The morning Inbox wonders exactly how much money Microsoft makes from Xbox, as one reader gets upset at the PS4′s line-up.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Balancing act
Wow. Watching some of the preview vids for Evolve have got me very interested in the game. It seems like awesome fun. But I see the graphics aren’t cutting edge. Not a game breaker by any stretch of the imagination, but room for improvement I guess.
My question is this. Why do some AAA games have amazing graphics and others don’t? Is it due to more talented developers working on a title or a time constraint or just a lack of personnel at hand to develop the game?
Miss Hong
GC: We addressed this in our Evolve preview. The talent of the developer and the budget of the game play a factor, but it’s also the priorities of the game itself. You can spend all the time and money and processing power on the graphics, but that will invariably mean things like the length of the game, the interactivity of the environment, and the quality of the artificial intelligence will suffer. It’s still rare that the best-looking games are the ones that play the best.
Nice view
Does anyone else find themselves just admiring the scenery in Grand Theft Auto V? I often find myself driving up a hill or to the coast especially during a sunset or sunrise just to admire how amazing the game looks. Still can’t believe they got a game to look like this good on an eight-year-old console. At this rate though I don’t think I will ever finish it because I keep getting side-tracked! I think the last game before this that I did some sight seeing was Red Dead Redemption, especially in the Mexico section.
On a non-video game subject has GC risked seeing the remake of RoboCop? I don’t think I can bring myself to do it, 12A rating, awful-looking suit (what’s with the exposed hand?!) and no brilliant Basil Poledouris score. It has got a pretty good cast though so perhaps it’s not quite as bad as I fear, it must at least be better than RoboCop 3.
PE
GC: We can’t bring ourselves to watch it either, even though it’s apparently okay-ish. We’ll wait until it’s on Sky.
The bottom line
After seeing the profits of the Xbox division I’m confused. After reading Call Of Duty or Skylanders, etc. are making billions in profit the Microsoft division profits seem low. Do companies such as Nintendo, EA, or Activision, etc. make more profit from gaming alone compared to Microsoft?
Mr Bill Bates
GC: Being a console manufacturer is very different to just being a games publisher. As we mentioned in the news story Microsoft does not release a breakdown of the profits in its Entertainment and Devices division, but it’s widely assumed that the Xbox business is now making a healthy profit but is still several billion in debt overall. Sony used to make a big profit on their PlayStation business, but went into the red with the PlayStation 3. Nintendo has always been highly profitable, which is why the recent problems have made so many headlines. The fates of third party publishers vary widely from year to year, depending on what hits they’ve had.
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Catching up for free
Finally decided to renew my PlayStation Plus membership, mainly because I wanted to grab Outlast for free so that I can enjoy it when I get my PlayStation4 and also because it’s a fantastic service. As per usual they have some games great on offer, my favourite this month would be Guacamelee!, I’ve heard good things about this game but never got round to acquiring it and now I get it for free.
I also finally decided to purchase Hotline Miami, I remember the hoopla surrounding it last year, thought it looked interesting but didn’t get round to playing it. Yesterday I went onto the PlayStation Store and noticed that it was on sale for a little over £2 as part of Sony’s February sales. Exactly when these monthly sales end I don’t know, and after a few hours of playing it I can safely say it has been one of the best gaming purchases I have ever made.
As someone who was born in the ’90s I’ve always been fascinated by the ’80s and never understood why so many that have lived through the decade complained about it. Admittedly the garish clothes and large hair was quite terrifying, the mullet still perplexes me, but the music was amazing and it’s one of Hotline Miami’s greatest elements.
The soundtrack is my favourite of any game I’ve played and has had me humming it almost all the time, the vibrant visuals are another great aspect and look fantastic of my PS Vita’s OLED screen. I also love the somewhat demanding gameplay mechanics, never have I died so many times in a game without becoming frustrated.
Finally I would like to direct viewers to what I believe to be inadvertently one of the greatest examples of voice acting in gaming from Michigan: Report From Hell, the inexplicable scream at 04:00 being my favourite moment.
iLike Fat Ladys(gamertag)
No excuses
May I just commend REBROCK for his YouTube channel, currently watching his playthrough of Dark Souls using a Faith build, very funny stuff. His description of the Asylum Demon in episode one was especially noteworthy, as was his use of a Curly Wurly in the lack of souls he had; getting backstabbed by Havel being my highlight so far. Someone not afraid to show their mistakes, nice one REBROCK.
zombiekicker (PSN ID)
Unsurprisingly disappointing
I have to say I’m a bit disappointed with the early release schedule for PlayStation 4 since the day I bought it I had about a handful of mediocre games to choose from, mostly upgrades Call Of Duty: Ghosts (which I bought), FIFA 14, Assassin’s Creed IV, etc. And GC’s release schedule for the next few months looks pretty underwhelming to say the least.
Yes, I know it’s early on but come on, Major developers could have at least tried to get in early. Anyway, any more news on this cloud-gaming app? I’d love in the future to be able to download PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 classics on PlayStation Store.
cosmic250 (PSN ID)
GC: Although it’s not very inspiring we’re not sure how the PlayStation 4′s line-up can have come as a surprise to you. PlayStation Now will be beta testing in the US later in the year, there’s no date for it in Europe and it’s not likely to be until at least next year.
Childhood terror
I take issue with Irve77 over his last letter. Not because of his views on Dark Souls, I don’t own the game. No, he mentioned Airwolf and I subsequently spent an hour under my desk in a foetal position trying to re-forget painful childhood memories of hours battling its ludicrous difficulty level.
I’ve paid my crushingly unfair game dues throughout my youth playing Spectrum titles. I’m happy being put out to pasture in the lush, rolling fields of Autosave-Upon-Checkpoint.
Meestah Bull
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Make the effort
With all respect to Irve77 I feel he is entirely missing the point of the general tone of the comments under his Reader’s Feature. As it goes the arguments against an easy mode in Souls games were very valid. I myself was pushed beyond my existing limit to beat Dark Souls, a road I would not have travelled had a quicker easier route been available. For this I am grateful to the game developers.
The point Irve77 appears to be missing though is developers should be left with the artistic freedom to realise the end product they wish. In the case of the Souls games this dream appears to be to produce a challenge designed to test gamers mettle, congratulations job done. The tag line Prepare to Die should act as a clue as to what is in store.
We, as gamers, have no entitlement to be able to beat all games. That boils down to skill, some natural, however some gained by experience. Playing games on harder difficulties nets you that experience. If a game is beyond your experience then practice, or play something else.
Again with respect to Irve77, he mentioned FIFA and consistent 9-0 wins on easy being the only hope of Wycombe winning the Champion’s League. I suggest to Irve that if he ramped up the difficulty he could still get Wycombe that trophy, just not by 9-0 wins, he appears to want an easy gaming life and why not? If that makes him happy.
Just accept that the easy life will not include Souls games and also if developers don’t want to include an easy mode then that is their choice, the beast is what it is. I have just realised I have gone on an assumption of Irve’s gender, apologies if I got it wrong.
MrZenMaestro
Inbox also-rans
RE: Sam. How can you say the Wii U has a high price point? The Premium Pack can be picked up now for around £200 if you shop around, which is a mammoth £230 less than the Xbox One costs without a single game.
adams6legend
What is more likely as DLC for GTA V; A-Team (modify the van!) or Charlie’s Angels? – both set around L.A. and involve group work.
The SiO (gamertag)
If anyone isn’t already aware, Tesco Direct and Amazon are selling GTA V (Tesco/Amazon) and Call Of Duty: Ghosts (Tesco/Amazon) for £20.
Jools
This week’s Hot Topic
With the furore about Dungeon Keeper still ongoing we want to know what you really think about microtransactions and in-app purchases.
For this weekend’s Inbox let us know whether you’ve ever paid for microtransactions and if so how much. What exactly did they do and did you feel it was money well spent afterwards? How do you feel about microtransactions in general and do you avoid games with them in or just ignore them?
What are the games that make the best and worst use of microtransactions, and how do you feel about home console titles such as Forza Motorsport 5 and Gran Turismo 6 using them? Do you think it’s inevitable that microtransactions will become more and more commonplace and what do your non-gaming or casual friends think of them?
E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
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