Games Inbox: Sony buying Fall Guys developer, Resident Evil 4 remake fears, and Silent Hill rumours

Fall Guys – are they on Sony’s shopping list? (pic: Mediatonic)

The Tuesday Inbox is glad to see there are real differences between the Xbox Series X and PS5, as one reader looks forward to the PSVR 2.

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

Armchair general
Interesting to see Sony lay out its plans so clearly for the next gen, with first party exclusives, PC (don’t understand that one, but whatever), and buying new developers. I know what I’d do with a blank cheque to buy any developer I wanted and it would be what Microsoft or Nintendo has done over the years I can tell you.

It’s funny really that out of the big three Sony is the only to really go out of their way to buy big, well known developers like Insomniac, with Microsoft going for smaller fry and Nintendo… not really doing it at all. I agree that they must surely be looking to buy Mediatonic for Fall Guys now, they be mad if they’re not and I can’t imagine anything other than a better offer from Microsoft would stop it happening. A bidding war for a free PlayStation Plus game, what a world!

If it was me what I’d be most interested in is FromSoftware, but as I understand it they’re owned by a much larger company that would probably be too expensive. But I do wonder about Capcom. They’re the only one out of the big Japanese publishers that don’t have a side business (Konami does fitness clubs, Bandai Namco has its manga and toy stuff, etc.) so they must be more suspectable and since they’re on a current high it’d be quite coup.

I know I maybe shouldn’t encourage this sort of thing but I can’t help playing armchair CEO and that’s the sort of thing I’d do if I was in charge of Sony.
Vega

Real difference
So it’s interesting that after multiple generations of the Xbox and PlayStation being virtually identical in capabilities, we’ve now reached a point where there are significant differences between the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. It remains to be seen how much difference the SSD and controller of the PlayStation 5 make, but at least they are differences more pronounced than just being slightly better at fake 4K (god, this generation got silly with its number wars).

But the real difference is Sony’s increased dedication to first party exclusives and Microsoft’s complete failure to offer any this year. Now, Microsoft’s situation is exaggerated a bit because of the problems with Halo Infinite and their general lack of preparedness (although why they’re so unprepared is still a mystery to me) but it’s still interesting to see such a gulf between the two.

I genuinely think Microsoft has a chance to win with its plan but I have to admit I don’t want them to. They have no content of their own so they’re just winning on being a massive company that can afford to make Game Pass dirt cheap. Whereas Sony is a small company that has to rely on actually making games to succeed.

I’m not trying to romanticise them when I say that but at the end of the day all I want as a gamer is interesting new games, and only Sony is providing that at the moment or seems likely to in the near to medium future.
Echo

PlayStation Quest
I’m really curious to see what Sony’s next gen VR hardware is going to look like. Like GC says they have got to replace the Move controllers as soon as possible because they’re just a liability but how expensive are they going to be? The reason they got used is so that Sony didn’t have to charge for separate controllers, as some people already had them. Will they just release the new controllers on their own and leave the headset as it is?

That’s the sensible priority but somehow I can’t see it. But to release both at once, that’s a lot of money. But then one rumour I’ve heard talked about is that Sony will create their version of the Oculus Quest – a headset that doesn’t need connecting to a console. That will make it even more expensive but maybe they could do a Quest-less version as well that would just be higher resolution display?

I’m not too bothered about the headset I just want decent controls that actually work all the time. I doubt they’ll talk about it this year but I look forward to it when they do.
Nox

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Resident issue
Speaking of Resident Evil Village weren’t we supposed to hear about it this/last month? I realise why it’s been delayed but man, 2020 really can’t take a break can it? Apparently it’s coming along nicely though so I’m happy to wait. Not surprised to hear that Resident Evil 4 is running into problems.

I really don’t know what they hope to gain with that remake. They’re never going to keep the can’t-move-and-shoot controls of the original, which means it’s impossible to recreate the original as it was and yet if they go with the standard Resident Evil 2 remake controls it’s just going to come across as a lot more generic than it should.

Add in the fact that they’ll probably have to cut even more content than Resident Evil 3, because the game was really long and had loads of different bits, and I just think the whole thing is doomed. The only way to make it work is to have a game that’s completely different from the original, but then what’s the point?
Jengaka

A different game
I am failing to see the big deal around Sony making the PlayStation 5 a next gen console and only supporting hardware and games for that console. I get what Microsoft are going for and literally their console at launch will offer nothing new or exclusive to it.

The Sony model is what companies have done for years when releasing a console and nobody has ever bothered before. I think you could see Microsoft having to play catch up quickly after sales for the Xbox could be slow as there is no incentive to buy the new one if you already own this gen’s console.
Iain

GC: We’re not sure Microsoft care about console sales anymore, as long as people buy Game Pass.

Children’s favourite
I’m not sure what the demographic of GC is but, based on the Inbox, it seems that the PlayStation 5 is the most popular of the next gen consoles with your readers. Interestingly, by contrast, my 11-year-old son and his classmates all seem to favour the Xbox format (despite most also having access to PlayStation 4s and Switches) and all wish to get an Xbox Series X when it is released. The reason for this is purely Game Pass. It allows everyone in the entire class to all have the same library of games, which they can then all discover and play together.

I’m amazed at the randomness of some of the games that they will try as a result and they don’t have to worry about someone not owning it. As a parent I would also prefer to fork out for a subscription each month, to allow my son to play the same games as his classmates, than the £50 for a single game that, perhaps, only one or two of his friends will have also bought.

So, in short, while the Xbox may be less popular with a lot of gamers, I can totally see how Microsoft, by focusing on an inclusive social aspect of gaming rather than exclusives that exclude, may be positioning themselves to gain popularity with the next generation of gamer coming through. This must also surely be a major reason for Fortnite and Minecraft’s enduring popularity. Everyone can play it with their pals regardless of format.
Suspect

Away from the office
I see people are trying to convince themselves that there’s going to be a general Nintendo Direct again soon. Well, I’ll use my amazing predictions, based on careful study of the last several months of activity, and say that there ain’t going to be anything! Who will bet against me?

I don’t know how long Nintendo can keep this up but they said themselves in the last Mini event that there’d be another soon, that’s all we’re going to get. I think we’re getting a good idea of who regularly practices with work from home employees and it definitely ain’t Nintendo and Microsoft.
Stantley

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

Maybe nothing
I have to admit I’m not really that eager to get either console on day one. Neither have any big titles at launch (how each company can’t have at least one system seller ready after the guts of a decade to prepare is beyond me). I’d probably go for a PlayStation 5 but the idea of getting a new console without Game Pass will be hard. Having to shell out for everything when me and the kids are used to exploring so many indie games and titles we wouldn’t of tried each month.

That’s one big thing Xbox Series X has going for it, buy just the console and you will have a whole library of games at your fingertips when you turn it on without having to pay £65 for something to play. Maybe no big exclusives but there will be a few new smaller launch titles that we at least won’t have to pay extra for and 100+ older games which will get the Xbox Series X graphical boost.

That’s how consoles should work, like a smartphone. If you were playing a game on your PlayStation 4 it should be there ready to continue with when you turn on your PlayStation 5, just with better visuals, there’s no excuse in 2020 to not have a seamless transition between generations. Sony also could do with a few fresh ideas, I’ve had enough of cinematic/open world third person games.

I only picked up a PlayStation 4 last year and none of the exclusives offered anything I hadn’t experienced on Xbox or Switch (Death Stranding being the possible exception). So if I’m not bothered by exclusives then surely Xbox Series X is the better option – possibly better graphics, possibly cheaper (although who really knows), and a multitude of games on day one for the kids to play (they don’t really distinguish between generations, if they come across something they like from the Xbox 360 on Game Pass they enjoy it as much as if it was a new game).

But then the PlayStation 5 just looks so futuristic and advanced, Microsoft could of at least changed their controllers a bit more – can’t even tell the difference at a glance. So yeh in summary, probably neither, might just get a Switch, save me stealing my sons.
PjDonnelli

Inbox also-rans
I knew the Silent Hill rumours hadn’t gone away but I still can’t believe they’re true. The original games barely sold as they were and now they’d cost a fortune to make properly. If Sony has funded a reboot for some reason then they’ll have my sword (money).
Giph

I really hope Ubisoft stop using the Tom Clancy name. The only people that know what it means are not the sort of people that should be being pandered to with violent gun fantasises, it’s completely unnecessary and the games would work fine without it and with a decent plot instead.
Baker

This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Talon, who asks what is the best open world environment in a game?

Especially since the release of Ghost Of Tsushima, there’s been a lot of debate over whether open world games are becoming too predictable and too bloated with filler content, is that something you agree with and what do you think have been the best and worst open world games of recent years?

How do you hope the concept will evolve in the next generation and what do you feel needs to change? How big a fan are you of open world games and how often do you complete them 100% – or thereabouts?

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.

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Ubisoft’s Elite Squad accused of being anti-BLM and pro QAnon conspiracies

The Tom Clancy brand has been accused of promoting right-wing talking points, as Ubisoft admits it was ‘insensitive and harmful’.

Ubisoft has managed to sleepwalk its way into controversy, not only over the use of a Black Lives Matter style logo but its whole approach to the Tom Clancy brand.

Most younger gamers probably have no idea who Tom Clancy is, but as a right-wing thriller writer it’s always seemed bizarre that Ubisoft has claimed their games with his name on it are ‘not political’ – even as they seem to promote gun ownership and survivalist fantasies.

The latest controversy revolves around new mobile game Elite Squad, which was found to be using a logo that looks almost identical to the raised fist of the Black Lives Matter movement – except in Elite Squad the group using it is a terrorist organisation being controlled by shadowy foreign powers.

That’s basically identical to real-world conspiracies driven by far-right groups, including QAnon, and yet nobody at Ubisoft seemed to make the connection until players started pointing it out at the weekend.

‘This logo was chosen because it is a universal symbol of resistance – any resemblance to images associated with the Black Lives Matter movement is coincidental’, wrote Ubisoft on YouTube.

‘Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad is a work of fiction and does not portray any real-world events. However, we have listened to players who have pointed out similarities, and to avoid any confusion we have decided to modify the trailer in the next update’.

An update regarding Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad: pic.twitter.com/G6Hb1SO7Gx

— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) August 29, 2020

According to one of the game’s freelance writers the terrorist organisation UMBRA was meant to be similar to James Bond organisation SPECTRE and not anything from the real world, and he was also surprised and upset to see how it came across in the finished product.

Ubisoft has promised to remove the image and claimed it was all a big mistake on their part, which nobody seems to dispute. Although, as many have pointed out, the fact that nobody at the company noticed the problem suggests some serious underlying problems with their decision making.

‘Systemic racism and a whole load of ignorance is the only explanation. You need to hire more diverse staff, this would never have happened’, wrote Satire VI on Twitter.

‘Hey, I have an idea. Maybe don’t make jingoistic, imperialist, racist, revisionist propaganda. Just a thought’, writes Not Elon Musk.

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Ubisoft’s Elite Squad accused of being anti-BLM and pro QAnon conspiracies

Before it even came out Elite Squad was already the subject of ire for many gamers, for teasing a return of Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher but then dumping him into a cartoon-ish looking mobile game.

Managing to make the game even less appealing than it already was is some achievement though and hopefully one that will make Ubisoft think twice about the plots in other Tom Clancy titles.

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Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series review – virtual dark side

Vader Immortal – feel the Force (pic: Disney)

One of the best games on Oculus Quest comes to PSVR but how does Sony’s experience compare to a dedicated VR set-up?

The curious thing about virtual reality is that the more impressive the game is the more obvious it becomes that the technology is still at a prehistoric level compared to what it will inevitability evolve into. Like someone playing Space Invaders in 1978, you get only the vaguest hint of what VR will be like in 40 years’ time, when it’s no longer held back by today’s technical limitations. Those constraints are especially obvious with Vader Immortal and yet without games like this pushing the current boundaries we won’t have anything at all…

For lots of obvious reasons Star Wars is a popular inspiration for VR games and there’s already been a number of official tie-ins, such as the excellent X-wing mission from the first Battlefront, and unofficial homages such as Beat Saber. Vader Immortal is one of a trio of titles created by developer ILMxLAB, which is part of Lucasfilm itself, with this one being the most fleshed out and closest to a real game rather than just a tech demo.

Vader Immortal is still more of an ‘experience’ than anything else, with only a limited amount of skill required to make it through the story campaign and no way to actually die. It is a very enjoyable experience though, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan – or at least it is on the PC and Oculus Quest, where the game was first released as three separate episodes. This combines them all into one release, but it also comes up against one opponent not even the Dark Lord of the Sith can conquer: the imprecision of the PlayStation Move controllers.

The story campaign only runs to around three hours but has a surprisingly interesting plot that involves Vader looking for the key to immortally on the volcanic planet of Mustafar from Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One (and The Rise of Skywalker, we’re just learning now). As super generic as that sounds – especially as it ends with a blue laser shooting up into the sky – Vader is given some personal motivation for what he’s doing that is a nice little twist that we weren’t expecting.

Your part in the story is that you’re, unbeknownst to yourself, a decedent of the rulers of Mustafar and Vader needs someone from your bloodline to activate some MacGuffins. This involves your ship being dragged out of hyperspace and you and your (overly) sassy droid being captured and made to learn the ways of the Force.

All of this looks fantastic in VR, and notably better than the Oculus Quest version – especially in terms of the lighting. Wandering around your spaceship at the beginning, pressing big Star Wars-looking buttons and wielding hydrospanners is a legitimate dream come true if you’re fan, especially once you get to wield a lightsaber.

The combat is super simple and really just comes down to blocking in one of two stances, but because you have to physically do it it’s a lot more difficult and engaging than just pressing a button. Some enemies shoot at you, so you have to deflect their blaster bolts back at them, and others have lightsaber-like weapons of their own, but they’re all droids, which is slightly disappointing, with the showdown with Vader at the end being the closest you get to taking on an actual person.

There’s a lot of great stuff in-between though, as you learn to move objects using the Force and solve a range of simple puzzles, have a go on a tripod laser cannon, and survive a series of encounters with a four-armed rancor. The latter is particularly memorable because it made us actually scared of the beast, as what in the films (and the toys and the T-shirts) just looks like a cool monster is pretty damn terrifying when it seems to be just an inch away from your face and trying to have you for dinner.

Despite the technical simplicity of some of the visuals the sense of physical presence in Vader Immortal is right up there with top tier VR games like Half-Life: Alyx, no matter whether you’re chatting to alien allies, dodging stormtroopers, or wishing your droid didn’t keep talking in a distinctly non-Star Wars vernacular (she’s voiced by American actress Maya Rudolph, although thankfully the other voiceovers, including the soundalike for Vader, are considerably more on brand).

Vader Immortal – the lack of human opponents is a shame (pic: Disney)

£22 for three hours of fan service is probably not the most money Star Wars fans have wasted on the saga and on PC and Oculus we’d strongly recommend it thanks to the Lightsaber Dojo. There are three versions of this, one for each episode, and it turns the seemingly simplistic combat into a highly entertaining series of combat and score attack challenges. The last one ends up with you wielding blasters and Force lighting, while there’s a series of unlocks for different lightsaber models that make it highly compelling.

Or at least it does on Oculus Quest, where you stand in one spot but watch the space all around you. Reaching out with the Force to smash a remote into the wall, while you Force pull the lever on a trap to crush a lightsaber-wielding droid and then quickly spin around to locks swords with another is the stuff Star Wars dreams are made of. On PlayStation VR though it only works in a 180° arc and your main enemy is the hated PlayStation Move controllers.

In a few months’ time PlayStation Move will be two generations behind current tech and there desperately needs to be a more accurate, modern replacement. But there isn’t, and so here you’re constantly having to put up with the controllers not quite reading your movements correctly, which is a real problem when combat depends so much on what angle you’re holding the lightsaber.

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This is made even worse because the game was originally designed to match the movement of the controller to your hands, and whatever they happened to be holding – even though 90% of the time it’s a lightsaber. The PlayStation 4 version also does this, but this creates an irritating disconnect between your movement and what you see onscreen – which seems especially silly given a Move controller is almost exactly the same size and shape as a lightsaber hilt.

The PlayStation VR version also only has teleporting locomotion options, whereas the other versions have free movement. That’s not much of an issue, as it works fine and you’re not often moving about much anyway, but it suggests that this whole port has been rushed out for some unknown deadline.

If you have a PC or Oculus Quest we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Vader Immortal, despite how short the story is. The Lightsaber Dojo adds a surprising amount of longevity and even though the graphics are worse on Oculus Quest the sense of immersion and physical presence is still excellent. On PlayStation though it’s yet another reason to wish Sony would announce their next generation of VR headset and controllers, because at this point PlayStation Move is dragging everything down.

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series PC review summary

In Short: An inferior experience to PC and Oculus, not in terms of graphics but the frustrating PlayStation Move controllers that make wielding a lightsaber more a pain than a pleasure.

Pros: The Star Wars fan service goes up to 11 and the sense of physical presence is excellent. Surprisingly good story elements.

Cons: Twitchy, imprecise controls and a lack of locomotion options. Severely compromised Lightsaber Dojo robs the game of much of its longevity. Expensive.

Score: 6/10

Formats: PlayStation VR (reviewed), PC, and Oculus Quest
Price: £21.99
Publisher: Disney Interactive
Developer: ILMxLab
Release Date: 25th August 2020
Age Rating: 16

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PS5 first party exclusives will come out faster than before says Sony

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – exclusives are at the heart of Sony’s PS5 plans (pic: Sony)

Sony has said it plans to ‘accelerate’ the rollout of exclusive games on the PS5, as well as buy new developers to work on them.

The PlayStation 5 will double-down on Sony’s emphasis on first party exclusives, with the company promising to make more games more quickly and acquire more studios to ensure that’s possible.

Given what a mess the coronavirus has made of most companies’ release schedule it was a welcome surprise to find Ratchet & Clank is coming out sooner than expected, and it sounds like Sony is keen to keep up the pace.

‘To reinforce content IP, Sony Interactive Entertainment will accelerate the enhancement and rollout of its portfolio of exclusive PlayStation titles,’ reads a passage in the company’s latest corporate report – the same one that also promises more PlayStation games on PC.

‘Through introducing new technologies in speed, haptics and sound, we can further improve on the exclusive experience available on the PlayStation 4, and aim to make the PlayStation 5 a truly next generation console by providing game experiences that were not possible before’, adds the report.

‘Sony Interactive Entertainment plans to provide content for a variety of game genres and formats, and make advances in unique and immersive interactive experiences such as VR.’

At this point Sony has established a large number of successful internal studios but it seems they’re still on the look out for more, perhaps including others, like Ratchet & Clank maker Insomniac, that they already have a strong relationship with (if Fall Guys developer Mediatonic aren’t in their sights we’ll be shocked).

‘Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to invest in, or acquire, firms with abundant creativity and cutting-edge technologies to build up Worldwide Studios, continues the report. ‘Most recently, in August 2019 it acquired Insomniac Games, a long-time Sony partner that has developed many hit titles.’

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The approach contrasts sharply with Microsoft who, now Halo Infinite has been delayed, do not seem to have any first party games ready for the Xbox Series X launch this November.

Although in any case, they’ve already said that there will not be any first party games released exclusively on the Xbox Series X for the first year or two of its life.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta starts this October reveals leak

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – it’s going to be a while till you can play it (pic: Activision)

Activision themselves have accidentally revealed when the beta for this year’s Call Of Duty starts, but it’s going to be a bit of a wait.

Although Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War did pretty well in terms of not having all its secrets leaked out months in advance the floodgates have now opened and it seems no detail is safe, including when the beta starts.

The leaker in this case is pretty reliable though as it’s Activision themselves, who accidentally referenced the date on the store pages for previous games WW2 and Modern Warfare.

That’s the closest thing you can get to an official announcement, although as ever with Call Of Duty it’s complicated by Activision’s marketing deal that will see the beta take place first on PlayStation 4.

When does the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta start?

The finer details weren’t revealed by the leak, but one possible arrangement is that for the first weekend it’ll only be open to people that have pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 version.

Similar to the way the recent Marvel’s Avengers beta worked, it could then be opened to Xbox One and PC pre-orders, and then finally a proper open beta for everyone.

Activision always likes to make these things as complicated as possible though, so based on last year’s Call Of Duty beta it could be that the weekends will be split in two, with pre-orders having two days starting from 8 October and then an open beta for all PlayStation 4 owners from 10 October.

That way the beta only lasts for two weeks, with the second weekend split into two for Xbox One and PC pre-orders and then everyone from 17 October to 19.

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Activision has promised to unveil Cold War’s multiplayer on Sunday, 9 September, so that’s likely to be when the beta will be formally announced and things will become at least a little clearer.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launches on 13 November for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions are also confirmed and will likely be out on or around the same date.

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PS5 reveal event due early September, Silent Hill reboot is real claims source

Is Silent Hill finally going to be annouced? (pic: Konami)

Sony will hopefully announce the PS5 release date in the next few weeks, as a new Monster Hunter game for Switch is also rumoured.

It’s September tomorrow and, as you may have noticed, we still don’t know when the PlayStation 5 is out, how much it will cost, or anything about its online services or confirmed launch line-up.

We don’t even know when those questions are likely to be answered, as Sony has given no hint as to when their next showcase is, but serial leaker AestheticGamer claims it will be the first half of next month.

Given how little time there is before the PlayStation 5 launch that’s an easy enough thing to just guess, but they also claim that, despite the lack of official announcements, rumours of a new Silent Hill game are still true.

The problem with believing, or not believing, rumours at the moment is that even when someone’s information is correct at the time they hear it the coronavirus is causing companies to change plans constantly – so what may be true one day is not the next.

There may be some evidence that AestheticGamer is correct though, as fans noticed that the French PlayStation YouTube channel uploaded four new videos recently but set them all to private – implying they would be made live later.

There’s no way to tell what they are, but that’s not the way videos are usually added and so many at once may point to something big on the horizon.

One video was subsequently revealed to be for PlayStation 5 exclusive Godfall, further suggesting that they’re not just random third party trailers for the PlayStation 4.

To elaborate on two things, Monster Hunter Switch is running on a Switch compatible version of the RE Engine, which is why I’ve been posting ã£â—‹ whenever I’ve been talking about it for the last few months, it’s supposed to be the RE Engine logo. pic.twitter.com/x5vT4DrwYM

— AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) August 29, 2020

AestheticGamer has proven to be one of the most reliable leakers of Capcom news, although there was controversy over his assertion that the PlayStation 5 cannot handle native 4K as well as the Xbox Series X.

When it comes Capcom though they’re usually on firmer ground and according to them a new Monster Hunter game made specifically for the Switch is going to be announced ‘soon’.

Supposedly, Capcom has previously tried and failed to get RE Engine running on the Switch, which means games such as Resident Evil 7, 2, and 3 cannot be ported across.

But now apparently they’ve created a separate version of the engine specifically for the Switch and are going to use it for a new Monster Hunter unrelated to Monster Hunter: World.

This is something Capcom has already hinted at themselves, when they previous said they were looking to make a Monster Hunter game on Switch for ‘teenage children’.

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AestheticGamer’s final revelations suggest that the rumoured remake of Resident Evil 4 is still a long way out and ‘in a bit of a worrying position right now’.

They’ve also predicted news on Shenmue 4 within the next one to two weeks, which presumably has a good chance of happening at the predicted new PlayStation 5 event.

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More first party PlayStation games coming to PC to increase ‘profitability’ confirms Sony

Sony’s other new format

Horizon Zero Dawn will not be the last first party PlayStation game to make the move to PC, according to Sony themselves.

Sony has admitted that it plans to bring more first party games to the PC and while it’s not named any names it’s confirmed that Horizon Zero Dawn was not a one-off.

There was no flashy announcement, but instead a single sentence in a new corporate report: ‘We will explore expanding our first party titles to the PC platform, in order to promote further growth in our profitability’.

The comment wasn’t given any special prominence, but it immediately makes rumours about PC versions of The Last Of Us Part 2 and Bloodborne seem more believable.

Microsoft has always been more enthusiastic about supporting the PC for the fairly obvious reason that it also makes the Windows operating system. But in recent years it’s increased its efforts, to the point where all first party Xbox games also appear on PC, usually on the same day.

Sony are nowhere near that stage yet, as their experiments with Horizon Zero Dawn were only half successful – since the game suffered from numerous bugs and did little to improve the original’s graphics.

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Many have wondered whether Horizon Zero Dawn would be the exception to Sony’s rule, since, as the report underlines multiple times, first party games are one of the key selling points for PlayStation consoles.

If all games become available on PC then the reason to buy a PlayStation 5 is suddenly much reduced, so while Sony would make more money selling games on PC that could coincide with a decrease in console hardware and software sales.

Sony has never spoken about any of this publicly – so their exact logic regarding the situation remains a mystery – but the report makes clear that we’ll be hearing a lot more about Sony published PC games in the future.

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MORE: Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition PC review – dawn of a new era

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Games Inbox: PS5 launch sell-out, Tell Me Why disappointment, and Persona 5 10/10

Just how rare are they going to be this year? (pic: Sony)

The Monday Inbox realises the Nintendo Switch hasn’t dropped its price since it first came out, as one reader falls in love with CrossCode.

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

Tempting launch
So Sony has started talking about pre-orders now, even if it’s another announcement, but how rare do we think the PlayStation 5 is really going to be when it comes out? If it’s launching everywhere at the same time they can’t be that low on stock or they wouldn’t even attempt that. Or would they? Microsoft got a lot of grief for it’s staggered worldwide launch so maybe Sony think it’s worth doing even if every country is not going to have enough to go around. After all, selling out worldwide is a pretty good headline to have.

I was not planning to get a PlayStation 5 this year but I have to admit that latest Ratchet & Clank video was pretty damn impressive. And pretty embarrassing for Microsoft, as in terms of showing off the graphics and the capabilities of the console – the SSD in particular – it really did the business. They even talked about the DualSense some.

I know it might not be out until early next year but I’m now pretty tempted to try and get one. I don’t know anyone in the US, so I can’t organise one that way, but when proper UK pre-orders open up I think I’ll give it a go. Which now I’ve made the decision will guarantee they’re sold out in minutes…
Jetter

Master vs. apprentice
I’ve been playing Tell Me Why on Game Pass and it is… pretty boring. I do appreciate what Dontnod do and their branching narrative is better than anyone’s but they seem to purposefully go out of their way to suck all the drama and urgency out of everything they do. And they’re getting worse.

I imagine they’re trying to avoid being exploitative, but you’ve still got to create a story that has some kind of momentum to it. Life Is Strange 2 failed at this and it seems like Tell Me Why is as well.

It’s getting a bit worrying that the second best Dontnod game is one they didn’t even make, namely Life Is Strange: Before The Storm. I’d really like to see Deck Nine come back and make a new game, whether it’s a Life Is Strange or not, but as far as I can tell they haven’t even announced anything new at all, and it’s been three years now. I’m hoping they’ve got something special for the next gen queued because for me Dontnod are not cutting things on their own.
Maple

Team activity
Late to the weekend Hot Topic but my ideal game would include a team of characters (X-Men most ideal but could be any team).

The catch is you’d have to use all of the characters, like some missions would be virtually impossible for certain characters to complete. Then including permadeath (or if that’s too violent or against policy, then permanent capture – a bit like in The Flash where they capture villains and put them in those superpower-dampening chambers).

Decent size open world, but some missions you would have to (fast) travel to other places, to give more environments.

How great would it be to choose Wolverine for a mission only to have a magnetic style trap that would capture him? You have one try (24 hours) to make a better choice and try to beat the mission (now with the harder aspect of also saving Wolverine). If you don’t permadeath and the game is much harder with one less hero.

Or even something as simple as using a character that can fly in a tower level. Fly to the top entrance and fight the bosses on the top few floors or choose Wolverine and fight from the bottom. Obviously, there are more creative ways to make the need for certain characters stand out more and also bring the dilemma of what happens when all of your characters that can fly are dead/captured.

This could work XCOM style, as some have suggested, but also as a third person action game (à la Arkham games).
Glennuk1 (gamertag)

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

One off
Well, after sitting on a shelf in its wrapping for the best part of three years I finally got around to playing Persona 5 during this lockdown malarkey. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it but didn’t expect it to take 85 hours considering its structure – school term – and linearity. Some very dark themes despite the way it’s presented and a cast of mostly very likeable and relatable characters. I say mostly as I didn’t particularly like Ryuji. It is definitely one of the best role-playing games I’ve played and I would certainly agree with the 9 you gave it.

What stopped it from getting a 10? As GC regularly talk about it being one of their favourite and generally best games ever, even re-reading the review there’s no real criticism and we know that a 10 doesn’t mean perfect. You also asked from time to time if there’s any games that you should have scored higher so I looked at the Persona 5 Royal review and it still clocked in at 9. For me it was probably the combat that took it down a notch but even that is nitpicking.

On a final note, would you say that Royal is worth buying if you own the original version?
Mr.Saveloy

GC: If you really enjoyed the original, yes. As for not getting a 10, the fact that the combat is so unremarkable is a pretty major issue as far as we’re concerned. It’s also too long.

Cross promotion
Just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you for reviewing CrossCode. No other major site (that I visit) covered it so it would have totally passed me by we’re it not for you, thanks and that is why you are the best games site I read.

It is a lorra, lorra fun. I’m a few hours in and really impressed with the combat, which is quick and punchy; but the characters are immediately likeable (‘Hi!’) and the story has impressed me so far too.

So on that note I’d like to add my absolutely meaningless recommendation for other GameCentral readers to pick it up. I think it should be more successful than it is (I have no idea how successful it has been, but it deserves more coverage than it got).
Dan (grimwar85 – gamertag/PSN ID)

GC: Great, we’re glad you enjoyed it. The game was crowdfunded so it was already guaranteed it’s money back, but we think it did quite well on top of that.

Retro division
Hearing about the Streets O’ Rage 4 DLC and how the developers are working on more games got me wondering what they’re cooking up and whether it’ll be more Sega sequels to classic games. Which then got me wondering about why companies don’t just go all out with nostalgia pandering and create a sub-division that focuses exclusively on sequels/remasters/remakes, etc of older games.

It’s pretty obvious now that there is a market for them and if developers put time, money, and care into developing them then they will get sales. The beauty of it is that most of these titles don’t necessarily NEED a massive budget and could be made on an indie budget or, at most, a AA budget (I’m thinking Jet Set Radio) so there’s less risk. Sega are the best candidates as aside from a few franchises, they’re hardly known for modern IPs.
Tom Foolery
PS: Completely irrelevant to this letter, but I’m wondering what GC and the community think of the Darksiders games? I don’t recall ever hearing much about them, but I gave the second one a go randomly and found it to be mostly fantastic and incredibly satisfying. I’ve yet to play 3 (I played the first after 2 but thought it was ‘meh’) Here’s hoping there’s a fourth!

GC: We’ve always been so-so on the series, but we did like Darksiders Genesis – which is completely different to the others.

No cuts
This isn’t a request for Nintendo to cut the price of the Switch, as there is no need to with it selling so well, (it’s more of a complement to the product and marketing) but after three and a half years since its release surely this has been the longest a console has been on sale for with no price cut by some considerable length?
adams6legend

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

The Ghost that Walks
For me, my dream superhero game would be an adaption on the Phantom.

There’s 80 years’ worth of comic strips to draw adaptation/inspiration from.

He’s not on the A+ tier of popularity so there hopefully would be no complaints that the game is either too familiar or stays too far from the source material.

The Phantom has no real superpowers so the game could be easily balanced.

As the Phantom is more than one person (the title and role being inherited) and originates from 1536 the game could be an origin piece without silly ray guns, hyper cannons, and plasmas catapults.

I see no downside to this game! Unless they choose Billy Zane to do the motion capture…
Huw

Inbox also-rans
Am I alone in wishing that Sony And Microsoft would just get on with the price tags for the next gen consoles? It feels like listening to this specific song.
gaz be rotten (gamertag)

If that Lego Star Wars game (which looked pretty great) is only the main nine films how comes one of the scenes if Vader from Rogue One?
Kimble

GC: There’s DLC planned for Rogue One, Solo, and The Mandalorian.

This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Talon, who asks what is the best open world environment in a game?

Especially since the release of Ghost Of Tsushima, there’s been a lot of debate over whether open world games are becoming too predictable and too bloated with filler content, is that something you agree with and what do you think have been the best and worst open world games of recent years?

How do you hope the concept will evolve in the next generation and what do you feel needs to change? How big a fan are you of open world games and how often do you complete them 100% – or thereabouts?

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: Your dream superhero video game

MORE: Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Your dream superhero video game

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Madden NFL 21 review – EA’s worst sports game of the generation?

Madden NFL 21 – does it deserve a zero out of 10? (pic: EA)

EA’s latest American football sim is the last one before the next gen but what’s changed and is it enough to justify all the fan anger?

When judging any annual release, the focus is always on innovation and gameplay enhancements and, on the face of it, EA Sports has figured both of those out for Madden NFL 21. However, the devil is in the details and although the gameplay takes a step forward the stagnation in core modes leaves you wondering what the developers have been doing for the last year. 

Those with a keen eye will have noticed Madden NFL 21 is already the lowest user-rated game in the history of Metacritic. Sports games do tend to get piled on by users frustrated with the previous iteration but EA has this problem twice over, with FIFA also coming in for similar criticism. 

However, for fans to go out of their way to score a brand new game a zero, less than a week after its release, points to problems that run far deeper. EA’s relationship with their fans has been deteriorating for years but with little competition facing their key sports titles the narrative remains the same – fans call for fixes and innovation but what they find is a stagnant title doing just about enough to be considered a new release and not just a seasonal update. And, at upwards of £50, Madden is once again struggling to justify the price tag.

We’ll start with the positives though, because despite the user scores, there have been improvements on Madden NFL 20. The gameplay has taken a significant step forward this year and though it’s easy to nitpick, this Madden is slick and responsive with great new animations that make your superstars come to life.

Improvements to skill stick functions on both ends of the ball allow the user to take their game to another level with enough practice. On top of that, coaching adjustments have been reworked, adding options like ‘zone drop’ to your pre-snap defence and allowing for far greater micromanagement. 

Fronting Madden NFL 21’s marketing push this year is The Yard, a new backyard football mode that introduces 6v6 football, fancy gameplay animations, and a raft of kit and accessories you can buy through microtransactions, as well as currency earned through playing.

The Yard is the biggest success in this year’s release, providing high-scoring, entertaining games of football with you playing both sides of the ball. To begin with you’re asked to create your avatar and deck him out in whatever kit combination you want or can afford, before deciding on which prototype you fancy playing as. Will you be a quarterback and safety or a running back and linebacker? There are loads of options that ensure you’re always in the action.  

On the field you will notice a pretty glaring problem with kit clashes and on certain fields it can be nigh-on impossible to work out where your player or teammates are in such a fast-paced game mode. That aside, it’s incredibly accessible and easily the most fun we’ve had with Madden in years. The games are fast and the plays are innovative, whilst the ability to pitch the ball to any number of teammates means you can wind up scoring a ludicrously drawn out and creative play. 

Whilst you can play against the computer, or online and unlock different fields and challenges to partake in, at this stage you have to wonder about the longevity and depth of The Yard. But if more content is planned it will go down as one of the best innovations in a Madden release for years and fans should be excited for where EA can take it. 

EA’s latest American football sim is the last one before the next gen but what’s changed and is it enough to justify all the fan anger?

The Yard could easily go the way of the Neighbourhood in the NBA 2K franchise and also calls to mind Volta Football in FIFA – an altogether more forgettable experience. The store does offer up a wealth of customisation options though, the backbone to any role-playing style mode in a sports game. It remains to be seen how much will be added as the game runs along its life cycle, but the early signs are promising.

Madden NFL 21 – not a good way to end a generation (pic: EA)

However, it’s hard to play The Yard and not think of Superstar KO, the mode Madden NFL 20 introduced not long after release last year. It was a welcome addition and freshened up the game, providing another fast-paced, shortened version of football with decent rewards for your Ultimate Team

Now though, it sits there as one of many game modes we’re just not sure Madden NFL 21 needs. There are still rewards on offer and although the Lamar Jackson card on offer at release will legitimately strengthen most starter Ultimate Teams, there isn’t much point in playing Superstar KO. Its main purpose was to inject some fun into a game that can get tedious if you’re sat there grinding the Ultimate Team solos, but The Yard does a much better job of it.

Another mode that’s just sat there gathering dust is franchise mode. The neglect here is bordering on abuse and Madden NFL 21’s updated version follows the same pattern of its predecessors in practically ignoring it. And yet this was once the flagship mode of Madden. For whatever reasons, franchise mode has been starved of innovation for around five years, perhaps even longer. FIFA fans will sympathise and point out similar issues in its career mode – it’s simply not on the radar anymore. 

One reason for this is possibly Face of the Franchise, the career mode that largely flopped in Madden NFL 20. Well, it’s back this year and although you’ve got to give EA credit for the angle of their storytelling – your player narrates his career for a sit-down TV interview – it’s an extremely lukewarm career mode. 

The main thrust of the story is a rivalry that builds between you (the back-up quarterback) and the high -school legend who has designs on making the NFL despite being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. It sounds cheesy, and many of the cut scenes are, but we did enjoy the presentation around the school and college games. However, once that novelty wears off it begins to feel like a chore.

Sitting through the cut scenes is like watching a soap opera, and any gameplay moments you’re dropped into are frustratingly short and laughably easy. Once you go through the NFL draft, the difficulty picks up but by then you’re playing a very familiar career mode, only with much less involvement as the story breaks only to involve you in career milestone events. This approach is novel enough and might work if storytelling was a forte of EA. Instead it gets boring fast. 

It almost seems silly to leave the gameplay to the end of this review but Madden is so refined now that most casual players won’t notice much of a difference at all. Although to be fair it is smooth and looks great. There will always be a certain section of fans that will pick at every tiny detail they don’t like but for most the game will feel slick and the changes to the skill stick are tangible almost immediately. 

With the ball, the right stick is your friend and you’re able to combine a number of moves, that felt unobtainable before, with little flicks and nudges. 

We also witnessed players really reaching for that final yard when you’d driven up the field and just shy of a first down – an important quality of life improvement and something that adds realism to encounters. On the flip side, defenders are now much more ardent with their efforts to prevent the ball carrier getting over the gain line, so there’s an impressive balance with the animations there. 

The graphics haven’t changed much and some will say there wasn’t much needed in that department, especially as this is the last in the current gen series, but veterans will note how stale the presentation feels. Whilst the commentary and broadcasting feels authentic, cutaway scenes and replays are almost identical to previous Maddens and it’s just dull. 

Madden NFL 21 – will FIFA 21 suffer a similar response? (pic: EA)

Menus have been streamlined in their appearance but the lag experienced in Ultimate Team is painful and a real bane to anyone trying to negotiate the layers upon layers of options. The amount of depth was once commendable but it now feels so arduous trying to accomplish the simplest of processes. 

Add to that the horrendous new card art – why on earth is the text in such a tiny font? And anyone with an interest in the Ultimate Team grind will find it even more of a chore than it usually is. You’ll also be forgiven for switching off the music after about an hour of listening to some of the most mind-numbing NFL-themed rap ever inflicted upon your ears.

Advancements to Superstar X-Factors give you more decisions to make when structuring your Ultimate Team, given the pool of abilities has expanded, and though not for everyone it adds unique skills to the best cards in the game, something we’re more than happy with.

Unfortunately, Ultimate Team just feels the same as last year. There’s barely a new challenge or feature and as previously mentioned the card art and menus are awful. Given it already sits as one of the biggest pay-to-win microtransaction stories in gaming, it remains to be seen how loyal regular players will remain.

Madden has one of the most hardcore fanbases in gaming and with that comes certain demands that a company the size of EA should be able to meet year after year. Instead what we’ve been served is a game that shines in one or two spots but is largely forgettable everywhere else.

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Madden NFL 21 review – EA’s worst sports game of the generation?

Competition breeds innovation and Madden has been without any for far too long. And it shows. Modes that were once iconic and genre-leading have been left to die whilst EA’s determination to show what great storytellers they are needs to be abandoned completely. 

Though content is dropped throughout the year, Ultimate Team at launch has taken a number of steps back in both ease of use and depth. And when that is your moneymaker you’re inviting major issues just as we begin to move towards the next gen consoles.

Madden NFL 20 underwhelmed but Madden NFL 21, for anyone other than a casual player, has arguably regressed even further.

Madden NFL 21 review summary

In Short: A stale series stuck in its own Groundhog Day almost redeems itself with The Yard and will entertain casual football fans, but mediocrity seeps into almost every mode in another backwards step for the franchise.

Pros: The Yard is a great addition and loads of fun, gameplay has been refined and the reworked skill stick is a well-executed addition.

Cons: Menu lag and card design is awful. Tons of bugs. Ultimate Team is stale, Face of the Franchise is boring, franchise mode has been ignored again and the presentation is in need of a serious upgrade.

Score: 5/10

Formats: PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation, PC, and Stadia
Price: £59.99
Publisher: EA
Developer: EA Tiburon
Release Date: 28th August 2020 (next gen and Stadia TBC)
Age Rating: 3

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