The evening Inbox is excited about the prospect of a new ToeJam & Earl, as one reader gives up pre-orders because of a lack of demos.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Dead heat
There have been a couple of comments this week suggesting that the Mega Drive sold better than the SNES, this may be true in the UK but worldwide didn’t the SNES sell nearly fifty million consoles whilst the Mega Drive sold forty million?
adams6legend
PS: Dug out my GameCube copy of Metroid Prime and shall give it another go this week. I bought the game at launch but I could never get into it and gave up around four hours into the game despite thoroughly enjoying Super Metroid.
GC: According to Nintendo the SNES sold 49.1 million consoles worldwide, but no accurate figures exist for the Mega Drive. It’s understood to be around 40 million, but in North America it’s particularly contentious as to which sold most – with almost nothing in it by the end. In the UK the Mega Drive definitely won out, while in Japan it was not very successful.
Try before you buy
As many people on here have mentioned about pre-ordering and the lists which are on Amazon, I’m one who has actually stopped pre-ordering. The last game I pre-ordered was GTA V on the previous gen consoles, and the only reason I pre-ordered it is because I know what I’m going to expect from Rockstar, in fact I enjoyed that much it was my first purchase on the PlayStation 4.
One of the main reasons I’ve stopped pre-ordering is the amount of times games have/are being hyped up and just become a let down when I purchase and play these games. I don’t know about anyone else but it also seems lack of demos are being released especially on the PlayStation 4, which makes me ask the question why? Or what’s wrong with the game?
If publishers want gamers money I think they need to start showing videos of actual gameplay on a console instead of being shown PC gameplay, release demos like on old consoles or even betas and get a reaction of what people think and take the views of what is needed to change the game, I understand not everyone is going to like the game, but to me some publishers/developers are becoming very distant from gamers and what they are expecting.
I’d like to know what game have you pre-ordered and excited to get and was an utter disappointment?
smithy1155 (PSN ID)
GC: Publishers found that if you played a demo you were actually less likely to buy the full game.
Sensibly excited
I am also ridiculously and stupidly excited by Persona 5. I upgraded to this gen just before Christmas and it’s the main reason I jumped ship from my Xbox 360 and went for a PlayStation 4. I would have had to have bought a PlayStation 3 as well otherwise…
Bear_of_Justice (PSN ID) Add me!
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Five times unlucky
So, thought I’d carry on with the wonderful Far Cry 4 this evening only to be welcomed by a Far Cry server error. Why do I need to log into the server if I’m just playing on my own? It even gives you the option to play offline when the game goes into the menu.
Does Far Cry require the use of this cloud thingymebob that gets mentioned occasionally or is this to be expected if a game has any sort of multiplayer element?
On a separate note, just finished the brilliant The Witcher 2, a game that when I first tried it about a year ago, I just couldn’t get into it. Really glad I decided to give it another go as I’m now definitely getting The Witcher 3. The same thing happened to me years ago with the first Mass Effect.
I borrowed it off my brother-in-law and at first I thought it was utter garbage, tried it again at a later date and subsequently the franchise became one of my all-time favourites. Just wish this would happen with the crowd favourite Dark Souls, which due to the love on these pages, I’ve given
the game an unprecedented five attempts to ‘get it’, but sorry to say I found the game utterly boring.
Probably didn’t help that on the last go at the game I decided to attack a non-player character (only because he had a creepy voice) right next to a spawn point. Needless to say the guy just kept killing me every time I re-spawned and I just couldn’t get away from him, pretty poor game design if you ask me.
Conversely to this I decided to have a replay of one of my all-time favourites just before Christmas, the sublime Oblivion and I was utterly dismayed to discover that I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. Noooo! Skyrim has ruined Oblivion for me, I just cannot go back to a previous game when a later game in a franchise is so much better. Maybe there’s a Hot Topic in there somewhere.
Chrispo1972
GC: If you’ve attacked or killed an important character in Dark Souls you’ve already crippled your chances, as they won’t come back/forgive you.
Laid back excitement
Great news about a likely return for ToeJam & Earl. I have very fond memories of play this for hours with my sister in the early 90s. It was a bonkers game, completely different to anything else around at the time. My sister liked the laid back pace and that the game didn’t involve any shooting or beating people up.
We didn’t think much to the sequel, I think it lost most of its unique crazy charm turning it into a side-on platform game and the music wasn’t so good. Are there are hints of what type of game this new one is going to be? I’d like them to not mess about with it too much and stick with the original overhead view, perhaps almost do a re-mastering of the original with up to date graphics.
A save feature would be nice though, the original was not a short game and one run in with that crazy lady with a shopping trolley or the dentist could spell game over and starting again from the beginning. Here’s to hoping they do a decent job of this new game.
PE
PS: I downloaded Axelay on the Wii U last week, it’s still a decent shooter but the Mode 7 effects on the vertical sections have aged badly. I prefer Super Star Solider and think it actually looks better for not having the graphical gimmicks.
GC: There’s no more information than was in our news story, but it sounds like we should know a lot more in a few weeks. Oh, and kudos on your taste in 2D shooters. Super Star Soldier is one of our favourites too.
Always a chance
In response to cfeeney’s letter, I must say that I am in total agreement that in the days of constant HD updates on the new machines, I would love to see a remaster of Freedom Fighters.
A sequel would be even better obviously. It’s one of my best remembered games and even if it was just available as a download of the original game I’d buy it. Any chance of this happening or a sequel GC?
DjKj
GC: When asked developer Io Interactive say they’d like to make it, but we can’t see Square Enix ever giving them the greenlight. In fact we’re not even sure whether EA don’t still own the name.
Xbox off
I can thoroughly recommend the Sony Wireless Stereo Headset 2.0 for use with both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I purchased mine for about £75 a month or so ago from ShopTo.
They are completely wireless when used with the PlayStation 4 but require one of the limited number of USB ports for the Bluetooth connection. You can possibly run them via the headphone socket on the controller too but with controllers’ limited charge capacity I wouldn’t recommend it.
On the Xbox One they do run off of the controller’s power supply but need the chat adapter to be plugged into the Xbox One controller and the headset. If you leave the headset in the ‘Off’ position this is it’s passive mode which allows then to work on the Xbox One.
Hope this helps.
NCD
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Set for headphones
Headsets are extremely difficult to recommend, there is so much down to personal preference. I use the Astro A50s (wireless) but most audiophiles would recommend the A40s (wired), which are slightly cheaper.
Although I’d say Astro probably offers the best sound and comfort, Turtle Beach headsets are arguably better value for money, in general. They’re far more customisable than rival headsets and can result in better spatial awareness. If online multiplayer is your focus then Turtle Beach are an easy choice. For sub-£100 the Turtle Beach PX4s are an excellent buy. Prices fluctuate all the time on Amazon, and I’ve seen them for £80 – although not at the moment.
They definitely work with both Xbox One and PlayStation 4, although a chat adapter is required for Xbox Live.
I’m assuming the GC reader is concerned about background noise, which is often associated with wireless headsets. This certainly isn’t an issue with the PX4s, background noise is at a minimum. The only downside is the bass won’t blow you away, and if you’re well-endowed in the ear department the ear cups may prove a tight fit.
Alternatively do some research.
The best advice I can give is to avoid stereo headsets altogether if your budget allows; surround sound (5.1/7.1) can make a substantial difference. And remember, you get what you pay for, so don’t go expecting sound to rival an IMAX theatre if you’ve only spent a modest £40.
Once purchased, I recommend putting them to the test with Alien Isolation – you won’t require the motion tracker nowhere near as much! Incidentally, does GC review games with surround sound enabled? If not, you’re missing out guys…
Anon
GC: As we’ve mentioned before, we use purposefully ordinary TVs and sound set-ups. It would be unfair if our view of a game was enhanced by hardware that most people aren’t going to be using.
Inbox also-rans
Just got to Question Authority in my grand animated DC rewatch. ‘President? Do you have any idea how much power I’d have to give up to be President’ might just be my favourite line in the whole DC Animated Universe. That is all.
Sparky the Yak
GC: That is such a great episode of Justice League Unlimited. If the live action films are even a tenth of that quality we’ll be shocked.
I love when you but a second hand game and the online passcode thing still works.
Mrtankthreat
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by reader StalinsEpicTash, who asks what’s the worst section in a good game you’ve ever played?
It can be a whole level, a boss battle, a story cut scene, or just a small section of a larger stage or open world; but we want to know exactly what went wrong and why it seemed so out of place compared to the rest of the game. Was it a mistake the game kept making or did it seem even more out of place because the rest of the game wasn’t like that?
How much did it affect your opinion of the game as a whole and how much better do you think the game would’ve been without it? Do you think a game can still be considered a classic even with such problems and how tolerant are you of drops in quality if the overall experience is good?
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
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