The Monday letters page describes Xbox ’s attitude to exclusives as a ‘false narrative’, as one reader mostly enjoys Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Guaranteed hit The news of Sony preparing a PS5 Pro console have been met with some initial negativity in the gaming community. However, there is also a lot of positive comments for players who are onboard with Sony’s latest machine. Here is why the PS5 Pro will be a success. Why get a 4K TV when 1080p is OK? Because it is better – so is the PS5 Pro. When Sony shows games running side by side, the added resolution, ray-tracing effects, and fluidity will be readily apparent. And just like most of us upgraded to a 4K screen, so will gamers looking to improve how their game looks on said screens. And to the comments about developers ‘forgetting’ the standard model. The Pro console is not a replacement. The PS4 Pro did not replace the PlayStation 4 and developers kept pushing that machine to its limits. The 55+ million install base of the standard PlayStation 5 ensures that it will continue to be the lead development platform. So, to the disgruntled gamers out there: no one is forcing you to buy a PS5 Pro and no one is taking anything away from you. In fact, a Pro console only indicates that Sony will support this generation for a while longer, which means, if you already have a PlayStation 5, your investment is safe. Morten Corporate speech Just wanted to congratulate Purple Ranger on his excellent Reader’s Feature this weekend , in the problems facing Sony and Microsoft. It was very well written and perfectly summarised the different issues facing both, and also the hypocrisy and nonsense spouted by Phil Spencer. All this talk of exclusives being bad for the industry is so clearly not true, it’s only
Microsoft who aren’t able to sell any. And the fact that this change of tack from Spencer so clearly goes against everything he was planning to do after they bought Bethesda, well it’s laughable really. But, like Purple Ranger says, he’s trying to create this false narrative to explain Microsoft’s failings. It really would be great if GC ever got the chance to interview Spencer (or anyone from Xbox) and put these points to them, but alas, the only interviews they give anymore are the staged ones. Stephen GC: Spencer has moved a few rungs up the corporate ladder since the last time we spoke to him, so he’s a lot more cautious about interviews now. Instant hype RE: Galen. The Stellar Blade hype is right here! I’ve been super hyped since the Project EVE reveal trailer, with roaming beat ‘em-up/semi-open world God Of War style action games being two of my favourite genres. I’m the type of person who goes into games/movies wanting to spoil as little as possible. A good
trailer or short gameplay demo is usually enough for me to decide on a purchase. I’m currently playing Hi-Fi Rush, it was honestly the game I was most envious of Xbox players for, and it is fantastic. If only it had sold as well as it reviewed. noisecat Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Mostly enjoyable I decided that this weekend would be my last Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth journey. I’d reached Chapter 13 and assuming that it was going to be near the end, after the prompt that warned me I couldn’t go back to the open world if I ventured on, I popped open a nice bottle of cider to enjoy the final few hours. 150 hours and 97 bottles later I finally saw the end credits. Safe to say the ending is far too convoluted for it’s own good and at points I was totally baffled at the decision making by the writing team. Why they’d taken something that needed no real embellishment and threw it into the orbit of an event horizon I couldn’t comprehend. But having slept on it (and gotten over the hangover) I feel that, although it’s still an overly nonsensical way to end the second game of a trilogy, I couldn’t help but compare the whole game to life itself. Highs, lows, fun, entertaining, baffling, hilarious, sad, mostly pointless yet ultimately worthwhile. Changing it into something with a focus group odour with everything being smooth, slick, and streamlined would rob it of its rather unique personality. All in all I enjoyed it, apart from the bits I didn’t. Think I’ll put that on my head stone. Wonk
Robot assistant I bought an Xbox Series S for
Christmas. Within three months the controller is experiencing stick drift. Trying to contact Xbox support is like pulling teeth. I’ve already tried all the troubleshooting options and the only option left is to open it up, which can void the warranty. To send it back I’ll have to wait up to two weeks for a replacement and they won’t send one until they receive mine, so I’d be wasting money on my Game Pass Ultimate, as I can’t use it without a controller! For such a big company their service is a joke and needs highlighting. When my
Amazon tablet broke they sent me a new one then I sent the broken one, meaning I wasn’t without one, their service is fab. Microsoft need to get a phone contact number. Virtual assistants are infuriating. Benjamin Creator recommendation In response to the reader asking for the best Mario Maker levels, I would highly recommend the 1 Year Mario Maker levels collection . This was a collection of levels specially made by people in the community to celebrate the 1 Year anniversary of the game. It was started by Kiavik, who made the amazing Super Mario Vs Mecha Bowzilla level (definitely download that one!). Kiavik handpicked creators from the community, each to make one level for the project. I was delighted to be asked to contribute to this project and I did so for 2YMM also. I believe it ran for five years in total. All these levels went through rigorous playtesting before they were uploaded and the quality shows. What’s more, if you get stuck on any of the (puzzle) levels there are many clear videos of the levels on
YouTube. There is also a link on the site to Super Discord Bros, Super Discord Bros 3, and New Super Discord Bros, which were separate projects where creators collaborated to create a full tradition game, each one in a different era of Mario. Regards and yahoo! Fatys Henrys Physical pleasure The House Of The Dead 2 is such a great game – it is probably the best lightgun game you can play at home. It’s a pain having to set up my Wii U to play it but it’s always well worth it. There is an arcade in Cromer that has Time Crisis 4 – very old school with the pedals but such good fun. Happy to hear about any other good arcades with classic games. I do miss the old arcades and you have to be a certain age to get the nostalgia! Simon The assassination of video game consoles by the cowards Xbox and PS5 - Reader’s Feature The PS5 Pro will be the most powerful console ever and no one cares - Reader’s Feature Video game exclusives are the heart of gaming and Xbox should know that - Reader's Feature PS5 Pro developer verdict: ‘I didn't meet a single person that understood the point of it’ 30 years of pessimism I always felt that the games industry was going to become stagnant, even from the early 90s. Graphics are going to become so good that gamers are going to be asking, what else have you got? While Microsoft and Sony are trying to reach the all-powerful top of the graphical pole. Even though graphics sell well and it swoons gamers in, it’s not the be all and end all of gaming. Case in point, take a look at Grand Theft Auto 6. It looks amazing and gamers want to buy it already but does anyone really expect the gameplay to be any different from any previous instalments? Is the gameplay perfect? Or just a life simulator that works on an aggressive scale? Sure, it will sell and publishers will always follow the money, yet there is only so far graphics can carry you. I fear we’ve reached it.
FIFA, Call Of Duty, and GTA couldn’t really get any better unless they change the gameplay, which for a publisher is too risky. There is your stagnation. freeway 77 Inbox also-rans I’m looking for a solution to a problem I have with the PlayStation 5 controller’s L1 and R1 buttons. I’m left in crippling pain each time I use them. Any hacks or a recommendation for a decent third party controller with bumper buttons like the Switch Pro/Xbox controllers would be appreciated. David GC: Is the problem because of an existing medical condition? Have you tried turning off the haptic feedback? Hurrah! There’s going to be a Borderlands 4! Can’t wait for it to look identical to the first three and not do any of things we’ve all been waiting for since the first one. Cyril Email 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 via email or our Submit Stuff page , 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 . MORE : Games Inbox: Should the PS5 Pro be scrapped, Marvel Rivals first impressions, and Mass Effect 5 wait MORE : Games Inbox: Has Xbox made a big mistake this generation, Super Mario Maker victory, and Stellar Blade demo MORE : Games Inbox: Will the Switch 2 save video games, PS5 Pro sunk cost fallacy, and Sonic 2006 remake Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here . For more stories like this, check our Gaming page . Sign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they're seen on the site.