Gaming

Games Inbox: Smash Bros. Fighter Pass value, Mass Effect 4 hopes, and Skies Of Arcadia 2 retweets


Was it all worth it? (pic: Nintendo)

The Friday Inbox wonders if there’ll ever be a new traditional Zelda on Switch, as one reader worries about the potential death of E3.

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

 

Four out of five
So… Blyeth, eh? A pick so boring I don’t think anyone even bothered to predict it. Like, Edelgard would’ve been bad enough but at least she’s a character people like. At least she’s a character even, Blyeth doesn’t even talk! I’ve heard some say Blyeth was picked before the game came out and Nintendo realised how successful it was, and how popular certain of the characters had become (no Bernadetta in the background seems weird given how popular her character is) but even so it’s a really dull choice that I can barely be bothered to try out.

It’s not a big deal really though as I’d say that the Fighter Pass has been one of the best pieces of DLC I’ve ever bought. Even with the meh fifth entry I’ve enjoyed the build-up to each one, the guessing and campaigning, the reveals, and finally then playing as the character and all the other little extras that get added.

I’ve no hesitation about getting the second pass really, especially as I agree with GC that they just wanted to get Blyeth out of the way and start with a really good one for the new pass. Who do I want in it? To be honest I’d rather just be surprised. Sakurai is right, Smash is a celebration of gaming (or at least Japanese gaming) and I’m happy for it to go on as long as he can manage.
Tourso

 

Ignore the other one
I would love for BioWare to do a remaster of the entire Mass Effect trilogy. Make it for the next gen consoles and so that the save will still carry on through for the new fourth game, which I think should be more of a direct carry-on than the side story or time jump that was originally planned.

Andromeda was already separate from the original trilogy, so let’s keep it that way and just pretend it never happened. Andromeda’s main problem was that it was basically the B-team working on it, so I don’t entirely put the blame on BioWare. If EA want this to be a major franchise again they need to give it the money and the talent it needs, which is hopefully what will happen now that Casey Hudson can take over again.

I do hope it’s next gen only though. I always really hate this point in a generation where it’s half and half as it never feels like new games are being stretched to their full potential. I’d much rather wait another year or two for Mass Effect 4 to be as good as it can than just have it as a cross-gen holdover.
Preston

 

Thought experiment
GC, I’d like to ask you a question about your rating of games. Something I’ve been wondering for a while.

Consider a single-player game that you reviewed very positively. I guess a good example would be Zelda: A Breath In The Wild. Now consider exactly the same game published with the same single-player story but also with a (separate) poor/average multiplayer element as well.

Would this change mean you would reduce your review score or would you still give it a 10 because the single-player part of the game was so good?

Thanks and keep up the good work
Manic Miner 100 (gamertag)

GC: Well, theoretically it’d get the same score, if it seemed that the single-player hadn’t been negatively affected (in terms of size, stability, etc.) by the multiplayer. But we can’t think of any example that was that extreme, can you?

 

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

 

There are dozens of us!
I don’t know if GameCentral or other readers have seen this but a few days ago one of the creators of Skies Of Arcadia has renewed calls for a Skies Of Arcadia 2 on Twitter by asking people to retweet his message
in which you could win some artwork in a prize draw.

I am not on Twitter but if I was I would retweet it as I was a big fan of Skies Of Arcadia on Dreamcast, never tried the director’s cut Legends on GameCube though.
Andrew J.

 

Group meet
How do you feel about E3 maybe being no-more? It seems to be a great opportunity for you to interview a whole lot of people in one place. Is the international jet set journalist lifestyle all it is cracked up to be or do you dread it?

The best part of E3 for me are the GC interviews. I know the chances are slim nowadays but I would love for you to be able to cross swords with Sony’s Jim Ryan again.
ThePowerFeeling (PSN ID)

GC: We always enjoy E3, even though it’s hard work, for just the reason you suggest: all the easy access to interesting people. Ever since Jim Ryan got promoted, we’ve never been allowed to interview him again. But we do see him now and again at events and he always says hello.

 

Zero information
As primarily a PC and Nintendo Switch-only gamer I was thinking of getting a console. Xbox is off the table as I can play those games on my PC. So that just leaves PlayStation.

Can you tell me what exclusives there are to warrant paying a lot more for a PlayStation 5? I’ve not heard any mentioned yet by Sony.
ANON

GC: Sony hasn’t announced any games yet. The only exclusive so far is Gearbox’s Godfall, but that’s also on PC.

 

Traditional values
Replaying to Nathan, regarding not getting Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. I don’t think it is that unpopular an opinion actually. There’s plenty of us out there who just didn’t appreciate it like most people seemed to have. It’s definitely not what I want from a Zelda game. All the points he raised I’d agree with and would also add it really bugged me having to replace my weapon all the time.

An unpopular opinion would be Zelda: Skyward Sword is the best Zelda since Ocarina Of Time. Which I happen to believe. I don’t expect to see a more traditional Zelda game for a while now because of Breath Of The Wild’s success. But I love Nintendo, so glad they’re doing well.
Chris

GC: It’s not hard to imagine a new 2D game in the traditional style at some point, or another remaster of an older game.

 

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

 

Have a look see
There’s not really any empty space in Zelda: Breath Of The Wild but it took me a while to realise just how much is secretly packed into almost every step. If you rely on a story to keep you entertained in a game, maybe you want something different out of your games.

I’d have preferred a more involved story myself, because I like the Zelda lore, but in a lot of ways it feels like the game is making a statement that interactive entertainment shouldn’t involve you sitting passively being told and show stuff. Even discounting the general quality of writing and story execution in the vast, vast majority of games, that’s what a lot of us find boring.

My suggestion is to keep yourself focused, first by using the objectives system in the menu as much as you can while tackling towers, shrines, and whatever other distractions you encounter along the way. Also, don’t insist on beating every enemy or camp you come across, as these reset fairly regularly and anything you get from them is usually disposable, so pick you battles.

Possibly most importantly, use the map markers, and not just the waypoints that put big colourful signals on the screen. There will be stuff that’s worth keeping an eye on even if you don’t want to deter from whatever you choose to focus on.

If none of the current objectives take your fancy, go to a high point in any area and have a look around, keeping in mind the availability of map markers. Just being out in the world and finding shrines and many other surprises can be one of the joys of discovery in the game, but you need to be open to not being led by the hand.

If you don’t start to see the intelligence of the design and how it’s linked to autonomous discovery, it might just mean you’re just looking to get a different form of enjoyment from gaming than it offers.
Panda

 

Inbox also-rans
I just finished Thimbleweed Park and I could not speak more highly of it. Thank you for taking all your time to make it so great!
Anon

Readers of a certain age might appreciate this music video which accompanies a track from Session Victim’s forthcoming album Needledrop.
Rolph

This week’s Hot Topic
The question for this weekend’s Inbox is simple, but not easy to answer: what is your favourite video game of the last decade?

We offered up our top 10 list over Christmas but what is your favourite from the years 2010 to 2019? You can name just one game or several, but we want to know what you enjoyed the most during the last decade.

Was your choice a big hit at the time and how influential was it in terms of the decade as a whole? What do you think were the most notable traits of gaming during the 2010s and how well does your pick exemplify them?

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 4Player viewer features 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: Sony PS5 anti-consumer exclusives, Tetris in Smash Bros., and Breath Of The Wild apathy

MORE: Games Inbox: Final Fantasy 7 Remake vs. Cyberpunk 2077, Smash Bros. Minecraft, and Fable release date

MORE: Games Inbox: Xbox Series X exclusives, Paper Mario reboot, and 3D PlayStation 3 games





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.