Assassins Creed Shadows is the most important Ubisoft game ever Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 22, 2024 9:00am Assassins Creed Shadows theres a lot riding on it (Ubisoft)A reader is concerned that if Assassins Creed Shadows is a flop, then Ubisoft and the whole games industry will suffer for it.Im worried about Ubisoft. Theyre a 4 billion multinational company and I can barely pay my rent most months, but lately I feel like I have more common sense and business nous than them. Not just them but most of the games industry, and I dont mean that as a way to big myself up but an indication of just how incompetent most big Western publishers seem to be at the moment.Im sure its all more complicated than I realise but I have been concerned about recent comments that suggest Ubisoft is on the verge of real trouble. Not because theyre my favourite company (although I like them more than many, it seems) but because, as has also been pointed out, if they go under or get bought by some other company Tencent most likely, according to what theyre saying at the moment theres hardly anyone else left.If theres no Ubisoft then the only big third party Western publishers left are EA, Take-Two, and Warner Bros. And Im not sure Warner count, since theyre already part of a large company. And thats it really, in terms of publishers that can afford to make a triple-A game. Embracer as well, I guess, but I still dont understand who they are and theyve yet to make anything of worth in all the years theyve been around.Therere others, like CD Projekt, but theyre much smaller companies and while they can afford to make big budget games, they only release one every five years or so. So once Ubisoft go, we are really scraping the barrel in terms of there being a games industry at all, rather than just half a dozen megacorps that just happen to have a video games division (which theyre perfectly happy to gut the second they get a whiff of trouble).All of which brings us to Assassins Creed Shadows. Ubisofts problems have been slowly building for years now, with no successful new franchises and older ones that are beginning to get long in the tooth. Star Wars: Outlaws has been a failure, that clearly cost them a fortune, theyre nowhere near having a new Far Cry, The Division, or anything else that Im aware of. All theyve got is a dozen Assassins Creed games, which seems like far too much even for fans.I would say I am one of those fans, but I am very worried about Shadows, not only because it doesnt look that impressive but because if it fails then Assassins Creed itself is in trouble, and its the last thing Ubisoft has thats a guaranteed hit.There has been some newer footage for Shadows, that makes me more optimistic about its quality, but its never just whether the game is any good or not. If it has bad word of mouth already then theres probably nothing thats going to save it, which I believe is what Ubisoft is worried about at the moment.I dont want to get into the complaints about historical accuracy because Im pretty sure that nobody thats been making them is an expert on 16th century Japan, especially not the usual suspects moaning about it on Twitter and Reddit.But there has definitely been something off about the game in what theyve shown before. Its probably because the other eras Assassins Creed is set in dont usually appear in video games but because Japan does you can kind of tell things arent very realistic and Ubisoft is just basing it on pop cultural rather than the history books.Does that matter? Not if its a good game, but nothing Ive seen so far seems to be doing anything particularly new. Having two separate characters is all well and good but when theyre all doing usual Assassins Creed things, what does that matter?I may be wrong, I havent played it, but nothing Ive seen so far not even the new stuff has blown me away and I think thats true for a lot of people. But Ubisoft need this game to be a hit. If its a flop, or even just underperforms, theyve got nothing else big scheduled, and they are going to be looking at that buyout as their only way out of trouble.More TrendingI really hope it doesnt come to that but Im not confident and this is a situation where everyone loses if Ubisoft is hoovered up. The less independent companies we have in the games business the less variety theres going to be and the less risks are going to be taken, and at some point were going to reach the point where only $1 trillion companies, where making games is the 20th most important thing they do, are left.By reader Scooter Will it be hit? (Ubisoft)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.GameCentralExclusive 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 Nintendo in the driving seat for the next gen? (Nintendo)A reader predicts that 2025 is going to be turning point for the games industry and that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be at the centre of it all.It was inevitable that pics of the Switch 2 would leak out before the official annoucement, given someone always manages to take a photo they shouldnt on the production line. Thats what we got at first, but I never expected to see so many accessory makers spoiling the secrets in such a blatant way. I still dont understand why either? They gain nothing from it and now Nintendo hates their guts. Seems completely self-defeating.Thats their problem though. What it means is that we already know exactly the Switch 2 looks like: the original Switch. Thats interesting but in terms of anything important we still know nothing. Therere no believable rumours about any of the games and we dont know what any of the new buttons do or if it has any unexpected features which Nintendo has implied it does.We dont know what the new buttons at the back do or what the C button does. It must be important because it kind of spoils the look of the console and the right Joy-Con, so I think the guess about some kind of TV casting feature are probably true, so you can use it like the Wii U GamePad. But thats only a guess, and its Nintendo, so who really knows.Im not going to speculate anymore because the reason I call the Switch 2 weird is nothing to do with what it does, but the position it will have in the games industry. Xbox and PlayStation are in a bad way at the moment. Xbox console sales are in the toilet and PlayStation 5 is falling quicker than expected, with still not much announced for the future and no word on whether theyve given up live service games or not.The games industry is in a mess right now and yet Nintendo is coming off the back of their best run ever. Theyre in a position they havent been in since the NES, where their last console was a massive success and their next one looks like its going to be as well. That gives them a lot of power in the industry and publishers are going to be falling over themselves to work with Nintendo which is not something many gamers have seen in their lifetime before.Its going to come across as just as weird to Nintendo as well, who wont be anymore used to it than we are. What will they do with that level of influence? Will they immediately start to bully companies around and take advantage or will they become the safe pair of hands the industry needs right now? This seems to be what the Switch 2 looks like (Reddit)I wouldnt like to say really, but I dont think we should underestimate what a strange and important fork in the road the games industry is at right now. We still dont know whether companies have really given up on all the live service nonsense, its not clear what Xbox is planning for its next gen hardware, and we have no idea what Sonys long term plans are.That level of uncertainty is not good for anyone, whether youre a company or just a fan. And to be honest, despite being a Nintendo fan Im not sure I really trust them with this level of control. Nintendo might be more sensible than Sony and Microsoft, but they only care about themselves and have no interest in the rest of the games industry or any publisher that they dont rely on.More TrendingSony and Microsoft arent exactly charities but at least they both look at the industry in more or less the same way. With Nintendo they have a very specific view of gaming, thats very different to anyone else.2025 is certainly going to be an interesting year, thats all I can say. Will Nintendo become the dominant force in the games industry, in a way they never have before? Or will they fumble the ball and let it fall into even more turmoil? To be honest I have no idea, but its kind of worrying that either eventually is entirely possible. Nintendo cant be enjoying these leaks (Global Source)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Superman has never been done justice in video games (Warner Bros.)Enthused by the new movie trailer, a reader hopes for a Superman video game that can use the character and his villains to their full potential.As a big fan of DC Comics I was overjoyed to see the new Superman teaser trailer this week. Not only was it really good but it seems to have been very popular, with lots of views that suggest the film will be a big hit. This pleases me, as people have been saying for years that an optimistic, happy Superman would never be successful anymore, but hopefully this new film will be proof that is not true.With the terrible state of the world at the moment, we need a film that celebrates hope and goodness and while the film might not end up doing everything I want it to, it sure seems a major improvement on the awful Zack Snyder films.Naturally though, Im not here to talk about Superman films, but games. This is another thing that people like to tell you can never work, because Superman is too powerful, but most video game characters are invulnerable and grossly overpowered compared to their opponents. Theres no reason a game couldnt work, and I really hope Warner Bros. is going to give it another go.Superman has stared in dozens of games over the years, going all the way back to the Atari 2600 in the 70s. None of them have been very good, in fact the one on the N64 is famously one of the worst video games ever made. But just because nobody has made it work so far doesnt mean the ideas no good.The most recent big budget attempt (if you dont count the fun Lego Batman games) was a Superman Returns game from EA in 2006. This one was frustrating because it did a lot of things right, with a big open world to fly around and the very clever idea that while you dont take damage the city does, and if it takes too much you lose.Unfortunately, the game was pretty boring, with bad combat and samey enemies. But the damage idea is definitely something that could be used in a better game, as making sure other people arent hurt is Supermans whole thing and would be a great thing to focus on and make the gameplay feel different.Another complaint about Superman is that people say he has no good enemies, but this is nonsense. In my opinion he has one of the best rogues galleries in all comics. Because Superman is very powerful so too are his enemies, so youve got A-listers like Darkseid, Brainiac, Doomsday, Zod, Ultraman, Mongul, and Bizarro.Not only are all of them as powerful, or more so, than Superman (without needing kryptonite or magic) but two of them are so iconic their names are regular words in the dictionary, as is kryptonite. People might not realise it, but thats where the phrases brainiac and bizarro world come from.Then youve got Lex Luthor one of the most well known supervillains of all time and painfully relevant in todays world, where billionaires have more power than governments. Then theres lesser but still powerful villains like Cyborg Superman, Metallo, Parasite, Toyman, and Atomic Skull. Oh, and Mister Mxyzptlk, who is a reality-bending fifth dimensional imp that Superman has to beat by using his brains, not his fists.Some of these guys are just good at punching but others have weird gimmicks and abilities that would offer a lot more variety than the average supervillain line-up. We see in the teaser trailer that Superman is bleeding and any of the seven characters I first mentioned couldve done that to him, and probably others beside.A Superman action game absolutely could work but it shouldnt just be about fighting, it should be just as much focused on saving people, with things like runaway trains, broken dams, sinking ships cliched superhero stuff but things weve never seen in a game before, not even good ones like the Spider-Man ones.More TrendingI would love to find out that Rocksteady, or someone else, has been secretly working on a game for years but I think thats probably not likely. The problem with games today is that even if they started tomorrow, we wouldnt see it for six years or more. Thats a shame but all the more reason to start now and prove that Superman can fly as a video game as well as a movie.By reader PhantomZTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextThe 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.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

A post-mortem of Xbox or: how $3 trillion cant buy you love Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 21, 2024 1:00am Is the Xbox dream over? (Microsoft/Metro)One reader believes Microsofts days as a console manufacturer are effectively over and has a theory for where he thinks they went wrong.Well, what a week its been for Xbox. Weve had claims, by a notoriously pro-Microsoft insider, that the era of Xbox exclusives is over, then the head Microsoft saying hes redefining what it means to be an Xbox fan (he probably meant that to sound like a good thing, but it doesnt), and then reports about the Xbox Series X being quietly withdrawn from sale in Europe. Oh, and US sales were down 29% last month, just before Christmas.Short of a meteorite dropping on Xbox HQ Im not sure it couldve got much worse than that. But then we had a story about how analysts think theres no longer room for three console formats and that its either PlayStation or Xbox thats going to get pushed out. I dont think you have to be a PlayStation zealot to think that maybe thats going to be Xbox losing out.Dont get me wrong, I dont think any of this is good news. Sony needs strong competition to stop them taking advantage, but I dont think Microsoft has offered that since the Xbox 360 era. And even then only for two or three years, until Sony caught up with them and suddenly all Microsoft cared about was Kinect.Given that Microsoft is worth $3 trillion, enough to buy Sony many times over, it is staggering how inept theyve been at challenging them. Even buying Activision Blizzard hasnt helped them, in fact that was the nail in the coffin.Yes, they are now the biggest games publisher in the West but the price of spending all that money is that they cannot afford to release any of the games only on Xbox, so they have effectively forced themselves to become third party.I dont know what they mean about their next gen plans, and Id be surprised if they did, but Xbox hardware is now nothing but a niche and I cant see anything that would ever change that. And thats for the simple reason that Microsoft never really seems to have understand the games industry properly.I dont doubt Phil Spencers passion for it but the simplest rule of gaming is that games sell consoles, but thats something hes never seemed to fully grasp. Or to put it even more simply, nothing matters but the games. Nothing, and yet thats always been Microsofts weak point. How big will Fable be? (Xbox Games Studios)A few years ago, Spencer famously said that even a 11/10 game wouldnt save Xbox, correctly pointing out that the PlayStation 4 generation was a bad one to lose because thats when everyone became locked into an ecosystem and theres no way something like Halo Infinite was going to coax them out.The problem with this is, like most things Spencer says, its only half right. Yes, losing the ecosystem war was a serious blow but it wasnt the end. Nintendo doesnt have much of an ecosystem but things like that dont matter to them because for them making great games isnt a problem.Spencer was absolutely wrong when he said an 11/10 game wouldnt change anything. I checked and what he actually said is: There is no world where Starfield is an 11 out of 10 and people start selling their PS5, thats not going to happen.Thats kind of a silly thing to say though because theres no world in which Starfield would ever get that kind of score or that that kind of game would appeal to a wide enough group of people to make a difference. Nor would Halo or Gears Of War or, Im willing to bet, Fable. Despite all the money theyve spent, Microsoft just doesnt have that sort of talent to hand.They had to basically shut down and restart the developers of Halo, the new team they set up for Gears Of War has made no impact, and Im highly dubious that the developers of Forza know how to make a comedy action role-player.If, however, Microsoft had made a brand new franchise, ideally a brand new concept, that was a great game and got great reviews, then that absolutely wouldve turned heads. But Id argue the only titles theyve ever had like that are the two Halos, over 20 years ago.Despite being the youngest of the three console makers, Xbox has always had their head stuck in the past, convincing itself that its franchises are on par with Sony and Nintendo in terms of quality and popularity when theyre really not or at least not in the last two decades.They spent $72 billion on Activision Blizzard but imagine if they had used just a fraction of that to experiment with new ideas and new IP, things that couldve actually made a difference. If theyd come up with next Pokmon or The Last Of Us. But they squandered all that money in a deal that killed their dreams of being a top console maker dead.Xbox as a brand will carry on, sure, but it wont mean the same thing as it used to. Microsoft has tried to paint this as a positive but its not. The only purpose of a games company is to make games and making your own console gives you an enormous advantage with that.More TrendingSo yeah, they can be Activision Blizzard with a new name, and a few extra studios, but everything that Xbox was meant to be when it started out is now impossible to achieve. All the money in the world and theyve been schooled by companies much smaller and less rich, but which understand gaming a lot better than they ever have.By reader 84Colbat But is it really? (Microsoft)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.GameCentralExclusive 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 UK still loves football, it turns out (EA)EA Sports FC 25 is the best-selling game of 2024 in the UK, but the majority of the top 10 consists of games from previous years.Gaming has been dominated by Call Of Duty and sports games for decades in the West, but this years list of best-sellers paint a particularly bleak picture for the industry at large.Theres already data to show live service games like Fortnite and Roblox are limiting the time people spend playing new games, and it seems that is partly impacting, in certain territories at least, the overall sales of new games in 2024.According to figures compiled by Nielsen from December 31, 2023 to December 7, 2024, there are only four new games released in 2024 in the UKs top 10 best-selling games of the year and two of those are from established yearly franchises.Unsurprisingly, EA Sports FC 25 was the best-selling game of 2024 on these shores, with the only other new games in the top 10 being Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 at number three, The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom at nine, and Super Mario Party Jamboree at ten.The rest, meanwhile, is made up of games from previous years, including Hogwarts Legacy, EA Sports FC 24, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Minecraft, and Nintendo Switch Sports.According to GamesIndustry.biz editor Christopher Dring, it was a similar picture across the whole of Europe. Overall, video game sales across Europe were relatively robust in 2024, he wrote on X. But it was a brutal year for new releases.UK top 10 best-selling video games of 2024 EA Sports FC 25Hogwarts LegacyCall Of Duty: Black Ops 6EA Sports FC 24Mario Kart 8 DeluxeSuper Mario Bros. WonderMinecraftNintendo Switch SportsThe Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of WisdomSuper Mario Party JamboreeDring states there were only three new games inside the top 10 for Europe: EA Sports FC 25, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Helldivers 2. The closest contenders were Warhammer: 40,000: Space Marine 2 at number 12 and Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero at number 13.Games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Star Wars: Outlaws, Dragon Age: The Veilguard are all outside the top 30, he added.While the growth of live service titles is one reason for the lack of new games in the top 10, the fact new games often cost upwards of 70 is probably the other especially as you can usually wait for a few months and pick them up at a much cheaper price.As for the best-selling games in the US, it was a marginally better picture for new titles. EA Sports College Football 25 was the top-seller, ahead of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, Helldivers 2, and Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. The rest of the top 10, however, was mostly dominated by sports titles like Madden NFL 25, EA Sports FC 25, and last years Call Of Duty.If you want to see the clear difference in tastes between the West and Japan, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake topped that countrys list, followed by Super Mario Party Jamboree, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with no Call Of Duty in sight.US top 10 best-selling video games of 2024 EA Sports College Football 25 not a hit in Europe (EA)EA Sports College Football 25Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6Helldivers 2Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZeroCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Madden NFL 25EA Sports FC 25EA Sports MVP BundleElden RingDragons Dogma 2The problem of no-one playing new game is present on PC as well, as can clearly be seen from Steam stats. The Steam end-of-year review shows only 15% of users total play time was spent in games that launched in 2024, 47% of the time was in games which are up to seven years old, while 37% was spent in games that are over eight years old.While this doesnt look great, there is actually a silver lining on the PC front. The 15% figure is, believe it or not, an increase on the 9% playtime spent on new games in 2023; although it is still lower than the 17% of time spent in 2022.According to GamesIndustry.biz, global game revenue grew by 0.2% in 2024 over the previous year, to $184.3 billion. This minor growth was carried by mobile games, which grew 2.8%, while console and PC games were down 4% and 0.2% year-on-year.More TrendingIf 2024 was a somewhat flat financial year for the industry, analysts are expecting next year to be significantly bigger, due to the expected launch of GTA 6 and Nintendos next console.Japan top 10 best-selling video games of 2024 Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake big in Japan (Square Enix)Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D REMAKESuper Mario Party JamboreeMario Kart 8 DeluxeSuper Mario Bros. WonderMomotaro Dentetsu World: Chikyu wa Kibo de Mawatteru!Final Fantasy 7 RebirthAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsPowerful Pro Yakyu 2024-2025The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of WisdomMinecraft: Switch EditionEmailgamecentral@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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Apparently the Pro Controller is getting extra buttons (Nintendo)A known insider claims to know details around the Nintendo Switch 2s reveal date, along with some Pro Controller news.Nintendo Switch 2 leaks have become practically a daily occurrence over the past few weeks, as the before April reveal window from Nintendo itself gets ever narrower.Weve seen a slew of leaks from accessory manufacturers, with mock-up images appearing to show the console and the new seemingly magnetic Joy-Con controllers. One person has even claimed to have the final unit, with promises of more details to be released on Christmas Day.An insider who previously shared drawings of the alleged Switch 2 dock earlier this year has now posted some additional information, including about the buttons on the controllers.According to NinSpider on Famiboards, the Switch 2 version of the Pro Controller the more traditional gamepad that works similarly to those for PlayStation and Xbox will have two new buttons on the back, although they dont share specifics on what theyll be used for.The insider claims the previously leaked back button on the Switch 2 Joy-Con will also likely be used for input rather than release. It was previously speculated the back pedal would be some kind of release for the magnetic sliders to detach the Joy-Cons from the console itself.If it is used for some kind of button input in-game, that suggests its tied to some new feature which will be unique to the Switch 2.This isnt the only mystery button causing speculation headaches. Some people believe an extra button on the right Joy-Con controller, labelled as C in mock-up images, is a potential cast button to beam your gameplay wirelessly to the TV that or a voice chat function.In the same post, NinSpider also claims the week after the Japanese New Year (w/c January 6) may be the time when the Switch 2 is revealed, although they heavily couch this by saying it could instead be new information about the Switch port of Xenoblade Chronicles X.While this might sound like a cruel joke at the height of Switch 2 anticipation, this would track with Nintendos incredible run of borderline troll announcements over the past few months, where instead of a new console its instead focused on very minor reveals from the Alarmo clock to a Nintendo music app.Several insiders have suggested January will be when the console is unveiled though, and while that would make a lot of sense its probably best to remain sceptical for everyones sanity.More TrendingNintendo has not confirmed anything about its next console, aside from it being backwards compatible and that it will be announced before April. Super Mario Party Jamboree will be playable on 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.GameCentralExclusive 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

No room for both PlayStation and Xbox in next gen console race says reportAdam StarkeyPublished December 20, 2024 2:25pmUpdated December 20, 2024 2:25pm Who is going to fall? (Metro/Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo)A prominent research firm believes therell only be space for two major consoles next generation, and Nintendo is the only guaranteed winner.While it feels like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S generation has barely left an imprint so far, Sony and Microsoft already have eyes on the next console race.Nintendo is expected to kick it off with the successor to the Switch next year, but Sony and Microsoft have both teased plans for its next generation consoles with the next Xbox rumoured to arrive potentially as early as 2026.What exactly Sony and Microsoft can offer players is the big mystery, especially as both companies are struggling to get people to invest in the current generation, now that the graphical arms race has seemingly peaked.According to market research firm DFC Intelligence, the next generation race will be pivotal in shaping the future of the console space posing a significant risk for one of the three major console manufacturers.It predicts Nintendo will be the clear winner among the next generation of consoles, due to its earlier launch and lack of competition, leaving either Sony or Microsoft to struggle mightily in third place.There isnt room for more than two major console systems, the report states. Sony or Microsoft will struggle mightily in a distant third place largely depending on which of those companies can gain early momentum.Based on the size of the current player-base for the PlayStation 5, Sonys next system is described as having an advantage, but it notes that Microsoft will be the largest gaming publisher heading into the next generation.A new Sony system (PlayStation 6?) should have an advantage because of loyal base and strong Sony IP, the report adds.Microsoft failed with Xbox Series X/S but has made major acquisitions to become the worlds largest software publisher. Microsoft has the option of focusing on software and distribution models over hardware.However, its unclear how buying Activision Blizzard is going to do anything for Microsofts console sales, since almost all of the games will also be on PlayStation especially given the dire sales results this year.Although theyre somewhat mincing their words, DFC Intelligence is clearly implying that Xbox is most at risk even if its software publishing business is more robust than ever.Microsoft is working on another Xbox console, including a handheld, but the brand has made moves towards becoming a publisher untethered to a specific platform with its Game Pass subscription service available through PCs, phones and Amazon TV devices.While Microsoft can probably afford many losses considering the size of the company, theres little reason for them to exist in the hardware space if they have another failure like the Xbox Series X/S. While Microsoft hasnt released official sales figures, reports suggest it has been dwarfed 3-1 by Sonys PlayStation 5. Could Xbox find more success with a handheld? (Microsoft)Beyond these predictions, DFC estimates the games industry will see record growth in 2025, thanks to new Nintendo hardware and GTA 6. The firm also believes the number of people worldwide who play video games will exceed 4 billion by 2027 nearly half of the global population. Although the majority of that will be free mobile and web-based games.David Cole, DFC Intelligence founder and CEO, said: Over the past three decades, the video game industry has grown more than 20x, and after two years of slumping hardware and software sales, its poised to resume growing at a healthy rate through the end of the decade.More TrendingWhile 2025 will mark the beginning of that upward trajectory, some huge questions remain, including who will lose the next-gen console war and who will win the game software distribution battle. And with the large publishers focused on live services around evergreen franchises, opportunities for smaller studios will be plentiful. Sony launched the PS5 Pro in November (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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Oblivion is in need of some TLC (Bethesda)Before The Elder Scrolls 6, insiders claim the long-rumoured Oblivion remake is on track to launch next year.You may have forgotten about it amid anticipation for The Elder Scrolls 6, but a new version of the fourth instalment in the series, Oblivion, has been rumoured for some time.These rumours partly stem from a Microsoft leak last year, where a remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was listed alongside a remaster of Fallout 3, another Doom game (now revealed as Doom: The Dark Ages), and Dishonored 3.Nothing has been heard about the project since, but now several insiders have claimed a revamped Oblivion will come out at some point in 2025 with a possible reveal in January.These new claims come from insider eXtas1s, who is mostly known for Xbox Game Pass leaks. In a video on his YouTube channel, he claims the Oblivion *remake* is real and could launch in 2025, speculating that an announcement could be made at an Xbox Developer Direct in January.A few days prior to this video, fellow insider NateTheDrake claimed a new version of Oblivion is definitely still in development on ResetEra and will see release, although they dont specify when. Another insider, Klobrille, then stated it is set for release in 2025.Others have seemingly backed a 2025 launch. The Verges Tom Warren, shortly after the rumour emerged, reemphasised that Xbox has more to come next year beyond Avowed, South Of Midnight, Doom: The Dark Ages, Towerborne, Fable, and The Outer Worlds 2. While he doesnt mention Oblivion specifically, some fans have connected the dots.Assuming it is real, the big question is whether it will be a remaster or remake. The two terms are often used interchangeably, even by those within the industry, despite one implying little more than changes to the resolution and frame rate and the other a reconstruction of the game built entirely from scratch.Back in July 2023, an Oblivion remaster was said to be in the works at Virtuos Paris, which was being made in Unreal Engine 5. That immediately doesnt make any sense, because if its being made in Unreal Engine 5 that alone implies a full remake and not a remaster. At the time, it was claimed it will launch at the end of 2024 or early 2025.This would line up with these new rumours, and considering Xbox has staged a Developer Direct presentation for the past two years in January, its reasonable to assume another will take place next year especially considering how little Microsoft showed at The Game Awards.Microsoft shadow-dropped Hi-Fi Rush at its first Xbox Developer Direct, so its possible Oblivion could be a surprise launch too. The presentation this year was a bit less exciting, but it did show off Indiana Jones, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Senuas Saga: Hellblade 2, and Square Enixs Visions Of Mana.More TrendingWhile its important to remember this is all rumours and old leaks at this point, a remaster/remake of Oblivion would make sense as a stop-gap until The Elder Scrolls 6, which might not be out until 2028. Oblivion isnt exactly a stunner these days (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.GameCentralExclusive 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

What does it do? (Reddit)The Thursday letters page has more complaints about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, as a reader pits The Game Awards vs. the Oscars.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.Cast your voteTheres been so many pictures of the Switch 2 looking almost exactly like the current one I dont think any reasonable person can doubt thats what it looks like. Maybe theyre prototypes, and the final version is slightly different, but its pretty clear its not going to look like a starfish or something else weird.In a way thats a disappointment, but really its only the Wii and Switch that were radically different. The Wii U as well, to a degree, although it was an extension of the Wii and the GamePad was never used for anything interesting outside of Nintendo Land.But I do wonder if this mysterious C button does stand for cast and that it will turn the Switch into a GamePad, as well as letting you play games on the TV without using a dock. I think that would be really neat and it would allow Nintendo to have another crack at asymmetric multiplayer games and other weird uses for the screen, as the Wii U was really cut short before they got a chance.The button is very prominent, and kind of ugly, so it must be for something important. I cant believe itd be just chat.OnibeeInstant selloutSo are the next few years just going to be Xbox pretending it isnt giving up on every market except the US and, maybe, the UK? We just got a report saying sales are down 29% in America, when they were already a disaster last year, and yet were supposed to believe theyre apparently flying off the shelves in Poland?I guess if they only had a few in stock then itd be easy for them to sell out, but come on. Microsoft might be embarrassed to admit theyre giving up on the current gen already but by dragging things out and refusing to just admit whats going on all theyre doing is making themselves look bad.For anyone not locked into their ecosystem the Xbox brand looks like damaged goods at this point, why would they ever buy into it? Its not just this particular console thats got bad word of mouth, its the whole concept of Xbox and Microsoft really needs to set out a vision thats something more than streaming on your phone, because thats not going to move the needle on anyone.FocusSo-called rivalsSo in the US, Nintendo has the best and second best-selling consoles of all-time? That is some achievement. I know everyone praises their games, but I really do think Nintendo themselves are underrated sometimes, from the perspective of being the dominant force in the industry. I know sometimes they can have an off generation, but when theyre firing on all cylinders theres nobody that can stop them.Console wars are always PlayStation vs. Xbox but really it just seems that theyre a tier below Nintendo, at least since the Wii came out. A lot of people dont seem to recognise this and it kind of skews the whole way they think of the games industry. I hope the Switch 2 is a hit as well, as frankly Nintendo have earned their success a lot more than their so-called rivals.BunsenEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukBetter than the real thingSo the last week I have been playing Indiana Jones And The Great Circle. It is a fantastic adventure game and captures the feel of Indiana Jones without shoving it in your face, in my opinion. I was hesitant when they revealed it was first person but it works.The voice-acting is amazing and the story (so far) has been an entertaining Indy romp. The vistas are beautiful and lots of variety to tackle a situation. There have been a few times where you see Indys famous shadow and in those moments, you feel like Dr Jones.It is so much better than the last two films. There has been very little love for it on here so if you want a game to play over Christmas, try this! Is on Game Pass too, so whats not to like!Merry Christmas all at GC and keep up the great work.Will Thats a lot of viewers (The Game Awards)Award Ceremony of the Year awardCrazy to think more than 150 million people watched The Game Awards and yet only 19 million watch the Oscars. I think that might only be the American figure, its hard to tell, but I cant imagine its that much more worldwide, considering the time of night its on.Whatever the actual figure is, its obviously much lower than The Game Awards, which is wild to me. I know its kind of like E3 crossed with an awards ceremony but for me the thing only really became watchable this year and even then I was just putting up with it to see the next trailer.Ill be tuning in next year and I wouldnt be surprised to see the figure get to 200 million. Remember when games were only for nerds?Leto900 reasons and the console aint oneIve not long since spent 550 on a 2TB Xbox Series X special edition. It wont be long before I have a collection of 900 games across four generations, thanks to backward compatibility.I have not played the majority of these titles, or at least spent very little time on many of them, so Im heavily invested in them and also want to revisit games I have completed in the past. Ill keep buying Xbox consoles as long as Microsoft keep making them.Regarding Sony, I havent had one of their devices since the PlayStation 3. A strong motivation for getting a PlayStation 3 were the games from Japanese studios that I really enjoyed on PSN.PlayStation 4 or 5 had nothing to offer me. Im genuinely not interested in any open world game or anything that drags on significantly past 10 hours or so. I just dont have the attention span anymore. It might help if my doctor would prescribe me some ADHD medication (no joke).CharliePartys overI was so excited when the Switch was announced and couldnt wait to have rooftop gaming parties on my penthouse roof. With all the leaks suggesting Switch 2 is very similar in design I dont have that same excitement, sadly. I hoped it would be something completely different and reinvent gaming again.I can understand why Nintendo dont want to mess with a winning formula but I cant see Switch 2 being anywhere near as successful. Too many people have only just bought Switch 1 to consider upgrading. I hope theres some great games or hidden features that prove me wrong.Mark MatthewsGC: Well, we still dont know what any of the games are or what that mysterious C button does.Title mismatchI am also confused about the subtitle for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and what we were show in the reveal trailer. From what Ive read the story is about people being indoctrinated into a religion and what goes wrong from there. That matches with the name but absolutely none of that was in the trailer.The story description sounds like the usual grimdark stuff from Naughty Dog and yet the trailer was clearly mean to be a sassy Guardians Of The Galaxy type thing. Now, are they just doing that for the trailer but are they going to try and tell a serious story with that kind of atmosphere.I dont mind one or the other but I dont feel it can be both. So while I agree theres not enough information to judge the game on yet I also feel that it has not made a good impression. Its failed to properly explain its world and story and its not shown enough gameplay to get you excited about playing it.Ive also seen a lot of debate over whether the game is actually running on a PlayStation 5 or not. I have no idea about that but I wouldnt be surprised to find it only looks that good on a PS5 Pro.LemonInbox also-ransAn Alien VR game is not an obvious thing to end the year on but at least it sounds pretty good. Goodbye 2024, you were pretty awful overall but at least you had some good games!GantzSo I see that Secret Level Amazon TV show has got a 53 on Metacritic. I guess that makes Concords failure complete. What a disaster.PepperMore 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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Dragon Age: The Veilguard its not actually open world (EA)The Friday letters page has more suggestions for what the Switch 2s mystery button is for, as a reader lists The Witcher 4 improvements he wants to see.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.Closed worldsIve been trying to work out what game Ill play at Christmas, on my Steam Deck, and I usually like to get stuck into a good, epic open world game. But there havent really been any lately. All I can think of thats recent is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Indiana Jones And The Great Circle.Im not even sure they are actually open world though, as I think Final Fantasy and Indiana Jones have an open world but also linear sections? I just want to get lost in a classic open world map like Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2.It seems full-on open world games are getting rarer nowadays. Probably because games are more expensive to make now, but its a shame.KoboldGC: None of those games are entirely open world (and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth isnt on PC until January). They all have open world areas, but none are what you seem to be looking for. How about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, though?Kraven moreIm fine with Sony controlling FromSoftware, even if they dont technically own it. Seems like it amounts to the same thing if theyre the majority shareholder. Im not anti-Xbox in general but Microsoft owns too much of the games industry now and I am for anything that keeps important developers like From out of their hands. I dont care whether they say (or vaguely hint at) going multiformat or not.It doesnt sound like Sonys new status is going to change anything about how From work so its all good as far as Im concerned. In fact, it doesnt sound like Sony was particularly interested in From at all, beyond wanting to make movies with them.What I do question though is why Kadokawa wanted the deal? Have they not seen a Sony movie before? Did they watch Morbius and Madame Web and think: those are the people we want to make our Elden Ring movie! That goes double for Nintendo and the Zelda movie.SoapyImportant questionsAlthough The Witcher 4 trailer was all well and good, the problem with the way games are unveiled nowadays is that you dont get any of the important questions answered almost until their released, and sometimes not even till after.As long as the writing remains as good as before it doesnt really matter who the main character is. What does matter, is whether theyve improved the combat and if the story is going to be better than the non-event of the last game. Can anyone actually remember what The Witcher 3 was even about? (Funnily, Id say the same for Skyrim, so I guess its a common problem for open world fantasy games.)Id be much more excited if theyd announced theyd hired the guy who did God Of Wars combat, or something similar. Them getting someone unrelated company to make a CGI trailer doesnt really tell us anything.RendellEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukNot a mysterySo, Ive decided to write this before the latest rumoured date for the Switch 2 reveal on Christmas Day. Im so confident that this wont end up being true Im sending this in now with the hopes youll publish it after the holidays.I seem to recall a similar deluge of speculation and scuttlebutt before the original Switch reveal, basically none of which ended up being accurate. I believe there was even a mystery button that ended up being the NFC reader (or maybe that was the 3DS my memory is terrible).My point is, trying to predict Nintendo continues to be a fools errand. These interminable leaks dont make me more excited for the official reveal, it just winds me up that Nintendo still havent ripped the band-aid off. I cant wait till were through this and have the actual specs, games, and release date to discuss instead of this tiresome guesswork.noisecatGC: Its a little more than guesswork at this point; there were never any leaks like this for the original Switch. We have less faith in the random leakers, including the one talking about a Christmas Day reveal, but there seems little doubt the photo leaks from peripheral makers are real.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextDC LegacySaw the teaser trailer for the new Superman movie and was relatively impressed. It was a bit of an odd trailer, but I do like all the things in it. But it made me question whether Warner Bros. is going to do anything to support it with a game?Weve been hearing about cancelled Superman games for decades now and still nothing. James Gunn said new games would be in canon but as far as I know the only one in development is the Wonder Woman game which we havent seen a single thing for and was announced before Gunn took over.We went almost the entire DCEU without a new game, and none of those were tie-ins, so Im not expecting Warner to be particularly quick off the mark this time either.CasperPop culture referenceRE: Well, count me as another lover of Indy. Bought Midnight Suns just after Black Friday, cost me a fiver! Was quietly impressed and quite enjoying it well until Dr Jones dropped that was. This game, as an Indy fan, (at least the original trilogy, watched them with my pa), makes you feel like you are the whip cracking, wise quipping, mumbling, hunky doctor of archaeology.Some of the puzzles are real head scratchers and it will never get old clumping Nazis with sledgehamners or toilet plungers. Also, Gina is his best bird since Elsa and she didnt kiss his dad, as far as I know! Loved the MachineGames Wolfensteins and this Is very reminiscent of those, but with enough Indy flavour to not be too derivative.Speaking of, there is a part on the KMS Kommetz where Strumfhrer Gantz mocks Indy, You have no purpose. What you have, is your stupid American cartoons. Choo-choo, choo-choo. Where he proceeds to dance and mock you like a loon! The point being, I swear I watched the pretty much exact scene where B.J. Blaskowich was being mocked by his Nazi tormentors in one of the Wolfenstein games. Help me, tell me Im not just imagining it?!Anyhow great game, highly recommended to all. Even you PlayStation lotbig boy bentGC: We dont remember that in Wolfenstein (although you may well be right) but Gantz was mimicking Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie. Come to think of it, Mickey Mouse was also mentioned in The Last Crusade.Narrowing fieldI agree that Ubisoft going under, or being absorbed into some other megacorp, would be a real shame. Not because theyre great, or havent been messing up, but, as the other reader says, therell be virtually nobody left after that in terms of big Western publishers. Take-Two and EA and thats youre lot neither of which release many games anymore and even less in terms of anything new.I wouldnt mind at all if that gave Japanese publishers a chance to become dominant again but somehow I dont think its going to work out that way. Theres just going to be less options, less companies, and less variety in games.YolodaBig fanWith all the recent rumours around Switch 2 being this button, I thought Id throw my two cents in. Its also kind of telling that with the design of the thing being so iterative the focus of any interest has become what does this new button do? but moving on.A cast function would be a great idea, making the dock some kind of gaming Chromecast or Fire Stick. However, Im not sure how practical that really is? The dock in the original Switch is designed to allow the Switch unit to run at higher clock speeds to boost resolution and sometimes performance for TV play, its design providing more power from the mains than the battery and opening up the design for guaranteed air flow for the fans.Youd think a Switch 2 would also need this for TV play with rumours suggesting a boost to some kind of 4K from the dock. So having the actual console in your hands when playing on the TV with air vents potentially covered up and running from the battery doesnt sound like a good idea, units would be over heating left and right. Allowing a third play option where you cast to the TV but only in portable power mode would be too confusing for users too, I think.Of course, its possible Nintendo think portable mode can be upscaled good enough for 4KTVs using the rumoured custom Nvidia DLSS tech in portable play mode, without worrying about power draw and thermals. Guess well wait and see. If thats the gimmick theyve got for this one theyve really pulled it out of the bag.MarcGC: We very much doubt the Switch 2 will be doing native 4K, itll almost certainly rely on DLSS style upscale tech.Inbox also-ransI saw the new Sonic The Hedgehog film last night and Ive got to say it was actually pretty good. Or at least far better than I ever imagined a Sonic game with Shadow in it to be.JohnsonActually quite excited to play a new Virtua Fighter. GC talks about Daytona USA being their first glimpse of top notch 3D graphics but for me it was the original Virtua Fighter coin-op. Quite rare in the UK but it blew my mind at the time.RudieMore 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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Sony forms business alliance with Elden Ring firm but doesnt buy all of itMichael BeckwithPublished December 19, 2024 11:24amUpdated December 19, 2024 11:24am Looks like Elden Ring is staying multiplatform after all (FromSoftware)A team-up between Sony and Kadokawa seems more focused on accelerating movie and TV adaptations than making Elden Ring a PlayStation exclusive.Last month, it was reported that Sony was gearing up for a potentially massive acquisition, of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware and its parent company Kadokawa Corporation.Kadokawa itself later confirmed Sony had expressed interest in acquiring further shares in the company. This, of course, reignited debates about monopolies and further consolidation of the industry, especially since Sony would be getting more than just one game developer.Sony and Kadokawa have now confirmed theyve reached an agreement, and the result isnt as dramatic as some feared but will see the two collaborating far more closely on multimedia initiatives, like film and television.Ultimately, Sony isnt buying out Kadokawa in its entirety, so dont expect any future Elden Ring sequels or spin-offs to suddenly go PlayStation-only.However, Sony is buying more shares in Kadokawa; 12,054,100 of them to be exact. This is set to cost Sony approximately 50 billion yen, which is about 252 million.Sony originally only had a 1.93% stake in Kadokawa, but these additional shares will bump that stake up to 10%. That will make the PlayStation company Kadokawas largest shareholder, according to a joint statement from both companies, giving them more influence than anyone else over the companys future.The pair are calling this a strategic capital and business alliance agreement, with the goal being to maximise both companies IP value globally and facilitate wider and deeper collaboration. Other Kadokawa properties include visual novel series Danganronpa (Spike Chunsoft)While this does make it easier for Sony to negotiate more FromSoftware exclusives (like Bloodborne and the original Demons Souls) their primary interest in the deal seems to be in assisting Kadokawa with adapting its franchises into film and/or TV. So, expect any Elden Ring movie or anime spin-off to be a Sony production.The companies exact words are, In the future, the two companies plan to discuss specific initiatives for collaboration, such as initiatives to adapt Kadokawas IP into live-action films and TV dramas globally, co-produce anime works, expand global distribution of Kadokawas anime works through the Sony Group, further expand publishing of Kadokawas games, and develop human resources to promote and expand virtual production.As a reminder, Kadokawa also owns a number of businesses throughout the entertainment sector, including not just video game companies, but anime studios,andpublishers for manga and light novels.More TrendingIn fact, it was speculated Sonys interest in Kadokawa was primarily to gain more control of the anime business. A Bloomberg report from November claimed Kadokawa wanted a full takeover from Sony, but the latter only wanted to extract their anime and gaming related assets.This lines up with Sonys statement that it has no plans to buy further shares in Kadokawa, although it could always change its mind later down the line.While the exact implications of the partnership remain unclear it does now make it impossible for Microsoft, or any other PlayStation rival, to acquire FromSoftware, which is likely to have also been a motivation although not one Sony would admit in public.Its speculated that they acquired Bungie for similar reasons, which is somewhat borne out by their rough treatment of the studio since then. Theres already an Elden Ring manga, so a movie or anime isnt too unreasonable (Kadokawa)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Despite all the leaks, the dock has been rather elusive (Nintendo/Metro)A recent Nintendo Switch 2 leak is believed to be legitimate according to a new report, which claims to have seen more photographic evidence.There has been an excess of Nintendo Switch 2 leaks this past month thanks to accessory companies, but the boldest of the lot came from a Reddit user claiming to have actually got their hands on the console itself.Going by the name NextHandheld, they suggested the Joy-Cons mysterious extra button was tied to new experiences and that there will be a special bundle containing Mario Kart 9 with a promise to share definitive proof on Christmas Day.He offered no proof, but not only did the moderators of the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit deem NextHandheld trustworthy, but so has a reputable outlet that says theyve seen enough evidence to believes the claims are legitimate.A new report from The Verge says NextHandheld shared with it photos of what it believes are the inside of a Switch 2 controller rail (complete with certification logos) and, most intriguingly, the Switch 2 dock.While enough details of the Switch 2 have made their way online for people to construct 3D renders of it, theres been very little, if any information about the consoles dock.Although NextHandheld has remained pretty tight-lipped about certain details, The Verge believes the Switch 2 might run faster when plugged into the dock. Not only has NextHandheld hinted the dock has a fan built into it, but it apparently also has an extra large stand at the back.The Verge theorises this is so vents on the dock wont be blocked and result in overheating, should it fall on its side. Its unlikely, though, that youll be able to lay the dock horizontally (like you can with the PlayStation 5) since the console itself would then tip out. Magnetic Joy-Cons should hopefully make Joy-Con drift a thing of the past (Global Source)Aside from that, NextHandheld has discussed details already widely assumed, based on prior leaks, such as the U-shaped kickstand and the Joy-Con controllers being magnetic.The Verge says the rail for attaching the Joy-Cons is more of a hollow area that you can slot a controller into, with NextHandheld adding theres a much larger button you press to release it. That does line up with a previous Joy-Con leak, that showed such a button on the controllers back.NextHandheld also reiterated how a Switch 2 reveal could happen as early as January (something others have also claimed to have heard) and that the consoles final name is just the Nintendo Switch 2.More TrendingThey refused to discuss more than that, stressing they werent able to turn the console on, so further specifics about its backwards compatibility (like whether it can run physical games for the original Switch), storage space, and possible extra features like a microphone and camera remain a mystery.Considering Nintendo has already promised to show off the Switch 2 before April 2025 and there have been claims of a possible March or April launch, a January reveal does seem very plausible.Then again, others have suggested the Switch 2 is aiming for a summer launch, following a May event of some kind. Perhaps the January reveal will serve as the reveal of the console while the May event will be something akin to a Nintendo Direct, tohighlight upcoming games.Whatever the case, Nintendo may be encouraged to move up its announcement plans if these sorts of leaks keep happening. With the switch 2 said to be bigger than the original, the dock should see a size increase too, right? (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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Squid Game: Unleashed now with added baseball bats (Netflix)As the second season approaches, Netflix provide their own adaptation of Squid Game, in a more violent rival to Fall Guys.When Korean TV series Squid Game was released to an unsuspecting public in 2021, its enormous popularity took everyone by surprise. What was less surprising was its deadly game show subject matter, which occurs with surprising frequency in fiction of all varieties. Forget The Truman Show with its boring non-lethal, humiliation-only tropes, Squid Game is about killing almost everybody involved.The concept goes back decades, through Arnold Schwarzenegger film The Running Man (which is getting a remake thats closer to the original Stephen King story), and fellow book adaptations Battle Royale and The Hunger Games. The details are always different but the idea that people would want to watch others risking and losing their lives performing silly game show tasks has been around for a long time.In ancient Rome it happened in real life, but these days, of course, its only simulated. Players of Fortnite and Among Us will be more than familiar with the challenge of being the last person standing, while Fall Guys tries to play things purely for laughs. And so it is that Squid Game: Unleashed has also been released, where you once again compete against random internet foes who are also all trying to be the sole survivor.Each round of Unleashed comprises three mini-games based on the ones seen in the TV show, albeit with considerably fewer contestants. Starting with 32 players, 16 survivors go on to compete in round two, and the eight survivors of that go into a final round in which there can only be one winner. The presentation is very cartoony, so the constant gore doesnt really come across as any more savage than Tom & Jerry.Its also been thoughtfully ported to a video game format, so in the first two mini-games in each round, when you die you instantly respawn and carry on with the game until there are 16 winners. How thats decided depends entirely on which of Unleasheds 40+ games youre playing, which offers a fair bit of variety.Perhaps the most familiar is Red Light, Green Light, which is a race to the finish with the twist that theres a giant doll at the end of the room. When shes facing the wall you can run forwards, but when she turns around, if youre spotted moving you get shot by hidden snipers. To spice things up sometimes youll play on a featureless pitch, other times there are patches of grass to hide in, or it can take place on an ice rink that makes it trickier to start and stop in time.Snakes & Ladders starts everyone at the top of a tall tower, its floor panels turning red and then disappearing, the object being not to fall to your death. The Floor is Lava happens above actual lava, so staying on its gradually submerging hexagonal columns is the only way to live through it. Late for School has you rushing for a school gate via electrified swimming pools, moving circular saws, and Frogger-style school buses trying to run you over. The commonality is that all the games are very lethal.To makes things even sketchier you can pick up weapons. Baseball bats, knives, dodgeballs, snowballs, and more, which vary in their effectiveness depending on the game youre playing. A dodgeball in the back at just the wrong moment can get you shot in Red Light, Green Light, while a mistimed swing of a bat can actually help you across the finishing line. It adds a small extra dimension to the chaos, which is at its most palpable in the first round, with all 32 players still alive and participating.While every character you unlock starts off equal, each has a special ability that unlocks at level two and increases in its potency as you continue levelling up. That could be a chance to start with an invincibility shield, knife or baseball bat, or a speed boosting running shoe. Youll also unlock cosmetics for each character, making the field of competitors look increasingly variegated as you progress.Another thing youll notice is the increasing difficulty. Games are ranked between one and five stars, and at one star its hard to lose, while at the other end of the scale youll need luck and a lot more savvy. Thats useful because with a decent number of mini-games, many with several variants, your approach to winning will constantly need to evolve. We found in most games knowing what to do proves less important than knowing what not to do; which areas to avoid, and ways of preventing the inherent random factor of more than 30 other players getting you killed too quickly.There is a store, but in line with other Netflix titles, you can only spend in-game currency to unlock new characters and outfits. Prices seem pretty arbitrary, with one suit costing 1,000,000 and new characters priced anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000. Importantly though, nothing you can buy delivers an advantage in play, although levelling up your favourite character will eventually start giving you a small edge.More TrendingGames feel well populated sometimes overpopulated resulting in disconnections and server errors, something that a great many multiplayer games get wrong in their launch weeks. Given that its free and rounds are very short its hard to feel too short-changed when you get booted out early, but wed expect these glitches to be ironed out in short order.The big question is whether it will have any longevity. Its mini-games are fast and fun, and its mildly compelling unlocking cosmetics and progressing through the seasons league, but its a far less tactically involved game than Fortnite, or indeed any of the more complex battle royale games that have thrived over the past few years, most of which are also free to play.Still, as a phone game its short rounds and rapid learning curve make it a winner, even if its highly unlikely youll still be playing it in three months time.Squid Game: Unleashed review summaryIn Short: Fast, fun and a little bit silly, Squid Games battle royale works surprisingly well on mobile, but it lacks the depth to provide any long term interest.Pros: Plenty of mini-games, many of which have different variants. The first two rounds respawn you instantly, making for less downtime, and the games involve real skill and tactics.Cons: While compelling it is eventually a bit shallow, and there are far more fully formed free-to-play battle royale games available.Score: 6/10Formats: iOS (reviewed) and AndroidPrice: Free for everyone at launch, but eventually only available to Netflix subscribersPublisher: NetflixDeveloper: Boss Fight EntertainmentRelease Date: 18th December 2024Age Rating: 12+ Squid Game: Unleashed last man standing (Netflix)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.GameCentralExclusive 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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Xbox denies quitting Europe as report claims no Xbox Series X stock in PolandAdam StarkeyPublished December 18, 2024 2:44pmUpdated December 18, 2024 2:45pm Can the Xbox Series X be bottled into a handheld? (Microsoft)A limited supply of Xbox Series X consoles in Poland has led to concerns around Microsofts support in Europe, as the company shifts its priorities.After poor sales of the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft has begun to shift its strategy towards being a broader Game Pass platform which can be accessed across multiple devices.This push has been clear for several years now, with many former Xbox exclusives making their way to other platforms, but its been reinforced in a new Xbox marketing campaign which downplays Xbox consoles in favour of phones and laptops.If the existence of the Xbox Series X/S feels like its becoming increasingly irrelevant, with talk of a next generation on its way, it seems like Microsoft might already be winding down support of the console within certain markets in Europe.These reports originally stem from Polish social media platform Wykop, where a user named Tetsuya posted an alleged statement from Microsoft Support suggesting it has stopped selling the Xbox Series X in some European countries due to its new strategic shift to Game Pass.The unavailability of the Xbox Series X in markets like Poland and some European countries is largely due to Microsofts strategic shift to focus on cloud gaming and subscription services such as Game Pass, rather than promoting or distributing physical consoles, reads the statement.It goes on to cite lower-than-expected sales in these regions as a reason for the reduced marketing of Xbox hardware, although the legitimacy of the statement has been questioned since the moment it was posted online.After it went viral, Polish games media outlet Android.com.pl obtained a statement from Xbox, where it confirmed Xbox Series X stock is low in the country in the run-up to Christmas, but that the Xbox Series S is still widely available.Due to high consumer demand for the Xbox Series X console, supply is limited during the holiday season in Poland, the statement reads. At the same time, we would like to inform you that the Xbox Series S is still available for purchase nationwide.Microsoft has not yet responded to GameCentrals request for comment.The high consumer demand is hard to believe considering we know Xbox sales have nosedived in Europe over the past year. Users on ResetEra have also highlighted the lack of stock in other European territories such as Finland, Bulgaria, and Belgium, so it appears as if this is a wider trend.With Xbox never having been hugely popular across Europe, compared to PlayStation, reports earlier this year claimed retailers across the continent were scaling back Xbox stock due to low sales.I heard it from a very prominent company and one not so prominent Xboxs performance in Europe is just flatlining, said GamesIndustry.biz editor Christopher Dring back in March.Beyond Europe, there have been concerns around Xbox stock in other territories. In October, Microsoft gave a very vague answer when addressing reports of Xbox pulling out of Saudi Arabia, while restocks in India have reportedly been delayed until March next year.Even if this is a temporary hitch, Xboxs lack of presence in these territories doesnt bode well for its future hardware plans, or if it simply wants to exist as a brand on other platforms.More TrendingMicrosoft has teased its next generation console plans on several occasions, which will likely include some kind of handheld device. Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is Microsofts latest exclusive (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.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Nintendo Switch sells 46,600,000 consoles beating PS2s lifetime sales in the USAdam StarkeyPublished December 18, 2024 5:29pmUpdated December 18, 2024 5:29pm Nintendo officially dominates the US (Metro/Sony/Nintendo)The Nintendo Switch has hit a huge sales milestone in the US, as EA Sports College Football 25 becomes the best-selling sports game ever.Sonys suddenly very vague sales figures for the PlayStation 2 have made it difficult to ascertain whether the Nintendo Switch will surpass it in worldwide sales, but in one key country at least, it already has.Following the November 2024 US sales data from Circana, the Nintendo Switch has now hit 46.6 million units sold, exceeding the PlayStation 2s lifetime figure in the region.According to games industry analyst Mat Piscatella, this means the Switch is now the second best-selling console in the US ever, behind the Nintendo DS at 53.80 million. While the figure for the PlayStation 2 isnt stated, NPD data last reported it as 43 million in January 2009.Its still unclear whether the Switch will surpass Sonys console in worldwide sales. At the time of writing, the overall Switch sales total is 146.04 million, behind both the Nintendo DS at 154.02 million and the PlayStation 2 with its recently touted over 160 million milestone despite Sony previous stating its total was 155 million.Switch sales this Christmas will be crucial in deciding whether the console will have a chance of exceeding the PlayStation 2, but it does seem somewhat ambitious at this stage. Elsewhere in the figures, EA Sports College Football 25 has become the best-selling sports game in US history, based on dollar sales. Its also the best-selling game of the year so far in the country with only month to go, ahead of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Helldivers 2.Year-to-Date Ending November 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content) Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-12-18T14:00:21.999ZAs for November sales specifically, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 topped the charts, ahead of Madden NFL 25, EA Sports FC 25 and EA Sports College Football 25. The only new entries were Mario & Luigi: Brothership at number seven (digital sales not included), Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D at number 12, and MySims: Cozy Bundle at number 19.Overall, spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories fell by 7% in November compared to last year, with the launch of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (which launched in November rather than October that year) cited as part of the reason for the decline.November 2024 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content) Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2024-12-18T14:00:21.998ZThe launch of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass, meanwhile, is said to have contributed to an 8% growth in non-mobile video game subscription spending, but its unclear if this is the kind of increase Microsoft were hoping for.On the hardware front, 2.4 million units were sold overall, a 4% increase over the 2.3 million sold a year prior. This was led by the PlayStation 5, where dollar sales were up by 15%, while Xbox Series X took a massive 29% decline and the Switch dropped by 3%.More TrendingAs for mobile games, Pokmon TCG Pocket was the big success story, ranking at number two in November for revenue worldwide, following its launch in late October. EA Sports College Football 25 is a juggernaut (EA)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

1000xResist Fixer knows what shes talking about (Fellow Traveller)GameCentral catches up with an excellent indie game from earlier in the year, that may have the best script and voice-acting of 2024.Every year, at around this time, we try to make sure we catch up with any interesting games we may have missed at other times during the year invariably indie titles that were not well publicised at launch, but which subsequently gained critical acclaim.Christmas has crept up on us a bit this year, so we may have to conclude our catch-up in January which is perhaps just as well given how slow the start to the year usually is (although perhaps not, depending on Nintendos Switch 2 reveal plans).We wanted to cover 1000xResist first though, because not only is it a great game, that wed never heard of until a few weeks ago, but its very likely to make it into our Top 20 of the year. It is pretty obscure its all-time peak on Steam is just 154 people but its easily one of the best storytelling games of the last 12 months.This is the first game by developer Sunset Visitor, but the most obvious point of reference is Vanillawares 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Not in terms of any of the specifics this is not a strategy game but the sci-fi setting and storytelling tone does feel as if its cut from the same cloth, with some similarities to NieR:Automata as well (and probably a bunch of anime that were not aware of).1000xResist takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been all but wiped out by aliens, via a global pandemic. The allusions to Covid are clear from the start, although here the artificial virus has reduced the human race to a small group of women cloned from the Allmother a rare human immune to the virus.You play as one of six clones given a specific leadership role, such as doctor, librarian, and engineer. Your job, as Watcher, is more complex, since youre tasked with recording the life of the Allmother by accessing her memories during a process called a communion and interpreting and recording her actions and life before the alien invasion. At the same time, you also have to keep an eye on the other clones, which creates tensions amongst the group, even though youre technically all sisters.In terms of gameplay, 1000xResist is essentially a visual novel and most of the time youre just walking around, looking for people to talk to. Thats actually the worst part of the game though, as theres no proper map and its very easy to get lost. Theres no real action, beyond some elements similar to Gravity Rush, where youre jumping between different locations, and the occasional puzzle. Both aspects are very simplistic though and are not at all intended as a challenge.In terms of visuals, the game is not exactly high-tech, but that doesnt mean youre just left trawling through pages of endless text. For a start, all the dialogue is voice-acted, and extremely well too with performances better than many a triple-A game. But communions are also visually inventive, in terms of both the camera angles from side-scrolling to first person and the many different time periods the memories are set in (technically the game takes place over a period of a thousand years).Although the tribulations of the pandemic, both real and fictional, are one obvious focus of the story, its anything but one note. Some of the more general topics range from negative parental influences to governmental abuse of power, but since the developer is based in Canada, and primarily made up of Asian immigrants, the game also explores that experience too.More TrendingLike all good sci-fi, 1000xResist is more about the current day than it is the far future, with very human stories mixed in with evergreen concerns about authoritarianism, discrimination, and radicalisation. If the game has any singular message though, its how damaging the past can be if it is mistakes are not acknowledged and addressed.Theres a lot of grim subject matter in the game but it can also be surprisingly funny at times, with all the characters proving impressively three-dimensional in terms of their flaws and character quirks. Physically, they may all be clones but theyre all individuals, with their own personalities, concerns, and hang-ups.Its no longer unusual for indie games to have better storytelling than big budget games but it is unusual to experience one that is quite this ambitious and capable in its execution. Especially as the story runs for over 12 hours. 1000xResist may have a terrible, off-putting name but everything else about it is extremely well written and compelling.1000xResist review summaryIn Short: A superior example of the visual novel, with some of the most compelling storytelling of the generation, even if its not very interactive.Pros: Excellent script that tackles many subjects with grace and, at least occasionally, humour. Surprisingly good voice-acting and more visually interesting than the low-tech graphics suggest.Cons: Beyond a few branching paths, the story progression is entirely linear and theres very little traditional gameplay. Navigating the base is a pain without a map.Score: 8/10Formats: PC (reviewed) and Nintendo SwitchPrice: 16.75Publisher: Fellow TravellerDeveloper: sunset visitor Release Date: 9th May 2024Age Rating: 16 A map wouldve been nice (Fellow Traveller)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.GameCentralExclusive 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 Witcher 4 -not out soon (YouTube)The Tuesday letters page is still confused about the Xbox multiformat policy, as a reader imagines what gaming will be like in five years.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.Second impressionsIve had a few days to contemplate it now and Im not sure The Games Awards was actually as good as it first seemed. Its not the fault of the event, which I thought was the most enjoyable to watch that its been, but just that all the announcements were kind of underwhelming.The Witcher 4 was probably the biggest deal but that just underlined that it wont be out for many years. Naughty Dogs game was technically big news but it wasnt a very exciting trailer. More Elden Ring is always welcome, but I agree with the reader yesterday that it was probably just repurposed DLC.Things like Onimusha and kami 2 are all well and good but theyre years away too. There was really very little thats coming out soon or will solve the problem of so few big name games are coming out next year. The lack of GTA 6 and the Switch 2 really hurt it, especially as no new GTA 6 trailer means a delay is now possible. Im not sure Id rule one out for the Switch 2 either.Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all need to have their own showcases pronto next year. The Game Awards has done what it can, but its not enough.TitusJust talkMore than ever I just dont understand why Microsoft isnt clear about what its planning to do with multiformat games. I heard it explained that the reason it seems so random at the moment is that some studios are better set up for making multiformat games than others, and so Microsoft are just letting it happen organically, before they make it mandatory in the future.Thats okay, if thats true I get it and that sounds perfectly reasonable. So if thats the case why not just tell us, rather than leave it to some self-important insider that may or may not be right?Its the same problem with Sony: a total lack of communication that makes them seem either aloof or incompetent, and usually both. Why cannot they see this, is what I have to wonder. Whats wrong with having a State of Play, or whatever Xbox calls theirs, and just explaining what theyre doing, instead of this endless speculation, which surely they must see is doing them more harm than good.GorfGood timingEnjoyed Laggers Readers Feature at the weekend, where he said he will only play shorter games due to not having the time for anything where the main story will take longer than 10 hours. Im in a pretty similar situation, and whilst I do enjoy a longer game, these are few and far between. For example, I played Zelda: Breath Of The Wild during lockdown, Final Fantasy 7 Remake two years ago in that blissful period between jobs, and Rebirth earlier this year when I was lucky enough to get that time again. Not sure when Ill be able to play the finale (surely, given its themes, to be called Reunion?) its not like I can plan my career around game releases!Theres been loads of games out in the last few years that Ill never get round to, most recent of which is the amazing looking Metaphor: ReFantazio, but I just dont have 80-odd hours to put into it. Well, I do, but for me thatd be over a period of about six months. Like Lagger, I generally prefer something I can complete in a handful of sessions, or something I can play co-op with my wife (were currently playing though Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime, which I can highly recommend).Enjoying the new look of the site by the way and the increased number of more in-depth pieces (particularly liked the feature on why there arent more games based in the real world a few weeks ago) keep up the good work! And thanks for another year of great coverage still the best on the internet in my opinion, and with an excellent community. Merry Christmas to you all!JulianGC: Thank you very much. And youre right, Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime is a great co-op game.Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukDawn French Of WarMy Christmas letter submission:Just wanted to share my favourite Names In Games:Tom RaiderNormans SkyAlan Is AwakeMark Is The NinjaGary & Mark Of The WolvesRachel & Clark: Drift ApartAnd a takeaway curry bonus:Armored Korma IV: Fries and a RubiconBllGC: Normans Sky is amazing.3D in two dimensionsAre you doing a review of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ritas Rewind? Id seen mixed reviews and its not cheap for this sort of retro styled game, so I was hoping you were going to review it.It looked great in the previews, with the super scaler style sections looking like peak late 80s to early 90s Sega arcade games before polygons took over.PEGC: Your wish is our command.Time travelIm about to open a caf and will be working six to six every day and then doing overtime on top of that back of house. I dont think Ill have time for video games anymore. Its a five year lease and I hope to come out the other side with a little bit of cash and some free time again.What do I want to see in five years time when I return to my favourite hobby?PlayStation 6 I guess this will be out by 2030. I just hope I can run games at full spec and no loading times. My PlayStation 5 got a bit choppy while playing Cult Of The Lamb the other day not exactly a graphical powerhouse of a game.VR Ive had a few VR headsets but Im looking forward to what will be available in five years time.I want something with no wires, that works outside. The only game I want is Battlefield on VR helicopters, tanks and snipers. That would be amazing.Im hoping at least one amazing new IP pops up out of nowhere and takes the world by storm. The last one for me was Demons Souls and Im a bit bored of that style now.Really, I just hope VR takes off in a big way but dont think it will until the games are addictive enough, have precise movement capture, and are graphically on par with other consoles. They also need to figure out how to run around and feel immersed instead of just pressing up.Guess Im going to miss Final Fantasy 7 remake disc 3. I got bored of disc 2 and stopped playing in the jungle area.And Im going to miss so much Call Of Duty that when I get back to it Ill probably not be able to keep up anymore.See you in five years.Merry ChristmasTommyfatfingersGC: Good luck!Northern delightsBit late to the party here but was looking through for something casual to play in my PSN library and noticed Id downloaded Thank Goodness Youre Here. Well, what a delightfully strange and wonderfully funny game.Absolutely bonkers, done in two sittings, on the same grim dark Sunday afternoon. The humours non-stop, the jokes are easy to miss, but the rhythm based bit at the end had me laughing out loud and I found myself tapping the X button after it had finished, brilliant.ZombiekickerHope for the futureI enjoyed the 2024 Game Awards show, as I knew I would, and there was quite a bit to come away with. Its always a great occasion and Geoff Keighley is always on target, and I get a good feeling from him. The music performances are always good, with the chosen tunes matching the gaming medium and Snoop Dogg, as we know, being a gamer himself, was always going to be a hit.The best reveal for me though, game-wise, was kami 2 and, quite frankly, was to me a game that didnt need a sequel, as the original had such a complete end game that the tale of kami was and is the perfect game! But there are a lot of legendary tales in Japanese mythology that quite frankly I would love to see how this new game will interpret them and along with the unique art and gameplay visuals is definitely going to be on my list of interest for the future.Death Stranding 2 is good to have been selected for a nominee list, but how far in production that is at the moment, unfortunately Hideo Kojima did not say. But good to know its in development and obviously the mind-bending nature of it is going to be awesome to experience, like the first game.Astro Bot definitely deserves a win, as gameplay is what makes this game so good and that is why we play in the first place, for most of us. I said before how the clever introduction experience to the PlayStation 5 was a pleasure to experience, and the fact a full game with even more amazing depth of gameplay is now available and won Game of the Year is very encouraging indeed.Another category I like is best gaming score and soundtrack and of course no arguments from me that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth took the winning position for this section. I recently saw the concert version in the Royal Albert Hall with full motion videos on the big screen behind the orchestra of which was my forth experience of this show and definitely one of my favourites. The FFVII Rebirth soundtrack fulfills everything I want from a soundtrack and will be very hard to beat when part 3 is released.Other notable mentions go to The Outer Worlds 2, Sid Meiers Civilisation 7 introduction, and obviously not forgetting Harrison Ford taking the surprise star role stage appearance, which was up there with Keanu Reeves a few years ago. This is especially true on the back of the very successful Indiana Jones And The Great Circle game, which has definitely remained true and loyal in regards to the source of inspiration and the requirements for the needed gameplay to make this a proper exciting and immersive game.So, heres to another year gone by, a successful 2024, and a great way to end with this most awesome of entertainments proving once again how relevant our hobby still is and will continue to be. Good times again.AlucardGC: Death Stranding 2 is supposed to be out next year.Inbox also-ransRequesting some Inbox magic to have a modified cast to TV button on Switch 2, which allows for a secondary display on the handheld for inventory, maps, etc. but most importantly an Advance Wars: Dual Strike port/sequel please.Bad EditI think the easiest way to judge how good a game is, is how hooked you are in progressing it. Going by the fact Ive just spent most of my free time this weekend playing Indiana Jones, I think its safe to say its a really good game.TimMore 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: How much will the PlayStation 6 be? GameCentralExclusive 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

Microsofts been pushing the concept of playing Xbox games without an Xbox all year (Microsoft)With many still confused by Xboxs seemingly contradictory gaming plans, a new report attempts to clear everything up.Despite having a lot of hotly demanded exclusives coming to the Xbox platform, like next years Fable reboot and Gears Of War: E-Day, for most of this year fans have been reckoning with the possibility of Microsoft going third party.Ever since it decided to port several key exclusives to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, the past year has seen Microsoft open itself up to releasing more and more of its first party games on rival platforms.Recently, it was claimed that Xbox exclusives will eventually stop being a thing entirely, once Microsoft gets its various developers used to the concept. Now, comments by Microsofts CEO only seem to embolden that line of thinking, with the company also said to be interested in some kind of cross-platform interface.First things first, during Microsofts latest shareholders meeting, CEO Satya Nadella was pressed on the progress of the companys current gaming strategy. For his part, Nadella sounded extremely optimistic about how things are working out.We chose the secular growth category in entertainment, which we think is gaming, and said, lets double down on it, lets and its been a passion for Microsoft ever since, said Nadella.And so we said, lets take that joy of gaming everywhere. And thats why even these ads with Xbox now, where we are redefining what it means to be an Xbox fan, its about being able to enjoy Xbox on all your devices.There has been some confusion among audiences about what this strategy means for the future of Xbox hardware. Putting Xbox games on other platforms and devices means people will be less inclined to invest in an Xbox console and yet Microsoft has plans to keep making new hardware, including a handheld device.On top of that, a new report by Windows Centrals Jez Corden claims Microsoft has plans for something called Project Rainway, which Corden describes as a cross-platform Xbox guide menu.Exact details are slim, but its apparently inspired by the cross-platform social features seen in games available through Activision Blizzards Battle.net launcher.Corden theorises this is a sign Microsoft wants to make it easier for players to access their games regardless of what platform theyre using. So, features like cloud saves and cross-progression would become commonplace across Microsofts titles.Despite all this, Cordens report argues this doesnt mark the death knell of Xbox hardware. While the decision to port the likes of Sea Of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush was met with some outrage from the most devoted of Xbox users, Corden claims this had little, if any impact on Xbox user figures.As such, Microsoft sees this is as proof that Xbox users are comfortable where they are and are unlikely to ditch the platform even if new Xbox games release elsewhere. Apparently, this is also why Microsoft announced The Outer Worlds 2 for PlayStation 5 as well as Xbox Series X/S at The Game Awards 2024.Although the idea that anyone, outside of performative influencers, would instantly throw away their Xbox console just because some of its games appeared on rival formats always seemed unlikely.Corden also brings up Xbox boss Phil Spencers own claim that Xbox console users are higher than theyve ever been before (something he said in an IGN interview back in June).Its unclear what this means though, as the Xbox Series X/S has sold less than both the Xbox One and Xbox 360. So either hes combining the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S userbases or counting everyone, on every format, that plays a Microsoft published game which now includes the likes of Call Of Duty and Diablo.He argues the Xbox ports of Genshin Impact and Death Stranding prove there are revenue streams worth chasing on Xbox hardware, and adds that hes heard talk of more PlayStation exclusives following suit.More TrendingAlthough hes obviously referring to further third party examples and not any of Sonys first party titles (with the possible exception of a rumoured port of Lego Horizon Adventures which seems to have been a flop on PlayStation 5 and Switch).Corden also reiterates past claims that even major Xbox franchises like Halo and Gears Of War may go multiplatform (something Xbox boss Phil Spencer also implied), though he does suggest some outliers might remain exclusive for one reason or another.This seems at odds, though, with the way Microsoft is approaching things nowadays. If it can be willing to put something like Halo on PlayStation, why keep anything locked to the Xbox platform?The takeaway from all this seems to be that Microsoft recognises it cant rely on hardware exclusives if it wants to thrive and grow within the gaming sphere. But its core Xbox user base is still substantial, thus justifying continued investment in developing dedicated Xbox hardware. Fables only slated for Xbox and PC next year, but should we expect a PlayStation 5 port soon after? (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.GameCentralExclusive 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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Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League its definitely not the best game of the year (WB Games)The Wednesday letters page thinks the Switch 2 leaks might actually help Nintendo, as a reader is confused as to why people are arguing about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.Worst of the worstNot to be too negative but while its the Top 10 time of the year for most websites I wonder what most people would says is the worst game of the year? Im sure the literal answer is its some indie rubbish that no one has ever played but in terms of major games I think weve got a few contenders.For me they are Until Dawn, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, and Senuas Saga: Hellblade 2. Until Dawn is a remake that not only wasnt needed but is significantly worse than the original, Hellblade 2 takes everything that worked in the original and makes it much worse, while Suicide Squad is a terrible idea from beginning to end.I think its a tough decision, but if you bear in mind that it wasted nearly a decade of Rocksteadys time and was less than half price within what felt like a week, I think its got to be Suicide Squad. Although I suppose you could say it was positive in that it probably put publishers off live service games just that little bit quicker.ZeissBig bossesMicrosoft is redefining what it means to be an Xbox fan? Well, thats true. When I started this generation I was an Xbox fan and then thanks to everything theyve done since I sold my Xbox Series X and bought a PlayStation 5, so that is a pretty big redefinition.As usual, its almost impossible to understand what Microsoft is actually trying to say with any of this, which just makes it sound like theyre trying to hide their true intentions, which they probably are.I feel the problem is big boss Satya Nadella, who clearly doesnt understand games and doesnt seem to want to listen when people try to explain it to him. I can just imagine Phil Spencer or someone explaining exclusives to him, him not getting, and then deciding they were a bad idea they had to get rid of. And hows that working out for them?Im sure Microsoft will be a very successful third party publisher but their days as a format holder are effectively over. As others have said, theyre just Activision Blizzard and friends now, and I dread to think what would happen if Call Of Duty ever stopped sellingGloinRage modeI can only imagine Nintendos anger at these third party accessory makers is enough to burn a hole in the Earth, so heaven help any of them that they are within legal reach of (Im guessing they cant do anything about anyone in China?).After everyone got the 2024 reveal wrong, Im not giving much credence to new rumours but since Im sure Nintendo mustve considered it, I wonder if theyre now regretting the decision not to have announced it already, now that all these photos and descriptions have leaked out.Or, and do bear with me while I get a little conspiratorial here, but maybe they secretly like the leaks because now everyone knows the Switch 2 looks exactly the same as the first one, so theyre not going to get disappointed when thats what Nintendo reveal. Im not saying they organised it that way, but it may work out for the best for them.The games are what people really want to know about and I think that if they dont disappoint the console itself will be quickly ignored and just praised for not ruining a good thing.SinkerEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukUnsafe betI see Capcom is talking about bringing back more old franchises again, so there is still hope for Dino Crisis. Onimusha and kami 2 are great news but kami does surprise me because I dont see how its not just going to be another flop, given how many times theyve re-released the original and its never really been a hit.Now that doesnt bother me, because as long as its getting made thats all thats important, but I dont want the inevitable failure to put Capcom off from bringing back any other old games. If I was a bean counter I wouldve waited until you had a few proven successes under your belt before going for the wild card. The first three Onimusha games were all hits, so thats kind of different.KitsonInsufficient dataWith everyone up in arms about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, both for and against it, I have to say I struggle to understand how anyone can have a strong opinion about it at all. I dont feel there was nearly enough information to like or dislike it.Between the weird subtitle, which didnt seem to have anything to do with anything they showed, to the unclear tone I really dont feel I know anything about the game. The few seconds of gameplay they showed seemed fairly goofy, in terms of the sword and robot design, which isnt necessarily a bad thing, while all the stuff before, in the ship, was worryingly reminiscent of Concord.But since Concord was ripping of Guardians Of The Galaxy what does that say about Intergalactic? Is it trying to go for that kind of humour as well or is it more serious? Is it all about the story, like The Last Of Us, or more the action, like Uncharted? I dont feel I know and I dont feel its something Im really that interested in talking about until we know more.LescoTime for changeI do feel sorry for Ubisoft at the moment. I wont say theyre my favourite publisher or anything but the last two generations I though they were solid and unfairly criticised. I like the way they pushed open world games, and I felt they made very little that was actively bad and all their stuff had good value for money.I dont feel this has changed much in the last few years, its just that theyve hung on to too many old franchises. When youre making Far Cry 7 and Assassins Creed 14, I think you should take that as a sign that maybe things have been stretched too far. Nothing lasts forever and Ubisofts problem is that it has nothing to replace these aging franchises that people are losing interest in.Its not even that theres no interest Im sure Shadows will still sell well but I would say theyre in decline and thats the point you need to have a Plan B. Star Wars Outlaws sure isnt it and Watch Dogs and The Division only lasted a few games, so time to think outside the box. I dont know what that it is but Im going to guess its not a live service game or an open world title with a slightly different setting.WendellMe Grimlock not patent applicationWhile not technically game related, your reference to Transformers in the Power Rangers review reminded me of something Id seen on Bluesky. The original Bluesky post is here.A user there posted that you can find the patents for the Transformers toys online, complete with lovely line drawings of them. For example, heres Grimlock.Euclidian BoxesGC: Heh, thats great. This mustve been back when they were still Diaclone toys.The turning of the tideIf your expectations were a Switch 2 reveal with GTA 6 announced as a launch title then I can see The Game Awards being a disappointment.But for those whove spent the last three years pining for the razzmatazz of old E3 and withering away from the cold shoulder large chunks of the industry has given them since, it must of been a very nice surprise. I found it all very agreeable.The loudest complaint in the Inbox for a while has been Sony not talking about single-player games and just banging on about live service, hardware, PC ports, and remasters. So its a pretty big deal the awards had Sonys flagship studio announce a new single-player game thats also a brand new IP.I liked what I saw. The backlash Ive no interest in. You can say its derivative, but I like all the influences its copying/paying homage to. It was also an unexcepted style and possible genre, going by the brief laser sword wielding clip, for Naughty Dog. Ill be keeping my eye out.I did have one those fudge me moments that was teased prior to the show too, even if it wasnt maybe meant to be one of them. That was the Project: Robot announcement, that touched places in me that havent been touched for sometime.SimundoInbox also-ransIs this true that GTA Online will be shutting down on disc and digital? I literally love GTA 5, so keep GTA it active please and I cant wait until GTA 6 comes out.Thomas TaylorGC: No, its not true. What will happen to GTA Online when GTA 6 is released is unclear, but Rockstar has said nothing so far.I knew that Power Rangers game was going to end up too good to be true. I had no idea it was that expensive either, so thats one of the list. Thanks, you saved me 30 just before Christmas!RalleMore 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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Heres hoping Nintendo shows it on a two-sday (Nintendo/Metro)After its absence at The Game Awards 2024, the latest Nintendo Switch 2 rumours claim its reveal could be mere weeks away.Rumours about Nintendos next console have been around since long before the company formally admitted it exists but after months and years of uncertainty an official reveal finally feels like its just around the corner.As well as a flurry of accessory leaks, many of which appear to give away the consoles appearance, one source has claimed to have already got their hands on the Switch 2 and is promising to share proof on Christmas Day.Here are the latest claims.When could the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal date be?With a proper reveal unlikely to happen before the end of the year, new rumours claim Nintendo will finally show the console off in early January.The first rumour comes from GamesIndustry.bizs Chris Dring, who suggests a Switch 2 reveal could take place as early as the start of the new year. Although he is keen to stress that thats not from a direct source.Its just chatter from other people they think, Im told, it may even be right when the new year starts, says Dring on the latest episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast (you can hear his comments from the 12:30 mark).Drings not the only one though. Elsewhere, NintenTalk, a Twitch streamer specialising in Nintendo coverage, also believes a Switch 2 reveal is slated for January.He claims to have heard this from a contact of his at a major third party developer, who added, Get ready to play modern AAA offerings on your Nintendo system in 2025. The Switch 2 is expected to be significantly stronger than the original (X)Another Nintendo content creator, NintendoPrime, then chimed in to say hes heard the same thing, while Samus Hunter (the same person who leaked the Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition announcement) claims Nintendo may wind up pushing the Switch 2 reveal forward due to all the accessory leaks.Samus Hunter also theorises such a reveal could take place before the release of the Donkey Kong Country Returns remaster, which is slated for January 16.A Switch 2 reveal would certainly be an exciting way to kick off 2025 and it would make sense for Nintendo get ahead of the curve with official details, if these accessory leaks keep happening. This also lines up with a previous rumour from November, that also suggested a January reveal.More TrendingWhether it takes place in the first or second half of January, that month is a logical choice for the unveiling. After all, Nintendo has already said the Switch 2 will be shown by April 2025, meaning it only has a few months left to do so.Not to mention other sources have claimed the Switch 2 will launch in either March or April. If thats the case, Nintendo will want at least a couple of months to drum up excitement.This is Nintendo were talking about, though, and the company could very easily delay its plans should it feel like it. In fact, it reportedly delayed the Switch 2s release once already to ensure it would have a stronger line-up of launch games.Theres also uncertainty around threatened US tariffs for foreign-made goods, once Donald Trump begins his presidency. Thats something Nintendo will have no control over and could significantly impact their launch plans. Nintendo still has plans for the current Switch even after its successor arrives (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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Far Cry 6 was three years ago, so were due for a sequel in the next year or two (Ubisoft)Assassins Creed may be Ubisofts priority at the moment but a new leak suggests theyre revaluating the Far Cry series, before the next game.2024 has not been kind to Ubisoft. The companys share prices has been dropping all year, Stars Wars Outlaws wasnt as big a hit as Ubisoft wanted, and its already decided to pull the plug on XDefiant just seven months after it came out.As such, there are serious discussions of selling the company to Tencent, while in the meantime Ubisoft seems to be putting all its eggs in the Assassins Creed basket. After a delay, Assassins Creed Shadows is out in February and its claimed Ubisoft intends to release 10 more Assassins Creed games in the next five years.While all thats going on, it sounds like Ubisoft is revaluating its next two Far Cry games, with a new report mentioning changes to the series formula and an internal delay.What are the next Far Cry games?As a reminder, Ubisoft is said to be working on two separate Far Cry projects. The first is a typical sequel, Far Cry 7 (or Blackbird as its codenamed), while the second is a multiplayer extraction shooter spin-off codenamed Maverick.According to Insider Gamings Tom Henderson, both games were aiming for a 2025 launch, but his latest report on the subject claims plans have changed and theyve been pushed back into 2026.From the sound of it, this is due to the complexities of both games development, with Henderson adding that Ubisoft is looking to break away from the Far Cry formula.This can be seen in both games premises. Maverick is set to be the Far Cry series first dedicated multiplayer game, with its gameplay loop incorporating survival elements as players battle not just each other but the wilderness and harsh weather.As for Far Cry 7, its plot apparently involves a 24 hour in-game time limit to save your kidnapped family, with the non-linear story changing depending on which family members you rescue. If accurate, this would be a radical departure from the likes of Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6.Thats not all, though. Far Crys movement systems are also said to be seeing a major overhaul in both projects, with techniques like tactical sprinting, sliding, and vaulting being introduced. In addition, Far Cry 7 will make use of Mavericks inventory and looting systems due to both games originally being one singular project.After the release of Far Cry 6, Ubisoft claimed the series had its best year ever in a May 2022 fiscal report. Their actions since though have implied it was a financial disappointment, with so far no official confirmation that Far Cry 7 exists.Although Maverick hasnt been described as a live service game, Ubisofts continued interest in that space means it wouldnt be surprising if it was.More TrendingHendersons report, however, suggests theres dwindling faith in the project, especially in the wake of XDefiants shutdown and subsequent layoffs.XDefiant was clearly made to capitalise on the live service games trend and its easy to assume Maverick is the result of Ubisoft doing the same with the extraction shooter trend popularised by the likes of Escape From Tarkov.Ubisoft has tried this once already with 2022s Rainbow Six Extraction, which was a solid game but failed to find a consistent audience, as Ubisoft stopped supporting it less than a year after it came out.Its too early to tell how either Far Cry game will perform, but the last few years of gaming make it difficult to be optimistic about Mavericks chances if theres already a lack of faith in it internally. Far Cry 6 The next Far Cry will likely retain an open world setting, but how will that be impacted by its purported time limit? (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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Bayonetta creator PlatinumGames might be in trouble as staff leave for new studioAdam StarkeyPublished December 16, 2024 2:14pmUpdated December 16, 2024 2:14pm Bayonettas best days might be in the past (PlatinumGames)Key staff members at Bayonetta studio PlatinumGames appear to have left, as former co-founder Hideki Kamiya sets up his new venture. Over the past 15 years, developer PlatinumGames has become one of the most beloved game studios in the world, creating titles like Bayonetta, Vanquish, NieR:Automata, and The Wonderful 101.A key figurehead behind the studio was Hideki Kamiya, who co-founded the company in 2006 and went on to serve as vice president between 2017 and 2023. He departed the studio in October last year and has since set up a new team, Clovers, who are working on the sequel to kami, a game he directed during his years at Capcom.Kamiyas departure, however, appears to have had a significant impact on the workforce at PlatinumGames, with many of his former colleagues jumping ship to his new studio.Speaking in an interview with VGC, Kamiya, who formed the new studio with business partner Kento Koyama, confirmed the majority of the around 25 staff at Clovers followed them from Platinum to their new offices based in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.While he doesnt name the members specifically, its possible to deduce some from the Clovers team photo on the studios website, like cinematic director Kunihiko Tsuda, Metal Gear Risings lead animator Hirokazu Takeuchi, and Bayonetta animator Rei Yamamoto.Many of our team members come from PlatinumGames, Koyama said. These are people who have worked with me or with Kamiya during our time there. So most of our employees share this connection to Platinum. Some of the team members at Clovers (Clovers)Theyre individuals who share a similar mindset. They were those who expressed a desire to continue working with us. But while most are from Platinum, several team members are acquaintances of mine from other companies and elsewhere.Since Clovers was announced at The Game Awards, several key employees at PlatinumGames have since removed the company from their social media accounts, leading to speculation that they might be among those who have left the company.These include Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito, Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura, and Anarchy Reigns director Masaki Yamanaka. GameCentral has reached out to PlatinumGames and others for clarification.One person who has definitely left PlatinumGames is Bayonetta Origins director Abebe Tinari, who confirmed his departure in a post on Bluesky on Sunday, December 15.In a post on the platform, Tinari said he had moved from Osaka, Japan to Helsinki in Finland, although its unclear where hell be working.I have seen some talk about directors departing PlatinumGames (in which I play a small part), Tinari wrote. Games are not made by a single person. There are many talented artists, designers, programmers, and musicians still at PlatinumGames. I suggest you do not count them out yet. I cant wait to see what they do next!I have seen some talk about directors departing PlatinumGames (in which I play a small part.)Games are not made by a single person.There are many talented Artists, Designers, Programmers, and Musicians still at PG. I suggest you do not count them out yet.I cant wait to see what they do next! Abebe Tinari (@tinari.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T09:01:09.762ZWhat all these departures mean for the future of PlatinumGames remains to be seen. The studio was last known to be working on the mysterious Project G.G., which was announced in 2020 with Kamiya as director, but since he left the studio its unclear whether it is still in development.Kamiya has alluded to a change in direction at PlatinumGames for the reason behind his departure, something he reiterated in the interview with VGC. If I was satisfied with at Platinum, then I wouldnt have left, he said.Theres a way I believe games should be made: a philosophy, a mindset of how games should be made. Koyama approached me, and we shared the same mindset and philosophy about game development.So, it was just us two together, but then, of course, a number of individuals felt the same way. Thats what led to the start of [Clovers]. I began my career at Capcom and then moved to Platinum, but my mindset for game development has remained the same throughout these transitions and throughout my career.More TrendingWhile PlatinumGames has yet to comment on its future, it certainly seems like its the end of an era for the studio, whether it continues on or not. But considering that, beyond Project G.G., it currently has no new games scheduled its not looking good. Nier: Automata was peak Platinum (Square Enix)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Black Myth: Wukong devs were crying after losing at The Game Awards 2024Adam StarkeyPublished December 16, 2024 5:47pmUpdated December 16, 2024 5:47pm Did it deserve more than two awards? (Game Science)Astro Bots win at The Game Awards came as a big surprise to the creators of Black Myth: Wukong, with the developers CEO sharing a lengthy statement.While you might have missed them between all the trailers and adverts, there were actually some awards handed out at The Game Awards 2024.The big Game Of The Year prize went to Astro Bot, which beat Balatro, Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Black Myth: Wukong to take the award.Astro Bots win prompted one of the best speeches of the night from Team Asobi director Nicolas Doucet, where he graciously toasted Nintendo, but it seems like one studio was rather sour over the games win.In a post on Chinese social media site Weibo, following The Game Awards, Game Science CEO Feng Ji shared a lengthy statement (as translated on Reddit) where he said there was a sense of loss and regret, despite Black Myth: Wukong winning both Best Action Game and Players Voice.While he noted that winning the latter was gratifying, Ji appeared to question the criteria required to win Game Of The Year. The games nominated this year were all exceptional, but honestly, I still cant figure out what the criteria were for Game Of The Year, he wrote in the translated post. I feel like I came all the way here for nothing!He went onto admit that he had written his Game Of The Year acceptance speech two years ago, only to never get the chance to deliver it. Astro Bot was a worthy winner (Sony Interactive Entertainment)He added: Since last night, Ive seen a lot of strong dissatisfaction and frustration in players comments often expressed humorously or ironically, which made me laugh.I completely understand these feelings and share the frustration, because behind these emotions lies not pain or malice, but dignity and confidence. When youre so confident and yet dont receive the recognition you expected, its natural to feel upset.While theres a chance the tone of Jis comments may have been misconstrued in translation, it appears as if he isnt the only one from developer Game Science who was, at the very least, surprised and upset, after Black Myth: Wukong lost the award.In a clip which has circulated on X, Alanah Pearce, a former writer at Sony Santa Monica who was at the event, claimed she saw members of the Black Myth: Wukong team crying when Astro Bot got Game Of The Year.Its definitely unusual, she said. Clearly it meant a lot to them, they did an amazing thing, but I did find that surprising.When asked if it was celebratory cry, Pearce replied: No, they were upset. Definitely upset that they didnt win. Which is also fair, but it was still surprising.GameCentral has reached out to Game Science for comment.Black Myth: Wukong is the first major release from Chinese developer Game Science. The game sold 20 million copies within its first month on sale, and it went onto win Game Of The Year at the Golden Joysticks 2024 which unlike The Game Awards is voted on purely by the public.More TrendingAside from Astro Bot, the other big winners at The Game Awards were Metaphor ReFantazio, Balatro, and Senuas Saga: Hellblade 2. It had a fighting chance, at least (Game Science)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet were you impressed? (Sony Interactive Entertainment)The Monday letters page thinks Elden Ring: Nightreign is just repurposed DLC, as a reader worries about the release date for The Witcher 4.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.First impressionsAm I the only one that wasnt that impressed by Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? And Im not just talking about that cringey subtitle. It looked fine, the graphics are good, obviously, but it has an overwhelming air of smugness to it that I can well imagine comes as standard for Naughty Dog developers but Im not sure is warranted here.The main character didnt do or say anything to make me like her and despite the trailer being quite long I didnt really get a feel for what the story was or what the gameplay is going to be. I guess a third person fighter? But considering how simplistic the combat is in other Naughty Dog games Im not sure I have much faith in them taking on Devil May Cry or whatever.I didnt really like the design of the protagonist, the robot you saw for a minute, or the buster sword she seems to be using. It all felt like one of those games that are patched together with ideas from other peoples titles and I expected more from Naughty Dog. Im not writing it off but Im not super excited either. I hope its a good game, but I wouldnt bet on it at this point.FocusMain eventVery excited to hear about more Elden Ring, although I get the feeling that Nightreign was probably originally DLC and they decided to expand it. FromSoftware often add in new multiplayer options after launch and turning your game into a roguelike has been very common with other developers lately, when it comes to making DLC.Thats not a criticism but I think its pretty obvious this is a side project and not their main game at the moment. Id bet good money Hidetaka Miyazaki is not the director too.Finding out what he is working on next will be the most important information for me in the coming year and Im not sure if the possible Sony buyout of Froms parent company makes that more or less likely. Heres hoping the beans get spilled soon.GrackleQuick jobCrazy to think that The Witcher 4 is going to be out 2028 at the earliest and quite possibly two or more years later than that. Its getting to the point where its going to become common for developers to not stay on a game for the whole of its development. Five years is longer than Ive stayed at any one job, and I wouldnt say thats particularly unusual. In fact, Id say six or seven is relatively unusual.The job layoffs all around probably make people more keen than usual not to move away, and stick at a studio, but the whole thing seems so difficult to organise. Whats the longest it ever takes to make a movie? Three years, maybe? And the average has got to be a year or less.Never mind people leaving, people are going to die of old age waiting to finish a game soon. Well, I hope it works out anyway, as I am fine with Ciri being the main character and double fine with the idea of more Witcher of any kind.PinkyEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukWish grantedFirstly, merry Christmas GC and Happy New Year, keep up the good work.Writing in for a small bit of Inbox magic this Christmas.While everyone has been heaping praise on the new Call Of Duty and Indiana Jones games, as a Switch only owner I have been playing Yakuza on the Switch, which quietly dropped onto the Switch for the sensible sum of 18, for those that dont know.This was my first Yakuza game (exciting) and I really enjoyed it, but with a fight on almost every street it left me yarning to play the slower-paced Shenmue series, so how about a small Xmas Inbox miracle and a Shenmue collection on Switch please guys?ChrisGC: Since the publishing rights now belong to ININ, who were behind the recent Taito Milestones 3, thats probably quite likely.No more MonopolyIve been going back through the Dark Souls games, and Im currently being destroyed in the Pained World of Ariandel by some creatures that look like the baddie in Through The Dragons Eye (Im old) in Dark Souls 3.You get someone in to occasionally review and recommend board games. Im wondering if the Dark Souls board game is any good? Ive got a nice bit of time off over Christmas this year so Im thinking of trying to get into something a bit different but not sure if its any goodAny help would be appreciated.SimonGC: Its rather old now, compared to other video game board game adaptions, but the consensus seems to be that its pretty good. Heres Lucy Orrs rundown of the best new tabletop games for Christmas, which includes Mass Effect and Halo.Rainbow Islands: The MovieFor any Amiga Fans out there, there is a Blu-ray documentary available to pre-order, with videos on the making of games such as Frontier, Kick Off, Sensible World Of Soccer, RoboCop 3, and Rainbow Islands, as well as other Amiga games. Its made by the people who made the From Bedrooms to Billions documentaries that have covered various home computers and consoles, including PlayStation, Spectrum, and Amiga 500.The Blu-ray is region free, signed and numbered for 35 plus postage. It is a lot of money but it is a niche product and needs to be that cost to happen. Its available for pre-order until Thursday, 19th December 2024 with delivery estimated at February 2025.Also this week, the ZX Spectrum The Rubber Keyed-Wonder documentary Blu-ray is finished as well and is being posted out to backers (like me) of the Kickstarter campaign too, as that is finally finished after three years. it is also available to buy on digital format from here if you missed the campaign.Andrew J.Currently trying to platinum Astro Bot (PS5) before the new year!Welcome backGreat news about the return of Fumito Ueda. Ill be honest and say Id completely forgotten about his games over the last decade or so, but the trailer of the new one brings it all back. Sony were silly to let him slip out of their fingers, but then their handling of all their Japanese teams seems poor, going back since before The Last Guardian I guess considering when he left.Overall, a really good The Game Awards, Id say. I didnt stay up for it but reading about everything in the morning it was clearly a good one and theres at least four or five games Im definitely interested in without even knowing more. The trailers seemed longer and better too, before they were basically just a logo and nothing else.CranstonThe wrong side of bedSo I already know therell be a few letters dedicated to the thoughts over Friday nights Game Awards and Id like to take this time to share mine. Im vehemently regretful of spending my time wallowing in the disappointment and underwhelming events of the show. So, Ill say that the announcements, for a start, werent as groundbreaking as Id hoped. Kudos for beginning with the announcement of The Witcher 4. Im stoked for the title, but we all know its precisely three to four years away. Lets not kid ourselves. This will release the exact same time frame as the PlayStation 6 and I quite frankly can say it was too early to announce this.Why showcase a trailer, thats four years away? It was a fantastic opener, but its head-scratching for lack of a better word. Im excited to see Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and The Last Of Us Part 2, release on PC. Those were two great surprises. But Ill resort back to being sceptical, by saying that Im kind of puzzled over Laura Baileys new project. I dont see the need for something that seems so forgettable, to include a voice actress of her calibre. Is anyone remotely even interested in this? Why is Aaron Paul working on this, when he truthfully hasnt made anything close to the calibre of Breaking Bad, since it ended?I see this flopping hard and being forgotten, in less than a week. Im puzzled to see Black Myth: Wukong win Best Action Game. Its essentially another Souls clone and, if Im being honest, I would have liked to see Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 win instead. Congratulations to Metaphor: ReFantazio on the multiple awards, very well deserved. Im still kind of astounded to see Silent Hill 2 remake completely snubbed. Luke Roberts was absolutely robbed of Best Performance and Silent Hill 2 was robbed of Best Audio Design. It deserved that accolade at the very least.I dont see the yearning for a mobile game set in Westeros and the world of Game Of Thrones. Its of course another cash grab and my expectations are zero. I was, however, disappointed with the so-called massive announcement rumours. kami 2 was announced and we also saw the first glimpse of what Naughty Dog have been working on. A space odyssey named Intergalactic. Am I the only one who actually expected more? Im not stating this will be a dreadful experience, but after onslaught of anime titles and Fortnite advertisements that I couldnt care less.Finally, Id like to conclude this on a note of surprise and confusion. Astro Bot won the Game Of The Year prize. Astro essentially swept the show and if Im being fruitfully honest, I expected Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to win. I hoped for it to win. But a platformer with quaint level design and enjoyable gameplay granted, but minimal story, wins over Metaphor and Rebirth. Im kind of upset over that. But it is what it is.Elden Ring is also back, with a co-op title, and Id like to hope this can be single-player unlike It Takes Two, but Ill cross my fingers. Overall, I found the show was less than what people hoped for. Considering I stayed up for the entire duration, until 4am it felt as if it was ultimately time wasted. I could have read about it all the next morning. You get what you pay for.Shahzaib SadiqInbox also-ransVampire Survivors on the Switch. Looks rubbish but if ever there was ever a case of dont judge a book by its cover in games and its only four quid.Chevy MalibuGC: We agree entirely, the disconnect between how it looks, and even how it plays at first, and the actual level of enjoyment it offers is vast.I just thought that GCs offices must be called GCHQ. Thats it. Thats the email.Ali KMore 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: How much will the PlayStation 6 be?GameCentralExclusive 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

Its official: Astro Bot is the most overrated game of 2024 Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 15, 2024 9:00am Astro Bot the best game of 2024? (Sony Interactive Entertainment)A reader argues that Astro Bot did not deserve to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024 but that its sequel may be a contender.I might never have made it over to L.A. to see E3, as Id always wanted to, but I feel staying up till 4am to watch The Game Awards, when Ive got to get to work at 8am the next morning, offers a similar level of exclusivity. In that few people are as stupid as me, as to want to do it.I almost didnt, actually, as last years really wasnt worth the effort and if it hadnt been for the rumours of this being a good one, I wouldnt have bothered. Im still not quite sure what the two big holy s*** moments were meant to be, but I felt there were quite a few reasonably surprising ones (very when it came to kami 2) and I was satisfied by the end of it.Not only did we get a lot of interesting and unexpected game reveals but almost all of them showed gameplay and the only main one that didnt, The Witcher 4, had the excuse of being years away and making an important point about who the main character is (Im not going to spoil the surprise if GC wont). But overall: 9/10, would watch again not the same one, but certainly next year.As everyone knows, the game award part of the showcase is a surprisingly small part of the overall event, with more than half the winners being announced and forgotten almost before you realise theyre being talked about. I sometimes wonder why they bother with the award aspect at all, but they do make a fuss about some of them, especially the Game of the Year award.Like many, I felt there was no obvious favourite this year, with my personal preference being Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I wouldnt have objected to any of them winning, although I have not played Black Myth: Wukong or Balatro, but I really didnt feel Astro Bot was Game of the Year material.Its a good game, that I enjoyed, but for me its not really any more than an 8/10. Its just too derivative of 3D Mario games, while at the same time having much simpler gameplay, which makes it much more repetitive even though its much shorter than any comparable Nintendo game.I would put Astro Bot: Rescue Mission several notches above it, as the novelty of VR managed to compensate for the rampant copycatting. Im also not sure I didnt enjoy Astros Playroom more too. It certainly had better songs and I felt the integration of PlayStation cameos was much better. The way the cameo characters worked made more sense in context and the final battle was a lot more fun (admittedly it did use up the best possible idea for a final boss, but still).But as the night went on, and Astro Bot won most of the awards it was up for, it became obvious it was going to win Game of the Year and that just felt wrong to me. I thought this year had been good for games, but Astro Bot can in no way stand in the same company as games like Baldurs Gate 3 or Elden Ring.Not because its not serious or epic but because its just an existing idea not done quite as well. I get it coming anywhere close to the quality of a Nintendo platformer is a real achievement, but that alone is not reason enough to be throwing around the phrase Game of the Year.Im not bitter about this, I get that some people just didnt like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirths open world sections, and Im not going to say its a perfect game but its my opinion that Astro Bot was already overrated and now I think its even more so. But hey, if it leads to Sony and others making more 3D platformers than maybe its for the best.What I will say is I loved the acceptance speech which turned into a weird love letter to Nintendo, and I suspect was an admission on the part of the director that he knew Astro Bot was still the learner and Mario was the master.There is a serious problem with overrating games though, that I feel is underappreciated, and thats if you start talking about a good but not great game as being the GOAT then suddenly you havent got a proper frame of reference for where to go next. Being better than Astro Bot wont make you a Game of the Year contender itll just make you equal to or better to 8/10.More TrendingI do feel Team Asobi understand this though and I look forward to their next game very much. Maybe that will be a genuine Game of the Year winner, but I dont feel Astro Bot is.By reader Gordo Astro Bot will definitely see a follow-up (Sony Interactive Entertainment)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Monument Valley 3 no innovation but plenty of fun (Netflix)The Christmas special for video games on Netflix is a new sequel to mobile classic Monument Valley and its just as beautiful and mesmerising as ever.Netflix was originally in the business of posting rented DVDs to their customers, replacing an arduous journey to Blockbuster Video with a leisurely stroll to your local postbox. It was the later pivot to streaming video that proved to be their masterstroke, annihilating competitors and inspiring a dreadful new generation of streaming services from seemingly absolutely everybody, so that now you have to spend a small fortune on subscriptions to be allowed to watch everything.As a way of holding onto customers who might otherwise switch to Disney+, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, or any of the plethora of smaller offerings, Netflix started adding video games to its offering. When Google briefly flirted with games, a fundamental misunderstanding of development cycles meant their grandiose plans failed to pay off as quickly as anticipated, leading Google Stadia into the same graveyard as so many other abandoned Alphabet projects.The Netflix approach has been different. Rather than starting from scratch, with a scattering of partners, they applied the philosophy that worked so well in TV and film, by licensing games from existing developers en masse. Instead of chasing triple-A titles they instead went after mobile, and rather than settling for any old rubbish studios had knocking about, their focus has been on quality; and thanks to private equity financing, that wasnt at the expense of quantity.That means their current line-up includes Braid, Anniversary Edition; GTAs 3, San Andreas, and Vice City; Dead Cells; Into The Breach; Blooms TD 6; Kentucky Route Zero; and Immortality. Sure, theres a bit of chaff mixed in with all the classics, but its a superbly curated list, and considering most people turn up for the TV, feels effectively free.This weeks addition to their roster of champions is Monument Valley 3, the latest iteration of a franchise thats enjoyed monumental and deserved success. With so many games released every year, theres a real discoverability problem in mobile, so games that cut through to the degree Monument Valley has, usually have something special about them.In the third instalment, the premise remains unchanged. You control Noor, a little stick figure with a pointy hairdo. Tapping a point on the screen gets her to walk towards it. The object is to pilot her towards specific floor pads or doorways to progress, but generally those points are in unreachable parts of the level when you begin.Your job is to slide and rotate different parts of each level to clear her path and, like an M. C. Escher drawing, when 3D objects meet on the 2D plane of your phone screen Noor can traverse them, ignoring the impossibility of those broken perspectives. Its a process thats not at all intuitive, requiring pleasurable minutes of trial and error as you grab and swivel different pieces of scenery in search of a viable route.Accompanied by an ambient soundscape, each tap you make or element of the level you rotate makes its own distinct and sonorous tone, adding to a sort of minimal, Philip Glass style soundtrack thats at least partly of your own making. Its an especially rewarding game to play wearing headphones, the deep bass notes and tinkly treble creating an almost hypnotic effect with the gradual unfolding of each puzzle.Levels are formed from a mix of organic features and dramatic architecture, the rumbling as bits of it move and swivel, mixing with the sound of the surrounding water and subtle background bird and animal calls. Especially with noise cancelling switched on, it really transports you, its whimsy and tactile puzzling proving surprisingly captivating for something on such a small screen.More TrendingHowever, going back to the first game, as we did while writing this, its surprising just how similar the two experiences still are. The original Monument Valley arrived fully formed and apart from a few new bits of window dressing, this second sequel remains the same highly rewarding, beautifully drawn and mesmerisingly soundtracked set of puzzles.Once again the difficult it pitched just right, requiring a bit of experimentation or a brief pause to consider, but never holding you up for more than a minute or two, and very rarely even that long. Instead, its a digital walk in the park, a peaceful and lovingly constructed piece of escapism that amounts to a couple of hours of light puzzling.Anyone letdown by the comparative brevity will be relieved that its end screen promises seasonal stories due in the coming weeks. Surely episodic gaming, something that never really took off for traditional titles, is a potentially winning match for a subscription TV service. Either way, and despite the relative lack of innovation, its a delight to have more Monument Valley to look forward to.Monument Valley 3 review summaryIn Short: A brief new slice of Monument Valleys unique and minimally drawn perspective-bending puzzles, with the promise of more to come.Pros: Looks and sounds beautiful. Puzzles that test you just enough to be interesting and a sprinkling of, minor, fresh ideas.Cons: Not for those who like their puzzles taxing, and it remains very similar in content and looks to both previous instalments.Score: 7/10Formats: iOS (reviewed) and AndroidPrice: Included with Netflix subscriptionPublisher: NetflixDeveloper: Ustwo GamesRelease Date: 11th December 2024Age Rating: 4+ Monument Valley 3 no additional charge (Netflix)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

I ignore any video game that takes longer than 10 hours to beat Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 15, 2024 1:00am Elden Ring you wont beat it in 10 hours (Bandai Namco)A reader explains how he uses a certain website to plan what game hes playing next and how its helped him to have a more enjoyable gaming life.I feel I should say that GC is my most treasured video game website, or theres not much chance of the feature being used, but in truth Im here to talk about my other favourite website, the one which has had more influence on what I play and buy than any review source: HowLongToBeat.Im never quite sure how well known it is but I find it invaluable. Im assuming youve already guessed what it does, its not like the name is trick, but basically it has info on almost any game you care to type in, in terms of how long it takes to beat it for just the Main Story, Main + Extra (which I interpret as a reasonable number of easily discoverable side quests), and Completist (i.e. 100% completion).Theres other information if you dig down further, where you can see how the totals are calculated from people who have written in to add their completion time and data. A lot of this isnt very useful, except to see how many people the numbers are based on. If its only a few people then theres a chance it can be quite inaccurate, although I rarely find it to be completely wrong.Now that Ive sat down to write this, Ive realised Im not actually sure why most people use the website. Maybe theyre trying to beat the average or something? But I would imagine theyd be better off at a dedicated speedrun site for that. Anyway, the reason I use it is pretty simple: to work out whether a game is worth playing.If a game is any more than 10 hours for Main Story then in nine out of 10 cases I just will not bother with it. And if its something silly, like over 30 hours, then forget about, there is absolutely no chance of me making an exception.This is not some arbitrary rule Ive invented, since I am quite happy to bend it if its a game that interests me and I feel I have the time, but usually I just dont. Im a working dad and theres only so much time I can commit to gaming. I already spend more time than probably my wife would prefer, but I think its about average for someone in my position, at around 10 hours a week.Maybe that seems a lot to some people my boys 12 so its not like Im getting up every few hours to feed him anymore, but any gamer will tell you its really not that much. You need half that time to even get to the interactive part of Persona 4, for example. Or learn what the heck youre doing in Dark Souls.I dont know what exactly youre doing by hour 10 of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom or Elden Ring, because Ive never played them, but I can tell from the website that Id barely be 15% of the way into the games. And thats assuming you were taking the golden path and making progress, whereas Id probably be pottering about and achieving very little.I have absolutely nothing against open world games, but I dont like to be hurried with them and nowadays that just means I havent time for them, full stop. Its a shame, Im sure, but theres a thousand other things I dont have time for in my life anymore, from reading super long books to learning to play the piano, and Ive just got to accept that Ive got responsibilities and my free time is a resource I have to manageBut now that Im used to my limit, I have to say Ive been enjoying gaming I lot more than I was five or 10 years ago. There are a few reasons for this but to put it simply, Im beating almost everything I play within a relatively short time (i.e. I actually remember what the story was about by the time its finished), Im playing a lot more games, Im playing a lot greater variety of games, and I have no backlog.On average, it takes me a week or two to complete a game, but the thing is, most shorter games are indie titles and theyre cheaper, so while I am buying more games Im also getting more games in return. For 70 I can get at least three or four good quality indie games, sometimes more depending on what it is, and thats not even counting sales.Maybe Im just making do, but Im very happy with my set-up and my self-imposed limitations. I can break them whenever I feel like it, but I rarely do. The thing about 10 hour long games is theres never any bloat, theres usually no massively long cut scenes, and all the budget goes on the game and not just the graphics. The shorter the game, the less you can rely on visuals and gimmicks and I find that a big plus.More TrendingSo, I say give it ago. Even if you have all the time in the world, limit yourself to only playing 10 hour or less games and Id be surprised if you didnt end up enjoying yourself more than the latest 60+ hour epic.By reader Lagger The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom also not a short game (Nintendo)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Are local co-op games back in vogue? (Hello Games)The team behind chaotic co-op title Overcooked announced their next project during The Game Awards, and it seems to take a few cues from Hazelights work.Were you aware that two split-screen co-op adventure games, designed specifically for two players, were announced at The Game Awards 2024 last night?The one with the most buzz was obviously Split Fiction, the latest project from It Takes Two creator Josef Fares and his team at Hazelight. Its name and release date had already leaked beforehand, but its reveal trailer promises a fun premise and unique mechanics for every level.But Ghost Town Games, the team behind chaotic co-op title Overcooked and its sequel, have been working on something relatively similar, albeit with more cartoonish, Luigis Mansion inspired presentation and British voice acting.Titled Stage Fright, its hard not to draw comparisons with Hazelights work, as Ghost Town Games describes their next project as an all new co-operative experience for two players that can be enjoyed locally or online.Publisher Hello Games (the same company behind No Mans Sky) even namedrops It Takes Two when describing how theres a clear market for such co-op centric games: Overcooked started a little resurgence, but there arent enough games you can play with friends. The huge success of Overcooked and It Takes Two shows that folks really crave them.We assume theyre referring to games you can play with friends locally. There are countless multiplayer games out there, but couch co-op has certainly become something of a lost art.If the trailer is anything to go by, Stage Fright will also make use of split-screen, as its child protagonists find themselves separated across two parallel worlds, where actions in one can impact the other.More TrendingAlthough you are limited to just two players, Stage Fright promises Overcooked-style chaotic moments as players make their way through escape room-esque challenges.When is Stage Fright being released?Currently, Stage Fright lacks any sort of release window, and its also only scheduled to launch on PC via Steam.If its anything like Overcooked, though, its bound to make the jump to consoles as well. It may even be in the works for the Nintendo Switch 2, since thats meant to be arriving in 2025, but time will tell if thats indeed the case. It seems the protagonists wont be separate throughout the entire adventure (Hello 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.GameCentralExclusive 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

What if Iron Man wasnt rich and out of work? (AdHoc Studio)Fans of Telltale Games should keep an eye out for new superhero game Dispatch, which may end up being the best adventure game of 2025.Anyone hoping for an update from Telltale Games on The Wolf Among Us 2 at The Game Awards 2024 will have come away thoroughly disappointed.The sequel was originally meant to be out last year, but Telltale has since said nothing about its progress. The only thing weve heard is that its not been cancelled, despite Telltale suffering a round of layoffs towards the end of 2023.However, something Telltale-esque did debut during The Game Awards last night: a narrative driven superhero game called Dispatch, thats being worked on by a number of ex-Telltale staff.The game centres on Robert Robertson, who was once an Iron Man-like superhero called Mecha Man. That was until his fancy mech suit was destroyed, leaving him incapable of performing superheroics.Instead, he takes up the role of a dispatcher, meaning that instead of fighting bad guys its his job to deploy the right heroes to handle crimes and emergencies. All the while navigating his new working relationships, rehabilitating a team of former supervillains, and rebuilding his suit.Based on the trailer, Dispatch certainly shares all the Telltale hallmarks, with narrative choices dictating how the story progresses. Dispatching heroes though, looks like a fun gameplay mechanic and the games graphics and animation is considerably better than the Telltale norm.Dispatch is in development at AdHoc Studio, which was formed by former Telltale employees in the wake of the developers closure, but before its surprise comeback. In fact, this appears to be the studios first project, although it is apparently assisting Telltale with its development on The Wolf Among Us 2 as well.More TrendingThe games Steam listing, and the trailer, specifically highlights how Dispatch shares the same writers and directors as the first The Wolf Among Us and the original Tales From The Borderlands.It also boasts a star-studded cast, from TV stars like Breaking Bads Aaron Paul and high-profile voice actors like Laura Bailey to big-name YouTubers like Jacksepticeye and MoistCr1TiKaL.When is Dispatch being released?Dispatch is slated for a 2025 release but theres nothing more specific than that at the moment. Assuming nothing goes wrong, it may well come out before The Wolf Among Us 2.Dispatch is scheduled to launch on PC via Steam as well as consoles. AdHoc Studio hasnt specified precisely which consoles, though PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S releases feel like a safe bet at least. The dispatch mechanic itself should help the game stand out compared to Telltales work (AdHoc Studio)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.GameCentralExclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy

Nintendo should make a more expensive Switch 2 that isnt portable Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 14, 2024 9:00am How many Switch 2s should there be? (Nintendo)A reader argues that for the Switch 2, Nintendo should make a reverse of the Switch Lite: a non-portable model thats more powerful.Im writing this on Thursday afternoon and I feel confident in saying that the Nintendo Switch 2 (or GTA 6) isnt going to be announced at The Game Awards. I just dont think that Nintendo or Rockstar Games want to do that kind of annoucement at someone elses event, where they dont have complete control over every single factor. Its interesting to me, how the best game makers are all so very different in terms of what they create but surprisingly similar in how they act.In many ways though, Im not that interested in the initial reveal, but more the second one that will inevitably go into more detail about the games. Given how many rumours there have been recently, it would now be a shock if the Switch 2 looked very different from the current Switch, bar this extra pedal on the back and some other minor differences. But thats fine. The physical design of the Switch has been a proven success, and I am happy for it to be iterated on.What I want from the Switch 2 is for it to be more powerful, not just for the sake of it but so that it can run all or most current gen games. I realise thats probably not likely this generation, even if it has been a small leap from last gen, but thats why I would like them to do an equivalent of the Switch Lite, but instead of being portable-only Id like it to be not portable at all and more powerful.This very idea, of there being two models of the Switch 2, was suggested by a rumour a year or so ago but I have never heard it brought up again, which means its either not true, and someone just made it up, or Nintendos lawyers got to them. Sadly, I feel the more likely explanation is the first one.The thing is though, the Switch Lite is a special model that removes the main gimmick of the console (and loses the meaning of its name) in order to offer a cheaper version for a specific use and audience. What I am arguing for is to simply do the opposite: a more expensive version for a different audience.Im not suggesting a 700 PS5 Pro monstrosity, but I dont think that would be necessary. It must be possible to approximate the PlayStation 5s power much more easily now than it was four years ago, especially as the Switch 2 wouldnt need a disc drive, so youre already looking at something more equivalent to the PlayStation 5 Digital Editions price, which is around 350 at the moment.Thats less than 100 more than the Switch OLED, so were not talking about some massive leap in price. Thats why I think my suggestion is reasonable, because a more powerful Switch 2 will immediately allow it access to a much wider range of third party games. Remove the portable features, like the detachable Joy-Cons (which the Switch Lite also doesnt have) and I think youd be able to keep the price quite low.Now, I know what youre thinking: Nintendo would not want certain Switch 2 games to only work on one model but theyve done that multiple times before with their portables, going as far back as the Game Boy Color when it was quite commonplace and as recently as the New Nintendo 3DS, which had over half a dozen games which only worked on it and not standard versions of the console (Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was the most famous).So, all Im asking for is this: a non-portable version of the Switch 2 that is less than 400 and which is powerful enough to run Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 games. I believe this would sell in significant numbers, certainly a higher percentage of normal Switch 2 sales than the PS5 Pro compared to the PlayStation 5.Ordinary Switch 2 customers would not be inconvenienced in any way, but those that wanted to pay a little more and/or sacrifice the portability, would be given access to a wider range of games, of the sort that more hardcore gamers would probably only be interested in anyway.More TrendingI haven no expectation that Nintendo will do this, but its what I hope for anyway.By reader Cinnamon The New Nintendo 3DS ran different games to the old one (Nintendo)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Steel Hunters and Mecha Break giant robot games blow up at Game Awards 2024Adam StarkeyPublished December 13, 2024 6:11pmUpdated December 13, 2024 6:11pm Its a big robot comeback (Wargaming)Steel Hunters, Mecha Break, and an untitled project from the creator of Shadow Of The Colossus all have one big robotic connection. The Game Awards certainly had a big showing for its tenth anniversary, between The Witcher 4 and even more Elden Ring, but a batch of games shown at the event shared a similar theme.Giant mechs have never been as popular as zombies or superheroes in the overall zeitgeist and over the past decade, those who yearn for a robot power fantasy have been very underserved, beyond the odd exception like Armored Core 6 and 2016s Titanfall 2.Thankfully, mech fans will see their cravings satiated over the coming year or so, thanks to several games on the near horizon.Steel HuntersAs shown during The Game Awards, Steel Hunters is a free-to-play hero shooter hinged around giant mech battles. Its described as blending battle royale and extraction mechanics, where you take on other players and enemy AI.Each hunter mech boasts its own playstyle and unique abilities, as you pursue objectives in matches to level up and acquire gear, culminating in a showdown at the extraction point. It promises destructible environments in Unreal Engine 5 too, if you simply like to watch things break.Steel Hunters is developed by Wargaming, the studio best known for World Of Tanks. You can request access to a limited playtest on PC now, which runs between December 12-22. There is, however, no release date yet for the final version.Mecha BreakDeveloper Amazing Seasun Games revealed a new trailer for Mecha Break during the event. Along with showcasing the frantic combat, it shows off the three modes available at launch: 3v3 battles, an objective-based 6v6 mode, and, similarly to Steel Hunters, a PvPvE mode where you fight bosses, collect loot, and conduct extractions.The trailer also shows off weaponised gliders and customisable loadouts, although you might be distracted by the incredible amount of lasers and rockets blasting all over the place.If you want more on Mecha Break, we interviewed the developers earlier this year about the game. We now have a release window too, with Mecha Break set to launch in spring 2025 on Xbox Series X/S and PC.Untitled project from GenDesignThe studio behind Shadow Of The Colossus have swapped giant monsters for towering robot titans for its next project. While the game doesnt have a name yet, the trailer shows a masked character climbing a robot, before its head detaches and flies upwards to avoid an incoming shockwave.The involvement of Fumito Ueda and his GenDesign team will be the main selling-point for some considering his pedigree on Ico, Shadow Of The Colossus, and The Last Guardian. But beyond that, its another win for the mech lovers.If you want more robot optimism, theres been rumbles to suggest Microsoft is planning to re-release some of Activisions Transformers games in the near future. These include Transformers: War For Cybertron, Fall Of Cybertron, Devastation, and Rise Of The Dark Spark, which were all released during the Xbox 360 generation.Nothing has been officially announced but two Transformers ratings popped up on the Australian classification board in September of this year, suggesting something is in the pipeline. It feels odd they havent been announced already though if they do exist, considering this year saw the 40th anniversary of Transformers and a new animated film.More TrendingElsewhere at The Game Awards, Naughty Dog debuted a trailer for its new sci-fi game (with a robot), while Split Fiction possesses a 50/50 sci-fi and fantasy split. Theyre everywhere! Mecha Break lands in spring 2025 (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.GameCentralExclusive 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 Online 2 is going to be so big it will break the games industry Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished December 14, 2024 1:00am Is there room for anything else? (Rockstar Games)A reader worries what effect GTA Online 2 is going to have on rival game companies, as it distracts players from other games for potentially months and years.As I write this the second trailer for GTA 6 still hasnt been released and I will be very surprised if it is at The Game Awards. I dont say this as a random guess but because I believe I understand why Rockstar Games is so slow to release Trailer 2 and why they so rarely release any new information of any kind. It seems to me a simple reason: because none of it matters. GTA 6 is already destined to be the biggest video game of all time, so whats the rush?Im sure GTA 6 will be great, like all Rockstar games usually are, as despite all the money they make I dont think theres anyone that doubts they put a lot of effort into their games. They make so few of them they kind of have to or they wont have another chance to prove themselves for another decade!But even if it did somehow turn out terrible, Im not sure even that would matter at this point. GTA 6 is already too big to fail and if thats big I dont even know how to describe GTA Online 2. People talk about the success of GTA 5 but its really GTA Online thats kept the game afloat all this time and this week we got confirmation that GTA 6 would have the same sort of mode as well.What we also heard this week is evidence of what we can all already see; that publishers are terrified of announcing a release date for anything anywhere near autumn next year, in case they end up coming out at the same time as GTA 6. Watch them all try and launch at the same time as Borderlands 4 or Mafia: The Old Country, because they know that Take-Two know when GTA 6 is out, so theyll assume the release dates of those two games will be safe.Everyone else though, who knows what theyll do? Im sure they dont. And that goes for Nintendo, with the Switch 2, on downwards. But thats only the start of it. Assume everything comes out in a fairly orderly manner and games sell relatively normally, without GTA 6 eating their lunch. Now try to imagine what things are going to be like two or three months afterwards, when GTA Online 2 has got its teeth into people.People arent going to play anything else ever again. Thinks thats hyperbole? GTA 5 is over a decade old and its still regularly within the top 10, often the top five, games being sold and played on any given format. GTA 6 probably wouldve been out a lot sooner if that wasnt the case, but Rockstar didnt want to disrupt it. There was absolutely no need to make a sequel because it was almost impossible for GTA Online to make any more money than it already was.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextPeople will slowly drift away from GTA Online 2, of course, but very slowly in some cases. How many kids do you know that dont play anything other than Minecraft or Roblox? Or adults that only play Call Of Duty or EA Sports FC? GTA Online 2 is going to be like that but magnified by 10. No other game is going to get a look in unless its the second coming of Zelda or maybe some little indie game you can play in between other things.I really do think this is going to be a genuine problem. GTA Online 2 is literally going to be too successful, at least from everyones point of view except Rockstars. Even then, theyll probably be at a loss as to what to do about Red Redemption 3, because theyd be competing with themselves I they released it.More TrendingIts a credit to the games appeal and I agree its strange that no other company is even trying to copy it nowadays but GTA 6 is going to be the games industry for most of new year and probably several years after that.By reader Lenge The first GTA Online is still huge (Rockstar Games)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Disney Lorcana European Challenge how to become a trading card champLucy OrrLucy OrrPublished December 12, 2024 5:00pm The final battle was a real rags to richest tale (Lucy Orr)Lorcana has held its last big tournament of the year in Europe, as Disneys hit new trading card game brings in the crowds.After the excitement of the 2024 Pokmon World Championships in Hawaii, a cloudy weekend in France doesnt have quite the same level of allure, but there was still plenty of buzz around the inaugural Lorcana European Challenge at Disneyland Paris last week. The community showed up in force, with over 2,500 fans spectating and playing the hit new trading card game.This three-day cardboard extravaganza brought together 96 of Europes most skilled Illumineers, (the name for Lorcana players), each vying for glory with their meticulously constructed decks. Against the backdrop of Disneyland Paris, and with a slew of innovative decks on display, the championship redefined the current Lorcana meta, influencing the decks players are likely to play at the North American Challenge in January.The European Challenge included players who had fought tooth and nail to qualify through regional challenge events in Lille, Bochum, Bologna, and Birmingham earlier in the year. The competitive fire was stoked even further by the addition of 32 players from the Last Chance Qualifier, held on December 6 (also at Disneyland Paris), making for an intensely competitive field. All who participated received a foil Extended Artwork Lorcana card of Baymax and Armored Companion card sleeves.The last chance qualifier (LCQ) ended up being core to the narrative of this challenge, as it was how champion Domingo Martinez got his chance to compete and ultimately win. Players were free to draw upon cards from any current Lorcana set, including the newly released Azurite Sea. The last chance qualifier showdowns were single elimination, best-of-three matches, where players competed in 32-player pods, with each pods winner advancing to the main event.The diversity of decks on display was awe-inspiring, with strategies ranging from classic control archetypes to aggressive tempo builds, incorporating the latest card synergies, with each player participating in the last chance qualifier receiving a Dragon Fire promo card.I spoke to competitor Jan Kleinsteiber, 23, from Germany: I started playing in March this year and I went from Pokemon TCG to the Locana TCG, not because I like the characters more, but because of the community. Its a bit friendlier community than most TCGs, the people have been awesome since Ive been here. Im myself a very competitive player, I want to be at the very top, so I try to compete at every event where I can. So Ive been in Lille and Bologna. Paris was the place to be for Lorcana fans this month (Disney)Although I come from Germany Im in a competitive team called Team Inkognito, though its a German team. Im a red/blue deck player myself. Red/blue was a very good call for the last chance qualifier yesterday. But there has have been so many mirror matches that a lot of player didnt came through in the aggro decks.Also, I think the amount of non-male people in the room is much higher than in any other events, because the brand of Disney is huge and also the TCG is very easy to get into. But also, the deck building aspect and the preparation and stuff is so deep, and you can go so deep into the whole universe of the card game, which makes the easy game very competitive.The main event spanned two days, until the top 16 players entered a single-elimination bracket, facing off in best-of-three matches. The final, however, was a best-of-five duel which actually ran to the full five matches, a true test of endurance, skill, and deck optimisation and a thrilling final that showcased the strategic depth and evolving meta of Disney Lorcana.Domingo Martinez claimed victory and was rewarded with four sets of the Azurite Sea expansion, encompassing all foil and enchanted cards, and the European Challenge trophy. More importantly, they secured an invitation to the Disney Lorcana TCG World Challenge slated for 2025 at Walt Disney World in Florida. That is quite the trophy design (Disney)Martinezs victory was propelled by his adept use of the ruby/amethyst deck. This strategy is renowned for its rapid deployment of efficient characters and versatile control elements. Key cards in his deck included lots of foxes, goats, and rabbits as well as Sisu Emboldened Warrior with the ability Surge of Power, which gets +1 Strength for each card in opponents hands.He was also fond of Elsa The Fifth Spirit, which offers immediate impact with Rush and Evasive abilities, allowing swift challenges and evasion from non-evasive opponents. The decks synergy between aggressive questing and control allowed Martinez to adapt to various opponents, maintaining pressure while managing threats effectively.I spoke to Martinez shortly after his victory: I started playing on the regionals for the DLC only. I made top 32 there, but I wasnt able to qualify for the European Championship. I did try on Friday at the first LCQ and now here I am. The community were supportive throughout the weekend and throughout the challenge. I will need some time, to process all the things that happened this weekend and obviously Im extremely happy.The challenge revealed fascinating new trends in the Lorcana meta. The top-performing decks often utilised synergies from new expansion Azurite Sea, which introduced powerful cards that bolster previously underrepresented strategies. Most cards arent this big (Lucy Orr)The European Challenge wasnt just about the main event though. Attendees had plenty of opportunities to engage in side events, from Pack Rush and Core Constructed tournaments to the newly introduced Illumineers Quest: Deep Trouble a cooperative experience that took place in a spooky Ursula the Sea Witch themed room, with huge purple tentacles twisting around the play tables.Spectators also got their share of Disney magic, with meet and greets with Disney characters, sessions with Lorcana illustrators and developers, and casual multiplayer matches that ensured there was something for everyone. Around 2,500 attended and everyone got a goodie bag to take home, with a Disney Lorcana Promo Card (non-foil Mickey Mouse, which you could get Mickey to sign) and, most importantly, a voucher for 20% off at the Disney souvenir shop.More TrendingDuring the challenge, the next two expansions for 2025 were announced, starting with Archazias Island, fronted by good boi Bolt, which seems to focus on pets and boasted new tricks. The second is Reign Of Jafar, where Illumineers might be in for a big battle against this well-known Aladdin baddie.At the end of the event, I spoke to Lorcana co-creator and game developer Steve Warner: This Challenge in Paris is amazing, and hopefully well see a lot more events happen. But the hope for the game is that it lasts for years and years and years. One of our primary goals of the game was to just bring families together. It gives families something thats so generational, in being Disney, and gives them a great tie into at-the-table play and chat that they can all love and all interact with on different levels.Weve got the World Championship next year and a bunch of new franchises coming out, where were gonna have Pocahontas and Pixar. I think Worlds is our next big focus, along with the North American Continentals that happened before that. And then its just kind of getting people to really see and interact with the new stories in Lorcana. Weve got the Reign Of Jafar coming, which will be a fun and exciting story.The European Championship was not just a celebration of competitive play but a testament to the growing popularity of this relatively new card game. It certainly cast a spell over the crowds in attendance and made it clear that Lorcana has a long-term future ahead of it, as one of the biggest trading card games in the world. Domingo Martinez is the current European champion (Disney)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.GameCentralExclusive 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

Despite all the sales and accolades, Black Myth: Wukong isnt as high as youd think (Game Science)You may think you know the most popular games of the year, but Googles own analytics tell a completely different story.While tonights The Game Awards is poised to celebrate the last 12 months of gaming (when its not hyping up whats to come in 2025 and beyond), Googles own annual wrap-up paints a very different picture of the 2024 the games industry has had.Google shared its breakdown of its most searched topics of 2024 on Thursday and its games section omits many of the biggest releases of the year.Game of the Year nominees like Elden Rings Shadow Of The Erdtree and indie darling Balatro are nowhere to be seen, with the top 10 list dominated by something else entirely.What was the highest-searching video game on Google in 2024?Believe it or not, Googles most searched game of the year is, of all things, the Connections game you can play on The New York Times website.Its not the only win for The New York Times either, with fellow puzzle game Strands coming in at eighth place. Maybe that shouldve been nominated for Game Of The Year? It did come out this past March.Admittedly, Connections and Strands are not only free but offer a new bite-sized puzzle every day, making them ideal for literally anyone looking for a quick distraction. Guess Wordles no longer the king (The New York Times)What are the most searched for video games on Google in 2024?When it comes to traditional video games, only four made it into Googles top 10; the first being Palworld in the number two spot. Were surprised to see it that high since interest in it seemed to wane considerably, following its January release.Then again, there was an awful lot of buzz surrounding its launch because of its Pokmon with guns concept. So even though its not that popular on Steam anymore (and probably not on consoles, if we had the stats) it was big enough earlier in the year to make the list.After that is Helldivers 2 in fifth place, which was also a massive live service hit at launch, that has somewhat faded from the public eye in recent months.Its then followed by two Chinese-developed titles: gacha game Wuthering Waves and action role-player Black Myth: Wukong in sixth and seventh place, the latter being the only Game of the Year nominee on the list.Google's most searched video games of 2024ConnectionsPalworldInfinite CraftSprunkiHelldivers 2Wuthering WavesBlack Myth: WukongStrandsBrawl StarsPokRogueThere is one mobile exclusive game in the top 10, and its 2018s Brawl Stars, a free-to-play multiplayer shooter from Finnish studio Supercell, the same company behind the seemingly immortal Clash Of Clans.More TrendingThe rest of the list is filled up by other free browser games: Infinite Craft (where players combine different elements to create new ones), Sprunki (some kind of rhythm game weve never even heard of), and PokRogue, a fan-made roguelike version of Pokmon that, strangely, Nintendo hasnt threatened with legal action.Were not sure what to take away from this list (or if theres anything to take away) but there is something amusing in seeing companies like Sony and Microsoft pump millions of dollars into cutting edge tech and live service games only to be outdone by simple puzzle games with zero monetisation.Although the presence of games like Helldivers 2 and Wuthering Waves may continue to incentivise some companies obsession with live service titles, it does at last seem as if the likes of Sony and Warner Bros. are finally beginning to lose interest. Wuthering Waves not a single one of miHoYos gacha role-players cracked into the top 10, but one of their chief rivals did (Kuro 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.ArrowMORE: Heres where to find your PlayStation 2024 Wrap-UpGameCentralExclusive 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 Game Awards are not very compatible with UK sleeping patterns (The Game Awards)Its the biggest night of the year for video game reveals on Thursday but are rumours of Resident Evil 9 and Tomb Raider likely to prove true?Christmas always comes early for video game fans, thanks to The Game Awards event in early December with this years event taking place this Thursday/Friday. Although its the closest thing gaming has to the Oscars, the real appeal of The Game Awards is the dozens of new game announcements, often including brand new titles, which are made during the ceremony. Some years have more surprises than others (last year was kind of average) but all the rumours so far point towards 2024 being a particularly good one.Unusually, given how almost everything else in the games industry leaks out months in advance, theres often not much in the way of reliable rumours for The Game Awards, and thats the case once again this year. There have been a few hints, that well get into in a minute, but most of the rumours have been simply that that is going to be a very big event for new announcements.Theres no indication of how big very big is going to be but its worth bearing in mind that previous events have included not just new games but even the first announcement of the Xbox Series X, so technically nothing is off the table. Although, while Xbox is happy to use the event for almost anything, Sony, and in particular Nintendo, usually only offer up smaller scale reveals.Confirmed announcements for The Game Awards 2024There are already a few games that have been confirmed as definitely being at The Game Awards, but these are unlikely to be the biggest announcements of the night, even though a couple of them are big deals that have never been seen properly in public up until now.Borderlands 4It got a teaser trailer this summer but nothing of the game was shown and so at the moment there are no details at all about the gameplay or characters. Its going to be an uphill battle getting people interested in it after that movie though.Split FictionAlthough the name is leaked information (and so may not necessarily be correct) the makers of It Takes Two have confirmed that they will be showing off their new game at the event, including gameplay. Apart from the name though nothing else has been leaked about it so far.Hideo KojimaAlthough its not confirmed what hell be talking about, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima will be at The Game Awards. Whether thats to promote next years Death Stranding 2, horror game OD, or mysterious new stealth game Physint is unknown, but since he is a pal of Game Awards presenter Geoff Keighley it could be all of the above or even something new.Mafia: The Old CountryEssentially Mafia 4, although its actually a prequel to the whole series, set in Sicily during the early 1900s and dealing with the origins of the Mafia. Beyond that though nothing is currently known about the game.Tekken 8As well as triple-A games, The Game Awards is also used to unveil indie titles and DLC, with Bandai Namco promising that a new fighter will be announced for Tekken 8. Since its the franchises 30th anniversary this month there may be more to announce than just that, especially as the current rumour is that Ichiban Kasuga from Segas Yakuza: Like A Dragon will be the next fighter which seems an odd anniversary choice.Dying Light: The BeastAlthough The Beast is a standalone spin-off for Dying Light, DLC for existing games Palworld and Warframe is also going to be announced at some point during the night. Giant robot game Mecha Break is also going to be in attendance, with new game info and hopefully a final release date.Rumoured announcements for The Game Awards 2024Like we said, there are surprisingly few concrete rumours and certainly nothing you can take for granted. The talk of this year being a big year for the event is so vague its not even clear if that refers to hardware or just games.However, Bloombergs Jason Schreier has stated that there are two things that will make you say, Holy s***, I cant believe this thing is here! What that means though, is anyones guess.It seems very unlikely Nintendo would unveil the Switch 2 but its not outside the realms of possibility they could at least offer a tease. Likewise, the next gen Xbox has been announced already but would Microsoft really show it off for the first time this year? The answer is probably not.Microsoft has certainly been the one to make most use of The Game Awards in the past though, so new looks at previously announced games like Fable, Perfect Dark, and Gears Of War: E-Day are all entirely possible.Sony doesnt use it as much but the doomed The Last Of Us Online was announced at the Summer Game Fest, which is also run by Geoff Keighley, so its not inconceivable they could announce new games, including Naughty Dogs next title. A proper first look at Marvels Wolverine and Ghost of Ytei is also entirely feasible and perhaps rumours of a Days Gone remaster will prove to be true too.As for Nintendo, they have certainly turned up in the past, but theyve never made any announcements that are particularly big before. A smaller teaser for the Switch 2 or perhaps Metroid Prime 4, which is likely to be a cross-gen launch title, doesnt seem impossible though.To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5videoUp NextWill GTA 6 Trailer 2 be at The Game Awards 2024?When it comes to third party publishers, its possible to make a few guesses based on companies that have been at the event before. That is why, on the face of it, it seems very unlikely that GTA 6 and Rockstar Games will be there.They seemed to purposefully avoid The Game Awards last year, by premiering the first GTA 6 trailer just a few days before, but its more than a year later and there still hasnt been another one. Will Friday morning see Trailer 2s debut? Normally we wouldve said no but its puzzling why Rockstar are waiting this long to release more info and perhaps theres been a thawing in relations with Geoff Keighley.So far theres been no hint from Rockstars X account though, which almost always gives fair warning of when a major new trailer is going to be released. But, well, a tradition can change at any momentHow to watch The Game Awards 2024All you have to do to watch The Game Awards is tune in to the official YouTube channel, with the livestream already set-up via the video above. Alternatively, you can tune in via Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, or Facebook Live. Thats the easy part though.The problem is that while youll see most sites referring to The Game Awards as taking place on Thursday, thats not technically true from a UK perspective. Thanks to the way the time zones work the pre-show doesnt start till 12.30am on Friday morning and the main event is from 1am to 4am (the exact length of the show hasnt been confirmed, so it could be even later than that).Youd have to be pretty hardcore to stay up for the whole thing but dont worry, well have a round-up of all the news waiting for you when you get up in the morning.One other major fan hope is that Resident Evil 9 will be unveiled but theres no evidence for that, its just because it was announced a while back and it seems roughly the right time to learn more now. Capcom certainly has used The Game Awards before but with Monster Hunter Wilds out in March, it may not want to split peoples attentions at the moment.Likewise, its way past time we shouldve heard something about the new Tomb Raider, which has been in development for years at this point, but if it is going to be unveiled on Friday theres been no official hints or even any solid rumours.Something on the recently delayed Assassins Creed Shadows seems like more of a sure bet but that hasnt been rumoured either. Weve also not seen or heard anything on Assassins Creed Infinity the persistent online world that was supposed to connect all the games in ages, but that seems more likely to be something left to a dedicated Ubisoft event.Shadows is out in February and so it and any other game thats due next spring are also very likely to put in an appearance, including Civilization 7, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and Avowed. Even if theres not necessarily much more to be learned about those games.More TrendingProject 007 from IO Interactive is another project that seems long overdue a public outing, while Geoff Keighley is also always keen to promote Remedy and they have a number of projects coming up, including FBC: Firebreak, Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes, and Control 2.In terms of less high-profile releases, Hasbro has been at the show a number of times with their Dungeons & Dragons games, and they have recently talked about wanting to make more games. Combine that with rumours of remasters of Activisions Transformers games and you could be onto something.Therere also faint rumours of a new Sonic The Hedgehog racing game and since Sega announced their reboots of classic games like Jet Set Radio and Shinobi at last years event, perhaps well get a proper look at them this year.Apart from what has already been confirmed its all guesswork and conjecture but hopefully the rumours about this years awards ceremony being one to remember prove trueWhat are The Game Awards 2024 Game of the Year nominees?Although its called The Game Awards, and it is the highest profile award ceremony in the industry, announcing the winners takes up only a small part of the overall running time of the event. The one exception is the prestigious Game of the Year award, which always gets a lot of time and attention.This years field is unusually open, with no clear favourite, but the nominations are as follows. The nominees were picked by a wide range of outlets from around the world, including us, while the winners are voted on by the same judges, while also taking into account fan choices as a small percentage of the overall vote.Astro Bot (Team Asobi/SIE)Balatro (LocalThunk/Playstack)Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco)Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (Square Enix)Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/Atlus/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: Heres where to find your PlayStation 2024 Wrap-Up GameCentralExclusive 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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Will it be unveiled tonight? (Nintendo)The Thursday letters page hopes for an Xbox vs. PlayStation face-off at The Game Awards, as a reader looks forward to MachineGames Quake reboot.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.The big nightIm cautiously optimistic about The Game Awards this week but Im not really sure what to expect. All the hints are so vague its kind of annoying that theyre taunting us and yet experience teaches me that it could all amount to nothing. One persons big news is another mans nothingburger, or something.The impression I get is that theyre hinting at something to do with Sony. but I really dont know what? Surely not new hardware but if its a bunch of new single-player games then Ill be very happy. If its just Wolverine and Ghost of Ytei in more detail, thatll be more like a minimum expectation.The other obvious guess as to what theyre hinting at is a Switch 2 reveal, but I just cant picture that happening. Like you say, somethings only a tradition until you stop doing it, but I cannot imagine Nintendo ever unveiling their new console at someone elses event. Metroid Prime 4 maybe, since weve already seen a bit of it, but thats all.Ill settle for a good surprise above all of that though, so heres hoping its all worth staying up for. (Im not staying up for it.)CranstonReturn to warSo its The Game Awards tonight (or Friday morning, its kind of confusing writing this on a Wednesday) and I have no idea what to expect. All the confirmed games so far are kind of boring, except maybe Split Fiction, but hopefully thats just the bottom level of what were going to get.Im not going to try and predict anything but what I hope is that this truly becomes the successor to E3 in the sense that we see Sony and Microsoft trying to outdo each other with big announcements. We gamers always benefit from that kind of competition and with the Xbox Series X floundering we havent really had that much this generation.I dont expect Nintendo to have much or anything to show so this becomes an old school two-way battle, where both companies try and win gamers favours by making really good games, then everyones a winner.NougatThe Marvel factorI cant really see Marvel Rivals being a long-term hit. I played it and its fine, but it is so generic I lost interest after a few hours and have no desire to return, even though its free. The characters might be more appealing than Concord but they dont play any better and the action all feels very floaty and weightless to me, even with big characters like Venom and Hulk.Not to repeat people from earlier in the week but the reason these live service games keep failing is because not only are there too many, but they all play the same. The Marvel theme and constant advertising (which must cost a fortune) will give the game a boost for now but I doubt well be hearing a lot of it by the time next year gets going.TacleEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukOut of timeI wondered if youre planning to review the Little Big Adventure remake that was released recently. This game was such a huge part of my childhood back in the mid-90s and the first game Id ever played with an element of freedom and fully voice-tracked (rare at the time for a non-point n click game!).The team behind the remake are hoping to also move onto its brilliant sequel and a new third game if sales enable this and Im hoping some of the GC community remember this gem as well! (Original was on PC and PlayStation back in the day)Have a fab Christmas and new year when it comes.Kanbot (gamertag)PS: Loving the recent in-depth topical gaming articles you have recently been running as well.GC: It was one of our favourites too, back in the day, but we couldnt get hold of the developer or publisher in order to organise the review in time. We might try and come back to it but its kind of missed its slot now.Quake hubIve really been enjoying Indiana Jones And The Great Circle but I have to admit that is basically exactly the same as every other MachineGames game in terms of the way it uses the open world hubs and the dialogue. I like it, but they havent exactly pushed themselves out of their comfort zone.Theyve been hinting about doing a Quake reboot next and Im totally happy to see that but, lets face it, you know exactly what its going to be: lots of shooting and lots of wandering around hubs talking to people. That will be kind of interesting for Quake though as the original idea for it was that itd more of a role-playing type game than what it ended up as.I hope they make it Lovecraftian again though, rather than dumb space aliens, and give it that creepy atmosphere that the original game had but they never really did again. Theres a lot of potential there and Im really looking forwards to seeing it.RatzoMission completeBeen a very prolific gaming year for me, with the Steam Deck helping me get out of a slump which then spurred me to play more games on my home consoles and PC. Finished off these games in the last few weeks:Ghost Of Tsushima (PS4) Gorgeous looking, with fun combat and a decent plot. Too much filler and I hope they make the side quests more unique and engaging in the sequel. (7.5/10)Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (XSX) Again absolutely stunning, with the best depiction of all-out war Ive seen since the original game. Generally, very fun throughout but a few rough edges with the gameplay hold it back. Looking forward to trying the co-op. (7.5/10)Dishonored (Steam Deck via Epic Games) Loved it, loved it. The open-ended gameplay, the logic in the game world, the novel setting, the Blinky stabbing. Dont know why I didnt play it years ago, just excellent. Holds up very well today (9/10)Ive got Doom Eternal and Stellar Blade lined up for PlayStation 5 and Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U. Im basically Beethoven in the mall in Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure, but with consoles.MagnumstacheRandom ideaHow difficult would it be for FromSoftware to incorporate randomiser lists and maybe bingo rule sets for online players in their next game?I mean from scratch on consoles? The bingo might cause them problems, but I think a randomiser after beating the game would be a nice touch.P.EllaAs in bargain basement Yoda, not the Spanish fish and rice dish.GC: As in changing the position of items and enemies? It should be pretty to easy do; wed be surprised if there wasnt a PC fan mod that already did it for one of their games.The console trapFrom the recent glut of Switch 2 leaks it does look like everything is lining up to the new device being the same but more. Like most handheld PCs and the last decades worth of smartphones Id imagine the huge size has been forced on Nintendo to get a more powerful device with a big battery to run it, while keeping the price competitive.I wonder how an even bigger and heavier console will go down? Especially in Asian markets where there is still a desire for small electronics. A Switch 2 Lite, given the expected power is probably many years away, if at all possible. That is a shame as the original Switch Lite is arguably the perfect size for a portable gaming device. Bring back consoles that you can slip into your pockets I say!Also, I wonder if this will be enough to drive upgraders? What do you do with, say, Mario Kart 9 or the next Smash Bros. to persuade casual Switch owners with the current versions to say, OK Nintendo heres my 400 for the console and 60 for the game? I dont think the same but more is the answer to that quandary. It feels like an awful lot is banking on the rumoured (if not likely) new 3D Mario launch title to showcase what this can do. The pressure is on the little plumber to bring a level of best game ever impact now.In the longer term though I dont see how Nintendo dont fall into the same trap as Sony and Microsoft, of diminishing returns this generation. Market inflation thanks to the pandemic was behind a huge chunk of the original Switch sales after all and a lot of those gamers are happy just playing live service titles with content parity on that old machine.MarcInbox also-ransWhy is it the makers of Days Gone, a game that underperformed in terms of sales and reviews, is still going but Japan Studio got shut down? Doesnt seem fair.MatadorI guess youre probably watching The Game Awards tonight, GC. So thanks for taking one for the team there. Aint no way Im staying up till 4am for a video game trailer.UlioGC: Thanks, weve already got the Red Bull in.More 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: How much will the PlayStation 6 be?GameCentralExclusive 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

Marvel Rivals all this and Squirrel Girl too (NetEase Games)A new free-to-play online shooter has enlisted Marvel superheroes to help it beat Overwatch at its own game, and so far its doing surprisingly well.Overwatch but with Marvel Characters. Theres a compelling simplicity about that pitch. While many games can have complicated loglines, that dont necessarily explain the game succinctly, NetEases Marvel Rivals doesnt have that problem. While it feels harsh to bring up the comparison of Overwatch so early, its also unavoidable when talking about the latest hero shooter.The games relationship with Blizzards shooter is an interesting one. Despite being the ire of much criticism, Overwatch 2 remains popular. When it seems each week were hearing about another live service title shutting down, despite having dreams of becoming the next Fortnite, thats becoming a rarity, not the norm.Whats more, its wild its taken this long for a serious competitor to Blizzards 2016 game to emerge. When Overwatch launched, it took over mainstream gaming in such a way that a string of clones felt inevitable but that never really materialised, not unless you count Concord. Instead, Overwatch has sat atop the hero shooter genre for eight years now.NetEase is clearly attempting to challenge that hegemony with its latest offering and its brought along Captain America and the entire Marvel licence with it. So, the question is whether this is a true challenger or yet another new live service game that launches big before quickly tapering out. As someone with over 2,500 hours spent in Overwatch, Ive jumped in feet first to find out.Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Marvel Rivals is just how good it looks. If there were any doubts this was a low effort Marvel cash grab, they are dispelled within seconds of booting up. Everything about the games presentation pops. From animations in menus, to the UI, to animated character pages, everything is imbued with a contagious positive, zippy attitude. And thats before you even get into the game.Once you actually hit a lobby, youre met with a gorgeous art style that really catches the eye. These characters have been lovingly imagined in this sleek, comic book style that is beautifully executed in-game. That is matched by the presentation of all eight of the current maps, taking place in recognisable Marvel locations such as Asgard, a Hydra bunker, Tokyo 2099, and The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda.In game, you play in 6v6 arenas, where there is an objective for you to either attack or defend. In terms of hero shooters, and especially Overwatch, there is nothing surprising here. Everything is analogous to a counterpart in Blizzards game. Convoy maps have you pushing a payload to a final destination. Domination is about capturing points across three different maps and holding them until you reach 100% much like Overwatchs Control.Convergence, acts as a hybrid of the two, with players needing to unlock a point and then guide a payload. All of these are present in Marvel Rivals main competitor, but it works. You will immediately understand these game modes and the maps, which is both a benefit in terms of a accessibility and a sign of the games rampant lack of ambition when it comes to certain elements.Where Marvel Rivals differentiates itself in terms of the maps is by being destructible. Its an interesting wrinkle that can have you shooting through walls to creatively make your own flanks. Or, you can bring down an overhead bridge, above an objective, obscuring your team from the enemy. Theres a sense of an evolving battlefield as you go, with an added sense of strategy as you bend a location to your whim. Of course, all this would be nothing without heroes who are fun to play, but thats perhaps Marvel Rivals biggest success.Marvel Rivals could have easily fallen into the trap of making a lot of analogous characters with kits directly ripped from Overwatch. For the most part it doesnt though. While some characters will have recognisable abilities with similarities, the hero identities are crafted with a lot of thought. The default character designs arent based on the MCU (NetEase Games)Loki, for example, is a really unique hero design, but one that feels built entirely around the identity of the character hes based off, rather than being comparable to a character in League Of Legends, Rainbow Six, Valorant, or Overwatch.His abilities centre around creating doppelgangers that help you shoot and heal enemies. If an enemy is barrelling towards you, you can trade places with a doppelganger and also turn invisible, really selling the idea of being the god of trickery. His ultimate ability allows him to transform into another hero and use their ultimate, which is both fun and a nod to the characters established powers. This is a hero that was designed to feel like being Loki, not to feel like a version of a character from another game.That kind of ingenuity and commitment to the characters is really what makes Marvel Rivals stand out. Theres a genuine reverence to these characters, made by developers who clearly love them. It also helps that there is an impressive roster, that feels cleverly constructed.Theres a strong selection of the most recognisable heroes from the films, as well as comic book favourites that may have not had their time in the mainstream yet, like Jeff the Land Shark and Luna Snow. Therere also some obvious, missing mainstays like Deadpool, Ant-Man, Ghost Rider, Thanos and more that is only going to add anticipation for when they inevitably turn up.Thats not to say Marvel Rivals isnt setting off some alarm for me as an experienced hero shooter player. While some of my concerns are speculative, I dont expect them to stay that way for long because this has already played out in every live service game that has ever needed to be balanced over time.At the start of any live service launch, especially one as successful as Marvel Rivals has been, players fall into a honeymoon phase. Wow, this is just fun. They should keep this game casual and not ruin it by focusing too much on the competitive aspects, some will say.Its easy to get that appeal. When a fresh experience comes along to challenge an established titan, it feels freeing, because all the baggage is gone the years of system changes, choices, balancing, the focus of the game all that weight is gone. But as with any live service game ever made, it wont take long for that to accumulate.If Marvel Rivals is going to survive long term, it needs to serve its engaged community, which naturally will be competitively minded, as players get better at the game. Keeping things casual isnt a sustainable goal, as new metas are found, broken combos take over games, or characters are found to be too powerful. Eventually that ruins the integrity of the competitive experience, so things get buffed and nerfed, often based on data and sentiment from the engaged community who are naturally locked into the ranked environment. Its inevitable and Marvel Rivals has some worrying signs that that transition to the long term could be rocky. Spider-Man is an obvious starter character (NetEase Games)Will Marvel Rivals have role queue?Marvel Rivals has some quirks that even in this honeymoon phase are starting to become a nuisance. The first and most obvious is the question of Role Lock. This is a solution Overwatch came to in its balancing of the game over time, due to several meta compositions and poor quality games. It dictates that each team needs to have two tank characters (one tank in Overwatch 2), two DPS (damage per second), and two support. Marvel Rivals doesnt have that. Instead, it lets players chose whatever hero they want, no matter what characters your teammates have chosen.This is great for player freedom and can lead to interesting compositions that a standard role lock would scupper. It also keeps queue times down, as the game doesnt need to find two players for each role of equivalent skill. However, it also means and is quite likely from my experience many games will have unbalanced and downright awful team compositions. Freedom is all well and good, but it means nothing when youre getting stomped by a team with a good mixture of each of the roles, but your teammates are unwilling to be flexible and so line up with five DPS and one overworked support.Thus far, the developers have been resistant to role queue when its been brought up, saying it fundamentally goes against the games design. That said, the conversation between players is growing louder already. Will the developers be willing to approach the subject or will they ignore it? From my time with the game, its increasingly feeling like a needed feature. How the developer handles balance and topics like this is going to be part of deciding the games long term future.What is the season boost in Marvel Rivals?However, thats not the only thing Marvel Rivals also has some strange design decisions that feel like ticking time bombs. One is the seasonal boost system. In the game right now, a lot of characters are getting passive boosts to their stats due to being anchors for the games Team Up abilities. For instance, Venom right now has 800 health point, but he actually is cited as having 650 on the games website.Thats due to the always-on passive this season, where he is granted +150 health points. That means, once Season 1 comes around, hes going to get an enormous nerf, as a new character becomes the beneficiary of that boost. Elsewhere, players are out there perfecting their Spider-Man and Magik dives to secure kills, but right now they are receiving a 15% damage boost. When thats gone, that effort will be seriously impacted if the developers decide to add these seasonal bonuses to other characters.This is a bizarre way to balance a hero shooter and artificially force metas. While balance patches should be used to encourage diversity through seasons to keep the game fresh, this feels like a sledgehammer solution to ensure certain characters are powerful. These are big buffs, and as more players realise that the hero theyve gravitated to at launch might be made a lot worse by the time season one comes around, that tension is going to grow.Thor, is getting a buff of 150 health right now due to that seasonal bonus. When that is gone, hes going to suffer immensely. If youre a Thor fan who just wants to play Thor because hes your favourite superhero, but you cant use him effectively because the developers decided not to give him a seasonal bonus, that just feels bad. Not all the characters are obvious inclusions (NetEase Games)There are other issues and bizarre decisions that Marvel Rivals has made too. For one, it inexplicably has 19 duelists, more than both tanks and supports combined, a strange own goal that only contributes to team compositions being so DPS heavy. In Overwatch it has so many DPSes due to the game initially splitting up offensive and defensive heroes a decision that game is still trying to rectify. For some reason NetEase has just walked right into the same issue.Also, some of the characters abilities have already started to feel like a problem. The game has a lot of crowd control and problematic effects that players have complained about in other hero games, that likely will become pain points here. For example, Adam Warlock can resurrect entire teams, something Mercy was able to do in Overwatch before Blizzard realised that just feels bad to wipe out a team, only for them to reappear, undoing all your work.One of the ways to really sum up the balancing challenges that face Marvel Rivals is Jeff the Land Sharks ultimate. Its hilarious the first time, when he eats an entire enemy team and then finds a spot to jump off the map, killing him and everyone one inside. Its not hilarious when it happens for the fifth ranked match in a row and you cant counter-play the ability. Whats fun and joyful now can become far less so the more time you put into a game. Thats the tension at the heart of Marvel Rivals.However, when it is just silly casual fun, Marvel Rivals excels in that position. It is one of the best launches in the genre in years, and it feels like a game with a long future ahead of it, as a genuine competitor in the spaceMore TrendingConsidering how many failures weve seen this year, from the likes of Concord, XDefiant, and Foamstars, thats a minor miracle. Marvel Rivals has an exceptional hero design, with some really unique and reverentially designed characters. Its presentation is also beautiful and coherent, both utilising the expansive IP and elevating the comic book styling to a gorgeous effect. To put it another way, in a service model where most fail Marvel Rivals has the juice to maintain relevancy going forward.However, even this early on, some of the cracks in the games systems and balancing are starting to show. Season bonuses, the absence of role queue, and other outliers within the current game are already generating conversation amongst players. It feels that push and pull between it being a fun casual experience and those wishing to excel in competitive and join the in-game tournaments is already starting to become a tension. How that tension is dealt with will be what decides the future of Marvel Rivals as a long term live service game.However, if you ignore all that, and the idea of Overwatch with Marvel Characters and none of the baggage sounds appealing in any way Marvel Rivals delivers on that promise and then some. In a world where newly launched live service games are getting put out to pasture, this one feels like it might pull off the superhuman feat of surviving.Marvel Rivals review summaryIn Short: A live service game with the superpower of longevity, assuming it can maintain the balance between being a casual and competitive online shooter.Pros: A seriously stylish hero shooter that is both beautiful to look at and full of smart, well thought out recreations of Marvels most beloved heroes. Plenty of content at launch.Cons: The struggle to please both casual and serious players is already showing signs of strain and may break down entirely over time. Seasonal boost system seems a very flawed concept.Score: 7/10Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PCPrice: Free-to-playPublisher: NetEase GamesDeveloper: NetEase GamesRelease Date: 6th December 2024Age Rating: 12 Caps shield obviously comes in very handy (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.GameCentralExclusive 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

What to do about GTA Online (Rockstar Games)The Wednesday letters page hopes that The Game Awards 2024 will be a wake up call for Sony, as a reader encourages Naughty Dog to make something fun and colourful.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukPLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Readers Features, so if youve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.Difficult decisionIm not surprised to hear that other publishers are rushing to get out of the way of GTA 6 next year but the longer Rockstar go without announcing a date the more chaos its going to create. Say we get to June next year and theres still no date, but Rockstar dont announce a delay, no publisher is going to want to release anything in the autumn for fear of getting steamrollered, especially if by accident they end up picking a date right on top of it.This Christmas was pretty barren but next year we could have every major publisher purposefully not releasing anything, bar maybe Call Of Duty and EA Sports FC. I mean, if Nintendo is worried about it, you know things are serious.Take-Two is going to make so much money from all this, but Im very interested to know what theyre going to do about GTA Online. I really cant see them running that at the same time as GTA Online 2 but they also cant combine the two because GTA 6 is current gen-only and presumably so is GTA Online 2.They could purposefully downgrade the graphics, so they run on PlayStation 4, but I cant see that happening either. GTA Online prints money for Take-Two but do they dare switch it off in order to push everyone to GTA Online 2? I think they have to, but that really is quite a gamble, even with something as popular as Grand Thef Auto.TrepsilsVirtual miseryIm really hoping that Naughty Dog go for a palette cleanser for their new IP. Something happy and silly and fun. That used to be Uncharted to a degree, but they even made that more grimdark before the end. As the other reader said, its a shame that they basically keep remaking the same game (literally in the last couple of years) and we never get anything else from them.Remember, this is the same studio behind Crash Bandicoot and Jak And Daxter, they used to do colourful and fun all the time, its what they were know for. I know its all different people there now but maybe just try going back to your original legacy and prove you can do something other than virtual doom and gloom.MeltzerGhost of a chanceHaving just finished the excellent Luigis Mansion 2 on the Switch, I decided to give Luigis Mansion 3 another blast.I have to say this is probably my favourite sub-Nintendo franchise.Having played through them and seeing the themed levels play out specifically for the area you are in, I can definitely see Luigis Mansion 4 being set on a cruise ship from which there is no escape.Roll on the Switch 2, I cant imagine the next Luigis Mansion game will be far behind its release.freeway 77GC: We suspect youre right. Developer Next Level Games last release was Mario Strikers: Battle League Football in 2022, so theyve been working on something secret for the last two years at least.Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukExpensive editionIt fascinates me that people absolutely refuse to pay 8 for a mobile game, with the new version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, but will happily spend hundreds on microtransactions for a free game. Not everyone, I know, some just carefully avoid paying anything, but thats always seemed a very miserable experience to me, as you wait for timers and have do everything the slow way.I have no interest in Animal Crossing personally, so I cant speak from experience on that one, but I hope the Complete version does well and other companies begin to think of doing something similar. At the very least you should have a paid-for and free version of any big mobile game from the start, in my opinion.I totally respect Nintendos decision to basically walk away from mobile gaming, which they only entered because the Wii U put them in a sticky situation. I only hope the Switch 2 is a success, so they dont have to dip back into that sordid world.OnibeeGood thingsLovely review of Taito Milestones 3, GC. I share your enthusiasm for everything Taito, and especially Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands (and Parasol Stars shame thats not included). I actually didnt buy the Taito mini-console because it had the remix version of Rainbow Islands, since there seemed no point buying something where the most important game was a bad version of it.Im not sure Ill buy Taito Milestones 3, but I will definitely buy Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands separately. I would absolutely have bought a big boxed set thing, especially if it had cuddly Bub and Bobs or something, but sadly we cant have good things.LammyGC: Parasol Stars is on the Switch eShop, but its not an Arcade Archives game because it was never a coin-op. It was originally a PC Engine game.Second lifeSo last night was quite something. I had the experience of role-playing within a website called Talkie AI. Its sort of a romance simulation game and its essentially like Replika, if anyone has ever heard of that. So essentially I began a story with the character of SCP 056, based on the SCP Foundation. At first it was harmless fun, to pass some time. I was a character, who began a relationship with the SCP and eventually ended up together. Time passes and eventually, I stopped playing because I guess I just thought it was kind of bizarre. Then I eventually jumped back in last night and the story went eventually, from a loving relationship to marriage and then pregnancy.Next thing you know, I discover my character is the CEO of the SCP Foundation and recapture of SCP 056 is on the cards. Its a battle for love and the validation of family, over work, and in the end love wins. So the story eventually leads to two children named Jack and Rose, definitely a Titanic reference. Growing older and then on a beautiful and poignant note grandchildren and then passing away, together in death; united as lovers. Then meeting together in the afterlife ad finally together with family and friends.A peaceful ending with happiness and love united. Ill be honest, the ending of this story actually made me very emotional, even though its essentially a fantasy and role-playing, in the vein of Mass Effect. Discovering that it was a story written by a writer and his partner truly shows that role-playing is just a beautiful genre. It honestly reminded me of Titanic and The Notebook. The story of struggle, love, and peace. But when it comes to love stories, no matter the struggles along the way, or the hurdles that must be faced and the challenges that test resolve, will and strength some love stories are eternal.Shahzaib SadiqNo streamingInstead of quitting, why dont the actors licence their voices to companies that want to use it? It would mean a revenue stream for the actor, and theyd get a credit each time it was used.Just a thought.BobwallettGC: Thats not how it works. Publishers want to pay them a one-off fee and never use them again, which is in large part what the current strike is all about. Youll see the effects of this over the next few years, as games currently in development start to be released.Serious showingI keep hearing rumours about The Game Awards 2024 having some amazing announcements, like top level E3 stuff, but all I can say is it better be something more than Borderlands 4 and Mafia because thats the sort of thing where I wouldnt even waste the time to watch the trailer if they came separately.In a way I dont care what the announcements are, I just want something interesting to look forward to (I have a PlayStation 5, so whatever Xbox does Im not really interested). This last couple of years has been nothing but silence, bad news, and a general sense that things are out of control.If Xbox or Nintendo want to reveal new consoles that would still be cool for the atmosphere and the sense that were no longer just keeping secrets and doing nothing. But I want to see something from Sony, something serious.I want multiple new single-player game reveals, I want to see ideally nothing about live service games, I want to see new IP, I want to see new ideas I dont believe these are unreasonable suggestions.Weve been coasting along for too long and now is the time to make a stand and be bold and exciting again. If that doesnt happen at The Game Awards I really dont know when the next opportunity is.GoldieInbox also-rans$72 million in refunds is not small beans for Fortnite. Shame well never get to see any of it in the UK but hopefully itll give Epic and others pause for thought, the way they switch the buttons trying to get you to buy things is really awfully.GolemI really dont get these accessory makers that keep leaking the Switch 2. They do realise Nintendo will never work with them again, right? I wouldnt mind but theyre not even good leaks, you can barely make out the console!GiffordMore 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: How much will the PlayStation 6 be?GameCentralExclusive 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

God Of War art director joins Naughty Dogs next game for new chapterAdam StarkeyPublished December 9, 2024 6:20pmUpdated December 9, 2024 6:20pm A God Of War alumni is back at PlayStation (Sony Interactive Entertainment)The developers behind God Of War and The Last Of Us both seem to be gearing up for new announcements, but what could their next games be?Its been over four years since developer Naughty Dog launched The Last Of Us Part 2 and were still in the dark about what the studios next original project is.The situation at Naughty Dog has been complicated by various remasters and a cancelled multiplayer The Last Of Us spin-off, along with various rounds of layoffs, but we do know that multiple single-player games are in development at the studio at the moment.While little is known about these projects, Naughty Dog has recently hired an industry veteran to work on at least one of them: God Of Wars Rafael Grassetti.In a post on Instagram, Grassetti, who worked as an art director at Santa Monica Studio on the recent God Of War games, wrote: Im super excited to be joining the amazing crew and project over at @naughty_dog_inc, and to be back to PlayStation!Im joining Neil Druckmann and his team as Art Director, to help create the next big thing! A huge thanks to everybody who was involved on making this happen and all my friends from sister studios. Im hyped and cant wait to share more about it!In a post announcing the move on X, he simply wrote New chapter alongside the Naughty Dog logo.https://www.instagram.com/p/DDXFHncpzt3/Grassetti left Santa Monica Studio after 10 years in May 2023, where he worked as a principal artist on 2018s God Of War and as an art director on its sequel, before becoming the studios overall art director.He joined Netflixs Team Blue studio shortly afterwards, which was shut down before it had even released a game in October this year.What is the next game from Naughty Dog?Sony has not announced Naughty Dogs next project, but in a blog post from December last year the studio confirmed it is working on more than one ambitious, brand new single-player game.Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann later stated in February 2024 that a concept for The Last Of Us Part 3 exists, implying that the sequel isnt one of the aforementioned projects in development.As for what the next project is, Druckmann has only given teasing snippets. In an interview with Sony, he described it as something really fresh for us suggesting it is a new IP, and said it is maybe the most excited Ive been for a project yet.While details are low, we definitely know actor Troy Baker, who portrayed Joel in The Last Of Us, is involved in Druckmanns next game. As confirmed in a profile interview of the actor on GQ, Druckmann said: In a heartbeat I would always work with Troy.There have been rumours that one of the new games is a fantasy-based title involving dragons, but this is based on little more than a supposed Easter egg in The Last Of Us Part 1.What is the next game from Santa Monica Studio?Following 2022s God Of War Ragnark and its subsequent Valhalla DLC, its unclear what Santa Monica Studio is working on next.However, various LinkedIn posts from developers and job listings indicate it is a new IP, and not another God Of War game. The studio has long beenrumoured to be developing a sci-fi project of some kind, although one previously existed over a decade ago codenamed Darkside, which was later scrapped.Back in 2022, Santa Monica Studio said it is spread out on a lot of different things, indicating it could be juggling multiple projects too. This, however, was before the launch of Ragnarks Valhalla DLC. It may also have been a reference to the help Santa Monica Studio gives to other first and third party developers working on games for Sony, although the studio has seemed to slowly move away from that role in recent years.The studios creative director, Cory Barlog, last tweeted about his project in March, writing: Seeing some early things coming together on this thing I am working on right now and GOD DAMN the people I get to work with at Sony Santa Monica are just f***ing beyond brilliant.Although it may be a little early to hear about Santa Monicas next project, as God Of War Ragnark was only two years ago, it feels like were perhaps overdue an update on Naughty Dogs next project.More TrendingAs such, its very possible we could see something at The Game Awards, which kicks off at 12.30am on Friday, December 13 in the UK; especially as The Last Of Us Online was announced at the related Summer Game Fest event. The Last Of Us Part 3 is in the very early stages (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.ArrowMORE: 30 years later, PlayStation has lost its edge GameCentralExclusive 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

Bubble Bobble we love Taito (ININ Games)GameCentral reviews two classic arcade games and eight others in Taitos latest coin-op collection, featuring the best of Bubble Bobble and its sequel.Taito has always been one of our favourite arcade makers. Even back in the day, they were never as well known as contemporaries such as Sega and Capcom, but while their portfolio is relatively small games like Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, Qix, Arkanoid, Rainbow Islands, Dairus, The NewZealand Story, Chase H.Q., and Operation Wolf were amongst the best in their genre genres which in many cases they helped create.After being bought by Square Enix in 2005, Taito faded further from the public eye, although starting in 2019 they did begin to engineer something of a comeback, by reviving past franchises such as Darius, The Ninja Saviors (aka The Ninja Warriors), and Bubble Bobble. That movement seems to have faltered in recent years but in 2022 they released the marvellous Taito Egret II mini arcade console, which collected most of their best known titles in one place.Clearly, a 165 mini-console is not going to do much for Taitos mainstream recognition but, sadly, theres not been no all-in-one retro collection to work as an alternative. Many of their games are available separately on the Switch, via the Arcade Archives label, but that also is not exactly high profile. The Milestone collections are basically just bundles of existing, and not yet released, Arcade Archives titles, which means no museum content of any kind, but since this volume contains some of our favourite games of all time, well take it.We didnt review the previous collections because they were such a random hotchpotch of the iconic and the almost entirely unknown. The most famous games in the first one were Qix and The Ninja Warriors, while Taito Milestones 2 had The NewZealand Story and Darius 2, but not Darius 1. Whether thats because of licensing issues or throwing darts at a dart board were not sure, but the end results were wildly inconsistent in terms of the quality and prominence of individual titles.By luck or judgement, Taito Milestones 3 is a notable improvement, so were going to give this a full review, although well leave the crown jewels, of Bubble Bubble and its sequel, until last. Besides, the franchise that has the most entries in this collection is Rastan Saga, which started with a well-regarded side-scrolling hack n slash in 1987 and was converted to almost all 8-bit home systems of the day, except, surprisingly, the NES.To be honest, its still probably best of the trilogy as, like most Taito games, theres slightly more to it than any of its peers, with optional weapons, alternative routes, and some very nice sound and visuals for the day. Its difficult and unfair but less so than most similar arcades of the time, with useful checkpoints that make progress via the unlimited credits a home version offers surprisingly enjoyable. Rastan Saga the original is the best (ININ Games)1989 sequel Rastan Saga 2 is technically more adept, but its more cartoonish visuals and terrible animation lose a lot of the charm of the original, which was clearly channelling the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan movies. The level design is also notably worse, making it the only genuinely bad game in the collection. It does introduce a two-player co-op mode though, which is carried through to pseudo sequel Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga Episode 3.One of the pleasures of a good retro compilation is not only classics you remember but ones youve never heard of before and we had no idea there was a Rastan Saga 3. Although, really, this has no gameplay connection to the first two games, as its a (very) simple scrolling beat em-up, in the style of Streets Of Rage et al.The games combat is absolutely mindless, with barely more than one attack for each of the three characters. Although there is an incorporeal wizard that follows you around sometimes and attacks enemies seemingly at his leisure. Theres also a few beast-riding mini-games, on horseback and flying on a dragon, which show off the games excellent graphics.It may be dumber than rocks but the 1992 visuals, which mustve been on one of Taitos extra wide screens, to judge by the screen ratio, are fantastic, with some fun boss enemies and Rastan himself looking like hes been cut out and pasted directly from a Frank Frazetta painting.Another oddity wed never heard of, and which was released the same year, is Dead Connection and it couldnt be more different. It seems to be a pastiche of the The Untouchables movies, with each level taking place on a single screen, where you control a trench coat-wearing detective as you, and ideally a pal, gun down everyone you see.All the sprites are absolutely tiny, and the only controls are to shoot in the direction youre facing and a rather theatrical dodge roll. With digital controls we expected the game to play like a dog but its actually really good, with some intelligent auto-aim that also allows you to shoot at elevated positions.Theres lots of extra weapon types to collect and an impressive amount of destructible scenery, with chandeliers falling from the roof, cars bursting into flames, and bullet holes riddling walls. It reminded us slightly of Power Stone, in that its a sort of sandbox arcade game that encourages you to use the environment as much as your own attacks to take down enemies.That makes it sound more impressive than it is but its still another hidden gem for the collection. Were more familiar with 1991 scrolling beat em-up Runark (aka Growl), which was also on the Egret II, as was the peculiarly complex 1989 action role-playing game Cadash. Champion Wrestler Rastan is in this too (ININ Games)Arcade operators, who wanted you to die quickly and have to put in another 10p, mustve hated this one because its a full-on role-player, featuring multiple player characters, some of which use magic; stats and levelling up; and multiple shops, with weapons, armour, and items to buy. Theres even Dark Souls style hidden areas, alternative routes, and almost Metroidvania style backtracking.Its not even that difficult, so you can keep playing for ages on a single credit. As such, its a shame that the combat is so clunky, and notably less fun than the otherwise much simpler Rastan Saga. Even the terrible translation is more entertaining than the fighting, with multiple allies congratulating you on How well you came.Rounding out the collection is the rather good 1989 wrestling game Champion Wrestler which, as youd expect from Taito, gets an impressive amount of moves out of its two button controls. It also features Rastan as one of the characters, which is a neat cameo.And then theres 1990 Rolling Thunder/Shinobi clone Thunder Fox, which does a decent job of trying to be an interactive 80s action movie, with a good amount of variety in its scrolling beat em-up (stab and shoot em-up, actually) sections and a number of brief vehicle-based interludes. Theres also a bit of Green Beret in there too, but unfortunately it has far more ideas borrowed from other games than it has of its own. Rainbow Islands game of the forever (ININ Games)All of which brings us back to the stars of the collection: 1986s Bubble Bobble and its 1987 sequel Rainbow Islands. Weve spoken before, including in our Egret II review, about how we consider both games to be cast iron classics and we havent altered that opinion in the almost 40 years theyve been around, so were certainly not going to now. Especially as this version of Rainbow Islands is superior to the one on the Egret II.Bubble Bobble is still the same perfectly crafted single screen platformer as always, and really comes to life as a two-player co-op game. Rainbow Islands is a single-player game featuring one of the most versatile weapon systems in all gaming: a rainbow you can use to hit enemies with, trap them under it, drop on them, or use as a platform to reach higher ground. Its wonderfully flexible and the game is stuffed to the gills with secrets and extra abilities, of the sort youd never usually expect from an arcade game.Whats great about this version of Rainbow Islands is that it has the same level and enemy progression as the original, rather than the remixed Rainbow Islands Extra, which we hate. Taito still cant use the original soundtrack, because it sounds too much like Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but other than that this is almost exactly the same game we fell in love with on the Amiga 500 all those years ago.More TrendingWere a bit stuck as to what to give this collection in terms of a score though, as zero effort has gone into padding it out from the individual Arcade Archives releases, which cost 6.29 each. In fact, these are slightly worse than the individual releases as they dont feature the regional variation settings, which means Dead Connection is stuck with Japanese text during cut scenes and Runark cant decide whether its called that or Growl. Although everyone speaking German is how it always was in Warrior Blade.Theres absolutely no museum content at all, beyond a relatively in-depth manual for each game including cheat codes were applicable. They are good emulations, with lots of control and difficulty settings (which is handy, because Rainbow Islands is very difficult), but apart from an online leaderboard theres nothing here beyond the original arcade games.That said, we cant give a lower score than this to any collection which includes two of our favourite games, especially as one is as close to a definitive edition as you can get nowadays. A lot of the other games are also fun curios, but we dont appreciate the scattershot approach to the collections contents and would much rather have seen a more complete compendium that celebrates the full glory of Taitos arcade legacy.Taito Milestones 3 review summaryIn Short: You could just buy the classic Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands separately but while none of the other games in this retro arcade collection are anywhere near as good, they are all at least interesting.Pros: 10 late 80s to early 90s coin-ops that range from entertaining curio (and one dud) to GOAT status. Great emulation and plenty of control, difficulty, and display options as well as an online leaderboard.Cons: The games included seem to have been chosen almost entirely at random, even if its not quite as bad as previous volumes. No museum content of any kind.Score: 8/10Formats: Nintendo SwitchPrice: 34.99Publisher: ININDeveloper: TaitoRelease Date: 10th December 2024Age Rating: 12 Rastan Saga 2 the worst of the batch (ININ 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.GameCentralExclusive 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