By Kimari Rennis

Hello, fellow circle members, I am Kimari Rennis and as a rather young intern, this will be my first time writing a Roundup. It’s an honor to do this even when school is up and running again. Right now, I feel hip with the adults.

Without further ado, here is the news within the circle…

Allegra Frank discusses Nintendo’s decision to bring back the NES Classic and why they decided to do it – after it was sold out at the speed of light and discontinued. Allegra Frank expressed the idea that there is a chance that all the harsh criticism from the NES mini’s availability really got into Nintendo’s head. So maybe they are beginning to listen to their fans. Maybe limiting the product was Nintendo’s plan all along. Maybe Nintendo is finally getting the hint we desired that scarce product because of nostalgia. Read more here.

Gita Jackson grants us with a thoughtful piece where she talks about how the newest game in one of her favorite game series is littered with microtransactions and hints towards it. 2K18’s in-game currency is quite generous at first buy its cost skyrockets when players are exposed to a wide variety of customizations. Based on your desire to get the customizations and the attributes you want for your character, 2K18 makes it very clear that there is a difference between spending hours grinding up currency to buy something, compared to a few minutes spending extra, real money to do it. (This can really feel upsetting, especially since you’ve already spent money to buy the game itself.) Read more here.

Heather Alexandra showcases a couple of games that proved to be worth a second look among the upcoming games for the Xbox One X. Cuphead is a Contra-style, side-scroller and platformer with the visuals similar to classic, hand-drawn Disney cartoons. Super Lucky’s Tale, is a 3D adventure game with colorful characters and environments with a Yooka-Laylee feel.  Find out more here.

Jeffrey Mizrahi creates a sublime piece with his review on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. Originally, he was baffled by the concept, but Jeffrey gives the game a whirl and finds himself enjoying the non-generic humor of the cosplaying Rabbids. The XCOM resemblance, the tactical abilities used in the game, and the iconic characters turn what was an eye-squinter of a ridiculous leak into an eye-opener of an entertaining and great game. Check out his review here.

That was just a few out of all of the talented members of the Circle and what they are up to.

Now we move onto the news outside of the Circle…

The geniuses behind the creation of Don’t Starve and Oxygen Not Included surprises its fan this year with tons of new content. Klei Entertainment reveals a new female character for Don’t Starve Together named Winona, who is an independent, hard worker. Alongside the new character, Klei adds changes to the Don’t Starve Shipwrecked expansion, assembling new foods, materials, crafting stations and a slew of new enemies. These changes are both here to improve your survival and threaten it at the same time. Lastly, Klei introduces brand new content to be released in 2018 where our favorite bipedal, inferior pigs live in an aristocratic society, own shops, and have even built their own structured society. Don’t Starve Hamlet brings you mysterious artifacts, ferocious enemies, ancient ruins, and well-mannered piggies.

The developers of the paid early access game “Fortnite” have added even more content to the game. Steadily growing in popularity just weeks after the release of the Survive the Storm update where players are positioned to survive a set number of days and nights, a new Battle Royale mode is on the horizon. Similar to Playerunknown’s Battle Grounds, 100 players take part in jumping out of a flying bus and glide down into a massive map. They must use stealth, skill, and a pickaxe to find weapons and eliminate foes. The new mode officially separates Battle Royale and Save the World mode. It’s wonderful to see a game change and develop right in front of your eyes, which is what Epic Games allows us to do.

The AVGL announces that it is the final week to register for the Collegiate Smite Championship. Teams and experienced players will go head to head for a chance to win around $10,000 in prizes. So sign up, put your MOBA skills to the test, and compete for a chance to claim a nice bit of scholarship money.

Speaking of Smite, Hi-Rez Studios has announced a new God to join the growing roster. Hachiman, the Lord of the Eight Banners, is a Hunter class from Japanese mythology. Born to teach what war should be, Hachiman is the true embodiment of a hero. Hachiman uses his high single target damage and high mobility to quickly strike and wipe out enemies and has an escape option always in mind.

And that concludes this week’s Roundup! Let’s see what next week’s gaming news has in store for us!

Kimari Rennis is a New York Videogame Critics Circle intern, part of our ongoing partnership with Bronx’s DreamYard Prep School.