You don’t have to agree about Alan Wake 2 (Picture: Remedy)
The Monday letters page is concerned about a recurring fault with the Xbox Series S, as one reader recalls the horrors of Alien Soldier.
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You never can tell
I am always surprised when I read your reviews compared with other gaming sites. I always check Games Radar, IGN, GameSpot and yourselves. When I read a review on those sites and they give 9s and 10s I immediately reckon GC have given a 5 or 6. This is in no way a put down on your reviews. I regularly agree with your reviews over other sites (except Firewatch and Alien Isolations, two classics!) but the Alan Wake 2 one really stands out as GameSpot gave that a 10, which is very rare.
I know there are differing opinions but the other three sites I check are usually on the same page (pun!) compared with you, an outlier. I look forward to your 0/10 RoboCop review and IGN’s 10/10 RoboCop review.
Emmet
GC: Having just completed it, we’re very curious to see how others review RoboCop: Rogue City too.
True opinion
I always appreciate the honesty of your reviews, don’t always agree but that’s just individual taste. But where I struggle is when there are vast differences in scores. IGN have a habit of giving average games high scores, they say Alan Wake 2 is a masterpiece and give it 9/10, Push Square give it 10/10. The Guardian has a rave review.
Then Game Rant give it 5/10 and yourselves 6/10. All gamers want is honesty and that seems to be getting to be a rare thing. People too scared to upset a publisher, in case they get blacklisted going forward. Very sad state of affairs, keep being you GC. All the best.
TWO MACKS
GC: We’re sure all those outlets are being perfectly honest. There isn’t a correct answer for reviews to reach, there are only informed opinions.
Alternative premonition
Nice review of Alan Wake 2. Never played the original, so I’m slightly confused as to what type of game it is?
I’m getting Deadly Premonition vibes with both the looks and the mixed reviews, games which I thoroughly enjoyed, would I be right?
Would it be worth playing the first one for the first time, some 10 years later? Keep up the good.
Chris
GC: It describes itself as a survival horror, but as far as we’re concerned it’s not. It’s a third person shooter with action adventure elements. On paper there are definitely similarities to Deadly Premonition, not least because both are heavily influenced by Twin Peaks, but in practice they’re very different experiences. We vastly prefer Deadly Premonition and never liked the original Alan Wake.
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Spider-Man 3 taking notes
Carnage in Spider-Man on the PS1 is pretty bad on his own, but its weird jumpy movements, voice that’s got just the right amount of high pitch to be unsettling, and the restrictions of the low-poly graphics really help push him into being a pretty creepy character.
Five-year-old me could just about handle it, what I couldn’t handle was when (spoilers for a 23-year-old game) the Carnage symbiote merged with Doctor Octopus, giving us what I believe is the only original character created for a Spidey game: Monster Ock.
This massive towering beast is so hard to look at, again low-poly graphics help bring to life this disgusting thing that should not be; it’s design still somehow fitting into a Spidey game while also looking like something from Nightmare Creatures. The fact there’s no boss fight, instead you’ve got to outrun the monster to escape works perfectly, cos you bet all five-year-old me wanted to do was run away!
Sunny
No sympathy
I have to admit I’ve had an amazing weekend playing through Spider-Man 2, clocking up 26 hours playtime so far. I’ve not finished the main story (but think I must be very close) and I’ve not completed all side missions and collected all collectibles yet either. I think there is probably another 5-6 hours of gameplay there if I want it, which isn’t really in question because of how much I’ve enjoyed playing it.
If someone has beaten the game in 14 hours they have clearly blasted through the main story and ignored everything else the game has to offer, so I’ve got no real sympathy for the Reader’s Feature at the weekend. Even less so because they bought digital, I’m afraid. At the time the article was posted they’d have been able to trade a physical copy for £47 cash, meaning those 14 hours would have cost them at worst £23!
Rickandrolla
Half a console
I purchased the Xbox Series X the Christmas after its release, with Game Pass, for my son. He loves online multiplayer games such as FIFA (now FC 24) and Overwatch 2, plus exploring indie titles on Game Pass, all with no problems.
However, when attempting to play any large story driven games such as Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, and even Slime Rancher, the console crashes. We have tried everything suggested on various forums, such as hard resetting, deleting and re-installing but nothing works. I feel like he only has half a console, which can only play half of the available games.
The amount of posts on forums suggest this isn’t isolated to just a few users, even it was it would still be unacceptable. Imagine a car that could only drive on certain roads, for example! How are Microsoft getting away with this? Can readers suggest a solution we haven’t tried?
Jenkster (PSN ID)
PS: Titanfall 2 is currently available for £4.95 on PlayStation 4 and £2.95 on Xbox One at The Game Collection.
GC: Have you contacted Microsoft about it? This seems very bad.
Too realistic
RE: Spider-Man 2. I wish I had kept the money in my pocket. The opening with Sandman was great but I’m now on a mission that involves cleaning up a house and talking about the bills… I play games to escape this stuff! I don’t know what the obsession is with being grown up with these Sony games – it’s boring.
Back to Super Mario Galaxy 2, I think.
Simon
More: Trending
Forgotten horrors
RE: Hot Topic. I’ll give you two very old shout-outs that probably won’t be mentioned otherwise: the Dead Hands from Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and the spider boss from Alien Soldier.
The nightmare fuel that is the Dead Hands is already well documented – but where are the extra hands coming from that grab you from out of the ground? Is it part of a much larger organism? Does it ever truly die? Not a nice thought.
But Alien Soldier, way back on the Mega Drive, had a classic giant spider. Ho hum, you might think. Only it kills the previous boss you were fighting and riding on – a giant fly – when it crashes into its web and it eats its head! Nothing gory, it’s all just explosions.
However, then you’re on the corpse of a giant fly as a spider takes pot shots at you from below with its webbing. All the while it sends its tiny, spider babies to eat at the wings you’re using as a platform. Slowly, the fly begins to sink… If it descends far enough, then the spider will then run around the screen like crazy! Which, as you might imagine, is not pleasant.
Arachnophobes should avoid at all costs.
DMR
Inbox also-rans
I honestly don’t see GTA 6 as a Switch 2 launch game as that crazy. If I was Nintendo looking to prove its new console could appeal to adult gamers it’s absolutely what I’d go for. And if it can actually run it, it’s an excellent advert for the system.
Heaps
I agree things don’t sound good inside Sony at the moment but you cannot argue with those sales figures for the PlayStation 5, the console is a beast no matter what games do or don’t come out for it.
Kraken
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Danse, who asks what franchise or genre have you changed your opinion on over time?
Not every game or concept can grab you straight away, but are there any that grew on you over time? Similarly, is there any that you used to enjoy but have now grown tired of?
What caused the change and did it happen suddenly, with just one game or experience, or gradually over the time, following multiple sequels and similar games? Is there anything in the future that you think could change your mind again?
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 : Weekend Hot Topic: The scariest non-horror video games
MORE : Games Inbox: EA Sports FC 24 versus FIFA, PSVR2 disappointment, and Elden Ring easy mode
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The Monday letters page is concerned about a recurring fault with the Xbox Series S, as one reader recalls the horrors of Alien Soldier.
