Starfield – is a true contender? (pic: Microsoft)
The Tuesday letters page thinks both Pokémon and Call Of Duty need more development time, as one reader worries Tears Of The Kingdom is too big.
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Only the best is good enough
With all the talk of 10/10 reviews and how well Baldur’s Gate 3 and Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom are ranking in the list of the all time greats, I’ve got to ask: does Starfield have a chance of beating them? Will it even get close to them? I ask that as a genuine question, because I really don’t know.
Assuming it is good, and I think we can give Bethesda that, I’m going to predict that there’ll be a noticeable split between US and European reviews. There often is with some big American games, I notice, and while I’d say the shonky dialogue and familiar gameplay were already a red flag I’m going to guess that certain reviewers will ignore this whether it’s an issue or not.
In real terms It probably doesn’t matter that much as the game’s free on Game Pass anyway, but a lot of people at Microsoft are going to want this to be their Zelda or The Last Of Us moment.
Me, personally, if it does deliver on the goal of it being the ultimate space exploration game then it’ll be my game of the year, no question. But frankly, I’ll settle for it just being good, even if it’s not the best of anything. I get the feeling that attitude is a bit too laidback for some people though.
Hortense
Gotta catch more time
It’s been said before but Pokémon needs to adopt the Call Of Duty model, where you have multiple developers working in rotation, so they all get a reasonable time to make a new game. Although the current set-up only gives them three years, which was fine a generation or two ago but is now only half of what is needed for a really top-notch game.
I’d be very interested to know how long next year’s game has had in development, if this year’s is just glorified DLC, but I’m willing to bet it’s not nearly enough. Between this and Overwatch 2, Microsoft should’ve just waited another year or so and Activision Blizzard would’ve been even cheaper.
Now they’re going to end up paying $69 billion for them and they’ll have to sort out all their problems, including terrible working conditions and two of their biggest franchises being on the downward slide.
Dobbie
Low priority
This split-screen business with the Xbox is getting pretty weird now, but I agree with GC and that it’s most likely because Microsoft doesn’t think it’s important and has always made it a low priority. They’ve always been about online multiplayer above everything, including even single-player, and to be honest that’s why I’ve always gravitated towards PlayStation instead.
To have this happening while the Baldur’s Gate 3 situation is still ongoing only underlines that Microsoft doesn’t care and is probably never going to change their mind on the situation.
Campbell
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Losing faith
Slim or not the new PlayStation 5 is already a major disappointment as far as I’m concerned. It’s not much smaller and the design is still far too close to the original. Most of the previous PlayStation Slims were quite different to the original and some of them were really great. The PS one is still a beauty but this one is nowhere close.
I suspect it’s Sony pride and arrogance at work again, where they refuse to admit the original model is ugly and therefore miss an opportunity to create something better. This was the perfect chance to create something better without losing face and they’ve squandered it.
The only silver lining is that there’ll surely have a new State of Play to announce it and the Project Q properly. Or is that going to be another low effort blog post? I swear, if that’s what they do I’ll completely lose faith with them.
Kaneable
Never look back
Is Assassin’s Creed going back to its roots good or bad? My opinion on it is it might be good for people, because of the nostalgia factor but other than that for new players, I don’t think going back to its roots will be attractive.
When Black Flag was launched with the enhanced naval warfare, it was well received; the reason is it’s still kinda new. But Ubisoft used the same formula again and again, and with the combat even more improved in the current Assassin’s Creed games. I would say instead of developing the series with older models, it’s better to just improve the assassination in the current games.
Anon
Too much of a good thing
Is Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom too big?
I can cope with it on one plane but when you take into consideration it’s on three planes – sky, ground, and underneath – it’s just overwhelming.
So, I was impressed with the Reader Feature from Ryan O’D (Bones, long time reader and gamer, who I had the pleasure to play on Mario Kart) at the weekend. I liked how you split it so we can continue it each weekend. Gave me something to look forward to, that I have an interest in. He gave himself the unfortunate task of showing us the beautiful Hyrule and what it offers. It’s impossible to show in a handful (or more) of screenshots. I liked it. It was a great attempt. Kudos to him.
I once said to a friend I’ll pay £100 that can give me the money’s worth. This was about 10 years ago. Any Bethesda game, Skyrim or Fallout. Now I’m having to pay £100 to get the edition of Starfield that I want on pre-order.
On another subject, and sorry I’ve mentioned a few, do we know what’s different about Super Bomberman R 2 and what the release date is?
Nick the Greek
GC: Super Bomberman R 2 is out on September 13. According to the official website it’s got a new 16-player mode, amongst other things.
Choose your poison
I’ve seen your next weekend Hot Topic about new hardware we’re planning to get, but you didn’t mention those handheld PCs, aside from the Steam Deck, that are coming out. The Asus ROG… something, something. Yes, Ally! And another one I heard of that begins with the letter A.
That one’s even touted to be more powerful than the Ally. There’s more than just Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Please do try to cover these handheld PCs if you have the time…
Henry
GC: You can talk about any gaming hardware you like; we just gave some examples.
More: Trending
Baldur’s Gategate
Not that I would have any reason to cast doubt on Larian’s comments regarding their difficulties getting Baldur’s Gate 3 running on the Xbox Series S, and I have zero experience in programming games, but something is bugging me.
Part of it seems to relate to the number of articles you’ve run where you restate the reasons Larian have given, maybe it’s the continued internet chatter of general disillusionment with the Xbox Series S but it seems to miss a bigger picture.
Not everyone can go out and drop £450-500 on a new console, the Xbox Series S has opened up the current generation to some, is still more powerful than the average PC, and has made dual console ownership possible for others. I may not be able to play Baldur’s Gate 3 (yet) but I can play all the other games I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
I’d also like to point out that Baldur’s Gate 3 is running on Steam Deck (including multiplayer), a piece of tech significantly weaker than an Xbox Series S and Divinity: Original Sin 2 is running on Switch. I’m not for a moment saying Larian are lying about their challenges with Xbox Series S, more that the internet reaction to Baldur’s Gate 3 coming out late on Xbox has been blown out of proportion.
DarKerR (gamertag)
GC: Despite saying you’re not casting doubt on Larian, you got pretty close there a couple of times. We’re not really sure what you’re getting at.
Inbox also-rans
A reader asked about how to try a VR headset. While you won’t find a PlayStation VR2 in an arcade you will find others with added immersion. Namco arcades are great for this. Yes, they are £5 a go but it’s a lot cheaper that £540+ so, quite a cost effective way to try if you’re considering a buy.
Dan
GC: They also have some PlayStation VR1 headsets at the Science Museum.
I think Hironobu Sakaguchi was just being polite about Final Fantasy 16. Maybe he likes it, maybe he doesn’t, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Japanese developer disparage someone else’s game. Especially one they were tangentially connected to.
Rooster
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Johno, who asks what new gaming hardware are you playing to buy in the future?
Christmas will be here soon enough and with rumours of the Switch 2, the PS5 Slim, the PS5 Pro, and Sony’s Project Q are you starting to save up for new hardware? If you haven’t entered the current generation yet are you planning to get a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S this year? And if not, why not?
How much are your spending plans affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis and have you had to abandon plans to buy new hardware (including controllers, VR headsets, and PC components) this year or in the future?
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: The price of the Switch 2, the worst sequel ever, and Zelda: Ocarina Of Time score
MORE : Weekend Hot Topic: Video games you’d give 10/10
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The Tuesday letters page thinks both Pokémon and Call Of Duty need more development time, as one reader worries Tears Of The Kingdom is too big.