Shack Chat: What new game release are you playing this weekend?

It’s a massive weekend for video games in what has been a brilliant year for them. We have an absolute buffet of great gaming to explore between the likes of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and so much more. With one of the biggest weekends of the year ahead of us, the Shacknews team took a look at the slate and shared their gaming plans for this weekend. What will we be playing? Have a look below!

Question: What new game release are you playing this weekend?

Super Mario Bros. Wonder (with a caveat) - Ozzie Mejia, Seniorly Indecisive

I should be going with the cop out answer and saying I'm picking up both Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Technically, I am, because I have the Digital Deluxe Edition for Spidey waiting for me on my PS5.

However, I'm about to head out on assignment for Shacknews to the streaming wonderland that is TwitchCon in Las Vegas. For that, I'm going to need something a lot more portable and travel-friendly. That's why I'm packing up my Nintendo Switch and picking up Super Mario Bros. Wonder while I'm out there. I'm too old to be attending streamer parties, so I'm probably going to be spending my Friday and Saturday night curled up in the hotel room enjoying Wonder.

Of course, make sure to keep in mind that I don't need to pick up Sonic Superstars since I already reviewed that right here at Shacknews.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder - TJ Denzer, Hasn’t beaten Briefcase Level 5, will someday

Look, I’m an absolute sucker for fun platformers and difficult challenges, so let me tell you I was grinning ear to ear as I read our review of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. I love the idea that Badges will allow us to min-max our runs on any given board. It’s going to be a blast to figure out which ones work best and apply them effectively, and to see the speedrunning community do the same. Asif has also told me there are some 5-star challenge levels that are just nasty and my interest is entirely piqued by what I’ll find in them.

Challenge aside, Wonder just looks chockfull of charm. I’m really happy to see a new Mario title truly innovating and encapsulating the best of what the genre has to offer, even more than 35 years later. Also, I’m really interested to see what kind of goofy antics my main man Bowser is up to this time around. You better believe I’m gonna play Wonder front to back and explore every nook and cranny I can at any opportunity I can. Spider-Man 2 looks exciting as hell, and I’ll get there, but this new Mario game demands my full attention.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Asif Khan, Shacknews CEO/EIC/EIEIO

I had the pleasure of reviewing Super Mario Bros. Wonder for Shacknews, so I will be taking pictures of Spider-Man this weekend. What an amazing year for video games!

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Bill Lavoy, City Planner

It’s Spider-Man 2 for me. Mostly because I’m looking for a PS5 game that I can chill on the couch and play, and this should fit for me this weekend. I’m not the biggest Spider-Man fan in terms of video games, but everything I’m hearing says this is delightful. That said, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, by all accounts, just as incredible, so this really comes down to me looking for a PS5 game for the couch this weekend.

¿Por qué no los dos? - Sam Chandler, Old El Paso Connoisseur

Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, all in one week? It must be a good week to be a gamer. This weekend I might dabble in a little bit of everything. While I know there are more than two options, I can’t help but feel I need to say, “¿Por qué no los dos?” Which one I ultimately play the most remains to be seen, but it feels good to head into a weekend with such stellar options on my plate.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 - Dennis White Jr., Comic Book Couch Session Incoming

There’s some heavy competition for my attention this weekend but I think Spidey 2 is going to get the most playtime for sure. I’ve got a new Sony BRAVIA TV since the last Spider-Man game dropped and this is one game I really look forward to playing in my actual living room with my surround sound booming as I swing through New York. The scale of the game and amount of villains making an appearance in this one also get me pretty excited. I’m definitely locked in for some web-slinging!

Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Donovan Erskine, Flower Kingdom’s Finest

I was lucky enough to review Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for Shacknews, which cleared the way for me to go all-in on Super Mario Bros. Wonder this weekend. I loved the OG 2D Mario platformers, but missed out on just about everything from the DS, Wii, and WiiU eras. It’ll be a bit of a reintroduction to the 2D games for me and I’m looking forward to it!

Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Steve Tyminski, Stevetendo show host, Wonder!

What new game release am I playing this week? I will be playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder as it looks like a really fun Mario game. When I saw the game announced during a Nintendo Direct, I was intrigued and then got excited from hearing things from people. That being said, if it surprises anyone that the host of the Stevetendo show will be playing a new Nintendo game, then you haven’t been paying attention. I also plan to play it on the Stevetendo show too so stay tuned for that. New powers and mechanics add to the craziness of Super Mario to begin with. Throw in all that Wonder and you have me wanting to play it ever more.

And there you have it. Those are our answers, but what are you playing this weekend? Let us know in the Chatty comment section below!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.