The morning Inbox tries to imagine a big budget FTL, as another reader wonders why all the consoles weren’t just delayed by a year.
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Goldfish memory
Not really sure what to make of another Borderlands. But my first thought was was that really necessary? I assume the problem is that Borderlands 3 won’t be ready for a year or so and they’re worried people will forget what Borderlands is after just 12 months… I mean does no one else find that really patronising? I like Borderlands, I’d happily play Borderlands 2 if it was a step forward but I’m not buying some outsourced stopgap that only exists to tick a marketing person’s checklist.
Why oh why does no one follow the Grand Theft Auto model for this sort of thing? Surely it’s much better for everyone that publishers take the time to make one really good game every three or four years instead of three okay ones in the same time? Batman: Arkham Origins is the obvious example recently – who wanted that game and what did it do other than break the series’ run of great games? Were they seriously worried that anyone would forget who Batman was just because they’d have to wait an extra year for the ‘proper’ game.
And don’t get me started on Call Of Duty and all the other yearly sequels. These games are still in the top 10 now, why can’t they just stay there with downloadable content and, you know… people buying them because they’re really good games. I just don’t understand it all.
Blink0
Big games, small budgets
Oh god, why did you have to remind me about FTL. I was addicted to that thing for months before and now you’re telling me it’s on iPad, and with touchscreen controls that let you pretend you’re in Star Trek. It’s an amazing game though and I advise everyone to get hold of it, but what I realised after a few days was that it’s still basically the sort of game I was playing on my Amiga back in the ’90s. As the review says there’s nothing in it that requires any kind of modern tech and although that’s cool in one sense I do also find it a little depressing.
When I was a kid playing those Amiga games I imagine that in the future new games would have the scale of Elite and Civilization but with amazing graphics and incredible attention to detail, but that never happened. All we got was strategy games that look and play like they always did and the ones with really great graphics are just super simplistic corridor shooters that offer less freedom than Doom.
Not that these aren’t good games but I upsets me that there aren’t games like FTL with the budget and graphics of Battlefield. Games can be about more than just shooting and it’s shame that the only ones that aren’t are all on a shoestring and labelled ‘indie’.
Purple Ranger
Just do it
Well, all those Kinect Sports Rivals reviews are about the least surprising thing ever. Like GC’s review says it’s all very well that Kinect works now but that’s only half the battle, how about now making a game you’d actually want to play with it? I’ve no idea what that game would be but I think it’s pretty obvious developers don’t either. In fact it remind me a bit of the Wii U GamePad where it looks like it should probably be really useful and inspiration but nothing that’s come out of it has had any real substance.
I think another reader said something similar the other day but I really hope that we can see an end to the era of gimmick hardware and just get back to making good games. I mean that is what sells isn’t it? Think how many first party games Microsoft could’ve made with the money they’ve wasted on Kinect. And think how much better things would’ve gone for Nintendo if the Wii U was just a normal consoles with great looking games like Mario Kart 8?
Seems pretty obvious advice to me: you’re a games company, just make games.
Happy Puppy
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The way they’re meant to be played
In response to ADAMS6LEGEND’s letter about retro consoles, yes I still have a Mega Drive, Super Famicom, and a PC Engine and they all still get dusted off and fired up every now and then. Even got myself a Neo-Geo last year, as I so badly wanted to own one when I was growing up!
Don’t know how to describe it but there is definitely something different about playing the old games on the original consoles rather than with an emulator. I wouldn’t get rid of them for anything. drumbeatvideo
I’d just like to offer a bit of advice to any Steam users that find it hard to find an online match for their particular game. If you go to Steam settings and pick what download area you want it works a treat. I was finding it hard to find a match on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed till I changed my area to Japan, now I have a full lobby every time I play. Although I don’t use chat much!
A big shout out to Avant Akalu downstairs there in the Underbox, yes Avant I did like our little conversations. Especially the one telling me ‘Quick cosmic, change your picture from Jimmy Saville, no one’s looking. Ah, those were the days. And who still remembers Mr Formaldahyde?
cosmic250 (PSN ID/NN ID/Steam ID)
Titan Kart
Recently downloaded Titanfall for the PC and it is fantastic, its been so long since I’ve actually had this much fun with a first person shooter!, kind of reminds me of the good old days of Unreal Tournament!
BaRon86 (NN ID)/Iam_BaR0n (PSN ID)
PS: Cannot wait for Mario Kart 8! GC readers feel free to add me for some head-to-head karting goodness!
Song and dance
To mark the release of The Elder Scrolls Online on a format I don’t have, I thought I’d do something special for you, the people. Although, if some remember me doing this before, that’s not my fault. When I bought both Oblivion and Skyrim, the first race I played as was an Imperial. I figured that you couldn’t go too wrong with the everyman. But it made me compose this entirely original song, that I shall transcribe for you now…
Sometimes it’s hard to be… an Imperial.
Givin’ all your love… to just one Emperor.
You’ll have good times.
And he’ll have bad times.
But after all, he just an Emperor.
Stand by your Emperor! (Wah, wah, waaaaah.)
Give him two arms to cling to
And something warm to come to
When Skyrim is cold and lonely
Stand by your Emperor!
I would have written the accompanying music too, but somehow you can just imagine it, can’t you? What do you think? Maybe I could sell it to Simon Cowell and make millions, yeah?
DMR
Year off
Not a big Nintendo fan by any means and certainly don’t own a Wii U but I have to agree with the comments about Mario Kart 8 and give credit where credit’s due. The game looks legit amazing and exactly what I’d expect a next gen Nintendo to look like. By comparison nothing I’ve seen on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 has impressed yet and I guess judging by how long it’s taken Mario Kart 8 to arrive it’ll be at least a year before there is.
Which again begs the question of why do these companies release their consoles before there’s a decent games for them? I don’t see what benefit it does them as they have is a year of people grousing and bad games giving the consoles a bad reputation . I mean you have Microsoft desperatley trying to get EA not to release Titanfall on Xbox 360 simply because it’ll show up how little advance the Xbox One is!
Why not make the consoles, start the games, and then release both a year later than planned? Suddenly you’ve got something to sell in terms of both games and hardware and no bad press at all.
Zuul
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
The last U-turn
Good news that Microsoft are going to do an emulator for the Xbox 360 on Xbox One but I don’t get the impression it’s going to happen any time soon. In fact it sounds a lot like a belated U-turn, given what was being said about backwards compatibility during the unveiling. I imagine the positive response to PlayStation Now also had something to do with it. Especially after Microsoft realised they could also keep selling Xbox 360 games indefinitely that way.
What I’m imagining is ‘Xbox Now’ where you’ll be able to stream and download Xbox 360 games from any publishers, which I think would actually be pretty cool. I also imagine Microsoft are going to try and charge me again for games I already own, which isn’t so cool. But that’s the modern world I guess.
Vita-Man
Inbox also-rans
Borderlands prequels sounds lame (who cares about the story!) but jetpacks and low gravity? Damn, I might have to get it after all.
Snodberry
Also want to give a shout out to Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright, what a fantastically enjoyable, warm-hearted but also dramatic game. My favourite story-based game for years I agree, if only there were more like it beyond the two series themselves.
Mr Octan
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Iceman, who asks what game did you initially hate but end up loving?
What’s the most extreme turnaround you’ve ever had for a video game? Was it a game you were dubious about at the preview stage or one you disliked in the first few hours but then went on to really enjoy? What period of time was there between the two opinions and was there any specific moment or feature that changed your mind?
Is there anything you regret about your earlier attitude and do you blame it on bad marketing, inaccurate previews, or just you getting the wrong end of the stick? Did you just think it wasn’t the sort of game for you, only to later find out the opposite?
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