The Tuesday Inbox has some new suggestions for Super Smash Bros. fighters, as one reader offers some Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 speculation.
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Three-way battle
Now that The Last Of Us Part 2 is out and a huge success (just as everyone sensible expected, with the complainers once again proven to be an insignificant minority) it’s obviously a front runner for game of the year. There’s so little out this year though that the only real competition, unless you want to add Call Of Duty to the mix, is Cyberpunk 2077 and Halo Infinite.
Now, obviously I know nothing about Halo Infinite and to be honest I still don’t feel like I know a whole lot about Cyberpunk really. The recent videos did give a decent feel for how it would look and feel but to me… there’s something a bit off. As another reader said, the combat just looks stiff to watch and I worry about it. Now The Last Of Us Part 2 doesn’t have amazing combat but it gets the job does and its biggest crime is being a bit simplistic and generic.
I wasn’t that impressed by the dialogue in Cyberpunk either. It all seemed a bit tryhard and dude bros. to me. I get that these are just low rent scumbags you’re dealing with/playing as but I’m already missing the more intelligent characters of The Witcher 3. So my prediction is that The Last Of Us probably will be the best, unless Halo Infinite manages to properly reinvent itself. Which it may well do, but Microsoft has got a hell of a sell to make to prospective buyers to convince them of that.
Combi
Last of the dinosaurs
I have to say I’m looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077. Looking at the recent updates and footage the game seems to be the best parts of GTA, Deus Ex, and The Witcher with some interesting concepts and shady characters. The braindance stuff reminds me of detective mode from the Batman games. The driving elements reminded me of a trip to Hong Kong with all the neon lights and busy streets.
The soundtrack also seems good. I think the decision to polish the game further until November is a good one as the gunplay seems a bit… stiff. It’s the right move to release a game finished, which is a rarity these days.
It does make me wonder though if a game like this can be realised on the current gen then do we need the next gen yet? Your article about the cost of games always increasing gave good insight, at some point something has to give. I wonder if a game like this could become the last of its kind? Imagine the cost of producing this game from scratch on the next gen… surely only a handful of studios could afford the risk and time?
R McKenna (gamertag)
You snooze, you loose
You’ve got to laugh that it’s taken Warner Bros. so long to announce Harry Potter that the whole brand has been poisoned by its creator and the publisher is about to be sold. I feel for the developers as Warner Bros. to me are the ultimate example of the problems people have been talking about where games take too long to make now and require so much money nothing gets greenlit and you’re left with literally nothing.
Batman is the ultimate example because WB Games Montréal hasn’t made a single game all generation, because of constant cancellations. All they need now is for Batman to suddenly become unfashionable for some reason (it kind of already is because of Marvel?) and their failure will be complete.
Wicky
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Smash Megamix
I was thinking the other day, what my dream Smash Bros. guest character would be. People wanted Dante before the Byleth reveal. But he’d be more like Bayonetta and just like her, would have to have his moveset streamlined to fit just like her – and they’re both better suited to Soulcalibur anyway.
I did think how about Rez? But the character is just a generic shooter type. A stage based on Rez would be pretty awesome though…
But, let’s face it, Smash is still pretty conservative when it comes to the likes of Fighters Megamix and Project Justice. In Megamix you could fight as a palm tree – and a car! Not Transformers style, either – but it would stand up on its rear wheels like they were feet and punch you with its front wheels! Bonkers! Genius! I want the Daytona Hornet in Smash like yesterday!
Though, unless Sakurai himself is personally a huge fan, I doubt that will happen. Which is a shame, as I really want it now.
DMR
GC: In what way are Dante and Bayonetta better suited to Soulcalibur? Their combat is based on fast and acrobatic movement, not shuffling around in a small semi-circle.
Less than 40,000
The petition to remake the storyline of The Last of Us 2 has over 40,000 signatures at time of writing. I wonder how many of these people have actually finished the game?
Personally, I really enjoyed the storyline. It was tough going at times, but I found the characters, acting, and plot all to be top notch. Not many games tackle topics as mature as the nature of human existence, the futility of war and violence, and the absurdity of tribalism and othering.
The characters are flawed and complex, as they were in the first game and as is to be expected given the situation they find themselves in. You can’t make decisions for them but doing so would have diluted the impact of the plot.
All of this is wrapped up with slick, engaging gameplay and tense, thrilling action sequences. I really do think it deserves all the praise it’s been getting. A truly great game.
Mud
Series repeat
In answer to your question regarding The Last Of Us Part 2 bugs, yes I’m playing on a base PlayStation 4. A PlayStation 4 slim to be precise. Like I said in my last letter, it only happened a handful of times, so the bugs and frame rate issues were minor and by no means detracted the overall experience. I’ll send my findings onto Naughty Dog and I expect they’ll be fixed in a patch.
I’ve just started playing The Last Of Us Remastered, haven’t played this PlayStation 4 version before. I played the original at launch on the PlayStation 3. The remastered version certainly looks good even compared directly to the sequel. I often like playing through a full series of games back to back so I might do a new game plus playthrough of Part 2 and polish off the platinum.
I think knowing the full story beforehand will be a different experience, like I enjoyed playing through Bioshock again knowing the big twist at the end and understanding what ‘Would you kindly?’ meant. Trying not to give anything away for The Last Of Us Part 2 here for people that haven’t finished it but I hope people who have get what I mean.
Big Angry Dad82 (gamertag)
A link to the past
I’m playing Zelda: Breath Of The Wild again for the fourth time in Master Mode this time. I am in Zelda’s room at Hyrule Castle and I’m reading Zelda’s notes. One of the notes says about guardians: ‘They are said to be stored in the five giant columns that rest beneath Hyrule Castle. The thing is… no matter how I search beneath the castle, I can’t seem to locate these columns. They must be buried deep.’
Maybe this is a link to Breath Of The Wild 2? Five columns could be five dungeons. The first video of the sequel to Breath Of The Wild was underground. So maybe….
woz_007 (NN ID)
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The second of us
The Last of Us 2. Walking, talking, shooting, and looting. Gave up trying to be to stealthy. I don’t really enjoy sneaky, sneaky gameplay and always seem to get spotted when trying.
The walking is gorgeous. The graphics are stunning, with Naughty Dog’s realistic, natural style creating a believable, atmospheric, and beautiful post-apocalyptic world. The lighting is especially striking, be it blazing sun or overcast rainy climes. What Naughty Dog could achieve on PlayStation 5 is tantalising.
The talking is top notch. It’s really well acted and totally absorbing. The game is long and could be edited better but it’s not too much of an issue for me.
The shooting is really fun. It’s pretty simple but is tight and tense, just very satisfying. Refrain from using the listen function as well, to make the encounters more immersive.
The looting I don’t enjoy and find distracts from the things I’ve just said I do enjoy. Hate that I feel the need to have to check every damn nook and cranny. Wonder if there’s an alternative? Resource points acquired from the shooting maybe to spend on crafting. Who knows.
The core themes of the game I found interesting and I liked where Naughty Dog took the characters. I think it was bold of them and I give them credit and respect for it.
But I can’t decide if the manner in which they communicate their themes is cheap, not really all that clever and at times out of keeping for the characters or if it’s necessary. By necessary, I mean you have to make it difficult to accept for the player. I’m currently leaning towards the former but every time I hear someone reject the game out of hand at the mid-point the more I lean to the latter and appreciate what Naughty Dog wanted to achieve for the game.
Either way It’s an excellent game. Going to do a New Game+ playthrough on Survivor now. More than happy to spend another 20 to 30 hours in this game.
Simundo
Inbox also-rans
Is no one going to mention the Monkey Island games as being very hard? In the days before we had the internet those games were beyond frustrating…
Russell
Now that we know Gran Turismo 7 is coming do you think we will see the return of the B-Spec artificial intelligence in single-player that was in Gran Turismo 4? It will certainly be a useful feature for single-player endurance races and races with a lot of laps.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)
GC: Anything is possible.
This week’s Hot Topic
Since we’re now halfway through 2020 this weekend’s Inbox asks the question: what has been your favourite video game of the year so far?
To qualify, the game must be a new release from 2020, not just whatever older title you happen to have played this year. It’s obviously been a very strange six months, but how different has the year been in terms of how many new games you’ve bought and how many you’ve played?
What do you think of the quality of the games so far this year and do you think they make up for the lack of quantity? What are your expectations for the rest of the year and how many new games – and consoles – do you expect to buy in the next six months?
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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.
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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