The perfect Christmas present? (pic: Sony)
The Thursday letters page asks which Bayonetta should be played first, as one reader is more positive about Modern Warfare 2’s campaign.
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Present problem
So, Christmas is coming and I have a difficult choice ahead of me. Do I get a PlayStation 5 or not? They’re relatively easy to get a hold of now but they’re still not cheap and we’ve got a bit of a financial crisis going on at the moment. At the beginning of the year, it was my plan but now I’ve got to worry about energy bills and mortgage rates and god knows what else that will go wrong next.
Then, looking at it purely from a gaming perspective, there’s the fact that Sony hasn’t announced any new games in forever and basically seems to have lost the plot as far as explaining what they’re doing. That’s not such a problem, because I’ll be catching up with what they have released first, but when is this silence going to end?
There’s also the spectre of the PS5 Pro. Will I commit to spending all this money just as Sony announce its mid-generation replacement? It’s getting to be about that time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was revealed next year.
I’m 50/50 to be honest, but the thing that would push me over, ironically, is if Sony announced a bunch of new games to look forward to, or rather to tempt me. I can’t imagine I’m unusual in that so it really does leave me very confused as to why they won’t say what else they’re working on.
Is the PlayStation 5 worth getting for Christmas? I really don’t know. I want one, which is probably going to mean I get one, but I’m saying now I’m not sure it’s a sensible decision.
Kyle
Trigger’s broom
I’m not sure a remake of The Witcher 1 is really that good an idea. I remember playing it back in the day, back when nobody knew it was even based on books and it was pretty ropey. Bad combat, bad dialogue, and really sexist as I remember. You were trying to bed as many women as possible and every time you got a little trading card to commemorate the event.
I really don’t think any casual fans of The Witcher 3 are going to be impressed by the game or even really recognise it as part of the same franchise.
Of course CD Projekt could remake it such a degree that they fix all of these problems but at that point is it even a remake? When does it move from being the same game but with some tweaks and modern graphics to being something almost unrecognisable from the original? In short, how much can you make remake before nothing of the original exists?
Sorry, didn’t mean to get all philosophical there.
Emerca
Bad news
Yikes, that news about Rocksteady does not sound good. I remember when the Batman: Arkham games were coming out and they were setting themselves up as being the big new developer on the block. Then they just disappeared forever and even when they did show Suicide Squad it looked really bad.
I can only assume its bad management or exec interference or something because they’re clearly a really talented studio. Here’s hoping they can pull through and that Suicide Squad turns out okay in the end. From there hopefully they can start making something else quickly, that’s different, as the problem with all these live service games is that they’re meant to go on forever and that ties at least part of the developer up for years.
I worry the same about Naughty Dog and anyone else Sony drags into make more live service games. I’m sure it must be more profitable to have top flight developers pumping out as many great games as possible, rather than just one every 10 years.
Focus
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Witch one first?
Really enjoyed reading your review of Bayonetta 3. I love the shear madness and inventiveness of it all which sounds very much up my street. Only issue is I’ve never played either of the other two games in the series.
I’m tempted to jump in with 3 but would you recommend played the originals first? They’re still £50 for the pair on the Switch store, so not exactly cheap!
DuckOfDeath82
GC: It’s interesting to see the evolution of the various systems and ideas, but if you’re worried about the plot the storytelling is awful in all of them. They’re all essentially standalone stories too.
Horses for courses
I get confused when some reviews are great for something like Bayonetta 3 and others, like Eurogamer who described it as ‘a messy melange that just about retains PlatinumGames’ magic.’
And saying characters are a mess, as is the gameplay with top much going on at once, which I thought was part of the Bayonetta.
TWO MACKS
GC: But Eurogamer gave it a Recommended rating, the equivalent of 3 out 4? It’s rating Signalis as Essential that seems odd to us, but each to their own.
Interactive cut scenes
I’ve been enjoying the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign. There’s been the occasional naff level like Amsterdam, which may as well have been a cut scene. I appreciate how the developer tries to break up the pacing from the shooting, I just feel they could make the gameplay more compelling in those segments, as opposed to living out a cut scene with basic interactions. But other than that, it’s great.
Visually speaking the game is stunning and easily the best looking Call Of Duty game to date. Arguably one of the most impressive of this generation. The character models in cut scenes are incredibly lifelike, but it’s the gun models in-game which have impressed me most. As far as first person shooters go, the gun models are easily the most realistic looking to date.
My favourite level so far is the Lone Soldier (Mark Wahlberg movie) inspired level. I won’t go into specifics, but as cool as that level was, I think they could have extended it even longer. There’s some decent variety to the campaign, and though it isn’t reinventing Call Of Duty, it’s an enjoyable ride.
Anon
Buying to sell
You can get a physical version of Radiant Silvergun on Switch on Limited Run in a standard, SteelBook or collector’s edition starting from $39.99 (plus postage and duties) until Sunday, November 13th. It’s a lot
cheaper than a physical version on Sega Saturn, which second-hand goes for £200, give or take, on eBay!
I was going to pick up a Switch version. Yes, you can buy it much cheaper digitally, but some prefer a physical version, like me. Here’s the link.
Andrew J.
Going back
So… I just started A Plague Tale: Requiem. I was a little apprehensive at first, when I discovered it was a locked 30fps, but the weekend Reader’s Feature scared me into thinking I wasn’t a real gamer (and my internet was down last night) so…
It really is a beautiful game and if I’m walking/running forward the framerate isn’t too much of an issue. As soon as I turn the camera though, whoosh! All those lovely graphics resolve into a blur of colour.
Now it really doesn’t affect the gameplay in A Plague Tale, it is slow paced, aiming is pretty much lock-on but I switched back and forth via quick resume between it and its prequel, that does run at 60fps, and it does change how the game feels. It is more responsive, small changes in the camera are better represented on screen and over corrections are less common.
I used to argue that 30fps was fine until I played Destiny and Halo Infinite at 60fps, at which point I struggled going back. It changed the way I play as I was far more capable of quick changes in direction and micro aiming changes. First person shooters do have a lot more panning shots than third person games, so maybe that’s the reason I find 60fps essential in those games.
I’m afraid this intense scientific endeavour has not brought us any closer to answering the 30 vs. 60 debate, I’ll end hoping as many companies as possible can give us the choice.
DarKerR (gamertag)
GC: Isn’t too much of an issue?! 30fps has been the standard – if you’re lucky – for the last 20 years. For people to suddenly, within the space of a couple of weeks, start to pretend it’s borderline unplayable is… something.
Inbox also-rans
Good call there from Catcave in Tuesday’s Inbox, about Pilotwings on the Nintendo 64. It’s an unfairly overlooked gem of a game.
Chevy Malibu
Great interview again GC, with the Dead Space creator. Although I can’t say I’m surprised that The Callisto Protocol doesn’t seem all that special, they’ve shown nothing that gets me excited yet.
Rankin
GC: Thanks.
This week’s Hot Topic
Halloween is almost upon us, so for this weekend’s Inbox we want to know what’s the best ever survival horror game and what upcoming title has the best chance of beating.
Big budget horror games are rare but there’s suddenly a lot of them on the way, including remakes of Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, and Silent Hill 2, as well as The Callisto Protocol, Alan Wake 2, all the other Silent Hill games – plus many others.
Are you excited about the new releases, and do you think this will usher in a new era of successful horror games or is it just a blimp? If you’re not interested in any of the new games, what is it about your personal favourite that you enjoy so much?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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MORE : Games Inbox: Modern Warfare 2 campaign review, Bayonetta 3 excitement, and Parasite Eve remake
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The Thursday letters page asks which Bayonetta should be played first, as one reader is more positive about Modern Warfare 2’s campaign.
