Gaming: Luigi scares up ghostly good reviews; Dungeons & Dragons video game inbound; more

Move over, Mario — the guy in green has some ghosts to catch. Just in time for Halloween, Luigi is scaring up a high-rise haunted hotel adventure, and Mario’s taller, intrepid brother is already getting rave reviews for Luigi’s Mansion 3 — Nintendo’s newest poltergeist-punishing game.

Critics are pretty much in universal agreement that the third installment in Luigi’s spooky escapades — a solo franchise that dates back to the debut of Luigi’s Mansion for the Gamecube in 2001 — is frightfully great on the Switch, adding new ways to track down ghouls, enlisting a spectral doppelgänger who can go places the real Luigi can’t, and even letting Mario tag along to help Luigi reach the top of Nintendo’s tall hotel of terror. 

From IGN to Gamesradar to Polygon and more, reviewers who’ve gotten their hands on the game ahead of its Halloween release date say Mario’s younger bro has finally gotten the solo role he deserves. “This is our scaredy-cat hero’s best adventure yet, and it’s made even better by just how much he dislikes being on it,” writes Polygon, tipping its hat to Luigi’s shaky-kneed bravery as player goad him forward to turn every corner of the Last Resort Hotel’s 15 floors.

IGN loved the game’s humor, calling Luigi 3 “downright funny” and wondering aloud whether even next year’s Ghostbusters movie can top the laughs — and the fun — on tap in “one of the funniest and most charming Nintendo games on the Switch yet.” Gamesradar’s Heather Wald honed in on that same charm, saying the game had her hooked from the very start: “[A] smile spreads across my face, and it rarely leaves me as I navigate my way through Nintendo's spooky fest — and that speaks volumes about just how charming and enjoyable Luigi's Mansion 3 really is.”

Along with Pokemon Sword /Shield, which is heading to the Switch next month, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is one of the last big first-party games Nintendo has planned for the Switch this year, and if reviewers are right, it comes along at just the right moment. Sign us up for some quality time with our trusty ghost-sweeping vacuum backpack this weekend: Luigi’s Mansion 3 arrives to haunt the Switch on Oct. 31.

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Fans are going to get a new Dungeons & Dragons video game, and Wizards of the Coast is so confident in it that the company behind the iconic tabletop RPG has purchased the studio. According to a release, Wizards of the Coast has acquired Montreal’s Tuque Games for the purposes of D&D video game development. Tuque has already posted on their company website that they’ll be working on an upcoming game “steepled in classic D&D lore.”

Browsing through the company’s job listings — noted for their involvement with this upcoming game—can clue gamers and dungeoneers alike into what kind of game they should expect. D&D games have recently either been isometric Baldur's Gate games or enhancements to older RPGs. This upcoming game is aiming to be an action/RPG built in Unreal 4, which seems to imply that Tuque will be forging a new path for the franchise in the future.

“Tuque is thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the Wizards of the Coast team,” said Tuque Games founder Jeff Hattem. “By working more closely together, we can accelerate our joint vision and bring to life new games, characters and worlds in Wizards of the Coast’s roster of franchises.”

The acquisition of the studio means things are heating up for Wizards’ video games — so fans of their franchises (Magic: The Gathering and more as well as D&D) should look forward to the future partnership.

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The Outer Worlds has already lit up gamers with a deep space adventure that some impatient Fallout fans, craving the next great single-player RPG experience, are even hailing as the open-world game they’ve been waiting for since 2015’s Fallout 4.

Now the game is reportedly heading to the Nintendo Switch, after debuting on Oct. 25 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Via Gamesradar, The Outer Worlds will come to Nintendo’s console sometime early next year, though Virtuos — the studio that's handling the Switch version, and the same company responsible for the well-received Switch version of Dark Souls Remastered — hasn’t yet revealed a release date. 

Reviewers are loving The Outer Worlds — a sweeping sci-fi RPG from the same studio that brought us Fallout: New Vegas — for its rich story merging future dystopian vibes with tons of clever and funny writing; as well as for the kind of RPG gameplay systems that’ve already won Obsidian tons of fans over in Bethesda’s Fallout universe. And with a Switch version on the way, Nintendo fans will get their chance to join in the fun — while even taking their space adventures to go.

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Finally, let’s get fast, furious, and out of control. EA Games isn’t letting the onset of winter put a chill on outlandish outlaw street racing, debuting a new launch trailer for Need for Speed Heat ahead of the game’s release next month. 

Heat’s Palm City serves up an energy drink-infused nightscape that’s giving us those sweet Miami Vice vibes — but in the Need for Speed universe, we know we’ll definitely be living on the wrong side of the law.

“[E]arn bank by day to create your perfect ride through sanctioned Speedhunters Showdown events. By night, enter illicit street races alongside your crew, earning rep and building heat,” EA teases. “But stay ready — cops are waiting and not all of them play fair.”

Sounds like the heat’s definitely on. Need for Speed Heat drifts onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on Nov. 8.

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