December 9, 2016

The portly plumber will make his debut on a non-Nintendo mobile platform with the release of Super Mario Run on Apple’s iOS platform next Thursday, December 15^th. With the game less than a week away Nintendo’s marketing machine is now in high gear – here are the latest developments.

Super Mario Run looks and feels like other entries in the New Super Mario Bros series on WiiU / Wii and 3DS with bright and colorful graphics, as well as the staple Goombas and Koopas we’ve come to expect. Unlike other Mario titles, however, Super Mario Run is designed to be played with just one hand. The plumber will run on his own towards the goal with the player allowing him to jump in varying degrees using a touch of their finger.

Players will be able to take on three different modes in the initial launch version of Super Mario Run. There’s the traditional World Tour mode which will guide Nintendo’s mascot through a series of themed worlds like Ghost Houses, lush forests and even Bowser’s castle. There’s also an online vs. Mode which allows players to challenge friend’s ghost data to win the admiration of a crowd of Toads! Finally there is Kingdom mode which allows Mario to build up the mushroom kingdom using coins he has collected and unlock new playable characters.

Want to see each of these three modes in action? Check out the debut trailer below:

If you want to play Super Mario Run ahead of the game’s December 15^th release, a special demo version is now playable at all Apple Stores across North America.

Also, if you missed the special appearance of Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie on the Jimmie Fallon show, it is definitely worth the watch. Not only does Jimmy fan boy out over the appearance of Miyamoto in the front of the audience but he’s also the first person in the world to publicly play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch!

343 Industries has released the highly anticipated Monitor’s Bounty update for Halo 5: Forge on PC and Halo 5: Guardians that features among other changes, the ability to search for custom games via both games’ multiplayer options.

The titular Forge Mode gets a significant update with the Forge Scripting update allowing creators to make some truly innovative and amazing game modes. Action Target allows forgers to modify up to sixty four objects all at once using a variety of different filters to select just the ones that they want to modify. Forgers also have the ability to modify how their Forge Scripts are executed with the new script action flags – these can be activated the Map, Object or Script level.

Here is a video tour 343i outlined in regards to the Forge specific changes that Monitor’s Bounty brings:

Collectors of Halo 5’s REQ cards should be happy to know that Monitor’s bounty adds a selection of new weapons for Warzone, two new WASP variations and a new set of unlockable armor for player Spartans as well.

New Weapons:

M313 Grenade Launcher
Pro Pipe

New Vehicles:

ONI WASP
Hannibal WASP

New Customization Pieces:

Icarus Helmet
Icarus Body Armor

Don’t forget that even players of Halo 5: Forge can use the Halo Waypoint website to unlock new customization parts for their Spartan – even if the other cards for modes like Warzone are irrelevant for PC only players.

Probably the most requested feature from players of the Halo 5: Forge edition on PC has been the ability to find custom games. This has been a feature that 343i promised back in September and fans have been waiting months for its inclusion.

The Custom Games Browser isn’t traditional matchmaking – instead of having an algorithm form groups of similarly skilled players and then creating a match the Custom Games Browser allows you to see any games that are open to the public and have already been started. Once players join an in-progress match they’ll automatically be added to the hosts FireTeam so that groups of players can stay together between rounds.

Here is how the devs describe the new Custom Games Browser:

Halo 5 players on Xbox One and Windows 10 will have a new way to find matches and teammates with the addition of the join-in-progress Custom Games Browser. This new browser enables players to search for in-progress games from the main menu and utilizes the Content Browser to filter for any map or mode your heart desires.

It feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface about the changes and additions that Monitor’s Bounty brings to the Halo 5 multiplayer experience. Stuff like brand new maps for Warzone, detailed information on the new Forge Mode mini-games and the new premium Req packs are all available on 343’s Halo Waypoint site. If you’re downloading the PC update the file-size is just over 8GB so be prepared to wait a little bit.

Here’s hoping that Halo 5: Forge has a large and long lasting community thanks to the Custom Games Browser.

Super Mario Run Marketing Machine Kicks Into Gear

Huge Halo 5: Forge Update With Custom Games Browser Now Live