We present latent combinational game design -- an approach for generating playable games that blend a given set of games in a desired combination using deep generative latent variable models. We use Gaussian Mixture Variational Autoencoders (GMVAEs) which model the VAE latent space via a mixture of Gaussian components. Through supervised training, each component encodes levels from one game and lets us define blended games as linear combinations of these components. This enables generating new games that blend the input games as well as controlling the relative proportions of each game in the blend. We also extend prior blending work using conditional VAEs and compare against the GMVAE and additionally introduce a hybrid conditional GMVAE (CGMVAE) architecture which lets us generate whole blended levels and layouts. Results show that these approaches can generate playable games that blend the input games in specified combinations. We use both platformers and dungeon-based games to demonstrate our results.

We present tile2tile, an approach for style transfer between levels of tile-based platformer games. Our method involves training models that translate levels from a lower-resolution sketch representation based on tile affordances to the original tile representation for a given game. This enables these models, which we refer to as filters, to translate level sketches into the style of a specific game. Moreover, by converting a level of one game into sketch form and then translating the resulting sketch into the tiles of another game, we obtain a method of style transfer between two games. We use Markov random fields and autoencoders for learning the game filters and apply them to demonstrate style transfer between levels of Super Mario Bros, Kid Icarus, Mega Man and Metroid.

Hey, 1994 called and it wants its Super Metroid mechanics back. Then again, classic Metroid gameplay is not a bad thing and that's exactly what Metroid Dread delivers for series fans on the Nintendo Switch. Old-school gamers got an appetizer of what a modern 2D Metroid looked like four years ago in Mercury Steam's "Metroid: Samus Returns" for the 3DS. Now the studio is back with the entire full course as Metroid Dread doubles down on the classic formula that helped give rise to a whole genre now known as "Metroidvania." For folks who haven't played a game in the series since Super Metroid, 27 years is a long time – even longer if you go back to the original Metroid from 1986.

Robot design tends to fall into one of two camps. In the first, they look like us; in the second, they look like tools, their bodies molded toward a particular function. And like tools, this second camp of robots--the smartphones of the robot universe--have tended to look very similar and require some thought on the part of their designer to elevate their personalities above that of a can opener. Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch doesn't escape this trap: It's a fine and frightening game held back by its boring robot villains. This story originally appeared on WIRED UK.

There's a lot riding on the game, scheduled for release this October. It needs to serve a longtime, starving fan base who hasn't seen a new original story in the series in 14 years. It needs to introduce the "Metroid" world to the generation or two who grew up without it. And another challenge: The series was so influential it helped spawn several excellent games that have modernized the "Metroid" formula and raised the bar, titles like "Hollow Knight" and "Ori and the Blind Forest."

E3 has returned, brought to you live via stream, offering free entry for all to make up for another year without the show's wild cosplay. If there was an overriding theme of this show, it was pandemic-related delay: A lot of the games we've been champing at the bit for are further away than expected, or made no appearance at all. If you didn't manage to catch all the conferences from the comfort of your desk chair, don't worry--sit back in relative comfort and peruse this summary of the best E3 had to offer. This story originally appeared on WIRED UK. Undoubtedly the moment of the show, Nintendo finally (finally) aired some gameplay footage from the sequel to its 2017 masterpiece.

The success of last year's NES Classic Edition clearly took Nintendo by surprise. The company was completely incapable of meeting demand, leaving many people unable to buy what became the must-have gift of the holiday season. Now Nintendo has given its SNES the Classic Edition treatment and promises it's going to build way more than it did last year. Having grown up with the SNES (OK, we had a Sega Genesis and my best friend had SNES), it's easy to assume that everyone knows what it is and why people are so excited that it's back. After dominating the 8-bit era with the NES, Nintendo came late to the party with its sequel. The SNES launched in '90 in Japan, '91 in the US and '92 in the UK. The Genesis had a two-year head start in almost every country, but Nintendo's second-generation home console was worth the wait.

The diminutive version of one of the most influential home video game consoles of all time will launch with over 30 NES titles preloaded, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and Metroid. The mix also includes some surprising choices such as StarTropics, but it's a well-rounded sampling of the best the system has to offer. The full list includes Balloon Fight, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Dr. Mario, Excitebike, Final Fantasy, Galaga, Ghosts' N Ghoblins, Gradius, Ice Climber, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Mario Bros., Mega Man 2, Metroid, Ninja Gaiden, Pac-Man, Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream, StarTropics, SUPER C, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tecmo Bowl, The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. For 59.99, you'll get the preloaded games, an HDMI cable, an AC adapter and one NES Classic Controller, which obviously looks exactly like the ones you're used to. The system launches this November 11th for 59.99 across North America and the UK.