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God Of War \u2013 should the sequel have bene next gen only? (pic: Sony)The Monday Inbox wonders why there was never a big budget Game of Thrones tie-in, as one reader gets an update on Panic\u2019s Playdate console.
\nTo join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
\nRule of twoI finally recovered from the Kojima burn GC hit me with and was able to type again. I called it on God Of War. I said Sony would do it several months ago. Traditionally they have put two out per console. God Of War 1 and 2 on PlayStation 2, two on the PSP (Chains Of Olympus and Ghost Of Sparta) and two on the PS3 (3 and Ascension).
\nAs for people worrying about the PS5 version, don\u2019t. As far as I can tell the games are scaled to perform on the console, i.e. PlayStation 4 will be locked to 30 frames at 1080p or 4K on Pro, perhaps, and whatever the PlayStation 5 can handle plus the speedier loading times, etc.
\nThe newest consoles are basically differently specced mini PCs is what I\u2019m saying.Bobwallett
\nGC: It\u2019s not the performance of the difference versions that people are concerned about, but that the underlying design is being held back by having to also work on the PlayStation 4.
\nNo rushJust read you\u2019re bit on the writer getting abuse about the God Of War delay. I couldn\u2019t be happier about a delay. Not only does it mean it gives them more time to polish it up and make it as great as the fist, if not better, but it\u2019s spacing the games out. I mean, I\u2019m getting Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (pre-ordered and paid for), Deathloop (thanks to you) Call Of Duty (as long as it\u2019s not WW2), Horizon Forbidden West (will be pre-ordered ASAP), and God Of War before the delay. That was a lot of games and a lot of money in six months.
\nI\u2019m over the moon they have delayed it, it will space them out and I\u2019ll know the best possible games will be coming because of the delays. After the year we have had, and are still having, I can\u2019t believe someone would write what they did. Someone that\u2019s done their job and it\u2019s not in their hands no more. If I could swear I would.David
\nGC: What are you gaining by pre-ordering any of those games? Especially as none of them have been subject to hands-on previews, let alone reviews.
\nThe current situationI admit I am disappointed that the PlayStation 5 has two cross-gen games for two big franchises, in Horizon Forbidden West and God Of War: Ragnar\u00f6k. It was always assumed that Sony was not into backwards compatibility, but their hand was forced because of the popularity from Microsoft\u2019s success. PlayStation 4 did not have backwards compatibility but was hugely popular, so I do wonder why Sony are so focused on this feature now.
\nIt does show that the good sales of PlayStation 5 is connected with the scalpers. Sony must recognise that software sales have a low attachment rate due to this, therefore it would be unwise to have exclusive PlayStation 5 games as they will lose a ton of sales. The cross-gen games are purely a business decision, akin to Sony games now coming onto PC.
\nTo reiterate, PlayStation 4 never had supply issues in its 2013 debut, which is why we didn\u2019t see cross-gen games along with the PlayStation 3. I would ask fans; would they rather have PlayStation 5 with no PlayStation 4 backwards compatibility but with more PlayStation 5 exclusives or how the current situation is? I do prefer how it was with PlayStation 4 where the games were not cross-gen and exclusive to the new generation.ShenYeng Apollo Crews
\nGC: Being cross-gen doesn\u2019t have anything to do with backwards compatibility. Backwards compatibility means having a PlayStation 4 game, or earlier, work on a PlayStation 5.
\nE-mail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
\nTolkien-esque tie-insAn Inbox letter last week mentioned Game of Thrones, which got me thinking how bewildering it is (to me, at least) that a big budget console game wasn\u2019t released at the height of its popularity. Has that been a Hot Topic before? Films, TV shows or books that either haven\u2019t been made into a video game at all, or adequately, or haven\u2019t had an entry in a long time, for whatever the reason?
\nFor example, it seems to me a remake of the Lord of the Rings PlayStation 2\/Xbox movie tie-ins with modern graphics and gameplay would be huge sellers (licensing, etc. aside). Imagine fighting in Helm\u2019s Deep three console generations on. I couldn\u2019t think of many more gaming prospects I\u2019d be more excited about.Nathan
\nTransient dimensionSuper Mario World is timeless. It plays just as well today as when it came out and if you didn\u2019t know better, you could easily mistake it for a brand-new indie game. The same can be said of a lot of 2D games.
\nBut I was wondering what is the oldest, best aged, 3D video game? I\u2019d say Doom. It still plays fantastically and looks great on most of the maps, if you ignore the sky boxes.
\nWhat do you think?Chris
\nGC: Doom is a pretty good call. How about Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, too? It holds up better than Super Mario 64.
\nPrice limitJust read your Returnal pricing Reader\u2019s Feature. It\u2019s not just Returnal, all new PlayStation 5 games that cost \u00a370 is shocking from Sony.
\nI was buying PlayStation 4 games at \u00a338-\u00a342, which is a fair price, but \u00a370 is way too much. Me and many of my like-minded friends online and offline will not purchase games at those prices until they come down to \u00a350 max. We all say the same. So none of us will be playing Returnal or any other \u00a370 games until they come down in price.
\nHappily, still playing PlayStation 4 Call Of Duty upgraded to PlayStation 5 for now. I wonder how PlayStation 5 sales compare to PlayStation 4 sales in numbers on new game releases. I would not think a lot of people would spend the money on a game at \u00a370. I have the money to do this but it is a matter of principal, they make enough money out of us already (Sony\/game developers).
\nPlayStation 5 game prices rant over!Kevin
\nGC: PlayStation 5 software sales are actually ahead of PlayStation 4 at the same point in its life.
\nPanicky updateWell, I received an email on Friday night, GC, from Panic inviting me to their Playdate update YouTube premier video that\u2019s going live on Tuesday, 8th June. To be fair, I completely forgot all about it since hearing the news regarding this little handheld back in 2019.
\nPanic have said it\u2019s going to sell for $179, they\u2019ve doubled the internal storage to 4GB, and it will now come with twice as many games in Season one from 12 to now 24. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m still interested in the Playdate anymore, but it will still be worth a watch to see what Panic are actually offering with this very unusual handheld. I\u2019m definitely sat on the fence at the moment but who knows, it just might be worth taking a punt. And if I do pull the trigger, I may get one on the official day of release.JAH
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The vague genFor me Sony\u2019s stance on cross-gen has been contradictory and a little vague. They\u2019ve bigged up their belief in the generational model while also saying they will support the PlayStation 4 for years to come. The crossover in the middle is where all the confusion arises from and you\u2019re left with the outcome where it\u2019s understandable, for me, but some early adopters are upset every time another first party game is cross-gen.
\nSony\u2019s generational belief spin was a rebuke to Microsoft\u2019s opposite next gen philosophy of no first party Xbox Series X\/S exclusives in the first few years, which for the most part received a poor reaction. Halo Infinite\u2019s dodgy reveal was mostly put down to Microsoft\u2019s cross-gen approach. Maybe Sony were going for another kidney punch to Microsoft like they dealt them with the PlayStation 4 reveal and the classic how to share games clip.
\nMicrosoft isn\u2019t spotless though. Before Microsoft bought Zenimax Media, Starfield was announced as a next gen-only game. I don\u2019t believe Microsoft have officially announced what the formats will be since the purchase. Who knows, Starfield could be the first big first party next gen-only exclusive of 2022. We have no idea when this no-next-gen exclusives period ends. In the end both companies seem to be in a similar position with cross-gen, which makes sense as an extended cross-gen period was often predicted for various reasons.
\nI wouldn\u2019t sell my console (I have an Xbox Series X) over anything that\u2019s been said or done though, both have provided a lot to enjoy already, with Sony offering the most. Think it\u2019s just another example of not believing or interpreting the marketing and only buying when exactly what you want is on the shop shelves or digital stores.Simundo
\nInbox also-ransReading the article about the Taito mini console reminded me about Taito Legends on the PlayStation 2. It was a great compilation that I purchased mainly for The NewZealand Story. Would be great if Taito released it on the PlayStation Store.Tony\u20131975
\nJust a very quick message to say the PC Engine Mini is \u00a353.52 on Amazon currently! It was \u00a385 before that and then \u00a365 before that.Andrew J.
\nGC: Sadly, that probably means it\u2019s not selling well, but we\u2019ll say again that it\u2019s our favourite mini console.
\nPLEASE NOTE: There will be no Hot Topic this week due to E3 at the weekend.
\nE-mail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
\nThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers\u2019 letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.
\nYou can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader\u2019s Feature at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
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\tMORE : Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: E3 2021 hopes and expectations<\/p>\n
\tMORE : Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: E3 2021 hopes and expectations<\/p>\n
\tMORE : Games Inbox: Microsoft winning E3 2021, God Of War: Ragnar\u00f6k on PS4, and Returnal sales<\/p>\n