Games Inbox: Are the original Halo games still worth playing?

The Monday letters page worries about the changes coming to Xbox, as a reader looks forward to Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Peak Chief
I’ve been spending a lot of the weekend going back through old Xbox 360 games, thanks to a busted PlayStation 5, and I’m going through Halo 3 for the hundredth time. I sometimes forget how good these Halo games were and I know not everyone is a fan of them, like 343, but Halo at its peak just couldn’t be beaten.

I’ve played these levels countless times and it still feels fresh because there are always new ways to beat them. Add in the fantastic soundtrack and you’ve got one of the best games ever made.

The Halo re-remake looks OK but it just has that modern day corporate stink about it, although I know I’m going to end up paying for it, so I can’t really complain.
Simon

Art through the ages
I do wonder if the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake will have separate art style for both periods of time Link occupies.

We could have a colourful dreamy youth, a bit like Pan’s Labyrinth after a big mug of Horlicks, but a future far removed taking on a grittier Lord Of The Rings tone.

I think the original tried this to a certain degree, but stylised graphics have come a long way since then so a much less subtle approach would be interesting to see.
Bad Edit

Old tech
I read the original Xbox was £299 at launch. I think I paid a bit more but my point is 24 years later for the technology we have it’s not a massive jump over that time, taking inflation into account for the state of the art consoles.

I do sometimes wonder if it’s all witchcraft though. I remember setting up the first console after getting broadband and had Far Cry, which had a multiplayer mode, and I was blown away and shocked at hearing some guy in America talking to me.

One thing Microsoft do do well is the online infrastructure, even back then. But it’s still witchcraft how someone on the other side of the world hears your voice in a second and sees your character move… magical and amazing really, something the younger generations take for granted.
TWO MACKS

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Sign of the times
Gaming in the past: 1. Put game in machine. 2. Turn on. 3. Play while eating some crisps.

Gaming in 2026: 1. Put game in machine. 2. Wait half an hour for the game to install off the disc. 3. Wait fove more hours for the game to download a 24GB update from the internet. 4. Finally load game but immediately get stuck on broken account creation screen that errors when you enter your details.

The game in question is Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws on PlayStation 5. Is it any good? Don’t ask me! I know not all games are this bad, but this cannot be OK, right?
Robert (Antisocial Rob)

Indirect news
Very interesting preview article for the forthcoming Tomb Raider game. Nice one!

Of all the stuff that recently appeared on the store, that’s my most wanted game. Looks and sounds to be very promising.

Also, any news when we might actually get to see some proper gameplay footage of the Zelda remaster/remake? A potential masterpiece of a masterpiece, kind of.
Paul C.

GC: None so far but if it’s out this year, so it can’t be too long. Nintendo often have a Direct in September so it should be by then, at least.

Inevitable change
Xbox CEO Sharma’s next 100 days communication was surprisingly candid and brutal in its assessment of the past failures and current problems at Xbox.

The reset she says is needed sounds like it will be deep and far ranging. Who knows what Xbox will look like in a year’s time.

Some have speculated that much that has been done by her up until now, like bringing back exclusives, especially Gears, and that Xbox logo all caps thing was about positive PR. Plugging Sharma’s vision for the repair job into the glory days of Xbox and bringing the faithful on board to her vision for the brand and the big changes that are incoming.

‘It’s only fitting as we return to Xbox, we return to Gears’, to quote Sharma from the recent showcase. Planting the idea that her changes will lead to renewal and better times again.

I don’t think it’s a cynical as it sound though, she could be right. She’s right about the hole Xbox is in, that ‘tough decisions’ are needed and I think that they absolutely feel some exclusivity going forward is needed, even if the specifics are hazy.

It sounds like a genuine attempt to change the pattern and do something new and positive with Xbox. Sadly, though the first moves seem easy to predict. Sack a load of people and close some studios.
Simundo

Dragon Warrior
I kind of like the fact that no one in the West cares about Dragon Quest, because it means it gets to carry on and just be itself. They keep trying to make it edgier and more adult but it never works. Although while they said they changed direction on that for Dragon Quest 12 I still worry that the art looks a lot more serious than I feel it should be.

It’s just goofy kid’s game, that a lot of people in Japan have fond memories. You can’t turn it into Final Fantasy, let alone something like Dragon Age, without turning it into something it isn’t, which I hope they never do.
Royston

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Cause and consequence
That list of games coming out in September and October is insane. As you said, there are going to be so many that underperform.

I guess I’m part of the problem though. Here me out on this…

When Project Gotham Racing 2 came out on the Xbox I didn’t hesitate to spend the £40 on it back in 2003 (It was a bloody good game!).

And I maybe would buy two or three full price games a month. Gaming was my main hobby, so I’d spend the money, even though I didn’t earn loads and I had a mortgage and a young son.

£40 in 2003 is equivalent to about £82 now. But even though I don’t have a mortgage or any young children, and I earn significantly more (even adjusting for inflation), I’m very reluctant to buy games new. There’s money in the bank, but I prefer not to spend it on new games. I’ll wait a few months and get it discounted.

Mafia: The Old Country I got for £25 instead of, I think £40.

This week I bought Resident Evil 4 remake for £9, even though the new one, Requiem, looks really good. But it’s nearly £50, even in the sale. Give it time and it’ll come down.

I’m not sure if I’m wiser or just tight, but if others are like me, it’s not going to help the games industry.

Thanks for the good work!
DB

GC: Your attitude is perfectly understandable but if nobody buys the games near launch then that sort of game won’t get made any more, even if the developer survives – which they’re increasingly unlikely to in the current climate. It’s why there’s not going to be another XCOM, to use but one example.

Inbox also-rans
None of the Xbox games that flopped are a surprise to me but it makes me wonder what will get greenlit now the new boss is in charge. I get the feeling it’s not going to shake the ShooterBox image.
Orion

Surprised to see the trailer for the new Spyro game do so well, but I worry that if Crash Bandicoot didn’t do enough for Activision’s satisfaction that this has even less chance.
Keef

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