The evening Inbox reminisces over its favourite video game arcades, as one reader blames Todd Howard for Bethesdas woes.
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Prime rumour
Seeing some hints about Metroid Prime 4 at The Game Awards, I realise the last rumour, about Rocksteadys Superman game, already got shot down – so these rumours are probably not reliable – but this one seems believable. Wouldnt you say, GC?
We know Nintendo are going to be there and have unveiled stuff before and the more hardcore atmosphere certainly seems a better place to show off Metroid Prime than Animal Crossing. Problem is though Im not really sure what to expect or even hope for?
Metroid Prime 1 was one of the best games ever made but I never felt either of the sequels really lived up to it. It was the atmosphere and sense of isolation in the first one that made it so great but would even Nintendo dare to make a game like that again? I could see where they were going with the third ones cast of talking characters but it didnt really work for me. Even if it was still miles better than Other M.
I hope to be surprised though and cant wait to see the news on Friday morning (no, Im not staying up!).
Orco
GC: We have no idea where the rumour started but on general principal, wed say it had a reasonable chance of being true.
Medium excitement
Just read an interesting tweet from a source thats been reliable in the past, who reckons Microsoft is looking to buy a medium-sized developer that has a history of working with Sony. No indication who at the moment, but the best guesses seem to be Supermassive Games (Until Dawn), Ready at Dawn (The Order: 1886), and Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain).
I hope its not Quantic Dream because theyre awful and Ready at Dawn seems a bad idea as theyre really only known for their tech. But I could understand Supermassive. They seemed a bit annoyed with Sony the last time you spoke to them and Id imagine theyd appreciate someone else taking the risk for their upcoming horror anthology.
They all still seem very safe, unexciting choices though. Once again, theyre just Western developers know for good but not amazing games. I cant help but think theres better uses for Microsofts infinite cheque book, and I dont just mean that gold-plated bathroom Ive been wanting.
Losh
Simple explanation
RE: Roger Ramjet. EA/Activision dont make an effort with state-of-the-art graphics because they know millions will buy their stuff whether it looks like it was made by an expert taking care of every little detail or an amateur teenager. So the less they spend the bigger their profit is.
If they spent all their time and money on getting everything right their profit margin would be much smaller. I know Rockstar make tons of money from their games too, but they clearly have different lines of thought to others. In conclusion, the short answer is greed is the reason they dont.
AlienBlade
GC: Were struggling to think of any recent EA or Activision games that were anything less than graphically impressive, so were not sure why youve picked them out. Even the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro remakes were really good.
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The weakest link
Bethesda really cant catch a break, can they? Not that they deserve to be given one but it just shows that the cost cutting and lying went all the way through the company, from those making Fallout 76 to those promoting it. And yet, I feel bad about painting Bethesda as pantomime villains because in a lot of ways theyre a great company.
Theyre one of the few thats 100% behind single-player games and they do put out a lot of new IP, instead of just sequels. They support their games, have a lot of great developers under their wing, and seem a lot more open and approachable than other, bigger publishers.
The problem to me seems to be Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios, the developer that started it all. Obviously theyve done a lot in the past but I can only assume its him and the other big wigs that are refusing to spend the money necessary and keep trying to pull one over on gamers. I hope they have a long hard think about things after this and realise they are the weakest link.
Lumpy
Simple rule
I admit I was surprised at how Darksiders III did in the charts: it was even worse than I already thought. So once again we see a publisher doing something stupid, that everyone calls out months before it happens, and then it happens exactly as the fans predicted. I dont know why they dont hire us instead of whatever goofball usually sets up these release dates.
I assume that means that Darksiders IV is now out of the question, which means the whole story, and the chance to play as Strife, is never going to get done. Im part of the problem in that I didnt pick up the game and was just planning to get it when it went on cheap, but thats not me being cynical thats just me not having enough time and money right now. Which I dont think is unreasonable.
Heres a simple rule for publishers that still dont seem to get this: if your game is a huge, established franchise with guaranteed sales then its okay to release at Christmas. If its not, dont. For bonus points actually look at a calendar before you pick your release date and dont come out a week after three other massive games. Can I have my £60K marketing job now, please?
Purple Ranger
Whats the plan?
Do you guys think that Anthem is likely to be ready for its February release date? I mean it seems quite late in the day that they are going to closed alpha.
The recent examples of releasing two major franchises (one of which is also EA) in such a state has caused a fair amount of justified backlash against EA and Bethesda. I just hope thats not the plan with Anthem.
Personally, I dont mind when a game gets pushed so it can be worked on and be ready for launch. Id rather they did that than release it with 100GB patch that fixes only half of the issues.
WAYNEOS
GC: We have no idea whats going on with Anthem, and were beginning to worry that neither does EA. But it looked very impressive when we saw it at Gamescom, so we hope it works out. If nothing else it could probably do with being moved from that busy February release date just to avoid the competition.
Six steps to amazement
I, and it seems a fair number of other people, took advantage of the Black Friday sales to grab a PlayStation VR, judging by recent comments in the inbox. With any luck this is its big Christmas, when it goes from a niche curiosity into a mainstream product, because it certainly deserves to.
My first impressions were roughly as follows:
1. Jeez, theres a lot of cables and bits arent there?
2. How unbelievably cool is that headset?!
3. I dont think Ive got enough USB ports to use my Sony wireless headphones with it. Grrr. (You need a spare one, so get a 3.0 USB hub if, like me, youve used them all. The PS4 Pro has three ports, which is better.)
4. Ill try AstroBot first. Headset on, bit of adjustment. Why is everything so fiddly when youre excited like a 10-year-old on Christmas Day?
5. Woah! This is incredible. That things going to hit me. Oh gosh I can look around and see everything. The graphics are actually fantastic. This game is so charming. Why didnt I get this ages ago?!
6. Previously game apathetic wife has a go and is blown away, so much so that I cant wrestle the headset off her for ages.
Anyway, you get the idea. Its so much better than I was expecting, and I cant recommend it highly enough. And if this is its breakthrough year, then word of mouth and family members giving it a go are going to be very powerful tools indeed.
Andrew Wright
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Great corner
As you mentioned a 10p being inserted into a Toki arcade machine in you review I was instantly taken back to my local arcade and the prices that me and my buddies paid in the late 80s. There was a great corner where they had OutRun, Chase H.Q., Super Monaco GP, and Hang-On and all were 20p. Then snuck in one corner was a sit-down Pole Position (10p) and the truly terrible Hard Drivin at 50p. There was also sit-down Thunder Blade, Space Harrier, and After Burner (50p).
Final Fight and Konamis The Main Event, with its screaming commentator and Hulk Hogan doppelganger, both at 20p. Wrestle War at 10p and next to it the unaffordable Neo Geo machine audaciously priced at £1. Star Wars at 10p with both Operation Wolf and Thunderbolt at 20p sat next to it. Near the front was one of those 2p machines that you were forced to use to top up your wallet so you could stay longer and a weird love tester game which received no attention.
Amongst a few others that Ive forgotten (most certainly all of the early 90s dross like Pit-Fighter, Lethal Enforcers, that awful Sega Time Traveller nonsense, and the giant space reserved for a wrestling ring and a six ton VR headset used to crush your spine we all thought it was like heaven.
Sadly, it lost its way and though Wrestlefest and the mighty Street Fighter II were great later additions it closed. Maybe the GC team could shed light on the pricing of their local arcades. I was only ever given £3 from my folks yet I could stay there for a fair few hours if those blasted 2ps were forthcoming
andee
GC: The arcade vaguely being remembered in the Toki review was somewhere in Norwich, we forget where exactly. But we distinctly remember that all the stand-up cabinets were still 10p each, even the really good ones like Ghouls N Ghosts.
Inbox also-rans
Theres a very interesting article on SoulCaliburs Ivy Valentine and the sexualisation of all those trope women in games, in which you, GC, are referenced. The author raises good points.
Owen Pile
How has Nintendo lasted as a company for over a century and not made a joke about Internet Bowsers? Or did I miss it?
Stinky
This weeks Hot Topic
The subject for this weekends Inbox was suggested by reader Preston, who asks what older game would you still like to see get a remake or remaster?
With games even as obscure as Toki now getting full-blown remakes, and following the huge success of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon, we want to know what games you think still need to make a comeback and whether you think they could really be a hit again.
It can be any game from any era, even if theyve still got current sequels, but we want to know exactly what you would – and wouldnt – change about the game. How much would the graphics have to change and how outdated will the gameplay seem to modern gamers? And most importantly, do you honestly think itll ever happen?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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