The Wednesday letters page looks forward to Nintendo being doomed next gen, as one reader is upset about broken games like Metro Awakening.
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In-betweeners
I wonder why Rockstar Games has never made any attempt to remaster Red Dead Revolver. I know it’s a very different game to the others but my memories of it is that it was still a fun shooter. At the very least it’s a curiosity that I’m sure Red Dead fans would be interested in playing again. And if Rockstar don’t feel it’s not good enough anymore, why not remake it and improve it?
Apart from anything I miss the days when Rockstar used to make smaller, more experimental games. The days of Table Tennis, The Warriors, and Manhunt. They used to seem to relish the idea of making smaller games in-between the big ones, almost as if they were relaxing and just messing around.
All publishers could do with doing the same. People are talking about bringing back AA games but you don’t have to be making that all the time. Just give your developers the chance to make something new and unusual in-between the big games and you’re killing three or four birds with one stone. Which is a bit harsh on the birds but it would make for more interesting games.
Focus
Doom o’clock
I agree that the Nintendo Switch deserves to be called the best console ever. It’s a meaningless accolade, because what’s the point in comparing the SNES with the PlayStation 4, but to me the Nintendo Switch feels like it did everything right: innovative design, high quality exclusives, reasonable price, and apart from the lack of third party support no real drawbacks.
I don’t really see how it won’t become the biggest of all time, given it’s only a dozen or so million sales off and if the Switch 2 is cross-gen then that means lots of support for the foreseeable. (It also probably hints that the Switch 2 will be relatively expensive, with the Switch kept on as a cheaper option.)
Who knows whether the Switch 2 will repeat the success, but I can guarantee that if it is less successful that people will immediately start saying that Nintendo is doomed and they’re no longer relevant/can’t compete. Then those same people will act shocked when the console after is a massive hit again. ‘Twas ever thus.
Scooter
Nintendo is just for kids
So the Switch is coming to the end and if I’m honest I can’t wait, I’ve never liked the Switch. I bought one and withing three days it was sold. The games are for kids; the graphics are still in the times of the 90s, just a bit brighter but nothing special; and I don’t get why you would play it on a home TV when it’s got a screen. I’m not saying I hate Nintendo; as a kid I loved Nintendo, but I’ve got older and they have stayed in the same decade.
Then the price of the games. When Xbox/Sony said game prices were going up everyone was saying how dare they or it’s a rip-off, yet Nintendo put the prices up and you hear, ‘I don’t blame them.’ Take Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, it went up to £70 and no one said a word. Yet, it was the same map and same characters.
Yes, they might of added a bit but it was the same game, just a new story, nothing else had changed. I want Nintendo’s next console to have power, next gen power. I want proper graphics, I want them to realise it’s 2024, not 1994. If I don’t get that I’ll pass on their next console.
David
GC: No one said a word because it didn’t happen. Nintendo prices have not risen this generation; they’re still £50 or lower. The sole exception is Tears Of The Kingdom, which costs £60 and not £70.
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Now or never
Good on you for not given Metro Awakening a review score. I can’t believe publishers are still releasing games that are this broken and expecting things to go well. It was obviously rushed out, but for what? We’re still almost two months away from Christmas so what’s more important? Get it on now and immediately be portrayed as a broken mess or wait until its working properly and, by the sound of it, probably get a really good review.
Time and time again we see publishers go for the option of just pushing it out, in whatever state, and fixing it later. I guess they have internal deadlines, probably tied to exec bonuses and whatever, but it’s so short sighted it’s maddening. People are sick of playing broken games and all publishers are doing is training us never to buy a game on day one.
System
Old totals
Nice to see the Switch still selling well considering its old age. If Nintendo continues to market and sell it alongside the Switch 2 (as Sony did with the PlayStation 2) then I can see it beating the PlayStation 2’s unofficial 160 million record.
Although the PS2 was a legendary console, its hardware sales are partly due to its DVD functionality. I remember people in my parents’ generation buying a PlayStation 2 early on and never buying a single game for it. Nobody ever bought a Switch for any reason other than games. So, I think the Switch deserves the symbolic crown.
Phil
GC: The official PlayStation 2 sales total is 155.0 million. Just before he left Sony, Jim Ryan started using the figure 160 million, but it’s not clear if this was more accurate or just him rounding up/misremembering. You’re right in suggesting a lot of PlayStation 2s were bought primarily or solely as DVD players, which were new at the time.
Switch Remastered
I think I could agree with Lurgie that the Switch is probably the greatest console of all time, it’s a tough decision but it might just get over the line in first spot. It’s a perfect all-rounder for all different types of gamers and it has the most 90 and above scores for games for any console on Metacritic. I’ve owned the console since it came out, virtually, and I’ve always found something to play on it. I usually put the old consoles in their boxes when they are superseded by their next gen counterparts but I think the Switch is going to remain in my living room for a long time to come.
It sounds like James was on the fence about Vampire Survivors and finally took the plunge. Good decision, James. What a fantastically addictive game it is at a fantastically great price. I recommend it to anyone. Don’t be put off by the graphics. I’ve been playing Ode To Castlevania since it came out and it’s full of surprises.
This expansion feels like it’s the natural home of Vampire Survivors, the setting suits it perfectly and I’m glad Konami got on board with it, and it’s a delight to be playing it. Without giving away any spoilers, it feels like this could be the end of any more expansions and if it was it would be a fitting end to the game, but of course it probably won’t be, and I’ll happily purchase any more DLC it throws my way.
I’m about to start playing Metroid Prime Remastered on the Switch. I checked Game Central’s review before I bought it, and I know how infrequently you guys give out the fabled 10/10 score, so I should be in for a treat with this one, having never owned a GameCube to play the original. I’ve only ever had a quick go on one of the old Metroid platform games but I’m fairly in the know about Samus, as she’s always been featured in the Smash Bros. games.
Nick The Greek
Nothing lasts forever
I was thinking the other day about the idea of Konami making new Metal Gear games and the idea of whether they might convince Hideo Kojima to help out. But I knew he had a lot of games on the boil at the moment and so I looked up his age and he’s 61!
First of all, he does not look his age, but secondly how long is he going to want to be making games for, if he’s got what sounds like the next decade already booked up? Not just him but so many classic developers must now be at retirement age or beyond.
Kojima was making games on the NES, so he’s older school than you think but so many of these franchises reaching their 30 anniversary or more… their creators have long moved on. You think of gaming as a new thing, but it’s not really.
Platas
GC: Clint Eastwood has a new film out at the moment, that he directed, and he’s 94.
Trophy console
The PS5 Pro is a paperweight. A system to talk about for a few weeks and then instantaneously forget about and leave it to collect dust. From what I can tell, it is essentially a trophy to show off and why not? A minimal update, reflections that will barely even be noticed, when moving through the next set of levels and puddles in Spider-Man 2. That is truly phenomenally mystifying and it totally justifies the ludicrous price tag? No, it never has and never will.
I’ll say that I still stand by what I believe in and that’s the fact this will not break records and net Sony as much profit as they believe. It still hasn’t even sold out on Amazon. Which considering the constant news articles is unsurprising. It just shows that fans haven’t learned from the underwhelming sales of the PS4 Pro, which came and went faster than Concord’s relevancy. Nowadays it’s essentially forgotten and it is just a box that has either been sold long ago or is collecting dust.
I don’t see this system lasting much longer, because it doesn’t conjure up a vast difference between resolution and frame rate. But this sets off a worrying trend. Who knows how much the PS6 Pro will cost? It’ll be likely £2,000. It’s Sony. Of course they will. On a final note. When I spend what the Pro is going for on the Ally X, and hopefully I can afford it by January 2025, at least I’ll get more value for money. Especially with Game Pass and Steam.
Shahzaib Sadiq
GC: The sales of PS4 Pro weren’t underwhelming, they were exactly what you’d expect of a niche product. If Sony deemed it a failure they wouldn’t have made the PS5 Pro.
Inbox also-rans
The thing that amazes me the most about this Wordle story is that the New York Times has 600 technical staff on its website. Is Wordle really that high maintenance? What do they do all day?
Leggos
So, if Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a flop what happens to Ubisoft’s plans to make another 12 of them? That is going to take so long to stop or change direction it’ll take them years to right the ship. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen to me.
Otharm
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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.
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