Reconnect Recap, w/e 9th Feb - Ninten-don't stop coming

Connecting you to incredible games writing.

Feb 10, 2025

Hey team, welcome to yet another week of the Reconnect Recap, the weekly newsletter that rounds up all the best gaming articles to feature on Reconnect, the games writing aggregator that puts over 200 writers work in one spot for you to enjoy.

Given the quiet time of the year in regards to game releases, i’ve been huffing all the new tech news to scratch that itch, but I know it won’t be to long before we are deep into the ‘25 release calendar. It doesn’t mean that the writing has slowed down however, so let’s get cracking into another issue of the recap!

If you’re on Bluesky, I’ve made a starter pack so that you can follow all the Reconnect writers in one spot. Not 100% complete yet but I’ll keep adding to it.

Note: I’m trialling a new release day for the newsletter over the coming weeks which is why it’s showing up later than usual. Any feedback let me know!

The Recap

One can always rely on their being Nintendo news to read, I don’t even own the damn console, nor play their games, but it’s such a juggernaut of a company that I find the news to always to be worthy of a read.

For example, one in three switch owners have Animal Crossing, via Overkill.wtf, meaning a staggering 47m copies have been sold.

Or how about an interview with a Supermarket who won a lawsuit over Nintendo, via RetroDodo, to keep their store called Super Mario.

Then we have, via ConsoleCreatures, a developer who has recreated Super Mario in 3D using Unreal Engine 5.

Game Maker's Toolkit on Substack brings us their UI redesign of 2024’s The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in effort to improve the game, pulling inspiration from PS3 and Minecraft.

Finally, whilst Pokémon isn’t technically Nintendo, it legally is, and we have

Jake Steinberg

who provides their take on how Shiny Pokémon have been ruined given their lack of specialness in recent years.

Talking of Handhelds, GamingOnLinux explains why the new RDNA chip does not mean another SteamDeck is on the way. As a Steamdeck owner, I’m not mad about this, the thing runs fiiiiiine, and it cost a pretty penny.

Then we have analogue.gg who provides a brief overview of the games they are playing on their Steamdeck, Analogue Pocket, and Playdate. Ten points if you guessed a certain poker game.

Savvy Gaming Network

‘s latest article is overflowing with great reads, from a look back at Dragon Age Inquisition, to the highlights from AGDQ, and a Lord of the Rings game I didn’t know existed.

TimeExtension brings us an interview with a man who made a tool to convert retro save games, making an incredibly difficult process easier for thousands of retro enthusiasts.

Talking of Retro, Goto 10 Retro: The Newsletter for Atari Enthusiasts provides a buying guide for the newest Atari plus systems.

Finally, this ones for the writers out there, GameWisdom provides some great SEO tips and tricks to make your gaming blog a success, though they forgot to mention that getting your blog on Reconnect is the best tip, but I’ll forgive them this time 🤣.

That’s the Recap team! Continue reading for some extra fun stuff and I’ll see you next week.