The Monday letters page argues that single-player only games are becoming a luxury product for the rich, as a reader argues Microsoft should shut down Halo Studios.
Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Good start
So, I’ve been playing Battlefield 6 all weekend and I have to say that I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Now, I know the launch of an online shooter means nothing. Even if it works you’ve got a kind of honeymoon period, where nobody is that good at it and everyone is kind of learning the maps and the perks and the ins and outs. Or to put it another way: I actually won quite a bit, which is no doubt helping my positive impression.
I’m sure in a few weeks all the people that play it 25 hours a day will start to pull ahead to such a degree that nobody can ever catch up, but for now it seems like just what we need: a super competent, great looking (and sounding) shooter, with no stupid gimmicks and no stupid cartoon skins.
I think that’s the reason it’s going to be such an important rival for Call Of Duty this year and while I’m not sure ultra casuals will like it as much, I think most other will be very glad for the alternative option. The destruction still seems a bit random as to when and where it works, and you can still wander around for ages looking for someone to fight (or more likely get sniped while you do) but I think it’s great.
Whether it gets better or worse from here though, I couldn’t even guess.
Focus
Times past
I completely agree with the Reader’s Feature at the weekend. We’ve already got a two-stream gaming business where ordinary people have to stick to free and mobile games, and can only afford one or two full-price games a year (probably Call Of Duty and EA Sports FC) at a maximum.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
Nobody’s going to spend £70 or more on a single-player game anymore, unless it’s insanely long and has tons of replay value, and even then it’s still a major luxury. And I think publishers absolutely know that now, so why not increase the cost a bit more? If it’s only rich people buying them, they’re not going to care about the difference between £80 and £100.
Ordinary gamers are to blame too, for always being so slow to try anything new, back when games were relatively cheap. But that’s a long time ago now and those days are never coming back.
Lankor
Prime Direct
So, have we had all the Nintendo Directs we’re going to get this year? I think a Metroid Prime 4-only one is a given but beyond that I really can’t see them having another general one, especially given how badly the last few have gone down.
You can never count on Nintendo being predictable though and they have still got that MMO game they were testing to announce. Although I suppose they could’ve cancelled that by now. The only positive is that the do tend to have one early in the new year, so we shouldn’t have long to wait. Or could they also be at The Game Awards?
Steven Ash
GC: They have appeared at The Game Awards before, but they’ve never unveiled anything of significance there. There’s a first time for everything, but we wouldn’t put money on it happening.
Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Fan only
I’ve seen The Thing Remastered advertised as for sale in various online stores. Did I miss your review of this game? Perhaps you haven’t had a chance to look at it.
From what I remember the original Xbox version of this game reviewed quite well, but that was some time ago. I’m a big fan of John Carpenter’s 1982 film and the 2011 prequel. I was just wondering if The Thing Remastered was worth getting. Does the game’s story connect somehow with the 1982 film?
Michael Veal (@msv858)
GC: It came out at a busy time of year and we weren’t fans of the original, so it wasn’t a high priority for us. If you’re a fan of the film it’s an interesting curiosity, but it’s very repetitive and not much fun. The game’s plot was endorsed by John Carpenter (who’s a keen gamer) but given the absurd nature of the story we wouldn’t put much stock in that.
Bizzaro world
I don’t know what’s worse about the way Microsoft has handled 343 Industries/Halo Studios. The fact that they still haven’t fixed it or that they have been given so many chances, while other, better, developers have been shut down completely.
Poor old Tango Gameworks make the award-wining Hi-Fi Rush and their reward is total shutdown. Halo Studios are an absolute disaster for more than a decade and there’s literally nothing they can do wrong that will actually be punished.
They should’ve been shut down ages and Microsoft should’ve either hired or bought another studio, or set up a new one from scratch. What could you possibly want to keep from what they’ve got now? Instead, quality is punished and failure is rewarded.
Tim Servo
Take my money
The PlayStation 6 is being discussed and with all this talk of the upscaling technological advancements and the mysterious project, only referenced in name as Project Amethyst, which may refer either to the console or a handheld device. I’m locked in for this ride and if anyone else sees an issue with the system, that’s their loss. Because personally, if I’m able to secure a pre-order around 2026 I won’t say that I will be boycotting the system. I’d rather not fall into the trap that is the herd mentality.
As far as the 2027 release date assumption goes, that’s awesome to hear. As a PlayStation fan since the PlayStation 2 days, the sooner the better, when it comes to a release window. I assumed 2028 would be the release year, so to see it possibly arrive earlier is good enough for me.
Maybe many fans still see the PlayStation 5 as hardly even close to the end of its life cycle, but I’m more than ready to upgrade and like I’ve said before, I’ll be there as soon as it’s revealed and pre-orders are announced. As far as launch exclusives are concerned, many hope for a remake of Bloodborne. I’m leaning on Horizon 3 or perhaps a new Assassin’s Creed title. Maybe Hexe if we’re lucky.
Shahzaib Sadiq
GC: You’re talking about pre-orders and nobody even knows what it is yet?
What will they do?
RE Adams6legend. Sonic used to tap his foot and wag his finger in annoyance inn Sonic 2, maybe even Sonic 1 as well.
It was a feature back then, I used to always leave characters idle to see what they would do, still do sometimes, though that’s usually to go get a cuppa.
big boy bent
What gamers want
Discussion about the state of video game consoles can be judged on perspectives. Let’s start with Nintendo. Part of why Switch 2 is so successful is because it has merged two different markets together. Home console and portable console. When the Game Boy or Game Boy Advance or DS was on the market, Nintendo were not breaking records as they are doing now, because they were catering for two different markets but they have now merged them together.
Although the Wii did very well sales-wise, just being an homes console. Nintendo have released a stream of good games and classic games since 2017 which gives a console and brand good momentum.
The biggest way we can judge the state of affairs for PlayStation and Xbox is the release of GTA 6. The common consensus, based on sales of GTA5, is that many people will be forced to buy an Xbox Series X/S or PlayStation 5 to play the most popular video game franchise in history. The biggest hurdle GTA 6 will have is if people are happy to continue to play GTA 5, as it is shown that the general audience are happy to play games that are not showcasing great graphics.
A new numbered GTA typically would release a few years into a console release, if I remember correctly, and is a contributing factor to good sales of a console. PlayStation 5 and Xbox released five years ago and it will be six years by the time GTA 6 is meant to be released.
2026 will be a landmark year for video games, where we’ll learn the true direction of what the general market wants. GTA 6 will be a premier release with major media attention. We will see if people will buy into the hype knowing they need a PlayStation or Xbox to play it.
Ron Cena
GC: The Wii was released only two years after the DS, and both consoles ended up being record breakers.
Inbox also-rans
I’m sure I read that Nintendo don’t consider Wario to be a bad guy anymore, he’s just ‘selfish’. I don’t know if that means he’s related or not though. The elf ears imply he’s not even human, but I don’t think Nintendo usually draw him like that anymore.
Grendel
My Mega Drive controller broke today. 33 years I’ve had that, without a moment’s trouble. I know that’s because it’s low-tech and doesn’t have many parts, but it still makes me wistful. Not to start looking for a replacement on eBay!
Jakecub
Email 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 via email or our Submit Stuff page, 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.
