Andrew Webster

Senior entertainment editor

Andrew WebsterOct 21, 2023

A tough choice this weekend.

Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder came out on the same day (October 20th), and unfortunately for those of us with limited free time, they’re both excellent. Good luck squeezing them both into your weekend.

Elsewhere, you can catch up on the story of Alan Wake inside of Fortnite ahead of next week’s sequel, go on a trippy stroll through Ubisoft history with Captain Laserhawk on Netflix, or be terrified by something living in your phone.

A screenshot from the video game Spider-Man 2, of Peter Parker in a black symbiote suit.

A screenshot from the video game Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

A screenshot from Alan Wake: Flashback in Fortnite.

An anthropomorphic frog wearing an a hoodie, a muscular, humanoid pig man wearing a tank top and beanie, a human woman wearing a tank top, cutoffs, tights, and a visor, and a man whose face is partially constructed out of cybernetic technology like his left arm.

An eerie, child-like figure with gray skin partially hidden behind gold fabric.

1/5

Spider-Man 2.

Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Andrew WebsterOct 20, 2023

“It might taste like coffee.”

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is out today, and one of the coolest additions is a thick new goo that you can slowly swim through. At one point in the game, a flower asks Mario “how’s the goo taste?”

Well, since it seems to be the same substance as Luigi’s Mansion’s Gooigi, I might just have the answer. For some reason back at E3 2019 I asked producer Kensuke Tanabe what the creepy character would taste like, and he replied “it might taste like coffee.”

Hopefully they update Wonder with this important information.

A screenshot from the video game Super Mario Bros. Wonder, in which Mario is talking to a flower while surrounded by green goo.

I have just the answer you are looking for.

Image: Nintendo

Even Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s approach to difficulty is playful

Andrew WebsterOct 20, 2023

Andrew WebsterOct 19, 2023

Previously on Spider-Man...

If you’re anxiously awaiting Spider-Man 2’s launch on the PS5 tomorrow, Sony has just released a handy video to get you all caught up on the story of both the original game and the Miles Morales spinoff.

Andrew WebsterOct 19, 2023

Newspaper puzzles without the newspaper.

Game designer Zach Gage — known for the likes of Good Sudoku and Really Bad Chess — has just teased his next project. Built with a team of collaborators, it’s called Puzzmo, and is described as “a fresh spin on a cultural mainstay: the newspaper games page.” We’ll have much more on it very soon — stay tuned.

Andrew WebsterOct 19, 2023

Paint it, blue and garnet.

As part of its ongoing deal with Spotify, FC Barcelona is once again featuring an iconic artist on its jersey for the big El Clásico match coming up on October 28th. It all started with Drake last year, but this time around it’s the Rolling Stones. The kits are on pre-sale in a few days if you need to get some satisfaction.

Image: FC Barcelona

With a Switch 2 looming, Nintendo is sending out the original with a bang

Andrew WebsterOct 18, 2023

It’s going to be a big year for lavish period pieces from Apple.

Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon hits theaters on October 20th, and it will be followed by Ridley Scott’s Napoleon on November 22nd. Both will eventually stream on Apple TV Plus — in the meantime, check out this fresh trailer of Napoleon to get a better look at Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role.

Andrew WebsterOct 18, 2023

“I counted the number of sticky notes we had, and there were over 2,000!”

Super Mario Bros. Wonder comes out on Friday, and the game is absolutely bursting with ideas. Turns out, though, that a lot of things were left on the cutting room floor. This interview series from Nintendo gets into some of the fun details. My favorite comes from famed composer Koji Kondo:

I shared the idea of an eight-heads-tall, life-sized, live-action Mario humming along with the background music as he goes along... When he jumps, he says to himself, “Boing!” ...The idea was never used, though.

Ask the Developer Vol. 11, Super Mario Bros. Wonder

[Nintendo]