#metroid

#metroid

As I grew into a pretentious young adult in the early 00s, I started to want more from games, and I wasn't finding it. So many of them were mindless, or juvenile, or needlessly violent. So few seemed to have anything to say.

Some part of me feels that could just as easily be one of those mementos of Earth. That's because playing feels like stepping through time, which is neither a comment on the quality of its gameplay or its fidelity, both places in which it is no slouch. Rather, it's a comment on its essence.

Remakes tend to be more exciting than remasters because the improvements often go beyond mere bumps in resolution or framerate. At best, studios reimagine classic experiences in exciting new ways, sand away rough edges, and somehow retain the intangible x-factors that made fans fall in love with these titles in the first place.

There's an underlying mystery here that nudges me forward, and even though it can slip my mind as I plant crops, build houses, and hang out with a bunch of Pokémon, I sometimes stumble upon something related to it that brings it all rushing back and knocks the wind out of me.

To keep the hype train rolling, Illumination and Universal Pictures have dropped a short new teaser. It's exactly 30 seconds long, so you'll probably be seeing it again on TV this Sunday during the Super Bowl. It does feature some nifty footage that we haven't seen before, including a hungry Yoshi absolutely devouring a Magikoopa. There are also shots highlighting the star cannons from The Super Mario Galaxy games and one shot that shows Rosalina bodying Bowser Jr.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launched on the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 in December, but if you're itching for some more lore, Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective is a nice way to dig in, especially now that it's on sale. Normally $49.99, you can currently buy the hardcover version for $41.08 (about $9 off) at Amazon and Walmart, which is one of the first discounts we've seen on the tabletop book.

The Rare Super Pocket is a $70 retro gaming handheld that ships in June 2026, pre-loaded with 14 Rare classics, including Banjo-Kazooie. It's the latest portable gaming device from HyperMegaTech that features games from the Evercade ecosystem, offering one of the best official ways to play a classic N64 platformer on the go.

They've never all appeared together at once, except on lists of video game legends. And, surely, in the dreams of some gamers. They would certainly make a peculiar group: a mustachioed plumber, a fearless archeologist, a lightning-fast hedgehog, a warrior and a princess, a monkey in a tie, a marsupial in jeans and a strange yellow rodent. Outlandish, to those unfamiliar with them. But for those who know of their existence, these creatures are global icons.

The Donkey Kong Country Returns HD free update is out today and adds Dixie Kong as a playable character along with her helicopter hair spin. It also adds a Turbo Attack mode which essentially turns every level into a speedrun challenge. Finally, a free Switch 2 upgrade will give the game better resolution, improved visuals, and faster load times. It'll also include support for GameShare so two players can play local coop on separate devices using only one copy of the game.

As Samson, you return home to The Ditch with a mountain of debt to repay. To keep the debt collectors off his back, he hooks up with an old friend who happens to be a major player in the streets of Tyndalston, Carter, to take on some jobs around the city. These range from beating down the door of a local business and roughing up the owner who owes him money to chasing down some rival gang members.