Reconnect Recap - w/e 22nd February

Reviewing the week that's been over on Reconnect

Feb 23, 2026

Kia Ora folks!

Phil Spencers 38 year tenure at Xbox came to a close this week, in a similar vein my 29 year tenure in Wellington, New Zealand will also come to an end this week. I’ve still got things to pack, stuff to sell, and items to dispose of. But the end is nigh and i’m quite excited. I don't expect my move to have too much of an impact on the newsletter with the exception of the issue due 17th of March, i’ll be taking that week off to sort out my new home.

If you’re new here, this is the Reconnect Recap, the companion newsletter for Reconnect, the games writing discovery platform. It refreshes several times a day and has written words by nearly 300 different blogs. Feel free to drop by any time you’re in the mood for some great games journalism.

This week, we’re getting very meta about how video games impact our health, our brains, our mood, and our desires, not to mention some fun absurd stuff, the odd guide and plenty more!

Let’s dig in.

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Great Write Ups

Teddy Bear Kaiju: 94 'til Infinity takes us into the world of one of the most absurd playstation games to ever exist.
Time to be an adult: Voletic explains that all too familiar paradox of not knowing what to play in our precious few hours we have spare as an adult.
Who is Zelda: Thrilling Tales of old video games dives into the name ‘Legend of Zelda’ and digs through history to work out who the series was actually named after.
Toxic Culture: Superjump Magazine recounts the youthful experience of discovering video games, but then tracks it through to the inevitable conclusion for most people; anger. They remind us how to best keep the magic of games and the culture around it, healthy.
Reverse Engineering: degonyte walks us through how they handle feeling jaded by games and finding the right game to bring you back to the hobby you love.
Do we need another gen?: With the rising expenses of video game consoles and the lack of games actually utilising the added headroom, JM Mendez asks the question, do we need a a PS6?
Nailing the Pixel: Pixel art is synonymous with game dev and resident game dev guru José Pérez explains how to grow your pixel art skills.
Retro museum in a game: GameAsylum explains how High on life 2 (yes they made a second one) contains a series of interesting retro games that you can play inside the game.
Dark Tidings: Games that Weren’t has another dive into a game that was never released, a promising Diablo like announced in 1996.
Oops we made a game: As Indieformer explains, most games are made from a pitch, this game came about from a misunderstanding.
Cost to Attend: Game Conference Guide looks into how much it costs to attend game events and how free events are on the decline.
Should you get a PS2 in 2026: ObsoleteSony argues that there isn’t a good reason for owning a PS2 in 2026, it’s simply too good a deal.
Staring at it for too long: James Margaris explains the paradox of incorporating feedback into a game. Go it alone, or keep it in house and your team become blind to certain issues. Open the door wide open and you risk loosing sight of the games core. All in all we’re going blind apparently.
Health supplements: Are games bad? Do they cause violence? But don’t they also cure PTSD and help with problem solving? But don’t they also cause addictions and death threats? InGameScientist, a real scientist, gives us a more measured view.

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Reconnect Recap - w/e 22nd February

Reviewing the week that's been over on Reconnect

Great Write Ups

Fun Tidbits

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?