Baldur’s Gate 3 – sex and violence (Picture: Larian Studios)

The Monday letters page thinks Xbox and PlayStation business decisions are driven by pride, as one reader recommends a racing Humble Bundle.

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Make love not war
I think it’s hilarious that when we have games like Mortal Kombat, where people are getting PTSD from making the graphics so realistic, that a few seconds of full frontal nudity is suddenly shocking to everyone. I haven’t played Baldur’s Gate 3, but I did have a look on YouTube for some videos – for educational purposes – and it seems to work similarly to Mass Effect but a bit more explicit.

I don’t know who any of the characters are, but it all looked quite well done, as the emphasis was on them being in love and the sex scenes, presumably, being the culmination of hours of romance and friendship.

Wouldn’t things be a lot healthier if this was the norm? Some are saying Baldur’s Gate 3 is too lewd but it’s an 18-rated game. What adult is playing it and is so deeply offended by seeing someone’s dangly bits that they have to go and complain on the internet?

It’s a sad reflection on society that depictions of love are far more likely to cause outrage than depictions of hate and violence.
Royston

Pride before a fall
I would be fine with the PlayStation 6 being a hybrid like the Switch, but I can’t see Sony doing it. Apart from miniaturisation clearly not being their strong suit I think they’ve got too much pride to abandon how they’ve always done things in order to copy Nintendo.

It’s the same reason why I don’t think Microsoft has made a VR headset: they don’t want to be seen as copying Sony or showing they haven’t got any experience with the technology.

I’m sure there’s lots of other reasons in both cases but these company are run by human beings after all and sometimes I’m not sure that logic has all that much to do with it.
Prio

Undead Halo
I’ve been playing a lot of Halo Infinite this weekend and I do think it is an excellent game. It is hampered by terrible boss battles but outside of that it is actually pretty good! The music is great, and you can approach any situation as you want like the other games – I know 343 are a mess but playing through this again I think they are onto a winner.

I know the franchise is dead and multiplayer is the thing now, but single-player wise I hope they don’t give up. It is too lore heavy and even I struggle a bit at times, and I buy the novels, but I still keep my fingers crossed for a proper revival for one of the best series in gaming. Resident Evil rose from the dead so why can’t Halo (not trying to funny with that)?
Simon

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High-speed bargain
Just a quick heads up on a gaming bargain, if anyone has ever thought about getting into sim racing, but doesn’t know where to start, Humble Bundle have a stupidly good deal on some of the key racing sims on PC right now.

Asseto Corsa – an oldie but a goodie, highly moddable meaning, if you’re prepared to play around and download stuff you can get it to be whatever you want it to be. As it’s pretty old it doesn’t need a stellar PC either

Automobilista 2 – the game Project Cars 3 should have been. A fantastic general racing sim, it’s just had off-road added too. Look out for the train at Road America! It always make me smile. This is my go-to racer and it’s getting better with every update.

Asseto Corsa Competizione – right now this is probably the most comprehensive car handling model on any sim available to the general public. A hardcore GT3/GT4 sim that doesn’t muck about. It takes a lot of practice but it’s so rewarding. The league I race in use this. It does need a pretty beefy CPU but my old i5-7600k just about gets away with it.

And then there’s some others….

All for about a tenner!

I will eventually write a Reader’s Feature on a beginner’s guide to sim racing, but life keeps getting in the way!

Have fun gaming y’all!
The Dude Abides

The Elder Scrolls Offline
I think the reason the Arena wouldn’t get a remake is it’s very basic now and even back then the combat wasn’t great. As for Daggerfall, it includes every region, with subsequent sequels refining and honing particular ones down.

You could also argue The Elder Scrolls Online already has most of them so you could just play that instead. As for Morrowind, I’ve been eyeing the Skywind mod for what seems like eternity now with no end in sight. Hopefully one day it will be released.
Cold Waste (gamertag)/Worlock_ed (PSN ID)

Day one digital
A good feature from reader V on how Game Pass is diluting day one excitement. But here is the thing, Game Pass is optional. I don’t currently subscribe to Game Pass because I simply don’t have the time to benefit from it. I have also pre-ordered Starfield. I purchase all my games digitally, which I’ve done so for years now.

I primarily play on Xbox, but also have digital purchases on PlayStation 5. I have to admit buying games digitally just isn’t the same as physical purchases. But the benefits of a digital purchase are more convenient, especially when it comes to backwards compatibility and bringing games forward. When I look at my Xbox library in particular, and see older titles from the Xbox 360 days, I gain some satisfaction from the accessibility. From a financial perspective it would make more sense to subscribe to Game Pass, but I prefer to own games. Besides, I’ve enough subscription services in my life.

I suspect there will come a time when the cadence of releases becomes so much that I would be bonkers to ignore Game Pass. But I look at a game like Starfield, which I’m going to be playing for several months and beyond, if my time with Skyrim is any indication. Furthermore, I will likely only be playing Starfield alone, which makes even more sense to purchase outright. So reader V, I don’t think you’re crazy. But if you are, that makes the two of us.
Anon

Musical history
Who do we have to thank for video games music? Can we do that as a weekend Hot Topic? Hear me out first!

I have Japanese friends and they told me about Yellow Magic Orchestra. I have their album. The first tune is amazing. An absolute masterpiece considering its year, think it’s 1977 or ‘78. It tells me why Mr Do did so well in the early 80s. The notes just go along with the games.

To reproduce the sound at this level and expand into games was the starting point surely? How many people remember their first game by the sound? It certainly turned my head to an arcade machine but how does it fare now? Does anyone buy the next in a gaming series for sound?
Nick the Greek

GC: We’re not clear what the central question is?

More: Trending

Made mine Marvel
Just wanted to say thank you to David from San Francisco for the article on Marvel’s Midnight Suns, I’ve been immensely enjoying this game myself since picking up the edition (Legendary?) containing the DLC in a recent PSN sale, so I was going to write in anyway but thought I would just add a few personal views to theirs.

Just started Act 3 and really appreciating how much effort has gone into this title to make these heroes and villains feel authentic. The combat, especially, is where the style of a hero shines, Spider-Man is a playstyle that particularly impressed me early on with their action and movement animations, with Venom as a DLC standout too.

As someone who enjoys an XCOM type of game but not really the finality of some of its aspects this has been an increasingly fun title to play. It’s why I gave up on XCOM 2 a long time ago on an un-winnable mission that I had unknowingly triggered many hours before, and why I only got so far with Darkest Dungeon despite enjoying much of what it did, but not liking some of the unique traits which I eventually found too punishing and unenjoyable.

The card system keeps battles nicely fresh and the lack of time pressure, if you just feel like grabbing levels and resources, is very welcome indeed. The in-between stuff in the Abbey is fine, I feel it was created to enable the game to be what was wanted and I don’t mind the daily cycle of how you prepare, chat, train, battle, and then hangout.

It certainly seems like one of those games, much like the XCOMs, that will hopefully have a long tail, because players like myself keep an eye on it when it reaches a price we feel happy to try it for.

As always GC thank you for work, an enjoyable daily read, and also many thanks to all the contributors, both daily and especially of the Readers’ articles; your time and efforts are much appreciated.

Best wishes and good gaming to all.
ND
Currently playing: Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Inbox also-rans
I’m sure you’ve considered the possibility that the 3D Mario rumoured to be launching with the rumoured Switch 2 might be Super Mario Galaxy 2. It’s the only 3D Mario not on the Switch and some say it’s the best of them, so it seems just as likely as an entirely new game.
Kehaar

GC: That rumour implied the new game was the main launch title for the Switch 2.

I have loved Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom but what really sold me was when I came up from a well in a town and thought I’d attack some chickens and it set off the chicken attack! Pure nostalgia! It is game of the whole generation rather than just game of the year. I have always thought the Zelda games can be a bit hit and miss but Tears Of The Kingdom is just perfection on every level.
Simon

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 : Weekend Hot Topic: Best video games with no sequels

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The Monday letters page thinks Xbox and PlayStation business decisions are driven by pride, as one reader recommends a racing Humble Bundle.