The 5 most perfect video games ever made Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished February 22, 2025 1:00am Super Metroid a game without faults? (Nintendo)A reader names the five video games he thinks are almost entirely without fault and just as playable now as when they were first made.Before I start this, I want to address the obvious and say that nothing is perfect. So all the games Im about to list do have flaws, but theyre small and unimportant that the overall impression is that they literally do not put a foot wrong.What Ive realised in making this list is that the older a game is the easier it is to be flawless, because the less its doing. You might say Space Invaders, or whatever your favourite arcade is, is perfect but thats in large part because its not really trying to do all that much.On the other hand, newer games can be absolute classics but still quite flawed. Nobody would argue that the combat in The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2 is anything more than mediocre at best but just as much, nobody would argue that they arent amongst the best of the last decade. So with that in mind, see what you think of my list (which is no particular order).Super MetroidIn doing some research for this list I was surprised to find that Super Metroid on the SNES was perhaps the least controversial choice for calling any game perfect. Not that it doesnt deserve to be, but I was surprised at how many people were happy to just accept that as fact. It has aged incredibly well though and as one of the very first Metroidvania games it still feels like something that could be released today.The design and open-endedness is so well done and while its less obvious now the graphics were state-of-the-art at the time. But on top of that it even had a decent story going, with a very memorable ending. Super Metroid is so good even its unintended glitches are fun. Also, Metroid Prime is pretty much perfect too.Chrono TriggerLooking around, I saw a lot of people calling Final Fantasy 7 perfect but thats really not the word Id use for it. Like The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, its definitely a great game, and very influential, but its riddled with flaws most obviously its terrible translation. For me the best role-player on the SNES, and the best Japanese role-player of all time, is the incredible Chrono Trigger.Why this series hasnt been milked to death, but Final Fantasy has, I dont know but what amazes me about Chrono Trigger is that its so well paced, whereas even back in the 90s role-players were long-winded and bloated. All the characters are likeable, the combat is relatively traditional but fast-paced and doesnt waste your time, and the setting and story is constantly on the move.Its so perfect all they could think to add for the directors cut is some animated cut scenes and a new, but completely random, new area.Super Mario WorldTo be honest, there could be a lot of Nintendo games in this list. I considered Zelda: A Link To The Past and Ocarina Of Time, as well as various other Mario games and Advance Wars. But I think Super Mario World deserves the spot the most.You could argue the graphics were a bit primitive, even back in 1991, but beyond that this is just masterpiece gaming, with a mania for inventing and exploring new ideas on every level, almost to the point where it feels like its being programmed live with Nintendo just coming up with wild ideas off the top of their heads.Super Mario Bros. 3 is probably no less perfect and Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are up there too, so yeah looking forward to that new Super Mario for the Switch 2.Civilization 5Like every Civ fan, Ive been very disappointed by Civilization 7, which is the worst Ive ever seen the series at launch. As a reader said recently, you only ever buy a new Civilization when its replaced by another new one and I think that probably is the rule of thumb for the fandom, so Ill be looking into Civilization 6 a lot over the next few weeks.But at the moment, with all the DLC, updates, and mods I think Civilization 5 is the perfect incarnation of the idea and a perfect game in its own right. It takes time to learn but I dont see that as a flaw; its a game about controlling the whole of human history, youre not going to do that without a certain degree of complexity.The fact that it works at all is some kind of miracle, but Civilization 5 manages to have the perfect balance of depth and accessibility that means its almost impossible to improve on.TetrisThe thing that unites all these games is that theyre something that has never aged and probably never will. But nowhere is that more true than with Tetris.The grandaddy of puzzle games is 40 years old this year and not only is the original version still fully playable (and Im talking about the old Russian version, not even the Game Boy) but the new versions that are being made today, like the excellent Tetris Effect, are still basically the same game.More TrendingThe graphics are better, as far as they can be, and the controls are a little smoother, with more player assists, but its 99% the same game it was in 1985. Its essentially perfect and I salute it.By reader Benjy Dog You cant improve on perfection (The Tetris Company)The readers 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 wont need to send an email.GameCentralSign 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

The Elder Scrolls 6 Hammerfell will have dragons and naval battles or will it?GameCentralPublished February 21, 2025 5:37pmUpdated February 21, 2025 5:38pm This is Hammerfell artwork from The Elder Scrolls Online (Bethesda)Rumours about the setting and features for The Elder Scrolls 6 are doing the rounds online but the information may not necessarily be what it seems.Of all the mostly keenly speculated secrets in gaming today, the name and setting of The Elder Scrolls 6 is one of the most hotly debated. Each new entry is always named after a fictional realm in the world of Tamriel and, assuming creator Bethesda dont make any new ones up, theres relatively few of those left that havent been done before.Skyrim was equivalent to Scandinavia, and before that Oblivion (which is rumoured to be getting a remaster this summer) was essentially the games version of Hell. Its long been rumoured that The Elder Scrolls 6 will be set in Hammerfell, which is Bethesdas analogue for Africa, and a new rumour has surfaced which seems to confirm that.Except theres confusion as to whether it is a new rumour or if its just recycling earlier ones that didnt get as much traction the first time round.This weeks excitement began with leaker eXtas1s, whose track record is patchy but not something that can be dismissed immediately. He certainly seems to have contacts within Microsoft, as hes got a lot right in the past with news related to Game Pass, but in this case the information doesnt come directly from him.Its been difficult to determine exactly whats going on, as his original video is in Spanish, but it seems that not only is he merely repeating rumours from fellow leaker ColtEastwood but that information comes from an unverified source on 4chan.Normally, that would be the end of it right there, except the supposedly leaked information is so obvious its probably going to end up fairly accurate anyway, simply because elements of the game are easy to predict and/or Bethesda has already hinted at it.https://twitter.com/eXtas1stv/status/1892741990099345811What are the latest The Elder Scrolls 6 rumours?For the record eXtas1s says that dragons will return in the game, that it will have 12 to 13 big cities, and that there will be no pre-set class types. So, very similar to Skyrim.High Rock will also be location, which has also been previously rumoured, and there will be the ability to build your own villages and fortresses to lord over, which seems a logical extension of things Bethesda has been doing for years now.The only unexpected element is the promise of naval battles, ship customisation, and underwater exploration. Although even that was hinted at by a previous leak involving an artist studying images of fish and underwater environments.More TrendingTherell also apparently be procedurally generated islands and dungeons, which seems like it would probably be using similar tech to Starfield.Like we said, its all very believable, and predictable, but thats the problem. The original source is unknown and theres no reason to think its not just a knowledgeable fan making educated guesses.The only time they go out on a limb is the idea that the game will be shown this July, which seems far too early considering its not expected to launch until 2028 at the very earliest.Its probably the hope that that element of the leak is accurate thats propelled the rumour around the internet so quickly, but unfortunately its probably the only part that definitely isnt true. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is rumoured to be getting a remaster this year (Bethesda)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Rocksteady working on Batman Beyond game as PS5 exclusiveGameCentralPublished February 21, 2025 11:11amUpdated February 21, 2025 11:47am Batman Beyond would make a great video game (Warner Bros.)New job ads reveal Rocksteady is working on an open world brawler, with a rumour suggesting its based on the Batman Beyond cartoon.After an entire wasted decade, in which most of the founding members left the company and the only game the studio made was the disastrous Suicide Squad, its fair to say that developer Rocksteadys reputation is not what it once was.Given the current norms of the industry, many worried that the studio would face closure but thankfully that hasnt been the first choice of owner Warner Bros. Rocksteady did suffer layoffs but they are known to be working on a new game, one that is single-player and allegedly Batman-related.However, whether its a new game in the Arkham series or something related to the new DC cinematic universe is unknown. Although a new rumour suggests that it is in fact based on late 90s animated series Batman Beyond.Known as Batman of the Future in Europe, the show was set within the wider DC Animated Universe but featured an aged Bruce Wayne mentoring a teenager named Terry McGinnis, who becomes the new high-tech Batman.The original show won several awards at the time and has a very distinctive art style and a completely new set of villains, so its strange that, apart from comics, its never been adapted into any other medium beyond a terrible, low budget scrolling beat em-up in 2000.There have been several rumours of a movie version (the cancelled Batgirl film seemed to take several cues from the series, including Michael Keaton as an older Bruce Wayne) and a video game adaptation from Gotham Knights maker WB Games Montral.Warner Bros. have explored and then cancelled several different superhero games over the years, so even if this rumour, from leaker Lunatic Ignus, is true theres no guarantee the game will ever be finished.For the record though, he suggests that the game will adapt the general premise but not the art style. Its also claimed the game will be a PlayStation 5 exclusive, in the manner of the Spider-Man games.Whether that is true remains to be seen but Rocksteady definitely is working on a new single-player game and based on their most recent job ads its not just the rumoured directors cut of Hogwarts Legacy.More TrendingThe ad for a Game Director calls for someone that has experience across multiple genres, particularly third person action, melee brawlers, and open world traversal games.So unless the students of Hogwarts have taken to using fists instead of wands that really does sound like a new Batman game.Whether its Batman Beyond is impossible to tell but Rocksteady has featured the costume, and several other elements from the DC Animated Universe, in their previous games, so we know theyre fans or at least some of them were before the madness of Suicide Squad tore the company apart.Beyond the uncertainty of the rumour though the other problem is that, no matter what theyre working on, theyve only just started, so itll be lucky to be released before 2030. There have been some comic books but thats all really (DC Comics)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Space Marine 2 dev making new AAA game and it might be TransformersGameCentralPublished February 21, 2025 12:40pmUpdated February 21, 2025 12:40pm Transformers badly needs a new big budget game (Hasbro)Hasbro has signed up Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive to make a game based on a tentpole IP and were going to bet its not My Little Pony.Toy firm Hasbro is one of those companies, like Disney, that you really feel should have had more involvement with the games industry from the beginning. It did have its own publishing division for a while it bought MicroProse and what was left of Atari but it didnt last for long and was never very successful.Nowadays, they, like Disney, just farm out their various licences to other companies, and while thats generally not been that successful the obvious exception is Larian Studios making Baldurs Gate 3 although theyve since made it clear they want nothing more to do with Dungeons & Dragons, or licences in general.Hasbro will now need to find other developers to make future entries and while theyve announced nothing so far, they have revealed that theyve signed a deal with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 maker Saber Interactive for a AAA game based on one of Hasbros tentpole IPs.Theres no indication of which IP is involved but Hasbro hasnt been shy about talking about their Dungeons & Dragons plans in the past, so if it was that theyd probably just say outright. That doesnt rule it out entirely though and while Saber dont have the experience to make something like Baldurs Gate 4 they could conceivably be making some sort of D&D related action game.We have many new digital collaborations in the works, but Im especially excited to announce this one today, being a personal fan of many of this teams games, said Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks in an earnings call with investors.Hasbro and Saber Interactive will be collaborating on an all-new video game partnership developed by the team behind 2024s megahit, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Combining high-octane single-player action and amazing multiplayer with Sabers Swarm tech, this new AAA title, based on one of our tentpole IPs, is sure to be a hit.That doesnt give much away but it does imply that whatever the game is its something at least in the same ballpark as Space Marine 2. (It also suggests that Space Marine 3 isnt going to happen anytime soon.)In terms of what IP could be involved, the front rumours are Transformers, G.I. Joe, Power Rangers, Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering.Hasbro has recently started a new line of indie-esque, faux retro games, which has so far included G.I. Joe and Power Rangers games, which may imply they dont feel those properties deserve a AAA budget at the moment.Magic: The Gathering is certainly popular enough but creating an action game out of the genre-defining trading card game is fraught with potential problems, including whether the core audience would even be interested in such a thing.As fans, wed like to think that makes Transformers the most likely IP, especially given a planned title by Quake Wars developer Splash Damage was recently cancelled and there hasnt been a big budget game since the Activision games of the Xbox 360 era.More TrendingThere were hints that those titles, which are now out of print because Activision no longer owns the licence, were being brought back but despite some evidence to that effect nothing has materialised.After the failure of the recent Transformers One movie (which is actually surprisingly good) Hasbro vowed to give up funding movies itself and simply licence out its IP, as it does with games.Given its many movie failures, it implied that gaming would be an increasing focus in the coming years and it seems whatever Saber Interactive is working on may be the first clear evidence of that.For the record though, the other properties which Hasbro owns include M.A.S.K., Monopoly, Furby, Nerf guns, Mr Potato Head, Play-Doh, Twister, Battleship, Cluedo, Ouija, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig, and PJ Masks. Does a Magic: The Gathering action game make sense? (Wizards of the Coast)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

How Astro Bot and the next 3D Mario will shape the Nintendo Switch 2GameCentralPublished February 21, 2025 1:00am What will influence the next 3D Mario game? (Nintendo/Sony Interactive Entertainment)A new 3D Mario is almost guaranteed within the first year of the Nintendo Switch 2 but what form will it take and does it have anything to do with Donkey Kong?As a rule, it is impossible to predict Nintendo and yet thats not been entirely true for the Nintendo Switch 2. Many guessed that the console would still look similar to the original and it was correctly predicted Mario Kart would be one of the first games to appear, as there hasnt been a wholly new entry in over a decade. They seem like easy guesses in hindsight but when trying to understand Nintendo nothing is easy.And yet, there are also a few other things that can, more or less, be taken for granted. It seems very likely that Metroid Prime 4 will be a cross-gen game, for example, and given its popularity in Japan its hard to imagine there wont be a Splatoon 4 this year. But also, its very obvious that Nintendo will want a new Super Mario platform game on the system sooner rather than later.Often, new Super Mario games have been launch titles, with classics such as Super Mario World and Super Mario 64, but thats not always the case. Super Mario Odyssey was released in October, after the Switch 1s March launch, and given how closely Nintendo seems to be following the same formula for their new console its easy to imagine them launching the Switch 2 with Mario Kart 9 and then having a new Super Mario out in time for Christmas.Will there be a new Donkey Kong game on Nintendo Switch 2?That is only a guess though as its been over seven years since Super Mario Odyssey and the team responsible (Nintendo EPD) has produced no other similar title since, so theoretically they couldve been working on a follow-up all this time.Thats not very likely but there have been rumours dating back to at least 2021, that EPD is working on a new 3D Donkey Kong. If true, it seems this may have been intended for the 40th anniversary of Donkey Kong (which is also the 40th anniversary of Mario) but thanks to the pandemic that important milestone was never even acknowledged by Nintendo.Its unclear what form a new Donkey Kong game might take, especially given hes had a recent makeover starting with his appearance in the Super Mario Bros. movie that is closer to his original look and less like his 90s era Rare design. The Rare influenced Donkey Kong Country Returns was recently remastered, so Nintendo hasnt completely retconned the old games, but his new look can clearly be seen in the Mario Kart Nintendo Switch 2 footage.The last 3D Donkey Kong game was Rares extremely flawed Donkey Kong 64 in 1999 and its very unlikely EPD will be looking to make anything similar themselves.A better guess, and an approach theyve taken with many of their classic franchises recently most obviously Zelda would be something more reminiscent of Donkey Kongs original appearance. But, of course, in that he was the villain and never moved from his spot atop a half-built skyscraper.There have also been rumours of a more traditional 3D Mario game that will be an early release for the Switch 2 and theres no reason to think thats not true. Although its certainly impossible to guess what theme or gimmick it might have. Astro Bot provided some unexpected competition for Nintendo (Sony Interactive Entertainment)What will be interesting is whether it tries to reflect the success of Astro Bot in any way. The developers of Sonys exclusive went out of their way to acknowledge their debt to Nintendo, in their The Game Awards acceptance speech, but for many that have never played a modern 3D Mario game Astro Bot is their only experience of a modern, high quality 3D platformer.Mario games are much more mechanically complex than anything in Astro Bot, so its going to be very interesting to see if Nintendo leans into that, as a point of difference, or if they pull back and try and make something easier and simpler.This will be the first time Nintendos had any serious competition, in terms of platformers, since the Mega Drive era and their response to that is going to be very interesting, especially as Sony has already said it wants to make more family friendly games.Will there be a new 3D Super Mario on Nintendo Switch 2?There is another theory though and while it has nothing to back it up, other than the unexpected remake of Mario Vs. Donkey Kong last year, it is a compelling idea: what if the new 3D Mario and the rumoured new Donkey Kong were one and the same game?More TrendingThat is how things started off with the original coin-op, after all, and it would be interesting if perhaps you switched control between both or there was some sort of co-op element. Or perhaps its a single-player game in the style of Bowsers Fury, which featured Mario running and jumping as usual, while also being menaced by an almost unstoppable, and much larger, foe.Bowsers Fury was only ever included with the remaster of Super Mario 3D World and felt very much like an experiment that hadnt quite made it to the status of a full game. Coincidentally, it was released in 2021, when the first rumours of a new Donkey Kong game emerged, so who knows.Well, Nintendo knows, obviously, but theyre not saying anything until the Nintendo Direct on April 2 and perhaps not even then if the game is further out than currently assumed. The chances of anyone guessing what Nintendo are up to are very low but the one thing you can be certain of is that a 3D Mario game, of some sort, is on its way and that it will almost certainly be worth waiting for. Super Mario Odyssey what will its follow-up be like? (Nintendo)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Is the PlayStation Portal a sign of things to come? (Sony)The Friday letters page tries to pick five new characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DX, as one reader recommends playing Warframe.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukHandheld limitationsWith all the talk of Nintendo Switch 2 and next gen Xbox at the moment I notice were not getting any rumours or leaks about the PlayStation 6. Sony admitted they were making a new console and then they implied it would be a portable, or at least one model was, and that was it.I would very much like to know what they are planning and when it will be released. I know that seems an obvious thing to say and everyone else is probably thinking the same thing, but I am very concerned that all consoles are becoming portables and I dont want that.The reader the other day saying hed like a Switch 2 without a screen seems to be thinking the same thing, but I do not want to go backwards in terms of graphics. Theres no way you can get something the power of a PlayStation 5, let alone anything with more power, in a portable, so whats the point?Yes, portables might be fashionable at the moment but as nice as the Steam Deck is Id always rather play on an actual PC, if I was at home. With a portable only PlayStation 6 everything is limited by it being a portable and that sounds like a terrible idea to me.ZappEarly leapSo the theory is Xboxs big next gen leap is something to do with AI, but what exactly? Are we expecting people to be telling their Xbox 5 to make a game based on a bunch of keywords and then youre going to play it?I dont know about anyone else but I got bored playing around with AI after a couple of hours, once I realised it wasnt really listening to you and everything it made was trash. Even assuming it works better than that in the future who would want to play that compared to a proper game?I get its a buzzword and everything at the moment, but I cant help thinking of Kinect and how Microsoft basically ruined the technology by putting the product out too early, convincing everyone it didnt work, and then never going back to it again.AlgoUnreliable narratorI do laugh at these people trying to call other Luddites, over Microsofts AI plans and then saying the same thing about game developers. I know I would certainly take the opinion of some nobody in the comments section of a website compared to someone whose actual business is making video games and who is specifically calling it all out as nonsense.I think the simplest takeaway is the one about Microsoft just trying to impress investors and shareholders. I dont know what a $3 trillion company needs to do that for, but I get the feeling that a lot of execs just like to pretend theyre busy, no matter how dumb the idea is theyre pushing.The reason I especially hate this AI push is that has no one actually used AI before? Its rubbish. Whether its Google or ChatGPT or whatever it just makes things up and mixes up facts like a politician on election night. I wouldnt trust a word anything AI told me and I certainly wouldnt want it making my games and putting the actual talent out of a job.ZebedeeEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukImpulse purchaseIm beginning to think that being bought out by a giant company is not in fact a good idea after all. All these people that are going to be affected by NetEase (who Ive never heard of until this week) and you just know theres going to be more because of their non-answer as to whether there will be.Bungie seemed to last about five minutes before Sony had the knives out for them and the first one Microsoft shut down was the one they really needed: a Japanese developer with a critical hit already under their belt.Buyouts can work but it only seems to be for smaller developers that can actually benefit from the companys expertise, Im thinking Insomniac for Sony and Monolith Soft for Nintendo. Its the shopping spree approach that seems to be poison and I wouldnt be surprised if that comes around to bite Microsoft (or more accurately the people they employ) on the ass before too long.Grackle Yasuke Simulator not a Ubisoft game (HistoryAccurateDevelopers)Quick and dirtyAs awful as all this AI rubbish is going to be, especially for anyone paid to be a game developer, I do like the idea of this Assassins Creed Shadows parody. I dont imagine its been made with AI but it looks like it, with lots of off-the-shelf graphics and whatnot, so if they couldve used AI to build it probably wouldve looked even nicer.GC has said before that you cant really do anything topical with video games because they take so long to make but AI-made games could allow for this and Im okay with that. Especially if theyre going to be parodies, so the characters having the wrong number of fingers or the backdrops being visual slop doesnt matter.Dont get me wrong, I dont want AI anywhere near games Im going to pay 70 for, but if theyre used for a new genre of quick and dirty games, that are clearly labelled as such, Im okay with that.DunstableGC: Actually, it has been made with AI, according to the Steam listing.Late to the partyRead in your article on the beat free shooters, that no one has recommended Warframe.In that case. This is a recommendation.Its as fully featured and expansive as any triple-A title. Watch out for spoilers though as you will find out yourself, following the questline, that they are huge.Fairly steep learning curve and hundreds of hours of content, factions to gain favour with. Years and years of content.Theres the option to speed up game play via in-game currency (paid or traded for in-game) but no actual need to spend a penny ever.Four open worlds each with unique feels and mechanics.Would be interested to see if you guys think its worth a full review.JamesGC: The game is 12 years old, so were not sure theres much to be gained by that.Nintendo DS MaxI saw this video recently could they? Would they? Is it April yet?big boy bentGC: If we were Nintendo wed certainly want to do this, after seeing the video. But who knows whether theyve actually thought of it or not. The turning upside down trick is certainly suspicious though.https://twitter.com/jard_dog_/status/1891556106444378211Making the cutI think its fair to assume that there will be a Super Smash Bros. game on Switch 2 and Im very happy for that to be just a remaster of Ultimate, with new features, upgraded graphics, and a few new characters. But what new characters?They had five in their last DLC pack so if you assume maybe two are from new Nintendo games we currently know nothing about, who should be the others? Its actually very difficult because theyve basically run out of major, and even most minor, Nintendo characters, with the only good suggestion Ive heard being Nell from Advance Wars.So you need characters from third party games that are also associated with Nintendo consoles, or at least have appeared on them. But while games like Mass Effect and Assassins Creed technically count, I dont think that would really work.I would love to see Master Chief, and I think thats a real possibility, but as much as Crash Bandicoot and Lara Croft would be cool Ive certainly never played any of their games on a Nintendo format. Interested to know what others think but how about Bomberman, Ryu Hayabusa, and Shantae?KorbieInbox also-ransCan I just say that the Bloodborne is absolutely phenomenal. Like, better than most movie soundtracks phenomenal. It is an absolute crime that this game is being buried, never to be seen again, by Sony.GrantGC: You can say that and know that you are correct.I would love to know what that so-called Xbox creator actually did imagine for the future of the format. I can assume its not this, but he never actually said. Easy to say what you shouldnt do, a bit harder to offer constructive advice I think.LonnieMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe 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 Readers 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 dont forget to follow us on Twitter.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: When will Fallout 5 be released? 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Xbox AI plans already getting roasted by devs: Nobody will want thisMichael BeckwithPublished February 20, 2025 5:30pmUpdated February 20, 2025 5:30pm Are AI tools really for developers benefit? (Microsoft)Game developers have publicly hit back against Microsofts new AI tool, with one suggesting the company is being led by yes-men.For as much as the idea of using AI for game development has been mocked and derided by regular gamers, its clearly something several publishers are interested in pursuing.Just this week, Microsoft announced a new AI development tool called Muse that its training on its own Xbox games, with the hope that it will empower game creators.Maybe Microsoft sincerely believes such a tool will be beneficial for developers and make their lives easier, but a number of game creators have declared theyre not interested in Microsofts AI promises or anyone elses for that matter.Speaking with Wired, one developer, who remained anonymous, said, [Microsoft] dont see that nobody will want this. They dont care that nobody will want this.They even suggested that theres little internal pushback because people are afraid of speaking out against it: Internal discussions about these sorts of things are quiet because everyone fears being against this and losing their jobs due to the tumultuous time in our industry.Another anonymous developer believes that the real audience for Muse is not game creators, but shareholders: to show that Microsoft is all in on AI, which has yet to deliver a product that anyone wants.That is certainly a believable statement, as everything from live service games to mass layoffs have more to do with performative actions for investors than it does the actual needs of a company.The developer also said they asked for anonymity because they worry facing repercussions from Microsoft: I also still need to beg them for money for a Game Pass deal, and attaching my name would reduce my chances.If this is accurate, it perhaps recontextualises Microsofts statement about interviewing 27 studios to make sure the research was shaped by the people who would use it.David Goldfarb, founder of Metal: Hellsinger studio The Outsiders, is far less concerned with upsetting Microsoft, bluntly posting F*** this s*** on X in response to the news.He followed up with a more detailed explanation of his distaste for using AI, telling Wired, The people who are promoting it are doing it to reduce capital expenditure and whether they intend to do it or not, are effectively disenfranchising and devaluing millions of collective years of aesthetic effort by game devs and artists.The primary issue is that we are losing craft. When we rely on this stuff we are implicitly empowering a class of people who own these tools and dont give a f*** about how they reshape our lives.Elsewhere, AI researcher and game designer Dr Michael Cook also wrote up a response to Muse with his own blog post. Its mostly to clear up misconceptions about how Muse actually works, but Cook did share his own criticisms.More TrendingFor starters, while Cook does find the tech impressive, he doesnt think Muse is at all practical, at least at this stage, since the demonstrations Microsoft shared are based on years of player data: Most developers couldnt afford to do this, and the ones that could do not have years and years of player data to show an AI, because by definition if they did their game would already be out.Cook was especially critical about Xbox boss Phil Spencers comments, about how an AI model can help with preservation by feeding it gameplay and video data from older games and thus emulate them on current hardware.He bluntly called these claims idiotic and absolutely not a solution for game preservation, adding that by that logic, a childs drawing of the end cut scene of Final Fantasy 8 is preservation.Preservation is not just about gameplay, and its not just about video, continued Cook, A generative model of what game footage maybe looked like once might be a nice curio on the side of a real preservation process, but it is always going to be inferior to other ways we approach the problem. The YouTube announcement for Muse currently has only 489 likes compared to the 2,100 dislikes (Microsoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Were no historians but were pretty sure Yasuke didnt drive a car back then (Steam)While Ubisoft faces yet another controversy over Assassins Creed Shadows, a parody game starring Yasuke has popped up on Steam.Whether its a huge success or a dismal failure, Assassins Creed Shadows will certainly be remembered for the constant stream of discourse surrounding its historical accuracy, particularly regarding the inclusion of African samurai Yasuke as a playable character.Ubisoft has been accused by some of not being historically accurate and even appeared to apologise for it (maybe? It was never clear) even though historians say Yasuke did exist. Although that seems irrelevant anyway, given the Assassins Creed games have never been very accurate and have plenty of fantastical elements.Even so, the amount of arguing has reached such a level that indie developers have decided to create a parody game bluntly titled Yasuke Simulator.In case it wasnt more blatant what the games doing, its developer is listed as HistoryAccurateDevelopers and its slated to launch on Steam on March 20 the same day as Assassins Creed Shadows.Its clearly made on the cheap, but it doesnt present itself as an Assassins Creed game, as theres much more focus on combat than stealth. Its claims of historical accuracy clearly arent meant to be taken seriously either, since gameplay footage shows Yasuke driving cars and firing guns.We couldnt tell you whether Yasuke Simulator is meant to mock Ubisoft or the games critics, but its probably both. Its certainly going to be interesting to see whether Ubisoft knows about it and if they try to get it removed.Probably not, since its not like it owns the rights to Yasukes existence, and, as far as we can tell Yasuke Simulator doesnt include any material lifted directly from Ubisofts work. If anything, it has more in common with a GTA game than Assassins Creed.At the moment Assassins Creed Shadows is scheduled for release on March 20 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC. You, er, you doing okay there, Yasuke? (Steam)Its not just Yasukes inclusion in Assassins Creed Shadows that has attracted complaints. A tie-in statue for the game that featured a ruined, one-legged Torii gate was decried as insensitive, prompting it to be removed from sale and be redesigned.This is because theres a famous one-legged gate at the Sann Shrine in Nagasaki, which was partially destroyed by the atomic bomb that dropped during the Second World War.More TrendingSimilar complaints were made about gameplay footage where the player entered a shrine (one based on the real-life Itate Hyozu Shrine) and destroyed parts of it.According to Sankei News (as translated by Automaton), representatives of the real-life shrine have said they will be taking appropriate action regarding the shrines portrayal, adding they were never contacted by Ubisoft about the shrines inclusion in the game.This in turn is reminiscent of the Church of England objecting to Manchester Cathedral being featured in PlayStation 3 launch title Resistance: Fall Of Man.Its unclear if an attempt will be made to push Ubisoft into removing the shrine or just ensuring it cant be interfered with by players. Either way, lets just hope this doesnt lead to another delay. Were starting to think this game is cursed (Ubisoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Devs used to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have had difficulties dealing with Nintendos less powerful hardware (Nintendo)Several Japanese developers have gone on record about the difficulties theyve had porting their games to Switch and what they want to see from the Switch 2.While nobody is expecting the Nintendo Switch 2 to be as much of a graphical powerhouse as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, its still assumed to be a significant upgrade compared to its predecessor.Nintendo itself remains mum in terms of the exact specs, although its commonly believed the Switch 2 will be roughly equivalent to the PlayStation 4, but have enough technical wizardry to allow it to run the kind of games seen on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.Its not just fans that are eager for a more powerful console from Nintendo, though. Developers want the same thing, particularly those whove had trouble porting games from other platforms to the current Switch.Recently, Automaton sat down with a number of Japanese game developers and engineers to talk to them about the new console. Their biggest hope for the Switch 2? Improved overall hardware specs.The developers admitted to facing plenty of difficulties with making Switch ports because of its lower specs. For instance, the Switchs CPU (central processing unit) often isnt capable of pre-loading (a technique that allows assets and data to be loaded in the background), which creates slowdown problems and longer load times.Storage problems have also been a common issue. Standard Switch game cartridges only allow for up to 32GB of data, so any game larger than that needs to be compressed (which has been described as one of the hardest aspects of porting games to Switch) and/or have the rest of its data be downloaded to the Switchs internal storage or a microSD card. Ever wondered why you dont see the Call Of Duty games on Switch? (Activision)This is one of the key reasons why the Call Of Duty games have never been ported to Switch. Last years Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, for instance, needs about 84 to 86GB of space on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. So, when Microsoft touted how its purchase of Activision would bring Call Of Duty to Switch, it knew it was impossible on any of the current models.More TrendingWhats more, the Switch apparently reads games faster from its built-in storage and microSD cards, with developers saying the cartridge versions of games suffer from abnormally slow load times. Something that will also hopefully be addressed with the Switch 2, which looks to have a new cartridge format.For all the complaints, however, these developers did stress that they love the Switch as a platform and its because of that they want its successor to be stronger. That way, game development stands to be a lot smoother, and itd be easier to bring more games to the system.There are enough rumours to suggest the Switch 2 will be exactly what these developers are hoping for. Its claimed Microsoft is planning to bring Xbox One era games to the console, like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Fallout 4, and its theorised the likes of Tekken 8 and Red Dead Redemption 2 already have Switch 2 retail listings. The first Red Dead Redemption already made it to Switch in 2023 (Take-Two Interactive)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Insiders say its due to high costs and Chinas maturing games industry (NetEase)Despite signs of it retreating from overseas investments, publisher NetEase says it remains committed to its plans for global expansion.The recent layoffs at the US development team for Marvel Rivals were a shock to everyone, considering how successful the online shooter has been.Although it did come after Chinese publisher NetEase made numerous cuts at other Western studios it owns, as well as shutting down the developer behind Visions Of Mana the very day the game launched.Following the Marvel Rivals news, reports emerged that NetEase is looking to abandon some, if not all, of its international investments; something NetEase has so far denied.According to a report by GamesBeat, industry insiders believe NetEase has decided it wants to stop relying on overseas staff to make its games, which could result in further layoffs and studio closures.The supposed reasons for this are twofold. The first is, unsurprisingly, due to rising development costs, particularly those for US developers.The second is because Chinas own games industry has matured much more quickly than expected, to the point where its started to enjoy genuine international success.Aside from free-to-play fare like Genshin Impact, the recent success of Black Myth: Wukong (which sold 10 million copies in just three days) has demonstrated the country can also pump out popular AAA console games.What game studios does NetEase own?Aside from its own internal development studio, NetEase Games, NetEase owns an additional 20 studios across the US, Europe, and Asia. Those studios are:Grasshopper Manufacture Suda51s No More Heroes studioPinCoolNagoshi Studio founded and run by Yakuza series creator Toshihiro NagoshiNetEase Games TokyoGPTRACK50 StudioStudio FlareQuantic Dream the studio behind Detroit: Become Human and the upcoming Star Wars EclipseJackalyptic GamesT-Minus Zero EntertainmentAnchor Point StudiosNetEase Games North AmericaBulletFarmNetEase Games MontrealSkyBox Labs co-developer on Halo Infinite and multiple Age Of Empire gamesBad Brain Game StudiosSplicedRebel Wolves founded by former CD Projekt staffNetEase Games KoreaLiquid SwordsFantastic Pixel CastleSonys also started bringing large scale Chinese games to the PlayStation 5, including this years action role-player Lost Soul Aside and the recently revealed Tides Of Annihilation. So, why rely on overseas developers when Chinese studios can make them instead and more cheaply.Its possible the tariffs imposed against China by US president Donald Trump have something to do with it too. Industry experts had warned months ago these tariffs could lead to increased prices for consoles and games, and they will also impact Chinese game studios and thus the wider industry which makes considerable use of Chinese developers for support work.As such, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which represents all the big name game publishers, has publicly asked to be consulted on such tariffs to avoid causing significant harm to everyday Americans and to one of the fastest growing entertainment sectors in the United States.In a statement sent to GamesBeat, though, NetEase addresses the general issue of its future plans but manages to avoid answering the key question.Our two-pronged approach, proposed in 2022 (combining self-research and investments to explore overseas markets), is still actively progressing and yielding positive results, reads the statement.As far as overseas business efforts are concerned, NetEase has not wavered in its global expansion plans, it reads, highlighting success stories like Marvel Rivals and survival game Once Human.More TrendingThese projects demonstrate NetEases ability, along with our talented development teams, to produce high-quality games loved by players worldwide.At no point do they deny planning to shut down all or most of their Western Studios, but the do admit to scaling down two of studios at the end of 2024.This represents only a small portion of our overseas studio portfolio. Our studios in North America, UK, Spain, and Japan all continue to refine and develop their ongoing game projects, they insist.NetEase also refuted the idea that the aforementioned tariffs have had any effect on its strategy, or at least not yet. We are mindful of any developments in international trade. However, our decisions have been based solely on business evaluations and not influenced by other factors. Could NetEases other studios like the No More Heroes developer be hit with layoffs too? (Grasshopper Manufacture)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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. 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PGA Tour 2K25 a definite improvement on the last game (Take-Two Interactive)2K Games latest sports sim may not be the prettiest or most realistic but it does play an enjoyable round of golf.For a brief moment, officially licensed PGA Tour Golf games started to resemble buses, with two coming along at once: PGA Tour 2K23 and the far superior EA Sports PGA Tour. Publishers brief fascination with the concept did not last though (which in turn implies they didnt sell that well) and its taken Take-Two almost three years to return with a new game.Barring their brief comeback in 2023, EA Sports held the PGA Tour licence since 1990 but relinquished it in 2015. Take-Twos first entry was PGA Tour 2K21 and while the recent gap has been longer than intended the plan was never to have yearly sequels, so that Canadian developer HB Studios could have time to make more substantial improvements between iterations.But those who simply love a good golf game rather than demanding rigorous simulations should be more than happy with PGA Tour 2K25. HB Studios has clearly concentrated on getting the nuts and bolts of the gameplay right, with a new control system that offers the best simulacrum of swinging a golf club by moving a joystick up and down that weve ever seen. The player models arent very convincing, but the games 27 golf courses look and feel fantastic.By the general standards of expensively acquired sports licences, HB Studios is a pretty small outfit, and that shows in certain aspects of PGA Tour 2K25 most noticeably in its rendering of the golfers, both real and imagined. It has a Create-a-Player option, which lets you design someone to represent you at the tee, but whoever you go with inevitably ends up looking a bit weird, not helped by some shonky texture work.At launch, PGA Tour 2K25 will only have officially rendered representations of 11 of the PGA Tours myriad real-life players, which is so few the women end up competing in the mens tour just to make up the numbers. But if HB Studios have had to pick their battles it does feel as if theyve chosen the right ones.By comparison, the games physics more than passes muster shots from the rough fly much as they would in real life, and if you chip halfway up a steeply sloping green, your ball will end up back at your feet, just as it should. Gusting winds will catch elevated approach shots, and on sunny days, greens at the top courses will feel like putting on glass. In short, PGA Tour 2K25 feels believable and realistic.Plus, it uses a certain amount of smoke and mirrors to sidestep the issue of the unimpressive-looking virtual golfers. You play your rounds in isolation, without any playing partners around, and are occasionally shown standout shots performed by other golfers. The commentary is a bit uniform, with the same protagonists all the way through, but at least it mirrors the play with commendable accuracy.PGA Tour 2K25 has an unexpectedly clever career mode, in which by playing you can level up both your golfers attributes and his or her clubs, and even the ball (giving a driver greater tolerance to hooks and shanks, for example, or adding to its power).We started off on the Korn Ferry Tour (you can also opt to begin at the Q School which qualifies you for that tour or jump straight into the PGA Tour proper). But because we had cheated by selecting a new difficulty level (somewhat akin to a driving aid in a Formula One game) entitled Perfect Swing which vastly reduces the penalties you receive for swinging imperfectly we soon qualified for the PGA Tour by winning three tournaments.If you also opt to play only a selection of holes for each round you can cheat further by tweaking the AI simulation of your golfer so that it picks up shots on the simulated holes that you dont play. In other words, you can game PGA Tour 2K25 so it makes you feel like the greatest golfer in the world, which is fun. But eventually, anyone who is serious will turn Perfect Swing off, since it robs the clever control system of the fine control it offers. The course graphics are very good (Take-Two Interactive)If you thought that golf was a game for the aged, the career mode will attempt to disabuse you of that notion. One of its levelling up mechanics involves generating online followers, via your on-course heroics, your answers in post-tournament interviews, your rivalries with other pros, and your interactions with sponsors.Traditionalists might not be happy with the vast amount of virtual clothing and golf equipment that the game throws at you, but a younger audience weaned on loot boxes will surely find that intriguing. The fact that you can pay real money for in-game currency to level up your golfers attributes is unforgivable, however. But then it is Take-Two, who are worse with microtransactions than even EA.The career mode offers more variety than just playing a PGA Tour season: there are also cleverly conceived training exercises, which help hone different aspects of your game, and its also worth playing practice rounds, since those provide buffs that you take into your next tournament. You can also set up local couch-competitive play sessions on your favourite courses, and in a number of formats, including fourballs, which is highly commendable.More TrendingWhen you go online, things become altogether more serious, as indeed they should. Theres a full Ranked mode, or you can set up rooms for playing online with your friends on your own terms. The Ranked mode wont let you use the Perfect Swing difficulty level, although it does have three difficulty tiers: Pro-Am, Pro, and Master.So, if you want to go online, youll have to dispense with the training wheels, or else youll find yourself slicing horrifically into the undergrowth. There are also online Societies which you can join or create, which have the potential to foster a sense of community and which can support custom events, although few were up and running pre-launch.PGA Tour 2K25 does not offer the expensively polished facsimile of the real-life tournament that EA Sports games used to, but its still a very playable and engaging golf game. The single-player and online are both accessible and rigorous, depending on how you set them up, and while it may not be the prettiest golf game out there, its as much fun to play as any modern rival.PGA Tour 2K25 review summaryIn Short: Not the most polished of officially licensed golf games, but its passion for the sport and wide variety of options make it a very playable and fun experience.Pros: Great new control system, offering clever shot-shaping. Gloriously rendered golf courses, cleverly meaty career mode, and lots of local multiplayer options. Rigorous yet accessible online mode.Cons: Weird-looking virtual players and spectators, with only a small number of licensed pros. A barrage of loot box style virtual items, encouraging you to spend money to upgrade your player.Score: 7/10Formats: Xbox Series X/S (reviewed), PlayStation 5, and PCPrice: 64.99Publisher: 2KDeveloper: HB StudiosRelease Date: 28th February 2025Age Rating: 16 The people dont look that great (Take-Two Interactive)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Better graphics were a big selling point in the 2000s, but not so much nowadays (Microsoft)With Microsoft promising another huge leap in technology for the next gen Xbox, the creator of the original console argues chasing stronger hardware is the wrong move.The biggest question surrounding the eventual next gen hardware from Microsoft and Sony is what they can actually offer consumers, beyond simply being more powerful.The graphical improvement from Xbox One and PlayStation 4 was already a small one this generation and yet it still increased the amount of time needed to make a triple-A to untenable levels. Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has argued that any further graphical and performance improvements will be so miniscule barely anyone will notice and hes not the only that thinks that.Seamus Blackley, the man credited for inventing the original Xbox, has expressed similar sentiments and doesnt appear to think too highly of how Microsoft has been handling the Xbox brand lately.Speaking with VideoGamer, Blackley said being the most powerful console around was a key selling point for the Xbox, when it released in 2001, since it needed something to position itself above its competitors the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube.It was just that was a story that really worked and that was relevant then because we were still sort of the nascent stages of graphics [sic], explained Blackley, adding how Microsoft was risking losing money on making the Xbox super powerful and banking on its games being awesome.Nowadays, though, Blackley thinks this narrative around being more powerful is not helpful today and its the games themselves that are far more important.Blackley points to the Nintendo Switch as the obvious example, highlighting how often Blackley keeps playing The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. How differently could things have gone if Blackley stayed at Microsoft? (YouTube)Blackley also doesnt agree with some of Microsofts business decisions since his departure in 2002: How they managed that brand and the story going forward is not my f***ing fault, and its not, you know, I would not have done things the same wayAlthough Microsoft appears to have recognised it cant compete with Sony anymore in terms of hardware, as evidenced by its willingness to bring first party titles to the PlayStation 5, it has promised to keep making new consoles.More TrendingHowever, its not clear what direction the next console will take and what the promise of the biggest technological leap ever in a generation actually means which taken at face value sounds like its continuing the narrative Blackley believes the company needs to drop.Since that quote doesnt actually mention graphics, there are theories that the next Xbox console will instead be heavily reliant on AI technology.Microsoft is certainly committed to this sort of tech, having just recently announced new AI development tools that, despite the companys assurances, seem likely to cause even more job losses in the industry.Microsoft has also talked about a Xbox handheld device although its not clear what that is either. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed prototypes have been built but hes also said the console is some way off, implying its not just a portable Xbox Series S. There are several other handheld gaming devices on the market so its no wonder Microsoft would want a piece of the pie (Valve/Microsoft/Metro)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Apex Legends try it for free (EA)The Thursday letters page is concerned AI is not being used to help developers, as a reader takes issue with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophets name.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPlay now, pay laterIm a little surprised that Marvel Rivals is doing so well as I havent found it to be much fun. Maybe Im just not getting it, but it seemed too random and unbalanced to me. For my mind the best free shooter is still Apex Legends. The characters and world are kind of bland, but I find its the best action by far and the one that sells itself the most on just being a good game.Call Of Duty: Warzone is too tame for my tastes and Fortnite has always had bad gunplay, as far as Im concerned. I do keep meaning to try Warframe though, if anyone could recommend it?It does feel wrong to complain about any of them though, as Id say they were all very high quality for something thats free. I know they have to be if they want to get you addicted and spending money but 20 years ago, I wouldve never imagined that the most popular games in the world would all be free.DweebleNo problemoI think the thing I hate most about all this AI stuff is the pretence that its for any reason other than being able to lay off even more people. As usual for techbros its a solution in search of a problem and the only benefit is to greedy CEOs who want to buy an extra yacht and the easiest way to do that is to sack a few hundred more people.Im wiling to bet AI doesnt speed up making games at all. Its like a sponge, theyll just realise they can do even more in the five or so years. Nobodys going to go back to make a whole game in just a year or two, even though they should.The minute that happens then sure, Ill be all for AI. But none of this is about improving anything for anyone but the shareholders and execs. Voice actors have been on strike for seven months so far, because of all this. We just dont realise it because the games that will be affected arent yet. So when all the new games in 2026 have creepy AI voices instead of real people youll know why.CranstonWorst job in the worldI honestly cant believe this news about Marvel Rivals. It becomes a mega hit and then they just dump the creators and do all the updates from China, now the games set-up? A company can be as heartless as it wants but whod ever work for NetEase now, knowing what they do to you even if everything works out?Never mind that, whod be a video game developer at all? 1 in 10 have lost their jobs in the last couple of years and now with all this AI nonsense from Xbox that number is only going to go up. I remember when making games seemed like it must be the coolest job in the world, but now it seems like a nightmare where neither the publisher or the general public appreciate you.The guy talking about bloat in the comments section of that story should be ashamed of themselves. Ive never seen any fandom have such contempt for the people that make the things they enjoy. Im surprised they didnt offer up a death threat while they were about it.RonsonEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukLost FactionsI cant help thinking that the obvious compromise for Naughty Dog cancelling The Last Of Us Online is adding Factions to the remake of The Last Of Us Part 1. It was pretty shameful that it wasnt included in the first place, because now neither of the games have a multiplayer mode on PlayStation 5.It always makes me laugh when companies talk about game preservation and its not the old ones were losing, its the new ones. Factions basically doesnt exist now, unless theres a fan server somewhere, and what about Concord? Millions of dollars to make and now its as if it never even happened.I dont expect anyone to do anything about it but there should be a law against it. Although I see Parliament already said no to that, so publishers are free to do whatever they want.ZeissTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextSwitch Extra LiteThe Switch 2 might be the first Nintendo console I havent bought at launch since the GameCube. Nothing announced so far has me excited for the launch.One thing that might tempt me though would be a cheaper non-portable version. My Switch stays permanently tucked away under my desk and I always use a Pro Controller rather than the Joy-Cons. A mini version of the console with no screen, battery or Joy-Cons would suit me fine.JulianHWhats in a nameI know bad names, especially for indie games, is a bit of a pet peeve for GC and I cant help thinking Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is one of the worst Ive ever heard in quite a while. I remember when the name leaked and everything thought it must be some low budget Japanese role-playing game or something. And then it turns out to be a mega budget Naughty Dog game.And then the trailer didnt have anything about prophets or heretics and the tone seemed to be some kind of flippant Guardians Of The Galaxy style knock-off. Except afterwards Naughty Dog said it was about religion and faith? I dont know who wouldve guessed that from the trailer.We know virtually nothing about the game and yet I already have a bad feeling about it. I guess maybe Sony are out of practice with game reveals, given how few of them they do now, but this one seemed to do nothing but damage.I cant say the one for Saros was very good either, some guy going on about dying on a beach is all I got. Returnal wasnt exactly a big seller so Im not sure how many non-fans that managed to excite. Not many if all the complaining about it being a bad State of Play are any sign (I thought it was pretty good, overall).I do agree with many that there seems a sickness almost to the games industry at the moment. Nothing is happening, everyone seems off their game, and nobody is happy. We really need the Switch 2 and GTA 6 as soon as possible.FalcoConstant consolidationSo now Niantic is being bought out as well? Theres going to be like three companies involved in gaming by the time we get to the next generation and that barely seems like an exaggeration.Not that Ive played Pokmon Go since it first came out but when even a game that big isnt self-sustaining youve got to wonder what the point is. Although it probably didnt help constantly remaking the same game but with a different licence on top. I had never heard of that Pikmin game before.LumpyPS: I do realise that $3.5 billion is a pretty good booby prize.The wasted generationWeve heard from other developers, I think Rocksteady was one of them, that its often the developers ideas to do these live service games, even if their hearts dont seem to be in it. I never understood that before but this explanation from the ex-Sony guy, of them just wanting to get ahead of an even worse idea, makes a lot of sense.I couldnt say whether it was Jim Ryans idea or not, but it seems pretty obvious now that he or someone else made it clear that live service games were the future for Sony and that everyone needs to get on board. Which set them on the road to Concord.Unfortunately, Helldivers 2 means theyll never give up entirely but Im hoping the Saros reveal, and hopefully more to come, means were finally getting back to some kind of balance. Theyve wasted a whole generation of this U-turn though and they should feel very lucky that theyre not being punished for it, because Microsoft us even more clueless.If Sony thinks theyll just reset the clock with the PlayStation 6 though Im not sure. If Microsoft can leverage AI and streaming to their advantage, you could be looking at a phoenix from the flames situation.Although, if either of them get their act together again can we just have some slow and steady competence at some point? Instead of this wild shooting from the hip stuff that never works out.GambolInbox also-ransLife Is Strange is 10 years old already? Yikes. Life is short more like.TrexnI hope these Tony Hawks remasters (remakes, whatever) are the Underground games. 3 and 4 were just worse versions of the first two and Im not sure anyone has any real nostalgia for them. Underground was great though.Rosau20More TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. 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Xboxs Phil Spencer is very keen on AI (Microsoft)Microsoft has made a major annoucement about using AI in gaming, that they hope will change the way video games are made forever.Last year, when Xbox announced their plans for a next gen console, they promised that it would deliver the largest technical leap youve ever seen in a hardware generation. That seemed like absurd hyperbole at the time, given the increasingly small improvements seen in recent generations, but Microsoft never said anything about a graphical leap.The best guess has always been that theyre talking about something to do with AI, which Microsoft has a natural advantage with when compared to any other company even though Google has also been experimenting with AI game creation.They havent discussed their next gen plans again since, so we cant be sure, but they have just unveiled a new AI-base development tool, which sounds great if you want all your future games to play like artless AI slop.The new Muse AI model is intended to help developers create elements of games, including 3D worlds that have realistic physics. The environments can be generated according to images or controller inputs, similar to how 2D image generation already works.With 2D artwork, and voiceovers, the AI creations are based on sampling existing work, often without the permission of the original owner, although in this case Microsoft claims theyre only using their own first party games as reference.This allows the model to create consistent and diverse gameplay rendered by AI, demonstrating a major step toward generative AI models that can empower game creators, says Fatima Kardar, Microsofts corporate vice president of gaming, on Xbox Wire.What companies are using AI to make video games?Although Microsoft has a head start with AI, due to its size and all its other divisions that are working on similar tech, most other publishers have indicated that they intend to use AI in the future or are already doing so.EA used it extensively in its recent College Football game, to replicate the faces of more obscure athletes, that itd be too time consuming or expensive to have a human do.That sort of work does make sense to automate, given the ever increasing amounts of time and money needed to make modern games, although its unclear how much it actually saves of either.Not every game company is in favour of AI though and Nintendo has made it clear its not interested in using AI for any substantial game creation work, insisting they want to keep their games special.A more surprising sceptic is Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick, who oversees everything from Rockstar Games to NBA 2K, and had some very interesting things to say about AI in a recent discussion with GamesIndustry.biz.Artificial intelligence is an oxymoron, theres no such thing. Machine learning, machines dont learn. Those are convenient ways to explain to human beings what looks like magic, he said.The bottom line is that these are digital tools and weve used digital tools forever. I have no doubt that what is considered AI today will help make our business more efficient and help us do better work, but it wont reduce employment.You can only hope hes right but, as ever, it will be the commerical success of AI games which will be the true determining factor in how much the technology is used in the future.Although its still early, this model research is pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible. We are already using Muse to develop a real-time playable AI model trained on other first party games, and we see potential for this work to one day benefit both players and game creators.One of the demos Microsoft has shown involves generating graphics on the fly that react to each other and the environment realistically. The frame rate and resolution is very low, but its only a matter of time before thats improved.Muse is also intended to help optimise older games for modern hardware in other words remasters and backwards compatibility wont be done by humans anymore but by AI.Somewhat surprisingly, the guinea pig for the technology has been obscure Ninja Theory game Bleeding Edge, with the Hellblade developer collaborating with Microsoft Research, who are also based in Cambridge.We dont intend to use this technology for the creation of content, said Ninja Theory studio head Dom Matthews, via The Verge. I think the interesting aspect for us thats exciting, is how can we use technology like this to make the process of making games quicker and easier for our talented team, so that they can really focus on the thing thats really special about games: the human creativity.More TrendingThat all sounds good in theory but the things the demos are showing certainly seem like content and yet anyone thats played a roguelike with randomly-generated levels will know that a hand-crafted map is always infinitely more interesting.At the end of the day AIs use in video games is the same as any artistic field, in that not only does it remove human creativity from the process, but it can only work by plagiarising existing art made by a human.Its especially worrying as the video games industry continues to shed staff at an alarming rate, with multiple layoffs already this week and over 25,000 jobs lost since 2023.Whether Microsoft is being disingenuous or not, about how it intends to use AI, there are certainly other companies that seem all to eager to replace human creators with generative AI. And with a new generation of hardware on the horizon that is a disturbing thought. Do you want AI making your games? (Nightdive Studios)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Bungie talked Naughty Dog out of making The Last of Us Online says ex-Sony bossGameCentralPublished February 19, 2025 4:23pmUpdated February 19, 2025 4:23pm The Last of Us Online apparently it was great (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida has said that he has played The Last Of Us Online and it was great, plus it was Naughty Dogs idea to make it.The cancellation of a Naughty Dog game is not something youd normally expect to be celebrated but very few fans were upset to hear that The Last Of Us Online was being canned, back in 2023.All that was ever shown of the game were a few pieces of concept art and it was never made clear what it actually was, although the obvious assumption is that it was an extension of the well-regarded multiplayer mode Factions for the original The Last Of Us.It was in development for some time and the implication was that it had got to a playable state and now former President of SIE Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed he played it, and it was great.Unfortunately, he wasnt any more descriptive than that, so we still dont know what the game was. However, Yoshida did offer some insight into how and why it was cancelled.The idea for The Last Of Us Online came from Naughty Dog and they really wanted to make it, he told Sacred Symbols+, via Push Square.But Bungie explained what it takes to make live service games, and Naughty Dog realised, Oops, we cant do that! If we do it, we cant make Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. So that was a lack of foresight.Yoshida added that, as far as he knows, no first party Sony studio had been forced to make live service games and it was more a case of them seeing where the company was going and making their own pitch, before something was forced on them.From my experience, when studios see the company has a big initiative, [they realise] riding on that gives them a better chance of getting a project approved and supported, he said.Nevertheless, it seems likely that hes giving a rather diplomatic description of the drama surrounding the games cancellation.Even ignoring the rather churlishly worded announcement from Naughty Dog, in which they insisted their only choices were to be a solely live service games studio or continue to focus on single-player, it was reported that Bungie had given the game a negative internal appraisal some months earlier.Yoshida seems to confirm this in his comments, but at the time it was also said that after Bungies appraisal, the development team was downsized as the game was re-evaluated, which cant have gone down well with Naughty Dog.More TrendingAs if to confirm that, a few months later it was reported by sources that it was not a bloodless endeavour and that there, were some heads rolling at Sony as a result of the cancellation.Since leaving Sony, Yoshida has been more open about his time at the company, revealing that he was forced out of his role as President of SIE Worldwide Studios by former Sony boss Jim Ryan.Ryan himself left the company not long after and its still unclear whether that was entirely his own decision and whether he was the one that was pushing for more live service games or if he was against them, and thats why he left.For that matter, its not clear what that position is of any of Sonys current execs, who have pointedly said as little as possible about the subject in public. Few mourn the passing of The Last of Us Online (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Pokmon Go and Niantic to be sold to Saudi-funded firm for $3.5 billion claims reportGameCentralPublished February 19, 2025 12:12pmUpdated February 19, 2025 12:12pm Pokmon Go may soon be under new management (Niantic)Yet another games company is being swallowed up by a larger competitor, as the maker of Pokmon Go is reported to be in talks with the publisher of Monopoly Go.It may not make quite as many headlines as it used to, when it first launched almost nine years ago, but Pokmon Go is still hugely popular, with a recent increase in popularity bringing in over 100 million monthly players.The game isnt made by Nintendo or The Pokmon Company, but by American studio Niantic, who also make a number of similar titles, such as Monster Hunter Now, Pikmin Bloom, and their first game Ingress.None of the other games have ever been anywhere near as popular but Niantic is not thought to be in any kind of financial trouble and yet reports suggest theyre in talks to sell off their game business to the Saudi-owned mobile publisher Scopely, for a cool $3.5 billion.Scopely is also an American company and its biggest hit at the moment is Monopoly Go! That was launched in April 2023 and only two months later Scopely was acquired by Savvy Games Group, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund (PIF).The Saudi Arabian PIF has made a number of video game purchases in recent years, including sizeable stakes in Nintendo, Take-Two, EA, Embracer Group, and rumoured discussions with Ubisoft.This is intended as a way to diversify the countrys economy; it also comes as outside investment in gaming has seen a drastic decrease around the world, which has been one of the key causes of the ongoing layoffs across the industry.What happens to Pokmon Go if Niantic is sold off?None of the companies involved have confirmed the deal but a Bloomberg report suggests that if it goes through then Scopely will immediately take ownership of Pokmon Go.This wont necessarily have any immediate effect on the game, and most players will probably not notice the change, with no indication that Scopely want to change Pokmon Go in any significant way.How they might feel about the other games is less obvious though, as Bloomberg notes that repeated attempts to mirror the success of Pokmon Go have led to a number of cancelled titles over the years, including Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in 2021.More TrendingNiantic already signed a deal with Savvy Games last year to bring Pokmon Go to the Middle East, which is no doubt when the idea of buying the company was first floated.Savvy boss Brian Ward has previously suggested that the company was interested in buying a genre-leading mobile game as the tip of the spear for its mobile portfolio, implying that Niantic is not the only company in his sights.As for Niantic, it was originally a spin-off from Google and was never originally intended to be a games company. Instead, it started off experimenting more generally with geospatial data and last year started talking about new tech that could capture and share 3D scans of real-world objects and locations.That seems like it would have plenty of applications for video games, although it may be that Niantic ends up selling access to the technology rather than making the games itself. Niantic may be giving up gaming entirely (Niantic)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

NetEase celebrates Marvel Rivals success by sacking director and staffGameCentralPublished February 19, 2025 10:27amUpdated February 19, 2025 10:27am Marvel Rivals success is no protection from the bean counters (NetEase Games)Despite being the most successful new live service game in years, Chinese owner NetEase has laid off the American developers responsible for Marvel Rivals.Online shooter Marvel Rivals is consistently in the top five most played games on Steam, often with over 300,000 concurrent players, and has been a massive hit on consoles too, with over 20 million free downloads.Given how many live service games crash and burn almost instantly youd imagine Chinese publisher NetEase would be over the moon with its performance. They probably are but their reward for the American team that made the game is not what you might imagine.Game director Thaddeus Sasser posted on LinkedIn that, This is such a weird industry My stellar, talented team just helped deliver an incredibly successful new franchise in Marvel Rivals for NetEase Games and were just laid off!Its unclear exactly how many people have lost their jobs, and NetEase has made no official announcement, but most of Sassers initial LinkedIn post is him trying to get level designer Garry McGee a new job.Welp, just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with NetEase, said fellow level designer Jack Burrows. Was an enormous pleasure to work with my American co-workers who join me in this sad culling. Just couldnt dodge that big boot I guess, no matter how big the success of the gig.Strange times all across the industry indeed, added McGee on LinkedIn.All of them refer to the ongoing series of layoffs that have swept across the games industry for well over a year now, in part as a result of companies over-staffing during Covid, when they thought (or at least pretended to investors) that the popularity of video games would remain the same once lockdown ended.Larger companies, such as Microsoft, Sony, and EA, have laid of hundreds, but that scale of cuts has subsided in recent months.More TrendingWhats especially baffling here is that Marvel Rivals is a live service game, so NetEase is going to be needing people to make new levels and other features for as long as its running.The only assumption can be that, now the games established, they want to do it cheaper in China but that seems extremely shortsighted given Sasser and his team have already proven themselves.The move may be the result of a wider shift at NetEase, as its made a number of cuts at its various Western studios recently, with Jar of Sparks (founded by Halo Infinite designer Jerry Hook), Worlds Untold (founded by Mass Effect writer Marc Walters), and Liquid Swords (founded by Avalanche Studios Christofer Sundberg) all suffering layoffs and being told to halt work.Over 25,000 game developers are thought to have lost their jobs since 2023 and, clearly, theres no end in sight. Its especially worrying as its made clear that making a highly successful game doesnt protect anyone from execs desperate for infinite growth at any cost. The purge continues (NetEase Games)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 life is irritating (Dont Nod)The creators of Life Is Strange return with a brand new franchise that shares an awful lot in common with the stories of Max and Chloe.Life Is Strange has had a peculiar history. It celebrated its 10th anniversary in January, with the first game becoming a surprise hit that managed to offer a much more nuanced style of interactive storytelling than Telltale Games, in terms of both its characterisation and its branching narrative. But despite main characters Max Caulfield and Chloe Price becoming instant fan favourites, French developer Dont Nod made the daring choice to not feature them in the sequel.Instead, Life Is Strange 2 told a completely separate story, with an entirely new cast of characters. It was nowhere near as successful though and so Dont Nod parted ways with publisher Square Enix and all the other games have been made by American studio Deck Nine which was going fine until last years hugely disappointing Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, which brought back Max but, inexplicably, not Chloe.Well never find out whether Dont Nod wouldve returned to either character, given the choice, but what we have now is Lost Record: Bloom & Rage, which can be seen as very much a spiritual successor to the series and is made by one of the original co-directors and several others that were involved in the original two games. Nobody has superpowers in this one but theres still plenty of teenage angst and vague supernatural mysteries, but what there isnt, at the moment, is much sense of purpose.Technically, Bloom & Rage is episodic, although it comes in only two parts, with the second one due for release on April 15 as a free download if you buy part one (or Tape 1, as the game has it). That means we dont know how the story is going to end, and it is possible that it could take an unexpected swerve at the halfway point, but it starts off with four former friends Nora, Kat, Autumn, and Swann meeting up again for the first time in 27 years, in the rural US town they used to call home.Although they know they purposefully agreed never to see each other again, none of them can apparently remember why, although whether this is because of repressed memories or, as it seems, plot convenience is frustratingly unclear. Combine this with the general lack of forward momentum in the story and the game becomes very aggravating, very quickly, as it simply refuses to tell you things your character should already know.You play as Swann, who shares a lot of qualities with Max, except more exaggerated. Shes very shy, with no real friends, and prefers to view the world through a camcorder creating a literal barrier between her and other people. Her situation improves when shes saved from a bully by the other three girls but unfortunately shes due to move to Canada soon, so they can only spend the one summer together.Whatever calamity is at the heart of the games story causes them to vow never to see each other again, until Autumn receives a mysterious package addressed to the old punk band they were in (the sub-titular Bloom & Rage). Maddeningly though, nobody actually opens the parcel, which given the already glacially thin plot development is just perversely irritating.The game is set in both 1995 and 2022 but almost everything in the present-ish day (which, unlike the 90s is viewed from a first person view) is deadly dull, with the four estranged friends mostly just sitting around talking except never about the things you want them to.The 90s is more interesting though, not least because of how well the camcorder is integrated into the game. In the absence of any traditional gameplay, its an effective way to make the game feel more interactive without resorting to QTEs, especially as you can use motion controls with it on the DualSense controller. Tape 2 is going to have to be a real banger (Dont Nod)The grainy, low resolution view looks great, although having to record scenes and objects, to get clues and advance the plot, feels less organic than Dont Nod probably think. The same could be said for the dialogue and voice-acting, which is rarely bad but often feels inauthentic and clunky, and without the saving grace of trying to make hella sound cool.What is good about the dialogue though is the clever way it overlaps and how youre able to make choices during a conversation, rather than just when someone has finished talking. Its very obviously inspired by Oxenfree and, frankly, we wish more games would have borrowed from that game, considering how old it is now.More TrendingIn terms of the characters themselves, its hard to imagine them becoming as popular as Life Is Stranges dynamic duo. Not only is Swann just Max 2.0 but the others are disappointingly one dimensional. Nora is the older girl who wants to be famous, Nora is the sensible one, and Kat is the one most into the supernatural aspects of the story although her backstory and voice-acting make her the most compelling of the group.In terms of branching narrative, its hard to say how complicated the full game is going to get but so far everything seems to be limited to your relationships with the other women, with decisions and responses affecting your friendships throughout the game. Thats good but weve yet to see anything as impressive as Life Is Stranges dramatically different plot strands.Bloom & Rage is a well made game, that has clearly had a lot of thought and love poured into it, but the slow pacing and opaque storytelling are hard to engage with. Perhaps its meandering approach will make more sense once the second part is out but at the moment we have no idea where its going or whether the journey is going to be worth the effort.Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 review summaryIn Short: A disappointing follow-up to Life Is Strange, that tells its story in the most frustrating way possible, but theres some signs it could turn things around in the second half.Pros: The dialogue system is very impressive and the camcorder is used well. Fun 90s feel in the flashbacks.Cons: Very slow and awkward pacing, with the 2022 sections really dragging and frustratingly little plot. The script and voice-acting rarely excel.Score: 5/10Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: 32.99Publisher: Dont NodDeveloper: Dont Nod MontralRelease Date: 18th February 2025Age Rating: 18 Does nobody remember what happened? (Dont Nod)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: When will Fallout 5 be released?GameCentralSign 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

How much is too much? (Nintendo)The Wednesday letters page is worried about Sonys first party games on PS5, as a reader is unsurprised Microsoft hasnt made any new live service games.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukMiddle-core audienceSo, it seems the best guess for the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 is around 350. Im not sure what I expected but that doesnt seem too bad. Although that is 100 more than an Xbox Series S I doubt Nintendo will have too much trouble shifting them, especially at the start when its more the hardcore that is buying them.Im not sure middle-core is really a word but thats where Id place myself, so while I could imagine myself going for one early on Id need quite a bit of convincing. Id need to know it was noticeably more powerful and still had good battery life, and thered ideally be something new and clever about it Im not sure if the secret button is really going to cover that.In terms of games, I need to see a significant roadmap before I bite the bullet. A Sony style one-reveal-per-year routine is not going to cut it here. Although thats one mistake I doubt that Nintendo will make. Overall though, Id say Im interested but not committed, so lets see what the April Direct has to say for itself.FangCreeping closerIt is a fair point about Fallout 5, I really dont know why Bethesda hasnt farmed that out to another developer, other than they always seem to be salty about how everyone prefers Fallout: New Vegas to their games. Id like to think they werent that petty but I wouldnt bet on it.At least were finally getting some news about The Elder Scrolls 6 though, even if it is just this charity thing, but hopefully they wouldnt start that kind of talk if it wasnt due out within at least two years. Right? Or am I being too optimistic?The idea that it could be 20 years, or anything even close to that, between Skyrim and its sequel is crazy to me. I wonder how much of that is due simply to the fact that Bethesda is still making money from it. Like how Rockstar didnt need to make GTA 6 because GTA 5 was already making infinite money.LonnieProblem solvedI think the only real headwind that Nintendo have to deal with is convincing casual gamers that its worth upgrading to Switch 2. Im sure that Nintendo will continue to be jaw-droppingly popular in Japan and that the hardcore Nintendo fans are ready to give their creaking Switch consoles a rest, but Im less certain that the Fortnite crowd will see a good reason to upgrade.In that sense I can see Nintendo having a similar issue to PlayStation with the PlayStation 4: if its still playing the games that people want, why bother with the upgrade? In any case I think were talking about the difference between a 3DS style success and a DS style success.Personally, outside of the two Zelda games my Switch hasnt been used as much as Id like, so I will try to hold-off on the shiny new hardware until I can clear my backlog a bit (or until a new 3D Zelda releases).MagnumstachePS: The Inbox has been in the correct place for the last week or so, fingers crossed thats it sorted!GC: Yes, hopefully. That was an odd one, that we were unaware of at first, so many thanks to everyone that wrote in to pinpoint exactly what was happening.Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukBeen there, done thatTo answer the question of why Xbox hasnt been pursuing live service games growth like Sony they already have them.You can start with the behemoth Minecraft and add on the smaller Halo, Sea Of Thieves, and both Forza franchises.But then you get to Call Of Duty and World Of Warcraft and they pretty much own half the live service games successful today.Lets just not mention Redfall, OK.DarKerR (gamertag)GC: Sea Of Thieves was released before the current industry obsession with live service games and Microsoft has barely owned Activision Blizzard for more than a year, so it is surprising that they never jumped onto the current bandwagon in the period between at the time when Sony and Ubisoft became so obsessed.Au contraireI cant say I agree with Leftys criticisms of Returnal. For a start, I thought it was a great looking game, especially in motion with bullets flying everywhere.Returnal also didnt have randomly-generated levels. The layout was randomised for each run, but each individual area was hand-crafted. Im not sure of any solution that would work better for a roguelike.The story was pretty intersecting too and importantly remained largely in the background, so as to allow the focus to remain primarily on the fantastic gameplay.DrlowdonWorld of crimeRockstar going big on user generated content for GTA 6 is something I can very easily believe in. Not that I want it or anything, but Im certain itll be hugely popular with fans and will start to turn GTA into more of a Fortnite style everything game.Its not just going to be the single-player and then GTA Online anymore, its going to be tons of modes and weird asides just like Fortnite, except aimed at edgelord gamers who will try and fill the game with the sort of stuff that would make Mary Whitehouse blush.How this is going to affect the teenagers that will be most drawn to it I dont know, but I do know that I would never allow my children to play it. Even if I know that means theyll probably just end up playing it at someone elses house.Ill be honest, Im disturbed by the idea of GTA 5 with near photorealistic graphics and tons of user generated content. The games make a virtue out of all the worst aspect of humanity and I really dont think the world needs that right now. Unfortunately though, I know the world is absolutely desperate for it.CorsecAmerica firstSo, according to Xbox, Avowed releases worldwide today. I live in the UK, it is currently 4pm in the afternoon and my Xbox Series X still says releasing later today. WTF.Phil, just say it like it is if you live in America you can play today, if you live anywhere else on the planet then stuff you, play it tomorrow.Lawrence PickMaking the listVery interesting list of what Sonys internal developers are up to at the moment but I have to admit being underwhelmed at the options on show. So few seem to be doing anything new or interesting, with Bend and Bluepoint some of the only ones where we dont know what theyre doing and it probably (maybe?) isnt a sequel.Theres Media Molecule as well, and Firesprite, but I dont know much about them and it doesnt seem likely theyd make anything I like. Hopefully the Naughty Dog Intergalactic game will be good but it wasnt a very encouraging reveal trailer, so Im struggling to be excited by it.I dont want to be a downer but I think it was better off imagining Sony was hiding all these secret, exciting projects out of sight and yet when you look into it theres not really much of interest at all.My biggest hope is that Santa Monica Studio is not working on another God Of War game but instead something new. I really dont feel the series or the characters have anywhere to go after Ragnark and any more games would be purely for the money.I know it always was for Sony, but I think its clear the developers were invested in the two reboot games and I cant believe they wouldnt want to try something new now.CroftieInbox also-ransI dont know if GamegCentral and its readers have seen this, but the Gold Points reward system on Switch is ending on Tuesday March 25th 2025. Perhaps they are going to have a new points system for Switch 2?Andrew J.GC: We would imagine so, heres our story on it.The golden rule of any Civilization release is when the new one arrives, buy the previous one, along with the DLC, for a lovely price. Civ 6 will have to go some to beat Civ 5 though.r-s-wMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. 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Nintendo Switch 2 will be $100 more expensive than original predicts analystMichael BeckwithPublished February 18, 2025 4:49pmUpdated February 18, 2025 4:50pm It certainly wont be cheaper (YouTube)Analysts seem to agree on the likely price of the Nintendo Switch 2 and while its an increase, it should be relatively manageable for UK fans.While the Nintendo Switch 2 wont normally be sold for the tens of thousands theyre currently going for on the black market, there are still concerns that itll be significantly more expensive than the current model. Especially with US president Donald Trumps tariffs threatening to bump console prices up even further.One Italian retailer has already listed Switch 2 pre-orders at 364.99 (about 307), but that was clearly a guesstimate on its part (a fairly generous one at that) and it has since bumped it up to 389.99 (about 324).Nintendo will likely avoid committing to a price for as long as it can, while it gauges the publics interest, but one analyst has predicted that it will settle on a price of $399.That price would make the Switch 2 $100 more expensive than its predecessor and about $50 more expensive than the OLED model, which Nintendo sells for $349.99 in the US.The prediction comes from analyst Joost van Dreunen and the latest edition of his Super Joost newsletter, where he discusses all the factors that will impact how Nintendo chooses to price its new console.Based on current market dynamics and platform positioning strategy, Nintendo is likely to price the Switch 2 at $399, writes van Dreuen, arguing that its an ideal balance between keeping the console affordable and accessible to the average customer (something Nintendo has already insisted is a priority) while underlying the fact that its a new console.Although a price rise it would keep it cheaper than other handheld devices on the market, such as the Asus ROG Ally X, which costs $800.So, what does this mean for the UK? A straight conversion would put the Switch 2s predicted price point at roughly 316, which is significantly more than the current Switchs asking price of 259.99.However, such conversions are never 1:1 and its unlikely Nintendo would bump the UK price up by only 56. A safer bet would be a price that falls halfway between the conversion and the US price, so somewhere around 350 to 360.The Switch OLED Model is 309.99 in the UK and if you apply the same 14% increase as in the US, that suggests a UK price for the Switch 2 of around 354 which is exactly the same ballpark as above.More TrendingWhile this is all just speculation, van Druen isnt the only one predicting a similar price. Last month, IGN quizzed several analysts about the Switch 2s potential price, with Dr Serkan Toto of Kantan Games and Circanas Matt Piscatella also predicting somewhere around the $400 range.As for the aforementioned tariffs, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa touched upon them during a press conference earlier this month. According to Reuters Japan (and translated by Nintendo Everything), Furukawa doesnt sound too concerned by the potential impact.Nintendo Switch is not only manufactured in China, but in places such as Vietnam and Cambodia as well, said Furukawa, referencing the stricter tariffs Trump has imposed against China.While we anticipate a certain impact, the influence on this years financial results is expected to be minimal. We will continue to observe the trends, and thoroughly consider how to respond. Will the games be more expensive too, though? (YouTube)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Birdman flies again? (Activision)A pro skateboarder seems to have let slip that hell appear in an unannounced Tony Hawk game; something the Birdman himself has also hinted at.When Activisions Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2 (a combined remake of the first two Pro Skater games) proved to be a financial and critical hit, fans fully expected the series would see a full revival. At the very least, it was imagined remakes of Pro Skater 3 and 4 would follow.Instead, developer Vicarious Visions was rewarded by being absorbed into Blizzard and stuck on support duty and, according to Tony Hawk himself, plans for Pro Skater 3 and 4 remakes were abandoned.The series may not be as dead as once feared though. There have been hints that Activision is planning something new for a while and now a different professional skateboarder has offered the best hope yet.The skateboarder in question is Tyshawn Jones, who claimed to be starring in a new Tony Hawk game during his appearance on the recent episode of the Breakfast Club podcast.While discussing skateboarding video games, Jones casually said, Im in a Tony Hawk coming out, thats cool. They got a new one they remastering, so thats about to come out.Jones was included as a playable skater in Pro Skater 1 + 2, so its easy to imagine Activision bringing him back for another game. The fact he refers to it as a remaster points to it not being a new sequel, but beyond that its hard to guess what it might be.The terms remaster and remake are often conflated, even by publishers, and while Pro Skater 1 + 2 was marketed as a pair of remasters by Activision they were really remakes, rebuilt from the ground up with new assets and content.As for what the game could be, the obvious theory is a collection of Pro Skater 3 and 4, but weve seen some fans express hope for remakes of the two Tony Hawks Underground games instead.More TrendingTheories of something related to the Tony Hawk games popped up last September when the official Pro Skater social media accounts updated their banners with new artwork for the series 25th anniversary.No game announcement ever came out of it, but Hawk did reveal in an interview that he was in talks with Activision and they were working on something that the fans will truly appreciate.Whatever it is, the other question is who Activision has tapped to make it. Its unlikely to be Vicarious Visions, or Blizzard Albany as its now called, and all of Activisions other studios are thought to be caught up with Call Of Duty.Activision is owned by Microsoft nowadays though, so perhaps another Xbox studio will be assisting development. Whatever the case, despite its new ownership, any Tony Hawk game will almost certainly be a multiplatform title, given Microsofts interest in bringing its properties to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Which studio would you want to see make the next Tony Hawk game? (Activision)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is not an entirely serious crime thriller (Sega)Goro Majima stars in his first standalone Yakuza spin-off, which adds some pirate panache to last years Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.With upwards of 15 games over the past 20 years, the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series has always had to think carefully about how to attract new players into its ever-expanding crime universe. Some of the mainline games have been successful gateways, like Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon, but the best place to start is often the standalone spin-offs, which include the murder mysteries of Judgment and historical samurai throwbacks in Like A Dragon: Ishin.Or now theres this new, spectacularly titled, spin-off. Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii might star fan favourite character Goro Majima as the lead protagonist for the first time, but in this adventure, hes come down with a classic equalising plot device: amnesia. With his past narrative baggage, as an aging ex-Yakuza leader, no longer a constraint Majima is free to gallivant on any whim the developers fancy.Thankfully, the fantasy Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio chose perfectly matches Majimas brand of anarchy. After washing up on an island with no memory of his past, Majima stumbles into the pirate life under the encouragement of his saviour Noah, a young boy who is desperate to leave his island home to see the world and break free from the rules imposed by his drunken father Jason who has his own troubled history as a treasure hunter.After a slow opening, the story grows in typical series fashion, as a tussle between various factions, with pirates, ex-Yakuza, and the leftovers of the religious Palekana cult from Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth all locked in a race for lost treasure. The story is technically set six months after the events of Infinite Wealth but there isnt much important connective tissue, with most of the callbacks locked to optional side missions in the re-used Hawaiian setting.If Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii works as an accessible entry point, long-time fans hoping for a deeper exploration of Majimas character will be disappointed. Captain Majima might be at the helm of the ship but hes largely an eccentric passenger in Noah and Jasons story, which is serviceable at best.In a similar vein to Kiryus spin-off Like A Dragon Gaiden, some great emotional payoff for Majima arrives at the end, but with a longer 20+ hour running-time, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaiis story is stretched and padded out to a far worse degree.While the narrative feels like an afterthought, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii thrives in its combat. Like other spin-offs in the series, this entry moves away from the turn-based battles seen in the past two mainline games and builds on the original beat em-up foundations.The most transformative change is the jump button, a series first which opens up a surprising amount of possibilities in the heat of a ruckus whether to simply dodge, pull off a dive attack, or launch enemies up for an air combo. Its nothing you havent seen already in other third person action games, but in the context of the Like A Dragon series its a huge improvement over its brawler predecessors.Majimas extensive range of attacks make combat more dynamic. Along with his speedy Mad Dog fighting style from previous games, where he wields a knife, Majima can switch to the pirate licks of his Sea Dog style at the touch of a button. If the former is better suited to small one-on-one confrontations, Sea Dog is designed to wrangle large groups with throwable cutlasses, a whip hook to lasso onto enemies from afar, and a supremely satisfying blunderbuss gun you can charge up to blast foes across the battlefield.Beyond this, and the series staple heat actions, each style has its own special abilities tied to a madness gauge, which charges during battles. With Mad Dog, Majima can spawn multiple doppelgangers who will rush opponents and imitate your attacks, while Sea Dog has extravagant summons you can unlock, from shark attacks to electrifying jellyfish. When its all combined together, and youre ripping through sword combos, counters, and setting off a killer parrot, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is a strong contender for the best combat in the series. The ship battles and fighting are the best parts (Sega)For most of our playthrough, we gravitated towards the Sea Dog style because, aside from some boss fights, youre mostly facing off against large pirate crews in the new ship battles. Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is centred around four main islands Hawaii and Nele island, which return from Infinite Wealth, along with Rich island where you wash up and the secret pirate haunt of Madlantis.While you can fast travel between these four areas, each one has surrounding waters you can freely navigate, where youll encounter enemy fleets and side missions (mostly involving a gauntlet of enemy waves) on small offshore territories.The sailing itself is in step with Like A Dragons goofy, arcade spirit, with speed rings boosting you along the seas and the ability to drift, Fast & Furious style, during battles to line up cannon barrages. Its silly, relatively shallow, but consistently fun throughout mostly thanks to the impressive amount of ship customisation.Beyond your vessels aesthetics, you can upgrade the turret machineguns and cannons (including lasers and flamethrowers) on both sides, make improvements to the ships general durability and speed, buy rocket launchers Majima can wield during ship battles, and personalise the crew youve assembled behind a specific weapon, or as part of your boarding crew when invading other ships.The amount of customisation is impressive but the ease of battles (on normal difficulty at least) means you rarely have to meaningfully engage in these systems. The toughest battles are in the Pirate Coliseum and a dedicated side quest against the Devils Fleet, which is the best part of the game because it actually feels like a challenging pirate romp.Here youre rushing down islands to take on enemy waves for treasure without the usual crutch of healing items, fending off enemy boss fleets at sea, and taking on a Devils Fleet mini-boss with all of your crew members in a huge spectacle brawl. This is when Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii lives up to its potential as a pirate spin-off, so its a shame the systems underneath the hull feel underutilised.More TrendingIf anything, the re-use of Hawaiis huge map from Infinite Wealth feels like an unnecessary retread. There are a stack of new sub-stories, mostly involving returning characters from its predecessor, and a slate of returning mini-games, including Dragon Kart and Crazy Delivery, but the series usual open world tourism is at odds with the pace of the main story. Hawaiis inclusion does extend the overall longevity, but its hard not to think Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii would have been a better, more focused spin-off if it prioritised life at sea throughout.Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii lives up to its absurd name through its hugely entertaining combat and ship battles, but its bogged down by a forgettable story and noticeable padding which dilutes its best qualities. Like A Dragon games are usually impressive because they do so many things at once, but in Majimas swashbuckling case, less might have been considerably more.Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii revie summaryIn Short: A semi-successful pirate take on the Like A Dragon formula, held back by its lack of focus, drawn out length, and surprisingly weak story.Pros: Arguably the best beat em-up combat in the series so far. Impressive customisation, across Majima and the ship itself. Ship combat is well implemented and better than it has any right to be. Nice ending for devout fans.Cons: Compared to past games, the story and supporting characters are forgettable. Some ship management systems are underbaked. Majima feels like a side character in his own spin-off. Starts out slow and drags towards the end. Re-use of Hawaii feels like a detriment.Score: 6/10Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: 54.99Publisher: SegaDeveloper: Ryu Ga Gotoku StudioRelease Date: 21st February 2025Age Rating: 18 Goro provides his own back-up (Sega)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.ArrowMORE: Games Inbox: When will Fallout 5 be released?GameCentralSign 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

GTA 6 to have Roblox and Fortnite style user generated content claims reportMichael BeckwithPublished February 18, 2025 11:11amUpdated February 18, 2025 11:11am With how popular Fortnite and Roblox are, why would GTA 6 not try to copy them? (Rockstar)Aside from the rumoured GTA Online 2, GTA 6 could also be extending its longevity with user generated content.While GTA 5 was not initially a live service game it certainly is now and has kept people playing it for over a decade, via GTA Online and dedicated fan mods and servers that allow for role-playing.Between all that player retention and the money GTA 5 has made (over $8.5 billion so far), developer Rockstar Games and owner Take-Two Interactive will obviously be keen to repeat the trick with GTA 6.There have long been rumours of GTA 6 getting its own online multiplayer mode, but its never been confirmed or denied. The latest rumour, however, suggests that Rockstar is looking to ape the successes of Fortnite and Roblox by embracing user generated content.Apparently, Rockstar is interested in bringing user generated content into GTA 6, allowing players to create their own custom experiences. As such, it has been speaking about this with prominent content creators associated with GTA, Fortnite, and Roblox.This is according to a report by Digiday, which spoke with three industry insiders (all of whom requested anonymity) familiar with these discussions. These discussions have been described as open-ended and theres apparently been no mention of what benefits these creators would get for bringing their custom content to GTA 6, aside from exposure.Having their own branding advertised inside GTA 6 would certainly get more eyes on these creators profiles, given how popular the games expected to be. However, Fortnite and Roblox (the latter of which runs almost entirely on user generated content) also allow creators to make money from their content.People are going to buy and play GTA 6 no matter what but if Rockstar wants content creators to extend the games longevity with their own custom experiences, it will need to have some kind of monetisation scheme to better incentivise creators to set up shop.Rockstar already does something similar with its FiveM mod for GTA 5. Said mod was originally made by fans of GTA 5 and it allows for multiplayer role-playing experiences not possible in GTA Online, including the use of custom content like maps, weapons, and vehicles.Rockstar bought the mod in 2023, due to how popular it was with fans, and creators make money by charging for unique cosmetics and priority access to servers.In a way, GTA 5s role-playing servers already offer the sort of metaverse experience other games enjoy. Fortnite, for instance, is in the process of creating a dedicated metaverse bankrolled by Disney that will purportedly allow players to interact, create, and share content with each other.GTA 6 will undoubtedly shift a lot of units upon launch, but with rumours suggesting it has cost up to $2 billion to develop, it cant rely soley on traditional game sales.Its why GTA Online 2 will undoubtedly be a thing, since Rockstar can sell microtransactions through it for years. User generated content would make for a new alternative revenue stream, since Rockstar will obviously get a cut of any content sold inside of GTA 6.More TrendingPresumably, any such user generated content would be confined to a separate mode within GTA 6, rather than be intertwined with the base game. Fortnite does something similar, with its individual modes having their own menus so players can curate their experiences. Dont care about user generated content? You can easily ignore it and stick with the official modes by Epic Games.Those within the user generated content community are certainly enthusiastic about the idea. Chad Mustard, chief operating officer of JOGO (a studio all about metaverse game development), told Digiday, If Rockstar embraces user generated content, its a game-changer, plain and simple.The demand for creator driven experiences is already massive, and this could unlock unprecedented opportunities for studios like ours. The economics are proven, the audience is there, and were ready to build. This is the moment GTA creators have been waiting for, he added.Rockstar representatives declined to comment when asked about the subject by Digiday. This games already going to be massive, but it needs to be titanic if it wants to stay popular for 10 years (Rockstar)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Could this be part of Nintendos prep work for the Switch 2? (Nintendo)With zero explanation, Nintendo has announced it will stop letting Switch owners earn game discounts through its loyalty programme.One of the many questions surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 is whether current Switch owners will be able to transfer their online accounts. It would make sense considering itd be very consumer friendly and allow fans to retain their digital libraries.Nintendo has not explicitly confirmed anything, but it did appear to suggest this will be the case during an investors meeting in 2023. However, it appears not all of the Switchs features are being retained for its successor.On Tuesday morning, Nintendo announced that it will stop running its Gold Point reward scheme on My Nintendo, meaning users will no longer be able to get discounts on digital purchases.When will the My Nintendo Gold Points reward scheme end?As detailed on Nintendos website, youll no longer be able to earn Gold Points, starting from March 25, 2025. That said, youll still be able to use any Gold Points you have left over as they wont expire for another 12 months, after the date you obtained them.My Nintendo is the publishers loyalty programme, which it introduced in 2016 and allows people to trade in special points they earn for exclusive rewards.Gold Points are earned through game purchases, both digital and physical, and can then be redeemed to reduce the price of your next purchase.The My Nintendo programme itself isnt going anywhere, and Nintendo hasnt mentioned anything about removing the Platinum Points, which are used for acquiring physical rewards, like excusive calendars, notebooks, and other merchandise.Nintendo has given no reason for why its getting rid of Gold Points and has merely thanked users for taking part and apologising for any inconvenience caused.The obvious assumption is that this is part of Nintendos preparations for the Switch 2s launch and that a different rewards schemed is going to be introduced for the new console.It could also just be part of Nintendos efforts to get people to transition to the newer console. For as popular as the original Switch has been (to the point where Nintendo intends to keep supporting it even after the Switch 2 launches), the company will want to move on from it eventually and focus all its energy on the Switch 2.More TrendingOr perhaps its Nintendos way of ensuring people wont be able to save up enough Gold Points to get big discounts on its planned Switch 2 games. That may be it, as the company has recently updated its Switch Game Vouchers promotion to say they wont work with Switch 2 exclusives.Youre able to buy two vouchers for 84, which can be redeemed for a variety of Switch games. This includes multiple first party titles, like The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom and the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles X remaster, as well as Nintendo-published third party titles such as Bayonetta 3 and Bravely Default 2.In other words, you get two games at a slight discount, so it seems Nintendo is eager to ensure its Switch 2 exclusives can only be bought at full price.Its also possible that this is because Switch 2 games will be more expensive than current Switch games, which wouldnt be surprising given price rises elsewhere in the industry and an existing rumour to that effect. These are sticking around but not for the Switch 2 (Nintendo)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

How much would you pay to get your own character in The Elder Scrolls 6? (Bethesda)A charity auction to add your own custom character to The Elder Scrolls 6 is already up to the $10,000 mark.It has been nearly seven years since The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced and fans know as much about the game now as they did back in 2018 which is almost nothing.With Starfield mostly in the rear view mirror (aside from planned annual expansions), The Elder Scrolls 6 is finally Bethesdas next priority. Playable early builds were mentioned in an update last year, but weve yet to see anything tangible.In the meantime, Bethesda is drumming up interest in The Elder Scrolls 6 by holding a charity auction, allowing one lucky (and wealthy) player to add their own non-playable character to the game.Announced via the Bethesda Game Studios X account, the studio has partnered with the Make-A-Wish foundation, which is an American non-profit organisation that supports seriously ill children (mostly by helping them meet John Cena).The winning bid will go directly to Make-A-Wish so it can keep granting wishes, while the winner gets to work with Bethesda on creating their own character. Although theres no mention of whether this character will have any story significance.With this exclusive experience, youll work with the developers to create a custom character that will appear in the game, leaving your mark on the legendary franchise, reads the description on the website.Theres no mention of a closing date for the auction but, at the time of writing, the highest bid is at $10,450 (about 8,293). Were curious to see how much higher it could get though.More TrendingGetting to add your own character to a beloved franchise like The Elder Scrolls is certainly a dream come true for fans and were sure there are plenty of them with enough cash to raise that asking price even further.It is a silent auction, so we dont know who the highest bid belongs to, but we imagine theyll probably want to brag about it on social media as soon as its confirmed.As for the game itself, its been suggested by Xbox boss Phil Spencer that The Elder Scrolls 6 wont launch until 2028, and thats at the absolute earliest. New Xbox hardware could be out by the time the games ready, and perhaps the PlayStation 6 too.Despite once being described as an Xbox exclusive, Microsofts new multiplatform strategy all but guarantees The Elder Scrolls 6 will come to PlayStation, and possibly Nintendo Switch 2 as well. A popular rumour says therell be an Elder Scrolls 4 remake this year to placate fans (Bethesda)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

1 in 4 Gen Z Brits owns a retro gaming console reveals new studyGameCentralPublished February 18, 2025 12:30pm The N64 was state of the art in 1997 (Wikipedia)Retro gaming is getting unexpectedly popular with younger generations, with 74% of Britons saying they play old school games to relax.Its not going to be long until the entire concept of video games that come on a disc or cartridge is consigned to the history books. Its already an unfamiliar concept to many younger gamers and yet Gen Z (those currently aged 13 to 28) is apparently getting nostalgic for an era theyve barely even known.According to a new survey of 2,000 Britons, 66% have bought retro tech of some kind in the last two years, with 24% of Gen Z now owning a retro games console.Of those polled, 89% of gamers said that retro games give them a break from the internet and 74% agreed that nostalgic games are more relaxing. 77% said they keep retro tech for sentimental value, which suggests that 23% are buying them despite having never owned them when they were new.The report was commissioned by Pringles, who were initially promoting a Retro Console Clinic in London, offering free repairs for retro handheld and home consoles. Although it was only open for two days.According to the survey, 30% of Britons claim theyre considering swapping their smartphones for old school flip phones, while 61% are convinced that cassette tapes are on the verge of a vinyl style comeback. The Retro Console Clinic was a pop-up store for a few days (Pringles)Even relatively more recent technology is coming back into vogue, with DVD players accounting for 20% of retro hardware sales and digital camera another 23% with 55% of Gen Z claiming theyd rather take photos with a digital camera than a smartphone.More TrendingThis has coincided with a general interest in 90s and 00s fashion and music, as the fascination with the 80s gradually migrates into more recent decades.Although there are multiple reasons for the fascination with older tech, much of it is based on nostalgia. The youngest in Gen Z wouldve been born in 2012 the year the ill-fated Wii U was released while the oldest were born in 1997, the year the N64 launched in the UK.Its Generation Alpha and beyond that are going to grow up with little or no concept of physical media (unless they play their relatives newly bought retro consoles) so its going to be interesting to see what they think of all this.Perhaps they will also see the appeal in lower tech device, as 78% of those polled suggested that the other reason they like using retro gadgets is because it means theyre not using their smartphone, which many now seem desperate to get away from at least for a time. Video games have come a long way in the last few decades (Aspyr)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Every new PS5 first party game in development and whos making themMichael BeckwithPublished February 18, 2025 1:00am How many games does Sony actually have in development? (Sony)If you want to know what new games are coming out for PS5 heres a list of what each of Sonys internal studios are working on at the moment.A lot of PlayStation 5 owners like to criticise the console for not having enough first party games, and its not hard to see why. Sony didnt manage to release a single major blockbuster last Christmas, with the publishers only exclusives being Astro Bot (which was critically acclaimed but not a massive seller) and the disastrous Concord.Sonys 2025 release schedule is looking just as slim, with the latest State of Play from February 2025 relying almost entirely on third party releases. So, unless you are keenly paying attention to every rumour and piece of news, its easy to assume the company has very few games currently in active development.To get a true idea of the current state of the PlayStation business, lets run through all of Sonys internal developers and try to figure out what theyre currently working on and when their next game might be out.Naughty DogWhile The Last Of Us is still a hot commodity thanks to the TV show, Naughty Dogs next project is not The Last Of Us Part 3 but rather a new 80s inspired sci-fi IP entitled Intergalatic: The Heretic Prophet.Its brief reveal at The Game Awards 2024 suggests it will be another third person action game, although maybe one not as reliant on stealth as The Last Of Us and Uncharted. It has no release date, but this will be Naughty Dogs first wholly original game for the PlayStation 5.The studios PlayStation 5 output has so far consisted of remasters of its PlayStation 4 games (including 2020s The Last Of Us Part 2) and a full remake of the first The Last Of Us.Admittedly, Naughty Dog was meant to release a The Last Of Us multiplayer game, after it opted to cut multiplayer from The Last Of Us Part 2. It wouldve also been one of Sonys many planned live service games, but it was cancelled so Naughty Dog could stick with making single-player games.Speaking of, Naughty Dog has said it has multiple single-player projects in the pipeline. What any of them are, though, is a mystery, with plenty of rumours/theories pointing to a third The Last Of Us, a fantasy game, and even a new Uncharted.Santa Monica StudioConsidering Santa Monica Studio has been making almost nothing but God Of War games since 2005, everyone expects the studio to be working on another sequel next. While thats a fairly safe bet, a God Of War 6 is not guaranteed to be Santa Monicas next release.In the wake of 2022s God Of War Ragnark, producer Cory Barlog said Santa Monica was working on multiple projects but didnt say what any of them were. Santa Monica has provided no updates since then, but evidence points to one of them being a new IP, possibly another sci-fi game alongside Naughty Dogs.That said, there have been several rumours and theories about new God Of War projects, ranging from a half-sequel to remasters of the original Greek games and even a prequel.Sucker Punch ProductionsAfter the success of 2020s Ghost Of Tsushima, a sequel for the PlayStation 5 was all but guaranteed. Sucker Punch didnt confirm that though, until late 2024, with the sequel sporting the title Ghost Of Ytei.Set 300+ years after the first game and featuring a new female protagonist, Ghost Of Ytei is so far Sonys only first party exclusive scheduled for 2025. Technically though they never said it was a sequel and it could potentially be a half-sequel in the style of Spider-Man: Miles Morales.Beyond that, theres nothing to suggest Sucker Punch is working on anything else. There were once rumours of the studio revisiting its Sly Cooper and InFamous franchises, but Sucker Punch shut those down in 2022, adding that no such projects were in development anywhere within Sony.Bend StudioFollowing 2019s Days Gone, Bend Studio was meant to move onto a new multiplayer IP, with was described as a AAA military shooter. Like many other Sony live service projects, though, it was cancelled before anything more official was shared.As such, theres no telling if Bend has anything else to fall back on or if it needs to pitch new ideas to Sony. There was once talk of the studio making a new Uncharted, but staff reportedly wanted to do their own thing, resulting in some leaving and the rest asking to be taken off the project.Ironically, despite Sony cancelling plans for a sequel, the company does consider Days Gone worthy of getting an updated remaster for PlayStation 5. It comes out in April 2025 and includes new modes that will also be added to the PC version as DLC.San Diego StudioSan Diego Studio may be the most reliable of the PlayStation studios since its very easy to guess what its working on. Theyve done literally nothing but make annual MLB The Show games since 2018 and this years entry is already set to arrive in March 2025.This year will mark the series departure from (most) last gen systems, as its only slated for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. Otherwise, theres never been anything to suggest San Diego Studio will work on something other than the baseball games its known for.Insomniac GamesEveryone knows that Insomniacs next project is its Wolverine game, which was teased back in 2021. Its the question of when itll actually come out or get a new trailer that continues to plague the studio.The project suffered a major setback at the end of 2023, when hackers stole a significant amount of data and leaked details online, including incomplete gameplay footage and plot details.Insomniac assured the Wolverine game wouldnt be cancelled as a result, but while there was no mention of a delay, the incident undoubtedly had an effect on its development.The same hack also unveiled a release schedule for several unannounced Insomniac projects. This included a new Ratchet & Clank, a Venom spin-off, and Spider-Man 3, but Insomniac apparently also had plans for another Marvel game starring the X-Men and a new IP.Its very likely these plans have been adjusted or completely changed thanks to the hack. And given how quiet the studios been about Wolverine, it wouldnt be surprising if Insomniac opted to release something else first and keep Wolverine on the backburner for a while longer.Bluepoint GamesBluepoint Games was Sonys go-to for remasters and remakes, with its most recent project being 2020s Demons Souls, which was one of the very first PlayStation 5 exclusives.After Sony bought the studio in 2021 though, Bluepoint said its next project would be something entirely original. Years went by without any updates, only for it to turn out to be one of Sonys live service games.Said game was reportedly a God Of War spin-off, but with its cancellation in January 2025 (alongside Bend Studios live service game), theres no telling if its moved onto something else. Maybe Sony will opt to play things safe and stick Bluepoint on another remake, but nothings been confirmed.HavenWith Sony cancelling live service games left and right, itd be easy to assume Fairgame$, the debut title for Canadian studio Haven (which Sony bought in 2022), would meet a similar fate.So far, that doesnt appear to be the case, with insider info claiming internal reactions to Fairgame$ have been positive. Still, Haven must be facing a lot of pressure to succeed, lest it suffer the same fate as Concord developer Firewalk Studios.Although there was never a release date to begin with, insider Jeff Grubb claimed in his Game Mess Decides podcast that Fairgame$ wont be out this year and has been pushed back into 2026.Guerrilla GamesConfirmed through job listings in 2022, rather than any teaser trailer, Guerrilla Games will be expanding its Horizon IP with a dedicated online multiplayer spin-off.Leaked alpha footage from early 2023 showed its new cartoony art style, but the final product could wind up looking very different, considering Guerrilla has given no real updates on its progress since.Guerrilla also effectively confirmed a full sequel to Horizon Forbidden West will happen. But with the studio likely focused on the multiplayer game, Aloys adventures probably wont continue until the PlayStation 6 arrives.Media MoleculeAfter launching its game creation tool Dreams for the PlayStation 4 in 2020, Media Molecule spent the next four years supporting and updating it. We always expected it would eventually be ported to the PlayStation 5, but that never happened and there were fears the UK studio could be shut down.Support for Dreams ended in 2023, with Media Molecule confirming it would be working on something new, unrelated to Dreams. Theres no hard evidence to suggest what this new project is, but the studios past experience with the LittleBigPlanet games points to something that makes use of user-generated content in some way.HousemarqueAbout a year after the launch of Housemarques PlayStation 5 debut, Returnal, the studio said its next game would be a new IP rather than a sequel. As of the February 2025 State of Play, we now know that game is titled Saros and will be out in 2026.While it has no direct ties to Returnal, it is very much a spiritual successor, since it too will be a third person action roguelike. What little info that was shared on the PlayStation Blog suggests it will be a slightly kinder experience than Returnal was but otherwise we know nothing about the game at the moment.FirespriteAnother studio Sony acquired in 2021, alongside Housemarque and Bluepoint Games, Firesprite has since made the Horizon Call Of The Mountain VR spin-off, but its future is otherwise unclear.While it was assumed the studio had been bought for its VR expertise, 2022 job listings pointed to one of its future projects being a traditional narrative driven horror game and it was reportedly handling a Twisted Metal reboot too.The latter has apparently since been cancelled, following layoffs at Firesprite, and theres no telling if the horror game is alive or not. Plus, according to a Eurogamer report, the studio had already bled away most of its staff, barring one of Firesprites founders, after Call Of The Mountains launch in 2023.Executives from Sonys XDev support studio took over Firesprite and the new leadership was soon criticised for alleged toxic behaviour, although Sony apparently dismissed the complaints.Polyphony DigitalEver since Gran Turismo 7s launch in 2022, Polyphony Digital seems to have been completely dedicated to routine updates, adding new cars, addressing issues, and incorporating a VR mode to coincide with the PlayStation VR2.The studio did release a free-to-play game entitled My First Gran Turismo in December 2024, but its essentially a trimmed down version of Gran Turismo 7, meant to coax people into buying the full game.As far as new games go, its safe to assume Polyphony is doing some work on a Gran Turismo 8. Studio CEO and series producer Kazunori Yamauchi even hinted at it in 2023, but theres no sign of it launching any time soon.Its release may also depend on how profitable Gran Turismo 7s microtransactions are. Sony is unlikely to ever share exactly how much money it makes from them, but if theyre popular enough the publisher may not feel any pressure to push out a sequel until the PlayStation 6 arrives.Team AsobiHopefully, Sony will now view Team Asobi as an important part of the PlayStation business, thanks to the critical success Astro Bot. It may not have sold as well as Sonys bigger blockbusters, but it garnered a lot of prestige and won no less than four awards at The Game Awards 2024, including Game of the Year.This has encouraged Sony to pursue more family-oriented games and wed be shocked if that didnt include at least one Astro Bot follow-up. The real question is whether Team Asobis next project will be another traditional platformer or something else entirely.It could even return to the VR well based on its experience with Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. Although thats unlikely considering Sony appears to have lost interest in making its own VR games.BungieDestiny 2s story may have concluded with its Final Shape expansion, but Bungie is still supporting the game, albeit with smaller content updates. No doubt a consequence of The Final Shapes underperformance and another swathe of layoffs.In the meantime, Bungie seems to be shifting its focus to its Marathon reboot, another one of Sonys upcoming live service games, which hasnt had a meaningful update since its 2023 reveal.More TrendingIn addition, the studio is assisting NetEase Games with a Destiny mobile spin-off titled Destiny: Rising. It was also supposedly working on another multiplayer game codenamed Gummy Bears which has been described as a cross between League Of Legends and Super Smash Bros. but its reportedly been taking out of Bungies hands and passed to a different, unidentified studio.Marathon could be a make it or break it moment for Bungie, since theres been almost nothing but bad news coming out of the studio since it was acquired by Sony in 2022.Aside from multiple layoffs, missed performance targets, and low morale, there have been concerns of Bungie losing what independence it has and being completely absorbed into Sony, so theres a lot riding on the games success.Sony is yet to have a single successful live service game since taking Bungie on, with most of its planned projects having been cancelled (Helldivers 2 was published by Sony but not made by any of their internal, first party studios). This will be the first Marathon game since 1996 (Bungie)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

The video game tie-in is going to be a while (Credits: JoJo Whilden/Prime Video)The Tuesday letters page explores the oldest online games that are still running, as a reader asks what improvements Saros should make over Returnal.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukLow impactLooking at Microsofts line-up for this year its true they do have an impressive amount of games coming out and I think a lot of them look good, but I also think its true to say none of them are probably going to be big sellers, on PlayStation or Xbox.The problem is not quantity or quality but impact and beyond the Activision stuff the biggest Microsoft has are Halo, Gears Of War, Forza, and Bethesda role-players. Halo and Gears have slipped off a lot nowadays, to the point where theyre barely draws any more, but I think Microsoft has made a mistake not ensuring theres a steady supply of new Forza games, like there used to be.But their biggest mistake has been how Bethesdas role-players have been handled. I get that they wanted to take a chance on something new with Starfield but its going to be close to 20 years between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6 and thats insane.Even worse is that Fallout 5 wont be until after that! They really needed to give that job to someone else, rather than waiting till Bethesda get round to it. The Amazon show will be old news before theres ever a new game to support it. As far as I can work out its more or less impossible for Fallout 5 to be out before 2030 at the very earliest. Thats nuts.XaneLive service retroI have no interest in Rainbow Six Siege, but it is very impressive to me that a game could potentially last 20 years or more and still be popular enough that a sequel isnt deemed necessary.It makes me wonder how long some of the other live service games that are popular at the moment will last. The big question is how long can Fortnite last? It seemed to dip a few years ago but ever since they played the nostalgia card it seems bigger than ever.Im sure itll outlast Rainbow Six Siege so what are we looking at? A game that will last 25 years or more? One that will really last forever? At this point there doesnt seem any reason to stop it or restart it and Im not sure what new technology would make them think they should either. Fortnite could outlast us all!BeakerGC: People are still playing Ultima Online and thats 28 years old at this point. Although thats nothing compared to the original MUD, which has been going for 47 years.Interesting timesIf youre paying 30,000 for a Switch 2 I dont know what to say, but Im pretty sure that trying to sell it to peripheral makers so they know what size case to make is not going to be a very successful get rich quick plan.Still, its more evidence that people are thirsty for new hardware and an escape from the failure of Xbox and the low energy dominance of Sony. Im sure Nintendo will mess up this open goal somehow, since theyre usually at their best when recovering from a failure, but I still think this is going to be an exciting year for games.The second GTA 6 trailer could drop at any minute and once the Switch 2 is fully revealed in April we are going to have a lot to talk about. Well, argue about probably but Im looking forward to it all the same.CharonEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukCivilizations declineI havent seen it talked about much here, but can I just say how upset I am that Civilization 7 has turned out to be a dud? Its Metacritic score may not look that bad (a surprisingly mixed result, although with GC reliably low down the list, along with IGN) but the user score is just 3.7, with the Steam score at a depressingly low Mixed.All of the complaints are the same too, with too few features, too many bugs, and the game just stopping in the 20th century, so were forced to buy the rest as DLC. How places like The Guardian can end up giving the game a 10/10 I dont know. I think they just assumed (as I did, to be honest) that Civilization would always be good, but this one is definitely not.Maybe it can be improved with patches but thats not the point. Theyve had nearly a decade to prepare for this sequel and it feel like its still a year away from a state it shouldve been released in. Awful.MorphSpeak upI wish Phil Spencer or someone from Xbox would talk about why they havent followed the live service trend. I find that very interesting, that theyre one of the few not to go that route, and yet theyve never tried to promote that as a positive or explain it. He does all these interviews, but everything is just buzz words and half-truths that I really dont see the point of doing it.If I was in charge of Xbox, Id be looking to take advantage of Sonys faults by always doing what they dont. Trying to copy them is a lot more difficult than identifying a weakness of theirs and doing the opposite. If fans are upset that Sony seems distant and uncommunicative then open and up and explain yourself, especially if you know people are uncomfortable with your direction already.Maybe thats what Phil thinks hes doing but when theres no substance to what he says its almost more annoying than if they said nothing. Oh well, at least we know that they havent shut Double Fine down.FocusThe road backMaking the Xbox relevant again is a tricky prospect. Its too late in the generation to attract many new console owners and any first party games they bring out solely for the Xbox are going to reach a very limited audience.I genuinely think that their best approach, and possibly their only viable approach, is to set themselves up for the next generation. Release games now multiplatform, ensuring that everyone gets to play their games, maximising revenue and exposure. Then when their new console launches, make sure that you have exclusive sequels to the most popular or best games youve produced previously.Given that fewer console owners are transitioning to new generation consoles immediately, and that Nintendo offering more direct competition (with tech levelling out), Im not even sure a successful reset would be enough for Microsoft. Still, even then maybe theres room enough in the industry for them to find a profitable niche though would that satisfy them?Matt (He_who_runs_away PSN ID)Final leapIm not sure Microsoft has given up trying to attract PlayStation 5 owners so much as PlayStation 5 owners have given up being interested in Xbox consoles. Like another reader said recently, its usually quite common to switch console at the end of a generation, to sample the exclusives youve missed.I know Ive done it before but not this time, what would be the point? To end up with a dead console where all the games are going to be on PlayStation 5 anyway. I really dont see anyway out of this for Xbox unless this giant leap for the next gen machine is as big as theyre claiming. But what happens in the meantime?Terry GoldNot a sequelSince Sony never actually showed it in action, Im curious what peoples hopes are for Saros, as a follow-up to Returnal? Im hoping for a major improvement in graphics, for a start, as the original looked like an average PlayStation 4 game, but I wonder whether the randomly generated levels are really necessary?Variety is important with a roguelike, but the way Returnal was designed it meant you were only ever playing in fairly small rooms before going through a door to the next area, like Metroid Prime. Id be interested in some much larger, open world style areas. Perhaps they could figure out how to randomise landscapes within that, rather than having to chop everything up into separate sections.I dont want to come across as a philistine but Id also like a story I can actually understand. I still dont understand what was going on in Returnal, even after the secret ending, and now it looks like I never will, if theres going to be no sequel.Although I dont know why they dont make a Returnal 2? Its not as if Saros looks like its setting itself up to be any more mainstream friendly. Although looking through their Wikipedia page I noticed they havent made any actual sequels before, even if there have been a ton of Stardust games (which I dont think have a story).LeftyGC: We dont think theyve ever said, but it may be because of the departure of director Harry Krueger.Inbox also-ransI wonder if the Nintendo Switch 2 will have an achievement system? Nintendo has flirted with the idea in certain games but never a system wide thing. I wouldnt be against the idea.LumpySay what you will about the Mass Effect trilogy but the suicide mission bit at the end is still the best sequence in any game Ive ever played. Just got to it again today, in the remaster collection, and theres nothing like it.PearcutMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe 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 Readers 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 dont forget to follow us on Twitter.GameCentralSign 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

Gundam style (Amazing Seasun Games)If youre looking for your next robot fix after Titanfall and Armored Core 6, an open beta for online shooter Mecha Break should fill the void.Giant robots were a recurring theme at last years The Game Awards, and one of the titles leading the mechanical charge was Mecha Break.Developed by Amazing Seasun Games, the online multiplayer battle arena title boasts frantic combat, lasers galore, and various modes including a PvPvE mode called Mashmak where you fight bosses, collect loot, and conduct extractions.This mode, along with the 3v3 and 6v6 battles, will be showcased in an upcoming Global Storm open beta, which kicks off later this month.When is the Mecha Break open beta?The next open beta will start at 10am GMT from Sunday, February 23 on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with crossplay enabled. This translates to 5am ET and 2am PT in the US.Mecha Break is an Xbox Series X/S console launch exclusive, so therell be no PlayStation 5 version as part of the beta. It has been implied one will arrive sooner or later though.What will be in Mecha Break open beta?According to the developers, this beta will include all the gameplay features available at launch, including the tutorials, mech customisation, and explorable space station. There will also be a training room and 13 mechs (known as Strikers) youll be able to choose from.More TrendingThe beta will include three game modes, including the 3v3 Ace Arena mode, 6v6 Operation Verge, and the Mashmak PvPvE mode which will be playable for the first time. The latter is pitched as an extraction based mode, where you can utilise equipment including weapon pick-ups and weaponised gliders to enhance your Strikers capabilities.Based on the new trailer, it all looks very slick with plenty of cartoonish bombast. If you want some hands-on impressions, we tried out Mecha Break last year and came away pretty impressed.Mecha Break is set to launch in spring 2025 on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with the developer promising more platforms to come later in the year. Mecha Break is set to launch in spring (Amazing Seasun Games)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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

Psychonauts 2 came out in 2021 (Microsoft)Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has very different views on live service games in comparison to Sony, as he confirms Everwild still exists.Ever since Fortnite became a dominating force in the games industry, many publishers and developers have chased the same live service trend, in the hopes of landing a goldmine.While some have seen success, with game like Apex Legends and Genshin Impact, the majority have been taken offline just months after they began. Sony, which has been particularly bullish in trying to land a live service hit, saw how risky the gamble is last year, with the success of Helldivers 2 and the dramatic failure of Concord.In comparison, Microsoft has all but ignored the live service trend, outside of long-running games like Sea Of Thieves or titles it has since acquired as part of Activision Blizzard, like Call Of Duty and Overwatch 2.Speaking in an interview with XboxEra, Spencer emphasised how all the games in Xboxs Developer Direct last month including Doom: The Dark Ages and Ninja Gaiden 4 are purposefully single-player titles.They were all games that have a beginning, middle, and end, Spencer said.I didnt want to see every game turn into some big service based game because they [the developers] felt like thats where the business model was. Its not easy to do that. Not every story is told in that way. Not every creative idea supports that business model.Spencer went on to cite South Of Midnight developer Compulsion Games and the next unannounced project from Psychonauts 2 developer Double Fine as reasons why small teams need space to thrive and do their own thing.When I look at what Double Fine is working on next, when I think about a team like Compulsion, these arent the biggest teams and they dont want to be massive 1,000 person teams and we want them to be able to do great work, Spencer added. So I want to create a platform that can support that.Spencer also mentioned the next project from Double Fine alongside State Of Decay 3 and Rares Everwild which was first announced way back in 2019 when asked about the unreleased first party Xbox games hes most looking forward to.State Of Decay is just one of the franchises I love back from the original one, Spencer said. I do think the work that Double Fines doing and how Tim [Schafer] kind of solicits feedback from the team. And the other one, Ill say because I was recently out at Rare. Its nice to see the team with Everwild and the progress that theyre making.Everwild was reportedly rebooted in 2021, but nothing has been shown from the game since then, with some suggestions that no substantial work had yet begun on it, when it was first revealed.More TrendingSpencer acknowledged the lengthy development time for Everwild, adding: It has been [a while]. And weve been able to give those teams time in what theyre doing, which is good, and still have a portfolio like we have. Its like a dream that Matt [Booty] and I have had for a long time, so its finally good to be there. We can give those teams time.This is the first time that anyone from Microsoft has ever alluded to Double Fines new game but theres currently no clue as to what it is, and whether its intended as a follow-up to 2021s Psychonauts 2.Its still unclear when Everwild, Double Fines next game, or State Of Decay 3 will be released, but its unlikely to be anytime soon. Xbox has a stacked line-up for the months ahead, between South Of Midnight, Doom: The Dark Ages, and the rumoured remake of Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. Everwild is still in development, after six years (Microsoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign 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