By Kimari Rennis

Greetings, fellow Circle members! I am Kimari Rennis, and I will be delivering this week’s Roundup.  There’s a lot of Mario in the air this week! That’s because Super Mario Odyssey seems to be getting the best reviews of any Mario game – ever. Plus, it’s Halloween-time. There’s just so much going on!

Personally, I’m hoping to get Mario, too. But this week, I have been signing up and applying for a variety of different programs that will broaden my experiences with design, technology and coding, so I am pretty ecstatic about that.

Enough about me, without further ado, let us begin the Roundup! 

Jeff Bakalar has bestowed upon us a review of Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch. Bakalar showcases the plotline of the game, features within the world that give an authentic feel and enhance the experience, and even discusses the controls; suggesting the best way to experience Super Mario Odyssey. Read more about the review here.

Allegra Frank from Polygon also joins the Super Mario Odyssey hype train with the list she created showcasing changes in the Mario Franchises formula. In Super Mario Odyssey, there is no need to worry about lives because that system is handled with coins; when you die, you merely lose ten coins. Another significant change in Mario’s formula for the Odyssey release is the exclusion of mushrooms and power-ups. Instead, all growth and abilities are handled by Cappy, the ghost who inhabits Mario’s hat, and the power of possession. Read more here.

And Harold Goldberg looks at Super Mario Odyssey for Boys’ Life. He feels the first hour has several “jaw-dropping” moments He says that meeting a T-Rex is, at first, a casual, easy experience = even though it’s awesome. But when you find the beast in the Deep Woods, he actually becomes evil and attacks you. There’s a mildly scary Halloween aspect to some of these worlds, too. Read more here.

Gita Jackson gets everyone in the Halloween mood this month. With glee, she gives us a list of scary horror games (a few somewhat eerie themed). You can choose to tackle them by yourself or take the time out to chill with a group of friends to play Slender: The Eight Pages, or a friendly game of trivia with murderers. Check out the list here.

Shane Ferguson delivers us an extensive review regarding the newly released game, South Park: The Fractured But Whole. The RPG style game supplies fans of the show with beloved humor that’s not for the faint of heart. The game is littered with references from the show, and the jokes are recognizable to fans and enough to get full-fledged laughs out of you. Read the entire review here.

Now, here’s news outside of the Circle.

Ed Fries, the former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft, published a fascinating article that depicts his journey to find and operate the first video game ROM. For Ed Fries, the idea of seeking an earlier ROM with the numbers 74181 turned to rumor, and rumor became the determination you need to discover said ROM showcasing  the word “Proto-B.” After waiting months for a lead, Ed Fries finally got his big break, and the story of how he got there is compelling. Any ready can sense his enthusiasm from miles away. Read Ed Fries’ full article here.

The deadlines for application regarding the Spring 2018 Future Artists Programs at NYU are coming soon. If any young artists are interested in applying, they must submit their applications before November 15 (Future Music Moguls) and November 27th for the other programs including the Future Gamer’s Program. More information and application forms can be found here.

The Nintendo Switch receives significant changes in the consoles 4.0.0 update. The Nintendo Switch now supports wireless headphones, can transfer data and accounts between different consoles and is now capable is capturing and sharing game footage in 30 clips to save those memorable moments.

Last but not least, Halloween Terror returns once more to Overwatch. Similar to Summer Games 2017, Halloween Terror introduces new legendary Skins for characters, new voice lines, and the ability to purchase older skins and other customizations at a lower price in the game’s currency.

Have a great Halloween. Shh! We have a Halloween secret to reveal on Monday. Check the website at 9 a.m.!

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