The Friday letters page wonders if VR will ever be the future of gaming, as one reader gives a mini-review of Playtonic’s Lil Gator Game.
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Beyond Infinite
So, things continue to be very quiet for Microsoft, with no announcements at The Game Awards, but it can’t be long until we hear about a new Halo. Especially after they messed up the multiplayer of Infinite (and the TV show didn’t make much impact).
I’m not sure what they’re going to take away from what wrong with Halo Infinite though. Do they think the open world was a mistake or will they double down on it and not have any of the linear levels? Did they even mean to have the linear levels or was that just because they ran out of time and needed to get it out of the door? It’s hard to tell.
I think if you look at the original Halo that open world design is definitely at the heart of the series but just having a big bland map seems too ordinary to me. There needs to be something different about it in Halo and I think the Metro Exodus approach would be best.
For those that haven’t played it, it has multiple open world areas that are quite big but not Ubisoft sized. Between those, or whenever they’re needed, are more linear sections. That sound perfect to me for Halo, but I fear Microsoft will just think bigger is better and we’ll just end up with a single, generic world.
Kako
The money
Strange to hear of the involvement of Amazon in Tomb Raider. Since they don’t seem to have any technical or artistic talent to add I’m assuming they’re just acing as money man which is… fine, I guess. I don’t see any problem with that, but as GC says that is unusual.
I’ve thought for a while that games are heading towards the movie system for making their content, where teams come together for only one gig and millions are spent on making something that has multiple different backers and ways to make money.
That all sounds fine until you start to ask what restrictions Amazon or anyone else might place on the game itself? Do they have any influence on content? Are they dictating how Lara looks or acts? If things do go this way in the future it could have very bad consequences for artistic freedom.
Watto
Beyond saving
My problem with the idea of The Last Of Us Part 3 is I don’t think Naughty Dog can stop themselves from trying to redeem Ellie. I’m sure she’ll die saving someone or something but she is so far beyond redemption in the second game it shouldn’t even be a question.
The fact that so many fans can’t see how evil she was worries me on a few levels, although even then Naughty Dog couldn’t help themselves trying to make her seem as good as possible as she… tortured and killed innocent people for no good reason.
I didn’t want a second game, to be honest, and while it’s incredibly well made, and I’m sure the next one will be, I really wish they’d left it at one. If nothing else it would have meant that Ellie stayed good.
Gaston
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A young man’s game
I was curious when Revali said Nolan North is too old for motion capture and checked his age. He’s 52 (two years younger than me). I tell you I nearly coughed my dentures into my porridge.
If Nolan does decide to do motion capture in any future games, then I will lend him my Zimmer frame and would gladly try to help him up any stairs (or steep ramps).
I agree with Revali’s letter in general but the age thing made me grin. That whippersnapper Nolan probably still has a few years of work left yet.
mark freeman
GC: We’ve no idea if he can still do it or not but nowadays it’s increasingly required that voice actors also act out the role in motion capture, which is obviously quite taxing for a character like Nathan Drake. This was the main reason given for replacing Michael Ironside as the voice of Sam Fisher.
Last minute surprise
Wow, did Sony actually release a piece of new information? They said Spider-Man 2 is out next Christmas! The question is would they have said that if that developer hadn’t spilled the beans already? Probably not.
I know it’s annoying some people but I’m quite enjoying not knowing what’s coming out. As long as the same number, or more, games come out next year as the year I think it’s better to be surprised and then just amp the hype up before release.
Although that does suggest that The Last Of Us multiplayer game is still pretty far off. They’ve been hinting about that for years now and they still won’t even give it name. I definitely don’t know what to expect of that one, other than apparently microtransactions.
Phelps
Wholesome recommendation
I took a bit of a punt on Lil Gator Game after seeing it’s being published by Playtonic (I’ve not heard of the developers Megawobble, as it seems to be their first game) and I’m glad I did.
It feels like a mix of A Short Hike, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. Its Zelda influences are very front and centre.
Movement around the world is very smooth and fun, with smile inducing interactions with the various animals you chat to along the way. It seems to fall in what people refer to as the wholesome category of games and it definitely is. The only combat is smashing cardboard cut-outs and everyone seems pretty positive and welcoming.
It’s not a long game but it does provide help for anyone wanting to seek out 100% completion. I’d recommend it to anyone who just wants a pleasant stress free gaming experience.
Euclidian Boxes
Animated show
I don’t see how they can cast anyone but a wrestler for Kratos and I really don’t think that seems a good idea. I guess they could make him CGI but that sounds very expensive.
I must say though, that I’m struggling to understand what they point of it all is if it’s going to have exactly the same story as the game. We already know how that goes so what’s the point. Wouldn’t it have been better to make a prequel or a bridge to the next game?
Kace
Permanent future
Wow, Fantavision is a game I have not thought of for a very long time, so glad to hear it’s coming back for PlayStation VR2. But what’s it going to cost? I remember the original being pretty thin even for a launch PlayStation 2 game so is Sony going to try and charge £70 for all these VR games? Maybe not the smaller ones but I bet they will for Horizon Call Of The Mountain and the other high-end ones.
I’m not the first person to say this but the timing just seems terrible. I know I can’t afford it. I can’t even afford to think about getting one, even if it is technically good value. I just hope this isn’t going to adversely affect Sony’s financials, because I heard that VR headsets in general are not selling like they did anymore.
VR has been the future for as long as I’ve been alive, and I remember seeing it first on Tomorrow’s World, but it still doesn’t seem like it’s ready for the big time. It’s too expensive, too bulky, and the controls are too exhausting and gimmicky. I really think by the time it all works properly they’ll just be plugging it all into a cable in the back of our necks and we’ll never really have a time when headsets are super popular.
We’ll see but if Sony splash all their cash reserves on PlayStation VR I can only imagine how smug Microsoft is going to be for never getting involved.
Grossman
Inbox also-rans
Since I don’t like Rick and Morty can I just say that High On Life sounds like the worst game ever made, at least for me. This trend of video games never being able to shut up is getting to be a serious problem.
Drano
Unreal Tournament? Now there’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time…
Westron
This week’s Hot Topic
As the year comes to an end, for this weekend’s Inbox we want to know what you thought of 2022 in gaming?
The pandemic might be over, but it still casts a long shadow over the games industry, with release schedules and preview events still adversely affected. But what did you think of 2022 overall? What did you think of the standard and volume of games and what were you favourites?
What did you consider were the major trends in terms of gameplay and the industry at large? And which news stories do you feel will go on to become most important for the future of gaming?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
The small print
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