Image used with permission by copyright holderNintendo’s upgraded 3DS arrived in Japan on October 11, and users have discovered a clever little easter egg in the handheld’s web browser (via Tiny Cartridge). Opening up a new page and tapping out the easily recognizable first few notes of the beloved Super Mario Bros. theme turns the list of frequent web pages into a stage select. Pick a website and you then destroy the URL in a Breakout-style game controlled by the stylus.
The new 3DS hit stores in Australia, Japan, and New Zealand in October and November of 2014, but currently has no confirmed release date for North America and Europe more specific than 2015. The updated handheld features additional control options, improved screens and 3D functionality, and a Near Field Communication sensor that lets you interact with Amiibos.
I was burnt out on video games until I dusted off my Nintendo DS
It was mid-December, and I’d just finished my final assignment of 2023. A hectic year full of exciting games capped off with yet another monumental achievement for the medium, the Meta Quest exclusive Asgard’s Wrath 2. No longer locked into playing a never-ending stream of zeitgeist games that I had to keep up with for work, I was finally free to play whatever I wanted.
There was only one problem: The thought of playing a game made me sick. It turns out that playing well over 100 new releases in any given year is a straight path to burnout. Who would have thought?
The biggest gaming news of 2023: Insomniac leak, GTA 6 reveal, and more
2023 was a roller coaster for the video games industry. On the software side, it was a historic year for new releases. We got everything from big success stories like Baldur's Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to memorable indies in Venba and Chants of Sennaar. But from the business side, 2023 was a lot more tumultuous. While some notable studio acquisitions and game announcements happened, thousands of developers were laid off, entire studios were shut down or hacked, and the provider of one of the most popular game engines landed in hot water after trying to roll out a controversial change.
The most notable gaming news stories of 2023 run the gamut from genuinely exciting to thoroughly disappointed. That speaks to a video game industry bound to head into an odd 2024 that lacks the known quantity bombshells of this year and continues to reel from layoffs. In last year's iteration of this article, my editor said that the 2020s are shaping up to be "the most pivotal decade in gaming history when all is said and done." If this year is anything to go by, that will almost certainly be true. These were the gaming stories that defined 2023, for better and much worse.
The Wii U and 3DS eShops shut down
Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 5 adds new modes that can make the game easier or harder
The fifth major patch for Baldur's Gate 3 just dropped. It's a literal game-changing patch, as it adds a new (extremely difficult) Honour Mode and a Custom Mode that will allow players to customize the difficulty of their adventure.
Honour Mode is essentially a hardcore version for Baldur's Gate 3. It disables save scumming, removes some exploits, increases the difficulty in combat and conversation, and implements a new Legendary Action system to the game's boss fights. Players technically only have one life to beat Honour Mode with, as they'll be presented with stats from their perilous journey and forced to disable the Honour Mode difficulty additions if they die at any point. Those who make it all the way through will get a Golden D20 in-game.
