The Wednesday letters page agrees with the backlash against Nvidia’s DLSS 5 tech, as one reader wonders why Öoo was never in the UK Indie World.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

No star review
So the inevitable has finally happened and Starfield is coming to PlayStation 5 (but not Switch 2, for some reason, I noticed). As someone that has played the game on PC I would say now that it is not something to get excited about. I have no idea what the new story DLC will be but the problems with the game are so deep it’s literally impossible for it to fix it.

I really resent that game. It tied up Bethesda for years and is going to lead to something like a 20 year gap between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6. 20 years! And the only other proper game they’ve made since then is Fallout 4. People talk about Sony wasting a generation, but Bethesda has wasted two. Skyrim was an Xbox 360 game, for pity’s sake!

The worst thing is that thanks to Skyrim I have little faith in The Elder Scrolls 6 being worth the wait. Starfield has a shopping list of problems but one of the main ones is that it’s so old-fashioned. The dialogue system, the AI for companions, and the way towns work is almost exactly the same as Skyrim.

And then the one thing you’d want to be the same as Skyrim – the exploration and open world design – is completely missing. Instead of getting an amazing open world with a secret around every corner you get an infinite collection of identikit, randomly generated planets that are about as interesting to explore as Milton Keynes on a Sunday. So no, I would not recommend Starfield to any PlayStation owners.
Korbie

Consumer backlash
GC always says the best way to stay positive about the games industry is to just go away and play some new games. That’s true but the other thing that gives me hope is how the majority of gamers are anti-AI, much more than you would expect of a hobby where technology is so important.

This Nvidia DLSS 5 tech is horrendous and emphasises the fact that AI is attempting the death of art. As if it wasn’t bad enough that all AI artwork looks the same, and it is everywhere because it’s so easy to make, now games have to look like it as well. The levels of uncanny valley are off the scale, while there’s no consistency of any kind (Grace doesn’t look anything like herself in AI-o-vision) and the lighting is terrible – like the game is constantly shining a high-powered spotlight at the screen.

As usual with AI, it’s all a solution to a problem that doesn’t actually exist and as usual I imagine Nvidia and other companies will respond to the intense, and very clear, negative reaction by… doubling down on it all and blaming gamers for not liking it. I don’t know about PlayStation 6 but it is very obvious that the next gen Xbox is going to do nonsense like this and I’m already sick of it.
Zeiss

Ugly future
That Nvidia DLSS 5 stuff is so ugly, I can’t believe anyone involved thought it was a good idea. Do they not have eyes? Digital Foundry is getting so much grief for being positive about it and I can’t say they don’t deserve it.

What makes me laugh about all the comparison images is that the only game that looks halfway decent is Starfield, and that’s because it already had a bland art style with dead-eyed characters, so adding an AI filter of exactly that didn’t make it any worse.

The Resident Evil Requiem shots are laughable though and the idea of video game graphics no longer being what the developer intended but some on-the-fly guessing game made up by the AI is disgusting to me. The future sucks.
Focus

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Secret mode
I love seeing the difference between how other companies show off their new products and updates and what Nintendo does. We get a big blog post and lots of details from Sony about their PSSR tech. Then we get some kind of preview blow-out from Nvidia about their AI thing, which seems to have blown up in their face. And then for Nintendo and their boost mode… they keep it a secret and don’t tell anyone.

I only found out about it from the news reports but giving it a quick twirl it does actually seem quite good. You can definitely see the difference it makes and that’s pretty rare in these instances, in my experience.

Now all we need is an annoucement for that ‘proper’ Nintendo Direct we’re all waiting for. Which could take place anywhere from tomorrow to December. Because it’s Nintendo and who knows what they’re ever thinking.
St1nger

Improved formula
Am I missing something? All Resident Evil bosses are just run around, pop off a few shots, rinse and repeat. Not played Requiem yet but I can’t imagine it’s much different. Not that this is a bad thing but it is part of the formula.

I’m saying this as a massive fan too, but I love the games as an overall experience, in spite of the boss fights usually.
Bobwallett

GC: You are missing that… maybe that part of the formula should be changed?

Spore reproduction
I was thinking of old games that never got a sequel or modern day equivalent and I remembered Spore, which at the time it came out I was kind of obsessed with. For those that don’t know it was by the creator of SimCity and The Sims, so it was a big deal at the time, and was about controlling a species from microscopic organisms to space-faring aliens.

That sounded great in theory but in reality it was just half a dozen minigames that weren’t that great. However, the creature designer was amazing and I had hours and hours of fun creating my own creatures and messing around the editor. It was the only thing at the time better than the WWE creator-a-wrestler.

I think it was a flop, so there was no sequel at the time and to be honest I haven’t heard anyone talk about it in years. I do feel it’s the sort of thing that could do very well today with an update though, as, to me at least, it was basically the Minecraft of its day in terms of you ignoring what the game was actually about and making your own stuff.

One of the big ideas was that the things you designed in the earlier eras carried through to the later ones but that wasn’t really very obvious when you played so I would focus more on that and making it more one game with the same controls rather than a bunch of separate ones. Civilization takes place over thousands of years but it’s still the same game, so something like that.

It couldn’t be an official sequel though, because it was by EA and I don’t see any chance they’d approve anything like that.
Sandlow

Nothing like it
Thanks for the review of Öoo. I had never heard of this game until now and I don’t understand why it wasn’t in the UK Indie World. Surely the whole point of them is to highlight games just like this?

Given the low price I have bought it already and look forward to playing it tonight. I love seeing how unusual and imaginative indie games can be, compared to big budget games. Don’t get me wrong, I love myself a blockbuster, if it’s well done, but even something like Resident Evil Requiem is getting criticised for being original. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Öoo.
Royston

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Prehistoric gaming
RE: Grackle and Mickah. Having just turned 50, and been around games since I can remember, I have some very old gaming first memories. I think the very earliest one would have been Escape for the ZX Spectrum – a simple maze game where you had to find a key to ‘escape’, avoiding dinosaurs as you ran around the map.

I also remember playing Gorf in the arcades around the same time, whilst on a family holiday to Swanage, and being amazed when my brother told me it was the word frog spelled backwards! (Well, I was only six at the time.)

I’ll try and find the time to turn this into a Reader’s Feature as I’m pretty sure I can remember the first game I played on many formats, including Spike on the Vectrex, Shadow Of The Beast on the Amiga, Pac-Land on the Commodore 64, and Cuthbert Goes Walkabout on the Dragon 32.

Good memories, good times.
Jonathan Foley
Currently playing: Horace (Switch) and Virtual Boy (Switch 2)

GC: We look forward to that Reader’s Feature.

Inbox also-rans
So this Clunkin’ Bell restaurant hasn’t even opened yet? We’re getting leaks and rumours about GTA knock-off restaurants but nothing about the actual game? That about says it all.
Mentz

I’m sorry but if DLSS 5 or anything like it is part of the PlayStation 6 then that’s it for me as far as gaming is concerned. These artless, cynical tech bros trying to destroy art, just because they can’t make it, is revolting to me.
Devo

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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: Is Requiem the best Resident Evil game?

MORE: Games Inbox: What’s the first video game you ever played?

MORE: Games Inbox: Who will win out of PS6 vs. Project Helix?

The Friday letters page doesn’t think parents pay enough attention to age ratings for games, as one reader wishes John Carpenter hadn’t made Toxic Commando.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Simultaneous release
So Project Helix is a codename, but what do we think Microsoft is really going to call the new console? For a start, they need to get rid of all that Series X/Series S nonsense, because that was terrible. Just call it Xbox something. Xbox Infinite always seemed a good one to me, but I’m fine with calling it Xbox 6, because at this point who’s counting?

I don’t want to get into a PlayStation vs. Xbox thing because I think if Project Helix is different enough it can exist alongside the PlayStation 6. But releasing them both at the same time seems like a really bad idea.

If Helix is more expensive and PlayStation 6 has actual proper exclusives I don’t think anyone is going to pick Xbox unless they’re hardcore fans. And I don’t even know if there’s many of them left.

Microsoft was probably aiming to get Helix out before PlayStation 6, but I wonder if Sony fast-tracked their console when they found out. That doesn’t bode too well for either the hardware or the launch games.
Focus

Force themselves
Strange how quickly Battlefield 6 has fallen out of favour. Beating Call Of Duty one minute and then going free to play the next. I guess for all its faults Call Of Duty probably knows how to keep people playing better and as much as fans hate all the wacky skins at least that gives you something eye-catching to promote the game with.

EA said they’re going to keep everything in Battlefield 6 realistic but if that’s the case how many camouflage outfits do you really want to pay for? I was going to buy the game when it was cheap, so I guess I’ll try it out for free and then by the time that’s over it’ll probably be discounted enough for me.

I feel this improves the chances of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 though. EA’s likely to see it as a quick and obvious way to reuse the same tech in a new game. One where you can do as many wacky skins as you like and no one’s going to complain. Not saying they’ll definitely do it but it does seem more likely to me now.
Taylor Moon

Price block
I don’t like to be negative about something we haven’t see yet but I have to agree with other readers that I’m already sick of hearing Microsoft talk about Project Helix. The arrogance and complete lack of humility hasn’t changed at all since the exit of Phil Spencer, proving it was always just the company standard.

I think the real cynicism is coming from the price though. I just don’t see how you get past the fact that Helix is going to be more expensive than any other format, including Steam Machine. People would be taking a risk on Helix, and when you’re doing that you don’t generally want to be spending more money than you would have otherwise. I don’t care what the marketing campaign is like, there’s not getting over that.
Heston

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Free money
Of all the games that John Carpenter could’ve put his name to it ended up being a Left 4 Dead clone? I don’t believe for one minute that Toxic Commando was his idea. If you know the man, he often talks about how he enjoys putting out his hand and getting free money for doing nothing, every time a company wants to remake one of his films. It happens so often he just treats it like a joke.

I think he must’ve been the same with this game. Someone phoned him up and asked him if he could do a soundtrack and sketch out some hokey story. That’s money for old rope as far as he’s concerned. The only downside is he has to put his name to the game, when it might not be that great, but they didn’t make him do any press for it, that I’ve seen, so it’s pretty low risk/low effort.

It’s a shame because I don’t think he’s got it in him to make a new movie, but a game could’ve been something else. A slower paced survival horror would’ve been absolutely perfect for him, but I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. He is attached to the Halloween online game, but I think that’s just going to be another free handout.
Saltie

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Artificial temptation
The worst thing about Microsoft not mentioning AI, when talking about Project Helix, is that we all know it’s going to be there, but they know it’s not popular, so they’re trying to pretend otherwise. I’ve got a genius level idea: maybe if people don’t like something you shouldn’t do it? Especially if you’re trying to hawk your ultra expensive PC in a box.

We all know that Project Helix is going to be a failure, but I predict it will be over AI. It’s going to be too expensive already, but you know Microsoft can’t stop themselves from pushing games made by AI and they’re all going to be horrible. The Microsoft boss is a nut for AI, there’s no way he won’t force them to do it.
Goose

Wrong number
Interesting to see the change in age ratings for games like EA Sports FC. Although I would be absolutely shocked if more than 10% of adults paid even the slightest bit of attention to a game’s age rating, and I’m probably greatly overestimating that amount.

I used to work at a games shop when I was a student and not only did parents not care they would get violently angry if you pointed out that a game was above the age of their kid. This happened so many times with GTA that my boss told me not to bother, even though it was supposed to be policy that we did.

It was obvious why they were angry too. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but they didn’t care because games are too good a babysitter to give up just on the off chance that it turns their kid into a badly adjusted person.

I also can’t say how many times I heard parents try to argue that the number was the difficulty of the game, as if I wouldn’t be the one to know that it definitely wasn’t that.

To anyone out there reading this, that’s a good parent and careful about what their kids play I salute you, because I can tell you that you are the minority.

Of course, nowadays you have Roblox instead, which is a thousand times worse and doesn’t have any age ratings, but thankfully that’s not my problem.
Coolsbane

Strange selection
Has Bafta ever commented on why they always try and ignore Japanese games as much as possible? It’s so blatant I really don’t know how they justify it. Although the real insult is not doing it and yet also nominating something as milquetoast as Ghost Of Yōtei as game of the year.

That’s just rubbing your face in it, especially when they didn’t even nominate Hollow Knight: Silksong or Hades 2, which I think most people would say were easily a lot better.
Hibby

Day of the plumber
Nintendo has finally recognised the day GameCentral and their viewers have been celebrating for years! It’s MAR10 Day (earlier in the week)! I usually get newsletters from Nintendo quite regularly, but it’s the first, if I remember correctly, that I have seen this from Nintendo as a form of advertising.

There is definitely cause for celebration with Pokémon Pokopia and their 2.2 million sales of the game, which appears to be a considerable success story if ever I saw one. It’s a very cutesy game to look at, with the charm and not too over complicated gameplay mechanics to enjoy and experiment with. The setting up of one’s home looks a wee bit convoluted and a wee bit messy, but apparently completing the story mode gives you a useful skill to help craft and build your home better.

It appears also, that Resident Evil Requiem has been a big success, and we’re only in March, but two very different games have hit their mark in only a short space of time. Very well deserved too and I can’t wait to be getting back to this amazing franchise soon, after my little backlog has been lightened.

With the Super Mario Galaxy movie coming out soon, it’s the latest adaptation to follow Fallout, Borderlands, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Resident Evil films, along with the excellent Castlevania and Tomb Raider animations.

I saw an awesome movie based on a game the other day, called Iron Lung, by YouTuber Markiplier and despite it having its critics, it basically follows the Iron Lung story and gameplay perfectly, including the environment it’s set in. Will be definitely getting the Blu Ray when it’s released.

So hopefully everyone had a fantastic MAR10 day and wow, what an amazing start to the year for games, and movies inspired by games, setting up 2026 to be one heck of a year!
Alucard

GC: Nintendo has been using Mario Day to promote things since 2016.

Inbox also-rans
I think Marathon is going to be hit. I’ve completely enjoyed everything I’ve played of it so far and I’m very much looking forward to the big update. I don’t think it’s as good as Destiny 2 but it is good.
Carpetnator

Does anyone else wish Capcom would remake Resident Evil 3 again before moving on to other stuff? That one was so bad and it was almost nothing like the original, which is weird because all the other remakes have been good.
Icchi boo

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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: Is buying physical video games becoming more popular?

MORE: Games Inbox: Should Capcom remake Resident Evil 6?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will the next big Super Mario game be announced?

The Thursday letters page explores the modern Nintendo vs. Sega rivalry, as one reader wants an end to Resident Evil remakes.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Turn back the clock
With Resident Evil Requiem and Pokémon Pokopia both selling out in terms of physical copies I wonder if there might still be a way to reverse the trend towards digital only? There’s lots of stories about Gen Z going retro for physical media, like CDs and DVDs. I’ve never heard game mentioned but I would’ve thought the same logic applies there.

Part of the reason behind the trend (apart from being contrary) is that they’ve realised it’s actually fun to own things, to put them on shelves, and to know they can’t be taken away from you. None of that applies to digital games so my hope is that we will see the increase in digital sales begin to slow and hopefully reverse.

If vinyl can make a comeback – and I hear even audio tapes and VHS – then video games absolutely should. There’s so much more to be gained by owning the games you pay for.
The Bishop

Your sequel is in another decade
A Fallout 3 remaster is all well and good but it’s now over 10 years since the last mainline Fallout game and we have absolutely no idea when Fallout 5 is coming out. After The Elder Scrolls 6 could mean 2033 or later. By that time we may not need a video game to experience a post-apocalyptic wasteland!

If I was Microsoft I’d hand the whole franchise over to Obsidian, who made New Vegas. Bethesda has been sitting on the series for so long and they’ve done absolutely nothing with it. They’ve had all the time and money needed to get more people in and work on two games at once but that doesn’t even seem to have been a thought.

I think it’s because Todd Howard wants to do everything himself but, I’ll be honest, him not working on the next Fallout 5 would be better news than it coming out tomorrow.
Focus

Super Pokopia Odyssey
I see Pokémon Pokopia has sold over 2.2 million copies in four days, which puts it ahead of the pace set by Super Mario Odyssey… which went on to sell over 30 million. Very happy to see, not just because it’s a great game but because it’s a bit of a risk that’s been rewarded.

You can slap the Pokémon name on anything and it’ll sell something at least, but they obviously put a lot of care into this one, more it seems to me than the mainline games. We all know GC hates the Dynasty Warriors games, so they get the bonus of Omega Force being taken off that while they’re busy with Pokopia.

Looking forward to playing it some more and it already looks like there’s lots of plans for post-launch support.
Zeiss

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Brief rivalry
It is always funny to compare Nintendo’s fortunes to Sega’s. They’ve been partners now for much longer than they were ever rivals but there’s no way Sega is in the same league as Nintendo now, if they ever were.

I think the reason Nintendo is reaping the benefits of good reviews, but Sega isn’t, is that Sega’s brands are just too old and tarnished. After all these years, nobody expects a Sonic game to be good and Shinobi may be a good game but nobody remembers or cares about the franchise.

On the other hand, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a weird game, with a weird name and concept, that looks basically like a PlayStation 2 game. I played it and loved it but frankly I’m surprised it did as well as it did.

Sega left it far too late to revive their Mega Drive era games and now the majority of gamers don’t even know what they are. While with Nintendo it’s the opposite and Pokémon is a household name that only boosts the sales of an already good game.
Onibee

Console first
Is Microsoft’s proposed combination of PC and console likely to shift Sony’s policy of putting console exclusive games on the PC, or is that something that had already shifted?

As an aside have just completed and really enjoyed Death Howl. Excellent game – thanks for highlighting it.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)

GC: We’ll probably never know for sure, because Sony hasn’t commented publicly on any of its policies for years. The most recent suggestion is that Sony is more worried about Valve’s Steam Machine than they are Project Helix.

Quiet for now
The build-up to a new console launch is always tiring in terms of all the nonsense companies talk. I can’t wait for the tech demos that don’t look anything like any of the games that ever get made. Anyone remember the one for the PlayStation 5, with the Tomb Raider looking woman and the promise that SSDs would change the way games are designed (spoiler: they didn’t)?

As usual, Microsoft just cannot shut up and let its product do its talking. They’re still going on as if they’re a big deal and it’s just getting sad. They could’ve just been the next EA and that would’ve been plenty important for them, but now we’ve got to endure Xbox One Part 3.

It should be humiliating for them that Sony don’t care what they think, they’re only worried about Steam Machine, even though it flopped once and there’s no guarantee that Valve can make it a hit at all.

And yet still Sony apparently think there’s a better chance of that happening than Xbox messing up their plans. And yet despite all that I think going for a premium price PC is actually a good idea for Microsoft. It’s not the same thing as PlayStation and it sounds like it’s going to be more expensive/more powerful than Steam Machine.

At least that’s a clear point of difference, so they may have some luck with it, even if it is for a niche audience. But for pity’s sake just stop with the hype until you’ve got something to show, by which I mean a games line-up, a price, and a release date.
Jakey

Monster anticipation
Are you planning on reviewing Monster Hunter Stories 3? I very much enjoyed the last two and the third looks like a development on an already very enjoyable series.

I have the game pre-ordered and whilst I don’t always agree with your reviews I am curious about your take on this spin-off series.
BristolPete

GC: Yes, we’ll have a review this week.

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Keep the plates spinning
Nice to see Resident Evil Requiem doing so well and looking forward to playing it. I’m cheap these days and with a sizeable backlog anyway, can wait for the sales. Still haven’t finished Resident Evil 4 remake yet.

As a fan of the series, though, I’m surprised Capcom and gamers (looking at the GC letters page) are so unimaginative with where they could take these now beloved characters and the absurd zombie conspiracy story they’ve cooked up over the years. Online all you hear is talk of the next remake or DLC. However, with such a rich tapestry to draw on, they could easily churn out new spin-offs and semi-sequels for a while yet.

I mean, why tie yourself down to remaking older entries at all? With the modern RE Engine perfected, just reuse assets from the previous modern games to do side entries with new stories and more regularity. Send Jill Valentine off to Latin America to battle an outbreak and meet a new bunch of scientist weirdos for an all-new direct sequel to Resident Evil 3.

Give Leon and Chris a new game taking down dodgy virus labs in made up ex-Soviet states now they’re special forces bros., etc. Maybe call it Resident Evil Revelations 3. I guess you’d risk it becoming the video game version of those supposedly bad CGI movies nobody watches… but Capcom are on such a roll I’d trust them to get the job done for a few games, before it got stale.

They don’t need to go through the mill of making Resident Evil 5 or 6 work in the modern age, just forget them.
Marc

GC: Resident Evil spin-offs have a very mixed history, whereas almost all the remakes have been great; so it’s not hard to see why fans might prefer one over the other. That said, we’d love to see Revelations 3 happen.

Inbox also-rans
A new game by he creator of Wordle? I wish you hadn’t told me that, as now I will be doing my best to pretend I didn’t know, so I don’t waste my entire morning on it.
Aslan

I wonder why February has become such a big month for new releases. I guess it’s because it’s still dark out in the evening, but so is almost all of March. Seems odd to go from busy to almost nothing.
John Parsnip

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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: Should Capcom remake Resident Evil 6?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will the next big Super Mario game be announced?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will Project Helix be a successful comeback for Xbox?

The Tuesday letters page is shocked at how expensive amiibo have got, as one reader laments the recent job losses amongst Battlefield 6 developers.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Yearly celebration
So MAR10 Day is here again but this time it feels like Nintendo is building up to something in terms of an annoucement. There was that Mario Kart World rumour but if that happens I don’t see how it’s going to be announced because not even Nintendo shadow drops a Direct. Unless Nintendo is also going to start announcing things through tweets, but let’s hope not.

I have to say, I can’t wait until the Super Mario Galaxy Movie is out because I feel too much attention is being taken up by that and we won’t get any real movement on a new game until that’s over. I couldn’t care less about a Mario film but I’m really impatient to know about the next 3D game. But I think it’s pretty obvious they’re waiting for the movie to come out first.

Even so, I do have some hope we’ll get at least a tease of the next 3D Mario today. They’ve already announced their sale and the new games on Nintendo Switch Online, so it would be disappointing if we didn’t get at least a little bit of news.
Onibee

Premium products
I completely believe that Project Helix is going to be around a grand, but I also believe that Xbox are crazy to dot it. Except, it does seem to be the way things are going. If less people are buying and playing consoles then the obvious way to make up the money, for a publisher, is to make a more expensive item, which will make the same amount of money even if less people overall buy it. It’s why Ferrari don’t bother to make a family hatchback, because it’s chicken feed in comparison.

I don’t think it’s going to work for Xbox, because who’s going to want to buy Xbox after all this, but it definitely seems to be the way that Valve are going with the Steam Machine. Sony are basically there already, given how expensive the PS5 Pro is.

There’s no way I’m paying that much for a console, but it does make me wonder what kind of games are going to playing on it. Are they just going to be the same ones as normal with better performance? Because I can’t imagine anyone making an exclusive game for a format with only a few million customers.
Hammeriron

Worst job in the world
It’s been said before, but I honestly don’t know why anyone would want to be a games developer. I imagine the pay’s okay (except for all the unpaid overtime) but there’s literally no certainty of keeping your job, no matter how well whatever you’ve made does. And even if you do keep your job you’re only months away from being replaced with AI. And then, if by some miracle, you’re still kept around you get to worry about death threats from rabid fans.

I don’t see any positives at all. If you’re intelligent enough to be able to make games there’s a hundred other jobs using similar skills that would be far less hassle. I remember when it used to be seem a dream job to me but now it seems more like a nightmare. Commiserations to everyone working on Battlefield 6 that got laid off by EA.
Royston

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A new problem
I can tell you now, if dynamic pricing becomes a thing with video games I’m out. It’s retro and indie games for me and nothing else. Every day publishers seem to come up with new reason not to buy their stuff and it’s doing my head in.

Make a good game and I’ll pay for it. I’ll probably even pay £60+ if it’s really good and I don’t feel that you’re messing me around. But it’s never that simple. Everything’s got to be more expensive than it pretends or have small print that makes it worse.

I know there’s no going back but I really miss the PlayStation 4 era. All this stuff was starting then but it hadn’t got bad yet, while the games were top notch. This whole generation has been nothing but downhill in every way.
Stoney

No story
Some interesting info on Marathon’s player counts on the Xbox, with is at number 32 over the last week with the server slam at 37th. Also note that Helldivers 2 is still number 16 on this list.

There’s no supporting narrative, but the PlayStation side of things shows Marathon as 38th with the Server Slam at 26th. Helldivers took 18th place over the week.
NatorDom

GC: We’re not sure what to draw from this other than both games are doing quite well on both formats?

Ignorance is bliss
There’s been a lot of talk about what Xbox is doing in terms of hardware but I think a bigger question is what’s going to happen to the games under this new boss. Any decent business person should be able to make fairly sensible decisions about a console but game development is a whole different kettle of fish.

It’s different for every game, it involves lots of factors she won’t have a clue about if you’re not a gamer, and in management terms Microsoft has been terrible at it since forever. On the hand that could actually be good news because maybe someone more objective, that isn’t particularly interested in games, can offer a better perspective on things.

We all know Phil Spencer didn’t work out so he kind of makes a good argument that the people in charge shouldn’t be gamers, because they have a warped perspective.

But how is this new ‘AI guru’ going to make decisions on what to do with the next Halo or if Gears Of War needs a reboot? The problem I see is that Microsoft already tends to overestimate how good, and how popular, its games are and now we’re going to have people whispering into the ear of this acknowledged non-gamer that everything they do is fantastic.

There’s so much that can go wrong, but I guess we’ll just have to see. But if there is a turn around we’ll know from now on that the secret of running a good games business is to know nothing about games (at an exec level at least).
Gorf

Half price
Happy Mario Day to GameCentral, all readers, and Underboxers! I see the Pragmata amiibo is in stock to pre-order on the UK Nintendo Store, it is £24.99 – which is a lot for one small amiibo.

I thought there might be an amiibo of the soldier too but there isn’t.
Andrew J.

GC: That’s madness. The game itself is only £50.

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People change
To Scooter and changing tastes in games, my niece, well great niece, at 11 plays all the usual: Minecraft, Fortnight, Roblox, Rocket League… but I suppose that’s for socialising purposes too, but she’s more than willing to try other games.

Couple of years ago I got an arcade emulator, two hardy joysticks and six buttons a piece, you can jostle each other and slap the sticks around, just like you’re in a real arcade, circa ’94! And she loves that, her and her sister discovered the many joys of all the varying versions of Street Fighter 2 at Christmas. The younger one found Chun-Li instantly, girly and cute, and quickly discovered her button mashing 100 foot kick, which she used constantly to defeat her big sister!

So she’s now Chunners forever more, the older one now methodically tries each character until she comes across Eddy Honda and his own 100 hand slap! That’s the end of Chun-Li and all hell breaks loose. There’s screaming, name calling and a strop or two… ah, memories, of the days controllers used to hit the walls, controllers I hadn’t had to buy!

Also, with Game Share on Xbox, she’s had Street Fighter 6, Hogwarts Legacy, and WWE 2K24. She was keen on Star Wars Outlaws but don’t think she tried that yet and her mam said she couldn’t play the Resident Evil 2 and 4 remakes, ‘cos they were too scary. What kids play now is probably 50-50 gaming and socialising, which we/I could only do face to face back in the day.
big boy bent

Inbox also-rans
Interested to see what else Shinji Mikami can come up with at his company, but I’ll be honest, he hasn’t really done anything great since he left Capcom/PlatinumGames. If he’s still got one great game left in though, I’d love to see it.
Fester

I didn’t realise Slay The Spire is nearly 10 years old. Crazy how time flies. But I guess that explains why there’s been so many clones over the years, they’ve had plenty of time.
Lokishat

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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: Will Project Helix be a successful comeback for Xbox?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Pokémon Pokopia really worth getting?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will Resident Evil Requiem get a Mercenaries mode?

The Monday letters page tries to predict what will be announced on Mario Day, as one reader has some ideas for how Ubisoft could revive Prince Of Persia.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Next gen distraction
Interesting to see the new Xbox boss is going all out already with the Project Helix idea. I realise they haven’t shown anything yet but I don’t see how they can get way from the fact that it’s going to be super expensive. That’s the only detail they’ve given so far and it’s kind of one you can’t get way from.

I’m going to say that right now, considering everything that’s going on in the world, and the certainty that things are only going to get more expensive in the short term, nobody is in the mood for spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds on a next gen Xbox.

If I were them I’d just give up all hope of making consoles and concentrate on being a third party publisher. They’ve got plenty of big names, many of which have not been treated well in recent years, and I actually think being distracted by Project Helix could be a big problem for them.

Microsoft want a comeback for Xbox but I just think it’s too late. They’ve messed up too many times and I think the Xbox One was their last real chance, which the failure of the Xbox Series X – which wasn’t a bad console – kind of proves.
Winston

Resident gamer
RE: Resident Evil Requiem attracting older gamers. I think we’ve known for a while now that the audience for single-player games is skewing older but there’s two alternatives here and one of them is not a bad thing at all. Either only old people like ‘proper’ games and when they die off there is no audience left (which is obviously bad) or people just get into traditional games as they get older, which is fine.

You’re not likely to be too interested in fishing or gardening or loads of other things when you’re a teenager but that doesn’t mean you won’t get into them later. Video games have long ago stopped being a thing that only young kids like and there’s now different types for all kinds of different people, at different points in their life.

Your taste in music changes over the years so maybe your taste in games does too. I know mine has, although when I was a teenager you didn’t have nearly the variety in gaming you do today.
Scooter

Lucky number seven
Nintendo has got to be trolling us with the Directs now. Six in 2026 and not one of them is a proper one or has announced anything of any real interest? I checked the list from last year and there’s already nearly more this year than the whole of 2025, and we’ve only just started March!

Please, Nintendo, just put us all out of our miseries and do something. Or at least don’t call a new trailer for a movie, and two minutes of blather from some Hollywood mouthpieces, a Direct. It’s not a Direct, none of the things you’ve had this year so far have been, as far as I’m concerned. It’s put up or shut up at this point.
Korbie

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Yearly schedule
I’m not sure I remember Nintendo announcing or releasing anything in particular on MAR10 Day before. It’s usually just sales and merch and littler things like that. A Mario Kart World update would be interesting, but that only means Nintendo is getting even more unpredictable.

Even with another not-Direct announced I still think there’s a good chance of the big one this month. Unless… the Switch 2 reveal was in April so maybe they’re going to make that an annual thing? That could be their main time for unveiling things now. It’s only a guess but I think we’ve got to realise that as weird as unpredictable as Nintendo seems to us, to them what they’re doing always makes perfect sense.
Zeiss

Prince’s Creed
The thing I don’t understand about the Prince Of Persia reboot and bringing it back, is how is it supposed to be different to Assassin’s Creed? Assassin’s Creed evolved out of an unreleased Prince Of Persia game and I don’t know how different a new game would be, except probably having no stealth.

It could be done though, if you put the emphasis on sword-fighting and platforming. That would make it more like the original games and also different from Assassin’s Creed. I’d also make it more light-hearted and try and make the characters likeable rather than ‘badass’. This is what people liked about Sands Of Time but I don’t think Ubisoft really understands that, especially after that Metroidvania spin-off, where everyone was angry again for no reason.

But I’ve got to be honest, if I was a money guy at Ubisoft, and I knew the company was on the rocks, it’s not something I’d be pushing for in a hurry. Whatever chance Prince Of Persia had for a revival I think it’s gone now.
Stennar

Out of stock
Pokémon Pokopia wasn’t initially a game that was on my radar. However, I’ve got a few games to trade in and have been tempted after the rave reviews, and it seems to be popping up on my social media feeds.

After some back and forth I thought I’d take the plunge. But I simply cannot find it in stock anywhere. Argos, Smyths, and Currys are all sold out. Likewise, ShopTo and Amazon. Even CeX don’t have any copies.

Recently, I tried and failed to get the Resident Evil Generation Pack and resigned to getting Requiem as a standalone. And getting Assassin’s Creed Shadows also provided slightly tricky.

It seemed an odd choice for a Nintendo exclusive to be a Game Card title to begin with and then to produce seemingly limited physical copies feels like a slightly underhanded and sneaky way of pushing consumers towards digital only.

Personally, I’m loathe to buy any digital-only title at full price, especially when I’m somewhat on the fence already.
matc7884

GC: In this case, it just seems to be unexpected demand, as it’s also sold out in the US in a very similar manner. However, as we type this it is in stock at Argos, Amazon, and ShopTo.

Gamer Boi
I recently game across a great song that I am sure everyone here will like and enjoy having a listen to. I came across this song which was posted and linked by Sarah Wingfield, who is also a gamer and disability advocate who does phenomenal work.

Here’s the link to her video which links the song and song title and I recommend everyone show her their love and support.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)

The motherlode
I’m in the process of moving house, big change as I’ve lived in south west London all my life, but we have decided to relocate to Cornwall (I work from home these days, so not tied to an area other than for family reasons). As a result my wife and I have been clearing stuff from the loft for the last few days.

Thought readers might like to see some of what was up there.

PlayStation 1, 2, and 3, GameCube, N64, Xbox (first one), Wii U, Nintendo DSes, PS Vita, Atari Lynx, Switch 1 and 2, Xbox Series X, Sega Dreamcast, Game & Watch. I have a lightgun for the Dreamcast, multiple controllers for each…. oh, and loads of games. Maybe a couple of hundred (e.g. Shenmue, Power Stone, GoldenEye 007, Grand Turismo, Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Klax, etc.).

It’s put a massive smile on my face while wading through junk we’ve hoarded for no real reason…. Equally sad that I got rid of things like my imported Japanese Super Famicom a fair while ago (although maybe a family member has that, I’ll have to ask them).

I’ll be taking it all with me of course and might try and set up a gaming space in the new house. Wish me luck.
Birdmanrob

Inbox also-rans
It’s a shame there’s never really be a definitive Star Trek game. There are a bunch of good ones but no great ones, I would say. Bridge Commander is probably my favourite but it was only combat based with not much else.
Kaon

Just want to add another recommendation for Minishoot’ Adventures. Zelda in a spaceship does sum it up pretty well and while that’s an odd idea I’m really enjoying it.
Johnson

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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: Is Pokémon Pokopia really worth getting?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will Resident Evil Requiem get a Mercenaries mode?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is it worth buying a PS5 in 2026?

The Wednesday letters page defends Nintendo’s first party record on Switch 2, as one reader offers their opinion on the Marathon Sever Slam.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Hardware options
I’ve been watching all the news about memory prices rising and the PlayStation 6 being pushed back to who knows when and it’s left me unsure as to what to do, because I currently only have a PlayStation 4. Naturally, I don’t want to buy a PlayStation 5 just as it’s replaced by a new machine. But at the same time I don’t, as you can tell, care about getting the latest hardware just as it comes out.

Curious to know if anyone else is in the same boat, as I’ve kind of got three options: skip the generation entirely, get a Switch 2 instead, or get a PlayStation 5 and just end up late to the PlayStation 6 as well.

I previously didn’t give much thought to the Switch 2 option but given how well things like Resident Evil Requiem have apparently turned out I’m thinking that might be the best bet. I’ve only had a Wii before, so it’d be kind of interesting to take a break from Sony while the bigger picture sorts itself out.
Gambon

Opposites attract
Really looking forward to playing Pokémon Pokopia tomorrow. It wasn’t on my radar at all until I saw all the positive reviews and now I’m really excited to spend the weekend with it, especially as it’s something my wife will almost certainly enjoy as well.

I got Resident Evil Requiem last week and loved that but at the end of the day it’s only 14 hours or so long and while I do want to replay it, it’s not something I want to do immediately. But a game that is apparently very long and involved, but also laid-back and ‘cosy’, sounds like the perfect follow-up.

Reminds me of the time Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out on the same day. Sometimes it’s nice to have a contrast, where the only similarity is that both games are good.
Carson

Not a sprint
Just passing on my thoughts about Marathon, I hope the full game sells well to keep Bungie alive, but I’m on the fence whether to buy it or not.

I played about six hours of the Marathon Server Slam. The base gameplay and shooting mechanics are great. I for one loved the graphic style too. However, I’m not sure I will bother with the full game due to it being an extraction shooter. For me, I just find it a bit too tedious; the missions are mundane. Each round you play is ~20 minutess and you only meet one or two teams of real players. I find it overly repetitive, similar to how Helldivers 2 was.

Now I don’t know if the full game will have deathmatch mode or something similar added, but if it does I would buy it nearly half to relive the old Halo 3 Slayer days.
Carlos

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Ooo, that’s a good one
I really enjoyed the new Indie World Direct. I’m delighted by Heave Ho getting a sequel, the first is probably one of the funniest games for multiplayer.

Getting a shadow drop for Blue Prince is very welcome too, I did a lot in that game through Game Pass but will double dip on Switch 2.

That wood game looked adorable and I’m keen for anything from the Guacamelee developers.

Unbelievably though, I’m most excited by a game that was only in the Japanese version of the Direct. Öoo got an unexpected release and wasn’t featured in the Western stream. I’ve had my eye out for this since it came out on PC, so an unexpected shadow drop on Switch is brilliant news and may sway me away from Resident Evil Requiem, even though I want to finish that before Pokopia.

I know everyone wants to hear from Nintendo about their first party plans, but it’s nice to have such an overwhelming selection of brilliant third party indie and AAA games to enjoy in the meantime.
Euclidian Boxes

GC: Thanks for mentioning that, we had no idea. It’s on the UK Nintendo eShop right now, so we’ll see if we can get a review done.

Something to look forward to
The behaviour of FromSoftware towards Bloodborne truly is bizarre. They keep saying the game is special to them and everything, but they won’t even release a PlayStation 5 patch?! How does that make any sense whatsoever?

Mind you, I don’t understand why anyone is pushing for a remake either. The game’s a PlayStation 4 title, how much better do you expect it to look? Especially as From won’t do the remake themselves, so it’ll be missing lots of little details and secrets that only they know about.

What we need is a sequel, and soon. For all we know that’s what they’re working on but the way he talks about it I don’t think there’s any chance the director would be anyone other than Hidetaka Miyazaki. But he’s doing The Duskbloods at the moment, which implies no serious work has started on Bloodborne 2 yet.

So… I look forward to playing it in 2031, I guess? Or maybe 2035 for the 20th anniversary? Let’s at least hope they can make it by then.
Gavin

User approval
Congratulations to Capcom for scoring the highest rated user score on Resident Evil Requiem. I’ve only played a bit of it and I’ve so far played through the introduction, dispatched some zombies as Leon, and woke up in a very creepy medical centre.

I have to also commend Capcom for changing up the behaviours of zombies. A zombie that sings creepily, a maid zombie cleaning the floor, and a chef zombie with a chainsaw. Very unique and it’s very well deserved to see Requiem dethrone Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Which is the better game is a topic that will divide fans and gamers, but that’s a topic for another day.

Crimson Desert is set to release in over two weeks, and I honestly can say I have no idea where the reviews will land, especially with the embargo lifting one day before release and by then my pre-order will be all but ready to be dispatched. I truly hope this is the next Elden Ring and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, rather than the next Forspoken. It looks insane and if the execution is right it could be the perfect title to hold us off until GTA 6 releases.

I’ve also heard some rumblings of Cory Barlog’s next game. Starring Faye as the lead character and utilising a Devil May Cry style of combat gameplay. It’s certainly what I didn’t expect and didn’t ask for. But it’s unconfirmed for now, so I’ll wait until Cory clears the rumours up. But it seems quite a disappointment to me. I would have preferred something fresh instead. Not a live service title per se, but maybe an original story and a new set of characters.

Faye is only in God Of War Ragnarök for 10 minutes and considering I only saw her once in the game, when I came to her section, I don’t see a full title warranted. Freya would have been a better choice. Perhaps a prequel and her journey up to the events of the 2018 game. She’s one of my favourite characters, so I would have loved to see her have her own game. No one asked for Faye. But we’ll see and wait for confirmation.

On a final note, I’m absolutely stoked for the Fatal Frame 2 demo that drops in two days. I really hope this works as well as Silent Hill 2 and Resident Evil Requiem has. Then we can get the first and third games remade and on PC. Fingers crossed.
Shahzaib Sadiq

Regular event
The Indie World was fine and all but I can’t believe they couldn’t have found a fair few more games to promote. 15 minutes seems kind of pointless. If you’re going to try and make people sit down and watch a showcase at least make a proper go of it. 15 minutes is okay if it’s just one game but either this needed longer or they should do it on a more regular basis, like once every month.

I would be happy with that. I buy most indie games on Switch because it’s more convenient to play them like that, but while Nintendo does more to promote them than Sony it still doesn’t do much.
Tosh

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What’s the big secret?
Whilst I understand some of the frustration towards Nintendo I do feel it is somewhat overblown. I know people are keen for news on their big franchises such as Zelda and Mario. I’m in the same boat, myself. However, since the Switch 2 launched there’s many Nintendo exclusives that have released or are due soon, Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Drag x Drive, Kirby Air Riders, Fast Fusion, two Pokémon games, Metroid Prime 4, Yoshi And The Mysterious Book, and Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment.

Granted, some of these are cross-generation and not all have been a hit. I get that the quality of certain games hasn’t been up the usual standard of what Nintendo usually produce and that gamers want to know what they are planning next. However, Nintendo have always seemed to keep things close to their chest and announce games only a short time from their launch date.

It’s still early days in the Switch 2 lifecycle and I’d argue they have been far more active in releasing new exclusives than Sony or Microsoft have been this generation.
matc7884

GC: You’re right but at the same time Nintendo has never been quite this secretive before, without an obvious reason. It’s not even clear whether they’re consciously doing things differently or if they’re just letting the chips fall where they may.

Inbox also-rans
It’s so weird to me that NieR:Automata is getting an Overwatch crossover and we still haven’t heard a peep about any kind of sequel. That game will be 10 years old next year!
Focus

Would just like to see I got Minishoot’ Adventures a year or so ago and really loved it. Would definitely recommend it to others now it’s on console.
Skimboat

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

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: When will the next Legend Of Zelda game be announced?

MORE: Games Inbox: Does Resident Evil Requiem live up to the hype?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Resident Evil Requiem worth getting?

The Tuesday letters page is surprised by all the positive reviews for Pokémon Pokopia, as one reader has had enough of God Of War.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Super Nintendo plan
So I’m guessing I’m not the only person to be annoyed that there’s still not going to be a full Nintendo Direct anytime soon. The Switch 2 is sitting there with almost nothing on its schedules and while it’s nice to hear Pokémon Pokopia is good it’s out next week and then that’s it, nothing else with a confirmed released date and hardly anything else of any kind at all.

I’m not going to bother trying to predict what a new Nintendo Direct may or may not annouce but I really hope it contains at least a hint as to the next Legend Of Zelda. It’s nearly six years since Tears Of The Kingdom, so they should be able to say or show something, even if it’s just a bit of artwork – which is usually how they start the hype.

I really don’t know how we’ve gone this long without any hint of a 3D Mario or a new Zelda. And in a year with a Mario film and a Zelda one next year! If there’s a secret plan Nintendo is following I’d love to hear about it, because at the moment it just feels like they’re asleep at the wheel.
Molston

Direct troll
I guess you could predict that Nintendo would do an Indie World next but, like another reader said, do they realise they’re trolling fans with how they’re handling this? I doubt they’re doing it on purpose, but the trolling is happening whether they intended it or not.

So now we’re looking at a proper Nintendo Direct being mid-March at the absolute earliest, and probably later. I think that’s the latest Nintendo has ever done it in an ordinary year and yet the need for it seems like the greatest it’s been in a long while.

It’s interesting that Pokémon Pokopia has got such surprisingly good reviews, but I don’t know how much that’s going to satisfy people who want to know when the next big game is arriving. Apart form anything Pokopia barely has anything to do with Nintendo, since it’s mostly an Omega Force joint. So I wouldn’t count it as first party.
Sonicer

Surprise hit
Really did not expect Pokémon Pokopia to be getting such good reviews. Its Metacritic is above Resident Evil Requiem now, which I would not have betted happening. I guess sometimes you just have to make a good game and it’s great to have two good ones come out so close to one another.

I’m not convinced it’s something I’ll like personally but I’m very tempted, just because it seems weird and all the praise. It’s exactly the sort of game that I’d wait a few months for and pick it up when it’s cheap but since it’s a Nintendo game we all know that’s not going to happen. Oh well, maybe I’ll convince my girlfriend to half it with me.
Korbie

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Artwork of Vengeance
Just a heads up for anyone who would like to get Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance on Switch 1, you can currently get it from the Limited Run Games website while stocks last. The version they have has different cover artwork to the UK version and it contains a region free cartridge that
contains the whole game on the cartridge.

Please read the terms and condition on the page, which is not very long before buying. If you buy Shinobi UK version on Amazon UK it is a code in the box, so getting it from Limited Run Games mean you get an actual cartridge. It’s currently $39.99, not including postage and tax, which is a lot cheaper than going on eBay. I know a fellow GameCentral reader was interested in the Switch version of Shinobi.
Andrew J.
PS: Will Game Central be doing a review of the Talking Flower from the Nintendo Store when it releases? As I am thinking of getting it.

GC: Not unless Nintendo send us one, but its features seem fairly clear cut so we doubt they will.

Catching a feeling
I am delighted to see the widespread good reviews for Pokémon Pokopia. I have played all of the recent Pokémon games, as I continue to chase in vain that feeling of wonder and joy the series held in my childhood with the Silver and Ruby versions.

Only Legends: Arceus has come close since the DS era, but between the re-release of FireRed and now Pokopia’s imminent arrival, maybe I will finally recapture some of that feeling. I can’t wait to get stuck into both in the coming weeks! I am dubious that Winds and Waves can return the main series to its glory days but at least Pokopia is carrying the torch for them regardless.
Pigfish2 (PSN ID/NN ID)
Now playing: Mario Tennis Fever on Switch 2 and Resident Evil Requiem on PlayStation 5.

Are you a god?
A God Of War spin-off starring Kratos’ wife was not something on my bingo card and I’ll be honest, I’m already having trouble getting excited about it. She was in Ragnarök for 10 minutes, collecting berries, and didn’t make any impression on me at all. But now she’s going to be the start of a more action-based game?

God Of War might not have been non-stop but it was still an action game, so I’m not sure I understand. The mention of Devil May Cry was weird too. So she’s going to be dancing and spinning around like Bayonetta? That does not seem like something she would’ve done or anyone would have done in the God Of War games.

I’m also still confused as to whether giants in God Of War are actually giants? They seemed to be at the end of the first one and then there was some kind of retcon that they were normal sized? Mind you, I don’t really understand what a god is meant to be in this universe. Just someone that’s hard to kill but not impossible? I mean, it’s not like Kratos has any powers or is omnipotent or anything.

I really think it’s time to admit the God Of War story is over. There was no need for a prequel, there’s no point going back to the Greek games, and there doesn’t seem to be any sort of vision for the future. After the success of the last game they could’ve made anything they wanted and the idea that they’ve gone for some weird spin-off, rather than pushing anything forward, says a lot to me.
Hoofton

Adult response
I’ve been trying to figure out the logic of why Call Of Duty players are so much more likely to cheat than anyone else. You would’ve thought it’s because they’re all kids, but Fortnite was actually quite low down that list. I think the sad truth is that it’s probably because there’s more adults playing Call Of Duty and they can’t bear to lose to kids, so they show them how grown-ups handle a problem like this and… cheat.

I’ve pretty much given up playing any online game nowadays because of the amount of cheaters. I tend to lose anyway, because I’m not very good at them, but knowing I haven’t got a chance anyway, because of the cheats, just completely puts me off.
Corvey

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Mega music
The Sega Mega Drive is a console remembered from the 1990s, not only as one of the best consoles ever released for that time period, with its incredible library of games still enjoyed by fans today, but also because of the sound chip. Not only was this great competition for Sega’s competitor but it was also responsible for amazing games music. The Yamaha YM2612 was an impressive FM synthesizer which also worked alongside the Texas Instruments SN76489 PSG chip to ensure amazing audio.

You only have to look at classic games and the soundtracks for Streets Of Rage, Sonic The Hedgehog, Road Rash, Golden Axe, ToeJam & Ear and countless more to see just how incredible the music was for games of that era.

In 2026 we are still seeing fans create music using a Sega Mega Drive synthesizer and software to make new music, as well as many fans creating new Sega Mega Drive titles.

If that’s not enough to convince you that the Sega Mega Drive had the best soundtracks for its era just take a look at the hundreds of games released for this system and the top 10 soundtracks for it and hear for yourself why this console inspired gamers to make incredible music for future games consoles.

When you take a look at the new Mega Drive music being made it still sounds good. While the Yamaha YM2612 was limited at the time it still remains one of gamers’ most remembered sound synthesizers.

The Mega Drive’s sound was amazing and even today people still remember it and don’t forget about the amazing memories and times that were had with this awesome 1990s console.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)

Inbox also-rans
I appreciate you still reviewing VR games, but it feels like a losing battle. VR is dead as far as anything but low budget indie games go, and it’s a real shame. Thanks for nothing Sony.
Limpton

So now that Overwatch is popular again does that mean we’re never getting a story campaign for it? I was actually really looking forward to that.
Mick

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The small print
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A reader paints a grim picture of the end game for the video games industry, and how the current financial system is disincentivising innovation.

The video game industry is in crisis, and I don’t see a way out of it. In many ways it is a textbook example of what happens with any industry. As readers often point out, every company is in it for profit. This is a basic truism. But the important thing for any business is that it doesn’t end there. It is essential that to remain in competition and therefore profitable, a proportion of the profits realised must be thrown back into circulation, effectively to enable the company to grow.

Take DMA Design as an example. They started out as a small studio based in Scotland that produced a successful game called Lemmings. As with any company making goods (not, in other words, finance capital which makes profit through interest, or owners of land and intellectual property which make profit from renting them out), an initial investment (startup capital) is required for any idea to get off the ground.

DMA Design would have had a small amount of investment capital (perhaps from a bank or, as often is the case, from wealthy parents) used to purchase means of production (MP) such as computers, offices, and so forth and, crucially, to pay the wages of a labour force (LP or labour power) to make the game.

But the investment is only realised as profit if the game is sold at a sufficient price in sufficient numbers for a return on the investment to be made. In other words, to receive an amount of money that not only recovers the costs but to expand on the original investment. With the additional money now available, they can afford to scale up by purchasing additional MP, hiring more staff, and producing more ambitious games that take longer to make before a return through the sale of the game can be made.

Small companies like DMA Design may be profitable but they’re exceptionally vulnerable to changes in market conditions whereby an unsuccessful product or, as is often the case, changes in the economy that detrimentally impact profit margins make them ripe for acquisition. Even if successful, larger companies viewing them as competitors or wanting an easy way to expand their portfolio, perhaps through ownership of successful IP, have the resources to make a hostile takeover bid or offer enough money to entice the owners to sell.

DMA Design is now known as Rockstar North, a subsidiary of Rockstar Games which in turn is owned by Take-Two Interactive. From video games that took thousands of dollars to make to ones such as GTA 6 which cost many millions and take years to make, the greater the level of investment, the more that is at stake, the larger the market needs to be for profits to be realised. This breeds conservatism. We all want GTA 6 to have vehicles that drive like those in Forza Horizon or gunplay like that in Destiny. Don’t count on it.

Competition does not in itself drive innovation. If anything, as we have seen with Sony’s race to produce the next Fortnite, it tends if anything to lead to conservatism. There is an apparent contradiction here. As we know of Nintendo’s history of (relative) failures, whenever they lose market share, they tend to produce new and innovative products to recover it. Their successes with the Wii and Switch are cases in point.

But rather than leading to more innovative products and cutting-edge software, as we are seeing with the Switch 2, success tends to breed complacency and conservatism. Nintendo is a market leader. By successfully competing against far larger firms, such as Sony and Microsoft, they have a formula that appears to work. So why change it?

In the case of Nintendo, rather than focus on what they do best – make cutting edge software based on innovations in console and controller design – they appear instead to be cashing in on the Switch’s success with more of the same. Worse for gamers, they appear to be shifting focus by cashing in on their brand and IP through movies, theme parks and so forth.

Instead of making what every gamer wants – Half-Life 3, Left4Dead 3, and Portal 3 – Valve, by comparison, have put all their resources into Steam and are seemingly doing well out of it. So why bother making Half-Life 3 if they can turn (more of) a profit with Steam? Or in the case of Nintendo, if they can make huge profits from movies, why bother with video games as it becomes increasingly difficult to make the equivalent profits from them?

These companies are ‘innovating’ but not in the ways that gamers would like them to.

What prompted me to write this piece is the excellent article by Adam Starkey that catalogued all of Microsoft and Sony’s recent acquisitions. This is set to continue. As we have seen with other media industries, there is a tendency towards concentration or monopolisation as the larger companies with vast resources able to withstand broader economic problems buy up competitors. From the perspective of gamers, this would not be such a bad thing if their aim was to inject money into them by supporting the development of software and thereby the labour force that makes it.

But in many instances, it makes economic sense to close the company down, thereby removing a competitor (or the prospect of another company purchasing them), and stripping them of whatever assets they can capitalise on. They may well be able to make a profit on some of that IP, just not as much as they can in the short term in other ways, especially if it increases shareholder value.

If Nintendo are the angel of the big three, it is because they are unable to compete on these terms. As video games are their primary source of income (for now), they need to turn profit on the consoles they make and through their IP, where they do have a competitive advantage, continue to make video games that people will want and can afford to purchase (at least in sufficient quantities to make a profit).

The source of what adds value to their IP, making it cutting edge, is their highly skilled and talented labour force. Unlike Sony and Microsoft, they cannot afford to lose them. If, however, they continue to shift focus towards monetising their IP through movies and such like, and are successful in these regards, they too may go the way of Sony, Microsoft and Valve and shift their focus entirely.

Their business model, which has proven so successful and in many ways is the linchpin of the whole industry, is vulnerable. Ultimately, they, with a market cap of approximately $75 billion, could go the way of their competitors and become ripe for acquisition too, perhaps by Microsoft (with a market cap of $3 trillion) or Disney.

Things are only going to get worse. The combination of tariffs and the rising prices of rare minerals, RAM chips and so forth, is a threat to the entire industry.

It is worth distinguishing here between the mass and rate of profit. To make themselves more competitive than rivals, larger companies can afford to lower their margins. To simplify things, if the cost of MP (machinery, plant, raw materials and so forth) and LP (the cost of employing labour) to produce 1,000 units is $1,000 dollars, it costs $1 per unit – the commodity such as Super Mario.

If each unit is sold on the market for $3, the mass of profit is $2,000 dollars for the 1,000 units sold with a rate of profit (not accounting for other costs such as taxation) three times the cost of production (MP and LP). By reducing the price of the commodity to $2, they still make a profit of $1,000 on 1,000 units sold. The more units that are sold, the easier it is to lower the margins to the point that only a fraction of profits are realised for every unit sold.

So, if 10,000,000 units of Super Mario are sold, even with a rate of profit at a tenth of the cost of production the mass of profits is still relatively high. In other words, larger companies can afford to lower their margins to fractions, thereby undercutting their competitors and still generate healthy profits.

The problem is that their competitors will sooner or later be forced to do the same, lowering margins to the point that any change in the economy, such as an exponential increase in the price of RAM chips affecting the whole industry, quickly turns profit making companies into loss making ones. While Microsoft has access to vast amounts of investment capital to weather such loses, smaller companies don’t. They either go under or get bought out by the larger ones, leading to further concentration. This is happening today.

It gets worse. Trillions of dollars are today being invested in AI (in the US) on the speculation that this will eventually enable companies to cull their labour force and thereby lower the costs of production (although gaining hegemony over China will be driving a lot of this investment). Not only does this create the immediate problem of rising costs of RAM chips and, unable to get a return on the vast investments, the likelihood of the AI bubble bursting, leading to a global depression, but even if ultimately integrated into the productive economy to reduce labour costs (assuming that is an incentive), another problem arises.

As more people are replaced by AI there are fewer consumers to purchase the goods, making it harder for companies making things to realise profits. It is an obvious point that the more naïve investor seems oblivious to, namely that to realise profit consumers with the wage capacity are needed. AI may eventually replace workers (up to a point), but it cannot replace consumers. This is one of the many contradictions that ultimately lead to the kinds of crisis we are now in.

Where does this leave the video game industry? To put it in colloquial terms, up the proverbial creek. While Japan has tighter regulations on acquisition than the US, which may afford some protection to Nintendo, without (further) state regulation and protection of their industries, it is hard to see how the industry in its current form can survive.

Small independent studios struggle enough as it is, but they are exceedingly vulnerable to any change in the economy that increases the cost of production or diminishes the capacity of consumers to purchase their games. Even those that remain profitable are vulnerable to acquisition through the further consolidation of big tech companies whose monopolies have far greater ramifications for society than they do the video game industry. But they too risk becoming victims of their own success as more people are thrown into poverty.

It is human labour that the economy ultimately relies on. More precisely, it relies on productive labour, the sort that makes things like video games. Finance capital does not produce anything. As with rentiers, it leaches on the productive economy. Profit ultimately relies on the sale of things produced by human labour and purchased through the wages they receive which, in the case of video games, needs to be above subsistence levels. In a cost-of-living crisis set only to get worse, something must give. The video game industry is a microcosm of a general crisis and perhaps one of its earlier victims.

I say all this as a wage earner able to afford the hotly anticipated Resident Evil Requiem. But I wonder for how long I will have a job or a wage sufficient to enable me to fund my hobby. Moreover, I wonder for how long there will be games like this or Super Mario when it is becoming harder to realise profit on such vast expenditures (or easier to make quick profits from financial investments and the renting of IP as platforms, such as Steam do).

Those produced for a fraction of the cost by so-called indie developers, which some see as a great white hope, are even more vulnerable to all the things that today make the headlines and is causing so much hardship and grief. Brace yourselves. Nobody is immune.

By reader Ciara

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GameCentral plays the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Resident Evil Requiem and is shocked at how it compares to the PlayStation 5 edition.

Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry in the illustrious survival horror series, is out today and, surprisingly, it’s available for the Switch 2, as well as the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Mind you, Resident Evil does have a long history with Nintendo hardware, particularly from the GameCube era, when it debuted the Resident Evil 1 remake, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil Zero. Most people still probably think of the PlayStation first, when it comes to the franchise, but Nintendo second.

However, from the Wii onwards, Nintendo hardware has always been several steps behind the PlayStation, in terms of raw power, and so it’s been impossible to port games to Nintendo consoles in the same generation. We would’ve assumed, without question, that was also true of Resident Evil Requiem, because it is a great looking game and the Switch 2 is nowhere near as powerful as the PlayStation 5… or so we thought.

Although our main review of Requiem is on the PlayStation 5, we were also sent the Switch 2 version and we are genuinely shocked at how good it is. In terms of content it’s identical and in terms of graphics… it’s definitely not as good but the differences are mild enough that a casual observer is unlikely to notice the difference.

We want to be clear: if you care about playing a game with the best graphics possible then the Switch 2 is not the choice you should be making. However, it does have obvious advantages in terms of portability, so that’s what you need to factor into your decision, when balancing up what version to get.

We’re not going to pretend to be technical experts but the moment you play Requiem on Switch 2 the compromises are obvious to a veteran gamer, as it’s not a consistent 60fps. Requiem is an action game, especially when you’re playing as Leon, but we’ve all been playing 30fps action titles for decades, right up until the start of this generation, so it’s hardly an unforgiveable flaw, especially in a slower paced game like Resident Evil.

There’s also something a little off with the lighting, where it seems less realistic when interacting with moving objects, and we assume the resolution is being upscaled using DLSS technology but the latter isn’t obvious at all and the game still looks fantastic.

We’ve already discussed Nintendo’s strange reticence to talk about the Switch 2’s power, with not only no tech demos but no first party game to act as a demonstration of the console’s abilities. Normally when a console maker doesn’t talk about a feature it means it’s below par but it’s perfectly in keeping with Nintendo’s contrariness that their silence actually means the opposite.

The opening hour of Requiem features two short sections in a busy city street and while it’s not quite as photorealistic on Switch 2 as it is on PlayStation 5 – with simpler object models and textures – it is still far better than you’d ever expect. Things are even more impressive when you get inside a building, as the more controlled environments look almost identical to the PlayStation, with only characters’ hair, especially Grace’s, looking noticeably different.

Nothing is quite identical, if you start running side-by-side videos, but it’s nothing that any normal person is likely to recognise. The only time the Switch 2 does show its hand is in terms of the frame rate, which is unlocked – so it varies from a full 60fps to below 30fps, especially in handheld mode. This can occasionally cause problems when there’s a lot going on on-screen but even the PlayStation 5 had the occasional hiccup, particularly in one particular boss battle (that we won’t specify for spoiler reasons).

Overall, it’s a superb port and alongside Star Wars Outlaws and Final Fantasy 7 Remake shows that PlayStation 5 games are perfectly viable on the Switch 2 and, depending on how you prefer to experience your video games, potentially superior – thanks to the portability.

Given these releases, and upcoming titles such as Elden Ring, it would seem that any game that doesn’t rely heavily on 60fps is a good candidate for being ported to the Switch 2. The only problem is the price, since Requiem costs exactly the same as the other console versions.

Ports of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village were also released today and while we haven’t played them we assume they work even better, as they were on the PlayStation 4. They are cheaper than Requiem but still more expensive than the same games on other formats, where they benefit from years’ worth of cumulative discounts.

We do feel Capcom is missing a trick by not charging slightly less (perhaps they could’ve tried talking Nintendo into subsidising them) as that would likely turn even more people into picking the Switch 2 version. That’s not the situation at the moment though, which means the choice is yours, between a slightly compromised portable edition and a more graphically advanced home version.

It’s an interesting choice to have to make and given most ordinary people aren’t going to see any difference in the graphics it means that, so as long as these ports sell, you should see a lot more in the future, from every publisher.

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The Wednesday letters page thinks the concept of Xbox handhelds may already be dead, as one reader looks forward to a Nintendo Direct in March.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Value for money
It always makes me laugh when fans complain about pricing because you can always guarantee that they will pay whatever the publisher charges, because if they care enough to complain it means they already like the game and they’re going to do anything that’s needed to get it.

I’m not at all surprised that Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are bestsellers before they’re even out. A vocal minority might have complained about the prices, and the general unfairness of it all, but for most people if you like a thing, especially a game that’s going to give you dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of pleasure the upper limit of what you’ll pay is very high.

That’s why I think Rockstar are going to push for a higher price for GTA 6, because they know people will pay. And not only are they right but I don’t even know if it’s not worth the extra money, considering how long GTA 5 lasted. The latest rumour, which I realise might not have been true, was £90 and I admit I’d pay that.

For over a decade of gameplay and the best graphics ever made? Plus a no doubt amazing open world and who knows what else that they haven’t revealed yet? I’d probably go as far as £150 without blinking. I’d probably not buy another game for months, but then I probably won’t be playing another one for that long anyway.
Flashman

Minimum effort
I have to agree, that was truly a weird way to announce Wolverine’s release date. We’ve been guessing what it’ll be for months now and they reveal it with one low effort tweet? They didn’t even bother to make any new artwork for it or anything.

I’ll be there to buy the game, day one, but please, Sony, can we not have a bit of showmanship here? A boring blog post (which we didn’t even get this time) and an overproduced video every six months is just not lighting my fire.

GC is right when it talks about the excitement of E3 being something we all miss, especially you see something like this being the absolute opposite.
Focus

Downhill run
As much as I’m looking forward to the new Resident Evil, I’m curious what happens if Silent Hill Townfall is good as well. If it is, that will be a three game streak that Capcom themselves would be proud of. And if the Silent Hill 1 remake is good as well, which I imagine it will be, Silent Hill could end up with one of the best runs in modern game. Which is weird for a series that has a pretty low ceiling for how popular it can be.

As a fan I couldn’t be happier but I’m curious as to whether it’s profitable for them. They’re good-looking games and don’t seem cheap, even though I’m sure they’re not the most expensive games either. But if they’re able to continue with this level of success I’ll be over the moon, especially because of what that implies about other mid-budget games in general.
Rhino

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Pointed mystery
I’ve been playing Psychonauts 2 recently on my gaming PC, which is really good (and also funny) and I have worked out how you earn Xbox reward points for playing a PC game for more than 15 minutes a day. With Psychonauts 2 you go into the options on the PC version and sign into your Xbox account and save the details.

When you play Psychonauts 2 for more than 15 minutes a day you get the reward points and also when you unlock an achievement on PC in Steam you also unlock an achievement on the Xbox. Because I had already played some of the game on my Xbox before I played the PC version I got nine achievements unlocked on my PC as soon as I logged into my Xbox account on the options of the PC game.

Psychonauts 2 is a Microsoft game so whether to get the reward points you have to use a Microsoft game on PC and then log into your Xbox account, like I did with Psychonauts 2, perhaps for you to get the points. Mystery solved!
Andrew J.

Rest in peace
Apologises to anyone that liked the game but I really don’t think Prototype is worth bringing back. It was kind of popular because its main character was a complete edgelord and open world games were still fairly new at that point, but it was never great even then. And if the sequel flopped… well, if people didn’t like it then I can’t see why they’d suddenly be turned onto it now.

I know nostalgia is a hell of a drug but is it really that strong for things that weren’t even that good? Surely they have to be positive memories for you to care, not just the fact that you recognise something. The game’s nearly two decades old, just let it rest.
Poindexter

Ex-handhold box
Crazy to see Xbox falling apart like this, but I can’t pretend it’s a surprise in any way. They’ve been a dead man walking for years now and Phil Spencer should’ve gone at least five years ago. I read today that the creator of the original Xbox thinks that the new boss has been put in charge to wind things down and find an excuse to give it up but I’m not sure I believe that.

Tech companies never usually need an excuse to drop a product, no matter how much money they’ve pumped into it, so I don’t see why they’d need to put on a performance about it.

My guess is that they want to use it to promote AI in some way, because that’s all Microsoft is about nowadays, and if that doesn’t work out then maybe they’ll decide to call it a day.

I think they will go ahead with the next gen PC idea, but I imagine the handheld Xbox idea is dead now. The Xbox ROG Ally was all Sarah Bond’s idea, apparently, and Phil Spencer was always the one talking up the idea of handhelds in general.

My prediction is they’ll ditch that idea, and downgrade and eventually shut down Game Pass. Then they’ll try and make the rest profitable but if that doesn’t work they’ll lose interest, and that’ll be it.

I’d bet the farm they never do exclusives again though, not when the main Microsoft dude hates them. He’s really the one in charge now and we already know he doesn’t care about games at all.
Onyx

Series Slim
So what do we think will be the first thing to be shut down at Xbox, following the new boss taking over? It’ll probably be a couple of studios, but I think Game Pass is probably not long for this world now. It was a gamble that didn’t pay off and it was all Phil Spencer’s big idea, and that’s just the sort of thing new bosses try to get rid of early on.

Perhaps the most important question though is what will her big new idea be? AI seems too obvious a guess so maybe a new model of console, like an Xbox Series X Slim, that isn’t as compromised as the Xbox Series S? A better naming system for their hardware would probably be a good idea too.
Gamph

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Still waiting
Very interesting article on Monolith Soft and why Nintendo isn’t pushing the graphics of the Switch 2. It’s crazy that all the best-looking games on the system are not anything to do with Nintendo. I’m very curious to see how Resident Evil Requiem turns out because I never would’ve imagined a game like that would’ve worked on the Switch 2, but everything I’ve heard says it works very well.

The problem is though, since I also own a PlayStation 5, there’s no way I’d buy that or probably any other third party game on the Switch 2, so it’s kind of a wasted effort. I get that some people will only have one console, but what I really want to see is how far Nintendo can push the console.

I agree whatever the first Switch 2-only game is will probably involve Monolith Soft but who can guess what that’d be? It’s probably too early for Zelda but would it still be open world or maybe even a new IP. We’ve been making guesses like this for years now and we never get anywhere.

I just hope we have a really good Nintendo Direct next month and the Switch 2 can catch up with itself, because at the moment it feels like it’s just treading water and all because of a lack of information and even a lack of any way to make an informed guess of what to expect next.
Gifford

Inbox also-rans
To Lumpy, who claimed to be a nerd in yesterday’s Inbox… evidently they’re not quite nerdy enough! Kitana was indeed in the first Mortal Kombat movie is 1995, played by Talisa Soto. She had a pretty key role!
Bingo Rose

Now that FireRed and LeafGreen have been released on the Switch eShop, I can now throw out my complete-in-box copies of said games.
LeeDappa

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

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.

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