She’s finally here!
We are one week into December, and how many games have already been released? *Checks notes* All of them. All of the games have been released. Welcome, folks, to a busy edition of What Are You Playing.
Let’s try our best to recap the last seven days, shall we? Naturally, there was a lot of Metroid shenanigans to cover, with sweet new merch, glorious statues, updates, comparisons, credits and launch trailer goodness to dive into.
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Don’t get too excited, it’s been removed.
Pikmin 4 received a free update in November adding new content, but it wasn’t a Switch 2 upgrade and didn’t include any enhancements for the game on the new hybrid platform.
With this in mind, the same Switch title has now reportedly popped up in a section on the eShop, which focuses on first-party Nintendo “games with free updates” and also notes how select titles are enhanced when played on the Switch 2.
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Get them with your Platinum Points.
To celebrate the holiday season this year, Nintendo has released special Super Mario icons you can redeem right now with My Nintendo Platinum Points.
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A new Pixel Update has reportedly fixed a bug.
In case you missed it, you can connect regular webcams and even camera phones with the Switch 2 to access GameChat and other features.
One phone that was apparently having some issues functioning in USB webcam mode when connected to the Switch 2 was the Google Pixel. According to the website Android Authority, this bug has now been resolved. As of the ‘November 2025’ update for this phone, the webcam feature on Switch 2 is now working.
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Manual override.
Bar a few exceptions, the days of opening your boxed copy of a new game and eagerly flipping through the instruction booklet are behind us. But it looks like Nintendo isn’t ready to give up on the nostalgia just yet, as it has released a printable ‘databook’ for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, that just makes our hearts sing (thanks for the heads up, @ninpatentswatch).
The booklet is only available on the Japanese Nintendo website at the time of writing — with all of the text in Japanese, natch — but it scratches such a retro itch for us that we’re amazed the big N doesn’t do something similar for all its releases.
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Premium experience at an affordable price.
Cosmox Gaming offers up a lot of arcade controllers, including the modular Hautepad X at a more premium price and the remarkably affordable Hautepad C16.
Now, the company has launched the M-Ultra Gen2, an aluminium-built leverless that sits somewhere in-between the two. If the C-16 is primarily aimed at beginners and the X is for the more hardcore enthusiasts, then the M-Ultra Gen2 is, theoretically, for everybody. It’s quite possibly Cosmox’s best controller yet.
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Vroom for four, and 120fps mode to boot!
3Goo, which has previously published the likes of Gear.Club series and WRC Generations on Nintendo consoles, has announced a brand new multiplayer grand-prix racer.
4PGP: Four-Player Grand Prix, which releases on 5th February 2026, has a phenomenally straight-forward moniker, and we reckon that suits its aims as a no-nonsense 90s-style racer just fine, as the keyword here is “simplicity” in being able to pick up and play, with easy to grasp controls.
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“AI adoption can face strong resistance in creative areas”.
While rivals such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have jumped into the world of Generative AI development with both feet, not every company in the games industry is willing to throw caution to the wind.
During a Q&A session following its recent Q2 financial results, Sega‘s top brass addressed the use of AI when it comes to making games (thanks, VGC) and how it will help tackle the increasing costs of development.
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The Switch 2 Edition will follow in early 2026.
Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP players can look forward to a free update in “mid-December” which will see the release of the fan-designed “Cutie Zombie Hunter” costume for Juliet.
This costume won a special costume design contest and will be followed by additional winning designs from the same competition in future updates. You can see the other submissions on the game’s official campaign page. And here’s a look at the winning design:
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Now including Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
It’s not every day there’s a new Metroid release, and after an 18-year wait since the last major entry in the Prime series, the fourth adventure is finally here.
To mark this occasion, Metacritic has now rounded up every Metroid game in its database to share a look at each title’s metascore (based on the aggregate score of critic reviews). This includes not only the Prime games but also the spin-offs, Samus’ 2D outings, and the re-releases.
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