The Wednesday letters page has nightlife recommendations for gamers in Birmingham, as one reader looks forward to the chaos of GTA 6.
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Pro tip
So I’ve just been reading some tech breakdowns of the PS5 Pro and it seems that it’s not that much of a jump forward at all. That won’t be any kind of shock to those that bought a PS4 Pro, but as usual all the 50% more powerful nonsense, that always gets trotted out with tech specs, was bought hook, line, and sinker by some.
If the console is disappointing even on paper, I can’t imagine how bad it’s going to be in reality, where it’s going to be a game of spot the difference to tell what the improvements are meant to be. If you haven’t got a PlayStation 5 already then fine, it’s still obviously the model to go for, but for those upgrading, well… I won’t be one of them.
Companies are supposedly worried that the age of consoles is drawing to an end and what is their answer to this problem? To release a completely pointless upgrade that costs a huge amount of money for very little gain, especially compared to the much cheaper price of upgrading your PC.
The PS5 Pro is absolutely the opposite of what is needed right now and is going to make more people think twice about their format choices. I literally don’t know who’s in charge of PlayStation at the moment, because they don’t seem to have announced anyone, but whoever it is needs to have a word with themselves.
Focus
The triple
I think it’s madness that we could have had new consoles from all three companies this Christmas, if it wasn’t for the Switch 2 being delayed. Nintendo can’t be blamed for planning a new console, because they’re now out of synch with the other two companies, but I can only agree that the PS5 Pro is completely unnecessary. The new Xbox Series X too, although it sounds like it’s basically just an Xbox Series X Slim (man, the way Microsoft names things is just terrible).
Stop making new hardware and make some new games! What is wrong with these companies? I thought it was software that made the most profit, not hardware, which is often sold at a loss? Even if that’s not true at the moment it’s not the main money maker so why is that the obsession right now? I just don’t get it. And what games are we supposed to be playing on the PS5 Pro? Spider-Man 2 works fine as it is, so I don’t even get what benefit we’re even supposed to see.
Mags
Unbalanced wares
So, in the space of 20 months we will have had the PlayStation VR2, the PlayStation Portal, and (potentially, but likely) the PS5 Pro. This is particularly impressive, from a hardware perspective, and I’d argue the PlayStation engineers are clearly at the top of their game, which makes it so perplexing that the software side of their business is at, arguably, its lowest ebb.
The two sides are clearly not communicating effectively and it all just seems like such a waste of time. Surely, you delay the PS5 Pro until there’s a significant title to launch alongside it? Also, the whole 8K thing is nonsense.
Matt
GC: You forgot the PS5 Slim. And the PS5 Pro is very clearly real.
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Things to do in Birmingham when you’re a gamer
RE: DMR and Tony 1975. As Tony mentioned yesterday, the Birmingham Gaming Market takes place in Digbeth, Birmingham on 6th April. I’ve been once before, and it’s well worth a visit, although it’s quite difficult to get a good look at the stands as the place is so rammed!
There wasn’t any arcade machines but the venue is right next door to a retro arcade/bar called NQ64, which has a few machines such as Donkey Kong, Track & Field, Pac-Man, OutRun 2, and Time Crisis.
Also, if you take a walk into the city centre, there is a pinball bar called Tilt, which has around 20 new and classic tables. And there is also a brand new bar called F1 Arcade, which has about 20 F1 simulators. Hope you have a nice time!
Tim Keeling
Stealthy Bigfoot
It is indeed Sneaky Sasquatch and it is on Apple Arcade, not sure if it’s available elsewhere. It’s set in a woodland town. You play a Sasquatch who is trying to avoid park rangers by blending in. The game starts with you having to steal clothing, finding food, and simply trying to survive but soon develops into you running for mayor, stealing cars, racing go-karts, and undertaking tasks to stop terrible things happening in the forest. I’ve only dabbled, but the kids (8 and 11) absolutely love it.
It receives massive updates quite often, which creates a flurry of activity as new tasks (trying to become a consultant in a hospital) become available. Graphically it is top-down, with lovely cartoon style graphics. Touch controls work well too. Kids would no doubt say it is a 10/10 game, probably realistically it is an 8/10, but it’s worth checking out for all ages!
Catcave
You are smart
Just found out that it is the 20th anniversary of Katamari Damacy on Monday and that sure does make me feel old. Fantastic game though, with it and its first (and only good) sequel having relatively recent remasters, that anyone should be able to get hold of.
I love the game because it’s so weird and surreal and yet perfectly formed. It’s slightly janky but even that seems to fit with the mood and the message it’s trying to get across.
A fairly late era PlayStation 2 game (that wasn’t released in Europe and I had to import at the time) it marks a period when major publishers were still making what are essentially indie games, and apparently without any real expectation that it’d make them a lot of money.
I even kind of liked the fact that I had to import it. It made it feel that much more special, like I was purposefully seeking something out I’d heard about on the grapevine (from GC, actually) and not just what was advertised the most on TikTok.
Time most move on but I think we’re all beginning to miss that period in time when mainstream publishers were happy to put out weird stuff just because it didn’t cost that much to make and, who knows, it might be a hit. Those days are long gone and now everything has to be a massive smash hit or the whole developer goes under.
As far as I know, the only thing Bandai Namco are doing to celebrate Katamari Damacy is a remastered soundtrack on Spotify called Katamari Fortissimo Damacy. It’s not online as I type this though, so I’m not sure when it’s going on there.
Lentil
Happy birthday Samus
Since Nintendo ignored the 30th anniversary of the original Metroid I’m sure they’re going to ignore this one as well, but Super Metroid is 30 this week. For those that have played it, it needs no introduction, and I don’t think anyone would disagree with me when I say it is one of the few perfect video games in history.
Still completely playable today and an absolute icon for Metroidvania games and games in general. It’s also on the Nintendo Switch Online SNES app, if you want to give it a try. You can get a free seven day trial and you can easily beat it in that time.
Onibee
Reasons not to move
I’m an Xbox Series X owner and really like it as a console and for me it has plenty of games to play on it. However, there are some games on the PlayStation 5 I’d like to try – Helldivers 2, for example.
The PS5 Pro version does seem appealing in some regards but there are three main barriers which would stop me getting it:
- We have seen even on the current series of consoles that developers struggle to make the most of the top tier version and often have to just ensure their game works on the lowest common denominator. For example, Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox was an exception because it was released on the Series X before the Series S. But for other studios, making a game that only a small sub-population of owners can buy makes no sense financially and a risk not worth taking.
- Locked in ecosystems. I have played Xbox since the original and whilst I know I could own both consoles, the small amount of exclusives on the PlayStation wouldn’t be enough for it to be my main console and jettison years’ worth of achievements, digitally purchased games, my friends list, etc.
- From an environmental point of view, buying another power-sucking device and taking up more space in my games room is something I’d rather avoid.
I suppose now we know Microsoft is going to sell at least some Xbox games on PlayStation, what is the point of separate consoles? Couldn’t we move more towards an Android system where we have one OS and it is largely device agnostic?
Sounds a bit like a PC though doesn’t it…?!
Tom
GC: There are numerous reasons Microsoft and, particularly, Sony don’t want to do that, but one of the most important is that everyone releasing games on consoles has to pay a licensing fee. That’s where the profit comes from, not the selling of the hardware.
Inbox also-rans
GTA 6 in February sounds good to me. Like the other reader said, gaming’s never going to be the same after that and I can’t wait to see the chaos it creates (and play the game, obviously).
Bowie
Shame about Alone In The Dark, it sounds like they tried to good, and I like the idea of it not all taking place in the mansion, but at this point doing Resident Evil but without the fun isn’t going to work unless either the story’s good or it’s really scary. Doesn’t sound like this was either.
Louies
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