Is Game Pass still the best bargain in gaming? (Picture: Microsoft)

The Wednesday letters page hears from a reader that’s just beaten Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, as Red Dead Redemption’s price comes under fire.

To join in with the discussions yourself email [email protected]

Plan B
So the Xbox Series X is more expensive than it used to be, Game Pass Ultimate has gone up, and now the £1 trial is down to just two weeks. I guess Microsoft has to make back that $69 billion for Activision Blizzard somehow, right? The deal is good for all gamers, they said. Yeah, right.

I wonder if they have an exit strategy for Game Pass at all, a point at which they admit it’s not working out and they just close it down or downsize it. You’d think a company of their size would have contingencies, but I don’t know. Game Pass is still good value for money, I feel, but it’s becoming less so all the time and given the amount of time you need to take full advantage of it, I’m not sure it’s ever going to be more popular than it is now.

As another reader mused recently, I think Microsoft is too proud to ever admit a major mistake. In particular, Phil Spencer’s whole position is tied to Game Pass. It was his idea, and we already know that his personal bonus are bound to it. If he had to admit it didn’t work then his whole position at Microsoft would be in trouble.
Ants

The future refused to change
4K streaming sounds all well and good but what kind of broadband do you need for that? Not the sort you’ll find on the bus, I’m guessing, which destroys any idea of it allowing for a new era of portable gamer. There are benefits, like not having to wait while you download a new game but that’s about it.

I’m sure it will become the future eventually but not anytime soon. That said, I’m impressed that Sony has got it running at that resolution already on the PlayStation 5. I could see myself subscribing to PS Plus Premium to at least give it a go, assuming they don’t jack up the price.

I don’t ever see it helping portable game, not for at least 10 years, but if it means I don’t have to wait five hours to play a new game I’ve bought then I’m all for that.
Dank Ponzy

The real question
Just finished Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom after about 125 hours and it’s without doubt my favourite game of all time. I didn’t know how Nintendo were going to improve on Breath Of The Wild, but the endless possibilities offered by the new powers are just incredible.

I’ve seen plenty of people question the game’s graphics, etc., asking why Nintendo don’t release a console with more power but, really, we should be asking why most other open world games, on more powerful consoles, are so dull and uninteresting!
drlowdon
PS: If you want a quicker, far more enjoyable, trading board game don’t bother with Monopoly just play Catan instead.

E-mail your comments to: [email protected]

A win is a win
In my YouTube timeline the Xbox channel asked the question ‘What achievement are you most proud of?’ So I replied in the comments Mile High Club, which was an achievement I did for Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Xbox 360. It took me numerous attempts at the time and was notoriously difficult. I received some good nostalgic responses in the comments.

Afterwards I googled ‘Mile High Club achievement’ and came across this. Now, I never bothered repeating the achievement for Modern Warfare Remastered, it was painful enough the first time. But here we have some cheat for doing the achievement mostly on recruit difficulty, which got me thinking. How is it an achievement if you have to cheat? Let’s be honest, the culprits are mostly on PC, running about in multiplayer games using aimbots or whatever hacks they use these days.

I’m genuinely curious why a gamer feels the need to cheat in any game, especially in multiplayer. With cross-play becoming the norm, encountering cheats is unfortunately more common. I don’t get where the satisfaction comes from, in the knowledge success is gained by cheating, not skill.

I would appreciate a cheater out there to explain themselves, perhaps in a Reader’s Feature. Maybe a reformed cheater can provide some insight. Make it make sense.
Anon

Generation X
So if we’re expecting the Switch 2 no later than next Christmas, that means there’s a good chance the new Pokémon generation will be out at roughly the same time, no? Maybe they’ll need an extra year or so because of the transition but known the schedules Game Freak keeps I can see them trying for it.

The tenth generation is quite the milestone, so that’d be a nice coincidence. I’m one who thought that Scarlet and Violet was pretty good in general and a major improvement on Sword and Shield. Yes, the graphics are still bad but I felt the situation with bugs was overexaggerated.

I’d like to see what they could do on a next gen Switch and maybe with a bit more time to work on it than usual. I felt they were starting to get really good at the open world approach.
Galen

Fear of missing out
I wrote a while back, debating whether I should keep my pre-order of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Special Edition Switch OLED – my first ever Switch – to play Zelda day one or cancel it and wait, given the rumours of a new Switch.

Even though the rumours have not gone away, and in fact have increased lately, I am glad I stuck with my purchase. The FOMO and the spoilers would have been too much to ignore, and I would have succumbed eventually. I am already more than 65 hours in, and I am enjoying the game immensely.

I did not think it possible that Nintendo could improve upon Breath Of The Wild so much while keeping the same spirit of the game, but that is exactly what happened. So much so that Breath Of The Wild could be considered obsolete in comparison.

Since Zelda came out, I have already amassed a tidy collection of Switch exclusives, including Bayonetta 3, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Ring Fit Adventure, Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Odyssey (as gifts and hand-me-downs mostly). At the rate I play and finish games these should last me the best part of a year, minimum. So all in all, money well spent.
Ali K
PS: Can I have the Fogotton Anne Steam code, given so generously away by fellow bargain hunter Andrew J?

GC: Sure, we’ll send it over later today.

More than a feeling
Just for my own curiosity, could I ask if the GC crew could answer my Twitter poll on which type of gamer you are? I’ve a feeling I know what the answer is just going by most of the letters, but by how much?

Thanks, if it’s allowed.
Bobwallett
PS: It’s bobwallett1 on Twitter, as they won’t let me access my original account.

More: Trending

Cheap nostalgia
Some interesting reactions to the news of Red Dead Redemption just being ported to current generation machines. My main issue with it is the cost, more so than what they’re doing. The game itself is fine as it is, it’s just unavailable on most formats today, so throwing it over the wall makes sense to me. We don’t need remasters or remakes of all games, especially games from the Xbox 360 era, which hold up perfectly well today. The price they’re charging though… pretty much new game cost for a port job isn’t a great look, if this was £20 then fair enough.

With the Switch in particular I’d hope to see more 10-15 year old titles from that generation come over. Games like Portal 2, Bioshock Infinite, Skyrim, Burnout Paradise, Crysis and more already on the platform look and run great on that little 7-inch screen, so it can be done. It seems like such a no-brainer for third party publishers like Activision and EA to raid the vaults and put old Call Of Duties, Dead Spaces, or Mass Effects on there. I’d give EA 15 quid to play 2010’s Mirrors Edge while sitting on the toilet (but maybe keep Army Of Two in the vault).

I guess it hasn’t happened because of the double hit of resources being chewed up by how intensive modern platforms are to develop for and that the actual game sales don’t make it attractive from a business perspective, given every project needs to turn big profits these days. Switch doesn’t seem too friendly for third party sales after all, with most owners picking up the Nintendo titles and a few free-to-plays.
Marc

Inbox also-rans
What a boring Pokémon Direct. I was waiting for it to get to the point but it turns out there wasn’t one. Just 35 minutes on games we already knew about. I do want that new Pikachu plushie though.
Uleno

I wonder if there’s anyone that’s bought all the Collector’s Editions for Call Of Duty? There must be somewhere. I can only imagine they have the world’s biggest mantlepiece, to fit all those statutes on.
Sully

This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Lombert, who asks what game would you rate as 10/10?

For most reviewers 10/10 games are rare but we’ve already had one this year, in Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. But not counting that (because we don’t want everyone giving the same answer) what game would you give top marks to and why?

What does being 10/10 mean to you and how many flaws can a game have before you discount it? Although you can mention more than one game please try to avoid just sending in lists of titles.

E-mail your comments to: [email protected]

The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Games Inbox: Red Dead Redemption remaster upset, Spider-Man 2 vs. Baldur’s Gate 3, and Monopoly wars

MORE : Games Inbox: Baldur’s Gate 3 being too lewd, Halo revival, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns love

MORE : Weekend Hot Topic: Best video games with no sequels

Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at [email protected]

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The Wednesday letters page hears from a reader that’s just beaten Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, as Red Dead Redemption’s price comes under fire.