Tech

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is an excellent re-release of a modern classic – MobileSyrup

Published

4 years ago

February 10, 2021

It’s hard to believe that Super Mario 3D World first released on the Wii U over seven years ago.

When I reviewed the game in 2013, I described it as a reimagining of the Mario series’ classic 2D side-scrolling formula.

Fast-forward to 2021 and that statement still holds true.

It’s easy to be hard on Nintendo for shovelling out several relatively uninspired Wii U remasters for the Switch over the last few years, including, most recently, Pikmin 3 Deluxe (I still really like that game, though). On the other hand, these are mostly classic titles that didn’t get the attention they deserved given the ill-fated Wii U’s dismal sales numbers, so why not give them another chance at life?

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Do I wish Nintendo would not charge full price for these re-releases and instead create a cheaper ‘Wii U Classics’ line? Definitely. That said, when it comes to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, there’s a lot of new content present that helps justify the title’s $79 price tag.

Bowser’s Fury really has surprised me. When this re-release was first announced, I assumed that the add-on was little more than extra Super Mario 3D World stages.

Instead, Bowser’s Fury is an entirely separate experience that in some ways has more in common with Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine than 3D World. In fact, you don’t even have to play Super Mario 3D World to launch Bowser’s Fury; both games are accessible directly from the main menu.

While Bowser’s Fury still plays like Super Mario 3D World, it features a welcome balance between the more open-ended 3D platforming from other three-dimensional Mario games and the carefully crafted, bite-sized stages featured in 3D World. The game’s world is constructed of cat-themed islands, with the player’s goal being to collect several ‘Cat Shines.’

As with most 3D Mario titles, some Shines are easier to get than others, and you don’t need to uncover every single one to complete the game. You spend a lot of time switching between different abilities on the fly since some are more useful in certain situations. For example, the Super Bell that turns Mario into a cat is great for climbing walls, while the Super Leaf can help make precise jumping a little more forgiving since it lets the plumber flutter through the air for a brief period.

Nearly everything in Bowser’s Fury relates to cats somehow, which can be both hilarious and a little offputting. Mario spends much of his time in 3D World‘s signature catsuit, and even enemies, bushes, and birds wear cat ears. The game is definitely one of the more out-there Mario titles Nintendo has released in the last few years — welcome to cat world.

Every so often, a massive version of Bowser shows up to wreak havoc. Once you’ve unlocked the game’s several Lighthouses, Mario can also grow to epic proportions for a one-on-one boss battle that plays out similar to how it would in nearly every other Mario game. The interesting twist here is that the battle’s stage is a pint-sized version of Bowser’s Fury‘s various islands. Further, certain more difficult to get cat shines are only accessible when Bowser shows up to trash the place.

The entire experience clocks in at somewhere between three and four hours, with that playtime increasing to roughly six to eight hours if you aim to uncover all of the Cat Shines. There’s also a co-op mode where the other player takes control of Bowser Jr., though I didn’t find it very compelling. When playing as Bowser Jr., you don’t have much agency over what’s going and mostly just float along, trailing whoever is playing as Mario.

While not exactly a long experience, I’ve had a lot of fun with Bowser’s Fury over the last few weeks and count its inventive level design as some of the best I’ve encountered in a Mario title since Super Mario 64.

Then, of course, there’s Super Mario 3D World. If you’ve played the original game on the Wii U, you’ll know what to expect here, and if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat.

Unlike most recent Mario titles, 3D World is a classic, course-based Mario game where players work their way to the end of the level, all while taking out enemies and collecting Coins and Stamps/Stars. Players can select between Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Peach, and much like Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), each character has their own strengths.

For example, Mario is great when you need precise movement, especially jumping, while Princess Peach can briefly glide through the air, making some levels far more forgiving. I really like that this mechanic is a throwback to Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES and it helps add variety to the well-known Mario platforming formula, especially when playing multiplayer.

The game’s level design is some of the best ever to be featured in a Mario title. Stages range from straightforward, with shifting platforms and an abundance of warp pipes, to challenging later levels that require intense 3D platforming precision. Like other 2D Mario games, some stages are very easy, and the game really doesn’t kick up its difficulty level until the final few worlds. This difficulty spike remains just as jarring as it did in the original game on the Wii U.

That said, if you’re looking for more of a challenge throughout the entire experience, you can always aim to hunt down each stage’s Star and Stamp. This makes the 3D World exponentially harder and can sometimes be downright frustrating.

Super Mario 3D World once again features a spectacular four-player co-op mode that in this re-release is, thankfully, now playable online. Co-op is wonderfully chaotic but can also be needlessly grating at times since using a power-up or getting hit by enemies still results in what I’d call a brief stutter, which breaks up the flow of gameplay.

This is featured in nearly every Mario game ever released and normally doesn’t matter, but when you are playing with two to three other people, that momentary halt in movement can quickly lead to disaster.

Regarding its visuals, Super Mario 3D World looks spectacular running on the Switch. In fact, I’d say that the game is nearly as graphically impressive as the far more recently released Super Mario Odyssey despite dropping over seven years ago. This is yet another example of how timeless Nintendo’s simplistic-but-still-modern approach to visuals remains.

As far as notable Wii U titles that really didn’t get the attention they deserved when they were first released, Super Mario 3D World falls at the top of that list. It’s great to see one of Nintendo’s best Mario titles finally making its way to the Japanese gaming giant’s far more successful Switch where it will undoubtedly find a much wider audience.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury releases on February 12, 2021, for the Nintendo Switch.

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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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