The NES, SNES, and Game Boy Nintendo Switch Online apps all received mysterious updates (to versions 9.0.0, 6.0.0, and 4.0.0, respectively), and a prolific dataminer has claimed that these patches are meant to add challenges.

These challenges aren't accessible yet, but according to LuigiBlood on Bluesky (as spotted by Nintendo Everything), they will be similar to what players saw in the 2013 Wii U game NES Remix.

https://bsky.app/profile/luigiblood.bsky.social/post/3mnr4xhpypc2w

For the many who skipped out on the Wii U, NES Remix contained quick excerpts of classic NES games, challenging players to complete parts of titles like Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda with specific objectives or constraints.

NES Remix also contained more outlandish "remixes" of classic games (e.g., completing a level of Donkey Kong as Link), but LuigiBlood doesn't believe that the Nintendo Switch Online challenges will have anything of the sort.

As of now, there are 84 NES games, 77 SNES games, and 43 Game Boy games on the NSO service in the North American and PAL regions. According to LuigiBlood, these challenges will only be for specific games and will be accessible through the NSO app on the Switch home menu. Any possible rewards that would come with these challenges are unknown at this point.

An announcement of such a feature for Nintendo Classics would be perfectly suited for a Nintendo Direct, and it just so happens that the company confirmed that a presentation will stream on Tuesday, June 9.

Every NES And SNES Game On Nintendo Switch Online View Images

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is full of Easter eggs, but one of its most obscure will put a smile on the face of anyone who grew up in the Commodore 64 era of computers. As spotted by the eagle-eyed Cabel Sasser, a quick jaunt to the Batcave during one of the early missions will see Batman use a very vintage computer to input some clues as he tracks down the Red Hood gang. In a brief moment, the CRT screen flashes with some code, which just so happens to work on a Commodore 64 PC.

Input that code on a C64 (or an emulator), and you'll get a menu that features the Batman logo bouncing around the screen like a DVD screensaver. Some of you might be wondering just where you can pick up a Commodore 64, but fortunately, there's an online alternative (thanks, Andy Baio).

https://bsky.app/profile/cabel.panic.com/post/3mnpxqsbwok2i

The Commodore 64 emulator works just fine--we had to really dig deep to figure out how it works--and you can view the Easter egg on your PC. Just click the three vertical dots icon in the bottom right, paste the copied GitHub text from your clipboard in, and hit enter.

This is one deep cut of an Easter egg, as Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a celebration of the Caped Crusader across pop culture. The most obvious ones are drawn from the live-action movies, while unlockable costumes pay homage to his various incarnations across film, TV, comic books, and video games. Other nods to Batman are littered across Gotham, including a touching tribute to the late Kevin Conroy, the voice actor behind the cowl.

If you haven't checked it out yet, the game recently launched for PC and console. "Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight combines a nostalgia-rich story, hilarious writing, and Arkham Lite combat to bring licensed Lego games into the modern era," Steve Watts wrote in GameSpot's review.

• Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Standard Edition

  $70 | Releases May 29, 2026

  See at Amazon
• Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Deluxe Edition

  $90 | Releases May 26, 2026

  See at Amazon

A new Nintendo Direct livestream has been announced for June 9, making an already busy month of gaming showcases even busier. You can tune in at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET to watch it.

As usual, Nintendo isn't sharing too many details on this livestream. Looking ahead, the second half of 2026 has a few big games on the way, including Star Fox and various third-party releases.

Nintendo says the livestream will run for roughly 50 minutes, and it'll highlight upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch games. After the broadcast ends, there'll be a new Nintendo Treehouse livestream immediately after, showcasing gameplay of select titles featured in the Direct.

On the rumor front, Nintendo will reportedly reveal a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and for retro gaming fans, the NES, SNES, and Game Boy games on Switch 2 are said to be getting new "challenges" for players to pursue.

Nintendo has held a June Direct showcase every year since 2012, and it's not breaking that run in 2026. The content of each broadcast varies, as some years have been game-specific livestreams--like last year's Donkey Kong Bananza showcase--while older June Directs tied into E3 week and provided a broader overview of what to expect from Nintendo for the rest of the year.

This month also marks the first anniversary of the Switch 2 console, which is Nintendo's fastest-selling console of all time and has reached 19.86 million sales as of March 31, 2026.

The original Switch isn't doing too badly either and is Nintendo's best-selling console of all time with 155.92 million consoles sold.

If the debut trailer for NetEase's new AAA action title, Blood Message, didn't blow you away during Summer Game Fest, then the follow-up video may make a better impression. Developer 24 Entertainment Lin'an has shared an extended look at Blood Message's gameplay that reveals a greater cinematic flare for action that the initial footage failed to convey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSe_O_U5Gr0

The game takes place in Asia sometime in the ninth century during the Shazhou uprising. Players control Pei Changguan, a messenger who is sent on a mission to relay the news of the rebellion to Chang'an, the capital city of the Tang Empire.

For this level, Pei Changguan is joined by his brother, Arrati, as they discover atrocities committed by Tubo soldiers who are desperately looking for a letter with vital intel. Changguan and his brother are able to dispatch a handful of the hostile forces with stealth attacks and QTEs. But some of the fights become epic sword battles.

While a few of the enemies appear to hold back, it's refreshing that there are times when they attack players from multiple directions at once. The level appears to be heavily scripted, but the way the action unfolds should remind players of Uncharted and The Last of Us.

Pei Changguan's son, Ning, is also an important character in this game, although he's completely missing in this video. As shown at the end of the clip, Ning has made a choice that may greatly complicate his father's mission. The Tubo soldiers have seen Changguan and his brother, and they may be marked for death.

Blood Message will be released on PC and consoles, but it doesn't currently have a release date.

It's been a long time since Gears of War creator and original designer Cliff Bleszinski was guiding the franchise, but he eagerly watched the premiere of new footage of the latest game, Gears of War: E-Day, during the Xbox Games Showcase. And like a proud father, Bleszinski shared his enthusiastic response to what he saw.

"Loved the struggle with that one Locust, but it's weird how the other ones (not the 'naked' ones) went down so easy," wrote Bleszinski on X. "The tough one didn't seem to be drastically armored different to show that it's a badass. Great rescue and reveal, though."

Bleszinski also weighed in on the origin of the chainsaw lancer in E-Day.

"Thinking about 'em going with a straight up chainsaw pre-lancer," noted Bleszinski. "Gameplay wise-if they're going to go 'one hand chainsaw, one hand gun' mode and someone at some point saying 'why not put the saw on the f***in' gun already!?'"

The relative ease with which some of the Locusts were dispatched was something that Bleszinski took issue with, as he believes "Locust should have thick skin and armor and the game feedback loop should evolve to show that." But he seemed very pleased with other aspects of the game.

"Yes, there's that sweet destruction I was hoping for," said Bleszinski. "The longer glimpse of what the Coalition has been up to is exciting. Super low cover is a nice touch too ... Reavers and Seeders look GREAT. Love the legs on the Reavers and their wall climbing."

Following the presentation, Bleszinski summed up his thoughts.

"So yeah, E-day looks great, amazing feature set, great tech improvements-and, most importantly-looks like it has heart. On top of all sorts of insane violence and destruction."

Bleszinski announced his retirement from game development in 2018. However, he recently shared his ideas for a game he calls Hollow Point, which he described as “John Wick meets Carrie by way of Lovecraft Country.”

As for Gears of War: E-Day, it will be an Xbox console exclusive. It will be released on Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 6.