winemaking sim Hundred Days.

In our Football Manager 2023 review on PC, we described it as "the best sim of its kind", however contributor Phil Iwaniuk felt the "lack of major improvements shows an annual release schedule taking its toll".

As for Hundred Days, our Bertie spoke to Yves Hohler, lead designer of the game, back in 2021, to learn more about how his experiences shaped the winemaking sim. It's a cute and cosy game that never feels bogged down by the management aspect, instead presenting a whimsical love letter to Hohler's earlier life.

Read more

Wahoo! Super Mario Bros. Wonder has been shown off in a dedicated Nintendo Direct, which revealed its Dark Souls-esque online multiplayer.

When playing online, Super Mario Bros. Wonder lets you see other players - both friends and random people - running through courses beside you. Online players can plant standees to act as revive points and gift players items.

There's also a karma-style system in play where helpful players are rewarded. This all works if you're playing with friends in a lobby together (where you can see which courses everyone is in) or if you're simply seeing other players you don't know.

Read more

Gearbox Entertainment loves bundles, so naturally it just announced Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box, which combines every game in the loot shooter series except for last year’s Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. It’ll be available on every console except Switch, which is getting a separate port of just Borderlands 3 by…

Read more...

Musou games—the large-scale hack-and-slash games typified by series like Dynasty Warriors—often get a bad wrap, with detractors arguing that they’re just monotonous power fantasies lacking in depth. While there’s some truth to that, such a reductive reading misses the point behind games in this genre, which still has…

Read more...

Starfield is not only Bethesda's best work in years, but after spending over 120 hours traveling across the game's vast galaxies, I feel confident that it's also one of the best sci-fi RPGs I've ever played. From its very opening moments, Starfield captures an atmosphere of awe and wonder as it swirls with orchestral music that could be right out of Christopher Nolan's 2014 film Interstellar. At its core, the space adventure is about exploration and diving headfirst into the unknown in the pursuit of knowledge. That sense of excitement and adventure never left me during my entire campaign.

In the first few hours, you are given your very own ship and crew to explore space. While the RPG sets you up with a main plot that is anchored by an interesting mystery, you are actually free to take off and discover other planets and side quests instead. If, like me, you spent more time doing side quests rather than doing main plot missions in Bethesda's 2006 fantasy RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, then Starfield will feel right at home for you. It is filled to the brim with content to discover. Even after spending a hundred hours in the game, I still haven't even touched half of the side quests.

Sanei will release new Pokemon plush cushions sometime in mid-November 2023. These are part of the fifth batch of the company’s Potehug Cushion series. You will be able to purchase plush toys of Cleffa, Clodsire, and Natu. They’ll be available via the official Pokemon store in Japan. However, it’s unlikely that they will appear in the North American one.

The Potehug Cushion series from Sanei are soft and squishy plushes that have beads or pellets in the butts. According to the tweet from Sanei, these cushions are good for hugging because of that. Other Pokemon that have appeared as part of the Potehug Cushion series include Rowlet and Dedenne.

Here are some more pictures of the three new upcoming Potehug Cushions from Sanei:
[gallery columns="2" ids="981428,981429" link="file"]

Of the three new Pokemon cushions from Sanei, only one of them—Clodsire—is from a new region. Both Cleffa and Natu originate from Generation II. While it evolves from Paldea Wooper, it is not Paldean Quagsire. Much like how Perrserker and Persian are two entirely different Pokemon despite evolving from Meowth, Quagsire and Clodsire are separate species.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are readily available on the Nintendo Switch. The DLC, The Indigo Disk, will come out some time in Winter 2023.

In an interview between 4Gamer and Koei Tecmo, representatives from the company stated that it is considering the usage of generative AI. However, it will work within company-established guidelines. These will continue to change as they explore its possibilities, as well as the discussion around generative AI continues. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

There are plenty of issues surrounding generative AI due to the way it works. Japan has already set up legal guidelines around it. Someone using or selling AI-generated art can be sued for copyright infringement if the copyright holder claims that the AI learned from their work. Koei Tecmo will consider these legal risks to come up with internal guidelines on how to use AI. While Koei Tecmo seems open to the idea of eventually using generative AI in its games, it stated that it will use it mostly for internal documents and events. This is to avoid the legal issues that might come into play.

Chitoshi Nishimura, Managing Executive Officer & Manager of Legal Affairs at Koei Tecmo, stated:

During the Super Mario Wonder Direct, Nintendo revealed a Mario Red Nintendo Switch OLED model and shared a release date. It will show up on October 6, 2023. That's two weeks before the new 2D entry in the series appears. It will cost $349.99, the same price as a standard OLED model. The Nintendo Store is also already taking pre-orders.

This Nintendo Switch OLED model will be completely red. The system, its Joy-Cons, and its dock are all the signature color. There’s also a running Mario on the back of the dock. When you pull the dock’s door down, you’ll also see 19 coins inside as a decoration.

Here's a closer look at the hidden coins.
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="981543" link="file"]

The rest of the Super Mario Wonder Direct focused on the game. It showcased how people can play alone or with others. It noted the different playable characters, including how the Yoshis and Nabbit are "easy mode" ones. There were also looks at power ups, stages, and the Wonder Flower gimmicks that can change course elements.

The Mario Red Nintendo Switch OLED model will launch on October 6, 2023. Super Mario Bros Wonder will come to the Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023.

The Super Mario Wonder Direct aired on August 31, 2023, and Nintendo used it to show off new gameplay. The 15 minute segment highlighted what people can expect from the new 2D platformer. The video highlighted multiple characters and power-ups. It also introduced the story for this new entry. It also confirmed four player local co-op, as well as online rooms.

Here's the full Super Mario Wonder Direct. It jumped right into what's going on. Prince Florian invited Mario and Luigi to the Flower Kingdom. Bowser showed up too and touchedthe Wonder Flower, merging with Prince Florian’s castle. After introducing the plot, it showed the seven-region large Flower Kingdom. Fluff-Puff Peaks, Shining Falls, and Petal Isles will all be among them. You can play courses in any order, using free movement, the path, or eventually a menu. Talking Flowers will also appear to offer insight, hints, or coins.

It also confirmed the roster, which noted that there will be Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, Red Yoshi, Yellow Yoshi, Light-Blue Yoshi, and Nabbit will be there. They all play the same. However, Nabbits and Yoshis take no damage. Also, Yoshis have a flutter jump and can be ridden by other characters, including other Yoshis.

A new Hatsune Miku x Cinnamoroll collaboration Sega prize figure and set of mini figures appeared on the Sega Plaza official social media account. They will both be released in Winter 2023. Further information on pricing and where to purchase them will be announced in the future.

In both the prize figure and mini figures, the Vocaloid character Hatsune Miku is holding the Sanrio mascot in her arms. The prize figure includes a base in the shape of a fluffy cloud Miku stands on. Cinnamoroll and Miku are wearing matching updo hairstyles and blue ribbons. This figure is a part of the Luminasta line. It is based off of the original illustration by Chon*, a Japanese illustrator known for creating colorful works of girls. Check out Chon*’s social media and Pixiv account.

The mini figures feature Hatsune Miku and Cinnamoroll with both their hair and ears down as well as in their new styles. These figures depict Miku in a chibi style.

Here’s a closer look at them:

[gallery ids="981407,981408" link="file"]

Hatsune Miku is celebrating the 16th anniversary of her creation on August 31, 2007 also known as her 16th birthday.

A Pokemon Jdrama is in production with the theme of reliving someone's childhood with classic entries. PokeTsume, is a show about a person rediscovering their love for their first Pokemon game as an adult. It will debut on BStvTokyo on October 10, 2023 at 12:30am JST.

According to the description of the show, the main character Madoka Akaki is a young woman from Kanto, Japan. She always dreamed of working in advertising, gets a job with the “ADventure” advertising agency in Tokyo, after working for a fish-paste maker. But she soon finds that the glamorous life she envisioned in Tokyo and her reality are two very different things. Things start to turn around when her mother sends her a box of her childhood things and inside is her Gameboy Color and copy of Pokemon Red.

[caption id="attachment_981402" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Official Site[/caption]

Starfield is a massive, intimidating video game that, for better and worse, doesn't spend a lot of time tutorializing its gameplay and systems. It means the opening hours of the game can be particularly confusing, but the tips below, gathered by the Game Informer staff, should help alleviate at least some confusion you might be experiencing early in the game.

Stay On The Main Path, At Least For Awhile

Starfield lets you loose pretty quickly, and it is tempting to just start planet hopping right away, but you will do yourself a favor by sticking to the main path for at least a few hours. Our suggestion is that you play at least enough Constellation missions to find a mysterious temple. It may feel restrictive to hold yourself back, but you will be grateful to give yourself the time to learn the game, find good weapons, and build up your inventory.

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Release: September 6, 2023
Rating: Mature

Even in the increasingly crowded marketplace of big, expansive games, Starfield stands out. Leveraging the gameplay Bethesda popularized with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, Starfield expands the breadth of exploration to a galaxy of solar systems, planets, and ships. It populates those environments with a rich palette of activities and missions that tap into the outer space fantasy. It’s a staggering span of content to wrap one’s head around. At times, that scope threatens to impair the focus and pacing, and moment-to-moment gameplay is not always a strong suit. But players can expect to uncover hundreds of hours of experimentation in a richly imagined sci-fi playground, and that thrill is worth experiencing.

Today’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Direct spilled a lot of tea on the upcoming game (read about it here) and concluded with the reveal of a new Switch OLED model. If you love the color red, then Nintendo has a console for you. 

The Mario Red Edition Switch OLED is coated in the plumber’s classic shade of red and the dock even includes a couple of Mario silhouettes and hidden coins on the backside, as you can see in the photo below. 

The console does not include a copy of Wonder, mainly because it hits store shelves a couple of weeks beforehand on October 6. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, meanwhile, launches on October 20. Still, if you're a passionate Mario fan looking for an excuse to upgrade to an OLED model, this version will set you back $349.99.