Wednesday's letters page wonders what changes will be made in the next one Residential evil remakes, as a reader likes XDefiant.
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The new standard
So it's getting late Tuesday afternoon as I write this and there's still no word on a PlayStation showcase or state of affairs. At what point can we say this is just not going to happen? They certainly wouldn't do it Friday night, so the only chance is that it will be announced today for Thursday, but I'm willing to bet that won't happen.
I think people got confused about the Business strategy meeting the other day and assumed this was the showcase, but in reality nothing is planned. We actually should have guessed that, since Sony had already said that major games wouldn't be released until next year.
I'll be honest: I find it all quite depressing. Sony is currently feeling like someone winding down their last few weeks at work before giving up and retiring. I still don't understand why they behave this way, but I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that they will suddenly come back to life and things will go back to the way they were. I'm afraid nothing is the new normal.
Jan van Gent
Resident forecast
I see that VGC and IGN (what's with three-letter acronyms?) have also agreed that the next Resident Evil remakes will be Zero and Code: Veronica, which is about as much agreement as I've seen on this kind of thing in a while.
I'm very pleased with Code: Veronica and couldn't care less about Zero. But like yesterday's reader, I wonder how much Capcom will change, both in terms of gameplay and story. Resident Evil 3 barely resembled the original and I suspect it will be the same for these two.
I mean, Code: Veronica has a section in the middle that's basically just a remake of Resident Evil 1, right down to a copycat mansion and all. I can't imagine they would keep that up as it seemed silly even at the time when it was really just a tech demo.
I hope they are announced next month though because I do like Resi.
The Colt
Short discussion
So it seems like everyone has already stopped talking about Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and it's only been out for a few days. I think you can beat it in just a few hours, but you'd think people would at least have more say in the graphics.
On the other hand, I'm not sure people really care that much about graphics. They love to argue about numbers and look at Digital Foundry like they're speaking English, but I think we've reached a point where the graphics are “good enough” and nothing else really matters to most people.
The problem for Hellblade 2 is that there isn't really much to draw people to, even on Game Pass. It barely seems to be registered on Steam and the only thing it's going to get are technical awards when it comes to game of the year. If I were Ninja Theory, I wouldn't start Hellblade 3.
Benson
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Last guess
I really don't understand the discussion surrounding Call Of Duty on Game Pass. If Game Pass had been a huge success and the Xbox consoles had sold more PlayStation 5s, it would make sense, but that's not what happened. So for most console players they still pay £70 and get it on a PlayStation 5, otherwise Microsoft loses that £70 but gets a bunch of Xbox sales and Game Pass subscribers. It's a win-win situation for them.
Obviously not everyone plays on a console, so there's also PC Game Pass to consider. PC players seem to love their Steam accounts and nothing can tempt them. The only real reference point we have is Starfield, a game with mixed reception and also on Game Pass, but even that still made the top 12 Steam selling games in 2023.
Tim
GC: It's not really a debate, people are just interested because it's the last roll of the dice, not just for Game Pass, but for game subscriptions in general.
Annual ritual
I will say one thing to Activision: I'm surprised and impressed that they still manage to charge for Call Of Duty. Especially because Warzone is popular. I haven't bought one in ages and I can't remember who would. All my casual friends just play Warzone and I can't imagine there are actually that many people who are super invested in the story campaign that they would want to pay £70 for it.
Someone's buying it though, because even Modern Warfare 3 was a big hit. I think it's just ingrained in some people's routine. Buy a box of Quality Street this Christmas and pick up a copy of Call Of Duty at the same time. Some things you just can't give up.
Gonzo
The witching hour
So a baffling question. Why would you announce a Silent Hill Transmission and have it broadcast at midnight? Who thought it was a great idea to choose such a late time, where Internet users sleep for work or school? Where many people will only be aware of the content of the event the next day?
As for the PlayStation Showcase, if it was announced, would midnight be a brilliant time slot? Where many would not be able to stay awake without risking being fired from their jobs for showing up late, for staying up for such an event?
I'm glad, like many fans, that Konami announced something, which was a great surprise, but it deserved an earlier time. That's what I'm saying. Even Microsoft wouldn't choose such a late broadcast.
As for the event itself, I'm not expecting much, apart from the Silent Hill 2 remake. I'm expecting a treacherous disappointment. I have no interest in the upcoming film and I couldn't muster any excitement for Townfall if I tried. Silent Hill f, on the other hand, looks intriguing. But I still don't see what it's about, how it will play and what awaits us fans. I guess we'll see at the event itself, but I'm not holding my breath.
Shahzaib Sadiq
GC: Sony's E3 conference didn't start until after midnight in Britain; many such showcases do not, including The Game Awards.
Challenging future
Considering the success of XDefiant, I would like to say that I played it and enjoyed it as well. The problem with any of these live service games, however, is that everyone has to play it all the time to be successful. That's why so many die so early and even heavily hyped things like Helldivers 2 struggle after a while.
I'm enjoying it right now, but will I still be playing it in six months? I don't know and I think that's the other problem: the game makers also don't know if something has that much longevity, so it all becomes a huge risk and potentially a huge waste of money.
Coulthard
Premier League
It's interesting that Take-Two may be making a new FIFA game, as it will go some way to addressing the shortage of modern football games. Thinking back to the PS1 era, we had multiple developers releasing new, distinctive games – from big-name players like FIFA (from EA) to Actua Soccer, UEFA Champions League, This Is Football and International Superstar Soccer.
After that, things settled into the regular FIFA vs. ISS/PES battle (which was a sales bloodbath, but aside from the PlayStation 3 era, I always felt PES had the upper hand critically), which continued until around 2022, when PES became the live service game. eFootball and they removed all the fun offline game modes. So I'm curious to see what Take-Two can come up with and whether it will become a real competitor to EA Sports FC (and not just in terms of who can fill their game with the most microtransactions).
As a side note, PES 2020 was an excellent game that I still play to this day. There's no game mode that appeals to me as much as Master League, which is essentially a football role-playing game where you progress from a team of no-hopers, rush through games and barely survive to (hopefully) become world beaters. Nevertheless, the squad lists are clearly outdated and are no longer on digital stores like Steam, and have (scandalously) never been ported to Switch.
With the aforementioned decimation of the offline game modes in eFootball, there is an excellent fan mod of eFootball PES 2021: Season Update that updates the squads, continues the offline game modes, is available for free on PC and is apparently playable on Steam Deck ( I don't have that yet, but it's easy to set up on the PC). I won't mention the name as I'm not sure of its legality, but with a little searching it shouldn't be hard to find and it's definitely worth it for frustrated PES fans.
Magnumstache
Inbox is also running
The price of that Lego Zelda set is outrageous, but I have to say I wouldn't mind getting it as a Christmas gift. The little minifigures are hilarious.
Focus
I agree that Activision is making an unusual amount of effort with this year's Call Of Duty hype, that must be Microsoft money. However, that person trying to get an impression of Thatcher is terrible.
Dogan31
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