Games Inbox: Is the new PS Plus Extra worth it?

The Wednesday letters page asks if Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be on Game Pass, as one reader uses Rez to beat the flu.

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It all adds up
Just read your article on the best-selling game franchises over the last 27 years and, I must say, the number of titles in some franchises is staggering.

93 Pokémon games? That’s more than one every four months.
55 Sonics? Of which only about five are any good (I’m being generous)?
109 Marios? Does Nintendo really produce four a year on average?
66 F1 games? More than two per season?!

Anyway, no further point, just wanted to express my amazement. Although I can quite easily believe there have been 113 Star Wars games in that time.
Julian

GC: Remember that they’re counting all the individual format versions of a single game, so that’s up to six for a single title at the moment. After all, EA has only released four different Star Wars games since they got the licence nine years ago. Conversely, most Pokémon games are released with two nigh identical versions and the Mario games include things like Mario Kart and Mario Party that have nothing to do with platforming.

Sick suggestion
Ever since the clocks went forward, I have been struck down – and yes, I really do need to be this dramatic – with sickness. A kind of flu-cold-fever or perhaps even a Plague of Certain Death. I typically will play whatever I am currently on regardless, but sometimes the nature of the game can make my brain feel like soup after even a shorter session. And not the good, creamy kind. But the kind of greasy water that my parents think constitutes the same. If you actually prefer the latter, then do seek medical attention right away. You’re really not well.

But what would GC and other readers recommend for when you’re feeling really sick or down? The equivalent of a get well card? I think Rez was quite good for this, not the main campaign as much as the extra modes and practice where there is no danger of dying and the stress that can induce. Yes, even in Rez. Just light and sound, man – light and sound…
DMR

GC: We’d recommend a paracetamol and Animal Crossing.

No surprise
I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 has been delayed again. Whilst it’s always disappointing to learn something you’ve been looking forward to is now further away, Nintendo have more than earned my trust that it’ll be worth the wait when the game finally sees the light of day. What I’m wondering is, how much the delay might have to do with the huge critical and commercial success of Elden Ring?

I know three to four months is hardly enough time to make major changes to a game a grand in scope as Breath Of The Wild 2 is likely to be, but I can’t help thinking if, ever since FromSoftware unleashed their open world masterpiece on the public, Nintendo haven’t picked over some of its many finer points and decided their own work might need a little last minute tinkering to keep up?
yourhomeisatrisk
PS: Super stoked to hear that Moss: Book 2 is so imminent. Is it on your review schedule, or are you too snowed under with other stuff right now for it to make the cut?

GC: That seems unlikely given how little attention Nintendo usually pays to other developers. More pointedly, what exactly would they borrow from Elden Ring that wasn’t already in Breath Of The Wild? We do intend to review Moss: Book 2 but the review code hasn’t arrived yet.

Quick saving
So with the new more expensive tier for the new look PS Plus I see they’re going to move all PS Now subscribers onto it. As PS Now is half the price does that mean we could all just subscribe to PS Now whilst it’s still active and get the top tier cheaper for several months?
Liam

GC: In theory, but remember they already started removing PS Now subs from retail stores months ago, so you might have trouble getting them there.

Quality assurance
I know we didn’t have a date for Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 before but that could still end up being a year long delay, which is a lot. I’d be fascinated to know if it’s to add or change anything or if it’s just that the speed of work has been so badly hit by the pandemic that they simply need more time. Unfortunately, because this is Nintendo we’ll never learn what’s going on.

I suspect it’s merely that the game needs more time though. I think people underestimate just how incredibly difficult it must’ve bene to make the original. Never mind how much juice it squeezed out of the humble Switch, it had a massive game world, that was far more interactive than any other, and yet there was a single bug of note when it was released.

You compare that to your average Ubisoft of CD Projekt game (even just The Witcher, never mind Cyberpunk 2077) and it seems almost impossible. Of course you don’t notice something that’s not there so a lot of people don’t realise what a good job Nintendo’s QA team did, and I imagine the delay of the sequel is to make sure things are equally good for that.
Dustin

Inbox also-rans
I forgot there was going to be a Call Of Duty: Warzone 2 this year. Does that mean that Modern Warfare 2 is going to be on Game Pass, even if it’s not an Xbox exclusive? It’s going to be a big year for Call Of Duty if it is.
Korbie

GC: It depends if and when the acquisition deal goes through – it hasn’t yet.

Am I the only one that has never even heard of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands before? Talk about burying a game, why be so weird about a Borderlands spin-off that I would’ve thought would’ve been pretty big otherwise.
Maisker

This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Xane, who asks what’s your favourite retro video game format?

With TheA500 Mini creating a surge of interest in the Amiga 500, we want to know what’s your favourite retro format of all time – assuming that retro means anything up to and including the Xbox 360 era. Any kind of gaming device counts, including consoles (both home and portable), home computers, and the PC. Although if it’s the PC please be specific about the time period in question.

What is it you like about the format and how much does nostalgia have to do with your choice? What were the format’s best games and is there anything about it that you miss from modern devices?

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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, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE : Games Inbox: PlayStation Game Pass rumours, FIFA 23 name change, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands reviews

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MORE : Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: What’s the last video game you played?

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