November 18th 2024.
There has been some buzz going around about a potential new Resident Evil movie, with rumors that it may star Leon Kennedy. Some fans are skeptical, as they don't believe video game movies have ever been successful. One reader even accused Black Ops 6 of being too focused on microtransactions. If you want to share your thoughts on these topics, you can email us at the address provided.
Recently, there has been a noticeable lack of new game releases. It seems like this has become the norm for this year, with all the strange events happening in the world. The only major event left to look forward to is The Game Awards in December. However, it's hard to say whether it will be a disappointment or if there will be exciting announcements. I've heard some people talking about the possibility of Resident Evil 9 and a new Tomb Raider game, but as far as I know, nothing has been confirmed. It may just be wishful thinking on their part.
Some are even speculating about a Nintendo Switch 2, but I highly doubt that will happen. However, there is always a big reveal at the end of The Game Awards, and I have a feeling it could be something related to Resident Evil 9, especially since Capcom used the event to announce Monster Hunter Wilds. But at this point, it almost seems too obvious. Whatever it may be, I hope it's something truly exciting and not just a paid advertisement.
Moving on to a different topic, I find it amusing that the most successful video game movie so far is still Sonic The Hedgehog. While some people may argue that the quality of video game adaptations has improved, they often refer to games like The Last Of Us and Fallout, which are not movies. It's worth mentioning that Borderlands did receive a movie adaptation, which was not well-received by fans.
Personally, I haven't seen the Sonic movie, so I can't comment on its quality. But I highly doubt it would be up for any Oscars. I don't think we'll ever see a high-quality video game movie because any good idea that could potentially work as a live-action film will most likely be turned into a TV show. This is due to the fact that games have lengthy stories that don't easily fit into a two-hour movie. We can already see this happening with the upcoming Tomb Raider adaptation, which is being turned into a show instead of a film.
Despite all the challenges, the Nintendo Switch continues to sell remarkably well. It's been a surprise for many, considering it's been on the market for a few years now. However, I believe the real achievement is with Mario Kart 8. Nintendo is using this game in their TV ads to promote the Switch, even though it's been 10 years since its release. This just goes to show the lasting appeal and popularity of the game. It also makes me wonder what games will be available for the rumored Switch 2. Many believe it will be Mario Kart 9, but it's rare for a game series to have a new installment while its predecessor is still being advertised on TV.
In response to last week's Reader's Feature about Microsoft's latest marketing campaign, I have to agree that it's quite embarrassing. It's unlikely that the average person will understand what it means, and even if they do, what can they do about it? Are they suddenly going to sign up for Game Pass and play on their smart TV? As the feature pointed out, the ads don't even mention Game Pass, and you still need a controller to play. Personally, I find it hard to care about Xbox anymore, as a PlayStation 5 owner. If there's a decent game on Xbox, it will most likely be available on my console anyway. Beyond that, what does Xbox have to offer? Not much, in my opinion.
I also want to touch on the topic of Overwatch. I believe the game's failure to introduce a story mode or campaign will always be its biggest flaw. It's too late to reverse its declining popularity, and I don't understand why it didn't happen earlier. It's not a technical issue, as the gameplay is already there. Maybe the main team didn't have enough time to focus on it, but they could have outsourced the task to another developer. After all, that's a common practice in the gaming industry. With the recent acquisition by Microsoft, there's a possibility that it could still happen, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Lastly, I've seen some people speculating about Blizzard's new open-world shooter and assuming it could be a Starcraft game. Personally, I hope it's something more along the lines of what I envisioned Command & Conquer: Renegade to be, where players would have the ability to build structures and vehicles, similar to a real-time strategy game, while also engaging in first-person shooter gameplay. Only time will tell.
There's been a lot of buzz lately about the possibility of seeing Leon Kennedy on the big screen in Resident Evil 9. The Monday letters page of a popular gaming publication recently discussed the idea of a good video game movie, with one reader calling out Black Ops 6 for being more of a "play to win" experience. And if you want to join in on the conversation, you can always email the publication yourself.
Speaking of letters, one of the weekend's Reader's Features pointed out the lack of exciting new releases this month, but to be fair, it seems like that's been the trend for this whole year. The only thing we really have to look forward to now is The Game Awards in December. But will it be another letdown or will we finally get some juicy announcements? Some people have been speculating about Resident Evil 9 and the new Tomb Raider, but as far as I know, these rumors haven't been confirmed. It could just be wishful thinking on their part.
Others have even been talking about a potential Nintendo Switch 2, but personally, I don't see that happening. And yet, there's always a big reveal at the end of The Game Awards, right? My guess is that it might be Resident Evil 9, especially since Capcom used the event to reveal Monster Hunter Wilds before. But who knows, maybe they'll surprise us with something completely unexpected.
Whatever the reveal may be, I hope it's something genuinely exciting and not just a product placement. It's always a bit disappointing when a highly anticipated event turns out to be just a marketing stunt.
Moving on to a different topic, I can't help but find it amusing that the most successful video game movie is still Sonic The Hedgehog. People often talk about the increasing quality of video game adaptations, but they usually refer to games with strong narratives like The Last of Us and Fallout, which are not movies. It's worth mentioning that Borderlands was turned into a movie, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations.
I haven't watched the Sonic movie myself, so I can't give my opinion on its quality, but I highly doubt it's an award-worthy film. It's becoming more and more apparent that a good video game movie is a rare occurrence. This is partly due to the fact that most successful video game franchises already have TV shows in the works, as seen with Fallout and The Last of Us. And let's be honest, video games are much longer than movies, making it difficult to condense the entire story into a two-hour film.
For example, the upcoming Tomb Raider adaptation looks like it will be a TV show rather than a movie. So it seems that only games with no strong narrative, like Sonic, end up getting turned into movies.
Let's switch gears and talk about the Nintendo Switch. When it was first released, I don't think anyone could have predicted that it would still be selling so well, especially with the recent release of the OLED model. But even more impressive than the Switch's success is the fact that Mario Kart 8 is still selling like hotcakes. Nintendo has even started advertising the Switch again, and what games do they choose to showcase? Mario Kart and Animal Crossing, both of which have been out for over 10 years. It just goes to show how timeless these games are and how they continue to attract new players to the console.
This also brings up an interesting question about potential launch titles for the rumored Nintendo Switch 2. Many people have been speculating that Mario Kart 9 will be one of the launch games, but it's worth noting that the previous installment is still being heavily advertised. So perhaps we won't see a new Mario Kart game just yet.
Moving on to another topic, let's discuss Microsoft's latest marketing campaign. I couldn't agree more with the Reader's Feature that called it "embarrassing". It's unlikely that the average person will understand what it means, and even if they do, what are they supposed to do about it? Suddenly sign up for Game Pass and start playing on their smart TV? The ads don't even mention Game Pass, and let's not forget that a controller is still needed to play.
To be honest, I don't really care about Xbox anymore, and I say that as a proud owner of a PlayStation 5. Any decent game will eventually make its way to my console, so what else does Xbox have to offer? Not much, in my opinion. Microsoft seems more focused on gaining new customers and growing the market, but I think it's safe to say that if someone is interested in playing video games, they would've already done so. Microsoft's current strategies aren't likely to make a significant impact.
Shifting gears once again, let's talk about Overwatch. It's interesting how its biggest failure could be not having any kind of story mode or campaign. It's probably too late to reverse its declining popularity, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't think of this earlier. It's not a technical issue; they already have the gameplay, they just needed to develop a story and some scenarios.
If the main team didn't have the time to work on it, they could have easily outsourced the project to another developer. In fact, this is a common practice in the gaming industry, so it's puzzling why Blizzard didn't consider it. Maybe they'll finally do something now with all that Microsoft money, but I'm not holding my breath.
Lastly, there's been speculation that Blizzard's upcoming open-world shooter could be related to the Starcraft franchise. Personally, I'm hoping for something similar to what I initially thought Command & Conquer: Renegade would be, where players could build structures and vehicles while also engaging in shooter gameplay. Only time will tell, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
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