Games Inbox: What video game has the most bugs and glitches?

The Tuesday letters page advises Xbox not to release Fable this year, as a reader thinks people are treating the ZX Spectrum with rose-tinted glasses.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Worst offender
Can’t say I’m surprised at the PlayStation 5 version of Starfield being full of bugs. Bethesda are terrible at this stuff and especially when it comes to ports and remasters. But it got me thinking about what must be the buggiest game of all time and I guess it’s something like Superman 64 but I haven’t played that and I bet most people haven’t.

Cyberpunk 2077 might count too but I didn’t play that at launch either. By the time I got it most of the bugs were fixed and it just played like a regular game. There was also one of the Assassin’s Creed games that was really bad too, I think the French one [Assassin’s Creed Unity – GC], but I didn’t play it myself.

In terms of games I have played, I do have to say that the worst I ever played is a Bethesda game, but not one they made themselves. Fallout: New Vegas was such a buggy mess that I thought my copy was broken. It was non-stop jank from the very first second and I gave up after a couple of hours and never really got into the series again.

I would actually welcome a remaster that fixed the problems, because I’d like to see why everyone says it’s so good, but I’m not sure if that’ll ever happen or if they’ll just end up making it worse.
Gaston

Christmas is cancelled
Personally, I think Microsoft would be mad to release Fable this Christmas. Either they get it out in September or earlier or they have to wait for next year. Nobody is going to put down GTA 6, just as GTA Online 2 comes out, to play a reboot of a half-forgotten Xbox franchise with a mixed reputation.

All publishers have to accept that this Christmas is a no go zone yet or they’re going to get steamrollered. I’m sure someone will try some counter-programming or something, and at least one publisher is going to just chance their luck at the lack of other games, but I don’t see it working.

The problem is time as much as money. Everyone’s going to be curious to see GTA 6 even if they’re not a big fan of the others and we all know it’s not going to be a short game, so what are you going to do? Especially in the run up to Christmas. Indie games might have better luck but not a big budget game.
Cuit

Like buses
Happy to hear a new Metro game has been announced, it feels like absolutely ages since the last one but I guess that’s true for anything that’s pre-Covid. Exodus was actually my first one, but I really liked it in terms of the story and the way it mixed open world parts with more linear sections. I’m not sure how well it did but I feel it’s probably a bit underrated.

As for this weird log jam of annoucement showcases, I hope they all see sense and just spread them out a bit. Sony is probably too proud for that but it’ll be so annoying to have two, or more, of them on one day and then nothing till June.

I have to admit I’m much more interested in seeing the new Star Fox than I am Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced though. I feel tired of hearing about that game already and it hasn’t even been properly announced yet. Black Flag was a good game but it’s not that good, unless they really change up how it works.
Fantum

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Review pending
Are you going to be reviewing Mouse: P.I. for Hire?

There’re no reviews out yet with two days to go before launch, which is always worrying.

I hope it’s a good game, but I hope it’s not holding back review copies if it’s not.
Cassius2K
PS: The retro games being discussed, the Spectrum games, a lot haven’t held up over time and this coming from someone who grew up with them. Sorry, but we are now spoilt with better looking ones and play better. Good when they came out, as that is all we had back then. Worst one being C5 Clive.

GC: They’re not holding back review copies, but it’s not out till Thursday and most review embargoes are only a day or two before release.

Personal information
I don’t blame Rockstar for not playing the hackers if it is bank details. I’m not bothered one bit if they have my bank card details and try and buy something online. My bank sends a one time code to make sure it’s me buying on everything I try and buy.

Hackers have got cleaver but now banks are stepping up, unless I’m missing something what good can they do with my details unless they want to pay my bills?
David

GC: Someone else having your bank details is always something to be worried about.

New wishes
Really appreciate your Pragmata review, very informative, but mostly I appreciate Capcom for making the game. And it’s not even full price? If only more games were like that.

I’m definitely going to get it because I appreciate the effort that’s gone into it and the fact that a new IP, that’s not an easy sell, is not one any exec at EA or Activision would be taking a chance on right now.

I know it’s wrong to put some companies on pedestal – I might like and respect Nintendo and Capcom but at the end of the day they just want my money – but I really do feel Capcom is doing everything right at the moment and are being justly rewarded for it.

The only problem they’ve had, that I can remember, is support for Monster Hunter Wilds but since I don’t care for that franchise I’m going to be selfish and say I don’t care about that.

Otherwise, they seem to have managed everything very well, with sequels, remakes, revivals of old franchises, and brand new games. I’m really looking forward to the new Onimusha this year and hope they’re building up to a new Mega Man Battle Network game. And of course, the fabled Dino Crisis remake.

But it’s the original stuff I really want them to concentrate on. I just really hope that Pragmata sells well and convinces them and others to do more. Imagine if they kept churning out new IP after new IP, just to get them out there. I’d love that.
Billum

Hard copy
Would you know if Pragmata will be a physical release or digital only?

Also, any word on Romeo Is A Dead Man? Google says it’ll be out physically 2026 but no one’s listed it yet that I can see.
Bobwallett

GC: Well, it’s on Amazon for £42. There’s no sign of Romeo Is A Dead Man but Suda51 said he was making a deal to ensure physical copies, so we’d assume they’d come through Limited Run Games or similar. Unless they got cancelled, as the game doesn’t seem to have sold well.

Modern alternatives
Have enjoyed the retro chat that has taken over the Inbox recently but I do think it’s gone a little too far when people are claiming the ZX Spectrum is better than modern gaming. I was there back in the day with my Spectrum and let’s get real, it was pretty dreadful.

Half the time the games wouldn’t even load from their cassettes. I remember casting an eye over to my chums with first Master Systems and Commadore 64s, and later Mega Drives and Amigas (think the ‘posh kid’ had a SNES a little later), and it was obvious who was getting the better deal… and it wasn’t me.

Anyways, having been going back to play older games I think we are in danger of letting nostalgia get the better of us. Indie gaming is a good example here. You’re almost always better playing modern indie takes on old genres than the original games themselves. Whether that’s Blasphemous over Castlevania, Hyper Light Drifter over Zelda, Horizon Chase Turbo over OutRun, or Blazing Chrome over Contra 3.

Beyond just the obvious quality of life improvements, modern hardware always lets these games push beyond what was actually possible on the old machines. Giving you an experience more in line with your rose-tinted memories than the reality of the early 90s. It’s unsurprising really, as there are 30 years of advancement to call on creating modern interpretations.

One era indie does seem to be struggling with is PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox. Modern small team indies in that style are still noticeably inferior to their inspirations, but if any reader (or GC) wants to suggest missed indie gems that surpass Ōkami, Burnout 3, SSX Tricky, etc… I’m all ears.
Marc

GC: We’d say the non-indie Screamer is the best recent arcade racer. SSX clones are rare but Tricky Madness has proven popular in early access and there’s something called HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate, from the revived Acclaim, that’s due at some point ‘soon’.

Inbox also-rans
Reckon the bit in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie with the Koopa Troopas on the rollercoaster is a deliberate nod to The Curse Of Monkey Island? Possibly unlikely as obviously it’s not a Nintendo franchise, but it is extremely similar.
Captain Walrus

GC: You never know, but it’s a fairly obvious gag to make up independently.

I never get why Bethesda is so bad with tech. They’ve been kings of jank since forever and no matter how big they get they just don’t seem to care about changing. I fully expect The Elder Scrolls 6 to be a complete mess, even with all the Fallout TV money they must be making.
Trent

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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.

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