The Friday letters page is very glad that Nintendo isn’t interested in AI, as one reader hopes for the return of StreetPass on Switch 2.
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Aging gracefully
With all the talk of mega expensive consoles and the return of big budget Sony games my mind has somehow been turning back to the old days. Partly because Astro Bot was reminding me of a lot of classic PS1 games I used to love and partly because Dino Crisis and Legacy Of Kain are getting a comeback via PS Plus and they were two of my favourite games back in the day.
I have no idea how they play now though and have a feeling they may not have aged well. So I ask you: what is the best PS1 game, in terms of something you could play now? I know it’s not Ape Escape, which I loved in Astro Bot, because that had a bad camera and controls even back in the day. Metal Gear Solid was also fiddly even at the time and Final Fantasy 7 is so badly translated it’s almost unplayable now.
I think the better picks are probably simple action games, that don’t really age, like Tekken or Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Resident Evil 2 is great, I love it, but the tank controls are so of their time. Timelessness is not something most PS1 games have but ironically it may be 2D games like Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night and Final Fantasy Tactics that have lasted the best.
Sting
Expected answer
It’s funny that it’s their new museum that’s got Nintendo talking, rather than anything to do with the Switch 2, but I can’t fault Miyamoto-san on anything he said this week. I am very glad to see them take a clear stance on AI but then again, I’d be very surprised and disappointed if they had gone all in on it. Not even Xbox has done that yet, although I fear that’s coming sooner or later.
Him describing how Nintendo wasn’t interesting in getting into the rat race of high-end consoles was very reassuring to here. We’ve seen exactly where the opposite has got us: games that are too expensive to make and consoles whose main selling points are impossible to see with the naked eye and yet cost £700.
I’m not saying PlayStation and Xbox shouldn’t try and make better graphics, but they have to show some restraint and they’ve shown none whatsoever. Nintendo could’ve made the Switch as powerful as PlayStation 4 if they decided to charge £960 for it (the price of a PS5 Pro special edition) but because they’re not crazy they didn’t.
Dogger
Weird idea
Lots of Nintendo stories on Thursday but interesting stuff all round. Not surprised to hear Nintendo doesn’t like AI but it’s good to hear anyway. Not wanting to get involved in the console wars is also a given but also nice to hear said out loud.
I do wonder what this wireless, possibly wearable, device is though. I agree the time limit it on it makes it sound like it’s something that’s going to come out early, so what is Nintendo thinking? A reader mentioned Miis the other day and this new gadget got me thinking that I’d like to see a return of something similar to StreetPass again.
It was very simple, but I found it very fun picking up people’s Mii whenever I went out. So I wonder if this device is doing something similar? I’m sure the Switch can do the wireless stuff itself but maybe there’s more complicated interactions being planned with AR or similar? Just a thought and I’m sure whatever it is it’ll end up being too weird for any of us to imagine – in a good way.
Cuscus
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Advanced reading
I’m not usually someone who gets hyped for games before they’ve been reviewed. But I’m making an exception for the upcoming Exodus game. Not only is it being developed by some of the staff who previously worked on Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (two of my favourite role-playing games) but it also features the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey (one of my favourite actors, particularly in Interstellar).
Most importantly though, the developers have aquired the sci-fi writing talents of best-selling author Peter F. Hamilton (one of my favourite authors), who has not only been brought in as a creative consultant, but is writing two whole novels set in the universe he’s created for the game.
I’m currently enjoying the first of these, The Archimedes Engine, and it’s up to the usual high standards of his writing, with bags of intrigue, depth, and creative world-building. It gives me certainty that the game’s universe will be an interesting and unique one, and hope that we may get a better ending than that of the Mass Effect series!
For any fans of sci-fi (or good books in general) who might be interested in reading some of his other work, I’d recommend starting with the excellent Commonwealth Saga (Comprised of Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained) as it will probably a while before the second book to his Exodus series is finished!
Dan
Unrequited love
I don’t know what can be said about this PS5 Pro 30th anniversary business. I’m all for calling Sony out on the price of the normal model but anyone that’s paying £8,000 for the same thing but painted grey has only got themselves to blame. I’ve no sympathy, even if it seems that Sony didn’t do anything to stop scalpers.
But the idea that it was £960 even before the scalpers is incredible to me. Okay if you’re a millionaire and just enjoy wasting your money but ordinary people could buy 14 ordinary full price games or more for the same price. Spending that sort of money on a console to celebrate a corporate brand’s anniversary… I can guarantee you Sony don’t love you as much as you love them.
Mendas
Dystopian joy
It’s all a bit doom and gloom in gaming right now, so I thought I would cheer myself up a bit by purchasing Frostpunk (a bit of irony for you there). Admittedly, I don’t think I had even heard of the game until your review of the sequel but having read it I decided to check out the original, which to my luck is currently on sale on the PlayStation Store and combined with a PlayStation Stars voucher cost me all of £2. What a bargain that turned out to be (although at £2 the bar wasn’t too high).
I’m obsessed with it and time seems to no longer work the way it used to. Hours ebb away, as I do my best to keep everyone in town warm and my mind is constantly thinking of what I need to do next when I’m not playing it.
Usually this isn’t the sort of game I would play but this isn’t the first time giving something different a go has paid off by following one of your recommendations. I’ve been here before with Crusader Kings 3, which I became equally enthralled with.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is we could perhaps all benefit from giving something different a go whilst we wait for Sony and Microsoft et al. to sort themselves out.
I’m going to take my own advice and give something like Paper Mario or the new Zelda game a go next.
Happy gaming everyone.
Vanhelsing21
GC: Our favourite letters are always those from readers who have been inspired to try something different as a result of one of our reviews.
Market value
£8,000 for a PlayStation? Anyone that would pay that isn’t on this planet. Hopefully, no one will buy them, then there out of pocket.
What is the world coming to when someone thinks someone will pay eight times more than shop prices. But saying that, you will get some paying it which is a shame because while people are paying it they will carry on doing it.
David
No complaints
A couple of interesting articles today, the first is the price hike of Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition to £34.99, leading up to the more extensive than expected PlayStation 5 remaster. Evil, rip-off Sony on the surface. The article’s top picture had a comment saying good graphics don’t come cheap.
Yet Nintendo has spent the Switch era releasing much of the Wii U catalogue at full price with no upgrade path, like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. So on Switch, PlayStation 3 era graphics don’t come cheap. In fairness people have criticised this too, although not to the level Sony gets.
Nintendo game prices don’t ever dome down, you’ll probably never get their current games for less than £35. Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition has been available for £15 for years. It was also given away free by Sony during their Covid PlayStation’s Play At Home initiative and that free version can be upgraded for £10. That sounds like positively decent behaviour to me.
For me, there’s a difference to being ripped off and a company trying to be profitable and selling things at a fair price. I’ve no real problem with Nintendo or Sony here and feel they both offer good value on their platforms.
The second article was Nintendo not following the same path as high-end consoles in pushing the console price and development budget-busting graphical/performance envelope. What’s sad though is Nintendo has to make this point as there’s a subset of gamers who feel Nintendo’s approach of releasing tech that’s behind the technology curve deserves criticising.
I’m happy both schools of thought exist and I get the best of both worlds. But I do feel the high-end console market could do with being a bit more Nintendo here and take a break from improving graphics. It’s a mild pet peeve for me and feels like chasing the dragon when people say the PS5 Pro is needed, rather than a nice/unnecessary option depending on your point of view, as the base PlayStation 5 can’t run the latest and greatest at 60fps on quality settings. It’s an endless pursuit where you’ll never be truly satiated.
Overall though, across Xbox, PC, Switch, and PlayStation the industry offers an excellent selection of gaming goodness. One device doesn’t have to be all things.
Simundo
Inbox also-rans
If they do make more Legacy Of Kain games I really hope they get Amy Hennig back to write them. She made those games, with the characters and story, much more than the gameplay. I’m convinced that’s why the series quickly died a death when she left.
Dusty
I like the idea of a Shiek spin-off game, but I always thought Impa should get a bigger role too. I don’t like the old grandma look they’ve had for in the last few games, she was much cooler as the young warrior but she hasn’t been that for ages. What is she in Echoes Of Wisdom, GC?
Locamush
GC: She’s an old granny again, but she’s not in it much.
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