Games Inbox: Why are Call Of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 so popular?

The Thursday letters page is appalled by EA’s plans to lay off developers, as one reader is impressed by Amazon’s Luna streaming service.

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

Shocking success
I’m not sure I’m shocked at Halo: Campaign Evolved’s failure (I would’ve expected it to do a bit better based on nostalgia, but PlayStation owners have no nostalgia for it, so it seems to have done about as well as the Gears Of War remaster).

However, I am genuinely shocked that the two Black Ops games are doing so well. They’re not even remasters, let alone remakes, they’re just straight ports that have had no work put into them. Again, I assume it’s nostalgia but am I the only one that barely even remembers which ones they were? Apparently so, to tell by the sales.

I tried to remind myself of the campaign by reading Wikipedia and I do remember them now, and I admit they were good ones but is that’s what’s driving the current success? The campaign or the multiplayer? If it’s the campaigns, I could sort of understand because I haven’t played a good one in a modern Call Of Duty for years.

Either way, Activision want to be taking a careful look at what’s going on because they’re in serious danger of their newest game selling less than two that came out 15 years ago.
Trancer

Very predictable
So EA are getting ready to layoff $125 million worth of developers? Isn’t that lovely? Sorry, I mean absolutely disgusting. It was completely predicted long before the deal went through, because what else are you going to do when you’re $20 billion in debt, but the whole thing is awful.

That many people is going to mean whole studios and I don’t see how they continue with anything other than sports games and Battlefield. I used to stick up with EA a bit, when people used to rag on them, but not anymore. They’ve become something else now and too many microtransactions isn’t the half of it.
Zeiss

No access
RE: Halo: Campaign Evolved. I don’t care about any of the issues with Williams or the lack of multiplayer (I only play the campaigns) but the fact I am finding it impossible to sign into my Microsoft Account means it is a game I can’t play on my PlayStation 5.

I have an old Hotmail account but is tied to an old phone, so I can’t use it or I must wait 30 days to renew my security (why?!). I tried to set up a new Hotmail to use for this, but the website is out of action. If I try to create an Xbox account then it won’t let me use a work email, so I am completely stuck.

I am glad the game has been a flop and that I left Microsoft behind a long time ago. I will definitely be giving up on the all-digital future as I can’t be bothered with any of this.
Simon

GC: We had the exact same problem, although we were able to create a new account to play it.

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

Size isn’t everything
I saw a post on X today that showed and compared every map of every Grand Theft Auto game.

Apparently, according to this post, the map in GTA 6 will be the biggest one in the series, and is estimated as being four times the size of the GTA 5 map. Estimates are close to guessing in my mind, so this entire post might be nonsense to invite attention and clicks, but it got me thinking about the true worth of gaming real estate.

A game can boast a huge game map, but if it’s just empty terrain that’s not much of an asset. One of the best maps I’ve explored in a game was the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3. I don’t know how that map compares size-wise to GTA 5 or 6, but it was seemingly packed with unusual sights and secrets. In other words, within the world of Fallout 3 there was plenty to do.
Michael Veal

GC: Fallout maps tend to be smaller than average but, as you say, packed with much more detail than others. We believe some of the biggest are racing games like The Crew and Fuel, which, as you say, are mostly empty.

The principle
So this journalist was arguing that if Project Helix had a disc drive and PlayStation 6 didn’t it could get a lot more gamers, but I don’t understand the logic as PlayStation 5 players aren’t going to migrate to Xbox because it has a disc, as they still wouldn’t be able to play there catalogue of disc games on the Xbox ,making it null and void.

I did think that with so many not being able to afford next gen, the only thing to do is have one format so as many can play the next gen of games to get revenue. No more console wars but that’s not going to happen, but may need to if Sony and Microsoft are going survive in the console world.
TWO MACKS

GC: Most people don’t actually care about discs, as the percentage of digital sales shows. What they have got upset at though, is Sony taking away the option.

Next gen gramophone
What gets me about the component crisis is that everyone’s focusing on what it’s going to do to next gen console prices, but the same thing is happening to PC components, phones, and everything else. It’s like we’re heading back into caveman times. We’ll be recording things on VHS next and loading games in from audio tape.

I’m not even sure to what degree I’m exaggerating, because if the PlayStation 6 costs £1,000+ what happens then? A gaming PC is going to be about the same and I’m not paying that. Even if they continue manufacturing the PlayStation 5 to compensate, it’s not like it’s made out of cardboard, they still need components for that, just maybe slightly less.

I don’t see where all this is going but I have a nasty feeling none of it is going to be good. To think that gaming would come to this: games too expensive and time consuming to make, consoles too expensive to buy, and everyone who’s any good at making them is laid off the minute the boss’s Christmas bonus is in danger.

All I can say is thank goodness for indie gaming because if it wasn’t for that I genuinely think I’d be giving up on video games after all this.
Eckard

Better than Ultimate
After reading about Indiana Jones And The Great Circle being available in Luna, I decided to give it a try to see how it performs. Was a very pleasant surprise to find the Luna version of the game contains the Order Of Giants DLC as standard.

The performance is excellent too and seemed better than Xbox Ultimate, which I have previously tried. I do have very good internet though.
Deskiryu

GC: Xbox’s streaming service is surprisingly poor, considering their situation.

New old hardware
Long time reader, not wrote in for a while. Great interview recently regarding the new Spectrum. Always enjoy reading your interviews, just a shame since Covid you don’t get to do the amount you used to. Really enjoyed the recent Reader’s Features of late. Big well done to those who worked up the courage to do a piece of their own.

This Speccy coverage got me thinking. There’s been loads of negativity for quite some time now around PlayStation and Xbox, and also Nintendo at times. I’m curious to know why you covered the Spectrum but haven’t yet done any articles on the brand new Neo Geo AES+ that was announced several months ago, an old mythical legendary console that most of us probably only dreamed of owning back then.

It’s now remade and at a price which is much more affordable and we get to experience these classic games today easily on modern TVs without having to remortgage. (I am aware of Arcade Archives on PlayStation , Switch or Xbox) but I want the real thing.

Secondly, ModRetro has just released the M64 a modern day N64 that plays original games with the promise of new ones to come, along with remasters, overclocking, and other options that weren’t on the original hardware. Apparently their newly designed trident N64 pad is meant to be absolutely superb. An important factor here is both are physical, which is just awesome especially on the back of Sony’s nonsense.

For me, these two consoles are highly positive and I’m super excited for both to come out. I’ve actually recently sold my PlayStation 5 to fund getting both. Do you plan to cover them as I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to hear your thoughts on them. So I’d just like to know why it appears both have just been completely skipped over.

Apologies if I’m wrong here but there has been no mention of either by yourselves. We could do with more positivity and also more news that doesn’t involve Sony/Microsoft or rumours. Apologies if it sounds I’m complaining, that’s not the intention. I’m just curious, that’s all.

Keep up the good work GC.
Ricardo (Bertie1)

GC: Interviews are barely a thing now, for any publisher, but we try where we can. We do have a couple coming up for games from big publishers though, so maybe there’s some hope that things will improve. As for the Neo Geo AES+, we think we were short-staffed when it was announced, so never got round to it. We have been in contact with Plaion though and will definitely be covering it in the future. The M64, we’ve never heard of till now.

Inbox also-rans
What the best games to start with for seniors?
Jay Van Housen

GC: That’s a complicated question. We’d need to know their level of experience with games and general interests, at the very least.

Excited to know that 007 First Light will be at Gamescom. My decision to make the Switch 2 my only current gen console is paying off.
Swede

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.

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