The morning Inbox wonders whether Rayman Legends sales are good news for the Wii U, as one reader despairs over the Mega Man Kickstarter.
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Making trouble
This Xbox One Day One Edition fiasco is just absurd. Microsoft seem to be in such desperate need to find more things to get wrong they’re actively inviting problems where previously you’d think there were none. I mean why has this been changed? You’ve got tweets, you’ve got Phil Harrison, you’ve got who knows what else saying all versions got the free FIFA 14 but suddenly that’s not true?!
I just can’t believe how incompetent Microsoft has been made to look since day one with this, it’s just so out of character. I also don’t understand why they keep saying they could run out of stock though, if it’s a download code? Surely the whole point of a download is that it never runs out of stock?
Tom Meadows
GC: Obviously there are an infinite number of download codes that could be given, but Microsoft has to pay EA for each of those – so there’s not an infinite amount of money to go around. We assume Microsoft bought a set number of codes from EA and when that runs out that’s it.
No-brainer
Further to your story about Hideki Kamiya wanting Nintendo to buy or invest in Platinum Games, apparently at the weekend he was also asked whether he wanted to make a 3DS game and he said he wanted to do a Bayonetta spin-off starring Jeanne and a Ōkami spin-off starring Issun. Now, even as someone that hates Issun (doesn’t everyone) I just don’t understand why Nintendo haven’t got their chequebook out already and have snapped this company up.
As someone else said it must be pocket change to them and the guy’s basically begging to make loads of really good games for them. As I remember he was also really keen on making a new Star Fox game as well. I mean how many developers are Nintendo going to meet like that that are that talented?
Xane
Just another number
So I guess it’s pretty obvious now that the next Christmas’ big Xbox One Game will be Halo 5. Maybe some will say that was always a guarantee but I think the fact that it’s just become another numbered sequel is quite disappointing. That E3 teaser kind of implied quite a different kind of game, in my eyes it hinted at something a bit more low tech – in terms of Master Chief’s weapons – and maybe a sort of open world environment.
Maybe I’m reaching and it was always going to be just another sequel but it’s funny how just adding a number to the end of its name makes you instantly less optimistic about it being anything new. God I hope The Flood aren’t in it though, they’re such a boring enemy.
Olliephant
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The Link effect
Good to know that the Wii U version of Rayman Legends was the best-selling, although I have to say I’m a bit surprised it was. Perhaps that just shows how pessimistic I’ve gotten about the console lately but I hope Ubisoft and other publishers will look at the results and realise that with the right kind of game the Wii U can be a viable platform.
Unfortunately all the situation reminds me of is when the GameCube had the best-selling version of SoulCalibur II and that result in… SoulCalibur III being a PlayStation 2 exclusive. Time and again it just seems that publishers make up their mind before a console comes out and they won’t be dissuaded by any evidence to the contrary no matter what else happens. That happened with the GameCube, it happened with the Wii (in the other direction), and I fear it’s already happened with the Wii U.
What’s interesting is that I think it’s already happened with the Xbox One too. Seems to me publishers were betting on that being number one and now they’re loathe to admit they’ve got it wrong. Which makes me wonder if that PlayStation 4 version of Titanfall is as inevitable as people think…
84Colbat
Nostalgia reinforcement
Am I the only one that seems a little miffed at a game like Mega Man easily making its Kickstarter target and yet the new Elite had to scrimp and scrape to get anywhere near it, and even then probably getting nowhere near the money necessary to make a decent version of it. I know the American audience is bigger than here and whatever but it just annoys me that apart from anything Mega Man wasn’t really that great a game.
My mate had a NES back in the day (or rather his brother did) I never liked the game back then: stupidly hard, boring graphics, and generic gameplay. It’s like the recent DuckTales: in the cold light of day it’s pretty obvious it’s not that great a game but thanks to the power of nostalgia – and everyone reinforcing themselves about it in the States – it gets a free ride.
If you ask me not even that Moon music is that good, not up against the classic of Ron Hubbard and Martin Galway. If only those guys had American nostalgia on their side…
Purple Ranger
A different fantasy
An interesting interview, as always, with the Dragon Age guy. I particularly liked the bit where you were discussing fantasy games in general and how they all look the same and all have the same elements. The guy’s attempts to pretend Dragon Age looks distinctive were laughably bad and he basically had to admit that they were just following the template as normal: Tolkien-by-numbers with all the usual clichés.
Which got me thinking: why do fantasy games always have to have races that are more or less human? It’s like Star Trek where every alien is basically a human with a funny nose or forehead. What would help fantasy out a lot more is if the different races were much more ‘alien’ and acted completely different. Elder Scrolls has lizard people and cat people but they still basically just look different rather than act it.
I really think we need to get away from the old orcs/elves/dwarf thing and come up with some new kinds of people to meet.
Ben Crooper
Pocket monsters
I’m too lazy to look up statistics but Pokémon must have sold in the tens of millions over the years. Crazy idea but why don’t Nintendo just make a proper Pokémon game for Wii U and make it compatible with the 2DS. Market it directly at kids and surely children all around the world will pester their parents for both consoles.
Forget adult gamers and concentrate on the younger gamers who aren’t old enough for Call Of
Duty, GTA, etc. The NES and SNES did extremely well without adult titles. Make the Wii U the console all 3 ot 10 year olds must have. Must be money in that idea somewhere.
MRHBK
GC: Pokémon had sold over 200 million games as of 2010. There have been several home console titles that are compatible with the portable versions, going back all the way to the Nintendo 64, but none have ever been very successful. Despite what some adult gamers may hope Pokémon has been proven time and again to be a primarily portable franchise. As for the NES and SNES they had as broad a range of adult and non-adult games as any console at the time – red blood excluded.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Home at last
I know Gearbox aren’t flavour of the month now with many after the mess around with Aliens: Colonial Marines but they have done one good thing recently and that’s given the Homeworld licence to the guys making Hardware: Shipbreakers, the spiritual sequel to the original two games. Well, not given it obviously but let them use it so that it’s an official part of the franchise.
You can see a trailer here but I’ve got say I’m still confused as to why Gearbox actually bought the licence considering they’ve admitted they haven’t got the experience to make a game like that. I don’t understand why Sega didn’t buy it, seeing as they own Relic now. Or why Sega didn’t buy the Warhammer 40,000 licence. But then that’s Sega I guess, I don’t understand a lot of what they do now.
Grackle
Inbox also-rans
Doesn’t the fact that Microsoft still hasn’t announced a release date for the Xbox One point to them having no idea how much stock they’re going to have? They really do seem to be messing this up quite badly.
2Kane
Glad that Batman: Arkham City got so many mentions in the weekend Hot Topic. I’m looking forwards to it the most too, sod the next gen.
Mighty Max
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader msv858 (Twitter), who asks what is the last game that you completed?
Is finishing a game important to you and what percentage of your games have you actually got to the end of? What do you consider ‘completed’ to be? Are you happy just to finish the story campaign or are you not satisfied until you’ve found every secret – or do you insist on beating the New Game+ mode and/or higher difficulty?
Which games do you think have had the most satisfying ending (no spoilers!) and which do you wish you’d never bothered with? What games do you most regret not finishing and do you think you’ll ever go back to them?
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