The Friday Inbox thinks Outriders deserves its unexpected success, as one reader is very glad to see the Returnal patch is finally out.
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First generation
Add me to the list of people who think Naughty Dog remastering the first The Last Of Us is a complete waste of time. Like, so much of waste I can’t believe it would even be considered. I really don’t see the point of remastering or remaking a game that is only one or two generations old. Demon’s Souls was an exception to the rule because the original game did not run well on the PlayStation 3, but it wasn’t like it absolutely needed it either.
Wouldn’t it make much more sense to remake games from the PS1 era? There are rumours of Metal Gear Solid, which seems a good idea, but there are so many other iconic games from that era that are almost unplayable nowadays, and at the very least ugly as sin. Final Fantasy 7 and Resident Evil have shown how well it works so why not Suikoden 2 and Parasite Eve as well? Or Vagrant Story, Soul Reaver, G-Police, Vandal Hearts… there’s just so many great games from that time that I’d love to see remade in the modern era.
I know most of those aren’t as famous as Resident Evil but I’m not sure Final Fantasy 7 is really that famous nowadays. It’s not like the remake was the biggest thing ever, as some people seemed to think it was going to be, so as long as they’re good I don’t see why these other games couldn’t have the same treatment. It seems much more worthwhile than just giving Ellie slightly more realistic looking hair, or whatever.
Gru
Future ‘Splitters
Well, that was some fantastic news to wake up to. I’d given up hoping for a TimeSplitters comeback years ago, with not even the fan projects ever getting off the ground. Better later than never but I really am curious to see how the game is going to cope in the modern era. To be honest, the games were never even that popular back in the day, which is obviously why they went away.
Would the new game go all in on the local multiplayer or would it try and evolve and become an online game? I’m sure it will have online play but that’s going to lose a lot of the charm of the original and seem more like just another shooter. Albeit it one where you can play as a monkey.
I’d much rather they went the multiplayer route, talk up how much fun it can be in split-screen and everything. Try and become the Mario Kart of shooters. A team-up with Nintendo would make total sense, given the GoldenEye connection and their love for local multiplayer – and the fact the Switch can link up so easily with others.
Iceman
Cold light of day
I’m playing through Mass Effect 1 at the moment and to be honest, if it was for it using the same save file I think I would’ve just given up and skipped straight to 2. I played them all before, so I know what the deal is but after all the talk of upgrading Mass Effect 1 and making it more like the others, especially in terms of combat, it plays like a dog. Like, it is not fun at all.
The slippery movement, lack of feedback, and just generally AI jank makes it all feel even older than it is, and that’s with a remaster! Stupidly I expected it to be upgraded to be like Andromeda, which was excellent in terms of action, but it’s not even close. I just hope when I get to Mass Effect 2 it’s not going to be this bad.
That’s problem with nostalgia in general. The memories of games you used to love is great but sometimes being confronted with the reality is no fun at all.
Wrangler
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Three good reasons
We are seeing plenty of news on the shortages of the latest Xbox/PlayStation consoles currently.
I never get a new console on launch, and typically wait a couple of years before indulging due to the following reasons:
1) They’re brand new and the first batch of games are expensive and just tech demos at best. It takes a while for the game prices to reduce to acceptable market levels.
2) First gen machines are normally prone to a few issues technically, which are addressed for the next version of the console. You will see improvements such as the CPU size being reduced, hence running more efficiently, and at lower cost.
3) The first 12 to 18 months is when developers typically learn how best to harness the power available. It is after this point, that games actually show off the new capabilities which makes the jump worthwhile.
Am I the only person who is willing to wait for a better deal in around 18 months’ time?
Haresh
GC: We’re sure you’re not. The only point we’d really argue with is the quality of games, which has been excellent for the Switch and PlayStation 5 right from the off.
Deserved success
I’m surprised how much I enjoyed Outriders, it’s a really neat little game. I’m not sure I would’ve bought it if it hadn’t been on Game Pass, but I might buy it if ever disappears from it as I’m still playing it. I also appreciate the fact that it doesn’t have any microtransactions, even though it seems like exactly the sort of game that would.
It’d be nice to think that’s one of the reasons why so many have bought into it, because as we know gamers are pretty terrible at rewarding publishers for being consumer friendly; usually they’re the opposite. But yeah, I’d be up for a sequel, definitely. Add a bit more variety and make the characters more likeable, but basically I’m just up for more of a good thing.
Freddy
No surprises
I think the PlayStation 5 would be outselling the Xbox Series X whether there were major shortages or not. Microsoft having to split their attention with the Xbox Series S doesn’t help matters but we’re more than six months in and there still hasn’t been a single Xbox exclusive or even a release date for one.
They still haven’t shown off any next gen graphics, not even a tech demo, and all people are buying it for is backwards compatibility and Game Pass. I’m not suggesting that isn’t a good reason to buy one but it’s not a reason that’s likely to push the button of many mainstream or non-gamers.
When Microsoft’s purchases are going to start to make a difference we can’t say. Not only do Bethesda have nothing in the short term I’m not sure anything else is close to being ready except Halo Infinite and Forza (the boring one, not Horizon). To be honest, Microsoft is doing well to even stay in the conversation at this point, considering it’s delivered virtually nothing so far.
Magalon
Silly money
£34.58 for two characters in Call Of Duty? If I could swear and GC would put it up I would. These in-game purchases are getting silly now. You buy them, which someone will, but in six months’ time another Call Of Duty will be out and you will never see them on your screen again.
I really don’t get why players buy this sort of stuff. Soon as a new game or new season come out there is always something else. On Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War I’ve still got my COD Points I got free from Modern Warfare and I still won’t get the battle pass, because battle passes are a waste of time in my eyes.
David
GC: Not that we’d defend the practice but the idea with Warzone is that it will be around for years, so you can still use the operators in that.
Welcome Returnal
Very happy to see the patch released for Returnal on Thursday. I downloaded it instantly and got stuck in, after having decided not to play it any more because of all the crashes. It really is a fantastic game and I hope it’s as successful as other Sony exclusive. I release it hasn’t got the broad appeal of Naughty Dog’s games or even something like Days Gone but it’s completely different from those in that it’s all about the gameplay (although there is an intriguing story in there too).
The controls, the gunplay, the clever level design, the weapon types, the bosses… this is pure gaming that we don’t tend to see from Sony exclusives. Dare I say it, but it’s almost like a Japanese games in terms of its priorities and that particular style of crispness to everything you do.
There have been moments in this game where I’m being attacked by a bunch of bad guys, with giant fluorescent bullets going everywhere, and it just looks impossible that you can win. And then you do, with only a tiny bit of health left, and it feels fantastic. But even when you die… I had one great run add prematurely and I started again with the starter pistol, I was shooting the little flying robots and thought to myself, ‘This feels great!’. It does, it really does.
Gaston
Inbox also-rans
Bargain Alert: You can get the PC Engine Mini on Amazon UK for £64.89. Just bought it myself for that price.
Andrew J.
PS. This game looks interesting it is GTA style game set in medieval times.
GC: That’s a great price. We love the PC Engine Mini, it’s our favourite retro mini console.
Bit of an odd one but any idea why can’t you see the update history on PlayStation 5 games like you can on PlayStation 4 games? Call me weird but I’m quite interested seeing how updates have changed games
Liam
GC: It is a bit odd. Unless we’re missing something, you can only see when the last update was.
So, fans have now remade Resident Evil: Code – Veronica. With Village and now this it’s a pretty good year for Resident Evil fans.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Clambake, who asks what’s the most annoyed you’ve ever got with a video game?
Do you feel your anger was justified and what exactly happened? Was it because the game was very difficult, had a stupid plot twist, or was there some kind of bug that ruined the experience? Or what about playing online, including against cheaters?
How often do you get angry playing games and have you ever broken a controller, or anything else, when getting upset? How have you learned to cope better and is there anything you now purposefully avoid?
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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.
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.
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