The morning Inbox is frustrated at the lack of modern day shooters, as one reader looks forward to Prey DLC on the moon.
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PLEASE NOTE: The main GameCentral team are away at a God Of War press event today, so there will be no evening Inbox. Normal service will resume tomorrow.
First time hunter
We’ll, I’ve done it. I’ve finally forced my self to play a Souls game and… I love it! As someone that is not generally very good at video games I have been intrigued but put off by the Souls games and never actually bought one. But now that Bloodborne is free on PS Plus this month I really don’t have any excuse not to, so I dived in.
I’ve been reading about the game a lot in the Inbox and elsewhere, so I knew that it was going to seem near impossible at the beginning and oh boy that was not wrong! The first three hours or so are just punishing. I wasn’t getting anywhere, I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong or where I was supposed to be going, and was convinced that I’d made irreversible mistakes with my character and weapon.
But then it all started to come together: I started taking things slowly, worked out how to avoid enemies and get them on their own, and I’m now just past the main high street. I died there as well, but I feel like I’m actually beginning to get the ‘feel’ for the game, it’s combat and the logic behind everything. I don’t know if I’ll get to the end but I’m loving the atmosphere and am committed to doing my best.
Everyone tells me Bloodborne is the best PlayStation 4 exclusive and I’m determined to find out for myself!
Gauge
PS: So far I don’t really see anything too Lovecraftian in the game, does that all come later?
GC: The Lovecraftian elements only really become obvious about halfway through.
Waiting for the future
Have to agree with the reader about Battlefield V and the lack of helicopters and general problem with the WWII setting. I just do not understand why everyone has to be chasing exactly the same idea. We’ve got plenty of different shooters, heck Call Of Duty has multiple different sub-series, so why can’t they all just specialise in a different time period?
How did we go through three or four Call Of Duties that were only sci-fi and not have a mix of WWII and modern day? How can we have had four Battlefield games (if you count Battlefront) and not one of them set in the modern day? I wouldn’t even know what to play nowadays for a shooter that was at least relatively realistic. Rainbow Six Siege I suppose, but that’s such a specific kind of game it’s not really what I’m after.
I realise they’re all chasing the current trends and whatever, but really. Can we not have a bit of forward thinking? Here’s hoping that Battlefield 6 in 2020 will be back to the modern day. By which point the modern day will be pretty sci-fi itself I imagine. Is that what they were waiting for?!
Captain
Alternative ending
Appreciate the review of Life Is Strange: Before The Storm’s bonus episode, GC. I really love the series and like you will be very sorry to see Chloe and Max (and Amber!) go. I don’t usually like these sort of games at all, but I got the first episode free and it really drew me in. The decision making is important and the episodes are just the right length that you want to tune in for more, if you get my meaning.
But one thing in your review that caught my eye is the idea that Deck Nine will keep making games with the current cast and Dontnod will make new sequels with all-new ones. Is there any actual proof that that’s what they’re going to do? I would be all for that. The alternative ending for the first game makes a direct sequel totally possible and I would love to see more. I mean, Max does have time travel powers, she can still make Chloe happy!
Gatchaman
GC: There’s no proof at all, it’s just something that occurred to us while writing the review. We hope that’s the approach they take though.
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Single-player only
I know GC wasn’t that keen but for those that enjoyed last year’s Prey it looks like Bethesda is teasing some DLC that might be set on the moon. There doesn’t seem to be any more information than that at the moment, but I don’t really care what it is as long as it’s more.
I do get the complaints about Prey – the combat is not good and the loading and respawning monsters are a pain – but to me it feels like the Metroid Prime game we’ll never get: more adult and serious and with yet with some really great level design.
If there is DLC I think that will be a bit of a surprise, which actually makes me a bit more optimistic that Bethesda aren’t ‘giving up’ on single-player only games despite all the flops last year. I hope not, because they’re the only ones so far that haven’t been dragged into the loot box/multiplayer trap and I’d rather they stay that way.
Gort
Success and failure
It’s great that Monster Hunter: World has been such a hit but it’s a good job really because after making a mess of Street Fighter V and Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite Capcom must’ve been a bit of trouble there. I still can’t believe what a disaster the Marvel game was in particular. It really doesn’t play that bad, but it’s so cheap looking I’ve seen indie games with better graphics.
Presumably Marvel was to blame for the lack of X-Men and other good characters, but the whole thing was just so badly put together. I don’t see how anyone sensible could’ve looked at the game as it was coming through and think that it was either going to be a hit or would do anything but tarnish Capcom’s reputation.
Problem is now that with two failures I don’t think we’re going to see any new fighting games in a hurry, and ironically the success of Monster Hunter: World is only going to make it even less likely.
Bonzai
Portable stability
Do any of you fine folks know if Nintendo have dropped firmware update support for the 3DS? It’s been five months since the last update, and prior to that they were pretty much every few months (albeit for ‘system stability’ – must be the most stable system ever).
Regards the actual games, there’s still some life left in my 3DS yet (I parked Metroid: Samus Returns when I got my SNES Mini), but I always thought it a shame that the last wave of 3D Classics was never released in Europe – it would be fun to play Alien Syndrome and Thunder Force III with added 3D. It wouldn’t hurt Nintendo to put these last few on the EU eShop.
On another topic, your Secret Of Mana remake review made for interesting reading. A disappointment then, but is the points-based levelling system still the same? I’m currently on with the original (halfway through Pure Land, party level ~80), and grinding magic and weapons past about level 6 is truly gruelling (especially all weapons for all characters, from a completist perspective). It’s worth getting magic to level 8+, though, for the enhanced effects and amused satisfaction of that big red ‘999’.
Graham Wade
GC: We assume they just do the updates when they’re needed, and it’s not as if any of them have changed anything very significant. As for Secret Of Mana, the gameplay works the same way as the original.
Indefensible action
I really wanted to write in and defend Metal Gear Survive from what seemed to be unfair criticism, but… I can’t. I do think it’s not as bad as some are making out, but I have to admit it is becoming a real slog. I wanted to see the weirder Mist style stuff but I just don’t think I can be bothered carrying on. I think I’ve played for about five hours so far, and it just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
As a Metal Gear fan I hate to give up on any of the games, even if it has nothing to do with Kojima, but I just don’t think they should’ve made this one. I guess given how much of a flop it is that they probably won’t again.
Mr Brown
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Start again
Those sales for Destiny 2 are actually kind of shocking. I know it’s still more than most games, but it’s such a drop from the first game I can’t imagine anyone is going to be happy about it at Activision. The first one had to rely on The Taken King to redeem itself but I don’t think any expansion can get it out of the hole it’s currently in.
If it was me I’d fast-track another sequel as quickly as possible and just try to draw a veil over Destiny 2 as quickly as possible. The thought of another year or two of overpriced expansions that bring nothing new would actually put me off ever touching it again, rather than the opposite.
Or maybe… Bungie could just give up and make a different game. I know business is all about brands but Destiny basically grew out of nowhere and was an instant hit. It’s actually the sequel, that was by then a known thing, that didn’t do so well. So just make something else that’s similar but different. I wish more developers would do that to be honest. I’m still disappointed that Naught Dog keep making nothing but sequels.
Ishi
Inbox also-rans
I know this is literally non-news but what has happened to Borderlands 3? We haven’t heard anything but they were knocking those sequels out like nobody’s business before. Borderlands 2 was over five years ago now, which seems mad.
Preston
Was there ever a good Tron game, GC? I was watching the sequel again the other day and it really is a fantastic looking film.
Coolsbane
GC: Tron 2.0, made before the film sequel, was quite good. The vehicle sections were pretty bad though and it was still a fairly generic shooter at heart.
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Tom Meadows, who asks what single game have you put the most hours into?
Some games actually list the number of hours (and days) you’ve played them for, but even if you have to estimate what one would you say you’ve played the most and over what kind of time frame? How did the game hold your attention for so long and do you consider it to be your favourite video game?
Do you tend to play a small number of games for long periods of time or try to play as many as possible and never stay on one for too long? Do you think you were addicted to the game you spent the longest time on, and do you regret playing it for so long?
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