The evening Inbox celebrates the lack of Captain Toad patches, as one reader admits to his favourite killing spree.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
A hit regardless
I’m very disappointed to say Halo: The Master Chief Collection still doesn’t work as advertised. Especially online matchmaking.
I was just wondering if you knew the sales figures for The Master Chief Collection, especially in the UK? In fact do you know the sales figures of any of the previous Halos in the UK?
Rick
GC: It’s rare to get sales figures for any game, and we don’t think we’ve ever seen them broken down by country – least of all in Europe. However, Halo: The Master Chief Collection was the 27th best-selling game of 2014 in the UK, so it obviously did pretty well.
Works first time
I picked up Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker yesterday and it’s absolutely brilliant, I knew it was good after reading your review but it’s better than I thought possible! The graphics are exceptional and skill that has gone into the levels is only something Nintendo can do.
The best thing about it was I took it home, put the disc in, no installation, no update, no waiting! I was able to enjoy it straight away. I urge anyone on the fence to buy it and give it a go, you won’t regret it.
wasimr34
New name, same great taste
Atlus is truly the master of hype. I’ve never been so hyped for a game in my life. Persona 5 is going to be a day one purchase for me, no doubt about that, and it looks like they’ve genuinely changed things a lot as well, which has made me even more exciting.
One thing any fans may find interesting is that the main menu of the game revealed in the trailer didn’t have a social links section, with it being replaced by a cooperation section. Whether that is some kind of co-op mode or it is simply an evolved from of social links nobody knows, but I’d like to think it’s the latter. I wish Atlus would just give a release date though. I’m dying of hype…
ar1speedboy
GC: We expect it’s just an evolved form of social links, Japanese developer love giving completely new names to otherwise very similar features.
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Look before you leap
I used to be a Final Fantasy fan. VII was my first, which was awesome for the time, then I played VI, VIII, IX, and loved X… so naturally I bought the sequel X-2 without looking at a review or a trailer or playing a demo. Worst mistake ever, first battle in and my three females were changing costumes and singing… urghhhhhhh!
By the way, I’d love a 64-player Twisted Metal, drawing inspiration from the mighty Twisted Metal 2. Please?
bigwhereisit
GC: After the failure of the last one, we suspect that’s probably it for Twisted Metal.
Exhibit A
With regard to Paul Millard’s Reader’s Feature, let’s face it, when playing any type of open world/sandbox game most of us end up on some kind of killing spree.
My favourite, or maybe I should say most memorable, was the hotel level in the first Hitman game. Even though I had the firepower of a small army I initially went in all sneaky with the garrotte to dispose of some of the police officers so as not to get caught in a prolonged firefight.
After getting a decent pile of them, hidden on the balcony so they wouldn’t be found by some unsuspecting guest and giving away my whole murderous rampage, I went back outside to get my weapons. I then proceeded to hunt down every member of staff and guest I could find. It got quite disturbing as I methodically checked every room and killed whoever was cowering inside.
Or maybe this is just me and I should have a chat with the men in white coats.
James
PS: this really does read like ‘exhibit A’ should I ever be suspected of wrong doing.
Winners don’t do drugs
RE: Hot Topic. For me, it’s any game that includes a section where there’s a nightmare or some sort of drugged up bit. Max Payne was a good example of this – I loved the game, but the bits in his nightmares added nothing to the story and just irritated me. The same with the drug bits in Far Cry 3 and 4 – for some reason they really break my immersion in the game and I struggle to even get through them.
At least if it’s a game I’m enjoying then I can push through them, but if it’s something I’m on the fence about then that can often be the final nail in the coffin.
James Knight
First person thinker
In response to a letter about disappointing parts in great games, where Simon mentions the sand traps in Half-Life 2.
I could be wrong but I believe that section was supposed to focus on using the gravity gun to lay debris across the sand using the gravity gun, which means you don’t really tackle many sand lions at all. I thought it was good because it required thinking about it the solution rather than just blasting your way through, like other first person shooter games.
Lee
Afraid of the dark
One game that immediately came to mind when I saw the Hot Topic was The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. As a whole package the game was fantastic: the graphics, performances from the actors and variety in gameplay the developers managed to garner from a game set entirely in a prison were all commendable aspects. However, there was a twenty minute segment from the game that I really didn’t care for, the part in question wasn’t necessarily bad, but I did find it pretty terrifying – consequently my memories of said portion of the game are negative.
Early on in the game you’re unceremoniously thrust into Butcher Bay’s sewers, you are then confronted by a hoard of Gollum-esque mutants with a penchant for human flesh and told that the battery for the flashlight attached to your shotgun will be depleted in six minutes. After frantically shooting my way through the mutants I was relieved to discover the exit for the sewers and a friendly character waiting to take me to safety.
Alas, the relief was very brief, after taking me to safety the character who saved me then ordered me to go and recover his ‘voicebox’ or he wouldn’t mend my wounds, this led to me being forced back into the pitch black (get it) with Gollum’s mates. After retrieving his voicebox I was rewarded with the famous ‘eyeshine’ ability for Riddick – which would have been helpful the first time I was in the sewers, not after.
iLike Fat Ladys (gamertag)
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Retro resentment
Reading this weekend’s Hot Topic actually reminded me of another awful element in an otherwise good (well, fairly good) game: having to play Jetpac and the original Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong 64. They’re not the most difficult games in the world, admittedly, but 12-year-old me had a lot of trouble with them. They’re so disconnected from the gameplay style of Donkey Kong 64 that it’s ridiculous making the player get high scores on them to finish the game.
I wouldn’t particularly want to play Jetpac at the best of times, but when it’s preventing me from playing more of the game I want to play? Instant resentment.
Martin Smith
Inbox also-rans
Am I missing something but what are these people going to do with Dying Light when they’re bored of it? It costs £54.99 for a digital download and there’s no way you can sell it on. I don’t care how much you like it, that seems crazy.
Big Mike
I was hoping that you can help me. I’m after the special edition Borderlands Claptrap In A Box, can’t find it on sale in the UK. Any ideas where I can get it?
truekingofhell
GC: It’s listed on the official Borderlands website, but not available yet. We’d keep this page bookmarked.
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader smithy1155, and asks what’s been your best and worst experiences with pre-orders?
What games have you been really excited about, and pre-ordered in advanced, only to be bitterly disappointed? And on the flip-side what games have turned just as well, or even better, than you hoped?
How do you usually handle the concept of pre-orders and what makes you choose to make one? Is it purely because you’re looking forward to the game or is it more the price, or bonus content or merchandise? Do you think pre-orders are harmful in anyway to the games industry or are you happy to use them for games you’re looking forward to?
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
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