The Thursday letters page expresses frustration at August's sparse release schedule, with one reader calling for Assassin's Creed to revive its present-day storytelling. The Games Inbox is a collection of reader letters, comments, and opinions. To join the discussion, email gamecentral@metro.co.uk.
Surprise Score
I'm as confused as anyone about Splatoon Raiders user reviews making it the seventh best game of all-time. I haven't played it, but I'm going out on a limb to say it's not actually better than The Last Of Us or every Zelda game ever made. I've never put stock in user reviews. Metacritic is questionable enough given the no-name websites included, which seems to make everything a green score. User scores are all fanboy wars, with people marking games down for imagined slights or boosting them just because they like the company. Look at the scores: half are always either 10 or zero. It's similar on other sites. Less than 4 out of 5 seems incredibly rare on the PlayStation Store, and the only one with sensible scores, without review bombs or trivial complaints, is Steam—likely because it has many more voters. So I'm not convinced Splatoon Raiders is the best Nintendo game ever; I'll stick with regular reviews for advice. — Wotan
Co-operative Arguments
I'm happy to see Capcom already talking about Pragmata 2, but I'll never get used to the time it takes to make games now. They're fast-tracking a sequel? So fast it probably won't be out until next decade and the PlayStation 6. It seems crazy that as recently as the Xbox 360 era, we got sequels every year, and waiting three years was seen as extreme. I can't talk about specifics without spoilers, but the game set itself up well for a follow-up. The only real problem to solve is variety—more enemy types, weapons, and complex hacking puzzles would make it golden. I'd also be interested in seeing if a co-op mode would work, though you'd probably end up angry with your teammate. — Korbie
Slow Month
I know August isn't traditionally busy for buying games—who wants to play when you can go outside in burning sunshine?—but given what's happening with release dates this year, did no company think to move a September game to August? While some may be all right, I'm not excited by any games in your list of the best for August. It's barely better than July, and that's disappointing. There will be so many flops in September and October because they're too grouped together, but I'm not sure how much sympathy I'll have considering they're blindly walking into the meat grinder. — Cubby
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Play Less
It's interesting that Shigeru Miyamoto's advice for making a game is to base it on a hobby you're interested in. If you asked a Western developer for similar advice, you'd get more technical advice and a shopping list of games for inspiration. I doubt Miyamoto has ever looked at any Western game for fun or work. The only non-Nintendo game he's spoken positively about is Pac-Man, which he's a big fan of. There's no evidence he's liked anything else since. This clearly explains the quality and imagination of his games and Nintendo in general. He's not chasing trends or emulating someone else—he's just coming up with ideas and making cool things. I'm not saying he always gets it right—I never liked Pikmin—but if more developers played fewer games, they'd probably make something more interesting. — Londi
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£5 Off
I was in town the other day and decided to look in CeX, because we all like a physical game, especially in the current climate. Mario Kart World was £60 used, second-hand, refurbished. A quick look on Google found it in Currys for £65, brand new, sealed, with that new game smell. Is it any wonder second-hand games shops are dying out? That's lack of competition, I guess. — big boy bent
Radio Silence
I was wondering, with all the furore about Sony ending disc-based games, what's your level of access to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo? Do you put in interview requests? How often do you communicate with high-ranking decision-makers? I found an interview you did with Jim Ryan from 2015 where you didn't hold back with difficult questions. I'm guessing any high-level employee would be guarded even if a journalist succeeded in cutting through layers of PR minions. It's all about the share price, isn't it? One wrong answer and the stock can plummet. It would be nice to read an interview with someone at Sony at this emotionally charged time, but I suppose there's no advantage to any representative putting their head above the parapet. — Michael Veal
GC: Microsoft and Sony haven't given proper interviews to gaming press since before Covid. It's not just us; they hardly speak to anyone anymore. Sony's plan at the moment is clearly complete silence. But who knows, if the dissent about physical media goes on, maybe they'll be forced to make a statement.
Trucking On
Will you be reviewing Truxton Extreme? I'd love to hear your opinion; I hope it's good. I've been hoovering up horizontal and vertical shooters recently, and such a respected game getting a new entry is exciting. Thanks again for being the best source for reviews—you guys and gals are the best. — Beastiebat
GC: Thanks very much. We'll try to, although we haven't got a copy in yet.
Start from the Beginning
I'm a huge Assassin's Creed fan since the first game. I'm also one of the few who actually enjoyed the modern day sections. Personally, the overall story disappeared when Desmond died. The modern day storyline tied everything together and gave the historical stories a bigger purpose. What made Assassin's Creed special was that the whole point of using the Animus was to go back through ancestors' memories to discover clues about Pieces of Eden and other First Civilization secrets. The modern day Assassins relived those memories to find where artefacts had been hidden in the present day, before the Templars could get to them. I'd love to see Assassin's Creed return to its roots: bring back the mystery around the Pieces of Eden, the conflict between Assassins and Templars, and a strong modern day narrative that matters. Most importantly, I'd like to see a young protagonist who learns the ways of the Assassins throughout the game. Watching characters grow and develop was a huge part of what made Altaïr and Ezio so memorable. These days, many protagonists begin as elite warriors, master assassins, or highly skilled fighters. This removes the sense of progression and discovery that made earlier games so rewarding. I still enjoy the games, but I miss the feeling that everything was building towards something bigger. — Adam_Lion_23 (PSN ID/gamertag)
Inbox Also-rans
What EA Sports FC needs is a simple yearly update rather than releasing a brand new game every year. What do you think? — Henry
GC: We think EA would prefer you give them £70 every year. Or even better, £140.
So read this yesterday, it's everything wrong in the games industry, just disgusting: EA boss got £29 million bonus for Battlefield 6 while the devs were laid off. — TWO MACKS
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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.
