Viz Media and Nintendo are teaming up to release the Super Mario-Kun manga series in the US for the first time.

Published in Japan’s CoroCoro Comics magazine since 1991, Super Mario-Kun will make its stateside debut as part of Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania, a 160-page compilation of “handpicked” story arcs from throughout its 30-year run:

Experience the zany world of Super Mario Bros. through manga!

Join Mario and pals in crazy adventures inspired by the hit video games! This collection of short stories showcases the fan-favorite characters of the Super Mario Bros. world in new, unconventional and hilarious ways. Handpicked from years of Mario comics in Japan, this compilation has never been available in English—until now!

Writing on Twitter, a spokesperson for Viz Media said that Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania would be available in Late 2020.

Kratos spent decades wandering the world in between the events of 2010’s God of War III and 2018’s God of War. Rather than leave this story untold, Sony Santa Monica is teaming up with Dark Horse to give fans a glimpse at part of his travels in an upcoming comic miniseries.

Told over four issues, God of War: Fallen God will be written by Chris Roberson, with artwork from Tony Parker (artist), Dan Jackson (colorist), John Roshell (letterer), and Dave Rapoza (covers):

Can a man ever be free of his past? Can the tides of time ever wash away the bloody sands of sin? Or do transpired trespasses permanently and inescapably stain one’s soul?

God of War: Fallen God follows Kratos after conquering Zeus and thwarting Athena. Believing himself to be finally free of his bondage, he sets sail for the desert in an attempt to distance himself from his home and his shame only to find his rage and guilt follow close behind. Kratos rages against the one foe that has proven to be unconquerable—himself. But a war against oneself is unwinnable, and only invites madness.

The first issue of God of War: Fallen God will be available on June 24, with a collected edition sure to follow sometime after its conclusion.

After more than a half-decade in development, Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s launch date of April 10th is finally in sight. But Square Enix also wants to give fans the chance to delve deeper into the highly-anticipated RPG, so they’ve partnered with their Manga & Books imprint to produce a pair of artbooks that go further behind the scenes.

Priced at $24.99 apiece, Final Fantasy VII Remake: World Preview and Final Fantasy VII Poster Collection were designed to “celebrate the iconic characters, massive world, and beautiful visuals” of Final Fantasy VII Remake:

Final Fantasy VII Remake: World Preview, releasing on September 8th, is a lavishly illustrated, full-color introduction to the world of the beloved game. The hardcover volume offers both new players and long-time fans essential information on characters, gameplay, and more, in addition to exclusive commentary from Director Tetsuya Nomura and Producer Yoshinori Kitase.

Final Fantasy VII Poster Collection, shipping on November 17th, is a collection of 22 full-color, premium-quality removable posters celebrating the game’s rich legacy, with images depicted from the world of Final Fantasy VII, including Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Final Fantasy VII Remake will launch “first” on the PS4, and a demo of the game is currently available to download through the PlayStation Store.

Dark Horse Books will peek behind-the-scenes at one of this year’s most-anticipated games with their next artbook… Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II.

The game will make its PS4 debut on May 29, but fans will have to wait until June to dip into The Art of The Last of Us Part II. Spanning 200 pages, the book will be available as a Standard Edition ($39.99) and a limited Deluxe Edition ($89.99), though both will contain “an exhaustive collection of original art” and “intimate creator commentary” about the game’s design:

Follow Ellie’s profound and harrowing journey of vengeance through an exhaustive collection of original art and intimate creator commentary in this deluxe full-color hardcover volume: The Art of The Last of Us Part II.

Created in collaboration between Dark Horse Books and the developers at Naughty Dog, The Art of The Last of Us Part II offers extensive insights into the making of the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning The Last of Us. The Deluxe Edition also features an exclusive cover and slipcase, as well as a gallery-quality lithograph.

The Art of The Last of Us Part II will be available in bookstores on June 16.

Dark Horse Comics originally announced The Art of Cuphead all the way back in March of 2019, and they planned to publish the 160-page book (featuring “early concepts, production work, and early ideas” from the game) this past October.

Unfortunately, the book’s release was eventually pushed back to the Spring of 2020, but Dark Horse had a good reason for the delay. With the extra time, the publisher was able to expand The Art of Cuphead to a whopping 264 pages, including content from the game’s upcoming expansion, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course:

Each page of this curated collection of artwork is designed to capture the vintage look and feel of the 1930’s. Take a gander at the game’s traditional hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation. Peek at the early concepts, production work, and early ideas that went into the making of Cuphead’s characters, bosses, stages and more including never-before-seen content from the upcoming DLC!

Relive the most cherished and challenging moments of Cuphead and Mugman’s adventure to reclaim their souls from The Devil, all in a way you’ve never seen before! Guided by personal insights from game directors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, take a one-of-a-kind trip through the Inkwell Isles and discover an all-new appreciation for Cuphead’s animation style and challenging retro gameplay.

The Art of Cuphead will now be released on March 17, and the game’s developer, Studio MDHR, shared a sneak peek at the book earlier this week on Twitter:

For the Art of Cuphead, we scoured our notes & archives with @DarkHorseComics to assemble the most comprehensive look ever at the game's creation. Here's a sneak peek at just two of the book's in-depth spreads.

Available on March 17, 2020!! https://t.co/U8DWSzpad1 pic.twitter.com/CKGPyOOSKC

— Studio MDHR (@StudioMDHR) January 7, 2020

In addition to The Delicious Last Course, Studio MDHR is also working with Netflix to produce The Cuphead Show! Perhaps some concept art from the animated series will make its way into The Art of Cuphead as well.

Nintendo produced hit after hit for the Switch during its first year on the market in 2017. Breath of the Wild at launch… Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in April… Splatoon 2 in July… and Super Mario Odyssey in October. If you’ve got fond memories of that last one, then you should definitely pay attention to the latest tome from Dark Horse Comics.

The Art of Super Mario Odyssey is available on store shelves today, and it is packed with more than 360 pages of “concept art, preliminary sketches, and notes from the development team,” as well as “insight into some early ideas that didn’t make it into the game itself”:

In October of 2017, Super Mario Odyssey took the gaming world by storm. Now, discover the art and expertise that went into creating one of Nintendo’s best-loved games! This full-color hardcover volume clocks in at 368 pages and features concept art, preliminary sketches, and notes from the development team, plus insight into some early ideas that didn’t make it into the game itself! Explore the world of Super Mario Odyssey from every angle, including screen shots, marketing material, and more, to fully appreciate this captivating adventure.

The Art of Super Mario Odyssey is now available to purchase for $49.99, and a trailer for the book has been embedded above.

Nintendo was founded 130 years ago today, and there’s a lot of fascinating stories to be found in their long history. But Engadget’s Kris Naudus looked beyond David Sheff’s Game Over and found five more books that pull back the curtain just a bit on the secretive company:

Today is Nintendo’s 130th birthday. No, that’s not a typo. The company’s been around since before video games or even televisions. It started way back in 1883 making hanafuda — that’s a type of playing card with flowers on it. In fact, the company still makes them and you can even buy a set with Mario’s face on the cards.

[…]

From the Color TV-Game 6 to last week’s Switch Lite, it has a pretty storied history in gaming, and you can learn about all that and more though the less interactive but still entertaining realm of books.

There’s a lot to like in these choices, so pick up Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America by Jeff Ryan, Console Wars by Blake Harris, The Game Console by Evan Amos, 33 1/3: Koji Kondo’s Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack by Andrew Schartmann, and Tetris by Box Brown if you haven’t already.

Have you ever wondered what a gorilla with a genius-level intellect eats? We might finally get an answer in Overwatch: The Official Cookbook.

Written by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel (the same author behind World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook and Hearthstone: Innkeeper’s Tavern Cookbook), and published by Simon and Schuster’s Insight Editions imprint, the cookbook will explore the game’s international background with “authentic recipes inspired by the game’s diverse heroes”:

Based on Blizzard Entertainment’s global phenomenon Overwatch, this official cookbook is packed with scores of authentic recipes inspired by the game’s diverse heroes hailing from all corners of the universe.

Building from the game’s compelling narrative and variety of characters, this cookbook features international food and drink recipes from each hero’s homeland. Each recipe includes straightforward step-by-step instructions, mouthwatering full-color photos, pairing suggestions, and more.

Overwatch: The Official Cookbook will include more than 100 recipes and it’ll be available to purchase this October.