The Friday letters page enjoys its first hours with Hollow Knight: Silksong, as one reader tries to explain why Amazon doesn’t care about there being no new Tomb Raider game.
Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Gaming lingua franca
People are so angry at Sony nowadays I do think some of the good things they’re doing are being overlooked. PS Plus is actually a really good service now and while their obsession with live service games is kind of silly, and self-destructive, I do think some of the games have been good.
I’m a Concord apologist but easily their best online game is Helldivers 2, so I’m not surprised to see it doing well on Xbox. For me it’s easily the best online shooter at the moment, with good action, minimal microtransactions, and a great meta angle which means it’s always changing.
Of all the online games I play with my mates it’s the easiest for me to get a group together, because while it might not be everyone’s favourite it’s the one game the nobody dislikes. I can’t get them all to play Fortnite but nobody objects to more Helldivers 2.
Korbie
The name game
The problem with all these video game movies is that ‘Hollywood’ has no interest in the games at all. That’s why it keeps picking games that are, or were, famous, rather than what’s actually popular at the moment (how Fortnite has escaped this for so long I have no idea).
They don’t care that Tomb Raider hasn’t had a new game in seven years or Uncharted hasn’t had a new one in eight; it’s just a name people have heard of and has slightly more chance of getting bums on seats than if it were a new or different IP.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
I could easily imagine there being no new Tomb Raider game for at least another five years. Crystal Dynamics feels like they’re living on borrowed time already and even if they do manage to finish their current game it’s clearly nowhere near ready, or at we at least would’ve got a teaser, or a bit of artwork, by now. But we haven’t even had that.
Bosley
Perfect meal
Even though I have Game Pass I picked up Hollow Knight: Silksong on PlayStation 5 today, as it’s my preferred format and it was only £16. Team Cherry is leaving a lot of money on the table with that pricing.
Initial impression is that it’s more Hollow Knight but with a slightly bigger budget, which fits considering it was first envisaged as DLC. Hornet even has a downward slash movement that currently feels as awkward as the first games to use.
All the ingredients from the first game that either made you love or loathe it are present so far.
I’m in the former camp, so know I will have a wonderful time. It’ll be nice though if it throws up something new or different for a Metriodvania, we’ll see.
Simundo
Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
Speak for yourself
Finally, the time has come. The day is here; the hour has drawn near. The gaming gods have rewarded our patience. Hollow Knight: Silksong is released. It really does feel like we fans have waited a lifetime for this and despite me not being a huge fan of the original, due to playing it only on Xbox Game Pass, I’ve taken the liberty of downloading Silksong as soon as possible.
I’ll say that it was a chess move to put this game on Xbox Game Pass. A brilliant chess move. Due to lack of reviews, it makes sense to avoid backlash over buying such an anticipated game with no published reviews on release day. It’s a shame for Bloober Team though.
Cronos just released, but who will be glancing at that for a second, when Silksong is a reality? I’d be surprised if some gamer right now was playing Cronos and noticed that Silksong is out. That’s not me unfortunately, but that’s the level of hype for this platformer and it’s deserved. Well, I’ve waited long enough and we all have waited too long. I speak for everyone when I say this. Hail Silksong.
Shahzaib Sadiq
Reverse marketing
I don’t think it’s any surprise that gaming is in the state it is at the moment when publishers continue to act in the dumbest way possible. This whole thing with Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 is completely Ubisoft’s fault and I’m actually kind of shocked by how badly they’ve handled it.
They show off an unfinished version of the game, but don’t bother to tell anyone and don’t put any actual footage out to prove that it actually runs well. They might as well have flushed all the money it took to make the game down the toilet, with what they’ve done.
I get they consider it a flop but if they’re going to be this careless about promoting it why bother doing the port at all? It’s the developers I feel sorry for, getting a good looking current gen game like Outlaws working on the Switch 2 and then Ubisoft doing their level best to make sure no one will care.
Salty
Not the best thing ever
That’s me finished Donkey Kong Bananza, it was absolutely superb. I’d say it’s really worth collecting all 777 named bananas, as you get to appreciate the level design even more with some very cleverly hidden secrets. The destruction mechanics were brilliant and genuinely offered something new. I always like to think what my younger self would have made of games now and being able to destroy the whole 3D world in this manner would have blown his mind!
I guess the big question is whether the game is better than Super Mario Odyssey. I think in all honesty it doesn’t quite make it. Odyssey was bigger, better, and had more variety. It’s really hard for Nintendo to beat their own high standards sometimes. I genuinely think if anyone else had made Bananza it would be considered in game of the year territory. Anyway, not being the best game ever shouldn’t take away from Bananza, it is innovative, well-crafted, and most of all fun. What more can we ask for?
Ryan O’D
Secret spoilers
I’m very curious to know why Insomniac’s Wolverine game is taking so long. The theory seems to be that they were so upset at the hacking leak that they completely redesigned the game and story but… why? Whatever spoilers there were I’ve never heard them, and I’m reasonably interested in finding out, so the chances that any casual gamers were spoiled seems minuscule.
Besides, the details will probably leak out normally anyway, both for what it is and what it was. Insomniac used to be Sony’s fastest working developer but it’s two years since they’ve had anything new out now and we still have no idea when there’s going to be something else.
Zeiss
Samus: The Wilderness Years
Just wanted to say thanks for GameCentral’s advice and thanks a lot to Robbie, that wrote in about Metroid Prime Remastered with his tips. I had seen the opportunity to cheap shot through doorways, it might be cheap but if it’s doable it’s fine by me.
I think I’m going to retreat for a while and retrack my footsteps, looking for secrets that I might have missed. This difficulty spike I’ve hit seems wrong. I’m not very good a 2D Metroidvanias. I’ve played Hollow Knight and both Ori games and finished none.
I’m only playing this as I feel like I can’t let a Nintendo game that got a review score of 10/10 from GC go to the wayside without being played.
I never had a NES or a Super Nintendo as a kid, I was a Sega man so never played a Metroid and can’t remember there being one for the N64. None of my friends ever had it on the NES or SNES, so the whole series has passed me by.
I’m a big Aliens fan though and it does recreate the lonely space feeling of those movies, where you don’t know really know what you might be up against next. It makes me a lot more interested in this new Metroid game that’s coming out for the Switch 2.
I am going to persevere with it. What I’ve played so far deserves my time.
Nick The Greek
GC: You’re right, there was no Metroid game on the N64. Samus turned up in the original Super Smash Bros. but that was it on the format. The original Metroid was heavily influenced by Alien, to the point where Samus’ nemesis is called Ridley.
Inbox also-rans
For anyone interested, the Halo TV show is coming to Netflix soon. Overall, it’s not very good but there are some good action scenes and moments, so I’d say it’s worth a watch. Just don’t see it if you care about canon.
Goop94
Just read a stat that 50% of all games industry layoffs worldwide, not just the US, have been in California. I don’t know what to say except, ‘wow’.
Bont
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.