The Friday Letters page is excited about the Sonic Frontiers DLC as a reader has some ideas for the Uncharted coaster.
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Christmas gift
Like most people, I’m having financial problems right now. Rent has gone up, we have to heat longer because the weather is colder, and food prices are getting ridiculous. Christmas is also just around the corner and while I was planning to get myself a PlayStation 5, it has now been put on hold. My kids need a good Christmas more than I do, so that’s my priority.
Game prices also play a role and to be honest I’ve thought about buying an Xbox Series S and Game Pass, but I’m not sure I’ve ever liked an Xbox exclusive while almost every Sony one seems to be beating nerves with me. The PlayStation 5 is my thing and I have to accept that I can’t afford it. I think I’m still in a privileged position that it was even a question, but I still can’t pretend it wasn’t disappointing and a little bit depressing.
So there it is, I’m not specifically asking for sympathy or anything, but I just wanted to take it from my soul and say to all the people who wish cross-gen games didn’t exist that they are actually necessary ones from us who can’t currently afford to upgrade consoles.
JoshC
Strictly average
While I agree that 30 or 60 hours is far too long for a non-open world game, I have to point out that The Callisto Protocol still costs £50. I don’t like to reduce art to a question of money, but it is a factor. There might be games that are best for an hour or two (A Short Hike is one I know of), but that doesn’t mean you can charge the maximum amount for it, no matter how good it is or how long it lasts to render the graphics took.
The Callisto Log looks good and I’m interested, but the reviews must be really good to justify the price if it’s really only 16 hours long. Personally, the ideal solution was to have 15 hours as the average max and £30 as the average price, but I don’t think all of those things will happen.
gaston
character depth
I found the letter criticizing the Mario film amusing. “A decent character sheet” – has this person played a Mario game? We hardly ever have a story in Mario games, but somehow he’s meant to be a complex character. As for the plot of a clueless hero saving the world, he’s not exactly original even in the games. No one will expect the film to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film’s target audience is not gamers, it is intended to be for casual to non-gamer audiences. The aim of the film is to raise awareness of the Mario and Nintendo brands. Players will still buy the games, everyone else might be tricked into buying the games after seeing the movie.
Alex Kasam
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Free gift
Nice to hear that Sega is planning a lot of DLC for Sonic Frontiers. I really enjoyed the game and don’t really understand the complaints. In terms of graphics, it’s not stunning, but I can’t say I’ve had any issues in terms of bugs or frame rate.
Anyway, I don’t care as long as the game is fun, and if these new characters provide an excuse to play it again, then great, especially since there appears to be new story content as well.
I’m not sure I really understand this new trend of releasing free content for single player games, but I’m sure I won’t complain about it. I think it’s an attempt to keep people buying the game, but given the inevitable price drops, is that really cost effective? Or does the fact that most sales are digital these days, where there are fewer sales, mean it’s working? The fact that publishers continue to do this means that this is the case, I think.
lossy
stone and sky
So the final of Andor sure was something. Some of the best TV shows I’ve seen in years, and so much better than anything Star Wars since the original trilogy it’s almost embarrassing. I already found Fallen Order better than anything else in the prequel or sequel trilogy, so I’m really looking forward to Survivor.
It’s rumored to be out early next year, and yet we had next to nothing on it. It will be difficult to say whether this is intentional or just further consequences of the pandemic. If it’s intentional, I wish they would edit it out. Hopefully it’s by the Game Awards and we get an official release date.
The film industry is starting to get back on track – lots of new trailers were released today – so I really wish the games would do the same. It would be nice to have something to look forward to that’s more than just two months away.
incopq
review requests
A few games to fall back on when new releases dry up. Tinkyun (you might need to check the spelling on this one) and Islets. Now, of course, I’ve sent a beautifully written reader’s review on the latter, but I’m a garden designer, not a video game critic, so it would be good to get your thoughts on it. I can make you a stunning yard as payment, if that helps.
Frosted
CONDITIONS: Assuming you mean Tinykin, that’s already on our list.
Just wanted to mention the brilliant Shatter Remastered that came out about a month ago for GC to review. It’s one of the best brick breakers of all time, with an excellent soundtrack, and will be in my top 3 of the year.
If you’re looking for another XCOM-like game, there’s the excellent Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters on PC, which I haven’t seen many places.
Angry_Kurt (Twitter)
Playing Now: Evil West (Xbox Series X)
With Christmas approaching it’s probably a bit late, but I’d appreciate it if you could check out the console version of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord. I’m not sure if it’s a small niche.
Nathan
CONDITIONS: Yes, that might take a bit too long and we never really got any further with the series.
Authentic Experience
RE: Focus on how you would know you were on an Uncharted coaster… there would be no brakes and it would crash. The wagons hang from the rails and break apart when you climb back up.
Bad guys will shoot at you with Nerf guns and throw water balloons… and a guy with a mustache will crack jokes to keep you entertained.
Furious
Introduction to the first person
Picked up Resident Evil 3 Remake on Xbox Series X for a bargain price of £8 during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period.
Resident Evil 3 on the original PlayStation is an absolute favorite (STARS) so, as you can imagine, I’m very excited to play.
On Wednesday evening at 20:00 the download finally finished, so what a perfect time to start the playthrough.
Walking in, I thought the remakes had a next-gen/Xbox Series X patch (so higher resolution, stable framerates, and better assets).
Unfortunately, within 30 seconds of actually being able to play (after all those cutscenes) while trying to navigate this bedroom in first person and low res, I got the worst motion sickness and had to stop playing.
My actual playing time is more than limited these days, so this is permanently archived on my hard drive and recorded as a loss.
Anyone who says resolution and frame rates don’t matter is probably not as sensitive to first-person gaming as some are.
Am I missing out on a great game GC/reader? Is motion sickness worth fighting, or should I just keep going?
TheSpecter N8 (Gamertag)
PS: Currently playing Forza Horizon 4
CONDITIONS: This is the only first-person section and it only takes a few seconds if you go straight to the bathroom. However, the remake isn’t a patch for Resident Evil 2, so you’re not missing out on much.
inbox mitran
I can never get over how late and how long The Game Awards are. Really, couldn’t they make it an hour or so earlier so it’s at least the same day as America? I guess they’re trying to copy the Oscars or something?
greybeard
I just finished Return To Monkey Island and I really enjoyed it. Very funny, just the right amount of nostalgia and neat puzzles. Do we have any idea how it went?
cut
CONDITIONS: No idea at all. With digital-only games, that’s almost impossible to say.
This week’s hot topic
It’s next week’s Game Awards which, particularly in the absence of E3, has become the biggest single venue for new game announcements and footage of upcoming games, so we want to know… what are you hoping to see?
It doesn’t matter if the game has already been announced as long as there’s a reasonable chance it will be revealed next week (we’d say GTA 6 is very unlikely before everyone writes about it – but who knows).
If this is an announced game with little or no footage shown, what are you hoping for in terms of the first trailer and what will the game itself look like? Overall, what is your most anticipated game for 2023 and beyond?
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MORE : Gaming Inbox: Best Horror Video Game, Gran Turismo 7 for PC and Sonic Frontiers Bargains
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