Gaming

Games Inbox: PS5 Showcase price prediction, Sonic Adventure remake, and Marvel’s Avengers ennui


What revelations await tonight? (pic: Sony)

The Wednesday Inbox wants to see God Of War 2 and Silent Hill in the PS5 Showcase, as one reader plays Zone Of The Enders in VR.

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

The big question
So today we finally find out about the PlayStation 5 price, eh? I mean surely we do, right? Sony can’t possibly string this out for much longer. Except they might want to if they’re still not sure what games exactly are going to be ready for launch. But if today’s showcase is mostly about games I’m going to assume that that question has been settled.

I don’t know enough about hardware and Sony’s bank account to know how much the PlayStation 5 is going to be but my gut instinct is it’ll be almost exactly the same as the Xbox Series X – £25 difference either way, tops. So £425 if we’re lucky, £475 if we’re not. Although even if it’s £50 cheaper I don’t think that’s going to take away the impression that the Xbox is the best value, because of Game Pass.

For me the biggest question today is whether Sony will try to copy Game Pass or counter it with something else. My guess is they’ll do some sort of half-assed copy that won’t change anything, because I just don’t see them giving away their first party games for free. Whether they can still ‘win’ without doing that I don’t but this new gen is shaping up to be a lot closer than we first thought.
Futterman

Stocking filler
So today is probably going to be Sony’s last role of the dice, eh? They’ve got to announce the price and release date today, but I wonder if they’ll try and at least beat Microsoft to confirming their launch line-up. If that’s good and has more games, like Ratchet & Clank and/or Demon’s Souls, then that would be one area where Sony could say they were clearly better than Microsoft.

I could easily see the Xbox Series S being the best-selling console this Christmas though, at least amongst the next gen machines. Price is going to be everything this year, given COVID, and luckily for Microsoft that’s just what they were pushing anyway. Gonna be interesting times.
Electroscopic

War of ideologies
Very curious to see what Sony are going to announce today. The price is obviously the big thing but I’m more interested in what games they might have too. Were they really keeping back Final Fantasy 16 from the showcase? Were all those rumours about a new Silent Hill really just completely made up? Will Naughty Dog announce a new game or will we see a glimpse at God Of War 2?

What’s interesting about this next gen battle is just how different the ideologies of the two companies are. Microsoft is selling its console based on value for money (and maybe power, although as the Reader’s Feature at the weekend pointed out they seems weirdly adverse to showing it), whereas Sony’s selling points is exclusive games and new technical features like their super-fast SSD, DualSense, and VR.

Even if Microsoft did have more games they’re very different to Sony, emphasising multiplayer as their rival emphasises single-player. Even the machines are relatively different, with the PlayStation 5’s SSD and controller going up against the more powerful Xbox Series X and much cheaper Xbox Series S.

How will win I don’t know but it’s going to be an important battel today…
Brubeck

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

Tipping point
The keyboard and mouse vs. controller argument is becoming a bit of a moot point these days. NICKMERCS won a $100,000 Call Of Duty: Warzone tournament with a controller. He got top kills and was in a lobby with keyboard and mouse players. His teammates were on keyboard and mouse too. Top Fortnite players have switched to controller too. It’s got to the point that keyboard and mouse players are complaining controller has the advantage in both Warzone and Rogue Company. Imagine saying that five years ago.

I think it’s going to be interesting with cross-play to see how the balance is now affected. Still some games do favour keyboard and mouse (like Rainbow Six Siege) but the big cross-play games are narrowing that gap. I play controller on PC myself, for medical reasons, and have found myself doing much better recently even against keyboard and mouse friends. Going to be interesting for esports to see the gap tighten and some controller guys win some bigger tournaments.

I think with 120fps coming to consoles we are going to see some console love in the arenas very soon. I follow the big tournaments and it’s usually rows of top rigs and keyboard and mouse. But with the back paddles and better controller support it’s becoming a level playing field – if you can drop £160 on a controller.
RJ
PS: I know some people will scoff at this but look it up on Twitter. There’s a lot of PC elite not happy their time has come to an end.

GC: Okay, but Warzone isn’t a PC exclusive, which is what the recent Inbox discussion has been about. Command & Conquer, and almost any other strategy game, is far easier to control with a mouse and keyboard.

Road to Adventure
So much Sonic The Hedgehog rubbish and still no sign of a new game! Like many fans I’m not really sure what to hope for at this point. Sonic Mania 2 would be great, but that’s clearly not going to move anything forward and I’d actually prefer something new.

The problem with the Sonic games is that they’ve never had their Super Mario 64 moment, they never transitioned into 3D easily and even though there’s now been a few decent games they never really had any impact. That’s why I’d be against remake Sonic Adventure. It just wasn’t a good game. Even at the time it was miles behind what Nintendo were doing and at best should’ve just been a stepping stone to better things. The fact that it wasn’t is the only reason it’s still remembered.

Whether Sega has got it in them to make something more adventurous, if you’ll pardon the pun, I don’t know. I’d love to see it but somehow I bet it is just going to be a remake after all.
Crispo

Today’s the day, probably
Although the 25th anniversary seemed like a great time to announce the pricing and launch date for the PlayStation 5 I’m hoping Sony were delaying the showcase today for a couple of reasons (assuming we DO get the pricing and launch window today, but we have to… right?).

BULLETWe know the showcase is going to have new game content so what better way to announce price (I’m thinking £350 All Digital Edition and £450 full-fat) than by blowing us all away with something like God Of War 2 gameplay or a new Naughty Dog project. Maybe the extra week was to make sure Santa Monica or another developer has something to get us really buzzed.

BULLETChanges to PlayStation Plus/Now. Even the most ardent Sony fan has to concede that Game Pass is fantastic value and bringing EA Access into the fold only makes it more enticing. In comparison, PS Now is lacking as they’re never going to include the exclusives from launch and it’s expensive. But what if they dropped the free games from Plus and included PS Now into the overall subscription fee? Even if it meant they up the price to £80 a year or so I think that would be great business.

I think they need to come out of the gate swinging, reports of supply issues and the constant fake pricing ‘leaks’ flooding the web (come on T3, every day for your clickbait is too much, have a day off). Give us games, give us pricing and a launch date, give us a look at the dashboard, get us excited.
RJ

Hard Taskmaster
So is anyone still playing Marvel’s Avengers? I ask because I’ve unlocked all the iconic outfits now and I’m quickly running out of reasons to carry on with it. It’s also becoming harder to find people in matchmaking so either I’m at a weird level that others aren’t or everyone’s getting sick of it at the same time.

It’s an okay game, I’ve enjoyed the single-player, but the whole Destiny angle doesn’t make much sense to me. The whole thing should’ve just been a story adventure with a proper ending. It’s just not the sort of game you can play endlessly like that.

Also what is up with it only having two supervillains, especially two such boring ones. I did another fight against Taskmaster and all he did was be a damage sponge the whole time, just standing there taking punches from the Hulk like it was nothing. His first appearance might have been half QTE but it was a hundred times better compared to how he was in the rest of the game.
Ishi

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

Zone of The Enders Season 3
Zone Of The Enders 2 was made for VR. The PlayStation 2 era graphics translate nicely to VR with the clean, crisp textures and distinctive art design. The mech designs are still gorgeous 16 years later.

I’d only played the underrated first game prior to this but the sequel is even better, with tighter design and some memorable set pieces and boss fights. The updated weapon system is also well designed, and the soundtrack is superb. I was even quite impressed with how nicely the anime cut scenes were interlaced with the real-time in-game engine, I was pretty invested in the plot and characters too, anime tropes and all.

I had almost forgotten how fluid and fun piloting your mech and engaging in combat was in this series. Made even more exhilarating and immersive in VR, if occasionally a little dizzying considering the high-octane action. The new first person view inside the cockpit of the giant robot also adds a literal new perspective to the experience, with the headset motion controls rendering aiming at your adversaries more intuitive.

I realise this is wishful thinking, considering how apathetic Konami can be these days, and Hideo Kojima had assisted development on the originals, but I would really love to see a third entry in the series someday.

Zone Of Enders 1 and 2 were real graphical powerhouses in their day and it would be very exciting to see a next gen iteration. Plus, there just aren’t enough new mech games in modern gaming as far as I’m concerned!
Galvanized Gamer

Inbox also-rans
Does anyone else think Star Wars Squadrons looks too good to be true? I never would’ve imagined that EA would make such a game, so if this turns out good they will be earning some major kudos from me.
Danse

Am I the only one the doesn’t get the attraction with Fall Guys? The controls are bad and the level design very unimaginative. Have some of these people never played anything other than a shooter before?
Echo

This week’s Hot Topic
The topic for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader JAH and others, and asks whether you are now considering buying an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S?

What were your opinions on the Xbox Series X prior to this month and how much has that changed with the announcement of the Xbox Series S and the price of both new consoles?

The PlayStation 5 price is likely to be announced on Wednesday, so it may be best to wait until after that to send in your letters. But if Sony does reveal its prices how does that affect your plans for getting a console this year and is this the final information you needed to make your decision?

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: Games Inbox: Microsoft buying Bungie and Destiny, Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox, and Project xCloud

MORE: Games Inbox: PS5 cheaper than Xbox Series X, Xbox All Access investment, and Immortal Fenyx Rising

MORE: Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Best combat system in a video game

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