Thursday's letters page reacts to GTA 6 pre-order news and pricing, as readers discuss the difficulty of updating Star Fox. Games Inbox is a collection of our readers' letters, comments, and opinions.
Taking a Stand Against Digital-Only
One reader argues that the only way to influence Rockstar is to hit them in the pocket. "Companies follow the money and if the sales aren't quite up to where they wanted or expected, then they will have no choice but to release a physical copy," they wrote. "If you don't like the price or the quality of the product being offered to you then by all means don't buy it."
The reader noted that it will have been over 13 years since the previous title by the time of this release, suggesting that waiting a few more months for a physical copy is reasonable. "I'm not much of a fan anyway so I won't be buying it, but I suspect a lot of people will," they added.
Price Outrage and PC Wait
Bobwallett expressed shock at the £75 price for a box with no disc: "Are Rockstar having a laugh? £75 for a game box with no disc? No manual I'd imagine too. Is this the real theft happening now?" They plan to wait for the PC version, even if it's two years away. GameCentral confirmed that Rockstar rarely does previews, stating, "they don't need to."
Possible Boycott Over Disc-Less Copies
DB wrote: "I'm not liking the fact that GTA 6 physical copies will only contain a code. I'm feeling like I might boycott the game in protest. Games should be available on disc or digital. That's why I bought a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive. I hope other companies don't start this practise." They acknowledged that some games are already download-only but noted that, except for indies, they are in the minority.
Wait and See for Physical Edition
Ryan 90s hero commented: "I suppose it was predictable that GTA 6 was going to be digital only at launch. Oh well, guess I'll just wait on the physical edition, should they ever release such a thing. Plenty of other exciting games to buy and play beforehand anyways."
Sonic's Decline and Star Fox Hopes
Vida argued that Sonic has never been a contender outside the Mega Drive: "The second he moved onto the Saturn and beyond it all fell apart. They never found a way to make the game work in 3D... Sonic Frontiers is the best effort when it took them 30 years to get there and it still sold less than 5 million copies." They noted that many indie games sell more, putting Sonic's status in perspective.
Marc speculated on Nintendo's pattern of remakes leading to new sequels, citing MercurySteam's Metroid 2 remake spawning Metroid Dread, and Grezzo's Link's Awakening leading to Echoes of Wisdom. He suggested a Star Fox remake could similarly lead to a new game. GameCentral responded: "Star Fox has never been a big seller, so the remake's success is far from assured. But if it is a hit then, yes, we would not be surprised to see Nintendo greenlight a new game, in fact that's already a current rumour."
Short and Sweet Star Fox
Onibee expressed hope for the Star Fox remake but worried about its old-school gameplay: "I remember back in the N64 days even, a lot of my friends thought it was too short and simple. I'm not sure it wouldn't have been better to just make a new game straight off the bat, because the remake looks pretty expensive as it is."
Expensive Ideas for Modernization
Panda suggested that Star Fox could modernize by adopting the cinematic set-piece approach of Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and Sony Santa Monica, but acknowledged budget constraints: "The obvious issues are the budgets for God Of War, Uncharted, and Spider-Man, and a likely (and understandable) reluctance for any sensible business to dedicate that sort of resource to a game like Star Fox."
Inbox Also-Rans
Xane noted that GoldenEye 007 was the second-best selling N64 game, while HEJ pointed out that the 30th anniversary of Quake passed with little fanfare, suggesting reboot rumours are not happening.
