Fortnite’s on the verge of a new chapter while Destiny 2 has delayed its next expansion. Plus, reviews of Super Mario RPG, Cocoon, and the Talos Principle II.

Eminem’s helping Fortnite launch its next phase

On December 2, at 11:00 a.m. PT (2:00 p.m. ET), the Big Bang hits Fortnite.

This is the beginning of the end for Fortnite, Chapter Four. The Eminem performance is an opportunity for players to gather in a virtual concert space in the same way they gathered for Ariana Grande, Marshmello, and Travis Scott, who had 12 million players watching his performance.

Three skins of Marshall Mathers, who’s known as Eminem, are available in the game’s shop for people who want to look like the rapper during the event.

calling all grandmas 12.2 pic.twitter.com/5WhalpnOEW

— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) November 21, 2023

Destiny 2 expansion delayed to June

“The Final Shape,” the next expansion for Destiny 2, which will close out the Light and Darkness storyline the game has been tracking for more than ten years, has been postponed to June 4. 2024.

Originally scheduled for February, the delay gives developers at Bungie additional time to, “deliver an even bigger and bolder vision.”

Despite the delay, Bungie will be updating the game in February and again in April, when “Into the Light” will get players ready for what the game has in store for them in June.

Super Mario RPG retains charm of the original, adds colour and fidelity

When it was first released in 1996, for the Super NES game system from Nintendo, Super Mario RPG was a real departure. The graphics were in 3D, for one, but more importantly it was a departure from what Nintendo was used to doing with the Mario universe.

It was developed by Square, the developer of the Final Fantasy role-playing games, and it brought things like turn-based combat and skill trees to what had mostly been a platforming game. The Final Fantasy DNA merged wonderfully with quirky depictions of Mario and his friends from the Mushroom Kingdom.

The remake for Nintendo Switch, released earlier this month, accurately captures what made that first game so effective, and adds a few modern touches.

“Breezy Mode”, for example, which makes the game easier for players who might know Mario and friends but are new to RPGs, is a smart addition.

And for those familiar with the original game, you can enjoy the updated graphics but steep them in the original soundtrack from the SNES release.

Super Mario RPG is available now for Nintendo Switch. Rated everyone.

Mesmerizing Cocoon has us exploring fascinating worlds within worlds

Cocoon is a unique puzzle game that requires players to truly think laterally about how to navigate the spaces of the world.

Developed by Geometric Interactive, there’s some real pedigree here. Game designer Jeppe Carlsen led the gameplay design on both Limbo and Inside.

Like those games, Cocoon throws players into the world without instruction or direction. Somehow, though, you’ll learn the rules. You can carry an object on your back. You can use those seeds to open paths and even doorways to other worlds.

It becomes mind-bending when you have to move back and forth between worlds within worlds in an effort to figure out where you’re supposed to go.

With both Limbo and Inside I was never really sure what was going on and that’s true here, too. But, as with those other games, I love the exploration and the revelation that comes with it.

Cocoon is available now for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Rated everyone.

The Talos Principle II bends a puzzle around puzzles

The best puzzle games are themselves puzzles. That’s one of the things that makes the Talos Principle series so fascinating. You’re solving puzzles, yes, but you’re also trying to understand the world in which you find those puzzles.

The Talos Principle II is set in Earth’s far future, when robots are the only populace, and they are doing their very best to live human lives.

These robots are sentient, of course, filled with intelligence and emotion, and each of the robots that inhabit the city of New Jerusalem are distinct individuals (and wonderfully embodied by the contemporary humans who have given them voices).

But the robots, there are exactly 1,000 of them, are confronted by a series of puzzles that, if solved, promise to give them more of the story of what happened to the humans who preceded.

The puzzles require manipulation of objects in the physical environment to unlock paths and doors and collect objects and tokens that are needed by the robots – and the players – to progress. To do this, you’ll have to direct light beams to trigger switches, figure out angles and sequence actions in the right order, and deconstruct increasingly complicated setups.

What the developers at Croteam have given us is much more than a series of puzzles, though. The Talos Principle II delves into philosophy and ethics, and ultimately asks players to consider questions that are at the heart of existence.

The Talos Principle II was developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital. It’s available now for PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.