The top tier is not like the others (pic: Sony)
The Thursday letters page hopes that Final Fantasy 17 can be a bit more whimsical, as one reader suggests avoiding Ghostwire: Tokyo.
To join in with the discussions yourself email [email protected]
Random selection
GC is right to call out how bad PS Plus Premium is for retro games. The situation is absolutely ridiculous and I would love to hear from anyone that subscribes to it and is happy with the situation, because I can’t believe there are many of them.
The almost complete lack of PlayStation 1 and 2 games, or PSP, is bizarre and even when they do put ones on there most of them are obscure games nobody knows or cares about. I think Syphon Filter games must count for half of the line-up by now and yet they still haven’t done them all (and I don’t think anyone cares anyway).
You know things are bad when Nintendo has a better retro situation than Sony, but the PlayStation isn’t even in the game and nothing has changed in coming on for a year now. I don’t understand it and I’m certainly not paying for it. The strangest thing is that PS Plus Extra, which I do pay for, is really pretty good. So what gives?
Korbie
Proper Fantasy
I have no idea whether Final Fantasy 16 is going to be a hit or not but I do know that it isn’t at all what I look for in a game from the series. None of them have been really, since 12.
If Square Enix are in trouble at the moment my hope is that they go back to a proper fantasy setting with no science fiction, no Game Of Thrones edginess, and no boy band main characters. Do something whimsical and wholesome for once. It can have some grit as well but for me Final Fantasy used to be a way to lose yourself in a fantasy world you’ve love to visit for real, but I can’t say that’s been the case for any of the modern ones.
I guess the series doesn’t really have much of an identity, when you get down to it, because it can be just about anything. But for me it should be the definitive Japanese role-player and that’s not the vibe I get from 16 or any of the modern games.
Denton
Lax secrecy
I don’t get why publishers keep letting shops sell games early now. This never happened when shops were much more important, and publishers couldn’t push them around, but now that digital has taken over suddenly publishers aren’t getting them in line? Surely they only need to threaten whatever chain it is with not getting the next game on time and they’d quickly cut it out.
It’s not like this is a one-off event, this happens every time with every big name game. Personally I like to avoid spoilers but with everyone knowing what happens well in advance it’s making that kind of difficult.
These companies go after YouTubers and Twitter accounts for the smallest things and then they let things like this happen or give away really major things in job ads. It seems really weird and inconsistent.
Dantendo
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
It’s just the flu
RE: Zombiekicker. As much as I’m sure you were kidding, I will draw it out for you. People want a cure to a disease/virus so they can continue to live. As for the infected. They are infected with a virus/infection that can lay dormant for years until disturbed, which would then start everything up again so the benefit of being immune to reinfection should be obvious.
The actual pothole is the fact that spores will not only hang in the air but will stick to clothes to be inhaled at any stage. If they wanted a more grounded realistic take, a steam shower and new clothes every time they went outside would be required but that would be tedious to watch and therefore is left out.
Bobwallett
The two Rs
I wrote in about Metroid Prime a bit back and still loving it.
Honestly, impressed with Resident Evil 4 but not as impressed as with Metroid.
For a random, I reckon the Wii version of Resident Evil 4 is probably the definitive one. But I liked it mainly for the quick point and shoot piece.
To be honest tho’, I think I may be losing a bit of passion for remasters. A lot of the ‘big’ releases are things I already played years ago, and still have the original, and have already clocked.
Remasters are all nice and pretty, but I think if you already beat the game and know the story, remaster are quite superfluous.
Si
GC: It’s not a remaster, it’s a remake that changes quite a bit.
Leon vs. Samus
So I’ve played the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo and… I’m not sure?
It looks amazing, the graphics are really, really good but I think it’s lost the charm of the original. I’m not keen on some of the character redesigns either, Salazar just looks ridiculous. Leon and Ashley are OK, I suppose, Krauser doesn’t look as menacing…. no, I definitely prefer the original designs.
The control schemes are OK too I suppose, they’ve done a few different ones and even one that mimics the original, but to me it didn’t feel as good to play as the original.
I’m sure it’ll be a great game, there’s clearly a lot of passion in it, but after having played the demo, it’s left me feeling that the original is still the best way to play it.
Maybe I’ve been spoilt by Metroid Prime Remastered, which had me giddy with excitement at the title screen and after just 10 minutes playing it, I knew it was the best version of that game; the controls were better, it looked like the original but better, everything was enhanced.
I understand that Resident Evil 4 remake is different in that it’s trying to modernise it for a new audience as well for fans of the original. I’m sure I’ll get it eventually, but I think even after I’ve played it… the original will still be the best.
wasimr34
Empty library
I was just checking my PlayStation 4 library and for the life of me I cannot find the games I’d purchased on my PlayStation 3. Is there some cut off point? I had Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9, and Parasite Eve 2. Maybe one for the under boxers?
I’ve also sold my PlayStation 3 so I can’t just go back to that.
Bobwallett
Character arc
So The Last Of Us is the newest beloved HBO show! Everyone loves it! It’s based on an existing story that exists in another media format!
Does any of this sound familiar? It should do. Game of Thrones, based on G. R. R. Martin’s unfinished epic A Song Of Ice And Fire, looks to me had a similar early reception.
And that got me thinking about the endings. (Which granted in the case of Game Of Thrones may or not be different from the books, Mr Martin seems in no rush to close off that particular story, not when he can write backstory for Elden Ring and the like, but that’s a different topic.)
Now I’m pretty sure most of us reading these pages know how The Last Of Us ends, we know Ellie’s journey and, assuming the TV show sticks to this, how will those not aware of the story arc react?
Again, I’m thinking of Game of Thrones and the love that show, and particularly Daenerys Targaryen, got (I did once meet someone who had called their daughter Khaleesi, poor kid). Until it didn’t. Now in that instance, the signposts (at least in the books) were always there, that Dani would turn into a murderous dictator. She was a Targaryen, it’s kind of their thing, and so it was always likely to go badly; I can’t say I was surprised.
But everyone somehow was? The change of opinion of how good the show was, from fans and media, was pretty crazy! (Granted that was partly because they had run out of source material for the last two or three seasons.)
Anyway, this is about The Last Of Us, not Game of Thrones, and I’m wondering how fans of the TV show, who have never played the video game, will react to what’s coming. Will we see a change of opinions? Will fans accept what Ellie becomes and what she does? Or will we see a backlash because of a character following their canonical story arc?
Of course, the makers could cop out and give us a happy ever after, but that would be rubbish wouldn’t it?
Anyway, it’s going to be interesting!
The Dude Abides
GC: You’re talking about seasons 2 and 3, that cover the events of The Last Of Us Part 2, right? The way you’ve written that makes it seem like you mean the season 1 finale.
Inbox also-rans
Was watching my son play Sea of Thieves and got to thinking what I would really like would be a Monkey island section in the game that had all the original characters and puzzles from the Lucas arts classics of yesteryear.Inbox Magic make it so !
Johnny Alpha SD
Currently playing: Sleeping Dogs and Portal 2
GC: It doesn’t include any puzzles but there is a whole Monkey Island section in the game.
As a fan of The Evil Within, who gave Ghostwire: Tokyo a try because it was by the same people I would strongly recommend not doing the same. It’s extremely boring and repetitive. Worst game I’ve bought in a long time.
Data
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Korey, who asks what’s the longest you’ve gone without playing video games on a regular basis?
Perhaps you’re a lapsed gamer and lost in interest for a period of time, but if that’s the case what pushed you away and what drew you back in? Or maybe it was just a monetary issue or something related to work that stopped you from playing?
Do you consider gaming to be a major part of your life or is it just something you pay attention to when a particular game grabs you? If you became interested in games later in life what was it that finally caught your eye?
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: PS5 Pro in 2024, Microsoft Flight Simulator tech, and The Last Of Us plot holes
MORE : Games Inbox: Xbox being treated unfairly, Resident Evil 4 demo reaction, and Bowser the businessman
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at [email protected]
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they’re seen on the site.
The Thursday letters page hopes that Final Fantasy 17 can be a bit more whimsical, as one reader suggests avoiding Ghostwire: Tokyo.
