Technologies

I Played Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s the Switch 2’s Killer Ape

If you’re looking for a reason to get a Nintendo Switch 2, this game has a peel.

You fall out of the sky and find yourself on a day-glo series of underground islands. You have to smash your way through them with your gorilla fists to find secret objects and fossils. Occasionally you can turn into a magic ostrich. Also, a woman named Pauline rides your back and throws words at things.

Donkey Kong Bananza, a game that’s only available on Nintendo Switch 2, is the best handheld gaming console’s new must-get game. After a few hours of playing it at a Nintendo preview in New York, I’m excited to play more. So is my kid who, after discovering it was an exclusive that’s not coming to the original Switch, said «OK, this is what might convince me to get a Switch 2.» He never said that with Mario Kart World, Nintendo’s other Switch 2 exclusive game.

What I love about Bananza is how vast and new it all feels. I got vibes and styles from all sorts of Nintendo games — Super Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon and even Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — but this game’s also full of its own styles and surprises that are utterly fresh. This is a big, welcome blast of New Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Bananza comes out July 17. It’s available for preorder now for $70 from Nintendo.com and other retailers.

Playing Donkey Kong Bananza I encountered some familiar formulas. It’s a huge 3D platformer, but it has 2D throwback moments, just like Super Mario Odyssey did. The smash-everything gameplay involving digging tunnels and unearthing treasure feels at times like Minecraft, at times like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s craft-everything freedom. The bright colors and bold characters remind me of Splatoon. The big multi-tier levels I explored — and tried to find secrets in — evoked the larger levels in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Bananza was actually made by the Mario Odyssey team, and you can tell. This is game’s similarly epic-looking, multidimensional and … musical. The songs occasionally sung by Pauline, your sidekick and friend, feel destined to appear in a future Donkey Kong Bananza animated movie. Odyssey had a lot of music riffs in it, too.

I didn’t get that much time to play. It was just a few hours and they flew. I was torn between freely exploring the huge levels, digging up stuff like fossils, crystal bananas (Banandium gems, which can be collected like many other things) and treasure chests, and finding the hidden bonus challenges. There are more straightforward goals per level, too, with a pop-up 3D map or directional arrow hint to show the way. I needed the help, since these levels can feel pretty gigantic.

I just started to feel like I was getting the hang of all the different game controls, including ripping chunks of rock off cliffs and surfing them, turning into a super-powered Bananza mode to single-punch through metal walls, and climbing all over the place. Getting skill points to add other abilities, and collecting clothing that offers other boosts, just feels like a wild amount of freedom.

I also got to try the co-op mode. A second player becomes Pauline, who can shoot solid words made of her voice that can destroy objects and enemies. The controls use the Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, making it feel like a targeting shoot-em-up. Bananza also supports Game Share to stream the co-op mode to another nearby Switch (either another Switch 2 or an original Switch). I want to try this with my family at home, but sadly, there’s no deeper co-op here. Consider it sort of like Odyssey’s hat-throwing co-op mode, but better.

I’ve gone back and watched the Nintendo Direct deep dive after my Bananza session, and I want to know more. I’m in. So’s my kid. And I’m glad this game is a step into new territory, despite starring old favorite Donkey Kong. The Switch 2 was already excellent but it feels even more vibrant now. With a few more big exclusive games like this, the Switch 2 is going to become a must-get for a lot more people. Actually, that moment might already be here.

Technologies

I Can’t Wait to Drop Into Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 on Xbox Game Pass Soon

Xbox Game Pass is getting several games this month, including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, and the return of High on Life.

The Tony Hawk games were some of my favorite titles when I was growing up. The soundtracks helped form my musical tastes, and the games helped propel me and my friends to learn to skateboard. So when Microsoft brings Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 to Xbox Game Pass on July 11, I’m going to grab my (virtual) deck and returning to some familiar gaps and rails in the game.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new titles, including Doom: The Dark Ages, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Read more: Play Classic Games From the ’80s and ’90s on Xbox Game Pass Now

Here are the games Microsoft is adding to Game Pass in July. You can also check out what games Microsoft brought to the service in June, like Call of Duty: WWII.

Legend of Mana (console)

Coming to Game Pass Standard on July 2.

As soon as you embark on a quest to find the mythical Mana Tree, you discover the world map is empty! So the only way to find it is to explore the world, talk to people and take on fearsome monsters in this remastered, classic RPG. This version of the game also has graphical improvements, a rearranged soundtrack and other modern enhancements.

Trials of Mana (console)

Coming to Game Pass Standard on July 2.

If you enjoyed the remastered version of Legend of Mana, you’ll likely enjoy this remastered version of Trials of Mana, another entry in the Mana series. You set off on an adventure to find the Mana Tree and protect the world from chaos. This version of the classic RPG has graphic improvements, character voiceover support, a new ability system and much more.

Ultimate Chicken Horse

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on July 3.

The name of this game was enough to draw my attention, and the in-game raccoon sealed the deal for me. This party-platforming game has you race against others to see who can get to the end of the level first. But each player gets to build the level as they play. So you can set traps for others, but make sure you don’t take yourself out.

The Ascent

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on July 8.

Microsoft is bringing this game back to Game Pass almost a year after the company removed it from the service. In this cyberpunk-themed RPG, you control a formerly enslaved worker after the collapse of the megacorporation The Ascent Group. The area devolves into chaos with criminal factions vying for control over the different districts. It’s up to you to stop these other factions and uncover what happened to the defunct corporation.

Minami Lane

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 9.

Welcome to the cozy world of Minami Lane! This cute management game sets you in charge of maintaining the titular street, opening new shops and making sure everyone is enjoying their stay in the area. Build ramen shops for the foodies, open book stores for the bookworms and customize the street in whatever way you want.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on July 11.

Tony Hawk is back to shred in new areas, perform gnarly tricks and bring you more great music along the way. This revamped version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 also brings new skaters to the roster. Game Pass subscribers who preorder the Deluxe Edition Upgrade can play this game three days early on July 8 and get the Doom Slayer as a playable skater and other perks.

High on Life

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on July 15.

Microsoft removed this game from Xbox Game Pass in June, 2024, but the company is bringing the potty humor-filled game back to the service. You’ve just escaped an alien invasion and have befriended an alien that’s also a talking gun. You and other talking guns — and a talking, psychotic knife named Knifey — will team up to stop the invasion of Earth and bring an end to an intergalactic drug cartel.

Retro Classics gets 5 more games

Microsoft launched its Retro Classics collection of games in May, and Microsoft said more than 1 million people have already enjoyed some nostalgic games. To celebrate this milestone, the company brought these five classic games to the collection.

Cosmic Commuter
Heart of China
Skiing
Solar Storm
Subterranea

Games leaving Game Pass on July 15

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass soon, the company is also removing six other games from the service on July 15. So you still have some time to check these games out or finish your campaign before you have to buy them separately.

Flock
Mafia Definitive Edition
Magical Delicacy
Tchia
The Callisto Protocol
The Case of the Golden Idol

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.

Technologies

Red Dead Redemption 2’s Strange Tales of the West Update Brings Cryptids to Multiplayer

Bandits aren’t the only things you have to worry about in the weird west. Red Dead Online players will now have to contend with swamp things, automatons and zombies.

Pack your silver bullets and keep your head on a swivel. There’s a bad moon rising over the wild west in Red Dead Online, as four new cryptid-themed missions just released in the game.

You’ll have to take on these quests on behalf of author Theodore Levin, who is investigating outlandish claims from around the country. Strange cases of fearsome monsters, cults and viral outbreaks are exactly the type of pulpy content that could inspire a good story.

The first new telegram mission, Strange Tales of Modern Science, sees players contending with killer robots. But these aren’t exactly Terminators. You’ll be fighting off a tiny tinman army as it stalks the grounds of the Braithwaite Manor.

Another mission, Strange Tales of the Bayou, will have you contending with both human and non-human threats as you wade through Lagras. The Swamp Folk like to ambush hunters who enter their territory — but it’s up to you to bring back the creature from the deep so that Levin can see it for himself.

The Strange Tales of the Wilderness mission is the closest thing to a standard bounty hunt included in the new update. You’ll need to hunt down a gang of murdering bandits in Tall Trees, but rumor has it that a missing scientist might just be experimenting on your foes. Brave the wilderness to take on an evolving manmade threat and bring the gang to justice.

The final mission in the latest batch of content, Strange Tales of the Plague, is an ode to fan-favorite spinoff Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare. A mysterious infection is spreading through Armadillo, and the dead are rising yet again. It’s up to you and your friends to put down the shambling horde and bring back their bodies for scientific examination.

If you want to take on these new missions, you’ll need to pick up a letter Levin left for you at the nearest in-game post office or your camp’s mailbox. Afterwards, these cryptid challenges will become repeatable telegram missions.

To celebrate the launch of the Strange Tales of the West update, all telegram missions (including the new batch of pulp fiction content) will have their rewards boosted until Aug. 4. You’ll be able to earn three times as much gold, Red Dead dollars and experience points during this time.

Red Dead Online’s Strange Tales of the West update is available for free now on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Get ready to lock and load to take down the new telegram missions next time you log in.

This update is a rare treat for Red Dead Redemption 2 fans, as the game’s online mode has been largely neglected in recent years. The previous patch from March 2024 squashed some bugs — and the last update that added any amount of playable content came out in September 2022.

The content drought was so extreme that it spawned a movement with the stated goal of saving Red Dead Online. The change.org petition currently has more than 10,000 signatures.

The Strange Tales of the West update is being marketed as volume one of a broader update, which implies that even more pulp fiction content could be coming down the pipeline for the Red Dead Redemption 2 multiplayer mode sometime soon. The wild west is about to get a whole lot weirder.