The new Mario trailer promises references, little else | Kaser Focus

Nintendo held a special Direct this week to reveal the full trailer for the upcoming Super Mario Bros movie. In the new trailer, we finally see Princess Peach, Luigi and Donkey Kong alongside the main man. We even get to see DK beat the bejeezus out of Mario, as it should be. Mario’s portrayal so far seems to be that of the everyman who must partake in world-saving — fair enough. And the gorgeous cover of the Super Mario Bros. theme put an actual, honest-to-goodness smile on my face.

But I don’t know — I’m still not sold. Part of it is that I’m not keen on Peach so far. She doesn’t seem very Peach to me. I wish the trailer had shown more of her than just giving Mario a pep talk — and Pratt’s Mario is a topic for a different day. I fear the movie is going to be just a collection of Scenes that Reference Mario Game X. In the trailer, we’ve already got The Smash Bros Scene and The Mario Kart Scene. If there turns out to be a Paper Mario scene, let it be known that I called it.

We’ve had a bit of good news and bad news this week. In bad news, we got the cancellation of the Smash World Tour. But in good news, we’re getting a new Amnesia game from Frictional — always good to see them. Also, Activision Blizzard employees in Albany have successfully formed another union so it hasn’t been totally dismal.

In more personal news, I’m preparing for The Game Awards, which go down next Thursday, December 8. I’m ready for all the new game talk, all the pointless Kojima cameos, the out-of-place film trailers, the shockingly good musical performances and maybe the awards if we have time. I’m also going to be playing The Callisto Protocol, because the sun goes down early these days and I want some cold, dark spooks. I haven’t been properly scared by a game since Alien: Isolation, and I dare Glen Schofield to make me break my streak.

What to play this week

[I will include last week’s games as well, since I didn’t do a Kaser Focus.]

What’s new:

• The Callisto Protocol
• Marvel’s Midnight Suns
• Need for Speed Unbound
• Evil West
• Gungrave G.O.R.E.
• The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners — Chapter 2: Retribution
• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
• Ship of Fools
• Soccer Story
• Just Dance 2023
• The Knight Witch

New on subscription services:

• Insurgency: Sandstorm (Xbox Game Pass)
• Eastward (Xbox Game Pass)
• The Walking Dead: The Final Season (Xbox Game Pass)
• Totally Reliable Delivery Service (Xbox Game Pass)
• Colt Canyon (Xbox Games with Gold)
• Crysis 2 Remastered (GeForce Now)
• Crysis 3 Remastered (GeForce Now)
• Fort Triumph (GeForce Now)
• Battlefield 2042 (GeForce Now)
• Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop (GeForce Now)
• Stormworks: Build and Rescue (GeForce Now)
• Dead Cells+ (Apple Arcade)