Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – best graphics ever? (Picture: Sony)
The Wednesday letters page hopes that Activision will go back to making non-Call Of Duty games, as one reader looks forward to playing Daytona USA 2.
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Bonus feature
I’m very much looking forward to Spider-Man 2 on Friday, especially as the reviews are more positive than I expected, given some lacklustre trailers from Sony and the fact that this is hardly the first Spider-Man game. I’m particularly excited to see how they’ve handled Venom, as that is apparently a highlight, and to see the whole of New York City.
I’m very interested in the graphics, as at first they seemed a little underwhelming, in terms of not being much of an upgrade from the PlayStation 4, but it seems they’ve really come on in the last few months of the game’s development. Especially after all that Puddlegate nonsense.
I’ll need to get a closer look myself but I’m wondering if this will now be acknowledged as the best looking game on PlayStation 5, and thereby all consoles? For my money, I’d say that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is currently the best and since that’s also an Insomniac game there seems every chance that Spider-Man 2 will take the prize. It doesn’t have to, to be a good game, but it’s a nice bonus.
The Bishop
Bad publicity
That Skull Island: Rise Of Kong looks pretty hilarious, amazing to think that such a terrible game can exist in this day and age. But the most confusing thing is why? Surely the movie makers can’t be happy having their movies associated with such a terrible game.
There’s a new Kong movie out next year, I think, so why would you want to poison the water with such a terrible tie-in. I mean, it’s not like it’s going to make any money for them, so wouldn’t it have been better just to can it? I think so, but there are pennies being left on the table and apparently that’s enough in this case.
Bluezor
Always broken
I have no interest personally in Cities: Skylines 2 but I think it’s disgusting that the publisher knows it doesn’t work but is going to release it anyway. I’m sure it is because they’ve already sold it to Game Pass but that only underlines the priorities for publishers, which is to say profit above all.
They know that releasing broken games rarely causes a problem and even when it does, like with Cyberpunk 2077, you can recover with no real repercussions.
I see a lot of people talk about how they’re giving up on consoles in order to get a gaming PC but the games seem to suffer from launch day problems far more than console games and often aren’t fixed for months, or even at all. Mods and a small increase in the quality of graphics is not nearly enough to compensate for that, in my opinion.
Himbo
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And it’s free too
Happy days. I’m a fan of the ‘90s arcade racer, with the now delisted Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Daytona USA on my Xbox Series X a bit of a prized possession.
I’ve never played the second game though and was thrilled to hear it would be getting its first ever console release by being a playable arcade unit in the upcoming Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
I had planned to wait for a sale but now I have pleasingly discovered the game will be a day one Game Pass release on November the 9th.
Simundo
One and done
Only time I ever recall cheating was on the original Xbox Battlefield 2. I think the map was called Bridge too Far. In the middle of the map there was a skyscraper known as the Chinese building, it had red Chinese lettering around the top and was a good position for sniping two of the three Conquest flags.
If you crashed a helicopter into the roof (parachute out just before impact) you could walk down the wreckage of the tail and you would drop down inside the building to ground level. The walls became invisible and you could shoot enemies outside the building without being seen or be hit. You also couldn’t leave.
I was glad I got it to work but never did it again because I could get a much better score by playing the game properly.
Johnny Alpha SD
Currently playing: Forza Motorsport
Try it yourself
If you have played and enjoyed Heaven’s Vault then there is a good chance you’ll enjoy Chants Of Sennaar too, as the Sennaar devs cited Heaven’s Vault as a specific influence on them and the game plays like a streamlined, more focussed version of that earlier title. For me personally, Heaven’s Vault was my 2019 Game of the Year and Sennaar is probably going to take that title this year.
It’s a short game, maybe seven hours or so, but I’ve been thinking about it constantly since I finished it. Its puzzle design is immaculate and the only thing that really lets it down are some forced stealth sections that have absolutely no business being in a game about translating languages. I won’t say too much more as you should really go in as blind as possible. Plus, I’ll probably be banging on about this a lot in the game of the year nominations.
The best advice though would be to download the demo, which I think is available on all systems, and try it for yourself. There’s also a video by Mark Brown of GMTK which is worth a watch, but only do so after finishing the demo; the video is completely spoiler free with one major exception and that’s the opening tutorial.
It gives away the solution to the very first puzzle, but figuring out that puzzle yourself, having that lightbulb moment when you work out what to do, is something you should definitely do on your own. From there you should have a pretty good idea of what the whole game is about and whether or not it’s for you.
Eiichihoba (PSN ID)
A small army
Just finished Horizon Forbidden West, which I largely enjoyed, but having let the credits roll for a good 20 minutes it’s no surprise that these games are so expensive to make.
When you see the sheer number of people involved in creating a game like this, it’s a minor miracle that they can ever turn a profit!
drlowdon
GC: We fell asleep during the Spider-Man 2 credits, because they were so long.
More: Trending
The COD factory
I really don’t understand what Bobby Kotick is getting at with his talk of new remakes, now that Activision has been bought by Microsoft, I think he was filling time and avoiding other subjects, because I can’t think of any obvious games that either haven’t been done or people would actually be interested in.
I do hope though that the takeover will see Activision specifically, not Blizzard, making games other than Call Of Duty. Kotick is pretending they didn’t have the money or some nonsense but hopefully Microsoft has the vision to be make the company more than just the COD factory.
We can say there should be a new Hexen game or a sequel to Singularity but, really, what’s the point? The thing I’d much rather have is brand new, never before seen games – that also aren’t licensed. If Microsoft wants to prove that the acquisition was worthwhile, and enabled things that weren’t possible before, this is the way to go as far as I’m concerned.
If they commissioned two or three brand new, big budget games over the next year I would withdraw all my many misgivings and cheer on the sale as a worthwhile thing.
Focus
Inbox also-rans
I’m so looking forward to the weekend. Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder at the same time? The only problem is which to play first!
Corsair
I won’t repeat sort-of spoilers for Assassin’s Creed Mirage but I will say that if that’s the direction they’re going in, I’m not interested. Just make them straight historical adventures, no sci-fi elements at all!
Lumpy
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Onibee, who asks what is your favourite Nintendo game?
Nobody’s been in the video games business longer than Nintendo, or has as many famous, and not so famous, franchises as they do, but what is your absolute favourite Nintendo game and why?
How does it compare to other entries in the franchise and other similar games from other companies? Is Nintendo one of your favourite developers and what do you think are their key strengths and weaknesses?
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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.
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MORE : Weekend Hot Topic: Do you beat every video game you play?
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The Wednesday letters page hopes Activision will go back to making non-Call Of Duty games, as one reader looks forward to playing Daytona USA 2.