The evening Inbox recommends Splatoon 2 for those new to online shooters, as one reader asks for help choosing a relaxing video game.
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Changing sides
Very glad to hear the news about Star Wars: Battlefront II. I’d say the changes they’ve made are pretty much spot on. I’d rather there were no microtransactions, but if they’re only for cosmetic extras I don’t mind as I’ll certainly never be tempted to buy them.
The obvious question is why didn’t they just do this from the start, to which the obvious answer is greed. It really is as simple as that, but the bright side is that EA weren’t doing that because they’re evil but because they thought that was the easiest way to make lots of money. Now they know it’s not and they’ve switched to this new method.
I’m not one for criticising companies for just doing their job (i.e. making money) but it is amazing how they so often only think of that, and never the consequences. It never seems to occur to EA in particular that maybe they could make something that’s good for them and good for the players.
Still, I’m happy to reward their conversion to the light side and will now consider buying the game. Especially if you’re going to re-review it GC?
Ishi
PS: Pity someone couldn’t patch The Last Jedi and give that a do-over as well. Still, can’t have everything!
GC: Yes, we’ll probably wait till the cosmetic stuff comes online in April, but we’ll definitely do a re-review when it’s certain everything has settled down.
Squids in
In response to McClane’sVest letter on the struggles of getting into Battlefield online mutiplayer, I would heartily recommend Splatoon as an alternative. I too was a seasoned solitary gamer and a newcomer to online. I tried repeatedly but could not make any headway on Call Of Duty’s maps. With Splatoon however, Nintendo have got it spot on in two respects for inexperience payers.
Firstly, the matchmaking works very efficiently and it appears you really are being grouped with players of similar ability. Secondly, even if you’re a bit rubbish you can still make a big contribution to your team’s performance just by sloshing paint around like you’re in a perverse episode of 60-Minute Makeover.
The whole package is a huge amount of fun. The weapons, modes, and stages are all top quality.
I would love to see Nintendo’s take on a Battle Royale mode for this gem of a game.
i.e.mcr (NN ID)
Sega Mania
I’d just like to say I enjoyed the letter from bcdcdude and I’m in agreement with him.
It’s frustrating to see Sega sit on a potential goldmine of classic gaming titles and do next to nothing with them. Yes, they’re releasing the Mega Drive compilation (again) but did Sonic Mania not show that there could be huge potential in updating classic games due to the fact that a lot of the people who played and loved these the first time around are now adults with money to spend?
I don’t really know what Sega’s strategy is anymore. I’ve looked at their official website for upcoming releases and there are only three games listed. Yakuza 6 (which I will play eventually), Total War: Three Kingdoms, and Two Point Hospital. I’m sure these won’t be bad games but they don’t quite grab your attention or generate buzz in the way that Sonic Mania did last year.
I guess I would just like Sega (and Konami for that matter) to take a leaf out of Nintendo’s book and make fantastic games based on some of the amazing properties they own.
Torro
GC: It’s still not clear exactly how well Sonic Mania. Although there is a new Sonic announcement due this weekend, so maybe that’ll give an indication.
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Filling the gaps
Sorry I haven’t written into the Inbox for a while (apart from a couple of Hot Topics). This is due to my current situation where I’m largely reliant on free Wi-Fi hotspots to get my Inbox fix and recently I’ve been unable to get out as much as I would have liked, so I’m behind in my reading! But anyway, here goes:
Regarding MrSpacefoxy and a PlayStation Direct, for the last few years they have been having a PlayStation Experience in December which not only has announcements and gameplay footage but also panels featuring people behind the games which give really good insight into projects (last year they had one on The Last Of Us Part II and a special reunion of the cast of Uncharted for its 10th anniversary).
Regarding Cranston and the long wait between GTAs I totally agree. Between San Andreas and IV they did a couple of PSP/PlayStation 2 prequels – Liberty City and Vice City Stories – which were principally done by Rockstar Leeds. I know that gen was probably easier to make than the far more detailed worlds that the PlayStation 3 and 4 gens offer but I don’t think they use their studios effectively.
I remember Max Payne 3 on PlayStation 3, I loved the first two games and waited ages for the third one but for me it didn’t have the magic of the Remedy games. I’m sure over the course of the end credits I noticed that about 10 different studios had worked on it! I was utterly baffled how it took so many people so long to make what was in my opinion a pretty-looking but incredibly mediocre, linear third person shooter.
Maybe they could go back to freeing up a couple of studios to make smaller games or remakes in-between their main releases?
I enjoyed your review on the Devil May Cry HD Collection. Devil May Cry 1 was the very first game I completed on PlayStation 2 and it holds a special place in my heart. I play it on a regular basis and I still have a lot of fun with it but I appreciate how much it’s aged – especially it’s frustrating camera! I can imagine someone who’s experiencing it now for the first time not getting its acclaim and I think it’s a real shame that these classics (well 1 and 3!) aren’t given the proper remakes that they deserve. Capcom did it with Resident Evil and recently Sony’s Shadow of the Colossus has proven that a remake can be successful not just critically but also commercially.
Lastly, thanks GameCentral, you make my world that little bit brighter!
LastYearsModel
The harshest burn
Hello GC and all you lovely gamers out there! Well I have just read your review of Burnout Paradise Remastered and thought I would share my twopenn’orth.
I still have Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box on my Steam list and do (very) occasionally play it, having said that it’s not the best Burnout by quite some way in my opinion. The fact that, as you have pointed out, it doesn’t really look that much better than the original suggests to me they may have remade the wrong Burnout.
My personal favourite was Burnout 3, I spent many enjoyable hours playing that, particularly in split screen mode.
I like the fact you can just jump into a race, rather than having to drive to a particular location, I loved the crash simulator where you had to create as much damage as possible it was like some kind of strange puzzle game.
I won’t be buying at this price, especially as the old version still works fine on PC, but if they remade an older version, including split screen, it would be a no brainer for me!
TheDudeAbides
Change of pace
I’m currently off work with stress and anxiety and I wondered whether games had contributed to readers either exacerbating or relieving similar issues with a certain game.
The question came to mind as I’m currently playing Nioh and think I might have to stop as it is starting to infuriate me somewhat. I actually think it’s a phenomenal game and I can’t blame any death to any factor other than myself but I’ve hit a wall. It was all going well until the water levels and I’m constantly falling in due to not being aware enough of my surroundings.
Any suggestions on what to play to relax a little would be most welcome, but I think I’m going to start on Broken Sword 5 and Virginia. I can’t imagine either game will cause too much anger. Although having said that I just remembered the goat from the first Broken Sword…
Anon
GC: Nioh is a great game, but it’s about the worst choice possible if you want something relaxing. Perhaps a slower paced role-playing or story-based game, something like Persona 5 or What Remains Of Edith Finch? Either way, we hope you feel better soon.
Down the mine
Has the death knell been sounded for PC gaming? Has bitcoin mining killed off any chance of gamers upgrading to the newest graphics cards? The massive price spike has certainly made me think that even though PC gaming had made a resurgence of late, this will make building your dream machine next to impossible for at least this generation of graphics cards.
Also, in another dose of irony. The guy that hates Trevor from GTA V seems to exhibit the same characteristics of psychopathy in that all of the ways he would kill Trevor, Trevor would certainly do.
bobwallett
GC: It’s okay, Fortnite is more popular than bitcoin now, so graphics cards can go back to being used for their original purpose.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Pole position
I mentioned recently about retro games and voiced my opinion on how I’d like racing games to more like they used to be, I just wanted to give the example of Gran Turismo on the original PlayStation being a prime example of what I would like to see in a modern racing game.
Gran Turismo got everything right in the early days and has gradually deteriorated as a series, with the most recent one focusing on online and not giving a proper traditional single-player which made the series popular in the first place.
What made it so good to me is the simple interface of arcade mode or Gran Turismo mode, Gran Turismo mode not being overly complicated and allowing you to use any car you wish and not forcing you to use cars you have no interest in driving. The upgrade process being as straightforward as earning enough credits and buying the best parts for the car no messing around tuning required.
I’ve been going between Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport 7. Forza 7 is the best looking racing game I’ve played but Gran Turismo for me stands the test of time and for a PS1 game still looks good. The handling isn’t as good or the force feedback but the menu, options and the way it’s presented – it’s still ahead in my opinion
If their focus is going to be online from now on, which looks the way it’s going, I would love for them to cater for fans like me and give us Gran Turismo 1 to 3 in a similar way to the Crash Bandicoot re-releases, I’d be even happy with remasters without doing the games again from the ground up which I doubt they would do anyway.
I haven’t bought Gran Turismo Sport, have they added a good single-player that can be played and saved even if offline like the older entries?
R1CH5TER
GC: We believe GT Sport does now have a decent single-player, but we haven’t played it since last year. Also, the Crash Bandicoot games were full-on remakes, the hierarchy of effort is remake > remaster > port > re-release.
Inbox also-rans
Just a quickie to say Radio 3’s film show are broadcasting a gaming special tomorrow (Saturday 17th) at 3pm, discussing the influence games have had on cinema. Might be worth a listen.
SteJFin
It will laugh (but not with laughter) if Fortnite is what causes the next round of video game censorship. The least graphic shooter for years but just because it’s popular!
Jason
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Mesomex, who asks who is your favourite female video game character.
Which female character do you think is the most interesting, and why? Are they the main playable character in the game, and if not how do they compare to those that are? Would you have preferred them to have a bigger role and what do you think of their dialogue and voice-acting?
In general, what do you think of the representation of women in video games and how have things changed in the last decade or so? What further change would you like to see in the future and what major franchises do you think need more prominent female characters or options?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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.
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