Games Inbox: Nintendo’s next big Switch game, God Of War: Ragnarök theory, and Monster Hunter Rise

The Wednesday Inbox doesn’t understand why Google hasn’t spent money like Microsoft, as another reader is upset at the death of the PS Vita.

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

The new Nintendo
So how comes it is that everything surrounding the Switch Pro sounds too good to be true? This latest stuff about Nvidia DLSS tech and a mountain of unannounced games coming out this year… that sounds like the sort of thing people make up on Reddit, not insider tips from a business newspaper. When has Nintendo ever gone for the high-tech option or suddenly announced a whole bunch of big name games at the same time? I’d love it if they did, but I just can’t see it.

But if it does happen, what does that mean? Is this a new age for Nintendo? A post-pandemic revamp where they go for more cutting edge tech and have a regular supply of new games coming out all the time? See what I mean about all this not sounding realistic?

I just have no idea at all what’s going on or what to expect and that’s kind of exciting in itself. The only obvious guess you can make is Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 but there’s been no hint so far that it’s nearly done so I think there’s just as good a chance that it will be something brand new. Animal Crossing has meant that Nintendo weathered the coronavirus really well and now they sound like they’re going to come out the other side of it stronger than ever. Let’s just hope we can all say the same!
Onibee

Enough, just in time
I knew Monster Hunter Rise would be good from the demos and glad to see the good reviews. Capcom really seem to have pushed the boat out on this one, but it does all seem a bit late. The Switch has been out for four years now and this is basically their first big budget game for it. I don’t know what was holding them back but I’d like to see multiple games of this quality from them and the other big Japanese companies before the end of the Switch.

Or maybe they’re holding back for the Switch Pro? Could be I guess, but I have a hard time any company is that organised given the mess the last 12 months has been. Least of all Japanese companies that have had more trouble than average working from home.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth I guess and I’ll definitely be there on Friday to buy the game and play it. Loved Monster Hunter: World and this sounds like the perfect Switch game so I’m all in. With Microsoft buying up the whole industry from under our noses it’s still individual games like this that’s what gets me excited. Especially when, given the demo and the reviews, there’s almost zero chance of it being disappointing.
Kula

Surprise release
Thinking about the year ahead the game I’m most looking forward to is the new God Of War. I loved the last one but I’m curious not only to see where the story goes but how they will take advantage of the PlayStation 5. The last game looked fantastic but it wasn’t really open world, or rather it was but in a very limited, but cleverly designed way. So will the new game be actually open world? And is that even a good idea?

The power is obviously there to do it but if you open things up too much then you’re going to lose the Metroidvania aspect and a lot of the little environmental details, as everything is spread a lot thinner. Or maybe they’ll be able to combine the two ways of doing things. We know nothing about the game at the moment and that’s unusual for games, or at least it used to be.

Recently it seems we don’t know anything about anything, for the good reason that companies don’t know when games are coming out either. I like surprises though, as long as they’re good ones.
Bauer

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Sega Arcade Stadium
Unexpectedly good news to hear the Sega arcade mini-console is coming to the West, even if it is just America. The selection of games is weird but it’s not too expensive so I’ll probably try to pick it up if the postage isn’t too much.

I’ve been playing around with Capcom Arcade Stadium on Switch a lot lately though and I really do think that is the way to go for these things, as it gives you the best emulation and the best access to a variety of controllers as necessary. It’s easy to add new games and companies can’t try and scam you by trying to get you to you to buy a new console to have more.

I can’t see Capcom bothering to get other companies on board though, especially as it’s a Switch exclusive, but I’ll live in hope. Being able to play the retro game you want is still such a lottery, especially when it’s an arcade game, and that’s not right.
Benson

Google it
If Microsoft are trying to show off how rich they are then I have to admit it’s pretty impressive. $7.5 billion for Bethesda, $10 billion for Discord… whatever they paid for Minecraft? I don’t see how any of these things particularly help the Xbox brand (as many have said, Bethesda aren’t that good) but it’s their money and their business.

What I don’t understand though is why didn’t Google go on this kind of spending spree for Stadia? They’re just as rich as Microsoft, one of the only companies that can say as much, and yet everything they’ve done for Stadia has just been empty bluster and embarrassing mistakes. And then they just gave up, as if they never wanted to do it anyway.

I though people were joking about Google giving up easily but they weren’t wrong. If Sony can’t afford to counter Microsoft then somebody else needs to. Even if you’re an Xbox mega fan it doesn’t do anyone any good to dominate so completely that they get to be complacent and aren’t being pushed on content or price.
84Colbat

Star Wars Siege
Count me in as someone that would be all for a more old school, strategic Rainbow Six game. Siege has tactics but it’s a fast-paced multiplayer shooter and that just isn’t my sort of thing. I used to love squad-based shooters, where you were in control of everything, though and they have definitely become a thing of the past.

I’m actually really looking forward to Star Wars: Republic Commando, as that was a really good example of the more action-orientated take on the concept and, again, you just don’t get that sort of game anymore. Ghost Recon is still going but it’s a shadow of what it used to be and really just another brain-dead open world game.

It makes me think that maybe Ubisoft’s Star Wars game is going to be a kind of sci-fi Ghost Recon game, rather than The Division? Although the problem with all these Tom Clancy games now is that there’s so little real difference between them that they’ll soon end up just being the same game.
Cubby

Three times better?
I was wondering if a reader could help me out. I am looking at getting a decent headset to play games and watch films on as an alternative to upgrading my surround sound.

I have been recommend the Astro A50 by a friend but £300 is a lot of money compared to the £100 for the Xbox headset. I have an Xbox Series X to play it on. Thanks for the help!
Will

Eulogy for a portable
Sad news on the PS Vita store, I take it Sony will still allow prior purchased games to be downloaded? I can’t believe it would be actually legal to take everything down completely given it’s less than 10 years old… but then I can’t remember what the terms and conditions say, should probably check up on that. I have all my digital Vita games backed up to a PC, one of the handy quirks of the system, but really wish I’d bought Persona 4 Golden on a cartridge while it was cheap. A working Vita with that would probably be worth a few bob down the line.

It was such a great little system, looking down my games list there’s the aforementioned Persona 4 Golden with other Japanese classics like Trails Of Cold Steel 1 and 2, a couple of Ys games, the two Steins;Gate visual novels, a few Vanillaware games like Odin’s Sphere and the Zero Escape and Danganronpa trilogies.

Out of Sony there’s Gravity Rush, Tearaway, arguably the definitive LittleBigPlanet and a great version of WipEout. Then classic indies like Hotline Miami, SteamWorld Dig and Heist, Spelunky, Velocity 2X, OlliOlli, SoundShapes, and TxK. Even the ports of Rayman Legends and Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 HD are good. I actually much preferred its catalogue to the 3DS. Can’t remember if you did a Hot Topic on it when they shut down production a few years back? But it’s surely worth one.

I’m still holding out that some of those bigger Japanese games might still come to Switch, but I might actually give Nintendo’s machine a rest for a few months and rattle through some of that lot again before lockdown loosens a bit more.
Marc

GC: The closure is only a rumour at this point, although it seems inevitable it’ll happen soon anyway.

Inbox also-rans
In Friday’s Inbox K1LLAY mentioned PlayTV; I use it all the time as I can’t access TV in any other way (no aerial or Freeview box). It’s a shame it doesn’t receive updates as it can be dicey whether or not a programme I set to record using it actually does record. Good to know I’m not the only one concerned with PlayTV.
NiallASD

Hello GC, will you be reviewing Disco Elysium: The Final Cut and when can we expect this?
Barny

GC: We plan to, yes. Although we don’t know what the embargo is yet.

This week’s Hot Topic
It was the 25th anniversary of Resident Evil on Monday, so this weekend’s Inbox is all about the grandaddy of survival horror and your memories of Capcom’s classic series.

Are you a fan of the franchise and if so what is your favourite entry and why? Why do you think the series has lasted so long, especially given how rare new horror games are nowadays?

What are your impressions of Resident Evil Village so far and what are your longer term hopes for the series, including potential remakes? Do you want the series to lean more into horror or action and what do you think about recent games reducing the amount of cheesy dialogue and characters?

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

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, 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.

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MORE : Games Inbox: Resident Evil 25th anniversary, Devotion delight, and time-travelling Lara Croft

MORE : Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Best video game intro

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