Games Inbox: Sony PS5 reveal preview, Star Wars: Battlefront 3 hopes and Nintendo Switch leaks

Will the PlayStation reveal event live up to the hype? (pic: Sony)

The Monday Inbox looks at Microsoft and Sony’s different approaches to exclusives, as a reader asks about your favourite Japanese video game.

To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

One-upmanship
So here we are, on the cusp of finally learning something about the next generation. Probably less than five months before they’re released. That’s crazy, but it’s been a crazy year and at least now we have a time and date to look forward to. But… what if it’s another disappointment? What if this is the equivalent of Microsoft’s ‘gameplay’ reveal? It already is in terms of purpose, whether it is in terms of content.

I don’t think gamers can take another wet squib, not with no E3 and so little information or things to get excited about recently. I would hope Sony understands that and I think they do. Or rather, I think they will have gone over all Microsoft’s recent mistakes (and successes) with a microscope and making sure everything they do and say will be seen as one-up on Xbox.

How many games will be shown, who can say, there’s no way to guess but logically the thing to do now was to show off some games that are only possible on next gen, to prove that Sony’s attitude towards exclusives is correct (I’m not saying it is, just from their perspective it must be). After the Unreal Engine 5 demo that should be quite the sight. I’m hope that then next gen will begin this week.
Coffey

Two and done
So with EA stopping making new content for Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and it free on PS Plus I guess that officially draws a line under what I think we can call a troubled game. I will insist it is a very good game though. I’m sure many people will avoid it even when it’s free because of its reputation but the updates since have bene great and the game itself was always good, it’s just the way they were going to use loot boxes that was the problem – but microtransactions never got turned on so it was never an issue.

The loot boxes are still in there, which makes player progression a pain but they managed to finesse the system enough that it took out a lot of the randomness and worked really well. I really recommend everyone give it a go as it has some of the best graphics of the generation and even stuff like the spaceship mode is very good.

Which brings me to the other point of my letter: I hope they don’t do another one. That may seem at odds with what I’ve just said but Battlefront 2 was and is great, so let’s move on. Let’s see what this Project Maverick thing is and get some kind of Mandalorian bounty hunter game going. The only problem with success is it tends to put a stop to innovation, so now that victory has been snatched from the jaws of defeat let’s move on to bigger and better things!
Kimble
PS: A don’t for a second think EA, or any publisher, would think like this.

Japanese curios
Do any other readers have a favourite Japanese game or game franchise that has made little impact in the West (or has not even been officially released outside of Japan)?

I know Mother 3 has a big word of mouth fan following and I hope it does get an official release someday, however the game series I would really like to see properly localised in its entirety is Ganbare Goemon. SNES Legend Of The Mystical Ninja is good (despite the annoying renaming of the main characters) but the three sequels are superb.

I suspect it’s unlikely but I would love to see a compilation package released featuring full, decent translations.
John

GC: Considering it’s published by Konami we think ‘unlikely’ is probably an understatement. But we like the idea so we adapted it for this week’s Hot Topic, minus the obscure aspect.

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

Preserve and improve
Backwards compatibility is great to preserve the medium, making it easier to play games from yesteryear. Nobody wants to buy a console (original Xbox for example) just to replay a game they loved as a kid, so backwards compatibility solves this problem.

I don’t use it every day, but for sure a few times a year I replay a classic from my childhood, in the same way I sometimes rewatch movies I loved as a kid.
Jez

Hope springs eternal
For Switch owners eager for any news of new games, hopefully we are gearing up for some announcements. Apparently, Amazon France have put up some tentative placeholders, for both third party and first party games, which may mean some announcements are imminent. Or not.

As ever with this kind of thing it’s best not to make presumptions until they happen. Anyway, here’s the story.

GC: That seems pretty tenuous, but hopefully June is the month that things start to happen.

Always a chance
The reason I believe the Xbox/Sega team-up rumours is that it’s dumb, which, unfortunately is exactly the sort of business decision Microsoft seems to love. I know some people think they’re unfairly picked on but I completely agree with the Reader’s Feature about them still being the underdog. Although to be honest that’s a fairly generous phrase to describe their position at the moment.

The bit that I still can’t believe is the companies they bought while on their ‘spending spree’. What a bunch of second-stringers and nobodies! Even Obsidian is just a poor man’s BioWare. It ‘s that which gives me no hope in their games line-up. That and the insistence on concentrating so much on Halo and Gears of War, even though it’s clear nobody cares anymore.

As the reader said, they had to change Gears’ name just because everyone thought the acronym was a God Of War! What I also agree is that we need strong competition for Sony, which Xbox is not providing right now. We’ll see what Sony reveals on Thursday but them messing up is the only chance Microsoft now, I don’t see them having any positive effect on their own success, they can only benefit from Sony’s mistakes.

Lucky the games industry makes those all the time, so in that sense Xbox is definitely still in the game.
Rinser

Guiding influence
In my opinion Microsoft will be wasting a lot of money for exclusives from Sega. Sega can’t seem to be able to reinvigorate any of their franchises. Microsoft also isn’t able to give real constructive direction, as say Nintendo does with a lot of the studios it works with. I would point to Rare and look where they are after being taken over by Microsoft.

That’s why I think Sega’s best bet is to be taken over by Nintendo if people want to see the Sega of old, which is pretty ironic.
Alek Kazam

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

Opposite approaches
It was interesting that on pretty much the same day Sony said they believe in console generations, and have no interest in making their PlayStation 5 games run on PlayStation 4, Microsoft boasted that thousands of games will be playable on Xbox Series X at launch and it will be the most compatible console ever. It’s a reminder there’s significant differences in each next gen business plan.

Both approaches have clear advantages and are appealing. Game Pass and backwards compatibility, along with Project xCloud are parts of the formation of an Xbox brand Microsoft want to see on many devices, of which the Xbox Series X is just one. Which should put them in good stead for a streaming-only future, where console generations no longer mean anything and services do.

But for the next gen specifically that means games will have to run on less powerful hardware for a while, most notably Microsoft’s exclusives. It’s hard to believe Halo Infinite’s design won’t be limited by having to run on Xbox One. Which is why it’s so tantalising and exciting to see what Sony has to offer this week for games that will be PlayStation 5 only.

Whichever approach is more appealing to you I think what’s nice is it looks very promising that each will successfully deliver their next gen vision to the pillars of belief they have so far stated. Unlike Google with Stadia, who haven’t delivered on their pitch for a streaming platform yet.
Simundo

Inbox also-rans
An updated version of the System Shock 1 Remastered demo is now available on Steam and GOG until the 15th June. I am a Kickstarter backer, backers can still download the demo after the 15th June.
Andrew J.
PS: Showdown Bandit is free currently on Steam, hopefully it will still be free when this letter is printed on Monday.

So then, Sony is now going to start fighting back on Thursday? I’m going to be honest, I’m a little excited. Just think, to name a few games that could be there: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Days Gone 2, Bloodborne 2, and The Last Of Us Part 2. Can’t wait.
David

Speaking of Sega, Anyone seen how much certain Saturn games are going for on eBay? Panzer Dragoon Saga (sealed PAL version) is £2.5K!
Anon

I knew someone would say Final Fantasy in the weekend Hot Topic. I would definitely recommend Final Fantasy 7 Remake as a great jumping on point. It’s the one mainline entry that I’d say anyone could enjoy.
Gingster

This week’s Hot Topic
The question for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by reader John, and asks what’s your favourite Japanese-made video game?

It can be any game on any format, obscure or an all-time classic, as long as it was developed by a primarily Japanese team (the publisher is irrelevant). Do you usually know where your games are made and does that affect whether you’re interested in them or not?

What do you think are the most common strengths and weakness for Japanese-made games and how do you expect them to adapt to the next generation?

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

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: Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: Classic video games you’ve never played

MORE: Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Classic video games you’ve never played

MORE: Games Inbox: Microsoft and Sega Xbox team-up, The Last Of Us Part 2 apathy, and Zelda: The TV Show

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Schwarzerblitz is a 3D fighting game inspired by 32-bit era entries to the genre.

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What the PS5 Unreal Engine demo can teach us about emotion in games – Reader’s Feature

Lumen In The Land Of Nanite – an emotional tech demo (pic: Epic Games)

A reader reacts to the Unreal Engine 5 tech and explores how visuals, sound, and interactivity can inspire an emotional response in players.

Waking up one morning, before starting my usual routine of seeing Pierce Morgan ripping into his latest guests, I had a thought, or rather a feeling, of a woman running through cavernous structures. Light played and bounced endlessly against finely detailed rock structures and warm, brightly lit areas gave way to cold dimly lit shadowy ruins. The more I think about it, the feeling was the result of an emotional connection that I had to Epic Game’s Unreal Engine 5 demo running on PlayStation 5.

The feeling I had was one of hope, hope for a new generation of technology. Technology that will finally deliver us mere peasants from the current generation into a new world of gaming experiences.

The demo was amazing, everything from the birds flying off at the start, to highlight the hero’s isolation, to things like the contextual animations used to show her looking back at the rock she’s just climbed. Or brushing her shirt off casually as she stands and the small gasp of exasperation she lets out while cowering in fear of the bats flying overhead – it all helped to create the amazingly atmospheric experience.

Sure, these are arguably all easy things to contrive for a small demo, and nothing we haven’t already experienced in games of past generations, but put together with the real-time global illumination, the audio, and the rich world detail, they elicit an emotional response that no other next gen showing has done so far.

We will remember this demo, it will last in our memories, certainly for weeks, possibly for years to come.

Emotional connection in games is a very important tool, it’s arguably one of the most important aspects of a character driven narrative.

Games like Ico, Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons, Luigi’s Mansion and many others all share this common theme, placing the player’s emotional connection at the heart of the experience.

Everything down to character design, sound design, level design, overall atmosphere, and even the choice of colour can affect the way we as gamers experience what we play.

Games have been doing this for years though, from early games like Cannon Fodder and Lemmings on PC, to some of the first PlayStation 2 titles like Ico, which used empathy and atmosphere to great success and had the player protecting a strange girl from evil shadows, featuring beautiful (at the time) isolated environments as a backdrop.

And then there was Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, which took character development, immersion and storytelling in games to greater heights. Abe’s Odyesee pitted the player character Abe, from a peaceful and underpowered race of beings, against a regime of evil aliens and asked the player to save their fellow enslaved beings using only telepathy as a weapon.

Another example is the developers of the 2018 God Of War reboot, who did a fantastic job of transplanting emotion into Kratos, a character who during all of his previous outings can only be deemed as one-dimensional at best. Santa Monica Studios, the developers of God Of War, created a growing emotional bond between the father and son, and used this throughout the story as a mechanism, which also serves to elicit emotion from the player (it also helps that the game itself was absolutely fantastic).

Looking towards some of the recent cultural moments in film and TV, take for example The Mandalorian. It’s a brilliantly written, acted, and directed Star Wars spin-off series from Lucasfilm, which plays with the guardian/protector dynamic constantly, to the point where the viewer is often left wondering who is actually protecting who (and that’s a good thing here). It also constantly toys with the viewer’s emotional desire to know the identity of the hero and delivers in a much-celebrated revelation in the later episodes.

We can see a similar revelation in the Avengers movies, where the ‘worthiness’ of its characters is constantly teased throughout all four movies, with a final and ecstatic emotional revelation in the last movie.

But back to games, we ask ourselves will the next generation of games technology, with its major strides forward in positional audio, richer more detailed worlds, and characters allow gamers to connect more emotionally with the subject matter in ways thought previously impossible?

Will experiences like virtual reality ever drop the moniker and simply just become reality? And will it ever be accessible enough to allow the masses to enjoy this fully immerse experiences currently reserved for the hardcore?

2020 has proven to be a challenging year so far, to say the least, with Brexit, a political issue of its own monumental scale creating economic and social uncertainty for millions across UK and Europe, now being reduced to blip on our radar in comparison to the current global pandemic. The question is whether gaming will become a lower priority for consumers more focused on life’s essentials, or if gamers will need an emotional connection with the games they play now more than ever?

But If the Unreal Engine demo serves as nothing else it reminds us that our hopes and dreams of having emotional desires realised in games is closer than ever.

By reader Anthon Thomas

The reader’s feature does not necessary 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. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

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Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Classic video games you’ve never played

Final Fantasy 7 Remake – would it be your first? (pic: Square Enix)

GameCentral readers name the most famous games they’ve never played, from Skyrim to Resident Evil.

The question for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Podge, who asked what’s the most famous video game that you’ve somehow avoided? Was it because you didn’t have the right console or PC, because it didn’t appeal at the time, or simply because you didn’t have the money?

Almost every famous franchise of recent times got a mention, but as you’d expect it was format exclusives such as Mario, Halo, and Uncharted that were the most common.

The grind
The series that I’ve never played is Final Fantasy. When I was growing up with my PlayStation 1 and 2 I used to buy lots of magazines and I just didn’t get the whole anime styling and the stories seemed a bit to wacky from what I was reading. I regret thinking that, but I was in that stage of life where I was quite close minded and just wanted to stick to what I liked. It wasn’t just Final Fantasy, it was basically any Japanese role-player.

Even though now I’m a lot more open minded. having played lots of genres, including games from Japanese developers like Yakuza and Catherine, I’m still yet to play a Final Fantasy or Japanese role-playing game. What puts me off them now is the huge time investment most of them seem to require and the dreaded word, grinding. I was looking to see if there were any less lengthy Japanese role-playing games and I understand that Chrono Trigger is one, so that might be my first foray into the genre.
Angry_Kurt (Twitter)
Now playing: Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One X) and Golf With Your Friends (Switch)

GC: Chrono Trigger is a perfect starting place, assuming you accept how old it is now. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is not overly long and doesn’t really require grinding.

Final chance
Despite owning or having access to all Nintendo consoles since the NES I’ve never played a Metroid game. During the NES and SNES days I was only ever able to afford a couple of games a year thanks to birthdays, Christmas, and paper round money so I had to choose carefully and they seemed to pass me by. I don’t remember there being one on the N64 and it was my younger sister, as opposed to myself, that owned a GameCube and Wii.

I do have a Switch and the rumours of a Metroid Trilogy remake coming out next month means I may finally get round to start playing what people consider a must play series.
Mr.Saveloy

GC: You’re right, there wasn’t one on N64.

Easy fears
I am not into horror games so I have never played Resident Evil or Silent Hill. I did think about trying Resident Evil 4 because it was the inspiration for Gears Of War style of action but I thought I would
find Resident Evil 4 too scary, and I don’t enjoy being scared.

I got PlayStation VR two years ago in a bargain bundle from GAME and it included Resident Evil 7 but I ended up selling the game on eBay because I thought it would be too scary for me!

I also haven’t played any of the FromSoftware SoulsBorne games, as for me I don’t want to get frustrated with a game and just enjoy the game. I normally play on normal for games, but for Catherine I played it on easy because it was quite hard. I plan to play on easy for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as it is supposed to be difficult or challenging like a FromSoftware game.
Andrew J.

GC: Resident Evil 4 isn’t really scary but 7 is, especially in VR. Fallen Order is nowhere near as hard as a true SoulsBorne game, although it’s not easy either.

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

I don’t choose you!
You know, I still have yet to play a Pokémon game! Though, now I own a Switch so I finally have a console that Pokémon has appeared on. I think though, that the Let’s Go, Evee/Pikachu game is the best one at the moment? Is that right?

There are some things I am very sniffy about. But mainly down to my own personal beliefs or tastes. I tried Call Of Duty once. I loathed it. I will not so much as touch a military-themed shooter. I find them to be conceptually boring and a repulsive recruitment advertisement for the armed forces. No thanks.

Gears Of Bore is another. It just looks so… brown and dreary. I tend to favour the more fantastical and imaginative and Gears does not really fit the bill. Destiny, by the same token, looks as generic as a bread sandwich – and if this was Bungie showing off their full creative juices, then I don’t see much of an imagination on display. Gosh, I do sound rather salty, don’t I? Someone pass me the chips…
DMR

GC: We’d just skip straight to Pokémon Sword/Shield, it has its issues but so does Let’s Go and the nostalgia would mean nothing to you.

First bite
I was going to say Assassin’s Creed, but then I did play a few hours of Black Flag and was so thoroughly unimpressed I went back to my previous position of not bothering with the series (or most Ubisoft games, to be honest).

One I’ve definitely not played is Mass Effect. I kept meaning to but I wanted to start with the first one and when you’ve got three games that have to be played in sequence like that it’s quite the time commitment. So I did the obvious and… kept putting it off.

When Mass Effect: Andromeda came around I thought this was my big chance so I started to get pretty hyped about and then, well, you know how those reviews went. I never got it in the end but was very interested to hear about the rumours of the remasters/remakes for next gen. If they do that then I will make a real effort to play them.

A sci-fi role-player that’s a bit Star Wars but not sounds right up my alley but for such a big series there hasn’t been anything good come out of it for eight years now. I’m hungry for more. By which I mean my first bite.
Necro

Not bothered
Despite being a fairly major Nintendo fan, with a Switch, I have never played a Super Smash Bros. game. Just watching the footage gives me a headache so the thought of playing it does not appeal in the least. I also don’t like the idea that there’s no real story and the whole thing makes no sense, like Kingdom Hearts but even dummer.

I’m sure I would’ve given it a go if I knew any friends that were into it but I don’t, so I’d be stuck playing the single-player and apparently bad online mode anyway. I’m really not bothered.
Kemp

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Warning list
Believe it or not but I have never played Skyrim. I know it’s available on just about every format ever made but I’ve never played it or any other Elder Scrolls games. There are two main reasons for this, the first being that I don’t really like fantasy in general and much prefer sci-fi or a modern day setting. The second is that I tried Fallout and, despite that being much more up my alley, I didn’t like that at all so I figured there’d be no chance I’d enjoy Skyrim.

I wasn’t impressed with the graphics in Fallout and found it very glitchy and the combat very poor, which I’ve since learned are hallmarks of developer Bethesda. Apparently their earlier Elder Scrolls games were better in this regard (but not the bugs?) but that was a long time ago now.

Knowing this about them I’m already dubious about Starfield as well, despite the fact that we don’t know anything about it yet. A sci-fi role-player that has a bit of Elite about it would be right up my street, so I will be looking out for it, but I always like to research a developer before making a full-price purchase and Bethesda are definitely on my warning list.

So not only have I not bought Skyrim but the very thought of it has put me off their other games!
Futon

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

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: Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: Classic video games you’ve never played

MORE: Games Inbox: Microsoft and Sega Xbox team-up, The Last Of Us Part 2 apathy, and Zelda: The TV Show

MORE: Games Inbox: The Last Of Us overrated, PS5 in June, and the return of Silent Hill

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Why Xbox Series X is still the underdog against PS5 – Reader’s Feature

Xbox Series X – can it beat Sony in the next generation? (pic: Microsoft)

A reader looks at the history of successful consoles and explains why he thinks Xbox will struggle to beat PS5 in the next generation.

So, there are some new consoles coming soon, apparently. Fancy, flash, slabs of metal and plastic that’ll give your TV some serious work to do instead of just refreshing Netflix recommendations lists while you endlessly search for something to binge watch. As usual, it’s pre-match banter time and everyone’s trying to convince themselves ‘their’ team is going to smash the opposition.

I keep seeing a lot of Xbox fans saying this is going to be the generation where the tides decisively turn and the world wakes up to the reborn glory that will surely be Microsoft. Maybe it will. After all, how could they possibly get it wrong again this time? Who picks and loses four fights in a row? Plus, history repeating itself indefinitely is just boring as Hell.

But what is it that makes a console a success?

Looking at their track record, Microsoft clearly think raw power is the way to go. However, if it was just about power, the PlayStation 2 would have surely fallen before both the GameCube and the original Xbox, and the Wii would have barely got off the starting grid. No. It’s way more complex than that.

Maybe it’s beating the opposition to the punch? If it was purely about getting there first, the Xbox 360 would have trounced the PlayStation 3 hands down. Yes, it might have sold more in the US and the UK, but worldwide was a different story. Had the two consoles come out at the same time I can’t help wondering if things would have been even more skewed in Sony’s favour, especially given the dreaded light of the Red Ring of Death fiasco. Not to mention the fact that, out of the blocks, the PlayStation 3 made the original model 360 look severely underfeatured with its lack of Blu-ray, no HDMI and no cheaply/easily upgradeable HD.

If it was purely a combination of both, there is no way the Switch could have ever outsold the Xbox One, even without it’s nearly four-year head start.

No, whilst these must surely all be factors, it’s got to be something else. I’m deliberately leaving the most obvious single factor (the actual games) out of the equation for the moment, but consoles have always done best and sold well with a strong combination of factors. Things like USP, price, and slick marketing all seriously matter. In that respect, Sony have been knocking it out of the park pretty consistently since day one.

Check out the list of the worldwide best-selling consoles of all-time. All of Sony’s home machines are in the top 10. If you take handhelds out of the equation, they’ve bagged themselves almost the entire top five, with only the phenomenon of the Wii to break up the party. Their first attempt outsold Microsoft’s best ever effort by nearly 20 million units. In hardware sales terms they’ve even managed to make the oldest hands in the game, Nintendo, look like a sideshow. Generation after generation, hit after hit. By comparison, Microsoft are still just plucky also-rans who’s glory days are now more than seven years behind them in the console stakes.

Maybe it’s innovation that’s key? Lots of consoles have upped the ante on the competition. With the Xbox 360, Microsoft’s biggest success, it was Xbox Live. That changed gaming a fair bit, forcing everyone to follow suit. Kudos. They still got outdone sales wise, but that’s one hell of a mark to make. Let’s… just gloss over Kinect. PlayStation VR impresses me way more anyway.

Let’s look forward. What are Microsoft brewing now? Project xCloud and Game Pass are genuinely exciting and, for the industry, innovative concepts. If I’m honest, I’m personally less enthused by the Game Pass/all-digital model, as I’m still depressingly old school and like and enjoy owning things like music, games, and films on physical media. However, I’ll reluctantly concede that that’s not where the mainstream future lies and Microsoft have made it an undeniably attractive proposition on the value-for-money front.

And so, via Game Pass we come to the games. That’s why we’re all here, right? Yeah! So, besides access to more games than I can ever realistically hope to play for another endless monthly subscription, what does Game Pass give me that I can’t get elsewhere? Microsoft exclusives! Yay! Oh… Wait…

Now this is personal taste, but I’m just not into photorealistic driving games. Given how many super successful series there are in that genre right now, I can’t help thinking I might actually be in the majority, so great as it undoubtedly is that’s the Forza beast somewhat nullified for me. Great as it might once have been, Halo hasn’t been cutting edge for over a decade and even most of its fans seem to have been underwhelmed by the last several entries. Same with Gears Of War (a franchise so in the shadows they had to drop half of its name to avoid abbreviation comparisons to Sony’s God Of War).

And aren’t those kinda the Microsoft crown jewels? Then… what? Sunset Overdrive? Alan Wake? Hardly must-have system sellers. Sea Of Thieves? Interesting premise, but it’s been out over two years and I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone even mention it. I’d actually forgotten it existed until I googled the top Xbox exclusives while I was writing this. How about Cuphead? Ori? Nope, they’re on Switch, which also provides access to the Nintendo gold seam of high quality exclusives. Fable? AWOL indefinitely and have any of them actually been classics? Maybe 2? Over a decade ago? Crackdown? Sorry Microsoft, worldwide sales figures say the competition have much more tempting line-ups.

So, is it the games that make a console a success? Of course it is, and this generation Sony and Nintendo have had a bit of a golden age. In Nintendo’s case a somewhat sparse golden age, but still more hits than misses and oh my, what hits… Sure, you could argue that maybe the ‘Sony formula’ is getting old, or that all Nintendo do is updates of existing franchises and ports. ‘What about innovation and variety?’ the detractors will cry. ‘They’re just churning out the same stuff time after time!’ But what they’re doing works. It’s clearly what people want. The sales don’t lie.

With a fresh slate, new generation about to kick off, what are Microsoft bringing to the table to counter their competitors’ winning formulas with their upcoming new machine?

Zero next gen exclusives for the first two years. Eh?

Last minute buying up of a bunch of random, mostly Western developers of varied reputation? Great. That’ll pay off in, what, four to five years’ time? Sure…

How about a big push on Halo Infinite? A potentially open world, eighth entry in a first person shooter franchise. Hold on, an FPS? On Xbox? It will undoubtedly have its fans. It might even be great, but is it really going to change the tide alone? Or is it the gaming equivalent of trying to save the Star Wars franchise by bringing Emperor Palpatine back for one last bite of the CGI scenery?

Come on Microsoft, what else have you got? Rumours of some kind of link up with Sega? A company so far detached from its roots no one who hadn’t witnessed the fall from their peak would even recognise them as the same people? A company so alienated from its own legacy they leave producing new entries in their most beloved franchises to third parties and have treated their own mascot so badly for the last 20+ years they should be in trouble with PETA? Even if it’s true, please forgive my doubts about its worth.

And their other big one: backwards compatibility. Microsoft’s big counter to spending an entire generation with no killer exclusive game line up is ‘play your old games with a shiny coat of rose-tinted paint!’ Are the global gaming masses really going to suddenly abandon Sony’s mirror polished third person, story driven, epics and everything Nintendo for HDR encrusted previous (or older) gen memberberries?

Sorry, but these are not the moves and pronouncements of a company poised to decisively win a format war. Whilst they’ve not always had the best track record with launch window games, if Sony can have another slick console reveal and produce a couple of exclusive, AAA, killer apps in the first 18 months of the PlayStation 5’s life cycle – that demonstrate an obvious step up from what has gone before and are things that will never be on Game Pass – I can’t see how Microsoft is going to compete.

If, as they are suggesting, everything Microsoft put out between now and 2022 will work on the Xbox One as well (which will surely be cheap as chips post Xbox Series X release) what’s going to stop next gen hungry people getting a PlayStation 5 for the latest cutting edge stuff they can’t get anywhere else and maybe a cheap Xbox One to hoover up anything worth having from the other side?

Then there’s the fact that the very existence of xCloud as a concept erodes the need for Microsoft to even be in the console/hardware market in the first place. If the future is set to be some all-digital, all-streaming, go anywhere freedom to do what you choose on yet another perpetual subscription model why do you need to shell out for an Xbox branded console? Or any console? Your phone, tablet, laptop or just your TV will give you all the access you need, just as they do to Netflix or Amazon TV now.

By the time the concept of a PlayStation 6/Xbox Spin-Off Movie X generation rolls around, there might not even be a need for Sony and Microsoft to release anything more than a controller. Microsoft themselves have spoken about not seeing Sony or Nintendo as their competition now, instead they claim it’s major entertainment/tech corporations like Google, Apple, and Amazon. Great, but that’s hardly going to drive Xbox Series X console sales against the PlayStation 5, is it?

More: Gaming

What the PS5 Unreal Engine demo can teach us about emotion in games - Reader’s Feature

Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Classic video games you’ve never played

Why Xbox Series X is still the underdog against PS5 - Reader’s Feature

If I didn’t know better I’d say it’s almost like the Xbox Series X is just an inconvenience to them to have to produce and pour resources into, and especially to promote. Any company that screwed up a product launch as badly as the Xbox One’s can’t seriously come back and be as fumbling, non-committal, and uninspired as Microsoft have been so far. It just doesn’t feel like their hearts are in it. Their heads certainly aren’t. And seriously, who is naming these machines?

I know it doesn’t sound like it, but I’d love to see an actual contest this time. People always have to try harder to impress when they’ve got some genuine competition. However, what’s coming up just doesn’t feel like one. The closest Sony have ever come to a home console flop was the PlayStation 3, where an initially toxic combination of over confidence, high price point, and being late to the party gave them an uphill struggle from the start.

Yet still, they edged Microsoft back into third place. For the second time. Fast forward to this generation, and, again, Microsoft have been out-sold. Three times in a row. We’re now in a situation where Sony releasing a picture of a controller or a logo produces more hype and positive feedback than anything Microsoft have done all year and a 1440p 30fps tech demo snatches all the headlines over any boasts of 4K and 60fps guaranteed.

Based on history alone, I feel like Microsoft are going to need a lot more than a solid global server network and a few more floppy Terrys under the hood to even stand a chance. C’mon, Microsoft. Time is running out. Actually, put your backs into it. Play to win. Convince me. I’m a potential sale. Give me something I can’t resist, otherwise I’ll just give the other guys my money. Like I did last time and the time before. Because they really do keep coming up with the goods.

By reader yourhomeisatrisk

The reader’s feature does not necessary 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. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

MORE: PS5 exclusives will not be on PS4 confirms Sony, as CEO hints at price

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Why Animal Crossing may not be good for your mental health – Reader’s Feature

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – is it good for you or not? (pic: Nintendo)

A reader reflects on their last few months playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons and whether the game is really as wholesome as it seems.

Animal Crossing has recently become the poster child for promoting the benefits of video games for our mental health during the current global pandemic. Whilst enduring strict lockdown measures, many gamers escaped the confines of their encroaching four walls by taking a virtual holiday to Tom Nook’s island getaway.

But is Animal Crossing beneficial to our mental health or is it, in fact, detrimental to our wellbeing?

Having played the game extensively over the last few months, I have been considering if the game has been a force for good; bright and breezy entertainment of which I can relax and unwind with. Or has it made me feel more stressed, anxious, and distracted?

I put toward my case for both arguments then, and readers can decide for themselves if Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game you should continue to dedicate your time to or be like some of the characters within it who decide to sell up and move away from your lovingly created island once and for all, in search of something new.

So then, let me pose the question.

Is Animal Crossing good for you? YES.

1. It’s escapism at its best

Living on your small island is a truly idyllic lifestyle where long sunny days are passed away chasing butterflies, planting fruit, giving presents to locals, stargazing, and shopping. The game has its own natural rhythm as you step out of your cosy abode, check your mail, go for a wander, and decide at your own leisure how you will spend each day. Hours in real life can just slip by as you clock up Nook Miles by catching fish, building furniture, and popping balloons.

2. It’s educational

The museum in New Horizons is a real wonder. Once you have built up a sizeable collection of fossils, fish and bugs, walking around and observing your catches is a wonderful sight to behold, and the music is both eerie and relaxing. When you bring your latest donations to Blathers, he gives a surprisingly detailed talk about your findings, and you may learn something you never knew before that could be the difference between victory and failure in your next pub quiz.

You can also become the next Karin Bohn by developing your interior design skills and mastering the art of feng shui through expert furniture placement within your ever-expanding digs.

3. It makes you more aware of nature

After playing for just a few days, I would take a walk in a local park and notice a branch on the floor and think, hmm… I wonder what I can make with a few more of those? The more time you spend in Animal Crossing, the more you notice nature in real life. You think about the tress you pass by. You notice the butterflies and the bees going about their business. After landing a rare oarfish, you may go online and marvel at how long they really are and discover where they come from. Or find out if a tarantula can really run that fast?

You may notice that the more variety of fruit and flowers you plant, the more variety of critters you attract, and so you plan how you can promote more biodiversity in your own back garden.

4. There is a great sense of accomplishment

New Horizons really does reward your hard work. The game starts off with what feels like virtual labour, as you constantly run errands for landowner Tom Nook. Yet yoru efforts do not go unrewarded, as more residents move in and the original bland landscape begins to develop into a beautiful tapestry before your eyes.

You will keep thinking about how you can make improvements and look for ways to boost your island rating. When K. K. Slider finally turned up to sing a song after the work I had put in, I had a great big grin on my face and it almost brought a tear to my eye.

5. You are part of a community

With seemingly everyone playing the last few months, Animal Crossing has built up a strong community spirit. Facebook groups have been promoting the best prices for turnips. There have been news stories such as Elijah Wood popping up in someone’s game to ask for fruit. Gamers post their creative island designs on social media and there has been a wonderful sense of helping and sharing. I made a visit to another player’s island and the group hanging out their dropped me a cool 100,000 bells each! A bit like life as we currently know it, there is a feeling that we are in this together.

Is Animal Crossing good for you? NO.

1. It’s escapism at its worst

In New Horizons you can buy a nice little starter home in a day just by collecting and selling fruit. You can then buy anything your heart desires by partaking in relaxing pursuits. There are no deadlines, no early morning alarm call, no commute, and no boss piling on the pressure. Everyone on the island is friendly, nothing ever goes wrong and life is basically perfect.

Contrast that with our daily reality, where many people will struggle to ever buy their own homes. Wages are stagnant. People are often not very nice to each other and life is often far from perfect.

Animal Crossing highlights a real divide between what we desire and what we actually have to face on a daily basis. Playing Animal Crossing can make us feel a sense of injustice because we cannot afford to purchase our own place, working our arses off just to get by; whereas in game we can buy a mansion through selling turnips.

2. It creates a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out)

Once Animal Crossing has its grip on you, it can be hard to break free. And the game does this by using daily rewards and time limits to keep you going back.

You get bonus miles for using the ATM each day. If you don’t visit the store you may miss out on the best prices for turnips. And don’t forget to jump in every Sunday before 12pm to buy those fresh root vegetables in the first place.

Want to buy some art for the museum? Better turn up every day, as you never know when Redd will arrive, flogging his wares.

Do you need to complete a fossil collection? Check in every day! Are you looking for the ideal piece of furniture to complete your en suite? Check in every day!

Yes, Animal Crossing makes you want go back each and every day, even when you know you should probably be doing other things instead, just in case you miss out. I even felt guilty when I hadn’t played for several days and wondered if I was going to go back to an overgrown mess and the local residents had upped sticks, as I hadn’t talked to them.

3. You care more for virtual animals then real people

Whilst trying to catch an emperor butterfly, I smacked a walking crocodile over the head twice with a bug net as they wandered too close. They become visibly upset, and I felt terribly guilty. I had to plead their forgiveness to get back in their good books. I realised I was more concerned with how the villagers thought about me that people in the real word. In Animal Crossing I make an effort to talk to them on a daily basis. I visit their house on their birthday. I give them random gifts for no other reason then to see hem be happy. Things I am not doing out of the game, and so I felt weird that I had become so invested in the lives of these digital critters.

4. You are never truly happy with your island

No matter how much time, money and effort you put into your island, you will have a nagging feeling that there is a better island out there than yours. Just looking at some of the designs on forums is enough to make you feel envious and resentful, as it dawns on that your island looks like a boggy marshland in comparison.

I visited a friend’s island and was amazed at the layout, the colour and the intricate designs, including their very own Starbucks with logos. Of course, I said to them ‘nice island’, but inside I wanted to take an axe to it like Jason Voorhees to a teenage slumber party

5. The game makes you feel hollow

After a while it dawns on you that Animal Crossing feels like a sandbox without a bucket and spade. You can buy plenty of stuff, but you can’t do anything with it. You can buy scooters and tricycles, but you cannot ride them. You can fill a park with slides, climbing frames and ride on toys, but you can only look at them.

This lack of interaction makes it feel like an empty plastic world. Even when you visit friends it just feels… off. The conversation is stilted, you can’t do anything and you may as well be having a tea party on you own at home with plastic cups and teddy bears for guests. The whole thing starts to make you feel frustrated that you have all these items, and yet you can do nothing with them.

By reader Relaxed Chimp (PSN ID)

The reader’s feature does not necessary 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. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

MORE: PETA organises Animal Crossing protest against Blather’s museum

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Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: Classic video games you’ve never played

Surely everyone’s played Grand Theft Auto? (pic: Rockstar Games)

GameCentral readers name the most famous games they’ve never played, from Super Mario Bros. to Fortnite.

The question for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Podge, who asked what’s the most famous video game that you’ve somehow avoided? Was it because you didn’t have the right console or PC, because it didn’t appeal at the time, or simply because you didn’t have the money?

Almost every famous franchise of recent times got a mention, but as you’d expect it was format exclusives such as Mario, Halo, and Uncharted that were the most common.

PC attitude
I think I’m going to be fairly alone in saying this but I’ve never played a Grand Theft Auto game. And now that I write this I’m not even sure why. I’ve never really liked films and show that glorify gangsters, so I guess that’s part of it, although I’m not some prude and I don’t purposefully not watch them if they’re on, I just wouldn’t look them out.

I think the main problem is that I saw Grand Theft Auto III at a friends and was deeply unimpressed by the graphics. I was a bit of a PC snob at the time and the ultra slow frame rate and foggy graphics really put me off. I rubbished them so much it annoyed my friend and we fell out for a bit, so there’s probably that subconscious negative association.

More recently though, I don’t know. I think I’m a bit of a contrarian at heart and all this talk about how popular it is and how everyone has played it makes me not want to follow the crowd. My loss, I’m sure, but at the moment it doesn’t bother me. I would’ve got the free copy of GTA 5 recently, but ironically I don’t have a gaming PC at the moment.
Mikey112

In the presence of Mario
I’ve seen Mario games being played, at a friend’s house and so on, but I have never actually played one, despite owning a N64 for a number of months and contemplating buying a Switch. I’m not sure how rare this actually is in the UK though as I didn’t know a soul that owned a NES back in the day or a SNES. Well, I knew of one person that apparently did but he wasn’t a friend of mine so I never got to play one.

By the time of the N64 I was at university and in work, so not really into games and then the GameCube was a flop and the Wii never appealed to me. Having played similar games I have a pretty good idea of how Mario games must play, both the 2D and 3D versions, but I admit I’ve never actually tried them.

I don’t think Super Mario Odyssey would be one of the first things I’d try either. I just feel I wouldn’t get all the little in-jokes and references that have build up over the years and it might fall flat. We’ll see how it goes though, I’m not entirely against the idea.
Glock

99 out of 100
Even though most of them are free I’ve never played a single battle royale game. I have a fairly solid reason though: I know I’d be terrible at it. I’m not one for multiplayer games at the best of times and am certainly not very good at it, so the though of coming last out of 100 people does not appeal.

The whole playing it every day to unlock skins and battle passes, or whatever, also seems very off to me. I want games to be entertainment, not a part-time job, and again it all sounds trying to keep up with other people and be part of the crowd.

It’s totally against my real love in games, which is single-player story-based games. Absolutely nothing against battle royale though and if I had a switch I would at least play Tetris 99.
Epoch

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Catching up
I’ve owned many different home computers and consoles over the years, from the humble 48K Speccy through to the PS4 Pro. Never though, have I owned a Microsoft console. So Microsoft’s holy trinity of Halo, Gears Of War, and Forza have completely passed me by.

For someone whose main hobby for 30+ years has been gaming it seems bizarre that I haven’t played a single minute of Halo, one of the biggest game franchises out there.

As a way of turning this Hot Topic into another next gen console piece I’m seriously thinking of rectifying this when the new consoles are released. Game Pass would instantly give me access to pretty much all of Microsoft’s exclusives that I’ve missed over the years and I’m hoping they’ll release the rumoured cheaper entry level machine so that I can try all these out without too big of an outlay.
Adam

Abandonment regret
I have tried at least one entry from most long-running franchises but I have not played either Minecraft or Fortnite, which are two of today’s heavyweights because neither interest me.

I did briefly try Terraria and realised that I am just not creative or patient enough to play it or Minecraft, although I know I would have adored them as a child. A quick blast of Apex Legends also reinforced my preconception that battle royale games are just not for me.

There are some older games that I would like to play: Super Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Final Fantasy 7 being the big three that I feel I should have played. Especially as I have played the majority of their franchise’s later games.

Last week I tried Flashback, as it was dirt cheap on the Switch eShop in a recent sale. I could not get along with the controls and unpredictability of whether it was possible to jump to and grab a distant high ledge or not. It was nice to try it, but it was not for me.

The regret of not finishing games is probably more of a factor for me than not playing them at all. For example, I regret not finishing Xenoblade Chronicles. I was 100 hours in on the Wii and I now find myself tempted by the Switch remake even though I know it will just get parked for Last Of Us Part 2.
PazJohnMitch

Won’t collect ‘em all
Franchise I’ve never played? Pokémon. I was never into the cartoon so maybe that coloured my opinion. I also never owned a Game Boy or one of its successors.

Even though millions love it, not once in all my gaming years did I ever feel the need to pick it up which is odd really as I will attempt to do all the collectables in most games, just not Pokémon games. Is that irony?
Bobwallett

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

Remaster to the rescue
I’ve got two franchises that leap out for this Hot Topic: Metal Gear Solid and Mass Effect.

I remember repeatedly playing the PlayStation 1 demo of Metal Gear Solid 1, which had a VR training room section, if I’m remembering correctly, but never got around to playing the full game. This must’ve been because I was young and didn’t have the money to buy it, and something flashier must’ve come up around Christmas time. And when the sequel came out, I wouldn’t have played it because I missed the first game, and repeating this process is how I ended up missing all five entries.

With Mass Effect, I played the first game briefly and remember struggling with the controls and not knowing what I should be doing, which caused me to give up on it immediately. Knowing how well respected the second game is, in particular, but also the original trilogy, I should’ve stuck with it but hindsight is 20:20.

I’m really hoping that the rumoured remaster or remake of the original Mass Effect trilogy is released, and I’ll make amends by playing them all on the current gen. Or next gen, if it’s exclusive to the new consoles.

With the Metal Gear Solid series, I’d like to play them all because they’re so revered but don’t think I’d get the same enjoyment from the earlier titles (assuming the controls and graphics haven’t aged well). If the rumoured Bluepoint remake is Metal Gear Solid 1, that’d be a brilliant entry point into the series for me but I’d then be concerned that I couldn’t play Metal Gear Solid 2 or 3 – first world problems, eh!

I’d also take a PlayStation 4 release of the Metal Gear Solid 1 to 3 collection that was released on the Xbox 360 (I think), and I could then hopefully find 4 through the PS store and just buy 5.

These series are quite the blind spot in my gaming experience but I’m hopeful that at least one of them can be remedied by the rumoured remasters or remakes.
Hubert

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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.

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Why the Sega Xbox console makes sense for everyone – Reader’s Feature

Will Sega finally help Xbox make it big in Japan? (pic: Microsoft)

A reader examines the rumours that Sega will team up with Xbox in Japan and what it could mean for a new wave of sequels to classic games.

I’m not even sure I am a Sega fan anymore. I definitely used to be – the Mega Drive was my most prized possession as a kid – but as many have pointed out the Sega of my youth don’t exist anymore. Once they gave up making consoles they very quickly gave up on all their iconic franchises, except Sonic, and concentrated on Western-made PC games. A U-turn so bizarre it would’ve exploded my young brain if some time traveller had come to tell me about video gaming in the far future of 2020.

So when you get a rumour saying that there’s some industry shaking event coming up next week involving Sega it’s almost impossible to imagine what it could be. Sega don’t have the technology or money to make their own streaming service or console and there’s no space for it in the market anyway. And as much as I’d love them to announce Skies Of Arcadia 2 I wouldn’t really describe that as ‘revolutionary’.

As a pseudo-fan I’ve been wracking my brains for some thought of what it could be and, sadly, the simplest explanation is that the guy hyping up the announcement was either completely making it up or grossly exaggerating something less exciting. I still think that’s the most likely explanation but then I read the theories about a team-up with Microsoft…

Anyone that knows their Sega history will know that they go way back with Microsoft. The Dreamcast was a proto-Xbox and at that point in time Microsoft wanted to buy them, but they turned them down. Microsoft always knew it would have trouble making it big in Japan, although they’ve never done the obvious thing of just buying a few developers and concentrating on games Japanese gamers would like. Because of course that would be too simple.

But the rumour now is that Microsoft will let Sega sell the Xbox Series X (and presumably Project xCloud?) as if it was their new console. Whether the Xbox name would even be kept is anyone’s guess, but it would be promoted as a Sega product.

There are two obvious problems with this, the first being that in these days of global brands it completely confuses what Xbox is about. But that’s Microsoft’s problem, I don’t care about that. The other issue is that it ignores that the actual problem is with the games not selling in Japan.

Japanese people didn’t buy the Xbox because they didn’t like the name or don’t buy Western products in general (this is an oft repeated bit of nonsense, Japanese people don’t care where something is made anymore than anyone else in the world – Apple is huge there, for example). They didn’t buy it because it had no games they liked and the marketing was awful.

Now, I’ve no idea what Sega’s marketing is like in Japan but they’re still a big name there so I assume they must know their way around an advertising agency. So let’s assume that’s an instant upgrade for Microsoft. But to me the deal makes no sense unless the Xbox Series X gets some Japanese-friendly games out of it, so what if part of the deal is to fund Sega for a bunch of exclusives?

Microsoft gives Sega a $1 billion, or however much, and they get a dozen Japanese games over the course of the generation. Now it starts to sound like a good idea. Especially as those games may also be successful in the West and both sides can actually make a profit on the deal.

Of course, the obvious question is why Sega, given they’ve been on such a low ebb the last few years. Well, Square Enix or Capcom are too successful/expensive at the moment and they don’t have the hardware history. Konami might have been an idea given the PC Engine but they wouldn’t be my first pick either.

So there you have it, a completely proof-free theory of how Microsoft could end up giving Sega a second life and finally make a success of Xbox in Japan. If I was Bill Gates I wouldn’t want to put the future of my games brand in the hands of the people who made Shadow The Hedgehog, but desperate times call for desperate measures and if we get a new Golden Axe and Shinobi out of this I’ll be over the moon.

By reader Scotty

The reader’s feature does not necessary 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. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

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All new PS4 games will run on PS5 reveals Sony guidelines

Ghost Of Tsushima technically won’t need to run on PS5 but most likely will anyway (pic: Sony)

Starting from July, any new PS4 games will need to run on the PS5, suggesting Sony’s going all in on its backwards compatibility features.

All eyes are on next week, with it being rumoured that some kind of PlayStation 5 event is scheduled to happen then.

Before that, though, it’s been discovered that Sony is instructing developers that any future PlayStation 4 games will need to be compatible with the PlayStation 5 as well, starting from 13 July, suggesting that they will be playable on the new system.

According to Eurogamer, developer documentation on PlayStation’s internal partner website now has an option for developers to check and confirm that their game is forwards compatible with the new console.

A game will be considered compatible as long as the submission code can run on the PlayStation 5 with no issues and it provides the same features available on the PlayStation 4.

Sony’s notes also state that, for games submitted before 13 July, any patches or potential remaster won’t require PlayStation 5 compatibility, though it is recommended.

Eurogamer writes that upcoming titles Ghost Of Tsushima and The Last Of Us Part 2 will both receive PlayStation 5 compatibility, which makes sense considering they’re two of Sony’s biggest PlayStation 4 games.

As for the games submitted afterwards, all future patches and/or remasters must retain their PlayStation 5 compatibility.

As one of Sony’s flagship games, it makes sense for The Last Of Us 2 to be compatible on PS5 (pic: Sony)

So far, it has been confirmed that the console will be backwards compatible with select PlayStation 4 games, namely the top 100 games, at launch, with potentially more being added afterwards.

This has been compared to the Xbox Series X, which Microsoft boasts will be able to run every Xbox One title and will improve on them with reduced in-game load times and HDR support.

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This is apparently not as simple for Sony, with the company’s Mark Cerny saying, back in March, that, ‘Running PS4 titles at boosted frequencies has also added complexity. The boost is truly massive this time around and some game code just can’t handle it. Testing has to be done on a title by title basis.’

The PlayStation 5 is scheduled to launch in time for Christmas this year.

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Star Wars: Project Maverick reveal happening next week suggest rumours

The biggest Star Wars secret since Rey’s parentage (Pic: Twitter)

EA’s mysterious Star Wars: Project Maverick, has been rumoured for a while, and new rumblings suggest it will be announced very soon.

There have been rumours of EA working on a smaller Star Wars title for a few months now, with something called Project Maverick being discovered on the PlayStation Network a couple of months ago.

Now, there are rumblings across Twitter that, whatever it is, it could be announced very soon.

Bloomberg writer Jason Schrier, who previously described the game as a smaller and more unusual title from Canada-based EA Motive, retweeted a seemingly innocuous Tweet from the newly formed EA Motive account, suggesting that it was gearing up to announce a new game.

Looks like someone’s getting ready to announce a new game: https://t.co/9qBtRH05tY

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 28, 2020

On its own, that’s not really a lot to go on, but when asked by someone if it will be Star Wars or a new IP, he succinctly replied with ‘The former.’

VentureBeat writer Jeff Grubb also responded to the EA Motive Tweet with a GIF from the upcoming Tom Cruise movie Top Gun: Maverick and then updated his schedule with ‘Mel Gibson movie’ on 2 June, referring to the movie Maverick which starred the aforementioned actor.

His actions only seem to further cement that EA Motive is preparing to unveil its Star Wars game and that it will be doing so on Tuesday.

That also happens to be the day after Sony is rumoured to be unveiling the PlayStation 5 and while two rumours don’t make a truth, it’s worth noting that so far references to Project Maverick have only been found on PSN.

I’ll just say that June 3 is June 4 in Japan. pic.twitter.com/HRJWaBFCiW

— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) May 27, 2020

While Schrier has garnered a reputation for being a reliable source of information, having also revealed that EA is working on a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, none of this can be considered entirely concrete.

EA does have its own EA Play event coming up in June, so it could very well be saving any potential Project Maverick announcement for then.

pic.twitter.com/RbbAOEFPbI

— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) May 28, 2020

As for what Project Maverick could be, whatever is on the PlayStation Network appears to a free multiplayer beta of some sort.

The accompanying image, which shows X-wings and a Star Destroyer, also suggests that the game will be set during the events of the original trilogy of movies, much like Fallen Order.

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Some believe that the Star Destroyer is actually the Sith Star Destroyer from the most recent movie, The Rise Of Skywalker, but it doesn’t seem to have the superlaser at the bottom. If it does, then it’s covered by the logo.

Regardless, it’s very likely that we’ll see some sort of announcement about it in June.

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