Bayonetta’s best days might be in the past (PlatinumGames)
Key staff members at Bayonetta studio PlatinumGames appear to have left, as former co-founder Hideki Kamiya sets up his new venture.
Over the past 15 years, developer PlatinumGames has become one of the most beloved game studios in the world, creating titles like Bayonetta, Vanquish, NieR:Automata, and The Wonderful 101.
A key figurehead behind the studio was Hideki Kamiya, who co-founded the company in 2006 and went on to serve as vice president between 2017 and 2023. He departed the studio in October last year and has since set up a new team, Clovers, who are working on the sequel to Ōkami, a game he directed during his years at Capcom.
Kamiya’s departure, however, appears to have had a significant impact on the workforce at PlatinumGames, with many of his former colleagues jumping ship to his new studio.
Speaking in an interview with VGC, Kamiya, who formed the new studio with business partner Kento Koyama, confirmed the majority of the ‘around 25’ staff at Clovers followed them from Platinum to their new offices based in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.
While he doesn’t name the members specifically, it’s possible to deduce some from the Clovers’ team photo on the studio’s website, like cinematic director Kunihiko Tsuda, Metal Gear Rising’s lead animator Hirokazu Takeuchi, and Bayonetta animator Rei Yamamoto.
‘Many of our team members come from PlatinumGames,’ Koyama said. ‘These are people who have worked with me or with Kamiya during our time there. So most of our employees share this connection to Platinum.
Some of the team members at Clovers (Clovers)
‘They’re individuals who share a similar mindset. They were those who expressed a desire to continue working with us. But while most are from Platinum, several team members are acquaintances of mine from other companies and elsewhere.’
Since Clovers was announced at The Game Awards, several key employees at PlatinumGames have since removed the company from their social media accounts, leading to speculation that they might be among those who have left the company.
These include Metal Gear Rising director Kenji Saito, Astral Chain director Takahisa Taura, and Anarchy Reigns director Masaki Yamanaka. GameCentral has reached out to PlatinumGames and others for clarification.
One person who has definitely left PlatinumGames is Bayonetta Origins director Abebe Tinari, who confirmed his departure in a post on Bluesky on Sunday, December 15.
In a post on the platform, Tinari said he had moved from Osaka, Japan to Helsinki in Finland, although it’s unclear where he’ll be working.
‘I have seen some talk about directors departing PlatinumGames (in which I play a small part),’ Tinari wrote. ‘Games are not made by a single person. There are many talented artists, designers, programmers, and musicians still at PlatinumGames. I suggest you do not count them out yet. I can’t wait to see what they do next!’
I have seen some talk about directors departing PlatinumGames (in which I play a small part.)Games are not made by a single person.There are many talented Artists, Designers, Programmers, and Musicians still at PG. I suggest you do not count them out yet.I can’t wait to see what they do next!
What all these departures mean for the future of PlatinumGames remains to be seen. The studio was last known to be working on the mysterious Project G.G., which was announced in 2020 with Kamiya as director, but since he left the studio it’s unclear whether it is still in development.
Kamiya has alluded to a change in direction at PlatinumGames for the reason behind his departure, something he reiterated in the interview with VGC. ‘If I was satisfied with at Platinum, then I wouldn’t have left,’ he said.
‘There’s a way I believe games should be made: a philosophy, a mindset of how games should be made. Koyama approached me, and we shared the same mindset and philosophy about game development.
‘So, it was just us two together, but then, of course, a number of individuals felt the same way. That’s what led to the start of [Clovers]. I began my career at Capcom and then moved to Platinum, but my mindset for game development has remained the same throughout these transitions and throughout my career.’
While PlatinumGames has yet to comment on its future, it certainly seems like it’s the end of an era for the studio, whether it continues on or not. But considering that, beyond Project G.G., it currently has no new games scheduled it’s not looking good.
Oh it’s awful! … Who’s going to buy it for us? (Zavvi)
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It won’t feel like Christmas unless people are wearing ugly jumpers, and there’s plenty of them available for gamers this year.
Obviously, the correct answer is a gaming themed Christmas jumper, the perfect fashion statement to celebrate the season and your favourite video game. Christmas Jumper Day had some chic options that were borderline fashionable, but everyone knows the uglier the better.
To make things a bit easier for prospective buyers, we’ve scoured retailers for every gaming themed Christmas jumpers they have on offer and put together a selection of the best ones we could find, and by best we mean worst – and also best.
Best ugly Christmas jumpers for gamers in 2024
As it turns out, several geek-focused retailers have dedicated sections for Christmas jumpers around this time of year, such as Just Geek. You’ll want to act fast, though, since any orders later than this week won’t arrive until after Christmas.
Their selection covers an array of popular movie and television franchises, but when it comes to gaming, we have to highlight this especially awful looking Xbox jumper. It’s just so green that you could lose your Brussel sprouts on it and it’s currently discounted to £19.99.
We know green is the colour of Xbox but that is too much green (Just Geek)
They’ve also got a Sonic The Hedgehog jumper for £19.99 as well, in case anyone is brave enough to wear this to the cinema for the third movie coming out this week.
If you’re more of a Pokémon fan, Zavvi has a bunch of themed Christmas jumpers depicting various pokémon. It’s all obvious picks, like Pikachu and Charizard, but the most garish of the lot is this one for £39.99.
The rest are surprisingly pretty stylish and could be worn for the rest of winter, though we have to highlight this Mew themed one if only for the puntastic ‘All I want for Christmas is Mew’ name.
Gotta go ugly (Just Geek)
GeekCore’s range is truly horrendous, and we mean that in the best way possible. They must be popular because most of the range is sold out. A shame since this Legend Of Zelda jumper looks like the kind of thing your grandma would knit for you and (tri)force you to wear all day.
As for what they do have in stock, GeekCore has its own garish Pokémon jumper depicting Pikachu in a Father Christmas hat for £39.99. Younger Minecraft fans may unironically enjoy this patterned jumper, but it is pricey at £44.99.
This one is actually pretty cool (Merchoid)
Merchoid’s range may be our favourite, though, purely because they’re officially labelled as ugly Christmas jumpers. We love this PlayStation one for £38.99 in particular, and apparently so does everyone else since there’s only a handful of stock left at the time of writing.
One jumper that looks genuinely cool is this Pac-Man one, depicting a classic maze complete with ghosts and pellets but shaped like a Christmas tree. We could see this being an actual themed level in one of the games. It too is £38.99 and on the cusp of selling out.
If you’ve got some extra cash to spare in the Christmas budget and know an avid gamer who would appreciate an ugly Christmas jumper, you can’t go wrong with any of these.
Celebrate like its 1995 and you’re playing Ridge Racer for the first time (Merchoid)
Not only has Microsoft been eagerly promoting how you can access Xbox games without even needing the console, but this year has seen the company bring what were once major console exclusives over to other platforms.
Although Microsoft hasn’t gone so far as to say it’s ditching console exclusivities entirely, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has publicly suggested exclusivity is a bad thing, and now a new rumour is claiming the days of Xbox-only releases are pretty much over.
This comes courtesy of Windows Central’s Jez Corden, a regular source of inside info regarding the Xbox brand. Having already once claimed that all previous first party Xbox games would eventually make the jump to PlayStation, Corden is now saying you should expect any and all future Xbox releases to follow suit.
When someone on X questioned why Microsoft seemed to be cherry picking which of its Xbox games would remain exclusives (such as Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 and South Of Midnight), Corden answered, ‘They’re all coming to PlayStation over time.’
He added: ‘[Microsoft] don’t want to just mandate it on teams that aren’t set up yet for multiplatform simultaneous development. But the era of Xbox having permanent console exclusives is over.’
If you’ve been paying attention to Microsoft’s actions, this only sounds more plausible (X)
It’s not clear whether this means Microsoft will continue with an Xbox first, everywhere else later approach to its games (like it’s doing with Indiana Jones And The Great Circle) or transition into simultaneous multiplatform launches.
Regardless, as a self-professed Xbox fan, Corden wouldn’t make such a claim lightly, and Microsoft’s actions this past year are the perfect evidence to support it.
Not to mention, the only Microsoft published game to be shown off during The Game Awards 2024 was The Outer Worlds 2, which was immediately confirmed to be a multiplatform title for 2025.
Speaking of The Game Awards, Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb dropped his own Xbox rumour during a reaction livestream (at the 21:58 mark), claiming to have heard that one of Microsoft’s big 2025 releases has slipped into 2026.
He couldn’t confirm which one it is but another insider, NateTheDrake, has separately said everything Microsoft has dated for a 2025 launch is on track to come out on time. If that’s the case, this rules out the likes of Fable and Doom: The Dark Ages.
This would mean whatever’s been pushed back was never publicly slated to come out next year, but Microsoft was secretly aiming for a 2025 release. The best fit for that logic is the Perfect Dark reboot, which would make sense given its reportedly rough development.
Perfect Dark did pop up at this year’s Xbox summer showcase with new gameplay, but no launch window (Microsoft)
The console is set to be announced at some point before April next year, but it seems like an official reveal could be just around the corner based on the volume of new information cropping up online.
Among the new leaks is Reddit user NextHandheld, who claims to have a final unit of the Switch 2, and in the spirit of the festive season, has promised to provide proof on Christmas Day.
While these antics would usually be brushed aside as fake, especially as the leaker joked they were ‘from the future’, moderators on the Nintendo Switch 2 subreddit have said the person provided them proof of their claims ‘at least to some extent’. They do, however, admit he could just be ‘a really good hoaxer’.
‘They did not want to share the evidence because it could reveal their identity to people around them,’ the subreddit moderator wrote.
While NextHandheld apparently hasn’t turned on the console itself, because they were ‘not allowed to’, they answered various questions about it on Reddit. One of their claims is that there is ‘something new’ in the Joy-Cons not mentioned in prior leaks which ‘could create new experiences’, although they don’t say what.
Mario Kart 9 might be a launch game (Nintendo)
They also claim a special edition Switch 2 bundle is planned, alongside a game with ‘the number 9’ in the title. When asked if it is Mario Kart 9, as everyone would assume, they replied with a face-covering emoji suggesting that is the case.
Elsewhere, they claimed it’s ‘hard to even tell’ the difference between the two consoles, describing it as a ‘bigger Switch’, with the main difference visually being on the back with the ‘Joy-Con release button and the U-shaped kickstand’ – both seen in prior leaks. As a small touch, they also claim the Switch 2 logo is a ‘giant 2 next to the original logo’.
They also claim the Switch 2 has *hall effect* joysticks, which would solve the Joy-Con drift issue which has plagued the original Switch. As for when it will be announced, the leaker states that they expect it to be revealed in January, although it’s unclear what this information is based on.
This isn’t the only Switch 2 leak doing the rounds today either. A poster who shared rendered images of the console back in September on, Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, has released new computer-aided design (CAD) renders allegedly showing the top and bottom of the Switch 2, complete with an additional USB-C port and the U-shaped kickstand.
Another case manufacturer called Dbrand, which is already advertising a ‘Killswitch 2’ case for the console, has claimed to have ‘actual dimensions’ for the Switch 2 console too. Speaking to The Verge, Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz said Nintendo’s next console will be larger and taller than the Switch OLED model.
According to Ijaz, the Switch 2 will measure 270mm wide, 116mm tall, and 14mm thick, while the console itself will take up 200mm of the width. In comparison, the Switch OLED is 242mm wide, 102mm tall, and 13.9mm thick. They also support previous rumours that the Switch 2 will have an 8-inch LCD screen.
There are more alleged images of the console from a Chinese case manufacturer too, which closely resemble other recent mock-ups. At this point, considering the amount of similarities between the leaks, it’s safe to assume these at least partly resemble the final console.
Nintendo has not confirmed anything about the Switch 2, except that it is backwards compatible. While there’s no firm release date in 2025, some have suggested it could launch around June.
PLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing our content for over the Christmas period and will need a number of Reader’s Features, so if you’ve been meaning to write one but never quite got round to it we could do with as many as possible before Monday, December 23.
First impressions Am I the only one that wasn’t that impressed by Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? And I’m not just talking about that cringey subtitle. It looked fine, the graphics are good, obviously, but it has an overwhelming air of smugness to it that I can well imagine comes as standard for Naughty Dog developers but I’m not sure is warranted here.
The main character didn’t do or say anything to make me like her and despite the trailer being quite long I didn’t really get a feel for what the story was or what the gameplay is going to be. I guess a third person fighter? But considering how simplistic the combat is in other Naughty Dog games I’m not sure I have much faith in them taking on Devil May Cry or whatever.
I didn’t really like the design of the protagonist, the robot you saw for a minute, or the buster sword she seems to be using. It all felt like one of those games that are patched together with ideas from other people’s titles and I expected more from Naughty Dog. I’m not writing it off but I’m not super excited either. I hope it’s a good game, but I wouldn’t bet on it at this point. Focus
Main event Very excited to hear about more Elden Ring, although I get the feeling that Nightreign was probably originally DLC and they decided to expand it. FromSoftware often add in new multiplayer options after launch and turning your game into a roguelike has been very common with other developers lately, when it comes to making DLC.
That’s not a criticism but I think it’s pretty obvious this is a side project and not their main game at the moment. I’d bet good money Hidetaka Miyazaki is not the director too.
Finding out what he is working on next will be the most important information for me in the coming year and I’m not sure if the possible Sony buyout of From’s parent company makes that more or less likely. Here’s hoping the beans get spilled soon. Grackle
Quick job Crazy to think that The Witcher 4 is going to be out 2028 at the earliest and quite possibly two or more years later than that. It’s getting to the point where it’s going to become common for developers to not stay on a game for the whole of its development. Five years is longer than I’ve stayed at any one job, and I wouldn’t say that’s particularly unusual. In fact, I’d say six or seven is relatively unusual.
The job layoffs all around probably make people more keen than usual not to move away, and stick at a studio, but the whole thing seems so difficult to organise. What’s the longest it ever takes to make a movie? Three years, maybe? And the average has got to be a year or less.
Never mind people leaving, people are going to die of old age waiting to finish a game soon. Well, I hope it works out anyway, as I am fine with Ciri being the main character and double fine with the idea of more Witcher of any kind. Pinky
Wish granted Firstly, merry Christmas GC and Happy New Year, keep up the good work.
Writing in for a small bit of Inbox magic this Christmas.
While everyone has been heaping praise on the new Call Of Duty and Indiana Jones games, as a Switch only owner I have been playing Yakuza on the Switch, which quietly dropped onto the Switch for the sensible sum of £18, for those that don’t know.
This was my first Yakuza game (exciting) and I really enjoyed it, but with a fight on almost every street it left me yarning to play the slower-paced Shenmue series, so how about a small Xmas Inbox miracle and a Shenmue collection on Switch please guys? Chris
GC: Since the publishing rights now belong to ININ, who were behind the recent Taito Milestones 3, that’s probably quite likely.
No more Monopoly I’ve been going back through the Dark Souls games, and I’m currently being destroyed in the Pained World of Ariandel by some creatures that look like the baddie in Through The Dragon’s Eye (I’m old) in Dark Souls 3.
You get someone in to occasionally review and recommend board games. I’m wondering if the Dark Souls board game is any good? I’ve got a nice bit of time off over Christmas this year so I’m thinking of trying to get into something a bit different but not sure if it’s any good
Any help would be appreciated. Simon
GC: It’s rather old now, compared to other video game board game adaptions, but the consensus seems to be that it’s pretty good. Here’s Lucy Orr’s rundown of the best new tabletop games for Christmas, which includes Mass Effect and Halo.
Rainbow Islands: The Movie For any Amiga Fans out there, there is a Blu-ray documentary available to pre-order, with videos on the making of games such as Frontier, Kick Off, Sensible World Of Soccer, RoboCop 3, and Rainbow Islands, as well as other Amiga games. It’s made by the people who made the From Bedrooms to Billions documentaries that have covered various home computers and consoles, including PlayStation, Spectrum, and Amiga 500.
The Blu-ray is region free, signed and numbered for £35 plus postage. It is a lot of money but it is a niche product and needs to be that cost to happen. It’s available for pre-order until Thursday, 19th December 2024 with delivery estimated at February 2025.
Also this week, the ZX Spectrum The Rubber Keyed-Wonder documentary Blu-ray is finished as well and is being posted out to backers (like me) of the Kickstarter campaign too, as that is finally finished after three years. it is also available to buy on digital format from here if you missed the campaign. Andrew J. Currently trying to platinum Astro Bot (PS5) before the new year!
Welcome back Great news about the return of Fumito Ueda. I’ll be honest and say I’d completely forgotten about his games over the last decade or so, but the trailer of the new one brings it all back. Sony were silly to let him slip out of their fingers, but then their handling of all their Japanese teams seems poor, going back since before The Last Guardian I guess – considering when he left.
Overall, a really good The Game Awards, I’d say. I didn’t stay up for it but reading about everything in the morning it was clearly a good one and there’s at least four or five games I’m definitely interested in without even knowing more. The trailers seemed longer and better too, before they were basically just a logo and nothing else. Cranston
The wrong side of bed So I already know there’ll be a few letters dedicated to the thoughts over Friday night’s Game Awards and I’d like to take this time to share mine. I’m vehemently regretful of spending my time wallowing in the disappointment and underwhelming events of the show. So, I’ll say that the announcements, for a start, weren’t as groundbreaking as I’d hoped. Kudos for beginning with the announcement of The Witcher 4. I’m stoked for the title, but we all know it’s precisely three to four years away. Let’s not kid ourselves. This will release the exact same time frame as the PlayStation 6 and I quite frankly can say it was too early to announce this.
Why showcase a trailer, that’s four years away? It was a fantastic opener, but it’s head-scratching for lack of a better word. I’m excited to see Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and The Last Of Us Part 2, release on PC. Those were two great surprises. But I’ll resort back to being sceptical, by saying that I’m kind of puzzled over Laura Bailey’s new project. I don’t see the need for something that seems so forgettable, to include a voice actress of her calibre. Is anyone remotely even interested in this? Why is Aaron Paul working on this, when he truthfully hasn’t made anything close to the calibre of Breaking Bad, since it ended?
I see this flopping hard and being forgotten, in less than a week. I’m puzzled to see Black Myth: Wukong win Best Action Game. It’s essentially another Souls clone and, if I’m being honest, I would have liked to see Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 win instead. Congratulations to Metaphor: ReFantazio on the multiple awards, very well deserved. I’m still kind of astounded to see Silent Hill 2 remake completely snubbed. Luke Roberts was absolutely robbed of Best Performance and Silent Hill 2 was robbed of Best Audio Design. It deserved that accolade at the very least.
I don’t see the yearning for a mobile game set in Westeros and the world of Game Of Thrones. It’s of course another cash grab and my expectations are zero. I was, however, disappointed with the so-called massive announcement rumours. Ōkami 2 was announced and we also saw the first glimpse of what Naughty Dog have been working on. A space odyssey named Intergalactic. Am I the only one who actually expected more? I’m not stating this will be a dreadful experience, but after onslaught of anime titles and Fortnite advertisements that I couldn’t care less.
Finally, I’d like to conclude this on a note of surprise and confusion. Astro Bot won the Game Of The Year prize. Astro essentially swept the show and if I’m being fruitfully honest, I expected Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to win. I hoped for it to win. But a platformer with quaint level design and enjoyable gameplay granted, but minimal story, wins over Metaphor and Rebirth. I’m kind of upset over that. But it is what it is.
Elden Ring is also back, with a co-op title, and I’d like to hope this can be single-player unlike It Takes Two, but I’ll cross my fingers. Overall, I found the show was less than what people hoped for. Considering I stayed up for the entire duration, until 4am it felt as if it was ultimately time wasted. I could have read about it all the next morning. You get what you pay for. Shahzaib Sadiq
Inbox also-rans Vampire Survivors on the Switch. Looks rubbish but if ever there was ever a case of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ in games… and it’s only four quid. Chevy Malibu
GC: We agree entirely, the disconnect between how it looks, and even how it plays at first, and the actual level of enjoyment it offers is vast.
I just thought that GC’s offices must be called GCHQ. That’s it. That’s the email. Ali K
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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Monument Valley 3 – no innovation but plenty of fun (Netflix)
The Christmas special for video games on Netflix is a new sequel to mobile classic Monument Valley and it’s just as beautiful and mesmerising as ever.
Netflix was originally in the business of posting rented DVDs to their customers, replacing an arduous journey to Blockbuster Video with a leisurely stroll to your local postbox. It was the later pivot to streaming video that proved to be their masterstroke, annihilating competitors and inspiring a dreadful new generation of streaming services from seemingly absolutely everybody, so that now you have to spend a small fortune on subscriptions to be allowed to watch everything.
As a way of holding onto customers who might otherwise switch to Disney+, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, or any of the plethora of smaller offerings, Netflix started adding video games to its offering. When Google briefly flirted with games, a fundamental misunderstanding of development cycles meant their grandiose plans failed to pay off as quickly as anticipated, leading Google Stadia into the same graveyard as so many other abandoned Alphabet projects.
The Netflix approach has been different. Rather than starting from scratch, with a scattering of partners, they applied the philosophy that worked so well in TV and film, by licensing games from existing developers en masse. Instead of chasing triple-A titles they instead went after mobile, and rather than settling for any old rubbish studios had knocking about, their focus has been on quality; and thanks to private equity financing, that wasn’t at the expense of quantity.
This week’s addition to their roster of champions is Monument Valley 3, the latest iteration of a franchise that’s enjoyed monumental and deserved success. With so many games released every year, there’s a real discoverability problem in mobile, so games that cut through to the degree Monument Valley has, usually have something special about them.
In the third instalment, the premise remains unchanged. You control Noor, a little stick figure with a pointy hairdo. Tapping a point on the screen gets her to walk towards it. The object is to pilot her towards specific floor pads or doorways to progress, but generally those points are in unreachable parts of the level when you begin.
Your job is to slide and rotate different parts of each level to clear her path and, like an M. C. Escher drawing, when 3D objects meet on the 2D plane of your phone screen Noor can traverse them, ignoring the impossibility of those broken perspectives. It’s a process that’s not at all intuitive, requiring pleasurable minutes of trial and error as you grab and swivel different pieces of scenery in search of a viable route.
Accompanied by an ambient soundscape, each tap you make or element of the level you rotate makes its own distinct and sonorous tone, adding to a sort of minimal, Philip Glass style soundtrack that’s at least partly of your own making. It’s an especially rewarding game to play wearing headphones, the deep bass notes and tinkly treble creating an almost hypnotic effect with the gradual unfolding of each puzzle.
Levels are formed from a mix of organic features and dramatic architecture, the rumbling as bits of it move and swivel, mixing with the sound of the surrounding water and subtle background bird and animal calls. Especially with noise cancelling switched on, it really transports you, its whimsy and tactile puzzling proving surprisingly captivating for something on such a small screen.
However, going back to the first game, as we did while writing this, it’s surprising just how similar the two experiences still are. The original Monument Valley arrived fully formed and apart from a few new bits of window dressing, this second sequel remains the same highly rewarding, beautifully drawn and mesmerisingly soundtracked set of puzzles.
Once again the difficult it pitched just right, requiring a bit of experimentation or a brief pause to consider, but never holding you up for more than a minute or two, and very rarely even that long. Instead, it’s a digital walk in the park, a peaceful and lovingly constructed piece of escapism that amounts to a couple of hours of light puzzling.
Anyone letdown by the comparative brevity will be relieved that its end screen promises ‘seasonal stories’ due in the coming weeks. Surely episodic gaming, something that never really took off for traditional titles, is a potentially winning match for a subscription TV service. Either way, and despite the relative lack of innovation, it’s a delight to have more Monument Valley to look forward to.
Monument Valley 3 review summary
In Short: A brief new slice of Monument Valley’s unique and minimally drawn perspective-bending puzzles, with the promise of more to come.
Pros: Looks and sounds beautiful. Puzzles that test you just enough to be interesting and a sprinkling of, minor, fresh ideas.
Cons: Not for those who like their puzzles taxing, and it remains very similar in content and looks to both previous instalments.
Score: 7/10
Formats: iOS (reviewed) and Android Price: Included with Netflix subscription Publisher: Netflix Developer: Ustwo Games Release Date: 11th December 2024 Age Rating: 4+
Monument Valley 3 – no additional charge (Netflix)
Astro Bot – the best game of 2024? (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
A reader argues that Astro Bot did not deserve to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024 but that its sequel may be a contender.
I might never have made it over to L.A. to see E3, as I’d always wanted to, but I feel staying up till 4am to watch The Game Awards, when I’ve got to get to work at 8am the next morning, offers a similar level of exclusivity. In that few people are as stupid as me, as to want to do it.
I almost didn’t, actually, as last year’s really wasn’t worth the effort and if it hadn’t been for the rumours of this being a good one, I wouldn’t have bothered. I’m still not quite sure what the two big ‘holy s***’ moments were meant to be, but I felt there were quite a few reasonably surprising ones (very when it came to Ōkami 2) and I was satisfied by the end of it.
Not only did we get a lot of interesting and unexpected game reveals but almost all of them showed gameplay and the only main one that didn’t, The Witcher 4, had the excuse of being years away and making an important point about who the main character is (I’m not going to spoil the surprise if GC won’t). But overall: 9/10, would watch again – not the same one, but certainly next year.
As everyone knows, the game award part of the showcase is a surprisingly small part of the overall event, with more than half the winners being announced and forgotten almost before you realise they’re being talked about. I sometimes wonder why they bother with the award aspect at all, but they do make a fuss about some of them, especially the Game of the Year award.
Like many, I felt there was no obvious favourite this year, with my personal preference being Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I wouldn’t have objected to any of them winning, although I have not played Black Myth: Wukong or Balatro, but I really didn’t feel Astro Bot was Game of the Year material.
It’s a good game, that I enjoyed, but for me it’s not really any more than an 8/10. It’s just too derivative of 3D Mario games, while at the same time having much simpler gameplay, which makes it much more repetitive even though it’s much shorter than any comparable Nintendo game.
I would put Astro Bot: Rescue Mission several notches above it, as the novelty of VR managed to compensate for the rampant copycatting. I’m also not sure I didn’t enjoy Astro’s Playroom more too. It certainly had better songs and I felt the integration of PlayStation cameos was much better. The way the cameo characters worked made more sense in context and the final battle was a lot more fun (admittedly it did use up the best possible idea for a final boss, but still).
But as the night went on, and Astro Bot won most of the awards it was up for, it became obvious it was going to win Game of the Year and that just felt wrong to me. I thought this year had been good for games, but Astro Bot can in no way stand in the same company as games like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Elden Ring.
Not because it’s not serious or epic but because it’s just an existing idea not done quite as well. I get it… coming anywhere close to the quality of a Nintendo platformer is a real achievement, but that alone is not reason enough to be throwing around the phrase Game of the Year.
I’m not bitter about this, I get that some people just didn’t like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s open world sections, and I’m not going to say it’s a perfect game – but it’s my opinion that Astro Bot was already overrated and now I think it’s even more so. But hey, if it leads to Sony and others making more 3D platformers than maybe it’s for the best.
What I will say is I loved the acceptance speech which turned into a weird love letter to Nintendo, and I suspect was an admission on the part of the director that he knew Astro Bot was still the learner and Mario was the master.
There is a serious problem with overrating games though, that I feel is underappreciated, and that’s if you start talking about a good but not great game as being the GOAT then suddenly you haven’t got a proper frame of reference for where to go next. Being better than Astro Bot won’t make you a Game of the Year contender it’ll just make you equal to or better to 8/10.
I do feel Team Asobi understand this though and I look forward to their next game very much. Maybe that will be a genuine Game of the Year winner, but I don’t feel Astro Bot is.
By reader Gordo
Astro Bot will definitely see a follow-up (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.
Elden Ring – you won’t beat it in 10 hours (Bandai Namco)
A reader explains how he uses a certain website to plan what game he’s playing next and how it’s helped him to have a more enjoyable gaming life.
I feel I should say that GC is my most treasured video game website, or there’s not much chance of the feature being used, but in truth I’m here to talk about my other favourite website, the one which has had more influence on what I play and buy than any review source: HowLongToBeat.
I’m never quite sure how well known it is but I find it invaluable. I’m assuming you’ve already guessed what it does, it’s not like the name is trick, but basically it has info on almost any game you care to type in, in terms of how long it takes to beat it for just the Main Story, Main + Extra (which I interpret as a reasonable number of easily discoverable side quests), and Completist (i.e. 100% completion).
There’s other information if you dig down further, where you can see how the totals are calculated from people who have written in to add their completion time and data. A lot of this isn’t very useful, except to see how many people the numbers are based on. If it’s only a few people then there’s a chance it can be quite inaccurate, although I rarely find it to be completely wrong.
Now that I’ve sat down to write this, I’ve realised I’m not actually sure why most people use the website. Maybe they’re trying to beat the average or something? But I would imagine they’d be better off at a dedicated speedrun site for that. Anyway, the reason I use it is pretty simple: to work out whether a game is worth playing.
If a game is any more than 10 hours for ‘Main Story’ then in nine out of 10 cases I just will not bother with it. And if it’s something silly, like over 30 hours, then forget about, there is absolutely no chance of me making an exception.
This is not some arbitrary rule I’ve invented, since I am quite happy to bend it if it’s a game that interests me and I feel I have the time, but usually I just don’t. I’m a working dad and there’s only so much time I can commit to gaming. I already spend more time than probably my wife would prefer, but I think it’s about average for someone in my position, at around 10 hours a week.
Maybe that seems a lot to some people – my boy’s 12 – so it’s not like I’m getting up every few hours to feed him anymore, but any gamer will tell you it’s really not that much. You need half that time to even get to the interactive part of Persona 4, for example. Or learn what the heck you’re doing in Dark Souls.
I don’t know what exactly you’re doing by hour 10 of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom or Elden Ring, because I’ve never played them, but I can tell from the website that I’d barely be 15% of the way into the games. And that’s assuming you were taking the ‘golden path’ and making progress, whereas I’d probably be pottering about and achieving very little.
I have absolutely nothing against open world games, but I don’t like to be hurried with them and nowadays that just means I haven’t time for them, full stop. It’s a shame, I’m sure, but there’s a thousand other things I don’t have time for in my life anymore, from reading super long books to learning to play the piano, and I’ve just got to accept that I’ve got responsibilities and my free time is a resource I have to manage
But now that I’m used to my limit, I have to say I’ve been enjoying gaming I lot more than I was five or 10 years ago. There are a few reasons for this but to put it simply, I’m beating almost everything I play within a relatively short time (i.e. I actually remember what the story was about by the time it’s finished), I’m playing a lot more games, I’m playing a lot greater variety of games, and I have no backlog.
On average, it takes me a week or two to complete a game, but the thing is, most shorter games are indie titles and they’re cheaper, so while I am buying more games I’m also getting more games in return. For £70 I can get at least three or four good quality indie games, sometimes more depending on what it is, and that’s not even counting sales.
Maybe I’m just making do, but I’m very happy with my set-up and my self-imposed limitations. I can break them whenever I feel like it, but I rarely do. The thing about 10 hour long games is there’s never any bloat, there’s usually no massively long cut scenes, and all the budget goes on the game and not just the graphics. The shorter the game, the less you can rely on visuals and gimmicks and I find that a big plus.
So, I say give it ago. Even if you have all the time in the world, limit yourself to only playing 10 hour or less games and I’d be surprised if you didn’t end up enjoying yourself more than the latest 60+ hour epic.
By reader Lagger
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – also not a short game (Nintendo)
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.
A reader argues that for the Switch 2, Nintendo should make a reverse of the Switch Lite: a non-portable model that’s more powerful.
I’m writing this on Thursday afternoon and I feel confident in saying that the Nintendo Switch 2 (or GTA 6) isn’t going to be announced at The Game Awards. I just don’t think that Nintendo or Rockstar Games want to do that kind of annoucement at someone else’s event, where they don’t have complete control over every single factor. It’s interesting to me, how the best game makers are all so very different in terms of what they create but surprisingly similar in how they act.
In many ways though, I’m not that interested in the initial reveal, but more the second one that will inevitably go into more detail about the games. Given how many rumours there have been recently, it would now be a shock if the Switch 2 looked very different from the current Switch, bar this extra ‘pedal’ on the back and some other minor differences. But that’s fine. The physical design of the Switch has been a proven success, and I am happy for it to be iterated on.
What I want from the Switch 2 is for it to be more powerful, not just for the sake of it but so that it can run all or most current gen games. I realise that’s probably not likely this generation, even if it has been a small leap from last gen, but that’s why I would like them to do an equivalent of the Switch Lite, but instead of being portable-only I’d like it to be not portable at all and more powerful.
This very idea, of there being two models of the Switch 2, was suggested by a rumour a year or so ago but I have never heard it brought up again, which means it’s either not true, and someone just made it up, or Nintendo’s lawyers got to them. Sadly, I feel the more likely explanation is the first one.
The thing is though, the Switch Lite is a special model that removes the main gimmick of the console (and loses the meaning of its name) in order to offer a cheaper version for a specific use and audience. What I am arguing for is to simply do the opposite: a more expensive version for a different audience.
I’m not suggesting a £700 PS5 Pro monstrosity, but I don’t think that would be necessary. It must be possible to approximate the PlayStation 5’s power much more easily now than it was four years ago, especially as the Switch 2 wouldn’t need a disc drive, so you’re already looking at something more equivalent to the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition’s price, which is around £350 at the moment.
That’s less than £100 more than the Switch OLED, so we’re not talking about some massive leap in price. That’s why I think my suggestion is reasonable, because a more powerful Switch 2 will immediately allow it access to a much wider range of third party games. Remove the portable features, like the detachable Joy-Cons (which the Switch Lite also doesn’t have) and I think you’d be able to keep the price quite low.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: Nintendo would not want certain Switch 2 games to only work on one model but they’ve done that multiple times before with their portables, going as far back as the Game Boy Color – when it was quite commonplace – and as recently as the New Nintendo 3DS, which had over half a dozen games which only worked on it and not standard versions of the console (Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was the most famous).
So, all I’m asking for is this: a non-portable version of the Switch 2 that is less than £400 and which is powerful enough to run Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 games. I believe this would sell in significant numbers, certainly a higher percentage of normal Switch 2 sales than the PS5 Pro compared to the PlayStation 5.
Ordinary Switch 2 customers would not be inconvenienced in any way, but those that wanted to pay a little more and/or sacrifice the portability, would be given access to a wider range of games, of the sort that more hardcore gamers would probably only be interested in anyway.
I haven no expectation that Nintendo will do this, but it’s what I hope for anyway.
By reader Cinnamon
The New Nintendo 3DS ran different games to the old one (Nintendo)
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.
A reader worries what effect GTA Online 2 is going to have on rival game companies, as it distracts players from other games for potentially months and years.
As I write this the second trailer for GTA 6 still hasn’t been released and I will be very surprised if it is at The Game Awards. I don’t say this as a random guess but because I believe I understand why Rockstar Games is so slow to release Trailer 2 and why they so rarely release any new information of any kind. It seems to me a simple reason: because none of it matters. GTA 6 is already destined to be the biggest video game of all time, so what’s the rush?
I’m sure GTA 6 will be great, like all Rockstar games usually are, as despite all the money they make I don’t think there’s anyone that doubts they put a lot of effort into their games. They make so few of them they kind of have to or they won’t have another chance to prove themselves for another decade!
But even if it did somehow turn out terrible, I’m not sure even that would matter at this point. GTA 6 is already too big to fail and if that’s big I don’t even know how to describe GTA Online 2. People talk about the success of GTA 5 but it’s really GTA Online that’s kept the game afloat all this time and this week we got confirmation that GTA 6 would have the same sort of mode as well.
What we also heard this week is evidence of what we can all already see; that publishers are terrified of announcing a release date for anything anywhere near autumn next year, in case they end up coming out at the same time as GTA 6. Watch them all try and launch at the same time as Borderlands 4 or Mafia: The Old Country, because they know that Take-Two know when GTA 6 is out, so they’ll assume the release dates of those two games will be safe.
Everyone else though, who knows what they’ll do? I’m sure they don’t. And that goes for Nintendo, with the Switch 2, on downwards. But that’s only the start of it. Assume everything comes out in a fairly orderly manner and games sell relatively normally, without GTA 6 eating their lunch. Now try to imagine what things are going to be like two or three months afterwards, when GTA Online 2 has got its teeth into people.
People aren’t going to play anything else ever again. Thinks that’s hyperbole? GTA 5 is over a decade old and it’s still regularly within the top 10, often the top five, games being sold and played on any given format. GTA 6 probably would’ve been out a lot sooner if that wasn’t the case, but Rockstar didn’t want to disrupt it. There was absolutely no need to make a sequel because it was almost impossible for GTA Online to make any more money than it already was.
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People will slowly drift away from GTA Online 2, of course, but very slowly in some cases. How many kids do you know that don’t play anything other than Minecraft or Roblox? Or adults that only play Call Of Duty or EA Sports FC? GTA Online 2 is going to be like that but magnified by 10. No other game is going to get a look in unless it’s the second coming of Zelda or maybe some little indie game you can play in between other things.
I really do think this is going to be a genuine problem. GTA Online 2 is literally going to be too successful, at least from everyone’s point of view except Rockstar’s. Even then, they’ll probably be at a loss as to what to do about Red Redemption 3, because they’d be competing with themselves I they released it.
It’s a credit to the game’s appeal – and I agree it’s strange that no other company is even trying to copy it nowadays – but GTA 6 is going to be the games industry for most of new year and probably several years after that.
By reader Lenge
The first GTA Online is still huge (Rockstar Games)
The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.
