HOLLYWOOD — Illumination Studios premiered the first-ever trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in a Nintendo Direct this morning, which included an unexpected segment where Mario turned to the camera and called the late Charlie Kirk a hero and an American patriot.

“That line was at the request of Chris [Pratt], who returns as the voice of Mario,” explained producer Christopher Meledandri. “Trust us—we really didn’t want to touch this whole thing with a ten-foot pole, but, well, he insisted. After explaining that he wouldn’t return to the role unless we included this scene, he said ‘good luck finding someone else who can do a pitch-perfect Luigi voice.’”

The scene in question, which featured an American flag flown behind Mario with his right hand placed over his heart, raised a lot of eyebrows following its release.

“I wish I could say I was surprised, but… I’m not,” read a post on Bluesky. “Pratt really hasn’t been shy about expressing his political opinions. And look, I’m usually able to ignore it when I get to watch my favorite characters going on fun adventures up on the big screen, but when it’s this overt… I think I’ll just stick to the Sonic movies from now on. Shadow shows a great example of responsible gun ownership.”

Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario and co-producer of the film, was reportedly not taking the response all too well.

“La-la-la-la I do not know what you are talking about,” said Miyamoto with his fingers jammed in his ears. “I really can’t handle this kind of heat. Can’t you guys be upset about game key cards, or our games being overpriced? Maybe we could make the Switch 2 no longer backwards compatible with Switch 1 games? Could you guys please be angry about something else? We have so many other options!”

At press time, an extended trailer was released in which Jack Black’s Bowser turned to the screen and said it wasn’t okay to joke about presidents being shot at, either.

The post Mario Pays Abrupt Tribute to the Late Charlie Kirk in Mario Galaxy Movie Trailer appeared first on Palette Swap.

CARY, N.C. — A player of the recent Simpsons Fortnite crossover insisted that the event peaked around day nine or ten and hasn’t been very good since, sources sick of hearing about it confirmed. 

“I can’t believe people are still playing that Springfield event,” said local gamer Drew Landers. “Sure, it started as a clever and subversive example of how enriching content updates can be to a video game while still being critical of this landscape of constant corporate merging. But these days, it feels like a shell of its former self, having slowly devolved into the very thing it used to skewer. Have you seen those latest drops they revealed? Worst. Battle Pass. Ever.” 

Defenders of the crossover pushed back against the criticism. 

“Sure, it came out of the gate really strong,” said Jerry Tucker, who said he was still enjoying the event.  “But I think people who dismiss it entirely now either haven’t checked it out in a while, or have rose-colored glasses for their memories of when they first got into The Simpsons [Fortnite event] back in early November. Just turn your brain off and have fun, it’s a game! Also, you have to admit, even if you don’t love the models, they look a hell of a lot better than the ones from Family Guy.” 

Simpsons creator Matt Groening said he anticipated the crossover not pleasing everybody. 

“When you’ve created the longest-running television show in television history, as well as allegedly appeared in the Epstein files, you’re going to learn that you can’t please everybody,” Groening said. “The truth is, The Simpsons has been violently merchandised in every way imaginable since 1990. I don’t understand why Fortnite would be the final straw for anyone. Hey, also, would you not print that thing I said about the Epstein files?”

As of press time, Landers was overheard claiming that the Futurama stuff in Fortnite is better anyway.

The post Fortnite Fan Says Simpsons Crossover Hasn’t Been Good Since Day 10 appeared first on Palette Swap.

SAN FRANCISCO — In the midst of several new changes coming to Discord, the company announced that it would be introducing tumbleweeds that blow past dormant servers.

“Finally! I’ve been waiting for this for ages,” user Damian McNabb said in the comment section of the announcement. “There’s a few servers that I’m in that I don’t wanna leave, because it would just be too awkward. I’ve been in one since 2019 that was supposed to be for planning a weekly D&D night. Needless to say, it hasn’t been touched in half a decade. Now, at least there’s a fun reason to go back to it.”

Other users aren’t as thrilled at the added changes.

“First, they do this dumb Patreon integration, now suddenly there’s all these weeds everywhere on my screen,” Brandon Olson, another frequent user of the app said. “I go to my DM’s, and I can barely read anything because there’s practically a sandstorm happening all over my screen. I’m sure there’s a lot for me to read under there. Probably just a bug in the system. Yeah, that’s it. It must be.”

Discord product manager Jeremy Belling elaborated on the tumbleweeds and other incoming changes.

“Lots of people have been worried about the changes we’ll be making ahead of going public, and I’m hoping this will help assuage them,” Belling said. “Sure, we’re introducing advertising on the mobile app, but those will be a little fun too. This is just another way to show we aren’t like other companies. We’re your friends. Friends you will soon be able to buy shares of on Wall Street. Maybe you guys can boost us like you did with GameStop. It’s what friends would do for each other, after all.”

Discord announced another new update that would charge users a nightly cover fee to enter servers that are deemed very active.

The post Discord Adds Tumbleweeds That Occasionally Blow by Abandoned Servers appeared first on Palette Swap.

Atari and Fabraz have posted a new, nearly 90-minute-long promotional video for their upcoming 3D platformer, Bubsy 4D. Throughout this video, Bubsy’s fourth-wall-breaking humor and personality persist in a VTuber format, voiced by Sean Chiplock. Plenty of new gameplay is also showcased. Bubsy’s goal this time around is to defeat the new foe, the BaaBots. [...]

'Microsoft does not have anything to share on this matter'

The post Not Commenting Is Commenting appeared first on Aftermath.

KYOTO — In an attempt to replicate the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo is reportedly cooking up a brand-new infectious disease that they anticipate will leave players isolated and addicted, just in time for an upgraded version on the new hardware.

“We’re attempting to capture lightning in a bottle once again,” stated Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa. “Our initial thinking was that by releasing the updated game in January, right as the stark winter months kick in, gamers will have nowhere else to turn but their Animal Crossing island. Still, we needed some extra reassurance. That’s why we’re testing dangerous new illnesses on lab rats in a brand-new wing of our facility. We want to make sure GameChat is the premiere option for communication moving forward. Seriously—we really need you guys to start using it.”

Nintendo is reportedly partnering with United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to help manufacture the situation.

“Vaccines and masks will be illegal following the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition,” explained Kennedy. “We want to make sure that absolutely everybody can enjoy this gaming experience, and that people’s rights are not being stripped away by the government. We’ll also have an official White House island that anyone can visit and learn about our country and its newly modified history—only if you’re there legally, of course.”

Fan response to the decision was divisive.

“Well, at least they’re not charging 20 bucks to upgrade this time,” read a post on /r/AnimalCrossing. “The new additions look fun, and I’m looking forward to trying out the mouse controls, but I’d rather not go through a global pandemic again. That’s a moment in time I think we can all look back on and kind of laugh about together, but it would be nice to, you know, go back to normal again if possible.”

At press time, Nintendo encouraged all players to do their own research on infectious diseases, but advised them not to look too deeply into their variable pricing strategy.

The post Nintendo Working on New, Highly Contagious Virus in Time for Animal Crossing Switch 2 Edition appeared first on Palette Swap.