The Division 2 – already a success

The morning Inbox hopes that Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t have too many new characters, as one reader wishes Paper Mario games were still funny.

To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

 



Proven success

So I see that The Division 2 has been Ubisoft’s most popular beta sign-up ever, four times more than their next best one. Is it me or is that just a bit odd? I thought it was one of the least exciting reveals at E3 and looked more like an expansion than a whole new sequel. Not that the original wasn’t good, but this seems an extreme reaction to just more of the same.

But then I realised that more of the same is what most people want. Not just in The Division but in everything, and not only games. That’s a subject we come back to often on the Inbox: the disconnect between what fans think is important and interesting and being presented with the evidence of what ordinary people care about.

I’m not trying to criticise anyone that likes The Division or its sequel, but it is sobering to see what really made the most impact at something like E3 and why it’s almost never what we expect. I remember that list of the top five most talked about games and Cyberpunk 2077, which was the hardcore gamer favourite, wasn’t even mentioned. I don’t remember if The Division 2 was but it’s obvious its message got through to the people that matter.
Kilotonne

 



Play it for laughs

I’m really enjoying what I’ve played of Octopath Traveler so far as well. I was quite wary of the combat being too difficult for the sake of it, but it’s actually really clever and fun. Not a fan of random battles but I’ve found myself actually looking forward to them most of the time, and generally not making use of the ways to limit them.

Agree with some of the complaints about the dialogue but I really don’t think they could’ve had a game that looked and played like this but had a totally modern, serious script. The way they’ve got it now fits the game and the whole nostalgic twist and I think the cheesiness is (mostly) intentional.

The only alternative that would’ve worked is if it was a straight comedy. I really do miss the days of the early Paper Marios, which are still amongst the funniest games I’ve ever played. It was all very low key and charming and I think would’ve been a perfect fit for Octopath. There’s been so many bad games since though I really wouldn’t trust Nintendo to make another one.
Station

 



Next from No Man’s Sky

For anyone interested about No Man’s Sky on Xbox One this new trailer looks pretty good. I didn’t realise at first but the Xbox version is coming out at the same time as the ‘Next’ update for PlayStation 4, which adds multiplayer, better graphics, underwater bases and a whole range of other things.

It does tie in to what others were saying about Sea Of Thieves though, where the original coming out in such a basic state kind of deflates your enthusiasm for the real thing even if it does turn out well in the end.

Obviously No Man’s Sky is an extreme example given how bad it was in its original form and how long it’s taken to get this far, but it’s still the same principle I think. I think I’d probably love the game if I was getting everything at once, like Xbox One owners will be, but the whole thing has left such a sour taste in my mouth I’m not sure I can really be bothered to start it again.
Jo-Jo

 

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No talking

Some interesting comments from that director on Metroid, and I agree that it sounds like he’d be better making the games than he would the movies. I’m sure a film will never happen though, so that’s not really a concern.

What does worry me though is whether Metroid Prime 4 will be taking the advice he’s talking about. I have a horrible feeling they’re going to try and fill it with other, talking, characters and that’s going to ruin the atmosphere. Metroid Prime 3 already suffered from this to a degree, and was never anywhere near as good as the first two which really understood what made a Metroid game work.

The problem is lonely, open-ended games with lots of puzzles and not that much action are a hard sell, but making a first person shooter full of alien monsters is not. And if the developer worked on Star Wars 1313, which was obviously full of characters, I do wonder what’s going to result. Hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprise though, after all we haven’t seen anything of it yet.
Tenzien

 



Non-starter

Have to agree with your comments about Destiny in the Sea Of Thieves interview. I don’t think Bungie have added a single thing I would’ve asked for in all these years of sequels and expansions. And I just don’t understand why?!

Especially given how much they keep upsetting fans surely adding in a new race would be the most obvious, and likely to succeed, way to win them over? It’s not like it’s a question of balance, this isn’t a beat ‘em-up and the backgrounds to everything are all so vague and unimportant I can’t see how that’s a factor either.

I would’ve bet good money that they would’ve added one to make Forsaken a big deal, but then I’ve said that before and always been disappointed. I don’t understand what they’re doing at all.
Porkins

 



Life on Mars

I haven’t heard it get much of a mention so far so I just wanted to say that anyone interesting in the DLC for Far Cry 5 it’s all been a bit disappointing so far. The Vietnam one wasn’t great, although increasing the importance of stealth made it kind of interesting. It was obviously just the same game with the graphics changed though and I’m sad to say that the Mars one is just the same.

It’s kind of semi-realistic, in that the backgrounds are really boring and repetitive, but adding lasers and a jetpack really doesn’t make as much difference as you’d think. It all feels a bit like the bad old days of DLC, where companies would knock together something in a rush, just to grab your money if you like the original.

It’s not Batman: Arkham Knight bad, but if you were wondering whether the season pass is worth it I’d say it definitely isn’t so far, and there’s only one left.
Osolot
PS: I am working on a Reader’s Feature but it’s going to need a bit more time. Have you got enough in for this week yet?

GC: Nope, we still need more – for this weekend and beyond.

 



Separated at birth

In relation to the Uncharted fan film, have Naughty Dog ever commented on if Malcolm Reynolds was an influence on Nathan Drake?

The first time I played Uncharted I thought the similarity was obvious but I have seen some (albeit very few) comments online saying Nathan Fillion is wrong for the part! Which I thought was crazy.
Sam

GC: We don’t think they’ve ever said anything publicly, but it seems pretty obvious that they based the character on Nathan Fillion in general. Ellie from The Last Of Us was based on Ellen Page and early concept art looked identical to her – which they got in trouble about at the time.

 

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

 



Late penalty

I think the fundamental problem with video game movies is two things that are almost impossible to do anything about: most video game plots are completely uninteresting and/or ripped off from an existing movie and that by the time a movie happens the game’s glory days are usually well behind it.

It’s no wonder something Tomb Raider or Assassin’s Creed failed when they were both released in years when games didn’t come out (another common mistake) and at low points in both franchise’s history. Now where hearing about a Halo TV show at least a decade after it hit it’s peak. Heck, even the Angry Birds movie was long after the game had started to get old.

At this rate I predict a Fortnite movie in about five years, when everyone has stopped caring about it. I’m surprised a Minecraft one hasn’t already been announced, but that’s obviously going to be even further behind the curve.
Kojak

GC: A Minecraft film is supposed to be out next year, although we don’t think there’s ever been any real info on it. Perhaps at Comic-Con this week?

 



Inbox also-rans

Just wanted to say how much fun the photo mode is for God Of War. I think I’ve spent more time messing around with that in the end-game than I have finishing up missed quests.
Gort

Has Mario Tennis Aces been a hit? I say this because I was really hoping that a new Mario Golf would be next. That was always my favourite.
Danse

GC: It seems to have been relatively successful, it’s hard to tell during the summer because there’s nothing much to compare it to.

 



This week’s Hot Topic

Since we’re now halfway through the year, the subject for this weekend’s Hot Topic is what do you think of the last six months in gaming and what has been your favourite game so far?

2017 was lauded as one of the best ever for video games, so how is 2018 doing in comparison? What new games, that were released for the first time this year, have you enjoyed the most and do you feel any of them are all-time classics?

You can see our top 10 of the year so far here, but how does it compare to yours? If you haven’t bought many new games this year what have you been playing and what are you intending to get in the second half of the year?

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

 

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