The Monday Inbox finds that £70 PS5 games are already getting major discounts, as readers are relived that Oculus Quest 2 turned out well.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Long-term investment
So Microsoft has put the cat amongst the pigeons by buying Bethesda but as has been pointed out it looks like it is going to be a long, long time before they get anything out of it other than good headlines. Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo are timed PlayStation exclusives, ironically, and Doom has just had a new sequel. Fallout 5 hasn’t even been mentioned yet and Elder Scrolls 6 is said to be years away.
We might, if we’re lucky, see Starfield next year but it’s just as likely to be 2022 or later. Maybe there’ll be some smaller title before that but that is a long time before Microsoft start to see their new purchase work for them. Not anybody’s fault but they couldn’t have picked a worse time to buy Bethesda, given their schedules at the moment.
It’s Elder Scrolls 6 I’m most interested in though. It’s crazy that they’ve gone this long with a sequel to Skyrim and yet I don’t see any chance of a release scheduled before 2023 at the earliest. Not with what Bethesda has already said and with Starfield known to be coming out before it. Loved to be proven wrong but Microsoft is going to be waiting a long time for that $7.5 billion to be earnt back.
Katanga
Shine get?
I’d be interested to know what people think of Super Mario Sunshine on 3D All-Stars, now that they have had a chance to play it.
I have the GameCube version, but I haven’t played it at any great length for a long time. Despite the difficulty level, with some levels being incredibly frustrating (I’m probably not as good at games as I was 18 years ago), I’m really enjoying playing it properly again. I think the new control system works absolutely fine. I would like to know whether other veterans still like the game and are happy with the controls and also whether newcomers like the game or are put off by its faults and the difficulty level.
John
Bug collection
I really enjoyed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and I hope another one is in the works, I believe it sold well so fingers crossed. It will also give Respawn the opportunity to fix all the bugs as it’s one of the most enjoyably janky games I think I played. It has some poorly implemented control and design aspects, like the awful slide sections and terrible, hard to read map which is compounded by the lack of any fast travel but on top of that it just has lots of bugs.
Here’s a selection I gathered just playing on Sunday in pursuit of the platinum Trophy. Would still heartily recommend the game though.
Simundo
GC: It did very well so another is all but guaranteed. We imagine the bugs were a result of having no leeway on the Christmas/movie tie-in release date.
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Wonderous therapy
Cute story about playing Bloodborne. I admire you for writing it. Personally, I’ve played Bloodborne in the past five years for about, oh, 10,000 hours and am now a master of the game. It has become highly therapeutic for me. If I have, say, a bad day at work, I put on Bloodborne, enter PvP mode and then shoot my opponent right in the face. Works every time. Sheer joy. No need to see a shrink. Emotional problems solved.
Question for you… when you fight bosses, do you ever call for help using your Beckoning Bell? The experience fighting bosses is always best shared. That includes the DLC and dungeon bosses too. Cheers.
Rich L. in Connecticut
Vinyl revolution
So then, GC it’s been reported that most next gen console sales have been for a disc version. I wonder if it is because of the rise in next gen game prices? For me, the problem with digital-only consoles, lets be honest, is the price of the games. Everything you buy has to be a download, from films to games, so prices won’t really change because companies know you can only play if you buy from PS store or Xbox store. Which means you either pay what they want or you have a little ornament till the end of time on your TV.
Whereas a disc version you can shop around. Discs do get cheaper a lot faster. I find if you don’t like the game or finish everything you want to do you can trade it in and if a mate wants to borrow it you give him a case rather then your log-in details. Is this going to be the gen where physical copis start making a comeback and digital starts dropping in sales? What’s your take on why disc version is more popular?
David
GC: You shouldn’t judge anything from the launch of a console. We don’t know how many of each model were available and given the Xbox Series S is technically inferior most people buying now are going to be hardcore gamers that want the Xbox Series X, disc drive or not. There has been nothing to suggest that digital game sales aren’t going to continue to rise as a percentage of overall sales.
Going nowhere
It’s over 10 years since Peter Molyneux presented Milo via Kinect at a TED talk, and I just wondered, in terms of the concept of AI seemingly responding to a player’s actions, where things have gone since? I recognise Peter has always been a bit (well maybe a lot) of hype over substance (or dream over reality) but the potential of player interaction to game reaction seems to have been lost/forgotten.
Even VR seems to use 3D immersion rather than take you into a place where you actually influence the on-screen effects. So where did the vision go (beyond Fable: The Journey) and, as we move into another generation of consoles, is anyone developing games along the same lines (albeit obviously utilising a different interface than Kinect)?
Steve, South Wales
GC: Considering how much of Milo was smoke and mirrors we’re not sure the concept counts as ever having got off the ground.
Can you dig it?
I’m genuinely concerned as to whether my PlayStation 3 digital download of the PlayStation 2 game The Warriors will be lost forever if it doesn’t convert to PlayStation 4 from PlayStation 3 of what was a PlayStation 2 game representation of a late ‘70s movie that found a cult following from the ‘80s onwards.
If I skip the PlayStation 4 and opt for the PlayStation 5, will said console support this digital download, that was faithfully and legally purchased from PSN store in 2012, into 2021 and beyond?
Ah, to be a retro gamer.
Time, console generations, legalities ad infinitum…..
D Dubya
GC: It might be best to pick up a physical copy as, to compound the problems, we don’t think Rockstar have the film rights anymore. They only seem to be a few pounds on eBay.
Virtual possibilities
I’m so relieved with your positive Oculus Quest 2 review. I’d put money down for it a month ago based on a couple of early reviews but always hold my breath for GameCentral’s view on something which I often take as pretty much close to gospel.
I have loved the PlayStation VR experience while simultaneously being aware of its drawbacks. I’d say the technology is currently at the Amstrad CPC 464 stage, however as far as I’m concerned virtual reality is the future of gaming (and other entertainments!). For anyone who hasn’t experienced it yet I’d tell them to jump right in. You won’t regret it. The first time I tried it was as close to a mind-blowing experience as the first time I took Epona for a gallop in Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.
Great stuff as always from the GameCentral team. I don’t think I’d be exaggerating if I said I can sense your excitement at the possibilities for the technology.
Chris
Nice review of the Oculus Quest 2. It’s definitely on my wish list to replace my aging Oculus Rift (which was worth it for the amount of joy and exercise I got out of Best Saber alone).
Just thought I should point out that you can use any decent USB-C cable for the Oculus link functionality, rather than paying the rather exorbitant price of the official lead.
TheMilkybarKid (steamed)
Bewitching entertainment
I don’t think I have seen it mentioned in the Inbox before but just want to write in to praise Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. For those who don’t know it’s a spin-off of The Witcher series and the gameplay is based on the in-game card game Gwent, mixed in with elements of choices and consequences like tThe Banner Saga.
I finished the game last night and clocked an impressive 34 hours. Even if you don’t like Gwent I would still recommend you give it a try.
Eyetunes (PSN ID)
PS: Now on to Wargroove.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Art house gaming
Lots of next gen talk at the mo’ so thought I’d bring it back to the true essence of gaming… aka indie games. Nice I Am Dead review, it’s been on my radar for a while and have added it to the wishlist for the inevitable sale purchase. Also the reader feature of Spiritfairer last weekend was a nice little review too… was hoping GC would pick that one up themselves as I’d say it’s a contender for a spot in the end of year top 20, if only for it’s uncommonly touching storytelling… as far as video games are concerned.
The Switch is on a remarkable run of indie classics at the moment, just looking on Metacritic there’s Hades and Ori And The Will Of The Wisps in the top 10 ever games on the system with 90+ scores and they both came out the same day this month (‘cos video games).
Then you have the likes of Hotshots Racing, Carrion, Streets Of Rage 4, CrossCode, To The Moon, Lonely Mountains, Short Hike, Bug Fables, Last Campfire, and Kentucky Route Zero from the start of the year. I’m sure I’ve missed a few more but all games worth anyone’s time.
Indie gaming can get short shrift from some gamers, even today. Recently I saw a user comments on a Hades review that said it looked like a ‘Flash game’ and why would you play it when gaming has matured enough to produce The Last Of Us Part 2 and Read Dead Redemption 2…. but it really can be the art house cinema of gaming, where the good ideas and nuance really are.
Marc
PS: Surely licensing will put the brakes on a Dreamcast mini… without Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio (and maybe even Rez and Daytona USA) in terms of music and Virtua Tennis with the players it’ll feel a little half-baked. They need to put those games out as remasters, I’d certainly pick them up again with higher resolutions and stable framerates on current gen machines for a reasonable fee… loved playing Jet Set Radio again on the PS Vita.
GC: Sega has re-released them with different soundtracks, but it’s not the same (and regardless of that Jet Set Radio has aged like warm milk).
Inbox also-rans
I got an email from base.com, already PlayStation 5 games are not £70: Spider-Man: Miles Morales £48.85, Spider-Man Ultimate Edition £63.85, Demon’s Souls £63.95, Godfall £58.85, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition £28.25.
TWO MACKS
GC: The standard edition of Miles Morales and Devil May Cry 5 were never supposed to be £70. That Godfall discount is definitely interesting though.
So PlayStation 4 backwards compatibility is almost 100% but everything else has been left to hang? Yeah, that’s about what I expected.
Springboard
This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Paulie, who asks you to imagine your dream video game mash-up.
If you could combine two or more games into one new title what would it be and how would it play? Would it be two already similar games or two completely different ones? And would the new game remain in the same genre or adapt to be something new?
Alternatively, what outside character would you like to see cameo in your favourite game, regardless of whether it would make sense or not? Do you like the idea of crossovers, and games like Smash Bros., and how else do you think they could work?
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
MORE: Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: How many video games do you own?
MORE: Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: How many video games do you own?
MORE: Games Inbox: PS5 vs. Xbox Series X update, PS5 teardown impressions, and Mario Kart 9 for Switch
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