Thursday, 30 September 2021

Games Inbox: GTA 4 remaster hopes, Switch Pro conspiracy, and The Last Of Us Part 3

Games Inbox: GTA 4 remaster hopes, Switch Pro conspiracy, and The Last Of Us Part 3
Grand Theft Auto IV – is it really the worst GTA?
Grand Theft Auto 4 – should it get a remaster? (pic: Rockstar Games)

The Friday Inbox is unimpressed by the first impressions of eFootball 2022, as one reader is doubtful about the improvements in Far Cry 6.

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


Four the players
I guess the only question about the GTA remasters now is how much they’re going to charge for it, which I assume will be a lot – at least full price. I’d start complaining but I know fine well I’ll pay whatever it is as long as they’re decent efforts. Bizarre it’s taken this long to get them though and even now they only seem to have been done to add some kind of bonus to the next gen version of GTA 5. Although seemingly that’s not how they’re being sold now.

I wonder though, whether this will give Rockstar a taste for more remasters as there’s already that Nvidia leak mention of Liberty City Stories. What I’d be most interested in is a remaster of GTA 4. As far as I’m concerned that is by far the worst GTA, not in terms of story of characters but just because it plays so badly.

Even at the time the driving, shooting, and punching was terrible and if you go back to it now you wonder how Rockstar ever had the nerve to release it like that. The city isn’t all that great either and kind of bland. I realise that would take a lot of effort to change but the gameplay changes wouldn’t, even if it’s just making them exactly the same as GTA 5.

I hope it happens, especially after Take-Two said they were getting more into remasters and remakes. I mean, they put all that effort in to the first Mafia game and I can’t imagine who was supposed to be interested in that.
Austin


The lady doth protest too much
So that was pretty of character for Nintendo, instantly denying the rumour about 4K games. I agree it would’ve been because of the OLED Switch and them not wanting anyone to be put off buying it but I just don’t think it seems plausible that they wouldn’t have a more powerful and/or a brand new console in development by now.

Like GC said, nobody believes that 10 year lifespan nonsense and there’s probably a hundred ways around what they said in their denial that would still mean they are working on a new console or that those developers have devkits.

The phrasing was that they don’t have 4K kits so what if what they have are actually Switch 2 kits? Nintendo’s denial would be technically true but at the same time what the rumour was saying is still basically true too. Or maybe the kits don’t actually output at 4K at the moment (or however they work) but that’s what the games are being developed in mind for.

The mere fact that Nintendo was so quick to deny everything just makes me think it’s more true.
Paulie


Long form storytelling
I think people are kind of skating over the bigger story with God Of War: Ragnarök, which is that it was impossible for them to tell a bigger story because it would’ve taken too long. That’s crazy. Basically, if they wanted a trilogy that would’ve taken 15 years and it’s unreasonable to expect people to wait that long/remember what the hell was even happening in the first one.

I agree but doesn’t that point to the whole current state of big budget gaming being fundamentally broken? It takes five years, minimum, to make a state of the art game and if you’ve got a story that goes over multiple years you’re basically limited to just two or having to remind everyone of the plot every five minutes by the time you get to the last one.

Consider The Last Of Us. Naughty Dog says they haven’t decided yet whether they’re doing a third one yet or not. That implies they haven’t started work on it yet, so if it did come up it’d be a minimum of 13 years, and probably several more, since the first one came out before the third one is out. That’s crazy.
Kory


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Past the peak
I have to say I have very little faith in Far Cry 6 being a good game. We’re six games and numerous spin-offs into the franchise and I can’t remember the last time it even did anything new or interesting. Far Cry 3 was always the best and we’re a long way past that now.

Also, and I don’t want to make anyone feel old, but Far Cry 3 was nine years ago now and things have moved on since then, while Far Cry is still almost exactly the same game.

All I’ve heard them talk about with the new one is the story, which I really couldn’t care less about. Plus, I’ll have no idea whether it’s authentic or not, so I’m not really sure why that’s what they’re obsessing over rather than some actual gameplay innovation.
Rodan


Saving up
I find it insane that the PlayStation 5 has sold so many units. I still only know one person who owns the console. Maybe that’s a reflection on my social circle, but I find it all bizarre. Are we sure scalpers aren’t responsible for half of the sales, and have thousands stocked up ready to unleash on society in the run up to Christmas at double RRP?

Also, great preview of Metroid Dread. I normally never pre-order but snapped up what must have been a pricing error by Curry’s, and have been crossing my fingers and toes that it lives up to the previous entries.
Matt

GC: Thanks.


Good practice
A little surprised that Sony is buying Bluepoint to work on original games. That’s a good thing, I’d always prefer originals to anything else, but up till now Sony has been buying these developers to work on exactly the things they’re best known for.

I’m glad for Bluepoint but I won’t lie that I enjoy remakes in general and thought they did a really good job with their ones. So I hope Sony finds someone else that can do them and continues to pump that out now and again. If developers see it as a good way to practice, before moving on to making their own games, then there should be an endless supply of them lining up, that can then move on to their own stuff before being replaced by someone else.

I guess this also puts the final nail in the coffin into all those rumours about the Silent Hill remake though. Everyone seemed so certain, like the Switch Pro rumours, but it just all came to nothing. Shame, as I bet Bluepoint could’ve made a great job of it.
Londo
PS: I just though, maybe the next company Sony buys will be Konami and that’s why there’s been so many rumours about remaking their games?


Rare Metals
Who on earth has convinced Sony that anyone cares about Twisted Metal? Even the creator says it’s something that doesn’t have any appeal outside America and you’d think he’d be all for more of them. And using the same developers and payment plan as Destruction AllStars, a game I’d completely forgotten existed until five minutes ago?

I’m sure they won’t spend much money on it, so it doesn’t really matter, but it seems a massive longshot to me. Although fair due to whoever at Sony convinced Netflix to pay for the rights to a TV show.
Kimble


Worst of both worlds
Oh, you have given me a laugh with that picture of what I believe is a poor man’s Lionel Messi. Reminds me of that terrible bust of Cristiano Ronaldo from a few years ago!

How anyone at Konami thought it would be a good idea to release what is obviously an unfinished product is beyond me. However, for football fans, what choices are left to them?

Evil FIFA, riddled with microtransactions, or eFootball, riddled, eventually, with microtransactions?

After the farce of NBA 2K22, which is also stuffed with extra purchases, it appears to be a terrible time to be a video sports games fan. You’re, literally, being taken to the cleaners to have your wallet shaken just by loading the game, and it’s always seemed unjust because the very next year the entire process starts from scratch again.

I always believed sports games, with annual releases, should have lent themselves to subscription purchases years ago, but why bother when EA/Konami/Take-Two can get you to pay full price AND pay for loads of extras. Wonder how much you’d have to spend to accumulate everything in one sports game, like FIFA, per annum?

Anyway, I’m glad I don’t like sports games, as it’s saved me a fortune over the years, but I hope other gamers now start seeing the light and vote with their wallets, keeping them firmly shut, as it’s obvious that no government or regulator is going to intervene.
ZiPPi


Inbox also-rans
Just a heads up, Marvel’s Avengers is coming to Game Pass on 30th September. I guess it’s the last throw of the dice for the game, as it has been reported that less than 500 people are playing the game on Steam.
Comes with all DLC included, except for Spider-Man which is PlayStation exclusive.
TWO MACKS

Good to see EA taking a stand with cheaters before they even start. I’m totally for instant and permanent bans for cheating. There’s no excuse and no one wants these people ruining the game, or any game. I just hope the measures work.
Royston


This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by various readers, who asked what is the most memorable video game box art?

It can be either memorably good or bad, but which made the most impression on you and why? Since physical copies are becoming increasingly rare you may never have seen the artwork in question on an actual box but how important do you feel key art images are in setting the tone for a game?

Have you ever tried to get a poster or other merchandise featuring the image and how iconic do you think it is outside of gaming?

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.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 and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Games Inbox: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate value, Actraiser 3, and Super Mario Bros. movie memories

MORE : Games Inbox: PS5 best selling console, Wave Race 64 25th anniversary, and Outer Wilds love

MORE : Games Inbox: FIFA 22 microtransactions, Shenmue love, and Xbox Series X All Access

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Squid Game is now a part of Fortnite – thanks to some very clever fans

Squid Game is now a part of Fortnite – thanks to some very clever fans
Squid Game in Fortnite
Fortnite – create your own Squid Game (pic: Twitter)

Fans have used the Creative mode of Fortnite to recreate Netflix smash hit Squid Game and you can play it yourself for free.

Given the near endless array of pop culture cameos in Fortnite already it’s surely only a matter of time until there’s some kind of official crossover with Netflix show Squid Game.

Until that happens though fans have taken matters into their own hands and recreated the show in Creative mode, which given Fortnite is basically a battle royale already has actually proved surprisingly easy.

Fortnite fan Glitch King managed to recreate almost everything about the show, from the weird costumes to the creepy music and, most importantly, the rules of the game.

Things works just like the show, with players assembling in the sorting area and then once it’s full ‘loopers’ are teleported outside and into the area. Players then have to get past the doll at the other end of the arena in order to reach the safe zone.

Some of the graphics, especially the doll, are pretty crude but it still gets the point across and everything from the show is in there in some form or another.

How to play Squid Game in Fortnite

Since it’s not part of Fortnite Battle Royale, just the Creative mode, players have to agree with themselves how things work and when the host says ‘Green Light’ everyone gets to make a rush for the safe zone.

Then when they say ‘Red Light’ they have to stop on the spot, and if they don’t the host gets to eliminate them.

If you want to check it out in Creative mode yourself all you have to do is enter this code: 4453-7853-1540

And if you don’t like it, well… the beauty of Creative mode is that you can have a go at making a version of it yourself.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Fortnite adds second Venom skin based on upcoming movie sequel

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Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition leaked and out this year

GTA 3 screenshot
GTA 3 is finally getting a proper remake (pic: Rockstar Games)

The age rating board in Taiwan appears to have confirmed rumours of a GTA remaster trilogy, implying that it’s release must be imminent.

Considering how long Rockstar has gone without releasing remasters of any Grand Theft Auto games, except GTA 5, it was hard to know what to make of recent rumours that all three PlayStation 2 era games are on their way to modern formats.

It certainly seemed about time, but there was no proof other than Rockstar’s sudden interest in shutting down fan remake and mod projects.

But now what is called Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition has turned up on the Taiwanese age rating website and unless someone who works there is an epic level troll that means not only that the remasters exist but that their release must be relatively soon.

Rockstar had reportedly been uncertain as to whether to release the remasters separately or in one compilation, but the Taiwanese listing suggests they’ve decided to bundle them all up as one.

Since it’s just an age rating website there’s no further information, but rumours claim that the remasters will upgrade the game to Unreal Engine and that it’ll actually be somewhere between a remaster and remake, with some content being changed if it’s not deemed to have aged well.

Rockstar Dundee, the studio formerly responsible for Crackdown 2, is believed to be working on the remasters, as well as the new next gen versions of GTA 5, but again none of that is confirmed.

Not even the formats are known for certain, although it’s believed the remasters will be released for both current and last gen consoles, including the Switch and Stadia.

The PC version though, along with iOS and Android, may have been delayed into next year, as a result of the pandemic.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.

MORE : GTA 5 PS5 trailers disliked by over 150,000 unimpressed fans

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MORE : GTA 3 and Vice City reverse engineering project shut down by Take-Two

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Xbox Series X and PS5 stock shortages will continue in 2022 says Phil Spencer

Xbox Series X and PS5 stock shortages will continue in 2022 says Phil Spencer
Xbox Series X console
The shortages will go on (pic: Microsoft)

The head of Xbox has warned that next gen console stock problems will last well into next year and not just because of chip shortages.

Any hopes that the new year would see an end to stock shortages for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 have once again been quashed, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer warning of numerous supply and logistic problems.

‘I think it’s probably too isolated to talk about it as just a chip problem,’ Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in an interview organised by TheWrap, between him and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick.

‘When I think about what it means to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is, there are multiple kind of pinch points in that process. And I think, regretfully, it’s going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar year.’

‘People really want this new generation of consoles – they’re good consoles, both from us and the other platform holders – and they want the new functionality. We’re working hard to bring them to market but it’s going to be a challenge that we’ll work through for quite a while,’ added Spencer.

His predictions, which imply similar problems for Sony and PC graphics card manufacturers, are unsurprising and other companies have warned that shortages will continue through most of next year and potentially even into 2023.

Retailers are now getting much more regular deliveries of new stock, but it still never lasts more than 30 minutes or so and requires customers to either anticipate it in advance or just get lucky.

Elsewhere in the same interview, Zelnick seems to accidentally reveal that the current number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers is around 30 million.

He mentions the number in passing to Spencer, who quickly corrects him by saying that the last publicly announced numbers, in January, were 18 million.

Zelnick’s nervous response to Spencer’s comment suggests that rather than just putting the wrong number out he accidentally revealed the real one.

The 30 million figure is plausible, but it would represent a major increase over the course of the year and suggests the figure by the end of the year could be pushing 40 or 50 million.

Microsoft tends not to release figures for anything, but current estimates suggest that the Xbox Series X/S has only sold around 7 million consoles worldwide, compared to roughly 12 million for the PlayStation 5.

Although the next gen consoles will be helping to drive sales of Xbox subscriptions the majority of users must therefore still be using it on either the Xbox One or PC.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, and follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Get an Xbox Series S console and FIFA 22 for as little as £85 at GAME

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Rumours say Switch Pro and 4K games are real; Nintendo say they’re not

Rumours say Switch Pro and 4K games are real; Nintendo say they’re not
Nintendo Switch 4K
8K will be the standard by the time the Switch Pro really does come out (pic: Metro.co.uk)

The Switch Pro rumour merry-go-round has started up again, with a major source claiming developers are working in 4K – but Nintendo deny it.

We’ve been here before. For months numerous, reliable sources have been talking about a new model of console nicknamed the Switch Pro, believed to be more powerful than the other models and capable of 4K graphics.

There were so many rumours everyone started to take it as read, right up until the point the Switch OLED model was announced and it turned out not to be any more powerful at all – it just had a better screen.

That didn’t necessarily mean the Switch Pro wasn’t also real, so when Bloomberg reported on Wednesday evening that 11 different developers already have 4K development kits it seemed relatively believable… until Nintendo denied the whole thing.

Bloomberg isn’t exactly some random faker on 4chan so there was plenty of reasons to take their story seriously, but what’s more surprising than them being wrong is that Nintendo would so quickly deny everything – something that’s hard to remember them ever doing.

Why they’d be so keen to deny the rumours is relatively easy to guess, as they’re no doubt keen to stop anyone from holding back on getting the OLED model, in the belief that the Switch Pro might be real.

Nintendo’s investor relations Twitter account issued a very bluntly worded statement, claiming that the article, ‘falsely claims that Nintendo is supplying tools to drive game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support. To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to clarify that this report is not true.’

‘We also want to restate that, as we announced in July, we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, which will launch on October 8, 2021.’

That’s probably the most Nintendo has ever had to say about any rumour, so they’re obviously very keen that you should know it’s not true.

Whether they’re bending the truth in any way is impossible to tell but considering the Switch is over four years old now it seems impossible to imagine that Nintendo doesn’t have any plans for either a more powerful model or simply a brand new console.

Nintendo has repeatedly said it wants the Switch to last 10 years and while no one ever really believed that, it is currently only four and a half years old.

Whatever is really going on in secret at Nintendo HQ it’s clear that a) beyond the OLED model it’s not going to result in any new hardware anytime soon and b) most rumours about Nintendo usually aren’t true.

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Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Games Inbox: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate value, Actraiser 3, and Super Mario Bros. movie memories

Games Inbox: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate value, Actraiser 3, and Super Mario Bros. movie memories
Xbox Game Pass logo
Is it pushing people towards PCs rather than consoles? (pic: Microsoft)

The Thursday Inbox is dubious about the return of the GamesMaster TV show, as one reader extols the virtues of Returnal.

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


Value for money
Interesting to see how cheap and easy it is to get the Xbox Series S compared to its big brother and the PlayStation 5. I would’ve thought it would be a lot more popular than it is because it’s very cheap, barely any more than a Switch, and not really any less powerful than the Series X. Combine that with Game Pass and I would’ve thought it’d be the best-selling next gen console, not the worst.

It makes me wonder what the lasting effects of Game Pass will actually be. For me Game Pass is the best value in gaming and I’d like to see anyone argue otherwise. You can argue that Microsoft are ‘cheating’ because they’re losing money on it and can afford to do so but the end product and value to ordinary customers is unquestionable to me.

But if people aren’t buying Xbox Series S (and maybe not even X) for it where are all those subscribers? A certain number will be on Xbox One but that’s obviously not going to last. Instead, I think an increasing percentage will be on PC and that, purposefully or not, Microsoft will be encouraging the end of consoles rather than bringing their own to dominance.

Overall they won’t mind because they’ll still come out on top in the new service based world that is to come but I’m not sure that’s what they were aiming for.
Robo64


Old media
As much as I used to love GamesMaster back in the day I’m not sure I’m expecting much from three hour long episodes, what kind of impact is that going to have? And why are they so long? There is going to be an awful lot of filler in a show that long and I can just imagine all the ‘funny’ skits and bits to camera before I even watch it.

In my opinion the time for a video game show on TV has long since passed, like decades ago. Nowadays there’s nothing YouTube and Twitch can’t do just as well and far quicker. Given how long it takes to make these sort of things they’re going to be talking about games from, what, six months ago at least?

TV had its chance to get in on gaming when it was in its infancy but it squandered every chance, including GamesMaster itself, and now it’s just obsolete.
Canker


Being heard
Thanks for the Actraiser Renaissance review, GC. I’d already watched the trailer but hadn’t realise the graphics were quite so ‘unique’ until I read what you had to say about it and took another look. What a bizarre decision. I just don’t see what it’s suppose to have in common with the original style. It’s retro but retro in a completely different way to the SNES game.

I’m going to get it anyway though, as I loved that game and am curious to see all the additions they’ve added to it. Plus I want to do my part to convince Square Enix to commission a new game. I know that’s kind of silly but I imagine this is the one and only chance we’ll get to influence and as you always say publishers do listen to us gamers, or rather they listen to our wallets.
Taserface


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Killing time
In the 90s I was on a ferry on holiday and there wasn’t much to do and they had a cinema on board and they were showing two films: Sommersby which I wasn’t old enough for and Super Mario Bros. with Bob Hoskins, so me and my brother watched Super Mario Bros. about three or four times! I have watched Sommersby recently and I didn’t really like it, I haven’t watched Super Mario Bros. since when it was first shown on TV or on VHS rental.

Also, on the ferry they had a coin-op with a built-in Mega Drive, where you could select out of about 10 games or so to play. The only problem was unlike normal coin-ops, where you had to stay alive to keep playing, with this Mega Drive coin-op you put the money in and it let you play for about 10 minutes on a time limit. So when the time limit got to zero it was game over unless you put more money in for another 10 minutes.

I also remember going to the Street Fighter 2 film knowing it was bad to kill time in the long summer holidays! I only saw that film once at the cinema, and possibly once on VHS rental.
Andrew J.
PS: Europa Universalis 4 is free on Epic Games Store from 4pm on Thursday 30th September, it has not been given away free by Epic Games before.


Unkonami
Indie fans, I recommend checking out Unmetal. It’s hilarious, it’s a parody of Metal Gear. Unepic Fran is a single Spanish indie developer; you may have heard of Unepic, I believe it is quite popular and I’ve got it to play as well at some point.

I played his other game Ghost 1.0, which is a cool Metroidvania. You play as a disembodied AI and can take over other machines. I played an hour of Unmetal which I recorded on my YouTube channel X Power. Also check my Twitter where I’m giving away a copy! The game is £13, which felt like I stole the game, so I picked up another code for the giveaway.
Big Angry Dad82 (gamertag)


Complex issues
Let me start by saying I hate the concept of loot boxes. I’ve never bought one and generally don’t buy games with them.

However, as much as I understand complaints that they aren’t banned, the gambling commission has reviewed them more than once and the conclusion is they aren’t gambling. There’s a fine line between what is gambling and what is a competition and for now loot boxes are a competition. Even if it were gambling, I think the games would just get 18 certificates and parents would still buy them for their kids.

I don’t place the blame with people like EA though. They’re selling a product, are honest about what is in it and people are buying it.

Sony and Microsoft though, set the rules for what they allow on their platforms. They’ve made statements about walled gardens being there to make them ’safe’ and if they wanted, they could jointly set a standard of what they won’t allow. In my mind the main difference between console and mobile games at this point is consoles offering a full price game with no microtransactions but if this continues to erode, then what is the value in the high-priced games?

I remind everyone concerned with loot boxes being a gateway to gambling for children that as a parent Sony and Microsoft both do let you control this on your child’s account. The same as Apple does on iOS.
Tim

GC: The government position is far more sceptical than you’re implying. You’re also absolving publishers of any kind of moral responsibility, since they know fine well who pays for loot boxes and why.


Ticking clock
Nintendo take my money and a piece of my soul for a Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster. It also wouldn’t hurt for all four 2D Metroids and remaster/remakes to be released on one media format that is current before Dread comes out.

I don’t want this company to become Ninten’cant rather than Nintendo.
D Dubya

GC: Considering Metroid Dread is out in eight days we’re going to guess that’s not happening.


Boss of battles
Returnal is indeed a triumph in game design, GC. I have been having such a blast with Housemarque’s hauntingly beautiful, layered, intelligently designed PlayStation 5 debut.

Some thoughts on my engagements with the first two bosses: Phrike has been struck down. And I didn’t have to return to fighting him too many times either – he bested me three times, and in one of those encounters I was at a critical disadvantage in the health and weapon proficiency departments!

What an exhilarating battle that was, the malignant alien enforcer’s strikes were mesmerising to anticipate, behold, and evade. Its sweeping, double-backing lasers and swift melee charge caught me off guard an embarrassing number of times.

I would be remiss not to mention the evocative, otherworldly, almost Blade Runner 2049-esque score which certainly enhanced the inscrutable (at this early stage) hostile alien world atmospherics of this unforgettable crucible!

Next up, the flying pestilence known as Ixion has had its wings clipped and malevolent existence extinguished at the hands of the disoriented, embattled Selene (or shall I say moi).

Such a gruelling, glorious boss fight. The sheer intensity of the attack patterns in the third phase had me sweating like a purveyor of illegal paraphernalia visiting a jittery associate in a correctional facility. The devious synergies of his dash/leaping melee strikes and expanding laser ring dispersals were a right nuisance.

Now biome 3 has been kicking my hind parts with a truck full of steel toe cap boots! There has been a sharp incline in my death count you see. I had something like 22 deaths before my arrival at Mechamassacredonia. That figure has nearly double since.

My advice for anyone disheartened by the lack of progress and unapologetically draconian nature of this beast is simply to keep on persevering. Keep on returning.
Galvanized Gamer


Inbox also-rans
I hope GamesMaster invites Dave ‘The Animal’ Perry back on when it reboots. He deserves an opportunity for revenge against Super Mario 64.
ANON

Really enjoyed the two part Hot Topic again last weekend, GC. Will that be the standard now? Hope so.
Soldat

GC: It all depends on how many emails we get. Right now we’ve only got enough for one part this weekend.


This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by various readers, who asked what is the most memorable video game box art?

It can be either memorably good or bad, but which made the most impression on you and why? Since physical copies are becoming increasingly rare you may never have seen the artwork in question on an actual box but how important do you feel key art images are in setting the tone for a game?

Have you ever tried to get a poster or other merchandise featuring the image and how iconic do you think it is outside of gaming?

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.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 and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Games Inbox: PS5 best selling console, Wave Race 64 25th anniversary, and Outer Wilds love

MORE : Games Inbox: FIFA 22 microtransactions, Shenmue love, and Xbox Series X All Access

MORE : Games Inbox: Castlevania 35th anniversary memories, Bayonetta 3 impressions, and Diablo 2 versus 3

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Cuphead DLC delayed yet again because of pandemic

Cuphead DLC delayed yet again because of pandemic
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course – still not finished (pic: Studio MDHR)

Not for the first time, The Delicious Last Course expansion for Cuphead has been delayed and now it hasn’t got any release date at all.

If there’s one thing no-one can accuse developer Studio MDHR of doing, it’s cashing in on the success of Cuphead with a quick bit of DLC.

The original game was first released in 2017 and The Delicious Last Course expansion (DLC, geddit?) still isn’t out… and isn’t going to be anytime soon.

Founders Chad and Jared Moldenhauer took to Twitter to apologise to fans for the new delay, but it’s notable that not only is there no new release date but they won’t even say what year it’ll be out.

‘In true Studio MDHR fashion, we aren’t content for this final chapter to be anything less than our best work. Throughout development, we’ve challenged ourselves to put everything we learnt from making Cuphead into the quality of The Delicious Last Course’s animation, design, and music’, wrote the brothers.

‘Meeting this standard has been extremely challenging for us amid the global pandemic that has affected so many of our fellow developers. Rather than compromise on our vision in response to COVID, we’ve made the difficult decision to push back the release of The Delicious Last Course until we are confident it will delight the Cuphead community the way we feel it should.’

Originally an Xbox exclusive, Cuphead has subsequently been ported to almost every other format and even managed a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

At this rate the animated Netflix show will be out before the DLC but, as the brothers imply, there’s no point cutting corners at this stage. Even so, we admit we’re just as eager to see what Studio MDHR is going to do for its next full game, as we are to play the DLC itself.

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Castlevania Advance Collection review – Dracula X Metroid

Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow screenshot
Aria Of Sorrow – the best game in the collection (pic: Konami)

Konami’s new compilation of classic Castlevanias includes what many consider the best entry ever but how do such old games hold up today?

In our recent preview of Metroid Dread we noted how the two games that the Metroidvania franchise is named after are almost unknown to modern gamers. Next month Metroid gets its first genuinely new entry in 11 years, while Castlevania, despite vague rumours of a new game, is yet to end its seven year dry run. In the interim though, both series have received various remasters, remakes, and re-releases, with 2019 compilation Castlevania Anniversary Collection including most of the franchise’s most notable early titles.

That release did leave plenty of room for a second collection, with Rondo Of Blood and the seminal Symphony Of The Night the most obvious omissions, but whether that will ever happen remains unclear. For now, Castlevania Advance Collection contains three former Game Boy Advance titles and one bonus SNES game. That may not sound like much, and playing Game Boy Advance games on a 50” TV screen does seem a bit absurd, but the collection’s most renowned title has a good claim to be the best Castlevania game ever made.

We should say straight away that playing any of the three main games on a giant TV really is pretty silly and we’ve reviewed all these in portable mode on a Nintendo Switch – and even then the screen’s too big. The original Game Boy Advance model had a tiny 2.9 inch screen, a resolution of 240 × 160 pixels, and no backlight. Despite such prehistoric technology though it played host to some classic games, as this collection ably proves.

With experts M2 on board there’s no question about the quality of the emulation but we do wish they’d added a few more display options, including shrinking the image so it’s the same size as the Game Boy Advance used to be. If you use the pixel perfect option though all three games still look good enough, as long as you bear in mind their age and the limitations of the original format.

The first game, released in 2001, is officially subtitled Circle Of The Moon but, like multiple other entries in the series, was marketed simply as Castlevania in Europe. Symphony Of The Night was only four years old at this point and while all the Game Boy Advance titles follow closely in its footsteps Circle Of The Moon still tries to come up with a few new ideas of its own. Well, okay… one new idea.

If you haven’t played any Castlevania (or Metroidvania) before the formula is fairly straightforward, as they’re all 2D platformers set within an expansive, essentially open world, map which you only have limited access to until you collect new abilities and weapons. These allow you to, for example, double jump onto higher ledges or push heavy blocks out of the way.

Unlike Metroid, the post-Symphony Of The Night games also have a role-playing style levelling system and collectible apparel that affects your stats and makes level grinding a constant temptation (and a necessity for Circle Of The Moon, which has a nasty mid-game difficulty spike).

Circle Of The Moon is an enjoyable romp but the only notable wrinkle to the formula is the Dual Set-up System (DSS) where you collect two types of cards from defeated enemies, that allow you to activate special abilities such as a flaming whip or one that sprouts thorns and roses. The problem with this is that not only do these extra abilities rarely make much practical difference but the cards only drop at random and you can easily get most of the way through the game without picking up any of the interesting ones.

Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon screenshot
Now you can actually see Circle Of The Moon properly (pic: Konami)

One benefit of playing Circle Of The Moon on a modern console is that because the original Game Boy Advance didn’t have a backlight it was actually very hard to make out what was going on unless you were sitting directly under a light source. This problem was acknowledged in follow-up Harmony Of Dissonance, where the main character is surrounded by an ugly fluorescent blue line (which we wish M2 had added an option to remove) and the background graphics are noticeably more colourful.

Harmony Of Dissonance is a particularly slavish attempt to copy Symphony Of The Night, with the only attempt at innovation being a light/dark world feature involving two similar but not identical layouts of the castle you’re exploring. You can also augment the tradition sub-weapons with elemental attacks, but that’s about as imaginative as the game gets. Which is not to say it’s not fun, it’s just very unoriginal and extremely easy – to the point where you begin to wish it had a difficulty spike too.

The first two games are mere appetisers though and the real jewel in the crown of the collection is Aria Of Sorrow. It too owes a large debt to Symphony Of The Night but it’s immediately obvious that it’s also trying to do things differently, with a near future setting, a brand new protagonist, and an evolution of the DSS system from Circle Of The Moon called the Tactical Soul ability.

This allows you to absorb the souls of almost every different kind of enemy in the game, in order to gain one of four categories of ability: projectile weapons that replace the traditional sub-weapons; souls that offer stat boosts and minor new abilities like immunity to poison; souls that allow you to summon helper creatures or transform into other forms like bats or demons; and, finally, special souls, usually obtained from bosses, that enable key abilities like swimming underwater.

Castlevania: Draclua X screenshot
Vampire’s Kiss – the best looking game but the worst to play (pic: Konami)

Tactical Souls introduces so many abilities you needn’t ever play the game the same way twice (there is a New Game+ mode to prove just that) and it’s combined with the best level design and boss battles of any of the three games, with some excellent graphics that are not nearly as garish as Harmony Of Dissonance.

The fourth game is essentially a bonus: what was known in Europe as Vampire’s Kiss but in the US as Dracula X (you can play the Japanese, American, or European versions of all four games, which is a very welcome option). It has the best graphics of the bunch, since it was a late era SNES game, but despite being an adaptation of PC Engine title Rondo Of Blood – another candidate for best Castlevania ever – it’s a considerably less interesting game, with most of the non-linear elements removed and the difficulty turned up to 11.

Vampire’s Kiss is only a bonus, but it has very little in common with the other games, as it’s not a true Metroidvania. It’s tempting to say the three Nintendo DS games should’ve been included instead, especially as one of them is a direct sequel to Aria Of Sorrow, but given the sensibly low price that can be forgiven and a sequel collection would be very welcome.

As well as that though, Konami also needs to revamp and re-release the Castlevania Requiem mini-collection, which includes the all-important Symphony Of The Night and Rondo Of Blood, but far more important than that is, of course, a new game. There’s still no proof that the rumours of a new PlayStation 5 game are true but also no guarantee that it would be better than Aria Of Sorrow, which despite its age and simplistic technology remains one of the best Metroidvania titles of all time.

Castlevania Advance Collection review summary

In Short: A very narrow selection of games, from a format that does not work well on modern TVs, but Aria Of Sorrow in particular stands out as one of the best Castlevania games ever made.

Pros: All three Game Boy Advance games hold up surprisingly well in gameplay terms, despite the ancient technology, and Aria Of Sorrow is a stone cold classic. Sensibly priced.

Cons: Harmony Of Dissonance is not great and Vampire’s Kiss is outright bad. Too few museum features and some extra screen options would’ve been welcome.

Score: 8/10

Formats: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC
Price: £15.99
Publisher: Konami
Developer: M2 and Konami
Release Date: 24th September 2021
Age Rating: 12

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GamesMaster reboot show announces three hosts – none of them are Dominik Diamond

Still the master of them all?
Who will be the new GamesMaster? (pic: Channel 4)

The soon to be revived version of Channel 4’s cult video games show will feature three main hosts, but the GamesMaster is still a secret.

A new series of video game show GamesMaster is still on schedule to begin soon, with three 60 minute episodes promised before the end of the year.

Despite its imminence there’s still been no footage of the new show and, until now, no indication of who will be hosting it. But now it’s been announced that the trio of presenters will be Consolevania and VideoGaiden alumnus Robert ‘Rab’ Florence, esports presenter Frankie Ward, and content creator Ty Logan.

However, there’s still no hint as to who the GamesMaster – the big floating head that used to be Sir Patrick Moore – will be, despite rumours that Sir Patrick Stewart might be involved.

Florence is acting as creative consultant on the show, while Ward is also known for presenting the annual PC Gaming Show. Logan seems to be the only one without any notable ties to gaming and will apparently be ‘representing the casual gamers’.

‘I’m hugely honoured that I’ve been trusted with ushering a new generation of challengers to their glory or humiliation, under the unflinching gaze of the GamesMaster. I look forward to finding out how much I can get away with’, says Florence.

According to Channel 4 the series will see, ‘celebrities, gaming stars and super fans all take part in challenges, races and epic fights. Through virtual battles across a range of games, the competitors will try everything in their power to claim a legendary Golden Joystick Trophy. But whilst they play, they’ll be watched over by the all-knowing GamesMaster.’

That’s pretty much the same format as the first time around, although what exactly the GamesMaster will do is still unclear, as previously he used to give out tips – which doesn’t seem quite so essential a service nowadays.

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Get an Xbox Series S console and FIFA 22 for as little as £85 at GAME

Xbox Series S console
Xbox Series S – the best next gen deal in town (pic: Microsoft)

A new trade-in offer will get you a next gen console and FIFA 22 for as little as £85, but you’ll have to give up your existing console.

The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 might be perpetually out of stock but the cheaper Xbox Series S has been relatively easy to get hold of for several months now.

Officially it costs £249.99, compared to the £449.99 of the Xbox Series X, but GAME has just started a new offer where you can get it and a copy of the brand new FIFA 22 for £149.99 or less – if you trade in your old console.

A PlayStation 4 Slim 500GB and Xbox One S 500GB are both part of the deal, although there are ways to get the bundle even cheaper, if you trade in an Xbox One X 1TB console (£119.99), a Switch Lite (£134.99) or a standard Nintendo Switch (£84.99).

Trading in a Switch may be extra tempting at the moment given the Nintendo Switch OLED model launches next month – if you fancied upgrading to that afterwards.

The offers runs from Friday, October 1 to October 10 and you can find the full details here. Although as GAME points out, it’s only while stock lasts.

Given it is fairly easy to keep in stock under normal circumstances it may be that the Xbox Series S also turns up in Black Friday deals this year, although the discount is likely to be mild and probably linked to bundles.

There seems essentially zero chance of getting an Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 for anything less than full price until both are easily available, and that’s not likely to be until 2022 or even 2023.

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