South of Midnight is a remarkable celebration of the myths, sounds, culture, and language of the American Deep South, using the framework of a 3D action-platformer to spin a yarn about contending with pain and the strength necessary to rise above it. Developed by Compulsion Games--the team behind Contrast and We Happy Few--South of Midnight builds on the Canadian studio's strengths: intriguing narrative concepts, perturbing atmosphere, and memorable characters. Much like Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight's gameplay pales in comparison to its narrative elements, but Compulsion Games' latest effort is its strongest game by far, delving into a setting and lore rarely seen in major video games to tell an incredible story.

In South of Midnight, you play as Hazel, a teenage track star who lives in Prospero, a town in the American Deep South. After a hurricane sweeps her home away with her mother inside, Hazel vows to track down and save her. However, she soon discovers that the storm has not only transformed the rural town and surrounding swampland into a dangerous jungle gym but also knocked loose a lot of lingering dark magic, making this journey all the more perilous. Hazel quickly learns that she is a weaver, a person born with the innate ability to see the underlying strands that tie the world together and can also knot into terrifying monstrosities in places where powerful negative emotions like grief, rage, and fear gather. Armed with surprisingly sharp textile-spinning tools, Hazel's search for her mom sees her stumble across numerous legendary spirits inspired by real-world myths, which she can help by uncovering the trauma that created them and doing her best to capture those feelings in magical bottles so that they can be taken away. To whom or where? That's just another mystery to solve.

Huggin' Molly's theme is my favorite song in the entire game.

It's a strong story that dips into Southern Gothic themes and cultivates a sense of dread that you cannot fully dismiss, for each of its tales exists in that unnerving middle ground of clearly being fantastical whilst pulling from real-world terrors like bigotry and child abuse. And when confronted with absurd displays of evil cruelty or agonizing tragedy in these stories, you can't easily discern where exactly reality ends and the myth begins--the pain in these gothic tales cling to you, much as they do to Hazel, and keep South of Midnight emotionally compelling all the way through.

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One of the big reveals from the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct this week was the announcement of a camera for the console's new GameChat feature that's accessible by pressing the C button. Nintendo has now further discussed GameChat in a three-part interview series, in which the company called GameChat a "defining" feature of the console and outlined the steps being taken to ensure safety when using the camera, especially for children.

Switch 2 design director Sumikazu Ono said Nintendo thought "a lot" about how to ensure GameChat is "safe and secure." Players will not be able to use GameChat with everyone on their friend list by default.

"We assume some players will have somebody on their friend list who they've only played online with once, and yet somehow, they ended up accepting their friend request. Given that possibility, players might feel uncomfortable if suddenly everyone on their friend list can invite them to a video chat," Ono said. "With that in mind, during the initial setup, you can choose the friends you want to be able to chat with from your friend list before you start using GameChat."

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While Nintendo Switch 2 might be the biggest product release in June, that's not all we have to look forward to from Nintendo in the coming months. Nintendo has also revealed a slew of new Amiibo releasing alongside the console, including five for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and three for Street Fighter 6. They're not yet available for preorder, but you can sign up to be notified when preorders officially open. Like most Amiibo, we're expecting these to be quite popular. Want to add them to your collection on June 5? Be sure to sign up for notifications so you don't miss out. Here's a closer look at all the upcoming Amiibo--though note that Mineru's Construct, the eighth Amiibo, is not yet listed at retailers and is expected later.

See all Amiibo at Walmart Zelda and Street Fighter Amiibo

• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Tulin -- $20
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Yunobo -- $20
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Sidon -- $20
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Riju -- $20
• Street Fighter 6: Jamie -- $30
• Street Fighter 6: Luke -- $30
• Street Fighter 6: Kimberly -- $30

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Tulin $20 | Releases June 5

This Amiibo depicts the young Rito, Tulin, with the powerful Great Eagle Bow. Aside from serving as a fun companion for your desk or game room, the Amiibo is compatible with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for cool in-game goodies, including exclusive fabric for the paraglider in Tears of the Kingdom.

See at Walmart See at Target Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Yunobo $20 | Releases June 5

Bring the Sage of Fire into your home with this sizable Amiibo. The President of YunoboCo is compatible with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, offering in-game extras and a special fabric for Link's glider in the latter.

See at Walmart See at Target Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Sidon $20 | Releases June 5

Sidon is the Sage of Water, and this Amiibo shows him wielding the Lightscale Trident that was passed down from Mipha. He's also adorned with a bunch of flashy jewelry you'd expect as the son of royalty. Like the other Amiibo, this one is compatible with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

See at Walmart See at Target Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Riju $20 | Releases June 5

This Amiibo depicts the Sage of Lightning entering battle with her two trusty scimitars and breezy Gerudo garb. Once again, you'll get some functionality with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, unlocking in-game like special paraglider fabric.

See at Walmart See at Target Street Fighter 6: Jamie $30 | Releases June 5

The defender of Chinatown strikes a pose with this flashy Amiibo, complete with a translucent blue background for added effect. The Amiibo can be scanned on Switch 2 to save your character outfits, control style, and button settings for the character, and you'll unlock mystery bonuses for the upcoming Switch 2 version of Street Fighter 6.

See at Walmart See at Target Street Fighter 6: Luke $30 | Releases June 5

Luke is throwing a vicious uppercut in this Amiibo, which only looks more violent thanks to the dramatic orange effect flowing behind his fist. Like the Jamie Amiibo, this one gets you lots of functionality with Street Fighter 6 on Switch 2.

See at Walmart See at Target Street Fighter 6: Kimberly $30 | Releases June 5

The aspiring ninja Kimberly comes to life with this Amiibo, as she's shown bounding across the landscape--a trail of pink dust in her wake. Add the Amiibo to your collection to gain exclusive in-game content for Street Fighter 6 or save your settings to the Amiibo for quick transfer.

See at Walmart See at Target

The final Amiibo is for Mineru's Construct. There's no confirmed release date beyond "coming soon," and a price is yet to be determined. It's looking like it'll be quite large, however, and it wouldn't be surprisingly if it costs more than the $20 price tag of the other Tears of the Kingdom products.

Mineru's Construct

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After a quick look during the first Mario Kart World sizzle reel and leaked merchandise, we finally got a full look at Donkey Kong's new design for the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza. The brow was scaled back, giving him a kinder, rounder look closer to his design in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It's not the first time Donkey Kong has been given a facelift. Originally looking like King Kong, he was completely overhauled with Rare's Donkey Kong Country franchise, and was designed by artist Kevin Bayliss.

As with any redesign, no matter how mild or extreme, some fans have welcomed the new look while others aren't going bananas for it. Bayliss took to social media to say not only did he like the design, but that fans should embrace the change.

"I don't understand why there's any debate to be had," Bayliss posted. "It's still DK, only better looking. People need to embrace change more! All good things get better with age (I would say that though, since I've been doing this for almost 40 years now). Everyone, give a big warm welcome for the new DK!"

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If you've seen the trailers for A Minecraft Movie, you might be wondering exactly what filming was like. After all, the massive cubic world looks too good to be true live-action. However, for the most part, that's exactly what it is.

Speaking to GameSpot, director Jared Hess revealed that they actually built the massive sets that make up the Overworld. That made it so the actors weren't just acting against green screens.

"We built life-size Minecraft forests," he said. "The Minecraft village was all built, practically. These were ginormous sets." While some digital set extensions were used to build out the backgrounds, the majority of the world the cast worked in was fully visualized.

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One of the big surprises following this week's Switch 2 deep dive was the price tag for Mario Kart World, as the game has a "suggested" retail price of $80 ahead of its June 5 release. This is a major increase--especially at a time when consumers are still debating the value of high-profile games increasing from $60 to $70--and according to analysts, this could become the new standard for the industry.

In a breakdown of the Switch 2 and its pricing, analysts at Niko Partners discussed the impact of Mario Kart World and its price. "While there has been some sticker shock regarding the price of games increasing from $60 to $70 or $80, these price-points are set to become industry standard over the next two years, especially so for Nintendo first-party games," Niko Partners explained. "One reason for the higher price is the increased cost of the new and faster Game Cards themselves, with higher capacities being more expensive to manufacture than a PS5 Blu-ray disc."

It is worth noting that certain Switch 2 Game Cards will only contain keys on the cart that can be used to authenticate a purchase and then download a game directly to the console. Whether these games will cost $60 or $70 remains to be seen, but another Switch 2 game, Donkey Kong Bananza, does have an MSRP of $70. The other concern here is that Nintendo will likely set a new precedent for game prices with Mario Kart World, allowing other publishers to follow suit and also charge $80 for new games.

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In the span of two years, Jack Black has starred in three video game movies: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Borderlands, and now A Minecraft Movie. Ahead of the premiere of his latest video game film, Black revealed that he's been an avid player of Balatro on mobile. But he's having a few problems with the game and could probably use some tips.

Like many of us, Black had trouble pronouncing the name Balatro while speaking with Xbox UK. He also noted that he uses his iPhone to play the game, but he's only unlocked the first deck while trying to obtain the blue deck. Black went on to express some frustration about the way the game deals with chance.

"It just makes me mad that so much of it seems to be luck," said Black. "No matter how good you are at it, you've got to get those... certain unlockable cards." Then Black looked at the camera and added, "Maybe you can give me some tips."

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Metroid fans have been waiting a long time for Metroid Prime 4. The game was announced at E3 2017 before being delayed and rebooted and delayed again, but even at the time of that reveal, it had been a decade since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption released. At one time it seemed like a game doomed by its own sky-high expectations. With the Switch 2 on the horizon, Beyond is finally real, and playable, and great. It's too early to say if it can rise above almost two decades of anticipation, but having now played it, I don't think it will be a victim of them.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is now part of the cross-generational push, representing both a swan song for the original Switch and a launch-window game for Switch 2. I only played the Switch 2 version, so I can't speak to differences in performance between the platforms--but it already appears to make for a very nice Switch 2 showpiece.

To start, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond looks gorgeous, managing to be reverent of the Prime art style while also updating and modernizing it to a new platform. Yes, Samus' face reflects in her visor when you fire a shot close to a wall, but this time she squints slightly in the direction of the light. Retro Studios is clearly exercising great care for stewarding this franchise, even down to the little touches.

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Mario Kart World is, above all, a damn hoot. The headliner for the new Switch 2 is clearly following in the footsteps (or tire tracks) of the Switch's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has been remarkably successful despite being a port of a Wii U game first released in 2014. It would have been easy for Nintendo to rest on its laurels and give us another game similar to MK8, but World feels like a real evolution of the franchise. It borrows and expands upon what worked, while rethinking other aspects entirely.

As many noted following the Switch 2 debut trailer, races now support up to 24 racers simultaneously. Such a high player count necessitates a massively expanded roster, but Nintendo zigged on us with tons of new and unexpected inclusions like Nabbit and the extremely entertaining Cow. Yes, it is 100% just the pleasantly plump cow from Moo Moo Meadows, and she is named Cow. I would die for her. We didn't see the full roster during this demo session, but the character-select screen contained tons of variety regardless.

That's partly due to another new wrinkle: character costumes. Each character has a variety of looks they can don, from their classic styles to traditional racing gear to more personalized and inventive ensembles. I raced as Toad wearing a burger hat, a Shy Guy wearing ski gear (complete with a beanie), and Toadette with a makeover that made her little pigtails look like glistening ice cream. Bowser had an old-school biker look. Luigi could dress up like a straw-hat farmer. The list goes on and on, and I felt delighted seeing how the costumes accented the personalities of these lovable cartoon characters that I've gotten to know over the years. The character costumes were displayed as full options in the character-select menu--regular Mario and racing-suit Mario are two separate options, for example--so I assume there will be some way to mark your favorites.

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Donkey Kong is one versatile monkey. He's gone from one of the most infamous video game villains to a hero of his own platformer series, a rhythm game star, and more. His one attempt at a 3D platformer, Donkey Kong 64, was a bit of a low point in his storied career, but you can't keep a good ape down, and now he's back with another swing at the genre. After some hands-on time with the new Switch 2 game, I think Donkey Kong Bananza may just be his 3D platformer redemption.

Donkey Kong Bananza carries some noticeable DNA from another Nintendo game, but its central hook is all its own. The general feel and flow of movement around the world feels very similar to Super Mario Odyssey, but whereas Mario is a fleet-footed little plumber, Donkey Kong is known for being a brutish bruiser. He hits hard, and in this case, that means a playground of destructible environments to smack your way through.

Almost everything is destructible in Bananza, which at first can feel a little disorienting. DK's powerful punches can clear out a huge swath of cave wall or ground, so it's easy to just charge in a direction while quickly burrowing through obstacles. After a while you start to learn some finesse, especially when it comes to the controls. The directions of the face buttons generally correspond to which direction you smack--B for a downward, digging-like slam; Y for a forward punch; and X for an upward strike. You can start pummeling with intention, clearing away caves in the direction you mean to.

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The Switch 2 is not surprising, but it isn't trying to be. Nintendo is known for taking daring risks from one console generation to the next, but the Switch 2 seeks to deliver a surefire upgrade to its wildly popular hybrid console that doesn't particularly rock the boat. Even the straightforwardly numerical name reassures that it is exactly what you expect: another Switch, but better. After spending hours of hands-on time with Nintendo's next hardware release, I've come away convinced that "better but not revolutionary" was the right move.

The original Switch has a toyetic elegance to it that its handheld competitors like the Steam Deck don't match. A more powerful Switch may not be ambitious, but it is appealing for all the reasons I fell in love with Switch in the first place. And it's not as if Nintendo hasn't tried going gonzo-weird after a massive hardware hit before. The Switch 2 will surely avoid becoming another Wii U.

The Switch 2 feels sturdier than its predecessor, and the sleek matte black seems to aim for a more high-end look. The screen is noticeably larger, so even though I'm accustomed to my OLED screen, the larger LCD feels like a decent trade-off. The difference in quality is barely noticeable to my eyes so the larger screen feels worth it to me. The color accents are more subtle, and the biggest splash of color comes from when the new Joy-Con 2 controllers are disconnected. They're magnetic now, which is a neat upgrade that retains the detachable functionality of the original Switch. The magnets are so strong that it's difficult (but not impossible) to detach them without pressing the release button, so when holding it they feel locked in place tighter, without the slight give that would sometimes afflict older Joy-Cons on the original Switch. And the magnets attach with a satisfying physical click.

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When the Switch 2 launches in June, longtime users could see two major improvements to the Nintendo eShop. Nintendo is aiming to address complaints of its digital storefront, which has long been criticized for being slow to navigate through and for being populated with cheap shovelware titles that often use underhanded methods to stand out. In a developer roundtable, Nintendo confirmed that the eShop will benefit from performance upgrades and that a new feature on the store will make finding games easier for users.

Takuhiro Dohta, Nintendo's senior director for entertainment planning and development, explained in a Nintendo post how the Switch 2 hardware will make exploring the eShop faster and smoother. "Thanks to the system's performance capabilities, Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 has been improved and runs smoothly even when displaying a large number of games. We believe the act of finding the game you want to play is itself part of the game system experience," Dohta said.

For discoverability, producer for entertainment planning and development Kouichi Kawamoto briefly spoke about the "Game Finds for You" feature that allows users to see screenshots and videos for games. "With this feature, I think players will be able to easily find something interesting without having to search every nook and cranny of Nintendo eShop," Kawamoto said.

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Microsoft is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week on April 4, and Xbox is joining in by offering some free digital downloads including a new dynamic background and profile themes.

The 50th Anniversary Dynamic Background can be downloaded onto your Xbox and contains a giant colorful "50" in the center. It includes many of Xbox's famous mascots such as Master Chief from Halo and Marcus Fenix from Gears of War. Since Microsoft has acquired so many studios and IP over the past few years, the background also has Ghost from Call of Duty, Doom Slayer from the Doom reboot, and Vault Boy from Fallout.

Gallery Xbox celebrates Microsoft's 50th anniversary

Tapping into nostalgia even further, there are also three new profile pictures containing the old Windows cursor, Clippy the Microsoft Office assistant, and a floppy disk. Xbox Insider Program members can also download a 50th Anniversary badge to their Xbox profile.

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A Session with Dr. Liebnitz is a single-player exploration game taking place in the mind of the playable character. You play as The Character. You will be wandering through the Character's mind, trying to cure it from fear, depression, anger and many more deep, troubling conditions. This is only possible due to the extravagant techniques of one Dr. Liebnitz, who will be with you every step of the way. Discover the dark, hidden secrets of the character's mind and free them from their pain. And who knows, perhaps you shall discover some of your own secrets in this poor Character's mind...

From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and - if she's lucky - find her way to a place that feels like home.