The evening Inbox is still discussing the best video game soundtracks of all time, as one reader has a close call with Puppeteer.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Healthy competition
The talk about a single format industry is, frankly, ridiculous. The competition between consoles is vital for the future of the industry. If the Wii U was the only format then where would gaming be today? It is the competition between game companies that keep prices low and quality high. If there was only one format then it could be priced however highly the company wants because they have no rivals, and if that console failed then gaming as a whole would die as there would be nothing to take its place.
This is why I am glad for the competition. Because of the fact that Xbox One has Titanfall and PlayStation 4 doesn’t have a reasonable equivalent Sony is releasing remakes to fill the gap, showing that they are aware of the problem and that they will probably have a tonne of good content at E3. That is also the reason why Nintendo is really pushing Mario Kart 8.
Competition is needed for any healthy industry, and gaming is no exception.
ar1speedboy
Zero incentive
If there was a single format when would we move onto another generation? It would not be in any company’s interest to do the R&D involved in upgrading the components and move the format forward. Movies being stored on DVD or Blu-ray is a very different thing to gaming. Then also look at how digital distribution of movies has happened. Certain types only being playable on certain devices, restricted to iTunes or whatever.
The closest to a single format for gaming is using a PC. You can have many different combinations, customise your hardware, use different peripherals depending on the game and there are no licensing fees. The problem, for some people, is the cost of the hardware. A single format that would be powerful enough to run the games, would not be cheap.
The manufacturers would not be able to do the same mass market and razor blade model (sell compatible games, get licensing fees) that is currently out there. PlayStations are usually sold at a loss and that’s just in making the things, people forget about the massive initial investment in researching and designing them.
Dan
Everything but the exclusives
Continuing the talk about consoles moving to a single universal format for games, I can’t help but think that this is already a reality in some way.
I do about 90% of my gaming on my PC, on which I can play all the games I’d ever want to, not having to worry about console exclusives (I do miss out on some things, admittedly). Reading the Inbox with all the talk about moving to a single format just has me scratching my head as to why this isn’t a reality already. With the way the PlayStation 4 and Xbone are configured, are they not very similar to PCs anyway?
What is actually keeping an Xbone game from working in a PlayStation 4? I remember the controversy when it was discovered that all the Xbone games were running on PCs at some expo a while back, so really, what’s stopping it from happening, in a technical sense? Another thing to think about is the inevitable arrival of Steam Machines in the living room near the end of this year, throwing another wrench into the console war.
jjtubbs87
GC: Console games are created to work with the specific hardware (custom graphics cards, etc.) and software environment of the host machine. Even high-end PCs are unable to play emulated versions of current gen console games, due to the differences in hardware and the way they were made.
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Sims for kids
My daughter has recently been playing through the MySims games on the Nintendo Wii and I have to say how good these games are. They just seem to get better, well apart from the SkyHeroes one. MySims Agents is a great little game and I can’t believe that EA just stopped making them.
I think only SkyHeroes was multi platform, as all the others were Nintendo exclusives apart from the first one coming out on the PC. I wonder if that’s what killed the franchise off. I’m sure they said they were going to make a cartoon series though that never seen the light of day. What’s the chance of of a come back anytime soon?
tony welch
GC: We’re not sure how successful they really were, although the sheer number of games suggests they must have done quite well. The Sims 4 is out on PC later this year, so that might inspire EA to try again but a Nintendo format is the natural home for that sort of game and, well… you know what EA thinks of the Wii U.
Close thing
Thought I’d share my recent lucky escape, it was my birthday at the end of April and got a very generous PSN voucher (and pre-bought Sega Bass Fishing, which has aged very well! Fish!!) from a mate and fellow GCer Michael Crow (cheers dude).
Anyway, my plan was to get the Puppeteer, but upon landing on the PlayStation Store seen that it was £15 more than my voucher and was feeling a bit tight so skipped it. Three whole days later I checked the games in the Instant Game Collection, low and behold… Puppeteer for free. Moral of the story: always check what’s coming up in the Instant Game Collection.
Maybe that could be a (half) decent Hot Topic, gaming near misses.
anthony147
Pre-Internet
Sorry, I have been reading well over 15 years that should have said – not five! In fact that’s just made me think, how long in total has Digi/GameCentral been going now?
I would love to know how many present readers remember the really old Teletext days when the old editors used to do ‘jokes’ using the reveal function, the Angry Pig (maybe the inspiration for Angry Birds, ergo the first example of Inbox magic) and having to patiently wait as each page scrolled by back to the beginning? When I think of my youth, reading the pages of Digi at 12.05pm every night when the new content loaded has made a tangible impression on my gaming habits.
However, the current format is leagues better and an absolute joy to read.
Brando M83
Currently playing: Titanfall (not for much longer), Dark Souls, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War (amazing game still).
GC: Thank you. Digitiser ran from 1993 to 2003, but we distinctly remember games content on ITV/Channel 4 before that as well. We don’t remember what it was called though.
Not yet abused
I’m probably a bit late writing this, but one of my favourite soundtracks of recent years (and one of a tiny handful that I’ve purchased in addition to the game) has to be that for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The fusion of electronic music with a traditional orchestral score fits the game perfectly.
The moody title screen music puts you straight into the game’s world and each track is skilfully tailored to the area you are exploring (the Henghsa level’s ambient music having a suitably oriental slant to it for example). And to top it off, if the game’s main theme doesn’t raise the hairs on the back of your neck, then I don’t know what will. I’m just surprised it hasn’t been abused for use in multiple trailers for other games or films yet.
TheMilkybarKidUK (PSN ID)/TheMilkybarKid(UK) (Steam ID)
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Turning Japanese
RE: game soundtracks. For me it was Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric. I used to leave the intro running on my PS one just for the ambience. Another I loved was that J-pop track from Gitaroo Man (something-something of your heart?). Original language of course, totally bonkers but so infectious…
Talking of which, did anyone see that hologram anime live concert on the Xbox dashboard?… Actually all of these are Japanese aren’t they? I’m not Japanese by the way.
lee gerrish
GC: That would be Flyin’ to Your Heart, which was indeed great. We’re not sure what the hologram anime thing is though, we didn’t notice it on the dashboard.
To the grandaparent
Sorry I’m late to the pomparty, I’ve liked lots of soundtracks over the years but none of them raise the hairs and bring out goosebumps like Kan R. Gao’s To The Moon soundtrack. In the right (or wrong) mood it can make me feel like shedding a tear or two, my dear old gran likes it that much that I made a back up disc for her so she can listen to it at her leisure. Wonderful that soundtrack is in my own opinion…
fentybonce
Inbox also-rans
Zelda: The Wind Waker has an amazing soundtrack. Loved it when it was released on GameCube and played it again recently on Wii U. Soundtrack sounded still as good, and adds lots of atmosphere. Metroid Prime has also got an amazingly atmospheric soundtrack.
Alan
Excuse the tardy hot topic letter! Right, top game soundtracks. Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2 must score very highly here and the tunes in classic SNES titles such as Zelda: A Link To The Past, F-Zero, and Super Probotector are fantastic. A special mention has to go to the original PlayStation Resident Evil as well, as it created superb tension and a fantastic creepy atmosphere.
ADAMS6LEGEND
This week’s Hot Topic
The talking point for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Cranston, who asks what’s the silliest thing someone else has tried to tell you about video games?
Whether it’s a friend whose uncle had a Dreamcast 2 or a shop employee who’s convinced Half-Life 3 is coming out next week what are the most patently absurd, and laughably untrue, things someone has tried to convince you are real?
Do you usually hear this sort of thing from non-gamers who just don’t know any better or from unhinged gamers desperate to make you believe Halo 5 is coming to PlayStation? Do you find people are better informed nowadays, with easy access to the Internet? And do you think the person telling you the story actually believes it themselves?
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
The small print
New Inbox updates appear twice daily, every weekday morning and afternoon. Letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word 4Player viewer features at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
If you need quick access to the GameCentral channel page please use: www.metro.co.uk/games
