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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - the graphics are fairly low-tech but they can still impress

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – how do you rate it?

The evening Inbox discusses how a Zelda: A Link To The Past remake could work, as one reader names the best games for Oculus Rift.

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Ninja detour

Not that Im showing off but I have now beaten Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and am trying to process what I think of it. I have enjoyed it greatly, and once again From show that they are the absolute masters at level design. But I think I liked it less than any of the Soulsborne games.

For me its both too much like the others and while there are big differences they seem almost superficial. I think it should have either been a clear break or just a full-on Souls game. The combat is great but I agree with the reader who said that its a bit too regimented and you never quite feel youre working things out for yourself like you do in a Souls game.

The stealth also seems slightly undercooked to me, as the game doesnt really acknowledge or reward that youre doing it. Its a good game but it seems a bit like a detour in Froms legacy and to be honest Im already more interested in what theyll do next, rather than going back to Sekiro.
Coop
PS: Is there any word of any DLC?

GC: Not so far.

Smouldering fire

Cant help but notice that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice hasnt exactly set the Inbox on fire in the same way Dark Souls and Bloodborne did. I see that the PlayStation 4 version is number two in the charts, so it must be selling okay?

Ive been only dipping into it now and again because I had other games on the go and want to give it my full attention, but it doesnt seem to have gone down as well as the Soulsborne games did.
Mitchell
PS: Very disappointed with Yoshis Crafted World. Even though its stunning to look at it plays almost identically to Woolly World and I played that game to death, I dont seem to have the patience for more of the same.

GC: As ever, its impossible to tell exactly how well a game has done but Sekiro seems to have sold pretty well. It was number one the week it came out, beating The Division 2 in just its second week.

Art of the unveil

So, this Borderlands 3 reveal has been pretty botched, hasnt it? For anyone that was watching the annoucement at PAX East they even had trouble running their video properly. Not their fault really but the whole thing has been a bit of a shambles and ends up reflecting badly on the game I think. I also dont understand why there are no pre-orders outside of America – doesnt exactly make you feel wanted.

Maybe Im being unfair but the art of the unveil really seems to have been lost in recent years and its really starting to deflate my hype with some games. Maybe thats me being a bit shallow but looking forward to a new game is almost half the fun I always feel. Now its just an endless churn of leaks as people that obviously dont care about anything (mostly shops and age rating boards) spoil all the secrets and every annoucement is usually old news.

I mean, even Nintendo were victims today. I dont know what can be done really, because I get the feeling nobody ever gets in trouble over these sort of things.
Tension

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Bordering on disinterest

Im conflicted about the upcoming Borderlands 3.

I played Borderlands 2 Game Of The Year Edition and it is probably some of the best times I have spent with a game. The style was perfect and the humour and tone is so refreshingly different from a lot of other shooters. Even the DLC was brilliant and oddball (especially the Dungeons & Dragons inspired stuff).

I left a decent interval of a few months after playing that before getting The Pre-Sequel and…. it never clicked. Ive tried a few times to get into it and never get more than a few hours in. I just get bored.

Is this just me or did anybody else struggle with The Pre-Sequel? If it is just me then I suspect I will have the same problem with Borderlands 3 unless there are some major changes to the gameplay (and I dont even know what changes as I liked the second so much?!).
fman00

GC: We think most would regard The Pre-Sequel as the weakest entry, and it wasnt by the original developer. Although it remains to be seen just how different Borderlands 3 will be.

Definitive Drive

I think theres some reason to hope that the new Mega Drive Mini will actually be a decent effort, unlike all those cheapo cash-ins that Sega has allowed to sully their name recently. The inclusion of Castlevania and other third party games shows its not just the usual suspects that are being dragged out and some effort is being made to make this a definitive collection.

Im not quite sure what the previous reader was talking about when he said the ones from other companies was filled with fillers because I thought the Nintendo ones were both excellent and the standard which the Mega Drive one needs to strive for. The Sony one was bad, sure, but I think that was the only one.
Jimmy

The problem child

So what do we all think that Zelda: A Link To The Past game could be that has been leaked? I dont see how it can be the original if its being sold in a shop so surely its got to be a remake? But a 3D game or something like Links Awakening? As long as they change the art style a bit Id be happy if it looked like Links Awakening and would encourage them to remake the first game in the same way as well.

Its what to do with Zelda II thats the thing though. That game has always fascinated me as its a big-name Nintendo game that… isnt very good. Its got lots of interesting ideas and its not unplayable but especially today it just is not even in the same stratosphere as the other games.

I would love to see them remake the game with a more serious style, perhaps something that was 3D and like Breath Of The Wild but on a smaller scale. Remasters of things like Borderlands might be kind of pointless but these are classic games that would definitely benefit from a complete revamp.
Gordon Bennett

Independent interests

It looks like those reports about working conditions have hit a nerve at BioWare, that response in their blog was pretty embarrassing. The thing I dont understand is why they ever let themselves get bought by EA in the first place. Or why any developer is so keen to get bought by a big publisher. It almost always ends in disaster and it seems to me it would have been just as easy to get funding form some other partner rather than just get bought outright.

I suppose the truth is that was what made the most money for the execs and who cares about the rest? Which is certainly not a problem unique to gaming. But its sad to think that indie developer today tends to mean bedroom programmers when it could easily mean a giant studio the size of Bungie.
Wotan

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Secret successes

In response to Keith in Wednesday mornings Inbox who said, If the PC doesnt have its own great (VR) games then that sounds like a failure of the people making the headsets.

Although Valve have almost given up on making games, Oculus have spent millions funding first party VR titles via Oculus Studios. Their problem seems to be an inability to effectively publicise them. As evidence, witness the following mostly excellent Oculus exclusive VR games that youve probably never heard of:

1. Marvel Powers United (Yes, this is a big budget Marvel Comics first person VR game where you get to play as all of the greatest Marvel superheroes…and youve probably never heard of it)
2. Lone Echo (An immersive, space-based adventure game and one of the best VR games yet made)
3. Read More – Source