Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Visual Concepts
Release: September 5, 2025
Rating: Everyone

Each year, Visual Concepts delivers one of the most consistent in-action products in all of sports video games through its NBA 2K franchise. While the heavily refined gameplay is primarily to thank, the immersion delivered by the NBA 2K series is as good as any other sports series at immersing yourself in the on-the-court action and feeling the energy of the arena.

Today, Visual Concepts released a blog post detailing how the development team worked to create a more immersive basketball experience through NBA 2K26. New shaders bring out subtleties in players' skin, muscles, and jerseys, as well as each arena's lighting and floors; this is particularly noticeable in arenas that use pyrotechnics, as the haze takes a short period to dissipate, impacting how the lighting shines in the arena during the start of play. 

The arena atmosphere also enjoys an improvement this year, with a massive boost to crowd variety, with twice as many character models with a wider range of body types, heads, and age groups to better represent the NBA fan base. Those fans will also have more props like rally towels, foam fingers, and rubber chickens that appear during key moments and special games. Fans will also sometimes wear LED wristbands that aid in creating light shows in the crowd during pre-game introductions and big moments during games. 

Those big moments extend beyond the games, as the NBA Cup is now fully integrated, and all seven NBA regular-season trophies have ceremonies that occur at the winning player's first home game after winning the award. Banners to celebrate championships are shown being raised to the rafters to add to the overall pageantry of the in-game experience. 

NBA teams also have team-specific features within the flow of the game, with all 30 NBA arenas designed to contain all the small-detail features of the arenas they're emulating. That includes the PA announcers and the broadcast commentary. On top of more real in-arena PA announcers, the broadcast booth adds Tim Legler as a commentator, joining the existing Kevin Harlan, Greg Anthony, Stan Van Gundy, Shams Charania, and others. Additionally, more international correspondents have been added. Finally, as the clock ticks down, the commentary's urgency will more accurately reflect the game's stakes.

Visual Concepts' VP of NBA 2K development, Erick Boenisch, exclusively answered Game Informer's questions about these presentation improvements. You can see his responses below.

NBA 2K has long been arguably the best-looking sports game on the market. Why was capturing the in-the-arena atmosphere such an emphasis this time around, and how did the development team go about identifying the places that needed improvement?

Every year, our team does a full audit of all NBA arenas, because you'd be surprised how often things change, so we pay close attention to every little detail.

Here’s one example: The Lakers reshuffled their retired jerseys and championship banners at the very top of the arena, way up in the rafters. We all watched WNBA legend Candace Parker’s jersey retirement ceremony and noticed when they unveiled the jersey, the placement looked different compared to our game. I checked our build, confirmed the layout was outdated, and we immediately started pulling new references to update it for 2K26.

Even though most players will never pan the camera that high, we still made the fix. Why? Because we care about those establishing shots, those tiny moments of realism. That kind of obsessive attention to detail is what defines Visual Concepts and the NBA 2K series. We want fans to know that when they step into an arena in our game, they're experiencing the real thing, down to the banners in the rafters.

On that same note, the game already looked so good that when I saw new shaders for both players and floors, as well as new lighting, I wondered how much impact it could truly have. Is there a way to explain how much it will help without just putting a side-by-side image or video with 2K25?

Absolutely. While visuals have always been a strong point for the NBA 2K franchise, we made a major leap this year, especially with our court shaders. For example, last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s court at Paycom Center looked a bit washed out, if not on the dull side. This year, it has that lifelike look that makes you want to just reach out and touch it.

The floor shader alone makes a massive difference, especially since the court is a continual showpiece on the screen in every frame of gameplay. It’s definitely one of the most noticeable visual upgrades in 2K26. This is particularly evident when comparing 2K25 vs. 2K26.

We spent months fine-tuning every floor, because not every arena is the same. Some courts have a more flat finish, while others have a higher-gloss shine. We went through each arena with the new shader, established a visual baseline, and adjusted the shaders and lighting to reflect their real-life counterparts. It’s a level of detail that adds to the overall immersion in a way that’s hard to quantify – until you see it in motion.

But so many of these small details of almost like, "Okay, who would even notice this?" Can you talk about how all of these tiny visuals and atmospheric details add up to create something greater than the sum of its parts?

I always say every detail matters to someone. There's always that person. Maybe they're a shoe person; doesn’t even look at the player, just immediately checks if the laces are right or if the material on the midsole is accurate. Then there's a tattoo person, who asks, "Did you update LaMelo’s tattoo behind his left ear?"

There are hair people, too. A player will change their style yesterday, and someone’s already asking why it’s not reflected in-game today. Every detail matters to someone, and that’s part of the beauty of our cultural crossover with NBA 2K. The connection between the game and real life is so deep, it’s mind-blowing to me.

When you layer every one of those details together, that’s what makes NBA 2K26 feel like the most authentic sports game ever made.

Why were the crowds such a big emphasis this time around?

Crowds were a major focus for us in NBA 2K26. We have been so focused on pushing forward with groundbreaking tech, like ProPLAY, that some of the atmosphere elements didn’t evolve as much as I would have liked in recent years.

This year, we changed that. While we continued innovating on the gameplay side, including introducing the all-new Motion Engine derived from ProPLAY, we also made time to make noticeable improvements.

To start, we doubled the number of crowd models – more heads, more bodies – and introduced a broader variety of ages, ethnicities, body types, and outfits. You’ll even notice more lifestyle brand clothing now. We also doubled the crowd animation instances, meaning you’ll see less people standing up and sitting down at the same time. Again, just like courts, crowds take up a big portion of the frame, so to get them right and reacting to the on-court action in a believable fashion, it adds a fresh layer of authenticity and immersion to the incredible NBA 2K26 experience.

I personally love the small touches, like the trophy ceremonies or added contextual awareness from the commentary team. How does this additional layer of immersion serve the on-court product of the NBA 2K franchise?

It gives players something more to play for – something that makes the experience feel alive and earned. We’ve added a few new features to truly capture the pageantry of winning in the NBA. Starting with trophy ceremonies: If a player wins MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, or receives any of the regular season NBA awards, players will now see the award presented during the first game of the following season. A player will have to get through the offseason, free agency, the draft, and preseason before they finally reach that first game of the next season, making it feel like a real continuation of their journey. It’s a small moment, but incredibly satisfying and realistic that we have gone to that level of detail to celebrate the players.

Also new this year is the addition of dynamic banners, and as a franchise player myself, I couldn’t be more excited about this one. As you win titles, actual banners will be raised into the rafters to celebrate your championships. What's really cool is that they’ll continue to update throughout your MyNBA/MyCAREER as you win more titles and awards, a tangible reflection of your team’s legacy and place in NBA history.

What does the addition of Tim Legler do for the booth?

The NBA 2K development has always taken pride in its presentation and commentary, offering the best commentary in any sports game, hands down. We’ve built a deep roster of multiple commentary teams, complete with sideline reporting, color analysis, and play-by-play, which really makes our game feel unique.

This year, we added Tim Legler to the team. As a former NBA player, he knows the ins and outs of every situation, and his insight brings even more authenticity and depth to the presentation. When you add new talent like Tim to our best-in-class commentary, along with the real PA announcers for each arena, and TV-style overlays, you get that NBA 2K26 package that just can't be matched anywhere else.

Obviously, the late-game commentary will happen with closely contested games, but is the inverse true? Will the commentators be a bit more relaxed during a blowout? Or will they get into side conversations, or talk about what this means for either team against the broader backdrop of the season? 

One of the things I’m most proud of with our commentary is how we’re always aware of the situation on the court. Throughout the game, the commentary adjusts to the moment. In the first half, for example, you’ll see the commentators be a little more loosey-goosey. The announcers will have longer conversations – threads that play out between baskets.

You may see guests like Shams Charania drop in during the second or early third quarter to deliver league updates and add flavor. But when the fourth quarter hits and the game is close, the tone changes noticeably. The energy picks up, the commentary becomes laser-focused on the outcome. Instead of hearing about how the Mavericks did last year or speculating on Cooper Flagg’s future, you're getting high-intensity, game-specific analysis. It’s all about drama and potential turning points.

The commentators are always in sync with the game's tone, which makes for a more immersive and intelligent experience. That level of situational awareness is something we’ve really refined for 2K26, and I think it stands out as a very strong level-up in our presentation.

As someone who recently attended his first NBA Playoff game, the atmospheric difference between it and a low-stakes regular-season game is palpable. How is the team using all of these new additions to capture that magical feeling in the arena?

Going to a playoff game is an unmatched experience. People are much, much louder than in a regular-season game. Fans are wearing the custom Playoff shirts left on the seats. Some teams have incredible traditions. All of this is reflected in NBA 2K26.

Our commentators will look back on regular-season matchups – like noting if one team won two out of three against their opponent – which adds real narrative context. They’ll have a higher sense of volume for the entirety of the game in playoff games. There's even custom graphic packages and presentational overlays, including looks at the other side of the bracket, all of which contributes to that immersion.

It’s that level of presentation that makes playoff games feel truly different from regular-season games. If you're playing a conference finals or NBA Finals game and it feels like just another regular season matchup, then we've missed the mark, and that's something we take seriously. For Visual Concepts, that distinction is critical.

For more on the NBA 2K series, check out our review of last year's game, NBA 2K25, here. NBA 2K26 comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on September 5.

Last week's Partner Direct was a chance for Nintendo to reveal some of the upcoming lineup of third-party games coming to Switch and Switch 2, and this week, that trend continues. This Thursday, August 7, is the air date of a new Indie World Showcase showcasing games coming to Nintendo platforms from smaller developers. You'll be able to watch it with the link below:

The stream begins bright and early at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET and will run for 15 minutes. While we don't know exactly which games will be revealed during the stream, the description on the video says it will include "announcements and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch." Notable games we hope to hear more about include Hades 2, which should be leaving early access soon, and Hollow Knight: Silksong, a game so highly anticipated it's become a meme. It should be playable at Gamescom, however, so it's a little less unreasonable than usual to expect an appearance.

For everything announced at last week's Partner Direct, including Octopath Traveler 0 and Cronos: The New Dawn, check out our round-up. If you've seen some of the recent news and hope to get a Switch 1 of your own, bad news: it recently went up in price.

What games do you hope to see at the Indie World Showcase? Let us know in the comments!

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Dotemu
Developer: Tribute Games
Release: 2025
Rating: Everyone 10+

Growing up, my first pop-culture obsession – before Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong, or Pokémon – was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I obsessed over their animated adventures and live-action movies, and I lived through their Golden Age of video games back when Konami was at the top of its game. For that reason, I could not have possibly been more excited about 2022's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. That game, developed by Tribute Games and published by Dotemu, brought forward the spirit of those late-'80s/early-'90s TMNT side-scrollers and somehow exceeded even my wildest expectations. Now, that same development team is back with Marvel Cosmic Invasion, following a similar formula with arguably my most beloved IP in adulthood, so I was extremely excited to get my hands on a new build of the game this week.

The demo I played had nine characters to choose from: Captain America, Nova, Storm, Venom, Wolverine, Phyla-Vell, Spider-Man, Rocket Raccoon, and She-Hulk. Not in this build, but confirmed for the launch roster are Beta Ray Bill and Silver Surfer. At least four more playable heroes are expected to be confirmed prior to launch. Though we played much of this content at Summer Game Fest, this marks the first time we've gotten our hands on Rocket and She-Hulk.

In Marvel Cosmic Invasion, each of the up to four players chooses two Marvel heroes to control. Once in the game, players can tag between their characters, each of whom has distinct movement abilities and attacks. Outside of their individual basic and special attacks, this is perhaps most aptly demonstrated by what happens when you double-tap the jump button. Some characters, like Wolverine, have no double-jump, while others, like Storm or Spider-Man, levitate or swing, respectively. Each hero has a standard melee attack, a hero-specific attack, and a strong special that requires focus (accumulated by landing other attacks on enemies). 

The story follows this star-studded cast of superheroes as they take on Annihilus across the Marvel Universe. I had the chance to play through two Earth-based stages under attack from enemy forces. I took to the streets of New York as the one-two punch of Venom and Spider-Man. True to Tribute Games' pedigree, the background is littered with nods to the broader world, with Daily Bugle headlines about how Norman Osborn is missing, and, of course, an obligatory "Spider Menace" headline. I'd love to go frame by frame and pick apart references and easter eggs, but New York has bigger problems: Annihilus has sent his bug-like minions to attack the city. 

New York is fairly straightforward, but it gave me a great chance to get a feel for my characters. Spidey is agile, able to swing from one side of the screen to the other, while also being able to blast enemies with his webs from across the screen; you have to be judicious with those, however, as his web-shooters need to recharge. Venom is much more of a brute, with a special attack that deals heavy damage to anyone near him, and an incredible crawling animation when you sprint with him. The New York stage ends with a boss fight against Beetle, who succumbs to Annihilus' control. Outside of him summoning some of Annihilus' minions in the latter half of the battle, Beetle delivers a pretty simple fight; he moves around the screen, calls down a zig-zagging laser, and flies around, blasting projectiles your way. There were a couple of dicey moments, but nothing too stressful, as I beat him into submission and moved on to the next level.

To get a sense of the wider roster, I replay New York as Storm and Wolverine, and continue the fight into the next stage, which is a SHIELD Helicarrier. Though normally a bastion of safety for Marvel heroes, those things also have a tendency to fall under attack, which is precisely what is happening here. SHIELD has apparently imprisoned MODOK, leading AIM and Annihilus to coordinate an attack on their airborne base. These AIM minions are a bit tougher than Annihilus' forces, as they all have elemental-based weapons, like electricity and fire. Storm is highly versatile, with her melee attacks giving way to her mastery of the weather, with gusts of wind attacking enemies at range and a potent lightning storm serving as her strongest attack. What Wolverine lacks in flight and range, he makes up for in quickness. I loved bouncing around the screen, mounting enemies, and repeatedly digging his adamantium claws into them.

The Helicarrier takes you through a bit more diverse stage than what I saw in New York, complete with a traditional elevator sequence, where you must fight off incoming baddies until you reach the top, and an area where you can use mounted laser turrets to blast enemies as they drop in. The stage culminates with a fight against one of my favorite Marvel villains, Taskmaster. True to his origin, Taskmaster can defend against a lot of your strikes, but when he tries to toss his shield like Captain America, that's your chance to strike. After waiting out his loop and raining down lightning, the stage ends.

I wrapped up my session by playing the two newest characters in the demo: Rocket and She-Hulk. She-Hulk is, well, a hulking character, possessing extremely powerful moves, including smashing the ground and clearing much of the screen, but Rocket fills almost the exact opposite role. While She-Hulk plays a bit too slow and rigid for my taste, Rocket is hyper-mobile and very quick. Not only that, but he makes full use of his gadgets and weapons. For example, if you tap the standard attack button, he will pull out a zapper and attack at range. However, if he's up close, he will go into a melee combo. He can also toss grenades with his other attack, and if you attack while sprinting, he drops a trip mine to deal damage to nearby enemies. Finally, his special attack sees him pulling out a wide array of guns and dealing substantial damage to every nearby enemy. Playing as Rocket truly feels like his movie-stealing scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 distilled into a 2D brawler.

Knowing my love for Shredder's Revenge, as well as the Marvel universe and the characters therein, I came into my demo fairly confident I would enjoy my time. That is exactly how I came out of my demo, and now that my hands-on time is behind me, it's apparent that I will enjoy the final product. And with such a broad cast of characters, I'm almost as excited to see what other deep cuts, cameos, and fun nods to the comics, movies, and shows Marvel Cosmic Invasion will bring when it releases. Unfortunately, we don't yet know when it will arrive, except that it will be sometime this year. But when it does come, I will be ready to eagerly take on Annihilus' forces.

Sega has unveiled the first gameplay teaser for New Virtua Fighter Project, the working title for the sixth game in the revered franchise. Although the video is light on flair, it shows off the fluidity and technicality that fans expect.

The no-frills teaser, which premiered during EVO 2025, shows off a one-on-one training bout between two characters. We still know next to nothing about the game, but the demonstration concludes with a message saying to expect more details during Tokyo Game Show in September.

New Virtua Fighter Project was first revealed last December during The Game Awards, and does not have a release window or announced platforms. 

Reviewed on: Switch 2
Platform:
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: July 24, 2025

Super Mario Party Jamboree released for Switch late last year to a generally positive reception, and for good reason. The unavoidable frustrations of the typical Mario Party game still exist in Jamboree (it can feel slow and unfair and isn’t particularly fun to play alone), but lots of smart decisions set it apart from the Parties that preceded it. All those good things still exist in the Switch 2 edition of the game, but the additions, though novel, are mostly underwhelming and don’t automatically justify the cost of potentially upgrading the version you already own, or outright buying it for Switch 2.

Mario Party Jamboree, which is included in full in this package (or you can pay to add the Jamboree TV content if you own it on Switch), is a good Mario Party game. It has fun boards, the most playable characters, and good options, like choosing to remove motion-control games or scale back the randomization. The added "Jamboree Buddies" mechanic is also a simple and fun way to inject more personality into each match as everyone competes to team up with staple Mario characters for added bonuses. The minigames more or less line up with previous Mario Party games, with many that are fun and replayable, and others you never think about again after they conclude.

The big addition for the awkwardly titled Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is the last bit. Jamboree TV enriches the Switch 1 version by adding new modes, taking advantage of the mouse controls, and the camera, if you have one to plug in (most USB-C cameras will work). The camera options are fun, and it’s goofy in a complementary way to see your face next to your player character as you play the games. It recalls the Mario Kart arcade game and a Wii U multiplayer favorite of mine, Mario Chase.

Pictured: A screenshot you can't actually take in-game

Seeing everyone’s reactions on-screen in real time is joyful, but unforgivably, you cannot take screenshots or videos while the camera is plugged in and being used. If you can’t take a screenshot of the moment your friend expresses anguish over their arbitrary loss of a star, then why did we even have the camera plugged in? The camera also does not track your face, which means if you want to appear on camera while playing, then you better be ready to sit in one place without shifting too much, which isn’t quite the kind of body movement I associate with the word “party.”

The primary camera games are found in the Bowser Live venue, and its presentation is silly in a way I liked. Bowser basically functions like a wrestling venue MC trying to build up the crowd, and the camera superimposes you in the throng of familiar Mario bad guys. It made me laugh, and I would have loved to include a screenshot of it here in this review. The games themselves are simple and do a good job of making you look dumb on your TV, which is what I wanted from them.

 

The added microphone games are few, but similarly silly. Shouting “Go!” at the TV to make a little racecar move forward is the exact kind of absurdity that leads to a good time. The mouse games are much more plentiful and are functional without being overly creative or unique. I enjoyed them not necessarily because I wanted to replay them, but because I had never played Mario Party games like them before. Thankfully, if you want to eschew the previously included motion games and newly added mouse and microphone games, it’s a very easy setting to activate.

The complete original Switch 1 Jamboree game exists in the package as an option to bypass the new content if you want, but all the fun boards (like Roll ‘em Raceway, which I enjoy) are also available in Jamboree TV. All the good new options are available, as well, like removing bonus stars and speeding up the NPCs if you’re playing alone. It all leads to what is a solid, and arguably the best, entry in the franchise. The new content is fun to play with (and I recommend keeping the mouse games in the mix), but I wouldn’t consider any of it destination content. Mostly, I am just happy that there is a good Mario Party available in the Switch 2’s launch window. It’s not a game I see myself booting up on my own, but as a means to get a party going with players of all skill levels, I am glad I have it on the metaphorical shelf.

Score: 7

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