Microsoft’s big chance? (pic: PlayStation)
The Monday letters page is not surprised to find interest in Final Fantasy 16 might be low, as one reader hopes for a Starfield shadow drop.
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Pivot point
Very interesting to find that Microsoft is planning almost no CGI in its showcase this weekend. I’m willing to bet that was not the case before Sony’s PlayStation Showcase. But they probably saw that, saw all the criticism, and immediately started to try and think about how they could do the opposite. They’ve already teased Fable and I think Forza, plus obviously Starfield. That’s already a better line-up than Sony had and yet Microsoft’s event is going to be almost twice the length.
If you assume they have at least a few more notable games, and probably a whole bunch of indie and third party stuff, the whole thing is going to blow Sony out of the water. Even Persona 3 remake would be better than Metal Gear Solid 3, especially after that weird trailer.
It really would’ve been better if there’d been no PlayStation Showcase rather than what they actually did. I just can’t fathom how such an experienced company could make such obvious mistakes. And the two week gap, giving Xbox all the time in the world to respond? How could that have ever seemed like a good idea?
I really do think that that showcase will come to be seen as a pivotal moment that while not causing the downfall of Sony, or anything like that, will be the moment at which Sony started making major mistakes and gave Xbox an unexpected opportunity. Whether Microsoft will take advantage of that opportunity remains to be seen…
Ace
Colour issues
Nice review of Amnesia: The Bunker, GC. I had no idea it existed and I have to assume that, as you point out, releasing in the middle of the summer is not going to work out very well for it. I enjoyed Alien Isolation so I will probably give it a go, but the think that interested me the most was the use of darkness.
It is funny how video games are really bad at using light and shadow and so when a game does use it well it really stands out. Funnily enough I thought Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom did very well with the Depths areas, that was certainly a surprise. And Resident Evil is always very dark in certain places. The ship in Resident Evil 7 was probably the best/worst. That was very creepy.
It’s weird how most games still live in this kind of colourless grey/brown world that, while not as bad as the Xbox 360 era still doesn’t look anything like real life. You’ve got to have both extremes for it to seem realistic and getting at least one of those right is better than nothing.
Renton
Like buses
I’ve not bought a new game for some time, but have been hugely enjoying the superb Ori And The Will Of The Wisps on my Xbox Series X.
However, I now have a dilemma as several games have come/are coming out all at once that I’m interested in. It’s not really the money but the time. All very different, but the choices are:
Diablo 4
Street Fighter 6
Starfield
Armored Core 6
I’m leaning to Starfield, at least currently, as it will be on Game Pass and it looks like (or at least I hope) will be epic.
But the other three are all extremely appealing too.
Any thoughts on how to prioritise – when will the first reviews of Starfield be out do you know?!
Tom
GC: Starfield isn’t out until September.
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Wishful thinking
I know this is ridiculous as I write this, but could Starfield drop on Sunday after the Xbox event?
I believe it was originally slated for a June release and then delayed and now all of a sudden peripherals have started being seen in the wild. September is a while away yet and it’s the sort of thing that seems a bit weird to be dropping now, not just a developer model but complete with store barcodes.
Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part but it would certainly be a massive coup after the PlayStation Showcase.
Here’s hoping.
Dirtystopout
GC: The game has a confirmed release date and retailers have been promoting and taking pre-orders for weeks. Plus, they’d then have nothing to go up against Spider-Man 2.
Final anticipation
Interesting article that Square Enix is panicking over Final Fantasy 16 pre-sales, although I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Final Fantasy 15 was a really weak entry and a mess when it was launched, with the story requiring a film to be seen, uninspiring main characters, and just a boring story. Is it any wonder people (myself included) are holding back on day one purchase given how awful the last launch was?
I also think switching it to an action-based format is a mistake, but then I’m old and miserable and love turn-based so could be wrong on that being a driver of lower than expected sales.
However, despite the panic I’m hoping it’s a great game at launch, I’m trying not to get my hopes up, because it would be nice to be pleasantly surprised by a game being better than expected for a change.
Michael, Crawley
S Rank hero
When Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was announced I was firmly on the side of thinking £50 is a lot for a remake of two games that wouldn’t have originally cost that amount. However, with shops now selling it for £40 and fond memories of playing the original I decided to get it.
I’ve now finished the first campaign and can testify that it retains all the charm of the original. Oddly, in that weird way you remember things better than they really were it looks just how I remember, despite in reality being significantly better.
However, my main complaint is even on the harder difficulty, it’s quite an easy game. I’ve yet to actually lose a battle. The closest I got was one stalemate, when I didn’t realise the objective was different and lost the troops needed to complete it. It’s not a game (at least in the first campaign) where you really learn and improve from mistakes.
Nor do the different maps change anything other than a decision to take the HQ or wipe out the enemy. At times it doesn’t even feel like the AI wants to win, you’ll be in a situation where you could be in trouble and then it goes after your least important unit as if losing would be unenjoyable to the player.
Overall I think it’s a fun game, even if it is a bit of mindless fun. The £50 price tag though still seems insane and without Nintendo’s name on it, along with people’s memories of the original, I think if someone played it they would guess it’s a £20 indie.
Tim
GC: We don’t agree with any of that. Are you sure you weren’t playing it on easy?
Hell of a view
I heartily recommended Red Matter 2 a week or so back on PlayStation VR2. Did you get chance to have a look? It’s only about six to seven hours long but having just watched my niece stare in starstruck awe at weather patterns dancing on the surface of Neptune, from the moon Triton, I have to say that it’s a duration well worth the time.
Plus, the brutalist Soviet architecture looks fantastic in 4K.
Wonk
Roxy Rocket
Just did a shrine in Zelda: Tears Of A Kingdom where I learned that you can attach a rocket to your shield and do a rocket jump to reach dizzying heights. Can’t believe I’d never once tried attaching a rocket to a shield in my 70 hours of play time. For shame.
This should make my vertical traversals around Hyrule even more emergent and exciting. I’ve since been adamant in pouring over the map looking for any Zonai dispensaries that contain rockets. It’s not rocket science; this stuff is absolutely essential!
Speaking of the Fuse ability, I profusely admire how comprehensively playful, intuitive, and successful it is at encouraging you to experiment fusing your weapons, shields and arrows with the resources you’ve amassed and other objects.
I think this aspect of its design has been such a logical and creative evolution of the formula that has completely changed the dynamics of how I view my weapon/shield and resource selection by stimulating a more thoughtful and adventurous approach to the creation/combining process and combat in general.
The Ultrahand mechanic and the Zonai devices, to me, feel like Lego in the way they invigorate your imagination and inner engineer. Whenever I enter the Zonai device section in the menu, I feel like a child breathlessly digging into a box of toys full of practical and fun possibilities.
I almost forget that Nintendo was a toy manufacturer before their video game ventures, and to some extent still are today with the amiibo line up. I’ve yet to unlock every Zonai type but of the ones I currently possess the fans, flame emitters, wings, steering stick, rockets, and homing carts are firm favourites. Man, I adore this latest entry in The Legend Of Zealda!
Galvanized Gamer
GC: Did you realise you can put a steering stick on a rocket and ride it?
Inbox also-rans
RE: The question asked of me by Paz John Mitch in Monday’s Underbox. The shrine is called Susuyai Shrine in Central Hyrule.
Chevy Malibu
This Project Q thing from Sony seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Who’s going to spend £100+ on something just to use remote play? It seems like such a niche thing, I don’t get it. Or rather I’m not going to get it!
Belda
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The Monday letters page is not surprised to find interest in Final Fantasy 16 might be low, as one reader hopes for a Starfield shadow drop.