The Monday Inbox is glad to see LGBT representation improving over the course of the current gen, as one reader nominates Final Fantasy 12 a the best RPG.
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Crisis on two worlds
So let me get this straight, after all these years of waiting the new Batman game doesn’t have Batman in it?! Now, don’t get me wrong I am all for Warner branching out and making more superhero games than just Batman but isn’t this the worst of both worlds? We don’t get a new next gen Batman game and we also don’t get a genuinely new superhero(es) because the ones in Gotham Knights are basically just knock-off brand Batman.
A game featuring the sidekicks would’ve bene great if Batman games were still being pumped out on a regular basis but we’ve had all these years of waiting and so many apparently cancelled games and the end result, to me, seems very disappointing.
If anything Suicide Squad was even worse. We’ve been waiting just as long for that and the end result is… a third person Borderlands? I mean, that’s what they were getting at wasn’t it. And just four characters is a really odd choice when you see how many characters are in the new Suicide Squad movie. Although I guess if they’re all just people with guns it doesn’t really matter, right?
Soldat
PS: Since when has Deadshot ever used a jetpack? I mean, he probably has at some point, but it’s hardly his thing, is it?
Gotham by GAASlight
OK… that Suicide Squad reveal was super underwhelming. All this time and no gameplay and only four characters, all of which are just people that fire guns – even when one of them specifically has their own weapon that is their only reason for being a supervillain (Captain Boomerang). Maybe it’ll be good – there’s no way to tell from a CGI trailer – but that is not what I was hoping for from the game that has kept Rocksteady tied up for five whole years.
What also worries me is that this sounds very much like a games as a service title and Warner Bros. have a very bad history with loot boxes in particular. I also worry that Gotham Knights, which otherwise looked more interesting, is the same thing. Or was and they took it out of either or both games.
I really hope publishers have learnt the lesson about ‘live service’ games and loot boxes. The market can tolerate a couple, like Destiny 2, but you can’t make every second game an endless grind that’s constantly begging for more of your money. I worry that the role-playing parts of Gotham Knight were specifically meant to encourage that, as they seemed very out of place and unnecessary.
Overall, I was very unimpressed by both games. The trailers for The Batman and The Suicide Squad movies looked good though.
Tinker
Repeat play
I was playing the Marvel’s Avengers beta at the weekend and it’s… okay? I can imagine myself playing it, or something like it, in single-player and then kind of forgetting about it, a bit like the Spider-Man (admit it, who bothered to go back to that game for the DLC?). But playing Avengers like Destiny and redoing missions with different characters? Fuggedaboutit!
It seems a really weird way to design the game as well, considering the beta was already getting a bit repetitive in terms of level design and mission objectives. Surely they would’ve been priority one to offer lots of options on?
If the upcoming DC games are going to try and do something similar I think we could see our current resurgence in superhero games come to an abrupt halt. Video games might be my favourite hobby but that doesn’t mean I want to make a single game my hobby, I want to play as much as possible not just one game!
Fidgit
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No recourse
As you, GC, responded to my letter last week I thought I’d reply too, as the point I was trying to make may have been lost.
I agree that buying third party stuff is usually a bad idea. But long before Nintendo fixed drift for free I’d read about it and bought a cheap joypad just in case.
So I was trying to share that it too ended up drifting. Trying to recalibrate it from the Switch options doesn’t work and I think it’s out of its two-year warranty.
Point is that there may be a software fix for drift. Every joypad, official or not, is based on the same design so can all be affected. And as the calibration option on the Switch is software led it may have a flaw that needs sorting.
Handsome Dan Wolfshead
GC: It’s possible, but we think someone would’ve proven it one way or the other by now. Our point was that the third party joypad maker was never going to fix your faulty controller, whereas Nintendo did eventually start doing so. Although we supposed if it was cheap enough that wouldn’t matter too much.
History lesson
I would just like to say a big heads up to TheTruthSoul regarding the High Score TV programmes on Netflix. I started watching them as soon as I read TheTruthSouls letter last Friday and after the first episode I was hooked. I watched all six episodes back-to-back in a oner.
There was a lot of interesting facts that I didn’t know about, even though I grew up with all these consoles/games that was mentioned back in the day. I liked how the shows interviewed the people who originally invented the classic games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man, etc. And to see the actual guy who made E.T. on the Atari 2600, I was very surprised to be fair that he even showed his face on TV even after all these years later? But to be fair to him, if he only had a few weeks to make a game from scratch that even Spielberg approved once completed I suppose he was just the scapegoat of the video game crash back in the 1980s?
I also think Atari would of been better off selling the actual E.T. game cartridge blank with nothing on it. It would of caused a lot less controversy. And to all the younger readers that have never played it you were the lucky ones trust me It was really that bad!
JAH
GC: We’re not sure if it’s touched upon in the series but it’s worth pointing out that the video game crash didn’t really affect Europe.
Third time lucky
Aww man, I’m late for the weekend topic but for me, Final Fantasy 12 is my best role-playing game. I wasn’t into role-playing games at the time but I had just had a horrible breakup with an ex and wanted anything to take my mind off of it, so decided to pick it up as I knew those games were lengthy and involved.
I utterly despised it – the slow combat and confusing gameplay – so tried returning it but forgot the disc. I tried giving it another chance but hated it even more so tried to return it again but the PlayStation 2 shelf was almost bare aside from a few sports games so, very reluctantly, I went home and gave it another go. Well if it isn’t obvious, everything sort of clicked into place and I ended up absolutely adoring it – specifically the combat which I’m utterly confused about never really being replicated by other role-playing games (Dragon Age 2 is closest I think).
The environments and enemies were awesome and I had the benefit of everything being fresh for me as it was my first role-player.
HIBT
Horse before cart
Seems to me the console giants have it the wrong way round. Get some great new games and then you’ll sell some machines!
Don’t see any new game titles, or old favourites like Tomb Raider and Uncharted, on the list. Doesn’t matter how good you think your consoles look, you’re not catering for the people who keep you in business! I won’t be buying one until you do.
Anon
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Next gen representation
Back in 2014 I sent in my very first Reader’s Feature spurred on by a particularly toxic experience online playing Halo.
For those that are strapped for time the feature suggested that with the dawn of the new gen (Xbox One and PlayStation 4) the industry had the perfect opportunity to try and remove racism and homophobia from its ecosystems. I argued that more representation of LGBT characters in games could only be a good thing.
Well, here we are on the brink of a new generation and the last nine years have seen huge strides in LGBT representation in gaming. It’s tempered by the vile backlash from some sectors of the community at any LGBT content in their games, but in the main I remain encouraged by the breadth and width of representation especially in the Indie scene.
As an openly gay man I am fearful for the impact that the rise of the far right will have, especially as we can already see how in parts of the world LGBT rights are being revoked. The pandemic lockdown has divided communities and for some may of us reduced the diversity of social interaction that we all once took for granted. Gaming more than ever has a role in embracing diversity, celebrating creativity, giving a voice, and visibility to the minority and bringing everyone together. Fingers crossed for the next gen.
Bristolpete
GC: You should find the review of Tell Me Why this week interesting.
Inbox also-rans
Just a quick heads up, Amazon are currently selling refurbished Xbox One X consoles for £179.99. Seems like a great deal for anyone who doesn’t want to jump into the next gen yet. It’s a limited time offer, so I guess they are trying to move the stock out before the Xbox Series X is released.
Woodfish187 (gamertag)
I must say, the trailer for next gen title Black Myth: Wukong is most impressive . It’s the game I’m most looking forward to getting my hands to now. Could be a bit of monkey magic” in the making. Roll on the release dates for the new consoles.
Ghh69
PS: Wooo oh oh, Bugsnax! God, I can’t get that tune out of my head.
Can you please make the games release schedule easier to find on your site. There’s no consistency where you place it. It’s frustrating because I’m missing out on buying games or pre-ordering them. Very annoyed gamer.
A Shannow
GC: It’s always the last news story on the main page (although it sometimes gets knocked off at the weekend) and its URL hasn’t changed in eight years.
Isn’t the Sunday Hot Topic the same as Part 1 from Saturday?
Stevie
GC: Oh, that’s our fault. It’s been fixed now.
This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by the recent DC Comics announcements and asks what would be your dream superhero or comic book video game?
It can be a sequel to an existing game or something that’s relatively unlikely to get made, but we want to know why you’d pick the particular character or setting and how you’d think it would work as a game.
Would you welcome more superhero games in general and what dangers, if any, do you think there are with making too many? What is your current favourite and how do you think it could be improved in the next gen?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
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