The Morning Inbox explains why The Outer Worlds on Games Pass is a good thing, as a reader laments the death of Rutger Hauer.
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Time management
Curious as to how many people play MMOs still? I know we always get a few people that are still playing World Of Warcraft but apart from Final Fantasy XIV you never really hear about them anymore. Or at least I never do. But am I just living a sheltered life or have they really dropped in popularity in recent years?
The reason I ask is that news of a new Lord of the Rings caught my interest but then when I found out it was a MMO I was disappointed. Wouldnt people nowadays prefer something like Skyrim or The Witcher 3?
The thing that puts me off is the huge time investment, which is why I also dont play a lot of online games in general. I want to play on my terms, with an endpoint in sight and something that I can play in just three or four hour chunks every now and again. Which sounds like the opposite of an MMO.
Can anyone thats a fan say how much you spend on them at the moment and whether you find that manageable in amongst everything else?
Gantry
Putting on a show
So, with Gamescom coming up next month do we think theres going to be any major news from anyone? Capcom had virtually nothing at E3 and I was really hoping on that Resident Evil 3 remake or Marvel Vs. Capcom 4 or something. So many companies werent really there or didnt put in an effort is there any chance theyll make up for it at Gamescom?
I know theres usually a few announcements but maybe therell be more this time? I know theres some kind of live show by the guy that does The Game Awards so that must surely have been for a reason. I guess theres not much chance that Microsoft or Sony will be there though. By the time the new consoles come out its going to be like a two year gap since either of them had any major news. I dont know why theyre so keen on writing off the current generation so quickly because Im still hyped to play new games (and not spend £400 on new consoles).
I dont think Sony are even planning to have their PSX event this year so I guess all well get is those Nintendo Direct style videos? Its just all a bit too low key for my liking. Its like the publishers are just trying to save money by not putting on an effort.
Royston
PS: I assume GC is going?
GC: We will be going but its hard to say what therell be in terms of news, as many publishers dont seem to have much scheduled. That Opening Night Live event will likely be the best bet, but whether itll be new games or just new footage remains to be seen.
The long wait
Is anyone else getting worried that we still havent heard anything about Bayonetta 3 since it was announced? Nintendo wouldnt cancel it would they? Or might they move it over to the Switch 2 or something? Im sure that must be on the cards for Metroid Prime 4, which I know we were told wouldnt be seen for years.
Maybe Im overreacting but I actually prefer it when they announce a game only six months or so before its out. A delay is fine but otherwise I like to know that when a games announced I have a clear grasp of what it is and good confidence that it actually exists as something that people have already been working on – not just a teaser trailer of nothing, which is obviously what Bayonetta 3 was.
Robin
GC: Platinum have Astral Chain coming out in a few weeks, so they wouldnt have been talking about anything else before thats out anyway.
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Summer strategy
I wonder why theres been so many strategy games released this summer. Is it because theyre something you can easily stop and start and so they thought itd be good for people just lounging around on a sunbed, given a lot of them are on Switch? Thats fine by me if it is, although frankly even thats too much effort in this heat.
Its funny that a reader wrote in saying that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 had a sensible release date for once but then it didnt manage to get to number one. I know it was Amazon Prime Day that week but even so. I cant help wondering whether it wouldve done a lot better nearer Christmas. Especially as youve got Fire Emblem: Three Houses coming out a week later, which means Nintendo are going to focus on that instead.
I know games release dates always seem dumb but I wouldnt want to be the person that had to pick them. Unless youre a really big game you really need a moment of maximum exposure, which basically means Christmas. But if you are a big game you want to be out during gift-giving season, when everyone is indoors in the cold. Which is also Christmas. Its clearly not an easy thing to organise.
Jordan
Real money
No doubt some people will try to dismiss it as Rockstar doing their usual edgelord routine but personally I think its disgusting that GTA Online has an actual working casino that you can just pay money at. Its basically exactly like the real thing but without any chance of winning anything. And Im sure it will be hugely successful and lots of vulnerable people and kids will end up wasting hundreds of pounds on it. Just so Rockstar can buy an extra gold tap in their toilets.
I mean, it is just… a casino. Did they not have any sense of personal responsibility when they built it, knowing how much kids play GTA? Personally I would be all for legislation to regulation microtransactions in general, theyve no positives and a mountain of negatives that ruin gameplay, exploit players, and kill the idea of free unlockables. Down with it all I say.
Andal
Wont somebody think of the profit margins
Whilst Im sure in many ways the UK Government would love to classify lootboxes as gambling to skim of 20% tax – or to show how serious they are in addressing the problem – (but the Commission wont at present, due to their perceived lack of monetary reward/value) I wondered about what other things might be affected by any changes which might include them.
Would sealed collectible cards (e.g. Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Panini stickers, etc.), sealed mini-figures (Lego, Harry Potter, Disney, etc.) and even things like Kinder eggs then be affected too?
Would they, together with games that have an 18+ rating and in-packet/game addiction warnings (wow, that might even affect FIFA sales)?
Thoughts?
Steve, S Wales
GC: What are your thoughts on it? It sounds like youre against doing anything, especially when you talk about products that dont have a history of addiction associated with them.
Saving money
Glad to see GC and other sites pilling on the pressure on Nintendo about the Joy-Con drift issue, especially as we now have it much worse than America. Hopefully well see them change policy in the UK in the next few days, including refunds for people that paid for repairs, but I wouldnt bet on it without people getting more upset.
That reader was right when he said Nintendo are just as bad as any other company when they want to be. Their particular problem is penny-pinching and this is a prime example of that.
Dex3031
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