Nintendo Switch 2 games are not too expensive – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published April 13, 2025 9:00am Donkey Kong Bananza – how variable is variable pricing? (Nintendo) My twopenn’orth on Switch 2 pricing. It’s a bit long, so please scroll down if sick of hearing about it. Aside from pushing Mario Kart World to £75 they should have just gone with everything else at £70 and charging for that bland looking tutorial thing, I’m OK with it. The console is well priced. The Mario Kart World bundle is even better value. Aside from Mario Kart World’s physical price all other prices are lower than what Sony and Microsoft charge for a new triple-A game. If you buy digital, then Mario Kart World is cheaper. Switch 2 upgrades have been confirmed as costing $10, in-line with the rest of the industry. There’s a decent selection of games that will receive free upgrades, like Super Mario Odyssey. Switch versions of games that’ll see price increases for the Switch 2 version come with addition content, along with the frame rate and resolution bumps. Except the Zeldas, where it’s just a phone app along with the bumps. But those two upgrades will be available on Nintendo Switch Online. [There’re two prices for Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games: $20 for games with new content, like Super Mario Party and Kirby, and $10 for those with no new content, like Zelda – GC] The story of Switch 2 carts being Switch games with a download code looks to have been debunked. [This is debatable: at time of writing the only one that has commented on the situation officially is Nintendo Australia – GC] All in all pretty in-line with the rest of the industry. So why the outcry? I think that Nintendo games holding their price is a big problem. Switch games were cheap and their RRP was less than PlayStation 4 games at £49.99, except the Zeldas at £59.99. But aside from the Zeldas they all settled at £40 at most outlets and most were available day one for £42.50, from places like ShopTo. If Switch 2 games maintain a price of £10 less than RRP, like Switch games, you’ll be lucky to ever see Mario Kart World less than £60 to £65 physical. Nintendo do have 33% off sales on eShop, so you might see digital go down to maybe £50 now and then. Many gamers felt £70 was already a step too far, so escalation to £75, perhaps not surprisingly, has caused even louder objections. I do think, as well many expect cutting edge graphics for £70 to £75 which is something Nintendo hardware will always be behind the curve on. All the creative splendour on offer which I feel is equally as expensive to produce is sadly not as highly valued as graphics it seems for some. More Trending So I don’t see much issue with the pricing, feel it’s all worth the money, in-line with the industry and won’t cry foul and say it’s greed. But if the majority do then it’s just not Nintendo with the problem but the whole triple-A industry. Which is where many seem to be with triple-A games these days, opting for free-to-play or indies. By reader Simundo There’s still confusion over the price of the Zelda upgrades (Nintendo) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Rising costs are turning video games into something only for the rich – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published April 13, 2025 1:00am Could Mario Kart World end up seeming cheap? (Nintendo) A reader thinks that the video games industry is headed for a massive price increase across the board and the Nintendo Switch 2 is only the half of it. There’s been a lot of complaints and arguments about the price of Nintendo Switch 2 games this week and I totally get it. £75 for a physical copy of any game is an absurd amount of money to pay, even if it is technically good value for money, compared to things like going to the cinema. The problem with that is that is that even if it is good value in theory, it’s still a huge chunk of money that almost anyone would think twice about paying, especially given all the money uncertainty in the news at the moment. What worries me is the idea raised by GC and others that we could be heading to a future where all games cost at least that much. That rather than Nintendo being the most expensive they’ll be leap-frogged by other publishers and still end up being the cheapest. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the thought of a new generation of gaming where £75 is ‘cheap’ or even the norm. Some triple-A games are already £70 but we’ve seen this week that The Last Of Us collector’s edition costs £100 and who knows what GTA 6 is going to end up as. I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here. The price of making games has gone up – we’ve known this for years now – and what is the obvious response going to be from publishers? To decrease budgets? To make shorter games? To expand free-to-play concepts to include single-player games? No. No, they’re just going to increase the price and make it our problem. That is such a dumb, unimaginative, response to a complex problem that you could’ve guaranteed immediately it’s what they’d do. I’m not saying it’s not a difficult issue. We all want our games to look as good as possible and to have plenty of content, but a sensible publisher would consider the negative side of that, where games take forever to make and you can only make your money back by charging through the roof. GTA 6 will probably be more than £70 too (Rockstar Games) The problems are obvious, not least the fact that this is going to push people even more to play only free-to-play games, which is what these companies were supposed to be trying to avoid. If it’s a choice between a £75+ game and a completely free one, that everyone is playing, the average casual gamer isn’t even going to think twice. Then there’s the problem that the number of games that can justify that sort of money are very small. First party Sony games and things like Assassin’s Creed Shadows are one thing but who’s going to spend £75 on a game that got a good but not great review or which you’re just not sure you’ll like. It’s going to end up with a two-lane video games industry, where triple-A games, in an increasingly small number of franchises and genres, cost £75+ and indie games are £20 or so at most. Maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world (although I do think the originality and innovation of indie games can be overexaggerated at times) but it’s going to mean so many great games are going to be out of the reach of a lot of people. More Trending Perhaps it’s a shame that subscription services didn’t really take off but beyond that I don’t really see anyone round the problem. Games are just going to get more and more expensive and the number of people that can afford to get them, as more than just the occasional luxury purchase, is going to shrink and shrink. By reader Taylor Moon The Last Of Us Complete isn’t cheap either (Sony Interactive Entertainment) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Nintendo are repeating some very old mistakes with the Switch 2 – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published April 12, 2025 9:00am Are Nintendo making some schoolboy errors? (Nintendo) A reader points out how console manufacturers always seem to have trouble following up a big success and suggests Nintendo could fall into the same trap as everyone from Atari to Xbox. I have been reading bits here and there on the Switch 2; hearing opinions on YouTube, etc. from different people. I don’t have an interest in the console, I was never going to buy it, and it looks to me like they are just playing it safe with the same name and look of the console. But I’m a bit confused by their pricing strategy on games. Some that seem like a reskin of old classics are bumped up to full price and what’s with charging for some upgrades, never heard of Smart Delivery? This happened before with Nintendo, over the 3DS price after the DS success, and lowering the price for GameCube. Perhaps they may end up doing the same with the Switch 2. What I don’t want is for this to set a precedent for game price rises, that publishers may jump on. Also, Nintendo need to be careful they don’t add fire to any negativity that can hamper their launch, especially in this internet age. Here’s the thing, and it’s a warning from history. Gaming companies have, going back decades, shot themselves in the foot after having a successful product. Firstly, I’m thinking of the Xbox One. All Microsoft had to do was release a powerful Xbox 360 successor and all the extras would have followed with it. Heck, they could even have called it the Xbox 360-2 and it might have sold more than the Xbox 360. But instead they alienated gamers with always online, DRM controversy, performance issues, etc. and a launch event that looking back still makes me cringe. The Xbox One reveal was an event I still feel to this day Microsoft did not need to do. It was only to copy Sony but in the end it ended up helping PlayStation’s cause and hurting Xbox one. And not to mention how fast they backtracked on used games and Kinect. The Irony being a lot of what they preached has come true today. Sony, after the hugely popular PlayStation 2, almost botched the PlayStation 3 with its price and other issues. Nintendo, after the Wii, badly miscalculated the allegiance of the casual userbase it had and the Wii U flopped. Go back further and you get to Sega after the Mega Drive. The bloated add-ons for it and the Dreamcast. Everyone seems to fondly remember the Dreamcast but too bad that no one bought it when it was getting rolled over by the PlayStation juggernaut at the time. Going further back: Atari sinking after failed consoles. I’m pretty sure they made big on the Jaguar being 64-bit and were then accused of false advertising by people saying it technically wasn’t. Plus, they only had awful games for it, and a strange joypad, and that failure pretty much consigned Atari to history as a console maker. Also, the fate of Commodore. They released a C64 console to try and cash in on the C64 computer, but it was quickly forgotten. Lord knows how many other consoles have fallen by the wayside due to bad decisions and high prices that took out a large chunk of the market. Sometimes it just seems that companies routinely misjudge the mood of the gaming market and what consumers may want. It’s always amazed me, in the gaming hardware industry, how companies, after having a successful product, then make some of these odd choices afterwards and almost ruin the brand name. Now, I’m sure Switch 2 will sell very well but with what game attach ratio and how many will end up as used consoles in stores? If it’s a console relying on the casual market, Nintendo should already know how volatile that could be. I think Sony and Microsoft, who are rumoured to be working on handhelds, are watching the Switch 2 to see how it pans out and then make their plans. Also, as we have seen this console generation, the userbases have shrunk – will Nintendo buck the trend? [Well, they certainly have with the Switch – GC] More Trending Sony have been the most consistent gaming hardware performer. But at times even they have made odd choices to ruin PlayStation. So many companies in gaming have ruined their success by a list of bungled decisions down the decades. So, this is just a little warning: no gaming company should assume success is guaranteed just because of an installed base, because in this industry it isn’t. By reader Stephen The Xbox One was not a good follow-up to the Xbox 360 (Microsoft) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Ex-Nintendo fan sells PS5 Pro to buy Switch 2 – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published April 12, 2025 1:00am Which would you rather have? (Nintendo/Sony) A reader explains why he hasn’t bought a Nintendo console since the N64 days and why it’s the Switch 2 that is going to pull him back in, despite its controversies. We’ve predictably had an influx of negative views on Nintendo’s pricing policy so, for balance, I feel compelled to write about why I’m excited for Switch 2. Therefore, to the three people about to read a positive article, allow me to share my thoughts. Note to GC, we’re going to need a hyperbolic headline to attract some traffic! Before I commence my convincing argument, I have a disclaimer. I haven’t purchased a Nintendo console since the N64. That’s right, I was one of those fools paying £70 for cartridges back in the ‘90s. Here we go, pull up a sandbag, you don’t know you’re born rhetoric. Technically speaking, the Wii is the last Nintendo console I bought, as a gift for the in-laws – which they still use to this day. Saying they still use it is like Trigger’s broom from Only Fools and Horses. They had to replace the console and Wii-motes several times! But I still take the win when it comes to the mother-in-law. Over the years, I have almost pulled the trigger on a Nintendo console several times. For what seems like years, I was waiting on the infamous Switch Pro console that never materialised. I can already see the comment, ‘Switch 2 is a Switch Pro, so there!’ Anyhow, I shall reap the rewards of my inexcusable patience. I will be the equivalent of a PlayStation 5 owner that hasn’t played The Last Of Us, The Last Of Us Remastered, The Last Of Us Remastered-Remastered and The Last Of Us Part 1. I’m the guy who is essentially purchasing the upcoming The Last Of Us special edition and experiencing it for the first time. I envy that person! Therefore, I’m in no position to discuss prices since I’ve bought The Last Of Us 15 times. Somewhat ironically, it’s the PS5 Pro which has assisted my decision to buy a Switch 2. Again, how could I possibly complain about prices! Buyer’s remorse is an understatement. No, it’s the diminishing returns which have helped persuade me. Having to watch John Linneman of Digital Foundry point out the differences zoomed in at 400% is never a good sign. It’s a sad state of affairs when even the tech nerds are disappointed. I digress. The proof is in the pudding. I watched several hands-on previews of Switch 2 and I was impressed. I anticipated DLSS would be utilised since Nintendo uses a NVidia GPU. Nintendo now has the best AI upscaler and haven’t had to mess around developing something like PSSR. Mark Cerny must be sick. I could harp on about how great Mario Kart World looks or how encouraging third party support is. Being able to play Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom for the first time are also factors. Even the build quality of Switch 2 is much improved over its predecessor. ‘But it doesn’t have an OLED screen,’ cries somebody in the comments. Now I could wait for the inevitable upgrade, but I think I’ve been patient enough. The real clincher for me, which many people are sleeping on, is the mouse controls. Being predominantly a PC gamer back in the day, the advantage for shooters can’t be understated. My only disappointment during the Direct was Call Of Duty: Warzone wasn’t confirmed. I have seen Metroid Prime 4 demonstrated using the mouse control, so I’m sold. Surely Nintendo will sell branded mouse mats? A food tray on my lap and a mouse mat should get the job done. What really impressed me about the Joy-Con is you just tilt it and it goes into mouse control mode. How cool is that! Nintendo are really good at that kind of innovation. That’s Nintendo magic, right? It’s been a while, so forgive me if my terminology is misplaced. It’s almost been an act of self-flagellation to deprive myself of Nintendo for so many years. But I look at it with a positive spin. I’m not burdened with buying remasters or upgrades of games I already own. They might get me with some N64 remakes, but other than that, it’s a clean slate for me. Until Switch 3, at least. Once I’m in the Nintendo cult, they’ve got me. Whilst I agree with some of the complaints Nintendo is guilty of some egregious nickel and diming. The Switch 2 Welcome Tour game not being included almost seems like trolling. That being said, Nintendo showed me something I didn’t know I wanted. I don’t think I’ve been this pumped for a new console launch in a long time. To help justify my unplanned purchase, I intend to sell my PS5 Pro and revert to a PS5 Slim. So there’s your headline, GC: ‘Ex-Nintendo fan sells PS5 Pro to buy Switch 2’. All said, hopefully Switch 2 is a shot in the arm the industry needs. More Trending For those of you who can’t get past £75/$80 games. That’s perfectly fine, watch The Last Of Us season 2 instead. By reader Simon The Last Of Us season 2 starts this weekend (Credits: © 2025 Home Box Office, Inc. Al) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

A peachy discount (Nintendo) SHOPPING – Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Metro article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Metro.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here for more information. A deal on Argos offers a discount across all Nintendo Switch 2 accessories and games, including Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. The high price for Mario Kart World may have caught everyone off-guard, but a new promotion can help reduce some of the financial damage. If you sign up to receive marketing emails at UK retailer Argos before Wednesday, June 18, you’ll be sent a voucher code which will give you £10 off any order of at least £60. While this offer applies to anything from Argos, it is a perfect way to reduce the price of physical Switch 2 games like Mario Kart World (£74.99) and Donkey Kong Bananza (£64.99), or accessories like the Switch 2 Pro Controller (£74.99). There are some caveats to this deal. You’ll have 12 days to use the code once generated (they are usually sent within 15 minutes of signing up), and you have to pay £1.95 for delivery, as Argos only offers free delivery on orders over £100. In other words, you’ll technically save £8.05 overall, but it’s still something. Unfortunately, you can’t get around this hiccup by stacking up orders, as Argos will apply the £1.95 charge to each item and deliver them separately. It’s likely you could dodge it by using the free store collection option after the Switch 2 launches on June 5, but as you can only pre-order items at this stage, that option is currently unavailable. On the upside, you can get several codes if you have unused email addresses going spare. You can only apply one code per item, but if you’re picking up Mario Kart World and the Switch 2 Edition of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, for example, you can save £8.05 on both. More Trending You could use this offer on a Switch 2 console too, but Argos is currently sold out on those, and it’s unclear when the retailer will be restocked. Once you’ve claimed the offer, you can stop receiving marketing emails by clicking on the ‘Unsubscribe from Argos Emails’ link at the bottom of the email voucher. Nintendo Switch 2 Joy Con 2 Controller Red & Blue – £74.99 Nintendo Switch 2 Wireless Pro Controller – £74.99 Mario Kart World – £74.99 Donkey Kong Bananza – £64.99 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – £64.99 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – £64.99 Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV – £64.99 Kirby & The Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World – £64.99 The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch in two bundles, with the console alone priced at £395.99 and a Mario Kart World bundle costing £429.99. You can check out the latest information on where to pre-order here. Donkey Kong Bananza is out in July (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Game over? (GAME) GAME’s head office is in the process of being shut down, as it auctions off GTA posters and pirate ship displays. GAME’s presence on the UK high street has been in decline over the past few years, with the majority of stores now housed within other Frasers Group-owned shops like Sports Direct. The high street chain has slimmed down its services as part of this transition – with stores no longer selling pre-owned games or offering reward points. For the Switch 2 launch, there will be no in-store pre-orders at all, and reportedly only a ‘small allocation’ through its website. The bones of GAME are now being picked apart from what was once its beating heart, as the retailer’s headquarters in Basingstoke is shut down and auctioned off. As shown in a listing on bidding site NCM Auctions, office equipment, storage units, and warehouse items are being sold off from GAME’s Basingstoke headquarters, which has been the company’s HQ for over two decades. ‘Clearance on behalf of GAME warehouse – due to closure,’ the listing reads. While the majority of the items are fairly dull, there are some oddities, like a pirate ship display from Beanie Babies’ maker TY and a GTA: San Andreas wall poster, which is currently going for £45. The highlight of the collection (GAME) If you’re a collector, there are some branded display cases which might be useful if you’re looking to showcase your gaming wares, priced at £20-£30. Alternatively, you can buy a vending machine or some trolleys. More Trending The downside is you have to collect these items from Basingstoke, and be available from 23-25 April. You can also view the items via an appointment on Wednesday April 16 if you want to take a look beforehand, with all bids closing on April 17. As reported by Eurogamer, staff at GAME have said in-store pre-orders will now no longer be offered on any item, despite a post on their website stating otherwise. While GAME continues to fall apart, the UK’s biggest retailer in second-hand games, CeX, has recently expanded its operations to delivery app JustEat. The future of GAME is toys (Google Maps) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Nintendo reveals surprising reason why the Switch 2 doesn’t have analogue triggers GameCentral Published April 11, 2025 12:19pm Updated April 11, 2025 1:22pm The Pro Controller could’ve had analogue triggers (Nintendo) The Switch 2 Pro Controller and Joy-Cons don’t have analogue shoulder buttons, but Nintendo was going to add them until someone stopped them. Although the Nintendo Switch 2 and its Pro Controller are broadly similar to the original Switch, in terms of design and function, there are some important differences. The Switch 2 is bigger, it has its new ‘C’ button for online chat, and the Joy-Cons can turn into mice. The Pro Controller has an audio jack and two new, programmable buttons at the back but what it doesn’t have, which has upset some fans, is analogue shoulder buttons. Although Nintendo pioneered the idea of analogue controls, with the N64, it’s never used them for any of its shoulder buttons – the closest it’s got being the GameCube’s weird clutch-like set-up. All PlayStation 5 and Xbox controllers have analogue triggers, as they’re very useful for driving games, and Nintendo has revealed that it was considering them for the Switch 2. The Switch 2’s designers were asked why they didn’t add analogue shoulder buttons to the Pro Controller or the new Joy-Cons, and the reason is straightforward but relatively surprising. Technical director Tetsuya Sasaki answered that, ‘From the hardware side, we worked on what we were asked to do. There were a lot of, let’s say, very fussy developers around us who wanted to go this route. That’s why we went the route we did.’ ‘In terms of analogue buttons on the shoulders, there are positives, but also negatives,’ producer Kouichi Kawamoto told VentureBeat. ‘You lose a little bit of instancy when they’re analogue. We considered it and decided that instant input would be the better option. That’s why we decided to move forward with this decision.’ They don’t specify which developers asked them to stick with digital shoulder buttons, but the implication seems to be that it was internal, first party developers. Third party developers would probably prefer that the Switch 2 had analogue triggers, as that makes it easier to port games across, without having to make any changes to the controls. Although Mario Kart World is the Switch 2’s main launch title, Nintendo doesn’t go in much for serious racing games, although it does have things like the Excite Bike series, which are relatively realistic. More Trending It’s hard to say which third party racer might be the most likely to appear on Switch 2 but Forza Horizon 5 does seem one possibility, as it’s shortly to be released on PlayStation 5. Strangely though, Microsoft is still yet to announce any games for the Switch 2, despite support for Nintendo platforms being a key argument for why it should be allowed to buy Activision Blizzard. Whether that was solely hot air to convince monopoly investigators, or they have some sort of big unveil event planned is unclear. Switch 2 games may feature at the recently announced summer showcase but despite it being the cornerstone of their new business plan, Microsoft has proven very reticent about announcing multiformat plans in public and has tended to do so only via blog plots and trailer drops. Mario Kart World with analogue acceleration would’ve been interesting (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Mafia: The Old Country release date revealed and it’s a hint at GTA 6 GameCentral Published April 11, 2025 1:14pm Updated April 11, 2025 1:31pm GTA 6 – maybe Take-Two will accidentally leak its release date (Rockstar Games) Take-Two has accidentally revealed the release date of Mafia: The Old Country and in so doing has helped to narrow down the GTA 6 release date. Although no one will admit it outright, other publishers are terrified of GTA 6 and the effect it’ll have on game sales of other titles this year. The Switch 2 releasing in June, which is very unusual for a new console, is likely Nintendo wanting to avoid any crossover – since GTA 6 is going to eat up every bit of mainstream games coverage once it comes out. There’s also reports that several big name games will be delayed depending on when exactly GTA 6 is released. It’s assumed it will launch this autumn, but Rockstar Games owner Take-Two has said they’re leaving the second trailer, which will likely reveal the release date, to as late as possible. The only way to guess at when it might launch is to consider what other games Take-Two have out this year, since obviously they won’t want to cannibalise their own sales. Borderlands 4 is out on September 23, but it’s been impossible to say whether that will be before or after GTA 6 (although one can assume it’s not within at least two weeks of it either side). But now we know when Take-Two’s Mafia: The Old Country will be out, thanks to an accidental reveal on the game’s Steam page. The fact that the information was quickly removed suggests that not only was it true, but it wasn’t supposed to be known at this time, with Insider Gaming reporting that the original text said: ‘Mafia: The Old Country is available August 8, 2025. Pre-order now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, and stay tuned to the official Mafia website for more information.’ What’s the best guess for GTA 6’s release date? Unlike Borderlands 4, The Old Country does have some thematic and gameplay similarities with GTA 6, so you would think Take-Two would want to be extra sure the two don’t come out anywhere close to each other. More Trending A GTA 6 release before August 8 seems very unlikely, so this new information suggests it’s either the mid-point between The Old Country and Borderlands 4, i.e. somewhere around early September, or at least two weeks after September 23. Based on previous Rockstar Game releases, an October launch does seem the most likely but this leak suggests that early September is the absolute earliest you could hope for. What that will mean for other games is unclear and it’s going to be very interesting to see whether yearly sequels like EA Sports FC and Call Of Duty also try and get out of the game’s way. Currently, there aren’t many other big name games scheduled for the autumn but smaller titles like Hell Is Us and Directive 8020 may well decide to get out of the way once GTA 6’s release date is finally confirmed. Surely Mafia: The Old Country wouldn’t come out anywhere near GTA 6 (Take-Two) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Not a bargain (Sony Interactive Entertainment) After concerns at the price of Nintendo Switch 2 games, Sony has released a super expensive compilation for the two The Last Of Us titles. Nintendo is always unpredictable, but few would’ve guessed that the main talking point to come out of last week’s Switch 2 Direct would be the cost of video games. The fact that Mario Kart World is £74.99 for the physical version and £66.99 when bought digitally is worrying for all kinds of reasons, not least the fact that other publishers might follow suit – or charge even more. There are long-standing rumours that GTA 6 might cost £100 or more and that other publishers are egging on Take-Two so that they can charge a similar amount. At the moment it’s impossible to know whether that’s true but it’s not very encouraging to find out that the newly announced The Last Of Us Complete, which was first rumoured back in March, costs £109.99 for a physical edition and £94.99 for the digital version – despite both games having been out for some time already. The compilation contains remake The Last Of Us Part 1, which was originally released in 2022 for £69.99, and The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered, which was released last January for £44.99 – or via a £10 upgrade if you own the PlayStation 4 version. In theory, that means the Complete edition is slightly cheaper than buying the two games separately, except it’s very easy to get physical copies of both games at a considerable discount. Just looking at Amazon today, The Last Of Us Part 1 is only £44.77 and The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered is half price, if you have Prime, at £22.99. At GAME, Part 1 is a mere £34 and Part 2 only £34. The games have seen discounts digitally as well, although naturally Sony has made sure they’re currently being sold at their original, full price. There doesn’t seem to be any new content for the digital version but the physical edition, which is only available from PlayStation Direct, has a SteelBook case, four comic books, four lithographic art prints, and a thank you letter from director Neil Druckmann. More Trending The digital version is available now and is obviously being released to tie in to the start of season 2 of The Last Of Us TV show, which begins this weekend. Oddly, the physical edition won’t be out until July 10 though, after the season has finished. Season 2 will not cover all the events of The Last Of Us Part 2, which is so long it will have to be split up into multiple seasons. Druckmann has also warned that it will deviate more from the original story than season 1 did, so while playing the game will involve tons of spoilers, things won’t necessarily play out the same way in the show. At least the physical edition has some minor extras (Sony Interactive Entertainment) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Minecraft is bigger than ever (Credits: AP) The Friday letters page is concerned that the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is aging like milk, as one reader fears the summer showcases will be a disappointment. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Console to PC Just to break up the Nintendo Switch 2 discussions for a moment but I recently saw the Minecraft movie with my kids and… it definitely is a movie called Minecraft. It’s rubbish, of course, but then so was Super Mario Bros., so no matter how good Fallout and The Last Of Us might be on TV it doesn’t seem that video game movies will ever get good.They are definitely making a ton of money though, as my cinema was absolutely chocka, with overexcited teens, younger kids, and a lot of bemused parents. I feel there’s nothing I can usefully say about the movie, it’s exactly what you’d expect and most of it washed over me so quickly I can barely remember it now. Although I did like that Jack Black was barely taking his roles seriously, which helped me endure it. I went with my cousin and his kids, and I noticed that they quickly got into a fight with mine as to where and how they play the game, with my kids being ribbed for playing it on Switch and the others insisting it was better on PC. What I didn’t realise though, on investigating at home, is that it’s not actually on Steam, which I guess explains why it never shows up on those charts. If it did, would it be the number one game? I’ve got to assume it probably would. Anyway, for anyone else that didn’t know that you can get a free trial from the Microsoft website here. It looks like my kids are going to switch to playing the PC version now. A sign of the times in general, I think.Hammeriron Dance of the seven veils It really does feel like the Switch 2 is unravelling before our eyes. It’s over a week now and we still don’t know the price of half the games or the upgrades. Well, some countries seem to know the upgrade prices, and Welcome Tour, but rather than being cautious about America it seems it’s Europe that Nintendo is leaving to stew.Why do we still not know the prices? What are they waiting for? Why are they so intent on leaving excited fans confused and frustrated? This business over the Switch 2 Edition games is the worst, with everyone seemingly having a different story and Nintendo refusing to just say definitively what’s going on. And now we find out, also over a week later, that you’re expected to pay for the DLC for Zelda: Breath Of The Wild separately, even though it’s already £67? Why is this information only now leaking out? Do they actively want a steady stream of bad news? Is Sony in charge of their marketing?Rolo Ready and waiting Let’s be realistic, if Nintendo were going to delay the Switch 2 Direct due to uncertainty of tariffs it wouldn’t be by a day or a week, it would be indefinitely.American import tariffs are going to be a mess for a long time and with a 90 day pause announcement for everywhere but China it now looks like Americans could be waiting three to six months before any final agreements are made and it can actually go on sale over there.Tim GC: There’s no delay to the Switch 2’s launch in the US or anywhere else. Nintendo has already delivered plenty of stock there, before the tariffs. Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Third party prices The problem I have with all this Switch 2 price confusion is that I don’t think we’ve heard anything about third party prices yet. Who is going to buy the two-year-old Elden Ring on Switch 2 if it costs £70 but can be picked up for a third of that on other consoles and PC?The smartass answer is people that have only owned a Switch but are there really that many people that are in that position and would also be interested in buying big, complex triple-A games like Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake? I have my doubts, and I also doubt this will be anything but more bad news for Nintendo if every low effort port on the Switch is being charged at £60+.Gadfly Slab of electronics I don’t like these kind of arguments to drag but I just have to say that the European Mega Drive is the best looking console ever made. Do you mean to tell me the PC Engine is better looking than that? Would you just take time to behold the black beauty? It even had an earphone jack and a volume knob that made you feel like a DJ.It was even better looking than the Japanese one. Was the European Mega Drive designed in Europe? How could the Japanese allow it to be better looking than theirs? Anyway, happy I’ve made my statement. In parting, GC, could you give me your top five best looking consoles, not handhelds, of all time? See ya.Henry GC: As we said, our favourites are the PC Engine, Japanese/European SNES, and PS one. So maybe the Neo-Geo and Mega Drive I as well. Or perhaps the Wii and Xbox One S… there are too many consoles that are just a black slab. The Japanese Mega Drive had red highlights (Credits: Evan Amos Vanamo Media) Quiet summer Bit disappointing that Microsoft is already prepping what seems to be an underwhelming summer showcase. If The Outer Worlds 2 is what they’re going to spend the most time on… I don’t know how excited most people are going to be about that.I do think they have a good line-up though, with Fable, Gears Of War: E-Day, Perfect Dark, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Clockwork Revolution. I don’t know if any of them are big sellers – maybe Fable and Gears – but I’d say it’s a more varied line-up than they usually have, which is definitely a good thing. I assume they’ll have a couple of new reveals too, so maybe the new Halo remake and whatever Double Fine has been working on? I’m cautiously optimistic but if Sony is not sure whether it’s going to even have a proper showcase I’m not really feeling this year is going to be blowing me away with new reveals. I had hoped that Nintendo would make up for the quietness on the other side of the fence, but I wasn’t all that impressed by the Direct and I definitely expected more games to be announced. The only new IP I remember is that wheelchair basketball game, that looked like a cheapo indie game.Casper Console get! Just to say I beat Nintendo’s pre-order system in the end. I had to continually ask for the verification code 12 to 15 times, then they eventually all popped up in a row with the last one finally working. It wasn’t easy!I hope the console is worth it. Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Metroid do all look great. Now I just have to finish my current game Sekiro in time, let’s hope it’s not too hard…Ryan O’D The litmus test Someone was saying just the other day that it seems like a long time to have not heard anything about Devil May Cry 6 and now I read that there’s a Netflix show that’s doing really well (I had never heard of it till now).I’ll never watch it but if that means more money for Capcom, on top of the windfall they’re getting from Monster Hunter Wilds, then I am all for it. The new Onimusha is the first sign that they’re going to spend their money on crazy projects that they probably know won’t make much money but what they heck, they want to do it. For me this is the sign of a great publisher. It’s something you see Nintendo and Square Enix doing but never EA or Activision. Activision in particular is the exact opposite, because they’ve stopped making any games at all other than Call Of Duty. I’d cautiously add Microsoft to his list too, to be fair, although I’m not sure what they really expect of some of their games. Did they know South Of Midnight was going to do absolutely no business before they released it? They should have but did they also expect it to review well? I think they probably did. Nobody believes Xbox hype more eagerly than Microsoft. With all the talk of AI lately we’re in real danger of the art being taking out of video games completely, at least for non-indie games. The test I would say, is when a company is willing to make something because they want to and not just because they think it will sell loads.Bruff Inbox also-rans I don’t know what’s crazier about that Pokémon card story. The idea that a trading card saved a man’s life or that in America someone shooting through the wall of your house is only barely enough to wake you up.TollyIf they ever do release a Titanfall 3 I hope it comes out the same week as Half-Life 3, because that would probably destroy reality itself. I feel like I’ve been hearing about these no-show sequels for longer than I’ve been playing video games.MrTranzor More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew 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. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell out? 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More Nintendo Switch 2 small print makes Zelda deal even less appealing Michael Beckwith Published April 10, 2025 6:00pm Updated April 10, 2025 6:00pm Just because it’s a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, doesn’t mean it’s a complete edition (Nintendo) Anyone thinking of buying The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild’s enhanced Switch 2 port needs to know that it’s not a complete version of the game. Ever since the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase last week, it feels like every day has brought new details that have gradually diminished what should be an exciting time for fans. Not only is Nintendo selling its first party games at very high prices (with Mario Kart World in particular going for upwards of £75), but most games still lack exact UK prices and there have been conflicting statements on whether physical versions of Switch 2 Edition games even exist. Now, more than a week since the showcase, Nintendo has admitted to a small but no less crucial detail about the Switch 2 version of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild: it won’t include the DLC. As a reminder, despite the original being over eight years old at this point, Breath Of The Wild on Switch 2 is being sold for £66.99 physically (it may be cheaper digitally, but Nintendo hasn’t confirmed this yet). By comparison, the original Switch version is £55.99, both physically and digitally. This is arguably justified by it being an upgraded version that boasts an improved frame rate and visuals, as well as compatibility with a new Zelda Notes service, but the lack of DLC kind of sours the deal. If you had assumed this doubled as a complete edition of Breath Of The Wild, that bundled in the DLC, you’d be wrong. In a statement to IGN, Nintendo confirmed that Breath Of The Wild’s expansion pass will remain a separate purchase. The expansion pass is quite substantial and comes with a new difficulty level, a new dungeon, and new items, among other things and costs £17.99. So, anyone planning on purchasing a Switch 2 copy of Breath Of The Wild will presumably need to spend just under £85 for a complete package, making it more expensive than even Mario Kart World. That’s assuming there isn’t some kind of special discount for Switch 2 owners but, as with a worrying amount of other things, Nintendo hasn’t even mentioned the DLC yet. More Trending The upgrade price isn’t nearly so bad for anyone who already owns the Switch 1 version, since they can upgrade to the Switch 2 version for $10. There’s no confirmed UK price yet, but that probably means around £8. The Switch 2 version is also free for anyone subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, though you’ll still have to pay the extra £17.99 to access the DLC. Regardless, it’s bizarre that Nintendo wouldn’t just treat the Switch 2 version as a complete edition of the game and bundle the DLC with it. It’d certainly make it a more attractive offer to those who missed out on the original game, especially when there’s already outrage over how much Switch 2 games cost to begin with. For better or worse, sequel Tears Of The Kingdom doesn’t have any DLC, so at least you know you’re getting everything with that. The sequel, Tears Of The Kingdom, is also being upgraded for Switch 2 (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Everybody hates scalpers (Nintendo) Instead of buying Switch 2 pre-orders from scalpers, Nintendo fans are trying to have their listings taken down. Just as with any new hardware, it was inevitable that the Nintendo Switch 2 would become a popular target for scalpers. Fortunately, Nintendo knew this too and months ago announced it was taking measures to prevent it from happening. Nintendo’s efforts haven’t been foolproof though, as you’ll still find Switch 2 pre-orders being sold on eBay. Nintendo is charging £395.99 for the console, but eBay prices have been upwards of £700, which is how much a brand new PS5 Pro costs. Given how difficult it is to land a Switch 2 pre-order to begin with, regular fans have taken matters into their own hands and are encouraging others to snitch on the scalpers to eBay. According to eBay’s presale policy, listings for items marked for presale, like Switch 2 pre-orders, must ‘guarantee postage within 40 business days of purchase.’ Since the Switch 2 isn’t scheduled to launch until June 5, which is 56 days away at the time of writing, these pre-orders break the rule and thus shouldn’t be allowed on eBay to begin with. Not to mention that owning a pre-order is very different to owning the actual console. Scalpers obviously don’t have the Switch 2 on hand and considering their pre-orders could be cancelled for one reason or another, they can’t guarantee any buyer will get what they’re paying for. Several fans on the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit have detailed how to report these scalpers to eBay and have their listings removed. The most popular example is this thread by FroggoOwO, but other Redditors like No_Affect2755 and Ssjshafted claim to have successfully removed scalpers as well. A different thread by rmajor86 sees a number of commentors agreeing to do the same, although a few say their attempts haven’t been successful and others think the whole thing is pointless since the scalpers will just repost the listings at a later date. More Trending This isn’t a new practice though. People tried the exact same thing to prevent scalpers from selling pre-orders of The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom ahead of its launch in 2023. Nintendo did say it would try and counter scalpers by simply manufacturing more consoles, so hopefully it has enough of a stockpile to ensure the Switch 2 won’t sell out completely at launch. For now, it’s limiting pre-orders to those who’ve frequently used their original Switch and have had a Nintendo Switch Online subscription for at least two years. As such, there’s no option to pre-order the Switch 2 straight from Nintendo’s website, at time of writing. However, his doesn’t mean other retailers are following the same rules. The likes of Argos and Amazon have been offering pre-orders since last week and, unsurprisingly, they’ve been selling out quickly. If you can, be sure to pre-order the Mario Kart World bundle so you save money on the game (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Ideally, work on a new Devil May Cry game began long before the Netflix show dropped (Netflix) Capcom is hopefully paying attention to Devil May Cry’s hit new Netflix show and the effect it’s having on game sales on Steam. Last week saw Netflix launch its latest video game to TV adaptation: Devil May Cry, which is based on the Capcom series of the same name. Although it got some criticism for how it adapted the series’ lore and story, the Devil May Cry show has been another success story for Netflix, as it’s already been commissioned for a second season. Much like Amazon’s Fallout show, that success has led to a renewed interest in the games on PC (and probably console but that’s harder to track) which will hopefully incentivise Capcom to make a Devil May Cry 6. Devil May Cry 5 – the most recent entry in the series – has benefited the most, with over 10,000 players on Steam following the Netflix show’s debut on April 3. Get personalised updates on all things Netflix Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. The HD compilation of the first three games has also seen a noticeable uptick in players, jumping from a few hundred players to several thousands. Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition hasn’t enjoyed as much of a boost, but it still has hundreds more players than it did before and the same can be said for the controversial 2013 reboot. Devil May Cry 5 also managed to climb as high as number 12 on Steam’s global bestsellers list (for reference, Capcom’s newest release, Monster Hunter Wilds, is at number 10) and while it’s since dropped out of the top 20, it’s currently outperforming the likes of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6. It does help that Capcom is currently running a series-wide sale on Steam, to coincide with the Netflix show, with discounts of up to 75% on all the games and DLC. The sale will last until April 16. Is Capcom making Devil May Cry 6? Since it’s been six years since Devil May Cry 5 a sixth mainline entry has almost certainly been in development for some time now, regardless of the Netflix show. Although, the success, or otherwise, of shows on Netflix has never been to seen to have a direct effect on game development. Fallout 5 probably won’t be out this decade and its over 11 years since the last new Castlevania game. Per Capcom’s records, Devil May Cry 5 sold 8.9 million copies in its lifetime, making it the company’s 12th best selling game ever. It was also one of the first games to help kickstart the golden age Capcom is currently enjoying, so on that basis alone a sequel seems certain. That said, series director Hideaki Itsuno left Capcom last August, so perhaps Capcom is having trouble finding someone to take the reins for a sequel. Perhaps series creator Hideki Kamiya could be involved, since he’s already working on a new Ōkami game for Capcom. What games is Capcom releasing in 2025? Following the success of Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom’s next 2025 release is Capcom Fighting Collection 2 in May, which will compile another slate of retro fighting games. This includes the two Capcom Vs. SNK games and, most importantly, the Power Stone duology. More Trending Aside from that, Capcom has plans for an Onimusha 2 remaster in May and Nintendo Switch 2 ports for Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess and Street Fighter 6 in June. We also know the company is working on Resident Evil 9, but there’s been no proper reveal yet. There seems a good chance one will debut this year, at one of the bigger gaming showcases, be it Summer Game Fest or The Game Awards. Things have only been getting better and better for Capcom lately, with the success of Monster Hunter Wilds, and now Devil May Cry Netflix, likely to lead to the revival of even more dormant franchises – something they’ve been promising to do for a while now. As well as the new Ōkami game, they’ve already announced the first new Onimusha game in almost 20 years. We can only hope Dino Crisis is next as well as, perhaps, more classic franchises like Ghosts ‘N Goblins and Bionic Commando. A year ago, the prospect of a new Onimusha would have been laughable (Capcom) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Nintendo is making a mess of the Switch 2 reveal as confusion reigns over prices Michael Beckwith Published April 10, 2025 12:35pm Updated April 10, 2025 12:36pm Why has Nintendo been so vague with Switch 2 details? (Nintendo) After saying Switch 2 Edition games won’t have native Switch 2 versions, another statement from Nintendo now says the exact opposite. Earlier this week, a brouhaha kicked off when it was reported that physical versions of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games (upgraded re-releases of Switch 1 games) technically didn’t exist. According to a Nintendo customer support representative, physical copies come with the Switch 1 version and a download code for the upgrade. This quickly garnered a lot of outrage from fans and even accusations of false advertising. However, a new statement from Nintendo says the exact opposite and yet there’s still uncertainty around the issue and a number of other important details from last week’s Nintendo Direct. When we contacted Nintendo UK this week, for clarification on Switch 2 Edition games, they were unable to either confirm or deny whether physical Switch 2 Edition games would just be the Switch 1 versions plus a download code or an actual Switch 2 cartridge. Australian outlet Vooks received a very different and more concrete answer, presumably from Nintendo Australia: ‘Physical versions of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games will include the original Nintendo Switch game and its upgrade pack all on the same game card (i.e. they are exclusively Nintendo Switch 2 game cards, with no download code).’ They also added, ‘Some publishers may release Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games as download codes in physical packaging, with no game card.’ Although so far no third party Switch 2 Edition games have been announced. Taken at face value, physical Switch 2 Editions published by Nintendo will have the complete package on the cartridge, with no additional download required. However, there’s no obvious reason to think that Nintendo Australia are correct and the support representative isn’t, especially as the wording on the box cover is very ambiguous. Nintendo UK’s inability to either confirm or deny the situation also suggests that the matter is far from settled. Why Nintendo didn’t just make the situation clear from the start, or at least once the controversary began, is a mystery. If Nintendo Australia know what’s going on why doesn’t everyone else, and if Nintendo Australia is wrong why hasn’t a more senior division clarified the situation? It may be that the rules are different depending on the region, but that would be very strange. What’s more likely is that most regions do not know, or have been told not to say, and either Australia is guessing or is speaking out of turn (from Nintendo of Japan’s point of view). This isn’t the only example of Nintendo withholding information and inspiring wild speculation. Nintendo never revealed how much Switch 2 games cost during last week’s showcase, which left everyone scouring the internet for information and for a time many American fans mistakenly believed the games would cost as much as $90, based on a direct conversion of the European prices. At the time of writing, only two Switch 2 exclusives have official UK prices: Mario Kart World at £74.99 physically and £66.99 digitally, and Donkey Kong Bananza at £66.99 physically and £58.99 digitally. At the same time as we asked about the Switch 2 Editions we asked Nintendo about the price of Welcome Tour (which has been announced for other regions), Drag X Drive, and other titles but were told simply, ‘We don’t have anything to announce on that topic.’ Switch 2 Editions will cost £66.99 physically, but there’s no clue how much they will be digitally or what the upgrade cost is in the UK (we also asked about that). In the US, the two Legend Of Zelda games cost $10 each to upgrade, which would be about £8 each in the UK, but that’s only an estimation. More Trending Considering Nintendo has talked a lot about embracing variable pricing for its games, it’s assumed that some games, like Kirby: Air Riders and the new Hyrule Warriors, will cost less – perhaps around £50. If that’s true it would make it clearer that Mario Kart World is something of an exceptional case, but because Nintendo won’t reveal the other prices nobody knows for sure. Even things like the new wireless GameCube controller haven’t been thoroughly explained. Only recently was it discovered that the fine print for its announcement mentions that it’s only compatible with GameCube games on the Nintendo Switch Online service and thus can’t be used with Switch 2 games. It’s possible this is inaccurate, since Nintendo has said the same thing about previous retro controllers, which did turn out to work, but that only makes things worse. Between a lack of specific details (Nintendo didn’t even say how much the console cost during the showcase) and conflicting statements, the only thing that’s clear is that Nintendo has fumbled the ball and turned what should have been an exciting start to its next generation into an aggravating slog of ambiguous statements and educated guesses. Everyone missed that small, easy to miss text at the top (YouTube) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

That is not their intended use (The Pokémon Company) It turns out Pokémon trading card decks are sturdy enough to block a bullet, as one lucky fan found out to his surprise. There are many reasons to buy Pokémon trading cards, be it the game itself, the pleasure of collecting, or to hoard the rarest ones and sell them for exorbitant prices on eBay. Now, we can add one more reason to the list: because they act as an impromptu bulletproof shield, if someone tries to shoot you. This week, one fan shared a story online about how their own collection of Pokémon cards miraculously blocked a bullet aimed at their chest. The fan, known as LolaInSlacks88 on Reddit, didn’t have the cards in their breast pocket, like you see all the time in movies and TV shows, but nevertheless they did act as a shield to protect him from incoming fire. As they explained on the Pokémon Trading Card Game subreddit, they were asleep at home when they were awoken by loud explosions. Apparently, this was a common enough occurrence for LolaInSlacks88 to assume these were gunshots being fired by their neighbour. They believe the neighbour had accidentally fired their gun towards LolaInSlacks88’s house, as they found a hole in their wall next to a Tupperware bin containing their Pokémon card collection. Upon inspecting the bin, they found the bullet had been stopped by one of their card decks. Perhaps fittingly, it was a deck themed around the pokémon Incineroar, who is famously overpowered in the competitive circuit – at least for the video games. ‘The actual 9mm bullet was still inside the box. If it hadn’t been there, it would have likely struck me while I was asleep as it was level with my bed,’ wrote LolaInSlacks88, following up with an image of a police report (with personal info obviously blacked out) to prove they weren’t fibbing. More Trending ‘I’m okay, but I now count Incineroar as my guardian angel pokémon and have never been happier to have piles of cardboard in my box. You never know–they might stop a bullet!’ It doesn’t sound like their neighbour faced any consequences (the report says the police couldn’t find enough evidence to identify who was responsible), so LolaInSlacks88 can only hope it doesn’t happen again. In a reply to another Redditor, they said, ‘Of course no one admitted to doing it. But they stopped using their property like a shooting range, so hopefully they learned their lesson.’ Incinceroar’s already a fan favourite… or the most hated depending on who you ask (The Pokémon Company) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Mario Kart World does look good (Nintendo) The Thursday letters page has mixed reviews for the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order system, as one reader decides to get a Meta Quest 3 instead of a Switch 2. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Sliding scale I do love a new console launch, even and especially all the controversy over prices and pre-orders and whether it’s worth getting straight away. For me it’s a question for a new PlayStation but not really a Nintendo console. Well… there was the Wii U, but after the quality of the Switch 1 and the mostly positive Direct I’m committed to getting a Switch 2 at launch.Mario Kart World is clearly great and Donkey Kong Bananza probably too, so I have no doubts that it’ll be worth it right from the start. Things can go wrong after but that’s the same for any console, it’s just one of the risks you have to take. I’m not going in with eyes close though. The price of the games is definitely a concern but the third party games aren’t necessarily going to be that expensive and, let’s face it, Nintendo games don’t come out that often. Or at least not ones that they’re likely to charge £75 for – they’re not even doing that with Donkey Kong. I think Nintendo did make mistakes at the Direct and a big one was not saying how much the other games are. If they’d made it clear that things like Hyrule Warriors and Kirby: Air Riders are only £50 or so (they better be) then I think that would’ve helped to make things look a lot fairer. Strange to see such a veteran company make mistakes like that but, well, I already mentioned the Wii U.Tosh Robin from the poor Although I wasn’t lucky enough to receive an invite from Nintendo directly, I have to admit that I am fully supportive of their approach to Switch 2 pre-orders, and I do hope that Sony and others follow suit in the future.The invite system is a clear attempt to get consoles into the hands of their most loyal customers, rather than scalpers, and this is to be applauded. I was caught off guard by the online retailers on Friday and had a frustrating few hours trying to get orders through on various websites – well done to any ‘real’ people who got one but these systems are heavily biased towards bots and even as I was desperately trying to refresh a console into my basket I could already see that they were popping up on eBay for £650+. Now I know that for online retailers a sale is a sale, and having had a similar experience with the PlayStation 5 a few years ago, I of course have to remind myself that scalpers are just modern-day Robin Hood figures really. Or at least they would be if the version they are reading involved Robin paying a fair price to the rich for the goods he is intercepting, then offering them to the poor for twice as much. But it’s OK, because Robin does give some of the money he’s fleecing from people to charity. For the benefit of other readers, I would strongly recommend registering for updates from Currys, who along with Nintendo appear to be the exception to the free-for-all rule. Having been stuck at work last Friday, I feared the worst when I walked into the store at 9am the following morning but I was the only person there and within five minutes I’d managed to buy a Mario Kart bundle and Pro Controller with the minimum of fuss. It was a slightly anachronistic experience but entirely stress free and welcome! Going forward, I only hope that other console manufacturers and retailers are brave enough to learn from this.Dan Street Wither thou goest, Switch 2? Awful, just awful!This has happened so many times before with the Switch, then the Switch OLED, so I shouldn’t really be surprised that it’s happening again with the Switch 2! I’ve been a long-term Nintendo owner, from the barren Wii U years to the awesome Switch and Switch OLED years. I have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription with days of gameplay and I even got lucky with Switch 2 launch tickets too, but in some weird Nintendo way I didn’t get an invite from Nintendo Direct to buy one? Instead, I’ve gone elsewhere to get one. I just hope this situation isn’t going to happen with the games. When the Wii U was a flop there were almost no third party games and there weren’t enough first party games to make up the difference, leaving a withering platform.Jacob Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Stairway to heaven With the news of a Universal Studios theme park coming to the UK, does that mean we can expect a Nintendo World in due time?Would be a great way for Nintendo to capitalise on a chance to promote itself in one of its weaker markets. In other news, with Rainbow Road being confirmed for Mario Kart World, and the new addition of driving to the next circuit, will we be seeing some kind of escalating highway to reach the spacey heights of Rainbow Road? That would be a sight to behold as opposed to a barrel blast into space!Bad Edit Any port in a storm So, luck was on my side. Amazon has come through for me, as unfortunately I didn’t receive an invite to purchase the console from Nintendo. Still, I was very lucky indeed. As soon as I secured my pre-order it’s unavailable. That quickly it went out of stock, I’m still quite flabbergasted.I also wanted to talk about some of the ports, that are being developed for the Switch 2. I appreciate Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. I’d also deeply appreciate a port release of the hardest title I’ve ever played, the legendary Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It would drive sales further and I think it would run amazing on the hardware. We never saw a port of Dark Souls 2 or 3 for the original Switch and, for me personally, only featuring the first game was disappointing. Sekiro deserves to be featured on Nintendo’s brand and, let’s be honest, they would jump at the opportunity to feature another title that is overpriced, just as Mario and Zelda are. A match made in heaven. I’ll keep the faith and my joy at securing a pre-order intact.Shahzaib Sadiq Capricious Day I disagree with GC’s assertion that Nintendo erred by not delaying its Switch 2 Direct in light of the tariffs.First, Trump had taken a capricious approach to tariffs since January. He announced tariffs on Mexico and Canada, then delayed them after getting some minor concessions; implemented them a month later before delaying most of them again a couple of days later. Reasonable doubt, then, that ‘Liberation Day’ would actually go ahead. Also, the consensus from experts was that the tariffs were worse than expected. While the measures against China and the EU were not a surprise, those against Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia were – and foiled Nintendo’s plans to avoid the tariffs against China. Most important is the reputational damage a delay would have caused. While America is a huge market for Nintendo, there is worldwide interest in the Switch 2. Also worldwide is a growing anti-American sentiment, due to the administration’s rhetoric towards Greenland, Gaza, Canada, and many other places. If Nintendo delayed its much-anticipated reveal due to American political machinations, they would have been judged as weak and kowtowing to America. Especially in their home country – let’s not forget that Japan has its own nationalist streak. (Just as I’m writing this, I learned that pre-orders have been delayed in Canada, too. Further proving that delaying the Direct would have been pointless as key details on pre-orders and a possible price increase are still hazy one week later.) I think Nintendo may silently be thanking Trump though, for taking some of the heat off them. If Americans suddenly have to pay $100-$150 extra for the console, the anger will be directed at him and only him.Mike GC: We’d say the reputational damage of having to delay pre-orders in North America is much worse than simply delaying the whole Direct by a day, but what’s done is done. We certainly pity the Nintendo bean counter that has to give advice on what to do now. Missing out I have had the complete opposite experience to TGN Professor. The Switch pre-order system has been a complete nightmare, I wish I had ordered from Amazon, as I usually do. The verification code sent to my email takes too long to arrive then doesn’t work. I’ve had five codes and can’t get in.Nintendo customer service’s answer was basically ‘tough, keep trying’. I wasted a whole day on it yesterday and still have no pre-order. This is one of the only Nintendo consoles I won’t have at launch. I am one very unhappy customer.Ryan O’D GC: There’s still time, stores like Argos and Amazon seem to be getting new stock in pretty regularly. Virtual upgrade Finally, the Switch 2 reveal and Direct have come to pass. This successor looks the part but I’m not quite sure whether I actually want one just yet. I tend to wait until well into a console’s lifespan before taking the plunge and I see this as being no different after the Direct. It seemed akin to a new iPhone reveal, where the differences are purely incremental.Nothing wrong with building on a proven success but it’s just not enough to warrant an early adoption. I’ll wait a few years until I’ve let everyone else put it to the test, before I decide an upgrade is worth it. There are still so many great games that I’ve yet to play on my current model. I’m in full agreement with what reader Owen Pile wrote about on Monday, in defence of high game prices compared to the cost of an activity that may only last a few hours for much the same cost. I did write in after the Batman: Arkham Shadow review, questioning whether it was worth getting a Meta Quest 3 to play it, given the price I’ve paid for a disappointing holiday. In light of what I’ve seen of the Switch 2 and the emergence of Alien: Rogue Incursion, along with existing titles like Resident Evil 4 VR and Saints & Sinners 2, I’m now almost definitely going to put the money I’d ring fenced for an impulse Switch 2 purchase towards the Meta Quest 3. My PlayStation VR needs an upgrade and upgrading to PlayStation VR2 just can’t be justified, given that I’m still using PlayStation 4 along with the fact that Sony seemed to abandon it soon after launch. I know VR isn’t for everyone but I’m very much a fan of it. I’ve started researching the Meta Quest 3 in earnest now and reviews are positive. I’d gratefully appreciate any feedback on the unit from any readers that own one, before I click on the payment button.D Dubya GC: PlayStation VR2 doesn’t work with the PlayStation 4, you’d be buying a very expensive sleep mask. Inbox also-rans Just a heads up that there’s hefty discounts on Jusant (£9), Cocoon (£12) and Gloomhaven (£15) on PSN at the moment, if you fancy playing something good without splashing too much cash.Matt (He_who_runs_away – PSN ID)GC: Jusant and Cocoon are great, we strongly recommend them. Apparently the Switch 2 Enhanced Edition games contain the game and update on the cartridge, and are native Switch 2 games.LoRd SiNn GC: We’ve tried to clarify this with Nintendo, but they won’t offer any confirmation or denial. Once there’s a definitive answer we’ll do a story on it. More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew 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. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell out? GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Yes, it’s time for your yearly Titanfall 3 rumour (EA) A sequel to Respawn’s beloved Titanfall 2 might actually be happening, as a prominent leaker claims it will be announced next year. Titanfall 2 is one of the most celebrated first person shooters of the past decade, but the chances of a sequel have always felt slim after it failed to meet EA’s sales expectations. This sentiment was amplified by the success of Respawn’s follow-up shooter, Apex Legends, which is set within the Titanfall universe but shares little DNA in terms of mechanics, with the former being a free-to-play battle royale shooter with no giant robots. Despite this, there have been Titanfall 3 rumours for years, although none have amounted to anything tangible. A prominent Apex Legends leaker, however, claims that not only is Titanfall 3 real, it is ‘almost complete’. Last week, insiders Osvaldatore and Yorotsuki, who are both known for leaks for Apex Legends, claimed Titanfall 3 is in development and will be announced at The Game Awards 2025 ‘at the earliest’, before it is released in 2026. Following these claims, Osvaldatore shared more alleged details about the sequel on X. In the post, he claims Titanfall 3 is being developed in Unreal Engine 5 and will feature a single-player campaign, along with being a live service title with battle passes – which suggests the multiplayer portion might be available separately. The most interesting claim is that the sequel’s ‘main’ multiplayer mode will be Extraction based, presumably akin to Escape From Tarkov. Past modes from Titanfall 2 will apparently be included though, like Team Deathmatch and Control. According to the leaker, Titanfall 3 will also feature characters from Apex Legends and a weather system, although there are no specifics on either. More Trending As with all rumours, it’s best to take this with a grain of salt, but it is the most substantial claim yet of a potential Titanfall 3. The big question is whether Titanfall 3 could succeed, both in the current gaming landscape and amongst EA’s future slate. A sequel might eat into Apex Legends’ audience and EA is already putting a lot of resources into fellow online shooter Battlefield 6, so Titanfall 3 could threaten to jeopardise both. If it is true, Respawn have a lot of projects in the works, between its ongoing support of Apex Legends and developing the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It is also co-developing an upcoming Star Wars strategy game, which is set to be revealed on April 19. Still one of the best shooters ever (EA) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Xbox summer showcase headliner is The Outer Worlds 2 not Fable Adam Starkey Published April 9, 2025 4:47pm Updated April 9, 2025 4:47pm Showcase season is nearly here (Microsoft) Microsoft has confirmed the date and time of its annual Xbox showcase in June, but it sounds like it might be a disappointingly low-key one. Nintendo’s announcement of the Switch 2 launch date on June 5 may have swallowed up all the attention over the past few weeks, but it’s only the opening salvo in a months long parade of similar showcases, from various different companies. Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, aka not quite E3, is set to air a day after the console’s launch on June 6, and now Microsoft has announced its annual summer showcase will take place within the same week. As announced by Microsoft, the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 will be livestreamed on Sunday June 8 at 6pm UK time, or 10am PT/1pm ET in the US, across YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. There are no details on how long the showcase will be, but it will be followed by a Direct dedicated to The Outer Worlds 2. Microsoft has done a similar double feature over the past couple of years, with Starfield and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, respectively, but The Outer Worlds 2 doesn’t feel quite as anticipated as those. Its billing implies The Outer Worlds 2 will be Microsoft’s big game for the second half of 2025. Ninja Gaiden 4 is also slated to launch later this year, but as developer Obsidian Entertainment are owned by Microsoft, The Outer Worlds 2 perhaps makes more sense as the central focus. This suggests many already announced Xbox games will not be released until next year at the earliest. Fable has already been delayed to 2026, but State Of Decay 3, Everwild, Perfect Dark, and Gears Of War: E-Day are all currently without a release date. Many of these games may well be featured in the showcase but by not getting the 30-minute spotlight at the end, it implies none of them are out this year. As is to be expected from a showcase, there’s a strong chance of some surprise announcements. A remastered Gears Of War collection has been rumoured for years, while we could also see an official reveal for the in-development Xbox handheld. Rumourmonger eXtas1s also suggests that Hollow Knight: Silksong will befeatured, but it was already at the Nintendo Direct – for about five seconds – so that’s not necessarily anything to get excited about. In what might be another hint towards a quieter release slate, this year’s showcase will be a digital-only presentation. ‘We will not have a theatre experience for fans and media this year,’ Microsoft said (via The Verge’s Tom Warren). Xbox FanFest, an in-person event which typically coincides with the showcase in Los Angeles, has also been pushed back to a later date. More Trending Regardless, coupled with the Switch 2’s launch, June looks set to be a big month for game announcements, given Nintendo and Sony are also likely to have equivalent events. Nintendo’s normal late June slot seems a given, since the Switch 2 will only just have launched at that point, while current rumours suggest that Sony is trying to decide the scale of their preview show. Insider Jeff Grubb has previously said that PlayStation is ‘debating’ whether to make their usual summer event a proper showcase or a smaller State Of Play presentation. He suggested this week that they’ve likely now decided, but there’s no indication of which way they went. Despite being published by Xbox, The Outer Worlds 2 is set to launch on PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. Will the sequel be a big hit? (Microsoft) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Only two months to go (Picture: @ChickenDog64) Eager fans have already started lining up for the Switch 2 in the US, despite the console being two months away. The dominance of online shopping and digital downloads has made midnight launches for games sadly redundant in the modern world, but some YouTubers are keeping the in-store dream alive for the Switch 2. The person leading this crusade is ChickenDog, who began waiting outside the Nintendo Store in New York on April 5, to be the first in line to pick up a Switch 2, two months before it launches on June 5, 2025. He’s been documenting his wait outside the store ever since, with YouTube videos showing him playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in a car outside, and attending the Switch 2 Experience event within the city. While he describes it as ‘camping out’, in a follow-up video ChickenDog states he has access to a hotel and Airbnb, so he won’t be roughing it on the streets. Nevertheless, it’s a long time to be loitering around the Nintendo store in the name of content. He isn’t the only person dedicated to the cause in the US. Fellow YouTuber, Super Café, has lined-up outside the Nintendo Store in San Francisco, which hasn’t even opened yet. The new store is set to open on May 15, ahead of the Switch 2’s launch in June. Unlike ChickenDog though, Super Café is largely going solo in his venture. ‘This is going to be a solo mission for the most part,’ he states. ‘What I’m trying to say is I’m going to skip a couple of showers if I have to, alright.’ Both of these stunts are inspired by YouTuber Alex CND, who previously waited outside the Nintendo Store in New York for a month so he could be the first person to pick up a Nintendo Switch in 2017. More Trending His final video, which features Doug Bowser before he became the president of Nintendo of America, notched up over 1 million views. As the next system is called the Switch 2, both these YouTubers are trying to top Alex CND by waiting outside for two months. Will they manage to do it? How much fast food will be consumed within the interim? We’ll have to wait and see. If you’re looking to purchase a Nintendo Switch 2 but don’t fancy being exposed to the elements, pre-orders are available now at select retailers in the UK and Europe. Pre-orders in the US and Canada, however, have been delayed due to the recently announced tariffs. Mario Kart World leads the console’s launch-up, although the cost of the game itself (£74.99 for a physical version) has caused some commotion. Mario Kart World is the main draw (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Why Nintendo games never see a price cut explained: ‘This isn’t Ubisoft’ Adam Starkey Published April 9, 2025 11:17am Updated April 9, 2025 11:17am Mario Kart World – don’t expect to see a price cut (Nintendo) Former Nintendo employees have revealed the company’s approach to pricing their games, amid the furore around the cost of Switch 2 titles. Last week’s Nintendo Switch 2 blowout may have delivered big game reveals and other surprises, but the conversation around the console since has been dominated by the price of its games. While the console is priced fairly reasonably at £395.99, the £74.99 physical price for Mario Kart World has become a bone of contention. The conversation around the issue has been amplified by US President Donald Trump’s recent wave of tariffs, which caused Nintendo to delay pre-orders in the US and Canada, as it assesses the possibility of a price increase for the hardware. The outrage around Mario Kart World’s price partially stems from how Nintendo rarely reduces the price of its games after launch. If you’ve ever wondered why that is, former employees at Nintendo have provided insight into the company’s rationale on the topic. Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who previously worked at Nintendo as PR managers for over 10 years, discussed Nintendo’s approach to pricing games on the Kit & Krysta podcast, where they described the company as the polar opposite to other publishers like Ubisoft. ‘We did see, in the last stretch of our tenure at Nintendo, them get really obsessed and fixated on the value of the Nintendo product,’ Ellis said. ‘We would sometimes get approached, like ‘Can we do a giveaway of this product? Can we get five copies and we’ll do a giveaway to our community’. And if we’d ever take those [requests] to Japan for example, for them to consider it, we would often get a long lecture – especially in the last couple of years that we were there, like: ‘Nintendo products have immense value, we must always respect that immense value’. He added: ‘This is why these things don’t go on sale. The value is the value and we [Nintendo] are seriously into that concept of ‘respect the value of what this thing is that we have made, because it is very special.’ Ellis then joked, ‘This isn’t Ubisoft’, as Yang replied: ‘It’s not like the Ubisoft situation where I always tell myself, ‘If I wait a month, will this get cheaper?’ As a Nintendo customer, fan, I feel like all of us are conditioned to [be like], ‘If I want to buy this, I might as well buy this now, because it’s not going to go on sale’.’ ‘It’s a Nintendo tax,’ Ellis added. ‘You could always say, them looking at it [like], ‘what we made was $60. A lot of those other games that are $60 are junk. They don’t have the Nintendo level of quality or polish or attention, so we do need to distinguish how premium this thing is through the pricing, and you will come to understand that’.’ Prior to the Switch generation, Nintendo used to discount its best-selling games after a few years through the Player’s Choice or Nintendo Selects label. It’s unclear why this stopped after the Wii U and 3DS consoles, but this renewed focus on ‘Nintendo value’ might have something to do with it. Even before that though Nintendo has been worried about the general value of video games becoming devalued, with former president Satoru Iwata warning that the rise of mobile games was in danger of making it seems as if no title was worth more than a few pounds. And that was before the advent of live service games. ‘If you lower the price over time, the manufacturer is conditioning the customer to wait for a better deal,’ said Iwata in the book As Iwata by Hobonichi. ‘Of course, this doesn’t mean that I’m against lowering prices entirely, but ‘I’ve always wanted to avoid a situation where the first people to step up and support us feel punished for paying top dollar.’ The Ubisoft comparison is apt because the company seems to have fallen into exactly the trap that Iwata describes, as most gamers now expect their games to be heavily discounted after only a few months. This came to a head with Star Wars Outlaws, which was released only a few months before Black Friday – when it did indeed see substantial discounts. More Trending The game’s relative failure partially contributed to the company’s current financial turmoil, although Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which launched last month, has performed much better. To hammer the point home, Star Wars Outlaws, which launched in August last year, is currently 50% off on the PlayStation Store seven months later. By comparison, most Nintendo Switch first party games are still the same price they were eight years ago, which has done nothing to hurt their sales given Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for example, is one of the best-selling video games of all time, with close to 70 million copies sold. If you’re looking to pick up Mario Kart World at a cheaper price, your best bet is the £429.99 Switch 2 bundle with a digital copy of the game. Pre-orders are up now at select retailers, with the console set to launch on June 5, 2025. The Switch 2 launches in June (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. 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Have you ordered yours yet? (Nintendo) The Wednesday letters page thinks The Duskbloods was the worst part of the Nintendo Direct, as one reader worries that Zelda: The Wind Waker HD won’t be on Switch 2. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Smooth sale There has been some justified criticism of Nintendo’s handling of the Switch 2 launch, from unclear messaging to the decision to make the big announcement on the same day the global economy imploded, but I really want to praise them for how well the pre-order system went.I signed in on my lunch break at work, needing just a link in the invite email and a confirmation code to my phone. This put me about 10th in the queue and I was signed in within a minute, then just a quick process to put in my order for a Mario Kart bundle and Pro Controller. Compare this to the standard process where I have to get up at the crack of dawn, attempt to sign into five different overloaded websites, then get stuck in interminable queues before being told they all got bought by botnets two seconds after going live. If Sony and Microsoft are going to copy any of Nintendo’s ideas, please add the invite system to the list.TGN Professor Golden ticket I’ve said a lot in the Underbox about price, but what an earth did you have to do to actually get a Nintendo invite? Our household has three Switches (bought from Nintendo at various times), 100+ hours on Animal Crossing, the Zeldas, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart, plus considerable play on a whole multitude of Nintendo games bought digitally (yes I know, I know).I’ve been a member online since the programme started, had a Wii U, etc. I’m gutted not to have had an invite! Have you heard anything on the grapevine? I’ve got an Amazon invite but given how they send consoles (no packaging/missing innards/late) I’d really hoped to buy from Nintendo.team_catcave GC: Amazon and Argos got in new stock on Tuesday, but it’s gone now. Although that suggests they’ll keep getting in more at regular intervals. Getting lucky So, on a whim, I have just checked pre-order availability of the Switch 2 on Argos. I was able to pre-order the console with Mario Kart World, a camera, and a second Joy-Con controller with no issues.This surprised me as I thought it would have already sold out – especially as I was just logging on at 15:00 on the 15th as an afterthought. I have an email confirming it will be delivered on release day ‘direct from their suppliers’, i.e. Nintendo. Given how late it is in the afternoon I didn’t expect to be successful. Even better I had a 10% discount code and £40 of Nectar points. Let the good times roll! Does this mean that, perhaps, the Switch 2 will not be the mega hit we all expected? Is it because of the negativity around the Direct? Or did I just get lucky? Who knows? But I’m not complaining.Geoff GC: The 15th? Do you have a TARDIS? Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Very odd I was going to write in and say that’s another bang average game from Compulsion Games with their South Of Midnight offering (following Contrast with 65 at Metacritic and We Happy Few with 64), but the Metacritic score of 77 from 71 outlets, so far, says otherwise.The three review sites I generally read are yourselves, Eurogamer, and TrueAchievements, who have given scores that equate to 50% and two 60% scores, respectively. Not a ringing endorsement. It seems odd how Microsoft kept faith with them, but shut down Tango Gameworks after they produced a critically acclaimed game…NatorDom Currently playing: Animal Well before it leaves PS Plus Premium/Extra on the 15th.Non-definitive edition It’s great that GameCube games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online on Switch 2.This means we’ll be able to replay old classics such as Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and Zelda: The Wind Waker but why is no one else upset that it means The Wind Waker HD Version is now stuck on the Wii U? I can’t see Nintendo releasing the same game twice on the same console. As soon as I saw the GameCube reveal in the recent Nintendo presentation, I simultaneously exclaimed ‘Yes’ and ‘Oh no’ at the same time!LeighDappa GC: They definitely mentioned all the games running at higher resolution, so it’s probably not much different than the remaster. Who knows what Nintendo would charge for that though, if they ported the Wii U version. Six out of 10 I was surprised by the comments from Shuhei Yoshida about the Nintendo Direct, as I always thought of him as very impartial and not a PlayStation zealot, despite working for Sony for so long. So, I found his remarks about too many remakes and ports to be very strange.I’m not sure what he’s even really referring to. I guess the various third party games but that was hardly the focus of the Direct. Nobody’s going to buy a Switch 2 to play Elden Ring or Final Fantasy 7 Remake but knowing they’re there is a very good thing, and proof that it will have better third party support than previous Nintendo systems. Very little time was spent on them either, so I’m not sure why fixated on that. If he’d complained about too many sequels, I could’ve understood that but It’s been over a decade since the last Mario Kart and Donkey Kong isn’t a sequel (I could’ve done without wasting time on Hyrule Warriors 3 though). He didn’t seem to factor in Nintendo’s first party games at all, which was also strange considering that’s the main reason most people buy their consoles. And then he called the reveal of The Duskbloods to be the best part, when I found it the most disappointing. I was very excited at first but when I found out it was multiplayer only my interest vanished, and I know I’m not the only one.Soba Work of art Last night I played and completed The Procession To Calvary on Switch. It’s a point ‘n’ click game that uses art from paintings for its world and characters.It’s very funny, sometimes gory (you can draw your sword and ‘interact’ with people) and doesn’t outstay its welcome, taking just a couple of hours to play through it. It’s currently on sale on Switch for about a fiver and it’s well worth that, maybe not as much at full price.Euclidian Boxes Hold fire I’ve recently been playing Sniper Elite 5 and have had a lot of fun sniping Nazis from across the maps. However, as fun as the main game is, it’s been the side quest to find and destroy the three stone eagles hidden within each level which I’ve been enjoying the most.At first they were quite easy to spot, being perched atop a church or other official looking building, but in later levels they really are quite deviously placed, often requiring you to be looking through a specific window from a particular vantage point at some nondescript part of the scenery to spot them. I’ve probably spent just as long hunting for them as I have been playing the main game but the satisfaction I get when I finally locate one of them, line up a shot, squeeze the trigger and see the eagle shatter to pieces in glorious slow-mo is very rewarding. So with that being said, you can imagine my surprise and the big cheesy grin which spread across my face when I came across this little fella when I was on a bike ride recently around my local neighbourhood. The urge to hunker down in tall grass and start taking pot shots is strong. I must resist!Heinz57 Wherever this is, the weather’s lovely (Heinz57) Inbox also-rans I just licked one of my Nintendo Switch cartridges and I can confirm to you that nobody should ever think of licking a Nintendo Switch cartridge.LoboI will never understand these truck driving games and other purposefully boring simulators. Why would you pretend to do a job where the most exciting thing that ever happens is stopping at a service station to get a bacon sandwich? And you can’t even eat a virtual sandwich!Focus That Marvel Cosmic Invasion looks great but I wish they’d do a DC Comics version, we fans never seem to get fun stuff like that. Or the dream of Marvel Vs. DC. I would love that so much.Rem91 Would just like to agree with GC that the PC Engine is a sexy console, as is the non-American SNES. I’m also partial to the PlayStation 2. It’s a bit of a monolith but I think it looks better than other slabs, like the Xbox Series X/S. The Xbox One was pretty good though.Winston More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew 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. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 sell out? GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. 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Blue Prince creates a different manor every day (Raw Fury) The latest indie hit is also a surprise game of the year contender, as you try to discover the secrets of your great uncle’s mysterious manor. Since the early 1990s, when Myst and Riven wowed gamers with their pre-rendered CD-ROM graphics, puzzle games have been perfectly content not to explain themselves, letting players infer far more about their plot and setting than they’re explicitly told. And that’s certainly not something that’s gone away in the last few decades, with titles like Gorogoa, Return Of The Obra Dinn, The Talos Principle, and Lorelei And The Laser Eyes proving utterly inscrutable for most, if not all, of their play times. It adds to the air of mystery and helps keep an open mind when you go about solving what can be pretty oblique puzzles. Blue Prince is a little different. It begins by setting out exactly what you’re doing and why, even if its explanation poses more questions than it answers. Baron Herbert Sinclair has died, leaving his estate to you, his grandnephew, with the single stipulation in his will that you will only inherit it if you can locate the 46th room in his 45 room mansion. There are other rules. You’re not allowed to stay overnight, all the items and tools you need for your exploration must remain inside the house, and you’re not allowed to bring anyone in from the outside world. You swiftly discover that’s because Blue Prince has a roguelite structure, and that the house is completely dismantled at the end of each day, ready for you to help build it again from scratch the next morning using a special blueprint. That means you begin each session with just an entrance hall, its doors facing North, East and West. Played from a first person perspective, when you approach one of the doors you’re presented with three random rooms. Some have useful items, others have plenty of doors so you can expand your map more easily, while others have debuffs that in most circumstances you’d want to avoid. Placing a room on the house’s blueprint instantly builds it, so when you walk through the door, it opens into the room you’ve just designated, letting you collect anything inside and use its doors – if it has any – to build new rooms, corridors, and store cupboards. You’re limited in your house building endeavours by the number of footsteps you take. Starting each day with 50, you use one each time you enter a room, with some knocking more from your total depending on their type. While you can top them up by eating food you find around the house, or receiving buffs from certain rooms, the number of footsteps you’ve taken is a constant consideration in your travels and discourages unnecessary backtracking. Run out of steps and it’s time to end the day and start again from that lonely entrance hall, but that’s just one of the things that ends runs that typically last 30 to60 minutes. You’ll also find yourself boxed in, your layout reaching the edges on both sides, or having all available doors plugged by dead ends. Generally, cul-de-sac rooms also have upsides, like giving you free footsteps or keys used to enter locked doors. But there are other times you place them by accident. If your selection of three rooms contains two that require a special crystal, and you’re fresh out of crystals, you can be forced to build rooms you would usually prefer not to. While not beautiful, Blue Prince’s cel-shaded art style is more than enough to provide an atmospheric and consistent backdrop to your exploration. It’s also highly polished and completely bug free, its interface proving clean and responsive. Laying down rooms and entering them is quick and seamless, giving runs a wonderful sense of flow that really lets you get lost in your task. Its puzzles are similarly pithy. Most runs will feature both the Billiard Room, where you’ll find an increasingly complex mathematical puzzle built into a dartboard, and the Parlour, which has a logic game constructed around three treasure boxes, each of which has a statement on it that may or may not be true. They’re brain teasing but pleasantly so, taking seconds rather than minutes to solve. The real puzzle is the house, which has a tantalising antechamber permanently fixed in the centre of the farthest northern reach of your blueprint. You’re led to understand that it’s the gateway to what may be the 46th room, but just reaching the antechamber, let alone opening one of its four doors, is a puzzle of its own. The blueprint is everything (Raw Fury) You’ll also find certain rooms interact with one another. Sometimes that confers extra bonuses, but other times rooms’ relationships are more essential. The Pump Room supplies or removes water from other rooms, while another gives them power. The Security Room lets you change how keycard doors work, but only in concert with the breaker box – which you’ll find in a Utility Closet. Or there’s the Laboratory that lets you conduct ‘experiments’ that offer rewards when you build specific rooms or trigger certain events. Unlocking new rooms as you progress, which are retained for subsequent runs, you’re rated on how many you’ve managed to add to your blueprint at the end of each day; the game acknowledging their layout and composition in its final appraisal of that day’s results. You can also find tools. The metal detector for example, highlights extra coins and keys; the lockpick opens some doors without using up a key, while the Coat Check lets you save a single item and reclaim it another day. The game advises you to have a pen and paper handy to make notes, and it’s not kidding. While some gamers won’t be fans of that idea, we found writing things down was all but essential unless you have a photographic memory. There are more than enough mysteries to unpick without the added challenge of forgetting some you already know the answers to. More Trending There are moments of frustration – being forced to box yourself in when you were previously having a really good run or exhausting your supply of keys or footsteps just before getting to the anteroom do not inspire joy. There are also sometimes fairly lengthy periods where you don’t feel as though you’re making any progress at all, with runs finishing without any major breakthroughs, but then you’ll get a big step up making everything feel exciting again. The obscurity of its overarching challenge, roguelite structure, and having to write things down won’t appeal to everyone. Neither will its mid-budget art style and sense of gradually evolving repetition. But if those things sound intriguing, Blue Prince (which pun fans may already have spotted references blueprints) is a fascinating slow building game that rewards persistence and curiosity like few others. Blue Prince review summary In Short: A beautifully made first person puzzle roguelite that demands tenacity and patience (and writing things down) to unravel its fascinating mysteries. Pros: Brilliantly realised mechanics, sparse interface without a bug in sight, and a slow drip feed of new rooms and interactions that keep it feeling fresh. Cons: Some runs can feel as though you’re making no progress and requiring pen and paper will be off-putting to some. Score: 8/10 Formats: PlayStation 5* (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: TBAPublisher: Raw FuryDeveloper: DogubombRelease Date: 10th April 2025Age Rating: 3 *available on PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, Game Pass Ultimate, and PC Game Pass from day one Some rooms are more mysterious than others (Raw Fury) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Astro Boy wins again (BAFTA/Getty Images) Astro Bot has won the lion’s shares of this year’s trophies at the Bafta Games Awards, with Still Wakes The Deep picking up three. Most organisations had their yearly game awards some time ago, with Astro Bot wining Game of the Year at The Game Awards in December – although we named Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth our favourite title of 2024, in our own Top 20 list. The Bafta Games Awards are always heavily biased towards British developers, while seemingly reticent to acknowledge Asian titles, but this year they didn’t have any choice and Sony’s Astro Bot picked up Best Game, Best Animation, Audio Achievement, Family, and Game Design. That was the most of any game, but the British made Still Wakes The Deep won three, for New Intellectual Property, Performer in a Leading Role, and Performer in a Supporting Role. Helldivers 2 won twice for Multiplayer and Best Music, while other winners included Balatro for Debut Game, Metaphor: ReFantazio for Narrative, and Tales of Kenzera: Zau for Game Beyond Entertainment. Previous Best Game winner Vampire Survivors picked up the Evolving Game award, the otherwise disappointing Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 won for Technical Achievement, and Thank Goodness You’re Here! picked up the British Game award. More Trending However, perhaps the most deserved winner of the night was former Capcom composer Yoko Shimomura, who was responsible for the iconic Street Fighter 2 soundtrack, as well as everything from Super Mario RPG and Final Fantasy 15 to multiple titles in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. She was awarded a Bafta Fellowship, which puts her alongside such gaming luminaries as Shuhei Yoshida, Hideo Kojima, Tim Schafer, John Carmack, David Braben, Rockstar Games, Gabe Newell, Peter Molyneux, Shigeru Miyamoto, Nolan Bushnell, and Will Wright. Not to mention Stanley Kubrick, Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench, and Floella Benjamin. The awards were hosted by comedian Phil Wang and considered titles between November 25, 2023 and November 15, 2024, with some restrictions on eligibility of remakes and DLC. Yoko Shimomura deserves her Fellowship (Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock) Bafta Games Awards 2025 winners Winners are indicated in bold ANIMATION Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 development team – Treyarch, Raven Software/Activision Lego Horizon Adventures development team – Guerilla Games, Studio Gobo/Sony interactive Entertainment Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Thank Goodness You’re Here! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 development team – Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Black Myth: Wukong development team – GameScience/GameScience Harold Halibut – Ole Tillmann, Fabian Preuschoff, Onat Hekimoglu/Slow Bros. Neva development team – Nomada Studio/Devolver Digital Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Still Wakes The Deep development team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode AUDIO ACHIEVEMENT Animal Well – Billy Basso/Bigmode Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Helldivers 2 development team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Star Wars Outlaws development team – Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft Still Wakes The Deep development team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode BEST GAME Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Balatro – LocalThunk/Playstack Black Myth: Wukong development team – GameScience/GameScience Helldivers 2 development team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom development team – Nintendo EPD, Grezzo/Nintendo Thank Goodness You’re Here! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic BRITISH GAME A Highland Song development team – Inkle Ltd Lego Horizon Adventures development team – Guerilla Games, Studio Gobo/Sony interactive Entertainment Paper Trail development team – Newfangled Games/Newfangled Games Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Still Wakes The Deep development team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode Thank Goodness You’re Here! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic DEBUT GAME Animal Well – Billy Basso/Bigmode Balatro – LocalThunk/Playstack Pacific Drive development team – Ironwood Studios/Kepler Interactive The Plucky Squire development team – All Possible Futures/Devolver Digital Tales Of Kenzera: Zau development team – Surgent Studios/Electronic Arts Thank Goodness You’re Here! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic EVOLVING GAME Diablo 4 development team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment Final Fantasy 14 Online development team – Creative Studios 3/Square Enix No Man’s Sky development team – Hello Games/Hello Games Sea Of Thieves development team – Rare/Xbox Game Studios Vampire Survivors development team – poncle/poncle World Of Warcraft development team – Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment FAMILY Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Cat Quest 3 – Desmond Wong, Liang Wai, Nursyazana Binte Zainal, The Gentlebros/Kepler Interactive Lego Horizon Adventures development team – Guerilla Games, Studio Gobo/Sony interactive Entertainment Little Kitty, Big City development team – Double Dagger Studio/Double Dagger Studio The Plucky Squire development team – All Possible Futures/Devolver Digital Super Mario Party Jamboree development team – Nintendo Cube/Nintendo GAME BEYOND ENTERTAINMENT Botany Manor development team – Balloon Studios/Whitethorn Games Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) – Ziba Scott, Luigi Guatieri, Clark Aboud, Popcannibal/Popcannibal Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Tales Of Kenzera: Zau development team – Surgent Studios/Electronic Arts Tetris Forever development team – Digital Eclipse/Digital Eclipse Vampire Therapist – Cyrus Nemati, Sheila Fell, Kim Schumacher – Little Bat Games/Little Bat Games GAME DESIGN Animal Well – Billy Basso/Bigmode Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Balatro – LocalThunk/Playstack Helldivers 2 development team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom development team – Nintendo EPD, Grezzo/Nintendo Tactical Breach Wizards – Tom Francis, Steve Lee, John Roberts, Suspicious Developments/Suspicious Developments MULTIPLAYER Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 development team – Treyarch, Raven Software/Activision Helldivers 2 development team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment Lego Horizon Adventures development team – Guerilla Games, Studio Gobo/Sony interactive Entertainment Super Mario Party Jamboree development team – Nintendo Cube/Nintendo Tekken 8 development team – Bandai Namco Studios/Bandai Namco Entertainment Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 development team – Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment MUSIC Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Black Myth: Wukong development team – GameScience/GameScience Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth development team – Square Enix/Square Enix Helldivers 2 development team – Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Star Wars Outlaws development team – Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft NARRATIVE Black Myth: Wukong development team – GameScience/GameScience Dragon Age: The Veilguard development team – BioWare/Electronic Arts Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth development team – Square Enix/Square Enix Metaphor: ReFantazio development team – Studio Zero/Atlus Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Still Wakes The Deep development team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode NEW INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Animal Well – Billy Basso/Bigmode Balatro – LocalThunk/Playstack Black Myth: Wukong development team – GameScience/GameScience Metaphor: ReFantazio development team – Studio Zero/Atlus Still Wakes The Deep development team – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode Thank Goodness You’re Here! Will Todd, James Carbutt – Coal Supper/Panic PERFORMER IN A LEADING ROLE Alec Newman as Cameron ‘Caz’ McLeary in Still Wakes The Deep – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode Humberly Gonzalez as Kay Vess in Star Wars Outlaws – Massive Entertainment/Ubisoft Isabella Inchbald as Indika in Indika – Odd Neter/11 bit Studios Luke Roberts as James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2 – Bloober Team/Konami Digital Entertainment Melina Juergens as Senua in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Y’lan Noel as Troy Marshall in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Treyarch, Raven Software/Activision PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen as The Furies in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Aldis Amah Hamilton as Ástríðr in Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Jon Blyth as Big Ron in Thank Goodness You’re Here! – Coal Supper/Panic Karen Dunbar as Finlay in Still Wakes The Deep – the Chinese Room/Secret Mode Matt Berry as Herbert the Gardner in Thank Goodness You’re Here! – Coal Supper/Panic Michael Abubakar as Brodie in Still Wakes The Deep – The Chinese Room/Secret Mode TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT Astro Bot development team – Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment Black Myth: Wukong development team – GameScience/GameScience Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 development team – Treyarch, Raven Software/Activision Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 development team – Ninja Theory/Xbox Game Studios Tiny Glade – Tomasz Stachowiak, Anastasia Opara – Pounce Light/Pounce Light Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 development team – Saber Interactive/Focus Entertainment Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. 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Have you managed to get a pre-order yet? (Nintendo) Rather than wait for Nintendo to drop its own pre-orders, you might want to check other UK retailers for stock of the Switch 2. Nintendo was supposed to open pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 on its website today, but while that may have happened for a select few it’s not something anyone can just do themselves on a whim. If you’re lucky, you may have received an email granting you priority access and have already put yourself down for a console. If not, you hopefully won’t have to wait much longer, or at least not as long as the Americans do. In the meantime, other UK retailers have announced they’ve got stock in again, after initially selling out – but you’ll still want to act fast before this next round of pre-orders runs out. Where can I pre-order the Nintendo Switch 2 in the UK? Amazon and Argos both opened their pre-orders early last week and, unsurprisingly, sold out quickly. In case you missed out the first time, you’ll be pleased to know they’ve already obtained new units to sell. The extra bit of good news is that Amazon is no longer restricting pre-orders. It was originally invite-only, but now anyone should be able to purchase either the Switch 2 console or the Mario Kart World bundle, as long as there’s stock. The likes of Very, Smyths, and EE are all offering pre-orders too (though at the time of writing, Very’s website doesn’t appear to be working). If you check their sites and they’ve sold out, you may have missed the window, but if today is anything to do by they’ll get more soon enough. GAME also has pre-orders, but it has stressed that these are online-only. So, you can’t place a pre-order in-person at your local GAME store. Currys, meanwhile, is doing the exact opposite and only offering pre-orders at physical stores. So, don’t bother refreshing the website, but do register your interest so you’ll be alerted when one’s available locally. As a reminder, the console on its own costs £395.99 while the Mario Kart World bundle is £429.99 – essentially getting you the game for half price. Nintendo Switch 2 console – Argos Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – Argos Nintendo Switch 2 console – Amazon Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – Amazon Nintendo Switch 2 console – Very Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – Very Nintendo Switch 2 console – Smyths Nintendo Switch 2 console – GAME Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle – EE When can I pre-order Switch 2 through Nintendo in the UK? To pre-order a Switch 2 directly from Nintendo, you’ll want to check the My Nintendo Store. It says pre-orders will be available from April 8, although this appears to only be for those who Nintendo is sending emails out to. More Trending It’s unclear when console pre-orders will be available for everyone else, but Nintendo has opened them for select physical games, accessories, microSD cards, and controllers, including the store exclusive GameCube controller. Meanwhile, pre-orders for digital games, upgrade packs, and amiibo won’t open until April 24. Whatever happens, just be glad you’re not in Canada. According to MobileSyrup, Nintendo has suddenly opted to delay Switch 2 pre-orders there as well, even though Canada has no tariffs on Asian imports. ‘Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in Canada will not start on April 9, 2025 in order to align with the timing of pre-orders to be determined in the US,’ reads a statement from Nintendo, which adds that the June 5 release date hasn’t changed. If you can, we recommend grabbing the Mario Kart World bundle (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

South Of Midnight – it looks better than it plays (Xbox Game Studios) The creators of We Happy Few return with one of the best looking games of the year, featuring some stunning stop motion animation. Microsoft has bought a lot of developers over the last decade or so but perhaps the most inexplicable purchase is little known Canadian studio Compulsion Games. Up until now their only games have been the relatively ambitious, but intrinsically flawed, Contrast and We Happy Few, and it’s never been clear why Microsoft became interested in them. Perhaps they, like everyone else, was swayed by the intriguing but highly misleading teaser trailer for We Happy Few, but Compulsion is definitely the odd one out in the Xbox Games Studios line-up, since they’ve never had a critical or commerical hit. And yet somehow it’s Tango Gameworks that got shut down. South Of Midnight is the best thing they’ve ever done, but not by much, and the end result feels outdated and generic, despite the attractive art design. In fact, we’re beginning to think Compulsion would be better off making animated movies rather than video games. You probably know South Of Midnight best as the game with the stop motion style animation, that’s been featured in the last few Xbox showcases. However, in a We Happy Few style bait and switch, it’s only the cut scenes that are animated that way. The characters look the same during gameplay, but they’re animated essentially normally, with only a faint attempt at mimicking the stop motion style in things like idle animations and the larger boss characters. Perhaps Compulsion found that style of animation was too distracting during gameplay, or it was technically too demanding, but either way that immediately scrubs out one of the key selling points before the game has even begun. The art style is still attractive, no matter how it’s animated, with characters having been made as physical models before being scanned in for use in the game, but the other main draw is the story and setting. You play as Hazel whose house, in the Deep South of the US, is destroyed during a storm, taking her mother with it, in a twist on the Wizard of Oz. Hazel subsequently learns that she comes from a long line of Weavers, who have a variety of magical abilities, that range from being able to see ghosts and other supernatural creatures to having the means to fight monsters. Hazel is a likeable protagonist, but the core of the story is very predictable, even if the majority of playtime is spent helping various troubled spirits and discovering the root cause of supernatural incursions – which is inevitably some sort of horrific personal trauma. They may be flawed but the story and visuals are the best thing about the game, with everything else being considerably less ambitious. South Of Midnight is primarily a 3D platformer, faintly reminiscent of something like Prince Of Persia. It’s slow-paced, and constantly interrupted by combat, story snippets, and perfunctory puzzles but there’s lots of jumping onto tree branches and wall-running to get from A to B. Early on, you get the ability to glide on a magical parachute – which helps to compensate for an inherent lack of precision in the controls – and you can also employ your Weaver powers to do things like turning ghostly platforms into physical objects for a few seconds. It’s nothing you’d accuse of being original, but the platforming is competent enough. Normal combat is an absolute chore (Xbox Game Studios) The combat is not though. It feels very separate from the rest of the game, usually only occurring in small sectioned off areas, and basically involves nothing but bog standard melee combat – in what feels like an unwanted relic from the PlayStation 2 era. You fight indistinct looking supernatural creatures called Haints, none of which ever do anything surprising and whose visual design is disappointingly bland compared to the rest of the game. There are additional abilities that can be used and unlocked – with the power to freeze enemies for a few moments, shoot magic blasts, ground pound, and the like – but Hazel’s skill tree is disappointingly short. Everything to do with the combat is very unimaginative and the extremely basic enemy artificial intelligence means it quickly becomes a slog – especially as the difficultly level is set surprisingly high by default, which is strange as the platforming is generally far too easy. The boss battles look great, with far more memorable character designs than the regular Haints, but they’re no more fun to fight, especially as their encounters always go on for far too long. More Trending We’re sure it’d be possible to turn South Of Midnight into an entertaining animated movie, but even then you’d be watching it for the visuals and not the story. Beyond how it looks, this is a deeply uninteresting game, that feels several generations behind in terms of game design. It’s incapable of properly leveraging its story and setting and even at around 10 hours feels far too long. You don’t have to pay anything extra to try it out on Game Pass but the game struggles to justify any investment in time, let alone money. South Of Midnight review summary In Short: An extremely workmanlike throwback to early generations of platform adventure, that completely wastes its interesting setting and gorgeous visual design. Pros: The art design is fantastic and the stop motion cut scenes are far more engaging than the gameplay. Unusual setting had potential. Cons: Very old-fashioned and unimaginative in terms of game design, with especially dull combat. The story is predictable and the stop motion effect inconsistent. Uneven difficulty and pacing. Score: 5/10 Formats: Xbox Series X/S* and PCPrice: £39.99Publisher: Xbox Game StudiosDeveloper: Compulsion GamesRelease Date: 8th April 2025Age Rating: 18 *available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one At least the bigger enemies are more interesting (Xbox Game Studios) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Ex-PS5 boss calls Nintendo Switch 2 Direct underwhelming apart from one thing Michael Beckwith Published April 8, 2025 4:48pm Updated April 8, 2025 4:48pm Yoshida bumped up his rating purely for FromSoftware’s new game (Sony) While diehard Nintendo fans ate up the Switch 2 showcase, former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida has proven harder to please. The first big Nintendo Direct for the Switch 2 left viewers feeling a whirlwind of emotions. It was exciting thanks to all the big game reveals, particularly for the likes of Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, but there was a downside too. Some announcements left people a little cold and the more exciting ones were undercut by the high prices of first party games, which weren’t shared until after the showcase had wrapped up. One person who definitely wasn’t impressed, by what Nintendo had to show, was former PlayStation Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, who has been sharing his thoughts on the showcase. Yoshida joined the team on the MinnMax YouTube channel and in a post-Direct chat, MinnMax founder Ben Hanson asked Yoshida how he would review it on a scale of one to 10. To Hanson’s surprise, Yoshida only scored it a six, before adding it went up to a seven once FromSoftware’s new game, The Duskbloods, made an appearance. When pressed for details, Yoshida admitted that he wanted to see more new games, instead of ‘mostly remakes and ports.’ Technically there weren’t any remakes, although a number of third party ports were announced – which most fans saw as a positive and which Nintendo highlighted in order to show the broad support for the format. Yoshida is likely also referring to the four Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games, which are upgraded versions of existing Switch 1 games. Switch 1 owners can upgrade certain games for a fee (Nintendo) It’s a fairly uncharitable take in our opinion, as while some beloved Nintendo IPs, like Splatoon and Animal Crossing, were absent, there were a healthy amount of new game reveals. Aside from Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and The Duskbloods, the Direct also unveiled: Drag X Drive Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment Survival Kids Enter The Gungeon 2 Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Kirby Air Riders That’s also not including new remasters, like Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD or the director’s cut of Yakuza 0. And while there were a lot of ports, these are for games that had to skip the Switch 1, making this their Nintendo debut, which is a big and important deal for the Switch 2. More Trending That isn’t to say the showcase was flawless. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour being a paid product is still baffling and Nintendo’s messaging on a number of details was very unclear, especially regarding prices – with many questions still outstanding almost a week later. Yoshida seemed most interested in The Duskbloods but he also said the Direct started off ‘really nice’, with the new camera accessory and GameChat feature that lets players share their screens with one another. He also complimented the look of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which has gone down very poorly with most other observers. As a reminder, Yoshida retired from Sony in January and while he so far hasn’t announced any plans to seek new employment within the games industry, he has lent his voice to a character in upcoming indie game Promise Mascot Agency. Do you feel there weren’t enough new games at the showcase? (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges taste funny so you don’t try to eat them Michael Beckwith Published April 8, 2025 1:01pm Updated April 8, 2025 1:01pm Have you ever tried licking a Switch cartridge? (Nintendo) Switch 2 cartridges are designed to taste so disgusting that you’ll spit them out, but you know people will try it anyway. Back when the original Nintendo Switch launched, it became something of a trend to lick the physical game cartridges, if not pop them in your mouth altogether. This was because Nintendo had deliberately coated the cartridges in a special agent that gave them a bitter taste and prevent small children from accidentally swallowing them. Ironically, this only made people want to lick them more, to learn how the cartridges tasted, and that’s sure to repeat itself with Nintendo Switch 2 games – no matter how much Nintendo advises against it. As confirmed in an interview with GameSpot, Switch 2 cartridges will use the same foul-tasting material. If you’re curious, it’s called denatonium benzoate and is also used in nail polishes to help stop people from biting their nails. ‘We don’t want anybody to be at risk of any unwanted consumption. We have indeed made it so that if it enters your mouth, you’ll spit it out,’ says Nintendo Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta. Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto also admits to taste testing a game cartridge during the Switch 1’s development and it was disgusting enough to ensure he’d never do it again. He expressed disbelief that multiple people tried it themselves, despite Nintendo’s warnings: ‘I can’t believe that other people are trying that.’ Unfortunately for Nintendo, anyone who was willing to lick a Switch 1 cartridge will likely try it again once physical Switch 2 games become available, if only to see if there’s any tangible difference between the two. Some physical Switch 2 games will come with what Nintendo’s calling game-key cards, instead of cartridges. Unlike regular cartridges, game-key cards don’t include the full game and require downloading additional data via an internet connection. Nintendo recently confirmed that these could be shared with other people and sold on second-hand, so they’re not tied to a specific account. More Trending It’s unclear whether they’d been coated with denatonium benzoate too, but no doubt some curious fans will take it upon themselves to find out. While Switch 2 games are more expensive in general, they are slightly cheaper digitally. Mario Kart World, for instance, is £74.99 physically but £66.99 as a digital download. This is clearly meant to incentivise people into purchasing digital copies over physical, since publishers don’t have to share a percentage of the sales with a retailers. It’ll also mean there’s less cartridges around for people to lick. Switch 2 cartridges are red and Switch 1 are black – they both taste gross (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

One of the worst video games ever made has just been re-released on PC Michael Beckwith Published April 8, 2025 1:45pm Updated April 8, 2025 1:45pm Yes, this is actually what the game looks like (Margarite Entertainment) Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing has made a comeback nobody wanted, but at least it looks like it works this time. The problem with video games being labelled as the worst ever made is that it makes people curious to try them out. Rather than being quickly forgotten, some are more famous than genuinely good titles and get remastered surprisingly often. We’ve seen it happen before, with the remaster of infamous FMV game Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties, while Atari has threatened to do more with Bubsy the Bobcat – despite the character not having a single good game to his name. Despite all this, it’s still a shock to see Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing make a return; an announcement so ludicrous that when its trailer debuted on April 1, many understandably mistook it for an April Fool’s joke. In case you’ve never heard of it, Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing launched on PC in 2003 and, as the name suggests, is a racing game where all the vehicles are semi-trucks. The idea is that you race rival truckers to deliver cargo, while also avoiding law enforcement. Despite this being how the game was advertised, anyone unfortunate enough to play it quickly discovered that not only were there no cops to avoid, but the other racers just sat in one place and never moved. This isn’t an exaggeration. Big Rigs fundamentally didn’t work, making it impossible to lose; especially since there was no collision detection, meaning you can drive right through the environments. Combined with the lack of a time limit, the game was effectively a sandbox title – except with nothing to do. Big Rigs quickly became infamous, especially after popular internet critic The Angry Video Game Nerd published a video on it in 2014 (be warned, his video contains very strong language). Big Rigs was developed by Stellar Stone and published by GameMill Publishing, though this Steam re-release comes from Margarite Entertainment, which claims to have obtained the rights to the game. ‘We hold worldwide rights to some of the most classic games, including Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing, and we are eager to present these exceptional games to an emerging audience,’ reads Margarite’s website, which also expresses eagerness to obtain the rights to more old games. More Trending Any price is probably too much for Big Rigs, but at least it’s only being sold for £4.99. Until April 22, you can also get it at a discount of 20%, though that only knocks it down to £3.99. We have to believe that Margarite is in on the joke, since the Steam listing includes out-of-context quotes from negative reviews and a direct link to Big Rig’s Metacritic page, where it has an average critic score of 8 and all the positive fan reviews are clearly meant as a joke. Even so, the trailer indicates that Margarite hasn’t simply ported the original game and has now got Big Rigs working as intended. Other racers actually move now, although it remains to be seen if that’s the only thing that’s been fixed. Although that does seem to remove the only reason for actually playing the game, because if it’s not a broken mess then it’s just a very dull, low budget racing game. You’re winner indeed (Margarite Entertainment) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Switch 1 won’t die as Nintendo admits not all fans can afford Switch 2 Michael Beckwith Published April 8, 2025 10:49am Updated April 8, 2025 10:49am Will you be trading in your Switch 1 when the Nintendo Switch 2 comes out? (Nintendo) Although the Switch 2’s price tag is not necessarily its biggest problem, Nintendo has acknowledged that it’s too much for some people. The current console generation has been weird. Thanks to numerous factors, Sony and Microsoft couldn’t completely abandon the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for years, and even now plenty of developers continue to make games for the older systems. As such, despite the Nintendo Switch 2 being right around the corner, it wasn’t surprising to hear Nintendo confirm similar plans for the original Nintendo Switch console. This can partially be attributed to the Switch 1’s massive installed userbase, but Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has acknowledged that it’s also because of the Switch 2’s higher price point. According to Canadian outlet CBC, an attempt to question the console’s price during a media roundtable with Nintendo last Wednesday (the same day as the big Switch 2 showcase) was deflected by a moderator, who pushed for attendees to ask about ‘the fun stuff’ instead. However, Bowser was willing to touch upon the subject and while he believes the Switch 2’s price is appropriate, he knows it’s too high for some: ‘We recognise there are some people that may not be able to afford [the Switch 2’s] price point. ‘That’s why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available, so [people] still have an opportunity to come into our gaming universe, be a part of these characters in these worlds, and see value, if you will, in whatever rung of the platform they come in.’ In a separate interview with The Washington Post, Bowser pointed out that the Switch 1’s install base is over 150 million units: ‘We want to keep those players engaged. Not all of them may be ready to jump to Switch 2.’ This is why Nintendo still has Switch 1 games scheduled for 2026, which it announced at a previous Nintendo Direct held last month. If it abandoned the Switch 1 entirely, it’d be needlessly cutting off a stream of revenue. Nintendo’s 2026 titles include a new Tomodachi Life (Nintendo) The price of the Switch 2 hasn’t been as controversial as Nintendo may have feared. £395.99 is fairly reasonable and what many estimated it would be. It’s the price of the games that has been the unwelcome surprise, with Mario Kart World going for as much as £75 for the physical edition. This so far seems to be the exception, since Donkey Kong Bananza and the first set of Switch 2 Edition games, are priced at £66.99 – but that’s still a noticeable leap compared to the price of Switch 1 games. Bowser told The Washington Post that this variable pricing is deliberate and that Nintendo is judging the price of its games on a case-by-case basis: ‘We’ll look at each game, really look at the development that’s gone into the game, the breadth and depth of the gameplay, if you will, the durability over time and the repeatability of gameplay experiences.’ More Trending However, all these comments from Bowser were made prior to the announcement of Donald Trump’s tariffs, which happened not long after the Switch 2 showcase wrapped up last Wednesday. Despite having been announced several weeks beforehand, Nintendo seemed ill-prepared for Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’, and subsequently had to delay pre-orders in the US (everywhere else is unaffected) and it’s speculated the company may bump up the Switch 2’s price as a result. Trump had already promised stronger tariffs against China, which prompted Nintendo to move some of its console production to Vietnam and Cambodia to get around it. However, Vietnam and Cambodia have now been hit with tariffs of 46% and 49% percent, respectively. In a more recent interview with Wired, Bowser said that the initial round of tariffs weren’t a factor in the Switch 2’s price tag, but Trump’s recent actions are a ‘challenge’, that are ‘something we’re going to have to address.’ The Switch 2 games are already pricey, but could the console get more expensive too? (Nintendo) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

It turns out I would have made a useless bandit in 15th-century Bohemia (Picture: Warhorse) One of the most popular role-playing games of recent years is also one of the most historically accurate, as a Metro writer with a personal investment in the story explores Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. With over 2 million copies sold in its first two weeks, it’s fair to say Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been a big success for its developers, Warhorse Studios. The Czech-made game sold five times more than the original title in its first month and received positive reviews, while being praised for its ‘absorbing simulation’, ‘impressive sense of consequence’, humour, and world-building. But I think there is one fundamental aspect that underpins all of this praise, that helps make the game stand out from its peers: its historical accuracy. Warhorse worked with historians, reenactors, and academic sources to make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 as authentic as possible. ‘No game – or even movie or book – can perfectly replicate the past, but we put an enormous effort into getting as close as possible,’ in-house historical consultant, Joanna Katarzyna Nowak, tells Metro. POV: It’s 1403, and you are about to get blood stains off your tunic before someone realises you have something to do with that missing guard… (Picture: Warhorse Studios) A gateway to history I grew up in Cittadella, a beautiful medieval city in Italy. My world was defined by a ring of stone walls built in the 13th century – running around narrow cobbled streets, playing hide and seek amongst shadowy archways, and sneaking into secret courtyards. The past was everywhere, and it was very tangible, something I could feel beneath my feet and above my head. The playground, located in the park in front of the moat, became our stage and battleground. We’d sit there on sunny afternoons, imagining stories of knights, kings, and queens. Despite this, the history I studied at school felt very removed from my life. I found it boring, repetitive, and pointless. I vividly remember staring at my workbook, trying to learn some dates ahead of a test, wondering what was the point in any of it. Luckily, I later discovered that video games were able to change that. They provided context, consequence, and feeling. And, above all, they made history fun again. That’s me on the right! (Picture: Martina Andretta) It started with Tomb Raider 2 (1997) and the city-building game Pharaoh (1999), which led me to Egypt for my first proper adult trip abroad. After a long break from gaming, I picked up Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018) during the pandemic. Its Discovery Tour, a free-to-roam map with educational content, was criminally overlooked. Then came the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018). Although what attracted me at first was its role-playing component, I soon realised it was its approach to history that set it apart from anything else I had played. And after 226 hours of gameplay, I was excited for a sequel. Is it worth playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 before 2? You don’t have to, but I recommend you do. Plot-wise, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 picks up exactly where the first game ends. By knowing the story in full, you will feel a lot more invested in the characters and have a deeper understanding of the decisions you’ll have to make in the sequel. Whatever you choose to do, I’d suggest you first watch Warhorse Studios’ recap of what happened in the first game before you begin. What to expect from Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 It’s 1403 and you play as Henry of Skalitz, a blacksmith-turned-knight, during a time of great political upheaval. The setting is stunning. Warhorse Studios has reconstructed parts of 15th century Bohemia – what is now part of the Czech Republic and one of the most influential states of the Holy Roman Empire – in painstaking detail. Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, author, historical consultant and creator of Fake History Hunter, thinks this is the best part of the game. ‘It’s such a detailed, immersive world, it comes closer to giving us an idea of what life in the late Middle Ages was like than pretty much all other first-person games and a lot of films and TV shows.’ To the uninitiated, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 can be a punishing experience, especially early on. Bandits assaulting you? Escaping or returning to God’s mercy are the most likely options. Think you can just steal anything you come across? It won’t be long until you’re caught. Forgot to wash? Everyone will notice. Want to save your game? Not that easy, because you have to brew a potion. Medieval life takes preparation, and this is an essential element to the deep immersion. Trosky Castle as it appears in the game (Picture: Warhorse Studios) Trosky’s ruins are one of the most visited sights of the Czech Republic (Picture: Slavek Ruta/REX/Shutterstock) The challenges of creating a historically-accurate game like KC:D2 Nowak and her colleagues carefully replicated many details, from Trosky Castle to the city of Kutná Hora (or Kuttenberg, its German name). For example, each house in the game is built using authentic medieval construction techniques, showing the materials and architectural details of the time. And, importantly, the towns burst with vibrant colours. ‘Very different from the dark, dingy, brown and drab rags and cold grey houses we see in films and TV,’ explains Teeuwisse. Nowak is especially proud of what they achieved with the clothing. ‘It was a huge challenge to merge historical research, artistic vision, technical limitations, and gameplay needs into one coherent system,’ she explains. ‘The result is a diverse and historically authentic wardrobe that players can mix and match while still maintaining period accuracy.’ She found the hardest aspect to recreate was people’s daily lives. Routines and social interactions required extensive research and creative interpretation. On top of that, the team also had to consider nuances like folklore and religion. Who hasn’t eavesdropped on a trader at the market? (Picture: Warhorse Studios) Martin Bartoš (known as Kuttenberger Martin on YouTube) is a surveyor of historical buildings in Kutná Hora. He was also pleasantly surprised at the level of detail in the game, including the names of minor characters. For example (minor spoilers ahead), during the quest The Italian Job, players must infiltrate the Italian Court and get through a church council without raising suspicions. ‘Most of the people present are real historical figures,’ Bartoš points out. But some trade-offs were necessary to ensure smooth and enjoyable gameplay. Warhorse created a catalogue of modular elements (such as doors, windows, weapons), that could be reused across different structures. Since these had standardised dimensions and opening mechanics, it was easy to swap them quickly, without causing bugs. Nowak explains: ‘Imagine if every door had a handle at a different height – our characters would constantly struggle to interact with them! Overall, the game is all about finding compromises.’ Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has received some criticism. Orange carrots, no children in sight, and British accents are amongst the faults most widely discussed by players. Teeuwisse wishes bathhouses didn’t offer sexual favours: ‘Most bathhouses were places where families would go, you’d see your neighbour there, so not really a good spot for hanky panky. That’s what brothels were for.’ To Nowak, ‘historical accuracy is always a journey, not a fixed destination’. ‘If we’ve inspired players to learn more about history, then we consider that a huge success,’ she adds. Can games teach history? Research shows that video games have become a powerful learning tool, although they do present some challenges. ‘Games are both responsible for correcting myths and reinforcing them,’ says Teeuwisse. ‘Most games don’t spend a lot of effort on doing research or don’t care enough about it, which is of course their prerogative.’ But games can often be the scintilla that makes ‘someone a history addict for life’, she says. Warhorse Studios have received many messages from players who became fascinated by medieval history thanks to the series. ‘That’s exactly what we hoped for: to spark curiosity and get people engaged with real history.’ Although he doesn’t think games are the best tool for education, Bartoš agrees they are helpful to drive some interest. ‘A lot of people wrote [about] how they started to read more about [King] Sigismund, Jan Žižka, etc, and ended up going down the rabbit hole called the Hussite Wars, spending hours reading about that… which is great!’ What I love about Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 In Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, your choices and their consequences also respect the values of the era (minor spoilers ahead!). During one quest, Birds of Prey, you are asked to find some poachers causing trouble in the local area. Soon, you learn that poaching, especially when done at a larger scale, was punishable by death during the Middle Ages. In my mind, this seemed a harsh sentence. Here I am, standing in front of a pleading man who can’t feed his family, and whose property has been ravaged by bandits. And yet, if everyone at the time behaved the same way, the forests would soon have been emptied. Fascinated, by the subject I then engaged in a 30-minute deep dive into the history of hunting and poaching in Medieval times. The world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is both dangerous and pretty (Picture: Warhorse Studios) The game succeeds in its mission because an interest in history isn’t necessary to enjoy it. There is no one there to remind you that this is an important subject, and that you must study. You could easily complete the game without having a clue about what King Sigismund is up to.  But the quests, the witty dialogue and the characters are seamlessly interconnected in a way that makes you want to learn more. And if, like me, you do eventually get the history bug, don’t forget to check the in-game codex. It is a great way to make sense of Henry’s world. More Trending Both Kingdom Come: Deliverance games are an exception in the current market. With their complex mechanics – refined but not abandoned in the second game – they don’t make compromises for ease of play. And yet, once you understand and accept the games’ mechanics, it’s hard to want to stop playing. ‘I finished the game but regularly return to it just to wander the streets of Kuttenberg; that says something,’ says Teeuwisse. ‘I’m pretty sure that Kingdom Come: Deliverance will get a lot of people excited about medieval history when their teachers couldn’t.’ A walk in the forest… or the calm before the storm? (Picture: Warhorse Studios) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy