The Monday letters page asks whether Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom will be the best game ever, as one reader feels trapped in the PS5 ecosystem.
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Quick time non-event
I read with some disappointment that the Resident Evil 4 remake is planning to get rid of QTEs. It’s surprising because up till now it seemed like Capcom was doing everything right with the remake and to make such a big change as this is surprising on a number of levels. For starters I never got the impression that people hated QTEs in genera; that much?
There was a time they were overused in some games but those were generally games, usually aimed at a very mainstream audience, that were bad in numerous ways, with QTEs being the least of the problems. Beyond that it’s not like they’re microtransactions or loot boxes, that all sensible people hate. Or are they and I’ve just been living under a rock?
There weren’t many QTEs in Resident Evil 4 but the ones they had were epic and easily the best use of the concept ever seen, so to just remove them seem to me a bit of a shame. If the whole game had been filled with them I could’ve understood it but it wasn’t.
Curious to know what other people think and what other games you feel have good QTEs. For me the other great is Ninja Blade, which is nuts in lots of different ways and, believe it or not, a FromSoftware game. I guess that won’t be getting a remake anytime soon either…
Shozer
Source material
I have had similar worries about the influence of The Last Of Us TV show, to those in the Reader’s Feature at the weekend. The idea that such a simplistic, linear, un-interactive game should be seen by so many developers as the gold standard to aim for is very worrying to me. I’m absolutely fine with that style of game existing but it being put on a pedestal is very worrying to me.
I found the idea that the TV show makers didn’t want the actors to play the games especially weird. Like GC implied, that would never happen with a novel. If the show makers are elitist about The Last Of Us game I can only imagine what they think of anything that’s not by Naughty Dog.
Cathode
Putting on a show
After reading the Reader’s Feature on The Last Of Us, I thought a good Hot Topic would be:
What games would you like to see made into a movie or TV show and what do you think it would add to the story/lore?
Quickly, off the top of my head, here are some I would love: Command & Conquer, Baldur’s Gate, XCOM, Untitled Goose Game, etc.
It may have done recently but I couldn’t remember it.
DM58
GC: We’ve done the movie one a few times but given the topicality of The Last Of Us we’ve limited this week’s topic to just TV shows.
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Time paradox
For me, 2022 for gaming on PlayStation was a fairly lacklustre year, despite some heavyweight titles dropping. I’m not a huge fan of Soulslikes (they just don’t gel with me), so Elden Ring was wasted on me, but I cannot deny the sheer impact it had on release and the success that followed it to The Game Awards. God Of War Ragnarök was a sure fire hit, and whilst I did love all 60 or so hours of it there were couple of other games that stood out more in my opinion.
I was gearing up – pun intended – for Gran Turismo 7, and I have to say, the presentation was jaw dropping. Arguably one of the best looking console games available, it features an unparalleled attention to detail in a racing game. The elephant in the room, however, was the ‘always online’ and microtransactions, which have more or less been normalised nowadays in this current generation, but still leave a bitter taste in my mouth. A few design flaws in the interface, decreasing race payouts post-launch, and, most frustrating of all, a lack of ability to sell your cars until only just last month. Setting this all this aside though, Gran Turismo 7 is still one of my most played games to date, since release.
My other two favourite games of the year were Rollerdrome and Tinykin, both pure slices of short, sweet cake. Two very different games entirely, but they provided some well needed fresh air from the over saturation of open worlds, free-to-plays, and battle passes galore. Rollerdrome has such style, which Roll7 have always injected into their games. A pumping soundtrack and the all too familiar slo-mo shooting mechanic, akin to Max Payne.
On the other hand, Tinykin was simply a cute platforming adventure brimming with character and at points had me genuinely laughing and smiling, my only gripe being that it was so short lived.
Maybe 2023 could shape up to be bigger with the likes of Dead Island 2 and Hogwarts Legacy on the horizon, but I’m honestly finding myself steering more towards the indie titles nowadays. Looking at you, The Devil Inside, it’d be nice to know when you’re coming out.
Anon
GC: Are you sure you’ve got that name right? There was a game in 2000 called The Devil Inside but nothing recent, that we’re aware of.
Nostalgia bomb
RE: GoldenEye 007. I have to add my appreciation for the game. I only signed up to the online Nintendo stuff to get the old N64 games.
Playing back through Paper Mario and Pilotwings 64 was pure nostalgia although they are actually great games anyway, but GoldenEye is like a nostalgia bomb! I have the original game in a pristine box but my N64 doesn’t work anymore so I haven’t played it in 20+ years.
Everything from the David Seaman baddies to the music and sound effects is just pure nostalgia. It is actually still a good game as well – the controls are fine, although they take some getting used to. Love it.
Simon
All or nothing
If memory serves me well, prior to the release of Super Mario Galaxy you said that if it isn’t the greatest video game ever made you’d be disappointed. That’s exactly how I feel about Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. And I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.
After all, this builds on the same template as Breath Of The Wild in much the way Super Mario Galaxy 2 did with its predecessor. People wondered how Super Mario Galaxy could be surpassed and it was.
Breath Of The Wild was an ‘event’ in that it transformed and ruptured our knowledge and expectations of what an open world game is, what it can do, and how it can play. More than that. Regardless of genre, it was an event in respect to the entire medium even. Unless the previews are completely misleading, as with Super Mario Galaxy 2, Tears Of The Kingdom won’t have the same impact.
But I’m convinced that it will be the better game. Too much is at stake for Nintendo with this one, too much pride and reputation, for it to be anything less than the ‘greatest video game of all time’. If it was rushed out after a couple of years, sure I’d be worried. But after five years and a delay or two to perfect it, you can be sure they’ve nailed this.
I for one can’t wait.
Ciara
GC: That’s often the expectation with mainline Mario and Zelda games, amongst a certain group of fans, but we wouldn’t set ourselves up for the same disappointment.
War without end
Would anyone be upset if God Of War finished with Ragnarök? Don’t take that opener as an insult. I loved playing through the game but I think the story can end there.
Yeah, they can make more with massive set pieces, etc. but where does he go from here? This was a satisfying conclusion to what might be my favourite non-zombie franchise. Don’t sully it by just doing more for the sake of it.
Bobwallett
GC: It sold well, ergo there will be another game.
Stuck in the system
RE: Matt, regarding Sony games. I’m a PlayStation 5 owner, who is kinda wishing he had bought into an Xbox Series X.
Everyone seems to regard the Sony exclusives as the best in industry, but for most part I’m bored of seeing another sequel.
One series I especially couldn’t care less about is Uncharted.
I loved 1 to 3 as a PlayStation 3 owner, but like you were alluding to in your letter, the sequels just seem to be prettier and cookie cutter like in nature. There’re templates that Sony sticks to and they all starting to feel the same.
The only stuff that seems slightly different is the games they publish for a developer.
I loved Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but then tried the original and found it dull and repetitive in nature.
God Of War was great, but Ragnarök is just more of the same.
Horizon was never that great to me, and the sequel just doesn’t appeal.
The Last Of Us… Is a great TV show…
Then the final nail in coffin for me was £70 pricing points.
I refuse on principle.
I’m too invested in the Sony ecosystem at this point with games in PS Plus, games I’ve bought, etc. to swap now and I guess at some point I may change my mind and pick up some of these exclusives up second-hand and cheap, but right now, I’m not interested.
I’d rather give my money to EA and Ubisoft and that’s saying something, as for so long, I’ve considered them the personified incarnations of evil.
Kiran
Inbox also-rans
100% agree with the Reader’s Feature about Battlefield. As a fan it saddens me to see what has become of that franchise. I really hope they don’t try and make another one and just prolong the agony.
Kets
We’ll never see a Half-Life 3. After all this time the shock of it existing would be too much for fans to bear. Especially when it, inevitably, turns out to be a disappointment. Better for it to only live in the world of dreams.
Sogol
This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by reader DM58 and asks what video game would you most like to see turned into a TV show?
Video game movies have seen some improvement in the last few years but it’s TV show The Last Of Us, along with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Arcane, that has been the critical breakthrough, so what other games and franchises would you like to see get a similar treatment?
What format what you like it to have in terms of being live action or animated? Are there any particular actors, directors, or writers you’d like to see involved and how many episodes and seasons should the show run for?
E-mail your comments to: [email protected]
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.
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