Is even Mario Kart 9 a given? (YouTube)
Limited time
I don’t think a June release date for the Nintendo Switch 2 makes sense for any reason other than Nintendo are trying to avoid something, aka GTA 6. I certainly haven’t heard any other explanation, unless they were aiming for March, like the first Switch, and this is just the closest they could get. Maybe it’s a combination of the two.
It does make me wonder how many games we’ll get this year though, as you’ve only got six months to get everything out, instead of nine. For the Switch 1 we had Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
That is a lot of big name games and I really can’t see us getting that many again. My best guess would be Mario Kart 9, a Super Mario/Donkey Kong game, Metroid Prime 4, Splatoon 3, and some kind of Zelda remake. But even that seems to be pushing it, especially if you add in one or two new franchises, which would be my preference.
We just don’t know at this point, but a June release date combined with how much longer it takes to make games, etc. means that we’re never going to get as good a line-up as the Switch 1 again.
Focus
No more sequels
It seems a very odd thing to me, to pretend FromSoftware have anything against sequels, especially when the best explanation for why Bloodborne has been ignored for so long is because a sequel is on its way.
As much as I would love that though I’d love a brand new game even more. If I had my way I’d stop all of the big developers from making sequels. You can still make similar things, like Dark Souls to Elden Ring, but it’s so much more interesting when you’re not trying to do fan service and are prevented from doing things because it doesn’t fit with a similar idea.
I’d much prefer whatever From do next to be a surprise and the worst thing they could possibly announce is Dark Souls 4. That’s how I feel anyway. I think the same about Santa Monica and God Of War.
Fang
Things can only get better worse
Assassin’s Creed Shadows really does seem to be a cursed game. I have no interest in it, and no real love for Ubisoft, but even I feel bad for them at this point, now that it’s leaked out a month early. Especially if everyone’s going to play it without the final update and think it’s even worse than it is.
I don’t think Ubisoft are many people’s favourite company but as indifferent as we may all be now to their problems it’s going to be worse when they’re gone and all their games are sold off to different people. At least Ubisoft had to make an effort with the Assassin’s Creed games because they were their bread and butter, but things can always get worse.
Which means I’m in an odd position where I’m hoping the game does well just to keep the company going and have at least few games that are just made by the same three companies.
Henry IX
The more the merrier
Have to say I (respectfully) disagree with the letter that Wrex wrote the other day. Whilst I accept Astro Bot doesn’t quite hit the heights of most 3D Mario games it made a damn good try of it.
And although it obviously took a lot of inspiration from Mario it had a few ideas of its own. In particular, I enjoyed the slow down time and shrink Astro Bot power-ups.
We’ve reached a bit of plateau with gaming technology recently and I’d argue most games these days, especially big budget ones, are heavily inspired by others but it doesn’t still mean they can’t be great in their own right.
Certain genres of games, such as 3D action platformers or first person shooter games are released almost every other month but when it comes to 3D platformers the cup doesn’t exactly runneth over. Frankly, I hope the next Astro Bot is more of the same and doesn’t try to change the formula.
matc7884
Viral marketing
Back when XCOM 2 came out I made a team based on my Twitter mutuals to send to their deaths against the alien horde, I saw a lot of other people doing the same thing at the same time. It actually seems strange to me that I’ve never seen a game lean into this idea.
Imagine if XCOM 3 let you post a link to social media which would take anyone who follows it to a character creation screen. They could then enter their basic details, choose their appearance, and maybe take some kind of simple personality test which would choose their character class.
After that, their character is shipped off to become an expendable redshirt in your squad, and naturally the reader is then shown a trailer for the game and links to where they can buy it.
It seems like an easy way to get people talking about the game online, but I’ve never seen anything like it.
TGN Professor
Race to the bottom
Just thought I would chime in as well about the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. I loved Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, for me it was up there with Mario Kart. I didn’t enjoy the last Team Sonic Racing though, for various reasons, so was sceptical about the new one and have to say it’s a bit of a mess.
For starters, as the other reader said, it’s so chaotic. There’s weapons and rings flying all over the place, with no chance of defending yourself properly. The tracks have obstacles and traps everywhere. Then there’s the weapon icons, which are unclear even after a few hours playing. I still struggled to know what weapon did what.
The boat and plane sections where too short and didn’t control as well as Transformed did. Unless they make drastic changes to the game it definitely won’t be one I will be buying.
It feels like so many games are catering for kids with no concentration now, so they have to be so in your face and chaotic. Maybe I’m just getting too old. I really don’t know why we can’t just have a remaster of Transformed instead, it’s still a game I play on Xbox, as it’s back compatible.
Rob
Artificial demand
That grinning photo of Satya Nadella, in your story about generative AI in games, says it all as far as I’m concerning. The guy clearly knows absolutely nothing about games and is quite happy to spout nonsense about AI being the future of gaming (how many futures of gaming has Xbox botched by this point?) while the people that actually make games want nothing to do with it.
Why do we need AI to make games? We already have people to do that. AI can’t invent things. It has no imagination. All it can do is copy things and, at best, put them together in unusual combinations. You need a person to create and it’s clear to me that Microsoft doesn’t value that at all.
Gollum
Dynamic duo
I had no idea that the price difference between the PS4 Pro and PS5 Pro was so extreme. I knew the new one was more expensive, but I didn’t think it was that much. Going from £349 to £700 is pure insanity and the fact that I didn’t realise the difference just goes to how unappealing the PS5 Pro is, that I didn’t pay that much attention.
I can’t think of any game that has been shown to run better on it in any important way and I don’t think any Sony game has come out since it’s been out. Astro Bot came out beforehand and didn’t need it anyway.
Sony can say that it’s only for hardcore gamers as much as they like but the fact is that it’s an insult they could think to charge anyone that much for anything, without it being the best thing since sliced bread. But the PS5 Pro is not only the most expensive console ever, it’s the most pointless ever.
Although, that only makes me more inclined to believe the rumours that Sony and Rockstar are going to team up to bundle the PS5 Pro and GTA 6 together and claim that the PS5 Pro is the best way to play the game. That sounds very believable to me and also something that is likely to work.
I shouldn’t worry about other people are spending their money on but if that’s Sony’s big plan for the end of the generation I couldn’t be more underwhelmed.
Dermot
Inbox also-rans
Is there really a point in remaking Persona 4? How different is it going to be? Surely remaking 1 and 2 would be much more useful, as the graphics are old and the translations aren’t that great.
Eddie
I was struggling to understand how there could be anyone in the world mad enough to pay $6,000 for a crisp that looked, very vaguely like a Pokémon. And then I remembered ‘influencers’ are a thing.
Booboo
Games Inbox: Which Nintendo Switch 2 games will be released this year?
