The Thursday letters page asks if Horizon Forbidden West has the best graphics on PS5, as one reader recommends XCOM 2 on Switch.
To participate in the discussions email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
let it lie
I’m not expecting too much from Gamescom next week, or rather the Geoff Keighley thing beforehand, but since he’s friends with Hideo Kojima, I think we might get the official announcement of his new horror game. That got me thinking again about what happened to all the talk about Konami going back to gaming, with new Silent Hill games and a new Castlevania.
Those rumors have been going on for years and we haven’t even had a hint, whisper, or datamine. I imagine there’s still a reasonable chance of them coming, even if it’s just a coincidence and has nothing to do with the rumours, but it also got me thinking if they would ever dare to make Metal Gear Solid 6 without Kojima.
As much as I’d love to play a new game, I think it’s probably best to leave it dead. Even if they somehow got Kojima to come back (I can imagine he loves money despite everything), I think it’s been too long. Other than that, I don’t think people really like stealth games anymore. Although the later games started to get rid of that, it no longer seems like a very solid foundation for an action game.
Curious what others think, but while Metal Gear Solid 5 wasn’t necessarily the best ending to the series, it was still a good game. I think I’d rather that than have more games getting worse and worse.
Shado
The last race
I’d love to see a new Wave Race, but I think the problem is that racing games in general don’t sell like they used to and there’s no longer enough money to be made from them. That’s the bottom line for not just F-Zero, but WipEout, Burnout, Split/Second, and whatever favorite you want back.
EA can barely sell Need For Speed these days, so it’s really just the serious racing games selling these days and, for some reason, Forza Horizon. (I don’t hate it, but there are much better arcade racers out there. I think it’s because Microsoft puts so much marketing into it.)
At least F-Zero gets a cameo, more than that, in Mario Kart. Heck, even ExciteBike does that. I do wonder why they never thought of doing a mostly underwater course for the game, that could be a tribute to Wave Race (they could do the same with gliders for Pilotwings), but maybe they tried and they didn’t like it. Maybe in Mario Kart 9?
Wave Race 64 is a game that I’d love to see a remake because I’d be concerned that a sequel would add complications and nonsense. The simplicity and perfect feel of the original is what makes it great, even after all these years.
Fozzy
parole
So the Nintendo Switch is kind of getting underway now and the Mario Kart 8 DLC will last until the end of the year… that pretty much confirms that we won’t get Mario Kart 9 until the Switch 2, doesn’t it? Since Mario Kart 8 is technically a Wii U game and the Switch never got its own unique entry, I would have preferred Mario Kart 9 instead of the DLC now, but I don’t think there’s ever any point in telling Nintendo what to do .
However, it makes me think it will be a launch game or come out in the first year. Not just because it’s been so long since the last one, but because Nintendo will do its best to match the success of the first Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out just a month after the Switch itself and is still the best-selling game ever, so I don’t think it takes much business genius to think that maybe that trick should give it another try.
I know Nintendo can be unique, but I don’t think they are stupid.
Winston
Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Give and take
I have to say that Fallout TV movie suddenly looks really interesting thanks to those leaked set photos. I also agree with the implication of GC that real sets make all the difference, and that these sets not only make the show look better, but they are kind of an indication of how much effort is put into it. Those jokes comparing Obi-Wan Kenobi to Doctor Who really weren’t far off the mark, which is weird considering how good the tech looked in The Mandalorian.
I think the game example would be that if you gave Unreal Engine 5 to someone with not much experience and a lot of time, you still wouldn’t get a good looking game, so it’s kind of the same deal with TV and movie. I’m curious to see where they go with the story though, as I wouldn’t say Fallout 3 or 4 had particularly memorable plots, so even if this isn’t a 1:1 adaptation, there’s still not much to sign per se. beyond the background knowledge, which is good.
It could be that the show ends up having a more interesting story than the games, which can then pick up those ideas for Fallout 5 again. That would make the show even more worthwhile.
Missing
Cause and effect
I was ready for Dr. Disrespect story to read, about Call Of Duty taking one of its designs, and seeing something with just a vaguely similar one, but that… that’s really exactly the same. Especially since it’s happened before, I don’t understand what they thought was going to happen?
That no one would notice? That if they did, they wouldn’t say anything? I mean, dr. Disrespect is not an even-tempered man, he has Call Of Duty in his sights as it is, so if they start taking his stuff? I mean, he would be well within his rights to sue them. Mainly because, as mentioned, the skin doesn’t suit WW2 at all.
Rowland
quiet month
So the release date of Call Of Duty: Warzone 2 is mid-November and God Of War Ragnarök is November 9th and Pokémon Scarlet/Violet is November 18th, and…that’s it for this month? The busiest month of the year has three games, and very few people are interested in all of them. That’s a shockingly bad turnout.
There’s also Skull And Bones, for both people looking forward to that, and Square Enix’s Harvestella, which I think is sort of a Harvest Moon game and then you really start to get into the minor releases after that. 2022 was terrible. I know the beginning of 2023 looks very strong, but it was the same this year and then it was nothing for months and months after that.
As others have said, it’s the lack of info and hype that upsets me the most. There’s literally nothing to look forward to right now and I’m getting tired of scrolling through my backlog, desperate for something to grab my attention.
Blagard
Better than you might think
RE: John’s email on how XCOM 2 runs on the Switch. I bought it in a previous sale and it compares very well to the PlayStation 4 version.
I haven’t played it for a while, but remember it doesn’t look as sharp in resolution as the PlayStation 4 version, but the loading times are faster and it’s worth buying in my opinion.
Brilliant game.
Chevy Malibu (PSN ID)
Start at the top
I’m one of those people who got a copy of Horizon Forbidden West along with my new PlayStation 5 last month and I just finished the game. It wasn’t free or anything but there was a bit of a discount so it wasn’t quite full price but I think it was worth every penny.
I was a bit wary of the game because I hadn’t played the original and I heard a lot of mediocre comments about it being all graphics and no gameplay. I agree that the graphics are definitely its best feature along with the excellent robot dinosaurs, but I wouldn’t say the gameplay wasn’t bad at all, far from it.
The combat is fast paced and enjoyable and I like the platforming and exploration that is there. It’s not as deep, and obviously not as good as Elden Ring and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, but it’s not exactly alone. It’s definitely a lot better than all the Ubisoft games I’ve played recently and what I didn’t really like is the constant switching of weapons that are a fraction better than the last… maybe it’s hard.
I hate when games do that. It doesn’t add anything other than poking around menus and I’d rather have a handful of weapons that you might be able to upgrade and leave it at that. If I’ve spent more time fiddling with a menu in a menu than I’ve actually used it, something has gone wrong.
All in all, I’d say I liked the game and I’m very impressed with the graphics. Would you say they are the best on the PlayStation 5? Is it all downhill from here?
Selby
GC: There are arguments to be made for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, but we’d say Horizon Forbidden West looked better overall – and a better game.
Inbox is running too
I think EvilMoomin is on a slippery slope to be charging their laptop etc at work. Soon they will leave with tea bags and bog roll in their pockets. Then it comes to bigger things: light bulbs, office furniture, floorboards and the like.
ANON
Your release schedule is missing the physical release of these two games: The Ascent: Cyber Edition and Psychonauts 2: Motherlobe Edition. I use your schedule regularly so I know which games I want to buy.
Mizan
GC: We don’t normally add physical editions, but okay.
This week’s hot topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Cranston, who asks what’s the most you’ve ever invested in a console war?
Which generation were you most passionate about and which side were you on, between Sega, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and others? Do you regret the things you said or did back then and think you were ultimately right about the side you chose?
Have you ever regretted a console choice and flipped it that generation or at the start of the next? What part of the modern game industry would you have found most surprising at the time of your console war?
Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
The fine print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes on the weekend. Letters from readers are used on a merit basis and are editable in length and content.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600 word Reader feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which, if used, will be featured on the next available weekend.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget follow us on twitter.
MORE: Games Inbox: The fate of Kratos in God Of War Ragnarök, Splatoon 3, and Wave Race 64 Love
MORE: Games Inbox: PlayStation 6 release date speculation, Starfield bugs and Spider-Man 2 co-op
MORE : Games Inbox: Best free-to-play video game, Horizon Forbidden West for £35 and Mega Drive Mini 2 in the UK
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk
To make it easier to submit letters to your Inbox and Reader’s Features without sending an email, use our Stuff Stuff page here.
For more such stories, check out our Gaming page.
0 Comments