This week on Nintendo Pow Block
This week, Edward Varnell and Corey Dirrig discuss Mario Kart World winning Best Nintendo Switch 2 Game at Gamescom 2025, alongside Donkey Kong Bananza earning Best Gameplay and Hollow Knight: Silksong taking home Best Trailer. They break down what these early accolades mean for the Switch 2 lineup, with big exclusives like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Kirby Air Riders still ahead.
The crew digs into Gamescom reveals including Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition performance concerns, Final Fantasy VII Remake running at 40fps on Switch 2, and the surprise announcement that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will arrive on the console in 2026. They also react to the Kirby Air Riders Direct, which showcased new riders, City Trial’s return, and a November launch date.
Rounding out the show, Edward and Corey cover fresh reveals: Pokémon Legends: Z-A adding Mega Victreebel, Yooka-Replaylee getting a physical edition, Overwatch 2 x Persona 5 collaboration, and Nightdive’s push to revive Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. Plus, they dive into the spotted ESRB rating for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and what it signals for the long-awaited release.
This and more on Nintendo Pow Block!
This week’s Expansion Pass episode on Patreon:
This week on Expansion Pass, Edward Varnell and Corey Dirrig break down the biggest issues facing the big three platform holders—and how each is handling them.
PlayStation is still chasing the live-service dragon… but should they be? Over half of their revenue comes from just ten games, none of which they own outright. After Concord flopped, Bungie hit rough waters, and Fairgame$ failed to spark interest, their only real live-service hits are a fading Destiny 2 and the surprise success of Helldivers 2—which they’re publishing on Xbox this August.
Meanwhile, Xbox has that lane locked down with Minecraft, Elder Scrolls Online, Fallout 76, Sea of Thieves, and Call of Duty. Xbox, though, still can’t get its messaging straight. Mixed signals and rumored clashes with Microsoft leadership have fans frustrated—some even jumping to other platforms that still offer Xbox’s games, like Forza Horizon 5, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and the upcoming Gears of War: Reloaded.
Nintendo is still in the middle of the Game Key Card mess after the Partner Showcase revealed nearly every new game will use them instead of cartridges. Macronix, the Switch 2’s cartridge manufacturer, is now looking at bigger storage sizes beyond the current 64GB, hoping to keep Nintendo competitive with third-party support.
This and much more on Expansion Pass, now available on Patreon.
Follow our Hosts
Edward Varnell is the Cofounder of Boss Rush Media, the host of Nintendo Pow Block, and the Director of Nintendo Content for The Boss Rush Network. You can connect with Edward on Bluesky, on X/Twitter and on Instagram.
Corey Dirrig is the Founder and President of Boss Rush Media. He is the host of The Boss Rush Podcast, Nintendo Pow Block, Tower Casuals: The Destiny Podcast, and cohosts a variety of other podcasts and content. You can follow Corey on Bluesky, on X/Twitter, and on Instagram or connect with him on LinkedIn for Business Inquiries.
Nintendo Pow Block – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Nintendo Pow Block is a weekly Nintendo podcast hosted by Edward Varnell, Corey Dirrig, and their friends from around the internet. Each week, they dive into the latest Nintendo news and rumors for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, new and upcoming releases, updates to Nintendo Switch Online and the Nintendo Music app, and discuss what they’ve been playing in the Playing with Power segment.
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