The morning Inbox worries about Titanfall on Xbox 360, as one reader wonders what the next next gen will be like.
To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
Mirror of truth
I’m glad that GC took the time to point out that Mirror’s Edge was always quite a seriously flawed game. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was actively bad or anything but the problems noted were quite severe and frankly I got fed up of it long before the end. To be honest I’ve never quite understood the cult that surrounds it, and always just put it down to shock that EA had made something new and admiration for the (very good) art design.
Saying that I would definitely support a sequel because if any game needs a second chance and a makeover this would be it. I never would’ve believed myself saying this, as a former fan of Battlefield 4, but the only thing that worries me is DICE – especially with the rumours about persistent online worlds. Can we just add another four months to the development now, to make sure it actually works?
Hyper Giant
Not long now
Great news about Mirror’s Edge 2 being out for 2016 which really won’t take that long to swing round. I really enjoyed the original I paid £7 for it a Morrisons many moons ago and I have to say it was probably the best £7 I spent on my Xbox 360.
In fact I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was probably one of my favourite games of the last generation and I feel blessed as a long time gamer for actually having played such a ‘break from the norm’ game. Roll on 2016!
freeway 77
Multiplayer only
I must be one of the few people who are actually glad Titanfall doesn’t have a single-player campaign. It’s clear they had no interest in it, and would of been a forced choice to add one in.
Taking resources away from the multiplayer would of compromised it’s quality for me. Battlefield is the prime example here, clearly their single-player is an attempt to lure the Call Of Duty high octane fans but it’s a boring disaster. Unless the single-player was made by a separate team I think DICE could of used that time to refine the multilayer and actually make it work the way it should.
I’ve owned every Call Of Duty game released and stopped playing the single-player after the first Modern Warfare when multiplayer took over. It’s the multilayer in these games that holds my interest for hours on end not the five hour tacked on single-player that shifts you through the same corridors shooting the same dumb AI. Respawn have created the game the way they wanted and that deserves respect.
Jb316
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Common problem
With regards to the letter from bouncer0304 and replaying her old games instead of tending to her backlog, I totally get that.
I probably have a backlog of circa 100 games across five consoles and I am always going back to titles I have previously finished, predominantly earlier Final Fantasy entries. Like you I am also slightly annoyed with myself afterwards as I could of spent my time experiencing something new.
For me, my free time has been drastically limited since getting married and having children in the last couple of years. so I guess I go back to what I am comfortable with, i.e. Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII and IX.
A little while ago I made the conscious effort to play at least one new game a week, a method which isn’t really working, I find myself trying to pick one and after a considerable amount of time trying to decide, I end playing a game I have already completed, you are not alone bouncer0304. Best wishes to all.
tyredf432ws (PSN ID)
To bouncer0304 who wrote about her tendency for replaying old games instead of trying out new ones. My Reader’s Feature from 2011 hits on that exact same experience – have a read!
Tim F
Widening gap
I was wondering… I have read a lot about how in the future the performance gap between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One should narrow as programmers make efficiency savings through improved programming techniques, etc. Surely this has to be incorrect though as the PlayStation 4 will also benefit greatly from improved programming efficiencies and theoretically more exponentially so, due to its more powerful architecture and structure, etc.
This will mean that the performance gap will only widen even further as the generation progresses. But as we know it’s all about the games and better hardware doesn’t always mean better games. But let’s be honest, it’s got to help – otherwise we’d never need a new generation of consoles would we? Though, I would like to see what Naughty Dog could squeeze out of the Atari 2600 or the Commodore 64/128. The Last Of Us C64 Edition anyone?
Geoff Scott
PS: Recently I have seen many websites using the term ‘reaching out’ a lot. As in ‘We have reached out or ‘We are reaching out to Sony/Microsoft for an answer’ I hate it. Why not just ask them? What fashionable terms do you hate the most? A ‘teardown’ perhaps?
GC: Referring to a release date as when the game ‘drops’ always gets our goat. But to your main point, we agree with your assumption. The only reason that wouldn’t be the case is if publishers wanted to reach a point where both versions were on equal footing , so as to simplify development. After all it’s seldom about what is technically possible, but what is financially advantageous.
Clash of peers
A little bit late to the discussion but I play a freemium game on a daily basis, for all my sins. Due to peer pressure in work I started playing Clash Of Clans and tend to go on it as regular as I can without paying most of the time. I have spent a little bit of money on it at times but only on payday and for good reason.
The problem is not paying to get further in these types but the necessity of doing so to play the game. In Clash Of Clans it may take five days for something to upgrade sure, but in the mean time I can attack other people, collect resources in preparation for the next upgrade, which allows the game to be played. When the game grinds to a halt unless you pay, then that is where you draw the line.
On an added note, did the rare thing of buying new games recently, new as well. Lego Movie for my little one who loves it, not really for my age range though. I have noticed how glitchy the game is at times, the second level in particular which took several attempts before it played through as normal. Perhaps an example of new games being thrown on our old consoles now?
The other game I bought was South Park and I absolutely love it. If you are a fan of the show it really is a worthy purchase. It has been the best game I have played in a long time, and certainly the most happy fun I have had for years. Only thing about the censorship of the game is why have they taken out the scenes they have but left in things like the boss at the clinic? That is surely more tasteless than the censored scenes?
Sacred_Innocence (PS ID)
GC: Lego games are always like that, although we had less problems with the movie one than most. No one seems to understand why the South Park scenes were censored, but it was Ubisoft’s idea and not PEGI or the BBFC.
Why so shy?
What’s GameCentral’s theory regarding the complete no show of the Xbox 360 Titanfall despite the release just round the corner? Normally when a game is held back from the public eye this close to its release date I’d assume it was because it was they know its going to be a dud. But in this case I wonder if it not the exact opposite, that it’s very similar to the much hyped Xbox One version that Microsoft have done their utmost to keep it on the down low to stop it from hurting sales of the Xbox One.
Now you’ve spent a lot of time with the game, does it appear to you to be like many of the other cross-gen games we’ve already seem, where the only real improvements are a lick of graphical paint? Or does it seem truly next gen, and struggle to see how it will run as well on the Xbox 360? Whatever the reason, it seems clear that Microsoft would much rather have the public think it is only on Xbox One.
Michael
GC: The primary reason will be because they don’t want it to cannibalise Xbox One sales, whether it’s actually a good port or not probably didn’t enter into it. The graphics in Titanfall are not exceptional and most of the time it does look like an Xbox 360 game, but whether the artificial intelligence and other technical factors make it a difficult fit on the outgoing console we’re not the ones to say.
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Trouble with the Internets
This is the first I’ve ever written to your lovely site, but I like following up on the diverse mentalities that encompass GameCentral. I’m writing about the way publishing, both through magazines and the online gaming community, influence myself and some of my friends. First thing is first, I consider myself a well-rounded gamer. Having enjoyed games since Super Mario in 1988, when I got it for Christmas, once I picked up that square little controller I never stopped playing, and it continues on today.
I’ve been an Xbox fan for a while but it’s just personal preference. Biggest reason is the controller for the PlayStation consoles were just too damn small. I’ve still bought a PlayStation 2 & 3 to play exclusives. I loved Dark Souls. I knew I was gonna buy it that day they announced. Fan bois were crying about every little single thing they could come up with (when they have no right, video games are a piece of art.) If you asked me to write a folk rock song or draw a portrait, and I did what you asked, and you didn’t like it, it’s on you. You bought the right to play the game, that is all you do when you buy a game.
Instead of contributing on a forum, or message board, kids troll and express their undying love to whatever console they play. For me, I read reviews from IGN, Game informer, your site, and so on, and despite what people say, both positive or negative, if it’s a game I’m interested in I will buy it and decide for myself. Most people that review games only play it for a few hours and have no real clue how the game works. Most people are biased and don’t have an IQ of 163. I was annoyed when I saw the piece labelled ‘Titanfall conspiracy’. GC said it eloquently enough.
People rarely play first person shooter campaigns because most of them are rubbish. Aside from the Modern Warfare series and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 I couldn’t stand any campaign they laid out. I thought it was smart the way Respawn incorporated the maps into a storyline with two opposite factions. I bought Titanfall on a whim, mostly so I could play it with a pretty gamer chick I met at the pre-release, and I’m glad I did. Titanfall requires skill to play. Since it has came out I’ve loved watching Call Of Duty boys stay on the ground and just get slaughtered because they couldn’t figure out the game is more vertical then horizontal.
Everything is balanced in my opinion. The person who kills the other in the most scenarios just outplayed the other. I didn’t want to buy the game at first because of the mechs, or titans I should say. But they are not all powerful, and it works. As for Dark Souls II, fans were afraid they were going to make Dark Souls too easy because they read too much into a YouTube video or a line the exec said. It’s the follow- up to Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, which didn’t make it easy, what reason would they have to start now? People need to learn to use their heads instead of turning into a little girl crying at the sign of change and progress.
If I was From Software I would be offended at anyone who said that they weren’t making their game the right way. Wow, I just wrote a novel. Sorry, it’s late/early? Biggest let down in recent history was Assassin’s Creed III. I thought the game was just bad. As for the most deceptive, again in recent history, was Resident Evil 6. I liked the game, but it wasn’t a horror drama.
The gaming community is so desensitised to horror games that it is going to take a lot more then a zombie popping out to scare most of us. But on the other side of the coin, the ratings the game got were just disgusting. It was a good game, but got rated in like the 5/10 area. That was just unreasonable. I’m sorry for the lengthy and grammatically incorrect rant but I’m tired and the damn Internets is getting me all riled up. Everyone have a good one.
dethagu3 (gamertag)
Inbox also-rans
Since the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are now the current generation, I am looking forward to seeing what the next generation of consoles will be like. Since the 3DS came out in 2011 I predict the next gen will start around 2016, possibly late 2015, with a new Nintendo machine.
Mrhbk
Here’s a fascinating piece about what went ‘wrong’ with Street Fighter: The Movie.
FoximusPrime81 (gamertag/Twitter)
Myself and a group of friends are heading to London for a few days over the Summer. Can GCers suggest any worthwhile gaming related/themed bars or attractions worth visiting while we’re there?
GalacticNorth (PSN ID/NN ID)
GC: We’re pretty sure that Casino near Goodge Street closed last year and we dread to think how bad the Namco Station has got now. We hear good things about The Heart of Gaming, although we’ve never been ourselves.
I too would liked to congratulate GC readers on the consistent quality of the Reader’s Features at the weekend, they’re always so thought-provoking and varied. Keep up the good work!
Vita-Man
GC: Actually, we’re running low at the moment, so if people were planning to write them but hadn’t quite got round to it now would be the time.
This week’s Hot Topic
With Titanfall and Dark Souls II making this the biggest week for new releases so far this year the subject for this weekend’s Inbox asks you what you think about about video game marketing and hype.
Are you planning to buy either game and how long have you been interested in them? With these games, and others in general, is it usually online and magazine previews that turn you onto them – or is it publisher marketing? Once you’ve become excited about a game do you have trouble accepting negative previews and news about it?
How much do you think you’re influenced by marketing and do you think the hype for some games can be counter-productive, even if you’re already interested in the game? What’s the most disappointed you’ve been by a heavily hype game and which marketing campaign do you think was the most deceptive?
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