RIP Ozzy Osbourne, Music Legend and Master of the Macabre
While many obituaries will go out today highlighting Osbourne's many contributions to music, it's also worth remembering his contributions to culture even offstage. His status as a metal superstar meant his influence filtered into adjacent media—including video games: he appeared in a World of Warcraft commercial and had songs included in Guitar Hero.
He also became something of a counterculture hero, especially during the 'Satanic Panic' era of the 1980s and beyond, when the powers that be seized upon supposed hidden meanings in his songs—and fans found their own sources of strength in music that encouraged listeners to expand their minds beyond the status quo.
Films and TV shows looking to create characters with similarly edgy outlooks often tapped into Black Sabbath songs and artwork as shorthand for conveying that—or just used the tunes as they made sense thematically. What would Marvel's Iron Man be without that 'Iron Man' needle drop, to name one example?
Osbourne was known to be having serious health problems, which were evident onstage at the 'Back to the Beginning' farewell concert earlier in July—but given the colorful way he'd lived his life (his Behind the Music episode offers a vivid primer), we were lucky to have him as long as we did. Horns up to a legend whose voice will live on forever.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
They solved a horrific crime in their community. Don't mind the colorful fur suit.
The director of "The Furry Detectives" sheds light on the heroic whistleblowers in a fandom full of outsiders. Americans love true crime shows. More than half of U.S. adults say they are hooked on the genre, according to a June 2024 YouGov poll. (I should know, I'm one of those fans.) But The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster was the first true crime docuseries I've seen to feature its subjects dressed in colorful anthropomorphic fur suits peeling back the layers on a horrific crime. It follows furries, or members of a community of fans who dress as animals with human characteristics, as they investigate a cache of information called the 'Furry Zoosadist Leaks.' The investigation began in 2018 and revealed a sinister criminal conspiracy of animal abuse within the animal-loving furry community. The docuseries explores how furries themselves led a citizen investigation that led to real-life arrests. To see Patch O'Furr, a longtime furry journalist for Dogpatch Press, speaking on camera with measured calm on his face in plain clothes as he recounts the horrors of the case, is a fascinating juxtaposition with other shots of him throughout the series in which he wears the blue-and-white fuzzy paws of his fur suit. It's not something we see every day, but it was a bold choice that put on display his love for the community despite what a few rotten apples had done. In the opening scene of the docuseries, O'Furr says, 'I never tried to be a hero, it's just … who else is gonna do the job?' He is who he is, both behind the keyboard and in front of a global stage. Letting O'Furr — and the other furries who appear onscreen, like Connor Goodwolf and Naia Okami — dress in both their street clothes and in their fur suits was an important element to Theo Love, who directed the four-part docuseries. It premiered in June at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now airing new episodes on Thursdays on Sundance Now and AMC+. Love tells Yahoo he wanted his subjects to be comfortable, especially given how furries sometimes end up at the 'wrong end of the joke.' 'And you are giving me a huge gift in telling me your story,' he says of the furries. 'So my job is to tell your story the way it exists in your mind.' The choice to include some furries in their fur suits on camera came from the playfulness that's so core to their existence. 'In some ways, we needed some sugar to help the medicine go down,' Love explains. The goal isn't to make fun of anyone, it's to allow them to show their true selves. A different kind of crime solver Love now holds furries in high regard, but he didn't know much about the fandom when he was tapped to direct the docuseries. He just found it refreshing to tell a true crime story from a new angle. The genre gets 'tired' when the 'good guys are always cops solving crimes,' he says. 'The heroes of our story are furries, a group of people [who] are just not very well understood. A lot of times, they're judged. And so to celebrate furries doing something really incredible, it was a privilege. … In this situation, they're saving man's best friend — our ultimate furry buddies, dogs,' Love says. It took a lot of convincing to get people to go on camera for the documentary. Zoosadism is a heinous crime — not something people like thinking about or being associated with, even if they're just recounting the objective facts of a case. Even the people who helped solve the case felt backlash within the community and were accused of making the already ridiculed fandom face even more bad press. 'It's very much like hidden abuse in a church community where people want to pray it away and act like it's old or offensive to talk about,' O'Furr tells Yahoo. His reporting on Dogpatch Press is the basis for much of what's covered in the docuseries. 'Either this gets told, or it gets brushed under [the rug] and guilty people continue using your spaces,' O'Furr writes in a post on Dogpatch Press, explaining his involvement in the docuseries. 'Then it gets worse, and next time, outsiders will tell the story for you with even less agency in how you are seen.' Since furries are so often ridiculed for their interest in costumes and developing anthropomorphic 'fursonas' that they role-play with, which is sometimes but not always sexual, it can be hard for them to be taken seriously. They don't dress in fur suits, often expensive, cumbersome and sweat-inducing, for attention. They do it because it makes them feel authentically like themselves and helps them find community. Ridicule leads some to feel like they've been pushed into the margins of society, where bad behavior can fester and disgruntled individuals can become radicalized. Concerns that multiple members of the fandom had ties to Nazism made headlines in 2017 and have led to the cancellation of at least one convention. For furries who genuinely love animals and role-playing as them, this association is horrific on a moral level, but has also tainted their perception and made them wary of what outsiders might think. 'Furvengers,' assemble A strong contingent of furries wasn't fond of the existence of this docuseries — or even the original blowing of the whistle about the Zoosadism Leaks in 2018 — for fear of how the community at large would be portrayed. But it's a uniquely furry story about the triumph of a fandom over the people using the joyful fandom to conceal their illegal acts. Back then, law enforcement tried and failed to uncover the culprits behind the crime for years, so furry vigilantes known as the Furvengers took matters into their own hands. They used their remarkable tech savvy to pore over chat logs on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, which was the main channel used in the Zoosadism Leaks, leading to the arrest of a furry involved in animal abuse, who then led them to the suspected ringleader, who was arrested as well. The investigation involved combing through disturbing chat logs and screening traumatizing video footage of animal abuse, but the Furvengers maintained in the docuseries that protecting animals made it all worth it. Love says that the story is, at its heart, about ordinary people who went to extraordinary lengths for justice, regardless of what ridicule they might receive inside or outside of the fandom. 'If you've ever looked at a furry and thought, 'These people are weirdos and something to laugh at,' you're going to watch the series and be pretty surprised at how heroic they really are,' he says.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76, weeks after farewell Black Sabbath concert; follow live updates as tributes pour in from music legends
The heavy metal rocker had lived for years with Parkinson's disease. Tributes are pouring in from music legends and celebrities after Ozzy Osbourne, the rock and heavy metal icon turned reality show star, has died at the age of 76, according to his family. 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,' his family said in a statement signed by wife Sharon Osbourne and their children Kelly, Jack, Aimee, as well as his son Louis from his prior marriage to Thelma Riley. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.' The Black Sabbath rocker lived with Parkinson's disease. Earlier this month Osbourne played what was dubbed his 'final bow' from a throne at Villa Park in the U.K. Born John Michael Osbourne, the English musician rose to fame as the so-called Prince of Darkness with his heavy metal band, Black Sabbath, which he co-founded in 1968. The band released popular hits like 'Paranoid,' 'Iron Man' and 'War Pigs.' After his 1979 departure from the band due to substance abuse issues, Osbourne launched a successful solo career beginning with 1980's Blizzard of Ozz, which featured his hit track 'Crazy Train.' Osbourne became widely known for his wild onstage persona, including infamously biting the head off a bat during a 1982 concert. (He later got a rabies shot.) He went on to release 13 studio albums and was inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in 2006, with Black Sabbath, and again in 2024 as a solo artist. Outside of music, Osbourne also had an influence on pop culture: He became a part of the first reality TV show family thanks to his hit MTV show, The Osbournes, which documented the chaotic, often hilarious home life he shared with wife Sharon and their children, Kelly and Jack. The show also illuminated darker sides of his personal life, however, as it revealed his struggles with substance abuse and health issues. The show ran for four seasons, from 2002 to 2005. Osbourne announced he had been previously diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous system disorder, in January 2020, a condition he later told the Los Angeles Times he had lived with since 2003. 'I'm not dying from Parkinson's. I've been working with it most of my life,' the singer told the newspaper. 'I've cheated death so many times. If tomorrow you read 'Ozzy Osbourne never woke up this morning,' you wouldn't go, 'Oh, my God!' You'd go, 'Well, it finally caught up with him.'' In addition to Parkinson's, the musician also suffered other health issues, such as a severe staph infection in 2018 and multiple spinal surgeries following a fall that aggravated an old injury. In May, Osbourne told the Guardian about his condition: 'You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end.' Tributes to Osbourne from the worlds of music and entertainment are pouring in online. Yahoo is collecting them in the blog below. Terence "Geezer" Butler posted a tribute to Osbourne on X. "Goodbye dear friend - thanks for all those years - we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who'd have thought, eh?" the Black Sabbath bassist wrote. "So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you." As word spread of Osbourne's death, more people in the rock world took time to write tributes. Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day took to Instagram to write "No words. We love you Ozzy," along with a photo of the star. Brian May, cofounder of Queen, also shared kind words, writing on Instagram alongside a photo from Osbourne's final show that he was "so sad to hear of Ozzy's passing." "His last appearance at Villa Park was a glorious way to say goodbye — the love in that place for him was gigantic," May continued. "I'm grateful I was able to have a few quiet words with him after the show. And happy to know he passed peacefully with his loving family close by. But the world will miss Ozzie's unique presence and fearless talent. My heartfelt consolations to Sharon and their great family. And to Bill and Geezer and my dear friend Tony — for this is family — I know only too well. REST IN PEACE dear Ozzie. Bri." Meanwhile, Jon Bon Jovi shared two photos of himself with Osbourne, writing"Much luv to Sharon and the beautiful Osbourne Family. So sorry to hear of your loss. Rest easy Ozzy.." Guitarist Tony Iommi, one of the founding members of Black Sabbath, took to X to respond to the death of his former bandmate. "I just can't believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park," Iommi wrote. "It's just such heartbreaking news that I can't really find the words, there won't ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz. Tony." The Osbourne family was one of the earliest celebrity clans to star in a reality television show based on their day-to-day lives. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne starred alongside their children, daughter, Kelly, and son, Jack, on The Osbournes, which premiered on MTV in March 2002. The show, which concluded in 2005 after four seasons, was MTV's highest-rated program at the time. "When we did it, it was a hundred percent real," Ozzy Osbourne told Hunger magazine in 2023. "What you saw is what we were like. We didn't plan on getting up and doing what we did, we just let things happen. And that was the trick of The Osbournes. People would come into our house and go, 'Is she always like this?' and we'd go, 'Like what?' People would say, 'You've got to film this. This is amazing!' But I was confused; I thought everybody had rows with their kids and their dog crapping on the floor." The music streaming platform shared a post on X in honor of Osbournem writing, "From the first notes of 'Black Sabbath' to the final chords of 'Paranoid,' Ozzy changed music forever. We're crushed, but forever grateful, and we'll never stop listening. Rest in peace, Ozzy." David Draiman, frontman for the heavy metal band Disturbed, called Osbourne a "dear teacher," his friend and "a father to us all." The tributes to Osbourne continue to pour in from all corners of the music industry. In a post on X, Adam Sandler paid tribute to Osbourne. He included a still from the 2000 film Little Nicky, in which Osbourne played himself in a scene featuring Sandler as the titular son of Satan. "Whether we were in our basements with our brothers, in the woods with our buddies, in the car, at a keg party, on a boat, at football practice, at a sleepover … Nobody was more badass to crank up on our speakers than the one and only prince of darkness — Ozzy Osborne!" Sandler wrote. "Loved him a lot like we all did! Sending love to the family and so happy to have spent time with the legend himself. RIP." Nirvana's official X account posted a short message thanking Osbourne and Black Sabbath for inspiring the iconic grunge rock band led by the late Kurt Cobain. Though Osbourne famously bit the head off a dead bat onstage during a 1982 concert, he also advocated for animal welfare, something that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) acknowledged in a statement after his death. "Ozzy Osbourne was a legend and a provocateur, but PETA will remember the 'Prince of Darkness' most fondly for the gentle side he showed to animals — most recently cats, by using his fame to decry painful, crippling declawing mutilations," PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said in a statement to Yahoo News. "Ozzy may have been the singer, but his wife, Sharon, and his daughter, Kelly, were of one voice when it meant protecting animals. Ozzy will be missed by animal advocates the world over." Osbourne previously participated in a 2020 campaign for the animal rights organization, which, in true shock rock fashion, featured his fingers amputated and bloody. The tagline for the campaign read, 'Never Declaw a Cat. It's an Amputation, Not a Manicure.' 'Amputating a cat's toes is twisted and wrong,' said Osbourne in a statement via PETA. 'If your couch is more important to you than your cat's health and happiness, you don't deserve to have an animal! Get cats a scratching post — don't mutilate them for life.' Talk show host Piers Morgan, who interviewed Osbourne and members of his family numerous times in recent years, paid tribute to Ozzy on X. Osbourne, the beloved Prince of Darkness, infamously shocked fans during a show on Jan. 20, 1982, when he bit the head off a bat while performing at the Des Moines Veterans Memorial Auditorium. At the time, Osbourne, who had been on the road over a year, developed an onstage ritual involving raw meat. Osbourne would chuck raw meat at the crowd, at which point audience members would throw back whatever outrageous things they could. That night, at the Des Moines show, someone threw a bat onstage. 'I thought it was a rubber bat,' Osbourne explained in the documentary The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne via Rolling Stone. 'I picked it up, put it in my mouth, crunched down, bit into it, being the clown that I am." Osbourne quickly realized that he'd made a horrific mistake. 'Bats are the biggest carriers of rabies in the world,' he continued. 'And I had to go to the hospital afterwards and they started giving me rabies shots. I had one [on each rear and I had to have that every night.' In a post on Instagram, rocker Yungblud shared a photo of himself and the star, writing that he didn't think Osbourne would "leave so soon." He called the Black Sabbath frontman "so full of life" in their last meeting. "But as it is written with legends, they seem to know the things that we don't," said Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic Richard Harrison. "I will never forget you — you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk on stage. Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own. You asked me once if there was anything you could do for me and as I said then and as I will say now for all of us the music was enough. You took us on your adventure — an adventure that started it all." He concluded the post with "I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time." Heavy metal band Metallica posted a wordless tribute to Osbourne, featuring a photo the band took with him along with a broken heart emoji. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who was among the special guests at Osbourne and Black Sabbath's star-studded final show on July 5, posted a photo, presumably taken backstage, of himself with Osbourne and fellow guitarists Slash and Jeff Beck. Sharon Osbourne, who's been married to Ozzy Osbourne for over 40 years, told Billboard the idea for "Back to the Beginning," the all-day benefit concert held in Birmingham, England, on July 5, was hers. The event was billed as Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show ever. 'It was my idea,' she said, 'because [Ozzy's] one regret was he didn't get the chance to say thank you to his fans before he finished his world tour. We were in the middle of his [2018 No More Tours 2] world tour, his retirement tour; we'd only done about nine months of the tour and he got sick.' The benefit marked the first time in 20 years that the original bandmates had come together to perform. An accompanying concert film, Back to the Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow, containing footage from the show, is also reportedly scheduled for release in early 2026. Osbourne felt compelled to perform onstage a final time, in spite of his declining health. Sharon told Billboard, 'He kept saying, 'It's my one regret' and 'I want a chance to really say thank you.' And this is what we thought would be the best way to do it. It's a celebration of Ozzy and Sabbath and the music.' Public Enemy rapper and fellow reality TV star Flavor Flav said he was heartbroken over Osbourne's death. Ozzy Osbourne has been the frontman for Black Sabbath, one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands, since its formation in 1968. Osbourne was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice — first with Black Sabbath in 2006, and again as a solo artist in 2024. Here's a look at photos from his storied music career. In an Instagram post, Elton John remembered Osbourne as a "trailblazer," a "true legend," a "rock god" and "one of the funniest people I've ever met." Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready thanked Osbourne for his music, which he described as "terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time." Solve the daily Crossword
Digital Trends
25 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV review: a few too many barriers for a decent afterparty
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV MSRP $79.99 Score Details 'Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV keeps the party going, but puts up a few too many roadblocks.' Pros Core game is still a blast and looks and runs better Some excellent new minigames New modes add fun new twists Cons Camera minigames fall flat Bowser Live and Carnival Coaster have little replay value Recommended Videos Last year, Nintendo wrapped up its trilogy of Mario Party games with its most ambitious title yet in Super Mario Party Jamboree. With more minigames, boards, and modes than any entry before it, it was bordering on losing its focus on the core board game gameplay that makes it such a popular and approachable series. That makes it a natural choice for a proper Switch 2 Edition to bring us back for a little afterparty to show off some new tricks. Despite the seemingly obvious potential for DLC, no Mario Party game has gotten any meaningful expansion before now. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is the perfect opportunity to break that tradition by taking advantage of the new features found on the Switch 2 to add creative new games and modes. It mostly makes good on that promise, but the way they are integrated into the existing experience only exacerbates the main issues the core game had. With so much tacked on to it now, it has started to lose its appeal as a casual party game experience. Jamboree TV isn't as bloated and cumbersome as its full title, but it flies dangerously close. There are some standout new additions that take full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware, but those that miss the mark fall very flat, and there are simply too many barriers between you and the fun to make this an instant RSVP. Menu madness Jamboree TV presents itself as an entirely new menu option from the home screen, doubling down on the segmented structure of the original. The base game already felt oddly divided with its various modes locking certain games and features from the core game, and this only further complicates what should be a simple pick-up-and-play party experience rather than unifying the experience. The fact that there are now two ways to engage in the core Mario Party mode, but I can only select the new rules if I engage it from within the new Jamboree TV package, or transition over to the Rhythm Kitchen or Bowser Challenges from the original Super Mario Party menu, is needlessly convoluted. It's like hosting a party and having the drinks in the kitchen and snacks in the shed out back. swapping between the new Jamboree TV and classic modes is as much of a momentum killer as swapping between different games The original experience was already the most segmented Mario Party yet, with its various islands housing unique modes and minigames. Jamboree TV adds even more of these smaller, supplemental ways to play to complement the main game, but cordons them off in a way that kills off any desire to swap between them once I started playing. Whether it is with friends locally or online, swapping between the new Jamboree TV and classic modes is as much of a momentum killer as swapping between different games. That might not sound like a big deal, but for a game built around the idea of a group of friends picking up some controllers and having a good time, these barriers throw a major wrench in the gears. That core game is still just as solid as ever. There are no new boards here, but playing the classic Mario Party mode (so long as you select it from within Jamboree TV) does incorporate the new slate of mouse-control games to spice up the selection. Also exclusive to the Jamboree TV version is the camera integration. None of the camera-specific minigames will show up in Mario Party, but each player's face will appear beside their character moving around the board, during minigames, and in a few other cute ways. I was ready to brush this inclusion off as a gimmick, but seeing myself and my friend's reactions during play encouraged a level of silliness that felt right at home. It's all in the wrist Everything inside the regular Super Mario Party Jamboree menu of the game is just as you left it on the Switch, only with mildly improved visuals and performance. Loading up Jamboree TV sets up the new gameshow-esque framing for the new slate of options. Tag Team Rules is the standout mode I will keep coming back to Jamboree TV for Mario Party mode sees two new rules that are easily the most exciting additions. Frenzy Rules offers a quick and chaotic way to jump right to the most exciting parts of the game by starting the game in the Homestretch. With only five turns remaining, each player starts with 50 coins, a Double Dice item, and one Star, plus all the Homestretch modifiers to the board in play. While it does lose a lot of the emotional payoff you get when reaching the end of a 20 or 30 round game, it is a fun way to get a quick hit when you don't want to invest an hour or more in a full game. Tag Team Rules is the standout mode I will keep coming back to Jamboree TV for. This mode pairs players up into teams of two that essentially function as Jamboree Buddies for one another. Teams share coins, items, and Stars, but still operate independently on the board. However, the new Together Dice can be used by one team member to summon and roll with their partner to move together. Just like a Jamboree Buddy, everything is doubled while a team is moving together, from coins and items earned to the number of Stars that can be purchased. Having a dedicated partner to coordinate with and strategize with nails that balance of adding a new layer to the core game without veering into gimmick territory. This was where I spent most of my time and the mode that I see being included in my regular rotation. Tag Team is also the best way to get a taste of the new mouse control minigames since they can only be played in 2 vs. 2, 4-player, or Battle Mode configurations. That restriction makes sense for a few of these games, but I saw no benefit for the majority to not be playable in a traditional free-for-all style. Very few rely on any direct teamwork or coordination between players to justify locking them to those less-common playlists. the majority of games feel like a nice appetizer for what a Switch 2 exclusive Mario Party could look like With a few exceptions, the majority of these new mouse minigames are fun and creative hits. Some like the air hockey equivalent or letter sorting game are borderline copies of older minigames, but work so much better using a mouse that I can forgive them being recycled. Pull-Back Attack, which has teams racing in opposite directions across a bridge with pull-back cars, might be my new favorite game in the entire package. It takes only a second to learn, even if you've never played with the toy in real life, and the HD rumble from the Joy-Con felt while pulling the mouse back fully communicates how much power you are giving. Another standout revolves around dragging a Toad through a maze without touching the edges. There are a few same-y feeling games that revolve around flicking objects from one side of the screen to the other with the mouse, but the majority of games feel like a nice appetizer for what a Switch 2 exclusive Mario Party could look like. Not ready for a closeup Carnival Coaster is almost exactly on par with something like Paratroopa Flight School. That is to say, I had a good time playing through each course once, but have no reason to revisit it unless a friend wanted to give it a shot. This mode is a literal rail shooter with minigame breaks scattered throughout. While riding the coaster, players use the mouse to aim and fire at enemies along the course to extend the timer. Whenever the coaster makes a drop, you can also raise your hands up in the air to add more time, which turned out to be a slightly more interesting twist since I found myself scrambling to get my Joy-Con back down and aiming again when enemies appeared right after a drop. This mode exclusively uses mouse control minigames in a team format, playing against the clock. The faster you and your team can complete the minigame (or the higher the score you can get, depending on the game), the more bonus time you get for the next leg of the coaster. Each course lasts no more than 10 minutes, minigames included, and offers no real incentive to go back aside from setting high scores. The actual rail-shooting is functional, but the courses and enemy patterns aren't exactly thrilling or challenging. Aside from seeing yourself alongside your character in Mario Party mode or Carnival Coaster, Bowser Live is the only mode where the camera and microphone take center stage. It is also the most throwaway mode in the game. After picking between either camera or microphone games, which are mutually exclusive for some reason, two teams of two compete in three games that take all of about 3 minutes total. I say three games, but the last one is always the same, so it is effectively only two. I can see the camera games being fun for younger kids since they involve jumping, squatting, and tilting, but there are so few and they are over so fast that I can't imagine them holding anyone's attention for long. There's also a distinct lack of creativity in the camera games for how much potential there is for Nintendo to mine. They all play things very safe, perhaps due to the camera's inconsistent tracking. The microphone games had some better ideas behind them besides just being loud. Clapping to the beat or using your voice to control a Flappy Bird-like game works better than I expected, until the other people in the room realized how easily it was to sabotage the team playing. You'll have to hope your group is willing to play fair in these games. Or not. That's the Mario Party way, right? Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a microcosm of the base game in every way. It adds some meaningful new ways to play the core board game experience that has never been better, plus some additional bonus modes that offer a nice, if shallow, distraction. Jamboree TV just makes navigating and accessing what you want even more of a chore by relegating everything behind multiple menus and loading screens. But the biggest sin is how few big swings Nintendo took here. It once again feels more like a testing ground than a full commitment. This isn't so much a bigger, better party but an invitation to a party with all the same people across town. There's fun to be had, but sitting through traffic between sure does kill the vibes. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV was tested on the Switch 2.
