The Thursday letters page hopes for some imminent Bloodborne remastered news, as one reader makes a startlingly well-timed prediction about Nintendo.
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Direct bingo
So there seems to be a good chance there’ll be a State of Play this month, based on previous years and rumours, so what are people thinking will be featured? I see on X that Hideo Kojima seems to be getting a new trailer ready for Death Stranding 2 and it’s out this year, so that seems a definite.
Ghost Of Yōtei is also out this year, so I guess that’s the next most likely, but I hope we see something else brand new. The problem with something like Ghost Of Yōtei is that, after playing the first one, I feel I can already guess what the sequel is. Which doesn’t mean I’m completely uninterested in it, but I felt Ghost Of Tsushima outstayed its welcome as it is and I don’t really need another one.
What I’d much rather know is what Housemarque and Bluepoint Games are working on. Although I wonder if Bluepoint has been doing anything after its game got cancelled. That would be a real shame if they’ve been forced to just waste the last few years.
I’d cry if that’s the same for Housemarque though because I loved Returnal and I really admire them for saying no to a sequel and doing something new again.
Ansel
The end point
I love how these giant American companies keep thinking they can buy Nintendo and then they just turn round and laugh in their face, even in the darkest days of the Wii U! It wouldn’t be surprised if there’ve been other attempts too, that we’ve never heard about. Google or Amazon seem like the sort that would’ve seen buying Nintendo as a shortcut into the games industry.
And it’s always about a shortcut with these companies. We know from the disgusting email from Phil Spencer that he had zero respect for Nintendo’s independence and just saw it as another trophy for his wall. And this is a guy who, on some level, likes and understands the games industry. Just think what some soulless suit from Meta or Apple would have thought about the new ‘asset’ they’d just acquired.
The day Nintendo is bought out, or releases games on PC or whatever other terrible idea people suggest for them is the day gaming ends. Especially with the rapid decline of PlayStation… you can just stick a fork in it right then and write video games off as a 50 year old fad.
Ishi
Two-faced truth
Interestingly, I’ve learned of Nintendo’s attachment to the number two branding since Switch 2’s reveal.
The time of the Switch 2 reveal was 22:02 in Japan.
The trailer is 2 mins 22 seconds long.
The first Switch 2 Direct is on the second of the month (prepare a bucket of salt for April Fool’s Day) and that date is 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days after the console’s initial reveal.
Shall we expect it to go live at 2pm somewhere?
Bad Edit
GC: Well, that’s pretty spooky. You sent this email just hours before Nintendo, for no apparent reason, announced the time of the Nintendo Direct as… 2pm. For your next trick, can you take a guess at what games they’ll show?
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Three roles to play
Need a question answered. I’m considering buying a role-playing game this month and it’s because it’s my favourite genre, but I’m eyeing three releases and the first smash hit of 2025 is on the radar. I’m of course referring to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. But I’m also considering Metaphor: ReFantazio and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Which just coincidentally released for PC.
I’ve heard Deliverance 2 is fantastic, but I’m turned off by the realism. A hunger system, the dirt and cleanliness requirements, and the horrific combat system. It’s clearly a niche title, but I see my two other choices are more mainstream. So, I’d like to ask GC and readers alike, which title should I go for? It’s for my handheld, by the way, The OneXPlayer OneXFly.
Shahzaib Sadiq
GC: Deliverance 2 is good; we wouldn’t say it was fantastic. The other two are in our top four games of last year.
Raiders of the lost ARC
To answer captainbloodsnot’s HDMI cable query, if the AV receiver is not 4K compatible then take the high speed HDMI cable from the PlayStation 5 and plug that into a 4K capable port in your TV. Then on the TV connect a high speed HDMI cable from the ARC port on your TV and plug it into a port on your AV receiver. Select the channel or port on your AV receiver, for it to process the sound coming from the TV. On the TV select the HDMI port your PlayStation 5 is plugged into.
You must have passthrough selected and turned on your AV receiver to get 5.1 surround sound; you may need to choose multi-channel surround as the output on the receiver. The ARC (audio return channel) will bypass the TV for the audio but display the 4K content the TV is receiving from the PlayStation 5, as long as that HDMI source is selected on the TV. You may have to select and specify the output in the receiver settings. Make sure all HDMI cables are high-speed 2.1 or 2.2 rated. Sounds complicated but it’s not.
Fatclock (gamertag)/FaTcLoCk1978 (PSN ID)
GC: That seems very thorough, well done.
Sony who?
I guess with the Bloodborne takedown activity from Sony and a February State of Play likely, many will hope a remake/remaster will be announced at it. Maybe with a PC release.
God knows, Sony could do with a PR win these days and that’ll definitely earn them some points.
I don’t know if it’s due to their live service plans or just a fairly traditional console maker lull in output, but it’s marked how little Sony are in my thoughts for games I’m excited about this year. It’s all Xbox and Nintendo and Rockstar.
But as many, maybe all eventually, of those Xbox games will arrive on PlayStation and Sony nabbing the best third party exclusives like Silent Hill 2 it’s probably not going to harm them at all.
But a surprise on the first party front at a State of Play would be nice.
Simundo
Any excuse
I love what complete white noise that excuse is from EA, for why Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed. As GC pointed out, the obvious comparison to make was with Baldur’s Gate 3, which doesn’t have anything like live service options or ‘shared world features’ – whatever exactly that’s supposed to mean.
It failed because EA’s marketing was terrible and they clearly had no faith in it form the start. Their trailer for it seemed positively embarrassed of what it is, which I found to be a very enjoyable action role-player with excellent combat. So instead of thinking where they got things wrong they’re going to blame the developer and use it as another excuse to give up on a single-player games.
Ghive
Hidden purposes
One thing that intrigues me about the Switch 2, and the application of a mouse mode for the Joy-Cons isn’t so much what games will use it… but why would they bother? Maybe I’m being unimaginative in only thinking of applications for PC type titles and it won’t just work in the same way as a regular mouse, but how much of the current Switch’s userbase play the console in a situation where having a Joy-Con as a mouse is even viable?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of or seen anyone settling down to use their Switch on a desk or table in a way that would allow them to roam around with a mouse next to it. Even in tabletop mode it’s on small tables on trains or planes or kids in coffee shops. Casting my mind back to the adverts of the original Switch, the one with ‘cool’ millennials at rooftop parties or out walking their dogs… some bloke sat at a desk in his bedroom playing Pikmin on his own, as if it’s a PC doesn’t seem like a market Nintendo will be making a play for?
It’s true there is likely something we haven’t seen, some gimmick that will really show this to be a game changer. However much like existing motion controls (or even the touchscreen in the current Switch) I only see it being of interest to a niche part of the market. Featured in a few third party titles early doors, that don’t sell very well, before being relegated to future Mario Party and WarioWare titles.
Marc
GC: We can see exactly where you’re coming from. We’ll be very interested to see how Nintendo themselves uses the feature and if it’s ever a primary control system or essentially an optional extra.
Inbox also-rans
Given that news about Age Of Empires coming to PlayStation 5 I would all but guarantee that means they’re also coming to the Switch 2 with mouse support. Wouldn’t be surprised if they were launch games even.
Dali
Capcom are really terrible at putting on their own Directs, eh? I don’t think I learned a single thing from the one on Tuesday night. The didn’t even show any new footage for Onimusha!
Xrea
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