May 30th 2024.
A new Astro Bot could be announced today
The Thursday letters page is desperate for a new Batman game, as one reader is shocked by how much money Star Citizen has raised so far.
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Prepare yourself
So here we are. Announced at the last possible moment and on at 11pm, but finally we have confirmation that there’s going to be a PlayStation showcase this month. Except it’s not a showcase, just a State of Play, and it’s only half an hour. This is going to be such a nothingburger the internet is going to be unbearable for weeks.
If there’s any bigger first party announcement than Astro Bot and Ghost Of Tsushima on PC I will take up yoga . All we’re getting are mid-level third party reveals, games we already knew about, and a terrible sense of disappointment.
I urge everyone to prepare themselves for the worst and then if, by some miracle, something interesting is announced then it’ll be a nice surprise. Personally, I don’t even know why Sony are bothering if they’re not going to make a proper job of it but who can ever understand them lately.
Garry
Better than nothing?
So there is going to be a PlayStation event after all, but it’s a State of Play and not a showcase? That is not a good sign, especially if it’s only 30 minutes long. I don’t see it having anything major to say, especially as they’ve already confirmed no major first party games until next year.
I have to question why it’s happening at all really. Casual gamers wouldn’t notice if it was cancelled but now it’s inevitably going to be overshadowed by the Xbox showcase, which probably is going to be good. It’ll certainly have lots of games and be longer than 30 minutes – they’re spending that on Call Of Duty alone!
Sony just keeps making this strange decisions, that seem to hurt it for no reason. Quietly admitting you have no new games, in a statement only hardcore gamers will be aware of, is one thing but publicly proving you have nothing with a lukewarm preview event seems like an easily avoidable home goal.
Lamplighter
Die Fledermaus Returns
Glad to hear that the people in charge of Rocksteady apparently got out early and have set up their own studio. Although I thought Microsoft didn’t believe in exclusives? Or is that only when it suits them?
I know there’s been some uncertainty as to whose idea exactly Suicide Squad was, but I think the fact that the first thing the studio is doing is a single-player game makes it fairly clear that even if Rocksteady made the first suggestion they weren’t happy about the direction it ended up going in.
It’s a shame that they won’t be able to make a Batman game though as even if they make something like it, there’s all those characters and gadgets that you just can’t do, even with a similar concept. Maybe it’s just best to do something completely different but still single-player. Looking forward to whatever it is, either way.
Cantabile
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Xenu’s favourite game
On the back of Microsoft buying Activision and spending oodles of cash, I was considering, for some bizarre reason, whatever happened to Star Citizen by Chris Robert’s and Cloud Imperium Games?
Lo, a Eurogamer article popped up and crowed about how the game/tech demo/alpha has garnered $700 million, including $3 million in May alone!
All I can say is I’m flabbergasted. When Sony revealed that Spider-Man 2 cost £300 million it makes you wonder what Cloud Imperium are up to. On that point, are there any GC readers who are invested in this and could they shine a light on what they think will be the outcome?
As it stands, this must be the single most expensive game ever made by a country mile. But the expense is all on its backers, and not a publisher. So, what happens if it all goes pop and they run out of funds?
To be honest, it all sounds like Scientology to me…
ZiPPi
GC: It’s an inexplicable amount of money for something that has delivered so little over such a long period of time.
Nothing but Duty
Just seen that this year’s Call Of Duty will be on Game Pass day one, with Xbox praying it helps them. I can’t see it working. A monthly subscription of Game Pass is just under £9 a month. If you really are a Call Of Duty-only player you will play it for 12 months, till the next Call Of Duty comes out.
Over the 12 months that’s around £120 for the year. You can buy the game for £70, which is a saving of £50. I can’t see it helping Xbox or Phil Spencer, other than the money from sales alone. I really can’t see Game Pass going up in subscribers, maybe a few but not £69 billion more. But I’ll never know, I gave up on the game many years ago.
David
Opening the door
Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of praise for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. I did play the original but barely remembered it and the remake looks a lot better than I ever expected. I love how you can tell the characters are made out of little bits of craft paper and everything is so weird and imaginative.
It’s really funny too. I love Luigi and Goombella and all the other characters. Everything feels so alive and surreal. It’s much more reminiscent of the original games, where things got very weird, but also with a great American made script on top of it all.
Nintendo would be crazy not to make the next Paper Mario game similar in style. I never play The Origami King but as far as I understand it still wasn’t a role-player and that seems so pointless. Make a new game that’s a full-on role-player, with a funny script, and lots more weird new characters – not just ones that already exist.Are you ready for some exciting news? It seems that a new Astro Bot could be announced today! The Thursday letters page has been buzzing with anticipation for a new Batman game, with one reader even expressing shock at the amount of money that Star Citizen has raised so far. If you want to join in on the discussions, be sure to email us at [email address].
But before we get too excited, let's prepare ourselves. The announcement has come at the last possible moment and is scheduled for 11pm, and it's not even a full showcase - just a State of Play. And to top it off, it's only half an hour long. It's safe to say that the internet will be buzzing with disappointment for weeks to come.
Unfortunately, it seems that the only big first party announcements we can expect are Astro Bot and Ghost Of Tsushima coming to PC. Anything else will just be mid-level third party reveals or games we already knew about. It's enough to make us wonder why Sony is even bothering with this event if they can't make a proper job of it. But then again, who can truly understand their decisions lately?
It's hard not to compare this to the Xbox showcase, which is sure to be packed with exciting announcements and new games. And now, Sony's State of Play will inevitably be overshadowed by it. It's a shame, really. It's almost as if they're setting themselves up for disappointment.
Speaking of disappointment, it's a shame that Rocksteady won't be making a new Batman game. But it's great to hear that they've set up their own studio and are working on a single-player game. It's interesting to note that Microsoft, who claims to not believe in exclusives, now has a studio dedicated to creating them. But let's not dwell on that and instead look forward to whatever Rocksteady has in store for us.
Moving on to a different topic, let's talk about Star Citizen. With Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision and their large spending, it's hard not to wonder about this ambitious game by Chris Roberts and Cloud Imperium Games. A recent Eurogamer article revealed that the game has raised a staggering $700 million, with $3 million just in May alone. That's an impressive amount of money for something that has yet to deliver much in terms of gameplay.
But what happens if the funds run out? It's a question that many backers must be wondering about. After all, this has to be one of the most expensive games ever made, and it's all on the backs of its supporters rather than a publisher. It's enough to make one think of Scientology.
Finally, let's talk about the new Call Of Duty game. It's been announced that it will be available on Game Pass day one, with Xbox hoping that this will help boost their subscription numbers. But for those who only play Call Of Duty, it might not make much sense financially. After all, a 12-month subscription to Game Pass costs around £120, while the game itself is only £70. It's a bit of a gamble for Xbox, but time will tell if it pays off.
In other news, I just have to add my voice to the many others praising Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This remake of the original game is a visual delight, with characters made out of craft paper and a surreal and imaginative world. The game is also incredibly funny, with great American-made dialogue and a cast of weird and wonderful characters. It's a shame that the most recent Paper Mario game, The Origami King, wasn't a full role-playing game. Hopefully, Nintendo will take note and give us a new game with all the weirdness and humor that we love.
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