The morning Inbox is upset there aren’t more great British video game companies, as one reader asks about Mario Party on Switch.
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Business case
I see a lot of people calling for Sony to accept cross-play in Fortnite and other games, but I’m not sure they really understand why Sony isn’t doing it. Microsoft used to refuse to do it too, back in the Xbox 360 era when they were on top and allowing other consoles to imply they were equal to them did nothing but help the competition. Now Sony are in the same position and it shouldn’t be surprising they don’t want it to seem as if the Xbox One is on par with the PlayStation 4.
It’s even more important for them now I think because the reason the PlayStation 4 got such a huge lead over the Xbox One is not because it was much more powerful or had some exclusive killer app game but purely because it got enough momentum that everyone wanted to own the same console as their mates. If cross-play had been a thing then that wouldn’t have have been a factor and Sony wouldn’t have the lead they do now.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d like cross-play but if I was Sony I wouldn’t do it either and I think some gamers are being a bit naive when they demand it. I mean, maybe Sony will give in if they’re made to look the villain in some concerted campaign against them but even then I wouldn’t bet on it. Once again people forget that these companies are out to make money and that’s all they care about. And the ones that don’t go out of business pretty quick.
Cranston
Doing a Destiny
Really enjoying Sea Of Thieves so far, it’s a real breath of fresh to play something so bright and colourful and relatively non-violent. Well, maybe not non-violent, but definitely non-aggressive. Everyone in the game seems really friendly and chatty, even the ones that are trying to kill you, and just messing around with your mates is great fun no matter what you’re doing.
I do think that reader is being a bit quick to dismiss concerns about the lack of player progression. Unlocking new missions or cosmetic options is not really progression as most people understand it and in the back of my head I’m already worrying about the repetition (I’ve dug up the same treasure in the same place a number of times now) and lack of variety.
If the game was left as it is I think it’d get old pretty quick, so everything depends on how often Rare update it. They seem to realise this, from what they’ve been saying, so I’m very optimistic. But it’d be wrong to suggest this isn’t in danger of ‘doing a Destiny 2’ if it drops the ball.
Iceman
Great British gaming
Great news about the Nintendo Switch sales, a really incredible turnaround for Nintendo. I read that Japanese story you linked to as well and it’s just fascinating to see how important Nintendo is to the whole Japanese economy. I just wish we had our games companies in the UK we could be equally proud of.
I mean there’s, what? Rare, Codemasters, and… Rockstar North (who seem desperate to pretend they’re not British). Those are the only big ones I can think. The guys that do the Lego games, I guess?
I know there’s lots of smaller companies and indies, but an equivalent of Nintendo? We’re not even close. France has Ubisoft, which is definitely worth bragging about but the only one we had close to that was Eidos and now they’re owned by Square Enix and most of their franchises are in decline. I don’t know that it’s anyone’s fault in particular but it seems like we could be doing a lot better.
Olliephant
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Successful formula
I’m in to minds about the idea of there being a ‘Sony formula’ for their exclusives. On the one hand it doesn’t seem a good idea to try and turn every game into a minor variation of The Last Of Us, especially as that doesn’t really seem to suit God Of War, but on the other hand… most Sony exclusives are really good. I can see how Horizon Zero Dawn uses a lot of the formula but it still feels very different than any of the Naughty Dogs.
And let’s not forget that Sony are increasingly one of the few companies to be putting big money into single-player story games. So I’d much rather they carry on doing that an risk some of them coming out a bit similar. I really don’t think it’s much different to Nintendo having an identifiable style, even when games like Mario and Zelda are very different.
I think we’ll get an idea of where Sony is taking all this when we finally see what they’ve done to Days Gone. If it’s turned into some open world game as a service then they gig might be up anyway, but I hope not.
Tom Meadows
Modern conundrum
I assume I’m not along but… why on Earth are they remastering just the single-player of Modern Warfare 2? Who cares about Call Of Duty single-player so much that they’d go out and buy a remastered version of a random entry? I mean, I guess it’s not random because No Russian is very famous, but I can tell you now I don’t remember any other part of the campaign beyond that.
It just feels so random, the only thing I can think of is that they’re obviously going to do Modern Warfare 3 next, probably this time next year, so that will maybe lead into Modern Warfare 4? That kind of makes sense but to be honest I’d have been fine with a 30 seconds ‘previously on Modern Warfare’ intro. But whatever. I mean, who ever plays the campaigns more than once anyway?
Giddy
Bless us with blood
Not to ask a silly question but do we have any idea when From Software are going to announce their new game? All this talk of Bloodborne in the Inbox has got me desperate to get stuck in again, but I’ve played that game to death, and beyond, and I need to sink my teeth into something new.
Whether it’s Bloodborne 2, a sci-fi game, or that horror sequel theory I don’t really care. I just want something in the SoulsBorne style that can completely take over my life for a few months. I realise that’s literally like asking for punishment but I love these games and can’t get enough of them.
I imagine E3 is probably a good bet but is there actually any proof for that, or can we expect a tease or reveal before that? Just tell me how long I have to wait until I can enjoy getting really annoyed and frustrated by a game again.
Gannet
GC: E3 is as good as guess as any, but we don’t even know who’s publishing the game yet – let alone anything else.
Book-reading party
Great to see so much love for Under The Skin. A friend gave me the book to read many moons ago, saying to read it as it’s by a local writer and it’s set where I stay. Strange reading it as I travel the same road Isserley prowls on a daily basis and go to many of the locations. I’ve also hitchhiked the A9 road on a few occasions. Creeped me well out as I have a very overactive imagination.
Better add something gaming related… any word of a Mario Party game for the Switch? Err, asking for my kids.
TheGunslinger (NN ID)
GC: Not yet, but it’s bound to return at some point.
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Life of leisure
In response to Torro: I am only a semi-retired (or ‘part-tired’) 57-year-old in my eyes but yes, I do reckon I have had a pretty good gaming lifestyle since my 55th birthday. That teenage promise to myself to hang my boots up for a full retirement at that age almost came true.
I obviously find more time for role-playing games, especially open world types, now and spice up my gaming with more variety I guess. Didn’t really do that before as time limitations and I tended to stick to what I knew I would like.
However, that doesn’t mean I now complete more games as I am fairly eclectic in tastes and jump from genre to genre. Today for instance: a Diablo III co-op session with my son this afternoon, as his shift pattern fitted well with my time; Star Wars: Battlefront II story campaign, Pinball Arcade, and Titan Quest all this morning. After chores naturally.
No intention to make you jealous but yes, it seems to work for me (pun not intended).
Big fan GC and have been for years, do keep up the good work.
Spursappeal
Inbox also-rans
I was going to write my assessment of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds mobile on Android… Except I wasn’t able to play it, as for reasons that are truly baffling the game will not connect (or even load for that matter) if it isn’t on a Wi-Fi connection. So much for gaming on the go.
Animated Jak
If you ask me I’d rather have a sequel to DmC than Devil May Cry 5. I know that’s not going to be a popular thought but I really do not like the original Dante, or Nero for that matter.
Cpac
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
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