In the span of two years, Jack Black has starred in three video game movies: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Borderlands, and now A Minecraft Movie. Ahead of the premiere of his latest video game film, Black revealed that he's been an avid player of Balatro on mobile. But he's having a few problems with the game and could probably use some tips.

Like many of us, Black had trouble pronouncing the name Balatro while speaking with Xbox UK. He also noted that he uses his iPhone to play the game, but he's only unlocked the first deck while trying to obtain the blue deck. Black went on to express some frustration about the way the game deals with chance.

"It just makes me mad that so much of it seems to be luck," said Black. "No matter how good you are at it, you've got to get those... certain unlockable cards." Then Black looked at the camera and added, "Maybe you can give me some tips."

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Metroid fans have been waiting a long time for Metroid Prime 4. The game was announced at E3 2017 before being delayed and rebooted and delayed again, but even at the time of that reveal, it had been a decade since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption released. At one time it seemed like a game doomed by its own sky-high expectations. With the Switch 2 on the horizon, Beyond is finally real, and playable, and great. It's too early to say if it can rise above almost two decades of anticipation, but having now played it, I don't think it will be a victim of them.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is now part of the cross-generational push, representing both a swan song for the original Switch and a launch-window game for Switch 2. I only played the Switch 2 version, so I can't speak to differences in performance between the platforms--but it already appears to make for a very nice Switch 2 showpiece.

To start, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond looks gorgeous, managing to be reverent of the Prime art style while also updating and modernizing it to a new platform. Yes, Samus' face reflects in her visor when you fire a shot close to a wall, but this time she squints slightly in the direction of the light. Retro Studios is clearly exercising great care for stewarding this franchise, even down to the little touches.

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Mario Kart World is, above all, a damn hoot. The headliner for the new Switch 2 is clearly following in the footsteps (or tire tracks) of the Switch's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has been remarkably successful despite being a port of a Wii U game first released in 2014. It would have been easy for Nintendo to rest on its laurels and give us another game similar to MK8, but World feels like a real evolution of the franchise. It borrows and expands upon what worked, while rethinking other aspects entirely.

As many noted following the Switch 2 debut trailer, races now support up to 24 racers simultaneously. Such a high player count necessitates a massively expanded roster, but Nintendo zigged on us with tons of new and unexpected inclusions like Nabbit and the extremely entertaining Cow. Yes, it is 100% just the pleasantly plump cow from Moo Moo Meadows, and she is named Cow. I would die for her. We didn't see the full roster during this demo session, but the character-select screen contained tons of variety regardless.

That's partly due to another new wrinkle: character costumes. Each character has a variety of looks they can don, from their classic styles to traditional racing gear to more personalized and inventive ensembles. I raced as Toad wearing a burger hat, a Shy Guy wearing ski gear (complete with a beanie), and Toadette with a makeover that made her little pigtails look like glistening ice cream. Bowser had an old-school biker look. Luigi could dress up like a straw-hat farmer. The list goes on and on, and I felt delighted seeing how the costumes accented the personalities of these lovable cartoon characters that I've gotten to know over the years. The character costumes were displayed as full options in the character-select menu--regular Mario and racing-suit Mario are two separate options, for example--so I assume there will be some way to mark your favorites.

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Donkey Kong is one versatile monkey. He's gone from one of the most infamous video game villains to a hero of his own platformer series, a rhythm game star, and more. His one attempt at a 3D platformer, Donkey Kong 64, was a bit of a low point in his storied career, but you can't keep a good ape down, and now he's back with another swing at the genre. After some hands-on time with the new Switch 2 game, I think Donkey Kong Bananza may just be his 3D platformer redemption.

Donkey Kong Bananza carries some noticeable DNA from another Nintendo game, but its central hook is all its own. The general feel and flow of movement around the world feels very similar to Super Mario Odyssey, but whereas Mario is a fleet-footed little plumber, Donkey Kong is known for being a brutish bruiser. He hits hard, and in this case, that means a playground of destructible environments to smack your way through.

Almost everything is destructible in Bananza, which at first can feel a little disorienting. DK's powerful punches can clear out a huge swath of cave wall or ground, so it's easy to just charge in a direction while quickly burrowing through obstacles. After a while you start to learn some finesse, especially when it comes to the controls. The directions of the face buttons generally correspond to which direction you smack--B for a downward, digging-like slam; Y for a forward punch; and X for an upward strike. You can start pummeling with intention, clearing away caves in the direction you mean to.

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The Switch 2 is not surprising, but it isn't trying to be. Nintendo is known for taking daring risks from one console generation to the next, but the Switch 2 seeks to deliver a surefire upgrade to its wildly popular hybrid console that doesn't particularly rock the boat. Even the straightforwardly numerical name reassures that it is exactly what you expect: another Switch, but better. After spending hours of hands-on time with Nintendo's next hardware release, I've come away convinced that "better but not revolutionary" was the right move.

The original Switch has a toyetic elegance to it that its handheld competitors like the Steam Deck don't match. A more powerful Switch may not be ambitious, but it is appealing for all the reasons I fell in love with Switch in the first place. And it's not as if Nintendo hasn't tried going gonzo-weird after a massive hardware hit before. The Switch 2 will surely avoid becoming another Wii U.

The Switch 2 feels sturdier than its predecessor, and the sleek matte black seems to aim for a more high-end look. The screen is noticeably larger, so even though I'm accustomed to my OLED screen, the larger LCD feels like a decent trade-off. The difference in quality is barely noticeable to my eyes so the larger screen feels worth it to me. The color accents are more subtle, and the biggest splash of color comes from when the new Joy-Con 2 controllers are disconnected. They're magnetic now, which is a neat upgrade that retains the detachable functionality of the original Switch. The magnets are so strong that it's difficult (but not impossible) to detach them without pressing the release button, so when holding it they feel locked in place tighter, without the slight give that would sometimes afflict older Joy-Cons on the original Switch. And the magnets attach with a satisfying physical click.

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When the Switch 2 launches in June, longtime users could see two major improvements to the Nintendo eShop. Nintendo is aiming to address complaints of its digital storefront, which has long been criticized for being slow to navigate through and for being populated with cheap shovelware titles that often use underhanded methods to stand out. In a developer roundtable, Nintendo confirmed that the eShop will benefit from performance upgrades and that a new feature on the store will make finding games easier for users.

Takuhiro Dohta, Nintendo's senior director for entertainment planning and development, explained in a Nintendo post how the Switch 2 hardware will make exploring the eShop faster and smoother. "Thanks to the system's performance capabilities, Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 has been improved and runs smoothly even when displaying a large number of games. We believe the act of finding the game you want to play is itself part of the game system experience," Dohta said.

For discoverability, producer for entertainment planning and development Kouichi Kawamoto briefly spoke about the "Game Finds for You" feature that allows users to see screenshots and videos for games. "With this feature, I think players will be able to easily find something interesting without having to search every nook and cranny of Nintendo eShop," Kawamoto said.

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Microsoft is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week on April 4, and Xbox is joining in by offering some free digital downloads including a new dynamic background and profile themes.

The 50th Anniversary Dynamic Background can be downloaded onto your Xbox and contains a giant colorful "50" in the center. It includes many of Xbox's famous mascots such as Master Chief from Halo and Marcus Fenix from Gears of War. Since Microsoft has acquired so many studios and IP over the past few years, the background also has Ghost from Call of Duty, Doom Slayer from the Doom reboot, and Vault Boy from Fallout.

Gallery Xbox celebrates Microsoft's 50th anniversary

Tapping into nostalgia even further, there are also three new profile pictures containing the old Windows cursor, Clippy the Microsoft Office assistant, and a floppy disk. Xbox Insider Program members can also download a 50th Anniversary badge to their Xbox profile.

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A Session with Dr. Liebnitz is a single-player exploration game taking place in the mind of the playable character. You play as The Character. You will be wandering through the Character's mind, trying to cure it from fear, depression, anger and many more deep, troubling conditions. This is only possible due to the extravagant techniques of one Dr. Liebnitz, who will be with you every step of the way. Discover the dark, hidden secrets of the character's mind and free them from their pain. And who knows, perhaps you shall discover some of your own secrets in this poor Character's mind...

From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and - if she's lucky - find her way to a place that feels like home.

Jin & Jan, in an act of mischief, splitted the world in two: the Light World and the Dark World. Now, the intrepid ghost brothers will have to bring back the balance to the world in an exciting adventure that combines puzzle and skill. Jin follows your instructions, but his twin Jan always move to the opposite. You will need to plan every step carefully, since the enemies react to your movements: some of them move in real time and the others move as you take action. Jin and Jan will take you through increasingly difficult levels, where you will be defeated and learn. Every challenge surpassed will take you a little closer to mastering this peculiar duo.