Thursday’s letter pages are grateful for an indie game filling in the gaps between major releases, as a reader enjoys SteelRising, despite its flaws.
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third christmas
So we’re finally limping toward the release of God of War Ragnarok, after a summer Games drought that seems to be gone forever. I feel like I can blow the dust off my PlayStation 5 and hope that 2022 has been a great run for the console so far.
I don’t mean it’s a fanboy ‘all other consoles suck’ in a way, I think the first few years in PlayStation 5 have been great and if it hadn’t started for the bite of the pandemic this year. Maybe it would have been better.
I’ll go further and say that no other console, or at least not one in the 3D era, has been so good over the first two years. seriously. It started off well, and then a stream of really good games at least every two or three months, until the recession around April this year.
The only rival I can think of is the Switch, but while it had a great first year — better than the PlayStation 5 — its second year was pretty bad, and it’s only gotten worse since then. I don’t know if this will make the PlayStation 5 the best console ever or anything, but I think it’s already at the same point in their life in terms of other hardware.
boson
second try
Considering some of the garbage Embraer is already committed to, I’m pretty sure there will be another Saints Row. It might be another reboot, but I don’t think they’ll give up on what used to be a big enough franchise. I’m surprised the CEO says it didn’t make much money, though with the implication that it cost a lot of money to make, because my abiding belief was that it was incredibly cheap.
From the poor graphics to the un-named songs on the radio, the whole thing sounded more like a BBC production than the big budget Hollywood equivalent of GTA. Like said in the GC review, if it was trying to do something different it might not matter but it isn’t.
Maybe they’ll learn the same lesson if they do another, but given how obvious one mistake was, I’m not sure.
corby
Sign
I’m getting round the idea that the Switch 2 is getting very close to being announced, probably next year or early 2024. I might even go along with the fan theory that Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is intended to be a bookend for the current Switch.
Someone mentioned that the Switch is still selling well, which is true, but it’s selling less than it used to, if only by a relatively small amount. That’s the sign the publisher always looks for in terms of pushing their next console. I’d be surprised now if the Switch 2 isn’t out until at least Christmas 2024.
jobby
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unique idea
Can I just say how much I’m enjoying SteelRising? It didn’t get amazing reviews but I didn’t have much else to play with and I love SoulsLike so I took a chance on it and was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it’s not nearly as polished from the game and the level design isn’t nearly as good, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
A big part of this is the weird setting and art design, which I think goes a long way toward getting you (or at least me!) invested in a game, other setbacks notwithstanding. If it was just general fantasy or whatever it would never have been my focus on rather weird french steampunk? For which I can largely forgive.
Some say the story is important to a game for them, but for me it’s not the plot, but the atmosphere and feel of the game, not what’s actually happening.
costa
king of pac-mana
‘King of Kong’ and controversial American arcade record holder Billy Mitchell was at Elephant and Castle last Friday evening, where he validated one of his competition records, achieving a perfect score without losing a life in Pac-Man after 7.5 hours of play. did!
There were five co-owners of the Four Quarter Arcade in Elephant Park. I have advised you to contact them. I was just a punter. Here is my write up and posted by my friend Toby these pictures,
Soon
expect more
I didn’t play the first two, but after all the positive reviews I took a chance on Splatoon 3 and… I really like the controls and the basic concept but the game seems so bear bones that I keep wondering if there is something else I have to unlock.
Reading that the other material was lacking even more, I’m surprised the series has gotten so far this far. Although this explains why it did not remain so large in the west. I don’t know why Japan likes it so much, but they might not like serious/violent shooters, which is fair enough?
The fact that you have to play for so long to unlock anything other than one mode especially when you go to the others is really cool and I at least suddenly struggle I start doing Salmon Run is really good, but again it’s really limited. There isn’t much variation and even though there are different maps, they still look alike.
I’ll wait to see how the DLC goes, but it feels like a rough sketch game and someone forgets to color it.
loopmaster
non portable portable
Maybe it’s different in China, but I don’t think we’re in a position where portable cloud streaming consoles make much sense just yet. At home, sure my broadband is pretty stable, but out and about? no chance. I can drive my Switch on a boat, on top of a mountain, or on the beach (and I have!), but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to get enough Wi-Fi to do that with this Logitech Have / Tencent device.
Also… couldn’t they at least try something different from the switch. It looks more like a knock-off brand than a Steam deck.
Graz
indy to the rescue
Indie gaming is a big part of my gaming diet these days. Less running time and more experimental and creative directions are big factors. The quality bar is really high these days too.
All three console makers have enthusiastically embraced indie games at some level. Nintendo and Sony also scrapped their initial release schedules, and now it’s Microsoft’s turn to fill out Game Pass.
This has resulted in an impressive line-up of indie games of the day for over a year now and it also means that Xbox has seen tons of quality indie time exclusives like Tunic, Death’s Door, Unpacking and Rogue Legacy 2. The announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong One Day’s Game Pass release speaks to me just how good indie gaming is on Xbox right now. This month alone in Game Pass are Metal: Helsinger, Tinykins, Immortality, Beacon Pines and Moonscar.
Last week there was an Inbox letter saying it must be a pitiful time for Xbox owners due to the barren release schedule. On the first party front it was 100% accurate, but the only reason I can tell why Microsoft isn’t getting the level of criticism from Sony or Nintendo if they had such a barren first party year is because Microsoft is keeping it to punters. So happy with Game Pass for now.
My Xbox Series X hasn’t taken off all year and it’s been a rich and fun year of gaming on it. My Xbox Series X gets far more use than my PlayStation 5, which is now a Sony exclusive box.
Although Microsoft obviously has to sort out its first party output. There’s still a big question mark with Halo Infinity’s mess of whether they’ll ever get consistent quality first party output at Sony’s and Nintendo’s levels, never mind the question whether they’re going to try them both in their best ways. can be mixed with.
As much as I rate Microsoft’s offering right now, I’m not sure if they have God of War or Zelda: Breath of the Wild. They have bought some very talented studios though, so a consistent high quality bar should be the goal and Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport all look very promising.
simundo
inbox bhi-rans
Is GTA already a disappointment? No, not at all. I can’t fathom how disappointed anyone is with what they’ve seen in the leak. It’s like judging a Marvel movie based on behind-the-scenes scenes from the green screen.
James
GC: This happens all the time, often based on some paparazzi-style photos. People can be weird.
I’ve had issues with FIFA over the years, but I have to give it credit where it’s due and I love that EA is putting all the effort into this year’s game, even if it’s their last game and you’re going to get them. could imagine making it. Bad on purpose to ruin the reputation of the name along the way – because FIFA will reuse it for their games.
johnny blaze
This week’s hot topic
This week’s question about favorite fantasy video games follows last weekend’s Inbox: What’s your favorite sci-fi game?
It can be a licensed game if you want but try to include the game that started in the video game as well. How big of a fan of science fiction are you in general, and how much do you differentiate between relatively grounded settings and space fantasy?
Do you think there are too many or too few sci-fi games at the moment and what kinds of games would you like to see more of, including specific genres like space combat simulators and sci-fi horror?
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