The Friday letters page discusses the inherent problems with previewing video games, as one reader salutes the release of Rhythm Paradise Groove on Nintendo Switch 1.

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

Evolution or decline?
As we crawl towards the release date of GTA 6 I find myself asking what some people may think is a silly question: will it be better than GTA 5? Obviously, the graphics will be better and I’m sure there’ll be more things to do and a bigger open world and all that, but none of those things make one game better than another.

The things I like best about GTA 5 are the characters and dialogue, the design of the open world, and individual missions. And with so many people leaving and joining Rockstar in the more than a decade since GTA 5 there’s no guarantee any of those things will be as good in the new game.

I’m particularly worried about the dialogue, because both the main writers have left and that’s got to have a big effect on how the game comes out. There’s very little dialogue in the two trailers so far, so it’s very hard to tell whether it’s any good or not.

There’s also the stuff like the driving and combat, which has never been great in GTA and often has strange control systems. That could be improved or it could go the other way. Thinking about it, I’d hate to work on the game because there’s just so much that could go wrong, I wouldn’t want to be making these decisions.
Purple Ranger

Portable market
Just saw some stats for Switch 2 sales in Japan and apparently it’s almost caught up with the PlayStation 5 already, at 5 million consoles to 7.5 million. It’ll easily pass it this year and that blows my mind considering Sony had an almost five year head start.

I don’t think the reasons are very hard to work out: the PlayStation 5 is much more expensive (the Switch 2 is cheaper in Japan than here) and it’s not portable but it’s still a really bad number. It makes me think that the PlayStation 6 portable is something that Sony wants specifically for Japan and they don’t necessarily care how well it does in the West. The rumours about it certainly make more sense to me now, seeing how bad the PlayStation 5 is doing.
Onibee

State of Sony
The Witcher 3 DLC and the Assassin’s Creed 4 remake are all well and good but that means another State of Play with little or no first party Sony games. The last one was good but that barely had any either. We do at least have a few on the docket at the moment – Saros, Marvel’s Wolverine, and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – but it’s still not much and definitely not enough to make it clear that Sony has done some big U-turn on their previous policy. It’s just slightly better than the last couple of years.

If the God Of War spin-off is announced in the summer that will probably be it and I just don’t know how excited I am at playing as Kratos’ wife, who we saw for five minutes tops in the last game. I’ve seen people suggest that Sony are holding most things back for the PlayStation 6 but man, what a wasted generation this was.
Cuit

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Classic sequel
Just a heads up to say the Broken Sword Smoking Mirror: Reforged Kickstarter has gone live, where you can pre-order a digital or physical collector’s edition of the remake of the second Broken Sword game.

I don’t know where they go after this game for remakes, as although the other Broken Sword games are very good, in my opinion, they are not classed as classics as Broken Sword 1 and 2 are. I’ve just backed for my physical edition and my name in the credits!
Andrew J.
PS: I noticed the date has possibly slipped for the Pragmata amiibo. Originally, I think it may have been due out on 17th April 2026, at the same time as the game, but it seems to have recently slipped to June 11th 2026. I presume the game is not delayed and it is just a manufacturing delay with the amiibo.

GC: The game’s not delayed.

Time travel movie
So just got back from watching Mario and I have to say I really enjoyed it. We watched it in 4D and I really think that added a lot to it. Watched a few movies that way, including the last Mario film, but this time felt extra good.

The seats never stopped moving and the vibration, air blasts, and water sprays really made it for me, the 3D effects were pretty good too. Maybe I wouldn’t enjoy it as much watching at home but overall a great experience. And made me want to dust off my neglected Switch 2 for some Mario Kart.
P B

Strategy wizard
As the Spectrum is getting Inbox attention, I feel compelled to mention what, to me, are two of its’ best games; Chaos: The Battle Of Wizards and Rebelstar, both by Julian Gollop. Chaos was up to eight-players on a single screen, with wizards given random spells to deploy creatures that could be real or illusory and is still a blast today. Top tip: always cast Disbelieve if a player manifests a dragon.

Rebelstar was Gollop honing the turn-based, limited action point strategy game that would later become XCOM. It’s one of the best value games ever, as it released on the budget Firebird label for £1.99, which wasn’t a great deal of money 40 years ago in 1986. Highly addictive for 1 or 2 players and very innovative.

Chock full of features, such as opportunity fire, diverse reloadable weapons, complex inventory management, healing items and melee weapons, as well as the ranged combat. Like XCOM, you also cared about your troops, and should Rita Rumpo be killed the turn after using AP on a reckless missed shot, that left them insufficient points to get back to cover, you were gutted.

What Gollop wrung out of the 48K Spectrum was mind-blowing. A tired Raider could even pick up a coffee token and get a brew from the moonbase vending machine or equip a lawnmower and mow the garden area if fed up of blasting robots.
Reg Smythe

Press ZR to pay respects
Can’t say I’m particularly interested in Rhythm Paradise Groove but I’ll salute it anyway as Nintendo’s last first party game on the original Switch. An amazing console and I think it’s definitely going to be regarded as one of the best ever the more distance we get from it.

The Switch 2 has got a lot to live up to in terms of its legacy, and I don’t think anyone would try and argue its first year has been as good as the Switch 1’s. It’s not been terrible, but it looks worse compared to what’s come before. Personally, I think it’s been a mistake not to have a proper Nintendo Direct before now.
Coolsbane

Wrong impressions
Old Man Yells at Cloud incoming…

Reading your Samson review and it’s making me think that the preview sessions game journalists go to are just a big scam, or the write-ups that follow them are (not you, I genuinely believe you’re one of the good guys).

I read multiple previews of Samson gushing about how promising and exciting it was. How on earth can we believe any of that with how the reviews have panned out. I don’t think subjectivity can even be argued in this case, it’s being slammed across the board.

Same with Crimson Desert. Most of the previews I read failed to mention how truly atrocious the controls and writing, etc. were, and some of these people had hours of hands-on time. It’s disingenuous and sells people on an experience without the full facts.

It makes me enjoy your content even more, and I’d add GameRanx on YouTube to this too.
RJ

GC: Thanks. Previews are always difficult to judge, since you always have to bear in mind the game isn’t finished yet. We didn’t do previews for Samson or Crimson Desert, though, so we can’t comment on that. However, in our Resident Evil Requiem review, we did point out that our preview of it was based on the absolute best parts of the game – although, of course, we didn’t know that at the time. Not that the end result wasn’t still excellent, but what we played wasn’t an entirely fair representation of the final game.

Inbox also-rans
When I see a quote about GTA 6 making players millionaires I just want to roll my eyes but the worst thing is it’s probably true, if it’s anything like Roblox. I just hate to think of the kinds of games and modes they’re going to be making with it.
Hoover

I was going to ask if Samson is coming to consoles, but then I read the whole review and, you know, it’s fine. Keep it on PC.
Spatz

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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: What is your favourite retro video game format?

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The Thursday letters page has initial fan reactions to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, as one reader is annoyed that Sora and Pragmata are coming out at the same time.

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

Review in progress
I’m sure we’re probably only a month or too away from Sony officially announcing the PlayStation 6 now, just like Microsoft already has for the Xbox. I’m not going to bother saying I think it’s too soon because I think that’s almost everyone’s opinion.

The PlayStation 5 still selling so well makes it seem extra unnecessary, but it did make think what the legacy of the console will be. For me the PlayStation 4 was Sony’s best console, thanks to its great games line-up, so I’d give it a solid 9/10.

But what about the PlayStation 5? For me personally it’s no more than 5/10, maybe less. There has been great games on it but Sony hasn’t had much to do with most of those and most seem like they could’ve just been PlayStation 4 games.

Am I being too harsh? Curious to know what other readers think as I realise that’s quite a drop.
Purple Ranger

Subliminal marketing
Just seen The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and I already don’t believe a word about not building up to a Smash Bros. film. No spoilers, but let’s just say the Fox McCloud cameo is not the only one that comes out of nowhere.

The amount of time spent on Star Fox kind of surprised me though. There is no way they aren’t building up to a new game reveal. That whole bit was basically an ad for a game that hasn’t been announced yet. Although I’m perfectly happy with that.

I thought the film was good, at least in terms of pleasing kids and Nintendo fans (i.e. me). The story’s very basic but I was surprised that all the characters got a little chance to shine, even though there’s a lot more heroes than the first one. My kids loved it.
Penfold

Portable games for portable consoles
The idea of a PlayStation 6 (or more likely PlayStation 5) handheld sounds all well and good but I sincerely doubt that Sony is going to make or encourage games that are exclusive to it, which means you’ll only ever be playing the same home games on a handheld.

I know some people like this, but I’ve never really seen the appeal. I’m not that desperate that I need to still be playing on the train and even if it’s in bed or something I’d rather just set up a TV there, it’s not much effort.

Am I the only one that only likes to make games made for a portable? That’s how it was for the PSP and PS Vita after all.
Gauntlett

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Out of control
I am an avid fighting game fan and have been enjoying Street Fighter 6 and the recent release of Virtua Fighter 5 on Switch 2 (it plays fantastically well, by the way). However, when playing in handheld mode I find the Joy-Cons, especially the L and R buttons, way too easy to accidently hit and cause the wrong move to come out in a match.

Nintendo designed the L and R buttons to be longer and extend round the side of the Joy-Con. This design choice means I frequently make input mistakes. Am I the only person experiencing this? Nintendo seem to celebrate the design choice, but it removed handhled play for me with some games. Using a Pro Controller in desktop mode is a workaround but it would be good to be able to pick up and play in my hands sometimes. Have you in GC has this issue?
Bristolpete

GC: Not really but the Joy-Cons are a jack of all trades, master of none type situation. So there’s always going to be some games where they’re not very well suited.

A game of two halves
I don’t know about a backlash for Resident Evil Requiem, because I don’t think there’s any doubting it’s a good game. But I do think it’s been overrated and the way it gets worse the longer you play it is very disappointing.

What I find interesting though is a comment GC made where they said that the second half in Resident Evil games is almost always the worst. And it’s true! The problem is that most of the time that always involves some kind of underground laboratory and at that point all the gothic horror goes out the window.

Mind you, I think they were trying to avoid that in Village and I don’t think it worked. Probably because that one was just okay all the way through.
Grinch

Ring out
I don’t know what’s going on with the rights exactly, but The Lord of the Rings seems to be having its Star Wars sequel trilogy moment right now, where they’re just churning out any old rubbish because they’re desperate for content and they know they’ve already done all the obvious stuff, so they’re just throwing things at the wall in desperation.

You’ve got the awful Amazon series, the deeply uninteresting sounding Hunt for Gollum movie, and almost every video game ever made since the movies were out.

Now we’ve got rumours of the Tomb Raider people making a game, which has got to mean it’s an action game, because they’ve never done anything else (also, you would’ve thought they’d be too busy with the new Tomb Raider).

A Lord of the Rings game should be about strategy and dialogue, not trying to turn it into a Dark Souls clones or whatever it is that Crystal Dynamics are planning.

In terms of action, what everyone remembers from the films is the epic battles on a huge scale. I don’t think there was any on-on-one combat that was particularly memorable, unless you count Gandalf vs. Saurman.

The Shadow Of Mordor games were okay in themselves but they weren’t really anything like the movies and definitely nothing like the book. It’s not a question of getting the visuals or the lore right, you’ve got to let the game match up with the nature of the source material and I don’t think any Lord of the Rings game has really done that.
Focus

Extinction event
In Wednesday’s Inbox, Solabound said, ‘Also, I echo the reader’s sentiment that Sony have just removed any chance of me buying into a PlayStation 5 or 6; I’ll be very surprised if that isn’t the death knell of the traditional home console industry.’

I made very accurate predictions about the PlayStation 7 and the future of gaming that other readers in the Underbox simply scoffed at, at the time.
LeeDappa

Bad timing
A useful summary of the most interesting game for April but I do find it interesting how which months are busy now seems to have become completely random. It used to be that November was busiest, ahead of Christmas, then Easter (because kids are off the longest) then just a bit run-off early in the year from games that missed their spot.

Now it seems a big game can come out at anytime of the year. I think that’s for the best, as everything coming out at once doesn’t help anyone and it stops video games seeming like just a kid’s toy, even if Christmas is never not going to be the busiest time.

For April I’m most interested in Pargmata and Sora, which both seem to have something in common with each other, as old school third person shooters, that seem to require quite a bit of skill to play.

I assume them both coming out at the same time is just a coincidence but it’s odd how often that happens. We haven’t seen anything like them for what seems like years and yet, just like buses, here are two of them at the same time.

It may seem like just a meaningless quirk of fate but it’s actually more important than that because I can’t afford to get both at once, so I’m going to have to wait for the reviews and make my decision then, which might not have happened if they’d come out a bit more spread apart.
Grant

Inbox also-rans
Having just seen the new Super Mario movie (which I thought was all right) I don’t believe for a minute that Nintendo isn’t building up to Smash Bros. There’s a cameo near the end that makes absolutely no sense otherwise.
Lawton

Just came back from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and I really enjoyed it. I’m not sure it makes much sense if you’re a non-fan but the big surprise is that Star Fox is in it quite a bit and I thought that worked really well.
Xama

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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 there a Resident Evil Requiem backlash?

MORE: Games Inbox: How expensive will the PS6 be?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is there really going to be a Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake?

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The Tuesday letters page argues that gaming is still great value for money, as one reader thinks Bethesda should stick to making TV shows.

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

Trust issues
Last gen I would’ve taken it for granted that Sony know what they’re doing, as a general of thumb and definitely when it comes to something like not charging too much for the PlayStation 6. But at the moment… I just don’t have the level of faith in them anymore.

Apart from anything, the PS5 Pro, and its recent price rise, shows that they’ve gone off the deep end when it comes to prices. Now, the PS5 Pro is supposed to be a high-end machine (even though I’m not sure that’s a particularly good idea) but would that stop them from trying to charge as much as they can for the PlayStation 6? I’m not so sure.

The PlayStation 6 may not be more expensive than a PS5 Pro but that’s about all I’d be willing to bet on. The whole world of console gaming has got too expensive but if there’s one company that’s going to dial that back I wouldn’t bet on it being Sony, especially since they’re doing so well at the moment and obviously feel unstoppable.
Franky

Strange decision
Like the other reader said, it’s strange to see so many detailed Nintendo leaks, but given the sources you can’t really argue against it at the moment. I’m also all for a new Star Fox game but it seems another strange priority, in a string of strange priorities for the Switch 2.

Why is there Star Fox and Pikmin confirmed for the new Mario movie but not Metroid or F-Zero? They’re both much older sci-fi franchises for Nintendo and technically Metroid has crossed over with Mario before in Super Mario RPG! And by the time the movie would’ve been planned, they would’ve had no idea Metroid Prime 4 would be a flop, so it’s a real puzzler.

It could just be a surprise but at this point I think there’d be more people that would recognise Samus Aran rather than Fox McCloud, maybe even Pikmin too. Not for the first time I hope Nintendo know what they’re doing, because despite what some people think, they’re not always right.
Cordon
PS: Maybe the reason Nintendo hasn’t announce a new Animal Crossing is because they knew Pokémon Pokopia was covering similar ground. Although they can’t have know it’d review quite as well as it did.

Hidden talents
Just seen the latest figures for how well the Fallout TV show has done in its second season and I have wonder if I’m the only one that doesn’t get it? The show is fine, I’m not saying it’s bad, but to me it doesn’t stand out in any particular way. I’ve watched all the episodes and didn’t regret the time I spent on them but, then again, if I had never seen it I would feel I was ever missing out.

It just seems such a weird thing to be so popular. But then I suppose being middle of the road and inoffensive is probably the secret to success for most things. So… well done Bethesda, I guess?

The fact that they still haven’t managed to release so much as a remaster since the first season blew up is kind of hilarious though. They’re so slow and out of touch it’s kind of funny. I really think that Bethesda might be a lot better at making TV shows than they are games. They’re definitely a lot quicker at it.
Lamar

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Lively comments
Not complaining but genuinely interested as to the reasons why the site doesn’t have a comments section for articles.

I assume revenue is generated by advertising, so impressions, hovers, CTR?

I read this article and was tickled by how intentionally provocative it was. My guess was you published it because it was prime material to generate engagement. When I scrolled down and saw no comment section, I was at a loss. Perhaps posted because it made you all laugh?

Would you not get so much more traffic by letting readers respond and then refreshing the page, looking for replies?
Nick Jacobs

GC: All our articles have comments sections, including that one. If you can’t see them it’s probably because you’re using an adblocker or similar plug-in. Please don’t do that.

Limited preview
I saw a few different websites/journos had a preview with Saros last week. Was hoping you did too and I’ve been waiting for an article on it from you. Was that the case or are you due a preview before it’s out in a month’s time?
Lizardpudlian

GC: We’re afraid not. Sony does very little in the way of press nowadays and there were only two or three UK sites that got to see Saros. That didn’t include us, Eurogamer, or many others. It’s still one of our most anticipated games of the year though.

Helpful progress
In response to John’s query yesterday about exploration in Minishoot’ Adventures, the next dungeon should be marked on the overworld map (even if you haven’t collected the specific map fragment for that area). Fairly early on, you can rescue a character who returns to your home base and will mark all the places of interest on collected map fragments. There’s another character in your home base – again accessible reasonably early on – who sells a compass that shows on the map when a location has been fully completed.

With those, it should be a little more straightforward to pick up the game after a break and identify where you’ve been and where you’re supposed to go next.

Navigation can be confusing, but you earn an upgrade around the mid-game that makes traversing the map much easier (there’s also an item you can obtain that grants fast travel back to your base). The biggest thing I felt was missing was dungeon maps, particularly when going back to find all the collectables. But none of the dungeons is so sprawling that it becomes anything more than a minor gripe.

I hope you reach a point where the upgrades let you enjoy the game a bit more, because there’s a lot to like!
Needlemouse91

Helpful character
There is some help for John in Minishoot’ Adventures. There’s a ship/robot/guy (whatever your species is) that you can find who takes up residence in the hub village.

It’ll update your map for you and indicate places where there’s still something to nab and put ticks on caves and whatnot that you’ve rinsed clean. I’ve been using this to grab additional upgrades to make life easier for myself. I think I’m in the final dungeon now and around 60% completion, so I could probably stand to go treasure hunting for a bit before finishing.
EuclidianBoxes

Entertainment per pound
Managed to snag a second-hand PS5 Pro disc edition for £480 just a few days before the price increase was announced. Considering I brought my PS5 Slim disc edition over a year ago for £300 I reckon if I sell it I’ll probably get more than I paid. I also managed to sell a few graphics cards a few years back. I got about 50% more than I paid when they rocketed.

All in all, it’s been a cheap decade of gaming for me compared to when I was a kid buying N64s, Saturns, and the like. I think people forget that there is always resale value in anything you buy – physical anyway – and while I’m glad I’m in a position where I can afford to splurge now and again. and I haven’t been hit by the recent increases. it’s always worth remembering that for the entertainment I get out of my gaming, compared to buying a coffee or going out for a day it’s relatively cheap per hour.

I bought Resident Evil the other day for £58, played around 36 hours and then sold for £40, that’s less than 50p an hour for that experience. Obviously, prices going up years after the generation is crazy and I’m not saying there is anything good about that, but with a little bit of savvy shopping I honestly think gaming is pretty cheap nowadays.
P B

Inbox also-rans
Just beat Resident Evil Requiem and I have to agree that the last couple of hours are definitely the worst. The final boss is terrible and makes no sense, and neither does why Grace is important – especially as it seems to contradict what happened at the beginning of the movie. Great game but it feels like Capcom were force to rush the ending for some reason.
Golem

Never mind a new 3D Mario, why have we still not got a follow-up to Sonic Frontiers? Even if you didn’t love it, I thought it was universally acknowledged as the best 3D game? I would’ve expect a quick sequel not a long wait like this.
Leestonair

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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 there really going to be a Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake?

MORE: Games Inbox: Will there be a Super Smash Bros. movie?

MORE: Games Inbox: What is the best 2D Mario platformer?

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The Monday letters page is appalled at the idea of another PS5 price rise, as one reader questions how a Star Fox revival could work.

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

Too good to be true
If the rumours hadn’t come from such good sources I wouldn’t believe the news of a Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake, simply because that seems far too straightforward and obvious. It’s exactly what fans want and that’s something Nintendo almost never does.

I would be amazingly happy if it did happen, but I’ll continue to be dubious until it gets an official annoucement. My dream is that they get Capcom’s Resident Evil remake team to make it. Can you imagine how good that would be? Especially after how well Requiem works on the Switch 2.

The worst case scenario is if they get some no-name team, like the ones that did Link’s Awakening, to make it and it’s all some semi-cheap cash-in. I would not put this past Nintendo as they don’t like spending money and you would assume the main Zelda team is busy right now.

Of course, the question is why didn’t they announce this for Zelda’s 40th anniversary, especially with console sales on the slide, but I’m sure we’ll never get any sensible explanation for that. On balance, I believe the remake is real but I don’t yet believe it’s a good idea.
Onibee

Foxed again
So it looks like Nintendo is pretty dead set on making a new Star Fox, huh? Even if you don’t believe the rumours, putting him front and centre in the new Mario movie is a very strange move if it’s not for a specific reason. I’m all for it but I am dubious as to what it will be and who’ll make it.

The problem with Star Fox is that the first two games – the good ones – are pretty simple updates of the old 2D shmup formula. Star Fox 64 had 3D movement with all-range mode, but it was very limited and I’m not sure how far you can push that and stay mainstream.

The reason the other games have failed is not so much that they were bad but that they diluted the formula so much it didn’t really mean anything anymore. What is Star Fox? Is it a 3D shmup or is it just any random game as long as you have the same characters in it?

That second approach has clearly not worked and I hope Nintendo realise that and take things back to basics.
Starch

Rich customers
I don’t even know what to think about the PlayStation 5 price rises. It says it all when I’ve forgotten whether this is the second or the third one. I do think it’s probably not the last though.

It’s pointless saying it would be madness to release the PlayStation 6 anytime soon but despite that being how everyone else sees it Sony are not going to listen. The world does not need or want an even more expensive console that does nothing except add AI slop (I agree with the Reader’s Feature that a DLSS 5 style tech is very likely).

There’s absolutely no logic to it but it’s not going to stop them because they’ve just got it into their heads that as long as some (rich) people will buy it, it doesn’t matter how many poorer people they lose along the way. Well, count me out, that’s all I can say.
Gritt

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Quick reminder
I recently downloaded Minishoot’ Adventures and whilst I initially enjoyed the game’s exploring, I soon gave up.

There seems to be little or no ability to know where you’ve been in the game. I don’t get to play games as frequently as others so it’s often a few days or a week between sessions, so I’ve completely forgotten where I’ve been and where I’ve got to go. It’s so frustrating.

Is this a shared frustration? You alluded to it in your review, but I just find it such an impediment to my enjoyment. It doesn’t help that the regions look very samey too.

Do you have any tips to help with this?
John

GC: There’s no real way round it, apart from making notes. We mentioned a feature in our re-review of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, that reminds you of the last four things you did when you load the game up again, after stopping. That’s the sort of useful idea that is still not commonplace 22 years later and there’s no reason why.

Better late than never
I’m really glad that Silent Hill f has done so well, that now it’s getting crossovers with other horror series and manga with new endings and all the rest of it.

I admit that I thought announcing all these games was a waste of time and the series was doomed but I’m happy to be wrong. I guess sometimes just throwing enough stuff at the wall until it sticks does work.

Although hopefully they have got into a grove now and Townfall will be good as well. If it is and that’s three good games in a row (maybe four with the remake of Silent Hill 1) that will be quite the comeback.
Grackle

Balancing expectations
With all the doom and gloom around Switch 2 sales, I think people are forgetting what Nintendo forecast when it launched the machine and actual sales figures.

When they launched the machine they predicated it would sell 15 million units by March 2026 and last official sales figures suggest it has already sold 17 million units by the end end of 2025, so it’s already best it’s own estimates by 2 million with three months to spare.

Nintendo did increase the forecast to 19 million units after strong initial sales, so if you were to take that into consideration then they only need to sell 2 million between January and March 2026. And let’s not forget that it was only in February that they kept the 19 million forecast, by which time they would know if it’s tracking to hit their targets – they can’t knowingly mislead shareholders unless they are looking to get sued.

That’s not to say the Bloomberg reporter is flat out wrong – producing 6 million units a quarter means they would be looking to sell 24 million in any given year, which is crazy numbers in the current climate. And maybe Nintendo gave themselves a reality check that they are producing more than they need to, rather than suggest the Switch 2 is a sales flop.

Also, with the EU stating electronic devices need to have user replaceable battery going forward that could be another factor to slow down production of current model, to move capacity over to a revised model.

Basically, not everything needs to be doom and gloom all the time, and it’s OK to take reports with a pinch of salt if they are not backed by hard data.

Either way we find out in a few weeks when the next set of financial results are released (and maybe I’ll have custard on my face).
Anon

GC: It was Nintendo’s own president that admitted Christmas sales in the West had been ‘slightly weaker’ than expected. The question isn’t what’s happening but how serious a problem it is for Nintendo – and you’re right that, at the moment, the answer is probably not much at all.

The Elder Scrolls 6: Bohemia
For anyone hankering after a new Elder Scrolls game can I recommend Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

Just picked it up in the PSN sale and while it starts out pretty difficult, I’m really enjoying the first person exploration and levelling up by doing. Definitely worth a look.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)

Life is strained
In addition to Shahzaib Sadiq’s concern regarding the quality of Life Is Strange: Reunion, he said, ‘but if it is another disappointment from Deck Nine, that is the final nail in the coffin.’

Sadly, I think the damage has already been done, starting with Double Exposure.

I’ve written in to the Inbox three times regarding my love for Life Is Strange, Before The Storm, and True Colors but in one of those emails, I expressed my own worries around the time Double Exposure was being revealed officially.

I said having Max as the main protagonist – something some of the fans wanted, but not me – was probably a bad idea, as I felt it was watering down and taking away the magic of what we loved of the first game, à la Ellie in The Last Of Us. And now they’ve bought back Chloe, which looks like they have either run out of ideas or simply given in to fan demand, which in turn may leave a permanent bad mark on their character.

The series now appears to be reliant on these two fan favourites, that they are now at risk of being overexposed, if you will.

I also mentioned in one of the aforementioned emails that some story characters are best confined to the one game/film they originated in, because actually sometimes, the wonder and speculation of what happened to them is better than what we actually know due to official canon.

I never played Double Exposure and just won’t ever, because I feel this game series has become a Donnie Darko/Ginger Snaps type thing where the first film was great but subsequent films told a story no one wanted to hear or cared for in the first place.

I sometimes feel we gamers don’t really know what we want…
LeeDappa

Inbox also-rans
Excellent interview with Jesper Kyd, GC. He’s always been my favourite video game musician and I had no idea he, or half the companies he talked about, go back so far.
Purple Ranger

GC: Thank you.

A £90 price increase for all PlayStation 5 console is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe that me buying one at launch turned out to be the cheapest option. And yet I still feel like I was conned somehow.
Grendel

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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 there be a Super Smash Bros. movie?

MORE: Games Inbox: What is the best 2D Mario platformer?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is the Nintendo Switch 2 becoming a failure?

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The Monday letters page is upset that there’s never been a truly great The Lord of the Rings game, as one reader learns about the Max Payne 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

Earliest memory
I shed a tear of nostalgia when I heard they were bringing back Defender Of The Crown, then I shed a second tear of despair when I found out it was 40 years old. I thought it was early 90s, but 1986? Man, I’m old for remembering it the first time round – even if I was just a kid at the time.

I never owned it, but I do remember it being demoed in a shop a couple of times, so it’s an early memory of gaming. But that made me think what is the oldest game I’ve ever played? I don’t honestly know but I assume it must’ve been something in the arcades, as I don’t remember anyone having a console or computer back when I was a kid.

I’m pretty sure I played an original Space Invaders coin-op, which the internet informs me was made in 1978, but I doubt that was the first one. I’m not quite that old but I know I played one in the early 80s. I always liked OutRun, which apparently was also 1986, so maybe it was that.

Curious to know what other readers’ earliest memories of games are. And if anyone says something on Xbox 360 I’m going to start crying again.
Grackle

Secret plan
I’m getting really anxious waiting to hear about the next FromSoftware game. We still haven’t heard anything more about The Duskbloods, which is supposed to be out this year, let alone their next multiformat game. I’m sure this must be the longest we’ve ever gone without any news from them. Not even any leaks or rumours, as far as I know.

They must have a plan, because they’ve said no Elden Ring 2 and they keep stopping all these Bloodborne projects, but what are they doing instead?! I realise that none of this will matter the second they do announce something, but not knowing is driving me nuts.

I also realise that, in theory, I should be hoping they announce something new and in a different style but I have to admit I just want Elden Ring Part 2, no matter what they call it or what kind of setting it has.
Olang

Hardware preparations
I have to agree with the reader at the weekend, that it’s not that PCs have become better or more desirable, it’s that people are fed up with consoles and they’re being pushed away. Anyone thinking about buying a new console now, or preparing for the next generation, is much more likely to consider the PC now than they were at the same point last gen.

That’s not just a guess either. I know at least two friends that are in that exact position and if I hadn’t got my PlayStation 5 a couple of years ago, I’m sure I would be as well. I can’t imagine anything that would make me want to buy a PlayStation 6, unless it too played PC games. I don’t think there’s any rumours that say it will but at this point that must surely be a possibility.
Kranker

Remake ≠ remaster
I’ve got a bit of a niche question that hopefully someone out there in the GameCentral universe can answer.

I’m a massive fan of the original Secret Of Mana on the SNES, so much so that it is still the second best game I’ve ever played, in my own opinion, and I even went to the lengths of playing all the way through the sequel with all its Japanese text because I wanted more.

I’ve never played the remastered version on newer consoles, in fear that it might take the shine away for me. However, I would like to buy it.

Have any other gamers on here who played the original back in the day bought the newer version?
How did they find it?

Is it worth buying and jumping back in or should I just fire up the old game?

Many thanks in advance guys.
freeway 7

GC: Do you mean the 2018 remake? We’re afraid to say it wasn’t very good.

Minimum progress
I just read that Remedy are remaking Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2, in collaboration with Rockstar. From what I can see the project has been in full production for almost 18 months and could be released towards the end of this year. This is amazing news as the first Max Payne in particular was one of my favourite games.

Does GameCentral have any news on this, and have you seen any footage
Subzero Radio

GC: Nothing at all, we’re afraid; other than it is still in development. It was announced ages ago but nothing has ever been shown of it. We can only assume that GTA 6, and Remedy having multiple projects on the go at once, have slowed progress to a crawl.

Mistaken identity
Am I alone in having never heard of The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North at all? What a strange game to want to bring back, especially as it apparently wasn’t even any good. I thought it was what I have now learned is called The Third Age, which was kind of a Japanese role-player that I do remember, but apparently War In The North is something else.

All this does is underline how there’s never really been a great Lord of the Rings game. Those movie tie-in action games were okay, but I wouldn’t buy them again if they were remastered. Shadow Of Mordor was probably the best, overall, of the modern games but I still don’t think it was great.

Maybe Lord of the Rings doesn’t translate well to video games. You can do stuff if you lean into the movie interpretation of things but if you go back to the original text… it is not suitable for a video game tie-in. Not beyond the broad concepts that everything else in fantasy has been ripping off for so long.

Some kind of strategy game with graphic adventure aspects, when you interact with characters, would probably be the only way to even attempt it and somehow I can’t see anyone spending the money to make that.

Game Of Thrones might work better but it’s probably the same deal. Warner Bros. was probably pretty sensible not to try and make a console game of it before. Especially when even that Telltale Games attempt turned out to be a dud.
Focus

Not over yet
After around two years, I have finally gotten through my Switch backlog and with no new major releases for the hybrid, I think it’s safe to say I’m done with the Switch.

Next console please…
LeeDappa

GC: There’s lots of new Switch games still scheduled, including first party titles Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream and Rhythm Paradise Groove.

Different worlds
I’m not sure PlayStation or Nintendo need to be terribly worried by either the Steam Machine or the NeXbox Helix X. Making a more palatable, user-friendly PC for the living room is a solid idea on paper, but Valve’s offering appears to be underpowered (roughly on par with base PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X, with no word as far as I’m aware on whether it will be customised to enable use of FSR 4.0 upscaling).

And both machines will be more expensive than a PS5 Pro (which still exists and is getting a major upgrade soon). There’s also the issue that the PC and console userbase doesn’t overlap as much as some people seem to think, and while these machines are intending to streamline the PC experience that will still be too much for many console gamers.

If Microsoft subsidise the Xbox DNA I’d consider it, as my PC is getting old and some foolish multinationals have made building a PC super expensive. Otherwise, I think that and the Steam Machine will be the preserve of the hardcore few.
Magnumstache

Inbox also-rans
Shame 1348 Ex Voto isn’t any good but if the success of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is gong to lead to a bunch of historical knock-offs I would be absolutely fine with that. Hundred Years’ War next, please!
Pewter Parker

Anyone that says they hate microtransactions and don’t care about piracy are okay with me but when is Slay The Spire 2 coming to consoles? I don’t care if the PC is hot at the moment, I don’t want to use one to play games.
Henk

GC: They haven’t said but based on the last game it could be around two years away.

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

MORE: Games Inbox: Is buying physical video games becoming more popular?

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

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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

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

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

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

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: 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?

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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

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

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

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.

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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?

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The Wednesday letters page looks forward to a Pokémon Gen X reveal this month, as one reader imagines a Half-Life x Portal crossover game.

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

Top of the list
I realise it’s pointless talking about any kind of most anticipated game this year, when GTA 6 is out in November, but there are honestly a bunch of games I’m looking forward to more. I’m sure GTA 6 will look good, but I can tell from the trailer that it’s going to be the same old, same old.

I don’t hate it, but I’d much rather play Saros, Marvel’s Wolverine, and even Fable has me more intrigued. But the game I’m most looking forward to this year is Resident Evil Requiem, which is handy as it’s out soon.

I don’t think there’s any question that it’ll be worth getting, given the unanimous good previews and Capcom seeming to be on top of their game. The marketing has been good, without giving too much away, and I like the idea of the two characters being very different. I just hope I don’t get spoiled on anything this week, because I see copies are already out in the wild.
Damon

Empty shelves
Although I agree with the reader who said that the PlayStation 6 being delayed till 2029 is overall a good thing I think he’s overlooking the fact that if there’s no RAM – or hard drives – that means no PlayStation 5s either. We could be looking at a bit of a gaming apocalypse, where there’s no new consoles to sell and they can only sell games to their existing base.

That’s not good for any company that wants their graphs to go up but it’s probably especially bad for Nintendo, who have only just launched a new console, so there aren’t that many Switch 2 owners in the world. It’d be an understatement to say that increasing the price doesn’t seem like a good idea in that situation.

But it’s difficult. It’s not actually the companies’ fault but I bet they want us to pay for the trouble anyway. They’ll be gutted to miss out on all the new business GTA 6 will bring too.
Hammeriron

Still unbeaten
While we’re talking about so many anniversaries this year there is another one, although compared to Zelda or Resident Evil I guess it’s not that big. But I was surprised and alarmed to find that Uncharted 4 is 10 years old in May. In my mind it’s a relatively new game but… I guess not.

It is really good though, even though I don’t really approve of the more grounded, non-supernatural approach. The bit around the middle, in Madagascar, is still absolutely peak action gaming and I’ve not seen anything since best it.

Worse thing is though I’ve barely seen anything even try. Only Uncharted (and the money Sony give them) can do things this well and I’m shocked there’s been no attempt to make a new game since or for anyone to outdo them. Maybe the new Tomb Raider can take the crown, but they’d have to be doing really well to get that good.
Grackle

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

Slow-motion storytelling
Since it’s cheap, I might check out ChromaGun 2, as I’ve never heard of the series before. But I do miss Portal. People have been talking about Valve not making games anymore, and whether they might come back with Half-Life 3, but I’ve never heard any talk of a Portal 3. I think that’s the one that really suffered from everyone leaving, because you can recruit people that make first person shooters pretty easy but people that can write comedy of the quality of Portal aren’t exactly common.

I always imagined there’d be a crossover game where Gordon Freeman meets Chell, which I think they were building up to at one point, but I really don’t know if they’d do that now. Even Half-Life: Alyx was six years ago now, so they’re not exactly rushing this, but I don’t have any faith it’s going to happen.

You need a bunch of games to build up to it and at this rate they’ll have just about got the prologue done when Gabe (and me) dies of old age.
Hake

Pre-existing prequel
As much as I’m looking forward to Resident Evil Requiem this month, I was secretly hoping that Capcom would re-release Resident Evil Outbreak in some way, to help promote it and to show who Alyssa Ashcroft is, because I’m sure many people do not know.

I always wanted to play the game online, but it didn’t have that feature when it was released in Europe, so I never got the chance. (I know the sequel had online but I didn’t have a PlayStation 2 by that point.) Maybe it was rubbish but that’s not what I hear and it always sounded a lot more interesting than the other multiplayer Resident Evil games Capcom has done.
Scooter

Generational interest
I hope that Gen X of Pokémon does get announced this month. By which I mean I hope they reveal some games that are actually worthy of the legacy and look like some actual money has been put into them. People are trying to guess what Nintendo will make their big Christmas game, but I think it’ll be Pokémon Wind and Waves, or whatever it’s actually called.

I feel nowadays that Pokémon games just come and go without as much fanfare as they used to, partly because there’s so many of them nowadays and only the uber fans can keep up with it all. It all seems kind of sectioned off from all the other Nintendo first party games, which is why I think Z-A didn’t really make much of an impression last year.

The 30th anniversary is going to put a lot of eyes onto it this year, so this is moment to go all out and make something more than an easy cash-in. It feels like that’s what Pokémon has been for so long now and it’s a shame because I have very fond memories of playing it as a kid and now my kid is the right age to give it a go. But they know the toys and the cartoon but not really the games.

I don’t like to push thing on them, and I’m actually interested to see what they pick up on and what they’re aware of and not. I’ll see if they’re interested in the Pokémon Presents when it gets announced and what they think of whatever’s in that.
Belsh

Twin Snakes
Never mind delisting PlayStation 3 games as soon as a new release is announced, I didn’t realise the new Metal Gear Solid Collection wasn’t remasters. So it’s just a straight port of Metal Gear Solid 4? That is disappointing, to say the least.

With this and the Rainbow Six Siege crossover Konami are clearly building up to doing more with Snake and co. but I can’t imagine it going well. For better and worse there was just too much of Hideo Kojima in those games and trying to copying him, or not making it weird like he would, both seem like a bad idea.
Iceman

Smash Street Fighter
With all the success Nintendo have had with their Super Smash Bros. games, why haven’t Capcom done something similar with the Street Fighter games?

It would still play as a traditional Street Fighter game (1v1 on a 2D plane) but have all fighters with all their individual fighter colours, outfits, all variations of their stages, music, backgrounds, bonus stages, fighting styles, and so on and would surely be amazeballs!

Maybe in order to not overwhelm the player with all that content, these could be either unlocked through gameplay or (the most-likely route of) DLC.

I have been re-playing the Switch version of Street Fighter 30th Anniversary recently and thought it’d be great if all these games could merge into one.

The PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 remains my favourite Street Fighter game to this day, which sadly isn’t in this compilation.

I’m not sure if to include the Marvel or other non-Capcom characters for fear of the licensing.
LeeDappa

GC: We’re not really sure what you’re after, you mean just more guest characters? Between them, Street Fighter 5 and 6 have featured fighters from games including Final Fight, Rival Schools, and SNK’s Fatal Fury. We’re sure there’ll be more over time.

Inbox also-rans
I’m still trying to get over the idea of paying £12.1 million for a Pokémon card. What would you even do with it? I’ve seen the card and more than half of it’s Japanese writing, which I’m will to bet Logan Paul can’t read.
Badgerman

Just beat Donkey Kong Bananza. That was an excellent final boss fight and last couple of levels! The game had some ups and downs but overall, really liked it.
Pinky

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 PS6 be out?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will Super Smash Bros. be on Nintendo Switch 2?

MORE: Games Inbox: Was the latest PS5 State of Play a good one?

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