Games Inbox: Is Astro Bot game of the year 2024?

The Friday letters page struggles to understand the madness of Astro Bot vs. Concord, while one reader looks forward to Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.

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Strange days
Just what is going on in gaming at the moment? Sony ditch their first big live service game after 11 days and it’s due to get shut down the same day that Astro Bot comes out? The game that is the exact opposite of Concord and everything that fans have been wishing Sony would go back to making.

And yet everyone is convinced – and I’m sure they’re right – that Sony will ignore the positive reviews and comments and just keep throwing out live service games until one’s a hit or… they go bust? Can Sony go bust? I’m not sure they’re that close to any trouble but it feels like they’re desperate to find out.

I just cannot fathom how anyone at Sony thinks they’re doing a good job at the moment… except the poor developers who despite it all are still churning out great games. Astro Bot is the best game of the year so far according to Metacritic (and not counting Shadow Of Erdtree) and so between that and the complete failure of Concord I feel that should make their future direction very clear.

But then again Bloodborne was game of the year when it came out and they completely ignored that too. Madness. And I haven’t even mentioned Xbox yet.
Cranston

Exploitable IP
Great to see that Astro Bot has had universal praise. I wasn’t especially interested in it before, or even necessarily now, but I do like see a positive ‘proper’ game with no microtransactions or other nonsense doing well. I assume there’s no multiplayer either?

The contrast with Concord is hilarious, especially as one is launching and the other is dying on the exact same day. I mean, what were the chances of that?

I’m not sure it gives me much more faith in PlayStation’s future plans though. The Sony boss made it clear he didn’t consider Astro Bot a major franchise and I’ve seen no marketing for the game at all. I wouldn’t even know it exists if not for places like GC. I’m not sure Sony cares how good it is, only whether it’s something they can exploit in the future.
Gadfly

GC: No, there’s no multiplayer of any kind.

Taking a chainsword to bloat
I still can’t believe Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 looks as good as it does. I was watching some videos and it looks absolutely top notch and yet it’s pretty obvious it’s not that high budget, I’m not even sure it counts as AAA. I imagine the linear levels and lack of exploration (i.e. no bloat) was a factor but I suspect it was mostly just the developer being lean and sensible, rather than having thousands of people working away at minor content people will never play.

I might wait for Black Friday, but I will definitely get the game and give it my support, even though I’ve never played a Warhammer 40,000 game before. I do own a lot of heavy metal album covers though and you’re right, this does look like it belongs amongst them. (So, it’s a shame the actual box art is so boring.)
Rastan

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No comparison
One of your readers asked why the PlayStation 6 is coming out so soon. Then I read that ‘soon’ is apparently 2028…. which is four years from now. You know how long that is from 2020, the year the current home consoles released? Eight years.

For context, the PlayStation 4/Xbox One released in 2013 and their successors in 2020, or seven years. The sixth generation also began in 2005 and had their successors out in 2013. Eight years is not ‘fast’, it’s been the norm for the last two generations and historically long if you look at consoles before then.

As for the reason they are needed, it’s because of the CPU would have been very outdated. Hell, they’re being stretched to the limit now arguably. One thing this generation has done really well is giving a 60fps target as the option in a lot more games – something that is rarer from most releases from the previous generations. Eventually, as this gen goes on, 60fps will be less if an option and refresh is needed.
Yaru

GC: You can’t compare the current situation to previous generations, given the pandemic and whatever on earth Sony has been playing at the last two years. Also, 2026 is the more common guess as to when the next gen will start, especially for Xbox.

Authentic graphics
I agree that the Minecraft movie looks awful, but in terms of art design and what seems to have been intended as comedy. I don’t care about Minecraft myself but I do think it’s a shame that it means we haven’t seen the game’s old school graphics on the big screen.

Pixel style artwork is almost never seen outside of actual games and the only thing I can think of that came close is that awful Pixels film and maybe a few quick gags in Wreck-It Ralph and stuff like that. And even then I think it’s always just overcomplicated 3D pixels and not anything that looks like an actual game.

It probably wouldn’t look good with a lot of old stuff but Minecraft is a recent game and there are lots of ray-tracing mods and the like that make it look really good. Much better than that ugly movie trailer.
Lennox

Second chances
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is scheduled for release towards the end of the month. The original Wii version was a mixed bag, and I am curious to see if the updated edition will introduce more substantial improvements or simply be a lick of fresh paint. The platforming itself was always rudimentary, even a decade ago.

In light of the innovative gaming landscape and increased creativity we see today, it should feel positively prehistoric by now. But strangely, I find myself drawn (painted?) to it again. I have always appreciated the game’s design and atmosphere, enough at least to see me through to the end.

Although there are likely to be better games released this month, I am considering purchasing it at launch (though not pre-ordering). It is somewhat surprising to feel this way, given that I have always advocated for prioritising gameplay above everything else.

I have played and recommended numerous games to friends that may not have looked like much, but offered great gameplay experiences. It doesn’t matter how it looks, as long as the gameplay is good – that’s the correct answer, right? Despite its shortcomings, I think that I will enjoy playing through it in its updated form, and if it brings me joy then I am getting my money’s worth. I suppose that’s all that really matters?

Much like the game’s paint/thinner morality system, I find myself muddled and confused about how I feel. And, perhaps ironically, much like the morality system, it makes little difference to the end result. I tried the demo and lapped it up. I encourage others to do the same.

I find it difficult to tell how much of an improvement it is based solely on a brief playthrough. Not including voice-acting like its sequel was definitely a missed opportunity though. Maybe not a great game but shaping up to be at least a good one.
Major_Kahonas

Tipping point
I would also never have guessed the Dreamcast only lasted two years. It seemed like it was the biggest thing around for me when I was in my early teens, but then I guess it just must’ve hit at the right time. It does feel like the dividing line between modern and classic games though, looking back.

Everything from the Dreamcast on back was dominated by Japanese-made games and after the PlayStation 2 took over, especially once GTA 3 came out, everything started drifting in the other direction. I preferred the old way.
Gandor

Chalk and cheese
I’ve been very critical of Xbox’s multiformat strategy but Hiroki Totoki’s recent comments about Sony having insufficient original IP got me thinking. Add to that his criticism of profit margins, will Xbox’s strategy have an influence? Xbox has many deficiencies but they now own many significant IPs.

When Xbox announced Indiana Jones And The Great Circle for PlayStation 5 they effectively told gamers they don’t need an Xbox. So in effect, Microsoft don’t need to worry about how many consoles they sell. They will have increased their customer base tenfold. Earlier this year, the top 10 games on PlayStation 5 were mostly published by Microsoft. I imagine this only hastened their plans.

Anyone with a brain knows this will have a detrimental effect on Xbox console sales. But in terms of profits, they will go through the roof. Therefore, when Microsoft announce record-breaking profits, will Sony pay attention? I feel it will certainly expedite their PC port strategy at the very least.
Si

GC: Microsoft might not need to worry about how many consoles they sell but Sony do. The business plans for the two companies are becoming too different for meaningful comparison. Although it’s worth remembering that Xbox’s increased profits are actually just Activision Blizzard games selling at their usual level, and that’s not going to add up to the $75.4 billion Microsoft paid for them for a very long time.

Inbox also-rans
Managed to navigate my cheap ass through the add-on packs and fluff on PS Store and managed to purchase Hotline Miami for £1.99 or was it £2.99? Either way my foot won’t stop tapping.
Si 2

GC: Is your inexpensive donkey a fan of Hotline Miami?

After reading your review of Astro Bot, seems to me you have just cost me £60. Was going to wait till Black Friday to see if I could save a pound but don’t think I will now.
David

The most important factor in my decision to buy Switch 2 or not is can I still use it at rooftop parties?
Mark Matthews

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The small print
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