The video game tie-in is going to be a while (Credits: JoJo Whilden/Prime Video)The Tuesday letters page explores the oldest online games that are still running, as a reader asks what improvements Saros should make over Returnal.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukLow impactLooking at Microsofts line-up for this year its true they do have an impressive amount of games coming out and I think a lot of them look good, but I also think its true to say none of them are probably going to be big sellers, on PlayStation or Xbox.The problem is not quantity or quality but impact and beyond the Activision stuff the biggest Microsoft has are Halo, Gears Of War, Forza, and Bethesda role-players. Halo and Gears have slipped off a lot nowadays, to the point where theyre barely draws any more, but I think Microsoft has made a mistake not ensuring theres a steady supply of new Forza games, like there used to be.But their biggest mistake has been how Bethesdas role-players have been handled. I get that they wanted to take a chance on something new with Starfield but its going to be close to 20 years between Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls 6 and thats insane.Even worse is that Fallout 5 wont be until after that! They really needed to give that job to someone else, rather than waiting till Bethesda get round to it. The Amazon show will be old news before theres ever a new game to support it. As far as I can work out its more or less impossible for Fallout 5 to be out before 2030 at the very earliest. Thats nuts.XaneLive service retroI have no interest in Rainbow Six Siege, but it is very impressive to me that a game could potentially last 20 years or more and still be popular enough that a sequel isnt deemed necessary.It makes me wonder how long some of the other live service games that are popular at the moment will last. The big question is how long can Fortnite last? It seemed to dip a few years ago but ever since they played the nostalgia card it seems bigger than ever.Im sure itll outlast Rainbow Six Siege so what are we looking at? A game that will last 25 years or more? One that will really last forever? At this point there doesnt seem any reason to stop it or restart it and Im not sure what new technology would make them think they should either. Fortnite could outlast us all!BeakerGC: People are still playing Ultima Online and thats 28 years old at this point. Although thats nothing compared to the original MUD, which has been going for 47 years.Interesting timesIf youre paying 30,000 for a Switch 2 I dont know what to say, but Im pretty sure that trying to sell it to peripheral makers so they know what size case to make is not going to be a very successful get rich quick plan.Still, its more evidence that people are thirsty for new hardware and an escape from the failure of Xbox and the low energy dominance of Sony. Im sure Nintendo will mess up this open goal somehow, since theyre usually at their best when recovering from a failure, but I still think this is going to be an exciting year for games.The second GTA 6 trailer could drop at any minute and once the Switch 2 is fully revealed in April we are going to have a lot to talk about. Well, argue about probably but Im looking forward to it all the same.CharonEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukCivilizations declineI havent seen it talked about much here, but can I just say how upset I am that Civilization 7 has turned out to be a dud? Its Metacritic score may not look that bad (a surprisingly mixed result, although with GC reliably low down the list, along with IGN) but the user score is just 3.7, with the Steam score at a depressingly low Mixed.All of the complaints are the same too, with too few features, too many bugs, and the game just stopping in the 20th century, so were forced to buy the rest as DLC. How places like The Guardian can end up giving the game a 10/10 I dont know. I think they just assumed (as I did, to be honest) that Civilization would always be good, but this one is definitely not.Maybe it can be improved with patches but thats not the point. Theyve had nearly a decade to prepare for this sequel and it feel like its still a year away from a state it shouldve been released in. Awful.MorphSpeak upI wish Phil Spencer or someone from Xbox would talk about why they havent followed the live service trend. I find that very interesting, that theyre one of the few not to go that route, and yet theyve never tried to promote that as a positive or explain it. He does all these interviews, but everything is just buzz words and half-truths that I really dont see the point of doing it.If I was in charge of Xbox, Id be looking to take advantage of Sonys faults by always doing what they dont. Trying to copy them is a lot more difficult than identifying a weakness of theirs and doing the opposite. If fans are upset that Sony seems distant and uncommunicative then open and up and explain yourself, especially if you know people are uncomfortable with your direction already.Maybe thats what Phil thinks hes doing but when theres no substance to what he says its almost more annoying than if they said nothing. Oh well, at least we know that they havent shut Double Fine down.FocusThe road backMaking the Xbox relevant again is a tricky prospect. Its too late in the generation to attract many new console owners and any first party games they bring out solely for the Xbox are going to reach a very limited audience.I genuinely think that their best approach, and possibly their only viable approach, is to set themselves up for the next generation. Release games now multiplatform, ensuring that everyone gets to play their games, maximising revenue and exposure. Then when their new console launches, make sure that you have exclusive sequels to the most popular or best games youve produced previously.Given that fewer console owners are transitioning to new generation consoles immediately, and that Nintendo offering more direct competition (with tech levelling out), Im not even sure a successful reset would be enough for Microsoft. Still, even then maybe theres room enough in the industry for them to find a profitable niche though would that satisfy them?Matt (He_who_runs_away PSN ID)Final leapIm not sure Microsoft has given up trying to attract PlayStation 5 owners so much as PlayStation 5 owners have given up being interested in Xbox consoles. Like another reader said recently, its usually quite common to switch console at the end of a generation, to sample the exclusives youve missed.I know Ive done it before but not this time, what would be the point? To end up with a dead console where all the games are going to be on PlayStation 5 anyway. I really dont see anyway out of this for Xbox unless this giant leap for the next gen machine is as big as theyre claiming. But what happens in the meantime?Terry GoldNot a sequelSince Sony never actually showed it in action, Im curious what peoples hopes are for Saros, as a follow-up to Returnal? Im hoping for a major improvement in graphics, for a start, as the original looked like an average PlayStation 4 game, but I wonder whether the randomly generated levels are really necessary?Variety is important with a roguelike, but the way Returnal was designed it meant you were only ever playing in fairly small rooms before going through a door to the next area, like Metroid Prime. Id be interested in some much larger, open world style areas. Perhaps they could figure out how to randomise landscapes within that, rather than having to chop everything up into separate sections.I dont want to come across as a philistine but Id also like a story I can actually understand. I still dont understand what was going on in Returnal, even after the secret ending, and now it looks like I never will, if theres going to be no sequel.Although I dont know why they dont make a Returnal 2? Its not as if Saros looks like its setting itself up to be any more mainstream friendly. Although looking through their Wikipedia page I noticed they havent made any actual sequels before, even if there have been a ton of Stardust games (which I dont think have a story).LeftyGC: We dont think theyve ever said, but it may be because of the departure of director Harry Krueger.Inbox also-ransI wonder if the Nintendo Switch 2 will have an achievement system? Nintendo has flirted with the idea in certain games but never a system wide thing. I wouldnt be against the idea.LumpySay what you will about the Mass Effect trilogy but the suicide mission bit at the end is still the best sequence in any game Ive ever played. Just got to it again today, in the remaster collection, and theres nothing like it.PearcutMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Readers Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.You can also leave your comments below and dont forget to follow us on Twitter.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy