The evening Inbox ponders over what ordinary people thought about E3, as one reader recommends the Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker demo.
To join in with the discussions yourself email [email protected]
PLEASE NOTE: Now that were back from E3 and the schedules are getting back to normal we are running out of useable Inbox letters and Readers Features. If we do not have enough emails soon we wont be able to run an evening Inbox tomorrow or the usual four Readers Features at the weekend. The amount of submissions do usually slow down during the summer, but hopefully with all the E3 announcements recently youll have plenty to talk about…
Tripling down
One thing that surprises me nobody has been talking about on the Inbox is the fact that we had three Gears Of War games announced at E3. Three?! I dont know if the lack of chatter is a sign that nobody cared about one, let alone three, but I do wonder what Microsoft was thinking. Especially as the trailer for Gears Of War 5 was so underwhelming. I played the fourth one, but all the time I was watching the trailer I was trying to work out who all the characters were and whether Id seen them before of if they were new.
I think Microsoft is really overestimating how much people care about the game and particularly about the story and characters. I mean, I have zero interest in the plot or anything and as Gears Of War 4 proved the novelty of the third person combat faded out years ago.
I still dont really understand what the Funko Pop mobile game is, and nor do I care, but the XCOM clone thing also looked pretty boring. I mean, XCOM already looks a lot like Gears Of War anyway so while Mario + Rabbids was a fun novelty I cant see this being anything other than XCOM Lite. Am I being too down on the whole franchise or am I right and just nobody cares?
Gooch
PS: Also, anyone notice theyre just calling it Gears now? Maybe so people dont get it confused with God Of War?
Real life fan
Another sobering look at what real people are interested in when it comes to games, although that list of trending Twitter subjects does kind of hint that most of the people tweeting are pretty young. (And I dont mean that as a Nintendo is for babies jab.)
It was kind of shocking to see Cyberpunk 2077 not in the top five but Death Stranding was. I mean I thought the demo was really boring and killed whatever interest I had in the game, but I guess the Hideo Kojima name is pushing it? Except I never met anyone in real life that really cared that much about Metal Gear or seemed to know who Kojima was. And Id say the so-so sales of most of the series kind of bears that out.
So really what those Twitter trends tell me are whats popular with Internet hipsters and youngsters, who like to talk about games but dont necessarily buy them. Unless someone is going to suggest that Death Stranding is going to sell more than Call Of Duty or FIFA?
Stimpson
Job risks
I worry sometimes about the museum guards in Uncharted. Im sure that they could have gone to work for unsavoury mercenary types but theyre peace-loving types with families who wanted to take pride in treasures they guard and come home every day to their loved ones. Until that mass murderer Nathan Drake arrived to throw em of the rooftops with aplomb.
Cant say I ever felt too guilty. Hey, doesnt Indiana Jones get away with this all the time? But The Last Of Us made things more visceral, with Joel becoming further and further out there. The scene with the guy tied to the radiator… but then the end scene is being painted as all or nothing. Id suggest youve got someone in Joel worn down with age, the weight of seeing it all before, the hero whose optimism bled out with his daughters death and whose trust in experts and rebellion long since fizzled away against the certainty of the next ration ticket. Until one day that cracked against the veneer of Ellie.
Its taken as read the cure would work. Why would a bloke like Joel believe that? Why sacrifice a child for high and mighty ideals amidst the wreckage of high and mighty ideals?
Rubycon5
GC: We dont remember Indiana Jones ever hurting a security guard, just Nazis.
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To be this good takes ages
I suppose I can add myself to the camp of those that were disappointed with Nintendos E3. I dont have too much time for gaming these days, but had to get a Switch shortly after launch to play Zelda – Im still not sure what I think of it. It is undoubtably one of the best games of all time, but I sorely missed dungeons.
Anyway, I cant get enthusiastic for Smash Bros. I had the Wii version, which nobody ever seems to talk about, and barely played it. Im tempted by Mario Tennis, but not at full price. Super Mario Party might be fun with friends I guess. Metroid Prime 4 is the one Im waiting for, but I feel that there should be more tantalising titles on the horizon. Id like another Luigis Mansion, Mario Golf, Earthbound, a Mario 3D world port, a 2D Zelda, a 2D Metroid.
I thought that a hybrid console was supposed to allow Nintendos developers to focus on one system, rather than a portable and a home console, but there really doesnt seem to be an increase in the amount of games theyre making.
Matt
GC: Itll take a while for those changes to filter through, which they clearly havent yet.
Milestone trailer
The Cyberpunk 2077 trailer was outstanding and I hope we see footage of the 50 minute demo. Every now and then you play or see something that really blows your socks off. For me thats things like Super Mario 64, Halo, Dark Souls, Resident Evil 7, X-Wing mission on PlayStation VR, and the GTA V next gen reveal trailer.
The Cyberpunk trailer is right up there. I think theres optimism as well that the final product on the next gen consoles will match the trailer and we wont see a massive Watch Dogs downgrade. On the gameplay side I think most have complete faith in CD Projekt Red to deliver.
It is though a huge incentive to me to make a gaming PC my main platform for the next gen, I want to play that game completely uncompromised. But thats a decision Im hoping I wont have to make until November 2020 at the earliest.
Simundo Jones
Wheres Joel?
Whilst I understand people defending the tone of the The Last Of Us Part II, as Chris in Belfast pointed out its part of the game setting and natural story/character progression. But it just doesnt do much for me. Granted Ill be picking it up day one, but thats purely due to the merits of the first game. I want to find out how the decision at the end shaped their relationship.
And where is Joel? This truly puts a downer on my hype for Part II. Yes, Im sure hes in it. And revealing him probably kills off fuelling the Internets obsession with plot theories. But for me personally. Only showing one half of a double act makes it seem like a spin-off. Not a full sequel.
Dont get me wrong. Im not putting it down. Its just not doing its job of promoting hype. Ive got more excited reading other peoples thoughts on the matter.
TIGHTasRsols (PSN ID)
GC: Our theory is that hes dead and that a lot of the game is actually played out in flashbacks, like the gameplay section from E3.
Moving on
Im in two minds about Life Is Strange 2 not featuring Max and Chloe. On the one hand I respect Dontnod for not doing the obvious sequel and dooming the girls to a life of unresolved plot points, but on the other hands I certainly feel the first game ended on a cliffhanger and I want to see them have a happy ending.
Im hoping that theyll at least get a cameo in the new game or some indication of whats happening to them and that they can be okay. The problem was that Before The Storm was just too good and now I feel even more sorry for Chloe. So I wouldnt mind if that same team did a sequel as well.
Coach
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Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Cooking solo
I agree playing Overcooked mainly on single-player is a strange choice but I also found it really addictive and ended up getting three stars on every level, including the Jungle and Christmas add-ons. I did play an hour or so with my wife and it was good fun but she definitely didnt care about scores or progression and unfortunately those elements sucked me in.
Playing on the Switch substantially heightened my compulsion to get 100%. Starting a session on that machine is like picking up and unlocking your phone, which is why it gets so much action in my house in terms of indie and big budget games alike.
As well as the rapid-restart style Id often associate with games like OlliOlli and Rayman Legends/Origins there was something pleasing to me about how no frills Overcooked was, with a story that was essentially typed out in small bits of dialogue told by rubbish character models with minimal animation.
Again, it sounds weird but its a bit reassuring to think the developers have focused on the important areas, as nobody is going to care about story or cut scenes in this game (I rarely care about them in any game). Its maybe akin to how you dont see elaborate (or any) facial animation in games by From Software and you wonder how much money other studios must spend in that area, usually to mixed results.
Panda
GC: Theres nothing wrong with being weird, if youre enjoying yourself.
Inbox also-rans
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is one of my favourite games on the Wii U and you can now play a demo of it on Switch and 3DS. I highly recommend it. Hope a sequel is not too far off in the future.
Andrew J.
Currently playing: Thimbleweed Park (Xbox One) and Axiom Verge (PS Vita)
Hello GameCentral people. Will you be doing an Unravel Two review soon?
mch2010uk (PSN ID)
GC: Well try, but we really dont think EA were doing themselves any favours with the surprise release. Our to do list is off the charts at the moment.
This weeks Hot Topic
This years E3 has just ended and so theres only one obvious subject for this weekends Inbox: what did you think of it and what game do you think looked the best?
Dozens of new games were seen in detail for the first time but which ones were you most impressed by and what did you find a disappointment? Which company do you think put on the best E3 conference and do you think there was a definitive winner of E3 2018?
How do you think this E3 compared to previous years and what were you the most disappointed to find wasnt at the show? Please make it clear in your email whether your message is intended for the Hot Topic itself or just the weekday Inbox.
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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The small print
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