The Wednesday letters page recommends modern turn-based role-playing games, as one reader is frustrated by Final Fantasy 16.
To join in with the discussions yourself email [email protected]
Hype points
I completely forgot that Sony had that Project Q handheld coming out this year, so I guess they have still got stuff to unveil and something weird like that is going to need more than a blog post (surely?). Given how badly the last one went down I’ve got to assume that a second PlayStation Showcase is going to happen this year.
Sony can announce some games (remember when they used to have those?) and also this new PS5 Slim or new model console that apparently Microsoft knows all about. In an ideal world it would be smaller, with a better design, and cheaper too. Which is what the rumour suggests.
None of that is going to help Sony if Starfield turns out as good as hoped, and if Spider-Man 2 is as underwhelming as it seemed, but their big chance is that Starfield is out quite early in September, so Sony could easily have a showcase after that and try and claw back some hype points then.
That all seems pretty obvious and logical to me but considering how Sony sleepwalked into this problem in the first place I’m not sure what the chances are of them doing the sensible thing this time round.
Grammage
Radio silence
Seeing the rumour about the PS5 Slim it hit me just how little we’ve heard from Sony this year. They didn’t announce any proper new games at their summer showcase and I’m not sure they’ve announced anything else big this year. Definitely not whatever is going to be their next big game after Spider-Man 2 (please don’t say it’s Wolverine, because I am so tired of Marvel stuff).
A PS5 Slim isn’t exactly a major reveal but hopefully it’s real and part of some sort of attempt to come from under their rock and even, with a redesign, admit some of the mistakes they’ve made. I’m not super confident but I really hope that we’ve got some Sony announcements still to come this year, and not just at The Game Awards in December.
Holts
Inspired music
Perhaps due to a serious lack of game time recently, driving towards home and listening to the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack and particularly the instrumental Manhattan Skyline reminded me of playing OutRun and the track Passing Breeze.
Sadly, I wasn’t in an open top Ferrari racing across Europe but in a VW Caddy passing Sheffield. Are there any other video game tunes that seem to be similarly inspired?
SU DOKU (gamertag)/MyDeadGran (PSN ID)
GC: Lots. It’s why we can’t get an arcade perfect version of Rainbow Islands anymore. Also, there was that whole business with Metal Gear Solid.
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
Magic sponge
Final Fantasy 16; working my way through it but struggling in parts, deeply frustrated because it could have been a great game but it’s held back in so many ways,
At first I thought the dialogue was over the top but now I’m working my way through the game and have found a new frustration: the eidolon battles.
At present, with cut scenes, they are taking about an hour each time (think I’m in the middle of the game, just obtained the fiery joining in a special battle) and the amount of cut scenes, boss transformation before battling again, and just them being giant HP sponges is really off-putting, time consuming, and ultimately boring.
Did get me thinking though, what are good turn-based games with relatively modern graphics? Yakuza: Like A Dragon springs to mind, any others GC?
Michael, Crawley
GC: Assuming you mean turn-based role-playing games, rather than strategy games, there aren’t many new ones anymore, but there is the highly recommend Chained Echoes. Also, Divinity: Original Sin 2, since it’s mentioned in the next letter. Its combat is more XCOM than Dragon Quest but it’s still turn-based.
Holding back
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is up there with the very best games I have ever played. The creators of this game, Larian, are fully releasing Baldur’s Gate 3 very soon, which I am beyond excited about. It looks phenomenal and their pedigree as a studio is very much set in concrete, in my opinion, so I have no concerns.
The problem is it won’t be releasing on Xbox just yet, because Microsoft demand that games be released on the Xbox Series X and S simultaneously; with the same features (as I understand it). And so I’ve read, the multiplayer options are giving the studio some grief, getting them to run on the Xbox Series S. I’m all for the Series S, it’s a great console and the price point is advantageous to those who want Xbox as a secondary console. But how long is it going to hamper the progress of the next generation of Xbox?
On the plus side, Microsoft seem to have deployed their specialist hit squad to Larian, to get everything moving along. So credit where it’s due. Basically, I just really want to play Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m expecting it to trump even Starfield for me this year.
Mr K
GC: The limitations of the Xbox Series S have been an issue for a while, according to developers.
Maybe next year
I wrote in earlier in the year that a friend had kindly gifted me his PS4 Pro. I owned an Xbox One during that gen, so I’ve really enjoyed playing a console at the end of its life due to the sheer amount of games to play.
I must say I’ve been amazed and lucky I’ve been able to play God Of War Ragnarök and Horizon Forbidden West on the PlayStation 4. Even I thought they should’ve been a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
I’m down to my last few games left to play, Shadow Of The Colossus and Persona 5 Royal will help me get through the summer drought.
This leads me to Christmas, by then I’ll have enough money saved up to treat myself to a new console. I always thought it would be a toss up between PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X. But after going through each console’s library I was shocked that after almost three years there is still only a handful games I’d purchase from both consoles. £475 is a lot of outlay for only a few games.
I’ve decided to purchase a Nintendo Switch for Christmas, whilst I wait for a rumoured PS5 Pro/Xbox Series X upgrade next Christmas and do similarly to what I did with the PlayStation 4. Enjoy a whole host of games (around 15 I’d like to purchase) as it nears closer to its replacement in the Switch 2.
Adam Lion 23 (gamertag)/Adam_Lion_23 (PSN ID)
Every last drop
Just to add to the readers who are using the Xbox Live codes to get Game Pass, I added mine on PC (not sure if it’s the same on console) but after adding the three month code, it asks if you want to turn recurring billing on for a free month. Click yes and then turn it straight off, before adding the next code and it will ask you again. I managed to get three years of Game Pass for £56.
Also, make sure your Game Pass subscription has expired before doing this method, otherwise you get a worse conversion.
CaptKrysis
Generational issues
As the costs of developing AAA video games rise exponentially with each generation, and the discernible differences between video games from one generation to the next decrease, the current economic model does appear close to breaking point.
To ensure profitability, companies can look to develop new means for decreasing the turnaround time without impacting cost or quality, introduce new means for generating revenue or scale back ambitions altogether.
Whether, for example, integrating AI technologies and culling staff, Games Pass, microtransactions, and so forth or artificially extending the lifespan of a console generation, there is no easy fix. Every potential solution to increasing costs and, crucially, decreasing profitability, has significant and well-documented limitations.
With Sony and Microsoft continuing to seek competitive advantage through increasing raw processing power, Nintendo are currently best placed to withstand these effects. But, as the turnaround time for Tears Of The Kingdom confirms, they are certainly not immune and with the Switch 2, or whatever it gets called, there is the prospect that with flagship titles currently taking up to five years to develop future iterations will take longer than a console’s lifespan.
If there are solutions to this very real problem it may lie in focusing less on resolution, ray-tracing, and so forth, or framerate, and more on gameplay. This would make streaming services more viable. Manufacturers could also look to innovate elsewhere, such as with portable technology and VR, gradually reducing the price point as the cost of lower end components decreases.
Something has to give. A next generation PlayStation and Xbox appear, at this rate, economically unfeasible and also undesirable considering the time it will take to bring our beloved franchises to market.
Ciara
Inbox also-rans
So who is willing to bet that EA Sports FC is exactly the same game as FIFA 24 would’ve been, but with a different logo on the main menu? I will be shocked if it does anything remotely new or clever.
Lens
Everybody 1-2-Switch may be the oddest thing Nintendo has done in a very long time, and that is say something. It almost feels like a contractual obligation, but I can’t imagine who too. And what’s the point in being a schedule filler if no one buys it? They would’ve been much better off with another remaster.
Kongest
This week’s Hot Topic
Since we’re now over the halfway point of the year this weekend’s Inbox asks what is your favourite new game so far?
You can name any game on any system, but it has to be something that was released new in the UK this year. 2023 has already seen many greats, including Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, Street Fighter 6, Humanity, Resident Evil 4, Amnesia: The Bunker, Diablo 4, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Hi-Fi Rush, and many more.
How does your pick compare to some of your existing favourites and what do you think of the year as a whole so far, and its potential for the rest of the year?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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 and content.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
MORE : Games Inbox: Final Fantasy 16 flop status, Metroid Dread 2 release date, and Bungie vs. Naughty Dog
MORE : Games Inbox: Nintendo Switch 2 launch game prediction, STALKER 2 anticipation, and Final Fantasy 16
MORE : Games Inbox: Was Xbox lying about Elder Scrolls 6, Prince Of Persia rage, and Placid Plastic Duck Simulator
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at [email protected]
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they’re seen on the site.
Privacy Policy »
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Entertainment News Click Here
