In my mind there are basically three different variations of Tetris that are the most important. The original for DOS and the Elektronika 60. The Game Boy version that so many people fell in love with. And Tetris: Effect, the modern re-beautification. Plenty of other great variations like Puyo Puyo Tetris, and wonderful rom hacks like Rosy Retrospection exist, but one that has been a little difficult to come by is Arika’s Tetris: The Grand Master and was previously only available in the west through imports or through Hamster’s Arcade Archives for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Game developer Terry Cavanagh of VVVVVV, Dicey Dungeons, and so many other great games has a new collection of five „reasonably substantial“ and 16 „smaller, messier‘ games out now called „Terry‘s Other Games“
Terry’s Other Games is out now on Windows, macOS, and Linux through itch and Steam for $10.
I recently replayed Outer Wilds and loved it so much. It’s a first-person open-world adventure about a young person going into space for the first time, exploring their solar system, and finding out more about the other people that inhabited it.
You can watch my entire play through on YouTube or just play Outer Wilds for yourself which is what I’d recommend. There is a lot of information that could spoil the mystery so I won’t say much more about it.
Outer Wilds is $25 on Steam for Windows. I’d recommend getting it bundled with the Echoes of the Eye expansion for $38. Though the expansion is spooky in a way that the main game isn’t, it is worth getting spooked to explore the new experience.
You can also find Outer Wilds on Xbox, Epic Game Store for Windows, and the Nintendo Switch which has the biggest discount right now for $15 for the base game and $23 for the bundle with Echoes of the Eye.
Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 5 from 2021 is the latest Microsoft game to become cross platform in the war on exclusivity caused by rising development costs and an overwhelming desire for profit. The driving game’s PlayStation 5 port doesn’t have a firm release date yet beyond “Spring 2025”, but it has already been on Windows and Steam for years.
Forza Horizon 4 was just delisted from online stores last year, due to the same licensing deals for the cars and music that have taken out every other Forza game. I am very curious how long FH5 will be available on any platform given the licensing takedowns that often coincide with a new Forza game being released later in the same year.
Maybe this means that Forza Horizon 5 won’t get a sequel any time soon, which would be unfortunate since this is in my opinion the best big arcadey driving game series out there unless the Burnout behemoth awakens. At least indies like Walaber have our back with the delightfully retro Parking Garage Rally Circuit.
Microsoft already announced that Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves were coming to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch almost a year ago. Their other recent games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are also due to come to the PS5. The time of Xbox exclusive games seems to be dead for this console generation at least.
You can get Forza Horizon 5 right now on Windows through Steam, or the Xbox store which gets you the game on Xbox consoles and Windows on discount for $30 USD. Here’s the link for the PlayStation 5 version to wishlist it, no price has been announced yet.
The video showcases a larger Nintendo Switch 2, with Joy-Cons that attach via a new system and we all have to hope that Nintendo has finally started using Hall-Effect analog sticks. Nintendo says that there will be a Nintendo Direct video on the 2nd of April with more details about the new console which is to come out this year.
Nintendo has a website for the Switch 2 that also advertises a chance for people in the United States to check out the Switch 2 in-person through a lottery system at physical locations. The lottery starts up soon and runs through the 26th of January.
The trailer also reminds us that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with Nintendo Switch games on cartridges and digital downloads through the eShop, but warns that “Certain Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2.” Nintendo says that they’ll have more information about game compatibility later on. The only game shown during the trailer looks like more Mario Kart, but Nintendo hasn’t given us any details on it.
There have been a lot of leaks about the Nintendo Switch 2 recently, so it’s good to see the system finally get announced. The number 2 is so prominent on the design that you might think that Nintendo is trying to cause less confusion about compatibility than they supposedly had with the Nintendo Wii and Wii-U.
The Joy-Cons in the trailer also seem to slide around in what some people are speculating is a computer mouse-like mode, but it isn’t at all clear if that is what is happening. Could be good for more Mario Maker, something like a modern Mario Paint, or maybe even a more complex Pikmin game?.
April isn’t far away. Until then we have no price or more specific release date.
