The Tuesday Inbox wishes Sony would fully embrace backwards compatibility, as one reader hopes for a Metal Gear Solid remake from Bluepoint.
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Weak bargain
Like everyone else, I’ve been pretty appalled by what’s going on with the pre-orders and lack of stock with the new consoles. Everything has been a shambles really, especially from Sony’s side and starting with the insane way they started pre-orders without telling anyone and gave zero chance for most people to get one.
Now all the stock seems to have gone to these disgusting scalpers and they seem confident they’ll get everything else that comes out too. And are Sony going to do anything about it? Not as far as I can tell. I don’t think they’ve even commented on it.
I went to eBay to see how much the PlayStation 5 was going for and the cheapest I could find, outside of getting lucky in an auction, is a buy it now for £750. There were actually quite a few of these, so it’s fairly tempting. It’s £300 more, over half the real price again, but I’m seriously considering it.
I can afford it, I guess, but I just feel like I’m being sucked along with the hype and if I only hung on a bit I’d get it for the normal price next year. But I admit I’m weak.
Commodus
Nobody cares
If Phil Spencer is talking about some sort of coupon system for buying consoles then why doesn’t he, you know, actually do it? We’re four weeks from Christmas now and scalper groups are buying up all the stock of the new consoles and ruining every Christmas Day but their own. If Microsoft are going to do something they need to do it now.
I’d say Sony as well but they don’t even seem to be pretending to care. No sign from them that they even realise that there’s a problem, let alone that they’re going to do anything about.
Strictly speaking they’ve got their money. It doesn’t matter to them if a million buy one console each or one person buys a million, but surely they’ve got to care how all this looks? I think it’s pretty obvious I’m not going to be able to get a new console this year and if this drags on too far into next year I think I might be another person that’s going to be looking at getting a gaming PC instead.
Tully
Five generations
I know it’s unofficial and probably very buggy but the fact that people have got PlayStation 2 games working on Xbox Series X already just shows how easy it would’ve been for Sony if they had actually wanted to do it. I know they have some on PlayStation Now but their approach is so half-hearted and uncaring.
I really don’t know why as they would have a major advantage over Microsoft if they did it properly because not only have they been in the busines longer – so have more games – but their first party games are much more beloved. Okay, don’t include PlayStation 5, copying Game Pass is another issue, but why not include all PlayStation 1, 2, and 3 games? I just don’t see what possible reason there could be not to do it.
Having access to every PlayStation game, or at least every major one, means a hell of a lot more than every Xbox game and yet Sony are just ignoring the opportunity. I hope they don’t end up regretting it.
Kitsune
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Slow progress
So it sounds like that Forza Motorsport ‘trailer’ was just some quick pre-rendered job they knocked up to pretend they were working on it, right? Why am I not surprised.
The more we learn about Microsoft’s next gen plans, at least in terms of the games, the more it begins to sound like they’ve all been sleeping on the job. It’s been three years since the last Forza Motorsport and the only thing the team – who is dedicated to that series and makes nothing else, not even Forza Horizon – has managed to do is a 40 second CGI trailer?
I mean, literally what were they doing? Either they’ve been taking the world’s longest tea break or someone at Microsoft needs to get some time and motion studies done ASAP.
Bisco
Real nostalgia
As a counter to the reader trying to write-off Nintendo games as being successful purely thanks to nostalgia I would offer Crash Bandicoot 4 up as an example of what it looks like when people are buying games only for a hit of nostalgia.
The remakes were huge hits but the brand new sequel was a flash in the pan, despite apparently being just as good. Clearly people were only buying the games they’ve already played for nostalgic reasons and weren’t interested in the sequel because (as I’ve always maintained) Crash Bandicoot isn’t a particularly good game.
This is not how things work with Nintendo. I don’t even know if that many people would say they particular like Mario and co. They’re not the attraction, the games are, and having the same characters is just a branding thing more than anything. Unlike with Crash Bandicoot where it’s almost the only reason to play.
Peeps
Possibly maybe
While I don’t generally don’t pay much attention to rumours until there’s some sort of confirmation this one seems too good to ignore and if true would make a nice positive end to 2020. It seems the fella that dropped the God Of War: Ragnarök rumour (so quite believable) is stating that the PlayStation 5 is getting a remake of Metal Gear Solid and the previously cancelled Silent Hills (P.T.).
Both are apparently slated for next year, with Bluepoint having been working on Metal Gear Solid for three years alongside Demon’s Souls and Hideo Kojima coming to an agreement with Konami to finish the Silent Hills he started before the less than amicable split.
Never did I think that we’d see P.T. after Konami tried to wipe it off every system they could but it goes to show that money does talk and no doubt Sony had a hand in it.
Bluepoint’s ever growing pedigree could make Metal Gear Solid something really special and not forgetting that they done the HD remaster collection on PlayStation 3/4 so it’s a world very familiar to them.
These two along with Horizon Forbidden West could make this time next year something to look forward to indeed.
Mr.Saveloy
GC: Variations of that Silent Hill rumour have been going round for months now, as has talk of Bluepoint working on a Metal Gear Solid remake – as well as Castlevania and half a dozen other games. Usually, going this long without any kind of evidence is a bad sign but perhaps we’ll find out something concrete at The Game Awards next week.
Good excuse
I would love to go to Japan to see the Nintendo theme park. I can’t see it happening this year, partially for the obvious reasons, but it does make me want to commit to going their eventually, as I’ve always wanted to.
I’m sure that must seem silly to some people but to me it seems the perfect catalyst to do a whole bunch of other things there too. Much more than going to the Olympics would do.
Rooky
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Cheap GAAS
The Marvel’s Avengers game has received a lot of criticism for its games as a service aspirations. Well, I saw it on the Xbox store at half price so I thought I would give it a shot for the campaign alone, as I’m not interested in a rinse and repeat grind. To my surprise I think the campaign is really good, and I’m invested in the story and its characters. There’s some next gen performance upgrades too, which with the high production values look stunning.
I read there were a number of technical issues at launch, so I’m so glad I waited for the improvements and saved myself some money in the process. I’m not always so patient, and the negativity surrounding the game was definitely a factor.
It’s such a shame they taken the games as a service route, because with a more substantial campaign, without the multiplayer grind encroaching, it would’ve been a far greater success. I actually think the relative failure of Avengers is a good thing, because we may get the game fans want next time. Good single-player games can still have an extended life with story DLC further down the line.
Publishers need to realise that gamers only have so much time on their hands for a Fortnite, Warzone or a Destiny. So if they can’t better those games they desperately want to be, why bother? (Looking at you Anthem!) Hopefully the failures will serve as a warning, and developers can just concentrate on making good games instead of chasing the latest fad.
Anon
Inbox also-rans
I’m going to make a prediction and say that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be good but not as good as The Witcher 3 and viewed as a mild disappointment. I base this on nothing but my gut feeling. I’m willing to be 10 internet points that I’m right though.
Cookie
Surprised to not see Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War in the Black Friday deals, I thought it did worse than usual? I guess even a sub-par Call Of Duty is still bigger than anything else around but there definitely small discounts on Modern Warfare last year. I think Black Friday is losing its magic.
Pete
This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Stone Cold Steve Austin, who asks if you could go back and play one game again, without any prior knowledge, what would it be?
Imagine you could wipe your mind of any knowledge of playing the game in question, which one would you pick and why? Is it simply your favourite game or is there something about it – perhaps a surprising plot twist or a general lack of replayability – that makes you wish you could experience it anew?
Would you worry that there’s a danger you wouldn’t actually like it as much the second time, perhaps because your tastes have changed or video games in general have advanced too much in the meantime?
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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
MORE : Games Inbox: Buying a PS5 this year, Cyberpunk 2077 concerns, and Call Of Duty Black Ops: Cold War bugs
MORE : Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Best thing about the next gen
MORE : Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: Best thing about the next gen
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