Latest news with #openworld
Top Gear
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Top Gear
Mario Kart World is the most exciting Mario Kart since the first one
Gaming Hands on with Nintendo Switch 2's stellar launch title Skip 4 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Mario Kart, but in an open world. It's one of those combinations that didn't seem blindingly obvious until Nintendo went and did it, at which point suddenly it made perfect sense. For the developers, it must have been a moment akin to the first time someone accidentally elbowed a salt shaker into a batch of caramel and invented the best flavour on the planet. We've had a chance to play Mario Kart World ahead of its launch alongside Nintendo's new Switch 2 console on 5 June and we're pleased to report it's the most exciting Mario Kart since the first one way back in 1992. In the same way Forza Horizon completely revolutionised the Forza series, the open world in Mario Kart World promises to do the same for Nintendo's kart racer. Only with significantly more banana peels. Advertisement - Page continues below Not that we didn't have a few concerns when Mario Kart World was first announced. There was a danger that some of the distinctive character of Mario Kart's courses would be lost with the transition to a single, giant sandbox. But whereas a Forza Horizon game has to be a vaguely coherent landscape in a particular region, Mario Kart World's map boasts diversity that other more grounded racers can only dream of. You'll seamlessly transition from racing along Terminator 2 -style dry canals, into a snow-capped peak, through a wild west canyon, and then on to a construction site that's home to a giant robotic ape. It'll be some time before we see that last one in a Forza game. What's more, each area isn't just background scenery; the tracks within that open world boast the same fiendish design and Nintendo attention to detail we've come to expect from a standalone Mario Kart circuit. Our favourite was a haunted cinema course that allowed you to leap directly into the screen and power slide along film reels through a silent, black and white horror movie. Having previously tried to sit through the original 1920s Nosferatu film, we're now certain it would be elevated with the addition of a go kart race. You might like The other thing the open world allows for is Knockout Tour, an online multiplayer mode which could well become your new favourite way to play Mario Kart, as long as you can handle the enormous amount of temple-throbbing stress that comes with it. It's a mad, sustained dash across the whole map, stopping off at a series of locations along the way. At each checkpoint the 24 starting racers are whittled down, with the trailing four karts knocked out permanently, and, this being Mario Kart, the race order is constantly shifting as players get clobbered with power ups including the dreaded blue shell. It might be worth getting in early with a prescription for blood pressure medication just so you're good and ready for launch day. Advertisement - Page continues below Mario Kart World doesn't appear to have lost anything in the transition to an open world design and, worry not, if all you want to do is play classic, split screen Mario Kart races on a single circuit that's catered for as well. We're yet to find out what activities are available when cruising around the traffic-filled roads of the Mushroom Kingdom between races, but with Nintendo's reputation for prioritising fun, we're not likely to be short of things to do. That's if we can tear ourselves away from one more go at Knockout Tour... Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Chrono Odyssey Looks Very Promising In New Developer Interview Video
Chrono Odyssey Last week, closed beta signups went live for Chrono Odyssey and now the studio has published the first in a new series of Developer Interview videos. I've gotten excited and then let down by MMOs so many times over the years, it honestly feels like I'm an avid connoisseur of deflated hype and expectations. But who knows, maybe this time things will be different because everything I've seen and heard about Chrono Odyssey has me willing to believe it really could be the MMORPG I've been waiting for. Maybe. In the 20-minute developer interview video, we get to hear from a variety of folks on the development team including the executive producer named Sangtae and a product manager named Don. Something that really stood out to me in this interview is at the very beginning when Sangtae explains that they wanted to make overall progression just as fun as end-game content. That's a big goal to try and fulfill, because MMORPGs are perhaps the most infamous examples of players feeling like the 'real game' doesn't start until you reach the end. The need to invest dozens or hundreds of hours before you start to actually have fun is a tall ask when it comes to generating new players. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Sangtae also promises a lack of loading screens in the game in favor of a more seamless open world design. For a large-scale MMO game like this, that's a pretty exciting proposition. The team cites the cosmic horror vibes of movies like Prometheus and the encroaching threat of intimidating enemies such as the Zerg from StarCraft as key inspirations for the game world. Chrono Odyssey When it comes to what I want out of an MMO, I might be in a unique, personally. I'm the kind of gamer that does not and cannot play a single game for weeks, months, or years on end. I just can't do it. I like too many different genres and love chasing that new game feeling way too much to lock myself down. Call it professional curiosity, I guess. But at the same time, I absolutely love getting immersed in a big, bold MMO world. I like that communal feeling of discovering and exploring something with others collectively and I enjoy PvE content like dungeons, open world boss battles, and raids a lot. I just don't have the bandwidth to get deep into the end game these days as a parent. What I want out of my MMOs is the depth and complexity to feel engaged and challenged, with the approachability and fun factor to not feel overwhelmed when I come back from a multi-week break. Not many games have ever managed to strike that balance as well as prime Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online, or the first few months of Throne and Liberty last year. I haven't had a chance to play Chrono Odyssey for myself yet, but the fact that it's also coming to consoles has me very cautiously optimistic it could scratch that itch for me once again. Visually it's gorgeous, combat looks stellar, and the developers really seem to be passionate about the world they've built. Let's see if it can stick the landing. If you want to take part in the closed beta test next month, you can sign up over on the Chrono Odyssey Steam page, or check out the official game website for more details.
Top Gear
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Top Gear
Rockstar must be feeling generous: here's LOTS of new GTA 6 screenshots
These new pics reveal an extended cast of characters, and key locations They're like buses, aren't they, GTA 6 news articles. You wait fifteen months, and then a delay announcement, a new video and an absolute horde of screenshots all turn up within a week. (Cards on the table, it's been a while since we took the bus.) Among the incredible volume of fresh imagery for Rockstar's open-world crim sim, which is now due to release on 26 May 2026 after Rockstar announced its delay, there are high-detail shots of some new characters who'll play a role in Jason and Lucia's touching, sensitive, and not-at-all-doomed love story.
