The evening Inbox continues the debate on when to release the PS5 and Xbox Two, as one reader struggles with video game pronunciations.
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Everyone loves the dog
So we’re finally getting into a busy bit of the year, what with Easter coming, and the biggest game of them all is Far Cry 5. I keep seeing tons of adverts for it, but I’ve not seen it mentioned a lot in the Inbox or by any of my Friends List pals. I am looking forward to it, but I’m worried that it’s just going to be the same game as before but with a different setting.
Far Cry 4 was technically really good but it was blatantly the same game again, and I found myself getting bored of it after a few hours despite loving Far Cry 3 and playing it for ages. I think you mentioned you had the game already, GC, so can you say how much it’s different from the last game?
I think I’m almost looking forward to Far Cry Arcade more than anything. I do feel this is a series that suits being a bit more silly and unrealistic and I thought that would be the direction it went after 3. But it didn’t, and even had a caveman game without dinosaurs (but apparently trippy shaman magic was okay). Far Cry 5 actually seems more serious than ever, what with the whole religious theme, and yet the bit I’m most looking forward to is having a dog as my team-mate.
Franky
GC: We can’t really say anything until the review embargo on Monday.
Talking pirates
I know everyone seems caught up with Sea Of Thieves at the moment but I’d just like to mention that The Curse Of Monkey Island is now available at GOG. This is always a tricky one to get working on a modern PC so I’m glad to see it get what is probably the closest it’ll ever see to a remaster.
It’s an underrated classic as far as I’m concerned, and very unusual in that it’s the third entry that’s still really good and yet it wasn’t done by any of the original creators. Although Ron Gilbert does acknowledge it as being good, even though he had nothing to do with it.
It’s such a funny game and I love the voices and 2D animation. Pirates are obviously a good theme but I’m concerned that Sea Of Thieves doesn’t really seem to have any story or dialogue in it. Or am I missing something? Pirates without the funny talking (or parrots, apparently) just doesn’t seem right and yet the three good Monkey Island games has everything.
Gage
GC: You can talk to the merchants and shop keepers, via dialogue selections that look very LucasArts-esque, but they haven’t got anything particularly interesting, or funny, to say.
You truly belong with us among the clouds
So the Star Wars: Battlefront II update has gone live and… this all makes a lot more sense now. It’s a bit of a fudge, so I doubt it was ever what it was supposed to be, but it works and makes you feel like you’re unlocking things on purpose and working towards something – instead of just playing for ages and never sure what you’re going to get out of it.
I don’t know what these cosmetic loot boxes are going to be but if it’s just emotes and victory poses I don’t see that as very interesting myself. Considering how many aliens and characters there are in the Star Wars universe you’d think there’d be an infinite number of cosmetic choices but all we seem to get is the same four aliens and Stormtroopers with different coloured paint on them.
As usual the Star Wars licence seems to be grossly underused and I’ve not a lot of faith EA are going to do anything but make it look prettier and prettier. The new Bespin map looks amazing and that ray-tracing demo is something else. I just wish they worried about something other than what it looks like.
Mancha
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House styles
If there is a Sony formula then as far as I’m concerned it’s a good thing. I think there’s obviously a lot of co-operation between the different Sony studios, but I’m not convinced they’re purposefully trying to make their games seem similar they’re probably just all bouncing around the same ideas.
I do think the guy was right in saying that Sony has as specific style to their games though. Nintendo’s is colourful and charming, but Sony’s tend to be more serious and with more detailed graphics. And that’s good because they’re both very different. I think part of the problem with Microsoft giving up on first party is that they haven’t really got a style anymore.
They used to be the shooter box, which was fine, but now they’re not really anything. At least Sea Of Thieves looks distinctive, but it’s the only one like that and I don’t really cartoon see Halo going cartoon.
You could extend this to a lot of publishers I think too, as Ubisoft certainly has a signature thing going on with the Tom Clancy games and Platinum have their own look and feel even when they’re doing completely different games. I think it’s good a thing.
Dagon
The next madness
Completely agree with Dalglish’s letter about the next gen consoles. It is to me utter madness to even consider new consoles at the moment. The list of reasons why is almost too long to mention but includes the fact that the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are still brand new, the fact that they made very little difference and brand-new consoles are likely to be the same, the enormous cost involved for fans, the fact that games are not in anyway pushing the current hardware yet, and the lack of any obvious killer new feature.
All you’re going to get is graphics that are so imperceptibly better that you’ll need a 5,000 word Digital Foundry essay to explain to you what the difference is. I didn’t need to read anything to tell the difference between the SNES and the N64 or the PS1 and the PS2, I just look with my eyes. If that’s not possible with a new gen there’s no point making it.
Dalglish is right when he says that this benefits nobody, not even the games companies. It’s the stupidest idea since the last self-destructive nonsense the industry came up with (loot boxes, I guess) and anyone that encourages – and I’m sure they will – is crazy.
Zebra
Number Wars: Episode IX
I read Dalglish’s letter with interest and while he does raise an interesting point about it being a bit too early to release next gen systems hardware can quickly improve and PC hardware compared to console hardware is vastly superior.
If we are going to see next gen systems sooner there are numerous upgrades that need to be done. The memory at the very least should be 16GB, or if possible 24GB, to give developers more leeway to build larger games with extra content and a boost in memory speed. The processing unit should at least offer 12 high speed cores so that running at 4K and high frame rates won’t be an issue.
There are decent GPUs that have now hit the market capable of this although Sony and Microsoft could consider an optional multi-GPU version years later after hardware price drops of these systems for anyone wanting to run games slightly above 4K, which will happen in the future for PC gamers and console gamers alike.
Finally, the hard drive should have at least 16MB of cache, as applications do tend to run faster with more cache. Just my views on this and I welcome replies and further discussion
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
Face lift
I still don’t understand why Rockstar never used the tech from L.A. Noire ever again. I know they fell out with the developer but they own the brand and I’m pretty sure the face tech was actually from a separate company. So why not use it in GTA? Not that GTA had bad animation or anything but whatever you thought of L.A. Noire I don’t think anyone had a bad word to say about the graphics.
Although I also agree that it seem madness to start a new generation of consoles so soon I am keen on the Epic Games Shine demo. In fact, I almost wish developers would be forced to use it because that reader’s right: I bet Bethesda don’t use it and pretend they don’t use it. But their terrible faces drive me made in their games when they’d be so easy to fix.
Gengis
GC: Technically the face tech was by a different company, but they were a sister company to the developer. So not only did Rockstar fall out with them but they’re now kaput. But you’re right, it does all seem a terrible waste.
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Important matters
I wrote in a while back saying I don’t pronounce Deus Ex correctly. I say ‘Deuce Ex’, not ‘Day-us Ex’.
Another I know I say incorrectly is ‘Square en-ix’ and not ‘Square ee-nix’ as it should be.
For some reason today, my mind flicked back to my time at school, high school if memory serves, on other games related pronunciation arguments.
The top down shooter X-Out, a boy was adamant it was pronounced ‘Cross Out, pretty sure it was ‘Ex Out’.
Then there were the two Street Fighter name disagreements.
I said Guile, as in the word guile, and ‘Chun Lee’.
He said ‘Gill-ee’ and ‘Chun Lie’
I’m sure you will set this most important matter straight once and for all.
Rolph
PS: There was another on the Amstrad 6128, a boy was utterly convinced he had been playing ‘Grand Prix’ and not ‘Grond Pree’.
GC: X-Out is definitely Cross Out. And every time you see an X in a Japanese game’s title it’s also ‘cross’, which is presumably where they got the idea from. We’ve never really thought about it before but we’re pretty sure it is ‘en-ix’. Japanese words are, generally, made up of combinations of a vowel and a consonant. Once you realise this pronunciation is surprisingly easy, considering how complex the rest of the language is. The word we’re still not clear on is Machina, as in Deus Ex Machina. Most people seem to pronounce it ‘Mack-ina’, but we’re not sure if that’s an Americanism or not. If there are any Latin experts reading do let us know.
Inbox also-rans
Can’t tell you how hyped I am to see Cyberpunk 2077 at E3, and I love the fact that we haven’t seen anything of it yet. CD Projekt have got to be the most gamer-friendly company out of that and this would be one of the few games I’d ever pre-order just on their rep.
Mako
F1 2015 is free on PC on Humble Bundle for the next 48 hours from time of writing (Thursday evening). Here is the link.
Andrew J.
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader R1CH5TER, and asks what is your most played console or computer?
What video game format have you spent the most time on overall, over the years, and how comes? Do you count it as your favourite format and do you still have it plugged in, ready to play, today? Do you keep your old consoles and if not do you regret getting rid of them?
How interested are you in retro gaming and what benefits, if any, do you feel there are in owning the original console itself – instead of a replica or just an emulation of its games?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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The small print
New Inbox updates appear twice daily, every weekday morning and afternoon. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
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