The Last Of Us – apparently there’s a game of it too (Credits: HBO MAX/PLANET PHOTOS)
The Wednesday letters page wishes the Nintendo Switch could play 3DS games, as one reader offers Elden Ring tips for rubbish players.
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Better than the game
What I didn’t anticipate from The Last Of Us TV opening episode is how much more horrifying it is. From the opening scene featuring John Hannah to other moments of horror I won’t spoil, the execution was superb. The introduction was much more fleshed out and even going into it knowing exactly how it all plays out, the tension building was palpable and no less impactful.
I can imagine once season one is done there will be a debate over which is better: the series or the video game – much like books are compared to their movie adaptations. The original source material is often deemed superior but I’m not sure on this one. Interactive storytelling is hard to beat if done properly, but if viewed from a purely storytelling perspective, the opening to the TV series is superior to the video game. I say that as a huge fan of the video game.
What encourages me most is once we get to The Last Of Us Part 2I, there’s a great opportunity to fix some issues. Not in terms of the main plot points but minus the sloppy conveniences and so obvious foreshadowing. Less instances of characters behaving in an unrealistic manner just so the plot can happen would be welcome also. Whether the series can top the first game remains to be seen, but on this evidence they can certainly surpass the sequel.
Anon
Rough start
I know we’re only a few years in, but I don’t think it’s too early to say that this is the most disappointing generation of consoles ever. Just endless cancellations, delays, and bad treatment of staff/public.
On top of that the type of games that are actually successful now are so uninspiring I just can’t believe anyone even cares anymore. I’ll not pretend that I’m not still excited about Starfield but that’s getting by on historic Bethesda love alone. That’s only going to get me so far. Genuinely starting to wonder if games are still something I should be interested in.
Chris
GC: Well… yes, but it’s not really anyone’s fault. Let’s judge the generation when it’s over, not when it’s still struggling through the impact of the pandemic. But games that are ‘actually successful now’? Two of the top-selling games of last year included Elden Ring and history’s first good 3D Sonic game.
Time marches on
I thought Nintendo could milk the Switch a bit further and prolong the Switch 2 release. I know I will annoy some readers with this, but I was really hoping for some 3DS re-releases on the Switch.
I never owned the 3DS but would love to play Metroid: Samus Returns, Luigi’s Mansion 2, and Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. There will be others which I have forgotten about but those are just from the top of my head.
Alek Kazam
PS: I read the Resident Evil 4 article and it’s 18 years since its release, I can’t believe it. Thinking about some of the releases from my youth Jurassic Park is 30 years old, as is the Super Mario Bros movie. Star Fox, Doom, and Zelda: Link’s Awakening all released in ‘93. Makes me feel ancient.
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Exception to the rule
In response to Needlemouse, regarding smartphone game addiction, I’ve never been addicted to any game that I felt compelled to spend real world money on.
I have spent a few pounds on two Mobile Games. The second one is Fire Emblem Heroes when it first came out, to get a few more orbs, but then I got bored of the game and uninstalled it.
I also spent on Pokémon Go but this was very early on in its release, when it was very easy to run out of pokéballs.
Running out of said items doesn’t happen these days, as the abundance of things you get from a pokéstop means I very regularly discard pokéballs, maybe up to the hundreds per month.
Pokémon Go is the only smartphone game I play these days and it is on whenever I leave to go out anywhere.
LeighDappa
Political stances
RE: BoyWonder’s Tuesday letter. Just to clarify, Rowling donated to the Labour Party and to my knowledge isn’t homophobic. She’s generally left leaning politically (was anti-Brexit) which is why the anti-trans comments seem such outliers.
I agree with the weekend feature, that they aren’t so much a case of Rowling ‘revealing herself’ but more a case of a lack of nuance and understanding of the subject on her part. This is something we can all be guilty of.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)
Hard won advice
I was thinking about doing a Reader’s Feature on this but I’ll keep it shortish and to the point.
How to make Elden Ring easier whilst not being very good at it.
Semi spoilers ahead… (bear in mind this is my second playthrough so I know what’s coming).
1. Choose the astrologer class. I chose the warrior class on my first playthrough, which obviously means up close and personal, harsh indeed! Astrologer class (wizard basically) starts with surprisingly effective spells, so zap ’em from a distance.
2. Quite early on you’ll be able to summon three magic dogs. Use them sparingly, they consume your magic power so that’ll mean less zapping from a distance. Best reserved for boss fights in my opinion, they are a good distraction.
3. Keep an eye out for Rogier. He’ll give you a nice sword early on that has relatively low requirements to use, well worth levelling up certain stats for.
4. Abandon all concepts of honourable combat but always bow/greet other players in multiplayer, it’s good form.
I’m absolutely not saying use those YouTube cheats that give you a million runes in 10 minutes, that would break the game. What I am saying though is in a game as brutal as this there’s nothing wrong with grasping a rare easy available opportunity. Poison arrows and patience can work wonders.
5. Avoid PvP. If you’re as rubbish at it as I am you’ll get murdered repeatedly.
Chevy Malibu (PSN ID)
Out now
Just a heads up to say that the Sephiroth amiibo and Tekken Kazuya amiibo are in stock currently on Nintendo Store UK. Just ordered the Sephiroth one myself.
Andrew J.
PS: I bought Beacon Pines on sale on Steam over Christmas, so tried removing it from my Xbox wishlist via the Xbox website but when you try to do this in Chrome or Firefox on Windows 10 you get an error message and the game doesn’t get removed! I don’t always have my Xbox on every day, so use the website instead. I don’t know if you can access the wishlist through the Xbox app?
The most amazing thing you’ll see all day
Thanks to those that responded to my PC building queries. much appreciated and I will take those suggestions under advisement.
Much more important though is inducing insane levels of envy amongst your readership by sharing this link.
This actually dovetails nicely into Barry’s letter about hooking up his GameCube to a modern TV as you can see an Open Source Scan Convertor (OSSC) at one point in the video, through which you can hook up multiple retro consoles to the same TV.
I don’t own one but my understanding is that an OSSC or similar ‘upscaler’ solves three issues with connecting old consoles to modern TV, starting with the physical connection. It also upscales a 480p signal from a Wii, GameCube, Dreamcast, etc. or 240p/480i signal from a PS1/Saturn and so forth to a higher resolution that looks half decent and can be accepted on a modern TV. Finally, it reduces the inevitable lag from converting the console’s analogue output to a digital signal.
A cheap upscaler may introduce a fair bit of lag in the signal conversion process, which is fine for watching movies but less so for gaming where quick reactions are often required.
I don’t know much about the Wii2HDMI but it seems pretty cheap, so even if it’s not the best experience you’ll not be losing mega bucks taking a chance.
Meestah Bull
GC: Good heavens, that Nintendo set-up is incredible. We’ll do a story on that if we get a spare minute, that’s amazing.
Inbox also-rans
So, do you think Street Fighter 6 can hold its head up to Ultra Street Fighter 4?
Henry
GC: Ultra Street Fighter 4 was the sum total of six years of updates. Who knows what Street Fighter 6 will be like in 2029 but it looks like it’ll be off to a good start.
I hadn’t really looked into Fire Emblem Engage but happy to know Intelligent Systems are doing it themselves and it’s nothing like Three Houses, I didn’t like that game either. Too boring and easy.
Rogo
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Onibee, who asks what video game protagonist would you like to swap games with?
Pick any two games you like, regardless of whether they’re in similar genres or not, and swap the lead character. What would happen and do you think it would be fun?
Is this something you’ve thought of before and how important do you think the lead character is to a game? Are there any you’ve been put off from purely because of the protagonist and whose abilities have you most wished you had in another game?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
The small print
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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: Most overrated video game, The Callisto Protocol flop, and the Hogwarts Legacy dilemma
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MORE : Weekend Hot Topic: Most anticipated video games of 2023
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The Wednesday letters page wishes the Nintendo Switch could play 3DS games, as one reader offers Elden Ring tips for rubbish players.
