Baldur’s Gate 3 – will console owners embrace it? (Picture: Larian Studios)
The Friday letters page is worried about BioWare and the future of Dragon Age, as one reader recommends Cyberpunk 2077.
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PC exclusive
It’s good news that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be coming to Xbox this year but I’m having trouble getting excited about it. No one else I know is talking about it and it seems a very PC kind of game, if you know what I mean. I’ve looked into it and the whole thing with the complicated interface looks like it’s going to be a nightmare on a TV (especially with split-screen, I don’t know how that would even work).
I haven’t played the game yet, so I can’t say much more, but I really can’t see it being a big hit on consoles. Their previous game wasn’t and Baldur’s Gate as a series isn’t known much on consoles, I don’t think.
To be honest, it’s probably a good thing. If the game needs to be on PC to work the way it does then I’m glad that some companies will still make it with that in mind. If this was a game from a bigger publisher there’s no way this wouldn’t have been dumbed down from the start. So, I don’t mind feeling left out if
It means others get what they want.
Troubadour
A decade out
That is not good news about BioWare having to cut so many staff when they’ve got two massive games on the boil. And yet I can see your point that, from EA’s perspective, they’ve had these 250 people sitting there for the best part of a decade, delivering nothing but flops and taking ages at their big comeback game.
From a bean counter’s point of view they’re probably lucky they’re still going, let alone just suffering staff cuts. I don’t know what the answer is because I don’t know how many people or how much time it really takes to make a game like this. I know it’s a lot and that’s it, everything that’s going on specifically at BioWare only they know.
What I do know is that BioWare used to be one of the best developers in the world, much better than rivals Bethesda, and now they’ve been a non-entity for a generation or more and are just scraping by. It’s sad to see.
Sombie
Not required
Just to clear up some misinformation in the PlayStation Portal article and Inbox questions, you can use it outside the home like normal Remote Play. It clearly states this in the FAQs on the product page.
Still, only for games installed on the PlayStation 5, no streaming, but it expands the use a bit.
John
GC: It might have been a good idea for Sony to put that in the original blog announcement. Here’s exactly what the FAQ says: ‘While your home Wi-Fi network represents a great option to use PlayStation Portal Remote Player because you have control over the quality of your own home Wi-Fi, it is not required. PlayStation Portal Remote Player can also be played wherever you have access to broadband internet Wi-Fi with at least 5Mbps for use. For a better play experience, a high-speed connection of at least 15Mbps is recommended. If you are using public Wi-Fi, be aware that the quality of the internet connection may be out of your control and could impact the quality of your play experience.’
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Armored fashion core
I was a bit iffy reading the Armoured Core 6 review, I did like the admission the devs had to beat the first boss for you at the preview. I remember it from the article, it made me smile, but I wasn’t expecting to see that in the review, kudos.
I wasn’t going to buy it until I got to the part that says ‘the game also really wants you to customise your mech visually.’ I live for fashion souls and now I have the chance at robo fashion? Yeah sold.
Mitchell
GC: There’s a lot of options for it, it all works very similarly to the car livery options in Forza Motorsport and the like.
First example
Well, Xbox has backtracked and allowed Baldur’s Gate 3 to be different on Xbox Series X and S. It won’t be long till other developers are saying you don’t. Before you know it the Xbox Series S will be getting less and less support.
I don’t get why they didn’t do a Sony and just sell an Xbox Series X but without the disc drive. It would have cost a lot more but at least they wouldn’t be having these problems, and without the disc drive they could of made digital a bit smaller. Only time will tell if the Xbox Series S stops getting support, people have gone out and bought it which could mean a waste of money.
David
GC: Developers and publishers cannot drop support for the Xbox Series S without Microsoft’s permission. The whole point of the Xbox Series S is that it’s very cheap, and this has been the only public example of it causing problems.
Home device
So, I can’t be the only one who can see quite a few use cases for this PlayStation Portal? Just off the top of my head a device to play games in the home away from the TV (Wii U style) could be very useful indeed. Whether it’s when the family are watching Netflix, flatmates are hogging the living room, you want to play sitting in bed hungover, you live in a small flat with your girlfriend and share the TV or you just want to play on the sofa while the football is on in the background, etc., etc.
Something I’ve realised with the Switch is that there are loads of small reasons to have a device to pick up and play off screen even just at home. Sure, a smartphone and controller can do the same, but like the Kindle there are good reasons to have a dedicated one function device to do these things. There’s a lot we don’t know and the thing will need to be completely ‘pick up and play’ with no friction or lag from initial turn on to in-game controls. It has to be completely seamless with no excuses, but sort that and it could work and work quite well.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming this to be a smash hit, like PlayStation VR2 it’s a niche device for a very small proportion of the PlayStation 5 player base. A halo product to put more PlayStation branded stuff out there. To be honest, I’ll be surprised if they shift much more than a million or two but for people who see the need, if Sony get it right it could be a very nice addition indeed. It makes more sense than an expensive and chunky PS Vita 2 (given you need a monolith like the Steam Deck just to match PlayStation 4) in the current climate at any rate.
Marc
GC: It’s £200 and yet can’t run anything natively. You could get a Switch Lite for less than that price. That’s the sticking point, not whether it’s useful or not. You’re right about PS Vita 2 though.
Starring Tom Cruise
Just seen the excellent news that they are making a sequel to one of my favourite game series Broken Sword. The new game is called Broken Sword: Parzival’s Stone and is the sixth game in the series. The background on the game looks amazing, will have to get used to the character models.
Also, they are making a remake of the first game Broken Sword: Shadow Of The Templars too. I just wish they stuck with the same actress for Nico in each game, like they have done for George Stobbart; who I didn’t realise was in Mission Impossible 1 until I just looked it up.
Andrew J.
PS. it’s been a good week for me because they have also announced Little Nightmares 3, as I enjoyed the two previous games.
More: Trending
No promises
RE: Paulie. As someone who bought a Switch in 2017 and had that as their only console for five years, the whole Cyberpunk 2077 launch debacle was something I was aware of (thanks to GC) but paid no real attention to. When I finally invested in an Xbox Series X last year, Cyberpunk looked right up my street and so was one of the first games I picked up. I’ve been gamer since the ‘80s and for me, it’s one of the most immersive and enjoyable games I’ve ever played.
I care deeply about all the characters, the acting is (mostly) excellent, and some of the more mature situations, that could have pushed the game into edgelord territory, are generally sensitively handled. Personally, I don’t find Keanu Reeves’ character annoying, but his acting is by far the worst of the major characters and the way he almost, but doesn’t quite, look like look like Reeves can be distracting.
I enjoy him in it, but your mileage may vary. Bugs-wise I honestly haven’t encountered anything worse than the odd floating character or object, which seems largely par for the course these days. It’s not perfect by any means – what game is? – but I do honestly think it’s a landmark achievement in gaming. But I wasn’t let down by broken promises or experienced it on day one. If you can forget all that I can heartily recommend it.
Nic
PS: What do we think the odds are Charles Martinet has allowed Nintendo to recreate his voice using AI for future games, in the same way James Earl Jones did for Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Inbox also-rans
So I see Microsoft are the only ones talking at Gamescom this week. Why are Sony doing this to themselves? Why have they turned into a weird hermit and let their rival take all the limelight?
Lony
I really liked the first Blasphemous so I’m pretty hyped to hear the second one is even better. 2023 has been quite the year for Souslikes, it seems.
Versays
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Simon, who asks what is your favourite level or set piece in a video game?
Many games nowadays don’t have levels as such, but any distinct section of a game will do, including areas or missions in an open world game. What was it you enjoyed so much about the level and how did it compare to other elements of the game, especially the sections immediately before and after it?
Have you played a game where one level was significantly better than any other part of it and did you still feel the game was worth playing just to experience that?
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.
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MORE : Games Inbox: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty questions, Gamescom disappointment, and Somerville
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The Friday letters page is worried about BioWare and the future of Dragon Age, as one reader recommends Cyberpunk 2077.