January 4th 2024.
It's officially the start of a new year and already the anticipation is growing for some of the biggest releases of the year. Elden Ring's Shadow Of The Erdtree is undoubtedly on the top of many gamers' lists. The Monday letters page recently discussed the gaming industry's prospects for the year and it's hard to ignore the fact that the release schedules don't appear to be very inspiring.
Even the biggest game with a release date, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, isn't really capturing people's imagination. The only games that have really caught people's interest are S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and Star Wars Outlaws. But Elden Ring's Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC is still the one that has everyone most excited.
Unfortunately, Sony and Xbox haven't been as forthcoming with their plans for the year. Avowed and Hellblade 2 are the only two titles that have been confirmed for the Xbox, although it's likely that they are the least interesting of the bunch. The same goes for Sony. It seems like the gaming industry is heading into the same cycle from last year, where every State of Play is hyped up but ends up being a disappointment.
Nintendo could be the ones to really take advantage of the situation though, as they prepare for the launch of the Switch 2.
A recent review from GC also highlighted just how careless big companies can be with game developers. Budgets are getting bigger and bigger, all information comes from leaks rather than official announcements, and gamers' faith in companies is being taken for granted. It's clear that the industry has lost its direction and any sense of proportion.
The only strategy it seems like publishers have is to keep spending more and more money until they can only afford to make one game a generation. It's a bleak outlook, but as an observer all I can do is hope that the people in charge have some better plans for the future.
The last 40 years have been condensed into one list of the Christmas number one video games, and it's a sobering reminder that time passes quickly. Even games like Ghostbusters and Rambo on the Commodore 64 feel like a lifetime ago now.
It's also worth giving credit to Willis Gibson, aged 13 from Oklahoma, who became the first person to beat the NES version of Tetris. He managed to get to level 157 before the game crashed on him. Congratulations Willis!
Finally, a reader asked if anyone had had any cool VR experiences in London, and if anyone had a recommendation. It seems like PlayStation VR2 is the most powerful one, so if anyone knows of anywhere to try it out, please share.
All in all, this year looks like it could be the year of the indie. With fewer big budget games, there's more of an opportunity for independent developers to grab attention. Hades 2 is already looking like it's going to be one of the most exciting games of the year, and The Plucky Squire, Pacific Drive, Thrasher, and Windblown are all also worth keeping an eye on.
Let's hope this is the year that indie developers get the recognition they deserve.
It's no surprise that the Monday letters page is worried about the new year prospects for the video game industry, given the lack of interesting titles coming out this year. We may have Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and Star Wars Outlaws to look forward to, but the only game that really has people buzzing is Elden Ring's Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC.
Sony and Microsoft's release schedules are looking abysmal, and it doesn't seem like either of them are making any effort to change that. It's a bit disheartening that every State of Play seems to be a letdown, and it's almost like they're taking gamers' support for granted. If Nintendo can capitalize on this opportunity and make the Switch 2 a success, they truly deserve it.
GC's review of 2023 was spot-on, and it's sad to see how publishers are treating game developers. They seem to be throwing millions of dollars at games with no direction, and the only thing they've planned is to make one game every generation and hope it doesn't flop. Hopefully the people in charge will have some new year's resolutions to get the industry back on track.
The list of Christmas number one video games from the last 40 years was a sobering reminder of how long we've been in the gaming industry. It's strange to think that Ghostbusters and Rambo were released for the Commodore 64, and it's a bit of an existential crisis to see all those years condensed into one chart.
We should also congratulate Willis Gibson on becoming the first person ever to beat the NES version of Tetris, since it launched 36 years ago. He made it to level 157 before the game crashed, which is an incredible achievement!
Finally, GameCentral and readers may have some recommendations for cool VR experiences in London. PlayStation VR2 is the most powerful, so if anyone knows of anywhere to try it out, please let us know!
Indie games didn't make much of an impact in 2023, but hopefully that will change this year. Hades 2 is already one of the most exciting games of the year, and there are plenty of other titles to look forward to, such as The Plucky Squire, Pacific Drive, Thrasher, and Windblown.
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