Fans of the Mario & Luigi series are in for a treat with the upcoming Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga + Bowser’s Minions, slated for an October release on the Nintendo 3DS. Super Star Saga takes the brothers on a journey through the Bean Bean Kingdom on a unique, RPG-flavored adventure.

Players can expect references to previous Mario games and re-appearances from such enemies as the Koopalings, Professor E. Gadd and even the viruses from Dr. Mario. The game features two modes, of which the original adventure is the first.

Per Nintendo, the second mode, Bowser’s Minions, allows players to take on the role of the enemies going on a search for Bowser. The title is an enhanced remake of a 2003 Nintendo Game Boy Advance title of the same name. For those interested in playing the original, it is available in the Wii U virtual console. The game is amiibo-compatible.

During E3, Nintendo stated their plans to continue support for the 3DS through 2018, but there may not be much of an actual 3-D component included with upcoming games.

3-D or not 3-D?

Recently, it seems as if the company is moving away from heavy utilization of the 3-D feature on its flagship portable system. I’ve played quite a few recent 3DS titles extensively and rarely use the feature. When I have, I’ve noticed a decrease in its use and quality over the system’s life.

T his may be supported somewhat by the release of the New 2DS XL, which appears to be a 3DS XL without 3D capability, coming out on July 28 in the U.S. According to technology blog Tech Radar, the New 2DS is remarkably similar to the New 3DS XL in operation and use, but has a much lower screen resolution than the Nintendo Switch. Tech Radar also said screen size is slightly smaller on the New 2DS, but not in any significant way.

Metroid: Samus Returns was announced last week as a 2.5-D update to the original Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus. As a massive fan of the series, I am looking forward to this release. I’ve always found the original Game Boy version to be a bit off and difficult to roam around in. Since I missed the ill-fated AMR2 project, I am excited to see what Nintendo has to offer with Metroid. Perhaps if this one takes off, fans of the series may see a long overdue follow-up to 2004’s Metroid Fusion.

For more information about Metroid or the remake, the Metroid Database is an excellent resource.