How edgy does the new Streets Of Rage look to you? (Picture: Sega)

The Tuesday letters page looks forward to the new PlayStation boss to replace Jim Ryan, as another reader has trouble with Steam purchases.

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

PLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing content to run over the Christmas and New Year break and, as usual, we’d like this to include Reader’s Features. So, if you’ve had an idea for a feature, that you’ve never got around to writing, then sending it in now would be the perfect time. In can be on any subject, but anything taking a long-term view of recent trends or games would be particularly apt.

Edgelord question
As excited as I am to see Sega suddenly talking about bringing back classic games, I think we Sega fans have all been here before. Maybe not with these games in particular but this is just going to be the Sonic cycle all over again, isn’t it? The first new game’s going to come out, it’s a disappointment, so we convince ourselves that the next is going to be the one that works out, and so on and so on down the list.

I mean, I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I don’t know what other path you can take as a Sega fan. I will say that, at the moment, Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi are looking promising, but I am worried about the other ones. Streets Of Rage and Golden Axe both look kind of dark and miserable and not very Sega-like, with not a blue sky in sight.

Shinobi also looks very low budget with it is 2D graphics, which is a shame as I would’ve thought that was one of the most suitable for upgrading into a modern big budget game.

There’s so much that can go wrong and then to add to that they’re saying they want the games to be edgy? What does that even mean? None of those games were edgy originally, so are you just calling them that now or are you changing them into something else?

I just don’t know, but I’ve got a feeling we’ll either going to get some surprise hits or a complete train wreck.
Hudson

I’ll buy it at no extra price!
So, finally the VR mode for Resident Evil 4 remake dropped on Friday and whilst there was an issue with not being able to download it due to PSN I settled in for a session on the evening. You can see the fact it wasn’t fully designed for VR and that the cinematics are flat screen but it’s still totally fantastic and better than most titles released since the launch of PlayStation VR2.

A few voices have been raised about interaction with your environment but personally it highlights the flaws I have in those games, rather than any in Resident Evil 4. There’s less to fiddle around with so the pace is spot on. Everything flows more, without all the faffing around. Also, and this cannot be emphasised enough, I sat down to play it with a beer. Rarely was I flailing around tiring myself out. I could relax on the sofa and play a great game in VR.

Much like Astro Bot and Gran Turismo 7 I’m experiencing great immersion with minimum calorie expenditure. Just reached the church meet-up with Ashley and having avoided playing the remake solely to experience in VR I’m having an utter riot. It’s completely free too and I cannot love Capcom any more at the mo’.

My only gripe is the Merchant. He’s great but just not fully got the gravely ‘Ahhh’ of the original. Plenty of the ‘Whadaya buying’ is there though and he sure does have a selection of good things on sale. Hehehe thank you!
Wonk

GC: We liked the Merchant in the end, he’s a worthy successor.

Thinking about the children
In response to 84Colbat Reader’s Feature regarding his kids playing GTA 6, he said:

‘I just imagine my kids sitting there playing it hours at a time, laughing about how fun virtual murder is.
My kids aren’t actually old enough for the game yet (well, not unless it gets delayed some more) but the thought upsets me.’

Well, as his kids aren’t old enough to play the game, he’ll have nothing to worry about, as:

1) He clearly won’t be buying it for them

2) His kids are not old enough to buy it and

3) As a responsible parent, he’ll know exactly what his children are playing and will have set parental controls on their console so age-restricted content can’t be played so borrowing it from their school mates is also a no-go.
LeighDappa

GC: We think you’re reading his comments a bit too literally.

E-mail your comments to: [email protected]

Time to change
I must say, I’m feeling rather vindicated after reading through the letters of this past weekend’s Hot Topic on the GTA 6 trailer. I sent my letter in with a touch of trepidation, knowing that the overall tone was slightly negative with the main theme being, ‘It looks lovely; hope they sort the gameplay”, but lo and behold this theme was present in nearly every other letter printed.

Like many others, my first foray into the world of GTA was on the PlayStation 2 with GTA 3 and so it’s now been 20+ years of, basically, the same game. Sure, the graphics improve, but the core gameplay is still ridiculously disjointed and, as others highlighted, quite subpar for a game series that is as popular as GTA is.

I was reading a thread on Reddit yesterday, discussing the ‘Bethesda formula’, and querying how Starfield failed where Skyrim succeeded. One user pointed out that Skyrim’s success is due to it doing everything good enough that the overall gameplay doesn’t ever truly suffer. So, the combat is janky, but it’s serviceable to support the exploration of the world. The facial animation is poor, but the world building is good enough to make you overlook/put up with this.

I wonder if the same is true of GTA? The graphics are great, but the shooting is poor, the handling of vehicles isn’t always so good, the story and script are always a little try hard. But throw it altogether and you still have a fun enough game that holds your attention. There were many games that tried to ape the GTA formula following its move into 3D, and whilst some certainly improved the gunplay and driving, they struggled to deliver on the quality of the open world.

However, I do feel that a large majority are not going to be happy with a GTA 6 that is simply GTA 5 MK2. The positive reception that GTA 5 received, I believe, was in part in response to GTA 4 being too serious in tone. In contrast, I don’t see any overarching, easy wins for GTA 6. The content of the Inbox and Reader’s Features this past weekend has reinforced my belief that for GTA 6 to be seen as a truly great game it needs to seriously improve the core gameplay that Rockstar have, thus far, failed to tackle.
Matt

Conspiratorial addendum
Thanks for printing my Game Pass Reader’s Feature over the weekend. It seemed to draw a lot of comments, and aside from a handful of people who seemed to think the article was part of some anti-Microsoft conspiracy (even though I literally stated that I thought the service is good value for money), they were largely positive and constructive.

The one positive I did realise I missed in my feature was that Game Pass does provide the opportunity to try games you otherwise might not risk spending money on. Again, this isn’t enough to convince me to subscribe, but I can see it being a huge plus for many people.
Drlowdon

Half as unlikely
Frankly, the fact that Sony intended to have 12 live service games by 2026 is absolutely ludicrous to me. Six is still six too many of these often insipid, cynical video game ventures.

What would be ideal would be another Astro Bot, both flat and for their undernourished exclusive PlayStation VR2 library, something entirely fresh and compelling like Returnal, a dreamy new concept by Media Molecule, or a Bloodborne upgrade or follow-up.

But their priorities have seemingly been topsy-turvy this past year, with many unnecessary accessories and a hardware revision on the way, and just one first party game release, albeit a pretty good one in Spider-Man 2.

Hopefully, and really I mean wishfully, now that Jim Ryan has vacated his position as head of PlayStation, we’ll start to see a greater emphasis on experimentation and diversification of Sony’s single-player first and second party games. And some actual effort to preserve PlayStation 1 and 2 games by adding them onto their subpar PS Plus Premium tier.
Galvanized Gamer

GC: It’s going to be very interesting to see what, if anything changes, when Ryan’s successor takes over in April.

No promises
Sometimes I wonder if there’s any point asking Nintendo developers anything because while that does indeed sound like them hinting at a playable Zelda in the future, I wouldn’t rely on it in any way. I notice they’ll often give these teasing half answers but because it’s never a straight answer so it’s also not a promise they have to keep.

So, while I’d love to see a playable Zelda and a remake of Ocarina Of Time I’m not going to hold my breath until Nintendo actually announce it.
Lamler

More: Trending

Desktop only sales
I too can add my twopenn’orth regarding Steam (Valve’s) questionable customer service.

I previously had a purchase fail during the transaction process, only to discover that the money had been deducted from my bank. I contacted Steam support to tell them and (long story short) it turns out the money hadn’t actually ever left my bank, and the said transaction just disappeared completely from existence about one week later.

During that week or so it just makes you think you have paid for something that you didn’t receive. Not ideal. I learned after that never to buy anything either on your mobile, or on the Steam Deck. Their systems are terrible. There is usually no problem via desktop PC, in my experience, but overall their systems just seem glitchy.

The thing is though, when you raise a Steam support ticket it often takes two to four days to get a reply, and when you do it’s like talking to a robot. It’s obviously just a case of the support team member reading your ticket, then they go to a cut and paste sheet and pick off the most appropriate bits.

When I received my OLED Steam Deck shipping information it too said Parcelforce and I relaxed a bit (they previously used EVRI) however it arrived with no issues. I would suggest the fault lies with Parcelforce regarding your own terrible saga, but still, when things go wrong then Steam really need to get better at helping. Whilst I would not generally like to see anyone lose their job, the delivery person lost my sympathy when they turned up at your house a few days later to ask you to do that thing. Just a big no, no.

It’s a shame too because the OLED Steam Deck is a truly wonderful thing. I already love it like a third child.
r-s-w

Inbox also-rans
Might be a bit early but I’m not the first. Merry Christmas and happy new year to GC and everyone who reads Inbox. Seeing as it’s December, I need to ask the traditional question. When is the readers’ top 20?
Mitchell

GC: As always, at the end of January.

Can confirm that I would not buy a barbeque or paint brush from Miami Joker.
Rosko

This week’s Hot Topic
The 2023 Game Awards happened last Friday, revealing not only the award winners but the usual suite of new trailer reveals, but what did you think of it?

How much notice do you take of the award nominees and, in general, do you think the winners were justified this year? Do you think there’s a better way to organise the awards and do you feel there are any categories that should be added or removed?

What do you think of the emphasis on new trailers and announcements and does this enhance or diminish the award ceremony? Is the large amount of advertising distracting or an understandable necessity to fund the event?

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: Baldur’s Gate 3 game of the year dispute, Elden Ring DLC no-show, and Blade on PS5

MORE : Weekend Hot Topic: The final verdict on the GTA 6 trailer

MORE : Games Inbox: Are The Game Awards 2023 worth watching, GTA 6 30fps, and PS Store lawsuits

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The Tuesday letters page looks forward to the new PlayStation boss to replace Jim Ryan, as another reader has trouble with Steam purchases.