Games Inbox: Microsoft vs. Sony next gen battle, Sekiro reviews, and Cuphead in Smash Bros.

This really has been quite the week for gaming. If Stadia does start this year then I guess that is going to signify the start of the new generation, and what a way to begin! GC’s opinion piece hit pretty much all the issues, the most important simply being that this is tech first and games second. Plenty of consoles have worked that way before, I’m sure it’s how Microsoft does things. But it’s the absolute opposite of Nintendo and at least to a degree Sony.

To me there very clearly is a West vs. East divide here and I have to say, as a games first man, I am definitely more drawn towards the Japanese way of doing things. That doesn’t mean it’ll be more successful but I want to play great games, not great tech demos.

There’s been a lot of interesting reader comments recently about which company is best or worst placed going into the next generation and I think there’s a lot of negatives and positives for both Microsoft and Sony. The Reader’s Feature about Sony was very good I thought, and highlighted that in terms of tech they’re definitely at a disadvantage. But that’s almost equalled out by Microsoft’s software disadvantage.

Of course, both companies realise this and there’s a good chance making up that lost ground will be a big part of their next gen plans. But which one will come out on top and will Google really be a contender? I honestly couldn’t say, but I (hope) it’s going to be fun to find out.
Royston
PS: Is anyone else worried about Phil Harrison’s involvement in Stadia? That guy would say literally anything if he was paid to and I don’t trust a word he comes out with. Surprised Google took him on after the mess he made at Xbox.

So it seems reviews of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are going to be split up again just like Kingdom Hearts III, with all the big sites that always score everything highly given copies straight away and more reliable sites, such as yourself (I’m assuming) and Eurogamer being made to wait.

Why are Activision acting like the game’s some sort of shamefully bad cash-in that they have to hide from everyone? I haven’t read a single negative preview, including GC’s very positive one, so why act like this? Why does everything publishers seem to do nowadays make no sense? And why do they have so little respect for their audience’s intelligence that they think we don’t know what’s going on.

Even though I’m certain the game will be good, and I love From’s stuff, I’m going to wait for the proper reviews anyway, just to deny Activision their first day sales.
Franky
PS: Any idea when your review will be GC? Any chance of this week?

GC: We’ve got our copy now, but there’s no way we’ll have a review ready for tomorrow.

I’ve just read that Life Is Strange 2’s third episode is not out until May and, get this, the fourth one is August and the last one is December! That’s 15 months after starting! And the second one wasn’t even that great/didn’t move the plot on much. I loved the first series and Before The Storm, and thought episode 1 of the sequel was really good but this is just crazy.

I get the feeling the sequel isn’t doing as well as the first, which is a shame but I hope the silver lining is that it will finally bring an end to the concept of episodic gaming. It’s a stupid idea that has always been annoying and has hit rock bottom with Life Is Strange 2.

Make your game, then sell it. I don’t know why that idea is so hard to grasp anymore! And if you are going to cut it up and spread it months apart for heaven’s sake don’t do it with a story-based game where you constantly forget what happened four months ago. That’s like the worst genre possible to mess around with. A real shame.
Dookie

Having been a gamer since I was a kid, and now being 45, I’ve seen and embraced many positive changes in the industry, but at present I’m finding it’s only Nintendo and some truly great indie titles that’s keeping my interest afloat. The Switch is just perfect for my current gaming habits, but as someone who has grown up enjoying the ownership and collectiblity of physical media, and having that whole library to hand and on-shelf, I’m finding the thoughts of a stream-only, or even a completely digital future, a big turn-off.

I’m okay with purchasing relatively cheap and quickly downloaded digital indie games, but the collector in me will always want a physical library. I still have that library for practically every system I’ve owned, from Master System and NES onwards. If Google are heralding the start of a stream-only future, the current crop of consoles could well be the last I buy. I think I’ll always be into gaming, but for me the future will be entirely retro.
Paul

I completely forgot about that indie-focused Nintendo Direct so when I saw an IGN post on Facebook stating that Cuphead was heading to the Switch I thought someone was taking me for a mug. After getting a handle on the reality of this megaton development, I watched some footage and it looked so inordinately pulchritudinous on the format. This a dream come true for a Switch fan like myself that had no impetus to buy an Xbox One… just yet.

Anyway, what a supremely pleasant surprise that was, surely Switch owners will be receiving the definitive edition of the game, what with it being playable on the go; local multiplayer via the fun – splitting/sharing Joy-Cons et al. Unabashedly, I am considering going around calling the Switch version Chalicehead from now on, for that pontifical aura of superiority…
Galvanized Gamer
PS: That ‘Nindie’ direct was packed with goodness. Minish Cap 2… I mean Cadence Of Hyrule, looks awesome. Neo Cab, Overland, Katana Zero, Blaster Master Zero II, and Creature In The Well all look excellent too. So much unfettered imagination and blissful creativity on display. I cannot emphasise enough how much the admire the indie sector in gaming, it injects so much personality and whimsical attraction to the industry. Viva la indie gaming revolution!
PS Plus: Shout out to the really good Gunman Clive games, the second one in particular is rather brilliant. Both sport strikingly minimalist, avant-garde art styles too.

GC: We don’t see any special connection to Minish Cap in the Cadence Of Hyrule footage. The primary influence seems to be A Link To The Past.

I don’t want to sound hyperbolic but the more I think about streaming being the supposed future of games the more dread it fills me with. They may be different mediums but for me personally I think TV streaming services like Netflix have been overall a negative development for film and TV. Nothing really feels special anymore and I think this will apply to games if we have to stream them in future.

I’m in my mid-thirties, so a bit of a dinosaur I know, but I’ve always been the type of person who has no more than two main games on the go at any one time. This means I can focus fully on them and really love the great ones in a way I don’t think younger people do now (maybe a massive generalisation).

My son constantly loses in interest in a game after a few weeks and wants to move on to the next one without even properly getting to know it. I find this mentality depressing knowing all his mates are the same. The proudest moment of my gaming life was completing Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (the game I love above all others) at age 15 without any cheat books. It took me about three months of playing constantly in my free time – probably half that on the Water Temple alone. But man was it worth it. A really special memory.

With streaming I feel certain this will never happen – sometimes I spend more time flicking through Netflix, looking for something to watch, than actually watching and the movies I’ve added to my must watch list grows exponentially every day. Perhaps I’m being overly pessimistic but I’m not optimistic about the future of gaming.

I’d love to be proved wrong though.
Chris

Just to advise when browsing the PS Store sale I noticed Batman: Return To Arkham is £9.99.

If that is both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, which I think it is, then it’s a great deal for anyone who hasn’t played the games. Or even for people who want to revisit them.
Anon

GC: They’re not very good remasters but at that price they’re still probably worth it if you haven’t played them before.

I’m sure this isn’t new speculation but I wonder if Microsoft is getting into bed with Nintendo precisely because they’re terrified of what would happen if they joined forces with Google instead.

Imagine Stadia running well on the Switch to allow access both to all Nintendo’s exclusives and all the big multiformat games with no additional controller or hardware requirements. Best case scenario, yes, but a pretty terrifying one for rivals. Substitute Stadia for a similar Xbox service and the effect is the same. And it does seem more likely Nintendo would get a third party to do all this for them rather than be trusted to implement all the tech themselves.

In fact, despite all the 4K nonsense, it may be high-end gaming on less powerful devices, without being tethered to a TV where streaming hits its stride. Console gaming without a TV is certainly how I get most of mine done right now (albeit not high-end) and I’d personally be comfortable doing so with Switch controllers provided the service is reliable and decent value.

I wonder if Nintendo are being a lot more shrewd about all this right now than some are giving them credit for. While their traditionally massive AAA third party gap has never been a major issue for me, plugging it by securing someone else to do all the work for mutual benefit makes a lot of sense (as does Microsoft filling their similarly glaring exclusives void). I’d now be surprised if we get to the end of the Switch’s lifecycle with no third party streaming service in place.
Panda

GC: It’s a plausible theory.

Great news to see Cuphead on Switch. Even better is that the developers have said they want to see Cuphead and Mugman in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! I second the motion.
Murphy

Can’t believe Konami are 50 years old. Does that make them the oldest games company in the world?
Galahad

GC: Nintendo are 129 years old.

The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Tom Meadows, who asks what Achievement or Trophy are you most proud of getting?

Achievements, Trophies, and similar in-game rewards have been a staple of video games for a long time now, but which did you find the most satisfying to get and how long did it take you? How much do you care about achievements in general and what inspires you to go after the more difficult or time-consuming ones?

What’s the secret of designing a good achievement and what are some of your favourite, and least favourite, examples? Are there any old games you wish achievements could be added to or a modern title that you think missed an obvious opportunity?

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