The Tuesday letters page wonders if the changes at Rockstar mean a more serious GTA 6, as one reader imagines God Of War without Kratos.
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Maybe next year
I’m actually surprised the PlayStation 5 seems to be selling so well in the US because as far as I’m concerned, it’s still too expensive to consider a purchase. It’s not the console itself, but more the fact that the games will get more expensive and the release schedule is so uncertain.
I realise I need to move into the next gen soon, but I have to say the Xbox Series S is feeling more appealing right now. Value for money is everything at the moment and while I’d rather Sony had their equivalent, something like a PlayStation 5S, they don’t and I’m sure the slim model this autumn will be the same price or only slightly cheaper.
Not even the current price cuts tempt me. It’s £100 too much for something that’s only going to drag me into an even more expensive ecosystem. Clearly I’m in the minority thinking that, because the thing is selling so well, but I’m really not that tempted, not this year anyway.
Woodsy
Changing of the guard
If I was the pessimistic sort I’d be quite worried about the constant stream of people leaving GTA 6. It seems there’s barely anyone from the old days still working on the game, which I admit is kind of disconcerting. But what does that mean? Does that mean they’ll get in people to try and continue what the old guard did and hide the fact that they’ve all left or will they actually try and do things differently?
Even before Dan Houser left he was talking about how hard satire is in a post-Trump world so does that mean that GTA 6 is going to have less comedy or will they try even harder to make it a dark comedy?
Obviously I don’t know but I have a feeling they will be going for a different tone because just trying to copy the previous games with different couples sounds like it could easily go wrong. I don’t know if we’ll be able to tell which way they’re going by the first trailer but I’m very interested in finding out.
Trepsils
Elden Effect
Very glad to see that Armored Core 6 is doing very well, not just because I bought it too, and so far I’m enjoying it, but it shows that the Elden Ring effect is working and anything FromSoftware does is automatically of interest to a wide range of people.
I hope they use this new found fame to do something unexpected and experimental next. The next obvious choice would be another Souslike, maybe an Elden Ring sequel, but I’m hoping they’ll go for something more unexpected. After all, they’ve been pretty good about creating new franchises, with things like Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
I don’t what they would do but that’s the point, I want to see them surprise us again and I have a good feeling that they probably will.
Taylor Moon
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Would not recommend
As far as I’m concerned Saints Row is so bad I’d warn people off from playing it for free even. In the modern day it is by far the worst big budget game I have ever played. Completely incompetent in every way, but especially the story and characters and the terrible Xbox 360 era tech.
Some of the physics in that game are truly laughable but what makes it worse is that even if it had the best graphics in the world it would still seem 20 years out of date with what it was trying to do. A truly baffling game that seems to have demoted the developer to donkey work only and probably killed the whole franchise.
And before you ask, I got it free with my PlayStation 5.
Gambon
Instant library
RE: Gater asking for PlayStation 5 recommendations. I would consider signing up for PS Plus Extra for a month or three. It has the two best PlayStation 5 only games on it, in Returnal and Demon’s Souls. It also has Ratchet & Clack: Rift Apart, as well as PlayStation 5 versions of many cross-gen games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Uncharted 4, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ghost Of Tsushima, and Death Stranding.
Outside of Extra, I also thoroughly enjoyed A Plague Tale: Requiem, even if it wasn’t doing anything new really from the first game.
Simundo
End of the road
I agree that Egypt is the obvious next choice for God Of War, although I’m not sure I really want either of the main characters as the leads anymore. I never liked Atreus and Kratos’ shtick has got kind of old. Do we really want him grumbling his way through another game, now that he’s not even an anti-hero anymore, just a straight up good guy.
Don’t get me wrong, his character arc was great and the 2018 game, in particular, I consider one of the greatest games ever made. But it was great because Kratos changed, now he’s seemingly set in stone I just don’t know that his story has got anywhere to go.
Like many games, the story in God Of War would be much better if it had an ending but in video games the main character is never going to get too old for the role unless the developer makes them that way. Ultimately, it’s not the setting of the new game that’s important but the story and the characters within it, and that is a much more difficult choice for Santa Monica Studio than which gods the main character is going to beat up.
Tom Meadows
Solid question
I’m not clear what the endgame is for Konami and these Metal Gear remasters. Once they’re all done what happens next? Even they seem to realise they can’t make new games without Kojima but doing all the remasters at once doesn’t seem to leave anywhere to go.
Do they then move onto remakes from there? Or more weird spin-offs like Survive? The franchise seems like it’s stuck in such a dead end I’m almost surprised they’re trying to keep it going (except I’m not because it’s obviously easy money).
Lensman
Xbox drama
I don’t know whether to be appalled or impressed with how blatant Microsoft is being about suddenly cancelling its £1 Game Pass trial just days ahead of Starfield, but then it’s easy to forget how close to the edge they’re skating at the moment. Every time you hear about new sales results it seems to put them in an even worse light. The Xbox Series X/S is selling 10% less than the Xbox One? I would assumed it was well ahead of that, at least.
This probably is the bottom of the curve for them, with Starfield turning things around for them, but if that’s somehow a disappointment you’ve got to wonder how many last chances Phil Spencer and Xbox in general has got. I do like the guy but in the end the secret success wasn’t an innovative new concept like Game Pass it was… spending $70+ billion on developers.
I mean, if you can’t become a success with that sort of money you’ve got to be doing something very wrong, and yet nothing has ever been smooth sailing for Xbox. I wish them luck with Starfield, as it’s a game I like the look of, but I also look forward to all the drama that will inevitably spawn from it.
Cordish
Inbox also-rans
Count me in as another person that doesn’t understand why Chrono Trigger isn’t more revered. I hardly ever hear anyone talking about it but for me it’s miles better than any Final Fantasy (including the new ones).
Rashid
I get that the PlayStation Portal isn’t for everyone but I think the issue for a lot of people, including me, is why is that the priority for Sony right now? I get their hardware and software departments must be sperate, but event so…
Watson
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Frpgman, who asks what is your favourite side character in a video game?
Assuming a side character is anyone that’s not playable or the primary antagonist, which is your favourite character who’s not the main focus of the game? It doesn’t matter how long they’re in the game for but tell us why you enjoyed them and how well you feel they were used.
Is the character popular and did they ever turn up in any sequels? If not, why do you think nobody else took to them like you did?
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The small print
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