The morning Inbox wonders what GTA would be like by any other name, as one reader worries about Shenmue IIIs budget.
To join in with the discussions yourself email [email protected]
Blind buy
I was talking to a guy at work who, as with all his games, has bought Fallout 76 without reading any reviews whatsoever. I must say I genuinely find it surprising that anyone would do this. I religiously read your review and at least one or two others (usually Eurogamer) before I even consider making a purchase.
Unlike with films or music, games are so expensive and time consuming that taking an uninformed risk just seems reckless to me. To be fair, he had played about three hours of the game and was enjoying it without coming across any bugs so maybe itll work out for him but with so much choice on offer surely its worth investigating at least a little which titles are deserving of your time?
Personally, Im really grateful to have you to filter out the best gaming experiences for me. Your tastes align really closely with mine and I trust your opinion above all others to the extent that I have played half of your 2017 top 20 this year with two more on the shelf to play. Not that I always agree with you, Nex Machina did not do much for me, but then no-ones perfect. Anyway, thanks for playing Fallout 76 and all the other duds so I dont have to!
Ryan OD
GC: Thanks.
Instant saving
Ive definitely been put off the PlayStation Classic ever since I found out they were using an open source emulator but finding about the 50Hz versions of some games is the clincher. If youre going to be that lazy about it I think you should expect some pushback. Especially given the amount of obvious games missing and the refusal to do something about WipEout and other games that have trouble with licenses.
At one point I thought that they must be hanging on to do a second console later, with all the games that need a DualShock, but there are a lot more older games than I realised so other than maybe explaining Ape Escape that doesnt really check out.
I was going to ask for one for Christmas but I think I just saved the girlfriend £90.
Douggy
Decreasing the numbers
Seeing all those old publishers names mentioned again for the PlayStation Classic was funny. Imagine being someone that dealt with the original GTA, who mustve thought it was just a silly novelty game that would be lucky to get a sequel.
I always wonder though why the Houser brothers bothered to make GTA III a sequel at all. As far as a I remember at the time it was long while after the second game, which did even worse than the first one, and basically few people remembered or cared about the series.
Why not just create a new name and franchise? Its not even as if its a particularly good name, and it means it doesnt start sounding old before its time because of the increasingly big numbers after its name. I guess its the usual marketing logic that a name people have heard of is always better than nothing, it seems weird to me.
Ragu
Advertisement
Advertisement
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
You pays your money and you takes your choice
On the subject of game prices I have not bought a game for full price for years. The main reason for this is that I always have a backlog of games to play (not the ridiculous amount that some people have. I currently have four boxed games and three downloadable indie games in my backlog) and thanks to the constant PSN sales there are always decent bargains to be had (current bargains tempting me are Hotline Miami for £1.69 and Banner Saga for £3.99) on the store.
Also, as I have got older there are absolutely no games that I HAVE to play on day one. I mean, they arent going anywhere. I am perfectly happy playing what I have and when I need more I buy more, I dont just buy for the sake of buying. I actually think people prefer the little hit of dopamine they get from buying games to actually playing the things!
By the time I get round to them they are usually £25 or less and working properly. Paying X amount for a game and then moaning that it is too expensive is stupid as it is entirely YOUR choice.
ROB
Lack of info
Your comment in the Darksiders III review, about it feeling like a disappointing Kickstarter game, was something I immediately understood, after having backed a few. I immediately made the connection with Shenmue III and started to think about how gutted Id be if that turned out similarly.
Theyve had some well publicised graphical issues, which seem to be down to budget issues, and in that context I think theres probably a lot to worry about in the final game. I just hope theres more private funding been going on than were aware of the moment.
Theres been a lot about the lack of info on sales lately but I wish companies would say what their budgets are as well. I really dont understand what the secrecy is when movies reveal all this information openly.
Eggroll
GC: To be fair movies dont always reveal their budget, and they certainly dont tell anyone how many tickets theyve sold. They only report revenues, which is pretty useless information given how difficult inflation makes comparing to previous years.
Breath of fresh air
I have to say that I am in the same boat as many others with regards to Zelda: Skyward Sword – I loved it on my first playthrough, but felt decidedly lukewarm afterwards. Particularly after Breath Of The Wild. And like many others, a sticking point for me was the lack of a giant open world and the game missing the exploration element that had existed in all previous Zeldas.
However, I replayed Skyward Sword last winter and have to say I was hugely impressed. The storytelling was probably the best that Zelda has ever been, and the motion-enabled swordplay was engrossing and immersive in a way that really surprised me – even given the current age of the tech.
Rather than missing the open world this time, I actually really enjoyed the denser environments, which were really tightly packed full of things to explore. Given most other Zeldas have had expansive open worlds, I thought (much like Breath Of The Wild) this was actually a really bold departure for the series. Especially given the criticism heaped on Twilight Princess for its vast, boring environments, and similarly on The Wind Waker for its large, empty ocean. Id rather Zelda experimented with the formula than kept it static year after year.
I think it might also have the best dungeons of any Zelda, as well as incredible music. Genuinely excited about the prospect of playing again it on Switch and fully encourage people to give it another go.
Mesomex
Except the worst
With The Game Awards coming up next week and Nintendo confirmed to be in attendance, what are the chances of a reveal for the Star Fox and F-Zero crossover game that was rumoured earlier this year?
The rumours seemed quite concrete and too strange to be made up. I for one would welcome it just to get some sort of new F-Zero if nothing else.
Pigfish2 (PSN ID/NN ID)
GC: Its possible, but its always best to assume the least exciting outcome in these situations – which in this case would be a Skyward Sword remake instead. Also, after the Smash Bros. Ultimate leak turned out to be a fake were not sure well believe another Nintendo rumour ever again.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Every second counts
Its a great shame given what gems I still have in my gaming backlog, but thanks to work and what passes for life these days Ive really not had much time for gaming lately. As a result Ive not had much to write in about… I still read though!
However, I do feel compelled to add my voice to any others calling for Nintendo not to bother porting Zelda: Skyward Sword to the Switch. Even putting aside the fact that it is by far my least favourite 3D Zelda game (I cant actually remember anything about it I even liked, much less enjoyed) I simply dont see why bringing it back on Switch would be worth the effort.
Someone, somewhere, is clearly thinking, easy money for old rope but Id much rather see them produce the fan favourite idea of a Majoras Mask style remix of Breath Of The Wild to tide things over. Rather than a return to the restrictive and endlessly repetitive environments and horrible gameplay device of dowsing. I know Skyward Sword has fans, but why would anyone now want to return to Skylofts limited world when they could now roam free in the best ever depiction of Hyrule?
The motion controls were all very well and good, but were almost a full generation away from them seeming like an innovative or pivotal feature now. Breath Of The Wild managed to be virtually flawless without them. If Nintendo are so keen to revive this aspect, why not integrate the control system as an optional feature of a new, more ambitious sequel?
Im not against older ports per se. Im 100% sold on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as a worthy recipient and somewhat perversely would actually love to see Super Mario 3D World happen at some point as, like many people, I never bought a Wii U.
As a PlayStation 3 owner last gen/PlayStation 4 owner this, Im also fairly envious of Xbox One owners getting such a sweet deal on backwards compatibility since my PlayStation 3 is toast. However, unlike Microsofts arrangement, where its a different subset of tech types than actual game developers who make the patches happen, and you can just pop your old disc in the tray and play, the rumoured Skyward Sword port sounds a lot more labour intensive to tweak things up for the newer format.
Breath Of The Wild is a momentous milestone in gaming. It revolutionised the Zelda franchise to a degree not seen since Ocarina Of Time introduced Link to the third dimension. Anything that diverts a second of Nintendos apparently limited development resources away from pushing forwards from this landmark would be almost criminal. From the heady heights of Links most recent outing, Skyward seems like down to me.
Yourhomeisatrisk
Inbox also-rans
What is the likelihood of Tetris Effect making its way over to Xbox eventually?
Jag
GC: Its not published by Sony and it doesnt require VR to work, so wed imagine the chances are fairly good.
All I ask is that the new Alien game be scary. If its another Alien: Colonial Marines that thinks shooting the same monster for the entire game is going to keep your interest then its an instant fail. Personally I dont think theres anyway to do it except like Alien Isolation.
Hogarth
This weeks Hot Topic
The subject for this weekends Inbox was suggested by reader stanley71, who asks what do you think of the current generation of console so far?
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are five years old this month and both are expected to be superseded by next generation models within the next two years. So what do you think of them so far, in terms of their games, their hardware, and the changes theyve brought to the industry?
If you include the Wii U and Switch as well what do you think of the generation as a whole and is it better or worse than previous ones? How do you think it will be looked back on when all is said and done, and which companies have done the best and worst overall?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
Advertisement
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.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word 4Player viewer features at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
If you need quick access to the GameCentral channel page please use www.metro.co.uk/games and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.
Advertisement
Advertisement
